Friday, June 24, 2011

[Peckers_Pics] Male/Gay Health-Discussion-PICS Model Wars-Jun 25, 2011-Countdown w/Keith Olbermann-Current TV, M-F 8PM EST



Model Wars-PICS-Health-News-Jun 25, 2011-
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Alert: Target + Minnesota Forward + Tom Emmer = Support for a rather dangerous and radical political philosophy that diminishes LGBT people to pests that should be murdered. And "Target" is cool with this? ...Now Target is suing the LGBT community for their peaceful demonstrations in front of their stores. ....Our answer: BOYCOTT "TARGET"

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Health - Wellness - Exercise - Reflections:
Are You a Stroke Risk?

By Victoria Clayton, June 24, 2011

Sometimes strokes are deadly, and other times they leave a victim with physical and communication limitations. Always, they are frightening, whether they strike old or young. But many can be prevented. Neurologist Brian Silver, M.D., explains the different kinds of strokes and how they occur. Learn if you're at risk…

That's right: More people in their 30s and 40s are having strokes.

But many of them are preventable, says Brian Silver, M.D., a neurologist at the Rhode Island Hospital and a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association (ASA).

"The single biggest thing people can do to reduce their stroke risk factor is have their blood pressure checked," he says.

"One study estimated that if all cases of high blood pressure were treated, strokes would decrease by 40%," Silver says. "So we currently have 800,000 strokes per year in the U.S. That means there would be 320,000 fewer strokes a year."

In this edited Lifescript interview, Silver explains how to detect strokes, prevent them and recover from one.

What's the most important step people should take to prevent stroke?
Have their blood pressure checked.

You should also quit smoking and make sure diabetes is treated.

Why is untreated hypertension so rampant?

A lot of people don't know they have high blood pressure and [many] who know don't have it controlled for multiple reasons.

Sometimes it's difficult to control. The average person with high blood pressure needs three pills to control it.

Sometimes it's a financial issue. Some people have to choose between buying food and medicine.

Others don't take it seriously enough. High blood pressure doesn't hurt, so if some people don't feel it, they don't want to treat it.

Are the side effects of high blood pressure medicine a factor?

The side effects can be bothersome. Some men become impotent. Some people have swelling or weight gain.

Unfortunately, doctors often don't hear these complaints. Patients just stop taking the medication.

But everyone should know that there are at least four or five classes of high blood pressure medication. So if someone doesn't tolerate one medication, we can try something else.

Atrial fibrillation is also a factor in some strokes. What is this?
Treating atrial fibrillation — often called "a-fib" — is probably the second-most important thing that people can do to reduce their stroke risk.

Atrial fibrillation is a condition when your heart chambers, or atria, aren't working in sync. Your atrium fibrillates or quivers, so blood can pool and clot, then pieces of this clot could break off. If [they] go to the brain, you have a stroke.

Who's most at risk for atrial fibrillation and related strokes?
It's particularly prevalent in older patients. About 5% of people over 65 have atrial fibrillation, and among people in their 80s, it's 10%.

Fortunately, blood-thinning medication reduces the chance of stroke. We've used the drug Coumadin to treat atrial fibrillation for many years. Now, we also have Pradaxa [an anticoagulant medication].

You could also take aspirin daily and reduce your stroke risk, but not as much as if you were taking a prescription blood-thinning medication.

Can people feel atrial fibrillation?

Some people feel a sort of fluttering or they feel as if their heart is beating irregularly. But not everybody feels it. Often there are no symptoms.

How is it diagnosed?

Atrial fibrillation is usually diagnosed with an EKG [electrocardiogram], but sometimes it takes longer monitoring. We have devices that patients wear for 48 hours or more because longer duration monitoring provides a more sensitive gauge.

Sometimes, the condition is episodic. It might only occur every third day, for example. What surprises people about stroke?

People are often surprised to learn stroke can happen to someone in their 30s or 40s. In fact, the incidence of stroke has risen in younger Americans. That's probably due to the rising rates of obesity, which mean more people have high blood pressure and diabetes.

What are the warning signs of a stroke?

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body. Also sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. Trouble walking, dizziness or loss of coordination. Or a sudden severe headache.

[To confirm whether someone is having a stroke, ask them to repeat a sentence to check for slurring of words and recall. Second, have them close their eyes and raise their arms as you look for a difference in ability to control one arm compared with the other. Third, ask them to smile so you can check for facial asymmetry. ]

Are there different types of strokes?

Yes. Ischemic stroke — which occur when a blood vessel gets blocked by a piece of a clot — is the most common. About 87 % of strokes are ischemic.

The other type – hemorrhagic stroke – is when blood vessels burst. About 13% of strokes are hemorrhagic.

Is one worse than the other?

Hemorrhagic stroke patients have a higher risk of death than ischemic. About 40% of hemorrhagic stroke victims die, compared to 30% of ischemic stroke victims.

Looking at it in a more positive light, though, about a third of the people with ischemic strokes will recover pretty well. A quarter of the hemorrhagic stroke patients will have a good outcome.

What's an aneurysm?

It's a type of hemorrhagic stroke. It's actually a rupture of blood into the wrapping around the brain.

About 25% of people who suffer from an aneurysm die before they even get to the hospital. Even with aneurysms, though, [some people] have good outcomes. We can screen for aneurysms using an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging].

Should everyone get an MRI to try to detect aneurysms?

No, it's not practical or necessary for everyone to get screened.

But if two first-degree relatives have an aneurysm, the rest of the immediate relatives should have an MRI. Statistics suggest that if just a single person in your family had an aneurysm, you're not at any greater risk than anyone else, so we don't recommend you get an MRI.

Can an aneurysm be inherited?

Probably about 10% of aneurysms are genetic. The majority are not inherited. Risk factors for these types of strokes include being female and a smoker.

How is smoking linked to aneurysm stroke risk?

Smoking weakens blood vessel walls. Sometimes people have small, inoperable aneurysms.

We tell them to stop smoking, which sometimes stops the aneurysm growth. If they continue to smoke, though, it can cause the aneurysm to grow, increasing the risk of rupture.

How are aneurysms operated on?

We're now commonly doing a minimally invasive procedure called endovascular coiling on aneurysms. This is where a small tube, similar to a cardiac catheter, is inserted into the femoral artery in the leg and navigated up through the vascular system to the aneurysm. The aneurysm is then sealed off.

The outcomes for coiling are better compared to traditional brain surgery. But not every artery is suitable for this technology, and not all aneurysms need a procedure.

If an aneurysm is smaller than 7 millimeters, the risk of rupture is lower, and the risk of complications of doing a procedure outweighs the stroke risk. That's a general rule.

Besides therapy for speech and physical movement, what does treatment look like for patients after a stroke?

Virtually everyone takes cholesterol-lowering medication afterward. People with high blood pressure take hypertension medication.

Someone who has had an ischemic stroke will take aspirin daily or anticoagulation medication such as that used for atrial fibrillation.

[Diabetics without] good control of blood sugar we send to an endocrinologist to focus on better blood sugar control.
We definitely want smokers to consider using a nicotine patch. We do pretty well getting people to quit smoking.

Once you have a stroke, you tend to be a captive audience. When you have paralysis on your left or right side, that's a convincing signal that you better stop or it could happen again.

Are there ways to improve a stroke victim's chance of a good recovery?
Yes, getting stroke victims to the hospital quickly can do wonders.

If we give patients who've had an ischemic stroke a clot-buster medication called a tPA [tissue plasminogen activator] within the first 4.5 hours after a stroke, it can limit the damage or even sometimes lead to a cure. About one-third to one-half of people with ischemic stroke can benefit from tPA.

For hemorrhagic stroke, unfortunately, we don't currently have anything like this treatment.

Can a doctor tell by looking at someone what kind of stroke they're having?

No, not by looking at them, but a CT scan will tell.

What are small strokes or mini-strokes?

They're TIAs, or transient ischemic attacks. TIAs aren't true strokes, but cause stroke-like symptoms for only an hour or two.

Sometimes they're actually warnings. TIAs precede a real stroke in about 16% of all strokes. So about one in six patients who have a stroke had a TIA warning [beforehand].

But with medical intervention we can lower the stroke risk after a TIA. For example, we can operate on a narrowed carotid artery before a real stroke occurs. Or if a-fib caused the TIA, we'd start medication right away.

Does a person's diet or exercise habits matter when it comes to stroke risk?

Yes, I think they do. And, as physicians, we are guilty of not counseling patients enough about lifestyle.People need to get the message of not eating a diet with excessive fat, and eating more fruits and vegetables.

There's some data that the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of future heart attack, and many [stroke experts] say it may also be protective against stroke.

I believe what you eat does matter. The problem with diet, though, is that it's hard to prove. Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard of research, and we don't have that type of study to link diet and stroke. But research from food surveys suggests that people who report eating more fruit and vegetables are less likely to have a stroke.

We also know that a lot of people simply don't get enough physical activity. Research shows that physical inactivity poses a big stroke risk. We're not sure why, but people who are not physically active have a higher stroke incidence.
Take Action:
  • Update: DADT has been repealed. President Obama has kept his promise!
  • Boycott Bill O'Reilly and FOX News and their advertisers. Bill discussed a French commercial by McDonalds that was meant to show that McDonalds is Gay Friendly. Bill said what is next? Is McDonalds going to be Al-Qaida friendly as well? Imagine - Bill O'Reilly compares Gays to Al-Qaida! In conclusion, O'Reilly expressed out-right Hatrad of the LGBT Community.
  • Boycott Arizona the home of "hater" - U.S. Senator John McCain. Arizona's Hateful anti-Immigration Law - encourages racial profiling and increases hatred towards minorities. A remedy: Demand Republicans to support Immigration Reform (The Dream Act). Further, Senator McCain voted against ending DADT and Blocked Immigration reform!
  • Boycott Target, Best Buy, Gold's Gym - for donating money towards anti-gay political candidates/organizations. Update: (12/26/2010): Target is continuing to donate to anti-gay groups/causes/politicians. Update 03/08/11 - Lady Gaga Ends Target Partnership, Reportedly Over Target's Poor LGBT Stance. Update 3/25/2010 - Target displays their hypocrisy and Sues California Gay Rights Group for Lobbying Outside Stores. Target is attempting to block the LGBT right of free speech! STOP SHOPPING AT TARGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Update 4/8/2011: Target lost it's case to stop the LGBT from canvassing in front of their stores. A huge PR Disaster for TARGET! Perhaps Target should go out of business as they betrayed their investers and customers. Target contributed massive funds to a politician who would like to exterminate gays. Now, Target can not stop us from Boycotting them, nor picketing, nor talking to customers near their stores; although, Target allows a anti-gay company such as the Salvation Army to stand outside their door and speak with customers and raise money. Isn't this a double standard? Perhaps TARGET would better understand the issue if they cared about David Kato - Uganda, who was slain because he is gay! That is because Uganda wants to kill gay people. Again, TARGET invested in a political candidate that would Kill the Gays!
  • End DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Prevents Federal employees and Gays in the Military from gaining equal benefits. Prevents Gay Partners from gaining equal benefits.
  • Pass ENDA (Employee Non-Discrimination Act). ENDA would prevent employment discrimination of LGBT workforce.
  • Boycott Salvation Army as they will not hire Gays! "DO NOT DONATE TO THEM."
  • BOYCOTT "Chick-fil-a" for donating to anti-gay marriage groups.
  • BOYCOTT KOCH INDUSTRIES PRODUCTS- to include their products: Angel Soft toilet paper / Brawny paper towels / Dixie plates, bowls, napkins & cups / Mardi Gras napkins and towels / Quilted Northern toilet paper / Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper / Sparkle napkins / Vanity fair napkins / Zee napkins / Georgia-Pacific paper products & envelopes / All Georgia-Pacific lumber & building products (INVISTA Products) / Lycra / Stainmaster Carpet. The billionaire - Koch brothers are ultra republican - tea bag founders/supporters that do not support causes of the LGBT community.
  • Boycott WALMART - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, force criticized Wal-Mart for denying employee benefits to same-s-x partners and for failing to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. By comparison, the group said two other chain stores with a strong presence in New York, Costco and Walgreens, did much better.
  • NEW: "Tune Out Trump", Boycott all Trump Hotel, casinos, holdings, The Apprentice and NBC Network! At CPAC, Trump said he is considering a run for president as a Republican. In a interview with the Des Moines Register, Trump added that he opposes all forms of legal recognition for gay couples, not just marriage. "They should not be able to marry," he said. So why does NBC keep the Apprentice when Donald Trump has stated he may run for president? After making racist remarks about Obama and recv'g public backlash, Trump decided not to run for president after NBC renewed his awful TV Show. How can NBC renew the clown's show after he pulled all such low-class shenanigans? Boycott NBC! Boycott advertisers of The Apprentice and Trump's other business's. Don't shop at any bullding with Donald Trump's name to include Trump Hotels, Casinos, Condo's, Offices, Shops! The Donald has expressed extreme Hatred towards gays and blacks with his birther remarks and anti-gay rhetoric. Remember how poorly Trump treated Rosie O'Donnel? Now we know why he did that! It was hate against a lesbian as we now know he is biget. Unforgiveable! Dump NBC because they re-newed Donald Trump's "The Apprentice"! NBC, Really? Update June 1, 2011: Trump now claims that Obama's long form, original birth certificate is fake. And NBC keeps this hater? NBC, You Kidding Us?

And Now, Model Wars!

This group is called "Peckers Pics." The English - slang definition of "pecker" is to pluck at the truth. Therefore, we peck at items such as Gay Men's Health, Male Fitness, Gay (LGBT) Politics & Issues. In this section you may peck at each photo in order to decide the winner of the "war of the fittest!" Whereas, who is the model that may inspire you to exercise and "get fit?" Warning: This may stoke you!

Your participation in discussion of health / news articles - appearing in this message is greatly appreciated.
 
DAVID GANDY
 
VS
JORDAN COULTER
 
You Decide!
Wilton Manors Pride, Ft Lauderdale, Fl. USA; June 19, 2011
Stoked?
Wilton Manors Pride, Ft Lauderdale, Fl. USA; June 19, 2011
Super Stoked?
Wilton Manors Pride, Ft Lauderdale, Fl. USA; June 19, 2011
Gay marriage headed to vote on NY Senate floor
By MICHAEL GORMLEY - 8:17 PM EDT June 24, 2011 - Forbes - AP

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Republicans in the New York Senate agreed Friday to allow a full vote on legalizing gay marriage, setting the stage for a possible breakthrough victory for the gay-rights movement in the state where it got its start.

New York could become the sixth state where gay couples can wed, and the biggest by far. A vote is expected Friday night after several hours of debate.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said the bill will come to the floor and be brought up for an "up or down vote." It will be a "vote of conscience for every member of this Senate," Skelos said.

Sen. Thomas Duane, the openly gay Manhattan Democrat who sponsored the bill, wouldn't speculate on its chances.

"I'm hopeful - with the governor and bipartisan support," Duane said.

Ruben Diaz Sr., the leader of opposition to the bill and the lone Democrat expected to vote no, had inklings before the vote that it would pass.

"They wouldn't bring it if it wouldn't pass," Diaz said.

"We'll pass it," predicted Senate Democratic leader John Sampson of Brooklyn, whose conference is committing 29 votes to the 32 needed to approve gay marriage.

The heavily Democratic Assembly has already approved one version of the measure and is expected to easily pass the new version, which contains more protections for religious groups that oppose gay marriage and feared discrimination lawsuits.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who campaigned on the issue last year, has promised to sign it. Gay weddings could begin 30 days after that.

Gay marriage activists were jubilant and applauded Skelos, who is opposed to gay marriage, for keeping his promise to let the conference decide whether to send the bill to the floor.

Though New York is a relative latecomer in allowing gay marriage, it is considered an important prize for advocates, given the state's size and New York City's international stature and its role as the birthplace of the gay-rights movement, which is said to have started with the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village in 1969.

At a fundraiser in New York City Thursday night, President Barack Obama praised New York lawmakers for taking up the issue but cautioned the gay community that getting the right to marry would take time. Obama has said his position is evolving but he still supports civil unions.

"I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country," the president said at the fundraiser, his first geared specifically to the gay community. Obama said he was confident that there will be a day "when every single American, gay or straight or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, is free to live and love as they see fit."

The effects of a New York law could be felt well beyond the state: Unlike Massachusetts, which pioneered gay marriage in 2004, New York has no residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license, meaning the state could become a magnet for gay couples across the country who want to have a wedding in Central Park, the Hamptons, the romantic Hudson Valley or that honeymoon hot spot of yore, Niagara Falls.

Gay-rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.

The sticking point over the past few days: Republican demands for stronger legal protections for religious groups that fear they will be hit with discrimination lawsuits if they refuse to allow their facilities to be used for gay weddings.

Now, all 32 Republicans have approved stronger religious protections agreed to by Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Deputy Majority Leader Thomas Libous of Binghamton, who opposes gay marriage, said that after hours of passionate debate behind closed doors he still doesn't know if there are enough votes to pass the bill.

"We've had some great conferences and nobody was told to vote yes or no," he said. "People spoke from their hearts."

New York, the nation's third most populous state, would join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C., in allowing same-sex couples to wed.

For five months in 2008, gay marriage was legal in California, the biggest state in population, and 18,000 same-sex couples rushed to tie the knot there before voters overturned the state Supreme Court ruling that allowed the practice. The constitutionality of California's ban is now before a federal appeals court.

While court challenges in New York are all but certain, the state - unlike California - makes it difficult for the voters to repeal laws at the ballot box. Changing the law would require a constitutional convention, a long, drawn-out process.

Movement on the bill comes after more than a week of stop-and-start negotiations, rumors, closed-door meetings and frustration on the part of advocates.

Online discussions took on a nasty turn with insults and vulgarities peppering the screens of opponents and supporters alike and security was beefed up in the capitol to give senators easier passage to and from their conference room.

Despite New York City's liberal Democratic politics and large and vocal gay community, previous efforts to legalize same-sex marriage failed over the past several years, in part because the rest of the state is more conservative than the city.

If the bill succeeds this time, it would reflect the powerful support of New York's new governor, who lobbied hard for the measure, and perhaps a change in public attitudes. Opinion polls for the first time are showing majority support for same-sex marriage, and Congress recently repealed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred gays from serving openly in the military.

In the weeks leading up to the action in New York, some Republicans who opposed the bill in 2009 came forward to say they were supporting it for reasons of conscience and a duty to ensure civil rights.

Pressure to vote for gay marriage also has come from celebrities, athletes and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Republican-turned-independent who has long used his own fortune to help bankroll GOP campaigns and who personally lobbied some undecided lawmakers. Lady Gaga has been urging her 11 million Twitter followers to call New York senators in support of the bill.

Representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox rabbis and other conservative religious leaders are fighting the measure, and their GOP allies have pressed hard for legal protections for religious organizations that object to gay marriage.

Each side of the debate was funded by more than $1 million from national and state advocates who waged media blitzes and promised campaign cash for lawmakers who sided with them.

But GOP senators said it was Cuomo's passionate appeals in the governor's mansion on Monday night and in closed-door, individual meetings that were perhaps most persuasive.

The bill would make New York the third state, after Vermont and New Hampshire, to legalize marriage through a legislative act and without being forced to do so by a court.

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Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."

....Jake
 
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