master_q

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  1. Posted

    Slouch - it's the safest way to sit

    David Rose

     

    Your mother probably told you, as her mother told her: sit up straight. Whether at table, in class or at work we have always been told that sitting stiff-backed and upright is good for our bones, our posture, our digestion, our alertness and our general air of looking as if we are plugged into the world.

     

    Now research suggests that we would be far better off slouching and slumping. Today’s advice is to let go and recline. Using a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a team of radiologists have found that sitting up straight puts unneccesary strain on the spine and could cause chronic back pain because of trapped nerves or slipped discs.

     

    The ideal angle for office workers who sit for long periods is about 135 degrees. It might make working at a computer impractical but it will put less pressure on the spine than a hunched or upright position, the researchers say.

     

    The study at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen involved 22 healthy volunteers who had no history of back pain or surgery. They adjusted their posture while being scanned by a movable MRI machine, assuming three sitting positions: a slouch, with the body hunched forward over a desk or video game console; an upright 90-degree sitting position; and a relaxed position where the patient reclined at 135 degrees but kept their feet on the floor.

     

    By measuring the spinal angles and the arrangement and height of spinal discs and movement across the positions, the radiologists found that the relaxed posture best preserved the spine’s natural shape.

     

    Waseem Amir Bashir, from Edinburgh, lead author of the study, said: “When pressure is put on the spine it becomes squashed and misaligned. A 135-degree body-thigh sitting posture was demonstrated to be the best biomechanical sitting position, as opposed to a 90-degree posture, which most people consider normal.

     

    “Sitting in a sound anatomic position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated muscles and ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness.” Dr Bashir, who now works at the University of Alberta Hospital in Canada, presented the research yesterday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago.

     

    The study was the first of its kind because MRI scan- ning has previously required patients to lie flat.

     

    Back pain is the cause of one in six days off work and about 80 per cent of Britons are expected to suffer from it at some point. Office workers and school children may stave off future back problems by correcting their sitting posture and finding a chair that allows them to recline, Dr Bashir said.

     

    He added: “We were not created to sit down for long hours, but somehow modern life requires the vast majority of the global population to work in a seated position, The best position for our backs is arguably lying down, but this is hardly practical.”

     

    However, Gordon Waddell, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Glasgow Nuffield Hospital, said that the link between biomechanics as shown in MRI scans and preventing back pain was still very theoretical.

     

    It was “human nature” to develop back pain, he said. “Like a headache or a cold, it seems we all get back pain and most of the evidence suggests that sitting position does not make a difference.”

     

    Sick leave

    * Non-specific back pain accounts for about 5 million lost working days per year, one in six of the reported total, costing the economy at least £5.7 billion

    * In 2004-05, 452,000 people reported suffering back pain caused by, or made worse by, work

    * About a sixth of the total were new cases

    * Back-pain sufferers took an average of 19 days off per person last year and 11 per cent of the 2.8 million claimants of incapacity benefit said they had a musculoskeletal disorder

    * 40 per cent of adults have suffered from back pain lasting for more than a day in the previous 12 months

    Source: Health and Safety Executive, ONS

     

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2475021,00.html

  2. Posted

    My expertise at video games doesn't extend past Atari 2600.......... ;)

     

    Mine goes to the original Nintendo system. lol

    But I have tried some of the other systems.

     

    But I will add this to this topic..The new Nintendo Wii sounds interesting from the perspective that it is unique: Not just the same old graphics improvement that apparently the other new systems have.

  3. Posted · Edited by master_q

    Contract:

     

    All that matters is the contractual agreements. There is nothing wrong with a homeowners association. I belong to one. They take care of the private park, the private roads, and keep order in what my neighbors can and cannot do with their property outside (e.g., no trash in front yard). It is voluntary. They also provide for some security.

     

    Anarchism:

     

    As far as this topic goes...it depends on how you define what "anarchism" is. There are different definitions of this term. And, in the context of political-ideological description, it seems to me that "anarchism" is defined very differently akin to how people define "liberalism," "conservatism" or "libertarianism".

     

    After doing a Wikipedia search, here is some stuff that I found..............

     

    According to Wikipedia, the most accepted definition in terms of a political-ideological description refers to communists (despite the fact that they reject the state). I will get to this anarchism that Wikipedia seemed to have embraced the most. (Some Forms: Anarcho-syndicalism, anarcho-communism, anarcho-collectivism, patformism, etc. As Wikipedia reports most anarchists reject private property. They believe in some form of collective, state like, agent.) There is also something called Anarcha-feminism! Devoted to crazy feminazi (to use a Rush Limbaugh term) anarchists. There is also anarcho-primitivism, green anarchism, and more.

     

    Does anarchy mean chaos? For example....Take this statement: Iraq is in anarchy. Meaning "Iraq is in chaos"... More often then not, most define it this way.

     

    Does anarchy mean no rules? For example...People can do whatever they please. There are no laws or rules. (Everyone can do anything.)

     

    Does anarchy mean a form of communism?

    For example...Noam Chomsky is fan of "anarchy" (anarcho-syndicalism). The symbol probably came from this form of anarchism. (Probably.) This form of anarchism would be where unions would democratically replace government function and private property would be abolished. Thus, it would not be "chaotic" in the sense of no rules. The profit-and-loss system would also be abolished under this definition of anarchism.

    Wikipedia had similar forms of anarchy philosophies defined. (As I noted.)

     

    Does anarchy mean the absence of coercion --- the "anarchy" of capitalism?

    Here is also another form that Wikipeida notes of. For example...a voluntary society with law and order being "privatized". Think of a small anarcho community of Amish people. This is a close example of a private law society. Many "anarchists" would label it as "anarchy" in action. Noam Chomsky, in his view, calls this form of anarchism "tyrannical" because capitalist institutions, on a profit-and-loss system, would replace all government functions...he did not say that it is "chaotic" with no rules or laws. Just like the more anarcho communist ideas, there would be rules and laws.

     

     

    As you can see it depends on how one defines anarchy. One can not be, necessarily, applied to the other. Example-----A supporter of anarcho-syndicalism, something Chomsky is a sympathizer with, would not call Iraq "in anarchy". By definition it would not be in "anarchy". (The question of would Chomsky or e.g. David Friedman anarchism "work," is another question outside of this topic. But these specific forms of anarchy do support institutions for law and order.)

  12. Posted · Edited by master_q

    Mini Q REPORT

     

    The October Mess Hall Chat

    Join us tomorrow (10/14) at 4pm et in the StarTrekFans.net chat room...^

     

    Voyager_messhall.jpg

     

    Star Trek Fans Chat Room...^

     

     

    Beyond Antares: Our very own SpaceTigger has an exclusive interview with Karl V. Miller, Captain of the Star Trek band Warp 11...^ (nota bene: some adult content)

     

    W11_027E.jpg

     

     

    StarTrekFans.net: See our 2004 interview with Warp 11 on TREK-NEWS-TALK...^

  18. Posted · Edited by master_q

    Warp 11

     

    post-68-1159717418.jpg

     

    Warp 11's most recent album "Boldly Go Down On Me" just spawned a new music video for their latest single "She Make It So" -

     

    YouTube:

     

    This music video won "Best Music Video" at the "Sacramento Film &

    Music Festival", and is now featured on YouTube, MySpace, and will soon be available at a higher quality on the Apple iTunes Music Store.

     

    Sci-fi rock gods Warp 11 have built a large following over the past few years, largely based on live concerts packed with an unlikely mix of the regular nightclub crowd and hard core Trekkies. Fan favorites include songs such as "Seven of Mine", "Trekkie Girl", "Rage Against the Federation" and "Don't Klingon Me".

     

    Momentum contines to grow - Warp 11 music is regularly heard on U.S. rock radio stations, including their hometown KWOD 106.5 FM. A hometown Warp 11 concert was featured in the Paramount Pictures documentary "Trekkies 2" (now available on DVD). During "Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner", Warp 11's song "Everything I Do, I Do With William Shatner" was played during a montage of Shatner career highlights.

     

    Warp 11 music is now available on amazon.com, at independent music stores, and on most major digital music services, including the Apple iTunes Music Store, MTV URGE, Real Rhapsody, Sony Connect, Yahoo! Music, Virgin Digital and others.

     

    The official Warp 11 website is at: http://warp11.com

     

    TREK-NEWS-TALK Interview: http://www.startrekfans.net/index.php?show...8&mode=threaded

  24. Posted

    WASHINGTON (AFP) - People who consume alcohol earn significantly more at their jobs than non-drinkers, according to a US study that highlighted "social capital" gained from drinking.

     

    The study published in the Journal of Labor Research Thursday concluded that drinkers earn 10 to 14 percent more than teetotalers, and that men who drink socially bring home an additional seven percent in pay.

     

    "Social drinking builds social capital," said Edward Stringham, an economics professor at San Jose State University and co-author of the study with fellow researcher Bethany Peters.

     

    "Social drinkers are out networking, building relationships, and adding contacts to their BlackBerries that result in bigger paychecks."

     

    The authors acknowledged their study, funded by the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, contradicted research released in 2000 by the Harvard School of Public Health.

     

    "We created our hypothesis through casual observation and examination of scholarly accounts," the authors said.

     

    "Drinkers typically tend to be more social than abstainers."

     

    The researchers said their empirical survey backed up the theory, and said the most likely explanation is that drinkers have a wider range of social contacts that help provide better job and business opportunities.

     

    "Drinkers may be able to socialize more with clients and co-workers, giving drinkers an advantage in important relationships," the researchers said.

     

    "Drinking may also provide individuals with opportunities to learn people, business, and social skills."

     

    They also said these conclusions provide arguments against policies aimed at curbing alcohol use on university campuses and public venues.

     

    "Not only do anti-alcohol policies reduce drinkers' fun, but they may also decrease earnings," the study said.

     

    "One of the unintended consequences of alcohol restrictions is that they push drinking into private settings. This occurred during the Alcohol Prohibition of 1920-1933 and is happening on college campuses today. By preventing people from drinking in public, anti-alcohol policies eliminate one of the most important aspects of drinking: increased social capital."

     

    The researchers found some differences in the economic effects of drinking among men and women. They concluded that men who drink earn 10 percent more than abstainers and women drinkers earn 14 percent more than non-drinkers.

     

    However, unlike men, who get a seven percent income boost from drinking in bars, women who frequent bars at least once per month do not show higher earnings than women drinkers who do not visit bars.

     

    "Perhaps women increase social capital apart from drinking in bars," the researchers said in an effort to explain the gender gap.

     

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060914/hl_af...lehealthalcohol

     

    Now I know why I never have any money <_<