Friday, January 18, 2008
New... we NOW apologize for 'saying the truth'?
Chris Matthews Backs Off 'Nasty' Remark on Clinton
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 18, 2008; C01
Under pressure from feminist groups and his own bosses at MSNBC, Chris Matthews apologized yesterday for remarks about Hillary Clinton that he now admits sounded "nasty."
For 10 days, the "Hardball" host had doggedly insisted he was just reciting a bit of history when he said on the air that "the reason she's a U.S. senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around."
But protests against those and other remarks by Matthews reached a peak yesterday when the presidents of such groups as the National Organization for Women, Feminist Majority and National Women's Political Caucus sent a joint letter of complaint to NBC News President Steve Capus.
On last night's program, Matthews defended the substance of his remarks that Clinton's political career in New York was launched because of public sympathy stemming from her husband's much-investigated affair with Monica Lewinsky. But, he said, "was it fair to imply that Hillary's whole career depended on being a victim of an unfaithful husband? No. And that's what it sounded like I was saying."
Noting that it would be just as unfair to attribute John McCain's political success to having been shot down in the Vietnam War, Matthews said: "Saying Senator Clinton got where she's got simply because her husband did what he did to her is just as callous, and I can see now, came across just as nasty -- worse yet, just as dismissive." He said he would be "clearer," "smarter" and more respectful in discussing women.
Kim Gandy, NOW's president, said last night that "Chris Matthews is a repeat offender when it comes to sexist attitudes toward women politicians. . . . I wasn't really looking for an apology. I was looking for a behavior change, and for him to treat female politicians the same way as male politicians."
In the joint letter, also signed by author Gloria Steinem, the women cited other examples in which Matthews referred to Clinton as a "stripteaser" and called her "witchy." When Nancy Pelosi was in line to become House speaker, the letter noted, Matthews asked a guest if Pelosi was "going to castrate Steny Hoyer" if the Maryland congressman was elected majority leader.
About 30 people affiliated with the National Women's Political Caucus picketed NBC's Nebraska Avenue NW bureau yesterday afternoon as a protest against Matthews's remarks.
"This is a victory for all women. We are pleased that Chris Matthews has shown remorse," the caucus said in a statement last night.
Earlier this month, when Matthews attended a Clinton campaign event in New Hampshire and repeatedly tried to press her on the Iraq war, she smiled and said: "You know, I don't know what to do with men who are obsessed with me. Honestly, I've never understood it."
When the former first lady approached him afterward, Matthews pinched her cheek, and she gave him a brief hug.
As criticism from liberal bloggers and others mounted over the past week, top MSNBC officials urged Matthews to apologize, according to network officials who would not be identified discussing internal deliberations. But Matthews dug in his heels, deciding to deliver the mea culpa only after he had returned from a Democratic presidential debate sponsored by the network in Las Vegas.
In an interview last week, Matthews, a onetime Democratic operative, insisted at length that he was right in describing how Clinton was launched on a path that would carry her to the Senate and a presidential campaign. "I thought what I said was unexceptional about what happened back in '98," he said. "She was facing a trial by fire, and the fire was her husband. I knew I was speaking bluntly, but does anyone disagree?"
Only toward the end of the interview did he acknowledge: "It came over as dismissive, and that's my fault. Maybe I should have said it was an irony."
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Can you feel it?
YES........
that is me you hear... the front of my right hand felt like the fingers were burning before I realized it.. sigh .... ouh..... ouh...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Heathers funny of the day.... fishing....
I got up early, put on my long johns, dressed quietly, made my lunch, grabbed the dog, slipped quietly into the garage to hook the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential down pour.
There was snow mixed with the rain, and the wind was blowing 50 mph. I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered the weather would be bad all day.
I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. There I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible."
My loving wife of 20 years replied, "Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?"
I still don't know if she was joking.
21 questions still unanswered....
1. Ever wonder about those people who spend $ 2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? (My sentiments exactly)
3. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one enjoys it?
4. There are three religious truths:
A. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
B. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
C. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or at Hooters.
5. If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
6. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale Bread to begin with?
9. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?
10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?
11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me...they're cramming for their final exam.
16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
20. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
21. If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? (My sentiments exactly)
3. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one enjoys it?
4. There are three religious truths:
A. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
B. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
C. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or at Hooters.
5. If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
6. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale Bread to begin with?
9. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?
10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?
11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me...they're cramming for their final exam.
16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
20. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
21. If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Sad news tonight....
Great Grandmother Moffat called me tonight to tell me that my Cousin's Daughter's husband died yesterday in Tulsa. Deanna Boyd's Husband Richard died after noon yesterday. They have one son and Deanna if I remember correctly had just bought her own business, or started one. Her Mom and Dad live in Norman, Clinton and Joanna Wilson, my Uncle John's oldest daughter and husband.
Salt of the earth... great family, and it does in fact rain on the just and unjust!!
Our prayers are with them in their time of loss...
I am speechless... my heart breaks for them.... all.
Salt of the earth... great family, and it does in fact rain on the just and unjust!!
Our prayers are with them in their time of loss...
I am speechless... my heart breaks for them.... all.
Disabled vets chapter needing to raise money to replace transport van totaled in Jan. 4 accident
Disabled vets chapter needing to raise money to replace transport van totaled in Jan. 4 accident
by Cass Rains
Staff Writer
Enid’s Disabled American Veterans chapter will have to foot the bill to replace its van used to transport veterans to Oklahoma City for medical treatment after it was totaled in an accident Jan. 4.
The accident has put the group into a fundraising bind, needing to raise $13,500 by the end of April.“We need some help,” said Mike McCauley, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 66 treasurer. “The only way to replace the vehicle is to buy a new one.”
The early morning accident sent five people to area hospitals, including the group’s hospital transportation coordinator Gary Frank.Since June, Frank said, the van had traveled more than 39,000 miles to take 1,276 veterans to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Oklahoma City.
DAV officials received the van in June after Enid and area residents and organizations donated money to replace the group’s previous van, which was several years old and had more than 150,000 miles on it.
Major donations came from Northwest Oklahoma Osteopathic Foundation, which gave $3,000, and a woman who wished to remain anonymous who donated $5,000.
Frank said the cost of an average trip to Oklahoma City from the group’s coverage area, which stretches from Okarche to the Kansas state line and from Interstate 35 to Guymon, is about $35.
“It’s a pretty good savings for the veterans,” he said.He said the group transports any veteran who needs medical care. The service is critical for veterans who are on fixed incomes or unable to drive themselves, he said.“There’s a lot of people who wouldn’t get any medical care if we couldn’t help them,” he said.
Veterans Affairs paid for fuel costs and maintenance for the 2007 Ford E 350 van. McCauley said insurance would not cover the cost to replace the van. Chapter 66 has about 400 total members, 200 of whom are considered active.
Frank said the earliest the chapter could purchase and receive another van through Veterans Affairs is June. He said the group was fortunate to have received support from the community in the past.“We put the van they bought us to good use,” he said. “It was just an unfortunate accident.”
According to an Enid Police Department report, Paul Rice, 75, was driving the van south on South 10th about 5:24 a.m. Jan. 4 when he got too close to the shoulder on the west side of the road, hit two bridge barriers and rolled the van onto the driver’s side.
Four of the five passengers in the wreck were treated and released at area hospitals. Bessie Bamburg, 59, remains in intensive care at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center, Frank said.
McCauley and Frank said the group will meet to discuss fundraising options.
Anyone who wishes to donate or help with the purchase of a new van can contact DAV Chapter 66 at 580-242-3808.
The address is
DAV Chapter, 66601 N. 26th Street, Enid, OK 73701
They will appreciate all the donations they receive.
The money is to help replace the van used to take disabled veterans to the VA hospital in OKC.
Jake's new office....
NO NO NO.. the fire .. smoke that I took photos of is not a fire that Jake started.... NO NO NO>>>> hehe...
Anyway.. as I went to walk this am.. there was no breeze... etc.. and as I was coming back to our home.. I saw the smoke on the horizon... and believe it or not, we have had 30 mile an hour gusts this am.. and the wind is steadly increasing... but good news.. I walked to the front yard to finish up and there was almost no smoke left.. in the 30 mins it burned, whatever it was... as with most fires.. they look closer than they are. I bet this was about two miles northeast of our home or more.. but when I first saw it, the smoke was a diesel black, to burnt charcoal gray!! and it looked very close...
Guess our days are getting longer, but we also have ole man winter coming again... i think.. sigh.. but you know, we will only be a month into winter in a week... and the coldest yuckest weather is about 6 weeks in .... sigh.. sigh...
anyway.. have a great day!
The Apple of our eye.... turns.. ophs...
How about an apple for our "Favorite Teacher"?
Here ya go Mrs. Moffat, we just wanted to drop by and say......
Mrs. Tammy Moffat has a Birthday Tuesday.... and we wanted to take a second to say ..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her... and wish her many more...
We are proud of you...
We love ya...
Happy Birthday!
Dad and Mom Moffat
The Pledge of Allegiance" - by Senator John McCain
The Pledge of Allegiance" - by Senator John McCain
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.
This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.
Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.
As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.
Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.
I know the Pledge may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.
That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could. The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better.
He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.
You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.
This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.
Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.
As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.
Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.
I know the Pledge may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.
That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could. The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better.
He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.
You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Monday, January 14, 2008
A STUNNING SENIOR MOMENT - From Patsy Berry, thanks Patsy...
A very self-important university freshman from Ottawa
University took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen
standing next to him while waiting for a bus, that it was
impossible for the older generation to understand his
generation.
"You grew up in a different world, actually an almost
primitive one," the student said, loud enough for the other
passengers nearby to hear.
"The young people of today grew up with television,
jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon, our
spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric
and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing and ."
Pausing for breath ...the Senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and said:
"You're right, son. We didn't have those things when
we were young, so we invented them.
Now, you arrogant little boy, what are you doing for the next generation?"
The applause was resounding...
Don't you just love senior citizens.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Buddy Holly's widow is trying to keep
LUBBOCK, Texas - Buddy Holly's widow is trying to keep the woman whose name was made famous by the 1950s hit song "Peggy Sue" from selling a book about her friendship with the rocker.
Maria Elena Holly says Peggy Sue Gerron's "Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?" is unauthorized and will harm her late husband's name, her own reputation and that of her company, Holly Properties.
"It's very interesting that this woman makes up all these stories," Maria Elena Holly said Friday from her home in Dallas. "He never, never considered Peggy Sue a friend."
Gerron, who lives in Lubbock, said she and another woman wrote the 283-page book because 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the release of "Peggy Sue." Buddy Holly also recorded "Peggy Sue Got Married."
Gerron said material for the book came from about 150 diary entries she wrote during the time she knew the singer, she said.
"I wanted to give him his voice. It's my book, my memoirs," she said from Tyler, where her publishing company held a news conference Friday defending Gerron's right to pen her biography. "We were very, very good friends. He was probably one of the best friends I ever had."
Maria Elena Holly said she would sue if excerpts she's read online appear in the book, which is due in bookstores later this month.
"I don't understand why people do that, especially when she knows that people know the truth," she said.
This week, her attorney, Richard Wallace, sent a cease-and-desist letter to TogiEntertainment Inc., an Oklahoma City-based publishing house. Wallace declined to comment Friday.
Buddy Holly died Feb. 3, 1959, in a plane crash that also killed singers Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Holly was 22.
Maria Elena Holly, who married the singer just months before the crash, has for years owned the rights to her late husband's name, image and related trademarks, and other intellectual properties, the letter said.
No one involved in the book's publication sought consent to use Buddy Holly's name or image — "his likeness will be featured prominently" on the book's cover and the subtitle reads, "Memoirs of Buddy Holly's Peggy Sue," according to the letter.
"Confusion and tarnishment of Buddy Holly's name and Ms. Holly's reputation are likely to result from this unauthorized book," the letter states.
It demands the ceasing of promotion and sale of the book, removal of the subtitle and cancellation of all book orders. It also asks for refunds on any deposits for the book and for an accounting of revenues from any sales.
Mark Faulk, chief executive officer of TogiEntertainment, said the threat of a lawsuit won't deter Gerron or his company.
"It's obvious that they do not want the work released," he said. "My feeling is that Maria Elena fears the truth will come out about Buddy Holly. If there is a lawsuit, our belief is that it will be totally frivolous."
Buddy Holly's brother, Larry Holley, said "Peggy Sue" was not the original name in the song. Buddy Holly initially intended to use "Cindy Lou," his niece, Larry Holley said.
Maria Elena Holly said her husband changed the name after Crickets drummer Jerry Allison asked him to because he had a crush on Gerron. Allison and Gerron married in July 1958.
Maria Elena Holly says Peggy Sue Gerron's "Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?" is unauthorized and will harm her late husband's name, her own reputation and that of her company, Holly Properties.
"It's very interesting that this woman makes up all these stories," Maria Elena Holly said Friday from her home in Dallas. "He never, never considered Peggy Sue a friend."
Gerron, who lives in Lubbock, said she and another woman wrote the 283-page book because 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the release of "Peggy Sue." Buddy Holly also recorded "Peggy Sue Got Married."
Gerron said material for the book came from about 150 diary entries she wrote during the time she knew the singer, she said.
"I wanted to give him his voice. It's my book, my memoirs," she said from Tyler, where her publishing company held a news conference Friday defending Gerron's right to pen her biography. "We were very, very good friends. He was probably one of the best friends I ever had."
Maria Elena Holly said she would sue if excerpts she's read online appear in the book, which is due in bookstores later this month.
"I don't understand why people do that, especially when she knows that people know the truth," she said.
This week, her attorney, Richard Wallace, sent a cease-and-desist letter to TogiEntertainment Inc., an Oklahoma City-based publishing house. Wallace declined to comment Friday.
Buddy Holly died Feb. 3, 1959, in a plane crash that also killed singers Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Holly was 22.
Maria Elena Holly, who married the singer just months before the crash, has for years owned the rights to her late husband's name, image and related trademarks, and other intellectual properties, the letter said.
No one involved in the book's publication sought consent to use Buddy Holly's name or image — "his likeness will be featured prominently" on the book's cover and the subtitle reads, "Memoirs of Buddy Holly's Peggy Sue," according to the letter.
"Confusion and tarnishment of Buddy Holly's name and Ms. Holly's reputation are likely to result from this unauthorized book," the letter states.
It demands the ceasing of promotion and sale of the book, removal of the subtitle and cancellation of all book orders. It also asks for refunds on any deposits for the book and for an accounting of revenues from any sales.
Mark Faulk, chief executive officer of TogiEntertainment, said the threat of a lawsuit won't deter Gerron or his company.
"It's obvious that they do not want the work released," he said. "My feeling is that Maria Elena fears the truth will come out about Buddy Holly. If there is a lawsuit, our belief is that it will be totally frivolous."
Buddy Holly's brother, Larry Holley, said "Peggy Sue" was not the original name in the song. Buddy Holly initially intended to use "Cindy Lou," his niece, Larry Holley said.
Maria Elena Holly said her husband changed the name after Crickets drummer Jerry Allison asked him to because he had a crush on Gerron. Allison and Gerron married in July 1958.
Friday, January 11, 2008
For those who understand rebuilding or reinventing... Here is another Kevin Walker Welding Trailer...
This is parked out front of my office this am. The guys no more than parked it out front when the traffic started to look it over. Kevin and crew are very good at what they do... He has built many a 'fire trailer' for fire departments all over the world including Iraq!
He had a client from far Southwest OK that bought this 55' steel flat bed semi trailer and wanted a 'hay trailer' made.. and this is their creation. Hand made and hands down one of the best welding shops in OK. These guys not only do things well, but they do it fast and efficient!! This puppy can be pulled behind semi tractor at whatever speed with a full load of round bales and be unloaded at destination without a tractor... how cool...
Anyway... it is not for sale, but there were 5 different folks that whipped in off of the highway to 'check' it out... kind of cool...
Posting this for my kids... haha.....
Drug 'can reverse Alzheimer's symptoms in minutes'
Last updated at 23:52pm on 10.01.08
Alzheimer's affects 700,000 BritonsA drug used for arthritis can reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's "in minutes".
It appears to tackle one of the main features of the disease - inflammation in the brain.
The drug, called Enbrel, is injected into the spine where it blocks a chemical responsible for damaging the brain and other organs.
A pilot study carried out by U.S. researchers found one patient had his symptoms reversed "in minutes".
Other patients have shown some improvements in symptoms such as forgetfulness and confusion after weekly injections over six months.
The study of 15 patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's has just been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation by online publishers Biomed Central.
The experiment showed that Enbrel can deactivate TNF (tumour necrosis factor) - a chemical in the fluid surrounding the brain that is found in Alzheimer's sufferers.
When used by arthritis sufferers, the drug is self-administered by injection and researchers had to develop a way of injecting it into the spine to affect the brain cells.
Sue Griffin, a researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said: 'It is unprecedented to see cognitive and behavioural improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention.
'This gives all of us in Alzheimer research a tremendous new clue
about new avenues of research.' Enbrel is not approved for treating Alzheimer's in the U.S. or the UK and is regarded as highly experimental, said Dr Griffin.
'Even though this report predominantly discusses a single patient it is of significant scientific interest because of the potential insight it may give into the processes involved in the brain dysfunction of Alzheimer's,' she added.
Lead author of the study Edward Tobinick, of the University of California and Director of the Institute for Neurological Research, said the drug had 'a very rapid effect that's never been reported in a human being before'.
He added: 'It makes practical changes that are significant and perceptible, making a difference to his daily living.
'Some patients have been able to start driving again. They don't come back to normal but the change is good enough for patients to want to continue treatment.'
He said top-up injections were necessary but some patients had them a month apart.
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 700,000 Britons with about 500 cases diagnosed every day.
Neil Hunt, of the Alzheimer's Society charity, said: 'The pursuit of a miracle cure for Alzheimer's continues to drive research into a variety of potential treatment targets.
These include a possible link between inflammatory reactions in the brain and Alzheimer's.'
Children exposed to lead in old paint, Victorian pipes and toys could be at risk of Alzheimer's later in life, scientists said yesterday.
A study shows that even small amounts of the metal in the first few years can build up plaques around the brain.
Scientists at the University of Rhode Island told the New Scientist that they fed infant formula milk laced with low doses of lead to baby monkeys, then followed their progress for 23 years. A post mortem of the brains revealed plaques - harmful deposits of protein found in Alzheimer's patients.
Last updated at 23:52pm on 10.01.08
Alzheimer's affects 700,000 BritonsA drug used for arthritis can reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's "in minutes".
It appears to tackle one of the main features of the disease - inflammation in the brain.
The drug, called Enbrel, is injected into the spine where it blocks a chemical responsible for damaging the brain and other organs.
A pilot study carried out by U.S. researchers found one patient had his symptoms reversed "in minutes".
Other patients have shown some improvements in symptoms such as forgetfulness and confusion after weekly injections over six months.
The study of 15 patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's has just been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation by online publishers Biomed Central.
The experiment showed that Enbrel can deactivate TNF (tumour necrosis factor) - a chemical in the fluid surrounding the brain that is found in Alzheimer's sufferers.
When used by arthritis sufferers, the drug is self-administered by injection and researchers had to develop a way of injecting it into the spine to affect the brain cells.
Sue Griffin, a researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said: 'It is unprecedented to see cognitive and behavioural improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention.
'This gives all of us in Alzheimer research a tremendous new clue
about new avenues of research.' Enbrel is not approved for treating Alzheimer's in the U.S. or the UK and is regarded as highly experimental, said Dr Griffin.
'Even though this report predominantly discusses a single patient it is of significant scientific interest because of the potential insight it may give into the processes involved in the brain dysfunction of Alzheimer's,' she added.
Lead author of the study Edward Tobinick, of the University of California and Director of the Institute for Neurological Research, said the drug had 'a very rapid effect that's never been reported in a human being before'.
He added: 'It makes practical changes that are significant and perceptible, making a difference to his daily living.
'Some patients have been able to start driving again. They don't come back to normal but the change is good enough for patients to want to continue treatment.'
He said top-up injections were necessary but some patients had them a month apart.
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 700,000 Britons with about 500 cases diagnosed every day.
Neil Hunt, of the Alzheimer's Society charity, said: 'The pursuit of a miracle cure for Alzheimer's continues to drive research into a variety of potential treatment targets.
These include a possible link between inflammatory reactions in the brain and Alzheimer's.'
Children exposed to lead in old paint, Victorian pipes and toys could be at risk of Alzheimer's later in life, scientists said yesterday.
A study shows that even small amounts of the metal in the first few years can build up plaques around the brain.
Scientists at the University of Rhode Island told the New Scientist that they fed infant formula milk laced with low doses of lead to baby monkeys, then followed their progress for 23 years. A post mortem of the brains revealed plaques - harmful deposits of protein found in Alzheimer's patients.
wow....
Snow falls on Baghdad for first time in memory...
hell is freezing over... and the climate is warming - right???
hell is freezing over... and the climate is warming - right???
Rosanne Barr writes yesterday..... apparently not everyone thinks Oprah is God!! (Thank goodness!)
barak obama
is an empty suit selling "hope" in lieu of Truth. Oprah Winfrey helped to elect Arnold Swartzenegger. I have no doubt that she voted her purse by doing this, as she is a large land owner in California, and that ilk fears Dems because they do not want to pay their "fair share" of CA. tax.
Oprah has given us Swartzenegger and Dr. Phil.
If that was not offensive enough to decent thinking people, now she brings us Obama. He has no ideas, no plan and nothing to add other than the cynical pacification of the masses with bedtime stories about hope, while calling Unions "special interest groups" that need to be done away with. Obama votes with Bush constantly funding this terrible endless war.
Oprah, you play the race card and the gender card too.
You are a closeted republican and chose Barak Obama because you do not like other women who actually stand for something to working American Women besides glamour, angels, hollywood and dieting! When Americans find out that Obama backs right wing corporate racist anti worker bullshit, they will not vote for him, and the victory will go to the most racist right wing republican ever.... ! That the culinary service workers in vegas have promised barak their vote,( he is anti union in his votes) over edwards, who is a pro-union man, just proves how stupid americans are and how they can be tricked so easily by the color of a person's skin...exactly what MLK hated! Obama doesn't even back reproductive rights for any woman!
It is historical that Oprah Winfrey, beloved of women, chooses a flashy man with small credentials over a seasoned woman politician with 35 years of experience...and sells that to the female demographic who look to her for inspiration!
is an empty suit selling "hope" in lieu of Truth. Oprah Winfrey helped to elect Arnold Swartzenegger. I have no doubt that she voted her purse by doing this, as she is a large land owner in California, and that ilk fears Dems because they do not want to pay their "fair share" of CA. tax.
Oprah has given us Swartzenegger and Dr. Phil.
If that was not offensive enough to decent thinking people, now she brings us Obama. He has no ideas, no plan and nothing to add other than the cynical pacification of the masses with bedtime stories about hope, while calling Unions "special interest groups" that need to be done away with. Obama votes with Bush constantly funding this terrible endless war.
Oprah, you play the race card and the gender card too.
You are a closeted republican and chose Barak Obama because you do not like other women who actually stand for something to working American Women besides glamour, angels, hollywood and dieting! When Americans find out that Obama backs right wing corporate racist anti worker bullshit, they will not vote for him, and the victory will go to the most racist right wing republican ever.... ! That the culinary service workers in vegas have promised barak their vote,( he is anti union in his votes) over edwards, who is a pro-union man, just proves how stupid americans are and how they can be tricked so easily by the color of a person's skin...exactly what MLK hated! Obama doesn't even back reproductive rights for any woman!
It is historical that Oprah Winfrey, beloved of women, chooses a flashy man with small credentials over a seasoned woman politician with 35 years of experience...and sells that to the female demographic who look to her for inspiration!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)