Are you sitting down?

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postaday2012

I have been reading over the past two years, and it is coming up more and more frequently in health and fitness magazines and articles, that sitting is just as unhealthy for you as eating fatty foods. At first I thought that this was a little too radical and that in a few months time the perils of sitting would be debunked. It hasn’t been debunked, one “expert” said that no matter how much you exercise, you can’t undo the negative impact that your sitting has done to you. I came across other “experts” who were tasked with designing office equipment to replace traditional work stations; the chair would be replaced by versions of treadmills with a computer station attached. These new work stations are designed, not only for the health of the employee, but also increased productivity. Imagine your traditional administrative assistant working at their “unconventional workstation”, how exhausted would they be, I wonder?

I don’t remember exactly the biology behind the perils of sitting, but trust me there was biology and physiology involved. I have always been a fidgeter and at home I had someone comment that I sat down to stand back up. I thought that it was quite funny at the time. Those were the days when Maman was in high demand at all times. I mention fidgeting because that is one activity to keep in mind when you haven’t any choice but to sit. Fidgeting according to the “experts” keeps your metabolism up and burns calories.

Am I glad that I stumbled onto these findings? The jury is out, whenever I find myself sitting for any period of time, I often realize with a start that I just engaged in a behavior that I can’t undo. I then make sure to stand for a while as I watch t.v and I make sure that I go up and down the stairs in my house more often than usual. The little Jack gets frustrated when I stand because he prefers it when I sit because then he can sit on me. He thinks that I am his furniture, I never mind until I remember that sitting is unhealthy.

So better to stand and if you have to sit make sure to fidget, it’s good for you.

Bye, bye penny

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postday2012

Should the U.S. get rid of the penny?

April 4, 2012

The Penny Debate

I love coins, all coins. I still look for the elusive 1943 copper penny that is worth a bit of money because it was a mistake minted by the Treasury. In 1943, the government minted pennies in aluminum to keep the metal for the military. If we do away with the penny how are we going to have the specials such as “on sale for $3.99 or $4.99!” It won’t be the same.

Wisconsin Voters See Mitt Romney As Eventual Nominee

When I see what our President has accomplished since he has taken office in 2009, dealing with the economic meltdown, ending and drawing down two wars, Israel and Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and the domestic issues such as debt limit crisis, health care insurance act and so many legislative battles with recalcitrant blue dog democrats and the bloc of republicans. Through all this our President has carried himself with class and shown incredible grace under pressure. I am very proud to have him as our President. In contrast when I see Romney’s vision of America, I get sad very quickly for the majority of us. What used to be the classic phrase that described America “land of opportunity” would become a myth for the rest of us under a Romney presidency. I see evidence of this in the remarks Romney has made regarding higher education and how the youth should simply go where they can afford to, that has become almost impossible at the rate higher education costs have increased at least 200% across the board. Higher education translates into better employment. Romney worldview reflected by his agenda at Bain Inc, has pushed manufacturing out of the U.S in search of better bottom lines for shareholders. Romney on so many fronts does not represent the interests of the majority of Americans so I hope that come November we won’t have a Romney presidency, we will continue to have our President in office.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wisconsin Voters See Mitt Romney As Eventual Nominee

What disturbs me most about Romney is that he is more like a chameleon than an Etch a Sketch, though being called either really isn’t a good thing when it comes to describing ones’ character. President Obama is what I would call pragmatic which some on the left get all ornery about, but I would argue that being pragmatic still shows character whereas being called an Etch a Sketch makes me wonder, who controls the knobs? I think of Romney as a chameleon and if the house retains control come November and the Senate shifts just a bit, then a Romney presidency is going to be so conservative because whatever moderation Romney has shown in the past in MA will be lost among the hard right conservative colors that will be shining all over his cold-blooded body. Whatever gains the E.P.A has made recently can be considered gone if Romney wins, education will be up in the air for the masses, food safety, good luck to us all and I could go on and on, I shudder to think what will happen with women issues. It will be very sad.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost