Japi's Blog

Lionly Love - just amazing

My daughter, Melissa, sent me this and I thought it was just too beautiful not to include it in my blog... as I make another detour from my political posts. 

This lady in Colombia rescued a malnourished lion and when she comes back to visit, the lion shows it's gratitude.  It's truly amazing!

Dr. Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

My niece, Adriana Perez, sent me this and it's amazingly inspirational.

Dying professor, Dr. Randy Pausch knows he is dying. This video will leave you thinking when it's over. Take 10 minutes of your time to watch it. It would do us all some good.

Barack Obama for President

Anyone who has known me for any period of time probably knows that my views have usually been either conservative or moderate.  I have rarely backed a liberal candidate.  Well, this coming Presidential election is changing that for me.  Barack Obama has impressed me with his candor, calm demeanor, straight-talk and (this may sound silly) how well connected his campaign is on the Web. 

To me, he seems to be the NEW TYPE OF CANDIDATE... not one that is dependent on special interest money (he has more individual donors than any other candidate).  He is giving all of us individuals a voice and I am very happy to support him.

That said, I would not support a Hilary/Barack ticket (any way it's configured).  Fidel Castro recently stated that a Clinton/Obama ticket is invicible.  Senator Clinton (to me) is a very scary candidate.  She seems to be the polar opposite of the current President... swinging the pendulum that far to one side will not be positive for our country.  I'd like to see Barack join up with Al Gore... THAT would be an unbeatable ticket!

If you want to read more about where Obama stands on the important issues, please visit: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

Below you can watch a video of Senator Obama in New Orleans and some of the efforts he is driving forward to help that part of the country.

Power Cars with Salt Water?

My father, Joaquin Avellan, sent me this video and I was amazed!  I hope this invention is taken to production.

John Kanzius is an inventor from Pennsylvania was looking for a cure for cancer.  He came up with the idea of using radio waves to kill cancer cells.  In the process, the machine he created could burn salt water.  It's an amazing 3 minute video showing a report from a local news report.

Patrick Hughes - amazing musician, inspiring individual

My wife sent me a link to a YouTube video earlier today.  It's definitely a tear-jerker, but it is completely inspirational. 

The story was originally aired on ESPN College Gameday last year (December 2, 2006)... but it's timeless.

Patrick Hughes is a young man at University of Louisville who was born blind and crippled and yet now plays the piano beautifully as well as marches (with the help of his father) in the Louisville marching band.

A Brave Young Man's Blog

Miles Levin started a blog in 2005 to celebrate life, as a horrible form of cancer killed him.  I read an article on CNN.com about this valiant young man who passed away Sunday, he was 18 years old (6 days before his 19th birthday). 

Visit Miles Levin's blog (the site will prompt you to create a free account before you can view the blog)

At one point he wrote "that cancer and the fear of death could expand your heart and mind"... he contracted was pediatric cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma and was an amazing and impactful young man in the last few years of his life.

When he graduated from high school a few months ago, he realized that this would be his final milestone in life and wrote: "I can rest assured that even if I succumb to the rogue cells, I will leave behind a legacy of victory."

"Dying is not what scares me; it's dying having had no impact. I know a lot of eyes are watching me suffer; and -- win or lose -- this is my time for impact."

I can't imagine experiencing life and death the way this young man did, and I don't know if I would be as brave as he was... but I salute and pray for him as he is now in the hands of God.

Miles, thank you for showing us how to live with your heart filled with life.

The "UJF Miles Levin Fund," a tax-exempt fund, has been established to support efforts to combat pediatric cancer and allow the Levin family to work toward new directions in patient care.

UJF - Miles Alpern Levin Fund
P.O. Box 2030
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
Attn: Susie Feldman

Messages of condolence may be mailed to his family,

Nancy, Jon and Nina Levin
1768 Shaker Heights Drive
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Master Cleanser Experience

For the last 8 days I've been on a lemonade fast.... and it's been amazing!

Turn the clock back 4 weeks, I woke up one Saturday morning and felt a sharp pain in my neck that ran down my arm.  My initial assumption was that I had slept badly and had stretched my muscle or ligament too far to one side and it would be ok in a few days.

The pain did not get worse, but it would not go away.  It was maddening!  I could not think, I slept very little.  Anti-inflamatory pills (alleve, advil, etc) did nothing to help the pain.  I was sleeping with an ice pack on my arm and when it would get warm, the pain would wake me up and I'd have to get another one.  I was miserable!

So I went to my doctor and their initial diagnosis was a pinched nerve.  They took about 10 x-rays of my neck and upper back.  They also gave me a prescription for a nerve pain killer.  I took the pain killer but it did very little.  I was able to sleep some, but not a whole lot.

A few days later, I spoke with the doctor and was told that the problem was arthritis in my neck.  The pain on my arm was being caused by an arthritis flare-up and pinching a nerve.  So they gave me another prescription to lower the swelling that was causing the pinched nerve.  But my arthritis was never going to go away.

I felt somewhat depressed by these news (those who know me know that it's pretty rare).

The anti-inflamatory that was prescribed did nothing to lessen the pain or my level of madness... I felt like my arm was on fire and I was losing my mind.

So after about 2 weeks of this, I decided to contact my older brother Joaquin.  He lives in Austin and has lived a very healthy lifestyle for many years.

When I explained to him what was going on, he immediately recommended two books and told me what I needed to do.  He suggested I begin a lemonade fast as it's described in the book The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs.  He also recommended the book Acid and Alkaline by Herman Aihara.

Joaquin provided some instruction on how I can start the lemonade fast and I started it last Friday.  The reason I started it on Friday was that I expected to be miserable during the weekend because of how hungry I would feel... but I figured, I'd be ok by Monday.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I was not hungry at all and haven't been in 8 days.  Yes, I've had cravings when I smell or see something that I like to eat, but I've been focused on the task and so far it's been successful.

Within 3 days of begining the fast, I stopped feeling the constant pain that had driven me nuts for several weeks.  I was so happy to be able to think clearly again!

I am almost finished with this fast (Sunday is my last day). I will come back to eating normal foods slowly, starting with soup and fruits the first couple of days.  Joaquin is also teaching me how to make Miso soup from scratch and recommending I eat seaweed salad often, as well as Miso soup and organic green tea.  All these things will help lower the acidity levels in my body which will make me feel better and pain free.

I have lived my life eating pretty much anything that crosses my path.  I love food and enjoy good food.  But this experience is opening my eyes to being healthier and living better.

Gracias Hermano por ayudarme con esto... te quiero mucho!  Japi.