"Live Free" fundraising Concert--A Success
The "Live Free" fundraising concert held on May 30, 2009 at Crossroad 77 was a considerable success. The "Live Free" fundraising concert aimed to raise fund to assure continuous provision of services for persons with disabilities. This concert was brought to you by Life Haven Inc. in cooperation with APD-SR.
Despite the heavy rain and traffic the spirit of the performers and all those who attended was not at any point dampened. The concert was opened by the sparkle band with an emotional rendition of the song "High". The sparkle band is composed of children with autism. The concert was in no way a competition for the performers yet every number was presented as if everyone was shooting for a million. The beautiful Gate performance Art Troupe had a very interesting performance punctuated with a drama that hushed everyone. The ballroom dancers of Tahanang Walang Hagdanan presented upbeat numbers of chacha and jive. The Rondalla On Wheels of Bahay Mapagmahal played a soothing piece of medley.
Juan Pablo Dream and Good Morning High 5's, the two mainstream bands which played in the "Live Free" concert, took the stage and did their thing with gusto. This wrapped up the night of entertainment, enlightenment, and awareness campaign.
An incidental fruit of the promotional efforts for the concert is worth mentioning here. Our media partners became interested not solely for the promotion of plugging of the concert but also about the sector of the persons with disabilities and Life Haven, Inc., in particular. ABS-CBN, GMA-7 and UNTV presented the talents of the performers, made interviews of the persons involved, and mentioned the services provided by an IL center (i.e. Life Haven).
Thanks to all sponsors and supporters.
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A jobless man applied for the position of 'office boy' at Microsoft.
The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
'You are employed' he said. Give me your e-mail address and I'll
send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.
The man replied 'But I don't have a computer, neither an email'.
'I'm sorry', said the HR manager. If you don't have an email, that
means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job.'
The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with
only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and
buy a 10Kg tomato crate.
He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two
hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation
three times, and returned home with $60.
The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go
everyday earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled
everyday.
Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own
fleet of delivery vehicles.
5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US .
He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance.
He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email.
The man replied,'I don't have an email.'
The broker answered curiously, 'You don't have an email, and yet have
succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have
been if you had an e mail?!!'
The man thought for a while and replied, 'Yes, I'd be an office boy
at Microsoft!'
Moral of the story:
PEOPLE nowadays lead very hectic lifestyles. Eating, which was once a main priority, has now become a chore that we have to fit into our schedules, or something that we do rather thoughtlessly and carelessly. Simply put, most of us don’t pay much attention anymore to what we put into our bodies. Furthermore, most of us develop bad eating habits because of our efforts to shed those excess pounds, with the belief that starving ourselves on some occasions will actually help us.
However, breaking our bad eating habits may not be as difficult a task as it appears to be. All it takes is a large amount of discipline and some knowledge about which habits to stay away from in order to lead a healthier life. If we want to get on the fast track to healthier living, make sure to avoid the following:
Starting the day with a healthy breakfast gives you a boost of energy and helps clear your mind, it also helps you make healthy eating choices throughout the entire day, as you already primed your good eating habits first thing in the morning.
Eating breakfast may also help you to eat fewer calories later in the day. A study found that a given number of calories consumed earlier in the day is more filling than the same number of calories eaten later on, lessening overall calorie consumption.
You’re less likely to make bad eating choices at lunch if you eat properly in the morning, so start the day off with a breakfast of champions. Try a bowl of oatmeal and a poached egg with a slice of toast and fresh fruit.
Contrary to popular belief, the body’s first reaction to starvation is weight gain via the storage of fat. Why does the body do this? Well, when you don’t eat for long periods of time, your body becomes pretty upset that you’ve been depriving it of food, so when you finally do eat again, your body thinks it needs to store these calories as fat because it doesn’t know when the chance to eat will come again. And then, the fat remains with you.
If your intentions in regards to starving yourself are to lose weight, then it’s time to reevaluate your diet and begin a workout program or intensify your current gym routine. Make sure your diet is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and includes lean meats and fish. Try hitting the gym three to five times a week, and make sure to vary your workout routine. The best way to lose fat is through a healthy diet and regular exercise, not through depriving your body of the calories and nutrients it needs to function.
Food binges usually come in the form of fatty snack foods like chips, pizza or cookies.. Eating too much of the said foods will likely lead to weight gain, dissatisfaction, and a feeling that you lack discipline.
Eat five to six smaller meals per day, rather than three large ones, which leave the window open for binging on snacks between meals. Eating healthy, small meals containing complex carbohydrates and lean protein spaced throughout the day will not only help curb your appetite, they’ll also reduce your chances of overeating. Consuming five or six small meals will also help you burn more calories throughout the day, since your metabolism will be constantly running high.
Eating too much food, or eating spicy foods, fatty foods and caffeine one to three hours before bedtime can reduce the quality and length of your sleep, making you fatigued, sluggish and generally not fun to be around the next day. Eating fatty foods before bed will slow down the emptying of the stomach, worsening indigestion, while spicy foods can lead to heartburn and indigestion.
If you just can’t say no to the rumbling in your stomach before sleeping, snack on some fresh fruit to avoid indigestion.
Eating while doing something else tends to lead to overeating, and subsequently, weight gain. If you eat while you’re watching TV, talking on the phone, or playing a video game, these external distractions will lead your body to pay less attention to internal hunger and satiety cues that may be telling you that you’re not even hungry, or that you’re way too full. Plus, once you begin eating while doing something else, you often can’t stop, since the act of eating becomes a thoughtless, mechanical movement that could just go on and on.
Try to focus on one thing at a time. Wandering into the kitchen when you’re on the phone is a bad idea. If you’re eating just to keep your hands and mouth busy, find other distractions that don’t involve calories. Start chewing gum, take up guitar playing, or busy your hands by giving your boyfriend/girlfrien d a neck massage.
Start slowing things down at your next meal because eating too quickly isn’t doing you favors. Taking in your food at warp speed will not only make you look like you just walked out of the Neolithic ages, it also encourages weight gain. It takes about 20 minutes from the time you begin eating for satiety signals to reach your brain, so if you wolf down your meal in 5 to 6 minutes, your brain won’t get the chance to tell your body that it’s full, making you overeat and filling your body with more food and calories than you need.
Slow down, relax, really chew your food and enjoy the taste of what you’re eating. This allows your brain to realize that you’re eating, so it can signal to your body that you’re full. If you’re pressed for time at breakfast or lunch, make sure that your meal is small to begin with, so that even if you do end up eating fast, it won’t be more calories than you need.
It’s no secret that water is necessary for the optimal functioning of all life forms, humans included. What’s surprising is that not drinking adequate amounts of water throughout the day can actually slow down your metabolism, making weight gain a likely possibility, since water is necessary for all metabolic functions, including calorie burning.
Water should be readily available to you, and you should drink lots of it. Aim to take in 8 to 10 glasses a day, and more if you exercise regularly. It’s also a smart move to drink water with your meal rather than juice or soda, which may fill you up faster than water, but contains lots of empty calories. And chances are, these empty calories will leave you feeling hungry 30 minutes later.
Fruit- and vegetable-flavored foods do not count as a serving of fruits or vegetables. This means that fruit candy, apple granola bars, corn nuts, and guacamole chips don’t count towards the five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables you should be eating every day.
Since the only way to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs is by consuming actual fruits and vegetables. And, in case you thought you could get away without eating the whole carrot or apple, one medium-sized vegetable or fruit, one cup of salad, and half a cup of canned fruit or vegetables all count as one serving.
While this isn’t a bad eating habit per se, it’s a bad habit that can lead to unhealthy food choices. Do you think you can walk into a grocery store full of tempting sweet and salty snack foods on an empty, growling stomach and come out with sensible purchases?
Eat before you go. Grocery shopping on an empty stomach will only lead to impulse purchases of jumbo-sized chocolate bars, grape soda and party mixes, none of which will make a very satisfying breakfast, lunch or dinner. Grab an apple, a handful of nuts or a quick sandwich before heading to the store and you’re bound to return home with foods that will actually count towards a balanced meal.
Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diaseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 194 million people as of 2003 and with the Philippines ranking 10th highest in terms of incidence. An estimated six million Filipinos are diagnosed to have diabetes and several millions more are "high-risk" to develop the disease. They are the ones health experts label as having Impaired Glocuse Tolerance Test (IGTT).
The discovery of Linabu Organic Coconut Sugar is a welcome development.
FNRI tests revealed that coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index (G.I.) of 35 compared to cane sugar's 50. G.I. is the glocuse response of an individual from food relative to a standard glocuse solution. Food with low G.I. helps in proper control and management of diabetes mellitus and has been shown to lower LDL and total cholesterol level.
Linabu Organic Coconut Sugar is 100% natural. There are no additives, preservatives nor artificial flavoring. It is produced from sweet tody (tuba) of the coconut tree. The tuba itself contains essential amino acids and vitamins and is rich in sucrose (70-90%) plus glocuse and fructose making up 3-9%. Compared to brown and refined cane sugar, Linabu Organic Coconut Sugar contains higher amounts of micronutrients and of the following nutrients: nitrogen, phoporus, potassium, chlorine , magnesium, sulfur.
Coffee, cakes and any dessert will no longer be guilty pleasure. Make them stay as sweet as they are and yet healthy. Enjoy Linabu Organic Coconut Sugar now and benefit from its low Glycemic Index. Savor its nutritious rich caramel taste and distinctive aroma.
The only ingredient is pure coconut sap. Coconut sap is a sweet oyster white translucent liquid that oozes when coconut flowers called "Spadix" are cut.
Using a farm level technology, the collected sap is filtered and boiled in moderate heat to reduce its water content. The thickened sap is removed from heat and continously stirred until granules are formed. Two (2) gallons of sap will produce one (1) kilo of Linabu Organic Coconut Sugar.
| Analysis | Result |
|---|---|
| Moisture Content (g/100g) | 5.335 |
| Crude Protein content (g/100g) | 0.747 |
| Crude Fat content (g/100g) | 0.059 |
| Ash Content (g/100g) | 2.35 |
| Carbohydrates Content (g/100g) | 91.49 |
| Food energy content (g/100g) | 369.4 |
| Calories from Fat content(g/100g) | 0.53 |
| Total Dietary Fiber Content (g/100g) | 0.0 |
| Saturated Fat Content (g/100g) | 0.036 |
| Vitamin A Content (I.U./100g) | 0.0 |
| Vitamin C Content (mg ascorbic Acid /100g) | 23.4 |
| Calcuim Content (mg/100g) | 4.36 |
| Iron Content (mg/100g) | 1.28 |
| Sodium Content (9mg/100g) | 146 |
| Total Sugar Content (as invert sugars) (g/100g) | 89.36 |
Do A Good Turn Daily
The man slowly looked up. He sees a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.
"Leave me alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone."
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.
"Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table.
"What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old , rheumy eyes "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business, that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I' ll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you? " he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus. He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And...And, thank you for the coffee ."
Parkinson's disease was first described by James Parkinson in his essay on the shaking palsy. The age of onset is around the age of 50, with incidence peaking during the mid-seventies. The prevalence is 190 by 100,000 population with the sex ratio of three is to two (male to female) with a five per cent familial incidence.
The cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown. Discordance in identical twins suggests that genetic factors are not important. Environmental mechanisms appear to play a role.
Increased interest in the role of exogenous toxins has arisen through the recent observation that in drug users Parkinsonism is reduced by selectively destroying nigral cells and their striatal projections. Virus infection seems an unlikely explanation in view of the worldwide distribution, lack of viral antibodies in the brain and inability to transmit the disease to primates.
In view of the unclear etiology of Parkinson's disease it is referred to as Idiopathic Parkinson's diseases as opposed to Secondary Parkinsonism where the possible causes are available (drugs like reserpine and haloperidol and the repetitive trauma to the head like in boxing).
There are visible changes in the brain of persons with Idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The substantia nigra contains the pigmented cells (neuromelanin) which give it a characteristic black appearance. These cells are lost in Parkinson's disease and the substantia nigra becomes pale. The remaining cells contain atypical eosinophilic inclusions in the cytoplasm called Lewy bodies. The presence of cortical inclusions is linked with dementia. There are also minor changes seen in other basal nuclei.
The initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease are vague, with the patient oftentimes complaining of aches and pains. The posture of the patient is bent. The face is expressionless with drooling (mask like facie). There are fine tremors in the hands described as pill rolling tremor. The legs are stiff and the gait is shuffling.
Early in the disease, a coarse tremor at a rate of four per second usually develops. The tremor begins unilaterally in the upper limbs and eventually spreads to all four limbs. The pill rolling tremor can be observed on the hands with the thumb moving rhythmically backwards and forwards on the palm of the hand. This tremor occurs at rest, improves with movement and disappears during sleep.
The rigidity of the body can be detected by examination. The body is in a typical flexed posture. The flexor muscles of the neck, trunk and limbs are in the semi-contracted position. The person is in the posture like that of a boxer.
When the facial muscles of expression are affected the face becomes expressionless. Also affected were the muscles of mastication, speech, voluntary swallowing and muscles of the trunk and limbs. The gait becomes robot like. Every step seems very heavy with little associated movements like arm swinging.
Signs and symptoms will worsen affecting every aspect of the patient's life. The handwriting will become smaller. The gait becomes shuffling with smaller rapid steps giving the impression that the patient is trying to keep up with the centre of gravity. The posture will become more bent. Initiating movements from a stationary position will become harder. Even rising from a chair becomes laborious. The movements of the eyeballs may also be affected. In some cases, although rare, there may be acute ocular deviation. There may also be excessive sweating and greasy skin. Patients may also have depression, postural hypotension and encephalitis.
Diagnosis of Parkinson's depends on high degree of suspicion based on complete history, physical examination and exclusion of other disease entities that mimic or can produce tremors and bradykinesia. Senile tremor, essential tremor and metabolic tremor are not visible during rest and will appear only and become more pronounced on voluntary movement. Distinguish also rigidity from spasticity. In spasticity, the resistance is felt towards the end of motion. In rigidity, resistance is present through the full range of movement.
Management is aimed to restore the balance between dopamine and acetycholine. Treatment is symptomatic and will not stop the pathologic process. The goal is to reduce acetycholine and its effects and increase dopamine. Anticholinergic drugs will reduce tremors but have minimal effect on the rigidity and bradykinesia. Dopamine and dopamine agonists will improve bradykinesia and rigidity with some degree of control of tremor. Good nursing care and the regular consultation to prevent complications are essential.
Life Haven, Inc. (LHI) is a non-profit organization of persons with disabilities duly registered at
the SEC with a mission to promote the Independent Living (IL) philosophy. The Independent Living
movement started in Berkley, California during the 70�s and became a worldwide phenomenon
encouraging the restoration of self-confidence and self-respect of persons with disabilities, promoting
active participation and awareness of our inherent rights such as equal opportunities. The movement is
striving for social change that will result to a barrier-free society where persons with disabilities are living
in the community and enjoying life to the utmost.
Life Haven provides the following services:
