DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) – The Dallas Mavericks believe they have the makings of a premier “two-man game’’ with newcomer Monta Ellis joining Dirk Nowitzki. But they need a “third man’’ to run the show – and at Tuesday’s practice they got one of their first long looks at the man for the job.
“I did everything with the team and I feel good,” said point guard Jose Calderon, who has essentially missed the entirety of training camp with a left hamstring problem. “It was a little bit slow early, but no limitations at all.”
Well, not so fast. Coach Rick Carlisle said Calderon “went through about half of the things we did,’’ and noted that while the veteran newcomer is on the upcoming preseason road trip, he will not play in Wednesday’s game at Indiana.
“We’ve just got to introduce him back into some real practice,’’ Carlisle said. “We’ll hold him out (Wednesday) and just do some precautionary work in shootaround before the game. And then as we go along here we’ll get him more and more into it. … He should do fine.’’
Calderon, 32, plans to make his preseason debut in a Mavs uniform on Saturday when Dallas is at Charlotte (in Greensboro, N.C.)
Dallas had problems last season with competent play at point guard, and in this preseason, rookie Gal Mekel has been central to some Dallas turnover issues. Calderon can solve that – and figures to mesh with Nowitzki and Ellis as well, even as they excelled offensively in Monday’s loss to Orlando. In the second quarter of the 102-94 loss, the pair combined for 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. For the game, Nowitzki finished with 24 points in 25 minutes on 9-of-14 shooting. And Ellis, signed to team with Calderon in the backcourt, scored 16 points in 27 minutes on 5-of-11 shooting.
Nowitzki said the two-man game featuring him and Ellis will be Dallas’ “bread and butter.’’ Calderon, it seems, is ready to serve as the knife.
“We’re trying to make plays for our teammates,’’ Calderon said, “so I’ll be there just helping on that and just trying to get everybody in the right spots.’’
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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text:
Christopher Steele, a British secret agent who spent his career in the shadows, has been thrust into the spotlight after an explosive dossier on Donald Trump was published Tuesday.
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter to attack the credibility of the 52-year-old former MI6 agent, who has since gone into hiding, calling him a “failed spy” and calling the report “fake news.”
But Steele’s former colleagues say he was one of the best in the business.Three British intelligence officers told The Associated Press Steele was well regarded in the intelligence community, with excellent Russian skills and high-level sources.
“He was the real James Bond,” Nigel West, a former colleague told NBC news. “I actually introduced him to my wife as James Bond.”
Steele was posted by MI6 to Moscow in 1990. Within months, the Soviet Union was collapsing and change was afoot under soon-to-be Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
After working undercover in Russia, Steele led the investigation into the Kremlin’s alleged assassination of Alexander Litvinenko, the KGB agent turned MI6 informant.
Steele was later posted to Paris from 1998-2002 and left the secret service in 2009.
His private firm was later hired by England’s Football Association to investigate other countries bidding to host the 2018 World Cup, a bid which Russia won.
The results of Steele’s investigation were reportedly used by the FBI to uncover FIFA’s corruption scandal.
Despite his credibility, the report remains unsubstantiated.
“Although Mr. Steele himself is identified as a reputable source, this information isn’t coming from Mr. Steele,” Bob Ayre, a former U.S. intelligence officer, told Global News.
“It’s coming from other sources, passing through Mr. Steele. Mr. Steele’s credibility does not automatically transfer to his Russian sources. So we don’t know who the information came from.”
James Nixey, the head of Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia program told the AP that parts of the document created by Steele “read exactly as reports from the secret services.”
All three of the former intelligence officials, however, cast doubt on whether the material in the report and its level of detail would have come from active sources within Russia. The material, they said, was more likely to have come from conversations with third parties.

domain: news


text:
Structural colour from wood: Science meets Art and Design
The colours on butterfly wings and peacock feathers, so called “structural colours”, differ from traditional pigments or dyes. In fact, interaction of light with the periodic structures in these materials creates specific reflections to show colours in the eyes of observer. Furthermore, natural surfaces with structural colour also have iridescence. An iridescent surface changes colour with observation angle or light illumination, which makes iridescent surfaces an especially interesting platform for design. Therefore, there is great benefit to replace conventional and often toxic dyes by employing biomimicry to engineer materials with iridescent and structural colours.
The joint effort of Aalto University Schools of Chemical Engineering as well as Art and Design has produced colour coatings on glass surfaces, resulting in structures looking like luster gems. The main component is extracted from wood pulp by acid hydrolysis to produce cellulose nanocrystals. These crystals are so small, that if a fully grown tree would be enlargened so much that its diameter would cover whole Finland from east to west, a single cellulose nanocrystal would have the size of a pencil. The rod-like shape of cellulose nanocrystals allows their self-assembly into nanostructured layers that selectively reflect light. This assembly resembles the way how pencils could be positioned next to each other in a pencil case, with several cases stacked upon each other at a small angle in relation to the previous case.
This work was done in the group of Biobased Colloids and Materials as a collaborative effort by Noora Yao and Prof Orlando Rojas from Aalto ARTS as well as Maryam Borghei, Blaise Tardy, Konrad Klockars and Prof Orlando Rojas from Aalto CHEM. The art pieces are on show in the Design Museum in Helsinki at the Enter and Encounter exhibition and will be open for public until 22 October 2017.
Address: Designmuseo, Korkeavuorenkatu 23, 00130 Helsinki
Photo: From left to right: Konrad Klockars, Noora Yao, Maryam Borghei, Orlando Rojas, Blaise Tardy

domain: chemistry


text:
"Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
my steadfast love will not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace will not be removed,"
says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10
2 months ago we found out we were going to have another baby. We were shocked- this one was a surprise and it took several days (maybe weeks for Jay) before we could embrace the idea. The three precious ones we already have are busy and can be overwhelming, so adding in a fourth seemed a little crazy. We went at 7 weeks and saw that sweet baby kidney bean with the strongest little heartbeat and I was in love. The details would work themselves out. I was feeling pretty tired and definitely pregnant, but it wasn't the worst of my 4 pregnancys at all. We went back at 9 weeks and saw baby again. This time I could see the little arms and legs and that little hearbeat just flickering away. My pregnancy was so similar to when I was pregnant with Abby- I began hoping for a little girl. We started talking some details, and sleeping arrangements, and counting our way to the 12 week mark. One more appointment and we would tell the kids. I found the cutest big brother/big sister t-shirts to give them when we told them. By 10 weeks I wasn't feeling that bad anymore, just a little tired. It was getting harder and harder to hide my growing tummy and Abby kept asking me why I wasn't doing my exercise video anymore! Last Tuesday, March 23 I was 12 weeks. On Thursday, the 25th, I had my 12 week appointment. They were having trouble finding a heartbeat with the handhelp dopplar so they brought in the ultrasound machine. The baby had died. I will never forget the picture on that screen- my sweet little baby with no heartbeat. I was by myself and totally unprepared. I kept thinking about the verse in Job that I had been claiming and praying throughout the pregnancy "You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit." Job 10:11-12 I know in my head that God is the Giver and Sustainer of life, and for some reason He has chosen for this baby not to live on this earth, but to wrap my heart and mind around it is nearly impossible. This is a sadness I have never experienced the depth of. Losing a child- knowing that there was baby and now there is not.
My doctor took me into his office and told me to call Jay and have him come, but I knew by the time he got there we would be finished. I called Jay and told him- I could barely talk I was crying so hard. Dr. Radbill came back in and hugged me and prayed with me and spoke lots of truth to me. He walked me to a lady who scheduled a D&C for the next day and then she walked me out through the back door. They were so kind and caring and the first reflection of His compassion for me. Before I even got home, one of my friends had taken my boys to lunch so that Jay and I could have some time together at home. We laid on our bed and cried and prayed. I don't think I have ever been so sad and heartbroken. We told our kids that mommy had gone to the doctor and that there was a boo-boo in my tummy and that I was going to have surgery to fix it. We told them I would be fine, just a little tired. We have prayed for them that His peace would guard their hearts and minds and that it would pass all their understanding as well.
Another friend had meals lined up for me for the next five days. She sent me a text to tell me that dinner was coming for the night and I stood in my kitchen and cried again. In the midst of such heartache, we are not alone. The Body of Christ is standing with us and praying for us. It would take me pages to type out all the specific ways He has answered prayers and shown compassion to us through this loss. He tells us in His Word that in Him we may have peace- in this world we will have trouble, but to take heart- he has overcome the world (John 16:32-33). Our sweet friends have helped us to take heart- they have called and written, cooked and prayed and told us lots and lots of truth.
I had a D&C on Friday and it was a long, miserable day. Thankfully, I don't remember most of it. But once again, my Heavenly Father was showing me reflections of Himself all along the way. Jay's boss came and sat with him at the hospital so he wouldn't have to be there alone. I actually knew my nurse- (Sara Foust) she is a dear friend of one of my friends and she loved on me and prayed with me until I went into surgery. Abby got to go home with one of her favorite friends and spend the afternoon and my mom was able to come and take care of the boys. We had another dinner and these sweet friends fixed some of our favorite foods and desserts, just as an extra measure of kindness. So many little things that show how much He cares for His children.
It has been hard to get out of bed- I have struggled for the first time ever with not wanting to see people and having to force myself to go out in public where I might see friends. I am not a pretty crier and I have cried in front of more people the past few days than I can even count. And mostly, they have cried with me and prayed with me and it has brought joy to my heart. It is His peace that is enabling me to go through the motions- packing lunches, giving baths, fixing hair. I do not understand why I had to lose this baby- why He gave me a surprise in a child and His plan was this, BUT I know that He loves me and that He is good and that His peace can transcend all understanding. And I know that He knows what it is like to lose a child and His word tells me repeatedly that He has compassion on me.
It is good for me to not have it all together (though I definitley would prefer not to learn through this- and as a side note I did not originally intend to publish this, I was journaling mostly for my own health- this is also a knew level of vulnerablility). I am humbled- I cannot control this and there is nothing I can do to change or fix it. He alone is God- He is Holy and His ways are not my ways. For now, I am choosing minute by minute to walk in what I know and to remind myself of what is true. It is a difficult balance for me- being so deeply sad, but believing that He will work this for good. My emotions come in waves and some are stronger than others. Please pray for us if you think about it. Pray that I would be able to live in today and not overwhelm myself with the questions of tomorrow. Pray that I would be faithful in my response to Him and that my children would see Him while their mommy is a mess.

domain: literature


The man was in a room at the Migration Board (Migrationsverket) with two border police officers. He had just been informed that his bid for asylum in Sweden had been rejected and he would have to leave the country.
Upon hearing the news, the man doused himself in a flammable liquid and set himself alight, prompting the officers to call for backup.
In the meantime, however, the officers in the room found a fire extinguisher and were able to put out the flames.
The man was taken by ambulance to Karlstad's Central Hospital where he was treated for "non-life threatening" injuries, a Migration Board spokesperson told the local Nya Vermlands Tidningen (NWT) newspaper. The officers were also treated for minor burns.
Police are treating the incident as a case of attempted arson. It is the second time in recent months that a person has attempted to set themselves on fire in the Karlstad Migration Board offices. In late October, an 18-year-old man tried to set himself alight but was stopped before he caught fire.
He was later sentenced to nine months in prison for attempted arson.


Classic Danica Patrick Photos
A pint-sized Danica Patrick got her start early in racing. Here she is at 12, kart racing in Dousman, Wis.
At 13, Patrick continued to hone her karting skills, this time in Jacksonville, Fla.
Patrick goes karting in Charlotte in 1997.
A fresh-faced 20-year-old Patrick got her break in 2002, signing with Rahal Letterman Racing to run in the Barber Dodge Pro Series. It wouldn't be until 2005 that Patrick hit the IndyCar ovals. Here she participates in the 26th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach. She would win the pro division.
Patrick ran five races in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, including her debut run at the Molson Indy Vancouver, where she came in seventh. At the end of her Barber Dodge stint she ranked 13th.
Former champion Bobby Rahal imparts some words of wisdom on a young Danica Patrick during a practice for the Barber Dodge race at the Molson Indy Vancouver
It didn't take long for Patrick to receive invites to some of Hollywood's most exclusive events, including this Spike TV launch party at the Playboy Mansion.
Patrick is all smiles as she waits in pit lane during the IRL open test in February 2005. In her debut season, Patrick would earn three poles, tying Tomas Scheckter's rookie record.
Team owner Bobby Rahal gives Patrick some words of encouragement during Pole Day for the 2005 Indy 500. Patrick would earn the highest pole position (fourth) for a female driver in the history of the event.
Patrick graced the cover of Sports Illustrated her rookie year, just before nabbing fourth at the Indy 500. She would later beat her impressive performance by coming in third at the 2009 Indy 500.
With her success at the Indy 500, Patrick quickly became one of racing's most famous faces. Here she signs autographs as a slew of photographers follow during a practice session for the Bombardier Learjet 500K.
Patrick strikes a pose with Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan during the premiere of Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2005.
Patrick and fellow racer/actor Patrick Dempsey present the award for Best Male and Female Olympic Performance at the 2005 ESPYs. Patrick would be nominated for Best Female Athlete in 2008, but would lose out to L.A. Sparks player Candace Parker.
Patrick takes a break from the open-wheelers and rides her bicycle around California Speedway in October 2005.
Alongside rapper Ludacris, Patrick made another trip to the ESPYs, presenting the award for Best Game in 2006.
Patrick poses next to Dario Franchitti's wife, actress Ashley Judd, at the 2006 ESPYs.
It wasn't long before Patrick started to attract the attention of a number of advertisers. Here she struts down the runway for a Marie Claire and Tissot watch fall fashion preview show.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Patrick trade stories and boots at Pikes Peak International Speedway.
Patrick was named Sportswoman of the Year at the March of Dimes 23rd Annual Sports Luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. She received her award from veteran sportswriter Frank Deford.
Patrick plays catch with Scott Eyre before throwing out the first pitch in a September 2006 game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.
Andretti Green Racing teammates Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti chat with Patrick before the running of the 92nd Indy 500. Patrick would ultimately claim the eighth pole position and finish eighth as well.
Patrick celebrated with Detroit Indy Grand Prix winner Tony Kanaan and third-place finisher Dan Wheldon after taking second in the 2007 race.
In her 50th professional start, Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar race with a victory at Japan 300 in Motegi.
Patrick with her parents after winning her first race.
Patrick was back again in May 2008 for another go at SI 's cover.
Patrick took a break from the ovals to grace the pages of SI 's swimsuit issue in 2008.
Patrick poses for SI's annual swimsuit issue.
Patrick reaches out to eager fans before the Bombardier Learjet 550k in June 2008.
Standing at a modest 5-2, Patrick chats with 6-5 WNBA player Lisa Leslie before the 2008 ESPY awards in Los Angeles.
Back for her fourth try at an Indy 500 victory, Patrick came in third at the race after starting 10th.
Kelly and Dale Earnhardt Jr. join Patrick as they discuss her future with JR Motorsports' Nationwide team.
Patrick prepares for a test session at Barber Motorsports Park.
After spending the majority of her career mastering the ovals of IndyCar, Patrick decided to try her luck in the stock car circuit with stints in ARCA and Nationwide.
Danica's licensed merchandise was one of Nascar's top sellers at the start of the year, despite her status as a part-time racer in Nascar's junior circuit.


text:
Heart disease and cancer, in all different forms, take the lives of a large of number men, women and children in the United States each year. Yet thousands of research studies have shown that making simple lifestyle changes can prevent most chronic diseases.
Foods and nutrients such as resveratrol, curcumin, green tea and leafy greens have demonstrated properties that help prevent and fight cardiovascular disease and cancer, and should be included as part of a regular daily diet and supplement plan.
A research study team based in Spain has published the results of their research in the journal BMC Medicine that explains that those who eat nuts more than three times a week had a reduced risk of dying from cancer or cardiovascular disease than non-nut eaters.
To conduct their research, scientists looked at the effect on the prevention of cardiovascular disease when the participants were put on a Mediterranean diet with extra nuts and extra virgin olive oil, compared with a control group following a low-fat diet. Raw nuts, especially walnuts, helped lower blood pressure and blood lipids to thwart chronic disease.
The scientists analyzed more than 7,000 people aged between 55 and 90 years, and divided them into two groups based on adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet that included nuts, and especially walnuts, or those following a low-fat diet. The team found that people who eat more than three servings of nuts (1 serving equal approximately one ounce) a week had a 55 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and 40 percent reduced risk of death from cancer.
Read More: Natural News


text:
Friday night Raquel and I had a fashionista date to see Valentino: The Last Emperor at the film forum. The film was quite pretty, although not so lavishly over the top that it felt vulgar and out of touch (line that Valentino himself has walked carefully in his career).
Matt Tyrnauer, a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, started the film after writing a profile of Valentino and his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti and their relationship. Serendipitously, as Tyrnauer was working on the project, the Valentino Company was sold and Valentino decided to celebrate his 45th anniversary with a retrospective and weekend long party in Rome. Shortly after Valentino announced his retirement, something many heralded as the end of the couture tradition.
I hadn't read much about the film before we went, and was surprised that it focused less on the history of Valentino (who he had dressed, who he learned from, and so forth) and more on the the showing of final collection, the retrospective, and surrounding events. It didn't, however, focus as much on the actual making of the garments as I would have liked--although there was one dress they followed from conception ("I was thinking about this dress this morning") to its eventual walk down the runway-- and I wondered if someone who wasn't familiar with the history and ins and outs of the couture process would have understood how this was different than a high end ready to wear line. Related to this, but slightly tangential, it bothered me that during the course of the film a young woman who was obviously the houses fit model was never introduced the way other personalities were (muse, majordomo, CEO of the company). It struck me as odd since many people might not know what a fit model is, and disrespectful since she spent most of her time on screen in a state of undress or half dress.
Overall, however, the film was a sweet love story and an interesting comment on the state of the fashion industry. Hopefully it will inspire more people to appreciate the difference between haute couture and juicy couture...

domain: entertainment


text:
Maternal diabetes may be linked to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in the offspring.
We assessed the association between maternal pregestational or gestational diabetes and offspring risk of childhood ALL in a register-based study, including all singletons born in Denmark during 1996–2015 (n=1 187 482).
Adjusted hazard ratios of childhood ALL were 2.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30–6.51) for maternal pregestational diabetes and 1.75 (95% CI: 1.02–2.98) for maternal gestational diabetes. Paternal diabetes did not alter offspring ALL risk, and we found no association between offspring ALL and later maternal risk of diabetes.
Regardless that absolute ALL risk among offspring of women with diabetes remains low, our findings suggest that characteristics of the diabetic intrauterine environment promote ALL development. This offers a setting for future research into the biological mechanisms underlying childhood ALL.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the commonest childhood cancer, with an annual incidence of approximately 4 in 100 000 person-years among children below 15 years of age in developed countries (Hjalgrim et al, 2003a; Stiller et al, 2006). Apart from certain genetic syndromes, accounting for less than 5% of cases (Stieglitz and Loh, 2013) and a well-established association with high birth weight (Hjalgrim et al, 2003b; Caughey and Michels, 2009), risk factors for childhood ALL remain largely unknown. The prenatal origin of most childhood ALL cases has been irrefutably demonstrated by the presence of clone-specific mutations in patient neonatal blood spots (Wiemels et al, 1999; Hjalgrim et al, 2002; Gruhn et al, 2008). While the intrauterine development of preleukaemic cell clones remains unexplained, the association between birth weight and childhood ALL risk suggests that it is related to foetal growth. In addition, a recent study reported an increased ALL risk in children born to women with diabetes (Contreras et al, 2016), whose offspring are at increased risk of macrosomia (Schmidt et al, 2001; Crowther et al, 2005; Temple et al, 2006). However, it is unclear whether this association varies by type of maternal diabetes and between ALL subtypes, which may have distinct aetiologies.
We therefore evaluated the risk of ALL among offspring of women with pregestational or gestational diabetes in a cohort study, including all singletons born in Denmark during 1996–2015 identified using nationwide registers with detailed information on maternal antidiabetic medication and ALL subtypes.
Materials and methods
Based on the unique personal identifiers of the children and their parents, we linked information on birth characteristics obtained from the Danish Medical Birth Register (Knudsen and Olsen, 1998) with information on maternal diabetes recorded in the Danish National Patient Register (NPR) (Lynge et al, 2011). The NPR contains records of all hospitalisations since 1977, including outpatient contacts since 1995 with diagnoses classified according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 8th (1977–1993) and 10th revision (1994–). Children registered with Down syndrome in the NPR (ICD10 code Q90) were excluded from the cohort (0.08%) due to their increased risk of childhood leukaemia with distinct biology and aetiology (Izraeli et al, 2014).
We defined maternal pregestational diabetes as NPR registrations of ICD8 codes 249 or 250, or ICD10 codes E10–E11 or E13–E14 before gestation. Gestational diabetes was defined as any of the listed ICD codes for diabetes registered for the first time during pregnancy including also ICD10 code O24. For women registered with pregestational diabetes, we retrieved additional information on first-time prescriptions for antidiabetic treatment from the Danish Register of Medicinal Product Statistics (established 1995) (Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical classification system codes A10A for insulin and A10B for oral antidiabetic medications).
ALL occurring before age 15 years was identified through linkage with the Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology leukaemia database (Schmiegelow et al, 2010).
The children were followed from birth until date of childhood ALL diagnosis, loss to follow-up/emigration, death, age 15 years, or 31 December 2015, whichever occurred first. We used Cox proportional hazards models with age as the underlying time scale to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for childhood ALL.
Based on the potential of association with both maternal diabetes and childhood ALL, we adjusted for a number of covariates identified in the Danish Medical Birth Register and the Danish Civil Registration System (Pedersen, 2011). These included the potential confounders maternal age at delivery (continuous), ethnicity (Danish or other), birth order (1, 2 or ⩾3), maternal smoking during pregnancy (yes or no) and birth cohort (5-year intervals), and the potential mediators birth weight (100-g intervals), gestational age (1-week intervals) and mode of delivery (caesarean section or vaginal) (Hjalgrim et al, 2004; Chang et al, 2006; Thomopoulos et al, 2015; Contreras et al, 2017). Further, we tested the heterogeneity of the association between maternal diabetes and offspring risk of ALL by birth weight using the median as cut-off (<3540 g vs ⩾3540 g).
Childhood ALL was grouped as: (1) all types combined; (2) B-cell precursor ALL; (3) and a group comprising the frequent, prenatally initiated karyotypes (ETV6/RUNX1-positive and high-hyperdiploidy ALL).
In subsequent analyses we tested whether paternal diabetes was associated with childhood ALL. Also, we assessed the risk of developing diabetes in women with and without offspring with ALL. In this analysis, we included women with ⩾1 live births between 1996 and 2015, followed from their first birth after 1995 until diabetes diagnosis (outcome), death, emigration, or 31 December 2015, excluding women with diabetes diagnosed before start of follow-up. History of offspring ALL was included as a time-varying variable (exposed from date of offspring ALL diagnosis) with adjustment for maternal age, parity and year of delivery.
All analyses were conducted using SAS statistical software (9.4, SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on Likelihood-ratio tests.
Among 1 187 482 studied singletons, 492 developed ALL before age 15 years (Table 1), corresponding to an annual incidence rate of 4.40 (95% CI: 4.02–4.80) per 100 000 person-years. In total, 5409 children were born to women with pregestational diabetes (mean birth weight: 3519 g) of whom six developed ALL (mean birth weight: 3894 g; mean age at diagnosis: 4.2 years, age range 2–8 years). All mothers to these six children with ALL were diagnosed with diabetes before age 30 years and five mothers had received insulin as first-time antidiabetic treatment. Further, we identified 24 306 children born to women with gestational diabetes (mean birth weight: 3537 g) of whom 14 developed ALL (mean birth weight: 3707 g; mean age at diagnosis: 3.4 years, age range 1–7 years).
After adjusting for potential confounders, childhood ALL risk among children born to women with pregestational or gestational diabetes was 2.91-fold (95% CI: 1.30–6.51) and 1.75-fold (95% CI: 1.02–2.98) increased, respectively, compared with children born to nondiabetic women (Table 2). In analysis of pregestational diabetes, HR were statistically significantly increased for B-cell precursor ALL and for the prenatally initiated karyotypes (ETV6-RUNX1 or high-hyperdiploidy ALL), while HRs associated with gestational diabetes were only statistically significantly increased among the prenatally initiated karyotypes. The risk estimates remained unchanged in models including only potential confounders (Table 2) and both potential confounders and mediators, respectively (data not shown).
HRs for ALL associated with gestational diabetes did not differ in strata of birth weight (birth weight <3540 g: HR=1.68, 95% CI: 0.75–3.81 vs birth weight ⩾3540 g: HR=1.78, 95% CI: 0.88–3.61; p for interaction=0.92). Neither did we find statistically significant differences between the HRs for ALL associated with pregestational diabetes stratified by birth weight (birth weight <3540 g: HR=1.10, 95% CI: 0.16–7.87 vs birth weight ⩾3540 g: HR=4.30, 95% CI: 1.77–10.43; p for interaction=0.16).
Paternal diabetes was not statistically significantly associated with childhood ALL risk (HR=1.20, 95% CI: 0.57–2.53) (Table 2). Finally, we found no association between offspring ALL and later risk of diabetes in the mother (HR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.46–1.85, based on eight mothers diagnosed with diabetes after offspring ALL).
In this nationwide register-based cohort study, we found that the risk of childhood ALL in children born to women with pregestational or gestational diabetes was 2.9- and 1.7-fold increased, respectively.
The observed association with pregestational diabetes in our study is likely attributable to type 1 diabetes because the vast majority of these women had received insulin as first-time antidiabetic treatment and were diagnosed before age 30 years. However, the fact that gestational diabetes was also associated with offspring ALL risk suggests that the association with maternal diabetes is not exclusively related to the autoimmunity of type 1 diabetes.
Because of its level of detail regarding both maternal diabetes and offspring ALL, our investigation expands the existing literature on the association between the two conditions considerably. Recently, a statistically significantly 1.4-fold increased ALL risk in offspring of women with pregestational diabetes and a statistically non-significantly 1.3-fold increased ALL risk in offspring of women with gestational diabetes were observed in a California birth record study (Contreras et al, 2016). However, unlike in our investigation, information was available on neither type of pregestational diabetes nor on ALL subtypes in the California study. Limitations of similar nature concerning exposure and outcome combined with small study populations have hampered the interpretation of other previous investigations reporting statistically non-significantly increased risks of ALL (McLaughlin et al, 2006; Milne et al, 2007) or of leukaemia (Petridou et al, 1997; Podvin et al, 2006) or statistically significantly increased risks of cancer overall (Westbom et al, 2002; Wu et al, 2012) in offspring of women with diabetes.
Not mirrored by similarly strong associations with paternal diabetes or later maternal diabetes, the increased ALL risk in children born to women with diabetes is unlikely to reflect shared genetic risk factors; rather it may reflect that circumstances characteristic of diabetic pregnancies such as intrauterine hyperglycaemia promote offspring ALL development. In support hereof, we observed that children born to women with pregestational diabetes who developed ALL weighed on average 400 g more than those who did not, suggesting that maternal hyperglycaemia was more pronounced in the former. Birth weight is positively associated with the level of insulin-like growth factor I, which could increase childhood ALL risk by causing proliferation of progenitor or preleukaemic cells (Ross et al, 1996). Moreover, maternal hyperglycaemia has been associated with a number of epigenetic modifications in the offspring (Ma et al, 2015), which potentially mediate the link between maternal diabetes and offspring’s development of ALL.
Although we observed markedly increased relative risks, the cumulative incidence of childhood ALL in offspring of women with diabetes remains low, that is, 0.15 and 0.08% among children below 15 years of age born to women with pregestational and gestational diabetes, respectively.
The strengths of this study include its nationwide coverage, longitudinal and independent ascertainment of maternal diabetes and offspring ALL development as well as information on important covariates including birth weight. Contrary to previous investigations, our study included information on pregestational diabetes treatment and detailed information on ALL subtypes. Conversely, the low number of children with ALL born to women with pregestational or gestational diabetes had implications for the precision of risk estimates, reflected by the wide CIs. Finally, the apparent absence of association with paternal diabetes or later maternal diabetes was based on a small number of exposed events.
In conclusion, we found that maternal pregestational and gestational diabetes are risk factors for childhood ALL in the offspring. Further studies are needed to identify the biological mechanisms underlying this association.
Caughey RW, Michels KB (2009) Birth weight and childhood leukemia: A meta-analysis and review of the current evidence. Int J Cancer 124: 2658–2670.
Chang JS, Selvin S, Metayer C, Crouse V, Golembesky A, Buffler PA (2006) Parental smoking and the risk of childhood leukemia. Am J Epidemiol 163: 1091–1100.
Contreras ZA, Hansen J, Ritz B, Olsen J, Yu F, Heck JE (2017) Parental age and childhood cancer risk: a Danish population-based registry study. Cancer Epidemiol 49: 202–215.
Contreras ZA, Ritz B, Virk J, Cockburn M, Heck JE (2016) Maternal pre-pregnancy and gestational diabetes, obesity, gestational weight gain, and risk of cancer in young children: a population-based study in California. Cancer Causes Control 27: 1273–1285.
Crowther CA, Hiller JE, Moss JR, McPhee AJ, Jeffries WS, Robinson JS (2005) Effect of treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus on pregnancy outcomes. N Engl J Med 352: 2477–2486.
Gruhn B, Taub JW, Ge Y, Beck JF, Zell R, Häfer R, Hermann FH, Debatin K-M, Steinbach D (2008) Prenatal origin of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, association with birth weight and hyperdiploidy. Leukemia 22: 1692–1697.
Hjalgrim LL, Madsen HO, Melbye M, Jørgensen P, Christiansen M, Andersen MT, Pallisgaard N, Hokland P, Clausen N, Ryder LP, Schmiegelow K, Hjalgrim H (2002) Presence of clone-specific markers at birth in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Br J Cancer 87: 994–999.
Hjalgrim LL, Rostgaard K, Schmiegelow K, Söderhäll S, Kolmannskog S, Vettenranta K, Kristinsson J, Clausen N, Melbye M, Hjalgrim H, Gustafsson G (2003a) Age- and sex-specific incidence of childhood leukemia by immunophenotype in the Nordic countries. J Natl Cancer Inst 95: 1539–1544.
Hjalgrim LL, Westergaard T, Rostgaard K, Schmiegelow K, Melbye M, Hjalgrim H, Engels EA (2003b) Birth weight as a risk factor for childhood leukemia: a meta-analysis of 18 epidemiologic studies. Am J Epidemiol 158: 724–735.
Hjalgrim LL, Rostgaard K, Hjalgrim H, Westergaard T, Thomassen H, Forestier E, Gustafsson G, Kristinsson J, Melbye M, Schmiegelow K (2004) Birth weight and risk for childhood leukemia in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. J Natl Cancer Inst 96: 1549–1556.
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This work was supported by the Danish Childhood Cancer Foundation (grant number 2014-50); the Arvid Nilsson Foundation and the Danish Cancer Research Foundation.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This work is published under the standard license to publish agreement. After 12 months the work will become freely available and the license terms will switch to a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 Unported License.
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Cite this article
Søegaard, S., Rostgaard, K., Kamper-Jørgensen, M. et al. Maternal diabetes and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the offspring. Br J Cancer 118, 117–120 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2017.351
- childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
- risk factors
- maternal diabetes
- cohort study
- register-based study
Maternal diabetes and risk of childhood malignancies in the offspring: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Acta Diabetologica (2021)
Maternal diabetes and risk of multiple sclerosis in the offspring: A Danish nationwide register-based cohort study
Multiple Sclerosis Journal (2020)
International Journal of Cancer (2020)
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention (2020)
Info Diabetologie (2020)

domain: biology


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International journal of refractory metals & hard materials vol:26 issue:5 pages:389-395
WC-NbC-12 wt%Co hardmetals with 0.45-60 wt%NbC were prepared by solid state pulsed electric current sintering (PECS), also known as spark plasma sintering (SPS), for 2 min at 1240 degrees C and conventional sintering (CS) for 1 h at 1420 degrees C. The role of NbC as grain growth inhibitor and major carbide addition was investigated in terms of the densification behaviour, the microstructure and mechanical properties. Experimental work revealed that the addition of more than 5 wt%NbC inhibits pressure assisted solid-state densification compared to WC-Co based hardmetals. The addition of NbC limits WC grain growth during PECS and conventional sintering, whereas substantial (Nb, W)C grain growth was observed in the hardmetals with >= 0.9 wt%NbC addition. The influence of the NbC content on the hardness, strength and toughness of the WC-NbC-12 wt%Co hardmetals was explained in terms of WC grain growth inhibition and the formation of coarse (Nb, W)C grains. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


text: Hi all, A package came in the mail for me today- My first (Speed?) Graphic! It's a pre-anniversary Graphic, fitting 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 film. I know, I know... I cringed when I saw that it wasn't a 4x5, but for $40 CAN I have a camera body with a functioning focal plane shutter, great bellows and leather, and no rusty metal bits My question is, what should I do with it? I could buy a few film holders off the 'Bay and some film from Freestyle, but I'm curious if anyone has converted one of these oddball bodies to accept film holders/backs of a different format? My Google-fu has come up with very little.

domain: hobby


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Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli: Is the government hiding evidence of their innocence?
FOX Business’ David Asman, Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano, FOX Business contributor Gary Kaltbaum and investor Zachary Karabell discuss actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli’s statement saying the government is concealing evidence of their innocence.
The University of Southern California reportedly never received photographs from actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, despite ongoing law enforcement claims that that the images, which allegedly showed their daughters on rowing machines in an effort to prop them up as them as crew athletes, were part of the couple’s admissions scheme, according to TMZ.
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Sources close to USC told TMZ the school did not take into account the alleged photographs when admitting Loughlin’s and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella. A university spokesperson did not immediately provide FOX Business with a comment and an attorney for the couple did not immediately respond.t.
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The parents are accused of paying approximately $500,000 to create nonexistent positions for their daughters on the University of Southern California’s crew team, even though neither were rowers, according to court papers. The parents were charged in March and have pleaded not guilty.
LORI LOUGHLIN HIRES PRISON COACH TO LEARN MARTIAL ARTS: 'WORST ADVICE' THUS FAR, EXPERT SAYS

domain: law


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Dr Marcus Haag
- Email: email@example.com
- Telephone: 0191 293 87582
- Address: Institute of Neuroscience,
Henry Wellcome Building
Faculty of Medical Sciences
I am interested in the way neurons interact within neuronal networks in order to allow us to process complex tasks that involve different areas of the brain. Among such tasks is the selective attention toward objects in our environment. I am furthermore interested in investigating how dysfunctions within such neuronal networks can lead to neurological disorders, such as epilepsy.
In 2016 I started a PostDoc with Dr. Michael Schmid at the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University, where we are currently investigating thalamocortical signal transmission in NHPs and rodents. While I am still involved in much of the research, I am currently predominantly focussing on managing methodological and welfare aspects of our lab. Methodologies I am regularly working with include optogenetics, stereotaxic surgeries, electrophysiology, fMRI, and immunohistochemistry. Welfare aspects I am working on include improvements of surgical implants (osseointegration, MRI compatability) and devices that allow unsupervised closed-loop training that allow freely moving NHPs to perform complex tasks, which both increases their welfare and decreases the workload of researchers.
Cognitive Science, B.Sc (University of Osnabrueck, Germany)
Neuroscience, M.Sc. (University of Bremen, Germany)
Neuropharmacology, Ph.D. (University of Reading, UK)
2011-2012 Research Fellow (University of Bremen, Germany)
2016-2017 Research Associate (Newcastle University, UK)
The investigation of (dys-)functions within neuronal network regularly involve the use of animals in research. Early on I was, therefore, trying to improve both animal welfare and experimental methodologies during my research. For my Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology, I investigated epileptic dysfunctions using in vitro multielectrode arrays, which allow for the measurement of neuronal network activity exerted by modified pluripotent stem cells. Such cells and tissue can be derived from many sources that promote the reduction of animals in research (e.g. IPS cells or dissected human tissue).
In the course of my current employment, I am emphasizing on improving animals welfare particularly with regard to surgeries and training approaches. Here, we are developing MRI compatible implant designs with improved osseointegration characteristics. Furthermore, we are working on devices that allow for unsupervised closed-loop training of freely moving NHPs.
These are likely to increase both the NHPs' welfare and reduce the workload of researchers involved in training/welfare.
I demonstrated to biology students during my M.Sc and pharmacy students during my Ph.D. covering courses such as pain perception, structural anatomy, electrophysiological techniques, molecular techniques and animal training.
I also trained students to play table tennis and ultimate frisbee.
- Ortiz-Rios M, Haag M, Balezeau F, Frey S, Murphy K, Thiele A, Schmid MC. Improved methods for MRI-compatible implants in nonhuman primates. Journal of Neuroscience, Methods, 2018. Submitted.
- Mohamet L, Segal J, Luise F, Soteriou D, Haag M, Bithell A, Whalley BJ, Stevens A, Ward CM. An E-cadherin antagonist peptide for the undifferentiated culture and directed differentiation of humanpluripotent stem cells. 2017. Submitted.
- Drebitz E, Haag M, Grothe I, Mandon S, Kreiter AK. Selective attention determines dynamic circuit configuration in local populations of V4 neurons in the presence of competing stimuli. Cerebral Cortex, 2017. Submitted.
- Smith I, Haag M, Ugbode C, Tams D, Rattray M, Przyborski S, Bithell A, Whalley BJ. Neuro-glial populations form functional networks in a biocompatible 3D scaffold. Neuroscience Letters 2015, 609, 198-202.
- Hoppe JB, Haag M, Whalley BJ, Salbego CG, Cimarosti H. Curcumin protects organotypic hippocampal slice cultures from Aβ1–42-induced synaptic toxicity. Toxicology in Vitro, 2013. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24134851.

domain: medical


HIGH POINT, N.C. -- A High Point man's shop may look like a camera museum, but it's not.
Ken Toda has been collecting cameras all his life.
"I think I counted just a little over 1,100," Toda said.
His fascination with photography began when he was a kid in Japan. He came to the United States to study photography at Randolph Community College before receiving his four-year degree at Elon University.
In the years that followed, he became familiar with the inner workings of old mechanical cameras.
But now, Toda says he wants to do more than just restore the old equipment. He believes because of digital cameras, film photography is now a lost art.
"People realize the challenge of photography," Toda said. "They have to set it and think about it before you push the button."
He hopes to expose a whole new generation to the old way of taking pictures.


The automotive safety body tested a number of vans with the Transit Custom scoring high marks for its adult and child protection features.
Euro NCAP gave the van 84 per cent for adult occupant safety, praising the Transit Custom’s stable passenger compartment during the frontal impact test. Euro NCAP also highlighted that the Transit Custom achieved maximum points during side barrier tests.
The van also scored maximum points for its protection of 18-month and three-year-old infants during front and side impacts, confirming it as one of the safest vans on the market. The van scored 90 per cent overall for child occupant protection.
Euro NCAP was testing the safety credentials of vans, with more people choosing them over MPVs for personal or commercial purposes.
“If you have a family with a lot of kids and are tempted to buy such a vehicle, please be aware that they often do not offer the latest state of the art in vehicle safety,” warned Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP.
But he also pointed out that safety features in the van market were still ‘at an immature stage’ and expressed his confidence that most models will drastically improve their safety features over the coming years.
But people investing in a new Ford Transit Custom will be delighted with the news that it’s one of the safest vans ever produced.
The Ford Transit Custom Van is currently International Van of the Year 2013, and provides outstanding fuel economy thanks to its amazing range of ECOnetic technologies.
A new Ford Transit Custom is available from £18,316.
People interested in buying a new Ford Transit Custom Van can contact Perrys Ford dealerships today.
Find out more about Perrys Ford dealerships by taking a look behind the scenes:[YouTube:Zxs3XkxZBM8]


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Founder of ByzantiumEdit
Byzantion was an ancient Greek colony, on the ruins of which the city of Constantinople was built. The founder of Byzantion, Byzas, was son of king Nisos of Megara. During the 7th century BCE, the Greek city-states were expanding, establishing new colonies. Part of this endeavor, the Dorian city-state of Megara, located near Athens, was also searching for sites to set up yet another colony. After asking the oracle of Delphi, the Megarean king Nisos sent his son Byzas in search of "the land opposite the city of the blind". When Byzas arrived at the point where the sea of Marmaras meets the sea of Bosporos, on the border of Europe and Asia, he realized the meaning of the oracle. On the Asiatic shore opposite to where he was, a colony named Chalcedon had already been established. Byzas decided that the city of Chalcedon was the prophesied 'city of the blind' as they had not taken advantage of the European shore. To build his own city, in 667 BC, Byzas chose wisely. He selected the European shore of the south end of Bosporos and gave the new city his name, Byzantion.

domain: history


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This fun layout features a great Quick-Page that is available at
Dragons Lair Designs
It is in the new collection called....
I always love it when you have the perfect quick-page and the perfect photo! This new collection features more than 1 quick-page and so many more fun elements to work with. This cute photo was taken on our vacation to Florida. Our son loved digging in the sand! A great memory.
Now that you have had a look at this inspiration blog post why don't you visit some of the other areas in the Dragons Lair Designs family of sites:
- Dragons Lair Designs Store - A fantastic range of digital downloads
- Dragons Lair Designs Inspiration Blog - Bookmark us and come back regularly for inspiration
- Dragons Lair Designs Challenge Blog - Challenges starting the 1st Friday of every month with different themes, please come along and take part
- Dragons Lair Designs Fan Group - Even more inspiration, challenges, freebies and fun activities
- Dragons Lair Designs Facebook Page - Please do pop over and "Like" our page
- Dragons Lair Designs Etsy Store - Another location to get hold of our range of digital downloads
- Janette Padley's Creations on craftsUprint - Yet another location to get hold of our digital downloads
- Dragons Lair Designs Crafts Group - selling buttons and bits and bobs
We'd love to have you join us in our Fan Group and post up some pictures of any creations you make using any DLD items.A

domain: artistic


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A number of “inventors” that were killed by their own “inventions“.
NOTE: We completely disagree with most of these being “inventions”….but it is what it is.
Jiménez was killed in 2006 at age 65 in his studio in Hondo, New Mexico, when one of the sculpture’s three sections came loose from a hoist, pinning him against a steel support beam and severing an artery in his leg. He bled to death on his studio floor before being declared dead on arrival at the nearest hospital. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mustang
Franz Reichelt died in 1912, when jumping off of the Eiffel Tower, when his parachute suit failed to deploy and he plummeted 187 feet. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Reichelt
On 16 August 2009, a just-completed prototype Jetpod crashed, killing the founder of Avcen, Michael Robert Dacre, who was the sole occupant. Dacre had attempted to take off three times and on the fourth successfully lifted off before stalling and crashing. According to Taiping deputy police chief Syed A. Wahab Syed A. Majid, the company had not obtained permission from the Royal Malaysian Air Force to conduct the flight tests. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCEN_Jetpod
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Little Italy Ristorante, a venue that is tucked away in the hustle bustle of Karama’s busy dining scene, is known for serving Italian vegetarian dishes twisted to suit the Indian palette.
This Holy month of Ramadan, the Italian restaurant will be offering everything on the menu for a slashed down price of AED 25 per dish on weekdays from 12 noon to 6pm.
Anmol Mehta, Partner at Little Italy Ristorante says, “While we’re offering special Iftar meals during the Holy month of Ramadan, we would also like to extend our offers to those who are not fasting and like to dine with us by slashing down the prices to as low as AED 25 per dish.The offer has been introduced to celebrate the spirit of ‘giving for good’ during the Holy month.”
Highlights of the Little Italy Ristorante menu include Funghi Alla Trapanese, Ravioli Crocante, Crema De Zuca, Zuppa Di Broccoli, and Lasagne Alla Napoletana. Pizza varieties include OM, Ultimate, Freestate, Zen, Garden, Bombay, Nawabi and more.

domain: food


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The Kardashians Cover Notorious B.I.G.’s Hypnotize [Video]
Rucuss staffJune 3, 2012
The Kardashian-Jenner family are at it once again.
Kim, Rob, Kourtney, Scott Disick and Bruce, Kris, Kendall and Kylie Jenner covered the Notorious B.I.G’s single, Hypnotize while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. This not the reality family’s first time lip-syncing as a group. The clan released a Lady Marmalade video a few months ago.
The hip-hop video includes Kim, Kris, Kylie and Kendall wearing various leopard pieces while dancing on top of a yacht. Bruce even gets in on the action, spanking his wife Kris’ ass while she’s bent over in front of him.
Kourtney, who is pregnant, raps a verse of the song while her boyfriend Scott rubs her belly. Disick raps most of the lyrics wearing a purple do-rag.
Watch the Kardashians below.
More from Rucuss
- Kardashian Ladies Ink Deal With OPI Nail Polish
- Kim Kardashian Thanks Jimmy Kimmel For Hooking Her Up With Kanye West [Video]
- FASHION WEEK: Kim Kardashin cheers on little sister Kylie on Catwalk
- The Kardashians Sing Lady Marmalade [Video]
- North West Celebrates First Birthday With A ‘Kidchella’ Party
- Kourtney Kardashian is Pregnant Again!


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The Fed’s future path still seems more bullish than the European Central Bank. If so, the yiel...
How Doing a Simple Sum Can Make the Difference Between Being On the Right or Wrong Side of a Trade
09/10/2014 9:00 am EST
Ryan Littlestone of ForexLive.com discusses the basics of fundamentals in forex trading and how sometimes the best win is, quite simply, not a loss.
Even if you are a straight technical trader you can’t ignore the fundamentals, even at their most basic. You live them and breathe them in everyday life.
An easy way of using a simple view of a market or currency pair is to add up the pros and cons for direction. A few months ago the pound could do no wrong. We had rate expectations, good data and on the other side we had the US economy doing ok but with no real thoughts about US interest rates.
Look at it now. It can’t buy a bounce. Why? The economy is hitting a rough patch, Scotland fears, US economic strength, versus possible spring rate rises. That’s a 3-on-1 negative to positive.
Sometimes seeking direction is just a simple sum of what is going for or against a currency. It’s doesn’t tell you where to buy or sell but at the very least it gives you a bias and a reason for moves that otherwise would leave you scratching your head. I said a few times last week that I wasn’t ready to buy the pound and the subsequent moves endorsed that view. While I didn’t make money on those thoughts, more importantly I didn’t lose money. The time to change direction is when the sum changes.
Sometimes the best win is not losing.
By Ryan Littlestone of ForexLive.com
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As of August 2015, renminbi (RMB) in payments globally accounted for 2.8 percent of the total, the f...
Our favorite horse to ride here for a “correction” lower would be the euro. And we would...

domain: finance


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The reaction to a diagnosis of periodic paralysis may be relief, shock, grief, despair, or any combination of emotions. It takes time to adjust to a chronic illness. Long cherished plans and dreams may have to be abandoned, some temporarily, others forever. For a time it may seem that the dominant focus in one’s life is periodic paralysis, but as the news sinks in and adjustment comes a new balance can be achieved.
The fact that one has a chronic illness is eventually assimilated and the necessary adaptations are made. As the patient becomes aware of his own personal pattern, and learns to work within it, life is not so constricted. Physical limitations can often be worked around or planned around, though most periodic paralysis patients have to live with some amount of physical disability.
Grief For “Old” Self
Symptoms of periodic paralysis often develop rapidly, and one morning you awaken unable to move. The contrast between before and after is sometimes sharp. The diagnosis may be devastating, like the sudden and unexpected death of a loved one. For a patient who has episodes for years without understanding the reason the diagnosis (at last!) may initially come as a relief, but when the sense of relief fades there is still a sense of loss.
The patient may feel as if they are riding a physical and emotional roller coaster. The formerly reliable body has become unpredictable and unfamiliar. There may be a change in roles when a wage-earner or homemaker becomes partially or totally dependent. The side effects of medications may be uncomfortable. All this would be stressful for a healthy person to deal with. It is even more difficult to cope when in the grip of illness.
Patients often go through a grieving period similar to that associated with other kinds of loss. And, as with any loss, grief must be worked through before the integration of this new aspect of the self can occur. Some people will not allow themselves to grieve or will not acknowledge their grief. But grief is a natural process, a kind of journey, during which one comes to terms with life. Grief follows a recognized pattern which has five stages.
Stage 1: Denial
An emotional numbness descends after any significant loss. For a time the person may not feel anything at all, may deny that anything is wrong, or deny that what has happened has affected them deeply. This denial may be emotional, verbal or physical, as in the patient who refuses to slow down and rest, but continues to push from one crisis to another.
Stage 2: Anger
“Why me?” a patient may ask. “I’ve been a good person, I don’t deserve this!” Anger is sometimes directed at the doctor, the hospital, the medical establishment, family, friends, God, the family dog or any other nearby person or object. It’s helpful to realize that this anger has its roots in frustration, disappointment, fear and emotional pain. Even when we are angry it’s appropriate and necessary to let those around us know that they are not the source of our anger.
Anger is something we must take personal responsibility for, and work through. It’s been taught for years that we shouldn’t hold anger in, that it’s better to “let it all out”. But new evidence has proven that just the opposite is true. By following patients with implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) cardiac researchers have learned that expressing anger is a potent trigger for heart attacks, unstable heart rhythms and strokes, which are increased risk factors in some forms of PP. But studies now show that angry outbursts put everyone at risk for life-threatening cardiac events. Since cardiac disease is the nation’s number one killer most of us are potential cardiac patients.
Living with unresolved anger is like living in a cage with a tiger. Suppressing anger is no more healthy than expressing it. If you have anger issues and can’t handle them on your own find an experienced counsellor who can guide you.
Stage 3: Bargaining
Bargaining generally doesn’t last long, and may merge into the first and second stages. The futility of trying to bargain one’s way out of periodic paralysis is quickly apparent to most people and is soon abandoned.
Stage 4: Depression
Depression may arrive when we realize that this illness will cause long-term changes in our lives. We mourn the loss of our healthy self, and ambitions, dreams and opportunities we may have long held dear. Depression can range from transient sadness to the total deep freeze of dysfunction. The depressed person may literally cry over spilt milk.
Depression of a minor nature may not interfere with day-to-day function, but it may make life seem dull, worthless and miserable. Serious or major depression may include a number of symptoms which signal that professional help may be needed.
1. Change in sleeping patterns – sleeping far too little or too much.
2. Mood alterations which go on too long in relation to the cause.
3. Listlessness, lack of interest in things that formerly gave pleasure.
4. Inability to concentrate.
5. Eating too much or too little.
6. Inappropriate feelings of guilt.
7. Suicidal thoughts.
8. Feeling of worthlessness.
9. Loss of interest in sex or inability to have sex.
10. Lack of energy which increases over time.
If a person has more than one or two symptoms of depression for a period of more than two weeks it is time to seek help. Should a person threaten or talk about suicide, or appear to be contemplating suicide, medical help should be sought immediately. The family physician may be able to give appropriate advice and guidance, but studies suggest that family physicians often overlook depression in patients. If the family physician is hesitant seek help from a mental health agency or professional.
Mild depression forces us to stretch our limits and it can be a useful prod. It may make us look for alternate solutions simply because it is such an uncomfortable and miserable state of mind. Severe depression on the other hand may cause such apathy that the patient cannot marshal the force of will required to shake it. If depression is taking too long to resolve it may take professional help to affect the change from negative to positive, but it can be done, sometimes more quickly than thought possible. If medication proves necessary patients have reported low dose Paxil and Celexa to be effective without increasing weakness.
Stage 5: Integration
When we have taken stock, evaluated what is left, and have determined to do the best we can with what we have, we have adjusted. Old dreams may be replaced by new ones, but these can be as much of a challenge and ultimately just as satisfying. Options may have narrowed, but while reevaluating our lives we may discover opportunities we never dreamed of before.
Every patient goes through a period of adjustment. The time it takes to adjust will vary according to the individual. Some people are resilient and bounce back quickly from the stresses of life. For others it is more of a struggle. Joining a support group composed of other patients may help the newly diagnosed patient understand and come to grips with the disease. Even if you aren’t a joiner by nature it’s comforting to see others coping successfully with PP. A group also gives one the opportunity to compare attitudes and coping methods, because while every individual must develop their own, it helps to see what works best for someone else.
Basically there are two ways to cope; positively or negatively. Positive methods of coping reduce anxiety, bring peace of mind and restore the patient’s inner equilibrium. Negative methods cause or reinforce anxiety, isolate the patient emotionally and induce stress.
Some Positive Methods of Coping Include:
- Seeking Information: It’s human nature to fear the unknown. Most patients want to know as much as possible about the disease. It’s also helpful and of great emotional support to know how other patients manage. Information and peer support can be found through PP support groups on-line.
- Spiritual Consolation: Gaining strength from one’s spiritual values, prayer, faith communities, meditation and a belief in a benevolent Higher Power or greater purpose.
- Positive Thinking: Remaining optimistic, and refusing to give in to the blues. Changing one’s thoughts when they become sad or fearful.
- Talking it Out: Verbalizing concerns, fears, anger with family, friends and other patients, seeking professional help when needed.
- Recognizing Limits: Seeking to maintain a realistic level of independence while accepting the fact that some dependence on others may be necessary.
- Maintaining a Strong Social Network: Close ties with family, friends and a strong support network are vital to both emotional and physical health. Helping others who may have just been diagnosed or are having problems adjusting is also a healthy coping mechanism.
- Physical Adaptation: Maximize physical capabilities by analyzing the daily routine, and adapting it to conserve energy. Learning to rest when needed, rather than push beyond your capacity.
Among Negative Methods of Coping Are:
1. Denial: Denial can take several forms, denying the diagnosis, non compliance with treatment, or pushing the body too hard. There is a difference between saying, “I’m not going to let this get me down!”, and “I’m not going to give in to this disease an inch!” It’s healthy to do as much (or sometimes a little more) as one can. It’s not healthy to consistently demand more of the body than it has to give.
2. Blaming: Bitterness or anger towards oneself or someone else is not healthy. Sometimes people feel they have become ill because they were bad, or that their worth as human beings is diminished by their illness. If we look around we see that illness is part of the human condition and we are not the only one dealing with it. Moreover, anger, bitterness or guilt interfere with the process of adjustment and may weaken our ability to heal.
3. Focusing on Illness: Allowing the illness to take over and control the entire life, letting it become the main focus of the thoughts, feelings and conversation or the only factor considered in decisions.
4. Withdrawal: Isolating oneself socially, giving up friends, interests and activities unnecessarily.
5. Depression: Sinking into apathy, sleeping too much or too little, engaging in obsessive behaviours, giving up on life.
No one copes well all the time
It’s unrealistic to expect a person with a chronic illness to always be upbeat and optimistic, but it’s useful to look at the attitudes that characterize those who cope well and poorly.
Generally Speaking People Who Cope Well:
1. Are realistically optimistic about being able to cope with or solve their problems and generally maintain a high level of morale.
2. Are practical, ready to tackle immediate problems, rather than postponing action or wishing and waiting for some magical future solution to appear from thin air.
3. Formulate a backup plan in case the current approach fails.
4. Project the consequences of their actions, reasoning from cause to effect.
5. Listen to suggestions, but retain the right to make their own decisions.
6. Tend to be emotionally stable, avoiding emotional extremes that might impair their judgment.
7. Are able to ask for help when they need it.
People Who Cope Poorly:
1. Tend to have unrealistically high expectations for themselves and find it difficult to compromise or ask for help.
2. Tend to be intolerant; see only in black and white.
3. Tend to deny and rationalize to an excessive degree, rather than face the problem at hand.
4. Find it hard to see and weigh alternatives, and postpone making decisions until a crisis, which may worsen the situation. These people are not necessarily ineffective in dealing with everyday life, but their inflexibility and lack of confidence hampers their ability to cope in difficult times.
What’s Going Right?
When we are under extreme stress there’s a tendency to feel that everything is wrong when there are areas of life that are stable, Recognizing and drawing strength from these sources is an excellent coping mechanism.
Coping from the Inside out:
One way to cope with stress is to turn down our reaction to it. One way to do that is through meditation. Meditation has been practiced in cultures all over the world for thousands of years. It’s being used with increasing frequency by western physicians and health care organizations to treat a diverse range of medical conditions. The purpose of meditation is to calm the mind and restore a sense of quiet. When the mind is quiet the body can restore the delicate chemical, hormonal and electrical balance that promotes health. Read More
Adapted from, “You, Me and Myasthenia Gravis”; Third Edition; Deborah Cavel-Greant; Ed: MW Nicolle MD, FRCPC, D.Phil.; Ku:Reh Press, 2006, Used with permission, © Deborah Cavel-Greant

domain: psychology


SOMSD Board of Education Elections 2022
Race and Equity Questionnaire
Thanks to all 5 candidates for demonstrating your commitment to equity in our schools by completing the questionnaire and making your answers available to the entire community.
This is the 6th year that SOMA Justice has published the BOE answers to questions on Race and Equity. Candidates were given 2.5 weeks to answer 9 questions. The questions addressed issues of inequity and safety in our district (particularly in regards to vulnerable populations, i.e., POC, queer, special needs, immigration, second-language learners, etc.).
This year SOMA Justice leaders decided not to score answers with a team of independent evaluators. In recent years, the leaders of SOMA Justice have noticed a gap in some BOE members’ stated stances on the scorecard and their positions once elected. The inability of public citizens to understand and evaluate incumbents provides a unique issue to address. We believe that true leaders should be open to communicating with the community, have a desire to help those families most likely to fall through cracks, stick to the principles they state when they campaign, and, most importantly, focus on meeting the needs of students – especially the most vulnerable students in our towns. We are using this year to take a step back and take the time to rethink and expand the scorecard metrics. You can read our full statement on this here.
This year, 5 candidates are running for 3 open seats. We have provided their short answers below, shading green and red based on alignment with SJ values on equity, justice, and inclusion.Will Meyer and Ritu Pancholy.


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About Perrone’s Fine Food & Wine Market
For many years Chef Steven Perrone and his wife, Eileen, built a reputation at Perrone’s Fine Food and Wine Market as an excellent source for gourmet carry-out dishes and beautifully elegant catered affairs.
After years in the restaurant business, in 2002 the Perrones pooled their talents to open Perrone’s Fine Food and Wine Market in Pawleys Island.
It is a stylish little business that hums all day long with a steady in-and-out of customers dining in or shopping for foods to take home.
Diners can come in and peruse choices such as Pan-Fried Flounder with panko and Parmesan crust, which you might think is not possible to take home, reheat and have it taste freshly cooked.
But through months of research, Steve achieved making even fried fish an easy and terrific-tasting carry-out item.
He makes reheating labels for every dish in his case, and each one lists specific instructions for making the foods taste perfect.
So whether you order Veal Parmigiana, Spinach Lasagna, Maple Glazed Salmon, Corn Soufflé or Blue Mussels Fra Diavola with marinara, white wine, garlic and crushed red pepper, it will taste like Steve just made it after his instructions are followed. Part of the secret to the Perrones’ fresh-tasting success is their use of technology such as a “reverse Cryovac” system that puts pressure into packages instead of sucking air out.
Steve can make dishes such as Veal Osso Buco and seal them in air-tight packages. Customers take the bags home, boil them for 12 minutes, and then “enjoy meat bathed in a four-hour sauce.” In addition to entrees and hot side dishes, Perrone’s offers salads and sandwiches that can be enjoyed on- or off-site.
Salads include Caesar and “Almost Greek” with Bulgarian sheep feta cheese, as well as Gorgonzola and Mixed Baby Greens with toasted walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette; Thai Shrimp Salad; Curried Chicken Salad; Charred Beet Salad with arugula, goat cheese, garlic chips and lemon vinaigrette; and the BLTC Salad with apple wood smoked bacon, Roma tomatoes, sharp Cheddar and creamy tomato dressing.
A sort of salad-on-a-tortilla that flies out the door is the Perrone’s Fish Tacos, which are made with local mahi-mahi and piled high with vegetables.
Perrone’s Paninis are popular, especially since the chef bakes his own bread every day. Those loaves are also available for purchase, and there is a brisk business for the bread, chunks of gourmet cheeses and several dips and soups in the cold case such as She-Crab, Lobster Tomato Bisque, Olive Tapenade and Pepper Spread made with South African Peppadews.
Through a masterful use of space, the Perrones are also able to offer dozens of premium wines and dry goods ranging from lentils and quinoa to dry pasta, crostini, breadsticks, sesame seeds and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Sweets yearnings can also be fulfilled with Tiramisu, Chocolate Fondant, Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake and more.
Holidays are indeed special here, with full Thanksgiving dinners, holiday party platters, plenty of sweet somethings in February and Irish Soda Bread in March. If you are waiting for an order to be filled there is a pretty al fresco area near the front door, or a cozy indoor lounge with all the latest magazines for perusal.
This is also where Steve or Eileen will discuss with customers catering packages for any size event, perhaps over a glass of wine or cup of espresso. They have built a large inventory of catering equipment and menus that allows for affairs as simple or as lavish as are desired.
Perrone’s Fine Food and Wine Market is at 13291 Ocean Highway in Pawleys Island, and the number is (843) 235-9193. It is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
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The Women's Micro Puff Jacket by Patagonia. The water-resistant, windproof Women's Micro Puff Jacket is superwarm, highly compressible and ideal as insulation or outerwear in cold climates.
DECENT FEATURES of the Patagonia Women's Micro Puff Jacket
- Lightweight, windproof shell and lining are made of a recycled polyester that's treated with a Deluge DWR (durable water repellent) finish
- Insulated with super warm and ultra compressible 100-g PrimaLoft One
- Outstanding wet-weather protection and quick dry time
- Full-length front zipper treated with Deluge DWR finish, backed with a low-bulk wind flap
- Durable, covered-elastic wrist closures; articulated elbows
- Pockets: Two zippered handwarmers, one zippered interior, one mesh interior drop-in
- Dual-adjust draw cord hem; stuff sack included
- Regular fit
- Weight: 15.4 oz / 437 g
- Fabric: Shell: 1.5-oz 32-denier 100% recycled polyester
- Insulation: 100-g PrimaLoft One 100% polyester
- Lining: 1.4-oz 22-denier 100% recycled polyester
- Shell and lining have a Deluge DWR (durable water repellent) finish
This product can only be shipped within the United States. Please don't hate us.


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Sutton's women's team's last home game of the London & South East Regional League season ended all square after Aylesford came from 2-0 down to grab a draw with a late equaliser.
After a goalless first half Darcy Wells put Sutton in front from the penalty spot just before the hour mark, and Olivia Watson doubled the lead soon afterwards. At that point U's seemed set to move in to the division's top six, but Aylesford quickly pulled one goal back from a free kick, and in the 90th minute completed the comeback to leave Sutton in seventh, a point behind Saltdean. U's now finish with three away games against Fulham, Worthing, who earlier lifted the League Cup at Sutton with a 3-1 win over Dartford, and Aylesford, the first being next Sunday against Fulham at Motspur Park, kick off 2.30pm.
The reserves lost 2-1 at home to runaway South East Counties League Surrey Premier Division leaders Ashmount Leigh, but will have a chance of revenge on Sunday 21 May in the Surrey Divisional Cup final at Dorking, for which tickets can be bought here.

domain: sports


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The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling its member churches to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace on Sept. 21.
This year congregations and individuals are invited to pray using the theme of the WCC Assembly, “God of life, lead us to justice and peace.” The assembly takes place in Busan, Republic of Korea Oct. 30-Nov. 8.
The International Day of Prayer for Peace is commemorated by the WCC in conjunction with the United Nations-sponsored International Day of Peace on Sept. 21.
“There’s fresh news each day of injustice, violence and suffering, and the WCC assembly theme itself is a prayer for peace,” said Jonathan Frerichs, WCC program executive for peace-building and disarmament.
“It’s an active prayer ― a witness to faith, a cry of hope and a pledge to be disciples for peace together,” Frerichs added. “May God hear us from International Peace Day to the assembly and far beyond.”
The peace prayer day began during the WCC’s ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence. The idea was born in a meeting between the WCC general secretary and the U.N. secretary general in 2004.


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Brand: Lazy Oaf
Season: Spring 2018
Key Pieces: Check Transformer Pants, Green Envy Quarter Zip, Blue Striped Velour Top, Lost Cat T-Shirt, Leopard Print Pants
Editor’s Notes: Lazy Oaf has today delivered its first menswear release of the new year with the Spring 2018 “In Hiding” collection. Per the label, the capsule embodies the brand’s “typical tongue in cheek humor by ironically standing out.”
Bright colorways and playful prints are highlighted throughout the assortment, carried out on pants, quarter zip tops, sweatshirts, T-shirts, and more.
The coinciding “In Hiding” lookbook was then captured by photographer James Rees in the Welsh Snowdonia region.
Visit Lazy Oaf to shop the collection today.
For more style, be sure to check out Y-3’s bold and vibrant new spring capsule.
- Photography: James Rees


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If the yaks are properly periodically fed, is there a certain interval that you milk the yaks in, because I would feed them and then try to milk them, but it would make me wait.
Well you might have to wait till you feed it twice also Welcome to the forums
Welcome to the forums! Have a cookie!
Ok cool, thanks you! Also is there anything you can use milk for other than mozzarella? Just curious
No I don’t believe so not to sure though
Yes, milk is used in Rainbow Cakes for Unicorns. Not sure what else.


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What Medical Conditions Apply to Disability Benefits?
A commonly asked question about disability benefits is, “What medical conditions qualify for disability?” It’s not as easy as making a list. The Social Security Administration (SSA) determines disability based on an individual’s inability to work. Therefore, any medical conditions that may affect the ability to work, could qualify. It is important to understand that it is not the mere diagnosis of a medical condition that may qualify you for disability benefits; it is how the medical condition(s) affects your ability to work. Below are just some of the medical conditions that are recognized by the SSA.
Musculoskeletal impairments include any conditions that affect the bones, muscles, tendons and/or ligaments. These conditions often cause recurring pain and stiffness. This may affect a person’s mobility resulting in an ability to perform work activities. Some examples are:
These are just a handful, there are more diagnosis’ that fall under MSDs. The severity of MSDs vary. It can cause recurring pain, aches, and stiffness.
Cardiovascular disease is another category of impairments recognized by the Social Security Administration. According to the SSA, a cardiovascular impairment is any disorder that affects the proper functioning of the heart or the circulatory system. The most common types are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, cardiac arrest, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmia. Again, this isn’t the entire list. All of these affect the heart’s function. Some signs include chest pain, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat.
Disability benefits are not limited to just physical conditions. Individuals with mental disorders can also qualify. For example, based on the severity of the condition, people who are suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other diseases may be eligible. You will need to provide evidence for SSA to assess the severity of your mental disorder, and its effects on your ability to work.
Individuals with neurological or central nervous system disorders may be eligible for disability benefits. These include:
- Chronic Migraines
- Seizure Disorder
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Remember, that with this or any other disorder, medical evidence is important. This means making sure you are seeing your doctor and having them record any issues, symptoms or restrictions you are experiencing.
There Are More
These are just a few of the conditions that may keep someone from being able to work. Other disabling conditions may involve the digestive system, respiratory system, autoimmune diseases and many others. For more impairments, see the listing of impairments from the SSA. If you don’t see your condition, don’t be discouraged. It doesn’t mean you are ineligible to receive benefits. Benefits are dependent on the medical diagnosis, as well as the severity of the condition.
It is important to talk to a medical professional if you are experiencing any symptoms or medical conditions listed above. If you have questions about the application process, we can help. Disability Support Services is here to provide you with the necessary help through the disability benefits process. So, if you are unsure where to start, fill out our form or call one of our advocates (410-244-0006) to begin the process.

domain: health


There’s a very good chance that the 2018 Yamaha YZ250F will go down in history as the one to have. It might be the one bike that commands a little more on Craigslist and pops up first on most search engines. It happens occasionally; check the cross reference under 2008 Honda CRF450R, 2007 Suzuki RM250 and so on. The current bloodline of the YZ250F goes back four years, and it has been the people’s choice in the 250 class for all that time. In 2014 it got the reverse-head, rearward-tilted-engine treatment, and for this particular bike, it really worked. Novices loved it because it was easy to ride. Pros loved it because it had the best suspension on the market, and it became the best seller in the class. It was tweaked and refined over the next few years, and now it’s back without any changes beyond cosmetics. This year Yamaha’s YZ450F got a complete redesign. If the historical pattern holds true, that means the YZ250F is up for some very big changes next year. That’s cause for concern for those who love it as it is.
THE YZ250F TIMELINE
Right now the motocross world is reinventing itself for one simple reason. Electric start has arrived. KTM proved that electric starters are reliable and don’t necessarily make a bike too heavy. The YZ250F was designed before this was apparent, so it will be one of the three 250Fs that doesn’t have it. But, that might not be so bad. Even though the KTM e-starters are light, the Honda and Yamaha 450s both gained weight with the change—and so will the Honda CRF250R.
Even though the Yamaha hasn’t changed dramatically in four years, it’s certainly not old-fashioned. When it went to fuel injection in 2014, the whole bike was reconfigured with the air filter in front of the fuel tank, right above the throttle body and the engine intake. The exhaust exits the rear of the cylinder, wraps around the head once in order to have the proper head-pipe length, and then has a muffler canister mounted in the middle of the subframe. Yamaha already had several years’ experience with the layout on the 450, so the YZ250F skipped over that painful shake-down period. In 2016 it got a new piston and crank, along with a bigger front brake rotor. In 2017 it got a new head, intake boot, remapping and a noticeable increase in power. Now the YZ comes with blue rims, new graphics and a white color option. Likewise, four of the five other bikes in the 250F class are almost unchanged for 2018. Only the Honda is different.
There are some things you should already know about the YZ250F. It’s a kick-start-only bike, and it’s not the lightest or the fastest in the class. The bike weighs 222 pounds without fuel, which is reasonable for a 250, but the Kawasaki is a pound lighter, and both the KTM and Husky are 4 pounds lighter apiece. The YZ owes its success to other factors, and on the top of that list is suspension. When the rest of the industry was experimenting with air forks and single-spring configurations, Yamaha stuck with the two-spring KYB SSS fork. It was heavier and probably more expensive to build, but Yamaha’s test riders were adamant that it was still the best in performance. It was a good thing. Yamaha’s success with this front end has influenced the industry, and now air forks are an endangered breed, at least on Japan’s offerings. The YZ’s front end can cover a fairly broad range, although it tends to favor bigger, heavier riders, at least by 250F standards. If you’re under 160 pounds, you might have to reduce compression damping substantially. If you’re lighter than that, think softer springs. For an intermediate rider in the 165-pound range, it’s the best front suspension available on any production bike, in any class, period. The rear of the Yamaha is equally impressive, although good rear suspension isn’t uncommon in this day and age. The days are gone when there were horrible shock flaws that had to be addressed before you could race a production bike. If you set the ride height to 100mm of sag, you’re ready to go. If you want the rear end to ride a little higher, give it a quarter turn of high-speed compression damping. Really choppy tracks might require a few more clicks of low-speed compression, but if you find you’re departing from the stock settings by too much, you probably need a spring change. The stocker covers riders between 150 and 180 pounds without much fuss. In overall handling, the YZ scores well too, possibly owing much to the suspension. You’ve probably heard some riders complain about the way late-model YZs behave entering or exiting turns. It’s been a source of much controversy since 2011, but only on the 450. Those issues simply do not exist on the 250. It turns extremely well and only gets better as you get more aggressive. It clearly leans more towards being a stable straight-liner than being quick and agile, but no one can honestly complain about any of the YZ’s handling traits.
It seems strange that the YZ’s biggest weak spot has become top-end power. Just a few years ago it was considered a brute in the 250 class, and the bike has gotten a little stronger since then. The class average, on the other hand, has gotten a lot stronger. Kawasaki has caught up, while the KTM and Husky have a huge advantage in peak power. The Honda, from all reports, will also have massive top-end output. Where does that leave the Yamaha? It’s the torquiest in the class, and that makes it the easiest to ride for average riders. The power advantage of the KTM and Husky comes at a price. You have to keep them singing all the time. Beyond that, you have to keep their throttles wide open; half-crack won’t do anything. The Yamaha, on the other hand, responds from the first yank of the cable. If you mess up, you can start over without much penalty. On top, the Yamaha is still as strong as ever, but it’s still about 3 horsepower down in a class where power is critical. Expert riders will have to find more.
There are other reasons we think the 2018 YZ250F will go into the books as a bike to find and hold on to. We have enough history to know it’s the most reliable 250F in the class. That’s one big reason the bike hasn’t lost weight over the past four years. Most of the changes have been aimed at reliability, despite mounting pressure to shave pounds. It runs cool in the summer months when most other bikes boil over just waiting for the gate to drop. The clutch might not be hydraulic, but it has a consistent feel and an easy pull. The brakes are decent, the wheels are tough, and the bike comes with some of our all-time favorite tires, the Bridgestone 404 and 403. This year the YZ250F will be overshadowed by the newer electric-start bikes in the 250 class, but it will probably still be the most logical choice for the rank-and-file riders in the 250 class. Chances are, it will be a long time before that changes.
• Best suspension in class
• Excellent low-end power
• Quick throttle response
• Proven reliability
• Excellent clutch and brakes
• Large fuel capacity
• Not the lightest
• Not the fastest
• Buried gas cap
• No electric start
Engine type Four-valve DOHC four-stroke
Bore & stroke 77.0mm x 53.6mm
Fuel delivery 44mm Keihin EFI
Fuel tank capacity 2.0 gal.
Lighting coil No
Spark arrestor No
EPA legal No
Weight, no fuel 222 lb.
Ground clearance 12.8″
Seat height 8.0″
Tire size & type
Front …Bridgestone M403A 80/100-21
Rear Bridgestone M404 90/100-19
Front KYB inverted, adj rebound,
Rear KYB, piggyback, adj. preload,
Country of origin Japan


President Obama Urged to Coordinate Executive Branch Response to Senate Committee's Study on CIA Interrogation Program
PHR has joined seven other NGOs, including the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, The Center for Victims of Torture, and others, to urge President Obama to make sure the Executive Branch response to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence study is not driven by individuals who might be implicated in the CIA’s use of torture.
Solitary confinement is a form of segregation in which people are held in total or near-total isolation in small cells for 23 hours a day. It is used to control and discipline detainees in federal and state prisons, local jails, and immigration and national security detention facilities. Unlike incarcerated prisoners, immigration and national security detainees are held not as punishment for a crime but as a preventive measure, and will likely never be charged with a crime. For these people, solitary confinement then becomes entirely punitive, with dire consequences for their mental and physical health.
Immigrants in detention facilities around the United States are often subjected to punitive and long-term solitary confinement and denied meaningful avenues of appeal, according to an investigation by PHR and Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
Physicians for Human Rights urges members of Congress to work towards ending the use of solitary confinement in all facilities under federal jurisdiction, including federal prisons, immigration detention facilities, and national security detention facilities, in all but the most extreme cases.
PHR's testimony by Dr. Scott Allen based on important findings from the groundbreaking report, “Punishment Before Justice: Indefinite Detention in the US,” was submitted by Senator Dianne Feinstein at a crucial Senate hearing on indefinite detention.