one man's solution to hunger

“All around the island people complain about feral chickens and roosters, but when have you seen the food bank – or anyone else – teach anyone how to pluck feathers?”

“Although dogs and cats produce tasty lean meat and pigeon pie is famous around the world, when and where have you seen any such meat on a menu? Polynesians brought the Pacific rat to our island to provide their children with meat, and missionaries brought the black and Norway rat, but when have you seen rat on the menu? There is no reason for anyone on Oahu to go hungry when there is an abundance of food available!”

So let me get this straight. He does not donate food, ever. OK, that’s his choice and I have no problem with that.

But the reason he doesn’t donate is because he thinks down-and-out people should be catching feral chickens and rats and cats and dogs and plucking and skinning the critters themselves. And then they should bake tasty pigeon pies and simmer up savory rat stew, and feed that to their hungry families.

I have to say, I’m sort of speechless.

-- Jade Moon, MidWeek, November 27, 2013

progress

Comedian Louis C.K. does a great skit showing how oblivious we can be when complaining about our lives.

We get frustrated when our cell phone reception goes out for 30 seconds without realizing how amazing cell phone technology is. "Can you give it a second?" Louis asks. "It's going to space. Can you give a second to get back from space?"

"The worst cell phone in the world is a miracle," he says. "Why are you so mad at it?"

It's a wise question to ask. When something doesn't work perfectly but is still much better than it used to be, you are better off. Our perceptions and emotions play an evil trick by convincing us otherwise.

"Everything is amazing and nobody is happy," Louis says.

This could apply to the U.S. economy, too.

Everywhere you go these days, gloom wins.

"Jump in percentage of those saying things not going well," reads one headline.

"Americans see more doom and gloom in the economy," writes another.

"Americans Are Pessimistic, Miserable and Completely Fed Up," warns another.

A lot of Americans are in bad shape. Their problems are worse than bad cell phone service. They're unemployed, uninsured, underpaid, underappreciated, overmedicated, and overpromised.


But this is nothing new. It has always been true. And by most measures, most Americans live in a better, safer, more prosperous world today than they could have dreamed of a few decades ago.

The average American born in 1950 could expect to live to age 68. The average American born in 2010 can expect to live to almost 79.

Think about that: In two generations, the average American gained a decade of life expectancy.

Do you know what can happen in a decade? A little more than 10 years ago, AOL dominated the Internet, oil cost $13 a barrel, Fortune magazine named Enron one of America's "most admired corporations," and Apple was a joke. Everything can change, in other words. You get an extra one of those now.

Minorities have made even greater progress. African Americans have gained 15 years of life expectancy since 1950.

Odds are this will continue. Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey thinks the first person to live to see their 150th birthday is already alive. As San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll joked, "Americans have come to view death as optional."

The biggest reason life expectancy has gone up is because childhood mortality has plunged, from 32 per 1,000 in 1950, to 19 in 1970, all the way down to six in 2012.

How often do we have BREAKING NEWS when stocks fall half a percent? Several times a week. But no one ever says, "Breaking news: Far Fewer Children are Dying Than Used To." We ignore the really important news because it happens slowly, but we obsess over trivial news because it happens all day long. This is another evil trick our minds (and media) play on us.

Not only are fewer children dying, but older Americans are experiencing something they couldn't dream about a few decades ago: retirement.

Think of it this way: The average American now retires at age 62. One hundred years ago, the average American died at age 51.

Poverty among the elderly has plunged, too. More than a quarter of those over age 65 were living in poverty in the 1960s, compared with less than 10% today. Medicare has only been around since the 1960s. Before that, as one 1963 Social Security report put it, "paying for necessary health services and providing adequate insurance for non-budgetable expenses remains beyond the economic capabilities of most aged persons."

he list goes on and on:

• In 1950, the average household spent 30% of its budget on food. Today, less than 13% of an average budget has to be devoted to food.
• High school graduation rates are at the highest level in 40 years.
• Traffic deaths per 100,000 people have fallen by half since the 1960s.
• The median new home today is 34% larger today than it was 25 years ago.
• 49% of new homes had air conditioning in 1973. Today, 89% do.
• Nearly 30% of Americans over age 25 have a bachelor's degree. In the 1960s, less than 10% did.

I'm not arguing that inefficiencies, injustices, and inequalities don't exist today. Of course, they do. But they always have, and by comparison, we are living in one of the most prosperous times in the history of this world.

We have a lot to be thankful for.

-- Morgan Housel

Star Trek: Into Darkness (where are the special features?)

No I haven't seen the movie yet, and I probably won't care to watch all the special features.  But I hate to be missing something that I could in theory watch (someday)...

How much does it cost to acquire the “complete” Star Trek Into Darkness blu-ray and how much effort does it take to enjoy it?  That would normally seem like an odd question, but Paramount’s inexplicable release strategy has left Trekkies and general blu-ray completists scratching their heads in confusion and frustration. You see, unlike most blu-ray releases, where the studio puts the respective bonus features either on the disc that every consumer can buy from every outlet, Paramount has done something… a little silly.  They have spread out the available special features into several different retail outlets. So basically, if you want the “complete” American Star Trek Into Darkness blu-ray, you have to buy it twice. Oh, and you can’t even enjoy some of those features on your television.

Offering an exclusive bonus disc to a consumer if you buy a given film at one specific store is not new.  However frowned upon it might be, it isn’t that much of a headache to, for example, buy Disney’s The Avengers at Target instead of Best Buy or Amazon in order to get a 90-minute documentary that isn’t available anywhere else. It’s annoying, as when Paramount put most the deleted scenes of Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol in the Best Buy bonus disc, but most studios at least have the decency to usually keep their content-related exclusives (as opposed to special packaging) to a single establishment.

What Paramount has done is an enhanced variation of this kind of release pattern. They have offered a near-barren disc for Star Trek Into Darkness and instead offered the various special features as exclusives at two different retailers.

On the standard release, you get 42 minutes of mostly solid documentary featurettes, eight in all, including an amusing seven-minute bit where the filmmakers try to justify their pointless inclusion of a certain major character from the prior canon. And that’s pretty much it, save for a PSA for a group called ‘The Mission Continues‘, which helps returning war veterans re-acclimate to civilian life through service projects. There are no trailers, no deleted, scenes, and no commentaries on the standard release disc.

If you must buy only one version of Star Trek Into Darkness, get the Target disc.  The disc set contains the feature on a separate disc, with the 42 minutes of bonus features from the normal release, as well as thirty minutes of additional featurettes, along with the domestic trailer campaign, which is a nice touch.

Unlike the Canadian Best Buy version, the American Best Buy bonus content isn’t disc-based.  It’s only accessed through their online service CinemaNow. One can’t just go onto CinemaNow and watch the stuff either. You have to actually get an account with them first.

Now if you’ve bought both retail versions for approximately $40 plus shipping or taxes, you’ve got the film itself, the three American trailers, and about 105 minutes of relatively solid bonus material. But the adventure is not over yet, folks. Because here’s the goofiest and most frustrating part of this release pattern.  There actually is a commentary track for Star Trek Into Darkness - a pretty darn good one no less.  But it is only available as an iTunes download. The good news is that the retail version comes with the iTunes download, meaning you don’t have to buy the film a third time to get that commentary track. The bad news is that it’s once again a major bonus feature that isn’t on the disc or even on a bonus disc. Not only is it a commentary track, but it’s a full video-based commentary track, a separate video file that is filled with talking heads and behind-the-scenes footage that runs nearly 30 minutes longer than the actual 132 minute feature. But you can’t watch it on your television and you have to sign up for an iTunes account and then download the hefty file before you can watch it on your computer.

Star Trek is the kind of franchise for which the fans will crave the most complete versions of the newest incarnation and will still devour any and all supplements offered. What Paramount has inexplicably done here is basically punish the fans both for their love of Star Trek and the general consumers who still prefer the physical media that everyone tries to claims is dead.

***

trekmovie.com has more info on the special features

Wait. The CinemaNow features are now free?

And here's commentary on the commentary.

bonus article: 15 things you (probably) didn't know about Star Trek

should you get long-term care insurance?

When it comes to purchasing long-term care (LTC) insurance, there’s no one-size-fits-all plan. Choosing the right LTC policy for you means factoring in a range of information about your life, your goals, your family’s medical history, where you expect to live in retirement, and other factors.

Getting this decision right can make or break your retirement—and your ability to leave a legacy to your family. Consider this: The median length of stay in an assisted living facility was nearly 26 months, according to a 2012 MetLife survey on long-term care costs.¹ The average monthly cost for a standard level of care at these facilities was $3,550, meaning a stay of 26 months would cost more than $90,000. And those costs could rise for a higher level of care to treat issues such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

The key is determining if you need coverage, and if so, what is the right level, type, and cost. Not all individuals need long-term care insurance. At one extreme, the wealthy can self-insure. At the other end, veterans and people with low income and limited resources can get government assistance through the U. S. Department of Veterans Administration and Medicaid, respectively. Most people, however, fall somewhere in the middle.

Let’s consider four very different hypothetical situations

factors which can lead to Alzheimer's

According to the Alzheimer's Association, there are three primary factors that have been identified by researchers which can lead to Alzheimer's.

The first is simply advancing age. Every five years over the age of 65 leads to a rough doubling of your chance of developing the disease. Second is family history. Simply put, if someone directly related to you has Alzheimer's disease, your chances of developing Alzheimer's increases as well. Finally, genetic make-up plays a role as well with select genes, such as apolipoprotein E-e4, being identified as raising the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's.

There are other factors which may play a role, but are still being researched. The key suggestion from the Alzheimer's Association to help lower your own potential risk (since many of these are genetic, and thus beyond your control) would be to address issues which regulate your cardiovascular health, such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, or heart disease which can lead to poor blood flow to your brain and possibly elevate your risk of developing Alzheimer's.

addicted to Oreos

Wonder why it's hard to stop eating Oreos once you've taken that first bite? A new study suggests that "America's favorite cookie" is just as addictive as cocaine or morphine -- at least in lab rats.

"Our research supports the theory that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do," co-author Joseph Schroeder, an associate professor of neuroscience at Connecticut College in New London, Conn., said in a press release. "It may explain why some people can't resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them."

Researchers tested rats' affinity for the chocolatey sandwich cookie in several lab experiments. Co-author Jamie Honohan explained that Oreos were chosen not only for their taste, but because they have high amounts of fat and sugar and are marketed heavily in areas where people tend to have lower socioeconomic status and higher obesity rates.

"Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability," Honohan said.

[what about soda?]

yes and no

lost episode of the Three Stooges found

A man in Australia recently found a lost “Three Stooges” movie in his shed. It's annoying though because every time he goes to pick it up, he steps on a rake and it hits him in the face.

-- Jimmy Fallon

Managing Your Time

I suppose I'm already supposed to know this (supposedly), but it doesn't hurt to have a reminder...

This article and the next offer tips and resources to help you be more efficient and productive. We can’t change the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day, but we can change how we manage our time!

1) Clearly define your vision and goals for your personal and professional life. By defining your vision and top priorities, you set your eyes on what you need to be focused. Continually go back to this and ask yourself if what you are doing directly leads you to accomplishing your top priorities. If it doesn’t, ask yourself if it is worth doing. The goal is to get rid of anything that distracts you from what you should be focused on. Every morning I read through my vision and goals to remind myself of what I need to be focused on throughout the day. Visit artofthinkingsmart.com for more information on goal setting.

2) Create a to-do checklist and do the easy ones first. If you are like me, your to-do list can be long and intimidating. We can be paralyzed by our lists and find excuses to procrastinate! Studies show that getting started on tasks is more difficult than completing them. Although some say do the harder tasks first so you can get them out of the way, in my experience, if you complete easy tasks first, you have a sense of accomplishment that gives momentum and motivation to complete more-difficult tasks. If you have a list of 15 items and are able to knock out five of them quickly, it is rewarding to cross them off the to-do list! You also get the smaller tasks out of the way so you can concentrate and devote your energy to the larger ones. Eliminating these easy ones can take away stress while making it easy to get started.

3) Break big tasks into smaller tasks. When some tasks seem large and daunting, break them up as much as you can without much effort and stress. This will help you get started and move you closer to completing the entire task. Breaking up the task also helps you be more specific and give a step-by-step framework so you don’t miss anything. At times, you may need to delegate tasks, and breaking them up will help others accomplish theirs. Look to combine tasks that may be for different projects. Batching tasks together and counting them as one can help you be more efficient and avoid duplicative work.

***

Last week we covered part one of learning to manage your time better. Visit artofthinkingsmart.com for the article. With more demands in our lives, managing our time better makes a significant difference in productivity. Here is part two of tips and resources to manage your time better!

1) Follow the “Ivy Lee Formula.” You can go to artofthinkingsmart.com for the full article, but the premise is to prioritize the six most important things you need to accomplish and that correlate to your goals. Complete the tasks from the most to least important and when done, cross them off. If you aren’t able to complete a task, move it to the top of the list the next day. At the end of the day, create another prioritized to-do list for the following day. This sets you up for success so you are ready to go and know exactly what you have to look forward to.

2) Focus! Distractions are one of the biggest obstacles to efficiency. Set up an environment where you can stay as focused as possible without interruptions. Try turning off your email notifications or phone so you aren’t tempted to check them constantly. If you are distracted by certain websites, there are programs that can block them until your tasks are completed. If you are in the habit of multi-tasking, research shows that it actually decreases productivity. If you try to do too much at once, you may end up not getting anything done at all! Focus is one of the most effective and powerful tools for productivity.

3) Block time on your calendar. According to studies, when you switch from one task to another, you lose 20 minutes of productivity. Schedule time on your calendar solely to complete a task. Most calendar programs allow you to share with others so they can see the time blocks not to interrupt you. Also, link your to-do list with your calendar. Set reminders the day before and 15 minutes before each task scheduled so you don’t miss any deadlines. I use a free online program called do.com that syncs tasks with my smartphone, desktop and calendar. The program also lets me assign tasks and projects to others, which leads to my next point.

4) Delegate! Not everyone may be in a position to have an assistant, but there may be situations where you can outsource and use third parties. Time is money, and even if you have to pay to delegate some tasks, it may be beneficial if it frees up much-needed time. Visit artofthinkingsmart.com for resources on outsourcing, virtual assistants and other online tools that help you be more productive and efficient.

5) Learn to say no. If you are like me, creating boundaries can be tough, since we feel like we should do everything that comes our way. But it is important to be honest with ourselves and others on what we can or cannot do. It is better to say “no” rather than say “yes” and not be able to complete it. Setting boundaries gives a solid foundation to focus on your priorities while minimizing things that can distract you.

Kevin Trudeau, the saga

[9/18/13] Controversial TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau, who in July was found in contempt for failing to pay a $37.6 million sanction against him for deceptive marketing, was ordered to jail today and remains in federal custody in Chicago.

In August, a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission in granting a court-appointed receiver broad authority to marshal assets and take over businesses the judge ruled were controlled by the infomercial king.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge Robert Gettleman today, Trudeau was found in contempt for violation of the asset freeze and receivership by transferring nearly $20,000 from an Australian account and for using a debit card tied to that account to buy things beyond what is ordinary and necessary living expenses.

The specific expenditures from the Australian account that led to the contempt finding, meaning money Trudeau allegedly spent after the asset freeze, included $894 at a liquor store, $359 for two haircuts at Vidal Sassoon, $1,057 for meats ordered online and $920 on cigars. There was also an $18,642 transfer from the Australian account that was paid to a lawyer who worked on Trudeau's taxes, which happened without the judge's approval.

***

[9/19/13] Former infomercial king Kevin Trudeau was released from jail today after spending one night in federal custody in Chicago.

Trudeau and his attorneys argued Wednesday for more time to prove his cooperation, and offered to pay back any money spent on things the judge deemed inappropriate expenditures.

But Gettleman wasn't convinced and ordered Trudeau to report to the Metropolitan Correctional Center and to remain in federal custody.

But Trudeau, who appeared in court today wearing a short-sleeve orange jumpsuit, with slip-on orange sneakers, pleaded for the judge to believe him and pledged once again to be "100 percent" cooperative.

"I am penniless. I am homeless. I surrender. I am at your mercy," Trudeau told the court. "I will do anything you ask."

After hearing his pleas, Judge Gettleman said he is giving the controversial TV pitchman another week to somehow convince him that Trudeau is truthfully disclosing his assets, and granted Trudeau his freedom. Gettleman admonished him to cooperate fully or else he would be back in court "wearing the same color you are now."

Trudeau's next court appearance is scheduled for next week.

***

[3/17/14] CHICAGO » Best-selling author Kevin Trudeau, whose name became synonymous with late-night TV pitches, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for bilking consumers through ubiquitous infomercials for his book, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About."

As he imposed the sentence prosecutors had requested, U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman portrayed the 50-year-old Trudeau as a habitual fraudster going back to his early adulthood. So brazen was Trudeau, the judge said, he once even used his own mother's Social Security number in a scheme.

"Since his 20s, he has steadfastly attempted to cheat others for his own gain," Guzman said, adding that Trudeau is "deceitful to the very core."

Trudeau, whose trademark dyed black hair turned partially gray as he awaited sentencing in jail, showed little emotion as the stiff sentence was handed down at the hearing in Chicago.

Addressing the judge earlier in a 10-minute statement, Trudeau apologized and said he's become a changed man. He said he's meditated, prayed and read self-help books while locked up at Chicago's Metropolitan Correctional Center.

"I have truly had a significant reawakening," said Trudeau, who was dressed in orange jail clothes. "If I ever do an infomercial again ... I promise: No embellishments, no puffery, no lies."

Trudeau became rich selling millions of books with titles such as "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" and "Debt Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About," touting them in commercials with a news-interview formats.

As legal scrutiny intensified over the years, Trudeau claimed the U.S. government was out to get him, and he accused agencies and other vested interests of conspiring to suppress low-cost, common remedies to diseases, including cancer.

His weight-loss book, which once topped best-seller lists, was the focus of the criminal conviction for which he was sentenced. It also was the subject of related civil case brought by the Federal Trade Commission, in which Trudeau was ordered to pay a $37 million judgment.

In that civil case, Trudeau said he couldn't pay the judgment because he's broke. But FTC lawyers balked at that claim, accusing him of hiding money in shell companies. Trudeau, they noted, has spent lavishly in recent years, including $359 on two haircuts.

Supermarket Superfoods

you don't have to hit a health food store to find foods that help you lose weight, boost your energy and stay healthy.  They're right in your grocery aisle.  Here are the best of the best.

1.  Nonfat Ricotta Cheese - Ricotta boasts three times the calcium of cottage cheese and is made from whey protein, a nutrient that may help you lose weight by preserving muscle (which you lose with age, causing your metabolism to slow).
2.  Peanut Butter - This spread has more than 30 essential vitamins and minerals, including niacin, a B vitamin that helps you burn calories.  Peanut butter's combo of healthy fats, fiber and a compound called resveratrol also make it good for your heart.
3.  Wild Canned Salmon - One 3.5-oz can has 1,100 mg of brain and heart-healthy omega-3 fats.  Salmon is also a great source of bone-building vitamin D (78% of your daily needs per can).
4.  Oatmeal - A heart health must-have, oats are filled with a cholesterol-lowering fiber called beta-glucan as well as iron, a mineral that your body needs to carry oxygen to your muscles and other tissue.  And with 4 g total fiber per half-cup, oatmeal helps you stay full longer - and keeps you regular too.
5.  Cabbage - All colors of this vegetable are loaded with compounds that may help fight breast cancer.  Cabbage is also a top source of bone-strengthening vitamin K.
6.  Canned Tomatoes - Tomatoes are packed with vitamin C, which helps produce collagen, a protein that keeps skin firm, and lycopene, an antioxidant that protects your skin from the sun.  Your body absorbs lycopene better from cooked tomatoes, making the canned option a great source.
7.  Whole-wheat Pasta - Eating three or more servings of whole grains (such as whole-wheat pasta) each day can help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.  Whole grains are diet-friendly too: One study found that women who ate more whole grains weighed less and had smaller waists than women who rarely ate them.
8.  Strawberries - These red berries are bursting with vitamin C and antioxidants, which help your mind stay sharp.  In fact, eating two or more servings of strawberries a week may delay cognitive decline by up to two and a half years, according to a recent Harvard University study.
9.  Avocados - With their creamy, rich flavor and texture and 65% of their fat coming from the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind, avocados (sliced or mashed) are an ingenious swap for butter, cream cheese or mayo on your morning toast or afternoon sandwich.  They also serve up other nutrients that may help your heart, including fiber and potassium.
10.  Sweet Potatoes - Ounce for ounce, sweet potatoes pack more vitamin A and beta-carotene than carrots and can help you peel off the pounds.  A 4-oz sweet potato contains 4 g fiber, and you digest them more slowly than white potatoes so you're satiated for hours.
11.  Edamame - Move over meat:  Edamame (also known as soybeans) are one of the best plant sources of protein.  One cup supplies all of the essential amino acids you need.
12.  Cocoa - Yes, it's the key ingredient in most candy bars, but unsweetened cocoa powder is a true health food.  Cocoa contains flavanols, potent antioxidants that help lower blood pressure.  Make sure the package says its 100% cocoa.

-- Woman's Day, October 2012

11 acts of generosity

It doesn't take much to make a stranger feel special in our society. Just holding the door open for someone or letting a fellow shopper back out in a crowded parking lot can go a long way. It seems like we don't see even those basic levels of courtesy quite often enough.

That's why it's so noteworthy when someone makes a real difference. When people open their pocketbooks or make a decision that is so striking, so jaw-droppingly generous, that they change lives forever. It happens, in big and small ways.

We've pulled together several examples of people going out of their way for others. They made large donations of money that they could have used themselves. They helped neighbors in crisis, or young people with medical problems. They spent money just to put a smile on someone's face.

And the funny thing about this kind of goodwill is that it can spread like a virus. In some of these cases, one generous act was the spark that spurred on a spree of similar kind-hearted gestures. People wanted to keep the momentum going, to maintain a pattern of giving that is all too rare.

Read on to see 11 amazing acts of generosity.

Happiness U

Ask a dozen people what they want out of life and chances are, among the top 10 desires will be to achieve happiness. Even though happiness is free, it eludes many.

The number of people who grumble about or feel trapped by varying circumstances in their life is what led Alice Inoue to launch Happiness U, which opens next week. She believes that happiness, like learning to read or ride a bike, can be taught. But you don't need to travel the world to find a guru when the formula is no more difficult than: balance + positive thinking = happiness.

"People want life to make them happy instead of making themselves happy and end up waiting their whole lives to be happy," said Inoue, who has given herself the title of chief happiness officer. Some people may not even recognize happiness because it is a state of mind unattached to any "eureka" moment.

"It's not like climbing to the top of a mountain and suddenly realizing, ‘I'm happy,'" she said. "But, you can climb your way out of wherever you are and move yourself to a better place."

Like many people, Inoue grew up believing that people are born with negative or positive dispositions that determine how much happiness they can achieve. Her own experience has taught her that happiness is a choice, and that the brain can be rewired to seek out and embrace the positive in life. She knows because she's turned her own life around with positive thought and action.

This idea has been backed by research and is the subject of a 2012 book, "Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook," by Elaine Fox, a psychology professor at the University of Essex in England.

Those who know Inoue see her as a buoyant and effervescent individual with a ready smile and infectious enthusiasm, but that wasn't always the case. She said she grew up in a strict household with "a strongly abusive father" and a mother who was ill. From the time she was 10, she had to care for a younger brother and a sister with Down syndrome. On top of that, she was overweight throughout her teens.

"I hated my life. I never got to go out. No one liked me and I wanted everyone to like me," she said. "I'd put on a smile on the outside but inside I was very unhappy, to the point where I thought of suicide. But deep inside, I felt happiness was out there, that life had to be better than this."

After graduating with a degree in biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz, she traveled to Japan to teach English. Learning the Japanese language helped her when she moved to Hawaii in 1989. This marked a turning point in her life when she decided to let go of negative emotions and go with the flow of life. She found herself unexpectedly entering the world of media, becoming host of her own weekly Japanese TV show. Her television exposure led her to a secondary career as spokeswoman for several national and international companies.

"Life was good but I was missing purpose," she said.

She embarked on a spiritual path, studying feng shui and astrology. She also became an ordained minister with the purpose of marrying couples and setting them on a path of happily ever after.

"I read about 300 books, thinking that if I focused hard enough, the right information would come to me," she said.

And what she realized, after about 12 years of guiding individuals with feng shui consultations and astrological readings, was that everyone who came to see her — no matter the circumstance — in the big picture was looking for happiness.

Toward that end, classes at Happiness U will address well-being in four categories: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

The easiest to tackle is the physical, dealing with such day-to-day stressors as environment and finances, with classes titled "Get Unstuck," "Feng Shui 101" and "Healthy Money Mindset."

On the emotional level are classes like "Goodbye to Guilt," "Get Over It 101" and "Irritating Relationship Clarity," addressing the irritating people around you. In the third instance, Inoue says the solution is simple: "Those people are not going to change, so you have to change your reaction to them."

The aim is to overcome basic physical and emotional issues to reach the spiritual level of defining and realizing one's life purpose and ultimate grail, the meaning of life.

American culture is not conducive to happiness because of the weight placed on consumption and individual achievement, but long-term happiness is not incumbent on rewards or material goods.

"We think we will get to a certain place and we will feel happy. We put success ahead of happiness, but I've found happiness comes first," she said. "It's a precursor to success and we need to change our thinking to recognize that ‘bad' things don't happen to you. They happen for you. Everything that happens helps you grow in some way.

"It's all good. On my journey of building this business, I thought I would have a lot of headaches, and I have had them, but I've learned to flow with life instead of fight it. When you stop wishing for life to be something it's not and accept it for what it is, you are on the path to happiness."

Tangible benefits come with happiness. Laura Kubzansky, an associate professor of society, human development and health at Harvard University School of Public Health, is at the forefront of such research. In a 2007 study that followed more than 6,000 men and women ages 25 to 74 for 20 years, she found that emotional vitality — a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement in life, and the ability to face life's stresses with emotional balance — appears to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease as well as help people avoid or manage heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and depression.

Kubzansky has also shown that 7-year-olds able to stay focused on tasks and maintain a positive outlook report better general health and fewer illnesses 30 years later. She has found that optimism cuts the risk of coronary heart disease by half.

Before going to bed, Inoue suggests, make a habit of thinking of three good things that happened that day. Consistency helps create new neural pathways to view situations in a positive light.

"Finding happiness is a gradual thing. It's not like one day you wake up and say, ‘I'm happy.' But I can look back five years, and 10 years, and see I've come a long way."

[image here http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/20130829_HAPPY.jpg no longer works -- 6/11/19]

-- by Nadine Kam, Star-Advertiser, August 29, 2013

100 best TV shows of all time

From The Sopranos to Louie.  I've watched (or at least looked at for more than a minute) 49 of them.  [via Donna on facebook]

Actually it appears this list came from the 101 best-written shows ever.

Here's another list: TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

I think I might have written about this earlier..  yeah, sort of.

Ben Affleck: Batman

(CNN) -- The last time Ben Affleck played a superhero, the world cried.

The year was 2003, and the movie was "Daredevil" -- a Hollywood fail that even Affleck has insinuated he'd rather forget.

So is it any wonder that within hours of Warner Bros. announcing the actor was going to play Batman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel, Twitter immediately tried to recast the part using the hashtag #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck. (Suggestions have included "the drunken hobo who lives under the overpass," the dog from "Air Bud" and "Manti Te'o's girlfriend.")

[8/13/14]  Sorry, Matt Damon won't be Robin.

[9/27/14] The seven actors who've played Batman (before Ben Affleck) [take special notice of Lookwell, starring Adam West and written by Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel]

Sanjay Gupta on marijuana

NEW YORK >> CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta says he spoke too soon in opposing the medical use of marijuana in the past and that he now believes the drug can have very real benefits for people with specific health problems.

Gupta, the network's chief medical correspondent and a brain surgeon, detailed his change of heart in an interview Friday and in an article for CNN's website titled, "Why I changed my mind on weed." He will narrate a documentary on the topic that will air on the network Sunday.

He wrote in Time magazine in 2009 about his opposition to laws that would make the drug available for medical purposes. "Smoking the stuff is not going to do your health any good," he wrote then. But Gupta said Friday he too easily associated marijuana with "malingerers that just wanted to get high."

Now he wants to say he's sorry.

Gupta said he didn't look hard enough at research on the topic, and found some new research that had been done since then. He was encouraged to look into the issue further upon meeting a 5-year-old girl in Colorado for whom medical marijuana has sharply cut down on the amount of seizures she had been suffering.

Time spent with her and others made him realize that medical professionals should be responsible for providing the best care possible, and that could include marijuana.

"We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that," he wrote.

Centenarian secrets

There were more than 53,000 Americans who were at least 100 years old as of the 2010 census, and the number is expected to soar to more than 600,000 by 2050. Undoubtedly, many of these long-lived Americans have been blessed with good genes, but many also share common habits that have helped them in aging well, according to the new book "Celebrate 100: Centenarian Secrets to Success in Business and Life," based on interviews with 500 centenarians.

"I love to share the wisdom of the older generation. We need to hear it," says co-author Steve Franklin, a former professor and associate dean at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, who collaborated on the book with Lynn Peters Adler, the founder and director of the nonprofit National Centenarian Awareness Project.

1) avoid taking on debt
2) find work you love
3) delay your retirement
4) save at least 10%
5) diversify your investments
6) learn to be resourceful in tough times
7) plan for a long life
8) exercise
9) maintain a positive outlook
10) stay in the habit of learning

dementia in decline?

A new study has found that dementia rates among people 65 and older in England and Wales have plummeted by 25 percent over the past two decades, to 6.2 percent from 8.3 percent, a trend that researchers say is probably occurring across developed countries and that could have major social and economic implications for families and societies.

Another recent study, conducted in Denmark, found that people in their 90s who were given a standard test of mental ability in 2010 scored substantially better than people who had reached their 90s a decade earlier. Nearly one-quarter of those assessed in 2010 scored at the highest level, a rate twice that of those tested in 1998. The percentage of subjects severely impaired fell to 17 percent from 22 percent.

The British study, published on Tuesday in The Lancet, and the Danish one, which was released last week, also in The Lancet, soften alarms sounded by advocacy groups and some public health officials who have forecast a rapid rise in the number of people with dementia, as well as in the costs of caring for them. The projections assumed the odds of getting dementia would be unchanged.

Yet experts on aging said the studies also confirmed something they had suspected but had had difficulty proving: that dementia rates would fall and mental acuity improve as the population grew healthier and better educated. The incidence of dementia is lower among those better educated, as well as among those who control their blood pressure and cholesterol, possibly because some dementia is caused by ministrokes and other vascular damage. So as populations controlled cardiovascular risk factors better and had more years of schooling, it made sense that the risk of dementia might decrease.

delaying Alzheimers

July 15, 2013 (BOSTON) -- New research boosts the "use it or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp. People who delay retirement have less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, a study of nearly half a million people in France found.

It's by far the largest study to look at this, and researchers say the conclusion makes sense. Working tends to keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged - all things known to help prevent mental decline.

"For each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent," said Carole Dufouil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government's health research agency.

She led the study and gave results Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston.

About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million have Alzheimer's - 1 in 9 people aged 65 and over. What causes the mind-robbing disease isn't known and there is no cure or any treatments that slow its progression.

France has had some of the best Alzheimer's research in the world, partly because its former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, made it a priority. The country also has detailed health records on self-employed people who pay into a Medicare-like health system.

Researchers used these records on more than 429,000 workers, most of whom were shopkeepers or craftsmen such as bakers and woodworkers. They were 74 on average and had been retired for an average of 12 years.

Nearly 3 percent had developed dementia but the risk of this was lower for each year of age at retirement. Someone who retired at 65 had about a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to someone retiring at 60, after other factors that affect those odds were taken into account, Dufouil said.

*** [9/30/14]

What one husband does for his wife with Alzheimer's.

Mormons find doubt on the internet

In the small but cohesive Mormon community where he grew up, Hans Mattsson was a solid believer and a pillar of the church. He followed his father and grandfather into church leadership and finally became an "area authority" overseeing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout Europe.

When fellow believers in Sweden first began coming to him with information from the Internet that contradicted the church's history and teachings, he dismissed it as "anti-Mormon propaganda," the whisperings of Lucifer. He asked his superiors for help in responding to the members' doubts, and when they seemed to only sidestep the questions, Mattsson began his own investigation.

But when he discovered credible evidence that the church's founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, was a polygamist, and that the Book of Mormon and other canonical scriptures were rife with historical anomalies, Mattsson said he felt that the foundation on which he had built his life began to crumble.

Around the world and in the United States, where the faith was founded, the Mormon Church is grappling with a wave of doubt and disillusionment among members who encountered information on the Internet that sabotaged what they were taught about their faith, according to interviews with dozens of Mormons and those who study the church.

habits of happiness

‘Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.’ ~Dalai Lama

I’m not one who believes you can be happy all the time, but I have learned you can be happy much of the time.

And that’s not something that depends on how your day is going or how others treat you — it depends on what you do on a regular basis.

I remember being unhappy most days, at one point in my life. It wasn’t because I hated the people in my life — I had a lovely wife, great kids, other wonderful family members and friends. It was because I was unhappy with myself, and that caused growing debt problems, unhappiness with my job, health problems and more. I felt like I couldn’t change any of that.

Then one day I sat down and made a list.

I make a lot of lists — it’s one of my favorite habits — but this list seemed to have a magical power. It was a list of the things I was grateful for. Amazingly, there were a lot of things on the list, from things about my wife, kids, relatives, and friends, to things about my job, about nature around me, about my life.

This list was magical because I went from feeling a bit depressed about everything, and hopeless and helpless, to much happier. My mindset shifted from the things I didn’t like or didn’t have, to the things I was really happy I had. And I was in control.

Since then I’ve experimented with a number of habits and have found a couple things to be true:

1. A handful of activities can actually make you happy.
2. If you incorporate them into your life on a regular basis (make them into habits), you’ll be happier regularly.

And those might seem to be small realizations, but actually they’re huge.

The Habits That Make You Happy

So what habits make you happy? Try doing these on a daily basis, and see if you get the same results:

1. List 3 Good Things. Eva & I started a daily evening ritual, at about 7pm each day, where we take a moment to tell each other three good things about our day. We didn’t invent this, but it serves as at least one time in your day when you focus on what you’re grateful for. This can create a mental habit of gratitude that you can use other times in your day, when you’re focused on the things you don’t like or have — when you feel this, think about something you do have, that you love. Find a way to be grateful, and you’re happier.
2. Help Someone. When we focus on ourselves, and the woeful state of our lives, we are self-centered. This shrinks the world to one little place with one little unhappy person. But what if we can expand that worldview, and expand our heart to include at least one other person? Maybe even a few others? Then we see that others are suffering too, even if that just means they’re stressed out. Then we can reach out, and do something to reduce their stress, put a smile on their face, make their lives easier. Help at least one person each day, and you’ll find your entire perspective shifted.
3. Meditate. I’ve called this the Fundamental Habit, because it affects everything else. Meditate for just 2 minutes a day, and you’ll create a habit that will allow you to notice your thoughts throughout the rest of the day, that will help you to be more present (unhappiness comes from not being present), that will help you notice the source of anxiety and distraction. That’s a lot that can be accomplished in 2 minutes! Sit every morning when you wake, and just notice your body, and then your breath. Notice when your mind wanders, and gently return to your breath. You become the watcher of your mind, and you’ll learn some useful things, I promise.
4. Exercise. Everyone knows you should exercise, so I’m not going to belabor this point. But it really does make you happier, both in the moment of exercise (I’m exerting myself, I’m alive!) and throughout the rest of the day. Exercise lightly, if you’re not in the habit yet, and just for a few minutes a day to start out. Who doesn’t have a few minutes a day? If you don’t, you need to loosen up your schedule a bit.

There are a number of other habits that also help: mindful eating, drinking tea, doing yoga, socializing with others. But these incorporate meditation (they’re more active forms of meditation), and exercise and helping others and gratitude (if you’re doing it right). So I wanted to list the most basic habits, and then you can expand to other areas.

How do you form these habits? One at a time, starting as small as possible, with some social accountability.

Set these habits in motion. You’ll notice yourself becoming more present, more grateful, more other-focused. The shift that results is nothing short of a miracle.

-- by Leo Babauta via twitter feed

*** 4/26/14

A similar list of things to maintain happiness was mentioned by quick-talking Shawn Achor in Ted Talks Life Hacks (watched on Netflix, but available on youtube)

comic strips archived online

Cool, I went to visit the Dilbert website since I saw it in my twitter digest and it's improved.

For one thing they have a magnifying glass to increase the size of the strip.  And for another thing, you can use the calendar function and go back and view previous strips all the way back to the beginning!  The first strip debuted back on April 16, 1989.

Some of my other favorite comic strips are at gocomics.com.  They also feature a magnifying glass (on most of the strips) and a calendar function.

Doonesbury goes back to October 26, 1970.

Brewster Rockit debuted July 5, 2004.

Peanuts is also there and goes all the way back to October 2, 1950!

Others:

How can I forget Calvin and Hobbes?  It debuted on November 18, 1985 and ran through December 31, 1995.  I see a strip dated today, so I guess they're showing reruns (Peanuts too I guess).

Pickles began on 1990, but gocomics has it back to January 1, 2003.

For Better or For Worse began in September 1979.  Gocomics has it consecutively back to July 2, 2000, then going back jumps to 1/1/00, then to 8/24/99 through 7/1/99, then to 12/6/97 through 11/23/97, then to 11/23/90, then to 2/5/86 and finally to 11/23/81.

Betty became a stand-along strip in 1991.  Gocomics has it back to 6/1/96, then jumps back to 5/19/96, 4/30/96 and has most of the strips (with a few holes) back to 1/1/96.

I see gocomics has an app.  Methinks I'll install it.

Installed the app, but it's a little hard to navigate from comic to comic.  I think it'll be easier when I create an account and select favorites. They also have Dilbert on there, but the archive doesn't go very far back.  So I installed the Dilbert app too (surprisingly only 0.2 MB).  It's ok, but a little different.  It forces you to hold the ipad vertically.  And the display is panel by panel, which I suppose how the comic strip is meant to be read.  But I'm used to reading it in the newspaper where you see everything at once.

So I tried using gocomics through the ipad browsers, but it's also hard to navigate.  When you click the magnfying glass, the x doesn't show up on the upper left.  The screen is cut off, so you have to back arrow to go back.  It's more cut off on chrome, but the problem is on safari too.

11 habits (to give up)

Oftentimes we unknowingly hold on to little, obsessive habits that cause us a great deal of stress and unhappiness.  Even when we feel that something is wrong, we fail to seek the changes we need to make and instead cling to what’s not working, simply because it’s what we’re accustomed to.

It’s time to make a change.  It’s time to give up the habits that no longer serve your well-being and embrace the positive changes you need to be happy.

1. Worrying
2. People-Pleasing
3. Procrastinating
4. Living in the past
5. Looking past the present
6. Judging others
7. Comparing yourself
8. Shame
9. Laziness
10. Fear
11. Need to be busy

[via Alvin]

I'm worried that I won't be able to get rid of these habits, but I need to do this to make other people happy.  Maybe I'll do it later.  I used to have less of these habits, I'll have to work on it later.  At least I'm not as bad as some people.  But I'll never be as good as others.  I really hate to admit I'm guilty of a lot of these habits.  But I don't feel like working on them right now.  It's kind of scary trying to change things - things don't seem that bad to me.  So I think I'll go out and take my mind off it.

Jim Kelly

SAN DIEGO >> Actor Jim Kelly, who played a glib American martial artist in "Enter the Dragon" with Bruce Lee, has died. He was 67.

Marilyn Dishman, Kelly's ex-wife, said he died Saturday of cancer at his home in San Diego.

Sporting an Afro hairstyle and sideburns, Kelly made a splash with his one-liners and fight scenes in the 1973 martial arts classic. His later films included "Three the Hard Way," ''Black Belt Jones" and "Black Samurai."

During a 2010 interview with salon.com, Kelly said he started studying martial arts in 1964 in Kentucky and later moved to California where he earned a black belt in karate. He said he set his sights on becoming an actor after winning karate tournaments. He also played college football.

The role in the Bruce Lee film was his second. He had about a dozen film roles in the 1970s before his acting work tapered off. In recent years, he drew lines of autograph seekers at comic book conventions.

"It was one of the best experiences in my life," he told salon.com of working on "Enter the Dragon." ''Bruce was just incredible, absolutely fantastic. I learned so much from working with him. I probably enjoyed working with Bruce more than anyone else I'd ever worked with in movies because we were both martial artists. And he was a great, great martial artist. It was very good."

Deadly Driving Hazards (and how to survive them)

YOU LIFT YOUR FOOT off the gas, but your car surges ahead as if it has a mind of its own. An approaching car swerves into your lane and comes straight at you. A tire blows out, and the steering wheel
pulls violently in your hands. In each of these cases, what you do — and don’t do — next can make the difference between a simple scare and a disaster.

Runaway engine
On August 28, 2009, California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor was driving with his wife, daughter and brother-in-law aboard. Suddenly the car began to accelerate. Their desperate 911 call was of no avail. All four died in a fiery 120-mph crash.

The problem behind “unintended acceleration” may be a mechanical glitch or simply a floor mat bunched up against the gas pedal. Whatever the cause, stopping is easy if you know how.

With an automatic transmission, shift into neutral. With a manual, step down on the clutch pedal. The engine will race, but the car will stop accelerating. Don’t turn off the ignition while the car is moving, or braking and steering will require much greater effort.

Wrong-way driver
This is one of the most hair-raising situations you can face. The driver who’s about to ram you head-on may be asleep, distracted, drunk, sick or even suicidal. In that instant, it doesn’t matter. Brake hard and lean on the horn. Steer toward the right—off the pavement, if necessary. Don’t steer left: The oncoming driver may swerve back at the last instant. Avoid a head-on crash at all costs. If you must hit something, aim for shrubs, a parked car, anything that gives.

Tire blowout
My niece Jill was driving to college in Connecticut when construction debris blew out one of her tires. She slammed on the brakes, and her car spun around and rolled over three times. Only her safety belt saved her from serious injury.

If you have a blowout, stay off the brakes. Keep your foot steady on the gas, grip the wheel firmly and concentrate on steering. When you have the car under control, gradually lift off the gas.

No brakes
Today’s cars have dual brake systems, so total brake failures are very rare. In case of a malfunction, the brakes on at least two of the four wheels should still work. But stops will take longer and will require more pedal effort.

Pumping the brake pedal rapidly and hard may build up enough pressure for a four-wheel stop. If necessary, shift into a lower gear so the engine slows you down. You might damage the transmission, but that’s better than crashing. As a last resort, scrub off speed by sideswiping a wall or parked cars—whatever it takes to slow down.

Hydroplaning
You’re driving on a wet road, maybe a little too fast, when the steering suddenly feels eerily light. What has happened is that a thin wedge of water has actually lifted your front tires off the pavement, as your car glides ahead as if on ice. To regain control, ease off the gas. That will shift some of the car’s weight onto the front tires and squeeze out the water underneath. Then, slow down.

Whether you drive a Hummer or a hybrid, knowing what to do — and what not to do — in an emergency is the key to survival.

Alex Markovich was the auto editor at Consumer Reports before he retired. His articles have appeared in many publications.

-- Costco Connection, April 2013

obesity is officially a disease

According to the American Medical Association, obesity is now officially a disease. A highly preventable disease, but a disease nonetheless.

I think that's probably the right call. For many people, lung cancer is highly preventable -- just don't smoke -- but it would be weird not to call lung cancer a disease.

The decision wasn't without debate, though. In fact, the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health actually recommended against calling obesity a disease. The main issue revolves around using body mass index, or BMI, as a measure for obesity. A 5'11'' man who weighs 215 pounds is technically obese, but he may be fairly healthy and probably doesn't need to be treated aggressively. There was also a worry that calling obesity a disease might let people off the hook in trying to prevent it in the first place.

Ultimately, the AMA's House of Delegates ignored the council's recommendation, voting in favor of a resolution to recognize obesity as a disease.

more uses for WD-40

4. Exterminate roaches and repel insects

Don’t let cockroaches, insects, or spiders get the upper hand in your home. • Keep a can of WD-40 handy, and when you see a roach, spray a small amount directly on it for an instant kill. • To keep insects and spiders out of your home, spray WD-40 on windowsills and frames, screens, and door frames. Be careful not to inhale the fumes when you spray and do not do this at all if you have babies or small children at home.

8. Clean toilet bowls

You don’t need a bald genie or a specialized product to clean ugly gunk and lime stains from your toilet bowl. Use WD-40 instead: Spray it into the bowl for a couple of seconds and swish with a nylon toilet brush. The solvents in the WD-40 will help dissolve the gunk and lime.

10. Clean and restore license plate

To help restore a license plate that is beginning to rust, spray it with WD-40 and wipe with a clean rag. This will remove light surface rust and will also help prevent more rust from forming. It’s an easy way to clean up lightly rusted plates and it won’t leave a greasy feel.

13. Remove doggie-doo

Uh-oh, now you’ve stepped in it! Few things in life are more unpleasant than cleaning doggie-doo from the bottom of a sneaker, but the task will be a lot easier if you have a can of WD-40 handy. Spray some on the affected sole and use an old toothbrush to clean the crevices. Rinse with cold water and the sneakers will be ready to hit the pavement again. Now, don’t forget to watch where you step!

27. Clean carpet stains

Don’t let ink or other stains ruin your fine carpet. Spray the stain with WD-40, wait a minute or two, and then use your regular carpet cleaner or gently cleanse with a sponge and warm, soapy water. Continue until the stain is completely gone.

39. Remove burrs from horse

To remove burrs from a horse’s mane or tail without tearing its hair out (or having to cut any of its hair off!) just spray on some WD-40. You’ll be able to slide the burrs right out. This will work for dogs and cats, too.

51. Kill thistle plants

Don’t let pesky prickly weeds like bull and Russian thistle ruin your yard or garden. Just spray some WD-40 on them and they’ll wither and die.  [I wonder if it'll work on nutgrass?]

and lots more..

50 life hacks

to simplify your world

14. use a can opener to open a blister pack and avoid cutting yourself
18. stack your clothes vertically to see them all
21. a frozen saturated sponge makes an ice pack that won't drip all over when it melts
22. use a bread tab to hold your spot on a roll of tape
35. use binder clips to fix broken keyboard feet
39. get built up residue off your shower head by tying a baggy of vinegar and leaving it overnight
40. the ninja fold
41. light candles with a stick of spaghetti
44. use unscented dental floss to cut cakes
46. use a clothespin to hold a nail while hammering
48. a paper CD case

more
use bread clips to save flip-flops with split holes
opening plastic bag knots
wrap a wet paper towel around your beverage and put it in the freezer.  In 15 minutes it will be ice cold.

also

50 animated gifs for any occasion

-- from twistedsifter via BrianK

add 20 years to your life

If you think that how long you’ll live is based on how long your grandparents and parents live, you’re only partly right. While genetics certainly have an impact, you have more control than you might assume. “By the time you turn 55, only about 30% of how quickly you age is based on your genes, as compared to 50% when you’re younger—the rest is due to your lifestyle choices,” says Michael Roizen, MD, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic. To figure out about how many years certain habits can add to your life, Dr. Roizen created the RealAge test, which uses data from hundreds of studies by groups including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. With his help, we’ve gathered the most important habits and estimated how much longer each one may extend your life.

Add 2.2 years: Walk 30 minutes a day

Add 5.6 years: Get up and move!

Add 1.8 years: Do some strength training

Add 3.5 years: Floss daily

Add 14 years: Eat healthy

Add 8 years: Have more sex with your partner

Add 2 years: Don't text and drive

Add 4 years: Manager stress

Add 6-12 years: Stop smoking

So that's 47.1 to 53.1 years!

Read more: Live Longer - Healthy Living at WomansDay.com - Woman's Day 

KHON blackout

It was less than a year ago when KITV was blacked out on Oceanic for 10 days.

This time it's KHON.  We'll see how long it lasts this time.

relax, blackout averted

recipes

Here's some recipes from the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine (April 2012).

I doubt if I'm ever going to make the dishes (exactly anyway), but the pictures looked good in the magazine.

Quick Chicken Vesuvio

Caesar Pesto Pasta

Penne with Turkey & Broccolini

I notice they're all pasta dishes.

Randy leaving American Idol

Jackson out.

Randy Jackson, the lone remaining original "American Idol" judge, won't be returning to the Fox talent competition next season.

"Idol" host Ryan Seacrest only hinted at Jackson's impending departure at the beginning of Thursday's elimination episode.

"A little later on, we'll be revealing who's leaving our show," joked Seacrest as he swiveled Jackson around in his chair toward him. "Maybe a head's up?"

Apparently, Seacrest -- who's been with the show as long as Jackson -- found out along with the rest of the world Thursday when the 56-year-old producer and bassist announced his departure.

Jackson said in a statement that he's leaving "Idol" to focus on his record label and other business opportunities.

"To put all of the speculation to the rest, after 12 years of judging on `American Idol,' I have decided to leave after this season," he said. "I am very proud of how we forever changed television and the music industry."

Jackson has served as a judge on all 12 seasons of "Idol." He first appeared on the panel alongside Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul when the competition debuted in 2002, becoming famous for his easygoing "yo, dawg" rapport with contestants.

Jackson currently judges the show with pop royalty Mariah Carey, R&B diva Nicki Minaj and country star Keith Urban. His exit comes amid reports the entire panel will be replaced next season. A spokeswoman for Fox and spokesman for "Idol" producer FremantleMedia declined to comment.

Ratings for "Idol," once a TV juggernaut, have plummeted this year. The show has been the most popular entertainment program in prime time for nine years running, but it's likely "Idol" will lose that distinction this season. It's now regularly behind the NBC singing competition "The Voice" in the weekly ratings.

***

Mariah and Nicki too.

*** 11/12/14

Randy leaving again.

lower your blood pressure naturally

13 ways to lower blood pressure naturally

Normal blood pressure is considered to be 120/80 mmhg (millimeters of mercury). Anything above that can start to cause problems for you. High blood pressure is one of the most preventable conditions.

According to the American Heart Association, 28% of Americans have high blood pressure and don't know it.

While medication can lower blood pressure, it may cause side effects such as leg cramps, dizziness, and insomnia. Fortunately, most people can bring down their blood pressure naturally without medication.

best fight scenes

The 15 Best Character-Driven Fight Scenes In Movies


includes some my favorites (as evidence I own the DVD)

The Princess Bride
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Casino Royale
Enter The Dragon
The Karate Kid
The Empire Strikes Back

via zergnet (interesting lists)

what? no Fist of Legend?

Jonathan Winters

LOS ANGELES >> Jonathan Winters, the cherub-faced comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. He was 87.

The Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes, said Joe Petro III, a longtime family friend. Petro said Winters died of natural causes and was surrounded by family and friends.

Winters was a pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag of eccentric personalities and a bottomless reservoir of creative energy. Facial contortions, sound effects, tall tales — all could be used in a matter of seconds to get a laugh.

On Jack Paar's television show in 1964, Winters was handed a foot-long stick and he swiftly became a fisherman, violinist, lion tamer, canoeist, U.N. diplomat, bullfighter, flutist, delusional psychiatric patient, British headmaster and Bing Crosby's golf club.

"As a kid, I always wanted to be lots of things," Winters told U.S. News & World Report in 1988. "I was a Walter Mitty type. I wanted to be in the French Foreign Legion, a detective, a doctor, a test pilot with a scarf, a fisherman who hauled in a tremendous marlin after a 12-hour fight."

The humor most often was based in reality — his characters Maude Frickert and Elwood P. Suggins, for example, were based on people Winters knew growing up in Ohio.

A devotee of Groucho Marx and Laurel and Hardy, Winters and his free-for-all brand of humor inspired Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Tracey Ullman and Lily Tomlin, among others. But Williams and Carrey are his best-known followers.

Roger Ebert

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert died Thursday in Chicago after battling cancer. He was 70.

An opinionated writer, but also a movie fan, Ebert reviewed films for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years. He was perhaps best known, however, for his 31 years reviewing films on television.

Ebert experienced health problems over the past ten years, suffering illnesses including thyroid cancer and cancer of the salivary gland. In 2006 he lost part of his lower jaw, but -- as his obituary in the Sun-Times points out -- it didn't drive him out of the spotlight.

The acclaimed writer enjoyed wide and varied accolades, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1975 and was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. He also won a Webby "Person of the Year" award in 2010 for special achievement.

Fresh off the heels of his Pulitzer, Ebert launched his television show -- along with Gene Siskel (who died in 1999) -- the same year he was honored with the esteemed writing award. It started as a local Chicago show, but its popularity eventually pushed it into the national spotlight, making the duo's famed "thumbs up, thumbs down" a household gesture.

Fallon to replace Leno on Tonight Show

After weeks of rumors and buzz, NBC finally made it official: Jimmy Fallon will graduate from hosting "Late Night" to "The Tonight Show" in 2014. He replaces longtime host Jay Leno, whose contract is up next spring.

"I'm really excited to host a show that starts today instead of tomorrow," Fallon said in the press release.
After 22 years, Leno leaves while his "Tonight Show" still tops late-night ratings.

"Jay Leno is an entertainment icon, making millions of people laugh every weeknight for more than 20 years," said Steve Burke, chief executive officer of NBCUniversal. "We are purposefully making this change when Jay is No. 1, just as Jay replaced Johnny Carson when he was No. 1."
While Leno is still king of late night, NBC hopes the younger Fallon can attract more viewers in the key, advertiser-friendly 18-49 demo.

In the release, Leno struck a friendly tone, in keeping with the vibe the two hosts gave off in their recent "Tonight" song duet.

"Congratulations, Jimmy. I hope you're as lucky as me and hold on to the job until you're the old guy," Leno said. "If you need me, I'll be at the garage."

Still, it remains to be seen if this transition will be a smooth one or if will blow up like Leno's hand-off to Conan O'Brien in 2009. In that tumultuous chapter of the long "Tonight Show" saga, "Late Night" host O'Brien took over from Leno after five years of waiting. Leno wasn't happy to be giving up his seat, and NBC scrambled to give him a primetime show to prevent him from jumping to another network. But when O'Brien's "Tonight Show" ratings sagged and Leno's primetime show went down in flames, NBC ended up returning Leno to his gig. A furious O'Brien left to create a new late-night show on TBS.

This time, it seems like the hosting change will stick. Not only is NBC handing over producing duties to Lorne Michaels, the man in charge of "Late Night" and "Saturday Night Live," it's moving the show back to its original city of New York for Fallon.

***

After a few weeks of late night disses and rumors, the official announcement came Wednesday afternoon that Jay Leno would be retiring from his seat as the host of the "Tonight Show" in February 2014, and Jimmy Fallon would be graduating from "Late Night" to fill his shoes.

In other words, cue the monologues.

Not surprisingly, Leno and Fallon had plenty to say on the matter, as did their counterparts and competition, from Conan O'Brien to Jimmy Kimmel. And, needless to say, David Letterman brought his sharp tongue to the table, even making the Top Ten list "Things We'll Miss About Jay Leno."

"I got a call from my mom today, she said, 'Well, David, I see you didn't get the Tonight Show again.' Didn't we just go through this. Jay Leno is now being replaced, and this is the second time this has happened," the "Late Show" host said. "I mean, it's crazy. He's being replaced by a younger late-night talk show host – what could possibly go wrong?"

"I’ve known Jay Leno for 38 years, thank you. I don’t know what aspect of that you’re applauding, but thank you," he continued. "As with everything in life, all I really care about is how will this affect me? That’s all I really care about. … But good luck to Jay. I know he’ll be out on the road, getting it done and taking care of business and congratulations on a nice long run there at the 'Tonight Show,' if in fact you're not coming back.”

But he couldn't just leave it at that. Wednesday night's Top Ten list? "Things We'll Miss About Jay Leno." The list includes such gems as "He's Mom's favorite talk show host," "If you broke down on the freeway, Jay was always there to help with a camera crew," and "Now I'm the only guy in late-night television who's not a Jimmy." Watch the full list below:

But that wasn't the end of that fight. Leno managed to get in a solid dig of his own.

"I got to be honest with you, I had a really awkward day today," Leno began. "I had to call David Letterman and tell him he didn't get the 'Tonight Show' again."