Humphreys, K. L., McGoron, L., Sheridan, M. A., McLaughlin, K. A., Fox, N. A., Nelson, C. A., & Zeanah, C. H. (2015). High-Quality Foster Care Mitigates Callous-Unemotional Traits Following Early Deprivation in Boys: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 54 (12), 977–983.Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in childhood are a developmental precursor to psychopathy, yet the origins and etiology of CU traits are not known. We examined CU traits among 12-year-old children exposed to severe early deprivation and evaluated whether a high-quality foster care intervention mitigated the development of high levels of CU traits. METHOD: Participants were from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a randomized controlled trial of foster care for children in institutions. Children were recruited from institutions in Bucharest, Romania, along with age- and sex-matched children who were never institutionalized. Children raised in institutional settings were randomized (mean age = 22 months) to either a foster care group (n = 68) or a care-as-usual group (n = 68). CU traits were assessed at age 12.75 years in available participants from the randomized trial (n = 95) and children who were never institutionalized (n = 50). RESULTS: Children who experienced institutional rearing as young children had significantly higher levels of CU traits in early adolescence compared to children who were never institutionalized. Intent-to-treat analysis indicated that, among boys, CU traits were significantly lower among those who received the foster care intervention compared to those randomized to care as usual. Caregiver responsiveness to distress, but not caregiver warmth, mediated the intervention effect on CU traits in boys. CONCLUSION: These findings provide the first evidence to date that psychosocial intervention can prevent the onset of CU traits. Although severe early deprivation predicted higher levels of CU traits, high-quality foster care that emphasized responsive caregiving reduced the impact of deprivation on CU trait development for boys. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: The Bucharest Early Intervention Project; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00747396.
McLaughlin, K. A., Rith-Najarian, L., Dirks, M. A., & Sheridan, M. A. (2015). Low vagal tone magnifies the association between psychosocial stress exposure and internalizing psychopathology in adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology: The Official Journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53 , 44 (2), 314–328.Abstract
Vagal tone is a measure of cardiovascular function that facilitates adaptive responses to environmental challenge. Low vagal tone is associated with poor emotional and attentional regulation in children and has been conceptualized as a marker of sensitivity to stress. We investigated whether the associations of a wide range of psychosocial stressors with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were magnified in adolescents with low vagal tone. Resting heart period data were collected from a diverse community sample of adolescents (ages 13-17; N = 168). Adolescents completed measures assessing internalizing and externalizing psychopathology and exposure to stressors occurring in family, peer, and community contexts. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was calculated from the interbeat interval time series. We estimated interactions between RSA and stress exposure in predicting internalizing and externalizing symptoms and evaluated whether interactions differed by gender. Exposure to psychosocial stressors was associated strongly with psychopathology. RSA was unrelated to internalizing or externalizing problems. Significant interactions were observed between RSA and child abuse, community violence, peer victimization, and traumatic events in predicting internalizing but not externalizing symptoms. Stressors were positively associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescents with low RSA but not in those with high RSA. Similar patterns were observed for anxiety and depression. These interactions were more consistently observed for male than female individuals. Low vagal tone is associated with internalizing psychopathology in adolescents exposed to high levels of stressors. Measurement of vagal tone in clinical settings might provide useful information about sensitivity to stress in child and adolescent clients.
Roberts, A. L., Chen, Y., Slopen, N., McLaughlin, K. A., Koenen, K. C., & Austin, S. B. (2015). Maternal experience of abuse in childhood and depressive symptoms in adolescent and adult offspring: A 21-year longitudinal study. Depression and Anxiety , 32 (10), 709–719.Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intergenerational effects of child abuse have been documented, but it is unknown whether maternal childhood abuse influences offspring mental health in adolescence or adulthood. METHODS: To examine whether maternal experience of childhood abuse is associated with depressive symptoms in adolescent and young adult offspring, we linked data from two large longitudinal cohorts of women (N = 8,882) and their offspring (N = 11,402), and we examined three possible pathways by which maternal experience of abuse might be associated with offspring depressive symptoms: maternal mental health, family characteristics, and offspring's own experience of abuse. RESULTS: Offspring of women who experienced severe versus no childhood abuse had greater likelihood of high depressive symptoms (RR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.47, 2.16) and persistent high depressive symptoms (RR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.37, 4.44). Maternal mental health accounted for 20.9% and offspring's exposure to abuse accounted for 30.3% of the elevated risk of high depressive symptoms. Disparities in offspring depressive symptoms by maternal abuse exposure were evident at age 12 years and persisted through age 31 years. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide evidence that childhood abuse adversely affects the mental health of the victim's offspring well into adulthood. As offspring exposure to abuse and maternal mental health accounted for more than 50% of the elevated risk of high depressive symptoms among offspring of women who experienced abuse, improving maternal mental health and parenting practices may reduce offspring risk for depressive symptoms in these families.
Green, J. G., Alegría, M., Kessler, R. C., McLaughlin, K. A., Gruber, M. J., Sampson, N. A., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2015). Neighborhood sociodemographic predictors of Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) in schools: demonstrating a small area estimation method in the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-A) Adolescent Supplement. Administration and Policy in Mental Health , 42 (1), 111–120.Abstract
We evaluate the precision of a model estimating school prevalence of SED using a small area estimation method based on readily-available predictors from area-level census block data and school principal questionnaires. Adolescents at 314 schools participated in the National Comorbidity Supplement, a national survey of DSM-IV disorders among adolescents. A multilevel model indicated that predictors accounted for under half of the variance in school-level SED and even less when considering block-group predictors or principal report alone. While Census measures and principal questionnaires are significant predictors of individual-level SED, associations are too weak to generate precise school-level predictions of SED prevalence.
Hatzenbuehler, M. L., McLaughlin, K. A., & Xuan, Z. (2015). Social networks and sexual orientation disparities in tobacco and alcohol use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs , 76 (1), 117–126.Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the composition of social networks contributes to sexual orientation disparities in substance use and misuse. METHOD: Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative cohort study of adolescents (N = 20,745). Wave 1 collected extensive information about the social networks of participants through peer nomination inventories. RESULTS: Same- and both-sex-attracted youths had higher frequency/quantity of tobacco use in their peer networks than did opposite-sex-attracted youths, and both-sex-attracted youths had higher frequency/quantity of alcohol use and misuse in their peer networks than opposite-sex-attracted youths. Among same- and both-sex-attracted youths, greater frequency/quantity of tobacco use in one's social network predicted greater use of cigarettes. In addition, greater frequency/quantity of peers' drinking and drinking to intoxication predicted more alcohol use and alcohol misuse in the both-sex-attracted group. These social network factors mediated sexual orientation-related disparities in tobacco use for both- and same-sex-attracted youths. Moreover, sexual orientation disparities in alcohol misuse were mediated by social network characteristics for the same-sex and both-sex-attracted youths. Importantly, sexual minority adolescents were no more likely to have other sexual minorities in their social networks than were sexual majority youths, ruling out an alternative explanation for our results. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of social networks as correlates of substance use behaviors among sexual minority youths and as potential pathways explaining sexual orientation disparities in substance use outcomes.
McLaughlin, K. A., Koenen, K. C., Friedman, M. J., Ruscio, A. M., Karam, E. G., Shahly, V., Stein, D. J., et al. (2015). Subthreshold posttraumatic stress disorder in the world health organization world mental health surveys. Biological Psychiatry , 77 (4), 375–384.Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although only a few people exposed to a traumatic event (TE) develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptoms that do not meet full PTSD criteria are common and often clinically significant. Individuals with these symptoms sometimes have been characterized as having subthreshold PTSD, but no consensus exists on the optimal definition of this term. Data from a large cross-national epidemiologic survey are used in this study to provide a principled basis for such a definition. METHODS: The World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys administered fully structured psychiatric diagnostic interviews to community samples in 13 countries containing assessments of PTSD associated with randomly selected TEs. Focusing on the 23,936 respondents reporting lifetime TE exposure, associations of approximated DSM-5 PTSD symptom profiles with six outcomes (distress-impairment, suicidality, comorbid fear-distress disorders, PTSD symptom duration) were examined to investigate implications of different subthreshold definitions. RESULTS: Although consistently highest outcomes for distress-impairment, suicidality, comorbidity, and PTSD symptom duration were observed among the 3.0% of respondents with DSM-5 PTSD rather than other symptom profiles, the additional 3.6% of respondents meeting two or three of DSM-5 criteria B-E also had significantly elevated scores for most outcomes. The proportion of cases with threshold versus subthreshold PTSD varied depending on TE type, with threshold PTSD more common following interpersonal violence and subthreshold PTSD more common following events happening to loved ones. CONCLUSIONS: Subthreshold DSM-5 PTSD is most usefully defined as meeting two or three of DSM-5 criteria B-E. Use of a consistent definition is critical to advance understanding of the prevalence, predictors, and clinical significance of subthreshold PTSD.
Jenness, J. L., & McLaughlin, K. A. (2015). Towards a person-centered approach to the developmental psychopathology of trauma. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology , 50 (8), 1219–1221. PDF
Sumner, J. A., Sheridan, M. A., Drury, S. S., Esteves, K. C., Walsh, K., Koenen, K. C., & McLaughlin, K. A. (2015). Variation in CACNA1C is Associated with Amygdala Structure and Function in Adolescents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology , 25 (9), 701–710.Abstract
{OBJECTIVE: Genome-wide association studies have identified allelic variation in CACNA1C as a risk factor for multiple psychiatric disorders associated with limbic system dysfunction, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression. The CACNA1C gene codes for a subunit of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels, which modulate amygdala function. Although CACNA1C genotype appears to be associated with amygdala morphology and function in adults with and without psychopathology, whether genetic variation influences amygdala structure and function earlier in development has not been examined. METHODS: In this first investigation of the neural correlates of CACNA1C in young individuals, we examined associations between two single nucleotide polymorphisms in CACNA1C (rs1006737 and rs4765914) with amygdala volume and activation during an emotional processing task in 58 adolescents and young adults 13-20 years of age. RESULTS: Minor (T) allele carriers of rs4765914 exhibited smaller amygdala volume than major (C) allele homozygotes ($\beta$=-0.33
McLaughlin, K. A., Garrad, M. C., & Somerville, L. H. (2015). What develops during emotional development? A component process approach to identifying sources of psychopathology risk in adolescence. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience , 17 (4), 403–410.Abstract
Adolescence is a phase of the lifespan associated with widespread changes in emotional behavior thought to reflect both changing environments and stressors, and psychological and neurobiological development. However, emotions themselves are complex phenomena that are composed of multiple subprocesses. In this paper, we argue that examining emotional development from a process-level perspective facilitates important insights into the mechanisms that underlie adolescents' shifting emotions and intensified risk for psychopathology. Contrasting the developmental progressions for the antecedents to emotion, physiological reactivity to emotion, emotional regulation capacity, and motivation to experience particular affective states reveals complex trajectories that intersect in a unique way during adolescence. We consider the implications of these intersecting trajectories for negative outcomes such as psychopathology, as well as positive outcomes for adolescent social bonds.
Gooding, H. C., Milliren, C., Austin, S. B., Sheridan, M. A., & McLaughlin, K. A. (2015). Exposure to violence in childhood is associated with higher body mass index in adolescence. Child Abuse & Neglect , 50, 151–158. Publisher's VersionAbstract
To determine whether different types of childhood adversity are associated with body mass index (BMI) in adolescence, we studied 147 adolescents aged 13–17 years, 41% of whom reported exposure to at least one adversity (maltreatment, abuse, peer victimization, or witness to community or domestic violence). We examined associations between adversity type and age- and sex-specific BMI z-scores using linear regression and overweight and obese status using logistic regression. We adjusted for potential socio-demographic, behavioral, and psychological confounders and tested for effect modification by gender. Adolescents with a history of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or peer victimization did not have significantly different BMI z-scores than those without exposure (p\textgreater0.05 for all comparisons). BMI z-scores were higher in adolescents who had experienced physical abuse ($\beta$=0.50, 95% CI 0.12–0.91) or witnessed domestic violence ($\beta$=0.85, 95% CI 0.30–1.40). Participants who witnessed domestic violence had almost 6 times the odds of being overweight or obese (95% CI: 1.09–30.7), even after adjustment for potential confounders. No gender-by-adversity interactions were found. Exposure to violence in childhood is associated with higher adolescent BMI. This finding highlights the importance of screening for violence in pediatric practice and providing obesity prevention counseling for youth.
Mclaughlin, K. (2014). Developmental Epidemiology. In M. Lewis & K. D. Rudolph (Ed.), Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology (3rd ed. pp. 87-107) . Springer. PDF
Keyes, K. M., Shmulewitz, D., Greenstein, E., McLaughlin, K., Wall, M., Aharonovich, E., Weizman, A., et al. (2014). Exposure to the Lebanon War of 2006 and effects on alcohol use disorders: The moderating role of childhood maltreatment. Drug and Alcohol Dependence , 134, 296–303. Publisher's VersionAbstract
{Background Civilian populations now comprise the majority of casualties in modern warfare, but effects of war exposure on alcohol disorders in the general population are largely unexplored. Accumulating literature indicates that adverse experiences early in life sensitize individuals to increased alcohol problems after adult stressful experiences. However, child and adult stressful experiences can be correlated, limiting interpretation. We examine risk for alcohol disorders among Israelis after the 2006 Lebanon War, a fateful event outside the control of civilian individuals and uncorrelated with childhood experiences. Further, we test whether those with a history of maltreatment are at greater risk for an alcohol use disorder after war exposure compared to those without such a history. Methods Adult household residents selected from the Israeli population register were assessed with a psychiatric structured interview; the analyzed sample included 1306 respondents. War measures included self-reported days in an exposed region. Results Among those with a history of maltreatment, those in a war-exposed region for 30+ days had 5.3 times the odds of subsequent alcohol disorders compared to those exposed 0 days (95%C.I. 1.01–27.76), controlled for relevant confounders; the odds ratio for those without this history was 0.5 (95%C.I. 0.25–1.01); test for interaction: X2=5.28
Kessler, R. C., Adler, L. A., Berglund, P., Green, J. G., McLaughlin, K. A., Fayyad, J., Russo, L. J., et al. (2014). The effects of temporally secondary co-morbid mental disorders on the associations of DSM-IV ADHD with adverse outcomes in the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Psychological Medicine , 44 (08), 1779–1792. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Background. Although DSM-IV attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is known to be associated with numerous adverse outcomes, uncertainties exist about how much these associations are mediated temporally by secondary comorbid disorders. Method. The US National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), a national survey of adolescents aged 13–17 years (n = 6483 adolescent–parent pairs), assessed DSM-IV disorders with the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Statistical decomposition was used to compare direct effects of ADHD with indirect effects of ADHD through temporally secondary mental disorders (anxiety, mood, disruptive behavior, substance disorders) in predicting poor educational performance (suspension, repeating a grade, below-average grades), suicidality (ideation, plans, attempts) and parent perceptions of adolescent functioning (physical and mental health, interference with role functioning and distress due to emotional problems). Results. ADHD had significant gross associations with all outcomes. Direct effects of ADHD explained most (51.9–67.6%) of these associations with repeating a grade in school, perceived physical and mental health (only girls), interference with role functioning and distress, and significant components (34.5–44.6%) of the associations with school suspension and perceived mental health (only boys). Indirect effects of ADHD on educational outcomes were predominantly through disruptive behavior disorders (26.9–52.5%) whereas indirect effects on suicidality were predominantly through mood disorders (42.8–59.1%). Indirect effects on most other outcomes were through both mood (19.8–31.2%) and disruptive behavior (20.1–24.5%) disorders, with anxiety and substance disorders less consistently important. Most associations were comparable for girls and boys. Conclusions. Interventions aimed at reducing the adverse effects of ADHD might profitably target prevention or treatment of temporally secondary co-morbid disorders.
McLaughlin, K. A., Busso, D. S., Duys, A., Green, J. G., Alves, S., Way, M., & Sheridan, M. A. (2014). Amygdala response to negative stimuli predicts PTSD symptom onset following a terrorist attack. Depression and Anxiety , 31 (10), 834–842.Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit heightened amygdala reactivity and atypical activation patterns in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in response to negative emotional information. It is unknown whether these aspects of neural function are risk factors for PTSD or consequences of either trauma exposure or onset of the disorder. We had a unique opportunity to investigate this issue following the terrorist attacks at the 2013 Boston Marathon and the ensuing manhunt and shelter in place order. We examined associations of neural function measured prior to the attack with PTSD symptom onset related to these events. METHODS: A sample of 15 adolescents (mean age = 16.5 years) who previously participated in a neuroimaging study completed a survey assessing posttraumatic symptoms related to the terrorist attack. We examined blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response to viewing and actively down-regulating emotional responses to negative stimuli in regions previously associated with PTSD, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and mPFC, as prospective predictors of posttraumatic symptom onset. RESULTS: Increased BOLD signal to negative emotional stimuli in the left amygdala was strongly associated with posttraumatic symptoms following the attack. Reduced bilateral hippocampal activation during effortful attempts to down-regulate emotional responses to negative stimuli was also associated with greater posttraumatic symptoms. Associations of amygdala reactivity with posttraumatic symptoms were robust to controls for pre-existing depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms and prior exposure to violence. CONCLUSIONS: Amygdala reactivity to negative emotional information might represent a neurobiological marker of vulnerability to traumatic stress and, potentially, a risk factor for PTSD.
Myers, B., McLaughlin, K. A., Wang, S., Blanco, C., & Stein, D. J. (2014). Associations between childhood adversity, adult stressful life events, and past-year drug use disorders in the National Epidemiological Study of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors , 28 (4), 1117–1126.Abstract
Stress sensitization, whereby CA lowers tolerance to later stressors, has been proposed as a potential mechanism explaining the association between exposure to childhood adversities (CA) and drug use disorders in adulthood. However, this mechanism remains untested. This paper begins to address this gap through exploring associations between CA exposure and stressful events in adulthood for predicting drug use disorders. We used data drawn from Wave 2 of the U.S. National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (n = 34,653) to explore whether the association between past-year stressful life events and the 12-month prevalence of disordered cannabis, stimulant, and opiate use varied by the number of types of CA that an individual was exposed to. Past-year stressful life events were associated with an increased risk of cannabis, stimulant, and opiate use disorders among men and women. Exposure to CA was associated with increased risk for disordered cannabis use among men and women and opiate use among men only. Finally, we found significant associations between exposure to CA and past-year stressful life events in predicting disordered drug use, but only for women in relation to disordered stimulant and opiate use. Findings are suggestive of possible stress sensitization effects in predicting disordered stimulant and opiate use among women. Implications of these findings for the prevention and treatment of drug use disorders and for future research are discussed.
Iverson, K. M., McLaughlin, K. A., Adair, K. C., & Monson, C. M. (2014). Anger-related dysregulation as a factor linking childhood physical abuse and interparental violence to intimate partner violence experiences. Violence and Victims , 29 (4), 564–578.Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Childhood family violence exposure is associated with increased risk for experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain inadequately understood. Difficulties with emotion regulation may be one factor that helps to explain this relationship. METHOD: Childhood physical abuse and interparental violence, as well as subsequent IPV experiences, were assessed in a large sample of young adults (N = 670). Several indicators of anger-related dysregulation were also assessed. Structural equation modeling was used to create a latent variable of anger-related dysregulation, which was examined as a potential mediator of the associations between childhood family violence exposure and IPV. RESULTS: Childhood physical abuse and interparental violence were associated with greater physical, sexual, and emotional IPV victimization. Childhood physical abuse and interparental violence were also associated with anger-related dysregulation, which was positively associated with all three types of IPV experiences. Anger-related dysregulation fully mediated the association between witnessing interparental violence and physical IPV. Anger-related dysregulation partially mediated the association between witnessing interparental violence and psychological IPV and the associations of childhood physical abuse with all three forms of IPV. These associations were consistent across gender. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions aimed at reducing IPV risk among survivors of childhood family violence may benefit from including techniques to target anger-related emotion regulation skills.
Rith-Najarian, L. R., McLaughlin, K. A., Sheridan, M. A., & Nock, M. K. (2014). The biopsychosocial model of stress in adolescence: self-awareness of performance versus stress reactivity. Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) , 17 (2), 193–203.Abstract
Extensive research among adults supports the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of challenge and threat, which describes relationships among stress appraisals, physiological stress reactivity, and performance; however, no previous studies have examined these relationships in adolescents. Perceptions of stressors as well as physiological reactivity to stress increase during adolescence, highlighting the importance of understanding the relationships among stress appraisals, physiological reactivity, and performance during this developmental period. In this study, 79 adolescent participants reported on stress appraisals before and after a Trier Social Stress Test in which they performed a speech task. Physiological stress reactivity was defined by changes in cardiac output and total peripheral resistance from a baseline rest period to the speech task, and performance on the speech was coded using an objective rating system. We observed in adolescents only two relationships found in past adult research on the BPS model variables: (1) pre-task stress appraisal predicted post-task stress appraisal and (2) performance predicted post-task stress appraisal. Physiological reactivity during the speech was unrelated to pre- and post-task stress appraisals and to performance. We conclude that the lack of association between post-task stress appraisal and physiological stress reactivity suggests that adolescents might have low self-awareness of physiological emotional arousal. Our findings further suggest that adolescent stress appraisals are based largely on their performance during stressful situations. Developmental implications of this potential lack of awareness of one's physiological and emotional state during adolescence are discussed.
Keyes, K. M., Pratt, C., Galea, S., McLaughlin, K. A., Koenen, K. C., & Shear, M. K. (2014). The burden of loss: unexpected death of a loved one and psychiatric disorders across the life course in a national study. The American Journal of Psychiatry , 171 (8), 864–871.Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Unexpected death of a loved one is common and associated with subsequent elevations in symptoms of multiple forms of psychopathology. Determining whether this experience predicts novel onset of psychiatric disorders and whether these associations vary across the life course has important clinical implications. The authors examined associations of a loved one's unexpected death with first onset of common anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in a population-based sample. METHOD: The relation between unexpected death of a loved one and first onset of lifetime DSM-IV disorders was estimated by using a structured interview of adults in the U.S. general population (analytic sample size=27,534). Models controlled for prior occurrence of any disorder, other traumatic experiences, and demographic variables. RESULTS: Unexpected death of a loved one was the most common traumatic experience and most likely to be rated as the respondent's worst, regardless of other traumatic experiences. Increased incidence after unexpected death was observed at nearly every point across the life course for major depressive episode, panic disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Increased incidence was clustered in later adult age groups for manic episode, phobias, alcohol use disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The bereavement period is associated with elevated risk for the onset of multiple psychiatric disorders, consistently across the life course and coincident with the experience of the loved one's death. Novel associations between unexpected death and onset of several disorders, including mania, confirm multiple case reports and results of small studies and suggest an important emerging area for clinical research and practice.
McLaughlin, K. A., Sheridan, M. A., Alves, S., & Mendes, W. B. (2014). Child maltreatment and autonomic nervous system reactivity: identifying dysregulated stress reactivity patterns by using the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat. Psychosomatic Medicine , 76 (7), 538–546.Abstract
{OBJECTIVE: Disruptions in stress response system development have been posited as mechanisms linking child maltreatment (CM) to psychopathology. Existing theories predict elevated sympathetic nervous system reactivity after CM, but evidence for this is inconsistent. We present a novel framework for conceptualizing stress reactivity after CM that uses the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat. We predicted that in the context of a social-evaluative stressor, maltreated adolescents would exhibit a threat pattern of reactivity, involving sympathetic nervous system activation paired with elevated vascular resistance and blunted cardiac output (CO) reactivity. METHODS: A sample of 168 adolescents (mean age =14.9 years) participated. Recruitment targeted maltreated adolescents; 38.2% were maltreated. Electrocardiogram, impedance cardiography, and blood pressure were acquired at rest and during an evaluated social stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Pre-ejection period (PEP), CO, and total peripheral resistance reactivity were computed during task preparation, speech delivery, and verbal mental arithmetic. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were assessed. RESULTS: Maltreatment was unrelated to PEP reactivity during preparation or speech, but maltreated adolescents had reduced PEP reactivity during math. Maltreatment exposure (F(1,145) = 3.8-9.4


August 25, 2020 1:46am Comment Tushar Mehta
HMD Global launches Nokia 5.3 and Nokia C3 in India
Finnish startup, HMD Global, resurrected the Nokia brand in December 2016 and since then, the company has been going strong with its extensive lineup of Android smartphones and features phones. Back in March, HMD unveiled its fourth generation of devices — categorized by the "x.3" moniker, including the Nokia 8.3, Nokia 5.3, and Nokia 1.3. Now, the company brings the Nokia 5.3 to India while also debuting the new entry-level Nokia C3 in the region for global availability.
The Nokia 5.3 is a camera-centric smartphone for the lower-mid-range. The device features quad cameras on the back, including a 13MP primary camera, a 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. Just like its predecessor — Nokia 5.1 Plus, the Nokia 5.3 comes with an HD+ display but with a narrower notch. It runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 665 mobile platform with options between 4GB and 6GB of RAM.
Like most other Nokia branded smartphones, the Nokia 5.3 is part of Google's Android One program and comes with the guarantee of at least two years of OS updates. The phone comes with Android 10 out of the box and will receive updates to Android 11 as well as Android 12 (or whatever Google calls it). Lastly, the smartphone features a 4000mAh battery and comes with a 10W charger.
The Nokia 5.3 will be available in India only via online channels, including Amazon and Nokia's online store from September 1st. Users interested in buying can pre-book the device starting today i.e. August 25th. The 4GB/64GB variant of the smartphone is priced at ₹13,999 while the 6GB/64GB variant comes for ₹15,499.
Nokia 5.3 Specifications
6.55-inch (720 x 1600 pixels) HD+ 20:9 2.5D curved glass display
Octa-Core Snapdragon 665
11nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs)
Adreno 610 GPU
4GB / 6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB storage, expandable memory up to 512GB
13MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, LED flash, 5MP wide-angle camera, 2MP depth sensor and 2MP for macro
8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio
Dimensions: 164.3 x 76.6 x 8.5mm; Weight: 185g
Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C
4000mAh with 10W charging
Besides the Nokia 5.3, the new Nokia C3 entry-level smartphone was unveiled not just for India but for the global markets. The Nokia C3 comes with a 5.99″ HD+ display and is powered by an octa-core Unisoc chipset along with 2 or 3GB of RAM. It features a single 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front. The smartphone also features a dedicated Google Assistant button on the sides and a capacitive fingerprint sensor on the back.
Nokia C3 uses a 3040mAh battery and supports 5W charging. It runs on Android 10 but HMD has not made any claims about updates on the device.
It will be available in India starting September 17th via Nokia's online store and offline retail chains. The 2GB/16GB variant is priced at ₹7,499 while the 3GB/32GB variant comes for ₹8,999. With this, HMD is also offering a 1-year replacement guarantee such that any fault with the device (covered under the guarantee) will ensure that you get a new handset instead of a repaired one.
Nokia C3 Specifications
Octa-core Unisoc SC9863A SoC
Quad 1.6GHz ARM Cortex-A55 + Quad 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A55 CPUs
IMG 8322 GPU
2GB / 3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, expandable memory up to 128GB
8MP rear camera with f/2.8 aperture, LED flash
5MP front-facing camera
Dimensions: 159.6 x 77 x 8.69mm; Weight 184.5g (with battery)
4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + A-GPS, Micro USB
3040mAh with 5W charging
Tags hmd globalnokiaNokia 5.3
XDA » News Brief » HMD Global launches Nokia 5.3 and Nokia C3 in India
Tushar Mehta
I am a Senior Editor at XDA. I have been reviewing gadgets for over five years and gained experience by working for prominent tech publications in India before joining XDA. I enjoy fiddling with all smart objects and my love for software customization dates back to the Symbian S60 days. I like to devote my spare time idealizing the romantic union of technology and philosophy or spacing out on Pink Floyd. You may email me at [email protected]


UNWRAPPED: BREAKING THE WHEEL
by The Anfield Wrap | Jun 3, 2015 | Podcast, TAW Player | 4 comments
ROB GUTMANN, Jay McKenna, Gareth Roberts and Adam Smith get 'way existential' on this week's 'Unwrapped' and consider the structure of European competitions and how basically dumb they are.
Giggles abound.
Robin Crimes on 4 June 2015 at 2:02 am
I'll be honest, I don't like this cynicism towards Arsenal being happy to finish in the top 4. It's not even true anymore.
I celebrate top 4 so enthusiastically because I want Liverpool to be the best again but I'm not naive enough to think it can happen over night. It's a process and that process requires the Champions League both for the money to buy better players and the lure for attracting better players. Without it you're nothing. You're second tier. So, top 4 is progress whilst not getting top 4 is going backwards. That's just how it is. Aim to win the league, as all the top 5 do, but if it's not gonna be then make sure you're in the top 4.
Arsenal deserve respect. They took a decision that to remain a top team they had to make changes but those changes meant years of struggling. Yet, they qualified for the CL every year despite having a negative net spend of £40m between 2006 and 2012. Without that qualification they'd have been fucked. It was even worth celebrating then, although difficult for a fan to see that because, it's true, that's not what fans see as success.
No fan wants to go through a spell like Arsenal have had but then fans don't think long term strategy either. Luckily for them their board has. Now the stadium is paid off they've got £70m a year extra to spend on their previous seasons before any tv increases this year and next. Last year they bought Ozil and this year Sanchez. £40m players improve your team. As pointed out, Ozil hasn't been amazing but Arsenal have just won 2 FA Cups since they started to benefit from the stadium for the first time. The last 2 seasons has seen a £30m and then £65m net after years of negative spend. Next season's net will top that again.
That might sound like a load of bollocks but the bottom line is this – Arsenal are now gonna have a decade of success. These FA cups are only the start of it. Certainly leagues and possibly a CL will follow in the next 10 years. This was their plan. You saw after the final last week Walcott and Wenger both said they'll challenge for the title next season. The days of aiming for 4th are over for them. It was part of a sacrificial period where they needed 4th for their long term plan. But, their threat is still in it's infancy, to keep it on track they had to secure their CL spot this season. Simple as that. If I know 100% that this was their plan and I'm 100% confident they'll win the league in the next 3 years then the players will be up to speed with the strategy too. It was worth celebrating.
Personally, (although Arsenal haven't proved anything yet) I think Arsenal is an interesting case study. Fans wanted Wenger out even though they know he's had no money to spend. They know about the stadium repayments and future benefits. They moan like fuck about everything to do with the club yet now they're gonna look stupid because Wenger and even the board are gonna look like geniuses with the benefit of hindsight, over the next few years.
Point being, just maybe there's something similar going on at Liverpool. FSG's vision doesn't strike me as 5 year plan. I think more of a 12 year plan. Obviously, that's far to long for us to wait but maybe if we'd have been able to do what Wenger did and get in the CL every year then it could have been a 5 year plan. Anyway, it's the be all and end all for me. I like winning but I can also get by knowing Liverpool are progressing. Top 4 is the only benchmark for that.
And while I'm here, I fuckin love hearing that CL music knowing that Liverpool are in the competition. How can you not. I've bought in.
paul on 4 June 2015 at 4:51 pm
People jibe Arsenal because they're jealous of their record of making the competition without fail year on year. Had City and Chelsea not bought their way to the top, Arsenal would have romped many league titles without oil money. Think on that.
Whether others can accept it or not, Arsenal are way ahead of LFC in every department. Every time an LFC "fan" wanks off about "history", they're confirming that's all that's left of the club they claim to support. I'd wish these tossers would fuck off and get back in their holes.
Karl Dron on 4 June 2015 at 3:40 pm
The only problem with your assumption, Robin, is that FSG do spend. Our problem is not what we spend, it's how we spend, or more precisely what we spend it on. Look no further than our current top transfer target, Benteke who, if we're to pay his buyout clause of £32.5 million, will have cost more than Chelsea paid for Costa who is a better fit for our style of play and a superior goal threat. Same goes for Downing, Carroll and countless others we've bought under FSG's tenure. We've matched Arsenal's spending, even out spent them at times but where as they've bought sensibly, we may as well have pissed it up against a wall because of our refusal to sign established stars.
robin crimes on 4 June 2015 at 4:26 pm
This backs up my point though. What have Arsenal won in the last 10 years prior to their 2 FA cups. Nothing. What have they spent prior to the last 2 years – nothing. So, why were they able to get Sanchez. Why did Suarez want to leave us for them. Why does Sterling want to leave us for them. People say offer the money and they'll come but it's not true. Suarez wasn't about money. I don't think Sterling is about money now. As it happens I don't think Sanchez came down to money. I read that he pleaded with Barca not to make him join Liverpool. Quite simply, they get 4th every year. They still progress. We don't. Therefore, they get Sanchez and we get Benteke. Finishing in the top 4 shouldn't be knocked. I know we have problems with our wage structure but it's far from our main issue. People don't rate teams that aren't in the CL. Simple, and that's the difference. So, yeah, we spend. We have a vision but that vision falls flat on it's face if you're not CL regulars. That's why it's so critical. Arsenal will now reap the rewards of all those 4th place finishes at a time when they were building their stadium. We'll now suffer setback after setback because we can't get a regular place in it.


Ceramic artworks Rifleman Hiles' IED Brush and Swift and Bold Jug featured in Arts Quarterly Magazine, Spring 2018.
Mc Hugh, C. (Participant)
Belfast School of Art
Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Coverage of the exhibition 'Created in Conflict: British Soldier Art from the Crimean War to Today' in Art Quarterly Magazine, Spring 2018, featuring a description and images of Christopher McHugh's ceramic artworks, Swift and Bold Jug (2013) and Rifleman Hiles' IED Brush (2013). Furneaux, H. & Orrock, A. 2018. Created in Conflict: The Art of War, Art Quarterly, Spring 2018, pp. 56-59. 'Focusing on art made by the British Armed Forces over the past 200 years, a new exhibition at Compton Verney explores the creativity of soldiers. From quilts fashioned from used army blankets to collaborations between veterans and contemporary artists, the works reveal often surprising narratives about both the professional and private lives of service personnel. Here the show's curators, Holly Furneaux and Amy Orrock, select six key pieces from the 50 displayed' Excerpt from text 'Christopher McHugh's Swift and Bold Jug draws upon his collaboration with members of Third Battalion, The Rifles (3 Rifles) to make ceramic works of art in response to their experiences fighting in Helmand during Operation Herrick 11 (October 2009-April 2010). The soldiers brought with them significant objects connected to the campaign, and many of them also discussed their tattoos memorialising dead comrades or family members. Tattooing, with its long military and maritime tradition, continues to be a significant practice of soldier art, in which the body itself is inscribed with war experiences, especially loss. McHugh's jug intersperses tattoos with lucky charms, creating a durable repository for these memories in the form of an object that spealcs to a long tradition of trench art by recalling inscribed First World War shell-case vases and jugs. Soldiers' day-to-day work often requires high levels of dexterity and precision, skills that are honoured in McHugh's ceramic piece Rifleman Hiles' JED Brush. McHugh's ceramic is a cast of the domestic paintbrush that was used by rifleman Lee Hiles to excavate improvised explosive devices during his patrols in Afghanistan; the brush is marked with a tally for each device detected. McHugh's casting of this everyday object recognises the artistry implicit in the delicate work of IED removal - the humble paintbrush becomes an object literally poised between life and death.'
Cardiff University, United Kingdom
Christopher McHugh
Art Quarterly
Created in Conflict
Holly Furneaux
Amy Orrock
Art Quarterly Spring 2018 Created in Conflict
Clay and Commemoration: materializing the somatic experience of warfare through ceramic practice
Created in Conflict: British Soldier Art from Crimean War to TodayAt Compton Verney Art Gallery & Park, 17 March – 10 June 2018
Created in Conflict: British Soldier Art from the Crimean War to Today


World would be a better place if Saddam, Gadhafi still in power, GOP hopeful Trump says
| 27.10.2015 | 5:05 | В рубрике: Foreign press | tags: Gadhafi, Saddam, Trump, USA, в мире
The world would be a better place if dictators such as Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gadhafi were still in power, top Republican US presidential hopeful Donald Trump said in comments aired Sunday.
The billionaire real estate tycoon also told CNN's «State of the Union» talk show that the Middle East «blew up» around US President Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, his biggest Democratic rival in the race for the White House.
«100 percent,» Trump said when asked if the world would be better off with Hussein and Gadhafi still at the helm in Iraq and Libya.
Both strongmen committed atrocities against their own people and are now dead. Saddam, the former Iraqi president, was toppled in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and was executed in 2006.
Gadhafi — who ruled Libya for four decades — was ousted and slain in October 2011 amid a NATO-backed uprising.
«People are getting their heads chopped off. They're being drowned. Right now it's far worse than ever under Saddam Hussein or Gadhafi,» Trump said.
«I mean, look what happened. Libya is a catastrophe. Libya is a disaster. Iraq is a disaster. Syria is a disaster. The whole Middle East. It all blew up around Hillary Clinton and around Obama. It blew up.»
Calling Iraq the «Harvard of terrorism,» Trump said the country had turned into a «training ground for terrorists.»
«If you look at Iraq from years ago, I'm not saying he (Saddam) was a nice guy. He was a horrible guy but it's better than it is now,» Trump said.
Trump said his foreign policy strategy would be centered around beefing up the US military.
«All I know is this: we're living in Medieval times ... We're living in an unbelievably dangerous and horrible world,» he said.
«The Trump doctrine is simple,» he added. «It's strength. It's strength. Nobody is going to mess with us. Our military will be made stronger.»
Trump on Sunday also went after his Republican rival Ben Carson, who has surged past him in the closely watched, early-voting state of Iowa.
According to a Bloomberg/Des Moines Register poll out Friday, Carson claims 28 percent support from likely voters in the Republican Iowa caucus, compared to 19 percent for Trump.
It was the second poll in two days that had Carson knocking Trump off his perch in Iowa, an intensely fought-over state because it votes first in the lengthy US nominating contests.
«Ben Carson has never created a job in his life (well, maybe a nurse),» Trump tweeted of the retired pediatric neurosurgeon, a fellow political newcomer. I have created tens of thousands of jobs, it's what I do."
Carson, who has cemented his support among Christian evangelicals, shrugged off Trump's darts in an interview with Fox News Sunday, saying, «I refuse to get into the mud pit.»
«He is who he is. I don't think that's going to change. And I am who I am. That's not going to change either,» he said of Trump.
In his interview with CNN, Trump acknowledged he was «surprised» by Carson's advance, calling an Iowa event he was at several days ago a «love fest.»
«I like Ben but he cannot do with trade like I do with trade. He can't do a lot of things like I do,» Trump said, adding that Carson was also «very, very weak on immigration.»
A new CBS News 2016 «Battleground Tracker» poll out Sunday showed Trump and Carson tied in Iowa at 27 percent, with Trump holding onto a double digit lead over the doctor in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
The poll was based on 3,952 interviews done October 15-22. The Iowa and South Carolina surveys had 4.8 percent margins of error, while the New Hampshire poll had one of 5.6 percent.
* — www.dailysabah.com
* — Reuters Photo
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New and Selected Stories (Paperback)
By Cristina Rivera Garza, Sarah Booker (Translated by), Lisa Dillman (Translated by), Francisca González Arias (Translated by), Alex Ross (Translated by)
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A story collection drawn from across her career brings into English for the first time the extraordinary stylistic and thematic range of the Mexican writer and MacArthur "genius" Cristina Rivera Garza.
"One of Mexico's greatest living writers," wrote Jonathan Lethem in 2018 about Cristina Rivera Garza, "we are just barely beginning to catch up to what she has to offer." In the years since, Rivera Garza's work has received widespread recognition: She was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant for fiction that "interrogates culturally constructed notions of language, memory, and gender from a transnational perspective," and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Yet we have still only started to discover the full range of a writer who is at once an incisive voice on migration, borders, and violence against women, as well as a high stylist in the manner of Lispector or Duras.
New and Selected Stories now brings together in English translation stories from across Rivera Garza's career, drawing from three collections spanning over 30 years and including new writing not yet published in Spanish. It is a unique and remarkable body of work, and a window into the ever-evolving stylistic and thematic development of one of the boldest, most original and affecting writers in the world today.
Cristina Rivera Garza is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including The Taiga Syndrome, available from Dorothy, a publishing project. Originally written in Spanish, her books have been translated into English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Korean, and more. Born in Mexico in 1964, she has lived in the United States since 1989, and is currently a distinguished professor in Hispanic studies and the director of creative writing at the University of Houston.
Sarah Booker is a literary translator and doctoral candidate in Hispanic Literature at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where she studies contemporary Latin American narrative and translation studies. Her translations include Cristina Rivera Garza's The Iliac Crest and Grieving: Dispatches from a Wounded Country and Mónica Ojeda's Jawbone.
"The stories in this collection are as varied as Rivera Garza's remarkable career, and this book is an excellent introduction to a unique writer who deserves to be recognized not just in Mexico, but all over the world." — Kirkus, starred review
Publisher: Dorothy, a publishing project
Publication Date: April 5th, 2022
Kobo eBook (April 5th, 2022): $9.99
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From "Exposito's Mercies" by Georgia Rainford
Posted by alexp01 under Excerpt | Tags: fiction, pirates, story |
Three men, all accused of piracy, were before him on their knees, guarded by troops from the fortress. They'd each petitioned for the Corrigador, the effective governor of Veracruz, to hear their cases personally.
"Gabriel Hernandez y Juarez," Exposito said, sounding utterly bored. "You stand accused of piracy before His Majesty King Philip. You were caught aboard a pirate ship that was detained and captured by our fleet off the coast a week ago, one which had made several attempts to take His Majesty's ships as prizes. What do you have to say in your defense?"
"Please, sir, please," blubbered the man. "I apologize before you and before God, and I throw myself prostrate on your mercy. I was captured by those buccaneers when my ship was taken and forced into their service as a carpenter."
Exposito perked up at this. "Oh? I know a thing or two about carpentry myself, you know," he said. "The table before you wobbles. Go on, get up and try it."
Hesitantly, Hernandez got up and tested Exposito's small end table. It did in fact wobble.
"Tell me," said Exposito. "How would you fix it?"
"Well, I suppose…um…well, that is to say…" Hernandez stuttered.
"Bah," said Exposito. "You expect me to believe pirates would impress a 'carpenter' who can't even do such a simple task? You could glue a small disk to the bottom of the leg, or put in a wedge at the top."
"Please, it is nervousness!" the accused man cried. "I was just about to suggest glue!"
"Take him away and hang him," said Exposito with a wave of his arm. "A real carpenter would have noticed that the wobble was because one leg is on my rug."
Wailing and blubbering, the man was removed.
"John Samuels, of England," said Exposito to the second man, rolling the foreign name around between his high cheeks before spitting it out. "You stand accused of piracy before His Majesty King Philip. You and your skiff preyed on the fishermen out of the harbor until you ran aground. What have you to say in your defense?"
"I only stole a few fish, on account of I was starving," said Samuels. "If a fisherman can't even protect a few measly mackerel, what good's he going to do in life? If anything, I was making the fishermen around here better by culling out the weak."
"I see," said Exposito. "But what does it mean for your theory that you were captured?"
"It means that my services are now at your Lordship's disposal," said Samuels. "If you'd put me to work for you, I'd make you stronger as well. But if you mean to hang me, even if only for a bit of sport, I'd ask that you get to it."
"I like this man," said Exposito. "A full pardon for him. See him escorted to the docks and issued orders as a pilot."
"As your Lordship wills," said Samuels. "Thank you for not wasting our time."
Exposito dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Jean Legrand, of France," he said to the third. "You stand accused of piracy before His Majesty King Philip. You were found illegally trading in the port of Veracruz for lumber you illegally cut from His Majesty's forests on Santo Domingo."
"As I have told your brutish men at length," Legrand said, "I was selling lumber from Saint-Domingue, which is rightfully part of the French crown as your own King has recognized."
"And I hold that yours is an illegal occupation, one that is soon to be stamped out, regardless of what temporary concessions King Philip has made to his grandfather, your so-called king. Who are you to say otherwise?"
"Tell me then, how is a simple farmer to support himself when he has neither the land nor the slaves to grow sugarcane nor anything else of value, and is the sole support of his family?"
"That is not my concern," said Exposito. "Take him away and hang him."
"I protest!" cried Legrand. "I protest in the name of my King and my family!"
"Oh, very well," said Exposito. "Hang him, but sell his ship and his cargo and give the proceeds to Ambassador La Croix. He may compensate this squatter's family at his discretion, I suppose."
From "Cooke" by Georgia Rainford
Ebenezer "Ben" Cooke
The Cookes are a large family from Ednam in Roxburghshire, Scotland, and Cooke's grandfather traveled to the New World as an indentured laborer to find his fortune. He was successful enough that his son, Cooke's father, inherited a large plantation with slaves.
Mrs. Cooke died in childbirth giving birth to Elizabeth "Bess" Cooke, Cooke's older half-sister. Lonely, the elder Cooke fell in love with one of his slaves, Belinda. Though they could never marry, they lived together as husband and wife to the great scandal of their neighbors, and the remaining slaves were freed and rehired as laborers at her urging.
Cooke was Belinda's only child and recieved a thorough education from his bibliophile father and mother. The elder Cooke rewrote his will to legitimize Cooke as his heir, effectively disinheriting Bess, who had in the meantime married a wealthy local doctor.
When both Belinda and the elder Cooke died in a yellow fever epidemic, Bess and her husband used the opportunity to take Cooke's inheritence. They hired local bushwhackers to kidnap Cooke and the other workers and had them taken to the slave markets of the Caribbean to be sold. Cooke was 13 at the time.
On the way to the market, the ship was stopped and boarded by pirates (or privateers) led by Captain Roxburgh. Cooke led the pirates to the hidden valuables aboard in exchange for putting the others ashore unharmed as free men. Impressed by Cooke's acumen, Roxburgh took him aboard as a cabin boy. It was aboard that ship that Cooke had is apprenticeship as a seaman.
When the pirates captured a Dutch Indiaman some years later, Cooke, as mate, was given the prize to sail himself. Christening it the Fancy Rat, he was able to escape the destruction of Roxburgh's flotilla later that year. Since then, Cooke has continually upgraded and modified his ship and engaged in piracy largely based out of Jolly Port.
The one thing that sets him apart from his fellow ruffians is his refusal to sell slaves on captured ships – he will instead put them safely ashore. He also loathes his given name, dismissing it as a ridiculously trendy appellation, and prefers to go by simply "Cooke" or, if pressed, "Ben Cooke."
Cooke describes himself as having "his father's nose after it was smashed flat against his face." His hair is wildly curly and often barely kept under control with ribbons or hats; he wears it long out of vanity. He had strikingly-colored eyes, a "blunderbuss of dark freckles to the cheeks;" these features plus his darker skin make his mixed ancestry very clear.
From "The New Articles of Piracy" by Georgia Rainford
"As our prior association has been dissolved by our late misadvetnure," Cooke said, "We need new articles, which you can see that I've drawn up. The terms are one share for each man in the promised reward for returning…ma'am?"
"Maria de las Mercedes Ximénez y Nereida."
"What she said. One share for seamen, two for mates and the navigator, three for the captain and quartermaster. This will cover any incidental claims along the way as well." Cooke signed the paper with a flourish. "As captain and owner of the Fancy Rat, I invite you to come forward and make your mark."
The men fell to speaking and squabbling among each other. "What do you think, boss?" said Hume. "Will we get enough of a crew to man the Rat?
"Well, there are plenty of considerations around that fact," said Cooke. "Not least of which is that we're the only ship in the harbor and the only escape for anyone who might not want the Spaniards to find them here."
"Granted. What else?"
"You'll note the unusually low shares that I offered for officers, so the men stand to make more than they otherwise might."
Hume grunted. "I can think of a few things to set against that."
"Like what?" said Cooke. "You know I always appreciate your grumpiness, Hume. It's a fine antidote to my own sunny outlook."
"First: ladies onboard. It's bad luck." Hume said. "Even if I don't believe it, half of them will."
"It's a good thing we have but one lady, then, and needn't fear more," Cooke replied.
"With a ship full of men and one woman, you might find that they multiply rather quickly," Hume said. "Assuming any will sail with her at all."
"It always struck me as rather curious," replied Cooke. "Half of them were born in the New World, how to they suppose their mothers got here? On a horse?"
"Second," Hume continued. "Pay. It's a paltry hook to hand a crew on, the promise of Catholic gold in return for a woman who for all we know may be bluffing."
"Crews have been hung on much less," replied Cooke. "Literally as well as figuratively."
"Third: the Spaniards wanted her for something. They will come looking for her, and I doubt that we will be as lucky as we were this time, without a fleet to back us up."
"On the contrary, Hume," said Cooke. "I think we'll be considerably luckier without a fleet to slow us down."
From "NBS Special Report: Pirates vs. Ninjas" by Poe Edminster-Carr
Posted by alexp01 under Excerpt | Tags: fiction, ninjas, pirates, pirates vs. ninjas, story, Talk Like A Pirate Day |
Good evening, and welcome to Friendly Fire. I am your host and moderator, Dr. Poe Edminster-Caar, chair of the Undead Studies department at Ravensholme University.
Tonight's episode traces the origins of the most vicious and long-running conflict in the modern world: the Pirate-Ninja conflict. While many of our longtime viewers will recall our previous roundtables, the fear is that constant reports of violence on the nightly news has desensitized our viewership to the conflict. And on this, the most holy day of the Pirate calendar and the 50th anniversary of the extremely controversial Pirate-Ninja War of 1966, it behooves us more than ever to understand the conflict.
Along the way, we'll hear from NBS's own Pirate Affairs commentator William "Black Bill" Cubbins IV, pirate-in-residence at the University of Plunder Bay as well as executive director of UPB's William Kidd Center for the Study of Pirate Culture. Naturally, the ninja viewpoint will be represented by the NBS Ninja Outreach director, Ms. Felicia Lloyd Matsumura-Tamaribuchi, an activist with the Occupy Treasure Island movement, the Sharper Blades, Sharper Minds katana outreach program, and the United Ninja College Fund.
But first, let me remind you, as I always do: pirate ships launch and sink, ninjas assassinate and are assassinated, people talk like a pirate on Talk Like a Pirate Day and remain silent like a ninja on Remain Silent Like a Ninja Day. But in the end, they will all join the ranks of the undead, and either feast upon brains or be feasted upon themselves in the coming Zombie Wars.
And now, a look at the origins of the Pirate-Ninja conflict, starting with the Sea Peoples migration in 1200 BC and the destruction of invading fleets of Chinese pirates by the Kamikaze Divine Wind in 1274 AD.
From "The Destruction of Port Royal" by Georgia Rainford
"We are in position now, Don Exposito." Juan Ramirez, the captain of the ship, reported. "Port Royal lays before us."
"Excellent, capitán de navío, excellent," said Exposito. "Report."
"Our scouting barque reports that there are over twenty armed vessels in port, many of them of dubious or pirate origins," Ramirez said. "They are supported by the fortress at the harbor entrance. Even with the advantage we have against their weapons and our superior firepower, it is unlikely that we will be able to take the city without reinforcements. Even then, alférez Diaz of our tercio detachment estimates that it will require 1000-3000 troops to pacify the city, occupy its fortifications, and turn its docks to our use."
"A very thorough report," said Expositio. "Thank you. But one thing mystifies me, capitán de navío."
"What is that, Don Exposito?"
Exposito turned to his captain, a delighted grin slowly overating his features. "Who said anything about capturing the city?"
Ramirez's features clouded. "I…I beg your pardon, Don Exposito?"
Exposito raised his arms. "We are not going to capture Port Royal," he said. "We are going to destroy it utterly."
From "The Disguise Club Roster" by Edith Gussie
Posted by alexp01 under Excerpt | Tags: clowns, cowboys, disguises, fiction, humor, knights, ninjas, pirates, plague doctors, story |
CORVUS the Renaissance Plague Doctor
Real Name: Connor Hofstadter
Corvus is manic and energetic, which is not a good match with his delicate mask and its tendency to imapir his breathing. He believes himself to be silent but is in fact quite noisy. He's also extremely opinionated, even hypocritical, about the others' costumes.
SQUIDS the Clown
Real Name: Emilee Verde
Squids is depressed, sarcastic, and deeply introverted–exactly the opposite of what one would expect from a classic clown but exactly what one would expect from a post-Joker clown. She wants to be more outgoing and friendly and wears the makeup to that end, but is nevertheless deeply ribbed for attempting a disguise that seems so done-to-death.
BUCKEROO the Cowpoke
Real Name: Bruno Rodriguez
Buckeroo is not a gaucho, and not a vaquero, despite being called such. He's quick to point out the historical, cultural, and literary context for his disguise and hates being associated with the modern glitzy Texas cowboy. Trying desperately to learn how to ride despite a total lack of balance and poise.
JANGLE the Pirate
Real Name: Marcus Washington Jr.
Jangle chose his name completely independent of the fried chicken chain and the famous dancer, trying to evoke the jingling sound of his many flashy pirate acoutrements. This does not stop people from making the latter assumption and looking at him askance. He is also in the fencing club.
SUZUKI the Ninja
Real Name: Annabelle Li
Suzuki is Chinese and her grandparents speak Cantonese at home. Her disguise tends to confuse people because they mistake her for a Japanese nisei, which she is quick to dismiss. As for the traditional animosity between China and Japan, she insists that her disguise is based on the ideal of a ninja, not the way they actually behaved.
GREAVES the Knight
Real Name: Lakshmi Gupta
If Suzuki disguize confuses people, Greaves's outright bamboozles them. She simply insists that she has an affinity for the knights of fantasy lore, with their sparkling armor and cruciform swords, and that this is in no way incompatible with her Bengali heritage. Perhaps the most proficient of the group, she is an SCA member and can swordfight and ride with a reasonable degree of skill.
From "NBS Presents: A Dialogue on Pirates vs. Ninjas" by Poe Edminster-Carr
Posted by alexp01 under Excerpt | Tags: fiction, humor, ninjas, pirates, pirates vs. ninjas, pirates vs. ninjas vs. zombies, story, Talk Like A Pirate Day |
EDMINSTER-CARR: Good evening, and welcome to Friendly Fire. I am your host and moderator, Dr. Poe Edminster-Caar, chair of the Undead Studies department at Ravensholme University. Tonight, our experts will put their delectable brains to the question of Talk Like a Pirate Day. Joining me with a perspective on piracy is William "Black Bill" Cubbins IV, pirate-in-residence at the University of Plunder Bay as well as executive director of UPB's William Kidd Center for the Study of Pirate Culture.
CUBBINS: Arr, thank you, Dr. Edminster-Carr. It be a right pleasure to be here afore yer mast. I hope ye will permit me to reply in the piratey cant o' me ancestors as a grog-hoist to today's holiday.
EDMINSTER-CARR: Quite. And with a counterpoint, Ms. Matsumura-Tamaribuchi, an activist with the Occupy Treasure Island movement, the Sharper Blades, Sharper Minds katana outreach program, and the United Ninja College Fund. She is a current Distinguished Daimyo at Kaizoku University and is the Tokugawa Chair of Shinobi Studies there.
MATSUMURA-TAMARIBUCHI: The pleasure of being here cuts like a strong autumn wind through a tussock of rice paddies, Dr. Edminster-Car-san.
EDMINSTER-CARR: So, let me put the question to you right away, Mr. Cubbins: does Talk Like a Pirate Day support or denigrate pirate culture? And, that being said, does it support or denigrate ninja culture?
CUBBINS: Arr, while there be some in the pirate longboat who see Cant Like a Buccanneer Day as a reinforcin' o' negative stereotypes, I call that bilge. Piratey speech be a tradition o' our people as old as Davy Jones, and the Day be a fine opportunity to reach out and educate lubbers about their pirate heritages, matey!
MATSUMURA-TAMARIBUCHI: Rubbish, Rubbish like the blades of a weed whacker cutting through a garbage scow. This so-called holiday is just pro-pirate propaganda, designed to endear them to people who are unaware of pirate crimes against ninjas.
CUBBINS: Arr, ye be tryin' me patience with that bilge. There be nothin' about talkin' piraty that encorages any specific viewpoint!
MATSUMURA-TAMARIBUCHI: Like a voice through reeds, your discriminatory holiday appeals to a "golden age of piracy" that never existed and serves to buttress your claims to traditionally ninja islands.
CUBBINS: Arr, but what of ye? Yer own ninjas ain't a-guilty of romanticizin' their own past afore? The history books be a-teachin' us that you've got bilge in yer hold as well.
MATSUMURA-TAMARIBUCHI: We are not talking about ninjas.
CUBBINS: Aye, perhaps because "Talk Like a Ninja Day" would be nothin' but a cargo o' SILENCE?
From "The Planter's Share" by Georgia Rainford
Posted by alexp01 under Excerpt | Tags: acting, Cervantes, fiction, pirates, plantation, Shakespeare, slavery, story |
"I'm descended from Alexander Cooke, who worked his way up from an indentured stagehand to an actor in the King's Men, alongside old Bill Shakespeare."
"Our Cervantes," said Cooke. "I imagine the plays and poems haven't been translated yet, but they're terrific at cheering you up if you're in a bad mood or darkening your mood if you're too cheerful, which is a very neat trick common to great scriblarians."
"If he's anything like Cervantes, your ancestor was a lucky man…even if he had to laugh through his tears," said María Nereida.
"He was lucky," Cooke said. "His son–also Alexander–was able to turn his inheritance into a plantation in the New World. He was also able to use it to get away from his wife in London."
"I sense that your mother was not appreciative of that," María Nereida said.
"I think she was less appreciative of that than the fact that she wasn't my mother," laughed Cooke. "My father took his son with him to the New World and then met my mother when he bought her in Jamaica. It was quite the scandal."
"You have to understand that we Englishmen have a different and much less enlightened view of such things than you Spaniards," Cooke said. "As the child of my father's property, I was property myself. He was a good man, more or less. He freed Mother and I even as he kept her kinsmen in bondage, and he brought my half-brother and I up as equals and educated us in the running of his plantation."
"But things surely did not stay happy, or else you would be there and not here."
"That's one way of putting it," Cooke laughed ruefully. "When Father died, Anthony wasn't content with a half-share of the plantation. He took the whole thing, and added to his profit by selling me."
From "Agustin Exposito, Corregidor of Veracruz and Scourge of the Pirates" by Georgia Rainford
"King Philip V is wracked by illness and madness, and his son and heir Louis is a simpleton who even his wife refuses to see," Exposito cackled from behind the bars. "What a wonderful opportunity this presents to a man of vision and initiative! The Viceroy Balthazar prepares to sail to Spain to take up residence as majordomo of the palace on the strength of his campaigns against the pirates infesting our waters and the remarkable innovation of the so-called Spanish Plate and the Spanish Cannon."
"Is that it, then?" said Hume. "He was building his power here to return to Spain in triumph?"
"Or so he thinks!" Exposito cried, hurling himself at the bars. "Little does he realize that it has all been my doing! I am a native son of this land, born here and raised here, the Corregidor of Veracruz. Everything that passes from the New World to the Old must also pass through my fingers. I built myself up from nothing, because the visions have told me that I must."
"You're mad," Hume spat, "and your visions are just the ravings of a lunatic Balthazar keeps on a chain so that he might have a mad dog to unleash when it suits him."
"Of course you would say that; you foul pirates lack vision and purpose. It is simple, pure, and revealed to me with a blinding light when I came into myself." Exposito leered at Hume, his eyes wide and mad behind the iron. "For I am the beast spoken of in Revelations, destined to lay the world low in chaos and despair that it might be redeemed through suffering. Don't you see? Only with the emergence of the Beast, with chaos and hardship, may the way be paved for redemption and the Redeemer. Those I kill are sent to their own just rewards, and those that suffer will be assumed unto their own once the trumpets sound."
"Madness," said Hume. "Utter lunacy."
"To the contrary, it all makes so much sense! Of course it would be an Expositio, abandoned by family to a wasting death in the wilderness, a product of both worlds, who would bring this about. Of course the New World would have the means to accomplish the Revelation and the end times. And to that end I will have the viceroyalty, I will control that fool Balthazar and that greater fool Louis on the throne, and I will redeem this world through the agony and ecstasy of divine will."
From "The Nun's Gold" by Georgia Rainford
Posted by alexp01 under Excerpt | Tags: fiction, pirates, story, Veracruz |
"What did the Spaniards want with Natty Cove?" Hume asked. His Spanish was quite good, if heavily accented; anyone who hoped to make a living off the Spanish Main did well to learn the tongue needed to demand a surrender.
"I don't know," the nun said stubbornly. "I was their prisoner, and they–like you–do not regularly bring prisoners into their confidence."
"Why were you their prisoner?" Hume asked. "You took up the space in their hold usually reserved for gold and treasure; I've got a crew of angry corsairs wondering how they're going to take a 1/100 share of a nun, and every answer you give me will help dissuade them from the more immoral thoughts they entertain."
"Is that a threat?" said the nun. "Or a poor attempt at parley? Either way, I've nothing to offer you. I am a simple Sister of Our Lady of Veracruz, taken against my will from my convent and my service to the Lord on the orders of I know not who."
"Somehow, I doubt that all the Sisters of Our Lady of Veracruz know how to boot a man in the bollocks to try and swim for it." Hume said drily.
"On the contrary, sir, Veracruz is full of buccaneers and pirates of every stripe, many with commissions from the King, and we in the Sisters are first taught how to defend our honor as brides of Christ. And my mother was a fine swimmer who taught me much. I would wager that I could outswim any man jack of your crew if you'd let me get to brine."
Hume cradled his head in his hands. "Look, Sister. Four ships were sunk in getting you spring of those irons, and nearly five hundred men gave their lives in front of your galleon's bewitched Spanish Cannon. What am I to tell the men to which I'm beholden?"
"Tell them that they have my thanks," replied the nun, "and that the abbess of my convent will reward in gold any crew willing to ensure my safe return."


USJ unable to maintain high play at Lausanne
bjshields@jacksonsun.com
MEMPHIS - University School of Jackson's football team started well at Lausanne on Friday in the Division II-A semifinals.
But the start of the game was the only part that went in favor of the Bruins.
After scoring the first two touchdowns of the game, Lausanne took over and came away with a 30-14 win and a trip to the state championship game in the program's fourth year of existence.
"I think what happened was they woke up," said USJ head coach Rusty Bradley in the game's sudden change in direction on the scoreboard and in momentum. "We knew coming in they're a really good team, and they showed it once they started playing like it."
The Bruins received the opening kickoff and marched down the field with authority for the first score of the game.
USJ took 13 plays – nine passes and four carries – to get down the field, including a fourth-down conversion and score when quarterback Jacob Buie connected with Ryan Miller for a five-yard touchdown pass.
The Bruins' defense appeared to be playing on the same level as the offense as they forced a two-yard loss on the Lynx' first carry of the game followed by a short pass to set up a third-and-7 situation for Lausanne on its own 23-yard line. The home team went for the long pass, and Wells Smith was there to intercept the pass for the Bruins and set USJ up on the Lausanne 30-yard line.
It took USJ eight plays to score, this time on a four-yard run by Campbell Carlock.
After that, it was all Lausanne from that point on.
The Lynx moved down the field quickly and cut the Bruins' lead in half when Mario Nolan-Dillard connected with Koby Jeffries for a 29-yard score.
USJ went three-and-out on its next possession and punted. Lausanne responded with another quick drive that ended when Mr. Football Back of the Year finalist Eric Gray ran 10 yards for a score.
"I think our guys were caught up in the moment and jumpy looking around to make a play," Bradley said about the Bruins' quick series with three dropped passes to set up Lausanne's second score. "They were trying to make a play instead of waiting for the ball to get to them, and that hurt us."
Eric Gray ran for another touchdown in the second quarter for the 21-14 lead, and Isaac Weiss kicked a field goal for a 24-14 halftime advantage for the Lynx.
Lausanne scored on its first possession of the third quarter to go up 30-14, and that was all the scoring for the game.
"I'm really proud of the way our defense kept them from scoring and kept us in the game after they'd pulled ahead," Bradley said. "But Lausanne deserves credit for keeping us from putting anything together offensively to cut into their lead.
"They're a good team, and their running back is a sophomore. So we've got to deal with him for two years."
But USJ has plenty coming back next year as well. Jacob Buie, who ended the season with nearly 4,000 passing yards, is back next year along with Ryan Miller, who wound up being the Bruins' leading receiver. Trevor Spencer also returns who was the starting running back for most of the season. Charles Campbell is the leading kicker in rural West Tennessee.
"We had a lot of guys play earlier than maybe we would've wanted them too, but they all improved and we have a lot of experience coming back," Bradley said.
But the loss did end the high school career for a talented senior class that included Trey Smith and Rhett Peel on the line, Wells Smith at receiver and Campbell Carlock at running back.
"Right after I took this job, I met with these seniors on a Saturday night in February and told them I wasn't easing into this," Bradley said. "I wanted to compete in Year 1 with them, and I wanted them to build the foundation for USJ football going forward.
"Every one of those guys bought into that and did their part. I'm proud to have been their coach this year. This has been the greatest year of my life."
Brandon Shields, 425-9751


Sweet as Sin by J.T. Geissinger - Book Excerpt
Today we have an excerpt from Sweet as Sin, a sexy rock star romance by JT Geissinger!
Twentysomething Kat Reid is loving life as an in-demand Hollywood makeup artist. She has absolutely no interest in rock 'n' roll, but in order to pay the mortgage, she agrees to work on the set of a rock video for the world-famous rockers known as Bad Habit…which brings her face-to-face with Nico Nyx, lead singer of Bad Habit and Adonis in the flesh.
However, the fiercely independent Kat isn't impressed by the hard-living, womanizing rock star. But when Nico's model girlfriend shows up to the set drunk and Kat is tapped to replace her as the video's sexy bride, her combustible chemistry with Nico suddenly threatens to consume the set. Nico feels it, too—and becomes determined to win Kat over, body and soul. Yet behind his rock god swagger, Nico hides a dark secret. Can he rock Kat's world forever, or will he just break her heart?
"Here's the thing, Nico—"
"Don't overthink it, Kat. You wanna see me or not?"
My pulse was all over the place. I sat up, then regretted that move as the room began to wobble. "I do."
"I wasn't done talking."
He cursed. I ignored it. "I do want to see you, but I just want to lay a few ground rules before we start this whole . . . whatever this whole thing is."
I waited for him to respond. He sounded like he was listening hard, and he didn't answer, so I plunged ahead. "I don't want to just . . . um . . . "
"You got a three-date rule, sweetheart?"
I was relieved that he sounded amused. Thank God he had a sense of humor.
"Because I can respect that. But you should realize that when you see me today, it'll be the third date. So the next time you see me, all bets are off." His voice dropped. "And I wanna see you again tomorrow."
"We haven't even had one date yet!"
"The shoot, then the restaurant. That's two."
His idea of what comprised a date was seriously impaired.
"Those don't count as dates! We were working on the shoot, and you were only at the restaurant for like five seconds. If I see you today, this will be our first date."
I didn't mention that he'd gotten the details of the three-date rule wrong. It was sex on the third date, not after. I was trying to buy myself as much time as possible, because he was moving at the speed of a rocket.
"Okay. I'll give you the shoot. But the restaurant should count. Being with someone at a restaurant is textbook definition of a date. No matter how long it lasted."
I could not believe we were actually having this conversation. I sighed.
"I'll take that as a yes. Now give me the fuckin' address, Kat, before I wear a hole in the damn rug."
He was pacing?
"What part of town are you coming from? Because I need, like, a half hour to get cleaned up."
Nico's response was a growl. I gave him the address.
"You're in luck. I'm comin' from the Hollywood Hills. It'll take me at least forty-five minutes to get to Venice in traffic." He paused. "Or I could take the bike. That'll get me there in thirty."
Was he screwing with me right now?
"You still there, Kat?"
"I'm gonna be there in thirty minutes. You gonna be ready for me?"
Oh, the dark promise in that tone. I felt like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down. I already knew I was going to fall. The only question now was, how far?
And how hard?
And would the fall break me?
"I'll be ready," I whispered.
Nico's voice was almost a purr. "Darlin', that's exactly what I've been waitin' to hear."
Before I could say another word, Nico hung up.
Sweet as Sin by J.T. Geissinger is a contemporary romance, released by Montlake Publishing on July 14 2015.
Find this book at: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
J.T. Geissinger is an award-winning author of paranormal and contemporary romance featuring dark and twisted plots, kick-ass heroines, and alpha heroes whose hearts are even bigger than their muscles. An entrepreneur since she began hand-addressing envelopes for a local beauty pageant when she was 14, she has owned businesses as diverse as a temporary employment agency to a flower shop. It wasn't until hitting a significant birthday that she became motivated to realize her life-long dream of writing a novel.
Her debut novel, Shadow's Edge, was a #1 Amazon domestic and international bestseller, and won the Prism award for Best First Book. Her follow-up book, Edge of Oblivion, was a RITA© Award finalist for Best Paranormal Romance from the Romance Writers of America. Book 6 in the Night Prowler series, Into Darkness, won the Golden Quill award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers' Best, National Readers' Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.
Foodie, wine enthusiast, and nap connoisseur, she lives in California with her husband, on whom all her heroes are based.


Nutrition & CancerPreventionWellness Corner
Diet and Cancer Prevention
Results of a new study published in Nature suggest that avoiding a protein called asparagine, may help to prevent the spreading of triple-negative breast cancer to other organs in the body.
Results of a new study published in Nature suggest that avoiding a protein called asparagine, which is found in many foods, may help to prevent the spreading of triple-negative breast cancer (a fast-growing cancer) to other organs in the body.1 Asparagine is found in large amounts in dairy, beef, fish, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy, eggs, asparagus, potatoes, poultry, and whole grains, but not in other vegetables or fruit.
Simon R.V. Knott, PhD, lead author of the study, said in a press release, "Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests diet can influence the course of the disease."
Gregory J. Hannon, PhD, another study author, added, "The study results are extremely suggestive that changes in diet might impact both how an individual responds to primary therapy and their chances of lethal disease spreading later in life."
If these results are confirmed in humans, then avoiding the foods rich in asparagine may help prevent the spread of this deadly breast cancer. Potentially, this may also help to prevent metastatic cancer in other types of cancer, not only breast.
Nutrition & CancerLung Cancer
How to Keep a Healthy Body Weight After a Lung Cancer Diagnosis
By Julie LG Lanford, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN
SurvivorshipWellness Corner
Notes for Tomorrow
By Tricia Tennesen
Tricia Tennesen, whose father passed away from colon cancer at age 60, describes her mindset in dealing with her stage IIA breast cancer diagnosis as she manages the tricky balance of anxiety, hopes, and dreams.
Alcohol & CancerPreventionSurvivorship
Put Down That Drink to Elevate Your Health: Alcohol Increases Cancer Risk
By Adam Buffery
Alcohol doesn't have the stigma that cigarettes do regarding the carcinogenic effects of drinking, but the link between alcohol and cancer is something people need to become more aware of.
Cancer ScreeningPreventionSurvivorship
Why Cancer Survivors Should Get Screened for Other Cancers
By Meg Barbor, MPH
People diagnosed with one type of cancer are at an increased risk of having a second cancer later on, explains Dr. Edith Mitchell, highlighting the importance of continued cancer screenings.


Investigation Clears Arcadia High School Coaches Accused of Racial Bias
How Wildfires and Monsoons Threaten Arizona's Precious Water Supply
The Nine Worst Arizona Town Names
Matthew Hendley
Matthew Hendley | March 2, 2016 | 4:00am
You know who sucks at naming towns? A lot of people who set up shop in Arizona back in the day.
Check out the nine worst names for Arizona towns:
9) Why
According to town legend, Why is named after the "Y" formed by the intersection of State Route 85 and State Route 86. The U.S. Postal Service apparently needed three letters on a town to deliver mail to it — again, according to town legend — so instead of picking a name that didn't suck, someone settled on Why.
8) Top-of-the-World
How 20 Metro Phoenix Cities Got Their Names
Spoiler alert: The elevation in Top-of-the-World isn't even that high. The elevation atop Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona, is almost three times higher. We have no explanation for all the hyphens, either.
7) So-Hi
To our dismay, there's no indication that this is a colony dedicated to marijuana smoking.
6) Bagdad
This name got exponentially crappier in 2003, even though it has nothing to do with the Iraqi capital. The unverified local legend surrounding the town's name is even worse than the actual name. "Legend has it that a father and a son were mining for copper in the late 1800s," according to CNN. "The son wanted a sack for his copper and said to his father, 'Do you have a bag, Dad?'" Which is pathetic.
5) Santa Claus*
Unfortunately, Santa Claus gets an asterisk, because the town was abandoned less than a decade ago. The town's history was surprisingly well documented, and the origin of the name is tracked down to some weird lady who wanted to make a whole Christmas-themed town.
4) Miami
Well, we have the heat in common, but not the humidity or the ocean.
3) Mexican Water
There's hardly any readily available information for this town on the Navajo Nation. However, it was probably named well before "don't drink the water" became the most common piece of advice given to people visiting Mexico.
2) Nothing*
Although Nothing was abandoned for several years, someone tried to revive the town in 2008. Recent pictures seem to show that Nothing's nothing again.
1) Three Way
A map of Three Way gives the likely explanation of the town's name, but let's not rule out any other explanations.
Avenue B and C
The authenticity of town names was verified using the federal Geographic Names Information System.
Send feedback and tips to the author.
Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
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