National Constitution Center: First Friday! Museum Open! And Free!

National Constitution Center: Museum Open!

I had not heard about this...take the virtual tour. The museum seems virtual tour, very nice!

Some cool quotes

All from Dean LeBaron's Book of Investment Quotations. By the way, buy the book, it is awesome!

1. "Wars almost never end the way starters had in mind"---Malcom Forbes
2. "Great spenders are bad lenders"---Ben Franklin
3. "Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes"---Thomas Wentworth Storrow Higginson
4. "The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immotality"---John Quincy Adams
5. "Times of general calamity and confusion have been productive of the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storm. "---C. C. Colton
   

Fantasy Tour de France Game 2005!!!

I think I have to sign up for this. It sounds very fun!

Internet Tour de France Game 2005

Smart Goggles

How cool is this? What a great idea. I NEVER count laps largly because I lose count after about 1.

"Smart goggles that help swimmers log lengths have been designed by a UK engineering student.

The Inview goggles display a lap count and time elapsed on their lenses so swimmers can track their progress.

Invented by industrial design student Katie Williams, the goggles use an in-built compass to spot when swimmers complete lengths."

From the BBC

RAAM - Race Across America > Home ( DNN 2.1.2 )

RAAM - Race Across America

I can not even imagine doing the solo ride...Mind boggling...unfortunately they had a death this year when one of teh riders (Bob Breedlove) was hit by a pick-up truck.

Watch the tribute video to him. It is very good...


Also check out the animated map. Amazing!

Underground railroad

Just stumbled upon this. A NPR interview with Fergus Bordewich the author of Bound for Canaan. It is about the Underground Railroad.

If you have not read the book, I highly recommend it.

NPR : Development Trumps Property, Says High Court

I could not decide whether to put this on FinanceProfessor.com's blog or here...so this won out.

I am disappointed with the ruling. Seems to be a vote against freedom and property rights.
NPR : Development Trumps Property, Says High Court

Study: Chickadee Song Warns of Danger - Yahoo! News

how cool would it be (will it be?) to be able ot translate animal talk?

Study: Chickadee Song Warns of Danger - Yahoo! News

Yoga Journal : Travel : A travel guide to yoga vacations, adventure travel, and retreats around the world.

Taking "yoga" on the road with you...

Yoga Journal : Travel : A travel guide to yoga vacations, adventure travel, and retreats around the world.

Summer Moon Illusion

A look at why the moon appears so big to teh naked eye, but not to cameras. Very interesting. Unfortunately, we do not appear to have the answerSummer Moon Illusion.

Also check out this link for more on the moon illusion.

A.M.A. to Study Effect of Marketing Drugs to Consumers - New York Times

I really look forward to the results. Prediction: marketing increases prescriptions! If not, why would all of the ads be on.
A.M.A. to Study Effect of Marketing Drugs to Consumers - New York Times: "The American Medical Association, the nation's largest organization of physicians, agreed yesterday to study whether consumer drug advertising leads to unnecessary prescriptions, potentially harming patients and driving up health costs."

IronmanLive.com: Ironman Age-Group Champion Survives Bear Attack

IronmanLive.com: Ironman Age-Group Champion Survives Bear Attack: "Julia Gerlach had been on track to return to the Ford Ironman World Championship in October … until she was attacked by a predatory black bear! She is recovering from her injuries, and credits her Ironman background with her survival."

How to deal with stress in golf (and in life?)

First let me say that I do not play golf and really wish it were not on TV evry weekend, but none-the-less, this is very similar to virtually any sport (and probably life as well!)

Good Game Of Golf -- Mind Over Matter

"In general, effective coping involved gaining a sense of control, while
ineffective coping involved the golfers trying to force their play,' said
co-author Dr. Nick Holt, a professor of Physical Education and Recreation at the
University of Alberta, and a Certified Consultant with the Association for the
Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology. The study, published in the June
edition of The Sport Psychologist, was conducted jointly with Dr. Adam Nicholls
from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom."

The key point is summarized in the following two paragraphs. (again from Science Daily)

"During effective coping golfers maintained a positive mindset by using positive
self-talk, blocking negative thoughts, and focusing on the next shot (rather
than on past shots). They stayed physically relaxed by using deep breathing
exercises and stretching. Finally, they sought advice from their caddies, and
were sure to follow their playing routine.

Alternatively, the golfers had very different thoughts and behaviors during ineffective coping episodes. Ineffective coping strategies were identified as trying too hard, speeding up,
and making sudden changes to their learned playing routine. Changing the playing
routine is a common mistake, Dr. Holt said. "Rather than making changes during a
round, they should be sticking with what they know. Pre-shot routines can be
adapted during practice, but not under the stress of competition." "

Insects Develop Resistance To Engineered Crops

It really is a moving target. Just when you think something is solved, the problem evolves.

Insects Develop Resistance To Engineered Crops: "Genetically modified crops containing two insecticidal proteins in a single plant efficiently kill insects. But when crops engineered with just one of those toxins grow nearby, insects may more rapidly develop resistance to all the insect-killing plants, report Cornell University researchers."

From ScienceDaily.com:

""Our findings suggest that concurrent use of single- and dual-gene Bt plants can put the dual-gene plants at risk if single-gene plants are deployed in the same area simultaneously," said Anthony Shelton, professor of entomology at Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and an author of the study, which was posted online June 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and is in the June 14 print edition of the journal. "Single-gene plants really function as a steppingstone in resistance of two-gene plants if the single gene plants contain one of the same Bt proteins as in the two-gene plant.""

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | New model 'permits time travel'

Something to think about for a while...lol..

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | New model 'permits time travel': "Researchers speculate that time travel can occur within a kind of feedback loop where backwards movement is possible, but only in a way that is 'complementary' to the present."

PowerBar: Newsletter Archive

I get literally hundreds of newsletters per month, but consistently the PowerBar newsletter is one of my favorites. Sure it is a commerical too. Sure it is biased (for instance I do think some protein in drink is good for both recovery and performance), but they are all interesting. This month's athlete of the month is-----surprise, Lance Armstrong!

Here is the newsletter archive
PowerBar: Newsletter Archive

FOXNews.com - Health - Inside Lance Armstrong's Remarkable Success

FOXNews.com - Health - Inside Lance Armstrong's Remarkable Success

A scientific look at what makes Lance Lance.

Heart problems and stomach microbe link?

wow, how interesting is this? a heart problem related to a gastric microbe! This is partially why I was somewhat surprised earlier when a study found no tie between heart disease and antibiotics. Stay tuned.

Health News Article | Reuters.com

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The gastric microbe, Helicobacter pylori, that's the cause of most stomach ulcers also takes it out on the heart, Italian investigators report.

They found that people with rapid beating of the upper chamber of the heart, atrial fibrillation, are nearly 20 times more likely to be infected with Helicobacter than are healthy "controls," according to a report in the medical journal Heart.

While the exact mechanism is unknown, Dr. A. S. Montenero, from Policlinico Multimedica in Milan, and colleagues theorize that it may relate to autoantibodies that develop in some H. pylori-infected patients. These antibodies, which normally attack an acid pump found on gastric cells, may instead attack a similar pump on cardiac cells, ultimately triggering atrial fibrillation. "

Media Violence May Affect Children's Minds

While not the last word, this is interesting...

Media Violence May Affect Children's Minds: "researchers found that nonaggressive children who had high levels of media violence exposure also displayed a similar pattern of low activity in the frontal cortex. Children in this group who weren't exposed to high levels of media violence had more frontal cortex activity."

The research was done by Vincent Mathews, MD, of the Indiana University School of Medicine.


In a way supports the yoga Mind-Body view

Yoga with Ava...From Hawaii

While I still recommend YogaBetsy (if you are in the Olean area it should be required ;) ) and also think Steve Ross may be my all time favorite "yogi," I found this online site and it seems very good. I especially like the yoga and stress postures. I confess some of the other ideas seem a bit "out there" but who knows? but I do like the postures :)

Ava's Yoga--check out her Animated Hatha Yoga Postures!

Speaking of Steve Ross, I am almost done with his Happy Yoga Book. I like much of it but do disagree with parts (sorry, I just can not grasp the idea that water can read). And his CD is literally one of my favorites!

200-pound bear charges into home in 40-minute rampage, attacks dog

in one of the more unusual stories I have seen in a while a Bear went into a home (mmm, sounds like the bear going into our store---I never got on TV)...

oh and it happened in Harrisonburg (home of JMU!)
200-pound bear charges into home in 40-minute rampage, attacks dog

Dolphins Protect Their Snouts With Sponges - Yahoo! News

how cool is this? The dolphins not only use the sponges as tools, but the parents teach the young how to do it...

Dolphins Protect Their Snouts With Sponges - Yahoo! News

Riding up Mt Mitchell

I have to put this on my calendar. I have ridden up, but never with a large group. It is a very hard, but fun ride. In all honesty, I think the length of the hill makes it so hard, not the actual steepness as WNY has some climbs that are steeper.

117 miles to top of Mt Mitchell

Pictures of my ride up...with worst helmet EVER.

Amazon.com Plans Audio Book Download Store - Yahoo! News

This one makes sense. I would hate to be one of their competitors!
Amazon.com Plans Audio Book Download Store - Yahoo! News: "On its Web site, Amazon.com Inc. is asking publishers for audiobooks for a new download store it says it plans to open. But the Internet retailer is being coy about such key details as a launch date. "

Random Topics2 Squared Again

Some random topics that I have not had time to write on in a while:

Ristening is finally getting some of the respect it deserves!...Breaking the DaVinci Code is predictable so far...Kareem Abdul Jabbar is a good author. While I loved Guns, Germs, and Steel it was became too predictable after the first quarter. That said, many great insights in first quarter!...Hotel Rwanda is a great movie...Cory was right, 24 is VERY VERY good! Just got the second season on DVD.

Thoughts from on the bike: often the only difference between a yard sale and a messy yard is a sign...going up is often more fun than going down, but you go down much faster....it is more difficult to lead than it is to follow...

Spring may be my favorite time of year just because it ends winter which is my least favorite time...After the first two days, having a birds' nest in your garage really is not as cool as it sounds...there are few things better than a hot spring day...I have zero idea why people use pesticides and weedkillers on their yards both seem to me to be worse than a total waste of money....instant stress relief? Blow a dandelion and watch for all the seeds to hit the ground...Best smells? Lilac followed by Wild Phlox followed by Honeysuckle. I think.

The Mets are very inconsistent and need relief pitching...I was disappointed to see Strickland not called up...being a landlord is really no fun...the NFL draft was anticlimatic...the lack of pitching for the Yankees was not a surprise, the lack of hitting is...