FAT BIKE ADVENTURE TO SOUTH AMERICA
Mike Potter is off on another fat-bicycle adventure, this time from Tijuana to Tierra del Fuego … yes, to the tip of South America by fat bike! He left home in December and began riding south on January 9, 2014. He is currently about half way down the Baja 
Peninsula. A friend is riding with him, at least part of the way. If you would like to watch their progress and follow his video blog, you’ll find Mike at: www.relaxedchaos.com.
Mike is a former newspaper owner and is an ex-military media expert who enjoys fitness and healthy eating. His line of Relaxed Chaos food and recipes is evolving.
For this trip, he is loaded down with his usual camping gear and high end photographic equipment, but is carrying emergency supplies and extra tires. This trip will take him through isolated country and dangerous terrain. He is carrying a satellite SPOT beaming his location to a map we can follow on his website. You can also follow him on Facebook.
On a clear fall day in early September 2012, Mike Potter began his first fat-bike odyssey riding the perimeter of the US. He doesn’t do anything half-assed. It’s all or nothing with Mike. On the first journey he covered 6,762 miles and returned to his home in Whitefish MT for the summer. Now, he is off on another adventure! Yay Mike!
BOOK PLANS FOR 2015
Secrets of Loon Lake is the first of a series of cozy mysteries set in Northern Minnesota lake country in the 1960’s. The first draft was written to completion between March and July of this year. It has been in the making for about ten years but it took retiring to actually get down to the writing. Fine tuning and revisions are nearly done.
I live in Montana and am writing the series with my sister Bev Erickson who lives on a lake in Northern MN. The fictitious setting of the mystery series is much like Cass Lake our childhood home. A friend and author in my critique group described the book as “Lake Wobegon meets Psycho” which doesn’t sound too cozy. We have had great fun developing the characters and writing together long distance using Drop Box to share the manuscript.
Drop Box is a wonderful free cloud service useful for everyone, not just writers. Using the service you will find it is easy to share documents and photos with selected people for selected files. This also provides a backup of your work and is accessible from any computer, even your smart phone. If you haven’t checked it out, find the information at www.dropbox.com.
Bev and I plan to publish The Secrets of Loon Lake on Amazon Kindle and Create Space paperback in early 2015.
Fatal Feast has been swirling in my mind since the outbreak of mad cow disease in Great 
Britain in the 1990s. This is a thriller set in Montana based on the spread of mad cow disease by terrorists who penetrate a high risk laboratory. The story is finally ready to share after extensive research and many iterations. I plan to submit a couple of agent queries and if I have no takers, will publish it on Amazon within the next couple months.
2014 has been a very busy year of writing for me, but I have not been keeping up on my three blogs. A New Year’s resolution is to do better. You might be interested in checking out my other blogs: www.lipsticklogic.com (This is a health blog for women.), the other is related to heart health with updates www.yourheartbook.com. If you have a resolution to get healthier in 2015, this blog has current science-based information on heart, weight control and Type 2 diabetes.
Best wishes in the coming year.
Betty
Keeping Kids Safer from Pedophiles
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month 2014
BOOK SALE DURING ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL
$3.99 KINDLE e-BOOK & $9.99 PAPERBACK
Kindle: $3.99 http://tinyurl.com/kindle-pedophile
Paperback: $ 9.99 http://createspace.com/3817124
One-hundred-fifty children are abducted in the US each day—fewer than 10% of them by strangers. Abduction risk is highest from men known to the child and who have access—friends, relatives, babysitters, teachers, preachers….
Two primary types of child molesters are Stranger Abductors and Groomers.
Child abduction is a huge concern. FBI task forces, specialized local police units and numerous alerts are devoted to combating the problem and rescuing the child as soon as possible.
However, most people do not realize children are much more likely to be repeatedly molested by people known to the family and child-caregivers…people the children have learned to trust.
But the groomers are people in your home and places thought safe for kids. This most common type of pedophile preys on children by endearing themselves to both the family and child.
Groomers are typically males you learn to trust. They are child hunters who camouflage their actions. This allows them to victimize children and go undetected for years, some over a lifetime.
These child molesters exist in all professions and all levels of society throughout the world. They are teenagers, youth leaders, priests, cops, fitness and athletic coaches who gain your confidence before molesting your children. You may not believe they would do such a thing and disbelieve the child who has the courage to report the abuse. This allows victimization to continue. The child is abandoned to the pedophile.
Frightened children will often not disclose their abuse because they are ashamed or silenced by the abuser. The child may have experienced threats of violence against them or their family. Sometimes photos are used as blackmail. Predators tend to target needy children who may be lonely. Homeless shelters, single mothers and children in families where drug use is ongoing are at high risk. Pedophile boyfriends often target a single mom with children of the age they desire.
So what exactly is a pedophile? A mental illness in which mature males have an intense interest in sexual acts with children. The cause is unknown. Victims of molestation and violence do not necessarily become molesters…there is an entity called the cycle of abuse where some who are abused as children grow up to become violent against women and children. Some pedophiles use this theme as an excuse for their behavior. Most abused children do not, themselves, become abusers. As Andrew Vachess aptly stated: Evil is a matter of choice.
Neuroscience suggests functional abnormalities in two brain areas: the amygdala and the limbic system. The amygdala is crucial for stimulus reinforcement such as the fear response. The limbic system governs emotions. Studies are ongoing to identify determinants for pedophilia.
Are pedophiles psychopaths? Many of them are psychopathic. Like Nathanael Bar-Jonah, the pedophile whose life of crime is described in detail in my book Eyes of a Pedophile: Detecting Child Predators, they often portray the following psychopathic traits: No empathy for victims, no remorse, take no responsibility for their actions and are effective pathological liars. Bar-Jonah was so believable, mothers left their children in his care.
Is there effective treatment? No. In an 8 year California prison study on sexually violent predators, there was no difference in re-offense between no treatment and 8 years of intensive psychotherapy. Castration, removing all testosterone stimulation, is not curative. Desires and fantasies persist and they continue to victimize.
What are pedophile characteristics? Many of their behaviors are normal and only taken in accumulated actions does it become obvious the man is unusually interested in children and seeks out close friendships with them. Taken as a single action, the behavior may not be suspect or abnormal. Some examples are: offering to babysit, tickling, wrestling, gifting children repeatedly with expensive items, taking many photographs or unusual poses, home with a room devoted to children when he has no children, single, lives with parents, few friends…many more. One red flag is a single man who travels to hotspots of child trafficking such as SE Asia.
Free PDF Download of a common pedophile characteristics is available on this website.
How can we keep kids safer from molesters and abductors? Vigilance and reporting. If you observe 2-3 actions of concern, never leave your child alone with the individual. If your child reports inappropriate touching, REPORT THE ACTION TO CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND THE POLICE.
I have been accused by a few of preaching to parents about how to raise their children. Education is the road to success, but even knowing everything, bad things happen to good people who are diligent in their child care.
I am more sensitized to stopping child abusers than many because three of my relatives were victimized by pedophiles. Like so many pedophiles, none of the perpetrators went to prison because of failure to prosecute. The rapists must be reported and prosecuted. In recent years when so many victimized people have come forward and found acceptance, I hope more victims will report. Children are unlikely to report due to fear and feeling they will not be believed, especially if the pedophile is a prominent educator, family friend or church camp counselor.
Some broad topics for parents to consider:
Nearly half of offenders are relatives.
1:3 girls and 1:4 boys are victims –25% are less than age 5.
There is safety in numbers. Do not let children walk or bicycle alone.
Do background checks on babysitters. www.sexofenders.com
Talk to your children. Teach them appropriate touching.
Educate older children about Internet safety.
Child pornography is epidemic. Most child victims are under the age of 12 and as young as infants. It is illegal to possess, share and sell images. Pedophiles often store numerous pornographic images of children on their computers, and on their cellphones. Using the Child Recognition and Identification System at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they have rescued children, prosecuted perpetrators and seized child pornography collections in thousands of investigations. The FBI is working internationally with Europol/Interpol in their efforts to stop child trafficking. In the past year they have identified and broken a trafficking ring, saved numerous children and prosecuted both traffickers and rapists.
As an ER physician, I cared for many child victims and their families. Each time I do a presentation on the topic, many adults thank me for the information and many have reported their own sexual abuse for the first time. Reporting and obtaining counseling are helpful steps in the recovery process.
REMEMBER, THERE IS NO SHAME IN BEING A VICTIM.
THE REAL SHAME IS NOT REPORTING ABUSE BECAUSE THE ABUSE WILL CONTINUE AND MORE CHILDREN WILL BE HARMED.
PEDOPHILES NEVER STOP
For more information: www.childwelfare.gov
SPECIAL SALE FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL
EYES OF A PEDOPHILE: DETECTING CHILD PREDATORS
Kindle: $3.99 http://tinyurl.com/kindle-pedophile
Paperback $9.99 http://http://createspace.com/3817124
You Tube Lidia Rescue from Antarctica –
This is a documentary video of the crew working on Lidia and getting her airborne.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH
LAST DAY FOR BOOK SALE
Kindle e-book $2.99 http://tinyurl.com/kindle-heart-sale 
Paperback $9.99 http://www.createspace.com/4330606
Take Care of Your Heart and Your Health
This is the last day of American Heart Health Month but I hope the continuation for health improvement for you. With all the information out there and the great news that obesity in young children has decreased through better eating and more exercise, we need to continue those behaviors into adulthood. For those of us who have already reached adult status or even the dreaded elderly state, making the right food choices and adding daily exercise are still helpful. It’s not too late to take control of your health.
Remaining active mentally and physically correlates best with longer life. So, even if you or someone you love has diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or risk factors for cardiovascular disease, all can be improved with the right actions.
Losing weight is probably the most difficult prospect. Most of us like immediate feedback (no pun intended) and reinforcement for good behavior. Because weight accumulates over years, it is unreasonable to believe you will see significant changes in a few days of healthy eating and exercise. It takes time for your good behavior to show, so don’t give up and don’t believe fad diets are an answer to your desires.
The closest thing to rapid weight loss and life-long sustainable weight control is the 5/2 eating plan combined with eating food choices advocated in the Mediterranean diet. If you can do something for one day, you can get up the courage to do it for two. Some of you have heard or read about the 5/2 eating plan before, if you haven’t, take a look at the concept and consider this approach to reducing weight. Studies show that along with weight reduction, blood glucose and insulin resistance decrease, (important in diabetes), cholesterol and blood pressure improve. (This is not for children, Type 1 diabetics, pregnant women or those breast feeding.)
Not only does weight loss occur with relative ease, you learn to eat the right foods and maintain the control over your health for a life time. This is not a fad diet. The 5/2 eating plan is a way of life and a path to longer life. The plan is the topic of my next blog on www.YourHeartBook.com. Hope you will join me there.
Betty
5,000 MILES ON A FAT TIRE BIKE! – SO FAR
On a clear fall day in early September 2012, Mike Potter began his odyssey. He doesn’t do anything half-assed. It’s all or nothing with Mike. You will see what I mean if you take a look at his journey blog including hundreds of photos with videos along his route. The former newspaper owner and an ex-military media expert, Mike enjoys fitness and healthy eating. His line of Relaxed Chaos food and recipes is evolving.
From his home in Whitefish Montana, he pedaled east on a route that will take him around the perimeter
of the US. The ascent across the Rocky Mountains through Glacier National Park and over Logan Pass was his first test of resolve and endurance. For someone with little camping experience, he has tested his recipes and become a pro – sleeping in a small tent in subzero weather to worrying about nocturnal creatures in the swamplands of Florida…and Mike doesn’t like snakes!
On his Surly Pugsley all terrain bike with over a hundred pounds of gear, this fat-tire bike has carried him across varied terrain and
through brutal weather. My friend Sue had the same bike in Antarctica; yesterday in front of Coffee 
Traders in Whitefish there was a Surly pulling a baby trailer; and Mike is putting his through brutal testing. He has experienced many worn out and flattened tires along the way. Friends and business everywhere have helped with repairs and lodging. Support from biking related businesses have eased his expenses and he is always in touch with Base Command at Wheaton’s Bike Shop in Kalispell Montana.
RELAXED CHAOS VIDEO BLOG *** CHECK IT OUT! www.relaxedchaos.com
Thanks for stopping by.
Betty
GO RED FOR WOMEN! – HEART HEALTH ALERT
WEAR RED FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7TH
The American Heart Association (AHA) chose February as their Go Red for Women alert month in 2003. Their aim was to bring critical information to the public and lower mortality from heart disease. Over the ten year interval, their action resulted in more than a 20% reduction in women dying from heart disease, but cardiovascular disease is still the #1 killer of both men and women.
Each year heart disease kills more people than all cancers combined. If each person learns their risks and reduces them, the likelihood of dying from a heart attack decreases. My book Your Heart - Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men and Children is on sale at a reduced price for the entire month of February to encourage more people to purchase it and learn what you can do to improve health. Instead of a box of chocolates, why not buy yourself or a loved one a copy of Your Heart? The information could save your life and the lives of those you love.
Consider giving Your Heart as a Valentine gift!
Kindle e-book $2.99 http://tinyurl.com/kindle-heart-sale
Paperback $9.99 http://www.createspace.com/4330606
Every time you see a heart image, think about your own heart health and those you love.
Happy Go Red for Women Day! I hope the men will wear red, too.
Betty
