April 6, 2012 – Smriti "Simmi" D. Isaac

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

On This Day: April 6

Updated April 5, 2012, 2:28 pm

On April 6, 1909, explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson became the first men to reach the North Pole. The claim, disputed by skeptics, was upheld in 1989 by the Navigation Foundation.

Go to article »

On April 6, 1870, Clarence E. McClung, an American zoologist who made important discoveries in the field of genetics, was born. Following his death on Jan. 17, 1946, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1830 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, N.Y.

1896 The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece.

1909 Explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson purportedly became the first men to reach the North Pole. (The exact location they reached has since been called into question.)

1971 Composer Igor Stravinsky died at age 88.

1983 Interior Secretary James Watt banned the Beach Boys from the 4th of July celebration on the Washington Mall, saying rock ‘n’ roll bands attract the “wrong element.”

1992 Science fiction author Isaac Asimov died at age 72.

1998 The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 9,000 points for the first time.

1998 Pakistan successfully tested a medium-range missile capable of striking neighboring India.

2001 Algerian national Ahmed Ressam, accused of bringing explosives into the United States days before the millennium celebrations, was convicted on terror charges.

2004 Jordan’s military court convicted eight Muslim militants and sentenced them to death for the 2002 killing of U.S. aid official Laurence Foley in a terror conspiracy linked to al-Qaida.

2004 The University of Connecticut became the first school to win the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball titles in the same season as the women’s team beat Tennessee 70-61 for their third consecutive championship.

2005 Prince Rainier III of Monaco died at age 81.

2011 Portugal became the third debt-stressed European country to need a bailout as the prime minister announced his country would request international assistance.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actor Paul Rudd turns 43 years old today.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Actor-writer Zach Braff (“Scrubs”) turns 37 years old today.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

1929 Andre Previn, Pianist, conductor, turns 83

1937 Merle Haggard, Country musician, turns 75

1937 Billy Dee Williams, Actor, turns 75

1942 Barry Levinson, Director (“Rain Man,” “The Natural”), turns 70

1947 John Ratzenberger, Actor (“Cheers”), turns 65

1951 Bert Blyleven, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 61

1952 Marilu Henner, Actress (“Taxi,” “Evening Shade”), turns 60

1953 Janet Lynn, Figure skater, turns 59

1960 Warren Haynes, Rock musician (Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band), turns 52

1972 Jason Hervey, Actor (“The Wonder Years”), turns 40

1976 Candace Cameron Bure, Actress (“Full House”), turns 36

1981 Eliza Coupe, Actress (“Happy Endings”), turns 31

1990 Charlie McDermott, Actor (“The Middle”), turns 22

Historic Birthdays

Clarence E. McClung 4/6/1870 – 1/17/1946 American zoologist.Go to obituary »

37 Raphael 4/6/1483 – 4/6/1520
Italian painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance

70 Jean-Baptiste Rousseau 4/6/1671 – 3/17/1741
French dramatist and poet

63 James Mill 4/6/1773 – 6/23/1836
Scottish philosopher, historian and economist

76 Joseph Medill 4/6/1823 – 3/16/1899
Canadian-born American editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune

85 Rene Lalique 4/6/1860 – 5/5/1945
French jeweler and important figure in the Art Nouveau movement

87 Louis Raemaekers 4/6/1869 – 7/26/1956
Dutch cartoonist famous for his anti-German cartoons in W. W. II

66 Walter Huston 4/6/1884 – 4/7/1950
Canadian-born American character actor in films and stage

49 Anthony Fokker 4/6/1890 – 12/23/1939
Dutch airman and pioneer aircraft manufacturer

89 Lowell Thomas 4/6/1892 – 8/29/1981
American radio commentator, explorer, lecturer and journalist

89 Donald Douglas 4/6/1892 – 2/1/1981
American aircraft designer; founded Douglas Aircraft Company

87 Harold Edgerton 4/6/1903 – 1/4/1990
American electrical engineer and photographer

69 Gerry Mulligan 4/6/1927 – 1/20/1996
American baritone saxophonist, arranger and composer

1830	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, N.Y.
1896	The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece.
1909	Explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson purportedly became the first men to reach the North Pole. (The exact location they reached has since been called into question.)
1971	Composer Igor Stravinsky died at age 88.
1983	Interior Secretary James Watt banned the Beach Boys from the 4th of July celebration on the Washington Mall, saying rock ‘n’ roll bands attract the “wrong element.”
1992	Science fiction author Isaac Asimov died at age 72.
1998	The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 9,000 points for the first time.
1998	Pakistan successfully tested a medium-range missile capable of striking neighboring India.
2001	Algerian national Ahmed Ressam, accused of bringing explosives into the United States days before the millennium celebrations, was convicted on terror charges.
2004	Jordan’s military court convicted eight Muslim militants and sentenced them to death for the 2002 killing of U.S. aid official Laurence Foley in a terror conspiracy linked to al-Qaida.
2004	The University of Connecticut became the first school to win the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball titles in the same season as the women’s team beat Tennessee 70-61 for their third consecutive championship.
2005	Prince Rainier III of Monaco died at age 81.
2011	Portugal became the third debt-stressed European country to need a bailout as the prime minister announced his country would request international assistance.

1929	Andre Previn, Pianist, conductor, turns 83
1937	Merle Haggard, Country musician, turns 75
1937	Billy Dee Williams, Actor, turns 75
1942	Barry Levinson, Director (“Rain Man,” “The Natural”), turns 70
1947	John Ratzenberger, Actor (“Cheers”), turns 65
1951	Bert Blyleven, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 61
1952	Marilu Henner, Actress (“Taxi,” “Evening Shade”), turns 60
1953	Janet Lynn, Figure skater, turns 59
1960	Warren Haynes, Rock musician (Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band), turns 52
1972	Jason Hervey, Actor (“The Wonder Years”), turns 40
1976	Candace Cameron Bure, Actress (“Full House”), turns 36
1981	Eliza Coupe, Actress (“Happy Endings”), turns 31
1990	Charlie McDermott, Actor (“The Middle”), turns 22

37	Raphael 4/6/1483 – 4/6/1520 Italian painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance
70	Jean-Baptiste Rousseau 4/6/1671 – 3/17/1741 French dramatist and poet
63	James Mill 4/6/1773 – 6/23/1836 Scottish philosopher, historian and economist
76	Joseph Medill 4/6/1823 – 3/16/1899 Canadian-born American editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune
85	Rene Lalique 4/6/1860 – 5/5/1945 French jeweler and important figure in the Art Nouveau movement
87	Louis Raemaekers 4/6/1869 – 7/26/1956 Dutch cartoonist famous for his anti-German cartoons in W. W. II
66	Walter Huston 4/6/1884 – 4/7/1950 Canadian-born American character actor in films and stage
49	Anthony Fokker 4/6/1890 – 12/23/1939 Dutch airman and pioneer aircraft manufacturer
89	Lowell Thomas 4/6/1892 – 8/29/1981 American radio commentator, explorer, lecturer and journalist
89	Donald Douglas 4/6/1892 – 2/1/1981 American aircraft designer; founded Douglas Aircraft Company
87	Harold Edgerton 4/6/1903 – 1/4/1990 American electrical engineer and photographer
69	Gerry Mulligan 4/6/1927 – 1/20/1996 American baritone saxophonist, arranger and composer

via learning.blogs.nytimes.com

Posted on April 6, 2012April 10, 2013 by Simmi D. Isaac — Leave a comment

April 06

MORNING

“O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?”
Psalm 4:2

An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honours which the blinded people of Israel awarded to their long expected King.

1. They gave him a procession of honour, in which Roman legionaries, Jewish priests, men and women, took a part, he himself bearing his cross. This is the triumph which the world awards to him who comes to overthrow man’s direst foes. Derisive shouts are his only acclamations, and cruel taunts his only paeans of praise.

2. They presented him with the wine of honour. Instead of a golden cup of generous wine they offered him the criminal’s stupefying death-draught, which he refused because he would preserve an uninjured taste wherewith to taste of death; and afterwards when he cried, “I thirst,” they gave him vinegar mixed with gall, thrust to his mouth upon a sponge. Oh! wretched, detestable inhospitality to the King’s Son.

3. He was provided with a guard of honour, who showed their esteem of him by gambling over his garments, which they had seized as their booty. Such was the body-guard of the adored of heaven; a quaternion of brutal gamblers.

4. A throne of honour was found for him upon the bloody tree; no easier place of rest would rebel men yield to their liege Lord. The cross was, in fact, the full expression of the world’s feeling towards him; “There,” they seemed to say, “thou Son of God, this is the manner in which God himself should be treated, could we reach him.”

5. The title of honour was nominally “King of the Jews,” but that the blinded nation distinctly repudiated, and really called him “King of thieves,” by preferring Barabbas, and by placing Jesus in the place of highest shame between two thieves. His glory was thus in all things turned into shame by the sons of men, but it shall yet gladden the eyes of saints and angels, world without end.

EVENING

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.”
Psalm 51:14

In this solemn confession, it is pleasing to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it manslaughter, nor speak of it as an imprudence by which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but he calls it by its true name, bloodguiltiness. He did not actually kill the husband of Bathsheba; but still it was planned in David’s heart that Uriah should be slain, and he was before the Lord his murderer. Learn in confession to be honest with God. Do not give fair names to foul sins; call them what you will, they will smell no sweeter. What God sees them to be, that do you labour to feel them to be; and with all openness of heart acknowledge their real character. Observe, that David was evidently oppressed with the heinousness of his sin. It is easy to use words, but it is difficult to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite spirit. Let us seek after the like brokenness of heart; for however excellent our words may be, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deservingness of sin, we cannot expect to find forgiveness.

Our text has in it an earnest prayer–it is addressed to the God of salvation. It is his prerogative to forgive; it is his very name and office to save those who seek his face. Better still, the text calls him the God of my salvation. Yes, blessed be his name, while I am yet going to him through Jesus’ blood, I can rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The psalmist ends with a commendable vow: if God will deliver him he will sing–nay, more, he will “sing aloud.” Who can sing in any other style of such a mercy as this! But note the subject of the song–“Thy righteousness.” We must sing of the finished work of a precious Saviour; and he who knows most of forgiving love will sing the loudest.

via view.lists.biblegateway.com

Posted on April 6, 2012April 10, 2013 by Simmi D. Isaac — 2 Comments

Addison’s disease is named after Dr. Thomas Addison, the British physician who first described the condition in 1849. The adjective “Addisonian” is used to describe features of the condition, as well as patients suffering from Addison’s disease.

Addison’s disease (also chronic adrenal insufficiency, hypocortisolism, and hypoadrenalism) is a rare, chronic endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones (glucocorticoids and often mineralocorticoids).

It is characterised by a number of relatively nonspecific symptoms, such as abdominal pain and weakness, but under certain circumstances these may progress to Addisonian crisis, a severe illness in which there may be very low blood pressure and coma.

The condition arises from problems with the adrenal gland itself, a state referred to as “primary adrenal insufficiency” and can be caused by damage by the body’s own immune system, certain infections or various rarer causes.

Addison’s disease is also known as chronic primary adrenocortical insufficiency, to distinguish it from acute primary adrenocortical insufficiency, most often caused by Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome.

President John F. Kennedy is one of the most famous “Addisonians”.

Addison’s disease should also be distinguished from secondary and tertiary adrenal insufficiency which are caused by deficiency of ACTH (produced by the pituitary gland) and CRH (produced by the hypothalamus) respectively. Despite this distinction, Addisonian crisis can happen in all forms of adrenal insufficiency.

Addison’s disease and other forms of hypoadrenalism are generally diagnosed via blood tests and medical imaging.

Treatment involves replacing the absent hormones (oral hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone). Lifelong, continuous treatment with steroid replacement therapy is required, with regular follow-up treatment and monitoring for other health problems.