Several years ago, orphaned baby Chhouk was found wandering alone in the forest without a foot. The endangered Asian baby elephant apparently lost his left front foot due to injuries sustained from a poacher's snare.
Rescued in a remote area of northeastern Cambodia, the injured elephant was transported by truck to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center in what turned out to be a very difficult and treacherous 26-hour journey. Besides being severely malnourished, his stump was badly infected and nearly 5 inches of infected tissue was removed. Balance issues and severe strain made walking on three feet nearly impossible.
According to the ICUN Red List, Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, are endangered. Due to habitat loss and poaching, it is estimated only a few hundred of the Asian elephants exist in the wild in Cambodia. Asian elephants can live up to 60 or 70 years.
After being cared for by specialists since his rescue, the young elephant has now been fitted with a prosthesis. The Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO) headed the project to fit the baby with a brand new foot. Although the foot needed some tweaking and repairs along the way, Chhouk can now walk and run with the new design.
Due to his injuries, he can never be released back into the wild. Chhouk and an older female elephant at the facility, Lucky, are now the best of pals. In good health and as happy as a horse, Chhouk and Lucky spend their days frolicking in the pool and enjoying life.
Image Credit: Asian elephant and baby photo courtesy of SuperJew via Creative Commons license.


Not only did I get new clients, but I significantly grew my mailing list and got really visible in my community! I am absolutely thrilled with my decision to work with Nikki and would HIGHLY recommend her to any lady boss who desires to grow their business. I am so grateful for Nikki and all that she's done for me and my business!


Our shop stocks a wide variety of vintage and vintage inspired goods. Our team travels all over the country finding the most vibrant, funky, and eclectic items for our inventory. Our motto is that every day should be a treasure hunt. You are sure to take a trip down memory lane while visiting our store.
You can also find an awesome selection of local handmade items in our shop as well. We are official Coca Cola distributors, so you can enjoy an ice cold Fanta or classic Coke in a glass bottle while you shop!


text:
David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (Remastered, 180 Gram) (LP)
SKU: AAMKHG-BOFN-00
Remastered edition on 180-gram Audiophile vinyl. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), also known simply as Scary Monsters, is the 14th studio album by David Bowie, originally released in September 1980 by RCA Records. It was his final studio album on the label and his first following his Berlin Trilogy of Low, Heroes and Lodger (1977-1979). Though considered very significant in artistic terms, the trilogy had proven less successful commercially. With Scary Monsters, Bowie achieved what biographer David Buckley called "the perfect balance" of creativity and mainstream success as well as earning critical acclaim; the album peaked at #1 in the UK and restored Bowie's commercial standing in the US.
Fresh off his Berlin trilogy (LOW, HEROES, LODGER), David Bowie released SCARY MONSTERS, an album that continued the cool, detached, electronic-flavored sound he'd been experimenting with on the aforementioned records. Robert Fripp's distinctively angular guitar style contributes greatly to the resulting Kraftwerk-flavored funk of "Fashion" and the jittery paranoia of the title track. Elsewhere, Bowie updates the saga of Major Tom with "Ashes to Ashes" and turns to Tom Verlaine for the new wave nihilism of "Kingdom Come" which also features Fripp on guitar.
Robert Fripp was far from the only great guest invited to play on SCARY MONSTERS. Pete Townshend's swirling guitar on "Because You're Young" made it an underrated classic in Bowie's canon. SCARY MONSTERS proved to be David Bowie's last musical effort for a while as he spent the next three years pursuing a career in acting before returning to the studio in 1983 to record LET'S DANCE.
Personnel: David Bowie (vocals, keyboards); Tony Visconti (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Pete Townshend, Robert Fripp, Carlos Alomar, Chuck Hammer (guitar); Roy Bittan (piano); Andy Clark (synthesizer); George Murray (bass); Dennis Davis (percussion); Lynn Maitland, Chris Porter, Michi Hirota (background vocals).
Recorded at The Power Station, New York, New York.
A1 It's No Game (Part 1)
A2 Up The Hill Backwards
A3 Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
A4 Ashes To Ashes
A5 Fashion
B1 Teenage Wildlife
B2 Scream Like A Baby
B3 Kingdom Come
B4 Because You're Young
B5 It's No Game (Part 2)
David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (Remastered, 180 Gram) (LP) - Updated: 12/06/2021
Product Tags: JMC, Out-of-stock, Rock, Vinyl

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There are indeed many fine and reputable enterprise-grade printers and manufacturers on the market today (many of which my company represents). However, there is only one option that provides a complete security solution that can protect all of the critical aspects of your printers, copiers, and MFP's.
HP Inc's enterprise line of MFPs and printers has a holistic security stack that protects device, data, and documents. Using some of the information we learned in the previous articles, I want to highlight a few of the critical security features that are embedded within the hardware and how they provide protection.
One of the nastiest bugs we've shared with you is the malware that infects down to the B.I.O.S. level and how not only is it hard to detect it can also be very hard to remove. Fortunately, HP is well aware of this emerging threat; they've developed the necessary cure.
HP Sure Start is an entirely self-healing B.I.O.S. that can detect any changes made to it and quickly reboot the device and flash the B.I.O.S. from an isolated hidden chip on the motherboard which contains a clean "Golden Image" of the true B.I.O.S and do it in just minutes with no I.T. intervention required. It should be noted that you would still be notified that it happened, you just don't have to be the one to fix it.
Unlike traditional anti-virus software, HP Sure Start doesn't rely on a database that requires continual updates. Since HP designs, develops, and manufactures their own B.I.O.S, they know precisely what should be there and what shouldn't. Any changes— whether they're good, bad, or indifferent— will be quickly detected and eliminated.
Being part of a team or establishing yourself as a member of an exclusive club can be great. What's not nearly as fun is having one of your devices being a member of a botnet which assists in causing havoc and destruction across the internet. With HP Connection Inspector, your device will continuously monitor all outbound connections looking for out of the ordinary or suspicious looking outbound traffic.
Multiple outbound connections to an external IP address is usually a classic sign of your device reaching out to a command and control server to receive its marching orders. HP Connection inspector will see this traffic and alert you, in addition to rebooting or shutting down the device until it can be remediated.
Stopping malware in its tracks.
Through HP's Whitelisting any software which isn't explicitly allowed and digitally signed by HP will be prevented from being installed on the device, this includes malware attempting to install itself over the network or through a USB device.
Eliminate the threat of firmware overwrites.
In part three of this series, we discussed the "document of death." This refers to the process in which an ordinary looking document, once in the print stream, corrupts your firmware during run-time. HP has created Runtime Intrusion Detection for just this type of situation.
With Runtime Intrusion Detection, the printer will notice an attempt to rewrite its firmware and immediately reboot of the device, thus eliminating anything potential issues in runtime or memory. If the infection attempts two more times beyond that, it will then shut down the MFP to allow you to troubleshoot further the offending document and person trying to print it.
Protecting your documents for life.
The life of an enterprise printer will see thousands upon thousands of pages printed over its lifespan. A sizable portion of these documents will likely contain sensitive information. It should come as no surprise by now that many of these documents will have a life far more than the few seconds it took to print out.
As we mentioned in part 1 of this series, printers have hard drives. A copy of every document ever printed could be residing on persistent storage, ripe for the taking. We had better make sure if they are going to get stored that they are stored in the most secure manner possible.
With HP's self-encrypting hard drives, any and all data that lands on a hard disc is automatically encrypted and safe from prying eyes. And because they are self-encrypting, they reduce the risk of configuration or administrator error. This ensures that your documents stay safe for life.
In our final article in the series, we will discuss some next steps you should take to begin opening up the conversation about security, your printers, and keeping your environment safe.


For nearly all charities and community groups volunteers continue to be the lifeblood of their work and allow them to deliver the services and make real differences to people lives.
The role of the person or people who coordinate the volunteers should also not go unrecognised as one of the most important roles in a charity… yes perhaps as important as the CEO!
However volunteers are evolving and changing before our eyes so ignore this at your peril! Not all volunteers want to be told what to do or fill a gap in the work that you deliver. They want to believe in the organisation and follow and inspirational vision (which will be sold to them by you the Volunteer Manager/Coordinator) and understand that their piece of volunteering fits into the bigger picture for your charity.
So the new challenge of the 21st Century is to LEAD your volunteers, walk the path into which they can follow and you and support them on their journey.
Use the "Volunteering and social action" menu above how we can help you, whether you are looking to attract more volunteers, support the ones you have or look at new and innovative ways to utilise the skills of people who support your charity.


Oh man, that must be such a struggle. I think my husband had PTSD from when he was over after 9/11 (before we met), but he's better now - or maybe he just bottles it?
I hope and pray that you are getting all the help that you need. You are being the best mom that you can be - I definitely see that. How hard it must be for you to do it every.single.day. Thank you for the service you gave to our country and the cost that you paid. I know you have to find a lot of your own resources for help with PTSD. I hope you are getting the most.
I am so sorry and will pray for you and your family as your combat PTSD. Those pictures are amazing of your kids. And you are blessed!
First of all, I want to thank you for serving our country. I am so sorry you are struggling with PTSD. My brother-in-law also suffers from this as he served 2 tours in Iraq.
Wow, what a struggle.. I know it is totally not the same thing, but when I was a teenager, I suffered from anxiety attacks and when I was pressured to handle a situation during an attack I would go on the offensive and blow up... especially towards my parents. It was horrible, if I didn't walk away I would become someone I did not want to be. Sometimes walking away to breath is the best thing you can do.
I send prayers of strength to you. You are a wonderful person and are working hard to deal with your struggles. My son has been deployed several times and I know he has problems. I thank you for your service.
I can't imagine what it is like to parent with PTSD. You are very strong. Thank you for sharing this post.
I am sorry you are going through this. I think writing about it helps a lot, too. Thanks for sharing your story.
I'm so sorry that you're going through this. You should be so proud of yourself for being so strong for your kids! I would never say you're being heartless. If anything, you're opening your heart up to others who may be going through the same things you are, and may learn from you.
Huge hugs to you, thank you for being so brave to speak up and share your story, I know this is not easy to talk about. I can only begin to imagine how difficult this is for you. I lived through a traumatic suicide in my family and every day since then I've been so fearful that my other loved ones will be hurt. I feel almost like things are too perfect and the rug will be pulled out from under me again at any given time...the cloud of doom is there despite how unlikely it is that anything bad will actually happen. I can't even begin to imagine how anxious you must feel being a parent, and what you lived through being in a warzone. Sending you hugs as you work your way to that 95% mark.
Thank you for being so brave and sharing your story. I am sure you are helping so many people by letting them know your struggles and success!
Hugs. I know it's hard to open up but sometimes it's best to get something out rather than letting it eat you up inside. I don't think you are horrible. We all have hard days. Keep your chin up. Just to let you know, I also battle depression. The only way I can keep it at bay is by running. I jump on the treadmill and run. It eases the stress.
I think you're doing an admirable job of working around the PTSD. I hope that it will dissipate in time though.
I suffer from extreme anxiety, so I can only imagine what you are going through.
Thank you for your service and for sharing your story, which I'm sure will help so many people. Sending you lots of good thoughts, and hope that it gets easier over time.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. I'm sure there are many people suffering in silence and by talking about this, you are helping to bring awareness to their own issue.
You just educated me in something I have never heard of before - thank you!
Prayers to you and your family. I am proud of you for being so open and honest about your PTSD. Education is the key for dealing with this disorder.
This is something I can really relate to as the child of a parent with PTSD. My dad was diagnosed at 65, so many years after Vietnam. Once I started learning more, so many things made sense. I love him dearly, and hate to see his struggle.
Thank you for being so honest and sharing what's going on in your world!
PTSD is a serious problem that can be the result of all kinds of trauma. It is good that you share your story because it may help others.
Amazing pictures, will pray for your family and for your children!
I can say with no hint of doubt that you, Melissa, are one the finest people I have had the pleasure to know. You are thoughtful, creative, brave, forthright, and compassionate. You work hard for everything that you have and you deserve every ounce of respect and pride that you might be trying gain in dark moments but should always know are there within. You kids are beautiful and brave and smart and so full of potential in large part because they have this amazing woman for a mother.
I have Ptsd and am a mother of three. This was like reading about myself. I was attacked in my home in front of my children. My son also suffers from Ptsd. I can really relate to you. I pray we both get better. Thank you for sharing this story.


Our service interval of 10,000 Km. or 6 Months (whichever comes first), is a proof of superior reliability and quality of our vehicles.
But Quality does not end there. As a brand we are committed to the smallest details and we set to raise the Customer Experience excellence standards even further with state-of-the art Processes and Quality Standards.


Now that's some Easter advice if ever we've heard it – "You never know when one story ends and another begins." That's resurrection advice – "You have to keep going." And it's also excellent advice for us any time we read the Bible. For instance, we come today to the start of John 14 and what feels like the beginning of a new story. "Let not your hearts be troubled," Jesus says with familiar, reassuring words in chapter 14, verse 1. But as you might know, the first versions of these stories didn't have chapters and verses. These were added much later, after the texts had been written, translated, passed down, edited, which means that when we read our Bibles, we are effectively letting someone else decide when one story ends and another begins. And when we begin reading at Chapter 14 – "Do not let your hearts be troubled" – we might miss the fact that Jesus seems to be concerned about one troubled heart in particular: Peter's.
You remember Peter. The one with all the fire and zeal. The one who was unafraid to box out the others and even throw a few elbows in order to get the prime seat, right next to Jesus. The one who had started to believe all the hype about himself – "That's right Jesus, on this rock you will build your church." Peter, the one so in love with the idea of ministry and mission. So ready to give all of himself for the cause of Christ. Itinerant, zealous, competitive Peter.
You remember Peter. The one so paralyzed by fear that he ultimately denied even knowing who Jesus was, not once, but three times. The one so overwhelmed by his failure, he returned to his fishing boat as though he had wasted his chances. Regretful, mournful, hiding-his-face-in-shame, Peter.
This abrupt word from Jesus foreshadows Peter's coming denial. Later that night, Jesus will be arrested and taken to the high priest. And Peter, wanting to be near and know what was happening, hovers around the edges. When he is recognized and given three chances to claim his allegiance and make good on his promise to follow and lay down his life, in each case he shrinks back under threat in self-preservation. "I'm not one of them… I don't know him… I never loved him," he says, only to hear a rooster crow. It signals an end for Peter, leaving him his denial and the haunting reality he is not who he thought he was. Not as rock solid as he might have started to believe.
So often we just let Peter's story end right there and start a new chapter, forgetting what has come before.
These words of comfort are most regularly spoken and heard at funerals and memorial services. I've spoken them countless times in this pulpit as we share memories of a good person – perhaps a beloved family member, or a foundational member of our church. We speak these words and remember that the person we love they are safe and whole in the love of Jesus.
But what if we hear these words as a continuation of the story that precedes them?
These words are certainly true of those who honor Christ. But at the very first, they were true for the one who denied him.
We can't seem to believe it. We're always trying to put a break between the denial and the promise. We separate our failures from the grace of Jesus Christ. Whether we're reading the Bible or just living our lives, we so often act as if such words of promise could never be voiced to those who have failed or denied.
Rev. Julie Pennington Russell is a friend and Pastor of First Baptist in Washington D.C. Years ago, she was a pastor in Texas, where she had a friend – a rugged, burly, brilliant guy that Julie said reminded her of the Marlborough Man. He studied at a prestigious university in the Eastern U.S. some years ago, and then he moved to Texas to work on his doctorate. But somewhere along the way he became addicted to cocaine. He tumbled into a dark hole. He lost his family, lost his place in graduate school, lost big pieces of himself. But somehow he washed up on the shores of a good church. And the people of that church put their arms around that man and slowly he started to heal, and eventually, miraculously, even reunited with his wife and children.
"There is a place for you," Jesus says. Can we imagine this resurrection promise is true for those who have failed, denied, and seemed to waste their chances?
I hope so, because that describes all of us from time to time.
We've all heard it. We know the stories of our own denial even better than we know Peter's enduring tale. Chances are we know what it is to feel like a shell of what we were, going back to pick up the pieces, and probably believing the story just ends right there. We hear the rooster crow so loudly we never tune our ears to the words of promise and grace for Peter or for any of our neighbors.
I heard recently of a tribe somewhere deep in the Amazon many years ago, that seemed to live by the kind of remarkable grace that Jesus embodies. Apparently in this tribe, if someone was known to have committed some moral indiscretion – some failure, denial, or waste – that person was to sit in the middle of town for three days, right where everyone would walk by them throughout the day. And when everyone from the community would walk by this person, they were to tell them every good thing they could think of about them. They were t stop and recite to this person – who had compromised in some way the social bonds that they lived by – all the things they loved about them, as a reminder to this person – and maybe to themselves – that all of us are more than the worst thing we've ever done. This would continue for three days, and after that, the matter was done.
I have my doubts. We do change it, don't we? We followers of Christ so often let the story end in denial, waste, failure and shame. We let those who have failed us, or denied Christ, shrink back in embarrassment without hearing any words of grace echoed at our tables or in our lives. We proclaim a limited understanding of the love of God in Jesus Christ. We make it conditional, deciding who needs it and who doesn't, who can receive it and who can not, who is worthy and who is wasted, when in fact the only calling we have is to receive the good news of God's grace and to share it without condition, just as it has been offered to us.
Because this is the way that Jesus proclaimed. This is what he gave his life for. And when he finally breathed his last, you know what happened. They started to believe the story ended right there. They closed the book. They stopped following along in the story. They prepared spices for a burial as a testament to finality. Or they went back to safety. Or they ran off to hide and preserve themselves. They didn't yet believe the promise that Jesus comes back explicitly for those of us who have denied him and betrayed him, who fall asleep on him, who turn from him. The resurrection of Jesus means that the story didn't end. It never ends. And if we believe it about Jesus, maybe we can believe it for Peter, too. And if we believe it about Peter, I wonder if we can come to believe it about our own lives.
"Will I ever get another chance like that?" I asked my wife, Jenny, this question recently. It was about an experience of my own denial in the last year or so. I won't tell you all the details out of respect for a friend, but there was a time recently when I was not as brave as I thought I was. Not as rock solid as I'd like to believe I am. Given the chance, it turns out I wouldn't lay down my life at all. Hear me say, it was nothing destructive. I didn't cheat or lie or steal. It wasn't illegal. It was, in fact, a reasoned, rational decision. But I wasted a chance not long ago. I hurt a friend. Or I missed a chance to bless a friend, at least. And I swear it remains one of those moments in my life where I walked away and just as clearly as you hear my voice now, I heard a rooster crow in the early morning.
So, I know a little of what Peter must have felt: wasted, washed up, feeling the limits of what can't be changed, wanting to go back, and knowing you can't. Maybe you what that's like, too. If we do, I hope we can come to hear what Peter heard at the table, if he was listening: that in the depths of denial and heartbreak and the harsh reality of failure, Jesus says, "I have a place for you." And if he said it to Peter, maybe he's saying it to us all.
Peter could never go back to that fire the night of his denial. If he was anything like me, he still woke with a fright sometimes at the loss. The denial was real. But it was not final, not definitive, not the end. The worst is not the last for those who follow the Resurrected Christ.
Jesus still had a place for Peter.
When Peter heard that, he probably thought the story ended right there. Thanks be to God, Jesus knew that it was yet beginning.
From "Let Jesus Show" in Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons.
A story Tom Long told during a workshop at the McAfee School of Theology Preaching Consultation in Chattanooga, TN, October 2015, shared by my friend, Scott Dickison of First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon, GA.


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United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Welcomes New Members to Board of Directors and Foundation Board
Jason Downing and Clint McDonnough Tapped to Lead Accomplished Groups
DALLAS (October 2, 2018) – United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is proud to welcome an extraordinary group of accomplished community and business leaders to its 2018-2019 Board of Directors and the United Way Foundation of Metropolitan Dallas Board. Members will serve 3-year terms, as they help steer United Way in creating solutions to complex social issues in the areas of Education, Financial Stability and Health- the essential components of a thriving community.
"Our new members are joining thoughtfully-engaged, forward-thinking and insightful boards, adding significant value to United Way and the community we serve," said Jennifer Sampson, McDermott-Templeton President and CEO, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. "Their broad experience, expertise, and passion for our work will ensure United Way remains vital and relevant in a changing society, creating a boundless future for all North Texans."
Jason Downing, Vice Chairman, U.S. Leader of Deloitte Private and North Texas managing partner for Deloitte, will serve as United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Board Chair. Committed to leadership roles within United Way for the last decade, Downing most recently served as the chairman of the United Way Foundation of Metropolitan Dallas Board.
New 2018-2019 United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Board of Directors members include:
Jim Hinton, chief executive officer of Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas. As CEO, Hinton oversees a health system that includes more than 1,000 patient access points across Texas, in addition to the Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute and Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance.
David Martin, Partner and Managing Director in the Boston Consulting Group's Dallas office. Martin is a core member of BCG's Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice, where he advises clients on topics from strategic growth and business model innovation, to operational improvement and organizational restructuring.
David Park, Senior Vice President, Utility Operations for Atmos Energy Corporation. Park is responsible for the regulated utility, which serves over three million customers in over 1,400 communities in eight states from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West.
"I consider it both an honor and a privilege to lead the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas board, working alongside such a staunchly committed group of community and business leaders," said Downing, United Way Board of Directors chair. "We take our governance role very seriously, and these new members will surely drive our performance higher still, helping create a positive impact on the lives of North Texans."
Clint McDonnough will lead the United Way Foundation of Metropolitan Dallas Board as Chairman, after longtime leadership within the organization. McDonnough is the retired managing partner of the Dallas Office of Ernst & Young LLP and serves as Vice Chair of the Unite Forever Campaign. He has previously served as Chair of the United Way Board of Directors and Chair of the Campaign Cabinet.
New 2018-2019 United Way Foundation of Metropolitan Dallas Board members are:
Mary Anne Cree, philanthropist and loyal Ruth Sharp Altshuler Tocqueville Society Member. In addition to her commitment to United Way, Cree has held leadership level positions with the Dallas Museum of Art, Sammons Center for the Arts, and Baylor Health Care System.
Kevin March, Retired CFO, Texas Instruments, where he was recognized among the top-ranked CFOs in Institutional Investor's "Best Semiconductor CFOs in America" for several of his 13 years of service. March served on United Way's Audit and Ethics Committee, 2012-2014, and on the organization's Blue Ribbon Commission.
Ronald C. "Ron" Parker, Retired Senior Vice President for Human Resources, Labor Relations and Global Diversity and Inclusion, PepsiCo. Parker recently retired from his role as president and CEO of The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), an organization representing senior black executives at Fortune 500 and equivalent companies, where he served on both the Council and Foundation Boards.
Terri West, Retired Senior Vice President, Texas Instruments, who served on United Way's Campaign Cabinet, Board of Directors, 2012-2018, and as Chair of the Resource Development Committee. West had global responsibility for Texas Instruments' communications, investor relations, and public affairs functions.
Steven Williams, Senior Vice President Sales & Chief Commercial Officer, PepsiCo/FritoLay, who serves as United Way Workplace Campaign Tocqueville Chair. Williams oversees strategy, planning and execution for Frito-Lay's U.S. field sales, retailer, and sales strategy teams.
"It's a true pleasure to lead such a high-performing board whose members possess such incredible breadth and depth of experience," said McDonnough. "We all care deeply about Dallas and its future, and together we can meet the long-term needs of those who live, work and raise families here."
About United Way of Metropolitan Dallas:
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is a community-based non-profit organization that treats 360 degrees of need. For over 90 years, we have brought people and resources together to fight complex social problems by surrounding North Texas with efficient, impactful solutions. Since 2011, we've invested more than $147M in 200+ local programs that tackle issues across health, education and income, the essential components of a thriving community. We encourage North Texans to get involved by giving, volunteering or advocating and helping lift up those in need now and in the future. United, we help those who want to do good, do great. Learn more at UnitedWayDallas.org.
About United Way Foundation of Metropolitan Dallas:
In 1999, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas established a Foundation (United Way Foundation of Metropolitan Dallas) for the purpose of perpetuating and securing the future of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Giving to the Foundation provides an opportunity for donors who aspire to have permanent impact on the North Texas community by creating lasting change in the lives of its most vulnerable citizens and families. Foundation funds are invested in perpetuity, with a portion of the Fund distributed annually. The primary recipient of the Foundation's distributions has been United Way's competitive grants process, which awards multi-year grants to the most effective community-based programs.
PreviousEarly Education is Key To Texas Economic Future
NextDallas' evening TV news anchors from WFAA, KXAS, KTVT, KDFW call a detente for #GivingTuesday


The Melrose Diner, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an iconic diner — some say the iconic diner — in South Philadelphia. To really understand the place, read Robert Huber's fascinating 2011 piece from Philadelphia Magazine. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, courtesy U.S. Library of Congress.
We began last time to explore the power and hazards of anecdotes when used as tools of persuasion, examining how two different cognitive biases, the Availability Heuristic and the Focusing Illusion, could lead to disadvantageous outcomes when anecdotes are involved. We continue now with another more complex example of a hazard of anecdotes.
That hazard arises from what information economists call information cascades. Combining information cascades, cognitive biases, and the properties of anecdotes, we can better understand how muddled thinking and wrong ideas propagate through organizations to become the bases for dominant — but tragically incorrect — ways of thinking about issues.
Information cascades occur when rational individuals disregard the contra-indications of their private information and instead mimic the choices or actions of others. For example, suppose you're seeking a restaurant for lunch upon arriving in an unfamiliar town. You see two restaurants, A and B. A is recommended by your travel guide, but it's fairly empty. B is busy, but it doesn't appear in your travel guide. Choosing to lunch in B, despite the travel guide's recommendation, can be an example of the effects of an information cascade, because your decision is influenced by the choices of those who preceded you, despite the information, or lack of information, in the travel guide. B's popularity might actually be the result of a number of similar decisions, following uninformed random choices by the first few diners, rather than an indication of superior dining [Banerjee 1992].
In most models of information cascades, the decision-makers are assumed to act rationally, but in some variations of the concept, that assumption is relaxed. The relaxation of the rationality assumption enables introduction of cognitive biases into the mix, as a means of explaining otherwise mysterious collective behavior.
One cognitive bias of special interest in connection with information cascades is the Availability Heuristic, which leads us to overestimate the likelihood or importance of some attributes of a situation, when those attributes are easy to observe, easy to imagine, or easy to recall. That's where anecdotes can play an important role.
transmit to othersanecdotes makes some attributes of a situation easy to remember and easy to transmit to others, beyond their actual importance in the situation. In effect, anecdotes amplify the effects of the Availability Heuristic. And in combination with non-rational variations of the information cascade, anecdotes and the Availability Heuristic enable non-rational choices — muddled thinking — to propagate through an organization in a self-sustaining way, capable of resisting rational attempts to dissuade the group from its poor collective choices.
Would you like to see your comments posted here? rbrenrXmmsapebckllRnQner@ChacqblvJAkOyAnoyXBHoCanyon.comSend me your comments by email, or by Web form.
I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenGvXOazFwLWUbXaAAner@ChacipCnIYOauHuJuuZBoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.


Hail the name of Lord Hanuman who is an ocean of knowledge and virtues. Lord Hanuman is regarded as one of the biggest devotees of Lord Rama. He loves to recite the Ram naam .
Former United States President Barack Obama used to carry Lord Hanuman Locket with himself. He Believes that monkey god Hanuman helps him to get inner peace and stability. Actually, Lord Hanuman is the incarnation of Lord Shiva Who is Supreme consciousness and founder of Vairagya.
Hail Lord Hanuman you are ocean of knowledge and virtues. Hail to the chief of baboon army who is famous in all three Lokas may you be victorious.
In the Ramcharitmanas Tulsidas calls Hanuman as Subeṣa (one with a handsome form). Tulsidas tells us that Lord hanuman complexion is that of molten gold. Tulsidas wrte that Lord hanuman wear kundas in his ears. Kundas are small earrings worn by Hindus, still some Hindus continues to wear it.
You have the powerful weapon of indra (vajra) and the flag in your hand, and the sacred-thread (Yajnopavita) made of the Munja grass adorns your shoulder.
you are incarnation of Lord shiva and son of Kesari, your aura and majesty is great and is revered by the whole world.
you are so Intelligent, and you are exceedingly wise, always egar to perform Lord Rama task.
You assumed an extremely minute form and appeared to Sita in the Ashok Vatika. You assumed a very large and scary form and burnt the city of Lanka.
Raghunath praises you by saying that "you are dear to me as my younger Brother Bharat"
Millions people will praise Hanuman's glory and embraced him again.
Saints like Sanka, Bramha, Munisa, Narad, Sarad, Sahit and Ahisa have blessed Hanuman.
Yama (God of death), Kubera (God of wealth), Dikpala (Gods of eight directions), Kavis (poets), Kovidas (folk singers) cannot describe Hanuman's reputation.
You did Sugriva a great favour by making him meet Rama and bestowing on him the kingdom of Kishkindha.
Your Mantra was accepted by Vibishana, as a result of which he became the king of Lanka.
O Lord, placing the ring given by Rama in your mouth, you leaped across the ocean – there is no wonder here.
All the unattainable tasks in the world become easily attainable with your grace.
You are the doorkeeper and protector of the door to Rama's court. Without your command, nobody can enter the abode of Rama.
Once in your refuge, a Sādhaka obtains all the pleasures. You are the protector, and there is nothing to be afraid of.
When you roar, after remembering your powers, the three worlds tremble with fear.
Lord Rama is supreme God and a king with Tapas. You Perform his every task.
And whoever comes to you with any wish, that wish is fulfilled beyond limits (literally, "they obtain the unlimited fruit of the wish") in this very birth.
you have impact on each epoch. This is your energy which is spread all over the world.
You are the bestower the eight Siddhis (supernatural powers named Aṇimā, Garimā, Mahimā, Laghimā, Prāpti, Prākāmya, Īśitva, and Vaśitva) and the nine Nidhis (divine treasures named Mahāpadma, Padma, Śaṅkha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda, Nīla and Kharva). Mother Sita, the daughter of Janaka, has granted you this boon.
you have treasure of love for lord Rama. Keep Loving Lord Rama.
As a result of devotion to you, a Bhakta goes to Sāketa Loka (raghubara pura) at the time of their end (physical death). Once the Bhakta reaches Sāketa, wherever they take birth, they are known as the Bhaktas of Hari.
Even one who does not contemplate on any other Devatas in their mind and only serves Hanuman, achieves all favourable bliss in this world and the next.
Whoever remembers the brave and mighty Hanuman gets free of all adversities and relief from all pains.
तुलसीदास सदा हरि चेरा । कीजै नाथ हृदय महँ डेरा ॥४०॥ Tulsidas is always a devotee of Hari. O Lord, make my heart your abode.
O Son of Vāyu, remover of adversities, one with an auspicious form, and the chief among all Devas, may you reside in our hearts along with Rama, Lakshman and Sita.
Thank you for Reading Hanuman Chalisa in English. Reading and reciting Hanuman Chalisa has many benefits like it calms your mind and brings inner peace to you.


These Conditions cover your participation at the GCN Majorca 2019 event (the Event) and your involvement in Participatory Events provided by the Event Organiser (as defined below).
1.1 Associated Parties means the Event Organiser, its officers, employees, suppliers and/or sponsors and/or persons for whom it is answerable.
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text:
Refreshed Vauxhall Insignia range details announced
Daljinder Nagra
Sep 19th 2013 1:15PM
Vauxhall has released price and specification details of its face-lifted Insignia saloon, following its debut at last week's Frankfurt motor show.
Prices for the rejuvenated model start at £16,279 – some £2,000 less than before. It's available in five-door hatchback, four-door saloon and Sports Tourer estate guises, and buyers will also be able to choose from the range-topping soft-roading 'Country Tourer' and performance flagship VXR versions.
Three new engines join the range, including a 133bhp 2.0-litre diesel motor that emits a road-tax dodging 99g/km of CO2. Existing diesel units also benefit from improvements to refinement.
Those who prefer petrol are well catered for, with two turbocharged engines – a 158bhp 1.6-litre and a 247bhp 2.0-litre – making their debut.
The Insignia's model structure has been simplified with the introduction of the face-lifted model. Trim choices are down to eight from 14, and feature a range of price points and equipment specifications to appeal to both private and company car drivers.
Standard equipment on even base models is generous and includes digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity, MP3 compatibility, cruise control, electronic parking brake, climate control and automatic lights. All models are also covered by Vauxhall's 100,000 mile manufacturer warrantee.
Externally, the Insignia has received only a mild makeover – Vauxhall clearly not wanting to spoil what is quite a handsome, if now rather familiar design. Inside, however, had a welcome revamp, with the button-heavy dashboard of old replaced with a large touchscreen, used to drive most of the on-board gadgets, as well as displaying the sat-nav. The dials have been reconfigured, too, and there is a greater selection of upholstery options.
The refreshed Vauxhall Insignia is available to order now, with the first customer cars expected for delivery in October.
New Vauxhall Insignia
soft roader
vauxhall insignia


Main function:It also be used to soothe skin conditions, It can reduce the cholesterol in the human body, regulate blood sugar and etc.
1.Oat extract can also be used to soothe skin conditions.
preventhypertension and enhance immunity of body.
3.It is the principal ingredient for the Aveeno line of products.
4.Oat grass has been used traditionally for medicinal purposes, including to help balance the menstrual cycle, treat dysmenorrhoea, and for osteoporosis and urinary tract infections.
3.Applied in the cosmetic field can resist external stimulus to the skin.


text:
Medicinal plants used in Northern Peru for reproductive problems and female health
Rainer W Bussmann1 &
Ashley Glenn1
Infections of the reproductive tract, complications after childbirth, and reproductive problems continue to be a major health challenge worldwide. An impressive number of plant species is traditionally used to remedy such afflictions, and some have been investigated for their efficacy with positive results. A total of 105 plant species belonging to 91 genera and 62 families were documented and identified as herbal remedies for reproductive problems in Northern Peru. Most species used were Asteraceae (9.52%), followed by Lamiaceae and Fabaceae (8.57% and 6.67%). The most important families are clearly represented very similarly to their overall importance in the local pharmacopoeia. The majority of herbal preparations for reproductive afflictions were prepared from the leaves of plants (22.72%), the whole plant (21.97%), and stems (21.21%), while other plant parts were used less frequently. More than 60% of the cases fresh plant material was used to prepare remedies. Over 70% of the remedies were applied orally, while the remaining ones were applied topically. Many remedies were prepared as mixtures of multiple ingredients.
Little scientific evidence exists to prove the efficacy of the species employed as reproductive disorder remedies in Northern Peru. Only 34% of the plants found or their congeners have been studied at all for their medicinal properties. The information gained on frequently used traditional remedies might give some leads for future targets for further analysis in order to develop new drugs.
According to 1999 WHO estimates reproductive problems, including, 340 million new cases of curable Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs; syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis) occur annually throughout the world in adults aged 15-49 years. In developing countries, STIs and their complications rank in the top five disease categories for which adults seek health care. Infection with STIs can lead to acute symptoms, chronic infection and serious delayed consequences such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer and the untimely death of infants and adults [1].
Traditional Medicine (TM) is used globally and is rapidly growing in economic importance. In developing countries, TM is often the only accessible and affordable treatment available. The WHO reports that TM is the primary health care system for 80% of the population in developing countries. In Latin America, the WHO Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO/PAHO) reports that 71% of the population in Chile and 40% of the population in Colombia have used TM. The WHO indicates that in many Asian countries TM is widely used, even though Western medicine is often readily available, and in Japan, 60-70% of allopathic doctors prescribe TMs for their patients [2].
Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is gaining popularity in many developed countries. Forty-two percent of the population in the US have used CAM at least once [3], and the use of at least one of 16 alternative therapies increased from 34% in 1990 to 42% in 1997 [4]. The number of visits to providers of CAM now exceeds by far the number of visits to all primary care physicians in the US [5, 6]. The expenses for the use of TM and CAM are exponentially growing in many parts of the world. The 1997 out-of-pocket CAM expenditure was estimated at US$ 2,7 billion in the USA, and the world market for herbal medicines based on traditional knowledge is now estimated at US$ 60 billion [7].
Northern Peru is believed to be the center of the Central Andean Health Axis [8], and traditional medicinal practices in this region remain an important component of everyday life [9–13]. TM is also gaining acceptance by national governments and health providers. Peru's National Program in Complementary Medicine and the Pan American Health Organization recently compared Complementary Medicine to allopathic medicine in clinics and hospitals operating within the Peruvian Social Security System. The results showed that the cost of using Traditional Medicine was less than the cost of Western therapy. In addition, for each of the criteria evaluated -- clinical efficacy, user satisfaction, and future risk reduction -- Traditional Medicine 's efficacy was higher than that of conventional treatments, including fewer side effects, higher perception of efficacy by both the patients and the clinics, and a 53-63% higher cost efficiency of Traditional Medicine over that of conventional treatments for the selected conditions [14]. According to [6], the sustainable cultivation and harvesting of medicinal species is one of the most important challenges for the next few years.
The present study attempts to give an overview on medicinal plant species employed in Northern Peru in traditional remedies for reproductive problems and female health, and compare this use to the western scientific evidence regarding their efficacy.
Plants for the present study were collected in the field, in markets, and at the homes of traditional healers (curanderos) in Northern Peru in 10 2-3 months long field visits between 2001 and 2009, as a larger scale project following initial collections in southern Ecuador (Figure 1). The same 116 informants (healers and market vendors) in the Trujillo and Chiclayo area were repeatedly interviewed during this time, using structured questionnaires. The informants were always provided with fresh (non-dried) plant material, either collected with them, by them, or available at their market stands. The questionnaires did not include any reference as to disease concepts, plant parts or preparations. In contrast, the participants were asked simple questions along the lines "What is this plant used for, which part, which quantity, how is it prepared, are any other plants added to the mixture." All questions were asked in the same order. All informants were of Mestizo origin, and spoke only Spanish as their native language, and all interviews were conducted in Spanish. The study covered the four existing medicinal plant markets of the region, and included all vendors present. All interviews were conducted with the same set of participants. The specimens are registered under the collection series "RBU/PL," "ISA," "GER," "JULS," "EHCHL," "VFCHL," "TRUBH," and "TRUVANERICA," depending on the year of fieldwork and collection location. Surveys were conducted in Spanish by fluent speakers. Surveyors would approach healers, collectors and market vendors and explain the premise for the study, including the goal of conservation of medicinal plants in the area.
Location of the study area in Northern Peru.
Vouchers of all specimens were deposited at the Herbario Truxillensis (HUT, Universidad Nacional de Trujillo), and Herbario Antenor Orrego (HAO, Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego Trujillo). In order to recognize Peru's rights under the Convention on Biological Diversity, most notably with regard to the conservation of genetic resources in the framework of a study treating medicinal plants, the identification of the plant material was conducted entirely in Peru. No plant material collected either in this study in Northern Peru, or the previous study in Southern Ecuador was exported in any form whatsoever.
Species identification and nomenclature
The nomenclature of plant families, genera, and species follows the Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru [15] and the Catalogue of Vascular Plants of Ecuador [16]. The nomenclature was compared to the TROPICOS database. Species were identified using the available volumes of the Flora of Peru [17], as well as [18–20], and the available volumes of the Flora of Ecuador [21].
A total of 105 plant species belonging to 91 genera and 62 families were documented and identified as herbal remedies for reproductive problems in Northern Peru. Most species used were Asteraceae (9.52%), followed by Lamiaceae and Fabaceae (8.57% and 6.67%). Other families were less important, and 44 contributed only one species each to the pharmacopoeia (Table 1). The most important families are clearly represented very similarly to their overall importance in the local pharmacopoeia (Table 1) [9].
Table 1 Plants used for reproductive issues in Northern Peru and Comparison of reproductive treatments to the ten most important plant families of the medicinal flora of Northern Peru (after Bussmann & Sharon 2006)
The majority of herbal preparations for reproductive issues were prepared from the leaves of plants (22.72%), the whole plant (21.97%), and stems (21.21%), while other plant parts were used much less frequently (Table 2). This indicates that the local healers count on a very well developed knowledge about the properties of different plant parts. In almost 62% of the cases fresh plant material was used to prepare remedies, which differs little from the average herbal preparation mode in Northern Peru. Over 70% of the remedies were applied orally, while the remaining ones were applied topically. Many remedies were prepared as mixtures of multiple ingredients by boiling plant material either in water or in sugarcane spirit.
Table 2 Plant part used
A complete overview of all plants encountered is given in Table 3.
Table 3 Species encountered and used in Northern Peru for reproductive problems
Little scientific evidence exists to prove the efficacy of the species employed as reproductive disorder remedies in Northern Peru. Only 34% of the plants found or their congeners have been studied at all for their medicinal properties. Aloe spp. are known to have oestrogenic activity [22, 23]. [24] reported that Artemisia spp. had effects on female health amongst the Cumash. A variety of other Asteraceae has been shown to be used against menopausal symptoms (Clibadium: [25]; Matricaria: [26–28]; Taraxacum: [29, 30]. [23] found hormonal effects in Cordia sp., while [31–35] reported on anti-fertility effects of Dioscorea sp. Cupressus sp. are well known abortifacients (e.g. [36]), while pumpkin seed oil showed testosterone-inhibitory effects (e.g. [23, 37–39]). Chamaesyce sp. showed promise in the treatment of male infertility, while Mimosa sp. on the contrary are used to reduce spermal fertility [23, 40].
A wide range of Lamiaceae have been shown to exhibit contraceptive efficacy, and the same species are used in Peru for similar purposes (Mentha spp.: [41–44]; Ocimum spp.: [45–48]; Origanum majorana: [44, 49, 50]; Rosmarinus officinalis: [40]). Similar efficacy has been shown for Sanguisorba officinalis [51], and Ruta graveolens [23, 52–55].
Various species of Passiflora have aphrodisiac activity [56–60], and Myristica fragrans as well as Syzygium aromaticum [61, 62], and extracts of Lantana camara [63, 64] and Pilea spp. [23] fulfil the same purpose, while Portulaca oleracea showed efficacy in relieving uterine bleeding [65, 66].
Infections of the reproductive tract, complications after childbirth, and reproductive problems continue to be a major health challenge worldwide. An impressive number of plant species is traditionally used to remedy such afflictions, and some have been investigated for their efficacy with positive results. An often-limiting factor to these investigations is lack of comprehensive ethnobotanical data to help choose plant candidates for potency/efficacy tests. Since the plant parts utilized in preparation of the remedies are reported in this survey, it serves as an indication of species that may need further ecological assessment on their regeneration status.
The results of this study show that both indigenous and introduced species are used for the treatment of reproductive system problems. The information gained on frequently used traditional remedies might give some leads for future targets for further analysis in order to develop new drugs. However, more detailed scientific studies are desperately needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the remedies employed traditionally.
World Health Organization: Sexually transmitted infections fact sheet. 2007, Geneva, World Health Organization
World Health Organization: Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines and Therapies. 1999, Washington DC, WHO Regional Office for the Americas/Pan American Health Organization (Working group OPS/OMS)
World Health Organization: Report, Technical Briefing on TM. Forty-ninth Regional Committee Meeting, Manila, Philippines, 18 September 1998. 1998, Manila, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development: Systems and National Experiences for Protecting Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Practices. Background Note by the UNCTAD Secretariat. 2000, Geneva, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, document reference TD/B/COM.1/EM.13/2
World Health Organization: Consultation Meeting on TM and Modern Medicine, Harmonizing the Two Approaches. 1999, Geneva, World Health Organization, document reference (WP)TM/ICP/TM/001/RB/98- RS/99/GE/32(CHN)
World Health Organization: WHO TM Strategy 2002-2005. 2002, World Health Organization, Geneva
Breevort P: The Booming U. S. Botanical Market: A New Overview. HerbalGram. 1998, 44: 33-46.
Camino L: Cerros, plantas y lagunas poderosas, la medicina al norte de Perú. 1992, Lima, Lluvia Editores
Bussmann RW, Sharon D: Traditional plant use in Northern Peru, Tracking two thousand years of health culture. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2006, 2: 47-10.1186/1746-4269-2-47.
de Feo V: Medicinal and magical plants on northern Peruvian Andes. Fitoterapia. 1992, 63: 417-440.
Polia M: Las Lagunas de los Encantos - Medicina Tradicional Andina en el Peru septentrional. 1988, Lima, CePeSer
Sharon D: Wizard of the Four Winds, A Shaman's Story. 1978, Free Press, New York
Sharon D, Bussmann RW: Plantas Medicinales en la Obra del Obispo Don Baltasar Jaime Martínez Compañon (Siglo XVIII). Desde el exterior, El Perú y sus estudios. Edited by: Millones L, Kato T. 2006, Tercer Congreso Internacional de Peruanistas, Nagoya, UNMSM, FEFCS, Lima, 147-165.
EsSalud/Organización Panamericana de Salud: Estudio Costo-Efectividad: Programa Nacional de Medicina Complementaria. Seguro Social de EsSalud (Study of Cost-Effectiveness: National Program in Complementary Medicine. Social Security of EsSalud). 2000, Lima, EsSalud/Organización Panamericana de Salud (Pan American Health Organization)
Brako L, Zarucchi JL: Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. 1993, Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, MO
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The presented study was financed through MIRT/MHIRT (Minority Health Disparity International Research and Training) a grant from the National Institutes of Health (Fund: 54112B MHIRT Program, Grant: G0000613). Fieldwork for this project was supported through the assistance of a large number of MIRT/MHIRT students and volunteers. Thanks to all of them. None of the work would have been possible without the invaluable collaboration of Douglas Sharon and our Peruvian colleagues, especially curanderas Julia Calderón, Isabel Chinguel, and Olinda Pintado, curanderos Germán Santisteban and Leoncio Carrión, and herbalists Manuel Bejarano, Elmer Cruz, and Iván Cruz. Thanks also go to Eric Rodriguez (Herbarium Truxillense, HUT) and Abundio Sagastegui, Segundo Leiva, and Mario Zapata (Herbario Antenor Orrego, HAO) for the use of their facilities and their assistance in plant identification.
William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO, 63166-0299, USA
Rainer W Bussmann
& Ashley Glenn
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Correspondence to Rainer W Bussmann.
Declaration of competing interests
RB collected/identified plant material analysis of the data as well as writing the manuscript. AG conducted fieldwork, data analysis and manuscript composition. Both authors have read and approved the final manuscript
Bussmann, R.W., Glenn, A. Medicinal plants used in Northern Peru for reproductive problems and female health. J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine 6, 30 (2010) doi:10.1186/1746-4269-6-30
Herbal Preparation
Complementary Alternative Medicine
Traditional Remedy


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Psychiatrists Raise Alarms About Trump After Mueller Report
The "Goldwater Rule" established that health experts wouldn't comment on the mental health of public officials. Trump caused experts to break that rule.
by: Leonard Weinberg on May 8, 2019
Donald Trump, seen in reflection, poses for a portrait following an interview with the Associated Press at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015 (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Back in 1964 the Republican nominee for president Barry Goldwater received strong support from members of the John Birch society. Among other things, they expressed admiration for his commitment to winning the struggle against the Soviet Union and the communist menace in general. His ghost-written book, No Substitute for Victory provided inspiration, as did his acceptance speech at the GOP nominating convention in San Francisco at which Goldwater remarked that "…I would remind you that extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."
This comment reinforced the Birch Society's enthusiasm for the Arizona senator, but it also drew the attention of many psychologists and psychiatrists. During the election campaign, a survey of over one thousand psychologists and psychiatrists reported their belief that Goldwater was not emotionally fit to serve as president. These mental health professionals, in effect, used their credentials to discourage citizens from voting for the GOP nominee. They worried especially he would get the United States involved in a war with the Soviets and its allies.
This intervention in partisan politics produced a reaction. Both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association passed what became known as the "Goldwater Rule" aimed at preventing members of these organizations from commenting on the mental states of public figures they had not encountered on a professional basis.
Goldwater went on to lose the election by a landslide margin to Lyndon Johnson. Without the benefit of public assessments by mental health professionals, Johnson proceeded to involve the United States in the Vietnam War, a conflict which eventually caused the deaths of close to 60,000 members of the American military.
Goldwater And Trump, Kindred Spirits
This brings us to Donald Trump. As with Goldwater, so too in Trump's case, the far right, now re-labeled the 'alt-right' was drawn to support his candidacy. Unlike Goldwater, however, Trump won the 2016 election and is currently well into his first term as president. It is tempting to think that their electoral appeals were different. Goldwater stressed his strong anti-communism while Trump stressed, the Soviet Union long since having passed from the scene, xenophobic and white nationalist themes in vowing to restore American greatness.
On closer inspection though the appeals of Goldwater and Trump were not all that different. Goldwater's appeal was based substantially on his vote against the 1964 Civil Rights Act which, among other things, required the elimination of racially based discrimination in public facilities throughout the country. In fact, Goldwater, aside from his home state of Arizona, only carried a handful of states of the old Confederacy – Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. The race-based appeal was not hard to discern.
Mental Health Professionals Speak Up
Like Goldwater, Trump has drawn the attention of psychologists and psychiatrists who have been willing to violate the 'Goldwater Rule' in order to warn the public about the dangers his presidency posed to the country's safety and well-being. Accordingly, Dr. Bandy Lee (MD), a faculty member at the Yale medical school convened a conference of some 27 psychologists and psychiatrists shortly after Trump took office. Under the title "Duty to Warn", conference participants proceeded to offer clinically-based assessments of Trump's personality and the concomitant threat it posed (see Bandy Lee, organizer, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump 2017). They later briefed Congress on this.
Naturally, opinions differed. But participants made repeated references to malignant narcissism, extreme present hedonism, sociopathy (virtually complete indifference to the feelings of others), sadism, cognitive disorganization, and a high level of impulsivity. All agreed however that Trump was a dangerous character whose occupation of the Oval Office represented a threat to the peace. Given the constellation of traits, Trump displayed he might very well take the country to war based on some whim or mood swing.
The psychiatrists' views have recently been restated following the distribution of a redacted version of the Mueller Report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Dr. Lee and her associates examined the document, took note of Trump's expressions and behavior, and concluded he was showing signs of mental decline. The conclusion they drew from this observation is that a second Trump term would increase the likelihood a re-elected Trump would be more likely to involve the U.S. in some foreign war – given his already impaired judgment. The mental health professionals cite Ronald Reagan's second term. They assess that Reagan began to show signs of mental deterioration during his second term (1984-1988).
It is currently the end of April 2019. What does the record indicate about Trump's war-making proclivities? It is too early to be unequivocal about it, but since taking office the New York real estate developer and TV personality has sought to withdraw American military forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. He has also been highly critical of the NATO alliance and has expressed doubts about the need to offer military assistance to the Baltic states should they be threatened by the Russians. It is true that early in his presidency Trump threatened North Korea with nuclear retaliation if Kim Jung-Il didn't suspend its own nuclear weapons testing. But after a face-to-face meeting with Kim in Singapore, Trump became persuaded of North Korea's peaceful intentions and suspended the annual American-South Korean military exercises.
More recently, Russian President Putin sent a detachment of 'special forces' to Venezuela to help prop-up the Maduro dictatorship. The 'Monroe Doctrine', which dates from the 1820s, asserts that the US would resist the intervention of European powers in the Western Hemisphere (see the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis). It is clearly an ongoing crisis. But after saying "all options are on the table", the Trump administration has not done much, so far as one can tell, to promote a Russian withdrawal.
All this is not to say Trump is a model of mental health. He may be as nutty as the proverbial fruitcake and put Captain Queeg 's paranoia to shame (see The Cain Mutiny), but it doesn't appear to manifest itself in war-making or military involvements. Rather his hostility manifests itself on a highly personal basis. He responds to anyone who criticizes him or defies his will by hurling personal insults, often involving the target's physical features or other perceived defects. So that during the 2016 presidential campaign Trump referred to various GOP opponents as ugly, stupid, 'Lying Ted', and low energy. Hillary Clinton, his opponent in the general election became "Crooked Hillary". Since taking office Trump compared his own attorney general Jeff Sessions as resembling Elmer Fudd, a cartoon character. This was after his appointee recused himself from an investigation into Russian involvement in the election campaign. More recently Trump referred to Rep. Adam Schiff, the chair of the House select committee on intelligence, as "Adam Shit" and as someone with a too thin neck.
This behavior seems pretty childish and primitive, something to be expected from an adolescent. But it doesn't seem to give rise to dangerous military adventures. And that is about the best we can hope for until the 2020 presidential election.
Finally, we should call attention to Ronald Reagan's second term of office. If the psychiatrists are right and that this most affable of American presidents was showing signs of Alzheimer's it hardly increased his inclination to take the country to war. In fact, Reagan spent a good deal of time during his second term doing the opposite, negotiating with Soviet leader Gorbachev over nuclear arms reduction at summit meetings in Geneva (November 1985) and Reykjavik Iceland (October 1986).
Some Reagan advisers at the Reykjavik gathering worried that the President was too willing to make one-sided concessions to the Soviet leader, that he was being outwitted in other words. In the event of a second Trump term of office, if Reagan's case may serve as an example, the likelihood is not that he will launch a nuclear attack on some yet to be determined enemy but that he will be outfoxed by various foreign leaders. Signs of this already abound during his first term.
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News // Donald Trump / Mental Health / Obstruction Of Justice
by: Leonard Weinberg
Leonard Weinberg is Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Nevada. Over the course of his career he has served as a visiting professor at King's College, University of London, University of Haifa and as a visiting scholar at the University of Florence, and UCLA. He has also been the recipient of both Fulbright and Guggenheim research awards. Weinberg has been the author or editor of some twenty books, the most recent one being The Role of Terrorism in Twenty-First Warfare (2016) coauthored with Susanne Martin.


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Paranoid people in Silicon Valley have 3 popular theories about how the world will end
Avery Hartmans and Chris Weller
Sam Altman, the president of Y Combinator.
One of the most popular topics of conversation at some Silicon Valley parties is a grim one: how the world will eventually end.
That's according to a new piece in The New Yorker about Sam Altman, the president of the startup incubator Y Combinator. The story takes a close look at Altman's life at the helm of YC and is full of fascinating nuggets — like the fact that he once got scurvy because he was working too hard to get enough vitamin C.
But perhaps the more interesting part is how Altman and his friends think the world will eventually end and how he has prepared for it.
The New Yorker quoted Altman as saying that his friends often bring up their predictions for the world's demise while drunk. While he said he tried not to think about the end of the world too much, he identified the most common theories as:
A lethal and contagious virus will be unleashed
Artificial intelligence will become sentient and attack us, or
Countries around the world will wage war over scarce resources using nuclear weapons.
"People have different pet theories," Altman told Business Insider in an email. "I think most of them don't think the world is actually going to end, just that technology increases the volatility in the world, and there's some tiny amount of tail risk worth planning for."
Altman told The New Yorker he was ready. He's stockpiled guns, gold, antibiotics, "gas masks from the Israeli Defense Force," and other items and has a "big patch of land in Big Sur" to which he can fly.
While that list is pretty impressive, preparing for survival seems to be more of a hobby for Altman than serious business.
"Yeah I have that stuff, but 1) Big Sur is my favorite place in the world anyway and 2) I think this stuff just appeals to little boy survival fantasies so I do it for fun," he told Business Insider. "I don't expect to ever use it."
More: Sam Altman Silicon Valley Y Combinator Survivalists
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