text:
Blood lipid levels, statin therapy and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage
Yingxu Ma1,2,
Zhaokai Li1,2,
Liang Chen1,2 &
Xiangping Li1
Lipids in Health and Disease volume 15, Article number: 43 (2016) Cite this article
Dyslipidemia has been proven to play an important role in the occurrence and development of the ischemic stroke and lipid-lowering therapy could significantly decrease the risk of the ischemic stroke. However, the association between lipid levels, lipid-lowering therapy and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is not clear. Studies have shown that low serum levels of total cholesterol might be associated with increasing risk of ICH, whereas the SPARCL study, a large prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, demonstrated an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke during high-dose statin therapy among the patients with previous stroke. The relationship between lipid-lowering therapy and ICH has become a hot topic in the recent years. We searched PubMed for articles published in English to review the existing evidence on the association of lipid levels, statin therapy and risk of ICH as well as the underlying mechanisms in order to provide practical recommendations for clinical decision-making and a foundation for further researches.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and adult disability in the world. Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), an important subtype of the stroke, is characterized by high mortality and morbidity, which contains symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) [1] and cerebral microbleed (CMB) [2]. In ICH patients, perihematomal inflammation where the region becomes infiltrated with neutrophils and activated microglia after the activation of Toll-like receptor 4 [3] and the release of inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) [4] contributes to neuronal injury and functional disability. Meanwhile, ICH results in the change of the cerebral blood flow and the increasing permeability of blood–brain barrier (BBB) [5]. These pathological changes could aggravate nerve damage and dysfunction. The data from World Health Organization (WHO) showed that ICH accounts for approximately 25–50 % of stroke and the reduction of morbidity and mortality among ICH patients must remain a public health priority.
Hyperlipidemia has been proven to be a risk factor of ischemic stroke [6]. Statins which mainly reduce the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are widely used or prescribed for the primary and secondary prevention of ischemic strokes and have achieved favourable clinical outcomes. Several clinical studies [1, 7–9] have shown that statin could not increase the risk of ICH and has been beneficial to ICH patients as well as promoting their recovery. But a post hoc analysis of the SPARCL trial that was conducted among the patients with stroke demonstrated that atorvastatin was associated with an increased risk of ICH [10]. Furthermore, some epidemiological and case–control studies found that patients with lower serum lipid had an increasing risk of ICH [11–13]. Therefore, it is necessary to further clarify the association of serum lipid levels, statin therapy and the risk of ICH. The systematic review focuses on the research progress in this field derived from epidemiological and clinical evidence. We searched PubMed for basic and clinical studies which were published in English (last search update performed on 31 August 2015). The search strategy was based on the combination of the following terms: lipids, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), lipid-lowering therapy, statins, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage.
Blood lipid levels and ICH
Lipids are essential components of cell membrane, which play an important role in maintaining the stabilization of endothelial cells and the integrity of cerebral small vessels [14]. Epidemiological and case–control studies found a correlation between ICH and the change of blood lipid levels which included TC, TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C.
TG and ICH
A pooled cohort study of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) involving 21,680 patients showed that lower TG was a risk factor for ICH and was inversely related to the incidence of ICH [15]. In a population-based prospective cohort study among 8393 men and women [11], Bonaventure et al. made a quantitative analysis of TG level and the risk of ICH, demonstrating that a low level of triglycerides (serum TG ≤0.94 mmol/L) was associated with a more than two-fold increased risk of ICH [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.35, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.18–4.70]. In addition, the Rotterdam Study showed that serum TG levels were associated with the presence of CMB [16], which is a risk marker of sICH [2]. The above results suggest that the low TG might be related to the increasing risk of ICH. On the contrary, in the Malmö Preventive Project [17] involved 33,346 participants (mean age 47 years old), 147 ICH subjects who were followed up (approx. 14 years) had significantly higher TG levels (1.7 vs. 1.4 mmol/L) compared with 1029 stroke-free controls, matched for age, sex and screening-year. The multivariate analyses showed there was a positive correlation between TG and the risk of ICH among the lobar ICH (OR 1.7, 95 % CI 0.9–3.2) and nonlobar ICH (OR 1.4, 95 % CI 0.90–2.3) patients. Furthermore, a cross-sectional study [18] demonstrated that 500 patients with acute ICH had significantly higher TG levels (P < 0.0001). The linear regression and correlation analysis suggested that with increased TG, the intracerebral hemorrhagic volumes were gradually increasing.
TC and ICH
In a case–control study in 22 countries (the INTERSTROKE study) [13], with blood analyses completed among 2190 cases and 2127 controls who matched for age and sex, researchers found that increased concentration of TC was associated with reduced risk of ICH (OR 0.62, 99 % CI 0.42–0.92). A meta-analysis [19] that included 23 prospective studies, totaling 1,430,141 participants with 7960 hemorrhagic strokes (0.56 %) demonstrated that the summary relative risk of hemorrhagic stroke was 0.69 (95 % CI 0.59–0.81) in high versus low TC analysis. Meanwhile, the summary relative risk of hemorrhagic stroke for 1 mmol/L increment of TC was 0.85 (95 % CI 0.80–0.91), supporting that TC was inversely related to ICH. And Suzuki et al. [20] found that serum TC <160 mg/dl correlated with the significantly increased risk of ICH. Furthermore, the Framingham Heart Study [2] comprised 1965 Framingham residents (mean age 66.5 ± 11.0 years old; 54 % women) who attended a baseline brain MRI between 1998 and 2008 and underwent it again between 2000 and 2009. The result revealed that 8.8 % of participants had a CMB between 2000 and 2009. Logistic regression analysis [2] showed that TC < 10th percentile remained associated with the increasing risk of CMB (OR 1.9; 95 % CI 1.20–3.03). However, a prospective study [12] including 58,235 Finnish participants (age range 25–74 years old) without a history of coronary heart disease and stroke demonstrated that, after further adjustment for other confounding factors, the inverse association between TC and ICH is only significant in women but not in men.
LDL-C and ICH
The meta-analysis conducted by Wang et al. [19] showed that the summary relative risk of hemorrhagic stroke for 1 mmol/L increment of LDL-C was 0.90 (95 % CI 0.77–1.05), suggesting that high level of LDL-C may reduce the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Moreover, Mustanoja et al. [21] found that after adjusting for known ICH prognostic factors lower LDL-C levels was independently associated with in-hospital mortality of ICH patients (OR 0.54, 95 % CI 0.31–0.93).
HDL-C and ICH
A case–control study [13] showed that the level of HDL-C positively correlated with the risk of ICH (OR 1.91, 99 % CI 1.29–2.83). In addition, higher ratio of non-HDL-C to HDL-C was associated with reduced risk of ICH (OR 0.43, 99 % CI 0.30–0.62) [13]. A meta-analysis [19] of 19 prospective cohort studies also indicated that the summary relative risk of hemorrhagic stroke for 1 mmol/L increment of HDL-C was 1.17 (95 % CI 1.02–1.35) in a dose–response analysis, which suggested that the increased level of HDL-C may be related to a higher risk of ICH.
Table 1 outlines the details of major studies investigating the relationship between lipid levels and ICH. Most research show that lower TC and LDL-C and higher HDL-C are associated with the increasing risk of ICH. Although the precise mechanisms are still unclear, it was considered that low blood level of TC might contribute to an abnormal fragility of erythrocytes [22] and endothelial cells [23], necrosis of smooth muscle cell in arterial media [19], and angionecrosis [23]. But the relationship between TG and ICH is controversial. The inconsistent results might be due to the different participants involved in the researches or other factors. The subjects who participated in the Malmö Preventive Project [17] were younger and the follow-up period was shorter than those who participated in the projects which had opposite results. In Zhou's cross-sectional study [18] TG level was tested after the acute ICH occurred, which was different from the prospective studies in which TG level was tested before the ICH occurred. Therefore, a higher TG level may be the result of stress [24] instead of a risk factor for ICH. These data suggest that the association between TG and ICH may be inconsistent in different individuals.
Table 1 Summary of studies investigating the relationship between lipid levels and ICH
Statin therapy and ICH
Statins, also known as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, have been widely used clinically. A large number of studies has shown that statin therapy is an effective method for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. However, there is a concern whether lowering lipid levels by statin therapy may increase the risk of ICH. Table 2 outlines the details of major studies investigating the relationship between statin use and ICH. As shown in the Table 2, these results are not consistent.
Table 2 Summary of clinical studies investigating the relationship between statin use and ICH
Statins may improve the outcome of ICH
After analyzing the clinical data of 2466 patients with ICH, Dowlatshahi et al. [25] found that the patients who took statin before the occurrence of ICH had lower risk of severe ICH compared with the nonusers (54.7 % vs. 63.3 %). In addition, among 537 statins users, 158 patients who discontinued its use on admission were more likely to have poor outcomes and higher 30-day mortality (71 % vs. 21 %, P < 0.01) compared with those who took statin continuously [25]. A retrospective cohort study showed that ICH patients who started statin therapy during hospitalization had a lower 30-day mortality rate than statin nonusers (18.4 % vs. 38.7 %, P < 0.001) and were more likely to be discharged to their homes or an acute rehabilitation facility (51.1 % vs. 22.3 %, P < 0.001) [9]. Pan et al. [26], using a multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for confounding factors, demonstrated that statin use during hospitalization for ICH patients was associated with more than 50 % lower mortality rate at 3 months (adjusted OR 0.44, 95 % CI 0.22–0.87, P < 0.001) and 1 year (adjusted OR 0.49, 95 % CI 0.27–0.86, P = 0.02) compared with those without statin therapy during admission.
It is believed statin may have the pleiotropic effects besides reducing serum lipid level. Using Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) and immunohistochemistry, Yang et al. [27] found that simvastatin may protect the integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) to prevent the dysfunction of it, resulting in the reduction of neurotoxic substances and white blood cells into the brain parenchyma [28, 29]. In addition, quantitative analysis showed simvastatin could improve the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and promote the functional recovery of cerebrum [27]. In experiments with rats, it was demonstrated that statins could reduce the activation of glial cells [30] and the release of the cytokines such as IL-1B and TNF-α by microglia and brain-derived neurotrophic factors [4], suppress phagocytosis of microglia [4], inhibit the oxidative stress and development of inflammatory reaction [30], decrease the cell necrosis around the hematoma [30, 31], and promote the recovery of the sensorimotor function [31]. Yang et al. [32] found that statins could also promote the hyperplasia of the ependymal lower cells in Wistar rats and the formation of synapses and increase vascular density in the hematoma boundary zone, resulting in a better functional recovery of the nervous system.
Statins may be independent of ICH
A randomized and double-blinded trial [33], in which 20,536 adults with cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease, other occlusive arterial disease, diabetes or hypertension were randomly allocated 40 mg simvastatin daily or matching placebo, indicated that statin therapy was not associated with hemorrhagic stroke (0.5 % vs. 0.5 %, OR 0.95, 95 % CI 0.65–1.40, P = 0.8) during a mean 4.8 year follow-up period. A retrospective cohort study [34] involving 17,872 subjects aged 66 years and older who initiated statin therapy after acute ischemic stroke, demonstrated that there was no association between statin and ICH by the analysis comparing statin users with non-users (OR 0.87, 95 % CI 0.65–1.17). Hackam et al. [35] conducted a meta-analysis of 23 random trials and 19 observational studies (12 cohort studies, six case–control studies and one case-crossover study) which comprised 248,391 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or risk factors for atherosclerosis, of which 14,784 were ICH patients. And the results showed there was no significant association between statin use and ICH in the random trials (OR 1.10, 95 % CI 0.86–1.14), cohort studies (OR 0.94, 95 % CI 0.81–1.10) and case–control studies (OR 0.60, 95 % CI 0.41–0.88). McKinney et al. [36] made a meta-analysis of 31 randomized controlled trials about statin therapy and a total of 182,803 subjects were included (91,588 in the active group and 91,215 in the control group). Three hundred and fifty-eight patients in the active group suffered ICH versus three hundred and eighteen in the control group, indicated that there is no association between statin and ICH (OR 1.08, 95 % CI 0.88–1.32, P = 0.47). Meta regression analysis demonstrated there was no relationship between the risk of ICH and (i) the degree of the LDL-C reduction (slope, 0.0043; SE, 0.0054; 95 % CI, −0.4831 to 0.0149; P = 0.43); (ii) the achieved level of LDL-C in the active treatment group (slope, −0.0049; SE, 0.0043; 95 % CI, −0.0133 to 0.0035; P = 0.26). In addition, the Helsinki ICH Study composed of 964 ICH patients [21] showed admission (23 % vs. 24 %, P = 0.785), 3 months (34 % vs. 32 %, P = 0.449) and 12 months (38 % vs. 36 %, P = 0.602) mortality did not differ between the patients who used statin before hospitalization and those who did not. It suggested that statin therapy before admission had no effect on the prognosis of ICH patients. Another meta-analysis of 12 studies which included 1652 patients who used statins before ICH and 5309 nonusers [14] demonstrated statin did not have a significant effect on the improvement of the admission, 30-day and 90-day mortality (OR 0.85, 95 % CI 0.70–1.03). The proportion of the patients receiving a Rankin score of 3–6 (OR 0.82, 95 % CI 0.60–1.11) or 4–6 (OR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.43–1.45) was not changed when premorbid statin was used. In other words, premorbid statin therapy did not improve the functional outcome significantly [14]. Furthermore, the volume of hematoma was not affected significantly with premorbid statin therapy [14]. A population-based prospective cohort study also revealed statin therapy initiated during admission or within 3 months after discharge did not increase the risk of recurrent ICH [7].
Statins may promote ICH
The Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) study [37] is the only secondary prevention study by now to evaluate the effect of statin therapy in non-cardiac ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) associated with hypercholesterolemia. The study included 4731 patients, who had a history of stroke or TIA within 1–6 months and a serum LDL-C level of at least 100–190 mg/dl but did not have any known coronary heart disease. These patients were randomly allocated to the active group (80 mg atorvastatin daily) or control group (matched placebo). The results showed that decreased cholesterol level was associated with less risk of recurrent stroke. But the post hoc analysis [10] found that there were more hemorrhagic stroke patients in the treatment group than those in the placebo group (2.3 % vs. 1.4 %, HR 1.68, 95 % CI 1.09–2.59). Cox multivariable regression analysis showed that a hemorrhagic stroke as the entry event (HR 5.65, 95 % CI 2.82–11.30, p < 0.001), male (HR 1.79, 95 % CI 1.13–2.84, P = 0.01), age (10 y increments, HR 1.42, 95 % CI 1.16–1.74, P = 0.001) and having Stage 2 (JNC-7) hypertension (HR 6.19, 95 % CI 1.47–26.11, P = 0.01) were independently associated with the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Scheitz, JF et al. [1] analyzed data from two European intravenous thrombolysis registries and found that 317 (22 %) used statins before intravenous thrombolysis among 1446 acute ischemic stroke patients and the frequency of symptomatic ICH was 2 %, 6 %, and 13 % in patients with low-, medium-, and high-dose statin (simvastatin 20, 40, 80 mg/d or equivalent) treatment, respectively (P < 0.01), which indicated that there was a correlation between the increasing dose of statin therapy and risk of ICH among patients who had been treated with simvastatin or atorvastatin.
These inconsistent results may be caused by different population and dosage of stains when the relationship between stain therapy and ICH was studied. As shown in Table 2, a majority of randomized controlled trials [33] and the meta-analyses [35, 36] which included the patients with a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or the subjects with risk factors for atherosclerosis (such as diabetes, hypertension or smoking) showed that statin use did not affect the occurrence or outcome of ICH. But certain patients with history of ICH or high risk of ICH appear to be at increased risk of brain hemorrhages when exposed to high-dose statin [1, 37]. Mustanoja et al. [21] reasoned that statin therapy could increase the risk of ICH because low serum cholesterol level may lead to the reduction of vessel resistance to tension, resulting in higher risk of rupture and hemorrhage.
Although epidemiological investigation found that the population with lower serum TC and LDL-C levels had a higher risk of ICH, the reduction of blood lipid levels caused by statin therapy might not increase the risk of ICH. Based on the current data, we think statin use in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease does not increase the risk of ICH in most conditions. The pleiotropic effects of statins such as inhibition of inflammation and protection of BBB may improve the prognosis of acute hemorrhagic stroke patients. But for elderly patients who have history of ICH and poorly-controlled hypertension, statins especially used in high dose, may increase the risk of ICH. Therefore, patients with low TC and LDL-C and high risk of ICH should be cautious in the usage of statins.
ICH:
sICH:
symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage
CMB:
cerebral microbleed
TNF-α:
tumor necrosis factor-α
IL-1β:
interleukin-1β
BBB:
blood–brain barrier
TC:
total cholesterol
TG:
triglyceride
LDL-C:
low density lipoprotein cholesterol
HDL-C:
high density lipoprotein cholesterol
ZO-1:
zona occuludens-1
HAEC:
human arterial endothelial cell
CBF:
cerebral blood flow
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Department of Cardiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, #139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, PR China
Yingxu Ma, Zhaokai Li, Liang Chen & Xiangping Li
The Eight-Year Clinical Medicine of Grade 2012, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, PR China
Yingxu Ma, Zhaokai Li & Liang Chen
Yingxu Ma
Zhaokai Li
Liang Chen
Xiangping Li
Correspondence to Xiangping Li.
XL conceived the idea; YM wrote the manuscript; YM, ZL and LC collected and read the literature; XL read through and corrected the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Ma, Y., Li, Z., Chen, L. et al. Blood lipid levels, statin therapy and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage. Lipids Health Dis 15, 43 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-016-0213-8
Statin
Lipid-lowering therapy


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Q: Проблемы со шрифтом в PDF PDF генерируется из HTML c помощью dompdf и snappy. После некоторых букв как будто стоят пробелы (в коде их нет). Используется шрифт TimesNewRoman и свойство text-align: justify. Пробовал другой шрифт – проблема остаётся:

A: Попробуйте использовать для генерации wkhtmltopdf – там не встречали подобных проблем.
Или же, как вариант, уберите text-align: justify – возможно из-за него идут разрывы. Вместо этого свойства можно попробовать сделать переносы hypnes: auto, чтобы не оставалось на строке много пустого пространства.

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A toast on Whiskey and Cigar Day 2015: Excelsior! to Mark Twain's and Winston Churchill's births (November 30)
Mark Twain aboard a ship, on his way to Hawaii. Young Samuel Clemens apprenticed to be a Mississippi river boat pilot, and held a fascination for water-going vessels his entire life. His pilot years are documented, and analyzed, in Life on the Mississippi.
This photo of Twain remains one of my favorites.
(Whew! Nearly let the day get by without noting it.)
November 30 is the birthday of Mark Twain (1835), and Winston Churchill (1874).
This is the traditional Millard Fillmore's Bathtub post to remind you. Both Twain and Churchill were lovers of good whiskey, and good cigars. Surely they would have toasted themselves with a drink and a smoke.
Even if we don't, we can pretend we did.
In 2015, we have the benefit of having had a years to digest Twain's Autobiography, and Volume II; and we have the benefit of new scholarship from a great book on Churchill, William Manchester's and Paul Reid's The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965.
We have special need for the wisdom, and wit of each man in a year marked by terrorism and unholy war on educators.
Twain had a comment on the Texas Education Agency and State Board of Education:
In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then He made School Boards.
– Following the Equator; Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar
The Nobel literature committees were slow. Twain never got a Nobel in Literature; he died in 1910. Churchill did win a Nobel in Literature, in 1953.
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1953 was awarded to Winston Churchill "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values."
Both men were aficionados of good whiskey and good cigars. Both men suffered from depression in old age.
Both men made a living writing, early in their careers as newspaper correspondents. One waged wars of a kind the other campaigned against. Both were sustained by their hope for the human race, against overwhelming evidence that such hope was sadly misplaced.
Winston S. Churchill, Time Magazine's Man of the Year for 1941, copyright 1941 by Time Magazine. Churchill's career was built much on his work as First Lord of the Admiralty, a position he took in 1911. While he was the goat of the Battle of the Dardanelles (and had to resign as a result), his earlier work to switch Britain's Navy to oil power from coal, and to use airplanes in combat, kept the British Navy as an important and modern military organization through World War II.
Both endured fantastic failures that would have killed other people, and both rebounded.
Each possessed a great facility with words, and wit, and frequently said or wrote things that people like to remember and repeat again.
Both Churchill and Twain rank near the top of the list of people to whom almost any quote will be attributed, if the quote is witty and the speaker can't remember or doesn't know who actually said it.
Surely they said something like any piece of wisdom, at some point in their lives, right?
Both men are worth study. And wouldn't you really love to have had them over to dinner?
Twain, on prisons versus education:
"Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog." – Speech, November 23, 1900
Churchill on the evil men and nations do:
"No One Would Do Such Things"
"So now the Admiralty wireless whispers through the ether to the tall masts of ships, and captains pace their decks absorbed in thought. It is nothing. It is less than nothing. It is too foolish, too fantastic to be thought of in the twentieth century. Or is it fire and murder leaping out of the darkness at our throats, torpedoes ripping the bellies of half-awakened ships, a sunrise on a vanished naval supremacy, and an island well-guarded hitherto, at last defenceless? No, it is nothing. No one would do such things. Civilization has climbed above such perils. The interdependence of nations in trade and traffic, the sense of public law, the Hague Convention, Liberal principles, the Labour Party, high finance, Christian charity, common sense have rendered such nightmares impossible. Are you quite sure? It would be a pity to be wrong. Such a mistake could only be made once—once for all."
—1923, recalling the possibility of war between France and Germany after the Agadir Crisis of 1911, inThe World Crisis,vol. 1, 1911-1914, pp. 48-49. (Obviously, and sadly, Churchill was wrong — twice wrong.)
Yet we continue to make those mistakes, and then to seek out the wisdom of Churchill or Twain to get out of the mess, and to tell us we won't be in such a mess ever again.
Image of Twain aboard ship – origin unknown. Image of Winston S. Churchill, Time Magazine's Man of the Year for 1941, copyright 1941 by Time Magazine.
More on Mark Twain
Mark Twain Quotations
Mark Twain in His Time, University of Virginia (see especially the photo of Twain — with an electric light? — on the opening page)
Mark Twain, a film by Ken Burns
The Mark Twain House, Hartford, Connecticut
Ain't it great that we've finally got the first volume of Mark Twain's autobiography this year?
More on Winston Churchill
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1953
Churchill Centre, London
Churchill quotations, from the Churchill Centre
National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri (an excellent place to visit, great resources for students)
Washington Post review of The Last Lion
Orson Welles, with Dick Cavett, on Churchill, his wit, humor and grace (tip of the old scrub brush to the Churchill Centre):
Yeah, mostly this is an encore post from past years.
More, contemporary reports from 2012:
Ready for November 30? Humidor set? Liquor stocked? (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
On This Day In 1835, Mark Twain is Born (rememberinghistory.wordpress.com)
OMG! First Use of Abbreviation Found in a 1917 Letter to Winston Churchill (newsfeed.time.com)
HAPPY 177th BIRTHDAY MARK TWAIN! MARK TWAIN was a GENIUS American author, novelist, satirist and humorist, who is most famous for writing "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." (greatkat.wordpress.com)
Winston Churchill: The Ultimate CEO (greatfinds.icrossing.com)
And in 2013:
November 30, Whiskey and Cigar Day: How will you celebrate Twain and Churchill? (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
No, You're Not Quoting Churchill (npr.org)
2014 Winston Churchill Fellows Announced (national.org.nz)
On this day in 1941: October 29, Winston Churchill visited his old school (molinahistory.wordpress.com)
Winston Churchill, an all-American hero (telegraph.co.uk)
Quote of the Moment: Death was "an exaggeration" (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
Mark Twain in Fort Worth (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
The War Prayer of Mark Twain (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
Quote of the Moment: Mark Twain, a majority of fools (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
Quote of the Moment: October 29, 1941, Churchill and "never give in" (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
Quote of the Moment: Churchill's Iron Curtain speech (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
At Brainpickings, Maria Popova wrote "From the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley: How Mark Twain became the Steve Jobs of his day."
The OFFICIAL website of Mark Twain
Should you fly your flag today? Congress doesn't list this dual birthday as an event for flying the U.S. flag. But you're welcome to fly the flag any day. Go ahead, if you want to.
If I get one, it will be the only cigar I've had this year. Or this decade.
I will break out the Scotch.
At a very minimum, click on some of the links and read the works of these two great writers. Nothing else today will be so profitable.
This entry was posted on Monday, November 30th, 2015 at 9:26 pm and is filed under Books, History, Literature, Mark Twain, Peace, Philosophy, War, Winston Churchill.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to A toast on Whiskey and Cigar Day 2015: Excelsior! to Mark Twain's and Winston Churchill's births (November 30)
Or maybe paint a fence.
2012, at Twain's childhood home in Hannibal, Missouri. Photo by James Darrell.
https://timpanogos.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/november-30-whiskey-and-cigar-day-how-will-you-celebrate-twain-and-churchill/

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Colic: Is There Any Cure For A Baby's Crying Or Just Wait It Out?
By Sy Kraft on March 28, 2011
Colic is many times the first severe pain a baby will feel in their lives. It is usually manifested as an acute abdominal pain with intense spasmodic cramping, but since colicky babies cannot describe exactly what distresses them, it is hard for parents to know the precise cause of their distress. There are many home remedies that parents use to try to calm their children, but are any of them really proven to do the trick?
Experts believe that 1 out of every 5 babies born experience colic. Colic is usually diagnosed by the "rule of threes," beginning between the third and sixth week of life, and in severe cases, lasting up to six months. Although no known cure exists, many colic remedies are available to provide fast relief during a crying outburst.
Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, who conducted the study posted online in the journal Pediatrics states:
"The advice is not to use any complementary treatment on them (babies), because some of them are not risk free. All of them cost money."
Fennel tea is a commonly used remedy. Fennel tea is gentle enough to give to infants and is especially beneficial in treating colic. Fennel tea relaxes smooth muscles and relieves spasms in the gastrointestinal tract which makes it an effective herbal remedy for treating gas and bloating. It also helps treat constipation, soothe an upset stomach, and relieve abdominal cramps for adults.
Colic remains a mystery and the cause is still unknown. It occurs most commonly in the first four months of life. Besides constant crying, the baby may curl up the legs, clench the fists, and tense up the abdominal muscles. Crying can begin for no apparent reason. It can persist for three hours or more on a single day.
Doctors consider it to be colic when the crying occurs more than three hours daily, three days a week for more than three weeks in a baby who is otherwise healthy.
A commonly used drug on the market is called Colic Calm. According to the product's website, it has a success rate of over 90% in treating baby colic. It is deemed as an "all natural" remedy. The unique homeopathic formula works within minutes, so it is only given on an "as needed" basis. It has been reported that it works wonders for bloating, pressure, stomach cramps, hiccups, teething and even acid reflux. It is also extremely effective on gas created during introduction of new foods into babies' delicate digestive tracts.
Although not FDA approved, sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda has been used for crying babies. This is an alkali (antacid) which alters the naturally occurring pH of baby's stomach acid. It may counteract some discomfort caused by acid reflux in cases of acidic stomach. However, changing the delicate pH balance in baby's system can cause over-alkalinity and exacerbate a colicky condition. Furthermore, sodium bicarbonate is also absorbed into the bloodstream and thus can have unwanted side effects. Studies have shown that sodium bicarbonate can deplete and interfere with folic acid and iron, indicating that it may affect the function or absorption of both.
It is important to remember that babies are just getting accustomed to this world and, as they grow older, their colic will eventually subside. Their digestive systems will learn how to function better and adapt to contemporary environmental conditions. In the first three months of life, babies are not well-equipped to calm themselves. Self-calming is a skill that develops slowly over time and at different rates in children.
Sources: The Journal of Pediatrics and Colic Calm
Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.
Pediatrics / Children's Health
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China Rejects Donald Trump's Accusations of Unleashing Coronavirus on the World
tosin adebayo
Leave a comment China
China on Tuesday rejected US President, Donald Trump's accusations on the UN stage that it had "unleashed" coronavirus on the world.
Rebuffing Trump's call for China to be held accountable for the pandemic, Zhang Jun, Beijing's ambassador to the UN, said: "China resolutely rejects the baseless accusations."
Earlier, Trump, reiterating widely rejected claims that seem designed to win over conservative US voters ahead of November's presidential election, branded COVID-19 "the Chinese virus" in his address to the 75th UN General Assembly, held virtually due to the pandemic.
In his own address to the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged UN member-states to avoid "politicization" of the virus, saying: "We humans are battling COVID-19. People of different countries have come together, demonstrating courage, resolve and compassion. The virus will be defeated. Humanity will win this battle."
Xi added: "We should see each other as members of the same big family, pursue win-win cooperation, and rise above ideological disputes and do not fall into the trap of 'clash of civilizations'."
He called COVID-19 the major "test of the governance capacity of countries" and "also a test of the global governance system. We should stay true to multilateralism and safeguard the international system with the UN at its core."
"China is the largest developing country in the world… A country that is committed to peaceful, open, cooperative and common development. We will never seek hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence. We have no intention to fight either a Cold War or a hot war with any country," Xi added.
He said that China will continue to "narrow differences and resolve disputes with others through dialogue and negotiation."
"We do not seek to develop only ourselves or engage in zero-sum game. We will not pursue development behind closed doors," he added.
Xi also announced $50 million in additional funds to the UN COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan.
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Home Sports Millers open season with Midwest City
Millers open season with Midwest City
Chuck Reherman
Nollan Koon makles a late tag on runner during last season. Koon returns as a starter for the Millers. (Photo by Chuck Reherman)
By Chuck Reherman
It's March and that means baseball season in Oklahoma.
And, for Yukon's Miller baseball team, it's time to get things rolling.
The Millers open the season and District 6A-1 play Monday with a road trip to Midwest City. The game is set for a 4:30 p.m. start. The teams will play the second game of the series at Yukon on Tuesday.
The Millers have key players returning from the state tournament team of last year, but also have key spots to fill.
"We are ready to play," Miller head coach Kevin James said. "We have scrimmaged well, we have have been able to, but we still have some hiccups to work on. But, it is not bad for where we are at.
"We always would like to swing it a little better," he added. "I have been happy with our pitching. I have also been happy with our defense. We will have a lapse, but we have a lot of new faces and trying to figure stuff out. We are trying to find nine hitters to go with out defense.
"We are looking forward to getting to play Monday." he added. "All our pitchers are rested and we are okay. Our pitchers are ready to do a game."
The Millers do have a scrimmage set with Choctaw today (and had scrimmages Thursday and Friday after having fice wiped out by the weather.
The Millers did not get many chances to be outside this past week because of the weather, but did get a lot of work done inside.
"It's not bad to get a lot of cuts in like we have been, it wears us (coaches) out more than it does the players," he said. "It's just they get tired of doing it. But, it is good to have this (the indoor) than not.
"We have to go out and execute, that will be the key for us," James said.
The Millers will also host Westmoore on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Previous articleMillers come up big in upset of Norman North
Next articleYHS tracks teams open with Santa Fe meet
Josh Fields recounts 2001 Bedlam win on 20th anniversary of OSU's 16-13 upset
Yukon rolls past Westmoore to keep playoff hopes alive
YHS hosts NHS in 6AI-1 opener


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The 2017 Ultimate Faculty Fantasy Fighting Championship Bracket
Note: All situations discussed in this article are hypothetical and created for the enjoyment of Prep students.
With nearly 75 percent of the vote, Mr. Ng defeated Mr. Ladouceur in the finals of the 2017 Ultimate Faculty Fantasy Fighting Championship Bracket. Congratulations to Mr. Ng, who came in as a 16-seed and finished as a champion!
Semifinals Results and Finals Preview
This is it. The last two standing. On one end, you have the experienced underdog, and on the other stands the young stud. What a championship match this will be and an even better end to the school year.
Mr. Ng has defied all odds. Not only did he knock off the number one seed, Mr. Smith, he also beat defending champion Mr. Achille in yesterday's semifinal. Barely even qualifying for the tournament, Mr. Ng has quickly made his mark. He seems unstoppable at this point and is easily on fire coming into today. If Mr. Ng can somehow pull off this victory, the student body would go crazy. Never, even in the NCAA tournament, has a 16 seed even gotten to the second round. So, regardless of a heartbreaking loss or a courageous victory, I'm sure Mr. Ng will be satisfied with how far he got and perhaps even inspire future 16 seeds. Sometimes, the best competitor doesn't win, it's the one who is is riding the most momentum and has the best matchup. This could be Mr. Ng's day.
On the other side, don't be fooled by J Lads' charming good looks, strong build, and youthful self. He's athletic, strong, motivated, spiritual, a little crazy, and will do anything to win. After defeating Mr. Biebel in the semifinals, Mr. Ladouceur has the potential to completely annihilate Ng and stride through the finish line. Ladouceur is another who has breezed through this tournament thus far. The difference though is that Ladouceur was supposed to be here. Meanwhile nobody thought Mr. Ng was getting past the first round. So the question remains, can Ladouceur live up to the hype, or will the pressure prove to be too much for him?
2nd Round Results and 3rd Round Preview
#16 Mr. Ng vs. #5 Mr. Achille
Here we go. Mr. Ng vs. Mr Achille in the Final Four. The 16-seed has made it this far and there is no reason to believe Mr. Ng will he stopped. Mixed with his sheer intelligence is his drive and motivation that comes from being overlooked and under-seeded. He is carrying a large mass of voters behind him and looks primed to reach the championship. Mr. Achille on the other hand is more prepared now than ever. Entering his second consecutive Final Four, he has the most experience of any of the remaining competitors. He is a legend and simply can't be counted out. Look for Mr. Achille to come out with a sense of urgency and power his way to victory.
This will be one heck of a match which will send the winner one step closer to hauling in the beloved championship. If these two ever truly did step into a ring together, it would make for prime time entertainment. This is truly an elite field of competitors left and all of them seem as if they can make some noise towards the end of this tournament.
#2 Mr. Ladouceur vs. #3 Mr. Biebel
This week, Mr. Ladoucer and Mr. Biebel will square off to earn a spot in the finals. This fight is probably one of the best in the bracket.
Mr. Ladouceur stands at approximately 6'2″ with a large, athletic frame. A former college football player, specifically a wide-receiver, Ladouceur is quick with the feet and hands, making it tough for his opponents to get anything by him. The most important characteristic that one should know about Mr. Ladouceur is that his beard is one of the key components. Ladouceur's beard is approximately 4-feet in length, with some gorgeous blonde highlights. You may refer to him as Hulk Hogan.
On the other side, Mr. Biebel has some pretty funny comebacks for his opponents. Don't be surprised if Biebel throws at you some of his magic acid he keeps in his back pocket at all times. It can burn his opponents if they aren't careful with their own individual moves. He can also be very dangerous when using his right-left-right uppercut move to the jaw.
This week's fights are going to be some of the best we've seen in the bracket. Make sure to get out and vote for your favorites!
1st Round Results and 2nd Round Preview
#8 Mr. Colwell vs. #16 Mr. Ng by Alec Thomas and Trent Robison
Mr. Colwell breezed through his first round defeating Mr. Baltzer with ease as the history teacher couldn't find a winning strategy in the history books. Mr. Colwell looks to face the 16 seed Mr. Ng after the draw was blown up after he topped Mr. Smith, the number one seed. When asked about his match up, Mr. Colwell didn't sugar coat his abilities saying, "There are no other competitors that can match my sneaky athleticism and my knowledge of the human body to systematically take down my opponent regardless of their physical ability. After having reached the Final Four last year, I have spent the past year training and preparing for just this event. My tolerance for physical pain and mental anguish will set me apart from the competition." We can see how well he preformed in the first round look for him to heat up as he battles Ng.
Mr. Ng is the big talk of the week as he defeated Mr. Smith in the first round of the teacher fight bracket. This week he takes on Mr. Colwell. Although Ng faces a tough task this week as he takes on the Seminoles fan, Mr. Colwell, Ng has a lot of special hidden talents when it comes to fighting. First off he stands at approximately 6'3″ and weighs in at just over 175 pounds. A tall, lean cut of a human-being, Ng loves to go with the upper cut. In fact, he used that move ninety-five percent of his fight against Mr. Smith. Ng doesn't want to tell any of his other secrets as he told the media that he could not answer any questions at this time. Mr. Ng is staying calm, cool, and collected as he prepares to face a tough opponent. With his win last week over Mr. Smith, there shouldn't be any reason to not pick Ng for not only his round two fight but to win the whole bracket. With his large, strong frame, Ng is unstoppable for the remainder of the fights, and for the rest of the school year.
#4 Coach G vs. #5 Mr. Achille by Jaryn Simpson and Mark Majewski
Mr. Achille, defending champ of the fight bracket, is coming in with a huge win over the 12th seed, Mr. Markley. His matchup for this second round is against Coach G, beloved gym teacher and former Villanova lineman. He thinks that even if Coach G has the body advantage on him he has the experience of winning. From his winnings at the Casinos to the Rambler Cup and even last year's bracket, Mr. Achille is always a fan favorite. He has a great shot of winning it not only just this matchup but also the whole Bracket Challenge.
Coach G has now passed the first round. His next opponent is Mr. Achille. Coach Grychowski feels like he has the upper hand do to his physical ed experience against "math skills". Physical beings can go a lot of way in a fight and that is what Coach G has made his mind up on. Personally, I believe mass and strength would win, but Mr. Achille feels differently. So Coach G could have his hands full, but he looks ready to go. This one will be a mental breakdown for the best to advance to the semifinals. Who will win?
#2 Mr. Ladoucer vs. #10 Mr. Flanagan by Charles Deitrick III and Brian Buseck
Our next matchup is Mr. Mike Flanagan vs Mr. Jason Ladouceur. It is the face off of the facial hair: Mr. Flanagan's handlebar mustache vs Mr. Ladouceur's mountain man beard. Mr. Flanagan has stated that "handlebar is clearly superior against the beard." As far as Flanagan's experience goes, his grandfather was a professional boxer and "taught him some tricks." When Flanagan was in grad school he worked as a bartender and bouncer at a bar. He did not enjoy the job, but he definitely gets +20 man points for that occupation. Moving on, Mr. Ladouceur knows he has got a tough fight with statements like, "It's gonna be a tough fight, he's pretty athletic and still somewhat spry." But Mr. L is a very, tough quick opponent who shows zero mercy to anybody. He is very mobile as he played football at Gannon University, and is able to portray his skills he had back then, today. "I predict a third round hip knock out," is what he had to say about the end outcome of the fight. The age difference between the two is crucial. While Mr. Flanagan has more experience, Mr. L is younger and a lot more shifty and agile. This is the battle between a conservative war hero and a young hippy. We will let you decide which one is which.
#3 Mr. Biebel vs. #6 Mr. Parsons by Roman Zegarelli and Alex Welz
Biebel vs. Parsons? Laughable matchup. Biebel has more reach, far superior speed, plus military training. Biebel had to fight a professional boxer for coastguard training, so you know Biebel can eat any punch thrown his way… that is if Parsons can land one. Also, Biebel can turn any item into a weapon of opportunity with his vast knowledge. Biebel, a visual learner, has picked up fantastic swordsmanship skills through watching Adventure Time on Cartoon Network. Another advantage Biebel has is his lack of hair. Mr. Biebel can pull Parsons' hair if the battle turns in to a cat fight, but Parsons can't pull Biebel's hair. When asked what the outcome of his fight would be, Mr. Biebel said, "In real life, I've never fought someone who wasn't larger than me, so this would be different." All in all, Biebel would totally take down Parsons.
Welcome to the second annual Ultimate Faculty Fantasy Fighting Championship Bracket, or the UF³C. Our goal is to determine the answer to one simple hypothetical question: if the teachers in the school were to fight, who would reign supreme? We will have regular updates on matchups as well as the results of who moves on to the next round and commentary from some of the competitors. The staff of The Rambler started with 16 teachers and power ranked them to create a bracket. Revisit last year's results and then read below for a breakdown of this year's field, which includes five new competitors.
#1 seed: Mr. Smith by Charles Deitrick III
Mr. Smith came in hot this year as principal, cracking down on the rules and telling the Prep boys to follow the student handbook. He is also coming in hot for the UF³C bracket as the number one seed. Can he back up his minor league baseball fighting skills that we saw footage of during the first rally? Mr. Smith is often seen at the gym, and takes lots of Creatine, so whoever is in his path, look out! He may very well be the most feared competitor, despite his short stint with the school thus far. Whether its telling students to button their top button or simply giving a hypothetical whooping to these teachers in the UF³C bracket, Mr. Smith is a force to be reckoned with.
#2 seed: Mr. Ladouceur by Charles Deitrick III
Mr. Ladouceur, otherwise known as Coach L, is coming in this year as the second seed after losing in the quarterfinals against Mr. Parsons last year. This teacher is a crazy man. Although his knee isn't really a knee anymore, he can still use his upper body to club and rip. He is often seen running through the woods without shoes on. He is chill for the most part, but if you mess with his garden or tell him to wear shoes, he will unleash his Wolverine side. Ladouceur was once known as Wolverine for his facial hair, but it has gradually transformed into a caveman-like beard. Coach L is young, athletic, and experienced. He provides a lot of energy and should be greatly feared coming into this tournament. He is insane and will do anything to win.
# 3 seed: Mr. Biebel by Roman Zegarelli
This "friggin' dude" is ready to go back to battle after being upset in the quarterfinals last year by his Science Department colleague, Mr. Colwell. Mr. Biebel was in the Coast Guard, so he is no novice to fighting. In fact, Mr. Biebel had to fight a professional boxer while on duty, so he can take punches like a champ. As a physics teacher, Biebel has calculated exactly how to throw the most powerful punches using the WUKWUK equation and projectile motion. Opponents should beware of his powerful spit attacks; they are accurate and deadly. He hasn't missed the trash can all year with his spit practicing, and sometimes tears a hole in the bag from the sheer force alone. With such an impressive résumé, it would be impossible for Biebel not to be considered an early favorite this year.
#4 seed: Mr. (Chris) Grychowski by Jaryn Simpson
Last year's top seed, Coach G. is physical education/health teacher at Cathedral Prep. He is well known for his energy boosts of NOS that can really make him stand out in a fight. He is also a very muscular man that has the instincts from his football career. If he is coming at you, you better watch out. He has a great time teaching students how to hit a volleyball and can use that same motion to destroy his opponent. Additionally, he played college football at Villanova and is ready to finally live up to the hype of this tournament after losing in the semifinals last year. He is big, scary, and the last person many want to see matched up against them in this tournament.
#5 seed: Mr. Achille by Mark Majewski
The man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Bob Achille comes into this fight bracket as the defending champion and with years on years of experience. He is also a two-time winner of the Rambler Cup golf tournament. Surely, Mr. Achille knows how to win. He also knows what linear means. He beat some high quality opponents last year on his way to winning the first UF³C. Widely recognized for his fury in the classroom and even on Twitter, Mr. Achille will try to translate that intimidation to this tournament. Coming into this bracket challenge, Achille is the five seed and is looking to become a back-to-back winner of the UF³C.
#6 seed: Mr. Parsons by Alex Welz
Although young, Mr. Parsons has consistently showcased his poise and readiness for the big stage. He played football all through high school and also was heavily involved (and still is) with wrestling. Mr. Parsons possesses the rare skill set of someone with his level of fitness. He works out constantly, being able to bench press over 400 pounds and making sure cardio is still a priority. Muscle milk is a huge part of his diet, as he also happens to be a health freak in tip top shape. So why is such a young, healthy athlete who works out constantly somehow a six seed? With the given description, how can he possibly be this low, especially after he made a run all the way to the finals last year? Well, despite his brute strength, Mr. Parsons stands a meager 5'6″ tall. He lacks the elite wingspan that other participants have. However, his most notable disadvantage may very well be his two knee surgeries along with his limited mobility. Despite these limitations, he has the overall strength, competitiveness, motivation, skill, and drive to overpower anyone he is matched up up against.
#7 seed: Mr. Pituch by Trent Robison
Mr. Pituch is looking particularly strong in this year's bracket. Pituch, a member of the 1,000-point club as a Villa basketball player, listed at 6'8″ and 220 pounds in the program has massive explosive power. An experienced fighter, he brings a lot of fighting knowledge and tools to the table as he also boxed for Villa back in his day. He can verbally abuse his opponent, always being able to think of quick, effective comebacks on the dime. He can also use logic to talk his way out of trouble as his intellectual/debate skills are off the charts. Look for Mr. Pituch to turn some heads and finally get over that hump this year after losing in the quarterfinals last year.
#8 seed: Mr. Colwell by Alex Welz
Well known for his athletic ability, Mr. Colwell is ready to take on this tournament after being defeated in the semifinals last year. By now, many students have caught on to his incredible hops, insane strength, and all around savvy. Although Mr. Colwell doesn't hold a Prep legacy like others in this tournament, he has the background and experience to compete with anyone. He isn't scared and won't back down. It would be a huge mistake to undermine the potential of this AP Biology stud as he has overcome the odds time and time again. Watch for him to use his athleticism to his advantage and make a run throughout this tournament. He may look and talk nice, but surely, he is not someone to mess with.
#9 seed: Mr. Baltzer by Mark Majewski
As a Civil War Union soldier reenactor, Mr. Baltzer is familiar with combat. The "veteran" is known for his hand-to-hand combat as well as work with a rifle and a bayonet. The new father is getting his "dad bod" into mid-season form, coming in as the nine seed in this bracket for the second straight year and looking to avenge last year's first round loss. Baltzer is a student favorite and also has some experience on the football field. He is an expert on literally every topic known to man and has the intelligence, along with the physical build, to make a run in this tournament. His matchup against Mr. Colwell could be the most intriguing of this first round.
#10 seed: Mr. (Mike) Flanagan by Jaryn Simpson
Mr. Flanagan served in the Vietnam War, so you can believe he has some major fighting skills. He is a very wise and aggressive man that is willing to do anything for his country. Anyone who has had him as a teacher knows that he exemplifies this exact anger and retaliation in the classroom. Many of his opponents are defeated before they can even throw a punch due to his sheer intimidation skills. Mr. Flanagan is very tactical and knows the perfect times to attack. He is a scary first round matchup and poses a major upset possibility. This man will do anything to win and has the experience, expertise, knowledge, and fearlessness to get the job done.
#11 seed: Mr. Hubert by Brian Buseck
After a first-round loss last year, seasoned English and Journalism teacher, Mr. Hubert, also known as Hu-bot, is looking to pack a punch in this year's UF³C. He's all charged up and ready to go. He is truly nuts and bolts for this tournament. Know that when his opponent is only starting to plan an attack, Hu-bot's gears have been turning for quite a while, calculating the most precise and advantageous attack possible. Don't make him upset, or he'll short circuit with anger. When this happens, the AP Language and Composition teacher will use his remarkable rhetorical skills to verbally assault his opponent. He will wield his words to get at his opponents deepest insecurities, convincing them that they are no match for the mighty Hu-bot, and making them crumble to the arena floor in tears. This is when he goes in for the win. His basketball career has continued throughout his life, having played against the likes of NBA legend LeBron James in grade school and with Cathedral Prep legend Mr. Colwell in the faculty vs. CYO All-Stars game. These skills prove invaluable. Don't mess with Hu-bot. His energy is electric, and he's laser focused. He's wired and programmed to attack, and he will terminate anyone in his way.
#12 seed: Mr. Markley by Alec Thomas
One of the most underrated contenders coming into this year's UF³C, Mr. Markley looks to make some noise after he was overlooked. Last year, Markley entered the tournament as a 3-seed before being upset in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Mr. Achille. Time and time again, Mr. Markley is proving that he still has what it takes to be the last one standing when the dust settles. After leading the Cathedral Prep wrestling team to one of its most decorated seasons in school history, we can see he still has that wrestling firepower to put his opponents on the floor. With Mountain Dew as his fuel, we can be sure that we will not see him waver as the fight goes on. A skilled chemist, Markley has hinted that the mysterious element "Marklanium" will be the Kryptonite for his opponents. Look for Mr. Markely to brew up some exciting results.
#13 seed: Mr. Wrigley by Roman Zegarelli
Standing at roughly 7'5″ tall, the Muenster of a man, Mr. Wrigley, is ready to give any opponent a knuckle sandwich. His arms are massive from stirring his award winning soups, and his fists are powerful from kneading dough. He's ready to beat any chicken of an opponent, tenderizing them with his clubs. He knows what's at steak in this tournament. Although he is usually at a simmer, he's ready to turn the heat up on the competition. He will take down any opponent… piece of cake. He's ready to put on the sauce. Who has the onions to take on this beefy man in his UF³C debut?
#14 seed: Mr. Daeschner by Trent Robison
Mr. Daeschner was inexcusably left out of last year's inaugural UF³C tournament. Mr. Daeschner isn't one to mess with either. He stands at approximately 6'3″ tall and weighs in at approximately 180 pounds with some very thick biceps. The man can really throw a punch. When it comes to intimidation, no one does it better. Just ask some of the freshmen and junior students who have taken his World History classes. Known for his strict rules, and intense classroom discipline, Mr. Daeschner is more than ready for this tournament. He is the longest tenured Prep teacher and is ready to add to his already impressive legacy. Everyone knows not to mess with Mr. Daeschner, and if another faculty member does, don't expect them to show up to class for a few days.
#15 seed: Mr. Vicary by Brian Buseck
Don't mistake Mr. Vicary's inclination towards art as a disinterest in more traditionally masculine activities. Spending hours a week painting and sketching have made Vicary's arms truly massive. The eons he has spent sculpting clay have sculpted his body into a real life sculpture, comparable in physical condition only to Michaelangelo's iconic David. Along with his physique, Vicary has acquired numerous skills while working out at Pennbriar. His kettle bell workouts have made him into a lean mean fighting machine. Racquetball gives him cat-like reflexes. Spin classes tone his legs to make him capable of darting around any arena faster than Usain Bolt. Rest assured, Vicary plans to paint a masterpiece with his opponents in an attempt to rebound from his first round defeat last year.
#16 seed: Mr. Ng by Alec Thomas
An absolute wildcard in this tournament, Mr. Ng rounds out a highly competitive field as the 16th seed. His scrappy fighting style and verbal abuse of his opponents could leave them flat on their backs as Mr. Ng looks to grind out these fights. The school's 3D printers have been fired up and may produce a WWE-style steel chair for him to use to strike his opponents. With the help of the robotics he has access to, a few modifications could be made to terminate his opponents. On the tactical side, Mr. Ng has to be one of the smartest coming into the fight. Look for complex fighting styles as he turns this into a battle of brain over brawn.
UF³C
Daniel Anthony • May 20, 2017 at 1:02 pm
Who is J. Clark?
https://theramblernews.com/5008/entertainment/the-2017-ultimate-faculty-fantasy-fighting-championship-bracket/#comment-130


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Alison Moore (geboren 1971 in Manchester) ist eine britische  Schriftstellerin.

Leben
Alison Moore studierte Literatur an der Universität Liverpool und an der Universität Nottingham. Sie veröffentlichte Kurzgeschichten, die in dem Band The Pre-War House and Other Stories gesammelt wurden. 2012 kam ihr Debütroman The Lighthouse auf die Shortlist des Man Booker Prize, ihr zweiter Roman He Wants wurde 2014 ein "Observer Book of the Year". Sie lebt mit Mann und Sohn in Wymeswold, Borough of Charnwood.

Werke
 The Lighthouse. London : Salt Publishing, 2012
 The Pre-War House and Other Stories. Cromer : Salt, 2013
 He Wants.  Cromer, Norfolk, UK : Salt, 2014
 Death and the seaside. Cromer, Norfolk : Salt Publishing, 2016

Weblinks

 Alison Moore, Website

Einzelnachweise

Autor
Roman, Epik
Kurzgeschichte
Literatur (Englisch)
Literatur (Vereinigtes Königreich)
Literatur (21. Jahrhundert)
Brite
Geboren 1971
Frau

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Having been out of work myself for almost two full years in 1991 and 1992, I guess I can say I've been there and done that.
Being out of work is never easy, and but it is especially hard on those of us who are older. It's not just that employers are looking to cut costs and our big salaries are a good target, it is also that we are at that point in our lives when we are faced with particularly large financial obligations.
This could be college for our teenagers or if your children are older, weddings. Or if you are really old like me, the thought of retiring in less than the grand style to which we have grown accustomed. Gone are the days when you could pack everything you owned in a few cardboard boxes and head off for parts unknown for a few months until conditions improve. As you get older, you tend to get wallpapered into your life.
Adding to the stress at this time of year is that we are in the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year's when we believe, rightly or wrongly, that not much happens. Please know that I got a job offer in December of 1981, so the urban legend is not necessarily true.
Assuming that it is doom and gloom for the next few weeks doesn't excuse you from working on your job search. The truth is that this one of the best times for networking and for preparing for the turn of the year, so when things pick up you are ready to hit the ground running.
The economy is still not strong for senior level jobs. All you have to do to know it isn't just you is open up the newspaper and do a little reading.
I spoke to one of our members last week and went through his job search with him from soup to nuts, and honestly, there wasn't much that he was doing wrong. Sure, there were a few nits I picked on his resume, but by and large he was doing all the right things.
What I often hear when I make suggestions is that "I tried that once." Well my friends, this is the kind of job market where even if you are doing everything right, it is going to take more than a little dogged persistence on your part to find another work opportunity.
Like someone faced with hanging in the morning, you are going to have to get your mind focused on solving this little inconvenience with which you are faced.
Giving up is never a good idea, and as a strategy, it doesn't work anyway.
So, batten down the hatches and keep the faith. As I have often been heard to say: No one is out of work forever, it just seems that way.
With any luck, you will survive to tell the tall tale around the holiday dinner table in years to come about how you survived being out of work.


text:
Home > Roger Shi
Roger Shi
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Shi, R., et al. (2014), Implementation of an aerosol–cloud-microphysics–radiation coupling into the NASA unified WRF: Simulation results for the 6–7 August 2006 AMMA special observing period, Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 140, 2158-2175, doi:10.1002/qj.2286.
Peters-Lidard, C. D., et al. (2015), Integrated modeling of aerosol, cloud, precipitation and land processes at satellite-resolved scales, Environmental Modelling & Software, 67, 149-159.
Matsui, T., et al. (2014), Introducing multisensor satellite radiance-based evaluation for regional Earth System modeling, J. Geophys. Res., 119, 8450-8475, doi:10.1002/2013JD021424.
Page Last Updated: March 14, 2014
Page Editor: Roger Shi


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The Fix Live
Debt and Poverty
The Fix Debt
The Fix focuses on debt and why it's such an intractable problem. Matthew Taylor and Cat Drew visit a London borough where more than one in ten people owe money to the council.
This is the third series of Radio 4's programme which tries to solve some of the UK's most difficult social problems. This year, The Fix spends three episodes looking at one issue: debt. Why is it such an intractable problem in the UK, where 15% of the population have no savings at all? Presenters Matthew Taylor and Cat Drew visit the borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London, where more than one in ten people there owe money to the council.
They speak to working people about how debt is affecting their lives, to the council about what they're doing to try to help, and ask why current solutions don't go far enough.
Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou
Researcher: Eleanor Biggs
You are at the first episode
Debt and Poverty—Debt
See all episodes from The Fix
Last Wednesday 20:00
Three creative ideas for tackling childhood obesity
Twelve of the UK's brightest young minds try to solve a complex policy problem in a day.


A very simple exercise that works on running with the ball and also provides fitness with the ball. Running with the ball (dribbling at speed) is often under addressed in the youth game today. Players dribble through a gate at speed and then chase the next player that is dribbling. The player about to dribble cannot leave until the ball crosses through the gate. I usually make the gates about 35-40 yards apart, but you can vary it. I like to put a consequence in for the players that get tagged and the ones that never tag another to make it competitive.


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What Was God Doing on the Cross?
What Was God Doing on the Cross? By Alister E. McGrath. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992. 123 pp. Paper, $7.99.
What religious organization in its right mind would choose a noose or an electric chair as its logo? Symbols are crucial to people's perception of what something stands for. The British Labour party, our author points out, was clever to change its logo from a red flag (cf. Mayday in Moscow) to a red rose (veddy English!). Some have suggested that Christianity would be smart to drop the cross as its symbol and get a more "user-friendly" logo.
McGrath, a lecturer in Christian doctrine at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford (where W. H. Griffith Thomas taught before coming to Canada and USA to lecture), believes in the power of Christ's cross and literal resurrection. He is seeking in this well-written little paperback (complete with a cover featuring Salvador Dali's famous painting of the crucifixion viewed from above) to reach the masses, who have no idea about theories of the atonement.
He starts from scratch, uses modern, relevant illustrations, and a few well-chosen quotations from Luther, Calvin, C. S. Lewis, et al.
Christ's victory on Calvary and at Easter is pictured as a battlefield, a court of law, a rehabilitation clinic, release from prison, and healing in a hospital.
How does one get to benefit from this work of Christ? By faith, which McGrath sees as an open hand and an open mouth to receive salvation as a gift. "The gospel constantly stresses that everything which we could never achieve or ever hope to purchase is offered to us freely. That is what grace is all about-the graciousness of God in giving us things we do not deserve and dared not hope for" (p. 102).
McGrath defines faith as believing that something is true, trusting in it, and receiving Christ. He does not speak of commitment, works, or the usual Lordship Salvation terms. He does compare faith to having a relationship with our Lord not unlike marriage (cf. Paul and Luther).
Does McGrath think we should change Christianity's logo from the cross—which some see as a symbol of death and suffering only?
No, he ends his book with these words: "A symbol of hope in the midst of a world of death and suffering? Yes! A symbol of a God who is with us in this dark world, and beyond? Yes! In short, the cross stands for a hope that is for real, in a world that is for real. But that world will pass away, while that hope will remain for eternity" (p. 118).
We agree: Christ's cross is not merely a logo; it is the central fact of our faith.
Arthur L. Farstad
Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
by Art Farstad
Art Farstad (1935-1998) was Executive Editor of the New King James Version of the Bible, co-editor of the Hodges-Farstad Majority Text of the NT, and a gentleman par excellance.