The Help by Kathryn Stockett
In my book club last year, one of the themes that continued to arise as we read books from many cultures was how we are perceived by the people we hire to help us in our homes. In The White Tiger, a Man Booker Award Winner, the main character lucks into a job working for a family as a driver. We see the people for whom he works from the inside, their sweet acts and all their flaws. We see how callous they can be, and, ultimately, how the driver takes his revenge and becomes his own boss. (Not one of my favorite books, but then again, I’m still thinking about it a year later, so there is something to be said for it.)
In Half of a Yellow Sun we saw an entirely different relationship (in a book I totally loved, BTW) between employer and employee, but it shared with White Tiger the aspect of employer as seen from the eyes of an employee inside the house who sees the family and all its interactions intimately.
The Help, a surprise best seller, does the same to 1960’s era Mississippi. A recent graduate from Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) starts interviewing the maids from local households, any maid that will talk to her. At first, no one will talk with her, but after traumatizing racial clashes, one by one, they share their stories. Just interviewing the maids, just the maids sharing their stories, is enough to bring on serious consequences.
First, the book is riveting. I have a million things I really REALLY need to be doing, and I can’t stop reading. There is something about peeking into your neighbors house, seeing how they behave when they think no one is looking, that appeals to the voyeur in each of us.
Second, these women are taking serious risks. I am on the edge of my chair with each reading, hoping nothing bad happens to them.
Third, there is something that makes you squirm, it is the old “wee giftie” that shows us the worst in ourselves as others might see us; our own hypocrisies, our condescensions, our patronizing acts, how cruel our charitable acts can appear through the eyes of others, and how callous we are in the end towards those who take care of us every day.
It has rocketed onto the best seller list, now the #6 best selling book on Amazon.
If your book club is looking for a book to read that will get you talking and keep you talking for a long time, this is one of the best.
If you have hired help in the house, I double-dog-dare-you to read this book. (OOps, sometimes the little Alaska girl in me pops back out!) Fair warning, though, once you start, you won’t want to put it down.
LOL Cats Really Made Me Laugh
I was such a bad mother. Here’s the problem. Life doesn’t come with instructions. You get faced with new situations, you just have to do the best you can. You might think your parents know a lot, but we are just like you – sometimes we are over our heads.
The first time we moved to Florida, our cats got fleas. The whole house got fleas! We had to give the cats flea-shampoos and we had to flea-proof the house.
Here’s where I was a bad mother. I made our son shampoo the cats. We did it as a team, but he was the one who had to stand in the shower and do the actual shampooing. I was the one who caught the second cat and held her while he shampooed the first cat (it was a walk-in shower with a door that shut, so once inside, the cat couldn’t get out) and then I towel-dried the totally-freaked-out cat while my son shampooed the second cat, etc.
My son – my hero. There is a part of me that still feels guilty for making him to the shampooing. It’s because we didn’t have the chain mail:
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
10 Riskiest Foods to Eat
Found this on AOL Wallet Pop where you can find amazing research and ideas on how to make your money go a little further. Although this study was conducted in the US, it seems to me that these would be the hardest foods to manage anywhere in the world.
Aimee Picchi
Think you’re safe eating foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration? Think again, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit health advocacy group.
What many consumers consider healthy foods — including eggs and leafy greens — are implicated in 40% of food-related outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated food, the Washington, D.C.-based CSPI says in a new study.
The watchdog group, which based its findings on outbreak data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1990 to 2006, says the list of the 10 foods should sound an alarm to consumers and legislators because of the presence of so many healthy foods, ranging from tomatoes to sprouts.
“Many of the foods that made the list are a part of a healthy and balanced diet,” said CSPI staff attorney Sarah Klein on a conference call to discuss the findings. “Leafy greens are unfortunately no stranger to food-borne illness. The most common path are Norovirus, E. coli and Salmonella.”
The report from the CSPI, known for bringing the public’s attention to food issues such as the health dangers of trans fats, comes days after the New York Times highlighted the dangers of hamburger meat and the flaws in beef inspection. Some readers decided to swear off hamburgers for good after seeing the piece, writes WalletPop sister publication Daily Finance.
More than 1,500 separate outbreaks were linked to the foods on the CSPI’s list, which has led to almost 50,000 reported illnesses. The top 10 riskiest foods regulated by the FDA are, in order of the most outbreaks:
• leafy greens
• eggs
• tuna
• oysters
• potatoes
• cheese
• ice cream
• tomatoes
• sprouts
• berries
The report doesn’t differentiate between organic and non-organic foods, although the CSPI believes the risks are fairly similar, said Caroline Smith DeWaal, the director of the group’s food safety program, on the call. It also didn’t include meat, because the FDA doesn’t regulate the meat industry, she said.
So what should consumers do? Proper food handling and safety measures are important in home kitchens, ranging from cooking eggs thoroughly to taking care potatoes aren’t contaminated by other food. Because potatoes are always cooked, which would eliminate any pathogen, the reason why potatoes are linked to food-borne illnesses is likely from cross-contamination, DeWaal said.
And the report underscores the need for the passage of the Food Safety Enhancement Act, the CSPI said. The Senate should take the lead of the House and pass the legislation, which would give the FDA authority to require food processors to implement food safety plans and increase frequency of inspections.
Despite the call for change, food system in the U.S. remains relatively safe, said Dr. Craig Hedberg, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, on the call. Still, food-borne illness is “a major health concern,” he added.
Suq al Waqif Coffee Shops closed
You gotta read the small items in the newspapers – that’s where a lot of the real news is. Today, in the Gulf Times is this tiny little article about shops being closed in the Souq al Waqif for serving shisha to underage people. Who knew? There is a legal age for smoking shisha?
Coffee shops closed
A number of coffee shops at the Souq Waqif were closed by the Doha Municipality for not complying with the health regulations, according to a report in a local Arabic newspaper.
The report said closure notices were put up by the municipality inspectors on the doors of the non-complying coffee shops.
Among the recently detected violations was the offering of Shish to teens under 18, which the report said, was in breach of the contracts signed by the Old Souq department and tenants of the coffee shops.
However, coffee shop managers at the Souq pointed out that asking customers their age could cause anger, particularly with female customers, who just opt to move to another outlet.
Mediterranean Diet Can Help Fight the Blues
From BBC Health News comes a study that says not only is the Mediterranean diet good for your heart healt – it is also good for your mental health. If you are fighting the seasonal blues, fight back with olives, olive oil and a diet high in veggies and legumes.
The Mediterranean diet, already thought to protect against heart disease and cancer, may also help to prevent depression, Spanish researchers say.
They found depression was more than 30% less likely to develop in people who followed a diet high in vegetables, fruit and cereals, and low in red meat.
They studied 10,094 healthy adults over four years, the Journal of the American Medical Association reports.
However, the team stressed additional, larger-scale studies were required.
Researchers at the Universities of Las Palmas and Navarra recruited university graduates to take part.
Dietary patterns
They completed questionnaires and the researchers calculated their adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) for an average of four-and-a-half years.
MEDITERRANEAN DIET FEATURES
• A high intake of monounsaturated fatty acids like olive oil
• A moderate intake of alcohol and dairy products
• A low intake of meat
• A high intake of legumes, fruit and nuts, cereals, vegetables and fish
Participants who had a strong adherence to the MDP tended to be male, ex-smokers, married and older individuals.
They were more active physically and showed a higher total energy intake.
The researchers identified 480 new cases of depression during the follow-up period – 156 in men and 324 in women.
They found that those with the highest adherence to the MDP were more than 30% less likely to develop depression.
They took into account marital status, the number of children and factors associated with a healthy lifestyle and found the relationship did not change.
Even taking account of personality traits, such as competitiveness and anxiety, had no effect on the results.
‘More research needed’
Professor Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, of the University of Navarra, said the results would have to be confirmed in longer trials with more participants but they had found a strong inverse association between the Mediterranean diet and depression.
“Thirty per cent is a large reduction in the risk and this could be very important considering the large burden of disease represented by depression.
“We know how important the Mediterranean diet is in reducing cardiovascular risk factors and the same inflammatory proteins are also raised in patients with depression.”
He said it was likely that the overall dietary pattern was more important than the effect of single components and “may exert a fair degree of protection against depression”.
Dr Cecilia D’Felice, a clinical psychologist, said there was mounting evidence for the importance of diet in treating depression.
She said: “What we do know is that a diet high in olive oil will enhance the amount of serotonin or brain transmitter available to you.
“Most anti-depression drugs work to keep more serotonin available in the brain.”
Jaidah Flyover roadworks finish in five days
From today’s Gulf Times comes news that one of the worst current traffic snarls in town will be history in five days.
Do you believe it?
And now – how is the work on D-ring going? Any news on how soon it will be completed?
By Sarmad Qazi
The road works under the Jaidah flyover are expected to be completed in five days, an official said yesterday.
The busy junction leading to the Corniche and the densely-populated Musheireb area in one direction and to Ramada junction and the Salwa highway on the other was dug up towards the end of September for expansion work.
Read the whole article HERE
FBI Press Release Re: FaceBook, Social Networking Sites
Read the message for yourself on the FBI Press Release Page
No, Your Social Networking “Friend” Isn’t Really in Trouble Overseas
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), there has been an increase in the number of hijacked social networking accounts reported to http://www.ic3.gov.
One of the more popular scams involves online criminals planting malicious software and code onto to victim computers. It starts by someone opening a spam e-mail, sometimes from another hijacked friend’s account.
When opened, the spam allows the cyber intruders to steal passwords for any account on the computer, including social networking sites. The thieves then change the user’s passwords and eventually send out distress messages claiming they are in some sort of legal or medical peril and requesting money from their social networking contacts.
So far, nearly 3,200 cases of account hijackings have been reported to the IC3 since 2006.
Cyber thieves are also using spam to promote phishing sites, claiming a violation of the terms of service agreement or creating some other issue which needs to be resolved. Other spam entices users to download an application or view a video. Some of these messages appear to be sent from friends, giving the perception of legitimacy. Once the user responds to a phishing site, downloads an application, or clicks on a video link, the electronic device they’re using becomes infected.
Some applications advertised on social networking sites appear legitimate but install malicious code or rogue anti-virus software. These empty applications can give cyber criminals access to your profile and personal information. These programs will automatically send messages to your contacts, instructing them to download the new application too.
Infected users are often unknowingly spreading malware by having links to infected websites posted on their webpage without the user’s knowledge. Since the e-mail or video link appear to be endorsed by a friend, social networking contacts are more likely to click on these links.
Although social networking sites are generally a safe place to interact with friends and acquaintances, keep in mind these suggestions to protect yourself while navigating the Internet:
• Adjust website privacy settings. Some networking sites have provided useful options to assist in adjusting settings to help protect your identity.
• Be selective when adding friends. Once added, contacts can access any information marked as viewable by all friends.
• Limit access to your profile to only those contacts you trust with your personal information.
Disable options, such as photo sharing, that you might not regularly use. You can always enable these options later.
• Be careful what you click on. Just because someone posts a link or video to their wall does not mean it is safe.
• Familiarize yourself with the security and privacy settings and learn how to report a compromised account.
Each social networking site may have different procedures on how to handle a hijacked or infected account; therefore, you may want to reference their help or FAQ page for instructions.
If your account has been hijacked or infected, report it to by visiting http://www.ic3.gov or http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
Live Longer: Marry an Educated Woman
From today’s BBC Health News comes an important discovery for Men’s health – men who marry educated women live longer. Educated women live longer. Who a man marries matters more than his own education. You can read the entire article by clicking on the blue type, above.
This study does not say you need to marry a Swedish woman. . . you need to marry an educated woman!
Educated women ‘aid long life’
A university education is important to longevity, the study suggests
A well-educated woman positively influences both her own and her partner’s chances of a long life, Swedish research suggests.
A man whose partner had only a school education has a 25% greater risk of dying early than if she had had a university education, it suggests.
The authors say educated women may be more likely to understand the various health messages their families needed.
The findings are based on a study of 1.5m working Swedes, aged 30 to 59.
The study, in the journal of Epidemiology and Community Healthcare, says that in the case of men, it is their income and social status that affect women’s lifespan.
The researchers looked at data from the 1990 Swedish census and followed up information on causes of death, including cancer and circulatory diseases like heart disease and stroke from the cause of death registers up to 2003.
University education
A woman’s education and social status were more important for a man’s life chances than his own education, the findings indicate.
Read the entire article HERE
Maid Builds Mansion with Elderly Employer’s ‘Gift’
This is a sticky situation – not a new situation, it is timeless, and not unique to Kuwait – it is everywhere. People with elderly parents need to pay attention; the elderly can be so vulnerable. He may well have given his caretaker the money. His poor 108 year old mother!
Maid coaxes elderly sponsor to sell home, buys villa with cash
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 3: Police have arrested a Sri Lankan housemaid who allegedly duped a Kuwaiti man in his 70s, and lured him into selling his home, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
It is reported the woman, who was working for the old man, induced him to sell his home, and then took the money from him. She is said to be worth about KD 120,000. She has also built a mansion in her home country.
A security source said the man’s mother, who is about 108 years old, and his family have lodged a complaint at the police station. However, the maid claims the man had given the money to her of his own free will.
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