Cows are big hulking creatures—not so great for tipping over while drunk, but great for turning into living factories that make massive quantities of antibodies. Scientists have inserted a modified human chromosome to cows that can now make human antibodies for hantavirus. Other deadly disease like Ebola and MERS could come next.
It’s the night before Thanksgiving, and that means you’re probably cooking, chatting with relatives and formulating your epic Black Friday attack plan. Need some help? No problem. We rounded up all the best tech deals available this holiday season. R…
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) African church leaders, theologians and health professionals have drawn up a road map they hope might help ease stigma and educate faith communities in the fight against Ebola.
The virus has killed more than 5,000 so far and has been declared a global security threat by the U.N.
The road map, drawn at a three-day conference that ended Wednesday (Nov. 26) in Nairobi and was attended by 70 religious and health care leaders, highlights the role faith groups can play as part of the global response, according to church leaders.
“We were taken by surprise by the crisis,” the Rev. Andre Karamaga, All Africa Conference of Churches general secretary, told participants at the gathering organized by the World Council of Churches.
The road map includes, among other items, actions to fight stigma, discrimination and misinformation and a retooling of burial practices to ensure religious communities burying their dead are using safe practices to avoid infection.
Karen Sichinga of Zambia’s Churches Health Association said people from the affected countries are pleading with other nations to stop stigmatizing them over Ebola. Such stigma has impeded travel and imposed hardships on children whose parents died of the disease.
“If we continue with stigma, it will complicate the issue,” Sichinga said.
Participants also wanted to ensure the faith communities have a voice in national and international platforms.
Susan Parry, program executive for health and healing at the WCC, said that while the international community has mounted a response to the virus, ensuring a united faith community response is critical.
“They are the gatekeepers to communities,” she said. “We will be strengthening interfaith relations because no one person can deal with this alone.”
Well, here’s something cosmic to be thankful for this weekend. A NASA-led study of the Van Allen radiation belts has uncovered new information about the invisible “shield” that keeps harmful ultrarelativistic electrons from the Earth.
Ubisoft may not have a way to turn back time and release Assassin’s Creed Unity without a slew of glitches, but it’s at least trying to make amends to jilted gamers. The studio has announced that it’s giving every Unity owner a free copy of the upcom…
“Someday, when you grow up, I hope you have a daughter JUST LIKE YOU!”
That’s the wish that was blasted at me from my mother on a weekly basis growing up. Fast-forward a few decades, and I am preparing to give birth to my own daughter and hoping that her wish does not, in fact, become my curse. “But, Stacy,” you might implore, “weren’t you the jewel of your parents’ eyes? The sweet, apple cheeked, lovely person you are now?”
…
Sorry, I’m back now. It was so difficult typing that last bit that I needed a minute once I got through it, both to laugh and to check for the threat lightning strikes. Now that the laughter is out and the lightning threat is registered at a solid, guarded blue, I can explain exactly why having a daughter just like me is utterly terrifying.
• I cut my own hair.
I should clarify: I cut my own hair more than a few times. One day, when I was maybe 5 or 6, I was trying to get my mother’s attention while she was on the telephone. She kept waving me off, so finally, I marched off to the drawer where the office supplies were, grabbed the giant pair of adult scissors and returned to stand directly in front of her. I grabbed a fistful of hair from the crown of my head and chopped it as close to the scalp as I could possibly get. It got such a fantastic reaction that it became my go-to anytime I decided my mother needed to stop what she was doing and pay attention to me. I cut my own hair easily a handful of times during my early childhood. Needless to say, getting the right angle for pictures so that I didn’t look like a hacked-up mess was pretty tough.
• I peeled the wallpaper off of my bedroom wall.
I don’t think I’ve ever come quite as close to death as when I did this. Only a few years earlier, my parents had spent quite a lot of money on the beautiful wallpaper in my bedroom. There was a wood border that ran the center, dividing the two sort of floral/paisley patterns that managed to complement each other just perfectly. Apparently, one night, as I was lying in bed, I noticed a tiny lift in the seam of the paper, and began obsessively picking at it (I have no idea to this day why). Of course as I picked, the lift became a tear and the tear gradually became a giant, peeling hole that I could no longer hide. I tried to prop pillows to cover it, but eventually it was discovered and I saw a vein pop in my mother’s forehead that I had, over time, come to realize prefaced an epic freak out/yelling at/punishment.
• I was constantly in trouble at school.
I don’t know how I managed it, but I was in trouble almost all the time, all through school. When I was in the first grade, my teacher made me take home a goofy little cartoon-themed report that told my parents if I had managed to shut up, stay in my seat and actually do my work every day. They had to sign it and send it back with me every day, because I would apparently pretend it didn’t exist or that I didn’t get it when it reflected that I was terrible. When I was in the third grade, my principle told my mother that I was the first little girl in his entire career that he’d had to administer swats to (I don’t remember what I did to earn swats), and that’s just two small examples. In my defense, I was a pretty smart kid and school bored the pants off me (literally, apparently — my mother was once called because I was running around the playground with no pants on). Unless they gave me a good book to read or an assignment that was more challenging, what was I to do but distract the other kids and run around like a crazy person? Thank goodness A.D.D. wasn’t a thing back then, because someone would surely have tried to diagnose my boredom as a disorder and would have medicated the fun right outta’ me — though my mom would probably have super appreciated that.
Really, there’s so much that I did, right on up through high school. From arguing with my teachers, to refusing to do my homework (again, boring) to skipping class, I was a hot mess that my mother had no idea what to do with. It’s no wonder that she would often feel so helpless that she could only utter the Great Mother’s Curse at me with that vein popping out of her head.
I can only keep in mind the general reasons for doing what I did — a strong personality with the need for positive attention and challenges in my education — and try to preemptively understand and give those things to my daughter so that she doesn’t turn into a little me.
Well, all the terrible versions of little me. I actually grew up to be pretty awesome. As will she.
Dear straight, white, male new friend,
When you tell me you have confidence in yourself because you are a straight, white male, I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or if this is something you actually believe.
I would caution you, though, to be careful where and how you use that term, for others might find it off-putting or be confused by it at best. I have never heard it from any other straight, white, male colleagues or friends, so this is new territory for me.
Many people associate straightness, whiteness, and maleness with the best of the world’s historical progress: explorers, conquerors, inventors, builders, wealth creators. For others the use of these descriptors to define the essence of one’s self-confidence represents the most serious of insecurities, insecurities that have bred some of the most egregious acts of human history that I won’t rehearse here. Suffice it to say, it has not always been the case that straightness, whiteness, and maleness connotes confidence. My straight, white, male executive coach believes it is a heavy weight to bear because, he says, in the end, even straight, white men know they have to die. As a human being, I get it.
I have had many, many straight, white, male colleagues and have straight, white, male friends. Most have talked of their insecurities and their confidences — insecurities and confidences born of how they were raised, their faith (or lack of it) in God, their natural disposition, a love (or not) of life — the list goes on. I have heard the same from transgender youth of color — confidence expressed and shown in spite of the fact they are not white or male, or even straight in some cases. And I have heard them talk of insecurities that don’t always have to do with being transgender youth of color.
As we continue this journey together, and as you continue to grow, you may want to think about what it means for others to hear you say that you have no lack of confidence because you are a straight, white male. It could suggest just the opposite.
We are all children of the same creative source, fellow travelers on this journey, often feeling our way in the dark, who celebrate confidence when it is born of moments of clarity, of acts of charity, of genuine compassion for our creator, our neighbors, and ourselves.
You are a smart, caring, compassionate soul. That gives me confidence enough.
Fred
Comedian Jordan Rock challenges two rival HBCUs to “The Big Showdown” trivia challenge at the 2014 Circle City Classic. Watch the first of four episodes to see which HBCU is crowned the winner.
The above is custom editorial content that is sponsored by marketing partners. The sponsoring partners do not exert editorial influence over the content, but may be organically integrated within content in an authentic manner that does not impact editorial integrity.
Now that Halloween is in the rear view mirror, we’re speeding towards the holidays and if we’re not careful, to the destination of burnout.
Foods we don’t usually eat, later nights than usual, holiday expectations, family dynamics and the financial stress of gift buying can send even the strongest person right over the edge. It’s no surprise so many of us start the new year feeling exhausted and sick.
How to skip symptoms of burnout? I’ve got five easy ways to carve out a little sanity amongst the chaos.
Holiday Survival 101.
1. Remember time-outs when you were a kid?
Back then you probably considered them punishment but today they will save you from punishing yourself. Taking small breaks throughout the day for me-time isn’t self indulgent, it’s necessary during the holidays.
How to find the time?
2. Drink up to your heart’s content.
Up your water intake, especially when drinking alcohol. A good rule of thumb? Two eight ounce glasses of water for every alcoholic drink.
Dehydration, which naturally occurs when we’re drinking, dancing or running around like crazy on a busy shopping day forgetting to hydrate, suppresses the immune system.
Dehydration suppresses the immune system in many different ways. Just to name a few: first, histamine production in the body is increased, which also increases the production of a chemical called vasopressin, a strong suppressor of the immune system. Second, excess histamine also causes the shutdown of interferon, a critical anticancer chemical that is present in a hydrated body. And third, histamine suppresses immune activity in the bone marrow, which is the central production center of the white blood cells–the immune cells that can destroy and digest cancer cells.
For me, living at 5400 feet above sea-level- I drink four quarts a day. Not only does it make my already dehydrated skin look better, but I also have more energy and stay well all season long. An added bonus? Having a healthy snack and drinking a large glass of water before a party fills me up so I can enjoy a sampling of appetizers vs. stuffing myself after arriving starving.
3. Vegetables are your friends for surprising reasons.
I love holiday food as much as the next person, but consuming all that traditional whipped, melted and creamy goodness can cause a mucus response that leads to congestion, trouble sleeping and intestinal duress. Making sure you eat something green at every meal not only helps to curb your appetite, it also aids digestion and lowers stress levels.
Move over mac-and-cheese… vegetables are the REAL comfort foods, with nutrients that actually improve your resilience to stress. Eating vegetables helps replenish your magnesium and vitamin C, which can be depleted by stress.
Vegetables also provide you with omega-3 fats and B vitamins, proven to help reduce anxiety and depression. The vitamin K in veggies helps reduce inflammation in your body, which stress can aggravate.
Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach, and Swiss chard, are loaded with magnesium, which helps balance your cortisol, one of your ‘stress hormones.’ Magnesium and potassium relax blood vessels, helping keep your blood pressure low.
4. Tell yourself different holiday stories.
There’s nothing like returning home to family to re-trigger old emotional patterns. Ever wonder why the minute you walk through your parent’s front door, you find yourself acting 12 years old again? There’s an emotional bouillabaisse of memories there for you to re taste aren’t there?
When you find yourself feeling triggered by a family member, escape to a quiet place like the bathroom and reality check yourself. Tell yourself 5 things about your current life that have nothing to do with where you are right now. Close your eyes and take those 3 breaths I mentioned in my first point, then come up with 3 reasons the person triggering you might have for acting the way they do that have nothing to do with you personally.
By removing ourselves from the scene of family dynamics for a few moments, we diffuse our knee jerk reactions that usually stem from childhood. By reminding yourself of 5 things about your current life, you’ll pull yourself into present moment versus the past– and when you come up with a few other reasons a family member might be saying or doing something, it further removes you from the story you’re writing in your head and diffuses an emotional response.
5. Remove yourself from the scene of drama.
Avoid additional stress during the holidays by refusing to participate in the drama unfolding around you. Whether the drama is in your workplace, home or shopping center, remind yourself not my circus, not my monkey.
Easier said than done eh? Here are a few tips:
When we stay in the midst of drama, it’s almost impossible to not be drawn in.
Part of what makes the holidays so special is being around family, experiencing the joy of giving, the indulgence of special food and drink, and the fun of holiday parties. It’s super OK to dive into all of it, we’ve just got to remember ways to come up for air.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to take a deeper dive into finding balance, clearing the slate, and finding your Mojo again-my next 40 day personal reboot is starting soon. It’s virtual and live calls get recorded so you’ll never miss out regardless of time zone or schedule.
Post originally appeared on Daily Transformations
Photo credit: Photo: Knar Bedlan, Flickr
This Friday you’ll find Star Wars: The Force Awakens, aka Star Wars 7, available not only in the theaters we listed earlier this week. Instead, the limitations are being expanded just a bit to Apple’s iTunes Trailers. No longer will you need to actually get out and go to a movie theater to see said trailer – no way! Now … Continue reading
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
