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Dear Members,
This Christmas Eve, I proudly present the amazing story of Sakka, the beloved king of devas/devis
Sakka:The King Of Devas/Devis
Sakka rules over Távatimsa deva world, the lowest heaven but one of the lower plane. His palace is Vejayanta and his chariot bears the same name. The devas meet and deliberate in the Sudhammá sabhá and Sakka consults with them rather than issues them commands. On such occasions, the Four Regent Devas are present in the assembly with their followers of the Cátummahárájika world. Among the Távatimsa devas, Sakka is more or less primus inter pares, yet lie surpasses his companions in ten things: length of life, beauty, happiness, renown, power; and in the degree of his five sense experiences: sight, hearing, smelling, taste and touch; these are also attributed to the rulers of the other deva worlds.
In the Samyutta Nikáya (the story of Magha) the Buddha gives seven rules of conduct, which rules Sakka carried out as a human being, thus attaining to his celestial sovereignty.
In the Samyutta Nikáya a whole Samyutta - one of the shortest, consisting of twenty five short suttas - is devoted to Sakka.
In the first and second suttas Sakka praises energy (viriya);
in the third he denounces timidity;
in the fourth he shows forbearance to his enemy;
in the fifth lie advocates the conquest of anger by kindness;
in the sixth kindness to animals;
in the seventh he denounces trickery, even towards enemies;
in the ninth he preaches courtesy and honour towards the wise.
In the 11th are described the seven life long habits which raised him to his present eminent position;
In the twelve and thirteen repeat this and explain his titles.
In the fourteenth Sakka explains how new gods, who outshine the old ones, do so because they have observed the Buddha's teaching.
In the fifteenth he describes as the most beautiful spot that where arahants dwell;
in the sixteenth he praises gifts to the Order;
in the seventeenth he praises the Buddha, but is told by Sahampati that he has selected the wrong attributes for praise.
In eighteen to twenty he says that whereas brahmins and nobles on earth and the gods of the Cátummahárájika world and of Távatimsa worship him, he himself worships good men and arahants.
Numbers twenty one, twenty two, twenty four and twenty five are against anger, and twenty three is against deceit.
The enemy, in this case, is his father-in law, Vepacitta. Sakka had a reputation for great forbearance. In sutta 22 a Yakkha is said to have come and to have sat on his throne, to anger him. But Sakka showed him great honour and the Yakkha vanished. The Commentary adds that it was no Yakkha, but a Rúpávacara Brahmá, named Kodhabhakkha, who had come to test Sakka's patience.
*17 The story connected with this sutta is that of Sakka, seeing the people of Anga and Magadha make preparations for a great sacrifice to Mahá Brahmá, feels pity for them and comes among them in the guise of Brahmá, advising them to take their offerings to the Buddha and seek his counsel.
These and other passages show that Sakka was considered by the early Buddhists as a god of high character, kindly and just, but not perfect, and not very intelligent. His imperfections are numerous: in spite of his very great age, he is still subject to death and rebirth; as an example of this, it is mentioned that Sunetta had thirty five times been reborn as Sakka, a statement confirmed by the Buddha Sakka is not free from the three deadly evils - lust, ill will, Stupidity; nor is he free from anxiety. He is timid, given to panic, to fright, to running away.
**Sakka's life is given as lasting thirty million and sixty times one hundred thousand years.
The story of Rohini shows that Sakka was very susceptible to the charms of beauty. He evidently liked other people to enjoy life and sent a heavenly dancer to amuse Mahápanáda when nobody on earth could accomplish that feat. On another occasion, as Sakka was rejoicing in his triumph over the Asuras, he saw a crane on a hill top who wished to be able to eat fish without going down into the stream. Sakka immediately sent the stream in full flood, to the hill top.
*23 He is mentioned in the Játakas as frightened of ascetics who practised severe penances, lest they should unseat him from his throne; also the stories of Visayha, Lomasakassapa, Kanha, Akitti, Mahá Kañcana and Isisinga.
In the Sakkapañha Sutta, Sakka is said to have visited the Buddha at Vediyagiri in Ambasandá and to have asked him a series of questions. He sends Pañcasikha with his viná to play and sing to the Buddha and to obtain permission for him (Sakka) to visit him and question him. It was Sakka who had given the Beluvapanduvíná to Pañcasikha.
The Buddha says to himself that Sakka, for a long time past, has led a pure life, and gives him permission to question him on any subject. It is stated in the course of the sutta that it was not the first time that Sakka had approached the Buddha for the same purpose. He had gone to him at the Salaghara in Sávatthi, but found him in meditation, with Bhuñjatí, wife of Vessavana, waiting on him. He therefore left with a request to Bhuñjatí to greet the Buddha in his name. He also declares that he has become a sotápanna and has earned for himself the right to be reborn eventually in the Akanitthá world, whence he will pass entirely away.
The Commentary says that Sakka was constantly seeing the Buddha and was the most zealous of the devas in the discharge of his duties to the sásana. In the sutta Sakka admits that he visited other brahmins and recluses as well. They were pleased to see him, and boasted that they had nothing to teach him; but he had to teach them what he knew. But this visit to the Buddha at Vediyagiri had a special object. Sakka saw sips that his life was drawing to an end and was frightened by this knowledge. He therefore went to the Buddha to seek his help. It adds that, as Sakka sat listening to the Buddha, he died in his old life and was reborn a new and young Sakka; only Sakka himself and the Buddha was aware of what had happened. The Commentary continues that Sakka became an "uddham sota," treading the path of Anágámís. As such he will live in Avihá for one thousand kappas, in Atappa for two thousand, in Sudassaná for four thousand, and will end in the Akanittha world, after having enjoyed life in the Brahmaworlds for thirty one thousand kappas.
An account of another interview which Sakka had with the Buddha is given in the Cúlatanhásankhaya Sutta .. There the question arises regarding the extirpation of cravings. Sakka accepts the Buddha's answer and leaves him. Anxious to discover whether Sakka has understood the Buddha's teaching, Moggallána visits Sakka and questions him. Sakka evades the questions and shows Moggallána the glories of his Vejayanta palace. Moggallána then frightens him by a display of iddhi-power, and Sakka repeats to him, word for word, the Buddha's answer. Moggallána departs satisfied, and Sakka tells his handmaidens that Moggallána is a "fellow of his" in the higher life, meaning, probably, that he himself is a sotápanna and therefore a kinsman of the arahant.
In a passage in the Samyutta Sakka is represented as descending from heaven to make an enquiry about Nibbána, and in another, as listening, in heaven, to Moggallána's exposition of the simplest duties of a good layman. On another occasion, at Vessavana's suggestion, Sakka visited Uttara Thera on the Sankheyyaka Mountain and listened to a sermon by him.
His city extends for one thousand leagues, and its golden streets are sixty leagues long; his palace Vejayanta is one thousand leagues high; the Sudhammá hall covers five hundred leagues, his throne of yellow marble (Pandukambalasilásana) is sixty leagues in extent, his white umbrella with its golden wreath is five leagues in circumference, and he himself is accompanied by a glorious array of twenty five million nymphs. Other features of his heaven are the Páricchattaka tree, the Nandá pokkharaní and the Cittalatávana . His body is three gavutas in height; his chief conveyance is the marvellous elephant Erávana. Reference is often made to his throne, the Pandukambalasilásana, composed of yellow stone. It grows hot when Sakka's life draws towards its end; or his merit is exhausted; or when some mighty being prays; or, again, through the efficacy of virtue in recluses or brahmins or other beings, full of potency; when the Buddha, however, sat on it, he was able to conceal it in his robe.
Sakka's devotion to the Buddha and his religion is proverbial. When the Bodhisatta cut off his hair and threw it into the sky, Sakka took it and deposited it in the Cúlámani cetiya. He was present near the Bodhi tree, blowing his Vijayuttara sankha, when Mára arrived to prevent the Buddha from reaching Enlightenment. When the Buddha accepted Bimbisára's invitation to dine in his palace, Sakka, in the guise of a young man, preceded the Buddha and his monks along the street to the palace, singing the Buddha's praises. When the Buddha performed his Yamaka pátiháríya at the foot of the Gandamba, it was Sakka who built for him a pavilion, and gave orders to the gods of the Wind and the Sun to uproot the pavilions of the heretics and cause them great discomfort. When the Buddha returned to Sankassa from Távatimsa, whither he went after performing the Twin Miracle, Sakka created three ladders - of gold, of silver, and of jewels respectively - for the Buddha and his retinue.
Sakka was present at Vesáli when the Buddha visited that city in order to rid it of its plagues. His presence drove away the evil spirits, and the Buddha's task was thus made easier. When the Buddha and his monks wished to journey one hundred leagues, to visit Culla Subhaddá at Uggapura, Sakka, with the aid of Vissakamma, provided them with pavilions (kútágára) in which they might travel by air. Once, when the ponds in Jetavana were quite dry, the Buddha wished to bathe and Sakka immediately caused rain to fall and the ponds were filled. In Sakka's aspect as Vajirapáni he protected the Buddha from the insults of those who came to question him. See also the story of Ciñcá mánaviká, when Sakka protected the Buddha from her charges. Sakka also regarded it as his business to protect the Buddha's followers, as is shown by the manner in which he came to the rescue of the four seven year old novices - Sankicca, Pandita, Sopáka and Revata - when they were made to go hungry by a brahmin and his wife.
During the Buddha's last illness, Sakka ministered to him, performing the most menial tasks, such as carrying the vessel of excrement. He did the same for other holy men - e.g., Sáriputta. Sakka also waited on the Buddha when he was in Gayásísa for the conversion of the Tebhátikajatila. The Udána contains a story of Sakka assuming the guise of a poor weaver and Sujá that of his wife, in order to give alms to Mahá Kassapa who had just risen from a trance. They succeeded in their ruse, to the great joy of Sakka.
He was present at the Buddha's death, and uttered, in verse. At the distribution, by Dona, of the Buddha's relics, Sakka saw Dona hide the Buddha's right tooth in his turban. Realizing that Dona was incapable of rendering adequate honour to the relic, Sakka took the relic and deposited it in the Cúlámanicetiya. And when Ajátasattu was making arrangements to deposit his share of the relics, Sakka gave orders to Vissakamma to set up a válasanghátayanta for their protection.
Sakka did all in his power to help followers of the Buddha in their strivings for the attainment of the goal, as in the case of Panditasámanera, when he sent the Four Regent Gods to drive away the birds, made the Moon deity shroud the moon, and himself stood guard at the door of Pandita's cell, lest he should be disturbed. the story of Sukha. Often, when a monk achieved his ambition, Sakka was there to express his joy and do him honour. See, e.g., the story of Maháphussa.
He was ready to help, not only monks and nuns, but also eminent laymen, such as Jotika for whom he built a palace of wondrous splendour, and provided it with every luxury. Sakka was always ready to come to the rescue of the good when in distress - e.g., in the case of Cakkhupála when he became blind; Sakka led him by the hand and took him to Sávatthi. DhA.i.14f. Many instances are found in the Játaka where Sakka rescued the good in distress - e.g., Dhammaddhaja, Guttila, Kaccáni, the Kinnarí Candá, Sambulá, Kusa, Mahájanaka's mother, Candakumára's mother, Candá, and Mahosadha.
He loved to test the goodness of men, as in the case of the leper Suppabuddha, to see if their faith was genuine; see also the story of the courtesan in the Kurudhamma Játaka.
The Játaka contains several stories of his helping holy men by providing them with hermitages, etc. - e.g., Kuddála pandita, Hatthipála, Ayoghara, Jotipála (Sarabhanga), Sutasoma, Dukúlaka, Páriká and Vessantara. Sometimes, when he found that ascetics were not diligently practising their duties, he would frighten them - e.g., in the Vighása and Somadatta Játakas. The Anguttara Nikáya contains a story of Sakka punishing a deva called Supatittha, who lived in a banyan tree, because he failed to keep the rukkhadhamma.
Sakka appears as the guardian of moral law in the world. When wickedness is rampant among men, or kings become unrighteous, he appears among them to frighten them so that they may do good instead evil. He is on the side of the good against the wicked, and often helps them to realize their goal. Instances of this are seen in the Ambacora, Ayakúta, Udaya, Kaccáni, Káma, Kámaníta, Kumbha, Kelisíla, Kharaputta, Culladhanuggaha, Dhajavihetha, Bilárikosiya, Manícora, Mahákanha, Vaka, Sarabhanga, Sarabhamiga and Sudhábhojana Játakas. Sakka patronised good men; some of the more eminent he invited to his heaven, sending his charioteer Matali to fetch them, and he showed them all honour - e.g., Guttila, Mandhátá, Sádhina, and Nimi; others he rewarded suitably - see, e.g., the Uraga Játaka.
The lesser gods consulted Sakka in their difficulties and problems e.g., in the case of the deity of Anáthapindika's fourth gateway, who incurred the displeasure of Anáthapindika by advising him to refrain from too much generosity towards the Buddha and his monks. Sakka has also to deal with disputes arising among the devas themselves. On several occasions Sakka helped the Bodhisatta in the practice of his Perfections e.g., as King Sivi, Temiya, Nimi and Vessantara, also in his birth as a hare; in this last story, the Sasa Játaka, Sakka paints the picture of a hare in the moon to commemorate the Bodhisatta's sacrifice.
Sakka sometimes answers the prayers of good and barren women and gives them sons - e.g., Sumedhá, Sílavatí, Candádeví. Mention is also made of other boons granted by Sakka to various persons. Thus in the Mahásuka Játaka he visited the parrot who clung to the dead stump of a tree through gratitude, and granted him the boon that the tree should once more become fruitful. He granted four boons to Kanha, that he might be calm, bear no malice or hatred against his neighbour, feel no greed for others' glory, and no lust towards his neighbour. To Akitti he granted several boons, the last of which was that he should have no more visits from Sakka! When Sivi became blind, Sakka gave him two eyes; these were not natural eyes, but the eyes of Truth, Absolute and Perfect (saccapáramitá cakkhuní). Sakka confesses that he has not the power of restoring sight; it was the virtue of Sivi himself which had that power. When Sílavatí wished for a boon, Sakka, took her to heaven, where he kept her for seven days; then he granted that she should have two sons, one wise and ugly and the other a fool and handsome. He also presented her with a piece of kusa grass, a heavenly robe, a piece of sandalwood, the flower of the Páricchattaka tree and a Kokanda lute. All this passed into the possession of Kusa, and, later, Sakka gave him the Verocana jewel. He gave Phusatí, mother of Vessantara, ten boons and to Vessantara himself he gave eight .
His wife, Sujá, accompanied him everywhere on his travels, even into the world of men, because that was the boon she had asked for on her marriage to him. Vessavana was Sakka's special friend, and when one Vessavana died, it was Sakka's duty to appoint a successor. Matáli is Sakka's charioteer and constant companion. Vissakamma is his "handy man." Sakka has twenty five million handmaids and five hundred dove-footed nymphs (kakutapádiniyo), famed for their beauty. It was the sight of these which tempted the Buddha's step brother, Nanda, to give up thoughts of Janapadakalyání Nandá. Sakka's special weapon is the Vajirávudha and his special drum the Álambara.
His voice is sweet, like the tintinnabulation of golden bells.
It is Sakka's special duty to protect the religion of the Buddha in Ceylon. As the Buddha lay dying, he enjoined on Sakka the task of looking after Vijaya and his successors. This duty Sakka, in turn, entrusted to the god Uppalavanna. Sakka informed Mahinda of the right moment for his visit to Ceylon. When Devánampiyatissa wished for relics to place in the Thúpáráma Thúpa, Sumana sámanera visited Sakka and obtained from him the right collar bone of the Buddha, which Sakka had placed in the Culámani cetiya. Again, when Dutthagámaní was in need of building materials for the Mahá Thúpa, it was Sakka who supplied them. On the occasion of the enshrining of the relics in the Mahá Thúpa, Sakka gave orders to Vissakamma to decorate the whole of Ceylon. He also provided the throne and casket of gold for the relics brought from the Nágá world by Sonuttara and was himself present at the festival, blowing his conch shell.
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- Pruritus (PDQ®): Supportive care - Patient Information [NCI]
Pruritus (PDQ®): Supportive care - Patient Information [NCI] [en Español]
Pruritus (PDQ®): Supportive care - Patient Information [NCI]Skip to the navigation
This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at //cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
General Information About Pruritus
Pruritus is an itchy feeling that makes you want to scratch your skin. It may occur without a rash or skin lesions. It's a symptom of a condition or disease. Pruritus can be caused by cancer, cancer treatments, and conditions related to cancer. It also may be caused by an infection, dry skin, reaction to a drug, or a disease or condition that is not cancer.
The skin is the largest organ of the body. The most important job of skin is to protect against heat, sunlight, injury, and infection. The skin is also important to self-image and your ability to touch and be touched.
Pruritus can be very uncomfortable and scratching may cause breaks in the skin, bleeding, and infection. If your skin feels itchy, let your doctor know so it can be treated and relieved.
Causes of Pruritus in Cancer Patients
Certain cancers and blood disorders are likely to cause pruritus.
These include the following:
- Polycythemia vera.
- AIDS -related Kaposi sarcoma and AIDS-related infections.
- Hodgkin lymphoma and other lymphomas.
- Leukemias.
- Adenocarcinomas.
- Stomach cancer.
- Pancreatic cancer.
- Lung cancer.
- Colon cancer.
- Brain cancer.
- Breast cancer.
- Prostate cancer.
Certain cancer treatments may cause pruritus.
Cancer treatments that may cause pruritus include the following:
When chemotherapy causes pruritus, it may be a sign that you are sensitive to the drugs being used. Anticancer drugs that commonly cause itching include the following:
- Doxorubicin.
- Daunorubicin.
- Cytarabine.
- L-asparaginase.
- Paclitaxel.
- Cisplatin.
The way you react depends on the drug, the dose, and whether you are allergic to it. Itching caused when drugs are given by infusion usually occurs only near the place where the needle was inserted and often stops on its own 30 to 90 minutes after the infusion ends. It's important to report itching caused by chemotherapy to your doctor because your reactions can get worse each time the same drug is used.
Radiation therapy
Radiation can kill skin cells and cause dryness, burning, and itching as the skin peels off. Broken skin may become infected by scratching. If your skin is severely damaged, radiation treatments may have to be stopped for a while to give your skin time to heal. This can affect how well your cancer treatment works. Your doctor will try to keep your skin healthy so you can continue treatment. Some types of radiation cause fewer side effects than others.
Radiation therapy and chemotherapy together
The side effects of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given together can be more severe than the side effects when each is given alone.
Biologic therapy
Several biologic therapy drugs may cause itching. This is most common with drugs called interferons.
Bone marrow transplant
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can occur after a bone marrow transplant. In some patients, GVHD may cause dry skin and an itchy rash. In severe cases, it can progress to scleroderma, which is a hardening and thickening of the skin. Muscles and tendons can also harden and make joints stiff. This complication of scleroderma is called contracture.
Drugs for supportive care
Some of the drugs used to prevent or treat cancer symptoms may cause pruritus, including the following:
- Pain medicine.
- Corticosteroids.
- Antibiotics.
- Drugs for nausea and vomiting.
- Hormones.
Pruritus can be a symptom of infection.
Itching around the anus or vulva might be caused by infections with Trichomonas or fungi, nearby tumors, hemorrhoids, tears in the anus, or fluids draining from wounds.
Assessment of Pruritus
Finding the cause of the itching is the first step in relieving pruritus.
Since pruritus is a symptom of a disease or condition, finding and treating the cause is the first step in bringing you relief.
A physical exam and a blood test are done to assess pruritus.
The following tests and procedures may be done to find the problem that is causing the itching:
Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. The doctor will check your skin for the following:
- Signs of infection.
- Signs of a drug reaction.
- Redness, dryness, scratches, or lesions.
- Swelling or stiffness.
- Abnormal color, texture, or temperature.
A history of your health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken, including the following information:
- When the pruritus started, how long it lasts, how bad it is, and where on your body it's felt.
- Whether you have had pruritus before.
- What relieves the itching or makes it worse.
- Diseases you have now or had in the past.
- Treatments you are receiving and have received in the past.
- Pain medicines, antibiotics, or other drugs you are taking.
- Whether your diet is healthy and you drink enough fluids.
- How you care for your skin.
Complete blood count (CBC): A procedure in which a sample of blood is drawn and checked for the following:
- The number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
- The amount of hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen) in the red blood cells.
- The portion of the blood sample made up of red blood cells.
Treatment of Pruritus
Treatment of pruritus in cancer patients involves learning what the triggers are and taking steps to avoid them.
It is important for you and for caregivers to know what triggers itching, such as dry skin or hot baths, so you can take steps to prevent it. You may need more than one type of treatment to relieve or prevent pruritus, protect your skin, and keep you comfortable.
Self-care, drugs, and comfort measures may all be used to treat pruritus.
Self-care includes avoiding pruritus triggers and taking good care of your skin:
- Keep your home cool and humid. Warm, dry air can cause skin to become dry and itchy. Cool, humid air may prevent itching.
- Eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of fluids. This helps your skin stay moist and healthy.
- Avoid detergent residue on clothing and bed sheets. Traces of laundry detergent and fabric softener may be left behind on fabrics and can make pruritus worse. The residue can be reduced by adding vinegar (one teaspoon per quart of water) to the laundry rinse cycle or by using a mild laundry soap that is used for washing baby clothes.
- Wear cotton clothing and use cotton bed sheets. Body heat, wool, and some man-made fabrics can trigger itching. Wear loose-fitting, lightweight cotton clothing and use cotton bed sheets.
- Control stress. Stress and anxiety can make it harder for you to cope with pruritus. Ways to control stress include relaxation therapy, positive imagery, music therapy, and distracting yourself with activities. Talk with your doctor if stress is a problem for you.
- Use moisturizing creams and lotions. A skin moisturizer prevents dryness, which can cause itching. A moisturizer contains water and forms a film over the skin's surface to keep it moist. Choose a moisturizer that meets your own needs. Some ingredients, such as petrolatum, lanolin, mineral oil, alcohol, and menthol, cause allergic reactions in some people. Topical steroid creams can reduce itching but may cause skin to become thin and easily injured.
- Avoid hot baths. Hot baths can trigger itching. Baths that are just warm and last no longer than one half hour every day or every two days can help relieve itching. Bathing more often can make dry skin worse.
- Use mild soaps. Mild bath soaps contain less soap or detergent that can irritate skin. Oil can be added to the water at the end of a bath or applied to the skin before drying.
Avoid powders, bubble baths, cornstarch, deodorants, and antiperspirants. These products should be used with care because they can irritate the skin and cause itching.
- Cornstarch can help prevent itching of dry skin caused by radiation therapy but should not be used where skin is moist. When cornstarch becomes moist, fungus may grow. Avoid using it on areas close to mucous membranes, such as the vagina or rectum, in skin folds, and on areas that have hair or sweat glands.
- Some powders and antiperspirants, such as those that contain talc and aluminum, cause skin irritation during radiation therapy and should be avoided when you're receiving radiation treatment.
Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic if your pruritus is caused by an infection. You may also be given an oral antihistamine to relieve itching, with a larger dose at bedtime to help you sleep. For pruritus that is not related to radiation, you may use a mild corticosteroid on your skin, to relieve itching. Corticosteroids should not be used if the cause of pruritus is unknown.
Other drugs that may be used if other treatments do not work to control pruritus include sedatives and antidepressants. Antidepressants can have strong antihistamine and antipruritic effects.
Talk with your doctor about medicines you take that may be causing pruritus, such as opioids, morphine, or antibiotics. Changing to a different drug may stop the itching.
Comfort measures and acupuncture
The following may help relieve itching:
- A cool washcloth or ice held over the itchy area.
- Firm pressure on the itchy area or on the same area on the opposite side of the body.
- Acupressure or acupuncture.
- Rubbing or vibration on the itchy area.
Changes to This Summary (02 / 05 / 2014)
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
This summary was completely reformatted and some content was added.
About This PDQ Summary
About PDQ
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government's center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the causes and treatment of pruritus. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Reviewers and Updates
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Supportive and Palliative Care Editorial Board.
Clinical Trial Information
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
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Among the many tart, tangy pleasures of The Glass Menagerie at Cottage Theatre you can count the thrill of love at first sight — the opening glimpse of director Alan Beck's set design. Awash in a mauve glow hinting at sepia-tones and rust, the stage becomes a diorama (or vivisection) of Tennessee Williams' fictional St. Louis flat: The apartment, and all that goes on inside, is viewed through the spiny exoskeleton of the tenement's beams and girders.
"I was hooked on the idea of an apartment morphing into a prison of the soul," says Beck, whose design —a gorgeous monstrosity of domestic entrapment and cosmopolitan creep — suggests the tension between intimacy and claustrophobia that drives so much of Williams' work.
This scenic ingenuity alone is enough to elevate such an iconic American classic. But Beck has also gathered a talented cast to flesh out Williams' bittersweet meditation on the persistence of memory and the shattering of desperately held illusions. Kory Weimer brings urbane melancholy to Tom Wingfield, the play's narrator; as Amanda, Tom's suffocating mother, Gloria Lagalo seethes with not-so-quiet desperation; Nicole Trobaugh emanates angelic heartbreak as Tom's sister Laura; and Bob Buechler is strong as Jim, the gentleman caller.
These elements, along with some fine flourishes by Beck — snippets of old black-and-white movies, evocative original music by the director's brother, Jim Beck — make this version of The Glass Menagerie at once reverent, period-precise and idiosyncratically modern, a faithfully retelling that's also haunted by the playwright's ghost and tinted by the director's passion.
"Menagerie has always moved me," Beck says. "If you've ever wrestled with the difference between what you dream and what you must do, Menagerie makes you re-face that difference. I think those are universal themes that will never die."
The Glass Menagerie plays through July 1 at Cottage Theatre; cottagetheatre.org or 942-2934.


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Filene Exclusive: 2014 NII Must Focus on Member Value
As income from net interest margin has dried up, Ben Rogers, research director at the Filene Research Institute, said more and more has had to come from noninterest income.
"But rather than waiting on the clouds, many credit unions have been building enough NII to guarantee that the river of net income doesn't run dry," Rogers said. "As they look for additional sources, they need to be sure they're giving members value, not just extracting it."
Filene recently conducted research seeking to balance two important credit union imperatives: the need for NII that supports the operating costs of the credit union, and the imperative that credit union leaders feel to charge fees that are fair and that support services that add value to members, Rogers said.
Click on the graphs at left to expand.
"The tension is real. Too many or ill-advised fees and credit unions run the risk of alienating members and losing their cooperative difference," he warned.
Read more on how credit unions can strike that balance in the Filene report: In Search of Member-Friendly Noninterest Income.
The report is the latest in a series of exclusive content from Filene available to readers of Credit Union Times.
Also, check out these other Filene reports:


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Jefferson County Democratic Committee Chairman Ronald H. Cole had doubts about moving the committee into the long-vacant Masonic Temple on Washington Street.
When he went through it six weeks ago, the downtown landmark was in rough shape, with holes in walls, old pinkish-colored carpeting and the smell of cats inside, he said.
With some coaxing, the Democratic Committee became the first tenant of the Masonic Temple, still very much a work in progress as new developers continue to prepare for its acquisition. On Monday, Mr. Cole went back to see what the committee's offices and building looked like, somewhat surprised at the amount of work that transpired over the past several weeks.
A construction crew of about a dozen workers repaired walls and repainted them, installed new beige carpets and refinished hardwood floors and woodwork to get ready for the committee's move.
"I think they did a fantastic job." Mr. Cole said.
On Thursday, Augusta Withington, who co-owns Fourth Coast Inc., a renewable energy company in Clayton, said she expects to close the deal to purchase the building in February. She's working with her business partner, Robert J. Campany, on the project.
At this point, they don't have any definitive plans for the building, except to find additional tenants for the other first-floor offices. They plan to seek input from business and community leaders about the second-floor grand meeting room, a third-floor gym and the kitchen and other space in the basement.
They intend to make the rounds of the Watertown Local Development Corp., Watertown city officials, Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency, Development Authority of the North Country and others to get suggestions, Ms. Withington said.
Making major repairs to the roof this spring and stabilizing the building are the most pressing concerns, Mr. Campany said. The building's crumbling exterior must be addressed. The building also will get Internet and fiber-optic access. Work will continue on the other floors as ideas come forward.
"It's a multi-year project," Mr. Campany said, adding "the variety of space is really unique."
The first floor still features floor-to-ceiling sliding wood doors to offices, a series of decorative globe lights in the hallway and ornate archways. The developers plan to use as much of the building's historic characteristics as they can, Ms. Withington said.
In June, she came forward in the 11th hour to put a purchase offer on the vacant structure just as the property was going through the back taxes process and faced city takeover.
She is buying it from Henderson artist Garrett L. McCarthy, who purchased it last year through the tax sale process and helped to get the first floor ready for the new tenants.
"He has a lot passion for this building," she said. "He's a part of this building."
Two years ago, Mr. McCarthy acquired the tax sale certificate from ICA Renovations III LLC, the Marietta investment firm that held the $17,500 mortgage on the downtown structure. He planned to convert the century-old landmark into an educational and performing arts center.
The Democrats were forced move from their headquarters in the Lincoln Building on Public Square because of a planned restoration there. They are renting out a three-office suite in the Masonic Temple.
On Thursday, the refurbishing made its debut when about 120 supporters of Colleen M. O'Neill were inside the building for her campaign announcement for Jefferson County sheriff.
"I'm glad they got to see it," Ms. Withington said.


text:
Hello. Since 14 April, Zone Alarm Anti-spyware server has not been available to deliver any updates. The Anti-Virus updates are delivered. The message is:
"Anti-Spyware: Server is busy. Please try again later."
I see at least one other user ( daschaller ) who reported the same problem.
Who can report when this server will deliver service ?
I have: Security Suite 7.0462.000 with driver 7.0462 and anti-spyware engine 5.0.189
Operating System:Windows XP Pro
Software Version:7.0
Product Name:ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite


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Nielsen Receives Grant for Parasite Study
- Apr 26, 2013
- Topics:
Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, EVPC, assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Science at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, received a one-year grant from the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation to study the interaction between anthelmintic treatment and vaccines.
The study will generate useful information about the interaction between deworming and vaccination in horses. The presence of intestinal worms and the host reaction to deworming can potentially influence vaccination effects through modulating inflammatory reactions in the horse. In addition, the study allows Nielsen to evaluate possible differences between two types of dewormer (ivermectin and pyrantel pamoate) in their effect upon vaccination responses.
Well-managed equine establishments deworm and vaccinate their horses against infectious agents on a routine basis—sometimes having a veterinarian administer both dewormer and vaccination(s) during one visit. Until recently, practitioners considered this to be unproblematic, but recent findings have raised concerns whether the horse's response to deworming might affect vaccination efficacy. Deworming causes a mild and transient inflammatory reaction in the horse, which appears to depend on the type of dewormer used. In addition, intestinal worms have been shown to possess properties capable of modulating an inflammatory response.
In the grant proposal, Nielsen said, "Deworming has been found to cause disease in newly dewormed horses, but usually the inflammatory reaction is mild with no apparent symptoms. However, it is unknown whether this reaction can possibly affect the result of vaccination. Our hypothesis is that deworming causes an inflammatory reaction that affects the response to vaccination."
In the study Nielsen will evaluate three groups of ponies. Each will receive different vaccinations. He will deworm two of the groups with two different dewormers (pyrantel pamoate and ivermectin) at the time of vaccination and maintain the third group as an untreated control. He will then monitor the ponies for 60 days to evaluate deworming effectiveness, inflammatory response, and generation of vaccine-specific antibody levels.
"This allows us to measure the effectiveness of the deworming, the antibody response to the vaccine, and the inflammatory reaction to vaccination with and without the accompanying deworming," Nielsen said.
Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation will fund 17 projects in 2013, totaling $874,024. The research includes the launch of 12 new projects, continuation of five projects entering their second year, and three Storm Cat Career Development Awards. For more information on all the grants, visit http://grayson-jockeyclub.org/default.asp?section=2&area=Research&menu=2.
Jenny Evans, a MFA candidate, is the Gluck Equine Research Foundation coordinator at the Gluck Center.
Want more articles like this? Sign up for the Bluegrass Equine Digest e-Newsletter.
More information on Gluck Equine Research Center and UK Ag Equine Programs.
Related Content
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Horse Vaccines in 2012: Where We Stand
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Strongyle Egg Counts and Race Performance


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The 25 Most Dangerous Cities In America
Violent crime rose in the U.S. in 2012 for the first time in six years, according to preliminary crime data released by the FBI.
Business Insider analyzed the report to determine the cities with the most violent crime per capita. In the three years we have published this ranking, many cities have repeatedly made the list.
From the decaying Rust Belt, Flint, Mich. emerged as the most dangerous city in 2012, 2011, and 2010, according to our analysis.
Detroit, Mich.; Oakland, Calif.; and St. Louis, Mo. were also consistently among the most dangerous cities.
Click here to see the most dangerous cities >
To improve our ranking and understand its limitations, we consulted several experts.
The main problem with the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, according to UCLA professor Mark Kleiman, is that some cities have broader boundaries and include safer, suburban areas in their crime reports. The center of the city might be crime-ridden, but the safer outskirts skew the overall picture.
Another problem with the UCR is that different police precincts have different ways of classifying aggravated assault versus "simple assault," Carnegie Melon's Alfred Blumstein told us.
Despite these problems, the UCR remains the definitive source of crime data in the U.S. "There is no perfect system, but this is best that we have," says criminal justice professor Tod Burke.
Our preliminary 2012 ranking includes all cities with a population over 100,000. We compared the cities' rates of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, and robbery against 2011 national averages, with the percent deviations averaged to determine overall ranking for violent crime. We did not count aggravated assault due to inconsistent reporting of this crime.
We have included a brief discussion of crime in each city and will add to it any useful insight or responses shared in the comment section or by email.
In Bridgeport, Conn., which was number four on our list, the high number of rapes were artificially inflated by two individuals charged with 250 counts of rape for sexually abusing a child they knew. We have included a statement from the city's police chief in that slide.
Now with no further ado ...
Click here to see the most dangerous cities »
Puerto Rico is taking a big step toward revamping how it gets power — and it could be a model for the rest of the US
The former Gilt Groupe CEO has let the same guiding principle take her from developing 'The Bachelor' to running Martha Stewart's empire to challenging Silicon Valley
Law & Order Emails & Alerts
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Rage Fitness' parent company, Gibson Athletics, began providing mats and other institutional gymnastics equipment to fitness enthusiasts over 40 years ago. Now they are at the forefront of innovation in the functional fitness category and are releasing new products daily for use in cross training workouts that are ideally suited to the CrossFit community. They work with Olympians from around the world to assist them in their athletic training.
HealthStyles Exercise Equipment is pleased to showcase a wide array of Rage accessories including plyo boxes, soft medicine balls, slam balls, bumper plates, speed jump ropes, conditioning ropes, and more!
We are committed to this functional fitness category and have recently created special Cross Conditioning areas in each of our retail locations to provide you with the equipment and accessories needed to complete your personal WOD (Workout of the Day) in your own home.
Click here to browse the Rage Fitness products online or visit a local retail store to try out the latest cross conditioning and functional fitness products.


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Help with SimpleCart.js email checkout?
Hi There,
I have been reading lots of threads and code suggestions to make Simplecart checkout by sending an order to an email but I must be doing something wrong because I'm not sure why it is not working.
SimpleCart.js website is here: http://simplecartjs.org/
I have installed a view cart button at the top of the page and a shelf item on this page as my starting point following the guidance from the website:
which then points to my checkout page:
I started putting in some other form fields here that I found from someone else's code to populate the customer details, and a form action button to submit to sends.php, but nothing happens. I added Javascript code at the bottom of simple cert.'s - me.emailCheckout = function enquire() { , that is supposed to action the email method and added some script to the checkout page again requesting email checkout. I'm stuck! Can anyone please help? I'm not sure if it is something that I have set incorrectly in the javascript files or whether the PHP file I have created is wrong. I have spent hours and hours trying to figure it out, and would appreciate if anyone can help me?
P.s. I'm new to Javascript and PHP.


text:
The RESERVED function can provide a list of all the words that are reserved because they are known to the OLAP DML parser, or it can indicate whether or not a word that you specify is known to the OLAP DML parser. Some other words are also reserved as discussed in "Other Reserved Words".
Either a multiline text expression or BOOLEAN, depending on whether or not you specify an argument to the function.
RESERVED [(word-expression)]
A text expression that represents a word that may or may not be reserved in the OLAP DML. When you specify word-expression, the RESERVED function returns a BOOLEAN value indicating whether or not the word is reserved in OLAP DML. When you do not specify an argument, RESERVED returns a TEXT value consisting of all the reserved words in OLAP DML, with each word on a separate line.
The RESERVED function only recognizes words known to the OLAP DML parser. This does not include the names of option objects and some other objects in the
EXPRESS analytic workspace. The names of these objects are reserved in Oracle OLAP, but are ignored by the RESERVED function. To identify the names of these objects, issue the following statements.
When you specify
NA for the argument, the RESERVED function returns
NO. When you specify
NA, the RESERVED function returns
The list of reserved words returned by the RESERVED function contains some words in all uppercase and some in mixed case. Words all in uppercase are reserved in their entirety. Words in mixed case can be abbreviated to the uppercase portion. For such words, any subset of the word containing the uppercase portion is reserved. For example, one of the words in the list returned by RESERVED is
CODEVERsion. The following are all reserved:
codeversio, and
codeversion. However,
codeve is not reserved.


text:
Werth's teammates hope he'll return in 2011
Outfielder will be one of most coveted free agents in offseason
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
Standing with Carl Crawford as the two most attractive outfielders in this coming offseason's free-agent market, Werth is expected to garner a contract that will include annual salaries of at least $15 million.
While the Phillies have come to treasure Werth since he signed an $850,000 contract with them before the start of the 2007 season, they simply might not have the resources to re-sign him. Having strengthened their pitching staff with the acquisitions of Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt, they are already committed to paying more than $145 million to 16 players for the 2011 season.
"He means a ton to this team," closer Brad Lidge said. "He's obviously a leader with what he does on the field, and he's also a presence with what he does in the clubhouse, too. Hopefully, he's back. We're all going to miss him if he's not."
Still dealing with the reality that he and his teammates will not be competing in a third consecutive World Series, Werth exited Citizens Bank Park on Saturday night with the intention to address his future soon.
When Phils general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. addresses the media Monday morning, he'll obviously be asked about the possibility of re-signing Werth, who hit .279 with 87 homers and an .889 OPS over the course of the past three regular seasons.
"He's meant a lot to this team," first baseman Ryan Howard said. "He's come up with a lot of big hits this year, a lot of big plays. The fans -- especially the ones in right field -- love him. He's been a big part of this team, on the field and just in the clubhouse. His personality in the clubhouse is one that helps make this team what it is. We hope he'll be able to reach a deal and come back next year."
If this was Werth's last game with the Phillies, his final at-bat -- an eighth-inning strikeout -- wasn't a fitting conclusion for a man who has greatly influenced the euphoria that has surrounded Philadelphia during recent Octobers.
Werth's sacrifice fly that capped Saturday night's two-run first inning was more indicative of how he's spent the past four Octobers with the Phillies. He holds the club's postseason record for homers (11), extra-base hits (21) and total bases (82).
Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is among those who aren't willing to concede that Werth will be playing elsewhere next year.
"There's a good chance he will [be back]," Rollins said. "It's 50-50 if he is or he isn't. ... He's been big. He's had big hit after big hit, defensive plays. He's been a great guy in the clubhouse and a great team person. On top of that, he's a good guy. Those are the kind of guys this club is built on -- good guys who can go play baseball."
Werth's closest friend on the club, Chase Utley, said that he's not sure what the future holds for the veteran outfielder. The second baseman confirmed he hasn't given up hope of Werth returning, and Utley will certainly spend the next couple weeks and months lobbying for Werth's return.
"Jayson's a very good friend of mine, and he's also a pretty good player," Utley said. "I don't know what's in his future, but I'd like him to come back here, that's for sure."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Fire crews are monitoring a wildfire that's grown to 130 acres east of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Lightning ignited the Pagami Creek Fire on Aug. 18. It smoldered for a week, then low humidity and higher winds caused it to quickly grow.
More than 100 firefighters are now on the scene, and fire information officer Kris Reichenbach says firefighters are preparing to burn out fuels between the blaze and two popular lakes in the Boundary Waters.
"We're planning this additional burnout because we want to increase that fuel break adjacent to Lakes One and Two and reduce the potential that if conditions line up again," she said. "We don't want the fire to be taking off and threatening the area outside the wilderness."
Reichenbach says the fire is not in a blow-down area, and it will actually provide a lot of benefits.
"It's part of the ecology, the regeneration of the forest, developing habitat," she said. "It is also is our friend in terms of helping to break up the continuity of fuels in the wilderness."
That means that if another fire breaks out in this region in the future, the burnout could help to slow it down, or even stop it in its tracks.
The Pagami Creek Fire has not caused any closures. Crews have put in sprinklers along the canoe portage between Lakes One and Two.


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Cromleach Lodge 4* Country House Hotel & Ciúnas Spa, Sligo situated in the beautiful North West of ...


text:
Re: a baby a day:(
Posted by sydney on 5/30/05
On 5/30/05, Kitty.J wrote:
> On 5/30/05, Kitty.J wrote:
>> On 5/29/05, sydney wrote:
>>> On 5/29/05, sydney wrote:
>>>> On 5/29/05, Michael L wrote:
>>>>> On 5/29/05, sydney wrote:
>>>>>> hello
>>>>>> for the last 3 days i have found a baby dead on the bottom
>>>>>> of the cage there going on 2 weeks old
>>>>>> i dont know what to do.......help
>>>>>> they are getting feed greens,eggs,seed,wheat bread and i
>>>>>> chop mealworms for them
>>>>>> there cuttlebones are in there too
>>>>>> so there getting feed very well:)
>>>>> You don't say what kind of finch?
>>>>> This is tough to see, but it often times happens with first-
>>>>> time, inexperienced parents.
>>>>> Since they've made it to the two week mark, there could also
>>>>> be some type of bacterial infection that is slowly attacking
>>>>> the chicks. This is not to say for certain, but when it
>>>>> happens later in the development of the clutch, it's
>>>>> something to consider.
>>>>> Also you don't mention if this is a basket type nest or a
>>>>> nest box? Sometimes the basket nest become too crowded and
>>>>> the babies fall or get pushed out through no fault of anyone.
>>>>> Your diet sounds very good, providing the parents are eating
>>>>> all of these thing and feeding the young.
>>>>> Michael L
>>>> Hi Michael L
>>>> They are zebra finch and this is there parents first clutch.
>>>> the nest had seven babies in it.....lots o babies
>>>> and it is a basket type i will be changeing nest types after
>>>> this clutch
>>>> the parents seem to love the food i put in for them the babies
>>>> have all had nice full crops
>>>> thanks for your help:)
>>> oh and can you tell me how long it will take for my orange
>>> weaver male to come into full color?
>>> he is just now starting to get alittle black and orange on his
>>> chest
>> Oh you have a male orangew eaver? Wow such sneaky little fellows
>> they are! Be careful for if you have the male orange weavers with
>> breeding finches, they may disturb them and oh boy it gets
>> complicated. Well it takes ( for my weaver 9 months) LOL! Yeah i
>> know, well i got my pair last october, and well now my male orange
>> weaver is fully colored, it may have been because i didn't feed
>> enough mealworms untill the starts of February. Now i feed about
>> 40+ a day, i use to know feed about 20 or so a day. Now i have to
>> buy 200 mealworms every week + 200 giants for my starling and
>> house sparrow. I only had one other type of finch to take to
>> mealworms, and that would be my society finch pair that is now on
>> eggs again :)!!! Well if you feed enough live mealworms your male
>> orange weaver should be quicker into the plumage, and be warned he
>> may act funny when he sees other birds mating right infront of
>> him... mine is a sneaky lil orange rainbow. Oh and about the baby
>> zeebs, yeah if they have large clutches in the Wicker baskets,
>> they will at a certian age after eyes open, the olders will sit on
>> the youngest, they youngest sometimes will be pushed out of the
>> nests or the parents when they take off out of the nest will on
>> accident bring a baby or two with them. I have found this out when
>> my first zebra finch pair over stacked their nest with nesting
>> supplies and with that they had 6 eggs i thought not all the eggs
>> would hatch ( like in the wild you see 1-2 eggs still in the nest)
>> and well all of them hatched and well the babies competed for food
>> in the small nest and i lost 2 babies, it was sad, and i started
>> to only supply them certain types of nesting material and nests...
> Oh yes, i forgot to mention that i cannot wait to see if my male
> weaver will starts to build nests, he may still be young but i am
> hoping to see a nest display, has your little orange fluff ball
> build a nest for you yet? How does yours act?
Thanks for all of your help kitty
wow 40 mealworms a day i just give a few.
I need to up the amount.......lol (little pigs)
The weaver and his 2 hens are in there own flight cage for now i am
going to start building a outside flight for all of my finch soon:)
what do you mean about acting funny about watching other birds mate?
he has not started building yet:(
i cant wait to see him build. i watched a male weaver in petsmart the
other day building it was too cute:)
oh and i have not lost anymore baby zebra finch since the first post:)


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I love looking at everyone's sewing spaces and stash pictures, organized or messy, it's so much fun! I thought I'd post pictures of my space. It's actually my mom's- I moved back in with her when I relocated back to Houston, and we have too much fun together for me to get my own place, so I'm "stuck" here for now. We share her sewing room- all credit goes to her (except for any mess- that's all me!)
Here's pictures of the closet where we store most of our stash- the pictures are mostly of "my" half of the closet- it's long and narrow so it's hard to get good pictures, since it's at the back. This is about as neat as it gets for me, since I'm constantly taking stuff down and putting it back- there's no way I'll ever be as neat as she is!
Attachment 328249Attachment 328245Attachment 328246
My mom's:
Attachment 328248
More pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemlock...7629634669993/
If it's not to dark when I get home tonight, I'll take somepictures of the sewing room itself, which is a work in progress.


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You know you want it. A luxurious, fabulously comfortable mattress. And why not? After all, you spend a third of your time in bed -- even more, if you're lucky! -- and you need your Beautyrest®.
Yes, we mean Beautyrest® -- the deservedly famous line of mattresses by Simmons.® It's like nothing you've ever slept on.
So what's the difference? A mattress is a mattress is a mattress, right? Wrong.
For one thing, in a Simmons Beautyrest® mattress (which will never need to be turned over, by the way), each spring has its own little fabric sleeve (or pocket), which means it can react individually, conforming to your body without transferring motion -- in other words, you can roll over without disturbing your sleeping partner. Simmons came up with this design innovation decades ago and have steadily improved on it. Hence the fancy term: Patented Evolution Non-Flip Pocketed Coils.® (Click here for video.)
There are many other innovations and choices to be found in the Beautyrest® collection -- like the Advanced NXG™ Memory Foam. If that sounds like gobble-de-gook to you, fear not: all is explained on the website, beautyrest.ca. There are comparison charts and videos and even a Recommendation Tool™ that will steer you in the right direction given your preferences (hard versus soft, price range and so on). And be sure to check out The Couple's Guide to Mattress Buying, packed with useful information; you can view it online, or print the PDF and read it -- where else? -- in bed.
Of course, while all that research is certainly useful and informative, ultimately you must go to the store and try a bunch of mattresses. Be sure to set aside a good chunk of time for this expedition, because lying down for a minute or two doesn't cut it. As they say at Simmons, the best way to choose a mattress is to give it a 15-minute Test-Rest. Lie down together. Try different positions (sleeping positions, that is!). Take turns rolling over and check for motion transfer. Then choose a mattress you both love -- the best you can afford, because deep, refreshing sleep is truly a worthwhile investment.
If there's a wedding in your future, you can put a Simmons® mattress set on your gift registry at The Bay -- a wonderful idea for a gift the gang can all chip in for. And there are great financing options available if you end up purchasing it yourselves.
Remember, love's a little easier in a comfortable bed. The only problem might be getting up in the morning -- not because you didn't sleep well, but because you're so totally comfy!
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Behind Richards and rotation, Halos back in hunt
Young righty follows up remarkable June with another impressive effort
By Phil Rogers / MLB.com
CHICAGO -- Garrett Richards has a simple description of life with the Angels as they head into the second half, these days closer to postseason baseball than the rigors of early mornings in Arizona.
"It's good vibes," Richards said.
Indeed it is, just as we all knew it would be two seasons ago, after owner Arte Moreno invested in Albert Pujols. We were even more sure last season, when they added Josh Hamilton to the lineup that already had Mike Trout and Pujols.
This year? Well, who knew what to expect after the once reliably good Angels missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row?
But Richards and his teammates have been answering questions one month at a time. They were 14-13 in April, 16-12 in May, 15-10 in June and started July by sweeping the White Sox in a doubleheader.
It was fitting that Richards worked eight strong innings in the opening 8-4 victory Tuesday. He's been as big of a key as anyone for the Angels positioning themselves for a Wild Card spot, if not running down the powerful Athletics in the American League West.
Richards was 4-0 with a 1.05 ERA in five June starts. Only the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw had a better ERA for the month as the Angels quieted the critics who questioned their rotation.
"Where we are right now, with our head above water, moving toward the pennant race, has more to do with our starting pitching than anything else," manager Mike Scioscia said. "These guys have really been giving us a chance to win every night out."
Through 80 games last year, the Angels were 37-43 and had a 4.48 ERA from their rotation. They entered Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox 10 games over .500 and with a rotation ERA of 3.69, the third best in the AL.
Richards (9-2, 2.81 ERA), Jered Weaver (9-6, 3.56) and C.J. Wilson (8-6, 3.90) have been the leaders of a rotation has required only six starters. Their consistency has allowed the team to get into a rhythm that eluded the Angels' recent teams.
"Everybody's on the same page," Richards said. "Everybody is coming to the ballpark ready to win the next ballgame regardless of what happened last night. Throughout the season, whatever happened the night before, we show up ready the next night. Nobody dwells on anything, everybody picks each other up. It's a good, mature clubhouse."
Richards, previously known more for his velocity than his results -- his fastball has averaged 96.1 mph this season, second to the Royals' Yordano Ventura among qualified starters in either league -- is showing his own personal growth. He started his afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field by walking the first two hitters he faced and then giving up a home run to Jose Abreu on a 3-1 pitch, but then retired 23 of the next 25 hitters.
That's impressive.
Richards talked afterwards about hitting "a reset button" after the first inning. The Angels are essentially doing that as a team, trending toward a 90-win season as a reward for Moreno staying the course behind general manager Jerry Dipoto and Scioscia despite the bitter disappointment of the last two seasons.
Trout, Pujols and Hamilton never clicked at the same time last season. Pujols was bothered by plantar fasciitis and Hamilton suffered a power outage after losing about 25 pounds in the offseason. But they could be heading toward a summer when they work together to make the Angels a team with World Series potential.
Trout and Pujols hit back-to-back home runs off Hector Noesi in the fifth inning of Tuesday's opener, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Hamilton added an opposite-field homer off Ronald Belisario in the seventh inning, only his fourth this season and 25th in 185 games since leaving Texas to sign a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels.
It marked only the second time the trio has homered in the same game, but Richards said "it won't be the last time this year it happens."
Hamilton still has a long way to go if he's going to approach the level of Trout and Pujols. He was 3-for-6 with three walks (two intentional) in the doubleheader. Hamilton's solo home run off Belisario was one of only two in 25 games since he was activated from the disabled list. He tore ligaments in his left thumb April 9.
That was a "here-we-go-again-moment'' for Angels fans, but the team has remained steady, thanks in large part to the consistently solid starting pitching. Weaver, the ace when he signed his five-year contract extension late in the 2011 season, wasn't great in Tuesday's second game, but he competed like a fiend.
He doesn't have the velocity to blow pitches past hitters anymore, but don't tell that to Adam Dunn. He struck out on an 87-mph fastball, no doubt because his timing was thrown off by the lollipops that Weaver dropped into the strike zone at speeds as slow as 67.
Whatever it takes. That's the story for the Angels, and it's working just fine.
Phil Rogers is a columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Sprawling Houston serves up Texas-sized portions of shopping, dining, culture and entertainment. Exploring is easy and comfortable, as many of our Houston hotels offer complimentary shuttle services. Additionally, Houston's labyrinth of underground tunnels and sky bridges help guests get to and from popular restaurants, shops and other points of interest in climate-controlled comfort.
There's much more to this Lone Star city than Tex Mex, BBQ and country music. Houston is also home to a 17-block theater district and eight performing arts companies. Most Houston hotels are just minutes from key attractions like the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, the Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo and Aquarium, NASA and the Livestock show, billed as the largest rodeo in the world. Bayou Place is another top draw in Houston. This sleek, multi-use complex promises an escape from the Texas heat as well as great full-service restaurants, pubs, live music venues and multiple theatres.
In cooler months, check out Market Square Park in the downtown historic district for entertainment, dining, public art displays and tons of green space. The Uptown/Galleria area is another popular area that's home to several top Houston hotels, upscale shops like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, and a variety of trendy eateries.
Your Stay: 1 Rooms, 1 Guests/room Edit
Marriott Rewards® members get our lowest rates when they book direct. See Details
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Palo Alto residents are feeling rosy these days when it comes to jobs and personal fortunes, but smiles quickly turn to frowns when the subjects of parking and new development are brought up, a new survey indicates.
The National Citizens Survey, compiled by the National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association, in many ways reflects the growing pains Palo Alto officials have been grappling with over the past year -- too much traffic, not enough parking and new developments that get widely blamed for exacerbating these trends.
In response to widespread community criticism, the City Council adopted on Saturday "comprehensive land use planning and action" as one of its top priorities for 2014. The first bit of action took place on Monday night, when the council suspended the controversial "planned community" zoning process, which allows developers to get zoning exemptions in exchange for public benefits, and agreed to reform it.
The City Council also approved on Monday night a new campaign called "Our Palo Alto," which aims to get residents involved in a conversation about the city's long-term future and reach out to people who don't typically attend council meetings. Planning Director Hillary Gitelman called the new initiative an "an opportunity to engage in a community conversation but also take action and lay a foundation for the city's future for many many years to come."
The National Citizens Survey results suggest that this conversation can't come soon enough. Over the past year, the council has been flooded with citizen complaints about new developments, with many lashing out against the glassy minimalism of modern architecture and others complaining about dense new buildings with insufficient parking. In the category of "land use, planning and zoning," a mere 36 percent of respondents rated Palo Alto as "excellent" or "good" in 2013, far below the number in other cities. This was also a staggering drop from 2012, when 51 percent gave the city the top to grades in this category. When asked about the "overall quality of new development," just 44 percent of the respondents gave the city high marks, compared to 56 percent in 2012.
Not surprisingly, parking and traffic were the major drivers of this trend. On "availability of parking," only 39 percent ranked the city as "excellent" or "good," a marked decline from 2010, when 60 percent gave these marks (the number dropped to 54 percent in 2011 and 51 percent in 2012). When asked about "traffic flow on major streets," 34 percent gave the city high marks, down from 36 percent in 2012, 40 percent in 2011 and 47 percent in 2010. Bus and transit services also scored poorly, with only 49 percent of respondents rating them as "excellent" or "good," compared to 58 percent in 2012.
Though the Maybell referendum drew most of its support from the Barron Park area close to the project site, the survey underscores the message of the November election, in which a vast majority of precincts opposed Measure D -- frustrations over new developments aren't exclusive to any particular section of the city. On the issue of parking availability, 41 percent of the respondents from north Palo Alto (north of Oregon Expressway) gave the city the highest ratings, compared to 38 percent from south Palo Alto. On traffic flow, frustration was also equitably distributed, with 33 percent in the north and 35 percent in the south giving the city high marks.
The city's grades when it comes to "affordable housing" remained fairly steady from the previous year. Only 13 percent gave the city the highest two grades in the "availability of affordable quality housing," roughly the same as in 2012 and 2011 (12 percent and 14 percent, respectively).
These two topics should loom large at City Council's Feb. 10 meeting, when members will consider staff proposals for a wide range of "transportation demand management" measures meant to get drivers to switch to other modes of transportation. Options on the table include an expanded city-shuttle program, a satellite parking lot east of U.S. Highway 101 and new garages downtown and around California Avenue.
If there is a silver lining when it comes to getting around Palo Alto, it's the pleasure local residents get when they travel without an engine. An overwhelming majority of respondents praised the city for "ease of bicycle travel" (78 percent) and "ease of walking" (82 percent), rates that are "much above" the benchmark, the survey states.
An even brighter silver lining lies in the fact that these pressures stem directly from the city's economic success. Even as residents complain about growth and development (including population growth, which 60 percent of respondents deemed to be "too fast"), they feel good about jobs and personal finances. Just 30 percent of the survey respondents rated job growth in Palo Alto as "too slow," a huge drop from 44 percent in 2012 and 64 percent in 2011. And when asked to rate their "personal economic future," 33 percent said it was "positive" or "very positive," up from 22 percent in 2012 and 12 percent in 2011.
In fact, when land use and traffic issues are taken out of the equation, Palo Alto generally gets sterling grades from its residents. Despite the recent land-use funk, residents love their city, with 91 percent rating its overall quality of life as "excellent" or "good," 90 percent praising the city's "overall image or reputation" and a vast majority (87 percent) saying they plan to stay in the city for the next five years. The survey suggests that despite the recent political turmoil, the city continues to be the envy of its peers. In comparisons with "benchmark" cities, Palo Alto scored above the norm in 21 of the 31 categories, below in two categories and somewhere near par in the remaining eight.


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Family of Three Calls 911 for Corn Maze Rescue
[There was a video here]
The Today Show got its hands on a harrowing 911 call from a family of three that became trapped in a corn maze in Massachusetts, and needed a rescue squad to get them out of the living labyrinth of hay fever and despair.
The family entered the maze during daylight hours. As darkness fell, they found themselves alone, lost, and increasingly desperate. Would they die at the hands of scythe-wielding demon children in the middle of the night, their cobwebbed corpses lying in wait for the next lost family? Would lethal boredom set in? With fear in her voice, the mother called 911. She called once. She called twice. She called again and again, pleading for rescue!
Lady: Hi, I just called. I'm still stuck at Connors Farms. I don't see anybody. I'm really scared. It's really dark and we've got a 3-week-old baby with us.
Dispatcher: Just relax. Calm down. Your husband's with you, right?
Lady: Yes! But my baby!
Dispatcher: OK, I understand, and the police officer is on the way...
Lady: We thought this would be fun. Instead, it's a nightmare. I dont know what made us do this. It was daytime when we came in. And I never take my daughter out. This is the first time. Never again.
It took the police officers one minute to find them. They were 25 feet from the exit. Why didn't they just part the stalks and walk through? [Today Show]


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A popular annual Masters Week concert is moving to Columbia County.
The First Tee of Augusta officials announced Tuesday morning that the ninth annual Drive for Show, Rock Fore! Dough will be held April 9 at the Lady Antebellum Pavilion in Evans Towne Center Park.
The concert "has become a hospitality and entertainment staple here in Augusta on the Tuesday of Masters Week. It's been a great success for us and a great fundraiser for us," First Tee Executive Director Jill Brown said. "It's still on the Tuesday of Masters Week, just in a new place."
Performers Needtobreathe and Grace Potter were also announced Tuesday.
The concert previously was held at the First Tee facility on Damascus Road in Augusta.
"Our (First Tee) infrastructure is not naturally suited to be a concert venue," Brown said during the announcement at Evans Towne Center Park. "This is a beautiful facility. It is a great venue for guests and it's a great venue for music."
Staging the event at First Tee long has been a challenge for organizers, who were had rent expensive portable stages for performers, who have included Zac Brown Band, Darius Rucker and Cheap Trick.
The park allows First Tee to save time and money.
"It's a huge financial savings for sure," said a Rock Fore! Dough concert producer Joe Stephenson, of GlueStick Music. "Any time you're talking about making an event better and being able to save some money and have something new to talk about too. We want to make it fresh. We want the event not to be the same old, same old. This was really a natural move for me."
It's at least the third major event that has moved to the Evans park, along with Thunder Over Augusta, which moved from downtown last year, and Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que, which relocated from North Augusta.
"To say that Columbia County is excited about this move to our facility is a gross understatement," Columbia County Commission Chairman Ron Cross said. "We're just tickled to death that you have chosen to come out and be a part of ParTee at the Park celebration that goes on all week during Masters Week."
Stephenson said he was involved with Banjo-B-Que and was impressed with the venue.
"It's an easy venue," Stephenson said. "It's a win-win for First Tee and Columbia County."
Proceeds from Rock Fore! Dough support The First Tee of Augusta, the Augusta chapter of The First Tee Network. Rock Fore! Dough raised nearly $550,000 in the previous eight years.
Since it began in 1997, The First Tee has opened more than 200 learning facilities worldwide, established more than 335 affiliate relationships with existing golf courses and introduced more than 2.3 million young people to golf.
"We're excited about being able to save funds so that we can do greater things for the youth in our community," Brown said. "That's really the reason we decided to give this a shot."
Tickets go on sale Feb. 23. at www.rockforedough.com and Kroger grocery stores. Tickets cost $25 in advance and $35 the day of the event. VIP tables also are available.


text: I recently copied a beautiful dresden plate pattern made with a jelly roll and large enough to fit a 48" tabletop but, can't for the life of me, figure out how to back it without appliqueing it to another piece of fabric. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks a bunch!!! http://lurineg.blogspot.com .au/2009/12/dresden plate-tutorial.html


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Hello all,
Over the course of the next two years, I will be taking C++ programming classes at my high school. Over the summer, I have self-taught a beginning-portion of C++ to myself (up to functions =P). I thought it would be nice to know what other forms of education I could take up while taking the courses at my high school. Many of you experienced programmers might know what I'm talking about... =P So the Question of the Day is: What other means could be taken to receive an optimal learning experience (outside of school) while taking a course at high school?
Your help would be greatly appreciated :P .


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NU Online News Service, March 9, 12:04 p.m. EST
The damages in Henryville, Ind. are beyond visual.
"It's hard to explain," says Daniel E. Stone, president and chief executive of Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. in an interview. "You hear about heirlooms and memories lost. People have spent their entire lives here.
"The school they went to is gone. The church where they worshipped is gone."
Stone visited the small town and its surrounding area following a destructive tornado March 2.
Henryville was nearly flattened by the storm. Thirty-nine people died and thousands were left homeless.
Stone says he heard numerous stories from policyholders as they visited the neighborhood Indiana Farmers Mutual agency, without heat and powered by a generator to keep the phones working.
"Someone said their sister and brother-in-law were actually pulled up into the tornado and then released," Stone says. "They're in the hospital now, recovering."
The mobile home they lived in was reduced to scattered debris, he adds.
"It's heart-wrenching," Stone says. "You can't find the right words. This is the business we're in and it's our opportunity to fulfill a promise we made to them, but you come to find that's the easiest thing you can do.
"This isn't just about property damage."
Indiana Farmers Mutual had fielded more than 720 claims and paid out about $4.6 million as of late March 8, Stone says.
The company will retain the first $6 million in losses before reinsurance kicks in, adds the chief executive of the Indiana-only insurer.
"What impresses you is the selflessness," he says. "We've had people come up and say, 'We just lost our roof. They lost everything. Take care of them first.'"
Stone says one advantage to being such a local insurer is response time. The insurer had people—employees and in some cases, their spouses—on the ground immediately.
Saturday morning when Stone took a very early trip to the office, his executive team was already there waiting, planning.
"If you take a poll of our workforce, most people have spent most, if not all, of their lives in Indiana," Stone says. "This is where we live. These are our neighbors."


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HOUSTON - A record number of people went to the 2011 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Rodeo officials said the total attendance for all activities was 2,262,834.
"There are so many variables regarding attendance from the weather to the economy, but we continue to excel by creating an exciting, innovative, fun, affordable place for friends and families to enjoy," said Skip Wagner, president of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Officials said 1,255,323 concert tickets were sold. The top concert was Brad Paisley, who brought in 73,825.
The World's Championship Bar-B-Que broke last year's attendance record. Officials said 244,184 attended in 2011, breaking the 221,229 record set in 2010.
Each of the junior auctions brought in more than $1 million, and six of the grand champion and reserve grand champion records were broken. The auctions brought in a total of $8,235,171.
Rodeo-goers took full advantage of all the fun food available. They consumed:
- 122,800 funnel cakes
- 111,000 turkey legs
- 66,000 caramel and candied apples
- 50,000 pounds of potatoes
- 40,000 deep-fried Oreos
- 30,000 glasses of lemonade
- 20,000 pounds of sugar for cotton candy
- 10,800 chocolate-covered strawberries
- 9,000 pounds of strawberries
- 6,000 pounds of catfish
- 5,000 cans of whipped cream
For the first time, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo offered a mobile app with information about parking and events. Officials said it had more than 37,000 downloads.
Rodeo officials are already getting ready for next year. The 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will run Feb. 28 to March 18.
Copyright 2011 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Promote your brand coast to coast with inexpensive travel items and accessories from ePromos. Custom order products with your business name for a creative and affordable means of appealing to customers. Aboard planes, trains, and automobiles, your fans will become walking billboards, capable of reaching thousands of exposures per day organically. Whether your budget affords big-ticket items like a wheeled carry-on, or small giveaways, like luggage tags, you'll find a trove of unique travel gifts at ePromos.
Roll it or carry it, this rolling promotional duffle bag gives you the option.
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Keep your valuable tech accessories safe and all together in these convenient roll-up tech accessories custom cases imprinted with your corporate logo.
With numerous features and dual compartments, this rolling custom laptop briefcase has everything a business professional could want and need.
This large aluminum custom imprinted flashlight is a perfect way to let your logo shine.
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840d Nylon custom wheeled promotional carry-on bag with lightweight aluminum alloy comfort grip handle.
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Colorful promotional luggage tag is just the thing to have your logo and luggage stand out from the crowd.
Keep your personal items organized while traveling with this organizing customized luggage set that includes two bags.
Never lose your keys again with this Nylon Web Custom Key Strap! Use the carabiner to clip it to your backpack, or to the inside of your purse or briefcase.
Promote health with our logo medic alert card.
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Keep surfaces or hands clean with these amazing magical expanding custom towelletes that you can conveniently take anywhere!
Hand selected from the famous New York Museum of Modern Art comes this handsome promotional luggage tag features a flip-open security/ID tag.


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OAKLAND — Police made at least 10 arrests Friday afternoon as a band of more than 50 demonstrators protesting library cuts gathered downtown at 12th and Broadway and began blocking the street.
The demonstration opposed Oakland library cuts and other austerity measures and began around 4 p.m. It was uneventful at first, but when the protesters moved to the street, blocking traffic, and refused police orders to disperse, at least 10 were arrested on suspicion of offenses ranging from failure to disperse to battery on a police officer.
The group returned to the sidewalk and went west on 12th to Clay street to the Federal Building, then moved down 14th Street to City Hall, followed by at least 20 police officers on bicycles, in cars and on foot.
The demonstrators, identified by a flyer as affiliated with Bay of Rage, www.bayofrage.com, chanted slogans protesting library closures, dismantling of public schools and corporate tax cuts. Bay of Rage identifies itself an anti-capitalist initiative based in the Bay Area.
According to the website, the group deplores high police salaries while libraries are closing. Chants at the demonstration, defined on the website as Anticut2, included, "Cut cops, not libraries."
Some of the signs carried by protesters include references to books including The Unseen, by Nanni Balestrini, and
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon, which explores Algerian struggle for independence from colonial rule.
"Some people are here because they really love the library," one protester said. There was a show of hands as to which protesters used the Oakland library and more than half of the protesters raised their hands.