On the subject of love!

A very nice coupe gleamed in the light of the morning sun. The green lawn, the rash of winds in the trees as well as a quiet scene only broken by the chirps of birds gave a serene picture of tranquility. I wondered if love is like this. If so, it would be a big word that if left unpacked leads to bumbling attempts at loving by many among the humans.

That very nice car gleaming in the sun, needs a driver and a full tank to be driven around. On that list add, knowledge of driving, understanding of road signs, keeping to one's lane, following a speed limit and an undying desire to be sane and keep sane even while other road users are hooting and raging about a slow traffic.

Love is purposeful; love respects;  love does not ridicule; love looks with a human eye but does not put down others; love is a continuous recreation of events of happiness. Yes, love drains, love is work, love is effort, love is action, love reconciles, love can sit down but in sitting down it rusts. Love is always on the move. Love is both a motivation and an achievement.

A friend of mine who is a doctor of psychology writes and gives talks on motivation. He talks of the seven selves of motivation. These are: autonomy; competence; achievement; identity; integrity; coherence; and potentiality.

This same doctor talks of the six pillars of achievement and these are: purpose; commitment; analytical; persistence; creativity; and accountability.

So, love is both a reflection and caution and like they say: forewarned is forearmed. Approach love with the above action words in mind. As a lover you will remain true to whoever or whatever you truly love.

Interesting short reader courtesy of WEBMD; Be friends with your liver.

Sugar

Too much sugar isn’t just bad for your teeth. It can harm your liver, too. The organ uses one type of sugar, called fructose, to make fat. Too much refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup causes a fatty buildup that can lead to liver disease. Some studies show that sugar can be as damaging to the liver as alcohol, even if you’re not overweight. It’s one more reason to limit foods with added sugars, such as soda, pastries, and candy.

Herbal Supplements

Even if the label says “natural,” it may not be OK for you. For instance, some people take an herb called kava kava for menopause symptoms or to help them relax. But studies show that it can keep the liver from working right. That can lead to hepatitis and liver failure. Some countries have banned or restricted the herb, but it’s still available in the U.S. You should always talk to your doctor before you take any herbs to make sure they’re safe.

Extra Pounds

The extra fat can build up in your liver cells and lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As a result, your liver may swell. Over time, it can harden and scar liver tissue (doctors call this cirrhosis). You are more likely to get NAFLD if you are overweight or obese, middle-aged, or have diabetes. You may be able to turn things around. Diet and exercise can stop the disease.

Too Much Vitamin A From Supplements

Your body needs vitamin A, and it’s fine to get it from plants such as fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those that are red, orange, and yellow. But if you take supplements that have high doses of vitamin A, that can be a problem for your liver. Check with your doctor before you take any extra vitamin A because you probably don’t need it.

Soft Drinks

Research shows that people who drink a lot of soft drinks are more likely to have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Studies don’t prove that the drinks were the cause. But if you down a lot of sodas and have been meaning to cut back, this could be a good reason to switch what you sip.

Acetaminophen

You’ve got a sore back, or a headache, or a cold, and you reach for a pain reliever. Be sure to take the right amount! If you accidentally take too much of anything that has acetaminophen -- for instance, a pill for your headache and something else for your cold, and both have acetaminophen in it -- it can harm your liver. Check the dose and how much is OK to take in one day. Stick to those limits, and you should be fine.

Trans Fats

Trans fats are a man-made fat in some packaged foods and baked goods. (You’ll see them listed as “partially hydrogenated” ingredients). A diet high in trans fats makes you more likely to gain weight. That’s not good for your liver. Check the ingredients list. Even if it says “0” grams of trans fat, it may still have a small amount, and that adds up.

Mistakes Happen

A doctor or nurse gets nicked by a needle they’ve used on a patient. Or people injecting illegal drugs share a needle. The needle isn’t the problem. It’s what’s on it. Hepatitis C can spread through blood. Even if it only happened once, or you’re at high risk for other reasons (like if you have HIV or your mom had hepatitis C while pregnant with you), you should get tested. So should everyone born from 1945 through 1965.

Less Alcohol Than You May Think

You probably already know that drinking too much is bad for your liver. But you might not realize that “too much” can happen without you being an alcoholic or addicted to alcohol. It’s easy to drink more than you think. Many glasses can hold a lot more than one standard serving, which is 5 ounces of wine (that’s a little more than half a cup), 12 ounces of regular beer, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. If you drink, be sure to keep it moderate -- that’s one drink a day for women and up to 2 per day for men.

Vit. A supplements

Safe needles and Injections

Wines

Trans Fat in donuts and cheese

Sugar into a cup

Self medication as a form of self managed care?

Do you have to pop that beer can?

Put Gender On Your Agenda Today And Beyond

This is copied from: 

1. http://www.internationalwomensday.com/PledgeForParityCampaign

2. http://www.internationalwomensday.com/Activity/3968/EY

So what can you do to take action to put gender on the agenda this International Women's Day and beyond?

1. Make a Pledge For Parity

Everyone - men and women - can pledge to take a concrete step to help achieve gender parity more quickly, whether to help women and girls achieve their ambitions, call for gender-balanced leadership, respect and value difference, develop more inclusive and flexible cultures or root out workplace bias. Each of us can be a leader within our own spheres of influence and commit to take pragmatic action to help include and advance women. Share amongst your friends, social networks and communities and encourage them to make a pledge as well. Together, we can accelerate the clock.

2. Develop a Pledge For Parity campaign

An internal Pledge campaign demonstrates your organization’s commitment to gender parity and helps your people understand how everyone can play a role in achieving it quicker
- Develop a digital platform highlighting key statistics emphasizing the importance of gender parity
- Develop pledges based addressing gaps in your organization
- Ask employees to select a Pledge and upload their professional image announcing their Pledge
- Make all Pledges available to online so people can see who pledged across your organization, encouraging colleagues to join the campaign
- Solicit feedback periodically from those who have pledged to identify if they've made a difference through their pledge or if someone else's pledge impacted them

See what a successful Pledge For Parity campaign looks like or read a casestudy.

Embed the #PledgeForParity widget on your own website by accessing the embed code.

Print out a #PledgeForParity selfie card to promote your pledge via social media.

3. Host a Pledge For Parity event to help accelerate gender parity

Conduct an event to celebrate International's Women's Day and build momentum for #PledgeForParity
- Erect a #PledgeForParity selfie station by setting up a selfie stand in a prominent office location where people can come by, take pledge selfies and share them socially via #PledgeForParity
- Host an hour of content by selecting a pertinent subject, such as flexible working or the importance of sponsors and mentors, and spend some time sharing leading practice and experience (see IWD Resources), then conclude the event inviting everyone to take #PledgeForParity selfies and share them socially

4. Host a prominent speaker

Host a community leader/advocate of gender parity to share personal experience and inspire engagement
- Conduct a Q&A session for people to share feedback and experiences
- Conclude the event by inviting everyone to take #PledgeForParity selfies and share them socially

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Why is gender parity important?

Gender parity is linked to economic prosperity. It's an economic imperative. Women’s advancement and leadership are central to business performance and economic prosperity. Profitability, ROI and innovation all increase when women are counted among senior leadership.

Numerous global studies on the impact of women in leadership reveal the following findings:
- Women are the largest emerging market in the world
- More equality > higher GDP
- More equality > more productivity
- Better gender balance on boards > better share price and financial performance
- More gender-balanced leadership > better all-around performance
- More women political leaders > more prosperity

What makes a difference?

The World Economic Forum estimates at current rates gender parity will not be achieved until 2133. We wouldn't wait 117 years to implement any other business imperative offering so much, so why are we waiting for this one? The report,Women. Fast Forward: The time for gender parity is now, offers some ideas on how to accelerate the 117-year projection. It features results from a survey of men and women leaders in 400 companies around the world to identify the biggest barriers and accelerators to women's career advancement. Key findings include:
- Men and women alike agree that more female leadership leads to stronger companies
- 64% of high-performing companies reported that men and women have equal influence on strategy in their organizations, compared with only 43% of the lower-performing companies
- Men seem to be aware of the unconscious bias in the workplace that holds women back, which means we now can spend more time identifying and eradicating it

What accelerates women’s advancement?

There are three accelerators, working independently and together, that can change the trajectory of women’s advancement:
- Illuminate the path to leadership by making career opportunities more visible to women
- Speed up culture change with progressive corporate policy, such as paternity leave and flexible working
- Build supportive environments and work to eliminate conscious and unconscious bias

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Read EY's Pledge For Parity campaign case study

EY has a successful Pledge For Parity campaign whereby their people commit to taking one specific action to advance women in their workplace. EY's proud of their people, but they know that achieving gender parity is a task larger than any single organization. That's why they're sharing their pledge campaign with organizations large and small that may be interested in creating a Pledge for Parity campaign for their own employees.

Firstly EY understood the need for gender parity

EY understood that advancing women is a global business and economic imperative and that profitability, return on investment (ROI) and innovation all increase when women are counted among senior leadership. They utilized many indepth resources. 

Then they developed a digital platform

EY developed and ran the Women. Fast forward Pledge for Parity campaign to accelerate change within EY. They developed a digital platform, including key statistics on the business imperative of gender parity, and invited everyone in their organization globally to make a pledge for parity.

They identified key drivers

In The time for gender parity is now, EY identified three accelerators that independently and collectively help change the trajectory of women’s advancement. They then used these accelerators to develop nine pledges that their people could choose to make a commitment from.

Accelerator #1 - Illuminate the path to leadership: make career opportunities more visible to women 
- I pledge to help a woman on my team identify and secure her next promotion
- I pledge to identify opportunities for women on my teams to lead
- I pledge to become a better teammate by learning more about why gender parity matters

Accelerator #2 - Speed up culture change with progressive corporate policy 
- I pledge to help create a culture of flexibility for everyone on my team
- I pledge to encourage men on my teams to take paternity leave
- I pledge to seek out perspectives different from my own and encourage everyone to contribute

Accelerator #3 - Build supportive environments and work to eliminate conscious and unconscious bias
- I pledge to become a sponsor for a woman to help her achieve her professional ambitions
- I pledge to challenge our leaders to ensure men and women are treated equally
- I pledge to become more aware of my own biases and work to eliminate them

Their people made a pledge

EY's people then selected the pledge that resonated best, and they uploaded their pledge along with a professional looking image. Each pledge was automatically added to a private online photo gallery that contains all the pledges from across EY, allowing their people to see who has pledged and what commitments have been made. EY generated ​2,700+ pledges in 60 days, with a split close to 50/50 between men and women. By participating in the Pledge For Parity, EY's people committed to taking one specific action to advance women in their workplace.

EY's proud of their people, but they know that achieving gender parity is a task larger than any single organization. That’s why they’re sharing their pledge campaign with organizations large and small that may be interested in creating a Pledge For Parity campaign for their own employees. Feedback has been very positive, and momentum continues.

Toby Childs as a friend, a mentor and an inspiration to me

One day, after a meeting at Zuckerberg/San Francisco Hospital and Trauma Centre, I received a call from someone who wanted us to meet. We made arrangements, identified the venue and time. Fast forward, we met and introduced each other. We decided to meet at the SF City hall grounds with the city hall as our backdrop. We talked about so many topics that drew us together. I was so happy to meet Toby Childs. Toby shared about his travels, works and future plans. I also shared mine.

I am now happy that one of his points was to work in Tanzania as well as raise money for a school where he was to be stationed. I have followed his blogs and progress. It is amazing that money he raised has gone to do exactly what it was meant to do.

Toby has a blog and in it he writes about his experiences. This is an excerpt in one of those blogs:

It is beautiful to watch the transformation of your donations, changing from dollars into building supplies. In just over one month we will fully finish the construction of both the classrooms as well as the office space. 

This is only the beginning of what James and I plan to accomplish during my 3 months in Tanzania. Now that the construction on the classrooms has begun, we are discussing the next project on our list - purchasing another school bus to provide additional safe transportation for the day students commuting to school from the surrounding towns and villages.

After working at St. Timothy's for 3 weeks - on the expansion, teaching in the classrooms, and with the teachers/admin staff - I am continually impressed by the dedication of not only James and Beatrice, but also the entire faculty and staff. To be able to share with all of you the story of an educational institution making an extraordinary impact here in Tanzania is both an honor and a privilege.

You can follow Toby: https://popfeet.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/about-the-author/

Erecting a wall at St. Timothy's School in Moshi, Tanzania

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Toby at St. Timothy School with the Founder of the school.

Thank you Toby Childs

Tom Rogers Muyunga-Mukasa, APHA

               One day, I happened to be walking by a lane to stretch my legs. While I looked at the surroundings a dazzling light from a far kept glittering. This took away much of my attention and I missed my turn. But, alas! It was a blessing in disguise. For coiled in a deadly s-shape was the African cobra.  It must have been chasing a rat which I saw earlier crossing the road in a rather dazed way. I never gave it a second thought, as these things happen in this part of rural Uganda. Up until then, I had not heard the hissing and rhythmic slashing sounds against the grass. My thudding footsteps made much louder by my gumboots must have saved the rat, but got in the way of a hairy meal for the snake.

                  As if from nowhere a speeding motorbike passed me by before I could point out the big black and green snake. The vroom-vroom sound and the smell of fuel must have scared away the snake which crawled so fast back into a nearby anthill. The anthill, the size of two minivans, harbored a snake few had ever seen. This anthill was as old as our village. I continued walking until I came to a turn which led to the village chief's home. I told a child at this home to switch off a light that was left on. Electricity supply is irregular in this area and so it is common for people to forget to switch off security lights. That is what I saw, from a distance, as a glitter. This was the chief's home.

                  Life is like that most times. It is both a journey with objects that fascinate or scare. Life is a destination too. Journeys get us somewhere. I now live in USA and I intend to get the highest qualifications of the land in a course of my choice. As I talk now, I am an APHA. Who knows what tomorrow holds? Yes, la luta continua.  Tom Rogers Muyunga-Mukasa, APHA.

TOM ROGERS MUYUNGA-MUKASA, APHA

Global Health and USA's expanding role

Public health in the 21st Century will be tasked with protecting us from various diseases or life threatening conditions deriving from: climate change; emerging diseases; bioterrorism; racism; stigma; prejudice; and political dilemmas. Therein lie USA's expanded roles. Therein lies the new foreign policy code. 

Public health practitioners of the 21st Century must look at public health of the globe. They must be in position to understand the complexities of cultural diversity, e.g.,different generational, economic, professional, ethnic, religious, linguistic background, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, stereotypes, prejudices, physical status, conscious bias, unconscious bias, structural bias, enjoyment of access to resources, access to opportunities, access to options, safety from violence,  affordability of housing, civil rights, access to food, access to jobs, opportunities for job trainings, access to recreation and readiness to be  a compassionate provider.

Tom while in Kenya, 2009.

Many clients and communities face bias and discrimination when they attempt to access health and social services and , as a result, receive fewer services and services of poorer quality (Berthold, T. 2009). In order to provide public health services, government has concrete plans such as enacting laws, enforce laws, provide financial support and oversight to ensure promotion of health, prevention of diseases and instituting a preparedness mechanism.The most important new or expanded roles for public health occupations in the 21st century will include:

1. Strengthening the public health activities framework that is interlinked by a network of federal, state and local public health agencies with emphasis on referral mechanisms and oversight processes.

2. Ensure a reporting mechanism that dovetails into the overarching design where: the contribution of USA to international health-related interventions continues; the legal foundation gives gives primacy for health concerns to states; allows the federal government to promote consistency and minimum standards across the 50 diverse states; and a practical foundation of LHDs serving as the point of contact between communities and the three-tiered government.

3. Shifting mobilization tasks to advocacy entities at community level as a means of having a pulse on changing needs, resource needs and meeting public expectations.

Tom meeting with a Community Health Worker in Kisumu, Kenya circa 2009.

4. Investing in early warning mechanisms for threats from fires to bio-terrorism. There will be need to have a contingency for fire hazards now that the globe is getting warmer. This will mean wildfire-prone geographical zones like Mid-Western and California will have more established fire departments. The quarantine points at border entry points, airports and ports need to be strengthened now that there is more likelihood for bio-terrorisms, hostility and acts of sabotage against the U.S. or any other nation by terrorists and enemies (www.nytimes.com). 

5. Public health practitioners reaching out to the indigent or marginalized. This will rely on the work of local health agencies. These will in turn report to second tier government levels and different organizations that form the backbone through which the power to protect the public’s health is possible.

6. Providing training and promoting competencies for public health professionals in the 21st century mostly in these areas: conducting essential public health services; legislation; regulation; policies; and the ability to negotiate,  justify public funding for many public health initiatives. For public health to be perceived, such essential services as are relevant: monitoring the health status of the population; diagnosing and investigating problems deemed hazardous to the public’s health; educating the population on health issues; mobilizing communities to act on their own health issues; developing policies; enforcing laws and regulations that protect the public; linking people to health services; ensuring a competent healthcare workforce; evaluating the effectiveness, access and quality of health services and researching to continue progress and innovation in healthcare (Turnock, B. J. (2016). Essentials of public health (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett).

The Green cover needs all the care we can give it.

7. Use of Technology, which will enable complex research to be translated into action in a faster and flexible way. Technology can be used in many other forms as well. One way is establishing a centralized health management information templates that can be used to report for instance compliances to the Healthy 2020 vision and mission. Events in which equity and equality are addressed can be captured at local, state, regional and federal levels. Racial biases are shown to be a part of the social structure of medical practices at both macro and micro levels (Centre for excellence in health care journalism). Use of web-based platforms to share information can help improve on coverage of what works and who is served. Public health will be a means for America to deal with the hot topics that focus on: race, culture, ethnicity, lifestyle, health status and health care in America. This might be the great quest of technology as well. Through technology it will be possible to level the health care playing field. Socioeconomics, individual racism, and institutional racism that represent the three predominant pathways to differential treatment for diseases will be targeted and redress provided. Reporting mechanisms will provide common indicators used to gauge quality of life for women and men irrespective of their gender, sexuality, race and social status.  Compiling reports into a format that can be disseminated to all concerned is another good use of  print technology and the world-wide web. In this format the media can be relied upon to make information available or the applicability of the information by society in form of case reports/studies or any format that is reliable for dissemination. However, newsprint, radio and TV tend to tap into our anxieties focusing on trivia. “The CDC has had to contend with bogus reports of imported banana carrying flesh-eating bacteria, drug addicts placing HIV-infected needles in pay coin-return boxes, virus soaked sponges arriving with the mail,”(Drexler, M. 2010). 

8. Understanding the need for post trauma stress counseling and care arising from the link between terrorism, massacres and resultant traumas. A global nightmare envelopes the world every time wars, genocides and terrorist attacks occur anywhere in the world. The rallying call that brings together nations ready to do rescue activities is to profess solidarity with the suffering nations. Rescue efforts are made by nations. This was seen after September 11, 2001, in UK, in Uganda, in Tanzania, in Kenya and most recently in the 10th district of Paris where the most recent attacks have occurred. The San Francisco editorial has this to say, “France’s loss is our loss. Its grief is our grief. And its fight to counter the forces of inhumanity is our fight”  (San Francisco Chronicle, Editorial, November 14th, 2015). 

9. The effects of political pronouncements such as the recent debate on mass deportations sends trauma shocks to those who are  not documented yet they many have lived in USA all their life and some are employed. These people may end up not attending social services for fear of being hounded and put on hot lists.

 10. Establishing a structure of international partnership to deal with climate change, neglect, poverty and famine  at a global level which in turn make humans and in some cases livestock vulnerable to influenza, Legionnaires’ disease, Lyme disease, toxic shock syndrome, E. Coli 0157:H7, STDs, Ebola virus, AIDS, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1 influenza (Drexler, M. 2010). 

11. Understanding the increasing relation of chronic low-level inflammation, wide range of common debilitating disorders, stealth infections, deadly sepsis, how to balance use of antibiotics and inflammatory-quashing steroids. Research findings recommend Mediterranean style diet for those suffering from inflammatory disorders (Sachs J.S., 2007).

In the 21st Century, stigma discrimination, bias and prejudice will be the issues that need addressing. This in turn will clear the way for addressing neglect, poverty and famine. In situations where equality, respect and dignity are promoted, proper protection of life and ensuring individual well-being will be achievable.

REFERENCES:

1. Berthold, T. 2009. Foundations For Community Health Workers. San Francisco, MA: Jossey-Bass.

Centre For Excellence in Health Care Journalism. 2006.

2. Drexler M., 2010. Emerging Epidemics: The Menace of New Infections: H1N1 Flu, SARS, Anthrax, E.Coli.Penguin Books.

3. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/world/europe/strategy-shift-for-isis-inflicting-terror-in-distant-lands.html?emc=edit_th_20151115&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=60949333&_r=0

4. Sachs, J.S. 2007. Good germs,Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World. New York, NY: Hill and Wang.

5. SFChronicle.com

6. Turnock, B. J. 2016. Essentials of public health (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett. 

Of the crystal ball, palm reading, astrology, voodoo, sorcery, witchcraft, weather man and being a Godly infant black man!

                     My heart pumps with excitement, for I am part of the world that treats me or sees me as a human being.  A world where the immediate infrastructure allows me to work hard, read hard, rewards me well and ensures I pursue what is known as shareable happiness. Now, I have to learn to live in this city. I have to be street-wise. I have to socially adjust and speak Spanish and English like they do.

                     I am mostly informed by a christian religion and a western worldview of an African's self actualization. I have been reduced to an un questioning-brainwashed black African who shoulda/coulda/woulda understand that anything African is devilish and evil. Everything Arabic, Judaistic, Indian and everything western is white and therefore Godly.  I am led to understand that my way to heaven is to follow anything Arabic, Jewish or white. I am a subject of a system that ridicules my black skin. I am supposed to remain that way and all who give me praise do so because am staying in line. Their line! Age wise, I am 20, 30, 40, 50... years old. But as a black/negro man, I am an ethno-cultural diaper-loined toddler.

                    As a black/negro man I am aware my ancestors believed in productivity; they lived in balance with nature (well, in a way as long as the lion and leopard did not eat their livestock; and had enough space left to dig  shallow pit stops); they engaged in negotiations and tolerance rituals (with a little bit of war here and there); they produced and provided foods and ensured nutrition for all; they lived in harmony with the cosmos; and respected death as a natural stage, a passage into after life. They shared this in conversation and work. They rather talked to a snake trance-wise as they chased it away than kill it. They took time to type poisonous spiders, lizards, frogs and snakes and had antidotes for such poisons. They knew which tree to use frequently and one to avoid (like the poison oaks).

                     I was walking by a long street with beautiful Victorian houses lining the asphalt streets. On one house was the sign "your palm reader at arm's length, 8am to 9pm, Tuesday to Friday only." Before I woke up this morning the weatherman (never mind even if it was a PBS's lady presenter of the weather forecast reading into the weather's future for the next 7 days) said it would be sunny in the morning but downcast later in the afternoon. The forecast looked at the rest of the week and it got me thinking and thanking. God's gift to humanity via intellect, ingenuity and tech advance. I wondered if the rainmaker would be equally accepted were I to tell about it to my friends here.

                  I wondered about the African diviners, soothsayers, voodoo man or voodoo woman. Where have they written and kept their knowledge? Yet, the public library I frequent has tomes and more tomes on skills of stargazing, reading the stars, crystal ball consultation, astrology and palm reading. Courses and seminars are dedicated to this. Voodoo? Nada! Voodoo is evil and devilish. Voodoo is black. I am told by those who have been in heaven that even there, the angels are white and devil is black! As long as I know that, live by that I am considered mature. But, as long as I question that then I am out of line. In that heaven, the lion and sheep will play with each other's paws. The lion will open wide its mouth and the sheep will count the number of the teeth in the mouth. But, the black devil and white God will not reconcile in that heaven!

                   I wish I had the same clarity to type the grass; the trees;  the birds; the worms; the butterflies that flutter and remember the trails in the woods as my black fore-ancestors. It is amazing that the crystal ball, palm reading, astrology and weather man are symbols of western world liberty and a pedigree culture but my yearning for an indigenous African black man's culture that has witchcraft, voodoo, sorcery and other objects get in the way of my becoming more Godly. I am still the draped-in-my-diapers ethno black man!