Yesterday the Pennsylvania State Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to ban smoking in almost all public places and most work site throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell is expected to soon sign the bill that will go into effect 90 days later.
I live not far from Pennsylvania and had the pleasure of visiting it not too long ago. Having lived in areas where smoking has been banned for quite a while I was shocked to go into a restaurant that allowed smoking. It was like a little bit of nostalgia from a time now past - remember the stench of old smoke, the smoke in your face while you’re trying to eat? It sounds terrible, and indeed it is terrible but having grown up in a smoking household I’m sure that second hand smoke still holds some charm for me.
Now many people believe that there will be negative effects on businesses once the ban goes into effect, and for a while there will be interviews with business owners complaining of decreases in revenue - but overwhelmingly other states have shown that people soon get used to the smoking ban and go on with life as usual. Read the rest of this entry »
So maybe the allergic reaction had more to do with exposure to bug spray than the terrible losses of my two of my favorite UFC fighters. Nevertheless it was a big disappointment followed up by a miserable episode of allergy hell.
I’m new to the Maryland area, to the Northeast in general, and I had no idea how terrible the summer was going to be. This coming from someone who has spent most of my adult life in Southern Arizona and Florida, not exactly known for mild weather.
Well the dreary, rainy, stormy spring turned into a steamy heat bath overnight - something that I’m guessing is very amiable for bug reproduction. Lets put it this way, in Florida I lived on a lake, and bugs were not really a problem. But here in beautiful Maryland, the proliferation of bugs is definitely a big problem. So much so that my daughter informs me that most of the kids in her high school carry their own insect repellent and every class has it’s own bottle of bug killer. So much for teaching about environmental awareness. Read the rest of this entry »
Edgar S. Cahn is a leader in the “slow movement” campaign that urges people to slow down for the sake of our health and well being. The Slow Movement is comprised of activists promoting the idea of intentional laziness.
Edgar Cahn created TimeBanks USA, a non profit group that treats time as money in a modern day barter system. For example one member may buy groceries for a stranger in exchange for someone else walking their dog.
I’m all for slowing down. I want to enjoy my life and prefer to keep things as simple as possible. There’s just one problem with the idea of an actual “Slow Movement”, well there’s actually more than one problem but I’ll stick to one right now, trying to coordinate with someone to walk my dog while I do their grocery shopping is not really keeping things simple. Read the rest of this entry »
Kettlenetics Slim and Tone Program was developed by Michelle Khai and looks like another ridiculous contender in the already crowded ‘new workout’ infomercial category.
I love the way an already fit individual can come up with some ridiculous workout and claim that if you follow along you too can look as good as them.
The problem is that often times the best workouts are ridiculous sounding or looking and seem to go against traditional exercise wisdom. So because some ridiculous routines actually work it opens the door to every hard body with some spunk, money, and marketing skills. Read the rest of this entry »
Tonights UFC fight card will include Matt Hughes in a comeback fight against Thiago Alves. The latest news is that Thiago didn’t make weight and will be fighting at 174 pounds. Former two-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes weighed in at 170 pounds and is publicly saying that he is looking forward to fighting an up and comer like Thiago.
You couldn’t get two fighters with a bigger difference in their backgrounds. Matt Hughes is a farm boy with very traditional values; while Thiago Alves is a party boy from Brazil, who now enjoys the night life of Miami, Florida. Thiago’s camp seems very confident, to the point of arrogance. They were hard pressed to acknowledge that Matt Hughes was not to be under estimated for what he brought into the Octagon.
Matt Hughes has seemed to undermine himself in the past few years with conflicts about religion and fighting. Matt also has a reputation for a sense of humor that borders on arrogance Read the rest of this entry »
Is Rachael Ray Making a Political Statement?
It seems that there are a lot of people confused with Dunkin’ Donuts decision to yank an ad featuring Rachel Ray wearing what ‘appears’ to be a kaffiyeh. Dunkin’ Donuts explained that in the ad Rachel Ray is wearing a black and white scarf with a paisley design. It seems to me that what it appears to be, is exactly what it looks like - a kaffiyeh.
Sporting a traditional Arab head scarf as a fashion statement is ordinary and acceptable in some parts of our country - but I would guess for the majority of Americans it would seem out of place if not outright distasteful.
I know personally I don’t like the images that scarf conjures up. It doesn’t say hip and urban to me; more like insensitive, arrogant, and misinformed. I hate that actually know what I’m talking about here. I like Rachel Ray but whenever I see that type of political statement disguised as a fashion choice I feel insulted and put off. Read the rest of this entry »
Does breast-feeding boost children’s IQ?
A new study has just been released showing that breast-feeding may improve your child’s IQ. This latest study is supposed to further confirm researchers belief that breast-feeding can actually make kids smarter. The test groups were chosen randomly in an effort to address the commonly held belief that mothers who chose to breast feed were those who were more attentive mothers in general, which would account for their children’s intellectual advantages.
Reading this story reminds of how easily we can be manipulated by blanketed statements of ’scientific findings’. The most susceptible to this type of manipulation are intelligent, responsible individuals who want to do the right things to live as good a life as possible. Now mix children into the issue and these conscientious people will perk right up and pay close attention to any advise that purports to benefit their children. Of course, these people are also time starved and overextended because they are so concerned about doing the right thing, that they won’t really have the time or inclination to dispute what scientists and researchers are telling them is the preferred course of action. Read the rest of this entry »
