Vagueness and Ambiguity

This week the Legal Theory Lexicon entry focuses on "ambiguity" and "vagueness"–two important concepts for the theory of interpretation.  Some legal texts are ambiguous–they can have two or more distinct meanings.  And some legal texts are vague–they use concepts that have indefinite application to particular cases.  And some legal texts are both vague and ambiguous–they have multiple meanings, some (or all) of which have indefinite applications.  Because "vagueness" and "ambiguity" are basic concepts in the theory of interpretation, its important to master each of them and to understand the difference between them.

As always, this entry in the Legal Theory Lexicon is aimed at law students, especially first year law students, with an interest in legal theory.

Click to read

General Blog

Ellis on Voter Identification Laws


    This article argues that photo identification laws represent a continuation of the use of economic forces as a way to block people of lower economic status from participation in the electorate. These laws are similar to other restrictions on the franchise, such as property requirements and poll taxes, because the rules required the voter to demonstrate the ability to meet an economic test – the ability to show a certain property value, the ability to pay a tax, or the ability to obtain a photo ID. The potential effect of such photo-voter identification laws is that the voters at the lowest end of the socioeconomic scale are effectively excluded from voting because they are the least able to afford the cost of voting exacted by the law. This article contends that this type of exclusion is antithetical to the nature of democracy and ultimately constitutes a tyranny of the majority against the minority at the lowest level of socioeconomic status. This article begins by providing an overview of American photo-identification laws and discussing the modern cost of voting to the voter. Then it will discuss the history of voter access in the United States, with a focus on Harper v. Virginia, which held that the ability to pay a poll tax had no relationship with the right to vote and, the paper contends, articulated a vision of the right to vote unencumbered by class bias. The paper will then consider the potential socioeconomic impact of photo identification laws upon voters and how those impacts are similar to historical class-based discrimination. It will examine how the courts have been indifferent to the costs levied upon on the right to vote by voter identification laws – most recently in the Supreme Court’s decision in Crawford v. Marion County – and how that indifference tracks the conflict over the socioeconomic burdens of voting raised in Harper. Finally, the paper will recommend how to reframe the standards articulated in Harper to take into account this structural socioeconomic bias inherent in, and damaging to, the right to vote.

General Blog

A Theory Of Legal Argumentation


    What is to be understood by 'rational legal argument'? To what extent can legal reasoning be rational? Is the demand for rationality in legal affairs justified? And what are the criteria of rationality in legal reasoning? The answer to these questions is not only of interest to legal theorists and philosophers of law. They are pressing issues for practicing lawyers, and a matter of concern for every citizen active in the public arena. Not only the standing of academic law as a scientific discipline, but also the legitimacy of judicial decisions depends on the possibility of rational legal argumentation. 

General Blog Law

Cohen on Wartime Cases & the Lessons of History

    References to the “lessons of history” are ubiquitous in law. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in recent debates over U.S. counterterrorism policy. In response to the Bush Administration’s reliance on World War II-era decisions – Johnson v. Eisentrager, Ex Parte Quirin, Hirota v. MacArthur, and In re Yamashita – opponents have argued that these decisions have been rejected by the “lessons of history.” They argue that the history of wartime cases is one marked by executive aggrandizement, panic-driven attacks on civil liberties, and overly quiescent courts – none of which should be repeated. 


          Click for article

General Blog

International Law

On 17 December 2009, the Rome I Regulation (EU Regulation 593/2008) on the law applicable to contractual obligations comes into force and will be directly applicable in all EU Member States with the exception of Denmark. When we last reported on the draft Regulation, the UK was still considering whether to opt in. It decided to do so and a statutory instrument, The Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations (England and Wales and Northern Ireland) Regulations, adopting the EU Regulation into national law, will also come into force on 17 December. This will replace the Contracts (Applicable Law) Act 1990, which will then only apply to contracts concluded before 17 December 2009.


General Blog Law

Redundancy

Predictions that the number of redundancies in the UK would rise sharply during the credit crunch have been substantiated by the figures from the Office for National Statistics. The impact of the economic slowdown has also been demonstrated by fewer job vacancies and a rise in the number of redundancies particularly in the finance, business services and construction industries. 

Redundancy is one of the most traumatic events an employee may experience. Announcement of redundancies will invariably have an adverse impact on morale, motivation and productivity. The negative effects can be reduced by sensitive handling of redundant employees and those remaining.

Click for full UK resources

General Blog

Spe Salvi facti sumus……in hope we were saved

In the encyclical about hope running into about 75 pages, Pope Benedict is not proposing a facile hope in heaven undoing injustices of life on earth. Indeed, this is where he brings in Dostoyevsky. The Pope asserts that "the last Judgment is not primarily an image of terror, but an image of hope". A world without God is a world without hope, and "God is justice". Only God can provide the justice that sustains hope in the better future—the eternal life—for one and all. "God is justice and creates justice. This is our consolation and our hope. And in his justice there is also grace. This we know by turning our gaze to the crucified and risen Christ. Both these things—justice and grace—must be seen in their correct inner relationship."

With justice comes grace, yet "grace does not cancel out justice. It does not make wrong into right. It is not a sponge which wipes everything away, so that whatever someone has done on Earth ends up being of equal value. Dostoyevsky, for example, was right to protest against this kind of Heaven and this kind of grace in his novel "The Brothers Karamazov”. Evildoers, in the end, do not sit at table at the eternal banquet beside their victims without distinction, as though nothing had happened."

Click to read article

General Blog Religion & Philosophy

DNA Can Be Influenced and Reprogrammed by Words and Frequencies -Russian DNA Discoveries

Selected extracts from idea expressed by  Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf

The human DNA is a biological Internet and superior in many aspects to the artificial one. The latest Russian scientific research directly or indirectly explains phenomena such as clairvoyance, intuition, spontaneous and remote acts of healing, self healing, affirmation techniques, unusual light/auras around people (namely spiritual masters), the mind’s influence on weather patterns and much more.

In addition, there is evidence for a whole new type of medicine in which DNA can be influenced and reprogrammed by words and frequencies WITHOUT cutting out and replacing single genes.

Only 10% of our DNA is being used for building proteins. It is this subset of DNA that is of interest to western researchers and is being examined and categorized. The other 90% are considered "junk DNA. The Russian researchers, however, convinced that nature was not dumb, joined linguists and geneticists in a venture to explore those 90% of "junk DNA". Their results, findings and conclusions are simply revolutionary!

According to them, our DNA is not only responsible for the construction of our body but also serves as data storage and communication. The Russian linguists found that the genetic code, especially in the apparently useless 90%, follows the same rules as all our human languages. To this end they compared the rules of syntax (the way in which words are put together to form phrases and sentences), semantics (the study of meaning in language forms) and the basic rules of grammar.

They found that the alkalines of our DNA follow regular grammar and do have set rules just like our languages. So human languages did not appear coincidentally but are a reflection of our inherent DNA.

This means that they managed, for example, to modulate certain frequency patterns onto a laser ray and with it influenced the DNA frequency and thus the genetic information itself. Since the basic structure of DNA-alkaline pairs and of language (as explained earlier) are of the same structure, no DNA decoding is necessary. One can simply use words and sentences of the human language!

This, too, was experimentally proven! Living DNA substance (in living tissue, not in vitro) will always react to language-modulated laser rays and even to radio waves, if the proper frequencies are being used. This finally and scientifically explains why affirmations, autogenous training, hypnosis and the like can have such strong effects on humans and their bodies. It is entirely normal and natural for our DNA to react to language. While western researcher cut single genes from the DNA strands and insert them elsewhere, the Russians enthusiastically worked on devices that can influence the cellular metabolism through suitable modulated radio and light frequencies and thus repair genetic defects.

This way the entire information was transmitted without any of the side effects or disharmonies encountered when cutting out and re-introducing single genes from the DNA. This represents an unbelievable, world-transforming revolution and sensation! All this by simply applying vibration and language instead of the archaic cutting-out procedure! This experiment points to the immense power of wave genetics, which obviously has a greater influence on the formation of organisms than the biochemical processes of alkaline sequences.

Esoteric and spiritual teachers have known for ages that our body is programmable by language, words and thought. This has now been scientifically proven and explained. Of course the frequency has to be correct. And this is why not everybody is equally successful or can do it with always the same strength. The individual person must work on the inner processes and maturity in order to establish a conscious communication with the DNA. The Russian researchers work on a method that is not dependent on these factors but will ALWAYS work, provided one uses the correct frequency.

But the higher developed an individuals consciousness is, the less need is there for any type of device! One can achieve these results by oneself, and science will finally stop laughing at such ideas and will confirm and explain the results. And it doesn’t end there. The Russian scientists also found out that our DNA can cause disturbing patterns in the vacuum, thus producing magnetized wormholes! Wormholes are the microscopic equivalents of the so-called Einstein-Rosen bridges in the vicinity of black holes (left by burned-out stars).

These are tunnel connections between entirely different areas in the universe through which information can be transmitted outside of space and time. The DNA attracts these bits of information and passes them on to our consciousness. This process of hypercommunication is most effective in a state of relaxation. Stress, worries or a hyperactive intellect prevent successful hypercommunication or the information will be totally distorted and useless. In nature, hypercommunication has been successfully applied for millions of years. The organized flow of life in insect states proves this dramatically. Modern man knows it only on a much more subtle level as "intuition". But we, too, can regain full use of it.

An example from Nature: When a queen ant is spatially separated from her colony, building still continues fervently and according to plan. If the queen is killed, however, all work in the colony stops. No ant knows what to do. Apparently the queen sends the "building plans" also from far away via the group consciousness of her subjects. She can be as far away as she wants, as long as she is alive. In man hypercommunication is most often encountered when one suddenly gains access to information that is outside one’s knowledge base.

For years, a 42-year old male nurse dreamt of a situation in which he was hooked up to a kind of knowledge CD-ROM. Verifiable knowledge from all imaginable fields was then transmitted to him that he was able to recall in the morning. There was such a flood of information that it seemed a whole encyclopedia was transmitted at night. The majority of facts were outside his personal knowledge base and reached technical details about which he knew absolutely nothing.

Now that we are fairly stable in our individual consciousness, we can create a new form of group consciousness, namely one, in which we attain access to all information via our DNA without being forced or remotely controlled about what to do with that information. We now know that just as on the internet our DNA can feed its proper data into the network, can call up data from the network and can establish contact with other participants in the network.

Remote healing, telepathy or "remote sensing" about the state of relatives etc. can thus be explained. Some animals know also from afar when their owners plan to return home. That can be freshly interpreted and explained via the concepts of group consciousness and hypercommunication. Any collective consciousness cannot be sensibly used over any period of time without a distinctive individuality. Otherwise we would revert to a primitive herd instinct that is easily manipulated.

 

 

 

 

 

General Blog

Abolishing death penalty

The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state. This cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is done in the name of justice.

It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner.


Click to read more

General Blog Law

What legislation covers discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the UK?

The principal legislation governing discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the UK is:

  • Race Relations Act 1976
  • Employment Rights Act 1996 (especially sections 45 and 101 which protect shop and betting workers who do not wish to work on Sundays)
  • Independent Schools (Employment of Teachers in Schools with a Religious Character) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2037)
  • The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1660) – these apply across England, Scotland and Wales
  • The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) (Amendment) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/437)
  • Equality Act 2006.

Most employment claims involving religion are brought under The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 which came into force on 2 December 2003 and have already been amended and will be consolidated into a single Act if the Equality Bill comes into force. See question below on future developments.

These Regulations implement the religious discrimination aspects of EC Equal Treatment Framework Directive (2000/78/EC). In addition, the following aspects of the European Human Rights Convention are relevant and will be relied on by some employees:

  • Article 9 – guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion
  • Article 14 – provides that rights and freedoms shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.

Legislation primarily applying outside employment includes:

  • Part 2 of the Equality Act 2006 which came into force on 30 April 2007 now provides protection against religion or belief discrimination in the wider area of the provision of goods, facilities, premises and the exercise of public functions.
  • The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) (Religion or Belief) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1263) – makes minor amendments to the provisions in the 2003 Regulations dealing with discrimination by qualifications bodies and providers of vocational training. The Regulations came into force on 14 September 2007.
CIPD Resources

General Blog Law

Vatican welcome to Anglicans boldest move since Reformation

The Vatican launched an historic initiative Tuesday to make it easier for disgruntled Anglicans worldwide to join the Roman Catholic Church. The church said the move was not a swipe at the Anglicans but it could nevertheless result in hundreds of thousands of churchgoers unhappy with openly gay and female clerics defecting to Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI gave his approval to a new framework to bring back into the fold Anglicans who oppose their church's liberal stance on gay marriage and the ordination of women priests and gay bishops while allowing them to retain some of their separate religious traditions.

The move comes nearly 500 years after Henry VIII's desire for a divorce led him to break with Rome and proclaim himself as the head of the newly formed Church of England in 1534. The framework is the Vatican's most sweeping gesture toward any schismatic church since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century and the Thirty Years' War that followed it in the 17th century. That war ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which acknowledged the right of monarchs rather than the Vatican to determine their national faiths, prompting Pope Innocent X to declare the document "null, void, invalid, iniquitous, unjust, damnable, reprobate, inane, empty of meaning and effect for all time."

Click for full article

General Blog Religion & Philosophy

Vitamin C and Brain Development

Vitamin C and Brain Development

Vitamin C deficiency during the first weeks of life may impair early brain development, according to a new animal study.

In the study, 30 newborn guinea pigs were randomly assigned to receive a standard diet or a vitamin C-deficient diet for two months. Guinea pigs, like humans, are only able to obtain vitamin C through the diet.

Spatial memory was assessed using a water maze and nerve cells in the brain (called hippocampal neurons) were evaluated with brain scans. The researchers found that vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs had significantly poorer spatial memory and 30 percent fewer hippocampal neurons than the control group.

Because vitamin C concentrations are the highest in neurons compared to other cells in the body, the authors suggested that the vitamin may play an important role in brain activity. However, it is unclear if similar results would occur in humans.

For more information about vitamin C, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

To comment on this story, please click here to enter Natural Standard's blog.

From Natural Standard

General Blog

A BALANCED APPROACH TO CHANGE

Introduction:

    1. "Change" is the word for the 90's.  To some change means progress; for others it poses a threat.  On the one hand it seems that some among us think that any change would be better than what we have and they are ready to try almost anything as long as it is new.  Others of us, however, see this as a very dangerous attitude because we see some of the suggested changes as being departures from the Biblical pattern.  Obviously there are some changes which are harmless and may be helpful, but we need to be cautious about changes that might affect doctrinal purity.  Extremes in either direction can be hurtful.  To favor change simply because it is change may lead to a rejection of New Testament authority.  To oppose a change simply because it is different from that to which we are accustomed can be a repudiation of Christian liberty.

    2. We have chosen Phil. 3:4-16 as the framework for "A Balanced Approach to Change."  Of course, Paul was not dealing with identical circumstances, but the text will show us some principles that can help us with the issue of change.

Discussion:

I. It will be Helpful for Us to Reflect on what We Left behind in our Pursuit of Pure Christianity.

     A. Phil. 3:4-6 describe Paul's former religion. In the eyes of the world, in the eyes of popular religion, his position was impressive. What is clear, however, is that he had no desire to go back to those things. The Pharisee "denomination" was something Paul had known from the inside, and he saw no merit in its traditions.

     B. Some of us have personally came out of certain denominations to embrace Biblical truth. This should have the effect of making us especially cautious in regard to changes that would move us toward the errors that we left.

     C. One thing necessary to help us to keep a balanced perspective regarding change is, therefore, that we keep in mind that the faiths and practices of denominationalism, though sometimes appealing on the surface, are worthless and destructive. We have no more reason for wanting to be like modern sects than Paul had for wanting to be like the Pharisees.

II. As We Consider Changes We must Make Sure We are not Pursuing the Wrong Goals.

    A. While the text expresses it in several ways, the only thing that mattered to Paul was that he please Christ, being acceptable to Him (Phil. 3:7-11).  The context names things especially related to his Jewish heritage (Phil. 3:4-6), but "all things" are meaningless compared to being accepted by Christ.

    B. There is a particular temptation to make and our religious practices more compatible with things considered "important" to the world.  However, here are some things we must guard against:

    1. An inordinate obsession with numbers and budgets.  It sometimes seems that "church growth" has become an end in itself.

    2. The desire to be intellectually sophisticated.  Is this what is behind the idea that a "new hermeneutic" must replace what is considered to be "simplistic pattern theology"?

    3. Pressure to be "politically correct."  For example, to continue to forbid women to preach will label us as "sexists."

    4. Compatibility with culture.  Proposed changes in music would (allegedly) be more appealing to an entertainment-oriented society.  Some are asserting that drama is more preferable to preaching sermons.

III. But a Balanced Approach regarding Change also Requires that We Understand that Some Changes will always Be in Order.

    A. Paul did not claim perfection (Phil. 3:12-14).  Where there is room for growth, there is room for change.  This is not always what those calling for change mean, of course, but personally we must admit our lack of perfection.

    B. In one sense, therefore, we can speak of a completed restoration. On the other hand, we should realize that restoration is never complete, so long as we have not "already attained, neither were already perfect."

    C. As an over-reaction against radical calls for change we may resist even Scriptural and helpful improvements.

    1. It is folly not to accept changes in the way we do things when such changes are Scriptural and expedient.  History will show that things now generally found to be useful were historically resisted because they represented change.  (For examples, Sunday classes, individual communion cups, etc.)

    2. It is the heresy of presumption to condemn others for changes that are not violations of Scripture, even though they are different from that to which we have been accustomed, and even though we may doubt their value (cf.  Deut. 18:20.)

IV. It Is Essential, however, that We never Give Up what has already been Attained in Faith and Practice.

    A. The NASB renders Phil. 3:16, "However, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained."

    B. The principle applies to both personal holiness and the practice of the church.  Today we should be committed to New Testament Christianity. We should insist that the Bible be our only standard.  Appropriating the words of Paul, the point is that we must be faithful to what we have already found to be right (cf. 2 John 1:9.)

    C. Our concern for this will make us cautious.

    1. Some changes which at first seem acceptable may be, in actuality, stepping-stones to error.

    2. Things may be in the realm of judgment, but would be bad judgment.

Conclusion:

    Certain key questions are always in order when changes are suggested: Is it Scriptural?  Is it safe?  Is it really profitable?  And, do others have a Scriptural right to choose this change, even if it is not my personal choice?

Ideas expressed by David Pharr

General Blog

Working time -Recent Cases


HM Revenue and Customs v Stringer and Others
[2009] IRLR 677, HL

Following guidance from the ECJ the HL eventually decided that workers absent from work on long term sickness absence since the start of the leave year, who had exhausted both their contractual and statutory sick pay, did accrue statutory holiday and should be allowed to take that holiday. The HL also ruled that claims in relation to statutory holiday pay can be brought as a claim for unlawful deductions from wages under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA). Annoyingly some other issues did not form part of the HL decision such as:

  • As the Working Time Regulations do not provide for holiday to be carried over if a worker on sick leave is refused holiday, can that holiday entitlement be carried over and be taken in a subsequent holiday year?
  • Can such a worker only be paid in lieu of the holiday on termination?

As some issues remain unresolved, we attempt to set out below practical steps employers can take, bearing in mind that the law is still grey in some areas. In Stringer the ECJ gave some guidance saying that under the Directive:

  • Workers on sick leave can accrue the four weeks’ paid holiday while they are on long-term sick leave (This does not apply to all of the 28 days applicable under the UK legislation).
  • Workers must be allowed to take this accrued holiday on their return to work.
  • Any national rule which prevents workers actually taking paid leave during sick leave is permissible, as long as the worker then has the right to take their leave at another time (that is when they return). Similarly a national rule which allows workers to take paid annual leave during sick leave is also allowed.
  • It is not lawful to provide that the right to annual leave is lost at the end of a leave year where the worker has been on sick leave.
  • Where the employment relationship is terminated, workers are entitled to take the leave or to any pay in lieu of the holiday which was not taken due to illness. This is the case even where the worker was on sick leave for all or part of the leave year in question.
  • Accrued statutory holiday not taken due to sickness can be taken at a later date – even if it is during the next leave year.

Implications for employers:

  • Employers must provide all workers including those on long term sick leave with at least the four weeks EU annual leave in the usual way. (Of course in the UK leave entitlement is more than four weeks, that is 28 days, but the Stringer decision does not apply to this holiday just the four week part of it).
  • Under the UK's current Working Time Regulations (WTR) employers can apparently insist that leave must be taken in the year in which it is due; although this seems inconsistent with the ECJ's judgement in Stringer and so new legislation may be needed.
  • Workers may have a right to carry leave over into the next year if there is a contractual right to do so, or if or the employer has refused permission for the employee to take the leave.
  • On termination, but probably not during employment, workers have the right to be paid in respect of accrued but untaken holiday entitlement.
  • Employers may incur increased costs in relation to workers who return (or leave) following long-term sick leave.
  • Employers should check private health insurance schemes and may be better off not providing these and dismissing the long-term sick earlier rather than later.
  • Workers who are absent for years on permanent health insurance could accumulate a considerable right to annual leave (and pay in lieu). It is not certain if that would be payable by the insurer, but insurers may attempt to deny cover.
  • At the very least, employers should focus on managing sickness absence to ensure the employees return to work as soon as possible.
  • If the employment relationship ends, workers are entitled to a payment in lieu in respect of untaken leave due to sickness (even if the worker is absent for all or part of the leave year in question).
  • In the UK it appears that accrued statutory holiday not taken due to sickness does not have to be carried over and taken during the next leave year if the worker returns to work in the next leave year. However as this is unlikely to affect many employees and the ECJ have expressed the view that they should be allowed to take it, employers may wish to consider allowing those who are affected to carry the leave over.
  • Employers should always remain wary of denying holiday pay to workers who have been absent for part of the year.
  • As the EU cases refer to the four weeks holiday under the Directive, employers must decide how to deal with the additional holiday conferred by the UK WTR (and/or any contractual holiday). This must be dealt with in sickness, or absence policies.
  • The ECJ judgment does not entitle workers to accrue the additional holiday during sickness absence, although employers may wish to allow this. If they do not, disability discrimination issues may arise and treating the extra holiday entitlement differently may be difficult for personnel departments to administer. Alternatively employers may limit any holiday which accrues during sick leave to a maximum of four weeks holiday as long as the relevant policy says so.
  • Employers must review current holiday policies to decide how they wish to deal with untaken holiday at the end of the leave year, at least as far as those on sick leave are concerned.
  • The cases do not deal directly with other areas of the law and it is unlikely to further affect other common long term absences such as ordinary and additional maternity leave. It is already well established that employees accrue annual leave during the whole maternity leave so employers usually allow the statutory annual leave to be taken at the end of maternity leave or to make a payment in lieu.
  • Perhaps subsequent cases may address similar issues concerning paid holiday during, for example, a long term sabbatical. A carefuk employer may require workers to take their annual leave during a sabbatical.
  • As the law is now going through a process of change employers must be very careful with employees who are on long-term sick leave as they are also likely to be protected by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
  • Any unpaid pay in lieu of annual leave can be a 'deduction from wages' and it is therefore possible for workers to claim in respect of a series of deductions for up to six years.
General Blog

Useful health discoveries

The fat that blasts away cancer 

You've been told cancer runs in families. You've been told what to eat and what NOT to eat — including LESS fat. 

Yet Dr. Steven Pratt says there'sone fat you
 should eat MORE of. It's the monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, found in olive oil! It should come as no surprise. After all, olive oil is a staple of the Mediterranean diet. And people inSpain and Greece are far less likely to develop cancer than in the U.S. 
But what's really interesting is how olive oil not only prevents cancer, it blasts away cancer cells that already exist! So if you're even the slightest bit worried about cancer, this is oneSuperFood you don't want to be without!
 

NEW prostate-protecting champ trumps tomatoes! 

Unless you've been asleep under a rock for the past decade, you've heard the news about tomatoes. They contain a potent antioxidant calledlycopene that's been proven to reduce the risk of certain cancers — in particular, prostate cancer. 

A famous Harvard study back in 1995 found that out of 48,000 men surveyed, those who ate 10 or more servings of tomatoes a week reduced their risk of prostate cancer by more thanone-third. What's more, they lowered their risk of aggressive prostate tumors (the kind that are really tough to treat) byHALF!
 
But before you reach for that slice of pizza or bottle of ketchup, listen up. What if I told you about a sweet, refreshing food Dr. Steven Pratt recommends that's even better for your prostate than tomatoes?
 
This NEW prostate protecting champ is watermelon! Ounce for ounce, watermelon is even richer in lycopene than tomatoes. And since you probably eat more watermelon in one sitting than you do tomatoes, you don't have to gorge on it 10 times a week in order to slash your cancer risk! Just a few times a week should do it.
 
 Knock out an ulcer with broccoli?! 

About 25 million Americans will suffer from a peptic ulcer at some point in their lives. To get rid of their ulcers, most will take an antibiotic likeamoxicillin. 
Pretty tame stuff, right? Wrong! Amoxicillin can bring with it unwanted side effects like fever, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, headache, even a yucky condition called "hairy tongue"!
 
And if you think that's bad, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the cost of treating an ulcer with antibiotics over an average 17-day period can run upward of $1,000!

Fortunately, there's oneunconventional treatment with NO side effects Dr. Pratt swears by. "Eat broccoli!" he says. Why?
Broccoli contains a remarkably potent compound called sulforaphane, that kills off the H. pylori bacteria that cause most ulcers. Not only can it knock out an ulcer, eating one serving a day for a month might run you 20 bucks… a fraction of the cost of drugs.

General Blog