The Little Secret on Cancer

Read an article this morning in the most recent edition of Nutrition Action (which is not available online as far as I can tell).  I am not entirely hooked on that magazine, but my mother bought it for me and they often have articles of interest especially when it comes to processed foods to look out for.  My favorite column is their food porn write-ups where they compare some fat laden food to another that is much healthier for you.

But this month they had a two whole articles on prostate cancer, which I read word for word.  The take away here is that if you stick to a healthy diet, full of good food and exercise, quit smoking (or not start - why would you anyway), and do all the things that everyone is telling you to, your chance of developing prostate cancer is low.  However if you do get the lethal kind, there are treatment options that help extend your life, albeit with high rates if incontinence and impotence. The one thing I didn't know is that men get prostate tumors just from getting old and according to this article, 1 out of 2 men have prostate cancer and don't even know it.

But the biggest take-away I got (no surprise here), was that in America surgeons want to cut and radiologist want to radiate.  The article said that in Canada, this is not necessary the case.  It is just another way for people getting money from other who don't have it when the treatment may not always require cutting or radiation.  This article said that not all cancers are lethal and even though the PSA test score may be high it may not be require surgery and the full blown cancer treatment because you will not die from it.  The bottom line here is that you have to be your own advocate and make a decision that is based on your risk factors, something called a "Gleason" number, and the fact that as men age they are naturally prone to prostate tumors which are not going to kill you. Sometimes something called "watchful waiting" is all that is needed.

CSA

CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a way to have fresh, local produce available to you every week.  You buy a share in a farmer's yield in the beginning of the growing season, and they get the money up front so they can have what they need for the year.  In return you get locally grown produce.  Many times you get to try things you would not normally get from the supermarket. Since I found out about this concept, I have been trying to find one that is nearby and lo and behold there was an article in this week's paper about one right in my neighborhood!

I am most anxious to try this and plan to get a half year subscription for next year.  The share period is over for now as the growing period is pretty much over for the season, but I think the price they are asking is very reasonable for fresh produce.  I figure I spend twice that at the market for a year's time and there are things that I don't grow in my garden.

CSA's are growing (pun unintended) in popularity.  As of 2009, more than 12,500 U.S. farms reported marketing products through a CSA.  These local farmers don't just sell their own grown things, but things they get through people they deal with and some will have access to things like soaps, honey, and even meats.  I believe this is one way we can beat the conglomerates at their own game.  Buy local or go home.

Men and Long Hair

Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It's gettin' kind of long
I could've said it was in my way

Read an interesting article today that a friend posted on Facebook.  It appears according to this article that the reason that the Native Americans never cut their hair was that the long hair served as some sort of antenna that allowed them to be more aware of their environment. The friend who posted it is a woman who has long hair and not only has she not cut it, but she also dyes it as I think it is mostly grey.

Men's hair has always been short and generally when men grow it long it is a way to rebel against the establishment. My son tried it but his hair is not conducive to growing long as it is quite wavy.  But he had several friends when he was a teen who had longer hair than they do now that they are grown and trying to make it in the adult world.  Frankly I don't mind the hair being long as a way to rebel.  To me it's better than tattoos, but then again, that's just my opinion.  

Long hair has been used as a fashion statement as well, and many famous men have long hair.  The one who springs to mind is Fabio. I don't think he is doing it as a rebellion, but then again maybe he is or maybe it is just about the money.  I did a search for long hair on men and various sites came up advising men on how to keep their long hair looking good.  So maybe this thing with Native American long hair is not just history, but current fashion as well.

Amen!

An editorial appeared in our local paper which pretty much echos my thoughts. It addresses one of my major pet peeves; swearing.  I grew up in household where swearing was frowned upon and my parents never uttered the f-word.  My mother would occasionally say "damn", but she never dropped the f-bomb. I suppose my father, a native of Mexico, didn't have those words in his vocabulary and if he swore in Spanish, I never knew it.

I don't know the reason it has peppered our day to day language, but I am not a fan of it.  It screams vulgar, commonplace, and ill-educated.  Maybe I am just showing my Main Line roots here, but I fail to see the reason for dropping the f-bomb in one's daily missives.

It's not that I am offended by the word - well maybe I am.  I get a kind of visceral feeling in my gut when I hear it, so maybe that's what offense feels like.  I must admit I occasionally drop it myself sometimes in times of extreme anger or frustration, but I feel very bad when that happens.  But overall I see no need for it, and I was really surprised - and refreshed that someone did a piece on it.  Thanks!

City or Town?

Lately there has been some scuttlebutt about Norristown being referred to as a city. It appeared in a blog entry asking to stop calling Norristown a city. The term was brought up at a zoning meeting where the County's planning person called us a city and said we had an urban feel.  The author of the blog article insisted we are not a city and refers to the place as a town or by our old name "borough".  In her mind, the word "city" implies a feeling that she apparently does not feel in Norristown and probably furthermore implies a crime ridden area.

What is in a name? A rose is by any other name is still a rose. To me the words city, town, village, urban area, and borough are somewhat interchangeable.  Technically, the dividing line between those words generally revolve around population count and density.  Norristown is definitely not a suburb because we are not an area that has homes on larger sized lots with driveways and sidewalks.  Norristown has a population of over 35,000 people, has mostly densely built out areas and very little green space.  The word city is much more descriptive of how we are.  Webster's definition of a city is "a : an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village".  We are the county seat, so we have some importance.  That somewhat supports my claim.  Wikipedia says "A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings..." This means to me that town or city are appropriate names for where we live.

The bottom line to me is there is no doubt in my mind from a planning perspective that we are an urban area. We have small amount of areas where development can occur, we have dense housing, and generally we have a large, diverse population.  That spells urban.  What we don't have is the businesses, shopping, and arts areas that give a hustle and bustle feel to a place whether it be town or city, and that is where I believe our efforts should strive to accomplish. Regardless of what you call Norristown I still call it home.

Parenting 101

Every so often an article appears about parenting.  Sometimes  I read it and feel as if I was lacking in one way or another because new research now shows that one should not have been doing something that old research told you to do.  For example recently it was stated that letting your baby cry is a no-no, where as before, it was thought to be necessary to help them grow independent. Now it is shown that you have to answer their every cry to instill a feeling that they can depend on you.

An article appeared on Facebook today that made me feel a little better.  The one thing I got from this article is that the best thing you can do as a parent is to be there for your child.  I don't claim to be a great parent, and I feel very guilty for the bad state my adult child is in now, but I do feel that I was there for him; supporting him in all his twists and turns regardless of my personal feelings.  Children are not little us's.  They have their own personalities and often develop ideas that are very different that you.  I have always heard stories where the parents are very liberal and the child grows up to be very conservative.

Regardless of what the child grows up to be, the best thing you do can do is support your child and be there for them while they are growing.  Children are like plants; they need strong roots and good nutrition to grow healthy.  They need clean air, water, and loving to grow strong and thrive.  While they may stray, they should be able to depend on you to be there when they return. To me that is the basic lesson.

Unanswered Questions

Another shooting happened in Norristown.  This time a 16 year old was shot in broad daylight and the shooter was reportedly riding a bicycle.  The crime happened a short distance from my house, although I was not home at the time.

This leaves me with a sense of anger and frustration.  I have a series of questions going around in my head which will probably never get answered:

1. What is wrong with people who do this?
2. Do they know it is wrong?
3. Do they think there are no consequences to their actions?
4. Is there a different code of morality in their minds?
5. Are they conscious of what it means to potentially take another life?
6. Do they lack the feeling of power and have to do this to gain power?
7. Is it anger, frustration, or simply desperation that drives them to commit these actions?
8. What message are they sending with their actions, and are they even aware that they are sending a message?
9. What drives them to do the act in the first place?
10. Are there warning signs that someone could have observed to prevent this from happening?

I would really love to find out the answer to some of these questions, especially the last, because it might just help resolve the situation of crime in our town.  The victim is reported to be in stable condition.  Nevertheless the town is grieving because there is yet another nail in our coffin toward the ultimate end of humanity caused by the repeated acts of people who commit these crimes.