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Saturday, July 27, 2013

Island of Hawaii

 
 
When you think of the islands of Hawaii you think of  great beauty, perfect weather and ocean waves and although I have been to all the islands but one,  I didn't know that the one I have not visited was once a leper colony.  Kalaupapa was originally a Hawaiian fishing village but the first leper colony that was established in Kalwao in 1873 moved here and remained in effect until 1969. .



At its peak there were about 1,200 exiled here. Now there are only a few who are living out their life thanks to entertainer Don Ho and a few others that encouraged  the state legislature to keep the facility from closing entirely. There are no active cases of leprosy now but many of those that suffered from it were physically scarred to an extent that coming back into the mainstream society would be very difficult




Leprosy, which is also know as Hansen's disease is a chronic infection cased by a certain bacteria and treatment for it is now successful with certain drugs. Until this was discovered and understood in the 1940's this disease effected millions of people all over the world.

Being sent to a leper colony was simply a death sentence even in Hawaii.

 

Monday, July 22, 2013

Play Hair day

I've mentioned before that my Granddaughter has beautiful long hair and last week she came over and we played hair-do day via internet tutorials.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Didn't we have a great time and all without a curling iron or hair spray!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Reprieve from the heat

We took a little jaunt up north this past weekend to escape the heat. It is amazing that in 2 1/2 hours you can go from this..


 110 degrees


to this.....



 79 degrees
 
Our first stop was in Prescott for a night's stay at the Hassampa Hotel. I have told you all about this place before and you can go  here to see all about it.......it is a favorite place to go summer and winter. The next day we drove up to our old home town (Ash Fork) which is now a very depressing ghost town and then on up to Flagstaff and past the old Twin Arrows Trading post..
 
To the all new Twin Arrows Casino
 
This is one of only three Navajo casinos on the Navajo Nation which is fairly large as noted by the map
 
There is nothing like going to a brand new Hotel/restaurant. Everything smells good and shines:) The room was very comfortable as see by the photo's......... 
 
 
 top notch in house coffee
 
 
 
 Plenty of room to stretch out and a great chair to sit and knit and look out the window.........
 at the afternoon clouds gathering for a wonderful cool rain.
 
We had a great time. Met another young couple for dinner and all the food we ate was wonderful but I must say the best and the greatest surprise was breakfast. I ordered pancakes and when they came they looked sort of dirty....
 but it turns out they make them with blue flour and they are DELICIOUS!!!
 
 
They have a beautiful facility
 Door pulls at entrance
 
 
 
 
 
and this hanging structure that represents their belief in the five lives, from the sea life to the agricultural life and etc. . Along the upper walls were things that also coordinated with that like these hands that represent the human life
 (I only learned this because our friend's mother is full blooded Navajo.).

 
It is against the law to take pictures in the casino but you can see some here:)
 
 


 



 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Shhhhh let's not talk about it




The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on May 24, 2013   228 to 196 that prohibits women from having abortions 20 weeks after conception.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, authored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), bans abortions after 20 weeks, based on the medically disputed theory that fetuses can feel pain at that point. It contains exceptions for women whose lives are in danger as well as some rape and incest victims who can prove that they reported their assaults to criminal authorities, but it contains no exceptions for severe fetal anomalies or situations in which the woman's health is threatened by her pregnancy.
Opponents of the bill, including the White House, took issue with its narrow exceptions and argued that it interferes with a woman's constitutionally protected right to have an abortion. The bill directly challenges the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade, which protects the right to end a pregnancy up until the fetus is viable outside the womb -- usually around 24 weeks.


SHOCKED??  Well here is another picture you may want to see...
 
First Trimester is up to 13 weeks
 
 


15 week embry



14 to 26 weeks is the second trimester

Well call me blind but I can't see much difference in the 10th week (the preferred time of abortion)and the 24th week other than size.



Here are some statics ............

Reasons for abortions


In 2000, cases of rape or incest accounted for 1% of abortions.[46]
A 2004 study by the Guttmacher Institute reported that women listed the following amongst their reasons for choosing to have an abortion:[44]
  • 74% Having a baby would dramatically change my life
  • 73% Cannot afford a baby now
  • 48% Do not want to be a single mother or having relationship problems
  • 38% Have completed my childbearing
  • 32% Not ready for another) child
  • 25% Do not want people to know I had sex or got pregnant
  • 22% Do not feel mature enough to raise another) child
  • 14% Husband or partner wants me to have an abortion
  • 13% Possible problems affecting the health of the fetus
  • 12% Concerns about my health
  • 6% Parents want me to have an abortion
  • 1% Was a victim of rape
  • less than 0.5% Became pregnant as a result of incest

Another poll of those that think it should be legal and at what times

2011 Poll2003 Poll2000 Poll1996 Poll
LegalIllegalLegalIllegalLegalIllegalLegalIllegal
First trimester62%29%66%35%66%31%64%30%
Second trimester24%71%25%68%24%69%26%65%
Third trimester10%86%10%84%8%86%13%82





The study seems to show that most abortions are about convenience, stupidity or lack of responsibility so if the "Morning after" pill is available should abortion continue be legal?



Something to ponder................
 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

For the birds

This is a frequent visitor here at my house
 
He is a Gamble's quail which are common here to Arizona. I took this picture out of my office window which has a sunscreen on it and is the reason he was so close and not scared. He was just checking things out.....
 
I love these birds as well as others and that is the reason we feed them but whoever came up with the statement
 "She eats like a bird"
 has never feed one.......
 
This is two of our feeders and as you can see there are getting whittled away quick as a flash.