Dance Dance in Freedom

My Valentine

2009-02-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

We danced with no music
I took the initiative and kissed for the first time
Tight hold
Moved in his arms, my fingers reached to his hair
He is conservative
I am not :)

2008-10-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

بتتلج الدني

بتتلج الدني.. بتشمّس الدني.. ويا لبنان بحبك تا تخلص الدني

بخبّيك بعينيي.. وبقلّك غنية.. تلجك المحبة وشمسك الحرية

وطني يا حكاية بالعز مضوّاية.. ليش هالقد بحبّك يا غاية الغاية

بحبّك يا عينيّي لإنك غنيّة.. تلجك المحبّة وشمسك الحريّة

--

2008-10-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Harmony
Peace
Balance
LOVE
PEOPLE

leaving cincinnati

2008-08-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

can't describe the moment..packing all my stuff to leave the city that I have been in for four years. It feels like home now..packing my stuff I threw away lot and lot of things and some of which I wished I can keep this is one of the pitfalls of moving to a new city and away from your parents' house...
still trying my best to finish and go both running and swimming at the recreation center....the last time I get to do so..thats really sad..and I m hoping that after I check my budget for next year to see if I will be able to get a membership at the rec center at U of M....

Last days in Cincinnati

2008-08-29T06:04:00.001-07:00

Friday is going to be my last day of work at Dr. Wathelete lab ( I will write later about my experience in this lab and what I learned). This morning I got my starbucks coffee and said to myself this is gonna be the last coffee I get to buy and enjoy on a UC morning..Anxious to see " the way I see on it" on my coffee cup. This is what is written

The Way I see It #291
In a world where celebrity equals
talent, and where make-believe is
called reality, it is most important
to have real love, truth and stability
in your life.
--Bernie Brillstein
Film and television producer

I ask God to give me love and stability in my life and the power to stand firm in the face of difficulties throughout my life and give me the patience and wisdom in seeking truth and learning new things.

The last time to sit in the library, the Health Sciences Library, where I am writing down..holding my tears back..so many memories in this University ...and I loved everything about it.

Swimming! yes I can

2008-08-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

So it happened as I wanted it to happen. I can swim now.

I started with swimming lesson in April learning how to breathe in water and today I learned the breast stroke after I learned before the free style and backstroke.

My teacher for today said this is going to be her last day with me, I had one class left on saturday. Sure I expressed my sorrow to hear that because she is such a good teacher ..she interrupted me saying the other person said that , " you are a miracle, you came so far". Yes indeed I came so far and it was an amazing journey but more proved to me how determined I am. If I want something, I will get it. And as I was telling my friend today, that I so much believe in the human body, knowing its physiology, I know it can do a lot. I owe so much respect, love and gratitude for my own body that can do so much good things....

I was a bit disappointed as why I didnt learn this since I was a kid ? how I didnt learn running as a kid? and seeing the olympics I so much wish that one time I will have my own son or daughter who I will teach to have confidence in themselves and train them to get know theirselves and what they can accomplish. Sports as education, as ethics and morals and others is a critical part of bringing up our children.

I can swim and so happy about it. Nothing make me feel happy and joyful as learning something new
My goal now is to include swimming in my regular exercise and improve my technique.

Not to forget...Bike riding..I have to work on improving that :) so may be in 3 or 4 years from now I can participate in a triathlon and that is incredible

08.08.08

2008-08-08T06:17:00.001-07:00

To write later....Have to start my exp for the day

But today is 08.08.08

Beautiful day !

Congratulation Lebanon.

2008-07-22T20:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome back for the real men and strong women.

عادت قرّة العين عروسا .. اهلا ب سناء .. اهلا بعروس الجنوب

Night run

2008-07-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

Today I ran my first ever 4 miles night run, left home at 1:30 am and got back by 3:00 am. And as well it was the first time I run on UC running track.

Beautiful day

2008-07-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

" Today is a beautiful day" . This what I told the international adviser today at ISSO, at 9:30 am when signing some papers:
today had the three numbers: 7, 8 and 9
07.09.08

And it was a beautiful and long day too:

The work in the lab as tedious: titration of three sets of viruses, each set has three different viruses and for each prepare a whole 96 well plates. Thus ended preparing 12 ( 96 well plates) that is 1,152 wells ( this is the long part, obvious !)

The beauty was in:
1. meeting with my adviser for my thesis, she was impressed by the thorough statistical analysis of my data.
2. running three miles followed by amazing and relaxing stretches.
3. doing better at swimming esp the strokes.
4. and heading now to the kitchen to make some tea and cheese sandwich. !!

Don't Ever Give Up

2008-07-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

New Addition

2008-06-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

A Hasan was borne today and I am going to have the privelige of holding him before everyone else in my family including his own father who said that he wants his son to see a Moussa in his first days.
That's a price that we have no choice but to pay..I never get to see my twin nephews in Saudia Arabia. I remember when I was a kid, my mom used to tell us about her brother in Romania studying medicine and it always sounded odd that we had an uncle that we have never seen and an aunt in the US that we always hear about but never get to see..I always think of nephews, what do they say and what do they think when I am talking to them over the phone but never seen me !! Nice. Can't wait to see my nephew next week to comfort myself and feel connected to him just in case times pass ..I can still talk to him and tell him how lovely and adorable he was when he has a little baby.

2008-06-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind. ~Patanjali,

Part-II لما الركض؟

2008-06-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

انتقات من الضيعة الى جب جنين . لم افكر ابدا بالرياضة كانت الدراسة الهم الاول والاخير. (ما بعرف اذا هيدا هو الاصح والانسب)

بعدها انتقات على بيروت وكنت اشعر بالغيرة الشديدة من اخي اللي كان يركض" ليخسر كرشه" اما انا اريد الركض لركض فقط. انظر الى تلك الايام الان وارى نفسي كم كنت " متلخبطة " او " نفسي وتفكيري في حالة عوكرة او تعكير متل زيت الزيتون اللي مش صافي . وهنا ايضا ياتي دور الاهل والمجتمع لتربية النفس! مش كل الشي المدرسة!

انتقلت الي الولايات المتحدة. العمل والدراسة الهم الاول اضافة الى الوقت الطويل اللي استغرقته كي انخرط في المجتمع.

وجاء حزيران 2003

في حزيران التقيت مع فتاة من كوريا في رحلة الى مدينة نيويورك . كانت في الاربعين من عمرها واخبرتني بانهاتركص يوميا وحدثتني عن مدى عشقها للركض. في تلك اللحظة شعرت ان شيءا ما كان ينمو ويكبر ويحضّر نفسه لي انا فقط وفي تلك اللحظة ازيل الستار . هي فرصة حدث لا يهم انا رايت وتنبهت وكان السؤال تلقائيا ان كنت استطيع ان اركض معها فقالت نعم وتشجعت ايضا فهي تركض في الصباح واذا كنا اتنين ف هيك امان اكتر.

وبدات اركض.

كنت لا زلت محجبة حاولت الركض مع غطاء راس لم اشعر بالراحة. وعندها بدا السؤال. عم نركض الساعة السادسة الصبح. ما في بشر عالطريق! وانو عم نركض مين ح يطلع فيي. مش منطق ابدا . ف جاء الركض ايضا ليجعلني اتفكر ب اشياء اعتدت عليها ولم اتنبه لها. الحجاب كان قد اصبح نوع من العادة . لم اتوانى للحظة بازالة الحجاب . انا اريد ان اركض. في اول يوم ركضت فيه اعجبت صديقتي بقدرتي واخبرتي يومها ان في ايام معددودة سيتاقلم جسدي معالركض. ومن حينها اصبح الركض جزء لا يتجزا من حياتي .

في صيف 2005سالتني صديقتي اذا كنت اريد الاشتراك في سباق ال 5 كلم
( a part of the Flying Pig Marathon)
اخبرتها حينها اني كنت مشغولة جدا في الفترة الاخيرة ولم اكن اركض لكن قالت ان لدينا اسبوعين للتمرين.
عندها اخبرني صديق بالمختبر بانني لن اقدر عل الركض. واخذ يستهزئ ان في اليوم التالي لن اقدر على السير حتى واخذ يخبرني عن الالام في الرجلين بعد الركض. فما كان من صديقتي في المختبر ذاته ان رفضت كلامه واخبرتني انني طبعا استطيع. فهي من كانت مقعدة وحازة على الدكتورا و عالمة لا كلام عندها عن عدم القدرة. المسافة هي فقط 5 كلم وانا تقريبا كنت اركض المسافة عينها يوميا ولكن لانها المرة الاولى التي اشترك في سباق لم اكن على يقين من قدرتي. يعني كنت متصورة انو كتير صعبة وبس الرياضين بيقدرو يشاركو ما كنت عارفة انو حتى الاطفال كانو يركضو مسافة 10 كلم !وبعدها لما صرت اتمرن مع صديقتي وناخد المسافة بعين الاعتبار عرفت انو I am really fit.

وبالطبع اهديت الميدالية تعول السبق لصديقتي.

من وقت ما ركضت 5 كلم. حواجز واللي هيي بالفعل افكار مسبقة او تصورات كلها سقطت وصرت كل سنة حط سباق حتى شارك في . بعد 5 كلم شاركت بال 10 كلم . هيدي السنة(2008 كنت ناوية اركض نصف المارتون : 13ميل ولكن لما عرفت انو رح اترك السنة القادمة قررت اركض المارتون كاملا. تدربت منيح وكانت رحلة جميلة.
The training and the race itself were a mix of agony and euphoria. Painful sometimes but always the pleasure of running aids in tolerating and ignoring the pain

انا وعم اركض المارتون هودي كلن اجو براسي.

كان مشوار طويل طويل ودموعي لما وصلت ع خط انهاية كافيين تيعبروا.

سالتني صديقتي رح تضلي تركضي بعدين.

بدون تردد قلت اكيد انا بركض لانني بحب الركض.

بعد المارتون اخبرت اصدقائي القدامى بالمختبر ان ركضت المارتون واكيد تذكرنا سوا الشجار اللي صار.

وبعت رسالة لصديقتي اللي عادت لكوريا عن المارتون وبالفعل كانت هي دوما ببالي خلال التمرين ووقت السباق كنت لابسة عقد كانت هي اهديتو الي قبل سفرها.

وهيدي هي قصة وخلفيات عشقي للركض.

.

Nothing better than pursuing a childhood dream.

2008-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

LAST EXAM is OVER! June 12, 2008 at 12:56 pm.
Vacation to Follow
Then start working with Lentivirus !!

First Dance---Last Dance

2008-06-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Walking out the door when he grabbed my hand, held my bag and said. "No this dance. please"

His friend interfered, the first , second and third time. But the arms reached together.

It was my first dance and the last one.

I never knew that leaving Cincinnati is going to give me so much of unexpected moments.

It is the moment when reality struck you..when you are at that moment..it is your last chance to speak up ..it is at that moment that your subconscious is set free and rise above the restraints of your consciousness..you are free now. you speak yourself. Nothing to hold you back. Say it now or it is gone for ever.

Probably yesterday's moment , so fast it happened, so short but it was so sharp and so intense.

To have my friend that I knew from 2 years , stand in front of me expressing his feelings to me was striking.." I never thought it would occur to me again, but it did". He felt so weak and I never liked to see a man especially a friend weak. To remind me of the first conversation we had two years ago when we went to see a play together was a terrific story ...to gather everything at that moment from religion, to communism, to immigration , to hardships in life, to struggle to succeed... left me speechless. He kissed my hand, I hugged him, it was hard on me seeing a friend of mine in such a fragile situation..take it easy and do not stress out..calm down. Thats fine. This all what I could say.

On my way back home, I start to recall every thing that happened in the last two years, how many times I missed his calls and called back late..how many times I answered his calls and his checking on me so calmly and simply ...he would call when he had an exam, when he had to travel ..and I was so oblivious of so many things. Even yesterday when I was about to leave, he blocked my way and " no not you , not now. you ll be fine I will give you a ride." and yet it did not click..yes, I confess I am slow sometimes. He called so late that night to make sure I will come to his party. So many excuses I gave: " can't go out in the evenings, final exams, work, ..." He refused all. He insisted. " It is the last time I can see you. I am traveling next week and by the time I come back, you will be gone to Michigan."

Very slow sometimes.

Cincinnati, so much I am leaving behind. Walking around the campus today, looking at the stones, the trees, the classrooms, the stairs that I love so much...remembering all the people that I got to know and have good times with ...breaks my heart and can't hold my tears back.

A lady asked me yesterday, "where is home to you" : I looked at her and said : "Cincinnati and Lebanon. "

2008-06-10T11:08:00.001-07:00

" We 're a culture that eats every where and all the time.

Food is everywhere.

When was the last time you looked for a snack and couldnt find one."

LifeStyle Changes: Time to Click

2008-06-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

How long it is gonna take? when am I gonna see an affect?

We always lean toward things that will give us the fastest response and we forget about efficiency !

That is why, advising some one to exercise or eat healthy isnt recieved positively because people want to see a change as soon as possible.

It is for the same reason, individuals are more likely to take their medication to control their disease rather than to endorse some counseling of changing their lifestyle. For example people with diabetes are more willing to take the insulin injection than exercising, losing weight, controling their CHO intake...

As reading Nature now I came across this report that lowering blood sugar by high doses of drugs might be harmful and thus lifestyle changes might be more appropriate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aggressive approach to diabetes proves harmful
Attacking blood sugar levels with high drug doses can be dangerous.
Heidi Ledford
Some diabetics who aggressively push down their blood sugar levels may encounter more health problems.

Patients with type 2 diabetes, a high risk of cardiovascular disease, and who use aggressive measures to reduce their blood sugar levels could actually be shortening their lives, according to a large clinical trial. The results contradict the established theory that diabetics benefit from driving down their excessively high blood sugar levels as forcibly as possible.

The trial, part of ACCORD (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes), made headlines earlier this year when this segment of the study was halted in February by a safety review board. The results are published today by The New England Journal of Medicine 1.

The results do not mean that diabetics should not work to keep their blood sugar under control, says cardiologist Harlan Krumholz of Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut, but they do illustrate that taking extreme measures to lower blood sugar may not be warranted.

More than 10,000 type 2 diabetics, who either had cardiovascular disease or were at high risk for developing the condition, were enrolled in the trial. Roughly half used standard treatments to lower their blood sugar, and achieved an average level of ‘glycated haemoglobin’ – a measure of blood sugar – of 7.5%, which is thought to be acceptable, if higher than for a non-diabetic.
The other group used higher doses of the same drugs to lower their glycated haemoglobin, reaching levels of 6.4% over the course of a year. They maintained these low levels for just over three years.
Over the course of three and a half years, 257 people in the high-dosing group died compared with only 203 in the group that used standard doses.

The finding shocked doctors, as they have been encouraged to lower blood sugar levels by any means possible. “The results are disturbing,” says Krumholz, who was not affiliated with the study. “This is a treatment strategy that people have been encouraged to adopt.”

Researchers have not yet worked out whether the fault lies with the methods used to lower blood sugar levels, or with the low blood sugar levels themselves. The American Diabetes Association recommends lowering glycated haemoglobin levels to below 7%; a non-diabetic would have levels of 5.5-6%, says study co-author Robert Byington of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Krumholz speculates that the negative effects may be a consequence of using higher doses of medications to lower the blood sugar levels. “As you start adding complex treatment regimens, you start offsetting the potential benefits with the added risk of adding medications,” he says.

Unclear cause
The drugs used by diabetics in the study included insulin, sulphonylurea and a class of drugs known as thiazolidinediones. That class includes rosiglitazone, marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Avandia, which in a recent study was linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. There is no clear link between rosiglitazone dosage and the increased death rate seen in the ACCORD study, says Byington. “We haven’t been able to identify any particular agent or treatment strategy that mediates the higher number of deaths,” says Byington.

Meanwhile another study, also published today2, shows that intensive treatments to lower blood sugar levels can reduce the incidence a kidney disease commonly associated with diabetes. But the benefits were relatively minor, notes Krumholz.

The ACCORD results may encourage doctors to recommend lifestyle interventions – such as weight loss and exercise – as other options besides medication, Krumholz says.

Serotonin: Retaliation to Injustice

2008-06-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

Serotonin allows us to keep our cool when faced with life's unfairness.

Daniel Cressey

Published online 5 June 2008 Nature doi:10.1038/news.2008.876

Controlling your anger and reacting sensibly when someone treats you badly can be a problem. And if you have low levels of serotonin, it can be even more of a problem, a new study has found.
Molly Crockett at the University of Cambridge, UK, and her colleagues gave volunteers a drink that temporarily lowered their levels of serotonin, a brain 'neurotransmitter' linked to happy mood. They then had them play ‘the Ultimatum Game’, which involves accepting or rejecting offers of money.
Those with lower serotonin levels showed increased retaliation to offers that they perceived to be unfair.
“We’ve suspected for years that there’s a link between serotonin and impulsive aggression and emotional regulation,” says Crockett. “Until this study it wasn’t clear whether serotonin was playing a causal role.”
It has long been known that low serotonin levels are associated with groups of people prone to impulsiveness and problems with emotional control, such as alcoholics, violent criminals and suicide attempters. Low serotonin is also found in clinical conditions such as depression and anxiety.
“We’ve known for 30 years that low serotonin is associated with impulsivity, inwardly directed aggression and outwardly directed aggression,” says David Nutt, head of the Psychopharmacology Unit at the University of Bristol’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, who was not involved in the new study.
“What we are doing now is externally manipulating it. We need to study it in a more controlled environment.”

The Ultimatum Game
So how does the Ultimatum Game work? Well, imagine what you would do if someone offered you £6. But what if they offered you £6 out of a total of £13 that they’d been given to split with you?
Most people would take the money, especially if rejecting the money meant getting nothing.
But what if they offered you £6 out of £30 they’d been given to split with you? That is a clearly unfair split, but logically it is still better than nothing.
In the Ultimatum Game, you can punish the other player by rejecting the offer, meaning they get nothing. Of course, you also get nothing.

In Crockett’s study, detailed this week in Science 1, 20 participants were given a number of attempts at the game, with fair offers, defined as 45% of the stake, unfair offers, defined as 30% of the stake, and very unfair offers, defined as 20%. Participants were randomized to get the serotonin-lowering treatment or a placebo.

While placebo participants rejected about 65% of very unfair offers, those with low serotonin rejected more than 80%.
Researchers also measured the mood, fairness judgement and reward processing of participants. They found these to be unaffected by lower serotonin, clearly implicating the neurotransmitter in the more aggressive response to injustice.
Our desire for fairness also seems to be a universal trait.
Crockett says even when the Ultimatum Game has been tested in poor countries with amounts of money equivalent to a week's or a month’s wage, people still reject unfair offers. “The motivation for fairness is a strong one,” she says.

2008-06-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

Never tired of fighting ....
I made it so far
and looking for more and better

2008-06-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

I have to mark Monday, June 1st as a day that brought me the unexpected and the unplanned for.
I was told I don't have to do neither the CPT nor the OPT for my internship. To me, this means I gained time, which is great.
When the adviser told me so. I did not believe it. I kept staring at her. I came to her office with both applications for CPT and OPT ready, I even took the necessary photos.
I told her that she made my day and made me so happy.
And I could not stop saying "Elhamdullah" and that God truly loves me.

For a moment, I viewed my life as a puzzle, and pieces started to fall in their appropriate places.

And I realized I am really blessed. Elhamdullilah

The Wedding

2008-06-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

Your wedding is today.
I don't have any wishes to give.
I do not like childish puppet men.
I never forgive liars.

2008-05-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

The last 2 weeks of the quarter.

So much to do , so little time.

YOU get some creepy work ASSIGNED to do the last moment. Duh!

Stressed I know. I took my phone with me to the restroom waiting to scheduling an interview with some high school teacher...

Confined I feel
And attached to somewhere ....to get things done yet with perfection ..this is the problem. Talking to my friend yesterday to tell him how stressed I am , " I want to find the best way to ..."
My thoughts are shattered ..
Coffee is not helping.
Forget the laundry in the washing machine last night .....

LOST too .. transition from school to work is stressful

2008-05-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

It been for couple of months since you left me.
I don't regret it.
But what can I do with memory?
People do not know we have seen each other
and I keep hearing your name, and the wedding party you are preparing ....
I am stronger than ever.
What I know now, is that I do not like you anymore
And I deeply regret the time wasted with you.
You started with a lie. I forgave you.
And you ended with a lie and I would never forgive you.
You are too weak to live with me and weaker to face my eyes.
Unfaithful and not trustworthy. Period.
I am seeing you in September but silence is my way.

May 25th

2008-05-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

On May 25th

A salute for the men who fought for the freedom of Lebanon.
The men who were devoted to finish what they started, never receded or pulled back. They were determined and committed to their noble goal. Freeing Lebanon and ending the agony of the mothers and children.
A deep and sincere salute to the families of these men who were supportive, who shed so much tears and tolerated a lot of pain. For you, I bow with respect.
If there is anything to make me proud of being Lebanese, it is YOU and ONLY YOU.

نحن ابناء الحياة اوفياء مفتدون.....

ولنا المجد انتصارات ورايات وغار

"الذين قال لهم الناس إن الناس قد جمعوا لكم فاخشوهم فزادهم إيماناً وقالوا حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل"

"Tell the Time Our Story: "

The song that my niece recited for me after July war 2006.
I would have loved to have her show me something she drew or sing a children song..BUT this what happens when a 6 years old child survive a 31 days of war.

2008-05-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!

In the United States more than 28 million people have some level of hearing loss. Hearing loss is usually due to genetics or being exposed to too much loud noise. We should ask ourselves what can I do to make communication easier…

Always face the person when you are talking to them. Keep your hands away from your face.

You do not need to talk loud, or to shout. Do talk clearly, without mumbling, and try not to talk so fast.

If you think the person you know has a hearing loss, encourage them to get a hearing screening. Studies show that most people who decide to get their hearing checked do so because a friend or family member suggested it.

Tips for Social Gatherings at your Home

Turn up the lights. Most people who are hard of hearing rely on seeing the person talking to help them communicate. So while the low lights might seem cozy and relaxing, it might be a communication hindrance for your guest(s).

Turn down the music. Perhaps the biggest hindrance to effective communication for people who are hard of hearing is background noise. Loud stereos or televisions can be a real source of frustration.

Tips for Visiting a Restaurant

Consider the acoustics. Hardwood floors and high ceilings make it difficult to communicate. Look for places that are carpeted and that have seating areas off to the side, or in more private areas.

When are you going? Friday nights at the Mexican restaurant with the mariachi band may sound like fun, but your guest(s) who are hard of hearing may not hear a thing you say. Plan on going out to eat at times when there are less people, or when there will not be live entertainment.

Tips for a Meeting at Work

Visual information helps. Typed agendas, PowerPoint presentations, etc. are great helps for people with hearing loss.

One at a time. If two people are having their own private conversation, or more than one person is talking at a time, everyone is distracted, especially a person who is hard of hearing. It can also be helpful if the person leading the meeting calls on a person preparing to talk, or at least gestures towards them. It often takes a few seconds for a hard of hearing person to figure out where the voice is coming from, so a cue from the leader can really help.

Is this the best place? Environmental noise such as phones ringing, copying machines running, etc. makes it harder for a person who has a hearing loss. Try to find a room where the door can be closed and people can sit as close together as possible.

While all of us sometimes struggle to communicate effectively, people who have a hearing loss face an even greater challenge. By following a few simple strategies those of us who are friends, families and coworkers can make this challenge less difficult and probably find ourselves communicating more effectively with everyone around us.

Many people who begin to lose their hearing may deny the problem and begin to withdraw and isolate themselves. Hearing aids and other technologies can really make a difference in someone's life. Encourage your family and friends to do something about their hearing loss

Classes with Audrey

2008-05-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

When it comes to lecturing and classes.

I wont mind sitting in a class when the instructor is not a good teacher but yet he / she is intellectual ..you can maneuver and find an avenue and you ll end learning something.

BUT

When the instructor is simply not intellectual then being in class is just a waste of time. Here is a description of my teacher in my own eyes and LIVE from Class:

1. She is a "princess",wearing accessories, her specks in her hand, keep moving back and forward, her hands always busy, the blonde and well styled hair ...the earings :)

2. Teaching : no structure for her lecture, she teaches as if she is telling a kinder garden class a story, she keeps asking questions in class and yes she ends answering them because no one in class knows what the heck she is talking about ..and if you get to respond by one word she gets excited and the answer is always correct.

3. "Ummmm" is in every sentence ..though she has those never ending long sentences..

4. Her lectures or presentations go by the chapters in the text book. She moves from chapter 1 till 12. In other words, this means she is not able of integrating the information from the different chapters in one whole presentation.

5. I dont know what the heck she is saying..

2008-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

3 days of intense work and research to prepare a report and presentation about genetically modified foods. I started with the presentation last night and got up this morning to proceed however , unexpectedly I find out that the presentation was not saved.

This means " Repeat with frustration"

I better start over as soon as possible. "

By some way ..as downloading a crude draft of the presentation I was able to find the " lost" one.

And the information was retrieved :)

statistics

2008-05-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

دوما كنت المفعول به في ما يسمى "علاقات عاطفية" او ما شابه: وكنت دوما الوم الوالد فهو من يعمل بمبدأ :

"كل الناس طيبة وخير وبركة"
طبعا بدون تردد والدي مخطئ ولكن دوما يخونني اللاوعي واقع في تلك الخطيئة .

على كل دوما كنت اخرج من " الانتكاسات" بقوة كنت انا نفسي اتعجب من قدرة تحكمي بالعواطف وكنت امضي ودوما اقول : "صدق الجميع عندما كانوا يشبهوني ب امي من حيث الصلابة والاقدام ".

لا ادري الان من الوم.
انا الان الفاعل
وليس المفعول به.
وامضي باستخفاف ولا مبالا ة
. بعضها يعود الى اني سئمت التفكر.
انا الان اضع صديق في موضع كنت قد وضعت فيه دوما. وانا اعلم انه يتالم ويحاول ويتامل وانا بلا مبالاة امضي
وانانية
. كل ما درست بعلم النفس اراه الان امامي.
الفرصة امامي بالتحكم وانا او احد داخلي يفعل ذلك
انا لا اريد ذلك ولكن شر داخلي يريد.

اطلقت عليه ما يسمى تسييس ومصلحة.
الجميع يقوم بذاك
ولما انا لا.

انا ادري ذلك ولكن الامبالاة تتحكم بكل شي. وانا لا اتوقف واسأل او اتفكر بالكلام

كلها تبريرات .

انا اخطأت ولا زلت امضي بالخطأ .
.

يسالني سؤالا واحدا..... اجاوب بسؤالين.

"يتلبك" بالجواب ف اقول حسنا لنتكلم باللحظة
"عندي سؤال ..
. statistics"

2008-05-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

كل ما فيها جميل .

بحمدك يا ربي وبشكرك ع هالنعمة . دايما وابدا.

رضا الله ورضا الوالدين

The hands, eyes, open chest, breath, mind, tongue all in a moment of gratitude for and content with the blessings that have been endowed by the Only one. This land came to existence by those rough hands that planted and watered the seeds.

2008-05-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

A moment of gratitude and appreciation for our bodies that can do so much so beautifully.

NO ONE-Alicia Keys

2008-05-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

2008-05-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

"Mam, you should cross the street at the crosswalk. "
lik dakheel rabbak ana. I am on campus moving from bldg to the other. But being a policeman you cannot but comment.

Dance

2008-05-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

As the streets now in Beirut occupied by SILENCE or may be couple of people armed with Kalashnikovs.

I can't wish for more than a DANCE amid the streets.
NO TRAFFIC. No Cabs. No Horns. No dust..
And let it be. " The Last Dance"

2008-05-11T08:14:00.001-07:00

لبنان لعنة على ابنائه .

Planned to happen

2008-05-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

And it happened.

As planned to happen.

War started in Lebanon.

A Lebanese was killing another.
Some say it is politics.
religion,
defense,
hatred may be..

It is WAR. It is ugly.

People die and Leaders are " guaranteed" safety.

Dogville 2003 - Beirut 2008

2008-05-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

What s happening now in Beirut just reminds me of the masterpiece " Dogville".

" There are somethings you have to do yourself" and I cannot wish for more than couple of bullets and have it emptied in the heads of couple of people. Reality hurts. Idealism doesn't exist, even in thoughts and ideas, it has always been a mask for self interest.

Dogville [last lines]
Narrator: Whether Grace left Dogville, or on the contrary Dogville had left her - and the world in general - is a question of a more artful nature that few would benefit from by asking, and even fewer by providing an answer. And nor indeed will it be answered here.

Tom: Two people only hurt each other if they doubt the love they have for one another.

Grace: I think the world would be better without Dogville.

Grace: What? What is it?
Tom: A man can't really be blamed for being scared, now can he?
Grace: No.
Tom: No. I was scared, Grace. I used you and I am sorry. I'm stupid, I am, maybe even arrogant sometimes.
Grace: You are, Tom.
Tom: Although using people is not very charming, I think you have to agree that this - specific illustration has surpassed all expectations. It says so much about being human! It's been painful, but I think you'll also have to agree it's been edifying, wouldn't you say?
Grace: Not now, Tom. Not now.
[Grace walks away and reenters The Big Man's car]
Grace: If there is any town this world would be better without this is it.

Narrator: How could she ever hate them for what was at bottom merely their weakness? She would probably have done things like those to be fallen her if she had lived in one of these houses. To measure them by her own yardstick as her father put it. Would she not, in all honesty, have done the same as Chuck and Vera and Ben and Mrs Henson and Tom and all these people in their houses? Grace paused. - - - And all of a sudden she knew the answer to her question all too well. If she had acted like them she could not have defended a single one of her actions and could not have condemned them harshly enough. It was as if her sorrow and pain finally assumed their rightful place. No. What they had done was not good enough. And if one had the power to put it to right it was one's duty to do so - for the sake of other towns, for the sake of humanity. And not least for the sake of the human being that was grace herself.

Israel 60th Birthday Present.

2008-05-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 8th , 2008:

Israel celebrates its 60th "birthday" and as a birthday present, clashes escalate and intensify in Beirut.

لما الركض؟ Part-I

2008-05-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

لما الركض؟

اذكر جيدا المرة الاولى عندما بدأت اشعر بميول للركض . كان ذلك في صيف1994 .

حسنا في البدء علي ان اتكلم عن الرياضة او ربما في الصغر كان التعبير الانسب "الحركة" (هيدي انا كنت قولها) و اللعب.

كانت البداية مع اولاد ابن بنت عمتي واخوتي مع" الكلل " كنا نتنافس من سيريح كلل اكتر ومن سيربح "الطس" كانو كلهم صبية وانا الفتاة الوحيدة . لا زلت اذكر في احد" الدقوق" مع محمد وبالفعل كنت انا من يربح عندما مرت قريبة له وقالت " بتلعب مع بنت؟!" في تلك اللحظة وقفنا وتنصتنا اليها . اكملنا اللعب لكن انا هنا الان اتذكر ذلك لاقول ان ما قالته الفتاة في ذلك الوقت كان شيئا ما وترك اثرا ايضا.وما ساهم في ذلك ايضا هي توصية اخواتي لي في كل صباح ومع كل حمام او ثوب جديد : "ما تروحي تلعبي مع الصبيان وخلي تيابك نضاف." لم استمع لوصيتهم ولكن مع الوقت وجدت نفسي لااراديا انجرف لذلك .
لم ارد ذلك .... ولكن ايضا محمد تغير. ربما تماشيا مع السائد حينها

هذا كان الكلل.

وايضا لحقه الفوتبول.

كنت اهوى واعشق لعب الفوتبول وايضا مع اولاد ابن بنت عمتي واخوتي. ولا زال الجرح في ركبتي اليمنى يشهد على ذلك. اذكر عندما نزلت للمرة الاولى في حياتي الى منزل اختي في بيروت وجدت طابة " عند كعب البناية" . تحسستها بيدي. "منيحة انو هيدي الطابة احسن من الطابة اللي منلعب فيها بالضيعة" اخفيتها عن اختي وعندما عدت الى الضيعة كان العصر وكان الرفقة يلعبون الفوتبول. فرحوا بالطابة الجديدة وفي ذلك اليوم وقعت على ركبتي ونزفت لم اهتم كتيرا.

الان مع كل نظرة الى ركبتي يصحبها دمعة.

وشاءت الايام ونتيجة البيئة والافكار المسبقة في رؤوسنا .

اخذوا الطابة مني وبقيت مع جرحي.

الركض.

الصيف: المدرسة مقفلة ، ليس لدي اصدقاء من كنت اهوى رفقتهم كانوا دوما يلعبون فوتبول . لم اهوى ابدا رفقة الفتيات لا يهمني ان ارتدي التياب الجميلة وكون شطورة واحكي كتير كنت ولا زلت اكره كترة الكلام.

حسنا اصبحت اساعد امي واختي في عمل المنزل وقصتي مع ذلك طويلة ولكن اختصرها بكلمتين تجربة كريهة.
وبعد التنظيف كانت المطالعة. لم يكن متوفر الكتير من الكتب , كنت اعيد قراءة الكتاب عينه مرة وتنيت وتلاتة. في كل مرة يقترح والدي علي قراءة القراءن او نهج البلاغة كنت ارفض والان اعلم جيدا سبب الرفض هو فقط الرفض.

بدات اشعر بالكسل والملل وخصوصا مع فترة النمو الفيزيولوجي اصبحت اشعر انني فقط كائن ياكل .
في كل مرة انظر او اتأمل جسدي اتحسس كم هو ضعيف. وزني يزداد ولكن بلا بركة . كنت اضغط على" فخذي" بيدي واتضايق ." شحم فقط بلا قوة , عما ولو لازم احرك. بدي عضل"

في صيف 1994 , بعد الساعة الرابعة عندما كان كل ينصرف من المنزل لتمضية وتضييع الوقت. " شو بدي اعمل ؟ تعي قعدي هون طيب اقعد وبعدين شو ? حكي ? حلوا عني بدي اعمل شي متل الخلق) وبالاخر ينتهي الامر بالقراءة.
على كل بعد التفكير قررت ابدا اركض بالمنزل بعد الرابعة وعندما شعرت بعدم الاستفادة قررت الركض على درج المنزل وبالفعل كانت متعبة بس مبسوطة يا الله." انا عم احرك و بدي جسمي يقوى "
وبعدها بدأت اسمع عن نساء يعملن رياضة ع طريق النبي باخر الضيعة كي يخسرن وزن في الصباح الباكر. وهنا اقترحت على امي ان توقظني في الصباح الباكر الساعة السادسة واحيانا الخامسة كي "روح امش لان يا امي حاسة انو لازم احرك". و امي بدأت توقظني.

. بالفعل حينها كنت عم فكر انو بدي اعمل رياضة و لكن ايضا و ايضا كانت فكرة الفيقة بكير وطريق النبي باخر الضيعة" انو ما حدا رح بشوفني . !!!! "
وهنا ايضا علي ان اقول انني انا ايضا حوطت حالي بافكار يمكن غير صحيحة ولا موجودة متلا انا محجبة وبنت ف كيف بدي اركض؟ يمكن في ذلك الوقت كل ما كنت احتاحه احدا يخبرني انني استطيع فعل ما اريد. ولكن شاءت الامور انو انا اكتشفها بنفسي

في اليوم الاول تعجبت واندهشت فامراة في الاربعين من العمر تمشي وانا فتاة في االتالتة عشر ايضا امشي. معادلة ابدا مش موفقة ف بدات اركض. ولكن توقفت بعد فترة وذلك نتيجة الارهاق من النهوض في الصباح الباكر. وبكفي الكلاب اللي كانت تعوي و قلبي يرجف مع كل" نبحة كلب"

جميل كنت اهوى الركض بالطلعات وحتى هذه اللحظة لا زلت اهوى ذلك و حتى بعتبرها مركز القوة فيي.

الطفولة مهمة جدا وانا ومن المؤمنين بشراسة انو تأثيرها قوي بالكبر.

يتبع

ن

Results from active.com

2008-05-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Later

2008-05-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Many things to say and write..yet till this moment I am still tired and my mind not very clear. I m happy.

Still my appetite is suppressed and being goofy about odors. My friend was having pasta + cheese and garlic bread, the smell killed me, wierdo !

Got to write my schedule for tomorrow. Back to school and work

To be cont. :)

I made it

2008-05-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

I made it. Yes ran the whole freaking 26.2 miles. My chip time is 4:56 Awesome.

I m exhausted now. my knees are hurting. I ll blog later about what I experienced today.

The Marathoners

2008-05-03T18:05:00.001-07:00

The 5 marathoners gearing up for the flying pig marathon.
Nicole, Martina, Iman, Valadi and Victoria.

A very joyful crew. Met over pasta and jogger's tea. .........

One day before the marathon.

2008-05-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Though disappointed by female's physiology :( but still confident that my nor epinephrine will take me through the full course.

"Runner's high ", I m looking forward to that euphoric state tomorrow..oh God ultimate pleasure and ecstasy ..very pleasant, smooth, fluid run accompanied with such a pleasant sensation...

I did Ashtanga Yoga yesterday, I felt the strength in my muscles. Today yin yoga will help me relax my joints !

By 3:00 pm I will pick my package Yay !! at Duke Energy Center
5:00 pm, I will join my friends for "Pasta Party" to store carbs for tomorrow.

The man with perfume

2008-04-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

You Mr. with the blue shirt and beije sweater sitting here beside me, may be checking your email or reading the news ..what was going in your head this morning? did you forget to take your finger off your perfume ?

Mr. ! your perfume caused me a headache and I am struggling to keep my eyes open.

you might have became desentized for the perfume you are wearing BUT not me !

انت يلي قاعد ب وجّي وطاسس كل قنينة البرفيوم عليك دوختني وحياة النبي وعيوني عم قاوم حتى خليهن مفتوحين.
ولك اذا انت تعودت على البرفيوم لان بتلبسو كل يوم انا ما الي علاقة! طسة وحدي منشان الله بتكفي ع طول اليوم . مش ضروري انت تشم حالك لتصدق انو ايه انت ريحتك حلوة
عبّقت

يحرق حريشك على هالصبح

2008-04-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

شتاء الربيع = قبلة شوق

The Morning

2008-04-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

Amazing are the sensations and feelings that we are embedded in "the morning".

A open chest.
A clear mind.
A strong body.

Your ear catches all the sounds around: the sounds of the birds
Everything looks different. The trees more green, the white blooms with the tiny leaves and the branches looks just as you. Your feelings.

I could not resist the urge to pray. A moment of gratitude for all these beautiful things.
I don't need coffee
Nor Music.
Just enjoying the morning and listening.

What I find mostly interesting, is that even if I get in the early morning everyday. I would be feeling the same way. There is nothing as my body gets adapted to do it. No it is more being borne every more morning with seeing and hearing and feeling different and new things every time.

What adds to the beauty of the morning is exercises. This what I m heading to do now. A run.

New Running Shoes

2008-04-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

When it comes to Running Shoes, it is just one place " Bob Ronckers"

My foot is still not completely recovered, every time I wear my regular shoes, the pain come back. And so I had to have my sneakers always on.

I decided to get new shoes for the marathon ( this what I was supposed to do 3 weeks ago !!+ sthg to stabilize my foot. ) I was happy to find that Bob Roncker's running spot had special inserts to minimize and help in heel injury.
However the interesting part is that I got a ' Saucony, size 8 !!!!!" I always wore New Balance size 7. This is the first time in my WHOLE LIFE that I wear a size 8 shoes !! This what I was advised to do and indeed that was wise.

ON Friday , the day I bought the shoes, I had the first run in 3 weeks. I ran 4 miles in 30 minutes. No pain ! My foot was comfortable in the shoes. Tomorrow I am participating in the March of Dimes. I will try to do the 6 miles run. !

2008-04-21T06:35:00.001-07:00

I am HAPPY !

2008-04-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

Finally, I was able to log in the dnd website and get the results of the Match.

I been matched to University of Michigan- Health center. It is an awesome hospital and am so happy to get the opportunity to be a dietetic intern there.

well well wellllllllll . To Michigan Baby. I see in this internship one step forward toward my PhD!!! yes yes yesssssssssssssssss I m so happy. It is 2:41 am and just couldn't sleep. Elhamidella.

Internship Matching Day

2008-04-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

April 21 : Matching Day. Did those dietetic programs coordinator have me on their list? did the software dnd match me to any? If yes were? If no: it sucks and I moving to Plan B.

It is now 9:24 pm.

The matching results are to be released at 12:06 am central time that is 1:06 am here in my room !
3:25 are left..

counting hours.

I m so anxious, because based on these results I am going to plan my next year.
Hands Crossed for Cleveland Clinic or Henry Ford .

Learning How to Swim

2008-04-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

Swimming has always been one of the things that I wanted to do in my life, simply because I love water, I love the sea. Sensation of freedom fills my heart everytime I look into the sea or watched someone swimming.

So I decided to learn swimming. I registered for swimming classes at the recreation center.

Today was my second lesson. My first one was terrible, my whole body and muscles were tensed and I learned only how to breathe in water..
Today. I went earlier before class started and practiced breathing , when the instructor came she asked me to do so 10 times. I did it , no water got into my nose.

Then she said. Ok today we are gonna swim and you ll use the noodles to assist in floating. So excited, she helped me a bit , gave me instructions as to move my legs at the hip and keep my feet close to water. I did well. I was able to swim alone in the water , definitely it wasn't easy but I did enjoy it and did well that my instructor said it is time to use my hands, she showed me how to move my hands and I got that one too.

Now, I am ready to practice swimming daily especially that I am not able to run because of the injury in my foot but I am so ready to practice swimming. My goal is to start swimming with no help next saturday or the one after. !!

Being Disoreinted

2008-04-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

I usually write down or think of what I should do every night. Well I didnt do that on Wednesday and this how my day was on Thursday:

1. I wanted to return two DVDs back to the Public Library. Once I got there, I found out that I did not bring them with me. SO I went back to my place (1)
2. At my place, I remembered that I have not filed my taxes yet. So I decided to get whatever documents I need to file them at school. I found out that I am missing a form, I thought that I got and lost it somewhere. I called the International Student Office at UC, left a message for James Tenny. After I hung up and left my place, I remembered that I didnt leave my phone number so I had to call again and luckily he picked up and the first thing he mentioned was " you did not leave your phone number" and he told me that I am not supposed to receive that form. Ok good. I continued on my way to the library.
3. 1/4 th of the way, I remembered that I have to buy my art portfolio, and I had a coupon that I can use. So I decided to go back to my place and get that coupon so I can continue on my to school after I return my stuff to the library. Nice (2)
4. Once I got to the library, I remembered that I must return a book to the Health Sciences Library !! So I had to go back to my apartment and grab the book and then head to school. (3)

I was extremely exhausted and walked a lot and I do have an injury in my foot.

I came back from school at 3:30pm, I bought my portfolio and went to the library did my taxes, came home by 6:00 pm and went to bed and did not get up till 8:30 pm. Cleaned my room and back to bed at 12:40 am ! to wake up the next morning at 6:45 am.

Religion

2008-04-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

The more I meet religious people, the more I refrain from being religious

Heel Injury-2

2008-04-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

So I had Plantar Fasciitis :(

Plantar Fasciitis

2008-04-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Overview:

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. It occurs when the long, flat ligament on the bottom of the foot (plantar fascia) stretches irregularly and develops small tears that cause the ligament to become inflamed. This inflammation is caused most often by walking with an abnormal step (abnormal inward twisting of the foot, called pronation). Over time, this slightly abnormal step may increase tension on the plantar fascia and cause it to become inflamed.

Treatment without surgery is usually successful in relieving the inflammation and pain of plantar fasciitis, especially if treatment is started when the symptoms of heel pain are first noticed.

Plantar fasciitis can be aggravated by certain activities that put repeated stress on the plantar fascia ligament. Activities such as prolonged walking or standing, or sports such as running or basketball, can put additional stress on the plantar fascia ligament. If the heel pain is not treated, plantar fasciitis can become long-lasting (chronic) and cause constant heel pain while standing or walking. Other health conditions, such as being overweight, can put additional stress on the ligament.

Although plantar fasciitis is a common problem among middle-aged adults and some athletes, treatment is easy to follow and usually successful if started soon after the symptoms begin.

The heel bone is the largest of the 26 bones in the human foot, which also has 33 joints and a network of more than 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments. In its back, is the strong Achilles tendon that inserts the tendons of the calf muscles, and below it is the tight attachment of the plantar fascia that forms the vault of the arch of the sole (the plantar arch).

How Plantar Fasciitis & Heel Spurs Progress:

Plantar fasciitis usually develops gradually. Heel pain may only occur when taking the first steps after getting out of bed or when taking the first steps after sitting for a long period of time. If the plantar fascia ligament is not rested, the inflammation and heel pain will get worse. Other conditions or aggravating factors, such as the repetitive stress of walking, standing, running, or jumping, will contribute to the inflammation and pain. In some cases, the inflamed ligament may not heal because many people who have plantar fasciitis do not completely stop the aggravating activity.

Most people develop irritation and inflammation of the plantar fascia because of “overuse” of their feet by excessive running, jumping, jogging or twisting of the feet, resulting in excessive pronation (inner turning of feet). The injury may also result in small tears of the plantar fascia.

The pain is described as being dull aching or sharp and can be reproduced by flexing the toes upwards (dorsiflexion) and tensing the fascia. Symptoms tend to worsen after standing and walking, in the morning, after awaking or after prolonged sitting. This happens because the fascia is being stressed again after a protracted rest. As the person walks, the fascia “warms up” and lengthens slightly, reducing the tension and the associated pain.

The repetitive stretch of the fascia over years can also irritate the insertion site of the fascia to the heel bone and lead to the ingrowth into the soft tissue of the heel of a hook-shaped spur of the heel bone. A common misconception is that the heel pain is mostly due to the bone spur. The truth is that the pain is due primarily or exclusively to the inflammation of the fascia (plantar fasciitis) and not to the bone spur because significant heel pain occurs in the absence of spurs, and large bone spurs can be detected by X-rays in people with no heel pain.

Heel Injury

2008-04-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

So I ran on Tuesday on April 8th for 3 miles and everything was Ok.

I had an Ashtanga Yoga that night as well and again didn't feel any pain.

I woke up on Wednesday morning and feeling pain in my foot. I couldn't even walk . I thought I will be better on Thursday but Dang NO.
It is just getting worse. I had to walk on my toes and I think it is the change in my posture that made me feel pain in my knees also.

OK. The marathon is on May 4th. SO I hope and hope so badly that I will get better next week to do a long run 20 miles. PLEASE

يا هوا بيروت

2008-04-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

يا هوا بيروت .. يا هوا الايام

كل ما اسمع هالجملة من فيروز. بيقشعر بدني.
ما بعرف شي بيتسلل بكل جسمي ودمعتي بتنزل .

A prayer

2008-04-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Hey God!
Have mercy on me.
I lay my head on one’s shoulder
One night
I feel the warmth of his breath
I get up in the morning
To find him gone.

Hey God!
I have a weak heart
Hey!
Take it away from me
Please
Have an onion instead

Take my heart away

2008-04-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hey God!
I am here tears filling my eyes
I cannot let them down
I am studying in the Library
Hey God!
I am restrained
I feel pressure
I want to cry out loud
Hey God!
My tears sprung
Can you see them?
Hey God!
Don’t turn your back.
I need your hand.
Hey God!
I don’t like to get involved with people
I don’t like my heart,
It is very weak and has been shattered several times
Hey God!
Take my heart away
I don’t need it.
Seriousily,
I don’t want it.
Save me !

الهي ارحمني

2008-04-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

الهي ارحمني.

كل ما القِ رأسي في حضن دافئ انهض في الصباح لاجد نفسي احضن وسادتي.

قد يكون ما شعرت به وهم. قد يكون حضن بارد و قلبي هو الدافئ.

انا لا اهوى التجارب مع بني ادم.

دوما احببت تجارب مع الفئران وكل ما يحتويه المختبر . هذه تتطلب عقلي فقط!

لدي قلب ضعيف. كفى الهي انا لا احتمل اوجاع القلب وخيبات القلبية.

Flying Pig Marathon-1

2008-04-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

I got an injury in my right thigh and other one in my left tibia that obliged me not to run for two weeks, furthermore the week I went to Chicago I couldnt train. So three weeks passed without training and obiviousily I am so behind.

Anyway today: April 2nd I did 128 laps of running in the recreation center. Each 7.9 laps are equivalent to a mile thus I did: 16.2 miles from 7:40 am till 11:10 am.
I ran first 5 miles

I walked a lap + had water
I ran 5 more miles
One lap walking + water
Ran 3 miles, walked a lap
Ran 2 miles, walked a lap
did the last mile at the end

And I was soooo tired. But at the same time very happy. This is my longest run so far. Next week I m shooting for an 18-20 miles run !

A New Day ---planning

2008-04-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Once done with my class MNT-III, I rushed to the library. I wanted a quiet place, I wanted to think clearly. I had lot to do, and thus I need to plan.

I set my goals for this quarter and I m so ready to commit to.

Things to Do:

Finger printing for Canadian permanent residency. ( Plan to go Downtown with Najeeba)
Learn driving: each Friday at 6:00-7:00 pm ( talk to KP)
Yoga classes: Ashtanga1 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday ( 4:30 -5:50) and Anusara class on Saturday ( 1:30-3:30 pm)
Swimming classes on Saturdays from 11:00 am t0 11:50 am
Running for the marathon:

Runs:

April 2^nd: 16-18 miles
April 9^th: 10 miles
April 16^th: 18 miles
April 23: 20 miles
April 30:10 miles
May 4: The Flying pig marathon day
Every day except for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: a short run of 30 minutes at the recreation center.

On Saturday and Sunday: run on the street ( hills on Clifton at least 4-5 times up and down).
Sleep daily on 11:00 pm and get up at 6:00 am
Stop all my activities at 10:45 ( Evening ritual: brush my teeth, shower, body lotion and eye and facial cream)
No time wasting: that means no internet browsing
Finish my Thesis.
Every Friday and Monday Morning : Browse Science News

Last Morning in Chicago

2008-03-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well as it happened but not as expected to happen. I couldn't do daily blogging in the evenings or nights when I am back. One of the ladies with whom I was sharing my hotel room was annoyed by me typing and the sounds resulting from typing. " You know what, I cannot sleep while you are typing, it is 2:00 am, Sorry!". " Ah I 'm sorry...."

But this is the last morning in Chicago. Getting ready to leave soon. May be in 18 minutes.

Listening to Fairuz " A3tenin Annaya w Ghanni" Not much to say about outside. My window is blocked by other building..

But that is it : the childhood dream is realized. I am in Chicago. Seeing the city that I got to know through Carldspring lines when he was complaining about the industrial revolution that turned the beautiful village into a big city, no butchers, no women at home .....

I do remember myself at this moment sitting on my class, reaidng the poem and imagining how Chicago was and how it is now. I always said to myself, " I would never leave the US before I go to Chicago"

It happened as it was supposed to happen and I came to Chicago for three days and leaving at this moment.

Good Bye Chicago.

Chicago Trip-Second Night

2008-03-29T00:16:00.000-07:00

Got on the Hop on , Hop off tour.

Hopped off at various beautiful sites downtown Chicago: The millenium park, Michigan ave, Milestone ave, Navy Pier, The Picasso, The Chicago art museum ..

The weather was horrible. Very cold. My hand froze and couldnt move my fingers.

In the evening, got some good mediterrean food ( Falafel + kabees and one grape leave) and went back to down to sight seeing at down town chicago.

Chicago Trip-First Night

2008-03-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

First night in Chicago.

Not much exciting.

The weather was bad at sometimes. The van got stucked once in ice. And definitely not to forget the nasty dinner at the cookerie!! The food just sat up on my belly and it was painful. The salmon, the steamed vegetables ..all tasted as if they were soaked in lard. The baked potato with butter ewwwwwww I didnt even dare to taste it. I ate the fish and the veggies. I had to because I was so hungry.
To see how ghetto that restaurant is, one of the students returned his plate and asked the waitress to warm it for him because it was cold !
Not only me complained about the food. I saw other grouchy faces and another student complained of pain as well in her stomach.

Got to the hotel.

Went down to get a drink. I wanted to have a glass of wine and that guy wanted me to buy the whole bottle !! what the heck. Ok thanks sir. Got back to my room. Had shower and ready to sleep.

Patients' Data enrolled in NIH studies were Stolen

2008-03-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

Patients' Data on Stolen Laptop
Identity Fraud Not Likely, NIH Says

By Ellen Nakashima and Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, March 24, 2008; A01

A government laptop computer containing sensitive medical information on 2,500 patients enrolled in a National Institutes of Health study was stolen in February, potentially exposing seven years' worth of clinical trial data, including names, medical diagnoses and details of the patients' heart scans. The information was not encrypted, in violation of the government's data-security policy.

NIH officials made no public comment about the theft and did not send letters notifying the affected patients of the breach until last Thursday -- almost a month later. They said they hesitated because of concerns that they would provoke undue alarm.

The handling of the incident is reminiscent of a 2006 theft from the home of a Department of Veterans Affairs employee of a laptop with personal information about veterans and active-duty service members. In that case, VA officials waited 19 days before announcing the theft.

"The shocking part here is we now have personally identifiable information -- name and age -- linked to clinical data," said Leslie Harris, executive director of the Center for Democracy & Technology. "If somebody does not want to share the fact that they're in a clinical trial or the fact they've got a heart disease, this is very, very serious. The risk of identity theft and of revealing highly personal information about your health are closely linked here."

The incident is the latest in a number of failures by government employees to properly secure personal information. This month, the Government Accountability Office found that at least 19 of 24 agencies reviewed had experienced at least one breach that could expose people's personal information to identity theft.

Elizabeth G. Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), said in a statement issued late Friday that "when volunteers enroll in a clinical study, they place great trust in the researchers and study staff, expecting them to act both responsibly and ethically." She said that "we deeply regret that this incident may cause those who have participated in one of our studies to feel that we have violated that trust."

NIH officials said the laptop was taken Feb. 23 from the locked trunk of a car driven by an NHLBI laboratory chief named Andrew Arai, who had taken his daughter to a swim meet in Montgomery County. They called it a random theft. Arai oversees the institute's research program on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and signed the letters to those whose data was exposed.

In the letter, Arai told the patients that "some personally identifiable information" was on the stolen computer, including names, birth dates, hospital medical record numbers and MRI information reports, such as measurements and diagnoses. Social Security numbers, phone numbers, addresses and financial information were not on the laptop, officials said.

Arai's letter said that the NIH Center for Information Technology determined that the theft posed "a low likelihood of identity fraud" or financial harm. "It is, however, an unfortunate breach of our commitment to protect the confidentiality of your research records," he wrote.

An initial effort by information technology personnel failed to encrypt the laptop before it was stolen and Arai neglected to follow up, according to NHLBI spokeswoman Susan Dambrauskas.

According to a chronology provided by Dambrauskas, three offices that focus on information security within NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services were contacted within three days of the theft.

But officials did not report it to the NHLBI Institutional Review Board -- whose job is to protect the well-being of patients in research -- until Feb. 29, six days after the theft. That put the matter on the board's agenda for its next meeting, on March 4, according to the board's chairman, Alison Wichman.

"We didn't feel that subjects were at immediate risk," she said. "We felt that we had some time to be thorough in our evaluation. In the end, that may or may not have been appropriate."

NIH spokesman John T. Burklow said that during the meeting, the board had "long and intense" discussions about what to do, as "there were concerns about not causing patients undue alarm." The board nonetheless voted unanimously to ask Arai to draft a notification letter, Wichman said.

At its next meeting, on March 18, the board reviewed the letter. Two days later, it gave final approval.

After the theft of the VA laptop, which contained sensitive personal information about 26.5 million veterans and military service members, the Office of Management and Budget issued in 2006 guidelines recommending that portable electronic devices be routinely loaded with encryption software.

Last May, it decided to require such encryption unless a senior agency official certifies that the device does not contain sensitive information. It also required limiting remote access to sensitive data repositories to authorized users with two methods of authenticating their identity, and documenting whenever sensitive information is downloaded and by whom.

The OMB memo required that agencies report a suspected or confirmed breach of personally identifiable information to US-CERT, a Department of Homeland Security Computer Emergency Readiness Team, within one hour of discovery -- a deadline NIH says it met.

In the case of the VA data, the laptop and hard drive were recovered. The FBI confirmed that the data had not been compromised. Two burglars were caught and convicted.

Nabel, in her statement, said that since the NIH incident, "we are ensuring" that all the institute's laptop computers are encrypted and that staff members will be required to take regular computer security training. She also said "patient names, other identifying information, or identifiable medical information" will no longer be stored on laptop computers.

PSS

2008-03-20T10:41:00.001-07:00

I had an exam in Medical Nutrition Therapy-II in 2hours and 19 mins and 5 seconds

Problem-1: Tired of studying. Symptoms: Brain Shut down. Solution: Give her the exam

Problem -2: Lack of Apetite. Symptoms: Abdominal pain, empty stomach, fatigue. Solution: Eat

2008-03-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

شو بتعملي بالحياة ؟

بقشر بصل وبطبخ عليهن سميد وبندورة!

Interview

2008-03-19T04:55:00.000-07:00

It Happened, not by chance ! but as my work and dedication made it happen, that I was selected for an interview for one of the internships I applied to.

The First Question was:

Describe your personality in three words:

1. social responisble and sensitive person
2. Patient
3. kind and nice person

I dont know ..After the interview ended, I felt that I didnt mention that I am a " determined" and and " Trustworthy" person.
I liked the social sensitive one, but not the other two. I wished they started with a better question...I think whatever the first was, I would end saying I wish they started with a new question ..

Another Question:

Major obstacles to come where I m now :
1. Comming to the US and breaking the cultural laws of having a single female traveling on her own and pursuing her graduate studies.
2. The U.S. a different culture, different people, and it was challenging to integrate in the society and make friends and start a new life
3. Pursuing the MS and DPD program at the same time. That wasnt easy.

These are the two questions I remember.

Worst Pizza Experience

2008-03-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

University Hospital's at Cincinnati Veggie Pizza

After eating their pizza:

1. GI irritation reflected in repeated refluxes.
2. Irritation in the oral cavity ! specifically my gum. And I had to leave school to brush my teeth because I could not tolerate that bland / rough sensation in my gum.

It seems they had some egg yolks or egg substitute in their Pizza !

Fooled today

2008-03-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

She picked up my wallet that I left on the desk where I was studying. And she handed it to the security. This happened 5-7 minutes after I left the wallet and realized that I did.

I got the wallet and thanked the lady who was as well apparently studying..
mmmmm but damm it where is the money that was in the wallet???
I digged into my school back bag and I did not find it .
Went back to the security. "Did you find any money in my wallet? " " No" , she asnwered.

Headed back to the good citizen, " Miss, did u find any money in my wallet "

" No ,I didnt open the wallet, sorry how much was it "
I replied with anger "Doesnt matter"

Where the heck did my money go ?

It is only the security police and that supposedly good citizen had touched my wallet!

I got so angry , and more after I told my friend , who said if this happened with her, " it would be still having a conversation with that girl"

Dance Dance in Freedom: A protein that makes breast cancer spread

2008-03-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Dance Dance in Freedom: A protein that makes breast cancer spread

SATB1: FIGURE 4. Ectopic expression of SATB1 in SKBR3 cells induced tumour growth, intravasation and lung colonization.

2008-03-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

a, Left panel: mean volumes (n = 6 per group) of tumours formed in fat pads of mice injected with SATB1-overexpressing SKBR3 cells (pLXSN-SATB1) or controls (error bar indicates s.e.m.). Right panels: gross anatomy and haematoxylin-and-eosin-stained sections of tumours (pLXSN-SATB1 cells) and normal breast tissues (control cells). T, tumour; N, normal breast tissue. Scale bar, 80 m. b, Left panel: intravasation of tumour cells was determined from the numbers of colonies formed by pLXSN-SATB1 or control cells grown in G418-containing media after isolation from blood or lung samples of tumour-bearing mice from experiments described in a. Right panel: RT–PCR analysis was used to detect human SATB1 expression in cell colonies grown from blood and lung samples. GAPDH was the loading control and mouse thymocytes were the negative control (Thy). c, Left panel: the number of metastases that formed in the lungs of each nude mouse (n = 5) 10 weeks after the injection of pLXSN-SATB1 or control cells, and mean values for each group. Right panel: representative photos of the lungs and haematoxylin and eosin staining sections show normal lung from mice injected with control vector cells and metastatic nodules from pLXSN-SATB1 cells. N, normal lung tissue; M, metastatic nodule. Lung nodules were shown to express human SATB1 by RT–PCR. Scale bar, 80 m.

SATB1: FIGURE 3. SATB1 is necessary for lung colonization and tumour growth.

2008-03-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

a, Number of metastases in lungs of mice (n = 6 per group) 9 weeks after tail-vein injection of control shRNA, SATB1 shRNA1 or SATB1 shRNA2 cells (left), with mean nodule per lung values shown below. Expression levels of human SATB1 in lungs was analysed by RT–PCR, with human GAPDH as a loading control and mouse thymocytes (Thy) as a negative control. Representative lungs and haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of metastatic tumour (M) and normal (N) lung tissues are shown (right). b, Reduced tumour volumes in fat pads of nude mice injected with SATB1 shRNA1 cells (single clones or pools), compared to controls (parental cell line MDA-MB-231 or control shRNA cells). Each data point is the mean value (s.e.m.) of five–six primary tumours. Photographs of representative mice and tumours are shown, along with haematoxylin and eosin staining of tumour (T) and normal (N) breast tissue. Scale bar, 50 m.

SATB1: FIGURE 2. SATB1 depletion restores cell polarity and reduces aggressive phenotypes of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro.

2008-03-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

a, Reduced SATB1 expression, determined by immunoblot and quantitative RT–PCR analyses, in SATB1 shRNA (1 and 2) cells, compared with controls (parental cell line MDA-MB-231 and control shRNA cells; -tubulin levels as loading control). b, Reduced proliferation of SATB1 shRNA (1 and 2) cells grown on Matrigel compared with controls. c, Chemoinvasion assay of SATB1 shRNA (1 and 2) cells, compared with controls (error bars indicate s.e.m., n = 3 experiments). d, Representative photographs of soft agar colony formation 20 days after culture of control shRNA and SATB1 shRNA (1 and 2) cells, with mean colony counts from three dishes. e, Left panel: Phase contrast micrographs of control shRNA (top row) or SATB1 shRNA1 cells (bottom row) cultured on Matrigel. Scale bar, 40 m. Right panel: morphologies of SATB1 shRNA1 cells (acinar structure) and controls grown on Matrigel and stained for F-action, -catenin or integrin 6 (green) and DAPI (blue). MCF-10A cells show the typical acinar structure. Scale bars, 15 m.

SATB1: FIGURE 1. SATB1 expression in breast cancer is associated with poor prognosis

2008-03-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

a, Immunoblot analysis of SATB1 levels (top panel) in normal mammary epithelial cells (HMEC), immortalized mammary epithelial cells (MCF-10A), non-aggressive breast cancer cell lines (BT474, MCF7, MDA-MB-435, SUM225 and SKBR3) and aggressive breast cancer cell lines (HCC202, Hs578T, MDA-MB-435, BT549, MDA-MB-231); -tubulin loading control is shown in the middle panel. The bottom panels shows transcript levels of SATB1, relative to GAPDH, determined by qRT–PCR and compared to Hs578T cells; error bars indicate s.e.m., n = 3 experiments. b, Immunoblot analysis of SATB1 in representative human primary breast tumour specimen (top panel); -tubulin loading control is also shown (bottom panel). c, Immunofluorescence images of poorly differentiated ductal carcinomas (top row) and adjacent normal tissues (bottom row) stained with anti-SATB1 (red) and anti-cytokeratin 8 (CK8) or anti-cytokeratin 14 (CK14) (green) antibodies, counterstained with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI, to stain DNA; blue). Scale bars, 30 m. d, SATB1 levels in representative tumour tissues (top; scale bar, 20 m) and Kaplan–Meier plot (below) of overall survival of 985 patients with ductal breast carcinomas stratified by SATB1 expression level. Tissues scored as 0 (negative SATB1 nuclear staining for all tumour cells), 1 (positive SATB1 nuclear staining other than score 2) or 2 (moderate SATB1 nuclear staining for >50% tumour cells or strong staining for >5% tumour cells). A log-rank test showed significant differences between groups (P < 0.001). e, Relative multivariate significance of potential prognostic variables. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to test the independent prognostic contribution of SATB1 after accounting for other potentially important covariates.

A protein that makes breast cancer spread

2008-03-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Researchers pinpoint protein 'boss' that controls gene expression.

Anna Petherick
Published online 12 March 2008 Nature doi:10.1038/news.2008.667

Will it spread? One protein controls the expression of many genes that dictate whether breast cancer will metastasize

A protein that determines whether breast cancer will spread and become deadly has been found. Researchers say that the protein, which is found inside the nuclei of cells, would be difficult and potentially dangerous to target with drugs. But monitoring for the protein could help patients to know how dangerous their cancer is before it spreads elsewhere, and help them to decide which treatment to chose.

Because breasts are not critical to survival, cancers that remain within breast tissue do not kill the patient. But if the cancer cells break away from the original tumour, settle and start dividing elsewhere, these secondary tumours can threaten the function of vital organs.

Rather like an invasive plant landing on an island, the circulating breast cancer cell needs to evolve genetic changes to survive in a new environment. It has to find a way to stick to a new type of cell or supporting structure, called a matrix, and form links to surrounding cells, for instance.

Now a protein has been found that changes the levels at which more than a thousand genes are expressed in breast cancer cells, seemingly controlling whether cancer cells will survive elsewhere. The protein is called SATB1. “All sorts of molecular pathways that enable the cell to invade and inhabit a new microenvironment are under the control of SATB1,” says Terumi Kohwi-Shigematsu of the University of California, Berkeley, who was an author of the study.
The nuclear organizer

Kohwi-Shigematsu and her colleagues had previously shown that SATB1 acts as an architect inside the nuclei of cells, directing loops of DNA to clump together. By changing the spatial arrangement of DNA, SATB1 can alter the proteins surrounding some sections of the genome, and in changing this 'casing' effectively turn some genes on and others off.
When the researchers looked for SATB1 in breast cancer cells from more than 1,300 samples, they found a striking pattern. In almost all cases, the more SATB1 those cells contained, the more aggressive the tumour was.

At present, the test to see whether a cancer can spread to other organs, or metastasize, involves looking for the cancer in the lymph nodes. But this catches a tumour only in the act of spreading, rather than beforehand. Crucially, in this study the link between high levels of SATB1 and aggressive tumours held for breast cancers that had not yet spread to the lymph nodes.
This means that the protein could be a good prognostic test for women with breast cancer. “If we discover that this protein is present in the primary tumour, we will have a good idea that the prognosis of this woman will be different and maybe that will lead to a different choice of treatment,” says co-author Jose Russo from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Patients with more aggressive tumours may chose to be more precautionary and have a larger section of their breast removed, for example.

Growth control
To show that SATB1 was both necessary and sufficient for breast cancer metastasis, the team used a technique called RNA interference to remove it from highly aggressive cancer cells in mice. This inhibited tumour growth. They then added SATB1 to non-aggressive breast cancer cells in mice. This caused those cells to alter the combinations of genes they expressed, and made the cells resemble metastatic cells. The study is published in the journal Nature 1.
“Researchers have been describing changes to the DNA casing of large groups of genes in cancer cells, but they have not understood what causes those changes,” says Frances Shannon, a researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra. “This study goes a step further by identifying what causes those changes," she says. But, she adds, the next question is "what leads SATB1 levels to rise?".

The Way I See It #260

2008-03-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Way I See It #260

Playing in an independant rock
band will eventually make you
equal parts truck driver, gladiator
and mule. Glamour is for those
with trust funds.

--Neko Case
Musician, Her songs can be heard on
Starbucks XM Cafe' Channel 45

KBR Faulted on Water Provided to Soldiers

2008-03-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

KBR Faulted on Water Provided to Soldiers

By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 11, 2008; D01

U.S. soldiers at a military base in Iraq were provided with treated but untested wastewater for nearly two years by KBR, the giant government contractor, and may have suffered health problems as a result, according to a report released yesterday by the Pentagon's inspector general.

The inspector general said that from March 2004 to February 2006, KBR inappropriately distributed chlorinated wastewater to 5,000 U.S. troops at Camp Q-West, located at the Qayyarah West airfield about 180 miles north of Baghdad. The wastewater had been processed by a reverse-osmosis purification system and treated with chlorine before being distributed to showers and latrines on the base.

The report said that from October 2005 to June 2006, sick-call records showed 38 reported illnesses that "an attending medical official said could be attributed to water, such as skin abscesses, cellulites, skin infections and diarrhea." The report said it was impossible to definitively link the treated water to all the illnesses.

At a handful of other bases that were audited, both KBR and the military failed to perform required water-quality checks, the report stated. At Camp Ar Ramadi in Anbar province, auditors found that of 251 soldiers interviewed, 44 percent reported water provided for personal hygiene that was discolored or had an unusual odor. Four percent of the soldiers said they got sick from the water.

The audit said KBR and the military "exposed U.S. forces to unmonitored and potentially unsafe water" for washing, bathing, shaving and cleaning. It criticized the military for lax oversight at its facilities and said KBR's water quality was "not maintained in accordance with field water sanitary standards."

KBR provides water used in dining, medical and personal hygiene facilities under a multibillion-dollar service contract with the military known as LOGCAP.

KBR disagreed with the auditor's report, saying "there is no evidence that any illness resulted from water produced or transported by KBR," according to a Jan. 31 letter it sent to the inspector general. The company said in a written statement that its "production and treatment of water used by the troops and KBR's own personnel has met or exceeded all applicable military and contract standards."

Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon's press secretary, said yesterday that there was no evidence that any of the illnesses suffered by U.S. troops were directly related to the water problems and emphasized that troops are constantly reminded only to drink bottled water. "There was no widespread health risk or illness associated with the few problems identified with the water," Morrell told reporters at the Pentagon.

Inspectors said KBR and the Army have taken corrective steps to ensure adequate water quality as of November 2006.

The audit was undertaken after Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) raised concern about the quality of water provided to troops when former KBR employees told him of alleged problems. Dorgan, who pushed for the investigation, has called two hearings to try to get KBR and Army officials to answer questions about the water problems but said they denied there were any issues.

"Instead of the Pentagon taking the attitude that these are serious charges, they acted like this was part of the buddy system," Dorgan said. The company and the Pentagon acted as if "there was nothing going on here," he said. "We now know they were both in a position to know what they were saying publicly was wrong.

"KBR was not doing its job," he said. "Our troops were provided with water that didn't meet Army standards."

Staff writer Josh White contributed to this report.

AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water

2008-03-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

Duane Moser, an assistant research professor with Desert Research Institute, collects water samples from the Las Vegas Wash in Henderson, Nev., Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. (Jae C. Hong - AP)Graphic shows why pharmaceuticals can be found in drinking water. (Nicolas Rapp - AP)

Duane Moser, an assistant research professor with Desert Research Institute, collects water samples from the Las Vegas Wash in Henderson, Nev., Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. (Jae C. Hong - AP)
Carla Wieser, fishery biologist with the US Geological Survey, takes a blood sample from a carp in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, near Boulder City, Nev., Monday, Nov. 5, 2007, to study effects of pharmaceuticals in water on fish. (Jae C. Hong - AP)

AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water

2008-03-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

A Scary Report.

AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water

By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD
The Associated Press
Monday, March 10, 2008; 9:17 AM

-- A vast array of pharmaceuticals _ including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones _ have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs _ and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen _ in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas _ from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky.

Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the AP found. For example, the head of a group representing major California suppliers said the public "doesn't know how to interpret the information" and might be unduly alarmed.

How do the drugs get into the water?

People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.

And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies _ which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public _ have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

"We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Members of the AP National Investigative Team reviewed hundreds of scientific reports, analyzed federal drinking water databases, visited environmental study sites and treatment plants and interviewed more than 230 officials, academics and scientists. They also surveyed the nation's 50 largest cities and a dozen other major water providers, as well as smaller community water providers in all 50 states.

Here are some of the key test results obtained by the AP:

_Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds.

_Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California.

_Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed a Passaic Valley Water Commission drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people in Northern New Jersey, and found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.

_A sex hormone was detected in San Francisco's drinking water.

_The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.

_Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.

The situation is undoubtedly worse than suggested by the positive test results in the major population centers documented by the AP.

The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water. Of the 62 major water providers contacted, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven't: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.

Some providers screen only for one or two pharmaceuticals, leaving open the possibility that others are present.

The AP's investigation also indicates that watersheds, the natural sources of most of the nation's water supply, also are contaminated. Tests were conducted in the watersheds of 35 of the 62 major providers surveyed by the AP, and pharmaceuticals were detected in 28.

Yet officials in six of those 28 metropolitan areas said they did not go on to test their drinking water _ Fairfax, Va.; Montgomery County in Maryland; Omaha, Neb.; Oklahoma City; Santa Clara, Calif., and New York City.

The New York state health department and the USGS tested the source of the city's water, upstate. They found trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer.

City water officials declined repeated requests for an interview. In a statement, they insisted that "New York City's drinking water continues to meet all federal and state regulations regarding drinking water quality in the watershed and the distribution system" _ regulations that do not address trace pharmaceuticals.

In several cases, officials at municipal or regional water providers told the AP that pharmaceuticals had not been detected, but the AP obtained the results of tests conducted by independent researchers that showed otherwise. For example, water department officials in New Orleans said their water had not been tested for pharmaceuticals, but a Tulane University researcher and his students have published a study that found the pain reliever naproxen, the sex hormone estrone and the anti-cholesterol drug byproduct clofibric acid in treated drinking water.

Of the 28 major metropolitan areas where tests were performed on drinking water supplies, only Albuquerque; Austin, Texas; and Virginia Beach, Va.; said tests were negative. The drinking water in Dallas has been tested, but officials are awaiting results. Arlington, Texas, acknowledged that traces of a pharmaceutical were detected in its drinking water but cited post-9/11 security concerns in refusing to identify the drug.

The AP also contacted 52 small water providers _ one in each state, and two each in Missouri and Texas _ that serve communities with populations around 25,000. All but one said their drinking water had not been screened for pharmaceuticals; officials in Emporia, Kan., refused to answer AP's questions, also citing post-9/11 issues.

Rural consumers who draw water from their own wells aren't in the clear either, experts say.

The Stroud Water Research Center, in Avondale, Pa., has measured water samples from New York City's upstate watershed for caffeine, a common contaminant that scientists often look for as a possible signal for the presence of other pharmaceuticals. Though more caffeine was detected at suburban sites, researcher Anthony Aufdenkampe was struck by the relatively high levels even in less populated areas.

He suspects it escapes from failed septic tanks, maybe with other drugs. "Septic systems are essentially small treatment plants that are essentially unmanaged and therefore tend to fail," Aufdenkampe said.

Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems.

Contamination is not confined to the United States. More than 100 different pharmaceuticals have been detected in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and streams throughout the world. Studies have detected pharmaceuticals in waters throughout Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe _ even in Swiss lakes and the North Sea.

For example, in Canada, a study of 20 Ontario drinking water treatment plants by a national research institute found nine different drugs in water samples. Japanese health officials in December called for human health impact studies after detecting prescription drugs in drinking water at seven different sites.

In the United States, the problem isn't confined to surface waters. Pharmaceuticals also permeate aquifers deep underground, source of 40 percent of the nation's water supply. Federal scientists who drew water in 24 states from aquifers near contaminant sources such as landfills and animal feed lots found minuscule levels of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs.

Perhaps it's because Americans have been taking drugs _ and flushing them unmetabolized or unused _ in growing amounts. Over the past five years, the number of U.S. prescriptions rose 12 percent to a record 3.7 billion, while nonprescription drug purchases held steady around 3.3 billion, according to IMS Health and The Nielsen Co.

"People think that if they take a medication, their body absorbs it and it disappears, but of course that's not the case," said EPA scientist Christian Daughton, one of the first to draw attention to the issue of pharmaceuticals in water in the United States.

Some drugs, including widely used cholesterol fighters, tranquilizers and anti-epileptic medications, resist modern drinking water and wastewater treatment processes. Plus, the EPA says there are no sewage treatment systems specifically engineered to remove pharmaceuticals.

One technology, reverse osmosis, removes virtually all pharmaceutical contaminants but is very expensive for large-scale use and leaves several gallons of polluted water for every one that is made drinkable.

Another issue: There's evidence that adding chlorine, a common process in conventional drinking water treatment plants, makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic.

Human waste isn't the only source of contamination. Cattle, for example, are given ear implants that provide a slow release of trenbolone, an anabolic steroid used by some bodybuilders, which causes cattle to bulk up. But not all the trenbolone circulating in a steer is metabolized. A German study showed 10 percent of the steroid passed right through the animals.

Water sampled downstream of a Nebraska feedlot had steroid levels four times as high as the water taken upstream. Male fathead minnows living in that downstream area had low testosterone levels and small heads.

Other veterinary drugs also play a role. Pets are now treated for arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, dementia, and even obesity _ sometimes with the same drugs as humans. The inflation-adjusted value of veterinary drugs rose by 8 percent, to $5.2 billion, over the past five years, according to an analysis of data from the Animal Health Institute.

Ask the pharmaceutical industry whether the contamination of water supplies is a problem, and officials will tell you no. "Based on what we now know, I would say we find there's little or no risk from pharmaceuticals in the environment to human health," said microbiologist Thomas White, a consultant for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

But at a conference last summer, Mary Buzby _ director of environmental technology for drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. _ said: "There's no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms."

Recent laboratory research has found that small amounts of medication have affected human embryonic kidney cells, human blood cells and human breast cancer cells. The cancer cells proliferated too quickly; the kidney cells grew too slowly; and the blood cells showed biological activity associated with inflammation.

Also, pharmaceuticals in waterways are damaging wildlife across the nation and around the globe, research shows. Notably, male fish are being feminized, creating egg yolk proteins, a process usually restricted to females. Pharmaceuticals also are affecting sentinel species at the foundation of the pyramid of life _ such as earth worms in the wild and zooplankton in the laboratory, studies show.

Some scientists stress that the research is extremely limited, and there are too many unknowns. They say, though, that the documented health problems in wildlife are disconcerting.

"It brings a question to people's minds that if the fish were affected ... might there be a potential problem for humans?" EPA research biologist Vickie Wilson told the AP. "It could be that the fish are just exquisitely sensitive because of their physiology or something. We haven't gotten far enough along."

With limited research funds, said Shane Snyder, research and development project manager at the Southern Nevada Water Authority, a greater emphasis should be put on studying the effects of drugs in water.

"I think it's a shame that so much money is going into monitoring to figure out if these things are out there, and so little is being spent on human health," said Snyder. "They need to just accept that these things are everywhere _ every chemical and pharmaceutical could be there. It's time for the EPA to step up to the plate and make a statement about the need to study effects, both human and environmental."

To the degree that the EPA is focused on the issue, it appears to be looking at detection. Grumbles acknowledged that just late last year the agency developed three new methods to "detect and quantify pharmaceuticals" in wastewater. "We realize that we have a limited amount of data on the concentrations," he said. "We're going to be able to learn a lot more."

While Grumbles said the EPA had analyzed 287 pharmaceuticals for possible inclusion on a draft list of candidates for regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, he said only one, nitroglycerin, was on the list. Nitroglycerin can be used as a drug for heart problems, but the key reason it's being considered is its widespread use in making explosives.

So much is unknown. Many independent scientists are skeptical that trace concentrations will ultimately prove to be harmful to humans. Confidence about human safety is based largely on studies that poison lab animals with much higher amounts.

There's growing concern in the scientific community, meanwhile, that certain drugs _ or combinations of drugs _ may harm humans over decades because water, unlike most specific foods, is consumed in sizable amounts every day.

Our bodies may shrug off a relatively big one-time dose, yet suffer from a smaller amount delivered continuously over a half century, perhaps subtly stirring allergies or nerve damage. Pregnant women, the elderly and the very ill might be more sensitive.

Many concerns about chronic low-level exposure focus on certain drug classes: chemotherapy that can act as a powerful poison; hormones that can hamper reproduction or development; medicines for depression and epilepsy that can damage the brain or change behavior; antibiotics that can allow human germs to mutate into more dangerous forms; pain relievers and blood-pressure diuretics.

For several decades, federal environmental officials and nonprofit watchdog environmental groups have focused on regulated contaminants _ pesticides, lead, PCBs _ which are present in higher concentrations and clearly pose a health risk.

However, some experts say medications may pose a unique danger because, unlike most pollutants, they were crafted to act on the human body.

"These are chemicals that are designed to have very specific effects at very low concentrations. That's what pharmaceuticals do. So when they get out to the environment, it should not be a shock to people that they have effects," says zoologist John Sumpter at Brunel University in London, who has studied trace hormones, heart medicine and other drugs.

And while drugs are tested to be safe for humans, the timeframe is usually over a matter of months, not a lifetime. Pharmaceuticals also can produce side effects and interact with other drugs at normal medical doses. That's why _ aside from therapeutic doses of fluoride injected into potable water supplies _ pharmaceuticals are prescribed to people who need them, not delivered to everyone in their drinking water.

"We know we are being exposed to other people's drugs through our drinking water, and that can't be good," says Dr. David Carpenter, who directs the Institute for Health and the Environment of the State University of New York at Albany.

____

The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate (at) ap.org

Goals-cont

2008-03-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

Just to follow up.

I met three out of yesterday's goals.

Today's Goals

2008-03-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

I got this brain shut down from no where and it is not at all the time for these moments. It is the end of the quarter and I have to finish all these term papers and projects.

Daylight saving time started today and I wasn't aware of that. My phone alarm and computer times both changed automatically and so did I without noticing. That is Today I got up by 6:00 am without me knowing and I went to the recreation center at 9:00 am instead of (10:00)...not to forget the frustration when I found out I cannot run ( my left tibia bone is hurting and I had a muscle strain or may be tendon I don't know! in my right thigh. )

very interesting.

As I have to get over this brain shut down and finish my assignments due for Monday. I decided to jot down my goals for today and I will get back in the evening and see if I met them or not.

1. Finish the two article critique for Psychology of Food Eating
2. Write the reflection paper for Psychology of Food Eating.
3. Write over all reflection paper for my portfolio
4. Review my portfolio.
5. Prepare the papers to read tomorrow for my thesis.

Now it is 1:49 pm. I should be done with everything by 10:30 pm. Have a shower and go to bed hoping to get up by 6:30 am in the morning.

Exhausted

2008-03-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

Exhausted -----very.
Stressed---------very.
Busy------------------very.
Worried----------------very

2008-03-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

Though I love running outdoors even in winter . I enjoy feeling warm while people and trees around me are so freezing. But on a snowing day ..I never ran . Even I didn't consider running esp that the sidewalks aren't accessible . But seen this lady running in the morning, made me really jealous. Have I had good winter-sports outwear I would have joined her.

2008-03-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Nothing better to get up on a Saturday morning and see everything covered with snow.

Breakfast !
Wished there is a bakery close to my place just to get some fresh bread ..Bruegger's Bagels are still good. And this what I ended doing.

Overwhelmed with work to finish esp. completion of my thesis work. But the fact that the blinds on my window are broken ..I ended being sleepy most of the time, though I had at least 4 cups of tea and one coffee..Not much work accomplished till this moment 5:35pm. But not now I m quiet ready .Coffee after a short made me conscious of all the work I need to complete.

الرقص..!!!

2008-03-07T20:51:00.001-08:00

الرقص..!!!
(1)
الرقص يليق بك
بزندكَ شالاً تعلقت
تطوف في ملامحك
مع كل دورة
من أيل
لهيبا أسيرا
انطلق...!!!!
(2)
يا خطوكِ
المجنون
قرب الهاوية...!!!
" ضجت الجوقة...!!!"
يا خطوك ِ
المجنون
الى أين تقودينَ الرقصة...؟؟؟؟!!!
"سقط الراقصُ"
حقا لا ايقاع للرغبة
لا ايقاع للرغبة...!!!!
(3)
صدركَ البرية
والنبض فيك
مهر...!!!
أرست رأسها
على ضجيجك
وغفت...!!!

(4)
من ذا يقول
أن ثائرا
مثلك...!!!!
" بعد مشط البندقية"
"لا يجيد الرقص"
وقد غفت على ضجيج
صدرك ايفالينا...!!!!!
(5)
ظهركِ
ودع الفستان
و أسكن البلور
والقبل
استوطنت
" في مشاعة"
اقحوانا
اقحوانا
اقحوانا

(6)
تهمسُ
" أن ضيعي معي"..!!!
لي ملجئ
مجهول
تفاح
برتقال
حبق...!!
تشدكَ
"أن خذني معك"...!!!
خذني معك.....!!!
ناصر ابونصار

Snow Day

2008-03-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Simply March is always associated with Spring Season. But this time, March is bringing the biggest snow storm to the Tristate area and it is expected that 6 inches of snow to cover the region.

University of Cincinnati closed after 2pm. But again College of Medicine as Usual sent a reminder that they are exempt from that announcement. An email that I repeatedly been receiving in the last 4 winters. However, since now I am no more affiliated with College of Medicine, but rather with College of Allied Health Sciences, I got to have a snow day and thus I left school and having now labneh and tea.

This what the email usually states:

Date: Fri 7 Mar 11:40:44 EST 2008
From: "UC Academic Health Center Public Relations (pubrel)"
Subject: College of Medicine Exempted From University Closing
To: MED-ALL@LISTSERV.UC.EDU

Academic Health Center Internal Memorandum

The University of Cincinnati will close at 2 p.m. Friday, March 7, due to inclement weather and road conditions.

However, please note that the following units never close under any circumstances: College of Medicine,

and any research unit where the integrity of the research must be preserved, University Police, Office of

Residence Life/Housing units, utility plants, emergency maintenance operations and service units that routinely

operate on a seven days per week, 24 hours per day service schedule.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact your department/unit supervisor.

Read the official UC emergency closing policy by visiting uc.edu/trustees/rules/RuleDetail.asp?ID=107.

Tips on buying the right running shoes

2008-03-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

If the Shoe Fits, Start Running

Our Guide to Buying the Right Athletic Shoe -- And The Left One, Too

By Vicky Hallett

Special to the Washington Post
Tuesday, March 4, 2008; Page HE01

This is a story about running shoes, and don't let anyone like Bart Yasso, chief running officer of Runner's World magazine, hear you give them any other name. "When people call them sneakers, we correct them. A sneaker would be something you walk around in," he says.

It might seem silly, but the distinction matters, at least to the person whose feet they're on. Running shoes are highly technical footwear that provide stability and cushioning while heroically bearing up to three times the wearer's body weight; sneakers, on the other hand, are fashion accessories designed to look cool at the mall. "If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might as well have running shoes," advises Stephen Pribut, a District-based podiatrist specializing in sports medicine.

But not any pair will do, even if you're dropping upwards of $100, because finding the right running shoe is something of an art -- or "a science and a feel," according to Warren Greene, the brand editor of Runner's World, who is charged with organizing the magazine's exhaustive annual shoe guides.

The science part begins with the shape of the arch of your foot, which anyone can determine at home with this quickie experiment: Dunk your foot in water and then place it on a brown paper bag. If you see a "C" shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch, which suggests you're an under-pronator. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet and are likely an over-pronator. See something in between? That's a normal arch, which usually translates into some pronating but not a whole lot.

Pronation isn't as sinister as it sounds -- it's merely the flattening of the arch as you move through your step, which makes your foot roll inward. "There should be a degree of that occurring," explains James Christina, a podiatrist who serves as director of scientific affairs at the American Podiatric Medical Association. "Pronating loosens up the structures in the foot and allows it to adapt to changes in the ground. But if it happens excessively, you have problems." Think shin splints and tendinitis.

Of course, under-pronation (also called -- get ready for it -- supination) comes with its own host of maladies because your foot doesn't absorb shock effectively. Without proper cushioning, that's a recipe for stress fractures and knee and hip issues.

Luckily for runners, shoe technology has come a long way since Ed Grant, president of the D.C. Road Runners, trained in Converse shoes and the like in the 1970s. "What was available back then, you wouldn't use as walking shoes today. A piece of rubber with a vinyl top, no arch support, no cushioning," he recalls. Now, manufacturers focus on foot biomechanics and devote extensive resources to designing products that can correct practically anyone's stride.

Companies typically classify their shoes in three categories: neutral (for high arches), stability (for normal or low arches) and motion control (for flat arches). Conveniently for shoppers, that's also how specialty running stores tend to divvy up their inventory, and even if you haven't done the paper-bag test at home, staffers there can analyze your gait to steer you to the right part of the wall. (At larger sporting goods stores, you're likely to be on your own.)

At that point, most people would just grab an appealing shoe and try it on. But pros first like to conduct a series of quality-control tests. Christina sets his pair on a flat surface so he can look for differences in alignment between the right and left shoe. (Yes, these can occur even in premium shoes.) "One shouldn't look like it's tilted in a different way," he notes.

Pribut has a three-phase sequence for checking stability: First, he bends the shoe toe to heel to see where it flexes. If it's not at the forefoot -- where the foot actually bends -- be afraid. He then grips both ends and twists in opposite directions. If he can wring it like a towel, that means there's zero support. Finally, he squeezes the heel in both directions right above the midsole. A stable heel won't cave in.

Even if a few pass these tests, there's a lot more hunt ahead to find the right fit.

It all starts with the "last," the mold that shapes the inside of the shoe: whether it's wide or narrow in the midfoot, how it sits on the heel and how roomy the toe box is. Each company's lasts are slightly different, which is why some people detest a certain manufacturer's shoes while others are completely devoted to that brand.

"It's not a fashion show when you're running," reminds Yasso of Runner's World. You want the heel securely in place. You don't want to be squished in so that either the inside or outside of the foot feels like it's protruding. Anything that's rubbing, or even just feels off, is a sign to slip into another pair.

It's wise to hold off until the afternoon to make your purchase, to allow for any swelling that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also dictate sizing choice: The rule is you need a finger's width from your longest toe (whether that's your big one or not) to the end of the shoe.

In addition, the fact that running shoes have a tendency to run small may mean the right size is as much as a whole size larger than what you'd opt for in a dress shoe.

That somehow tends to be easier for men to swallow. "For some women, it's hard to get over wearing a size 10," says Howard Osterman, a podiatrist with offices in the District and Silver Spring. They manage, however, when he tells them the alternative is possibly bloody toenails. "The caveat, though, is that getting a shoe that's too large . . . can also make you lose your toenails," he adds.

The easiest way to solve the size conundrum is to visit a specialty running store, Greene says, and give a trained person there as much information as possible about your running habits. "You don't need to tell them what you had for breakfast, but if you keep losing your toenails, they should know that," he says.

And take your current shoes with you. Don't wait till you can see the pavement through them. Once your shoes have covered 500 miles, they're ready for retirement. To make sure he's on track, Yasso logs the number of miles he has covered with each shoe. "When I get up to 300 miles, I'll turn them into cutting-the-grass shoes," he says.

Pribut says many people think they've stumbled on a great discovery when they notice that their heels wear on the outside corner at the back. "It does for most people. Where the wear is on a shoe is the point of first contact," he says. More telling are oddities, like if the inner part of the heel is wearing down. Holes at the toes, of course, indicate a poor fit (or drastic need for toenail clipping).

Where the old pair really comes in handy is to show off what kind of support and stability you've had for your past 400 miles or so: Are you experiencing any aches or pains that indicate your new pair should have a little something extra? How well did these hold up with what you've been doing?

If what you've been using has been working, the shoe-store folks will typically start you with the same shoe. The only problem is that . . . well, it might not actually be the same. Manufacturers update most of their shoes every 12 months, and sometimes the shifts can be dramatic.

Some changes can have a discernible impact on a shoe's "ride" and certainly affect its price. Even Grant, who was once a bargain-rack shopper, says you're a fool to focus too heavily on price. "If your feet aren't in the right shoe, that'll hurt your experience," he says. And besides, he points out, they're the only equipment you really need to participate in the sport.

The question becomes how much do you spend, and for what. Most shoes hover around $90, although certain pairs sell for twice that -- usually because they're packed with more innovations. But someone's got to pay for advertising, too.

Reading about a shoe's construction can feel a bit like parsing a foreign language, what with all the references to proprietary materials. Brooks boasts that one of its newest shoes, the Infiniti, has the ultimate cushy forefoot because its trademark MoGo compound is sandwiched around a layer of something called e-Fusion. Adidas's adiStar Cushion 6 comes with ForMotion plates that keep the heel steady on uneven surfaces, plus a GeoFit heel and an abundance of adiPRENE. And on and on.

Greene says the advances worth springing for are the ones that improve your run.

"There are early adopters who want the most whiz-bang shoe on the market," he adds. "But you need to be in the shoe that fits you correctly. I would dissuade readers from buying shoes on technology."

What's most likely to feel different from one pair to another is the type of cushioning. Each brand has its own technology, be it gel, foam, air or wave. Even though Runner's World puts hundreds of runners in shoes in its own advanced testing lab to gauge wear, Greene isn't about to declare one technology the ultimate champ. "Take [Nike's] Zoom Air. Some people love that firm feeling, while other people want a softer shoe," he says.

While Runner's World singles out some shoes as "Best Buy" and "Best Update," picking shoes on that basis alone is ill-advised. "People always ask me what's the best shoe," Greene says. "I tell them that I don't know. I'm running in what are the best shoes for me." ¿

2008-03-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Way I See it # 275

When I wake up in the morning,
I want to know that my family,
friends and fans know what I
believe in and what I'm all about.
That's what should be important.

--Robert Randolph
Musician. His songs can be heard on
Starbucks XM Cafe' Channel 45.

I am not that thoughtful of a person. And I don't care much if other people know who I am or not, yet if I m opt to do something, I always deliver it in the best way possible

2008-02-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Way I see It # 277

I know a lot of morning people
and I know a lot of night people
But I have yet to meet
a late afternoon person.

--Douglas Coupland
Author of Generation X, Microserfs and JPod

The Way I see It # 268

Music is what I always turn to
when I'm feeling a certain way. It's
my reason for everything.

--Josh Groban
Musician, His songs can be heard on Starbucks XM Cafe' Channel 45

Obviousily, I got Tea ( Organic Chai) this morning. Double Cups.

A time with the Plumber.

2007-11-02T21:12:00.001-07:00

I called the landlord office asking if they can fix the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom as they stopped draining.
I finished my classes by 1:00 pm and on the way home I was reading " The Kite Runner" by Khaled Housseini. A book that gripped every bit of me and I was reading it voraciousily, sometimes tears would flow and other times I would smile at some Afghanis humor in the book. It was a bright sunny day and I enjoyed my walk ..I decided to stop at a wood seat outside a laundry mat. I stayed there for 20 minutes and then walked back home , my eyes still in the book.

I got home.

Well, I had to call the landlord office asking if they can fix the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom as both are not properly draining. I took off my shoes and throw myself on the bed ...I woke on the knock of someone on the door ..Nay I don't feel like getting up. It is the plumber. I was glad that the door of my room was closed.

Mr. Plumber.. he sounded very angry. All what I could hear him saying, in fact screaming was the F-word ..for everything and everyone..For the building, for the sink, for the shit , for Jesus, for the Christ..and his life too. I was very deeply touched by his words when he starts complaining to himself, what the Fuck is he doing here? when the fuck is going to end and he stops this shitty job....endless swearing and very loudly ..For a moment, I was scared ..what if he knew I m here ? listening to him cussing everyone including the residents of the apartment that is " me" ? He got even more furious when he found out that the water is not running in the pipes ....He closed the door after he was done with his job and I went back to sleep.

Yeah not to forget...the smell caused me a headache.

I got up after 4 hrs of sleep.

The bathroom is dirty...the kitchen is dirty..I had to clean them. I did. I had to shower. I couldn't..there is no damn hot water. I totally understood and appreciate the situation the plumber was at !

The Way I See It # 252

2007-10-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

The Way I See It # 252

Give me world politics, gender politics, party politics or small-town politics...I'll take them all over the politics of youth sports.

Brenda Stonecipher
City council member and Starbucks customer in Everett, Washington

The Way I see it

2007-10-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

The first thing I do after I purchase my Starbuck's Coffee I read " The Way I See It" , they are pretty good and inspirational sometimes.

After I read this one for Madeleine Albright, I decided to start this new post.

The Way I See It# 287

There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.

Madeleine K. Albright
Former Secretary of State and Ambassador to the U.N.

Studying - Allure

2007-10-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Theoretically, I should be studying, I'm in the library and I have a midterm exam tomorrow in Sociology. But I have this handsome man sitting just behind me and he is wearing some warm cologne with a distinctive scent. I can't identify that mysterious smell but so much remind me of the scent of fresh green nuts.

I am captured by the allure of that perfume.
I cant stop taking those deep breaths.

Life

2007-10-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

My experience added to my reasoning made me reach this conclusion about life:

Life is a woman on fire ...

Its always on Fire .

And for a nice and gentle person as me, I find myself wishing to be a MAN with super-sized genitles ..otherwise please hand me a screwdriver from the kitchen.

I love you life, and love you so much and so badly I need to express my love.

For the history to record: First time ever I wish I am a MAN.

الك يا امي : ايه اليوم انا معك وبدي يكون كيدي يفلح بنعصة كرم العين.

في حياة يا امي بدي افلح فيها ووصل صوتها لعند الله بلكي بتلين شوي.

حاجي عم تعذب بالعالم. لا رحمة, لا عدل....الى متى ?

Lebanon: an abandoned infant

2007-09-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

When first I read this ad on the street that simply posts a number for the public to call if they want to do a paternity test and identify the father of their kid, I remembered Lebanon, my lost home.

Lebanon , a country with various factions and sectors each pretends that it is working for the best of interest of Lebanon. There you hear voices that claims Lebanon has their brown hair, others say he has their black eyes ..others the features are theirs .. This is Lebanon ..a lost country and as a friend of mine says an abandoned infant.

Say it NOW

2007-08-18T09:27:00.001-07:00

And if you have something to say, say it to me now

About Religion

2007-08-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ring of Steel

When Bokonon and McCabe took over this miserable country years ago," said julian Castle, "they threw out the priests. And then Bokonon, cynically and playfully, invented a new religion."
" I know." I said
" Well, when it became evident that no governmental or economic reform was going to make the people much less miserable, the religion became the one real instrument of hope. Truth was the enemy of the people, because the truth was so terrible, so Bokonon made it business to provide people with better and better lies."
" How did he come to be an outlaw?"

" It was his own idea. He asked McCabe to outlaw him and his religion, too, inorder to give the religious life of people more zest, more tang. he wrote a little poem about it, incidently."
Castle quoted this poem, which doesnt appear in the The Books of Bokonon:

So I said good-bye to government,
And I gave my reason:
That a really good religion
Is a form of treason.

" Bokonon suggested the hook, too, as the proper punsihment for Bokononists," he said. "It was something he'd seen in the Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussaud's." He winked ghoulishly. " That was for zest, too."
" Did many people die on the hook?"
"Not at first, not at first. At first it was all make-believe. Rumors were cunningly circulated about executions, but no one really knew anyone who had died that way. McCabe had a good old time making blood-thirsty threats against the Bokononists- which was everybody.
" And Bokonon went into cozy hiding in the jungle." Castle continued," where he wrote and preached all day long and ate good things his disciples brought him.
"McCabe would organize the unemployed which was practically everybody, into great Bokonon hunts.
" About every six months McCabe would announce triumphantly that Bokonon was surrounded by a ring of steel, which was remorselessly closing in.
" And then the leaders of the remorseless ring would have to report to McCable, full of chagrin and apoplexy, that Bokonon had done the impossible.
" He had escaped, had evaporated, had lived to preach another day. Miracle! ".

Kurt Vonnegut
Cat's Cradle