Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
George Washington
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
George Washington
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Click It
With the holiday travel season upon us it's a good time to review some facts about seat belts. It only takes one time to forget to be another number.
Safety Belt Statistics from James Madison University:
One out of every five drivers will be involved in a traffic crash this year.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury.
Approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year. About 50 percent (17,000) of these people could be saved if they wore their safety belts.
More than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them.
For every one percent increase in safety belt use, 172 lives and close to $100 million in annual injury and death costs could be saved.
Safety belts when used properly reduce the number of serious traffic injuries by 50 percent and fatalities by 60-70 percent.
For maximum protection safety belts should be fastened before traveling any distance or speed. Seventy-five percent of crash deaths and injuries occur within 25 miles of home. More than half of all injury-producing motor vehicle crashes involve low speeds under 40 m.p.h.
Motorists are 25 times are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when they are "thrown clear" than when remain inside their vehicle.
In a 30 m.p.h. collision an unbelted 160 lb. Person can strike another passenger, crash through a windshield and/or slam into the vehicle's interior with a 4,800 lb. force.
Motorists can increase safety belt usage by example and verbal reminders. Nine out of 10 people buckle up when asked.
Safety belt use is one of the best defenses against the unpredictable actions of the drunk driver.
Today over 25 countries around the world have some type of mandatory safety belt law. Results of these laws were measured; usage rate went from 20-25 percent before passage to 60-90 percent after passage.
A common cause of death and injury to children in motor vehicles is being crushed by adults who are not wearing safety belts. On out of four serious injuries to passengers is caused by occupants being thrown into each other.
About 80 percent of all injuries to children in car crashes are injuries to the head, causing brain damage, permanent disfigurement, epilepsy or death.
Of every 100 children who die in motor vehicle crashes at least 80 would survive if they were properly secured in an approved child safety seat or safety belts.
Three out of four families with child safety seats fail to use them correctly. Adults need to follow manufacturer's instructions and secure seats properly before every trip.
An estimated 80 percent of American children area immunized against contagious diseases, but less than 10 percent are properly restrained when riding in a motor vehicle.
Don't be a statistic, buckle up...MH
Safety Belt Statistics from James Madison University:
One out of every five drivers will be involved in a traffic crash this year.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury.
Approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year. About 50 percent (17,000) of these people could be saved if they wore their safety belts.
More than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them.
For every one percent increase in safety belt use, 172 lives and close to $100 million in annual injury and death costs could be saved.
Safety belts when used properly reduce the number of serious traffic injuries by 50 percent and fatalities by 60-70 percent.
For maximum protection safety belts should be fastened before traveling any distance or speed. Seventy-five percent of crash deaths and injuries occur within 25 miles of home. More than half of all injury-producing motor vehicle crashes involve low speeds under 40 m.p.h.
Motorists are 25 times are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when they are "thrown clear" than when remain inside their vehicle.
In a 30 m.p.h. collision an unbelted 160 lb. Person can strike another passenger, crash through a windshield and/or slam into the vehicle's interior with a 4,800 lb. force.
Motorists can increase safety belt usage by example and verbal reminders. Nine out of 10 people buckle up when asked.
Safety belt use is one of the best defenses against the unpredictable actions of the drunk driver.
Today over 25 countries around the world have some type of mandatory safety belt law. Results of these laws were measured; usage rate went from 20-25 percent before passage to 60-90 percent after passage.
A common cause of death and injury to children in motor vehicles is being crushed by adults who are not wearing safety belts. On out of four serious injuries to passengers is caused by occupants being thrown into each other.
About 80 percent of all injuries to children in car crashes are injuries to the head, causing brain damage, permanent disfigurement, epilepsy or death.
Of every 100 children who die in motor vehicle crashes at least 80 would survive if they were properly secured in an approved child safety seat or safety belts.
Three out of four families with child safety seats fail to use them correctly. Adults need to follow manufacturer's instructions and secure seats properly before every trip.
An estimated 80 percent of American children area immunized against contagious diseases, but less than 10 percent are properly restrained when riding in a motor vehicle.
Don't be a statistic, buckle up...MH
15 Years Ago
Fifteen years ago I thought the world was getting back to the way it should be. The boys basketball team was winning again at GP, Chevy had brought back the Camaro Z28, The Dukes of Hazzard was back on television, Steve Perry was finally back with Journey, they had put out a new album and it was only a matter of time before they would be on tour, John Travolta was making movies worth watching and Eric Clapton was being played on hit radio again. Life was good.
I remember going to the movies to watch Phenomenon. It's still the only movie I went to see at the theater by myself and this SOTD was part of the movie. It landed at #6 on Billboard this week 15 years ago.
Funny how things change. The Camaro is back but without the Z28 or T-tops, The Dukes of Hazzard is on DVD, Travolta is back making questionable movies, Clapton is back to being played on "classic" radio and Steve Perry hurt his hip hiking and eventually Journey decided to tour without him. Sometimes life is like an albatross around the neck, but Don't Stop Believing!
All the roads we have to walk along are winding...MH
I remember going to the movies to watch Phenomenon. It's still the only movie I went to see at the theater by myself and this SOTD was part of the movie. It landed at #6 on Billboard this week 15 years ago.
Funny how things change. The Camaro is back but without the Z28 or T-tops, The Dukes of Hazzard is on DVD, Travolta is back making questionable movies, Clapton is back to being played on "classic" radio and Steve Perry hurt his hip hiking and eventually Journey decided to tour without him. Sometimes life is like an albatross around the neck, but Don't Stop Believing!
All the roads we have to walk along are winding...MH
Monday, November 21, 2011
Chinese Fortune
I know this is a terrible pic. I'm horrible at taking pictures, but that's not the point. The point is that this is a terrible fortune. It says "Your health is important. Eat your vegetables!" I already know I'm fat, the last thing I need is a fortune cookie rubbing it in!
That's not right...MH
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
President Obama and his Christmas Tree Tax
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. It would be funny, if it wasn't so incredibly stupid. Is there anything they won't tax? The following article is from Heritage.org.
President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)). And the program of “information” is to include efforts to “enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States” (7 CFR 1214.10).
To pay for the new Federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (7 CFR 1214.52). And, of course, the Christmas tree sellers are free to pass along the 15-cent Federal fee to consumers who buy their Christmas trees.
Acting Administrator Shipman had the temerity to say the 15-cent mandatory Christmas tree fee “is not a tax nor does it yield revenue for the Federal government” (76 CFR 69102). The Federal government mandates that the Christmas tree sellers pay the 15-cents per tree, whether they want to or not. The Federal government directs that the revenue generated by the 15-cent fee goes to the Board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Christmas tree program established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. President, that’s a new 15-cent tax to pay for a Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
Nobody is saying President Obama doesn’t have authority to impose his new Christmas Tree Tax — his Administration cites the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. Just because the Obama Administration has the legal power to impose its Christmas Tree Tax doesn’t mean it should do so.
The economy is barely growing and nine percent of the American people have no jobs. Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?
And, by the way, the American Christmas tree has a great image that doesn’t need any help from the government.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speechless...MH
President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)). And the program of “information” is to include efforts to “enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States” (7 CFR 1214.10).
To pay for the new Federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (7 CFR 1214.52). And, of course, the Christmas tree sellers are free to pass along the 15-cent Federal fee to consumers who buy their Christmas trees.
Acting Administrator Shipman had the temerity to say the 15-cent mandatory Christmas tree fee “is not a tax nor does it yield revenue for the Federal government” (76 CFR 69102). The Federal government mandates that the Christmas tree sellers pay the 15-cents per tree, whether they want to or not. The Federal government directs that the revenue generated by the 15-cent fee goes to the Board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Christmas tree program established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. President, that’s a new 15-cent tax to pay for a Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
Nobody is saying President Obama doesn’t have authority to impose his new Christmas Tree Tax — his Administration cites the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. Just because the Obama Administration has the legal power to impose its Christmas Tree Tax doesn’t mean it should do so.
The economy is barely growing and nine percent of the American people have no jobs. Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?
And, by the way, the American Christmas tree has a great image that doesn’t need any help from the government.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speechless...MH
Monday, November 7, 2011
So You're Saying It's Not Good?
The following article is from Health.com
Are you sitting down? Perfect. Please take a moment to check in with your body. Is your rear kind of numb? Do the backs of your thighs feel smushed? Is your lower back all crunched? This is your body crying out for help! Really.
A wave of new research indicates that sitting all day is actively damaging your health. By forcing a body designed for movement to hold a crushingly immobile position, sitting strains muscles, slows your metabolism, increases your risk of heart disease, and even shortens your life span. "Sitting is a health hazard on the order of smoking," says Marc Hamilton, PhD, a microbiologist at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
I was once like you: I sat 10 to 11 hours a day. And then, in 2008, I was researching an article about newfangled chairs and learned that few of the designers actually sat on chairs because of the ill effects on their health. Tired of that glommed-up, dull feeling I got at my desk, I shoved my chair to the side and tried a standing desk. Over the next six months, I slowly rid my home of chairs. I couldn't believe how my body responded. My back pain disappeared, along with my poor posture. And 15 pounds nearly fell off my frame. Need more incentives? Here's why over-sitting must — —and can — —be stopped.
Sitting makes you fat
When you park your butt in a chair, your metabolism comes to a screeching halt. It's all because of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which resides in the blood vessels of your muscles. "Lipoprotein lipase captures fat in the blood and incinerates it," says Hamilton. When you're standing, the postural muscles that support your weight, mostly in your legs, release the enzyme, which goes to work burning fat. But when you're sitting still, and not shifting every 30 to 90 seconds as the body does naturally, "the fat stays in the arteries, and can be stored in adipose tissue— — also known as body fat," Hamilton explains.
A typical day of sitting lowers lipoprotein lipase activity by 90 to 95 percent (in animals), which is why when Hamilton takes blood samples of his human subjects while they're sitting and eating, the plasma—ideally clear—is white and chunky, filled with fat, the sign of a sluggish metabolism.
Worse yet, experts say that 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise may not counteract the effects of sitting all day. In fact, Hamilton says, the biochemical reactions slowed by sitting are completely different from the ones that are activated by your daily workout. The biggest difference between thin and fat people is not how much they eat or exercise, but how much they sit, according to James Levine, MD, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic. In a now famed 2005 study, Dr. Levine placed mildly obese and lean participants with similar, fairly healthy diets in sensored "magic" underwear that recorded their body position every half second. The thin people spent a whopping 120 fewer minutes every day sitting, and the overweight people would have burned an average of 350 more calories if they'd engaged in as many non-exercise-related activities (i.e., puttering around). The take-home message: Sitting can have just as great an effect on your weight than eating or exercise, all because our metabolism engine is fueled by constant little movements.
Sitting messes with your back
Your powerful abdominal, pelvic, and leg muscles evolved to do the work of supporting your 100-plus pounds of organs and bones. "But when you sit, you're placing most of your weight directly on the spine and pelvis instead," explains Andrew Hecht, MD, co-chief of spinal surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center. You're also forcing the natural S-curve of your spine into a C-shape, which isn't strong enough to take the pressure. "Imagine resting a heavy weight on top of the letter S or C," says Galen Cranz, PhD, author of The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body & Design. "Which is going to collapse more easily?"
Sitting shortens your life
How's this for a case against being on your bum? A long-term study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2010 followed nearly 70,000 healthy women and their daily habits for 14 years. After adjusting for risk factors including body mass index and smoking, researchers found that women who spent six hours a day sitting had a 37 percent increased risk of dying versus those who spent less than three hours a day seated. Also, death rates from cardiovascular disease were 2.7 times higher in women who sat six or more hours a day, regardless of how much they exercised or weighed. Yes, sitting literally kills.
That sucks...MH
Are you sitting down? Perfect. Please take a moment to check in with your body. Is your rear kind of numb? Do the backs of your thighs feel smushed? Is your lower back all crunched? This is your body crying out for help! Really.
A wave of new research indicates that sitting all day is actively damaging your health. By forcing a body designed for movement to hold a crushingly immobile position, sitting strains muscles, slows your metabolism, increases your risk of heart disease, and even shortens your life span. "Sitting is a health hazard on the order of smoking," says Marc Hamilton, PhD, a microbiologist at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
I was once like you: I sat 10 to 11 hours a day. And then, in 2008, I was researching an article about newfangled chairs and learned that few of the designers actually sat on chairs because of the ill effects on their health. Tired of that glommed-up, dull feeling I got at my desk, I shoved my chair to the side and tried a standing desk. Over the next six months, I slowly rid my home of chairs. I couldn't believe how my body responded. My back pain disappeared, along with my poor posture. And 15 pounds nearly fell off my frame. Need more incentives? Here's why over-sitting must — —and can — —be stopped.
Sitting makes you fat
When you park your butt in a chair, your metabolism comes to a screeching halt. It's all because of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which resides in the blood vessels of your muscles. "Lipoprotein lipase captures fat in the blood and incinerates it," says Hamilton. When you're standing, the postural muscles that support your weight, mostly in your legs, release the enzyme, which goes to work burning fat. But when you're sitting still, and not shifting every 30 to 90 seconds as the body does naturally, "the fat stays in the arteries, and can be stored in adipose tissue— — also known as body fat," Hamilton explains.
A typical day of sitting lowers lipoprotein lipase activity by 90 to 95 percent (in animals), which is why when Hamilton takes blood samples of his human subjects while they're sitting and eating, the plasma—ideally clear—is white and chunky, filled with fat, the sign of a sluggish metabolism.
Worse yet, experts say that 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise may not counteract the effects of sitting all day. In fact, Hamilton says, the biochemical reactions slowed by sitting are completely different from the ones that are activated by your daily workout. The biggest difference between thin and fat people is not how much they eat or exercise, but how much they sit, according to James Levine, MD, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic. In a now famed 2005 study, Dr. Levine placed mildly obese and lean participants with similar, fairly healthy diets in sensored "magic" underwear that recorded their body position every half second. The thin people spent a whopping 120 fewer minutes every day sitting, and the overweight people would have burned an average of 350 more calories if they'd engaged in as many non-exercise-related activities (i.e., puttering around). The take-home message: Sitting can have just as great an effect on your weight than eating or exercise, all because our metabolism engine is fueled by constant little movements.
Sitting messes with your back
Your powerful abdominal, pelvic, and leg muscles evolved to do the work of supporting your 100-plus pounds of organs and bones. "But when you sit, you're placing most of your weight directly on the spine and pelvis instead," explains Andrew Hecht, MD, co-chief of spinal surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center. You're also forcing the natural S-curve of your spine into a C-shape, which isn't strong enough to take the pressure. "Imagine resting a heavy weight on top of the letter S or C," says Galen Cranz, PhD, author of The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body & Design. "Which is going to collapse more easily?"
Sitting shortens your life
How's this for a case against being on your bum? A long-term study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2010 followed nearly 70,000 healthy women and their daily habits for 14 years. After adjusting for risk factors including body mass index and smoking, researchers found that women who spent six hours a day sitting had a 37 percent increased risk of dying versus those who spent less than three hours a day seated. Also, death rates from cardiovascular disease were 2.7 times higher in women who sat six or more hours a day, regardless of how much they exercised or weighed. Yes, sitting literally kills.
That sucks...MH
Sunday, November 6, 2011
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