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September 16, 2009

Wait! Don’t cut that credit card!

Posted by Zoe V under Finances, Green Matters, Myth Busters, Politics
[3] Comments 

A couple of years ago I decided to cut up my credit cards and discontinue using them for good. My goal was to pay off my already accumulated debt and live a debt-free life. It felt so good to cut up those evil cards in tiny pieces and discard them in the trash can. But today I feel ashamed for my actions.

Don't Cut!

I have just learned that most credit cards are typically made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. For those who are unaware of what PVC means, below is a short summary from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), which coordinates the PVC Consumer Campaign:

“PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic, commonly referred to as vinyl, is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created.  PVC is dangerous to human health and the environment throughout its entire life cycle, at the factory, in our homes, and in the trash. When produced or burned, PVC plastic releases dioxins, a group of the most potent synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive systems. PVC can be recognized by the number 3.”

PVC
In addition to being extremely toxic and carcinogenic, PVC is not recyclable. You might cringe after reading the next part of the description:

“PVC cannot be effectively recycled due to the many different toxic additives used to soften or stabilize PVC, which can contaminate the recycling batch.  Most consumers do not know that a 3 in the recycle symbol indicates that the plastic is made of PVC, and therefore recycle those products, inadvertently rendering thousands of potentially recycled containers useless.  In fact just one PVC bottle can contaminate a recycling load of 100,000 PET bottles.”

Open your wallet and look inside. PVC is the building material behind all those plastic cards in there – ID cards, credit cards, driver’s license, library card, video rental card, membership cards, shopper discount cards, retailer gift cards. All of them.

Each year, there are 10 billion new cards placed in circulation. When these cards are replaced or reach their expiration dates, most of them are thrown in the trash, contributing more than 75 million pounds of PVC material to the waste stream every year. Subsequently, PVC ends up in our drinking water despite the vigorous cleaning tap water goes through.

Still not alarmed? Consider this. In 2006, the United States Census Bureau determined that there were nearly 1.5 billion credit cards in use in the U.S. A stack of all those credit cards would reach more than 70 miles into space — and be almost as tall as 13 Mount Everests. If this number of credit cards were thrown away every three years, the stack of credit cards would reach almost 43 Everests high after a decade.

So each time you cut up and throw away one more plastic card from your wallet, you are adding to that PVC Mount Everest and causing irreversible damage to the environment. Talking about making an impact. I don’t know about you but I feel very guilty over the plastic cards I’ve discarded over the years.

Fortunately, there is something you can do to prevent further damage to our environment. The next time you get an inciting offer from a credit company, think twice before signing up. Save you credit and save your environment by passing on it. As for store cards, you can live without them. You can also opt out of Blockbuster and sign up on Netflix. No membership cards are required there. Some gyms can enter your membership manually instead of swiping a card. If you are creative, you can find even more ways around plastic cards.

Also, you may want to discontinue buying and giving gift cards as presents to family, friends and coworkers. Gift cards are short lived and usually discarded immediately upon depletion. Instead, buy an actual gift or just give them cash.

If you have old plastic card and are looking for away to dispose them, please DON’T CUT AND THROW AWAY in the trash bin like I did. Dumping them with the rest of your recyclables won’t help, as you already read PVC is neither recyclable nor biodegradable. Instead go to Earthworks™ to donate your useless plastic cards. They provides a green alternative to PVC by producing cards made from 100% recycled PVC material. Using this American-made recycled card material conserves energy by reducing the demand for new PVC, and goes a long way toward reducing landfill volume and protecting the environment.

Another company that is revolutionizing the biodegradable plastics market is Discover. In December of 2008, the credit card issuer introduced its first biodegradable credit card. The card plastic is durable for up to four years. After that it degrades quickly when exposed to landfill conditions and breaks down 99% in five years without leaving a toxic effect on the environment.

The Discover initiative could be implemented by other credit card companies as more consumers become aware of the dangers of PVC and demand more environmentally-friendly alternatives. Colleges, libraries, government agencies and stores can follow suit.

One thing to note, however, is that Earthworks and BIOPVC, the company behind the Discover biodegradable cards, both use already existing PVC material to build the renewable option. Their approach, though innovative, is more of a temporary fix. A better solution would be to find an alternative to PVC that has its own renewable origin. This way our government can ban the produce and use of PVC once for all. Until then, we should focus on what we can do individually to decrease your PVC footprint on our planet.

© 2009 Zoe Vaklinova – All Rights Reserved


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May 20, 2009

Chemotherapy kills more than cancer

Posted by Zoe V under Health, Myth Busters, Politics | Tags: , , , , , , , |
[32] Comments 

After watching a controversial video report on CNN this morning, I couldn’t keep silent and wanted to share some thoughts with you. The report was about a mother of a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with a type of cancer called Hotchkins Lymphoma. Supposedly, the mother and the boy refused to get chemotherapy and chose a natural, holistic treatment based on Native Indian philosophies to heal the body. The boy said that he doesn’t want any chemo because he tried it once and believed it would kill him. Since the boy and the mom opted out for alternative medicine now court has issued warrant for the mother.

With all due respect to all my friends who are battling cancer and to those whose relatives are battling or have died from cancer, I think there is something fundamentally wrong with this report. First of all, the government has no business “forcing” anyone to get chemo. That’s a personal decision that should be left private. It’s no different than abortion, same sex marriage or choice of religious belief. Just because your views may not be shared by the majority it doesn’t make them wrong or less valid. Government intervention in such cases is nothing more than seizing our constitutional rights. If America still wants to hold the title as the Land of the Free, government should leave cancer victims to decide for themselves if chemo is the right choice.

Second of all, chemotherapy is not the ONLY way to treat cancer. If fact, it kills more patients than it helps, 27 percent according to a recent report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, published at BBC. That’s roughly 1/3 of all people who get chemo! Disturbing statistic, isn’t it? If I was a mother of a child diagnosed with cancer, with this kind of fatality rate, I would opt out of chemo and go for alternative medicine too. There are much more natural and less dangerous cures out there but the general population doesn’t know because 1). the doctors who propose alternative treatments are ostracized by the medical field, 2). the mass media blackout on alternative and holistic medicine, 3). it’s estimated that an average chemo regimen costs between $300,000 and $1,000,000 so obviously the pharma field has no value in curing cancer. Just follow the money trail and you will understand why there is still no cure for cancer.

The problem with chemo is that is a temporary solution to cancer. It may prolong the life of the victim but it doesn’t cure the illness. Think of it this way, let’s say your car needed some major repair. Instead of targeting the cause of the problem and eliminating it altogether, you kept spending few bucks here and there to maintain the stability of the car. Sooner or later, your car will break down and you not only wasted money on small repairs but your car will no longer function. Now imagine that car was your body. Cancer is the major repair that needs to be eradicated. But conventional medicine only offers small repairs along the way called chemo. Just when you think your cancer has gone into remission it comes back again.

Earlier this year I wrote a blog about Matthew “Jett” Schaefer, an actor, model and private pilot. Matt was an inspiration to many especially after his battle with cancer last year. He underwent chemo too and thought he beat cancer. In January 2009, Maximum Fitness magazine featured him on their cover with a title, “How I cheated death.” Ironically, that month Matthew passed away unexpectedly not from the cancer, but from a rare sinus infection. According to his memorial web site, the infection would have not been as deadly had Matthew produced enough white cells to fight it off. But his body was too weak from the latest chemo therapy which killed all of his white cells. It makes you wonder, did chemo really helped Matt or killed him.

Here is another important point to consider. Cancer may not be curable but it’s surely preventable. For example, carcinogens such as parabens (another name for artificial fragrances), phthalates and aluminum are abundant in conventional beauty care products. They get absorbed by our skin into the endocrine system and produce cancerous cells. Genetically modified foods (GMO) and antibiotics/hormones treated animals are ever more present in our food. Humans are not meant to eat or drink such ingredients without the danger of developing cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and other disorders. It makes sense why such prevalent health problems today were virtually unheard of prior to 20th century. Had FDA applied stricter laws to food and beauty care products, cancer rates would drop drastically.

I may not be a doctor or even a cancer expert but my intuition tells me that there is another way. There must be! My wish is that more cancer researchers will turn to alternative medicine and shed light on those treatments. Perhaps there is already a cure, lingering right before our eyes, but we have not thought about it yet. It can even be simple and inexpensive. Or perhaps the cure to cancer is to prevent it from entering our bodies in the first place.

© 2009 Zoe Vaklinova – All Rights Reserved

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January 10, 2009

R.I.P. Matthew “Jett” Schaefer

Posted by Zoe V under Health, Inspirations, Life, Myth Busters | Tags: |
[36] Comments 

It’s fascinating when someone young, beautiful and famous dies unexpectedly. Especially, when you know that person through a close friend…and Myspace.

When I first heard of Matthew “Jett” Schaefer I was out with a girlfriend in Central Park. It was the summer of 2007. At one point, we were discussing past relationships when she started talking about her ex Jett. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Later I saw Jett’s profile on her Myspace page and clicked on it. Wow!…was my first reaction…and rightfully so after you see just one picture of him. Standing at 6′3″, he was not only quite handsome but also famous, successful and very fit. You could say, he was every woman’s dream man.

As time went by, I completely forgot about Jett…until he re-surfaced in a Myspace bulletin late Wednesday night. The bulletin came from a mutual friend and began with “R.I.P…” Shocked by the title, I clicked on it and discovered that Jett died on Wednesday, Jan. 7th after suffering from a rare sinus infection. The infection was the straw that broke the camel’s back because Jett struggled with a battle with cancer for some time. It appeared that he beat the cancer last fall…yet his immune system was so weak from the chemo that when the sinus infection struck, it took his life in a rapid turn. Fot the complete story of his death click here: www.forjett.com/last6/.

The reason I am telling you about Jett is because before his unexpected death on Wednesday, his image appeared on the cover of current Maximum Fitness magazine with a feature article, titled “How I cheated death.”

On Sale Now!

Ironic? Crazy? Scary? All of that!!! How could a super-fit and healthy hunk on the cover of a fitness magazine talking about “cheating” death die so soon after the magazine hit the newsstands? You may think that’s unfair and it should never happen to someone like Jett. The man was only 36 years old and on top of his modeling career. He was a successful private pilot too in his time away from the spotlight. While I don’t know him personally, I’ve been told that he was a good-hearted and down-to-earth kind of guy. He should have at least enjoyed the blessing of a wife and a child or two before he died. Sadly, that was not in the stars for him.

I wonder what Jett’s death has to teach us, the living, about life. Perhaps his Myspace song holds the key to that secret www.myspace.com/gqpilot.. My friend told me that as his condition was deteriorating in the hospital he changed his song. It was the first time I heard “Society” by Eddie Vedder. The lyrics sent chills down my spine…”society, you’re a crazy breed I hope you’re not lonely without me.” Did Jett know the end was near? It seems that he did. You should listen to the whole song so you too can grasp the retrospective message it carries.

Jett’s unfortunate death is more than a painful loss for his family and friends. It is a message for all of us regardless if we knew him or not. I’ve come to think that when young, beautiful and famous people die that message rings the loudest and clearest. All the fame, fortune, success and physical beauty means nothing without health. In the magazine article Jett describes his determination to beat cancer and get back in top shape, which he managed to do and earned the cover model spot. His fighting spirit is remarkable, admirable and quite inspiring. His ending words in the article are prophetic:


“I want to know that when I am gone, people will have learned and taken something from me to make their lives better,” he says. “I want to help as many people as I can while maximizing the most I can get from life.”

As I sit here and reflect upon the unfortunate news I can’t help but think of the irony of life. Jett may have not known then but he taught us his most important lesson in the final days of his life.

May your soul rest in peace, Jett.

March 27, 1972 ~ January 7, 2009
Jett’s Tribute Site: http://www.forjett.com/

Follow up 2.1.09:

Matt’s memorial was held on Saturday (1.31.09)  in Los Angeles. For those who couldn’t attend his best friend Edward Jamison has posted the memorial video and an acting video on Matt’s memorial web site:

Link to memorial video: http://www.forjett.com/memorial

Link to acting demo: http://www.forjett.com/demo

The February issue of Muscle & Body magazine will feature a special on Matt’s story with a follow up by his mom Sharron. Apparently, they were also inspired by Matt’s fighting spirit and remarkable battle with leukemia. Keep an eye for the magazine when it hits stands in February.

© 2009 Zoe Vaklinova – All Rights Reserved

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September 12, 2008

Bank Bailouts Signal Erosion of Capitalism

Posted by Zoe V under Finances, Myth Busters, Politics | Tags: |
[7] Comments 

capitalism is not democracy by Luna Park

First it was Bear Stearns, then Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack, next will be Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual. Along with the election, year 2008 will be remembered for the largest corporate bailouts in US history. Also, it may be remembered for the onset of the erosion of American Capitalism.

The bailouts expose fundamental flaws of a system that seems to serve the rich and powerful and neglect the poor and underprivileged. In its effort to increase profits, the American ruling elite has largely undermined the base of the US economy by ruthlessly downsizing the work force and affecting the standard of living of millions of Americans.

Aftermath of the bailouts will be felt in the coming months. No matter who comes into power in the November election, the biggest losers will be the average taxpayers who will be the forced to bare the cost of the ever-expanding bailouts. The biggest winners, no surprise here, will be the CEOs.

Prior to the government’s seizure, Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd and Freddie Mac Chief Richard Syron took in between them $29.5 million over the several years they headed their respective corporations. Wait, it gets better. They will receive another $29 million as part of their exit packages. Lehman Brothers Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Fuld received compensation valued at $22.1 million in 2007, while Bear Stearns Chairman and former Chief Executive James E. Cayne realized $10.3 million from vesting stock awards in 2007.

Instead of holding those CEOs accountable for falsifying tax audits in order to hide excessive company loses, they have been awarded multimillion dollar bonus packages. Arianna Huffington, author of the corporate bankruptcy bestseller “Pigs at the Trough,” posted a very good question during her Larry King interview this week. She said, “How come the government is eager to bailout corporations from crashing down but they do virtually nothing to bailout the millions of Americans drawning in debt?”

Not only is the government indifferent to the financial hardships of Americans but it made the bankruptcy laws even tougher when in 2005 Bush signed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. If you are not aware, the new bankruptcy law makes it more difficult for consumers to relieve themselves from debt even in cases of astronomically high medical bills.

Believing that the current economic crisis is a product of coincidence requires a rather naïve mind. As bank CEOs were making billions of dollars selling undervalued mortgages, their lobbyists were paying government officials to keep their mouths shut. The bailouts could have been easily prevented if the laws were designed to protect the consumer and not the elite’s interests. Our government seems to have forgotten its basic principle “of the people; for the people.” Under the American Capitalist system, the government has become “of the elite; for the elite.”

The November election will not improve things much. Both presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain supported the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout. Neither party is interested in overhauling the system. Regardless of party affiliation, politicians in Washington come with price tags openly offered to all corporate lobbyists interested in buying. They may speak of change but they don’t act on change.

Proposing another system such as Socialism or Communism may not be an adequate alternative to Capitalism either. As someone who has lived during Communism, I can confirm that the idea of “spreading the good equally among the people” sounds better in concept than in reality. The future of America is at stake and a whole new approach should be considered. We don’t need to try failed methods anymore; we need a radical shift in social consciousness.

It is time to take our power back and awaken from this awful sleep. The only path to freedom is not revolution but enlightenment. Each one of us needs to take personal responsibility to educate himself about the government and decide what serves and what doesn’t serve him. Only by throwing out stale doctrines and acquiring new knowledge could we initiate the shift in the collective consciousness of our nation. The change we desperately seek right now should come not from top to bottom but from bottom to top.

© 2008 Zoe Vaklinova – All Rights Reserved

 

August 17, 2008

The Pursuit of Perfection

Posted by Zoe V under Health, Life, Myth Busters | Tags: , , |
1 Comment 

barbie.jpg barbie picture by psuvolleygirl

This blog is dedicated to all the women in the world. In our pursuit for perfection, we spend so much time trying to change, enhance, improve or modify our physical appearance without realizing that true beauty comes from within. We are our worst critics when it comes to the way we look. We focus all of our attention on the negative aspects of our outer selves and forget to place any attention on all of the positive things we have to offer.

The struggle for approval is consuming our lives as if it’s some sort of cancer. We rely on the media to tell us what we should look like. We rely on men to make us feel attractive. We rely on our friends to tell us what we should and should not wear. We always seem to look outward for the answers but we never look inward.

We much rather spend our savings on a plastic surgery or on an expensive treatment that will make us look slimmer and younger. Yet we won’t invest any time or money on a gym membership or a yoga class or a spiritual retreat that will provide a much longer lasting benefit to our well-being. We prefer to spend our entire paychecks on a new wardrobe thinking it will makes us feel beautiful again. Yet we fail to realize that it’s not the clothes that make you attractive but what’s under them that counts more. We would stock our freezers with low-fat and fat-free frozen dinners but we won’t try to learn healthier eating habits. It’s all about QUICK FIX!

On top of that, the role models we put on pedestal and worship are some of the most dysfunctional, self-absorbed, egotistical, moral-less and talentless women  – Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and even Jessica Simpson. Despite all the fame, fortune, perks and glamour lifestyle, none of these women has achieved true happiness. They have so much power to influence the world and what do they do with it – keep on failing every single chance they get. No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.

The truth is that unless you love, respect and appreciate yourself first, no one and nothing in the world will fill up that void.

How could anyone be attracted to you if you don’t even find yourself attractive? How could anyone want to be around you if you don’t enjoy your own company? How could anyone love you if you don’t love yourself first?

It starts with you, girls. You have to be the ones that draw a line between the fantasy and reality. You have to be the ones who look in the mirror, smile and say to yourself, “I AM BEAUTIFUL!” You have to allow for imperfections because if we all looked like Barbie Dolls, this world would be a boring place. We are created to be unique not to be alike. Don’t compare yourself to someone else. You may never have what they’ve got but they may never have what you’ve got either. Each one of us brings something to the table than no other woman could. Find that special thing about you and start using it!

Your beauty has always been there. Don’t wait for the world to acknowledge it. Acknowledge it yourself and by doing so, you’ll change everyone perception of beauty around you.

© 2007 Zoe Vaklinova – All Rights Reserved