Is Prejudice Programmed Into Our Genes?

It always amazes me that scientists are constantly discovering new theories that change what we thought we knew. I recently read an article that got me thinking. Does racism stem from low intelligence? It's not entirely clear, though recent research found links between bigoted thinking and low scores on I.Q. tests. But a new study points to an even deeper explanation for xenophobia and intolerance.

It suggests that prejudice is programmed into our genes. The study was published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, and suggests that racism is essentially a holdover from ancient history. They say it may stem from the time when humans lived in tribes and it made sense to view outsiders with hostility and fear. The author of this study suggests that the human mind is shaped in a way that tends to perpetuate conflict with outsiders.

Van vugt, the author of the study, was trying to find support for what's known as the "male warrior hypothesis." That is the notion that men evolved to show aggression against other men whom they think belong to an "outgroup."

This notion could also account for the hostility among fans of rival football teams. Evidence suggests that all sorts of human activites that pit one person against another may arise out of the same genetic package.

This theory blows away my own thoughts about racism and prejudice, which I thought existed due to fear and ignorance. Maybe it's something in the genes. I'm sure there will be future studies that show other reasons for racism and prejudice, that I haven't even thought about. For now, I'll stick with my simple idea that fear and ignorance are the greatest producers of racism. Finally, if the male warrior theory is correct, why doesn't everyone have it?

Our Biggest Land Mammal: The Elephant

The largest land mammal, the male savannah elephant, at 12,000 pounds is also one of the most social. Regardless of where elephants live, their social behaviors and social structures remain largely the same. Cynthia Moss is a biologist who has studied herds of elephants in Amboseli National Park in Kenya, and has unlocked the mysteries of how these enormous animals learn as youngsters, raise their young, survive as adults and communicate with family members.

An elephant calf is part of a huge extended family, headed by an older female elephant, the matriarch. Families are cohesive groups of females and their young. Adult males leave the herd at around 14 years of age, and either roam alone or join other "bachelor herds," rejoining females during the mating season. The mother is responsible for providing the 250-pound newborn with milk, but when it comes to caretaking and protection, it's the job of the whole herd.

Mothers receive help from aunts, sisters and cousins, who serve as nannies. Known as "allomothers," these baby-sitters are young female elephants learning how to care for babies. Teaching female elephants how to rear their young is an important task. The survival of the young depends on how well they do their job. Elephants bear young only once every few years, so each baby is important to the survival of the herd.

As a young elephant grows, it learns how to become independent by watching and mimicking others. (sound familiar?) A calf will begin to experiment with it's trunk at about 4 months of age. Elephants can pick up something as small as a marble or as large as a tree with its trunk. It's the 40,000 muscles in the trunk that give an elephant's long snout so much dexterity.

As magnificent as the elephant is, it's hard to imagine humans wanting to kill them for their ivory trunks. Actually, it's not hard to imagine at all. The huge profits from ivory tusks led to a reduction in Africa's elephant population. Between 1979 and 1989, the worldwide population of elephants declined to dangerously low levels. In 1977, 1.3 million elephants lived in Africa. By 1997, only 600,000 remained.

The number of elephants has stabilized due to the 1990 CITES and a ban on international ivory sales. (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

Even though it is illegal to kill an elephant in Africa, people continue to slaughter them. If they're not killed for their tusks, many African farmers complain that elephants are destroying their fields. Scientists are working on remedies to satisfy environmentalists and farmers. One solution has been a pepper-spray bomb that wards off elephants, and from which they soon recover, but due to their good memory, stay clear of that farm area in the future. In 1996 Michael Fay, an elephant researcher discovered a massacre of 300 elephants in northern congo, all with their tusks hacked off. As urban sprawl continues to block migration routes in and out of the protected areas, elephants rely on the open corridors provided by tradional Masai land use. Many feel the best way to alleviate human wildlife confilicts is to continue the huge eco-tourism in the parks of Kenya. That way the elephants become an important part of the local economy. I hope this can be done.

Is Seltzer Water Bad For You?

Several of us were having a discussion not long ago about the possible negative effects of carbonated water on calcium and vitamin absorption. Many doctors are suggesting that women with osteopena or osteoporosis NOT drink carbonated beverages. They feel there is some evidence that it leaches calcium from your bones. The research I did shows otherwise. There seems to be very little difference in the absorption of calcium and vitamins among women who drink carbonated water and those that don't.

Seltzer water is plain water with dissolved carbon dioxide. It was invented in the late 1700's. Adding carbon dioxide to water creates carbonic acid, which makes the water slightly more acidic than plain tap water. The acidity of the water does not affect your ability to absorb vitamins and minerals, nor does it have an impact on the health of your bones.

Phosphoric acid has been implicated as the substance that interferes with your body's ability to absorb calcium, as well as increasing the loss of calcium from your bones. However, evidence to support this theory is limited, and phosphoric acid is not commonly found in non-cola drinks.

The main reason you are probably concerned about seltzer and calcium is because of how it can affect your bone health. A 2006 study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that the consumption of cola in older women led to a slight decrease in bone density, but these women also had a lower overall intake of calcium. Other carbonated beverages such as seltzer water did not lead to a decrease in bone density.

So it appears that carbonated water in general is neutral. However, evidence shows a slight decrease in bone density for those that drink cola. Bottom line, enjoy your carbonated beverages, but stick to the non cola drinks.

We're In!

It's been several days since we moved 1.8 miles east of our old home, but it might as well have been across town. Everything had to be packed and labeled. We ended up with about 44 boxes, and had them all unpacked in 2 days. They have all been put away somewhere, but now I will have to rearrange. I will also have to give more stuff away. I have given 2 huge loads of furniture, clothing and household items to CRC and St. Vincent de Paul. I will now have Goodwill come take the final load. I'm an equal opportunity giver.

The thing about moving is that it's both a physical and emotional drain. I don't think I've ever been more tired than I was the Monday night of our move. But, as Ron said, he felt such satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. Hard work is very rewarding. The emotional side of it takes its toll too. Even though this is a good move, we're happy with our new place and our ability to throw out many things from the past, there is also that little voice in me that wants to hang on. We both agree that the 5 1/2 years we spent in our last house were among the most stressful of our 42 years together and that moving is a new beginning for us. Throw out the past, both physically and emotionally, and move on. That's what we've tried to do, but if you looked at the amount of stuff we still have, you would wonder what we actually got rid of.

I was a collector for many years. I have a big paperweight collection and a big collection of crystal animals. We also have trophies and pictures from our horse racing days. This part of the past I did not throw out. The memories of buying the paperweights and animals, and the memories of horse racing are good, and I love looking at all this "stuff" and remembering.

Pepper is adjusting to his new home too. He's got a completely fenced yard to run around in, new streets to walk, new dogs to meet. Our next door neighbors have a big dog that bangs against the fence to try to get to Pepper. I hope he'll settle down.

So all is good. New surroundings, new neighbors, a new beginning. It's tax time and Ron is busy, not as busy as he'd like to be, but moving forward. It's all good.

Steamed Mussels

Our first night on our recent Boulder trip was a birthday celebration for me. We arrived the day after my actual birthday, so Phil made a delicious birthday dinner. It consisted of a great white wine with cheese and olives to start. The dinner that followed was steamed mussels like you've never had before and home made foccaccia bread. Mini cupcakes completed the celebration. Recently Phil has gotten the baking bug, and his foccaccia is the best I've ever had. He says it's easy, but baking scares me. I'll just stick to the food. Here is Phil's recipe for mussels, which although there are a lot of ingredients, is easy to put together in less than 1/2 hour, and it looks and tastes fantastic.

Phil's Steamed Mussels

oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 shallots, sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1/2 c. sliced salami
fresh thyme
chili flakes
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can chick peas

sweat the garlic, shallots, and fennel in some oil oil. Add sliced salami, thyme, chili flakes and salt and pepper. Add wine, tomatoes and chick peas. Cook for 5 minutes, then add about 2 lbs washed mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussels open. (should be about 5 minutes). Discard mussels that do not open. Phil served the mussels in a big wide bowl. Make sure each person gets lots of liquid. The foccaccia or other good bread that you serve with the mussels will sop up the liquid. You can complete the meal with a simple green salad. You'll make this and wonder why you never made it before. It's just so easy and delicious.

What Are A Woman's Heart Attack Symptoms?

Up until very recently, most research regarding heart attacks and heart disease was done on men. It was not until the 1990's that scientists realized that symptoms for women were often very different than they were for men. Yet most women are still uninformed about the symptoms of heart attack. Not knowing may cause delay in treatment and possibly death. Not long ago the networks had a special day devoted to promoting heart health for women. I thought I'd take this day to remind all you women what those important warning signs are. This information is from webmd.com.



Female Heart Attack Symptoms: What are They?

These chest-related heart attack signs often appear in men, and many women get them, too:
Pressure, fullness or a squeezing pain in the center of the chest, which may spread to the neck, shoulder or jaw;
Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath;

But many women don't have chest pain. In the Circulation study on early female heart attack symptoms, researchers found that during a heart attack, 43% of the 515 women studied had no "acute chest pain... a 'hallmark symptom in men,'" according to study authors.

Nevertheless, the study cited evidence that many emergency room doctors still look mainly for chest pain. Only a minority check for the other types of symptoms that women tend to develop. As a result, doctors may miss heart attacks in women.

"Although women can have chest tightness as a symptom of a heart attack, it's also important for women to recognize that might not be their symptom," says Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and chief of Women's Cardiac Care at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and author of "The Women's Healthy Heart Program."

"Women commonly have symptoms of shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue, or pressure in the lower chest, so they easily mistake it as a stomach ailment."

In the Circulation study, common female heart attack symptoms include:
shortness of breath (57.9%)
weakness (54.8%)
unusual fatigue (42.9%)

Women also had these symptoms:
Nausea
Dizziness
Lower chest discomfort
Upper abdominal pressure or discomfort that may feel like indigestion
Back pain

There's A New Breakfast Spot In San Diego: Snooze

Recently I spent a few days in Boulder with my children. I had an opportunity to try several new restaurants, most notably Snooze. I had read several months ago that Snooze was coming to Hillcrest soon, after opening three successful restaurants in the Denver area since their inception in 2006. We tried to eat there on a Sunday morning and were faced with a one hour wait. Not a good idea with a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old. So my mom and I went back on Monday morning and had a fabulous breakfast with no wait. Snooze recently opened on 5th Avenue in Hillcrest. It's a winner. Everything is made from scratch and much of their food is organic. Their menu options are unique. Snooze also serves a limited lunch menu, but breakfast is the meal to try. They're open from 6:30am-2:30 daily. Go to www.snoozeeatery.com to learn more about the company and view the menu.

Here's what we sampled. Pancakes. That is their specialty. They are light and fluffy and not too big. I hate the pancakes that take up the whole plate and feel like a weight in your stomach. We had the pineapple upside down pancake which was loaded with pineapple chunks and a great sweet sauce. This was a complimentary addition to our meal since we were first timers. They also have pumpking pancakes with nuts and pralines. Yum. I ordered a bowl of vanilla yogurt topped with homemade granola which was fantastic. It was served with a half grapefruit, topped with brown sugar and carmelized under the broiler. I also got an english muffin. For all this, the price was $8. My mom had the oatmeal topped with strawberries and bananas and served with cream. Other great breakfast items include Snooze spuds deluxe, a heaping portion of hash browns, covered with melted cheese , scallions plus two veggies, meats or combo. Juan's breakfast tacos cons

ist of three fresh corn or flour tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, shredded hash brown, jack cheese and ranchero sauce. Of course all the typical egg and omelette dishes are also on the menu.

Prices are very moderate, most items priced around $8. The portion size is huge. I suggest splitting everything. I walked out of Snooze stuffed, and anxious to go back for another meal. They're pancakes will bring you back again and again.

A Visit To Boulder Means Food

Besides going to see our kids and grandkids in Boulder, we do a lot of eating while we're there. It doesn't hurt that my son Phil is an awesome cook. We began our visit with an early afternoon arrival, just in time for a late lunch. Luckily Phil had been working on his latest product, mac and cheese, and we were the lucky recipients of the leftovers. It was just delicious, and although this is not exactly as the bowls of mac and cheese that Evol will be selling will taste, it's pretty close. Here's the recipe. Easy, but excellent.

Macaroni and Cheese

3 cups cooked macaroni (elbow, bow ties, whatever you like)
4T. flour
4T. milk
4T. butter
2 1/2 cups grated white american cheese
panko bread crumbs, tossed in oil to cover

Cook the macaroni and set aside. Make a roux with the flour, milk and butter (melt butter, add flour, then add milk slowly to make a thick sauce. Then add the grated cheese to roux to make a thick sauce. Add the sauce to the macaroni, place in a casserole (I use a copper bottom dish which looks beautiful when served). Finally, take panko bread crumbs that have been tossed in oil and cover macaroni. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cheese starts to bubble and the bread crumbs are toasted. You're gonna love this.

A Tour Of Sanford-Burnham Research Institute

I had the privilege of touring the Sanford-Burnham Institute in La Jolla recently, which for me was fascinating. I know little about science, so the lectures, discussions, and tours we received from professors, scientists and pharmacologists was all new to me.

The Sanford-Burnham Institute was started back in the 1970's by two professors from Tufts who were forced to retire from that instituion but weren't ready to hang it up. So, they started their own institute, and through grants from the National Institute of Health and wealthy philantropists, like Denny Sanford, who donated $50 million in 2006, have developed a world class research center, with locations in La Jolla, Orlando and Santa Barbara. Each location studies different medical conditions. Here in La Jolla the focus is on stem cell research and cancer, in addition to studying orphan diseases.

Orphan diseases are those that affect less than 200,000 anually, and are usually ignored, because it's not cost effective to study diseases that effect so few. However, Dr. Jose Luis Millan has been studying an orphan disease called hypophosphatasia, or soft bone disease for decades. The babies born with this disease usually don't live to celebrate their first birthday, but finally, Dr. Millan has developed a treatment for this condition which as yielded remarkable results. The drug enobia has allowed children with this disease to grow and thrive. Interestingly, drugs that are developed for orphan diseases get to market much sooner than the 13.5 years that most drugs take to get to market.

Our tour allowed us to view a slide presentation by Dr. Millan, visit a stem cell lab and actually see what they were doing, have a Q and A with Dr. Millan, and talk to a pharmacist.

In Orlando, the focus of research is on diabetes and obesity. Another area of research focuses on children's health. The institute ranks among the top four institutions nationally for NIH grant funding. Last year they received $98million from the NIH and a $10million gift from a San Diego philanthropist. The research at the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics uses robotic systems to screen more than one million compounds a day to find active hits. The Prebys Center is central to Sanford-Burnham's focus on translating basic medical research into new treatments.

I was thrilled to tour and get to know what this fine research facility was doing to enhance medical science. Right in our own backyard research is being carried on that may one day change the world. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to attend this tour, and I thank Lorna for arranging it. Great job.

Moving: A New Beginning

Preparing for our impending move has worn me out. We have moved four times in the past 10 years, and it becomes harder each time. Moving costs are high, and with each move we do more and more of the heavy work ourselves. We've been in our current home for almost six years. The garage is piled with boxes that have never been opened. Ron and I decided that before moving them all to the new garage that we would go through each and every one of the 40 boxes. We did, and the result was that we ended up with only 12 boxes to move. The rest was thrift shop giveaways or throwaways. I had trouble with the cleansing process. It's so hard to get rid of those old platters, vases, dishes, pictures, books and chotchkees that you know you'll never use again, but I did eliminate a whole lot. It really was very therapeutic.

Someone said to me that for the first half of our lives we accumulate stuff, and for the last half we eliminate. So true. We need so much less than we think we do. Can you imagine that all the stuff in those 40 boxes was never missed?

As much as I dislike the whole process of moving, changing my address with SDGE and ATT and all the other changes that have to be made, I do look at moving as a new beginning, especially for Ron and I at this stage in our lives. A new house, a new dog, lots of umpiring, and hopefully lots of accounting work. It gives us a chance to renew our positive attitude toward the future, to look forward to what can be and hopefully will be.

The moving process is exhausting, but at the end of the day we'll be in a beautiful new home, with a lot less "baggage." The three of us will curl up in bed on Monday night after the move, and love where we are. Now I just have to get through the move itself. I'm trying to figure out a safe place for Pepper to stay during the moving day, and I think he'll be going to doggie daycare. I'm working on that right now, and I can't wait to write the blog about my experience of finding a day care for my dog. You won't believe it.

Eating Organic Is Simple

It used to be that you had to search for organic fruits and vegetables in the supermarket. I remember years ago when the chain markets would have a tiny little section for organics. Now, up to half of chain store produce is organic, and at specialty stores like Jimbo's, Whole Foods and Sprouts, almost everything is organic.

I love shopping the farmers' markets, and even more so now that you can speak directly with the farmers and know exactly what farm your food is coming from. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is IN. You will see these initials next to most local farms today. This tells you that the food grown at that farm is certified organic. Most of the locally grown produce is sold in grocery stores, but it can also be delivered to your home or picked up a local pick up points. Many local farms have a service, where for between $25-$45 you can pick up weekly a small, medium or large box of fresh fruits and veggies. What I like about this, beside the fact that the food is as fresh as can be, is that you get a little surprise every week. The contents of the box change depending upon what's in season. It's a great way to open your eyes to new vegetables and make you create some new dishes. Not for everyone, but for people like me that enjoy discovering new fruits and vegetables, it's perfect. I can honestly say I had never had swiss chard until about 2 years ago when it was in a box of produce that I bought.

Go to www.organicconsumers.org for a list of all the farms in our area that have this service. My favorites are Be Wise (www.bewiseranch.com), Garden of Eden and J.R. Organics. My friend Marlene recently introduced me to another farm that does home delivery. I don't know what the cost is, but if you're house bound for any reason, this is a great way to still get fresh produce. Go to www.farmfreshtoyou.com to find out more.

Whether you get a box of fresh produce weekly from a local farm, shop at local farmers markets, or just buy your food in a local chain market, keep eating your fruits and veggies. They're good for you.

Dinner For Eight (Or Ten)

Have some fun with this. Imagine you're having a dinner party and can invite 8 people (or in my case 10 people) from history to attend. The people can be living or dead. Think about who you'd invite and why. I had so much trouble narrowing down the guests. Half of my guests are living. My mind thinks first of the living people I would like to dine with. I decided that some of the most famous people in history would not make great dinner guests. They may be just plain boring. Below is my list. Please respond and let me know who your dinner party would include. Here's my guest list: (in no particular order)

1. Amelia Erhardt
2. Bill Clinton
3. F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Oprah Winfrey
5. Mohammed Ali
6. Pablo Picasso
7. Leonardo da Vinci
8. Walt Disney
9. Barak Obama
10. Bill Gates

I'm anxious to see your list. Some other time I'll ask another question, so be thinking about this one. What fictional characters from literature would like to be? Have fun with this one.

Can Coconut Oil Help In The Treatment Of Alzheimer's?

I learn the most interesting things at the Y. A group of us usually arrive 5-10 minutes before class. We need time to talk, gossip, and share our aches and pains. I was at the gym on a recent Sunday morning when Marcia offered us some new information. Did we know that pure coconut oil was thought by many to slow or even reverse the effects of Alzheimer's. I had not heard this. She told the story of a friend of her's whose father had Alzheimer's. He was asked to draw a clock on a piece of paper, and could not do it. After taking pure coconut oil for several months he was able to draw the clock! Pretty amazing. Although coconut oil is not approved by the FDA for Alzheimer's, there is a lot of anectodal evidence that it may help. Here's just some of the information I discovered on the topic. I am not touting coconut oil as a remedy for Alzheimer's, just pointing out that there is some evidence that it may be beneficial. You be the judge.

An Easy, Satisfying Meal

January is usually diet month for most of us. It's time to get off the 7-10 most of us put on since Thanksgiving. However, you may feel like a satisfying, stick to your ribs dinner once in a while, and that's when you pull out this recipe. Quick and easy, and not too much off your diet. (total calories per serving is 450). Try it some night when you're out of ideas, and short on time. This recipe comes from from the website www.delish.com, but it's originally from one of the many Campbell's Soup recipes. Enjoy.

Mexican Chicken Casserole


Nutritional Information
(per serving)
Calories

451
Total Fat

17g
Saturated Fat

8g
Cholesterol

94mg

Sodium

1168mg

Total Carbohydrate

41g

Dietary Fiber

4g

Protein

32g

Calcium



Serves: 4








Total Time: 40 min

Prep Time: 10 min


Ingredients


1 can(s) (10 3/4-oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup
1 cup(s) Pace® Chunky Salsa , or Pace® Picante Sauce
1/2 cup(s) milk
2 cup(s) cubed cooked chicken, or turkey
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup(s) (about 4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions
1.Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup, salsa, milk, chicken, tortillas and half the cheese in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover the baking dish.
2.Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Top with the remaining cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.
3.Serving Suggestion: Serve with corn muffins and steamed broccoli florets. For dessert serve fresh sliced pineapple.

Honey-Ginger Carrots

Ginger is usually a spice we associate with Asian cuisine, but cooked carrots flavored with honey and ginger can be served with almost anything. This is such a simple recipe. If you're really lazy like I often am, just buy the little peeled carrots in a bag and you're ready to put the recipe together, no peeling, no mess. Ginger is great for us, especially for digestion, although the amount of ginger you're getting in this recipe really won't do much more than taste good. Remember, fresh ginger can be bought and stored in a baggie in the freezer for future use. Just pop the ginger stalk in a bag and freeze. Another easy way keep fresh ginger is to buy Dorot ginger (it comes frozen in little cubes and you just defrost). The last way to have fresh ginger always on hand is to buy Gourmet Garden ginger in a tube, then just squeeze out what you need. It's a great item to always have on hand. However you get your ginger, be sure to try this recipe sometime for a quick and easy way to spice up a boring vegetable.

Honey-Ginger Carrots

1 bunch carrots, peeled and blanched (if you use the peeled baby carrots, just blanch them for about 3 minutes)

2 T. butter

4 T. honey

2 T. ginger (fresh or in the Gourmet Garden tube or Dorot cube)

1 T. lavender

1 small bunch Italian parsley, chopped

Melt butter in saucepan, and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for a few minutes, until sauce is thickened and the carrots are cooked, but not soft. You may want to cook your carrots a little thoroughly than just a blanch, say 3/4 of the way. The last few minutes is just to thicken the sauce and blend with the carrots.

This side dish goes with just about anything. I love it with chicken, beef and fish. Enjoy.

Effects of Marijuana On The Brain

The debate over the positives and negatives of marijuana is an age old debate, one that certainly won't be solved by an article I recently ran across. The study I read about tested marijuana users and a control group and determined that the two main ingredients in the drug, THC and CBD appeared to effect the brain in different and opposite ways. Ingesting THC brought about irregular activity in two regions of the brain. Healthy indiviudals might give far more importance to details in their environment than they would have without the chemical in their brain. THC also prompted a significant uptick in paranoid and delusional thinking. The effect of the other main marijuana ingredient, CBD, was nearly the opposite, however. What this suggests is that marijuana may play both a good and bad role in the context of psychosis.

Marijuana is in the news constantly. Medical uses for marijuana are well known, thus the abundance of marijuana shops where people with a medical card can legally purchase marijuana. Pot has been proven to help cancer patients dealing with chemotherapy, due to its ability to relieve pain and nausea. It has also been shown to be helpful in glaucoma patients. (however, there are standard medications that have been shown to be far more effective in treating glaucoma than pot).

Marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. The conclusion is that someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal level all of the time.

Research into the effects of long-term cannabis use on the structure of the brain has yielded inconsistent results. Studies have, however,shown that chronic marijuana use may increase anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. In one study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement, including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life and career status.

Unless you're undergoing chemotherapy or are in extreme pain, I do not see much on the positive side. The fact that marijuana might effect your mental health, distort perceptions (paranoia), and decrease sharpness in memory and learning, is reason enough for me to stay away. The results are not in on whether the brain cells that are destroyed from smoking marijuana are replaced or not.

I've been a non drug user my whole life (legal and illegal), unless absolutely necessary. I'll continue getting my highs from things like catching a great wave on a boogie board, watching a beautiful sunset, taking a run down a ski slope (can't do that anymore) or spinning on a Saturday morning at the Y. These kind of things get me high, and I like it that way.

Feeling Great

It's the beginning of March, and I promised I would update you once a month on our progress. I'm happy to report that things are going great. Ron and I are moving shortly, less than 2 miles from our current home. We are very excited. It's a beautiful neighborhood and a lovely home. Our biggest challenge when we move will be keeping the white carpet white. That's going to be tough.

For the first time in ages, probably years, the smile is back on Ron's face instead of the look of "what's going to happen next?" He is calm, sleeping well, exercising, pitching in around the house, and working with passion on everything he does. It's great to see. As for me, I am still recovering from knee surgery. I didn't realize it would take so long. Although I don't think my knee is any better than before the surgery, the doctor says to give it time. He is still optimistic of some improvement. It took forever to get the anesthesia out of my system. I felt constantly tired for weeks. I am back to my regular activities, with some limitations.

No one really tells the truth about what life will be life after incarceration, or maybe it's just that it's different for everyone. It truly took a good six months for Ron to feel "normal" again. He has adjusted to the fact that for the next 2 1/2 years he is accountable on a monthly basis to his probation officer and that he can't travel out of San Diego county without permission. If you have to be someplace, this is not a bad place to be. He knows that everything he does in business, or anything that requires a background check, may be a potential stumbling block.

When Ron was first released, he incorrectly thought he'd come home and life would return to normal. He changed, I changed, and the way people saw him changed. That means some people would not accept him because of his past, orthers would be interested in know him BECAUSE of his past. We understand it all. The thing that surprises Ron the most is that not a single person has asked him anything about his time in prison. He finds that surprising, and so do I. Maybe they think it's prying.

This is the best we've been in a long, long time. A move to a new house may be the source of some new good energy, and we're optimistic that business, health, and pleasure will continue to be positive. What a great feeling for me to hear my Ron, who has been through so much in the past 11 years, say "This is the happiest I've been in a very long time."

More Great Happy Hours in San Diego

It's hard to keep up with all the restaurant openings and closings, and even more difficult to keep track of all the happy hour specials. I've taken a second look at some of my favorites, and added a few new restaurants, which may become favorites. I'm not much of a drinker, so I dont' focus on the drinking end of happy hour. I'm more interested in the food. We will often go to happy hour for dinner. This is easy to do, and here are just a few of the hundreds of choices you have San Diego. I've included a few that are located in San Diego, just for variety.

1. Coyote Bar and Grill on Carlsbad Village Drive in Carlsbad is a noisy, hopping place. Happy Hour is from 4-6pm everyday. Draft and bottled beer is only $3, and most appetizers are $3 off.

2. P.F. Changs is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, and you can go there for happy hour and get a complete meal. Order your food between 3-6pm and you can take advantage of reduced prices. $3 imported draft, $3 spring roll, $4.75 steamed dumplings, and $6 chicken lettuce wraps are just a few of your many choices.

3. Flemings has always been a favorite of mine. Between 5-7, when happy hour is in full swing, get a prime cheese burger with bacon for just $6.

4. Islands is another chain with a great burger and fries. During the 4-7pm happy hour, you can $1 off beer and wine, and 1/2 price appetizers, in addition to free chips and salsa.

5. Su Casa has always been one my favorite Mexican restaurants. Between 4-7pm you can get a light draft beer for $3.25, a beef, chicken or pork taco for $2.25, nachos for $4.25, or a cheese quesedilla for $3.65.

6. Mr. A's. When you're in the mood for something a little fancier than a burger joint, try Mr. A's happy hour from 2:30-6pm. $3 for a light beer, $6 for a glass of wine, and $7 for appetizers, including fried calamari, swordfish sliders and truffled fries. Of course the beautiful view is included.

So many choices, so little time. One final place that I want to mention but don't have facts and figures on is Ocean Beach Noodle House. It has a great reputation, but their website does not show the menu or happy hour options. It's near Hodad's in OB, so if you're ever in the area, give it a try. They call it Asian fusion, but it is actually Vietnamese and Chinese. Yum.

Freebies

I seemed to have gotten away from giving you ideas for saving money on restaurants. The reason is that often when they tell you there's a coupon you go to the website and it's no longer available. I hate to give out information that is no longer relevant. Well, I do have a few new websites that I believe are worth looking at. Here's what I've got for you today.

On March 3, Elevation Burger in Carlsbad will celebrate their grand opening. They've actually been open for several months. I have been there a few times and like it very much. They will have a few giveaways and special stuff for kids. Grass fed burgers are great. I would say Elevation is similar to the Burger Lounge, so if you like the Burger Lounge, I think you'll like Elevation Burger.

Wow-coupons.com has lots of restaurant freebies, most of them at chain restaurants like Arby's, McDonalds's, Olive Garden and more. The other website I would recommend is www.sayvings.com. This is another site that has lots of free coupons that you can download.

Don't forget to register at your favorite restaurant websites for special coupons on your birthday. I just had a birthday and got a free messy sundae from Sammy's, a free entree from Pick Up Stix, a free coffee from Starbucks, free ice cream from 31 Flavors, free side from The Counter, and a free entree from Ignite. All you need to do is register for their birthday club.

McDonald's has a McCafe Club. If you register for that you will get a free specialty coffee just for registering.

I notice more and more ads on TV for freebies from major restaurant chains. Some are absolutely free, like a recent free coffee from McDonald's, others require you buy something else. Either way, it's a great way to save money. I'll keep on trying to find the bargains out there.