text: This is a thread for posting all links and info about cancer prevention through diet. I'll be posting more stuff later on, but for now: http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/19 "It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone. Obesity, nutrient sparse foods such as concentrated sugars and refined flour products that contribute to impaired glucose metabolism (which leads to diabetes), low fiber intake, consumption of red meat, and imbalance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats all contribute to excess cancer risk. Intake of flax seed, especially its lignan fraction, and abundant portions of fruits and vegetables will lower cancer risk. Allium and cruciferous vegetables are especially beneficial, with broccoli sprouts being the densest source of sulforophane. Protective elements in a cancer prevention diet include selenium, folic acid, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, chlorophyll, and antioxidants such as the carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin). Ascorbic acid has limited benefits orally, but could be very beneficial intravenously. Supplementary use of oral digestive enzymes and probiotics also has merit as anticancer dietary measures. When a diet is compiled according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as well. The field of investigation of the role of nutrition in the cancer process is very broad. It is becoming clearer as research continues that nutrition plays a major role in cancer. It has been estimated by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by appropriate diets, physical activity, and maintenance of appropriate body weight. It is likely to be higher than this for some individual cancers. Most of the research on nutrition and cancer has been reductionist; that is, a particular food or a nutrient has been studied in relation to its impact on tumor formation/regression or some other end point of cancer at a particular site in the body. These studies are very helpful in seeing the details of the mechanisms of disease. However, they do not help give an overall picture of how to prevent cancer on a dietary level. Even less, they tell little of how to eat when a person already has a cancer and would like to eat a diet that is favorable to their recovery. This review will focus on those dietary factors which has been shown to be contribute to increased risk of cancer and then on those additional protective dietary factors which reduce cancer risk. Finally, some whole-diet studies will be mentioned which give a more complete picture of how these individual factors work together to reduce cancer risk. Low Fiber Unrefined plant foods typically have an abundance of fiber. Dairy products, eggs, and meat all have this in common – they contain no fiber. Refined grain products also have most of the dietary fiber removed from them. So, a diet high in animal products and refined grains (a typical diet in the USA) is low in fiber. In prospective health studies low fiber was not found to be a risk for breast cancer [25]. It is possible that fiber measurements are just a surrogate measure for unrefined plant food intake. Slattery et al [40] found an inverse correlation between vegetable, fruit and whole grain intake plant food intake and rectal cancer, while refined grains were associated with increased risk of rectal cancer. A threshold of about 5 daily servings of vegetables was needed to reduce cancer risk and the effect was stronger among older subjects. Many other nutrients are co-variants with fiber, including folic acid, which is covered in detail below. Red Meat Red meat has been implicated in colon and rectal cancer. A Medline search in February 2003 uncovered 26 reports of human studies investigating the link between diet and colon or colorectal cancer. Of the 26 reports, 21 of them reported a significant positive relationship between red meat and colon or colorectal cancer. A recent meta-analysis also found red meat, and processed meat, to be significantly associated with colorectal cancer. Meat, and the heterocyclic amines formed in cooking, have been correlated to breast cancer in a case-control study in Uruguay as well. Omega 3:6 Ratio Imbalance Omega 3 fats (alpha-linolenic acid, EPA, DHA) have been shown in animal studies to be protect from cancer, while omega 6 fats (linoleic acid, arachidonic acid) have been found to be cancer promoting fats. Now there have been several studies that have tested this hypothesis in relation to breast cancer, summarized in Table 1. Except for the study by London, all of these studies found an association between a higher ratio of N-3 to N-6 fats and reduced risk of breast cancer. Long chain N-3 and N-6 fats have a different effect on the breast tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. Treatment of breast cell cultures with N-3 fats (EPA or DHA) results in increased expression of these genes while arachadonic acid had no effect [68]. Flax seed oil and DHA (from an algae source) both can be used to increase the intake of N-3 fat, with DHA being a more efficient, sure source. Flax seed Flax seed provides all of the nutrients from this small brown or golden hard-coated seed. It is an excellent source of dietary fiber, omega 3 fat (as alpha-linolenic acid), and lignans. The lignans in flax seed are metabolized in the digestive tract to enterodiol and enterolactone, which have estrogenic activity. In fact, flax seed is a more potent source of phytoestrogens than soy products, as flax seed intake caused a bigger change in the excretion of 2-hydroxyestrone compared to soy protein. Ground flax seeds have been studied for its effect on cancer, including several excellent studies by Lilian Thompson's research group at the University of Toronto. In one study the flax seed, its lignan fraction, or the oil were added to the diet of mice who had previously been administered a chemical carcinogen to induce cancer. All three treatments reduced the established tumor load; the lignan fraction containing secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG) and the flax seed also reduced metastasis. In another study the flax lignan SDG was fed to mice starting 1 week after treatment with the carcinogen dimethylbenzanthracene. The number of tumors per rat was reduced by 46% compared to the control in this study. Flax or its lignan (SDG) were tested to see if they would prevent melanoma metastasis. The flax or lignan fraction were fed to mice two weeks before and after injection of melanoma cells. The flax treatment (at 2.5, 5, or 10% of diet intake) resulted in a 32, 54, and 63 percent reduction in the number of tumors, compared to the control. The SDG, fed at amounts equivalent to the amount in 2.5, 5, or 10% flax seed, also reduced the tumor number, from a median number of 62 in the control group to 38, 36, and 29 tumors per mouse in the SDG groups, respectively. More recently Thompson's research group studied mice that were injected with human breast cancer cells. After the injection the mice were fed a basal diet (lab mouse chow) for 8 weeks while the tumors grew. Then one group continued the basal diet and another was fed a 10% flax seed diet. The flax seed reduced the tumor growth rate and reduced metastasis by 45%. Flax seed has been shown to enhance mammary gland morphogenesis or differentiation in mice. Nursing dams were fed the 10% flax seed diet (or an equivalent amount of SDG). After weaning the offspring mice were fed a regular mouse chow diet. Researchers then examined the female offspring and found an increased number of terminal end buds and terminal ducts in their mammary glands with more epithelial cell proliferation, all demonstrating that mammary gland differentiation was enhanced [75]. When these female offspring were challenged with a carcinogen to induce mammary gland tumors there were significantly lower incidence of tumors (31% and 42% lower in the flax seed and SDG groups, respectively), significantly lower tumor load (51% and 62% lower in the flax seed and SDG groups, respectively), significantly lower mean tumor size (44% and 68% lower in the flax seed and SDG groups, respectively), and significantly lower tumor number (47% and 45% lower in the flax seed and SDG groups, respectively) [76]. So, flax seed and its lignan were able to reduce tumor growth (both in number and size of tumors), prevent metastasis, and even cause increased differentiation of mouse mammary tissue in suckling mice, making the offspring less susceptible to carcinogenesis even when not consuming any flax products. Other researchers have tested flax seed and prostate cancer. In an animal model using mice, Lin et al found that a diet supplemented with 5% flax inhibited the growth and development of prostate cancer in their experimental mouse model. A pilot study of 25 men who were scheduled for prostatectomy surgery were instructed to eat a low-fat diet (20% or less of energy intake) and to supplement with 30 g of ground flaxseed per day. During the follow-up of an average of 34 days there were significant changes in serum cholesterol, total testosterone, and the free androgen index [78]. The mean proliferation index of the experimental group was significantly lower and apoptotic indexes higher compared to historical matched controls. Ground flax seed may be a very beneficial food for men battling prostate cancer. However, a meta-analysis of nine cohort and case-control studies revealed an association between flax seed oil intake or high blood levels of alpha-linolenic acid and prostate cancer risk [79]. It is quite likely that the lignans in flax seed are a major component of flax's anti-cancer effects so that flax oil without the lignans is not very beneficial. Some brands of flax seed oil retain some of the seed particulate because of the beneficial properties of the lignans. Fruits and Vegetables One of the most important messages of modern nutrition research is that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables protects against cancer. (The greatest message is that this same diet protects against almost all other diseases, too, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.) There are many mechanisms by which fruits and vegetables are protective, and an enormous body of research supports the recommendation for people to eat more fruits and vegetables. Block et al reviewed about 200 studies of cancer and fruit and vegetable intake. A statistically significant protective effect of fruits and vegetables was found in 128 of 156 studies that gave relative risks. For most cancers, people in the lower quartile (1/4 of the population) who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables had about twice the risk of cancer compared to those who in the upper quartile who ate the most fruits and vegetables. Even in lung cancer, after accounting for smoking, increasing fruits and vegetables reduces lung cancer; an additional 20 to 33 percent reduction in lung cancers is estimated [1]. Steinmetz and Potter reviewed the relationship between fruits, vegetables, and cancer in 206 human epidemiologic studies and 22 animal studies [81]. They found "the evidence for a protective effect of greater vegetable and fruit consumption is consistent for cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lung, oral cavity and pharynx, endometrium, pancreas, and colon." Vegetables, and particularly raw vegetables, were found to be protective; 85% of the studies that queried raw vegetable consumption found a protective effect. Allium vegetables, carrots, green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, and tomatoes also had a fairly consistent protective effect [81]. Allium vegetables (garlic, onion, leeks, and scallions) are particularly potent and have separately been found to be protective for stomach and colorectal cancers [82,83] and prostate cancer [84]. There are many substances that are protective in fruits and vegetables, so that the entire effect is not very likely to be due to any single nutrient or phytochemical. Steinmetz and Potter list possible protective elements: dithiolthiones, isothiocyanates, indole-32-carbinol, allium compounds, isoflavones, protease inhibitors, saponins, phytosterols, inositol hexaphosphate, vitamin C, D-limonene, lutein, folic acid, beta carotene (and other carotenoids), lycopene, selenium, vitamin E, flavonoids, and dietary fiber [81]. A joint report by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research found convincing evidence that a high fruit and vegetable diet would reduce cancers of the mouth and pharynx, esophagus, lung, stomach, and colon and rectum; evidence of probable risk reduction was found for cancers of the larynx, pancreas, breast, and bladder. Many of the recent reports from prospective population-based studies of diet and cancer have not found the same protective effects of fruits and vegetables that were reported earlier in the epidemiological and case-control studies [reviewed in [85]]. One explanation is that people's memory of what they ate in a case-cohort study may have been tainted by their disease state. Another problem might be that the food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) used to measure food intake might not be accurate enough to detect differences. Such a problem was noted in the EPIC study at the Norfolk, UK site. Using a food diary the researchers found a significant correlation between saturated fat intake and breast cancer, but using a FFQ there was no significant correlation [86]. So, inaccurate measurement of fruit and vegetable intake might be part of the explanation as well. It must be noted that upper intakes of fruits and vegetables in these studies are usually within the range of what people on an American omnivorous diet normally eat. In the Nurses Health Study the upper quintiles of fruit and vegetable intake were 4.5 and 6.2 servings/day, respectively [87]. Similarly, the upper quintiles of fruit and vegetable intake in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study were 4.3 and 5.4 serving/day for fruits and vegetables, respectively [87]. Intakes of fruits and vegetables on the Hallelujah Diet are much higher, with median reported intakes of six servings of fruits (646 g/day) and eleven servings of vegetables per day (971 g/day) [88] in addition to a green powder from the juice of barley leaves and alfalfa that is equivalent to approximately another 100 g/day of fresh dark greens. So, it is very possible that the range of intakes in the prospective population based studies do not have a wide enough intake on the upper end to detect the true possible impact of a very high intake of fruits and vegetables on cancer risk. Cruciferous Vegetables Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) contain sulforophane, which has anti-cancer properties. A case-control study in China found that intake of cruciferous vegetables, measured by urinary secretion of isothiocyanates, was inversely related to the risk of breast cancer; the quartile with the highest intake only had 50% of the risk of the lowest intake group [89]. In the Nurses' Health Study a high intake of cruciferous vegetables (5 or more servings/week vs less than two servings/week) was associated with a 33% lower risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [90]. In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study bladder cancer was only weakly associated with low intake of fruits and vegetables, but high intake (5 or more servings/week vs 1 or less servings/wk) of cruciferous vegetables was associated with a statistically significant 51% decrease in bladder cancer [91]. Also, prostate cancer risk was found to be reduced by cruciferous vegetable consumption in a population-based case-control study carried out in western Washington state. Three or more servings per week, compared to less than one serving of cruciferous vegetables per week resulted in a statistically significant 41% decrease in prostate cancer risk [92]. Similar protective effects of cruciferous vegetables were seen in a multi-ethnic case-control study [93]. A prospective study in Shanghai, China found that men with detectable amounts of isothiocyanates in their urine (metabolic products that come from cruciferous vegetables) had a 35% decreased risk of lung cancer. Among men that had one or two genetic polymorphisms that caused them to eliminate these isothiocyanates slower there was a 64% or 72% decreased risk of lung cancer, respectively [94]. Broccoli sprouts have a very high concentration of sulforophane since this compound originates in the seed and is not made in the plant as it grows [95,96]. One sprout contains all of the sulforophane that is present in a full-grown broccoli plant. So, if sulforophane is especially cancer-protective, it would seem reasonable to include some broccoli sprouts in an anti-cancer diet. Selenium Selenium is a mineral with anti-cancer properties. Many studies in the last several years have shown that selenium is a potent protective nutrient for some forms of cancer. The Arizona Cancer Center posted a selenium fact sheet listing the major functions of selenium in the body [97]. These functions are as follows: 1. Selenium is present in the active site of many enzymes, including thioredoxin reductase, which catalyze oxidation-reduction reactions. These reactions may encourage cancerous cells to under apoptosis. 2. Selenium is a component of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase. 3. Selenium improved the immune systems' ability to respond to infections. 4. Selenium causes the formation of natural killer cells. 5. P450 enzymes in the liver may be induced by selenium, leading to detoxification of some carcinogenic molecules. 6. Selenium inhibits prostaglandins that cause inflammation. 7. Selenium enhances male fertility by increased sperm motility. 8. Selenium can decrease the rate of tumor growth. A serendipitous randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of a 200 μg/day selenium supplement in the southeastern region of the USA (where soil selenium levels are low) found that the primary endpoints of skin cancer were not improved by the selenium supplement, but that other cancer incidence rates were decreased by selenium [98,99]. There was a significant reduction in total cancer incidence (105 vs 137 cases, P = 0.03), prostate cancer (22 vs 42 cases, P = 0.005), a marginally significant reduction in colorectal cancer incidence (9 vs 19 cases, P = 0.057), and a reduction in cancer mortality, all cancer sites (40 vs 66 deaths, P = 0.008) (selenium versus control group cases reported, respectively) [98]. The selenium supplement was most effective in ex-smokers and for those who began the study with the lowest levels of serum selenium. Several prospective studies have also examined the role of selenium in cancer prevention, particularly for prostate cancer, summarized in Table 2. Overall, it appears that poor selenium levels, especially for men, are a cancer risk. If a person has low selenium levels and other antioxidant defenses are also low the cancer risk is increased even further. Women do not appear to be as sensitive to selenium, as breast cancer has not been found to be influenced by selenium status in several studies [100-104], although both men and women were found to be protected by higher levels of selenium from colon cancer [100] and lung cancer [105,106]. Good vegetarian sources of selenium are whole grains and legumes grown in selenium-rich soil in the western United States, brazil nuts (by far the most dense source of selenium), nutritional yeast, brewers yeast, and sunflower seeds. Chlorophyll All green plants also contain chlorophyll, the light-collecting molecule. Chlorophyll and its derivatives are very effective at binding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (carcinogens largely from incomplete combustion of fuels), heterocyclic amines (generated when grilling foods), aflatoxin (a toxin from molds in foods which causes liver cancer), and other hydrophobic molecules. The chlorophyll-carcinogen complex is much harder for the body to absorb, so most of it is swept out with the feces. The chemoprotective effect of chlorophyll and its derivatives has been tested in laboratory cell cultures and animals [107,108]. There is so much compelling evidence for anti-carcinogenic effects of chlorophyll that a prospective randomized controlled trial is being conducted in Qidong, China to see if chlorophyllin can reduce the amount of liver cancer cases, which arise from aflatoxin exposure in their foods (corn, peanuts, soy sauce, and fermented soy beans). A 55% reduction in aflatoxin-DNA adducts were found in the group that took 100 mg of chlorophyllin three times a day [109]. It was supposed that the chlorophyllin bound up aflatoxins, but there were chlorophyllin derivatives also detected in the sera (which had a green tint to it) of the volunteers who took the supplement, indicating a possible role in the body besides binding carcinogens in the gut [110]. Protective Vitamins Vitamin B-12 Vitamin B-12 has not been proven to be an anti-cancer agent, but there is some evidence indicating that it could be beneficial. The form of administered vitamin B-12 may be important. Some experimental cancer studies have been carried out with various forms of vitamin B-12. Methylcobalamin inhibited tumor growth of SC-3 injected into mice [111], and caused SC-3 mouse mammary tumor cells to undergo apoptosis, even when stimulated to grow by the presence of growth-inducing androgen [112]. Methylcobalamin, but not cyanocobalamin, increased the survival time of mice bearing implanted leukemia tumor cells [113]. 5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin, but not cyanocobalamin, were shown to be effective cytotoxic agents [114]. Methylcobalamin also was able to increase survival time and reduce tumor growth in laboratory mice [115]. Laboratory mechanistic evidence for the effects of vitamin B12 were seen in a laboratory study with vitamin B-12 deficient rats. Choi et al [116] found that the colonic DNA of the B-12 deficient rats had a 35% decrease in genomic methylation and a 105% increase in uracil incorporation, both changes that could increase risk of carcinogenesis. In two prospective studies (one in Washington Country, Maryland and the Nurses' Health Study) a relation between lower vitamin B12 status (but not deficiency) and statistically significant higher risk of breast cancer was found [117,118]. So, there is evidence from laboratory studies, prospective cohort studies, and mechanistic studies showing that vitamin B-12 is an important nutrient for genetic stability, DNA repair, carcinogenesis, and cancer therapy. Folic Acid Folic acid is the dark green leafy vegetable vitamin. It has an integral role in DNA methylation and DNA synthesis. Folic acid works in conjunction with vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12 in the single carbon methyl cycle. If insufficient folic acid is not available uracil is substituted for thymidine in DNA, which leads to DNA strand breakage. About 10% of the US population (and higher percentages among the poor) has low enough intakes of folic acid to make this a common problem [119]. As shown in Tables 3 and 4, many studies have found a significant reduction in colon, rectal, and breast cancer with higher intakes of folic acid and their related nutrients (vitamin B-6 and B-12). Alcohol is an antagonist of folate, so that drinking alcoholic beverages greatly magnifies the cancer risk of a low-folate diet. Genetic polymorphisms (common single DNA base mutations resulting in a different amino acid encoded into a protein) in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and the methionine synthase genes which increase the relative amount of folate available for DNA synthesis and repair also reduces the risk of colon cancer [120-123]. Cravo et al [124] used 5 mg of folic acid a day (a supraphysiological dose) in a prospective, controlled, cross-over study of 20 patients with colonic adenoma polyps. They found that the folic acid could reverse DNA hypomethylation in 7 of 12 patients who had only one polyp. Folate may be more important for rapidly dividing tissue, like the colonic mucosa. Therefore, the cancer risk associated with low folate intake is probably higher for colon cancer than for breast cancer. Most of the breast cancer studies only found a protective effect of folate among women who consumed alcohol (see Table 4). However, among women residents of Shanghai who consumed no alcohol, no vitamin supplements and ate unprocessed, unfortified foods there was a 29% decreased risk of breast cancer among those with the highest intake of folate [125]. So, there may be a true protective effect that is masked in the western populations by so many other risk factors. Two studies showed that the risk of cancer due to family history can be modified by high folate intake, so a prudent anti-cancer diet would be high in dark green leafy vegetables. The mean intake of folic acid on the Hallelujah Diet was 594 μg/day for men and 487 μg/day for women [88]. Vitamin D Vitamin D is produced primarily from the exposure of the skin to sunshine. Even casual exposure of the face, hands, and arms in the summer generates a large amount of vitamin D. In fact, simulated sunshine, equivalent to standing on a sunny beach until a slight pinkness of the skin was detected, was equivalent to a 20,000 IU oral dose of vitamin D2 [126]. (Note that the RDA is 400 IU for most adults.) It has been estimated that 1,000 IU per day is the minimal amount needed to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D in the absence of sunshine [126], and that up to 4,000 IU per day can be safely used with additional benefit [127]. The concentration of the active hormonal form of vitamin D is tightly regulated in the blood by the kidneys. This active hormonal form of vitamin D has the potent anti-cancer properties. It has been discovered that various types of normal and cancerous tissues, including prostate cells [128], colon tissue [129], breast, ovarian and cervical tissue [130], pancreatic tissue [131] and a lung cancer cell line [132] all have the ability to convert the major circulating form of vitamin D, 25(OH)D, into the active hormonal form, 1,25(OH)2D. So, there is a local mechanism in many tissues of the body for converting the form of vitamin D in the body that is elevated by sunshine exposure into a hormone that has anticancer activity. Indeed, 25(OH)D has been shown to inhibit growth of colonic epithelial cells [133], primary prostatic epithelial cells [134], and pancreatic cells [131]. So, the laboratory work is confirming what had been seen some time ago in ecological studies of populations and sunshine exposure. The mortality rates for colon, breast, and ovary cancer in the USA show a marked north-south gradient [135]. In ecological studies of populations and sunlight exposure (no individual data) sunlight has been found to have a protective effect for prostate cancer [136], ovarian cancer [137], and breast cancer [138]. Recently Grant found that sunlight was also protective for bladder, endometrial, renal cancer, multiple myeloma, and Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in Europe [139] and bladder, esophageal, kidney, lung, pancreatic, rectal, stomach, and corpus uteri cancer in the USA [140]. Several prospective studies of vitamin D and cancer have also shown a protective effect of vitamin D (see Table 5). It could be that sunshine and vitamin D are protective factors for cancers of many organs that can convert 25(OH)D into 1,25(OH)D2. Antioxidants α- and β-Carotene and other Carotenoids Carotenoids have been studied vigorously to see if these colorful compounds can decrease cancer risk. In ecological studies and early case-control studies it appeared that β-carotene was a cancer-protective agent. Randomized controlled trials of β-carotene found that the isolated nutrient was either neutral [141] or actually increased risk of lung cancer in smokers [142,143]. Beta-carotene may be a marker for intake of fruits and vegetables, but it does not have a powerful protective effect in isolated pharmacological doses. However, there is a large body of literature that indicates that dietary carotenoids are cancer preventative (See Table 6). Alpha-carotene has been found to be a stronger protective agent than its well-known isomer β-carotene. Studies tend to agree that overall intake of carotenoids is more protective than a high intake of a single carotenoid. So, a variety of fruits and vegetables is still a better anti-cancer strategy than just using a single vegetable high in a specific carotenoid. The richest source of α-carotene is carrots and carrot juice, with pumpkins and winter squash as a second most-dense source. There is approximately one μg of α-carotene for every two μg of β-carotene in carrots. The most common sources of β-cryptoxanthin are citrus fruits and red sweet peppers. Lycopene Of the various carotenoids lycopene has been found to be very protective, particularly for prostate cancer. The major dietary source of lycopene is tomatoes, with the lycopene in cooked tomatoes being more bioavailable than that in raw tomatoes. Several prospective cohort studies have found associations between high intake of lycopene and reduced incidence of prostate cancer, though not all studies have produced consistent results [144,145]. Some studies suffer from a lack of good correlation between lycopene intake assessed by questionnaire and actual serum levels, and other studies measured intakes among a population that consumed very few tomato products. The studies with positive results will be reviewed here. In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study there was a 21% decrease in prostate cancer risk, comparing the highest quintile of lycopene intake with the lowest quintile. Combined intake of tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, and pizza (which accounted for 82% of the lycopene intake) were associated with a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer. Furthermore, lycopene was even more protective for advanced stages of prostate cancer, with a 53% decrease in risk [146]. A more recent follow-up report on this same cohort of men confirmed these original findings that lycopene or frequent tomato intake is associated with about a 30–40% decrease in risk of prostate cancer, especially advanced prostate cancer [147]. In addition to the two reports above a nested case control study from the Health Professional Follow-up Study with 450 cases and controls found an inverse relation between plasma lycopene and prostate cancer risk (OR 0.48) among older subjects (>65 years of age) without a family history of prostate cancer [148]. Among younger men high plasma β-carotene was associated with a statistically significant 64% decrease in prostate cancer risk. So, the results for lycopene have been found for dietary intakes as well as plasma levels. In a nested case-control study from the Physicians' Health Study cohort, a placebo-controlled study of aspirin and β-carotene, there was a 60% reduction in advanced prostate cancer risk (P-trend = 0.006) for those subjects in the placebo group with the highest plasma lycopene levels, compared to the lowest quintile. The β-carotene also had a protective effect, especially for those men with low lycopene levels [149]. In addition to these observational studies, two clinical trials have been conducted to supplement lycopene for a short period before radical prostatectomy. In one study 30 mg/day of lycopene were given to 15 men in the intervention group while the 11 men were in the control group were instructed to follow the National Cancer Institute's recommendations to consume at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Results showed that the lycopene slowed the growth of prostate cancer. Prostate tissue lycopene concentration was 47% higher in the intervention group. Subjects that took the lycopene for 3 weeks had smaller tumors, less involvement of the surgical margins, and less diffuse involvement of the prostate by pre-cancerous high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia [150]. In another study before radical prostatectomy surgery 32 men were given a tomato sauce-based pasta dish every day, which supplied 30 mg of lycopene per day. After 3 weeks serum and prostate lycopene levels increaed 2-fold and 2.9-fold, respectively. PSA levels decreased 17%, as seen also by Kucuk et al [150]. Oxidative DNA damage was 21% lower in subjects' leukocytes and 28% lower in prostate tissue, compared to non-study controls. The apoptotic index was 3-fold higher in the resected prostate tissue, compared to biopsy tissue [151]. These intervention studies raise the question of what could have been done in this intervention was longer and combined synergistically with other effective intervention methods, such as flax seed, increased selenium and possibly vitamin E, in the context of a diet high in fruits and vegetable? Vitamin C Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, has been studied in relation to health and is the most common supplement taken in the USA. Low blood levels of ascorbic acid are detrimental to health (for a recent article see Fletcher et al [152]) and vitamin C is correlated with overall good health and cancer prevention [153]. Use of vitamin C for cancer therapy was popularized by Linus Pauling. At high concentrations ascorbate is preferentially toxic to cancer cells. There is some evidence that large doses of vitamin C, either in multiple divided oral doses or intravenously, have beneficial effects in cancer therapy [154-156]. Oral doses, even in multiple divided doses, are not as effective as intravenous administration. Vitamin C at a dose of 1.25 g administered orally produced mean peak plasma concentrations of 135 ± 21 μmol/L compared with 885 ± 201 μmol/L for intravenous administration [154]. While vitamin C is quite possibly an effective substance, the amounts required for these therapeutic effects are obviously beyond dietary intakes. However, intravenous ascorbate may be a very beneficial adjuvant therapy for cancer with no negative side effects when administered properly. Other Antioxidants There are many more substances that will have some benefit for cancer therapy. Most of these substances are found in foods, but their effective doses for therapy are much higher than the normal concentration in the food. For example, grape seed extract contains proanthocyanidin, which shows anticarcinogenic properties (reviewed by Cos et al \ [157]. Also, green tea contains a flavanol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which can inhibit metalloproteinases, among several possible other mechanisms [158]. And there are claims for various other herbal substances and extracts that might be of benefit, which are beyond the scope of this review. Probiotics The bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract generally have a symbiotic relationship with their host. Beneficial bacteria produce natural antibiotics to keep pathogenic bugs in check (preventing diarrhea and infections) and produce some B vitamins in the small intestine where they can be utilized. Beneficial bacteria help with food digestion by providing extra enzymes, such as lactase, in the small intestine. Beneficial bacteria help strengthen the immune system right in the gut where much of the interaction between the outside world and the body goes on. Beneficial bacteria can help prevent food allergies. They can help prevent cancer at various stages of development. These good bacteria can improve mineral absorption, maximizing food utilization. However, the balance of beneficial and potentially pathogenic bacteria in the gut is dependent on the diet. Vegetable fiber encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria. A group of Adventist vegetarians was found to have a higher amount of beneficial bacteria and lower amount of potentially pathogenic bacteria compared to non-vegetarians on a conventional American diet [159]. Differences in bacterial populations were seen between patients who recently had a colon polyp removed, Japanese-Hawaiians, North American Caucasians, native rural Japanese, and rural native Africans. Lactobacillus species and Eubacterium aerofaciens, both producers of lactic acid, were associated with the populations with the lower risk of colon cancer, while Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium species were associated with higher risk of colon cancer. There is a solid theoretical basis for why probiotics should help prevent cancer, especially colon cancer, and even reverse cancer. Probiotics produce short chain fatty acids in the colon, which acidify the environment. Lower colon pH is associated with lower incidence of colon cancer. Probiotic bacteria reduce the level of procarcinogenic enzymes such as beta-glucuronidase, nitroreductase, and azoreductase. L. casei was used in two trials of patients with superficial bladder cancer. In the first trial, the probiotic group had a 50% disease free time of 350 days, compared to 195 days for the control group. The second trial also showed that the probiotics worked better than the placebo, except for multiple recurring tumors. Except for the two studies noted above, most of the research of probiotics and cancer has been done in animals. Studies have looked at markers of tumor growth or at animals with chemically induced tumors. Studies in rats have shown that probiotics can inhibit the formation of aberrant crypt foci, thought to be a pre-cancerous lesion in the colon. Some of the best results were obtained with a probiotic strain consumed with inulin, a type of fructooligosaccharide. Total aberrant crypt foci, chemically induced, were reduced 74% by the treatment of rats with inulin and B. longum, but only 29 and 21% by B. longum and inulin alone, respectively [164]. There was a synergistic effect in using both products together. Similar synergy was seen in rats with azoxymethane-induced colon cancer in another study. Rats fed Raftilose, a mixture of inulin and oligofructose, or Raftilose with Lactobacilli rhamnosus (LGG) and Bifidobacterium lactis (Bb12) had a significantly lower number of tumors compared to the control group [165]. A probiotic mixture, without any prebiotic, given to rats fed azoxymethane reduced colon tumors compared to the control (50% vs 90%), and also reduced the number of tumors per tumor-bearing rat [166]. In lab mice bred to be susceptible to colitis and colon cancer, a probiotic supplement, Lactobacillus salivarium ssp. Salivarius UCC118, reduced fecal coliform levels, the number of potentially pathogenic Clostridium perfringens, and reduced intestinal inflammation. In this small study two mice died of fulminant colitis and 5 mice developed adenocarcinoma in the control group of 10 mice, while there was no colitis and only 1 mouse with adenocarcinoma in the probiotic test group [167]. The research on probiotics and disease is still an emerging field. There is a high degree of variation of health benefits between different strains of bacteria. As new methods for selecting and screening probiotics become available, the field will be able to advance more rapidly. Whole Diet Studies A diet-based cancer therapy, the Gerson Therapy, was used to treat melanoma cancer. The five-year survival rates from their therapy compared very favorably to conventional therapy reported in the medical literature, especially for more advanced stages of melanoma. An Italian cohort of 8,984 women was followed for an average of 9.5 years, with 207 incident cases of breast cancer during that time. Their diets were analyzed by patterns – salad vegetables (raw vegetables and olive oil), western (potatoes, red meat, eggs and butter), canteen (pasta and tomato sauce), and prudent (cooked vegetables, pulses, and fish). Only the salad vegetable diet pattern was associated with a significantly lower risk of breast cancer, about 35% lower. For women of normal weight (BMI <25) the salad vegetable pattern was even more protective, about a 61% decreased risk of breast cancer [180]. The overall dietary pattern does make a very significant difference. In US-based studies the "prudent" diet has been shown to be protective for colon cancer, while the "western" diet has been shown to be detrimental. The "western" dietary pattern, with its higher intakes of red meat and processed meats, sweets and desserts, French fries, and refined grains, was associated with a 46% increase relative risk of colon cancer in the Nurses' Health Study [45]. Slattery et al [17] found a two-fold increase in relative risk of colon cancer associated with a "western" dietary pattern, and a 35–40% decrease in relative risk associated with the "prudent" pattern, especially among those diagnosed at an earlier age (<67 years old). The "salad vegetable" pattern is still more likely to be protective compared to the prudent dietary pattern, but this pattern did not exist in this study population. In an analysis of the colon cancer data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Platz et al [56] found that there was a 71% decrease in colon cancer risk when men with none of six established risk factors were compared to men with at least one of these risk factors (obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, early adulthood cigarette smoking, red meat consumption, and low intake of folic acid from supplements). So, if all men had the same health profile as these healthier 3% of the study population, colon cancer rates would have been only 29% of what they measured. A plant-based dietary pattern in being currently tested in the Women's healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Study. About 3,000 women who were treated for an early stage of breast cancer have been randomized into two groups. The dietary goals for the test group of the study are 5 servings of vegetables, 16 oz of vegetable juice, 3 servings of fruit, 30 g of fiber, and <20% of energy from fat. No guidelines were given for animal product intake, and initial results seem to confirm, since there were no changes in body weight, total cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol [181], which would be affected by animal protein intake. However, over the first year of follow-up vegetable intake did increase to seven servings/day, fruit intake increased to 3.9 servings/day, energy from fat decreased from 28% to 23%. Also, plasma carotenoid concentrations increased significantly in the intervention group, but not in the control group. α-Carotene increased 223%, β-carotene increased 87%, lutein increase 29%, and lycopene increased 17% [182], indicating that a substantial dietary change had been made by these women. It will be very interesting to follow the results of this study. What is the result when all of these things are put together? What if all of these factors reviewed here were taken into account and put into practice? This anticancer diet would have: • adequate, but not excessive calories, • 10 or more servings of vegetables a day, including cruciferous and allium vegetables; vegetable juice could meet part of this goal, • 4 or more servings of fruits a day, • high in fiber, • no refined sugar, • no refined flour, • low in total fat, but containing necessary essential fatty acids, • no red meat, • a balanced ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 fats and would include DHA, • flax seed as a source of phytoestrogens, • supplemented with ~200 μg/day selenium, • supplemented with 1,000 μg/day methylcobalamin (B-12), • very rich in folic acid (from dark green vegetables), • adequate sunshine to get vitamin D, or use 1,000 IU/day supplement, • very rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables, including α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, vitamin C (from foods), vitamin E (from foods), • very rich in chlorophyll, • supplemented with beneficial probiotics, • supplemented with oral enzymes As reviewed above, reductions of 60 percent in breast cancer rates have already been seen in human diet studies, and a 71 percent reduction in colon cancer for men without the known modifiable risk factors. These reductions are without taking into account many of the other factors considered in this review, such as markedly increased fruit and vegetable intake, balanced omega 3 and 6 fats, vitamin D, reduced sugar intake, probiotics, and enzymes – factors which all are likely to have an impact on cancer. Certainly cancer prevention would be possible, and cancer reversal in some cases is quite likely."


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qs reports tax depreciation: quantity surveyor
QS Reports | Tax Depreciation | Quantity Surveyors
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Scores of property investors are sitting on a relative gold mine that they know nothing about and are missing out on thousands of dollars of extra income each year. Read the whole article.
Statistics from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) suggest that only 30 per cent of property investors claim depreciation for the available capital works deductions, and 19 per cent claim the depreciation of plant and equipment assets.
More: sourceable.net
Regarding share investments, investors would need to study net present value (NPV) or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation. Property seems simpler. Saving money on tax depreciation is simple.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A Greater Purpose
April 24, 2005 | Katy Hillenmeyer | Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Years before trading his job in sales for the seminary, Rabbi George Gittleman learned about forging unlikely alliances on the soccer field.
One of 100 students at an Episcopalian high school in Louisville, Ky., Gittleman played on a team that could compete against larger schools in a boys' league only by rounding out its roster with girls.
"The only way we were able to survive and even thrive was we really cared for each other," recalled Gittleman, 42, a former team captain and all-state athlete.
"We won games because we stood together."
The spiritual leader of Sonoma County's largest synagogue, Gittleman likens his congregation's move out of shared quarters with a Methodist church into a $6 million synagogue to challenges his soccer team faced.
"At Congregation Shomrei Torah, we're a band of hard-working, hardy-hearted folk," the Santa Rosa rabbi said. "But the task is great: Owning a home is hard enough in Sonoma County, let alone trying to build a synagogue."
The Gittlemans and Shomrei Torah's 375 families — including many who will gather tonight for a Passover Seder — are taking out second mortgages, dipping into retirement reserves and deferring college savings to fund their new sanctuary in the Bennett Valley hills.
Meanwhile, Gittleman continues the outreach that has seen his congregation flower from 150 families when he took the pulpit in 1996 — fostering friendships with unaffiliated and conservative Jews, Muslims, Christians, and social activists whose concern for the homeless, hungry and the environment he shares.
"If you've met him for any length of time, you're drawn to him as a friend," said the Rev. Dale Flowers, whose First Presbyterian Church hosted an interfaith panel including Gittleman this month. "It's not about him building his own little kingdom: He's much more interested in serving the greater purpose."
Seeds of faith-sharing
That interfaith spirit is kindled daily at the Yulupa Avenue home that Christ Church United Methodist has shared with Congregation Shomrei Torah for 31 years.
Together, the two congregations are building a food pantry to help combat hunger, the latest step in their shared mission of social action.
Gittleman is affectionately known as the "rabbi of the church," a blending of religious cultures that echoes his upbringing at Louisville's St. Francis School.
Born in Chicago, Gittleman moved to Kentucky as a toddler after his mother divorced and then married David Gittleman, son of a conservative rabbi.
"I don't think you can grow up Jewish in the South without having some ecumenical tendencies — without necessarily becoming tolerant of diversity, particularly on religious grounds," said Gittleman's college mentor, historian Marshall True.
Gittleman fondly remembers Rabbi J.J. Gittleman, the grandfather who died when he was 6. But growing up a rabbi's son "had been oppressive" to George's adoptive father, and the elder rabbi's death hastened the family's flight from regular religious observance.
Later drawn to the University of Vermont by the mountains, skiing, soccer and the liberal arts, Gittleman took a junior-year semester break to study in Tel Aviv.
"It wasn't a religious experience," Gittleman said, "but it really woke me up to the fact that I was Jewish and I cared about it."
True, a retired Vermont professor, recalled Gittleman's early uncertainty about his life's calling.
"He didn't know what he was going to be, but he knew who he was," True said. "There was some central core of identity in George that was rare for an 18-year-old kid."
That composure would later help secure his first rabbinical post at Shomrei Torah. But by college graduation, ministry was not yet a blip on Gittleman's radar.
A former horseman and woodcutter accustomed to physical labor, Gittleman initially returned to Louisville as an arborist. When back trouble forced him out of the trees, he headed cross-country in a rusted-out Subaru wagon to live in San Francisco, where he made weekend rock climbing with friends at Yosemite and Lake Tahoe his religion.
Grounded in 1986 by a near-fatal rock-climbing fall, Gittleman sought community elsewhere — and became increasingly involved with a conservative San Francisco synagogue.
Though not enamored of all aspects of temple life, "overall it spoke to me," Gittleman remembered. "It filled a need I didn't even know that much about."
Unversed in Hebrew and daunted by a five-year seminary commitment, Gittleman got the push toward rabbinical studies he needed after meeting his future wife, Laura Collins, at a party about 15 years ago.
Well-read, bright and beautiful, "with a quiet kind of strength," Collins hooked Gittleman immediately, he said, though at the time she wasn't Jewish.
Collins converted to Judaism in Jerusalem, where Gittleman spent his first year in rabbinical school, and the couple married in Bolinas in 1992. Ordained in 1996, he sought a head rabbi's role and a place to revel in nature and recreation, and Shomrei Torah's members found their first full-time rabbi.
Into the synagogue
The father of infant twins, Gittleman inherited the Reform synagogue's helm from Michael Robinson, a seasoned rabbi who had guided the once-faltering congregation. Membership waned after a 1984 fire gutted the sanctuary that Shomrei Torah leased. But Robinson — jailed in the South for protesting racial segregation in the 1960s and an organizer of Santa Rosa sleep-ins for the homeless during the 1990s — rebuilt membership from a core of 40 families.
The synagogue's name tag button board, a custom borrowed from the Methodist church, reflects the array Shomrei Torah has embraced. Lined up alphabetically inside the doors, the buttons belong to intermarried spouses, gays and lesbians, retirees, converts, returning Jews and young students of the religious school the congregation opened in 1998.
"There's such a wide spectrum of Jewish belief and behavior, and George can address that whole spectrum," said congregation President Melissa Kort, citing both his reverence for tradition and his willingness to break from it.
Following the 1999 Sacramento synagogue bombings, Gittleman and Gayle Pickrell, pastor of Christ Church United, helped organize a local hate-free initiative. He has defended same-sex marriage; fought for affordable housing for seniors, farmworkers and people with disabilities; prayed at the local mosque; and initiated interfaith dialogue about touchy issues.
"People are entrenched in what they believe and don't always want to see the other side," said Said Mansour, president of the Islamic Society of Santa Rosa. "He approaches us with an open mind."
When delegates at last summer's national meeting of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. began mulling divestment in companies doing business in Israel, Gittleman called on Presbyterian friends to help him raise awareness of Jews' perspective on divestment — and on a West Bank security barrier that the Presbyterian assembly also condemned.
Jews and some Presbyterians have denounced the resolutions as one-sided, and Gittleman found many local Presbyterians receptive to his concerns.
"Interfaith conversations can get very fuzzy," said Roger Hull, a retired Presbyterian minister from Windsor and frequent fly-fishing companion of Gittleman's. "George brings to them a real sense of clarity and understanding."
Three years ago, Shomrei Torah began including non-Jewish victims of genocide — including Cambodians, American Indians and Armenians — in its annual Holocaust memorial service.
"This was George's brainchild," recalled Dianne Smith, past president at Shomrei Torah. "… And he took some flack for it within the Jewish community."
The rabbi once displayed a rainbow bumper sticker on his car to show solidarity with gays and lesbians, but peeled it off after periodic harassment escalated into a knife threat. Last weekend, a vandal painted swastikas on the sign marking Shomrei Torah's new synagogue site.
"He's been rebuffed," said Stephen Harper, chairman of Shomrei Torah's social action committee. "It's given him more resolve that he needs to repair this broken community."
Time of trial
During the first half of his Santa Rosa tenure, Gittleman maintained a burnout pace, working 80 hours a week.
Thanks to longtime child care provider Mary Ann Carvalho and an "army" of baby sitters, the Gittlemans managed the growing demands of George's ministry and Laura's nursing career. But the death of his brother Willie from cancer short-circuited that treadmill in 2001.
"In mourning, I couldn't cope with the life I'd created for myself," Gittleman recalled. "After my brother died, I tried to adjust to a more sane schedule."
Revealing such vulnerabilities in his ministry, Gittleman has become more sought after in times of trial.
"At times he'll even get emotional about somebody's troubles," said Mendel Wolvovsky, a Chabad rabbi who studies Hasidic philosophy with Gittleman. "His primary focus is really caring for the entire community."
The widely broadcast terrorist attacks of 9/11 marked a rare and short-lived disconnect between a distressed congregation and Gittleman, whose family shuns television.
"At first I really missed the gravity of the experience, because I wasn't watching the Twin Towers fall over and over again," Gittleman recalled. "But sometimes there's a benefit to having the spiritual leader removed slightly from common culture."
A lover of books admired for his spirituality, Gittleman nevertheless defies the pastor-on-a-pedestal mold.
When Gittleman teleconferences each Monday with rabbis in Israel through a Shalom Hartman Institute fellowship, his dog, Sarah, often accompanies him in his office.
He decompresses with hot-tub soaks with neighbors, or a pinch of whiskey or dark chocolate.
His 9-year-old twins, Sophie and Levi, are busy with horseback riding, piano lessons, soccer and baseball — a juggling act complicated by the Gittlemans' sabbath observance from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
"To be Jewish is to swim upstream in terms of the times and seasons of the year," Gittleman acknowledged. "We're always trying to strike a balance between the non-Jewish world and a religious life of integrity."
As Jews prepared to celebrate the Passover this weekend, Gittleman challenged his congregation not only to rid their homes of traces of leavened bread, but to cleanse their lives of meaningless, "puffed-up stuff without any substance."
"If you want to get out of your Egypt, you have to tell the truth," he said, recalling Jewish ancestors' exodus from Egypt and the biblical parting of the Red Sea.
"The vain, the empty in our lives is quite alluring," Gittleman cautioned. "It turns out that being free is demanding work."


text: I recently went to Grand Canyon for the very first time. It was the first time that I saw nature's beauty at a "grand" scale, and I am not talking about only the Grand Canyon, but also the winter weather that puts on a spectacular show in the desert. The sky becomes heavy with clouds, shaped into beautiful formations, the clouds get painted by the setting sun into beautiful works of art, extremely colorful and unique, a delight for the spectators. Below is a photograph that I just saw on the internet. It captures a little bit of what I have tried to describe above. The after-photo tries to do justice to what I saw in Grand Canyon myself.


text:
Rough House Picture
Movie Production Company
Summer Internship
Summer Internship
Minor: Film and Digital Media
My name is Ashton Bray and I am a senior at Baylor University. I'm interested in an internship opportunity with Baylor Athletic Media Relations for the spring semester of 2013. I am a Journalism/Public Relations major with a minor in Film and Digital Media.
This spring I will be taking an Advanced Public Relations class that requires an internship during the semester. With my love and interest for Baylor Athletics and my experience in media studies thus far, I feel an internship with you would be an amazing opportunity and learning experience for the career I would like to pursue after graduation.If there are any available internships for the spring 2013 semester, I would love an opportunity to work with you. I believe my experience, enthusiasm and determination will be a positive asset for the Baylor Athletic Media Relations program.


text:
Making a Killing off a Murderer: An Analysis of the Crime and Documentary - Part Three
While not all criminals are psychopaths and not all psychopaths are criminals, certainly a good portion of criminals have personality disorders and a good portion of psychopaths commit crimes of one sort or another. But, first I want to talk about what crime is.
A crime is something that society has deemed illegal, as something you should not do because it is harmful to others or the community. Drug use is often included as a crime because it is believed to not only harm the individual, but to bring blight and crime to the neighborhood, but let's put drug use aside and talk about other crimes; drug dealing, burglary, robbery, fraud, arson, rape, and murder. These are crimes that when an individual commits such acts he has done so in a premeditated fashion, knew he was going to break the law, knew he was going to cause harm to another person, and, yet, went ahead and committed the act anyway. There are only two reasons for stepping over that line: desperation (benefit triumphs harm) and selfish desire for power and control (what I want is more important than your rights; my ego needs to fed). Desperation might be something like stealing food to feed your child or committing a theft to pay for medicine for your very ill wife. You know it is wrong but you believe committing the crime is the only way to save a life and the harm it does is minimal in comparison. A person who commits this kind of crime may not be a bad guy or have a personality disorder; he just can't think of any other way to deal with a bad situation. Sometimes a drug dealer could fit in this category if he cannot find a way to earn legitimate money and he lives in a houseful of starving siblings. If he shows up on the corner with a lot of bling and is driving a BMW, probably he is not dealing out of desperation.
And most crime is not committed out of desperation. It is committed out of selfishness. I am more important than you and I will get mine. Even shoplifting is an act of selfishness; thrill seeking or a ha-ha to big business or desiring instant gratification rather than working to earn money to then purchase what you want. When shoplifting isn't about stealing food for your family, it is about selfishness. The reason criminals are so often repeat offenders is because they LIKE committing crime. Since the majority aren't committing crimes out of desperation, they are doing it because it make them feel good, it makes them happy. And since they don't care too much that they are harming others, there is no reason for them to stop unless they feel the punishment isn't worth it. If they don't get caught or don't mind the time in jail, they will repeat offend until the punishment is severe enough to keep them off the streets forever or until they get tired of incarceration or until they become physically unable to commit crime.
So by the time you get to repeat offenders - especially violent repeat offenders - you are usually looking at psychopathy or another serious personality disorder. Serial rapists and serial killers are always psychopaths...you just can't commit that kind of heinous premeditated crime without being a psychopath.
Steven Avery, as I pointed out in the previous post, has all the traits of a psychopath. He has all the traits of a serial killer. His claims about desiring a quiet life with a good woman is a lie; he would find that boring; he needs to have a much higher level of power and control and excitement. The police were well aware of his criminal capabilities which is why he was on their radar. When the sexual assault was committed on the beach and the woman gave a description that matched Avery, it is no surprise they thought it was him.
The mistake the police made was immediately thinking it must be that guy: there is often not a shortage of violent sexual offenders in the radius of any town or city. Attacking a female jogger is a very common crime for a rapist or serial killer. In fact, the majority of serial sexual crimes involving strangers are just this sort; few actually involve kidnapping and imprisonment and torture. Hollywood tends to make people think all serial killers are deranged geniuses who plot intricate crimes but this is simply not true. Most serial killers just see an opportunity (read: woman walking or jogging alone) and jump out and brutalize her. Consequently, there isn't much that looks different from one of these crimes to the next. There is no "signature," some calling card that would point to a specific guy. Pretty much any violent sexual offender could have done the crime, so you need physical, circumstantial, or witness evidence to link him to the crime. Unfortunately, the police just went with a witness ID from the victim and used this to put Avery away. It was unfortunate for Avery that he looked enough like the guy who really did the crime to be misidentified. Since there was DNA left in the crime, if it happened today, Avery would not have been charged, but at that time, DNA was not so advanced. However, even today, the right guy might not have been charged either because the police might have no clue who he is; they might just have to put his DNA into the CODIS system and hope he was previously a felon and get a lucky hit.
Now, to the Halbach crime. I am not going to detail all of what makes Avery guilty. If you want to examine each issue in depth, here is a fabulous analysis of each and every segment of "Making a Murderer" by a non-profiler - broadcaster Dan O' Donnell.
What I want to do here is just point out the basic profiling and crime analysis issues relating to the Halbach crime.
1) Where victim's body is found
The body was found on Avery's property. This is why the police went to Avery and talked to him. He wasn't targeted. You have the corpse of a murdered individual on your property; you are going to become a person of interest.
2) Where the victims' vehicle is found.
That was on Avery's property as well. Again, police are not targeting Avery. They are doing their job which is to investigate where the vehicle was found and who could have put the vehicle at that location. Since it was hidden on Avery's property, he is going to become a person of interest.
3) The last place the victim was seen
That was on Avery's property. Anyone who lives on the Avery property is going to become a person of interest; this includes Steven Avery
4) The last person to have contact with the victim
That would be Steven Avery. The police are obviously going to investigate the last person who was in contact with the victim or was with the victim.
5) Where physical evidence of the crime exists
That would be in the Avery fire pit, in the Avery burn barrel, in Steven Avery's house, and in the victim's car on Avery's property. All the physical evidence implicates Steven Avery (his DNA in the car), the victim's body parts, DNA, and personal items in the firepit and barrel, and the key and his DNA in his house.
6) Witnesses
The only people that claim to have seen Teresa Halbach right before or after her disappearance are Bobby and Brendan Dassey. Bobby Dassey states he say Halbach photographing a car and then heading toward Steven Avery's house. Brendan Dassey states he saw Halbach tied up in Steven Avery's house, saw Steven Avery kill her and saw Steven Avery burn her. There are no witnesses saying they saw Teresa Halbach anywhere else or with anyone else.
So, it comes down to this. Overwhelming evidence that Steven Avery is guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach. Unless he was framed.
Framing Steven Avery would require:
Someone knowing or getting lucky that Halbach was coming out to Avery property that day.
Someone getting lucky that there are two witnesses to say she was with or near Steven Avery that day
Someone getting lucky that a witness can describe the crime in detail so that most of it matches the evidence
Someone has to kill Halbach for some reason and burn her body on the property right under the nose of Steven Avery (or bring her burned body parts (this did not happen) to the property and mix them in with the stuff Steven Avery had already burned.
Someone had to hide the victim's car on the Avery property
Someone had to hide the victim's car key in Steven Avery's house
Someone had to plant Steven Avery's DNA in the victim's car and on the key
So either law enforcement found out Halbach was going out to Steven Avery's house and just as she was leaving, they kidnapped her, killed her, burned her up, and spread all the evidence and DNA around Avery's property and house OR someone else saw the opportunity to kill Halbach, killed her, burned her up somewhere and spread her cremains and personal items around the Avery property and then law enforcement saw a great opportunity and jumped on board by planting Avery's DNA and the key.
Or maybe Steven Avery is just guilty as hell and all the evidence proves it.
Part Two
Part One
Criminal Profiler Pat Brown
January 21, 2016


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Project Noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere.
Acrocephalus australis
lovely series ..
What a sweet "face" !
Nice photos ! I love the second one
Lat: -23.86, Long: 151.23
Spotted on Jul 3, 2011 Submitted on Mar 16, 2012
and 1 other person favorited this spotting


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You eat with your eyes first, so make a good impression.
Most often I'll style and photograph food, but if you already have a photographer that you work with I can simply style your food. Contact me for rates, jaqbotto [at] gmail [dot] com. These photos are owned by Di Bruno Bros., photography by David MacNeill.


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Thirty years ago, a bunch of people got together and thought that they were about to take a year out of their lives to do an interesting television program before returning to the real world.
Little did they realize that they were about to revolutionize children's television.
As Sesame Street celebrates the beginning of its 30th season on November 16, Children's Television Workshop's (CTW) original simple idea-to use television to help children learn-remains the core value of its mission, and now extends beyond TV into nearly every medium that reaches kids, domestically and globally, on-line or on the newsstand, through a plush doll or at a theme park.
While the majority of consumer activities surrounding CTW's 30th anniversary centers on the 30th anniversary of its flagship program, Sesame Street, the occasion also gives CTW the opportunity to remind the public and the industry that there's more to CTW than its crown jewel.
'CTW is a brand that we intend to be the principle partner of families with young children growing up in a media-based world,' says David Britt, president and CEO of CTW. 'And we want to help their kids learn.'
CTW has traditionally kept a low corporate profile, but the company that has owned the block for three decades is facing increasing competition on the screen and on store shelves in the preschool and nostalgia markets. All of this has forced it to take a more visible stance. A multimillion-dollar advertising tune-in campaign that kicks off this month, a national sweepstakes, a revamped on-line presence, specially created 30th anniversary licensed product, and nostalgia activities targeted to the first generation of Sesame Street viewers add up to the most significant awareness campaign CTW has ever attempted. CTW is also shopping around for companies to fill the first-ever CTW-offered sponsorship spots for Sesame Street on PBS.
The gospel from which CTW is preaching throughout its 30th anniversary activity is to remind parents that CTW was first with educational, entertaining children's programming, and that Sesame Street on TV, in print, on cable through its upcoming new digital channel Noggin, on home video or on-line, is as fresh and as relevant with today's kids as it was when these parents originally grew up with it.
Britt believes that CTW has never been in a better strategic position to carry out its mission because it can now operate through more media outlets. Aside from PBS and its print activities, the company is getting back into the feature film business (Elmo in Grouchland, its first feature since Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird in 1985, is in pre-production). Noggin, a joint venture with Nickelodeon, is set to debut in January 1999. It has key consumer-product distribution partnerships, including Kmart (clothing), Tyco (toys), Random House (books) and Sony Wonder (home video). Its redesigned on-line brand will provide a direct connection to families around the world. CES, its community education services program, created in 1969, continues to offer outreach services in support of educational activities.
The company has also recently undertaken some internal restructuring, including merging its domestic and international television departments to encourage the cross-over of CTW's international productions into the U.S., as well as to explore new opportunities for projects that began in the U.S. This will also include looking to new projects, potential partners and book-based properties that have originated outside the U.S. as sources of inspiration. In the U.S., the FCC ruling requiring broadcasters to air at least three hours a week of educational children's programming is in part driving a growing interest in international productions that successfully combine education with entertainment, says Alice Cahn, the former director of children's programming at PBS who recently entered the position of group president of television, film and video at CTW.
'Sesame Street is this huge project that, over the last 30 years, has really encompassed so much of the company's time and energy,' says Cahn. While Sesame Street will remain a key project for CTW, 'now, it's time to take what we've learned over 30 years and turn that experience into new projects.'
One of these new projects is Dragon Tales, a co-production with Columbia TriStar Television. The 40-episode, half-hour series is based on paintings by artist Ron Rodecker. The 2-D animation series will launch on PBS in fall 1999. CTW is handling international sales and licensing of the show, and Columbia TriStar retains the home video and CD-ROM rights. As well as a financing guarantee from Columbia TriStar for these rights, funding for the show came from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through a U.S. Department of Education grant that is provided under the Ready To Learn legislation, and a sponsorship from Kellogg. 'This is the kind of creative and production, [as well as] financing partnership that we're looking for as we branch out,' says Cahn. She expects that the company will be announcing several new projects before the year's end.
'The problem isn't competition for what we do, it's competition for kids' attention,' says Britt. He hopes that Sesame Street will be viewed as just one element of a partnership between CTW and millions of families that starts the day a child is born and goes right through to the age of 10. 'We are positioned with the right partners. We have the right talent. We know what it is we want to do. We're well focused. If we don't do it, it will be because we screwed it up,. . . but we will do it.'
-with files from Andrea Haman


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About Me
- Irish Eyes
- I am a Mom of two young lads, a fitness fanatic and wife to a die-hard Packers/Brewers fan. I worked in corporate america for 12 years. Now I am on a new adventure - raising my sons and working part-time in the fitness industry as a Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor. I hope you stop by and read my updates- family, fitness, or life related!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Braden: 2 years + 3 months
Braden is 2 years and 3 months old this December. He is constantly making us laugh. He also learns more and more words every day. can't think of any words that he doesn't say. I think his vocabulary is at it's peak. He can even use "I", "Me" and "You" in the right context. He also is gaining a ton of independence. He is a good listener, a wonderful big brother and loves to try new things. His latest sayings are, "I'll be right back mama" (when he leaves the room to go grab something and "Watch me Momma" (like when he is showing me his dance moves). If something was broken and then it works he exclaims, "It's working, YEAH!" Having a toddler is so much fun.
Braden loves to run and show us how fast he is. He likes to sing (this is my new favorite thing. Toddlers singing have the most adorable little voices.) He loves baseball and football (still, and yes- he and Dad play both in the house.) He loves to build forts. He has a strong love for cars. He is constantly asking "what is this Momma?" You cannot get anything past Braden, he notices when I put a new Christmas decoration up and says, "Did you do that?" I could write about 10 pages on all the new things Braden does. He is so full of life and energy. He wakes with a "Hi Momma" every morning. He likes to hold my hand as we cross the street (love this.) He has taken a new love to snow- wanting to go outside and play in it...even though it has only snowed like once or twice so far. He is still a good helper- likes to unload the silverware, help me vacuum (with his own vacuum) and anything that he sees me doing he wants to try doing it too. The funniest thing is if I workout in the basement, he starts out shooting hoops and then tries to join me doing what he calls exercises! It's hysterical.
I can't even explain what a good big brother Braden is. I am so proud of him. He brings Liam toys. He runs over and says "Hi Liam" when he comes downstairs in the morning and Liam is already up. He gives Liam gentle pats on the head, yes I said gentle. He moves his toys over so he can play next to Liam while Liam lays under the little gym. He gives his brother kisses before bedtime. He will not leave the YMCA daycare without his brother. I am so amazed at how wonderful a two year old can be as a big brother, wow am I lucky. He has been so patient as I have had to spend a lot of time consoling Liam when he is crying. Braden will play independently until I return. I was in Liam's room for an hour one night, and I checked on Braden a couple of times only. I came out and he was reading books, brushing his teeth and watching cartoons - that is IT. I was expecting to see a tornado inside the house!!
I am so excited to see how Braden reacts to the magic of Santa on Christmas morning. We have been talking a lot about Santa and I think he really gets it. He even sat on Santa's lap and seemed excited, no tears were shed at all. When Santa asked him what he wanted he whispered "a car." I will let you know if Braden's wish comes true. Our boy was a good boy this year, hopefully Santa can handle bringing him a car. He sure is curious about all the presents under the tree. He keeps saying, "Let's open it." I tell him he has to wait 3 more days so he tries to fool me by telling me "It's Christmas today Momma." He is already way too smart! Scary...
Posted by Irish Eyes at 9:13 PM
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- "If I can't overcome this hardship then no one else can."
- — Natsuhi as the final Ushiromiya head
Natsuhi Ushiromiya (右代宮 夏妃 Ushiromiya Natsuhi ) is Krauss Ushiromiya's wife. She manages the Ushiromiya family in the stead of her husband, who doesn't pay any attention to his household. She took charge of the preparations, the arrangements, and everything for this family meeting by herself.
She has a strong sense of responsibility, and is very proud. However, she is not understood by her husband and his siblings, so it can't be said that her situation is enviable.
Relatives Edit
- Kinzo Ushiromiya - father-in-law
- Krauss Ushiromiya - husband
- Jessica Ushiromiya - daughter
- Lion Ushiromiya - foster son/nephew/half-brother-in-law
- George Ushiromiya - nephew
- Battler Ushiromiya - nephew
- Maria Ushiromiya - niece
- Ange Ushiromiya - niece
- Eva Ushiromiya - sister-in-law/accidental killer
- Rudolf Ushiromiya - brother-in-law
- Rosa Ushiromiya - sister-in-law
- Hideyoshi Ushiromiya - brother-in-law
- Kyrie Ushiromiya - sister-in-law
- Sayo Yasuda - adopted child/niece/half-sister-in-law
Other Edit
- Beatrice - ally, friend
Natsuhi is a tall, middle-aged woman with fair skin and light brown eyes (her eyes were very dark brown, almost black, in the original series).
She wears a purple dress and green earrings. Her hair is brown, though many fans find the exact combination of its shades a bit strange. Her lower/head hair and her upper/ponytail hair are noticeably different shades of brown. In the novels, the ponytail actually seems to fade to red. Like most of the women, Natsuhi has an imposing figure, being both very slender and rather voluptuous.
Natsuhi is a very strict and serious woman who has been described as "stiff" by multiple characters. However, she hides a surprisingly short temper and tends to shout quite a bit. She is also very loyal and responsible, and tends to bottle up her feelings and write them down in her diaries so that she will forget about them rather than express herself.
Her strictness seem to have stemmed from grown up in a strict family as shown in Dawn of the Golden Witch manga where she had to wake up in the middle of the night to greet her father who had just returned home and her parents telling her to be a good wife before she gets married. She regrets not being able to build a good relationship with her daughter but does not know how. In contrast to Rosa's hot tempered treatment to her child's bad behaviour, she is cold when Jessica does something she is not pleased with.
Her biggest weakness will be her pride and will do anything to protect the family's honour and is even willing to sacrifice herself for the family head's honor. Because of her pride, she is unable to accept Yasu as it makes her feel shameful of being unable to conceive a child for many years. This is one reason why the possibility of her accepting the baby very low and thus making it a miracle. However, when she accepts the baby, she will give the baby as much love as her biological daughter so much that the baby never realized that she was not his/her real mother until someone tells them.
Natsuhi appears to be rather misfortunate, as she is disrespected by most of her family, frequently suffers from headaches, and is very often criticized by her rather snide sister-in-law, to the point where she is verbally abused by her in EP1 .
Role in the GamesEdit
Legend of the Golden WitchEdit
She is one of the last survivors, found dead by Beatrice's painting.
She was found shot before the portrait of the Witch.
To challenge the Witch with a firearm, she had truly no idea of her proper place.
The outcome was obvious.
Turn of the Golden WitchEdit
Unfortunately, she wasn't lucky this time and was chosen as a sacrifice of the first twilight.
Her corpse was found inside the chapel. The immediate cause of death is uncertain, but it seems her stomach was cut open and her intestines were pulled out after her death. And also, sweets were stuffed into her stomach.
I said it, right? That sweets are stuffed into her stomach.
Banquet of the Golden WitchEdit
Her corpse was found in the arbor of the rose garden. It is assumed that the cause of death was strangling with a thin object. A stake-shaped weapon was sticking out of her calf.
Why follow the epitaph in the first place? A game?
Alliance of the Golden WitchEdit
Once again, she was one of the sacrifices chosen by the key for the first twilight.
Her body was found in the dining hall. Her head was half destroyed. It is probably appropriate to think that she was murdered with something like a powerful gun.
However, the witnesses don't believe that she was killed with a gun...
End of the Golden WitchEdit
She is alive by the time of the game's suspension.
Natsuhi is the most unfortunate character in the fifth game as her past is revealed. Krauss, her husband, is kidnapped and her daughter, Jessica, is killed. She is suspected in the witch's court and Erika Furudo's Detective Declaration as a culprit. While Battler cannot disprove this theory, he is able to create another one in which the man from 19 years ago is the culprit; Battler suggests that he himself is the man from 19 years ago. (This is false however, as it's revealed in the 8th game that he is truly Kyrie and Rudolf's son.) She is also physically abused by Eva Ushiromiya, who believed Erika's accusation and believed Natsuhi had murdered her son.
Dawn of the Golden WitchEdit
Her body was found in her own room.
Erika didn't perform a detailed examination.
Certain Death
Her neck was completely severed by a blade.
Perfect kind of corpse. Impossible to be mistaken on an autopsy and being perfectly capable of being identified.
Requiem of the Golden WitchEdit
Rokkenjima MassacreEdit
When the siblings were given the ten tons of gold and also a cash card worth 1 billion yen the siblings began to argue over it. Krauss tells his brother and sisters that the only way to exchange the money is through him, Natsuhi agrees to this but starts to become desperate as the argument continues. The argument became very heated and Eva tries to convince everyone that they already have enough money on the cash card. Natsuhi becomes frantic and runs at Eva who accidentally shoots her in the head, hitting her eye, starting the massacre shown in the Tea Party.
Twilight of the Golden WitchEdit
Died on the 2nd Twilight of Bernkastel's game.
- Her name means "summer consort".
- Natsuhi is descended from a line of Shinto priests, and her spirit mirror (which can deter or harm Beatrice) is a family heirloom.
- She, along with Krauss and the servants, is privy to the secret that Kinzo has in fact died two years before the family conference, leading others in the family to suspect her in the murders.
- She is the only character shown to have committed murder before the events of the story.
- Her birthday is 7/30 and her blood type is A.
- She shares her voice actress with Sailor Jupiter. Coincidentally, Rosa's voice actor has also voiced Sailor Jupiter.
- Her daughter's voice actress has also played a green magical girl, as Marina Inoue voiced Cure March in Smile! Pretty Cure.
- It is stated by Eva Ushiromiya that she is three years older than Natsuhi in Legend of the Golden Witch.
- "Jessica is a daughter who I wouldn't let go of even for ten billion yen. In that sense, I believe she has a value that can't be counted with money."
- "You can't determine the contents of a cat box that can't be opened no matter how many people you have with you."


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Since man first discovered the fire, human beings have been mesmerized by its majestic beauty and undeniable power.
The fire as been the focal point for many a great scouting adventures, boogie man stories, marshmallow roastings and hot dog cooking. If you've ever sat close to a fire in the open wilderness setting you have most definitely found yourself staring intensely into the hot bed of coals or watching the flames dance slowly across the dark nights sky.
For those who have ever spent a scary winters night lost, injured or snowed in that same fire becomes much more important. It is no longer there for pleasure or tradition. That fire now becomes the single most survival priority.
That fire keeps you warm, provides light, keeps animals away, provides the ability to purify water, makes signal fires for rescue, dries out clothing and assists in keeping you mentally sharp and believing you can survive and self rescue.
For these reasons it is absolutely necessary for anyone who travels into the winter wilderness for any reason whether employment or enjoyment to have the knowledge, skills and supplies to start a fire - anywhere, anytime, for any reason.
Other than your own survival mindset, fire is the single most important survival priority. Without it - you may parish.
Fire is both powerful and primitively peaceful. There is no greater connection with our ancestors than the warm glow of a fire. Prepared, maintained and enjoyed the same way and for the same reasons since the first fire was ever lit.


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So…I'm still working on the 30-day writing challenge for May because I suck. I'm on day 14 so I'm still not even halfway through it. But I had to put today's challenge off for a bit so I could figure some things out and talk with my boss, so naturally I didn't want to say anything quite yet. Long story short: I'm making some career changes, which I'll be getting into a little bit with this post. Today's challenge is to write about how I see my life in 7 years.
Where to even begin? My life changed so much in the past 7 years I can only imagine where I'll be in another 7.
Next Monday, June 13th, will be my first day working as a Website and Social Media Monitoring Specialist at Penn Medicine. It's such an amazing opportunity and I believe this will be the start of a really bright future and long-lasting career for me. I definitely anticipate that I'll still be working for Penn Medicine in the next 7 years.
I should definitely be finished with my Master's in Writing Arts program within 7 years, too. The program shouldn't take me longer than 3 years to complete. Maybe I'll even decide to continue my education and go on to get a Doctorate degree after that or a MFA. Rowan doesn't offer doctorate degrees in English or MFA's. Of course, that could change over the next 7 years, but somehow I doubt that. I could get an MFA in Creative Writing (which from the sounds of it gets blended into their English program as well) from Rutgers Camden or another nearby school though.
I'm going to be teaching First Year Writing 3 times a week at Rowan for the first time ever this September as well. Since I have no prior teaching experience, I really don't know what to expect. But if I end up really loving it, perhaps I'll continue to teach over the next 7 years as well. Maybe I'll even teach multiple classes and teach more advanced writing or English courses, too.
I really really really hope I finish writing God Granted Me Hearing over the next 7 years. Hopefully, if it's God's will, it will be published by then, too.
I want to get more involved with my church and missionary work or something, too. I found an amazing organization called Aid the Silent that works to bring the gospel to the deaf since 98% of all deaf individuals do not know Jesus. As a deaf Christian, this is a cause that is really important to me. I'd love to somehow get involved with them over the next 7 years. I actually just submitted a request for more information as I was typing this. Maybe I can join them on a missionary/missions trip or sponsor a child or something. Anything would be great.
I'll be 33 in 7 years. I'm 26 now and about as single as one can be. I really hope that by the time I'm 33, that changes. I hope I find a wonderful man of God with shared interests and that we will bring out the best in each other. Maybe we will get married and have kids and a wonderful life together, but only if that is within God's will. I trust God and his timing (although I often get extremely impatient). It would be nice to have that within the next 7 years, though.
Having my own home (doesn't even have to be a huge house…just a home) would be nice. I swear 30 is my cutoff age. I love my parents dearly and appreciate all that they do for me, but I can't imagine being a 30 year old woman still living at home. Nope.
I should probably get my license before then, though. I hope to have that within the next year. DEFINITELY before the next 7 years are up haha.
These are some of my biggest goals, hopes, and dreams over the next 7 years. Who knows what will actually happen though? I leave it all in God's hands. Just as Job 14: 5 states, "A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." God knows every day of our lives. I can't wait to see what he has in store for me over the next7 years. These past 7 years I've been beyond blessed and I can't thank him enough for all he's done and continues to do for me.


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This is a photograph I took Saturday of the morning glories that have bloomed in my garden. I planted them rather late in the season and nothing showed for a long time. Then, lots of vines but no blossoms... but there was hope! Now, they burst forth each morning is splendor, but by the days's end they are closing their lovely faces against the sun and that will be the end of their amazingly beautiful lifespan on earth.
I especially love the early morning time -- particularly when I can sit in my garden and meet with the Lord in the hushed misty stillness before the world awakens. As Women of Faith speaker and author Marilyn Mehberg calls this time, "Jesus, Tea and Me". That's it - my tea, my Bible, my journal and Jesus. And if that isn't perfect enough, He brings me flowers.. my Beloved Bridegroom calls forth morning glories for me as we spend time together, just He and I. Indeed, it is a time in which He shows me His glory, in His natural sanctuary as the birds sing praises and the sun's first rays glimmer against the dewdrops on the blades of emerald grass. Stunning.
He uses the morning glories to remind me that my prayers, like seeds, sometimes aren't immediately answered. I have to keep praying and be patient, until eventually His answers will blossom, beautiful and fragrant in accordance with His will and time.
I am also reminded to embrace all He gives me in a day, because I have no guarantee of tomorrow, and that which is in my past is done forever. Not dwelling in what has been, or fretting about what may come, I am to be in the moments granted to me here and now, enjoying His blessings and seeking His will. They are brilliant and abundant... for today. Like manna, they will be gone by nightfall.
So many lessons from one fragile yet exquisite flower birthed from a single tiny seed. So many blessings from one big and amazing God.
I bow in humble adoration.


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Coffee Machine with Music Radio
Good News are the excellent coffee machines, which could make your kitchen more alive and cool. All this accompanied by your favorite melody from the integrated Good News radio. Coffee machines are available in different, very bright colors so they are capable of creating a good mood every morning. Besides that they are also very practical to use and clean. Good News


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128km with over 1,500 metres of climbing last night was the confirmation, I just love night riding. There's just something undeniably special about being the only one around, the only one for miles late at night as the moonlight dimly casts it's spell over the surrounding mountains, forests or whatever is there.
Unfortunately, we're conditioned from an early age to perceive daylight as the time we're "supposed" to do everything, and night as the time we should all be in bed. This feeling can provide a problem when undertaking a long night ride -- particularly in the early stages. If, however, it can be overcome, the rewards are absolutely priceless.
I also saw more wildlife than usual on last night's ride, including two owls, a possum, a bat, and a koala in the canefields surrounding Murwillumbah (perhaps the last place in the world I would have expected to see one). Passing through Urliup (pictured above) for the second time in 40 hours, but this time in darkness as opposed to bright sunshine provided an entirely different perspective on a new ride.
The whole experience was a reminder that I really need to take advantage of the balmy summer nights over the next few months.


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Some features of OESIS V4 require an internet connection. Most prominent among these are the vulnerability module, and online mode (auto-update).
OESIS V4 supports native configuration of proxy settings with three configuration keys: 'Proxy Type', 'Proxy Name', 'Proxy Port'. The documentation for these can be found in the Configuration section of the V4 documentation, available online at: http://software.opswat.com/OESIS_V4/html/c_sdk.html or in the docs directory of the V4 package.
Alternatively, you can create an exception to allow outbound traffic to https://*.opswat.com or more specifically https://gearssdk.opswat.com/api
This article pertains to OESIS V4.
This article was last updated on 2015-11-12.