Good morning Taty
Ran across this book review and I thought I’d
post it here since you…… ahem….. are planning to
get hitched soon!… You might enjoy reading it if
you have the time.<br
the Heart<br
Kingma<br
Unforgettable
Wedding”<br
Ortinau <br
exciting, joyous experience for a couple that has made the
decision to marry. Yet once the engagement ring has been
slipped on her finger, bridal magazines start piling up
on the coffee table, wedding organizers become
filled with appointment dates and “to do” lists, and
mailboxes overflow with honeymoon destination deals and
discounts. Losing sight of the magic that first inspired the
occasion isnt difficult.<br
is an ideal time-out read for the couple that has
become caught up in the chaos of planning their big day.
Making that day perfect, from bouquets to banquet halls
to photo shoots, can be challenging especially
when pressure mounts to create an event that will not
only please but impress guests. Readers are encouraged
to pause and consider what is really important to
them, then to incorporate these elements into their
wedding plans.<br
Reflections on Marriage, intended to “open your heart to the
deeper meanings of your marriage ceremony”. It discusses
the undertaking of marriage and the positive changes
that occur as a result of promising to become
someones partner in life. The author has a way of bringing
to the surface what one in love most likely realizes
but has perhaps has lost sight of, or maybe never
fully realized about marriage.<br
planning a wedding are outlined, from choosing attendants
to selecting music to holding rehearsals.
Throughout, the author reminds readers to consider their
emotions while providing unique, inspiring possibilities
for personalization. The ritualistic meaning behind
individual elements of a traditional ceremony (the
procession, convocation, invocation, readings, address,
expression of intent, vows, blessings, exchanging of rings,
pronouncement of marriage, kiss, benediction, and recession)
are clearly explained, which is helpful when a couple
must decide how these will be carried out.<br
February 5th, 2003 at 4:47 am
Five complete modern ceremonies are presented
next. The first is a contemporary revision of the
traditional Christian ceremony. The second focuses on the
psychological meaning of marriage, emphasizing that a couple is
joining together to help each other fulfill a purpose in
life. The third is a lighthearted ceremony with a
celebratory and rejoiceful tone, emphasizing the couples
delight in finding true love. The fourth is intended for
a couple that has been previously married. The
fifth is designed for those in recovery from an
addiction. Daphne Rose Kingma repeatedly encourages readers
to “mix and match” elements from the ceremonies to
better fit personal relationships.<br
includes an “Additional Selections” chapter with page
after page of wonderful poems, quotes, and essay
excerpts readers are almost guaranteed to find something
that suits their taste. “Customs from Around the
World” is another bonus chapter that provides examples
of wedding celebrations held by couples of different
ethnic backgrounds. Finally, a “Ceremonial Flourishes”
chapter, filled with ideas for small but significant
additions (such as allowing parents to talk about the
couple or asking guests to bring herbs and flowers for
good luck) concludes Wedding from the
Heart.<br
wedding, beyond bubbles blown at the chapel door or tea
light candles on reception tables, this book is the
perfect guide. It is an ideal reminder that behind all
the pearls, lace, lights, and music is the occurrence
of a magnificent spiritual and emotional union of
two souls.
February 6th, 2003 at 6:23 am
The idea of a single pill that could allow you to
eat a high-fat meal without gaining weight–and that
could control type II diabetes to boot–sounds like
fantasy. But research published in March suggests that
such a drug may be closer to science fiction: unlikely
perhaps, unquestionably difficult, but not theoretically
impossible.<br
colleagues at the Merck Frosst Center for Therapeutic
Research in Kirkland, Quebec, scurry genetically
engineered mice that gain only half as much weight as their
unaltered littermates when fed the same high-fat chow.
After one of those calorie-rich meals, these mutant
mice function normally, whereas their fatter brethren
suffer the high blood sugar levels that are a hallmark
of type II, or adult-onset, diabetes. The two groups
differ by a single gene, which creates an enzyme called
protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B, or PTP-1B. The fat, sick
rodents have PTP-1B; the healthy mutants
don’t.<br
McGill University, led by Michel L. Tremblay, published
in Science–is important for two reasons. First, the
fact that an absence of PTP-1B protects against
obesity is surprising, says Barbara C. Hansen, director
of the Obesity and Diabetes Research Center at the
University of Maryland. Based on what biologists have
learned about PTP-1B over the past decade, most would
have expected just the opposite.<br
sits in cells all over the body. In muscle and liver
cells, Kennedy explains, “it appears to function as an
on/off switch” that controls how long insulin can coerce
the cells into extracting sugar from the blood. “When
insulin docks to its receptor on the outside of a cell,
it causes the part of the receptor inside the cell
to change shape,” he continues. That in turn sets
off a chain reaction in which phosphates and proteins
clump together and open up the cells’ membranes to
receive sugar from the bloodstream. In type II diabetics,
these cells resist insulin coercion, so too much sugar
stays in the blood and not enough gets in to fuel the
cells.<br
receptor,” stopping the effect of insulin after a certain
amount of time, Kennedy says. So mice that have had
PTP-1B knocked out are much more sensitive to insulin,
because they lack a major means to turn the insulin
signal off. “But if this increases insulin sensitivity
to drive glucose into the cells, that should if
anything increase fatness,” Hansen points out. The most
recent drug approved to treat type II diabetes,
troglitazone, has only “a very modest effect” in reversing
insulin resistance, she says, yet it often causes weight
gain.<br
calories, if not making fat? Kennedy says that recent
experiments, still unpublished, suggest that “they are burning
more calories.” If so, then there may be a new way to
fight obesity: suppress the body’s production of
PTP-1B.<br
February 7th, 2003 at 7:58 am
The second important revelation from the
experiment was that the knockout mice appeared healthy and
long-lived despite a total lack of PTP-1B, raising the
prospect of a drug that might be safer than existing
diabetes and obesity drugs. Several such medicines have
been withdrawn or restricted.<br
found the type II diabetes medicine troglitazone to be
safe, for example. But the Food and Drug Administration
estimates that since it was licensed in 1997 and prescribed
to more than 1.6 million U.S. patients, 26 deaths
and nine liver transplants have “probably” or
“possibly” been caused by the drug. In late March an FDA
appointed expert committee recommended that diabetics not
rely on troglitazone alone and get regular liver tests
while taking it.<br
would work differently. Merck is screening thousands of
chemicals, but Kennedy admits that it will not be easy to
find a drug that blocks PTP-1B but not other PTPs. The
human genome is thought to contain up to 100 of these
enzymes, each varying from the others only slightly in
chemistry but vastly in function.<br
predict the side-effect profile” of PTP-1B-suppressing
drugs, points out Phillip Gordon, director of the
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases. “It is, however, a very important target for drug
design and may well offer promising mechanisms of weight
control”–long known to be the best way to control type II
diabetes.<br
cautions that “it is not very likely that attempts to
suppress a single enzyme with drugs will be successful.
But perhaps we may find two or three places where
different drugs work independently, and we can combine
them.” So although it may not come in a pill, there is
room to hope for the antifat, antidiabetes
cocktail.<br
February 14th, 2003 at 7:07 pm
Hi everyone, Hi Yara,<br
was very interesting. I had not read this article.<br
everyone.<br
February 16th, 2003 at 10:18 pm
Hi Yara and everyone,<br
letting me know about “Weddings From The Heart.” The
review that you posted sounds great.<br
you who aren’t familiar with me, I will be getting
married on July 21, 2001 to Bobby “Reticuli2000″. The
date is approaching fast and I’m very excited about it
all. Sometimes I get a little stressed out trying to
get things to come out as smoothly as possible. I’m
just a worry wort, LOL! Things are working out
according to plans, I shouldn’t worry.<br
and everyone.<br
February 26th, 2003 at 12:52 pm
Dear Taty,<br
marriage. I’m sure everything will work out perfectly for
your marriage. Just relax and have a great time in the
planning.<br
March 9th, 2003 at 4:33 am
Hi Keene,<br
my upcoming marriage. I’ll do my best to relax and
have fun while in the planning stage. Planning a
wedding shouldn’t be stressful, I must see this as the
joyful time that it is.<br
care.<br
March 10th, 2003 at 6:08 am
Hi Keene,<br
congratulations on our upcoming wedding. :-)<br
pretty normal to have some element of stress when it
comes tothe expenses and ironing out all the kinks with
the details of the planning, but I wouldn’t trade it
for anything else in this world, and I know that the
rewards that will come out of all this will be the
greatest gift I can ever hope for. :-)<br
part, we’re fine and everythign is actually coming
along better than expected for this time - the day will
be on July 21, 2001, and we already have so much
taken care of already, and for that I’m really glad,
believe me - whew! LOL!!<br
thank you very much.<br