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as a spoken tongue. The would‑be beginner need only supply the will. It may also help to bear in mind that Talmud study can be tremendous fun. Like any challenging task, the task of understanding an unfamiliar talmudic passage is |
intimidating only until it has once been accomplished. After that, the challenge can be relished, and the task enjoyed. The fact is, after all, that the Talmud is interesting, The people represented in it were intelligent, articulate, and dedicated to |
the remarkable project of helping an ancient tradition survive mortal danger. The arguments stimulate, their language gives pleasure, the immensity of their achievement provokes awe. There is wit in the Talmud, and humor too. There are wonderful stories, and logic |
whose disciplined sharpness is breathtaking. The Talmud has been compared to the sea; you never enjoy swimming anywhere until you've gotten used to the water. Getting wet can be uncomfortable at first, but after that "the water's fine": the pleasure |
keeps mounting. But what does it mean to study the Talmud; how is it to be done? In our time, the Talmud exists primarily in print, as a book, and our culture tends to see reading as a private activity. |
Even the reader of this book probably is sitting alone somewhere, trying to concentrate on its pages. People not reading alone usually are found in large groups, either listening to a lecturer explain a text, or in a classroom, engaged |
in group discussion. Neither of these settings, however, reflects the manner of Talmud study in the traditional yeshiva. There, students study in pairs. reading every word of the text out loud, never going on to the next phrase until they |
have exhausted the meaning of the one under discussion. The Talmud itself, after all, originated as oral discussion, and still has the form of an elaborate conversation carried on over centuries. Its standard way of citing an opinion is "Rabbi |
Tuberculosis patients are 11 times more likely than the average to develop lung cancer, according to a new study published by a group of Taiwanese scientists. The researchers followed more |
than 700,000 randomly selected individuals over a period of six years, including 4,480 diagnosed with tuberculosis, they said in a statement Wednesday. "The incidence of lung cancer in these tuberculosis |
patients was 11 times greater than people without tuberculosis," said one of the researchers, Chen Chih-yi, from China Medical University in the central Taiwan city of Taichung. "This study suggests |
that it is also important to watch out for lung cancer prevention in the campaign against tuberculosis." The findings, published in the January issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, |
support the notion of a link between tuberculosis and lung cancer, which has so far been suspected but not definitively proved. "Tuberculosis is a very common chronic disease worldwide. People |
in developing and undeveloped areas suffer from it mostly," said Chen. "It is well known that lung cancer is causally associated with smoking. Less attention has been focused on whether |
Responding to the United Nations’ call On 22 March 2011, NATO responded to the UN’s call to prevent the supply of “arms and related materials” to Libya by agreeing to launch an operation to enforce the arms embargo against the country. The next day, NATO ships operating in the Mediterranean began cutting off the flow of weapons and mercenaries to Libya by sea. NATO |
maritime assets stopped and searched any vessel they suspected of carrying arms, related materials or mercenaries to or from Libya. In support of UNSCR 1973, NATO then agreed to enforce the UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya on 24 March 2011.The resolution banned all flights into Libyan airspace to protect civilian-populated areas from air attacks, with the exception of flights used for humanitarian and aid |
purposes. The Alliance took sole command and control of the international military effort for Libya on 31 March 2011. NATO air and sea assets began to take military actions to protect civilians and civilian populated areas. Throughout the crisis, the Alliance consulted closely with the UN, the League of Arab States and other international partners. Commitment to protecting the Libyan people The Alliance’s decision |
to undertake military action was based on three clear principles: a sound legal basis, strong regional support and a demonstrable need. By the end of March 2011, OUP had three distinct components: - Enforcing an arms embargo in the Mediterranean Sea to prevent the transfer of arms, related materials and mercenaries to Libya - Enforcing a no-fly zone to prevent aircrafts from bombing civilian |
targets - Conducting air and naval strikes against military forces involved in attacks or threatening to attack Libyan civilians and civilian populated areas During a meeting in Berlin on 14 April 2011, foreign ministers from NATO Allies and non-NATO partners agreed to continue OUP until all attacks on civilians and civilian populated areas ended, the Qadhafi regime withdrew all military and para-military forces to |
bases, and the regime permitted immediate, full, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid for the Libyan people. On 8 June 2011, NATO defence ministers met in Brussels and agreed to keep pressure on the Qadhafi regime for as long as it took to end the crisis, reaffirming the goals laid out by the foreign ministers. Following the liberation of Tripoli on 22 August |
by opposition forces, the Secretary General reaffirmed both NATO’s commitment to protect the Libyan people and its desire that the Libyan people decide their future in freedom and in peace. International heads of state and government further reiterated this commitment during a “Friends of Libya” meeting in Paris on 1 September. On 16 September, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2009, which unanimously reasserted |
NATO’s mandate to protect civilians in Libya. The new resolution also established a United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Ending the mission As NATO air strikes helped to gradually degrade the Qadhafi regime’s ability to target civilians, NATO defence ministers met in Brussels on 6 October and discussed the prospects of ending OUP. Ministers confirmed their commitment to protect the people of Libya |
for as long as threats persisted, but to end the mission as soon as conditions permitted. The NATO Secretary General also pledged to coordinate the termination of operations with the UN and the new Libyan authorities. A day after opposition forces captured the last Qadhafi regime stronghold of Sirte and the death of Colonel Qadhafi on 20 October 2011, the North Atlantic Council took |
the preliminary decision to end OUP at the end of the month. During that transition period, NATO continued to monitor the situation and retained the capacity to respond to threats to civilians, if needed. A week later, the North Atlantic Council confirmed the decision to end OUP. On 31 October 2011 at midnight Libyan time, a NATO AWACS concluded the last sortie; 222 days |
after the operation began. The next day, NATO maritime assets left Libyan waters for their home ports. Although NATO’s operational role regarding Libya is finished, the Alliance stands ready to assist Libya in areas where it could provide added value, such as in the area of defence and security sector reforms, if requested to do so by the new Libyan authorities. |
View a Photo He'eia wetlands 1920s: a community breadbasket. By Jan TenBruggencate A heavy rain in the Ko‘olau Mountains launches a muddy flow through the degraded hillside woodlands, across the marshy He‘eia flats, through the He‘eia fishpond, and out into the sea. There, all that sediment, rich in nutrients, fertilizes acres of alien algae that choke Kāne‘ohe Bay’s vast coral |
reefs. Now, a unique partnership led by the He‘eia community and supported by The Nature Conservancy is trying to change things—to replant the upland forest and to replace the swamp with taro fields, or lo‘i kalo, and a sediment-trapping marsh planted in native wetland species. A small lo‘i kalo has already been established to begin the long process of restoration. |
and heal the whole. Protecting the Reefs Kāne‘ohe Bay is a unique marine environment that includes the only barrier, patch and fringing reef system in the state. This combination of reef habitats harbors green sea turtles, manta rays, hammerhead sharks and many other native reef species. “The Conservancy’s goal is to protect and restore the bay’s marine resources,” said Kim |
name of the wetland area. The effort to transform upper He‘eia grew out of a 2007 strategic plan to protect the bay, which included interviews with more than 50 members of the community, scientists and other stakeholders. The sedimentation from degraded lands was identified as a major problem, but not the only one. There is a Department of Defense dump |
site within the ahupua‘a. The region is home to extensive residential development, whose covered surfaces increase storm flows during heavy rain. And there are pollutants and nutrients from the urban environment that flow seaward. To gain control over the sedimentation problem, the community has obtained from the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority a 38-year lease on 404 acres, and it has |
wetland. Of those acres, the community anticipates converting 200 acres to taro production, with the lo‘i walls built higher than usual to help the ponds capture storm flows and act as sediment traps. “Much of the sediment is created and flows to the sea in pulses during periodic heavy rains,” he said. “The lo‘i will be designed to absorb these |
large pulse events.” In addition, the community is restoring native wetlands and fresh water fish ponds which will also reduce the amount of sediment flowing onto the reefs. Restoring a Breadbasket The community’s broader vision is to restore a prized tradition: He‘eia as a breadbasket. “The plan is to put poi on the table for everybody,” said kupuna Alice Hewett. |
Hewett grew up in He‘eia and remembers working in her family’s McCabe Poi Shop as a 7-year-old. “We cleaned poi, and I sewed bags, a penny a bag, before we went to school. We had taro for breakfast, lunch and dinner if we could,” she said. In those days, much of the work at the poi mill was done by |
boys from a nearby orphanage. The poi was delivered to families and markets, and occasionally people would come by the mill to purchase bags of poi directly. A key piece of the He‘eia project is to ensure that the traditional knowledge of elders like Hewett is passed on to the younger generations. The small pond that has already been planted |
crops. More than 20 acres will be cleared of invasive mangrove and planted in native grasses and sedges, both to trap sediment and to support native fishes. In the upland area, a forest dominated by alien species like the octopus tree will be replanted in native and Polynesian introduced plants like ‘awa, ‘ulu, hala and mai‘a (kava, breadfruit, pandanus, banana). |
Portions of the land may also be planted in ‘uala (sweet potato) and other crops. Kako‘o ‘Ō‘iwi anticipates much of the initial work will be performed on community work days by a range of volunteers, including prisoners, school groups and the general community. “This area in the old days would feed the rest of the island in times of drought. |
We have in Hoi many springs,” said Cypher. “We want to repair the environmental damage, and feed people again.” For the He‘eia community and for the Conservancy, the hope is that the project will transfer knowledge of traditional Hawaiian land stewardship practices and customs to a new generation, and that working within a functioning native wetland will help the reefs |
recover and strengthen the connection between people and their ‘āina. Other project partners include the native plant organization Hui ku Maoli Ola, Paepae o He‘eia, Hawaii Community Development Authority, Hawaii Community Foundation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, State Office of Planning, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Services Center, and |
In the Middle Ages, the alchemists believed someday they’d find a magical tool that could transmute lead into gold, metals into medicines and plants and animal tissues into powerful elixirs — a panacea that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Don't miss these Health stories More women opting for preventive mastectomy - but should they be? Rates of |
women who are opting for preventive mastectomies, such as Angeline Jolie, have increased by an estimated 50 percent in recent years, experts say. But many doctors are puzzled because the operation doesn't carry a 100 percent guarantee, it's major surgery -- and women have other options, from a once-a-day pill to careful monitoring. - Larry Page's damaged vocal cords: Treatment |
comes with trade-offs - Report questioning salt guidelines riles heart experts - CDC: 2012 was deadliest year for West Nile in US - What stresses moms most? Themselves, survey says - More women opting for preventive mastectomy - but should they be? This week, it appears that the object of their long-ago yearnings has been discovered. Scientists announced they have |
reprogrammed the genes of ordinary cells from human skin to make what I'm terming "panacea" cells. These cells can be used to create embryonic-like stem cells that one day could fix many different disorders and diseases that are now beyond cure. The series of incredible discoveries burst on the scene starting with the announcement last week that a team of |
scientists in Oregon had successfully cloned monkey embryos , pointing the way to the cloning of humans and offering a method for making repair kits out of the body’s own cells. Hard on the heels of this announcement came one by Shinya Yamanaka, a leading Japanese genetics researcher, who revealed in the journal Cell that he has successfully extended the |
technique he used with monkey cells to human cells. By using a virus to create changes, he was able to tweak four genes in adult human cells and get the cells to revert back to an embryo-like state. The Japanese work coincides with similar findings at the University of Wisconsin published in Tuesday's issue of the journal Science. Under the |
direction of stem cell pioneers James Thomson and Junying Yu, the group has also gotten cells to act like embryos by tweaking four genes in adult human cells. Who will get the credit for making the breakthrough discovery that turns adult cells into sources of stem cells? I don’t know. A huge and probably nasty battle is likely to quickly |
erupt over priority and patenting in this area. Given the potential payoffs involved, the fight will likely keep lots of lawyers busy for years to come. Why are these discoveries so important? In layman’s terms, the Wisconsin and Japanese teams have discovered a way to not only turn cells into stem cells but, because they can be put back into |
the body of the person they were developed from, there’s no fear of rejection. The embryo issue One more bit of exciting news is that if these techniques hold up, there’s no need to use human embryos as a source of stem cells. In fact, cells produced from human embryos would be less desirable, not just because there is no |
need to obtain and destroy embryos to get stem cells but also because the reprogrammed panacea stem cells would be genetically the same as the recipients. In theory, these cells would act just like stem cells made from cloned human embryos making that technique unnecessary as well. That is why cloning pioneer Ian Wilmut, who created Dolly the sheep, announced |
a few days ago that he is abandoning cloning as a technique for making stem cells. Still, the reprogrammed panacea cells aren't free of problems or moral dilemmas. First, the creation of panacea cells uses viruses to get the reprogramming done. Those who have worked with gene therapy know that retroviruses do not always put genetic material where it is |
supposed to go. That could prove to be a problem, but happily it is a lot easier and far less risky to do gene therapy in cells than it is to do it in human subjects. Pursue all avenues Second, it is a bit too soon to stop working on cloning as a technique to generate stem cells. Even though |
these announcements are momentous, until a reprogrammed panacea cell is used to make stem cells that actually function properly to repair a damaged nerve, spinal cord or heart, all avenues of research must be funded and pursued. True, a reprogrammed cell cannot implant in the womb but it can do everything else an embryo does. Is this form of genetic |
engineering a solution to the issue of avoiding human embryo destruction or merely a new route to a similar destination? My view is that genetically altering body cells creates something that does not have the same moral standing as what is made from a sperm and an egg. That is why I favor continued work to create cloned human embryos |
as well. These problems are not likely to impede research with reprogrammed panacea cells for very long. That means that someday we will have one of the key bioethical debates of the 21st century: Is it right to repair ourselves if it means that we live much longer than any human being has ever lived? Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., is director |
Hearing on Voter Verification in the Federal Elections Process June 21, 2004, 10:00 a.m., 301 Russell Senate Office Building The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent federal agency that advises the President and Congress on issues affecting 54 |
million Americans with physical and mental disabilities. NCD's fundamental purpose is to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to empower individuals |
with disabilities to achieve competitive employment, economic self-sufficiency, independent living, inclusion, and integration into all aspects of society. For many years, NCD has published reports and recommendations focused on ensuring equal voting access for people with vision, hearing, intellectual, physical, |
language, and technology needs. NCD has recognized that few attributes of citizenship can be more important than the right to vote. Excerpted below are sections of NCD's previous reports and correspondence expressing its views and recommendations on accessible voting: - |
Letters to The Editor of The New York Times June 21, 2004: The New York Times Editorial of June 11, 2004, "Making Votes Count: The Disability Lobby and Voting," has prompted the National Council on Disability (NCD) to write this |
letter in response . . . .NCD is concerned that the fundamental right of people with disabilities to cast an accessible vote has been pitted against the need to ensure security and reliability in the voting process. Accessibility, security, and |
reliability are not mutually exclusive and should not be portrayed by the media as being in competition with one another. It is the responsibility of a democratic government to both provide every citizen the opportunity to cast a private and |
accessible vote, and ensure the integrity of the voting process,-not one or the other. It is regrettable that select counties and states have made the decision to remove accessible voting machines. The effect of this action is that people with |
disabilities and others who benefit from electronic voting machines find themselves, once again, on the outside of the mainstream of society and stripped of their ability to participate in one of the hallmarks of a democratic society-the right to vote |
independently, and privately, in public elections. As we continually work to improve and perfect the voting process overall, we must remember that access to voting is not merely one consideration; it is a constitutional right. - National Disability Policy: A |
Progress Report December 2002-December 2003 For people with disabilities, the right to vote privately and safely requires more than a statute. It requires facilities that are accessible and voting machines that are independently usable. HAVA established for the first time |
a national commitment and the right to these opportunities . . . One issue that has emerged as an area of increasing concern is the verifiability of the vote totals reported by touchscreen or other so-called direct recording equipment (DRE) |
voting machines . . . NCD does insist . . . that no changes be made that would compromise or jeopardize the levels of accessibility and independent voting mandated in HAVA. - National Disability Policy: A Progress Report December 2001-December |
2002 NCD congratulates all those involved in enactment of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Among its reforms, the new law provides authorization for funding to assist states in creating accessible polling places and requires installation of at least |
one accessible voting machine in each precinct . . . .To provide a baseline for evaluating the success of the Act in enfranchising Americans with disabilities, NCD recommends that the Administration (through the voluntary oversight commission created by the statute, |
in combination with DOJ, the Federal Elections Commission, HHS or such other entity as may have the resources and the jurisdiction to be of assistance) undertake research during and after the 2004 election campaign aimed at determining whether or not |
significant numbers of voters with disabilities who might not otherwise have been able to vote were facilitated in doing so by the law, and whether or not significant numbers of persons with disabilities who could not previously do so were |
enabled to exercise the right of a secret ballot. - National Disability Policy: A Progress Report December 2000--December 2001 A year ago, NCD urged adoption of amendments to the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act. These recommended amendments |
provided that all polling methods used in federal elections, including voter registration, be accessible to voters with disabilities and voters who are elderly . . . .As anecdotes and surveys have made clear, many Americans with disabilities face obstacles in |
voting far greater than confusing instructions or malfunctioning machines. Some are able to vote only with difficulties that would be intolerable to other citizens or by forfeiting the fundamental protection of the secret ballot, and some are unable to vote |
at all, solely by reason of the interplay between their disabilities and the arrangements for voting we have thus far made. - Inclusive Federal Election Reform National Council on Disability March 15, 2001 *14 million people of voting age who |
have a disability are unregistered voters *People with disabilities vote at a rate 11 percent lower than the general population *81 percent of voters who are blind or have visual impairments rely on others to mark their ballots *An estimated |
20,000 of the nation's 170,000 polling places are inaccessible to voters who use wheelchairs *1,231 of the 1,681 (73%) polling places in Philadelphia were physically inaccessible to voters with disabilities One of the fundamental rights guaranteed to Americans is the |
right of voting through a secret ballot. However, this right is often denied to Americans with disabilities and other disenfranchised groups, such as senior citizens, people from diverse cultures, and those who have low incomes. Statistics show that for 35 |
million voting-aged citizens with disabilities: These statistics highlight the need to improve voting procedures and systems. President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative contains proposals for improving access to polling places and ballot secrecy. Many proposals to reform the electoral |
process are currently before the 107 th Congress. Voting reform will certainly be considered and likely enacted in time to affect the 2002 elections. It is imperative that any voting reform law also provides full access for voters with disabilities, |
and allows for their private and independent voting. NCD continues to strongly focus on full participation in the democratic process by all citizens. NCD respectfully suggests that the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration retain this focus with any examination |
Reducing Waste in Health Care December 18, 2012 A key feature of new efforts by policymakers to curb health spending is to eliminate waste. This would focus on finding less-expensive alternatives, eliminating inefficiencies in the provision of health care, or |
eliminating fraud and abuse, says Nicole Cafarella Lallemand, a research associate at the Urban Institute. The United States spent nearly $650 billion more than other developed countries in 2006. However, this was not due to the population being sicker, but |
rather factors such as growth in provider capacity for outpatient services, technological innovation, and growth in demand in response to greater availability of those services. - Another $91 billion was due to inefficient and redundant health administration practices. - Moreover, |
30 percent of all Medicare clinical care spending could be avoided without worsening health outcomes. - Similarly, given categories of waste consumed $476 billion to $992 billion, or 18 percent to 37 percent of the $2.6 trillion annual health spending. |
For example, a treatment for cancer may cost tens of thousands but extend life by only a couple of weeks. The fear is that the government would make decisions about whether people can receive the treatment to prolong their lives. |
Last year marked the 150th anniversary of the first gunshots of the Civil War -and the first gunshot wounds. As it turns out, the bloodiest war in American history was also one of the most influential in battlefield medicine. Civil War surgeons learned fast, and many of their MacGyver-like solutions |
have had lasting impact. Here are some of the advances and the people behind them. Life Saving Amputation: The General who Visited his Leg The old battlefield technique of trying to save limbs with doses of TLC (aided by wound-cleaning rats and maggots) quickly fell out of favor During the |
Civil War, even for top officers. The sheer number of injured was too high, and war surgeons quickly discovered the best way to stave deadly infections was to simply lop off the area -quickly. Among those saved by the saw was Daniel E. Sickles, the eccentric commander of the 3rd |
Army Corps. In 1863, at the Battle of Gettysburg, the major general's right leg was shattered by a Confederate shell. Within the hour, the leg was amputated just above the knee. His procedure, publicized in the military press, paved the way for many more. Since the new Army Medical Museum |
in Washington, D.C. had requested battlefield donations, Sickles sent the limb to them in a box labeled "With the compliments of Major General D.E.S." Sickles visited his leg yearly on the anniversary of its emancipation. [caption id="attachment_59043" align="aligncenter" width="408" caption="Daniel Sickles' leg on display at the the National Museum of |
Health and Medicine."][/caption] (Image credit: Wikipedia user Nis Hoff)Amputation saved more lives than any other wartime medical procedure by instantly turning complex injuries into simple ones. Battlefield surgeons eventually took no longer than six minutes to get each moaning man on the table, apply a handkerchief soaked in chloroform or |
ether, and make the deep cut. Union surgeons became the most skilled limb hackers in history. Even in deplorable conditions, they lost only about 25 percent of their patients -compared to a 75 percent mortality rate among similarly injured civilians at the time. The techniques invented by wartime surgeons -including |
cutting as far from the heart as possible and never slicing through joints- became the standard. As for the nutty-sounding behavior of the leg-visiting commander, Sickles can be justifiably accused. In 1859, while serving in Congress, he shot and killed U.S. Attorney Philip Barton Key for sleeping with Sickles' wife. |
Charged with murder, Sickles became the first person in the United States to be found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. The Anesthesia Inhaler: A Knockout Breakthrough In 1863, Stonewall Jackson's surgeon recommended the removal of his left arm, which had been badly damaged by friendly fire. When a |
chloroform-soaked cloth was placed over his nose, the Confederate general, in great pain, muttered, "What an infinite blessing," before going limp. But such blessings were in short supply. The Confederate Army had a tough time securing enough anesthesia because of the Northern blockade. The standard method of soaking a handkerchief |
with chloroform wasted the liquid as it evaporated. Dr. Julian John Chisholm solved the dilemma by inventing a 2.5 inch inhaler, the first of its type. Chloroform was dripped through a perforated circle on the side onto a sponge in the interior; as the patient inhaled through tubes, the vapors |
mixed with air. This new method required only one-eighth of an ounce of chloroform, compared to the old two-ounce dose. So while Union surgeons knocked out their patients 80,000 times during the war, rebels treated nearly as many with a fraction of the supplies. Closing Chest Wounds: The Cub Doctor |
who Kept Lungs from Collapsing In the early part of the war, Benjamin Howard, a lowly young assistant surgeon, was shuttled to the sidelines with medical grunt work: changing bandages, suturing wounds, and grabbing grub for the docs. But when other surgeons decided there was no point in treating chest |
wounds, Howard experimented with a new life-saving procedure. At the onset of the war, a sucking chest wound was almost certainly a death sentence. Among French soldiers shot in the chest during the Crimean War (1853-1856), only eight percent survived. The problem, as Howard came to realize, wasn't the wound |
itself, but the sucking. The negative pressure in the thorax was created by the opening in the chest cavity. The effect often caused the lungs to collapse, leading to suffocation. The sub doctor found out that if he closed the wound with metal sutures, followed by alternating layers of lint |
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