Note by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: Here are resolutions we can really live with, and we no longer have to feel guilty about doing so. It’s time to nurture our bodies and our minds and start taking care of ourselves. Yes, we sure can live with that!

Mehmet Oz: “Here are my suggested resolutions for 2010: Have more sex, get more sleep, and never let yourself feel hungry. Sound hedonistic? These three resolutions will save and lengthen your life, and they are very realistic and noble goals. New Year’s resolutions were never so much fun — it’s all in how you see it. Let’s think about it for a minute, shall we?

“Like millions of others, you are waking up on New Year’s Day with the best of intentions. It’s a new year and time for a clean slate. Resolutions come in all shapes and sizes and they are as varied as the people who make them. I get very excited about New Year’s resolutions — not because I have a long list, but because New Year’s is a teachable moment. Everyone is looking themselves in the mirror in a rare, private moment of honest reflection. I was being purposely provocative instructing you to have more sex in 2010, but the act of making a resolution isn’t flippant or funny — it’s actually sacred. Unlike any other time of year, I can have a heart-to-heart with my family, my friends, my patients, my audience and most importantly myself (I am right there with you!) and decide what needs to be changed for the better. Like all of you, I make a list. And like all of you, each year I fail at a considerable portion of that list. But over time I have seen the success column grow longer than the failure column. You can too.

“I believe resolutions are so important that I devoted my show for the entire first week of January to creatively incite a revolution in your resolutions. The first salvo is that changing your life doesn’t have to be a painful effort leaving us demoralized and depressed. Food, sex and sleep, three critical components of a healthy life, are a solid starting point for any resolution list.

“The most common intention that we wake up with on January first is to lose weight. That’s appropriate since a whopping 60 percent of us need to! What if I told you the best way to lose weight is to make sure you never let yourself feel hungry? Sound counterintuitive? It is. But you have a hormone named Ghrelin made in our intestines and stomach that lets you know when it’s time to eat. It’s the nasty hormone that makes your stomach growl and overwhelms your willpower. If Grhelin starts growling, you are going to overeat and likely eat the wrong foods. You have to always keep your Grhelin levels in check by lightly snacking on nuts, apples or other sensible foods. Keep the lion in its cage by feeling full and you will lose weight because you don’t have an uncontrolled urge to overeat.

…SNIP…

“Now, instead of seeing your New Year’s resolution as a diet, what if we broke it down into specific steps and played with the language a little bit? For instance: “My New Year’s Resolution is to never have anything in the house with these five items listed as the first five ingredients on the label: simple sugars, syrups, enriched flours, saturated fats, or trans fats. If you make your resolution about dumping out the bad food and bringing in the great substitutions that we show you on January fourth, you’ll feel you have a bit more control of the situation and you’ll forget the D word (Diet! Ahem.) See it differently and it will feel different. For a list of tips, recipes and a 14-day-plan visit www.doctoroz.com.

“Still want to hear about that resolution to have more sex? Let’s save the best for last and talk about sleep first. I want you to go into your bathroom at home, shut the door and have a conversation with yourself in the mirror. Take a good look at that person staring back at you and tell her that she is worth nurturing with seven hours of sleep per night. I am adamant about this. Sleep is one of the most important and most overlooked health drivers. You simply must give your brain time to re-organize its files and your tissues time to repair themselves. I do understand the pressures of parenting and working – I have four children and I have worked many long hours in the hospital over the years. I empathize with the stress life brings — and I feel infinitely more prepared to handle it when I am well rested. I have more energy. I think more clearly, my mood is better and my appetite stays in check. The benefits of sleep are too numerous to list and it comes down to a question you’ve heard me ask before: Are you willing to admit that your life is so far out of your control that you can’t get enough sleep each night? If, after proper planning, you aren’t able to fall asleep it could signify a serious illness that mandates a consult with your doctor. I want you to stop seeing sleep as a luxury where you can cut corners. It’s all in how you see it — so see it differently and put it on your resolution list!

“Now for the other resolution that involves your bedroom: sex. Stop seeing sex as something that is only for younger people or budding romances or those with enough time. I really need you to see this one differently because it’s a hugely important part of being healthy. I want you to make a New Year’s resolution that you will have sex several times a week with your partner. Believe it or not, that’s actually a lot of work for many people out there. It’s a lot of work because right now we are in the middle of a sexual famine in America. We simply aren’t having enough. Why is this an issue? Because a loving, healthy sexual relationship is an indicator that things are great all over, and a lack of one means the opposite. Sex is an indicator of many things, and if you aren’t having it at least once (and ideally more) a week for 30 minutes, it could mean something is dangerously wrong. Physical issues that get in the way of a healthy sex life are depression, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity to name a few. All of these can pose grave threats to your overall health. If none of these factors apply to you but you and your mate still aren’t wearing out the lock on the bedroom door then it’s time to examine your relationship. Sex is an expression of intimacy and is often a valuable indicator of the health of your relationship. Looking at the reasons you are struck by a sexual famine can be painful, but they will be well worth it, and may just save your life or relationship. So make a resolution to have more sex, and embrace all the obstacles along the way – the outcome will be blissful.

“So join me in the resolution revolution – I bet you didn’t think that food, sleep and sex could make up such a great resolution list. It’s up to you in what order you want to start, and it probably depends what time of day you read this. Tune in the week of January 4 and we can go over each one in more detail. Happy New Year. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a resolution to keep, and I am not saying which one….”

(I’m signed up for these New Years resolutions. This could be a rewarding 2010. ~ Paul Evans)

Note by Evans Liberal Politics owner Paul Evans: While this came out just before Christmas — and somehow I missed it — I believe this is one of the most important discussions, with the best videos, that you will have come across in 2009. As we start the New Year, we ask ourselves, “Has anything really changed in Washington since Obama became President? Didn’t he load his top positions (McChrystal and Gates in the military, Rahm Emanuel, and Summers, Geithner and Bernanke for economic matters), with the same sorts of people who ran D.C. before? What kinds of real change have we seen from this President? Could even Bush have done worse than Obama on his economic team and the surge in Afghanistan.

Sadly, we conclude that Obama is no different, just a gifted orator with a good PR department. And it troubled me greatly to conclude this, because I worked for him and believed in him. I mean, I received a personally signed Christmas card from him (bet that won’t happen again).

Well, as we start a new year, it’s time to reevaluate and start fresh. There is no better place to start than Afghanistan, and Representative Eric Massa is in the forefront of progressives who oppose what’s wrong in D.C. (and the Pentagon), so here is what he has to say:

Christmas Eve is a time to gather with friends and family to reflect on the good things in life. It’s a time to share our joys and our hopes for peace on earth and good will towards all.

This year Christmas Eve has a sad and ironic twist to it however.

As we begin our deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, this Christmas Eve will also mark the 3,000th day of the war in Afghanistan and the 30th anniversary of the initial Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Thus far, this war has already cost the American taxpayer a minimum of $300,000,000,000 according to the Congressional Research Service (and that’s just the funding that’s “on budget”).

Sadly, the fact that we’re spending about $101 million per day in this war is the good news. The financial cost of this war is nothing compared to the fact that 937 American troops have been killed, and 4,434 have been wounded (and that’s not counting the thousands more that will carry the memories of this war for their entire lives).

Exactly 50 days ago from Christmas Eve, because of all of these reasons, I took to the floor of the House and formalized my call for an end to this war of occupation and attrition.

As a 24 year retired military officer and former special assistant to the then Supreme Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark, I am deeply troubled by the fact that we have yet to even define victory. Having recently witnessed an election where Hamid Karzai “won” despite having about 1/3 of his ballots thrown out for election fraud, I also know that we cannot continue engaging in nation building by partnering with one of the most corrupt narco-governments in the world. Additionally, being on the House Armed Services Committee and having listened to the testimony of General Stanley McChrystal, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, there is nothing that convinces me that we can force Democracy on a tribal people through continued military occupation or escalation.

History has shown us what happens when military forces try to occupy Afghanistan, and we can learn a lot from the Russian invasion which begain on December 24th, 1979.

Our friends at the Brave New Foundation have been working on an ongoing project called ReThink Afghanistan and today, they released a great piece on the lessons we can learn from the Russian invasion. I HIGHLY recommend watching this video and sharing it with your friends and family.

Afghanistan War: The Soviet Lesson Not Learned

So What Can We Do?

Last week, I signed onto a letter with several members of Congress to demand a Congressional debate followed by an up or down vote in the House on the escalation. It has been eight years since Congress has had any sort of meaningful debate on this critical issue and the public deserves to know where their member of Congress stands.

This is where you can help.

If you agree that the American people deserve an up or down vote on the escalation in Afghanistan, then I urge you to call your member of Congress and Senators to tell them to support an Up or Down vote on this issue.

Nothing gets the attention of a member of Congress quite like returning from the holidays to discover 500 voicemails demanding action.

You can find your Congressman or Congresswoman by visiting house.gov.

You can find your Senators by visiting senate.gov.

Let’s declare that enough is enough on this 3,000th day of the war in Afghanistan. It’s time to bring our troops home.

-Congressman Eric Massa

P.S. Don’t forget to recommend this post and send an email to your friends and family to recruit their help.

Paul: Additionally, you can:

Call President Obama at 1 (202) 456-1111, and demand an end to a never-ending, futile war.

Call Congress: Dial 1 (202) 224-3121, which is the Capitol operator, and ask for your Senator and or Congressman.

MUST SEE: Rep. Massa fires back at Cheney, GOP political attacks:, Video – the Ed Show on Daily Kos TV.

VISIT Michael Moore’s Official Website, where you can catch up on all the latest news on efforts to win an end to this senseless war.

(I’ve seen this reprinted all over the internet so I have no qualms over presenting it for my readers.)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sarah Palin’s oldest daughter appears to have lost her bid to keep a bitter legal dispute with her 1-year-old son’s father confidential.

An Alaska judge last week denied Bristol Palin’s request to keep the legal proceedings of her custody dispute with Levi Johnston closed.

Palin, 18, filed a petition in early November seeking sole custody of her son, Tripp, and child support payments. She had argued that the scrutiny the case could attract would turn it into a “media circus” that potentially could cause her son embarrassment as he grows older.

“In this day and age of the internet, media stories remain available for years, even decades, after they are first published, and anything printed in the media (whether it is true or not) will be available to Tripp when he is old enough to read,” she said in an affidavit.

Levi Johnston, who is seeking joint custody, has pushed for open court proceedings, saying he “just wants a simple case on the merits.”

“I do not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding,” Johnston said in an affidavit. “I hope that if it is open she will stay out of it. Bristol’s attorney is her attorney.”

Bristol Palin said that her mother, who resigned as Alaska governor in July, would not be involved in the case other than as “grandmother.”

Palin’s petition also seeks a visitation schedule for Johnston, who she says has exercised “sporadic visitation rights.”

Relations between the Palins and Johnston and his family have frequently been strained since the couple broke off their engagement after their son was born in late December 2008.

Johnston denies in court documents that he has avoided his responsibilities.

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Sarah Palin announced her daughter’s pregnancy days after being named the running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin’s custody petition calls Johnston’s recent nude photo shoot with Playgirl magazine “risque.” (Well, to say the least….)

The document also notes that Levi’s mother, Sherry Johnston, should not be allowed unsupervised visits with the baby following her drug arrest. Sherry Johnston, who is serving out most of her three-year sentence under home confinement, was sentenced last month on a guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to deliver the painkiller OxyContin.

Palin’s custody petition also suggested Levi Johnston may have his own issues with substance abuse, saying he made statements about seeking “weed” on Twitter.

Johnston denies making such a statement, saying the Twitter account “is a fraud” and that he doesn’t have an account on the popular online social networking site.

In a motion opposing closed proceedings, Levi Johnston’s attorney, Rex Butler, argued that Bristol Palin had not shown what sort of evidence could stigmatize the child.

“This case presents a custody case with similar facts that attend open cases every day in the Alaska court system,” Butler wrote.

Palin Custody Battle Goes Public

CBS News, Dec. 30, 2009 – 4:41

“The best time to plant a tree was always 20 years ago. The second best time is always today.” ~ old Chinese saying

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, It’s a matter of choice; It’s not a thing to be waited for, It’s a thing to be achieved.” ~ William Jennings Bryan

“When you know what you want, and you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way to get it.” ~ Jim Rohn

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” ~ Albert Einstein

“The only limits are, as always, those of vision.” ~ James Broughton

“Someone once asked me why do you always insist on taking the hard road? and I replied why do you assume I see two roads?” ~ unknown

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“Argue for your limitations and sure enough they are yours.” ~ Richard Bach

“Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.” ~ unknown

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” ~ William Feather

“A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.” ~ Charles Schwab

“Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” ~ Joshua J. Marine

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

“He is the most unfortunate who’s today is not better than yesterday.” ~ Muhammad

“Success can never be controlled, but performance always can.” ~John F. Murray

“If you are not big enough to lose, you are not big enough to win.” ~Walter Reuther

Mom and Paul in 1961 Eleanor Krieger Evans, R.I.P. Oct. 4, 1925 – Feb. 8, 2007

“Never stand begging for what you have the power to earn.” ~ unknown, may sound a little like Republican propaganda, but there you have it…. All these “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” people DO have a point. If you don’t help yourself, probably no one else is going to. Sad, but don’t think of it that way: get up and prove them all wrong!

“There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them.” ~Phyllis Bottome

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ~ unknown

“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” ~ unknown

“You always pass failure on the way to success.” ~ Mickey Rooney

“Whenever I hear, ‘It can’t be done,’ I know I’m close to success.” ~ Michael Flatley

“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” ~ Jim Rohn

“God gives every bird it’s food, but does not always drop it into the nest.” ~ unknown, but I’d read his book!

“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill

“To make yourself exceptional is the biggest achievement of your life.” ~ unknown

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have: three meals a day for their bodies, – education and culture for their minds – and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On political activisim: “If you think you’re too small to be effective, you’ve never been in the dark with a mosquito.” — source unknown.

“You can lead a Republican to the facts, but you can’t make him think.” ~ unknown

“Electing a Republican is like hiring a carpenter who thinks hammers are evil.” ~ Source: Daily Kos diaries

Stolen from a Google Group:
“And this, children is Niagara Falls. It was built sometime in the late 1950s by Mr. Niagara to protect the United States from the evil forces of Canada.” ~ A History lesson from ‘Eeeeeek the Cat.’

“Technology, while adding daily to our physical ease, throws daily another loop of fine wire around our souls.” ~ Adlai Stevenson

Given to us by GreenSooner over at DailyKos: “Policies that were wrong under George W. Bush are no less wrong because Barack Obama is in the White House.” ~ Bob Herbert

“I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag.” ~ Molly Ivins

“The tyranny of a principal in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.” ~ Montesquieu, 1748

“We can have a democratic society or we can have great concentrated wealth in the hands of a few. We cannot have both.” ~ Justice Louis Brandeis, United States Supreme Court, 1916-1939

“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Remember to have gratitude for your life. Thank God for your loved ones, and what you have.

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein.

Do you have a favorite quotation to add to my list? Just leave a comment, below and if I like your quotation, I’ll add it to the list and give you credit!