| |
|
4/30/07
movie
Steve Martin
I've got to keep breathing. It'll be my worst business mistake if I don't.
Steve Martin
Love is a promise delivered already broken.
Steve Martin
Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful and natural experiences that money can buy.
Steve Martin
Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.
Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Love is a promise delivered already broken.
Steve Martin
Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful and natural experiences that money can buy.
Steve Martin
Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.
Steve Martin
Bringing computer access, skills to rural Uganda
Bringing computer access, skills to rural Uganda
By BAMUTURAKI MUSNGUZI
AS SHE BROWSES THE INTE-rnet at the Nabweru Community Multimedia Centre (CMC) computer lab, Lovincer Nabanja recounts how the facilityhas enabled her acquire computer and business skills, leading to better management of her restaurant.
"I used to make a daily profit of Ush5,000 ($2.8) compared to the Ush25,000 ($14) I earn today, of which I save Ushs10,000 ($5.7)," she said.
Another beneficiary, Suleiman Senyonga, owner of Senyonga, Sendegeya and Sons Metal Works, says the centre has enabled him acquire computer skills and improve his business management skills. It is at the centre that he came up with the idea of forming the 230-member Katwe Small Scale Industrial Development Association (Kassid) in 2005.
"Before I joined Kassid, I would make a profit of Ushs1 million ($571) every six months but now I take home Ush5 million ($2,857) within the same period."
Nabanja and Senyonga are among those who have benefited from the Nabweru CMC, which offers computer training, e-mail and Internet services, scanning, photocopying and typesetting among other services. It also operates a community radio (Nabweru 102.5 Tiger FM).
There are about 30 CMCs operating in 16 countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. The CMC project, a component of the African Information Society Initiative and the UN System Wide Special Initiative on Africa, has pilot projects in six districts in Uganda: Nakaseke, Wakiso, Mpigi, Kabale, Kibaale and Apac.
In remote regions, users of information and communication technologies (ICT) connect with the rest of the world through CMCs, a Unesco programme that seeks to bridge the digital divide, giving isolated communities in the developing world access to ICT.
The CMCs integrate community radio stations with the Internet, printers, faxes, and photo equipment. The integration of the radio with telecentre activities has overcome social, cultural and distance barriers encountered by some members of the community, especially women and the illiterate.
A key activity of the CMC is "radio-browsing," which allows listeners to become long-distance cybernauts as the programme hosts experts who talk on a wide variety of topics.
Complementary technologies such as radio and the Internet set CMCs apart from traditional communications projects.
Radio is used to broaden the choice of ICT options and to complement those available at the telecentre, as well as enhance collaboration and networking for increased information sharing and dissemination.
Besides phone-ins, e-mails and letters, community participation is encouraged through involvement in programming and production.
Radio is also meant to introduce new learning techniques, information sharing and link diverse communities.
The CMCs are regularly turned into virtual offices for seeking jobs or checking the price of agricultural goods in town, which encourages the creation of locally relevant content.
THE GOAL IS TO GRADUALLY accumulate knowledge that is relevant to the community. To that end, the computer programme eNRICH is used. This allows users to set up their own gateway websites easily and quickly. They can then go directly to the Internet sites that best serve their needs or interests.
Illiterate people also come to the CMCs where instructors help them browse the web. As for the semi-literate, they learn to spot certain reference points as they browse.
CMCs have also helped communities take more interest in governance to a point where women are now taking up more active roles in the management of their communities.
The CMC approach seeks to foster universal access to information and communication. This combines the power of new ICTs which provide open access to knowledge and information in the cyberspace, and traditional communication technologies, to bridge barriers that hinder some groups from participation in the information society and ultimately in the development process.
For example, since 2003, Nabweru CMC has tracked ITC integration into community programmes. Consequently several development organisations, at low cost, have reached a wide range of community poor with development programmes such as providing electronic delivery of agricultural information to rural communities, empowerment of women and providing a platform for children's voices against injustice. It has also captured and documented indigenous knowledge with financial support from various development agencies.
A report by Unesco and International Development Research Centre says that most CMCs have to face stiff competition in providing services similar to institutions with modern and advanced equipment. Equally, CMCs lack the required skills to generate content that address community development needs.
4/28/07
NUTRITION
It's eating no matter how you slice it
Underestimating junk food's portion of total intake, that's easy. Changing the habit, that's the hard part.
What's the official word on letting your mouth stray beyond the breakfast-lunch-dinner circuit? Scientists have yet to figure it out.
For one, snacking is tough to study. Try giving volunteers their meals in a controlled lab setting, and they don't eat close to how they would normally. Ask them to try to remember what they ate yesterday in the real world, and they'll likely be way off in their reports — either because they don't remember or because they don't want to remember.
There are always the easier-to-study rats, of course. But when it comes to nutrition, we're just not rodents. Rats are surprisingly determined to keep up healthy habits — including watching calories. Sure, they'll accept snacks, but then they'll eat less rat chow later on.
Studies have shown that humans haven't learned that trick. Give us potato chips during the day, and we'll gratefully scarf them down — and then go on to eat a full dinner at night. (Scientists aren't sure why we do this — or, more important, how to get us to stop.)
One thing is clear: Snacking is still eating. So if you're going to snack, here are some thoughts about how to do it more wisely.
• Don't underestimate how junk food messes with normal willpower. "Our body appears to be good at regulating our food intake when only healthy foods are available," says Kelly Brownell, director of Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. "But once you introduce high-fat, high-calorie foods, all bets are off. Foods high in sugar, fat and calories appear to throw off the body's normal regulatory ability."
A 2005 study at Penn State University found a high-fat diet might dampen normal responses to "stop-eating" chemicals in the gut. Rats fed high-fat chow for normal meals reacted abnormally to a hormone called cholecystokinin — also found in humans — which triggers feelings of fullness and helps the brain to decide when to stop eating. Rats fed high-fat chow ended up ignoring the signals and ate 40% more high-calorie snacks than normal-chow rats.
The upshot (if this experiment were to apply similarly in humans): If your everyday diet is high in fat, your normal appetite signals might have gone awry, leaving you more susceptible to snacking urges that others can more easily resist.
• Try reprogramming yourself. "You can, in fact, change your tastes and expectations," says Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "If you're used to eating fruits and vegetables for snacks, that's what you'll begin to crave. Save the Doritos and the cookies for a real treat instead."
• Watch out for the stress — even after it has faded. Studies have shown that people eat more while under stress. But a 2004 study at Penn State University found that women also ate more in the aftermath of stress — in this case, hearing extremely loud noises while trying to do math problems. The effects, which extended to women but not men, included eating significantly more fatty potato chips, chocolate, cheese and even bland popcorn.
• Remember that there's no one way to eat healthfully. "Snacking is complicated," says Barbara Rolls, author of "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan" and professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University. "You can never prescribe the same number of meals for everybody across the board. If you know you get a gnawing stomach between meals, then at least plan ahead and have some healthy food ready to eat."
• Try thinking of food as meal extensions, not snacks. "Vending machines are the major culprit in allowing us to eat between meals and consume more calories," says David Levitsky, professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University. "Nutritious foods are often found in meals. Vending machines dispense snack foods, not meal foods." He suggests eating a bit of leftovers from lunch, veggies from home or a cup of soup, which has satisfying volume and is warm to boot.
• Watch out for health halos. Just because a food may be good in one sense — low sodium, high fiber, for instance — doesn't necessarily make it good in lots of other ways — low in calories or sugar, for instance. That good-for-you aura can fool people into making bad decisions.
"People think low-fat snack foods are a lot lower in calories than they are," says Brian Wansink, author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" and director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University. In a test at his lab last year, people given granola with low-fat labels underestimated how many calories they would save, and they ate 35% more calories than they did of the regular version.
• Beware late-night snacking quirks. If you're habitually eating in the wee morning hours when you should be in bed, you might be reprogramming your brain. A 2006 study at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that late-night eating habits triggered genetic changes in rats' brains. When rats learned to expect snacks at times they'd otherwise be sleeping, their body clocks flipped. Sleep/wake genes in the rats' brains became in sync with the snack, and the rats started to ignore normal cues of when to sleep — even after the snacks stopped coming.
• Keep the snacks out of sight. "Anything that creates a pause is enough to interrupt mindless eating," Wansink says. One study of office workers' habits revealed that the number of visits to the vending machine was inversely correlated with distance from one's desk. The closer the machine, the easier it was to nip over for a quick purchase.
• Just because you can snack doesn't mean that you must. "The food industry has successfully reset the definition of when it is acceptable to eat," Brownell says. More opportunities aren't necessarily good. "If we're going to eat seven times a day, we're just exposing ourselves to more food," Rolls says. "And if we're around food, it's hard to stop."
• Just deal with a bit of hunger. "Snacking is now normal, but people used to just wait for meals," says Marion Nestle, nutrition professor at New York University and author of "What to Eat." "Now people feel they should never be hungry."
Indeed, our species is designed to feed and then fast, says Susan Roberts of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. "Humans have a stomach to act as a reservoir. We're not ruminants that need to eat around the clock to get enough in."
For one, snacking is tough to study. Try giving volunteers their meals in a controlled lab setting, and they don't eat close to how they would normally. Ask them to try to remember what they ate yesterday in the real world, and they'll likely be way off in their reports — either because they don't remember or because they don't want to remember.
There are always the easier-to-study rats, of course. But when it comes to nutrition, we're just not rodents. Rats are surprisingly determined to keep up healthy habits — including watching calories. Sure, they'll accept snacks, but then they'll eat less rat chow later on.
Studies have shown that humans haven't learned that trick. Give us potato chips during the day, and we'll gratefully scarf them down — and then go on to eat a full dinner at night. (Scientists aren't sure why we do this — or, more important, how to get us to stop.)
One thing is clear: Snacking is still eating. So if you're going to snack, here are some thoughts about how to do it more wisely.
• Don't underestimate how junk food messes with normal willpower. "Our body appears to be good at regulating our food intake when only healthy foods are available," says Kelly Brownell, director of Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. "But once you introduce high-fat, high-calorie foods, all bets are off. Foods high in sugar, fat and calories appear to throw off the body's normal regulatory ability."
A 2005 study at Penn State University found a high-fat diet might dampen normal responses to "stop-eating" chemicals in the gut. Rats fed high-fat chow for normal meals reacted abnormally to a hormone called cholecystokinin — also found in humans — which triggers feelings of fullness and helps the brain to decide when to stop eating. Rats fed high-fat chow ended up ignoring the signals and ate 40% more high-calorie snacks than normal-chow rats.
The upshot (if this experiment were to apply similarly in humans): If your everyday diet is high in fat, your normal appetite signals might have gone awry, leaving you more susceptible to snacking urges that others can more easily resist.
• Try reprogramming yourself. "You can, in fact, change your tastes and expectations," says Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "If you're used to eating fruits and vegetables for snacks, that's what you'll begin to crave. Save the Doritos and the cookies for a real treat instead."
• Watch out for the stress — even after it has faded. Studies have shown that people eat more while under stress. But a 2004 study at Penn State University found that women also ate more in the aftermath of stress — in this case, hearing extremely loud noises while trying to do math problems. The effects, which extended to women but not men, included eating significantly more fatty potato chips, chocolate, cheese and even bland popcorn.
• Remember that there's no one way to eat healthfully. "Snacking is complicated," says Barbara Rolls, author of "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan" and professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University. "You can never prescribe the same number of meals for everybody across the board. If you know you get a gnawing stomach between meals, then at least plan ahead and have some healthy food ready to eat."
• Try thinking of food as meal extensions, not snacks. "Vending machines are the major culprit in allowing us to eat between meals and consume more calories," says David Levitsky, professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University. "Nutritious foods are often found in meals. Vending machines dispense snack foods, not meal foods." He suggests eating a bit of leftovers from lunch, veggies from home or a cup of soup, which has satisfying volume and is warm to boot.
• Watch out for health halos. Just because a food may be good in one sense — low sodium, high fiber, for instance — doesn't necessarily make it good in lots of other ways — low in calories or sugar, for instance. That good-for-you aura can fool people into making bad decisions.
"People think low-fat snack foods are a lot lower in calories than they are," says Brian Wansink, author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" and director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University. In a test at his lab last year, people given granola with low-fat labels underestimated how many calories they would save, and they ate 35% more calories than they did of the regular version.
• Beware late-night snacking quirks. If you're habitually eating in the wee morning hours when you should be in bed, you might be reprogramming your brain. A 2006 study at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that late-night eating habits triggered genetic changes in rats' brains. When rats learned to expect snacks at times they'd otherwise be sleeping, their body clocks flipped. Sleep/wake genes in the rats' brains became in sync with the snack, and the rats started to ignore normal cues of when to sleep — even after the snacks stopped coming.
• Keep the snacks out of sight. "Anything that creates a pause is enough to interrupt mindless eating," Wansink says. One study of office workers' habits revealed that the number of visits to the vending machine was inversely correlated with distance from one's desk. The closer the machine, the easier it was to nip over for a quick purchase.
• Just because you can snack doesn't mean that you must. "The food industry has successfully reset the definition of when it is acceptable to eat," Brownell says. More opportunities aren't necessarily good. "If we're going to eat seven times a day, we're just exposing ourselves to more food," Rolls says. "And if we're around food, it's hard to stop."
• Just deal with a bit of hunger. "Snacking is now normal, but people used to just wait for meals," says Marion Nestle, nutrition professor at New York University and author of "What to Eat." "Now people feel they should never be hungry."
Indeed, our species is designed to feed and then fast, says Susan Roberts of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. "Humans have a stomach to act as a reservoir. We're not ruminants that need to eat around the clock to get enough in."
New business sells on eBay for customers
New business sells on eBay for customers
By Trevor Kupfer, Dells Events
wde-news@capitalnewspapers.com-->
When Adam Seymour recently rummaged through a box to find an old, raggedy baseball glove, he didn't think he'd get more than a few dollars for it. When he posted it on eBay, he was surprised to see it sell for about $200.
"We've come across a few interesting items that you'd never think would sell for much," Seymour said.
Along with Jason Field, Seymour recently created the Lake Delton store We Sell 4 U on eBay, also known as Dells Auction. The service asks customers to bring in items that would sell for more than $30, and they take it from there.
"We do free appraisals, meaning giving an idea of what an item will go for on eBay, we list it, we sell it, we package it, ship it," Seymour said. "Basically we do everything and then we send them a check in the mail."
If you've seen the 2005 comedy "The 40 Year Old Virgin," the concept of an eBay store isn't new. For those who haven't heard of the stores, the idea may seem a bit foreign.
"I had a guy come into the store the other day who wanted to buy something and I couldn't sell it to him," Seymour said with a smile.
While the idea may seem strange, the number of these stores nationwide has seen a peak recently.
"There's starting to be a lot more," Seymour said adding there are stores in Madison and Wausau.
Field and Seymour got the idea a year ago when they did buying and selling of their own. Shortly thereafter, the duo saw several people approach them to sell their possessions on the online auction service.
They have since moved their business to the Field Building across the street from Moosejaw Restaurant. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Seymour said they can't sell firearms or real estate but will accept almost anything else customers bring in, including cars.
"I found out most people just don't want to take the time so they'll come in and just drop it off," Seymour said.
Just last week the business picked up an out-of-business restaurant in LaCrosse to sell its equipment. Seymour said they've had lots of business recently, so much so that they're looking to hire more staff.
The business is part of the Trading Assistant program, which allows them to legally conduct business provided they meet a quota every month, pay roughly $1,000 in monthly fees and receive at least a 97 percent feedback rating through eBay.
The typical American household holds about 25 unused, high-value items, according to a 2004 A.C. Nielson survey.
Recent surprises at We Sell 4 U include a purse that sold for $4,500, two model airplanes that had a price of $1.50 on the box, yet sold for $100 each, and a vintage pipe that sold for $140.
"When they prepare for spring cleaning, people in Lake Delton should realize they are likely to sell these unwanted items on eBay for considerably more than they would receive from a garage sale," Seymour said.
To sell, or purchase items for other residents, visit the We Sell 4 U Web site at http://stores.ebay.com/Dells-store.
By Trevor Kupfer, Dells Events
wde-news@capitalnewspapers.com-->
When Adam Seymour recently rummaged through a box to find an old, raggedy baseball glove, he didn't think he'd get more than a few dollars for it. When he posted it on eBay, he was surprised to see it sell for about $200.
"We've come across a few interesting items that you'd never think would sell for much," Seymour said.
Along with Jason Field, Seymour recently created the Lake Delton store We Sell 4 U on eBay, also known as Dells Auction. The service asks customers to bring in items that would sell for more than $30, and they take it from there.
"We do free appraisals, meaning giving an idea of what an item will go for on eBay, we list it, we sell it, we package it, ship it," Seymour said. "Basically we do everything and then we send them a check in the mail."
If you've seen the 2005 comedy "The 40 Year Old Virgin," the concept of an eBay store isn't new. For those who haven't heard of the stores, the idea may seem a bit foreign.
"I had a guy come into the store the other day who wanted to buy something and I couldn't sell it to him," Seymour said with a smile.
While the idea may seem strange, the number of these stores nationwide has seen a peak recently.
"There's starting to be a lot more," Seymour said adding there are stores in Madison and Wausau.
Field and Seymour got the idea a year ago when they did buying and selling of their own. Shortly thereafter, the duo saw several people approach them to sell their possessions on the online auction service.
They have since moved their business to the Field Building across the street from Moosejaw Restaurant. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Seymour said they can't sell firearms or real estate but will accept almost anything else customers bring in, including cars.
"I found out most people just don't want to take the time so they'll come in and just drop it off," Seymour said.
Just last week the business picked up an out-of-business restaurant in LaCrosse to sell its equipment. Seymour said they've had lots of business recently, so much so that they're looking to hire more staff.
The business is part of the Trading Assistant program, which allows them to legally conduct business provided they meet a quota every month, pay roughly $1,000 in monthly fees and receive at least a 97 percent feedback rating through eBay.
The typical American household holds about 25 unused, high-value items, according to a 2004 A.C. Nielson survey.
Recent surprises at We Sell 4 U include a purse that sold for $4,500, two model airplanes that had a price of $1.50 on the box, yet sold for $100 each, and a vintage pipe that sold for $140.
"When they prepare for spring cleaning, people in Lake Delton should realize they are likely to sell these unwanted items on eBay for considerably more than they would receive from a garage sale," Seymour said.
To sell, or purchase items for other residents, visit the We Sell 4 U Web site at http://stores.ebay.com/Dells-store.
Event to benefit Invisible Children
Event to benefit Invisible ChildrenApril 27, 2007
By MELISSA LIMMERStaff writer
On Saturday afternoon, a large group of Baylor students will make a trip down to Austin.
However, this is no typical weekend getaway -- these students are going to Austin hoping to make a difference.
They will attend "Displace Me," held by Invisible Children from 3 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday. The purpose of this nationwide event, being held in 15 cities from Orlando to Seattle, is to draw attention to the civil war in Uganda.
Baylor students who are interested in attending will meet at the Ferrell Special Events Center parking lot at 12:45 p.m. and can carpool to Austin.
"We are expecting hopefully at least a couple hundred (students)," Waco coordinator and Kingwood sophomore Kaley Eggers said.
Eggers also said anyone could attend, not just students.
In Austin, participants will camp out overnight at the Travis County Expo Center in a simulation of the conditions of the displaced Ugandans who are forced to live in makeshift camps because of the civil war that continues to ravage the country.
Everyone attending the event is asked to bring a cardboard box, saltines and water.
The water and saltines will be taken up and redistributed, just like food in the camps in Uganda.
"(Invisible Children) wanted to bring people together to get more attention and simulate the displacement camps that are the focus of the event," said Russell Millican, Austin coordinator for "Displace Me."
Millican said the displacement camps are "one of the worst effects of the war."
Besides camping out, Invisible Children movies will be shown, and one of the young Ugandan boys from the original Invisible Children video will be speaking. There also will be a letter writing campaign to United States government officials on behalf of the people of Uganda.
Russell said the event will be similar to the Global Night Commute that Invisible Children hosted last year.
This year they wanted to have the event in fewer locations in larger cities to create "a stronger voice and experience."
"We want to show our government that we care about the people in Uganda, and show the people in Uganda that we care about them," Eggers said.
Overall, Eggers expressed hope that the event would "give people a perspective" and bring awareness to the plight of the Ugandan people.
Russell said so far, 58,000 people nationwide are signed up nationwide to attend the event.
As of Thursday afternoon, Austin had the fourth-largest number of participants with 4,043 people signed up to attend.
Nacogdoches freshman Hunter Chambers is one of the many Baylor students planning to attend.
"I think it is really important because, especially in America and in the youth culture of America, we are not encouraged necessarily to think outside ourselves," he said. "Whenever you can be involved in something that is greater than you, I think it can be a really great experience."
Eggers agreed that students especially have a special voice in bringing awareness about the situation in Uganda.
"We, especially at Baylor, have been blessed so much," she said. "This is just one opportunity to help people who are less fortunate than we are."
By MELISSA LIMMERStaff writer
On Saturday afternoon, a large group of Baylor students will make a trip down to Austin.
However, this is no typical weekend getaway -- these students are going to Austin hoping to make a difference.
They will attend "Displace Me," held by Invisible Children from 3 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday. The purpose of this nationwide event, being held in 15 cities from Orlando to Seattle, is to draw attention to the civil war in Uganda.
Baylor students who are interested in attending will meet at the Ferrell Special Events Center parking lot at 12:45 p.m. and can carpool to Austin.
"We are expecting hopefully at least a couple hundred (students)," Waco coordinator and Kingwood sophomore Kaley Eggers said.
Eggers also said anyone could attend, not just students.
In Austin, participants will camp out overnight at the Travis County Expo Center in a simulation of the conditions of the displaced Ugandans who are forced to live in makeshift camps because of the civil war that continues to ravage the country.
Everyone attending the event is asked to bring a cardboard box, saltines and water.
The water and saltines will be taken up and redistributed, just like food in the camps in Uganda.
"(Invisible Children) wanted to bring people together to get more attention and simulate the displacement camps that are the focus of the event," said Russell Millican, Austin coordinator for "Displace Me."
Millican said the displacement camps are "one of the worst effects of the war."
Besides camping out, Invisible Children movies will be shown, and one of the young Ugandan boys from the original Invisible Children video will be speaking. There also will be a letter writing campaign to United States government officials on behalf of the people of Uganda.
Russell said the event will be similar to the Global Night Commute that Invisible Children hosted last year.
This year they wanted to have the event in fewer locations in larger cities to create "a stronger voice and experience."
"We want to show our government that we care about the people in Uganda, and show the people in Uganda that we care about them," Eggers said.
Overall, Eggers expressed hope that the event would "give people a perspective" and bring awareness to the plight of the Ugandan people.
Russell said so far, 58,000 people nationwide are signed up nationwide to attend the event.
As of Thursday afternoon, Austin had the fourth-largest number of participants with 4,043 people signed up to attend.
Nacogdoches freshman Hunter Chambers is one of the many Baylor students planning to attend.
"I think it is really important because, especially in America and in the youth culture of America, we are not encouraged necessarily to think outside ourselves," he said. "Whenever you can be involved in something that is greater than you, I think it can be a really great experience."
Eggers agreed that students especially have a special voice in bringing awareness about the situation in Uganda.
"We, especially at Baylor, have been blessed so much," she said. "This is just one opportunity to help people who are less fortunate than we are."
Why I love podcasts
Why I love podcasts
Have you ever listened to a podcast? It’s not that hard, especially if you own an iPod, although that’s certainly not a requirement. Almost any MP3 player short of a Zune can work with them. But I don’t want to talk tech right now. Yeah yeah, sometimes technology is important to me on a personal level because I like to play with it; it’s intrinsically cool. And I am a geek like most reading this blog. On the other hand, there are times when technology is simply a means to an end. Podcasts have become such a technology to me. I love them and use them all the time, and it baffles me that more people don’t use them. One thing I’ve come to realize is that I am an aural person living in a visual society, but while I think being an aural person helps in appreciating podcasts, by no means is it a requirement.
As an expat, I find I occasionally crave things that I would otherwise take for granted living in the States. As a prime example, I’ve listened to and supported public radio for years and I miss listening to Morning Edition on the drive to work, and All Things Considered on the way home. I miss Fresh Air and Car Talk and all those other wonderful programs from National Public Radio and its cousins. So it has thrilled me to no end to discover that I can get most of these programs either streamed over the Internet – or more importantly – stored as podcasts to take with me wherever I go or when listening on my PC while I work.
Playing with podcasts got me to thinking about a program I used to listen to when I was in grad school, Songs For Aging Children, that was dedicated to singer songwriters. I googled the program, and that led me to WETA in Washington DC, the NPR station I listened to when I lived there. They just had a format change, and they are all classical now, which is causing some controversy, and as I read through the comments, it got me thinking about Minnesota Public Radio which is my favourite public radio network of all, in part because of their format with two stations, one for classical and one for talk so you could have the best of all worlds or whatever you fancied at the moment. Minnesota is a lovely state if you can get past the long long cold cold winters, and the people there have done some wonderful things, of which MPR is arguably one of the best. While wandering nostalgically through their site, I discovered that I could get Garrison Keillor’s News from Lake Wobegon on podcast – truly the only part of Prairie Home Companion that I ever liked – and then discovered that yes, Leigh Kammond still did the Jazz Image every Saturday night and was in fact celebrating his 60th anniversary. I had a sudden urge to listen to Django Reinhardt as I read.
Sitting here on a warm February afternoon in Italy, surrounded by email and project notes and survey outlines, I suddenly felt transported to the North Shore of Lake Superior, to Lutsen and Tofte and Grand Marais.
I also felt drawn back to Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle and memories of sitting on the roof of the townhouse in Adams Morgan on hot summer nights drinking cold beer and listening to the radio. At that moment, home felt so much closer to me than it has in a long time, as though the distances in both years and miles were suddenly negligible.
I’ve had some conversations with people lately about how technology can isolate us and push us further away from culture and each other. We got into this conversation based on a discussion about Second Life and avatars and future GUIs. Would technology make a virtual world preferable to the real one? While this may be true for some, I find instead that I am using technology to search for and connect to modern storytellers who use technology to reach those hungry for their tales.
I find myself listening to reviews of books I’ll want to read and hearing from new (for me) musicians I’ll want to hear more from, as I wait in line for planes, trains, and automobiles or spend otherwise lonely nights in generic hotel rooms. Sometimes technology becomes a virtual way to gather around the campfire in a modern time and makes the real world virtually closer. It can break down barriers and build communities as much as it can distance us from them.
Have you ever listened to a podcast? It’s not that hard, especially if you own an iPod, although that’s certainly not a requirement. Almost any MP3 player short of a Zune can work with them. But I don’t want to talk tech right now. Yeah yeah, sometimes technology is important to me on a personal level because I like to play with it; it’s intrinsically cool. And I am a geek like most reading this blog. On the other hand, there are times when technology is simply a means to an end. Podcasts have become such a technology to me. I love them and use them all the time, and it baffles me that more people don’t use them. One thing I’ve come to realize is that I am an aural person living in a visual society, but while I think being an aural person helps in appreciating podcasts, by no means is it a requirement.
As an expat, I find I occasionally crave things that I would otherwise take for granted living in the States. As a prime example, I’ve listened to and supported public radio for years and I miss listening to Morning Edition on the drive to work, and All Things Considered on the way home. I miss Fresh Air and Car Talk and all those other wonderful programs from National Public Radio and its cousins. So it has thrilled me to no end to discover that I can get most of these programs either streamed over the Internet – or more importantly – stored as podcasts to take with me wherever I go or when listening on my PC while I work.
Playing with podcasts got me to thinking about a program I used to listen to when I was in grad school, Songs For Aging Children, that was dedicated to singer songwriters. I googled the program, and that led me to WETA in Washington DC, the NPR station I listened to when I lived there. They just had a format change, and they are all classical now, which is causing some controversy, and as I read through the comments, it got me thinking about Minnesota Public Radio which is my favourite public radio network of all, in part because of their format with two stations, one for classical and one for talk so you could have the best of all worlds or whatever you fancied at the moment. Minnesota is a lovely state if you can get past the long long cold cold winters, and the people there have done some wonderful things, of which MPR is arguably one of the best. While wandering nostalgically through their site, I discovered that I could get Garrison Keillor’s News from Lake Wobegon on podcast – truly the only part of Prairie Home Companion that I ever liked – and then discovered that yes, Leigh Kammond still did the Jazz Image every Saturday night and was in fact celebrating his 60th anniversary. I had a sudden urge to listen to Django Reinhardt as I read.
Sitting here on a warm February afternoon in Italy, surrounded by email and project notes and survey outlines, I suddenly felt transported to the North Shore of Lake Superior, to Lutsen and Tofte and Grand Marais.
I also felt drawn back to Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle and memories of sitting on the roof of the townhouse in Adams Morgan on hot summer nights drinking cold beer and listening to the radio. At that moment, home felt so much closer to me than it has in a long time, as though the distances in both years and miles were suddenly negligible.
I’ve had some conversations with people lately about how technology can isolate us and push us further away from culture and each other. We got into this conversation based on a discussion about Second Life and avatars and future GUIs. Would technology make a virtual world preferable to the real one? While this may be true for some, I find instead that I am using technology to search for and connect to modern storytellers who use technology to reach those hungry for their tales.
I find myself listening to reviews of books I’ll want to read and hearing from new (for me) musicians I’ll want to hear more from, as I wait in line for planes, trains, and automobiles or spend otherwise lonely nights in generic hotel rooms. Sometimes technology becomes a virtual way to gather around the campfire in a modern time and makes the real world virtually closer. It can break down barriers and build communities as much as it can distance us from them.
managers lack vision
Do IT managers lack vision, or are some industry analysts out of touch?
There is an interesting discussion going on over here sparked originally by a Gartner analyst who reportedly implied that IT managers in the USA lack vision.While it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this particular incident, the views expressed have mobilised me to get back onto one of my favourite hobby horses – that of industry analysts getting too big for their boots.
We in the analyst profession are in a very privileged position. We get to listen to lots of stories from lots of people in the average working week, and then have time to sit and think about what it all means. We are not in the thick of running an IT department and trying to both deliver a service to the business and keep things moving forward in a positive way against the backdrop of politics, budget constraints and inherited systems that various predecessors have left us as legacy.
Sure, there are some less talented IT managers out there, just as there are some less talented industry analysts. But however good or bad the analyst, they do not have the right to behave as if they are somehow superior to those doing the job of IT delivery for real.
Our role is to educate and advise in a practical and useful manner based on the information we have gathered and the analysis we have conducted.
It is not to judge and preach from on high.The trouble is that some analyst firms focus far too much on visions and aspirational ideals in order to drive the next wave of research subscription lines, and forget to build bridges between all of this blue sky theoretical stuff and the real world of IT and business that the rest of us live in.So perhaps it’s not IT managers that need to get more vision, but some in the analyst community that need to get more real.
There is an interesting discussion going on over here sparked originally by a Gartner analyst who reportedly implied that IT managers in the USA lack vision.While it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this particular incident, the views expressed have mobilised me to get back onto one of my favourite hobby horses – that of industry analysts getting too big for their boots.
We in the analyst profession are in a very privileged position. We get to listen to lots of stories from lots of people in the average working week, and then have time to sit and think about what it all means. We are not in the thick of running an IT department and trying to both deliver a service to the business and keep things moving forward in a positive way against the backdrop of politics, budget constraints and inherited systems that various predecessors have left us as legacy.
Sure, there are some less talented IT managers out there, just as there are some less talented industry analysts. But however good or bad the analyst, they do not have the right to behave as if they are somehow superior to those doing the job of IT delivery for real.
Our role is to educate and advise in a practical and useful manner based on the information we have gathered and the analysis we have conducted.
It is not to judge and preach from on high.The trouble is that some analyst firms focus far too much on visions and aspirational ideals in order to drive the next wave of research subscription lines, and forget to build bridges between all of this blue sky theoretical stuff and the real world of IT and business that the rest of us live in.So perhaps it’s not IT managers that need to get more vision, but some in the analyst community that need to get more real.
Tarte Yourself Up
A new line of lip gloss professes to be healthy for your body, inside and out.
Hold onto your pearls, all you obsessive dieters out there, because you might be packing on the ounces year after year and not even know why. According to a blurb in the May issue of Health magazine, the average woman ingests between two and four pounds of lip gloss over the course of her lifetime!
Never fear: Before you put yourself on a lip gloss diet, there is now some stuff that’s actually good for you. According to Health:
Tarte cosmetics has teamed up with supplements brand Borba to create a line of vitamin-infused glosses called Inside Out, which they say is good for your lips and complexion.
What a world we live in. First, drinking fruity cocktails is healthier than eating plain fruit, and now makeup is good for us!
Each of the three new pomegranate-scented shades from Tarte ($21) is chock-full of extracts: Acai and green tea work to clarify your skin, litchi is there for hydration, and chamomile soothes and decreases redness. (But hopefully not in your actual lips.)
Being an extreme cosmetics whore, I’m already clicking over to Sephora, because the Apple-A-Day shade might be just what the beauty doctor ordered.
A new line of lip gloss professes to be healthy for your body, inside and out.
Hold onto your pearls, all you obsessive dieters out there, because you might be packing on the ounces year after year and not even know why. According to a blurb in the May issue of Health magazine, the average woman ingests between two and four pounds of lip gloss over the course of her lifetime!
Never fear: Before you put yourself on a lip gloss diet, there is now some stuff that’s actually good for you. According to Health:
Tarte cosmetics has teamed up with supplements brand Borba to create a line of vitamin-infused glosses called Inside Out, which they say is good for your lips and complexion.
What a world we live in. First, drinking fruity cocktails is healthier than eating plain fruit, and now makeup is good for us!
Each of the three new pomegranate-scented shades from Tarte ($21) is chock-full of extracts: Acai and green tea work to clarify your skin, litchi is there for hydration, and chamomile soothes and decreases redness. (But hopefully not in your actual lips.)
Being an extreme cosmetics whore, I’m already clicking over to Sephora, because the Apple-A-Day shade might be just what the beauty doctor ordered.
How Can It Smell So Bad and Taste So Good?
How Can It Smell So Bad and Taste So Good?
Thoughts on fish sauce, durian, kimchee, Époisses cheese, and natto.
How is it that some things that smell like the icy hand of death can have intoxicating flavors? QueenB loathes the smell of fish sauce but adores the taste. “It’s salty and pungent, yet mellow at the same time,” says QueenB. “Not only that, but somehow it manages to complement and enhance the flavors of everything else in the dish.”
Many Chowhounds nominate the noble durian as the exemplar of this category. The fruit’s odor is so, uh, pungent, that reportedly care must be taken when harvesting it in the wild as tigers can mistake the smell for that of rotting flesh. The truffle-ice-cream flavor more than makes up for it, though, at least for those hounds who have acquired the taste.
Some hounds love the taste of kimchee but loathe the smell of a batch that’s been freshly opened. moh thinks that Époisses cheese from Burgundy is a prime example of lethal odor and magical taste: “Smells like really stinky feet, looks like pale toe jam, but truly one of the most heavenly, mellow, nutty cheeses available. The runnier, the better ….”
Finally, a few hounds maintain that the decayed, rotting corpse smell of natto—Japanese fermented soybeans—is made up for by the complex flavor. They are wrong.
Thoughts on fish sauce, durian, kimchee, Époisses cheese, and natto.
How is it that some things that smell like the icy hand of death can have intoxicating flavors? QueenB loathes the smell of fish sauce but adores the taste. “It’s salty and pungent, yet mellow at the same time,” says QueenB. “Not only that, but somehow it manages to complement and enhance the flavors of everything else in the dish.”
Many Chowhounds nominate the noble durian as the exemplar of this category. The fruit’s odor is so, uh, pungent, that reportedly care must be taken when harvesting it in the wild as tigers can mistake the smell for that of rotting flesh. The truffle-ice-cream flavor more than makes up for it, though, at least for those hounds who have acquired the taste.
Some hounds love the taste of kimchee but loathe the smell of a batch that’s been freshly opened. moh thinks that Époisses cheese from Burgundy is a prime example of lethal odor and magical taste: “Smells like really stinky feet, looks like pale toe jam, but truly one of the most heavenly, mellow, nutty cheeses available. The runnier, the better ….”
Finally, a few hounds maintain that the decayed, rotting corpse smell of natto—Japanese fermented soybeans—is made up for by the complex flavor. They are wrong.
HP's new services solve problems
HP's new services solve problems
Shift from selling products to selling solutions
Hewlett-Packard believes most IT managers are out of the loop on the really big strategic decisions made by their companies, even if technology is central to just about everything their firm does. Many users continue to see IT as a cost centre and are measuring IT with methods that don't provide a true picture of its contribution, such as server uptime, said Deborah Nelson, HP's senior vice president of marketing and alliances.
Nelson said that the problem is reflected in the role CIOs have in their organization. Only a third of the CIOs HP has surveyed have a role in strategic decision-making, which reflects the failure of most companies to see technology as key to competitive advantage. "We believe that IT as we know it is really over," says Nelson, adding that IT has to enter a new phase -- what HP is calling "business technology." That's how HP introduced a variety of new services and offerings intended to help accelerate business growth, lower costs and increase operational efficiency. Those services focus on business intelligence, data centres and overall IT management, coupled with reference architectures for ready-to-deploy offerings for Microsoft Exchange Server, Oracle and SAP. The intent, according to Frank Gillett, an analyst at Forrester Research in Massachusetts, is a shift by HP away from selling products to solving business problems. HP also wants to standardize and prepackage its offerings to improve customer efficiency, he says. Instead of buying servers from HP and services from someone else, HP is getting an increasing proportion of its revenue for solving business problems, says Gillett, who says the effort seeks "to build up the aggregated revenue across the company". Nelson's view on IT's shifting role isn't an abrupt realization for the company.
HP officials have been talking for the last several years about the tighter linkage between IT and business. In 2003, it detailed its Adaptive Enterprise strategy and coupled that with the Darwin Reference Architecture.
The goal was to improve IT environments through simplification, standardization and modularity. The announcement continues that broader theme: In areas such as BI, HP is offering technologies and services to help integrate silos of information in a company.
Among the new services are its "HP Adaptive Infrastructure Maturity Model," which is intended to help customers assess their data centers by measuring operational efficiency, quality of service and speed of change based on industry benchmarks and data HP has acquired from other companies. HP is also offering management services to incorporate the best practices embodied in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. A major update, version three, is due next month.
Shift from selling products to selling solutions
Hewlett-Packard believes most IT managers are out of the loop on the really big strategic decisions made by their companies, even if technology is central to just about everything their firm does. Many users continue to see IT as a cost centre and are measuring IT with methods that don't provide a true picture of its contribution, such as server uptime, said Deborah Nelson, HP's senior vice president of marketing and alliances.
Nelson said that the problem is reflected in the role CIOs have in their organization. Only a third of the CIOs HP has surveyed have a role in strategic decision-making, which reflects the failure of most companies to see technology as key to competitive advantage. "We believe that IT as we know it is really over," says Nelson, adding that IT has to enter a new phase -- what HP is calling "business technology." That's how HP introduced a variety of new services and offerings intended to help accelerate business growth, lower costs and increase operational efficiency. Those services focus on business intelligence, data centres and overall IT management, coupled with reference architectures for ready-to-deploy offerings for Microsoft Exchange Server, Oracle and SAP. The intent, according to Frank Gillett, an analyst at Forrester Research in Massachusetts, is a shift by HP away from selling products to solving business problems. HP also wants to standardize and prepackage its offerings to improve customer efficiency, he says. Instead of buying servers from HP and services from someone else, HP is getting an increasing proportion of its revenue for solving business problems, says Gillett, who says the effort seeks "to build up the aggregated revenue across the company". Nelson's view on IT's shifting role isn't an abrupt realization for the company.
HP officials have been talking for the last several years about the tighter linkage between IT and business. In 2003, it detailed its Adaptive Enterprise strategy and coupled that with the Darwin Reference Architecture.
The goal was to improve IT environments through simplification, standardization and modularity. The announcement continues that broader theme: In areas such as BI, HP is offering technologies and services to help integrate silos of information in a company.
Among the new services are its "HP Adaptive Infrastructure Maturity Model," which is intended to help customers assess their data centers by measuring operational efficiency, quality of service and speed of change based on industry benchmarks and data HP has acquired from other companies. HP is also offering management services to incorporate the best practices embodied in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. A major update, version three, is due next month.
4/26/07
safe compase
Can We Make Campuses Safer?
In the wake of the Columbine massacre, which took place eight years ago this week, many high schools across the country installed metal detectors. Most universities, however, didn't follow suit and they're not likely to even now, after 33 people (including the gunman) were killed at Virginia Tech on Monday in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Unlike most elementary and high schools, college campuses are almost by design too sprawling to cordon off. Their layouts have long been intended to reflect higher education's free flow of ideas, and such philosophical openness makes adding metal detectors not only undesirable but also logistically impossible. "Unless," says Mark Meyer, director of sales at metal-detector firm CEIA, "you want to make a campus into a fortress."
And no one — not even campus safety directors — is likely to push for such an outcome. Still, some select parts of campuses have been successfully secured in recent years. Sexual assault and other incidents in college dorms have led many schools to control access to these buildings by giving residents a kind of electronic key, often called a prox card, that can also be used to track the comings and goings of individual students. This technology is starting to spread to academic buildings, but daytime access to classrooms is still largely unrestricted.
In the Virginia Tech massacre, parents and students were outraged that the school took so long to notify people that a gunman was on the loose, and when the announcement was finally made — some two hours after the first reports of gun shots on campus — the warning was delivered silently over email. But technology exists that could have sent more students inside, behind locked doors, much sooner. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is one of 10 schools that is using Digital Acoustics' high-tech intercom system, which can immediately broadcast a message to a single classroom or to the entire campus or to any combination in between.
Johns Hopkins University is using cutting-edge technology — every few weeks, campus safety officers from yet another school come by to check out the new system — which places "smart" video cameras around campus that rely on computer algorithms to detect suspicious activity. The university is about to install another camera, bringing the total to 102 on its main Homewood campus, that will alert a security officer if it films someone climbing up a fence, walking down an alley late at night or lingering by a windowsill. But, says a Johns Hopkins spokesman, the software is not yet able to pick out whether a person is carrying a gun.
Sophisticated technology doesn't come cheap, and neither do highly trained campus security officers. In the past, says Steven Healy, public safety director at Princeton University, campus security officers have had to fight for limited resources at many schools by "asking people to imagine the unimaginable."
But even if Monday's events help loosen purse strings, security systems are improving at such a rapid pace that schools aren't sure how much to buy. "When do you say stop?," asks Healy, who is also president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. "We don't want to create fortresses."
He and others stress the need for more highly trained officers. "But how many boots do you put on the ground?" Healy asks. "You can't assign an officer to every student."
Some schools like Princeton train professors how to spot signs of depression, and access to mental-health services is a big part of preventive efforts on many campuses. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to tell someone if they see suspicious or troubling activity. Says Gene Burton, public safety director at Ball State University: "You need to get everyone on board." But as colleges and universities learned on Monday, it often takes a tragedy to expose just how many weaknesses there are in the system.
In the wake of the Columbine massacre, which took place eight years ago this week, many high schools across the country installed metal detectors. Most universities, however, didn't follow suit and they're not likely to even now, after 33 people (including the gunman) were killed at Virginia Tech on Monday in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Unlike most elementary and high schools, college campuses are almost by design too sprawling to cordon off. Their layouts have long been intended to reflect higher education's free flow of ideas, and such philosophical openness makes adding metal detectors not only undesirable but also logistically impossible. "Unless," says Mark Meyer, director of sales at metal-detector firm CEIA, "you want to make a campus into a fortress."
And no one — not even campus safety directors — is likely to push for such an outcome. Still, some select parts of campuses have been successfully secured in recent years. Sexual assault and other incidents in college dorms have led many schools to control access to these buildings by giving residents a kind of electronic key, often called a prox card, that can also be used to track the comings and goings of individual students. This technology is starting to spread to academic buildings, but daytime access to classrooms is still largely unrestricted.
In the Virginia Tech massacre, parents and students were outraged that the school took so long to notify people that a gunman was on the loose, and when the announcement was finally made — some two hours after the first reports of gun shots on campus — the warning was delivered silently over email. But technology exists that could have sent more students inside, behind locked doors, much sooner. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is one of 10 schools that is using Digital Acoustics' high-tech intercom system, which can immediately broadcast a message to a single classroom or to the entire campus or to any combination in between.
Johns Hopkins University is using cutting-edge technology — every few weeks, campus safety officers from yet another school come by to check out the new system — which places "smart" video cameras around campus that rely on computer algorithms to detect suspicious activity. The university is about to install another camera, bringing the total to 102 on its main Homewood campus, that will alert a security officer if it films someone climbing up a fence, walking down an alley late at night or lingering by a windowsill. But, says a Johns Hopkins spokesman, the software is not yet able to pick out whether a person is carrying a gun.
Sophisticated technology doesn't come cheap, and neither do highly trained campus security officers. In the past, says Steven Healy, public safety director at Princeton University, campus security officers have had to fight for limited resources at many schools by "asking people to imagine the unimaginable."
But even if Monday's events help loosen purse strings, security systems are improving at such a rapid pace that schools aren't sure how much to buy. "When do you say stop?," asks Healy, who is also president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. "We don't want to create fortresses."
He and others stress the need for more highly trained officers. "But how many boots do you put on the ground?" Healy asks. "You can't assign an officer to every student."
Some schools like Princeton train professors how to spot signs of depression, and access to mental-health services is a big part of preventive efforts on many campuses. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to tell someone if they see suspicious or troubling activity. Says Gene Burton, public safety director at Ball State University: "You need to get everyone on board." But as colleges and universities learned on Monday, it often takes a tragedy to expose just how many weaknesses there are in the system.
Why Was Cho Able to Buy a Gun?
Why Was Cho Able to Buy a Gun?
Tuesday, Apr. 24, 2007 By MICHAEL LINDENBERGER / LOUISVILLE A Glock 19 handgun similar to the one Cho Seung-Hui bought before his rampage on the Virginia Tech campus.
.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty
Article ToolsPrintEmailReprints Could the Virginia Tech massacre have been prevented by a single court order two years ago? That's the question raised by Cho Seung-Hui's brief passage through Virginia's legal system, which has shown the limitations of both state and federal law regarding guns and the mentally ill.
Victims of a Massacre
A look at the university students and staff killed in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history
By the time Cho was standing in front of special justice Paul Barnett of Virginia's Montgomery County in December 2005, he had already been accused of stalking by two women on campus, detained by police who were concerned about his sanity, and ordered by a magistrate to a mental health hospital where he would be evaluated.
The first step in the proceedings called for Barnett to ask Cho if he would volunteer to seek mental health treatment. Court records indicate Cho refused that opportunity and instead demanded a hearing. That same day, Barnett heard from a doctor who said that while Cho was mentally ill, he did not pose a threat to himself or others, and that Cho had denied any suicidal ideas. Barnett won't discuss Cho's case, but court records show he nevertheless was concerned enough about Cho's mental illness that he issued a court order stating that he was a threat to himself. He also ordered him to seek treatment.
But what kind of treatment? In the days since Cho shot to death 27 students, five teachers and himself on the sprawling Virginia Tech campus in nearby Blacksburg, the debate over whether stronger gun controls laws in Virginia could have prevented the tragedy has centered on just that question. Had Barnett ordered Cho to in-patient treatment, he would have also been required to submit Cho's name to a state and federal database used to restrict gun purchases by so-called mental defectives. But Barnett told TIME Virginia law also requires him to consider the least restrictive alternatives to forced hospitalization, such as outpatient treatment. Court records show Barnett decided that Cho's mental illness was not severe enough to warrant hospitalization and that outpatient treatment would be enough to address his problems.
Critics in Virginia and elsewhere are now saying the state should change its laws to make cases like Cho's trigger a report to the state and federal databases. They point to federal regulations issued by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that bar gun sales to individuals who are categorized as "mental defectives," guidelines that would have kept Cho from buying his Glock 19 last month.
Richard Bonnie, chairman of the Supreme Court of Virginia's Commission on Mental Health Law Reform, told TIME that the mismatch between state and federal law is simply an oversight that should be rectified. "I don't think people have given much advanced thought to this. Outpatient commitment is very rare event," Bonnie said. "The usual case, what was most in mind for the authors of the federal rules, was the cases where you see severe enough mental illness to be committed to the hospital. This was simply overlooked."
But some observers point out that the case illustrates the way government must balance the rights of the mentally ill and the duty of government to protect society from those who are dangerous. Indeed, the reason state law required Barnett to consider outpatient treatment first is precisely because some judges may be too quick to deprive the mentally ill of their liberties. "That is perhaps the central tension in mental health law," said Professor Timothy Hall, associate dean at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. The FBI says only 22 states, including Virginia, report mental health records to the federal database, which was created by the passage of the 1993 Brady bill.
Cho's case raises the issue of conflict between state and federal law. While federal guidelines may stipulate who is to be blocked from buying guns, it is the states that must provide the information to make the databases work. In practical terms, it won't matter what the federal guidelines say if state law says only certain people need to be reported. "Obviously there is no way that the sellers of the gun could have known what happened in the procedure with Mr. Cho," Bonnie told TIME. "Even if it should have been entered in the database under federal law, there was no way for that to have happened in Virginia, so the sale of the gun was lawful."
Tuesday, Apr. 24, 2007 By MICHAEL LINDENBERGER / LOUISVILLE A Glock 19 handgun similar to the one Cho Seung-Hui bought before his rampage on the Virginia Tech campus.
.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty
Article ToolsPrintEmailReprints Could the Virginia Tech massacre have been prevented by a single court order two years ago? That's the question raised by Cho Seung-Hui's brief passage through Virginia's legal system, which has shown the limitations of both state and federal law regarding guns and the mentally ill.
Victims of a Massacre
A look at the university students and staff killed in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history
By the time Cho was standing in front of special justice Paul Barnett of Virginia's Montgomery County in December 2005, he had already been accused of stalking by two women on campus, detained by police who were concerned about his sanity, and ordered by a magistrate to a mental health hospital where he would be evaluated.
The first step in the proceedings called for Barnett to ask Cho if he would volunteer to seek mental health treatment. Court records indicate Cho refused that opportunity and instead demanded a hearing. That same day, Barnett heard from a doctor who said that while Cho was mentally ill, he did not pose a threat to himself or others, and that Cho had denied any suicidal ideas. Barnett won't discuss Cho's case, but court records show he nevertheless was concerned enough about Cho's mental illness that he issued a court order stating that he was a threat to himself. He also ordered him to seek treatment.
But what kind of treatment? In the days since Cho shot to death 27 students, five teachers and himself on the sprawling Virginia Tech campus in nearby Blacksburg, the debate over whether stronger gun controls laws in Virginia could have prevented the tragedy has centered on just that question. Had Barnett ordered Cho to in-patient treatment, he would have also been required to submit Cho's name to a state and federal database used to restrict gun purchases by so-called mental defectives. But Barnett told TIME Virginia law also requires him to consider the least restrictive alternatives to forced hospitalization, such as outpatient treatment. Court records show Barnett decided that Cho's mental illness was not severe enough to warrant hospitalization and that outpatient treatment would be enough to address his problems.
Critics in Virginia and elsewhere are now saying the state should change its laws to make cases like Cho's trigger a report to the state and federal databases. They point to federal regulations issued by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that bar gun sales to individuals who are categorized as "mental defectives," guidelines that would have kept Cho from buying his Glock 19 last month.
Richard Bonnie, chairman of the Supreme Court of Virginia's Commission on Mental Health Law Reform, told TIME that the mismatch between state and federal law is simply an oversight that should be rectified. "I don't think people have given much advanced thought to this. Outpatient commitment is very rare event," Bonnie said. "The usual case, what was most in mind for the authors of the federal rules, was the cases where you see severe enough mental illness to be committed to the hospital. This was simply overlooked."
But some observers point out that the case illustrates the way government must balance the rights of the mentally ill and the duty of government to protect society from those who are dangerous. Indeed, the reason state law required Barnett to consider outpatient treatment first is precisely because some judges may be too quick to deprive the mentally ill of their liberties. "That is perhaps the central tension in mental health law," said Professor Timothy Hall, associate dean at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. The FBI says only 22 states, including Virginia, report mental health records to the federal database, which was created by the passage of the 1993 Brady bill.
Cho's case raises the issue of conflict between state and federal law. While federal guidelines may stipulate who is to be blocked from buying guns, it is the states that must provide the information to make the databases work. In practical terms, it won't matter what the federal guidelines say if state law says only certain people need to be reported. "Obviously there is no way that the sellers of the gun could have known what happened in the procedure with Mr. Cho," Bonnie told TIME. "Even if it should have been entered in the database under federal law, there was no way for that to have happened in Virginia, so the sale of the gun was lawful."
Participating in Web 2.0
Who's Really Participating in Web 2.0
We're very taken with the idea of consumers creating content for the Internet. With the advent of blogs, tagging, personal profiles, garage band music and amateur web videos, instant notoriety is just an "upload" click away. The sheer volume of user content is staggering. Wikipedia's user-created entries have surpassed the 5 million mark. In 2006 YouTube announced that it had served over 100 million video clips per day. With such vast libraries of lip-synched videos and episodes of LonelyGirl15, the numbers seem to indicate that this phenomenon has gone mainstream.
One of the exciting concepts of the next generation of sites is the democratization of the Internet. By enabling each of us to create and publish our own material, the power of deciding what we read and watch has spread from a handful of media companies to anyone with an Internet connection and a cheap webcam.
But the latest data on Internet participation reveals that only a very small percentage of Internet activity is related to users creating and publishing content. The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, states that 80% of all consequences stem from 20% of the causes. If true, the rule would then suggest that 80% of this new form of content is created by 20% of the users. The rule, subject of countless business books, has no application when it comes to consumer-generated content. Far less than 1% of visits to most sites that thrive on user-created materials are attributable as participatory, the remaining 99% are passive visits.
According to Hitwise, only 0.2% of visits to YouTube are users uploading a video, 0.05% visits to Google Video include uploaded videos and 0.16% of Flickr visits are people posting photos. Only the social encyclopedia Wikipedia shows a significant amount of participation, with 4.56% of visits to the site resulting in content editing.
Not only is the percentage of participation very small online, there are some very strong skews as to who is participating. Visitors to Wikipedia are almost equally split 50/50 men and women, yet edits to Wikipedia entries are 60% male. The gender gap is even greater for YouTube, a site whose visitors are equally male and female, but whose uploaders are over 76% male.
With age comes experience, as well as the desire to disseminate knowledge. There is a clear age difference between visitors to Wikipedia and editors of its content. Over 45% of visitors to the site are under the age of 35, while 82% of those making edits to the site are 35 years old or older.
Web 2.0 has been successful in significantly broadening the amount material available to us, but reviewing the latest data reveals that we're still in the very early stages. Watching videos of Charlie the Unicorn or the latest interpretation of Star Wars Cantina music feels as though we're in the awkward and uncomfortable position of being one of the first guests to arrive at what promises to be a very cool party.
We're very taken with the idea of consumers creating content for the Internet. With the advent of blogs, tagging, personal profiles, garage band music and amateur web videos, instant notoriety is just an "upload" click away. The sheer volume of user content is staggering. Wikipedia's user-created entries have surpassed the 5 million mark. In 2006 YouTube announced that it had served over 100 million video clips per day. With such vast libraries of lip-synched videos and episodes of LonelyGirl15, the numbers seem to indicate that this phenomenon has gone mainstream.
One of the exciting concepts of the next generation of sites is the democratization of the Internet. By enabling each of us to create and publish our own material, the power of deciding what we read and watch has spread from a handful of media companies to anyone with an Internet connection and a cheap webcam.
But the latest data on Internet participation reveals that only a very small percentage of Internet activity is related to users creating and publishing content. The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, states that 80% of all consequences stem from 20% of the causes. If true, the rule would then suggest that 80% of this new form of content is created by 20% of the users. The rule, subject of countless business books, has no application when it comes to consumer-generated content. Far less than 1% of visits to most sites that thrive on user-created materials are attributable as participatory, the remaining 99% are passive visits.
According to Hitwise, only 0.2% of visits to YouTube are users uploading a video, 0.05% visits to Google Video include uploaded videos and 0.16% of Flickr visits are people posting photos. Only the social encyclopedia Wikipedia shows a significant amount of participation, with 4.56% of visits to the site resulting in content editing.
Not only is the percentage of participation very small online, there are some very strong skews as to who is participating. Visitors to Wikipedia are almost equally split 50/50 men and women, yet edits to Wikipedia entries are 60% male. The gender gap is even greater for YouTube, a site whose visitors are equally male and female, but whose uploaders are over 76% male.
With age comes experience, as well as the desire to disseminate knowledge. There is a clear age difference between visitors to Wikipedia and editors of its content. Over 45% of visitors to the site are under the age of 35, while 82% of those making edits to the site are 35 years old or older.
Web 2.0 has been successful in significantly broadening the amount material available to us, but reviewing the latest data reveals that we're still in the very early stages. Watching videos of Charlie the Unicorn or the latest interpretation of Star Wars Cantina music feels as though we're in the awkward and uncomfortable position of being one of the first guests to arrive at what promises to be a very cool party.
Technofile: Why Wi-Fi?
Technofile: Why Wi-Fi?
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you've seen the term "Wi-Fi." You've probably figured out that it's shorthand for "wireless fidelity." You may even know that it's got something to do with accessing the Internet or a private network through the air instead of through cables.
What you're probably still wondering is: Why should I care?
Because chances are that, within the next year or so, you'll use Wi-Fi regularly at work, at home, or on the road. You may well depend on Wi-Fi as much as you do your cell phone, your laptop computer, or your personal digital assistant (PDA).
In fact, all those devices increasingly come ready to work with Wi-Fi. (One example: By 2007, according to IDC Research of Framingham, Mass., 98% of all new notebok PCs will be sold with Wi-Fi capability). That means the next time you invest in hardware, you're likely to invest in the Wi-Fi label as well. So it makes sense to learn what Wi-Fi does well -- and where it still needs work.
Wi-Fi refers to products certified to work with the high-tech industry's global standard for high-speed wireless networking (see "Wi-Fi Phrasebook."). Hardware carrying the Wi-Fi logo has passed rigorous testing by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a trade association based in Mountain View, Calif. (see "Resources"). Certification means that, regardless of which company manufactured it, the equipment should play nicely with other Wi-Fi devices and networks.
As Wi-Fi compatibility grows -- to date, the alliance has certified nearly 865 products -- so has its popularity. Currently, about 4.7 million Americans regularly use Wi-Fi, according to Stamford, Conn.-based research group Gartner Inc. In four years, that figure will grow to 31 million users in the United States alone.
Why is Wi-Fi so widespread -- and what's in it for businesses?
It's fast. Wi-Fi's latest version is many times faster than DSL or cable connections, and literally hundreds of times faster than those old dial-up connections. That's particularly handy when you're working on the run, on the road, or from home: If you've ever watched seconds tick by while watching Web pages load, you'll appreciate the potential productivity gain.
It's convenient. As soon as a Wi-Fi-equipped device is within range of a base station, it's online. With no wires, you can move your laptop computer from place to place -- for instance, from your office to a conference room down the hall -- without losing your network connection. (For an online calculator that can help determine ROI on an in-house wireless network," Resources."). When traveling, you can set up shop anyplace equipped with a Wi-Fi network: another company's office, a hotel room, or a convention center.
It's everywhere. Public Wi-Fi access sites -- or "hot spots" -- are multiplying faster than rabbits on Viagra. They're in bookstores, airport lounges, fast-food restaurants (including some McDonald's and Schlotzky's Deli outlets), and coffee shops (including many Starbucks outlets). In addition, local merchants from Cincinnati to Athens, Ga., to Portland, Ore., are footing the bill for bigger hot spots, accessible throughout a business district or neighborhood.
Some companies charge for hot-spot use; others offer free access. All hope they're creating environments where tech-savvy customers will linger -- and, presumably -- spend more money on coffee, books, sandwiches, or whatever the hot-spot host sells. Does the idea pay off? Overall, it's too early to tell. Ultimately, the answer will affect how fast the public hot-spot market heats up. In June 2003, IDC, the Framingham, Mass.-based research company, estimated that the number of commercial Wi-Fi sites would grow 57% annually over the next five years -- but warned that the market is young, volatile, and based on unproven business models. In other words, if hot spots don't generate revenue, expect that growth rate to stall.
For all its wonders, the Wi-Fi world comes with some drawbacks. Among them:
Range: Although you lose the wires, you're still limited to the base station's range, typically 75 to 150 feet indoors and a few hundred feet outdoors, depending on equipment, radio frequency, and obstructions.
Power drain: Networks using early versions of Wi-Fi technology tend to quickly gobble power -- a disadvantage for battery-dependent laptop users.
Interference: Nearby microwave ovens and cordless phones, particularly older models, can slow down Wi-Fi transmissions.
Security: Here's the downside of providing fast, easy access: outsiders can sometimes get into your wireless networks as fast and easily as you can. Check with hardware vendors about the latest security precautions and products. The Wi-Fi Alliance currently recommends using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) technology, which both authenticates users and encrypts data. Look for even tougher security measures within the next year.
Wi-Fi Phrasebook
Entering the world of wireless fidelity, or Wi-Fi, requires knowing just a little local lingo. Here are the most important terms:
802.11: We're covering this term only because you'll run across it in learning about Wi-Fi. Pronounced "eight-oh-two-dot-eleven," it's usually followed by a letter (mostly a, b, g). Essentially, this is Wi-Fi's technical name. It refers to a family of specifications for wireless LANs. Higher letters indicate more recent, and presumably improved, versions of the technology.
Base station: The heart of a Wi-Fi network, it's equipped with an antenna that sends a low-powered, short-range radio signal. Wi-Fi-enabled devices within a certain radius detect the signal, letting users access the network.
Bluetooth: A specification for very short-range wireless transmission (within 30 feet).
Hot spot: Wi-Fi access point. The term usually refers to coffee shops, airports, hotels, and other public locations with local area networks (LANs) that Wi-Fi-equipped users can access free or for a fee. (To find a hot spot, see "Resources."
LAN: Local area network. A WLAN is a wireless local area network.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): Wireless network security technology; replaced an older, more vulnerable mechanism known as Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
Wi-Fi Resources
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you've seen the term "Wi-Fi." You've probably figured out that it's shorthand for "wireless fidelity." You may even know that it's got something to do with accessing the Internet or a private network through the air instead of through cables.
What you're probably still wondering is: Why should I care?
Because chances are that, within the next year or so, you'll use Wi-Fi regularly at work, at home, or on the road. You may well depend on Wi-Fi as much as you do your cell phone, your laptop computer, or your personal digital assistant (PDA).
In fact, all those devices increasingly come ready to work with Wi-Fi. (One example: By 2007, according to IDC Research of Framingham, Mass., 98% of all new notebok PCs will be sold with Wi-Fi capability). That means the next time you invest in hardware, you're likely to invest in the Wi-Fi label as well. So it makes sense to learn what Wi-Fi does well -- and where it still needs work.
Wi-Fi refers to products certified to work with the high-tech industry's global standard for high-speed wireless networking (see "Wi-Fi Phrasebook."). Hardware carrying the Wi-Fi logo has passed rigorous testing by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a trade association based in Mountain View, Calif. (see "Resources"). Certification means that, regardless of which company manufactured it, the equipment should play nicely with other Wi-Fi devices and networks.
As Wi-Fi compatibility grows -- to date, the alliance has certified nearly 865 products -- so has its popularity. Currently, about 4.7 million Americans regularly use Wi-Fi, according to Stamford, Conn.-based research group Gartner Inc. In four years, that figure will grow to 31 million users in the United States alone.
Why is Wi-Fi so widespread -- and what's in it for businesses?
It's fast. Wi-Fi's latest version is many times faster than DSL or cable connections, and literally hundreds of times faster than those old dial-up connections. That's particularly handy when you're working on the run, on the road, or from home: If you've ever watched seconds tick by while watching Web pages load, you'll appreciate the potential productivity gain.
It's convenient. As soon as a Wi-Fi-equipped device is within range of a base station, it's online. With no wires, you can move your laptop computer from place to place -- for instance, from your office to a conference room down the hall -- without losing your network connection. (For an online calculator that can help determine ROI on an in-house wireless network," Resources."). When traveling, you can set up shop anyplace equipped with a Wi-Fi network: another company's office, a hotel room, or a convention center.
It's everywhere. Public Wi-Fi access sites -- or "hot spots" -- are multiplying faster than rabbits on Viagra. They're in bookstores, airport lounges, fast-food restaurants (including some McDonald's and Schlotzky's Deli outlets), and coffee shops (including many Starbucks outlets). In addition, local merchants from Cincinnati to Athens, Ga., to Portland, Ore., are footing the bill for bigger hot spots, accessible throughout a business district or neighborhood.
Some companies charge for hot-spot use; others offer free access. All hope they're creating environments where tech-savvy customers will linger -- and, presumably -- spend more money on coffee, books, sandwiches, or whatever the hot-spot host sells. Does the idea pay off? Overall, it's too early to tell. Ultimately, the answer will affect how fast the public hot-spot market heats up. In June 2003, IDC, the Framingham, Mass.-based research company, estimated that the number of commercial Wi-Fi sites would grow 57% annually over the next five years -- but warned that the market is young, volatile, and based on unproven business models. In other words, if hot spots don't generate revenue, expect that growth rate to stall.
For all its wonders, the Wi-Fi world comes with some drawbacks. Among them:
Range: Although you lose the wires, you're still limited to the base station's range, typically 75 to 150 feet indoors and a few hundred feet outdoors, depending on equipment, radio frequency, and obstructions.
Power drain: Networks using early versions of Wi-Fi technology tend to quickly gobble power -- a disadvantage for battery-dependent laptop users.
Interference: Nearby microwave ovens and cordless phones, particularly older models, can slow down Wi-Fi transmissions.
Security: Here's the downside of providing fast, easy access: outsiders can sometimes get into your wireless networks as fast and easily as you can. Check with hardware vendors about the latest security precautions and products. The Wi-Fi Alliance currently recommends using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) technology, which both authenticates users and encrypts data. Look for even tougher security measures within the next year.
Wi-Fi Phrasebook
Entering the world of wireless fidelity, or Wi-Fi, requires knowing just a little local lingo. Here are the most important terms:
802.11: We're covering this term only because you'll run across it in learning about Wi-Fi. Pronounced "eight-oh-two-dot-eleven," it's usually followed by a letter (mostly a, b, g). Essentially, this is Wi-Fi's technical name. It refers to a family of specifications for wireless LANs. Higher letters indicate more recent, and presumably improved, versions of the technology.
Base station: The heart of a Wi-Fi network, it's equipped with an antenna that sends a low-powered, short-range radio signal. Wi-Fi-enabled devices within a certain radius detect the signal, letting users access the network.
Bluetooth: A specification for very short-range wireless transmission (within 30 feet).
Hot spot: Wi-Fi access point. The term usually refers to coffee shops, airports, hotels, and other public locations with local area networks (LANs) that Wi-Fi-equipped users can access free or for a fee. (To find a hot spot, see "Resources."
LAN: Local area network. A WLAN is a wireless local area network.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): Wireless network security technology; replaced an older, more vulnerable mechanism known as Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
Wi-Fi Resources
WiMax vs WiFi
WiMax vs WiFi
WiMax (802.16e) is a newer standard of wireless networking designed to provide the last mile of high speed internet access to the end user. Some people would call Wimax WiFi on steroids but this would be to broad of an assessment. Wifi was and still will be used in LAN environments for the foreseeable future. WiMax was designed to provide (MAN) Metropolitan Area Access, to homes and businesses.
WiMax base stations will have the ability to provide approximately 60 businesses with T1 access and hundreds of homes with DSL/Cable speed access…in theory. Engineers are stating that WiMax has the capability of reaching 30 Miles but real world testing has shown 4-8 mile working radius.
WiMax (MAN) deployments are similar to a WiFi network. First the ISP would have their T3 or higher access. The ISP would then use line of sight antennas (Bridges) to connect to towers that would distribute the non line of sight signal to (MAN) residential/business clients.
WiMax line of sight antennas operate at a higher Frequency up to 66mhz. Distribution antennas do not have to be in the line of sight with their clients. Non – line of sight towers operate on a range similar to WiFi . WiMax can operate right next to cell phone towers with no interference.
WiMax networks are similar to Wifi in deployment. The Wimax Base station/Tower will beam a signal to a WiMax Receiver. Similar to a WiFi access point sending a signal to a laptop. As far as I can tell laptops will be shipping with Wimax receivers in 2006.
QOS (Quality of Service) is an major issue with WiMax because of the number of people accessing a tower at once. Some would think that a tower could be easily overloaded with a lot of people accessing it at once. Built into the WiMax standard is an algorithm that when the tower/base station is nearing capacity then it automatically will transfer the user to another WiMax tower or cell. Unlike a Wifi clients who have to kind of fight to stay associated with a given access point; WiMax will only have to perform this hand shake at the MAC level the first time they access the network.
WiMax is designed for building a network infrastructure when the environment or distance is not favorable to a wired network. Also, WiMax is a cheaper and quicker alternative than having to lay wire. Third world countries will greatly benefit from deploying WiMax networks. WiMax can handle virtually all the same protocols Wifi can including VOIP. African countries are now going to start deploying WiMax networks instead of cell phone networks. Disaster zones can also utilize WiMax giving them the ability to distribute crisis information quickly and cheaply.
Militaries are already using wireless technology to connect remote sites. Logistics will be simplified with the ease of tracking with RF technologies. WiMax can also handle Webcams and streaming video which would give commanders eyes on target capability. Just imagine if planes were able to drop preconfigured self deploying WiMax antennas in strategic areas giving troops real time battlefield intel. Armed with wireless cameras, drones and a GPS one soldier would truly be an Army of One.
As WiMax is deployed in more areas theory and real life capabilities of WiMax will come to light. The differences between WiMax and Wifi are simple. Think of a WiMax network as an ISP with out wires, with the signal providing your internet access to your business/ home. Wifi will be used within in your LAN for the near future.
WiMax (802.16e) is a newer standard of wireless networking designed to provide the last mile of high speed internet access to the end user. Some people would call Wimax WiFi on steroids but this would be to broad of an assessment. Wifi was and still will be used in LAN environments for the foreseeable future. WiMax was designed to provide (MAN) Metropolitan Area Access, to homes and businesses.
WiMax base stations will have the ability to provide approximately 60 businesses with T1 access and hundreds of homes with DSL/Cable speed access…in theory. Engineers are stating that WiMax has the capability of reaching 30 Miles but real world testing has shown 4-8 mile working radius.
WiMax (MAN) deployments are similar to a WiFi network. First the ISP would have their T3 or higher access. The ISP would then use line of sight antennas (Bridges) to connect to towers that would distribute the non line of sight signal to (MAN) residential/business clients.
WiMax line of sight antennas operate at a higher Frequency up to 66mhz. Distribution antennas do not have to be in the line of sight with their clients. Non – line of sight towers operate on a range similar to WiFi . WiMax can operate right next to cell phone towers with no interference.
WiMax networks are similar to Wifi in deployment. The Wimax Base station/Tower will beam a signal to a WiMax Receiver. Similar to a WiFi access point sending a signal to a laptop. As far as I can tell laptops will be shipping with Wimax receivers in 2006.
QOS (Quality of Service) is an major issue with WiMax because of the number of people accessing a tower at once. Some would think that a tower could be easily overloaded with a lot of people accessing it at once. Built into the WiMax standard is an algorithm that when the tower/base station is nearing capacity then it automatically will transfer the user to another WiMax tower or cell. Unlike a Wifi clients who have to kind of fight to stay associated with a given access point; WiMax will only have to perform this hand shake at the MAC level the first time they access the network.
WiMax is designed for building a network infrastructure when the environment or distance is not favorable to a wired network. Also, WiMax is a cheaper and quicker alternative than having to lay wire. Third world countries will greatly benefit from deploying WiMax networks. WiMax can handle virtually all the same protocols Wifi can including VOIP. African countries are now going to start deploying WiMax networks instead of cell phone networks. Disaster zones can also utilize WiMax giving them the ability to distribute crisis information quickly and cheaply.
Militaries are already using wireless technology to connect remote sites. Logistics will be simplified with the ease of tracking with RF technologies. WiMax can also handle Webcams and streaming video which would give commanders eyes on target capability. Just imagine if planes were able to drop preconfigured self deploying WiMax antennas in strategic areas giving troops real time battlefield intel. Armed with wireless cameras, drones and a GPS one soldier would truly be an Army of One.
As WiMax is deployed in more areas theory and real life capabilities of WiMax will come to light. The differences between WiMax and Wifi are simple. Think of a WiMax network as an ISP with out wires, with the signal providing your internet access to your business/ home. Wifi will be used within in your LAN for the near future.
Nutrition
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List
by: Peishan Chen, L.Ac.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List - Knowing how to handle carbohydrates in your diet The American diet offers carbohydrates in abundance. Knowing how to handle carbohydrates is crucial. In my mind, making a Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List of Do's and Don'ts is extremely important. Here then is my Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List, some tips concerning incorporating carbohydrates into your food supply:
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 1: Try to avoid candies, cookies and other items with lots of sugar (I am saying "try to" because I know how hard it is to completely abstain!). If you eat these sugary snacks, you may get an initial "sugar rush." Soon thereafter your blood sugar level will drop quickly and leave you tired. The high degree of fluctuation of your blood sugar level is not desirable as it causes your physical energy level to go up and down.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 2: When you get hungry, it is so easy to simply grab a quick, sugary snack. Try to mix your carbohydrates with fibers and protein. Doing so will make the energy you are getting from the carbohydrates last longer. For example, if you are eating an apple (carbohydrates), you can add almond butter or low-sugar peanut butter to it, which is high in protein. Also, some organic breads are high in protein. Scavenge your local organic food store for snacks that supply carbohydrates and that are high in protein at the same time.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 3: Try not to eat any carbohydrates at night. In the evening, you are typically less active, so the carbohydrates you eat can not be burned off. Instead, they are more likely to add to body fat and cause weight gain.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 4: If you are suffering from an upset stomach, try carbohydrates from rice instead of bread. Rice is more soothing for the stomach and rice is easier to digest than bread (here, Chinese rice soup helps especially well).
by: Peishan Chen, L.Ac.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List - Knowing how to handle carbohydrates in your diet The American diet offers carbohydrates in abundance. Knowing how to handle carbohydrates is crucial. In my mind, making a Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List of Do's and Don'ts is extremely important. Here then is my Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List, some tips concerning incorporating carbohydrates into your food supply:
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 1: Try to avoid candies, cookies and other items with lots of sugar (I am saying "try to" because I know how hard it is to completely abstain!). If you eat these sugary snacks, you may get an initial "sugar rush." Soon thereafter your blood sugar level will drop quickly and leave you tired. The high degree of fluctuation of your blood sugar level is not desirable as it causes your physical energy level to go up and down.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 2: When you get hungry, it is so easy to simply grab a quick, sugary snack. Try to mix your carbohydrates with fibers and protein. Doing so will make the energy you are getting from the carbohydrates last longer. For example, if you are eating an apple (carbohydrates), you can add almond butter or low-sugar peanut butter to it, which is high in protein. Also, some organic breads are high in protein. Scavenge your local organic food store for snacks that supply carbohydrates and that are high in protein at the same time.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 3: Try not to eat any carbohydrates at night. In the evening, you are typically less active, so the carbohydrates you eat can not be burned off. Instead, they are more likely to add to body fat and cause weight gain.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Food List Tip 4: If you are suffering from an upset stomach, try carbohydrates from rice instead of bread. Rice is more soothing for the stomach and rice is easier to digest than bread (here, Chinese rice soup helps especially well).
Menopause
Natural Treatment For Menopause
by: Peishan Chen, L.Ac.
Natural Treatment For Menopause In Chinese Medicine menopause is sometimes called a "second spring." It is an event that is to be embraced, and not feared. In stark contrast to that is the Western Medical approach, which is almost to treat menopause as a disease. The menopause symptoms are certainly none that evoke a picture of health: hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, sleeping disorders, just to name a few. (I have a neighbor who even blamed her skin problems and digestive ailments on menopause!)
Acupuncture - A Natural Treatment For Menopause The last year was filled with news regarding menopause and Hormone Replacement Theraphy (HRT). I myself received quite a few patients who were ready to address their menopause symptoms in a natural, healthful way.
Acupuncture - A Natural Treatment For Menopause Example Acupuncture can help! As an acupuncturist, I encounter a variety of patients from all walks of life. They all have their unique history, and some of them have menopause. I have this account to offer of a woman whom I was able to help. This patient was around 50 years old. She had been experiencing menopause symptoms for quite a while. Worst of all were the hot flashes, which also contributed to sleeping disorders. She did not exercise. She was leading a busy social life, worked a white-collar job, and was married with two children who were now living on their own. She ate healthy foods.
My Initial Natural Treatment For Menopause Worked! My initial natural treatment for menopause regimen was acupuncture twice a week for a month. Within the first month, the symptoms were under control. No more sleeping problems and no more hot flashes! After a while we moved to one treatment per week or every other week. She took no drugs or hormones in this process. She now feels healthy and energetic and can enjoy health, her many activities.
Maintenance Key To Natural Treatment For Menopause As with many medical treatments, it is necessary to perform regular "maintenance" in order to keep optimal health. The patient should receive regular acupuncture for as long as her hormone level continues to undergo changes.
Besides acupuncture, a patient undergoing natural treatment for menopause should also try:
Regular, Light Exercise (such as walking)
Eating Healthy (soy and soy-based products are especially useful)
Avoid Excessive Stress
by: Peishan Chen, L.Ac.
Natural Treatment For Menopause In Chinese Medicine menopause is sometimes called a "second spring." It is an event that is to be embraced, and not feared. In stark contrast to that is the Western Medical approach, which is almost to treat menopause as a disease. The menopause symptoms are certainly none that evoke a picture of health: hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, sleeping disorders, just to name a few. (I have a neighbor who even blamed her skin problems and digestive ailments on menopause!)
Acupuncture - A Natural Treatment For Menopause The last year was filled with news regarding menopause and Hormone Replacement Theraphy (HRT). I myself received quite a few patients who were ready to address their menopause symptoms in a natural, healthful way.
Acupuncture - A Natural Treatment For Menopause Example Acupuncture can help! As an acupuncturist, I encounter a variety of patients from all walks of life. They all have their unique history, and some of them have menopause. I have this account to offer of a woman whom I was able to help. This patient was around 50 years old. She had been experiencing menopause symptoms for quite a while. Worst of all were the hot flashes, which also contributed to sleeping disorders. She did not exercise. She was leading a busy social life, worked a white-collar job, and was married with two children who were now living on their own. She ate healthy foods.
My Initial Natural Treatment For Menopause Worked! My initial natural treatment for menopause regimen was acupuncture twice a week for a month. Within the first month, the symptoms were under control. No more sleeping problems and no more hot flashes! After a while we moved to one treatment per week or every other week. She took no drugs or hormones in this process. She now feels healthy and energetic and can enjoy health, her many activities.
Maintenance Key To Natural Treatment For Menopause As with many medical treatments, it is necessary to perform regular "maintenance" in order to keep optimal health. The patient should receive regular acupuncture for as long as her hormone level continues to undergo changes.
Besides acupuncture, a patient undergoing natural treatment for menopause should also try:
Regular, Light Exercise (such as walking)
Eating Healthy (soy and soy-based products are especially useful)
Avoid Excessive Stress
life
What is the MOST important thing in your life?
by: Mac McDonald & Pat Terry
What is the MOST important thing in your life?
"HEALTH"-------absolutely! If we don't have it; you don't have much of a life. You aren't much good to yourself, let alone your family, friends, or even society!
"FREEDOM"-------Wouldn't you agree Freedom ranks right at the top as well? It's worth fighting for. I'll put Freedom right next to Health. Wouldn't you agree if your Health goes away, your Freedom is gone?
"FINANCES"-------Finances are right next to Freedom. It's important to realize how interlinked these three are. Wouldn't you agree many people are sacrificing their Health due to limited finances? How many people are working themselves to early disease/illnesses due to chasing finances? And if your finances are limited, does this not limit your freedom of choice?
Wouldn't you agree we are a "Nation in Crisis"?
Our nation is in crisis in 2 areas - Health & Finances.
How many of you have an Over abundance of money, have enough Time Freedom, are balanced in your Health & Wellness and don't have stress in your life?
How many of you would like more money? More Freedom & Flexibility? Better Wellness? Less Hurt & even less impact of Stress on your body? Are all these areas important to you? We help people get balance in all these areas & more.
By the end of these articles you will have learned how you can achieve abundance in all these areas.
by: Mac McDonald & Pat Terry
What is the MOST important thing in your life?
"HEALTH"-------absolutely! If we don't have it; you don't have much of a life. You aren't much good to yourself, let alone your family, friends, or even society!
"FREEDOM"-------Wouldn't you agree Freedom ranks right at the top as well? It's worth fighting for. I'll put Freedom right next to Health. Wouldn't you agree if your Health goes away, your Freedom is gone?
"FINANCES"-------Finances are right next to Freedom. It's important to realize how interlinked these three are. Wouldn't you agree many people are sacrificing their Health due to limited finances? How many people are working themselves to early disease/illnesses due to chasing finances? And if your finances are limited, does this not limit your freedom of choice?
Wouldn't you agree we are a "Nation in Crisis"?
Our nation is in crisis in 2 areas - Health & Finances.
How many of you have an Over abundance of money, have enough Time Freedom, are balanced in your Health & Wellness and don't have stress in your life?
How many of you would like more money? More Freedom & Flexibility? Better Wellness? Less Hurt & even less impact of Stress on your body? Are all these areas important to you? We help people get balance in all these areas & more.
By the end of these articles you will have learned how you can achieve abundance in all these areas.
Chiropractic and Headache
Chiropractic and Headache
by: Leslie Banic, DC
Chiropractic is now more than a century old, and it is licensed throughout the United States and Canada and recognized in more than 60 countries worldwide. Doctors of Chiropractic receive training that is focused on the treatment of NMS conditions through manual and physical procedures, such as manipulation, massage, exercise, and nutrition. Most patients present to chiropractors with low back pain, neck pain, whiplash, and headaches. Numerous studies and expert panel reviews have supported the use of chiropractic and manipulation for these complaints. Chiropractic, in general, offers safe and cost-effective procedures for selected musculoskeletal problems.
( 1) Headache and neck pain sufferers make up as much as one third of patients seeking treatment from doctors of chiropractic.
(2) Chiropractors have a long tradition of anecdotal success in managing headaches, as reported in case studies. In addition, several randomized controlled clinical trials have been conducted that demonstrate positive results. Spinal manipulative therapy appears to have a better effect than massage for cervicogenic headache. It has also been reported that SMT has an effect comparable to commonly used first-line prophylactic prescription medications for tension-type headache and migraine headache.
(3)
Several studies have linked altered cervical curve configurations to the presence of chronic headache pain. In a survey of more than 6000 chronic headache sufferers, Braff and Rosner, in investigation of whiplash trauma, found that complete or segmental loss or reversal of the cervical curve is the most consistent characteristic feature and is often the only abnormality found.
(4) Another study, published in the medical journal, Headache, compared 372 patients with tension-type headache to 225 control subjects. The headache patients were found to have abnormally straightened cervical curves compared to the control subjects. The researchers conclude that the abnormally aligned neck position requires greater muscular effort to support the weight of the head and neck, leading to muscle fatigue and tension-type headache.
(5) Finally, in a study of 47 subjects with tension and migraine headaches, a high incidence of straightened and reversed cervical curve configurations was found.
(6)In lordosis, the normal curve of the cervical spine, anterior and posterior stresses in the vertebral body are nearly uniform and minimal. [There is shared weight bearing between the articular pillars / facets and the cervical discs.] In areas of straightened and reversed cervical curve, termed kyphosis, combined stresses changed from tension to compression at the anterior vertebral margins and were very large (6-10 times as large in magnitude) compared to lordosis. In kyphotic areas at the posterior vertebral body, the combined stresses changed from compression (in lordosis) to tension. The stresses in straightened and reversed areas are very large and opposite in direction compared to a normal lordosis. As osteophytes and osteoarthritis are found at areas of altered stress and strain, this analysis provides the basis for the formation of osteophytes (Wolff's Law) on the anterior margins of vertebrae in kyphotic regions of the sagittal cervical curve. This indicates that any kyphosis is an undesirable configuration in the cervical spine. As related to muscular fatigue and tension-type headache, axial and flexural stresses at kyphotic areas in the sagittal cervical spine are abnormally high.
(8.7 )In addition to the long term detrimental effects, osteophytes and osteoarthritis, associated with abnormal postures of the cervical spine, chronic pain may be generated by many of the innervated tissues in the area. “The presence of mechanoreceptive and nociceptive [pain generating] nerve endings in cervical facet capsules proves that these tissues are monitored by the CNS and that neural input from the facets is important to proprioception and pain sensation in the cervical spine. “Studies of peripheral joints suggest that these receptors monitor joint excursion and capsular tension and may initiate protective muscular reflexes important in preventing joint degeneration and stability.”
(9) Multiple studies have found that the discs outer annular fibers, the ALL, PLL, Supraspinous and Intraspinous ligaments are all innervated with nociceptive nerve endings. Abnormal postures of the cervical spine create abnormally high stress and strain in the numerous innervated tissues in the region.
At Banic Chiropractic Clinic, we practice the Chiropractic BioPhysics technique.
(www.IdealSpine.com, click Research, follow links to Medline) We utilize exercise, adjusting, and a unique form of cervical traction to restore the cervical spine to within the normal range of lordosis. In the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2002, thirty subjects had statistically significant changes in pain scales and lateral cervical radiographic measurements compared with no change in 24 control subjects. Average improvement in cervical lordosis for global angles between C2-C7 was ~14 degrees. For the treatment group, at 15 month follow-up, the total cervical lordosis remained stable without maintenance care. (10) Other studies of the Chiropractic BioPhysics method for restoring cervical lordosis yielded similar results.
Conclusion: Chiropractic, in general, offers safe and cost-effective procedures for selected musculoskeletal problems. Spinal manipulative therapy appears to have a better effect than massage for cervicogenic headache. It has also been reported that SMT has an effect comparable to commonly used first-line prophylactic prescription medications for tension-type headache and migraine headache. Several studies have linked altered cervical curve configurations to the presence of chronic headache pain. Abnormal postures of the cervical spine create abnormally high stress and strain in the numerous innervated tissues in the region.
Recently developed techniques in chiropractic have demonstrated the ability to restore cervical curvature and reduce pain and these results are stable at long-term follow-up. Chiropractic care at Banic Chiropractic Clinic may be a good choice for a patient with chronic headache pain.
(1)Dagenais S, Haldeman S., Prim Care. 2002 Jun;29(2):419-37.(2)Hurwitz EL, Shekele PG., Am J Public Health. 1998:88:771-776(3)Bronfort G, Assendelft WJ, Evans R, Haas M, Bouter L . Efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic headache: a systematic review. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2001 Sep;24(7):457-66.(4)Braff MM. Rosner S. Trauma of the cervical spine as a cause of chronic headache. J Trauma. 1975;22 (5)Nagasawa A. et al. Roentographic findings of the cervical spine in headache. Headache. 1993;33:90-95(6)Vernon et al. Cervicogenic dysfunction in muscle contraction headache and migraine. JMPT 1992;15 (7) Harrison DE, Harrison DD, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Normand M. Comparison of axial and flexural stresses in lordosis and three buckled configurations of the cervical spine. Clin Biomech. 2001 May;16(4):276-84.(8) Harrison DE, Jones EW, Janik TJ, Harrison DD. Evaluation of axial and flexural stresses in the vertebral body cortex and trabecular bone in lordosis and two sagittal cervical translation configurations with an elliptical shell model. JMPT. 2002. July-August;25(6):391-401.(9)McLain RF. Mechanoreceptor endings in human cervical facet joints. Spine. 1994; 19:495-501.(10) Harrison DE, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Janik TJ. A new 3-point bending traction method for restoring cervical lordosis: a nonrandomized clinical controlled trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2002 Apr;83(4):447-
by: Leslie Banic, DC
Chiropractic is now more than a century old, and it is licensed throughout the United States and Canada and recognized in more than 60 countries worldwide. Doctors of Chiropractic receive training that is focused on the treatment of NMS conditions through manual and physical procedures, such as manipulation, massage, exercise, and nutrition. Most patients present to chiropractors with low back pain, neck pain, whiplash, and headaches. Numerous studies and expert panel reviews have supported the use of chiropractic and manipulation for these complaints. Chiropractic, in general, offers safe and cost-effective procedures for selected musculoskeletal problems.
( 1) Headache and neck pain sufferers make up as much as one third of patients seeking treatment from doctors of chiropractic.
(2) Chiropractors have a long tradition of anecdotal success in managing headaches, as reported in case studies. In addition, several randomized controlled clinical trials have been conducted that demonstrate positive results. Spinal manipulative therapy appears to have a better effect than massage for cervicogenic headache. It has also been reported that SMT has an effect comparable to commonly used first-line prophylactic prescription medications for tension-type headache and migraine headache.
(3)
Several studies have linked altered cervical curve configurations to the presence of chronic headache pain. In a survey of more than 6000 chronic headache sufferers, Braff and Rosner, in investigation of whiplash trauma, found that complete or segmental loss or reversal of the cervical curve is the most consistent characteristic feature and is often the only abnormality found.
(4) Another study, published in the medical journal, Headache, compared 372 patients with tension-type headache to 225 control subjects. The headache patients were found to have abnormally straightened cervical curves compared to the control subjects. The researchers conclude that the abnormally aligned neck position requires greater muscular effort to support the weight of the head and neck, leading to muscle fatigue and tension-type headache.
(5) Finally, in a study of 47 subjects with tension and migraine headaches, a high incidence of straightened and reversed cervical curve configurations was found.
(6)In lordosis, the normal curve of the cervical spine, anterior and posterior stresses in the vertebral body are nearly uniform and minimal. [There is shared weight bearing between the articular pillars / facets and the cervical discs.] In areas of straightened and reversed cervical curve, termed kyphosis, combined stresses changed from tension to compression at the anterior vertebral margins and were very large (6-10 times as large in magnitude) compared to lordosis. In kyphotic areas at the posterior vertebral body, the combined stresses changed from compression (in lordosis) to tension. The stresses in straightened and reversed areas are very large and opposite in direction compared to a normal lordosis. As osteophytes and osteoarthritis are found at areas of altered stress and strain, this analysis provides the basis for the formation of osteophytes (Wolff's Law) on the anterior margins of vertebrae in kyphotic regions of the sagittal cervical curve. This indicates that any kyphosis is an undesirable configuration in the cervical spine. As related to muscular fatigue and tension-type headache, axial and flexural stresses at kyphotic areas in the sagittal cervical spine are abnormally high.
(8.7 )In addition to the long term detrimental effects, osteophytes and osteoarthritis, associated with abnormal postures of the cervical spine, chronic pain may be generated by many of the innervated tissues in the area. “The presence of mechanoreceptive and nociceptive [pain generating] nerve endings in cervical facet capsules proves that these tissues are monitored by the CNS and that neural input from the facets is important to proprioception and pain sensation in the cervical spine. “Studies of peripheral joints suggest that these receptors monitor joint excursion and capsular tension and may initiate protective muscular reflexes important in preventing joint degeneration and stability.”
(9) Multiple studies have found that the discs outer annular fibers, the ALL, PLL, Supraspinous and Intraspinous ligaments are all innervated with nociceptive nerve endings. Abnormal postures of the cervical spine create abnormally high stress and strain in the numerous innervated tissues in the region.
At Banic Chiropractic Clinic, we practice the Chiropractic BioPhysics technique.
(www.IdealSpine.com, click Research, follow links to Medline) We utilize exercise, adjusting, and a unique form of cervical traction to restore the cervical spine to within the normal range of lordosis. In the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2002, thirty subjects had statistically significant changes in pain scales and lateral cervical radiographic measurements compared with no change in 24 control subjects. Average improvement in cervical lordosis for global angles between C2-C7 was ~14 degrees. For the treatment group, at 15 month follow-up, the total cervical lordosis remained stable without maintenance care. (10) Other studies of the Chiropractic BioPhysics method for restoring cervical lordosis yielded similar results.
Conclusion: Chiropractic, in general, offers safe and cost-effective procedures for selected musculoskeletal problems. Spinal manipulative therapy appears to have a better effect than massage for cervicogenic headache. It has also been reported that SMT has an effect comparable to commonly used first-line prophylactic prescription medications for tension-type headache and migraine headache. Several studies have linked altered cervical curve configurations to the presence of chronic headache pain. Abnormal postures of the cervical spine create abnormally high stress and strain in the numerous innervated tissues in the region.
Recently developed techniques in chiropractic have demonstrated the ability to restore cervical curvature and reduce pain and these results are stable at long-term follow-up. Chiropractic care at Banic Chiropractic Clinic may be a good choice for a patient with chronic headache pain.
(1)Dagenais S, Haldeman S., Prim Care. 2002 Jun;29(2):419-37.(2)Hurwitz EL, Shekele PG., Am J Public Health. 1998:88:771-776(3)Bronfort G, Assendelft WJ, Evans R, Haas M, Bouter L . Efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic headache: a systematic review. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2001 Sep;24(7):457-66.(4)Braff MM. Rosner S. Trauma of the cervical spine as a cause of chronic headache. J Trauma. 1975;22 (5)Nagasawa A. et al. Roentographic findings of the cervical spine in headache. Headache. 1993;33:90-95(6)Vernon et al. Cervicogenic dysfunction in muscle contraction headache and migraine. JMPT 1992;15 (7) Harrison DE, Harrison DD, Janik TJ, Cailliet R, Normand M. Comparison of axial and flexural stresses in lordosis and three buckled configurations of the cervical spine. Clin Biomech. 2001 May;16(4):276-84.(8) Harrison DE, Jones EW, Janik TJ, Harrison DD. Evaluation of axial and flexural stresses in the vertebral body cortex and trabecular bone in lordosis and two sagittal cervical translation configurations with an elliptical shell model. JMPT. 2002. July-August;25(6):391-401.(9)McLain RF. Mechanoreceptor endings in human cervical facet joints. Spine. 1994; 19:495-501.(10) Harrison DE, Cailliet R, Harrison DD, Janik TJ. A new 3-point bending traction method for restoring cervical lordosis: a nonrandomized clinical controlled trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2002 Apr;83(4):447-
Meditate
Why Meditate
Do you ever find yourself juggling four things at once: eating dinner, reading the paper, watching T.V. and carrying on a conversation with your spouse? Or calling your next appointment from the car phone to say you're running late, while applying a top coat of lipstick and singing along with your favorite pop hit?
I used to think this was a great skill of mine. Modern life seems to be measured by our level of activity. We are constantly being bombarded with more stimulus. Yet, the more we do, the more we identify with what we do as opposed to who we are.
Like yoga, meditation is about creating a time where all activity stops. It is an invitation to become mindful and present with the living moment; to slow down and reconnect with our breath, our body, our hearts and our being. Meditation is about creating that central connection to your Self, separate from the noise, clutter and distraction of our daily lives. Through specific techniques we learn to become familiar and comfortable with the quiet of our own minds, so that even amidst a maelstrom we can maintain that singular focus.
Meditation is the art of inner listening. In yoga, we discover our body's authentic dance. In meditation, we hear our heart's authentic song. In community, we gather together to discover the truth of our oneness. And in silence we experience the acceptance of our uniqueness.
Do you ever find yourself juggling four things at once: eating dinner, reading the paper, watching T.V. and carrying on a conversation with your spouse? Or calling your next appointment from the car phone to say you're running late, while applying a top coat of lipstick and singing along with your favorite pop hit?
I used to think this was a great skill of mine. Modern life seems to be measured by our level of activity. We are constantly being bombarded with more stimulus. Yet, the more we do, the more we identify with what we do as opposed to who we are.
Like yoga, meditation is about creating a time where all activity stops. It is an invitation to become mindful and present with the living moment; to slow down and reconnect with our breath, our body, our hearts and our being. Meditation is about creating that central connection to your Self, separate from the noise, clutter and distraction of our daily lives. Through specific techniques we learn to become familiar and comfortable with the quiet of our own minds, so that even amidst a maelstrom we can maintain that singular focus.
Meditation is the art of inner listening. In yoga, we discover our body's authentic dance. In meditation, we hear our heart's authentic song. In community, we gather together to discover the truth of our oneness. And in silence we experience the acceptance of our uniqueness.
Lips Gone
Where Have My Lips Gone?
by: Shelia V. Anderson, RN, CAPA
Where Have My Lips Gone? Notice how full the lips look on a baby or small child? Note the ever so slight roll above the lip line that causes the lips to protrude. Looking in the mirror, do you see the same shape with your lips? What happens to our lips as we age?
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Breakdown Of Collagen The fullness and roll that give the lips their shape are due to a natural body protein called collagen, which protects and supports the softer tissues and connects them with the skeleton. Collagen is the material that provides elasticity and plumpness to our skin. The breakdown of collagen in our body with time (aging) leads to wrinkles.
Where Have My Lips Gone? - Loss Of The Epidermis In our mid 20's, the body begins to lose the protection of the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis), a thinning of 10% per decade. With this protection becoming threatened, the next layer of skin (the dermis) must work harder to keep the collagen formation and protection in place. Exposure to sunlight accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging. Most of this damage has occurred by age 20, but may not be visible until later.
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Vertical Lines Develop As collagen diminishes above the lip, the edge actually rolls forward, increasing the length from the base of the nose to the top of the lip. That area is now flat, void of the previous firm curves. Wrinkles develop in the lips themselves. Finally, vertical lines form from the lip line upward, "smokers' lines". People who have never smoked can develop vertical lines. Genetic makeup plays a part in the development of the vertical lines and the rate at which an individual loses the underlying fat.
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Use Sun Block We can be proactive and avoid any further UV damage with constant sun block. Even on days when the clouds are gray, sun block (rather than sunscreen) should be applied before leaving home.
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Your Skin Reflects Your Health Skin health is a reflection of internal health. Hydration is a key component to keeping tissues healthy. Antioxidants help arm the body with the minerals and substances it needs to fight off free-floating radicals. Flax seed oil and omega 3 fatty acids help to return the moisture and fullness.)
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Your Skin Reflects Your Health Are you tired of looking in the mirror and seeing pencil thin lips, lipstick bleeding above the lips, and the corners of your mouth turning down? There are immediate but temporary fixes available with injectable fillers. Currently some on the market include Collagen, Cymmetra, Fascian, and Comsoderm, lasting 3 to 6 months. New products pending FDA approval promise longer life and possibly permanent correction. A concern with permanent filler injected into the soft tissue is that the only way to correct a problem is with a knife. If your body decides to fight and react to the material, or you don't like the correction, surgery is needed to remedy.
by: Shelia V. Anderson, RN, CAPA
Where Have My Lips Gone? Notice how full the lips look on a baby or small child? Note the ever so slight roll above the lip line that causes the lips to protrude. Looking in the mirror, do you see the same shape with your lips? What happens to our lips as we age?
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Breakdown Of Collagen The fullness and roll that give the lips their shape are due to a natural body protein called collagen, which protects and supports the softer tissues and connects them with the skeleton. Collagen is the material that provides elasticity and plumpness to our skin. The breakdown of collagen in our body with time (aging) leads to wrinkles.
Where Have My Lips Gone? - Loss Of The Epidermis In our mid 20's, the body begins to lose the protection of the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis), a thinning of 10% per decade. With this protection becoming threatened, the next layer of skin (the dermis) must work harder to keep the collagen formation and protection in place. Exposure to sunlight accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging. Most of this damage has occurred by age 20, but may not be visible until later.
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Vertical Lines Develop As collagen diminishes above the lip, the edge actually rolls forward, increasing the length from the base of the nose to the top of the lip. That area is now flat, void of the previous firm curves. Wrinkles develop in the lips themselves. Finally, vertical lines form from the lip line upward, "smokers' lines". People who have never smoked can develop vertical lines. Genetic makeup plays a part in the development of the vertical lines and the rate at which an individual loses the underlying fat.
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Use Sun Block We can be proactive and avoid any further UV damage with constant sun block. Even on days when the clouds are gray, sun block (rather than sunscreen) should be applied before leaving home.
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Your Skin Reflects Your Health Skin health is a reflection of internal health. Hydration is a key component to keeping tissues healthy. Antioxidants help arm the body with the minerals and substances it needs to fight off free-floating radicals. Flax seed oil and omega 3 fatty acids help to return the moisture and fullness.)
Where Have My Lips Gone?
- Your Skin Reflects Your Health Are you tired of looking in the mirror and seeing pencil thin lips, lipstick bleeding above the lips, and the corners of your mouth turning down? There are immediate but temporary fixes available with injectable fillers. Currently some on the market include Collagen, Cymmetra, Fascian, and Comsoderm, lasting 3 to 6 months. New products pending FDA approval promise longer life and possibly permanent correction. A concern with permanent filler injected into the soft tissue is that the only way to correct a problem is with a knife. If your body decides to fight and react to the material, or you don't like the correction, surgery is needed to remedy.
Overcoming Fitness
Overcoming Fitness Roadblocks
by: Monica Schmidt
When it comes to good health, there are no quick fixes. To me, this means making exercise fun, eating my fruits and veggies (most of the time), trying to avoid things that are bad for me (ie. sugar), and trying my best to have a positive outlook every day. Here are some common fitness roadblocks and how to overcome them:
I don’t have time: Exercise is a habit just like any other habit. It can be trained, fostered, and enjoyed. Think of regular exercise not as a disruption to your life, but as a way of enhancing its quality. It doesn’t have to be a prison sentence!
But I’m SO TIRED after work: Why not see exercise as something to look forward to after work? Exercise generates natural endorphins, flushes out toxins that our body generates when stressed, and helps regulate our blood sugar and thus our moods and energy levels.
But I look healthy and am not overweight: Coronary Artery Disease affects those of normal weight as well as young adults. In addition, if you have achieved your “healthy weight” through diet alone, you stand a 95% chance of gaining all the weight back, unless you exercise regularly.
I’m happy being the person I am: If that is truly the case, I commend you, because you sound like a person with tremendous self-confidence. However, if you have doubts and feel like you are hiding behind a larger frame then you’d like, I encourage you to embrace fitness and uncover your true spirit!
I don’t know how to cook healthy: It all starts with a knife and a frying pan. Try listening to your favorite tunes while making a quick stir fry. Add some lean meat and rice, and dinner’s done.
It’s time to hurdle over those roadblocks!
by: Monica Schmidt
When it comes to good health, there are no quick fixes. To me, this means making exercise fun, eating my fruits and veggies (most of the time), trying to avoid things that are bad for me (ie. sugar), and trying my best to have a positive outlook every day. Here are some common fitness roadblocks and how to overcome them:
I don’t have time: Exercise is a habit just like any other habit. It can be trained, fostered, and enjoyed. Think of regular exercise not as a disruption to your life, but as a way of enhancing its quality. It doesn’t have to be a prison sentence!
But I’m SO TIRED after work: Why not see exercise as something to look forward to after work? Exercise generates natural endorphins, flushes out toxins that our body generates when stressed, and helps regulate our blood sugar and thus our moods and energy levels.
But I look healthy and am not overweight: Coronary Artery Disease affects those of normal weight as well as young adults. In addition, if you have achieved your “healthy weight” through diet alone, you stand a 95% chance of gaining all the weight back, unless you exercise regularly.
I’m happy being the person I am: If that is truly the case, I commend you, because you sound like a person with tremendous self-confidence. However, if you have doubts and feel like you are hiding behind a larger frame then you’d like, I encourage you to embrace fitness and uncover your true spirit!
I don’t know how to cook healthy: It all starts with a knife and a frying pan. Try listening to your favorite tunes while making a quick stir fry. Add some lean meat and rice, and dinner’s done.
It’s time to hurdle over those roadblocks!
Taking That First Step
Taking That First Step
by: Monica Schmidt
Everyone knows walking is good for you. It’s good for the heart. It uses mainly fat as fuel after the 1st 20 minutes if performed briskly. Most importantly, it’s good for the soul, and this is the key component for inspiring you to embrace fitness as a lifestyle.
How much walking is recommended? Your walks should challenge you. After a brief warm up at a medium pace, walk briskly and breathe deeply. If it feels like a stroll, your body is not being challenged enough to adapt and grow strong. Start with 30 minutes every other day, and work up to 60 minutes daily. If that sounds like a lot to you, think about the payback you’ll likely get from a longer, healthier life.
Here’s how to start:
1. Get your doctor’s approval first.
2. Buy a really comfortable pair of shoes with support and shock absorption.
3. Warm up and cool down at a moderate pace for a few minutes.
4. Stay safe, dress properly, and bring your water bottle.
5. If you feel pain, stop. If it’s chest pain, seek medical help immediately.
If you’re still not convinced or think it’s too much of a time commitment, read on:
Tips from the Ironlady:
Walk with a friend (in person or even by cell phone), and get caught up.
Bring your music along and sing to the beat.
Use the time to solve problems from work or home.
Think of it as time away from the couch and refrigerator. Time well spent.
Walk with your kids (nephews, granddaughters etc.). They’ll remember the experience. So what are you waiting for?
by: Monica Schmidt
Everyone knows walking is good for you. It’s good for the heart. It uses mainly fat as fuel after the 1st 20 minutes if performed briskly. Most importantly, it’s good for the soul, and this is the key component for inspiring you to embrace fitness as a lifestyle.
How much walking is recommended? Your walks should challenge you. After a brief warm up at a medium pace, walk briskly and breathe deeply. If it feels like a stroll, your body is not being challenged enough to adapt and grow strong. Start with 30 minutes every other day, and work up to 60 minutes daily. If that sounds like a lot to you, think about the payback you’ll likely get from a longer, healthier life.
Here’s how to start:
1. Get your doctor’s approval first.
2. Buy a really comfortable pair of shoes with support and shock absorption.
3. Warm up and cool down at a moderate pace for a few minutes.
4. Stay safe, dress properly, and bring your water bottle.
5. If you feel pain, stop. If it’s chest pain, seek medical help immediately.
If you’re still not convinced or think it’s too much of a time commitment, read on:
Tips from the Ironlady:
Walk with a friend (in person or even by cell phone), and get caught up.
Bring your music along and sing to the beat.
Use the time to solve problems from work or home.
Think of it as time away from the couch and refrigerator. Time well spent.
Walk with your kids (nephews, granddaughters etc.). They’ll remember the experience. So what are you waiting for?
Good Posture
11 Tips For Good Posture
by: Leslie Banic, DC
1) Commit to changing Bad Habits Good posture means your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints and ligaments can work as nature intended. It means your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency. Good posture helps the normal functioning of the nervous system.
2) When standing - hold your head high, chin firmly forward, shoulders back, chest out, and stomach tucked in to increase your balance. If you stand all day in a job like a cashier or clerk, rest one foot on a stool or take breaks to get off your feet for a while.
3) When sitting - use a chair with firm low back support. Adjust the chair or use a footrest to keep pressure off the back of the legs, and keep your knees a little higher than your hips. Your chair should have armrests to alleviate pressure on the shoulders. Do not sit on a fat wallet; it can cause hip imbalance! Place computer monitors at or slightly above eye level.
4) When sleeping - sleep on your side with your knees bent and head supported by a pillow, to make your head level with your spine. Or, sleep on your back, avoiding thick pillows under your head. Use a small pillow under your neck instead. Do not read in bed with pillows stacked behind your head pushing your chin toward your chest.
5) When lifting - let your legs do the work in order to prevent injury to your low back. Stand close to the object, then where possible squat down and straddle it. Grasp the object, and slowly lift the load by straightening your legs as you stand up. Carry the object close to your body. Never twist from the waist while bending forward or while lifting.
6) Keep your weight down - excess weight, especially around the middle, pulls on the back, weakening stomach muscles and resulting in back pain. Long term effects include osteoarthritis and disk degeneration.
7) Develop a regular program of exercise - regular exercise keeps you flexible and helps tone your muscles to support proper posture. This only helps if you exercise with good posture!
8) Buy good bedding and frequently replace your shoes - a firm mattress will support the spine and help maintain the same shape as a person with good upright posture. Shoes wear down unevenly to an unbalanced surface. This affects the arches of the feet, the knees, hips, and joints in the spine.
9) Have your eyes examined - a vision problem can affect the way you carry yourself as well as cause eye strain.
10) Pay attention to injuries from bumps, falls and jars - injuries in youth may cause growth problems or postural adaptations to the injury. They frequently result in pain showing up later in life.
11) - Chronic bad posture - weakens the muscles and ligaments of the spine so that you are more likely to experience the “straw that broke the Camel’s back” type incident. These postures can be corrected by a specially trained Doctor of Chiropractic. If you follow the above tips, but still feel discomfort and pain related to specific activities, visit your Doctor of Chiropractic for a spinal checkup and a postural evaluation for yourself and for your children.
by: Leslie Banic, DC
1) Commit to changing Bad Habits Good posture means your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints and ligaments can work as nature intended. It means your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency. Good posture helps the normal functioning of the nervous system.
2) When standing - hold your head high, chin firmly forward, shoulders back, chest out, and stomach tucked in to increase your balance. If you stand all day in a job like a cashier or clerk, rest one foot on a stool or take breaks to get off your feet for a while.
3) When sitting - use a chair with firm low back support. Adjust the chair or use a footrest to keep pressure off the back of the legs, and keep your knees a little higher than your hips. Your chair should have armrests to alleviate pressure on the shoulders. Do not sit on a fat wallet; it can cause hip imbalance! Place computer monitors at or slightly above eye level.
4) When sleeping - sleep on your side with your knees bent and head supported by a pillow, to make your head level with your spine. Or, sleep on your back, avoiding thick pillows under your head. Use a small pillow under your neck instead. Do not read in bed with pillows stacked behind your head pushing your chin toward your chest.
5) When lifting - let your legs do the work in order to prevent injury to your low back. Stand close to the object, then where possible squat down and straddle it. Grasp the object, and slowly lift the load by straightening your legs as you stand up. Carry the object close to your body. Never twist from the waist while bending forward or while lifting.
6) Keep your weight down - excess weight, especially around the middle, pulls on the back, weakening stomach muscles and resulting in back pain. Long term effects include osteoarthritis and disk degeneration.
7) Develop a regular program of exercise - regular exercise keeps you flexible and helps tone your muscles to support proper posture. This only helps if you exercise with good posture!
8) Buy good bedding and frequently replace your shoes - a firm mattress will support the spine and help maintain the same shape as a person with good upright posture. Shoes wear down unevenly to an unbalanced surface. This affects the arches of the feet, the knees, hips, and joints in the spine.
9) Have your eyes examined - a vision problem can affect the way you carry yourself as well as cause eye strain.
10) Pay attention to injuries from bumps, falls and jars - injuries in youth may cause growth problems or postural adaptations to the injury. They frequently result in pain showing up later in life.
11) - Chronic bad posture - weakens the muscles and ligaments of the spine so that you are more likely to experience the “straw that broke the Camel’s back” type incident. These postures can be corrected by a specially trained Doctor of Chiropractic. If you follow the above tips, but still feel discomfort and pain related to specific activities, visit your Doctor of Chiropractic for a spinal checkup and a postural evaluation for yourself and for your children.
Drink More Spring or Filtered Water to Improve Every Facet of Your Health
by: Dr. Roberta Blowers, D.D.S.
You've heard it repeatedly: make sure you drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. The key words are "at least," because, unless you are a child or the size of a child, you need more water than that. The rule of thumb is, for every 50 pounds of body weight you carry, drink one quart of bottled spring or filtered water per day. The average person weighs 150lbs, so they should drink three quarts per day. A 200lb person should drink a full gallon per day. Athletes should drink even more than that. Follow these guidelines and you've adopted one of the most crucial health habits.
Our bodies are mostly water, and so this ongoing intake of water is essential to our every function. Drink the appropriate amounts, and everything is much more likely to function at optimal levels. Don't drink enough water, and over the short term you will experience routine fatigue, dry skin, headaches and constipation; over the longer term, every body function will degrade more quickly. It really is as simple as that.
Things get a bit more complicated in what type of water to drink. Bottled spring water and filtered water are both good options. Do not drink tap water or distilled water.
The spring (not "drinking") water should be bottled in clear polyethylene or glass containers, not the one-gallon plastic (PVC) containers that transfer far too many chemicals into the water. Filtered water can be obtained through low-cost filters, such as those provided by Brita or PUR brands. Another recommendation is the Nikken PiMag Water System.
Tap water should be avoided because it contains chlorine and may contain fluoride, toxic substances that, with ongoing consumption, can have dire consequences for the body. Distilled water should also be avoided because it has the wrong ionization, pH, polarization and oxidation potentials, and can drain your body of necessary minerals. It has been tied to hair loss, which is often associated with certain mineral deficiencies.
Drink water at room temperature if possible, as ice-cold water can harm the delicate lining of your stomach.
Finally, the extensively researched and fascinating book, Your Body's Many Cries for Water, should be required reading by all, and definitely belongs on every health care practitioner's bookshelf.
You've heard it repeatedly: make sure you drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. The key words are "at least," because, unless you are a child or the size of a child, you need more water than that. The rule of thumb is, for every 50 pounds of body weight you carry, drink one quart of bottled spring or filtered water per day. The average person weighs 150lbs, so they should drink three quarts per day. A 200lb person should drink a full gallon per day. Athletes should drink even more than that. Follow these guidelines and you've adopted one of the most crucial health habits.
Our bodies are mostly water, and so this ongoing intake of water is essential to our every function. Drink the appropriate amounts, and everything is much more likely to function at optimal levels. Don't drink enough water, and over the short term you will experience routine fatigue, dry skin, headaches and constipation; over the longer term, every body function will degrade more quickly. It really is as simple as that.
Things get a bit more complicated in what type of water to drink. Bottled spring water and filtered water are both good options. Do not drink tap water or distilled water.
The spring (not "drinking") water should be bottled in clear polyethylene or glass containers, not the one-gallon plastic (PVC) containers that transfer far too many chemicals into the water. Filtered water can be obtained through low-cost filters, such as those provided by Brita or PUR brands. Another recommendation is the Nikken PiMag Water System.
Tap water should be avoided because it contains chlorine and may contain fluoride, toxic substances that, with ongoing consumption, can have dire consequences for the body. Distilled water should also be avoided because it has the wrong ionization, pH, polarization and oxidation potentials, and can drain your body of necessary minerals. It has been tied to hair loss, which is often associated with certain mineral deficiencies.
Drink water at room temperature if possible, as ice-cold water can harm the delicate lining of your stomach.
Finally, the extensively researched and fascinating book, Your Body's Many Cries for Water, should be required reading by all, and definitely belongs on every health care practitioner's bookshelf.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)