hello wonderful readers.

so obviously, i use blogger.
i'm thinking about switching to wordpress.
it seems like all the cool bloggers are using it.

so help me out.

what do you use? and why?
have you used both blogger and wordpress?
what are your expereicnes with them both?
how much do you pay on wordpress?

let me know.
y'all can either comment on here or email me at ewinannie(at)gmail.com

hugs and kisses :)

More than Five Million People Worldwide Struggle with
Serious and Life-Threatening Disease

More than five million people worldwide, mostly women, face an unpredictable future as they struggle daily with the often debilitating health consequences of lupus, a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s own healthy tissue. Facing the potential of strokes, heart attacks, disabling pain and fatigue, disfiguring skin rashes, and other serious health problems associated with the chronic disease – often in the prime years of life – people with lupus from around the globe have banded together to call for more research on lupus, safer and more effective treatments for the disease, and improved healthcare for those affected by lupus. An international call-to-action has been issued by more than one hundred lupus organizations based in countries around the world to conduct the fifth annual observance of World Lupus Day on 10 May 2008.

Lupus is an Urgent International Health Problem

Lupus is a disease that targets a group of people who otherwise should be healthy – namely individuals between the ages of 15 and 44. The disease often goes unrecognized because its primary symptoms – joint pain, fatigue, skin rashes, and fevers – mimic many common illnesses, which can cause people to receive treatment for conditions they may not have. At the present time, lupus has no cure and can be fatal. It spares no organ – every part of the body can be affected by lupus, including the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys and brain. There have been no new drugs for lupus in over 40 years. Drugs used to control the disease are borrowed from other diseases.

Early Detection and Diagnosis Key to Improving Survival and Quality of Life

Although first recognized by medical science in the late 1800’s, public understanding of lupus continues to be below that of other life-threatening conditions. Lupus is under-recognized as a global health problem by the public, health professionals and governments, driving the need for greater awareness. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment of lupus can help to slow the debilitating effects of the disease. Improving awareness of lupus symptoms will save lives.

The Global Impact of Lupus

Lupus has a considerable impact on the health-care system and on society, due to the complexity of the disease and its treatment. Depending on which organs are affected, and the frequency and severity of disease activity, individuals with lupus may have to take a number of medicines and therapies, be treated by physicians from several medical specialties depending on which organs are affected, undergo numerous medical evaluations and procedures, and be hospitalized several times per year.

The benefits of awareness and early diagnosis are the primary reasons that lupus organizations around the world, large and small, have agreed to unite to observe World Lupus Day and conduct activities that call attention to the need for improved patient healthcare services, increased research into the causes of and a cure for lupus, enhanced physician diagnosis and treatment of lupus, and better epidemiological data on lupus globally.

Issues for World Lupus Day

Many physicians worldwide are unaware of symptoms and health effects of lupus, causing people with the disease to suffer several years before they are able to obtain a correct diagnosis and treatment. There is a deep, unmet need worldwide to educate and support individuals and families affected by lupus, and an urgent need to increase awareness of the symptoms and health consequences of lupus.

Medical research on lupus and efforts to develop safer and more effective therapies for the disease are under-funded in comparison with diseases of comparable magnitude and severity. No new safe and effective drugs for lupus have been introduced in more than forty years. Current drugs for lupus are very toxic and can cause other life-threatening health problems that can be worse than the primary disease. These treatments include high doses of corticosteroids, anti-malarial medicines, immunosuppressive and anti-rejection drugs that originally were developed for cancer and organ transplant patients.

Why Observe World Lupus Day?

Increasingly, efforts to identify a cause and cure for lupus are being coordinated on the international level. Multiple lupus clinics around the world are collaborating on studies and clinical trials of potential new therapies. World Lupus Day provides both a day and a forum for various findings to be shared with the global lupus community. In addition, observing World Lupus Day offers lupus patients the comfort of knowing their condition is recognized and being addressed on a global level.

Hope on the Horizon for Lupus

Only a few decades ago, little research was being done on lupus and almost no biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies were engaged in developing and testing potential new therapies. Today, however, the future appears brighter. In response to efforts by individuals with lupus and lupus organizations and their advocates around the globe, there is a glow of hope on the horizon for an improved quality of life for people with lupus.

The international effort to study lupus and unravel its scientific mysteries is gaining momentum. Lupus organizations are generating increased public awareness and educating patients and health professionals about the disease. Governments are recognizing the need and beginning to respond by providing more funds for medical research and services to help individuals and families who are greatly affected by lupus.

Many of these efforts will be highlighted during the fifth annual World Lupus Day observance on 10 May. For additional information about this global effort to combat lupus, visit the World Lupus Day website at www.worldlupusday.org.

*info borrowed from the world lupus day website: press release

my stealing saturdays post about peanut butter seemed to get your attention, so i figured i would share more info with you. i don't want my readers sick, i want them informed. from what i understand (if i were you, i would do a little more research, and don't rely on this, because god knows i really have no clue about peanut butter scares- i'm just finding this info on this internet) peanut butter in a jar should be safe to eat. (so e.p., you can go back to the p.b. sandwiches!) i guess the problem is peanut butter paste. which is used to make things like those crackers with the peanut butter filling.

anyway, some of the brands to watch out for are here.

hope this helps. hope everyone is feeling healthy!

Mattie J.T. Stepanek was a poet, a peace activist, and the best selling author of the Heartsongs poetry series. He was a motivational speaker and the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Goodwill Association for three years. He was born the youngest of four children, each with a life-threatening neuromuscular disease. Mattie's two oldest siblings died before he was born, and his brother Jamie died when Mattie was in preschool. He began writing poetry at the age of four to work through his brother's death. Mattie died in June 2004 from dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy. This poem was written when Mattie was 11 years old.

Perhaps, we could…

Perhaps we could…
Let the reason for this season
Live throughout the coming year.
Let this season be the reason
To dispel all hate and fear.
Let each reason for our season
Unite us in one voice,
Let this season be our reason
To make hope and peace our choice.

Perhaps we share
In Kwanzaa,
Perhaps on Christmas day.
Perhaps with lighted candles
During Hanukkah we pray.
Perhaps we practice Ramadan,
Perhaps we meditate;
Perhaps we praise in other ways,
Or just believe in fate.

Perhaps we do not worship.
Perhaps we grace alone.
Perhaps it doesn't matter
Since true faith cannot be known.
Perhaps we could join voices;
Perhaps we could join hands.
Perhaps we could
Join peacefully
Our hearts in all the lands.

Perhaps we could…
Let the reason for this season
Live throughout the coming year.
Let this season be the reason
To dispel all hate and fear.
Let each reason for our season
Unite us in one voice,
Let this season be our reason
To make hope and peace our choice.

Perhaps we wish for harmony
Perhaps we strive for paz,
Perhaps we want tranquility
Or call out for spokaj.
Perhaps we pray for fred,
Perhaps amani or hoa bin
Or truce is what is said.

Perhaps we speak of amity,
Perhaps we seek repose,
Perhaps we pledge neutrality
Or pace for our foes
Perhaps we yearn for kai lug,
Perhaps for war to cease,
Perhaps it doesn't matter if
Our faith just leads to peace.

Perhaps we could…
Let the reason for this season
Live throughout the coming year.
Let this season be the reason
To dispel all hate and fear.
Let each reason for our season
Unite us in one voice,
Let this season be our reason
To make hope and peace our choice.


Perhaps, we could…
Lets the reason for this season
Live throughout the coming year.
Perhaps we could…
Let this season be the reason to
Rise above all fear.
Perhaps we could…
Let each reason for our season
Unite us in One Voice.
Perhaps, we should…
Let this season be
Our Reason to make
Hope and Peace Our Choice.

December 25, 2002- Mattie J.T. Stepanek

i get these inspirational emails daily. it just struck me today, so i figured i would include it today, just in case it meant anything to anyone else...

Lessons of Discovery Instruction Manuals for Living

Depending on what stage we are in our lives, we can sometimes feel like we ought to know more about who we are or how to live. We may even berate ourselves for making the same mistakes, or for just not "getting it," whatever "it" may be. We wonder how our lives would be now, if only we had “known better.” During moments like these, it is important to remember that none of us are born with instruction manuals and that learning lessons is a lifelong journey.

Inherent to our being born is that we are here to observe, learn, and grow. Accompanying this is a built-in guarantee that there will be mistakes and misadventures along the way. And while it is only natural that we may sometimes become overwhelmed, especially when the lessons keep coming, it is important to remember that learning to understand yourself and your world is an ongoing and active process where the journey is more important than the destination. Every lesson is intended so you can become more of who you are. And as you grow through this self-discovery, you begin to create your own instruction manual. The "how’s" and "why’s" are yours to discover, and part of the beauty of being alive is that these rules are always changing.

If you feel that you would like to explore what your personal instruction manual may already say, then try writing down in order some of the significant events that have happened to you. It’s also important to take note of what you learned from each one. When you are done, you may be surprised to discover how much you are always growing, and that every lesson learned always informs the next. That being said, there is never any need to be hard on yourself or think that you should have it all figured out. We always know as much as we’re meant to know at that moment, and growing into our fullness is a process that unfolds in divine timing. You and your life are beautiful works in progress. Discover yourself and embrace your life’s lessons, and your instruction manual will create itself.

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