Your World According To Dr. Castro

Dra. Martha Castro

Let's keep the record straight: Mexico has had ONLY 26 confirmed human cases of swine flu infection and ONLY 7 deaths, not 159 like mistakenly, irresponsibly and in an alarmist way the US media has been reporting.

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World Health Organization says the phase 5 alert means there is sustained human-to-human spread in at least two countries. It is second highest designation, and it's sending "a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent."

"All countries should immediately now activate their pandemic preparedness plans. It really is all of humanity that is under threat in a pandemic." ~WHO Director General Margaret Chan declared just now.

29 April 2009 -- The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 18:00 GMT, 29 April 2009, nine countries have officially reported 148 cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection. The United States Government has reported 91 laboratory confirmed human cases, with one death. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection including seven deaths. ~reports WHO

Dra. Martha Castro

I like what the guy says at the end of the video.

"Whenever anything bad happens the US always blames it on Mexico. So, all the drug problems is Mexico's fault, everything is Mexico's fault, this one jalapeno which gets one lady sick in Indiana is definitely Mexican. You know, Mexico is the thing that US always kicks around. When we want to kick someone around we kick Mexico, so, naturally people here are very sensitive about it."

Dra. Martha Castro

Some of my cyclist friends feel just the same way I do. As much as we love our work and what we do for a living, we prefer cycling. Biking is our life, biking is MY life. Today I feel like closing my medical office, cancel all my appointments and leave, grab by road bike, put on my jerseys and go go go go go, pedal all day until sunset.
You might say: why don't you do it today? The thing is that I would like to do this everyday until my last day on earth. And no can do. Need to work. Patients need me and they require my full attention and sincere care.
So, no more whinning on my part any more. I'll put on my scrubs and my white coat instead of my cycling jerseys and go to see my patients instead of my bicycle.
I need my bicycle to be happy. My patients need me to be happy again, to get rid of their pain and anguish. So there I go. See you later, my beautiful bike.

Dra. Martha Castro

I found this amazing photograph while browsing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Website and I just couldn't stop myself from sharing it with you. It is incredibly beautiful.

Description:

"This is a scanning electron micrograph of an Ambrosia trifida plant, or more commonly known as ragweed. See PHIL 11199 for a black and White version of this image. When ragweed pollen is disbursed, many people have a reaction, but because they don't see the tiny flowers on the ragweed, they assume it's the pollen from the larger flowered goldenrod, which blooms at the same time. Note the dispersed pollen granules."

Photo Credit: CDC/ Janice Haney Carr

Dra. Martha Castro

Andy Schleck, 23 years old from Luxembourg, takes a solo victory in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2009.
You can read the details of the race on VeloNews

1. Andy Schleck, Team Saxo Bank, 261km in 6:34:32
2. Joaquim Rodriguez, Caisse d’Epargne, at 1:17
3. Davide Rebellin, Serramenti Diquigiovanni, at 1:24
4. Philippe Gilbert, Silence-Lotto, at 1:24
5. Serguei Ivanov, Team Katusha, at 1:24
6. Simon Gerrans, Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:24
7. Damiano Cunego, Lampre-N.G.C., at 1:24
8. Benoît Vaugrenard, Française des Jeux, at 1:24
9. Alexandr Kolobnev, Team Saxo Bank, at 1:24
10. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:24

Dra. Martha Castro

UPDATES:

1. 11:56 hrs PT
To answer VJnatS question: No, this virus is not transmitted by eating pork meat.
2. 13:59 hrs PT
Kansas state officials confirm two cases of swine flu
3. 14:09 hrs PT
CDC just reported that the swine flu has spread widely and cannot be contained.
4. 14:30 hrs PT
Mish, a regular reader of my blog has provided a great link to a swine flu PODCAST released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
5. 16:11 hrs PT
Tests confirmed eight New York City schoolchildren had a type A influenza virus that was likely to be the swine flu, the city's health commissioner said.

April 26
6. 10:15 hrs PT
Three more suspected cases of swine flu are being reported in Cataluna, Spain, bringing the total number in the country to 6 - news reports.
7. 10:40 hrs PT
Swine flu reaches Nova Scotia and British Columbia, Canada. Apparently 6 cases
8. 11:02 hrs PT
United States declares public health emergency over swine flu outbreak!
9. 11:18 hrs PT
New cases of swine flu in Hong Kong and New Zealand are being reported.
10. 12:37 hrs PT
State health officials confirmed that the swine flu has made it to Ohio.
11. 15:02 hrs PT
Swine flu worse in Mexico than US, but why?
12. 16:32 hrs PT
As of 26 April 2009, the US Government has reported 20 laboratory confirmed human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 (8 in New York, 7 in California, 2 in Texas, 2 in Kansas and 1 in Ohio). All 20 cases have had mild Influenza-Like Illness with only one requiring brief hospitalization. No deaths have been reported. The virus is being described as a new subtype of A/H1N1 not previously detected in swine or humans.
Also as of 26 April, the Government of Mexico has reported 18 laboratory confirmed cases of swine influenza A/H1N1. WHO and the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN) are sending experts to Mexico to work with health authorities. WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions
13. 20:22 hrs PT
It's official now. 103 deaths in Mexico and 614 people hospitalized right now due to swine flu, reports Dr. Jose Angel Cordoba Villalobos, Secretary of the National Health Department.

April 27
14. 10:47 hrs PT
UN considering raising global pandemic alert level to 4 or 5 due to swine flu spread.

April 28
15. 4:50 hrs PT
US Stock Market Stressed by swine flu outbreak. Will S&P go below 840 support levels this week?

April 29
16. 5:58 hrs PT
A baby in Texas has died of the H1N1 flu strain, the first confirmed death outside Mexico from the virus, which health officials fear could cause a pandemic as it spread to two more countries.
17. 14:03 hrs PT
WHO raises swine flu pandemic level to 5

________________________________________________________________

This rare virus has increased its virulence very rapidly since March 2009, when the first two cases that started this terrible epidemic/pandemic flu (the World Health Organization will determine within the next few hours the level of virulence) were detected in a 10-year-old boy in San Diego County and a 9-year-old girl in Imperial County in Southern California.
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported more cases since then in San Diego County and two more in the State of Texas, totaling at least well known cases. The eighth U.S. case is a child in the San Diego area, and was identified last Friday. It is said that of the eight patients, one is known to have traveled to Mexico City recently, the Wall Street Journal reported today. And that is how all this problem started in Mexico, City.

The good news is that there is medication to treat this flu. Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) and Relenza (Zanamivir) are the two medications that are being recommended to treat the patients that acquire this flu as soon as they are diagnosed. Mexican official say that they have enough Tamiflu to treat as many cases as needed. The problem is that since this strength of virulence of this particular virus is very high, those medications might encounter some resistance, that is why some Mexican doctors as well as the CDC and the WHO are concerned.

NOTE: I will be updating this post constantly with breaking and important news for all. If you have any questions please let me know in your comments and I will try to answer them as soon as possible and to the best of my knowledge.

"Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans, however, human infections with swine flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses has been documented. From December 2005 through February 2009, a total of 12 human infections with swine influenza were reported from 10 states in the United States. Since March 2009, a number of confirmed human cases of a new strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in California, Texas, and Mexico have been identified. An investigation into these cases is ongoing."

Dra. Martha Castro

When you love cycling so much, not even a collarbone fracture in recovery can stop you from training. That is what Lance Armstrong is doing right now in Aspen, Colorado.

Dra. Martha Castro

Image via Wikipedia

I don't have a belly fat, thank goodness. Although I used to, long time ago, before I started taking care of myself, eating properly, biking and running 6 times a week. But it took me long time and a lot of work to get rid of my belly fat. That is why I don't think that just by eating a bunch of blueberries everyday will do the magical work of disappearing anybody's belly fat.
But even though I don't have a belly fat anymore, I would eat blueberries even more now because I happen to like them a lot and because they are beneficial for my health.
According to this study blueberries are very good to reduce some risk factors that cause:

1. Cardiovascular disease
2. Metabolic Syndrome

See, Metabolic Syndrome is the sum of several physical conditions: too much fat around the waist, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia. All these factors can be prevented by eating a healthy diet, exercising and by trying to achieve a life of kindness and peace. Oh, I almost forgot, and also by eating...blueberries!

Come on now, stop reading my blog and go out to get your blueberries, would ya?

Dra. Martha Castro

The days of fun, luxury, parties and what not, are gone. Blame it on the financial recession, but California is not what it used to be anymore.

There is so much hate crime, racism, poverty, well, even the LAPD is having problems keeping its officers off the bottle. They are on duty while being under the influence of alcohol.
Sexual assaults are increasing as well asrobberies, people are fearful because they can't feel safe not even when they go to the doctor. Los Angeles is a dangerous city, even for cyclists. My heart goes out to the family of this 50 year old cyclist.

This email is just one of many others that are being sent to several communities in Los Angeles California.

Dear neighbors,

This past Friday January 30, a friend of mine was brutally assaulted walking from Blair’s near Hyperion to Edendale Bar and Grill on Rowena. It was maybe between 11:30 PM or 12:30 AM near the West Silver Lake Street entrance on Rowena. He was pulled into the back of a dark driveway, had a gun pressed against his temple and then savagely thrown to the ground and beaten, crushing his left cheek; he blacked out and doesn’t remember what happened next. He couldn’t see both suspects but got a look at one who he describes as a tall, young Hispanic male.

Larry was rushed to Kaiser on Sunset and when the police came, one exclaimed that this was the 9th such assault by the same suspects in 2 weeks in the Silver Lake area, almost one assault a day!!! The police also said they were just there the night before with another victim who had his face sliced from the corner of his eye to the the corner of his mouth by the same SOB, they also said they (the police) were on it.

I think if they were truly “on it” we SL residents would have been warned somehow, either by fliers or a news blurb. My friend is puzzled by the attack and thinks it’s a hate crime since they didn’t take his wallet nor his watch but isn’t quite sure. I am scared but really really pissed at the police for keeping the 9 assaults, one after the other, on the down-low, so I’m going to spread the word somehow and someway.

A friend and I are making fliers and going to some of the neighborhood bars, cafes and stores and posting warnings. If you have any ideas- contacting the news, email blasts etc., let me know or just help spread the warning any way you know how.

PS. Another female dog-owner/friend on Michelterona and Sunset was sexually assaulted 3 weeks ago at 7:30 PM by a tall white male with shoulder length hair. He didn’t care if she had her 140 lbs dog with her, he grabbed her from behind, pushed her up against a wall and began to fondle her and only let go when he saw a family walking towards them down the hill from Micheltorena.

I apologize for all the somber news but I’m sure you’d rather be safe than sorry

It's sad to know that the state that one day was the 5th most important economy of the world has now been slowly deteriorating.

Dra. Martha Castro

Undoubtedly, this is one of my favorite songs ever, and specially when sang by one of the greatest voices ever existed on earth, Shirley Bassey. What an elegance, what a class, power in her singing, art, a strong personality and honesty when acting and interpreting the lyrics of the song.

I play guitar. I learned how to play guitar when I was 7 year old and when I was 15 I knew how to sing this song, My Way, in English and in Spanish. Since then, this song has been my friend in times of loneliness, in times of weakness and doubtfulness. When I needed to remind myself that I was strong and that I had to continue to be that way...until the end of times, I used to grab my guitar and sing this song until sunrise.

Love this song with all my heart.

Oh yes, I did it my way!

Dra. Martha Castro

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Drunk deputies were carrying firearms at the time of their arrests.
This news is appalling and scary. Just to think that you might be pulled over in the evening after work by a drunk officer makes my skin crawl.

Recession anxiety is increasing
Battling anxiety due to the financial crisis can be difficult and painful. Some people just stop eating and lose a tremendous amount of weight, others gain weight, can't have a good night sleep, etc.
"With economic damage expected to last months or years, such reactions are becoming common, experts say. Anxiety, depression and stress are troubling people everywhere, many not suffering significant economic losses, but worrying they will or simply reacting to pervasive uncertainty."

Salmonella peanut product recalls by the FDA
Watch out with those cakes, pies, donuts, crackers, cookies well, even chocolates can make you sick. Stay away from anything made with peanuts and pistachios in the USA.

Good news for men who take Viagra or Cialis
"Healthy men who took Cialis or Viagra daily for six months did not develop any significant vision problems, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a company-funded study aimed at addressing concerns about the popular impotence treatments."

Dra. Martha Castro

I can't tell you how happy I am that I have this passion for cycling. The current financial recession has not affected the way I commute at all, LOL. Bicycling is my way of living, the way I exercise and the way I go to work. I even use my bike to go to pay my house utilities and to go to the market, well only if I don't have to buy kitty sand, of course. Those buckets are darn heavy.

According to this study, most Americans spend more money on transportation than they spend on health care and food.

See, by making cycling my way of transportation I save a lot of money, money that I use to eat better, you know, salmon instead of tilapia.
I also don't have to:

1. ...worry about filling the gas tank every week. I feel the tank of my car every two months, since I use my car only to go to the market and, only if I'm buying heavy stuff, otherwise I use one of my bikes, the one with racks to carry groceries and things.

2. ...worry about fixing the darn car all the time because the wear and tear of it it's obviously minimal.

3. ...worry about paying exorbitant amounts of money for parking my car at work. Commuting to work on my bike doesn't cost me a penny, and it's fun, fun, fun.

So, if you reader don't bike already, why don't you start today? Bicycling has changed my life for the better. Maybe it can change yours too...if you give it a chance.

Dra. Martha Castro

2009 Paris-Roubaix ended with an excellent win by Tom Boonen. He survived this difficult classic cycling race that was filled with crashes, muddy roads and wet cobbles.
Tom Boonen looked strong, competitive and in excellent mental condition to make this one his victory # 3. Proud of himself he showed three fingers after he crossed the finished line alone.
"This race is all about surviving, surviving, surviving. I didn't think I had great legs today, but I felt better as the race developed. I know I didn't feel great, but maybe the others felt worse." ~Tom Boonen said.

You can read in VeloNews a complete and detailed information about this race, by Andrew Hood.

Top Winners in 107 editions
Roger De Vlaeminck (B): 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977
Octave Lapize (F): 1909, 1910, 1911
Gaston Rebry (B): 1931, 1934, 1935
Rik Van Looy (B): 1961,1962, 1965
Eddy Merckx (B): 1968,1970, 1973
Francesco Moser (I): 1978, 1979, 1980
Johan Museeuw (B): 1996, 2000, 2002
Tom Boonen (B): 2005, 2008, 2009

Final Results TOP 10
1. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step, 259km in 6:15:53, (41.343kph)
2. Filippo Pozzato (I), Katusha, at 0:47
3. Thor Hushovd (N), Cervelo Test, at 1:17
4. Leif Hoste (B), Silence-Lotto, at 1:17
5. Johan Van Summeren (B), Silence-Lotto, at 1:22
6. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa), Rabobank, at 2:14
7. Heinrich Haussler (Ger), Cervelo Test, at 3:13
8. Sylvain Chavanel (F), Quick Step, at 3:15
9. Manuel Quinziato (I), Liquigas, at 5:00
10. Matti Breschel (Dk), Saxo Bank, at 5:29

Dra. Martha Castro

Lance Armstrong might not be able to race in the Tour de France 2009 due to the French authorities stupitdity and jealousy!
Oh well, it's their loss. Lance Armstrong was going to bring more attention to the Tour, more spectators, more marketing and more money.
It's really a shame what they -French anti-doping agency and Tour de France organizers- are doing to Lance and to the sport of cycling. They are just hurting themselves.

VIDEO Update on Lance's Injury, Response to Drug Testing Allegations -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Dra. Martha Castro

I don't find another explanation for this horrible persecution against Lance Armstrong than that, that the French Authorities of the Tour De France are afraid of Lance Armstrong winning yet another Tour, taking the glory away from them, the French organizers.
I can't imagine myself being put through this mental pestering. I just can't imagine how Lance can cope with the stress. First, he fractures his collarbone, he hasn't recovered fully yet when he's being horribly harassed by the France's anti doping agency known as AFLD. Geez, what is their problem? Are they afraid, jealous, both? What? They should be thankful that Lance Armstrong is racing again the Tour de France.
Since Lance left professional cycling and since the Tour de France has become a witch hunt for pro-cyclists, the Tour hasn't had the same amount of spectators, and fans practically turned to following only the Classic cycling races. Now that Lance is back many avid cycling fanatics have decided to follow the Tour de France once again.
Really, I hope this insane hounding against ANY pro-cyclist stops right away, otherwise they -the French authorities- are really going to damage -even more- the image of the most beautiful sport of the world.

Dra. Martha Castro

Exercise helps cancer patients to recover faster
"Early exercise after mastectomy has also been shown to have a positive benefit in those patients who require chemotherapy." ~Gregory Smith, MD

Exercise helps improve quality of life in heart failure patients. Exercise is actually good for everybody.
"It has shown that heart failure patients who add regular, moderate physical activity to standard medical therapy generally have a higher quality of life compared to patients who receive medical therapy only."~Journal Medical Association

Exercise helps improve disability in Rheumathoid Arthritis patients

Clinical evaluation consisted of DAS 28, cycling aerobic fitness and dexterity
Dexterity was measured using Sequential Occupational Dexterity

Astronauts need better workouts
Astronauts are very lazy, aren't they? j/k

A NASA-funded study of astronauts freshly returned from six-month stays aboard the International Space Station found that their calf muscles were about 15 percent smaller and 25 percent weaker than when they left.

"By clinical standards, this is a massive loss," said Scott Trappe, director of Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory, in a press release. "This approaches what we see in aging populations in comparisons of a 20-year-old versus an 80-year-old."

X-Dream workout stationary bike
At a glance, the X-Dream looks like any other stationary bike at the gym, but it is the computer screen in front of the handlebars that sets it apart. Start pedalling and the screen invites you to use the handlebar controls to select from a range of cycling routes and courses across terrain that varies in the challenges it provides. In a 30-minute class, you might take a virtual cycle across a desert, around San Francisco or New York or through the Alps.

Dra. Martha Castro

Judith Arndt is a famous professional female cyclist, openly lesbian, making the news back in 2004 after she was photographed flipping off the German officials at the 2004 Olympics while she was crossing the finish line. The reason she gave for having done this was that she was mad because her lover, Petra Rosser, was cut from the team.
Judith won a silver medal in these Olympics.

Both pro-cyclists -Arndt and Rosser- were ambassadors for the Gay Games in 2005.

Judith Arndt is very active in pro-cycling and is constantly racing and breaking time records. She's exceptionally strong and very smart, she knows when to attack and when to control the speed and stay in the peloton.

Judith won the Tour of Flanders -female edition- last year, but unfortunately, and due to a collarbone fracture that she suffered this year, she couldn't defend her title this last weekend.

Arndt was training on the roads around Melbourne, Australia on Monday when a car door opened in front of her. With no time to brake, Arndt crashed into the car breaking her collarbone. ~Bicycle Net reported

This is what she had to say about this awesome Belgian cycling race (Tour of Flanders):

The Tour of Flanders is a special race for the women--we also have a World Cup race on the same day. For women, there are only two World Cup races that are also great men's classics--the Fleche-Wallonne and Flanders--so it's a great race to say you've won.

The women's race starts in Oudenaarde as opposed to Brugge, and at 131 kilometers covers about half the distance of the men's race. The course is flat at the beginning and we hit the first climb, the Molenberg, about 30 kilometers into it. You definitely have to be warmed up before the start or you are just going to get dropped.

Many consider the men's race the hardest in the world, and that holds true for us as well. You always have to be at the front of the bunch and you're fighting for position all day long. The fact that the race comes early in the season, and often has bad weather only adds to the difficulty, especially on the cobblestone climbs.

The road is constantly turning, left, right, left, and every detail matters. Our team directors drive the route once and sometimes twice before the race, writing everything down so that we have no surprises and all we have to do is pedal. It's a lot of work for everybody but it is worth it. Winning Flanders is first a success for the whole team because if you don't have teammates in this race you don't have a chance.

But I really like this race. It's just very special. The fans are incredible. It is rare that we get to ride in front of such big crowds, and the Belgians are there early in the morning and you can be sure that they are already drinking beer, so you can just imagine what the atmosphere is like when we come by. ~Judith Arndt

Dra. Martha Castro

A lot of people find this video kind of weird and...disturbing. I find it funny.

Dra. Martha Castro

Cadel Evans gets a big block of cheese
He gets this cheese as a prize for his first stage win of the year. But get this, by july 4th (when the Tour de France starts) he [Cadel Evans] will have put 30,000 kms of pedaling work into his legs in ONLY 6 months, Holy Cow!
I put around 12,000 kms a year. Maybe that's why I'm not in the Tour de France peloton...

Cycling crash under investigation
Do they mean that the cycling crash was intentional? Weird.

Lance Armstrong, to become top sprinter
“Lance is great sprinter; he kills us on the training rides all the time, it’s just been one of the strengths he hasn’t emphasized in his preparation or in competition. I think he could have medaled at worlds, and all that speed work on the track would have improved his road sprint at the grand tours. Look what it's done for Cavendish," Carmichael said.

Pair cycling for health
"Both riders weighed 270 pounds at the start of training for the ride."~Tom Behrens

Now, this is the way to go if anyone is really serious about being healthy. It's not about losing weight, it should not been that way. If you want to lose the extra pounds is better to focus on being healthy.

“It’s been about a month now that we have been riding,” Rocha said last month. “I am riding anywhere from five to six days a week, anywhere from one to two hours, 15-30 miles. On weekends we participate in the Conoco-Phillips Training Series rides. This past Saturday we just completed 37 miles. This coming Saturday we will be doing 46 miles.”

Dra. Martha Castro

The music, the video, the art...the music, the lyrics, Bjork's voice...the music...everything makes it unbelievably beautiful.
Now, this is what I call art.

ALL IS FULL OF LOVE

you'll be given love
you'll be taken care of
you'll be given love
you have to trust it

maybe not from the sources
you have poured yours
maybe not from the directions
you are staring at

twist your head around ;)
it's all around you
all is full of love
all around you

all is full of love
you just aint receiving
all is full of love
your phone is off the hook
all is full of love
your doors are all shut
all is full of love!

all is full of love
all is full of love
all is full of love
all is full of love
all is full of love

Dra. Martha Castro

This is my life all right, and I love it!

NOTE: Please be kind to the director of the video. Obviously, English is not his first language, but he makes great cycling videos.

"A road biker, or a mountain biker, that doesn't make a difference. Each and every biker has to "roll" and never give up!
RULE #1: You have to climb...go towards the wind...always.
RULE #2: Every cyclist falls. "If you are afraid of falling off the bike, don't ride it! ~Lance Armstrong.
Your pants are always stained black from chain oil.
Your home rooms always look like this (full with bicycle and bicycling stuff)---hahaha, it's so true!
And you become a reading king (or queen!)
You leave your current non-biking girlfriend (or boyfriend), because you will need a real one!
When you are all alone within 20 kms circle, your bike is your only best friend, and nobody is like your "2 pedals soul" (I thought this statement is a sweet one)
You can taste and kiss RAIN, MUD, SUN, DUST, WIND, SNOW and ASPHALT. You ride and see millions of different kilometers and places."

Cyclists...We are living machines! F*** Yeah!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Monday, April 13, 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Monday, April 6, 2009

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Friday, April 3, 2009

Thursday, April 2, 2009

DR. MARTHA CASTRO THOUGHTS QUOTES