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August 20, 2008

Medicare Explained

http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-retirement/article/105572/The-Lowdown-on-Medicare-Coverage?mod=retirement-post-spending

by Kamil Skawinski
Friday, August 15, 2008provided byBankrate

For most Americans, Medicare is on the distant horizon. But as you approach retirement age, knowing about Medicare and what it can or cannot do for you could be important to your physical and financial well-being.

You'll be automatically enrolled in the program if you're already collecting Social Security or receiving benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board when you turn 65 -- or if you've been collecting disability for more than two years. But if you're working and not collecting government pension benefits, you need to sign up three months before your 65th birthday.

The Medicare program isn't exactly "free" government-sponsored health care. You'll have to pay deductibles and co-payments out of pocket, and certain services aren't covered at all.

What you'll ultimately pay for your future medical care will depend on the type of Medicare plan you choose, whether you'll have additional health insurance coverage from a former employer, whether you've purchased "supplemental coverage" and how often you make use of the medical services offered by your doctor or hospital.

Medicare ABCs

You have several options, and they're not cut-and-dry. Here's what you need to know to make intelligent decisions about your insurance coverage.

The ins and outs of Medicare

1. The original Medicare plan: parts A & B
2. Medicare Part C: Medicare Advantage plans
3. Medicare Part D: Prescription drug benefit
4. Medigap policies
5. Where to get help

"Unfortunately, answering what Medicare does and does not cover ... well, to do that fully and accurately would lead to a very broad and wide-ranging discussion," says Peter Ashkenaz, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "So what we recommend is that people access the Medicare Web site and download and read the 'Medicare & You 2008' handbook."

However, if you're not willing to wade through 120 pages of government-issue text just yet, here's a synopsis of what you need to know.

The Original Medicare Plan: Parts A & B

The original Medicare plan is designed to help pay for certain medical services and supplies provided in hospitals, doctors' offices and other health care settings. Medicare Part A focuses on hospital insurance while Part B is the program's medical insurance component. All U.S. citizens and legal residents of the United States who have paid Medicare payroll taxes for a minimum of 10 years will be eligible for Part A and Part B coverage upon reaching age 65.

Part A basically helps people better absorb the costs associated with inpatient care in hospitals (including inpatient rehabilitation facilities), inpatient stays in a skilled nursing facility (but not custodial or long-term care), inpatient mental health care in a psychiatric hospital (limited to 190 days in a lifetime), as well as hospice care services and home health care services. Some of the costs associated with these services and procedures will be covered completely by Medicare Part A. Others will require out-of-pocket co-payments or the satisfaction of annual deductibles.

Part B coverage helps pay for "medically necessary" services such as doctors' services, outpatient care and other medical services not covered by Part A. Part B also helps pay for some preventive care services that are designed to prevent or detect illness at an early stage, when treatment is likely to work best. (For a list, see pages 18 to 25 of the Medicare handbook).

As with Part A, Part B has its own separate annual deductible -- $135 for 2008 -- as well as its own co-payment and co-insurance costs. Generally speaking, Medicare will pay about 80 percent of the expenses for Part B-covered services and supplies.

"People expect that Medicare will provide them with health coverage after they retire, and that's true -- Medicare is comprehensive, it's guaranteed. But it doesn't cover all of your costs," says Paul Precht, director for policy and communications at the Medicare Rights Center.

"You need to be aware of the fact that you will spend money out of pocket, either for the cost-sharing under Medicare, or for the cost of supplemental insurance if you don't have that through an employer or if your income isn't low enough to qualify for additional assistance through Medicaid. And it's important to remember that Medicare doesn't have any annual out-of-pocket limits."

You usually don't pay a monthly premium for Part A coverage if you (or your spouse) paid Medicare taxes while working at least 40 calendar quarters. But if you aren't eligible for premium-free Part A coverage -- meaning you have worked fewer than 40 calendar quarters -- you may be able to buy Part A coverage if you meet certain conditions.

Those enrolled in Part B have to pay a monthly Part B premium and an annual Part B deductible. Most plan participants will pay the standard monthly premium amount, which is $96.40 in 2008. The monthly premium amount, however, will be higher for people above certain income thresholds ($82,000 for singles; $164,000 for married people filing jointly). Financial hardship cases can get this premium covered with governmental help. This premium is deducted from your monthly Social Security payment.

Medicare Part C: Medicare Advantage Plans

Formerly known as Medicare+Choice, Medicare Advantage plans are alternatives to the original Medicare plan and are not the same thing as "supplemental insurance" (more about this later). Sometimes called Part C or "MA plans," these plans are run by private companies and are part of the Medicare program.

Basically, Medicare pays an amount of money for your health care into these private Medicare Advantage plans every month. In return, these plans must provide all of your Part A and Part B benefits, and they must cover at least all of the medically necessary services that the original Medicare plan provides.

MA plans can charge different co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles for their services and generally have set provider networks. This means you will likely be limited to seeing only those doctors who belong to the plan, going to certain hospitals for covered services and getting referrals to see specialists. If you use providers who aren't in the network, you may have to pay the entire cost of the services rendered. However, MA plans can offer extra benefits, such as vision, hearing, dental, and health and wellness programs. Most include Medicare prescription drug coverage (usually for an extra cost).

Retirees can currently choose from five different types of Medicare Advantage plans. Most function like HMOs with specific networks of doctors. Other plans, such as Private Fee-For-Service plans, or PFFS, will allow you to go to any doctor if the doctor agrees to accept the plan's terms of payment before treating you. Medicare Special Needs plans, or SNPs, serve certain people who are chronically ill, live in institutions such as nursing homes or have other special needs. (The different benefits offered by the various types of Medicare Advantage plans are outlined on pages 42 to 44 of the "Medicare & You 2008" handbook.)

It's important to call any plan before joining to find out what your services will cost and to make sure that a plan will meet your needs. Some plans, for example, will let you use out-of-network providers (sometimes for a higher cost). Also, be sure to check in advance with your doctors or hospital to determine if they accept the plan. To enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can complete a paper application, call the plan provider by telephone or enroll online. Be aware that there are limitations as to when you can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan.

Remember, when you join a Medicare Advantage plan, you will have to provide your Medicare number from your Medicare card and the date your Part A and Part B coverage started. You will also generally still pay the monthly Part B premium along with Medicare Advantage plan's premium (if they charge one). That includes coverage for Part A and Part B benefits, prescription drug coverage (Part D, if offered) and any other extra benefits.

Medicare Part D: Prescription Drug Benefit

Medicare offers prescription drug coverage for everyone with Medicare under Part D. But to get Medicare drug coverage, you must take the initiative and join a Medicare drug plan.

Medicare drug plans are run by insurance companies and other private companies approved by Medicare. Each plan varies in cost and drugs covered. Even if you don't take a lot of prescription drugs now, you should still consider joining a Medicare drug plan because, if you decide not to join such a plan when you are first eligible, you will pay a late-enrollment penalty if you choose to join later. The penalty is 1 percent of the monthly premium for each month you don't enroll and it's applied to all future monthly premiums.

"Although there will be a number of seniors out there who don't take any prescription drugs right now and who'll view paying for prescription drug insurance as kind of a waste, they also need to think about the future," says Clark Howard, consumer advice talk show host and author. "Consequently, you are so much better off holding your nose and picking a plan now rather than having to do so in the future and also having to pay a penalty on top of your regular premiums."

There are 2 ways to get Medicare prescription drug coverage:

1. You can join a stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug plan. These plans, sometimes called PDPs, add drug coverage to the original Medicare plan, to some Medicare Private Fee-for-Service plans, and to some Medicare Cost Plans and Medicare Medical Savings Account plans, or MSA plans. (The latter two plans are part of the catch-all "other Medicare plans" that are not Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Cost Plans, available only in certain parts of the country, are a variation of the original Medicare plan. An MSA plan combines a high-deductible Medicare Advantage plan and a bank account, much like the consumer-directed health savings account plans that are available in the private sector.)
2. You can join a Medicare Advantage plan (such as an HMO or PPO) or another Medicare health plan that includes prescription drug coverage. Through these you will get all of your Medicare coverage (Part A and Part B), including prescription drugs (Part D). These plans are sometimes called "MA-PDs" and you will usually pay a separate monthly premium in addition to your Part B premium.

Every year from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, you can switch to a different Medicare drug plan if your plan coverage changes or your prescription needs change. When you join or switch to a new Medicare drug plan, your coverage will generally begin Jan. 1, of the following year.

Medigap Policies

The original Medicare plan pays for many, but not all, health care services and supplies. To help pay your out-of-pocket costs, you might want to consider getting a Medigap policy, also called Medicare supplement insurance. Note: These plans can't be used to pay your co-payments or deductibles for Medicare Advantage plans.

You can buy a Medigap plan from a private insurance company or you might be able to get this supplemental insurance from a former employer (your own or your spouse's) as a retiree benefit. There are also several government programs that can help you obtain Medigap coverage if you meet certain income requirements or other qualifications.

A Medigap policy is private health insurance that's designed to supplement the original Medicare plan and help pay some of the health care costs that aren't covered -- such as co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles. Each Medigap policy only covers one person, so if you and your spouse both want coverage, you each must buy separate Medigap policies.

Each standardized Medigap policy, however, must offer the same basic benefits, no matter which insurance company sells it. Premiums will vary depending on the plan you choose and the company you buy it from (the typical premium is about $150 per month), but usually the only difference among Medigap policies sold by different insurance companies is the cost.

The best time to buy a Medigap policy is during your "Medigap open-enrollment period." In all states, there is an open enrollment period that lasts for six months and it begins on the first day of the month in which you are both age 65 or older and enrolled in Part B (some states have additional open enrollment periods). For more information about buying a Medigap policy, call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

All Medigap policies must follow federal and state laws that are designed to protect consumers and every Medigap policy must be clearly identified as "Medicare Supplement Insurance." Furthermore, Medigap insurance companies can only sell you a "standardized" Medigap policy. There are 12 such policies identified by letters (i.e., Medigap Plans A through L), except in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin, where Medigap policies are standardized differently. Also, in some states, you might be able to buy another type of Medigap policy called "Medicare Select," which is a Medigap policy that requires you to use specific hospitals and, in some cases, specific doctors to get full benefits.

Where to Get More Information

It's all rather complicated, but you don't have to go it alone.

"There are a number of programs out there that can help people make decisions with regard to Medicare, and they are generally referred to as State Health Insurance Assistance Programs," says Precht of the Medicare Rights Center, noting that these services are often underutilized. "They, of course, can have different names in different states, but they're generally run out of a state's department of insurance or a state's department of aging, and they offer services that can often provide one-on-one counseling with respect to the coverage choices you'll need."

Human resource departments and union offices are also good sources of Medicare-related information, as is the "Medicare & You" handbook, he says.

Finally, long-term care insurance is another insurance option people might want to consider in addition to the optional Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans discussed above.

"Medicare doesn't cover long-term care -- that is, help with the daily activities of living if you are disabled or have dementia -- basically, all of the day-to-day care you'd need toward the end of your life either at home or in a nursing home," says Precht. "Medicare will only cover your medical care then, but it won't pay for the sort of 'custodial care,' such things like feeding, dressing, bathing, etc."

Being prepared with long-term care insurance could prove financially beneficial to you and your heirs. But this separate insurance is best purchased with the assistance of a financial adviser.
Copyrighted, Bankrate.com. All rights reserved.

Posted by chek at 05:07 PM | Comments (0)

August 19, 2008

Scuba Diving

http://www.underpressuredivers.com/

Under Pressure Divers - It's always an adventure!

Posted by chek at 09:11 PM | Comments (0)

August 14, 2008

Iranian Olympic Committee

http://www.olympic.ir/

Posted by chek at 05:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2008

Prix Fixe

http://www.paloaltodowntown.com/whats_happening.php

Aug - Monday Nights
Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association

Posted by chek at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)

Iran Proud

http://iranproud.com/

Posted by chek at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)

Iranian UK

http://iranianuk.com/

Iranian UK - ايرانيان انگلستان

Posted by chek at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)

Rat-brain robot

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7559150.stm

Rat-brain robot aids memory study

A robot controlled by a blob of rat brain cells could provide insights into diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Created at the University of Reading, the project marries 300,000 rat neurons to a robot that navigates via sonar.

The neurons are now being taught to steer the robot around obstacles and avoid the walls of the small pen in which it is kept.

By studying what happens to the neurons as they learn its creators hope to reveal how memories are laid down.

Hybrid machines

The blob of nerves forming the brain of the robot was taken from the neural cortex in a rat foetus and then treated to dissolve the connections between individual neurons.

Sensory input from the sonar on the robot is piped to the blob of cells to help them form new connections that will aid the machine as it navigates around its pen.

As the cells are living tissue, they are kept separate from the robot in a temperature-controlled cabinet in a container pitted with electrodes. Signals are passed to and from the robot via Bluetooth short-range radio.

The brain cells have been taught how to control the robot's movements so it can steer round obstacles and the next step, say its creators, is to get it to recognise its surroundings.

Once the robot can do this the researchers plan to disrupt the memories in a bid to recreate the gradual loss of mental faculties seen in diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Studies of how neural tissue is degraded or copes with the disruption could give insights into these conditions.

"One of the fundamental questions that neuroscientists are facing today is how we link the activity of individual neurons to the complex behaviours that we see in whole organisms and whole animals," said Dr Ben Whalley, a neuroscientist at Reading.

"This project gives us a really useful and unique opportunity to look at something that may exhibit whole behaviours but still remains closely tied to the activity of individual neurons," he said.

The Reading team is not the first to harness living tissue to control robots.

In 2003, Dr Steve Potter at the Georgia Institute of Technology pioneered work on what he dubbed "hybrots" that marry neural tissue and robots.

In earlier work, scientists at Northwestern University Medical Center in the US wired a wheeled robot up to a lamprey in a bid to explore novel ways of controlling prosthetics.

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Niyaz

http://www.niyazmusic.com/

NIYAZ - World music for the 21st Century

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August 12, 2008

podomatic

http://shahreghesse.podomatic.com/

شهر قصه

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August 08, 2008

Persuasion

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7540649.stm

By Alan Connor
BBC News Magazine

Your boss may be about to return from holiday, possibly fired up with some fresh and funky thinking picked up through their summer reading. If that's the case, here's some help on staying one step ahead.

David Cameron has set a reading list of 38 non-fiction books for Conservative MPs to work through on their sun-loungers.

And he's not the only boss who'll be dropping new buzzwords and outside-box thinking. Recent years have seen a spate of books marketed at managers, often from the worlds of "behavioural economics" and pop psychology, and yours may be the latest to enthuse about nudges, tipping points, wikinomics, or - for those behind the curve - long tails.

Oh wow

These books are easy to spot: they have a simple metaphor, usually expressed in a single word that makes for a large-type, grabby cover. They relate a string of Bill Bryson-style anecdotes or quirky experiments to elicit "oh wow" moments from the reader and to suggest that everything you believe is laughably wrong. Words like "secret" and "undercover" are likely to appear in the secondary title.

And they tend to insinuate that their central simple metaphor explains everything you've ever wondered about, from why people pick their nose to how wars start.

Economics getting tough

There's actually nothing new in explaining how people decide or why people believe - it's called sociology. But if your boss wouldn't want to be caught with a sociology book in their luggage, there is now a range of delicious bite-sized chunks in books with titles like The Undercover Economist, The Rogue Economist and The Hidden Side Of Everything. Economics - once academia's dry "dismal science" - has decided to get tough.

If your choice of reading is something lighter - or perhaps something heavier - fear not. Here's the Magazine's cut-out-and-keep guide to the snappy phrases and golly-gosh anecdotes of some of the most popular books, so you can nod along as the envelope gets pushed.

NUDGE: IMPROVING DECISIONS ABOUT HEALTH, WEALTH, & HAPPINESS
Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein

THE BUZZWORDS: You'll know your boss has read this if he or she starts talking about:

• Econs (people that are perfectly rational but sadly imaginary)

• Homers (real people who err, but in predictable ways - after Mr Simpson)

• Choice Architecture (designing objects and situations, preferably to anticipate and discourage those predictable errors)

• and, of course, the Nudge (a reminder that you might be about to do something you might regret)

THE ANECDOTES: Among a grab-bag of optical illusions and riddles, Nudge is rich in anecdotes - the favourite of most readers involves fake creepy-crawlies to improve hygiene in Dutch pissoirs, as described by Mark Easton [see links in box, right], the moral of which is that small things can make a big difference.

The book also tells of Chicago movie-goers who are given free tubs of stale popcorn. No-one enjoys it, but those with the king-sized buckets eat more than those with medium-sized buckets. (Moral: we're not good at exercising self-control.)

And shadow chancellor George Osborne is enamoured of the Minnesotan tax collectors who gave up on fines and leaflets reminding people to file their returns and instead publicised a statistic at a crucial moment: they told Minnesotans that most of their fellow tax-payers had already completed the forms. "The result?" enthuses Osborne, "the number of people submitting tax forms shot up almost overnight." (States can use the actions of one group of people to influence another.)

THE SURPRISING IDEA: Thaler and Sunstein claim to have the power to unite two warring camps: those who favour legislation and regulation to improve the lot of mankind, and those who have no truck with the nanny state, political correctness, or health and safety gone mad.

Others have claimed to square that circle before, of course - the book's final chapter is called The Real Third Way in a tip of the hat to New Labour-style thinking - but the authors maintain that Nudges, being low-cost and leaving people free to take the "wrong" decision if they wish, are the best of both worlds.

What is genuinely new is the sight of mainstream politicians taking an interest in what academics would call "explanatory mechanisms in the social sciences" - though they may find that they have to read a lot more books than Nudge before they have enough building blocks for a robust policy or two.

THE BLOGGER'S VERDICT: Will Davies at Potlatch is worried that politicians think there's something new in the idea of influencing people without constraining their choices: "[I]f this is news to government wonks, this suggests that government thinking lags behind business thinking by approximately forty years."

Davies also wonders whether anyone believes that the Econs ever existed in the first place, asking "when economists go and buy household cleaning products in the supermarket, do they think they select Mr Muscle on the basis of calculation?"

BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING
Malcolm Gladwell

THE BUZZWORDS: You'll know your boss has read this if he or she starts talking about:

• Thin Slicing (seeing patterns in situations and behaviour based on very narrow "slices of experience")

• The Locked Door (blocking off the mind from too much deliberation)

• Warren Harding Errors (or, judging a book by its cover - after the "presidential looking" Harding, now usually rated the worst inhabitant of the White House)

THE ANECDOTES: The epitome of Blink thinking is tennis coach Vic Braden's hunches about when a player is about to serve a double fault. Braden realised that he was always able to tell when a double fault was imminent, regardless of how well he knew the player and of the player's level of skill. "It literally scared me," said Braden. (Moral: we don't always know why we know what we know.)

We also hear about a "tasting booth" offering samples of jam to Californians, sometimes stocked with six varieties and other times with 24. 30% of customers who had six jams to choose from bought some; only 3% of those faced with 24 jams made a purchase. (When we are forced to go beyond snap judgments, we get paralysed.)

And we see snap judgments in action with an experiment which sent similar-looking, conservatively dressed customers to Chicago car dealers to enquire about their cheapest vehicles. In the experiment, the price offered by the salesmen varied noticeably by the race and gender of the customer, with black women offered $1195 over the odds, and white men $752. (Our snap judgments may cause us to lose customers.)

THE SURPRISING IDEA: Gladwell argues that we do not know why we make decisions, but that instinct can lead to the "right" decision better than thinking things through. His book is still selling well three years after publication, presumably as a result of many impulse buys.

A book called Snap Decisions: Sometimes They Work And Sometimes They Don't would presumably fly off fewer shelves, but it could equally describe the contents of Blink. Gladwell acknowledges that we need to be aware of contexts which can lead to snappy decisions being wrong, as in the case of auditions for classical musicians - if you can't see who's playing, you won't be swayed by whether they "look right".

How to tell the difference between good and bad hunches is another question - and possibly another book.

THE BLOGGER'S VERDICT: Gladwell has plenty of fans, grateful for some thoughts about the subconscious mind. At the forefront of his equally vociferous detractors is Steve Sailer at Vdare, who pithily and dismissively summarises the book as follows:

"Go with your gut reactions, but only when they are right. And even when your gut reactions are factually correct, ignore them when they are politically incorrect."

YES! 50 SECRETS FROM THE SCIENCE OF PERSUASION
Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin & Robert Cialdini

THE BUZZWORDS: You'll know your boss has read this if he or she starts talking about:

• Captainitis (leaders failing to recognise how servile their charges are likely to be)

• Franklin's Strategy (you are more likely to persuade someone that has helped you than someone you have helped, after Benjamin Franklin)

• The Magnetic Middle (when people are aware of the average behaviour of others, they gravitate towards it themselves)

THE ANECDOTES: As the title suggests, there are 50 opportunities for anecdotes in Yes!, and they come in thick and terse and fast. Many are based on experiments, for example: people in a photocopier queue are more likely to allow someone to queue-jump if they use the word "because" when asking to, regardless of the content of the reason given. (Moral: give reasons for requests, rather than assuming the other party already knows your reason.)

Wholesale beef buyers spend twice as much if they believe there is a beef shortage, and seven times as much if they're told that that this shortage is not generally known about. (To be persuasive, give inside information and indicate when it is scarce.)

Surveys were sent out - some with Post-It notes asking for completion; some with a handwritten note and some with no covering note. 75% of sticky note recipients duly filled in the survey, compared with 48% of the second group and 36% of the no-noters. Adding a sign-off of "Thank you!" and the sender's initials increased response rate. (Personalising a request makes it more persuasive.)

THE SURPRISING IDEA: In the preface, the authors write: "Persuasion is a science. It has often been referred to as an art, but this is an error."

Yes! is a prime example of a book which compiles experiments and exercises from psychology journals and presents them to the potential buyer as foolproof "secrets" that will give them the edge over colleagues and rivals - or, as in the subtitle in the American edition, "50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive".

THE BLOGGER'S VERDICT: Olivia Mitchell at Speaking About Presenting enjoys the sections which contradict the idea that you should "focus on the positive", preferring the idea of "loss aversion" as a persuasive tool, and takes from the book other tips for those forced to do presentations at work, such as the suggestion that asking people to give their name makes it more likely that they will be civil to you - a lesson still being learned by newspaper messageboards the world over.

FL!P: HOW TO SUCCEED BY TURNING EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ON ITS HEAD
Peter Sheahan

THE BUZZWORDS: You'll know your boss has read this if he or she starts talking about:

• Flipstars (people or companies that seek success through "freedom from convention")

• Innovations Clubs (readers of Flip who swap tips on flips)

• The Aspirational Inside (the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves - why you might prefer a Gucci bag to a convincing fake)

THE ANECDOTES: Sheahan is bigger on the friend-of-a-friend approach than on apparently clinical studies, such as his pal who vowed never to buy a BMW "because everyone has a BMW", then did buy one - but only after going through the motions of test driving a range of cars. (Moral: we create our own reasons for changing our minds.)

We also hear about Sherman Poppen, who strapped two skis together to make a toy for his daughter, and Jake Burton, who persuaded ski resorts to allow a version of this on to their slopes, anticipating the multi-billion-dollar snowboarding industry. (Persuade people that your crazy idea is not so crazy.)

And from history, we briefly meet John Harrison, the working class joiner who created a longitude clock that located a ship's position at sea with extraordinary accuracy but who had to fight to receive the £20,000 prize offered by the King for such a device. (Go outside your company when looking for innovation.)

THE SURPRISING IDEA: All of Fl!p [sic] is one relentless surprising idea, essentially that everything you ever thought you knew is 100% wrong, and more specifically that mass market success can be found by innovating in the fringes, expressed in a string of aphorisms like "to get control, give it up", "feelings are more important than facts" and, inevitably, "style is substance".

THE BLOGGER'S VERDICT: Rusty Weston at My Global Career asks about the Australian twentysomething Sheahan "When was the last time you learned something useful from someone a couple of decades younger than you?".

He finds "a lot of useful advice", but notes that the "over-the-top title is typical of non-fiction books these days. Unlike Sheahan, I'm not trying to exceed my wildest imaginings - I'm angling for meeting my goals."

Posted by chek at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)

August 07, 2008

PersianPersia

http://www.persianpersia.com/index.php

مجله پرشین پرشیا-آرشیو موسیقی ایرانی

Posted by chek at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

August 04, 2008

Men's Crying

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7540659.stm

10 things that make blokes cry

Real men don't cry? Tell that to Michael Vaughan, Gazza, Jeremy Paxman or Mike "The Streets" Skinner. What makes the male tear duct well up?

It is never easy to give up a job you love. But after five years as captain of the England Test cricket team, Michael Vaughan has stepped down after a lack of runs on the pitch.

After a list of thank yous, his voice caught as he paid tribute to his family. Flashbulbs popped as he blinked back tears.

Once a solely private activity, what makes men weep in public?

1. Making parents proud. "I know how proud my mum and dad have been," a visibly overcome Vaughan told the assembled journalists at his resignation press conference. "I spoke to my dad this morning and he said 'you know can walk away a proud lad because you've given it everything' and that's all he ever asked me to do." Anyone else need to dry their own eyes after that?

2. Birth of first child - or grandchild. Now that men are routinely present for this everyday yet momentous event, tears in the birthing room are not uncommon. Not only is this the fruit of a man's loins, the progeny that will carry his name (perhaps), but he has just witnessed his beloved partner undergoing the agonies of childbirth while he stands by, unable to contribute much beyond encouraging words and a toot on the gas and air. The consultant obstetrician who delivered Gordon Brown's son, John, said both the PM and wife Sarah "wept tears of joy" at his birth.

3. Tribulations of loved one. Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman doesn't do emotion, beyond irritation. But while filming genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are, he welled up on discovering the hardships suffered by his poverty-striken forebears. And blokes don't come much blokier than former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, who liked to characterise himself as "Australia's mate". But this carapace cracked during a 1985 television interview in which he spoke tearfully about his daughter's drug addiction.

4. Letting a loved one down. Rough, tough Mr Hawke again shed tears on TV in 1989 as he admitted cheating on his wife of 33 years. Playing the "I'm only human" card, he wept as he vowed constancy. He later divorced his wife and married his long-term lover Blanche d'Alpuget. And cried at how beautiful she looked.

5. Saying sorry. It's a hard word to get out. In his resignation speech last May, there was a watery shine in Tony Blair's eyes as he thanked the British people and said "my apologies to you for the times I have fallen short". Bill Clinton, a habitual crier, wept at the White House's annual prayer breakfast in 1998. Held the day the Starr report was released, the then President of the United States told the assembled clerics that he had sinned: "It is important to me that everybody who has been hurt know that the sorrow I feel is genuine."

6. Letting yourself down. Footballer Paul Gascoigne famously welled up after he was booked in the 1990 World Cup. Not only did that yellow card mean he would not be playing in the final, none of his teammates would either, as England was beaten 4-3 by West Germany on penalties.

7. Being dumped. In his hit single Dry Your Eyes, Mike Skinner - aka The Streets - sings of a young man's pain as he tries to persuade his girlfriend not to dump him ("We can even have an open relationship, if you must") and his mate's efforts to bolster a beaten man ("Dry your eyes mate/I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up"). Released as Portugal sent England crashing out of Euro 2004, it soundtracked thousands of shattered sporting hopes. Which leads us to...

8. Beaten in a hard-fought game. Footballers habitually cry after missing a crucial penalty. Tennis genius Roger Federer, more used to smiling through his tears as he hoists yet another winner's trophy aloft, welled up as he clutched the loser's plate in Wimbledon 2008.

9. Winning a hard-fought game. After gruelling close encounters with Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell, Shayne Ward shed tears as he was named the winner of X Factor 2005. Making a virtue of this, his subsequent hits included I Cry and Some Tears Never Dry. Another to cry a river upon winning was flamboyant snooker player Alex Higgins, who battled his way to win the 1982 World Championship. He wept as he beckoned for his wife and daughter to share in his triumph.

10. These aren't tears. It's just bits of dust.

Add your comments on this story, using the form below.

You missed out "hearing tales of great bravery, endeavour, or sacrifice". Make all the Freudian jibes you like, but I still well up at rocket launches because I know the people inside are risking instant annihilation to do something important.
Ernest Adams, Guildford, UK

Seeing a female cry makes me well up, as long as its the real thing, not on TV. Also Schindler's list at the end.
Mark, Guildford

A wife that's six months pregnant. Not only brings tears to my eyes, but brings me to my knees. Three months to go. Anyone got any hankies?
Keith, Britain

Music. Especially organ music. I defy anyone to listen to Bach's Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude arranged for the organ and not to weep at its sheer beauty.
Chris, Brussels, Belgium

I will admit to non-manly tears at the DVD of Brief Encounter and Coram Boy at the National Theatre a couple of years ago.
Michael Hall, Croydon, UK

I wasn't even born at the time, and am not fussed about football, but the words "There's some people on the pitch... they think it's all over... it is now!" can still make the room turn suddenly dusty.
Paul, Fareham, Hants

Seeing my father cry. One think I could never cope with. That and moments of monumental loss. Family, friends...
D, UK

Re Dry Your Eyes "released as Portugal sent England crashing out of Euro 2004, it soundtracked thousands of shattered sporting hopes." Very true. I remember when it was played on Radio 1 the morning after. A sad, sad moment.
Tobs H, Cardiff

Animals that have been run over. My other half got a bit teary when a cat looking very similar to one of ours was run over near the house and gave lots of extra attention to ours when he came in. And my dad's still not got over the hedgehog he ran over four years ago in Crete.
Rachael, London

Watching my 3 year old daughter do a show with her ballet friends. It made me cry with laughter (and a good dose of pride).
Simon, Etchingham

The bit at the end of the film Babe when the farmer turns to the little squeaker and says three simple words - "That'll do pig". Get's me every time. So simple and so so meaningful.
Richard, London, UK

What a load of wimps. Real men, like myself, only cry at the sight of quiche. Oh, and on hearing O Mio Babbino Caro. Oh, yeah, and at several places when watching Gone With The Wind including every time the theme music starts.
JoJo, Caterham, England

For me, it is Conan the Barbarian. In particular, when the hero's girlfriend makes a deal with her own life to bring him back from the grave, and tells him: "All the gods they cannot sever us - if I were dead and you still fighting for life, I'd come back from the darkness, back from the pit of hell to fight by your side." Gets me *every* time - in fact I'm welling up just recalling it. I've tried to tell my wife that it is the most romantic film ever made. And tried to include that speech in our wedding vows. But she remains unconvinced...
Jon C, Southampton, UK

Dutch research a few years ago showed that there are some movies that even make guys cry. The absolute number one tearjerker (for blokes as well as girls) turned out to be Once Were Warriors. I haven't seen this film, so I'm curious to know if anyone agrees.
Jantien (a girl), The Netherlands

Once Were Warriors - must be the scene near the end where they find the daughter in the garden.
Ian, Milton Keynes

Warriors - I cried almost throughout the whole thing, just so much suffering.
Ian, Shrewsbury, UK

Witness the scene in Whale Rider where Pai cries on stage in front of her whole school; something about children being scared/embarrassed enough to cry is enough to set me off.
Marts, Bristol

1 hour 3 minutes and 57 seconds into The Crying Game. Enough to make any man cry.
Voice of Raisins, Here and there

Men don't cry watching movies. They just rub their eyes and complain "It's a bit hot in here." The Battle of Britain always does it for me; great action, rousing score and the knowledge that this little island once was REALLY great.
Rob Neal, United Kingdom

Three songs/theme tunes make me cry and these are 1. Band of Brothers' theme tune 2. The Last Post 3. Art Garfunkel singing Bright Eyes.
Greg, UK

I think it's been thus far overlooked that the single most common reason for publicly crying, in this day and age, is an instruction to do so from the producer of whichever reality show the crier happens to be on.
Paul, Lancaster

Rick nodding agreement to the band striking up La Marseillaise in Casablanca, followed by the whole cafe drowning out the Germans - always brings a lump to my throat.
Bob T, London, UK

My husband cried on our wedding day because one of his mates started crying and it set him off too.
Debbie, Chesterfield, UK

80 more things that make men cry

Johnny Cash. Bambi's mother dying. Bagpipes. Silently falling remembrance poppies. There are a lot of things that make men well up. Here's a selection of your responses to 10 things that make blokes cry.

1. "Getting an invite to the wedding of the girl you've quietly loved for years."
Jambo

2. "When Richard Todd quietly says he has some letters to write and walks through the gates at RAF Scampton in The Dambusters."
Tom, Bristol

3. "My son decided to arrive early, and the midwife was an hour away. I ran home from work to deliver my son while my three-year-old daughter watched happily from the foot of the bed: 'Are you going to catch the baby, Daddy?' she remarked. I cried tears of joy for the remarkable gift of life. Every man should be there for the birth of his children."
Jose M Feliciano, St Cloud, FL

4. "Having my son jump on me and knee me right in the family jewels. Guaranteed to bring a tear to any man's eye."
Adam, Northampton

5. "My recent vasectomy did the trick - don't let anyone ever tell you it does not hurt."
Steve, Humberside

6-7. "The poppies falling in silence from the roof of the Albert Hall at the Festival of Remembrance is one which gets me: the sheer waste of life. On a different note, the cry of 'Freedom!' coming from Braveheart as he is disembowelled also makes me cry - it's hilarious."
Andrew, Bristol, UK

8-10. "Rocket launches, the first 15 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, Beethoven's Ninth with volume loud enough for my ears to handle... these are a few memorable tear-jerkers for me."
Ajay, Boston, US

11. "Male voice choirs do it for me every time. It reminds me of my proud Welsh grandfather."
David R, Pontivy, France

12-14. "Nothing makes me cry. I do have on-going problems with dust at weddings, funerals and during weepie films though."
Tony Croft, Leeds

15-17. "Football, proud dads, Battle of Britain; it doesn't matter. A bloke with a mote-choked eye is more effective than a plate of oysters in my experience. Don't try faking it, though. We always know."
Jane, London

18. "Being told by the girl that you love that she wants you dead."
Josh, Derby, UK

19. "There is only one time when it is excusable for a man to cry; when his faithful hound sacrifices itself to save his master. Truly heartbreaking."
Andrew, Edinburgh

20. When kids are forced to grow up too fast... the saddest thing."
A Man, Earth

21. "They shut my local pub *sob*."
Andrew, Banbury

22. "Visiting the battlefields in Normandy and the graves of soldiers who were only boys had me and my husband weeping."
Lyn, Milton Keynes

23. "Watched a local primary school sports day recently - to see all of the children trying their best brought a lump to my throat. Very, very dusty."
Lance, Felixstowe

24. "The sound of horses galloping does it to me. Whether it's the start of the Grand National or watching the horsemen charge during Return Of The King, it makes me well up every time. I put it down to Peter O'Sullivan's brilliant and emotional commentary from when I first started watching racing."
Jamie, London, UK

25. "When Russia beat Spain in the final of the European basketball championship in the last second on my late mothers birthday. Emir Kusturica's film Dom Za Vesanje (Time of the Gypsies)." These are very Eastern European phenomena."
Mikhail Vasilievich Zamdayev, London

26. "The video to Hurt by Johnny Cash, it only seems to make men cry, the harder the man the more it gets to them."
Tim, Merseyside

27. "I reckon men cry at odd times because they withhold the tears at more obvious times - it has to leak out some time but social conditioning frequently hinders this. This possibly explains why I often feel like crying when I'm reading some children's books aloud to our two; Floss and The Secret Garden can raise a few."
Matt O, Forest Row

28. "Saying goodbye to my mum, for the last time, when the crematorium groundsman and I scattered her ashes."
Alex R, UK

29-31. "My partner shed tears of relief when our daughter was born at 28 weeks, tears of grief when we realised she would be disabled and tears of anger when she was bullied at school."
Beth, Bangor UK

32. "I cried last Tuesday when I realised I had to give up a relationship that just wasn't working and couldn't be put right for all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world. But Harry Dean Stanton's monologue to Nastassja Kinski does it for me every time. I must stop watching Paris, Texas."
Jan, Mid Sussex

33. "Dedication to the Fallen during the Festival of Remembrance: 'They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.'
Gets me every time."
Brian, Oxford

34. "My wife thinks I'm heartless because I didn't cry when we got married, I didn't cry when my children were born, and I haven't cried when my relatives passed. However, seeing great sporting achievement take place, especially athletics track events, sometimes bring a proud tear to my eye. Kelly Holmes doing the double got me, fantastic stuff."
Iwan, Sedbergh, UK

35-36. "Seeing my mum cry is an automatic cry. But for some reason, when I see OTHER men cry it really makes me want to blame the hay fever."
Lee, London

37. "My friend cried at a movie starring the former wrestler The Rock. He claimed it was too hot... we no longer speak."
Neil Vallelly, Coleraine, N Ireland

38. "Pictures of the Earth from space seem to make me well up, it just seems to have a profound effect on me that I'm unable to sum up with words."
Ash Amed, Oxford

39. "The strangest thing that has ever set me off was listening to the radio and hearing Concorde land for the very last time. I don't even like planes but it made me blub."
Dave, Leicester

40-42. "The last time I cried would have been at a mate's wedding. He got emotional during the speeches and that was it for me. Also anything of people showing extreme bravery, especially to save others brings a tear to the eye. Oh and 65,000 people singing the Welsh national anthem at the Millennium Stadium."
Alex, Carmarthenshire

42. "The last page of Winnie the Pooh, as Christopher Robin explains about school - does it every time, without fail. Oh, and when Bambi's mum dies."
Mike, Addlestone

43. "When I'm going on a long trip and know I won't see my mum, dad or sisters for a couple of months, then the goodbye always gets me. Nonetheless, I feel fine five minutes later."
Conúil, Belfast

44. "My other half has a very severe upper lip. Ex-Air Force, he's coped with close relation funerals and major family feuds, despite me falling apart. But he wept buckets whilst watching Sophie's Choice."
Sundae, Crewe

45-47. "When my adopted son spontaneously called me Dad. When I realised that a friend was safe after thinking he could not have survived an incident. Sometimes when I'm looking at my wife and she doesn't realise it."
Richard, Cloudcuckooland

48. "The film of JFK's toddler son saluting his father's passing coffin does it for me every time."
Peter, Belfast

49. "Watching my son get married. I'm not even going to go to my daughter's, I'd be incapable for weeks before and after."
Dave Cross, Malvern, Worcs

50. "Just yesterday. I met my youngest's boyfriend for the first time and realised I'd lost my little girl. I managed to get home before I blubbed. Oh no, I'm doing it again now whilst I'm writing this."
Zorba Eisenhower, Seldom, Wilts

51. "My boyfriend cried when we finally got together, saying 'it's not often men like me get what we long for' - such a sweet thing to say. Unfortunately, seven years later he claims he was acting."
Rebecca, Leics

52. "Spitfires, Concorde and the roar of a Merlin or Deltic engine will always start me off. Such power and such grace.
Graeme, Edinburgh

53. "Listening to Belgian firemen play Last Post at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. Played every night since soon after the end of World War I. Stopped only during the German occupation in WWII and started again as soon as they left."
Roger, Norwich, UK

54-55. "Since first becoming a dad almost five years ago, I cry at anything that even vaguely shows either suffering and loss or any noble characteristic such as bravery or valour. It doesn't seem to matter if it's Doctor Who or a serious, real-life event. I even cried watching Finding Nemo."
Kit Barker, Sheffield, UK

56. "What always gets me is the veterans on Remembrance Sunday. In their wheelchairs, shaking with old age and still making it to give respect to their old mates. After having lived a compromised life for 80 years or so (for some of them) with the trauma of the memories and nightmares that don't go away, now that is sacrifice."
Mat, UK

57. "Kindness to children."
Aasim, Durham, US

58. "I cried at the birth of both my children. They are now teenagers, they presented me with the most wonderful handmade Father's Day card, filled with poems, quotes of mine and endless praise and thanks for the guidance and advice I have given them. I wept openly, it was the best Father's Day present ever. I showed the card to my parents and it had the same effect. I am a security officer on the outside, but a big old softie at heart."
Steven, Shrewsbury

59. "Christmas productions at my son's primary school - something about the slightly out-of-key sound of children's voices when singing carols always makes me well up. And adds to that Christmas sparkle."
Dave, Newstead Village, UK

60. "Flying - the thin air and free G&Ts make people more emotional. I blubbed like a baby in business class watching Gloria and Mumbo shake it out in Happy Feet."
Stuart, San Francisco

61. "After visiting my grandfather's grave in Hermanville-sur-Mer War Cemetery, France for the first time in August 2005 with my father, I noticed that his headstone didn't have any personal message engraved. I asked my father in all innocence why this was so. He promptly burst into tears, saying that the British government charged families in the 1940s for this service, and his newly widowed mother with two young children couldn't afford it. I promised him there and then that I would arrange it for him. Finally in December 2007, I received pictures from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission showing that it had at last been done. I got the pictures printed and rushed them to him as he lay in hospital. He finally saw them on 5 December, 2007, and gave my mother the thumbs up. The next day, he succumbed to secondary cancer. That gets me every time."
Dave Eastoe, Framfield, UK

62-64. "The Paralympics - EVERY time. That and watching Muhammad Ali lighting the flame in Atlanta. It must be genetic, as my Dad turns into a sodden mess at the 'trunk holding through bars' scene in Dumbo."
Will, Oxford

65. "RSPCA adverts - tear-jerking, guilt-inducing, wallet-grabbing, phone-dialling brilliance."
Wotski, London

66. "Any film that shows some inner spirit and where they show pride does it for me. Biggest culprit is Cool Runnings at the end. Have to look out the window so nobody seems me shed a tear. That or grab a pillow off my fiancee and hide my face in shame."
Daniel, London

67. "Bagpipes. And they make the hairs on my neck stand up too."
Paul, Bathgate

68. "The one song I can never listen to on my iPod when I am away from my wife: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. Guaranteed to reduce me to jelly."
Tobias, London, UK

69. "Realising the entire universe is interconnected in mind-boggling ways."
Majid, Richmond, US

70. "Three words started my hubby off crying - welcome home sir. This was said to him by one of the police escorts he had from Gatwick airport to the McIndoe Burns Unit after being flown home. He had been severely burned in an explosion and had been med-evaced to the UK. He had been temporarily blinded by the blast and he said the man's voice was so caring he just cried. It still affects him now."
Olwen Roach, Hartlepool, England

71. "Welsh male voice choirs bring a lump to my throat, also barber shop singers. Fortunately, you don't hear either much at the work place."
Barry, Croydon, England

72. "Ayrton Senna dying. I think that's allowed."
Andy C, UK

73-75. Singing Abide With Me at the FA Cup Final - after 27 years, we were back and I couldn't quite believe that we were there. That and when Glenn Miller dies in the Glenn Miller story. Oh, and I must admit to a few gulps of pride when the kids do something special."
Steve E, Warrington

76. "My grandad was old and frail but wouldn't have missed his grandson's (my) wedding for the world. He made it to the ceremony despite his ill health. After the main ceremony, I went down for hug (and kiss) from my grandad. Despite talking myself into not bawling like a baby, I just couldn't control my tears. My cousin who was wielding the video-camera made sure he captured all of it on camera for posterity. My hard-man act fell like a pack of cards and I haven't been able to restore it, at least with my wife."
Ramesh, London

77. "I cried at the weekend as I wrote my 12th anniversary card to my wife. I realised how important she has been to me, how much I appreciate her and how grateful I am she puts up with me. A mixture of gratitude and guilt then."
W John Bond, Leicester, UK

78. "Visiting the Imperial Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in Oosterbeek, The Netherlands, and seeing the rows of headstones marking the graves of those who died in Operation Market Garden during WW2 is a highly emotional experience, and one's vision can get a bit watery at the thought of so many young lives wasted."
Patrick, Lincoln

79. "How can crying at your wedding not make the top 10? I married the girl of my dreams three weeks ago, shed a tear when she walked down the aisle the proceeded to cry all the way through my grooms speech. I am not ashamed one bit."
Nick Teige, Ashby-de-la-Zouch

80. "I got caught out listening to Radio 1's essential mix just the other day - momentous, inspiring stuff just set me off (and I was in public but with shades). Also, I find it hard to watch Remembrance Sunday without getting emotional. The enormity of all the pain and suffering can get to you. It always feels better after and figure it's a natural reaction for the body to have. I say your not a man unless you DO manage a cry."
Rene, London

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August 01, 2008

Hotpads, Trulia

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Fitness Pill

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7535770.stm

Scientists are moving closer to developing a pill which could deliver some of the benefits of exercise - even for those who do not move a muscle.

The journal Cell reports US researchers now have two possible pills which appear able to build muscle, increase stamina and even burn fat.

In tests, mice were able to run 44% further - suggesting humans may be able to do the same without prior training.

The concept is controversial because of fears they could be misused in sport.

With this in mind, lead researcher Professor Ronald Evans, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Salk Institute in California, has produced a test which will allow the drugs to be detected in the urine and blood of competitors.

He says the drugs could eventually help tackle muscle wasting diseases, or help improve the health benefits of exercise in people at risk of conditions such as diabetes.

Instant endurance

The two drugs, labelled AICAR and GW1516, appear to have an effect on a gene involved in the building and regulation of muscle.

This "master gene" - PPAR-delta - has the ability to control the activity of many other genes - so adjusting it could in theory have a widespread effect on the way the body works.

Genetically altering mice to enhance the activity of the gene led to the development of muscle which was much more likely to burn fat than burn sugar.

It also made "marathon mice" who were able to run much further on a treadmill.

The next step was to produce similar effects using a drug rather than a genetic alteration.

The first version, a pill called GW1516, again produced the "fat burning" effect, but no change on exercise performance until the team started training the mice with long treadmill sessions.

At the end of a series of these, the mice given the drug were running 77% longer than those training without its benefits.

The latest drug, AICAR, goes one step further, finding a different way to act on the same muscle cell mechanism.

This time the mice did not need to train - after just four weeks on the drug, they ran 44% further on their treadmills without any prior exercise.

Exercise results

Both versions could one day serve a purpose in humans, said Professor Evans.

"If you like exercise, you like the idea of getting 'more bang for your buck'," he said.

"If you don't like exercise, you love the idea of getting the benefits from a pill," he said.

He said the most obvious potential use was in conditions, such as diabetes, where exercise was a proven benefit.

"Almost no-one gets the recommended 40 minutes to an hour per day of exercise - for these people, if there was a way to mimic exercise, it would make the quality of exercise they do more efficient."

However, Colin Palmer, a professor of pharmacogenetics at the University of Dundee, said that the idea of the drug had proved controversial.

"It's basically a drug that enhances training. The thing that raises eyebrows is the concept of a drug that improves endurance training for sports professionals."

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