Are We In The Sixth Mass Extinction?

There have been five mass extinctions in the history of the world.  During those five extinctions, we have lost 99% of the earth's species.  We may be in the midst of a sixth extinctions, as we are losing species at an alarming rate.  In the past decade, we have lost the following species:

1.  Javan tiger, extinct in 2003.

2.  Western Black Rhinocerous, extinct in 2018.  There are four remaining subspecies of rhino, all of which are endangered.

3.  Southern Gastric Brooding Frog, extinct in 2002.  It was an aquatic species of frog, which lived in rain forests.  Scientists think they may have held the solution for stomach ulcers in humans, but they became extinct before the answer could be found.

4.  Pinta Island Tortoise, extinct in 2012.  There was one remaining 200 pound Pinta Island Tortoise in the Galapagos that they nicknamed Lonesome George.  They hoped to find a mate for him, but could not and he died.

5.  Baiji River Dolphin, extinct in 2006.  This river dolphin lived only in the Yangtze River in China, and was considered a national treasure.

So there you have it.  These are just a few of the species that have become extinct in the 21st century.  A combination of population growth, destruction of animal habitat, pollution and climate change have lead to their demise.  There is much that can be done to slow or stop extinctions that is not being done.  I hope environmentalists will get more support in the future to help stop the destruction of animal species.

The Life of Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld  was a German creative director, fashion designer, artist and caricaturist.  He was born in German in 1933, but lived much of his life in France.  He never gave the exact year of his birth, wanting to be younger than he actually was.  His parents were middle class, although he wanted the public to believe his parents were from royalty.

Lagerfeld was director of the French fashion house  Chanel, a position he held from 1983-death.  He was also creative director of the italian fur and leather goods fashion house, Fendi.  He was recognizable for his signature white hair, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves and a high starched detachable collar.

In 1955 while in Paris, Lagerfeld won a coat design competition.  Here he befriended Yves Saint Laurent.  Later he apprenticed with Pierre Balmain.  In the 1980's, Lagerfeld was hired by Chanel, which was a brand considered nearly dead, after Coco Chanel died.  Lagerfeld brought it back to life, making its ready to wear fashion line a huge success.

His life and career was not without controversy.  He loved using fur in his designs, and at one fashion show PETA threw a tofu pie at him in protest.  However, it missed its mark, and hit Calvin Klein, who never used fur, instead.  PETA considered it friendly fire.  Lagerfeld was also accused of being fatphobic, Islamophobic and opposed the me too movement.

Karl Lagerfeld died of pancreatic cancer after a brief illness.

Minimalist Fashion Challenge: Project 333

I just finished watching a documentary on minimalism.  It was made by two young men who gave up their six figure salaries, all the stress and frustration (and some perks), for a simpler life, hoping to find more meaning in life.  In the film, they introduced a woman named Courtney, who was also trying to simplify her life.  She decided to start by reducing the clutter in her closet.  Thus, Project 333 was born, and women all around the world are now taking the challenge.  I too will take the challenge.  Here's what's involved.
Pick out 33 items of clothing, including shoes, jackets and  accessories.  This will be your complete wardrobe for the next three months.  Underwear, sleepwear and workout clothes do not count in the 33 items.  Box up the rest of the clothes and put them away for another time.  Include one really good sweater, rather than four or five cheap ones.  Obviously you will pick clothes that have multiple uses, like a good pair of black pants that can go anywhere, or a dress that you can wear day or night.

What's the purpose of this?  This is not a project in suffering, but should bring you joy and frustration.  It will uncomplicate your decision about what to wear everyday.  You will get a great feeling that you are using and wearing all the clothes in your 3 month wardrobe.  If you like the project, do the same thing in three more months.  It will be a different season, so you may need different things.

You will find from doing Project 333 that you are happy with less clothes, less choice.  You will not spend time and deliberate over what to wear.  You only have a few choices!  I can't wait to try it.  People like Courtney who want to minimalize their lives are doing so because they have found that all the "stuff" they have does not bring them happiness.  According to the minimalists, we need to love people and use things, not the other way around.  Give it a try, what have you got to lose?

A Visit to a Magical Place: Ilan-Lael Foundation

Several months ago Fran and I visited the Oceanside Museum and enjoyed the exhibit of the multi-talented and creative artist, James Hubbell.  When I found out his home and foundation was just an hour away, I looked into visiting.  Luckily, I was able to arrange a private tour for a group of Newcomers.  25 enjoyed a spectacular of sights and stories about this great talent, James Hubbell.

In Hebrew, Ilan-Lael means tree that unites the physical and spiritual.  Hubbell named his home Ilan-Lael because it so beautifully describes his art.  I would call it organic.  From the placement of the original home on a hill, where they discovered how the light and wind would effect it, to the tile on the bathroom sink, to decorative sculptures around the pool, every decision in design is thought through.  Everything has a function.  James and Ann Hubbell bought the property around 1960 and built the main house, a tiny house, built in the pueblo style.  As the family grew, more buildings were added, and today there are 11 structures, including a small chapel and a large arts area from which the foundation is run.

Hubbell was influenced by African art, Gaudi's work in Barcelona, and Frank Lloyd Wright, and you can see all of this influence in his work.  On the day we toured the home, James Hubbell was, as always, at work in his studio.  He is 88 years old now, and still works every day.  Yes, he has other artists and artisans do the heavy lifting, but he is the inspiration behind everything.  Stained glass abounds, one window or ceiling more beautiful than the next.  Mosaic work is everywhere, from the pool, to bathrooms, to pathways outside.  Sculpture, yes, lots of sculpture.

Hubbell does not consider himself an architect, but he worked closely for many years with Richards (not sure of his first name), a well known architect who designed many homes in San Diego.  I took a few pictures which do not do justice to just how beautiful and special Ilan Lael is, but I encourage you, if you ever have the opportunity to visit Ilan Lael, do.  You can thank me later.

The Painted Ladies Are On The Move

March 13, 14, and 15 were magical days.  The Painted Ladies were migrating from the deserts of Mojave and Colorado to Oregon, Washington and even Alaska.  These orange and black butterflies travel up to 25 miles per day on their journey north.  They fly low and straight, and you might be lucky and see hundreds, if not thousands of the little beauties flying north.  Not since 2005, when a migration of 1 billion Painted Ladies flew north, has there been anything like it.  The reason for the mass migration is lots of rain, and an abundance of vegetation.  It's an amazing sight to see.

Scientists say that butterflies are in crisis, that the Monarch, has decreased by 86% since 2017.  A wet year like we have just experienced, helps all the butterflies.  Only one other time have I seen an invasion of butterflies like I saw last week.  That was around 2004 or 2005, when millions of Monarchs invaded Del Mar.  The butterflies were so thick they were in your hair and all over your body.  I have never seen anything like it.  This invasion of the Painted Ladies was not that intense, but it was a magical experience.

It's Time For Hamantashen

The 14 day of Adar on the Hebrew calendar is the beginning of Purim.  It celebrates the time the Persian Jewish population was saved from genocide.  In modern days, it means festivals, games, and hamantash.  Hamantash is the three sided pastry filled with jam or poppy seeds or both, that is gobbled up during Purim by Jews and Gentiles alike.

Haman, the villan of Purim, is described in the Book of Esther.  Pastries symbolize the defeated enemy of the Jewish people.  The word "tasche" means pockets in German, thus, the pasty may refer to Haman's pockets, symbolizing the money that Haman offered to Ahasueries in exchange for permission to destroy the Jews.  The reason for the three side pastry is uncertain.  What we all know, is that Purim is a happy time, a time for celebration, and the eating of hamantashen makes it that much sweeter.

Heroin Addiction

• “In your mind, you can be O.K., you can just do one. But one is too many, and a thousand is never enough.” — Bruce Cherry, 58, Pennsylvania
• “In the beginning, it feels really good. You’re paying to get high. And toward the end, you’re feeling really stupid, because you’re paying not to be sick.” — Raj Mehta, 51, Michigan
• “Do not believe the hype. Do not believe your eyes. In the end, it’s not worth it.” — Jasmine Johnson, 29, Pennsylvania

A Visual Journey
Through Addiction

Why do people start taking opioids and why can’t they stop? Through interviews with users and experts, The New York Times created a visual representation of how these drugs can hijack the brain.

Written by SHREEYA SINHA illustrations by ZACH LIEBERMAN and LESLYE DAVIS

DECEMBER 18, 2018

The opioid epidemic is devastating America. Overdoses have passed car crashes and gun violence to become the leading cause of death for Americans under 55. The epidemic has killed more people than H.I.V. at the peak of that disease, and its death toll exceeds those of the wars in Vietnam and Iraq combined. Funerals for young people have become common. Every 11 minutes, another life is lost.

So why do so many people start using these drugs? Why don’t they stop?

Some people are more susceptible to addiction than others. But nobody is immune. For many, opioids like heroin entice by bestowing an immediate sense of tranquility, only to trap the user in a vicious cycle that essentially rewires the brain.

Getting hooked is nobody’s plan. Some turn to heroin because prescription painkillers are tough to get. Fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, has snaked its way into other drugs like cocaine, Xanax and MDMA, widening the epidemic.

To understand what goes through the minds and bodies of opioid users, The New York Times spent months interviewing users, family members and addiction experts. Using their insights, we created a visual representation of how the strong lure of these powerful drugs can hijack the brain.

Dr. Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, one of the nation’s top opioid researchers, said this work brings “an emotional understanding” to the epidemic but “without glamorizing or oversimplifying.”

We invite you to share your experiences at the end of the page.

If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid addiction, call 1-800-662-HELP.

Stage 1 Gateway

“It’s like being hugged by Jesus.” — Amanda Ryan-Carr, 24, Pennsylvania

“I remember feeling like I was exhaling from holding my breath for my whole life. Just intense relief from suffering.” — Matt Statman, 48, Michigan

You naturally produce endorphins, the body’s own version of opioids, which act in the reward circuits of the brain to make you feel good after you work out, hug a friend or eat your favorite foods.

A drug like heroin creates a tidal wave in the reward circuits of the brain. To an outsider, it looks as though you have passed out. But on the inside you feel like a master of the universe, like you’re being “hugged by Jesus,” as one user said; there’s peace in your skin and not a single feeling of pain.

You may remember this exact moment for years to come: where you were, what you wore, what you saw and what you heard. You may chase this feeling for years.

As the high wears off, the brain regains its balance – but not for everyone. That’s the opioid trap for many people: In the beginning, no serious ill effects are apparent. But the brain rewires little by little with each use.

Stage 2 Tolerance

“It was like the high put on blinders to everything and made me not care about anything in the world, other than the heroin.” — Brandon N., 26, Pennsylvania

“Any time you start to feel like you’re getting antsy or anxious or a little stressed, your body says it knows exactly how to get out of this, and it’s telling you to just go get a little bit more of that heroin.” — Ivana Grahovac, 42, California

You’re chasing the siren of the first high by taking more. But even a thousand more doses will never bring back the experience of that first time.

The brain balances its own endorphins like a thermostat. When an external source keeps flooding the brain, it throws that system off.

Like other drugs, opioids produce a surge of dopamine, a chemical messenger that tells the brain that “taking this drug is good, repeat it.” The brain’s response to opioids and the surges in dopamine they cause can rewire circuits in the brain.

The brain’s response to these chemical changes make life difficult without the drug. Stress and irritability creep in, so you take more opioids to cope. Soon, nothing else in life provides any satisfaction.

The pleasure and reward cycles flip: You get less pleasure from the drug, but want it all the more. The more you seek and take the drug, the more the brain adapts to the drug and demands more.

Stage 3 Withdrawal

“It’s like a demon crawling out of you. You’d rather just die and be done with it than go through that.” — Jasmine Johnson, 29, Pennsylvania

“Everything hurts. It hurts to comb your hair. It hurts to shave. You have no energy. You feel weak. You feel a sense of desperation. You have constant impending doom and anxiety, because you realize that with one pack of dope you can change how you feel within a matter of 10 seconds.” — Raj Mehta, 51, Michigan

The final trap of addiction is laid when you muster the courage to stop. You may not even realize you are physically dependent until you experience withdrawal for the first time.

There might be crippling pain, vomiting, insomnia, spasms, hot and cold flashes, goosebumps, congestion and tears. All this on top of debilitating anxiety and depression. You might feel like you’re having the worst flu of your life, or like a demon is crawling out of your skin.

This misery could last for weeks.

Dying from withdrawal is uncommon, but it doesn’t feel that way at the time. These harsh symptoms can make quitting seem impossible.

Stage 4 Addiction

“It’s like a time bomb. You’ve got 24 hours to get heroin, or you’re going to be really sick. You wake up, and your whole life is just based around it.” — Raj Mehta, 51, Michigan

“I felt like all my relationships were very surface-level, and really I was holding people hostage. No one was really my friend. I just wanted to take things from them.” — Mandy McCandless, 23, Pennsylvania

“I would see an old lady on a Mac and would think, ‘I could grab her pocketbook for cash.’ That was probably the beginning of the end.” — Jim Pietrowski, 57, Pennsylvania

The brain screams for more. Scoring the next fix feels like a race against the clock of withdrawal. You may feel like only a fix can save you. It makes no sense, but this compulsion takes over all logic, judgment and self-interest. You may do things you never thought you could.

Sell your body. Abandon your child. Steal from your mother. You might lose your job. Lose your home. Lose your loved ones. In this sad stage, families are torn apart.

Sharing needles can make things even worse, and bring about hepatitis and H.I.V.

A shadow of your former self lives in shame.

You’re now addicted to opioids and you no longer take the drug to get high, but to escape feeling low. The brain has adopted a new form of compulsion that can reassert itself even after years of sobriety.

Stage 5 Treatment

“My brain felt like it was rewired. My body, mind and soul. It's a day at a time. I can do anything for a day. Once I bought into that and made some other friends, things started to change for me.” — Jim Pietrowski, 57, Pennsylvania

“There was a push factor, which was the misery and the self-hatred and the depression and the cops, and then there was a pull factor, which was this amazing hope from this community of people who I knew understood me in a way nobody else in the world could.” — Matt Statman, 48, Michigan

You hit rock bottom, perhaps after a run-in with the law. You fear withdrawal. You dread confronting why you started and who you have become. Willpower alone may not be enough, and quitting cold turkey could increase the risk of overdose.

You may not have access to treatment. You may not be able to afford it. Or you’ve heard that quitting is impossible and that taking medication to help is simply swapping one drug for another.

Treatment centers that promote abstinence are at odds with the medical standard of care — long-term use of medications, like buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone. But only about 25 percent of outpatient centers provide them.

These medications soften the cravings without causing euphoria. They help reset the brain’s thermostat, so it can stop thinking about opioids 24/7 and the hard work of recovery can begin.

Every person is different, and underlying issues, such as mental health problems, can affect a treatment plan. But therapy and community help increase the chances you stick with it.

Stage 6 Relapse

“A lot of times in your addiction, things are getting better. You see a light at the end of the tunnel. And it ends up being the freight train coming at you.” — Jasmine Johnson, 29, Pennsylvania

“That old impulse comes back, that old habituated response, which is: ‘This is hard. You’re going to fail. Don’t even try to get well. You’re just going to end up back in it. So just go get high right now.’” — Ivana Grahovac, 42, California

Relapse is a normal part of recovery, but it also brings dangers. After abstaining from the drug, your tolerance decreases even if the cravings remain intense. The same amount of the drug that you took before can result in overdose, especially if it’s laced with fentanyl or mixed with benzodiazepines and alcohol.

In an overdose, your body is unable to handle the drug and your breathing slows or stops.

Seventy-seven percent of opioid overdose deaths occur outside medical settings, and more than half occur at home. This year, the surgeon general advised Americans to carry naloxone, a life-saving medication to resuscitate victims.

Once revived, you may feel anger and shame, or face stigma and judgment, which can fuel the cycle.

For the families of those who are addicted, life has become a rollercoaster ride.

Stage 7 Recovery

“Colors get brighter and smells are more intense and emotions just are much more powerful, because opiates numb them.” — Dove Henry, 26, Montana

“I didn’t have interests or hobbies or anything. So finding what I really liked doing was really beneficial to me. Because if you don’t have fun, then you’re not going to stay sober.” — Rebecca Ronning, 24, Minnesota

“From now on, I have to guard my sobriety with my life, because my life depends on it.” — Ivana Grahovac, 42, California

Recovery is complicated and takes time, but it’s not impossible.

Experts say treatment could require six months to 20 years. One expert says the average person could relapse four or five times over eight years to achieve a single year of sobriety.

Some people may have to remain on medications indefinitely; for others, a doctor may taper them off. But doctors don’t know when the brain has reset itself and is no longer at high risk for substance use.

Factors like health insurance, housing and income can determine how long you remain on medication. Like a child, you also need to learn new behaviors and rebuild your life. It’s a journey to accept, control and heal the feelings that led to addiction.

Only one in five people who need treatment for drug use actually receive care, and only about half of those are given medication, experts say. Those given medications rarely receive them for long enough.

This article was taken from the New York Times on December 23.  Having seen how heroin can affect the person and the family close up, I felt compelled to copy this article in its entirety, in the hopes that some of you will read it.  Heroin is unlike other drugs, as it rewires your brain.  We have an epidemic in this country, and no solution in sight.  We all the rehab centers we have, no one has really figured out how to treat heroin addiction.  Hopefully this article will give you a better understanding.