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Native american navajo sacred feathers painted with watercolors
Native indian tribes consider the eagle feathers to be their highest mark of respect. These were used to honor the courage of a person or to create dreamcatchers.
These are used in the traditional spiritual and cultural practices, often decorated with pebbles and hand drawn with ethnic patterns.
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Doing 60, 90, 120…ignoring or liberally interpreting the yellow "RIGHT LANE ENDS, MERGE NOW" sign, the driver of a white pick up truck scattering gravel in the break down lane passed us and cut us off, the raised bumper inches from ours, the dual exhaust rumbling. I was captaining our station wagon. My beautiful wife sat next to me, her hand proffering reassurance to my shoulder.
"Just ignore him," she said, reading my mind (the lower, primitive regions of the limbic system, amygdala and hippocampus) or the adrenalin gauge (not on the dashboard) with its indicator at the redline.
Instead, I ignored her, tailgating and then swerving in front of the truck at the next available opportunity—a straightaway after a service station where the road widened from one lane to three, allowing for left and right turns into strip malls, as well as the occasional drag race. The lackadaisical evening traffic and numerous stoplights, however, made this particular use tenuous.
Fortunately for us, the driver, after gunning past one more time, swooped off the road into a liquor store parking lot without taking further heed of my challenge. He probably had a jiggling beer cooler on the front seat in need of replenishment, to go with a (fully legal) handgun in the glove compartment. I escaped the confrontation with only an earful from my wife for risking my life, and hers: minor damage.
In fact, I've mostly gotten pretty good at defusing such situations, mostly by defusing myself in time. But sometimes caught in the wrong mood at the right moment…I…The funny thing is, were I to come across the obnoxious operator of said truck at a revolving door or in a movie line, each one of us might well have said, "after you." Somehow, climbing into a car's personal space with its anonymity and raw power deactivates the courtesy that keeps us from each other's throats.
Manners, as a word, suggests a kind of officious veneer associated with prep or finishing schools, a gratuitous expertise in the social graces. The well-mannered individual always uses the correct fork for his salad, and gets his thank-you cards written punctually. But I postulate here that at least on the roads and highways of America good manners can save your life. We're a short tempered and irritable society (at least while motoring) and a violent one. Perhaps there's a connection? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aggressive driving accounts for one third of "accidents" (my quotation marks) and two thirds of automobile fatalities. That's frightening. On the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a thoroughfare I frequent, two women were killed a few years ago after the driver of another car, angered and retaliating over an unintentional "slight," caused theirs to lose control and crash. If he'd displayed just a hint of the gallantry he might have on foot, he'd be a free man today and two women would still be alive.
According to Freud, we are motivated by sex (Eros), and death (Thanatos). I would agree with the first at least, though I think there are often less elaborate, in fact stupidly simple explanations for our behavior. For example, much has been written about the so called Oedipal conflict, which Freud hypothesized, where a boy subconsciously wishes for his father's death because he harbors repressed desire for his mother. Sex and death, death and sex. But if we go back to Sophocles, the ancient Greek dramatist, and his Oedipus Rex, we find a much more banal kind of human foible at work.
Remember the story? An oracle forecasts that Laius will have a son who will grow up to kill his father. So Laius disposes of this son, Oedipus, binding his feet and leaving him on a mountain to subvert the fate decreed by the gods. The infant Oedipus survives and years later, as a grown man, finds himself face to face with his father. Except neither recognizes the other. Oedipus believes his father is the shepherd who raised him as a boy. Laius thinks his child is dead. So they are in essence strangers when they argue at an intersection over who has the right of way.
When Oedipus kills his father it has nothing to do with the superego, or the id, stifled libido. It's a simple case of road rage, and fatuous as it sounds, bad manners. Had either one of them waved the other past with genteel deference, there would have been no bloodshed, no humiliating abdication, no suicide by Jocasta, no self-mutilation by Oedipus in his shame and grief and guilt. This variety of Oedipus complex isn't complex at all. Unfortunately, like fate, neither is it trivial or easily avoided. And it takes its toll off the road as well, has done so for centuries in petty struggles over honor, pride, saving face. The gods and the playwrights could always count on us to be impulsive, ill mannered, and self-destructive. They still can.

subset: commoncrawl


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February is International Boost Self-Esteem Month.
February is International Boost Self-Esteem Month. Winter doldrums can get the best of anyone, and this annual observation is a timely opportunity to focus on cultivating feelings of self-respect. TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, offers these ideas to improve self-esteem when on a journey to better wellness.
1. Stop comparing yourself to others. Trying to live up to or exceed someone else�s personal best is a losing game. As the saying goes, �How boring would it be if we were all the same?� Focus on being the best you that you can be.
2. Compliment yourself regularly, either by looking in the mirror and saying something you like about yourself or writing it in a journal. Many times, we�re quick to compliment others on their success but hesitate to do the same for ourselves.
3. Exercise consistently, at least 30 minutes of exercise several times a week, to strengthen muscles and to burn calories. Improve your physical strength, and you may feel a sense of empowerment that can dramatically enhance your self-esteem.
4. Simply smile. The mere act of smiling changes blood flow to the brain and can actually makes you feel happier and relieve tension. A smile sets off chemical and physical reactions within your mind and body, releasing endorphins that boost your mood.
5. Focus on your accomplishments. Forgive yourself for mistakes and focus on the positive by celebrating your victories. Consider writing them down so you can review and reflect when you�re feeling down and need to renew your confidence.
6. Get the support you need to succeed. Join a weight-loss support group, like TOPS, which can help you to stay on track to accomplish your wellness goals. Fellow members will help keep you motivated.
7. Make a list of your positive qualities. Are you generous? Kind? Write down at least ten positive qualities about yourself and return to this list as often as needed to boost your morale.
8. Find something special in each day. Even if it�s in a small way, do something pleasant and rewarding, like catching up on your favorite television show, taking a walk to the park, or indulging in a bubble bath. Or treat yourself to something small that isn�t a food or beverage, like a manicure or a new piece of costume jewelry.
9. Eat better. Pay attention to your food choices and nourish your body. Buy healthier foods and prepare well-balanced meals that will help give you energy and feel like your best self � not sluggish and overstuffed.
10. Explore a passion. Whether it�s a side job, hobby, or as a volunteer, pursuing your passion in even a small way can lead to a sense of purpose and significantly improve your overall happiness and quality of life.
TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is the original weight-loss support and wellness education organization. Founded more than 65 years ago, TOPS is the only nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss organization of its kind. TOPS promotes successful weight management with a �Real People. Real Weight Loss.�� philosophy that combines support from others at weekly chapter meetings, healthy eating, regular exercise, and wellness information. TOPS has about 170,000 members � male and female, age seven and older � in nearly 10,000 chapters throughout the United States and Canada.
Visitors are welcome to attend their first TOPS meeting free of charge. To find a local chapter, view www.tops.org or call (800) 932-8677.


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For information about Vilamoura in central Algarve, Portugal, you've come to the right place! Vilamoura Uncovered! is your complete guide for Vilamoura Holidays, the hotels, beaches, marina, restaurants, bars, things to do and, in fact, all things Vilamoura Uncovered!
For a real taste of Algarve luxury, Vilamoura resort is a must-see place to visit or to holiday! It is one of the biggest private tourism resorts in Europe and is one of the most prestigious in Portugal. Although fairly far removed from the traditional Algarve, the purpose-built leisure resort of Vilamoura offers accommodation to suit all tastes - luxury hotels, privately owned villas and apartments on the golf course complexes, and a wide range of hotels and apartments near the marina.
Vilamoura marina is the main centre of activity with a huge range of restaurants, bars and shops (including many designer shops). Luis Figo's 'Bar Sete' (bar seven) is also on the marina front. During the day, although it can get quite busy, it's really a very peaceful area to stroll around. It gets more lively at night, with everyone coming to eat and try out some of the bars, but is still a very relaxed resort.
Boasting a 1,000-berth marina, Vilamoura attracts the wealthy, yachtsmen, golfers, celebrities and in fact, anyone who just fancies enjoying a rather nice place in the sun!
Vilamoura has something for everyone to enjoy - there are boat trips (for those of us who don't own a boat!), specially designed trails for walking and cycling and restaurants and bars to suit all tastes and budgets.
Vilamoura golf has become world famous, and if you like golf, you will be pleased to know that there are several championship golf courses (all requiring handicap certificates by the way). For anyone who simply likes to go to the beach to relax, Vilamoura has two beautiful beaches, Praia da Marina ('Vilamoura Beach'), to the east of the marina and Praia da Falésia to the west. If you enjoy a walk, Praia da Falésia runs all the way to Olhos d' Àgua or stroll along Praia da Marina into Quarteira.
The resort is also home to Vilamoura Casino, which has regular evening entertainment, such as shows and dances, as well as the gaming rooms.
If you fancy a spot of luxury then relax the "Purobeach" way on sofas, canopied beds and loungers on Praia da Marina (in front of Tivoli Marina hotel) during the day or around the lake in the grounds of the hotel at nightime. DJ's are on hand to provide gentle music through the day while you soak up the sun or treat yourself to a massage and the pace quickens at night with regular live music acts joining the DJ's.
Vilamoura is a great place to stay whether you just want to enjoy the beaches, play a few rounds of golf, have a game or two of tennis, try something more adventurous like parasailing or maybe take a 'champagne cruise' to celebrate a special occasion!
If you want to go further afield to get more of a feel for the Algarve there are plenty of places within easy reach. Loulé, famous for it's Saturday gypsy market and brasilian style carnivals, is a lovely interesting town to visit. It has a 13/14th century castle, an excellent daily market in it's new market hall and often has music festivals during the summer.
To the west of Loulé is a pretty village, Alte, at the foot of the hills - it is a very typical Algarvean village, with the church in the centre and narrow, cobbled streets with whitewashed houses spilling down the hillside. There are springs (fontes) at one end of the village and a very 'picture postcard' scene where the ducks and geese swim in a pool formed by the spring, before the water tumbles down a small waterfall further along.
Faro, the place so many people 'forget' to visit, is a lovely city. The old part of Faro, within the city walls, has the Cathedral and Bishop's Palace in it's central square (Largo de Sé). Just behind the marina (a very modest affair compared to Vilamoura's!) lies the network of cobbled streets and squares, that make up the shopping centre.
Faro is also on the doorstep of the Ria Formosa - a network of lagoons and marshland protected on the seaward side by sandspit islands ('ilhas'). It's a really enjoyable 30 minute boat trip on a ferry from Faro to one of the ilha beaches, like Culatra or Deserta, through the Ria Formosa and gives a glimpse of the wild life on the way.
Nowhere in the Algarve is very far away so you can explore as much or as little as you want; Vilamoura holidays certainly offer everything you could want from a perfect holiday, without venturing any further afield!
If you just want to travel around the resort, there is a 'tourist train' running about every 30 minutes that costs about 3 euros - sit back and enjoy the view!
Even if you are not staying in Vilamoura it really is well worth a visit, just to see how much the Algarve has to offer.
Thank you for visiting Vilamoura Uncovered! and we hope you enjoy our website! For more information about the Algarve (Portugal) you can see our other Algarve Uncovered Resort Guides!
Vilamoura Holidays
Vilamoura Self-Catering
Flights to Portugal
Vilamoura Reviews
Question about Vilamoura?
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Eight Little Giants at Track Nationalsby Brent Harris • May 23, 2012 Share:
With a record number eight athletes set to compete this week at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Wabash College team will be provided its best opportunity to earn multiple All-America honors.
Head Coach Clyde Morgan and Assistant Coach Roger Busch traveled to California on Monday with Kevin McCarthy, Jake Waterman, Daniel Ambrosio, Evan Groninger, Ronnie Posthauer, John Haley, Cole Hruskovich, Joel Whittington, and Sean Hildebrand.
McCarthy will start the competition for the Little Giants, racing in the 1500-meter run preliminaries on Thursday at 4:45 p.m. Haley, Whittington, Waterman, and Hruskovich will compete in the 4x400-meter relay that same day at 9:15 p.m. (All times are Pacific Time.)
Posthauer's event, the 110-meter hurdles, will run preliminary rounds on Friday at 5:25 p.m. Waterman will race in the 800-meter run at 7:25 p.m.
McCarthy (below left) is coming off a national championship performance in the indoor mile in March. He qualified for both the 1500 and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
"Coming off the national title doesn't change my approach for the outdoor championship," McCarthy said. "Really the only thing I take away from it is the fact I know what I need to do to try and win the 1500-meter race. I know that first to third place is often really a tight race. I'm going in expecting to compete for that top spot."
Waterman (below right) has finished second in the indoor 800-meter dash in back-to-back seasons along with a sixth place at last year's outdoor championship and a seventh-place finish in 2010. He enters this race with the fastest time among the 20 competitors, turning in a time of 1:48.64 at Indiana University in April. The four-time All-American, who will also run as a member of the relay team, has his mind set on crossing the finish line first at this year's meet.
"This is the first time I've ever been ranked first heading into nationals," Waterman said. "I think that adds a little more pressure. There are definitely some high expectations being a junior now and having finished second twice and being so close to winning both times. I really think if I don't win this time it will be kind of disappointing."
Ambrosio and Groninger each set school records this year in the javelin on their way to finishing 11th and eighth, respectively, in the regular season national rankings. Ambrosio's top throw came in the first meet of the season --- the J. Owen Huntsman Relays held in March at Wabash. Groninger also produced a good result at that meet, but his 62.90 meter mark at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship Meet moved him into the top-ten in the nation and set the new school mark. The two will now compete together as part of the field of 20 athletes hoping to earn All-America honors.
"Dan and I have been building up this trip to California all season, Groninger said." I think we have an excellent opportunity to show everyone what Wabash track and field is all about, and represent the College the way it should be represented. I'm looking forward to cheering for the other guys in their events as much as I am in competing in the javelin. That's the type of team we have. We enjoy each other's successes."
For Ambrosio, the success has come very quickly. Coming to Wabash as a quarterback on the football, he moved to track and field as a junior without ever competing in the javelin. He worked with Coach Morgan initial and discovered the same strengths and abilities that served him so well in football translated to the javelin throw.
"A lot of my friends on campus kept trying to convince me to come out and throw the javelin after I made the decision to not play football anymore," Ambrosio said. "So I came out and gave it a try and found I had some initial success. After my last throw of my junior year, I realized the ability to make it to nationals was there. Now I just want to place in the top eight and earn All-America honors since this is my only chance to compete at this level."
Posthauer was the last Little Giant to earn a berth in the national field. His time of 14.64 in the 110-meter hurdles came in the final qualifying meet of the season less than a week ago. One of two freshmen competing for Wabash at the meet, Posthauer is excited for the opportunity he has worked so hard reach.
"I really don't have any particular expectations in terms of where I finish, I just want to finish my season with a couple of good races," Posthauer said. "This whole experience is really exciting. Qualifying on the final day of the season meant I really haven't had much of a chance to think too much about the meet. It really feels like a dream that I'm even here."
Haley and Hruskovich are the veterans for the Wabash in the relay. Haley competed at nationals on a relay team as a freshman when the Little Giants sent six athletes to the championship meet. Hruskovich ran as part of the Wabash distance medley relay in March at indoor nationals. Wabash's time of 3:12.55 is third-fastest in the field of 16 teams, giving the squad hope for a good finish in both the prelims and finals.
"This is a great opportunity, especially with the time we have right now," Haley said. "We're sitting third among all the teams entered into the meet, so I think we have the opportunity to do something big during this trip. My freshman year we traveled six athletes. Last year we only sent three to outdoor and two to indoor nationals. We had a good group at this year's indoor nationals and now we've added more to this group. I'm excited. I think we have an excellent chance to win the race. We have a quality group of four guys that can really go out, work hard, and find a way to succeed."
"The indoor meet has provided more confidence," Hruskovich added. "I was a little nervous competing at the indoor nationals, but now I know what to expect and I think I'll be confident heading into the race this week. It will be exciting to have all of our teammates there to cheer us on. Our first focus has to be getting to the finals. If we make certain that we earn a place in Saturday's race, anything can happen from there."
Whittington races for the first time at the nationals, but he served as an alternate on the distance medley relay team and observed the meet from the stands. He believes that experience can provide a boost heading into the weekend.
"Going to the indoor meet not only helped me by watching our guys race, it also allowed me to watch some of the same guys I'll be competing against this weekend," Whittington said." Some of those same 4x400 teams will be competing here in California at the outdoor meet. I really think I'll have a feel for the meet, for the overall atmosphere. I'm excited to have one more opportunity to run this year. I want to go and just keep doing what we've been doing."
Hildebrand will serve as an alternate for the relay team at this year's meet. Despite the fact he may not get the opportunity to race, the sophomore is ready to do whatever is needed to help the team succeed.
"I was so excited to learn I was going to be able to make this trip. I know my name probably will not be called, but I'm still here to try and help get the rest of the guys on the relay team and make sure I'm ready in case something happens. I'm just excited to be able to experience this. Being able to watch this all take place fuels me to try and earn a spot myself. Even so, I'm excited for these guys and thrilled to be here to be able to watch them compete."
With so many athletes competing for the Wabash, the Little Giants could post one of their highest finishes in the team competition in school history. Wabash enters the meet ranked eighth in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association computer listings. However, Morgan knows where the real focus lies.
"We don't' have a team goal," Morgan said. "We'll take every event one at time and at the end of the night on Saturday we'll see what happens.
"We're going to do what we also do --- treat this as another meet. I believe you have to keep the guys as loose as possible. Really it's bigger than just nine guys who are here. We've been preaching this for years and now this has become an expectation. Our guys have a belief that they deserve to be here. It's lonely if you have only one guy who has qualified. I think having a group this size helps everyone relax."
Even though the Little Giants won't place their focus on trying to earn a team finish in the top five overall, Busch believes the continued success of the program can put the Little Giants in place to reach that goal.
"It's extremely exciting to see the depth our team presents at nationals this year," Busch said. "Coach Morgan and I were even more excited when we were processing the meet entries Saturday and realized we have only two seniors competing. That speaks well for the future success of Wabash track and field. Our long term goal is to bring home an NCAA trophy. Whether that happens this year, next year, or ten years from now, it's always something that's in front of us."


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GOP unlikely to oust Boehner
It's a truth that fire-breathing conservatives will have to handle: John Boehner isn't going anywhere as speaker of the House.
Boehner's grip on leadership is no doubt weaker after a faction of his caucus blocked his "Plan B" to avoid the fiscal cliff. But not to the point of peril, according to Republican lawmakers from across the spectrum and GOP aides involved in leadership machinations.
Story Continued Below
( Also on POLITICO: Obama 'modestly optimistic' on deal)
When Boehner walks onto the House floor on Jan. 3, there's an outside chance he'll see low double-digit defections — and those in and around his camp recognize it. The speaker's fate has become a much-discussed topic as the fiscal cliff approaches and the Senate conducts last-minute talks this weekend — so far without a deal — to avoid across-the-board tax hikes.
But even staunch conservatives admit what's become abundantly clear within the House Republican Conference.
"John Boehner is our speaker," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who has one of the most conservative voting records in the House. "Harry Reid may not like it, but he is our guy."
( Also on POLITICO: Wall Street's pain may be cliff deal's gain)
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had a turbulent tenure atop the chamber, put it more bluntly: "I think somebody could run. They would get some votes. And they would lose."
Can't beat something with nothing
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.)? House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.)? Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)? Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)? Please, House GOP insiders say.
Not only have none of them signaled they will challenge Boehner, they are actively supporting his reelection.
No other rank-and-file Republican has publicly challenged him either, at least not at this point. The main anti-Boehner grumbling is coming from conservative media outlets like Breitbart and Hot Air, and outside groups such as American Majority Action.
( Also on POLITICO: GOP senators propose $1T debt deal)
In an interview with POLITICO, Gingrich — who speaks frequently with House Republicans and knows a few things about what it takes to topple a speaker — didn't even let a reporter finish his question before he said, "The answer is no." Boehner isn't at all vulnerable, in the Georgia Republican's view.
"No one in the current establishment would run on short notice in the middle of this," he said. "Think about it. Legislative bodies are about mathematics: Cantor will stick with Boehner, McCarthy will stick with Boehner, Paul Ryan will stick with Boehner. … Cathy [McMorris Rodgers] got elected with Boehner's help.
He went on, "[Rep.] Greg Walden is close to Boehner. Pete Sessions got appointed to Rules by Boehner. Anyone who could get a majority of the [GOP C]onference is for Boehner. I have some concerns about his strategy and doing better, but I think the fact is John is the speaker, he is going to be the speaker."


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The sixth annual free family-oriented fair, the region's largest adoption event, returns to its original Liberty Station park location at NTC Park, located at 2455 Cushing Road.
Event hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free parking is available in Lot I on Cushing Road and elsewhere.
"It's a good location for everyone, accessible with good free parking," said founder and organizer Jude Artenstein, a filmmaker and "Pet Lounge"creator.
This year's festival is expected to be the largest ever, with more rescues, vendors and entertainment for the public's enjoyment. Friendly, well-behaved leashed dogs are invited to accompany their humans.
About 40 local rescue organizations, including many breed-specific groups and public shelters, will bring an array of pooches, plus a few courageous cats, eager to find their "forever" homes. Each year, the festival pairs more than 150 animals with new families. Last year, more than 200 dogs found their perfect match through the event, which was also held in Los Angeles.
Festival attendees can browse about 100 vendor booths including TooferMe offering pet-related supplies, food, services, training and pet-care information, all geared to improving the health and well-being of companion animals.
Special this year at 10 a.m. is the World Pup Parade, featuring strutting doggies dressed in their favorite World Cup team jerseys.
Also new this year is the festival's Pet Book Pavilion, where best-selling authors of pet-oriented books will sell and sign their work. Doug Hokstad, local author of "Dozer Surfs … A True Dog's Tale," is among the authors planning to attend.
Festive music, a silent auction and food vendors will complete the day's yappy experience.
Dog-rescue advocate and acclaimed Los Angeles-based singer Veronica Powers, 13, will appear at the festival to promote adoptions.
Disc Dogs Southern California will demonstrate its training prowess and athleticism in two special performances at 10:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., while champion Surf Dog Louie will appear at the festival from noon to 1 p.m. to promote adoption and provide paw prints.
Artenstein said the festival has another meaning besides promoting adoption over buying a pet.
"It's more about empowering people to help put an end to euthanasia for unwanted homeless pets. None of us can do it all, but we can all do something to help out. We have to be brave about it, not timid. These valuable animals depend on us to do the right thing," she said.
For more information, visit www.doggiestreetfestival.org.


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Correction: The article incorrectly implied that anchor Ali Velshi was dismissed by the network. Velshi left voluntarily for a position elsewhere. This version has been corrected.
For a few minutes the other night, the hot topic on CNN was . . . bacon. The panel on a new prime-time show called "(Get to) The Point" came out boldly in favor of it.
"I had a double order this morning at breakfast," confessed Jason Taylor, the pro-football-player-turned-"Dancing With the Stars"-contestant-turned-TV-gabber. "But there's a restaurant in Miami. . . . You know, they have a great bar. They don't serve bar nuts. They have bacon."
"Wow!" responded Margaret Hoover, a fellow panelist.
CNN says "(Get to) The Point," a mixed-gender knockoff of "The View," is an experimental program that was swiftly canceled after its four-night tryout last week. So it's unwise to draw too many firm conclusions. Except for this one: This isn't the old CNN, says new network chief Jeff Zucker.
The old CNN, which created and defined cable news, has been wheezing and sputtering for years. The old CNN was bypassed in sizzle (and audience ratings) by Fox News Channel and MSNBC long ago. On most nights, safe-and-serious CNN finishes fourth in the cable news rankings, behind even little HLN, a sister network that specializes in lurid trials and whose star is Nancy Grace, cable's Cruella de Vil.
Hence, "(Get to) The Point," which is part of the throw-it-against-the-wall strategy that Zucker has employed since arriving at CNN's Manhattan newsroom in January.
Zucker, 48, has come into his new job like a man rummaging through the contents of a cluttered attic. He has hired, fired and reshuffled anchors and hosts (out: Soledad O'Brien), added new producers and pared CNN's long list of talking heads (out: Mary Matalin, James Carville, Roland Martin, Bill Bennett). He has whipped a sports show onto the weekend schedule and added a newsy weekday afternoon program, hosted by ABC News defector Jake Tapper.
Coming soon: a food-and-travel program with celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain on Sundays and a new morning program for weekdays. The latter will be co-anchored by another big-ticket hire from ABC, Chris Cuomo, and rising star Kate Bolduan (CNN evening host Erin Burnett declined the reassignment to mornings). The early hours are Zucker's wheelhouse — he made his name as executive producer of NBC's "Today" show in the 1990s — so his morning makeover will be a closely watched test of CNN's direction.
These moves haven't done much yet to goose the network's woebegone ratings. They have, however, simultaneously invigorated and terrified its employees. Many of them have been used to doing things "the CNN way" — that is, thoughtfully, deliberately . . . and in a manner very likely to drive viewers to Bravo or TLC.
"He's transformed the energy," says one of CNN's Washington journalists, among several who asked not to be named so as not to preempt the new boss. "Zucker," he adds, "wasn't brought in to tinker. He was brought in to blow up the place."
The question pinging through the hallways in CNN's news offices in New York, Washington and Atlanta is whether Zucker — whose last network gig was a calamity — can really fix the network's problems.
Zucker has already begun tweaking CNN's news coverage. In January, while other networks covered political stories, CNN aired Beyoncé's post-inauguration, pre-Super Bowl news conference live. Much to the chagrin of some of CNN's old guard, the network went wall to wall in February with the disabled Carnival Cruise ship as it limped back to port. CNN also gave ample airtime in early March to the death of a Florida man who was swallowed by a sinkhole. Stealing a bit of HLN's mojo, it has sprinkled reports about the trial of accused boyfriend-killer Jodi Arias throughout its newscasts.
Some of the spirit of "(Get to) The Point" pervades CNN's daily programming. Each weekday afternoon, a panel of young quipsters chews over topics big and small, but mostly small. One of the debates last week was about the merits of new, smaller airline toilets. A few minutes later, anchor Don Lemon, who hosted the gabby panel, segued uneasily into reporting about a possible North Korean missile attack.
Zucker wasn't available to discuss the lighter, brighter (and perhaps dumber) CNN he seems to be molding; he has declined all media interviews since his arrival. CNN also prohibited any of its senior executives from speaking for the record. The network's chief spokeswoman, Allison Gollust, initially offered to answer a reporter's questions on an off-the-record basis; she later had no response to a list of questions.
The most charitable view, from inside and outside CNN, is that Zucker's remodel is a work in progress.
"I wouldn't read anything into his first two months," says Phil Griffin, the president of rival MSNBC. "This is going to take years. They've got to figure out what works and what doesn't. The idea that you can figure it out by April 1st is crazy. Check back on April 1st, 2014, and you'll know the direction."
If anyone can relate to Zucker's challenge, it might be Griffin, a longtime NBC News hand who worked with, and then under, Zucker. A half-dozen years ago, MSNBC was languishing — unfocused, unpredictable, a grab bag of news and blab. Since then, it has stutter-stepped forward, surpassing CNN in overall ratings in 2011 and fighting to within view of the dust cloud kicked up by Fox News, the longtime leader.
The obvious thing about MSNBC was that it embraced a passionately liberal perspective, segmenting the audience from the conservative Fox and the middle-of-the-road CNN. The less-obvious thing, says Griffin, is how it did it: by patiently developing a roster of home-grown, out-of-the box personalities — Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough's "Morning Joe" crew. All started as guests or contributors, he notes, not as established TV personalities hired for their star power.
In perhaps a veiled message to his old boss, Griffin offers a sports analogy: "When a team buys stars, you never know if the chemistry is right for the team or the fans. When you grow [from within], you know the chemistry is right."
Zucker probably doesn't take much advice. Always hyper-competitive, Zucker, the son of a cardiologist father and schoolteacher mother, built himself into a top-ranked prep tennis player while growing up in Miami's suburbs. In high school, he served as president of his sophomore, junior and senior classes (the 5-foot-6 Zucker once ran on the slogan "The little man with the big ideas").
As a Harvard undergrad, he became the top editor of the school paper, the Crimson; one of his dormitory mates was a student named Conan O'Brien. Zucker first encountered O'Brien, the editor of the rival Lampoon, when O'Brien stole issues of the Crimson as a prank.
Recruited by NBC while in his first year of law school, Zucker began a remarkable sprint through the network's ranks. He began as a researcher on NBC's coverage of the 1988 Olympic Games; within five years, he had risen to executive producer of "Today." Zucker spent the next eight years building on "Today's" ratings dominance and its status as NBC News's cash cow. His reward: promotion to network head in 2000. By 2007, he was running NBC's conglomerate parent, NBCUniversal.
But Zucker's tenure at NBC was tempestuous, to say the least. The network tumbled from its "must-see TV" golden era to its "Fear Factor" nadir. It went from first in the ratings to fourth, and often fifth place behind Univision's Spanish-language programs and popular cable fare. In a score-settling book published last year, Warren Littlefield, Zucker's predecessor, wrote: "The Zuckerization of [NBC] in recent years has been marked by the belief that viewers exist to be manipulated rather than nourished."
Zucker's boldest move as NBC's top executive was to install Jay Leno as the host of a nightly variety show at 10 p.m. and his old classmate, O'Brien, as host of "The Tonight Show." The host switch lasted seven months in 2009 and early 2010, becoming perhaps the greatest public-relations debacle in TV history. Zucker departed with more than $30 million in severance payments in 2010.
In his new job, Zucker has won plaudits from his troops by refusing the large executive office offered to him at Time Warner's headquarters just off Central Park. He instead settled in at CNN's New York newsroom, where he participates in the 9 a.m. story conference on most days.
Reporters who've met with Zucker at small breakfast and dinner meetings over the past two months describe him as loose and funny in these sessions, during which he responds to questions and criticism.
"I like him," said another Washington-based CNN employee, who also declined to be identified due to "the sensitivity of the situation," as he put it. "It's clear we need some fresh ideas. It seems to me, he has a great instinct for what people want to watch on TV. I think he knows what makes good water-cooler TV."
CNN ratings troubles — the audience has dropped 37 percent over the past six years — have long been masked by rising profits generated by Time Warner's many cable and digital properties. But in recent years, CNN's inability to attract viewers consistently has begun to make a noticeable dent. The network's advertising revenue fell 10 percent last year, to an estimated $313.6 million, according to Derek Baine, senior analyst at SNL Kagan, an independent research firm.
That's a stunning fall in an industry used to solid annual growth. But it's even more alarming to CNN's masters at Time Warner because it came in an election year, typically the most profitable for cable news.
CNN still captures a premium from advertisers relative to competitors. Baine estimates that sponsors pay $5.96 to reach a thousand viewers on CNN, compared with $5.02 for a thousand on Fox and $4.19 on MSNBC.
Why? "It's a safer place to be" for advertisers, says Gabriel Kahn, co-director of the media economics and entrepreneurship program at USC's Annenberg journalism school. "It can be a more boring place to be a viewer, but for an advertiser, you're not going to hear: 'Obama was born in Indonesia. Let's go to a commercial!' "
That presents Zucker with a thread-the-needle challenge: Get lively, but stay classy and in the middle. Any effort to jerk CNN to the right or the left might win a few more viewers, but it might also scare some advertisers.
"The cardinal rule of Washington is also the cardinal rule of TV: Don't alienate your base," says Frank Sesno, a former CNN anchor who is now a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. "But CNN doesn't have the luxury of staying the same."
Thus far, Zucker has yet to address CNN's biggest issue: its prime-time schedule.
With the exception of Larry King's celebrity-interview show, CNN's nighttime block has been like that Florida sinkhole, swallowing TV careers. The list of flamed-out hosts — Connie Chung, Paula Zahn, Jeff Greenfield, Aaron Brown, Lou Dobbs, Campbell Brown, Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker — is long and figures to grow. Insiders say the inability to develop a strong slate from 7 to 11 p.m., the most-watched period in TV, encouraged Time Warner to show Jim Walton, Zucker's predecessor, to the exits last year.
The most vulnerable host these days may be King's successor, Piers Morgan, whose already anemic ratings at 9 p.m. fell again during the first quarter. Anderson Cooper, perhaps CNN's signature personality, is a weak fourth among the cable news shows at 8 p.m. People at CNN say his job is in no jeopardy.
Zucker's first important programming move appears unlikely to break CNN's doldrums. Tapper's 4 p.m. program, "The Lead," debuted in mid-March to ratings that were lower than the program it bumped, "The Situation Room." They've fallen since.
Sesno thinks CNN needs to find a wholly new tone. Hire a few BBC-style interviewers to confront newsmakers, he advises, or even a Jon Stewart-like satirist. And while they're at it, cover more breaking news and find ways to integrate TV news with digital delivery, including CNN.com, the network's popular Web site.
Zucker "shouldn't let the urgent get in the way of the important," he says. "They need to find a format or formula that is a fundamental departure from the way it's been done before. Break with tradition! And then stick with it and promote it so people can find you."
Not so easy, of course.
No, agrees Sesno. The new boss, he says, has a critical patient on the table. And it will take guts and brains, and perhaps a little magic, for the operation to succeed.


text:
Man, the Halo 3 launch was really exciting!
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When God is Not Enough
"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you" (Augustine, Confessions). "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but …Read More
The Prodigal Son(s) and Church Discipline
Providence reigns, even over editorial requests. When asked to offer pastoral insights on church discipline in light of the story of the prodigal son, little did I realize where this assignment would take me both spiritually and emotionally. Listening to …Read More
Pray the Scriptures
I am a recovering self-centered pragmatic pray-er — a believer who spent many of my first years in Christ thinking of God more as a sugar daddy than the sovereign Father. Prayer, for me, had more in common with programming …Read More
By Faith, Not Fear
"Lions and tigers and bears, O my!" That's not only one of the more memorable lines from cinematic history, it's one of the more recognizable themes in contemporary discipleship. Sometimes fear of the enemies to our faith seems …Read More
The Genuine Life
With three decades plus change in the pastoral ministry, the gospel seems to be getting bigger and Jesus is appearing more gracious than ever. Maybe that's because I've never been more aware of my brokenness and more disrupted by longings …Read More
Former Things
Having read this incredible collage of articles on God's kingdom in this Advent season edition of Tabletalk, hopefully you're beginning to wonder how to "bring home" all this rich theology to your context and community. What are some of the …Read More
Scotty Smith
Rev. Scotty Smith is founding pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, and he is author of Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith.


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Not much happened in Storybrooke this week, aside from some cool magic tricks and the return of a few familiar faces.
The episode, titled "We Are Both," is Regina-centric and explores the events leading up to her arranged wedding and how she first meets Rumpelstiltskin. Meanwhile in Storybrooke, Charming decides to put his leadership skills to the test and keep the townsfolk from leaving.
So that's what happens when you try to leave town
The dwarves contemplate leaving Storybrooke, and who could blame them. The town currently looks like it has been victimized by Regina George. Unfortunately, Sneezy decides to cross the border and his memory is erased again. Lame. The "what happens when you leave Storybrooke" plot line was a big mystery last season, and I was expecting a lot more than memory loss.
The dwarves run to tell Charming, who is already being nagged by Red who wants him to get the townsfolk under control and stop them from leaving Storybrooke. Charming doesn't really care about their problems right now, though. He's too preoccupied with getting Snow and Emma back after they got sucked into the magic hat and transported to Fairyland in last week's episode.
Charming eventually takes charge and becomes the Jack Shephard of Storybrooke. Just as all of the characters are about to leave with a blank slate, Charming gives a "Live Together, Die Alone" speech and becomes the de facto leader.
For once, Regina isn't the worst
Regina wants her son back. Unfortunately the only way she can get him is with magic, which seemed to be lacking in Storybrooke the past couple of days. Luckily for her, she knows how to retrieve it.
Charming confronts Regina about the top hat, and also chides Regina for being a horrible mother. Per usual, she doesn't care about his problems. We find out through flashback that Regina is first introduced to magic through her mother's book of spells. Of course. We also find out that Rumpelstiltskin first convinced her to use magic. Of course.
It was wonderful to see the return of Cora, played by Barbara Hershey (the mom in "Black Swan"), who never fails to make Regina look like Mother Theresa. We learn that Cora had a knack for restraining (literally, with vines) young Regina to her home and wouldn't stop until she married King Leopold. Regina realizes she needs to fight magic with magic.
After finding out about the book of spells from her father, she uses it to summon Rumpel, who gives her the lowdown on how to get rid of her mom. Regina doesn't want to get involved with magic, but Rumpel assures that it'll do the work for her. That turned out well. Regina uses her magic to throw her evil mother through a mirror to her supposed death.
Back in Storybrooke, Regina retrieves the book of spells from Rumpel. Rumpel gives her the book out of thin air and then compares her to her mother. She's pissed. Later, she inhales the familiar purple haze from the book and her eyes turn purple. It looks like someone got their magic back. She proves it by catching an arrow shot at her by Granny and throwing fireballs at the people of Storybrooke.
For once, Henry is useful and offers himself up to his adopted mother. Regina takes him back to her house where he immediately escapes out of the window, but she pulls the vine trick on him and pulls him back inside. Then she makes a cupcake for him out of thin air. I want her powers.
After Charming makes his speech, he runs back to Regina's house, sword in hand. Regina gives in and lets Henry go with David. "I don't know how to love very well," she tells him. She finally realizes she has turned into her own mother who, by the way, is still alive!
The end of the episode reveals that Mulan and company has dragged Emma and Snow to the outskirts of the Enchanted Forest, where the remaining unaffected characters reside. Mulan throws the duo into a pit, where they meet none other than Cora herself. Uh oh.
Magic bits
The Mad Hatter/Jefferson is back in town after Regina gets her powers. David asks him for help, but he makes it clear that he doesn't want to do anything or help anybody, with a very "honey badger don't care" attitude. I think he's my favorite.
Geppetto finds out that Pinnochio is alive, who we saw blinking his eyes at the beginning of the episode. Creepy.
Jiminy Cricket is giving counseling. Was living as a real person for 28 years that traumatizing for some of these people?
Rumpel has a big master plan up his sleeve. I hope it involves more magic cupcakes.
Best line: "I will not listen to childcare lectures from a man who put his daughter in a box and shipped her to Maine." -- Regina to Charming.


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Which of the following in NOT a direct benefit of a regular walking regimen?
Reduce Stress
Improved immune function
Achieving ideal weight.
Improved sugar metabolism
Herbal Medicine: German Translation of PZ 39 (135): 6-7, 97-98, Sept. 1990
Christopher Hobbs LAc, AHG
Information on Pyrrolizidine
Alkaloid-Containing Human Medicines AMK. The expert commisions for herbal, homeopathic and anthroposophic medicines, the members of which are selected from among prominant members of each discipline, have worked out preparation monographs for a series of remedies, which contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). PA are naturally-occuring constituents of different medicinal plants. Some of them with certain chemical characteristics are suspected to be the cause of liver-damaging and carcinogenic effects in humans and animals.
In a first hearing on PA, in 1988, the BGA asked manufacturers to declare their position on possible health risks of PA-containing remedies. The Governement Health Office (BGA) has now made its evaluation on the basis of the first hearing, where all results from the expert commissioners, and numerous positions given by manufacturers, doctors, patients and scientists were considered.
The BGA has presently undertaken a further, written hearing with expert representatives from pharmaceutical manufacturers utilizing plants with certain PA for the production of plant-based remedies. In this new hearings questionaire, the safety measures that are considered necessary for diverse groups of PA-containing herbal remedies are presented in detail. These are coming in from manufacturers and will be evaluated.
*The BGA suggests a maximal daily dosage for remedies intended for internal use, and another for remedies for external use, as well as a total application period of 6 weeks per year.
*Special caution is advised for pregnancy and nursing.
The BGA is thereby following the recommendations formulated by the expert commissioners, which in their understanding, is the precondition for the safe use of these herbal remedies. The comprehensive discussion initiated by the BGA regarding the risks of PA-containing remedies has thereby, through broad participation of expert circles, led to an extensive agreement on the measures offered for the protection of patients.
A final decision will come about after evaluation of the awaited statements (questionaires).
As was already reported last week (see
Pharm. Ztg.
38/1990, p. 7), the BGA has, in the frame of its progressive (sequential) plan (step 2), sent a new hearings-letter regarding relevant pharmaceutical enterprises relating to PA-containing remedies. The distribution list enclosed with the letter, comprised
124 pages
and listed
1600 finished products
. For the most part, to be sure, we are dealing with name-brands (especially teas) from pharmacies, drug stores and health-food stores. Exempted from the prescribed measures of the BGA are remedies which from among the series of questionable plants, contain
Eupatorium perfoliatum
, because no PA content has been provable. Likewise exempted are remedies produced by a spagyric process, which includes a water steam distillation as well as ash.
The commission E of the BGA meanwhile has concluded and published preparations-monographs for the following PA-containing herbal remedies (
[official notice]- Nr. 138, dated 7/27/1990, see
Pharm. Ztg.
31/ 1990, p. 65)
-- Coltsfoot flowers/herb/root
-- Coltsfoot leaf
Petasites hybridus
(butterbur)/Petasites leaf
-- Petasites rhizome
-- Senecio herb
-- Comfrey herb/leaf
-- Comfrey root
A permit (with certain restrictions) can be supported only for coltsfoot leaves pestwurtz root (
) and for comfrey preparations for external use. Among the restrictions is the limitation of the duration of application to no longer than 4-6 weeks per year, and a maximum value of PA with a 1,2 unsaturated necine-structure.
**The BGA looks, among other factors, at the results of the preparations commission (commission E), and announces the following measures, which are to be finalized within the next 6 months. As the past teaches us, we have to count on intense private and public discussions, thorough reasoning, including a review of the available literature, which is to be printed along with the results.
1. In the case of remedies for external application, with monographs of a recongnized or specific area of use and effectiveness (paragraph 25, 7 AMG), the daily exposure may not exceed a maximum 100 micrograms PA with a 1,2 unsaturated necine structure, inclusive of their N-oxides, according to the instructions enclosed in the product package.
The recommended duration of application for corresponding remedies for external applicaiton is to be limited to 6 weeks maximum per year. In quoting contraindications, it is to be noted, that the application may happen only with intact skin. The application during pregnancy should result only after consultation with a doctor.
2. In the case of remedies for internal application with monographs of recommended areas of use and effectiveness, according to paragraph 25 7 AMG, the daily exposure may not exceed a maximal dosage of 1 microgram. For the application of coltsfoot leaves as a drug for a tea infusion, exposure may not exceed 10 micrograms PA with a 1,2-unsaturated necine structure, inclusive of thier N-oxides.
The recomended duration for the application of corresponding remedies is limited to six weeks per year maximum. Pregnancy and nursing periods are to be stated as contraindications.
3. Remedies in which the daily exposure does not exceed a maximal doage of 0.1 microgram PA (for internal use) and/or 10 micrograms PA for external application, with a 1,2 unsaturated necine structure inclusive of their N-oxides, according to instructions enclosed in the package.
The proof of the observance of these concentrations for each [rank] is to be stated on the basis of a valid analysis (see our communication of August 10, 1988) on a suitable sample (for instance raw plant material or mother tincture according to HAB 1) with subsequent calculation of the amount in the finished product.
The BGA intends to decree a tacit permission for remedies according to 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 for which the observation of the above-named limits has not been certified within 6 months after release of this communication.
III. For all other remedies and application areas, the intent is to recall permission.
The determining reason for the anticipated measures of the BGA is -- we refer in this to our communication of August 10, 1988 -- the following contents of critical PA are never to be looked at as being unobjectionable health-wise; this is understood from the evaluation of proven toxicologic characteristics and reports on these substances.
PA with a 1,2 unsaturated necine-structure have distinctly acted mutagenicaly, and/or genotoxically in several test systems after metabolic activation. The intensity of the mutagenic effect, measured at the lowest effect-concentration/dose did not essentially differ in experiments in which these PA were examined comparatively. At most, differences in the range of about a 10th potency were observable (1-5).
In the cancer studies on hand, distinct carcinogenic effects have been observed in diverse PA previously, especially in the liver (cancer of the liver and haemangiosarcoma) with daily doses between 0.36 and 10 mg/kg KG (6). In this, however, it has to be considered that the real lowest carcinrogenic dosages must be essentially lower, in practical application, because the ones tested have already shown a distinctly carcinogenic effect.
The number of occuring tumors and the time span of their inductions, (and/or) latency, until their appearance depend on the strength of the dosage (7-17).
Each of the carcinogenic, and/or mutagenic potencies of the above-described PA lie in approximately identical areas of magnitude. Therefore, a differentiating consideration of the type of different PA in the various relevant plants, does not appear necessary.
The existing data give grounds for suspicion that the carcinogenic effects of these PA observed in animal experiments rests on their proven mutagenic characteristics. The suspicion is additionally supported in that the mechanism of damage through these PA is to be seen in the alkylizing characteristics of metabolites (pyrrole derivatives) (18-21). In this, whether the PA leads to acute damage, especially in the target organs, liver, lungs, and blood vessels, depends on the dosage (22) or duration, because the long continued effect of small dosages, leads to tumorous growths (7-17).
There are clear reports of acute and chronic damage in humans and animals (23-27) and carcinogenic effects are provable in animals (28, 29). Because it has to be assumed that the mechanism for acute, chronic and cancerogenic effects is the same, it is likewise to be assumed that the carcinogenic effets would also apply to humans.
The BGA embraces the fundamental assumption that every substance which has proven itself carcinogenic in animal tests is also able to cause cancer in humans, because in reverse every proven carcinogen affecting human beings, has also caused positive results in animal tests. An exception to this rule for evaluation, is certainly permissible, when a certain effect occurs specifically for a species, as has been, for example, observed for the metabolism of PA involving guinea pigs (30). Such differences do however not exist, between the metabolisms of PA in rats and humans.
The BGA has oriented itself in the evaluation of these carcinogenic substances, by the present scientific understanding, as it is for example, documented in specialist directives of the European Union, and it correstponds to the recommndation of the Senate Commissions of the German Research Association (Society?).
The references on the testing of the carcinogenic effects, corresponding to the (enclosure) supplement (III 83/571) (appendix?) have been formulated for the purpose of admitting new remedies, but the expert evaluations underlying these requirements are valid in other circumstances and ought to applied correspondingly. Thereby, the extrapolation of appraisal of the data received in animal tests, onto humans and the herein applied doses is especially addressed [in the paper of the previous sentence].
It is noted, that it is difficult to declare a compound as not being carcinogenic to humans when it has proven carcinogenic in animal tests.
On the probablility of occurance, it is stated that the danger of cancer is higher in humans, when there is a large number of malignant tumors in a particular kind of tissue (e.g., hemangiosarcoma in rats' liver after certain PA and cancer of the liver itself), when the test substance is administered in a way that is anticipated in humans (this is also the case with certain PA) and when the dosage is equal or lower than the dossage which induces the mildest toxicity (which is also the case with certain PA).
As, on the other hand, there are no exonerating findings (reports) (e.g. a clear latency phenomenon) and arguments based upon them which could contribute to a more favorable evaluation of PA-induced existing tumors, there exists justified cause for concern, especially when including a consideration of the results of mutagenic tests, as demonstrated above.
This is also not mitigated by recognition of peculiarities in the evaluation of certain remedies, because there must be clarity on the point that fundamental differences in the evaluations of such risks have not been established sufficiently by the experts.
The BGA reasons in all these matters, that potential risks, connected with substances, are characteristics, which are relevant not only to sythentics, that is, a certain class or group of remedies; because there is no inherent or preordained, safety of natural substances as compared to synthetic substances.
Where ever there is no sufficient therapeutic relavance for a substance, the carcinogenic property whereof, having been proven by experiment, as rooted in genotoxic acitve mechanisms, has as its consequence, the recall of its permit, and/or the lowering of the unavoidable concentrations which remain below the proved limits of stated sensitive control methods.
On the other hand, through the comprehensive incorporation and receipt of results of medical evaluations of the relevant preparations Commission for particular remedies, it is guaranteed that all supportive arguments for the therapeutic application are allowed sufficient consideration.
Therefore, since the purely toxicollogically-founded admissible levels for these PA fundamentally cannot be designated, the dosages and the provisional maximal time ranges for PA-containing remedies, which arose from the official perspective (insight) as the permissible substance levels, are additionally relying (for accuracy) on the expert opinion as to their therapeutic usefullness, which each relevant commission has certified by its own expert opinion regarding the risk.
According to one expert opinion (2), the intake of 1 microgram PA/day is considered justifiable (defendable) for human beings. This dosage, e.g. related to a daily intake of tea, prepared from 5 grams of dried plant, lies in the area of 0.2 mg/kg PA in these plant parts (34). Other expert opinions (32) support this limit.
Because the liklihood of a tumor occuring depends not only on the level of substance intake, but also on the length of exposure, the term of application is limited to 6 weeks maximum. In this determination (ruling) the usual length of treatment according to indications quoted in the (relevant) monographs have been considered.
For the application of coltsfoot leaf as a drug for tea infusions a higher limiting value of a maximum of 10 micrograms per day is acceptable. With the generally short extraction time in the frame of the making of a tea infusion, only a small portion of the existant PA contained in the drug is released and taken in through the preparation.
The determination of a limiting value for topical application is raised by a factor of 100 because, as examinations have shown, in dermal applications, only a small proportion of the applied PA amount is absorbed (resorbed) (35, 36).
The daily substance level of 1 microgram and/or 10 micrograms PA/day for internal, respectively (and/or) 100 micrograms for external use over a maximum of 6 weeks as tolerated by the BGA in agreement with all participants for remedies does not correspond to a limit value according to simple experimental principals in order to quantify a damaging effect and to establish a threshold value.
Rather the risks must be seen in relationship to the expected therapeutic benefits and, in as much as they stand in a medically valid relationship, to tolerate them, under certain circumstances even if they are ireversible. Compare for this also the principal of "relationship quality" in Environmental Protection presented by Henschler (38); according to this, it is required that reversible effects, which form the basis of conventional limit values must be set into a sound relationship to ireversible effects of the new quality -- as for example mutagenicity, i.e. a certain acceptance of irreversible effects has to be tolerated.
(Our interpretation of irreversible = if a new condition is created by a remedy, and this condition is irreversible, is this new condition tolerable in relationship to the healing aspect of the remedy?--eds.)
The described procedure therefore limits the exposure to constituent levels, which are to be seen as medically sound, when the remedies are applied as determined with consideration of benefits and risks.
We are dealing here by no means with amounts which are to be seen as totaly free from risk, because the theoretical investigation of genotoxic carcinogens to date tell us that no dose can be deduced below which a carcinogenic effect need no longer be assumed.
[Investigative] Results of Preparations
In as much as monographs exist, which recognize a therapeutic effect as aknowledged, the "Preparations Commissions" relevant to the homeopathic as well as phytotherapeutic therapy modalities, also arrive at the identical medically-justifiable constituent levels in their final results.
Thus, Commission D has established that in the case of finished preparations, with usefullness certified by monographs, the daily exposure to PA must not go beyond 1 microgram/day (internal use), and/or 100 micrograms/day (external use), figured on the total alkaloid content of the mother tincture. The duration of use is to be no more than 6 weeks per year maximum.
In homeopathic remedies that are to be registered without a monograph certifying their efficacy, the exposure to PA must not go beyond 0.1 microgram (internal use) and/or 10 micrograms (external use).
Commission E has suggested a threshold value of 1 microgram PA/day and/or, in the case of coltsfoot leaf as a tea infusion, 10 micrograms/day (internal use), for medicinal plants that have monographs certifying their activity.
For external use of comfrey preparations, a threshold-limit of 100 micrograms/day is suggested. The length of use is limited to 6 weeks per year.
Thus, both commissions come to the same conclusion, that the usefulness of these substances can outweight their risk only if the safety determinants and counter-indications in their monographs are followed.
Commission C welcomes, in principal, the intent of the BGA to open up a new way through the establishment of temporarily tolerable daily dosages. It (Commission C) is of the opinion that in this way a minimizing of risks can be undertaken for the single remedy in the currently possible appropriate way with a measured consideration of the therapeutic usefullness.
With values below 1 microgram/day (internal and external use) it (Commission C) sees the application of the remedy as unobjectionable; in the case of values between 1 and 10 micrograms PA (internal and external use) it requires the listing of contraindications as well as a limitation in the duration of use. Therefore, in as much as Commission C considers higher constituent levels for daily intake tolerable, because of unresolved fundamental considerations, it (Commissions C) stands in contrast to the evaluation of one of the experts, the other commissions, and the BGA.
Because this opinion is not supported by reasons that satisfy scientific criteria, as they have been laid down in the recommendations of the EG, it cannot be followed.
The studies already performed certify that PA have an acute hepatotoxic effect and a carcinogenic effect with chronic application; therefore, they confirm the opinion stated in the expert texbooks that the hepatotoxicity and carcinogenicity of these PA is considered proven. Considering this fact, the use of higher constituent levels or an exposure of longer duration are connected with damaging effects, which go beyond the responsible measure of the insights of medical science. (vgl. xx 30 Abs. 1,25 Abs. (paragraph) 2 Nr. 5 AMG).
This evaluation corresponds to current scientific knowledge, regarding a methodical proceedure for identifying carcinogenic substances, and the interpretation of existing reports. The data are scientifically-defendable and therefore, sufficient. The demand for further evidence concerning the establishment of risk, before a decision is made, can therefore not be considered.
The risks described above are seen in a similar way by the WHO (37), which urges us to do everything to facilitate the minimization of risks in the direction of practically-reachable safe quantities.
(See attached original reference list).
BGA policy on PA (PZ 39 (135) 6,7-97-8, 1990. S. Coble & C. Hobbs 8
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About The Author
Christopher Hobbs is a fourth generation herbalist and botanist with over 30 years experience with herbs. Founder of Native Herb Custom Extracts (now Rainbow Light Custom Extracts) and the Institute for Natural Products...
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