Feel the Benefit of Kindness
What if you don't spontaneously feel joy for doing acts of kindness? Be aware of how you are elevating yourself and becoming a better person.
Imagine the good feelings you would have if someone helped you in the way you are helping others. By entering his world and feeling what he is feeling, you gain a greater appreciation for what you are doing.
You may find this technique difficult, but as you begin to experience it, you increase your ability to do so.
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Alzheimer's breakthrough: Simple new test will help millions beat cruel disease
A BLOOD test which will be a "major step forward" in fighting Alzheimer's could be available in just two years, scientists say today.
They have identified a unique combination of protein molecules in the blood which give an early warning that a patient is likely to develop dementia.
This finding will help them devise a test to diagnose people quicker and could lead to new treatments, they say.
It means a breakthrough in beating the devastating condition is now a step closer.
A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Society hailed the study, saying: "Finding a way to detect dementia before symptoms develop would revolutionise research."
The test, likely to cost between £100 and £300, can show with almost 90 per cent accuracy which individuals suffering from mild memory loss will develop Alzheimer's within a year.
Professor Simon Lovestone said drugs trials currently fail because they take place too late when Alzheimer's is too far advanced.
"If we could detect people earlier, it might be that the drugs which are developed are more effective," he said.
"If we could treat the disease during the phase where there are no symptoms we could have a preventative therapy."
Prof Lovestone, of Oxford University, said it could be between two and five years before a blood test could replace brain scans and lumbar punctures.
He said: "At the moment all I can say to someone with signs of memory loss is, 'Come back in a year and we'll see if it has progressed' and that is grim, that's horrible."
This is a major step forward
Dr Ian Pike, Proteome Sciences plc
In the largest study of its kind, researchers analysed 26 proteins previously linked to dementia in 1,000 patients. They found 16 molecules present in people with mild cognitive impairment.
A specific combination of 10 molecules were identified in patients who developed Alzheimer's within a year.
An Alzheimer's Society spokesman said the test has so far shown just 87 per cent accuracy, meaning that one in 10 people would get an incorrect result.
"Only through further research will we find answers, so we will watch the progress of this with interest," he said.
It estimates that managing dementia costs £23billion a year. A total of 800,000 Britons suffer from it.
Dr Ian Pike, of Proteome Sciences plc, which was involved with the research, said: "This is a major step forward."
Dr Eric Karran, of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "This takes us closer to Alzheimer's becoming a preventable disease, but not in the immediate future.
"People can be included in clinical trials earlier and thereby we will get to a therapy. That would be an absolute breakthrough."
The study was published in The Journal Of The Alzheimer's Association.
by Yvette Alt Miller | | English Words with Hebrew Origins These common English words have their origins in Hebrew and Jewish thought. | |
| | You might know more Hebrew than you think. Check out these surprising Hebrew and Jewish origins of common English words. You might never think about these common terms the same again. Ruthless – In the Torah, Ruth was the epitome of kindness and giving: a Moabite princess, she gave up her wealth and position to take care of her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth was eventually rewarded for her great kindness by becoming the spiritual mother of the Jewish people, the great-grandmother of King David. To be "Ruth"–less is to lack the kindness and compassion that characterized Ruth; in modern English it denotes being venal and selfish. Copacetic – this English word means that everything's in order, that all is as it should be. It's similar to (and some think derived from) the common Hebrew phrase kol beseder: everything's okay. Leviathan – This English word meaning a great sea creature is directly taken from the Hebrew word for whale: leviaton. Abracadabra – Acknowledging that God is the sole Creator of the world is a central value in Judaism. Thus, it's forbidden to declare that we, ourselves, are responsible for creation. Or to put it another way, in Aramaic, the language of the Talmud, it's forbidden to say A'bra (I will create) K'dabra (As I speak). Cabal – Denoting a secretive group of people, usually intent on an evil purpose, the English word cabal is anti-Semitic in origin: it's taken from the word Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, and was applied to Jews studying holy texts. Camel – Gamal in Hebrew, it's also close to the name of the third letter in the Hebrew language (gimmel), which some people say a gamal, or camel, resembles. Beezelbub – It's not only a scary character from horror movies. The term comes from the Hebrew words baal, meaning Lord, and zeevuvim, meaning flies. "Lord of the Flies" is a pagan image, denoting someone at home amongst death, which attracts flies. Sapphire – In the Torah, God's throne is described as a sapphire, blue like the very heavens: a sapphire is sappir in Hebrew. Big Kahuna - It's not just frat-boy slang. Kahuna refers to the holiness of the Cohanim: Aaron and his descendents who officiated in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Edenic – Referring to Eden, the perfect garden in which God created Adam and Chava (Eve), the first human beings, edenic means something perfect and enjoyable in English today. Babble – The Torah recounts how the generation after Noah tried to build a tower high enough to reach the very heavens and challenge God. Instead, God toppled this Tower of Babel, and punished its builders by multiplying their languages so they could no longer understand each other. The English word babble – meaning nonsensical sounds – commemorates this famous Biblical story. Jeremiad – This English word, meaning a long lamentation or tale of woe – comes from the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, who lived through the siege and fall of Jerusalem and the enslavement of the Jews in conquering Babylonia, and consoled his fellow Jews with visions of a future in which they would restored to the land of Israel. Brouhaha – This word, meaning a noisy or overexcited reaction or response to something, was borrowed by English speakers from the French in the 19th Century. It's thought to derive from the common Hebrew welcome Baruch Ha-ba, or Blessed is He (or she) who comes. To those who didn't understand Hebrew, it's likely that Baruch Ha-ba sounded like a noisy confusion of sound – a term that was extended to any such uproarious speech. http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2011/07/02/ Maven – This Yiddish word has passed over into common English usage. Meaning a wise person who knows a lot, it derives from the Hebrew word mavin, or understand. Abacus – A manual computing device consisting of a frame holding parallel rods strung with movable counters, the word abacus originally referred to a drawing board that was covered with dust. (People did sums in the dust, wiping it clean when they were finished.) Abacus thus comes from the Hebrew word Avak, meaning dust. Macabre – Suggesting the horror of death and decay, the word macabre entered Hebrew from the French. It's thought to derive from the Hebrew phrase "from the grave", or me-ha-kever. Hallujah - used to express praise or joy, this comes from the Hebrew words Hallel meaning praise and Ya, denoting God. Scapegoat – in ancient times, on Yom Kippur, two goats were selected to help atone for the people of Israel. One was sacrificed to God; the other – the scapegoat – was symbolically loaded with the people's sins and sent into the wilderness. In modern English, a scapegoat is someone who takes the blame for what others have done. Behemoth – This English word meaning a huge animal comes from the Biblical Book of Job (40:15), where it's described as a large, grass-eating animal. In modern Hebrew, behemoth means domesticated animal, like a cow. Seraph – In Hebrew, the Seraphim (the singular is Seraph) are angels who exist to sing the praises of God. A famous Jewish Midrash (story) explains that when God created humans, the Seraphim cried out: "We love and worship you perfectly! Why did you have to create these messy human creatures? Aren't we good enough for you?" To which God replied that people, having free choice, are capable of bestowing an even greater love to God than the perfect Seraphim. Cherub – Cute, curly-haired children in English, Cherubs are another kind of angel in Judaism. Fierce and mighty, Cherubim are angels that enforce God's will with fiery swords: the word comes from cherev, the Hebrew word for sword. Jubilee – Meaning a special anniversary, this word comes from the Hebrew Yovel. In ancient Israel, the Yovel year occurred once every fifty years: it was a time for debts to be forgiven and for indentured servants to go free. Shibboleth – Meaning a password or a phrase that's distinctive to a group, this English word comes directly from the Hebrew. In ancient times, the nation of Gilad attacked the Tribe of Ephraim, and came up with a unique way to identify who was a member of that tribe or not: they asked each man they came across to pronounce shibboleth, meaning a stalk of grain: the members of the Tribe of Ephraim had an accent that betrayed them when they said the word. In modern Hebrew, a shibboleth is an ear of corn; a shibboleth shu'al means oat. Sabbatical – The concept of taking a year off for personal research or work comes from the Jewish idea of Shabbat, when Jews rest and cease from their weekday work. Sabbath – Likewise, the weekly Sabbath is the English version of the Hebrew Shabbat. Amen – This common ending to prayers comes from the Hebrew word emunah, or belief; it's in effect a way of saying "I believe what was said is true." * * * Correction: Hamas was set to kill thousands:
Israeli Hebrew - and English - language media outlets reported early Friday that Hamas's offensive tunnel network - which is now known to have been composed of over two dozen attack tunnels dug underneath Israel's border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip - was set to be activated during the Jewish High Holidays in the form of a mass terror attack. Israeli security sources, citing information acquired in interrogations of captured Hamas fighters, described a scenario under which hundreds of heavily armed Hamas fighters would have spilled out into Israel in the dead of night and within 10 minutes have been in a position to infiltrate several sparsely populated and lightly guarded Israeli communities. Palestinian terrorists would then - per an assessment conveyed by i24news - have sought to "kill and kidnap as many Israelis as they could." Details of plot, which were first published by the Hebrew-language Ma'ariv, described it as set to take place when Israelis would have been celebrating the Jewish New Year, on or around September 24. Observers noted that attack scenarios lined up with recently revealed data about the scope and nature of the offensive tunnel network. The IDF recently published a map showing that the tunnels were created to empty out on both sides of nearby communities. Israeli military officials had already reported that the tunnel entrances are stocked with tranquilizers, handcuffs, ropes, and other materials useful for subduing abducted civilians and soldiers. And the known cost of the infrastructure - with each tunnel costing roughly $1 million - implies that Hamas leaders were planning a coordinated mega-attack, since use of even one of the tunnels was likely to trigger an Israeli retaliation against the entire network. Revelations regarding the magnitude of the planned tunnel attack are thought to have played a critical role in the Israeli government's rejection of a ceasefire proposed late Friday by Secretary of State John Kerry, which would have prohibited the Israelis from degrading remaining attack tunnels. Here is what we are dealing with: The world pressure on Israel http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/international-opinion-can-go-take-a-flying-leap British Commentator tells it like it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S2mJGMwsOs |
