Danny's Law

     There are tragedies we have suffered as human beings. So that on the anniversaries of these events we try to spread the words "we will not forget". Those sentiments should not just be reserved for the big catastrophic happenings but should include a single death of an average person, even worse a death by suicide.

Why should one death matter?

    It matters when like a disease it causes hundreds or thousands of needless deaths due to a societal problem that is repeated every day at schools across our country and probably across the world. It matters because we as parents ourselves have empathy for those who have lost their child, the brothers, sisters, family members, neighbors, and friends.

Danny's Story

   Danny Fitzpatrick was a normal 13 yr.old boy who loved sports, had a mother, father, and 3 sisters who loved him. He had dogs, went to school, and did all the things 13 yr.olds boys should experience except for one thing. He was bullied. He felt belittled, humiliated, and hated. He asked for help from teachers and principle Rosemarie McGoldrick at Holy Angels Catholic Academy. Danny wrote a letter detailing his feelings and the events that led up to his finally hanging himself in the attic of his families home. He was found by one of his sisters.

 Victim Blaming, is that the School Policy?

     In his letter, Danny said that only one of the teachers took any action but whatever she did it didn't last. The school did later talk to the parents of the kids who bullied him and suspended them, but we all know to kids like that it was a vacation, a reward.
     The other action the school took was to question Danny about his home life.They wanted to know if the parents drank if they had food and clothes in the house. When they didn't get the answers they liked they called the ACS Administration of Children's Services to investigate the family. Because of course Danny's problems couldn't have been caused by the bullying it had to be problems in the home. 
     The parents underwent drug testing which turned up nothing and the principal said the bullying was just a phase and would pass but it would be Danny who passed. He passed on the rest of his life, his future because he felt hopeless and couldn't live with the hurt anymore.

Bullying Legislation

     Forty-nine states have passed bullying legislation and it varies with each state. Danny lived in New York his family and state Rep. Daniel Donovan, Jr are trying to pass "Danny's Law". In New York, the existing legislation only applies to public schools. The family is hoping to change it to include private and religious schools too and to include consequences such as the parents of bullies being liable to pay for hospital and/or funeral expenses and the bullies to be held accountable.




The First Lady's Initiative

     Melania Trump's Initiative is anti-bullying and cyberbullying which is a good and worthy cause. The problem is that it's hard for her to be taken seriously when she rarely speaks and has a husband who bullies on a regular basis. Some may say that he is just defending himself but when he name calls, makes a cartoon with a CNN reporter getting run over by a train, makes a gif with Clinton being hit in the head by a golf ball, and advocates violence at some of his rallies against protesters, that is more offense than defense. It's hard to tell others to stop bullying when it's happening in your own home and family. Why do we bring up Trump? It's because of "Danny's Law".

Danny's Law

     I am not a journalist nor am I a lawyer and trying to untangle bureaucracy is not my forte. However, in researching Danny's Law, I found that this bill is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on Oct. 24, 2017. It will typically be considered by committee next which is the committee of Education and the Workforce before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole to be eventually signed into law by the President. Unless I am mistaken what will be passed is an Anti-Bullying Roundtable who will research bullying and then give a final report to the President. Sources are predicting this bill has a less than 20% chance of passing.

How You Can Help

     Like and follow this Facebook page. Danny's mom Maureen has founded an anti-bullying non-profit 501(c)3 foundation. To donate go to Danny's Angel Network Nurturing Youth, Inc.

      TheNational Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255
Sources for this article were Congress.gov , New York Post , NCSL , Daily News New York.
#endthesilence #Dannyslaw #bullying

Rich Chocolate Cake

     This recipe may not be healthy, but once in a while, it's ok to indulge in sweet comfort!

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups hot water
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tbs. white vinegar
• 3/4 tbs. instant coffee
• 1 tbs. vanilla extract

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray 2 round cake pans with non-stick spray
3. Mix by hand the first 5 ingredients in a big bowl. In a small cup combine remaining ingredients. Whisk the small bowl into the dry ingredients till mixed but don't over mix and don't worry about a few lumps. You don't want to overwork the batter.
4. Pour batter evenly between the 2 pans and place on ovens center rack.
5. Bake for about 37 minutes checking for doneness when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let cakes cool down on a wire rack for 15 minutes then turn pans over and place cakes on plates till completely cool. Leave them upside down to flatten.

      Chocolate Frosting

• 1 stick butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups of cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. instant coffee
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract 

1. Melt butter in a saucepot over medium heat.
2. Mix in sugar and cocoa.
3. In a separate bowl combine sour cream, heavy cream, and instant coffee. Whisk till mixture is smooth.
4. Add the cream mix to cocoa mix and cook about 7 minutes till all smooth and melted. Don't let it boil.
5. Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract and cool for 2 or 3 hours.
6. Frost cake and enjoy!

       

 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

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The Best and Worst in Sugar

     Sugar is made of three things, Glucose, Galactose, and Fructose. Animals need those three things but humans don't. Foods contain any combination of those three elements.

     Sucrose is made from a combination of glucose and fructose. You find that in table sugar, beet sugar, and cane sugar.

     Lactose often called milk sugar is made of glucose and galactose. Dairy products contain this type.

     Glucose is the molecule that provides energy for life. All cells burn glucose to create energy. Our bodies need it so badly that if we don't consume enough our bodies are able to make it.

     Fructose provides sweetness and things like agave, maple syrup, honey, and high fructose corn syrup are caloric sweeteners. They are made from glucose and fructose. Fructose is the part that we crave for the sweet taste. The bad news is that fructose is addictive, and the important thing to consider is that our bodies don't need it at all.

     The effects of eating or drinking too much fructose are that it causes cell damage and death. The liver reacts to fructose exactly like it would if you drank alcohol.

     The addiction to sugars like this is very real but like with any other bad habit it can be kicked.

 

   

Why Apples Are a Superfood

• An average apple contains about 80 calories

• If you eat one large apple per day, you can lower your cholesterol level by 8% to 11% and two large apples can lower it by 16%

•  An average apple contains about 3 grams of fiber and even if you peel it you will still get about 2.7 grams of fiber. Fiber keeps you feeling full and satisfied, and because it has two different kinds of fiber, it really helps in lowering that cholesterol.       
  

• Apple skins have a strong flavonoid called quercetin. Eat one apple a day with 4 cups of green tea, and a couple tablespoons of onions per day and you lower your risk of heart attacks by about 32%.

• Researchers believe that apples can lower the risk of breast cancer and possibly colon cancer.

• Apples come in many varieties, sizes, and colors, and can be enjoyed cold and crisp or warn and soft, and can be used in salads, desserts, appetizers, and main dishes.    

• Braeburn apples can help protect your skin from dangerous UV rays from the sun.  

• Apples have shown to raise the levels of HDL or good cholesterol.    

•  After subtracting the amount of fiber, an average apple has only about 15 grams of carbohydrates.    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Stress and Anxiety

     This is a slight variation of the progressive muscle relaxation technique which was invented by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in 1930.

     A doctor I was seeing taught me this exercise for my anxiety, and it worked! Simply put, you contract groups of muscles and when you relax them you say the word relax. One day I was sitting in a gridlock of traffic, late for work, and feeling very stressed and overwhelmed, barely able to sit still. I said the word relax, not at all thinking about the exercise and I was surprised when my body immediately responded. I had unconsciously trained my body to respond to myself saying the word, "relax".

     It doesn't matter what part of the body you start with or even what order you do this in so feel free to experiment with what works or makes sense for you.

     Lay down comfortably in a quiet low light place with little distractions. Start with your hands by making tight fists and squeezing them as hard as you can. Don't injure yourself but you should apply so much tension that your hands may even start to shake. Hold this for 5 to 7 seconds. The very instant you release them you will first say the word relax then immediately tense the next part, maybe your shoulders or feet.

     The body parts you relax and tense could include:

• hands
• feet
• shoulders
• hips
• neck
• mouth
• forehead 
• thighs, etc.

     You should for the first couple weeks do this exercise twice a day, then just once a day. When you feel your body is perfectly responding to the conditioning you can drop it to a maintenance level of 2 or 3 times a week.
     Whenever you feel tension or anxiety just repeat the word "Relax" and you will feel relaxed. Give it a try!

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Creamy Fruit Pie with Yogurt

     I'm always reluctant to tell people there is yogurt in this pie because it's not everyone's cup of tea. I also know that if they were to taste this pie they wouldn't even know that yogurt was an ingredient. It's that good!

The Basic Recipe

• 1 graham cracker pie crust
• 1 med. container of cool whip
• 1 container of any fruit flavored yogurt
• Fresh or frozen fruit to match the yogurt

     Combine the yogurt and the cool whip, mix well. Pour it into the pie crust and use the fruit to decorate the top of the mixture. Place it in the fridge for a few hours till it's well set. Serve and enjoy!


Notes:

     My favorite pie uses banana flavored yogurt with fresh bananas. I slice the banana and place a layer on the bottom over the crust. After I add the whip cream and the yogurt mixture, I then add more banana slices on top.

     You can also get a strawberry-banana yogurt and use both fruits. You can layer the bottom, place on top,  mix it with the whip cream-yogurt mixture, or even do all three.

     Cool whip comes in a great variety of types and even comes in chocolate. You're only limited by your imagination.

     If you use frozen fruit let it thaw before adding it to the pie to avoid excess water. Canned fruit is good too but again make sure it's well drained.

     Try a chocolate ready made pie crust for a twist.

     You can even deconstruct this pie and layer the ingredients in nice parfait glasses. You can save a few more calories by just taking graham crackers and making crumbs to use for your crust layers.

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Carbohydrates

 A low carb diet can be great for weight loss as long as you remember that carbs are a necessary part of our needed nutrition to keep our bodies running smoothly. If you are diabetic you will especially want to watch your carb intake because when carbs enter our bodies they turn into sugar.

COUNTING CARBS


     It's recommended that 45% to 65% of your daily calories come from carbs. Using simple math you can calculate the right amount of carbs for you. Here are some facts to help you.

     Carbs are counted in grams. One gram of a carbohydrate is equal to 4 calories. Let's say you want to take in 1600 calories a day. Let's also assume that you've chosen to limit your carb intake to 50% of those calories. 50% of 1600 calories would be 800 calories. The next step is to divide 800 by 4 (the calories in 1 gram of carbs), which gives you 200. That is the number of carb grams you would be allowed.


TWO KINDS OF CARBS

     The two kinds of carbs are called simple and complex. Most of your carbs should fall under the complex category. This would include foods such as most vegetables and high fiber foods. The simple carbs are things like sugary treats, cookies, ice cream, etc.
Both kinds have the same calories but you will feel fuller longer and be healthier choosing the complex type.


NUTRITION LABELS AND CARB COUNTS

     When figuring out the number of carbs you also need to pay attention to the amount of fiber in the food. All carbs turn into sugar in the body except for the amount of fiber. So you will need to subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of carbs. If, for example, a single serving of the food has 12 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber you would subtract 2 from 12 to give you an actual gram carb count of 10.


ANOTHER WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF CARBS


     Some people find it easier to use servings instead of counting carb grams. It's recommended that an adult has
between six and eleven servings of carbs per day. If you are diabetic or trying to lose weight you want to be on the low end of that amount around six or eight servings. Men and larger people would want to be towards the high end such as ten or eleven. A serving size is 1 slice of bread, 1/2 a bagel, 1/2 banana, etc. you get the idea.

Guilt Free Detox Soup!

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 small head of broccoli florets
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups water
2 cups spinach leaves torn in pieces
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
Juice of 1 small lemon

Instructions

Heat 1/4 cup broth on med. heat, then add onions and garlic*. Saute, while stirring, for 2 to 3 min. Add carrots, celery, tomatoes, and broccoli. Cook and stir an additional 3 min, adding another 1/4 cup of broth. Stir and add the ginger, cabbage, cinnamon, and turmeric. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the remaining broth and water.

Boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 15 min. Lastly, add spinach
and lemon juice and simmer another 2 min. Serve and enjoy!

* For a stronger garlic flavor, wait to add with the spinach and lemon juice.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator

This website has some great health calculators. Check it out at Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator and learn more about the state of your body!

Jackfruit

     What is Jackfruit?

 It is a large bumpy green fruit that grows in warmer or tropical climates. It grows on trees and can weight up to 100 lbs, so sitting under that tree would not be wise!

     Buying Jackfruit.

 You can buy a whole jackfruit in some supermarkets and prep it by cutting it open and removing the edible parts, or you can take the easy way out and buy it in a can. Most markets will have canned jackfruit next to other canned fruits.
       There are two kinds of canned jackfruit. The one you will cook with is "young, green, jackfruit". The other kind, not for cooking, is ripe jackfruit, and that kind is sweet and good with desserts and ice creams. The brand I usually find is Chaokoh. You can also sometimes find in the produce refrigerated section, containers of cut up jackfruit.

    Preparation
.
   Inside the can of the cooking kind, you will see triangle pieces. The first thing to do is to drain the water and give the contents a rinse or two. If you take four pieces out and piece them together to form a circle you will see an inner circle which is called the "rag". The rag is edible but rarely used. If you hold each piece by the rag you can use your fingers to pull off the outer layer, called the "arils". This is what you will use for recipes and by pulling it off it resembles shredded meat. Among the arils you will find seeds. Most of them are soft enough to leave in.


      This must be cooked and not eaten raw as it may cause stomach upsets. For about $1.59 a can you will be surprised at the amount you get. One can makes about four servings.
      Jackfruit will take on any flavors that you cook it with. You can make a faux pulled pork sandwich by cooking it with barbeque sauce, and anyone would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

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Black Rice

 The new word is that black rice is even better for your body than blueberries. "Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants", Zhimin Xu, PhD, of Louisianna State University Agricultural Center, says in a news release.

     Black rice takes a little longer to cook than white rice. It must be soaked in water for about an hour before cooking at a boil.

     It sounds like an incredibly healthy food to include in our diets. photo credit:nebulux76 via photopin cc

Exercise and Breast Cancer Risk

Vigorous exercise can cut the risk of breast cancer in normal weight women. Non-vigorous exercise has no effect on breast cancer, and vigorous exercise on overweight women has no effect.

Vigorous exercise would be activities such as scrubbing floors, jogging, running, dancing, and biking.

Non-vigorous exercise and vigorous exercise on obese women still have their worth for a number of other health reasons, so don't stop doing them. They just not proven to help with breast cancer risk.

Breakfast Smoothie

     I finally got a Nutra Ninja, I've been wanting a machine like this for some time so that I could make healthy drinks, soups, and snacks. I've always loved fruits and vegetables and now have a way to combine and enjoy them easily.

     There is nothing terribly original about this recipe, however, it's fast, delicious, and good for you.

   
                                                   Breakfast Smoothie

                                   1 cup of Almond Milk ( unsweetened )
                                   1/2 cup of mixed frozen berries
                                   1/2 frozen banana
                                   2 tbsp. of flax seed
                                   2 ice cubes ( optional )

     Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy. I like to let the berries thaw first and the banana soften because the more frozen the fruit is the thicker the smoothie will be. If you do leave it frozen you will have fruit ice cream you can eat with a spoon!

     Also don't be afraid to vary the ingredients, for instance, you can use unsweetened orange, apple, or other juices in the place of the almond milk.Remember if you use blackberries or raspberries you will have tiny little seeds in the smoothie.

     Flaxseed is one of many superfoods. Remember when buying them that the whole flax seed itself is not digestible. You should buy ground flax seed where they've already been opened to expose the nutrients your body needs.

     You can also add some protein powder to make it a complete breakfast, or simply have a hard-boiled egg with the smoothie for the protein. 

     Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!