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How to Feed Treats to your Pet
Pets love to be rewarded for their good behavior. One way that pet owners show their love is through treats. There are a variety of pet treats on the market to choose from. But, is there etiquette to feeding treats?
Treats for All
When your pet does well, you want to reward them. Treats are a good behavioral modification tool. If you are a pet owner, you can have your pick of almost any flavor and texture.
But, if you notice that your cat or dog is getting a little pudgy, it could be his rewards. There are a few tips you might want to learn about feeding said treats to your companion. Even store bought treats can pack on the pounds.
1. Read the labels – Serving portions are important for animals too. They like to eat treats, but just emptying a part of the bag on the floor may be far too many for one treat event. Your pet won't refuse them, either. Measure the amount of treats against your pet's activity level and total caloric intake.
2. Table scraps – A little nip of chicken or pork may not hurt your pet today, but feeding them human food can make them sick in the long run. Besides, pet food and even pet treats contain nutrients that are essential for their health and growth. For instance, some cat treats contain ingredients to control hair balls.
3. Try alternatives – This is an option for cats. Since they don't get near as much exercise as dogs, they don't need heavy treats. Opt for catnip some of the time in his favorite toy as a treat instead.
4. Know toxic foods – Know which foods are poisonous for dogs and cats. Avoid feeding them or having them anywhere the pet can get at them.
5. Use treats consistently – If treats are for behavioral training, use them for that. If they are utilized to keep pets busy while you leave the house, use them for that purpose. Consistency won't confuse your pet and will help ensure that they learn the behaviors you are trying to teach. Also, keep portions small.
6. Organic fare – Talk to your vet about organic choices for pet treats. These carry fewer fillers and by-products. Also, some pet owners create their own homemade pet treats. Be careful to observe any dietary restrictions for your pet.
7. Use treats to encourage activities – Especially for dogs, there are hiding places inside toys for treats. A pet has to play with the toy and wrangle it in order to get at the treat.
8. Check consistency of treats – Some are crunchy and some are soft. Choose a treat that your pet will like and can digest easily.
Treats are like dessert after dinner. Feel free to give them to your pets, but be judicious!
Crate Training your Dog
Dogs are pack animals that like to live as a family. When you buy a puppy, you become its family. One way, to help your new dog know how to act, is to crate train them.
What is Crate Training?
First, let us say that crate training is a temporary tool. It is not meant to be used as a long term measure to help with your dog's behavior. So, let's learn how and why it works.
Crate training uses a cage to help your new puppy adjust to life in your home. Once they are weaned from their mothers, puppies need support and guidance so that they are socialized to humans and living in a home.
The crate allows you to help them with such skills as:
– House breaking them
– Avoiding unwanted behaviors
– Provide a safe place to sleep and rest for your pet
Your dog is housed in the crate for a certain amount of time each day. The crate should be appropriate for the size and age of dog. Any pet put in one should have room to stand up and move around and lay down comfortably. Crates that are too large can encourage soiling. One that is too small can cause anxiety.
Since the crate is to act like a temporary home within a home, fill it with a cozy mat for napping and some toys for your dog to play with. Positioning the crate so the dog can interact with the family can ease anxiety.
To get your dog used to the crate, place them in with the door open. Let them know that they can come and go. Shutting the door lets them know that they must stay there for a while, such as with disciplinary action.
Why Crate Train?
Crate training is important at the beginning of your dog's stay with your family. Here are a few reasons. One, it can help other pets get used to your new dog. Your new dog can have time alone when they don't want to play anymore. It also gives them a chance to slowly integrate into the family dynamic.
Two, crate training can help with house breaking your new dog. Create a schedule with it. According to different ages, dogs are not to be crated past a certain bracket of time. For instance, a new puppy that is about ten weeks of age shouldn't be crated for more than an hour at a time. Since pups have little bladder and bowel control, they should be ready to go outside after their hour in the crate, provided you feed them before crating time.
Three, unwanted behavior can be managed with a crate. They learn to associate spending time in the crate with the door closed with unwanted behaviors like chewing on the furniture, urinating throughout the house or barking loudly.
Crate training is meant to be helpful for you and your dog.
Different Horse Breeds for Various Equine Disciplines
Submitted by Andres Ong, Content Writer
A Beautiful Arabian Horse!
The sport involving the equine is truly a science. What was once a sport that relied on gut instinct and sheer stamina alone has now evolved into an arena where numerous variables must be accounted for. Proper training and nutrition are essential to maintain optimum performance while the particular breed of horse can affect many individual traits and help determine the qualities of a champion. In races for example, both riders and thoroughbred racing enthusiasts alike pay particular attention to the type of breed. Individuals who have a keen eye for this sport will follow websites like online horse racing at Kentuckyderbybetting.com, which will usually take the breed into account in effective sports betting strategies. While there are different horse breeds in general, here's a quick look at the breeds of horses mainly used for two of the major equine disciplines: Racing and Dressage/Show Jumping.
This breed is considered one of the most famous in the racing community. They are characterized by a refined, wedge-shaped head and large eyes. An interesting characteristic is that the Arabian breeds tend to have a large bump on the center of their forehead. This is said to have aided them in the dry desert climates by increasing their sinus capacity. Gray and chestnut colors are the most common and Arabians are not as large as some of their other racing counterparts. They exhibit an excellent temperament and endurance.
Originally bred in East Prussia, these fairly large horses are known as some of the most handsome of the breeds as well as excellent jumpers. Although they have particularly large bones, they display an elegance rarely seen in horses of such size. Generally black or chestnut in color, they are both intelligent and eager to please; lending them a personality ideally suited for the racetrack. While bred as both dressage horses and show jumpers, they also are well known as being powerful competitors in the horse racing circuit.
This particular horse breed is arguably the most popular among racehorses. Thoroughbreds are hot blooded horses who are famous for their speed and competitive spirit. Though Thoroughbreds are mostly known for horse racing, they can also be trained for various equine disciplines such as polo, show jumping, dressage and more.
Dressage/Show jumping
American Saddlebred
These horses are well-known for their "can do" attitude and their fiery, albeit gentle disposition. They are well-proportioned animals and have wide-set eyes and a large head atop a notably long neck. Thus, this breed is one of the most photogenic. They come in all colors and are between 15 and 17 hands in height. These are superb riding horses, as they are said to have both the intelligence and temperament to get along well with their human riders.
This horse was originally used as a work horse and trained to pull coaches, but has been adapted for dressage competition since the late 19th century. This rather tall breed is usually colored black, brown or gray. The strong body and hindquarters make the Oldenburg a notably powerful horse. Their powerful hind quarters and pronounced strength also make this breed ideal for jumping as well as endurance competition. An example of the Oldenburg as well as similar breeds of light horse can be found in this website.
American Warmblood
This breed has often been called one of the most well-rounded of horses. They are known for their powerful musculature as well as a flexible gait. Breeding stock is a bit more stringent for this animal; requiring the respective mares and stallions to meet numerous requirements and thus lending to its superior performance. Their temperament is complimented by an energetic and alert presence. Therefore, the warmblood is particularly suited for dressage and show jumping.
It is easy to see that there are particular breeds suited for specific equine disciplines. This is the primary reason that horse race bets are often partially determined by the breed of the horse as well as the rider and a host of other qualities. Websites such as ESPN likewise note the breed of the horse in posting statistics, which is an invaluable tool to help understand and appreciate the intricacies involved in various equine disciplines and competitions such as the Kentucky Derby.
Knowing what particular horse breed is used for a specific discipline is important if you are planning to own a horse. By learning this important information, you can make the right decision as to what type of horse to get. Just keep in mind that raising a horse is an enormous responsibility that requires patience and dedication.
Amazing Video of the Rare Snow Leopard
April 19, 2013 by Jasmine
Filed under All Posts, Animal News, Pet Cats, Wild Animals
A Beautiful Snow Leopard!
Photo Wiki Commons
Courtesy Ron Singer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Licensed under Public Domain
I came across this Snow Leopard Video not too long ago and I wanted to share it. I think it is neat and somewhat magical when we are given the chance to glimpse something in nature that is not part of our everyday norm. This snow leopard video was caught by Matse Rangja on one of his hidden cameras in China. Matse Rangja is a wildlife photographer who has been tracking Snow Leopards for over eight years. This one specifically comes from the Burhan Budai Mountains.
Snow Leopards are actually an endangered species and their populations continue to be on the decline. They are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered Status. There are only estimated to be around 6,000 of these leopards left in the wild. Reasons they are struggling to survive include changing habitats, less available prey, and poaching by humans. These large cats are native to Central Asia and live primarily in the high alpine and sub-alpine mountain areas. They will eat almost any type of animal they come across, however some of their more mainstay foods include bharal (blue sheep), mountain sheep, markhor (a wild goat species), and Himalayan Tahrs (related to wild goats). If they come across small animals or birds they will also eat those. Some people have a difficult time with them raiding their farms and eating their livestock.
Due to where they live, Snow Leopards have very thick fur coats to keep them warm from the cold. They also have large, wide feet which act similar to snow shoes, allowing them to cross deep snow rather easily. These leopards are considered large cats, but they are some of the smaller of the big cats. They only reach 60 to 120 pounds and about 2 feet in height. But they are still quite powerful and have no trouble taking down their prey! I don't believe Snow Leopards are kept as pets other than in zoos or other wildlife sanctuaries, but there are some Exotic Cats which are. It takes a special type of person to want to keep an essentially large wild cat in their home!
Enjoy the video!
Sources Used
Common Dog Behavioral Problems
Dogs are often misunderstood. Their needs are different from those of humans yet we attribute many of our habits to them. This can lead to dog behavioral problems. Here are a few of the more common "dog behaving badly" situations and how you can deal with them.
Have you ever heard someone remark that they don't know what has gotten into their dog? The behavior comes as a surprise to them. But, dogs don't usually do things without a reason. When they act out, something is wrong.
Here is an interesting fact: Dogs are not people. When we treat them as such, that is when trouble begins. Dogs are pack animals. They like living in groups with others.
Dogs also like a leader. Whomever the leader of the pack is, they will look up to and try to please that dog, or in the case of pet ownership, that human. It takes a strong and firm leader to keep a dog happy and satisfied.
With that said, there are only a few reasons why dogs exhibit behavioral issues:
1. Lack of proper leadership by their owner
2. Confusion with commands given by owner
3. Lack of proper training
Common Dog Behavioral Problems
You may have already experienced some of these. If not, consider yourself lucky and keep reading to learn how to continue to avoid them.
1. Digging – Dogs love to dig to bury bones or to discover already buried treasure. It can ruin your lawn if you're not careful. One way to stop the behavior is to give a strong "NO" command when your dog is in the act of digging the hole. Another solution: build a special digging area like a sandbox for them to explore as freely as they like.
2. Chewing – Dogs like to chew. It can help them to relieve stress. But, chewing on your furniture is less than appealing. For your dog, eating decorations, yarn, socks and other small items can cause them to choke and become seriously ill. Provide your dog with plenty of chew toys to sharpen his teeth.
3. Poor manners – This centers on your dog not coming when you call him. For whatever reason, the dog doesn't want to mind your command. It could be the way that you are giving the command. Keep it simple so as not to confuse him. The last thing you need to do is go to the dog. Instead, try moving a few paces further away and calling him again. If all else fails, run and he will follow.
4. Begging – It's not polite to beg at the table. A good way to discourage this is to refuse to feed your dog table scraps. Don't allow others to feed him from the table either. This will only encourage more begging.
Is your dog behaving badly? Curb that undesired performance right away. Most dog behavior problems can be cured by adhering to one or more of the guidelines above.
Animal-World's Featured Pet of the Week: The Dwarf Hotot Rabbit!
April 14, 2013 by Jasmine
Filed under All Posts, Featured Pets, Small Pets
Animal-World's Featured Pet for this week is: The Dwarf Hotot Rabbit!
Here is an adorable, small, and playful bunny rabbit! A little late for Easter, but these Dwarf Hotot Rabbits actually make fantastic pets! They are not quite as common as some other pet rabbits, but they are oh-so-cute! I am not sure if we ever kept any of these rabbits at our pet store, but they were available for special order and I've definitely run into them at rabbit shows. Many people like them to show them! Being petite and a beautiful pure white color with black bands around their eyes, they really stand out. Their name is pronounced Dwarf "Oh-Toe" Rabbit and are also known as Eyes of the Fancy.
Many people think Dwarf Hotot Rabbits make good pets because they are so playful. In fact they enjoy playing with both people and toys! They usually are quite affectionate with their owners if held regularly and are easy to hold. Because of this they are one of the better pet rabbits for children. They are a dwarf breed and so do not get as large as a regular full-sized rabbit. They only reach 2 to 3.5 pounds and can live in a smaller enclosure than a 10 to 15 pound rabbit could. They can live to be around 7 to 10 years old.
Dwarf Hotot Rabbits do not have a straightforward background history. It is often assumed that they are just a "mini" version of the regular sized Hotot Rabbit. This is not the case, however. While they do have the larger Hotot Rabbit in their genes, it took quite a bit of cross-breeding before the Dwarf Hotot Rabbit was declared. Baroness Bernard of France developed the very first Hotot Rabbit near the beginning of the 20th century. After this breeders in both West and East Germany were cross-breeding the Hotot Rabbit with several different breeds of rabbits. These included the Netherland Dwarf Rabbit and the Blanc De Hotot Rabbit. After these efforts were continued for some time the Germany breeders came together to try a combined effort in the 1970's. The dwarf size first appeared when they crossed black Netherland Dwarfs with albino red-eyed rabbits. The German breeders crossed the two separate breeds they had come up with, and this is where our current Dwarf Hotot Rabbit originated from! Very interesting.
The American Dwarf Hotot Rabbit Club (ADHRC) was established in the United States in 1981. This was after Elizabeth Forstinger brought 7 rabbits from Germany to California to show them. The Dwarf Hotot Rabbit was officially recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1983. And ever since then, they have been a popular show rabbit in the United States! Some things to note when showing these rabbits. A show specimen cannot be over 3 pounds in weight and they should appear to have no neck. They also cannot have black anywhere on their bodies (including their ears) except around their eyes. Other color varieties are recognized, such as chocolate and black, they just cannot be shown.
The care and maintenance of Dwarf Hotot Rabbits is typical of most other pet rabbits. As I mentioned above, they don't need a large enclosure. A 2X2 foot cage would be sufficient. Especially if you let them out of their cage regularly! They also love to play so make sure to provide them with a couple toys. Feed these rabbits the same fare you would feed regular rabbits. They do well on a diet of commercial rabbit pellets with some fresh vegetables thrown in on occasion. Treats would also be welcomed on occasion. Dwarf Hotot Rabbits do need to be groomed. Ideally this should be done weekly to prevent them from accidentally ingesting too much fur. Intestinal blockages are a common problem in this breed if excess hair is not removed often.
Other than intestinal blockages, another health problem these rabbits run into is called malocclusion. This is when their lower teeth are directly below their front teeth, instead of behind them. This can cause them to have trouble eating or to accidentally snag their teeth on something, making them lose them. The remedy is having a veterinarian trim their teeth as they grow every 6 to 8 weeks. This is a simple solution, but it does take commitment to making sure it is done regularly.
Dwarf Hotot Rabbits are great little bunnies, for both showing and as pets! Breeders are usually easy to find online and prices range from $15 to $75 depending on whether you want a show animal or just a pet. I hope you enjoyed reading about these adorable rabbits!
Jasmine is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups.
Common Cat Behavioral Problems
Cats are quite self-sufficient. They do love their owners but can get a little out of hand when they want something. Keep reading to find out some common reasons why Fluffy might be going off the rails and how to deal with cat behavioral problems.
Cats are very intelligent animals. They are also capable of great affection and great standoffish attitudes. It doesn't bother some owners when they do what they want but certain behaviors can become problematic for the cat's family. It is best to discourage all undesired actions as soon as possible.
Common Cat DON'TS
If any of the following sounds like your cat, there is hope. Find out how to discourage the problem here as well.
1. Scratching – That is what those claws are for, but not to do it on your fine furniture and rugs. Since cats need to scratch why not indulge them with a variety of scratching media? Try different shapes and textures of scratching posts. Place them strategically around the house in areas your cat will frequent.
2. Nipping – It can be quite painful to have your cat nip at your legs or fingers. Often this is a problem when fingers and extremities are used as play toys when your cat is a kitten. As they age, they will continue this behavior. Use cat toys instead of your body as play things. Give them a firm command and also use a spray bottle with water to discourage further nips. Aim for the cat's nose. You need to catch them in the act so they associate the erroneous behavior and the scolding.
3. Urinating – Animals often urinate to plant their scent when they are looking for a mating partner. Spaying or neutering can curb the inclination to "mark" territories. Cats may urinate if they are nervous. Has your schedule changed or is there a new pet in the house? Both can cause this problem.
4. Not using the litter box – Cats are very clean animals. They expect that the place where they do their business is clean as well. If your pet refuses to use the litter box, it could need a more regular cleaning. Try scoopable litter to remove large clumps each day between regular cleaning. Also, scented litter may bother them. Try unscented. Location could be problematic for your cat as well. Litter boxes are best situated away from high traffic areas.
5. Erratic behavior – Your cat is sitting quietly in your arms and then they get up and run wildly around the house. He could be letting off steam or be a little nervous. Talk to your veterinarian. Another option would be to tire your cat out just like you would do a child. Play with them and even feed them later so they can wind down and sleep peacefully at night.
You love your cat but it is likely they have some of the listed cat behavioral problems. Those listed above are some of the more common ones.
Animal-World's Featured Pet of the Week: The Scottish Fold Cat!
April 7, 2013 by Jasmine
Filed under All Posts, Featured Pets, Pet Cats
Animal-World's Featured Pet for this week is: The Scottish Fold Cat!
I thought that because there have been a couple recent cat posts I would write about an interesting cat breed this week. The Scottish Fold Cat! Has anyone ever owned one of these? They are not as popular as regular pet cats, but they are definitely popular as show cats! Of course, these cats are known by their peculiar ears. They have very small ears which fold forward and down. These ears are caused by a genetic mutation, making Scottish Fold Cats a Mutation Cat Breed. The ears are also a reason many people love this personable cat!
The Scottish Fold Cat actually has a reputation for being a great pet! Other than their intriguing appearance, they are also very friendly, adaptable cats. They get along well with most people and other pets, and can be kept as either indoors or outdoors cats. Generally being calm cats, they enjoy attention and affection, but they also love their fair share of playing and hunting. This makes them great for both families in huge houses and lots of kids, and for quiet apartments with only their owner. And of course, they make awesome show cats because of their unique appearance!
Here is the interesting history on the Scottish Fold Cat. The very first one recognized was born in Perthshire, Scotland on a farm in 1961. The cat was named Susie and and she later had a folded ear kitten named Snooks. Snooks then had a kitten named Snowdrift. Snowdrift was used by a breeder in London to earnestly try and continue the folded ear trait. That breeder was named Pat Turner. This cat was recognized as a new breed, although there were people who did not agree with it. This is mostly because they claimed the folded ears could become infected more readily and were hard to clean. However the Cat Association in England accepted the Scottish Fold Cat breed in 1983. The United States recognized the breed even earlier in 1973. By the 1990's The Scottish Fold Cat was in the top ten popular pedigree breeds! Other cats with folded ears include the American Curl Cat, whose ears fold backwards rather than forwards. Another interesting tidbit is that the very first cat with folded ears to ever be recorded was in the 1880's! This cat seems to have been brought by ship to Europe from China, but it is unknown whether any more folded ear cats came from that one.
The care and maintenance of the Scottish Fold Cat is that of most other typical cats. These cats are regular sized, weighing 6 to 13 pounds. They live a typical cat lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Grooming them once a week will keep their hair free of mats and keep them looking their best. There are long-hair varieties which may require more grooming, especially if you are showing them. As I mentioned earlier, these guys are quite adaptable and can live in most human environments! From huge farms to small apartments. And they most often get along with other cats and other pets (including dogs!).
For those of you interested in breeding Scottish Fold Cats, there are some things that you need to know. First, you should never breed a Scottish Fold Cat with another Scottish Fold Cat. This is because 25% of the kittens will have grave abnormalities which result in a lower quality of life and a shortened lifespan. You should always breed your Scottish Fold Cat with a non-Scottish Fold Cat. In this scenario, 50% of the kittens will have the folded ear trait. The other 50% will look typical, but none of them will come up with life-threatening abnormalities.
Usually health problems arise when two Scottish Fold Cats are bred together. Some of the kittens can have abnormalities which include stiffened and shortened legs and tails. This is because of some of the vertebrae being fused together. Nothing can be done to help these cats, other than give them medication to help with pain. They don't live very long or very happy lives. Quite sad. Other than this situation, Scottish Fold Cats are usually quite healthy when taken care of!
Is your curiosity piqued? If you are interested in Scottish Fold Cats, breeders can be found across the United States. Prices are anywhere from $300 to $750 depending on age and traits. Kittens are more expensive than adults because that is their prime showing age.
Jasmine is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups.
The Benefits of a Feral Cat Program
Feral cats have never learned to socialize with humans and often cause problems for people. Some animal groups are working to help these cats to live a healthier and friendlier existence by working with Feral Cat Programs.
Feral or Lost?
Feral cats are wild cats. They have either been abandoned by owners at an early age or have been gone from a home so long that they have learned to live in a feral group on the streets. Because these cats are not spayed or neutered, even more feral cats are born into this type of society.
On the other hand, a lost cat knows people and seeks their companionship. They are not used to fending for themselves and won't survive long on the street without them. Often lost cats hang around suburban areas trying to get food and warmth from homes and businesses.
How to Solve the Problem
People are concerned about the increasing epidemic of feral cats on the streets. Because they are wild and untamed, these cats have been known to urinate everywhere (marking their territory), make noisy fights with other cats, spread infection, and upset trash cans looking for food.
Often they live in community groups called "colonies." These cats usually live together in areas that are known to be kind to them. It could be the back yard of a person who is willing to feed them or outside a business where they throw out scraps to keep them fed.
The ASPCA and the Humane Society has come up with some Feral Cat Programs to help these cats. One program is the Trap-Neuter-Spay-Return program. Much like the catch-and-release program utilized by fishermen, feral cats are carefully rounded up. They are then taken to a facility where they are sterilized. Then, they are released back into their community environment.
Much like this program is the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return program. The animals are sterilized, but animal professionals also take it upon themselves to look the cats over and vaccinate them properly against common diseases they may encounter on the street.
These feral cat programs are further enhanced by volunteers who are committed to monitoring and taking care of these cat colonies. The benefits are:
– Longer life span for feral cats
– Fewer disruptions in society
– Fewer unwanted cats on the streets
These cats also make great mousers to keep down the rodent population. Some have proposed eradicating feral cats but that won't solve the problem in the end. For one, new cats will come along to fill the void left by the ones taken. Secondly, it is easier to get volunteers to care for the existence of these animals then to round them up for euthanization.
Feral cats are not able to be tamed but they can be given a chance at a healthy existence through friendly feral cat programs. These programs really do help cats in wild situations.
Do Red-Eared Slider Turtles Make Good Pets?
Well, the short answer to that question is: it depends. I think that the idea of a pet turtle isn't necessarily something that most people cling to (unless they are reptile lovers!). But when they go in someplace and see a cute little baby turtle, purchasing one as a pet can often sound like a great idea. And it is true, baby red-eared sliders are enticingly adorable! The problem comes when the people buying the turtles are not fully prepared for owning and caring for them long-term.
On the flip side, for those who are prepared to own a Red-Eared Slider and have decided they truly want one, these turtles can make great pets. My parents have a large outdoor pond in their backyard with a few koi, plants, and 2 Red-eared Sliders. Those two Sliders have been living there for several years and the pond is their dream home! They even go into hibernation every winter deep in the mud and then come out again in the spring. It is always fun to predict when the turtles will make their appearance! My three young children love to go over to their grandparents house and help feed the turtles by throwing pellets into the water. So for us, they have been great pets!
I was recently reading the article Talking Turtles, from the Pet Business newsletter, and they had some good points on what water turtles are and are not. They point out that many adult turtles purchased as babies end up not wanted and are given away (or released into the wild, which is even worse). This is in large part because people simply are not prepared for the needs and long-term care of an adult water turtle. Red-Ear Sliders become large as adults, they produce a lot of waste and need a lot of filtration, they don't get along well with other aquarium dwellers, and they are often biters. It is illegal for Sliders under 4 inches to be sold, however many pet stores and other places still sell tiny turtles.
Just a quick overview on the basics of care for the Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta. These are things you will really want to consider before deciding if this is truly a pet you want to pursue. First, these turtles can live quite a long time, anywhere from 30 to 60 years. In captivity, these turtles are often fairly calm and can be tame if held regularly. Many of them will be friendly enough that they will even take food right out of your hand! They are very hardy reptiles and will adapt to almost any environment. This means that you don't have to be too particular in their enclosure temperatures or provide specific specialized foods or tank additions. However, this doesn't mean that enclosure cleanliness is not important or that you shouldn't attempt to give your turtle proper nutrition!
Red-Eared Sliders can be kept indoors or outdoors. Indoor turtles should be kept in a large enough tub with spaces to bask. They love basking! UVB bulbs should be provided for this purpose. A good filtration system is also a must, because turtles produce a lot of waste! It is most likely a good idea to refrain from keeping your turtle(s) with any other fish or aquatic animals because they will usually eat other fish (especially smaller ones). If you have a pond outdoors, this is a great place to keep a turtle. They will love the space, and the ability to bask in the sun.
Feeding a turtle can be easy. Providing them with purchased turtle pellets is a good way to start. Younger Red-Eared Sliders should be given a more varied diet to make sure they are receiving the proper nutrients for good shell growth. These turtles will eat insects, larvae, worms, and small fish. As they grow larger they will start to add plant matter to their diet. For this reason, it is always a good idea to keep aquatic plants in a turtles environment.
So, do Red-Eared Sliders make good pets? If you have a large enough area, like a good pet to just sit back and watch, and love reptiles, then they do make good pets! However, they aren't the best pets in the "impulse buy" situation. If they are just bought on the spur of the moment because they are small and cute and the purchaser really has no idea how large they become or how long they live, then this isn't the best pet situation. Unfortunately, many turtles are still bought under these circumstances and then end up without a home as adults.


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Categories > TV > Criminal Minds > Dodging a Bullet
Lost in New Orleans0 Reviews
As the team pull out of the airport, Hotchner gets sick of Reid and Morgan's endless bickering, and sends them to make their own way. He trusts them fully, but is that the right choice?
"Make it $150." Spencer grinned, walking backwards into a bulky man, in black leather, who had just walked out of the mens' restroom. He apologised quickly and walked ahead a few feet, then stopped, waiting for Morgan.
"Someone's confident." Derek smirked at the long haired, awkward young man before him. He had known him for almost two years, and he was the only member of the team he could really trust.
Maybe it was because he couldn't relate to it, but he could understand it from all the things he knew, all the books he's read. Maybe it was because he knew for a fact that Reid would never give him any of the, "It'll all be okay." bullshit. Or maybe it was because he knew he was smart, and maybe a small part of him hoped that he could get all the answers to all his problems from the kid with all the brains.
"Well, of course I'm confident, I know exactly how it works and exactly how it's going to end, I just need another two victims to identify them, detect the pattern, profile him, locate him, arrest him, and that's it, I've practically won already. Want to hand over the money now, to save you the trouble?" Reid said, not pausing once, his head inclined innocently, his expression as blank as Hotchner's on poker night.


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Recent Posts
- Some pictures from the Junior European Championships 2014 in Switzerland July 14, 2014
- Scholarship Applications. July 10, 2014
- How to Train Like a Pro! June 16, 2014
- Critical Power and Anaerobic Capacity of Grand Cycling Tour Winners March 16, 2014
- Protein ingestion before sleep improves postexercise overnight recovery. March 4, 2014
- Milk ingestion stimulates net muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise. March 4, 2014
- Feed your genes: How our genes respond to the foods we eat? January 31, 2014
- 2014/15 Goals and Beyond. January 6, 2014
- Hypoxic Training Improves TT Performance and Power Output December 22, 2013
- Athlete Testing at www.seeng.ie December 13, 2013
Some pictures from the Junior European Championships 2014 in Switzerland
Scholarship Applications.
Applications close this Friday at midnight!
With the success of our initial scholarship program we are now looking to award two more scholarships. The successful riders will be currently 2nd year juniors or 1st year U23 and should be in a position to commit 20hrs+ per week to training and be committed to a full racing and training program for 2015. Each rider will be supported by Sports & Exercise Engineering with athlete services from individual coaching, strength & conditioning to sports massage & injury managment. The successful riders will ride the 2015 season with our U23 Development Team. The team will be fully supported through a racing program for the 2015 season with the objective of advancement to full-time international racing. The 2 new riders will combine with our current scholarship riders for 2015. If you are motivated to become a full-time professional bike rider and you think you have what it takes please send your CV to firstname.lastname@example.com. Deadline for applications is Friday 11th July 2014.If you are simply interested in one of our coaching packages or athlete services please contact HERE.
How to Train Like a Pro!
I have been involved in national and international level sports both as an athlete and coach since 1980 with 28 of those years spent coaching athletes from gymnasts to pro tour cyclists and a variety in between. As a certified coach in a number of sports I choose to broaden my skills in order to better understand the athlete and with that aim completed strength & conditioning along with orthopaedic massage & injury management courses. The training and skills developed by adding these courses to my own skills have developed my understanding of the athlete. Athlete Prevention, Athlete execution (and no we done shoot anyone!) and Athlete Results are a staple diet in all that we do at Sports & Exercise Engineering.
In prescribing a training session to an athlete it is important that the session does not injure or prevent the athlete from training or actively recovering the next day. This focus on training prescription is Athlete Prevention. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is and example of this or even simple overload in one session.
With a training session prescribed we enter the Athlete Execution phase. The method for carrying out the session must be correct wether that is by monitoring the intensity by heart rate monitor or by pace or the method in which the session is executed. One also needs to execute "stretching" and "range of motion" routines correctly. I have yet to see an athlete doing a set of 3 different stretches correctly. Gymnastics is a hard sport which requires a massive amount of conditioning for only a few minutes or just seconds of competition. We don't recommend the activity in the picture below.
Athlete Results is where the evaluation by the coach or oneself takes place. Analyse the training files, examine your physicality asking questions such as, did I hit the correct training zones, should I be as tired or as fresh as this after my session, have the results of previous day affected todays session and result, should todays results enter tomorrows Athlete Prevention when prescribing for the following day session.
The last few paragraphs are a little insight into how High Performance drives athletes and how we at Sports & Exercise Engineering manage and coach our athletes. We communicate, prescribe and then expect the athlete to digest the prescription. The athlete needs read the prescription and provide feedback, maybe a wedding on a weekend might prevent training so with communication these days could be changed to act as recovery days with pre loading of heavy training prior to the wedding ensure that the athlete is getting full training loads in per cycle wether that being Macro, Meso or Micro. (Article on training cycle HERE)
Here a few simple tips for your training
1. Endurance spins are long and tedious. Generally one only needs to train for approx 10% more than your longest event. Make sure you have the correct clothing as on long training spin the weather can change and if your on a single long loop you can find yourself far from home. Eat and drink well though out the spin. If the weather is promised bad stay closer to home by doing laps of a short course. Mix up these session by meeting ability liked groups or going away for a weekend and training on different roads or even a trip abroad.
2. Sprinting can be very hard on the body and joints. It is not recommended that if you are new to cycling that you do any hard sprinting for the first 12 months until your body develops the strength to handle these efforts. When sprinting it is very important to complete such session in a safe manor. Do not do these on a busy main road. Find a quiet spot, maybe an industrial estate or back road and ensure your bike is mechanically sound, your cleats are in good shape and your helmet fits good. Sprinting can be for 1 minute or 10 seconds depending on what one is trying to achieve. The staple diet of the pro riders is the 20 second on and 40 second off sprint. The number, intensity and recovery of these sprints depends on the ability of the rider. Factors such as cadence and incline can also be factored into these effort all eliciting different effects and results. Again one can see where Athlete Prevention, Athlete Execution & Athlete Results are so important.
3. Intervals can range from just over a minute to 20 minutes. The number, intensity and recovery of these intervals depends on the ability of the rider. Factors such as cadence and incline can also be factored into these effort all eliciting different effects and results. The professional rider uses monitoring equipment for these intervals with the power meter the favourite tool of choice. During the longer intervals of 5 minutes+ the heart rate will level out and stabilise, it usually take around 3 minutes for this to happen and these intervals can be done on Heart Rate alone. With the shorter intervals of under 5 minutes the power meter is king as it displays a power number generated from pushing the pedals and the power meter displays a instant reading which does no take time to adjust. This allows the rider to train at a particular zone and be 100% sure they are at that zone while doing the more intense intervals of up to 5 minutes.
4. Recovery is as important as ones training. "If your standing and you can sit, then sit. If your sitting and you can lie down the lie. If your lying and you can sleep then sleep" This is the simplest of all advice and one the pros live by. Massage, eating, sleeping even 10 or 15 mins naps have proven to benefit recovery. Don't forget the active recovery, the easy spin to the coffee shop or the paper will all contribute to your recovery. With recovery its all the continuous little things in your life that you do that add up to give goo recovery.
8. Nutrition is what keeps you going and repairs the damage you've done training. If you need to loose weight then a 500 calorie a day deficit will encourage weight loss without damaging muscle size or volume. A good balanced diet with quality foods and calorie watching is whats needed for good nutritional balance. Don't buy burgers in a box but get your meet minced in the butchers in front of you and make your own. If its in a box chances are that the product in the box has been optimised for the profits of the business selling the product and not for you consumption. Nutrition can be made very complete with this diet and that diet. Stay simple, keep your diet varied and balance, watch the calories in and the calories you use, make sure your covering what you need from your training load requirements and you wouldn't go to far wrong.
We offer a free consultation and advice service for your initial enquiry. If you are interested in our coaching services or athlete services we can be contacted HERE. For regular updates and free tips sign up to our page here or follow @CoachVelo or our Team SEEng.ie U23 Development Squad @SEEng_ie
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Critical Power and Anaerobic Capacity of Grand Cycling Tour Winners
Link to full article: Critical Power & Anaerobic Capacity of Grand Tour Winners
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Milk ingestion stimulates net muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise.
Previous studies have examined the response of muscle protein to resistance exercise and nutrient ingestion. Net muscle protein synthesis results from the combination of resistance exercise and amino acid intake. No study has examined the response of muscle protein to ingestion of protein in the context of a food. This study was designed to determine the response of net muscle protein balance following resistance exercise to ingestion of nutrients as components of milk.
Three groups of volunteers ingested one of three milk drinks each: 237 g of fat-free milk (FM), 237 g of whole milk (WM), and 393 g of fat-free milk isocaloric with the WM (IM). Milk was ingested 1 h following a leg resistance exercise routine. Net muscle protein balance was determined by measuring amino acid balance across the leg.
Arterial concentrations of representative amino acids increased in response to milk ingestion. Threonine balance and phenylalanine balance were both > 0 following milk ingestion. Net amino acid uptake for threonine was 2.8-fold greater (P < 0.05) for WM than for FM. Mean uptake of phenylalanine was 80 and 85% greater for WM and IM, respectively, than for FM, but not statistically different. Threonine uptake relative to ingested was significantly (P < 0.05) higher for WM (21 +/- 6%) than FM (11 +/- 5%), but not IM (12 +/- 3%). Mean phenylalanine uptake/ingested also was greatest for WM, but not significantly.
Ingestion of milk following resistance exercise results in phenylalanine and threonine uptake, representative of net muscle protein synthesis. These results suggest that whole milk may have increased utilization of available amino acids for protein synthesis.
Posted in Training Tagged muscle protein, muscle protein synthesis, resistance exercise Leave a comment
Feed your genes: How our genes respond to the foods we eat?
How our genes respond to the foods we eat?
What if you could answer this question at a molecular level — what if you could find out how our genes respond to the foods we eat, and what this does to the cellular processes that make us healthy — or not?
When we eat foods our genes are "up-regulated" or "down-regulated". The other term for this is called "knowing up" or "knocking down" a gene. The fact that a gene is switched on or off is due to what our parents give us. I saying that our genes function at different levels. One might have a gene working at 15% and another individual have the same gene working at 90%. In trying to understand how to "up-regulate" or "down-regulate" i.e. increase a gene from 15% efficiency to 50% efficiency or decrease from 90% to 60% researchers at The Norwegian University of Science & technology (NTNU) researched the effects of food on this process.
If you could ask your genes to say what kinds of foods are best for your health, they would have a simple answer: one-third protein, one-third fat and one-third carbohydrates. That's what recent genetic research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) shows is the best recipe to limit your risk of most lifestyle-related diseases.
Food affects gene expression
NTNU researchers Ingerid Arbo and Hans-Richard Brattbakk have fed slightly overweight people different diets, and studied the effect of this on gene expression. Gene expression refers to the process where information from a gene's DNA sequence is translated into a substance, like a protein, that is used in a cell's structure or function.
"We have found that a diet with 65% carbohydrates, which often is what the average Norwegian eats in some meals, causes a number of classes of genes to work overtime," says Berit Johansen, a professor of biology at NTNU. She supervises the project's doctoral students and has conducted research on gene expression since the 1990s.
"This affects not only the genes that cause inflammation in the body, which was what we originally wanted to study, but also genes associated with development of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, dementia, and type 2 diabetes — all the major lifestyle-related diseases," she says.
Common dietary advice and chronic disease
These findings undercut most of the underpinnings for the diets you've heard will save you. Dietary advice abounds, and there is a great deal of variation as to how scientifically justified it is. But it is only now that researchers are figuring out the relationship between diet, digestion and the effect on one's health and immune system — so they can now say not only what kinds of foods are healthiest, but why.
"Both low-carb and high-carb diets are wrong," says Johansen. "But a low-carb diet is closer to the right diet. A healthy diet shouldn't be made up of more than one-third carbohydrates (up to 40 per cent of calories) in each meal, otherwise we stimulate our genes to initiate the activity that creates inflammation in the body."
This is not the kind of inflammation that you would experience as pain or an illness, but instead it is as if you are battling a chronic light flu-like condition. Your skin is slightly redder, your body stores more water, you feel warmer, and you're not on top mentally. Scientists call this metabolic inflammation.
A powdered diet
Johansen and her colleagues conducted two studies. The first was to determine what type of research methods they would use to answer the questions they had. In the pilot study (28 days) five obese men ate real food, while in the second study, 32 slightly overweight men and women (mainly students) ate specially made powdered food.
Participants in the latter study were randomly assigned to go six days on a diet with 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates, with the rest of the calories from protein (15 percent) and fat (20 percent), then a week with no diet. Then came the six days on a diet with half the carbs and twice as much protein and fat as in the first diet. There were blood tests before and after each dieting period.
The amount of food each person ate was calculated so that their weight would remain stable and so that equal portions were consumed evenly over six meals throughout the day.
The researchers had help developing diets from Fedon Lindberg, a medical doctor who specializes in internal medicine and who promotes low-glycaemic diets, Inge Lindseth, an Oslo dietician who specializes in diabetes, and Ann-Kristin de Soysa, a dietician who works with obese patients at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim.
"We wanted to know exactly what the subjects were getting in terms of both macro- and micronutrients," says Johansen, -"A tomato doesn't contain a consistent amount of nutrients, or antioxidants, for example. So make sure we had a handle on the health effects, we had to have accurate accounting of nutrients. That's why we chose the powdered diets for the main study."
Solving the control problem
Diet studies that compare different diets with different amounts of fat are often criticized with the argument that it is difference in the amount of omega-3 fatty acids that causes the health effects, not the rest of the food intake.
The researchers addressed this problem by having the same amount of omega-3 and omega-6 in both diets, although the amount of fat in general was different in the diets that were tested. The researchers also avoided another common problem: the natural variation in gene expression between humans.
"Each of our study subjects was able to be his or her own control person, " Johansen says "Every subject was allowed to go on both diets, with a one-week break in between the diets, and half began with one diet, while the rest started with the other diet."
Blood tests were conducted before and after each diet period. All of the measurements of changes in gene expression were done so that each individual's difference in gene expression was compared with that person alone. The results were then compiled.
Johnson says the studies resulted in two important findings. One is the positive effect of many meals throughout the day, and the details about the quality and composition of components in an optimal diet, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The second is that a carbohydrate-rich diet, regardless of whether or not a person overeats, has consequences for genes that affect the lifestyle diseases, she says.
A way to measure genetic temperature
Throughout the study, researchers surveyed the extent to which various genes were working normally or overtime. An aggregate measure of the results of all of this genetic activity is called gene expression. It can almost be considered a measurement of the genetic temperature of the body's state of health.
"We are talking about collecting a huge amount of information," says Johansen.
"And it's not like there is a gene for inflammation, for example. So what we look for is whether there are any groups of genes that work overtime. In this study we saw that an entire group of genes that are involved in the development of inflammatory reactions in the body work overtime as a group."
It was not only inflammatory genes that were putting in overtime, as it would turn out. Some clusters of genes that stood out as overactive are linked to the most common lifestyle diseases.
"Genes that are involved in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and some forms of cancer respond to diet, and are up-regulated, or activated, by a carbohydrate-rich diet," says Johansen.
Johansen is not a cancer researcher, and is not claiming that it is possible to eliminate your risk of a cancer diagnosis by eating. But she thinks it is worth noting that the genes that we associate with disease risk can be influenced by diet.
"We're not saying that you can prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's if you eat right, but it seems sensible to reduce the carbohydrates in our diets," she suggests.
"We need more research on this," Johansen adds. "It seems clear that the composition and quantity of our diets can be key in influencing the symptoms of chronic disease. It is important to distinguish between diet quality and quantity, both clearly have very specific effects."
The body's arms race
Johansen argues that diet is the key to controlling our personal genetic susceptibility to disease. In choosing what we eat, we choose whether we will provide our genes the weapons that cause disease. The immune system operates as if it is the body's surveillance authority and police. When we consume too many carbohydrates and the body is triggered to react, the immune system mobilizes its strength, as if the body were being invaded by bacteria or viruses.
"Genes respond immediately to what they have to work with. It is likely that insulin controls this arms race," Johansen says. "But it's not as simple as the regulation of blood sugar, as many believe. The key lies in insulin's secondary role in a number of other mechanisms. A healthy diet is about eating specific kinds of foods so that that we minimize the body's need to secrete insulin. The secretion of insulin is a defense mechanism in response to too much glucose in the blood, and whether that glucose comes from sugar or from non-sweet carbohydrates such as starches (potatoes, white bread, rice, etc.), doesn't really matter."
Avoid the fat trap!
The professor warns against being caught up in the fat trap. It's simply not good to cut out carbs completely, she says. "The fat/protein trap is just as bad as the carbohydrate trap. It's about the right balance, as always."
She says we must also make sure to eat carbohydrates, proteins and fats in five to six smaller meals, not just for the main meal, at dinner.
"Eating several small and medium-sized meals throughout the day is important. Don't skip breakfast and don't skip dinner. One-third of every meal should be carbohydrates, one-third protein and one-third fat. That's the recipe for keeping inflammatory and other disease-enhancing genes in check," Johansen explains.
Change is quick
Johansen has some encouraging words, however, for those of us who have been eating a high carbohydrate diet. "It took just six days to change the gene expression of each of the volunteers," she says, "so it's easy to get started. But if you want to reduce your likelihood of lifestyle disease, this new diet will have to be a permanent change."
Johansen stressed that researchers obviously do not have all the answers to the relationship between diet and food yet. But the trends in the findings, along with recent scientific literature, make it clear that the recommendation should be for people to change their dietary habits.
Otherwise, an increasing number of people will be afflicted with chronic lifestyle diseases.
The new food balance sheet
Most of us think it is fine to have foods that you can either eat or not eat, whether it comes to carbohydrates or fats. So how will we know what to put on our plates?
Do we have to both count calories and weigh our food now?
"Of course you can be that careful," says Johansen. "But you will come a long way just by making some basic choices. If you cut down on boiled root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, and replace the white bread with a few whole meal slices, such as rye bread, or bake your own crispbread, you will reduce the amount of bad carbohydrates in your diet quite significantly. Furthermore, remember to eat protein and fat at every meal, including breakfast!"
Salad also contains carbohydrates
Johansen explains that many of us do not realize that all the fruits and vegetables we eat also count as carbohydrates — and that it's not just sweet carbohydrates that we should watch out for.
"Salad is made up of carbohydrates," says Johansen. "But you have to eat a lot of greens to get a lot of calories. Steamed broccoli is a great alternative to boiled potatoes. Fruit is good, but you have to be careful not to eat large quantities of the high-glycemic fruits at one time. Variety is important."
The best is to cut down on potatoes, rice and pasta, and to allow ourselves some of the good stuff that has long been in the doghouse in the refrigerator.
"Instead of light products, we should eat real mayonnaise and sour cream," Johansen says, "and have real cream in your sauce, and eat oily fish. That said, we should still remember not to eat too much food, either at each meal or during the day. Fat is twice as calorie-rich as carbohydrates and proteins, so we have to keep that in mind when planning the sizes of our portions. Fat is also different. We shouldn't eat too much saturated animal fat, but monounsaturated vegetable fats and polyunsaturated marine fats are good."
Fountain-of-youth genes
Johansen's research also shows that some genes are not up-regulated, but rather the opposite — they calm down rather than speed up.
"It was interesting to see the reduction in genetic activity, but we were really happy to see which genes were involved. One set of genes is linked to cardiovascular disease. They were down-regulated in response to a balanced diet, as opposed to a carbohydrate-rich diet," she says. Another gene that was significantly differently expressed by the diets that were tested was one that is commonly called "the youth gene" in the international research literature.
"We haven't actually stumbled on the fountain of youth here," Johansen laughs, "but we should take these results seriously. The important thing for us is, little by little, we are uncovering the mechanisms of disease progression for many of our major lifestyle-related disorders."
Johansen's research has been supported by NTNU and Central Norway Regional Health Authority. Other key partners have been Mette Langaas, a statistician and associate professor of mathematics at NTNU, Dr. Bard Kulseng of the Regional Center for Morbid Obesity at St Olavs Hospital, and Martin Kuiper, a professor of systems biology at NTNU.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by The Norwegian University of Science & technology (NTNU) & http://www.sciencedaily.com Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
2014/15 Goals and Beyond.
"Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail"
We here this old saying every year. How many of you plan everything out to the last. The plan is so extensive and detailed it becomes no fun, it dictates life, it starts to annoy you, you become tired, loose motivation and eventually the plan goes in the bin.
Sound familiar?
At Sports & exercise Engineering we take all that planning out of your goals and manage you and your training in an effective and efficient manor. We use the latest of technology that is available today. We apply the highest standards used in the coaching world today. We get you to your peak. Remember "A Goal is only a wish until you have a Plan" All our plans are specific, progressive and applicable to the athlete or individual in question. Generic is not a term we are familiar with.
Fitness Testing in our clinic in Galway. From Step Tests to VO2/Lactate Testing
Wether your a high performance athlete or someone looking to get fit and back into the groove why not give us a call to discuss your options for 2014. Contact form is HERE or you can call in using the directions HERE
Hypoxic Training Improves TT Performance and Power Output
Originally posted on Sports and Exercise Engineering Blog:
Elite cyclists endurance performance following Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT)
We welcome your opinion on all the papers we post. Add your comments, thoughts or your own articles below.
Summary of the paper:
Well controlled and applied endurance sport research. 20 male elite cyclists randomly divided into a hypoxic or normoxic group trained at 95% (hypoxic) or 100% (normoxic) of individual lactate threshold, 3 times a week for 3 weeks. After a rest week the hypoxic group managed a significantly improved 30km time trial with a 5.6% increased in average power and 2.6% improvement in time trial performance. The normoxic group did not see any significant differences post training.
The study highlights that haematological adaptations may not occur when only using IHT. However when combined with an adequate training stimulus muscular adaptation (increase mitochondrial density, cappilary length…
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Athlete Testing at www.seeng.ie
A rider being put through his paces in our testing suite today.
Pedal Stroke Analysis and Lactate profiling to Power & Heart Rate has allowed this ride to produce the same power output at a lower input aas he was doing during his peak racing time this year without any work over Zone 3.
Measurable outcomes are the only way to improve and be sure your work is correct.


text:
The invention is based on the intention of creating a stomach probe with which a watertight closure of the oesophagus is possible. The stomach probe, according to the invention, is characterized by a tampon-bladder for watertight closure of the oesophagus, in which the tampon-bladder forms from flexible and/or elastic material at least a closed inner cavity for the reception of a fluid medium, through a means (11) of establishing a prescribed pressure for the medium in the tampon-bladder (16) by an inner lumen forming the actual stomach probe, from which an outer hose-like lumen (18) extending to the tampon-bladder (16) is so arranged that between the outer lumen (18) and the inner lumen (17) a channel is formed connected to the inner cavity of the tampon-bladder (16) arranged on the outer lumen (18) by a number of openings (20), whereby the inner cavity of the tampon-bladder (16) is connected via the canal formed between the inner and outer lumina (17, 18) with the means of production of pressure in the tampon-bladder, that is, with a suitably graded reservoir or equalizing vessel (11) for the liquid medium situated above the tampon-bladder and outside the patient.
1. A stomach probe for sealing an oesophagus of a patient so that physiological shaping and function of the oesophagus is not compromised, comprising:
a tampon-bladder placeable in the oesophagus and forming an inside space for the reception of a medium, said tampon-bladder formed from a flexible and/or elastic material;
a first lumen extending through said tampon-bladder;
a second lumen reaching into the tampon-bladder, said second lumen including a channel for communicating with an inner cavity of the tampon-bladder, wherein the inner cavity of the tampon-bladder is fillable through said channel by means of a filling device connectable to the channel, said filling device ensuring a slight, shape-maintaining filling pressure inside said tampon-bladder;
a wall of said second lumen being provided with a plurality of openings connecting an interior of the tampon-bladder with an interior of the second lumen, said openings being sieve-like, being arranged over the length of said second lumen, and being sufficient in number and size, and the tampon bladder being sufficient in length and diameter for enabling a rapid exchange of volume of the medium between contracted and relaxed sectors of the tampon-bladder upon a wave of contraction of the oesophagus.
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This application is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/EP97104960 filed on Sep. 10, 1997, which International Application was not published by the International Bureau in English.
Material rising up into the pharynx from the stomach and intestinal tract represents, particularly for the unconscious patient being ventilated, a permanent reservoir of microbes, and may provoke or exacerbate pulmonary infection from the lower pharynx on intubation. Artificially ventilated intensive care patients are looked after through secretion-stimulating gastric probes or feeding tubes whose throughput as a rule is still insufficient to put a stop to gastro-oesophogeo-pharyngeal reflux beside or along them. As a result the greater number of sedated or artificially ventilated patients are virtually overwhelmed by high-grade bacterially contaminated material in the pharyngeal, nasal and postnasal regions.
On account of various difficulties in the search for a simple mechanical oesophageal or gastric blockade tolerable in the long term this infective problem potential could not until now be satisfactorily resolved. What was tried out therapeutically, and generally tolerated, was essentially medicinal/antibiotic (e.g. selective bowel decontamination).
Since the structures of the oesophageal wall react extremely sensitively to persistent pressure or tension, the conventional blocking techniques, in which the walls of the attached structures are placed under tension (as a rule by a balloon) are not, or only with limitations, applicable in the case of the oesophagus.
The purpose of the invention is to rectify the disadvantages just mentioned and to present a stomach probe with which closing off or filling out of the oesophagus is possible without deleterious effect on its wall structures.
For the resolution of this aim the stomach probe is equipped with the characteristics of Patent claim 1.
The oesophagus is a dynamic structure constantly changing in shape. The tonus of its wall, and its lumen, are subject to considerable active and passive functional fluctuations. Tamponization of the oesophagus by a bladder like that of the invention fits in with their physiological dynamic and thus guarantees a simple self-regulating and well-tolerated closure or filling of the gullet. Regurgitation of material highly contaminated with microbes from the stomach and gut regions into the oral, nasal or pharyngeal cavities is prevented by the invention. By means of the invention gastro-oesophageal-pharyngeal reflux is prevented by a simple self-regulating and well-tolerated mechanical blockade in the oesophageal region. Drainage of stomach contents is thus guaranteed to take place through an ordinary stomach or feeding probe.
Ulcerations or necroses of the oesophageal wall structures as a result of long-term blocking are excluded by the most far-reaching pressure-passive actions of the tampon-bladder described in the invention.
Immediately adjoining structures such as the great vessels, the accompanying nerves, the trachea and main bronchi, the lungs themselves and, not least, the heart, particularly the left atrium, are, in contrast to conventional blocking, not endangered.
The inner cavity of the tampon-bladder may be filled with the medium, through a channel lying between the inner and outer lumina, from a filling device connected to the channel. Simply operated examples of such a filling device are a reservoir or equalizing vessel, particularly one situated outside the patient. A supply of the medium sufficient to fill the inner cavity of the tampon-bladder, and in addition to allow for the abovementioned functional fluctuations of the lumen and the tonus of the oesophageal wall through further outflow or intake of the medium by expansion and collapse of the tampon-bladder, is kept in the reservoir or equalizing vessel.
In this connection it could be seen as an additional advantage for the medium to be actively led into the inner cavity of the tampon-bladder or withdrawn from the inner cavity through the channel. Such active supply and withdrawal take place through a pump which is regulated preferably to compensate for any extensive pressure-passive fluctuations in the tampon-bladder.
So that a medium is used which can be supplied or withdrawn rapidly and at the same time has a thermal capacity high enough for the adjustment of the temperature measured inside the oesophagus, it can be a fluid such as for example water or equivalent. Such a medium is simple and quick to pump and easily adjustable in temperature.
Another medium which is distinguished by compressibility as well as a certain adaptability of its own to the fluctuations mentioned above is, for instance, a gaseous one. Filling apparatus, reservoir, equalizing vessel and pump may all be used with any suitable medium and are designed accordingly.
Further advantageous embodiments of the invention derive from features in the Claims below.
The invention is more precisely explained with the help of the following Figures as operational examples:
FIG. 1 a frontal view of the oesophagus (gullet) with adjoining anatomical structures. Also shown is the combination of stomach probe and tampon-bladder shown subsequently;
FIG. 2 the construction of the device, with stomach probe, tampon-balloon, wide-bore connection and extracorporeal reservoir in a recommended operational form of the invention;
FIG. 3 a section of the line 1—1 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 a simplified representation of a section through the wall of a further possible operational form for the tampon-bladder of the stomach probe;
FIG. 5 a ball-shaped pressure-container manufactured from an elastic material, e.g. rubber, for use with the stomach probe of FIGS. 1-3 in place of the open reservoir;
FIG. 6 a simplified representation of a stomach probe with a pressure-measuring system;
FIG. 7 a simplified representation of a signal from the pressure-sensor led off and shown as a diagram on a screen;
In FIG. 1 is shown the topographical relation to the relevant adjoining anatomical structures (trachea and main bronchi and great arterial vessels) of the correctly-placed apparatus or stomach probe 17, consisting of a hose-like probe element or lumen 17′ with tampon-bladder 16. As indicated, a tampon-bladder 16 about 15 to 20 cm long and filled with water or another suitable medium is positioned in the vicinity of the middle third of the oesophagus. Through the tampon-bladder 16 run the regular feeding-tube or stomach probe and the lumen 17′, that come to lie with the lower end 17 b in the stomach, and the upper end 17 a controlled orally or nasally. This way enteral feeding and the drainage of stomach and gut secretion are guaranteed.
The tampon-balloon 16, filled with water or another suitable medium, communicates via a second, concentric, outer lumen of the greatest possible diameter with an extracorporeal reservoir 11. In FIG. 1 this tampon-balloon is indicated by cross-hatching.
In FIG. 2 the principle of the entire apparatus, consisting of the probe or probe-hose 17′ and tampon-bladder 16, is shown in more detail. The stomach-probe 17 is surrounded in the region of the tampon-bladder 16, as well as in the sector of the apparatus extending from the tampon-bladder to the extracorporeally placed reservoir 11, by a concentrically arranged outer lumen 18. This lumen, for choice as large as possible, permits a rapid to-and-fro exchange of fluid between the tampon-bladder 16 and reservoir 11. On the principle of communicating pipes the outer lumen 18 is responsible for a continuous shape-maintaining self-regulating filling of the tampon-balloon 16, without thereby putting the wall of the oesophagus under any notable degree of stress. The tamponade of the gullet can thus be maintained with a minimal continually sustained pressure to keep up the filling. At the same time the outer lumen 18 is shored up by bridge-like structures or dividing fixtures 19 between the outer and inner walls of the probe.
In the region 16 a to 16 b enclosed by the tampon-balloon 16, the wall of the outer lumen 18 of the concentric probe, which has two lumina, is perforated 20 like a sieve. When in the act of swallowing or vomiting a wave of contraction of the oesophagus directed towards either the stomach or the pharynx ensues, the perforations in the outer wall of the probe permit a shift of volume from the tampon-bladder 16 into the outer lumen 18 of the probe, and consequently a rapid exchange of volume between contracted and ready but relaxed sectors of the probe. The sieve-like construction of the outer lumen of the probe thus makes rapid redistribution of balloon-filling inside the tampon-bladder readily possible and so puts up a slight to overwhelming resistance against a contraction wave being transmitted by the act of swallowing at a speed of about 2-3 cm/second. Greater shifts of volume, which cannot be evened out immediately inside the tampon-bladder, are possibly transmitted away to the extracorporeal reservoir 11. The reservoir 11 is situated outside and above the patient and takes the form of a graduated water-column. The probe 17 and its constituents 17′, 16 and 18 are constructed of a body-tolerated sufficiently elastic material, like that already used for ordinary feeding-probes.
The tampon-bladder 16 is constructed from an equally body-tolerated foil-like elastic material, which follows the changes of the oesophagus in form and volume without wrinkling, and clings to its epithelium. It is preferably a body-tolerated soft foil with properties resembling those of latex skin. The connection between the tampon-bladder 16 and the lumen 17′ at 16 a and 16 b is brought about by adhesion, welding and adhesion, bandaging or something similar.
To ensure correct placing of the apparatus and its tampon-bladder in the oesophagus, the apparatus is distinguished by a coloured marker corresponding to its later position at the corner of the mouth with oral, or at the nostril with nasal, insertion.
With use of the reservoir 11 the water-pressure in the tampon-bladder 16 is decided solely by the column of water reaching to the reservoir 11, so that the reservoir 11 has a level slightly above the tampon-bladder 16. In this way a very constant inner pressure, lying marginally above the atmospheric, is maintained in the tampon-bladder 16.
FIG. 4 shows in very simplified representation a section through the tampon-bladder 16 a in a further possible operational form of the invention. The wall 21 of this tampon-bladder is made of a very thin flexible material (foil) and on the inside of the tampon-bladder 16 a forms many persistent folds 22. To these folds 22 the material forming the wall 21 for instance is suitably adherent or otherwise affixed, so that on expansion of the inner cavity of the tampon-bladder 16 a by slight pressure the folds open out and consequently can press the tampon-bladder 16 a with its wall 22 closely to the wall of the oesophagus, and in fact to a variety of anatomical situations.
It can be assumed that in the system described in the context of FIGS. 1-3 the pressure inside the tampon-bladder 16, lying slightly above atmospheric pressure, is set by the fluid- or water-column with the help of the open, extracorporeal reservoir 11.
FIG. 6 shows a closed reservoir 23, ball-shaped and made out of an elastic material such as rubber. The inner cavity of the reservoir 23 is connected via the large-diameter connecting hose 24 with the outer lumen 18 of the otherwise not further represented stomach probe. In addition the reservoir 23 has a plug-like stopper 25, through which filling with water can be done, in fact in such a way that the whole system, namely the tampon-bladder 16 or 16′, the lumen 18, the connecting hose 24 and the reservoir 23 are completely filled with water. Filling follows up to a limited pressure, in fact the kind that comes from the elastic properties of the wall of reservoir 23, and the requisite limited pressure ensues. To reach the desired pressure an optical marker 26 is placed on the outer surface of the reservoir wall 23, in fact delineated in such a way that on account of the elastic stretching of the wall of the reservoir 23 at the correct pressure this symbol 26 takes on an easily perceptible symmetrical shape. In the operational form shown the symbol 26 is a quadrilateral of which the corner points form the corner points of a square whose sides appear concave on the outside of unpressurized reservoir 23, so that on increasing pressure in the reservoir this marker 26 assumes the form of a square.
Other shapes are also conceivable for the symbol 26, for instance an oval closed line which with the correct inner pressure of the reservoir 23 changes to a circular shape, etc.
Consequently with the help of the symbol 26 the inner pressure of the tampon-bladder 16 or 16′ can of course also be brought to a pressure lying slightly above atmospheric pressure. The closed system with the reservoir 23 has the advantage that this reservoir can be placed for instance on a divan or bed beside the head of the patient.
FIG. 6 shows the stomach probe of FIG. 2 once again in simplified form. A small thin measuring tube is shown as 27, which at its one, open, end 27′ is located in the region of lumen 18 surrounded by the tampon-bladder 16, in fact in the vicinity of the openings or apertures 20. The other end of the measuring tube 27 leads off the outer lumen 18 and hence off the connecting hose 24, and is shown in FIG. 5 as 27″. At this 27″ end is located a pressure gauge 28 which converts the pressure inside the measuring tube into an electrical signal proportionate to the pressure. The pressure gauge 28 is connected through a measuring-lead to among others an electronic device 31 showing a screen 30, which may for example be that of a calculator or PC. The interior of the measuring-tube 27 is completely filled with the fluid (water), so that the pressure exerted in the outer lumen in the region of the tampon-bladder 16 or 16′ appears immediately, that is to say as far as possible without delay, on the pressure-gauge 28. With this measuring apparatus intrathoracic pressures or changes in pressure can be measured without problems, particularly the mobility of the oesophagus, the respiration and also the atrial and ventricular actions of the heart. In particular the depth of anaesthesia can also be determined in a patient under anaesthesia. The measuring-tube 27 and the pressure-gauge form the measuring-probe 32.
The pressure determined with the measuring-probe 32 can be assessed in various ways and/or be shown on the screen. For example an indication can be given in the diagram reproduced in FIG. 7, in which the pressure is depicted on the abscissa and the first succession of temporal pressure changes on the ordinate. By this means a persistent cluster of curves from the curves 33 enclosed in it is produced in the visible region of the screen, by which the time component of this cluster of curves is taken into consideration by means of distinguishing colouration, that is, by alternation of colours at settled time intervals.
11 Reservoir
16, 16′ Tampon-bladder
16 a, 16 b End of tampon-bladder
17 Stomach probe
17′, 18 Lumen
19 Divider
20 Opening
21 Wall
22 Fold
23 Reservoir
24 Connecting hose
25 Stopper
26 Marker
27 Measuring tube
27′, 27″ End
28 Sensor or Pressure-gauge
29 Measuring lead
30 Screen
31 Electronic measuring device
32 Measuring probe
33 Curve (of graph)
Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
Original Image


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Judicial Poll 2008
2008 Broward County Judicial Survey
The results of the Judicial Survey that was conducted in June by the Broward County Bar Association have been tabulated and are available for review by the public.
As noted in a press release issued by the Bar Association, quoting Bar Association President Christopher M. "Chris" Neilson, the survey was conducted to evaluate the qualifications of 117 judges, magistrates, and judicial candidates in the 17th Judicial Circuit. The Bar Association received 664 completed evaluation forms in the survey that was distributed by email to 7108 attorneys in Broward County.
In order to view the survey results, click on the pdf link below titled "2008 Judicial Survey Results". Once you have access to the pdf results for particular judges, magistrates, or candidates may then be accessed by pressing "Search". Viewing may be best at 125%, and once locating a particular subject, the survey can be expanded to provide a complete view by pressing "Hide". Search for a subsequent subject may then be obtained by again pressing the "Search" button and following the above instructions.
Bruce Weihe, who served as chair of the 2008 Judicial Survey committee, expressed particular gratitude to Bar members Todd McPharlin, John Primeau, and David Berkowitz for their substantial contributions to the success of the survey. Questions or comments concerning the survey may be directed to Mr. Weihe at 954/568-7000.


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Some tasty nudes... Follow if you like. Reblog if you love it!
This blog is NSFW! Please exit through the door on the left if you are not over 18 years old.
shaving girl
cumoverhere: Good times had by all
Dirty school teacher shows her long elegant legs in black stockings
Crotchless panties on sexy lesbian milf
perverted mom and teens cum swapping orgy
Picture collection of slutty girlfriends who got cummed on
Pictures of babes who enjoy getting jizzed on
4 hot mini skirt hot babes fucked on the glory hole hot screaming cumfaced pics
Hot thin teen Betty gets fucked in the bathroom
Gf get warm sticky goo deposited deep inside her wanting twat


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Coping With Excessive Sleepiness
Fighting Off Sleepiness: Myths and Facts
Americans are sleepy. In fact, sleepiness affects the daily activities of 40% of us, say sleep exerts at Stanford University. No wonder we cling to so many fallacies about how to get by on little sleep. But what really works? What's just a myth? Here are the facts.
Myth: A nap will only make me sleepier -- and make it harder to sleep at night.
Fact: A quick nap can dispel daytime drowsiness and get you back on track.
People often worry that if they give in to drowsiness and take a nap, they'll sleep for hours, or wake up feeling even worse.
In fact, taking a nap can refresh you -- just be sure to keep it brief, cautions Lisa Shives, MD, medical director at North Shore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Ill. "Research shows that that a short, 10-minute nap makes you more alert and improves performance on cognitive tests," says Shives, who is a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Timing is also important, says, M. Jawad Miran, DO, a sleep medicine specialist at Somerset Medical Center's Sleep for Life program in Hillsborough, N.J. "Naps taken for too long or too late in the day can throw off the body's inner clock. If you nap, do so for no more than 20 minutes, so you will remain in a lighter phase of sleep and can awaken without feeling groggy and out of sorts."
Myth: A grande latte is a bad idea because it will make it hard for me to sleep at night.
Fact: A cup of coffee can help you through the drowsy part of your day -- just don't overdo it.
Caffeine often gets a lot of bad press, but Shives, who savors her morning cup of coffee, is a big fan. "I always counsel my patents that there is nothing wrong with the judicious use of caffeine," she says. "Even people who get enough sleep often find that they get drowsy after lunch, for example -- it's the normal circadian dip. In my case, the circadian dip hits me like someone threw a blanket over my face, so I have a cup of black tea after lunch to ward it off."
Shives points out that people react very differently to caffeine, so you may want to start off with half a cup after lunch and see if that disrupts your nighttime sleep. Don't drink coffee in the late afternoon or evening.
As with naps, moderation is the key when it comes to caffeine. If you overdo it, you may set off a vicious cycle, making it hard to sleep at night so you are drowsier the next day. And many sleep experts advise against drinking caffeine after 2 p.m.
Sleepiness: Health Risks
Crazy Hours on the Job?
Is Sleepiness Hurting You?


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This is one of those things that I thought only happened to me. For years, I've been running multiple Outlook profiles: one for my personal e-mail, and one for my Microsoft e-mail. It's quite common for me to exit Outlook and fire it up again so I can check a different e-mail account. As a matter of fact, I do this many times each day. Unfortunately, a quick re-start of Outlook doesn't always work, because the OUTLOOK.EXE process usually hangs around for awhile before it terminates. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm quite used to popping up Task Manager to see if the process is closed, and if I get too impatient, I close it myself. Come on...admit it...you've done it too (dad...if you're reading this, I'll explain what Task Manager is later). :-)
Like I said, I thought it was a problem that was unique to me. However, I received an e-mail today that not only confirmed that I wasn't alone, but it actually contained a suggestion for eliminating this problem altogether! If this information is to be believed, closing Outlook by clicking on the X doesn't always shutdown the OUTLOOK.EXE and WINWORD.EXE processes right away; but, if you use File/Exit, both processes shut down immediately. Of course, I've been trying to test this tonight, but Outlook is closing immediately in all cases...kind of like the car that doesn't squeak when you drive it to the dealership.
While searching the internet for similar cases, and I've found a few other solutions:
If you can confirm that File/Exit does the trick, please post feedback!
To avoid any potential confusion, this is a personal, spare-time project that has nothing to do with the cool Seadragon technology.
Before you read my post, you should watch the short 4 1/2 minute video that demonstrates an image resizing technique called seam carving. The technique was presented at this year's SIGGRAPH 2007 conference by Shai Avidan and Ariel Shamir. If you want to know all of the details, check out the paper they presented called Seam Carving for Content-Aware Image Resizing (20MB PDF). Shai and Ariel outline a relatively simple algorithm for finding a "seam" of pixels that is least likely to be missed when it's removed from an image. The algorithm looks for connected pixels of low energy, where energy refers to a measure of visual detail. By iterating the algorithm, an image can be resized while maintaining its general structure. Unlike a typical stretch operation in your favorite graphics application, the seam carving technique resists squashing or distorting the image.
When I first saw their video, I thought it was magic. Not only do they demonstrate resizing, but they also show how their algorithm can easily remove specific content (like a person or object) from a scene. It's easy to imagine how images can be resized using this technique for display on smaller devices like a cell phone. In their paper, Shai and Ariel briefly describe a method that would allow an image format with extended seam carving data to easily resize on-the-fly. Very cool.
Inspired by their work, I thought I'd play around with the algorithm and methods in my spare time. So, over the course of the past week or so, I've put together a .NET-based implementation of seam carving that I affectionately call SEAMonster. The code has evolved from a very simple prototype to something a bit more robust. As these things go, the architecture is a bit shaky at the moment, but it does work. The early version of the application can only open JPG files, doesn't support image expansion, and the user interface is pretty minimal. However, it's far enough along that someone might find it interesting.
If you'd like to take it for a spin, download SEAMonster_0.1.zip (63KB). The application requires the Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 if you don't already have it installed on your machine. In lieu of documentation, I encourage you to watch the 8 minute video introduction I recorded to quickly get up-to-speed (note that you may need to download the TechSmith Screen Capture Codec to properly view this video).
When I have the code under control, I plan to upload the project to CodePlex so that the developer community can contribute. All of the image manipulation functionality is encapsulated in a DLL, so it should be usable in most scenarios. There is a lot of opportunity for improvement and optimization in these algorithms, and I expect a lot of innovation to happen over the next few months. It should be fun to watch.
Here are some other seam carving resources that you may find interesting:
If you have any comments about this early version of SEAMonster, or if you have suggestions for the version I plan to release on CodePlex, please leave feedback (or contact me directly).
I used to be a Nikon guy, but I decided to dabble with the Canon Rebel XT a couple of years ago, and so far, I'm pleased. Most of my newer wallpaper images were taken with the Canon camera and a 60mm macro lens. Unfortunately, until now, all of those wonderful .CR2 files sitting in my picture folders didn't display thumbnails, and they weren't viewable in the Windows Photo Gallery. The good news is that Vista provides an extensible platform for camera manufacturers to add support for their RAW file formats directly into the operating system (as an aside, if you want to read more about writing a custom codec, check out the Windows Imaging Component Overview article on MSDN).
Canon released the first version of their RAW codec today, and a few others are also available:
As an alternative, you can open up Windows Photo Gallery, choose File/Options, then click on the Check for updates button in the General tab. This will lead you to any added/updated codecs too.
For more information on Microsoft and photography, visit the Microsoft Photography Blog.
GameSpot has posted an excellent, 25-page, in-depth article titled The Final Hours of Half-Life 2. The report covers:
The article is a fascinating read with a lot of behind-the-scenes detail that hasn't been revealed until recently. It sounds like the development team put in a lot of 20+ hour days over a long period of time to finish this game (unfortunately, many developers can relate to a work schedule like this). Plus, we get some frank and honest insight from Gabe Newell.
I have a copy of Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar on order from Amazon. I'm hoping that it's an extended version of the kind of information that's presented in the GameSpot article. It doesn't look like the book has shipped yet, so I probably won't be receiving it before Tuesday...which is most likely a good thing, since my evenings will be occupied in City 17. :-)
On a related note, based on this GameSpot article and this IGN article, it appears that some stores might already have Half-Life 2 available for sale. I checked our local Best Buy and Electronics Boutique while I was out with my wife tonight, but neither of them had it on the shelves. Unfortunately (or fortunately), since the game requires internet activation by Valve's Steam service, it probably wouldn't do any good to have it early anyway.
Update: Blues News is reporting the following response from Valve about early activation of Half-Life 2.
If you have purchased a copy of Half-Life 2, we are sorry you are still waiting to play. This is not Valve's choice. Vivendi is insisting that the game has not yet been released, and has threatened that Valve would be in violation of its contract if we activate the Half-Life 2 Steam authentication servers at this time.
Thanks for your patience and we will update you when we have more news to share.
If you have purchased a copy of Half-Life 2, we are sorry you are still waiting to play. This is not Valve's choice. Vivendi is insisting that the game has not yet been released, and has threatened that Valve would be in violation of its contract if we activate the Half-Life 2 Steam authentication servers at this time.
Thanks for your patience and we will update you when we have more news to share.


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I seem to have developed a stress fracture in my lower right leg, just above the ankle.
(Completely self-diagnosed mind you. Having broken 6 bones in my day, I consider myself a small, albeit entirely unqualified, expert in the field).
Anyway, it's a bit embarrassing because it's not like I was doing a drop step into a turnaround jump shot when it happened. Nope. As I recall, I was somewhere above Grimaldi's at the mid-way point across the Brooklyn Bridge in the midst of our family's 6 day whirlwind tour of New York City when it started hurting like a bugger. And I mean a bugger.
But here's the thing. We walked an average of 10 km (6.2 miles) a day for five consecutive days, so I'm thinking, I've just completed a marathon, right? Sure there wasn't much running involved (unless you count diving out of the way of oncoming traffic) - and there may have been a few stops along the way. Still, I was booking a pretty good pace trying to keep up with my supremely keen and overly fit sons and somehow, I also ended up being the designated backpack carrier for most of our travels (not sure how that happened).
A small price to pay I'd say for the fun we had travelling to the top of the Empire State Building, walking the sun-drenched shores of Battery Park (with its stunning views of the Statue of Liberty); spending a day at the Bronx Zoo (loved the Gorillas!); visiting Fire Department Ten House across from the World Trade Center site and the 9/11 Memorial (a personal favourite); exploring Central Park; crossing the Brooklyn Bridge (you already knew that); visiting Yankee Stadium (what an impressive building); and frolicking amidst the madness of Time Square (I felt completely at home). No rest for the wicked I'll tell you - our sons had us out till the wee hours.
We had a blast and I want to thank my blogging buddies who shared so many great ideas, tips and recommendations for our stay - including our hotel (thank you Amy!).
So, as I dash around trying to get back on track with work, groceries and laundry and prepare to dash back out the door for a soccer tourney in Vermont, I thought this one-pot wonder might be just the right thing.
Don't let the simplicity of this recipe fool you though, this is one succulent and flavourful dish. I hope you enjoy it.
- 2 garlic bulbs, peeled
- 2 yellow onions, peeled and each cut into eighths
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 chicken breasts, each cut into three pieces
- 1 – 2 cups large olives of choice (I used garlic stuffed jumbo green)
- Juice of one lemon
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- Sea salt and coarse black pepper to taste
I like to use a cast iron skillet for searing but you can make this recipe in any suitably sized pan.
You can also substitute half of the chicken stock for white wine to create a slightly different taste experience.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and brown each side for about 2 minutes per side. Just enough to get a nice sear on the chicken pieces without fully cooking. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate loosely tented with foil.