SIMPSON'S Blog

Billings Business: Owner finds extraordinary people on way to success

2007-10-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

By OLIVIA KOERNIG
Billings Business

Most business owners operate under the adage "seeing is believing." But Bill Simmons, owner of Masterlube, knows the reverse is true.

Simmons took over a failing lube shop called Minit Lube in 1981. The six men who owned the business hadn't been able to generate profit at the store, so they agreed to let Simmons try his hand. Where they saw a bad investment, Simmons saw his future.

Taking chances when others wouldn't - seeing diamonds in lumps of coal - became the motto at Masterlube. And, according to Simmons, it wasn't just luck that it worked out that way. He had stumbled onto a profound truth. The ability to recognize potential is one skill that today's business owners can't afford to be without.

"We're entering an era where there are more jobs than people," Simmons said. "Employers are digging deeper into the labor pool than they'd typically like to do."

And in Simmons' eyes, that's good news.

As a business owner who has always dealt in the transitional employee market, he has seen his share of ne'er-do-wells, drifters and deadbeats. But he's also seen more real life Cinderella stories than most will see in a lifetime.

"Extraordinary people come in all kinds of disguises," Simmons said. "Over the years, I've discovered that when given the opportunity, people will rise to a level that stuns you. It will be the great surprise of your life."

The seeds of Masterlube's success were sown at some point in the store's infancy. Simmons realized he was ripping his employees off and set out to settle his debt.

"I was asking people to do $25 an hour work for $6 an hour," he said. "Every hour they worked, I was going in debt to them at a rate of $12 to $15 an hour."

He met privately with each of his five employees and explained the situation as he saw it. He explained how he would never turn a profit if he paid them what they were worth. He expressed his gratitude for the level of service they brought to his company and customers. Then he made each one a promise, a promise that became his business model and recipe for success.

"I asked them to look deep into their hearts to see what they'd like to do with their lives," Simmons said. "I told them if they'd continue working for me at that level that I'd put all my resources into helping them make it happen."

One of those first employees was Pat Rose. When Simmons first nudged her toward figuring out what she wanted to do with her life, she set her sights reasonably low. Rose told Simmons she wanted to be the person under the car, "the pit man." In those days, women usually worked only as cashiers, and she said Simmons was understandably hesitant.

"I had to hook to wrenches to provide the leverage to get the drain plug off because I wasn't strong enough," Rose said.

With Simmons' support and her own determination, Rose became the first female in the pit. Eventually she realized she was better suited to duties above ground. And after developing proficiency checking and filling fluids, Rose started to realize what her true calling was. She worked at Masterlube while earning her bachelor's degree. Today, she's a psychologist operating a private practice in Arizona.

"Bill knew that the people he was helping meet their potential made the best employees," Rose said. "It's not like I was his favorite; it wasn't just me that he did this for."

Over the years, Masterlube expanded from one location to four. Masterlube also expanded its service to include a glass shop today and employs 45 people. While the industry's national average aims to service 0.95 cars per labor hour, Masterlube services between 1.5 and 1.7 cars per labor hour. The store's market penetration is unmatched in the nation, and in the past seven years, Masterlube's sales grew from $2 million to $4.7 million.

JUSTICE - MAY BE SERVED FINALLY

2007-07-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Arraignments delayed in Capistrano schools cases

From Times Staff and Wire Reports

June 16, 2007

The arraignments Friday of two former top administrators at the Capistrano Unified School District were postponed to July 13.

Former Supt. James A. Fleming was charged with misappropriating public funds, using public funds to influence an election and conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public. Former Assistant Supt. Susan McGill was charged with perjury and conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public.

The charges stem from Fleming's alleged attempts to thwart a recall effort against the district's trustees. McGill is accused of assisting Fleming's efforts and lying to the grand jury.

Renee's Birthday

2007-06-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

2007-06-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Temecula's new budget to fund 10 police officer positions

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 12, 2007

By SARAH GORDON
The Press-Enterprise

TEMECULA - The city's newly approved budget includes enough money to fund 10 new police officer positions, a $2.4 million increase over last year.

Those new positions, part of a $65.7 million budget for 2007-08 approved by the City Council on Tuesday night, includes five patrol officers, an officer who will join a regional gang task force, three sergeants and one investigator. The increase puts Temecula's police force at 111 officers.

"This is a pretty good jump, in terms of our commitment to public safety," City Manager Shawn Nelson said.

Public safety and traffic circulation received top billing in the annual operating budget and five-year construction plan, also approved by the City Council on Tuesday. Of the annual budget, 42 percent is allocated for public safety, including police and fire positions.

The city of Temecula contracts police services from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Nelson said he was also excited about a newly funded position for a Human Services/Teen manager. The budget allocates a little more than a $60,000 maximum annual salary for the position.

Whoever fills the job would be ultimately responsible for implementing the city's Youth Master Plan, which Nelson described as a comprehensive document aimed at Temecula's young people, expected to be done in about six months.

In a report to the council, Nelson said the city's finances were healthy, with a strong sales-tax base bolstered by car dealerships and The Promenade mall.

Council members thanked the city manager and staff for the budget.

"It's a great budget," Councilman Mike Naggar said. "It's balanced, it's providing services and it provides a surplus."

The council also approved the five-year Capital Improvement Project Plan. Of the $417 million in planned projects, $265 million is aimed at traffic improvements.

Nelson said that the estimated $140 million French Valley Parkway/Interstate 15 Overcrossing and Interchange project would take traffic off Winchester Road and Murrieta Hot Springs Road and eliminate problems where I-15 and I-215 merge.

He said the project had been designed and funding sources for it existed.

Several council members commented that the project would create safer and smoother road conditions in the city. The improvements are still years in the future, and Nelson said he could not immediately estimate when they would be finished.

Reach Sarah Gordon at 951-375-3733 and sgordon@PE.com

2007-05-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Inland parents float cash as reward for grades

10:17 AM PDT on Sunday, April 8, 2007

By JANET ZIMMERMAN
The Press-Enterprise

Getting good grades and making honor roll are about more than just pride and self-satisfaction. Many Inland students score cash, shopping trips and other perks from parents and grandparents trying to inspire academic success.

Lynne Steger, of Rialto, paid her son (now on the dean's list at UC Irvine) $5 per A on his high school report cards, costing her and her husband about $120 a year. They pay their 11-year-old daughter $2 for each A she brings home.

"I consider it encouragement and positive reinforcement," said Steger, who sometimes takes her kids shopping for shoes or an outfit instead of giving cash.

Adults don't work for free and neither should children, she said.

"I go to work, I do a good job and I get rewarded for it. Our children do well and we reward them for that. That's their job right now," said Steger, a patient-care advocate for a health insurance company.

The rewards system is not without controversy. Critics say the satisfaction of a job well done should be reward enough. Motivation from within -- not in response to outside influences -- better trains children for adulthood, they say.

In his book "Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise and Other Bribes," parenting expert Alfie Kohn said rewards may work in the short term, but ultimately turn play into work and get kids hooked on approval.

Not surprisingly, many children think otherwise. In a 2001 survey by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan opinion research group, 62 percent of sixth- through 12th-graders said getting paid for better grades would motivate them "a lot."

'Motivation to Do Better'

Shirley Kerr, of Riverside, pays her grandchildren $5 per A or a flat $50 if they make honor roll. She hopes it inspires them to get top grades and earn college scholarships, since their mother won't be able to afford to send them.

Kerr started the tradition when her grandson, Gabriel Adriano, was in elementary school and not doing as well as she thought he was capable of.

The incentive was enough to inspire Gabriel, now 15, to make honor roll throughout middle school, and again this year as a freshman at Arlington High School.

"It was a motivation to do better," Gabriel said. "Before, I did the work and didn't care what grade I got."

The bribe also worked for his 13-year-old sister, Katarina, who made honor roll in her first semester in middle school.

To celebrate their accomplishments, Kerr and her husband took the children and their mother to Walt Disney World in Orland, Fla., this week.

Anne Hallberg, of San Jacinto, pays her 14-year-old son, Justin, $5 for A's and B's and takes him out to dinner at the restaurant of his choice. But that's more a reward than a motivator, she said.

What works best is e-mailing Justin's teachers to make sure he's completing assignments, she said. Hallberg makes him complete missed homework assignments even if he doesn't get class credit.

"When I back off, (his grades) nose-dive," said Hallberg, an accounting technician for the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

Brad Mason, principal of Cope Middle School in Redlands, sees nothing wrong with incentives for grades, as long as they are temporary and reasonable. He equates it with the popular technique of using M&Ms as a reward for toddlers learning to use the potty.

"The moment you start the process, you should be thinking, 'How can I wean my kids off of this?' " he said.

Mason gave his children, now seventh- and ninth-graders, money for good grades when they were in elementary school. After a couple years, they were mature enough to accept delayed gratification -- the idea that hard work would produce rewards later in life, such as a good-paying job, he said.

"At some point you do the right thing because it's the right thing to do," Mason said.

Effects of Reward System

From early on, Scott and Mary Key, of Riverside, taught their children, ages 14, 12 and 7, that the joy of learning was its own reward. The couple capitalized on their children's natural curiosity and made learning fun by visiting museums and zoos and going on walks to look at spiders or the sunset or a pair of hawks nesting in their tree.

The Key children are home-schooled, so report cards are not an issue. But learning still is, Mary said.

During the summer reading program at the library, if the kids didn't like the prizes, they read anyway, just to find out what happens in series such as "Chronicles of Narnia," "Lord of the Rings" and "Little House on the Prairie."

Candy, toys and monetary rewards cheapen the experience, Mary said. "We're equating the value of the work they've put in with these things that break in one day," she said.

The two have begun to see the effects of the rewards system crop up at Cal Baptist University, where they are professors. Students often expect something just for showing up to class and employees refuse to put out any extra effort, she said.

"It has to be done carefully because it sets up that expectation," she said. "If we train people to be externally motivated, there's nothing inside, there's no value people hold to because they're important."

Mark Diamond, a Temecula clinical psychologist, said financially rewarding grades is a bad idea because it doesn't create an internal sense of fulfillment, the key to succeeding in life.

His oldest son, 19, skipped high school and graduates next month with a master's degree in public policy from George Washington University. Diamond's 15-year-old son has a 4.57 grade-point average at Murrieta Valley High School and attends community college part time.

The best way to teach children that learning is fun and valuable is by example. Parents should read and continue their education if that's what they want their kids to do, Diamond said.

To eliminate hassles of homework and assignments, parents should actively engage their children about what they read or wrote, he said. Ask them about their report card, and how they feel about it; if it's good, tell them, "I can tell you're proud of yourself," he said.

"If you create it so they're internally motivated, not only does that last a lifetime, but you can save yourself $5," Diamond said.

Reach Janet Zimmerman at 951-368-9586 or jzimmerman@PE.com

Soldier's Death Strengthens Senators' Antiwar Resolve

2007-01-31T15:24:00.000-08:00

Kerry, Dodd Demand Stronger Challenge to Bush

By Jonathan Weisman and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 30, 2007; A03

Just before Christmas, an Army captain named Brian Freeman cornered Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) at a Baghdad helicopter landing zone. The war was going badly, he told them. Troops were stretched so thin they were doing tasks they never dreamed of, let alone trained for.

Freeman, 31, took a short holiday leave to see his 14-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son, returned to his base in Karbala, Iraq, and less than two weeks ago died in a hail of bullets and grenades. Insurgents, dressed in U.S. military uniforms, speaking English and driving black American SUVs, got through a checkpoint and attacked, kidnapped four soldiers and later shot them. Freeman died in the assault, the fifth casualty of the brazen attack.

The death of the West Point graduate -- a star athlete from Temecula, Calif., who ran bobsleds and skeletons with Winter Olympians -- has radicalized Dodd, energized Kerry and girded the ever-more confrontational stance of Democrats in the Senate. Freeman's death has reverberated on the Senate floor, in committee deliberations and on television talk shows.

"This was the kind of person you don't forget," Dodd said yesterday. "You mention the number dead, 3,000, the 22,000 wounded, and you almost see the eyes glaze over. But you talk about an individual like this, who was doing his job, a hell of a job, but was also willing to talk about what was wrong, it's a way to really bring it to life, to connect."

"When I returned from war, almost 40 years ago now, I stood up and spoke from my heart and my gut about what I thought was wrong," Kerry said on the Senate floor last week as he recounted his meeting with Freeman. "I asked the question in 1971: How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? . . . I never thought that I would be reliving the need to ask that question again."

On Thursday, Freeman will be memorialized at his home in California, just days before the Senate takes up a resolution formally stating Congress's opposition to the president's plan to add 21,500 troops to the U.S. force in Iraq. There is no way to know what Freeman would have thought of it, but he would not have been shy about offering his opinion, Dodd said.

Freeman had served out his five-year active-duty tour well before he was sent to Iraq. He graduated from West Point in 1999, then in 2002 was accepted into the Army World Class Athlete Program, training with the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams in Lake Placid, N.Y.

"It's no exaggeration, he was definitely one of the nicest guys in the start house," said Steve Peters, a team official.

In 2004, eager to get on with his career and family life, Freeman moved into the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), a pool of trained soldiers not assigned to any unit, to serve out the rest of his eight-year mandatory obligation.

He was in California with a civilian job, a 1-year-old son named Gunnar and another baby on the way in the fall of 2005 when a shortage of officers prompted a large call-up by the IRR of West Point graduates from the classes of 1998 and later -- many of whom had only a few months of service left.

"He was an augmentee, who happened to be called up to fill a slot," said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Edmond, a full-time staff member at the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion in Whitehall, Ohio, which Freeman was called to join. "It's almost to fill a void," he said, commenting on the Army's deepening manpower shortage, especially in the reserve, which requires it to cobble together units with people from across the country.

Charlotte Freeman, Freeman's wife, recalled her husband's shock upon receiving an Army telegram ordering him back to active duty. "He walked into the house and was totally white," she said yesterday. "He had moved on" from the Army.

"For my sake, he tried to get out" of the deployment, she said. But she knew he felt torn. "A part of him felt very guilty, because he had never gone to Iraq. He had dodged that bullet," she said.

Concerned about leaving his wife while she was pregnant, Freeman was able to obtain a three-month deferral and spend time with their newborn daughter, Ingrid. Just after Christmas in 2005, he grew so concerned about his pending deployment -- and his lack of qualifications to be a civil affairs officer -- that he anxiously contacted a reporter for The Washington Post.

Maj. Tony Nichols, who commanded a tank company that Freeman served in during his active duty, said Freeman "would have gone with a tank crew . . . in a heartbeat" but felt uneasy going with an unfamiliar civil affairs team.

Once in Iraq, Freeman was dismayed to find that his training "had no relation to what they were actually doing," Charlotte Freeman said. "He was appalled," enduring danger but seeing no clear mission, she said. Moreover, he believed that the Iraqis "didn't want us there."

Still, he did his best, working with the governor of Karbala to try to improve security and touching individual lives, such as helping an Iraqi boy who needed heart surgery and obtaining death benefits for an Iraqi interpreter's family. "He truly wanted to make a difference," Charlotte said.

Late last year, Freeman approached the senators at Landing Zone Washington, in Baghdad's Green Zone, "almost out of the shadows," Dodd recalled.

Even though he felt nervous, he told his wife later, he delivered his message with urgency. Soldiers were being deployed to do missions that they were utterly untrained to do; Freeman, for example, an armor officer, had been sent to help foster democracy and rebuild an Iraqi civil society. State Department personnel who could do those jobs were restricted in their travel off military bases by regional security officers who said it was unsafe for them to venture out.

"Senator, it's nuts over here," Dodd quoted Freeman as saying.

Calling him "ridiculously" bright, Nichols said Freeman did not oppose the war but "wanted it to be done better and smarter."

After Dodd mentioned an unnamed Army captain's concerns on NBC's "Meet The Press," Freeman e-mailed him to bring up another concern: the mistreatment of Iraqi interpreters by military contractors.

The connection between Dodd and Freeman went beyond a chance encounter and an exchange of e-mails. On Jan. 20, the day of Freeman's death, his wife was visiting his mother in Utah when a neighbor called to say that a military vehicle had stopped by the Freeman home. Frantic for news, Charlotte Freeman contacted Dodd's staff. The senator's aides learned of Brian Freeman's fate from the Defense Department and helped get military officials dispatched to his wife.

Kerry took the news personally, aides said. In Freeman, he saw something of himself -- a promising young officer, articulate and politically minded. But Kerry made it back from Vietnam.

"All that loss, for what?" Dodd asked.

It was not just Freeman's death that deeply troubled and provoked the two senators, but the way he died, in an apparent betrayal by Iraqi allies. In the days after Freeman's death, Dodd drafted legislation to cap the number of troops in Iraq. Last week in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry backed Dodd in a failed effort to attach the legislative cap to the nonbinding resolution of opposition.

And both men are demanding that the Senate push the confrontation with Bush further. Kerry has resurrected his call for legislation setting a date certain for the withdrawal of troops.

"The notion of sense-of-the-Senate resolutions, what the hell does that mean?" Dodd asked yesterday. "Is that all you got?"

Adept at Adapting

2007-01-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

"If anything can go wrong, it will." Mr. Murphy! Just where is your silver lining? We're not into peddling pessimism, but a healthy dose of reality comes in handy now and again. The proverbial "wrench in the system" can strike anywhere, anytime. Unexpected change-it's the law.

* Expect it. Change happens. It's one of the few constants in society. Commonly associated with negative circumstances and outcomes, unexpected change often gets a bad rap. Yet, unexpected change can be exhilarating and extremely positive. I feel a Paradigm Shift coming on!

* Plan on it. Rule of thumb: "Plan weekly, adapt daily." When reviewing your daily activities, factor in time for unexpected changes-things that throw your schedule off whack. You'll feel less frustrated and more in control. Be prepared.

* Go with it. Kicking and screaming will only get you so far. Change is good. Adapting, adjusting, and making modifications to changing circumstances will yield new opportunities, new ideas, and new perspectives.
Unexpected change-your friend indeed! What else did you expect?

Finding the strength to forgive

2007-01-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

The concept is deeply rooted in religion. A dead firefighter's mom says she's trying.

03:43 PM PST on Thursday, November 23, 2006

By BETTYE WELLS MILLER
The Press-Enterprise

As the deadly Esperanza Fire burned out of control, the grieving mother of a firefighter killed in the blaze had a message for the arsonist: Her son, Jason McKay, would have forgiven the person who caused his death. Almost one month later, a heartbroken Bonnie McKay tries to do the same.

"I feel God would want me to," she said in her Apple Valley home. "If nobody is willing to forgive, it's a pretty sad world filled with hate. ... If you can't forgive, you can't move on and heal."

Amid unspeakable grief and everyday hurts, some people find the capacity to forgive those who have wounded them, out of religious conviction or a need to restore peace to their lives, Inland residents and scholars said.

Most Americans say it is important to forgive people who wrong them, but fewer than half said they do, according to a 2002 Gallup Poll on spiritual practices.

Research sponsored by the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Mich., has found that forgiveness helps people and communities heal, said institute president Tom Beech. The institute is a private foundation established by the late John E. Fetzer, who owned radio and television stations and the Detroit Tigers baseball team. He believed that love is the most powerful force in the world, institute officials said.

The 20-year-old institute launched a campaign this month to encourage individual acts of love and forgiveness. The first of three documentaries on the subject, "Mystery of Love," will air Dec. 13 on public television stations.

"We live in a world that is unforgiving," Beech said. "Research shows when people can forgive they live more peaceful and less stressful lives. ... When communities look for ways to help people live in a generous way, those communities are more comfortable places to live."

Forgiveness reduces levels of anger, increases feelings of love and improves physical and mental health, research shows, Beech said.

The concept of forgiveness is full of nuances and complexities, ranging from a metaphorical writing-off of a wrong to restoring relationships in a way that can lead to reconciliation, said Rick Langer, a Redlands resident and associate professor of biblical studies at Biola University, an evangelical Christian college in La Mirada.

"Forgiveness is both important and difficult," Langer said. "Forgiveness works its magic both on the perpetrator and the one who was wronged."

Forgiveness is liberating, said L. William Countryman, professor of biblical studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, an Episcopal Church seminary and a member of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

"It frees you of the evil in the incident," said Countryman, who wrote "Forgiven and Forgiving." "At some point you have to declare your freedom from the wrong that was done to you."

Religion's Influence

Research shows that people with religious convictions generally find it easier to forgive, Langer and officers at the Fetzer Institute said.

"Forgiveness is valued in all the major world religions, although the emphasis will be different in each tradition," said Fetzer program officer Wayne Ramsey.

Judaism, for example, teaches that forgiveness must be earned, a process called teshuvah, which means a return to God, said Elliot Dorff, a philosophy professor at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles.

That means the person must acknowledge the wrong, express remorse, restore what was damaged or lost -- or accept the punishment for criminal acts -- and take steps to avoid repeating the bad behavior.

Jews are not obliged to forgive until teshuvah is completed, he said, although many do.

"Judaism is very much a religion of action," Dorff said. "Lip service won't do it. In the end the real test of whether you mean it is whether you act differently the next time a similar situation arises."

Islam encourages, but does not require, forgiveness, said Dany Doueiri, a lecturer in Arabic and Islamic studies at Cal State San Bernardino.

"There is the concept of an eye for an eye," he said. "You do have a right for compensation. But to forgive is better in the sight of God. ... There is an element of justice. Giving up that right is something very honorable."

Many scholars characterize Christianity as a religion of forgiveness and Islam as a religion of mercy, Doueiri said.

"I don't see them so much apart," he said. "Forgiveness is one aspect of being merciful toward one another."

Forgiveness is key in Christian theology, Southern California scholars said.

"It's a repeated theme in the New Testament" of the Bible, said Countryman, of the Berkeley seminary. "The central thing is we keep praying the Lord's Prayer all the time -- 'Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.' This is something that is based above all on God's boundless love for us."

Forgiveness is imbedded in Catholic theology and sacraments, such as confession, said the Rev. Ron Pachence, a religious studies professor at the University of San Diego, a Catholic college.

"Jesus is constantly saying, 'Be compassionate as your heavenly father is compassionate,' " Pachence said. "Jesus made it crystal clear: Without this (forgiveness), the practice of faith is incomplete."

Test of Faith

The October example of Pennsylvania Amish who offered forgiveness to the family of the man who shot 10 schoolgirls, killing five, is extraordinary, Pachence and others said.

"What the Amish group did was to say right off the bat, this is who we are as Christians. We are forgiving and we continue to reconcile," Countryman said.

So was the example of Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who called for forgiveness and reconciliation to heal South Africa after apartheid.

"The whole idea that enabled the revolution in South Africa to be as peaceful as it was was that forgiveness could be extended to people who didn't ask for it and didn't want it," Countryman said.

Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting, Dorff said.

"It means there's a removal of the taint of the offense and a possibility of reconciliation," he said. "There's the ability of both parties to go on with their lives."

Forgiveness is easier for some people than for others, scholars said. Some circumstances are easier to forgive than others.

"Some people are graced with the ability to forgive and some of us are not," Countryman said. "Most of us are not."

Pain Can Be Too Much

Jerome Redd said he hasn't been able to forgive the three teens who chased down and murdered his 15-year-old son, Dominic, in Corona last year. He questioned his Christian belief.

"I hope that God forgives them," Redd said. "I don't understand how people that have experienced something like this can forgive."

He doesn't hate his son's killers, he said.

But he cannot yet see the day when he might be able to forgive them.

"It's a day-to-day thing," he said.

Bonnie McKay said she believes that God will judge the person who started the Esperanza Fire.

She prays for Raymond Lee Oyler, the man accused of starting the deadly fire, and for his young daughter.

"I think about her a lot," McKay said. "For her to grow up with her father not being forgiven," if he is the arsonist. "If you fill your heart with revenge and hate you can't enjoy life. All it does is destroy the good."

Reach Bettye Wells Miller at 951-368-9547 or bmiller@PE.com

Dr. Helm

2006-12-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

STANDIFORD HELM II, M.D.

Dr. Helm has been practicing interventional pain management since 1982. Dr. Helm is a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology with subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine and of the American Board of Pain Medicine. Dr. Helm is a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP), the only certifying agency which tests the ability to perform interventional pain procedures. Dr. Helm is also an examiner for FIPP.

Dr. Helm is honored to be president of the California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and to be Vice President of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.

Dr. Helm is the Interventional Pain Management representative on the Carrier Advisory Committee for Medicare in California.

Dr. Helm has published extensively on interventional pain management issues, has lectured internationally and taught pain management procedures.

Dr. Helm has been active in the effort, both on a State and a National basis, to ensure that patients have access to those pain procedures which have been proven effective and to medication. Dr. Helm has had the honor of working with FBI and DEA agents to assist them in discriminating between practitioners who are prescribing medications for a legitimate medical purpose and those who supplying medications used for abuse or diversion.

Dr. Helm graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and attended Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Helm did an internship in Internal Medicine at Boston City Hospital and a residency in Anesthesiology at UCLA.

Dr. Helm is also is the Medical Director of the Pacific Coast Pain Management Center (www.pcpmc.com) in Orange County, California.

Pearl Harbor survivors meet for last time

2006-12-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

By JAYMES SONG, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 59 minutes ago

With their number quickly dwindling, survivors of Pearl Harbor will gather Thursday one last time to honor those killed by the Japanese 65 years ago, and to mark a day that lives in infamy.

This will be their last visit to this watery grave to share stories, exchange smiles, find peace and salute their fallen friends. This, they say, will be their final farewell.

"This will be one to remember," said Mal Middlesworth, president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. "It's going to be something that we'll cherish forever."

The survivors have met here every five years for four decades, but they're now in their 80s or 90s and are not counting on a 70th reunion. They have made every effort to report for one final roll call.

"We're like the dodo bird. We're almost extinct," said Middlesworth, now an 83-year-old retiree from Upland, Calif., but then — on Dec. 7, 1941 — an 18-year-old Marine on the USS San Francisco.

Nearly 500 survivors from across the nation were expected to make the trip to Hawaii, bringing with them 1,300 family members, numerous wheelchairs and too many haunting memories.

Memories of a shocking, two-hour aerial raid that destroyed or heavily damaged 21 ships and 320 aircraft, that killed 2,390 people and wounded 1,178 others, that plunged the United States into World War II and set in motion the events that led to atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"I suspect not many people have thought about this, but we're witnessing history," said Daniel Martinez, chief historian at the USS Arizona Memorial. "We are seeing the passing of a generation."

___

The attack may have occurred 65 years ago, but survivors say they can still hear the explosions, smell the burning flesh, taste the sea water and hear the cries.

"The younger ones were crying, 'Mom! Mom! Mom!'" said Edward Chun, who witnessed the attack from the Ten-Ten dock, just a couple hundred yards away from Battleship Row.

Chun, 83, had just begun his workday as a civilian pipe fitter when he was thrust into assisting in everything from spraying water on the ships to aiding casualties.

"From the time the first bomb dropped and for the next 15 minutes, it was complete chaos," he said. "Nobody knew what was going on. Everybody was running around like a chicken with their head cut off."

Chun saw the Oklahoma and West Virginia torpedoed by Japanese aircraft. He heard the tapping of sailors trapped in the hulls of sunken ships. He escaped death when Ten-Ten was strafed, leaving behind dead and wounded.

"How I never got hit, I don't know," said Chun, who was later drafted and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. "I'll tell you a secret: When your number comes up, you're going to go. Well, every morning I get up, I change my number."

Everett Hyland doesn't know how he stayed alive when almost everyone around him didn't. He was radioman aboard the Pennsylvania, which was in Dry Dock No. 1, and was helping transport ammunition to the anti-aircraft gun when a bomb exploded.

Badly burned, Hyland regained consciousness 18 days later, on Christmas night. During that time, his older brother visited.

"The only way he knew it was me was the tag on my toe," Hyland said. "He (later) told me we looked like roast turkeys lined up."

Today, scar tissue covers most of his arms and legs.

"I got a quick facial out of it. I used to be a freckled-faced kid," he said. "I don't have any lips. They could fix faces, but they couldn't build any lips."

And he was lucky.

Many of the dead were teenage sailors and Marines away from home for the first time. They died before they had an opportunity to get married, have children, build lives.

Four in five servicemen on the USS Arizona — 1,177 in all — did not survive the day. It was the greatest loss of life of any ship in U.S. naval history. They remain entombed in the battleship's sunken hull, which still seeps oil every few seconds, leaving a colorful sheen on the harbor water.

The survivors say they have more than horrific memories to offer. "Remember Pearl Harbor" is just the first half of the association's motto; the rest is "Keep America alert."

Martinez said many Pearl Harbor survivors were disheartened by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, "as if they had not done their job hard enough."

Once again, it seemed that America had been caught sleeping. Interest in Pearl Harbor and its aging survivors surged. The old soldiers are much in demand — to sign autographs, walk in parades, speak to classrooms and pose for pictures. Visits to the USS Arizona Memorial are at record levels.

Not that everyone sees similarities between the two attacks. "There is no comparison," Hyland said. "That was terrorists killing a pile of civilians. Here, you had professional fighters versus professional fighters. Two different things."

There are those who are unable to forgive the Japanese, But others testify to the power of reconciliation.

"There are some guys that are going to die with hate in their heart. I don't have in me any hatred in my heart," said 87-year-old survivor Lee Soucy, of Plainview, Texas. "They were doing their job just like we were."

Hyland, who was almost killed in the attack, married a woman from Japan. They met at the 50th Pearl Harbor anniversary and wed the following year.

"I got over it a long time ago," he said.

___

Former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, who dubbed Americans who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II "the greatest generation," agreed to be keynote speaker for Thursday's ceremony. A moment of silence at 7:55 a.m. was to mark the time when the attack began.

Martinez, the USS Arizona historian, likened it to another reunion 68 years ago — the final gathering of Civil War veterans in Gettysburg, Pa., when aging warriors in blue and gray shook hands and shared war stories. In 1938, as in 2006, the nation faced an uncertain future in a world gripped by conflict.

"The passing of that generation had its moment and we're going to have ours," he said.

But some veterans don't believe, or refuse to accept, that this will be the last major gathering.

"They claimed the 60th was going to be the last one. Now they have the 65th. When they have the 70th, then they'll be claiming, 'This will be the last one,'" Hyland said. "They've been crying wolf too many times."

Hyland does accept the fact that their numbers are falling fast.

"We all have our turn and our turn is getting closer," he said.

But until then, they are drawn to Pearl Harbor, and to each other. Military historian Douglas Smith, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I., says they are proud of their service and eager to return "to their glory days," but most of all they revel in the bonds they formed long ago, when they were young.

The bond is so strong that some ask to have their ashes interred inside the Arizona, laid to rest with shipmates who were not so fortunate as to survive Dec. 7, 1941.

"They're coming home," Middlesworth said. "They feel they're coming home."

Photo Album online

2006-11-10T01:53:00.000-08:00

Photo albums of the family (click on link):

http://picasaweb.google.com/jpssite

Sen. Burns concedes Montana race

2006-11-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

By MATT GOURAS, Associated Press Writer 15 minutes ago

U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns (news, bio, voting record) conceded defeat to Jon Tester on Thursday, acknowledging that a tight election had gone to the Democrats' favor, Burns' campaign told The Associated Press. Burns, a three-term senator whose campaign was troubled by verbal gaffes and voter discontent, congratulated Tester, a farmer and state legislator. "I stand ready to help as Montana transitions to a new United States Senator," Burns said in a statement provided to the AP. "We fought the good fight and we came up just a bit short. We've had a good 18 years and I am proud of my record."

Burns, 71, did not plan any public appearances Thursday, his campaign said. He also didn't say what he plans to do now, though he indicated he was looking forward to taking some time off. "I hope there is still a good-sized buck out there, because I am going hunting," he said. Burns called Tester and conceded in a friendly and cordial conversation at about 11 a.m, said Tester spokesman Matt McKenna. "This was a hard fought campaign and I think that Montana is glad it is in their rear view mirror and Jon tester is ready to move forward," McKenna said. Tester, who was busy with chores Thursday, picking up a barrel of oil in Great Falls on the way to his grain farm in Big Sandy, ran as an outsider to the Washington culture — the same theme Burns had used nearly two decades earlier. "It is absolutely, critically important that we change the direction of the country," Tester, 50, said Wednesday after declaring victory by a thin margin of about 3,400 votes. Tester said he wanted to empower the middle class, working families, small businesses and family farms and ranches — "the people who have made this country so great."

"It really is time to put politics aside," he said. "We've got many, many issues that are facing this great state and this country, both in foreign policy and domestic policy. We've talked about them for the last 18 months. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get some things done."

Tester's win — and fellow Democrat Jim Webb's close victory in Virginia — gave the Democrats the 51 Senate seats they need to control the chamber.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Tester had 198,302 votes, or 49.1 percent, to Burns' 194,904 votes, or 48.3 percent.

Together, the two campaigns spent more than $12 million.

Burns had not helped his own cause, with gaffes that included cursing at a firefighting crew in a state that sees thousands of acres burned in wildfires every summer. He was first elected in 1988 as a folksy, backslapping outsider, but this year, he was joined on the campaign trail by President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Tester resisted help from the national party during his campaign. When Burns tried to paint Tester as a liberal who wants to raise taxes and "cut and run" from Iraq, the liberal tag didn't seem to stick to the man who sports scuffed cowboy boots and a flattop haircut.

Tester portrayed himself as a Western moderate who owns guns, opposes gay marriage and has a libertarian's suspicion of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act.

He hammered Burns over his ties to Abramoff. Burns was a top recipient of campaign contributions from Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in January to corruption. Burns has since returned or donated to charity about $150,000 he receive that was connected to Abramoff. He maintains he did nothing wrong and was not influenced by the lobbyist.

Ballot-counting problems delayed results of the race by about seven hours, keeping the nation in suspense. Duane Winslow, election administrator for Montana's most populous area, Yellowstone County, said he made a computer error while tabulating absentee ballots that required officials to start the process over.

___

Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this

Cardiologist

2006-11-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

I had a stress echocardiogram and heart ultrasound done yesterday. Everything turned out normal but my blood pressure is 160/110 without meds.

George Carlin's Views on Aging

2006-11-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old
is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited
about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and
a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the
next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're
gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life. . you become 21.
Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound
like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now,
you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the
brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and
your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a
day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch;
you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the
90s, you start going backwards; "I was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a
little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age , weight and
height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them ".

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's
workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen... Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who
is with us our entire life is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets,
keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.< BR>
9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next
county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10 . Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do
share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each
day!

Elderly now a fifth of Japan population

2006-10-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

Tue Oct 31, 1:01 AM ET

One-fifth of Japan's population now consists of people aged 65 or older, the nation's latest census data show, a development that could threaten the world's second-largest economy.

The nation, which has the world's highest proportion of old people and lowest proportion of young people, has also seen its population shrink since peaking in 2004, according to final census figures for 2005.

Experts have long forecast that Japan's ageing population and falling birth rate meant its population would decline -- shrinking the economy and leaving fewer workers to support a growing number of pensioners -- but the fall began two years earlier than initially forecast.

Last year's decline was the first since 1945, the final year of World War Two.

The proportion of Japan's 127 million people who are 65 or older hit 21 percent last year, the highest ratio in the world The figure was up from 17.3 percent in 2000 when the previous census was conducted.

The ratio of people under 15 fell to 13.6 percent, the lowest since census-taking began in 1920 and also the world's lowest.

In addition, the proportion of people considered economically active -- those aged between 15 and 64 -- fell by 2.1 percentage points to 65.8 percent of the total.

The number of households consisting of elderly couples rose by 22.6 percent to 4.49 million, while households of elderly people living alone soared by 27.5 percent to 3.86 million.

The figures are more bad news for economic planners already worried about how to fund ballooning pension requirements.

Japan's fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman has during her lifetime -- slipped to an all-time low of 1.25 in 2005. Demographers say a rate of 2.1 is needed to keep a population from falling.

In a possible sign of hope, however, births were up in August for the seventh straight month, rising by 3.1 percent from the same month last year.

#1 ON THE BLUEGRASS GOSPEL CHARTS

2006-10-31T08:52:00.000-08:00

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver “He Lives In Me” Album: He Lives In Me. Horizon Records 10752

Written by Frances P. Simpson/BMI

http://www.doylelawson.com/

Frances Simpson of Fremont, Mo., who is the widow of my Dad’s cousin Walter Simpson, is honored to have the song she wrote - HE LIVES IN ME - (recorded by renowned Bluegrass artist Doyle Lawson and Quick Silver) nominated for two awards by the International Bluegrass Music Association. One nomination was for Bluegrass Song of the Year and the other was for Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year. The song won Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year. Frances wrote this song about five years ago and pitched it to Mr. Lawson. He liked the song and put it in the line-up for recording once or twice before, but each time it didn't fit with the other songs he had chosen for the particular project, but this time he said, "It was the only song that would fit and was just perfect for the TITLE CUT." Simpson traveled to Nashville to the Grand Ole Opry House in Opryland for the Bluegrass Awards Show in Sept. where she was seated as a guest of IBMA on the first level with other nominees.

At the present time HE LIVES IN ME is # 1 on the Bluegrass Gospel charts, # 22 on the Singing News Southern Gospel chart and # 10 on the secular Bluegrass chart. Frances says "This last one is the one I'm most excited about because it tells me that people who love bluegrass music but do not attend church on a regular basis are hearing how "Jesus came into my heart and turned my life around". That's what my song writing is all about. That's where my heart is."

Genie, Pascale, Jason, Gus, and Polly (last week)

2006-10-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

Gus and Jason messing around

2006-10-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

Monday, October 30, 2006

2006-10-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

Morning Weigh-in: 232 lbs @ 7 am

Breakfast: 4 eggs and two fat free tortillas

Snack: water

Exercise: Bench press, curls, triceps, squat rack

Lunch: 2 chicken tacos and diet coke

Dinner:

Snack:

Evening Weigh-in: _____ lbs @ ____ pm

Jordan in ER - Bicycle accident

2006-10-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Fire Chief

2006-10-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

2006-10-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Jake's Memorial Today

2006-10-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

I attended Jake's memorial service today. About 2,000 people attended and everyone heard and witnessed a powerful message today. I know I will never forget it. I was proud of his family, including Shawn.

4 firefighters killed in Calif. blaze (30 minutes from my home)

2006-10-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago

A wind-whipped wildfire started by an arsonist killed four firefighters Thursday and stranded up to 400 people in an RV park when flames burned to the edge of the only road out, officials said. "Everybody is hunkered down here. They're fighting the fire around us. It's across the street from us," said Charles Van Brunt, a ranger at the station at the entrance to Silent Valley Club, the recreational vehicle park near Palm Springs. The residents were in no immediate danger, he said. Authorities asked people in the RV park to stay put to leave the roads clear for firefighters. Hundreds of others in the area were forced from their homes. Fire officials said the fire was deliberately set around 1 a.m. and offered a $100,000 reward. Fire Chief John Hawkins said the arson "constitutes murder." The Forest Service crew was trying to protect a house as dry desert winds of 25 mph or more blew a wall of flames down on them in the hills northwest of Palm Springs. "They had left their truck to do structure protection when the fire overran them," said Forest Service spokesman Pat Boss, adding the flames came down so quickly they had no time to retreat to their engine or use protective sheltering. Three firefighters died at the scene and two were hospitalized in critical condition. One of those two died several hours later. The other had burns over 95 percent of his body, Boss said.

The last time four firefighters died battling a blaze was July 10, 2001, fighting a fire in a remote canyon in Washington's Okanogan National Forest. The four became trapped by flames on a dusty dead-end road. Thursday's deaths brought to 19 the number of California firefighters killed in the line of duty over the past year, according to statistics kept by California Professional Firefighters, a lobbying organization. One other firefighter in the burned-out fire engine was critically injured, Boss said.

He said the Forest Service pulled all its personnel off the fire after the deaths so they could "gather their thoughts, say their prayers."

The fire quickly blackened more than six square miles and destroyed at least three homes. The weather service had issued a "red flag" warning for extreme fire danger because of the high winds and dry conditions.

Thick smoke blanketed the small RV park off Highway 243, where as many as 400 people were stranded, authorities said. TV footage showed some vehicles racing through flames and smoke just before firefighters closed the road.

Van Brunt said people were advised to "watch the news and stay comfy."

The cause of the wildfire was not immediately clear. It started early Thursday, burning in a valley with a few scattered ranch homes. The hamlets of Poppet Ranch and Twin Pines were evacuated along with a juvenile detention center, Twin Pines Boys Ranch.

Evacuations were ordered, and by early morning, about 200 people had left their homes, fire Capt. Julie Hutchinson said.

Officials worried the flames could reach an area of the San Bernardino National Forest where a bark beetle infestation had killed trees that could easily fuel a blaze.

In the valley where the fire was burning, the ground cover is mostly grass and chaparral that burns fast and hot.

"The biggest concern is if it gets over the hills," said Becky Luther, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Fire Department. "That's where all of the homes are."

Timo Hargu, 61, said he rushed from his hilltop home with his two dogs after he looked out a window and saw fire burning toward him in a valley.

"The whole thing was ablaze with flame," he said. "It was the most spectacular view. A terrible view, but spectacular."

Steve Faris

2006-09-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

Steve Faris (on left) was the Fire Marshall (Battalion Chief) at the City of Temecula until his life was taken in auto accident earlier today. Steve will be missed by everyone, he was one of the coolest and most gracious persons I have ever met or worked with.

Health experts warn of obesity pandemic

2006-09-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

September 3, 2006 07:28:25 PM PST

An obesity pandemic threatens to overwhelm health systems around the globe with illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, experts at an international conference warned Sunday.

"This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world," Paul Zimmet, chairman of the meeting of more than 2,500 experts and health officials, said in a speech opening the weeklong International Congress on Obesity. "It's as big a threat as global warming and bird flu."

The World Health Organization says more than 1 billion adults are overweight and 300 million of them are obese, putting them at much higher risk of diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, stroke and some forms of cancer.

Zimmet, a diabetes expert at Australia's Monash University, said there are now more overweight people in the world than the undernourished, who number about 600 million.

People in wealthy countries lead in overeating and not doing enough physical activity, but those in the poorer nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America are quickly learning bad habits, experts said.

Thailand's Public Health Ministry, for instance, announced Sunday that nearly one in three Thais over age 35 is at risk of obesity-related diseases.

"We are not dealing with a scientific or medical problem. We're dealing with an enormous economic problem that, it is already accepted, is going to overwhelm every medical system in the world," said Dr. Philip James, the British chairman of the International Obesity Task Force.

The task force is a section of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, a professional organization of scientists and health workers in some 50 countries that deal with the issue.

James said the cost of treating obesity-related health problems was immeasurable on a global scale, but the group estimated it at billions of dollars a year in countries such as Australia, Britain and the United States.

Among the most worrying problems are skyrocketing rates of obesity among children, which make them much more prone to chronic diseases as they grow older and could shave years off their lives, experts said.

The children in this generation may be the first in history to die before their parents because of health problems related to weight, Kate Steinbeck, an expert in children's health at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said in a statement.

Experts at the conference said governments should impose bans on junk food advertising aimed directly at children, although they acknowledged such restrictions were unlikely to come about soon because the food industry would lobby hard against them.

"There is going to be a political bun fight over this for some time, but of course we shouldn't advertise junk food to children that makes them fat," said Dr. Boyd Swinburn, a member of the International Obesity Task Force.

Dr. Claude Bouchard, president of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, an umbrella group for medical organizations dealing with weight-related and children's health issues, said the group supported advertising bans as official policy.

But the policy position is unlikely to have any immediate effect on influencing governments to introduce such bans, said Bouchard, head of the Pennington Research Center at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge.

I am feeling better

2006-08-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well, Jordan’s trip to the emergency room went from thinking he had a broken neck and head trauma to no broken bones, a concussion, deep bruising on his entire left side of his face, bruises and scrapes on both arms and legs and his left eye was swollen shut ……………..to…………….his father having major chest pains, high blood pressure, and earning a stay in the hospital for observation. The chest pain was the most intense pain feeling I have ever had. I guess I was pretty “amped up” with Jordan’s issues that he got to go home and I got to stay.

The cardiologist put me on the following:

· Nitroglycerin is in a class of drugs called nitrates. Nitroglycerin dilates (widens) blood vessels (arteries and veins). When blood vessels are dilated, it is easier for the heart to pump and for blood to flow to the heart.

· Metoprolol is a beta-blockers medicine that affects the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins). Metoprolol is used to treat angina (chest pain) and hypertension (high blood pressure). It is also used to treat or prevent heart attack.

Jordan is also doing well and is mending fine. He will make a full recovery. I am supposed to have a stress done with an isotope but they have yet to schedule it.

Jordan - Expectations Rules

2006-08-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

These are rules we are working for Jordan. Some obviously have been in place, but nonetheless all of these are ongoing issues for us.

Expectations for Jordan

1. Listen and follow directions from Mom and Dad

2. Brush teeth morning and before bed

3. Put clothes in laundry room/bedroom hamper

4. Hang designated towel in bathroom on hook

5. Put shoes in closet

6. Pick-up toy messes after you are done playing with that toy

7. Keep hands to himself

8. Keep mouth closed while eating (no smacking food)

9. Use “Please” and “Thank You”

10. Keep Gameboy and games organized and safe

11. Change Chofy’s water every morning.

12. Pick-up dog poop in backyard every other Saturday morning.

13. Empty ALL trash cans & replace trash can liners every Thursday night

14. Feed & change Lilo’s water every day.

15. Clean Lilo’s cage once a week.

16. Make bed every morning.

House Rules

1. No cussing / swearing

2. No yelling

3. No back-talking

4. Ask permission prior to entering kitchen cupboards and refrigerator

5. No touching the knives

6. No touching the stove

7. No hitting others, including your siblings.

8. Be nice to ALL pets and animals.

9. Be respectful and courteous to all adults

10. Do NOT leave the house without permission from either Mom or Dad.

11. All food must be eaten at the kitchen table only.

12. You are not allowed to go over to friend’s houses without Mom or Dad meeting their parents and getting their home phone numbers.

13. Bedtime is at 8:00 pm every night, including weekends, unless otherwise specified.

14. Respect ALL property, including our home which keeps us all warm & safe.

Update

2006-08-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

It has been one year since my start to a healthier lifestyle. While I am down overall from a year ago, I have put on 15 pounds in the past 45 days. It is true that food is the single largest source of comfort for people…..and I definitely fit in that category. While I guess I am “wiser” now, it is still difficult to control those urges to counterbalance stress. With work stress, Jordan’s ongoing issues, life, etc, life has been no easy task. I could become an alcoholic to “numb” it but the calories in alcohol will go against my fitness goals (ha ha).

My weight today is 228 (I was at 213).

I have purchased some more shakes and started again today with those. My partial liquid diet and increased cardio activity on a daily basis should help me drop the next 58 lbs.

The weight lifting has dramatically repositioned my sizes and provide some tremendous strength. I played baseball at the park for the first time in years, and I was able to crush the ball (2 home runs) with my added upper body strength.

Fruit and fiber the key to weight management: study

2006-07-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

By studying the diets of 52 normal-weight adults and 52 overweight or obese adults, researchers found that normal-weight adults ate more fiber and fruit each day than their overweight and obese counterparts.

"These findings suggest that the composition of a diet, especially low dietary fiber and fruit intake, play a role in the (development) of obesity," concludes the study team in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

For all study subjects, Dr. Jaimie N. Davis of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and colleagues determined the dietary amount of 60 food items using a food frequency questionnaire, assessed physical activity levels and determined percent body fat. All of the subjects were about the same age and height.

Davis' group found marked differences in the dietary habits of the two groups. The overweight and obese subjects consumed more total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, and less carbohydrate, specifically dietary fiber and complex carbohydrate, than normal weight subjects.

The differences in diet composition "may have played a vital role in promoting or preventing obesity," they write.

Normal-weight adults consumed an average of 33 percent more dietary fiber and 43 percent more complex carbohydrates daily than their overweight and obese counterparts. Dietary fiber and complex carbohydrate intake were inversely related to body weight and "most strongly" to percent body fat.

Compared with normal-weight subjects, overweight and obese subjects consumed about one less fruit serving daily, which may partly explain their lower fiber and carbohydrate intake.

There are several mechanisms by which dietary fiber may reduce the risk of weight gain or obesity. Dietary fiber, for example, slows digestion, prolonging that "full" feeling and foods high in fiber are usually low in fat and calories.

"The public is still attracted to popular weight-loss strategies that emphasize decreasing carbohydrate and increasing fat and protein," the study team notes in their report.

"Although there is evidence that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets produce substantial weight loss in the short-term, to date there are no long-term studies that examine the effects of these regimens."

While there is no magic formula for weight loss, in the current study, "dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates and fruit were associated with lower body fat stores in adults," Davis told Reuters Health. "These results suggest that increasing dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates and fruit in an individual's diet should be an important part of dietary interventions," the researcher concluded.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June 2006.

2006-07-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Jordan and Dad - This was on Friday, June 30, 2006 while visiting at the hospital. He was in good spirits today and it was great to see him.

2006-06-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

Dylan with his aide (right) and the RSP rep at the district (left). Both came just to see Dylan. Dylan is getting pulled from his class for speech services and for additional academic support. Very, very sweet lady on the Right....Ms. Goodwin.

2006-06-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

dylan

2006-06-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

kat at mission bay (not lake elmo)

2006-06-07T20:14:00.001-07:00

dylan chasing melia

2006-06-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

Kat and Miss Sylvia

2006-06-07T20:13:00.002-07:00

kat

2006-06-07T20:13:00.001-07:00

Kat with Miss Donna (preschool)

2006-06-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

renee and kat

2006-06-07T20:12:00.001-07:00

Kaitlyn

2006-06-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn graduating Miss Sylvia's Preschool (at least until Fall)

2006-06-07T20:11:00.001-07:00

Kailtlyn singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" at preschool program today

2006-06-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

2006-06-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

Mission Bay - San Diego

2006-06-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

Brad Ray with Melia - Brad just finished the San Diego Marathon

Day 298

2006-06-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

Day 298 – Healthier Lifestyle

Tuesday – June 6, 2006

Morning Weigh-in:		219 lbs, 140/98 BP, Pulse 92
Breakfast:		Granola Bar – Kashii (4g fiber and 5 g protein – 130 calories)
Snack:		None
Lunch:
Snack:
Dinner:
Exercise:

Water Consumption:

Day 297

2006-06-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

Day 297 – Healthier Lifestyle

Monday – June 5, 2006

Morning Weigh-in:		219 lbs
Breakfast:		Granola Bar – Kashii (4g fiber and 5 g protein – 130 calories)
Snack:		None
Lunch:		Vegetable Burrito and Diet Coke – 40 ounces
Snack:		None
Dinner:		Beef Burrito and Taco
Exercise:		None

Water Consumption:		1.5 liters

Study says millions have 'rage' disorder

2006-06-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

To you, that angry, horn-blasting tailgater is suffering from road rage. But doctors have another name for it — intermittent explosive disorder — and a new study suggests it is far more common than they realized, affecting up to 16 million Americans.

"People think it's bad behavior and that you just need an attitude adjustment, but what they don't know ... is that there's a biology and cognitive science to this," said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chairman of psychiatry at the University of Chicago's medical school.

Road rage, temper outbursts that involve throwing or breaking objects and even spousal abuse can sometimes be attributed to the disorder, though not everyone who does those things is afflicted.

By definition, intermittent explosive disorder involves multiple outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situation. These angry outbursts often include threats or aggressive actions and property damage. The disorder typically first appears in adolescence; in the study, the average age of onset was 14.

The study was based on a national face-to-face survey of 9,282 U.S. adults who answered diagnostic questionnaires in 2001-03. It was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

About 5 percent to 7 percent of the nationally representative sample had had the disorder, which would equal up to 16 million Americans. That is higher than better-known mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Coccaro said.

The average number of lifetime attacks per person was 43, resulting in $1,359 in property damage per person. About 4 percent had suffered recent attacks.

The findings were released Monday in the June issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

The findings show the little-studied disorder is much more common than previously thought, said lead author Ronald Kessler, a health care policy professor at Harvard Medical School.

"It is news to a lot of people even who are specialists in mental health services that such a large proportion of the population has these clinically significant anger attacks," Kessler said.

Four a couple of decades, intermittent explosive disorder, or IED, has been included in the manual psychiatrists use to diagnose mental illness, though with slightly different names and criteria. That has contributed to misunderstanding and underappreciation of the disorder, said Coccaro, a study co-author.

Coccaro said the disorder involves inadequate production or functioning of serotonin, a mood-regulating and behavior-inhibiting brain chemical. Treatment with antidepressants, including those that target serotonin receptors in the brain, is often helpful, along with behavior therapy akin to anger management, Coccaro said.

Most sufferers in the study had other emotional disorders or drug or alcohol problems and had gotten treatment for them, but only 28 percent had ever received treatment for anger.

"This is a well-designed, large-scale, face-to-face study with interesting and useful results," said Dr. David Fassler, a psychiatry professor at the University of Vermont. "The findings also confirm that for most people, the difficulties associated with the disorder begin during childhood or adolescence, and they often have a profound and ongoing impact on the person's life."

Jennifer Hartstein, a psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, said she had just diagnosed the disorder in a 16-year-old boy.

"In most situations, he is relatively affable, calm and very responsible," she said. But in stressful situations at home, he "explodes and tears apart his room, throws things at other people" to the point that his parents have called the police.

Hartstein said the study is important because many people are not aware of the disorder.

2006-06-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Brad and his marathon coach Mark

THE BRAD RAY STORY

by Donna Redman

All he wanted to do was beat his personal best time in a marathon. But when Brad Ray competed in the P. F. Chang Rock 'n Roll Phoenix Marathon on January 15, he won his division with a time of two hours, 18 minutes and 30 seconds. It wasn't in my plan to win, Ray said during a recent interview. In fact, he didn't even attend the award ceremony afterwards. He went to dinner with a group of friends instead. I was more shocked than anybody (when I heard that I had won), he said. According to Mark Mico, Ray’s coach, the win put Ray in the elite athlete category.

Brad Ray is a wheel chair athlete. Born with spina bifida, he’s been a paraplegic his entire life. He said that he worked for seven years as a manager for the Home Depot store at Coors and I-40 in Albuquerque. About three years ago, one of his good friends at Home Depot dared him to enter the New York City Marathon. I didn’t train very much for that race, Ray said. I got to New York and my chair broke about a tenth of a mile into the race. I wasn’t able to finish, but it was a great vacation.

Ever since then I’ve had the utmost respect for endurance runners. It’s just not normal for anyone to go that distance. But that made racing even more appealing to him. I used to do (races) every once in awhile (while I was) working retail, working 80 hours a week, he said. I would never train. A little over four months ago he left his job at Home Depot so he could train full time. I’ve been working with Mark (Mico) for four months now, he said. I hired Mark to help me qualify for the Boston Marathon. The Phoenix marathon was his 10th race. My previous time for that race last year was three hours and 34 minutes, he said, getting it down to 2:18:30 is pretty cool.

Ray said that he works out between four and six hours a day, six or seven days a week. He does gym workouts at Balance One Fitness; distance training on the bike path in the bosque; hill work on Tramway and speed work on the track at either Cibola High School or at Menaul School. His racing chair weighs about 14 pounds and has an aluminum frame with three wheels instead of four. It’s about five feet long, he said. The chair requires special heavy duty gloves. They’re mitts that are shaped somewhat like boxing gloves and fasten to his hands with velcro closures. They have heavy duty leather on the thumb and knuckles, he said. That’s because his hands propel the chair by hitting the wheel rims with a downward motion, rather than by pushing them. If you grab the rim to push it that slows you down Ray explained. Because wheel chair athletes usually run a race faster than other runners, they start five to ten minutes before the runners so the runners won’t get in their way, he said. I’ve always been very athletic, Ray said. The Phoenix marathon was truly the hardest thing I could possibly think of. It was something I was not good at. I love challenges and this is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. He needs to finish a marathon in two hours in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon and he has to do it by March 1. He said he plans to compete in about three more races by then, so hopefully he'll qualify and be ready to take on the Boston Marathon and the next challenge.

Editors Note: Brad's next goals beyond Boston are Worlds & the 2008 Paralympic Games. Anyone interested in sponsorship opportunities with Brad can contact him at TriSportCoaching@aol.com attn:BradRad Racing

2006-06-03T20:15:00.002-07:00

brad

2006-06-03T20:15:00.001-07:00

Brad and Kaitlyn

2006-06-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

self portrait of melia

2006-06-03T20:14:00.003-07:00

Jordan

2006-06-03T20:14:00.002-07:00

Dylan

2006-06-03T20:14:00.001-07:00

2006-06-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

Brad Ray - Mission Bay San dDeigo

2006-05-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

dr. Nick catching a 103 lb Halibut in Alaska the same day he learned he had lost 103 lbs to date on his weight loss journey (he finally lost 270 lbs total). His message can be found at www.healthsteward.com

Brad Ray at Boston Marathon April 2006

2006-05-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

Boston Marathon 2006 - Brad Ray took 18th

2006-05-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Boston Marathon – Brad Ray took 18th

W23

Ray, Bradley

Albuquerque

USA

WC4

Checkpoints	5k	10k	15k	20k	Half	25k	30k	35k	40k
Checkpoints	0:13:56	0:27:57	0:43:03	0:58:47	1:01:40	1:14:08	1:30:51	1:48:06	2:02:06
Finish				Pace	Projected Time	Official Time	Overall	Gender	Division
Finish				0:04:55		2:09:01	18	15	14

2006-05-19T15:30:00.001-07:00

dylan

2006-05-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

girls

2006-05-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

boys

2006-05-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Boys at beach on Mother's Day

2006-05-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

Melia at school today

Weight loss: 6 strategies for success

2006-05-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

You probably know that virtually hundreds of different fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. But the foundation of every successful weight-loss program still remains a healthy diet combined with exercise. You must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits to lose significant weight and keep it off.

How do you make those permanent changes? Follow these six strategies.

1. Make a commitment

Permanent weight loss takes time and effort. It requires concentration and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you're ready to make the necessary permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

No one else can make you lose weight. In fact, external pressure — often from people closest to you — may make matters worse. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself.

As you're planning new weight-related lifestyle changes, try to resolve any other problems in your life. It takes considerable mental and physical energy to change your habits. So make sure you aren't distracted by other major life issues, such as marital or financial problems. Timing is key to success. Ask yourself if you're ready to take on the challenges of serious weight loss.

Keep in mind that no matter how prepared you may be, you'll occasionally overeat or eat foods that you should avoid. Rather than let a setback derail your efforts, accept that it happened and get back on track. Don't expect perfection — and never give up.

Motivate yourself by focusing on all of the benefits of losing weight, such as having more energy and improving your health. Then look at the negatives, such as finding the time to exercise, and come up with creative solutions.

More On This Topic

· Weight loss: Are you ready?

2. Get emotional support

Ultimately, only you can help yourself lose weight by taking responsibility for your own behavior. But that doesn't mean that you have to do everything alone. Seek support from your partner, family and friends.

Pick people who you know want only the best for you and who will encourage you. They should be available to listen to your thoughts and feelings and encourage you, perhaps spend time exercising with you, and share the priority you've placed on developing a healthier lifestyle. An ideal support person might be someone who also is participating in a weight-loss program.

Some people fare better with professional support, such as a dietitian or personal trainer. Others benefit from the group support they receive from organizations such as Weight Watchers or Overeaters Anonymous.

If you do join a group, keep in mind that what you get out of it will be in proportion to what you put into it. If you sit in a corner and just listen, you may hear some good suggestions. But if you actively participate, you're more likely to reap the potential rewards of the group, such as support, encouragement, feeling that you're not alone and helpful suggestions specific to your concerns.

3. Set a realistic goal

When you're considering what to expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. To do this, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories a day through a low-calorie diet and regular exercise. Losing weight more rapidly means losing water weight or muscle tissue, rather than fat.

Set weekly or monthly goals, and then track your progress. Remember that you're in this for the long haul. Anything you undertake too intensely or too vigorously may quickly become too onerous, so you're more likely to give up.

In addition, make your goals "process goals," such as eating judiciously and exercising regularly, rather than "outcome goals," such as losing 50 pounds. Changing your process — your habits — is the key to weight loss. Make sure that your process goals are realistic, specific and measurable — you'll walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

Work out a strategy that gradually changes the habits and attitudes that may have undermined your past efforts to lose weight. Choose a definite start date. Consider where, how often and how long you'll exercise. Develop a realistic eating plan that factors in plenty of water, fruits and vegetables. Write everything down. Find the potential roadblocks, and make plans to deal with them.

Ask your doctor how much weight you can safely lose. Your doctor may refer you to a dietitian or someone else who specializes in weight loss.

4. Enjoy healthier foods

Liquid meals, diet pills and unusual combinations of foods aren't the key to long-term weight control and better health. Instead, learn how to eat a variety of healthy foods.

Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean decreasing taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without compromising taste or nutrition. Cutting back on calories is easier if you focus on limiting fat.

To lose weight, talk to your doctor about setting these daily calorie goals:

Your weight in pounds	Daily calorie goal
Your weight in pounds	Women	Men
250 or less	1,200	1,400
251 to 300	1,400	1,600
301 or more	1,600	1,800

Over time, your caloric needs may change based on your health risks, the rate of weight loss desired or needed, and your personal goals and preferences. You can increase your calories if you're too hungry or if you've reached your target weight and want to stop losing.

Very low calorie diets aren't a healthy long-term strategy. Fewer than 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,400 calories for men aren't generally recommended. If your calories are too low, you run the risk of not getting all of the nutrients you need for good health.

It's usually best to talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before starting any weight-loss plan. A weight-loss specialist can help guide you in making the healthiest, most effective and safest food choices based on your individual needs.

More On This Topic

· Energy density and weight loss: Feel full on fewer calories

5. Get active, stay active

Dieting alone can help you lose weight. Cutting 250 calories from your daily diet can help you lose about half a pound a week: 3,500 calories equals 1 pound of fat. But add a 30-minute brisk walk four days a week, and you can double your rate of weight loss.

The goal of exercise for weight loss is to burn more calories, although exercise offers many other benefits as well. How many calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. For many people it's easier to keep a routine of longer duration, lower intensity aerobic exercises. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise — such as walking — for more than 30 minutes most days of the week.

Strength training exercises, such as weight training, also are important because they help counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories, muscle mass is a key factor in helping maintain a healthy weight. The more lean muscle mass you preserve, the bigger "engine" in which to burn more calories.

Exercise sensibly by starting out slowly and gradually increasing the duration and intensity. Walking is an ideal choice, as is swimming, bicycling, jogging or dancing. Decide, too, if you prefer to exercise alone or with others. Often, having a buddy helps you stick to your schedule.

Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for losing fat, any extra movement helps burn calories. Lifestyle activities may be easier to incorporate into your day. Think about ways you can increase your physical activity throughout the day. For example, make several trips up and down stairs instead of using the elevator, or park at the far end of the lot. Stair climbing, walking, gardening, lawn mowing and even housework all help burn calories.

6. Change your lifestyle

It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even several months. You have to incorporate these behaviors into your life. To do that, you have to change the behaviors that helped make you overweight in the first place. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine.

To assess your eating behaviors, ask yourself if you tend to eat when you're bored, angry, tired, anxious, depressed or socially pressured. Look at your eating style and shopping and cooking techniques. Were you taught to clean your plate? Do you eat too fast? Do you eat while watching TV? See if any patterns emerge to identify possible triggers for overeating.

After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. Simply admitting your own challenges won't get you past them entirely. But it helps in planning how you'll deal with them and whether you're going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once, but stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

Chopping 270 pounds wasn't April Fool's joke

2006-05-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

ESCONDIDO – April Fool's Day marked a special anniversary for Dr. Nick Yphantides. It was the fifth anniversary of the day that changed his life.

Former director of the Escondido Community Health Center and past director of Palomar Pomerado Health's governing board, Yphantides – or Dr. Nick, as he is known to his patients – embarked on a cross-country driving trip on April 1, 2001, in an effort to lose weight.

He did what he set out to do. He lost 270 pounds, bringing his initial weight of 467 down to a trim 197.

“You have to change the way you see in order to change the way you look,” Yphantides said. “I had to change my life.”

He achieved his weight loss by drinking liquid protein shakes and not eating solid food for nearly nine months. It wasn't an easy journey, but he is determined to make it a lasting one.

“The secret is not in losing weight, but in never finding it again,” he said.

Yphantides admits he has found a few of those lost pounds; he now tips the scales at 237. But he believes he will never return to his top weight, or anywhere near it.

“My target weight is 217,” he said. “My original goal weight was 230. I blew way past that. Part of the reason for 217 instead of 197, I definitely have a lot more muscle mass today in terms of strength of what I can do. I know my body is much more muscular than it was at the low point.”

His eating habits have gone through a tremendous overhaul, as has his physical activity level. He now exercises every day, either at the gym, on the tennis court or riding a bicycle.

“I burn 1,000 calories a day,” he said. “If I'm not doing the gym, I do something. I do some form of physical activity; I consider it a part of my daily diligence. It's not negotiable. I consider it part of my job.”

He called his remarkable journey “Taking a Swing at Weight Loss.” He drove 38,000 miles to every state in the contiguous United States and into Canada. To complete his itinerary, he flew to Alaska and Hawaii.

Combining his love for baseball with his determination to become a healthier person, Yphantides attended 100 ballgames at 30 major ball fields while he was on the road. Friends and family members joined him on various legs of the journey.

Yphantides' favorite holiday has always been Thanksgiving. When he left Escondido in April of 2001, he vowed to return in time for his family's traditional celebration.

By then, he had lost 220 pounds. He was still on the liquid diet, so while his family enjoyed the roast turkey, Yphantides drank one of his special shakes. He was eating solid food by Christmas, gradually phasing off the liquid diet by adding a few more varieties of food each day.

Yphantides, 40, now refers to April 1 as “The Fool's Thanksgiving.”

“I was a fool, a big fool,” he said.

The doctor has written a book, along with co-author Mike Yorkey, “My Big Fat Greek Diet.” In it, he shares his methods for maintaining his weight loss. He attributes his success to self-discipline, to eating only when he's hungry and stopping when he's full.

The book is available at bookstores and online, including Yphantides' Web site, www.healthsteward.com. He also offers advice through his Web site and corresponds with people who contact him.

He is adamant that the liquid protein diet is not for everyone. What worked for him may not work for others, he said.

The important thing, he stressed, is to keep the weight off and not gain it back.

“This is a journey that will last a lifetime,” he said. “It's not something I did and I'm done. It's something I'm doing.”

In addition to making the rounds on a book-signing circuit, Yphantides is a sought-after public speaker. He also works as a consultant for nonprofit health care agencies and the public health care system.

Yphantides and his wife, Despina, have a 1-year-old daughter, Veronique Gloria.

Smoking, obesity pose risks for 80 million Americans

2006-05-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thu May 11, 7:03 PM ET

More than 80 million American adults are smokers, obese or both and face an increased risk of poor health and an early death, researchers said on Friday.

They used data from a 2002 national health interview survey to estimate the proportion of adults in the United States who have one or both problems.

Roughly four percent of Americans, or 9 million people, fall into both categories with a disproportionate number among the poor and those who have a low education.

"Nearly 41.5 percent of adults (81 million aged 18 or older) in the US are obese or smoke and about 4.7 percent smoke and are obese," said Cherly Healton, the head of the anti-tobacco organization American Legacy Foundation in Washington.

"Obesity and cigarette smoking are primary risk factors for several chronic conditions and early death in a large number of people in the United States," she added.

The research published in the British Medical Journal showed that 23.5 percent of adults were obese and 22.7 percent smoked.

Among people who were obese and smoked, the proportion was higher in African Americans than other racial or ethnic groups.

Research has shown that smoking is a leading cause of preventable death. It increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, respiratory problems as well as lung and other types of cancer.

Obesity raises the odds of suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems, depression and some cancers.

Healton and her colleagues called for more research into treatments for people who smoke and are obese.

"Clinical trials should monitor the effects of programs aimed at simultaneous stopping smoking and weight control to document and respond to any unintended consequences," she added in the study.

2006-05-11T22:42:00.001-07:00

dylan ?

2006-05-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

elephants

2006-05-11T22:41:00.001-07:00

cousins

2006-05-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

kids

2006-05-11T22:40:00.002-07:00

pandas

2006-05-11T22:40:00.001-07:00

dylan

2006-05-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

kids

2006-05-11T22:39:00.001-07:00

I am checking out the front while dylan checks out the back

2006-05-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

Melia and a new friend

2006-05-11T22:38:00.001-07:00

Renee's relatives

2006-05-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

zoo

2006-05-11T22:37:00.001-07:00

zoo

2006-05-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

zoo

Jordan's 10th bday at ?

2006-05-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

2006-04-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Melia at jog a thon

2006-04-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

Dylan

2006-04-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Dylan's class

2006-04-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

Renee with Dylan

2006-04-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Renee with friends at the school's jog a thon

Obesity epidemic in US under-estimated by up to 50 percent: study

2006-04-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

Wed Apr 26, 6:16 PM ET

The prevalence of obesity in the US states has been under-estimated by as much as 50 percent, according to a study. In 2002, 28.7 percent of adult American men and 34.5 percent of American women were clinically obese, compared to the conventional estimates for that year of 21.9 percent and 21.2 percent respectively, it says. The research, published in Britain's Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine by Harvard School of Public Health specialists, blames the discrepancy on low-cost data-collection -- and human nature. The main tool for measuring obesity in the United States is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which uses telephone interviews with a cross-section of the population to get its data.

But the researchers say that, in these phone interviews, women of all ages often under-report their weight, and young and middle-aged men often over-report their height. As a result, the calculations for body mass index (BMI) -- the yardstick of fat -- are being skewed, and the true picture is that America is even chubbier than it thinks. The Harvard team says a more accurate measure of the average American comes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a small but precise sampling technique in which a person is interviewed face-to-face and is then weighed and measured. Using the NHANES to correct the distortions in the broader BRFSS surveys, they found that the incidence of obesity has been greatly under-estimated since 1988, the starting year for the comparison. These corrected figures suggest that true obesity prevalence rose from 16 percent to 28.7 percent from 1988-2002 among men, and from 21.5 percent to 34.5 percent among women.

"These are the first unbiased estimates of trends in the obesity in the US states and the results are staggering," said lead researcher Majid Ezzati. "The obesity figures shown here are in addition to the percentage of the population that would be deemed overweight, so the true extent of weight health-related problems would be much higher than our findings reflected." Ezzati expressed particular concern for a swathe of southern US states, where more than a third of the adult population is obese. In 2000, Mississippi (31 percent) and Texas (30 percent) had the highest prevalence of obesity in men.

That same year, Mississippi (37 percent), Texas (37 percent), Louisiana (37 percent), District of Columbia (37 percent), Alabama (37 percent) and South Carolina (36 percent) had the most incidence of obesity among women. The states with the lowest obesity rates for men in 2000 were Colorado (18 percent), District of Columbia (21 percent) and Montana (21 percent), and, for women, Colorado (24 percent), Montana (16 percent) and Massachusetts (27 percent). Obesity is a worsening problem in almost every industrialised country, led by the United States. Worldwide, it is blamed for 2.6 million premature deaths each year. BMI is calculated as weight in kilogrammes divided by the square of the height in metres. Obesity was defined by the researchers as having a BMI equal to or more than 30, and an adult was defined as an individual aged 20 or more.

2006-04-27T20:32:00.001-07:00

Dylan

2006-04-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Camping

2006-04-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Renee

2006-04-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

fire

Kat

2006-04-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

2006-04-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

Our campsite April 21

Melia camping

2006-04-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Melia and Kaitlyn

2006-04-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

Gangsta

2006-04-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Melia

2006-04-27T20:26:00.001-07:00

Melia at golf

2006-04-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

2006-04-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

2006-04-27T20:24:00.000-07:00