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Bad Brains: The NFL and Its Concussion Crisis
"Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will."
-- Frederick Douglass
Football is a dangerous sport, with inherent health risks. When players suit up, put on helmets, and crash into each other, injuries are to be expected: broken bones, torn ligaments, sprains, contusions, etc. These are part and parcel with the sport. But what happens when science uncovers unexpected risks to players' physical and mental well-being? Shouldn't management be compelled to inform and protect its employees (players) of any potential long-term danger? These are the questions that the National Football League attempts to handle in what has become one of the most-talked about issues in professional sports over the last couple of years: concussions and the attendant brain trauma concussions cause.
Each year, during any given season, roughly 15% of football players suffer a mild traumatic brain injury. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the odds are even worse for teenage athletes: Nearly 2 million brain injuries are suffered by teenage players each year. The likelihood of suffering a concussion is three times higher for football players than the second most dangerous sport (women's soccer). Further, according to Grantland.com, high school football players who suffer three or more concussions are nearly 10 times more likely to exhibit multiple abnormal responses to head injury, including loss of consciousness and persistent amnesia.
Defining concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy
A concussion is defined as "An injury to a soft structure, especially the brain, produced by a violent blow and followed by a temporary or prolonged loss of function." The force of such a blow causes the brain to move so quickly through the cerebrospinal fluid that it slams into the skull itself. The impact can cause bruising to the brain, tearing of blood vessels, and nerve damage.
One doesn't necessarily have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Those who have experienced repeated concussions are susceptible to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), "a degenerative disease that affects the brain and believed to be caused by repeated head trauma resulting in large accumulations of tau proteins, killing cells in regions responsible for mood, emotions, and executive functioning," according to The Concussion Blog. Symptoms of CTE include cognitive impairment, dementia, depression, memory loss, concentration or attention issues, disorientation, confusion, tremors, speech problems, and loss of one's senses. CTE is quite similar to -- and is often misdiagnosed as -- Alzheimer's disease in that those who suffer from it often experience memory loss, mood disorders, and depression.
Concussions haven't always been called by that name. Either out of ignorance or obfuscation, when a player would suffer head trauma, the league -- announcers, coaches, league officials -- used coded language to mitigate the extent of the injury. For example, a player who had been concussed would be deemed "shaken up" on a play. The team might release a statement that a player had been "dinged up" or "buzzed."
The terms used to describe brain trauma are still somewhat nebulous and misleading. Some concussions in the league are diagnosed as "minor." In reality, there are no minor concussions: Brain trauma is brain trauma. In the 1990s, players with concussions would often receive smelling salts on the sidelines and were sent directly back onto the field to continue playing. It was not unheard-of for players to suffer multiple concussions in the same game. Why jeopardize the career, and the physical well-being, of a player? The answer involves copious amounts of money.
Football is big business
Let's get this straight: The NFL is a business first and foremost. And it's a big business. Huge. Last year, the NFL generated $9 billion in revenue. It holds nearly $1 billion in assets and will pay its commissioner, Roger Goodell, nearly $20 million in 2019. Of the big three American sports (i.e., baseball, football, and basketball), it ranks first.
There was a time when baseball was uniformly considered America's pastime. Not anymore. It was always surprising to me that baseball was ever America's favorite child, considering football is predicated on the very elements that have always driven this country's collective consciousness: controlled violence, gaining and controlling territory, a complex hierarchy of authority, and the idea of men preparing for and entering battle.
Absent official rites of passage to manhood in American youth, football has long been a surrogate of sorts, a way for teenage boys to prove themselves, to reappropriate the bluster and bravado and nihilism of what it means to become a man. But at what cost? These battles take place on the gridiron, every Friday night for millions of high school players, every Saturday afternoon for collegiate players, and Sundays for most professional football players. Having played both sides of the ball for a three-time state championship football team, as autumn sets in and a chill fills the air, I've been guilty of parroting one of the sport's biggest cliches: "This is good hitting weather!" The chorus of pads smashing, shoulder pads cracking, and helmets crashing: The players love it. The fans love it. Most of all, the NFL owners love it.
While the NFL enjoys unparalleled financial success and popularity in this country, it has done so without concern or regard for the long-term welfare, both physically and financially, of its key constituents: its players. Within two years of retirement, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or "are under financial stress."
As a thriving business, the league has failed to divest its energies and harness its myriad resources for its own employees. Any organization worth its salt needs to nurture its four key stakeholders: its customers, its investors, its employees, and the world at large. Fans seem happy. But the problem with the NFL (including Goodell, the teams' owners and general managers, and the head coaches) is that it has shown concern primarily for its investors. That is, to the companies who can help propagate the money-and-power dynamic that keeps the league atop television ratings, jersey sales, stadium attendance, etc. This financial success has come at the expense of players' health.
What the science says
Though scientific data on CTE and its effects are relatively nascent, concussions and the severity of their after-effects has been known for years. More than 4,000 former NFL players have joined a single class action lawsuit against the league for willfully obscuring critical information about the effect of repeated trauma to the brain. These players allege that the NFL has known about the long-term damage that concussions can cause, but failed to provide its employees (players) with adequate warning about the causal link between multiple concussions and later-life cognitive decline.
In 2005, a series of clinical studies conducted by independent neurologists determined multiple concussions cause problems such as dementia and depression. The brains of deceased players were studied and were found to have CTE present; the neurologists found that the CTE was in fact triggered by repeated brain trauma (read: multiple concussions). The NFL's Concussion Committee denied any link between concussions and cognitive decline, and even asked that the article be retracted from the scientific journal in which the studies were published. Ironically, the NFL's committee contained no neuropathologists, yet they were attempting to discuss and refute neuropathological findings.
In 2007, the league scheduled a summit on concussions. According to the NYSBA Journal, independent scientists were invited to come and present their findings on concussions and concussion-related trauma. After the summit's conclusion, the NFL still maintained its stance that research "has not shown that having more than one or two concussions leads to permanent problems." In 2008, Boston University's Dr. Ann McKee, co-director of the Centerfor the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, stated "There is overwhelming evidence that [CTE] is the result of repeated sublethal brain trauma." Still, the NFL (via Dr. Ira Cason) denied any link between the two, stating, "There is not enough valid, reliable or objective scientific evidence to determine whether ... repeat head impacts in professional football result in long-term brain damage."
In September 2009, the NFL commissioned a study by the University of Michigan, which found that NFL alumni suffered from Alzheimer's disease (or similar memory-related illnesses) at a rate 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30 to 49. As a result, Congress announced it would hold a hearing to discuss these findings. Finally, the NFL (later in 2009) admitted what medical research had been indicating for several years, with NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello tellingThe New York Times, "It's quite obvious from the medical research that's been done that concussions ... lead to long-term problems."
Here it is, in black and white: the NFL demonstrated a failure to warn its employees about critical danger, and now the league is suffering the consequences. It could threaten the financial livelihood of the NFL itself.
We've seen this before
This type of subterfuge is nothing new. For years, big tobacco denied any causal correlative between cigarette smoking and various forms of cancer/ill health. Once the science caught up, the evidence became undeniable, and tobacco companies were forced to admit culpability.
In 2006, a U.S. District Court found tobacco companies guilty of deceiving the public about the health risks of smoking. The judge on that trial wrote that the companies, including British American Tobacco, Altria/Philip Morris, and RJ Reynolds, among others, acted "with a single-minded focus on their financial success and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success extracted."
We don't yet know the full scope and depth of those football players who suffer from the condition, but as research and science advance, CTE will likely be uncovered as a pervasive problem among football players of all shapes and sizes, and of all ages. According to research conducted by the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, the brain tissue of 18 of 19 deceased former NFL players have tested positive for CTE.
The real catalyst for CTE as an emerging high-profile issue can be attributed, in large part, to the investigation behind a number of former NFL players committing suicide. NFL alumni such as Dave Duerson, Andre Waters, Terry Long, and most recently, Junior Seau (whose family is now suing the NFL), have committed suicide. They and 30 other former NFL players have been diagnosed, post-mortem, with CTE.
CTE has been present in professional boxers for many years, but the same public outcry never hit the sports media as hard as it has for professional football. In boxing, there is no central governing body to implement safety rules, to investigate impropriety, or to look out for the general welfare of its combatants. Boxers sustain brain trauma and have no recourse, they have no support system with which to voice their concerns. The brutality was there for all to see, and perhaps this is, at least in part, why the sport has been relegated to the shadows, a marginal sideshow that is no longer considered a major player on the U.S. sports scene.
Years ago, before the effects of pugilistic dementia were publicly known, the sport was broadcast on national television every Saturday for the nation to see. Now, boxing has been reduced to the periphery. With the NFL, there's far too much money and popularity to simply sweep these injuries under the rug and move along. Unlike in boxing (where there is no union), football players belong to a union and have forced the issue with NFL management via class action lawsuits, forcing the NFL's hand.
An unavoidable danger
The evidence regarding the link between football and brain trauma is undeniable, and the NFL has recently refined and altered its rules in an attempt to decrease the number of concussions its players suffer each year. This is an impossible task: the violent collisions during football plays are an integral and inextricable part of the game as it was originally constructed. It is unrealistic to attempt to legislate out the fulcrum of the sport. Players are being penalized and fined for hits that were considered routine and legal only a few seasons ago. While the NFL rules committee appears to focus on highlight-reel hits, it is the sub-concussive blows, the ones offensive and defensive linemen experience on every single play, that are just as dangerous as the more visible ones other players suffer.
If the NFL truly cares about the health of its players, as it purports to, then the game cannot continue on in its current incarnation. It must be drastically altered or abolished altogether. Obviously, the NFL is not going to shut itself down, so it continues with the charade.
The problem is, many former players and their lawsuits, should they be successful, would cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars. In turn, this will cost the league's 32 insurers money as well, forcing them to raise premiums to compensate for the increased risk of lawsuits.
The NFL has deep pockets and might be able to sustain these financial losses, but as The New York Timeshas reported, football at other levels will suffer. Youth leagues, high school programs, and college programs would be forced, as a result of rising premiums, to raise fees or implement other severe measures such as asking players to sign away their right to sue schools/organizations. It's not unreasonable to foresee pee-wee football leagues, high schools, and even college programs shutting down altogether simply to avoid the potential financial disaster that could result from running football operations. Consequently, the NFL's very talent pool -- youths and teenagers plying their craft and aiming for the pros -- would simply evaporate. Just last month, a study published by UCLA researchers in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry shows that CTE can be detected in living patients. This discovery is tremendously important in that we will now be able to diagnose exactly how many players, on all levels, are suffering from CTE.
The future is uncertain
Once we process these possibilities, we begin to see the full scope of the problem the NFL faces: Football in this country could conceivably not exist in 10 to 15 years. If that seems like an absurd supposition, consider that 40% of the stocks in from 1983's Fortune 500 list no longer exist.
The NFL's death will likely start with these liability lawsuits. Even the manufacturers of NFL equipment are not immune to the CTE fallout. According to Forbes, Riddell, the official helmet manufacturer of the NFL, now faces allegations from roughly 2,500 plaintiffs seeking damages for falsely marketing its helmets as having the ability to prevent or reduce concussions by substantial percentages (claiming roughly a 31% reduction in concussions).
If Riddell, once a public company but now owned by private equity firm Fenway Partners, is found to have willfully misrepresented the functionality of its product, it could suffer dire financial consequences. There is no helmet, no equipment, that can prevent concussions in football. Helmets were originally conceived so that players would stop breaking their necks and fracturing their skulls during football. They can't prevent or even markedly reduce concussions because the injury is internal -- the brain jars from the ferocity of the hit. Ironically, today's helmets likely contribute to concussions rather than reduce them, because players feel comfortable launching themselves at other players at higher speeds and with even more forcible impact.
As the NFL comes under fire from various angles -- lawsuits, public outcry, scientific research, and media scrutiny -- the league's backbone, its players (former and current), could ultimately be the tipping point in the demise of the NFL. Players are now expressly concerned over their own futures with regard to their physical and mental health. They are speaking out, and people are listening. Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Thomas Jones has decided to donate his brain to the Sports Legacy Institute to be studied for evidence of CTE. Jones has no idea how many concussions he has sustained in his 12-year professional career, but he fears for his mental well-being years down the line.
Former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison has also been vocal in his concern over concussion-related trauma. Harrison says he is fearful over what could happen to him as a result of the estimated 20 concussions he has sustained over his career. Currently, Harrison says he now experiences symptoms of loneliness, isolation and anxiety. "I'm scared to death. I have four kids, I have a beautiful wife and I'm scared to death what might happen to me 10 or 15 years from now," Harrison told Bob Costas in a segment that aired this week. He claims that during his first five or six years in the NFL, he'd never even heard the word "concussion" mentioned by teams.
The beginning of the end
With the big game approaching this weekend, the NFL is poised for its most profitable annual event. The game will be played and millions around the globe will tune in to watch. Advertisers will spend millions for their ads to air during the game. The league's executives will enjoy the completion of yet another successful season. But make no mistake: the battle won't end on Sunday. Not for the players. As the final whistle sounds, they will take their helmets off and go home to their families, knowing that they may have decades more to fight, and that what is at stake for them extends far beyond the chalk lines of the football field or the dollars in their paychecks.
We are reminded that all empires are temporary. All rulers are greedy. When viewed under this lens, it's fitting that the NFL, which in its own films refers to its players as Roman gladiators, has set itself up for a tragic fall.
Jesse Goodman is a freelance writer who lives in Washington, D.C. He does not own shares of any companies mentioned.
The article Bad Brains: The NFL and Its Concussion Crisis originally appeared on Fool.com.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Elizabeth Madeira signed up on Join our action alert email list 2022-03-11 09:51:53 -0600
Elizabeth Madeira signed Call on the Coffee County DA to Resign 2019-06-16 22:34:46 -0500
Call on the Coffee County DA to Resign
Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott has made anti-Muslim statements and said that he does not treat LGBTQ people experiencing domestic violence the same as other survivors. He can no longer effectively serve the people of Coffee County or the thousands of people who visit Coffee County each year for Bonnaroo.433 signatures
We call on Craig Northcott to resign the office of District Attorney for Coffee County. His anti-Muslim statements and his admission that he does not treat LGBTQ domestic violence cases with respect are disqualifying for office. He must step down so that the people of Coffee County can be served by a District Attorney who will apply the law according to the principle of equal protection.
Elizabeth Madeira
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subset: commoncrawl


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The moment of truth, a portrait of the iPhone
Much has been said and written about the iPhone, but even before its initial launch, Strand Consult was very critical – a criticism that was based on our experience and analyses. On the other hand we are the first to admit that there are many that disagree with our statements and the conclusions that have come out of our analyses.
However we do not believe that people that read our analyses should judge us on what we predict will happen, but instead on what we previously predicted would happen today. Unlike many of those that sell information about the mobile future, we are not financially dependent on technology providers, phone manufacturers or infrastructure providers. We make a living from advising mobile operators on how to achieve success and make a profit for their shareholders.
In the report The moment of truth, a portrait of the iPhone we take a closer look at the iPhone, the iPhone effect and whether a mobile operator can actually measure the iPhone effect, or whether there are other areas or mobile handsets that an operator would do better focusing on?
We have had a close dialogue with a number of operators, we have examined their financial figures and analysed whether the iPhone has created value for those mobile operators that have been focusing on the iPhone. In the report we take a close look at the 10 largest myths about the iPhone:
1) The iPhone drives data traffic into mobile operators networks
2) The iPhone helps operators attract new customers
3) The iPhone is good business for mobile operators
4) The iPhone is dominating the mobile services market
5) App store is a huge success that has revolutionised the services market
6) There is money to be made by developing applications for the iPhone
7) It is iPhone customers that are generating the majority of online mobile surfing traffic
8) The iPhone has a large market share
9) The iPhone was the first mobile phone with a touchscreen
10) The iPhone is a technologically advanced mobile phone
Simply put, many of the conclusions that the media have published about the significance of the iPhone for mobile operators are not documented in the operators' – or other key market players – financial statements. We can also conclude that the closer a relationship is between an operator and Apple, the larger negative influence it has on the operator's overall business case from a shareholder's viewpoint
Unlike many others that have put forward statements about the iPhone, we have chosen to describe and analyse the value chain that the iPhone is a part of. We have analysed the iPhone effect from an operator's viewpoint and described the 10 myths that are currently dominating the iPhone world.
Get more information about the iPhone market in our unique new free report The moment of truth, a portrait of the Iphone.


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EUGENE, Ore. — (March 20, 2013) — University of Oregon chemists say that ultra-thin films of nickel and iron oxides made through a solution synthesis process are promising catalysts to combine with semiconductors to make devices that capture sunlight and convert water into hydrogen and oxygen gases.
Researchers in the Solar Materials and Electrochemistry Laboratory of Shannon Boettcher, professor of chemistry, studied the catalyst material and also developed a computer model for applying catalyst thin films in solar water-splitting devices as a tool to predict the effectiveness of a wide range of catalyst materials for solar-hydrogen production.
The project has resulted in two recent papers.
The first, detailed last September in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, showed that films of a nickel-iron mixed oxide with an atomic structure similar to naturally occurring minerals show the highest catalytic activity for forming oxygen from water, based on a side-by-side comparison of eight oxide-based materials targeted in various research efforts.
The second paper, just published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, details the performance of the catalyst thin films when combined with semiconductor light absorbers, showing that the nickel-iron oxide catalyst was most effective with a film just 0.4 nanometers thick.
Boettcher's lab, located in the UO's Materials Science Institute, studies fundamental materials chemistry and physical concepts related to the conversion of solar photons (sunlight) into electrons and holes in semiconductors that can then be used to drive chemical processes such as splitting protons off water to make hydrogen and oxygen gases. Multiple labs across the country are seeking effective and economical ways of taking sunlight and directly producing hydrogen gas as an alternative sustainable fuel to replace fossil fuels.
"When you want to pull the protons off a water molecule to make hydrogen gas for fuel, you also have to take the leftover oxygen atoms and make oxygen gas out of them," Boettcher said. "It turns out that the slowest, hardest, most-energy-consuming step in the water-splitting process is actually the oxygen-making step. We've been studying catalysts for making oxygen. Specifically, we're seeking catalysts that reduce the amount of energy it takes in this step and that don't use expensive precious metals."
The iron-nickel oxides, he said, have higher catalytic activity than the precious-metal-based catalytic materials that have been thought to be the best for the job.
"What we found is that when we take nickel oxide films that start out as a crystalline material with the rock-salt structure like table salt, they absorb iron impurities and spontaneously convert into materials with a layered structure during the catalysis process," Boettcher said.
Lena Trotochaud, a doctoral student and lead author on both papers, studied this process and how the films can be combined with semiconductors. "The semiconductors absorb the light, generating electron-hole pairs which move onto the catalyst material and proceed to drive the water-splitting reaction, creating fuel," Boettcher said.
The computer modeling was used to understand how the amount of sunlight that the catalyst blocks from reaching the semiconductor can be minimized while simultaneously speeding up the reaction with water to form oxygen gas. This basic discovery remains a lab accomplishment for now, but it could advance to testing in a prototype device, Boettcher added.
"We're now looking at the fundamental reasons why these materials are good," Trotochaud said. "We are trying to understand how the catalyst works by focusing on the chemistry that is happening, and then also recognizing how that fits into a real system. Our research is fundamentally guiding how you would take these catalysts and incorporate them into something that is useful for everyone in society."
One such place the material could land in a prototype for testing is at the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, an Energy Innovation Hub. The DOE supported Boettcher's research done in the second study through a Basic Sciences Energy grant (DE-FG02-12ER16323).
The research reported in the first paper in JACS was funded by the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry, a $20 million National Science Foundation-funded center co-based at the UO and Oregon State University in Corvallis (CHE-1102637). Co-authors with Trotochaud and Boettcher were James K. Ranney, an undergraduate student in chemistry, and Kerisha N. Williams, who participated under the NSF-funded Undergraduate Catalytic Outreach and Research Experiences (UCORE) program.
Funding for the research detailed in the second paper also came, in part, from the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry. The DOE grant to Boettcher also supported co-author Thomas J. Mills, a UO graduate.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Media Contact: Jim Barlow, director of science and research communications, 541-346-3481, email@example.com
Sources: Shannon Boettcher, assistant professor of chemistry, 541-346-2543, firstname.lastname@example.com, and Lena Trotochaud, firstname.lastname@example.com
Additional Links:
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Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with satellite uplink capacity, and a radio studio with an ISDN phone line for broadcast-quality radio interviews. Call the Media Contact above to begin the process.


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Duke picks up commitments from top high school recruits
DURHAM, N.C. — Two of the nation's top high school players say they will play at Duke next season.
Point guard Tyus Jones and center Jahlil Okafor publicly committed to the Blue Devils on Friday during nationally televised ceremonies roughly 450 miles apart.
Scout.com rates Okafor as the nation's No. 1 recruit and had Jones at No. 4.
Jones, who is from suburban Minneapolis, and Okafor, of Chicago, were a package deal. They simultaneously pulled on Duke caps during the ceremonies at their high schools.
Jones said during the ESPNU broadcast that "we felt that Duke was the right fit for ourselves and we would be able to succeed there."


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Cross-posted from Truthout.
(Read Parts 1, 2, and 3.)
We decided to ask authorities on arms control and/or disarmament this two-part question implied by Ford's summary of the credibility thesis:
One, do you agree that nuclear-weapons states, especially the United States, have yet to show non-nuclear-weapons enough in the way of disarmament to convince them that the nonproliferation waters are safe? Two, do you think that, were the disarmament measures of NWS sufficient, some non-NWS would still seek nuclear weapons? If so, what then is the best route to nonproliferation?
Michael Krepon, co-founder of the Stimson Center and regular contributor to the respected blog Arms Control Wonk rejects the premise of the first question. "The United States and Russia," he replies, "have reduced their nuclear stockpiles by 70%. Is this not 'substantive disarmament'?"
Jeffrey Lewis of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and the founder of Arms Control Wonk also does not "agree that the United States has done too little to convince NPT signatories that the nonproliferation waters are safe." In fact, he thinks that the "frame that you've chosen is a straw-person that right-wing opponents impute to those of us who would seek a world where the growing obsolescence of nuclear weapons is reinforced by the legally-binding agreements."
Besides, he reminds us, the NPT is not "a bargain between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' — it is a commitment by the 'have nots' to one another to remain that way. Who do North Korea's nuclear weapons threaten most? The United States? Or non-nuclear Japan and South Korea? … the agreement among the non-nuclear weapons states to remain that way — is either forgotten or obscured in many of these debates."
However, Lewis does believe "that the United States can, and should, do more to demonstrate its commitment to Article 6. In particular, the United States should ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty."
Greg Theilmann is a senior fellow of the Arms Control Association. First, he states that my characterization of the New START treaty as "'little more than verification and confidence building" does not do it justice. Then, he writes: "Although I would have preferred deeper cuts, restoring and improving on a verification regime for the two parties' strategic forces was a critical prerequisite for any subsequent steps." He also relates a little-known story about New START that casts the president in a more resolute light.
Moreover, what I find especially impressive about Obama's determination was his rejection of his political advisors' advice in late November 2010 (according to Rahm Emanuel) that he postpone New START ratification in the lame duck session because it was too difficult and jeopardized other political objectives. Had he done so, I believe the treaty would never have been ratified.
Whether non-NWS would be as quick to credit the president is another matter. Continuing with question one, Thielmann states that the Obama Administration has "demonstrated its NPT Article VI bona fides during the last three years." Its "positions and efforts on shrinking the role of nuclear weapons, on endorsing CTBT ratification, and on leading an international campaign to achieve nuclear security improvements put it at the forefront of the nuclear weapons states on disarmament."
Thielmann concedes that non-NWS "want to see more done to reduce nuclear arsenals by the U.S., Russia, China, the UK, and France — as do I." He's also willing to answer the question of whether some non-NWS would still seek nuclear weapons even if they deemed NWS disarmament measures sufficient. While, he writes, the disarmament "thus far is significant … in and of itself, [it] will not be sufficient to satisfy those states, which see their own nuclear weapons development as necessary for security or desirable to enhance influence."
Taking up where Thielmann left off, Ward Wilson, who directs the Rethinking Nuclear Weapons project at the James Martin Center, notes that "nuclear weapons have become a currency of power in international relations. Irrespective of their actual utility, they are perceived as the key to great power status. Before proliferation can be definitively halted, not only do nuclear-armed states have to do better at disarming, but the belief that nuclear weapons are the sine qua non of international status has to be broken."
Wilson concludes:
Disarmament progress was nil during the first twenty years of the NPT but since then there has been real, if painfully slow, progress. Even if disarmament progress were faster, however, some states would still want to proliferate. Disarmament by nuclear-armed states is a necessary, but not sufficient condition to halt proliferation.


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Accessing Breakpoint Properties
On this page:
To view the whole list of the breakpoints in the current project, use the Breakpoints dialog box. For each individual breakpoint in the list, you can view and change its properties as required.
Viewing all breakpoints
To view the list of all breakpoints and their properties, do one of the following:
- On the main menu, choose .
- Press Ctrl+Shift+F8.
- In the toolbar of the Debug tool window, click .
- Breakpoints are visible in the Favorites tool window.
Viewing properties of a breakpoint
To view properties of a single breakpoint
- Right-click a breakpoint icon in the left gutter of the editor.
See Also
Last modified: 26 July 2017


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LDS Meeting House Gutted Of Debris, Mold, Asbestos – April 4, 2012
Kevin L. Hoover
Eye Editor
A STREET – The LDS Meeting House is being gutted of debris, mold and asbestos, all of which are, or were in plentiful supply there.
Last week, following previous removal of the church's spire, workers were busy pulling out all the abandoned furnishings and piling them up in back for transport to a toxic landfill on Vacaville.
Large piles of disused property were heaped outside, including furniture, books, computers, TVs, photocopiers, trophies, kitchenware and most everything else a once-bustling church might contain. Inside, Spanish-speaking workers were systematically rolling up wet carpets and carrying them out the back door.
The LDS church has maintained that mold damage was so extensive that renovating the building for safe use could cost more than demolishing it. Some preservationists considered this a ruse and mocked the claim, calling it "demon mold" and suggesting that use of water and bleach would clear up the problem.
LDS officials had never allowed access to the building's interior – nor have the listed property managers in Utah and Chico, Calif. ever returned a phone call from the paper. Even a scheduled tour by City officials was limited to the outside of the building at the last minute, with no church officials attending. But with the doors flung wide last week, it was possible to inspect the true extent of the damage the LDS church had described.
Since it was abandoned in the early 2000s, the building has been allowed to deteriorate substantially. The capacious complex reeks of mold and mildew, with walls and ceilings blackened by creeping fungus flora.
Carpets are sodden from rain literally flowing down from holes in the ceiling, and the sound of trickling water can be heard throughout the building.
Debris, since cleared, was strewn about randomly in the many rooms of the complex, much of the material wet and grimy from years in the sealed building.
Disturbingly, tiles which apparently contain asbestos have crumbled to pieces and fallen to the floor in multiple locations. Some areas are impassable and have been taped off. Signs warning of asbestos contamination have been posted.
The one area somewhat unaffected, at least on the surface, is the gyymnasium on the south end. Unlike the rest of the building, the gym is large, airy and relatively well-lit due to the large windows that allowed in more light, which possibly abated the mold situation.
By Friday, the Meeting House's rooms had been emptied of furnishings and asbestos removal was in progress, with plastic sheeting sealing exits.
Bruce McIntosh of Kernen Construction, which is managing the demolition, said the deconstruction will get underway as soon as the asbestos and hazardous materials are removed this week.
Demolition, he said, should be completed by the end of April. The building's bricks will be recycled and crushed for gravel.


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Abba Ammonas was asked, 'What is the "narrow and hard way?" (mt. 7.14) He replied, 'The "narrow and hard way" is this, to control your thoughts, and to strip yourself of your own will, for the sake of God. THis is also the meaning of the sentence, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." (Mt. 19.27)
It was said of him that he had a hollow in his chest channelled out by the
tears which fell from his eyes all his life while he sat at his manual
work. When Abba Poemen learned that he was dead, he said weeping, 'Truly you
are blessed, Abba Arsenius, for you wept for yourself in this world! He who
does not weep for himself here below will weep eternally hereafter; so it is
impossible not to weep, either voluntarily or when compelled through suffering.' [i.e. the latter suffering in hell]
It was also said of him (Abba Arsenius) that on Saturday evenings, pre- paring
for the glory of Sunday, he would turn his back on the sun and stretch out his
hands in prayer towards the heavens, till once again the sun shone on his
face. Then he would sit down.
+ + +
It was said of Abba Ammoes that when he went to church, he did not allow his
disciple to walk beside him but only at a certain distance; and if the latter came to ask him about his thoughts, he would move away from himm as soon as he had replied, saying to him, 'It is for fear that, after edifying words, irrelevant conversation should slip in, that I do not keep you with me.'
It was said of Abba Ammoes that he had fifty measures of wheat for his use and had put them out in the sun, Before they were properly dried off, he sawsomething in that place which seemed to him to be harmful so he said to his servants, 'Let us go away from here.' But they were grieved at this. Seeing their dismay he said to them, 'Is it because of the loaves that you are sad? Truly, I have seen monks fleeing, leaving their white-washed cells and also their parchments, and they did not close the doors, but went leaving them open.'
Abba Abraham told of a man of Scetis who was a scribe and did not eat bread.
A brother came to beg him to copy a book. The old man whose spirit was engaged in contemplation, wrote, omitting some phrases and with no punctuation. The brother, taking the book and wishing to punctuate it, noticed that words were missing. So he said to the old man, 'Abba, there are some phrases missing.' The old man said to him, 'Go, and practise first that which is written, then come back and I will write the rest.' [Scetis=Sheheet]
+ + +
There was in the Cells an old man called Apollo. If someone came to find him about doing a piece of work, he would set out joyfully, saying, 'I am going to work with Christ today, for the salvation of my soul, for that is the rewardhe gives.'
Abba Doulas, the disciple of Abba Bessarion said, 'One day when we were walking beside the sea I was thirstty and I said to Abba Bessarion, "Father, I am very thirsty." He said a prayer and said to me, "Drink some of the sea water." The water proved sweet when I drank some. I even poured some into a leather bottle for fear of being thirsty later on. Seeing this, the old man asked me why I was taking some. I said to him, "Forgive me, it is for fear of being thirsty later on." Then the old man said, "God is here, God is everywhere." '
A brother questioned Abba Poemen in this way, 'My thoughts trouble me, making me put my sins aside, and concern myself with my brother's faults'. The old man told him the following story about Abba Dioscorus (the monk), 'In his cell he wept over himself, while his disciple was sitting in another cell. When the latter came to see the old man he asked him, "Father, why are you weeping?" "I am weeping over my sins," the old man answered him. Then his disciple said, "You do not have any sins, Father." The old man replied, "Truly, my child, if I were allowed to see my sins, three or four men would not be enough to weep for them. "
+ + +
This is what Abba Daniel, the Pharanite, said, 'Our Father abba Arsenius told us of an inhabitant of Scetis, of notable life and of simple faith; through his naivete he was deceived and said, "The bread which we receive is not really the body of Christ, but a symbol. Two old men having learnt that he had uttered this saying, knowing that he was outstanding in his way of life, knew
that he had not spoken through malice, but through simplicity. So they came to
find him and said, "Father, we have heard a proposition contrary to the faith
on the part of someone who says that the bread which we receivve is not really the body of Christ, but a symbol." The old man said, "it is I who have said that." Then the old men exhorted him saying, "Do not hold this position, Father, but hold one in conformity with that which the catholic Church has given us. We believe, for our part, that the bread itself is the body of Christ as in the beginning, God formed man in his image, taking the dust of the earth, without anyone being able to say that it is not the image of God, even though it is not seen to be so; thus it is with the bread of which he said that it is his body; and so we believe that it is really the body of Christ." The old man said to them, "As long as I have not been persuaded by the thing itself, I shall not be fully convinced." So they said, "Let us pray
God about this mystery throughout the whole of this week and we believe that
God will reveal it to us." The old man received this saying with joy and he prayed in these words, "Lord, you know that it is not through malice that I do not believe and so that I may not err through ignorance, reveal this mystery
to me, Lord Jesus Christ." The old men returned to their cells and they also prayed God, saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, reveal this mystery to the old man, that he may believe and not lose his reward." God heard both the prayers. At the end of the week they came to church on Sunday and sat all three on the same mat, the old man in the middle. Then their eyes were opened and when the bread was placed on the holy table, there appeared as it were a little child to these three alone. And when the priest put out his hand to break the bread, behold an angel descended from heaven with a sword and poured the child's blood into the chalice. When the priest cut the bread into small pieces, the angel also cut the child in pieces. When they drew near to receive the sacred elements the old man alone received a morsel of bloody flesh. Seeing this he was afraid and cried out, "Lord, I believe that this bread is your flesh and this chalice your blood." Immediately the flesh which he held in his hand became bread, according to the mystery and he took it, giving thanks to God. Then the old men said to him, "God knows human nature and that man cannot eat raw flesh and that is why he has changed his body into
bread and his blood into wine, for those who receive it in faith."Then they
gave thanks to God for the old man, because he had allowed him not to lose the
reward of his labour. So all three returned with joy to their own cells.'
+ + +
It was said of Abba Helladius that he spent twenty years in the Cells, without
ever raising his eyes to see the roof of the church.
(Abba Epiphanius) added, 'A man who receives something from another because of
his poverty or his need has therein his reward, and because he is ashamed,
when he repays it he does so in secret. But it is the opposite for the Lord
God; he receives in secret, but he repays in the presence of the angels, the
archangels and the righteous.'
It was said concerning Abba Agathon that some monks came to find him having
heard tell of his great discernment. Wanting to see if he would lose his
temper they said to him 'Aren't you that Agathon who is said to be a
fornicator and a proud man?' 'Yes, it is very true,' he answered. They
resumed, 'Arn't you that Agothon who is always talking nonsense?' 'I am."
Again they said 'Aren't you Agothon the heretic?' But at that he replied 'I am
not a heretic.' So they asked him, 'Tell us why you accepted everything we
cast you, but repudiated this last insult.' He replied 'The first accusations
I take to myself for that is good for my soul. But heresy is separation from
God. Now I have no with to be separated from God.' At this saying they were
astonished at his discernment and returned, edified.
(Abba Evagrius) said; 'Take away temptations and no one will be saved.'
+ + +
An Egyptian brother came to see Abba Zeno in Syria, and accused himself to the
old man about his temptations. Filled with admiration, Zeno said, ' The
Egyptians hide the virtues they possess and ceaselessly accuse themselves of
faults they do not have, while the Syrians and Greeks pretend to have virtues
they do not have, and hide the faults of which they are guilty.'
In a village there was said to be a man who fasted to such a degree that he
was called 'the Faster'. Abba Zeno had heard of him, and he sent for him. The
other came gladly. They prayed and sat down. The old man began to work in
silence. Since he could not succeed in talking to him the Faster began to get
bored. So he said to the old man 'Pray for me, Abba, for I want to go.' The
old man said to him. 'Why?' The other replied, 'Because my heart is as if it
were on fire and I do not know what is the matter with it. For truly, this
when I was in the village and I fasted until the evening, nothing like this
happened to me.' The old man said, 'In the village you fed yourself through
your ears. But goo away and from now on eat at the ninth hour and watever you
do, do it secretly.' As soon as he had begun to act on this advice, the Faster
found it difficult to wait until the ninth hour. And those who knew him said,
'The Faster is possessed by the devil.' So he went to tell this to the old man
who said to him, 'This way is according to God.'
One day Abba Moses said to brother Zacharias, 'Tell me what I ought to do?'
At these words the latter threw himself on the ground at the old man's feet
and said, 'Are you asking me, Father?' The old man said to him 'Believe me,
Zacharias, my son, I have seen the Holy Spirit descending upon you and since
then I am constrained to ask you.' Then Zacharias drew his hood off his head
put it under his feet and trampled on it, saying, 'The man who does not let
himself be treated thus, cannot become a monk.'
Abba Zeno said, 'If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he
prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out
his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies.
Through this action God will hear everything that he asks.'
+ + +
Abba Gerontius of Petra said that many, tempted by the pleasures of the body,
commit fornication, not in their body but in their spirit, and while
preserving their bodily virginity, commit prostitution in their soul. 'thus it
is good, my well-beloved, to do that which is written and for each one to
guard his own heart with all possible casre.' (prov. 4.23)
One day Abba Arsenius consulted an old Egyptian monk about his own thoughts
Someone noticed this and said to him, 'Abba Arsenius, how is it that you with
such a good Latin and Greek education, ask this peasant about your thoughts?'
He replied, 'I have indeed been taught Latin and Greed, but I do not know even
the alphabet of this peasant.'
Abba Elias, the minister, said, 'What can sin do where there is penitence?
And of what use is love where there is pride?'
+ + +
(Abba Isaiah) said to those who were making a good beginning by putting
themselves under the direction of the holy Fathers, 'As with purple dye, the
first colouring is never lost.' And, 'Just as young shoots are easily trained
back and bent, so it is with beginners who live in submission.'
(Abba Isaiah) also said that when there was an agape and the brethren were
eating in the church and talking to one another, the priest of Pelusia re-
primanded them in these words, 'Brethren, be quiet. For I have seen a brother
eating with you and drinking as many cups as you and his prayer is ascending
to the presence of God like fire.'
(Abba Isaiah) also said 'When God wishes to take pity on a soul and it rebels,
not bearing anything and doing its own will, he then allows it to suffer that
which it does not want, in order that it may seek him again.'
+ + +
The old men said to Abba Agothon to Abba Elias, in Egypt, 'He is a good abba.'
The old man answered them, 'In comparison with his own generation, he is
good.' They said to him, 'And what is he in comparison with the ancients?' He
gave them this answer, 'I have said to you that in comparison with his
generation he is good but as to that of the ancients, in Scetis I have seen a
man who, like Joshua the son of Nun could make the sun stand still in the
heavens.' At these words they were astounded and gave glory to God.
(Abba Theodore) said 'If you are friendly with someone who happens to fall
into the temptation of fornication, offer him your hand, if you can, and
deliver him from it. But if he falls into heresy and you cannot persuade him
dto turn from it, separate yourself quickly from him, in case, if you delay,
you too may be dragged down with him into the pit.
A brother came to Abba Theodore and began to converse with him about things
which he had never yet put into practice. So the old man said to him, 'You
have not yet found a ship nor put your cargo aboard it and before you have
sailed, you have already arrived at the city. Do the work first; then you will
have the speed you are making now.'
+ + +
Abba Theodore of Pherme said, 'The man who remains standing when he repents,
has not kept the commandment.'
A brother said to Abba Theodore, 'I wish to fulfil the commandments.' The old
man told him that Abba Theonas had said to him, 'I want to fill my spirit with
God.' Taking some flour to the bakery, he had made loaves which he gave to the
poor who asked him for them; others asked for more, and he gave them the
baskets, then the cloak he was wearing, and he came back to his cell with his
loins girded with his cape. Afterwards he took himself to task telling himself
that he had still not fulfilled the commandment of God.'
The same Abba Theophilus, the archbishop, came to Scetis one day. The brethren
who were assembled said to Abba Pambo, 'Say something to the Archbishop, so
that he may be edified.' The old man said to them, 'If he is not edified by my
silence, he will not be edified by my speech.'
+ + +
It was said about (abba Theodore) that, though he was made a deacon at Scetis
he refused to exercise the office and fled to many places from it. Each time
the old men brought him back to Scetis, saying, 'Do not leave your deaconate.'
Abba Theodore said to them, 'Let me pray God that he may tell me for certain
whether I ought to take my part in the liturgy.' THen he prayed God in this
manner, 'If it is your will then I should stand in this place, make me certian
of it.' Then appeared to him a column of fire, reaching from earth to heaven,
and a voice said to him, 'IF you can become like this pillar, go be a deacon.'
On hearing this he decided never to accept the office. When he went to church
the brethren bowed before him saying, 'If you do not wish to be a deacon, at
least hold the chalice.' But he refused, saying, 'If you do not leave me
alone, I shall leave this place.' So they left him in peace.
Abba Theodore of Scetis said, 'A thought comes to me which troubles me and
does not leave me free; but not being able to lead me to act, it simply stops
me progressing in virtue; but a vigilant man would cut it off and get up to
Abba Theodor said, 'Privation of food mortifies the body of the monk.'
Anotherold man said, 'Vigils mortify it still more.'
+ + +
Amma Theodora said, 'Let us strive to enter by the narrow gate, Just as the
trees, if they have not stood before the winter's storms cannot bear fruit, so
it is with us; this present age is a storm and it is only through many trials
and temptations that we can obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.'
The same amma said that a teacher ought to be a stranger to the desire for
domination, vain-glory, and pride; one should not be able to fool him by
flattery, nor blind him by gifts, nor conquer him by the stomach, nor
dominate him by anger; but he should be patient, gentle and humble as
far as possible; he must be tested and without partisanship, full of concern,
and a lover of souls.
She also said taht neither asceticism, nor vigils nor any kind of suffering
are able to save, only true humility can do that. There was an anchorite who
was able to banish the demons; and he asked them, 'What makes you go away?'
'Is it fasting?' They replied, 'We do not eat or drink.' 'Is it vigils?' They
replied, 'We do not sleep.' 'Is it separation from the world?' 'We live in the
deserts.' 'What power sends you away then?' They said, 'Nothing can overcome
us, but only humility.' 'Do you see how humility is victorious over the
+ + +
It was said of Abba John the Dwarf that he withdrew and livead in the desert
at Scetis with an old man of Thebes. His abba, taking a piece of dry wood,
planted it and said to him, 'Water it every day with a bottle of water, until
it bears fruit.' Now the water was so far away that he had to leave in the
evening and return the following morning. At the end of three years the wood
came to life and bore fruit. Then the old man took some of the fruit and
carried it to the church saying to the brethren, 'Take and eat the fruit of
It was said of Abba John the Dwarf, that one day he said to his elder
brother,'I should like to be free of all care, like the angels, who do not
work, but ceaselessly offer worship to God.' So he took off hsi cloak and went
away into the desert. After a week he came back to his brother. When he
knocked on the door, he heard his brother say, before he opened it 'Who are
you?' He said, 'I am John, your brother.' But he replied, 'John has become an
angel, and henceforth he is no longer among men.' Then the other begged him
saying. 'It is I.' However, his brother did not let him in, but left him there
in distress until morning. Then, opening the door, he said to him, 'You are a
man and you must once agian work in order to eat.' Then John made a
prostration before him, saying, 'Forgive me.'
One day when he was sitting in front of the church, the brethren were
consulting him about their thoughts. One of the old men who saw it became a
prey to jealousy and said to him, 'John, your vessel is full of poison.' Abba
John said to him, 'That is very true, abba; and you have said that when you
only see the outside, but if you were able to see the inside, too, what would
you say then?'
+ + +
Some brethren came one day to test him to see whether he would let his
thoughts get dissipated and speak of the things of this world. They said to
him 'We give thanks to God that this year there has been much rain and the
palm trees have been able to drink, and their shoots have grown, and the
brethren have found manual work.' Abba John said to them, 'So it is when the
Holy Spirit descends into the hearts of men; they are renewed and they put
forth leaves in the fear of God.'
It was said of him (Abba John the Dwarf) that one day he was weaving rope for
two baskets, but he made it into one without noticing, until it had reached
the wall, because his spirit was occupied in contemplation.
Abba John said, 'I am lke a man sitting under a great tree, who sees wild
beasts and snakes coming against him in great numbers. When he cannot
withstand them any longer, he runs to climb the tree and is saved. It is just
the same with me; I sit in my cell and I am aware of evil thoughts coming
against me, and when I have no more strength against them, I take refuge in
God by prayer and I am saved from the enemy.'
+ + +
Abba Poemen said of Abba John the Dwarf that he had prayed God to take his
passions away from him so that he might become free from care. He went and
told an old man this; 'I find myself in peace, without an enemy,' he said. The
old man said to him, 'Go beseech God to stir up warfare so that you may regain
the affliction and humility that you used to have, for it is by warefare that
the soul makes progress.' So he besought God and when warfare came, he no
longer prayed that it might be taken away, but said, 'Lord, give me strength
for the fight.'
Abba John said, 'We have put the light burden on one side, that is to say,
self-accusation, and we have loaded ourselves with a heavy one, that is to
say, self-justification.'
He also said, 'Humility and the fear of God are above all virtues.'
+ + +
Abba John gave this advice, 'Watching means to sit in the cell and be always
mindful of God. This is what is meant by, "I was on the watch and God came to
me." (Matt. 25:36)
One of the Fathers said of him, 'Who is this John, who by his humility has all
Scetis hanging from his little finger?'
Abba John the Dwarf said, 'There was a spiritual old man who lived a secluded
life. He was held in high estimation in the city and enjoyed a great
reputation. He was told that a certain old man, at the point of death, was
calling for him, to embrace him before he fell asleep. He thought to himself,
if I go by day, men will run after me, giving me great honour, and I shall not
be at peace in all that. So I will go in the evening in the darkness and I
shall escape everyone's notice. But lo, two angels were sent by God with lamps
to give him light. Then the whole city came out to see his glory. The more he
wished to Flee from glory, the more he was glorified. In this was accomplished
that which is written: "He who humbles himself will be exalted." ' (Luke
+ + +
Abba John the Dwarf said, 'a house is not built by geginning at the top and
working down. You must begin with the fundations in order to reach the top.
They siad to him, 'What does this saying mean?' He said, 'The foundation is
our neighbour, whom we must win, and that is the place to begin. For all the
commandments of Christ depend on this one.'
Abba Poemen said that Abba John said that the saints are like a group of
trees, each bearing different fruit, but watered from the same source. The
practices of one saint differ from those of another, but it is the same Spirit
that works in all of them.
Abba John said to his brother, 'Even if we are entirely despised in the eyes
of men, let us rejoice that we are honoured in the sight of God.'
+ + +
The old man (abba John the Dwarf) said, 'You know that the first blow the
devil gave to Job was through his possessions; and he saw that he had not
grieved him nor separated him from God. Whith the second blow, he touched his
flesh, but the brave athlete did not sin by any word that came out of his
mouth in that either. In fact, he had within his heart that which is of God,
and he drew on that source unceasingly.'
An old man came to abba John's cell and found him asleep with an angel
standing above him, fanning him. Seeing this, he withdre. When jAbba John got
up, he siad to his disciple, 'Did anyone come in while I was asleep?' he
said, 'Yes, an old man.' Then Abba John knew that this old man was his equal,
and that he had seen the angel.
+ + +
(Abba Isidore) said, 'When I was younger and remained in my cell I set no
limit to prayer; the night was for me as much the time of prayer as the day.'
Abba Isidore went one day to see Abba Theophilus, archbishop of Alexandria and
when he returned to Scetis the trethren asked him, 'What is going on in the
city?' But he said to them, 'Truly, brothers, I did not see the face of anyone
there, except that of the archbishop.' Hearing this they were very anxious and
said to him, 'Has there been a disaster there, then, abba?' He said 'Not at
all, but the thought of looking at anyone did not get the better of me' At
these words they were filled with admiration, and strengthened in their
intention of guarding kthe eyes from all distraction.
(Abba Isidore of Pelusia) said, 'Prize virtues and do not be the slave of
glory; for the former are immortal, while the latter soon fades.'
He also said, 'The heights of humility are great and so are the depths of
boasting; I advise you to attend to the first and not to fall into the
+ + +
Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, 'Abba as far as I can I say
my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as
far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?' then the old man
stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten
lamps of fire and he said to him, 'If you will, you can become all flame.'
(Abba James) said, 'Just as a lamp lights up a dark room, so the fear of God
when it penetrates the heart of a man illuminates him, teaching him all the
virtues and commandments of God.'
He also said, 'We do not need words only, for, at the present time, there are
many words among men, but we need works, for this is what is required, not
words which do not bear fruit.'
+ + +
Abba John of the Cells told us this story: 'There was in Egypt a very rich and
beautiful courtesan, to whom noble and powerful people came. Now one day she
happened to be near the church and she wanted to go in. The sub- deacon, who
was standing at the doors, would not allow her to enter saying, "You are not
worthy to enter the house of God,j jfor you are impure." The Bishop heard the
noise of their argument and came out. Then the courtesan said to him, "He will
not let me enter the church." So the Bishop said to her, "You are not allowed
to enter it, for you are not pure." She was filled with compunction and said
to him, "Henceforth I will not commit fornication any more." The jbishop said
to her, "If you bring your wealth here, I shall know that you will not commit
fornication any more." She brought her wealth and the bishop burnt it all in
the fire. Then she went into the church, weeping and saying, "If this has
happened to me below, what would I not have suffered above?" So she was
converted and became a vessel of election.'
(Abba Isidore the priest) said, 'If you fast regularly, do not be inflated
with pride, but if you think hightly of yourself because of it, then you had
better eat meat. It is better for a man to eat meat than to be inflated with
pride and to glorify himself.'
It was said of Abba John the Persian thast when some evildoers came to him, he
took a basin and wanted to wash their feet. But they were filled with
confusion, and began to do penance.
+ + +
From Palistine, Abba Hilarion went to the mountain to abba Anthony. Abba
Anthony said to him, 'You are welcome, torch which awakens the day.' Abba
Hilarion said, 'Peace to you, pillar of light, giving light to the world.'
The holy Fathers were making predictions about the last generation. They said
'What have we ourselves done?' One of them, the great abba Ischyrion replied,
'We ourselves have fulfilled the commandments of God.' The others replied,
'And those who come after us, what will they do?' He said, 'They will struggle
to achieve half our works.' They said, 'And to those who come after them, what
will happen?' He said, 'THE MEN OF THAT GENERATION WILL NOT ACCOMPLISH ANY
Abba Copres said, 'blessed is he who bears affliction with thankfulness.'
+ + +
One day, the inhabitants of Scetis assembled together to discuss Melchizedek
and they forgot to invite Abba Copres. Later on they called him and asked him
about this matter. Tapping his mouth three times, he said 'Alas for you,
Copres! For that which God commanded you do, you have put aside, and you are
wanting to learn something which you have not been required to know about.'
When they heard these words, the brothers fled to their cells.
Abba Cyrus of Alexandria was asked about the temptation of fornication, and he
replied, 'If you do not think about it, you have no hope, for if you are not
thinking about it, you are doing it. I mean, he who does not fight against the
sin and sresist it in his spirit will commit the sin physically. It is very
true that he who is fornicating in fact is not worried about thinking about
+ + +
Some of the monks who are called Euchites went to Enaton to see Abba Lucius.
the Old man asked them, 'What is your manual work?' They said , 'We do not
touch manualj work but as the Apostle says, we pray without ceasing.' The old
man asked them if they did not eat and they replied they did. So he said to
them "'When you are eating, who prays for you then?' Again he asked them if
theydid not sleep and they replied they did. and he said to them, 'When you
are a asleep, who prays for you the?' They could not find any answer to give
him. He said to them, 'Forgive me, but you do not act as you speak. I will
show you how, while doing my manual work, I pray without interruption. I sit
down with God, soaking my reeds and plaiting my ropes, and I say "God, have
mercy on me, according to your great goodness and according to the multitude
of your mercies, save me from my sins." ' So he asked them if this were not
prayer and they replied it was. Then he said to them, 'So when I shave spend
the whole day working and praying, making thirteen pieces of money more or
less, I put two pieces of money outside the door and I pay for my food with
the rest of the mony. He who takes the two pieces of maney prays for me when I
am eating and when I am sleeping; so , by the grace of God, I fulfil the
precept to pray without ceasing.'
+ + +
They said of Abba Macarius the Great that he became, as it is written, a god
upon earth, because, just as God protects the world, so Abba Macarius would
cover the faults which he saw, as though he did not see them; and those which
he heard, as though he did not hear them.
+ + +
The angel when giving the rules of monasticism to St. Pachomius said to him:
"... He laid down that in the course of the day they should make twelve
prayers, and at the lamp-lighting time twelve, and in the nightly vigils
twelve, and at the ninth hour three. When the multitude goes to eat, he laid
down that a psalm should be sung before each prayer. As Pachomius objected to
the angel that the prayer were too few ..."
+ + +
The same Abba Macarius while he was in Egypt discovered a man who owned a
beast of burden engaged in plundering Macarius' goods. So he came up to the
thief as if he was a stranger and he helped him to load the animal. He saw him
off in great peace of soul saying, 'We have brought nothing into this world,
and we cannot take anything out of the world.' (1Tim.6.7) 'The Lord gave and
the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' (Job 1.21)
Abba Macarius was asked, 'How should one pray?' The old man said 'There is no
need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one's hands
and say, "Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy." And if the conflict
grows fiercer say, "Lord, help!" He knows very well what we need and he shews
us his mercy.'
A brother went to Abba Matoes and said to him, 'How is it that the monks of
Scetis did more thatn the Scriptures required in loving their enemies more
than themselves?' Abba Matoes said to him, 'As for me I have not yet managed
to love those who love me as I love myself.'
+ + +
It was said of Abba Silvanus that at Scetis he had a dijsciple called Mark
whose obedience was great. He was a scribe. The old man loved him because of
his obedience. He had eleven other disciples who were hurt because he loved
him more than them. When they knew this, the elders were sorry about it and
they came one day to him to reproach him about it. Taking them with him, he
went to knock at each cell, saying, 'Brother so and so, come here; I need
you,' but none of them came immediately. Coming to Mark's cell, he knocked and
said, 'Mark.' Hearing the old man's voice, he jumped up immediately and the
old man sent him off to serve and said to the elders, 'Fathers, where are the
other brothers?' Then he went into Mark's cell and picked up his book and
noticed that he had begun to write the letter 'omega' ["w"] but when he had
heard the old man, he had not finished writing it. Then the elders said,
'Truly, abba, he whom you love, we love too and God loves him.'
+ + +
Abba Poemen said of Abba Nisterus that he was like the serpent of brass which
Moses made for the healing of the people: he possessed all virtue and without
speaking, he healed everyone.
Abba Xanthias said, 'The thief was on the cross and he was justified by a
single word; and Judas who was counted in the number jof the apostles lost all
his labour in one single night and descended from heaven to hell. Therefore,
let no-one boast of his good works, for all those who trust in themselves
(Abba Poemen) said, 'The beginning of evil is heedlessness.'
_|_ This article is one of many more articles about the Coptic Orthodox
| Church, the Christian Apostolic Church of Egypt. These articles can be
| obtained electronically from Copt-Net Repository, using anonymous FTP
COP|NET from pharos.bu.edu:CN. Please mail inquiries t


text:
In biology, we often think of natural selection and survival of the fittest. What about survival of the luckiest?
Like pioneers in search of a better life, bacteria on a surface wander around and often organize into highly resilient communities, known as biofilms. It turns out that a lucky few bacteria become the elite cells that start the colonies, and they organize in a rich-get-richer pattern similar to the distribution of wealth in the U.S. economy, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA, Northwestern University and the University of Washington.
The study, to be published online May 8 in the journal Nature, is the first to identify the strategy by which bacteria form initial colonies in biofilms. The research may have significant implications for battling stubborn bacterial infections that do not respond to powerful drugs, as well as for other applications.
Biofilms are colonies of bacteria that form on surfaces, including human tissue. Bacteria in biofilms change their gene expression patterns and are far more resistant to antibiotics and the body's immune defenses than individual, free-swimming bacteria, because they mass together and surround themselves with a matrix of proteins, DNA and sugars. This makes seemingly routine infections potentially deadly.
Gerard Wong, a professor in the UCLA bioengineering and chemistry departments; Erik Luijten, an associate professor of applied mathematics and of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University; and Matthew R. Parsek, a professor of microbiology at the University of Washington, led a team of researchers who elucidated the early formation of biofilms by using algorithms to track the development of different strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and by conducting computer simulations to map the movements. P. aeruginosa can cause lethal, difficult-to-treat infections. Examples include infections found in cystic fibrosis and AIDS patients.
Surprisingly, the researchers found that the individual bacteria that start the formation of micro-colonies have no special inherent qualities.
As bacteria move across a surface, they leave trails composed of a specific type of polysaccharide, or long sugar molecules.
"Some of the bacteria remained fixed in position," Parsek said, "but some moved around on the surface, apparently randomly but leaving a trail that influenced the surface behavior of other bacteria that encountered it."
Bacteria arriving later also lay trails, but tend to be guided by the trails from the pioneers. This network of trails creates a process of positive feedback and enables bacteria to organize into micro-colonies that mature into biofilms. By being at the right place at the right time, and by using communally produced polysaccharides, a small number of lucky cells -- often ones that come later -- become the first to form micro-colonies, which give cells many survival advantages over other bacteria.
Interestingly, these biofilms develop in accordance with Zipf's Law, which is one special form of the rich-get-richer phenomena. A well-known example of this is the distribution of wealth in the United States. Recent statistics indicate that the wealthiest 20 percent of the population have more than 80 percent of the total wealth. Most of the wealth in this elite group is in turn owned by a small elite fraction within the elite, and so on.
"It turns out bacteria do the same thing," Wong said. "By effectively taking a census of bacteria using our recently developed methods, we find that the way they organize into micro-colonies is not random, as was previously thought."
Extending the economic analogy, Wong said the research may provide insight into how to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria. "Typically, when we want to get rid of bacteria, we just kill them with antibiotics," he said. "As a result, they develop defense mechanisms and grow stronger. Maybe that's not always the best way to treat biofilms. Perhaps we can regulate bacterial communities the way we regulate economies. Our work suggests that new treatment options may use incentives and communications as well as punishment to control bacterial communities."
"A truly beautiful aspect of this work is how it relies on a combination of experiments and computer simulations," Luijten said. "Only through combination of the totally different types of expertise of three different research groups has it been possible to disentangle what is going on, and how polysaccharides influence the organization of bacteria into micro-colonies."
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Materials provided by Northwestern University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
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text:
Higher risk of psychiatric disorders is found in children born to women with fertility problems than naturally conceived children. The increase in risk was described as "modest" by researchers from Denmark, but was found to persist throughout childhood and into young adulthood.
The results, which are presented today at the 30th Annual Meeting of ESHRE in Munich by Dr Allan Jensen of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center at the University of Copenhagen, were derived from a register study of all children born in Denmark between 1969 and 2006.
From a grand total of 2,430,826 children, 124,384 (5%) were born to women with registered fertility problems and 2,306,442 children (95%) to women without such problems. All the children were followed up for psychiatric disorders until 2009.
Statistically significant hazard ratios for specific groups of psychiatric disorders were found for schizophrenia and psychoses (1.27, 1.16-1.38), affective disorders (1.32, 1.25-1.39), anxiety and other neurotic disorders (1.37, 1.32-1.42), mental and behavioural syndromes including eating disorders (1.13, 1.04-1.24), mental retardation (1.28, 1.17-1.40), mental development disorders including autism spectrum disorders (1.22, 1.16-1.28), and behavioural and emotional disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (1.40, 1.34-1.46), when compared with rates in naturally conceived children.
When separate analyses were performed for psychiatric disorders diagnosed during childhood (0-19 years) and in young adulthood (≥20 years), the investigators found that the risk estimates were not markedly changed, indicating that the increased risks persist into adulthood.
Commenting on the results, Dr Jensen said that professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of women with fertility problems should be aware of "the small, but potentially increased risk of psychiatric disorders among the children born to women with fertility problems". However, this knowledge, he added, "should always be balanced against the physical and psychological benefits of a pregnancy".
Only a few studies have investigated the risk of psychiatric disorders among children born after fertility treatment. Although results from most of these studies do not find an increased risk, the results do show substantial variation, said Dr Jensen; this may be because of the limited size and follow-up time in most of them. This study is the first with sufficient numbers and an adequately long follow-up period to enable a realistic assessment of risk patterns into young adulthood.
A calculation made by Dr Jensen - based on a 33% overall increased risk of psychiatric disorders in children born to women with fertility problems and on the proportion of children born in Denmark following fertility treatment - suggests that 1.9% of all diagnosed psychiatric disorders in Denmark are associated with the mother's infertility.(1) "In my opinion," said Dr Jensen, "this figure supports our interpretation of the results - that the increased risk is real but modest."
Despite the size of the study, it was not able to establish if the increased risk was associated with factors related to the mother's infertility (genetic or biological) or to its treatment. "So the exact mechanisms behind the observed increase in risk are still unknown," explained Dr Jensen, "but it is generally believed that underlying infertility has a more important role in adverse effects in the offspring than the treatment procedures. It is known, for example, that psychiatric disorders to some degree have a genetic component. It is perhaps thus likely that that these damaged genes coding for psychiatric diseases are overrepresented in women with fertility problems, and, if transferred to their offspring, this may at least partly explain the increased risk of psychiatric diseases."
However, Dr Jensen noted that other results from long-term cohort studies are sparse and inconsistent, but in general do not show strong associations between infertility, fertility treatment and risk of psychiatric disorders.(2) However," said Dr Jensen, "our study is the largest to date. It includes the highest number of children and a long enough follow-up time to adequate assess the risk into adulthood."
Source: Eurekalert


text:
I went to Landmark Diner located in Downtown Atlanta on Monday March 6th at 4:30pm-5: 40pm. During this time, there were five customers in the restaurant, including myself. When you first enter the Diner, there is a rectangular light-up sign that flashed messages including "Welcome to Landmark Diner", "Open 24 hours", "Where the Stars Meet at Nite", "Dinner specials", and "Full Bar" in colored letters. Beside the sign is a black and white painting of the skyline of Atlanta. There is a 3-foot sign standing up in front of the door telling customers to wait to be seated.
To the left of the entrance, there is a counter behind which are shelves that are holding bottles of alcohol and dark liquor including Crown Royal. On the wall beside the shelves, there are dollar bills from various countries and jumbo sized American hundred-dollar bill taped on the wall. On the counter sits a cash register and customers pay here for their food when they are finished eating. Straight ahead in front of the entrance, you can see the grill where the cooks prepare the food.
There is an area separated from what appears to be the main dining room that contains three small sized booths, a jukebox, and the restrooms. The main dining room is located to the right of the entrance. It contains about thirty tables and a bar area for customers to dine in. All of the tables have mint green tabletops and silver lining around the borders of the tables. There are seven booths in the dining room, including one large sized booth that looks as if it can sit seven or eight people comfortably.
The ceiling over the bar area is painted orange and contains different colored squares including grey, black, and mint green. The floor and columns of the restaurant appear to have the same marble tiling. There is a wall that is made up of mostly windows that outlooks the sidewalk and as well as a building across the street from the restaurant.


text:
Regular price $12.95 USD
Sale price $12.95 USD Regular price
Here's the perfect gift for your Dane-loving friends, or a wonderful addition to your own home. This ornament is lovingly handcrafted of white porcelain, and then fired with an eggnog-toned glaze. Hanging inside the heart cut-out is a genuine Swarovski Crystal. It all hangs from a lovely satin ribbon, and measures approx. 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. Handmade item in the USA.
Your cart is empty


text:
The week of 9.22.13 through 9.28.13 is set aside to bring notice to a growing trend in public and school libraries — pulling literature from circulation based on the actions of a few, not the majority of the public. Since 1982, the American Library Association has put together campaigns to make everyone aware of the circumstances of this form of censorship. Some of the books banned are for minor issues like language that was once accepted but is now objectionable. Instead of personal responsibility, these censors wish to impose their beliefs on everyone. You can read more about this important week at the BANNED BOOK WEEK site.
I don't believe in censorship of any media. I think it is a parents' place to make sure their children are consuming appropriate materials. I don't want someone else telling me what is right for my child, nor do I want to tell anyone what is acceptable for their family. I let my son read, watch, listen to anything he wanted with a few important guidelines in place. I reviewed and discussed with him the media he was consuming. He turned out more advanced, making better choices and incredibly responsible for those decisions.
I have a very unmentionable set of books that ranked number 4 on last year's list up for grabs.
If that doesn't appeal to you, then I will offer an Amazon Gift Card for the banned book of your choice, up to $10.
Ends 9/28/13
PO Boxes OK – USOnly
Open only to those who can legally enter
Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary.
You must be 18 or older to enter .
The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified.
The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
Giveaway was organized by BookHounds and sponsored by ME.


text:
|PostgreSQL 7.4.30 Documentation
|Fast Backward
|Fast Forward
CREATE OPERATOR name ( PROCEDURE = funcname [, LEFTARG = lefttype ] [, RIGHTARG = righttype ] [, COMMUTATOR = com_op ] [, NEGATOR = neg_op ] [, RESTRICT = res_proc ] [, JOIN = join_proc ] [, HASHES ] [, MERGES ] [, SORT1 = left_sort_op ] [, SORT2 = right_sort_op ] [, LTCMP = less_than_op ] [, GTCMP = greater_than_op ] )
CREATE OPERATOR defines a new operator, name. The user who defines an operator becomes its owner. If a schema name is given then the operator is created in the specified schema. Otherwise it is created in the current schema.
The operator name is a sequence of up to NAMEDATALEN-1 (63 by default) characters from the following list:
+ - * / < > = ~ ! @ # % ^ & | ` ?There are a few restrictions on your choice of name:
-- and /* cannot appear anywhere in an operator name, since they will be taken as the start of a comment.
A multicharacter operator name cannot end in + or -, unless the name also contains at least one of these characters:
~ ! @ # % ^ & | ` ?For example, @- is an allowed operator name, but *- is not. This restriction allows PostgreSQL to parse SQL-compliant commands without requiring spaces between tokens.
The operator != is mapped to <> on input, so these two names are always equivalent.
At least one of LEFTARG and RIGHTARG must be defined. For binary operators, both must be defined. For right unary operators, only LEFTARG should be defined, while for left unary operators only RIGHTARG should be defined.
The funcname procedure must have been previously defined using CREATE FUNCTION and must be defined to accept the correct number of arguments (either one or two) of the indicated types.
The other clauses specify optional operator optimization clauses. Their meaning is detailed in Section 33.11.
The name of the operator to be defined. See above for allowable characters. The name may be schema-qualified, for example CREATE OPERATOR myschema.+ (...). If not, then the operator is created in the current schema. Two operators in the same schema can have the same name if they operate on different data types. This is called overloading.
The function used to implement this operator.
The type of the left-hand argument of the operator, if any. This option would be omitted for a left-unary operator.
The type of the right-hand argument of the operator, if any. This option would be omitted for a right-unary operator.
The commutator of this operator.
The negator of this operator.
The restriction selectivity estimator function for this operator.
The join selectivity estimator function for this operator.
Indicates this operator can support a hash join.
Indicates this operator can support a merge join.
If this operator can support a merge join, the less-than operator that sorts the left-hand data type of this operator.
If this operator can support a merge join, the less-than operator that sorts the right-hand data type of this operator.
If this operator can support a merge join, the less-than operator that compares the input data types of this operator.
If this operator can support a merge join, the greater-than operator that compares the input data types of this operator.
To give a schema-qualified operator name in com_op or the other optional arguments, use the OPERATOR() syntax, for example
COMMUTATOR = OPERATOR(myschema.===) ,
Refer to Section 33.11 for further information.
Use DROP OPERATOR to delete user-defined operators from a database.
The following command defines a new operator, area-equality, for the data type box:
CREATE OPERATOR === ( LEFTARG = box, RIGHTARG = box, PROCEDURE = area_equal_procedure, COMMUTATOR = ===, NEGATOR = !==, RESTRICT = area_restriction_procedure, JOIN = area_join_procedure, HASHES, SORT1 = <<<, SORT2 = <<< -- Since sort operators were given, MERGES is implied. -- LTCMP and GTCMP are assumed to be < and > respectively );
CREATE OPERATOR is a PostgreSQL extension. There are no provisions for user-defined operators in the SQL standard.


text:
Enjoy the unmistakable taste of Johnnie Walker stirred down with sugar and Angostura bitters. Although it's called an Old Fashioned, there's nothing outdated about this timeless cocktail with a smoky edge.
• 60 ml Johnnie Walker Black Label
• 10 ml 1:1 simple syrup (see method)
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
1. Add the ingredients
Combine all the ingredient in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir well.
(If you don't have 1:1 simple syrup, you can make this by combining equal quantities of sugar and water in a pan and heating until the sugar dissolves)
2. Serve
Serve this cocktail in a tumbler, over one large cube or several small ones. You could even use an ice ball if you prefer.
3. Finish
Twist a piece of orange zest over the glass to release the aromatic oils.
4. Garnish
Use orange peel and sprig of toasted rosemary to finsh your Old Fashioned.
*This cocktail contains 19.9 grams of alcohol
For a fruity Old Fashioned – Johnnie Walker Black Label is the way to go. Add a sprig of rosemary to enhance the smoky finish.
For a smooth take on the Old Fashioned – make Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve your whisky of choice, garnished with a twist of orange peel.
The tropical notes of Johnnie Walker Blue Label make for an exotic and luxurious Whisky Old Fashioned.


text:
# create an placeholder term with an SQL::Statement object as owner
# and the $argnum of the placeholder.
my $term = SQL::Statement::Placeholder->new( $owner, $argnum );
# access the result of that operation
$term->value( $eval );
DESCRIPTIONSQL::Statement::Placeholder implements getting the next placeholder value. Accessing a specific placeholder is currently unimplemented and not tested.
SQL::Statement::Placeholder ISA SQL::Statement::Term
newInstantiates a new "SQL::Statement::Placeholder" instance.
valueReturns the value of the next placeholder.
AUTHOR AND COPYRIGHTCopyright (c) 2009-2016 by Jens Rehsack: rehsackATcpan.org
All rights reserved.
You may distribute this module under the terms of either the GNU General Public License or the Artistic License, as specified in the Perl README file.


text:
About Charles Carpenter, MD
Effects of Menopause and Bioidentical Hormones
Recent Blog Posts
- TC Disclaimer & Privacy Policy: This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements. Third parties may be placing and reading cookies on the users browsers, or using web beacons or similar technology to collect information in the course of Advertising being served on sachealthandhealing.com. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
Category Archives: Men's Health
Does your man use Zoloft or any other Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) to increase his MOOD?
A recent study looking at the impact of the commonly used antidepressant, Zoloft, discovered that Zoloft may adversely affect a man's fertility by a decrease in his sperm count and more abnormal sperm. This news is definitely not good because … Continue reading
Posted in Men's Health Tagged antidepressant, blood sugar, Celexa, Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors, SSRI, testosterone, Zoloft Leave a comment


text:
When housing began to simmer back in 2002, prices were rising around seven percent a year, then eight percent in 2004 and a stunning 12 percent in 2005.
At the time, words like "bubble," and "unsustainable," were uttered with every monthly reading. No one had seen home prices soar like that since the mid 1970's.
Historically, prices nationally rise about three to four percent a year. The market was clearly too hot, and by 2007 it had reversed dramatically, with prices falling nationally for the first time in history.
Fast forward to today and the housing recovery.


text:
A tribute to Edward M. Kennedy, Senator from Massachusetts
Edward "Ted" Kennedy was a long time and well respected Senator from Massachusetts. Kennedy first entered the U.S. Senate in 1962 when he won a special election to fill the vacant Senate seat of his brother—John F. Kennedy—who had resigned the seat in 1960 to become President of the U.S. In 1964 Ted Kennedy was elected by the voters of Massachusetts to his own term in the U.S. Senate. Since then Kennedy was reelected seven more times and served until his death in 2009. During Kennedy's long and industrious career in the U.S. Senate he championed many causes—a few of which are highlighted in this selection of documents from the official records of the United States Senate.
Certification that Edward M. Kennedy was chosen to fill the vacant Senate seat of Senator John F. Kennedy,
November 21, 1962
Certificate of Election for Edward M. Kennedy, Senator from Massachusetts,
December 11, 1964
Senate Roll Call on the final passage S. 1564, the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
May 26, 1965; NAID 5637787
Conference Report on the National Cancer Act of 1971,
December 8, 1971
Senate Joint Resolution 163, Nuclear Freeze Amendment,
March 10, 1982
Senate Roll Call for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,
August 2, 1996
Senate Resolution 482, Congratulating the Boston Red Sox on winning the 2004 World Series,
November 20, 2004
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