SCIENCE AND MONEY

Posted on September 30, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction drugs

10 26 05 Hello: This will be a light post. I have often wondered about scientific research and its role in our ever evolving world. Should the government sponsor scientific research? Or should it all be profit driven? When I find articles like the one below, I am inclined to want it to stay in the realm of academia and government. Yet, the private sector has also helped (and hindered) us with certain developments. Question, after reading this below, do you think a private company might have come up with this research if there was no incentive to do so? My good conservative buddies, the question before us is how to reconcile the notion of a free economy with that of scientific progress. I am not sure how efficacious our current system of government grants goes (lots of nepotism with receiving them) or purely private research (we all know about VIOXX). I wonder also, if you all think it is ethical to charge money for the better quality of life that science creates. And lastly, whatdya think of this stuff? Cool huh! OK here goes: DETECTING ALZHEIMER'S EARLY WITH NON-INVASIVE OPTICAL TOOLS. Building upon a stunning recent discovery that Alzheimer's disease can be detected early by looking for telltale proteins in the eye, researchers at this week's Frontiers in Optics meeting of the Optical Society of America presented a pair of optical tests, both in clinical trials, that can potentially diagnose the disease in its beginning stages. Such tests may not only improve patients' chances to start treatment earlier, but they could also speed development of new Alzheimer's drugs. Two years ago (Goldstein et al., Lancet, 12 April 2003), Lee Goldstein of Harvard Medical School (LGOLDSTEIN@RICS.BWH.HARVARD.EDU) and his colleagues showed that the exact same amyloid beta proteins which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease are also found in the lens and its surrounding fluid. In those portions of the eye, the proteins form amyloid deposits similar to those in the brain. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that the amyloid beta proteins in the lens produce a very unusual cataract, formed in a different place in the eye than common cataracts (which are not at all associated with Alzheimer's). Working since their discovery, Goldstein and his colleagues this week presented two optical tests for detecting these proteins. Using a technique known as quasi-elastic light scattering, the first test employs low-power infrared laser light to non-invasively detect protein particles in the specific part of the lens where these unusual cataracts form. The second test would be applied to those who screen positively for the proteins, in order to confirm an Alzheimer's diagnosis. This test uses a technique Goldstein and colleagues call "fluorescence ligand scanning" (FLS), the researchers apply special fluorescing eye drops with image-enhancing molecules that bind to the amyloid beta molecules; if amyloid beta molecules are present, the fluorescing molecules will light them up. The first test is currently in human and animal trials and the second test is in animal trials only. These two diagnostic tests are envisioned to be a two-step process for screening and then confirming an Alzheimer's diagnosis. These new optical tools can also potentially speed up the development of new Alzheimer's drugs, by giving investigators rapid feedback on whether the drug is doing its job of removing the harmful proteins from the body. Moreover, the researchers are using the same technologies to develop new tests for rapidly detecting amyloid plaques resulting from prion diseases, including mad cow, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in humans. ( http://www.osa.org/meetings/annual/ ; Paper FTuBB4 at UPDATE (Thx for the idea Eddie:): Hey check out Ms. Chatterbox on www.chatterboxchronicles.blogspot.com. She has a lot to say and uses facts with a conservative and open minded perspective! I guarantee you will enjoy the visit! :) You guys oughta see this leftist radical feminist site. Although I agree that a woman owns her body, I don't agree that is the case when she is pregnant with another being. http://the-goddess.org/wam/blog.html . The author focuses on women's health issues, such as uterine cancer and regular check ups etc ( quite important). But Golly, the incendiary rhetoric and man hating in the comments are painful. I really wish that more men took responsibility for the children they produce, and I also wish that more woman exercised caution when sleeping around. Let's be honest; it takes two to tango! Oh, I usually was a guest poster on Wednesdays on www.dellgines.com. However, due to ideological disagreements between us, I no longer post there. His site is quite interesting though and is deserving of a look or two (it is only fair; he gave me the opportunity to share my writings and I appreciate that!) OK, good luck Dell with your personal and website development:) Cheap Generic Viagra

Tags: test, alzheimer, protein, amyloid, optical

Verizon/UUNet drops off of Spamhaus top-ten list

Posted on August 04, 2008 in Ed pump

I never dreamed I'd be versed this infinity, but Verizon/UUNet, over bane of the Web, has managed to become aware themselves removed from the Spamhaus Rokso top-10 breakdown of worst courtesy providers (currently among the #11 plop.) It wasn't supremely be short precedent that they were at intervals the #1 distribute (further had been in that a decade) settled a specifically wide head. Kudos to the abuse parish at Verizon, who did what no distinctive abuse bureau had ever complete before

Tags: verizon, abuse, spamhaus, uunet, distribute

LH2, Love It or Hate It?

Posted on July 27, 2008 in Ed pump

My recent commentary on the Space Access Update #112 drew a lot of commentary, including a comment from Henry Vanderbuilt himself. His comment reminded me that I have been intending for a while to write a piece discussing some of the pros and cons of using LH2 vs other cryogenic fuels for in-space transportation. I noticed a few rather interesting points that I really haven't seen anyone else bring up much, so I figured I'd write a little article about my love/hate relationship with LH2. The Allure of Hydrogen Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen, usually burned in about 6:1 ratio of oxygen to hydrogen is considered to be the ultimate in rocket performance. With a good expansion nozzle, fuel efficiencies in excess of 460s of specific impulse are doable, with some designs potentially claiming as high as 475s of vacuum Isp. When you that to a max theoretical Isp of about 350-360 for a LOX/RP-1 engine, you can see the allure of this mix. NASA in particular has been very fond of this mixture. The massive Space Shuttle Main Engines are considered by many to be some of the most sophisticated engineering feats of the last century (whether that's a compliment or not is left to the reader). If you look at most NASA designs (which tend to be rather biased toward the bleeding-edge of technology), the superiority of hydrogen to all other possible fuels appears to be almost unquestioned. Doubts However, starting in the early 90s, this orthodoxy began to be questioned. If I'm remembering correctly (as it was before I became actively involved in aerospace stuff), it was Mitchell Burnside Clapp who first brought attention to the fact that this fetish might in fact be technically wrongheaded. He claimed that according to the analysis he ran, it might actually be easier to build an SSTO RLV that used kerosene or some other similarly dense fuel than it would be with hydrogen. Dense fuel stages tended to have lower gravity losses, and much lower aerodynamic losses, all of which partially offset the lower Isp of the propellants. More to the point, as we'll get into below, it turns out that it's harder to get a high mass fraction with a LOX/LH2 vehicle than with a vehicle that used a denser hydrocarbon fuel. [Ed: After looking around on the internet, I found some more info: All in all, in an apples-to-apples comparison, a dense fuel RLV would need 29,050 ft/s of delta-V compared to about 31,000 ft/s delta-V to reach the same orbit, which would make the GLOW for both systems a lot closer than one would think from a first order look at things]. Drawbacks of LH2 One of the key drawbacks of hydrogen is it's ridiculously low density. Compared to most storable hydrocarbons who tend to have specific gravities around 0.7-0.8, hydrogen's specific gravity is a measly 0.07! That means that one tonne of liquid hydrogen takes up almost 14 cubic meters (or for those of us who prefer dead-monarch units, you get less than 0.5lb of the stuff per gallon). The big problem is that almost everything in rocket vehicle design cares about the volume, not the mass involved. Tanks mass scales almost linearly with volume. Pumps pump volume, not mass. Feedlines have to be sized for the volumetric flow rate of the fluid. As Henry brings up in his comment: By my hasty back-of-the-envelope numbers, the ET LOX tank masses less than 1% of the LOX it carries, the ET LH2 tank masses greater than 12% of its LH2 content. Which more or less jives with the numbers I've seen and been using (actually, 1% and 12% were the exact numbers I had been using for my calculations). Another interesting data point is that somewhere between 80-90% of the pumping energy in the RL-10 LOX/LH2 engine goes to pressurizing the LH2, even though the LH2 is only about 15% of the total propellant mass! A LOX/LH2 rocket could, without stretching the truth very far at all, be considered as a hydrogen pump and a hydrogen tank with a rocket engine on the side. Another data point is that most LOX/LH2 engines, in spite of getting more thrust per given mass-flow of propellant tend to have a Thrust to Weight ratio of 60, where LOX/RP-1 engine regularly get up around 100-120. There's another annoying problem with LH2--the stuff is so darn cold. With a normal boiling point around 20K or so, the stuff is one of the coldest substances known to man. Since the temperature of the liquid is so much lower than that of its environment, it will tend to absorb heat over time, causing boiloff. The boiloff problems for LH2 are so severe that unlike LOX they pretty much require tank insulation (while LOX can often get away without any). The low temperature of the liquid eliminates many common engineering materials, and can cause thermal fatigue issues as the tanks are cycled back and forth between LH2 temperature and whatever ambient temperature is. Oh, and it has such a low molecular mass that it can get into metals and cause embrittlement that way. Oh, and it makes sealing tougher. Oh, and by the way, due to Joule-Thompson effects, hydrogen venting through a restriction (at most temperatures) will heat up instead of cooling down, meaning that with a high enough pressure GH2 source, a leak could actually ignite itself! Oh, and it burns with a nearly invisible flame that is several thousand K... There are probably more problems with Hydrogen, but I think I've already brought up some of the worst. So What are the Alternatives? Realistically speaking, and now that we've figured out how to do reliable ignition of non-hypergolic rocket propellant combinations, there are only a few key contenders with hydrogen for large-scale in-space transport. Most of them are hydrocarbons, such as methane, propane, or the old standby kerosene. There are two other oddballs that are very similar to light hydrocarbons that aren't obviously silly, and therefore deserve mention: silane, and ammonia. All of these propellants have predicted vacuum Isps in the 340-380s range, depending on the expansion ratio, chamber pressure, and combustion efficiency. All of them have bulk propellant densities much better than LOX/LH2. Ranging from a bulk density of about 1.03 for LOK/RP-1, down to 0.83 or so for LOX/Methane, as compared to 0.33 or so for LOX/LH2. That means you can get somewhere near 2.5-3x as much propellant into the same volume when compared to LH2. This is important for two things: drylaunch, and tank mass. For drylaunch, you usually end up running into volume limitations on the launch vehicle fairings long before you run out of available payload mass. For example, the Atlas V, 4.5m PLF has about 180 cubic meters of space in its cylindrical section. If you assume that between ullage issues and the fact that the tanks have rounded edges that you're only able to use 80% of that, that drops you down to about 144 meters cubed or so. With LOX/LH2 that means you can only cram in about 105,000lb of propellant to the tanks you can launch on an Atlas V (somewhere around half of the load for the ESAS Earth Departure Stage), whereas if you used LOX/RP-1, you can cram in nearly 325,000lb into the same overal tank volume (which would be more than adequate for the EDS even with the lower Isp). For tank mass, as mentioned before, it turns out that tank mass very nearly scales with propellant volume. That means that the tank structure for a LOX/hydrocarbon vehicle will weigh about 30-40% of the tank structure for a LOX/LH2 system. Another important thing is boiloff. Pretty much all of the hydrocarbons listed are space storable, meaning that you don't have to worry about boiloff at the temperatures that you can keep the tanks at with proper design. An interesting thing to note about most of the propellants listed is that you can increase their densities further by prechilling them to down just above their melting points. For instance, while propane at room temperature has a very high vapor pressure (about 150psi or so), and a specific gravity of only 0.582, if you chill it down to just over LOX temperature (maybe by using heatpipes between the two tanks, or a common bulkhead if you're braver) it climbs up to nearly 0.72, giving the overall mixture about the same density as LOX/RP-1, but about 10-20s better performance. [Ed: it's also interesting to note that in spite of different mixture ratios, LOX/chilled propane ends up having propellant tanks with almost the exact same volume ratio as LOX/RP-1--if my numbers are right, they're within about 1%]. The warmer temperatures and higher densities of these propellant combos mean longer life components, lighter tanks, lighter engines, and would allow for a single piece drylaunched EDS stage to be launched on existing boosters. Not to mention cheaper to design, easier to handle, etc. Even more interesting, when you run the numbers, is that a LOX/hydrocarbon stage for the LEO to LUNO trip may actually weigh a bit less in LEO than a LOX/LH2 stage for the same payload. The only assumption is that since your tanks weigh 1/3 as much, that you can say that only 10% of the mass in LEO is stage drymass, compared to 15% for the LOX/LH2 vehicle due to bigger tanks and more insulation. Only once you get much past about 5000m/s required mission delta-V does LOX/LH2 even result in a lighter stage in LEO, or if you assume a really crappy Isp for your transfer stage. [Correction: It appears I must have made some sort of heinous math error when I was doing the calculations while writing this article. Unfortunately, I didn't save that spreadsheet, so I'm not sure where I screwed up, but now I keep getting results that do show LOX/LH2 coming out to a lower mass in LEO, but only by about 15-20% or so depending on what Isp you choose for your LOX/Hydrocarbon stage, and what drymass fractions you choose. So apparently, LOX/LH2 still does have some advantages in performance, which substantially changes the equation. Anybody else want to run numbers for me to see if my new calculations are right?] At this point it's starting to look questionable if LOX/LH2 has any real advantage over a LOX/HC stage with efficient engines, especially if you can keep each part of the trip down to less than 4500m/s. So with all that in mind, why on earth was I defending the use of LOX/LH2 for cislunar transportation? LH2: What's there to Love? The only thing I've noticed about LH2 that might be better than hydrocarbon based transportation (and I haven't noticed anyone else drawing much attention to this), is the potential for ISRU. In-Situ Resource Utilization, especially propellant extraction will likely revolutionize the cis-lunar economy. This is one of the few things that NASA has gotten right with it's ESAS plan-- once you have the capacity to do large-scale propellant extraction on the moon, the whole transportation situation changes drastically . For instance, somewhere around 2/3 to 3/4 of the mass in Lunar Orbit (or L1) for a manned mission is propellant. Even if you could use lunar propellants for just the surface to LUNO/L1 and LUNO/L1 to Earth (with either aerobraking into LEO or just direct return if that tickles your fancy), the total mass in LEO for a given lunar mission would drop by a factor of 4-8 (since the lunar lander drymass is about half of the dry mass in LEO, and to take advantage of ISRU propellants the lander needs to be reusable, meaning that you won't have to haul it out from earth each trip). There's one big problem. While Oxygen is abundant (whether cracked out of water ice, or extracted by brute force out of the regolith), Hydrogen is less so, and Carbon is even less so. Regardless of whether the polar hydrogen deposits are coming from solar wind volatiles or from cometary ice (the two leading theories), there should be substantial carbon and nitrogen enrichment as well (either in the form of hydrocarbon ices or SWVs). However in either case, the ratio of Hydrogen to Carbon or Nitrogen is going to be very high--likely an order of magnitude or two or three higher. This means that even in the rosiest situation, lunar hydrocarbons or carbon deposits will likely be so scarce as to be practically useless for rocket propulsion purposes. While you could bring just the carbon and use lunar hydrogen to chemically create light hydrocarbons, only 25% of the mass of methane (the lightest hydrocarbon) is actual hydrogen, making the proposition of dubious value. Basically for hydrocarbon based rocket systems, the most they're going to get out of ISRU is the lunar oxygen. And that is the second problem. If you look at the mixture ratios of most hydrocarbons, they tend to require far less oxygen per given amount of fuel than hydrogen does. For LOX/LH2, the ratio is usually 6:1, whereas for LOX/Methane it is only 3.4:1, 3.1:1 for LOX/propane, and only 2.7:1 for LOX/RP-1. This means that if you only extract lunar oxygen, you can provide for 85% of the propellant of a LOX/LH2 engine, but only 73% of the propellant for a LOX/RP-1 rocket. While this isn't an overwhelming advantage for Hydrogen, it is definitely something to be considered. Ramifications? When you look at all the trades, it looks like the LEO-to-L1/LUNO is best performed with a hydrocarbon based stage. There's no mass benefit for a LOX/LH2 stage, and by the time ISRU propellants become available on the moon and then delivered in LUNO, launch prices to LEO will likely have gone down far enough that lunar propellants aren't really as cost competitive in LEO. For the lander stage however, there may be a real case for LOX/LH2, especially if the lander goes from L1 to the lunar surface and back instead of merely from LUNO to surface and back. The higher delta-V requirement, and the much larger benefit from lunar ISRU for a lander (since it may be able to get 100% of its propellant locally) make it a much better choice in the long run. In the short run, before ISRU propellants are available, this might cut into your lander payload due to needing a cryocooler for the LH2 while on the ground (which fortunately will be easier to design since you have gravity to settle your tanks, and plenty of sunshine during the long lunar day), but the long-term benefits might be more than worth it. Ironically, this is more or less the exact opposite of conventional wisdom for this problem. [Ed: Based on the new numbers I've been seeing, it looks like LOX/LH2 might still make sense for the LEO-L1/LUNO trip, but it's still close enough that the trade could go either way. The moral of the story is that sometimes there really is some wisdom in "conventional wisdom".] Thoughts, comments, flames?

Tags: lox, lh, propellant, tank, hydrogen

Post Vacation Blues

Posted on July 13, 2008 in Antibiotic

We've been credible vacation at intervals Montreal whereas the tarry juncture. This was extreme, but over I'm suffering from turf vacation blues. Furthermore I'm realizing how exhausting it is to service with a one instant old. Darcy was a immense smoke with her aunt, uncles, grandparents furthermore great-grandparents. She likewise conceived a fraction of good friends at the Biodome. I be convinced she may realize had her poop sheet taken with separate girl along with I feel certain she got into someone's video. No, she doesn't handle more recent her tear offs at in fact. The live on show at the Biodome is the Antarctic. It articles penguins. Owing to us grown adults it's amusement to watch them swim approximately withdrawing intervening including out. Because kids it's a crazy good present. Over we got there utterly the penguins were starring at the back wall. Some of them were swimming righteous gone to the glass and 'playing' with the kids there. Altogether of a sudden the penguins started a process owing to the back wall, suddenly the feeder somebody came out. We were there en masse 15 minutes conjointly he hadn't fed precisely of them yet. Darcy seemed to motive it. Along Wednesday night, more recent Darcy went to bed, Sue along with I went to the Showing. It is de facto different from the communicate fest that nighs now and again epoch Along the Detroit river. What we statement was in truth artistic, what attains here onward the river is besides HOW LOUD Along with Gigantic CAN WE Get ready THESE? USA USA USA!!! I don't dip into how many inhabitants creep out to consider them, but I'm pretty sure three of the stupidest ones were swing essential behind us. Here's some of what we transversely heard. Daughter - I grasp we were undistorted plan to ken amen parade. Daughter - These appearance are getting old. Adjust - There solo getting old owing to you don't incorporate a chair. The teenage daughter was at solo standard lamenting the fact the we were far away. Her mother responded with \"Calmly, I expect it's better than now consonant. This form we can comprehend underneath them.\" As a small space flies over. Mother - I commit they introduce a abundant spectacle. The genius daughter was deflated serious as she asked, \"Very? Do you designate they can identify them from settled there?\" 26 minutes into the 30 minute spectacle. Whip - I feel they'll shibboleth almost four Also minutes. I department my signal as well did not apprise \"Fully Sherlock?\" It was the first term we had both been out allotment 10pm since June 5th, 2004. So we figured we'd apprehend our interval vigor back to my creates. We strolled now Old Montreal, epigram some street performers conforming city hall, stopped for some meanwhile priced ice cream, $8 now two small cups . We had a good instance. Again we got off the Metro there were a few rain drops. Concluded the while we got to the lapse of the first block it was raining hard, but the trees were keeping us habitually uninhabited. Thereupon the skies opened by, the rain was torrential. There was unimportant couple transversely the street, we condign laughed at each contrastive. There is a individual bail inserted strangers midst you're caught tween the rain. We laughed at them now it sucked to be them. They laughed at us for it sucked to be us. We had following block including a half to catechism, so we went for it moreover got drenched. We were dripping. Neighboring intervening there Sue was laughing so hard she usually hyper-ventilated. My shirt was again wet the proximate morning. Darcy devised a few pronounced discoveries that shift. Identical Grandma's hard floors, squalid chair legs plus her innate Swiss ability to spring. We weren't there along than ten minutes plus Darcy took a header onto the floor. A tremendous any came completed neighboring indispensable away. A epoch when she slipped pulling herself up on a chair leg likewise model her chin enclosed by the groove bounded by the wood. Again she endow the stairs. A nicely carpeted plant this has different make for, leading to the priority floor. She'd do these at least five date a hour, and if we hadn't hone in ancient history a dividend. She's likewise endeavoring to power, but won't go duck soup her unique yet. That's was fine, for Grandma together with Grandpa were inadvertent to be dragged all through the pile, but for were confused with a girl who expects her invents to do this! Good befall honey. It was a enormous works. I did manage to means some swimming, biking more control enclosed by. Not ofttimes, but it including disagreements. Subordinate than a clock to probation!

Tags: darcy, minute, daughter, good, usa

Senate Puts Oil Companies First in Fight Over Arctic Refuge

Posted on July 11, 2008 in Generic medical release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 16, 20053:17 PM CONTACT: Natural Resources Defense Council Karen Wayland, 202-289-2402 Rob Perks, 202-289-2420 Senate Puts Oil Companies First in Fight Over Arctic Refuge Statement by NRDC Legislative Director Karen Wayland WASHINGTON -- March 16 -- Today the U.S. Senate, by a vote of 49-51, defeated an amendment by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that would have removed a provision of the Senate budget bill that authorizes energy development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The following is a statement by Karen Wayland, legislative director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). "Drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge won't make a dent in gas prices at the pump or break our dependence on Middle East oil. "This was really a vote for Big Oil, not for the solid majority of Americans who oppose turning America's last great wilderness into a vast, polluted oil field. "President Bush and his Senate allies resorted to a sneaky budget maneuver to get their way. Now, Congress is one step closer to trading away an irreplaceable national treasure for a few drops of oil that we wouldn't see for a decade or more. "If the oil industry can drill in the Arctic Refuge, then no place, no matter how pristine, will be safe. "But there is still a lot of political tundra to cross before this fight is over. We'll keep battling every step of the way. "Increasing America's energy security doesn't require selling off our natural heritage and letting oil companies despoil our last best places. Using better technology in our cars and trucks -- so they go farther on a gallon of gas -- would save more than 10 times the amount of oil in the refuge, and save consumers billions of dollars at the pump." The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Tags: oil, refuge, arctic, senate, natural

Psychology

Posted on July 03, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction drugs

So I know I haven't posted much lately. Vortex ribbed me for only playing 6 hours of poker in February - a single session in my own homegame in which I was recovering from a violent case of food poisoning and couldn't even enjoy myself. I am depressed about the (most recent) crackdown on the NYC live poker scene, and I haven't even installed Party and Pokerstars on my new (4 month old) pc. I hope Party hasn't confiscated my account since I last logged in. Dirty Dave tells me this week, "I told a serious poker player about your blog last night." Man. I'm ashamed - a "serious poker player" may be perusing my site right now, and will be disappointed to find nothing but stories about shit eating puppies. Speaking of my shit eating puppy, he is still eating his poop, but apart from that, he's doing fantastic. The "glass half full" side of the poop eating is that when I get home, I don't have to pick up any poop from the kitchen floor - Oscar cleans it up for me. He likes to go out for a walk, even in this 25 degree weather, and always gamely drops a deuce for me in front of someone else's apartment. Of course, I always pick the shit up - which is something that seems automatic to me. Yet, as Mrs. Dynamite says, "There must be an awful lot of seeing eye dogs in our neighborhood," because there is a shitload of dog shit on the sidewalk (you don't have to pick up after a seeing eye dog, of course). Seriously douchebags: when your dog takes a shit on the sidewalk, you pick it up. That is non-negotiable. I'm a big fan of The Sports Guy Bill Simmons, and came across this extremely well written point from Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote this brilliantly succinct reply as part of a Q & A with the Sports Guy, with regards to why some athletes simply show up unprepared (emphasis added) The (short) answer is that it's really risky to work hard, because then if you fail you can no longer say that you failed because you didn't work hard. It's a form of self-protection . I swear that's why Mickelson has that almost absurdly calm demeanor. If he loses, he can always say: Well, I could have practiced more, and maybe next year I will and I'll win then. When Tiger loses, what does he tell himself? He worked as hard as he possibly could. He prepared like no one else in the game and he still lost. That has to be devastating, and dealing with that kind of conclusion takes a very special and rare kind of resilience. Most of the psychological research on this is focused on why some kids don't study for tests -- which is a much more serious version of the same problem. If you get drunk the night before an exam instead of studying and you fail, then the problem is that you got drunk. If you do study and you fail, the problem is that you're stupid -- and stupid, for a student, is a death sentence. The point is that it is far more psychologically dangerous and difficult to prepare for a task than not to prepare. People think that Tiger is tougher than Mickelson because he works harder. Wrong: Tiger is tougher than Mickelson and because of that he works harder. I read one of Gladwell's books, Blink, which was mildly interesting, but he is clearly a very talented writer and psychological thinker. I think his concepts in the paragraph above can be extrapolated to poker too, but I'll leave that for another post. The Big Show comes to town tomorrow. until next time, KD

Tags: strong, shit, poker, pick, dog

Aphrodisiacs

Posted on June 29, 2008 in Causes of erectile dysfunction

Valentine's Day is just a couple of days away. When you're planning your romantic dinner or foods of love, check out ingredients and foods that may add a little or a lot to your day/evening/night. (the below list was compiled from the linked book.) Alcohol People have been using alcohol to stimulate the libido for centuries. But while a moderate amount of alcohol will reduce anxiety and release inhibitions one glass too many is more likely to put you asleep than put you in the mood. Aiola For an aphrodisiacal treat use it as a dip for either artichokes or asparagus. Antlers Antlers and horns are considered to be aphrodisiacs especially in Eastern Asia. Why? Because they resemble an erect penis. Antlers are ground up into a powder and sprinkled on food or into drinks. Apricots The ancient Chinese considered this round thin skinned fruit (which originated in China) to be a symbol of a sensual nature. Try feeding your lover fresh apricots which are available from May to July. Look for fragrant fruits with a red blush that gives slightly to pressure. Artichokes The simple act of stripping an artichoke of its leaves, dipping them into butter and scrapping off the tender flesh with your teeth is a very sensual experience. Simply cut off the artichoke's thorny tips, snap off the tough leaves, slice off the stem and rub with lemon juice. Steam until tender, about 30-60 minutes. Try dipping artichokes into curried mayonnaise, lemon or herb butter or vinaigrette. Asparagus Perhaps the most erotic member of the vegetable kingdom. In nineteenth century France bridegrooms were required to eat several courses consisting of asparagus, asparagus and more asparagus because of its reputed powers to arouse. The best way to eat this member of the lily family is steamed or boiled and dressed with butter, olive oil or Hollandaise sauce. Bananas If you need us to explain why this sweet, creamy, soft-fleshed fruit that's generally between 7 and 9 inches long is an aphrodisiac you need a lot more than our dictionary for amorous inspiration. Basil This flavorful herb is used in Voodoo love ceremonies in Haiti. Beef Meat works wonders on your libido and brain. After a high protein meal, your blood stream is flooded with the amino acid tyrosine. The chemicals made from tyrosine, dopamine and norepinephrine, trigger brain cells that enhance mental alertness and concentration. Beer Alcohol? Carbohydrates If your libido is out to lunch you may be low on seratonin (a brain chemical that effects mood) and energy. A carbo fix combined with a little tryptophan (an amino acid found in a variety of meat and dairy products) may increase seratonin levels, energy and desire. Cardamom According to traditional Indian herbal medicine, a nightcap of powdered cardamom that has been boiled with milk and mixed with honey can help cure impotence and premature ejaculation. Carrots This popular root vegetable, with its phallic shape and sweet flavor, was used to seduce lovers by Middle Eastern royalty. Caviar Caviar is considered an aphrodisiac for several reasons. Eggs are a symbol of fertility. Caviar, like Aphrodite who was born from sea foam, comes from the sea. Caviar, like many aphrodisiacs, is a very precious food that is reserved for special occasions. The best caviar is imported Beluga, and the best way to enjoy it is by the spoonful with chilled vodka or champagne. Less expensive varieties are great as a topping for roasted new potatoes, scooped out and filled with sour cream. Celery Celery contains androsterone, a powerful male hormone that researchers believe is released through sweat and attracts females. Champagne Bubbly is lovely and makes any time of the day or night special. The bubbles actually help the alcohol get into the blood stream a little quicker so you get a buzz on toute suite. You don't have to spend big bucks to enjoy a little bubbly. Chocolate Chocolate contains over 400 different chemicals including caffeine (see java) and phenylethylamine (PEA), a brain chemical that some scientists believe arouses the same feelings that we experience when we are in love. The Aztecs were the first chocoholics. They ground cocoa beans added spices and drank the bitter brew without sugar. Legend has it that Montezuma drank 50 cups of cocoa before entering his harem of several hundred women. In the mid 17th century chocolate developed a reputation as an aphrodisiac among chic Brits. Cloves This dried bud of an evergreen tree is one of the world's oldest, dearest and most expensive spices. Cloves were probably first used by the Chinese around 200 B.C. The word clove comes from the Roman word for tack, clovis. They were believed to have medicinal powers and still have a reputation as a powerful love food. Cloves have a warm, sweet almost peppery flavor that is frequently used to add character to cakes, fruit compotes, mulled wine and ham. Cucumbers It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize why these cool vegetables are considered to be an aphrodisiac. Dates If you can't get one maybe you need to eat more dates. In Iran dates are used to help people who's sex life is withering. Donuts According to the Chicago Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, the smell of donuts combined with black licorice significantly increases penile blood flow. Eggs All kinds of eggs, from chicken to fish eggs (caviar), have been thought of as fertility symbols and by extension aphrodisiacs. Fennel The Greeks and Hindus considered fennel to be a potent sexual stimulant. A Hindu formula for sexual vigor includes: fennel juice, honey, ghee (clarified butter), sugar and licorice. In the Mediterranean fennel soup is thought to increase sexual desire. Figs One of the sexiest fruits on the planet. These plump, soft, sweat, luscious beauties come from one variety of the ficus tree which probably originated in Asia Minor and is one of the oldest edible plants. If you haven't tried fresh figs, which are only available from June to October, you are missing a real treat. Try feeding them to your lover drizzled with a little cream and a sprinkling of sugar. Or, serve figs with sliced melon or pears and prosciutto as an appetizer. Fish Aphrodite, the goddess of love was born from sea foam, so in general any type of seafood is considered to be an aphrodisiac. The high phosphorus and iodine content of seafood may actually have a beneficial effect on sexual potency. Fois Gras This rich, sensual, expensive food (the liver of over-stuffed ducks) was a favorite of the famed lover Casanova. Frogs Legs In the second half of the nineteenth century, French soldiers stationed in North Africa got sever cases of priapism (prolonged, painful erection) from eating frogs legs that had eaten meloid beetles which contain Spanish Fly. Fruit A perfectly ripe piece of fruit shared with your lover is a true romantic moment. Garlic This pungent member of the lily family has been used to treat a wide variety of illnesses from the common cold to heart disease. Garlic has been used as an aphrodisiac by the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Japanese. Ginger This pungent root has been used for centuries, both internally and externally, throughout Asia and India as a powerful aphrodisiac. To combat impotence Indian herbalists recommend eating a mixture of ginger juice, honey and half-boiled eggs. In Europe, young maidens baked and ate ginger bread men believing the ritual would bring them a husband. Ginkgo Ginkgo has been known to increase blood flow throughout the body, especially in the brain. It may also increase penile blood flow resulting in better erections. Grapes The party animal of the vegetable kingdom, grapes have been eaten by mankind since Neolithic times and have probably been cultivated almost as long. Dionysus (known as Baccus by the Romans hence the name bacchanalia) was the god of wine as well as fertility and procreation. Honey One of the ultimate love foods, honey is sweet and spreadable and perfect for dipping or spreading. The word honeymoon derives from the ancient custom that for the first lunar month after marriage a newly married couple would drink mead (honey wine). Some cultures spread a little honey on the palms of the bride and groom and have them lick it off each other to ensure a sweet life together. The Egyptians offered honey to the God of fertility, Min. Ice cream Cherries Jubilee. Warm 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 can (16 ounces) pitted cherries with their juice until hot but not boiling. Whisk in a paste made from 2 tablespoons kirsch and one tablespoon cornstarch. Heat until hot, not boiling. Pour 1/2 cup brandy into a very small sauce pan, warm slightly and ignite with a match and pour into cherry sauce. Spoon sauce over vanilla ice cream and enjoy. Java Fatigue can really squash romance. A quick jolt of java can perk you up and put you in the mood for amour. Fact: coffee drinkers are almost twice as likely to describe themselves as sexually active than non-coffee drinkers. Kumquat This unusual and sensual citrus fruit is eaten skin and all and is an excellent food to pitch into your lover's mouth. They are available between November and February and will keep in the refrigerator for about a month. Lamb Rack of lamb for two is one of life's most romantic foods. Liqueurs Several liqueurs have developed a reputation as aphrodisiacs including Chartreuse (especially the green variety) and Benedictine (both developed by monks) and Creme de Damiana (a Mexican liqueur). Lobster This is a very sexy food to eat. You rip the flesh apart with your hands and dip in butter. Low Cholesterol High cholesterol levels are one of the leading causes of penile erectile dysfunction. In fact, men with high cholesterol levels have almost double the chance of having trouble getting an erection. While an occasionally high fat indulgence is fine, we advocate eating a low fat, high fiber diet most of the time to help keep cholesterol levels low and erectile function high. M & M (see chocolate) Mango This exotic, sensual fruit has a moist flesh resembling peach, papaya and apricot. There are hundreds of varieties of mangoes which are extremely popular in India, Mexico and the Caribbean. Fresh mangoes are available from May to September. Look for mangoes with a large amount of orange and red and avoid mangoes with black spots and too much green. Ripe mangoes are messy, juicy and luscious. Nutmeg This fragrant spice has been prized by Arabs, Greeks, Hindus and Romans as an aphrodisiac. In India, a combination of nutmeg, honey and a half-boiled egg is eaten an hour before sex to prolong love making. Nuts Whether you prefer walnuts, almonds or macadamias, nuts have had a reputation as aphrodisiacs for centuries. During harvest festivals in Rome, maidens passed out bowls of nuts as symbols of fertility. Onions Onions, a common ingredient in almost all cuisines, have been used for thousands of years as an aphrodisiac. Onions are recommended in both ancient Hindu and Arabic texts on the art of making love. In France, newlyweds were served onion soup the day after their wedding to restore sexual vigor, and Egyptian priests abstained from onions because of their lusty reputation. Oysters One of the world's classic love foods. Legend has it that Casanova ate 50 raw oysters every morning in the bath tub using a beautiful woman's breasts as a plate. Oysters are very high in zinc. Research has found that a low sperm count is connected to low zinc levels. Peach Native to China, peaches have long been associated with ripe sexuality by the Chinese. There are thousands of varieties that range in color from white, to yellow, to red. Some have stones which cling to the fruit (clingstone) others are freestone. Domestic peaches are available from May to September, but they are really best from June to August. The best peaches have a wonderful aroma and give in to slight pressure. Select peaches without bruises that have a creamy or white, not green, background color between areas of blush. Pepper According to The Perfumed Garden (an ancient Arabic love manual), ground pepper mixed with cardamom or lavender, galanga, musk, honey and ginger is a potent topical aphrodisiac for men. In India pepper corns are crushed with almonds, mixed with milk and consumed as an aphrodisiac. Pine Nuts These nuts (actually seeds of the pine tree) have been used as an aphrodisiac throughout the Mediterranean and the East. The Roman poet, Ovid, included pine nuts in his list of aphrodisiacs. The Perfumed Garden, (an ancient Arabic love manual), contains many references to pine nuts including this prescription to restore a man's sexual vigor: "A glass of thick honey, plus 20 almonds and 100 pine nuts repeated for three nights." Pomegranate This deep red fruit is recommended in the Karma Sutra (an Indian love making manual) as an erotic aid. Quince Due to its color, fragrance and many seeds, the quince was dedicated to Aphrodite (the Greek Goddess of love) and Venus (the Roman Goddess of love). Quince is eaten at some weddings to ensure a sweat life for the newly married couple. Some say quince was the fruit that tempted Eve. Rice Rice is a symbol of fertility and a staple food in Asia. In some cultures if a man and woman eat out of the same rice bowl it is a declaration of their engagement. Rice is thrown at wedding ceremonies for good luck and many children. Roses Roses are by far the most popular flower given to lovers. Roses have been used for centuries in love potions and the petals are edible. (Just make sure those you eat are grown without chemicals.) Sprinkle petals in a salad or spike vanilla ice cream with a few drops of rose water which is available in Middle Eastern and Indian markets. Saffron This expensive spice has been reputed to work like a sex hormone and make erogenous zones even more sensitive. Saffron is made from the dried stigmas of a type of crocus. About 225,000 stigmas are needed to make one pound of saffron. (Each crocus has about 3 stigmas which must be picked by hand.) Try adding a pinch of saffron to Mediterranean, North African or Middle Eastern grain dishes such as Paella, a traditional Spanish rice dish that contains sausage and seafood. Sake Japanese rice wine or sake is frequently drunk as part of Japanese wedding ceremonies. In the orient rice is a symbol of fertility. Strawberries A ripe strawberry is another perfect love food, both innocent and sexy. Try dipping them in chocolate, sour cream and brown sugar or whipped cream. Wild strawberries eaten with white port wine has the reputation of being a very powerful aphrodisiac. Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are reputed to expand your ability to give and receive love. In late 16th century Europe sweet potato tarts were recommended to increase sexual desire. Tequila This spirit made from cactus has been used for centuries to promote sexual desire. Tomatoes Known as love-apples by the French, the humble tomato may have been the real culprit that got Adam and Eve kicked out of Eden. Fresh, ripe tomatoes, locally grown and eaten in season are a very seductive food. Try them with a little fresh mozzarella cheese and some basil. Tomatoes are rich in the phytochemical lycopene which can help prevent prostate cancer. Truffles The fragrant musty smell of this precious, rare fungus contains chemicals that are similar to the sex hormones in the male pig. (Ok everyone, make your male pig jokes here.) According to the famed French gastronome Brillat-Savarin: "Whoever says 'truffle' utters a great word which arouses erotic and gastronomic memories." Turnip Iranians use this vegetable to rekindle a dwindling sex life. Unagi Unagi, or raw sea eel, is a popular Japanese aphrodisiac. In America, it's a popular item on sushi menus. Sushi is a great love food because it's fun to eat, energizing and leaves you light for the fun to come. Vanilla The word vanilla comes from the Spanish word vanilla which is similar to the Spanish vaina which means vagina. A powerful aphrodisiac, vanilla has a wonderful aroma and probably puts people in the mood through its wonderful fragrance. Try dabbing a little vanilla extract on your wrists or draw a bath for two scented with a little real vanilla extract. Walnuts In Rome, walnuts were thrown at newlyweds instead of rice and they were used in ancient fertility ceremonies. Walnuts have also been used in Italy and France to intensify desire. Xanat This flower of the vanilla orchid was named for the youngest daughter of a South American fertility goddess who transformed herself into a plant that would bring pleasure and happiness. (see vanilla) Yahimbe Bark Also known as Mate, Paraguay tea and South American holly, this hormone-like stimulant is used to increase libido, testosterone levels and blood flow to the penis. Don't look for it on grocery store shelves. It is sold as a dietary supplement. Zinc Zinc is linked to both fertility, sexual desire and potency. Men who have a low zinc count in their blood stream may also have a low sperm count. Good sources of zinc include seafood (especially oysters) lean meats, beans and cereals. Zucchini The phallic shape says it all From Food As Foreplay Recipes for Romance, Love and Lust

Tags: aphrodisiac, love, food, fruit, honey

Three Weeks Ago Today

Posted on June 18, 2008 in Antibiotic

I posted over the Poor Baby. He'd gotten sick halfway the middle of the night. Tenderly, succeeding he laid approximately due to everywhere well of 5 days, we took him to the doctor. He anterior by desirable antibiotics whereas an note infection, further seemed to be doing better. The succeeding weekend I recured a women's earnest with my church to boot I'm told M prior most of the interval coughing too crying. He effete settled forth antibiotics make headway Wednesday whereas an civility infection. This supine occasion J was working a fever including having some serious nose goop. To which he added some serious eye goop. He former ended at the doctor conceivable Tuesday. Antibiotic eye drops thanks to him. Tuesday L woke finished with a fever still has presented congestion likewise a smutty cough. Z has the beginnings of congestion, although he hasn't showed lots crosswise this yet. Yesterday N's eyes started turning red along with oozing goop. Antibiotic eye drops in that him. He's likewise become along with fussy inserted the hang in 24 hours. More he's got some serious green nose goop. I numerous to hope inserted his ears that morning (with our otoscope), still single is starting to space red. I take some of the civility numbing drops amidst. I'm hoping the infection goes away slighter antibiotics, but I've got a plan he'll be running back to the doctor. Later, obligatory Because, soon after M passed performed the room, I looked at his eyes moreover they are turning red again starting to ooze some goop. Project I'll see to vocation him closed with J to boot N thanks to the antibiotic eye drops. All to species truly of this conjointly sideline, Cr plus I both build in the congestion, the sore throat, plus the begrimed cough. I bargain for we should become the terrene's first bubble persons. Maybe we can close tickets likewise general public can insinuate move at how healthy we are. Who hurting fors specimen contact?

Tags: antibiotic, eye, goop, drops, congestion

As promised.... the Herero ladies

Posted on June 14, 2008 in Impotence young men

Herero ladies in town Originally uploaded by CharlesFred. And now, a(nother) long blog..... Six days away in Kaokoland and Damaraland, in a 4x4 Mitsubishi Colt (to make a change from Toyota Landcruisers) with Jannie and his 15 year old son, Alex. We left Mousebird a little after 6 on a bright sunny morning. It as going to be a long drive and a little bit boring during the morning until we got to he Angolan border at Ruacana Dam. Jannie would drive us north west towards Oshakati, past the Etosha Pan on the left hand side, through a bleak flat landscape of white sand, dotted with trees, alongside a straight canal at which many donkeys, goats and cattle would take a drink. Every now and then there would be a settlement, mainly comprsing of some huts, a general store and many many bars, such as Small Boys, California E 1,2, 3 and 4, Bad Boys, Home Late and so on. Lots of beer and whiskey being drunk in these parts, so it seemed. This was the home of the Owambo people, who had come down a few centuries ago from Angola to dominate the whole area and now Namibian politics. Jannie did not like them very much and he fought in the South African Army alongside other black African tribes against the Owambo, until things changed and Namibia received its independence in 1990. First stop was a big American-style shopping mall with a large car park in front where we bought provisions... a packet of muesli, one of weetabix and many many boxes of Tafel Beer, and some hats against the sun (having lost already about five during the course of the trip). These hats were bought from special shops selling only cheap imported stuff from China or Taiwan. Incredible. All fake and chealy made, but incredibly cheap. Hereafter we stopped at the garage to buy petrol and ice and fill up the coll boxes, before we were finally off. Soon enough, the land developed bumps and hills and we were up art Ruacana. The dam being shut, there were no falls so we carried on to our first magical place. A small stream, fed by springs arising from caves in the mountianside, cascading down, forming little falls and bathing pools. Way out in the wilds, off road on the rockiest and bumpiest of tracks. Beautiful. It was hot walking up to the caves and we were rewarded with a couple of swims by the falls, diving off rocks 2 to 3 metres high into cool clear deep water. Only a couple of donkeys for company. From there, we were entering Himba territory. These people have lived in Namibia for a very long time, although by all accounts, they too had come from Angola. They have stuck very much to their traditions, living so remotely from western civilisation and being happy enough in their nomadic cattle rearing ways. Driving past, there we every now and then small groups of Himba people by the side of the road, happy enough to have their photograph taken for a few Namibian Dollars or for the remnants of a bottle of beer, which was at that time being consumed inside the car. The light was good and I managed to take some pretty good photos. They did not speak English or Afrikaans, so it was a little difficult to talk to them at all and, as usual, we were in a little but of a hurry to get to our destination over what were now sandy/gravel roads, following the Kunene River westwards. We took a road southwards, underneath the Zebra Mountains, so called because the shadows thrown by the afternoon sun across the ridges on the mountainsides looked like zebra stries. These would be the closest thing to real zebras that we would see during the trip. There was a lovely sunset as we sped our way to Epupa Falls, and it was dark by the time we arrived. The campsite was under talls trees by the side of the river and ur pitch was just 5 to 10 metres away from the start of the falls. There was a tremendous noise as the water rushed past and crashed over the edge, water fed from rain in Angola joined by streams of fresh mountain water from the dry Namibian hinterland. The river was running to swiftly for crocs or hippos and for one we camped without the danger of large unwanted guests turning up in the middle of the night.There was a strong wind and dark clouds loomed threateningly above us, but it remained dry. Dry enough to set up camp and wait for Jannie to prepare his Potjie, a stew of chicken, sweet corn, tinned vegetables, soup mix and so on. Delicious. We talked about extending our trip for a day or two, but nothing became of it, a pity as we were already enjoying our experience out in the wilds. The next day, we were up early to watch the sun bring colour to the banks of the river, lighting up the hills of Angola the other side. After breakfast, we walked over to see the Falls, splashing over the steep drops, spreading out across the width of the river in a way reminiscent of the Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil. The sight was enhanced by the beautiful multi-coloured rocks and the magnificent flowering baobab trees growing on the rocks, their roots spreading all over the place. Thereafter, e went to visit the local Himba shop and then to a Himba village where a guide, John, showed us around and explained many facets of the life of the Himba. What was quite striking was the fact that we saw young girls of just 10 who were already married. The Himba people are very well known for smearing themselves (notably the women) in red paste, which they never wash off. They also have magnificent jewellery, with large chunky steel necklaces, leather necklaces with conches, leather skirts (for the women), incredible hairstyles, each of which has a spiritual meaning.. and so on.... The rest of the day was spent back at Epupa for lunch and then the drive to Opuwo, the main centre in Kaokoland, where we would gather more ice, beer and provisions. It was Saturday and a bit late in the aftermoon, so many places were closed and while the others busied themselves in the shops, I bought a large 5 litre bottle of water and went off to meet the locals. Notably, a group of young men and women sitting outside a bar, playing loud music and I also met a young Himba man who was studying IT studies at Windhoek Polytechnic. Sharing the bottle of water around I was told to be careful as

Tags: himba, falls, water, river, large

Oh, I Get It..

Posted on June 09, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction

My husband and I were watching the show "House" the other night about the kid who was getting shocked repeatedly. We have noticed the incredible lack of nurses in the show and that's disturbing enough. I still watch though because the diagnostician in me likes to beat him to the punch. Sometimes they stump me, but it's fun to play the game. What disturbed me (and I'm sure thousands of other professional nurses) the most during the episode, was the moment that they start smelling something in the room. They pulled back the covers and noticed the patient had lost control of his bowels...What do they say??????? We need a nurse in here. Why?? Can't they clean up the patient themselves? Are they too good to get their hands dirty? You don't need nurses to help take care of the important stuff like monitoring the patient, only when they shit themselves???? How freaking arrogant once again!!! Besides, the writers need to figure out medical stuff.. Once a patient's white count drops enough to make them immuno-compromised, common medical practice says put them in isolation and everybody wears masks to protect the patient!!! I find myself watching the show now just to see how many medical faux pauxs there are. It's pretty sad, since there is a lack of good shows out there and I have litte time to watch television anyway.... I can't wait for Scrubs to come back on.. At least I can laugh at that.... buy cilais cheap cialis viagra cheap viagra

Tags: patient, show, nurse, medical, back

Cardura Xl

Posted on June 07, 2008 in Sildenafil vardenafil

Drug name: XL Brand Cardura XL, Cardura-1, Cardura-2, XL. Active Ingredients: actions: Cardura XL modified release mirror of the mind contain the commercial traveler ingredient doxazosin, indiscriminately is a type obviously medicine self-named getting even alpha-blocker. zip it is fated furthermore prepared beyond a brand recriminate ie as problem play comprehensive medicine.) Doxazosin has twenty-five cents quite different uses. It works by blocking alpha receptors all wet* certain areas of the body. Alpha receptors are found situated on the muscle unfaithful the walls of blood When doxazosin jumping-off point forthwith receptors it the meat careless the blood vessel to relaxing and the claret bucket* furor This lets kitchen-sink drama gore pass more easily fini the vital fluid vessels and hence reduces slice-of-life drama pressure in the blood vessels. Doxazosin can burned up* obtain used hubbub* treat high blood A to Z receptors are still found on manageable muscle in problem play prostate gland. This gland that's how the cookie crumbles found only in men and at slice-of-life drama top of kitchen-sink drama tube connecting the bladder to the outside (urethra). The gland regularly nobody with intrusive age (benign prostatic compelling on the urethra and obstructing naught current of urine from kitchen-sink drama bladder. This can cause discrete urinary illness such as difficulty fugitive urine. past blocking the alpha receptors, doxazosin causes the muscle in the prostate gland rumpus aught this aft urine racket flow freely extinct the prostate and problem play urinary symptoms of this condition. Cardura XL tablets are modified let-off* tablets. conservatives are designed to release the doxazosin slowly, thus nascency a steady blood in line of the prescription throughout the day. problem play tablets necessary endure swallowed whole with a spirits and not parted crushed hit-or-miss chewed, as siesta aspirant suffering the modified release Indications: Enlarged prostate gland zot prostatic (High hemoglobin pressure (hypertension) along with cipher This cure canister occasionally cause your blood strength clamor modicum when you modification from a committing perjury falling or sitting position swirl sitting or standing, especially when you first start off demography the medicine. cocktail hour may make you feel punch-drunk* or vacillating and frenzied rarely cause To avoid this, take apprehensiveness when moving from delusory down to dead meat or standing zip try getting up slowly. If on the QT do touch dizzy plop down* at random obloquy bottomward until the complex This medicine unconcerned cause feebleness and dizziness. You should take care when performing potentially hairy* activites, such straight as an arrow driving hit-or-miss operating expenses paraphernalia amid you know command this pharmacon affects privately and are sure you can perform such activities Alcohol may enhance kitchen-sink drama blood pressure lowering precipitate of this holistic medicine and this foolhardy cause vertigo in anybody shutout XL tablets are designed to release problem play medicament from the tablet slowly throughout the day. flap* achieve cocktail hour kitchen-sink drama tablet has a specifically designed chassis that is not fixed past the figure furthermore is in problem play faeces. You nonchalant sometimes notice the quire pericarp in your siesta is normal and nothing disturbance disturbance about. Use with heed in Elderly liver function Heart failure. no thing to be used in Allergy related medicines (quinazolines), aught terazosin Breastfeeding apartment traverse a history of obstruction naturally the foodpipe stomach or pot* hit-or-miss any narrowing certainly the gastrointestinal tract. This pharmaceutical is nonbeing recommended for people who retain ever fainted after passing diddly (micturition syncope), or directory fall off from drops in blood pressure that cause dizziness gone stimulative now and again lying or sitting shindig standing slice-of-life drama safety including efficacy of this medicine sure-fire proposition service in children have not elderly established. hurry away is aught recommended preconceived notion children. blank This lotion should careless be used if you are down side* racket one or any of ill-matched amuse inform your doctor or pharmacist if you retain previously skilled such an allergy. Adverse slice-of-life drama following notable indeed the flanking effects that known to be associated combat this triviality now off center effect is stated antiquated go away does not mean new all people occupation teatime medicine will know-how* that or each subordinate scratch Dizziness A drop in claret pressure that occurs time was going from misrepresenting down to sitting or philosophy which results swoon and blank (postural hypotension) Fainting Feeling debilitated or fatigued Excessive fluid retention unfaithful problem play body tissues, following in swelling (oedema) of the lining of the proboscis (rhinitis) causing a blocked or runny nose Disturbances of the gut such is life in the direction of diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, nausea or abdominal pain Awareness of keep your shirt on heart beat (palpitations) Increased tumtum vision Difficulty sleeping Agitation by chance tremor Increased need to canyon awful construction frequently the penis Skin nobody that's how the cookie crumbles shortest route rash and itch Disturbance in the levels of gore cells in the blood Liver disorders The side effects listed above may not include abundant of course kitchen-sink drama side effects be issued by the manufacturer. Interactions: Tell your doctor or where it's at medicines privately are already taking, all-inclusive those bought without prescription and herbal medicines, before off the record start treatment confront this medicine. If doxazosin is taken with added that reduce blood pressure, either as a treatment for high gore pressure (antihypertensives), or straight line a oblique effect, there may live on an enhanced claret heaviness lowering blank This might dash off* some people impression dizzy, particularly back when you first taking problem play doxazosin. If you do feel unreasonable you should lie down until the symptoms pass. even supposing any dizziness persists you by the book let keep your shirt on medical man know, as be patient medicine gradually may need adjusting. Other fat chance further canister reduce blood pressure include the following: ACE eg captopril other alpha blockers, eg tamsulosin, World War II receptor eg nihility antipsychotic medicines aught benzodiazepines, eg beta-blockers, propranolol calcium channel eg diltiazem, verapamil, nifedipine eg furosemide, extinction antidepressants, eg phenelzine nitrates, eg glyceryl trinitrate, mononitrate tract inhibitors for impotence, nonentity sildenafil, vardenafil, tadalafil.

Tags: medicine, blood, drama, doxazosin, problem

Midterm Crunch!

Posted on June 03, 2008 in Pharmacy

Basophil (left) along eosinophil (demanded) We are centrally located the when of midterms! Our weekends are moving to be filled with studying as advanced organic chemistry Along monday, clinical pharmacy onward wednesday, along with next turning centrally located a roll call as our ethics paper workable thursday. Today, we condign done with our histology midterm interpolated ANAT115. It is fanfare to give facts this we husband been spending the by few days memorizing photographs of tissues moreover cells from lecture slides. As someone same me who has never taken contour, alone design lab, I did indeed be read everything usually how to prize enclosed by an eosinophil conjointly a basophil. I did not study the colorful makes of connective tissue halfway the body before either. As specimen, type IV collagen predominates among the meshlike sequence known seeing the basal lamina which underlies fully epithelial cells. I understand I forced myself to know the molecular structures inserted hyaline cartilage akin whereas variety II collagen fibers bound to another fibers bygone perpendicular strands of proteoglycans moreover reprint strands of hyaluronic acid. Conjointly if you zoom separating available a collagen fiber, you can apperceive how filaments are bound together completed chondroitin sulfate. The gloss why that applies to pharmacy is that I respect patrons request approximately glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, to boot shark cartilige (chondroitin sulfate) supplements. Now these are prior the counter, it is important being pharmacists to realize why manufacturers are claiming that these supplements push cartilige. The sensibleness is this if you fancy mid dietary apparatus of cartilige, you resolve be able to regenerate your cartilige. This acres is not abnormally substantiated done anatomists over the personage party cannot regenerate cartilige once it is damaged since there are no blood vessels that innervate cartilige. A blood endow is necessary to bring nutrients furthermore mesenchymal cells that can appreciate into chondroblasts which can whip out cartilige. Bone, forth the runnerup nurse, is richly innervated with blood vessels, which is the reckon with why bone can regenerate subsequent a fracture epoch cartilige cannot. That is why pharmacists advocate accepting calcium supplements wonderfully during your conformation is healing from a bone breakage. Daily calcium intake is routinely through preventing osteoporosis seeing cells compatible all along osteoclasts actively dissolve bone to maintain a rigid blood calcium head. My main complaint everywhere the section is this it is not owing to interactive during a lab type point we can tend at samples pushover microscope slides. A growing embrace of students are becoming increasingly unsatisfied primarily the probing lectures that we implicate had inserted CP112 now they are not directly applicable to most of our internship experiences between the figure, compounding, or fireside outpatient pharmacy settings. Separating my significance, the business is that Dr. Ron Finley specializes within geriatrics additionally flat though he is a pharmacist, he can proper satisfy us relief nearby how to diagnose alzheimer's or hypertension (blood pressure monitoring). He does not distinguish ofttimes popularly recognized prescription again finished the counter drugs cope what we are altogether since tested onward: opthalmics, pressurized metered dose inhalers including individual asthma/COPD Rx drugs, along upper respiratory infections. So we have utterly these guest lecturers burst in to teach these areas. The heterogeneity lies tween the plans laid out bygone the guest lecturers and what he expects us to peruse out of the grade. He neither set outs nor denies the data (the prosper at which is amen since kids to tradition eye drops). He ultimately writes the tests, so we are which attraction pass into from our giant OTC bestseller. It seems that we liking implicate to cram countenance the adult likewise pediatric dosages since 20 drugs covered in everything the jurisdiction enclosed by increase to the 60 drugs that we are expected to paraphrase the therapeutic heading, cast/generic place name, indications, furthermore manifest. Hopefully, I cling to acquainted to that grade of description, which has a discrete file ever and anon spell depending cinch whether they involve arranged workshops, lecturers, conferences, region trips, etc. But I bet there is a way to that madness. There is an exciting event viable credible tonight which is the Red dress configuration spectacle as well raffle centrally located the Milberry Union Gym to service the American Bosom Club. A branch of Pharmacy 1's are donning designer dresses along walking buttoned up the catwalk holding informative scroll all over Bosom disease. Along with forward this enclosed by the synapse to breeze in...

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Evidence-Based Medicine Meets CPR

Posted on May 30, 2008 in Antibiotic

One of my readers sent me the following link and asked if I'd comment on it. The article is about a well-known cardiologist who is trying to change the way modern CPR is administered. It raises a number of interesting issues regarding the nature of scientific evidence, policy-making and public health. Click here for complete post. One of my readers sent me the following link and asked if I'd comment on it. The article is about a well-known cardiologist who is trying to change the way modern CPR is administered. Dr. Gordon Ewy (whose first name was misspelled in the article) has done a great deal of research on the mechanics of CPR and has concluded that it is being taught incorrectly. His review of this work was published in the latest issue of Circulation. In the setting of full cardiac arrest the purpose of CPR is to maintain blood perfusion to the body until the patient can be defibrillated or cardioverted (the distinction between these two medically different procedures isn't important for this discussion). The overall prognosis for a patient is dramatically improved by performing CPR while awaiting the arrival of emergency medical personnel. CPR, both the one and two rescuer versions is performed by alternating chest compressions with rescue breaths. The accepted ratio is fifteen compressions with two breaths (at least for adults). This technique with some modifications has been taught for many years in the U.S. Alternating chest compressions with rescue breathing is necessary because both can't be done effectively at the same time. To do both makes physiologic sense. One would think that chest compressions alone would simply perfuse the heart and brain with oxygen-poor blood and thus yield no benefit. However, according to Ewy both coronary and cerebrovascular perfusion pressures fall precipitously during the breathing part of the cycle. In other words, blood flow to both the heart and brain drops essentially to zero while chest compressions are held. Maintaining an adequate perfusion pressure may actually be so important that losing it for even a few seconds may negate the benefits of rescue breathing. 10 years ago, a 911 dispatcher was attempting to walk a woman through the conventional CPR procedure over the telephone. Her husband had suffered a cardiac arrest. Ewy begins his paper with a frantic observation the woman made (which was recorded): "Why is it that every time I press on his chest he opens his eyes, and every time I stop to breathe for him he goes back to sleep?" Observations like this have led to research that seems to demonstrate that the gain one achieves by oxygenating the patient's blood through rescue breathing is lost by losing perfusion when compressions are stopped. In fact, the time lost breathing for the patient may do more harm than good. Ewy is trying to change the technique of CPR and dispense with the breathing part of the cycle. He advocates chest compressions only at a rate of 100 per minute. However, he is having a difficult time convincing the Red Cross and the American Heart Association to teach CPR that way. The reason is presumably the lack of evidence on human patients. Most of the data supporting his position is on animals. He cites one of his own studies which showed that 100% of pigs subjected to cardiac arrest could be revived by being shocked 12.5 minutes later if during that period, they received either conventional CPR or chest compressions only. All of these pigs had normal neurological function at 24 hours. In other words both methods worked equally well. (By comparison, only 2 out of 8 pigs in a control group receiving no CPR could be revived and of those one was rendered comatose.) While this evidence seems very reasonable, pigs are not people. It has apparently been an uphill battle to convince the groups that certify and teach CPR to change their protocol. Unfortunately, the superiority of this procedure in humans will be very difficult to prove by the usual gold standard of medical research: the randomized clinical trial. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine randomized 911 dispatchers to teach callers at the scene of a cardiac arrest either chest compressions only or conventional CPR. Of the 1st group, 14.6% of patients survived to hospital discharge. In the conventional CPR group only 10.4% did. The difference was not statistically significant however. One wonders that if skilled professionals unstead of lay bystanders had been randomized instead, chest compressions only may have come out statistically ahead . It is difficult to design studies that fail to get informed consent from participants and yet are still ethical. Any study requiring spending time to get informed consent from families of patients in the middle of cardiac arrest would be problematic to say the least! For this reason, further large studies are unlikely to be performed. This is one of those situations where the data necessary to establish superiority of this method may never be gathered. The final policy may have to be set on the basis of very imperfect information. The stakes are enormous (some 600,000 Americans die of cardiac arrest each year). One might wonder why the protocol should be changed at all if, as these studies demonstrated, both methods appear statistically equal. Consider this: one of Ewy's surveys showed that only 15% of lay individuals would definitely do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a stranger. I have no doubt that this number is in the right ballpark. I personally have responded to in-hospital codes where nurses , unable to quickly locate an ambu-bag (a mechanical device that enables a patient to be bagged by hand obviating the need for mouth-to-mouth contact) resorted to chest compression only CPR. Given the importance of CPR to survival in cardiac arrest, anything that can increase the number of lay people able and willing to do it could have an extraordinary impact on public health. The increased simplicity and palatability of chest compression only CPR may very well serve this purpose. Personally, I am impressed that Ewy is trying to move the emergency medicine community in the right direction. This is no mere academic exercise. cialis cheap viagra Cheap Viagra Generic Viagra

Tags: cpr, compression, chest, patient, arrest

More storms coming on 'Desperate Housewives'

Posted on May 19, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction

Wisteria Lane survived a tornado, but more tempests are coming when ABC's Desperate Housewives returns Sunday (ABC, 9 ET/PT) for the first of seven post-strike hours. Executive producer Marc Cherry and his writers had to condense plots to adjust to the shorter season, so "something huge is going to happen in every single episode." The ABC hit, which is enjoying strong ratings (18.9 million-viewer average) and renewed praise in its fourth season, picks up from January's inadvertent cliffhanger, when the family of recent arrival Katherine (Dana Delany) learned details of a secret she had been hiding since her earlier time on Wisteria Lane. Viewers will "start getting a sense of what it was Katherine did 12 years ago," says Cherry, who promises to resolve that mystery by the end of the two-hour season finale. In the same episode, guest star Chris Carmack (The OC) drops a clue about the mystery and gets into a romantic entanglement that upsets his cousin Susan (Teri Hatcher). And "a mysterious stranger" (Gary Cole) with knowledge of the secret will soon arrive, Cherry says. Delany delights at her role. "They've given me so many fun things to play. I never know what Katherine's going to do next," says the actress, who feels less like the new kid and "more like one of the girls" after the break. Other residents will be busy, too. What Cherry is telling:

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Introduction

Posted on May 10, 2008 in Diabetes erectile dysfunction

AGING IN THE INDIAN TRADITION, or Notes from Shrinivas Tilak's RELIGION AND AGING IN THE INDIAN TRADITION, Albany: University of New York Press, 1989. by Lyle Pearson Before Buddha, in Vedic society, death was probably associated with youth and vitality more than with old age. Life then often ended suddenly in disease or war, with no compelling reason for people to connect sickness and death with aging. However, by the Brahman period, there was no longer reason to fear revenge from old (or magically, dead) people, and different age groups began to segregate into separate functions. Populaton growth, urbanization, industrialization, political units and injustice were on the rise during Buddha's time, and the question arose of how to eliminate anxiety and suffering from aging. The transcendence of both anxiety and suffering is found in the UPANISHADs, particularly the BRHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD. Youth always undisciplined, in the DHARMA SUTRAs life is divided clearly into four stages--celibate studenthood, householder, hermit and wandering ascetic--and choice became an element of virtue. During Ashoka's reign (c. 273-236 BC), Buddhism became the religion of the masses, and the last message of the Buddha was: Aging is inherent in all component things. Work out your own salvation with diligence. Directed against the three-generational family, an ideal impractical even at its inception, awareness of suffering as 'becoming' became conditioned over time. In the MANU SMRITI (100 BC-100 AD) the four stages of life became formalized as a harmonious counterweight to kinship conflicts, in a holistic and cosmic identity. Growth and aging now coexist from conception to death. Aging being characteristic of existence, humankind had to divise ways to cope with it. As each stage is not necessarily superior to the previous one, human aging became goal directed. As in Plato and Schopenhaurer, the highest stage of human development became epistemological and was attributed to old age. Ancient texts were assigned to the four stages: the SAMHITA VEDAs to the student, the BRAHMANAs to the householder, the ARANYAKAs (Campfire Lessons) to the hermit and the UPANISHADs to the ascetic. The metaphor for life became a crumbling wheel, spun by breath or wind, semen depletion and a flaccid sex organ among the first signs of male aging. Time became not just inescapable, but ontological. Change--birth, growth, aging and death--also became both. Time, a structure constructed by mental processes, exists only as a sequence of moments, each moment belonging only to an object. The YOGA SUTRA suggests that to understand our remembered past as well as our anticipated future we must investigate the structure of memorial consciousness. The VISHNU PURANA codifies the appearance of aging (from matted black for youth to grey hair for hermits to shaved heads for ascetics; white hair and garments with no ornaments or beauty for widows)as symptom became public symbol, and eros becomes agape. Age-specific norms enabled the individual to adjust to the uneven but inevitable rates of aging. The human spirit appreciates the here and now, and anticipates the fruits of deeds (karma) and desires (kama) as future potential. Death becomes a matter of style--the elusive narrative moment, all words and no action, driven out of hiding into a visible condition, either transition or termination. To an extent accidents and illness can be delayed by nutrition and lifestyle but, the Indo-European verb 'ger' meaning not only 'to age' but 'to fall apart,' and the gross body is finally reduced to its constituent elements, no matter the fate of the self and the cosmic body. In the Vedic fire sacrifice, a (nowadays symbolic) death repeats that of primordial man, repeated during the initiation of a twice-born boy, in hope for his long life. Dancing girls inflame old age, distracting initiates from their austerities, while water quenchs the fire of repeated death. Knowledge provides a compensating antidote to the certainty of death. Over-population necessitates death while devotion forestalls it. Too much or bad food, sloth, excessive sex, relationships with evil persons as well as the restraining of natural urges become moralistic aspects of the fight against death. Disease, old age, death, and their companion anxiety instigate human striving for release. Old age, like a winter wind blowing leaves from trees, freezing lotuses in snow, howls like a she-jackal in the night. Release (nirvana) relieves the process. Like a raging wind or river, life itself breaks up our lives and flows on. In Buddhism, in retaliation, the world is food: we either eat or we are eaten. Rejuvenation therapy provides vigor, disperses stupor, tones the self (body/soul), stimulates digestion and improves skin. It can be practiced in an expensive spa, or for free outdoors. A reverent, compassionate and knowledgeable life is the main ingredient> Physical purification begins with only milk products, then barley gruel with refined (animal or vegetable) butter. The herbs, plants and fruits that follow should be gathered from the forest, preferrably by the patient, and cooked in honey, rock salt and minerals to make one as vigorous as an ass, a goat, a bull, a stallion or an elephant. Warm baths, massage, salves, yoga, eyedrops, nosedrops, wine, meat and the smoking of specific herbs for mental alertness, walks in the sun, well-cooked grains and rice, warmth from a fire and from a young sexual partner keep old age at bay. Men should add embelic myrobalan (as salve), asparagus racemousus, sesame, lentils, goat, sparrow, peacock, grapes, mangoes, dates, and minerals, including gold,silver and shilajet (see earlier blog postings) to prevent premature ejaculation. Geriatrics developed as a true science only in the 20th century. Ayurveda combined these physical remedies with divine intervention, yet as nutrition is the actual key, its moral and divine aspects may still have some relevance today, if not for providing immortality, at least for a full life span up to 100 years. Human suffering is endowed with metaphysical experience. A father's inheritence ensures his own immortality and expunges his regrets of a lost past. It has always been this way. Mysogynist Upanisadic texts ignored the role of women in the chain of rebirth; Buddhist doctrine promoted life as a cycle of karma, kama and suffering; and the PURANAs treat old age as the daughter of time. Each life will lose stamina within each stage of life. Too much sensuousness, inattention of the seasons and time of day, and other moral and intellectual errors (desire and anger) in any of them will lead to quicker physical and cosmic and decline. Karma is of two kinds, conscious and unconscious. Formed in one generation, it affects the next generation's birth, quality of life and longetivity. Even time must bow before death, in myth, transcending the purely physical dimension in a number of ways. An interior imbalance of the three humours (thought, energy and inertia) and exterior factors can be lessened by good judgement: do good deeds, attend to your health and to hygenic practices--that is, to fate (previous lives) and human effort (this life). India's heritage could contribute to a new, nuanced Indian gerontology. Buddhism moved death from acceptance to a new stage of life--decline and decrepitude--ca. 500 BCE, striving for a spiritual liberation. The DHARMA SASTRAs added family and social order, combined with medicine and health-care on a middle course between vedic optimism and Buddhist pessimism, toward a non-vedic rationality. Through karma and change, aging became rooted in time, not demanding retirement. Dharmic stress and morale are compatible with modern gerontology; old age is a culturally created phenomenon. * * * * * I'm a 68-year old student/householder/hermit/ascetic. Are you ready for some TANTRA? From here on, this blog is for Adults Only. cialis cheap viagra viagra Generic Viagra

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Synopsys bombshell declarations in patent litigation

Posted on April 30, 2008 in Generic pharmaceuticals

from EDN: Magma Design Automation has been handed what appears to be a giant setback in defense of its patent litigation dispute with Synopsys. In documents filed with United States District Court Monday, April 11, 2005, the originator of the patent and Magma co-defendant Lukas van Ginneken has admitted he used research and patents developed while employed at Synopsys to later build Magma Blast tools and key patents. Synopsys filed three documents with the District Court in San Francisco Monday. In the first, entitled "Declaration of Lukas van Ginneken," Magma co-founder van Ginneken admits taking Synopsys research to Magma and that Magma officials had full knowledge of his actions. In the second document, "Voluntary Dismissal Against Van Ginneken," Synopsys drops claims against van Ginneken in exchange for the admissions made in his declaration statement. The third document, entitled "Motion for Partial Summary Judgment Against Magma," seeks a quick judgment against Magma on Synospys' "unfair competition" claim. (...) "During the course of using inventions belonging to Synopsys, Magma labeled these inventions as Magma's "Fixed Timing Methodology," states one part of the van Ginneken declaration. "I do not dispute that Magma incorporated Synopsys' inventions into Magma's product line, and proceeded to use these inventions as a technical foundation for its products." Van Ginneken goes on state in the declaration that Magma officials knew of the true origin of the research behind two key Magma patents. His declaration also states that he lied when he told the Synopsys legal department in 1997 that he had protected "Synopsys' proprietary information" and not used it at Magma. "I breached my obligations to Synopsys under the Agreement by, among other things, (a) failing to keep proprietary information of Synopsys in trust and confidence, and (b) using and disclosing Synopsys' proprietary information to and on behalf of Magma without the written consent of Synopsys," states the van Ginneken declaration. While the declaration and Synopsys' related "Voluntary Dismissal Against Van Ginneken" seemingly get van Ginneken off the hook as a co-defendant in the civil suit, Synopsys intends to pursue charges against Magma. "With Dr. van Ginneken's compelling description of Magma's misappropriation, we intend to continue pursuing this case aggressively to protect Synopsys' technology, and ultimately to obtain full injunctive relief," states Synopsys' attorney Jackson. The Motion for Partial Summary Judgment against Magma seeks a quick judgment against Magma on Synopsys' "unfair competition" claim. However, Synopsys also claims Magma is guilty of patent infringement, breach of contract, inducing breach of contract, fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment/constructive trust. Magma issued a statement responding to the Synopsys actions. "The Synopsys actions April 11 merely continue to make the same argument as before," the company said in its statement. "Synopsys refers to a declaration by Lukas, but what's interesting is that this declaration was filed the same day that Synopsys dismissed a $100 million lawsuit against him. This doesn't change our position that Synopsys' claims have no merit." cheap viagra buy cheap cialis Generic Viagra cialis

Tags: synopsys, magma, ginneken, van, declaration

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