The games start today and I really love the commercials (like this one) but I just can’t resist taking a look at the issues (that may become lawsuits and actions) surrounding this year’s Summer Olympics… We’ve heard about the buildings, the slums. Oh and how about what the governor of Rio said about the games being a “big failure” or soldiers “shooting and killing” a jaguar during the torch lighting ceremony (guess that’s why they’re featured in this commercial-they must be everywhere). There are four main running controversies…. READ MORE

Iran’s central bank must pay nearly $2 billion to victims of terrorist attacks, the Supreme Court ruled in April this year. And as the legal system works towards getting payment for the victims. Will the payment be an incentive to curtail terrorism? And now the families of 4 Americans who were killed or wounded in the Israel’s West Bank in 2014 during the attack by Hamas.

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Can you eat too much watermelon? Actually you can but it would be like eating 3 big watermelons a day for a week… So here’s the good news! Watermelon is a fat-free fruit rich in Vitamins A, B6, C and is loaded with Potassium and the antioxidant phytochemicals lycopene and citruline Lycopene is a super strong antioxidant known to prevent various types of cancers and improve heart and circulation… It has a “Viagra-like” effect on men, Reduces Blood Pressure, Reduces Blood Sugar… Whoa, sign me up right! Head on to the local store and get some now!!

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Should We Torture Suspected Terrorists? Dr. Paul Ekman poses some very interesting things to ponder on this subject. Torture violates the 8th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. While there’s been much argument about whether non-citizens are entitled to the protection our Constitution affords us. The bigger question is what has tortured gained us? Have so-called “harsh” interrogation methods protected us from attacks on homeland since 9/11? Or do we owe our safety to more traditional human intelligence, non-coercive interrogations, and cyber intelligence? This article from Ekman is worth the time

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The world’s in turmoil, life is hard, people let you down, BUT, there some really basic things to be HAPPY about. Here’s a hint from16 year old Haley Bruckner.. her 50 Things to be happy about – the top of her list? The first warm day of the year (she’s a Mid Westerner), laughing so hard your abs ache (old Eddie Murphy or Robin Williams skits do it for me), freshly washed sheets, looking through old pictures (especially the ‘70’s), the smell of a coffee shop (or my Nutty Roman from Giacomo’s), eating cookie dough ( I never do that-dooh)…READ MORE

Heard the numbers lately? Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal
shelters nationwide each year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.Approximately 2.7 million are euthanized each year and approximately 2.7million are adopted. Between 37-47% of households in the U.S. have a dog and 30-37% have a cat. How difficult is it to adopt a pet and what’s involved?

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Fascinating treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) utilizing replacement of deficient hormones.  An estimated 1.9 million Americans sustain a TBI each year.  Approximately half of these cases result in at least short-term disability, and approximately 52,000 of those people die from their injuries.  Of those that survive, many will develop progressive hormonal deficiencies, which lead to post concussion syndrome or post TBI hormonal deficiency syndrome, a cascade of deficiencies of hormones that will affect every aspect of functioning and will have a dramatic effect upon the patients quality of life.  Listen to this interview with Dr. Mark Gordon, pioneering this therapy

What kind of friend are you? Here’s a look at some of history’s most unlikely friendships – like Marilyn Monroe & Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Keller & Mark Twain- really interesting look at the nature of friendships.

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Deserves the absolute best vegetable lasagna recipe ever! From the incomparable, Ina Garten – make it ahead and refrigerate for a day or freeze it for up to 3 months. What a great way to use up that squash, tomatoes, and eggplant from your garden!

RECIPE

Is their “milk” in milk chocolate? Well, yes, in fact there is. But here’s a more interesting factoid; there is up to 15% “milk” or dairy products in dark chocolate too. The FDA recently studied amount of dairy in all chocolates in an effort to identify various allergens. If you’re lactose intolerant you need to read this study!

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