CPF News (copy of email)

Below is a copy of a recent email from the CPF.

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act (PFREA) has been re-ntroduced in Congress!

This landmark bill,reintroduced on February 13th, would create a national patient registry and increase public awareness of PF! Please note: he bill number has changed from the previous Congress. The NEW bill number is H.R. 1079.

This means that you, a CPF advocate, can now take action to change the future for all PF patients. Last year, over 20 new cosponsors were brought on to the bill because you asked for their support.

To remind you, this is a groundbreaking bill for Pulmonary Fibrosis, the first ever brought forward, and your help is urgently needed!

What the CPF needs for you to do!

* Call or email your member of Congress today to urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 1079 legislation that supports PF research and creates the first National PF Patient Registry. You can simply send an email by using the letter below.

* Email or call all of your family and friends and ask them to please take action. They will first need to register as an advocate."

The efforts of every CPF member are critical to the success of this Bill! Help us make history by continuing to advocate for all PF patients.

Last year, you may have made calls or sent letters or emails to your Members of Congress in support of this bill. Thank you for your efforts. Now, it's a new Congress (as of Jan. 1) and we need to ask you to do it again! Please contact your Members of Congress now and ask them to support this very important legislation.

Capitol in Spring

The PFREA represents the first Congressional legislation to increase federal funding of PF a progressive and ultimately fatal disease affecting more than 128,000 Americans. The PFREA was introduced today by two members of the House of Representatives who know personally the impact of PF. Congressmen Brian Baird (D-WA) and Mike Castle (R-DE), have both lost family members to the disease. Reps. Baird and Castle have been working closely with the CPF since early 2007 on this legislation. They first introduced the PFREA on July, 22, 2008 in the 110th Congress, and by the end of the year had secured 30 members of Congress to serve as co-sponsors - in large part because of your efforts!

What the PFREA will do:

* Fund the creation of a national PF patient registry, and call on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand and intensify PF research efforts.

* Mandate the creation of a National PF Action Plan, in conjunction with the NIH and CDC, which would focus on strategies to improve public awareness of PF, and accelerate patient and medical education strategies. The Action Plan would be provided to the Director of the NIH within one year of the PFREA's passage.

* Call for establishment of a National PF Advisory Board, which would make recommendations to the NIH and CDC concerning thestructure and management of a PF patient registry. The goal of the registry would be to improve understanding of the
cause and progression of PF, improve standards of care, accelerate research and find ways for new therapies to be developed sooner.

* Mandate the establishment of a National Summit on PF, to foster collaboration between Federal Agencies, researchers, patients and advocates to identify new approaches to research and treat PF. The Summit would be held every three years.

If your Member of Congress is listed below, you don't need to ask them to sign onto H.R. 1079 because they already have! Feel free to call or email them to thank them, though!

Rep. Mike Castle (DE), Rep. Norman Dicks (WA), Rep. Jane Harman (CA),
Rep. Mark Kirk (IL), Rep. Zoe Lofgren, (C), Re. John Tierney (MA),
Rep. Nathan Deal (GA), Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH),
Rep. Steven LaTourette (OH), Rep. Zachary Space (OH), Rep. Bill Young,(FL).

You are an important Member of the CPF's Advocacy Team! Please reach out to your Members of Congress today and ask them to support this important legislation!


Sincerely,
The Staff of the CPF

Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis
Suite F, #227
1659 Branham Lane
San Jose, CA 95118-5226
(888) 222-8541
info@coalitionforpf.org

Help Find Haleigh

The psychics at Star Dancer Astrology now have a blog. We are kicking off our efforts to "use our powers for good" with a scry on little Haleigh Cummings. Anyone out there who would care to chime in, please come by.

Not Ed Hardys... Hard Chrissys

T his week I made a deal with my beloved tyrant. In order to encourage me to write more, he promised me a "spectacular prize" this weekend, upon returning form the freezing isle of Nova Scotia, if I went the rest of my days in exile without logging on to the internet. I was, this morning, given a one-time reprieve so that I could share my "bored as hell" project. You will all be pleased to know I also wrote 800 words.

Anyhooters... this is what happens to yours truly when she is bored and has access to sharpies, white sneakers, and not much else. Behold... inspired by Ed Hardy... Hard Chrissy Tattoo Kicks.

Free Wifi on the T

As if Boston weren't cool enough all on its own, the MBTA ("T") is now wifi ready. How freaking cool is THAT?

I will say that from day one, Boston and Cambridge have tried to be wired cities, making themselves user-friendly to both tourists and locals. And it's a pretty hooked up place. But allowing commuters to log on while riding the rails to and from the city... well that just kicks it.

Rail-riders can look for the WIFI logo on the side of any car, hop on, and look for the signal, and log on at no charge. For detailed instrucions, visit the MBTA's site.

Rock on and roll on, Bawstin!

Jason Stephan Tattoo Magic

Oh my holy skinart moments of wonder... I just found Jason Stephan in International Tattoo Art magazine and fell instantly in LUST with this tattoo, which appears on his website, JasonStephan.com

Wow. Just... wow.

Fantastic New Title from RF Long

“The Scroll Thief” by R. F. Long
Read An Excerpt Online
Genre: Fantasy-SciFi

ISBN: 978-1-60504-395-1
Length: Plus Novel
Price: 6.50
Publication Date: February 24, 2009
Cover art by Anne Cain

Love is the wiliest thief of all.

A Tale of Ithian

Malachy and his sister rely on his talents as a thief to survive the dangerous streets of Klathport, former capital of the once-great kingdom of Ithian. Stealing a few papers should have been a simple job. Instead, it nearly costs their lives and throws them into an improbable alliance with a shape-shifting official, a desert tribeswoman, and a healer of enchanting beauty.

Cerys is far more than a simple healer—and the roots of her mission go deeper into the past than anyone can know. She needs Malachy’s skills to recover a stolen scroll, one that can be used to rewrite history and, in the wrong hands, release the dark powers of the Demon Realm.

Her mission was supposed to atone for a dreadful, long-ago act. Instead, it unleashes a chain of events which sees them pursued through city and desert by the fearsome Dune Witch and a killer known only as His Lordship. Romance, tragedy, and adventure blend in a tale of a magical land on the brink of war, and five unlikely allies who, by putting their lives—and their hearts—on the line, have the opportunity to finally set things right.

But at a terrible cost.

To purchase this book, visit the Samhain Website HERE

Quickening Moon Tonight

Tonight is the night of the Quickening Moon, which will be full in Leo and eclipsed. So what? This is a great night for anyone who creates. The Quickening Moon of February is the perfect night to begin something or send something created forth to bear fruit.

Think about:

sending off a manuscript
planting seeds
getting pregnant
starting a new project
finishing an old one
mailing anything you've made
saying a prayer for a new idea
making things

Wear or Surround yourself with:
Rose Quartz
Amethyst
Pink and Purple tones

Dear MEN...

Dear Men,

Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday and you were the target audience for the majority of the ads shown. I, personally, think you are smart enough NOT to fall sucker to the Teleflora Ad, which I absolutely REFUSE to post here, giving them free advertising.

But if you missed the mean and nasty subtext, it was incredibly cruel and dissed the following:

women
romance readers
romance writers
cat lovers
people with imperfect bodies
and you (because it considers you stupid enough to find the ad funny)

So if you ever want to get laid again, don't buy TELEFLORA.

And if you DO... send them a nasty, honest, but completely smart-guy response on their blog:

HERE.