Category: Health

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Assume the negative; unless they call

Yesterday Sarah’s bus was 20 minutes late. I thought Sarah pushed her luck and missed it. Regardless, I drove her to school arriving 2 minutes late. When she came home and explained that "the bus was 20 minutes late and I arrived before the bus students so they counted me tardy" I was dumbfounded. I called the school and received no answer.

Today I called, was transferred to another office where another person tracked down the authority to whom I needed to speak. Before I could finish my explanation, she chimed "all fixed."

Some number of tardies equals an unexcused absence; 3 tardies I think. Some number of unexcused absenses lands a parent in court; 5 I think (but the school can suspend a student for no reason for 10 days I think). So, shouldn’t the school be proactive and not mark the students from this particular bus tardy? This mirrors the wicked insurance industry with the practice of automatically denying a claim and then laying the burden of proof on the exhausted patient. Sometimes it is easier just to say "I’ll take the screw." I wonder how many parents fail to even ask "were you counted tardy" much less follow-up with a phone call to the school.

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Cooking!

Dad: "Noah, what do you want for dinner?"
Noah: "Steak, taquitoes, or McDonald’s."
Dad: "Will you eat [fill in any fruit or vegetable here]?"
Noah: "No."

Dad: "Sarah, what do you want for dinner?"
Sarah: "I don’t know. Mac and cheese."
Dad: "Will you eat [fill in anything here]?"
Sarah, with disgust: "Well, nooo!"

Dad: "Tommy will you eat?"
Tommy: "As long as it isn’t spinach."

Dad: "Amy?"
Amy: "I’ll start with this then change my mind to that but I’m largely influenced by Sarah even though I really like to eat like Tommy."

Dad: "Evan?"
Evan: "Say it with me Dad.. Jugs! Oh, and pretty much anything Mom is trying to eat. Oh! Of course, I am 15 months and can clearly say ‘candy.’"

Dad: "Mom?"
Mom: "No onions! No peppers!"

Dad: "Self? Gourmet!"

In case you lost count, that’s roughly 3-5 different meals per sitting. We have dropped to least common denominator for so long that I have started to forget how to cook. The LCD? That would be chicken breast (plain), chicken nuggets (preferrably from McDs), spaghetti (but that leaves Noah with a peanut butter, maybe jelly, sandwich), steak, and hamburgers (but that leaves Sarah with ezmac).

I have decided to return to cooking. I am focusing on meals that create leftovers and hopefully satisfy a quorum but if the only people that eat are Cathy and I then so be it! The rule at this house is eat what everyone else is eatting or fix your own.

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Don’t treat the symptoms

Our society has a propensity to treat symptoms and not problems. Our commercials promote the quick fix. The prevalent attitudes toward recycling and environment show a tendency for thinking only about now. Even our government acts as if tomorrow does not matter.

Ocean Nasal Mist

A runny nose is a symptom, not the problem; however, our doctors are quick with antibiotics, and mothers rush to the pharmacy for an antihistamine. The runny nose is your body’s attempt to fix a problem. By drying up the symptom, we deminish the body’s natural ability to fight the problem.

Nose sprays are very effective at clearing up a running nose or opening blocked sinuses. When you feel congested there is nothing more relieving than to use some 4 Way Nasal Decongestant and moments later blow everything out to be able to breathe again. Nose sprays are also addictive. If you use too much, days after your cold is gone you can find yourself needing the nasal spray just to breathe. I try to limit myself to one squirt from a nasal spray per day and focus instead on a saline nasal spray. Ocean (manufacturer site) is a great product! The saline nasal spray keeps your nasal passages moisturized and helps minimize nasty stuff from coming out of your nose. Saline nasal sprays are not medicine like 4 Way or Afrin but a natural way to help your nose.

Evan has been fighting a cold and hates having his nose wiped. On a whim, I started giving him minor squirts of Ocean after cleaning his nose. He liked it! So much in fact that he fights the nose wipe less and asks for the Ocean. He helps me hold the bottle, leans his little head forward, directs it to the nostril, and smiles big when I squirt then he moves it to the other nostril and smiles more. Kids are a riot! Oh, and his nose is better for it.

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Top 10 Pot Studies Government Regrets Funding

This floated up on Popurls today. Warning! Popurls.com is geek crack! If you read Popurls, you could potentially lose days off your life without even realizing it. I cannot be held responsible for broken relationships and financial hardships resulting from introducing you to Popurls. Popurls is indeed a gateway drug, a portal mind you, to more intense, more serious sources of information. If you or someone you love is an information addict, keep away from Popurls!

From Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Cannabis, Top 10 Pot Studies Government Wished It Had Never Funded. Follow the link for more detailed information. I find it interesting how economics and politics play into issues such as marijuana. Alcohol is far more damaging than cannabis yet it remains legal. I find information like this interesting to read because I believe we waste huge amounts of money by keeping marijuana illegal for little benefit. It is legal in Denver and taxed in TN.

  1. MARIJUANA USE HAS NO EFFECT ON MORTALITY Sidney, S et al. Marijuana Use and Mortality. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 87 No. 4, April 1997. p. 585-590. Sept. 2002.
  2. HEAVY MARIJUANA USE AS A YOUNG ADULT WON’T RUIN YOUR LIFE Eisen SE et al. Does Marijuana Use Have Residual Adverse Effects on Self-Reported Health Measures, Socio-Demographics or Quality of Life? A Monozygotic Co-Twin Control Study in Men. Addiction. Vol. 97 No. 9. p.1083-1086. Sept. 1997
  3. THE "GATEWAY EFFECT" MAY BE A MIRAGE Morral AR, McCaffrey D and Paddock S. Reassessing the Marijuana Gateway Effect. Addiction. December 2002. p. 1493-1504.
  4. PROHIBITION DOESN’T WORK (PART I) National Research Council. Informing America’s Policy on Illegal Drugs: What We Don’t Know Keeps Hurting Us. National Academy Press, 2001. p. 193.
  5. PROHIBITION DOESN’T WORK (PART II: DOES PROHIBITION CAUSE THE "GATEWAY EFFECT"?) Reinarman, C, Cohen, PDA, and Kaal, HL. The Limited Relevance of Drug Policy: Cannabis in Amsterdam and San Francisco. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 94, No. 5. May 2004. p. 836-842.
  6. OOPS, MARIJUANA MAY PREVENT CANCER (PART I) Munson, AE et al. Antineoplastic Activity of Cannabinoids. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Sept. 1975. p. 597-602.
  7. OOPS, MARIJUANA MAY PREVENT CANCER, (PART II) NTP Technical Report On The Toxicology And Carcinogenesis Studies Of 1-Trans- Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, CAS No. 1972-08-3, In F344/N Rats And B6C3F(1) Mice, Gavage Studies. See also, “Medical Marijuana: Unpublished Federal Study Found THC-Treated Rats Lived Longer, Had Less Cancer,” AIDS Treatment News no. 263, Jan. 17, 1997.
  8. OOPS, MARIJUANA MAY PREVENT CANCER (PART III) Sidney, S. et al. Marijuana Use and Cancer Incidence (California, United States). Cancer Causes and Control. Vol. 8. Sept. 1997, p. 722-728.
  9. OOPS, MARIJUANA MAY PREVENT CANCER (PART IV) Tashkin D. Marijuana Use and Lung Cancer: Results of a Case-Control Study. American Thoracic Society International Conference. May 23, 2006.
  10. MARIJUANA DOES HAVE MEDICAL VALUE Joy, JE, Watson, SJ, and Benson, JA. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. National Academy Press. 1999. p. 159. See also, Harris, G. FDA Dismisses Medical Benefit From Marijuana. New York Times. Apr. 21, 2006
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Get Entertained and Fight Cancer

Tonight is a good night to go out on the town. I heard on the radio and found details in the MetroPulse that musicians and artists will be performing at 10 different locations to raise money for the Thompson Cancer Survival Center.

If you go out ever, anywhere in Knoxville, chances are you’ve seen Laith Keilany play his guitar. You heard him accompany the likes of Jodie Manross and the Mikel Grubb Band. Or, perhaps you’ve had the unique pleasure of seeing Keilany play the oud, an 11-string middle eastern instrument. He’s played all over Knoxville, and around the Southeast and East Coast. And, it’s not uncommon for Keilany to be playing for free. For years, Keilany (along with Manross) has been the go-to guy when a benefit or fundraiser is in need of a good musician with a good heart. So it’s only fitting that the fourth annual Knoxville at Night will benefit the Thompson Cancer Survival Center and Keilany, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. [Source]

Starting next week Panera will be selling a pink, cherry flavored bagel in the shape of a ribbon to support the fight against breast cancer. A portion of the purchase of these bagels will be donated.

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A new hobby? Parkour

Me thinks I have to try Parkour aka PK.

Parkour (often abbreviated PK) is a physical discipline of French origin in which participants attempt to pass obstacles in the fastest and most direct manner possible, using skills such as jumping, vaulting and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves. The obstacles can be anything in one’s environment, so parkour is often practiced in urban areas because of many suitable public structures, such as buildings, rails, and walls. [Source]

See also: A much longer description of Parkour. Wikipedia also has a detailed explanation.

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Not happy with the outside cat

Five years ago I put a bat house on the side of our house. It remains empty. A single bat can eat 500-600 mosquitoes an hour and up to 6000 per day. (if I am accurately remembering my information from the Knoxville Zoo tour) I periodically see 2 bats flying above our house and enjoy watching their swoops and zings in the dusk.

Our outside cat, Gray, treats us with gifts on the porch step. She particularly enjoys moles and skinks but has also gifted us with mice, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, birds, and a gerbil. I have seen her try to catch a woodpecker. This morning her gift was a bat. I now believe that the super huntress can catch anything. I warn the hawks! This cat can fly. Meanwhile, our inside cat catches zz’s as anyone that watches the camera is surely aware. The inside cat no longer catches mice. Ignores the tarantulas. Distastes The Beetles as much as my daughter. Converses with the squirrels. And only kills crickets by accident leaving their carcasses in the path of my wife‘s bare feet.

Of course my real concern here is that with the delay the child support check game being played at a bad cash flow time, along with start of school expenses, that a trip to the vet to check for rabies will cause unbearable hardship at this time. Of course, we will do what we must.

Update: I forgot to mention the bat lives in the freezer now.

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Without the Internet, I wouldn’t know what to do with my a*$

I probably could have lived the rest of my life without seeing this product. Without the Internet, and within the confines of the sacred Walmart, I just may have done that. But, no, I’ve seen it and now so must you. So without further ado, I present you Sphincterine by http://mintyass.com/. Believe it or not, this site is worksafe with great content.

Cost: Howard Stern $495,000.
It will cost you a lot less!!!

Let’s not forget the tag line.

It’s stimulating… and refreshing!

And you know what Pucker says!

It tingles!

You’ll note this product is not on my amazon wish list.

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Oh the dreams we dream

Last night I dreamed that Doug Heffernan and I were trying to break an old style iMac by throwing it up in the air and letting it land on the floor. Carrie gave us the whole smug "you’re going to regret this" attitude and toward the end Doug and I look at the concrete porch then at each other and rush off to actually break the screen. The location was an altered version of the show’s house set and the style of the dream including the lighting was just like the show.

In other dreams, I was helping Miss Julie Patchoulie out around her house and we were talking about the branches I had cleared in a previous dream and how they were still around because I had put them down across the property line and despire the large spanse of grass the oriental neighbor was now irrated with Julie. We skipped the sticks and went to an old shed to tear out a wall. Upon beginning to pull off the duct tape that held the concrete block up, numerous spiders with bizarre markings rushed out.

The fun beginning dream of the evening involved a guy who had built a long wooden pier into the side of a cliff high above the ocean. At the end of the several miles of pier was a bar. He began his day by standing on the egde of the pier and jumping high in the air doing a forward flip and landing back on the very edge of the pier. Then he would repeat with a backflip. A reporter was interviewing him as he did his morning flips. At the top of the cliff was a house. From the house, you could go through some woods to the street but once in the street it was evident that the woods was really a small grove of trees and a path led around the outside of the trees from the street to the house. The house was Julie’s and we started her dream.

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Saturday – more boobs than normal seen at Victoria’s Secret!

Note: For those that haven’t had their morning coffee yet, the subject line is a double entendre.

I’m a man and I get very offended when people downtalk breastfeeding and particularly upset when they suggest that breastfeeding should be done in a bathroom. I think every person that suggests a baby eat in the bathroom should be forced to have their lunch on the toilet!

Rebecca Cook of Burlington said she tried to use a dressing room at the store [Victoria’s Secret Burlington, Wis], but when one wasn’t available, she prepared to breast-feed in the store. An employee said no, pointing her toward the mall’s restrooms.
…
Jessie Chandler of [Quincy,] Massachusetts entered a Victoria’s Secret store on June 22 to shop. Chandler asked if she could use the dressing room to nurse the baby and was directed to a bathroom outside the store instead.
[Source]

My wife was recented pictured in Pathways magazine along with a wonderful article of breastfeeding in public. Her picture shows how descreet breastfeeding can be, how important and nurturing, and how natural. Our society has to get over the hysteria surrounding breasts! Breastfeeding should never be assumed to be offensive. Breastfeeding should be admired and respected!

Cook said the store manager told her the employee probably thought the "sight of her breasts might offend a customer."

We need to pamper the offended less (those who are doing wrong) and commend the breastfeeders (those who are doing right). The more common public breastfeeding becomes, the more it will become "acceptable." Taboo is reserved for that which we keep hidden.

In response, the two moms have organized a national “Nurse-In” at the Victoria’s Secrets across the country, not to protest the business but to make people aware of women’s legal right to breast-feed in public.

It is very humorous that Victoria’s Secret would imply that breasts are offending.

"I find it especially absurd that Victoria’s Secret of all places is freaking out about exposed breasts, since it’s pretty much what they sell," Branco said.

Corporate of course has decided to put some spin on the incident.

At corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, spokesman Anthony Hebron of Limited Brands, which owns Victoria’s Secret, said the incident was an unfortunate mistake.

Breast-feeding in public is legal, he said, adding, “We have a long-standing policy which permits mothers to nurse in our stores. We regret that recently our policies weren’t adhered to, but that did prompt us to make sure to re-educate our associates and let the public know.”

The AAP recommends "Exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months and support for breastfeeding for the first year and beyond as long as mutually desired by mother and child."

See also (call for nurse-in), also (discussion), also (abc news with opinion poll), also (Suntimes), also (rant/discussion), and ProMom (promoting breastfeeding awareness). [Primary Source].

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Ban Public School!

This morning I posted that schools, some of which have already eliminated arts and foriegn language programs, are now seeking to ban games like tag that promote physical activity on the basis that these games cause physical and mental trauma to children. Michael Silence highlights a ban on pizza parties and sweets brought to our attention by A Whiff of Smiff.

Let’s cut to the chase and ban school. It is easier to have a totalitarian government when people are poorly educated. (those bottom states voted red as noted by Latte Man)

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Who needs Prozac! Tag! You’re it.

I’ve been feeling increasingly depressed. Work stress and my general situation have just beaten me down. I have managed to keep the dizzy spells back but often it is just by luck that I’m not swirling away.

Yesterday I got off my bum and ran. It wasn’t a terribly lengthy run but it was on hills and made me wheeze like the air had suddenly shut off. Then last night I took a break and had Sarah join me for The Knoxville Juggler’s Club meeting. We had a blast and I exercised hard.

Today I feel great! The work is still there. Today’s schedule is nuts (that link won’t show it because we use 9 calendars to coordinate our family). I may have a career altering decision to make at lunch. And the wolves are still at door. But I truly feel less down!

Schools have blunted our creative education with the elimination of arts and language skills.

“We can no longer afford the arts,” yet recent studies have confirmed that public schools cannot afford to eliminate arts education because of the important contributions it makes in the cognitive development of the whole child. [Source]

Were it not for the exceptional PTA at Rocky Hill, our elementary school would not be teaching foreign language at all. Now schools are looking ot reduce physical activity, like banning tag, on the premise that these activities are not safe. They are making a huge mistake.

The principal said children playing tag suffered both physical and emotional injuries.

Exercise works to prevent depression! (without side affects)

…another treatment for depression – exercise therapy – that can be as effective as antidepressants and counselling. Several scientific studies have shown that a regular programme of exercise can help people recover from depression – lifting their mood, reducing anxiety and improving self-esteem and concentration. They have also found that taking regular exercise can help protect people against becoming depressed in the first place. [Source]

A study of male graduates at Harvard found that the relative risk of depression over a 25-year period was 27 per cent lower for men who played three hours or more of sport a week. [Source]

I think Franklin Elementary School Principal Pat Samarge has it wrong. Tag, even with its "abuses" develops our children physically and mentally. Without exercise, Samarge is contributing directly to physical problems and, as the studies have shown, Samarge is also contributing directly to the emotional abuse of depression! Of course, not playing tag doesn’t mean these children will become depressed nor does it imply that these children are being denied opportunities to exercise. It simply means that Samarge has taken away an opportunity, opened a door to potential lethargy, and eliminated a possible depression preventative.

Yummy! I had pondered creating a site to review teachers from the parent and student point of view. I am happy that it has already been done!

Side note, In case you missed "Schools Abolish Recess in favor of Sensitivity Training", click this to see the picture! "I’m OK! You’re OK! a horrible bigot."

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Lady take it elsewhere!

LiveJournal wants women to breastfeed their babies in the bathroom.

Six Apart, creators of Movable Type and, more recently, owners of LiveJournal, have decided to harrass LiveJournal users whose default icons depict breastfeeding.

LiveJournal is even protected by law!

Lawmakers are beginning to understand …; California, where Six Apart is located, has express legal provision exempting breastfeeding from obscenity legislation.

The AAP recommends "Exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months and support for breastfeeding for the first year and beyond as long as mutually desired by mother and child."