Talking Hoops Ep. 8: the NBA Lockout, Celtics new TV deal and competitive balance

In the latest episode of Talking Hoops, WEEI.com’s Paul Flannery is joined by SB Nation NBA editor Tom Ziller to talk about the lockout, the Celtics new TV deal, competitive balance and the impact of Yao Ming. Ziller also provides an update on the Sacramento Kings situation and makes a list of all the things he’s looking forward to next season, if there is a next season.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports

Adrian talked about how there is a real chance they lose an entire NBA season due to the lockout, the issues between the owners and players, how the owners are looking for rollbacks on many existing deals, if owners will have to honor the current contracts, if he agrees that 22 teams in the league are actually losing money and how some free agents could go over to Europe and play during the lockout.

Ken Berger, CBS Sports

Ken joined Chris Mannix and Kirk Minihane to discuss the latest news and rumors surrounding the NBA lockout and if games could be missed next season.

I Think My Daughter has numerical dyslexia. Shes 12 Years Old and She still Finds it Extremely Hard to Add up Simple Sums Like 15 and 15! She Finds it Hard to Remember Number Sequences and things she learnt In School. She's really intelligent where things like Art and English Are Concerned, But Scene As Shes So good at Writing, when it Comes to Numbers She even writes Them backwards! I'm Dyslexic and so is my son and we both have ADHD too accompanied by it. does anybody know whether its worth a test because the tests are a lot of money. and Also what are the actual symptoms and is there some sort of cure of something to keep it under wraps, because sometimes she comes home upset not being able to do the things that other children can and she says that she's so embarassed when teachers ask her questions out loud that she just simply cant do, Please can somebody help? Im quite worried!

i have the same thing what i do is that i sit up front during math class and have a notetaker for me then after class i go over the math with my teacher (i'm in college and never have gotten past pre-algebra before) my mom's worried too wants me to go to the tutorial center every day even on weekends but it's not open on weekends. i also ask friends to help me with the math.

hello i have the same problem and last year i was finaly statemented dyslexic, i also have dyscalculier (number dyslexia) and dyspaxia(coordination) there is numerouse things u could try to help it it. i myself am undergoing the dore programme the best thing to do is get a test done to get it diagnosed then fgo from there

There are assessment centres where your child will be tested to see how things are going. however, you have to weigh up the options of 'labeling' your child with the stigma of having something wrong with them, but on the other hand, the child may feel significantly less stressed when they find out why they are experiencing these difficulties. Also you dont want your child to think… I cant do that, I have a problem with Maths, and be put off applying for jobs or even going out with friends; for example shopping, because it uses Maths. your decision!

Look up the computer at the
DORE PROGRAMME.
Excellent outfit.

Dyslexia was first described by Hinshelwood in 1896. Orton originally hypothesized that dyslexia results from a dysfunction in visual memory and visual perception due to a delayment in maturation. most dyslexics also display poor writing ability. Dyslexia is a classical primary reading disorder and should be differentiated from secondary disorders such as mental retardation, educational or environmental deprivation, or physical/organic diseases. the disorder results as a combination of genetic and environmental causes, which can induce variations in the behavioral, cognitive, and physiological measures related to reading disability. Dyslexia was previously called congenital word blindness. Dyslexia is a reading disorder, not caused by lowered motivation, inadequate learning opportunity or any overt neurological disability. Reading is a complex process which involves multiple systems to process the information cognitively and physiologically. In simple terms reading typically begins with a visual sensation stimuli and processing the text via the visual pathway in the brain (from the retina in the eye, the impulse goes in the brain to the lateral geniculate nuclei and primary visual cortex, the occipital lobe, located in the back of the head, which functions to process and integrate incoming visormation). Input information from vision is probably integrated with other neuronal systems that include language-specific rules, learned information and symbolic images into components of language thinking related to reading. Reading-related thinking is correlated with high activity in the left-hemisphere cortical regions, and language processing centers in the brain. Additionally, learning to read is also related to the learning process, which is mediated by the cerebellum and on relay feedback mechanisms between related areas of the brain.

Deficits in reading may stem from disruptions of simple sensory impairments to more complex problems involving thinking related to language. there are several subtypes of dyslexias and they can be categorized as either central or peripheral dyslexias (of which there are two, attentional dyslexia and neglect dyslexia), which result from impairment to brain processes that are capable of converting letters on the page into visual word forms. there are two types of peripheral dyslexias called attentional dyslexia, and neglect dyslexia. the attentional dyslexia subtype is a rare disorder of attention control, typically correlated with damage to the left parietal lobe (located on the sides of the head). the attentional dyslexia causes an impairment of reading words in sentences, since the defect causes many words to be visible at the same time. Neglect dyslexia is usually due to brain damage, and causes an impairment of reading because the affected person misidentifies letters in certain spatial regions of either a word or a group of words. the defect for neglect dyslexia subtype is associated with the right parietal lobe. Neglect dyslexia can be further divided into left neglect dyslexia and right neglect dyslexia. In the left neglect dyslexia subtype, the affected person experiences difficulty reading initial letters of the word, which may cause a letter(s) to be substituted, omitted or added. the right neglect dyslexia subtype causes a patient to have letter errors at the end of the word.

Letter-by-letter reading (LBL, pure alexia, or pure word blindness) is another form of peripheral dyslexia causing patients to have very slow reading performance with large effects on word length and response time. there is damage to the prestriate cortex of the occipital cortex and most patients also have a dense right visual field deficit. the damage impairs the word-form system in an abnormal way so that written words seem as random letter strings.

Central dyslexias are typically caused by disruption to neuronal processes correlated with sound analysis and meaning of written words. there are two major subtypes of central dyslexias which either impair semantic reading or nonsemantic reading. Semantic reading dyslexia is also referred to as deep and phonologic dyslexia. Semantic reading is due to extensive damage to the left hemisphere which results in a deficit whereby patients can only assemble the pronunciation of a word by first assessing its meaning. Affected individuals also make visual errors when reading. Nonsemantic reading, due to damage of the left temporal lobe causes patients to have difficulty reading exception words (i.e. shove), but can read correctly words that are common and similar (i.e. love).

Demographics

It is thought that dyslexia is the most common neurobehavioral disorder affecting children. the prevalence (existing cases) ranges from 5-10% of school-aged children (school and clinic identified) in the United States. however, these rates may be significantly more (up to 17.5%) in unselected populations. Research indicates that dyslexia is a chronic and persistent disorder. Evidence concerning gender predilection remains controversial. Dyslexia may also co-occur with another disorder called attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, 40% comorbidity). Dyslexia affects approximately 80% of children identified as manifesting a learning disorder.

Causes and symptoms

Persons affected with dyslexia have dysfunction developing an awareness of spoken and written words and segmenting smaller units of sound that are essential in an alphabetic language like English. Patients lose the ability to link and map printed symbols (letters) to sound.

Dyslexia runs in families. Studies demonstrate concordance rates of 68% for monozygotic twins and 37% for dizygote twins (Colorado Twin Study of Reading Disability). however, the genetic transmission is not simple and does not follow classical knowledge of trait heritability. Findings suggest that several genetic factors determine reading ability and the interactions of some or all factors determine the ultimate ability to read.

Evidence from neurobiological research utilizing high resolution imaging techniques, and brain measurement studies indicate differences in left temporo-parieto-occipital brain regions in dyslexic patients when compared to nonimpaired readers. furthermore, evidence using functional brain imaging techniques in adult and children with dyslexia demonstrates a failure of normal left hemisphere posterior brain systems during reading with increased brain activation in frontal regions. This data indicates that impairment of posterior reading systems results in a disruption of the smoothly functioning and integrated reading system seen in nonimpaired persons. the impairment of posterior reading systems causes dyslexic persons to shift to ancillary neuronal systems to compensate for the deficit. it is the impairment in the posterior reading systems that prevents the development of skilled reading. Postmortem studies (confirmed in live subjects using MRI imaging) indicate a lack of symmetry in language-associated regions in the brain. the abnormal symmetry is associated with the common linguistic deficits that are characteristic of dyslexia.

The specific signs of dyslexia in both adults and school-aged children are similar. Patients exhibit inaccurate and labored decoding, word recognition, and text reading. They also exhibit difficulties in spelling and remain slow readers. Typical early symptoms can include difficulty playing rhyming games and problems with learning numbers and letters. Children often avoid reading independently and are unusually happy at the opportunity for parents to read to them.

Diagnosis

All cases and ages are diagnosed clinically by a combination of careful medical history, observation and psychological testing. there is no one test that is sufficient to render a definitive diagnosis. Rather, the diagnosis is made based on the results of all the clinical data attained. Dyslexia can be distinguished from other learning disorders by identifying the phonologic deficit. Family history and collateral data obtained from school and test results are essential. Tests to determine attention, memory, intelligence and math and language skills may be administered to establish the diagnosis.

Treatment team

The treatment team can consist of a neurologist, a pediatrician, and special education instructors. A clinical psychologist can perform psychological assessments (psychometric testing) to help establish the diagnosis. School and/or college counselors also comprise part of an effective and integrated treatment team.

Treatment

The management for dyslexic patients is lifelong. Early identification and intervention (remediation) of reading deficits involves specialist education. Intervention programs must systematically and explicitly teach phonics ensuring a clear understanding of how letters are linked to sounds (phonemes) and spelling. Typically individualized teaching is recommended to provide a balanced remedial program providing systematic instruction on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary fluency and comprehension strategies. A well-integrated treatment program also includes opportunities for writing, reading, and discussing literature. A well-executed treatment program considers each component of the reading process to improve phonemic awareness and the ability to manipulate speech sounds.

Treatment for older persons (high school, college, and graduate school) is accommodation rather than remediation. College students require extra time with examination and reading/writing assignments. Other accommodations include recorded books, tape recorders in the classroom, tutorial services, alternatives to multiple choice questions and computer availability with spelling checkers.

Recovery and rehabilitation

Rehabilitation for dyslexics is a lifelong process. Early intervention in younger patients consists of a highly structured, integrated, systematic and explicit treatment program. A balanced treatment program should include the meaning and phonetic approaches to reading to ultimately improve language development (since dyslexia is a language-based disorder.) the program should allow for personalized instruction. Older persons require accommodation in college and at work versus remediation.

Clinical trials

There are two current clinical research trials entitled: Comprehensive Program to Improve Reading and Writing Skills in At-Risk and Dyslexic Children; and Using MRI to Evaluate Instructional Programs for Children with Developmental Dyslexia. Information can be obtained from ClinicalTrails.com.

Prognosis

Dyslexia is a lifelong disorder, but improvement is possible. Multiple learning disabilities can be expected, since the brain connections for reading, spelling, listening, speaking, and writing are part of the linguistic system. the prognosis can ultimately depend on associated comorbidities (other disorders associated with the primary disorder), early detection and intervention, and an intensive and comprehensive treatment plan.

Special concerns

Early recognition, intervention, and family members are important. Remediation programs must be delivered by highly-trained specialists, and treatment should be individualized.

Resources

BOOKS

Behrman, Richard, E., et al., eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 17th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2004.

PERIODICALS

Brow, W. E., A. L. Reiss, and S. Eliez. "Preliminary evidence of widespread morphological variations of the brain in dyslexia." Neurology 56, no. 6 (March 2001).

Bub, Danial. "Alexia and related reading disorders." Neurological clinics 21, no. 2 (May 2003).

Francks, C., and L. Macphie. "the genetic basis of dyslexia." the Lancet Neurology 1, no. 8 (December 2002).

Olitsky, Scott E. "Reading disorders in children." Pediatric Clinics of North America 50, no. 1 (February 2003).

Wood, F., and E. L. Grigorenko. "Emerging Issues in the Genetics of Dyslexia: A Methodological Preview." Journal of Learning Disabilities 34, no. 6 (November-December 2001).

WEBSITES

Dyslexia. dyslexia.com.

The International Dyslexia Association. interdys.org.

Can you talk to her teacher?
I understand you are worried but some children are great at English and poo at Maths, and vice versa.
With all due respect your family seems to live by labels, maybe your daughter is being affected by your attitude?
Try to relax a bit more and maybe your daughter will relax too.
As far as I understand it ADHD is not hereditary, a good teacher will help if your daughter is dyslexic.
Wish you all well. x

i got numerical dyslexia and i surprisingly did really good in math well harder math at least i would mix up munbers like 3452 i would mix up the numbers my dad has the same problem and he's a very successful buisnessman. it jus takes a lil more time to do math and stuff but it was jus frustrating at times

I am mainly numerically dyslexic. I am from Scotland, alos where we have the NHS (lol).

But there is no known cuare, I was diagnosed when in my twenties (2' 0'zs)

That took me twenty minutes to come up with that.

I was good at chemical equasions and algebra and trig because it was symbol based, maybe if you asked her tiachers to do that
for maths, it will make more sense, ie. objects being used for in place of numbers ie. two bottle milk-one bottle milk=one bottle milk etc. you percieve it a different wy eyc.

Sorry I dont hv time to spell check it, when I do it is moore confusink.

Louie xx

Bella (my guinea pig) has lost a lot of weight. her symptoms are nose and eye discharge, weight lose, constipation, and she seems to lose balance every time I put her down (by falling down on one side). I CAN"T take her to the vet. my mom says it's too much money, and that we can use things that will treat her at home.(I have an orange because I thought she had scurvy). I need to diagnose her that way I can treat her. At first I thought it was scurvy or malocclusion, but now I'm not so sure. she is about 4 years old, but I can't be sure since I got her from a pet store and adopted her. do you have any idea what is wrong with her? Please help.

also, I always gave her some baby carrots every night before I went to bed that way she could have a midnight snack. she never goes to sleep without them. Now that she's sick, she doesn't eat anything. what I'm needing is some ways to feed her that won't hurt her.

I agree with kathy….
the poor animal is suffering, you should not have gotten the animal if you could not afford vet bills. the poor thing is suffering. give her to someone that can take care of her properly. or put her up on petfinder.com but quickly! the poor thing is dying!!

I am so sorry:(. that is very sad and I can definitely feel how much you love her. looking back at your other questions, it seems she has been sick for over a month. Have you tried calling a vet and asking questions? A sympathetic one may give you information as to what is happening and maybe some ways to treat it at home. I don't know what else to say, but I think that calling and asking questions would be the best way. Make sure that you call an exotics vet.

Once again, I'm sorry. that is very sad and there is nothing that you or your mom can do. if you don't have enough money, you don't have enough money. Try doing a super-fundraiser for her. Go door to door in your neighborhood(but stay safe) and tell people what is happening and that you cannot take her to the vet. some people might be really generous in helping.

You other people need to tone it down a bit. if they are on a fixed budget, no one can do anything. Guinea pigs getting sick is uncommon if they are cared for well, and I'm sure this would be as unexpected as a child getting cancer, but it does happen.

Make your guinea pig as comfortable as possible. Clean it's eyes and nose often, wash her bottom and try to get her to go. Try hand feeding her. look for a bottle formula for kittens. that is what is recommended for baby guinea pigs, so at least it will give her nutrients, then feed it to her with something that you can squeeze into her mouth.

Give the animal to someone who WILL take her to the vet. Yell at your mom that she is unfair she takes YOU to the doctor when you are sick and that is WAY more money than a vet visit. either that or put the poor thing down. she is dying and you and your mom are letting her die in a very slow and painful way. tell your mom not to buy any more animals until she grows up and is responsible enough to take it to the vet. Its HER fault NOT yours you are just a kid.

You NEED to take her to the vet. I'm sorry that your mom won't let you – but you need to get her to the vet ASAP. do you have someone who can take her there? they often allow you to have payment plans. if you cannot find someone or the finanical means to do so, as sad as this is, you will HAVE to rehome her to someone who can take her to the vet, QUICKLY, if you want her to live. if it's scurvy, an orange will NOT treat it. if anything, it will give her mouth sores. I would also stop feeding her baby carrots, and limit to one a day – the high levels of oxalic acid in them can bind with calcium to cause stones.

Loss of balance can indicate an ear infection. Constipation/no feces could indicate anorexia, which is very dangerous. (Anorexia in Guinea Pigs is not eating) it could also indicate bloat. Nose and eye discharge is an indication of a URI. All are fatal if not treated by a cavy-savvy vet.

She NEEDS to have something in her stomach if she hasn't eaten in 6-12 hours. do you have Critical Care onhand? if not, make a pellet mash and syringe feed it to her. I've gotten free syringes at CVS pharmacy. guinealynx.info/handfeeding.h…

A link to find a cavy-savvy vet –
guinealynx.info/vet.html

Your mom is wrong. except for scurvy, most illnesses (and from the symptoms, the one your Guinea Pig has) cannot be treated by anything at home without a cavy-savvy vet. Scurvy (which it does NOT sound like your Guinea Pig has) can be treated by Vitamin C supplements.

Please get her to the vet asap!

It being the New Year’s resolution season, the top things on everyone’s lists seem to be eat healthy and save money.However, these aren’t just goals to which we should aspire once a year. Everyone would probably agree that we always want to save money and we always want to eat healthy.but take a look around the grocery store, and you quickly come to a reasonable conclusion: It’s cheaper to chow down on a box of Ding Dongs than eat a bag of salad.true, that’s an apples-to-oranges comparison, but let’s be honest: we all know it’s better for you to eat apples and oranges than Ding Dongs (with all due respect to the good people at Hostess).but eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. you can transfer that excess weight from your belly to your wallet by making some simple changes.Healthy Eating Cheap Tip No. 5: Mmm … Refreshing >>

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12.29.2010– Kelli Sargent lost her mother Nanci to ovarian cancer, which if it had been detected early could have saved her life, but because symptoms are nebulous and often discounted, Nanci lost her life to the disease. out of response and an awakening that the disease created, Kelli set out to design a run/walk to rasie money and awareness for ovarian cancer. since the first run for Her many years ago, 13,000 participants have raised $3 million for ovarian cancer. “Never in a million years would I ever have imagined this,” said Kelli Sargent, who has since gone to work in community relations at the famous Cedars-Sinai Hospital, which sponsors the event. run for Her has spread to several other U.S. cities and five other countries, and Sargent’s goal this year was to register runners, walkers or donors in all 50 states. Kelli’s connection to a foundation for ovarian cancer started in the summer of 2000, when Kelli was headed to London for an internship, but almost didn’t get on the plane. Her mother, Nanci, hadn’t been feeling well for a few months, and Kelli was worried. Then again, her mother had beaten a grim prognosis years earlier with Hodgkin’s disease. Kelli’s parents convinced her everything would be fine, so off she went to London. a few weeks later, she got a call from home. “My parents told me it was ovarian cancer and I burst into tears.” for her master’s thesis at the University of San Francisco, where she was studying sports management, Kelli Sargent designed a marketing plan for a 5k run and walk. it would later become known as run for Her. At the Cedar’s Women’s Cancer Research Institute, the lab staff has doubled to about 40 in recent years, in part because of the money raised by run for Her. Their research is aimed at finding better ways to screen for ovarian cancer, as well as to study genetic and environmental factors and to develop more effective treatment. Kelli’s mother participated in the first three run for Her events, but the cancer eventually spread to her brain and she died in 2008, roughly nine years after being diagnosed. She was 62. when caught early, ovarian cancer is highly treatable, but late diagnosis is very common — and often deadly because the symptoms are often vague, not the sort of thing that send a person to rushing to the doctor. Even when a woman does go in early, doctors often don’t suspect cancer immediately, as happened in Nanci Sargent’s case. Motivated by her mother’s 10-year battle with cancer and inspired by her continued courage. Kelli’s mom, Nanci, lost her battle to ovarian cancer, but her strength, inspiration and compassion will continue through run for her. Kelli works to fulfill Nanci’s dream of saving the lives of the women in our life. runforher.com; bit.ly/runforher; youtube.com/watch?v=7Zx0hn2L3Bc Historically, ovarian cancer has been called the “silent killer” because symptoms often became apparent so late in the process that chances of a cure were poor.a catchy phrase, but it is wrong, according to a consensus statement released Tuesday by the American Cancer Society, the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. In fact, these experts say, recent medical studies show identifiable symptoms often do exist for ovarian cancer, even in the early stages. the most common of these are: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling full quickly, urinary symptoms, such as urgent or frequent feelings of needing to go.each year in the United States, more than 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 15,000 women die of the disease. the American Cancer Society estimates that about 21,550 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the United States during 2009. 14,600 deaths are expected to be caused by ovarian cancer in the United States in 2009.According to the data, the mortality rates for ovarian cancer have not improved in thirty years since the “War on Cancer” was declared. however, other cancers have shown a marked reduction in mortality, due to the availability of early detection tests and improved treatments. unfortunately, this is not the case with ovarian cancer, which is still the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers.Kelli Sargent is interviewed on Deborah Dachinger’s Dare to Dream radio show with upbeat, informative, and touching conversation. Dare to Dream was created to inspire listeners to take steps towards their dreams and turn those goals into a reality. the “Dare to Dream” radio show has been featured in Yahoo News, Earth Times, and Singapore Star News. the show won the “Intriguing Creator” award from YouPublish, an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award from Elite VIP, and inducted into the W.C. Mepham Who’s who Alumni Hall of Fame.DARE TO DREAM Links: deborahdachinger.com Fan Page ~ Dare-to-Dream-radio & tvYouTube.com/debontheradio twitter.com/DebOnTheRadio

LONDON (Reuters) – The severity of Parkinson's disease symptoms could be monitored remotely by analyzing speech patterns, saving health authorities time and money and easing the burden on patients, scientists said Wednesday.

Researchers from Britain and the United States analyzed almost 6,000 speech recordings from 42 people with Parkinson's and developed algorithms using the data to estimate how bad the symptoms were.

The results, published in the Royal Society's journal Interface, showed the algorithms were close to assessments made by doctors.

"Currently, monitoring requires frequent visits to hospital where people with Parkinson's are physically examined by expert clinicians in order to assess their symptom severity, putting a strain on both patients and hospital resources," said Max little of Britain's Oxford University, who worked on the study.

The researchers said they believed the technique, which could be used with patients' speech recordings or over the telephone, could help ease the resource burden on health systems and make it possible to run large-scale trials of experimental treatments for Parkinson's.

Parkinson's is a fatal and incurable brain disease that affects between one percent and two percent of people over the age of 65. it often affects the patient's ability to speak clearly, and sufferers also have tremors, sluggish movement, muscle stiffness and difficulty with balance.

Little said the study provided good evidence that speech impairment and the average overall severity of other Parkinson's disease symptoms are very closely linked, suggesting that symptom severity can be measured just by analyzing speech.

"this sort of remote monitoring — or 'telemonitoring' — of people's health is particularly important for people with Parkinson's who may find it difficult to make frequent hospital visits," he said in statement.

"The hope is that our research could pave the way for very large clinical studies of new treatments for Parkinson's where the sort of frequent monitoring required would not otherwise be affordable."

The researchers compared estimates made using the new technique with assessments made by doctors and rated on a standard measure for Parkinson's severity called the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS).

They found that, based on around 140 speech samples from each of the 42 patients, the estimates made using the algorithms differed from doctors' UPDRS ratings by around two points.

SOURCE: link.reuters.com/max85q Journal of the Royal Society Interface, online November 17, 2010.