The Youth

When the World Youth Day in 1995 happened in Manila, I was a mother of two young girls, who both went to a Catholic school run by sisters.

I was lucky to be one of those parents able to attend the events of the program. It was fervent and inspiring. I didn't remember enough details, but the zeal glows in my heart until today.

Every youth shared fresh ideas and participated vibrantly. Their strong bones and lithe limbs in the fun games! Their awesome excitement synchronized with parents, guardians, and teachers, among others.

Songs, prayers, pilgrimage, and vigils came in a bundle of miracles until the closing liturgy and culmination at the Quirino Grandstand (Rizal Park). It was there, that I saw Blessed John Paul. We took a glimpse of him (husband and me); indeed, blessed!

The crowd was peaceful and light and the Holy Spirit sustained everybody with strength to become witnesses in that event.

"As the Father sent me, so am I sending you," was the theme John Paul II tagged the celebration.

Every time, the aim of these activities is to experience the vitality of Christ's Church. Moreover, they are opportunities for the youth to be renewed in the commitment to proclaim the message of faith, hope, and love to the world.

Today (21st century), in this era of new technology, the youth has grown well, their ideas, ever popular around the world. But then, there are still those who didn't get a good education. Every time, I see these boys and girls aged like my children not realizing dreams, I feel the clouds gripping the sky open. May God help the out-of-school youth. May the government, schools, churches, and private entities help them more, like uplifting their way of life by specialized workshops and seminars. Education for the youth is essential. Education is the only common thing for the rich and the poor that has no age limits and barriers of races. As the young professionals continue for further studies, the out-of-school workers must find free workshops to enhance their skills. If this would balance, this equation can contribute to progress and happiness of nations, communities, families, and individuals.

Check the following institutions/programs serving the youth and educating them.

Sosy Solutions for Out-of-School Youth

St. Hannibal Centers

St. John Bosco Centers

Tesda Technical Education and Skills Development Authority

Technological University of the Philippines

Other Trade Schools

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Volunteer Vacations

Covenant House, Pennsylvania

Global Youth Development Centers / Programs

Unesco

"The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it and spread it... Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation." (CCC1816)

Blessed John Paul, we pray for the youth. Blessed John Paul, pray for us.

Overshadow Impotence with Viagra

A lot of men suffering from impotency right now might be surprised to know that statistically nearly 30 million men have problems with potency! If that's some commonality that you share you might just want to read on a little further to know the cure! Impotency is no disease! It's just a sexual dysfunction in men which can be treated completely with a little acknowledgement and open mindedness to approach the right kind of doctor.

Let's find out first how an erection occurs in men

The male body gets an erection when there is some sexual stimulation. The penis is a vascular organ which gets erected when the brain sends a message of sexual arousal through the various nerve cells to the penis. This message relaxes the muscles in penis and causes the artery to the penis to dilate to twice its diameter. The blood flow automatically increases 16-fold and veins which carry the blood flow away from the penis are blocked. This causes the two spongy tissue shaft of the penis to fill with blood and results in an erection. When there is breakdown somewhere in this system men face erectile dysfunction or known in short as ED.

How can Viagra help in overshadowing impotency?

The first myth that needs to break down here is that Viagra is not a cure to impotency; it only addresses the erection problem in men and helps in achieving an erection during sexual activity. Sounds confusing? Well, what is meant is that impotency might be due to several physiological and psychological problems in men which can be treated only with the help of expert doctors which no Viagra cab solve. However, Viagra is a mere remedy to the response system in men helping them to get 'turned on naturally' during sexual stimulation.

Sildenafil citrate- the prime ingredient of Viagra

Sildednafil citrate the active ingredient of Viagra was originally discovered to treat high blood pressure as this helps to lower the pressure. However, it failed to treat BP and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals (drug manufacturer of Viagra) found out in 1993 that this ingredient did help men, with varying degrees of impotence, in getting aroused during sexual activity. Thus Viagra was discovered after testing more than 3000 men with almost 70% success rate on using the wonder drug.

Consult a doctor before taking Viagra

Viagra should not be popped as a love pill at random without consulting a doctor. This might be fatal to the body if one takes nitrate or nitroglycerine drugs as it will lead to a dangerous fall in blood pressure. This drug is not meant for women and children. And it is absolutely essential to let your doctor know your complete medical history if you plan to take this drug.

Conclusion

Get a doctor's help if you face problems with erection for more than 25% of the time. Get good lifestyle habits like quitting smoking, drugs, alcohol etc, getting plenty exercise and eat balanced nutrition and cut down on saturated fats to avoid ED. Know the fact that with more and more innovation in medical science there would be better and more better remedies available in the market but all you have to first decide is to get in touch with the right doctor as soon as possible if you come across impotency. Sooner the better!

Autumn Storm (A Short Story)

(Concerning Grandpa Evens and Chick Evens, Autumn of 1962)

A cloud covered a part of the diminishing autumn sun-it was near evening (twilight an hour away), and Chick stepped into the backyard. The yard had been racked and the fall leaves blew all about. Chick stopped and picked up an old iron rake, as the autumn wind blew through the naked trees, blew the leaves everywhichway; he glanced at them, stared at them, they were shiny, and glowed with browns and reds and yellows with a tint of orange, from the rain, the day before, they had edges on them, that looked like a river barrier, with tributaries stretching out on each side of the center stem, the spine of the leaf. He put the rake in his right hand, picked a leaf up, looked about, down into the empty lot beyond his house, and over towards Indian's Hill, and where Mr. Manning's house was, and in Mr. Manning's backyard was his apple tree, it was bare, leaves on his back porch, smoke coming out from the chimney, to the side of his house was his garage, and by the fence a tool shed, leaves all about-un-raked. The big trees by his grandpa's garage swayed far and over the roof of the garage, in the wind, he could feel an autumn storm approaching.

As Chick Evens crossed the backyard to its far end, and turned around he saw his grandfather open the screened-in door, came out. He stood on the little open porch looking about, with his pipe in hand.

"Well," he must have said, thought his grandson, of fifteen, "Hey, look at what this Old Russian Bear's got." (Meaning his house, and a large backyard, and garage, it was a dream; you see, he had left Russia at the time of it revolution, just prior to WWI, came from the Baltic, where there was famine, and this to him was a very big accomplishment.)

He now walked down the steps some. He stood looking into the empty lot, towards Mr. Manning's house, beyond the road, towards the railroad yard. Everything was blowing, and ever time Chick raked a bundle of leaves over to another bundle to make one big bundle; half the leaves would blow everywhichway.

"Stop blowing..." he told the leaves, as if they were sensible. "She'll blow like this all evening," he mumbled, like his grandpa always did. He was going to burn them after he got them together.

"All right..." he said, "blow all you want!" And the wind picked up, and he said "Good!" And he picked up the small bundle he had, brought it down to the old oil-drum he burnt the trash in, and emptied the leaves from a potato sack into the drum, and lit it. It puffed out, and he stood in front of the fire, and heard the crackling of the leaves. The sounds they made were pert near as sweet as its autumn heat that penetrated his pores, the burning leaves flickered with light into as they ascended, it was warm, sweaty warm, and he got a smoky taste in his mouth, in his nostrils, he mumbled aloud, "Look at the fire... just smell the leaves!" and it didn't make any difference to him how long he'd have to stay there and watch the fire until it nearly went out so it would not catch the garage on fire.

And it didn't matter to him if the rats came running out from under the drum, they had before, and they were husky, and furry looking rats-and he'd just jump out of their way, and they'd stare at him, and he'd stare at them and move his rake as if it was a medieval sword and he was Sir Lancelot, and they went about their business, running into the thick of the empty lot and he went back to doing his business-likewise, and he took his light jacket off-he was overheated from the burning leaves. He liked smelling the leaves and grandpa watched as if the boy was nutty. And the boy knew, as his grandpa knew, a fall storm was brewing, and if he'd not put the fire out, the rain would. And he knew he couldn't get all the leaves burnt this evening, and all the better for it, because he loved smelling autumn leaves, watching the flickering of the light, and feeling the warmth the leaves produced, and tomorrow would be another day, and that ought to clinch it for him.

Free Genealogy Database - Your Ultimate Guide

A search for one's history, ancestry or family lineage may be one of the most challenging tasks one can choose to take in his lifetime. Its end goal should be very noble and rewarding, its success, fulfilling and incomparable. However, in reality, the searching and the putting together of all the relevant information is a seriously daunting and tedious task. It requires tremendous amount of patience, a great amount of time, and a small chunk of luck.

Since not all people have the luxury of time, the blessing of non-demented older folks (who could be main resource persons), the financial and manpower resources for travel and manual search, a plain Jane would want an internet-based solution made available to her. This is where the blessing of free genealogy database comes.

There are many websites available in the internet which point out leads towards birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and various census information. There are even sites which churn out information on criminal and tax records. All these sites can lead one to clues on how to piece together the links of his family tree.

While paper documents appear to be more real and the actual gathering of these on one's hands seem rewarding, in truth, they are money- and time-consuming. Therefore, free genealogy database available in the internet remains to be one's best bet.

There are many sites to choose from - each customized to once need. Each site's offerings also vary so it is up to the researcher's careful judgment on what site to choose from depending on his requirement. The site compatible to the researcher depends on the extent of information required and the availability of sources. Some researchers actually start in zero - no documents, no idea, no personal resource information, nothing. Some researchers on the other hand, have a little information. Some are almost halfway in the research as they could have been blessed with actual paper documents to help them get by the lineage tracing task.

The sites which could prove to be helpful to any of these many types of researchers are Rootsweb - World Connect Project, U.S. Federal Patent Records, HeritageQuest, FamilySearch Record Search, WorldGenWeb, Canada Archives Search, Geneabios - Biographies for Generalogy, Ancestry.com (with free trial membership), International Genealogical Index, The Generalogical Server or GenServ, inGeneas Database, Archival Research Catalogue or ARC, amongst many others. Of course, there are cemeteries or funeral places which could also yield relevant information. Some of these also have electronic records available on the internet. One can try Obituary Daily Times or Interment.net. Of course, there are also free genealogy database which are hooked to the state or country facilities such as Debt of Honor Register, The Digital Archives of Norway, 1901 Census for England and Wales, Canadian County Digital Access Project, US Social Security Death Index, amongst many others.

Some of these sites have made available the uploaded family trees of those who availed the assistance of their websites. With some family trees already completed, it may just be enough push for the perplexed researcher to carry on.

Protein - The Denominator Customary to All Diets

The Human Body is in a constant flux with the environment. Matter and molecules flow in and out, casting themselves into its complexities. Although the body lends them structure, it is the intake--the diet--that decides its physique. To control what goes in a diet is to choose what stays inside. Dietary decisions reflect an awareness of metabolism and the nutrients needed to modify it. There may be a host of diets purported for each activity and illness. However, the one macronutrient that is invariably required, in substantial amounts irrespective of the physiological state, is protein.

Proteins hold this special place in every diet for a variety of reasons. They connect the DNA to the rest of the cell and modulate all cellular functions and responses. They are the scaffolds of the human body that struts a billion cells. Proteins are also the workers that shuffle around the body relaying messages, carrying out repairs and digestion. Oxygen from the lungs and many nutrients from the gut are protein packed and delivered to their destination. The motors in the muscles and the antibodies in the immune system are all proteins. If genes code life in a helix of DNA, then proteins are life in its decoded form. Their pervasiveness makes them indispensable and, protein synthesis a priority in metabolism.

Add to this myriad of functions the astronomical turnover rate of proteins, and continuous protein synthesis becomes vital. Every protein has a short life span and is soon broken down into its constituent amino acids. New proteins are required to take their place. The skin itself is renewed every seven days. Then there are proteins that get used up, damaged or excreted, and need to be produced again. Protein synthesis goes on at a frantic pace even in normal people. Then there are periods of rapid growth, like athletes in training, teenagers, convalescent patients, babies, pregnant or lactating mothers, where protein synthesis reaches an all time high. Proteins are broken down for other reasons as well. In times of stress, illness or starvation, the body just cannot find enough sources of energy. In such circumstances, proteins are taken apart into their constituent amino acids and are used as fuel. Therefore, in all physiological states, cells are constantly at work, churning out new proteins.

To maintain this obligatory and intense rate of protein synthesis, the body needs a dedicated supply of amino acids. Unfortunately, unlike carbohydrates and fats that are stockpiled, the human body has no arrangement to store extra amino acids. The persistent demand for proteins and amino acids has to be met anew every day and from three possible sources: cellular production, the diet or breakdown of other body proteins. Of these, cellular production would be most convenient. If the cell could produce all the required amino acids, there would be no compulsion to provide them in the diet. However, there are amino acids that just cannot be produced in the body. These 'essential amino acids' have to come from the diet.

Proteins, from the diet or supplements, are the best alternative. The supply of all amino acids can be ensured and in sufficient amounts. Cellular metabolism is relieved of the obligation to produce amino acids except for making minor adjustment in the supply chain. Protein synthesis can go on uninterrupted. Unless the diet meets the perpetual demand for amino acids, other, relatively expendable, body proteins are broken down to fulfill the requirement. In effect, a dietary deficiency of proteins forces the body to feed on itself.

The need for proteins in every diet is undeniable. The average American diet provides 1.2 g/kg of protein against the recommended daily allowance of 0.8 g/kg. The question, then, is whether to add protein supplements to an existing diet? While proteins from food may seem adequate, there is no telling whether all essential amino acids are supplied, and there is little way of knowing how easily those proteins are digested and assimilated into the body. A carefully researched protein supplement like Profect, when taken regularly, would remove such uncertainties.

Apart from supplying amino acids for protein synthesis, a high protein diet based on Profect has other advantages. Studies on high-protein diets have demonstrated their ability to induce weight loss. A high-protein diet produces early satiety and decreases the total energy intake. Protein synthesis, an energy consuming process, is promoted. The energy to assimilate such a diet, calculated as the 'Thermogenic effect of feeding', is high. More calories are burnt, more proteins are synthesized and the lean body mass increases while the body weight goes down. Brawn is exchanged for flab.

Proteins from Profect form bioactive peptides in the gut that can enhance gut defenses. The harmful gut bacteria are killed and normal flora is allowed to colonize the intestinal lining. Profect also protects the system from free radicals, free electron molecules produced during intense activity and stress. Free radicals are known to damage cell membranes. Their role in aging, cancer and blood clotting is being intensely investigated. Profect increases the levels of Glutathione, a free radical scavenger that mops up free radicals shielding the cell from their effects. The added water-soluble vitamins and mineral in Profect prevent the loss of calcium and other micronutrients seen on high-protein diets.

About Protica

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at http://www.protica.com. You can also learn about Profect at http://www.profect.com.

Antioxidants May Prevent Childhood Asthma

A source suggests that there may be a new way to help children who are subjected to the dangers of second hand tobacco smoke.

It has become apparent that childhood asthma could be prevented with the help of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, and Selenium. This is especially true in cases involving children who are exposed to cigarette smoke.

Researchers in a 2004 study looked at data collected from a sample of 6153 four to sixteen year old children. It was discovered that dietary supplementation of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and Selenium caused a 10% to 20% overall reduction in asthma prevalence.

A likely reason for this is the high levels of serum that are contained in these highly effective antioxidant substances.

The most surprising part of the study, however, was that the effect was considerably much more pronounced in cases where the children were exposed to environmental second hand tobacco smoke. In these cases, supplementation was associated with an enormous 50% reduction in asthma prevalence.

These results seem to indicate that supplementing your child's diet with Selenium, as well as with vitamin C and beta-carotene is an excellent way to protect them against the damaging effects that second hand smoke can have on their growing lungs.