【一起来听写】 - Maxx - Persist

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9.21听错：红色
拼写错误：蓝色
听漏：绿色

Listen to part of a lecture in an English literature class.

Time and time again, we hear accounts of children living in poverty

Although things have improved in some countries, such as in Ir, the country that we will be discussing today, we can still learn from the past to improve the future for many unfortunate children who continue to live in poverty

This lecture will deal with the squalor that children living in Ir had to live with in the18th century

The children, mainly Catholic, were living in terrible conditions because their families were too poor to feed or clothe them

To combat this problem, JS, an IR(Irish) author and journalist, born in 1667, and died in 1745, wrote an article called, A Modest proposal for preventing children of poor people in Ir from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public

The article was published in 1721, and came about because the Swift was horrified by the Government's and the people's unwillingness to improve conditions for the poor

He wanted to write a satirical article that would solve the problem of starving children in IR, and turn them into useful members of society by using the easiest, and most fair and cheapest methods possible

S proposed that the children needed to be fattened up and fed to the Ir's well-off land-owners

The children of the poor could be sold into a meat market at the age of one, thereby solving many problems such as over population and unemployment

This solution would also spare families the expense of raising children, while providing them with a little extra income

It would also benefit the rich by improving the culinary experience and contributing to the overall
economic well-being of
IR

Don't forget, that his article was not meant to be taken literally and that it was written as a
sarcastically
ironic essay, to get the attention of an indifferent and uncaring audience

He makes his point negatively, tying together a terrible set of morally weak positions in order to cast blame throughout IR

The essay takes the reader through a series of surprises, that are at first shocking, but in the end causes the reader to think critically not only about policies, but also about motivations and values

In his article, S expresses
his increasing annoyance at the uselessness of IR’s politicians, the hypocrisy(伪善) of the wealthy, the tyranny of the English and the squalor and degradation and in which he sees so many IR people living

He also blames the Ir people’s seeming inability to make any positive change on their own behalf（利益）

He takes everyone into account, and holds English, the IR themselves, and IR politician
responsible, for the terrible state IR was in

He emphasizes with the misery of IR people, and understands that it was severe, but also criticizes their incompetence in dealing with their own problems

The distribution of political pamphlets was very common in swift’s day and a large number of essays and short pieces of writing, much like his, attempted to propose solutions to Ir’s economic and social problems

However, the satirical intent of his writing was misunderstood by many of Swift’s peers

Although he offered well thought out statistical support for his ideas and gave specific data
about the number of children to be sold including their weight and
price , he was harshly criticized for writing in such exceptionally bad taste

He even went so far as to propose recipes for preparing
the children, and he felt sure that innovative cooks would be quick to generate more

He also anticipated that the practice of selling and eating children would have positive effects on family morality

He believed that husbands would treat their wives with more respects, and parents would value their children more than ever before

He concluded that the implementation of this project would do more to solve IR’s complex social, political and economic problems, than any solution that has been proposed

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9.22听错：红色    拼写错误：蓝色    听漏：绿色
Listen to part of a lecture in a Communication Class.
Good morning, class, I'm sure you have all heard this expression, when in Rome do as the Romans do. But what exactly does it mean?
Throughout my life, I have enjoyed travelling to many countries, where I experienced lots of different cultures and people.
One thing that I always remembered was that I was the guest and not there to change or break any rules.
Globalization brings many benefits, but learning to and adapt to accept different cultures can be challenging.
We don't always see eye to eye with someone from a different culture.
Misunderstandings are common and can be an obstacle to an otherwise good relationship.
At other times, we aren't even aware of any differences. In order to try and get on with everyone no matter their  cultural background, I want to discuss several ways of overcoming some cultural misunderstandings by talking about several differences in cultures.
First of all, communication is a key to any culture.
What makes communicating challenging is that people communicate in different ways both within and across cultures.
How we use language differs from culture to culture.
For example, if we were to say maybe, in Canada, it might actually mean, no; But if we were in England, it might mean maybe I will consider it.
Other interesting and often misunderstood forms of communication are non-verbal forms of communicating such as facial expressions, gestures, personal space, sense of time and even seating arrangements.
This leads me to another cultural misunderstanding, conflict.
Believe it or not, some cultures see conflict as something positive, while others see it something to stay away from.
In some western cultures, although conflict is not usually desirable, people are often encouraged to deal directly with conflicts from the outset by meeting face to face as a way to work through whatever problems exist.
On the other hand, in many Eastern countries, arguing is seen as embarrassing or demeaning and is best worked out quietly by writing your complaints down on paper.
Another difference may be as subtle how we work toward finishing something.
Some factors might be access to resources, what we expect to get when the project is finished, different ideas of time and varied ideas about working in a team versus working independently to finish the task.
For some Asian and Hispanic cultures, developing relationships from the outset of the project is more important than the end result of completing the task.
Unlike Asian and Hispanic cultures, European-Americans tend to focus on the task at hand instead of the relationship.
They prefer to let relationships to develop as they work on the task.
All the groups are still committed to the project, and want to finish it, but they just have a different way of going about it.
Additionally, depending on the culture, the roles individuals play in decision making differ a great deal.
In some culture, delegating a task is common.
In America, it is very common for the upper managers to assign responsibility for a particular matter to subordinate.
In many southern European and Latin American countries, it is more common for decision-makers to hold the responsibility for themselves.
Another difference can be seen with group decisions. In America, it only takes majority which may only be 51% to make decision.
In places like Japan, 100% support is desired before a decision is made.
Keep in mind that an individual’s expectations about their own role in influencing a decision, may be affected by their own culture as well.
Privacy is another big difference between cultures.
In some cultures, it is better to keep your emotions private, rather than being frank about your feelings.
This is especially important to remember when you are talking with someone, or when you are working with people.
The last point I want to make concerns the way people find things out or epistemologies.
Epistemologies of doing or a way of knowing the world through experience interaction is not new, but keeping the cultural differences in mind is fairly new.
For example, one culture might tend to consider information learned by counting and measuring, more valid than knowledge acquired by affective ways of knowing.
Meanwhile, another culture could deemphasize practical experience, and place  more value on the thinking process.
These are just some examples of cultural differences.
I hope that by understanding and accepting cultures, we can resolve any cultural misunderstanding.
Perhaps, the best way to get to know or understand a culture, is to get involved and hang out with people from different cultures, and to listen with an open mind.
Don't forget, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

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9.25

听错：红色
拼写错误：蓝色
听漏：绿色

In order to really study the social history of the middle ages, you have to understand the role of spices

Now this might sound
a little surprising, even a little strange

BUT what seem like a little things now, were back then actually rather big things

So, first let's define what a spice is

Technically speaking, a spice is part of an aromatic plant that is not a leaf or a herb

Spices can come from tree bark like cinnamon, plant roots like ginger, flower buds like cloves

And in the middle ages, Europeans were familiar with lots of different spices, most important being
pepper, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, maize and nutmeg

These spices literarily dominated the way Europeans lived for centuries. How they traded and even how they used their imaginations?

So why this medieval fascination with spices?

We can boil it down to 3 general ideas briefly.

One was cost and rarity. Two was exotic taste and fragrance. And third, mysterious origins and kinds of mysterious
statues

Now for cost and rarity , spices aren’t native to Europe and they had to be imported. Spices only grew in the eastern Indies and of course transportation costs for astronomical. So spices were incredibly valuable even from the very beginning

Here is an example.

In 408 AD, the Gothic General who captured Roam demanded payment

He wanted 5000 pounds of gold among other things, but he also wanted 3000 pounds of pepper

Maybe that would give you an idea of exactly where PP stood at the time

By the middle ages, spices were regarded as so important and expensive, they were used in diplomacy, as gifts by heads of state and ambassadors

Now for the taste.

The diet then was relatively bland compared to today's

There wasn’t much variety.

Especially the aristocracy who tended to eat a lot of meat. They were always looking for new ways to prepare it, new sources, new tastes. And this is where spices came in.

Now this is a good
point to mention one of the biggest myths about spices

It's commonly said that medieval Europeans wanted spices to cover up the taste of spoiled meat

But this is not really true

Anyone who had to worry about spoiled meat couldn't afford spices in the first place

If you could afford spices, you could definitely afford fresh meat

We also have evidence that various medieval markets employed a kind of police, to make sure that people didn't sell spoiled food. And If you were caught doing it, you were subject to various fines, humiliating public punishments

So what actually was true was this. In order to have meat for the winter, people would preserve it in salt not a spice

Spices actually are not very effective as preservatives

And throughout winter they would eat salted meat, but the taste of the stuff could grew really boring and depressing after a while

So the cook started looking for new ways to improve the taste, and spices were the answer, which brings up to
mysterious origins and mythical
status

Now the ancient Romans had a thriving spice trade, and they sent their ships
to the east and back

But when Rome collapsed in the 5th century and middle ages began, direct trade stopped, and so did that kind of hands on knowledge of travel and geography

Spices now came by way of the trade routes, with lots of intermediaries between the producer and the consumer

So these spices took on an air of mystery

Their origins were shrouded in exotic travels

They had the allure of the unknown of wild places

Myths grew up of fantasy lands,
magical
faraway places, made entirely of food and spices

And to that, spices themselves had always been considered special or magical, not just for eating, and this was already true in the ancient world legends about spices were abundant

Spices inspired the medieval imagination

They were used as medicines to ward off diseases and mixed into perfumes
incent

They were used in religious rituals for thousands of years

They took on a life of their own, and they inspired the medieval imagination, spurred on the age of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries

When famous explorers, like Columbus and Da Gama and Magellan, left Europe in their ships, they weren’t looking for a new world. They were looking for spices

And We know what important historical repercussions some of those voyages had

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9.26

听错：红色
拼写错误：蓝色
听漏：绿色

All right, so let me close today's class with some thoughts to keep in mind while you are going to assignment.

You will be reading one of EM's best known essays, EL, and comparing it with his poems
and other works.

I think this essay has the potential to be quite meaningful for all of you.

As young people, who probably wonder about things like truth and where your lives are going, all sorts of profound questions

Knowing something about E's philosophies will help you when you read the self-reliance

And basically, one of the main briefs that he had was about truth

Not that is something that we can be taught, E says it's found within ourselves

So this is the truth, the idea that it in each one of us, is one of the first points that you’ll see E making in this essay

It is a bit abstract, but he is very into each person
believing his or her own thought believing in yourself, the thought or conviction that is true for you

But actually he ties that in with a sort of universal truth, something that everyone knows but doesn't realize they know

Most of us aren’t in touched of ourselves in a way,
so we just aren’t
capable of recognizing profound truth

It takes geniuses, people like, say, SP, who are unique because when they have a glimpse at this truth, this universal truth, they pay attention to it and express it, and don't just dismiss it like most people do

So E is really into each individual believing in
and trusting him or herself

You'll see that he writes about. Well. First, conformity

He criticizes that people of his time for abandoning their own minds and their own wills for the sake of conformity and consistency.

They try to fit in with the rest of the world even though it is at odds with their beliefs and their identities

Therefore it is best to be a non-conformist, to do your own thing, not worrying about what other people think

That's an important point, he really drives this argument home throughout the essay

When you are reading, I want you to think about that, and why that kind of thought would be relevant to the readers of his time

Remember this is 1838, Self Reliance was a novel idea at the time, and the United State citizens were less secure about themselves as individuals and
as Americans

The country as a whole was trying to define itself

E wanted to give people something to really think about, help them to find their own way, and what it meant to be who they were

So that is something that I think is definitely as relevant today as it was then, probably especially among young adults like yourselves.

You know, college being a time to sort of really think about who you are and where you are going

Now, we already said that E really emphasizes non-conformity, right?

As a way to sort of not lose your own self and identity in the world, to have your own truth and not be afraid to listen to it?

Well, he takes this a step further.

Not conforming also means not conforming with yourself or your past. What does that mean?

If you've always been a certain way or done a certain thing, but it's not working for you anymore, or
you are not content, E says that it would be foolish to be consistent even with our past
focus on the future
that's what matters more. Inconsistency is good

He talks about a ship’s voyage, and this is one of the most famous bits of the essay

How the best voyage is made up of zigzag lines?

Up close, it seems a little all over the place, but from farther away the true path shows and in the end it justifies all the turns along the way

Don't worry if you are not sure where you are headed or what
your long term goals are,
stay true to yourself and it will makes sense in the end

I mean I can attest
to that. Before I was a literature professor, I was an accountant. Before that, I was a newspaper reporter.

My life is taking some pretty interesting turns, and here I am, very happy with my experiences and where they’ve brought me.

If you rely on yourself and trust your own talents, your
own interest, don't worry, your path will
make sense in the end

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9.27

听错：红色
拼写错误：蓝色
听漏：绿色

A new study finds a link between aggressive breast cancer and stress

But the lead researcher suggest the findings raise as many questions as they answer

The study included about 1000 breast cancer patients in Chicago white, black and Latina

Soon after diagnosis the women were interviewed to assess their level of stress

Then the researchers led by Garth H. Rauscher of University of Illinois at Chicago compared the stress scores with the race of the patient and the aggressiveness of their cancers

Black and Hispanic patients reported greater levels of stress than whites did

We also found that patients report greater stress were more likely to have more aggressive tumors

Previous research had found that American black and Latina women have, at the time they are diagnosed, more aggressive cancers than white women

But researchers can't decide if that’s because the minority women are somehow more susceptible to aggressive tumors
or because for socioeconomic reasons, their cancers are more likely not diagnosed until the disease has advanced to a more aggressive stage

So, is having the aggressive disease causing the stress or is stress causing the disease

Maybe some third factor is involved

R admits he is still a long way from the answer

And so it’s a very complicated issue to tease out what this means say that is suggests
the possibility that there may be a biologic role of stress in the development of breast tumors, that warrants further research

The researchers were only able to do the stress interview after women were diagnosed with breast cancer, so they had to assume that the level of stress faced by the patients was the same before their diagnoses than after

But R concedes that is a limitation of his study

Therefore, it's possible even likely that the process of diagnosis and the process of being treated influenced what they told us about their level of stress

R says more research is needed to better understand the relationship between stress and breast cancer

For a lot of reasons, it is probably good to minimize stress in our lives

But he cautions that his research does not mean that people who have had a stressful experience are necessarily at greater risk of aggressive breast cancer

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9.28

听错：红色
拼写错误：蓝色
听漏：绿色

Premature babies have more than their share of health problems early in life and now a new study finds they also face an increased risk of premature death well into adulthood.

Premature babies are more common now than worse they were a few decades ago in the US and many other countries, and medical advances mean that even very premature babies are more likely to survive

But does early birth have an impact on health when those babies grow up

To find out, Stanford University researcher XX and colleagues used a database of 670000 people born in Sweden in the 1970s

we found that people who were born preterm had a higher risk of dying in young adulthood than those who were born full-term

And that risk of mortality increased the earlier in pregnancy that
one was born

Even a baby born just a couple of weeks early had an increased risk of death decades later

That premature babies have a higher death rate
in the first years of life is not surprising. But Crump says it had been thought that the risk decreased as the child got older

We found that that was true, at least in late childhood
and adolescence

However, in young adulthood, an increased risk of mortality
reemerged

And that was due to various causes of including respiratory and heart
disease – conditions that may have cumulative
health effects that don’t manifest until young adulthood

A few years ago, a study published by the world health
organization
estimated that
globally, 10 percent of babies were born prematurely

Crump says the findings of his study underscore need to reduce the number of preterm births

It is extremely important for pregnant women to have regular prenatal care to reduce their risk of delivering preterm

And also for survivors of preterm births to avoid other risk factors, for disease like smoking or obesity in order to offset the increased risk that we found

Many air travelers in the US gladly pay extra-sometimes a lot extra-to ride in first class rather than coach

Up front, they enjoy roomier seats, faster boarding and free drinks

And now the pay-to-be-pampered idea has come to America’s interstate highways as well

Many of these high-speed roads already have special uncrowded HOV or high occupancy vehicle lanes

Only cars carrying two or more, or sometimes 3 or more people can use them

The idea is that these less crowded HOV lanes will entice other drivers to join a car pool, so that they too can enjoy life in the fast lane

But experience has shown that most lone drivers just won’t give up their cars

And they are getting angrier and angrier at the lucky drivers zipping alone in the HOV lanes

So to appease them, ease traffic congestion in the regular lanes and create a new revenue source, many states have embraced a concept called HOT lanes

HOT, stands for high occupancy toll, and here is how it works

As in HOV lanes, drivers of cars with multiple occupants pay little or nothing to zip along in the HOT lanes

But for a steep toll, drivers with no one else in their car can use them too

Like first class airplane passengers, many lone drivers say they'll happily pay the charge just to cut sometime hassles from their commutes

V G and C are among the states building Hot lanes alongside existing super high ways

They argue that the
extra money single drivers kick in for access to the hot lanes will help pay for other transportation improvements such as, light-rail lines

But what if so many lone drivers jump at this chance that Hot lanes become just as jammed and slow moving as regular ones

American capitalism has the answer

If single-occupancy cars start plugging up the hot lanes, states plan to just keep raising their tolls

Then presumably enough drivers will slink back to the equivalent of the coach section of the road, enabling
traffic in the hot lanes to move briskly again

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9.29

听错：红色
拼写错误：蓝色
听漏：绿色

Listen to part of a lecture in a Biology Class

Good morning, class, today I thought we'd talk something bright and cheerful, the sun

I know most of you got to school before the sun came up, but can anyone tell me how they feel when it's sunny compared to how they feel when it is cloudy

I find that it is a lot easier to get up in the morning if it's sunny

Good, how do you usually feel if it's cloudy?

Well, I don't mind because I enjoy staying in on a rainy day curled up in bed with a good book

Well, what if I told you it would rain for weeks on end with no break?

Yeah, I can see your point. I don't think I would like that very much

Most of the articles we read lately regarding the sun are discussing the negative effects of staying in the sun for too long, saying that ultraviolet radiation from the sun is a major cause of skin cancer

Although these articles are factual, the sun does have some positive side effects as well

As a matter of fact, some scientists believe sunlight may reduce the risk of several types of cancer

Excuse me, but many articles I’ve read blame the sun for causing cancer, stating that it can take as little as 30 minutes to get a sunburn

Yes, and those articles are correct.

However, in small doses the sun can be quite healthy for you

In fact, recent studies have found that sunlight can
actually
help protect you from certain types of cancer such as breast, colon, bladder and stomach

More importantly, the sun provides us with our main source of Vitamin D

Well, I don't need to worry about Vitamins because I take multi-Vitamins
everyday

That's great, but wouldn’t it be better
if you didn't have to take them and you were able to get Vitamins in a more natural way. such as food and the sun

Most people understand that nutrients strengthen our bones and muscles and heighten our immune system to better
fight diseases like the common cold

However, many people don't realize that the ultraviolet or UV rays from the sun, actually convert ergo sterol, which is found in our skin to Vitamin D

Vitamin D is needed for normal growth teeth and bones, and has also been proven to prevent the development and increase of cancerous tumors

Does that mean we should spend all day in the sun without any protection?

No, spending roughly 10 minutes per day in the sun should be enough to supply us with all the
Vitamin D that we need

What happens if we don't get enough Vitamin D?

Excellent question, I'm glad you asked me that

Low Vitamin D can cause many diseases, such as chronic fatigue, a softening of the bones, osteoporosis, and multiple sclerosis

Getting back to our mood, some researchers have proven that sunshine can actually cheer you up

When I see the sun, I
always feel happy, energetic and generally positive

But did you realize that the sun can change your mood chemically, and might even prevent depression

There is a saying called Spring Fever, when many people feel the beginning of spring as a sign of the good days ahead

During the winter, many of us are stuck indoors out of the sun

The lack of sun causes for many people a condition called SAD, or seasonal Affective disorder

Sad is caused by suppression of serotonin which keeps our mood, emotions, sleep and appetite
in check

When we don't get enough, we feel depressed and this is usually experienced by people who are deprived of sunlight during the dull winter months

So class, during your break, why don't you step outside and get a bit of
Vitamin D

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9.30

Windows. Listen to part of the lecture in an Architecture class and answer the question.

Windows usually look like they’re all made of glass and wood.

However, there is
more to Windows than meet the eye.

Things that look like wood could be Aluminum, Vinyl or some other composite material.

As people prefer things that are “low-maintenance” there has been an explosion in materials that look like wood, being used for frames, they don't need sanding and painting, and still look like high quality wood.

Sometimes a layer of aluminum is used to coat the exterior surfaces of a window to provide a long lasting, low maintenance surface .

It is called cladding.

I think I should write down the word on the board.

It refers to the application of one material over another to provide a weather-proof layer.

For aluminum, there are fewer color opinions than with wood finishes and usually the thicker the aluminum is the more durable it is.

However, it doesn't have the insulating qualities of windows made of other materials, so they are not widely used.

VN is another popular low-maintenance option.

It can also be applied over other materials, like wood or wood products.

Like aluminum, the thicker the VN, the more durable it will be.

Composite windows, and VN windows are gaining popularity nowadays, as non-wood energy efficient and low maintenance alternatives which do not warp or rot like wood window can in extreme conditions.

Listen to part of a lecture in an Archeology class, and answer the question

OK, let's discuss another ancient people called the VKS.

Many people think about horned helmeted raiders, farmers and settlers when they discuss VKS

As a matter of fact, VKS were more than that, they also had a religion mainly C, they valued family, were known as great warriors and traded with many countries

For the purpose of our discussion, we are going to concentrate on the trade aspect of the VKS

The VKS knew that piracy served a limited purpose by providing only an irregular income, and at the same time, realized that that trade could provide a more regular means for providing wealth

This strong belief in trade led many of the Scandinavian VKS to trading goods rather than raiding villages, and stealing in what they wanted

They set up their trading spots in places like fishing camps, or small trading stations in both seasonal markets and densely settled towns

In some cases, these trading spots were the beginning of larger towns, which flourished during the VK Age, and were located in northwest, northern and eastern Europe, more commonly called Scandinavian

Believe it or not, some of these towns still exist today, and in some cases have grown in cities

Some of the abandoned VK age towns and marketplaces, have recently been excavated, and numerous goods have been discovered

These discoveries include remains of glass and pottery and beads, possibly from Asia

Some of what was left of the trade industries were also discovered such as the remnants from the making of everyday and luxury objects of glass, bone, antler, wood, iron, bronze and precious metals

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10.3

听错：红色
拼写错误：蓝色
听漏：绿色

Listen to part of a lecture in a health class and answer the question.

Let's look at this interesting piece of news. Oh，first, do any of you have a tattoo?

I've got an eagle on my back.

Anybody else? ... No? Okay. Did you know that 16% of adult Americans have tattoos? Christina, Aguilera and Beyonce have tattoos. Do you think they are safe? Did you know that absolutely no national regulations exist? When you get a tattoo, you put yourself at risk - allergies to the dyes, keloid scarring, and infections including hepatitis, tetanus and even HIV. Now isn't that scary!

If you still want one and you have thought about what it will look like in 30 years, there are some tips you should follow.

Everything should be clean and sanitary, even the appearance of the person doing the tattooing. Take a good look at the sterilizing equipment. Does it have a recent testing certificate?

If you can, try to watch someone else getting tattooed. The needles, in sterilized packages of course, should be opened in front of the customer. There should be a biohazard container for ones that have
been used. Watch
the
artist to see if he or she changes gloves after touching things other than needles. There are no regulations governing tattooing, but there are state licensing regulations. Look for the certificate on the wall. If the artist belongs to Alliance of Professional Tatooists, that's a sign of a good reputation. Be patient. Your tattoo will take seven to ten days to heal.

SAP(Samuel Adu-Poku)

Listen to part of a lecture in an Education class and answer the question

Recently, we discussed the research of SAP, an African Canadian

He considered the curriculum in the average
North America school under the perspective of regarding Africa as being the cradle of civilization

He discussed how north American education disadvantages students of African
descent by not recognizing Africa as being the source of many discoveries and knowledge

He explained how north American writers incorrectly attribute many discoveries and early knowledge to European sources

Adu-Poku
recommended the reorganization of some North American art courses to provide a multi-cultural view point that acknowledges African discoveries and to encourage African children to learn the traditions of their African ancestors

In total, Adu-Poku's research helped to expose our assumptions as readers and show us where we are positioned

For North American readers this relative position would be different from
that of Asian readers and both would be different from that of Adu-Poku

As a North American I was made aware of my historical view relative to Great Britain and Europe

His writing made me aware of my position

Did any of you experience a shift in your view point

Adu-Poku's research confronted me also with some of my assumptions

It certainly showed me how education can instill prejudicial attitudes that can mark learners for life and limit one’s experience and views of others

I would like to think some more about this today

Specifically, I would like to examine other ways in which education is not an advantage

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10.05
Scientists investigating a popular herbal treatment for enlarged prostate, sawpalmetto, have concluded it is no moreeffective than a placebo.
That conclusion comes from a study whichincluded hundreds of men in their fortiesand older.
As men age,the prostate gland often gets larger. Theprostate surrounds the urethra,which carries urine from the bladder to the penis.An enlarged prostate can impede the flow of urine, causing a variety of symptoms.
There are prescriptiondrugs which can ease symptoms, but many men prefer the "natural"alternative: an extract from the saw palmetto tree, native to the American Southeast.
"It's actually a very complex extract. It has quite a number of differentchemicals and molecules within it, severalof which are plausible agents to affect the waya man urinates, toeven shrink the prostate," Dr. Gerald L.Andreiole of Washington University MedicalSchool in St. Louis is one of the co-authored a paper describinga new study on the effectiveness of Saw palmettoo.
The men in the study were randomly assigned to two groups - one got progressively larger dosesof saw palmetto; the other group got a placebo - a dummy pill. It was a double-blind study - neither the participants norstaff knew who was getting which.
They filled out a standard questionnaire used by urologiststo assess prostate enlargement. It includes questions like, "How many times did you need to get up [to urinate] atnight, how often did you experience frequency, urgency,the sense of incomplete bladder emptying.This is a standard symptom score that has been used for close to20 years."
By the end of thestudy, after about 16 months, Andriole says thesymptom scores improved for both groups of men. "But there wasno difference in the magnitude of symptomscore improvement between placebo and saw palmetto."
And increasing the dose of saw palmetto didn't make any difference. Some critics found fault with aprevious study that found no benefit from saw palmetto, saying the dosages were too low.
Saw palmetto is safe and, thanks to the so-called "placeboeffect," it does improve symptoms,but Andriole says it doesn't address moreserious prostate conditions "such as urinary tract infections, complete inability to urinate,or even the need to have surgery. The drugs wehave significantly reduce a man's chance of ever experiencingthose, in addition to improving his symptoms," Andriole says.
He adds that since sawpalmetto does not require a prescription, henotes that patients who use the herbalsupplements might not see a doctor. That raises the risk that much moreserious problems, like the early stages of prostatecancer, might go undiagnosed.

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10.6
Listen to part of a lecture in an Economicsclass
Now when I mentionthe terms boom and bust, what does that bring to mind?
The dot comcrash of the 90s. OK
The boom in the late 1990s when all thosenew internet companies sprang up and were then sold forhuge amounts of money
Then the bust around 2000 2001 when many of thesesame Internet companies went out of business
Of course booms are not always followed bybusts
We’vecertainly seen timeswhen local economies expanded rapidly for awhile and then wentback to a normal pace ofgrowth
But there is a type of rapid expansion
what might be called the hysterical or irrational boom that pretty muchalways leads to a bust
See. people often create and intensify a boom when they get carried away by somenew industry that seems like it will make them lotsof money fast
You’d thinkthat by the 90s people would have learned from the past. If they did, well, look at Ts(tulips)
Ts(tulips)? youmean like the flower?
Exactly. For instance, do you have any idea where Ts(tulips) are from? Originally I mean
Well, N, right? That's what most peoplethink . But no. They are not native to N, or even Europe. Ts(tulips) actually hail from an
area the Chinesecall, the S(Celestial) mountains in central Asia
A very remote mountainous region
It was Turkish nomads who
firstdiscovered Ts and spread them slowly westward
Now around the16th century Europeans were traveling to I andTurkey as merchants and diplomats, and the Turks often gave the Europeans T bulbs as gifts, which they would carry home with them
For the Europeans,Ts were totally unheard of, a great novelty
The first bulbsto show up in the N,the merchant who receivedthem roasted and ate them, they thought they were a kind of onion
It turns out that the N was an ideal country for growing Ts
It had theright kind of sandy soil for one thing, but also it was a wealthy nation with a growing economy, willing to spend lotsof money on new exotic things
Plus, the Dutch hada history of gardening, wealthy people would compete spending enormous amounts of money to buy the rarest flowers for theirgardens
Soon Ts were beginningto show up in different colors as growers tried to breed themspecifically for colors which would make them even more valuable
But they were never completely sure whatthey would get
Some of themost priced Ts were white with purple streaks,or red with yellow streaks on the petals, even a darkpurple T that was very much priced
What happened then was a craze for these specialized Ts, we call that crazeT mania
So here we’ve gotall the conditions for an irrational boom: a prospering economy,so more people had more disposable income
Money to spend on luxuries, but they weren’t experienced at investing their new wealth
Then along comes a thrillingnew commodity, sure the first specimens were just plain ordinary tulips, but they could be bred into someextraordinary variations, like that dark purple tulip
And finally, you havean unregulated market place
No government constraints, where price could explode, and explode theydid, starting in the 1630s
There wasalways much more demand for Ts than supply
Ts didn't bloom frequently like roses, Tsbloomed once in the early Spring and that was it for the year
Eventually, specially-bredmulti-colored Ts became so valuable, well, accordingto records, one tulip bulb was worth 24 tons of wheat or a thousandpounds of cheese
One particular T b was sold and exchanged for asmall ship
In other words, Ts were literally worth their weight in gold
As demand grew,people began selling promissory notes guaranteeing the future deliveryof priced tulip bulbs
The buyers of thesepieces of paper would resellthe notes at marked up prices
These promissorynotes kept changing hands from buyer to buyer until the tulip was ready for delivery
But it was all pure speculation because asI said, there's no way to know if the bulb wasreally going to produce the variety, the color that was promised
But that didn’tmatter to
the owner of the note. The owner only cared about having that piece of paper, so it couldbe traded later at aprofit
And people were borrowing, mortgaging homes in manycases to obtain those bits of paper because they were sure they’d find an easy way to make money
So now you've got all the ingredients for a hugebust, and bust it did, when one cold February morning in1637, a group of b traders got together and discovered thatsuddenly there were no bidders, nobodywanted to buy
Panic spread like wild fire and the tulipmarket collapsed totally