Q: When I was a patrolman working the 11PM to 7AM shift we received a phone call from a police department about 200 miles away in a neighboring state. It seems that department was holding one of our elderly residents who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier in the day this gentlemen got the keys to his wife’s car and went for a ride. He quickly became confused and lost, so he just kept driving. The last 60 miles of his journey consisted of a low speed police chase. This poor man was scared to death and only pulled over when his vehicle ran out of gas. A request was made for us to send an officer to transport this gentleman the 200 miles back to his home. Because we were at minimum shift strength, the Sergeant determined that a family member would have to go and get him. I returned to work the following night and at nightly briefing, I asked if anyone had an update on the man’s transport. The sergeant said he hadn’t heard anything, which is when a junior patrolman spoke up. He said that man is from my neighborhood and after I got home from work this morning, I drove the 400 mile round trip and picked up my neighbor and returned him home to his wife. I just got back into town about an hour ago, so I changed into my uniform, and I’m here for my shift! I learned later that this patrolman had taken it upon himself to contact the man’s wife and the only vehicle they owned was out of gas 200 miles away. So this officer stayed up all day after a working the midnight shift and used his own car for the 400 mile trip. The officer said when he picked the man up at the station; he looked at the officer and smiled. He recognized his neighbor. This frail elderly man surely did not remember this selfless act of kindness. But it made a lasting impression on me, and on what it means to be a good cop. Question: About how many hours did it take to drive the man home? === The answer to the above question is

A: Three.


Q: U.S. President Donald Trump is sending a $4.4 trillion budget request to Congress that includes money for a southern border wall and building up the military, but is projected to increase the federal deficit by more than $1 trillion. White House officials all but acknowledged the proposal unveiled Monday has little chance of becoming law — Congress alone controls federal government spending. But the White House insisted the budget proposal still sends an important message about Trump's priorities. "This is a messaging document," White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told reporters at a briefing Monday. The Trump budget calls for major cuts to domestic programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps. But the plan would still not balance the federal budget, in part because of reduced federal revenue due to tax cuts passed last year. Democrats widely rejected the plan. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the proposal a "brutal collection of broken promises and staggering cuts." The proposal's failure to eliminate debt is also likely to upset some Republicans, who have traditionally opposed budget deficits. "It's simply adjusting to the Washington, D.C., we live in," Mulvaney said, stressing that the new budget plan would help "turn the tide" on national debt. The White House proposal builds on the massive, two-year spending bill passed last week by Congress and signed by the president. That bill includes a major boost for the military, as well as domestic programs. Mulvaney, a former lawmaker and long-time opponent of federal debt, has acknowledged he likely would not have supported the bill were he still in Congress. But he said the new White House proposal does not mean that all of the money approved by Congress must be spent. "These are spending caps, these are not spending floors," he said. Under the two-year budget deal reached last week by Congress, the Pentagon will get a record-high $700 billion for 2018 — fulfilling a Trump campaign pledge. "We took care of the military like it's never... Question: At the end of the story Trump is: === The answer to the above question is

A: happy with the budget


Q: Yes, absolutely. And if you are experiencing that right now, I’m so sorry for you, but it gets better. Hear me out. I was once dating this girl from college who showed genuine interest in me and for that and many other reasons, I really liked her. Well, you could say I loved her. We had been together for a week. One day, we went on a trip. It was all fun and games and laughing. I had the best time of my life. We were walking on the beach of a lake during sunset. We were talking and suddenly, I felt her tone getting more and more depressed. At some point, she concluded that “we need to take a break.” Trying to understand her arguments for that, the break turned into a breakup. Now, one-week-into-a-relationship-with-awesome-girl me couldn’t handle this sudden change of affairs. I spent weeks reliving this day, especially the conversation on the beach, and trying to figure out where it went wrong. I even got into an episode of mania. Having to see her every day in college was torture. It was probably the worst breakup in my life. I seriously considered transferring to another university. Several weeks into the breakup, I decided, with the aid of my friends, that I have to move on. To be honest, I relapsed a lot. One time, I actually sat down with her and said I still have feelings for her. What really helped me to get out of this was the thing I hated the most at that time: taking a break. I avoided her, in real life and on social media, and eventually, I forgot that she even existed. I developed new hobbies and made new friends. Now, I healed properly and we’re back to being friends (Yes, it’s possible to stay friends with your ex). It was a bad experience to live through indeed, but it really changed me into a more stable, more productive person. In a way, I’m thankful to this girl for who I am today. Stay strong! Question: Explain how the girl felt the same or different about their relationship. === The answer to the above question is

A: She did not feel the same because she was not ready to commit to a long-term, serious relationship.


Q: And once again, high blood pressure is making headlines in the news: the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) have just released new guidelines about hypertension. Since this development is likely to cause confusion and concern for many, I’m writing this post to help you understand the debate and what this might mean for you and your family. By the way, if you’ve read any of my other blood pressure articles on this site, let me reassure you: I am not changing my clinical practice or what I recommend to others, based on the new AHA/ACC guidelines. The core principles of better blood pressure management for older adults remain the same: * Take care in how you and your doctors measure blood pressure (more on that here), * Start by aiming to get blood pressure less than 150/90 mm Hg, as recommended by these expert guidelines issued in 2017 and in 2014, * And then learn more about what are the likely benefits versus risks of aiming for more intensive BP control. Perhaps the most important thing to understand is this: treatment of high blood pressure in older adults offers “diminishing returns” as we treat BP to get lower and lower. Scientific evidence indicates that the greatest health benefit, when it comes to reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks, is in getting systolic blood pressure from high (i.e. 160-180) down to moderate (140-150). From there, the famous SPRINT study, published in 2015, did show a further reduction in cardiovascular risk, when participants were treated to a lower systolic BP, such as a target of 120. However, this was in a carefully selected group of participants, it required taking three blood pressure medications on average, and the reduction in risk was small. As I note in my article explaining SPRINT Senior, in participants aged 75 or older, pushing to that lower goal was associated with an estimated 1-in-27 chance of avoiding a cardiovascular event. (The benefit was even smaller in adults aged 50-75.) Question: What is the author's feelings towards the AHA/ACC? === The answer to the above question is

A: