Did you all get to watch the inauguration today? I watched it on my computer... the streaming wasn't the best, but I have no TV in my office so that's the best I could get!
Personal highlights:
- Michelle Obama's outfit
- Aretha Franklin's sweet hat
- Rick Warren was NOT wearing a hawaiian shirt (the Bible study ladies will understand)
- All those thousands of flags waving in the crowd
- End of the Bush administration
- Michelle Obama's face as the President was taking the oath
- The President's inaugural address
Here's another cool tidbit I found out... the White House's website has been changed, and it's pretty sweet now so you should check it out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
New addiction
If you have never heard of Etsy, you are in for a real treat. This is the mother-load of awesomeness. I just "discovered" this website earlier this year, and they have all kinds of fantastic items... tons of new stuff every day. So... check it out: http://www.etsy.com
Friday, January 16, 2009
All that crisp clean air...
So what if the temps are mind-numbingly cold. 55 below zero wind chill? No problem.
I just read an article (this is where Josh rolls his eyes... I start many conversations with that line) from Women's Health online saying that Fargo is a great place to live for women. (I don't know why it's not as much for men... it didn't elaborate on that.)
You can check out the article here.
Yay for Fargo!
P.S. Minneapolis was rated in the top 10 for both men and women.
I just read an article (this is where Josh rolls his eyes... I start many conversations with that line) from Women's Health online saying that Fargo is a great place to live for women. (I don't know why it's not as much for men... it didn't elaborate on that.)
You can check out the article here.
Yay for Fargo!
P.S. Minneapolis was rated in the top 10 for both men and women.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sacre bleu!
When I read the headline to this article today, I thought to myself, "You've got to be kidding me!"
Now, I was sure that I must have been hallucinating when Fargo banned smoking from every public building except in totally closed off spaces (not just those ridiculous half-wall dividers like at Perkins). Then I was sure I was in a time warp when the entire state of MN banned smoking in public places INCLUDING bars. Now the outdoors is the only "smoking section."
And you know what, I am totally elated with these new laws. No longer do I need to worry about coming home smelling like an ashtray when I go out with friends to a bar or a bowling alley.
But, something must have froze over, because of all places in the world, PARIS (yes... Paris, France!) also has a smoking ban in public places.
We truly must be in the modern era.
Now, I was sure that I must have been hallucinating when Fargo banned smoking from every public building except in totally closed off spaces (not just those ridiculous half-wall dividers like at Perkins). Then I was sure I was in a time warp when the entire state of MN banned smoking in public places INCLUDING bars. Now the outdoors is the only "smoking section."
And you know what, I am totally elated with these new laws. No longer do I need to worry about coming home smelling like an ashtray when I go out with friends to a bar or a bowling alley.
But, something must have froze over, because of all places in the world, PARIS (yes... Paris, France!) also has a smoking ban in public places.
We truly must be in the modern era.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Third-Hand Smoke
Hello blogland friends, sorry I haven't been super attentive to this blog. A lot has happened since November 25th that has used up most of my attention.
Anyway, I like to blog about things that matter... at least sometimes.
I saw an article today that really caught my eye. Let's not get into the whole "rights" issue of smoking in public places, but I wanted to share some information to get you thinking next time you are in denial that smoking cigarettes is harmful to anyone but yourself.
Third-Hand Smoke is a First-Class Problem
What's lurking in your clothes, hair, carpets, and drapes long after a smoker leaves the room? Third-hand smoke—a film of chemicals and carcinogens.
By Coeli Carr for MSN Health & Fitness
The unpleasant residual odor of a smoked cigarette is nothing new. Ask anyone who's returned from a party with the scent of stale cigarettes in their hair and clothing. Now, a study has confirmed what many have suspected. Third-hand smoke—the contamination from particles in smoke that linger long after a cigarette has been snuffed out—is more than unpleasant. It's a health threat.
In this month's issue of the journal Pediatrics, researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children, in Boston, coined the term "third-hand smoke" to describe the toxic particles that remain after visible smoke is gone, and which pose an especially great risk to infants and children who inhale them.
"People react to how bad smoke smells on their hair and clothes, but don't realize they could get sick from the smell," says Angela Stotts, M.D., professor of family medicine at Houston's University of Texas Health Science Center, who is conducing ongoing research on second-hand smoke. "A lot of parents think that if they smoke at home when their children aren't around, their children are safe." Although ventilation will help smoke dissipate, the particles simply embed themselves on furniture, carpets and other surfaces.
Stuart Abramson, M.D., a pediatric immunologist at Texas Children's Hospital, also in Houston, says that cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals and a sizable number of carcinogens and contaminants, including benzene, butane and hydrogen cyanide.
"If children are in a room where people are smoking, the dose of these contaminants is high," says Abramson. And, he says, when the particles land and embed themselves on objects in the home, you have the risk of children receiving chronic exposure to these contaminants. "It may be as simple as an infant, being held, inhaling and touching toxins from a smoking parent's clothing. Both high doses and chronic exposure are harmful to children," says Abramson. Stotts believes chronic exposure over long periods of time has the most damaging effect.
Alan Greene, M.D., clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and the author of Raising Baby Green (Jossey-Bass, 2007), says that, in addition to cancer risks, the neurotoxins in these particles may affect brain development.
What can parents who smoke do to protect their children from third-hand smoke?
The best approach, says Abramson, is to use the "precautionary principle," which is to avoid any exposure that has the potential of causing harm. He says parents who smoke should try to quit, or smoke only outside the home. Stotts advises that the car should also be a smoke-free zone.
Greene suggests filling the home with green plants, to freshen the air, and applying fresh coats of low-VOC paint to walls that may be full of residual contaminants.
And that old sofa with years of embedded smoke-related toxins? "Ideally, you should get rid of it," says Stotts. "If that's not possible, you can do a really good job of cleaning it, but scrubbing is no guarantee."
Another nose—preferably that of a non-smoker—may be helpful. "Many people who are chronic smokers have an impaired sense of smell," says Abramson.
Anyway, I like to blog about things that matter... at least sometimes.
I saw an article today that really caught my eye. Let's not get into the whole "rights" issue of smoking in public places, but I wanted to share some information to get you thinking next time you are in denial that smoking cigarettes is harmful to anyone but yourself.
Third-Hand Smoke is a First-Class Problem
What's lurking in your clothes, hair, carpets, and drapes long after a smoker leaves the room? Third-hand smoke—a film of chemicals and carcinogens.
By Coeli Carr for MSN Health & Fitness
The unpleasant residual odor of a smoked cigarette is nothing new. Ask anyone who's returned from a party with the scent of stale cigarettes in their hair and clothing. Now, a study has confirmed what many have suspected. Third-hand smoke—the contamination from particles in smoke that linger long after a cigarette has been snuffed out—is more than unpleasant. It's a health threat.
In this month's issue of the journal Pediatrics, researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children, in Boston, coined the term "third-hand smoke" to describe the toxic particles that remain after visible smoke is gone, and which pose an especially great risk to infants and children who inhale them.
"People react to how bad smoke smells on their hair and clothes, but don't realize they could get sick from the smell," says Angela Stotts, M.D., professor of family medicine at Houston's University of Texas Health Science Center, who is conducing ongoing research on second-hand smoke. "A lot of parents think that if they smoke at home when their children aren't around, their children are safe." Although ventilation will help smoke dissipate, the particles simply embed themselves on furniture, carpets and other surfaces.
Stuart Abramson, M.D., a pediatric immunologist at Texas Children's Hospital, also in Houston, says that cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals and a sizable number of carcinogens and contaminants, including benzene, butane and hydrogen cyanide.
"If children are in a room where people are smoking, the dose of these contaminants is high," says Abramson. And, he says, when the particles land and embed themselves on objects in the home, you have the risk of children receiving chronic exposure to these contaminants. "It may be as simple as an infant, being held, inhaling and touching toxins from a smoking parent's clothing. Both high doses and chronic exposure are harmful to children," says Abramson. Stotts believes chronic exposure over long periods of time has the most damaging effect.
Alan Greene, M.D., clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and the author of Raising Baby Green (Jossey-Bass, 2007), says that, in addition to cancer risks, the neurotoxins in these particles may affect brain development.
What can parents who smoke do to protect their children from third-hand smoke?
The best approach, says Abramson, is to use the "precautionary principle," which is to avoid any exposure that has the potential of causing harm. He says parents who smoke should try to quit, or smoke only outside the home. Stotts advises that the car should also be a smoke-free zone.
Greene suggests filling the home with green plants, to freshen the air, and applying fresh coats of low-VOC paint to walls that may be full of residual contaminants.
And that old sofa with years of embedded smoke-related toxins? "Ideally, you should get rid of it," says Stotts. "If that's not possible, you can do a really good job of cleaning it, but scrubbing is no guarantee."
Another nose—preferably that of a non-smoker—may be helpful. "Many people who are chronic smokers have an impaired sense of smell," says Abramson.
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