Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signs the illegal-immigration bill — which will go into effect this summer — at the Arizona Department of Transportation in Phoenix on Friday. (David Wallace, The Arizona Republic/AP)

The chattering class is aghast at Arizona’s new immigration law. “Harkens back to apartheid,” says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Cynthia Tucker. “Shameful,” says the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne. “Terrible…an invitation to abuse,” says the New York Times’ David Brooks.

For his part, President Obama calls the law “misguided” and says it “threaten[s] to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans.” Obama has ordered the Justice Department to “closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation.”

Has anyone actually read the law? Contrary to the talk, it is a reasonable, limited, carefully-crafted measure designed to help law enforcement deal with a serious problem in Arizona. Its authors anticipated criticism and went to great lengths to make sure it is constitutional and will hold up in court. It is the criticism of the law that is over the top, not the law itself.

The law requires police to check with federal authorities on a person’s immigration status, if officers have stopped that person for some legitimate reason and come to suspect that he or she might be in the U.S. illegally. The heart of the law is this provision: “For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency…where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person…”

Critics have focused on the term “reasonable suspicion” to suggest that the law would give police the power to pick anyone out of a crowd for any reason and force them to prove they are in the U.S. legally. Some foresee mass civil rights violations targeting Hispanics.

What fewer people have noticed is the phrase “lawful contact,” which defines what must be going on before police even think about checking immigration status. “That means the officer is already engaged in some detention of an individual because he’s violated some other law,” says Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri Kansas City Law School professor who helped draft the measure. “The most likely context where this law would come into play is a traffic stop.”

As far as “reasonable suspicion” is concerned, there is a great deal of case law dealing with the idea, but in immigration matters, it means a combination of circumstances that, taken together, cause the officer to suspect lawbreaking. It’s not race — Arizona’s new law specifically says race and ethnicity cannot be the sole factors in determining a reasonable suspicion.

For example: “Arizona already has a state law on human smuggling,” says Kobach. “An officer stops a group of people in a car that is speeding. The car is overloaded. Nobody had identification. The driver acts evasively. They are on a known smuggling corridor.” That is a not uncommon occurrence in Arizona, and any officer would reasonably suspect that the people in the car were illegal. Under the new law, the officer would get in touch with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to check on their status.

But what if the driver of the car had shown the officer his driver’s license? The law clearly says that if someone produces a valid Arizona driver’s license, or other state-issued identification, they are presumed to be here legally. There’s no reasonable suspicion.

Is having to produce a driver’s license too burdensome? These days, natural-born U.S. citizens, and everybody else, too, are required to show a driver’s license to get on an airplane, to check into a hotel, even to purchase some over-the-counter allergy medicines. If it’s a burden, it’s a burden on everyone.

Still, critics worry the law would force some people to carry their papers, just like in an old movie. The fact is, since the 1940s, federal law has required non-citizens in this country to carry, on their person, the documentation proving they are here legally — green card, work visa, etc. That hasn’t changed.

Kobach, a Republican who is now running for Kansas Secretary of State, was the chief adviser to Attorney General John Ashcroft on immigration issues from 2001 to 2003. He has successfully defended Arizona immigration laws in the past. “The bill was drafted in expectation that the open-borders crowd would almost certainly bring a lawsuit,” he says. “It’s drafted to withstand judicial scrutiny.”

The bottom line is, it’s a good law, sensibly written and rigorously focused — no matter what the critics say.

Byron York, The Examiner’s chief political correspondent, can be contacted at byork@washingtonexaminer.com. His column appears on Tuesday and Friday, and his stories and blog posts appears on www.ExaminerPolitics.com

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Byron-York/A-carefully-crafted-immigration-law-in-Arizona-92136104.html#ixzz0u60BeYmD

At 21, he opened his first gym in Oakland, California. It was 1936, and most doctors at the time warned against working out with weights, believing it could cause a heart attack or ruin a man’s sex drive. Considered a crackpot at the time, La Lanne eventually became America’s foremost authority on fitness. His gym grew into a chain of fitness clubs, with no reports of members dying or losing interest in sex. To add variety to his customers’ workouts, he devised such now-standard equipment as leg-extension machines and weights on pulleys for lifting. Over subsequent years, La Lanne was among the first to produce protein supplements and nutrition bars.

Beginning in 1951, La Lanne hosted and produced The Jack La Lanne Show, TV’s first workout program. On his show, he performed calisthenics, usually with only a chair or table ledge as ‘equipment’, while cheerfully pointing at the camera and urging his audience to “Get up, work out, and feel better”. At first, the show aired only in San Francisco, and La Lanne had to buy the air time, as TV executives were sure nobody would want to watch him do exercises. Within a few years, the program was nationally syndicated on ABC, where millions watched La Lanne do exercises until 1985.

After his TV show ended, La Lanne remained in the public eye with a series of fitness stunts, usually performed on his birthday. In 1955, he swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco, while wearing handcuffs. In 1991, for his 70th birthday, he swam a mile while shackled to 70 boats carrying 70 people. Now in his 90s, La Lanne is still in excellent health, and works out two hours every day — an hour in the gym, and an hour in the pool. He says he has not missed a day of workouts — or had a sugary dessert — since 1930. He still appears on television, selling his Jack La Lanne Power Juicers. “I don’t care how old I live”, he says, “I just want to be living while I am living!” In a 2004 interview, at the age of 90, he said he has “an active sex life”.

Official Website:

http://www.jacklalanne.com/

It was stressed in the readings that Atomidine was never to be used as a ‘cure-all’, although it was also noted that due to a general tendency -or many to develop an excess of ‘potash’ in the system, there were few human ailments that would not re­spond to the iodine as it would maintain a better balance in the system if used correctly. Atomidine could be indicated, stated Cayce, whenever there were signs of imbalance, either in glandular functions, or in the activity of the assimilations and eliminations. Depending on the need he found, application might involve dental care, feminine hygiene, or internal dosage.

Internal dosage of Atomidine varied greatly from reading to reading, depending on the nature and severity of the condition.

Examples will be given for several types of conditions in the following paragraphs. Most consistent was Cayce’s stress on taking it according to definite cycles, to best correlate the action of the Atomidine with body rhythms. The user can either follow a cycle given in a specific reading or simply in­vent his own, since the cycle itself is more important than the specific pattern it follows. Cycles were typically based on periods of several days together (2-15) of taking the Atomidine, alternated with rest periods (1 day to one month or an indefin­ite time period). The Atomidine was always to be taken in wa­ter – usually half a glass, perhaps 4 oz., although occasionally a full glass was advised. Most often, dosage was to be taken once daily in the morning before breakfast. An identical dosage was sometimes also to be taken in the evening, usually before retiring. On rare occasions, dosage was to be administered three times daily or more often. Those taking Atomidine for the first time on an experimental basis should exercise caution by be­ginning with the minimum dosage of one drop daily, unless a doctor directs otherwise.
Glands

Atomidine was a specific in the readings for glandular deficiencies and imbalances and related disorders. It becomes apparent by implication – and sometimes by statement as well ­that the glands were involved in some manner, either directly or indirectly, in every instance where internal dosage was recommended. A general reading on Atomidine asserted that it could be used not only as a curative but as a preventive as well, particularly for any disorder of the glands or of the tissues of the body. It was further stated that Atomidine would have a purifying and stimulating influence on the entire gland­ular system.

For glandular incoordination and for treatment of the glands in general, dosage was sometimes to be given once daily and frequently twice daily – upon arising and before retiring. In either instance, an average amount to be given each time was one to five drops of Atomidine in half a glass of water for three to five days alternated with two-day rest periods. An­other type of cycle involved beginning with one drop daily at each dosage, increasing one drop each day until the fifth day, when five drops at each dosage were taken. After a two-day rest period this cycle could be repeated, beginning again with one drop.

Iodine was seen as particularly crucial to the functioning of the thyroid gland. Atomidine was therefore recommended specifically to help regulate the activity of this gland, and to aid in the correction of related problems, such as goitre and baldness. A typical dosage to stimulate the thyroid gland was one or two drops of Atomidine in half a glass of water taken on arising for five days at a time, followed by a five-day rest period. This series can be repeated at least three times, subsequently followed by a longer rest period. The entire cycle can then be repeated from the beginning if necessary. Similar cycles were given for goitre and baldness, although larger dosages might be indicated in some cases of goitre. Cayce found that this treatment regimen would improve the finger and toe nails in addition to stimulating hair growth.
Feminine Hygiene

Use of Atomidine was indicated in a wide variety of pelvic conditions and disorders, including vaginal discharge, venereal disease, tumors, dysmenorrhea (cramps), menopause, tipped womb, and pregnancy. This application was usually in the form of a douche, using a fountain syringe. A typical dilution was one teaspoonful of Atomidine to one and a half quarts of water, al­though the amount of Atomidine suggested varied in some in­stances from one-half teaspoonful to one tablespoonful per quart. One and a half quarts of water was the typical amount to be used for each application, retaining the solution each time for as long as possible. The water used was generally to be body temperature – never warmer.
Atomidine douches were to be done as often as once daily for severe conditions, decreasing frequency of application as infection, irritation or discharge was reduced. Application should be discontinued during menstrual periods. A reading for a pregnant woman advised regular douching with an Atomidine solution as a preventive measure, to assure that inflammation or infection would not develop. Frequently, douching with Atomidine was to be alternated with Glyco-Thymoline solutions.
Venereal Disease

In cases of venereal disease – both gonorrhea and syphilis, Atomidine was often to be taken internally to prevent the spread of infection. One reading commented that the excess of iodine created in this manner would so deaden the germ cells as to cause their elimination by the system. A typical dose was about five drops daily, or one drop daily, increasing by one or two drops each day for the next four days. After a brief rest period, either cycle could be resumed from the beginning.

In addition to internal dosage, use of Atomidine and other solutions in the form of douches for women and catheter injec­tions for men was consistently advised. Catheter injections were to be made with varying frequency – from as often as once or twice daily for several days to once every few weeks. Several individuals were advised to make this application only when a tendency toward inflammation was evident. An average solution strength was ten drops of Atomidine to two tablespoonfuls of distilled water. As this amount was sufficient for at least two injections, the solution was to be stored in a dark glass container kept away from light when not in use. For douching instructions, consult the previous section on feminine hygiene.
Arthritis

Cayce found that use of Atomidine in cases of arthritis would stimulate glandular secretions that would bring about an actual dissolution of deposits in the joints, enabling them to be drained and eliminated. In the process, glandular activity throughout the system would be stimulated, aiding in assimila­tion and energy distribution.

Cycles of taking Atomidine were most often to be coordin­ated with Epsom salts baths and massage. Typically, the baths were to be taken during rest periods immediately following an Atomidine sequence to stimulate drainages in the system. Mas­sages were sometimes to be given during Atomidine sequences and at other times during the rest period following the baths.

Dosage was often to be gradually increased during cycles for arthritis. A fairly typical sequence would be one drop once daily for five days, rest two days and repeat.

Atomidine was sometimes recommended for blood building and for specific conditions of the blood such as leukemia and anem­ia. One reading commented that the glandular stimulation of the iodine would improve coordination between the liver, lungs and heart. Dosage was typically to be begun in minimal amounts, increasing gradually to a level of ten to fifteen drops daily, and then repeating the cycle from the beginning.
Assimilations and Eliminations

For a condition Cayce referred to as incoordination between the assimilations and eliminations, it was found that the puri­fying effect of Atomidine on the glandular system would affect not only the thyroid, but glands in or related to the respira­tory system, stomach, appendix area and kidneys as well. A typical dosage was one drop daily for five days at a time or for two or three days weekly.
Asthma

The addition of iodine to the system in cases of asthma was often stressed, although Atomidine in particular was men­tioned only eight times out of 165 cases of asthma. One read­ing on this subject, however, is interesting enough to deserve mention. In this case a specific cycle of dosage was indicated in conjunction with osteopathic adjustments. In addition, Cayce advised sipping a solution of six drops of Atomidine in a tablespoonful of water when breathing became constricted. This measure, Cayce found, would stimulate glandular reactions that had been submerged by pressures on the nerves which would be released by the adjustments. This dosage was to be taken only when needed and no more often than once during six to eight hours.
Teeth

This category is mentioned because Atomidine was long rec­ommended by its promoters for dental care, although Cayce ad­vised its use for this purpose in only a modest number of read­ings. In two cases it was to be given internally – in one to strengthen tooth enamel and in the other to help regulate the glands controlling circulation through the teeth and bones. In other instances highly diluted Atomidine solutions were rec­ommended as a mouthwash or massage for the teeth and gums, to reduce acidity, infection, and irritation, and to generally im­prove the condition of the mouth.
Miscellaneous Internal Applications

Internal use of Atomidine was occasionally suggested for the following conditions, in approximate order of frequency: neuritis, epilepsy, lumbago, paralysis (also external), polio­myelitis, toxemia, cancer (also external for skin cancer), vitil­igo, abnormal children, general debilitation and multiple sclerosis, among others.
Physiotherapy

Use of Atomidine in massage, packs, gargles and other ex­ternal applications was sometimes advised.

Massage with Atomidine solutions was recommended infre­quently but in a variety of conditions. In addition to its use in massage of the teeth and gums as mentioned above, Atomidine was in several cases to be massaged around (not on) the finger nails on the cuticle and above the nail to strengthen them and keep them from splitting. For baldness, dandruff and falling hair, external as well as internal application was found to be helpful. Diluted solutions, such as a few drops to a table­spoon of water, were occasionally to be massaged into the scalp prior to shampooing.

Packs were recommended for carbuncles and a diversity of other conditions. These involved applying a diluted solution (from half to four-fifths water) in the form of saturated cotton pieces or hot cloths.

Gargling with Atomidine solutions was sometimes advised for the healing its antiseptic properties would bring to the mucous membranes of the throat, head, nasal and bronchial pass­ages. In many instances this procedure was found to have a beneficial effect on the teeth and gums as well, and one read­ing found that the gargle would cause sufficient absorption of the iodine to aid glandular functions. A typical dilution was one to two teaspoonfuls of Atomidine to half a glass of water.

Other external applications included dermatitis, poison ivy (also internal), boils, bites, skin cancer, cankers, polio­myelitis, and infections, supporting its recommendation as a general antiseptic for external use. The Atomidine was often to be diluted before applying.
Warnings and Contraindications

Internal dosage of Atomidine was occasionally not advised. In some cases additional iodine was not needed in the system as it was being derived in sufficient amounts from other sources such as Calcidin, kelp and a diet rich in seafood. These con­traindications imply that Atomidine should never be taken in conjunction with other iodine supplements, including multiple vitamin or mineral tablets and Formula 636 in addition to the above (except seafood)

In some instances dosage of Atomidine was to be suspended when certain substances such as yeast were taken internally or for the duration of other types of treatments, particularly those electrical in nature, such as the Wet Cell and the Radio­Active Appliance. One reading found that taking Atomidine in conjunction with electrical treatments would be a strain for the heart. The effect of Atomidine can, however, be transmitted vibratorially to the system with safety through either of these appliances, by means of a solution jar.

An outstanding exception to restrictions against combining Atomidine with other substances taken internally is Formula 636. When this tonic is taken according to directions it supplies one drop of Atomidine per day and can probably be continued over a longer period of time than most Atomidine cycles. Its combination of Atomidine, liver extract, lactated pepsin, black snake root and wild ginseng is designed to have a special meta­bolic effect on the system, possibly making it more valuable than Atomidine alone in certain cases.

Users of Atomidine should be cautioned to note that al­though it is a safe external remedy for everyone, legally it is a prescription item when used internally because of its high iodine content. It can be harmful to anyone who takes too large a dosage and is particularly contraindicated in cases where it might excessively stimulate the heart. Too much iodine can lead to overstimulation of the thyroid gland, resulting in nervous­ness, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, or even a skin rash. Contrary to popular belief, the readings never warned against the inges­tion of alcohol while Atomidine was being taken, and Formula 636 actually contains both Atomidine and alcohol in small quantities.

(CNNMoney.com) — A judge on Friday ruled against California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s request to force the state controller to cut 200,000 state employees’ pay to minimum wage temporarily.

The ruling was a boost for State Controller John Chiang, who for weeks has refused to carry out the cuts.

But the fight isn’t over yet. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette scheduled another court session for July 26, a spokeswoman for Chiang’s office said.

Schwarzenegger moved in July to cut 200,000 state workers’ wages to $7.25 an hour starting Aug. 1. But Chiang said he would not make the cuts and would wait until he completed an appeal of another court’s ruling on a similar pay cut order from 2008.

Schwarzenegger’s office sued Chiang last week in an effort to force him to make the cuts, but Chiang promptly filed a cross-complaint alleging that the order violates federal and state law.

The judge said he ruled for Chiang “because the issue of cutting workers’ pay needed more consideration and the controller shouldn’t be forced to make the cuts immediately,” according to Chiang’s spokeswoman.

In his refusals, Chiang has also said the payroll computers aren’t equipped to make the cuts, but the court declined to rule on that subject. Chiang’s spokeswoman said Marlette wants that issue to be resolved before the end of August.

“We are confident we will continue to win on the merits of this case, as we already have done twice,” Schwarzenegger’s spokeswoman said in a statement. “We hope the legislature passes a budget by then so we don’t have to pay our employees minimum wage.”

Marlette’s office did not have comment late Friday.

California budget stalemate: The move to cut paychecks stems from a larger fight over how to close a $19.1 billion budget shortfall. California’s fiscal year began July 1, and Schwarzenegger and the legislature have yet to agree on a budget.

State workers have gotten caught in the crossfire. Schwarzenegger’s proposed salary reductions would cut across all job types and pay scales, though affected workers would receive back pay when the budget is passed.

Republicans want severe cuts to state social services such as welfare and Medicare, instead of hiking taxes. But Democrats oppose the program cuts and instead want tax increases on industries such as oil production

Curtis Howe “Doc” Springer was an eccentric preacher and health food salesman. During World War I, he was a boxing instructor in the army. After the war, he became head of an academy in Florida, where he married Mary Louise Berkebile. She convinced him that Pennsylvania would be the perfect place to build his dream health resort. In 1931 the resort, called “Haven of Rest”, was built in Maple Glen, PA.

Fast-talking and charismatic, Springer wooed the local residents with promises of allowing guests to stay at his resort at no charge, and a tuition-free college for ambitious youths that would be supported by labor on his rabbit farm. Due to construction costs of the resort, his overgenerosity inevitably led to financial troubles. He was unable to pay his taxes and closed the resort in 1937.

In 1944 he tried again, building a health resort in the desert in Zzyzx, CA complete with a 60-room hotel, church, radio station, and a “zyport” for airplanes. (The airstrip is located on the abandoned grade of the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad.)

For thirty years, Springer advertised his bread, cereal, tea and bath salts on radio programs across the country. However, the American Medical Association considered him a quack. The FDA charged him with false advertising. The Internal Revenue Service charged him with tax evasion. Finally, in 1974 the Bureau of Land Management evicted him for misuse of government land.

Springer died in Las Vegas, NV in 1986 at the age of 90.

Inventor of Dynomizer, Oscilloclast, Radioclast: in the era where people believed electricity to be a life force, were invented by Dr. Albert Abrams in the 1900’s so as to cure any and every disease discovered at that time. The machines were discovered to be duds only after the death of Dr. Albert Abrams, making him one of the most successful quacks of all time.

Medical quackery has always been a profitable hunting ground for conmen. Electricity was a good hook to draw in the gullible, as it had long been regarded as something of an elemental life force. After all, it could make disembodied frog’s legs move. Mary Shelley’s novel FRANKENSTEIN, published in 1818, reflected this impression by having Dr. Frankenstein’s patchwork monster brought to life by electricity.

The plausibility of electrical techno-cures was enhanced by the fact that electrical machinery was actually being put into practical use in medicine. Electrocautery machines proved much more effective than hot irons and other primitive cauterization tools, for example, and in the 20th century all types of valuable medical electronic instruments were developed. However, as the scope of medical electronics widened, so did the scope of medical electronic frauds. The king of all the medical quacks was Dr. Albert Abrams of San Francisco. Nobody ever approached Dr. Abrams for sheer nerve, and few ever enjoyed such great success.

Dr. Abrams had one of the main traits of a good con artist: he looked real. His credentials were excellent. Born in San Francisco in 1863, he had received a medical degree from the University of Heidelberg while he was still a teenager; he had been chief pathologist at the Cooper Medical Institute, later the Stanford Medical School; and in 1893 had been president of the San Francisco Medical-Surgical Society. He was regarded as a guru by other doctors in the city, and had published many articles in prominent medical journals. His patients were the rich and powerful, and he was a member of San Francisco’s social elite. Exactly why a reputable and successful physician like Dr. Abrams turned to the “dark side” is hard to understand. His letters hint at a degree of megalomania, a desire to obtain stature at any cost, or maybe it was just simple greed.

During the First World War, Abrams promoted a theory that electrons were the basic element of all life. He called his theory ERA, for “Electronic Reactions of Abrams”, an egocentric designation that lends some credence to the megalomania hypothesis. Abrams introduced a number of different machines that operated on the principles of ERA. One of the most important was the “Dynomizer” that could diagnose any known disease from a single drop of blood. Sometimes it appears to have involved using a healthy subject as a reference, with the blood sample “polarized” by a magnet before being inserted into the machine, which would then sense the frequencies of the vibrations.

By the way, the blood didn’t have to be very fresh. Abrams performed diagnoses on dried blood samples sent to him on pieces of paper in envelopes through the mail. Apparently Abrams even claimed he could conduct medical practice over the telephone with his machines, and that he could also determine personality characteristics.

The Dynomizer looked something like a radio, and it was not too much of a stretch to believe that if a radio could tune in distant radio communications, a similar device could interpret the electrical signals of the body. Well … OK, it was a pretty big stretch, but it might have been more believable in the days when radio was new and mysterious, and making a connection between the two technologies a clever touch on Abrams’ part. Abrams also built his devices to look very pretty, with fine hardwood cabinets and high-quality accessories.

The Dynomizer was big business by 1918, and then Abrams decided to take the next step. Diagnosing a disease was more or less a one-time operation, but treating a disease, particularly one not strongly based in reality, required repeated treatments. Abrams came up with a new and even more impressive gadget, the Oscilloclast, apparently also known as the Radioclast. It came with tables of frequencies that it was to be set to that allowed it to attack specific diseases.

The Dynomizer tended to give very alarming diagnoses, involving combinations of such maladies as cancer, diabetes, and syphillis. Abrams often included a disease called bovine syphillis, which mystified proper medical practitioners since they had no idea what it was. Of course, the Oscilloclast was capable of defeating most of these diseases. It didn’t always get them all, but of course no machine was perfect, not even the Oscilloclast.

Students flocked to Abrams’ San Francisco clinic for training courses at US $200 a head, a goodly sum at the time, and then leased the good doctor’s marvelous devices to take back home. It appears that Abrams developed quite a range of different devices besides the Dynomizer and Oscilloclast to service the demand for ERA technology. The rules specified that the boxes could not be opened, as it might disrupt their delicate adjustments.

By 1921, there were 3,500 practitioners using ERA technology. Conventional medical practitioners were extremely suspicious, not merely because they doubted ERA was for real and thought it likely to lead to disasters, but because ERA practitioners were cutting into their business.

In 1923, disaster struck. An old man who was diagnosed in the Mayo Clinic with inoperable stomach cancer went to an ERA practitioner, who declared him “completely cured” after treatments. The man died a month later and an uproar followed. The war between Abrams and his followers and the American Medical Association (AMA) went into high gear.

Defenders included American radical author Upton Sinclair, and the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It must be noted in this context that Conan Doyle was notoriously gullible. He believed in fairies, accepting as evidence laughably faked photographs, and Harry Houdini commented after meeting him that Conan Doyle was absolutely astounded at novice-level sleight-of-hand tricks.

The only way the dispute could be resolved was through the intervention of a scientifically respected third party. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN magazine, a well-established and prestigious publication for decades, decided to investigate Dr. Abrams’ claims. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN also a perfectly impartial reason to be interested in the matter, since readers were writing letters to the editor and saying that Abrams’ revolutionary machines were one of the greatest inventions of the century and so needed to be discussed in the pages of the magazine.

What was the truth? Was Abrams a genius, as his partisans claimed, or a fraud, as the AMA claimed? SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN assembled a team of investigators who worked with a senior Abrams apostle named “Doctor X” to find out the truth. The investigators developed a series of tests, and the magazine asked readers to suggest their own tests, another measure indicating the publication’s impartiality.
The investigators gave Doctor X six vials containing unknown pathogens and asked him to verify what they might be. It seems likely that Doctor X honestly believed in his Abrams machines, since he wouldn’t have agreed to cooperate if he hadn’t, and in fact he allowed the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN investigators to observe his procedure. He got the contents of all six vials completely wrong. He examined the vials and pointed out that they had labels in red ink, whose vibrations confounded the instruments. The investigators gave him the vials again with less offensive labels, and he still got the contents all wrong.

The results were published in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, and led to a predictable “flame war” in the letters pages of the magazine between advocates and critics. The investigators continued their work. Abrams offered to “cooperate” with the investigators, but he always begged off when they stipulated conditions he didn’t like. Abrams never actually participated in the investigation, and in fact in ERA publications he tried to paint himself as a victim of unjust persecution.

Then an AMA member sent a blood sample to an Abrams practitioner, and got back a diagnosis that the patient had malaria; diabetes; cancer; and of course syphillis, presumably bovine syphillis. Actually, the blood sample was from a Rock rooster. Similar tricks were played on other Abrams practitioners, and a few found themselves facing fraud charges in court. This was what the critics had been waiting for, since in a case in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Dr. Albert Abrams was called to be the star witness. Dr. Abrams managed to avoid appearing in court, however, by the effective if somewhat drastic measure of dying of pneumonia at age 62 in January 1924. The fact that his machines hadn’t been able to cure him was not lost on the critics.

With Dr. Abrams gone, the AMA then publicly opened up one of his machines. Its internals consisted of nothing more than wires connected to lights and buzzers and so on. It was a prop, and it wasn’t very a very good prop at that. It was clear that Dr. Abrams was a deliberate fraud.

The fad was over, but as long as there was a buck to be made, other people moved into the vacuum and built devices based on similar principles, such as they were. None would achieve the remarkable stature of those of Dr. Albert Abrams, who the AMA said “easily ranked as the dean of twentieth-century charlatans.”

TIMELINES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION:

1920s (Decade)

* During World War I, federal spending grows three times larger than tax collections. When the government cuts back spending to balance the budget in 1920, a severe recession results. However, the war economy invested heavily in the manufacturing sector, and the next decade will see an explosion of productivity… although only for certain sectors of the economy.

* An average of 600 banks fail each year.

* Organized labor declines throughout the decade. The United Mine Workers Union will see its membership fall from 500,000 in 1920 to 75,000 in 1928. The American Federation of Labor would fall from 5.1 million in 1920 to 3.4 million in 1929.

* Over the decade, about 1,200 mergers will swallow up more than 6,000 previously independent companies; by 1929, only 200 corporations will control over half of all American industry.

* By the end of the decade, the bottom 80 percent of all income-earners will be removed from the tax rolls completely. Taxes on the rich will fall throughout the decade.
* By 1929, the richest 1 percent will own 40 percent of the nation’s wealth. The bottom 93 percent will have experienced a 4 percent drop in real disposable per-capita income between 1923 and 1929.

* Individual worker productivity rises an astonishing 43 percent from 1919 to 1929. But the rewards are being funneled to the top: the number of people reporting half-million dollar incomes grows from 156 to 1,489 between 1920 and 1929, a phenomenal rise compared to other decades. But that is still less than 1 percent of all income-earners.

1922

* The conservative Supreme Court strikes down federal child labor legislation.

1923

* President Warren Harding dies in office. Calvin Coolidge, becomes president. Coolidge is no less committed to laissez-faire and a non-interventionist government.
* Supreme Court nullifies minimum wage for women in District of Columbia.

1924

* The stock market begins its spectacular rise. Bears little relation to the rest of the economy.

1925

* The top tax rate is lowered to 25 percent – the lowest top rate in the eight decades since World War I.

1928

* Between May 1928 and September 1929, the average prices of stocks will rise 40 percent. The boom is largely artificial.

1929

* Herbert Hoover becomes President.

* Annual per-capita income is $750. More than half of all Americans are living below a minimum subsistence level.

* Backlog of business inventories grows three times larger than the year before.

* Recession begins in August, two months before the stock market crash. During this two month period, production will decline at an annual rate of 20 percent, wholesale prices at 7.5 percent, and personal income at 5 percent.

* Stock market crash begins October 24. Investors call October 29 Black Tuesday. Losses for the month will total $16 billion, an astronomical sum in those days.

1930

* By February, the Federal Reserve has cut the prime interest rate from 6 to 4 percent. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon announces that the Fed will stand by as the market works itself out: ‘Liquidate labor, liquidate real estate… values will be adjusted, and enterprising people will pick up the wreck from less-competent people’.

* The Smoot-Hawley Tariff passes on June 17. With imports forming only 6 percent of the GNP, the 40 percent tariffs work out to an effective tax of only 2.4 percent per citizen. Even this is compensated for by the fact that American businesses are no longer investing in Europe, but keeping their money stateside. The consensus of modern economists is that the tariff made only a minor contribution to the Great Depression in the U.S., but a major one in Europe.

* Supreme Court rules that the monopoly U.S. Steel does not violate anti-trust laws as long as competition exists, no matter how negligible.

* The GNP falls 9.4 percent from the year before. The unemployment rate climbs from 3.2 to 8.7 percent.

1931

* No major legislation is passed addressing the Depression.

* The GNP falls another 8.5 percent; unemployment rises to 15.9 percent.

1932

* This and the next year are the worst years of the Great Depression. For 1932, GNP falls a record 13.4 percent; unemployment rises to 23.6 percent.

* Industrial stocks have lost 80 percent of their value since 1930.

* 10,000 banks have failed since 1929, or 40 percent of the 1929 total.

* GNP has also fallen 31 percent since 1929.

* Over 13 million Americans have lost their jobs since 1929.

* International trade has fallen by two-thirds since 1929.

Congress passes the Federal Home Loan Bank Act and the Glass-Steagall Act of 1932.

* Top tax rate is raised from 25 to 63 percent.

* Popular opinion considers Hoover’s measures too little too late. Franklin Roosevelt easily defeats Hoover in the fall election. Democrats win control of Congress.

1933

* Roosevelt inaugurated; begins ‘First 100 Days’; of intensive legislative activity.

* A third banking panic occurs in March. Roosevelt declares a Bank Holiday; closes financial institutions to stop a run on banks.

* Alarmed by Roosevelt’s plan to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor, a group of millionaire businessmen, led by the Du Pont and J.P. Morgan empires, plans to overthrow Roosevelt with a military coup and install a fascist government modelled after Mussolini’s regime in Italy. The businessmen try to recruit General Smedley Butler, promising him an army of 500,000, unlimited financial backing and generous media spin control. The plot is foiled when Butler reports it to Congress.

* Congress authorizes creation of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Farm Credit Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the National Recovery Administration, the Public Works Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

* Congress passes the Emergency Banking Bill, the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, the Farm Credit Act, the National Industrial Recovery Act and the Truth-in-Securities Act.
* Roosevelt does much to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor, but is concerned with a balanced budget. He later rejects Keynes’ advice to begin heavy deficit spending.

* The free fall of the GNP is significantly slowed; it dips only 2.1 percent this year. Unemployment rises slightly, to 24.9 percent.

1934

* Congress authorizes creation of the Federal Communications Commission, the National Mediation Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

* The economy turns around: GNP rises 7.7 percent, and unemployment falls to 21.7 percent. A long road to recovery begins.

* Sweden becomes the first nation to recover fully from the Great Depression. It has followed a policy of Keynesian deficit spending.

1935

* The Supreme Court declares the National Recovery Administration to be unconstitutional.

* Congress authorizes creation of the Works Progress Administration, the National Labor Relations Board and the Rural Electrification Administration.

* Congress passes the Banking Act of 1935, the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Social Security Act.

* Economic recovery continues: the GNP grows another 8.1 percent, and unemployment falls to 20.1 percent.

1936

* Top tax rate raised to 79 percent.

* Economic recovery continues: GNP grows a record 14.1 percent; unemployment falls to 16.9 percent.

1937

* The Supreme Court declares the National Labor Relations Board to be unconstitutional.

* Roosevelt seeks to enlarge and therefore liberalize the Supreme Court. This attempt not only fails, but outrages the public.
* Economists attribute economic growth so far to heavy government spending that is somewhat deficit. Roosevelt, however, fears an unbalanced budget and cuts spending for 1937. That summer, the nation plunges into another recession. Despite this, the yearly GNP rises 5.0 percent, and unemployment falls to 14.3 percent.

1938

* No major New Deal legislation is passed after this date, due to Roosevelt’s weakened political power.

* The year-long recession makes itself felt: the GNP falls 4.5 percent, and unemployment rises to 19.0 percent.

1939

* The United States will begin emerging from the Depression as it borrows and spends $1 billion to build its armed forces. From 1939 to 1941, when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, U.S. manufacturing will have shot up a phenomenal 50 percent!

* The Depression is ending worldwide as nations prepare for the coming hostilities.

Roosevelt began relatively modest deficit spending that arrested the slide of the economy and resulted in some astonishing growth numbers. (Roosevelt’s average growth of 5.2 percent during the Great Depression is even higher than Reagan’s 3.7 percent growth during his so-called ‘Seven Fat Years!’) When 1936 saw a phenomenal record of 14 percent growth, Roosevelt eased back on the deficit spending, worried about balancing the budget. But this only caused the economy to slip back into a recession in 1938.

* World War II starts with Hitler’s invasion of Poland.

1945

* Although the war is the largest tragedy in human history, the United States emerges as the world’s only economic superpower. Deficit spending has resulted in a national debt 123 percent the size of the GDP. By contrast, in 1994, the $4.7 trillion national debt will be only 70 percent of the GDP!

* The top tax rate is 91 percent. It will stay at least 88 percent until 1963, when it is lowered to 70 percent. During this time, America will experience the greatest economic boom it had ever known until that time.

The above timeline has been complied by Steve Kangas from the Resurgence Magazine.

In today’s competitive world where people have become so busy that they don’t even have time for their meals, the role of health supplements becomes very crucial. Though there are numerous nutrients and vitamin supplements available in the market, choosing the right one is an important decision. Fish oil and calcium are the elements that are vital requirements of a healthy body and mind. These are two different contents that meet the different body needs. However, when these contents are taken together they have positive effects on bones.

A recent study from Harvard University in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control revealed that Omega-3 deficiency causes nearly 96,000 deaths every year, making it the 8th leading cause of death. Hence, fish oil that is rich in omega 3 is highly recommended by the health experts. The fish oil supplement is known to have several health benefits. It helps in reducing inflammation, creating new neurons in the brain, preventing heart diseases and many more. It has also been found that intake of fish oil and calcium together results in higher bone density and fewer fractures.

A combination of fish oil and calcium has proved to be highly beneficial for women. It is said that these elements when taken together can help to protect women from osteoporosis. It is a disease a disease of bone that leads to an increased risk of fracture and is highly common amongst women. One 18-month study of 65 postmenopausal women found that those who were given a combination of fish oil together and calcium had higher bone density and fewer fractures than those who were given the calcium and a placebo.

Besides deriving benefits from the joint intake of these two elements, one can also take these nutrients separately for individual health benefits. While fish oil can be taken for the prevention of heart attacks, strokes, and several other diseases, calcium can be taken for healthier bones and teeth.

]]> http://boomerstates.com/archives/76/feed 0 http://boomerstates.com/archives/63 http://boomerstates.com/archives/63#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 05:56:52 +0000 uploaded article: http://boomerstates.com/?p=63 Dietary Supplements (Herbal Medicines and Natural Products) – Topic Overview

What are dietary supplements?

In the United States, dietary supplements are substances you eat or drink. They can be vitamins, minerals, herbs or other plants, amino acids (the individual building blocks of protein), or parts of these substances. They can be in pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form. They supplement (add to) the diet and should not be considered a substitute for food.

Dietary supplements are widely available in the United States in health food stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, on the Internet, and by mail. People commonly take them for health-related reasons. Common dietary supplements include vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin C or a multivitamin), botanicals (herbs and plant products, such as St. John’s wort), and substances that come from a natural source (such as omega-3 fatty acids).

Makers of dietary supplements cannot legally say that dietary supplements can diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. But they can say that they contribute to health maintenance and well-being.

People have used the active ingredients in dietary supplements for thousands of years to help health and to treat illness. Sometimes those supplements are the basis for some of today’s common medicines. For example, people have used willow bark tea for centuries to control fever. Pharmaceutical companies eventually identified the chemical in willow bark that reduces fever and used that knowledge to produce aspirin.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate dietary supplements in the same way that it regulates medicine. A dietary supplement can be sold without research on how well it works.
What are dietary supplements used for?

People use dietary supplements for many health conditions.

* People often use vitamins and minerals to supplement diet and treat disease. For example, echinacea may keep you from getting a cold and may help you get better faster.1 High doses of vitamin C may also help you get better faster.
* Historically, people have used herbal medicines to prevent illness, cure infection, reduce fever, and heal wounds. Herbal medicines can also treat constipation, ease pain, or act as relaxants or stimulants. Research on some herbs and plant products has shown that they may have some of the same effects that conventional medicines do, while others may have no effect or may be harmful.

* Researchers have studied some natural products and have found them to be useful. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, may help lower triglyceride levels.

Are dietary supplements safe?

Not all herbs and supplements are safe. If you are unsure about the safety of a supplement or herb, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or dietitian.

Always tell your doctor if you are using a dietary supplement or if you are thinking about combining a dietary supplement with your conventional medical treatment. It may not be safe to forgo your conventional medical treatment and rely only on a dietary supplement. This is especially important for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

When using dietary supplements, keep in mind the following.

* Like conventional medicines, dietary supplements may cause side effects, trigger allergic reactions, or interact with prescription and nonprescription medicines or other supplements you might be taking. A side effect or interaction with another medicine or supplement may make other health conditions worse.

* The way dietary supplements are manufactured may not be standardized. Because of this, how well they work or any side effects they cause may differ among brands or even within different lots of the same brand. The form of supplement that you buy in health food or grocery stores may not be the same as the form used in research.

* Other than for vitamins and minerals, the long-term effects of most dietary supplements are not known.

Low levels of vitamins D and E may increase the risk of developing cognitive decline such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, new studies have found.

Scientists conducting the six-year vitamin D study found that adults with lower levels of vitamin D were 60 percent more likely to experience decreased ability to plan, organize and prioritize.

In the vitamin E study, researchers found that patients who received the most vitamin E lowered their risk of developing dementia by 25 percent, in comparison to study participants who received the least vitamin E in their diets.

The researchers noted that there is not sufficient evidence to suggest recommended levels of vitamin intake to reduce cognitive decline.

Study researcher David J. Llewellyn, PhD, of the University of Exeter, England, said in an email to WebMD: “This raises the possibility that vitamin D supplements may have therapeutic potential for the prevention of dementia and clinical trials are now urgently needed. We do not yet know the optimal intake of vitamin D to protect the brain as we need the results of clinical trials to confirm this.”