You may be at risk of Alzheimer’s .  You can learn whether you have two copies of  a particular gene called APOE4. If you do, you may receive early treatment from Novartis  for Alzheimer’s even though you don’t yet have it. It’s a new strategy.
The Banner Alzheimer’s Institute tests people for the APOE4 gene. So far, about 35,000 people have signed up agreeing to send swabs of their cheek cells for testing.
The goal for Novartis AG is to recruit people whose genes put them at high risk  for  Alzheimer’s. These people, who do not yet have Alzheimer’s, will receive treatment  as though they have Alzheimer’s.
Persons  receive drugs to  boost the immune system and clear beta amyloid from their  blood. Persons with two copies of the APOE4 gene are two to three times more likely to get Alzheimer’s than the general population.
The above information is from an article in the Wall Street Journal April 24, 2017 titled  Novartis Shifts Approach to Alzheimer’s Research.  Â
 Freedom to protect a country’s values?  That’s what Australia is doing.
Australia recently  broadened the test migrants must pass.   The new  test  gauges a migrant’s attitude towards “Australian values”. The new  test includes questions about child marriage, female genital mutilation and domestic violence.
 Christians in Sydney, Australia, are being advised to hide their crosses after an Arabic-speaking gang shouting “F*** Jesus!†attacked a couple on a train while transport officers looked on from a “safe space†and did nothing.
The Sydney-based Daily Telegraph – a News Corp outlet unrelated to the Telegraph Media Group newspaper of the same name – reports the couple were attacked while riding the train through “Muslim enclaves†in south-west Sydney.
 Mike, who asked for his surname to be withheld for fear he might be targeted, said that four men of Middle Eastern appearance ripped his cross from his neck, stomped on it, and rained kicks and punches on his face, back, and shoulders. Two women attacked his girlfriend when she tried to protect him.
Five uniformed transport officers watched the attack take place but failed to intervene, Mike claimed, leaving the police to meet the train at a later station.
“I was born in Australia of Greek heritage,†Mike told the Telegraph. “I’ve always worn my cross. For [them] to rip it off and step on it has to be a religious crime.
——————————————————————
Firenze Sage: Â Muslim enclave? Five uniformed transit officers stood by awaiting orders from HQ.
Below is a picture of the cross that was ripped from an Australian Greek Orthodox  man by a group of Muslims while transit personnel watched.  Authorities say transit personnel provide passenger service not protection. Â
Kissinger, per Time Magazine, likens Trump’s son-in-law to Icarus who flew too close to the sun.
Kissinger writes:
“Transitioning the presidency between parties is one of the most complex undertakings in American politics. The change triggers an upheaval in the intangible mechanisms by which Washington runs: an incoming President is likely to be less familiar with formal structures, and the greater that gap, the heavier the responsibility of those advisers who are asked to fill it.
“This space has been traversed for nearly four months by Jared Kushner, whom I first met about 18 months ago, when he introduced himself after a foreign policy lecture I had given. We have sporadically Âexchanged views since.
As part of the Trump family, Jared is familiar with the intangibles of the President. As a graduate of Harvard and NYU, he has a broad education; as a businessman, a knowledge of administration. All this should help him make a success of his daunting role flying close to the sun.”
Trump got votes  because of racism  one researcher says.  Oh?  Let’s look at his research. Â
According to a controversial new analysis by theWashington Post, Trump voters were motivated by “racism†more than a number of other factors — such as “authoritarianism —  in their presidential ballot choice last November.
Guess how researchers measure “authoritarianism”:  how you say you raise your kids, whether  parents teach children  to follow the rules or  parents teach children to be sympathetic towards  people.  But, perhaps parents  teach both?  Why assume an either this or that?
The incendiary piece, titled “Racism motivated Trump voters more than authoritarianism†was written by Thomas Wood, an assistant professor of Political Science at Ohio State University, and proposes to examine the results of the latest American National Election Study (ANES) regarding voter attitudes.
 Mr. Wood bases his skewed conclusions on a series of assumptions that reveal deep misunderstandings regarding the nature of racism, as well as Wood’s own profound racial biases.
To begin with, Wood only analyzed the opinions of white voters—his own racially biased choice.
How black voters feel about whites, or what motivated many blacks to vote for Trump is disregarded as irrelevant to his study. Yet, in looking at racism, why would an objective examiner only look at the attitudes of whites?
Second, in the four questions looked at by Wood, racism is never actually addressed. Instead, Wood employs a “symbolic racism scale†that interprets people’s views on programs like Affirmative Action as concealing a hidden racism that is never overtly expressed. Wood said that these attitudes are “coded as more racially biased.â€
—————————————————-
Firenze Sage: Â You must read the whole study to see what causes his conclusions to be racial. Essentially he takes attitudes, analyzes them and then calls you names.
ex-President Fox of Mexico speaks at CAL Berkeley but  conservative Ann Coulter — scheduled to speak on immigration — cannot speak at CAL Berkeley.
 Ex-President of Mexico Fox  speaks  at Berkeley. On immigration and other issues.   Conservative Ann Coulter — scheduled to speak April 27 on immigration —  cannot.
CAL Berkeley tells conservative  Ann Coulter that the university cannot protect her from possible riots. Therefore,  CAL Berkeley told Coulter she cannot come on campus  to  discuss immigration on April 27.
Don’t the police protect students and visitors to the  CAL Berkeley campus?
  It’s time for the Berkeley and Oakland police to protect life and property of students and visitors to the CAL Berkeley campus?
What did  the  former President of Mexico Fox say about immigration? That would be an interesting conversation —  Ann Coulter and ex-President Fox discussing immigration. Â
Former President of Mexico  Fox  continues to engage in political discourse, most noticeably through his tweets in which Fox expresses his open disagreement with President Trump’s stances on immigration, and calls for the American public to “wake up.â€
CAL Berkeley, a liberal college,   had to “cancel” yet another guest speaker because of safety concerns. The Berkeley College Republicans, BridgeCal and Young America’s Foundation were planning on having Ann Coulter address their groups, until they received an email from the university’s vice chancellors.
“We have been unable to find a safe and suitable venue for your planned April 27 event featuring Ann Coulter,” vice chancellors Scott Biddy and Stephen Sutton emailed the student groups. “In the wake of events surrounding the planned appearance by (right-wing speaker) Milo Yiannopoulos in February, as well as several riots which have occurred in recent weeks in the city of Berkeley, we have increased our scrutiny regarding the time and location of high-profile speakers so that these events can go forward unimpeded.â€
The university also requested that if Coulter should decide to still come to the campus, that they not disclose the location until closer to the event and only students would be allowed to attend. She agreed to the conditions but told the university she had her own conditions, as described on YAF’s blog:
1) That the University of California chancellor request that the Oakland chief of police refrain from telling his men to stand down and ignore law-breaking by rioters attempting to shut down conservative speakers, as he has done in the past; and
2) That UC-Berkeley announce in advance that any students engaging in violence, mayhem or heckling to prevent an invited speaker from speaking would be expelled.
As Coulter explained, “If Berkeley wants to have free speech, it can have it.â€
Last week, conservative speaker David Horowitz’s speech was also canceled after UCB police told the student groups Horowitz’s safety could not be ensured. The decision was made after the university instructed the group to hold the event during the middle of the day and on the outskirts of campus.
The Republican groups on Cal’s campus feel the cancelation of conservative speakers is an infringement upon their First Amendment right to free speech.
Now the question becomes: will Berkeley ever do anything to ensure conservatives can come to the liberal hotbed without a riot ensuing?
My guess? It’s probably not at the top of their priority list.
“Yes, it was officially banned,” Coulter said of her planned April 27 appearance. “But they can’t stop me. I’m an American. I have Constitutional rights.”
Coulter had accepted an invitation from two campus groups — the Berkeley College Republicans and BridgeUSA — to deliver a speech about immigration, the topic of her last two books, both of which were New York Times bestsellers. “If that’s banned, then no conservative can speak,” Coulter told THR on Wednesday.
“Meanwhile, corrupt banana republic leaders like Vincente Fox have the red carpet rolled out for them on the taxpayer’s dime.” Fox, the former president of Mexico, spoke in Berkeley this week.
The Chair of the Department  of English at Harvard  — James Simpson —  recently  maligned  author Heather Mac Donald for her  “mean-minded article”. Mean-minded?  What in the world does that mean?
Jim Simpson, Chair
 Dept. Chair  Simpson adds nothing to explain what he means.  But being “mean-minded ” certainly sounds bad.  See  Jim Simpson’s Wall Street Journal letter titled Great Literature Magnifies Repressed Voices, Always
 Why malign author  Heather  Mac Donald for criticizing a new requirement of Harvard University  that all  English majors must take a politically correct class? It’s widely known that institutions of higher learning have become more and more politicized in recent years.  It’s a topic  which parents and all persons concerned with education are increasingly  concerned about.
Mac Donald writes,  it used to be that English majors at Harvard were free  to “pursue the subline free of political overlay…”but now Harvard requires a course in authors who have been “marginalized for historical reasons...” “Told that literature is one long process of “marginalization” she [the English major student]  is less likely to lose herself in theshady pastoral poetry being instead on the hunt for partiarchy...”She has been primed to see marginalization, usually her own, evem hilariously at regally privleged Ivy League schools…” Â
_______________
Aptos Psychologist: Â Â Let’s stop attacking the messengers and listen to the messages?
And, if a decision is bad — it’s always possible to re-consider it!
And, let’s protect freedom of speech — in churches and on college campuses.
 So some bomb shell shakes up your life? Maybe you have not been in church in years. Or never. Wonder where to start?
Various Aptos, CA churches have resources that may help.  Try prayer  …..
Some  resources for healing prayer  in Aptos, CA include:
Twin Lakes Church: a prayer phone call request  on a weekday morning  is fielded  immediately to either or all:   1) the woman’s prayer chain;  b) the   ‘green sheet’ with names and prayer requests available to all members to pray over;   c) prayers  by   clergy and prayer team members  held each Thursday at noon. Issues of immediacy, privacy issues and clinical issues are managed thusly.
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church: St Johns offers prayers for healing   in  the early evening  on week days (5 PM on Wed. & Friday, 5:15 on Thursday, 5:30 on Monday, 7:00  PM  on Tuesday.)   Individuals are encouraged to drop in and participate.  Click here  concerning a  recent evening prayer service and prayer for healing as night comes.
For on-going prayer needs,   contact the church office.  (831 708 2278)  St. John’s has an   email prayer chain for immediate requests and publishes   prayer list available Sunday AM and individuals listed on it  are prayed for during the week.
A  world wide ministry for healing prayer, the Order of St. Luke (Andrea Seitz, junior warden for St. John’s, is the convener  for  St. John’s ) plans a healing event for  this fall, 2017.  Plans include the  Rev. Hugh Bromily
Hugh Bromily, Order of St. Luke
as the principal  speaker.  The Rev. Bromily is the North American Director for the Order of St. Luke (hughbromily@gmail.com). Hugh Bromily has a healing ministry based in Texas.
So far, several churches are involved in the healing event planned for Fall, 2017.  The prayer line number for Order of St. Luke is 310 521 9178.  New members are always welcome to join. Connect with Andrea Seitz  through St. John’s church office for more information.
 offer a Healing Services  several times a year. Father Romeo is the recently  inducted priest.   These are  specific Masses for individual healing which include the  laying on of hands by clergy and members collectively.   The most recent service was  held  a couple weeks ago. During the week, there’s an  8:30 am prayer service. The Sanctuary part  of the church is open for daily  prayer from 9 – 5. The weekly church bulletin contains a list of persons asking for prayers. Contact the office to get on or off the list.
each Sunday   reads names on their   prayer list (members and friends of members)   each Sunday   There is a prayer chain.  Currently, during the week on Wednesdays there’s Taize prayer at 7 pm.   For immediate crises, contact the pastor Dale Sollom-Brotherton 831 688 5727.
Crises? Bomb shell? What about prayer?   Come find out about  the Coastlands  Church   via services at 9 & 11 am on Sundays.  As many as 300 may show up. To further connections of community, individuals are encouraged to  join a small group. Groups  held most days of the week at different times, some in homes and some at the church or a restaurant. There’s a Bible Study held every Friday at 6:30 am at the church. Crossroads has sister churches in Soquel and Santa Cruz. The ‘mother’ church is located in southern California.
So — when you are in crises — reach out to God and seek Him who cares. Â There are many resources that can help.
