Living smart and my music

Recently we aired programs on building with recycled materials and Effective Living. This week Hitaji Aziz of KPFT radio who's been hosting a show for 25 years, talked about her male audience and how she tries to help me who have been wounded spiritually and psychologically. These three shows have hit a nerve. Thousands more watched Living Smart. Dan Phillips of the Phoenix Commotion is trying to move his concept of building with recycled materials to Houston. I spent a few days in Huntsville looking at his houses and it was the most amazing architecture I have ever seen. He is basically taking landfill "trash" and making art and creative architecture. He is also doing it for people who can't afford even low cost housing. Dan and his wife are people who truly make a difference in other people's lives. I do hope the city of Houston works with him to begin recycling major city landfills.

Sister Elizabeth Mozina of the Cenacle, a retreat house in Houston also brought great response form our viewers. I love the Cenacle and what it does for people. It is a place where I often find inner peace and even wisdom! Her course on Effective Living also changed my life. I just had to share a bit of what I had learned in years of going to the Cenacle.

Hitaji Aziz, who has lived a difficult life, has the most street smarts, or call it wisdom, of anyone I have ever known. She knows pain, shame and depression. She understands it and most importantly feels compassion and empathy for victims who are also victimizers. I wanted her to teach us how to stop the cycle of pain, shame and violence. Her words are powerful and her story life affirming. She is Living Smart!!!

I would also like to share I have started playing music with a duo as well as my band. This allows me more flexibility and forces me to learn many new songs! We are playing at a Colombian Restaurant, Mi Pueblito on Richmond and Gessner every Thursday at 7:30pm. We have a lot of fun and people seem to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and food. We will also be playing on August 24th at Salento Cafe at 8pm. Salento is on Rice at Rice Village.

Thanks to all of you who have called and written us. It means the world to us here at HoustonPBS. To me, it means that by watching these extraordinary guests YOU TOO ARE LIVING SMART!!! Be happy.

Effective Living and Soccer

Many years ago, I went to the Cenacle for a retreat. Someone had suggested I attend the Effective Living Seminar with Sister Elizabeth Mozina, so I did. It transformed my life. The affirmations that I learned I was able to apply to different areas of my life. Over the years I took advanced courses and went to the Cenacle several times to recharge my "spiritual batteries." One of my favorite blessings when I would return to the Cenacle were Sister's big hugs and the stillness of the surroundings. Every time I go the the Cenacle in fact, I can't help but appreciate what it offers, a time to be alone, a time to be quiet and reflect, a time to be with my higher power. There, I simply feel safe. I do hope you enjoyed Sister's 6 main affirmations on the show. Believe me it is a great way to start changing your life if you so desire.

Lately I also wanted to share one of my many passions. Besides playing music which is my "night hobby" I love watching men play soccer! In Argentina, where my parents are from, soccer is a like a religion. You have to show up on Sundays no matter what! Right now Argentina is in the finals for the Copa America. I do hope we win but fortunately over time, I have gotten less upset about losing (if that were to happen) I have learned to love international sports as a way to unite people. Every time I have been to a world cup, which happens every 4 years around the world, I can't help but feel a lot of conflict could be resolved in the world by just playing a match and watching the best team win. I have sat in coffee shops around the world dancing Brazilian zambas, Chilean Cuecas or American disco after a match just because we felt like celebrating what we have in common. I am already making plans for some dancing this weekend!

Living Smart, Summer Escapes and Music

Hello there:
I got a lot of calls from you about the social security show. I can't repeat this often enough. Knowledge is power and in this case also "Money". For more information on what you really need to know about social security, e mail
lauadams@aol.com and also check the social security website www.ssa.gov. I also wanted to share with you HoustonPBS escapes.

Summer E-scapes is in a full swing again and we were able to secure very cool prizes. Odds to win one of these prizes are great.

So, I wanted to ask all of you to promote this any way you can…forward it to friends, post it in your blogs…etc.
Below is the message that will be going out to all our members. Feel free to forward it on.

The shortcut URL to get to the proper page is www.houstonpbs.org/escape

I am now working hard on my fourth season of Living Smart. Producing all the video reports and preparing for future topics. We'll be covering credit card debt relief and why we need to teach our children to SAVE MONEY! We'll also find out how to protect ourselves from identity theft. There will be a lot of discussion about the environment and simple steps to save energy. I also just attended an addiction conference in Quebec Canada and will be producing a show on the science of addiction and what's new to treat drug abuse.

This season we are still covering fabulous topics, such as "Effective Living" with Sister Mozina on July 15th, Dan Phillips who builds low income homes with recycled materials on July 22nd, Hitaji Aziz who knows a lot about healing young men and how to talk to them(July 29th) Gracie Cavnar teaches us about childhood nutrition Augst 5th) John Fain about supplements and vitamins,(Aug 12th) Laurel Spence shares her experience with post partum depression August 19th) and Joan Ifland shows us how we can become addicted to sugars and flours.(August 26th)

I continue to play my drums and a bit of guitar with my bands and will probably playing at a cafe soon with a duo. I will let you know when I have dates and places.

Remember to be grateful for all your blessings!

Diets don't work so now what do I do?

Dr. Robert Moore will be my Living smart guest on June 23rd at 3pm and thursday June 28th at 1:30pm. He's not only very handsome but extremely fit and happy as well. There is a secret to this..and he knows it..so I tried to find out and you'll have to watch the show to get the permanent weight loss tips I learned from him.
All my life I have done every diet on the book and I still I have not been able to shed those extra 10 to 15 pounds that of course would make me look just right (or better yet, how I want to look) I think if I took notes on what I did during the many hours of my life I have spent talking about dieting, food, cravings, dinners, lunches etc. It would probably be half or more of my life. I LOVE TO EAT...Did you hear that? I JUST LOVE IT! and there is not one type of food I dislike, except maybe ants, dogs or crickets. ( yes, some people still do eat those) Thus my dilemma. Every time I eat something I shouldn't to keep my weight down which is almost everything I like..chocolates, sweets, crepes, french bread, fried rice etc etc, one voice tells me "Patti you got to live life!! the other yells at me "Don't do it..Here you go again, giving in to the delicious temptation." What will determine how much I weigh in the future is which voice I decide to hear.
That is why I really enjoyed talking to Dr. Moore. He made it sound so easy and sensible. He does excercise a lot, I will give him that but I don't have to look like him or a hollywood star? I just need to look.....well....perfect!!! He insists we need to understand our bodies work like machines. Whatever we put in will affect how the machine works. He, as I am, is concerned about obesity. How did we get this far? After three documentaries on the topic I have to say it has mostly to do with what we eat and we must as Americans, start thinking about what we put in our machine and it has to start with children.
Did you know if a child is obese before the age of 18, he or she will most likely be overweight the rest of his or her lives? In some countries obesity in children is considered child abuse. Personally I would have to look at each case with a number of experts to decide that but as adults we do have a responsibility to inform ourselves about what we are putting into our children's mouths.
If you think carefully, what we eat will determine our health in the long run. I invite you to watch Dr. Moore. Okay, I'll be nice and share one tip...You must eat every two hours..What..you'll have to watch to find out!

Living Smart behind the scenes & weight loss issues)

I am in the research phase of Living Smart season four production. I am truly excited about the potential guests. Some of the topics I want to cover are shame, consumer legal rights, the art of happiness, critical thinking skills, natural medicine and many others. It is however a difficult process. I may pick some guests and topics but our diligent committee decides what is best to fulfill the mission and goals of our program. Our season three will begin airing on May 13th at 3pm on Sundays (repeat on thursdays at 1:30pm) below you will find more details on what we will be covering. One of my favorite topics always is permanent weight loss and you will find four of the guests from season 3 will enlighten us about this topic. Joan Ifland discusses why addiction to sugars and flours may be the reason why we are so overweight as a nation. Dr. Robert Moore discusses tips on permanent weight loss. Gracie Cavnar coaches parents on how to keep children eating healthy foods and John Fain, the pioneer of the natural foods movement in Houston also teaches us the advantages of organic foods. You can check the schedule below to see when they are airing, or check our website www.houstonpbs.org/livingsmart

From: "Norberto Loeda "[mailto:norloeda@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 5:45
Mi comentario es ácido y realista... a pesar que muchísima gente no lo vea asi yo creo que (como el tema del Social Security y de los Sistemas de Salud) el problema se comenzaría analizar sin tantas presiones como la de la poderosísima de la "Rifle
Asociation" y los fabricantes de armas, cuando les tocara vivir personalmente y en carne propia los efectos de la liberalidad para la compra de armas (conste que no le deseo al hijo de puta mas reventado que se dedique al contrabando de armas que ningún miembro de ssu familia se convierta en víctima de la facilidad que los intereses creados promueven a la sombra de la constitución y la libertad) en forma significatica en cuanto a número de casos... aunque el caradurismo es rampante sino hacer memoria de lo sucedido al Vice-Presidente.
Yo creo que el que defiende el derecho de portar armas es porque piensa usarlas (el tipo de blanco es irrelevante... hasta que es un pet, un amigo o un familiar suyo.). Será muy contitucional pero yo creo que si tenemos la libertad de hablar y además de portar armas, estamos corriendo el riesgo que estas sean el punto final de una discusión acalorada.

Eso de que las armas no son culpables sino quien las dispara, para mi es una idiotez injustificable a partir que la pretenden justificar con el derecho a defenderse y protegerse... by the way ¿Ese no es el motto de la Policía? "To Protect and Serve" ... si es así ¿para que carajo gastan el dinero en ella?.. mantengamos el revolver al cinto tipo Wild West, hagamos el panegírico de la "gun culture" ... y luego quejémonos cuando los delincuentes y locos en sus desatinos y desvaríos se vuelven "happy triggers" y asesinan por nimiedades que hasta parece que lo hicieran como deporte. Perdón, el padre del Presidente ... ex-Presidente a su vez ...¿No es miembro de la "Rifle Asociation"?

Pongamos la bandera a media asta, pues masacraron a 31 jóvenes -y alguno no tanto- pero ninguno directamente culpable de los desvaríos del asesino envuelto en este caso... y luego de pasado el período de luto... ¿que tal si la ponemos de la mitad para abajo del asta para honrar un poco no ya los jóvenes sino a los niños que mueren en el mundo sin haber tenido siquiera la oportunidad de ir ni a la la escuela primaria inmersos en violencias desatadas por personas que se supone estan en capacidad de dirigir ...y ojo que no estoy hablando solamente de los que estan en puestos políticos, sino de los que son aán peores que ellos, me refiero a los que mueven los hilos por detrás del poder (que usualmente tienen el poder real) y manipulan las circustancias y los intereses económicos y geopolíticos que desembocan en conflictos armados "for the sake of the interest (add )".

El problema, comienza con la violencia en si y a esta no se la disipa con armas sino con ideas y acciones concretas. ¡Coño! ¿Es que no sirvió el ejemplo de Ghandi?He dicho.

Virginia Tech and the massacre

I am saddened once again about these sorts of shootings in our schools. Why do they happen? Is it a reflection of our culture or some crazy individuals, very different from us? Do we all have
a proclivity to do something like this to ourselves or to others in a time of desperation? I don't know the answer. What I'd like to know is where this young man got his guns. Where did all the shooters in the past 20 years get their guns. Why did they have semiautomatic weapons. What are they for? Aren't they to fight wars? I would think you would not want a weapon like that if you were a real hunter. I don't know enough to judge if I am for or against the availability of guns. There are good arguments on both sides. However, I am concerned that we will allow this to become a "normal" feature of our culture. Gun shootings in our schools every other month. Do we arm ourselves more as some believe we should (I have heard gun proponents say if a student had a gun, maybe this man would not have killed so many people) or do we make it harder for anyone to get a semiautomatic weapon? Apparently this young man had a history of strange behavior. I would like some answers. Where did he get his guns? and does it matter? What can we as a society do to stop these shootings?

Imus fired

Imus was fired. I am actually surprised. I thought financial considerations would be more important to the network than doing the right thing. I hear a lot of anger from people who believe there is a double standard because black men insult black women often on the radio, in their hip hop songs or narrative. While this may be true, it is wrong for ANYONE to make those sort of statements. Our society has to stop this somewhere. I hope this does influence those radio talk show hosts or singers or celebrities or writers of ANY RACE, CREED OR RELIGION, to stop their racist statements towards ANYONE. It is wrong. If they feel that way, they should get educated, healed and delivered. Usted que opina?

Iran, US Iran relations and the release of prisoners

I was so glad when I heard the news yesterday. Iran released the British sailors. It was welcome news after weeks filled with anxiety about what could happen next.

After watching the documentary "the secret" and learning more about the law of attraction. (By the way I have been a student of metaphysics for many years so I know our thoughts have a tremendous influence in what happens in our lives.) I had for the past few weeks prayed for peace in our planet. I could not imagine us involved in another war for whatever reason.

I no longer focus on conflict and how to end it. I focus on peace and I wish everyone did. I don't think we should call people who are against the war part of the anti war movement because it has negative connotations. We should call it instead, the peace movement, that way, I feel, they can actually attract "peace." I believe some wars have to be fought, but most are manufactured.

"Only when there are many people who are pools of peace, silence, understanding, will war dissappear." OSHO

I also like this one "If you want peace, work for justice." Pope Paul VI

My issue with international affairs and conflicts in general has to do with lack of context in our media about any country we tend to have conflicts with. It is a mistake to believe what our leaders say without asking the tough questions. I have never believed anything a politician from any party tells me without some skepticism.

Here is what I have learned about Iran recently. My intern Arnav Chakravarty wrote a paper on US Iran Relations and Policy and this is what he found in his research. Here is a quick summary and a recommendation to create peace with Iran.

1. The US has played an integral role in Iranian domestic affairs since the early 1950's.
At the time President Eisenhower felt we needed to stop the USSR influence there so he decided the then elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh (yes he was democratically elected)
was a threat to US oil interests throughout the region, so he approved the former British plan to overthrow Prime Minister Mossadegh (Sokolski and Clawson 2005) The CIA was ultimately successful in removing him through a domestic coup and restoring the Shah of Iran to power.
According to author Dilip Hiro "This reprehensible act of the United States left a deep scar on the minds of Iranians, implanting most of them with abiding animosity toward America." (Penn 2005)

2. During the Johnson years, according to the US Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs in 1999, "the only bone of contention between the two countries was the shah's seemingly insatiable appetite for more and newer military equipment." The conflict continued and exploded under the Jimmy Carter presidency with the hostage fiasco. the Iran Hostage crisis, lead to anti Shah groups protesting the oppressive nature of the Iranian regime and despised US support of it, so it took over the American embassy in Iran and took 66 people hostage. The standoff eventually ended under the Reagan administration.

3. Ronald Reagan's presidency outwardly focused on arming Iraq against Iran in the Iran-Iraq war. In other words, our government supported Saddam Hussein over the ayatollah's Iranian government. Reagan then decided he needed to get arms to the contras in Nicaragua to avoid it becoming another communist vietnam but congress refused to get involved, so he sold arms to Iran because the profits from those sales would to to the Contras, who would buy arms with the profits. This was known as the Iran Contra scandal. This eventually led to more distrust between the US, Iran and Iraq.

4. Under the First George Bush and Clinton relations with Iran stabilized until 9/11. When the current Bush administration decided on a pre-emptive approach to future terrorist attacks and consequently invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, other countries in the Middle East, including Iran felt genuinely threatened by the US's increasingly militaristic presence in the region and have taken action for their own security. The new Ahmadinejad's regime's attempt to begin nuclear development has the US and particularly Israel and some arab neighbors worried.

5. The Bush doctrine of pre emptive strike is no longer acceptable. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicated "The US will give the diplomacy a little time. "(Shanker 2006) and while President Ahmadinejad's statements are agressive, his views only represent a minority view, while most of the Iranian government wants energy for civilian purposes only, not military purposes.
In fact, it is the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamene'i who , on more than one occasion, has indicated his willingness to pursue dialogue with the US (Azlan 2006) and with Iran's supreme leader willing to negotiate with the US, the US has tremendous leverage over the Iranian public.
Iran is a "sophisticated and technology-savvvy country that boasts adult literacy rates approaching 90 percent. The vast majorities of Iranians- nearly 70 % of who are under 30 years old are fiercely pro-american and would like nothing more than an end to the clerical regime."(Aslan 2006)

WHAT SHOULD U.S. THEN CONSIDER?

Iran is currently the 4th largest exporter of oil in the world. If they cut their exports, it could cause a global recession. Yet many believe Iran would not play the "oil card" because it sustains its economy (Bremmer 2006) but if isolated, it might be its only choice, so UN enforced economic sanctions may not be the best policy.

Military intervention through surgical airstrikes have been discussed. Vice President Dick Cheney has claimed surgical strikes from US air bases in Turkey would effectively destroy Iran's nuclear capability and"set back Iran's nuclear capabilities by at least a decade."
(Holsinger 2006) However the probability the US would be able to hit every one of the nuclear spots is extremely remote. (Pena 2006) and Additionally, the collateral damage from the initial air strikes would result in large numbers of civilian casualties (Isenberg 2006)

The best option then is a negotiated solution which leads to enforceable agreements that would be based on the motto:"Trust but verify." Averting a war is worth the compromise.

Can America afford another war when we are spending $250 million dollars a day on Iraq? I don't think so. It is time to try another route and this time without weapons of mass deception.

Living Smart will now air on Sundays at 3pm not 3:30pm

I hesitated when I was told the station had to change my show time since I felt I had built an audience after three seasons, but programming has to balance schedules all the time. The fact is viewers are difficult to capture in today's television world. They have access to 50 to 500 channels, the internet, Ipods, I tunes, etc. That is why having show on the web is so important. I feel this is where the future is going. People will want something in particular and they will go after it when they have time. That is also why TEVO has been so popular, (the ability to record a show at any time and view it without commercials, we now consider it a verb!) Did you tevo the show last night? My hope is that people who need help in many aspects of life will of course watch the show, but also click on google and see it any time they want if they happen to miss it. My next season launches on May 13th at 3pm. I am really excited about this season because the quiet heroes I have found are truly courageous. They are problem solvers. They spend no time whining, just empowering themselves and other people. I really look forward to hearing from you.

Sex and the Science Cafe/why do people split up?

Last week I moderated the Science Cafe with two scientists and a humanist. It was one of the most interesting Science Cafes we have ever hosted because sex is always an interesting subject matter. The night discussion was about Sex: Why Bother? Evolution Mysteries

In partnership with HoustonPBSOne of the greatest mysteries of biology is why humans need a sexual act to reproduce while some organisms such as bacteria do not, and while others, like plant lice, can reproduce with or without a sexual act. Scientific evidence indicates that sexual reproduction is in fact a much less efficient way of producing new individuals and, consequently, of passing on genes to the next generation. Why then are some species, like humans, only able to reproduce with a sexual act? This is one of the greatest intrigues of evolutionary biology. And science aside, what does sex mean to us after all? Do we mate with the only goal of passing genes onto the next generation? Or is there more to it under the sheets? Come and discuss these questions with outstanding scientist, medical ethicist, and religious studies scholar at the next Science Café.

WHEN: Tuesday February 27, 2007 from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm WHERE: Salento coffee house, 2407 Rice Boulevard in Rice Village WHO: Dr. Ricardo Azevedo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston
Dr. Simon Whitney, M.D. and Medical Ethicist, Medical Director of Baylor Family Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine

Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Rice University. Author of “Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion”, a book dealing with modern fusions of science, eroticism, and mystical experience

Moderator: Patricia Gras, Senior Producer at HoustonPBS and Host of TV show Living Smart – airing Sundays at 3:30pm and Thursdays at 1:30pm. Living Smart episodes also available on google

the most important information I got that night is the influence of our culture in how we view sex and evolution. Dr. Kripal said most societies in history have been polygamous. Does that explain do you think why so many people have such a hard time staying married?

Living Smart Season 3

A week ago we finished taping season 3 of Living Smart. Production went more smoothly than past shows because now, by the third try, we are getting better at it! I am really proud of the guests this season. This time around I wanted to choose people who are living extraordinary lives. These are people who have a purpose. They set an example by how they live their lives.
Topics range from the latest on nutrition and why we can’t lose weight, to tips on effective living and coping with addiction, depression and environmental degradation.

The focus of this series is to introduce experts in our community in an entertaining way by providing new and insightful information that will empower and benefit our lives.

Some of the most complex challenges we face as a society is our obesity epidemic. This season we feature four programs that answer difficult questions about permanent weight loss, childhood obesity, food addiction and the new trend towards organic foods. Another common problem in our society is addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Substance abuse destroys lives in many different ways. What works to overcome cycles of addiction in families? Recently the murder of five children after post partum psychosis brought a much more common problem to the forefront, post partum depression and how depression affects women much more than men.

We have millions of Americans behind bars. Most go back to a life of crime after they served their sentence. The recidivism rate is 50 to 60 percent. We feature a program that has lowered that rate substantially by focusing in both victims and perpetrators of crime. The environment is once again a hot topic in the news. People are beginning to ask hard questions about the air we breathe and the waste we produce. In Living Smart we answer some of those questions.

How do we reach children and particularly men who feel alienated from society? We’ll feature a writer who gives at risk children a stage to share their inner voice through the arts and a radio talk show host whose own life led her to have a special appreciation for the wounds of men. Also learn breakthrough information on what you need to know about social security and how it adversely affects women if they don’t make the right decisions about marriage, divorce and employment. Finally, how do we learn to live a more balanced and spiritual life? A religious sister shares her effective living program.

Season three guests include: Eliza Duncan on addiction, John Sage on restorative justice, Sehba Sarwar on empowering at risk youth through the arts, Dr. Robert Moore III on permanent weight loss tactics, Laury Adams on women and social security, Juan Parras on protecting the environment, Sister Elizabeth Mozina on effective living, Dan Phillips on building homes from recycled materials, Hitaji Aziz on healing men, Gracie Cavnar on childhood obesity, John Fain on natural foods and supplements, Laurel Spence on women and depression, Joan Ifland on food addiction. The series airs every Sunday at 3:30pm and rebroadcasts Thursdays at 1:30pm.

Living Smart Season Three Show Descriptions

Show #301
Are you or someone you love addicted to drugs? Find out what this addiction counselor and former alcoholic can teach us about understanding, treating and overcoming addiction.
Guest: Clinical social worker, Eliza Duncan.
(Living Smart by overcoming and understanding addiction)

Show #302
How can we make our community safer? Restorative justice aims to repair harm done by crime and restore the well-being of victims and offenders.
Find out what proponents of restorative justice are doing to reduce crime. Guest: John Sage, Founder of Bridges to life program.
(Living Smart by reducing recidivism and healing victims and prisoners)

Show #303
Want to find out how to empower youth to find their inner voice? Writer, Teacher and Founder of Voices Breaking Boundaries, helps at risk teens and non mainstream artists find the art within to cross borders, sustain dialogue and incite change through living art.
Guest: Sehba Sarwar
(Living Smart by empowering youth to find their inner artistic voice)

Show #304
You can’t lose weight and don’t know why? Understanding how the body works is the first step. This physician and fitness expert walks us through the maze of diets and exercises that lead to permanent weight loss.
Guest: Dr. Robert Moore III
(Living Smart by understanding how the body works effectively)

Show #305
While Most Americans worry about the solvency of our social security plan, they don’t realize the decisions they make about marriage, divorce and employment may have an even bigger impact on what they get the last years of life than how much money is in the system. Learn the truth with groundbreaking information on social security.
Guest: Financial Resource Consultant Laury Adams.
(Living Smart by protecting your future assets and social security)

Show #306
While many breathe contaminated air, few understand how to protect themselves and their environment. Learn what this environmentalist and activist does to empower communities to fight back.
Guest: Juan Parras, Founder of Texas Environmental justice advocacy services.
(Living Smart by protecting the environment)’

Show #307
What can we do about low self esteem? This Effective Living Program walks us through what we can do to rebuild our lives through affirmations and inner wisdom.
Guest: Sister Elizabeth Mozina, Lecturer Effective Living Program.
(Living Smart through affirmations and positive thinking)

Show #308
Can you really build affordable homes from free, recycled, and salvage materials? This builder and social revolutionary not only does it, but he believes it will be the trend of the future.
Guest: Dan Phillips Founder of the Phoenix Commotion.
(Living Smart by building homes from free, salvage and recycled materials)

Show #309
Do you have a son, a husband a brother struggling with a difficult past? This talk show host and community activist understands men’s pain and why they fear asking for help. Learn how she reaches them to heal, change and transform.
Guest: Hitaji Aziz, talk show host, community activist entrepreneur.
(Living Smart by healing young at risk men)

Show #310
Is your child overweight? Are you frustrated? It may not be as difficult as you think. Learn how to start to make a difference when you hear how this philanthropist motivated hundreds to take a stand against childhood obesity.
Guest: Gracie Cavnar, Founder of Recipe for Success.
(Living Smart by battling childhood obesity)

Show #311
What do you need to know about organic foods, supplements and vitamins. As more and more Americans turn to alternative health care, this natural foods pioneer explains how he leads a natural healthy lifestyle.
Guest: John Fain, counterculture entrepreneur and Founder of Moveable Feast, a natural food store in Houston.
(Living Smart by following a natural healthy lifestyle)

Show #312
Why are women twice as likely to suffer from depression than men? What is the difference between baby blues and post partum depression? Learn from this physician assistant’s own personal and professional experience the truth about depression and women.
Guest: Laurel Spence, Maternal Childcare Director Baylor College of Medicine Physician’s Assistance school and mother of three.
(Living Smart by coping with depression)

Show #313
Are you tired, overweight and depressed? Is there a possibility you could be addicted to sugars and flours? Learn from this author and PhD candidate in nutrition about food addiction and what you can do about it.
Guest: Joan Ifland, Author of Sugars and Flours and how they make you sick and fat.
(Living Smart by understanding the effects of sugars and flours on body chemistry)

Living Smart with Green Energy

I am both excited and concerned about writing on Green Energy. I do believe each one of us should do something to conserve energy and care for our environment in our own way. For instance I just bought compact light bulbs and three months ago I signed up with GREEN MOUNTAIN ENERGY, But I am afraid to say I had a problem with them. My bill went from 50 dollars in November to about $300 in December and up to $400 in January. Needless to say I was shocked and in my 16 years of living in my apartment I had never paid more than usually 90 dollars. My highest bill those sixteen years was $175. I have been investigating this and would like to know if you have had any experience or know of anyone who has had experience with Green Mountain Energy please write me back. I am sure if I had problems with this, many others have too. So far my cousin in Dallas and a friend here in Houston had similar problems.

Have you experienced a problem like this? What did you do about it? What are your thoughts about green energy? I would love to hear your feedback.

Welcome

This blog is an exciting opportunity for me to exchange ideas with you regarding ways to improve our lives and our world. For those of you who know me, you know that I always include a quotation by Bonnie Acker beneath my email signature that reads, “Always hold firmly to the thought that each one of us can do something to bring some portion of misery to an end.” It has been an inspiration to me and a guidepost for my work. Let’s see what we can do together to make a difference.

Patti