Vaccination against many contageous diseases is a marvel of modern medicine. Even adults can benefit. Here's an exerpt from the interview Vaccines: Not Just for Babies:
Medscape: There is a lot of skepticism about the utility and safety of vaccine among the general public. Can you describe a recent success story?
Dr. Fisher: One of the most remarkable things that's happened recently involves the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in 2000. Within a year, there was a dramatic drop in disease caused by the 7 serogroups in that vaccine. Not only was there a drop in children who were immunized, there was a drop in their siblings, parents, and grandparents, which was totally surprising. It sounded like magic.
What happened was that the vaccines got rid of carriers of the organism. About two thirds of children carry pneumococcus in their airway. If you can get the strains most likely to cause disease out of the children, they don't transmit it to their parents and grandparents.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Act joyously
You can thus get yourself to feel happy! :) See this article. For example, you could start singing, clapping, and even dancing to a joyful song. You might just find yourself getting really happy if you just let yourself go! :)
Sunday, May 29, 2011
"...it's because G-d wants all the Jews to move to Israel..."
Cross posted in The Road That Never Ends
Have you heard? There are activists in San Francisco who want to ban circumcision, a religious rite for male Jews that also provides health benefits to male Jews and Gentiles alike. See the comments on this article for where the title quote came from. Yes, it's little reminders like these that remind us Jews where our true home is, where we can truly be free to be who we are: Israel, the land that G-d gave us. :)
Have you heard? There are activists in San Francisco who want to ban circumcision, a religious rite for male Jews that also provides health benefits to male Jews and Gentiles alike. See the comments on this article for where the title quote came from. Yes, it's little reminders like these that remind us Jews where our true home is, where we can truly be free to be who we are: Israel, the land that G-d gave us. :)
Rainbow Week finale: Over The Rainbow Association
Over The Rainbow Association is a wonderful nonprofit dedicated to providing housing and job training for people with physical disabilities, located in Illinois. It was started in the seventies by parents who were concerned about the lack of suitable housing for their children once those children grew up. Now, it has several residences that provide the care these people need but also privacy in their own apartments. There's a Business Center that assists with job searching and training, and there are even in-house jobs where the residents get real work experience. Dinner is cooked on-site and served in a communal dining room. If you're in Illinois in December, there's going to be an Annual Celebration Benefit Concert that sounds like a good time! Otherwise, you can donate online.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Touch the Rainbow
I LOVE the lyrics to this song! :) What a beautiful picture it paints in my mind! :) The message it says to me is that your dreams will come true if you reach high for them up to the sky! :)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
weekly Gratitude to Bliss list for Rainbow Week
I might actually be able to connect everything to the rainbow theme, since Rena's middle name is Rainbow. (In case you missed it, I spontaneously declared this week to be Rainbow Week on the Daily Yay.)
1. My Winnipeg in-laws came to town! :) Rena loved spending a week with her Grammy and Grampy :)
2. They brought cute clothes for her and bought some more while they were here.
3. They babysat for hours while hubby and I went on a date. ;)
4. They gave us a laptop. Rena was very fascinated by it.
5. They gave Rena baths the last two days they were here, so I didn't have to. :)
1. My Winnipeg in-laws came to town! :) Rena loved spending a week with her Grammy and Grampy :)
2. They brought cute clothes for her and bought some more while they were here.
3. They babysat for hours while hubby and I went on a date. ;)
4. They gave us a laptop. Rena was very fascinated by it.
5. They gave Rena baths the last two days they were here, so I didn't have to. :)
The Rainbow Gathering: More than just a huge group camping trip
Every summer, for a week encompassing the Fourth of July, groups of Jews, Christians, pagans, and others gather together and pray for world peace. Our friend who invited us describes the Rainbow Gathering as a celebration of Freedom of Religion. I'm so excited that we have the chance to attend this year because it's going to be somewhere in Washington state, and we moved to Seattle recently. My friend might even be able to arrange a ride for us, but even if she doesn't find someone to drive us all the way there, we can go by bus and get a short ride from the bus stop to the campsite. Oh yeah, and there will be free food. ;)
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Jewish reaction to seeing a rainbow
To us Jews, a rainbow is a reminder of God's promise never again to destroy the world by flood. We therefore say a special blessing upon seeing a rainbow.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Rainbow Week on The Daily Yay!
I spontaneously decided to declare this week to be Rainbow Week on The Daily Yay! By that I mean each post (except for my weekly gratitude list) will somehow have something to do with rainbows. I don't mean i'm going to just post pictures of rainbows each day.
To kick off Rainbow Week, here's an inspiring quote:
Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow - red, yellow, brown, black and white - and we're all precious in God's sight. -Jesse Brown
So true. As a religious Jew I believe that we're all created in God's image. (See the story in Genesis about the creation of Adam.) The US is wonderful in that it is now so welcoming to everyone without regard to external features such as color. This country has been through a long journey away from the enslavement of Africans to the attainment of civil rights to the point where, finally, a black man was elected President. Wow. I know you know all this already but this quote reminds me anew of how far the US has come.
To kick off Rainbow Week, here's an inspiring quote:
Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow - red, yellow, brown, black and white - and we're all precious in God's sight. -Jesse Brown
So true. As a religious Jew I believe that we're all created in God's image. (See the story in Genesis about the creation of Adam.) The US is wonderful in that it is now so welcoming to everyone without regard to external features such as color. This country has been through a long journey away from the enslavement of Africans to the attainment of civil rights to the point where, finally, a black man was elected President. Wow. I know you know all this already but this quote reminds me anew of how far the US has come.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
How to get friends and possibly random strangers to fund your project
It's called crowdfunding. A number of websites such as IndieGoGo are designed to connect individuals, businesses, and nonprofits with people who have extra cash to contribute to projects. You create a campaign that describes yourself and your project, and the donations just roll in....Well, not quite. You have to get the word out there with savvy marketing.
As an example, here's my own campaign:
Yes, the entire purpose of this post is to shamelessly promote my own campaign. I do think crowdfunding in general is a big yay, though.
As an example, here's my own campaign:
Yes, the entire purpose of this post is to shamelessly promote my own campaign. I do think crowdfunding in general is a big yay, though.
Top yays since last post
1. Following technical difficulties, my ability to edit all my blogs has been restored.
2. Today I had an awesome free health coaching session by phone with Lorraine Miller of the Gratitude to Bliss Project. She gave me practical suggestions to implement in my life.
3. A local Jewish school held on Friday first Mommy and Me, where we joined the 2-3 year old preschool class fo an hour or so. We played outside on the playground, sang and danced, and had a pre-Shabbat party.
4. Later today I received something in the mail that might help me implement plans discussed earlier with Lorraine.
5. My local in-laws took us to a bike shop on Sunday, where my bike got some adjustments to make riding more comfy for me. We also found, at a giant outdoor activities store, biking shorts that already had a knee-length skirt attached. (I always wear skirts that go at least to my knees for modesty, being an Orthodox Jew.)
2. Today I had an awesome free health coaching session by phone with Lorraine Miller of the Gratitude to Bliss Project. She gave me practical suggestions to implement in my life.
3. A local Jewish school held on Friday first Mommy and Me, where we joined the 2-3 year old preschool class fo an hour or so. We played outside on the playground, sang and danced, and had a pre-Shabbat party.
4. Later today I received something in the mail that might help me implement plans discussed earlier with Lorraine.
5. My local in-laws took us to a bike shop on Sunday, where my bike got some adjustments to make riding more comfy for me. We also found, at a giant outdoor activities store, biking shorts that already had a knee-length skirt attached. (I always wear skirts that go at least to my knees for modesty, being an Orthodox Jew.)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Gratitude to Bliss Forever! :)
I apologize for taking so long to update this blog- Things have been kind of crazy for me even after Passover. I'm going to do two things in this post. First, I'm going to list some highlights, not necessarily in chronological order, of the days, almost a full month now, since my last post. I'm not going to attempt to write my top five for every single day because there's no way I can remember five things on specific days and also such a long post would bore you to tears! Second, I'm going to announce a change to my postings for the future.
Ok, here are some highlights:
1. I found out that I somehow won both a Gratitude to Bliss journal and a coaching session.
2. We got the kittens! :)
3. Our friend who gave us the kittens came over the second night of Passover. She told us wonderful stories about her life experiences. She's in her fifties so she's had decades of exeriences!
4. The weather has been getting warmer.
5. Hubby randomly decided to get me some flowers, beautiful yellow tulips.
6. Rena had her first visit to the doctor here in Seattle. The doctor's office thoughtfully put baby toys out both in the waiting room and in the examination room, so she had a great time! :) The doctor was very nice, as well. Also something had to be tested just to make sure there was nothing wrong and so far the tests have all come back negative.
7. I got a little lost looking for a hardware store so I had a chance to take a long walk and explore more of our neighborhood.
8. On the phone, my mom told me something along the lines of it always keeps her going to talk to me.
9. Today an old friend who now lives in Israel, so we don't get to talk much, called me and left a voicemail message just to say hi. She inquired about Rena and how things are going in Seattle. I was pleased that she remembered that we'd moved to Seattle.
10. We got a new desktop computer because there was a problem with our laptop and we already had a monitor for a desktop. So we get to make a fresh start. Also we didn't have to spend as much money on the desktop as we would have had we gotten a new laptop. Hubby is really happy with it, too. It has great resolution which is nice because he likes to chill on the computer after work, watching a movie or playing a game.
11. I've finally build all our little bookshelves so I can finally set up all the books.
12. Our plants are still growing beautifully! :)
13. I got some pretty green hangers to help me organize our big walk-in closet that I love.
14. I got and began implementing an idea to raise money to pay tuition for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! :) Stay tuned for details!
15. A family at our synagogue invited us for a Shabbat lunch at their house. There were a bunch of young kids there, including a boy who's just one month older than Rena. So Rena made tons of new friends! :) I'm grateful that I've been trying to get Rena used to healthy food. She was playing with this boy while he was eating a cookie, but she expressed no interest in eating a cookie herself. She's more likely to try to grab some fruit that another kid (or adult) is eating.
16. We needed checks to pay the rent. I had no idea where they were at first, but then I remembered that we had a brand-new, unopened box of checks. I couldn't remember exactly where they were, but I found them quickly because I had an idea where I could find them. I managed to pay our rent on time.
17. One Sunday, Rena and I visited her Grandma and Grandpa (my father-in-law and step-mother-in-law) at their huge house with their huge property. I took a Seattle bus for the first time to get to the ferry, and we managed to make the first one of the morning just when it was boarding. At their house, we had party sandwiches and pie. We walked along the beach and picked up shells, and we relaxed on the grass while Rena picked and played with dandelions. We will have to make another visit because hubby couldn't come this time, and also we didn't see the chickens or do any gardening this time.
18. I was able to find organic, whole wheat matzah and even organic, whole wheat matzah meal at Whole Foods. I have a big post planned for my Foodiscovery blog about my organic food saga.
19. We have lots of clean clothes! They came from moving boxes that I just recently unpacked and laundered.
20. My parents have to move from their house to an apartment this summer, and my mom told me she's been making progress with sorting through their stuff. Also they've been getting friends to help them with such things as taking donations of furniture to Goodwill. I'm grateful that my parents have local friends to help them out like that, since I can't travel to Cincinnati (where they still live and where I was born and raised). I'm also grateful that they're holding onto a lot of my stuff until I'm able to come and sort through it, rather than just getting rid of everything. They're going to put it in storage until I can come. Also I'm grateful that, in Cincinnati, they'll be able to get a two-bedroom apartment for cheap.
Announcement: Instead of posting daily a list of five things for which I'm grateful, I'm going to list, once a week, the highlights for the previous week. The other days I'm going to post other things like I used to in this blog, such as yayful quotes, website, music, etc. Also my husband gave me the idea to profile people. I guess I'll interview people with inspiring stories and/or who have made a difference. Stay tuned!
Ok, here are some highlights:
1. I found out that I somehow won both a Gratitude to Bliss journal and a coaching session.
2. We got the kittens! :)
3. Our friend who gave us the kittens came over the second night of Passover. She told us wonderful stories about her life experiences. She's in her fifties so she's had decades of exeriences!
4. The weather has been getting warmer.
5. Hubby randomly decided to get me some flowers, beautiful yellow tulips.
6. Rena had her first visit to the doctor here in Seattle. The doctor's office thoughtfully put baby toys out both in the waiting room and in the examination room, so she had a great time! :) The doctor was very nice, as well. Also something had to be tested just to make sure there was nothing wrong and so far the tests have all come back negative.
7. I got a little lost looking for a hardware store so I had a chance to take a long walk and explore more of our neighborhood.
8. On the phone, my mom told me something along the lines of it always keeps her going to talk to me.
9. Today an old friend who now lives in Israel, so we don't get to talk much, called me and left a voicemail message just to say hi. She inquired about Rena and how things are going in Seattle. I was pleased that she remembered that we'd moved to Seattle.
10. We got a new desktop computer because there was a problem with our laptop and we already had a monitor for a desktop. So we get to make a fresh start. Also we didn't have to spend as much money on the desktop as we would have had we gotten a new laptop. Hubby is really happy with it, too. It has great resolution which is nice because he likes to chill on the computer after work, watching a movie or playing a game.
11. I've finally build all our little bookshelves so I can finally set up all the books.
12. Our plants are still growing beautifully! :)
13. I got some pretty green hangers to help me organize our big walk-in closet that I love.
14. I got and began implementing an idea to raise money to pay tuition for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! :) Stay tuned for details!
15. A family at our synagogue invited us for a Shabbat lunch at their house. There were a bunch of young kids there, including a boy who's just one month older than Rena. So Rena made tons of new friends! :) I'm grateful that I've been trying to get Rena used to healthy food. She was playing with this boy while he was eating a cookie, but she expressed no interest in eating a cookie herself. She's more likely to try to grab some fruit that another kid (or adult) is eating.
16. We needed checks to pay the rent. I had no idea where they were at first, but then I remembered that we had a brand-new, unopened box of checks. I couldn't remember exactly where they were, but I found them quickly because I had an idea where I could find them. I managed to pay our rent on time.
17. One Sunday, Rena and I visited her Grandma and Grandpa (my father-in-law and step-mother-in-law) at their huge house with their huge property. I took a Seattle bus for the first time to get to the ferry, and we managed to make the first one of the morning just when it was boarding. At their house, we had party sandwiches and pie. We walked along the beach and picked up shells, and we relaxed on the grass while Rena picked and played with dandelions. We will have to make another visit because hubby couldn't come this time, and also we didn't see the chickens or do any gardening this time.
18. I was able to find organic, whole wheat matzah and even organic, whole wheat matzah meal at Whole Foods. I have a big post planned for my Foodiscovery blog about my organic food saga.
19. We have lots of clean clothes! They came from moving boxes that I just recently unpacked and laundered.
20. My parents have to move from their house to an apartment this summer, and my mom told me she's been making progress with sorting through their stuff. Also they've been getting friends to help them with such things as taking donations of furniture to Goodwill. I'm grateful that my parents have local friends to help them out like that, since I can't travel to Cincinnati (where they still live and where I was born and raised). I'm also grateful that they're holding onto a lot of my stuff until I'm able to come and sort through it, rather than just getting rid of everything. They're going to put it in storage until I can come. Also I'm grateful that, in Cincinnati, they'll be able to get a two-bedroom apartment for cheap.
Announcement: Instead of posting daily a list of five things for which I'm grateful, I'm going to list, once a week, the highlights for the previous week. The other days I'm going to post other things like I used to in this blog, such as yayful quotes, website, music, etc. Also my husband gave me the idea to profile people. I guess I'll interview people with inspiring stories and/or who have made a difference. Stay tuned!
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