Herbals: April 2012

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Lisa Loeb Blogs: How I Told My Daughter She'd Be a Big Sister

Thanks for welcoming our new celebrity blogger, Lisa Loeb.

Currently expecting her second child in June, the musician, 44, and husband Roey Hershkovitz are already parents to daughter Lyla Rose, 2.

In addition to her number one single “Stay (I Missed You),” Loeb also had hits with “Do You Sleep” and “I Do.” In the years since, she’s recorded two children’s albums, written a kids book, done voiceovers, developed an eyewear line and started the nonprofit Camp Lisa Foundation.

She can be found on Facebook and on Twitter @lisaloeb.

In her most recent blog, Loeb writes about her recent pregnancy cold and shares how she and her husband told Lyla that she would be a big sister.

Thanks for reading the last blog. I wanted to answer some of the questions you posted in the comments section. Mlle. Kitty had a question about my 2-year-old daughter Lyla’s personality and how she feels about becoming a big sister. Lyla is funny, sweet, very vocal, smart, and I could go on and on about what a wonderful personality she has …

We were definitely interested in breaking the new-baby-on-the-way news to her in a way that made sense to her and wasn’t too confusing or psychologically damaging in any way.

That sounds so extreme, but as some of you first time moms know, that’s just the way we think sometimes in the 21st century!! Too much information makes us always think there’s a “best way” to do things. (My second and third and fourth time moms remind me that there’s not, but please let me be a first time mom while I am one.)

My husband and I waited until the pregnancy was pretty far along, got some books about becoming a big sister, and told her. Since Lyla loves books and unwrapping gifts, to make the explanation more special, we had Joanna Cole’s illustrated book, I’m a Big Sister, wrapped at a store, and saved it up for the big moment. We unwrapped it together, and then we said, “It’s a special book for you!”

My husband and I explained that we were having a baby, the baby was in my belly, and that she was going to be a big sister. We used “we” instead of “‘I’m’ going to have a baby” so that she felt like more of a part of the process, and that the baby will be part of our whole family — not just something for mommy.

Along the way, our daughter said, “I have a baby in my belly,” so I think the concept is still a little hard to grasp, but we read the book nightly at her request, as well as a couple of other cute books we picked up along the way about becoming a big sister.

So far she seems excited about it and talks about becoming a big sister, but I’m not sure she totally understands yet. We’ll see what happens when the baby actually comes home.

Otherwise, my pregnancy is still going great, especially when I get a little nap in while Lyla’s napping. The only hitch lately is that I got a cold a couple of weeks ago! I was supposed to be in the studio last week recording some bonus tracks for my rock album, coming out early next year, but I was too congested to sound clear or think straight.

It’s my third cold during this pregnancy, which I hear is typical with a two year old who goes to preschool, but as a singer, I’m used to taking care of the symptoms immediately: a prescription rinse for my sore red throat from my ENT, decongestants, mostly from the doctor, not over the counter, as those tend to be too strong for me.

Unfortunately, with a pregnancy, as we all know, you can’t really take much of anything, so once again, I felt kind of like a cave woman, but the kind that has a cool mist humidifier constantly running, a mouth full of natural blackberry Grether’s Pastilles, boxes of tissues everywhere, coughing all night, and blowing my nose all day, and lots and lots of soup. That sounds awesome, right?

I also continued to eat as many fruits and vegetables as I can, and kept my protein intake healthy. Strawberries, red peppers, oranges, kale, cucumbers, avocado, apples, carrots, celery — these things don’t sound like comfort foods, but I think they help the body recover. (Any doctors out there? Does that sound right?)

And like other pregnant women, I found myself constantly looking online to check out my symptoms and what I’m allowed to take, even though my OB and ENT already explained it to me, and I know the doctors would prefer that we talk to them, not to the multiple sites we troll. Is it that looking on the Internet give us a feeling of taking charge?

Take care of yourselves this week, pregnant or not, get enough rest, and if you have a cold too, or just want some comfort, find the best soup in the neighborhood. If you find it, let me know!

I should also add that I’m on my way to getting well since I’m heading up to Northern California for my last weekend of shows before the baby comes. Grownup shows in Oakland at Yoshi’s on Friday, April 20th – 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., Napa Valley Opera House in Napa on Saturday, April 21st — 8 p.m. and The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley near Sacramento on Sunday, April 22nd — 7:30 p.m., as well as a free in-store kids’ book signing at Whole Foods in Folsom on Sunday, April 22nd – 1 p.m. Would love to see you at a show.

– Lisa Loeb

Credit - http://feeds.people.com/~r/people/headlines/~3/CXfWyEQS_Wo/

Lisa Loeb Blogs: How I Told My Daughter She'd Be a Big Sister

Thanks for welcoming our new celebrity blogger, Lisa Loeb.

Currently expecting her second child in June, the musician, 44, and husband Roey Hershkovitz are already parents to daughter Lyla Rose, 2.

She can be found on Facebook and on Twitter @lisaloeb.

In her most recent blog, Loeb writes about her recent pregnancy cold and shares how she and her husband told Lyla that she would be a big sister.

We were definitely interested in breaking the new-baby-on-the-way news to her in a way that made sense to her and wasn’t too confusing or psychologically damaging in any way.

So far she seems excited about it and talks about becoming a big sister, but I’m not sure she totally understands yet. We’ll see what happens when the baby actually comes home.

Take care of yourselves this week, pregnant or not, get enough rest, and if you have a cold too, or just want some comfort, find the best soup in the neighborhood. If you find it, let me know!

– Lisa Loeb

Source - http://feeds.people.com/~r/people/headlines/~3/CXfWyEQS_Wo/

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

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Murder charge for shooter in Trayvon Martin case

Trayvon Martin, 17, was killed in February and his shooter has been charged with second degree murder. Source: AP

State Attorney Angela Corey holds a news conference to announce that George Zimmerman will be charged with second degree murder for the shooting Trayvon Martin. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

George Zimmerman charged with second-degree murder
Shot and killed Trayvon Martin, 17, in Florida
Decision comes over 40 days since shooter confessed

GEORGE Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey announced at a news conference today.

Ms Corey announced that Mr Zimmerman surrendered to authorities Wednesday local time and is in custody.

The decision to bring charges comes over 40 days after Mr Zimmerman told police he shot and killed Martin in self defense while acting as a neighborhood watchman in a gated community in Sanford, Florida, a suburb of Orlando.

The lengthy interval between the shooting and the charging announcement sparked a series of demonstrations across the nation by civil rights activists who claim race has been a factor in the investigation.

More follows.

Source - http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/com/newscomautopstoriesndm/~3/vfbXh7PPmRA/stor...

Monday, 9 April 2012

Sunday, 8 April 2012

Police probe racial motive in OK killings

Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, were arrested Sunday in connection with shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

"We're going to explore any possible motives," police chief says
A police appeal led to an "outpouring" of tips from the public, detective says
The two men arrested in the shootings face arraignment Monday morning
"It just mite be the time to call it quits," one suspect posted to Facebook on Friday

Editor's note: This story contains language that some readers may consider offensive.

Tulsa, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Police are investigating whether the shootings of five African-Americans in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a hate crime after the weekend arrests of two white suspects in the case, local authorities said Sunday.

Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, are scheduled to be arraigned Monday morning. Tulsa police arrested them early Sunday after a series of tips that led investigators to England's burned pickup, a vehicle that matched a description reported at the crime scenes, according to their arrest reports.

The shootings left three dead and two wounded. Both suspects are charged with three counts of murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill, police said.

"We're going to explore any possible motives," Police Chief Chuck Jordan told reporters Sunday afternoon. But he said the investigation was still going on, and Jim Finch, the head of the FBI's Oklahoma office, said Sunday that it was "premature" to talk about hate crimes.

"We have yet to analyze all the information to understand the motivations of these subjects in this case," Finch said.

England had written a racial slur on his Facebook page in a post marking the anniversary of his father's 2010 killing. But the entry also noted his girlfriend's recent suicide, and a man at England's home told CNN, "You don't know what this family's been through."

The shootings began about 1 a.m. Friday in predominantly black neighborhoods in north Tulsa. The first victim, 49-year-old Dannaer Fields, died at a hospital. Two others were shot just three minutes later, but survived and were released from the hospital Sunday, Jordan said.

Another person was shot and killed about 2 a.m., while the third victim was found around 8 a.m. next to a funeral home. Jordan identified the other two victims as William Allen and Bobby Clark.

Investigators have found a weapon they believe was involved the case, said Tulsa Police Maj. Walter Evans, who led the task force assembled to probe the shootings. But he said investigators did not yet know which of the suspects may have fired the fatal shots.

Nor was the relationship between England and Watts clear Sunday. Evans said they were not related, describing them only as "associates."

Police put out an appeal for tips over the weekend, and there was an "outpouring" after a Saturday afternoon news conference, Evans said. Those tips led to England, with one reporting that he was planning to burn a white pickup truck that had been identified at the shooting scenes, according to the arrest reports.

Police found the burned vehicle, registered to England, on Saturday evening, leading them to put him under surveillance and get warrants to arrest him and search his home. England and Watts were arrested a few blocks away from England's residence shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, according to the reports.

"In my 23 years of law enforcement, I don't think I've ever seen any crime as heinous as this," Evans said. "But at the same time, I don't think I've seen such an outpouring of support and cooperation from the community."

Police reports listed the same address for England and Watts, a home in a rural area on the northern outskirts of Tulsa. An arriving couple who identified themselves only as England's relatives said England's father had been shot to death in April 2010, and England had been left to care for his 6-month-old child after his girlfriend shot and killed herself in front of him a few months ago.

"His mind couldn't take it anymore, I guess," the man who called himself England's uncle told CNN, adding, "I guess it just snapped his mind."

Earlier, others at the home hurled abuse at a CNN crew that approached the driveway.

One of England's neighbors, 83-year-old Synita Bowers, said England "is a very nice young man, very well mannered.

"He would help me over here," Bowers said. "When his dogs turn over my trash cans, he comes and cleans it up -- very nice young man."

But on England's Facebook page, a friend warned him not to "do anything stupid" after a Friday night message that read "It just mite be the time to call it quits."

"I hate to say it like that but I'm done if something does happen tonite be ready for another funeral later," England wrote.

And on Thursday afternoon, he noted that it was the second anniversary of his father's death "at the hands of a f***ing nigger."

"It's hard not to go off between that and sheran I'm gone in the head," he wrote, referring to his girlfriend. The Facebook page was taken down Sunday afternoon.

Authorities would not comment Sunday on any possible link between Friday's shootings and the death of England's father.

"When five black people appear to be shot by a white person, then the immediate reaction is there is a racial component," Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett told CNN. "If that's how the prosecution comes out, we certainly support and will help in any manner, shape or form to bring an end to that point of view."

About 30 representatives from four law enforcement agencies -- the Tulsa police, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI -- had been working around the clock looking for those responsible for the shootings. News of the arrests came as a relief to residents, many of whom had changed their daily habits since the shooting.

"A lot of people in my community were afraid that they couldn't go outside. They didn't know if they could even go to church, didn't know if they could go to the grocery store," City Councilman Jack Henderson said.

Now, he said, Tulsans "can feel they are safe" -- and he said he hoped the cooperation they gave police could encourage others to come forward with information on other still-unsolved killings.

"I get a feeling from my community that there's going to be a better relationship with the Police Department," he said. "The Police Department has shown they can solve crimes, they can solve them fast."

CNN's Ross Levitt, Randi Kaye, Maria P. White, Nick Valencia and Don Lemon contributed to this report.

Via - http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/sQvrU9EAbeM/index.html

Monday, 2 April 2012

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Syria: We'll pull out of populated areas

Moves to isolate Syrian regime

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Withdrawal from centers scheduled to be complete by April 10, diplomats say
Syrian foreign minister told U.N. envoy Kofi Annan the forces will be pulled out
U.S. diplomat says officials are waiting to hear about other aspects of peace plan
"The proof is in the actions, not in the words," says U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

United Nations (CNN) -- The Syrian government has agreed to begin immediately to pull its forces out of population centers and will complete its withdrawal by April 10, diplomatic officials told reporters Monday.

The Syrian foreign minister made that promise to U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, according to Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the world body. And Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, said Syria is committed to the success of Annan's peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of Syrian forces as well as those of the opposition.

By then, all forward deployment of government forces and use of heavy weapons should be halted as well, Rice said after Annan briefed the Security Council in a private session.

She said officials were awaiting details from the Syrian government on other aspects of Annan's six-point peace plan, including requests for humanitarian access, a daily two-hour pause in hostilities and access for the news media.

"The Syrian government is committed, but we are expecting Mr. Kofi Annan and some parties in the Security Council also to get the same kind of commitments from the other parties," Jaafari said. He said those "other parties" were groups "involved in initiating, sponsoring and arming the armed groups."

All Security Council members called for the Annan plan to be implemented immediately, Rice said.

She noted that some members expressed concern that the government of Syria might use the coming days to ramp up the violence amid doubts about whether Damascus would be true to its word. But there was a general willingness to consider Annan's plan for a monitoring mission "if indeed cessation of violence is achieved," she said.

Annan did not specify any conditions for the deal, which was to have begun Sunday, Rice said. But the U.S. ambassador expressed skepticism over the Syrians' promise.

"Let's be realistic," she said. "We've seen commitments to end the violence followed by massive intensification of the violence. The United States would say yet again, the proof is in the actions, not in the words."

A diplomatic team that will include some of Annan's staff members will return this week to Syria "to continue preparations for monitoring a supervisory mission" of the United Nations, Rice said.

The announcement comes the same day that Russia -- historically a Syrian ally, which with China has blocked more stringent efforts to address the violence in the U.N. Security Council -- pressured Damascus to withdraw its troops.

"But if the withdrawal of troops is not accompanied by similar actions of those who fight against the Syrian government, I believe that no results will be yielded soon," said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to the state-run Itar-Tass News Agency.

The United Nations has estimated at least 9,000 people have been killed in Syria since the unrest began more than a year ago -- violence that the Syrian government has blamed on "armed terrorist groups," but that the opposition and many other nations have said is a result of a crackdown on dissenters in the Middle East nation. Protesters want an end to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

After yet another bloody weekend, at least 65 more people died Monday in fresh violence, according to opposition activists.

Seven soldiers from the rebel Free Syrian Army, four children and a woman were among those killed, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. More than half of the deaths were in Homs, which has been a hotbed for dissent and bloodshed in recent months.

About 40 Free Syrian Army soldiers captured the National Hospital in that city, only to find 78 corpses stacked in a hospital refrigerator, the LCC reported Monday.

"We do not know who the bodies belong to, but it appears most of them are opposition from Baba Amr," said an activist in Homs, who was debriefed by the rebel army. Baba Amr is a Homs neighborhood that bore the brunt of weeks of shelling by government forces.

The LCC also said regime troops launched a campaign arresting people in Daraa province -- the cradle of the Syrian uprising -- and burned the homes of opposition activists.

About 8,000 refugees arrived Sunday night in Tirmaala, in the Homs district, and more came Monday to seek shelter, according to the opposition group. The group said that some single-family homes there were packed with more than 100 people.

Helping those in need is the focus of Jakob Kellenberger, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as he starts two days of talks in Syria on Monday. He'll meet Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mu'alem, Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Mohamad al-Shaar and Health Minister Dr. Wael al-Halki.

"I am determined to see the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent expand their presence, range and scope of activities to address the needs of vulnerable people," Kellenberger said in a news release about his third such visit since June.

Meanwhile at the Vatican, the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" announced that Pope Benedict XVI has donated $100,000 to support Syrians. The money will be used for the charitable activities of churches in Syria to "support ... the suffering population," the council said.

On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced it will provide an initial $1.25 million to establish a Syria Accountability Clearinghouse to help train Syrians and partner organizations to collect evidence related to human rights abuses and violations for possible use in any prosecutions that may result from the carnage.

This comes a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged an additional $12 million in humanitarian aid -- nearly doubling the amount of American money pledged for humanitarian aid like field hospitals and medical training.

On Monday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the United States has been providing "communications and medical support," and that officials are "looking at how we can expand that."

"Other countries made clear that they will be providing a different kind of support. They will be providing support directly to the Free Syrian Army," she said, in reference to the recently created armed force that is made up largely of defectors from Syria's military and is now the chief fighting force challenging al-Assad's regime.

Syria's ambassador to the United Nations blasted this and other promises of aid.

"All the parties who are sponsoring publicly the armed groups in Syria should bear the responsibility of their acts," Jaafari said. "This is a violation and a declaration of war against the sovereignty of Syria."

But Syrian National Council member Adib Shishakly said the international community needs to donate more, in order to meet the needs of the million-plus people affected by the violence in Syria.

"A million dollars daily, minimum, is needed," Shishakly said.

"If we don't bring protection for the people inside Syria, it's like we didn't do anything," he added, calling for international backing of the rebel Free Syrian Army, safe zones to protect people and relief and medical support.

Herbals

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Lisa Loeb Blogs: How I Told My Daughter She'd Be a Big Sister

Lisa Loeb Blogs: How I Told My Daughter She'd Be a Big Sister

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Murder charge for shooter in Trayvon Martin case

Monday, 9 April 2012

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Sunday, 8 April 2012

Police probe racial motive in OK killings

Monday, 2 April 2012

Syria: We'll pull out of populated areas

Sunday, 1 April 2012