In his letter to the Philippians, Paul gives an exhortation to
"Rejoice in the Lord always - and again I say, rejoice!" (Philippians
4:4). Paul had been arrested and sent to Rome to await trial. He
spent his days and nights under house arrest chained to a Roman
soldier, but was still able to say, rejoice...always!
When we begin to understand the life changing gift of forgiveness
through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus - when we truly grasp the
concept of eternity and, through faith, believe we will spend all
eternity in the presence of God - we have more than enough reason to
rejoice, no matter what our present circumstances might be.
If we are unable to rejoice, we have allowed our eyes to become too
fixed on the present. Our attention has become focused on our
earthly desires, goals and ambitions, and we have lost sight of the
blessings of a life in Christ. Either that, or we don't really believe!
The verses which immediately follow Paul's call to rejoice list some
real benefits of a life of rejoicing.
Philippians 4:5-7
"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus."
Gentleness and a lack of anxiety result from rejoicing in a risen
Savior. If Jesus Christ can be raised from the dead and sit down "at
the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12), then our Heavenly Father can
certainly take care of problems with our job, health, kids, finances
or relationships - so rejoice! When we rejoice and focus on an
eternity in Heaven and a Savior who walks by our side, our anxiety
fades - our present trials become "light and momentary" (2 Corinthians 4:17).
When we live a life filled with rejoicing, we are able to focus on
the solutions we know God can provide. We develop a heart of
thanksgiving - a heart which naturally presents everything to God in
prayer and waits with grateful expectation for His reply. We begin
to trust in God's plan for our life and His desire for us to be with
Him forever. The result, which admittedly takes time and patience,
is "the peace of God which transcends all understanding."
These words written by Paul are not the deluded ramblings of an old
man in Roman confinement, they are the true promises of God! They
represent a promised life we all can live. Our Father offers us a
life of gentleness, contentment, and peace; a life free of anxiety
and worry. But this life can only happen if we love and trust Him
with all our heart, and if we are determined to always rejoice.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
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no longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Free Of Thorns
In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-8), Jesus tells about a
farmer who scatters seed on four different types of soil: packed,
shallow, thorny, and fertile. In this parable, the seed refers to
the Word of God and the soil refers to those who hear the Word.
Those of packed soil have hearts which are so hard that they
immediately turn away. Those of shallow soil may quickly germinate
and grow, but they also quickly lose interest and die. Most of us
reading this type of message fall into one of the last two types of
soil. We desire God's Word to grow on the fertile ground of our
heart and produce a bountiful crop, but we seem to continually battle
the thorns.
Matthew 13:22
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man
who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the
deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful."
We have more opportunity to receive God's Word today than any other
time in history. We can hear good preaching in church, on radio, on
tape, or even over the internet. We can read God's Word in a variety
of translations and receive an abundance of help with
interpretation. Our soil is definitely receiving seed. But the
challenge is to keep our lives free of the distractions which hinder growth.
Here's a simple test of our soil. Jesus said the number one
commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). When was
the last time our heart overflowed with love for God? When was the
last time we considered the sacrifice of Jesus and nearly bubbled
over with "Thank You!"?
God desires for us to love Him. In fact, His entire Word is a
message of calling us back to a loving relationship. If we have a
hard time following His most basic desire, it's no wonder we're
confused about where He's leading. We look for specific direction
with where to live and work, yet we fail to give Him the entirety of
our heart and simply worship at His feet.
When God's Word comes into our life, we should receive it and cherish
it as a precious gift. We ought to immediately look for ways to
apply His Word and make it grow, not process it through the
distractions of deadlines, appointments, bills, and worldly
relationships and ambitions.
Is the Word growing in our life, or is it being choked by unnecessary
demands of the world? "The world and its desires pass away" (1 John
2:17), but the things of God are eternal. He is calling us to live a
life fully dedicated to Him in ALL we do. Let's weed our garden and
remove distractions so the seed of His Word can grow and bear
fruit. Let's begin to develop fertile soil which is free of thorns.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
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by invitation from friends. Please unsubscribe if these messages are
no longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Father's View
In the message "Cut The Lifeboats" we were encouraged to cut away
those areas of our life which still cling to the world's answers for
fulfillment and security - those areas which keep our hearts from
being fully devoted to God. But at the same time, we acknowledged
this can be a difficult process. One reason for this difficulty is
our extremely limited view of our life and the world around us.
Our flawed perception is not unlike a tiny ant. These small
creatures seem to never stop working as they scurry about frantically
moving little grains of sand from here to there in the hope of
building a secure home. If we could ask an ant to describe his
world, he might tell us about his hole in the ground, about the few
thousand members of his family, and maybe something about the few
surrounding meters where he gathers food. Obviously, the ant has a
very limited view of the real world.
But as our Heavenly Father watches us build our homes of security -
watches us frantically moving from here to there, trying to climb to
the top of the hill - He also sees a creation with a VERY limited
view of the real world; "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts"
(Isaiah 55:9).
As seen from God's perspective, we have almost no understanding of
how the little corner of our life fits into His plan or how our
current problems are leading us closer to Him. From God's
perspective our view is as limited as the ant. But, though we may
not fully see or understand, He is calling us to trust.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make
your paths straight."
Many of us are facing difficult circumstances. We want to walk along
God's path and live a life pleasing to Him, but we're not sure which
direction to turn. Our indecision is often because we only trust in
what we clearly understand - and we've begun to realize our
understanding is not very clear. But God's promise is that as we
love and trust Him with all our heart, the path directly in front of
us will become straight - as we trust, the decisions will become
clear and we will KNOW our next step!
We must truly believe that our Heavenly Father sees and hears ALL,
and that He's infinitely complete in understanding. Where we are
fortunate to see a few short steps down the path, He sees the entire
journey - the journey leading us "to be conformed to the likeness of
His Son" (Romans 8:29), and the destination of spending all eternity
praising His name. We must keep stepping out in faith, but we must
do so by leaning on Him, continually seeking His direction, and
trusting the Father's view.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
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Mail from GDWM is only sent to those who subscribe (free of cost) or
by invitation from friends. Please unsubscribe if these messages are
no longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
those areas of our life which still cling to the world's answers for
fulfillment and security - those areas which keep our hearts from
being fully devoted to God. But at the same time, we acknowledged
this can be a difficult process. One reason for this difficulty is
our extremely limited view of our life and the world around us.
Our flawed perception is not unlike a tiny ant. These small
creatures seem to never stop working as they scurry about frantically
moving little grains of sand from here to there in the hope of
building a secure home. If we could ask an ant to describe his
world, he might tell us about his hole in the ground, about the few
thousand members of his family, and maybe something about the few
surrounding meters where he gathers food. Obviously, the ant has a
very limited view of the real world.
But as our Heavenly Father watches us build our homes of security -
watches us frantically moving from here to there, trying to climb to
the top of the hill - He also sees a creation with a VERY limited
view of the real world; "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts"
(Isaiah 55:9).
As seen from God's perspective, we have almost no understanding of
how the little corner of our life fits into His plan or how our
current problems are leading us closer to Him. From God's
perspective our view is as limited as the ant. But, though we may
not fully see or understand, He is calling us to trust.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make
your paths straight."
Many of us are facing difficult circumstances. We want to walk along
God's path and live a life pleasing to Him, but we're not sure which
direction to turn. Our indecision is often because we only trust in
what we clearly understand - and we've begun to realize our
understanding is not very clear. But God's promise is that as we
love and trust Him with all our heart, the path directly in front of
us will become straight - as we trust, the decisions will become
clear and we will KNOW our next step!
We must truly believe that our Heavenly Father sees and hears ALL,
and that He's infinitely complete in understanding. Where we are
fortunate to see a few short steps down the path, He sees the entire
journey - the journey leading us "to be conformed to the likeness of
His Son" (Romans 8:29), and the destination of spending all eternity
praising His name. We must keep stepping out in faith, but we must
do so by leaning on Him, continually seeking His direction, and
trusting the Father's view.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm
Feedback and Prayer: http://gdwmboard.org/6/ubb.x
Send Invitation: http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm
Verses and Psalms: http://www.gdwm.org/verses
Spanish Devotions: http://www.gdwm.org/spanish
Mail from GDWM is only sent to those who subscribe (free of cost) or
by invitation from friends. Please unsubscribe if these messages are
no longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
Cut The Lifeboats
At the end of his third missionary journey, Paul was arrested in
Jerusalem, transferred about 40 miles up the road to Caesarea, and
sat in prison for over two years before being sent by boat to stand
trial in Rome. During the journey to Rome, a storm blew the ship off
course and threatened to kill everyone on board.
Acts 27:30-32
"In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat
down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors
from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers,
'Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.' So the
soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away."
Where is our true security? Most of us have lifeboats which we keep
close to our side. Even after we've accepted the forgiveness and
saving grace of Jesus, we tend to keep the lifeboats - just in
case. We say we're trusting our future to God, but we still make
sure every step of our life is planned for the next 30 years and
fight any attempt to deviate from "the plan" - just in case.
We say we understand the concept of eternity and the idea that our
life is "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes"
(James 4:14), but we still strive for titles and positions so our
friends and family can remember us as "successful" - just in
case. We say we want to live for Jesus and praise our Heavenly
Father for all eternity, but we still don't want to miss the
immediate pleasures of the world - just in case.
If we keep one foot in the ship and one foot in the lifeboat, we will
never live as God desires. It makes absolutely no sense to say we
believe and trust God with our eternity and yet fail to trust Him
with the uncertainties of tomorrow or the storms of today. Cutting
the lifeboats means we place ALL our trust in God, believe His Word
as truth, and live accordingly: "Do not merely listen to the Word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22).
We MUST stay with the ship! A saving relationship with Jesus implies
we have recognized the eternal storm of sin which threatened to sink
us to the pit of hell, but it also implies we are clinging to His
forgiveness as the ONLY way to be saved; "for there is no other name
under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Let's ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area of our life which is not
consistent with a life of unrestrained belief and trust. Then, let's
ask for the strength and courage to, once and for all, give Him ALL
of our heart and cut the lifeboats.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm
Feedback and Prayer: http://gdwmboard.org/6/ubb.x
Send Invitation: http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm
Verses and Psalms: http://www.gdwm.org/verses
Spanish Devotions: http://www.gdwm.org/spanish
Mail from GDWM is only sent to those who subscribe (free of cost) or
by invitation from friends. Please unsubscribe if these messages are
no longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
Jerusalem, transferred about 40 miles up the road to Caesarea, and
sat in prison for over two years before being sent by boat to stand
trial in Rome. During the journey to Rome, a storm blew the ship off
course and threatened to kill everyone on board.
Acts 27:30-32
"In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat
down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors
from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers,
'Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.' So the
soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away."
Where is our true security? Most of us have lifeboats which we keep
close to our side. Even after we've accepted the forgiveness and
saving grace of Jesus, we tend to keep the lifeboats - just in
case. We say we're trusting our future to God, but we still make
sure every step of our life is planned for the next 30 years and
fight any attempt to deviate from "the plan" - just in case.
We say we understand the concept of eternity and the idea that our
life is "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes"
(James 4:14), but we still strive for titles and positions so our
friends and family can remember us as "successful" - just in
case. We say we want to live for Jesus and praise our Heavenly
Father for all eternity, but we still don't want to miss the
immediate pleasures of the world - just in case.
If we keep one foot in the ship and one foot in the lifeboat, we will
never live as God desires. It makes absolutely no sense to say we
believe and trust God with our eternity and yet fail to trust Him
with the uncertainties of tomorrow or the storms of today. Cutting
the lifeboats means we place ALL our trust in God, believe His Word
as truth, and live accordingly: "Do not merely listen to the Word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22).
We MUST stay with the ship! A saving relationship with Jesus implies
we have recognized the eternal storm of sin which threatened to sink
us to the pit of hell, but it also implies we are clinging to His
forgiveness as the ONLY way to be saved; "for there is no other name
under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Let's ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area of our life which is not
consistent with a life of unrestrained belief and trust. Then, let's
ask for the strength and courage to, once and for all, give Him ALL
of our heart and cut the lifeboats.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm
Feedback and Prayer: http://gdwmboard.org/6/ubb.x
Send Invitation: http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm
Verses and Psalms: http://www.gdwm.org/verses
Spanish Devotions: http://www.gdwm.org/spanish
Mail from GDWM is only sent to those who subscribe (free of cost) or
by invitation from friends. Please unsubscribe if these messages are
no longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
John 9:1-5 - Lesson #94
The Feast of Tabernacles had come to an end and the debate between
Jesus and the Jews was growing. As Jesus made His claims more clear,
the opposition by the Jews became more fierce; "Then they took up
stones to throw at Him" (John 8:59). But Jesus was on a mission of
truth which would not be stopped.
John 9:1-5
"Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And
His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither this man
nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed
in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the
night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I
am the light of the world.'"
We are not told how the disciples knew this man was born blind, but
notice how they turned this man and his suffering into a theological
question. The pursuit of truth is a worthy endeavor, but not when it
comes at the expense of the greater truths of compassion, kindness
and love. I often think how Satan must rejoice over the majority of
our theological debates today.
A common belief during the time of Jesus was that trials were a
result of sin and prosperity was a reward for right
living. Unfortunately, this is still a common teaching today. The
fact that the man was blind from birth must have meant the parents
had sinned or the man sinned before he was born - either while in the
womb or in a preexistent state. This shows how bad assumptions can
lead to absurd conclusions.
The truth is that all suffering is the result of sin, but not
necessarily the sin of the individual. We live in a sinful world
which has fallen far from the perfection of God's creation. My mom
died from skin cancer when she was 43, and it had nothing to do with
her sin. When sin first entered the world, ALL areas of the world
were affected. And this means that bad things sometimes happen for
reasons we cannot determine.
This man was born blind because of the world into which he was
born. But in this particular case God chose to use the suffering of
this man to declare His glory. Jesus would heal the man's eyes,
giving him sight. The new light which the man received reminds us of
the Spiritual light which only Jesus can provide: "I am the light of
the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness" (John 8:12).
There was a growing sense of urgency in the ministry of Jesus. He
knew His time was short. His appointment with the cross was only a
few months away, so He set out to work the works of God while there
was still light. Do we live with this same sense of urgency? I know
that nothing depends on our strength or ability; and yet, the time is
short. The time is now, while we have the light and see the
opportunity. While it is still day, let's pursue the risen Christ
and intentionally share His greater truths.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of John Lessons: http://www.gdwm.org/John.htm
Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm
Feedback and Prayer: http://gdwmboard.org/6/ubb.x
Send Invitation: http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm
Verses and Psalms: http://www.gdwm.org/verses
Spanish Devotions: http://www.gdwm.org/spanish
Mail from GDWM is only sent to those who subscribe (free of cost) or
by invitation from friends. Please unsubscribe if these messages are no
longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The New King James Version.
Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by Permission.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
Jesus and the Jews was growing. As Jesus made His claims more clear,
the opposition by the Jews became more fierce; "Then they took up
stones to throw at Him" (John 8:59). But Jesus was on a mission of
truth which would not be stopped.
John 9:1-5
"Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And
His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither this man
nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed
in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the
night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I
am the light of the world.'"
We are not told how the disciples knew this man was born blind, but
notice how they turned this man and his suffering into a theological
question. The pursuit of truth is a worthy endeavor, but not when it
comes at the expense of the greater truths of compassion, kindness
and love. I often think how Satan must rejoice over the majority of
our theological debates today.
A common belief during the time of Jesus was that trials were a
result of sin and prosperity was a reward for right
living. Unfortunately, this is still a common teaching today. The
fact that the man was blind from birth must have meant the parents
had sinned or the man sinned before he was born - either while in the
womb or in a preexistent state. This shows how bad assumptions can
lead to absurd conclusions.
The truth is that all suffering is the result of sin, but not
necessarily the sin of the individual. We live in a sinful world
which has fallen far from the perfection of God's creation. My mom
died from skin cancer when she was 43, and it had nothing to do with
her sin. When sin first entered the world, ALL areas of the world
were affected. And this means that bad things sometimes happen for
reasons we cannot determine.
This man was born blind because of the world into which he was
born. But in this particular case God chose to use the suffering of
this man to declare His glory. Jesus would heal the man's eyes,
giving him sight. The new light which the man received reminds us of
the Spiritual light which only Jesus can provide: "I am the light of
the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness" (John 8:12).
There was a growing sense of urgency in the ministry of Jesus. He
knew His time was short. His appointment with the cross was only a
few months away, so He set out to work the works of God while there
was still light. Do we live with this same sense of urgency? I know
that nothing depends on our strength or ability; and yet, the time is
short. The time is now, while we have the light and see the
opportunity. While it is still day, let's pursue the risen Christ
and intentionally share His greater truths.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of John Lessons: http://www.gdwm.org/John.htm
Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm
Feedback and Prayer: http://gdwmboard.org/6/ubb.x
Send Invitation: http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm
Verses and Psalms: http://www.gdwm.org/verses
Spanish Devotions: http://www.gdwm.org/spanish
Mail from GDWM is only sent to those who subscribe (free of cost) or
by invitation from friends. Please unsubscribe if these messages are no
longer desired. We absolutely do not support unsolicited E-mail.
Scripture references: The New King James Version.
Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by Permission.
God's Daily Word Ministries
P.O. Box 190
Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
3,000 Darfur refugees make 10-day trek through bush
Conflict in Darfur is pushing Sudanese refugees into neighboring states like Chad and Central African Republic. These refugees left Darfur in September 2004.
Story Highlights
• Darfur refugees walk 125 miles to seek shelter in Central African Republic
• Attacks force all 15,000 inhabitants Dafak to flee their homes
• Town of Sam-Ouandja unable to cope with the influx of Sudanese refugees
• Refugees are relying on mangoes picked from the bush for food
BANGUI, Central African Republic (Reuters) -- An estimated 3,000 Sudanese refugees driven from their homes by fighting in Darfur trekked for 10 days through the bush to seek shelter in Central African Republic, United Nations officials said on Tuesday.
The refugees told a U.N. team in the northeastern town of Sam-Ouandja, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Sudanese border, that a ground and air attack had forced all 15,000 inhabitants of the southern Darfur town of Dafak to flee their homes.
Most of them headed south within Sudan, but some fled westward into Central African Republic, an arduous journey of more than 125 miles (200 kilometers) following a track accessible only on foot or by horse.
Their flight was the latest evidence that the conflict in Darfur, where a war pitting rebels against Sudan's army and allied militias has raged since 2003, is pushing refugees into neighboring states like Chad and Central African Republic.
"So far we have registered 1,411 refugees and more of them are arriving every day," said Bruno Geddo, country representative for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, who led a U.N. mission on Monday to Sam-Ouandja in the isolated north-east.
"We are working on an estimate of 3,000 [refugees] at the moment," he told Reuters.
Although initial news reports suggested the group were armed and could include Chadian rebels, Geddo said the U.N. team had found no evidence of either weapons or Chadian nationals.
The town of Sam-Ouandja was attacked in March and November by insurgents trying to topple Central African President Francois Bozize, who seized power in a 2003 coup before legitimizing his rule at the ballot box two years later.
Geddo said the town's inhabitants were unable to cope with the influx of Sudanese refugees, who were currently relying on mangoes picked from the bush for food.
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF estimated last month that a quarter of the 4 million people in Central African Republic -- the world's sixth poorest country -- are suffering the effects of internal violence or the spill over from conflicts in neighboring Sudan and Chad.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Stanley Crouch: Thugs profit at our expense
By Stanley Crouch -
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, May 26, 2007
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B7
When we look back on this era of especially muddled thinking, we will celebrate Harlem's Geoffrey Canada for not being afraid to step out by himself and pin the tail on the donkey of hip-hop for aiding and abetting the criminal culture that oppresses so many so-called minorities in our country.
I was most impressed when Canada came out against the way that hip-hop celebrates those who refuse to inform on criminals, otherwise known as snitching.
Kansas City journalist Jason Whitlock says of this trend that the most popular hip-hop recordings now promote what he calls "prison values," or the criminal vision that comes from the dark world behind bars, where the siren song of those who make the streets so mean was once heard most clearly and influentially.
As Canada told Anderson Cooper on television recently, advocating the refusal to cooperate with police, regardless of the crime, is saying something very destructive to black youth.
Cooper seemed startled when Canada clarified his position very clearly: "It's like we're saying to the criminals: 'You can have our community. Just have our community. Do anything you want, and we will either deal with it ourselves, or we will simply ignore it.' "
If one looks at the level of urban oppression that is shown in the national rise of homicides committed with guns, Canada must be taken seriously. Black and Latino victims constitute the largest numbers of the murdered.
The epidemic rise of murders with firearms in Newark, N.J., prompted journalist James Ahearn to write: "Typically, shooter and victim are both black, male, young, with arrest records, uneducated, with dim life prospects. The killers act with careless indifference to the enormity of what they have done, or to the likelihood that they in turn will be cut down, in retribution."
As they display the gilded imbecility of "bling" while riding in the most expensive cars and living in gated communities, the rappers who promote the idea that informing to the police is some sort of sin have become another menace to society through their recordings. They have expanded upon their identities as buffoon thug minstrels so that they could easily be considered the most dangerous Uncle Toms of the moment.
This may be hard for many to see because they can never accept the idea of black people having anything at all to do with their group's oppression. The young are dazzled by the vulgar finery of the rappers, while the black middle class is overly impressed by the riches these young men have achieved and by the businesses that they have started.
Some of those businesses include pornographic-video sales and products with names like "Pimp Juice."
Once again, it is obvious that the civil-rights establishment has fallen asleep at the wheel by failing to stand up for the rights of those they purportedly represent. The civil-rights establishment should be no more concerned about being called old-fashioned than those whom Southern white racists accused of being "outside agitators" during the 1960s. Ironically, what we now have is an urban version of the Southern violence that gave such a bloody reputation to the members of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizens' Council. Gangs like the Crips and the Bloods are exactly the same -- ever ready to murder and intimidate the witnesses to their crimes.
Albert Camus once wrote that he preferred to look his fate in the eyes. For too many in the black lower class, their fate is to be murdered, mutilated and brutalized by contemptuous street gangs and by the criminals who have been made into an elite by the worst of hip-hop. It is time for all of us to look that fate in the eyes and move to change it by whatever means are as legal as they are necessary.
About the writer:
* Stanley Crouch is a columnist for the New York Daily News. His column routinely appears on Saturday in The Bee and occasionally on other days. Reach him at scrouch@edit.nydailynews.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate Inc.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/194476.html
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, May 26, 2007
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B7
When we look back on this era of especially muddled thinking, we will celebrate Harlem's Geoffrey Canada for not being afraid to step out by himself and pin the tail on the donkey of hip-hop for aiding and abetting the criminal culture that oppresses so many so-called minorities in our country.
I was most impressed when Canada came out against the way that hip-hop celebrates those who refuse to inform on criminals, otherwise known as snitching.
Kansas City journalist Jason Whitlock says of this trend that the most popular hip-hop recordings now promote what he calls "prison values," or the criminal vision that comes from the dark world behind bars, where the siren song of those who make the streets so mean was once heard most clearly and influentially.
As Canada told Anderson Cooper on television recently, advocating the refusal to cooperate with police, regardless of the crime, is saying something very destructive to black youth.
Cooper seemed startled when Canada clarified his position very clearly: "It's like we're saying to the criminals: 'You can have our community. Just have our community. Do anything you want, and we will either deal with it ourselves, or we will simply ignore it.' "
If one looks at the level of urban oppression that is shown in the national rise of homicides committed with guns, Canada must be taken seriously. Black and Latino victims constitute the largest numbers of the murdered.
The epidemic rise of murders with firearms in Newark, N.J., prompted journalist James Ahearn to write: "Typically, shooter and victim are both black, male, young, with arrest records, uneducated, with dim life prospects. The killers act with careless indifference to the enormity of what they have done, or to the likelihood that they in turn will be cut down, in retribution."
As they display the gilded imbecility of "bling" while riding in the most expensive cars and living in gated communities, the rappers who promote the idea that informing to the police is some sort of sin have become another menace to society through their recordings. They have expanded upon their identities as buffoon thug minstrels so that they could easily be considered the most dangerous Uncle Toms of the moment.
This may be hard for many to see because they can never accept the idea of black people having anything at all to do with their group's oppression. The young are dazzled by the vulgar finery of the rappers, while the black middle class is overly impressed by the riches these young men have achieved and by the businesses that they have started.
Some of those businesses include pornographic-video sales and products with names like "Pimp Juice."
Once again, it is obvious that the civil-rights establishment has fallen asleep at the wheel by failing to stand up for the rights of those they purportedly represent. The civil-rights establishment should be no more concerned about being called old-fashioned than those whom Southern white racists accused of being "outside agitators" during the 1960s. Ironically, what we now have is an urban version of the Southern violence that gave such a bloody reputation to the members of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizens' Council. Gangs like the Crips and the Bloods are exactly the same -- ever ready to murder and intimidate the witnesses to their crimes.
Albert Camus once wrote that he preferred to look his fate in the eyes. For too many in the black lower class, their fate is to be murdered, mutilated and brutalized by contemptuous street gangs and by the criminals who have been made into an elite by the worst of hip-hop. It is time for all of us to look that fate in the eyes and move to change it by whatever means are as legal as they are necessary.
About the writer:
* Stanley Crouch is a columnist for the New York Daily News. His column routinely appears on Saturday in The Bee and occasionally on other days. Reach him at scrouch@edit.nydailynews.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate Inc.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/194476.html
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The "Uninsurables"
Scott Svonkin, 41, calls himself the "new poster child for Americans living without health insuance." He's healthy, fit, and has been repeatedly denied coverage by insurance companies. (CBS)
CBS News Investigates The Tactics Used By Insurance Companies To Deny Health Coverage
(CBS) With 46 million Americans living without health insurance, thousands of uninsured people who can't get insurance contact call centers every month.
Scott Svonkin, an active 41-year-old, never thought he'd be one of them.
"Pacificare rejected me because I'm an expectant father. Blue Shield rejected me because I got a spider bite. And then this one rejected me because of asthma," Svonkin said.
Svonkin has managed his asthma for more than 20 years with $150 a month in medication, making him one of the new "Uninsurables" — people who've been denied individual health insurance, but not for a serious illness, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports.
"I'm the new poster child, or the poster man, for the uninsured in America," he said.
A two-month CBS News investigation exposes a system stacked against the individual. Unlike group plans provided by employers, individual insurers can pick and chose their customers, creating guidelines designed to deny coverage for the most common of health problems.
Acne, asthma, athlete's foot, allergies — and that's just the A's. How do you explain that?
"Our members very much want to get and keep customers," Susan Pisano, vice president of communications at the Association of Health Insurance Plans told Keteyian.
The argument from the other side is that they're cherry-picking the healthiest people, and people even with the most minor problems are being excluded?
"Conditions that seem minor to me and you entail a level of expense that is fairly substantial," Pisano said.
Last year one nationwide survey, the Commonwealth Fund, found that 89 percent, or 52 million, of those looking for individual health insurance didn't get it because it was too expensive or they were turned down.
"Insurers are getting double the profit that they make in the group market. Why is it so lucrative? Because they exclude anybody and everybody who has even a remote sense of risk associated with their health care," says Dr. Bryan Liang, who has studied the insurance industry for more than a decade.
One individual application asks: Have you ever had a headache? Have you ever had an infection? Have you ever had muscle pain?
"They want to know everything about you. Your credit history," for example, Liang said. "Your credit history is something that is very interesting to them, and they to know about it."
It's not just your credit history, but your driving record and the sports you play.
Insurers find all that information — and much more — in a massive, little-known data base called the MIB, or Medical Information Bureau. Insurers have even been known to question "friends and neighbors" about "morality and lifestyle" — using all of this information to decide who they will cover and who they won't.
"They can check your morals and your lifestyle?" asks Keteyian.
"Exactly," says Liang. "And they are going to judge you on this."
If you have any problem whatsoever, you are on the outside looking in — in the individual market.
"One of the things that you are saying essentially is the perception," said Pisano.
But it's a reality for millions of Americans as well.
"Maybe the perception and the reality are a little different," Pisano conceded.
Not for Svonkin. Ironically, he's a member of Los Angeles County's Insurance Commission.
"I never imagined it would be so hard to get health care," Svonkin said. "It's not a matter (that) I can't afford it. It's a matter that they won't give it to me at any price."
All of which has left the new face of the "Uninsurables" with nowhere to turn but a state-run program for high-risk people offering minimal coverage — for $528 a month.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/23/cbsnews_investigates/main2843007.shtml?source=RSS&attr=HOME_2843007
The Other Son
The parable of the prodigal son contains so many practical lessons on
relationships (particularly for parents) that we often forget Jesus
spoke this parable in response to an accusation from the Pharisees;
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them" (Luke 15:2). The
message of the prodigal son is really about our Heavenly Father who
rejoices every time a "sinner" turns their heart to Him in
repentance. But why did Jesus talk about TWO sons? What was the
message of the son who remained at home?
He was the son who quietly watched his younger brother make
disrespectful demands on his father; "Give me my share of the estate"
(Luke 15:12). He was the son who stayed at home to work the fields
while his brother "squandered his wealth in wild living" (Luke
15:13). And he was the son who became angry with his father and
refused to celebrate his brother's return: "All these years I've been
slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave
me even a young goat" (Luke 15:29).
This was the son who walked the straight and narrow - walked the path
of disciplined obedience - but he missed his opportunity to receive
true blessings as he walked.
Luke 15:31
"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I
have is yours.'"
The son had been "slaving" in the hope of a future blessing, but his
heart was not joyfully serving. He missed the real blessing of
walking with his father and having free access to everything his father owned.
As believers in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we understand that
people can be saved at any point in their life - regardless of past
sins. The thief on the cross received his Salvation only moments
before he died. But there is always part of us that cries "foul!"
Somehow it doesn't seem fair when others have worked so hard for so long.
This attitude shows we also have missed the blessing of walking with
our Lord. Heaven is never a reward for "obedient" living; it is a
free gift to those who believe in Jesus. We should never feel we're
"slaving" under the burden of His commands in order to earn His
favor. Rather, we are to joyfully follow because we know that only
in Him is there true peace, true contentment...true blessings!
Let's follow our Lord with a firm perspective of eternity; but let's
never become so focused on the future that we miss the blessings
given to us today - the blessings of the journey! Let's renew our
joy at being allowed to walk every day with our Heavenly Father and
rejoice whenever a repentant heart returns home. Let's never make
the sad mistake of living the burdened life of the other son.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
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What's the Best Time to Exercise?
Experts offer tips on finding the best time of day for
your workout.
By Leanna Skarnulis
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Some people swear by a 6 a.m. jog to get their hearts racing and get them psyched up for the day. Others wouldn't dream of breaking a sweat before noon, preferring a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. But is any one time of day the best time to exercise?
The truth is that there's no reliable evidence to suggest that calories are burned more efficiently at certain times of day. But the time of day can influence how you feel when exercising.
The most important thing, experts say, is to choose a time of day you can stick with, so that exercise becomes a habit.
Your Body Clock
Your body's circadian rhythm determines whether you're a night owl or an early bird, and there's not much you can do to alter it.
Circadian rhythm is governed by the 24-hour pattern of the earth’s rotation. These rhythms influence body functions such as blood pressure, body temperature, hormone levels, and heart rate, all of which play a role in your body's readiness for exercise.
Using your body clock as a guide to when to go for a walk or hit the gym might seem like a good idea. But, of course, there are other important considerations, such as family and work schedules, or a friend's availability to walk with you.
The Perks of Morning Exercise
If you have trouble with consistency, morning may be your best time to exercise, experts say.
"Research suggests in terms of performing a consistent exercise habit, individuals who exercise in the morning tend to do better," says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief science officer with the American Council on Exercise in San Diego.
"The thinking is that they get their exercise in before other time pressures interfere," Bryant says. "I usually exercise at 6 a.m., because no matter how well-intentioned I am, if I don't exercise in the morning, other things will squeeze it out."
He recommends that if you exercise in the morning, when body temperature is lower, you should allow more time to warm up than you would later in the day.
When Insomnia Interferes
Unfortunately, hitting the snooze button repeatedly isn't exercise. But, if you've suffered insomnia the night before, it can seem a lot more appealing than jumping out of bed and hitting the treadmill.
Good, regular bedtime habits can help you beat insomnia. They include winding down before bedtime.
"Your body needs to get ready for sleep," says Sally A. White, PhD, dean and professor in the College of Education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa."You want your heart rate and body temperature in a rest zone. It starts the body getting into a habit of sleep."
Exercising or eating too late sabotages your body's urge to sleep.
"Both exercise and eating raise your heart rate and temperature," White tells WebMD. "That's not conducive to sleeping."
When Later Is Better
White, who studies achievement motivation in exercise and other areas, says that in spite of good intentions to get up early and get her exercise over with, she is more likely to exercise after work.
"It's easier to get my body into a rhythm because I'm not fighting my body the way I do in the morning," she says.
For some people, lunchtime is the best time to exercise, especially if co-workers keep you company. Just be sure to eat after you work out, not before.
"Don't exercise immediately following a meal," says Bryant, who lectures internationally on exercise, fitness and nutrition. "The blood that needs to go to your muscles is going to your digestive tract. Give yourself 90 minutes after a heavy meal."
Finding Your Own Best Time to Exercise
You don't have to be an expert on circadian rhythms to determine the best time to exercise. Steven Aldana, PhD, advises trying different times of the day.
Work out in the morning for a few weeks, then try noon, then early evening. Which do you enjoy most and which makes you feel best afterward? Also, consider the type of exercise, and other daily commitments.
"Most of all, find a time that helps you make your exercise a regular, consistent part of your life," says Aldana, a professor of lifestyle medicine in the department of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. "This is more important than the time of day."
Establishing the Exercise Habit
One day, you'll reach a point where daily exercise comes as naturally as breathing. At that point, you may want variety.
"In an effort to stay regularly active, some people change the type of exercise they do and the time of day they do it," says Aldana, author of The Stop & Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide. "Keeping it fresh makes it more enjoyable and more likely to be continued."
But if you're still at the point where exercise is hit or miss, scheduling it for the same time each day will help you make it a habit. Whether you choose morning, lunchtime, or after work to exercise, make it part of your routine.
"People who are just starting out and who exercise randomly are more likely to drop out," White says.
She adds that starting out can be as simple as changing the route you come home from work so that you drive by a gym. "Get into the habit of going that way, and keep a bag of exercise gear in your car or at work," she says.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/whats-the-best-time-to-exercise?page=1
your workout.
By Leanna Skarnulis
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Some people swear by a 6 a.m. jog to get their hearts racing and get them psyched up for the day. Others wouldn't dream of breaking a sweat before noon, preferring a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. But is any one time of day the best time to exercise?
The truth is that there's no reliable evidence to suggest that calories are burned more efficiently at certain times of day. But the time of day can influence how you feel when exercising.
The most important thing, experts say, is to choose a time of day you can stick with, so that exercise becomes a habit.
Your Body Clock
Your body's circadian rhythm determines whether you're a night owl or an early bird, and there's not much you can do to alter it.
Circadian rhythm is governed by the 24-hour pattern of the earth’s rotation. These rhythms influence body functions such as blood pressure, body temperature, hormone levels, and heart rate, all of which play a role in your body's readiness for exercise.
Using your body clock as a guide to when to go for a walk or hit the gym might seem like a good idea. But, of course, there are other important considerations, such as family and work schedules, or a friend's availability to walk with you.
The Perks of Morning Exercise
If you have trouble with consistency, morning may be your best time to exercise, experts say.
"Research suggests in terms of performing a consistent exercise habit, individuals who exercise in the morning tend to do better," says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief science officer with the American Council on Exercise in San Diego.
"The thinking is that they get their exercise in before other time pressures interfere," Bryant says. "I usually exercise at 6 a.m., because no matter how well-intentioned I am, if I don't exercise in the morning, other things will squeeze it out."
He recommends that if you exercise in the morning, when body temperature is lower, you should allow more time to warm up than you would later in the day.
When Insomnia Interferes
Unfortunately, hitting the snooze button repeatedly isn't exercise. But, if you've suffered insomnia the night before, it can seem a lot more appealing than jumping out of bed and hitting the treadmill.
Good, regular bedtime habits can help you beat insomnia. They include winding down before bedtime.
"Your body needs to get ready for sleep," says Sally A. White, PhD, dean and professor in the College of Education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa."You want your heart rate and body temperature in a rest zone. It starts the body getting into a habit of sleep."
Exercising or eating too late sabotages your body's urge to sleep.
"Both exercise and eating raise your heart rate and temperature," White tells WebMD. "That's not conducive to sleeping."
When Later Is Better
White, who studies achievement motivation in exercise and other areas, says that in spite of good intentions to get up early and get her exercise over with, she is more likely to exercise after work.
"It's easier to get my body into a rhythm because I'm not fighting my body the way I do in the morning," she says.
For some people, lunchtime is the best time to exercise, especially if co-workers keep you company. Just be sure to eat after you work out, not before.
"Don't exercise immediately following a meal," says Bryant, who lectures internationally on exercise, fitness and nutrition. "The blood that needs to go to your muscles is going to your digestive tract. Give yourself 90 minutes after a heavy meal."
Finding Your Own Best Time to Exercise
You don't have to be an expert on circadian rhythms to determine the best time to exercise. Steven Aldana, PhD, advises trying different times of the day.
Work out in the morning for a few weeks, then try noon, then early evening. Which do you enjoy most and which makes you feel best afterward? Also, consider the type of exercise, and other daily commitments.
"Most of all, find a time that helps you make your exercise a regular, consistent part of your life," says Aldana, a professor of lifestyle medicine in the department of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. "This is more important than the time of day."
Establishing the Exercise Habit
One day, you'll reach a point where daily exercise comes as naturally as breathing. At that point, you may want variety.
"In an effort to stay regularly active, some people change the type of exercise they do and the time of day they do it," says Aldana, author of The Stop & Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide. "Keeping it fresh makes it more enjoyable and more likely to be continued."
But if you're still at the point where exercise is hit or miss, scheduling it for the same time each day will help you make it a habit. Whether you choose morning, lunchtime, or after work to exercise, make it part of your routine.
"People who are just starting out and who exercise randomly are more likely to drop out," White says.
She adds that starting out can be as simple as changing the route you come home from work so that you drive by a gym. "Get into the habit of going that way, and keep a bag of exercise gear in your car or at work," she says.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/whats-the-best-time-to-exercise?page=1
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Millionaire Couple Charged With Slavery
Indian-Born Long Island Husband And Wife Are Accused Of Keeping Two Indonesian Women As Slaves
Indonesian migrant worker activists act out the story of two Indonesian women allegedly held as virtual slaves and forced to work for an Indian couple in the United States in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 23, 2007. (AP)
(AP) A millionaire couple accused of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves in their luxurious Long Island home and abusing them for years has been indicted on federal slavery charges.
Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 35, and her husband, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, operate a worldwide perfume business with factories in Singapore and Bahrain.
The two were arrested last week after one of their servants was found wandering outside a doughnut shop on Long Island, wearing only pants and a towel. The woman was believed to have fled the home when she took the trash out the night before.
The couple pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court. A magistrate judge set bail at $3.5 million and imposed home detention with electronic monitoring.
An indictment handed up Tuesday night formally charged with them with two counts of forced labor and added two counts of harboring illegal residents.
Charles A. Ross, who represents Varsha Sabhnani, has said the couple traveled extensively and that the two Indonesian women were free to leave whenever they wished. He previously described them as "model citizens" who "only want to clear their names."
Friends and relatives indicated the two would be willing to post bail, but as of Wednesday morning, they remained in custody.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Demitri Jones called the allegations "truly a case of modern-day slavery."
The women, prosecutors said, were subjected to beatings, had scalding water thrown on them and were forced to repeatedly climb up stairs as punishment for perceived misdeeds. In one case, prosecutors said, one of the women was forced to eat 25 hot chili peppers at one time.
One of the women also told authorities they were forced to sleep on mats in the kitchen and were fed so little that they had to steal food.
The women legally arrived in the United States on B-1 visas in 2002; the Sabhnanis then confiscated their passports and refused to let them leave their home, authorities said. Identified in court papers as Samirah and Nona, the women said they were promised payments of $200 and $100 a month, but federal prosecutors said they were never given money directly. One of the victims' daughters living in Indonesia was sent $100 a month, prosecutors said.
They have since been cared for by Catholic Charities, according to a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/23/national/main2841898.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._2841898
Indonesian migrant worker activists act out the story of two Indonesian women allegedly held as virtual slaves and forced to work for an Indian couple in the United States in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 23, 2007. (AP)
(AP) A millionaire couple accused of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves in their luxurious Long Island home and abusing them for years has been indicted on federal slavery charges.
Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 35, and her husband, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, operate a worldwide perfume business with factories in Singapore and Bahrain.
The two were arrested last week after one of their servants was found wandering outside a doughnut shop on Long Island, wearing only pants and a towel. The woman was believed to have fled the home when she took the trash out the night before.
The couple pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court. A magistrate judge set bail at $3.5 million and imposed home detention with electronic monitoring.
An indictment handed up Tuesday night formally charged with them with two counts of forced labor and added two counts of harboring illegal residents.
Charles A. Ross, who represents Varsha Sabhnani, has said the couple traveled extensively and that the two Indonesian women were free to leave whenever they wished. He previously described them as "model citizens" who "only want to clear their names."
Friends and relatives indicated the two would be willing to post bail, but as of Wednesday morning, they remained in custody.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Demitri Jones called the allegations "truly a case of modern-day slavery."
The women, prosecutors said, were subjected to beatings, had scalding water thrown on them and were forced to repeatedly climb up stairs as punishment for perceived misdeeds. In one case, prosecutors said, one of the women was forced to eat 25 hot chili peppers at one time.
One of the women also told authorities they were forced to sleep on mats in the kitchen and were fed so little that they had to steal food.
The women legally arrived in the United States on B-1 visas in 2002; the Sabhnanis then confiscated their passports and refused to let them leave their home, authorities said. Identified in court papers as Samirah and Nona, the women said they were promised payments of $200 and $100 a month, but federal prosecutors said they were never given money directly. One of the victims' daughters living in Indonesia was sent $100 a month, prosecutors said.
They have since been cared for by Catholic Charities, according to a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/23/national/main2841898.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._2841898
New Pill May Screen for Colon Cancer
Early Colon Imaging Capsule Results ‘Encouraging’
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
May 22, 2007 -- In the future, getting screened for colon cancer may be as simple as taking a pill.
Researchers say they are encouraged by early results from an ongoing study comparing a pill-delivered imaging device with colonoscopy for detection of colon polyps and colon cancer screening. Colon polyps are growths that can become cancerous.
Similar imaging devices, called PillCams, are already being used to screen for esophageal and small intestine disease.
But it is not yet clear if the same technology will prove to be a useful tool for colon cancer screening.
The camera ‘pill’, which is the size of a large multivitamin, travels though the body capturing images along the way -- at a speed of four images per second in the case of the colon cam.
Pill-based endoscopy requires at least as much prep to clean out the colon as is needed with colonoscopy, but the actual test involves little more from the patient than swallowing a pill.
Not as Accurate as Colonoscopy
Interim findings from an ongoing European trial with a target of 329 patients were presented Tuesday in Washington at an international meeting of digestive disease specialists.
Researcher Jacques Deviere, MD, of Brussel’s Erasme University Hospital reported on results from 84 patients who had the capsule imaging procedure followed by colonoscopy screening.
Standard preparation techniques for colonoscopy screening resulted in excellent to good imaging with the ingestible endoscopy technique in two-thirds of patients and fair to poor imaging in the remaining third.
The PillCam did not detect as many polyps as colonoscopy, but Deviere and colleagues concluded that it is accurate enough to be a useful tool for colon cancer screening.
A spokesman for the Israeli company that makes the pill camera, Given Imaging Ltd, tells WebMD that the goal is not to replace colonoscopy, but to offer an alternative to patients who are unable or unwilling to undergo the invasive procedure.
“It is not quite as good as colonoscopy, but it is much easier on the patient,” says Mark Gilreath. “There is no sedation and no hospitalization.”
Gilreath says the company hopes to win approval to sell the colon imaging device in the United States by the end of the year.
Many Patients May Need Both Tests
Philadelphia gastroenterologist and Gregory Ginsberg, MD, calls the concept of wireless capsule-delivered colon screening “compelling,” but he remains skeptical about the potential impact of the imaging technique.
“I am not optimistic that this will play a significant medical role,” he says.
Unlike colonoscopy, which can both find and remove suspicious polyps or abnormalities for biopsy, the colon pill camera’s only role is detection.
That means patients with suspicious areas detected with the camera device will end up having both procedures, each requiring time-consuming and uncomfortable prep to cleanse the colon.
About 30% of patients who undergo colonoscopy screenings have polyps that require biopsy, Ginsberg says. He is director of endoscopic services at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
“Theoretically, this could help us identify people who do and do not need [colonoscopy] screening, but there are many unanswered questions,” he says.
SOURCES: Digestive Disease Week 2007, Washington, May 21, 2007. Jacques Deviere, MD, researcher, COLON pilot study; professor of medicine, Brussels Erasme University Hospital; president, European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Gregory Ginsberg, MD, professor of medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia. Mark Gilreath, chief marketing officer, Given Imaging Ltd., Yoqneam, Israel.
© 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/news/20070522/new-pill-may-screen-colon-cancer?src=RSS_PUBLIC
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
May 22, 2007 -- In the future, getting screened for colon cancer may be as simple as taking a pill.
Researchers say they are encouraged by early results from an ongoing study comparing a pill-delivered imaging device with colonoscopy for detection of colon polyps and colon cancer screening. Colon polyps are growths that can become cancerous.
Similar imaging devices, called PillCams, are already being used to screen for esophageal and small intestine disease.
But it is not yet clear if the same technology will prove to be a useful tool for colon cancer screening.
The camera ‘pill’, which is the size of a large multivitamin, travels though the body capturing images along the way -- at a speed of four images per second in the case of the colon cam.
Pill-based endoscopy requires at least as much prep to clean out the colon as is needed with colonoscopy, but the actual test involves little more from the patient than swallowing a pill.
Not as Accurate as Colonoscopy
Interim findings from an ongoing European trial with a target of 329 patients were presented Tuesday in Washington at an international meeting of digestive disease specialists.
Researcher Jacques Deviere, MD, of Brussel’s Erasme University Hospital reported on results from 84 patients who had the capsule imaging procedure followed by colonoscopy screening.
Standard preparation techniques for colonoscopy screening resulted in excellent to good imaging with the ingestible endoscopy technique in two-thirds of patients and fair to poor imaging in the remaining third.
The PillCam did not detect as many polyps as colonoscopy, but Deviere and colleagues concluded that it is accurate enough to be a useful tool for colon cancer screening.
A spokesman for the Israeli company that makes the pill camera, Given Imaging Ltd, tells WebMD that the goal is not to replace colonoscopy, but to offer an alternative to patients who are unable or unwilling to undergo the invasive procedure.
“It is not quite as good as colonoscopy, but it is much easier on the patient,” says Mark Gilreath. “There is no sedation and no hospitalization.”
Gilreath says the company hopes to win approval to sell the colon imaging device in the United States by the end of the year.
Many Patients May Need Both Tests
Philadelphia gastroenterologist and Gregory Ginsberg, MD, calls the concept of wireless capsule-delivered colon screening “compelling,” but he remains skeptical about the potential impact of the imaging technique.
“I am not optimistic that this will play a significant medical role,” he says.
Unlike colonoscopy, which can both find and remove suspicious polyps or abnormalities for biopsy, the colon pill camera’s only role is detection.
That means patients with suspicious areas detected with the camera device will end up having both procedures, each requiring time-consuming and uncomfortable prep to cleanse the colon.
About 30% of patients who undergo colonoscopy screenings have polyps that require biopsy, Ginsberg says. He is director of endoscopic services at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
“Theoretically, this could help us identify people who do and do not need [colonoscopy] screening, but there are many unanswered questions,” he says.
SOURCES: Digestive Disease Week 2007, Washington, May 21, 2007. Jacques Deviere, MD, researcher, COLON pilot study; professor of medicine, Brussels Erasme University Hospital; president, European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Gregory Ginsberg, MD, professor of medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia. Mark Gilreath, chief marketing officer, Given Imaging Ltd., Yoqneam, Israel.
© 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/news/20070522/new-pill-may-screen-colon-cancer?src=RSS_PUBLIC
A Long Way Off
In the last two messages, we've considered the parable of the
prodigal son. We've seen how we must often "Love Enough to Let Go"
and trust that God will continue to work in the life of our prodigal
even as they walk through "Their Field of Pigs."
As the son was longing to eat the pig food, he decided to return home
and began to rehearse what he would say; "I will set out and go back
to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son" (Luke 15:18-19).
The son returned home. But before he could give his speech - before
he could tell his father about eating with the pigs...before he could
"prove" his repentance or say ANYTHING - the father received him with joy.
Luke 15:20
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was
filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms
around him and kissed him."
When the father saw his son had returned, he was overjoyed and wanted
to celebrate: "Bring the fatted calf...for this son of mine was dead
and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:23,24). This
type of love and joy cannot be manufactured for a one-time event. It
must be established in the relationship long before there is trouble,
and maintained even when all else is falling apart.
The scripture isn't clear about what turmoil occurred when the
prodigal son left home. We're never told of the father's pain - but
I assure you it was there. It's not clear how long the son was away
- but I KNOW the father spent many anxious moments worrying about his
son. And yet, when the son returned, there was joy and
forgiveness. Without condoning the poor choices the son had made,
the father received the son and loved him without reservation.
When we turn to our Heavenly Father in faith, He accepts us without
requiring that we earn His love or demonstrate our worth. We may
have drifted far away and are unsure how to find our way back into
His loving arms; but when we turn and seek Him, we find He is right
there ready to receive us Home.
Jesus Christ submitted to a horrible death in order to provide a path
of restoration. We who have been restored are now called to restore
with others in this same manner; "Forgive as the Lord forgave you"
(Colossians 3:13). We are called to be a catalyst of restoration,
not a hedge of thorns which must be vaulted over. When our prodigal
begins to return, let's believe the best, be filled with compassion,
and receive them back with true forgiveness and joy - even while they
are a long way off.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Other Voices: HBO tackles NFL head injuries
DUSTY SAUNDERS
Ted Johnson has a vacant look in his eyes as he stares into the camera.
The former New England Patriots linebacker, attired in a dark suit, has "cleaned up" for his HBO interview with Bernard Goldberg after spending the previous 11 days in a darkened apartment.
"I don't shave ... don't shower ... don't brush my teeth ... you can't care," Johnson says in a negative, disheartened tone.
Now living in a shadowy, mixed-up world, Johnson is one of several former NFL players who have been victims of numerous helmet-crushing hits and are suffering from debilitating memory loss, confusion, dementia and even suicidal depression.
Their stories, which debuted Monday night on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," should be a wake-up call to the NFL, which, according to HBO, hasn't paid much attention to the growing problem.
Based on Goldberg's interview with Dr. Ian Casson, a spokesman-physician for the NFL, little attention will be paid in the future.
Casson tells Goldberg there's "no clear evidence" teams are endangering the lives of players by allowing them to play after they have suffered what could have been severe head injuries.
In a smirking tone, Casson says such accusations are "overblown."
Tell that to Johnson, who recalls suffering a major concussion in a Patriots-Giants preseason game in August 2002. Four days later, coaches insisted he return to hard-knocking contact, where he suffered another concussion.
During the next several seasons, Johnson was cleared for playing by coaches, trainers and doctors. Now he exists in a shadow world, telling Goldberg he's addicted to heavy medication he's forced to take to survive.
But at least Johnson is a survivor -- so far.
Andre Waters, former hard-hitting defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles, committed suicide in November. Doctors and pathologists agreed: The brain of Waters, 44, was muddled because of too many hits on NFL fields.
NFL fans can recall tight end John Mackey, one of the league's all-time best. It's sad to watch Mackey, in hesitant style, trying to answer Goldberg's simple, direct questions.
Mackey has a form of dementia that has removed nearly all of his short-term memory.
The finger-pointing at the lax NFL policies regarding head injuries is done by several physicians and consultant Chris Nowinski, who survived pro wrestling before getting involved in sports medicine.
Bennet Omalu, a Pittsburgh-area doctor, outlines specifically how Waters' suicide by gunshot was the result of head injuries in the NFL.
So why is the NFL seemingly unconcerned with an obvious problem?
Johnson's succinct answer: "Money, my man. It's just about making money."
ON TV
Monday's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" is replayed today on HBO2 at 1 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Wednesday on HBO at 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Dusty Saunders is the broadcasting critic for the Rocky Mountain News.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/315692_realsports15.html
Ted Johnson has a vacant look in his eyes as he stares into the camera.
The former New England Patriots linebacker, attired in a dark suit, has "cleaned up" for his HBO interview with Bernard Goldberg after spending the previous 11 days in a darkened apartment.
"I don't shave ... don't shower ... don't brush my teeth ... you can't care," Johnson says in a negative, disheartened tone.
Now living in a shadowy, mixed-up world, Johnson is one of several former NFL players who have been victims of numerous helmet-crushing hits and are suffering from debilitating memory loss, confusion, dementia and even suicidal depression.
Their stories, which debuted Monday night on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," should be a wake-up call to the NFL, which, according to HBO, hasn't paid much attention to the growing problem.
Based on Goldberg's interview with Dr. Ian Casson, a spokesman-physician for the NFL, little attention will be paid in the future.
Casson tells Goldberg there's "no clear evidence" teams are endangering the lives of players by allowing them to play after they have suffered what could have been severe head injuries.
In a smirking tone, Casson says such accusations are "overblown."
Tell that to Johnson, who recalls suffering a major concussion in a Patriots-Giants preseason game in August 2002. Four days later, coaches insisted he return to hard-knocking contact, where he suffered another concussion.
During the next several seasons, Johnson was cleared for playing by coaches, trainers and doctors. Now he exists in a shadow world, telling Goldberg he's addicted to heavy medication he's forced to take to survive.
But at least Johnson is a survivor -- so far.
Andre Waters, former hard-hitting defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles, committed suicide in November. Doctors and pathologists agreed: The brain of Waters, 44, was muddled because of too many hits on NFL fields.
NFL fans can recall tight end John Mackey, one of the league's all-time best. It's sad to watch Mackey, in hesitant style, trying to answer Goldberg's simple, direct questions.
Mackey has a form of dementia that has removed nearly all of his short-term memory.
The finger-pointing at the lax NFL policies regarding head injuries is done by several physicians and consultant Chris Nowinski, who survived pro wrestling before getting involved in sports medicine.
Bennet Omalu, a Pittsburgh-area doctor, outlines specifically how Waters' suicide by gunshot was the result of head injuries in the NFL.
So why is the NFL seemingly unconcerned with an obvious problem?
Johnson's succinct answer: "Money, my man. It's just about making money."
ON TV
Monday's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" is replayed today on HBO2 at 1 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Wednesday on HBO at 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Dusty Saunders is the broadcasting critic for the Rocky Mountain News.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/315692_realsports15.html
'Brain Chaser' Tackles Effects of NFL Hits
By Les Carpenter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 25, 2007; Page E01
PITTSBURGH -- Bennet Omalu knows why his phone calls often bring silence on the other end. He introduces himself as a forensic pathologist, which means he is trained to examine dead people. He explains that he's also a neuropathologist, which means he is trained to examine dead people's brains. He says all this through a thick accent that is the result of a childhood spent in Nigeria.
Then there is the matter of what he is seeking in those calls: the brains of recently deceased professional football players.
Coming over the phone in slightly broken English, with a complicated explanation of a medical phenomena that most coroners have never heard of or believe to be true, the request to have the brain pulled from the freshly deceased player's head and shipped here to be studied might as well come from Mars.
"They insult me," Omalu said. "They say, 'What do you think you are doing?' " Then they say no.
Omalu, 37, a man who knew nothing about football and was a soccer goalie in his homeland, believes he has proven that repeated concussions in football lead to early-onset dementia, very similar to the boxing ailment known as "punch-drunk syndrome," possibly leading to dementia and depression.
Omalu has been able to examine four brains -- those of former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Andre Waters, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Mike Webster and Terry Long and former Denver Broncos running back Damien Nash. Webster, Long and Waters all showed signs of severe punch-drunk syndrome, and Long and Waters committed suicide. Nash, who died Feb. 24 after collapsing following a charity basketball game, did not. But he was just 24 and barely had played in the NFL.
And while the link between Webster, Long and Waters, who all suffered emotionally and intellectually in their post-football lives, has encouraged some researchers, others question the validity of Omalu's work, suggesting his research is sloppy and the evidence is insufficient. Either way, he needs more brains.
That is not easy to accomplish.
"Just call me a brain chaser. That's what I do," Omalu said with a laugh.
He is a smallish man with a wide face and a big smile who favors pinstriped suits and chats without the detached air of many doctors. He came to the United States in 1994 to do his residency at the University of Washington. He was drawn to pathology because he never really liked any other field of medicine. He found it all too boring. Along the way, he discovered he loved to study the brain.
Five years ago, while working at the Allegheny County medical examiner's office, he came to work and discovered Webster's body on the slab. The former Steelers center caused a stir in the coroner's office mainly because he was one of the most beloved Pittsburgh players of the 1970s and '80s. But Webster had fallen on hard times after football; he seemed scattered and irritable, eventually lost all of his money and distanced himself from his family.
Watching coverage of Webster's death (the cause was not released), Omalu was shocked that the people who talked about him on television mocked his intelligence. Omalu wondered if perhaps Webster suffered from dementia pugilistica, or punch-drunk syndrome. When he arrived at work and discovered he would be doing the autopsy on Webster, he pulled out the brain and found it to look unblemished. Still, he wanted a further look.
When slides were made of the matter, then magnified 200 times, the telltale red flecks of abnormal protein appeared. The proteins appear when the brain is hit, Omalu said, but disappear as the healthy brain cells devour them, leading to recovery. Yet when the brain suffers too many blows, the brain cells can't keep up with the protein and eventually give up and die, leaving just the red flecks.
"No brain of a 40- or 50-year-old should look like this," Omalu said. The only people who would have such markings, he added, were boxers, very old people with Alzheimer's disease or someone who had suffered a severe head wound. Webster was only 50.
There is a good chance that Omalu is the only person who would have thought to check Webster's brain for punch-drunk syndrome. Since few pathologists are trained as neuropathologists, they never would have seen the textbook pictures of the abnormal proteins that Omalu had observed in medical school.
"Another doctor would have cut up the brain," Omalu said.
Omalu was on duty when Long killed himself. Once again, Omalu preserved the brain, had slides made up and discovered the same red flecks. He also faced a skeptical medical field that shrugged off Webster's problems as non-football related. But by then, he had made a believer of Christopher Nowinski, a former football player at Harvard who had wrestled in World Wrestling Entertainment under the name Chris Harvard. Nowinski had been forced to retire from wrestling in 2003 because of numerous concussions and wrote a book on the ordeal called "Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis."
When Nowinski heard of Waters's suicide last fall, he called the medical examiner in Florida, requesting the brain for Omalu. When the coroner refused, Nowinski contacted Omalu, who discovered that the brain mostly had been destroyed.
After getting permission from Waters's family, Omalu was able to salvage small chunks of Waters's brain. Upon examination, Omalu found the same red streaks as in the brains of Webster and Long.
"In medicine, three cases make a series," said Julian Bailes, the chairman of the neurosurgery department at West Virginia University and a leading concussion researcher. "You can report that. When they published the findings about Mike Webster, a skeptic could say, 'This is a chance occurrence.' Then Terry Long died and was brought, serendipitously, to the same medical examiner's office, but people could say 'maybe that was a coincidence.' But a third case makes a series."
All of which prompts Bailes to call Omalu's work "breakthrough research."
Others are not so sure. Ira Casson, the co-chair of the NFL's Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and a neurologist at Long Island Jewish Hospital, said Omalu has not provided complete medical histories on Webster and Long, relying instead on anecdotal evidence from the families rather than actual records. He also questions whether a real diagnosis can be made on Waters from such small fragments.
Casson also said there were "glaring deficiencies" in an article Omalu published on Webster, claiming that Omalu made Webster's brain trauma seem worse after being questioned on his initial findings. He said Omalu needs to have a wider sampling than just football players to prove his thesis.
Omalu has heard many of these criticisms. He realizes there are not many people who would make the calls he has, but he also can't let go of the red flecks he saw on the slides and the effects they have had on the families of those players. He still can feel the warmth of the embrace Waters's mother, Willie Ola Perry, gave him when he told her what he found inside her son's brain.
"She was so glad to know that [he] didn't do this on his own, he was sick," Omalu said.
Every time he seems unsure of what he's doing and frets that another coroner is going to mock his request, he thinks of that hug or the smile Webster's son Garrett gave him and picks up the phone.
He'll read of a former NFL player dying, especially under suspicious circumstances, and he'll make a call, first to the coroner and then to the family. He looks for candidates who might want to donate their brains when they die. He even said he phoned the office of boxer Muhammad Ali, whose Parkinson's disease is believed to have been caused by too many blows to the head. But Ali's people were so horrified at the thought of discussing the possibility of the boxer's death they quickly ended the call.
He realizes his inquiries are going to put off people and is certain his accent is a burden. He thinks people are convinced he is out to ruin football and are threatened the moment they pick up the phone.
"They seem to think: 'A foreigner is coming in to teach something of value to us. Is he telling us to stop playing football? Who is he?' " Omalu said. "It's not about the game, it's about the science."
When he thinks his accent might get in the way, he asks Nowinski to make the calls.
"It's extremely awkward to ask," Nowinski said. "I spend 15 minutes before picking up the phone to practice how actually I am going to put it. You only get one chance."
When he first called the Waters family after Andre's death, they told him no. In the time he was able to finally persuade them to say yes, the full brain already had been destroyed. Nowinski and Omalu were fortunate the medical examiner's office had kept some small parts of the brain that could be examined.
It shows the urgency Nowinski and Omalu feel to make sure they don't let any further opportunities slip away.
"Calling people within days of a passing is not comfortable," Nowinski said. "But the long-term good is better than the negatives of the call. It gives the answers to strange behaviors. And it's helped give meaning to a tragic situation. By doing what they've done, they've helped a whole lot of people."
Omalu is hopeful he soon will have another brain to examine, though he will not provide the name of the deceased former player whose family has given him permission to look at the brain. It will be someone people will know, he said. He is certain he will find the same red streaks in this brain as he did in the others. And when he releases those findings, he is sure more people will answer when he and Nowinski call about brains.
"You kind of can't stop because of the importance of the findings," Nowinski said. "To not keep going would hurt a lot of people."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042402480.html
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 25, 2007; Page E01
PITTSBURGH -- Bennet Omalu knows why his phone calls often bring silence on the other end. He introduces himself as a forensic pathologist, which means he is trained to examine dead people. He explains that he's also a neuropathologist, which means he is trained to examine dead people's brains. He says all this through a thick accent that is the result of a childhood spent in Nigeria.
Then there is the matter of what he is seeking in those calls: the brains of recently deceased professional football players.
Coming over the phone in slightly broken English, with a complicated explanation of a medical phenomena that most coroners have never heard of or believe to be true, the request to have the brain pulled from the freshly deceased player's head and shipped here to be studied might as well come from Mars.
"They insult me," Omalu said. "They say, 'What do you think you are doing?' " Then they say no.
Omalu, 37, a man who knew nothing about football and was a soccer goalie in his homeland, believes he has proven that repeated concussions in football lead to early-onset dementia, very similar to the boxing ailment known as "punch-drunk syndrome," possibly leading to dementia and depression.
Omalu has been able to examine four brains -- those of former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Andre Waters, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Mike Webster and Terry Long and former Denver Broncos running back Damien Nash. Webster, Long and Waters all showed signs of severe punch-drunk syndrome, and Long and Waters committed suicide. Nash, who died Feb. 24 after collapsing following a charity basketball game, did not. But he was just 24 and barely had played in the NFL.
And while the link between Webster, Long and Waters, who all suffered emotionally and intellectually in their post-football lives, has encouraged some researchers, others question the validity of Omalu's work, suggesting his research is sloppy and the evidence is insufficient. Either way, he needs more brains.
That is not easy to accomplish.
"Just call me a brain chaser. That's what I do," Omalu said with a laugh.
He is a smallish man with a wide face and a big smile who favors pinstriped suits and chats without the detached air of many doctors. He came to the United States in 1994 to do his residency at the University of Washington. He was drawn to pathology because he never really liked any other field of medicine. He found it all too boring. Along the way, he discovered he loved to study the brain.
Five years ago, while working at the Allegheny County medical examiner's office, he came to work and discovered Webster's body on the slab. The former Steelers center caused a stir in the coroner's office mainly because he was one of the most beloved Pittsburgh players of the 1970s and '80s. But Webster had fallen on hard times after football; he seemed scattered and irritable, eventually lost all of his money and distanced himself from his family.
Watching coverage of Webster's death (the cause was not released), Omalu was shocked that the people who talked about him on television mocked his intelligence. Omalu wondered if perhaps Webster suffered from dementia pugilistica, or punch-drunk syndrome. When he arrived at work and discovered he would be doing the autopsy on Webster, he pulled out the brain and found it to look unblemished. Still, he wanted a further look.
When slides were made of the matter, then magnified 200 times, the telltale red flecks of abnormal protein appeared. The proteins appear when the brain is hit, Omalu said, but disappear as the healthy brain cells devour them, leading to recovery. Yet when the brain suffers too many blows, the brain cells can't keep up with the protein and eventually give up and die, leaving just the red flecks.
"No brain of a 40- or 50-year-old should look like this," Omalu said. The only people who would have such markings, he added, were boxers, very old people with Alzheimer's disease or someone who had suffered a severe head wound. Webster was only 50.
There is a good chance that Omalu is the only person who would have thought to check Webster's brain for punch-drunk syndrome. Since few pathologists are trained as neuropathologists, they never would have seen the textbook pictures of the abnormal proteins that Omalu had observed in medical school.
"Another doctor would have cut up the brain," Omalu said.
Omalu was on duty when Long killed himself. Once again, Omalu preserved the brain, had slides made up and discovered the same red flecks. He also faced a skeptical medical field that shrugged off Webster's problems as non-football related. But by then, he had made a believer of Christopher Nowinski, a former football player at Harvard who had wrestled in World Wrestling Entertainment under the name Chris Harvard. Nowinski had been forced to retire from wrestling in 2003 because of numerous concussions and wrote a book on the ordeal called "Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis."
When Nowinski heard of Waters's suicide last fall, he called the medical examiner in Florida, requesting the brain for Omalu. When the coroner refused, Nowinski contacted Omalu, who discovered that the brain mostly had been destroyed.
After getting permission from Waters's family, Omalu was able to salvage small chunks of Waters's brain. Upon examination, Omalu found the same red streaks as in the brains of Webster and Long.
"In medicine, three cases make a series," said Julian Bailes, the chairman of the neurosurgery department at West Virginia University and a leading concussion researcher. "You can report that. When they published the findings about Mike Webster, a skeptic could say, 'This is a chance occurrence.' Then Terry Long died and was brought, serendipitously, to the same medical examiner's office, but people could say 'maybe that was a coincidence.' But a third case makes a series."
All of which prompts Bailes to call Omalu's work "breakthrough research."
Others are not so sure. Ira Casson, the co-chair of the NFL's Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and a neurologist at Long Island Jewish Hospital, said Omalu has not provided complete medical histories on Webster and Long, relying instead on anecdotal evidence from the families rather than actual records. He also questions whether a real diagnosis can be made on Waters from such small fragments.
Casson also said there were "glaring deficiencies" in an article Omalu published on Webster, claiming that Omalu made Webster's brain trauma seem worse after being questioned on his initial findings. He said Omalu needs to have a wider sampling than just football players to prove his thesis.
Omalu has heard many of these criticisms. He realizes there are not many people who would make the calls he has, but he also can't let go of the red flecks he saw on the slides and the effects they have had on the families of those players. He still can feel the warmth of the embrace Waters's mother, Willie Ola Perry, gave him when he told her what he found inside her son's brain.
"She was so glad to know that [he] didn't do this on his own, he was sick," Omalu said.
Every time he seems unsure of what he's doing and frets that another coroner is going to mock his request, he thinks of that hug or the smile Webster's son Garrett gave him and picks up the phone.
He'll read of a former NFL player dying, especially under suspicious circumstances, and he'll make a call, first to the coroner and then to the family. He looks for candidates who might want to donate their brains when they die. He even said he phoned the office of boxer Muhammad Ali, whose Parkinson's disease is believed to have been caused by too many blows to the head. But Ali's people were so horrified at the thought of discussing the possibility of the boxer's death they quickly ended the call.
He realizes his inquiries are going to put off people and is certain his accent is a burden. He thinks people are convinced he is out to ruin football and are threatened the moment they pick up the phone.
"They seem to think: 'A foreigner is coming in to teach something of value to us. Is he telling us to stop playing football? Who is he?' " Omalu said. "It's not about the game, it's about the science."
When he thinks his accent might get in the way, he asks Nowinski to make the calls.
"It's extremely awkward to ask," Nowinski said. "I spend 15 minutes before picking up the phone to practice how actually I am going to put it. You only get one chance."
When he first called the Waters family after Andre's death, they told him no. In the time he was able to finally persuade them to say yes, the full brain already had been destroyed. Nowinski and Omalu were fortunate the medical examiner's office had kept some small parts of the brain that could be examined.
It shows the urgency Nowinski and Omalu feel to make sure they don't let any further opportunities slip away.
"Calling people within days of a passing is not comfortable," Nowinski said. "But the long-term good is better than the negatives of the call. It gives the answers to strange behaviors. And it's helped give meaning to a tragic situation. By doing what they've done, they've helped a whole lot of people."
Omalu is hopeful he soon will have another brain to examine, though he will not provide the name of the deceased former player whose family has given him permission to look at the brain. It will be someone people will know, he said. He is certain he will find the same red streaks in this brain as he did in the others. And when he releases those findings, he is sure more people will answer when he and Nowinski call about brains.
"You kind of can't stop because of the importance of the findings," Nowinski said. "To not keep going would hurt a lot of people."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042402480.html
Real Sports: Concussions
In the violent world of the NFL, helmet-crushing hits that sometimes cause concussions are commonplace. Research has shown that multiple concussions can cause permanent brain injuries, possibly leading to debilitating memory loss, confusion, dementia and even suicidal depression. A host of former players and one unlikely advocate from the world of pro wrestling have turned to the NFL for answers, but have been disappointed with the response. Bernard Goldberg investigates as Real Sports premieres May 14th at 10PM ET/PT.
http://sports.aol.com/nfl/story/_a/real-sports-concussions/20070511172409990001
http://sports.aol.com/nfl/story/_a/real-sports-concussions/20070511172409990001
Their Field of Pigs
The parable of the prodigal son has had special meaning to our family
over the last many years. We've witnessed nearly every aspect of
this parable work itself out through the life of our daughter, from
the pain of her rebellion to the joy of her return. I've also seen
this as the most common problem faced by parents all over the
world. No matter what country or culture, parents agonize over the
one who has gone astray.
In this parable, we see a rebellious young man demanding what he felt
was rightfully his: "Father, give me my share of the estate" (Luke
15:12). This disrespectful attitude grew until the son no longer
desired to live under his father's roof. He "got together all he
had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in
wild living" (Luke 15:13).
The reason this is such a universally common issue is that we are all
born with the same sinful nature - a nature which holds us in tight
control unless we are utterly transformed by the Spirit of God
through faith in Jesus; "Those who live according to the sinful
nature have their minds set on what that nature desires" (Romans
8:5). At the heart of the sinful nature is a pride which continually
demands what we believe we deserve - this is the root of all sin!
The prodigal son continued to live according to his sinful nature
until he found himself in a field of pigs; "he longed to fill his
stomach with the pods {they} were eating" (Luke 15:16). But God used
this terrible situation to soften the heart of the prodigal son and
bring him to a state of submitted repentance.
Luke 15:17-18
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired
men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set
out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you.'"
Before the son left home, I'm sure the father tried to provide wise
counsel about the true priorities in life. I'm sure the father
desperately tried every possible method of guiding the son along the
straight and narrow path. I'm also pretty sure the father simply
held his son close and wept. Unfortunately, the lessons the son
needed to learn could only be taught through pigs.
There is nothing more painful than to watch someone you love walk
down a path of obvious pain - nothing rips the heart like watching
your child walk away from God and engage in various forms of "wild
living." But it helps to remember that God loves the prodigal more
than we can hope or imagine. He desires to live with them in an
eternally restored relationship. Our Heavenly Father will never miss
an opportunity to teach the prodigal and draw them near - even as
they may drift and sink - even as they may wallow in their field of pigs.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
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Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
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God's Daily Word Ministries
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Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
Love Enough To Let Go
In the message "Their Field of Pigs" we considered the parable of the
prodigal son and were encouraged to remember that God will use every
tool available (even pigs) to draw His children Home. Our highest
desire for our children must be to see them secure in the arms of
God. Notice that in this parable there's no mention of the father
between the time the son left and when he returned home. The father
appears to have watched his son leave and then simply waited for his return.
The father must have known of his son's condition while away; "this
son of mine was dead and is alive again" (Luke 15:24). There must
have been many reports of the son's activities which were openly
discussed with the rest of the family: "The older brother became
angry...'this son of yours who has squandered your property with
prostitutes comes home'" (Luke 15:28,30). And yet, while the son was
away, the father never once stepped in to "rescue" him.
Was the father lazy and uncaring? Was this simply the product of a
macho culture that didn't show much emotion? Or was this a father
who knew how God's grace could work a difficult situation toward a
wonderful good?
James 1:2-4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything."
We often reference this passage during times of personal
trial. These verses encourage us to understand the purpose of our
difficult times and to trust God so fully that we actually rejoice
because we know He is using our trials to make us complete.
Many of us understand and at least try to apply these verses in our
own life. But it's an additional step of faith (a very big step) to
trust and apply these verses in the life of others - especially those
we dearly love. If we are to rejoice in our own trials because of
the good being worked within us, there is also a sense in which we
should rejoice in the trials of others.
As painful as it must have been, the father allowed God to complete
His work - even though it meant his son would actually long to eat
with the pigs! And yes, this father loved his son.
When someone we love goes astray, let's continue to lift them up in
prayer; always let them know they are loved and continually speak a
gentle message of truth. Let's NEVER give up hope, but let's allow
God to finish the glorious work He's begun. Let's trust Him above
ALL else and love enough to let go.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
Archive of previous devotions : http://www.gdwm.org/archive07.htm
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Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
God's Daily Word Ministries
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Lorena, TX 76655
*****************************************************
Monday, May 21, 2007
MySpace to share sex offender data
By MARGARET LILLARD, Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. - MySpace.com will provide a number of state attorneys general with data on registered sex offenders who use the popular social networking Web site, the company said Monday.
Attorneys general from eight states demanded last week that the company provide data on how many registered sex offenders are using the site and where they live. MySpace initially refused, citing federal privacy laws.
MySpace obtained the data from Sentinel Tech Holding Corp., which the company partnered with in December to build a database with information on sex offenders.
MySpace, owned by media conglomerate News Corp., said it had always planned to share the Sentinel data with law enforcement, adding it has already deleted the online profiles of sex offenders identified by the system.
Attorneys general in North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania asked for the Sentinel data last week.
Cooper's office said in a statement the information could potentially be used to look for parole violations or help in investigations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070521/ap_on_hi_te/myspace_sex_offenders
RALEIGH, N.C. - MySpace.com will provide a number of state attorneys general with data on registered sex offenders who use the popular social networking Web site, the company said Monday.
Attorneys general from eight states demanded last week that the company provide data on how many registered sex offenders are using the site and where they live. MySpace initially refused, citing federal privacy laws.
MySpace obtained the data from Sentinel Tech Holding Corp., which the company partnered with in December to build a database with information on sex offenders.
MySpace, owned by media conglomerate News Corp., said it had always planned to share the Sentinel data with law enforcement, adding it has already deleted the online profiles of sex offenders identified by the system.
Attorneys general in North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania asked for the Sentinel data last week.
Cooper's office said in a statement the information could potentially be used to look for parole violations or help in investigations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070521/ap_on_hi_te/myspace_sex_offenders
John 8:54-59 - Lesson #93
The most important question we will ever face is, Who is Jesus
Christ? Our answer to this question can affect the way we live for
the rest of our life; but more importantly, our answer will determine
our eternity.
A group of Jews were questioning Jesus about some of His bold
claims. He claimed a higher authority than anything the Jews had
ever known. He claimed to have the authority to grant freedom; "If
the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). And
He even claimed to have the authority to grant life; if anyone keeps
My word he shall never see death" (John 8:51). The Jews then asked
the all important question, "Who do You make Yourself out to be?" (John 8:53).
John 8:54-59
"Jesus answered, 'If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My
Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you
have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, "I do not know
Him," I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His
word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and
was glad.' Then the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years
old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly,
I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.' Then they took up stones to
throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going
through the midst of them, and so passed by."
The claims Jesus made about Himself would only be mere words if they
were made by His own authority. But His claims were made valid
through a uniquely personal relationship with the Father. He claimed
a divine authority which had been established before the beginning of
time and seen by Abraham. When Abraham was taking Isaac up the
mountain he saw the day when "God will provide for Himself the lamb
for a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8). He knew the day would come
when, "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed"
(Genesis 22:18). Abraham believed the promises of God but could only
see them from afar off (Hebrews 11:13). Though Abraham did not know
the fullness of Jesus, he rejoiced in His appearing.
The Jews dismissed His claim by comparing His age to the more than
two thousand years since Abraham. Jesus responded with a clear
statement of identity, "I AM." He has always existed in the present,
"I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He" (Isaiah
41:4). But Jesus was also claiming the title reserved only for God;
"Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to
you'" (Exodus 3:14). The Jews understood His claim as blasphemy and
sought to stone Him according to their law (Leviticus 24:16).
His claims are clear. He claimed to be more than a man, more than a
prophet. He claimed a unique Sonship with authority over sin and
death. And finally He claimed to be I AM. The Jews understood His
claims and rejected. Now we are called to answer the question Jesus
first asked of Peter: "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew
16:15). Let's answer by believing His claims, living by His
authority, and rejoicing to see His day.
Have a Great Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
*****************************************************
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Scripture references: The New King James Version.
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Friday, May 18, 2007
Person of the Week: Marlon Shirley
Amputee Marlon Shirley Is Among the Fastest Men in the World
Marlon Shirley is one of the fastest people in the world, even though he has a prosthetic foot.
"It's something I train for every single day. It's almost just like an automatic movement of my body springing down the track," he said.
Shirley is competing this weekend in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. The games' official motto is "focus on the athlete and not on the disability," and Shirley, 26, is chasing five gold medals.
"We all have our own type of disabilities," he said. "Mine just happens to be physical, and you can see it very easily when I run. But you can't tell it by the time I get done racing."
He won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Australia four years ago.
"I couldn't remember much of it all. I just remember starting, and I just remember having my arms up at the end," he said.
Shirley is an extraordinary athlete. He hold the long jump record for disabled athletes, and he was the first amputee to run the 100-meter dash in under 11 seconds — only two seconds less than the world record for men who have both their legs.
Shirley's prosthetic foot is made of carbon fiber titanium, materials developed in the aerospace industry. He is clearly testing the limits of what a prosthetic foot can do.
"The feet? They've lasted me forever," he said.
Troubled Childhood
Shirley did not have a great start in life.
He was 3 years old when his mother abandoned him on the Las Vegas Strip. After bouncing around foster homes and being abused, he had an accident that would change his life.
He was jumping on a lawn mower and slipped. The injury resulted in several amputations; his left leg ends just below the knee.
"I remember running around on crutches just like I'd run around if I had another foot," he said. "I definitely never looked at myself any differently than anyone else."
He was finally adopted by a loving family in Utah.
"I grew up in northern Utah. It probably was not the easiest situation for [my adoptive parents], but hopefully by what I'm doing with my life right now is a way for me to show them I appreciate what they've done," Shirley said.
In 1997, a coach saw potential in the rambunctious, athletic kid and took him to a competition for disabled athletes. In his first meet, Shirley broke the high jump record.
Today, Shirley lives and trains at an Olympic facility in San Diego. He runs and jumps against athletes who are not disabled.
"When you train with somebody that's faster than you, it pulls you through the line, it makes you train harder," Shirley said. "Those guys consider me just as much as an athlete as they do themselves and their competitors."
In his fairly short career, Shirley has already broken a half-dozen world records for disabled athletes. He thinks the next four years will be his best.
Shirley is looking for even better prosthetic technology. He wants to jump further and run even faster.
"I run the 100-meter dash in under 11 seconds, I long-jump over 24 feet," he said. "Anything can be done."
Peter Jennings filed this report for World News Tonight.
http://i.abcnews.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=131421&page=1
Cavalier Seeks Players’ Support for Darfur
By HOWARD BECK
Published: May 16, 2007
CLEVELAND, May 15 — Ira Newble was not politically active until he read about Eric Reeves. Reeves was not a fan of professional basketball until he received a flurry of e-mail messages from Newble.
But Reeves, a 57-year-old English professor at Smith College in Massachusetts, is now rooting hard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Newble, a Cavs reserve, is now pushing hard to advance Reeves’s humanitarian cause.
Their common ground is Darfur, the region of Sudan where an armed conflict has caused the death of an estimated 500,000 civilians and the displacement of 2.5 million others. It has been called genocide by a number of governments, including the United States, and by Reeves, a leading scholar on the conflict.
A passionate advocate for international intervention, Reeves was profiled by USA Today in March. Newble read the story while the Cavs were on the road, and was so moved that he reached out to Reeves.
“There’s innocent people dying, and it’s just a tragedy to stand back and let them do what they’re doing,” Newble said.
So Newble chose to act. He absorbed as much information as he could find on the Internet. He downloaded fact sheets and articles, made printouts and put copies in every teammate’s locker.
The result is a letter, signed by Newble and most of his teammates and released last week, that takes aim at China, which supplies the Sudanese government with money and weapons. China, in turn, is a major importer of Sudan’s oil.
The letter reads in part, “We, as basketball players in the N.B.A. and as potential athletes in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, cannot look on with indifference to the massive human suffering and destruction that continue in the Darfur region of Sudan.” It concludes with a plea to the Chinese government “to use all available diplomatic resources and economic pressure to end the agony of Darfur, and to secure access for U.N. peace support personnel.”
The letter has not been signed by the star LeBron James but has been endorsed by most of the Cavaliers’ roster, including the starters Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Reeves said this simple gesture could be the start of something much greater.
“This is the catalyst that’s going to stimulate within the sports world a phenomenal response, and an international response to the realities in Darfur, which the world has allowed,” Reeves said in a telephone interview. “This is the fifth year of genocidal destruction. It’s unconscionable that the international community has allowed this to continue for so long.”
Newble is reaching out to as many of the N.B.A.’s 400-plus players as he can. His agent, Steve Kauffman, has spread the word through his peers. Kauffman also plans to contact the players unions of the National Football League and Major League Baseball to enlist their support.
Reeves envisions the movement spreading across the athletic spectrum. Advocates have reached out to Muhammad Ali, perhaps the most famous athlete-activist, and are optimistic that he will join their cause.
Reeves and others say China holds the key to improving the situation in Darfur. They are highlighting Beijing’s role as the host of the 2008 Olympic Games, but are not calling for a boycott.
Newble, a seven-year N.B.A. journeyman playing for his third team, is probably unknown to most basketball fans. He is not in the Cavaliers’ regular rotation and has made only a token appearance in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Nets.
Newble will probably have little impact on the series, which Cleveland leads, 3-1. But the longer the Cavaliers play, the more chances Newble has to recruit players to his cause and to give interviews on Darfur, which is why Reeves finds himself rooting for Cleveland.
In the Cavaliers’ locker room, Newble — who idolized Ali as a child — is known for his outspokenness, his intellect and his keen interest in world affairs.
“He’s a very caring person and he’s very educated, very knowledgeable about a lot of different things,” his teammate Damon Jones said.
The campaign is straightforward and relatively restrained, but is potentially awkward for the N.B.A. Last week, Commissioner David Stern hinted at operating a league in China and designated the Cavaliers’ James as the N.B.A.’s ambassador. The players union just announced its own partnership with a Chinese corporation.
Stern declined to address Newble’s letter specifically but said through a spokeswoman, “We respect our players’ rights to express their views on important public issues.” The players union issued a statement stressing that it was doing business with a Chinese corporation, not the Chinese government, adding, “The problems and issues in the Sudan and Darfur are extraordinarily complex and nuanced.”
Only three of Newble’s teammates did not sign the letter, and two of them — James and Jones — have business ties to China. (The third player, David Wesley, is away from the team tending to family matters.)
James, one of the N.B.A.’s most marketed stars, has a $90 million endorsement contract with Nike, which has extensive dealings in China. Jones has an endorsement deal with Li Ning, a shoe company in China.
“It’s basically not having enough information,” James said of his decision not to sign the letter.
Jones said of the letter, “I can’t comment about that.”
Newble considers the impact that a major N.B.A. star — perhaps Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony — could have on the Darfur campaign. He says he understands that some will be reluctant to risk their names and business opportunities.
“But at the end of the day,” he said, “if you’re doing something good, it’s all going to come back to you.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/sports/basketball/16cavaliers.html
Published: May 16, 2007
CLEVELAND, May 15 — Ira Newble was not politically active until he read about Eric Reeves. Reeves was not a fan of professional basketball until he received a flurry of e-mail messages from Newble.
But Reeves, a 57-year-old English professor at Smith College in Massachusetts, is now rooting hard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Newble, a Cavs reserve, is now pushing hard to advance Reeves’s humanitarian cause.
Their common ground is Darfur, the region of Sudan where an armed conflict has caused the death of an estimated 500,000 civilians and the displacement of 2.5 million others. It has been called genocide by a number of governments, including the United States, and by Reeves, a leading scholar on the conflict.
A passionate advocate for international intervention, Reeves was profiled by USA Today in March. Newble read the story while the Cavs were on the road, and was so moved that he reached out to Reeves.
“There’s innocent people dying, and it’s just a tragedy to stand back and let them do what they’re doing,” Newble said.
So Newble chose to act. He absorbed as much information as he could find on the Internet. He downloaded fact sheets and articles, made printouts and put copies in every teammate’s locker.
The result is a letter, signed by Newble and most of his teammates and released last week, that takes aim at China, which supplies the Sudanese government with money and weapons. China, in turn, is a major importer of Sudan’s oil.
The letter reads in part, “We, as basketball players in the N.B.A. and as potential athletes in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, cannot look on with indifference to the massive human suffering and destruction that continue in the Darfur region of Sudan.” It concludes with a plea to the Chinese government “to use all available diplomatic resources and economic pressure to end the agony of Darfur, and to secure access for U.N. peace support personnel.”
The letter has not been signed by the star LeBron James but has been endorsed by most of the Cavaliers’ roster, including the starters Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Reeves said this simple gesture could be the start of something much greater.
“This is the catalyst that’s going to stimulate within the sports world a phenomenal response, and an international response to the realities in Darfur, which the world has allowed,” Reeves said in a telephone interview. “This is the fifth year of genocidal destruction. It’s unconscionable that the international community has allowed this to continue for so long.”
Newble is reaching out to as many of the N.B.A.’s 400-plus players as he can. His agent, Steve Kauffman, has spread the word through his peers. Kauffman also plans to contact the players unions of the National Football League and Major League Baseball to enlist their support.
Reeves envisions the movement spreading across the athletic spectrum. Advocates have reached out to Muhammad Ali, perhaps the most famous athlete-activist, and are optimistic that he will join their cause.
Reeves and others say China holds the key to improving the situation in Darfur. They are highlighting Beijing’s role as the host of the 2008 Olympic Games, but are not calling for a boycott.
Newble, a seven-year N.B.A. journeyman playing for his third team, is probably unknown to most basketball fans. He is not in the Cavaliers’ regular rotation and has made only a token appearance in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Nets.
Newble will probably have little impact on the series, which Cleveland leads, 3-1. But the longer the Cavaliers play, the more chances Newble has to recruit players to his cause and to give interviews on Darfur, which is why Reeves finds himself rooting for Cleveland.
In the Cavaliers’ locker room, Newble — who idolized Ali as a child — is known for his outspokenness, his intellect and his keen interest in world affairs.
“He’s a very caring person and he’s very educated, very knowledgeable about a lot of different things,” his teammate Damon Jones said.
The campaign is straightforward and relatively restrained, but is potentially awkward for the N.B.A. Last week, Commissioner David Stern hinted at operating a league in China and designated the Cavaliers’ James as the N.B.A.’s ambassador. The players union just announced its own partnership with a Chinese corporation.
Stern declined to address Newble’s letter specifically but said through a spokeswoman, “We respect our players’ rights to express their views on important public issues.” The players union issued a statement stressing that it was doing business with a Chinese corporation, not the Chinese government, adding, “The problems and issues in the Sudan and Darfur are extraordinarily complex and nuanced.”
Only three of Newble’s teammates did not sign the letter, and two of them — James and Jones — have business ties to China. (The third player, David Wesley, is away from the team tending to family matters.)
James, one of the N.B.A.’s most marketed stars, has a $90 million endorsement contract with Nike, which has extensive dealings in China. Jones has an endorsement deal with Li Ning, a shoe company in China.
“It’s basically not having enough information,” James said of his decision not to sign the letter.
Jones said of the letter, “I can’t comment about that.”
Newble considers the impact that a major N.B.A. star — perhaps Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony — could have on the Darfur campaign. He says he understands that some will be reluctant to risk their names and business opportunities.
“But at the end of the day,” he said, “if you’re doing something good, it’s all going to come back to you.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/sports/basketball/16cavaliers.html
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Fatalistic Beliefs About Cancer Cause Many To Ignore Cancer Prevention Advice
Science Daily — If you feel that you are fated for cancer, your belief could turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. According to a national survey of more than 6,000 U.S. adults published in the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a substantial number of American adults hold fatalistic beliefs about cancer and are correspondingly less likely to take basic steps to lower their cancer risk, such as exercising, quitting smoking and eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
The study, which analyzes data from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey, is the first national survey in almost 20 years to assess Americans' knowledge about and attitudes toward cancer prevention. The findings have implications for cancer education efforts.
"Many Americans seem to feel afraid and helpless in regards to cancer, which may be exacerbated by conflicting news reports and a general lack of education on the causes and prevention of cancer," said Jeff Niederdeppe, Ph.D., professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "They say 'well, there is nothing much you can do about it' and, as our survey shows, they indeed do nothing about it."
The survey asked respondents if they agreed with three statements about cancer. About 47 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that "It seems like almost everything causes cancer," while 27 percent agreed that "There's not much people can do to lower their chances of getting cancer." Moreover, 71.5 percent of American adults agreed that "There are so many recommendations about preventing cancer, it's hard to know which ones to follow."
People who maintained at least one of these three beliefs were less likely than others to exercise weekly and eat five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. People who believed that "it's hard to know" what to do were more likely to smoke. All three beliefs, the researchers say, were associated with lower levels of education.
Despite the ready availability of cancer information, the researchers conclude, there has been little progress in changing the belief that "everything causes cancer" in the last 20 years. According to the researchers, it is unclear whether and to what degree media coverage of cancer influences beliefs. While this study did not specifically address the news media's role in enforcing cancer fatalism, Niederdeppe believes that the constantly changing messages people get from the news are often confusing.
"Cancer is a difficult thing to talk about in the space of a single news story," Niederdeppe said. "Science values repetition, while the media values novelty. Those two concepts naturally butt heads, which can confuse people."
If conflicting news accounts of cancer prevention science are the cause of confusion, Niederdeppe says, educators ought to focus on developing simple, straightforward messages in teaching the general public about what they can do to prevent disease.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Association for Cancer Research.
The study, which analyzes data from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey, is the first national survey in almost 20 years to assess Americans' knowledge about and attitudes toward cancer prevention. The findings have implications for cancer education efforts.
"Many Americans seem to feel afraid and helpless in regards to cancer, which may be exacerbated by conflicting news reports and a general lack of education on the causes and prevention of cancer," said Jeff Niederdeppe, Ph.D., professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "They say 'well, there is nothing much you can do about it' and, as our survey shows, they indeed do nothing about it."
The survey asked respondents if they agreed with three statements about cancer. About 47 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that "It seems like almost everything causes cancer," while 27 percent agreed that "There's not much people can do to lower their chances of getting cancer." Moreover, 71.5 percent of American adults agreed that "There are so many recommendations about preventing cancer, it's hard to know which ones to follow."
People who maintained at least one of these three beliefs were less likely than others to exercise weekly and eat five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. People who believed that "it's hard to know" what to do were more likely to smoke. All three beliefs, the researchers say, were associated with lower levels of education.
Despite the ready availability of cancer information, the researchers conclude, there has been little progress in changing the belief that "everything causes cancer" in the last 20 years. According to the researchers, it is unclear whether and to what degree media coverage of cancer influences beliefs. While this study did not specifically address the news media's role in enforcing cancer fatalism, Niederdeppe believes that the constantly changing messages people get from the news are often confusing.
"Cancer is a difficult thing to talk about in the space of a single news story," Niederdeppe said. "Science values repetition, while the media values novelty. Those two concepts naturally butt heads, which can confuse people."
If conflicting news accounts of cancer prevention science are the cause of confusion, Niederdeppe says, educators ought to focus on developing simple, straightforward messages in teaching the general public about what they can do to prevent disease.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Association for Cancer Research.
Eat Your Broccoli: Study Finds Strong Anti-Cancer Properties In Cruciferous Veggies
Science Daily — It turns out Mom was right – you should eat your broccoli. But what Mom may not have known is why broccoli is so healthy, and how its lesser known, younger offshoot may be a powerful anti-cancer agent.
Researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have found that sulforaphane – a compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy and brussels sprouts – has strong anti-cancer properties.
Even more promising results have been found in broccoli sprouts. The tiny, thread-like broccoli sprouts sold at stores next to alfalfa sprouts have more than 50 times the amount of sulforaphane than found in mature broccoli.
Emily Ho, a researcher with the Linus Pauling Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at OSU, will describe these dietary inhibitors for cancer prevention at the conference on “Diet and Optimum Health,” organized by the Linus Pauling Institute. The conference will be held May 16-19 at the Hilton Hotel in Portland. Ho will speak at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 18.
Ho’s main area of research is on the dietary prevention of prostate cancer. The Asian diet could be a key in this prevention. White males born in the United States have dramatically higher rates of prostate cancer than Asian men. But when Asian men live in the U.S. for five years or more, their rates of prostate cancer rise significantly, Ho says.
Past studies in Ho’s lab have focused on dietary elements in cancer prevention such as green tea and soy.
In her new study, which was published in the Journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Ho and her colleagues at Linus Pauling Institute looked at cruciferous vegetables. While many cruciferous vegetables have sulforaphane, broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount and thus could be a major player in the prevention of prostate and colon cancer.
Ho said drugs classified as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are being looked at as potentially preventing cancer. She said their research shows that these same effects of inhibiting HDAC might be obtained by consumption of cruciferous vegetables.
“I would say if you’re at all worried about cancer or at high risk of cancer, especially of prostate or colon cancer, then increasing your dietary intake of broccoli and other vegetables could be a good idea,” Ho said.
“It certainly can’t hurt. And drugs can have negative side effects and be difficult to administer.”
While Ho said the research is not at the point where she can make a specific recommendation on how much broccoli or bok choy to eat, she personally tries to have two servings of cruciferous vegetables a day.
In human subjects, just eating some broccoli sprouts on top of a bagel with cream cheese resulted in HDAC inhibition.
“The compound in broccoli may be one of the strongest anti-cancer fighters we have,” Ho said.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Oregon State University.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517100315.htm
Researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have found that sulforaphane – a compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy and brussels sprouts – has strong anti-cancer properties.
Even more promising results have been found in broccoli sprouts. The tiny, thread-like broccoli sprouts sold at stores next to alfalfa sprouts have more than 50 times the amount of sulforaphane than found in mature broccoli.
Emily Ho, a researcher with the Linus Pauling Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at OSU, will describe these dietary inhibitors for cancer prevention at the conference on “Diet and Optimum Health,” organized by the Linus Pauling Institute. The conference will be held May 16-19 at the Hilton Hotel in Portland. Ho will speak at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 18.
Ho’s main area of research is on the dietary prevention of prostate cancer. The Asian diet could be a key in this prevention. White males born in the United States have dramatically higher rates of prostate cancer than Asian men. But when Asian men live in the U.S. for five years or more, their rates of prostate cancer rise significantly, Ho says.
Past studies in Ho’s lab have focused on dietary elements in cancer prevention such as green tea and soy.
In her new study, which was published in the Journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Ho and her colleagues at Linus Pauling Institute looked at cruciferous vegetables. While many cruciferous vegetables have sulforaphane, broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount and thus could be a major player in the prevention of prostate and colon cancer.
Ho said drugs classified as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are being looked at as potentially preventing cancer. She said their research shows that these same effects of inhibiting HDAC might be obtained by consumption of cruciferous vegetables.
“I would say if you’re at all worried about cancer or at high risk of cancer, especially of prostate or colon cancer, then increasing your dietary intake of broccoli and other vegetables could be a good idea,” Ho said.
“It certainly can’t hurt. And drugs can have negative side effects and be difficult to administer.”
While Ho said the research is not at the point where she can make a specific recommendation on how much broccoli or bok choy to eat, she personally tries to have two servings of cruciferous vegetables a day.
In human subjects, just eating some broccoli sprouts on top of a bagel with cream cheese resulted in HDAC inhibition.
“The compound in broccoli may be one of the strongest anti-cancer fighters we have,” Ho said.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Oregon State University.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517100315.htm
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