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One of the books I’m reading these days is The Medieval World written by German historian Friedrich Heer and published in 1961. After almost 65 years it is still one of the world’s very best overviews of medieval history. It covers all the major topics; economics, religion, agriculture, the class system and others. In his first chapter, Heer frames his time period as the years between 1100 and 1350. He notes that at the start of the period western and central Europe were gaining back some of the knowledge lost in the Dark Ages through new contacts with the Byzantine Empire, ...

Lifesaving facts to know about colon cancer screening

Timing is everything – that’s a familiar quip we’ve all heard. And with colon cancer screening, timing is vital. While colorectal cancer leads to 52,000 deaths each year, it’s among the most treatable cancers when caught early. Colorectal cancer is common with more than 150,000 new cases found each year, and it’s the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women combined. Doctors recommend people get screened for it starting at age 45, yet people with a family history are encouraged to start earlier. Our physicians recommend colonoscopy, first and ...

Work through your fears

One emotion that we hope to experience rarely is fear. Fear should not be confused with anxiety or stress. Anxiety is what you feel when faced with a possible, imagined, anticipated, future threat. Maybe a policeman behind you turns on his lights and siren. His actions may have,nothing to do with you. Maybe your boss unexpectedly summons you to his office. It could be for a good reason. With anxiety you worry, you are tense, your heart rate increases, etc. When we are in a state of stress we worry, we are facing a challenging situation that we just do not seem able to handle or ...

Marching toward spring

This winter hasn’t been too bad in our neck of the woods. We have little to complain about, but that won’t stop us from doing so. It’s not as if winter hasn’t left a mark. It has. We recently endured levels of subzero cold that are often associated with the formation of vast areas of new permafrost. When the mercury finally rose above zero, we weren’t sure if we could trust what our thermometers (who are known to be blatant exaggerators) were telling us. After venturing timidly outdoors, we exclaimed, “This is great! It’s almost 30 degrees! Where did I put my Parrot ...

Men also struggle with eating disorders

When we think of Eating Disorders we typically think of females. Depending on the study, about 90 percent of people with an eating disorder are women or girls. What is not mentioned or is ignored is that about 10 percent of people with eating disorders are males. There was a study that showed that male athletes with eating disorders number about one in five, or about 20 percent. The percentage can range depending on the study. There tends to be an underrepresentation of men in research on eating disorders. What is an eating disorder? It is a general term that refers to abnormal ...

Going on winter farm show adventures

It had been quite a while since I last attended a winter farm show, and it felt like I was long overdue. The only problem with going to a winter farm show is the “winter” part. It’s unfailingly cold in this neck of the woods when those particular events are held, but duh, it’s wintertime. Strolling around and perusing the booths and exhibits, it pleased me to see numerous young parents with children in tow. I thought, “Why aren’t those munchkins in school?” but then it dawned on me that it was Saturday. Time flies when you don’t know what you’re doing. A nice ...