Apparently, though hopefully not on a whim, the condemned man chose firing squad over lethal injection as the way he will die. But, die he will after spending most of his life in prison, including incarceration as a juvenile. The third District Judge Robin Reese signed the warrant, saying, “The defendant has exhausted all his legal remedies,” and “It’s my conclusion not to second-guess the courts or undertake an independent review.”

So, let’s think about this: A child ends up in juvenile hall, troubled and in trouble, and there is little or no intervention to try to help that young person turn his or her life around. Just doing time, without mental/emotional encouragement, has no record of changing the criminal behavior, and there is ample documentation that the death penalty, whether it’s by lethal injection, electric chair, firing squad, or stoning, has ever been a deterrent to murder. What the death penalty does, instead, is bloody the hands of our entire country.

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Beginning with ballroom dancing lessons her husband of 50 years, Arty, Levy literally “re-invented herself” through dance. That’s right. This senior is now a dancing queen! She chronicles her life story in a new book, “It’s Never Too Late To Dance: A Memoir.”

“The book is an inspirational story and a memoir,” Levy said. “The message is we can get through life despite all the problems.”

Life can be whimsical or mundane. It’s never too late to turn it around if it’s heading in the wrong direction. We can choose to dance or we can sit in a rocker. The choice is up to each of us, moment-to-moment, day-by-day.

I’m going to order a dozen copies of Ms. Levy’s book and put them in the waiting room of my clinic. I suggest that you go out and buy a copy or two, as well. There is a healing elixir contained in the concept of “It’s never too late to dance.” Maybe it will turn out to be a part of your personal memoir, too!

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The Fruitadens haagarorum, a 150-million-year-old creature, was recently identified in Colorado. The largest specimens weigh less than two pounds and measure around 28 inches long, making the Fruitadens the smallest known dinosaur is North America. The smallest known dinosaurs in the word, however, are from China and are just slightly smaller than Fruitadens.

“(The new dinosaur) may look bird-like because of its size, but in fact it isn’t very closely related to birds or Archaeopteryx (the world’s first known bird),” said Luis Chiappe, who is director of the Natural History Museum’s Dinosaur Institute in Los Angeles. He and an international team of experts describe the new species in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The dinosaur’s name was not inspired by edible fruit, either, but instead by the Fruita Paleontological Area, northwest of Grand Junction, Colo., where its remains were discovered.

Fruits were probably on its menu, however, along with eggs and almost anything else it could get in its mouth, according to researchers, which on second thought would not have made a Fruitaden a very good pet after all. I had an Airedale Terrier who did much the same thing and it was a very trying experience.

For more on this Late Jurassic “pet possibility,” as well as a graphic depiction, click on the discovery.com link above.

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Why did the government of the Maldives choose to make such a whimsical statement? It is attempting to call attention to their nation because rising sea levels, as a result of global warming, threaten to submerge the island within 100 years. The nearly 350,000 citizens of the Maldives are doing their share and are years (maybe decades) ahead of many other countries around the world. President Nasheed has already pledged that his country would be carbon neutral by the end of the decade.

To see the photo and read the article in its entirety, click on the discovery link above.

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The good news is that Cody’s unplanned trip to Woodstock took only 48 hours, and fortunately he was shipped UPS ground delivery and not by air. And, since the 10-pound cat was accessorized with a collar bearing his name and a phone number, he returned promptly to his owner, Marie Webster. “He’s a little skinny, but we’ll fatten him up again in no time.”

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So, you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I read in a nationalgeographic.com article today that the length of day and night were not, in fact, equal on this autumnal equinox or any other for that matter. There are reasons for this, which I won’t go into here, but you can read about them later if you like.  I am writing this because I discovered, upon further reading, several other things of which I was unaware  that seemed to make the first day of Fall or Spring special nonetheless. I share this bit of whimsy with you, just in case the imbalance of the equinoxes set you off-kilter a bit, too.

For instance, did you know that the spring and autumn equinoxes are the only two times during the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west? It’s true, according to Alan MacRobert, a senior editor with Sky & Telescope magazine. The equinoxes are also the only days of the year when a person standing on the Equator can see the sun passing directly overhead. Yesterday, on the Northern Hemisphere’s autumnal equinox day, a person at the North Pole would see the sun skimming across the horizon, signaling the start of six months of darkness. And, on the very same day, a person at the South Pole would also see the sun skim the horizon, beginning six months of uninterrupted daylight.

I feel better. I hope that you do, too!

For an explanation for the imbalance of the equinoxes and further information, go to nationalgeographic.com

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Meditation can not only help us to relax in the moment, but it can help us alter our reaction to the world around us. A meditation of relaxation begins with our consciously breathing, slowly and evenly, the same deep “belly breathing” we did when we were a baby and life seemed pretty darn good. Even as adults, our body continues to have this body memory, and as we breathe in this way, we begin to feel peaceful, safe, and happy, the way we did when our diapers were dry and our tummies were satiated.

Breathing slowly and deeply clears our mind, opens our awareness to our deeper nature, and we become more receptive to the possibilities of life. This way of breathing allows our mind, emotions, and body to relax. Though it is similar to the centered mind/emotions/body state we can achieve through meditation, this can be done with our eyes open. We can breathe slowly and deeply while driving in traffic, while sitting in a business meeting, while listening to our children explain a misbehavior. Really, this type of breathing brings such peace of mind that we are capable of seeing any situation in a new way. And, it will definitely get rid of the whim-whams.

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I was filled with amazement as I read that scientists from Texas and around the world  created a material that, by density, is lighter than air yet, when it’s electrified, it instantly and powerfully contracts. In other words, the lightest material on our planet is capable of providing quite a powerful punch! Wow, a material that is both strong and flexible and can contract like a muscle.

“These artificial muscles are very lightweight and can do wonderful things,” said Ray Baughman, the study author from the University of Texas at Dallas.  And, while these artificial muscle is unlikely to be used in humans or prosthetic limbs (yet), Baughman says “these sheets of carbon nanotubes … are of great practical interest for LEDs, solar cells, and other applications.” The scientists’ work was detailed in the journal Science.

Aerogels (so called because 99.8 percent of the material is air) and artificial muscles have apparently been around for decades, but only recently astronomers have launched spacecraft containing aerogelsto that gently capture space dust and keep it safe for the return journey to Earth.  Meanwhile, material scientists have created a variety of different artificial muscles, or materials that expand and contract when an electrical charge is applied.

Science, once again, has expanded beyond the whimsy of science-fiction to create a substance that has real unlimited potential.

The article is wonderfully informative and well-worth a trip to http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/03/19/aerogel-nanotube-muscle.html to read it in its entirety.  And, while you’re on the Discovery website, browse around, but make sure you’re not scheduled to be anywhere, anytime soon. I know, from experience, that it’s easy to get lost in the wonderful of science.

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The article began by relaying information, according to files released by the National Archives on Monday, that a cluster of UFO sightings over Britain in 1996 may have had more to do with public fascination with TV shows like the “X Files” than extraterrestrial activity. Documents from Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) indicated there were 609 UFO sightings in 1996, compared with 117 in 1995. This coincided with the rise in popularity of the X Files and the release of the alien blockbuster film “Independence Day.”

The files, which span 15 years and contain more than 4,000 pages, show that for most cases the UFO sightings had ordinary explanations such as bright stars and planets, meteors, artificial satellites and balloons.  So, apparently, 90% of UFO sightings have been explained away as having “mundane” reasons behind them. That, of course, is no surprise when it comes to government explanations for almost everything. The part I found fascinating was that 10% of the sightings were classified as “unexplained.”

I’ll take the conclusion of 10% whimsy any day when it comes to “factual” documents. In fact, the article concluded with a new detail  found in the files on Britain’s best known UFO incident, the Rendlesham Forest sightings of December 1980 in which “American airforce men” saw a series of mysterious lights:  “The then government of Margaret Thatcher summarily dismissed the affair but a letter from a former chief of defense staff in 1985 warned it not to be so cavalier. ‘The case has puzzling and disquieting features which have never been satisfactorily explained … which continue to preoccupy informed sections of the public,” said the letter.”

So, take a moment today to give your mind flight. Who knows what UFO you might discover there!

Full article at:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE57G2EU20090817?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews&rpc=76

Technorati Tags: chiropractor, San Jose, UFO sightings, whimsy

Like me, you may be wondering whether or not our human search for longevity has suddenly been displaced by a mission to find immortality. No doubt, you’ve been reading a lot lately about the miraculous heart benefits of red wine (resveratrol), the extraordinary memory retention benefits of coffee (caffeine), and the countless benefits of a multitude of exotic supplements that, in one way or another, “guarantee” to reduce or prevent every known cause of mortality.

To start with, let me make it unquestionably clear that I solidly believe that certain~particular things that we ingest can be beneficial to our health. So, I’m definitely not opposed to taking supplements. Not only do I recommend them to my patients, but take them myself. Secondly, if confession is good for the soul, and red wine is good for the heart, then I’d like to take this opportunity to help both by stating for the record that I appreciate drinking a glass of red wine. The notion that it might have heart-healthy properties, well, that’s like icing on the cake, so to speak. And, lastly, as far as caffeine’s ability to genuinely reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s disease goes, I believe that if that were commonly true, life would be far less frightening and far more enjoyable for many people and their families.

However, before taking ill-considered action, and indiscriminately adding more coffee to your morning grind, an extra glass of red wine to your evening meal, or an extra outlay of your hard-earned cash on exotic herbs that promise to make you live forever, let’s rationally think about a couple of things.

For instance, let us think about the fact that we, humans, are dynamic, biological beings, free to uniquely interact with life. We have not been detained in a cage, and none of us has been “propagated” to artificially develop the age-related debilitation and disease that lab animals are bred to do, conditions that are then “reversed” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic herb.

Fundamentally, we are far more than the sum total of our parts. We are dynamic and biological, not “mechanical, conscienceless devices.” We are biologically individual, i.e., we react in a unique variety of ways to internal irritation factors and external environmental influences. Case in point, though smoking cigarettes is commonly unhealthy, there are a few people who are able to smoke, so it seems, and live to a ripe old age without any apparently-related problems.

Scientific studies isolate certain variables in order to achieve particular outcomes. That’s scientific inquiry! But, because the results occur through such isolation, and due to the fact that they are generally done on animals, when it comes to translating such results to humans, it can be said that what may work for some of the people all of the time, won’t work for all of the people all of the time, and sometimes won’t work at all (to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln!).

Each day you make deliberate decisions about what you’ll eat and how much activity and rest you’ll get. Even though you know what “feels” nutritious for your individual system by the way your body responds, not all the choices you make may be beneficial for your health and longevity. In fact, perhaps few of the choices you’ve been making lately are actually healthy ones.

Then you, like many others, may enthusiastically jump on the bandwagon of the latest report that announces that researchers have uncovered THE VERY THING that has the potency to reverse all of the excessive and unhealthy things you have been doing to your body on a routine basis! Talk about wishful thinking!

The human body is an exquisitely involved, homeostatic system. That is to say, every function is interdependent and sensitively balanced. This meticulous system becomes “off balance” when you consistently make unhealthy choices. Over time, the imbalances produce diseases and speed up the aging process.

If supplements help you to feel more energetic and healthy, then as a chiropractor who takes them as well, I say great, take them! If it feels like the thing to do, drink that additional cup of coffee as well. And, have a little more red wine if it honestly feels beneficial. But, keep in mind that the only legitimate way for anyone to avert or reverse age-related health problems is by choosing a consistently healthy lifestyle. You won’t get healthier by chance. There is no “lucky charm” when it comes to health and longevity.

Jamie Phillips, DC, a Ventura Chiropractor, has been in private chiropractic practice for 24 years. She is also a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She can be reached at (805) 985-9502

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