And once again, high blood pressure is making headlines in the news: the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) have just released new guidelines about hypertension. Since this development is likely to cause confusion and concern for many, I’m writing this post to help you understand the debate and what this might mean for you and your family. By the way, if you’ve read any of my other blood pressure articles on this site, let me reassure you: I am not changing my clinical practice or what I recommend to others, based on the new AHA/ACC guidelines. The core principles of better blood pressure management for older adults remain the same: * Take care in how you and your doctors measure blood pressure (more on that here), * Start by aiming to get blood pressure less than 150/90 mm Hg, as recommended by these expert guidelines issued in 2017 and in 2014, * And then learn more about what are the likely benefits versus risks of aiming for more intensive BP control. Perhaps the most important thing to understand is this: treatment of high blood pressure in older adults offers “diminishing returns” as we treat BP to get lower and lower. Scientific evidence indicates that the greatest health benefit, when it comes to reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks, is in getting systolic blood pressure from high (i.e. 160-180) down to moderate (140-150). From there, the famous SPRINT study, published in 2015, did show a further reduction in cardiovascular risk, when participants were treated to a lower systolic BP, such as a target of 120. However, this was in a carefully selected group of participants, it required taking three blood pressure medications on average, and the reduction in risk was small. As I note in my article explaining SPRINT Senior, in participants aged 75 or older, pushing to that lower goal was associated with an estimated 1-in-27 chance of avoiding a cardiovascular event. (The benefit was even smaller in adults aged 50-75.) According to the above context, answer the following question. What issue did the author have with the AHA/ACC guidelines?

Answer: the confusion and concern people are experiencing


SEOUL — In addition to growing concerns that North Korea will pull out of the upcoming nuclear summit with the U.S., prospects for improved inter-Korean relations have also stalled, as Pyongyang demands that U.S.-South Korea joint military drills be scaled back, and a group of defectors be returned. Just weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in declared the beginning of a new era of peace during a historic summit held in the demilitarized zone of the inter-Korean border, Pyongyang has put further dialogue and cooperation on hold until its demands are met. President Moon will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming Trump-Kim summit and the North’s sudden conditions set for continued dialogue and cooperation. Most of North Korea’s anger last week, expressed in official statements and reports carried by the state news agency KCNA, seemed to be directed at the U.S. It criticized the Max Thunder joint military exercise that is currently underway, and U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton’s demands for the North’s unilateral nuclear disarmament. North Korea in particular objected to Bolton’s insistence that North Korea follow the Libyan model, which involved the rapid and total dismantlement of that country’s nuclear program, but it was also followed by the overthrow of the country’s leader Moammar Gadhafi some years later. Unless the U.S. eased up on its uncompromising stance, Pyongyang indicated it would pull out of the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump to negotiate an end the North’s nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees and an end to punishing international sanctions. President Trump later said the Libya model does not apply to North Korea and that Kim Jong Un would remain in power and “be very rich” if he makes a deal to end his country’s nuclear program. North Korea denounced South Korea, as well, for the joint military drills, calling the Seoul government... According to the above context, answer the following question. After the end of this story, President Moon Jae-in probably is:

Answer: still feeling like no matter how hard he tries, he just can't make enough progress with Kim Jong Un


Thank you for the a2a! I have a habit of making mental errors; some funny, some not. This one just happens to be funny. We had “open critiques” in art school. The idea was A- to point out how we could do it better, and B- to toughen us up for the advertising world. It’s brutal, cruel, and cutthroat, and get ready for your stupid clients to ruin your tasteful design and fuck it all kinds of up to put a picture of their ugly-ass crotch dropping on there, or a huge starburst that says “SALE SALE SALE!”. You had to learn not to care, and do your fulfilling artwork on the side. It’s just a job; nothing personal. We were in the middle of a critique, and it was turning ugly. The only time our professor would jump in was if it turned personal. It had. He laid back and let us fight it out, until someone told the girl we were critiquing that “with your taste from growing up in a trailer park, looks like you’ll be working for the Auto Trader” (a shitty, newsprint magazine that people sell used cars in- the worst of the worst design jobs). Before our professor could comment, I blurted out “For fuck’s sake, Mom….” I was about to say “tell them to break it the fuck up!” until the laughter started. Then I realized I’d called my professor, who had an MFA and spent 20 years in advertising at Saatchi and Saatchi, “Mom”. He responded with such amazing, quick wit; “Ms. Hood, I admire your devotion to your mother; just remember she stays home while you come to class.” I caught hell for it that entire semester. Luckily, we (almost) all had pretty tough skins, so it was amusing, even to our somewhat staid professor. He wrote on my end of semester assessment “Respectfully, Not Your Mom.” I still keep that assessment to remind me to wear life like a loose garment. We all say stupid shit sometimes; just laugh at yourself and enjoy the silly moment. According to the above context, answer the following question. The critiques the narrator mentions at her art school likely last:

Answer:
Less than an hour