| Study Demonstrates Long-Term Durability of Plicator Procedure
Patients treated for gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) using the endoscopic Plicator procedure show long-term benefits in reducing reflux disease symptoms with no need for long-term prescription antacids, according to a study led by doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). .
Marathon gives new outlook on Japan
Six months ago, my knowledge of Tokyo geography was restricted to the rainbow lines of the subway map. Save for a few clusters of streets that I had food-related reasons to frequent, I felt annoyingly like a tourist whenever I ventured outside my local area. Now, thanks to months of directionless running in a bid to toughen up ahead of the 22nd Naha Marathon, I can find my way back to my apartment from almost anywhere within a 42.195-kilometer radius. With more than 20,000 people descending on Okinawa over the marathon weekend, it couldn’t have been easy to stage the race. In true Japanese style, of course, the precision of the organization was obsessive — although the insistence that 20,000 runners take off their sneakers before entering the registration hall made life a little complicated.
Another World is Possible
Noted presenters included Dr. Vandana Shiva, who spoke on the broken promises of the Green Revolution and the hope in the return of bio-diversity in some of India's farming regions where the crop yields are twice or three times as much as fields where pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used. Other notable presentations included a panel on Human Rights moderated by Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, and human rights crusader. Also of note was an afternoon presentation by the Kenya Debt Relief Network entitled: Cut funding to the World Bank - How to bring about radical reforms. It was pointed out that the landing of Colombus's three ships in 1492 in the Americas brought about much negative change, and that the three "ships" named the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO were a real danger to Africa.
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