Blog

  • 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.

  • From the mouths of babes

    While driving Noah to karate we notice a portion of Food City’s parking lot blocked off with what appears to be jumping balloons, tents, and a big cow and lots of orange.

    Noah: "Dad, what do you think they are doing over there?"
    Dad: "I don’t know but I see a jumping balloon, cute girls, and a big cow. Looks fun!"
    Noah: "Don’t you have an affair Dad!"
    Dad: "Noah, I would never have an affair. What makes you say such a thing?"
    Noah: "You called them cute girls."
    Dad: "Oh. Well I can notice they are cute or pretty without having an affair."
    Noah: "Oh I see! You mean cute like little girl cute."
    Dad: "Uh."

  • 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic

    SEOmoz Blog has a must read article for bloggers interested in traffic. Let me add that traffic is also something that will come with consistency and time. A lack of comments does not indicate a lack of readership. Many "counters" are inaccurate and do not accommodate readership through news readers (RSS, Atom, etc).

  • 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
  • From the mouths of babes

    Amy: "I wish I could be drops of water."

  • Timeout!

    Ouch. Comcast internet connection just went away. Reason? Scheduled maintenance for 5 hours! I have 2 critical deadlines tonight!


    ===============================================
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    http://www.CingularMe.COM/

  • iMac OS X Photoshop 9.0.1 Updater

    If you find yourself screaming "Photoshop CS2 9.0.1 Updater for the Mac sucks!" then you aren’t alone. If the updater prompts you to locate the Photoshop application but the application is grayed out, then your version of Photoshop is up to date. Per Adobe support, the updater should not have allowed you to download 9.0.1. If the application cannot be selected then you are up to date.

  • New West Hills Interchange

    Correction! That should have read east bound and only if you are using the access road behind the state trooper office

  • New West Hills Interchange

    Tdot west east bound to morrell is smooth .

  • New West Hills Interchange

    I should clarify. Avoid the new downtown west interchange at all costs. (Update: West bound)

  • New West Hills Interchange

    Tdot sucks Update: In all fairness, they are still transitioning and do not have all the lanes open yet.

  • 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.

  • Senator Ted Stevens Technophobe – Outted!

    Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t embrace it!

    There’s a bipartisan Senate bill that would actually do something good for a change. S. 2590 would create a Google-style public database that would show who gets government money through contracts and grants. But a single anonymous senator has blocked the bill. [Source]

    You guessed it! Looks like Senator Ted Stevens. You might recall Senator Ted Stevens as the guy who explained the Internet as "a series of tubes." He is in charge of regulating the Internet and Ted Stevens does not even get it!

    It is worth noting that your government may not be living up to your expectations because the elected officials, the ones your vote or lack of vote put into office, are a bunch of old coots. And spare a minute and a half to see John McCain make Jon Stewart spew his coffee while discussing Ted Stevens. (The 3:35 version of the same interview.)

    Redstate has further commentary regarding the Pork Busters legislation.

    The legislation, also known as the “Federal Funding, Accountability, & Transparency Act”, would create an online, searchable database of federal earmarks. The database would list which member of congress obtained the earmark, how much the earmark is for, what the purpose is for, which local contractors are involved, etc. [Source]