Education & Soccer

http://www.join1goal.org/

Goooaaalllll!!!! This past summer, during the FIFA World Cup, the Global Campaign for Education launched its 1 Goal: Education for All campaign. This campaign allows supporters of free education for out-of-school children to sign up and keep the campaign on world leaders' agendas. The number of people who care indicate how important it is to change the lives of over 69 million children. Currently, over 18 million people support the campaign and its mission.

The GCE website http://www.campaignforeducation.org/ sites Nigeria as having the most children who are out of school in the world. Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda among other developing/underdeveloped countries also have millions of students who cannot attend school due to budget cuts increasing the lack of school books, dwindling numbers of teachers, and the absence of school meals.

In 2000, governments world-wide created goals to ultimately make education (with the ideal and added benefit of eliminating poverty) their mission by abolishing school fees and/or funding education in poor countries, so that all boys and girls can have access to primary education by 2015. Many celebrities, such as Shakira and Bono support it; as do footballers/soccer players, like Pele, Thierry Henry, Tim Howard and Fabio Da Silva.
Primary education -the ability to read, write, do basic math, and develop cognitive and functional skills- has always been significant to our children's futures, here and around our world.  Educational opportunity for these countries can be kept on the agenda by signing up for updates on the campaign at http://www.join1goal.org/.

Don't Just Stand There, Do Something!

It took awhile before I finally listened to Eminem's song "I Love the Way You Lie". I normally change the radio dial when his songs come on the air. However, when I found out that Rihanna sang the hook, I decided not to change the radio station. Rihanna surprised me with her lyrics. How can someone mock what she has been through? Then, maybe her lyrics express how the victims of domestic abuse feel at some point.

"Just gonna stand there and watch me burn/Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts/Just gonna stand there and hear me cry/Well that's alright because I love the way you lie". Very poignant and thought-provoking words. For Rihanna perhaps participating in the collaboration helped her heal and helps others heal and feel empowered too. But, what happens when you don't escape from that mentality and the volatile relationship?

First, a woman or man can call the hotline against domestic violence at 1-800-799-SAFE. Anonymous and completely confidential, the hotline provides someone around the clock to talk to. It is a great resource for education and finding local agencies that work to bring an end to domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a horrendous occurence that can affect all ages and all genders. So, if you think someone you know is being abused or you are being abused, do not waste valuable and precious time, please call the hotline to find out how you or someone you know can get help before a life-threatening injury takes place or it perpetuates more violence in or out of the home.

Besides the National Domestic Violence Hotline, there are many other resources and organizations like the National Coalition Against Violence that support the victims of abuse. These agencies work for the public and are usually non-profit thus are in need of donations to continue operating efficiently and effectively. To donate, contact an agency and ask how.

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee meets to discuss the lack of full investigations of sex crimes in the U.S. Many of these crimes are domestic in nature. To watch the hearing as it takes place today at 2:15 pm, visit  the National Coalition Against Violence website where a link is provided.

Though justice for sex crimes here in the U.S. is not always delivered, there are still plenty of resources for the victims. Victims can escape from the life-threatening relationships, protect themselves, get help, and heal inside and out.

Need motivation? Watch the Eminem featuring Rihanna music video " I Love the Way You Lie".

Spotlight On: CELIAC DISEASE

Is wheat free the way to be? Many Americans have adopted gluten-free diets, meaning that wheat, rye, and barley products that contain the protein, gluten are no longer consumed. However, wheat is the primary ingredient in almost every starch, so why and how would you possibly stop eating that graham cracker crust on hot pecan pies and that thick and filling pasta in lasagna?

Six years ago, a Naturopath suggested I stop eating wheat. Having no clue how it may have affected me at the time, I stopped partially for about six months. I noticed that when I cheated and ate wheat bread especially, my stomach became aggravated in an intensely painful way. I had excrutiating stabbing pains on my left side. But after switching to bread not rich in wheat and eliminating only baked goods and food products that read 'wheat flour' on their boxes, I felt much better months later. Nonetheless, I knew from then on that I had a weaker stomach than many other people. Not everything I have eaten over the years has agreed with me. From hot dogs to wheat bread, certain foods pose a digestive challenge every now and then.

Perhaps the pain and other symptoms went away because of the lessened wheat intake, or maybe they went away because of other treatments, like vitamin and mineral intake. Many Americans suffer from an autoimmune disorder called Celiac Disease due to their inability to digest grains naturally consisting of gluten. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, 1 in 133 Americans have it and 97% of people with it go undiagnosed. In a nutshell, (nuts: planted grains that mature into fruits, more specifically legumes) the microvilli- tiny finger-like projections- that line your intestines absorb nutrients from food, and filter toxins and waste. With Celiac Disease, these microvilli become flattened and cannot do their job properly. This causes symptoms like constipation or diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and distention, infertility, weight changes, and resulting behavioral changes in mood, among many other symptoms. Celiac Disease may trigger or aggravate autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, for example irritable bowel syndrome, thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes and osteoporosis.

Not the same as a wheat allergy, Celiac Disease, a type of autoimmune disorder, requires a lifetime of a gluten-free diet. Those diagnosed with it should stay away from wheat, barley, rye and their sub-products. That means no beer, no ice cream, no bagels, no ketchup, and no more lasagna! Surpisingly, imitation meats and some vegetarian products contain gluten too. Luckily, food manufacturers must put 'gluten-free' on their products with no gluten which normally contain gluten. Also, many bakeries have substitutes for gluten. Try Babycakes NYC for gluten-free and vegan cupcakes.

By no means is all the information above regarding Celiac Disease exhaustive. To raise awareness, options exist like passing out the flyer or brochure (both provided on the Celiac Disease Foundation website) at health fairs or in your community. Be sure to ask your primary doctor about this disease, its symptoms and possible plans of care.

Spotlight On: OSTEOPOROSIS

A disease of the skeletal system, Osteoporosis (meaning: bone passageway condition) develops most often in women over the age of 50. From low bone density and low bone mass, this condition may cause bone fractures, height loss, or bone pain among other symptoms. Known as the most undesired symptom, bone fractures, like a hip fracture, in older adults often lead to multiple surgeries for repair. Since bones lose density with age, they eventually fracture more easily.

The primary cause of low bone mass begins with the bones’ need to absorb the mineral calcium and the body’s inability to absorb it as well during older adulthood. Also, certain hormones promote bone growth. For example, estrogen released bountifully with menstruating cycles is scarce after menopause. The lack of estrogen, along with the bones’ inability to absorb enough calcium, leads to a more porous/less dense bone structure.

Though Osteoporosis occurs in the majority of older women, it can occur in men as well. Lowered hormone levels, diets low in calcium, irregular exercise, certain overuse of medications, alcohol or tobacco, and many chronic diseases can put a person at risk for Osteoporosis. Yet, the condition is preventable.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation http://www.nof.org/, the five ways to combat Osteoporosis are as follows:

1. Regular exercise with weights (builds bone strength and mass)
2. Vitamin D and Calcium supplements (the vitamin D helps the bones absorb the Calcium)
3. Get tested for Osteoporosis with a Bone Mineral Density test (a painless test)
4. Don’t smoke or consume alcohol in excess (may worsen bone health)
5. Discuss Osteoporosis with your healthcare provider

There are many ways to treat Osteoporosis if already diagnosed with it. Certain supplements and prescriptions can be taken. These medicines may result in better absorption of calcium or a higher production of estrogen. They also have side effects and risks. So, before taking any supplement, prescription, or beginning one of the top four ways described above to combat Osteoporosis, make sure to talk to your physician first and foremost.

Fashion for Food

A love for fashion can transform the world! The ways in which fashion and giving go hand-in-hand are numerous. Take the FEED bags for instance. These bags contribute to the UN Foundation's World Food Project which supplies nutritious food for children in school in over 70 countries. The project helps solve two issues in one easy way. Children around the world who suffer from malnutrition and hunger are given nutritious food, like Plumpy Nut, that gives them the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy, maturing body to grow properly. Also, it adds reason for children to want to go to school everyday which increases the years a child in a developing country (or developed country) receives education.

Buy a bag and help! The FEED bags have lots of space while some come smaller as pouches. Use them for travel, work, school, or as a handbag. The team on The Feed Project claims they go with everything you wear. Made with burlap and organic cotton, the versatility of a neutral color and the strength of the bags guarantee their longevity and usefulness. Donations from the purchasing of some of these products goes to specific countries such as Guatemala or Haiti. Currently, The Feed Project has partnered with UNICEF for donations of each Guatemalan bag to go toward one full year of healthy supplements for a child in Guatemala. Just read or ask where the donation goes before you get a bag.

Partnered with the FEED Project, the FEED Foundation which started in 2008 has delivered more than 50 million meals to international school feeding programs through the United Nations. To find out more about the food programs the FEED Foundation supports visit The FEED Foundation's website at http://www.thefeedfoundation.org/.

Some children's malnourishment stems from hunger, other's develops from obesity in eating the wrong foods.Malnutrition can lead to Kwashiorkor (abdominal distention, tooth loss, liver enlargement, etc), starvation, heart disease, anemia, obesity, diabetes and many, many more diseases that effect the body systemically. So, malnutrition and hunger effect children here in the United States as well as in other countries where the condition may be more widespread. If fashion is your thing, a FEED tote is a good step toward tackling this public health problem. What one wears can help change what our children eat.

Can I Get Some Me Love?

We have all heard of the Golden Rule. So it makes sense to figure out how to love one self before figuring out how to love someone else. However, life does not work that way. We are abruptly brought into this world instantly having to love others. First, our mother and/or father, then our family and then friends.

The amount of love we must give out to others is never-ending while we figure out how to love self simultaneously. It seems there is an endless inner battle to love one’s own characteristics. People take themselves as they are. Still, people wonder if they should be working on that unidentifiable thing that makes others ignore them or the thing that makes others angry with them.

It seems like there exists a continuous outer battle too for a person to love his/her hair, skin, facial structure, body parts, height, and weight. Will this cream make me thinner? Will this drink make my skin glow?
Some people blame marketing and advertising. Companies want us to buy their product, so they make people feel insecure. Other people call it human nature. Darwinism at its finest comes to mind. A sign of the times as to what makes people feel worthy of love for their aesthetic self, perhaps.

Whether it is inner or outer self appreciation, we all buy into it in some way. I have my creams, lotions, and perfumes. Yes, I even eat my vegetables and go to the gym for that radiant glow. I have even bought a Deepak Chopra book to help myself grow positively.

Love thyself. Two simple words, one continuous process. What I have found most helpful is paying attention to self. The result is goals and achievement. You find what makes you tick. And once these things- preference and progress- start to flow, you begin to feel happiness and love for what you have made out of yourself, yourself.

That brings a sense of self love. And if that is not enough, surprisingly (and scientifically proven), the creams, lotions, exercises, and vegetables work too. So if you are feeling low, take some time out for yourself, buy that new vitamin drink, and do a push up. Love thyself.