Are you ready to spice up your life? There's only one sure-fire way. It's a secret.
Vicky Christina Barcelona weaves a tale of transformation of two besties who visit Barcelona for the summer unaware that the trip will challenge their current belief systems.
If you're ready to begin dating again, you'll need to know these mental strategies to make the most of it.
No description available.
Where do they get their "news" and why are we so fascinated by it?
The most random, weird facts about things you never cared about.
Confession: I hate Lifetime television
I hate Lifetime television. It’s not really for women. The women are always getting their ass kicked. It’s really television for men.
I changed my phone number today.
SALT LAKE CITY, April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- USANA Health Sciences, Inc., a nutritional supplements manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, is proud to be the Official Health Supplement Supplier of the U.S. Women's Ski Jumping team (WSJ-USA), the newest addition to the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. For the first time in Olympic history, women are allowed to participate in the discipline of ski jumping."USANA could not be happier to be part of this historic moment. These women are an inspiration, and we are thrilled to continue supporting this elite team of athletes," said Dan Macuga, USANA's Vice President of Marketing.
Women's ski jumping is becoming an increasingly popular sport to compete in worldwide. Lindsay Van, of Park City, Utah, is the sport's first female world champion, and for over 10 years Van and the team have fought to be included in the Games. "We know we're ready and we want to show the world in Sochi in 2014," Van said in 2010. The IOC rejected women's ski jumping for the 2010 Winter Olympics and that only fueled Van and the team to push harder.
"I'm glad I didn't give up," Van said Wednesday at the Utah Olympic Park, site of the ski jumping events at the 2002 Winter Games.
Christophe De Kepper, IOC sports director, said Wednesday during a press briefing in London, the main reason a women's event was approved for Sochi 2014 is the increase in quality and depth in women's ski jumping.
"The support that USANA gives us is huge. We would not be here if it wasn't for our sponsors who have seen the virtue of this and stuck with us. Presently the entire program is run by the funding we generate through our sponsors and private donors," Peter Jerome, founder of WSJ, said.
By Erika MartinEducation Columnist
Becoming an advocate for higher education for women is something I have always been passionate about because it was something that was denied me when I was living in the spiritually abusive subculture that my parents raised me in. It was a dream that I buried down deep inside because I knew that if I brought it up, it would have been shot down by my parents. It's something that at 34 years of age I am now fighting for and pursuing.
I grew up in a religious subculture that viewed women as less than men. The idea of higher education for women was frowned upon and viewed as evil and feministic. Women were told that their place was in the home, having as many babies as God would give them and home-schooling them. Women were discouraged from getting a driver's license as it would only foster independence and that was also viewed as evil. Women were not allowed to work outside the home since their place was in the home. Pants, jewelry and make-up were also forbidden.
When it came time to finish my 12th grade home-education, a high school diploma was not in my parents' plan for me. I had the typical home-school graduation. It was done in a church and I was the only student in the Class of 1994. I was both at the top and bottom of my class. I was handed a homemade certificate that my parents signed but as far as any state or colleges were concerned, it meant nothing. My parents had stopped reporting to the state for our schooling so any work that I did my senior year was null and void. Disallowing me a high school diploma was just another way to make sure that I wouldn't pursue a higher education or make it harder to pursue one. Having a diploma simply meant that I could grasp independence easier and that was something that the patriarchal subculture discouraged for women.
Even more of a "catch 22" was that my sister and I were told that if we insisted on college, we would have to pay for it completely on our own but seeing that we weren't allowed outside jobs, that would be impossible. No driver's license, no high school diploma, no job- all of these things were enforced to make it impossible for any way out of the patriarchal lifestyle.
I eventually left home at 20 years old, got married at the same age and started having children a year and a half later. A higher education was something that was put on the back burner as I had babies to take care of and a catering business to run with my husband. Over the years, we put the catering business behind us and I now work full time from home as an artist. While I feel that I've done pretty well for myself without a college degree, there's still a passion that I have to learn more and a passion to reach out to other women that have come out of abusive situations.
I've decided that it's time for me to pursue that higher education that has been put on the back burner for so long. At 34 years old I am currently working on getting my high school diploma through the Adult Learning Program in my area. I have the option of earning a GED or a high school diploma and I chose the high school diploma because it was more of a challenge to achieve and it was something I had always wanted. I will be graduating in a cap and gown with the Class of 2011 at the school that my kids will graduate from when they are 18. From there, I plan to pursue a Masters in Psychology. I would like to practice creative therapy - using art and counseling to help people heal from abuse, just as I've found art to do the same for me in my own healing process.
Working towards getting my high school diploma has been intense and quite the challenge but I've embraced it, knowing that the work and effort I'm putting in right now will reap the reward and sense of accomplishment that I've been wanting for the past 16 years. I will be sharing my journey with you here at My Savvy Sisters in the hopes that others will reach out and embrace their passions and work towards them, knowing that they have the power within themselves to pursue and achieve their dreams.
About the columnist:
Erika Martin was withheld from attaining her high school diploma and a higher education due to living in a spiritually abusive upbringing. She is currently working towards attaining her high school diploma and plans to pursue a degree in Psychology after graduation this June. Erika will highlight relevant news and information that relates to education as well as chronicle her journey toward her diploma.
You are very angry right now, aren't you? Someone you love has disappointed you and you want them to feel the pain that you feel inside. You have already decided to punish them by not speaking to them, withholding affection and treating them like they are subhuman. This punishment hasn't relieved your pain has it? For some reason, you still don't feel better.
Las Vegas, Nevada
I write articles on topics including personal development, spiritual development, and psychic development. My articles touch upon career, relationships, finances, health, spirituality, astral
projection, lucid dreaming, and paranormal phenomenon. I attract people who are into personal growth but who also recognize the benefits of being balanced between the material and the spiritual. I enjoy writing for a wide audience. Often very spiritual people are surprised to find I write coherently about real-world problems, and very grounded agnostic folks like my views on spirituality. It’s great to connect the two.
Most people are receiving intuitive insights, but they are not aware that they are. Then, even when they are aware that they are receiving intuitive guidance, they don’t act on it because they don’t always trust the information, or it flies in the face of logic. So I like to tell people to actively listen to, trust, and act upon their intuition for 30 days to strengthen their intuitive muscles. Meditate, connect with your guides, ask them for insights and wisdom, and trust their counsel.
I think the biggest misconception people have about our profession is that only some people are intuitive. Everyone is intuitive, but some people don’t work on developing their intuition so it feels like they don’t have any. Just like building physical muscles, some people are weaker while others are stronger. But you get out of it what you put into it. Keep working your intuitive muscles and they will get stronger. Ignore them and they will atrophy.
Being intuitive does not guarantee you a perfect life free of pain or humiliation. Staying tuned in all the time or checking with intuition every moment is too tiring. I trust my guides to get important and urgent messages to me when they need to. My guides do not want to rob me of the gift of free will, so I’m totally free to make dumb decisions any time I want to. It adds spice to life.
However, being intuitive definitely has its advantages. Thanks to my intuition and spirit guides, I have had great success in my career helping others. They give me great ideas, support, encouragement, and can sometimes give me a shortcut to my goals. They have definitely also prevented me from getting hurt or injured. So while I wouldn’t say my life is perfect, I know it’s been made better by being strongly intuitive.
You May Be Intuitive If:
A prediction for My Savvy Sisters.COM: Your passion will guide you to greatness. Keep helping others and allow money to flow to you so you can provide even more value to your readers.
Hi there Te-Erika, girl wow hard to know what to say about what your doing, here's me about to close a store that isn't making money and I feel lost and disappointed, like I've failed and here you are giving away your things to go out into a world that isn't kind, and is cold even in the hottest summer times.
It's winding down to the day I'll have to move out of here and onto the streets. I am feeling okay about it. I am so busy planning the job fair and writing that I don't have time for fear.
An aneurysm is a weak, enlarged area in an artery (blood vessel). Over time, the force of normal blood pressure can cause it to rupture, which can be life-threatening and cause significant disability in survivors. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons estimates that every year 30,000 people in the United Statesexperience a ruptured brain aneurysm. Aneurysms are more prevalent in people ages 50 to 60 and three times more prevalent in women.
The size of an aneurysm can vary from small (less than .25 inches) to giant (larger than 1.25 inches). Its shape may also vary; for example, it may be balloon-like with a narrow neck extending from the artery or it may resemble a bulge with a wide or indistinct neck.
The Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) is a flexible mesh tube made of platinum and nickel-cobalt chromium alloy that can be used to block off large, giant, or wide-necked aneurysms in the internal carotid artery, a major blood vessel supplying blood to the front of the brain. The device can also reduce the likelihood that an aneurysm will rupture.
To implant the device, the Pipeline is attached to the end of a catheter, which is inserted into an artery in the leg. The catheter is threaded into the carotid artery and into position at the aneurysm where the Pipeline is expanded against the walls of the artery and across the neck of the aneurysm, cutting off blood flow to the aneurysm. The blood remaining in the blocked-off aneurysm forms a clot which reduces the likelihood the aneurysm will grow bigger or rupture. Aneurysms successfully treated with the Pipeline will often shrink over time.
"The Pipeline Embolization Device offers neurointerventional surgeons an alternative to open surgery or placement of materials such as coils or a liquid embolic when treating carotid artery brain aneurysms," saidChristy Foreman, acting director, Office of Device Evaluation, Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
As part of the approval process, the FDA reviewed results from a study that followed 108 patients between ages 21 and 75 who had a large or giant aneurysm with no discernable neck in certain sections of the internal carotid artery. Results showed that one year after implantation 70 percent of aneurysms remained blocked off without significant narrowing (stenosis) of the section of the artery treated with the Pipeline device.
The same study tracked adverse events associated with the Pipeline and showed that ten strokes occurred in 9 patients in the year after treatment, significantly less than the 20 percent rate expected for this condition. Patients also experienced minor adverse events such as headache, bleeding, nausea and vision problems.
The Pipeline should not be used in patients with an active infection or patients who cannot take antiplatelet therapy (medication that interferes with blood clotting), such as aspirin. Patients should receive adequate antiplatelet therapy prior to surgery to place the Pipeline. The Pipeline device should not be used to treat an aneurysm with a stent previously placed across its neck.
Indigo KashmireDavie, Florida
Over the last 20 years Indigo Kashmire has studied Quantum Physics. In October 2010 she was able to bring all of her healing gifts and quantum studies together to develop a technique that she calls re birthing. “I am able to draw out negative energy that is lingering in your field and recycle it to positive energy,” she explained. “This initiates the self healing system and activates the spiritual gifts that have been blocked.”
According to Indigo women seek intuitive counseling for three reasons:
1) To validate or confirm their own intuition.
2) To get information about future events concerning people in their lives.
3) To understand the spiritual dynamics of their lives or their immediate circumstance and why certain people are in their lives. Finally, once understood, seeking spiritual guidance to be all they can be.
“Every person is on a journey,” Indigo notes. “Our journey is customized to what it is we need to learn in this physical body, in this physical world. We can be on the same path or our paths can run along side of our friends but we cannot share in our journey. Our journey is for us and us only.”
The 42-year-old intuitive expressed that when circumstances arise in a person’s lives they tend to pull upon the information that they have been given over the years. “It is at this crossroads that information becomes outdated and thus the tools as well. It is then time for new tools and new perspectives to come to our mind in order to begin the next chapter of our lives. That would be the best time for you to seek intuitive services to help process the information and find which tool best suits you.”
Any intuitive counselor that is most interested in the need of the client is the best type of intuitive to connect with. “It is through a series of researching and tests or consultations that you can get a sense of what you need from that experience,” Indigo said. “I take time to build a rapport with my client and help them to understand and see their part in the dynamics of any given situation.”
She suggests writing down a series of questions you would like to ask someone who has the potential to assist you on any matter.
“Periodically I have groups of clients that struggle and go through times of crisis. I know that these clients are the most important to me in that moment and Spirit will tell me that they are very close to making a huge life decision. I only do what Spirit tells me to do,” Indigo said.
”In assisting clients in crisis I have found their feedback delivers a message of hope to others. That is the foundation of my work. Helping those to help themselves and then to eventually help others. I have a 100% success rate in any client situation that requires emergency management which explains why I have been studying emergency management in the disaster related field,” Indigo explained. “My clients find the courage inside them to make the right choices and take action in areas that they have been stagnated in. Sometimes I ponder the thought that they are sent to me at that time strategically.”
Indigo describes herself as a First Wave Indigo. “I knew at a very young age that I was different than everyone else around me. By the age of one I could see energy around every living thing. My vibrational energy was so high that I was completely misunderstood and felt that I never fit in. I am an Empath, as I learned later, and could always feel other people's feelings thinking they were my own. I could never separate them and I became heavy and negative until I learned what it was and how to manage it,” she said. “I believe strongly that we all have very unique innate gifts that you need to evolve into by releasing fear and old belief systems that do not work for you now.
With all of the astrological changes in effect, what that energy is reflecting down to us I am certain that many are awakening to their purpose here and a simpler way to live.”
A prediction for My Savvy Sisters.Com: Yes. I feel the publisher will have a very creative idea toward the end of this month that will be very valuable to the progress of this project. My guides say to go in that direction and it will come very easy and will be very lucrative.
To learn more about Indigo Kashmire please visit her website at www.readingsbyindigokashmire.
I had to take a break from daydreaming so that I could write my daydreams down. They were oh, so sweet.
It's 5 days away and I finally got in contact with Eric Brown, the gentleman who offered me the use of one of the centers he manages in Broward county. I've been waiting for him to get back with me and I find out that he has concerns over the magnitude of the event and wonders if I had considered some of the obstacles that I will face. He says that the event needs insurance and it will be $200. No, I don't have the $200 for the event but I am going to try to raise it and I need to do it today.
While the premise of the movie is based on a myth that we only use 20% of our brain power, Limitless incites a philosophical question that urges the viewer to think smarter.
The lead character is a man who is at the end of his wits, literally. He is failing in his career and his love life and can’t seem to start his book after receiving a hefty contract. When he happens upon his ex brother-in-law his life shifts permanently. His brother introduces him to a drug called NZT-48.
The effects of NZT-48 cause Cooper’s character to utilize 100% of his brain which enables him to retain and recall key information at a moment’s notice which allows him to think his way out of precarious situations and become an overnight success in the stock market. Not only is this pill the gateway to his success, it places him in immediate danger as he is the only person left with any known supply and other key figures in finance have been found to have used this drug too.
There is a little bit of a love story due to the fact that the lead character's girlfriend keeps popping in and out of his life but it's not really worth mentioning, so I won't.
Gangsters and blood baths, corruption and white collar villains abound in this light-hearted thriller. Guys will love the fight scenes but they aren't intense enough to be a turn off for women. Although Limitless was just as gory as other drug related movies, for some reason I wasn’t sucked into the mayhem and negativity. I didn't emotionally connect with the lead character's frustration at all. Instead I focused intently on the choices Cooper’s character made with his newfound intellectual capacity.
If you could learn anything and use your knowledge to have an extreme advantage over others, what would you seek to learn first?
The real question is one that we used to ask as children: If you had one wish, what would it be?
The SMART answer is: I’d wish for more wishes. The lead character does just that, making all the right moves in the knick of time to position himself to live out the life of his dreams.
Watch this movie. It has a surprise ending that will make you smile and shake your head.
Rating: 3 Stars
Fun To Watch
For My Savvy Sisters: If you had the capability to far exceed your own intellectual limitations, what would you want to learn first?
Adrienne Nixon Owner of www.pamperedbyadrienne.com and www.elanphotography.net
Adrienne is the sweetheart behind Adrienne’s Little World which is nearly 6 years old. Her blog details her passion for her family, sewing and living her best life. It’s great to see that the idea of the personal blog hasn’t died as many bloggers have turned their blogs into businesses. Adrienne shares stories about her life journey that draw you in and make you want to be a part of her beautiful family. “My greatest accomplishments have been being a mother to three children (15, 11 and 9) a wife for 14 years and having my own business,” Adrienne said.
What does Adrienne love most about being a blogger? “I love connecting with like minded individuals and meeting new people,” she said. “It's also super fun to go back and see how I've grown. I blog about a whole lot of everything, so it's so easy to see my growth. It's a form of therapy sometimes to just say what's on your mind and leave it at that.”
It seems that all kinds of women and few men love following Adrienne’s life story. “I think one thing that people love about my blog is the fact that I'm open,” she said. “I don't tell specific details but I certainly talk about the different issues I have or the things I've gone through. You NEVER know who it might help or encourage.”
The savvy seamstress encourages her readers, "Always pray and never be afraid to try. Let go of all negative influences in your life and keep God first. You are SURE to succeed!"
To experience the warmth of the spirit of this blogger please visit www.adrienneslittleworld.typepad.com
Joanna AmmonsStreamwood, Illinois
Joanna Ammons is the powerhouse behind OneSoulmate.Com. Her website and intuitive services cater to people seeking information about their soulmates. Although Joanna’s phone booking roster with her clients are usually on a 2-3 week wait time, she does not think about her intuitive services as ‘work’. “It is more of a path assignment,” she explained. “It’s very simple, I see and hear things and receive messages for individuals I am supposed to help.”
People from all ages and even pet owners contact Joanna to find out about love, finances and residential moves and changes that happen in their lives. She said she receives messages and uses no methods like cards or chanting.
“I was born with it,” she explained. “As a child, I often got in trouble in school and with my mother. My worst experience was telling a childhood friend that she was adopted and her adopted family did not want her to know it yet. Boy did I get into some trouble that day. I believe we are all born with [this gift] and society wipes it out. It sticks to those who are a bit more stubborn and question the ‘rules’ imposed upon us.”
The Love Psychic said if she could have chosen another path for her life she would have studied medicine. She emphasizes this love for physical healing by writing articles for Yahoo News under the genre of health and wellness.
“I didn’t choose medicine because I chose taking care of family first,” she explained. “I have members of family who are disabled who I also care for on a full time basis.”
With all the inspiration and motivation Joanna gives through her services, I wondered how the giver replenishes herself. “I pray and I believe in God,” she said. “I believe that when we are assigned difficulty in life, we are also given the strength to endure. We are all placed here to love and to serve. You must make some time to take care of yourself so you can be strong to care for the ones you love. I replenish through daily prayer and meditation. If everyone took 15 minutes a day to clear their mind and meditate, that in itself would change their life for the better.”
A prediction for My Savvy Sisters.Com: Follow your heart Te-Erika, something inside of you is brewing and it is so wonderful. Keep focused on accomplishing your dreams. Surely it will happen. Your key is simply believing in yourself.
With only 6 days left to the beginning of the Rebuild Your Life Project I am still as cool as a cucumber. Today I went to a meeting with a local homeless outreach center and gave them a presentation about my project. I had to walk for more than 30 minutes and my heel broke in the process so I ended up walking barefoot across broken glass and dirt because I had gone too far to go back and change.
Dentists nationwide partner with The Oral Cancer Foundation to raise awarenessNEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A serious change in the cause of oral cancer is taking place nationally, and its implications are impacting the American public in a manner that a decade ago no one would have predicted.
For decades, oral cancer (also known as mouth cancer, tongue cancer, tonsil cancer, and throat cancer) has been a disease which most often occurred in older individuals, who during their lifetimes had been tobacco users. Most cases were ultimately the result of lifestyle choices. Today that paradigm has changed. A common, sexually transferred virus has replaced tobacco as the number one cause of oral cancers, Human Papilloma Virus number 16 (HPV16). This is one of the same viruses that are responsible for the majority of cervical cancers in women.
This year alone, approximately 37,000 Americans will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer, and one person will die every hour of every day from this disease. HPV16, one of about 130 versions of the virus, is now the leading cause of oral cancer, and is found in about 60% of newly diagnosed patients. Dr. Maura Gillison from the James Cancer Center, a long time researcher of the relationship between HPV and oral cancers, recently reported these new findings at the American Academy for the Advancement of Science meeting.
This change in etiology, which has accelerated its influence over the last two decades as tobacco use in the US simultaneously was declining, has also changed the demographics of who is getting the disease. It is no longer the domain of those over 50 who have smoked a decade or more of their lives. The fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population, are people in the 25-50 age range, who are never smokers, and that group predominantly comes to the disease from HPV16. Their oral cancers occur in locations anatomically unique, mostly localized to the posterior of the mouth; in the oropharynx, tonsils, and at the base of the tongue. This viral etiology makes identifying the "high risk" individual much more difficult.
Tobacco use in any form by itself continues to be an important risk factor for the disease. However, in the developed world, oral cancers are becoming more common because of persistent HPV16 viral infections. Evidence indicates that the virus can be sexually transmitted between partners, and accounts for the increase in young victims of oral cancer who do not fall into the historic, tobacco risk factor group. Additional risk factors include high alcohol consumption, the use of conventional smokeless (chewing/spit) tobacco, as well as prolonged exposure to the sun (for lip cancers).
In a National effort to raise awareness, The Oral Cancer Foundation has joined forces with dental offices throughout the US to screen individuals for the disease. Together, OCF and the dental community are urging the American public to take advantage of free oral cancer screenings during Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April. Over 1250 free screening events are taking place in dental offices across America in this one month alone. These simple visual and tactile screenings hold the hope for an early discovery, sometimes even as a pre cancer, when current treatments are the most effective and survival is the highest. A list of the offices participating in this event can be located on the foundation's web site at: http://www.oralcancer-screening.org/events/
Dr. Ross Kerr, an oral medicine specialist at NYU comments, "In a painless, three to five minute oral cancer screening, most of the signs and symptoms of oral cancer can be seen with the naked eye, felt with the fingers, or elucidated during the patient's oral history interview. Suspect tissues can be easily biopsied for a definitive diagnosis. Unlike most other cancer detection exams, the screening for oral cancer does not require any special equipment, is not uncomfortable or expensive, nor require invasive procedures. Any dentist or primary care physician and many nurses and dental hygienists, who have been trained to do oral cancer examinations, are in a position to find the early signs and symptoms of this disease. The dental community, through this partnership with The Oral Cancer Foundation, is positioning itself as the first line of defense against oral cancer through the process of early discovery of suspect tissues. "
Oral cancer kills almost three times as many people as cervical cancer every year, and is responsible for more deaths than from other cancers we hear about more routinely. Yet it continues to remain off the radar to most of the American public. Only recently when actor Michael Douglas was diagnosed with a base of tongue oral cancer, did the disease gain significant visibility.
It is an insidious disease, as in its early development it does not always produce physical symptoms that a person may be aware of, and this makes routine, professional screening highly important. If oral cancer is detected early (in stages 1 or 2), the survival rate can be as high as 80%-90%; but when found as a late stage disease (stages 3 or 4), the chances of survival drop to 20%-30%. Unfortunately, in more than half the cases, oral cancer is found in its later stages, and late discovery and diagnosis are major factors in the high death rate.
The good news is that it does not have to be this way. Like other cancer screenings you engage in such as cervical, skin, prostate, colon and breast examinations, opportunistic oral cancer screenings are an effective means of finding cancer at its early, highly curable stages.
Brian Hill, an HPV+ stage four oral cancer survivor and OCF Founder said, "Reducing the high death rate associated with oral cancer is a tangible opportunity today. We have seen early detection positively impact the death rates of many other cancers. The most notable is our sister disease, cervical cancer. Like oral cancer, it is predominantly squamous cell carcinoma, and is caused almost exclusively by the same HPV virus group. In the 1950's when American women began getting an opportunistic annual cervical screening, we saw the death rate associated with it drop dramatically. A reduction in oral cancer deaths is not waiting on a new scientific discovery, diagnostic device, intervention, or treatment to make it occur. We do need increased public awareness, coupled with an engaged professional dental and medical community doing opportunistic screenings, to make death reduction a reality. The American public needs to avoid known risk factors and make sure that they receive an oral cancer exam at least annually."
The Oral Cancer Foundation is encouraging the public to take advantage of these free screenings during April's Oral Cancer Awareness Month. There are hundreds of free screening events taking place throughout the country. To learn more about oral cancer, or to find a screening location near you, go to the foundation's website, www.oralcancer.org. Early detection saves lives.
By Christina FerminPolitics & Society Columnist
Nuclear energy is created through a controlled nuclear explosion in which there is a splitting of atomic nuclei or by forcing the nuclei of atoms together. Today in the U.S. there are 104 operating commercial nuclear plants. This number does not include research facilities nor does it include government reactors operated by the Military or Department of Energy. There are over 400 nuclear power plants in the world. Nuclear energy generates less than 10% of the world’s energy while it generates almost 20% of the energy here in the U.S.
Nuclear energy produces lower amounts of carbon dioxide and other green house gases compared to fossil fuels. Nuclear energy has relatively low operating costs and this technology is already readily available. It is also possible to generate a large amount of energy in a single plant. Nuclear energy is mainly used to generate electricity. Lately we have heard many of the positives of nuclear energy because it is cleaner than fossil fuels. The cons of nuclear energy have been overshadowed by the push for cleaner technology.
As much as politicians talk about how safe the industry has made nuclear energy there are still large expected and unexpected risks involved. The horror currently unfolding in Japan with the meltdown of their reactors caused by a 9.0 earthquake followed by a tsunami, reminds us of the dangers of nuclear energy. When disasters occur the consequences are devastating. After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 millions were exposed to radiation. The data suggests hundreds of thousands died, there were chromosomal aberrations, a spike of down syndrome in babies, and a rise in disease and cancer. Nuclear plants could also serve as easy targets for anyone wanting to harm a people or a nation.
When talking about nuclear energy no one ever mentions its nasty byproduct radioactive waste, stored deep within the Earth. It must be carefully handled for many thousands of years and is highly dangerous to people, animals and the environment. Radioactive waste is also used for the production of nuclear weapons. Nuclear energy is not considered a renewable technology because its main ingredient is Uranium which is expected to last only a few more decades. Why push for nuclear energy when we only have a few decades of Uranium left and it takes anywhere from 20 to 30 years to properly build a nuclear facility.
Renewable technology is here and advances in technology are allowing it to become cheaper and more available. Renewable energy comes from natural resources that naturally replenish such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat. The environmental impact of using renewable energy is lower than that of nuclear energy, coal, gas or any other fossil fuel. Humanity is at an important crossroad. We are at the point of no return and if we do not start to wean off non renewable energy humanity will push itself to the brink of extinction.
So what can you do? Educate yourself, politicians love to play with words and twist them around to sound good when they may not serve in your interests. Write, email, fax or call your congress person. Join an anti nuclear coalition such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth International or Campaign for nuclear weapons free world. Look into purchasing or using renewable energy to power your home. Reduce your carbon footprint and be more considerate to future generations and the environment. Don't know how? Check out some tips here: http://www.carbonfootprint.
A nuclear free world awaits us if we decide to make our voices heard. You do have a voice and you can change the world. A future free of pollution, filled with renewable technology to decrease our carbon footprint while making the world safer, awaits us if we choose it. This is not an issue to be ignored or passed on. Unless you want a nuclear waste site behind your yard or a nuclear plant facility by your home, take the action and make your voice heard. The future is here and now, you decide.
Peace and Love, Christina About the Columnist With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now.
