How to Perform Umrah? What are the Umrah Rituals?
The following article is an excerpt from Hajj and Umrah According to Quraan and Sunnah, published by Dar A-Islam, a fully-licensed Hajj and Umrah agent in Houston, Texas.
Ritual 1
IHRAM
When performing Umrah, before entering the Holy City of Makkah, you should be in Ihram.
Enter the Holy Sanctuary (al Masjid al Haram), preferably right foot first through the Bab As-Salam gate, reciting the Talbiyah:
'Here I am O Allah, (in response to Your call), here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise, grace and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.'
You may then say: "In the name of Allah, may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open to me the doors of Your mercy. I seek refuge in Allah the Almighty and in His Eminent Face and in His Eternal Dominion over the accursed Satan."
When you first see the Holy Kaaba, keep your eyes fixed on this the holiest of all structures in Islam. Standing to one side, proclaim:
"Allahu Akbar" three times. "La ilaha illa'Llah" three times.
Ritual 2
NIYYAH
Once you started Ihram, you must verbally proclaim the intention (Niyyah) to perform Umrah, as follows:
"Labbeika Allahomma Umrah", or
"O Allah, I perform Tawaf of Umrah to please You. Make it easy for me and accept it from me."
If this Umrah you are performing on behalf of someone else, you must proclaim it in the Niyyah, for example, you would say:
"Labbeika Allahomma Umrah on behalf of my father, so Allah accept it from me."
Ritual 3
TAWAF
You may now begin your seven circumambula-tions, moving to the right so that you keep the Kaaba to your left, counter-clockwise, around the Kaaba.
When performing the first three circumambula-tions, men may uncover their right arm and move with quick, short steps. (This procedure is called Ramal.) The remaining four circumambulations should be performed at a normal walking pace.
PRAYERS DURING TAWAF: While performing Tawaf, there are no prescribed prayers but there are a number of supplications which are recomm-ended. You may also use the prayers that form part of your daily prayer sessions and pray to Allah in your own way in your own language.
Hijr Ismael: is a semi-circular section which originally formed part of the Kaaba but was not incorporated into the Kaaba when the Kaaba was rebuilt. You should include the Hijr Ismael in your circumambulations.
When you reach the fourth corner of the Kaaba (Rukn Yamani), touch it with your right hand or both hands and, as you walk between Rukn Yamani and the Black Stone, you may pray:
"Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina azabin-nar".
MAQAM IBRAHIM: On completion of the seven circumambulations, you should approach Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Ibrahim) and offer two short prayers (rakaat). Then, if it is possible, you should return to the Black Stone and touch it.
Ritual 4
SAEY
You are now ready to perform the Saey, the shuttling between the two hills of Safa and Marwah.
As you approach Safa, you recite the Quranic verse: "Verily, Safa and Marwah are among the shrines of Allah".
You should now ascend Safa and, facing the Kaaba, make whatever supplication you choose. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when he stood on Safa, proclaimed three times "Laa Ilaha Illa Allah".
You should now proceed towards Marwah, walking at a normal pace until you reach the green marker. Men, if they are able, should run until they reach the next green marker, where-upon they should revert to a normal walking pace until you reach Marwah. Women should proceed throughout at normal walking pace. The area between the two markers is where Haajar used to hear her baby Ishmael crying out of thirst while she was looking for help. She ran whenever she heard his cries. When you stand on Marwah, face the Qibla, and repeat the prayers and supplications you voiced at Safa. You are now ready to make the return journey, walking where you should walk and, if a man, running, if able, where you should run. This is your second passage.
You should now repeat the procedure until you have completed seven passages, ending your Sa'y at Marwah. While performing Sa'y, you should pray to Allah as you wish and recite verses from the Holy Qur'an.
Ritual 5
Hair SHAVE or CUT
After completion of Saey, men may shave their heads or shorten/clip their hair. Women should clip their hair one or two centimeters.
If the Umrah is a precursor to performing Hajj, men may not want to shave their heads but merely clip their hair so that there will be enough hair to shave when performing Hajj.
The Umrah rituals are now concluded and the pilgrim may change into every day clothes.
The prohibitions (restrictions) on conduct during Umrah are now ended.
These rituals must be performed in order, whether Umrah is performed before, after, or during Hajj seasons. The Umrah rituals are a s subset of Hajj rituals. Most pilgrims who buy Hajj packages perform both Hajj and Umrah together. Some Hajj and Umrah programs include an adviser. You will not have to make a separate Umrah reservation when you make a Hajj reservation package.
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 30 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 26 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
David Rainoshek Share His Journey to Health and a Raw Food Diet by Kevin Gianni
This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Rawkathon, which can be found at http://www.Rawkathon.com. In this excerpt, David Rainoshek shares on his journey to health and a raw food diet.
Rawkathon with David Rainoshek. David Rainoshek is raw foodist and co-creator of juicefeasting.com.
Kevin: Welcome everyone here, I am with David Rainoshek and he's going to tell you a little bit about himself. David, welcome to the Rawkathon.
David: Thanks a lot, it's so great to be here.
Kevin: I'm so thrilled about this. What we're going to talk about today, we're going to talk about juice feasting, we're going to talk about all the things that you've done. But first I just want to give everyone an idea, why don't you tell me a little bit about where you came from and how you are, what you're doing now.
David: Yeah, I grew up in the city of Houston, so I contributed to the some of the pollution that was there and ate the standard American diet, growing up, and played a lot sports. When I was in middle school I got pretty sick and got acid reflux, but I didn't know it. I just thought I was a hungry boy. So I just kept eating food. And kept on playing state- ranked tennis all the way through high school and walked the Appalachian trail in 1999 shortly after college. And when I came back my cholesterol level was 270 and out on the trail you're walking like 8, 10, 12 hours a day, 45 pounds on your back through the mountains, 15-20 miles and you come into town, you eat whatever you want and so it was ice cream, pizza, subway sandwiches, you name it. When I came back I was still at the weight that I was when I left, but my internal environment was completely different. And three weeks after the trail, I crashed. I mean absolutely crashed. And it felt like I was having a heart attack.
For the next three years I was really sick. I tried to figure out what was going on and I couldn't figure it out. It was like, "I eat vegetarian, I eat an organic vegetarian diet. I should be doing OK." And I wasn't OK, I was a basket case. I had pain in my chest and I had pain in my shoulders and I could hardly move around. I spent about 50,000 bucks on medical bills and long story short I met a guy who I told about my symptoms and he said, "You need to eat raw food." And I said, "OK, I'll do anything."
So the next morning I got up and I had squash and zucchini and some carrots for breakfast. And I ate that, and after about three weeks I felt better, all my symptoms were gone, after $50,000 in I applied to Gabriel Cousens' Master's program in Live Food Nutrition and I did that and the rest is history. We're going to talk about all that today.
Kevin: When you went in and you had those carrots and you had the zucchini for breakfast, had you been doing that before or was this a new thing for you?
David: No, I had not been having breakfast for years, because my stomach hurt so bad in the morning. I mean, that was my biggest symptom, was that I had acid reflux disease, so my stomach hurt so bad I pretty much had to wait in the morning until I was hungry and then I could eat. So when I got up that morning and I had that I said, "This is an odd experience, I'm actually having breakfast." And it took about a week or so, and the agitation that I felt every morning of my life, went. And that was because I was dehydrated. The diet I was eating was toxic and it was dehydrating and making me feel bad. I'm a generally a really happy guy, so waking up agitated every morning since I was about five or six years old, was really hard on me growing up and I kind of had to keep it to myself. As I got older I said, "Well, I just can't talk to anybody then. I just need to kind of have my orange juice and wait, and then all of a sudden I'll start to feel better." And waking up and feeling happy and joyous for the first time in all those years, was amazing. I thought, "Well, this can't continue." And the next morning it happened, and the next morning and I've never woken up agitated again. So, raw food really turned things around for me.
Kevin: What made you go to get the cholesterol test?
David: Well, I was feeling really bad, so I had all my blood work done. I had loads of blood work.. I mean I had 150 different ways, I had my blood looked at, stool samples, x-rays, MRI's, you name it. I mean I really went through the gamut trying to figure out what was going on with my body. I just didn't really have a holistic perspective on my health yet.
Kevin: Right.
David: And so I thought, well my shoulders hurt so maybe it's my broken clavicle from my mountain bike accident in college. So they did an MRI there and did an unnecessary surgery and found that it healed up just fine. And then I couldn't identify the difference between my stomach and intestinal tract and my bowel. I didn't even have that kind of self knowledge yet. I mean, unbelievable. But I didn't. And a lot of us don't until we really start to look at our food choices and start to see how everything that we eat affects out body. So, it took me getting to the part of the spectrum of diet where you have live foods, for me to start to key in to all of that.
Kevin: Right. And when you took that approach, when you went to get the blood test, did you start to, I mean, did you go to a holistic practitioner, or did you just go to a doctor and say, "I need blood work?"
David: Yeah, I went to a place in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is definitely more holistic. And they had a compounding pharmacy there, so they could make very specific supplements for you and things like that. And they brought me more strongly into a vegetarian paradigm, which is OK. And we could talk about the spectrum of diet if you want, the spectrum of diet goes from fast-food, to Standard American, to vegetarian...no, fast-food, Standard American, whole foods, vegetarian, vegan, and then raw vegan. Plant-based is what we are calling this a lot now. And so depending on what your illness is, that will determine how far up the spectrum of diet you will need to go to heal that situation. So, for me, having had acid reflux since I was in middle school, and all the activity that I did, and all the meat that I ate when I was in high school, the place in my health that I got to required that I move beyond vegetarian to a raw vegan diet to heal the issues that I had.
Kevin: So let's talk about that paradigm that you talked about. So Standard American Diet is first, or fast- food Standard American Diet, and then on the other side you have the raw vegan. What is the goal,? I mean, is the goal, if it's on a paradigm like that is the goal 100% raw vegan or is it somewhere along the line or is it just optimal health? What's the deal?
David: Yeah, the goal is health. And your health is going to improve as you move up the spectrum of diet. And there's a lot of factors that play in, but one thing that is really important to understand, and I didn't really fully get this until just a few months ago, is that the spectrum of diet actually is a stages progression. And if you're in a westernized society and you've been exposed to a Standard American Diet, or a fast-food diet, you're kind of down there at that part of the spectrum of diet. It's going to take a while for you to move back up.
Now, I've been reading a lot of Ken Wilbur, so those of you out there who know who Ken Wilbur is, Ken talks a lot about stages-progressions. But, if you're at a lower stage, you can get a peak experience of a higher stage. Meaning a peak experience, or a kind of a peak experience of it. But you're still going to have to go back down, and actually recapture those earlier stages and make sure that you've squarely centered on them, experienced it, gotten the benefits, gotten tired of it and then moved on to the next place when you're physically and emotionally ready for it.
So, I see that definitely in my life. I was definitely a fast-food and Standard American, more a Standard American than anything. And then I moved into whole foods when I got into college. Then, "Maybe I'm getting screwed here, I'm not really getting everything out of that white pasta that I thought I was getting, or that candy bar or whatever. So I need whole foods and I really don't want pesticides in my food anymore." So I moved into organic. After I squarely hit organic whole foods then I moved into vegetarian. "OK, maybe I don't want meat any more, maybe I don't want to damage the environment. I see what that's doing to my health, I really don't want that. I see where that's going. I don't want to go down that road." So, vegetarian. And then you realize, "OK, I've kind of gotten the benefits of not eating meat anymore, but that dairy, and the soy and the wheat aren't really helping so much, so I'm going to have to limit those things." And so you move up to vegan. And when you squarely hit on vegan, and you've realized all those benefits, you're like, "You know I'm cooking all my food, and the Max Planck Institute says I'm destroying half of my protein and a lot of the phyto-nutrients, dehydrating my food and all kinds of things by cooking it. That doesn't sound so good, I think I want better than that. I want more nutrients in my food. I want to eat less food and get more out of it." And so you move up to raw vegan.
Jameth Sheridan and I were talking about this the other day. And Jameth is the head of Health Force Nutritionals that makes Vitamineral Green. And Jameth and I were talking about the spectrum of diet because I put in a few chapters for a book we're doing for the International Living Food Summit. And he was saying, "It's really important to understand the importance of vegan, because if you don't capture vegan right before you move up to raw foods, if you fall off raw foods you're falling way back to Standard American." So you really need to know how to access those really healthy whole foods, vegan, whole foods vegan cuisine, and if you don't know how to do that, you're going to fall off pretty badly. And when you fall back from raw foods into pizza and candy bars and white pasta and stuff like that, you're really going to feel it. And that's an education too, and that's fine, but it's creating more suffering than is really necessary, I think.
Rawkathon with David Rainoshek. David Rainoshek is raw foodist and co-creator of juicefeasting.com.
Kevin: Welcome everyone here, I am with David Rainoshek and he's going to tell you a little bit about himself. David, welcome to the Rawkathon.
David: Thanks a lot, it's so great to be here.
Kevin: I'm so thrilled about this. What we're going to talk about today, we're going to talk about juice feasting, we're going to talk about all the things that you've done. But first I just want to give everyone an idea, why don't you tell me a little bit about where you came from and how you are, what you're doing now.
David: Yeah, I grew up in the city of Houston, so I contributed to the some of the pollution that was there and ate the standard American diet, growing up, and played a lot sports. When I was in middle school I got pretty sick and got acid reflux, but I didn't know it. I just thought I was a hungry boy. So I just kept eating food. And kept on playing state- ranked tennis all the way through high school and walked the Appalachian trail in 1999 shortly after college. And when I came back my cholesterol level was 270 and out on the trail you're walking like 8, 10, 12 hours a day, 45 pounds on your back through the mountains, 15-20 miles and you come into town, you eat whatever you want and so it was ice cream, pizza, subway sandwiches, you name it. When I came back I was still at the weight that I was when I left, but my internal environment was completely different. And three weeks after the trail, I crashed. I mean absolutely crashed. And it felt like I was having a heart attack.
For the next three years I was really sick. I tried to figure out what was going on and I couldn't figure it out. It was like, "I eat vegetarian, I eat an organic vegetarian diet. I should be doing OK." And I wasn't OK, I was a basket case. I had pain in my chest and I had pain in my shoulders and I could hardly move around. I spent about 50,000 bucks on medical bills and long story short I met a guy who I told about my symptoms and he said, "You need to eat raw food." And I said, "OK, I'll do anything."
So the next morning I got up and I had squash and zucchini and some carrots for breakfast. And I ate that, and after about three weeks I felt better, all my symptoms were gone, after $50,000 in I applied to Gabriel Cousens' Master's program in Live Food Nutrition and I did that and the rest is history. We're going to talk about all that today.
Kevin: When you went in and you had those carrots and you had the zucchini for breakfast, had you been doing that before or was this a new thing for you?
David: No, I had not been having breakfast for years, because my stomach hurt so bad in the morning. I mean, that was my biggest symptom, was that I had acid reflux disease, so my stomach hurt so bad I pretty much had to wait in the morning until I was hungry and then I could eat. So when I got up that morning and I had that I said, "This is an odd experience, I'm actually having breakfast." And it took about a week or so, and the agitation that I felt every morning of my life, went. And that was because I was dehydrated. The diet I was eating was toxic and it was dehydrating and making me feel bad. I'm a generally a really happy guy, so waking up agitated every morning since I was about five or six years old, was really hard on me growing up and I kind of had to keep it to myself. As I got older I said, "Well, I just can't talk to anybody then. I just need to kind of have my orange juice and wait, and then all of a sudden I'll start to feel better." And waking up and feeling happy and joyous for the first time in all those years, was amazing. I thought, "Well, this can't continue." And the next morning it happened, and the next morning and I've never woken up agitated again. So, raw food really turned things around for me.
Kevin: What made you go to get the cholesterol test?
David: Well, I was feeling really bad, so I had all my blood work done. I had loads of blood work.. I mean I had 150 different ways, I had my blood looked at, stool samples, x-rays, MRI's, you name it. I mean I really went through the gamut trying to figure out what was going on with my body. I just didn't really have a holistic perspective on my health yet.
Kevin: Right.
David: And so I thought, well my shoulders hurt so maybe it's my broken clavicle from my mountain bike accident in college. So they did an MRI there and did an unnecessary surgery and found that it healed up just fine. And then I couldn't identify the difference between my stomach and intestinal tract and my bowel. I didn't even have that kind of self knowledge yet. I mean, unbelievable. But I didn't. And a lot of us don't until we really start to look at our food choices and start to see how everything that we eat affects out body. So, it took me getting to the part of the spectrum of diet where you have live foods, for me to start to key in to all of that.
Kevin: Right. And when you took that approach, when you went to get the blood test, did you start to, I mean, did you go to a holistic practitioner, or did you just go to a doctor and say, "I need blood work?"
David: Yeah, I went to a place in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is definitely more holistic. And they had a compounding pharmacy there, so they could make very specific supplements for you and things like that. And they brought me more strongly into a vegetarian paradigm, which is OK. And we could talk about the spectrum of diet if you want, the spectrum of diet goes from fast-food, to Standard American, to vegetarian...no, fast-food, Standard American, whole foods, vegetarian, vegan, and then raw vegan. Plant-based is what we are calling this a lot now. And so depending on what your illness is, that will determine how far up the spectrum of diet you will need to go to heal that situation. So, for me, having had acid reflux since I was in middle school, and all the activity that I did, and all the meat that I ate when I was in high school, the place in my health that I got to required that I move beyond vegetarian to a raw vegan diet to heal the issues that I had.
Kevin: So let's talk about that paradigm that you talked about. So Standard American Diet is first, or fast- food Standard American Diet, and then on the other side you have the raw vegan. What is the goal,? I mean, is the goal, if it's on a paradigm like that is the goal 100% raw vegan or is it somewhere along the line or is it just optimal health? What's the deal?
David: Yeah, the goal is health. And your health is going to improve as you move up the spectrum of diet. And there's a lot of factors that play in, but one thing that is really important to understand, and I didn't really fully get this until just a few months ago, is that the spectrum of diet actually is a stages progression. And if you're in a westernized society and you've been exposed to a Standard American Diet, or a fast-food diet, you're kind of down there at that part of the spectrum of diet. It's going to take a while for you to move back up.
Now, I've been reading a lot of Ken Wilbur, so those of you out there who know who Ken Wilbur is, Ken talks a lot about stages-progressions. But, if you're at a lower stage, you can get a peak experience of a higher stage. Meaning a peak experience, or a kind of a peak experience of it. But you're still going to have to go back down, and actually recapture those earlier stages and make sure that you've squarely centered on them, experienced it, gotten the benefits, gotten tired of it and then moved on to the next place when you're physically and emotionally ready for it.
So, I see that definitely in my life. I was definitely a fast-food and Standard American, more a Standard American than anything. And then I moved into whole foods when I got into college. Then, "Maybe I'm getting screwed here, I'm not really getting everything out of that white pasta that I thought I was getting, or that candy bar or whatever. So I need whole foods and I really don't want pesticides in my food anymore." So I moved into organic. After I squarely hit organic whole foods then I moved into vegetarian. "OK, maybe I don't want meat any more, maybe I don't want to damage the environment. I see what that's doing to my health, I really don't want that. I see where that's going. I don't want to go down that road." So, vegetarian. And then you realize, "OK, I've kind of gotten the benefits of not eating meat anymore, but that dairy, and the soy and the wheat aren't really helping so much, so I'm going to have to limit those things." And so you move up to vegan. And when you squarely hit on vegan, and you've realized all those benefits, you're like, "You know I'm cooking all my food, and the Max Planck Institute says I'm destroying half of my protein and a lot of the phyto-nutrients, dehydrating my food and all kinds of things by cooking it. That doesn't sound so good, I think I want better than that. I want more nutrients in my food. I want to eat less food and get more out of it." And so you move up to raw vegan.
Jameth Sheridan and I were talking about this the other day. And Jameth is the head of Health Force Nutritionals that makes Vitamineral Green. And Jameth and I were talking about the spectrum of diet because I put in a few chapters for a book we're doing for the International Living Food Summit. And he was saying, "It's really important to understand the importance of vegan, because if you don't capture vegan right before you move up to raw foods, if you fall off raw foods you're falling way back to Standard American." So you really need to know how to access those really healthy whole foods, vegan, whole foods vegan cuisine, and if you don't know how to do that, you're going to fall off pretty badly. And when you fall back from raw foods into pizza and candy bars and white pasta and stuff like that, you're really going to feel it. And that's an education too, and that's fine, but it's creating more suffering than is really necessary, I think.
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 19 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
This Apollo Program Isn't Rocket Science! by Nick Hallale
"The Apollo Program" probably conjures up images of Neil Armstrong and NASA's moon landing for most people. But for me, the term has a very different meaning. The Apollo Program is a name given to a system I devised after resurrecting ancient methods for achieving the body of the mythical Greek god.
I did it because I was unhealthy, very overweight, and totally unhappy with my body in my 30s. Work and family commitments made it hard to stay healthy, and peer pressure didn't exactly help. You see, many adults don't have much respect for exercise. They think there's something selfish or immature about a parent who continues to keep in great shape, and they even take a perverse, "noble" pride in being out of shape. I bought into this too, until having what I call my "Houston-we-have-a-problem!" moment. I looked in the mirror and knew this wasn't how it should be. That moment was when The Apollo Program (well, my version at least!) was born.
Determined to transform my life dramatically, I turned to the ancient Greeks for help. I wasn't interested in looking huge or ripped like a bodybuilder though. I'd always admired the proportioned, athletic look of Greek statues, but particularly those of Apollo. This legendary Greek god was considered to have the ideal male physique. It's no accident that characters in movies and TV shows continue to be named after him. Who can forget the magnificent Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies? And of course, there's Lee "Apollo" Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica show. He was also, of course, the inspiration for the NASA lunar Apollo program of the 1960s.
I decided I wanted a body like Apollo's too. I was wise enough to ignore all those people who said I was "just having a mid-life crisis" and that it would "never work" or that I should "accept ageing gracefully"!" I set my sights on transforming from weak blob to Greek god, not in years, but in weeks, and I created my own 'Apollo Program' to achieve this. Just like the Battlestar Galactica show I mentioned, my Apollo Program is a highly re-imagined version of the earlier one!
My first step was spending countless hours of research in museums and libraries. Studying the proportions of classical statues showed me exactly what the Grecian ideal body looked like, and I then explored ancient sports manuals and artworks to learn just how their athletes got like that.
The next step was a revival of the ancient Greek training methods, using myself as a guinea pig. With a PhD in chemical engineering, I brought a scientific approach to the task. Anything that didn't work was discarded, and I kept only what was useful. I was impressed enough to retain several long-forgotten secrets, including the tetrad, an ingenious way of dividing intensive training over a four-day cycle so that the body has time to recover fully and stays in balance.
I also reconstructed some classical exercises, including the ancient Greek long jump, which I learned from paintings found on ancient vases. In the original long jump, athletes did not take a run up as they do in the modern event. Instead, they would propel themselves by swinging the arms while holding stone weights or halteres. I substituted modern dumbbells and this gave excellent results. After just a few jumps, I'd be sweating like I'd run a marathon. Yes, people stared at me like I was insane, but that didn't stop me.
Inspired by the ancient physician Hippocrates' advice to "Let food be your medicine," I decided to study the diet of Greek athletes too. This revealed some interesting clues which, when combined with my scientific knowledge, had a powerful effect on my metabolism and my progress.
The Apollo Program soon paid off as I dropped from a 40-inch waist to a size-32 and even got a six-pack abdomen. The program also built up other parts of my body strategically, so that my proportions matched those of the statues I admired so much. Beautiful muscles were just the start though. My Apollo Program is a balanced and holistic approach that aims to develop a youthful, supple body which is healthy on the inside too. It uses special stretching and breathing exercises to help achieve this. I also believe its benefits transcend the physical. In ancient Greece, the gymnasium was a place to develop the mind, body and spirit too. These weren't three separate things, but were part of an integrated whole. Since creating the program, I've gained an increase in disciple, focus, calmness and self-confidence.
It still surprises me how quickly my life changed as a result of The Apollo Program. What started off as one small step for a man became one giant leap for me!
I did it because I was unhealthy, very overweight, and totally unhappy with my body in my 30s. Work and family commitments made it hard to stay healthy, and peer pressure didn't exactly help. You see, many adults don't have much respect for exercise. They think there's something selfish or immature about a parent who continues to keep in great shape, and they even take a perverse, "noble" pride in being out of shape. I bought into this too, until having what I call my "Houston-we-have-a-problem!" moment. I looked in the mirror and knew this wasn't how it should be. That moment was when The Apollo Program (well, my version at least!) was born.
Determined to transform my life dramatically, I turned to the ancient Greeks for help. I wasn't interested in looking huge or ripped like a bodybuilder though. I'd always admired the proportioned, athletic look of Greek statues, but particularly those of Apollo. This legendary Greek god was considered to have the ideal male physique. It's no accident that characters in movies and TV shows continue to be named after him. Who can forget the magnificent Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies? And of course, there's Lee "Apollo" Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica show. He was also, of course, the inspiration for the NASA lunar Apollo program of the 1960s.
I decided I wanted a body like Apollo's too. I was wise enough to ignore all those people who said I was "just having a mid-life crisis" and that it would "never work" or that I should "accept ageing gracefully"!" I set my sights on transforming from weak blob to Greek god, not in years, but in weeks, and I created my own 'Apollo Program' to achieve this. Just like the Battlestar Galactica show I mentioned, my Apollo Program is a highly re-imagined version of the earlier one!
My first step was spending countless hours of research in museums and libraries. Studying the proportions of classical statues showed me exactly what the Grecian ideal body looked like, and I then explored ancient sports manuals and artworks to learn just how their athletes got like that.
The next step was a revival of the ancient Greek training methods, using myself as a guinea pig. With a PhD in chemical engineering, I brought a scientific approach to the task. Anything that didn't work was discarded, and I kept only what was useful. I was impressed enough to retain several long-forgotten secrets, including the tetrad, an ingenious way of dividing intensive training over a four-day cycle so that the body has time to recover fully and stays in balance.
I also reconstructed some classical exercises, including the ancient Greek long jump, which I learned from paintings found on ancient vases. In the original long jump, athletes did not take a run up as they do in the modern event. Instead, they would propel themselves by swinging the arms while holding stone weights or halteres. I substituted modern dumbbells and this gave excellent results. After just a few jumps, I'd be sweating like I'd run a marathon. Yes, people stared at me like I was insane, but that didn't stop me.
Inspired by the ancient physician Hippocrates' advice to "Let food be your medicine," I decided to study the diet of Greek athletes too. This revealed some interesting clues which, when combined with my scientific knowledge, had a powerful effect on my metabolism and my progress.
The Apollo Program soon paid off as I dropped from a 40-inch waist to a size-32 and even got a six-pack abdomen. The program also built up other parts of my body strategically, so that my proportions matched those of the statues I admired so much. Beautiful muscles were just the start though. My Apollo Program is a balanced and holistic approach that aims to develop a youthful, supple body which is healthy on the inside too. It uses special stretching and breathing exercises to help achieve this. I also believe its benefits transcend the physical. In ancient Greece, the gymnasium was a place to develop the mind, body and spirit too. These weren't three separate things, but were part of an integrated whole. Since creating the program, I've gained an increase in disciple, focus, calmness and self-confidence.
It still surprises me how quickly my life changed as a result of The Apollo Program. What started off as one small step for a man became one giant leap for me!
วันจันทร์ที่ 13 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Real State in River Oaks - Tips For Buying and Selling by carlos10004a
If you are looking to either buy or sell real estate in River Oaks, Houston, you can start off by first researching for information on the internet. River Oaks is an affluent neighborhood, located between downtown and uptown galleria of west central Houston. This area of Houston developed in the 1920s and quickly became an upscale area consisting of lush green garden homes sprawled across acres of land. It is an ideal place to live and enjoy a luxurious life amidst natural surroundings.
The Zip code 77019, of River Oaks has been named one of the most expensive and sought after zip codes in the USA, according to Forbes' Magazine. This is because the standards of buildings and codes have been strictly maintained by the authorities in this area. A high architectural quality, marble flooring, dramatic and formal reception areas, private swimming pools, gourmet kitchens etc are the common features, homes in this area offer.
Tips for Buying and Selling River Oaks Real Estate
Buying a home is not an easy task for a layman as it involves lots of formalities, background checking, heavy investment and a change in lifestyle. Unless you are a professional in this particular field, you need to be ultra-careful in making the buying and selling decision. Thus, it is beneficial for you to hire a real estate consultant as having an experienced person in this field as a mediator reduces the risk of making wrong decisions.
Buying and selling Property in River Oaks is taken care of by realtors that specialize in this area. It is advisable to engage the services of a property agent or dealer who has experience and extensive knowledge of the area. These dealers have great negotiating skills, whether it is for buying or selling property. With help of these consultants, it's easier to procure loans at better prices through their contacts. For timely shifting process, they can recommend packers and movers, within your budget which help you shift smoothly in and out of River Oak homes.
Where To Find The Realtors
You can take references from friends and family about reputable realtors of the River Oaks community. Another way is to look for the realtors on the internet; you will find dedicated sites for buying and selling River Oak homes. You can view pictures, read comments, ask questions, and know about the price and amenities offered with each home. Some sites even have a selection page where you can select the number of bedrooms, total area, location or specific price which can narrow down your search.
Once you have made the decision of buying a home in River Oaks, you can be rest assured of a peaceful and interesting lifestyle. It has many amenities like shopping malls, manicured gardens, theatre and wooded land, full of lush green surroundings. There is not going to be any dull moment in your life in this community. You will find plenty of options for recreation like tennis courts, walking trails, children's play area etc. Schools and medical facilities which are nearby are of great convenience to the residents. As you must know by now River Oaks, Houston has a large variety of homes to suit your needs and your taste.
The Zip code 77019, of River Oaks has been named one of the most expensive and sought after zip codes in the USA, according to Forbes' Magazine. This is because the standards of buildings and codes have been strictly maintained by the authorities in this area. A high architectural quality, marble flooring, dramatic and formal reception areas, private swimming pools, gourmet kitchens etc are the common features, homes in this area offer.
Tips for Buying and Selling River Oaks Real Estate
Buying a home is not an easy task for a layman as it involves lots of formalities, background checking, heavy investment and a change in lifestyle. Unless you are a professional in this particular field, you need to be ultra-careful in making the buying and selling decision. Thus, it is beneficial for you to hire a real estate consultant as having an experienced person in this field as a mediator reduces the risk of making wrong decisions.
Buying and selling Property in River Oaks is taken care of by realtors that specialize in this area. It is advisable to engage the services of a property agent or dealer who has experience and extensive knowledge of the area. These dealers have great negotiating skills, whether it is for buying or selling property. With help of these consultants, it's easier to procure loans at better prices through their contacts. For timely shifting process, they can recommend packers and movers, within your budget which help you shift smoothly in and out of River Oak homes.
Where To Find The Realtors
You can take references from friends and family about reputable realtors of the River Oaks community. Another way is to look for the realtors on the internet; you will find dedicated sites for buying and selling River Oak homes. You can view pictures, read comments, ask questions, and know about the price and amenities offered with each home. Some sites even have a selection page where you can select the number of bedrooms, total area, location or specific price which can narrow down your search.
Once you have made the decision of buying a home in River Oaks, you can be rest assured of a peaceful and interesting lifestyle. It has many amenities like shopping malls, manicured gardens, theatre and wooded land, full of lush green surroundings. There is not going to be any dull moment in your life in this community. You will find plenty of options for recreation like tennis courts, walking trails, children's play area etc. Schools and medical facilities which are nearby are of great convenience to the residents. As you must know by now River Oaks, Houston has a large variety of homes to suit your needs and your taste.
How to Purchase Your Home at a Great bargain through Houston Foreclosure Listings? by Fiona Livnat
We all harbour dreams of settling down in our home in a beautiful town someday, but are daunted by the high prices of real estate market rates. Now with Houston foreclosure listings, providing home buyers with a great bargain this is the right time to go for that smart purchase.
Properties offered through Houston foreclosure listings are those that are taken over by banks and mortgage companies because of overdue payments by the prior owners. These homes are immediately put up for sale as the lenders are keen to recover their loans. Because the banks are not driven by any profit motives most of the homes are priced at nearly half of their actual worth. Also due to the present economic slump you are likely to find foreclosed homes at much lesser prices than a year ago.
A large number of sites on the internet offer information on Houston foreclosure listings by sending you update and guidelines on foreclosed properties of your interest. With the help of a comprehensive database on foreclosures, information on market trends and bidding prices one can compare the worth of various properties. This information is very valuable for home buyers in securing a good deal at a bargain price.
When buying a property through Houston foreclosure listings it is a very good option to directly purchase a home owned by the government. As there are no secondary lenders involved, this will help you greatly in getting a good bargain as well as a suitable financing plan.
The following pointers will help you on how to make a great purchase through Houston foreclosure listings:
* Search through various listing services online and choose a website offering the best lists with updates as well as guidance on the best possible deals
* Make a detailed market study of the real estate rates to know the worth of the foreclosures you are interested in
* Look through government listings for a suitable house to ensure a good bargain
* If there are some repair costs involved try negotiating on the selling price before sealing the final deal.
So go ahead and get yourself the house of your dreams in the charming state of Texas through Houston foreclosure listings.
Properties offered through Houston foreclosure listings are those that are taken over by banks and mortgage companies because of overdue payments by the prior owners. These homes are immediately put up for sale as the lenders are keen to recover their loans. Because the banks are not driven by any profit motives most of the homes are priced at nearly half of their actual worth. Also due to the present economic slump you are likely to find foreclosed homes at much lesser prices than a year ago.
A large number of sites on the internet offer information on Houston foreclosure listings by sending you update and guidelines on foreclosed properties of your interest. With the help of a comprehensive database on foreclosures, information on market trends and bidding prices one can compare the worth of various properties. This information is very valuable for home buyers in securing a good deal at a bargain price.
When buying a property through Houston foreclosure listings it is a very good option to directly purchase a home owned by the government. As there are no secondary lenders involved, this will help you greatly in getting a good bargain as well as a suitable financing plan.
The following pointers will help you on how to make a great purchase through Houston foreclosure listings:
* Search through various listing services online and choose a website offering the best lists with updates as well as guidance on the best possible deals
* Make a detailed market study of the real estate rates to know the worth of the foreclosures you are interested in
* Look through government listings for a suitable house to ensure a good bargain
* If there are some repair costs involved try negotiating on the selling price before sealing the final deal.
So go ahead and get yourself the house of your dreams in the charming state of Texas through Houston foreclosure listings.
วันจันทร์ที่ 6 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
The Best Way To Get Rid Of Hemorrhoids That Is Cost Effective And Natural by Jennifer Richards
Hemorrhoids are a terrible problem that can be very embarrassing and painful. You probably don't want to talk about this to anyone and even mentioning this to your doctor can be embarrassing. However, getting rid of hemorrhoids is very important. If you want to find the best way to get rid of hemorrhoids you should also look into the more natural ways.
These can in many cases be cheaper than other creams and over the counter medications that your doctor might prescribe. They will work faster and have longer lasting results. Using natural treatments for hemorrhoids will also not produce any side effects like other medications and creams can.
Natural products can also be used for getting the best relief. You can use witch hazel for example to lessen the pain and provide some relief from the itching that hemorrhoids cause.
If you want to find the best way to get rid of hemorrhoids, you should also find out how to prevent it. The problem is caused mainly by constipation which affects the veins near the anus. These become swollen and can in many cases bulge outside of the anus.
Pregnancy and some liver diseases can be the primary cause due to the increased pressure in the area. You should be careful to not let yourself get constipated. You can take plenty of fiber and stool softeners that will help. Also, try not to sit for too long and wearing cotton underwear will help.
Another natural way to get rid of hemorrhoids when you already have it is to bath in warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes. You can also use a Sitz bath to help. This is an old German style of bath that is used where only the rectum and lower abdominal area are placed inside the bath.
There are lots of other healthy all natural products that can be used to get rid of hemorrhoids. These are usually manufactured from mineral oils that are extracted from plants. These can provide better relief than some other topical creams because they will not irritate the rest of the skin. There are some natural formulas that will also be anti inflammatory and are used mainly for hemorrhoids that are bleeding and protruding.
There are some alternative methods that you can use at home that are also great at getting rid of hemorrhoids. Some people have recommended kinesiology for the correction of balance in the body. The so called "Houston Folds" of the large intestine have been linked to hemorrhoids. When you find certain natural remedies that can work for hemorrhoids it is well worth trying them as you will find that most of the more natural ways are better than the traditional creams and medications.
By taking and using natural products and home remedies you will find that you can even prevent having surgery to get of this problem. You can easily stop the hemorrhoids, also called piles, from becoming worse and prevent them from coming back all together.
These can in many cases be cheaper than other creams and over the counter medications that your doctor might prescribe. They will work faster and have longer lasting results. Using natural treatments for hemorrhoids will also not produce any side effects like other medications and creams can.
Natural products can also be used for getting the best relief. You can use witch hazel for example to lessen the pain and provide some relief from the itching that hemorrhoids cause.
If you want to find the best way to get rid of hemorrhoids, you should also find out how to prevent it. The problem is caused mainly by constipation which affects the veins near the anus. These become swollen and can in many cases bulge outside of the anus.
Pregnancy and some liver diseases can be the primary cause due to the increased pressure in the area. You should be careful to not let yourself get constipated. You can take plenty of fiber and stool softeners that will help. Also, try not to sit for too long and wearing cotton underwear will help.
Another natural way to get rid of hemorrhoids when you already have it is to bath in warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes. You can also use a Sitz bath to help. This is an old German style of bath that is used where only the rectum and lower abdominal area are placed inside the bath.
There are lots of other healthy all natural products that can be used to get rid of hemorrhoids. These are usually manufactured from mineral oils that are extracted from plants. These can provide better relief than some other topical creams because they will not irritate the rest of the skin. There are some natural formulas that will also be anti inflammatory and are used mainly for hemorrhoids that are bleeding and protruding.
There are some alternative methods that you can use at home that are also great at getting rid of hemorrhoids. Some people have recommended kinesiology for the correction of balance in the body. The so called "Houston Folds" of the large intestine have been linked to hemorrhoids. When you find certain natural remedies that can work for hemorrhoids it is well worth trying them as you will find that most of the more natural ways are better than the traditional creams and medications.
By taking and using natural products and home remedies you will find that you can even prevent having surgery to get of this problem. You can easily stop the hemorrhoids, also called piles, from becoming worse and prevent them from coming back all together.
วันเสาร์ที่ 4 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Houston Rockets
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Houston rockets (1971-present) houston rockets basketball, tickets, schedule, pictures, news, rumors, trade, videos, stats, score, photos and more for houston rockets. Houston rockets merchandise, apparel and gifts - yahoo sports shop houston rockets basketball, tickets, schedule, pictures, news, rumors, trade, videos, stats, score, photos and more for houston rockets. Clutchfans - your houston rockets fan information source rockets in houston information about the rockets pictures, news and a lot more houston is home to the mlb houston astros, nfl houston texans, nba houston rockets, wnba. Houston rockets apparel, rockets merchandise, clothing, gear, shop score houston rockets at nbastore.com one store, 30 teams 2008 nba media ventures, llc all rights reserved no portion of nba.com may be duplicated, redistributed or. 227's Houston Rockets-Bounce!
Amazon.com: houston rockets - nba / fan gear: sports & outdoors houston rockets merchandise, apparel, clothing and gifts buy rockets gear and apparel online shop for houston rockets products for men, women, youth and kids at yahoo sports. Fox sports on msn - nba - houston rockets team front find complete houston information with this official greater houston tourism travel guide including events, attractions, dining, accommodations, travel packages and much more for. Houston rockets denver (ap) _ the denver nuggets didn't need carmelo anthony's usual double-digit performance to beat the houston rockets 104-94 sunday night chauncey billups scored 28 points. Houston rockets houston rockets tickets - basketball - nba get rockets tickets and go on down to the game and support your favorite team. Houston rockets - houston rockets - nbastore.com this application requires flash. Houston, TX
Espn - houston rockets schedule - nba basketball houston rockets ranks 5 on nba team valuations 2007 the houston rockets are owned by leslie alexander, who bought them in 1993. Houston rockets (1971-present) houston rockets coverage from the leading houston rockets fan site on the web, clutch fans net houston rockets news, houston rockets nba trade rumors and daily links to houston. Houston rockets vs phoenix suns nba picks houston rockets merchandise, apparel, clothing and gifts buy rockets gear and apparel online shop for houston rockets products for men, women, youth and kids at yahoo sports. 5 houston rockets - forbes.com complete houston rockets team schedule on espn.com will the celtics repeat will lebron win mvp how big are the full strength is something the wizards haven't heard in. Houston rockets tickets - get your houston rockets tickets from houston rockets team history nickname: rockets was chosen in a contest due to san diego's motto, "a city in motion" in addition it was the manufacturing site of the atlas rockets.
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 2 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Helpful Online Business Advisor or Just an Interfering Busybody? by Cathy Goodwin
Recently "Beth" told me she's writing a book. "It's a combination of self-help, inspiration and memoir," she said. "I want to add some media links to the web. I'm talking to an agent who wants me to put together a portfolio. We're designing a logo and scheduling a photo session for me, with a make-up artist standing by."
"So your agent realizes you need a platform?" I asked. Frankly, something didn't feel quite right.
"Platform? I don't know. We're just finding a way to introduce my ideas to the world. Since I've never published anything, it's challenging."
I asked Beth, "What's your book about?" She wandered into a long explanation.
"Well, it's sort of about creativity. But it's also about my struggle with illness and divorce. And I've got something about inspiration, too."
Now, I happen to know something about publishing and about how to create a platform on the Internet. A platform is your source of credibility. It's what your reputation stands on. It's the answer to the question, "Why are you the best person to write this book?" Blogs, articles and talk show appearances are far more important than logos and nice portrait photographs.
I also know it's harder to sell a mixed-genre book than to sell space heaters in Houston in July. And Beth won't go far till she's figured out how to explain her concept in a sentence or two.
Most of all, I wanted to say, "Get a second opinion. Your agent isn't the only one in the world."
Once upon a time, I would have said all these things. But I've been on the receiving end of some unwanted advice myself. I've always argued that unsolicited advice usually doesn't work. It's usually more about the other person than about you.
For instance, early in my career, I was invited to chat informally with someone who, at the time, was a well-known life coach. We lived in the same area and a mutual acquaintance suggested we connect. She wasn't coaching me. I hadn't hired her. I wasn't even considering the idea.
We had a pleasant conversation until the end, when Big Coach said, "I don't think you are going to succeed. You are trying to do too many things at once." Fortunately, I ignored her. I still make money from the ebooks I wrote back then.
More recently, I was invited to be a radio talk show guest. After a brief conversation, the host said he didn't like any of my topics. "Let me leave you with one thing," he said. "You could write a book about jobs for people over sixty."
How bizarre is that? I hadn't asked for advice. I wasn't looking for book ideas. And I don't recommend that the over-60 set go job hunting. I tell them to start their own businesses.
So for now, when "Beth" talks about her book, I will change the subject. It may spell the end of our friendship, because that's all she wants to talk about these days.
"So your agent realizes you need a platform?" I asked. Frankly, something didn't feel quite right.
"Platform? I don't know. We're just finding a way to introduce my ideas to the world. Since I've never published anything, it's challenging."
I asked Beth, "What's your book about?" She wandered into a long explanation.
"Well, it's sort of about creativity. But it's also about my struggle with illness and divorce. And I've got something about inspiration, too."
Now, I happen to know something about publishing and about how to create a platform on the Internet. A platform is your source of credibility. It's what your reputation stands on. It's the answer to the question, "Why are you the best person to write this book?" Blogs, articles and talk show appearances are far more important than logos and nice portrait photographs.
I also know it's harder to sell a mixed-genre book than to sell space heaters in Houston in July. And Beth won't go far till she's figured out how to explain her concept in a sentence or two.
Most of all, I wanted to say, "Get a second opinion. Your agent isn't the only one in the world."
Once upon a time, I would have said all these things. But I've been on the receiving end of some unwanted advice myself. I've always argued that unsolicited advice usually doesn't work. It's usually more about the other person than about you.
For instance, early in my career, I was invited to chat informally with someone who, at the time, was a well-known life coach. We lived in the same area and a mutual acquaintance suggested we connect. She wasn't coaching me. I hadn't hired her. I wasn't even considering the idea.
We had a pleasant conversation until the end, when Big Coach said, "I don't think you are going to succeed. You are trying to do too many things at once." Fortunately, I ignored her. I still make money from the ebooks I wrote back then.
More recently, I was invited to be a radio talk show guest. After a brief conversation, the host said he didn't like any of my topics. "Let me leave you with one thing," he said. "You could write a book about jobs for people over sixty."
How bizarre is that? I hadn't asked for advice. I wasn't looking for book ideas. And I don't recommend that the over-60 set go job hunting. I tell them to start their own businesses.
So for now, when "Beth" talks about her book, I will change the subject. It may spell the end of our friendship, because that's all she wants to talk about these days.
Ow Ming! Yao Ming's Career May Be Over Due to Non-Healing Navicular Fracture by Dr Marybeth Crane
Ow Ming!
Houston Rocket's Yao Ming's career may be over due to a non-healing foot fracture. He was sidelined during the playoffs on May 8th with a hairline fracture of his navicular. As of today, this has not healed properly. The nature of his non-union and his prognosis is being kept quiet by the team physicians, but it is evident that there is a problem. Most stress fractures heal completely in 6 to 8 weeks. This is not the 7 foot 6 inch center's first fracture. He has been out portions of the last three seasons with stress fractures in his leg and foot. Perhaps his lanky frame just can' handle the stress of the NBA? Why is it that some fractures don't heal?
Looking at his present injury, stress fractures of the navicular (the cornerstone of your arch) are often slow to heal due to three factors, blood supply to the bone itself, underestimating the extent of the initial fracture so delaying aggressive treatment and too much abnormal stress on the healing bone. Other medical issues can delay bone healing like lack of Vitamin D, poor calcium uptake and many other systemic problems like diabetes, hypothyroidism and peripheral vascular disease. Many of these fractures are actually missed due to lack of specific x-ray findings. Many fractures are actually misdiagnosed for months. Plain film x-rays are often read as normal so the fracture is missed until symptoms increase. Early symptoms can be diffuse and non-specific so the index of suspicion is also low. A bone scan, MRI or CT scan can identify the specific fracture. CT scan is often the most helpful in identifying the extent of the fracture and guiding treatment. For a non-displaced stress fracture, cast immobilization is the first line therapy. Studies have shown that non-weight bearing immobilization in a cast for at least 6 weeks is usually around 80-86% successful. For those that do not heal this way, surgical fixation of the fracture can be helpful and a bone graft may be needed for long standing non-unions.
Follow up care fro a navicular fracture often includes physical therapy and custom foot orthotics. Abnormal biomechanics of the foot often are one of the causes of these fractures, so biomechanical control is crucial to distribute the abnormal stress so an athlete can return to sports and have a lower risk of recurrence.
Yao Ming has had multiple stress fractures during his career increasing the likelihood of traumatic arthritis from avascular necrosis (not enough blood supply to heal so the bone crumbles) in his foot causing him to retire. The next few months will tell the tale for this multi-million dollar All Star. Can he heal his fracture and return to sport? The Rocket's fans are praying for divine intervention to cure their dominant center.
Houston Rocket's Yao Ming's career may be over due to a non-healing foot fracture. He was sidelined during the playoffs on May 8th with a hairline fracture of his navicular. As of today, this has not healed properly. The nature of his non-union and his prognosis is being kept quiet by the team physicians, but it is evident that there is a problem. Most stress fractures heal completely in 6 to 8 weeks. This is not the 7 foot 6 inch center's first fracture. He has been out portions of the last three seasons with stress fractures in his leg and foot. Perhaps his lanky frame just can' handle the stress of the NBA? Why is it that some fractures don't heal?
Looking at his present injury, stress fractures of the navicular (the cornerstone of your arch) are often slow to heal due to three factors, blood supply to the bone itself, underestimating the extent of the initial fracture so delaying aggressive treatment and too much abnormal stress on the healing bone. Other medical issues can delay bone healing like lack of Vitamin D, poor calcium uptake and many other systemic problems like diabetes, hypothyroidism and peripheral vascular disease. Many of these fractures are actually missed due to lack of specific x-ray findings. Many fractures are actually misdiagnosed for months. Plain film x-rays are often read as normal so the fracture is missed until symptoms increase. Early symptoms can be diffuse and non-specific so the index of suspicion is also low. A bone scan, MRI or CT scan can identify the specific fracture. CT scan is often the most helpful in identifying the extent of the fracture and guiding treatment. For a non-displaced stress fracture, cast immobilization is the first line therapy. Studies have shown that non-weight bearing immobilization in a cast for at least 6 weeks is usually around 80-86% successful. For those that do not heal this way, surgical fixation of the fracture can be helpful and a bone graft may be needed for long standing non-unions.
Follow up care fro a navicular fracture often includes physical therapy and custom foot orthotics. Abnormal biomechanics of the foot often are one of the causes of these fractures, so biomechanical control is crucial to distribute the abnormal stress so an athlete can return to sports and have a lower risk of recurrence.
Yao Ming has had multiple stress fractures during his career increasing the likelihood of traumatic arthritis from avascular necrosis (not enough blood supply to heal so the bone crumbles) in his foot causing him to retire. The next few months will tell the tale for this multi-million dollar All Star. Can he heal his fracture and return to sport? The Rocket's fans are praying for divine intervention to cure their dominant center.
Life Training and the Significance of Problem Solving by Gary Eby
Life Training and the Significance of Problem Solving Gary Eby
As far as technology is concerned we live in an awesome age where everything is blindingly fast. If Sam Houston would have had our technology back then, help would have arrived in time for the Alamo. A few quick emails to patriots all across Texas, and Santa Anna would have never had a chance. We have the ability to communicate instantaneously with millions of people all over the world at the same time. Countless billions has been invested on these modicums for our personal and along with the personal mission of these companies to improve our performance by utilizing these tools for our personal work.
But in reality there is a big difference between "making contact" and really communicating. Isn't there? The word "communicating" carries with it an idea of actually making sense and being understood.
A brief exchange of words does not necessarily mean communicating. Here's what I mean.
Most people who had automobile accidents were asked to summarize exactly what happened on their insurance form. A brief insight on what those forms contain.
* I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way. The guy was all over the road; I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
* I had been driving my car for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.
* My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
* The pedestrian had no idea of which way to go, so I ran over him.
* The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front.
And here are some ads that failed to communicate well...
* A superb and inexpensive restaurant. Fine food expertly served by waitresses in appetizing forms.
* Dinner Special-Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00.
* Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.
* We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand.
* We build bodies that last a lifetime. Offer expires Dec. 31 or while supplies last.
* For sale at reduced prices-shirts for men with minor flaws.
Let's discuss some basic "how to's" of good communication.
Good communication begins when rapport is established. Rapport is a mutual feeling of being in communication. Have you heard the expression "we were on the same wave length?" That was rapport.
Here are some basic elements in the process of good communication.
1. The speaker is like a radio transmitter. She is sending out a message ... it may be a verbal or non-verbal message.
2. The listener is like a radio receiver. They are receiving the message.
3. The message is some sort of information. The goal of the communication is to deliver this message.
4. Then there are the distractions that can hinder communication. Distractions can cause misinterpretations. They can cause parts of the message to not come through. Sometimes these distractions are our own preconceived notions or filters that make us have a faulty interpretation. They act like static. We do not have a clear signal when there are distractions.
5. And finally, there needs to be an acknowledgment that the message was heard and a replication or feedback of the message to make sure it was received properly.
A notable Mr. Fred Rogers thought he was about to achieve his big break when a major network asked to meet with him and discuss the possibility of syndicating his local children's show. One of the network execs asked, "What kind of costume will you be wearing for the show?" Mr. Rogers told the man that he didn't need a funny costume to communicate with children.
The executives disagreed, insisting that anyone hosting a children's show must have a costume. So, the meeting ended, and the network decided to pass on the opportunity. Evidently, it was a huge mistake. PBS picked up the show and children's television has never been the same.
He knew that it was not the elaborate costume that would communicate with the audience. It was him! Here is another "ebyism." People buy your music, not your words." Although we need to pursue excellence we need to learn to speak as plainly and as eloquently as we can. We need to know that effective communication goes a lot deeper.
It is a given fact that 75% of the people who buy a big ticket item are buying it because they like or trust the salesperson. Simply put "I want you to communicate with them truthfully on a verbal level ... and to communicate with them sincerely on a non-verbal level." They want to know what your heart has to say.
Always keep in mind when we speak from our hearts it will break through the "inert" lesion. It will augment our signal which will leave no room for misinterpretation. A step onwards progress through exceptional leadership training that these pioneers have undergone for their personal good. Now that is the very essence of effective communication!
Gary Eby, a member of the Jim Rohn Speaker Bureau, is gifted to teach deep truths in a clear and easily understandable style. His messages are power-packed and often filled with laughter and practical illustrations. He has shared the stage with great speakers such as Jim Rohn and Les Brown. Not only is Gary a sought after speaker, but he is also an author whose personal development book Lefthanded Soldiers has received worldwide attention. You may receive a free copy at http://cli.gs/garyeby
As far as technology is concerned we live in an awesome age where everything is blindingly fast. If Sam Houston would have had our technology back then, help would have arrived in time for the Alamo. A few quick emails to patriots all across Texas, and Santa Anna would have never had a chance. We have the ability to communicate instantaneously with millions of people all over the world at the same time. Countless billions has been invested on these modicums for our personal and along with the personal mission of these companies to improve our performance by utilizing these tools for our personal work.
But in reality there is a big difference between "making contact" and really communicating. Isn't there? The word "communicating" carries with it an idea of actually making sense and being understood.
A brief exchange of words does not necessarily mean communicating. Here's what I mean.
Most people who had automobile accidents were asked to summarize exactly what happened on their insurance form. A brief insight on what those forms contain.
* I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way. The guy was all over the road; I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
* I had been driving my car for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.
* My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
* The pedestrian had no idea of which way to go, so I ran over him.
* The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front.
And here are some ads that failed to communicate well...
* A superb and inexpensive restaurant. Fine food expertly served by waitresses in appetizing forms.
* Dinner Special-Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00.
* Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.
* We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand.
* We build bodies that last a lifetime. Offer expires Dec. 31 or while supplies last.
* For sale at reduced prices-shirts for men with minor flaws.
Let's discuss some basic "how to's" of good communication.
Good communication begins when rapport is established. Rapport is a mutual feeling of being in communication. Have you heard the expression "we were on the same wave length?" That was rapport.
Here are some basic elements in the process of good communication.
1. The speaker is like a radio transmitter. She is sending out a message ... it may be a verbal or non-verbal message.
2. The listener is like a radio receiver. They are receiving the message.
3. The message is some sort of information. The goal of the communication is to deliver this message.
4. Then there are the distractions that can hinder communication. Distractions can cause misinterpretations. They can cause parts of the message to not come through. Sometimes these distractions are our own preconceived notions or filters that make us have a faulty interpretation. They act like static. We do not have a clear signal when there are distractions.
5. And finally, there needs to be an acknowledgment that the message was heard and a replication or feedback of the message to make sure it was received properly.
A notable Mr. Fred Rogers thought he was about to achieve his big break when a major network asked to meet with him and discuss the possibility of syndicating his local children's show. One of the network execs asked, "What kind of costume will you be wearing for the show?" Mr. Rogers told the man that he didn't need a funny costume to communicate with children.
The executives disagreed, insisting that anyone hosting a children's show must have a costume. So, the meeting ended, and the network decided to pass on the opportunity. Evidently, it was a huge mistake. PBS picked up the show and children's television has never been the same.
He knew that it was not the elaborate costume that would communicate with the audience. It was him! Here is another "ebyism." People buy your music, not your words." Although we need to pursue excellence we need to learn to speak as plainly and as eloquently as we can. We need to know that effective communication goes a lot deeper.
It is a given fact that 75% of the people who buy a big ticket item are buying it because they like or trust the salesperson. Simply put "I want you to communicate with them truthfully on a verbal level ... and to communicate with them sincerely on a non-verbal level." They want to know what your heart has to say.
Always keep in mind when we speak from our hearts it will break through the "inert" lesion. It will augment our signal which will leave no room for misinterpretation. A step onwards progress through exceptional leadership training that these pioneers have undergone for their personal good. Now that is the very essence of effective communication!
Gary Eby, a member of the Jim Rohn Speaker Bureau, is gifted to teach deep truths in a clear and easily understandable style. His messages are power-packed and often filled with laughter and practical illustrations. He has shared the stage with great speakers such as Jim Rohn and Les Brown. Not only is Gary a sought after speaker, but he is also an author whose personal development book Lefthanded Soldiers has received worldwide attention. You may receive a free copy at http://cli.gs/garyeby
วันพุธที่ 1 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Michael Joseph Jackson by Hope Sappier
Michael JacksonMichael Jackson doctor describes frantic last attempts to save singer A lawyer representing Dr Carlton Murray, the singer's personal doctor, claimed he spent twenty-five mins attempting to revive the star.Edward Chernoff declared his client had cried out for help as he battled to resuscitate Jackson in the leased Los Angeles mansion.He claims nobody answered to the calls, compelling him to leave Jackson in bed to get more help.The Houston-based criminal counsel was with Dr Murray during his three hours of interrogating by detectives from the L. A. Police murder and robbery squad.Mr Chernoff expounded Dr Murray, 51, was a suspect and would be "exonerated" once the postmortem results were known.He demanded proposals the doctor had given Jackson a drop of the painkiller Demerol were wrong and went further to claim he had never prescribed the drug for him.Mr Chernoff told US Television breakfast shows that Dr Murray walked into Jackson's bedroom to find him comatose but with a faint pulse and his body was still warm.Mr Chernoff told ABC-TV Good Morning America the doctor carried out CPR for between twenty and twenty-five minutes."He checked continuously to work out if there was any blood flow. There was. It was effective," said Mr Chernoff. "When he realized it was not bringing him round called out for help."The barrister declared that when nobody answered, Dr Murray left Jackson in his second floor bedroom and ran downstairs where he saw the chef and a security guard. Click Here To Read More!"No one was coming. He attempted to call 911, he picked up his cell telephone but he didn't the physical address of where he was," he revealed. "Finally at some point he ran downstairs to seek help and he ran into the chef in the kitchen and yelled for security."The barrister related the phones in the house weren't working "for privacy reason" and eventually a member of the safety staff dialled 911.Mr Chernoff went on to protect Dr Murray over the correct use of CPR after the 911 emergency operator indicated that Jackson should be on the floor even though it was administered."The bed was really firm. He braced MJ back with his hand, under his back and compressed his chest with the other one," he said.Chernoff also dismissed claims by some members of the Jackson family that he failed to them at the hospital where the frontman was said dead."He spoke to La Toya, Jermaine and Katherine," recounted Mr Chernoff. "He spoke to the kids after their father had died. He said the children needed to be told about their pa's death. He was available to the family to answer their questions." Click Here READ MORE!
Choosing a Path by Nan S. Russell
Reading in the airport while waiting for a flight to Houston, a housekeeper was tidying around me when approached by another facilities employee. After a few minutes of easily overheard chit-chat, she received coaching from her now apparent supervisor.
"You know," he said "I'd like you to pace yourself." Intrigued by his words, I stopped reading to eavesdrop and heard as he told her, "You're doing too good a job. You don't need to work this hard." "I like my area clean and looking good for everyone," she said, confused by his direction. "Anyway, I get all my work done."
When they parted several minutes later, her body language was not one of relief, but despair. Clearly a person taking pride in her work, the boss's unfolding message was not about a perfectionist who didn't get her work completed, but someone setting the standard too high for everyone else.
It reminded me of a young man who approach me after a conference speech. He told me he was doing well at work and was up for promotion. But it bothered him that his friends weren't progressing too, and the dynamics between them had shifted. Conflicted about leaving his teammates behind, he wasn't sure about the promotion.
There are two choices to your work. You can fit in and stay comfortably in the pack, nourished by mediocre sameness where your gifts and talents may remain on life's unfilled-potential-shelf for fear of out-shining or outperforming those you work with; or you can realize people are not the same and show up as who you are.
People who are winning at working choose the second path. As they do, they raise the bar for all of us. They push us, challenge us, and inspire us to show up with our passions, skills, abilities and dreams. They have the courage to shine, and their modeling encourages us to bring our own gifts to this challenging world.
For people who are winning at working, their work is about becoming who they are capable of becoming, and they help others do the same.
Your talents are different from mine which are different from his and from hers. You do some things better than others; others do some things better than you. And the powerful, and exciting part is this: when we use our individual differences we collectively shine.
I hope that housekeeper keeps her passions alive and her vision of a comfortable, inviting, clean respite for the weary traveler, a standard for herself. If she does, others will follow her uncommon self-leadership.
I hope that young man embraces his promotion, realizing sometimes friends change; or sometimes we best help our friends and those that we love achieve their dreams, by achieving our own.
(c) 2009 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
"You know," he said "I'd like you to pace yourself." Intrigued by his words, I stopped reading to eavesdrop and heard as he told her, "You're doing too good a job. You don't need to work this hard." "I like my area clean and looking good for everyone," she said, confused by his direction. "Anyway, I get all my work done."
When they parted several minutes later, her body language was not one of relief, but despair. Clearly a person taking pride in her work, the boss's unfolding message was not about a perfectionist who didn't get her work completed, but someone setting the standard too high for everyone else.
It reminded me of a young man who approach me after a conference speech. He told me he was doing well at work and was up for promotion. But it bothered him that his friends weren't progressing too, and the dynamics between them had shifted. Conflicted about leaving his teammates behind, he wasn't sure about the promotion.
There are two choices to your work. You can fit in and stay comfortably in the pack, nourished by mediocre sameness where your gifts and talents may remain on life's unfilled-potential-shelf for fear of out-shining or outperforming those you work with; or you can realize people are not the same and show up as who you are.
People who are winning at working choose the second path. As they do, they raise the bar for all of us. They push us, challenge us, and inspire us to show up with our passions, skills, abilities and dreams. They have the courage to shine, and their modeling encourages us to bring our own gifts to this challenging world.
For people who are winning at working, their work is about becoming who they are capable of becoming, and they help others do the same.
Your talents are different from mine which are different from his and from hers. You do some things better than others; others do some things better than you. And the powerful, and exciting part is this: when we use our individual differences we collectively shine.
I hope that housekeeper keeps her passions alive and her vision of a comfortable, inviting, clean respite for the weary traveler, a standard for herself. If she does, others will follow her uncommon self-leadership.
I hope that young man embraces his promotion, realizing sometimes friends change; or sometimes we best help our friends and those that we love achieve their dreams, by achieving our own.
(c) 2009 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
Helpful Online Business Advisor or Just an Interfering Busybody? by Cathy Goodwin
Recently "Beth" told me she's writing a book. "It's a combination of self-help, inspiration and memoir," she said. "I want to add some media links to the web. I'm talking to an agent who wants me to put together a portfolio. We're designing a logo and scheduling a photo session for me, with a make-up artist standing by."
"So your agent realizes you need a platform?" I asked. Frankly, something didn't feel quite right.
"Platform? I don't know. We're just finding a way to introduce my ideas to the world. Since I've never published anything, it's challenging."
I asked Beth, "What's your book about?" She wandered into a long explanation.
"Well, it's sort of about creativity. But it's also about my struggle with illness and divorce. And I've got something about inspiration, too."
Now, I happen to know something about publishing and about how to create a platform on the Internet. A platform is your source of credibility. It's what your reputation stands on. It's the answer to the question, "Why are you the best person to write this book?" Blogs, articles and talk show appearances are far more important than logos and nice portrait photographs.
I also know it's harder to sell a mixed-genre book than to sell space heaters in Houston in July. And Beth won't go far till she's figured out how to explain her concept in a sentence or two.
Most of all, I wanted to say, "Get a second opinion. Your agent isn't the only one in the world."
Once upon a time, I would have said all these things. But I've been on the receiving end of some unwanted advice myself. I've always argued that unsolicited advice usually doesn't work. It's usually more about the other person than about you.
For instance, early in my career, I was invited to chat informally with someone who, at the time, was a well-known life coach. We lived in the same area and a mutual acquaintance suggested we connect. She wasn't coaching me. I hadn't hired her. I wasn't even considering the idea.
We had a pleasant conversation until the end, when Big Coach said, "I don't think you are going to succeed. You are trying to do too many things at once." Fortunately, I ignored her. I still make money from the ebooks I wrote back then.
More recently, I was invited to be a radio talk show guest. After a brief conversation, the host said he didn't like any of my topics. "Let me leave you with one thing," he said. "You could write a book about jobs for people over sixty."
How bizarre is that? I hadn't asked for advice. I wasn't looking for book ideas. And I don't recommend that the over-60 set go job hunting. I tell them to start their own businesses.
So for now, when "Beth" talks about her book, I will change the subject. It may spell the end of our friendship, because that's all she wants to talk about these days.
"So your agent realizes you need a platform?" I asked. Frankly, something didn't feel quite right.
"Platform? I don't know. We're just finding a way to introduce my ideas to the world. Since I've never published anything, it's challenging."
I asked Beth, "What's your book about?" She wandered into a long explanation.
"Well, it's sort of about creativity. But it's also about my struggle with illness and divorce. And I've got something about inspiration, too."
Now, I happen to know something about publishing and about how to create a platform on the Internet. A platform is your source of credibility. It's what your reputation stands on. It's the answer to the question, "Why are you the best person to write this book?" Blogs, articles and talk show appearances are far more important than logos and nice portrait photographs.
I also know it's harder to sell a mixed-genre book than to sell space heaters in Houston in July. And Beth won't go far till she's figured out how to explain her concept in a sentence or two.
Most of all, I wanted to say, "Get a second opinion. Your agent isn't the only one in the world."
Once upon a time, I would have said all these things. But I've been on the receiving end of some unwanted advice myself. I've always argued that unsolicited advice usually doesn't work. It's usually more about the other person than about you.
For instance, early in my career, I was invited to chat informally with someone who, at the time, was a well-known life coach. We lived in the same area and a mutual acquaintance suggested we connect. She wasn't coaching me. I hadn't hired her. I wasn't even considering the idea.
We had a pleasant conversation until the end, when Big Coach said, "I don't think you are going to succeed. You are trying to do too many things at once." Fortunately, I ignored her. I still make money from the ebooks I wrote back then.
More recently, I was invited to be a radio talk show guest. After a brief conversation, the host said he didn't like any of my topics. "Let me leave you with one thing," he said. "You could write a book about jobs for people over sixty."
How bizarre is that? I hadn't asked for advice. I wasn't looking for book ideas. And I don't recommend that the over-60 set go job hunting. I tell them to start their own businesses.
So for now, when "Beth" talks about her book, I will change the subject. It may spell the end of our friendship, because that's all she wants to talk about these days.
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