It warmed my heart, and confirmed how very needed this program is. I also attended a cultural affair which included many dishes from several countries – some healthy, some at risk. I had to drag myself away before I did what I preach against.

Folks, please support with a financial gift, or help to spread the word through all of your social media, including your mouth. No, it’s not only for eating (smile and pardon the pun).

Love,Cee

Alex Vega, Bible in hand, proudly displays his shirt after exiting the capsule.

Photo: Hugo Infante / Government of Chile Michell Bruguerolles From the San José mine, Copiapó, Chile COPIAPÓ .

- Excited and surprised have been relatives of the first miners pulled from the San José mine, but the impact not only to see them again. Another surprise was the shirts that most of them wore on top of the special suit they used when they emerged to the surface. The shirts, which have a large white star on a blue square and red on the chest, have written the phrase "¡Gracias Señor! Thank you Lord.“ On the back it reads another sentence that says: “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him… For Him is the honor and glory", which corresponds to verse 4 of Psalm 95.

Pastor Carlos Parra, of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Atacama Region, told Terra TV that the message of the T-shirts is "precious" and that while he knew his church had sent them, the miners kept them as a surprise and wore them. "And (the miners) kept from telling him because it was a surprise."

Alberto Segovia, Segovia's brother David, one of the "33", was pleasantly surprised. We did not think they were going out with them, only with green special suits, but when we saw the first miner's shirt; I was surprised" he said. Segovia believes that the use of the shirt with that message makes it clear that the miners come spiritually renewed from the bottom of the earth. "(David) told me out of here the first thing I would do is go to church and thank God." The local Adventist church has played a vital role attending and assisting the families of the miners spiritually at “Camp Hope” during the 70 days.

April 13, 2010

What does the word “copyright” mean to you? If you’re like most people, you probably just don’t think about it anymore. Because of personal computers and the internet, copyright infringement has become so widespread that it almost feels normal. It almost feels, well, legal.

I’m not sure why, but for whatever reason a large number of Christians have stopped caring about “all that stuff” and decided to depend on their own lines of logic to decide what’s right and what’s wrong. Others, who are more oblivious to the system as a whole, are breaking the law because they see how common it is and truly have no idea that what they are doing is illegal. What I want to do today is make you aware. As Christians we are called to obey the laws of the land, and as Christians, most of us are not doing that in this area.

What Exactly Is “Copyright”
So first let us define our terms. Copyright is defined by “the exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc.” Simply put, the pereson who holds the copyright has the legal right to say how the work is copied and distributed. So, if I do not have the copyright for a literary, musical, or artistic work, then I do not have the right to make copies of that work. That’s the law, and it’s pretty cut and dry.

Piracy, therefore, is “the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc.” Piracy is illegal because you are stealing another person’s right to that work. So what is piracy in our every day terms? Copying music files to and from friends, copying DVDs, copying computer software, or using anything that has been illegally copied.

Common Objections to Copyright Law
There are a lot of objections to obeying the law in this area. The most common one I hear is, “It’s not illegal as long as you’re not selling it.” Others say they’re just trying it out to see if they want to buy it, or that it shouldn’t cost that much to begin with, or that it’s just not that big a deal.

Isn’t it?

Let’s take a closer look at those objections and apply a little reason to them:

It’s not illegal as long as you’re not selling it.
Really? What other area of life does that logic apply to? If you came into my house, picked up my TV and started walking out the door I would probably say something like, “Hey, that’s mine! You can’t take that!” Can you honestly say that your answer to me would be, “What? It’s not like I’m gonna sell it!” When we make illegal copies of anybody’s work, we are taking what belongs to them. How does you selling it have anything to do with the fact that it’s mine?

I’m just trying it out to see if I want to buy it.
This still does not change the fact that you have an illegal piece of property in your possession. If your answer to taking my TV was, “I’m just gonna try it out for a while to see if I like it,” I would tell you, “It’s not yours to make that decision, I didn’t tell you that you could do that.” Besides that, almost all software companies give free trials of their programs, and most bands have their stuff online for you to sample. “Just trying it out” doesn’t make much sense, and it is still illegal.

It shouldn’t cost that much to begin with.
This time let’s say I offered to sell my TV to you, but you declined because you thought I was overcharging you. And this time, when you were on your way out the door taking the TV without my permission you just say, “Well you shouldn’t charge that much!” What?! If I own something and want to sell it, I can charge whatever I want. It is your right as the consumer to choose not to buy it. It is not your right to figure out how to get what I’m selling illegally. What does us not thinking a price is fair have anything to do with breaking the law? Go complain about it, but don’t go steal it. (And by the way, software wouldn’t be nearly as expensive as it is if it weren’t for piracy. We have created this problem ourselves.)

It’s just not that big a deal.
This might be everyone’s reaction after reading those last three. A TV is one thing, but who cares about a little song? I believe most of us are a little confused at this because back before Napster it was totally common for a friend to make a copy of a tape for another friend. Even though it was still illegal then, it wasn’t considered a big deal because you making one copy for a friend didn’t hurt the music industry. Today it only takes one person to buy a legal copy of the music, put it online, and hundreds of millions of people don’t have to buy it. The reason the entertainment industry is crying out so loud today is because they are losing a lot of money due to piracy. Not a big deal? Maybe not from your perspective, but that doesn’t mean that, in fact, it is a big deal.

But even more than all that, as Christians we must ask ourselves, Is this a big deal?

What God Thinks
When approaching issues like this it is always important to ask the question, How does God feel about it? Here is a truth we must wrestle with: God either does or does not care about this issue. If we can see from his word that he does, then why in the world would be doing what he doesn’t want us to do?

So does the Bible have anything to say on the matter of copyright infringement? Well not exactly, but it does have some things to say about obeying the law. 1st Peter 2:13-17 says we are to submit to every authority that has been instituted among men, and that submitting is “doing good.” So the obvious question for the Christian proponents of “Copyright Doesn’t Matter” is, Am I submitting to every authority that has been instituted among men? If your answer is no, then my question to you is, Why would you deliberately be doing what God told you not to do?

Also in Romans 13:1-7, Paul says to be subject to authorities because they have been appointed by God. That is, resisting authorities is resisting God. Humbling? It had better be. In verse five he says that it’s not just to avoid punishment, but that it is for the sake of our consciences. I like that point because for most of us, no one is going to jail for breaking a copyright infringement law. But God calls our consciences to a higher standard. Do we only keeping the rules so we don’t get caught or because we are after the heart of God? (And if that isn’t enough for Paul to convince us to obey the law, historians place the writing of Romans during the time of Nero. Nero. The guy who went down in history as a persecutor of Christians. If Paul can make the case to obey our government during Nero’s day, then we should have no problem obeying it during our day of peace right now.)

So does God care about copyright? Well considering he established the government which set up the law, I think that he does. If God wants his children to obey the laws of the land they live in, then we must obey this law too.

In Conclusion
Part of my own personal frustration in this area is that because of the changing world we live in, many of these laws are outdated or don’t seem to be protecting what they were meant to in the first place. Thankfully, things are slowly adapting, but until the laws officially change, I cannot, as a Christian, knowingly break them.

As Christians, we have zero excuse to be breaking the law in this area. Our Father calls us to a higher standard, and when we insist on breaking the rules that he set up, we are insisting on breaking his heart.

I am in the process of making my 5^th CD project.  But I’m experiencing a familiar condition – GERD, which negatively affects my voice.  Because I am concerned with putting out my best project yet, I thought I would take medication, if only for a short time. Before, I have always tried to control it naturally.

But then I came across a paragraph from ‘Ministry of Healing’ by Ellen G. White:

“A practice that is laying the foundation of a vast amount of disease and of even more serious evils is the free use of poisonous drugs.  When attacked by disease, many will not take the trouble to search out the cause of their illness.  Their chief anxiety is to rid themselves of pain and inconvenience. ….they resort to paten nostrums, of whose real properties they know little, or they apply to a physician for some remedy to counteract the result of their misdoing, but with no thought of making a change in their unhealthful habits.  If immediate benefit is not realized, another medicine is tried, and then another, thus evil continues”. Pg.43

Reading this was enough to send me back to my vow to begin exercising and drinking enough fluid. I had already started dietary changes, like (eating) very little fat and lighter meals. You see, over the holidays I had, as many of you may have, packed on a few pounds. And I decreased my exercise, and sitting for long periods.  Now as a dietitian I always say not to be too concerned about eating during celebrations. Just get back to your regular way of eating (if it was being done right, of course) as soon as it is over.

Pure air, sunlight, rest, exercise, proper diet, adequate fluid [water, what did I say about sugar!], and my trust in God to keep me healthy (yes, I do pray to Him for this especially).

I am taking my advice. Here’s to the [soon to be] new me! And you!

Claudette [Cee] Josephs

I am asked many times by people interested in nutrition as a profession, what the requirements are. They seem genuinely confused when told, and I realize that there are many so-called nutrition schools that are offering nutrition programs not satisfying requirements for credentialing.

Here is a great article explaining the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist.

Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N  http://healthline.com

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a nutritionist and a dietitian? To put it simply, a nutritionist has no concrete definition, while a dietitian has credentials to go with the term. Any person working in a health food store or otherwise can call themselves a nutritionist.

A Registered Dietitian (RD) is a credential just like a Registered Nurse (RN) or Medical Doctor (MD). To become a Registered Dietitian you must:

1. Earn at least a Bachelor's Degree in dietetics, a 4 year degree from an accredited college or university


2. Complete an internship with at least 900 hours


3. Take and pass the RD exam


4. Complete 75 Continuing Education Credits every 5 years to maintain license.

To earn a Bachelor's Degree, Registered Dietitians study food and nutrition sciences, foodservice systems management, business, economics, computer science, culinary arts, sociology, communications, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, anatomy and chemistry.

A Registered Dietitian is knowledgeable in the science of nutrition. They learn how to interpret research studies and apply that knowledge to counseling individuals on how to improve their lifestyle and health. He or she is able to look at your medical history, current symptoms, medications, supplements, exercise routine, weight, and eating habits and give advice that is safe and effective for you to reach your goals.

A nutritionist may or may not have the credentials of a Registered Dietitian. An RD is the authority on nutrition in the US. If you are looking for someone to help you with your diet and aren't sure if the person you find is credentialed, ask them if they are an RD and to see their credentials. Some nutritionist claim they have credentials, but if he or she is not an RD then their credentials are not backed by science, education, and experience like they would be if they were an RD.

The picture on this blog is of Connie Diekman, the current President of the American Dietetic Association with her dog, Eddie, who has a certificate calling him a nutritionist from the American Association of Nutritional Consultants. No education or experience was needed to apply for this certificate.

So you just have to drink?!

Claudette (Cee) Josephs, MS, RD

A large study found recently, that increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet lowers the risk of developing diabetes.  However, an increase in fruit juice consumption was associated with increased risk of developing diabetes.

Although fruit juices may have antioxidant activity, they lack fiber, are less satisfying and tend to have high sugar content.

It is not surprising to me, as I see this development over the years of treating clients. Too often I see mothers, on the subway, in church, in the park - feeding their babies from bottles filled with ‘red juice’ or what appears to be apple juice. Is it any wonder that we as adults gravitate to the same (juice thing)? Is it any wonder that diabetes is now an epidemic? Both clients and staff – practitioners alike, seem to feel they must have ‘juice’ or ‘drink’ with their lunch. And it is almost always available.

Yes, for a long time dietitians/nutritionists have recommended fruit or fruit juice, even while we know, and recommend whole fruits over fruit juice, because of the fiber. 

As a vegetarian and health nut, I am always trying to find ways to get the nutrients I need, without eating or drinking a lot.  Here are ways to get your antioxidants, fiber and fluid in one shot.  This could be your ‘drink’ or ‘juice’ if you must have liquid with your meal:

1.    Blend your favorite fruits or vegetables, or both. Put it in your water bottle, or a bottle dedicated for that, and have it at lunch. You can add water to it.  The same amount of fiber and nutrients will still be there.

2.    Wait until dessert to drink. Drinking pure water or unsweetened tea with a sweet (preferably fruit) will go down better than drinking water with savory foods, and eliminate the need for eating additional sugar.

Here’s to your health!