Daily Thoughts & Issues

IN THIS ISSUE:

FEBRUARY 5

Days left until the next millennium 01.01.3001
 

Photo of the Week
Kevin Warren/Adventure Photo & Film
Achieve Your Dreams

February 5 - Super Bowl Sunday XLVI - www.nfl.com * Wardrobe Malfunction * In 1985, there were fewer than 10 players in the NFL over 300 pounds. Today there are over 340. Super Bowl Sunday is 30 million people who need exercise watching 22 guys who don't. Spread the word to get up and mooooooove! * The Myth - Super Bowl Sunday and Domestic Violence. Women can relax and enjoy the game. * Independence Day in Grenada. * On this day in 1934, Hank Aaron, major league baseball's future "home-run king", was born. African American History Calendar. * Anniversary of the Constitution (Mexico) * President William Clinton signed legislation requiring companies with 50 or more employees (and all government agencies) to allow employees to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave in a 12 month period to deal with the birth or adoption of a child or to care for a relative with a serious health problem (1993). * The Longest War in History ended 1985 - The third Punic War between Rome and Carthage, started in the year 149 BC. It culminated in the year 146 BC when Roman soldiers led by Scipio razed Carthage to the ground. The desolated site was cursed and rebuilding forbidden. On this date, 2,131 years after the war began, Ugo Vetere, mayor of Rome and Chedli Klibi, mayor of Carthage, met at Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War.* Patricia Hearst, daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst, is kidnapped by the Symbonese Liberation army. (1974) * Birthdays: Adlai Stevenson, John Carradine, Robert Peel, Adlai Ewing Stevenson, John Witherspoon, Henry Louis (Hank) Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Bobby Brown, Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt), Christopher Guest, David Alan Ladd, David Selby, Robert Thomas Staubach, Darrell Waltrip.

DAILY THOUGHTS

Instead of saying "Wear your coat or you'll catch pneumonia" say "Wear your coat and keep warm to that you'll stay well." Dr. Buff's 365 Day Parenting Calendar

Men are..benevolent, jubilant, mannerly, fantastic. Men are: A Book of Inspiration

Seven Sleepers? Mammals that hibernate in the winter include raccoons, chipmunks, skunks, bears, bats, woodchucks and jumping mice. However, raccoons and skunks are not true hibernators, but will rouse themselves from a nap of only a few weeks if the weather warms. Skunk families sometimes merge their dens, bunking together with up to 30 skunks. The Old Farmer's Almanac

Two-in-One Valentine Treats. Make two different treats from the same batch of chocolate. Start by melting a 12 oz package of chocolate chips in a small bowl. Dip the tips of a dozen strawberries and let extra chocolate drip off. Place on waxed paper on a baking sheet. Blend 1/.4 cup of peanut butter into the remaining melted chocolate. Mix in 1 cup of crispy rice cereal and let stand for a minute or two. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto waxed paper, next to strawberries. Melt half of a 3 oz bar of white chocolate in the microwave for about 25 seconds, or until softened. Stir to make it smooth. Drizzle both strawberries and candy balls with white chocolate and put in the refrigerator to set. Parents Tips & Tricks

The man who moved a mountain was the one who began carrying away small stones. - Chinese Proverb.  Achieve Your Dreams

Things to be Happy About: Road signs when you need them, the restoration of ancient treasures. 14,000 Things to Be Happy About

It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive. - Bruce Springsteen.  If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

You can't become principle-centered without first being aware of your paradigms and understanding how to shift them and align them with principles. You can't become principle-centered without a vision of, and a focus on, the unique contribution that is yours to make. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Learn to listen to your inner voice. This requires time. It requires patience. It requires discipline. There'll be times when you simply have to force yourself to sit still and listen. Don't forget the listening part. Simplify Your Life

Boredom, the result of too little stress in one's life, can be as much of a problem for some as too much stress is for others. If this is your situation, look for healthy ways to increase your mental or physical stimulation: take a class, learn a sport, read about or travel to somewhere you've never been, volunteer time to a worthwhile organization.  Stress Busters

Build snow castles!  To make it challenging, divide your friends into teams. Each team makes a castle. Ask parents to judge the best one.  To Do Today

To strive with difficulties and to conquer them, is the highest human felicity. - Samuel Johnson. Win the Day!

When you've made dinner reservations but decide not to go, be considerate and call and tell the restaurant you need to cancel. Life's Little Instruction Calendar

 Chains on the Change. In 1793, the year of our first Farmer's Almanac, the American one-penny coin had a chain design on the flip side. On the front was a profile of Liberty, who some critics felt looked either insane or too sexy. (Her hair was all askew!) Today, those pennies are worth about $2,500 or more each. The Old Farmer's Almanac

 One of the most troublesome causes of a damp basement is a spring or high water table that pushes water up through the floor. This often shows up as a thin film. To see if you have this type of problem, lay a sheet of plastic on the floor and leave it there for two or three days. If moisture collects under the sheet, it is coming up from below. An underground water problem requires professional help. Stanley do-it-yourself Handyman Hints

No Band-Aid. Did you have fantasies that when you feel in love everything in your life would suddenly be taken care of? You'd feel complete, redeemed from all the insecurity and pain that burdened your life?  Most of us have had those wishes. But it simply isn't possible. Love is not a quick fix for anything. In fact, the presence of real love can often expose even more self-doubt and uncertainty than when you are alone. That's part of love's job - to put us in touch with self-sabotaging feelings that prevent us from being loved more fully. That way, our wounds ca be loved and we can be healed by our intimate relationships. Don't expect to be saved by love. Do expect to fact experiences that invite you to open up, to face yourself more fully, to come to know your spouse more deeply. Today, look past the fantasy of the Band-Aid and open to the richness of all the experiences real love actually offers. "Being in love with someone and being with someone is work, and it's daily, and it's not a Band-Aid." Whoopi Goldberg Opening to Love 365 Days a Year

TODAY'S ISSUE: MEDICAL RESEARCH MYTH

In 1920, the life span gender gap was only 1.0 year. By 1990, men were dying seven years earlier than women. So what has medical research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) done to reduce this disparity? NIH Gender-Specific Research: As early as 1988, women's health was allocated 9.7% of the NIH research budget, compared to only 4.4% for men's health, with the remaining 85.9% going to research that benefited both sexes (1). By 1996, women's health funding had soared to 16.0%, with men's health only 5.7% of the total (2). Even more troubling is the declining male participation in NIH research. By Fiscal Year 1996, only 36.3% of NIH study participants were men (3).

The Heart Disease Controversy: Men's risk of dying of heart disease has long been almost twice that of women (4). True, women did not represent 50% of enrollees in the early heart disease studies. But after the 1961 thalidomide tragedy that maimed 12,000 infants, women were of no mind to volunteer for risky drug trials. So is it fair to say that females were "excluded" from clinical research? As the Institute of Medicine explained, "The literature is inconclusive about whether women have been excluded or importantly underrepresented in clinical trials" (5). Nonetheless, more than half of all participants in the Framingham Heart Study, which started in the early 1950s, were female. And beginning in 1970, women were equally represented in high blood pressure trials (6). By 1996, women's heart and lung disease research was funded to the tune of $220 million, compared to only $199 million for men (7). And men still face twice the risk of death.

Slighted by Cancer Research: In the earliest analysis of enrollment by gender, men composed only 40% of adults recruited into cancer trials (8), despite the fact that men's cancer death rates were almost 50% higher than women (4). This disparity has worsened over time, as revealed by a comparison of funding for breast and prostate cancer research. Each year, more people are diagnosed with prostate cancer than breast cancer. In 1991, the National Institutes of Health spent $92.7 million on breast cancer research, compared to $13.8 million on prostate cancer (9). Despite all the efforts to increase prostate cancer funding, the gap only widened during the following years: By 1998, $348.6 million went to breast cancer, while prostate cancer garnered only $89.5 million.

A Troubling Disparity, Any Way You Count It: In cancer research, prostate cancer has always been dramatically underfunded, and men have long been underrepresented in clinical trials. Any way you look at it—--sex-specific budget allocations, declining male participation in NIH studies, or comparative risk of death—--over the past decade, men's health has been shortchanged by medical research.

References:
1. NIH Advisory Committee on Women's Health Issues: NIH Support for Research on Women's and Men's Health Issues, Fiscal Years 1988, 1989, and 1990. NIH Publication No. 92-3456.
2. Office of Research on Women's Health: NIH Support for Research on Women's Health Issues, FY 1995-96, Table 11.
3. Office of Research on Women's Health: Implementation of the NIH Guidelines on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research, December 1998.
4. Department of Health and Human Services: Health, United States, 1998, Table 31.
5. Bennett JC: Inclusion of women in clinical trials. N Engl J Med 1993; 329: 288-291.
6. Young K, Satel S: The myth of gender bias in medicine. Washington, DC: Women's Freedom Network, 1997, p. 6.
7. Office of Research on Women's Health: NIH Support for Research on Women's Health Issues, Fiscal Years 1995 and 1996. Table 10.
8. Ungerleider RS, Friedman MA: Sex, trials, and datatapes. J National Cancer Institute 1991; 83: 16-17.
9. National Cancer Institute: Research Dollars by Various Cancers. www.nci.nih.gov/public/factbk97/varican.htm

Hey Man: Did you make a difference yesterday? Let us know at Contact Us. Take some small risks each day. What Every Man Needs to Know Want to make a difference but you don't know where to start?

 

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Dork Diaries: Tales from a not-so-fabulous life by Rachel Renee Russell. New school, new mean girl, new crush, new diary. So, Nikki can spill about all of it. Aladdin, simonsayskids.com 2009 ISBN 978-1-4169-8006-3 2009

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MENSTUFF COLUMNS BY AUTHOR

  • The Advice Diva - The Advice Diva - relationship and sexuality issues discussed - www.menstuff.org/columns/advicediva/archive.html
  • Peter Alsop - Song of the Month - www.menstuff.org/columns/alsop/archive.html
  • Reid Baer - A Man Overboard - Interview of the Month - www.menstuff.org/columns/overboard/archive.html
  • Reid Baer - Poetry - poetry read on YouTube - www.menstuff.org/columns/baer/archive.html
  • Molly Barrow - Shrink About This - www.menstuff.org/columns/barrow/archive.html
  • Peter Baylies - At Home Dads - on at-home-dad issues that impact fathers who stay at home to raise their kids - www.menstuff.org/columns/baylies/archive.html
  • Tom Blake - Middle-Age Relationships - from an expert on dating after 50. www.menstuff.org/columns/blake/archive.html
  • Mark Brandenburg - Great Fathers - on fathering issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/greatfathers/archive.html
  • Ted Braude - BoysWork - a columnist in the The Detroit Free Press "Body and Mind" section www.menstuff.org/columns/braude/archive.html
  • Armin Brott - A Father's Guide - hosts "Positive Parenting" on radio www.menstuff.org/columns/brott/archive.html
  • Dan Bulf - Get Real - weekly pod cast on men's issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/bulf/archive.html
  • Ken Byers - Transition - on men's life transitions - www.menstuff.org/columns/byers/archive.html
  • Sandra L. Caron - Sex Talk - college students get answers to their questions - www.menstuff.org/columns/sextalk/archive.html
  • Neil Chethik - Relationships - www.menstuff.org/columns/chethik/archive.html
  • Otto & Susie Collins - Susie and Otto - relationship issues discussed - www.menstuff.org/columns/susie&otto/archive.html
  • David Copeland - How to Succeed with Women - www.menstuff.org/columns/howtosucceed/archive.html
  • Forrest Craver - Spirituality & Social Change - www.menstuff.org/columns/craver/archive.html
  • Layne & Paul Cutright - Powerful Partnerships - relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/cutright/archive.html
  • Ron DesMarais - Cavemen in the Kitchen - great recipes for men - www.menstuff.org/columns/desmarais/archive.html
  • Jed Diamond - Irritable Male Syndrome - www.menstuff.org/columns/diamond/archive.html
  • Doc Love - Women Don't Lie, Man Don't Listen - answers to relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/doclov/archive.html
  • Barry Durdant-Hollamby - Creating Change - creating change in your life - www.menstuff.org/columns/durdant/archive.html
  • Irv Engel - The Real Deal - www.menstuff.org/columns/engel/archive.html
  • Nancy Fagan - Expert Dating Advice - with Nancy Fagan - www.menstuf.org/columns/fagan/archive.html
  • Warren Farrell - Men's Issues: Facts and Perspectives www.menstuff.org/columns/farrell/archive.html
  • Leonard Felder - Wake Up or Break Up - www.menstuff.org/columns/felder/archive.html
  • Marty Friedman - Strong Men, Strong Marriage - www.menstuff.org/columns/friedman/archive.html
  • Kim Garretson - Mansgland - using humor to encourage prostate exams - www.menstuff.org/columns/mansgland/archive.html
  • Lion Goodman - How to get Women to Love You - www.menstuff.org/columns/goodman/archive.html
  • Liz Halliday - In a Man's World - www.menstuff.org/columns/halliday/archive.html
  • Rick Hanson - Just One Thing - www.menstuff.org/columns/hanson/archive.html
  • Tim Hartnett - Daddyman Speaks - being a father www.menstuff.org/columns/daddyman/archive.html
  • John Hershey - Blood, Phlegm & Bile: Parenting with Humor - He writes a syndicated biweekly humor column about parenting and family life. www.menstuff.org/columns/hershey/archive.html
  • Gary Hoeber - Psychotherapy as Soul Work, www.menstuff.org/columns/hoeber/archive.html
  • Patrick Houser - Fathers Make a World of Difference, www.menstuff.org/columns/houser/archive.html
  • Paul Joannides - The Guide to Getting It On - on sex - www.menstuff.org/columns/getiton/archive.html
  • Jack Kahn - NOMAS Boston - www.menstuff.org/columns/kahn/archive.html
  • Patrick Kennedy - Seniors - www.menstuff.org/columns/kennedy/archive.html
  • Joe Kort - Gaydar - to increase understanding between gay and het men - www.menstuff.org/columns/kort/archive.html
  • David Kundtz - David Kundtz - presents seminars, workshops, retreats, and conference presentations in the areas of men's emotional health, stress management, and spirituality. www.menstuff.org/columns/kundtz/archive.html
  • Bruce Linton - Dr. Dad - on fathering - www.menstuff.org/columns/drdad/archive.html
  • Ron Louis - How to Succeed with Women - www.menstuff.org/columns/howtosucceed/archive.html
  • Wendy McElroy - Wendy McElroy on Feminism, www.menstuff.org/columns/mcelroy/archive.html
  • Robert N. Minor - Minor Details - on GBT sexuality - www.menstuff.org/columns/minordetails/archive.html
  • Robert L. Moore - Man & Mythology - www.menstuff.org/columns/moore/archive.html
  • Dennis W. Neder - Being a Man - general questions about men's lives - www.menstuff.org/columns/neder/archive.html
  • Marty Nemko - Worklife - general questions about men and work - www.menstuff.org/columns/nemko/archive.html
  • Eli Newberger - Eli Newberger - general information on men's lives - www.menstuff.org/columns/newberger/archive.html
  • Linda Nielsen - Embracing the Father - working with the father/daughter relationship. www.menstuff.org/columns/nielsen/archive.html
  • Kathy Noll - Bullies and Youth Violence - working with schools, teachers and parents to end school violence - www.menstuff.org/columns/noll/archive.html
  • Mark Phillips - Stay-at-Home-Dads - helping men maintain that which makes us men, instead of becoming hairy Mom-substitutes - www.menstuff.org/columns/phillips/archive.html
  • Carey Roberts - Socialism & Feminism - is a social commentator on political correctness. www.menstuff.org/columns/roberts/archive.html
  • Perry Rose - Dating, Relationship, Sex
  • Glenn Sacks - His Side - on fathering - www.menstuff.org/columns/sacks/archive.html
  • Trudy Schuett - Domestic Violence - serving the under-represented www.menstuff.org/columns/schuett/archive.html
  • Carl J. Schutt - Circumcision - social commentator on circumcision - www.menstuff.org/columns/schutt/archive.html
  • Hugo Schwyzer - A Pro-feminist's Response - www.menstuff.org/columns/schwyzer/archive.html
  • Michael Shaffran - Men's Issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/shaffran/archive.html
  • Judith Sherven - Judith & Jim - discussion and answers regarding relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/judith&jim/archive.html
  • Judith Sherven - The New Intimacy - www.menstuff.org/columns/newintimacy/archive.html
  • George Simons - Bellicose Veins - is a US specialist in intercultural and gender communication who hangs out in Mandelieu - la Napoule, France, as well as in Santa Cruz, CA. www.menstuff.org/columns/simons/archive.html
  • Andy Smith - Hard Hat Brotherhood - www.menstuff.org/columns/hardhat/archive.html
  • David B. Smith - Fighting Father Dave - www.menstuff.org/columns/smith/archive.html
  • Jim Sniechowski - Judith & Jim - discussion and answers regarding relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/judith&jim/archive.html
  • Jim Sniechowski - The New Intimacy - www.menstuff.org/columns/newintimacy/archive.html
  • Reena Sommer - Custody - is an internationally recognized relationship and divorce consultant. www.menstuff.org/columns/sommer/archive.html
  • R. Don Steele - Don Steele - relationship questions answered -
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  • David Steinberg - Comes Naturally - on sexuality - www.menstuff.org/columns/steinberg/archive.html
  • Mary Lou St Lucas - A Mother's Love - www.menstuf.org/columns/stlucas/archive.html
  • Surprise - Surprise Author - From a new columnist every month - www.menstuff.org/columns/surprise/archive.html
  • Steven Svoboda - Fatherhood, Activism and the Law www.menstuff.org/columns/svoboda/archive.html
  • Michael Taylor - A New Conversation with Men - www.menstuff.org/columns/taylor/archive.html
  • Bruce Van Horn - Yoga for Men - issues around the health benefits of yoga for men - www.menstuff.org/yoga/archive.html
  • Michael Webb - Secrets of Blissful Relationships - on relationship - www.menstuff.org/columns/bliss/archive.html
  • Stuart Wilde - Spirituality - www.menstuff.org/columns/wilde/archive.html
  • Dr.Williams - Sex Health - on sexual health - Dr. Williams, www.menstuff.org/columns/sexhealth/archive.html
  • KC Wilson - On Gender Politics is a social commentator and author. www.menstuff.org/columns/wilson/archive.html

Plus

  • Health Tips - on general health - www.menstuff.org/columns/healthtips/archive.html
  • Independent Means - resources for raising financially fit kids - www.menstuff.org/columns/independentmeans/archive.html
  • Numbers - www.menstuff.org/columns/numbers/archive.html
  • Questions - www.menstuff.org/columns/q&a/archive.html
  • Surprise - from a new columnist every month - www.menstuff.org/columns/surprise/archive.html
  • Words Can Heal - helping children grow up healthy - www.menstuff.org/columns/wordscanheal/archive.html
  • Wuzup?! - National or international events happening this month - www.menstuff.org/columns/whassup/archive.html

AWARENESS EVENTS THIS MONTH

February is Heart Disease Prevention (Healthy Heart), National Children's Dental Health, Ethnic Equality and *National African-American History Month - a time to honor all peoples and their positive traditions; time to meditate on the equality of all peoples, on the respect due to them and God-Goddess manifesting as African, Asian, European, Latin, Middle Eastern, Native American and Oceanic. The Mystic's Wheel of the Year 2000, AMD/Low Vision Awareness; *American Heart; A Day of Hearts: Child Awareness; International Boost Self-Esteem; International Expect Success; Library Lovers', Marfan Syndrome Awareness; National Children's Dental Health; National Sign Up for Summer Camp; National Weddings; National Wild Bird Feeding; and Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month.

Jan 29-Feb 4: *National Consumer Protection Week. Jan 30-Feb 3: Mid-Winter/Candlemas. Feb 2-9: I Hate Financial Planning Awareness Week. Feb 3-9: Cardiac Rehabilitation Week. Feb 4-10: International Personal and Business Coaching: National School Counseling Week. Feb 6-13: Art of Communication Week. Feb 10-16: Celebration of Love; Enabled Entrepreneurs; Freelance Writers Appreciation; Heart Failure Awareness; Home for Birds; Materials Testing; National Child Passenger Safety Awareness; National Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; National Resurrect Romance Week. Feb 1-17: International Flirting Week. Feb 12-19: National Condom Week. Feb 16-23: National FFA Week. Feb 17-23: International Friendship Week. Feb 18-22: Brotherhood-Sisterhood Week. Feb 19-26: Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Feb 22-24: Second Honeymoon Weekend. Feb 25-Mar 1: Read Me Week. Feb 25-Mar 3: Telecommuter Appreciation Week. Feb 1: Candlemas; Ground Hog Day. Feb 2: National Men's Grooming Day. Feb 3: Torture Abolition Day. Feb 4:  Weathermen's Day. Feb. 5: Dump Your "Significant Jerk"; Pay-a-Compliment Day. Feb 6: National Girls and Women in Sports; Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbors Day. Feb 7: Laugh and Grow Rich Day. Feb 8: National "DAV" Day. Feb 10: Be Electrific; Motivation; Satisfied Staying Single Day. Feb 11: Lost Penny Day. Feb 12: Black Love; Get a Different Name Day. Feb 13: Race Relations; Read to Your Child Day. Feb 14: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness; National Have-A-Heart; Heart 2 Heart; St.Valentine's Day. Feb 15: Remember the Maine Day. Feb 16: Who Shall I Be Day. Feb 17: National PTA Founders' Day.. Feb 18: President's Day. Feb 19: Student Volunteer Day. Feb 24: Children's Day. Feb 25: For Pete's Sake Day. Feb 27: Spay USA; Paczki Day. Feb 29: Bachelors' Day

* Means a Presidential Proclamation has been made.

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Men are so competitive that we even "out-die" women in all 15 of the major causes of death in the U.S. Most of these deaths are preventable with a positive change in life-style, eating habits, and/or general health care. Let's not strive so hard to hold on to this record. See what you can change now to live a healthier life.
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