Holiday Exercising

Holidays call for indulging in those good tasting treats and cookies. At the same time this can be a killer on the body. Check out this article for helpful tips on how to enjoy the eatings of the holidays without destroying your body!

Burn It Off
Though there are many tricks and tips for losing weight, packing on the pounds comes down to simple math: Consume more than you burn off, and you’ll gain weight. Sadly, increasing your exercise workload isn’t an effective way to cancel out chronic binging, during the holidays or any time of the year.

Here’s an idea of how much exercise you'd have to do to break even on your holiday indulgences:

2,100 jumping jacks: This exercise will sweat off the calories in 1 cup of egg nog
280 pushups: Sheds the calories in one glass of wine
1 hour, 30 minutes of calisthenics: Burns off a serving of nuts
2 hours of moderate walking: Eradicates one slice of pecan pie
13 minutes of jumprope: This activity will make that shot you took last night a distant memory

That's a lot of working out...definitely makes you think twice about indulging in that extra piece of pie or cookie...

D-Rose breaking ankles

Did You Know?

Professional Athletes = Genius?

Here is Rick Reilly's article about some of the genius that is Professional Athletes (just a few clippings):

Q: What does happen in the playoffs if the game is tied after the first overtime?

• Sam Madison, CB, Giants: "Are they gonna do a coin toss? The rule needs to be changed."
• Shaun O'Hara, C, Giants: "Yeah, we don't want the Super Bowl decided by a coin flip."

Correct answer: Play continues until one team scores.

Q: What's the maximum number of challenges a coach can make in a game if he's always right?

• Clark: "As many as he wants."
• Goff: "Two per half."
• O'Hara: "Four."
• Barton: "If he's right, why stop him?"
• Pace: "Six."
• Mangold: "I don't know. There goes my coaching gig."
• Rhodes: "Three. You're not going to get me."

Correct answer: Three.

And a few genius quotes...

• New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season: "I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."

• Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh: "I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes."
• Chuck Nevi, North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to
  Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice: "My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt."
• Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regime of heavyweight Andrew Galoot: "He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning regardless of what time it is."
• Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president, on a former player: "I told him, 'Son, what is it with you? Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.'"

Well there you have it! It's no wonder professional athletes make some of the most bonehead mistakes and it just makes you wonder sometimes whether the wheels are spinning. But for as many of those athletes, there are those of the intelligent kind and can represent themselves and their sport respectfully.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by U2

One of my Christmas Favorites...



To come the Ultimate Christmas Mix!

Illini continue to roll

The Upstart Illini

The Fighting Illini are off to a spectacular start after traveling to Nashville and defeating Vanderbilt 69-63 on Thursday. The Illini were not predicted to do much if anything this season by many college basketball "experts" (including many Illini fans). Well they have proven many wrong so far and are off to a 3-0 start before today's game against Jackson St. Although, the first two teams they played were not the stiffest of competition, the Illini took care of business. The game at Vanderbilt showed what the Illini potentially could be-a never say die-fight to the end team. They will scratch and claw all the way until the final buzzer goes off. Some of the things that have been key for the Illini so far and if they keep on happening, this team could suprise some people: they have bought into the TEAM Concept-much was written about the issues that surrounded the team last year, which was a major factor for the poor season, the Seniors-Trent Meachem, Chester Frazier, and Calvin Brock have been solid so far-Trent shooting very well, Chester and Calvin contributing in ways that don't show up on the box score-one thing is the fact against Vandy, Chester and Demetri McCamey combined for 14 assists and only 1 turnover, Mike Davis has two double-doubles so far, which shows he is willing to get in there and mix it up-he has a lot of raw athleticism, which combined with skills and understanding of the game can lead to many more double-doubles, the bench has been a huge factor coming in and contributing to what the starters are doing, and finally the biggest factor that has plagued Illini basketball for recent season is Free-Throw Shooting: so far the Illini are shooting 77% on the season and made huge free-throws down the stretch at Vandy, while the Commodores missed plenty of key ones (usually it was the other way around the past few seasons).

There is a great possibility that the Illini can be off to a 6-0 or 5-1 start going into December with the upcoming South Padre Island Tournament. They could make Illini Nation forget about the struggles of last year and get the Illini back to the NCAA tournament and atop of the Big 10.

"College basketball may have its own version of the "Redeem Team," the popular nickname for Team USA during its run to the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics this past summer.

"That's us in a way," Illinois sophomore guard Demetri McCamey said. "Illinois hasn't had a season like last season in a long time. We are determined not to let that happen again. We are a team looking for redemption." ...

But Weber's luck on the recruiting trail finally appears to have turned for the better. Four prospects who are ranked among the top 150 signed with the Illini earlier this month. The group is ranked No. 10 nationally by Rivals.com and includes four-star shooting guards Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, ranked No. 44 and No. 57 overall. Paul and Richardson committed more than a year ago.

"We have worked very hard at recruiting since we got here and sometimes things haven't gone our way," Weber said. "I think the key was Richardson committing to us first. Everything snowballed from there. We had a great relationship with him and once we had him we were able to call the other kids and say, 'Hey, we only have this many scholarships left.' "

Meacham has played with many of the incoming recruits and knows just how great the future of Illinois basketball looks. But he doesn't want his final season to be viewed as some sort of steppingstone either.

"The recruits we have coming in are very talented and are going to give this program a big boost," Meacham said. "I know the program is going to be really exciting after I'm gone, but I believe we can be a good team this year. We are starting to believe we can win and we're staying together. We need to remain tough and keep that mind-set of building on what we are doing every day."

Sounds like a player bound for redemption."

Congratulations Albert and An NFL Coach not afraid of his Catholicity

Yesterday Albert Pujols claimed his second National League MVP Award (should have at least one more...) Albert was in contention with Phillies 1st Baseman Ryan Howard who led the league in HR's and RBI's, but had a below .250 batting average and had 199 strikeouts! Albert was second in batting .377 and only struck out less than 60 times the whole year, while hitting 37 HR's and 116 RBI's while having better On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage for the year. Albert did it all year without a feared hitter to back him up (although Ryan Ludwick did have a career year) and was consistent from day one. Howard had perennial all-stars Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins to back him up. I am glad the writers got this MVP voting right. Yes, I am biased towards Pujols because I am a Cardinals fan, but this guy has been doing it for 8 years straight (he has never finished lower than 10th in MVP balloting). Read the Article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for more opinion and statistics that will prove why Pujols is one of the best hitters of all time.

"It's almost like a little boy getting a toy," Pujols said. "You're so excited waiting for that Christmas and to find out what you got. I knew I had a pretty good chance. I think the guys who voted, the baseball writers, know what they're doing."

"He's been the leader on this team probably since his second year," said La Russa, Pujols' only major-league manager. "If you had to name The Leader, it's been him. It didn't mean a guy like Mike Matheny or Jim (Edmonds) didn't lead. Scott (Rolen) had his moments. But when you look at the inner workings of our club, Albert is the guy who speaks with the most sense. He leads by example as well. I always admired the fact he is willing to share. He's not hoarding an angle on a pitcher or something like that."


And this story about Baltimore Raven's Head Coach John Harbaugh. It is nice to see a Head Coach displaying his Religion and something positive in a sport that deals with an image issue what seems like weekly.

"Harbaugh talks frequently about humility and looking out for the other guy.

“When you make yourself small and raise the other people up around you, that’s the whole Christian message,” he said. "

Mr. Obama if your watching this...

Chase Hilgenbrinck: From the Pitch to the Priesthood

"Called to be Fisher's of Men"

Congratulations Albert!

He already has a Rookie of the Year, MVP, and World Series Ring, now Albert Pujols may have the best award is his eyes. Albert Pujols recieved the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award, which is given to a player in the Major Leagues who excels in charity work, serving the Community, and individual effort on the field. Pujols' work with the Pujols Family Foundation is tremendous reaching out and givings tons of money to to families with children who have Down's Syndrome in the Greater St. Louis Area. This is why Albert Pujols is not only one of the best players in the Major Leagues, but also all-around people. He plays hard, for his team, and for his God. Thank You Albert-in a time of phony "heroes and athletes" it's nice to see someone doing it clean and for the right reason!

What happens when you take "Devil" out of the "Devil Rays"

The Tampa Bay Rays are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies 1-1 in the 2008 MLB World Series. Last year they were dead last in the AL East and had one of the worst records in the Majors. For 10 years they have been a team of futility and a benchmark for awfulness. Then after deciding to change their nickname from the "Devil Rays" to just "Rays" this youthful exuberant bunch are on the verge of something great-going from worst to literally first. I'm not saying that by taking "Devil" out of their name is the sole reason and that God has looked down and them and justified them by the removal of the name. I think it is an interesting story that just plays along with the great season this team, led by Manager Joe Maddon with his Buddy-Holly (Rivers Cuomo esc) glasses has led the Rays to within 3 games of winning the World Series.

"Until this season, the Rays hadn't even had a winning season..."You take the 'Devil' out of the Devil Rays," said Boston shortstop Alex Cora, pointing to the sky, "and Jesus helps them out."... The thornier religious question behind Tampa's nickname is this: Does God care about the name or the fate of a team?... Christopher Evans, a professor of church history at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y., said most sports fans mistake superstition for religion..."The rational part of our brain sort of recognizes that a lot of the curse stuff is silly," said Evans, co-author of "The Faith of 50 Million: Baseball, Religion and American Culture."... "The reason that Tampa Bay has done well is that they have a great team. They have a great manager."

And with the 2008 US Presidential Election only 10 days away here is something to think about when choosing which Candidate to choose for: "“The moral history of your country is the story of your people's efforts to widen the circle of inclusion in society, so that all Americans might enjoy the protection of law, participate in the responsibilities of citizenship, and have the opportunity to make a contribution to the common good. Whenever a certain category of people—the unborn or the sick and old—are excluded from that protection, a deadly anarchy subverts the original understanding of justice. The credibility of the United States will depend more and more on its promotion of a genuine culture of life, and on a renewed commitment to building a world in which the weakest and most vulnerable are welcomed and protected.” Pope John Paul II

This is America...

In the midst of the Presidential Election-here is why I understand why the Founding Fathers came up with the Electoral College because they believed Americans to not be educated or literate to vote...their notion is goes on today!















Awhile back I did lessons learned from Man's best Friend the Dog...little did we know we could actually learn something from cats as well...

Be Careful to not pull a muscle when weight lifting













The feeling when dinner or lunch just didn't taste right

-He would feel a lot better with this quick remedy: (great muscle shake especially after a grueling workout!) 1 cup of Fat-Free Chocolate Milk, 1/2 cup Skim Milk, 1 scoop of Chocolate Protein Powder, 1 tsp of Creatine - A quick Muscle Filler!









And Finally getting out of bed may be the hardest part of the day!











I know I have been there before and most days I feel like I just want to stay under the covers!

Song of the week: Weezer "Troublemaker" as heard on Mike and Mike in the morning!

Why we shouldn't depend on the material world...The Sermon on the Mount

"The Pope referenced Christ’s words at the close of the Sermon on the Mount in which he speaks of building one’s house’s foundation upon sand or upon rock.

“Those who build on sand do so only on visible and tangible things: on success, career and money,” the Pope explained.

“These seem to true reality, but one day they will pass away", he continued.

"We see this now with the fall of the great banks. Money disappears, it becomes nothing. And thus all these things which seem to be real and upon which we can rely, are in fact of secondary importance.

“All human things, all things we can invent and create are finite. So too all human religious experiences are finite. They show only one aspect of reality, because our limited being understands only some parts, some elements.

“Only God is infinite and through him, his Word too is universal and knows no end,” Pope Benedict remarked.

“Only the Word of God is the foundation of all reality, stable like heaven. Therefore we must change our concept of reality. A realist is one who recognizes that the Word of God - this reality that appears so weak - is in fact the foundation of everything.”"

Viva La Vida (Live the Life)

"I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world"

Pujols' Push for MVP

"Any calculator can reveal the numbers Albert Pujols needs this final weekend of the season to run down his second National League batting title. What it will take for the Cardinals' first baseman to also claim his second NL MVP is less quantifiable.

It's not awarded just for crunching numbers; it's can come from numbers in the crunch. On Friday, he did both until he could do neither. Finishing out of the postseason is a mitigating factor for Pujols' MVP candidacy, as historically the writers who vote side with hitters who powered their teams to the playoffs.

For Pujols, Friday's campaign stop included three hits, a game-tying home run in the fifth inning and more stumping from manager Tony La Russa.

"Albert is a great player," La Russa said. "He plays defense like a maniac. He runs the bases. He is in the tradition of the great Cardinals players. He is one of the great players playing today. And he shows it on a daily basis." Friday was Pujols' second consecutive three-hit game and his third consecutive multi-hit start. He raised his average from .348 to .357. The homer was his seventh hit in seven consecutive at-bats.

"Is he hot?" La Russa said. "He got a pitch to hit, and he hit."

Pope Benedict XVI, St. Paul, and the Power of Confession

"The more we try to follow in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth on the roads of Galilee, so much the more will we understand that he has taken charge of our humanity, sharing in everything except sin," he said. "Our faith is not born from a myth or an idea, but from an encounter with the Risen One, in the life of the Church."

Here is an insightful post on "Why Confession?"
"It almost doesn't even matter what we confess. What matters is that our heart has turned back to God. We've acknowledged our need of him. We've therefore put ourselves back into his will.

Confession is actually a good, healthy and wholesome thing to do. It's healthy and wholesome like getting up early, getting some exercise, turning off the TV and eating our vegetables."

Presidential History: How We Remember Presidents

I found this article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, "History may well smile on George W. Bush" written by Charles Krauthammer. He presents a very good point on how we will remember President Bush once he has served his two terms as the President of the United States in America.

"For the last 150 years, most American war presidents — most notably Lincoln, Wilson and Roosevelt — have entered or re-entered office knowing war was looming. Not so George Bush. Not so the war on terrorism. The 9/11 attacks literally came out of the blue.

Indeed, the three presidential campaigns between the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11 were the most devoid of foreign policy debate of any in the 20th century. The commander-in-chief question that dominates our campaigns today was almost nowhere in evidence during our '90s holiday from history. When I asked President Bush during an interview Monday to reflect on this oddity, he cast himself back to early 2001, recalling what he expected his presidency would be about: education reform, tax cuts and military transformation from a Cold War structure to a more mobile force adapted to smaller-scale 21st-century conflict. But a wartime president he became. And that is how history will remember and judge him."

Now I for one think President Bush has done an admirable job (he has one of the most scrutinized, publicized, and stressful jobs-only behind Pope Benedict XVI) as President and leader of our Great Nation. Sure, some things have not gone the way he has probably planned for them to go, but who could plan on September 11th and the fact that the situation in Iraq seems to not be getting better because of ignorance and hatred among the people who live there. Now will President Bush be placed along the same side as Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt(s)? Probably not, but he won't be one of the worst-maybe somewhere in the middle of the pack. Remember he does have 4 months to solidify his place in history. I think it would be interesting to be able to sit down and ask the President questions you had and to listen to him speak about being the President and all what entails.

Presidential Highlights:
If anyone has ever seen Frank Caliendo do a GW Bush Impersonation, it is downright hilarious!
Also, with his reception of Pope Benedict VXI was very admiral and his hospitality was well respected by His Holiness, I am sure. I have read articles that call GW the "Closet Catholic."
To see a list of different rankings of Presidents: Historical rankings of United States of America Presidents

Goodbye Yankee Stadium

Although, I never was on the Yankee Bandwagon, I do believe Derek Jeter is one of the best Yankees of all time-this will be the first year he will miss the playoffs-the guy is just a winner...Anyways the Yankees have had a lot of tradition over the years and this year Yankee Stadium will be forever gone after 85 years after last nights game, which the Yankees won beating the Baltimore Orioles (only fitting). One of the experiences of going to a game at Yankee stadium was the PA Announver, Bob Sheppard. Although I was never lucky enough to see a game there, any baseball fan who has watched a Yankee game on TV will know that voice-it is one of those voices that once you hear you recognize-Jack Buck, Joe Buck, Harry Carey, etc. Not only did Bob Sheppard have a great voice, but also a great Faith as documented in this article "The Voice of God," about Mr. Sheppard's Faith and being the voice of the Yankees.
"Now batting for the Yankees… Number 2… the shortstop… Derek… Jeter.. Number 2."

Workout Attack

Here was Jason's Saturday UpperBody (emphasis on arms workout):
-Bike ride to Cardinal Fitness and 10 minutes on elliptical for warm-up-medicine ball roll to stretch out the hammies (no foam roll...)
-Body Weight Warmup Circuit 3x
10 Elevated Pushups
10 BarBell Curls
8 Triceps Extension w/ 10 lb plate
-Chest
For this I started with Incline, then change the incline to halfway between flat and incline and then all the way to a flat bench - this will get your chest pumping
3x8,8,6 w/ 50 lb DB
Super-Set 1
Reverse Grip Pressdown 2x10 110
Narrow Grip Barbell Curl 2x10 75
Super-Set 2
Back- Inverted Rows w/Barbell (Body weight) 3x12
Decline Crunches 3x25
Super-Set 3
DB Overhead Extension 2x10 70
Hammer Curls 2x10 35 lb DB
Side Crunches 2x15 (each side)
Super-Set 4
Triceps Dip x15 w/ 20 lb, x25 Bodyweight
Elastic Band Curls 2x30 seconds
-Bike Ride back home
-Ending with a delicious glass of Fat-Free Chocolate Milk and Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
Not bad, if I must say so myself

A Night of Legends

It surely was a Night of Legends on Saturday at the Assembly Hall in Champaign. Players from all eras of Illini Basketball came to celebrate the rich tradition of Fighting Illini Basketball culminating in the Alumni game pitting the "old" vs. the "new." Players from the Flying Illini (Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Stephen Bardo, etc) along with Frank Williams, Brian Cook, Corey Bradford, and Kiwanne Garris (to name a few) battled against Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, and Roger Powell. It was great to see all of those guys out on the court. Deron led the way for the new guys leading them to victory-it might have had been that they had 3 NBA Players on their team. Deron nailed a "3" from the "S" on the Illinois that left everyone's jaw dropping. Luther pulled down some sweet dunks, including one where he threw it to himself off the backboard! What may have been the best was to see the Gold Medal around Deron's neck proudly representing the USA and Fighting Illini Basketball-I would take a Gold Medal over a NBA Championship...Then the night ended with the unveiling of 30 of the greatest Illini Basketball Jerseyss. It was a great night and I feel blessed and special to have had my four years at U of I a part of the Fighting Illini Basketball Program!

Remembering 9/11/01

Loving God, help us to realize that true peacemaking can only become a reality in our world today if it is first a matter in our hearts. September 11 reminded us that our country has been blessed with tremendous resources that we must use wisely in the service of others, both within our own borders and around the world.

We ask for the gifts of civility and charity so that we can treat others with respect and love.

We ask for the gifts of faith and hope to strengthen our spirits by placing our trust in You rather than ourselves.

We ask for the gifts of courage and compassion that will move us into action to help those in need in the United States as well as throughout the world. We ask for the gifts of humility and kindness so that we may put the needs and interests of others ahead of our own.

We ask for the gifts of patience and perseverance to endure the long struggle for justice.

We ask for all of this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

"Our call to be Apostles of Christ" B16

"Benedict XVI then highlighted how in the letters, there appear "three main characteristics" of being an apostle: "the first: having seen the Lord, having had an encounter with him that is decisive for one's life". In fact, "it is the Lord who makes an apostle", and this apostle needs to be in constant relationship with the Lord. "One is not an apostle by vocation, but by means of Jesus". The second characteristic is "that of being sent. The Greek word apostolos means one who is sent, dispatched, the bearer of a message". "He must act as an expression of the one who sends him, as a delegate of Jesus". "Once again it emerges that the initiative belongs to someone else, it belongs to God, in Christ". "This emphasizes the fact that the mission has been received from him". The third characteristic is "the exercise of the proclamation of the Gospel, with the consequent foundation of Churches". "'Apostle' is not an honorary title, it consumes the entire being of its subject". "This is why Paul describes apostles as coworkers of God"."

The Birth of The Blessed Mother Mary

Today The Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Mother Mary to her earthly parents Joachim and Anne, descendants of David. Mary is our greatest example of an obedient Disciple to Christ, to whom she gave a divine and virgin birth to Salvation and humanity. Here is an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI and the role of Mary in the Catholic Faith

"In summary, the pope made five points about Mary in Sardinia, which are likely to surface again while he’s at Lourdes:

• Mary points to Christ, above all to his incarnation.
• Mary is a symbol of the beauty and tenderness of God.
• Mary is a forerunner and a model for all disciples of Christ.
• Mary is a model for mothers, children and spouses, and thus a patron of the family.
• Mary is the “star of the new evangelization,” a patron for efforts to bring Christ to the world.

Benedict encouraged the Sardinians to renew their Marian traditions, not merely as a matter of preserving local culture, but also because of the importance of Mary in Catholic theology and spirituality.

“The role of Mary in salvation history stands out in all its clarity: the being of Mary is totally relative to Christ, in particular to his incarnation,” Benedict said in his homily at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Bonaria. “Respecting everything human, God makes it fecund from within, causing the most beautiful fruit of his creative and redemptive work to bloom from the humble virgin of Nazareth.”

“Thus we can, once again, contemplate the place of Mary in God’s plan for salvation,” the pope said. “She is, in fact, in Christ, the summit and model of ‘those who love God.’ In the ‘here I am’ of the Son, we find a faithful echo of the ‘here I am’ of his mother, as well as the ‘here I am’ of all the adoptive children of the Son.”"

Father of Mercy, give your people help and strength from heaven.
The birth of the Virgin Mary's son
was the dawn of our salvation.
May this celebration of her birthday
bring us closer to lasting peace.
Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

-- the Liturgy of the Hours

"The Resurrection will be 'the last word on Suffering'"

"Pope Benedict concluded by referencing men and women ready to carry their cross and follow Jesus.

The Holy Father remarked, “In today’s world, where powers that divide and destroy appear to dominate, Christ does not stop making us a clear invitation: who wants to be my disciple, let him forswear his own egoism and carry with me the cross.”

He then invited his audience to invoke the intercession of Mary who, Pope Benedict said, followed Jesus along the way of the cross."

THE Greatest Olympian

There is no way that Michael Phelps will not be considered the greatest Olympic Athlete of ALL TIME. What he has done during the two Olympics that he has competed in will (probably not) be ever duplicated or beaten-if it is that will be super-amazing. Pat Forde of ESPN.com wrote a great article on Phelps that is a very worthy read and goes in more depth of what I am getting at-he's the professional This young man broke Mark Spitz's single Olympic record of 7 Gold Medals in one Olympiad, by claiming his 8th Gold Medal in as many swimming events. He destroyed the competition, albeit the 7th race where he won by the slimmest of margins and made it even more exciting. He now claims 16 total medals (14 Gold and 2 Bronze) which is second all time only to a Soviet Gymnast who has 18. Now if he keeps this up and wants to come back in 2012, he will shatter that record and further cement his mark. Only 13 countries have more medals than he has (USA leads overall Medal Count with 65 over China's 61). One question comes to mind with all of this-can Phelps be considered one of the greatest Athletes of all time? Granted swimming is not as popular as some of the major sports in the world, but to live up to the expectations and put on the performances that he has, it is a fair and valid question to be debated for the ages along with those of greatest basketball or baseball player ever (Michael Jordan and ???). I am proud to say that Michael Phelps is an American Athlete, who has represented his country graciously during these Olympics, giving it his best effort never settling for nothing but the GOLD.


On other Olympic news, the Men's Basketball team better win the Gold. If they do not-DISAPPOINTMENT. It was only back in 1992 when the Dream Team destroyed the competition game after game making it look easy and so far this years 2008 squad is doing much the same after defeating Spain yesterday by 37 points.Deron and Lebron in company need to keep it up and leave the competition up in smoke. They have looked pretty impressive so far and they need to keep it up-they are an exciting team to watch and they understand what their mission is and they work hard at on the court. Gold or Bust!

25 Ways to Improve Your Health...A lesson from the Animals...

1.) Brush twice a day!

2.) Dress right for the weather.

3.) Visit the dentist regularly.

4.) Get plenty of rest.

5.) Make sure your hair is dry before going outside.

6.) Eat right.

7.) Get outside in the sun every once in a while.

8.) Always wear a seatbelt.

9.) Control your drinking of alcoholic beverages.

10.) Smile! It will make you feel better.

11.) Don't over indulge yourself.

12.) Bathe regularly.

13.) Read to exercise the brain.

14.) Surround yourself with friends.

15.) Stay away from too much caffeine.

16.) Use the bathroom regularly.

17.) Get plenty of exercise.

18.) Have your eyes checked regularly.

19.) Eat plenty of vegetables.

20.) Believe that people will like you for who you are.

21.) Forgive and forget.

22.) Take plenty of vacations.

23.) Celebrate all special occasions.

24.) Pick up a hobby.

25.) Love your neighbor as yourself.