LIFE ON US - Part 2: “Superhuman” (from CuriosityStream.com)

Trillions of organisms have evolved to share us; worms in our bowels, bacteria on our teeth, fungi in our lungs, and viruses embedded in our dna; this is our “Microbio.” 

We have done so much to try to “clean” ourselves, that we are doing more damage than good; first, our teeth has declined; oral decay is of plague proportions affecting 90% of children worldwide.  “Its an epidemic of the modern age” – our ancestors didn’t brush their teeth, and yet, ancient skeletons found show almost perfect teeth; the closer to modern man we get, the worse condition the teeth are in on the skulls we find.  There are more than 100 million bacteria in a single drop of saliva, about 700 species; they form plaque on our teeth.  The microbes in our mouth protect us from the food we eat, which is acidic and would otherwise ruin our teeth; its called “biofilm.”  It is actually used to heal the teeth; by looking in the fossilized plaque of our ancestors, we found that bacteria changed with the introduction of flour and sugar into our diets.  There is now more bad bacteria than good in our mouths.

One bacteria that lives in our stomach, commonly called the “gastric demon” is Helocabacta Pilori, and it causes stomach cancer and stomach ulcers in some people; however, almost everyone has this bacteria and it is relatively harmless.  It also possibly prevents asthma, but we don’t know quite how yet; testing is being done for vaccines, using this bacteria.  Worms, another common parasite in the human stomach, are introduced through many of the foods we eat, particularly meats.  Microscopic views of these creatures are really frightening; and they can also be either bad or good.  Hookworms are being used as a therapy for Crone’s and Siliac disease; turns out, its saliva has immuno-supressive properties and proteins that help calm the digestive system.

In our stool, there are more bacteria by ten times, than in the rest of our body; these bacteria in our gut help control our brain, our immune system, our overall health, our mood and our body shape.  Believe it or not, “fecal transplants” are being performed to transfer bacteria from a healthy person’s gut into the gut of an unhealthy person, providing them with the defenses they need to develop a healthy bowel.  This technique has been known to CURE multiple sclerosis!  It has even seemed to help with depression.

Firmicutis is a bacteria that absorbs fat from the body; it can work on hyperdrive, or be lazy, and this affects your body shape.  Akkermansia is a bacteria for that helps with weight-loss, and may soon be used medicinally for obese individuals.  We need to remember, when we eat, we are feeding our microbes; if we feed those that make us sick, we feel sick.  The rise in diseases that we are experiencing, it seems, is being caused by the fact that we have sterilized water and sterilized food now, which is making our immune system weak. 

Retro-viruses, which have found their way into our dna, can replicate and live on for years; occurring only once in a million years, one is unfolding right now.  The koala, in Austrailia, have developed a retro-virus, which is killing off many with a lymphoma or leukemia-type sickness.  We ourselves are littered with the remains of these types of ancient battles; 89% of our dna is a result of retro-viruses.  Even the most basic process of our development is a consequence of this trick, allowing mother and fetus to “fuse together through the placenta.”  Microbes have, in fact, defined our evolution!  Amazing.

Reference:

CuriosityStream. (2014). Information summarized from: https://app.curiositystream.com/series/237; https://app.curiositystream.com/video/1415;  https://app.curiositystream.com/video/1416

LIFE ON US - Part 1: “Private Wildlife” (from CuriosityStream.com)

A recent scientific study, looking for bacterium in people’s belly-buttons, tested 60 subjects, and found over 2,300 different types of bacteria.  The amazing thing was that no one, single bacteria was found in all 60 individuals, but everyone had some form of bacteria or another living in their belly-buttons; some had hundreds of different types, while others had as little as six types.  Oddly, the people who had the LEAST amount of bacteria in their belly-button, had the poorest health.

Much like the needed biodiversity of our earth, we need a large variety of bacterium to guard our human ecosystems; on average, there are more than one billion bacteria on every square centimeter of an average human being.  We provide a food supply for them, as we loose 30-40 thousand dead skin cells every hour.  Bacteria fight each other and fight things that harm us; Bacillus Subtilis “patrol our skin, looking for fungi to attack” – if it wasn’t for them, we would end up covered in mold!  Staphylococcs Epidermidis, a common skin bacteria, however, colonizes so quickly sometimes, it takes over an entire area, as we all know.  The key is communication… yes, communication between bacteria; they have learned to “connect” and work together to allow the most beneficial or least competitive bacteria to live together in one area, building alliances “to outsmart invaders.”  Additionally, bacteria can change their genomes easily; this can be both good and bad.  A former rival bacteria can become cooperative and benefit its host, and a simple skin bacteria can become deadly in an instant.  One bacteria, Streptococcus (which normally only causes a sore throat), can turn into a flesh-eating disease which can kill within twelve hours!

One brain parasite, Toxo Plamsa, also called the “Zombie Bug” needs to reproduce inside of a cat’s gut, specifically; so it gets inside of mice, from the field, and causes the mouse to lose it’s fear of cats.  In fact, it causes it to be attracted to cats, enticing cats to eat the mouse, so it can reproduce.  This is one of the most common human brain parasites.  It affects as many as 55% of the population in countries where eating rare meat is common.

A little mite, called Demodex Folliculorum, generally lives in our eyelash pores; they come out at night and crawl on our face, and have sex and eat, and we never even know it.  They are transparent, and eat the oils and microbes in our pours; and probably have a little ecosystem of their own in their gut.  Testing has been done to compare mites between individuals; one mite was filmed (under the microscope) giving birth!  Unfortunately for them, a mite has no anus, and dies when its gut becomes impacted.

Common head lice, Pediculus Humanus Capitis, are louse that only survive by hanging onto its host by the hair; they have been around for 130 million years as far as we can tell. A blood-sucking parasite, there are 5,000 species of louse in total; they cannot walk, crawl or fly, only jumping from one host to another.  It is thought that these particular parasites are one reason that humans evolved with less hair on our bodies, reducing the risk from disease from these parasites.  Contrary to popular belief, public lice are NOT the same as head lice, as their claws are much different for holding onto courser hair; scientists suspect that our ancestors actually picked up this louse from the ancestors of gorillas long ago, in some type of close encounter between the two.  Interesting, huh?

Reference:

CuriosityStream. (2014). Information summarized from: https://app.curiositystream.com/series/237; https://app.curiositystream.com/video/1415;  https://app.curiositystream.com/video/1416

I Just Want You to Know Who I Am

Counseling - Volume 1: The Therapeutic Alliance

THE TRIAL ~ My Mother Sued My Daughter for Adopting Foster Kids! (Trial date; 3-24-2017)

In case you never saw/heard the original story, WATCH THIS:

A Mother's Betrayal - Learning to Stand up for Myself and LISTEN TO THIS:

Grandmother Suing Granddaughter for Adopting Foster Kids!

March 24, 2017

Ears pounding… 1am: I can literally hear the blood pulsing through my ears, in my head; it hurts.  I’m so tired… today was such a horrible day.

We got to the Courtroom at 8:45am; Trial was scheduled to start at 9am, but it didn’t end up starting until 10:  We went up to the table, and spread out our notes, and immediately my mother objected to me being at the table to help Kasey.  The judge told Kasey she could either have me there, or call me as a witness, but not both; I knew I needed to testify… unfortunately, I did not have the presence of mind on the stand to say all of the things I wanted to say, when the time finally came, though I thought I did pretty well.

My mother than told her attorney’s to invoke some rule that prohibits witnesses from being in the Courtroom during the trial, except when they testified, so I was not only removed from the table next to my daughter, we were all forced to wait out in the hall, and my daughter had to face my mother and her team of attorney’s all alone.  She was so scared, and not as prepared as we thought.

My step-dad wouldn’t even look at any of us… Kasey said he said with his head hung, elbows on his knees, the entire time (when I saw him, he was looking at the wall).  He would not look up at me, even as I passed by them on my way to the witness stand; sad.  It was obvious, HE did not want to be there – but my mother controls everybody, including him.

Kasey was so terrified; and so lost… she forgot half of her evidence, and the other half, they objected to and the judge refused to look at.  The fact that she has made the entire mortgage payment for the past two years did not matter, the fact that my mother willingly made her an equal owner of the home, did not matter; the fact that my mother is just a controlling, manipulative, vindictive bitch DID NOT MATTER EITHER.  Apparently, Kasey was told that she was not allowed to bring my mother’s character into question!

I’m sure, it is because we didn’t file any claim against her; I tried to get Kasey to let me Counterclaim immediately when she was served with that original Petition, but she was afraid of pissing my mother off any further, so she asked me not to.  So we just Answered.  Big Mistake.

A Counterclaim would have allowed the admittance of all of that evidence because our claim would have been based on my mother’s awful character and past behavior.  See, she makes a HABIT of suing people, having been a lawyer, herself, in years past… and loves writing hateful, horrible, threatening and demeaning letters to people or about people, to other people.  If we had made this claim in the beginning, he would have had to listen to the evidence regarding that claim at the trial.

The Judge at the Trial would not even recognize the importance of the ELEVEN-PAGE LETTER my mother previously wrote to the Judge on the foster kid’s case, Judge Mayfield, where she admitted to emotionally abusing one of the foster children by telling them they were going to be sleeping in the bathtub until CPS came back to get them; he didn’t even seem to care.  How is that?  My mother did her damnedest to get those kids taken away and put back into the foster care system!  How awful is that?

He wouldn’t listen to anything regarding horrible things she has done in the past, nor anything regarding all the work we put in on the Duncanville home, the money from which went to buy the mobile home my daughter has been living in.

Since I was not privy to anything but my own testimony, I can’t give much more detail right now; but I will be ordering a transcript of the Trial to find out what all transpired.  All I know is, after we were told we could come in to listen to the ruling, that Judge blew my mind!  He commended her for taking the steps to adopt the children, saying foster parenting is a commendable “occupation” and it’s a wonderful thing that she did.

Then he simply told my daughter, that he did not believe her side of the story; he believed my mother.  She won.  They get the house back; my daughter has to move her family.

Later that night, I sent my mother a text (not even sure she would get it) telling her she is a horrible person and I don't know how she lives with herself.  To my surprise, she replied:  "If you weren't such an ugly, mouthy bitch, Kasey would have a home."  So there it is... my mother's admission that she took my daughter's home away to SPITE me!  Nice, huh?

*I will post more when I obtain the Trial transcript.  STAY TUNED!

HOARDING - Am I a Hoarder?

(Written 9-20-14)

Watching a show called ‘Hoarders’… makes me begin to wonder – am I a hoarder?  This woman, named Carol, has boxes and bags full of paperwork that she can’t let go of – my stacks aren’t as deep; and they are mostly for purposes of my writing (for the day I have nothing else that has to be done and I can focus on all the books I have planned).  I figure I’ll sit down and go through my piles of papers, notebooks, calendars and random pages that I have scribbled down notes on and it will remind me of all the books I have set in my mind to write one day.  So there is a method to my madness.  Anything that I am going to need in the future, either for writing, or so I don’t get audited or that is proof of something; my income, social security, food stamps, Medicaid… and special events, like my leg being amputated by my horse (story for another day) or the birth of a child – and, of course, scrapbook stuff; I have files and files full of scrapbook stuff for the kids and myself.  Is that hoarding??  Memories I don’t want to let go of.  Not that I would ever completely forget, but with so much to remember, it is hard to pull it all back out of the brain without something to trigger the recall.  When I go through my file cabinets, it brings back so much of my lifetime… and I love remembering.  It would be devastating to me to have that stuff disappear.  Carol has a lot of paperwork from lawsuits she has been in; I, myself, have three sets of divorce papers, and paperwork deriving from that, including the adoption of my oldest son by my second husband. 

Now, my son is thirty-one years old.  I suppose I could probably let go of these papers.  But why?  What are they hurting?  They are in my file cabinet, a pretty wooden file cabinet that stands about three feet high and sits in a tiny spot in my living room.  The huge cherry wood corner desk my mom gave me years ago takes up most the space in there, but I’m not about to get rid of that.  It is a gorgeous piece of furniture, high-class, and I will use it when that day comes that I can spend days on end working on my writing in an office of my own.  However, next to that, are bookcases and an entertainment center my third husband and I built – heavy and strong – except that it’s now falling apart a little bit, leaning to one side and pulling on the seams of the shelves because it’s been moved around so much, since I can’t seem to stay in one place for more than a few years at a time.  If life would ever stop pushing me here and there, I’d be relieved… anyway, all the shelves are packed with clothing that I don’t really want to just get rid of.  Things I do like to wear once in a while, but just don’t have a lot of opportunity to because they are really more for going out places; and I don’t go out to a lot of places often at all.  Just don’t particularly enjoy being amongst a lot of hubbub and noise, and people in general.

Outside, we have a lot of stuff… my old Suburban, not running, that I hope to fix up some day and stacks of wood and wooden pallets for use for fencing or whatever.  We have yard tools and construction tools, my horse trailer, etc.  It looks like a lot of junk, but it all has a purpose and we do our best to keep it all organized for the most part.

Ok, so maybe I am a hoarder… I also have stacks and stacks and a few boxes and bags of material.  Yes, just material.  Because I also hope to have time one day, when I don’t feel like working on my books, to do some sewing projects; cane covers, for one thing, that I could probably sell like crazy (if I can ever get them made), and doll bedding and clothing for dolls – or dogs – and purses and pillows. I don’t know.  There are so many things that I have thought of that I would like to create someday… some day.  And in the meantime, the material stacks up; I have quite a bit in my laundry room and one small cabinet in here that is full of nothing but scrap material and old clothes whose material I like, in particular, and might find another use for (a purse or throw pillow, for example).  My mind’s reasoning is that I could sell those things one day, and make money, so to me, it’s like an investment – but I’m sure others just see it as clutter.  In my bedroom closet right now I see several nice jackets that I may never wear again; but then, I may, if I ever go back to work in a business office or have to go to court for some reason.  And there is also several items of clothing that belonged to my sister, who died almost twenty years ago now; I just like looking at them.  I rarely ever put them on because they are fancy dresses, and some are costumes for Halloween (an extremely detailed Snow White dress, a poodle skirt, and a ‘flappers’ dress from the 50’s)… but they were hers, crafted by her hands and they mean a lot to me.  So I would never consider them to be clutter. 

I do have a lot of clothes, even of the ones that I wear all the time, I have more than I NEED… but I like them all, so I cycle through them.  The shelves in the back of my closet hold about half of my stuff sometimes I switch things out; and then, of course, there’s the Winter clothing which is stored away while my Summer items are up front and visa versa.  I like to think I have a pretty good system going there.  Is that hoarding?

I’m not sure how to look at this.  Ok, my house is not as bad as Carol’s; she has a skinny pathway leading through her living room because of the boxes that are stacked on boxes to the ceiling on each side, packed tightly from the walkway to the wall.  I have a pretty skinny pathway leading through my living room, but it’s because of the desk I mentioned above and my full-harp piano (which is antique and VERY valuable) and my bookcases and entertainment center and the couches, which we just really don’t have enough room for.  I know it’s funny to say that we just don’t have enough room for a couch, but at this moment in time, it is true.  And all the other items are more important to me than a couch.

One day, I will have a place for everything.  One day, I will be more organized; I love being organized… and I think I do pretty well, considering.  Alright, I wish I had a better system for the papers I currently have to be dealing with – the bills that have to be paid every month, which I feel like I need to have staring me in the face until they are paid; and the letters from social security reminding me of an upcoming appointment, or letters that I need to respond to (which is a whole ‘nother story)… and my notebook, of course, which I have to keep near me for taking down thoughts, or notes of things I have to do. I’m the world’s best procrastinator, although I know I need to take care of these things; so they sit by my lap desk on my bed, and get scattered about and I’m constantly re-stacking them, until I can file them or throw them away.  Haven’t yet thought of a better way because if they aren’t right here in front of me, I will forget to take care of the issue.

So that’s my life, in a nutshell.  I guess I am a little bit of a hoarder – but when that day comes that I am able to see my vision to completion, and there is a place for everything, I will be happy that I still have it all.  Carol needed help.  There was a lot of garbage among her boxes as well, and her kitchen was just filthy… stuff stacked in front of the stove so she couldn’t even use her oven any more.  But as they were going through her boxes and she grabbed a calendar, saying “this is a journal – I written stuff in here”, it made me think.  I’ve done that.  But at least I don’t have garbage laying around.  I am constantly cleaning, and throwing out stuff, burning what can be burned and taking to the curb what can’t.  People may see clutter when they walk in my house, but most everything here is valuable to me and it’s not garbage; I do believe in cleaning before it gets to the point of filth.  I don’t consider myself a hoarder… how about you?