The Rules Of Bedroom Golf!

1. Each player shall furnish his own equipment for play -
normally one club and two balls.


2. Play on a course must be approved by the owner of the hole.


3. Unlike outdoor golf, the object is to get the club in the
hole and keep the balls out.


4. For most effective play, the club should have a firm shaft.
Course owners are permitted to check shaft stiffness before
play begins.


5. Course owners reserve the right to restrict club length to
avoid damage to the hole.


6. The object of the game is to take as many strokes as
necessary until the course owner is satisfied that play is
complete. Failure to do so may result in being denied
permission to play the course again.


7. It is considered bad form to begin playing the hole
immediately upon arrival at the course. The experienced player
will normally take time to admire the entire course with
special attention to well formed bunkers.


8. Players are cautioned not to mention other courses they
have played , or are currently playing, to the owner of the
course being played. Upset course owners have been known to
damage players equipment for this reason.


9. Players are encouraged to bring proper rain gear for their
own protection.


10. Players should ensure themselves that their match has been
properly scheduled, particularly when a new course is being
played for the first time. Previous players have been known to
become irate if they discover someone else playing on what they
considered to be a private course.


11. Players should not assume a course is in shape for play at
all times. Some players may be embarrassed if they find the
course to be temporarily under repair. Players are advised to
be extremely tactful in this situation. More advanced players
will find alternative means of play when this is the case.


12. The course owner is responsible for manicuring and pruning
any bush around the hole to allow for improved viewing of,
alignment with, and approach to the hole.


13. Players are advised to obtain the course owners permission
before attempting to play the back nine.


14. Slow play is encouraged. However, players should be
prepared to proceed at a quicker pace, at least temporarily, at
the course owners request.


15. It is considered outstanding performance, time permitting,
to play the same hole several times in one match.

The Latest Blogspeak: A Dictionary

Vlogging: video-blogging; blogs updated with video feed.
Moblogs: mobile-blogs; blogs updated with camera phone pictures
and text.
Audioblogging/Podcasting: creating music or speech-based online
broadcasts.
Blogosphere: the community of blogs.
Blogroll: a sidebar of blog links on a site.
Blawg: a law or legal issues blog.
Bleg: used to ask for information or money.
Blogathy: what a blogger who is apathetic about posting feels.
Blogeratti: the blogosphere intelligentsia.
Blogopotamus: huge blog entry.
Blurker: someone who reads blogs but never leaves any comments.
Hitnosis: being unable to stop checking the number of visitors
on your hit counter.
Splog: fake spam-blog with links to sites affiliated with the
blogger,intended to boost hits.
Podcatching: checking for new programs on a podcasting feed.
Vodcasting: podcasting video content.
Wiki: an interactive blog anyone can post to.

In Defense of SPAM

In Defense of SPAM

Since public use of the Internet has become widespread and enormously popular over the last 15 years or so, unscrupulous marketers have been bombarding us with junk we don't want. With free and fee-based email addresses, a new method of advertising delivery was created. People eagerly check their e-mail box for friendly messages, and find it filled to the brim with soliciting they weren't expecting.

The acronym SPAM apparently stands for unSolicited Pornography And Marketing. All of it is sneaky, and much is just plain disgusting. Unfortunately, this really is abuse of the real meaning of SPAM.

Which is - An Excellent Food Product! Hormel SPAM has been feeding the hordes of hungry for over 70 years. SPAM was developed in the 1930's, and became a staple of the pre-war depression, when very few people could afford ham. Innovative packaging kept the product perfectly fresh for national and world-wide distribution to civilians and troops everywhere.

SPAM's versatility is virtually unmatched by any other product, with the possible exception of wheat flour. Who can deny the instant camaraderie and delighful conversation when folks gather round the snack-table, munching on crackers loaded with Spamtacular Party dip and Ragin' Cajun Spam Party Salad? Or the feeling of togetherness when the family gathers on Sunday night for Traditional Baked Spam? Monday night football's Spam-a-la-King, Spam Fiesta Pinwheels, Maple Spam Stuffed Squash at Thanksgiving...the list is endless! A Southern morning just isn't complete without Spam and gravy on biscuits with a stack of fluffy Spamcakes on the side.

The real question here is, has Hormel suffered from the negative connotations associated with their flagship product? Absolutely not! What have they done? Hormel immediately began producing hats, T-shirts and other Spamware, and has rode the wave high ever since. This whole process should be recorded in business textbooks as a clinic and model of how to find opportunity in a dark cloud. No other company has ever done this so well.


Hormel has also broadened their Spam product line to target other niche markets as well. Spam Lite and Turkey Spam appeal to low-carb dieters, Hickory Smoked Spam for the rugged crowd who hunt and make their own sausage, and Hot & Spicy Spam for the culinary adventurers, and Spam Less Sodium so absolutely everyone can join the fun.

I hereby propose a new acronym, Darn Unnecessary interNet Garbage. DUNG is what that unrequested digital clutter is, filling up all my inboxes. When someone is bleary-eyed from deleting messages after a holiday absence, they can say "Man, I was DUNGed , took hours! Darn Unnecessary interNet Garbage."

So as not to take anything away from Hormel Spam's undeniable popularity, wear your Spamware with pride! Buy a hat or shirt, put a case of Spam in the car for your next tailgate party, and fill the pantry with all the delicious varieties. Fondly remember and support SPAM for what it really is, which is great! and delete all that DUNG from your inbox.

I have no affiliation with Hormel Spam, nor is this article officially authorized. I just like to fry some up for breakfast, or have a Spam, baked bean and cheddar sandwich.

This article brought to you courtesy of:
Make this day The End Of Jobs
Migraine Master 'drain the pain' training
www.endofjobs.com blogspot

When Your Job Makes You Sick — Literally

When Your Job Makes You Sick — Literally

By KATHERINE HEINECox News ServiceWednesday, October 05, 2005
WACO, Texas — The Monday morning grogginess hadn't worn off by the time the doctor reached the hospital, so he veered toward the cafeteria for some coffee. The day's schedule ran through his mind as he inhaled the cup's roasted aroma and with it some baker's yeast that had wafted out from the kitchen.
He sipped the last of his coffee and sped toward the outpatient clinic for his first surgery of the day. The surgeon scrubbed his hands with antiseptic soap and ripped open a package of latex gloves, releasing the familiar powder into the atmosphere. His chest tightened and eyes watered as he hovered over the operating table, but he assumed it was nerves. It wasn't nerves — it was his asthmatic reaction to the baker's yeast.
Each day an estimated 11 million workers in the United States are exposed to at least one of the hundreds of agents associated with occupational asthma. The disease, characterized by breathing difficulties from repeated exposure to workplace allergens, is believed to contribute to 5 percent to 15 percent of all asthma cases, according to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America.
Many cases remain undiagnosed because the symptoms are varied and one's response to irritants is often delayed. A meat packer, for instance, might attribute his runny nose and skin rash to mowing the yard the day before instead of his sensitivity to the plastics he melted during the meat wrapping process.
Although manufacturing plants report more incidences of occupational-related asthma than office jobs, all workplaces host possible triggers for the wheezing, chest tightness, eye irritation and nasal congestion associated with the ailment. Epoxy resins threaten auto mechanics; fur and grain dust put farmers and animal shelter workers at risk; and latex and antiseptics may harm hospital employees.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health reported that 140,000 workers in the United States are exposed to acid anhydride compounds, chemicals used to produce epoxy resins, adhesives and fire retardants. Of these workers, an estimated 20 percent have allergic asthma, the most common form of the disease.
According to the foundation, 30 percent of bakers exposed to flour dust develop asthma.
Pulmonary critical care specialist Dr. William Petersen of Scott & White Hospital in Temple said a debate rages within the medical community as to whether irritants found in the workplace cause asthma outright or simply expose a pre-existing condition.
"Asthma in itself is such a common condition, and for instance, if a patient comes in saying that his work environment gave him asthma, but I find out he smoked for 15 years, which is it if not both?" Petersen said. "It is hard, even with lung and skin tests, which can be negative, to pinpoint what exactly out of all the agents in a workplace precipitated the asthma."
Pinning down the irritating workplace agent in a case of occupational asthma brings out doctors' inner detectives as they weed through a patient's daily exposure to hundreds of allergens associated with the ailment. Petersen said the process is further complicated by an often delayed asthmatic response and occupational asthma's tendency to produce nontraditional symptoms.
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation said responses can range from breathing difficulties that occur within minutes of exposure and last up to two hours to a late onset reaction, which often begins one to six hours after exposure, may last up to 36 hours and can recur nightly after a single exposure.
The late onset, Petersen said, makes it difficult for patients and doctors to classify the offending allergen.
Asthma is the leading cause of absenteeism from school and accounts for 14.5 million missed days of work for adults each year. Linda Morris, an instructor with the Texas State Technical College department of environmental health and safety technology, said employers and occupational safety officers are taking a hard look at the work environment's contribution to the epidemic, which has nearly doubled in cases in the past 15 years.
The world of work is undergoing a culture change, Morris said. Safety and complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's exposure limits and standards for protective gear are becoming priorities for businesses because the costs associated with frequent medical visits and potential lawsuits are greater than the costs to install proper ventilation and provide dust masks. Asthma accounts for $14 billion in medical expenses and indirect costs, according to the foundation.
"Federal regulations and permissible exposure limits are set to protect workers, and more and more employers are realizing that if you have a happy, healthy population of workers, you have a more efficient workplace with less turnover," she said. "What we are finding is that these set levels protect the mainstream workforce, but there are susceptible populations with pre-existing conditions that require lower levels."
Morris said many safety professionals are urging OSHA to implement more restrictive exposure limits to protect more susceptible populations. The TSTC instructor said OSHA, the government's arm charged with enforcing workplace inhalant and emission standards, doesn't go around testing various plants for compliance because it has its hands full responding to workers' complaints. But Morris applauds the entity's renewed dedication to bringing the nation's smaller businesses up to speed.
Morris said workers should make sure their employers are taking steps to ensure their safety. Businesses should be installing engineering controls, such as ventilation mechanisms or other air quality systems, to reduce contaminants.
If agents in the air continue to affect workers, employers should make every effort to rotate workers or place them in another department. Petersen said he has written letters to employers explaining that lung and skin tests revealed a patient's asthmatic reaction to inhalants at work. A compliant workforce should then provide personal protective equipment, from dust masks to full face respirators. In the worst cases, workers have to change jobs.
"Everyone has to breathe, so inhaling irritating particles and chemicals at work is one of the main hazards in the workplace," Morris said. "Too many people think asthma only applies to the pollen and pet dander they hear about in commercials. But there are hundreds of irritations in the air. The list of 200 that OSHA has on the Internet is only those most commonly associated with asthma or most carcinogenic."
You might have occupational asthma if ... - you experience an onset of symptoms within months of starting a job.- you find yourself reacting to the use of a new industrial agent or process.- your symptoms improve after leaving work or clear up on weekends or holidays.- your symptoms worsen during certain points of production or during intense exposures to a specific particle.- you notice other workers complaining of itchy eyes, wheezing, nasal congestion or taking frequent sick days for head or chest colds.
Source: Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America
Katherine Heine writes for the Waco Tribune-Herald.

http://www.freshairliving.com/ksa

Studying the fate of drugs in wastewater

Studying the Chemistry of Drugs in Wastewater

Photo by Gail Porter/NIST
NIST research chemist Mary Bedner prepares to use liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to analyze the chemical byproducts produced by reacting pharmaceuticals with chlorine.
Click on image to download high-resolution version.
What happens to painkillers, antibiotics and other medicines after their work is done, and they end up in the wastewater stream? The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is using laboratory experiments to help answer this question by studying what happens to pharmaceuticals when they react with chlorine—a disinfectant commonly used in wastewater treatment.
Scientists around the world often find drugs in water samples taken from streams and other waterways, but little is known about byproducts of those drugs created during chlorine treatment or time spent in the environment. The topic drew a large audience at the American Chemical Society annual meeting last month, where NIST chemist Mary Bedner was one of several presenters. Among the concerns is possible damage to the environment, animals or people from bioactive compounds.
NIST chemists selected four pharmaceuticals sometimes found in the environment, studied their reactions with chlorine over an hour (a timescale during which significant wastewater treatment occurs) and identified the resulting products using multiple techniques. Scientists found that the reactions are complicated and often produce several products, some unexpected. For instance, acetaminophen forms multiple products, two of which are highly toxic. All the drugs were transformed significantly, and their products were generally more "hydrophobic" than the parent pharmaceuticals. Hydrophobic compounds are more likely to build up in the body. It is not known whether these reaction products pose any health or environmental hazards.
"We have unique measurement capabilities here at NIST, which help to confirm the presence of products that are difficult to identify," says chemist William MacCrehan. Measurement techniques and data collected throughout the project should help other laboratories further investigate possible health or environmental effects.

Additional information is available at:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/techbeat/tb2004_0928.htm/

How to Sing the Blues - A Primer

How to Sing the Blues - A Primer

1. Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this morning...."

2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town."

3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it.Then find something that rhymes....sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes I got a good woman with the meanest face in town.Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and she weighs 500 pound."

4. The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch-ain't no way out.

5. Blues cars: Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs and broken down trucks. Blues don't drive in Volvos, BMW's, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.

6. Teenagers can't sing the blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis."

7. Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle is probably just clinical depression. Chicago, St.Louis and Kansas City are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the Blues in any place that don't get rain.

8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the Blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not theBlues. Breaking you leg 'cause a alligator be chomping on it is.

9. You can't have no Blues in a office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.

10. Good places for the Blues:

Highway
Jailhouse
Empty bed
Bottom of a whisky glass

Bad places for the Blues:

Nordstrom's
Gallery openings
Ivy League institutions
Golf courses

11. No on will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, 'less you happen to be a old ethnic person and you slept in it.

12. Do you have the right to sing the Blues? Yes, if:

a. You older than dirt
b. You blind
c. You shot a man in Memphis
d. You can't be satisfied

No, if:

a. You have all your teeth
b. You were once blind but now can see
c. The man in Memphis lived
d. You have 410K or trust fund

13. Blues is not a matter of colour. It's a matter of bad luck. TigerWoods cannot sing the Blues. Sonny Liston could. Ugly white people also gota leg up on the Blues.

14. If you ask for water and you darlin' give you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable beverages are:

a. Cheap wine
b. Whiskey or bourbon
c. Muddy water
d. Nasty black coffee

The following are NOT Blues beverages:

a. Perrier
b. Chardonnay
c. Snapple
d. Slim fast

15. If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So are the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a broken-down cot. You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.

16. Some Blues names for women:

a. Sadie
b. Big Mamma
c. Bessie
d. Fat River Dumpling

17. Some Blues names for men:

a. Joe
b. Willie
c. Little Willie
d. Big Willie

18. Persons with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Debbie and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

19. Make your own Blues name Starter Kit:

a. Name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, etc.)
b. First name (see above) plus name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi, etc.)
c. Last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.)
For example: Blind Lime Jefferson, Jakeleg Lemon Johnson or Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. (Well, maybe not "Kiwi.")

20. I don't care how tragic your life: if you own a computer, you cannot sing the Blues.

Common Sense Guide to Nutrition

(Trev's common sense guide to nutrition)

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it .... Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an
efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop.

Q: Is beer or wine bad for me?

A: Look, it goes to the earlier point about fruits and vegetables. As we all know, scientists divide everything in the world into three categories: animal, mineral, and vegetable. We all know that beer and wine are not animal, and they are not on the periodic table of elements, so that only leaves one thing, right? My advice: Have a burger and a beer and enjoy your liquid vegetables.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: What's the secret to healthy eating?

A: Thicker gravy.

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO ..... Cocoa beans .. another vegetable!!! "It's the best feel good food around!"

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. Have a cookie .. flour is a veggie!