<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

DO IT NOW WHEN IT'S FRESH IN YOUR MIND

The Saga Of Pinehill Book II
Money, Marriage And The Way
is now published and available.
Buy direct from:

http://www.publishamerica.com
(enter the name Saga of Pinehill in
the search box)

If you enjoyed the first book, you
won't be able to put
this one down until you've finished
it. Enjoy.

DO IT NOW WHEN IT'S FRESH IN YOUR MIND

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

TODAY'S TRIVIA - - -
-----------------------

Why was yeast once called "godisgood"? (If you're guessing
this has something to do with alcohol, you're almost
there...)

Why is plastic surgery "plastic"?

--------------
ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA - - - -
--------------

How does yeast make bread rise?

Yeast devours the sugars present in your flour or added to
your dough. When it does this, it releases carbon dioxide
and ethanol (alcohol). The carbon dioxide is trapped within
thousands of tiny bubbles and causes the dough to expand, or
rise. It is said that Egyptian bakers discovered the secret
of making bread rise in about 4000 BC. How, you ask? Well,
they found that kneading the dough with their feet made the
bread fluffy and soft while if they used their hands, the
bread remained hard and flat. That's because they had
natural yeasts between their toes! Yummy. 

How does Brewer's yeast work?

Yeast, as many of you know, is also a necessary ingredient
for your beer. It ferments the sugars of rice, wheat,
barley, and corn to produce alcoholic beverages. Naturally
occurring yeasts present in vineyards ferment sugars in the
grapes, too. The bubbles in sparkling wine, in fact, are
trapped carbon dioxide. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

I'LL SEE IT WHEN I BELIEVE IT!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

There are a lot of ways to become a failure,
but never taking a chance is the most successful.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

thePEBBLE CONTENTS:

1. STRANGE BITS AND PIECES!

------------------
2. COVER STORY
------------------------------------

Around The Net

-------------------
3. MEDICAL COLUMN with Karin Henderson

Meniere's Syndrome
"Meniere's" is a condition affecting the
nerves of one or both inner ears.
PART 5 of 5

-------------------
4. PERCEPTIONS by Ken Darby

HAPPY NEW YEAR

-------------------
5. WHY DO WE SAY IT?

-------------------
6. THINK ABOUT THIS TODAY!
7. HA! HA!HA!
8. CONTACT INFO
9. THE LAST LINE - - - - -


DO IT NOW WHEN IT'S FRESH IN YOUR MIND

The Saga Of Pinehill Book II
Money, Marriage And The Way
is now published and available. Buy direct from:

http://www.publishamerica.com
(enter the name Saga of Pinehill in the search box)

If you enjoyed the first book, you won't be able to put
this one down until you're finished it. Enjoy.

DO IT NOW WHEN IT'S FRESH IN YOUR MIND

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

STRANGE BITS AND PIECES!


The first U.S. president to have a picture taken was John
Quincy Adams.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

COVER STORY
------------------------------------

Around The Net

H.I.V. Risk Halved by Circumcision, U.S. Agency Finds
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

Circumcision appears to reduce a man’s risk of contracting
AIDS from heterosexual sex by half, United States government
health officials said yesterday, and the directors of the
two largest funds for fighting the disease said they would
consider paying for circumcisions in high-risk countries.

The announcement was made by officials of the National
Institutes of Health as they halted two clinical trials, in
Kenya and Uganda, on the ground that not offering
circumcision to all the men taking part would be unethical.
The success of the trials confirmed a study done last year
in South Africa.

AIDS experts immediately hailed the finding. “This is very
exciting news,” said Daniel Halperin, an H.I.V. specialist
at the Harvard Center for Population and Development, who
has argued that circumcision slows the spread of AIDS in the
parts of Africa where it is common.

In an interview from Zimbabwe, he added, “I have no doubt
that as word of this gets around, millions of African men
will want to get circumcised, and that will save many
lives.”

Uncircumcised men are thought to be more susceptible because
the underside of the foreskin is rich in Langerhans cells,
sentinel cells of the immune system, which attach easily to
the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. The
foreskin also often suffers small tears during intercourse.

But experts also cautioned that circumcision is no cure-all.
It only lessens the chances that a man will catch the virus;
it is expensive compared to condoms, abstinence or other
methods; and the surgery has serious risks if performed by
folk healers using dirty blades, as often happens in rural
Africa.

Circumcision is “not a magic bullet, but a potentially
important intervention,” said Dr. Kevin M. De Cock, director
of H.I.V./AIDS for the World Health Organization.

Sex education messages for young men need to make it clear
that “this does not mean that you have an absolute
protection,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, an AIDS researcher
and director of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases.

Circumcision should be used with other prevention methods,
he said, and it does nothing to prevent spread by anal sex
or drug injection, ways in which the virus commonly spreads
in the United States.

The two trials, conducted by researchers from universities
in Illinois, Maryland, Canada, Uganda and Kenya, involved
nearly 3,000 heterosexual men in Kisumu, Kenya, and nearly
5,000 in Rakai, Uganda. None were infected with H.I.V. They
were divided into circumcised and uncircumcised groups,
given safe sex advice (although many presumably did not take
it), and retested regularly.

The trials were stopped this week by the N.I.H. Data Safety
and Monitoring Board after data showed that the Kenyan men
had a 53 percent reduction in new H.I.V. infection.
Twenty-two of the 1,393 circumcised men in that study caught
the disease, compared with 47 of the 1,391 uncircumcised
men.

In Uganda, the reduction was 48 percent.
Those results echo the finding of a trial completed last
year in Orange Farm, a township in South Africa, financed by
the French government, which demonstrated a reduction of 60
percent among circumcised men.

The two largest agencies dedicated to fighting AIDS said
they would now be willing to pay for circumcisions, which
they have not before because there was too little evidence
that it worked.

Dr. Richard G. A. Feachem, executive director of the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has
almost $5 billion in pledges, said in a television interview
that if a country submitted plans to conduct sterile
circumcisions, “I think it’s very likely that our technical
panel would approve it.”

Dr. Mark Dybul, executive director of President Bush’s $15
billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, said in a statement
that his agency “will support implementation of safe medical
male circumcision for H.I.V./AIDS prevention” if world
health agencies recommend it.

He also warned that it was only one new weapon in the fight,
adding, “Prevention efforts must reinforce the A.B.C.
approach — abstain, be faithful, and correct and consistent
use of condoms.”

Researchers have long noted that parts of Africa where
circumcision is common — particularly the Muslim countries
of West Africa — have much lower AIDS rates, while those in
southern Africa, where circumcision is rare, have the
highest.

But drawing conclusions was always confounded by other
regional factors, like strict Shariah law in some Muslim
areas, rape and genocide in East Africa, polygamy, rites
that require widows to have sex with a relative, patronage
of prostitutes by miners, and men’s insistence on dangerous
“dry sex” — with the woman’s vaginal walls robbed of
secretions with desiccating herbs.

Outside Muslim regions, circumcision is spotty. In South
Africa, for example, the Xhosa people circumcise teenage
boys, while Zulus do not. AIDS is common in both tribes.
Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,”
contains an unnerving but hilarious account of his own Xhosa
circumcision, by spear blade, as a teenager. Although he was
supposed to shout, “I am a man!” he grimaced in pain, he
wrote.

But not all initiation ceremonies are laughing matters.
Every year, some South African teenagers die from
infections, and the use of one blade on many young men may
help spread AIDS.

In recent years, as word has spread that circumcision might
be protective, many southern African men have sought it out.
A Zambian hospital offered $3 circumcisions last year, and
Swaziland trained 60 doctors to do them for $40 after
waiting lists at its national hospital grew.

“Private practitioners also do it,” Dr. Halperin said. “In
some places, it’s $20; in others, much more. Lots of the
wealthy elite have already done it. It prevents S.T.D.’s,
it’s seen as cleaner, sex is better, women like it. I
predict that a lot of men who can’t afford private clinics
will start clamoring for it.” (S.T.D.’s are sexually
transmitted diseases.)

Male circumcision also benefits women. For example, a study
of the medical records of 300 Ugandan couples last year
estimated that circumcised men infected with H.I.V. were
about 30 percent less likely to transmit it to their female
partners.

Earlier studies on Western men have shown that circumcision
significantly reduces the rate at which men infect women
with the virus that causes cervical cancer. A study
published in 2002 in The New England Journal of Medicine
found that uncircumcised men were about three times as
likely as circumcised ones with a similar number of sexual
partners to carry the human papillomavirus.

The suspected mechanism was the same — cells on the inside
of the foreskin were also more susceptible to that virus,
which is not closely related to H.I.V.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>



That which angers you is showing you an area of your life
you need to look at. You must pursue it, get involved, get
to the core of the anger, for love and anger cannot coexist.
---- Ken Darby

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

MEDICAL COLUMN - - - - with Karin Henderson


Meniere's Syndrome
"Meniere's" is a condition affecting the
nerves of one or both inner ears.
PART 5 of 5

Having a life like this, with all it's unknowns and fears of the
future does not give anyone a desirable quality of life. Many
people will stop driving, as they feel unsafe. That limits or
eliminates their freedom! They know how this affects their loved
ones, but there is nothing they can do to make it better. So the
family has to tiptoe around and be very quiet. You will hear
people calling this "the beast". Can you imagine living with
this degree of uncertainty every day? At the beginning of this
article I hinted at a reason for updating this information. This
condition has been a very real part of my life for almost ten
years...fearful, unpredictable, and until a few years ago,
hopeless.a round of tranquilizers, low salt diets,
antidepressants, and little support from the medical community.
Luckily for us, all that has changed because the person who has
it, decided to step out and find solutions rather than spend the
rest of all our lives living from episode to episode. There is
much to be learned and I want to encourage you to explore
different avenues. There is hope and there may be a normal life
in store for you, but you will need more information and a
willingness to see beyond the traditional treatment. Once you
understand the underlying body's responses to "invaders", you
will find ways to deal with the challenge. But then the decision
will be yours to make and the traditional treatment won't be so
final and hopeless. Wouldn't it be good to realise you can have
some control over your health? If you would like more
information on this condition and possible ways to help someone,
please visit http://www.menieres-disease.ca

-------------------------------------------
Karin Henderson is a registered nurse and is thePEBBLE's
columnist for our MEDICAL COLUMN.
We appreciate her input very much. Thanks Karin.
You can send Karin questions at
mailto:kflh@shaw.ca

Health Information Newsletter.
http://www.prescotts-inc.com

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Any Acne problems in your house?
Teens find skin irritations embarrassing?
Try this link and have a look

4 Click here. This is worth a try

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

PERCEPTIONS . . . by Ken Darby

-----------------------DISCLAIMER

Some around me think I am an opinionated old goat.
Whether that be true or not I will sometimes, in this column,
talk about things people don't like to talk about - or don't want
out in the open. Take it all with a grain of salt.

Do your own thinking, and don't accept the things I say as
gospel. They are only mental meanderings from a simple soul.

-----------------------END DISCLAIMER

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It’s hard to believe, another year is gone. That’s okay but
it just seems the time is passing by so quickly.

I want to wish each of you a Happy New Year. I truly do hope
that all you wish for, plan for, work for in 2007 reaches a
point of fulfillment that completely satisfies you.

I ask you to think on global warming matters and begin to
plan for what happens that will affect you. The first and
most noticeable thing that will happen will be food prices
risiing, in some cases rather dramatically. I don’t mean
relative to inflation. I mean food prices will begin to rise
because there is not enough food to go around. And the
prices will continue to rise to a point well beyond the
average man being able to handle it. Prepare for that.

While this sounds “doomsday-ish” think it through. I believe
you will agree it is coming. If you begin preparations now
then by the time 2010 hits you will be better prepared. I am
not saying that is when all this will hit. It will appear
progressively and be at least noticeable by that year.

Have a good day folks. Have a Happy New Year and I will see
you on January 2, 2007.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Marriage doesn't have to be a battleground. This
can bring back that "old feeling" in both of you.

4 Click here. Try this before you split

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

WHY DO WE SAY IT?


Naked Truth: Why do we call absolute truth "the naked
truth"?

Because, according to ancient legend, Truth and Falsehood
once went bathing. When they came out of the water,
Falsehood ran ahead, dressed herself in Truth's clothing and
sped away. Truth, unwilling to appear in Falsehood's
clothing, went "naked".

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>



DO IT NOW WHEN IT'S FRESH IN YOUR MIND

The Saga Of Pinehill Book II
Money, Marriage And The Way
is now published and available. Buy direct from:

http://www.publishamerica.com
(enter the name Saga of Pinehill in the search box)

If you enjoyed the first book, you won't be able to put
this one down until you've finished it. Enjoy.

DO IT NOW WHEN IT'S FRESH IN YOUR MIND

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>




Are you a stay-at-home Mom? Here is a product in which you might
be interested. This is an ebook written by a stay-at-home Mom. She
has found a way to earn money right from home. She emphasizes the
point that these are real jobs she can do from the house and that they
are available to anyone. She says no money has to be paid to do these
jobs, for example, they are not internet sales promotion type jobs, but
instead real jobs. Click on this link and see for yourself.

4 This looks real interesting and worth a click

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

THINK ABOUT THIS TODAY!


"The effective leader recognizes that she is more
dependent on her people than they are on her. Walk
softly." -– Brian Tracy 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

HA! HA! HA!


Miss Figpot was trying to get her seventh-grade
history class to understand how the Indians
must have felt when they first encountered the
Spanish explorers.

"How would you feel," She asked, "if someone
showed up on your doorstep who looked very
different, spoke a strange language and wore
unusual clothes?  Wouldn't you be a bit scared?"

"Nah," little Johnny answered, "I'd just figure
it was my sister's date."

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Complete Contact info on web site
http://www.the-pebble.com

To submit articles to thePEBBLE send a blank email to -
mailto:article.submission@emailsystemscentral.com

To subscribe to thePEBBLE just send any email to
mailto:pebble@rr-email.com

PEBBLE RELATED SITES OF INTEREST AND VALUE:

http://www.the-pebble.com
http://www.spiritual-underground.com
http://www.thenewsshop.com
http://www.thenewsshop.com/oursalespeople.html

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

THE LAST LINE - - - - -

"If you wish others to believe in you, you must first
convince them that you believe in them." -– Harvey
Mackay

 
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

REMEMBER! - IF YOU SEE IT IN thePEBBLE - IT IS SO!


Emotions are to give you power. They are the drive,
the impetus, the propulsion. They are to be directed by
you to the results you want. They are not to lead you.
---- Ken Darby