Figmentations

Check out the Five For Fighting Videos, as well as their site WhatKindOfWorldDoYouWant.com that describes itself as follows:

the first MUSIC video community site that gives back! You can make and upload your own video and you can help raise money by watching videos and supporting the sponsors at the end of each clip.

This particular food is good for you, then it’s not. We’ve heard this many times in the news before. Ok, so now they say there isn’t enough evidence to show that tomatoes have the cancer prevention ability that was once thought….and drinking alcohol may not be bad for you since they now believe that brain cells don’t die and keep growing throughout our lifetime…and bottled water is not as safe as tap water since the FDA has lower safety standards than the EPA…and more evidence mounts that soda (in it’s current form) really can be bad for you.

Now this last fact, about soda, I kind of just stumbled upon by accident when clicking through a link stating that there are FiveThings That Are Worse Than Global Warming. (Of course, that is if global warming really exists or not. But that’s another post for another day…)

Now the thing about soda doesn’t really surprise me too much. Given all the chemicals in soda it just doesn’t seem like it could be good for you. But the food industry isn’t saying that. And even my doctors tell me there is nothing wrong with diet soda, that it’s actually the first thing recommended for diabetics. But at the same time, there are enough references out there that suggest otherwise; some of the “facts” out there are as follows:

• Recent news reports state that Sodium benzoate, a preservative in soda, can cause cellular damage by attacking the mitochondria in DNA
• Aspartame/Nutrasweet (in diet sodas) causes you to crave carbohydrates, thus diet sodas cause you to gain weight
• Aspartame/Nutrasweet breaks down to a poison at over 86 degrees (and may be a potential cause of Gulf War Syndrome).
• Sucralose also breaks down into a pesticide-like chemical.
• Carbonated beverages are highly acidic which makes the blood less alkaline which then leads to calcium depletion as the body works to neutralize the acidity. The increased phosphorus from soda consumption, as well as caffeine, also contributes to calcium loss.
• Carbonated beverages also deplete oxygen levels in the blood, as the less alkaline blood loses its negative electrical charge, thus causing red blood cells to stick together thus inhibiting blood flow.
• Caffeine causes dehydration.

Undoubtedly there is significant lobbying going on here. Michael Moore and OpenSecrets.org points out the amount money spent on the lobbying of politicians by the health care sector. The food industry can’t be that much different. Politics definitely complicate things. Will there ever be facts that are simply facts? Or, do “facts” not exist any more thus every scientific study can be spun one way or the other depending on whichever results you want them to support?

The Fourth of July signifies different things to different people. Some of the following references probably strike a chord with you…..

• We’ve got the traditional fireworks, picnics, hotdogs, and apple pie.
• We’ve got the classic educational School House Rock Videos .
• We’ve got the regular fireworks broadcast, like the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks.
• We’ve got the usual online video tributes and emails, such as this Happy Independence’s Day Greeting from Godaddy.com .
• Then there is the less serious events of the day, such as the Competitive Eating contests.

Let’s look a little closer at this last, less serious, yet equally controversial, topic…

So, let’s find the balance. Let’s enjoy the events of the day. And let’s also take (at least a few minutes) to appreciate our liberties and human rights, which at least on paper, are considered to be inalienable:

In the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson famously condensed this to: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. . .”

I initially meant to post this to my other blog at HMH-Designs-Online (which I also did do), but since I posted through Digg.com, I decided to leave a copy here, too.

Finding creative ways to catch other people’s attention is important to anyone aspiring to make a difference in the world around them. So, enjoy these business card designs. Let me know if you get inspired!

A gallery of lots of good looking business cards from some design agencies… you may even score a few good email & phone numbers from the cards.

read more digg story

Now there is proof that “Doing Good” or “Paying it Forward” has multiple benefits, both physical and mental. Check out this article on “Your Guide to Never Feel Tired Again“:

“Do some good. Acts of altruism can lend a little pep to your step. In fact, one study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that volunteer work can boost your energy in six ways: It enhances happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health, and mood. Find short- and long-term volunteer opportunities at volunteermatch.org and charityguide.org. “

Consider this….