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Single Parenthood: Building Families with Donors and Surrogates
by Madeline Licker Feingold, Ph.D.
Posted on October 2, 2012
TAGS: madeline licker feingold ph.d. single parenthood single motherhood single fatherhood third party reproduction egg donation sperm donation surrogacy single parent
If you are considering single parenthood, there are many questions to explore. Addressing these questions will help you feel secure about your decision and establish a strong foundation for building a healthy family. Some of the most significant questions are:
- Do I have the emotional and financial resources to parent on my own?
- Do I have a solid support system and am I willing to reach out to others?
- Do I have a flexible work schedule and is my work environment family friendly?
- Do I believe that children can feel stable, happy and secure with one parent?
- If something happens to me, is there someone who would assume parenting my child?
- Have I talked to other single parents and do I have a realistic idea about what parenthood entails?
- If my ideas about building a family involved having a partner, have I grieved my loss and am I ready to embrace being a single parent?
Once you decide upon the path of single parenthood, you may have questions about building your family with the help of egg or sperm donors and surrogates:
- How should I choose a donor and should the donor be anonymous or identified? Should I ask my friend to donate?
- What should I look for in choosing a surrogate?
- How should I talk to my child about the donor/surrogate?
- What do I say when my child asks, "Do I have a daddy (mommy)?"
These are complicated questions that require information gathering and contemplation. I offer the following considerations to help you begin your family building journey.
Donors: Anonymous or Identified
Single parents tend to openly disclose donor origins to their children from an early age, since it is a way to explain conception and answer the question, "Do I have a daddy (mommy)?" Your donor will remain in your awareness as you talk with your child about his origins and your thoughts and feelings about the donor will affect your child's sense of himself; the donor's DNA literally is part of the fabric of your child. As such, when selecting a donor, pay close attention to your feelings.
- Do you like the donor?
- Can you identify with the donor?
- When looking at donor profiles, imagine answering this question, "Mom (Dad), why did you choose him (her)?"
Once children learn about their donor origins they likely will have questions about the donor. In fact, many studies demonstrate that donor conceived offspring want to know about their genetic origins, desire information about the donor and often wish they had more information than was provided. Furthermore, not knowing about the donor may leave the donor conceived person with a sense of loss and unanswerable questions about his/her own identity.
Many sperm banks offer identifiable donors (those who are willing to have their identity released to the donor conceived offspring upon the age of legal maturity) and some egg donor agencies and medical clinics will facilitate open identity options. By selecting a donor who is willing to be identified, parents can ensure that their child will be able to obtain information about the donor. You can ask your doctor, agency or a mental health professional about possibilities of storing donor information so it is available to your child in the future.
Collaborating with Friends
Many prospective parents considering single parenthood wonder if they should ask a friend to be a donor. This question cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." Rather, there are many variables to examine, and the answer is determined by whether you and your friend share the same values, beliefs and desires.
- Is your friend comfortable with the role of a donor or might s/he have parental feelings for the child?
- Did your friend talk to his/her family and might they feel like grandparents, aunts and/or uncles?
- Do you and your friend agree about disclosing donor origins to your child?
- Are you and your friend in agreement about the frequency of contact and the role s/he will have in your child's life?
- Have you and your friend considered how your friendship might be impacted by the donation?
- Do you have good communication and the ability to work through conflicts?
- If technology was used to create embryos, do you and your friend agree on the disposition of those embryos?
Due to the numerous emotional and legal issues associated with family building with known donors, most medical clinics will either recommend or require you and your potential donor meet with a mental health professional and attorney who have expertise in the field. These evaluations and consultations are invaluable in providing information that will assist you and your potential donor about deciding on collaborative reproduction. The goal of every evaluation and consultation is to help you build a healthy and secure family.
Establishing a Gestational Surrogacy Relationship
In addition to an egg donor, single men also will require the assistance of a gestational surrogate to carry a pregnancy. Single women who are unable to carry or maintain a pregnancy also may turn to a gestational surrogate for help with family building. Whether your potential surrogate is a friend or family member who offered to carry your pregnancy, or a woman who signed up to work through an agency, she will undergo both a medical and psychological screening to evaluate her readiness and ability to proceed, and to ensure that she understands the procedures, expectations and responsibilities involved in being a surrogate.
Mental health professionals also meet with the surrogate and intended parent jointly to help them determine if they would work well together. In terms of the relationship between an intended parent and surrogate, the keys to success are communication between the surrogate and the intended parent that is based on cooperation and mutual respect, the ability to resolve conflicts, knowledge of the medical, emotional and legal issues associated with surrogacy, agreement about the amount and nature of contact during the pregnancy and concurrence about decisions involving the pregnancy such as the number of embryos to transfer, carrying a multiple pregnancy, genetic testing, and pregnancy termination. Continued support for parents and surrogates throughout treatment and pregnancy is instrumental in maintaining a healthy relationship.
Surrogate agencies can provide assistance with surrogate recruitment and matching, legal consultation and continued care throughout the pregnancy. It is important to note that surrogate agencies differ in the amount and kind of services they provide and how they conduct surrogate evaluations.
Explaining Family: "Do I Have a Daddy (Mommy)?"
Becoming parents with the help of donors and surrogates challenges the traditional notion that families are formed solely around blood ties. When talking to your child about his origins, describe his conception within the context of your desire to become a mother (father) and to build a family. While you acknowledge the importance of genetic connections for your child, emphasize that loving relationships and shared values form the foundation of your family. In so doing you will increase acceptance of different ways to become a family. Additionally, separating motherhood and fatherhood from eggs and sperm will help your child understand his experiences of himself and of his family.
Single parents must help their children understand that they came into the world just like other children-that all children begin from an egg, which always comes from a woman and a sperm, which always comes from a man. The baby grows inside a uterus, which is always in a woman. However, it is important that parents stress that although all children are conceived and born in the same way, they may belong in different kinds of families-some children come from a family with a mom and dad, some from two moms, some from two dads, some from one mom and some from one dad, as well as other families where children are raised by other family members or guardians. In this way, single parents can let their children know that both men and women were involved in their conception, but that they have only one parent.
Of course, as children grow into teenagers and young adults, their questions about the donor and the nature of their relationship with the donor will become more complex. They may wonder if the donor is part of their family and what it means to be a donor conceived person. Additionally, your child's experience of family may extend beyond you and the donor. Your child may be interested in locating donor siblings and creating a larger extended family. Furthermore, if a surrogate was involved, your child also may have questions about how she is connected to your family.
Building a family as a single parent begins with self-exploration and self-examination. There are many questions to ask and answer to determine if single parenthood is right for you. By exploring your feelings, beliefs and values you will be confident about your decisions. Once you decide to begin this journey, establishing connections with donors and surrogates provide an excellent opportunity for having children and building family.
Madeline Licker Feingold, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice in California. Dr. Feingold is past chair of the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and currently serves as a member of the Mental Health Advisory Council for Path2Parenthood. She is Director of Psychological Services at the Alta Bates In Vitro Fertilization Program and President of the Alameda County Psychological Association.


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Do men with diabetes have special problems when it comes to sex? If so, are there special solutions as well? Bernie Zilbergeld, PhD, renowned sex psychologist and author of "Male Sexuality," shares with us his extensive knowledge on the subject of male sexuality.
DH: What are some common misconceptions men have about sex?
Dr. Zilbergeld: One of the most popular misconceptions of sex derives from a fantastic and unrealistic model in which men must perform incredible sexual acts in order to please their partners. In other words, men believe that sex is a "job" that they must perform well. To perform well, many men feel they must have the right equipment, including a large penis and long staying power. Not only do men put enormous pressure on themselves, but they also put pressure on their partners to reach orgasm. As a result, studies have shown that women fake orgasm in epidemic proportions. Women often do not want to make their partners feel bad, and hence contribute to a man's feeling that they are succeeding in the sexual act.
Another misconception is that the man must orchestrate the whole sexual event, and that he is responsible for the outcome. Moreover, most men feel that intercourse is the main sexual act. Intercourse is nice, but unfortunately it is the one act that requires an erection. And it is commonly understood that the more pressure you put on the penis, the less likely it will stay erected.
In sum, our view of sex is skewed. One line I saw in a book said that a man gave his partner such a good time that she felt her "bones melting." This sort of writing puts a lot of pressure on the male to perform. What eventually happens is that everyone feels bad because no one has lived up to expectations.
DH: Many people believe that diabetes leads to impotence. Is this correct?
Dr. Zilbergeld: There is some evidence that diabetes can lead to impotence. However, impotence may be physically attributed to diabetes, or it might be psychologically attributed to diabetes. Or the impotence may have nothing to do with the diabetes. The important thing is to acknowledge that something is wrong and that help is needed. The hard part for most men is talking to someone about their problem.
DH: Why is it so hard for men to talk honestly about sex?
Dr. Zilbergeld: Mainly because so much is riding on it. For example, it can be devastating to a man's ego if news of his erection problems becomes public. A man will avoid embarrassment by not sharing this information, or denying it.
DH: What solutions are there to help diabetic men who are having sexual problems?
Dr. Zilbergeld: It is nice to know that virtually any man with an erection problem can be helped. On the medical side, there are two types of prostheses. First, is the placement of two silicon rods which keeps the penis in a permanent state of semi-erection. Second, is an artificial injection into the penis which can produce an erection for anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes. Ejaculation will not reduce the erection. On a side note, there is the vacuum pump. This plastic device is placed over the penis, and a pump withdraws all the air from the suction. Many people who use the pump are very satisfied with the results. The other option is to see a sex therapist. Behavioral therapy is usually short-term, and often successful. The therapist's job is to determine what the problem is, and what can be done about it. One technique that I suggest is to allow the patient's mind to fantasize about sex on a regular basis. These fantasies can be used to promote sexual arousal and increase interest when performing sex.
DH: What else do you do to help males with their sexual problems?
Dr. Zilbergeld: It depends. Some men need to relax more. Others need to figure out what excites them. While still others have to overcome fears of rejection. In addition, there are a number of touching and masturbating exercises. The most important thing for all men is to determine what is impeding their arousal and erection.
(Dr. Zilbergeld was interviewed on "Diabetes on the Dial," a weekly radio show broadcast live in the San Francisco Bay Area.)


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Customer Home Page
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Getting ready to move? Relocating is a strenuous, stressful process, and trying to choose from a long list of
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What sets us apart from other moving companies is our dedication to making the overall process as easy as possible for you. We know how overwhelming relocating can be, and strive to do as much as we can to take the pressure off and bring you peace of mind. This includes services such as carefully packing any fragile items, crating large appliances and even shipping your vehicles for transoceanic moves. Were proud to stand out from other moving companies by doing our best to ensure you never have to lift a finger from start to finish.
A moving company that understands your needs
United Van Lines understands that theres more to relocating than packing and unpacking, and our goal as a
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Your number one choice in Canada for movers that care
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Colin69 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 22 diseños de 7 diseñadores freelance.
Pixels is an Irish company specializing in the sale of digital cameras and accessories. We have an online presence as well as a high street location.
Everybody who wants to buy a camera.
I want a front page that is easy to navigate without too much duplication of buttons. I want one main panel that I can use to focus on current promotions with 3-9 smaller panels . We recently got a new logo with new colours that I want included in the design. I can send it to you if you are interested.
If possible I want to show we have an on street presence and that we offer free delivery throughout Ireland.
Our unique quality is that we sell on line but our customers have the reassurance of knowing that they have a store that they can call into for back up.
our current site is built on Zencart and is located at http://www.pixels.ie


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Whiplash is an injury to your neck. It is caused by your neck bending forcibly forward and then backward, or vice versa. The injury, which is poorly understood, usually involves the muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in your neck.
Most whiplash injuries result from a collision that includes sudden acceleration or deceleration. Many whiplash injuries occur when you are involved in a rear-end automobile collision. They also happen as a result of a sports injury, particularly during contact sports.
These are the most common symptoms of whiplash:
The symptoms of whiplash may look like other conditions and medical problems. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
Along with a complete medical history and physical exam, tests for whiplash may include the following. Many whiplash injuries include damage to soft tissue that can't be seen on X-rays:
Your healthcare provider will determine specific treatment for whiplash, based on:
Treatment may include:
While most people who have a whiplash injury recover within a few weeks to a few months, some have persistent pain for several months or longer.
If your symptoms have not improved within the time frame your healthcare provider suggested, let him or her know. Also, if your symptoms get worse or you get new symptoms, tell your provider.
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:
2401 W. Belvedere Ave. Baltimore, MD 21215


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(CNN) -- Williams' form in recent years has not been befitting of a team boasting one of Formula One's richest legacies.
The British marque have collected nine constructors' titles in an illustrious 34-year history, a total only bettered by the legendary Ferrari.
Ferrari and McLaren are the only teams to have won more drivers' titles than the British-based outfit's seven crowns, but founder and boss Frank Williams last lifted a championship trophy in 1997 with a clean sweep of the sport's major honors.
Without a race win since Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya claimed the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, Williams will want to improve on a 2011 campaign which recorded just five points and a ninth-place finish in the constructors' standings.
Pastor Maldonado
The Venezuelan became only the fourth driver from his country to compete in the elite division of motorsport, and the first in 27 years, when he made his debut at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.
But Maldonado's breakthrough season was tough and ended with just one world championship point and six retirements in 19 races.
The 26-year-old's solitary point came thanks to a 10th placing at August's Belgian Grand Prix. It was a rare highlight in a season which saw Maldonado struggle with the unreliable FW33 car.
With the state-owned Venezuelan energy company PDSVA backing Williams, Maldonado will hope to prove he has been retained based on his talents rather than his sponsors.
Bruno Senna
When the Brazilian gets behind the wheel of an F1 car, he brings with him the ghost of one of the sport's greatest champions.
Bruno's uncle Ayrton Senna was a three-time world champion and a hero in Brazil before he died following a crash in San Marino in 1994.
Ayrton was driving for Williams at the time of his fatal accident, in just his third race after leaving McLaren -- making the team's decision to replace another Brazilian, the veteran Rubens Barrichello, with Bruno all the more meaningful.
After a stop-start career to date, which has included stints with F1 newcomers Lotus and HRT, the 28-year-old Bruno will be hoping 2012 is the year he finally steps out of his uncle's shadow.
Australia: Maldonado 13th, Senna 16th
Malaysia: Senna 6th, Maldonado 19th
China: Senna 7th, Maldonado 8th
Bahrain: Senna: 22nd, Maldonado DNF
Spain: Maldonado 1st, Senna DNF
Monaco: Senna 10th, Maldonado DNF
Canada: Maldonado 13th, Senna 17th
Europe: Senna 10th, Maldonado 12th
Britain: Senna 9th, Maldonado 16th
Germany: Maldonado 15th, Senna 17th
Hungary: Senna 7th, Maldonado 13th
Belgium: Senna 12th, Maldonado DNF
Italy: Senna 10th, Maldonado 11th
Singapore: Senna 18th, Maldonado DNF
Japan: Maldonado 8th, Senna 14th
Korea: Maldonado 14th, Senna 15th
India: Senna 10th, Maldonado 16th
Abu Dhabi: Maldonado 5th, Senna 8th
Brazil: Maldonado DNF, Senna DNF


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Collaboration in the Cloud: Here to Stay
This certainly has been a monumental year for Cisco's Hosted Collaboration Solutions (HCS), as many service providers such as Verizon and Orange Business Services, embraced the cloud and the potential services that can come with it. In the case of their business customers, these service providers now offer them a slew of unified communications tools (such as video conferencing and mobility solutions ) through the cloud to allow their employees to communicate and collaborate wherever they are and on whatever device.
Even our partners are seeing the value that collaboration via the cloud can offer its customers; as one of our channel partners, Neutral Tandem, announced yesterday. As an expert in operating and managing IP networks, Neutral Tandem introduced the first cloud-based collaboration service in the United States specifically developed to be resold by Cisco's Value-Added Reseller (VAR) community and System Integrators (SIs). The service, based on Cisco's HCS, will enable VARs/SIs to deliver a full suite of unified communications and collaboration applications.
I guess you can say that cloud collaboration is in full swing as it continues to gain traction steadily in the market.
Speaking of the cloud, during Gartner's recent ITxpo they shared their annual top 10 strategic technologies predictions for 2012 where it was noted that while enterprises are still in the early stages of building their cloud environment, they will open the door to selecting which types of cloud services to deploy. Through the cloud, services can be accessed quickly and from anywhere removing the barriers that limited employee productivity to set time limits or location. This further validates why organizations should invest in tools that facilitate employee engagement and productivity to keep businesses moving at the speed they need to in order to compete in today's ever-changing and fast paced market.
As we move a year deeper into the cloud, collaboration services will become more of a steady fixture in today's business environment. On our end, we've seen our service provider customers and partners embrace it; it's our prediction that enterprises will do the same.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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E-mail Dos and Donts
E-mail Dos and Donts
My job involves pretty much living in e-mail. And, based on the amount of e-mail I get and then need to deal with, so does everyone elses. (I currently have more than 13,000 e-mails in my in-box. And I need every one. Really.) The trick is to see and be
E-mail Dos and Donts - 1.
Do keep it simple. Most people dont have time to read more than 1/2 a screen of text, if that. In most cases, if you need to write more, you need to pick up the phone.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 2.
Dont expect that readers will be able to interpret tone. Maybe you were just kidding, but you cant be sure how your sparkling wit will translate in black and white.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 3.
Dont clog up peoples e-mail in-boxes any more than you need to. This means sending multiple messages when one will do, including unnecessary attachments and using a graphical signature.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 4.
Dont ask people a laundry list of questions in an e-mail and expect that they will be answered. Try to make it as easy as possible for people to respond.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 5.
Dont reply to all unless its absolutely necessary. Its nice to congratulate someone, but you dont need the entire company to see that youve done so.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 6.
Do use your subject line wisely, Part 1: When searching through tons of e-mail, its helpful if a subject line summarizes—or at least is relevant to—the body of the message.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 7.
Do use your subject line wisely, Part 2: When totally switching gears, start a new thread with a new, relevant subject line.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 8.
Do think carefully about whos in the To list and whos in the cc list. Ive seen people take issue with being ccd instead of being included in the main list, upset at not being included in the first place but th
E-mail Dos and Donts - 9.
Dont send messages to your corporate colleagues from your personal e-mail address and expect to keep in touch effectively. Of course, sometimes mail has to be sent from an alternate e-mail account, but doing so consistently will mess people up as it will
E-mail Dos and Donts - 10.
Dont respond to an e-mail when tensions are high. Youll regret it. Believe me.
E-mail Dos and Donts - 11.
Dont send an e-mail you wouldnt want forwarded. Because someone will. Believe me.
E-mail Dos and Donts - E-mail the Author
What are your Dos and Donts? Write me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
E-mail Dos and Donts - See More Slideshows Like This One
10 More Stupid Things Smart IT People Still Do The Five Stages of


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Tagged: Jim Tracy
Number Four
Dear Emily,
Where have you been?
That's a good question. As you can see, I haven't blogged in quite some time.
Let me tell you, I've developed quite a larger respect for those of you who can work a full time job and write a halfway decent blog as well. I work a part time job and can't find the time to do much of anything.
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you'd know that I spent the end of August in Boston and New York. Well, I took about 700 pictures at the Red Sox game and another 700 at the Yankees game. I, by some miracle, managed to edit the Red Sox pictures down to 214; however, I have yet to start on the Yankees pictures. So you must still await the time when those will be posted. But, here's a quick preview with a couple pictures:
Okay, so my Yankees pictures didn't turn out great, I certainly don't claim to be a photographer.
After checking the latest leaders board, I was surprised to see that I had moved up to the lovely number four. It's a HUGE honor to be among that number, I have the utmost admiration for the blogs above me and often lust after having the capacities to write as well as they do, I lust after being able to write as well as many of you out there. So, I figured that since all of you have helped me to attain number four, it was about time for me to stop being so lazy and actually write something up.
So, I thought about it… and thought about it… and thought about it. It wasn't just work keeping me busy, it was writers block. "These people put me at number four, they've been reading my stuff, how can I possibly live up to their expectations?" I admired my last blog, it was written with heart, I could post up anything, and it just would lack heart, passion, and thoughtfulness. So I pondered over this more, "Think Emily, think."
Finally, it struck. How could I have not thought of this before?
My blog is about baseball, mostly about the Rockies. The answer had been sitting in front of me the entire time. The Rockies were in a slump before this event occurred, I'm in a slump. The Rockies managed to get out of it, remember how?
It was none other than the new skipper, Jim Tracy.
By a stroke of genius, the very man who helped get the Rockies out of their slump could help me get out of my slump, and it works out, he sits in the dugout with the number four sewn to his jersey.
Yes, a stroke of brilliance that I actually owe to our skipper.
I remember looking at Twitter when I read the news that Clint Hurdle was to be released by the Rockies. I can't say I was surprised; rumors were swirling about the fate of his career. I haven't ben a baseball fan long, so when Jim Tracy stepped up to the plate to take Hurdle's spot, i had no clue who he was.
With that in mind, I won't give you the history of Jim Tracy, his career, or where he's been with his life. Instead, I'll tell you how I feel about him. I've had about three and a half months to get to know our dear new manager, and I immediately was in awe of him.
Despite the fact that he was at Coors Field and I was sitting at home, I could tell the demeanor in the dugout was different. Do you know what I mean? It's like when you get bad vibes from someone, you don't have to talk to them to be getting bad vibes from them, you just know. That's how it was with Jim… only, not bad vibes, just a different feeling with the players in the dugout.
The best thing about Skip is the exuberance he shows for his team. When I look to a baseball team, I see brothers; they're more than teammates, more than friends, they're family. I love to see the joy in Jim's face when the Rockies win it in a walk off. He doesn't hesitate to show the love for his team, he's genuine.
During the post game show, you'll see him talking to the press and he never fails to give credit to the other team when credit is due. "They outplayed us," "we were outplayed," "we didn't play good baseball." Tracy shows a large admiration for this amazing game, and I have grown to have the utmost respect for him.
He's a powerful feature in the clubhouse. When he came in on May 29, I had no idea what to expect. A change in the middle of the season can either make or break it, and fortunately for the Rockies, he made it. It was a whole new ball club, a winning ball club.
I can't help but admire our skipper. He's calm, collected, and that's what's important in the clubhouse. If you stress out down there, you're going to be putting stress on your whole team. I've seen Jim thrown out once, and anyone could see that the Ump was wrong, even the other team had to know the Ump was wrong. He's a legit guy, and I am absolutely a fan of this man and the demeanor that he brings to this team. It's obvious he's turned them around to be a winning team, one that is a threat and contender for the post season.
One last thing to note: I have quite the favorite relieving pitcher, and the numbers on his jersey happen to add up to four. So, I have to give a shout out to him as well. Since Tom Runnells is a bench coach and the Rockies don't have a 13, it must be 31… MATT DALEY!!
Yes, if you follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, you'll know that I have a special place in my heart for this pitcher. As I flew into LaGuardia Airport, I looked down and actually SAW Citi Field!! Then I thought of Matt Daley, I know, nerd. When in New York, I attempted to get into Citi Field, but apparently I do not know the lingo of scalpers (you'll hear more about that later). Anyway, on April 25 against the Dodgers, I watched as this 27-year-old pitcher that I had never heard of pitch… like a weirdo.
"Um… who is this guy?"
Have you seen the way Daley pitches?! It's completely unconventional and completely phenomenal.
I have so much respect for Matt Daley when I see him take the mound, I mean, the guy wears a pink Dora the Explorer backpack… and pulls it off! We also know that I'm a sucker for high socks and Matt is always rocking the high socks. Because of my love for Matt Daley, I know I have turned some of you into Matt Daley lovers as well.
It is times like these where we need to unite as fans of Matt Daley, and what better place to do so than on Facebook? An entire fan page devoted to the amazingness of Dora the Explorer backpacks, high socks, and unconventional pitching; a page devoted to the amazingness that is Matt Daley. I feel like after that sentence there should have been one of those like… sound effects and sparkles so it was like, "SHING!! Sparkle, sparkle." I guess that's how I'd spell out that sound effect.
So, I would encourage you to join this group, because Matt Daley, well, he's fantastic.


text:
On Friday night, 20/20 ran an interview with Peter Braunstein, the former Women's Wear Daily writer who, in the fall of 2005 assaulted and tied up a former female colleague, threatened to kill Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and is now serving 18-years-to-life in prison, accessorized in unflattering orange jumpsuit and close-cropped haircut. But a meds-addled Braunstein hasn't really changed during his time in prison; in fact, he is still railing against the major players in fashion industry (they think Manhattan is like Versailles! Which might be true!) and their eating habits, which make it really difficult for him to stay, you know, nourished when he decides to, you know, hold them hostage.
Pervy Pete Goes Postal [NYPost]


text:
Born and raised in Brush, Groves had put in four years with the Cargill Meat plant before being inspired by Body Shoppe owner Kendra Felzein, who ignited Groves' passion after mentioning an overwhelming customer desire for facials.
Groves picked up that passion and took it to the next level during her time studying at the Aveda Institute in Denver.
"It was a great school," she said. "They were very wellness-oriented in teaching us the full effect of spa treatments and how relaxing they can be."
Afterwards, Groves completed her state practical and state exam to get officially licensed as an esthetician.
As an esthetician, Groves offers a multitude of services for patrons of the Body Shoppe, including facials, enzyme peels, full-body waxing, eyelash extensions, body scrubs, lash and eyebrow tinting.
Facials are customized for an individual experience and include a firm skin facial for anti-aging, clear skin facial for acne prone skin, calm skin facial for sensitive and rosacea-prone complexions, a bright skin facial for hyper-pigmentation and even a back facial for acne-prone backs.
Groves also uses and carries the Eminence products, an organic line of handmade products from Hungary.
"I absolutely love it here," said Groves. "I love working with Kendra as she's been so wonderful and everyone has been so nice in giving me this chance after school," she finished.
Groves is available to clientele by appointment and hosts walk-in waxings on Fridays.
For more information or for an appointment, call Groves at (970) 768-7688 or call the Body Shoppe at (970) 842-2600. The Body Shoppe is at 1224 Edison St., Suite B, in Brush.


text:
The Missing Alarm Clock
By: Rick Boxx
May 21, 2012
Cindy shared with a group that God had taken away her alarm clock. She explained that she had a tendency to struggle with control issues. As a CEO responsible for hundreds of employees, Cindy usually was in charge.
Three years ago Cindy believed God challenged her to trust Him and to begin by giving up her alarm clock. God wanted her to trust Him instead. The morning I met Cindy, she had to be up by 3:15 to arrive on time. She was nervous that God would let her down, but at 3:14 God used her dog to awaken her!
Proverbs 3:5 teaches, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
Do you trust God at work with the small and big things?
Chip Ingram's Miracle of Life Change
So you've been 'born-again'…now what? You were made for intimacy, beauty, impact, and adventure, but you still struggle to break old habits and keep your temper in check. In this series, Chip explores how life-change really happens, even in the midst of frustrating, painful, or mundane circumstances. Purchase Miracle of Life Change here.
"How well are you modeling Faith, Integrity, Relationships, and Excellence in your work? Find out by taking Integrity Resource Center's free FIRE Assessment!"
Contact Rick Boxx at www.integritymoments.org, and to learn more about Integrity Resource Center go to integrityresource.org.


text:
Empowered champions rally under the slogan "vamos pa´lante" ("we're on our way") and start to establish actions in their shared watersheds
Costa Rica (2012). The champions network of project BRIDGE (Building River Dialogue and Governance) consists of fifteen people committed to good water management and governance of four shared watersheds in Mesoamerica: Chiquibul-Mopán, in Belize and Guatemala; Coatán, Guatemala and Mexico; Goascorán, Honduras and El Salvador; Sixaola, Panama and Costa Rica; and Río Coco, in Nicaragua and Honduras.
The two meetings held to date, virtual exchanges between the participants, but most of all, their commitment and willingness have been the ingredients enabling these individuals to become empowered and propose specific actions for good governance of their shared watersheds.
Champions of the Sixaola River Basin met in November to analyze the results of the last meeting and plan next steps in their watershed. They assessed the real situation of the basin and defined strategies for positioning the theme of work in shared watersheds with local authorities and institutions in both countries. Key points for their work as champions:
- Be trained as champions in the theme of watersheds and find out what is most relevant to the Sixaola river basin
- Carry out environmental work in schools within the basin area
- Draft a proposal on reducing use of plastic bags in plantations and improving their final disposal in both countries
- Form and support environmental youth groups
- Request participation in sessions of the Binational Commission of the Sixaola River Basin
- Aim for the presence of the Changuinola (Panama) and Talamanca (Costa Rica) mayors in upcoming meetings
Champions of the Coatán River Basin want to take advantage of the platforms of microwatershed committees in both Guatemala and Mexico to initiate formation of a binational watershed committee, while champions in El Salvador and Honduras continue strengthening the Binational Manager Group of the Goascorán River Basin.
In Belize and Guatemala, champions of Chiquibul and Mopan shared experiences in binational meetings between community leaders to discuss and plan joint actions for the watershed's protection, and the new champion of Río Coco, between Nicaragua and Honduras, shared associated municipality experiences.
Project BRIDGE is executed by the IUCN through its Global Water Programme, Environmental Law Centre and the Regional Offices for Mesoamerica, South America, and Southeast Asia, with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
For more information write to [email protected]


text:
Fail Tattoo Of The Week: Guy Gets A Tat Of Charles Barkley Kissing A Ref! (Shaq Says He'll Pay $1K To Whoever Does It)
"Shaq O'Neal publicaly offered $1,000 on NBA Inside Stuff to anyone willing to get a tattoo of Charles Barkley kissing a ref so I downloaded the pic and jumped on the offer!" - Izzy
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Sorry, Wrong Airport…. Again!
January 14th, 2013
I'M OBLIGED TO SAY SOMETHING, anything, about the incident on January 12th in which a Southwest Airlines 737 landed at the wrong airport.
The plane was destined for Branson, Missouri, and instead ended up at a small general aviation field nearby, touching down on a runway less than four thousand feet long.
Twice in two months this has happened. Back in November, a 747 freighter operated by Atlas Air found itself at the wrong airport in Kansas. Much of what I said then applies this time as well, so allow me to repeat myself, beginning with the disclaimer that these things are often more complicated than they seem on the surface, and we probably shouldn't speculate too broadly until more is known.
The question I keep getting is "How could such a thing happen" — with a incredulous tweaking of the word "how." I can't be sure if this is asked rhetorically, or if people expect a neat and concise answer (aside from the obvious, which is that the crew made a terrible mistake).
Because, unfortunately, there isn't a neat and concise answer.
In addition to whatever human mistakes are to blame, weather and air traffic control, among other factors, can lend a hand in getting from point A to point B — or, in this case, point C. Take, for example, the case 19 years ago of a Northwest Airlines DC-10 that touched down in Brussels instead of Frankfurt. It turned out that air traffic controllers had been given the wrong information, and began issuing a long and complicated series of vectors and course changes to the crew, sending it toward Brussels instead of Frankfurt. Airspace in Europe is complex and often very congested, and roundabout routings aren't uncommon. Thus it wasn't necessarily obvious to the crew that they were being led astray. Due to fuel constraints, by the time they realized what was happening, they opted to continue on to Brussels rather than request a re-clearance to Frankfurt. In other words, at a certain point it was * safer * to land at the wrong airport than the right one.
What happened in Missouri and Kansas may have been a lot different, and it's very possible that a failure of basic flying skills was the primary culprit. But the moral is that there's typically more to these situations than the media coverage implies.
The Southwest pilots were flying a so-called visual approach into Branson. Most of the time, jetliners land using what we call an ILS (instrument landing system) in which ATC guides us onto a pair of crosshair signals — one vertical, the other horizontal — that we track to the runway, either manually or by coupling the ILS to the plane's autoflight system. There are also what we call "non-precision" instrument patterns, which guide aircraft toward the general vicinity of the runway, if not to the very threshold as with an ILS. Visual approaches are used when ceiling and visibility are above certain parameters — in other words, when the weather is good. Here, as the name of the procedure implies, the crew identifies the airport by sight, and continues toward the runway through whichever course and pattern is most practical. Sometimes a visual approach is backed up with an ILS, but not always, and in some cases there's substantial low-altitude maneuvering. In other words it's a very hands-on procedure.
That doesn't make what happened in Missouri acceptable, or the kind of thing we should expect. Airline pilots perform thousands of successful visual approaches every day in this country without incident. But neither are such errors unprecedented, and certain combinations of circumstances make them more likely: a nighttime visual approach with low-altitude maneuvering, for instance, together a crew's unfamiliarity with the destination airport, and perhaps a similarly laid-out airport nearby. Add to this a failure to use secondary navigational aids or otherwise verify the runway they're looking at is the runway they think they're looking at, and suddenly it's not so unthinkable.
And for better or worse, incidents like these remind us that commercial flying remains a very hands-on experience. Despite everything you hear about autopilot and the alleged sophistication of modern jetliners, it's the fight crew — the pilots — who are very much flying the airplane. While I wish there were a better illustration of it, sometimes it takes an embarrassing mistake to make this point clear.
Photo composite by the author


text:
Danvers High School remembers slain teacher
Danvers High School remembers slain teacher
Members of the school soccer team gathered at a makeshift memorial for Colleen Ritzer outside Danvers High School.
A woman retrieved a sign that blew off the memorial for teacher Colleen Ritzer.
The sign board at Danvers High School displayed a quote from Colleen Ritzer.
Katherine Kowalski (left) looked on as classmate Nicole White was comforted by a friend following a grief counseling session.
Senior Cameron Trout comforted junior Kelsey Brooks at Danvers High School.
Wendy Davison visited the makeshift memorial for Colleen Ritzer.
The makeshift memorial for slain math teacher Colleen Ritzer was set up outside the high school.
Parents and students attended a grief counseling session at Danvers High School.
A candlelight vigil was held Wednesday night at Danvers High School for former math teacher Colleen Ritzer.
Flowers, candles, and notes were placed on the ground.
Brittany Hagman, 19, lit a candle for Ritzer.
A moment of silence was held for Ritzer before Game One of the World Series at Fenway Park.


text:
For Immediate Release August 16th, 2005
Coalition Petitions for Leash Law Enforcement at GGNRA
Leash Laws Effectively Protect People, Pets, Wildlife, and the Park
Contact:Brent Plater (415) 436-9682 x 301mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com
San Francisco, CAA coalition of 10 animal welfare, wildlife conservation, child welfare, and park volunteer organizations filed a formal emergency petition today asking the National Park Service to implement and enforce leash laws at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) within 60 days. Federal Regulations require dogs to be leashed or otherwise physically restrained in the National Park System. The GGNRA is the only unit of the National Park System known not to enforce leash laws throughout the park.
Leash laws provide important safeguards for people, our pets, wildlife, and our parks, and the National Park Systems leash law has effectively protected every other unit of the National Park Systemwhile providing access for dogs with responsible ownersfor decades.
Leash laws are also widely supported by Bay Area residents. In a recent poll of Bay Area residents sponsored by the GGNRA, over 71 percent of respondents said they support the leash laws that protect the GGNRA. This is in part recognition of the GGNRAs irreplaceable biological treasures: the park contains more imperiled species than Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks combined.
Unfortunately, GGNRA administrators failed to enforce leash laws in vast portions of the park for many years. As a result, hundreds of dogs have been lost, injured, or killed at the GGNRA; dozens of imperiled species have been harassed or harmed; people have been charged, bitten, and excluded from the park; and the GGNRAs purposes and goals are now threatened.
The petition documents nearly 100 of these incidents, culled from the past five years of GGNRA records alone. Because of poor-record keeping by the GGNRA, the National Park Service believes that many more incidents have gone unreported. Yet even with limited data, Park Service biologists have concluded that off-leash dogs pose the most significant recreational threat to imperiled birds such as the snowy plover.
The groups have filed the petition in response to a recent court decision that has undermined the Park Services ability to enforce the leash law at several areas within the GGNRA. The GGNRA recently announced that it may form a negotiated rulemaking committee to implement leash laws. However, if this committee is formed, it will not be able to issue a recommendation until 2007, and rules may not be in place until 2008. In the meantime, people, pets, sensitive wildlife within the park, and the park itself would go unprotected. The petitioners are asking the Park Service to initiate emergency rulemaking procedures to restore leash law enforcement at the GGNRA on an interim basis.
The formal administrative petition was filed by Guide Dogs for the
Blind, Action for Animals, Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth,
Environmental Quality for Urban Parks, Center for Biological Diversity,
Golden Gate Audubon Society, San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club,
Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, Dune
Ecological Restoration Team, and San Francisco League of Conservation
Jan Blum, Dune Ecological Restoration Team:
David Robinson, representative for Coleman Advocates for Children and
Brent Plater, Center for Biological Diversity, 415-572-6989:
Norman La Force, Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter Off-Leash Dog
Co-coordinator, 415-227-2300:
Steven Krefting, board member, San Francisco League of Conservation
Jake Sigg, Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native Plant
Elizabeth Murdock, Golden Gate Audubon Society, 510-843-9912 or
Arnold Levine, Environmental Quality for Urban Parks,
Contact:Tamara Barak, Communications
Specialist, 415 499-4000, firstname.lastname@example.com
Loose dogs represent a clear threat to the safety, and hence the access rights, of people with disabilities. A 2003 survey of blind people who use guide dogs was conducted by Guide Dog Users, Inc., and revealed that 42% of respondents had experienced at least one dog attack and 89% experienced interference by loose dogs. Findings also showed that the vast majority (nearly 85%) of interference/attacks occurred on a public right-of-way, highlighting the need to enforce leash laws to ensure the rights of the disabled to use and enjoy public thoroughfares, including those within the National Park System.
Guide Dogs for the Blind is a national organization, dedicated to providing people who are blind with the opportunity to experience what a powerful partnership with a Guide Dog can mean - not only to mobility, but to quality of life.
For more information, contact Guide Dogs for the Blind, P.O. Box
151200, San Rafael, CA 94915; phone: 415 499-4000; http://www.guidedogs.com/.


text: On Mar 20, 2006, at 12:01 PM, beowulf-request at beowulf.org wrote: > My greatest question, though, revolves around power distribution. > It seems kinda weak to simply use one PSU per motherboard, > especially if I take the time to devise a cabinet in which to > operate the goodies. Is it possible to run maybe two or three > motherboards off a single power supply, given that the amount of > known power committed to run a mobo is light, compared to the total > workload of the average 350w PSU? It is not advised to try to "plumb up" several motherboards together for operation from a single power supply. There is no real power saving advantage by doing this and it will only make for an unwieldily mess. 1) You could easily "overload" an ISA power supply by trying to "parallel" the power leads, even if just to two motherboards ... 2) Power consumption is based on the actual load (the motherboard & drives), not power supply rating = a 350w PSU usually does not run at the maximum rating, but at the actual demand of the load (the motherboard & drives). Your best bet: keep each motherboard in its own case with its own power supply. If you have a defective or non-operating power supply / motherboard / case, strip the RAM out and add it to other systems and keep the other good parts for spares. (You might also consider using the funds for you "special" cabinet to acquire more RAM.) > This is a power-saving concept... if I could run 16 mobo's on 8 (or > even 6) power supplies, it might be more beneficial to my health > and well-being when the electric bill comes in. ... this is NOT! a power saving concept. The total power "consumed" will be done by the total number of system motherboards, plus RAM, plus drives, plus monitor(s) plus added accessories. In fact by "stressing" 8 power supplies to run 16 motherboards (and generating the extra heat), your total electric bill will actually go up, not down. Ed Karns FireWireStuff.com (I have personally built more than 1000 ISA systems, plus quite a few of my own design.) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/attachments/20060321/7d04e6be/attachment.html>


text:
| Hold on to every precious moment. Dad is special, he is part of why your here. Love each day you have together and make beautiful memories to last a life time. I did.
Happy Father's Day RIP Dad, gone but never forgotten, in my heart always....
Dad went fast, a stroke took him and within two weeks of it's onset, with some minor suffering he went peacefully. RIP Dad, hoping you are having a beer, playing some pinochle card games up there with mom and many friends. Just hoping you know how missed you are today and always.
Here are a few of Dad's favorites he would have loved today:
Fried Calamari
Sunday with Peaches and Chianti
White Pizza
Italian Style Broccoli
Italian Gnocchi
Dad's Chicken Marsala
Grilled Beer Chicken
Mom's Veal Cutlets
Feast Upstate NY Style Sausage and Peppers Sandwich
Roasted Potatoes with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Baked Haddock Wine and Tomatoes
Mom's Stuffed Peppers
Dad's Favorite Jelly and Coconut Cake
Raspberry Pie
Fried Dough
Hope you all find something you like in this roundup menu...
Happy Father's Day to all the Father's out there!


text:
The Jerusalem Post qutoes Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni at Annapolis:
"Why doesn't anyone want to shake my hand?" she asked in a dramatic address to the assembled representatives. "Why doesn't anyone want to be seen speaking to me?"
Embarrassing. Even more embarrassing, however, was Secretary Rice:
She told delegates that when a local church was bombed by white separatists, four girls were killed, including one of her classmates.
"Like the Israelis, I know what it is like to go to sleep at night, not knowing if you will be bombed, of being afraid to be in your own neighborhood, of being afraid to go to your church," she said.
She added, however, that as a black child in the South, forbidden to use certain water fountains and shunned from certain restaurants, she was also in a good position to understand the feelings of the Palestinians.
"I know what it is like to hear to that you cannot go on a road or through a checkpoint because you are Palestinian," she said. "I understand the feeling of humiliation and powerlessness."
I commented on Rice's earlier pursuit of this theme in "She thought she knew she was right." In "Birmingham's new legacy," I wrote about Rice's childhood friendship with Denise McNair, one of the children killed by the Klan in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing. If Rice thought through her comparison of the Palestinians with the blacks of the American south, she would find herself sympathizing with the friends of Denise McNair's murderers. Yet she has apparently not thought her comparison through or doesn't take it seriously.
UPDATE: On a related note, Rick Richman follows up on my comments yesterday concerning empty presidential rhetoric.


text:
Tilt-Down Portable Bulk Conveyor Fits Tight Spaces, Cleans Easily
Flexicon's Bulk Conveyor with Tilt-Down Portable Base features a reduced footprint that enables the caster-mounted frame to maneuver through narrow aisles and around corners. The unit fits through standard doorways and orients the conveyor tube horizontally, allowing the flexible screw to be removed easily for thorough cleaning and inspection.
Each unit is custom configured according to the discharge height, tilt-down height, discharge overhang and overall size parameters of individual applications.
A broad range of specialized screws is available to handle free- and non-free-flowing bulk materials, including products that pack, cake, smear, seize, plug or fluidize.
The mobile conveyor frame is constructed of carbon steel with durable industrial coatings and in stainless steel finished to industrial or sanitary standards.


text:
Definition of mas
plural of ma 1
The word "mas" uses 3 letters: A M S.
No direct anagrams for mas found in this word list.
Words formed by adding one letter before or after mas (in bold), or to ams in any order:
a - amas b - bams c - cams macs scam d - dams mads e - maes mesa same seam g - gams mags h - hams mash sham i - aims amis sima j - jams k - mask l - alms lams slam n - mans o - moas soma p - amps maps pams samp spam r - arms mars rams s - mass t - mast mats tams u - amus w - maws swam y - mays yams
Shorter words found within mas:
am as ma
Words formed from any letters in mas, plus an optional blank or existing letter
List all words starting with mas, words containing mas or words ending with mas
All words formed from mas by changing one letter
Other words with the same letter pairs: ma as
Browse words starting with mas by next letter
Previous word in list: marzipans
Next word in list: mascara
Some random words: emulate ikat ear kludge kues via nu
This is not a dictionary, it's a word game wordfinder.
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text:
There are lies, damned lies, and the GOP.
d2's blog
Post Register self-censoring Dilbert. Because teh Gay.Submitted by d2 on Sat, 02/08/2014 - 1:24pm.
Hmm. One of these things is not like the other -- today's (2/8/2014) Post-Register's Dilbert:
But today's Dilbert.com was (Crime to be Gay)
The Post-Register has quietly self-censored, and a quick search reveals they reprinted the January 30, 1995 Dilbert: A Lighter Laptop
Yesterday's Dilbert.com (2/7/2014), (Nuke the Taj Mahal) also talks about anti-gay laws. Post-Register readers ironically got Hosed:
A search shows that was the Jan 28, 1995 comic: (I have an Idea)
In 2013, Scott Adams commented that the public opinion blowback sometimes causes him to self-censor. He'd concluded that what he felt was some of his best work just isn't worth days of responding to blowback.
Like Scott Adams, the Post-Register has decided to slink back into comfortable convenience rather than (snort!) publish a syndicated cartoon that mocks India, but coincidentally mocks Idaho's legislature, too. It's a strange row publisher Roger Plothow chooses to hoe: The Post-Register has printed hard-nosed pro-equality editorials from Corey Taule. And they're sticking to their editorial guns over the innocuous 'controversy' of changing which comics to publish: We've endured weeks of letters to the editor as readers protest dropping stale old cartoons for newer ones. Throughout, the Post-Register remains resolute about ditching BC, Kathy, Blondie and Shoe for new comic strips like Wumo, Soup to Nutz, etc. But the Post Register silently preemptorily caved without even mentioning their self-censorship when Dilbert mocks anti-gay laws. During a week when anti-gay laws are prominent Idaho News.
Last week, the Statesman's Dan Popkey was similarly inept: Popkey wrote a piece on Teabagger Vito Barbieri's Tourettes-like grandstanding. Barbieri has repeatedly been blurting out incorrect / inflated numbers of how much of 'our money' the Idaho Legislature was spending. Rather than mocking Barbieri's lack of decorum, Popkey quoted numerous people and wrote an article so inconclusively noncritical that it's likely inflated Barbieri's warped ego until now he'll probably NEVER SHUT UP.
Yet the day before, Popkey pulled slight of hand to dismiss the Idaho 44 protest for 'Add the 4 words'. Popkey wrote that Nichole LeFavour's remaining in protest until she was also arrested was 'Look At Me' grandstanding, and headlined his editorial by paraphrasing Bart Davis's view that LeFavour harmed the protest. Now, if LeFavour simply left without being arrested like the other 43 protesters, Popkey and conservatives could have pounced on her for being a fair-weather protester unwilling to face arrest. So, rather than examining Idaho's grotesque lie ("worsens their chance at a hearing"), Popkey found a way to redirect attention and demean the protesters. Frankly, I haven't been this disgusted by a political writer since DFO at the Spokesman babbled that his (ahem) softballing questions to Bill Sali was an essential quid pro quo to being granted an interview in the first place.
Newspapers silencing themselves is tragic, since if not the press, then who? Molly Ivins (or Finley Dunne) said it best: a newspaper's job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Tolerating a bigoted effort to undermine a basic tenet of civil society maliciously wrapping itself in a mantle of 'freedom' isn't acceptable, either. Society is intrinsically about constraint of **BEHAVIOR**, regardless of ideas. And in a free society, ideas or beliefs can be spoken freely, but we restrict **practices** deemed corrosive to civil society. Milquetoast editorials stating false equivalencies at a time like this aren't ok. When misguided people seek to undermine fundamental civil institutions, there can be no equivocating.
Hopefully, both papers will reconsider. I won't hold my breath. read more »
Lori Otter's grade? C-minus. Lacks thesis statement, needs proofreadSubmitted by d2 on Fri, 08/16/2013 - 3:19pm.
Wow, apparently Idaho First Lady Lori Otter didn't get taught the First Celebrity Rule of the Internet: DO NOT GO INTO THE COMMENTS!!!
Diana Ravitch posted an article nearly a month ago about the ongoing Republican war on teachers and education. When someone called Guv'ner Skinnyjeans' wife a dilettante, Miss Lori posted a punctuationally-and-grammatically-impaired rant, deploring teachers (shock!), educational blogs, and in trophy tradition, "mean people". She has run-on sentences, a ton of half-ellipses (I really can't complain, I abuse the shit out of three-dot ellipses), misspellings and leaves out the occasional word, all while lamely tooting her own horn as an English teacher. Beleaguered teachers and liberal grammar nazis will absolutely love this post. Be sure to check it out, but here's a taste:
...I am entitled to my opinion- don't insult me by inferring that I only do what my husband wants me too.. hello- what century are you living in?..I have the right to support things in my profession that I think are good for it. It has always surprised and disappointed me that teachers or educational forums such as this accomplish little except allowing adults to say mean and unfounded comments, things which do not have to be defended or factually supported… Which I might add is something we would not want our students to do. So.. That's all I have to say -I am a teacher, a very good one I might add, I am qualified to speak on education..just as much as all of you are and will continue to do so.. I am perfectly fine with disagreeing with points of view.. But really? Yes.. Nice matters. . Thanks.
"Yes.. Nice matters." I guess the question is whether it matters more than a systematic campaign of sabotaging the education of half a million of Idaho's kids or more before we re-embrace Idaho's progressive free-public-education origins.
Meanwhile, I suspect someone'll teach her that other little Celebrity Internet rule. It's likely happening today. Hell, even my ten-year-old surfs youtube enough to viscerally know that online comments are Where Intelligent Discussion Goes to Die.
H/T: Sisyphus
Retiring mindsSubmitted by d2 on Mon, 02/11/2013 - 9:46pm.
Intrigued that Benedict is retiring. Maybe the Mormons'll notice.
Modern medical advances increasingly make lifetime appointments fade into leaders struggling to serve after they're able, but at least the Supreme Court and Pope can be selected from younger candidates. The Mormon automatic selection of whoever has the most seniority of the Council of Twelve statistically games the system toward geriatric woes. read more »
McCall: quake or something manmade?Submitted by d2 on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 3:43pm.
From Weiser to McCall, folks are reporting an earthquake (4:30am MDT, Thursday May 17th). Problem is, there's nothing on regional seismographs big enough for someone to feel.
The best technical explanation (no sensors nearby, so maybe it really happened and had become unusually faint at those distances) -- well, I guess it's possible that Idaho would be so cheap that they'd discontinued seismographic data collection everywhere.
Next up is sonic booms or explosions that only woke up some people. Meh.
Best answer? Guv'ner Otter otter call Scott Stevens on his handy-dandy Big Red Conspiracy Phone. Just watch out for (ahem) barnyard residue, Boss.
Oh, and a quick 'Buh-BYE!' to George Hansen's lost spawn, crazy ol' man Hart. I'm gonna take his primary loss as a ray of hope: It should serve reminder that there are levels of miscreancy that, despite Republican poobahs' belief otherwise, everyday Idahoans won't condone. The party bosses pretend to not know this, but why else would they be so afraid of openness and public accountability for themselves.
Remembering Sunshine, 2 May 1972Submitted by d2 on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 10:17am.
May 2nd marks the 40th anniversary of the Sunshine Mine disaster. If memory serves, the Sunshine fire remains the worst hardrock disaster and one of the worst mining disasters in US mining since mine safety laws were put into place after 1779 men died in US mines in just 3 years (1907-1909). 91 people died in the Sunshine fire, including rescuers who succumbed to the smoke.
Some links: US Mine Rescue's account, and recent Sunshine Mine Interviews by NPR.
Merry Christmas, Blue IdahoSubmitted by d2 on Sun, 12/25/2011 - 10:41am.
And deep, heartfelt thanks to everyone for your writing here at 43sb. Words can't convey how much I appreciate your efforts and this site.
A musician and song came to mind this morning, which I've shared if you click the link below.
More than 20 years ago, a friend booked an amazing acoustic guitarist named Billy McLaughlin for a performance at ISU. Billy and his band showed up in a big van crammed full of sound gear, instruments, speakers and people; they'd driven 1000 miles nonstop out from Minneapolis. They played an amazing show to a good crowd here in southeast Idaho, then we hung out (possibly at the Hindenberg?) for a while. Then they turned around and headed back to MN. Turns out, despite the gig being booked many months in advance, their agent hadn't found *any* gigs between there and here in either direction. Even on 1988 prices, I doubt they covered the gas money to get here.
I saw Billy again when we had him play at Mac's in Pocatello, around 1998 or '99. He'd been on the road for months, alternating between partnering with another musician and solo gigs like ours, traveling this time in a wicked-beautiful retro 1960's motor coach -- That coach was gorgeous. It must have had an acre of chrome in the coolest art-deco lines, and was powered by Detroit's finest in drivetrains and engines. I think Billy said he'd paid $60k for it and if he ever stopped touring, it'd resell for the same amount. If you've gotta tour, that's the mode of travel I'd recommend.
Around that time, Billy's career was quietly taking a tragic turn. He started having difficulty playing his trademark frenetic two-handed fretwork. He'd suddenly have hand spasms, play wrong notes, and ruin his own performances. In interviews, Billy said it was terrifying because there wasn't initially a diagnosis and he was left wondering if he was subconsciously sabotaging his playing or quite literally going insane. These muscle spasms literally destroyed his career, and it took him years to track down the obscure neurological cause, Focal Dystonia.
Since then, unable to undo this localized rebellion against focussed repetitive muscular activity, Billy has found a narrow way through. Starting in 2006, he's worked to relearn guitar left-handed. He's again pretty amazing, and he's garnering attention as an inspirational speaker, an advocate for Focal Dystonia victims, and he also arranges and coordinates musical projects. Still, it's his Wintersongs that jump to my mind each Christmas morning.
(>Billy McLaughlin, Carol of the Bells)
Again, a cool yule to you all. read more »
Panics and 70-90% tax ratesSubmitted by d2 on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 12:19am.
From gooserock on Daily Kos:
The American economy has been bubbles, panics and depressions for our entire history except for the 50 years when we had 70-90% top marginal rates.
- The Panic of 1819
- Panic and Depression 1832
- Panic and Depression 1836
- Six Year Depression 1837-1843
- The Panic of 1857
- Panic and Depression 1869-1871
- The Panic of 1873
- The Panic of 1893
- The Panic of 1901
- Panic, Global Crash and Depression of 1929
And as soon as we cut the rates back under Reagan we got the S&L panic & crash, and now this.
Let's do the time warp again!Submitted by d2 on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 9:17pm.
Sorry about a day of our site looking like May 23rd all over again.
I've spoken with the ISP, and we suspect that it must somehow be Senator McGee's fault.
There are perfectly valid medical explanations for all this. I got a concussion. My cab dropped me off at the wrong house. An otter was chasing me. I'm rushing Alpha Chi Sigma's. Well, now that that's been fully explained, I think we'll all agree that it's better if we just put it behind us once and for all -- The central committee has called for a vote.
All in favor, say Aye.
(three 'Aye's heard from the McGee table).
All opposed by the same sign:
(a groundswell of 'Aye's)
Ah, good. The Aye's have it. Let's speak no more of this or any other tawdry bit of silliness involving Senator McGee's personal proclivities. read more »
The Iowegians have spoken (can we skip the primaries?)Submitted by d2 on Sat, 08/13/2011 - 11:57pm.
Congratulations to Michele Bachmann for winning the straw poll in Iowa, and especially for outdoing RommneyCorp and Huntsman combined by a ratio of 9 to 1.
And mad feminist props/congratulations to the N.O.W. for defending her last week-- it's cool they took a stand against the double standard exhibited by some lame newsweakly that called her the Queen of Rage as if anger or indignation is a political no-no.
Focussing on anger is reminiscent of 2008's nattering about Hillary's appearance as if it mattered politically when several porcine congresscritters offer such blisteringly ugly counterevidence (it's amazing those greasy old white dudes can retail-politic themselves enough to attract a spawning partner, let alone get elected).
But let's just put a little pin in the Faux Congratulations chat for a sec--
Candidate Bachmann's glaring flaw isn't about words like weak, raging, fashionable, pretty, angry, uppity or any other irrelevancy aimed by ugly old goats of the establishment toward tokenizing and trivializing the political career of minority candidates. It's NONE OF THOSE THINGS. Bachmann's problem is her political record and the positions she takes.
Batshit Insane kind of **matters** in presidential prospects, dunnit? Dunnit?!
Great chinese province of Ada doesn't do it for meSubmitted by d2 on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 8:06pm.
Anyone else heard about this craziness? It's from the tinfoil-hat sector, but both mention content from 1 or 2 days ago published in the Statesman.
This guy's my new hero (biking crackdown in NYC)Submitted by d2 on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 7:47pm.
Talk about being committed to his cause -- until I figure out how they CGI'd out his crash padding, this guy is SO my new hero:
Is national politics entirely tone deaf?Submitted by d2 on Fri, 11/05/2010 - 8:21am.
Pundits: Dems must move rightward. Obama: Compromise. Cantor (R): We're going to investigate EVVVERYTHING. Rove: If I exaggerate, I can get everyone nattering about Political Correctness, which my party hates because they suck at it. Republicans: Rich people need more tax breaks.
Aside from us DFH bloggers, I'm not seeing a progressive narrative anywhere, but at least everyone else is brain-dead and enthusiastically charting a course for their own 2012 debacle...
Robo-R - it's like Whac-a-mole!Submitted by d2 on Wed, 11/03/2010 - 6:42am.
Well, yesterday was unsurprising. Cheers to Edgar Malepeai and Brian Cronin, Wendy Jacquet and so many others: several stalwart blue districts remain in Boise, Bannock, Blaine and Latah. It's unnerving to see wins by less than 10% in Bannock, but that's what Idaho's 'not gerrymandering' districts 40-100 miles out of cities gets ya. Nobody's shocked that wingnut fever is rampant in Soda Springs.
Not surprised by the pasting Walt Minnick looks to have gotten. Saddened, because I think the world of John Foster and Serephin tells me A.K. Minnick is so awesome that I'll accept that Walt was just tapdancing on a razor-thin line, hoping to find a 3rd way.
But as bad as Team Minnick's gotta feel, imagine the pain that is East Idaho's moderate Republicans this morning. Republicans-for-Allred leader Sharon Perry gave me an earful when we sat together at the July 4th 'parade rules' mandatory meeting. They're waking up to an even worse hangover -- It's got to suck something fierce to lose hard to a robotic lockstep 'punch the R, not the name' (I just know there's jazzy video brightly chanting "it's like Whac-A-Mole!" hiding in JoAn Wood's closet) that you've spent decades cultivating. Welcome to our world, Republicans for Allred.
On a 43sb-neighborhood note, condolences to Sharon Fisher. It wasn't you, it's rural Robo-R.
Anything else I've missed? I'll try to get details on my rumor of challenges, and I forgot to ferret out data from Teton county -- they turned bluish-purple in '08; someone else find out details; I've gotta head to work.
Bring your ID when you go to vote, folks!Submitted by d2 on Tue, 11/02/2010 - 1:03am.
As we mourn Ted Sorensen, who passed away this weekend, keep JFK's famous "Ask not.." phrase in mind tomorrow. I got to hear him compare / contrast the Kennedy administration with Obama's when he talked in Denver during the '08 convention. When asked, he gently, gracefully tap-danced around the question of whether the line was his or JFK's. Even then, he was so very *frail*, so lean. Listening to him, that frailty vanished -- I was transfixed and could hear the wunderkind responsible for so much magic within Kennedy's writing, ideology and speeches. Researchers can debate who wrote those words forever; I won't.
Here's what you can do for your country: Get out and vote. And as boneheaded as Idaho's voter ID law is, it's easiest if you bring a photo ID! If anyone seems to get caught sidways of this, the law allows any voter on the rolls to vote once they've signed an affadavit.
Then, be sure to report back here with your impressions, what you hear or see. We've got GOTV going strong in Bonneville, and I'm told they're slating up poll-watchers to prevent any sort of shenanagins (unreasonable challenges, vote suppresion). And keep the news coming in as polls close. Especially good news. Or at least pics from good parties...
I doubt I'll be celebrating much of anything tomorrow -- I expect to be quietly contemplating my conversation with John Foster eighteen months ago. He explained their rightward tack and the supporting polls, and I said it wouldn't be enough to sway people that vote R unflinchingly. I hope I'm wrong near-term, but am not looking forward to long-term impacts of the race several prominent D's have run. We've got to craft and embrace a resonant Democratic narrative. Not doing so locally and nationally has led us to the November 2nd we face.
Still, every candidate and staffer has far more skin in the game than me. And with that devotion, they've earned my respect. Good luck to every Democrat on tomorrow's ballot. And my deepest thanks.
Melaleuca and copyrightSubmitted by d2 on Thu, 10/28/2010 - 6:27am.
There's considerable irony that Frank 'Vader' Vandersloot (and Melaleuca) think there's fair use value to their copyright infringement even after being denied copyright access.
Every other political attack group has learned the process: you put the words up on the screen while having them narrated (preferrably by Don De La Fontaine). No infringement is needed.
It's ironic, given how fond of copyright protections Melaleuca is when they *like* them.
As a reminder, a few years ago, Melaleuca freaked out about Tom Paine -- understandable, since Tom's got a certain je ne sais quoi to his writing. He said that Vader was aruging for a closed courtroom / hearing in his case against Melaleuca's former-golden-boy VP Wasden because there were things that'd come out that'd get Vader excommunicated, if memory serves. We got a hand-delivered cease-n-desist letter (I call it 'fan mail #1'). When I removed the offensive post and (in explanation) posted the cease-n-desist letter, Vader filed a DMCA Takedown, claiming I'd violated copyright.
Of course, Melaleuca had to retroactively file for copyright on the C&D letter, hire some copyright attorneys over in Boise (Idaho is a hotbed of Copyright law, doncha know!), and send them all off for a day in federal court to try to prove that my posting a scanned image of a DMCA takedown was a crime so egregious that the best first remedy was to tell them who the hell Tom Paine was.
Go read that last sentence again -- it still doesn't make sense 3 years later, unless Tom makes Vader crazy in ways Bubblehead can't begin to touch.
When Melaleuca lost that demand, we dropped back off their radar. I guess that's lucky, considering I haven't got a freaking clue who Tom Paine is.
Kudos to Vader, who has now claimed both ends of the jurisdictional fence when it involves copyright. He's apparently as morally flexible on copyright as he is on Marriage (he likes his own divorce, but rails against Teh Gay) and touting religion in political races (having Mitt Romney fly to Idaho just to stump against a fellow Mormon for wearing his religion on his sleeve was f***ing hilarious!). read more »
Village Idiot makes DigbySubmitted by d2 on Fri, 10/08/2010 - 5:15am.
It gives me no joy to point out that the Village Idiot got substantial mention yesterday on Digby's blog, though I guess I can take small consolation that PFAW, PrideDEPOT and Boise's Jody May-Chang are tracking his relentless dimwitted pushing of his American Taliban agenda.
Hmm, the rest of America got Bryan Fishwrap and the VI position here in Idaho was filled by Wayne Hoffmann, who is merely economically drain-bammaged. Not the best of trades, but certainly not the worst possible outcome.
Romney's mixed-up messageSubmitted by d2 on Sun, 06/13/2010 - 2:08pm.
Mitt-the-Ken-Doll Romney, in an op-ed for USA-Today:
In a time of national crisis, we look to our president to acknowledge, as Harry Truman did, that it is at his desk where the buck stops.
President Obama, two weeks before Mitt Romney's op-ed:
I am the president and the buck stops with me.
Dunno about the rest of you, but I particularly enjoy Mittens Romney invoking Democratic president Harry Truman two weeks late. Then again, The Man With the Fisher-Price Hair is so up to his earnest pursuit of presidential gravitas that he'll deny anything: He deplores his own healthcare initiatives now that they're done on a national scale. He's abandoned moderate stances on making abortion safe/legal/rare. He wore his religion on his sleeve, then had wander the news circuit denying that southern Bubbas voted against him for being Mormon.
And let's not forget RNC chair Steele's description of Romney:
"Yeah, but let me ask you. Ok, Jay, I'm there with you. But remember, it was the (Republican) base that rejected Mitt because of his switch on pro-life, from pro-choice to pro-life. It was the (Republican) base that rejected Mitt because it had issues with Mormonism. It was the (Republican) base that rejected Mitt, because they thought he was back and forth and waffling on those very economic issues you're talking about." (interview on Bill Bennett's radio show, May 2009)
Frankly, in the last 2 years, Ken-Doll Romney has cravenly sprinted rightward from his centrist record while Massachusetts governor as he courts his party's base (aka Teabagger) votes. And it's not a statistically-noteworthy sample, but my own family members that liked him are disgusted by him after watching this, but he's still tacking toward the right. What the hell is up with this? Did I miss the poll where 'Waffling, 'Spineless', and 'Pretty boy' test as very presidential traits amongst Republicans?
h/t: brooklynbadboy at dkos
Testimony - Equality on TrialSubmitted by d2 on Sun, 05/16/2010 - 8:50pm.
"Why would everybody be getting married if it didn't do anything?"
Prop 8 supporters successfully kept media coverage out of the Prop 8 trial in California. In response, two filmmakers found actors to reenact the entire transcript. Most of us lacking 55 spare hours, interest hasn't grown virally. So they're trying it in bite-size pieces, including this powerful 20-minute segment of lead plaintiff Kristin Perry's testimony, reenacted by Marissa Tomei:
"It symbolizes perhaps the most important decision you make as an adult."
Hoffman's weaseling...Submitted by d2 on Fri, 05/14/2010 - 6:47am.
Trout gotta fly, osprey gotta swim, and Wayne Hoffman's gotta weasel.
Mister 'My donors are too fragile to be named!' has grabbed ISJ's reporting on a closed ISU parking board meeting. Hoffman's presented an open-meetings complaint. Alas, his legal research leaves a bit to be desired. Hoffman's botched the section of statute he was quoting (section 67-2345(5) in the Idaho Code doesn't exist).
As for the handwavy view that a parking committee is subject to open meetings laws because they make policy decisions depended upon by a public agency, Doesn't that sound a lot like the Idaho Republican Caucus' method of legislative decisions?
I mean, if we're going after public policy planning that blatantly violates the spirit and intent of Idaho's public meeting law, let's go after the big dawg, Wayne. Or are you just going to sit there piddlin' on the porch?
Vaughn Ward's not having a good week.Submitted by d2 on Thu, 05/13/2010 - 10:30pm.
The good news is people stopped talking about Vaughn Ward being a Carpet-Bagger this week.
But if you ask me, carpetbagging ain't so bad-- Idaho's easy to love. And as nicknames go, C-bagger has to poll better than two-faced plagiarizing R.I.N.O.
read more »


text:
Is Soy Safe?
Busting the Myths of a Nutritional PowerhouseJuly 2010
By Oscar Rodriguez
Rarely has a nutritional source gained such rapid acceptance and drawn the kind of hostile scrutiny focused on soy. No sooner did the FDA take the highly unusual step of allowing a health claim to be made for soy as a food in 1999,1,2 than it came under attack by a vocal minority of "concerned citizens"—some of whom were found to represent a narrow segment of the food industry threatened by soy's profits.3
Thanks to their efforts, considerable misinformation now contaminates the discussion of soy's real impact on health. Instead of enjoying the broad range of benefits, many aging individuals are unnecessarily fearful of consuming soy products.
The good news is that the popularity and "controversy" surrounding soy have resulted in considerable clinical study and research, giving rise to a wealth of scientific literature that validates soy's health-promoting potential.
In this article, you will find out how soy became the subject of controversy—and why it shouldn't be. You will discover the latest findings on soy and its components, including isoflavones and soy protein. You will also learn how just 15-20 grams of soy per day, (or 50-90 mg of soy isoflavones) can operate at the cellular level to provide a formidable defense against cardiovascular disease, numerous forms of cancer, osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms.4
Soy and Estrogen: The Real Story
At the center of the controversy surrounding soy is the "estrogen-like" molecular profile of some soy-based compounds—and whether they increase the risk of certain hormone-dependent cancers and other adverse effects associated with hormonal imbalance.
Soy contains antioxidant polyphenols (plant-based compounds) known as isoflavones. Isoflavones are considered "phytoestrogens" or "dietary estrogens" because of their molecular similarity to estrogen as estradiol (17-β-estradiol), the female sex hormone. The ability of isoflavones to "mimic" some of estrogen's effects has led many doctors and scientists to characterize isoflavones as "weak estrogens."
This is incorrect, according to Dr. Mark F. McCarty, an internationally recognized expert in soy isoflavones.5 Advances in our understanding of how the body responds to estrogen (and estrogen-like compounds) explains why.
Estrogen exerts its influence upon cells directly through the presence of estrogen receptors. Until relatively recently, only one receptor was known to exist, now called the estrogen receptor alpha or ER-alpha. Overexpression of ER-alpha has been implicated in a variety of cancers in humans, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and colon cancer.6-9
In the late 1990s,5,10 a second estrogen receptor was discovered, now known as ER-beta. Expression of this receptor appears to counteract many of the cancer-causing activities of ER-alpha.10
As Dr. McCarty points out, genistein, one of the most abundant isoflavones in soy, is a highly potent activator of ER-beta. Critics of soy regard isoflavones' action on estrogen receptors as the source of concern, without recognizing there is more than one type of estrogen receptor in the body, and that they exert very different effects.
This highly selective mode of action explains why soy isoflavones promote beneficial estrogen-like effects in tissues where the ER-beta receptor predominates, but do not provoke the harmful effects of conventional estrogen replacement therapy in tissues where the ER-alpha receptor predominates.
For example, soy isoflavones have been shown to exert positive effects in tissues such as bone, vascular endothelium (blood vessel lining), and breast cells without the negative effects in those and other tissues such as liver and uterus, where side effects of estrogen therapy have been observed.5 In fact, in breast tissue possessing both estrogen receptor types, ER-beta is now known to exert a restraining influence on cell proliferation stimulated by estrogen at ER-alpha sites, reducing the risk of breast cancer.10 This balance helps to explain why soy isoflavones do not increase breast cancer risk despite their estrogen-like activity.5
Dozens of epidemiological (population-level) studies document the broad array of health benefits associated with a high-soy diet.11-13 Diets rich in soy isoflavones are associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and obesity-related complications such as type 2 diabetes.14-16
Soy isoflavones have relaxing effects on blood vessels, mediated by their influence on nitric oxide synthase (NOS), as well as powerful antioxidant effects, which together explain their potential for treatment and prevention of hypertension and stroke.11,17 Acting via yet another distinct mechanism, the isoflavones modulate signaling in pathways that control the interaction of oxidant stress with inflammation, leading to upregulation of detoxifying and antioxidant defense genes.18
The cumulative weight of the evidence for soy's health benefits led to the remarkable decision by the FDA to approve a food-labeling health claim for products containing 25 grams of soy proteins in the prevention of coronary heart disease in 1999.14 This claim was based on a wealth of clinical trials as well as epidemiological data showing that high soy isoflavone intake could reduce LDL cholesterol, inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduce cell adhesion proteins, inhibit platelet aggregation, and improve blood vessel reactivity.19 Many nations throughout the world have now similarly endorsed soy products based on these data.10
Dr. Mark Messina, a noted soy expert at the Department of Nutrition at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health, has summarized soy's remarkable benefits and provides specific recommendations on optimal soy intake. Messina suggests, based on the totality of available data and practical dietary standards, that aging individuals should ingest 15-20 grams of soy per day, including 50-90 mg of isoflavones—recommendations that have been echoed by other researchers worldwide.20 He adds that an intake of 25 grams per day of soy protein can be specifically used for cholesterol reduction.
Protection from Cardiovascular Disease
Soy products, both soy protein isolates and soy isoflavones, induce profoundly beneficial effects on the human cardiovascular system. Early human studies showed that long-term intake of soy protein rich in isoflavones could improve blood lipid profiles, at least in part by increasing expression of receptor molecules that take up LDL cholesterol.21 In fact, soy protein and isoflavones have universally been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while some studies have also documented increases in beneficial HDL cholesterol as well.22,23 Along with phytic acid, another soy component, soy isoflavones significantly lower homocysteine levels and positively influence other biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk.24-27
These benefits are obtained through multiple mechanisms of action.28,29 The various constituents of soy favorably regulate expression of numerous genes, including those involved in:
These effects appear to be universal, benefiting young and the old, male and female, normal weight and obese.31-34
As the central role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease emerged, scientists became interested in how soy consumption might affect the inflammatory process.28 They found that short-term soy consumption reduces some markers of inflammation while increasing plasma levels of vessel-relaxing nitric oxide in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome, and improves signs of the metabolic syndrome in general.35,36 Soy protein also increases the activity of paraoxonase 1 (PON1), the natural antioxidant compound found in HDL cholesterol that prevents the inflammatory oxidation of cholesterol.37 In a preclinical model, genistein inhibited the inflammatory control complex called nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB) and reduced expression of a molecule essential to production of atherosclerotic plaques.38
Another factor that contributes to the risk of a cardiovascular event such as heart attack or stroke is the tendency of platelets to aggregate, or clump together, forming clots that can obstruct blood flow. Platelet aggregation is a complex, multi-step process involving a number of signaling molecules—and soy isoflavones act to reduce the density of vital receptors for one such molecule, thromboxane A2, in direct proportion to the isoflavone concentration in blood.39 Thromboxane plays a central role in potentially lethal blood clot formation.
Short peptides (protein fragments) in soy proteins are among those recently shown to act against angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), thereby helping to safely lower blood pressure.40 Genistein inhibits the release of calcium within vascular smooth muscle cells, and helps to block constriction.41 These effects directly mimic those of many prescription blood pressure medications and, along with their direct influence on nitric oxide synthesis and other endothelial health factors, account for the additional vascular benefits conferred by soy products.42,43
Several nutritional intervention studies in both animals and humans further indicate that consumption of soy protein reduces body weight and fat mass, in addition to the beneficial effects on lipid profiles.44 The effect on blood lipid profile was recently shown to be dramatically enhanced by the addition of a prebiotic mixture to soy.45 This study, conducted among a group of adults with high lipid levels, capitalized on the fact that intestinal bacteria can metabolize soy components to produce equol, a powerful lipid-lowering compound that many adults have trouble producing. The people on the prebiotic plus soy branch of the study experienced significant improvements in their lipid profiles not seen when either prebiotic or soy was taken alone.
Combating Metabolic Syndrome
The current epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes increases overall risk for cardiovascular disease and other metabolic complications. Soy components have direct benefits on several of the parameters that go awry in the development of metabolic syndrome. For example, soy proteins lower lipids, improve kidney function, and reduce urinary protein losses in type 2 diabetics with kidney disease.46,47
Soy protein combined with isoflavones improves blood sugar control, reduces insulin resistance, and lowers serum lipids in diabetic patients, and can also reduce serum CRP levels and restore lipid profiles towards normal.48-51 These effects may account for the observation that including soy in the diet can improve features of the metabolic syndrome in adults.36
In a group of obese type 2 diabetics, replacement of animal-derived protein with soy protein helped improve hemoglobin A1c (a measure of long-term blood sugar control), reduced dependence on glucose-lowering drugs, lowered CRP levels, and triggered significant weight loss.52 And soy isoflavones, particularly daidzein, can enhance gene expression of the vital metabolic regulatory protein PPARgamma, which helps cells absorb and use glucose.53
Replacing animal-derived proteins with soy-based meals can lower body weight and fat mass, while reducing LDL cholesterol even more than would be expected from weight loss alone, and can improve body composition, increasing the ratio of lean body mass to fat.54,55 Even more exciting, soy product and isoflavone intakes were directly associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes in a group of overweight women!56