JB: Having set out to be "shocking", being compelled to keep upping the ante in order to remain "shocking." (11/02/04)

No, we do not. In 1988, a definitive study by Straus, et al., in the News England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 319, No. 26, pages 1692-1698) showed no link between Epstein-Barr virus and "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." To date, no infectious agent has been substantially shown to be the cause of "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." Hence, we do not follow patients with this disorder in our clinic.

When large amounts of high-calorie foods (especially those containing sugar) pass quickly from the stomach pouch into the intestine, fluid rushes into the small intestine to dilute the high concentration of sugar. The patient may feel faint, break out in a cold sweat, and have intestinal cramps followed by diarrhea. Fortunately, "dumping syndrome" can be averted simply by the patient avoiding high intakes of sweets.

quot;Poland" does not refer to the nation but to Sir Alfred Poland, a 19th-century British surgeon. Born in 1822 in London, he became Demonstrator in Anatomy in 1839 at Guy's Hospital. There he dissected the body of a deceased convict named George Elt whom he reported had "Deficiency of the pectoral muscles" (Guy's Hosp. Rep. 6:191, 1841). Poland became a celebrated surgeon and ophthalmologist but had to retire in 1867 due to a chronic cough.

Economy class syndrome is a term used to describe the medical condition deep vein thrombosis when it follows extended airplane travel. For further information please refer to your physician and www.economyclasssyndrome.com Compression stockings are a non-covered service under Medicare B. Medicare will not pay for these items even with a prescription from your doctor. For more information, contact the Medicare office for your region.

JB: Too many fans today consider themselves far too hip and a-go-go to ever go along with the most basic conceit of serial fiction: that the main characters will survive, but we will pretend, for the sake of this story, that that is not a given. When I was a lad, I worried every time Superman fell into a kryptonite death trap.

JB: Characters "cleaning up their act" as they become more popular, as with Mickey Mouse no longer feeding cats' tails into sausage grinders, or Superman and Batman no longer killing the bad guys. (11/02/04)

JB: New writers and/or editors thinking being assigned to a title or character is a mandate to blow everything up and start from scratch. (Applied facetiously, since this is usually done without a fraction of the time spent working out what was done in MoS.) (11/02/04)

JB: Adding unnecessary details which complicate a character's backstory. This comes, of course, from the bottled city of Kandor, which used to reside in Superman's Fortress of Solitude, making it necessary, every time Superman visited the Fortress, to spend a coupe of panels explaining what Kandor was.

JB: Taking offense at something which should not be offensive to the person taking the offense. ("Anyone who wears a red sweater is an idiot." "Hey! I have never worn a red sweater in my life, and I resent being called an idiot!") (11/02/04) JB: Most complaints about violated continuity tend to come from people who don't really have a grasp on the continuity they claim is being violated. It's that whole "Since I Started Reading..." Syndrome about which I have made many previous comments.

Once people start telling other people how to think, what to think, when to think, there will grow up among the "tellers" those who consider themselves to be "experts" on the subject -- and once that happens, it takes a particularly strong intellect to avoid the next step, when the expert's role ceases to be that of expanding human knowledge, and becomes, instead, all about protecting the area of his expertise. I have dubbed it "Expert Syndrome". (11/02/04)

JB: A lot of fans suffer from Taxpayer Syndrome. You know how that works -- people thus afflicted are the ones you hear telling cops they cannot give them a parking ticket because they (the taxpayer) "pay" the cops' salary. (11/02/04) JB: Editorial. It was realized that killing off such an important, cornerstone character was a mistake -- the same mistake DC had made a couple of decades earlier, when they killed off Alfred and then realized the Batbooks did not work properly without him.

The idea some people can be coaxed or fooled into "remembering" events that never happened has become the platform for some groups to diminish claims of childhood sexual abuse that surface sometimes during psychotherapy or hypnotherapy. It seems that the False Memory Syndrome Institute was created by parents facing charges of abuse by their adult offspring who had undergone therapy.

Here is what we know and have read: the smell of "vinegar" from film is not good. The "Vinegar smell" is the result of chemical reactions that occur between water (moisture), cellulose, and acetic acid. When acetate based film begins to break down, or comes in contact with water, acetic acid is formed, and this is what causes the smell (not vinegar).

Sick Building Syndrome is diagnosed when an excess of work related irritations of the skin and mucous membranes and other symptoms, including headache, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating, are reported by workers in modern office buildings. The symptoms can be clinically defined and have clearly identifiable causes. This could lead to lowered worker moral, increased health care costs, and the loss of revenue associated with lower worker productivity.

She's outrageous, she's provocative, she's inscrutable. And over the years, we've all been witnessed to her evolution, from street smart kid sister to virgin bride, from sex goddess to a yogi. Her mind is as celebrated as her body, she's as feared as she's desired, she leads while other's follow...a woman who is all woman, and all women."

Madonna was born at 7:05 AM at Bay City Mercy Hospital in Bay City, Michigan on August 16, 1958. Her family lived in Pontiac, Michigan at the time but were visiting with Madonna's grandmother in Bay City when she decided to appear in the world.

In 1990 Madonna had a collagen injection to her lips to give them a fuller look for her "Justify My Love" video. Since collagen is a natural substance the effect is only temporary and her bee-stung lips returned to normal after 3-4 months.

What is Madonna's religion? She was raised Catholic. Madonna also studies the Kabbalah (which is a spiritual practice, not a religion). Why does Madonna wear a red string on her wrist? According to Kabbalah teachings, the red string protects her from the negative influences of the "Evil Eye." The red string is kryptonite to "the unfriendly stare and unkind glances we sometimes get from people around us.

Madonna is married to British film director Guy Ritchie. They wed on Friday, December 22, 2000, at Skibo Castle in Dornoch, Scotland. Guy is the father of their son Rocco. Madonna's first marriage was to actor Sean Penn. They wed on her 27th birthday, August 16, 1985. Their marriage ended on January 10, 1989 when Madonna (for the second time) filed for divorce (on Jan. 5th) on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.

Books: The Passion, The Alchemist, Corelli's Mandolin, The Little Prince, Little Women, Memoirs Of A Giesha Writers: Alice Walker, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Fancoise Sagen, Jack Kerouac, James Joyce, Charles Bukowski, Honore de Balzac, V.S. Naipaul, Henry James, Louise Edrich, Guy de Maupassant, Noel Coward, Arthur Golden

Madonna's long time publicist and friend is Liz Rosenberg. Madonna's fans know Liz as The Validator (ICON) and you can contact her at this number: (212) 275-4616, or via e-mail: Liz.Rosenberg@wbr.com

The Skeletor Club. A club that celebrates disgustingly thin celebrities like Paris Hilton and The Olsen Twins by comparing them to Skeletor.

Madonna is managed by Angela Becker and Guy O'Seary. Past managers are Freddie DeMann and Caresse Henry.

Her birth name is Madonna Louise Ciccone. She added the name Veronica at 12y. Her child nickname was (Little) Nonnie. Her Kabbalah name is Esther. Since she's married to Guy Ritchie, she often calls herself Mrs. Ritchie. Guy himself calls her 'the Missus'. Collaborators often refer to her as 'M'. Finally, the British press calls her Madge (or Her Madgesty) but she's not too fond of that nickname.

Yes, Madonna was named after her mother - Madonna Fortin. Her full birth name is 'Madonna Louise Ciccone'.

Nonnie, Maddy, Mo, Boy Toy, Mads, Madge, Material Girl, Veronica Electronica, Varla, Dita, creamy-smooth-pop-icon-goddess, Queen Of Pop, Esther.