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Every time I go swimsuit shopping I swear Bill Withers sings, "Aint No Sunshine when she's gone", in my dressing room. And by "gone", he's talking about my pre-baby body.
(Don't be smilin' Bill. You've never had diastasis recti.)
For real. I don't even know why I go swimsuit shopping anymore. I should just wear a garbage bag and call it a day. Only I can't…because I'm a mom now and I have to swim in the water so my two-year old doesn't drown. #responsibilities
There is a silver-lining to all of this, I promise, but first I must regale to you all of my humbling post-baby body moments, just so you don't think I'm sitting here looking like Christy Brinkley. Cause I don't.
(Is she even human? I mean, she's 64 in this picture!!?!)
As for me and my 38-year old self:
My FIRST post-baby bod moment happened when I was nursing my first daughter and she literally pulled on my nipple and stretched it out like silly puddy. No joke. It stretched out like Stretch Armstrong and never went back. The horror! I cried for days.
My SECOND post-baby bod moment happened when I put on jeans and realized that my hips had expanded. Now obviously they're "supposed" to do that in order to grow a baby and push one out, but that didn't seem to happen with my first baby so why did it have to happen with my second??!
My THIRD post-baby bod moment happened with the diastasis recti. ARGHHHHHHH! You guys, my third baby WRECKED my abs. My midwife explained this to me at my 6-week check-up by asking me to do a mini-sit-up while I laid there, half naked in the stir-ups. (There's no end to this humiliation.) She asked me to press my fingers in the rift in my stomach and said, "Feel that? Your abs have separated." Oh really? I replied. How can I get them go back? "You can't," she said, and then walked away laughing. (Not really, but that's how it felt to me at the time, the cruel joke that it was.)
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy???!?! Now everything on my body had changed! With clothes on I could kind of fake it (thank you Spanx) but with a swimsuit on, you just can't.
So I came to a cross roads: I could either sit in my garbage bag and sweat like a bag of potato chips, OR I could swallow my vanity and get my post-baby bod into the pool and enjoy it. So I did. And thank God too!
Going swimming as a mom has not only been humbling, but it's helped me unearth the lie that many women tend to believe (and can sometimes ignore until pregnancy) — that our self-worth comes from what we look like.
I feel like every time I had a child, God said to me: Jonna, what do you really believe in? Where is your self-worth? I believe most women "know" this to be true but don't really accept it. We evade it or ignore it and then BAM. We have children.
Now we're faced with not only our fading elasticity and our mom-pooch, but we also have to teach our children how to respect and honor their OWN bodies while we struggle to do the same! (Thank you irony.)
As a mom to three girls, I HAD to check myself, fast. Because I would rather walk around naked and shakin' forever than let my girls grow up thinking that their value comes from their chest size, pant size, hair volume, or eye color. That's just absurd, right?! So if it's crazy for them to believe, then it's crazy for me too!
What I needed, then, was to develop some confidence in my post-baby body. This can happen in a lot of ways, but on a practical level it meant wearing different clothes that made ME feel good while also getting rid of everything else that didn't. Like my maxi dresses. See ya! Thanks for no longer making me feel 3 months pregnant!
This has also meant foregoing the Target swimsuit section: ladies, post-baby bodies have NO business being there! I'm not kidding. Step away from the rack and head straight over to Everything but Water or Nani Nalu. These are the places that will make you feel fabulous and confident! It's true that they WILL cost you a pretty penny, but it's entirely worth it. I promise.
So at the end of the day, we have a choice, right?! We can either let gravity define us, or we can show Bill Withers that the Sunshine Ain't Gone; it's just moved on to more important matters, like raising our children, resisting comparison, and not wearing garbage bags to the pool.
We all have REAL things to show for our sacrifice as mothers, so let's not hide any of it. Let's cannonball our way into summer (and motherhood) instead!


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As you all know from a previous post, one of my new favorite patterns is Katy and Laney's new Tap Shorts pattern. They're fun, flattering, unique, and perfect for the summer heat.
Since moving to the Bay Area, however, I've made a rather sad discovery: it's almost never shorts weather in San Francisco. For some reason, I had gotten it in my head during my final weeks in Boston that I should really stock up on shorts for the "balmy California weather," so I made two more pairs before packing up the sewing machines. Since we've been staying in Sunnyvale the past few weeks, I've still gotten to wear them (the weather here is, well, sunny :P), but I'm afraid to say that, after we move to our new apartment in the city next week, it looks like I'll be saying goodbye to my new favorite garments :'(.
(Um, did y'all catch that, btw?! We have a place!! Provided they actually give us the keys on Monday…fingers crossed…)
Luckily, however, me and my tap shorts had a great time frolicking around Boston before I left, and I got some great pics!
I'm especially proud of the welt pockets on this pair, which involved some rather daring unpicking feats. After I cut open the welts, I discovered that one pocket was perfectly lined up along the polka dots, but the other wasn't – agh! So I decided to take matters into my own hands and take out the pocket with the wonky dots and resew it so that the dots lined up. It was a bit scary, but I succeeded. As I told Laney afterwards, I was really feeling alive that day!!
One other thing I wanted to point out with this pair was that I did a "full tummy adjustment." In my first pair I noted that the front waistband pulled downwards a bit due to my fuller tummy, so for my next pairs, I extended the inseam by 1/2″ and also added a 1/2″ at the waistband, which added a total of 1″ of ease to the front. This got rid of the waistband pulling, and is also more comfortable to wear! Whenever I finally get my sewing equipment from storage, I hope to do a tutorial on making those adjustments.
Oh, and you may notice I mentioned above that I made two pairs – the second is a denim pair from 6.5 oz Robert Kauffman denim. No pics yet, but I love 'em!
And now for a few more shots of shorts + Boston!
Snazzy welt pockets + snazzy view of the harbor
Visiting the Institute of Contemporary Art – they had an amazing video installation of a band playing music from different rooms in a Victorian Mansion. Go see it!!
Behind-the-scenes tour at the New England Aquarium.
It may be time to pack away the shorts, but they sure went out with a bang! 😉

subset: commoncrawl


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Greetings Everyone!
After much effort, I've finally gotten around to setting up enough infrastructure to support the use of cool collaboration "toys" for us to play with.
Our experiment with using Howard Rheingold's Brainstorms community did not turn out too well. As it turns out, they were about ready to execute a server change when we started, and that resulted in a lot of down time. Also the performance of the site on the old server was not very good, and I understand that turned off a a lot of folks.
To fix all of this, I've spent the better part of the past few weeks working with the folks at Rackspace to upgrade our Salsa.Net server. I am happy to report that the mission was accomplished! We now have a very nice server running the latest Linux-based software. I've already started to install a set of tools that we can use to start working together, and that is the purpose of this message to you. I would like to cover two broad topics: 1) How can we use these tools to work together, and 2) Work together towards what, exactly?
Using the tools to work together
The tools that have been deployed on Salsa.Net and other servers are intended to serve one purpose: Making it easier for you to work with Public Studio. Since we currently have no money, I have relied heavily on free open source software, of which there is plenty to choose from.
The main tool that I want to introduce as our central platform is called Alfresco. Alfresco is what is known as a "collaboration suite" and includes tools for document management, discussions, wikis, blogs, data sharing, and expertise location. I would like to use Alfresco as our main collaboration tool, and get feedback from everyone on how we can make it better and make our collaborations better and more productive.
Another tool that I have deployed on Salsa.Net is the Apache Foundation's OpenMeetings server. OpenMeetings is a tool that allows us to have video teleconferences as well as desktop sharing, and white board sessions.
I have placed several more tools at our disposal, and you can read about them in the "Projects" section of the Public Studio Co-Laboratory website at http://colab.salsa.net.
Working together towards…?
Now that we have these toys, and many more, what do we do?
The first thing I want to do is to try and build a sense of community amongst our small group. Right now, our only common denominator is that we all know Pleas McNeel, and that we all think that the goals of Public Studio are a good idea. I'd like to go beyond that, and have US (instead of just Pleas) take ownership of what the goals of Public Studio should be. I think we can do that by coming together and talking about it, using face to face communication as well as our online toys.
A sense of community also involves a lot of TRUST, something we don't currently have in abundance because we don't know each other very well. Let's use our collaboration tools to share something of ourselves to each other. We are a very, very impressive smart group of folks, and I am personally very excited to work with all of you and learn many new things.
The second set of "to-do" items for us are the rather mundane details of setting up and running Public Studio. These include:
- Updating the existing Salsa.Net bylaws to cover the activities of the new Public Studio.
- Lessons from the Carmen Tafolla project, and ideas for moving it forward
- Providing feedback on Alfresco and providing ideas for other collaboration tools.
- Testing and use of Apache OpenMeetings
- What are the great ideas? What public problems do we wish to tackle?
- Recruiting young men and women to be the heart and soul of Public Studio.
- Use and storage of the Public Studio production equipment
These are the first set of items I'd like to focus on. We can start by using the Alfresco tools to share discussions and documents on all of these areas, and hopefully make some rapid progress. I think that face to face meetings should also factor into this process as well, preferably meetings that involve good music and beer.
What do I do now?
I will send out, under separate cover, the information you will need to access the Alfresco system on Salsa.net.
If you'd like a head start, the URL to access our Alfresco instance is http://salsa.net:8080/share. Send me an email message (email@example.com) and I will send you your login credentials. You can access Alfresco's online help at http://docs.alfresco.com/4.1/index.jsp. Included at that site are a number of "getting started" videos and other tools for Alfresco beginners. I'd also like to have a face to face meeting to go over this toolset, if everyone agrees it is needed.


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Galpin Studios# product reviews # photography # giveaways #child model
418 votes
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Queen Geraldine
And the Appony dynasty:
Queen Geraldine was born on the 6th of August 1915 in Budapest. She died in Tirana at the age of eighty-seven, 23 October 2002.
Queen Geraldine comes from the well known Hungarian Appony family. The family dates back to the middle ages, when Hungary was occupied by Arpadian in 894, where the family participated in the establishment of the Hungarian Monarchy under the Arpadian dynasty.
By the end of the Arpadian dynasty in 1280, for the first time appears the name Chevalier d'Appony, the owner of a very large farm which archival documents confirmed that maintained the name "Nagy Appony" which until late remained a property of the family. All the forefathers of the Appony family had a successful political career, preserving high rank positions within the Austrian Empire, with titles as barons, counts etc.
The Apponyi family
Queen Geraldine cousin, Count Albert Appony headed the Hungarian delegation at the Peace Conference in Versailles and later represented Hungary at the League of Nations, meanwhile her Grandfather count Lajosh Appony had the highest honorific functions of the Austrian Empire, as Personal Adviser and Chamberlain of Franc Jozefit and Grand Marshall of the Imperial court of Franc Jozef. Her Grandmother was a Prussian Aristocrat, the daughter of Count Herman Roger de Seherr-Tos, decedent of Prince Ernest-Joakim d' Anhalt, from whom descended the better part of European Royal dynasty, his nickname was "Father of the Kings". Based on the Trianoni Treaty of the 1919 their fatherland Hungary, was divided and the largest part of the Hungarian territory including 3 and half million of the Hungarian people and properties of the Appony family, were taken by Slovakia.
Queen Geraldines grandfather was Jon Harry Stewart, from a Scottish Noble family, who emigrated to the United States in the XVII century and was a successful diplomat, meanwhile Her grandmother from mother side was from the Harding family, who where large owners of the land in North Caroline. She was the daughter of count Gyula Appony and Countess Glayds Virginia Stewart, from the state of Maryland, whose father was the General Consul of the USA in Holland.
Geraldine was the oldest daughter, and had a younger sister named Virginia and a brother Jula. After the death of their grandmother, their fathers' sister, countess Fanny Karolyi looked after Geraldine and her sister. her aunty, countess Fanny owned one of the famous and wonderful castles in Hungaria in Zebegeny. The girls used to spent their summers at the Zebegeny castle. Due to Gerladina's beauty, Her natural white skin and Her white dresses Geraldine was called "The White Rose of Hungary". Geraldine inherited the best values and virtues from her forefathers.
Countess Geraldine was sent to an English school in Menton, France. After graduating, her grandparents sent Her to the "Sacred Heart "college in Press Baum near Vienna where she graduated in Social Sciences and Finance. Countess Geraldine was fully dedicated to stenography, sociology, history and literature. Her family's library consisted of 30.000 books. Due to Her encyclopedia knowledge and various foreign languages, Countess Geraldine worked at the National Museum of Hungary during her teenage years.
Royal Activities:
During Her short stay in Albania, HM Queen Geraldine fully participated to further strengthen the welfare of the Albanian people, particularly those in need. Her Majesty contributed in the building and the functioning of the institutions such as hospitals, asylums and orphanages.
Her Majesty, Queen Geraldine was fully committed to the promotion of women rights as well as their emancipation. Her Majesty worked hard in order to promote hospital services in Albania, and majorly contributed to the building, then running of the Military Hospital in Tirana.
She brought from Austria the best doctors to administrate the Military Hospital. It was Her determination to establish the first Albania maternity in Tirana. One of the projects to be remembered is the mobilization and the building of the Albanian Red Cross. HM Queen Geraldine enabled the first radio phonic news edition in Radio Tirana. Her priority was the introduction to Albanian society of values, and a better way of life especially in the rural areas.
Her priorities were the general emancipation of the Albanian society, particularly those in the rural areas. HM the Queen, also managed to find time for the welfare of her own family, in particular in educating her son.
Queen Geraldina will always be remembered for her devotion towards her adopted Nation, even in exile she remained active beside her son, until her final return to Albania and ultimate passing.


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A Review of Integrated Urban Planning Tools for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation (2020) Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the next 30 years will critically depend upon urban land use … Read more
The localization and decentralization of key infrastructure systems has emerged as a potential strategy for helping cities achieve multiple sustainability outcomes spanning environment, economy, health, wellbeing, and equity. Examples of … Read more
The ASEAN nations are a hot spot for rapid urbanization over the next 30 years: Between 2015 and 2050, ASEAN cities are projected to add 205 million new urban residents … Read more
Over the next 30 years, an additional 2.4 billion people are likely to be added to the global urban population. This increase in population will result in a significant expansion … Read more


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Hustle and Bustle
Happy Weekend TAY!
Just a quick note this weekend. I'm exhausted and need to find some sleep before my houseguests arrive. My immediate family doesn't celebrate the holidays, but my mother-in-law lives with us and is Catholic, so we get Christmas visitors from my wife's large family. Add to that my son's birthday is a few days after Christmas and it makes for a very busy couple of weeks.
That said, I didn't find much time to play a whole lot last week. I did have a moment of relaxation last Tuesday as my buddy and I continued with Divinity: Original Sin. I think we've accidentally pissed off everyone possible in the first town we visited. We simply aren't used to minding our manners when talking to NPCs and have run afoul of the more realistic consequences the game provides.
I played an hour or so of The Witcher 3 and continue to have a great time with it, but that small amount of playtime felt like a tease and didn't leave me satisfied at all.
Most of the week's gaming was spent emailing turns of Age Of Wonders 3 back and forth with my friend. It is a great way to play a game as I periodically pass by my laptop while prepping the house for guests.
I can't wait for my kid's birthday. We bought him a ton of cool loot and tickets to see The Last Jedi. It will be nice when all the guests have gone and I can spend some time gaming with my son while he is off from school for two weeks.
Happy holidays to those who celebrate the season whether it be of the Jesus or Santa variety (or both). I hope everyone has a wonderful time no matter how you spend this time of year. Safe travels if you are visiting family, we have lots of snow in the forecast for the coming weekend around these parts which will make for driving headaches.
I know many of you aren't going to have a lot of time to play this weekend, while others are off from work or school and working hard on your backlog of games.
If you have time, what are you playing this weekend?


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Horses have been part of Charlotte Plains since before i can remember. There are three race tracks on the property of which two were for training and one was for race meetings. Whilst we no longer train horses at CP anymore and nor are they used for station work, Charlotte Plains would just not be the same without them.Read More
Shearing Shed Slider
This shearing shed used to put through up to 60,000 sheep in its hay day and had 16 stands. Today we only shear about 7,000 sheep per year. We have more of an even balance between Sheep and Cattle.Read More
Hard at Work
Well…… when we are not taking a break! Boys, keep the sheep moving..!Read More
Not everyone wants to rough it, but for some there is no better way to experience the real outback and the life of a Waltzing Matilda.Read More


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Print version ISSN 1807-5932On-line version ISSN 1980-5322
Clinics vol.60 no.1 São Paulo Jan./Feb. 2005
Postural assessment of girls between 7 and 10 years of age
Avaliação postural em meninas de 7 a 10 anos
Patrícia Jundi Penha; Sílvia Maria Amado João; Raquel Aparecida Casarotto; Carlos Junichiro Amino; Daniela Caielli Penteado
Physiotherapy, Audiology, and Occupational Therapy and the Pediatric Department, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo - São Paulo/SP, Brazil. E-mail: email@example.com
Postural alterations are often found in children and teenagers. In this stage of development, the posture undergoes many adjustments and adaptations due to changes of the body and to demanding psychosocial factors.
PURPOSE: To identify which postural alterations occur most often in students between 7 and 10 years of age, to identify preventive measures, and to provide information to parents and teachers about the problem of bad posture.
METHODS: Thirty three girls in each of 4 age groups between 7 and 10 years of age were assessed, resulting in a sample of 132 subjects. Photos of each girl in the sagittal and frontal planes were examined for postural deviations.
RESULTS: The main postural deviations found were knock-knee, medial rotation of the hip, antepulsion, pelvic anteversion, knee hyperextension, lumbar hyperlordosis, valgus ankle, imbalanced shoulders, lateral pelvic inclination, scoliosis, trunk rotation, thoracic hyperkyphosis, winged scapula, shoulder protraction, abducted scapula, medial rotation of shoulders, and head tilt.
CONCLUSION: High incidences of postural alterations occur in children of school age. Some of these reflect normal postural development, and get corrected during the child's growth. On the other hand, some alterations are asymmetries that can be caused by daily demands on the body and can result in negative impacts on the quality of life during childhood and adulthood. We emphasize the importance of providing information to parents and teachers about the problem of bad posture.
Keywords: Posture. Physical therapy, Students. Posture assessment.
Alterações posturais são freqüentemente encontradas em crianças e adolescentes. Nessa fase, a postura sofre uma série de ajustes e adaptações às mudanças no próprio corpo e à demanda psicossocial que lhe é apresentada, ocorrendo uma grande transformação na busca de um equilíbrio compatível com suas condições.
OBJETIVO: Identificar quais as alterações posturais mais freqüentes em escolares, de 7 a 10 anos, com intuito de fundamentar medidas preventivas e, secundariamente, alertar pais e professores para o problema da má postura.
MÉTODOS: Foram avaliadas 33 meninas para cada idade entre 7 a 10 anos, totalizando uma amostra de 132 sujeitos. Cada estudante foi observado através de fotos nos planos frontal e sagital.
RESULTADOS: Os principais desvios posturais encontrados foram: joelho valgo, rotação medial de quadril, antepulsão, anteversão pélvica, hiperextensão de joelho, hiperlordose lombar, tornozelo valgo, desnível de ombro, inclinação pélvica lateral, escoliose, rotação de tronco, hipercifose torácica, escápula alada, protração de ombros, abdução escapular, rotação medial de ombro e inclinação de cabeça.
CONCLUSÃO: Este estudo alcançou seu objetivo de descrever os padrões posturais mais freqüentes entre meninas de 07 a 10 anos. Algumas das alterações posturais descritas são próprias do desenvolvimento postural normal da criança e tendem a serem incorporadas com seu crescimento como o valgismo de joelho, a rotação medial de quadril e a hiperlordose lombar. Outras, no entanto, caracterizam assimetrias que podem ser geradas por demandas diárias como, por exemplo, a escoliose.
Unitermos: Postura. Fisioterapia. Estudantes. Avaliação postural.
Posture is often defined as the relative arrangement of body parts. Good posture is the state of muscular and skeletal balance that protects the body structures against injury or progressive deformity independent of the attitude (erect, lying, stooping, bent) in which these structures are working or resting. Under such conditions, muscles work more efficiently, and ideal positions are allocated to the thoracic and abdominal organs.1,2
Bad posture is a defective relationship between the several parts of the body that produces greater tension in the supportive structures, and where a less efficient body balance on the supportive base occurs.1,2
There are intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can influence the subject's posture, such as heredity, the environment or physical conditions in which the subject lives, socioeconomic level, emotional factors, and physiologic alterations due to human growth and development.
The prepuberal phase and puberty are periods of life during which the posture undergoes many adjustments and adaptations due to changes in the body and to demanding psychosocial factors. Between 7 and 12 years of age, a child's posture undergoes a big transformation to reach a compatible balance with the new corporal proportions. Bankoff and Brighetti3 discuss the question of the formation of the body schema in childhood through the motor experiences during this period and how an imbalance in the tonic-postural structure can last for the entire adolescence and adult life.
Pires et al.4 report that improper postures adopted by children at home and school cause an imbalance in the body musculature, resulting in postural alterations, and they assert that vigilance by parents and teachers is very important for the timely correction of postural deviations so as to avoid permanent deformities.
The identification of the postural habits adopted by children and the postural alterations that often result is important (i) for prevention,2,5 (ii) to encourage a healthier posture for children, and (iii) to prevent resulting painful syndromes.
Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to identify which postural alterations occur most frequently in students between 7 to 10 years of age and to provide information to parents and teachers about the problem of bad posture.
Subject demographics
This project assessed 33 girls in each of 4 age groups between 7 and 10 years of age (Table1), resulting a sample of 132 girls. The children were selected randomly, and the exclusion criteria were students with neuromuscular and/or traumatic pathologies.
The data were collected at the Escola Estadual de Primeiro Grau "Clorinda Danti" in São Paulo. The students' parents were notified through a letter with information about the postural examination, and signed the informed consent. The project was approved by Ethics Committee of Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo.
After the postural assessment, the students with significant postural alterations were referred to the physiotherapy team. A class entitled Posture Day for parents, students, and school employees, but primarily for teachers, was given to provide information about the problem of bad posture.
A simetrógrafo® was used for the postural assessment. The reference points of Kendall et al.1 were used as normal parameters. Each student had the following bone references marked as follows: lateral malleoli; head of the fibulae; major trochanter of the femur; anterior superior and posterior superior iliac spines; coracoid processus; cervical (C5 and C7), thoracic (T2 and T7), lumbar (L1 and L5), and sacral (S1) spinous processus; and inferior angle of the scapula.
The postural assessment was made through photos of the students made in the orthostatic posture in the sagittal and frontal planes. In the sagittal plane, the following alterations were analyzed: opened and closed tibiotarsal angle, antepulsion, retropulsion, knee hyperextension and semiflexion, pelvic anteversion and retroversion, lumbar hyperlordosis, lumbar rectification, thoracic hyperkyphosis, thoracic rectification, trunk rotation, protraction and medial rotation of the shoulder, cervical hyperlordosis, cervical rectification, and head protraction. Additionally, in the frontal plane, the following were analyzed: valgus hallux; abducted forefoot; knock-knee and bowleg; medial and lateral rotation of the hip; lateral pelvic inclination; shoulder imbalance; head tilt; valgus and varus ankle; and winged, abducted, and adducted scapula. A digital camera (SONY MVC-FD200/FD Mavica) was positioned at a standardized distance of 2.56 m from the simetrógrafo and at a height of 78.5 cm. The subjects wore bathing clothes and/or shorts and top.
The spine flexibility tests were assessed through of the tests of Stibor6 and Schober.6 Tests to determine the difference of the length of the lower limbs were performed to differentiate real and apparent discrepancies.7,8
The collected data were statistically described (average and percentage).
The main postural deviations found in this study were:
knock-knee (64% in the 7 year-old group, 58% in the 8 and 9 year-old groups, and 45% in the 10 year-old group), medial rotation of the hip (70%-7, 55%-8, 73%-9, and 76%-10) , antepulsion (64%-7, 45%-8, 42%-9, and 48%-10), pelvic anteversion (73%-7, 58%-8, 67%-9, and 64%-10), knee hyperextension (67%-7, 64%-8, 55%-9, and 48%-10), lumbar hyperlordosis (55%-7, 61%-8, 52%-9, and 61%-10), valgus ankle (55%-7, 76%-8, 67%-9 and 10), shoulder imbalance (73%-7, 82%-8, 58%-9, and 70%-10), lateral pelvic inclination (58%-7, 76%-8, 48%-9, and 61%-10), scoliosis (36%-7, 45%-8, 52%-9, and 48%-10), trunk rotation (82%-7, 79%-8, 91%-9 and 10), thoracic hyperkyphosis (21%-7, 27%-8, 45%-9, and 42%-10), winged scapula (70%-7 and 8, 55%-9, and 64%-10), shoulder protraction (76%-7, 58%-8, 79%-9, and 82%-10), abducted scapula (55%-7, 9 and 10, and 48%-8), medial rotation of shoulders (55%-7 and 8, and 67%-9 and 10), and head tilt (58%-7, 64%-8, 45%-9, and 76%-10). The findings regarding the main postural variations are listed in Table 2.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 compare the main postural deviations of the lower limbs, trunk, and upper limbs among age groups. For these figures, the results selected were those that had an incidence larger than 50% or that varied among the age groups;.
The average of Stibor's indexes6 approximated the normal value (the adult normal value is 10 cm) described for adults in all of the age groups, as follows: 9.3 cm in the 7- and 8-year-old groups, 10 cm in the 9-year-old group and 9.7 cm in the 10-year-old group. However, the average of Schober's indexes6 was larger than the normal value described for adults (the adult normal value is 5 cm) , as follows: 7.4 cm in the 7 and 9 year-olds and 7 cm in the 8 and 10 year-olds.
The incidence of real discrepancy in the lower limb length (greater than 1.5 cm8) was 12% of the 7 year-olds, 9.1% of the 8 and 10 year-olds, and 0% of the 9 year-olds. Regarding the apparent discrepancy test (greater than 1.5 cm8), the incidence was 6.1% of the 7 year-olds, 0% of the 8 and 9 year-olds, and 3.0% of the 10 year-olds.
A child is not supposed to have an adult's standard alignment, because greater mobility and flexibility occur during development. The large range of motion in the child may cause temporary deviations in the alignment that would be considered abnormal in adults. At the same time, this flexibility in a certain way protects against fixed postural malalignment.
In this study, the frequency of knock-knee was greater in 7 year-olds (64%), which could be explained by the normal postural development of the lower limbs; knock-knee is physiologic among 3 to 7 year-olds.9,10 The physiologic knock-knee in children can also occur to medially change the center of gravity8 and, thus, to improve the balance. Pinho and Duarte11 observed a higher frequency of knock-knee in females in the age groups of 7 (30%) and 8 years of age (30%), in a total of 111 girls assessed. These results differ from those obtained by Rosa Neto,12 in which out of a sample of 791 students of both sex between 7 and 12 years of age 11.6% had knock-knee, and 4.9% were presented by girls.
The medial rotation of the hip is a very significant postural alteration. Ishida and Kuwajima13 comment about the influence of the femoral collum anteversion angle on the child's hip rotation: the larger the femoral collum anteversion, the greater the medial rotation of the range of motion of the hip; the lateral rotation range of motion is limited to around 10º until 12 years of age.
The occurrence of the antepulsion was larger in 7 year-olds (64%). This fact can be related to the attempt to improve the anteroposterior balance in younger children, with the anterior displacement of the gravity center. Pinho and Duarte11 report in their study a considerable index of trunk-ahead projection (antepulsion), but reasons for antepulsion have not been reported.
Pelvic anteversion, knee hyperextension, and the lumbar hyperlordosis are postural deviations that have as a common cause a deficit of abdominal restraint.11,12,14 Abdominal protrusion relates directly to the mentioned alterations in an attempt to correct the anteroposterior balance that is compromised. The muscles of the anterolateral abdominal wall have the postural function of abdominal restraint stabilizing the lumbar spine when these muscles are in balance with the lumbar paravertebral and of pelvic retroversion.15 During the child's development, the abdominal work becomes more effective, which occurs mainly between 10 and 12 years of age, with the decrease of the waist line and of the abdominal protrusion.1 This fact may be one of the reasons for the progressive decrease of the pelvic anteversion, lumbar hyperlordosis, and knee hyperextension during to the child's development. These deviations decreased with increasing age for all the age groups in this study, In his sample, Rosa Neto12 obtained results that indicated a lower frequency of pelvic anteversion: 15.2% without distinction among the ages groups. Pinho and Duarte11 found a similar behavior in the females with respect to lumbar hyperlordosis 78% at 7 years, 67% at 8, 55% at 9, and 45% at 10 years of age as well as a lower incidence of knee hyperextension 4% at 7 years, 10% at 8, and 7% at 9 and 10 year of age. According to Asher,16 knee hyperextension may very often occur in children between 6 and 11 years of age as a mechanism for anteroposterior weight distribution.
Valgus ankle is related to increased weight loading on the medial aspect of the foot, tending to a flatfoot. Between 7 and 10 years of age, the longitudinal medial arch is already formed, which removes the possibility of a physiologic and rapid malalignment. Other causes might be muscular weakness or lack of coordination of the ankle stabilizer muscle and of the intrinsic foot muscles, in addition to the wearing of improper shoes. Kendall et al.1 related the appearance of foot pronation to medial rotation of hip and knee hyperextension.
Shoulder imbalance may be related to the subject's side dominance.1 Raine and Tworney17 discussed this relationship, stating that the lower shoulder would correspond to the dominant side. Nevertheless, they point out that this difference is very small and may not be discerned clinically. They do note that they found the right shoulder to be more frequently lower by one degree than the left one. This postural alteration may also be associated with muscular asymmetry, lateral spine deviation,18 or to lateral pelvic inclination, being harmful when it is accentuated.
During the school years, the child's posture is subjected to many influences, and some alterations may appear due to improper postural habits.19 The influence of transportation of school materials on the occurrence of the postural deviations (eg shoulder imbalance and scoliosis) in students was investigated by Rebellato et al.,20 who assessed the way of carrying the backpack, the weight of school materials, the average forces on the muscular groups responsible for the maintenance of the transported load, and the postural alterations observed during the use of the backpack.
The slight spine deviation towards the contralateral higher hip can appear as early as in 7 and 8 year-olds, with a compensating lower shoulder on the higher hip side.1
Scoliosis was observed in 36% of the 7 year-olds, 45% of the 8 year-olds, 52% of the 9 year-olds, and 48% of the 10 year-olds. Pinho and Duarte11 found lower scoliosis incidences in girls, with 30% at 7 years; 17% at 8 years; 31% at 9 years, and 21% at 10 years of age. Bertoldi et al.14 found the frequency of scoliosis to be 23.8% among students between 7 to 12 years of age. Mota21 analyzed the incidence of scoliosis in a sample of 102 students (between 11 and 16 years of age) and found it to be higher among females, with 12.5% of girls presenting structural scoliosis and 25% a functional variant.
A difference in the leg length greater than or equal to 1.5 cm is regarded as a significant alteration that may cause a postural deviation such as scoliosis.8 In our study, we found only a small incidence of significant lower limb length difference, both regarding real length as well as an apparent difference.
Another notable postural alteration presented in this study was the increase of the thoracic hyperkyphosis. This increase is usually related to periods of rapid growth,22 and it can occur in subjects during the growth spurt of puberty, which is very important in girls, since there is a tendency to adopt this posture as a manner of hiding breast development. Since puberty can occur earlier for some people, perhaps this is the reason why increased thoracic hyperkyphosis was found in our study. Pinho and Duarte11 found similar values of thoracic hyperkyphosis among the ages (9% at 7 years, 17% at 8, and 10% at 9 and 10 years of age). Some authors have related scapular instability to the occurrence of thoracic hyperkyphosis.3,23
Alterations in the scapular girdle and shoulder appear to be correlated, as shown in several articles3,11,14 in which the terms winged scapula, shoulder protraction, and abducted scapula are used as synonyms. Winged scapula has been observed in significant numbers at all ages. It is common during the childhood, according to Kendall et al.1 and Gross,24 due to poor scapulothoracic fixation. Ferronato et al.23 described separately sagittal scapula obliquity and the increased distance between the medial scapula side and the thoracic spine (abduction), observing a positive correlation between them.
As with winged scapula, shoulder protraction occurred in a great majority of children in all age groups of this study. Pinho and Duarte11 reported the frequency of shoulder protraction among ages as follows: 17% at 7 years, 47% at 8, 34% at 9, and 55% at 10 years of age. Bertoldi et al.14 found a frequency of 54.8% in subjects of both sexes between 7 and 12 years of age. Pini25 says that the high incidence of shoulder protraction is normal in the child-development process, and it starts to decrease from 10 years of age on. According to Tanaka and Farah,15 shoulder protraction is mechanically associated with the scapular abduction; it can be also related to its lateral rotation and to the medial rotation of the shoulders, which occurs because of the predominant action of serratus anterior and major pectoral muscles over the rhomboid and trapezius muscles.
Medial rotation of the shoulders is highly related to scapular abduction, as this study shows. This occurs because, according to Palastanga et al. ,26 "the pectoral girdle movements are used to increase the range of motion of the shoulder joint, mainly because they change the relative position of glenoid fossa related to the thoracic wall." Tanaka and Farah15 also assert that shoulder protraction facilitates the action of the medial rotator muscles of the shoulder because the upper limbs hang in an open kinetics chain.
The Stibor's and Schober's indexes6 measure, respectively, the flexibility of the entire spine and of the lumbar spine. In this study, only the Schober's index6 was greater in all the age groups, which could indicate a higher flexibility of the lumbar spine in children. Kendall et al.1 report on the extreme lumbar flexibility in small children (4 to 10 years old) and assert that this behavior is modified from 11 years of age on, when the legs become proportionally longer than the trunk.
In summary, the data from this study show that the posture assumed by the child is modified during the dynamic process of the neuropsychomotor development. It has been noted several times that a disarrangement of posture can be physiologic during a certain phase of musculoskeletal system development, but later in development, it can be improper and cause harmful overloads to the body.
This study showed high incidences of postural alterations in school-aged children. Some of the postural alterations described, such as knock-knee, medial rotation of hip, and lumbar hyperlordosis, reflect normal postural development, and they are corrected naturally during the children's growth. Other alterations, such as the scoliosis, are asymmetries that can be caused by daily demands on the body, including sitting in inadequately designed school furniture, practicing sedentary behavior, carrying heavy backpacks, and wearing improper shoes.
However, there is little information characterizing postural standards for children. There are only studies on some of the postural alterations, such as knock-knee.
Therefore, in this study we not only describe postural alterations occurring most often in children between 7 and 10 years of age, but also emphasize the importance of providing information to parents and teachers about the problem of bad posture and its possible negative consequences, including pain and functional impairment, to the quality of life both in childhood and adulthood.
1. Kendall FP, McCreary EK, Provance PG. Músculos provas e funções. São Paulo: Editora Manole; 1995. [ Links ]
2. Knoplich J. Enfermidades da Coluna Vertebral. 2ª ed. São Paulo: Panamed Editorial; 1986. [ Links ]
3. Bankoff ADP, Brighetti V. Levantamento da Incidência de Cifose Postural e Ombros Caídos em Alunos de 1ª à 4ª séries escolar. Revista Brasileira de Ciências do Esporte 1986;7(3): 93-7. [ Links ]
4. Pires AC, Silva PCF, Silva PMP, Medeiros SM, Gasparin V. Prevenção fisioterápica de escoliose em crianças da primeira série do 1º grau. Fisioterapia em movimento 1990;2(2):45-80. [ Links ]
5. Pereira APB, Sousa LAP, Sampaio RF. Back School: Um Artigo de Revisão. Rev Bras Fisioter 2001;5(1):1-8. [ Links ]
6. Marques AP. Manual de Goniometria. 2ª ed. São Paulo: Editora Manole; 2003. p. 74-75. [ Links ]
7. Hoppenfeld S. Propedêutica Ortopédica: coluna e extremidades. São Paulo: Editora Atheneu; 1999. p. 172-3. [ Links ]
8. Magee DJ. Avaliação Musculoesquelética. 3ª ed. São Paulo: Editora Manole; 2002. [ Links ]
9. Salenius P, Vanka E. The development of tibiofemoral angle in children. J Bone Jt Surg 1975;57(A):259-61. [ Links ]
10. Tolo VT. The lower extremity. In: Morrisy RT, Weinstein SL. Pediatric Orthopaedics. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishers; 1996. p. 1047-81. [ Links ]
11. Pinho RA, Duarte MFS. Análise postural em escolares de Florianópolis - SC. Rev. Brasileira de Atividade Física e Saúde 1995;1(2):4958. [ Links ]
12. Rosa Neto FN. Avaliação postural em escolares de primeira à quarta série do primeiro grau. Rev. Brasileira de Ciência e Movimento 1991;5(2):0710. [ Links ]
13. Ishida A, Kuwajima SS. Desenvolvimento Postural dos Membros Inferiores na Criança. In: Barros TE, Lech O. Exame Físico em Ortopedia. São Paulo: Editora Sarvier; 2001. p. 301-8. [ Links ]
14. Bertoldi LF, Bianchi PC, Borges NP, Carrara E, Carvalho SM, Castellani TM, et al. Avaliação e orientação postural em escolares de 7-12 anos do Colégio Estadual Jardim Piza-Roseira. (Disponível http://www.ccs.br/olhomagico/peepin98/Gim16.html -Dezembro 2002).
15. Tanaka C, Farah EA. Anatomia Funcional das Cadeias Musculares. São Paulo: Editora Ícone; 1997. [ Links ]
16. Asher C. Variações de Postura na Criança. São Paulo: Editora Manole; 1976, Apud Bankoff ADP, Brighetti V. Levantamento da Incidência de Cifose Postural e Ombros Caídos em Alunos de 1ª à 4ª séries escolar. Revista Brasileira de Ciências do Esporte 1986; 7(3): 93-7. [ Links ]
17. Raine S, Twomey LT. Head and Shoulder Posture Variations in 160 Asymptomatic Women and Men. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1997;78:1215-23. [ Links ]
18. Fornasari CA. Repensando a Clássica Avaliação Postural. Fisioterapia em Movimento 1994;6(2):40-8. [ Links ]
19. Casarotto RA, Liberti EA. Dados antropométricos de pré-escolares da cidade de São Paulo. Rev. Fisioterapia da USP 1994 jul/dez; 1(1). [ Links ]
20. Rebelatto JR, Caldas MAJ, Vitta A. Influência do transporte do material escolar sobre a ocorrência de desvios posturais em estudantes. Rev. Brasileira de Ortopedia 1991;26(11/12):403-10. [ Links ]
21. Mota JS. A postura como factor de observação na escola. Rev. Brasileira de Ciência e Movimento 1991;5(2):36-40. [ Links ]
22. Warner WC. Kiphosis. In: Morrisy RT, Weinstein SL. Pediatric Orthopaedics. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishers; 1996. p. 687-700. [ Links ]
23. Ferronato A, Landotti CT, Silveira RP. A incidência de alterações de equilíbrio estático da cintura escapular em crianças entre 7 e 14 anos. Rev. Movimento 1998;9:24-30. [ Links ]
24. Gross RH. The Pediatric Examination. In: Morrisy RT, Weinstein SL. Pediatric Orthopaedics. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishers; 1996. p. 51-89. [ Links ]
25. Pini MC. Fisiologia Esportiva. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan; 1978, Apud Bertoldi LF, Bianchi PC, Borges NP, Carrara E, Carvalho SM, Castellani TM, et al. Avaliação e orientação postural em escolares de 7-12 anos do Colégio Estadual Jardim Piza-Roseira. (Disponível). http://www.ccs.br/olhomagico/peepin98/Gim16.html - Dezembro 2002).
26. Palastanga N, Field D, Soames R. Anatomia e Movimento Humano: Estrutura e Função. 3ª ed. São Paulo: Editora Manole; 2000. [ Links ]
Received for publication on March 26, 2004.
Accepted for publication on June 28, 2004.


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I hope everyone has a peaceful, safe week.
Happy Birthday to Annette!
Rose art labeled "Public Domain," copyright free (click on "License" to verify)
Thanks DIANE for a new week. I'm surprised you poked your nose out of your sleeping bag!
OG - Miri and Parsley - beautiful.
ANNETTE – Happy birthday. You wrote "When should the temps really start to drop?" About the end of March.
I didn't sleep well again last night. Too hot.
In reply to aquilareen:
Not too bad here now, AQ. I'm worried about Annette now. And you. Hope you sleep better tonight.
Oh Diane: I love my rose - thank you!
AQ: Thank you too, and roll on April then.....
Quite dramatic weather here this morning. Gale-force winds and sideways rain so thick you couldn't see down the street. Still, it raced by comparatively quickly with no obvious damage other than a few downed trees and lots of torn off branches. Fortunately, the storm had already dumped a lot of water on us before it reached Montecito (site of Thomas Fire/mudslide of a year ago) but brought enough mud down the hill to close the main highway until this evening. More rain due tonight, but not as heavy. Creeks are running high and gardens are looking very lively.
ANNETTE - Please divert that rain here. Adelaide has not had any rain since 16 Dec. Then it was only 1.4 mm. Can they or are they doing anything to stabilise the Montecito slopes?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNETTE, have a lovely day. Also, thanks to Diane for starting us off again. Annette: that storm must have been scary. At least your garden got a good soaking. Hope things have calmed down, now.
AQ - You must be counting the days, even though it's quite a while till April..... horrible to be kept awake by the heat.
Sunny out of my window here, and it's going to be a little warmer after our frosty spell. The fields are still white with frost but it's predicted to get up to the heady heights of 8 degrees in a few hours, plus much milder this week.
(OG here again - still no progress with my own login!)ANNETTE - From the way GSon expressed it on Facebook, I gather it was Miri herself who named the snowman! Sorry I forgot your birthday on Saturday - hope you had a wonderful day! Sorry about the storm - hope today will not be so bad. I know you needed rain, but not in those bucket-loads!
DIANE - thanks for new week. Dark Moon tomorrow and Chinese Year of the Pig is celebrated 5th-7th Feb.
AQ - sorry there is not yet any relief from the heat.
LINDA - warmer start at minus 2 here, but sun has been later breaking through today - just coming through the white cloud now. OH will go to church - not me.
The littlest shepherd!
"Photobooth" at playgroup party.
Big little brother! Cyrus.
Beautiful pics of the children, OG! You must be proud of them.
Sorry you can't get to church, it used to be a part of the pattern of your week.
We've been to visit sis in law, and took Bonnie, who was ecstatic to see her old friend and caregiver. My OH managed to help with an electrical problem she's had, plus I put a few pieces into the jigsaw on the table!
In reply to Lindybird:
Morning all: Thanks for b/day wishes (it's today, Sunday, but wishes have been trickling in since Friday with final burst of phone calls from AZ and UK contingents this morning. We had more rain last night and a quick cloudburst a little while ago, but no complaints here. Am heading out for a walk.
AQ: The fire that destroyed the vegetation behind Montecito was so hot the ground's surface took on a plastic quality. Things are definitely growing again, but it takes a few years for the roots, etc., to provide any real stability. The canyons especially still have some debris from the fire and they've been working to clean out the spill basins throughout the storms. I think someone lost a shed in a small mudslide in this go-round, but all in all the creeks are flowing freely. They lifted the evacuation orders this morning. Truly wish I could divert the rain - I know the feeling. I'll send cooling thoughts instead.
OG: Parsley sounded like the perfect, inspired choice of such a cutie. Kids are lovely!
Hi to all
Sorry, ANNETTE, I had your birthday noted as 2nd February! Hope you are having a good one today!
LINDA - I am missing going to church regularly - as well as the usual reason for going, I also find it a sort of marker to hang the week on! But I am not taking any risks on the steps now that I know the ramp will appear soon - prefer to wait and know I am safe! Pleased your OH could help his Sister with an electrical problem. Electrician is bringing our replacement water heater for the garage at eight o'clock tomorrow morning!
Hope everyone has a good week (OG).
OG – Gorgeous pics of Little People. I know how you feel, I need Sunday & church to start my week, otherwise the days just blur together.
I woke 3.40 am, could not get back to sleep, tossed & turned until I rose before 6 am. I went out to get newspaper – it was cold! Well, about 19 C. I've opened windows but must watch out to close them before day heats up.
We spend 90% of net income on conservation, public education and advocacy
The RSPB is a member of BirdLife International. Find out more about the partnership
© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654


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text:
One of the neat things about being a reporter is getting to go to a lot of different events and see many things. I've talked to people who have painstakingly restored a family Bible and I've seen dinosaur bones unloaded from crates. The list goes on. I get to cement these experiences in my mind when I start to write them down in a news story. It's these stories where I get to go out and witness events firsthand that always seem to write themselves. After an event I usually find myself eager to get back to the newsroom and start the writing process.
A part of this, however, is that while I consider myself excellent at recalling conversation, I'm horrible at remembering my surroundings, especially when it comes to the details. I couldn't tell you whether the walls in my favorite restaurant are blue or red. I don't remember what order Starbucks arranges itspasties. I can't remember whether my neighbor this morning was driving a Chevy or a Ford.
The ability to recall these details might seem silly to some, but to writers and reporters remembering the color of the walls can make or break a story setup.
One mantra we carry in journalism is "Show, don't tell." This is a concept I admittedly still struggle with. I love telling. I tell stories and I reiterate what I've already been told.
But boy, can I tell the difference when I'm able to show. When I can describe the soft glow and the hushed voices of a live nativity, or hear bubbles of laughter fill a room in a library, it comes through in the stories I write. I live for the opportunities I have to get out of the newsroom and experience stories firsthand and show — as long as I can remember what it is that I've seen.
Therein lies the rub.
Thankfully, we live in a modern society where I have access to cutting edge tools to help me remember what I've seen. Of course, I'm referring to a camera.
I cannot begin to list the number of times I've looked up the photos I've taken to help me tell stories. Events and stories that were buried in my memory come to light the minute I go through photos — from my college days traveling abroad, to visiting a local museum and remembering an exhibit that I had resonated with. Photos bring these memories back to the surface of my brain, and I'm flooded with images I want to preserve on paper in my writing.
In my news writing, I always thank my lucky stars when I remember to take photos not just of an event, but an image that resonated with me. As I'm writing and setting the scene for my readers, I'll pause as I struggle to remember the simplest details. Just recently, I couldn't remember whether the rope for an exhibit in a museum was red velvet or a simple chain. I pulled up my camera and looked to a picture I'd taken. I hadn't taken it for any particular reason. The woman I was with was in the middle of an explanation of the scene, and for some reason I just knew this was a photo I needed to take.
Sure enough, I ended up describing several elements from the scene, not just the rope I'd seen, which was velvet after all, and I was able to do so using the photo I'd taken.
In this age of taking selfies and Instagramming photos of food, I say these practices are great. These are the photos that document our lives. It helps us with the practice of showing instead of telling and makes our experiences more real. And, most important of all, it helps us remember.
Miranda Wilcox is the managing editor of the Anna-Melissa Tribune, the Prosper Press and the Van Alstyne Leader. Email her at email@example.com.


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So if you can't say the word "gay," gay people cease to exist in our children's world? Is that the logic of pretending that gay people don't exist (but only until the kids are in 8th grade, then they all suddenly exist again)? Maybe that would work with poverty and ignorance, too?
What a bunch of dumbasses. Maybe I should be compassionate toward their ignorant and backward thinking, but I can't - they are trying to teach kids, albeit indirectly, that 3-5% of the population does not exist.
Tenn. Senate OKs ban on teaching of homosexuality
Critics deride the chamber's passage of the "don't say gay" billWikimedia/Kaldari
A bill passed Friday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay.
Opponents deride the measure as the "don't say gay bill." They say it's unfair to the children of gay parents and could lead to more bullying. Supporters say it is intended to give teachers clear guidance for dealing with younger children on a potentially explosive topic.
The bill isn't likely to be taken up by the House before lawmakers adjourn this spring, but the sponsor there has said he would push it forward in 2012 when the General Assembly comes back for the second year of the session.
Passage would make Tennessee the first state to enact such legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2003, Washington defeated a proposal similar to Tennessee's, as did California in 2005 and 2006. A Louisiana law forbids the use of sexually explicit materials depicting homosexuality in sex education classes.
Read more - unless is will make your head explode.
On the lighter side, if you can't say "gay," say Takei - George Takei. This bit of levity comes from The New Civil Rights Movement:
George Takei, star of Star Trek TOS, and a popular LGBT activist and cult hero, has a few words for our friends in Tennessee. The Tennessee state senate this week passed a bill that bans the use of the word "gay," or any reference to homosexuality. The "don't-say-gay" bill could be passed in the House next year and if the Governor signs it, it will become law.
So George Takei has offered his services — and his name — to the state of Tennessee.
If you can't say "gay," say, "Takei!"
Oh, and if you're in Tennessee, there's a rally on Sunday to protest (what must be) the unconstitutional bill.
Remember, it's OK to be Takei! (all proceeds go to charity)


text:
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) takes effect on January 1st, 2020! While it will grant California residents new rights regarding their personal information, it will also impose significant obligations on businesses that collect personal data. The CCPA applies to all …Read More
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6 GDPR Consent Principles Businesses Must Know
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A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences. To view our cookie statement in full click here.
Natural Biscuit Selection 7.5kg
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Olweus School Wide Bullying Prevention
Please click the links below to view important information about our Olweus School Wide Bullying Prevention Program.
To report bullying/harassment please go to the home page under the "Quick Links" section.
If you have any questions please call or email.
Mr. Stephen White
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504-433-5850 Ext. 131


text:
As part of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences new expansion of programs in career and professional development, this special collection from the Lamar Soutter Library features books on topics such as:
Books circulate as three-week loans. You can find the resources and services that the Lamar Soutter Library provides to GSBS students here.
Our mission is to prepare doctoral and postdoctoral scholars in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences for success in careers that promote the scientific enterprise in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond. Visit the Center for Biomedical Career Development.


text:
We all want to start out the holiday season just right, in other words the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. Because, just right around the corner there is Christmas shopping, wrapping presents, spending time with your family. All while listening to Christmas music. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
So once Thanksgiving rolls around, everyone gets busy planning, shopping, chopping and roasting. After spending hours in the kitchen, It is almost sad how fast we inhale our food.
But lets not forget what this days stands for
We come together to to give thanks to out God for our blessings this year.
So what have you been blessed with?
I have been blessed with my wonderful family
I have been blessed with a home to live in
I have been blessed with clothes to keep us warm this winter
I have been blessed with a husband who works hard to support his family
I have been blessed with health
I have been blessed with food on my table every day
The list can go on and on...
I thank my God every day for everything he has blessed me with. Because without him I would have nothing.
I hope you all have had a blessed Thanksgiving. :)


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Then God gave Christ
the highest place
and honored his name
above all others.
So at the name of Jesus
everyone will bow down,
those in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth.
And to the glory
of God the Father
everyone will openly agree,
"Jesus Christ is Lord!" – Philippians 2:9-11 CEV
Agreements come in different shapes and sizes. Today I have already agreed to meet people at certain times and places. I agreed with my husband this morning regarding a financial decision. This has been so far an agreeable day.
Watching the news, I can see that there are many who are not in agreement with circumstances. There is major disunity in some situations that are heartbreaking. Fighting, bitterness, anger and more are the result of not being in agreement.
There will be a day when everyone will be in agreement of who Jesus is. In comparing today the different beliefs about Jesus, it's hard to imagine what it will be like when all people will declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. For some, it will be too late, but they will know without doubt who Jesus is. That makes the sharing of the message very important.
Prayer: You are Lord. I have no doubt about the day when all will bow and declare your holy name. I pray for opportunities today to share that good news. Amen
Faith Tip: Agreement brings reconciliation. Be a part of the solution today.


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YOU BETTER SIT DOWN will run at the Nikos Stage until August 21. Tickets can be purchased in person at the box office, by calling (413) 597-3400, or in person here. We hope to see you there!
As the season comes to a close, the sound department decided to help Company Manager Chris Minnick pack up his office.


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The CISSP exam is one of the most difficult information security exams to pass due to the broad base of subject domains tested. Maggie Harper is our second information security professional to be interviewed to lend a hand in this series designed to help you pass the CISSP exam. After all what better way is there to supplement your formal study plan then to hear from those that have been in the trenches and passed the exam themselves?
Maggie, what were your reasons for pursuing the CISSP certification?
I pursued the certification because I feel that the information security field is an ever growing and expanding field and the CISSP would help me with the transition from technical/engineering PM into a network security type role.
Did your employer at the time encourage you to take the CISSP exam ?
No, I decided to pursue it on my own.
What study method/materials did you use to prepare for the CISSP exam?
A co-worker named Curtis Levinson helped me tremendously in understanding not just the fundamentals contained within the 10 domains, but the origin and evolution of those fundamentals as applicable in both today's environment and emerging technologies. I also used the Wiley study guide and took the time to quiz other CISSP's. A million practice tests, scenarios and questions helped too.
It is nice to see that your co-worker played such and important mentoring role. What CISSP subject domains did you need to spend the most studying in detail?
Crypto, still gets me to this day even after passing the exam ; )
How did your CISSP exam approach compare to my published CISSP Exam Strategy?
Great strategy you outline! I'm a one time through and then come back and hit what I felt would take too much time to noodle through. Only had two of those though.
How confident were you that you passed post exam?
Not at all. The exam was hard, no doubt about it. Of those I spoke with that walked out confident they passed, they didn't.
I guess humility was the order of the day there. I wonder if there is some kind correlation to overconfidence and lack of success rate. Have you found the CISSP CPE requirements tough to meet?
Not really, there are alot of different avenues for CPEs.
Any final tips you have for CISSP candidates that we have not previously discussed?
Talk to as many certified people as you can. But don't take their experience as your own. There are different versions of the test and you can easily make the mistake of focusing on the wrong areas. Ask a lot of questions! Even if people look at you like you've suddenly sprouted another head, ask!
Maggie made effective use of her network and inquisitive nature to conquer the CISSP exam. Thanks again for lending your time to help the CISSPs of tomorrow to pass the exam.
Be sure to check out the first CISSP Exam Interview if you missed it.


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Report: Edmond Santa Fe Quarterback Justice Hansen Commits to OU
Hansen's commitment comes just before the Sooners' spring game.
Hansen chose the Sooners over Texas A&M.
His father, Dusty, was a standout baseball player for Oklahoma in the 1990s. In a year where several state quarterbacks figure to sign with Division I programs, the Sooners quickly zeroed in on Hansen as their top target.
He's got the arm for the Big 12, having thrown for 3,079 yards and 36 touchdowns as a junior. (The Oklahoman)


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A Charitable Loan Agreement permits you to lend your money for Link Charity to use in its investments. In turn, Link Charity pays you an attractive rate of return, while the profits made on your funds will be donated to your favourite charities. In essence this is a charitable GIC.
- The principal is guaranteed.
- The interest rate is guaranteed.
- The loan can be revocable.
- The donor can select the charities.
- Revocable and Variable – Your loan is callable at any time. The current rate is 2.5%
- Irrevocable or Term – Currently we have established a 3 year term option with a return of 3% and a 5 year term option with a return of 3.5%.
How Can We Help
By establishing a Charitable Loan Agreement with Link Charity you are providing funds to established charities while receiving above average return on your guaranteed investment. The rate of return is set quarterly by the Board of Directors and has historically been set higher than the standard GIC rates at the chartered banks.
Please visit our forms section for the Charitable Loan Application form.
Let George and Helen's story inspire you on Link Charity's Charitable Loan Agreements might work for you.


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The Cannon House Office Building (constructed beginning in 1905 and completed 1908) is the oldest House office building as well as a significant example of the Beaux Arts style of architecture. Until 1908, many representatives who wanted office space had to rent quarters or borrow space in committee rooms in the Capitol. The Sundry Civil Appropriation Act (3 Stat. 1156) of March 1901 authorized the Architect of the Capitol to draw plans for a fireproof building adjacent to the grounds of the Capitol to be used for offices and storage.
On March 3, 1903, the Congress authorized acquisition of a site and construction of the new House office building. The House Office Building Commission, composed of three representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, was established to oversee construction. Appointed were Speaker Joseph G. Cannon and Representatives William P. Hepburn, and James D. Richardson. Subject to the approval of the commission, Architect of the Capitol Elliott Woods was responsible for the letting of contracts and constructing the building.
The Commission chose Square 690, bounded by Independence Avenue, First Street S.E., New Jersey Avenue, and C Street S.E. for the building. After title was secured for the government, the site was cleared by Rezin W. Darby Company of Washington, D.C. Brennan Construction Company and Cranford Paving Company began excavation on July 18, 1903. The problem of disposing of such an enormous amount of soil was solved when the Commission of the District of Columbia agreed that the site of the Union Station, which was then under construction, could be used as a fill area. To facilitate this transfer of fill, a narrow-gauge railroad was constructed across the Capitol's East Plaza. In April 1904, on Woods's recommendation, the Commission hired of the prominent New York architectural firm of Carrère and Hastings. One partner, Thomas Hastings, took charge of the House office building project, while John Carrère oversaw the construction of a similar office building for the Senate. The firm had helped redesign the Library of Congress space vacated 1897 on the second and third floors of the Capitol, and therefore had a well-established working relationship with the Architect of the Capitol.
Carrère and Hastings looked upon the House and Senate Office Buildings as restrained complements to the more important Capitol. The restrained classical designs of the office buildings were not intended to compete architecturally with either the Capitol or the Library of Congress. Their heights were limited, and the elevations facing the Capitol grounds are identical and restrained.
At hearings in March 1905, the Commission accepted John Carrère's proposal that the exterior of both buildings be faced with white marble. He testified:
"I think that these two sides and the Capitol are part and parcel with each other and of each other, and should be in harmony as to design material and purpose and in every other element that enters into the conception."
For the House office building, the Independence and New Jersey Avenue fronts were faced with South Dover, New York, marble; the C Street and First Street elevations with Georgia marble; and the court fronts with limestone from Bedford, Indiana.
An immense crowd gathered at the northeast corner of the House office building's site on April 14, 1906, to watch President Theodore Roosevelt lay its cornerstone. The ceremony went smoothly, but the president's speech afterwards was, according to the New York Times, the "sensation of Washington."
Word spread that Roosevelt was going to use the occasion to discuss something big and there was an air of excited expectation as he began to speak. For half an hour Roosevelt railed against the press and the scurrilous practice of twisting words or misrepresenting facts in its indiscriminate assault on public men.
During the speech he coined the word "muckrake" after a character in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress who would look no other way but downward to continue raking the filth on the floor. "The liar is no whit better than the thief," Roosevelt declared, "and if his mendacity takes the form of slander, he may be worse than most thieves."
The second part of the president's speech took only a few minutes to deliver but received the lion's share of attention in the press. In it Roosevelt called for a heavy inheritance tax, one that would prevent passing great fortunes from one generation to the next: "Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits." He declared that the goal of such a tax was a matter of personal conviction.
The exterior of the Cannon House Office Building is reminiscent of the Colonnade du Louvre in Paris. Architecturally, the elevation is divided into two parts: a rusticated base and, supported by it, a colonnade with an entablature and balustrade. The 34 Doric columns on the Independence Avenue colonnade are echoed by pilasters on the New Jersey Avenue facade.
Construction of the building was complicated by the Washington Terminal Company, which had been granted an easement to build a twin railway tunnel for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company under the southeast corner of the building site. In order to support the building with much of its foundations over this tunnel, engineers had to drive concrete pilings twenty-six feet deep.
The building was designed in the form of a hollow trapezoid to admit light to inner offices. On each floor the offices flank a 12-foot-wide corridor. There were 397 offices, one for each representative in the 61st Congress, and 14 committee rooms. A modern building for its time, it boasted such facilities as a forced-air ventilation system, steam heat, individual lavatories with hot and cold running water and ice water, telephones, and electricity.
The building was occupied by the 60th Congress on December 12, 1908. The House, by resolution, directed the Speaker to appoint a select committee of five members to arrange for distribution of rooms. The committee decided to assign rooms in the manner prescribed by House Rule XXXII, which regulated the drawing of seats in the House Chamber. The act of May 28, 1908, confirmed the disposition of rooms and offices, thus providing a permanent system of assignment based on seniority.
By 1913 the House had outgrown the office space in the building. Fifty-one rooms were added to the original structure by raising the roof and constructing a fifth floor.
With the increasing need for space, it was decided in 1924 to construct another building (the Longworth) and to renovate the old one. This remodeling, completed between August and November of 1932, resulted in 171 two-room suites, 14 three-room suites, 10 single rooms, and 23 committee rooms. Other improvements and changes to the Cannon Building included the following:
- 1933–1938 Elevators replaced
- 1933–1938 Air conditioning installed
- 1955 308 car garage constructed in the courtyard
- 1966 Reconfiguration of suites following construction of the Rayburn House Office Building
On May 21, 1962, Public Law 87–453 renamed the three House office buildings, which had been referred to simply as the "Old," "New," and "Additional." The "Old" House Office Building was named for Joseph Gurney Cannon, who was Speaker of the House of Representatives when the building was authorized and when it was completed.


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One of the finest players of the modern era, Scully spoke to me for a Rugby League World article midway through 2010.
PAUL Sculthorpe claims to be fitter than ever. Fit enough to handle Super League.
But the man who won has accumulated more medals than you can shake a stick at during a glorious, success-laden St Helens career is more than happy to don a shirt and tie, sit behind a desk and carry out his duties as the club's Business Development Manager.
Sure, he's jumped out of a 'plane or two, endured the odd 400-mile bike ride in 40-degree French heat and run a couple of half marathons, but, sadly, his professional rugby days are well and truly over. And when I ask him if that's because of injuries, he nearly bites my head off, bristling at the injury-prone tag that accompanied the latter stages of his career.
Along with his brother Danny, Sculthorpe was reportedly offered a chance to join Brian Noble's Wrexham Crusade, but has no regrets over turning down such an opportunity.
"I spoke to Nobby, who I have a lot of respect for but I don't think it was ever going to happen because I have a good job at Saints and other business interests outside of Rugby League," says the two-time Man of Steel. "They'd have gone on the backburner if I'd gone back playing, and I didn't want things to suffer that could help set me up for the rest of my life.
"But I'm definitely fit enough to have handled it. If you look at the injuries, they were freak injuries. My knee was the one that threatened to stop my career but I've done half-marathons since I stopped playing and I haven't felt anything at all in my knee. I once bust my shoulder reaching out for the tryline – that's just bad luck; so was snapping my Achilles. But I feel great now and my body would still stand up to Super League.
"I was out of contract at Saints and I was sick of doing rehab and missing out on playing, so I felt it was time to call it a day. But I still socialise with the players and speak to them regularly. It's a big part of your life when you've been in an environment like that every day for the last ten years. It's great to still be here and be involved with them.
"I now work in business development for the club. It's mainly working with sponsors, doing promotions and other stuff. I'm really enjoying it – I've always liked dealing with the sponsors and other such people and I was delighted when Saints offered me the role. The business side of things at the club always interested me.
"I also jumped out of a 'plane for them recently! It was brilliant, absolutely awesome. It came about because a friend of mine used to be a Red Devil and he asked me if I wanted to do a jump in June for their anniversary and I agreed to thinking it would raise money for the Steve Prescott Foundation. But the club got wind of it and asked if I'd do it at the start of the season to launch the new shirt and they made a donation to the Foundation instead. It was 14,000 feet and it took 70 seconds – which went pretty quickly! I got up to 158 miles per hour apparently. The original one that was scheduled for the Foundation is still going ahead on the first of June."
It's clear that Sculthorpe's charity work means a lot to him, largely because he and Prescott are close. The former Saints fullback was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer in 2006 and given six months to live. Remarkably he continues to fight the disease and has raised tens of thousands of pounds for good causes, embarking upon a wide range of gruelling physical challenges.
"To do the stuff we've done for Steve and his Foundation is very satisfying," Sculthorpe says. "He's a great friend of mine and he's a great guy. Everyone should get behind him because he's done some great things and he's done every single mile of everything alongside us. You just wouldn't think he's suffering with cancer.
"Steve left [Saints] as I joined, but I played with him for Great Britain Academy and also England and we've always got on. He's one of those loveable guys who everyone likes. There's nothing about him not to like and it's great how everyone has got behind him. I remember exactly where I was when I found out about Steve. I was in David Lloyd's [gymnasium] doing weights when one of the lads came over and told us. It was one of those moments you never forget – it was devastating. I contacted one of Steve's best mates and asked what I could do. In the end I sent Steve a text and within a minute I got a reply. He knows he has the support of a lot of people.
"He sets himself goals, trains for things and at the end of the day he's a winner and he'll do everything he can to fight it. He knows there are plenty of people who are 120 percent behind him."
Sculthorpe is also friends with the former Warrington, Wakefield and Leigh player, Ian Knott, who is currently suffering from a debilitating and chronic back problem. The XIII Heroes Charity has been instrumental in raising much-needed funds for him.
"Knotty's been so unfortunate," Sculthorpe says sorrowfully. "I played with him in the under-9s all the way through to Warrington. It's horrible what he's gone through, suffering so much with his back."
Sculthorpe's magnificent playing career saw him win two Man of Steel awards as Super League's best player, three Super League rings (he declined a fourth after missing the 2006 final with injury), four Challenge Cup medals and two World Club Challenge medals. He was awarded the Great Britain captaincy in 2005 and won 26 GB caps and four for England. In 1998 he was transferred from Warrington to St Helens for £370,000 after turning down London Broncos – their chairman, Richard Branson, flew him down to the capital in his helicopter. Sculthorpe has been a giant of the modern era by anybody's standard, not least the notoriously hard-to-please former Great Britain captain, Garry Schofield, who rates him as the only player who played regularly in the Super League era, who would make a 1982-2009 Great Britain side.
"I don't really miss playing to be honest," says Sculthorpe. "I'm training more than ever – six days a week and I've never felt better. It's great feeling so fit and I'm doing it for myself now. But when the big games come along, I wish I was out there but, unlike a lot of ex-players, I'm still at the club and seeing the players all the time. I still feel part of the club which is important to me. I think back to my playing days a fair bit. I had a good career and did everything I wanted to do in the game apart from win the Ashes. I got out of the game what I wanted to do and have no regrets at all."
I ask Sculthorpe to name his favourite game and he plumps for the 2004 Challenge Cup final – I guessed he'd go for the opening Test of the 2001 Ashes when his man-of-the-match display led Great Britain to a wonderful 20-12 win in front of a jubilant Huddersfield crowd. "If I had to pick out a favourite game I'd choose the 2004 Cup final. The Challenge Cup is so special because of its history but it was special for me for a few reasons. It was against Wigan and, no matter what Leeds and Bradford say, it's still the biggest derby game. I was up against my brother Danny which was a massive thing for the family and I was captain, so I collected the Challenge Cup which was a fantastic thing to do.
"Second would be that Test in 2001. Beating Australia is always special and I had a good game that day, scoring a couple of tries and a couple of drop-goals. It's definitely one that stands out."
Ultimately, 2001 joined the ever-growing list of missed chances for Great Britain or England as the Kangaroos pulled level at Bolton in emphatic style before wrapping up the series with a 20-point win at Wigan. Even worse was to follow in 2003, when we didn't even get the customary first-up win. Britain matched the Aussies toe-to-toe in all three tests, but lost them all to late scores.
"2003 was unbelievable," Sculthorpe recalls with a grimace. "We were leading every game after 75 minutes and lost them all. It was so frustrating to be so near yet so far but it just goes to show the mentality of the Australians. They play right to the end and we suffered for it."
Sculthorpe was handed the British captaincy after Andy Farrell, who had held the post since 1996, switched codes at the end of 2004. Unfortunately for Sculthorpe, injuries limited his leadership to one Test – the mid-season game at St Helens against New Zealand in 2006.
"It was a big thing for me to be chosen as Great Britain captain," he says with pride. "The fact it didn't work out for me because of the injuries wasn't ideal but to be given the honour was massive. I had to pull out in 2005 with knee surgery and I missed out again in 2006, but I had some great times at international level and it brought the best out of me as a player."
But Sculthorpe dismisses suggestions that he could have won the captaincy earlier. In nine years as Great Britain or England captain, Farrell's leadership delivered no series wins and a number of Australian pundits, most notably Peter Sterling, rated Sculthorpe a great player, but not his predecessor. "I don't agree with any of that – definitely not. Faz was a magnificent captain, he led by example with his performances like JP [Jamie Peacock] does now. It's difficult to tell players what to do when you're not doing it yourself. You lead with your performance and Faz always did that. I've known Andy since we were kids, way before we were pros. His dad coached me at under-11s. People mention that Good Friday incident but that's Rugby League for you. We were both desperate for our teams to win but off the pitch you're mates again."
So, having discussed a number of so-near-yet-so-far cases for Great Britain, what has to change at international level for England to be successful?
"There's got to be no short-term answers," Sculthorpe says emphatically. "You have to bring more British kids through, reduce the overseas quota and develop the game. I run summer camps and it's gone absolutely beserk. So many kids want to play Rugby League that I've got more camps than ever lined up this year and we're doing a lot in schools in both Lancashire and Yorkshire.
"Long term, that's the key. How many years have we suffered from a lack of halfbacks? We went to the World Cup with one scrum-half [Rob Burrow] and the next choice was a teenager playing in National League One [Richie Myler]. Now we have Sam Tomkins and Kyle Eastmond coming through, but let's not move away from the fact that we have to produce more and more.
"When we've had injuries we've sometimes had to use players who aren't international standard. We have to build up strength in depth. Look at the Australians – when I played against them and they lost Andrew Johns, Brett Kimmorley came in. They had that calibre of replacement all over the park. Maybe we won't beat the Aussies for another ten years – but I'm not saying we won't. We just have to focus mainly on developing more players.
"It's the best game in the world. Anyone who's seen the game will tell you that and people who haven't seen it often love it when they see it for the first time. But we still have to address our faults and as far as this is concerned, we have to bring more players through, starting at the bottom."
As you'd expect Sculthorpe is as in love with Rugby League as ever. He may no longer be at the coalface, but he's an avid viewer with plenty of opinions. Like a lot of people, he's happy with the state of Super League, witnessing a steady year-on-year improvement in playing standards and competitiveness. We are speaking after round three – Leeds have lost two of their games and Saints have recovered from a comprehensive round-one defeat at home to Hull, after which coach Mick Potter came under intense pressure from his own supporters if internet forums are anything to go by, to record comprehensive wins away to Bradford and Catalans.
"Everyone's getting used to being back playing and Leeds losing a couple of early games was a surprise to most," Sculthorpe says. "It's not a bad thing for the game, though. It's what we need. It's going to be a tough year for everyone because everybody's strengthened. Hull looked great at St Helens and Sean Long and Craig Fitzgibbon will make a big difference to them. They might be the wrong end of 30 but if you're fit and performing then age is just a number."
Sculthorpe agrees that Saints could be in a time of transition after losing himself and Long in successive years with their third modern-day great, Keiron Cunningham, set to hang up his boots at the end of the current campaign. "I think that's right. When you've had players who have been together for 10 or 11 years, the team gels; and we played in key positions as well. The same thing happened in 2003 when we lost some key figures and there was pressure on us back then because this is a club that demands success.
"If you look at the team and the squad as a whole, the club have certainly done things right in giving the young blokes a chance and hopefully that will bear fruit in the next few years. A policy like that could see us through for another ten years. Mick's blooded a lot of young and inexperienced players who are in the full-time squad so things are going to take time. If you get success at Saints then people think you were supposed to. If you don't, then you're the villain. That's the way the club is – it's always been successful and the expectations are massive. I get on well with Mick. We talk a lot – I speak to him on an alternative level to the players and we ask each other plenty of stuff."
A week after Potter suffered a mauling at the hands of his own supporters, it was the turn of Bradford's Steve McNamara to come under scrutiny after Saints racked up an easy 38-6 win at Odsal.
"I feel really sorry for Steve McNamara," says Sculthorpe. "When Leon [Pryce], Gilly [Lee Gilmour] and Paul Anderson came over to Saints, they had nothing but good wraps on Steve Mac and all said what a good coach he was going to become. I sympathise with him because they lost so many good players around the time he was taking over. They were key players who left and it's been a massive job. He's been very unfairly criticised in my opinion."
The other big talking point in the opening weeks of Super League was Terry Newton's failed drugs test. He tested positive for a human growth hormone and has been kicked out of the game for two years. While Sculthorpe is reluctant to discuss the plight of his former Great Britain colleague, he believes the Rugby Football League are doing enough – and have done enough in recent years – to counter the cheats.
"I got drug-tested quite a lot," he remembers. "It's supposed to be random but I regularly got tested after internationals which I decided to take as a compliment! I 100-percent agreed with being tested so much and I'm firmly behind all measures that are taken. The testing guys would come along and you'd be told after the game that you'd be chosen. They'd go with you, and you'd do your stuff and they'd take the sample away. I've never been blood tested but they're doing that pre-season now I think. The RFL are doing enough. You can't do more than test the players and it's done in and out of season. We used to choose an hour a day when you'd be available for testing and I chose between six and seven in the morning. If you've nothing to hide, it shouldn't be an issue. Some people were against it – having to tell people where you are and the general inconvenience; for instance, if you were away you had to give them your holiday destination. It's still not that difficult to do. Obviously I was always going to be at home at 6am. One day they got me on a Tuesday after Mad Monday and I'd only just got home. I bet that was an interesting specimen for them!"


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Daisy And Holly here with you again.
First of all a big Happy New Year to everyone, but not so loud! You see we were up late last night, singing and dancing and having loads of nibbles and playing games of chase and Woof at the Fireworks!
So, this morning we didn't get up until nearly nine fifteen!
Both Holly and me had funny tummies and Old Two Legs looked a little out of salts as well! The Missus, who had been on the Champagne all evening looked like she was going to have a quiet day!
We finally got our morning stroll at about ten, so, the sun had got up and was tearing across the sky before we got to the Sea Wall, so no moody sunrise photos!
|Too late for the Sunrise!
|Say Cheeese!
A Big Hello to Max, we thought you has got lost! Have you got rid of that virus thingy in the computer? Nasty things they are, OTL is always looking for them!
We went out this afternoon for a walk, as you do, but we thought it was a bit strange that OTL got our snow coats out.
Snow Coats?
No, it was rain, too much to be going out without a coat on!
Mind you, when we got out there on the Sea Wall, it seemed to be raining more than when we left home!
Holly was not too pleased with walking in the rain and kept complaining about going back. OTL was not listening and took us on the 'Full Walk' as normal, he said he needed the exercise as much as we do, in fact more!
Holly was still bitching even when we had turned around and was heading back to the car, she said that the rain was dribbling down the back of her neck!
I made sure I was warm on the way back, I sat on OTL's lap and made sure my bottom was warm and dry!
Back indoors it was a good towel down and a snooze on the sofa again until diner time!
What a way to end the holidays!
Back to work tomorrow, well, for OTL anyway!
Look on the bright side there is only three hundred and fifty five shopping days until next Christmas!
See you tomorrow!
Daisy & Holly (All warm and dry and with full tummies!)


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The Simpsons Season 3 Episode 7: "Treehouse of Horror II" Quotes
Lisa: I wish for world peace!
Homer: Lisa that was very selfish of you!
Bart: No more fooling around, paw, I wish for The Simpsons to be rich and famous!
Homer: Now you're talking!
Lisa: Yaaaay!
Marge: My purse just exploded!
Homer: Come on everybody, we're going to the fanciest restaurant in town!
Homer: That Monkeys Paw is going to make our dreams come true!
Maggie: suck
Lisa: Oh no! Maggie made a wish! (the family hear a car horn)
Homer: Oooh! A luxury car! Good Maggie!
Marge: (someone's at the door, she opens it) Ooh, a new pacifier.
(The car drives off)
Homer: D'oh!
Hey, If you don't like it, go to Russia!Homer
Smithers: (Over P.A.) Attention Homer Simpson. Attention Homer Simpson.
(Homer is still dozing at his post)
Smithers: Wake up, Homer! (Homer awakens)
Smithers: You're fired.
Homer: For what?
Smithers: For sleeping on the job.
Homer: How'd you know I was sleeping?
Smithers: We've been watching you on the surveillance camera.
Homer: Camera? (Spots the camera) D'oh!
Homer: (In Morocco) How could Princess Grace live in a dump like this?
Lisa: Dad, that was Monaco!