Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Laughter - The Best Medicine
A little boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd (alternating between bride's side and groom's side).
While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR all the way down the aisle.
As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed from all the laughing, and was also near tears by the time he reached the pulpit.
When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear."
A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school.
Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. The classroom became a bit unruly and he admonished them. This happened several times.
When he would do work at his desk, the strong breeze from the window made his tie flap annoyingly. He kept rearranging and rearranging the tie as the class raised it's level of unruliness.
Finally, becoming disgusted with the wayward tie, he stood up and took a big stapler off his desk and stapled the tie to his chest in several places.
Discipline was not a problem from that day forth.
A family from the hills of Kentucky was visiting the big city for the first time. They stayed in a high rise hotel with a big brass elevator right off of the lobby. The father and son stared at it in amazement, wondering what it was. After staring at it in awe for a few minutes the boy looked up at his dad, "Pa, what do you reckon that there thing is?" he asked. "I don't rightly know, son." the father replied. Just then an old, frumpy woman with curlers in her hair walks up, steps on the elevator and the doors shut behind her. After about 30 seconds the doors opened again and a beautiful, young blonde wearing a mini-skirt walks out. The father leans over to his son and says, "Boy, go and git your Ma!"
While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR all the way down the aisle.
As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed from all the laughing, and was also near tears by the time he reached the pulpit.
When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear."
A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school.
Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. The classroom became a bit unruly and he admonished them. This happened several times.
When he would do work at his desk, the strong breeze from the window made his tie flap annoyingly. He kept rearranging and rearranging the tie as the class raised it's level of unruliness.
Finally, becoming disgusted with the wayward tie, he stood up and took a big stapler off his desk and stapled the tie to his chest in several places.
Discipline was not a problem from that day forth.
A family from the hills of Kentucky was visiting the big city for the first time. They stayed in a high rise hotel with a big brass elevator right off of the lobby. The father and son stared at it in amazement, wondering what it was. After staring at it in awe for a few minutes the boy looked up at his dad, "Pa, what do you reckon that there thing is?" he asked. "I don't rightly know, son." the father replied. Just then an old, frumpy woman with curlers in her hair walks up, steps on the elevator and the doors shut behind her. After about 30 seconds the doors opened again and a beautiful, young blonde wearing a mini-skirt walks out. The father leans over to his son and says, "Boy, go and git your Ma!"
Monday, May 4, 2009
When I grow up... (click to enlarge)
Jackson's current aspiration is to grow up to be a "Dinosaur, Good Ghost, Fish and a Doctor." A very ambitious child.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
I like hiking. This guy is just suicidal.
I love the mountains. I like hiking. I don't mind cliffs or heights as long as they aren't man-made. I just don't trust man-made stuff (no offense to Eric or Jared or any other engineers that are out there). My only concern when I'm on a roller-coaster or up on the observation desk of a skyscraper is "I hope everyone did their job" (no rusted bolts, no loose nuts, no torque equation forgotten). I'm fine with scooting along Chicken-out Ridge above a 1000+ ft. cliff. Just don't put my up in the Ferris wheel at Lagoon in a squeaky chair.
Similarly, the scariest thing about this hike for me would be the man-made trail. As you'll see, this is not a trail that you should trust.
Additionally, who made this trail in the first place!?
Similarly, the scariest thing about this hike for me would be the man-made trail. As you'll see, this is not a trail that you should trust.
Additionally, who made this trail in the first place!?
Andy McCarthy's Fabulous, Gutsy Letter to Attorney General Holder
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Andrew McCarthy, who is editor at National Review Online, former attorney in the US Attorneys office, the Southern District of New York, which is Manhattan, was invited by Eric Holder, the Attorney General, to participate in a meeting, a Justice Department meeting with Obama's task force on detention policy, and he has declined this invitation in a letter. Now, I'm going to send the letter up to Koko so we can put it up at RushLimbaugh.com, but I want to read you excerpts of Andy's letter to the Attorney General, Eric Holder.
"Dear Attorney General Holder:
"This letter is respectfully submitted to inform you that I must decline the invitation to participate in the May 4 roundtable meeting the President's Task Force on Detention Policy is convening with current and former prosecutors involved in international terrorism cases. An invitation was extended to me by trial lawyers from the Counterterrorism Section, who are members of the Task Force, which you are leading.
"The invitation email (of April 14) indicates that the meeting is part of an ongoing effort to identify lawful policies on the detention and disposition of alien enemy combatants -- or what the Department now calls 'individuals captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations.' I admire the lawyers of the Counterterrorism Division, and I do not question their good faith. Nevertheless, it is quite clear -- most recently, from your provocative remarks on Wednesday in Germany -- that the Obama administration has already settled on a policy of releasing trained jihadists (including releasing some of them into the United States). Whatever the good intentions of the organizers, the meeting will obviously be used by the administration to claim that its policy was arrived at in consultation with current and former government officials experienced in terrorism cases and national security issues. I deeply disagree with this policy, which I believe is a violation of federal law and a betrayal of the president’s first obligation to protect the American people. Under the circumstances, I think the better course is to register my dissent, rather than be used as a prop."
Do you realize the guts and the courage it took to send this letter to the attorney general? Let me continue.
"Moreover, in light of public statements by both you and the President, it is dismayingly clear that, under your leadership, the Justice Department takes the position that a lawyer who in good faith offers legal advice to government policy makers -- like the government lawyers who offered good faith advice on interrogation policy -- may be subject to investigation and prosecution for the content of that advice, in addition to empty but professionally damaging accusations of ethical misconduct. Given that stance, any prudent lawyer would have to hesitate before offering advice to the government. Beyond that, as elucidated in my writing (including my proposal for a new national security court, which I understand the Task Force has perused), I believe alien enemy combatants should be detained at Guantanamo Bay (or a facility like it) until the conclusion of hostilities.
"This national defense measure is deeply rooted in the venerable laws of war and was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in the 2004 Hamdi case. Yet, as recently as Wednesday, you asserted that, in your considered judgment, such notions violate America's 'commitment to the rule of law.' Indeed, you elaborated, 'Nothing symbolizes our [administration's] new course more than our decision to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay…. President Obama believes, and I strongly agree, that Guantanamo has come to represent a time and an approach that we want to put behind us: a disregard for our centuries-long respect for the rule of law[.]' (Emphasis added.) Given your policy of conducting ruinous criminal and ethics investigations of lawyers over the advice they offer the government, and your specific position that the wartime detention I would endorse is tantamount to a violation of law, it makes little sense for me to attend the Task Force meeting. After all, my choice would be to remain silent or risk jeopardizing myself.
"For what it may be worth, I will say this much. For eight years, we have had a robust debate in the United States about how to handle alien terrorists captured during a defensive war authorized by Congress after nearly 3,000 of our fellow Americans were annihilated. Essentially, there have been two camps. One calls for prosecution in the civilian criminal justice system, the strategy used throughout the 1990s. The other calls for a military justice approach of combatant detention and war-crimes prosecutions by military commission. Because each theory has its downsides, many commentators, myself included, have proposed a third way: a hybrid system, designed for the realities of modern international terrorism -- a new system that would address the needs to protect our classified defense secrets and to assure Americans, as well as our allies, that we are detaining the right people. There are differences in these various proposals. But their proponents, and adherents to both the military and civilian justice approaches, have all agreed on at least one thing: Foreign terrorists trained to execute mass-murder attacks cannot simply be released while the war ensues and Americans are still being targeted. We have already released too many jihadists who, as night follows day, have resumed plotting to kill Americans. Indeed, according to recent reports, a released Guantanamo detainee is now leading Taliban combat operations in Afghanistan, where President Obama has just sent additional American forces.
"The Obama campaign smeared Guantanamo Bay as a human rights blight. Consistent with that hyperbolic rhetoric, the President began his administration by promising to close the detention camp within a year. The President did this even though he and you (a) agree Gitmo is a top-flight prison facility, (b) acknowledge that our nation is still at war, and (c) concede that many Gitmo detainees are extremely dangerous terrorists who cannot be tried under civilian court rules. Patently, the commitment to close Guantanamo Bay within a year was made without a plan for what to do with these detainees who cannot be tried. Consequently, the Detention Policy Task Force is not an effort to arrive at the best policy. It is an effort to justify a bad policy that has already been adopted: to wit, the Obama administration policy to release trained terrorists outright if that’s what it takes to close Gitmo by January.
"Obviously, I am powerless to stop the administration from releasing top al Qaeda operatives who planned mass-murder attacks against American cities -- like Binyam Mohamed (the accomplice of 'Dirty Bomber' Jose Padilla) whom the administration recently transferred to Britain, where he is now at liberty and living on public assistance. I am similarly powerless to stop the administration from admitting into the United States such alien jihadists as the 17 remaining Uighur detainees. According to National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair, the Uighurs will apparently live freely, on American taxpayer assistance, despite the facts that they are affiliated with a terrorist organization and have received terrorist paramilitary training. ... I am, in addition, powerless to stop the President, as he takes these reckless steps, from touting his Detention Policy Task Force as a demonstration of his national security seriousness. But I can decline to participate in the charade. ... It pains me to decline your invitation, but the attendant circumstances leave no other option. ... I've always believed defending our nation is a duty of citizenship, not ideology. Thus, my conservative political views aside, I've made myself available to liberal and conservative groups, to Democrats and Republicans, who've thought tapping my experience would be beneficial."
RUSH: Andrew McCarthy, who is editor at National Review Online, former attorney in the US Attorneys office, the Southern District of New York, which is Manhattan, was invited by Eric Holder, the Attorney General, to participate in a meeting, a Justice Department meeting with Obama's task force on detention policy, and he has declined this invitation in a letter. Now, I'm going to send the letter up to Koko so we can put it up at RushLimbaugh.com, but I want to read you excerpts of Andy's letter to the Attorney General, Eric Holder.
"Dear Attorney General Holder:
"This letter is respectfully submitted to inform you that I must decline the invitation to participate in the May 4 roundtable meeting the President's Task Force on Detention Policy is convening with current and former prosecutors involved in international terrorism cases. An invitation was extended to me by trial lawyers from the Counterterrorism Section, who are members of the Task Force, which you are leading.
"The invitation email (of April 14) indicates that the meeting is part of an ongoing effort to identify lawful policies on the detention and disposition of alien enemy combatants -- or what the Department now calls 'individuals captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations.' I admire the lawyers of the Counterterrorism Division, and I do not question their good faith. Nevertheless, it is quite clear -- most recently, from your provocative remarks on Wednesday in Germany -- that the Obama administration has already settled on a policy of releasing trained jihadists (including releasing some of them into the United States). Whatever the good intentions of the organizers, the meeting will obviously be used by the administration to claim that its policy was arrived at in consultation with current and former government officials experienced in terrorism cases and national security issues. I deeply disagree with this policy, which I believe is a violation of federal law and a betrayal of the president’s first obligation to protect the American people. Under the circumstances, I think the better course is to register my dissent, rather than be used as a prop."
Do you realize the guts and the courage it took to send this letter to the attorney general? Let me continue.
"Moreover, in light of public statements by both you and the President, it is dismayingly clear that, under your leadership, the Justice Department takes the position that a lawyer who in good faith offers legal advice to government policy makers -- like the government lawyers who offered good faith advice on interrogation policy -- may be subject to investigation and prosecution for the content of that advice, in addition to empty but professionally damaging accusations of ethical misconduct. Given that stance, any prudent lawyer would have to hesitate before offering advice to the government. Beyond that, as elucidated in my writing (including my proposal for a new national security court, which I understand the Task Force has perused), I believe alien enemy combatants should be detained at Guantanamo Bay (or a facility like it) until the conclusion of hostilities.
"This national defense measure is deeply rooted in the venerable laws of war and was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in the 2004 Hamdi case. Yet, as recently as Wednesday, you asserted that, in your considered judgment, such notions violate America's 'commitment to the rule of law.' Indeed, you elaborated, 'Nothing symbolizes our [administration's] new course more than our decision to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay…. President Obama believes, and I strongly agree, that Guantanamo has come to represent a time and an approach that we want to put behind us: a disregard for our centuries-long respect for the rule of law[.]' (Emphasis added.) Given your policy of conducting ruinous criminal and ethics investigations of lawyers over the advice they offer the government, and your specific position that the wartime detention I would endorse is tantamount to a violation of law, it makes little sense for me to attend the Task Force meeting. After all, my choice would be to remain silent or risk jeopardizing myself.
"For what it may be worth, I will say this much. For eight years, we have had a robust debate in the United States about how to handle alien terrorists captured during a defensive war authorized by Congress after nearly 3,000 of our fellow Americans were annihilated. Essentially, there have been two camps. One calls for prosecution in the civilian criminal justice system, the strategy used throughout the 1990s. The other calls for a military justice approach of combatant detention and war-crimes prosecutions by military commission. Because each theory has its downsides, many commentators, myself included, have proposed a third way: a hybrid system, designed for the realities of modern international terrorism -- a new system that would address the needs to protect our classified defense secrets and to assure Americans, as well as our allies, that we are detaining the right people. There are differences in these various proposals. But their proponents, and adherents to both the military and civilian justice approaches, have all agreed on at least one thing: Foreign terrorists trained to execute mass-murder attacks cannot simply be released while the war ensues and Americans are still being targeted. We have already released too many jihadists who, as night follows day, have resumed plotting to kill Americans. Indeed, according to recent reports, a released Guantanamo detainee is now leading Taliban combat operations in Afghanistan, where President Obama has just sent additional American forces.
"The Obama campaign smeared Guantanamo Bay as a human rights blight. Consistent with that hyperbolic rhetoric, the President began his administration by promising to close the detention camp within a year. The President did this even though he and you (a) agree Gitmo is a top-flight prison facility, (b) acknowledge that our nation is still at war, and (c) concede that many Gitmo detainees are extremely dangerous terrorists who cannot be tried under civilian court rules. Patently, the commitment to close Guantanamo Bay within a year was made without a plan for what to do with these detainees who cannot be tried. Consequently, the Detention Policy Task Force is not an effort to arrive at the best policy. It is an effort to justify a bad policy that has already been adopted: to wit, the Obama administration policy to release trained terrorists outright if that’s what it takes to close Gitmo by January.
"Obviously, I am powerless to stop the administration from releasing top al Qaeda operatives who planned mass-murder attacks against American cities -- like Binyam Mohamed (the accomplice of 'Dirty Bomber' Jose Padilla) whom the administration recently transferred to Britain, where he is now at liberty and living on public assistance. I am similarly powerless to stop the administration from admitting into the United States such alien jihadists as the 17 remaining Uighur detainees. According to National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair, the Uighurs will apparently live freely, on American taxpayer assistance, despite the facts that they are affiliated with a terrorist organization and have received terrorist paramilitary training. ... I am, in addition, powerless to stop the President, as he takes these reckless steps, from touting his Detention Policy Task Force as a demonstration of his national security seriousness. But I can decline to participate in the charade. ... It pains me to decline your invitation, but the attendant circumstances leave no other option. ... I've always believed defending our nation is a duty of citizenship, not ideology. Thus, my conservative political views aside, I've made myself available to liberal and conservative groups, to Democrats and Republicans, who've thought tapping my experience would be beneficial."
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Beautiful
I hadn't posted anything for a while so I thought I'd make up for it by sharing this video with my loyal followers.
Monday, March 30, 2009
A Prophet's Prayer
I remember the evening when President Hinckley offered this prayer. I was a young missionary in Weslaco, TX. I remember thinking that that night was particularly special. I wondered at the feeling of concern and love from the Prophet, the sensation that he wished to prepare us for some looming event.
Less than a year later the Twin Towers fell, an event which seems to have heralded in a series of major occurrences which are sweeping us deeper into the last days.
I remember the day that the towers fell. The first person we visited that day told us that New York had been bombed and that the United States was at war. Everyone we spoke with that day was emotional and upset. Mothers were crying. Young men were planning to sign up for the military. Old men discussed “Signs of the Times,” natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars and predicted the deaths of billions in the approaching months.
I remembered President Hinckley’s talk and his prayer that night. I remember thinking that the Prophet had known what would happen and had made a special effort the year before to prepare the youth. I felt ready and at peace, secure in my standing with God and my efforts to follow his Son.
Eight and a half years later the world is still standing. There are problems and trials, natural and man-made disasters. But we, the youth that President Hinckley spoke to that night, are still standing in holy places trying to be what our prophet asked us to be.
Praise God for our living Prophets.
1. Be grateful.
2. Be smart.
3. Be clean.
4. Be true.
5. Be humble.
6. Be prayerful.
For those of you who would like to refresh that particular talk in your mind, please visit http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=0735a1615ac0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____
Monday, March 2, 2009
LBP - Iliopsoas (Tip #2)
"As any action or posture long continued will distort and disfigure the limbs; so the mind likewise is crippled and contracted by perpetual application to the same set of ideas."
-Samual Johnson (English poet, writer and critic, 1709-1784)
The Iliopsoas muscles are the major flexors of the hip. The Ilioopsoas run from the inside of your lower back down to the front of your upper leg. These are the muscles used when you pull your knees up.
Unfortunetly this important muscle group is also a major contributor to lower back pain and to poor posture. This Iliopsoas disfunction is frequently due to muscle tightness. Picture what position the iliopsoas is in while someone spends eight hours at a desk or a tractor seat. Then that person goes home and sits down to eat. Then they watch a two-hour movie with their wife and family. Then they spend a couple of hours on the computer taking care of bills, e-mailing family and friends and maybe a couple minutes of solitaire. The end result is that the person just spent the majority of the day with their iliopsoas held in a shortened position. If preventative stretching does not occur, over time the iliopsoas will tend to stay shortened. The end result is a constant pull on the inside of the lumbar spine which causes poor spinal posture and LBP.
How can you tell if your iliopsoas muscles are tight? Try the Thomas test.
The Thomas test is performed by lying on your back and pulling one knee up toward your chest. Does the other leg remain flat on the table or does it pop up and try to follow the first leg? If the second leg doesn't remain on the table then your iliopsoas muscles are too tight.
Can anything be done to remedy this situation? As you can see in the image below, a simple stretching excercise is all that is required to loosen up those hypertensive muscles!
Just kidding! Although this above method might work most people can achieve the desired results through much less traumatic methods.
Hip Flexor Stretch (Iliopsoas)
To Begin the Stretch:
Take a wide stance and place one knee on the ground.
Keep your back straight and your arm by your side.
To Stretch:
Lean forward keeping your back straight with the knee on the ground.
Place your hand on the ground to keep your balance, if needed.
Keep your head up and look straight ahead.
Do not let the bent knee go past your foot.
Photo notes:
Left view: Notice how her back is straight and in line with her leg on the ground. The knee on forward leg stays positioned over ankle.
Right view: Notice how her back is straight and in line with her leg on the ground. Notice her knee that is bent is not in front of her foot.
Front view: Notice her head is up and she is looking forward.
-Samual Johnson (English poet, writer and critic, 1709-1784)
The Iliopsoas muscles are the major flexors of the hip. The Ilioopsoas run from the inside of your lower back down to the front of your upper leg. These are the muscles used when you pull your knees up.
Unfortunetly this important muscle group is also a major contributor to lower back pain and to poor posture. This Iliopsoas disfunction is frequently due to muscle tightness. Picture what position the iliopsoas is in while someone spends eight hours at a desk or a tractor seat. Then that person goes home and sits down to eat. Then they watch a two-hour movie with their wife and family. Then they spend a couple of hours on the computer taking care of bills, e-mailing family and friends and maybe a couple minutes of solitaire. The end result is that the person just spent the majority of the day with their iliopsoas held in a shortened position. If preventative stretching does not occur, over time the iliopsoas will tend to stay shortened. The end result is a constant pull on the inside of the lumbar spine which causes poor spinal posture and LBP.
How can you tell if your iliopsoas muscles are tight? Try the Thomas test.
The Thomas test is performed by lying on your back and pulling one knee up toward your chest. Does the other leg remain flat on the table or does it pop up and try to follow the first leg? If the second leg doesn't remain on the table then your iliopsoas muscles are too tight.
Can anything be done to remedy this situation? As you can see in the image below, a simple stretching excercise is all that is required to loosen up those hypertensive muscles!
Just kidding! Although this above method might work most people can achieve the desired results through much less traumatic methods.
Hip Flexor Stretch (Iliopsoas)
To Begin the Stretch:
Take a wide stance and place one knee on the ground.
Keep your back straight and your arm by your side.
To Stretch:
Lean forward keeping your back straight with the knee on the ground.
Place your hand on the ground to keep your balance, if needed.
Keep your head up and look straight ahead.
Do not let the bent knee go past your foot.
Photo notes:
Left view: Notice how her back is straight and in line with her leg on the ground. The knee on forward leg stays positioned over ankle.
Right view: Notice how her back is straight and in line with her leg on the ground. Notice her knee that is bent is not in front of her foot.
Front view: Notice her head is up and she is looking forward.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Willy and Hilly's Romance Continues Strong
Ignore the lame commentary. Please. This video is hilarious. IF MUTED.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
N & LB Pain - Tip #1
Tip #1 - Shoulders
A frequent contributor to poor posture is "rounding" of the shoulders. The majority of people (including myself) have the tendency to keep their shoulders too far forward in relationship to the spine.
Bring those shoulders back! Imagine a stiff rod running from one shoulder, through your spine, to the other shoulder. At least once per hour stop and compare where your shoulders are in comparision to that rod. Did your shoulders roll forward and in? Put them back were they belong! I've found that putting your shoulders as far back as you can and holding them there for a five- or ten- count is a big help. As your shoulders relax from this exaggerated position they are more likely to come to rest in the correct, desired position.
Frequently our muscles have become so accustomed to maintaining an inappropriate position that we have to do some serious training to correct the problem. Simple excercises which stretch the pecs and the other muscles which move the arms forward can be a big help.
A frequent contributor to poor posture is "rounding" of the shoulders. The majority of people (including myself) have the tendency to keep their shoulders too far forward in relationship to the spine.
Bring those shoulders back! Imagine a stiff rod running from one shoulder, through your spine, to the other shoulder. At least once per hour stop and compare where your shoulders are in comparision to that rod. Did your shoulders roll forward and in? Put them back were they belong! I've found that putting your shoulders as far back as you can and holding them there for a five- or ten- count is a big help. As your shoulders relax from this exaggerated position they are more likely to come to rest in the correct, desired position.
Frequently our muscles have become so accustomed to maintaining an inappropriate position that we have to do some serious training to correct the problem. Simple excercises which stretch the pecs and the other muscles which move the arms forward can be a big help.
Neck and Lower Back Pain
Neck and lower back pains are common.
"Low back pain (LBP) affects at least 80% of us some time in our lives, perhaps 20-30% of us at any given time. It is usually recurrent, and subsequent episodes tend to increase in severity. It is common in individuals who lead sedentary lives and in those who engage in manual labor. It can occur at any age but is most prevalent during the third to sixth decades of life."
Neck and lower back pain are a serious problem.
"Tremendous costs are associated with LBP including lost productivity and income from work, the expense of medical, rehabilitation and surgical interventions, and the costs of disabling pain and limited daily function. Back pain is second only to upper respiratory conditions as the stated cause of work loss. The costs for treatment and compensation for LBP in industry may be greater than the total amount spent on all other industrial injuries combined."
Neck and lower back pain can be treated by a variety of means.
"LBP has been and is currently treated with almost every modality known to man including prolonged bed rest, narcotics, surgery, heat, cold, exercise, immobilization, flexion, extension, traction, massage, manipulation, mobilization, muscle relaxants, etc., etc."
One of the most common causes of neck and LBP in the U.S. today is incorrect posture.
How can I test my posture?
Stand near a wall, with your back to it, but not touching the wall. Back up until something touches. Did your behind touch first, as in the first figure in the drawing above? You may stand "booty out," flexed at the hip. Did your upper back touch first (second figure in the drawing above)? You may stand slouched backward. Now try to stand with your heels, hips, upper back, and the back of your head against a wall. Bring the back of your head against the wall without raising or dropping your chin, or arching your back. If you can't keep your heels, hips, upper back, and the back of your head comfortably against the wall (third figure in the drawing above), or if you have to crane your neck, you are too tight to stand up straight. Pain results from the resulting bad positioning and slouching your tightness creates all day, every day.
Is trying to improve my posture really worth it?
Increased strength and athletic ability (improved core).
Decreased pain.
Maintaince of good posture will dramatically improve overall health for the rest of your life.
Your voice sounds better. More lung space and better conditioning in the neck improves the quality of your voice.
Good posture boosts self-image. It makes you stand out in a crowd. Your general appearance is improved. Your clothes fit better, and you communicate dignity, balance, poise and self-confidence.
Good posture makes you look thinner. Your shoulders are back, chest is expanded and your abdomen is flatter.
Your posture affects your mood: Good posture contributes to a positive mood. Poor posture is linked to depression.
How do improve my posture?
Through a combination of constant effort and regular, directed excerises. Throughout the next couple of weeks I will be posting a series of articles on suggestions, streches and excercises for improving your overall posture. Hopefully these tips will help all of us improve and enjoy our lives a little more.
http://www.posturejac.com/posturejac/myweb.php?hls=10019
http://www.drbookspan.com/NeckPainArticle.html
http://www.vhct.org/case1699/preval_costs.htm
In case you were wondering (as I was) -
There are fewer than 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Gneiting.
There are 1,070 people in the U.S. with the last name Callister.
There are 125,336 people in the U.S. with the last name Jensen.
There are 5,992 people in the U.S. with the last name Garfield.
There are fewer than 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Crazy.
There are 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Mad.
There are fewer than 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Insane.
These numbers are estimates based off of the 1990 U.S. census. As you can see numbers don't always accurately represent the truth.
There are fewer than 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Gneiting.
There are 1,070 people in the U.S. with the last name Callister.
There are 125,336 people in the U.S. with the last name Jensen.
There are 5,992 people in the U.S. with the last name Garfield.
There are fewer than 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Crazy.
There are 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Mad.
There are fewer than 336 people in the U.S. with the last name Insane.
These numbers are estimates based off of the 1990 U.S. census. As you can see numbers don't always accurately represent the truth.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
New Music Player
Thanks to everyone for their feedback! Playlist.com was the everyone's recommendation. I'm sticking all of my new playlists at the bottom of my blog so that they are easier to work with. Hopefully they'll provide a little welcome listening while you read.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Music Player?
My current music player just doesn't cut it. Does anyone have a recommendation for a better music player I could embed into my blog?
MLK day
I’m trying to keep up with my goal to post twice a week, though one of those will probably be simply fluff (writings, music, videos, etc).
Heidi now has four teeth. None of us particularly enjoyed the acquisition process but at least it is finally over. Until next tooth. Huh. Anyway, last night she only woke up once so Mommy was extremely happy. We actually were worried for a short while with her top two teeth. The left one looked like it was black. We decided to wait and see before rushing her to a dentist. Over the following days the black faded to a blue then gradually turned into healthy pink gum tissue. I asked a fellow med student about it (his brother is a dentist) and he said that babies’ gums are frequently bruised during teething. I felt really bad for our little girl. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bruise that dark.
The three-day weekend was nice. I thought it was funny that up on campus instead of calling it Martin Luther King Day it was listed as Diversity Day.
Today in lab our professor played live coverage of the Obama inauguration in the background because he “knew that we’d all rather be home watching such a historic event.” Not so much.
As a med student our family gets free access to the local community pool. Lately we’ve been going two or three times per week. It gives the kids something fun to do that tires them both out. Plus it allows Mom and Dad to swim laps (we’re getting better!). Julie gets a big kick out of Jackson’s ‘gotta impress the girls’ drive. We’ve been doing a lot of exercises to help Jackson be comfortable in the water and lay a foundation for swimming. He’s pretty good about everything but really pushes himself when Mom is around. For example, one exercise is simply to have him jump into the water (where Mom or Dad waits to catch him). He’ll jump for Dad. But when Mom shows up he is suddenly sticking his chest out and ordering Dad to back up, “I jump farther than that, Dad!” He does the same thing with running, competing with other boys, etc. It makes Julie feel very flattered. She told me that boys used to do the whole compete/posture/impress thing a lot for her in high school but she thought that it had all ended. She keeps warning herself about what her little boy will probably be like in the future but for now she is really enjoying the attention.
Heidi now has four teeth. None of us particularly enjoyed the acquisition process but at least it is finally over. Until next tooth. Huh. Anyway, last night she only woke up once so Mommy was extremely happy. We actually were worried for a short while with her top two teeth. The left one looked like it was black. We decided to wait and see before rushing her to a dentist. Over the following days the black faded to a blue then gradually turned into healthy pink gum tissue. I asked a fellow med student about it (his brother is a dentist) and he said that babies’ gums are frequently bruised during teething. I felt really bad for our little girl. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bruise that dark.
The three-day weekend was nice. I thought it was funny that up on campus instead of calling it Martin Luther King Day it was listed as Diversity Day.
Today in lab our professor played live coverage of the Obama inauguration in the background because he “knew that we’d all rather be home watching such a historic event.” Not so much.
As a med student our family gets free access to the local community pool. Lately we’ve been going two or three times per week. It gives the kids something fun to do that tires them both out. Plus it allows Mom and Dad to swim laps (we’re getting better!). Julie gets a big kick out of Jackson’s ‘gotta impress the girls’ drive. We’ve been doing a lot of exercises to help Jackson be comfortable in the water and lay a foundation for swimming. He’s pretty good about everything but really pushes himself when Mom is around. For example, one exercise is simply to have him jump into the water (where Mom or Dad waits to catch him). He’ll jump for Dad. But when Mom shows up he is suddenly sticking his chest out and ordering Dad to back up, “I jump farther than that, Dad!” He does the same thing with running, competing with other boys, etc. It makes Julie feel very flattered. She told me that boys used to do the whole compete/posture/impress thing a lot for her in high school but she thought that it had all ended. She keeps warning herself about what her little boy will probably be like in the future but for now she is really enjoying the attention.
Friday, January 16, 2009
I love SciFi/Fantasy. I'm not fanatical enough to own every Lord of the Rings figure nor do I have a closet full of mint-condition comic books preserved in plastic pouches. But I still enjoy watching old cartoons with Jackson (the new ones are all horrible), my wife and I had to go watch The Dark Knight the first day it came out, and the breaks I allow myself between studying are usually spent in enjoying (throught various forms of media) worlds and dimensions very... different from our own.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
While Jackson has only shown mild interest in Disney's cartoon version of the Lion King he really likes the broadway. The songs are of a much higher quality, more dramatic and artistic. Also, the costumes are amazing. Anyone who has never looked into the broadway version should invest a couple of minutes into checking this out.
You'll be glad you did.
You'll be glad you did.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Feedback?
Our blogs look a lot different up on campus compared to here at home. Could someone tell me how it looks on your computer?
On the home computer the background and header are screen width. On campus they only fill the middle 2/3 or so of the screen.
On the home computer the music player I installed will play the full songs. Up on campus over half of them are cut down to 30 second samples.
What do you guys get on your computers?
On the home computer the background and header are screen width. On campus they only fill the middle 2/3 or so of the screen.
On the home computer the music player I installed will play the full songs. Up on campus over half of them are cut down to 30 second samples.
What do you guys get on your computers?
One of Jackson's favorite bedtime stories
After an afternoon playing in the backyard,
A boy and his dog decided to go inside.
They ate cookies and milk.
They played cars and trucks.
Then they decided to watch a movie.
When Mom saw the dirty footprints
They’d left all over the house
She frowned
And ordered them upstairs to take a bath.
So the boy and the dog went upstairs.
They filled the bathtub with warm water,
Took off their dirty clothes,
and added some bubbles to the water
before climbing in.
At first there were just a few bubbles.
They made the water smell good
And were fun to pop.
Then the boy and the dog decided to add more bubbles.
The bubbles were thick and fluffy.
The boy and the dog scooped up bubbles in their hands
And threw them into the air.
They pretended that the bubbles were a thick fog
That their toy boat was lost inside.
They made silly hats for themselves out of the bubbles.
Then the boy and his dog decided to add more bubbles.
The bubbles filled the tub
But they continued to grow.
The bubbles spilled out onto the floor
But they continued to grow.
The bubbles even reached all the way to the ceiling
But they continued to grow!
The boy and his dog shouted for Mom.
When she opened the door
The bubbles poured out into the hallway.
Mom looked at the mess.
Then she looked at the boy and his dog
And she folded her arms.
The boy and his dog felt bad for making such a big mess.
They told their Mom that they were very sorry
And offered to clean up the mess all by themselves.
They got mops and towels and buckets and sponges.
They worked hard to clean up all of the bubbles.
When Dad came home from work
The bubbles had already been cleaned up
And The boy and the dog were asleep on the floor.
“Shh.” Mom warned him.
“What happened?” Dad asked.
Mom smiled. “They just had a big day.”
A boy and his dog decided to go inside.
They ate cookies and milk.
They played cars and trucks.
Then they decided to watch a movie.
When Mom saw the dirty footprints
They’d left all over the house
She frowned
And ordered them upstairs to take a bath.
So the boy and the dog went upstairs.
They filled the bathtub with warm water,
Took off their dirty clothes,
and added some bubbles to the water
before climbing in.
At first there were just a few bubbles.
They made the water smell good
And were fun to pop.
Then the boy and the dog decided to add more bubbles.
The bubbles were thick and fluffy.
The boy and the dog scooped up bubbles in their hands
And threw them into the air.
They pretended that the bubbles were a thick fog
That their toy boat was lost inside.
They made silly hats for themselves out of the bubbles.
Then the boy and his dog decided to add more bubbles.
The bubbles filled the tub
But they continued to grow.
The bubbles spilled out onto the floor
But they continued to grow.
The bubbles even reached all the way to the ceiling
But they continued to grow!
The boy and his dog shouted for Mom.
When she opened the door
The bubbles poured out into the hallway.
Mom looked at the mess.
Then she looked at the boy and his dog
And she folded her arms.
The boy and his dog felt bad for making such a big mess.
They told their Mom that they were very sorry
And offered to clean up the mess all by themselves.
They got mops and towels and buckets and sponges.
They worked hard to clean up all of the bubbles.
When Dad came home from work
The bubbles had already been cleaned up
And The boy and the dog were asleep on the floor.
“Shh.” Mom warned him.
“What happened?” Dad asked.
Mom smiled. “They just had a big day.”
Monday, January 5, 2009
So I now have my own blog. Julie stayed up until one o'clock last night to get this done! As the blog title says this is going to be my little Internet writer's desk, a dedicated depository for whatever chaotic thoughts and ideas I need to clean out of my head. This will also be a display case for an aspiring writer's admittedly sophomoric poetry, short stories, fanfiction and perhaps even some excerpts of a novel or two in the making. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
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