Avoiding Spinal Problems by Proper Sitting

It's not only important to sit in a proper chair when working at a desk but it's also important to sit in a proper form. MRI studies of students found that the best form is to sit at a 135° angle body-thigh position instead of the supposedly normal 90° position. (The knees should be lower than hips so that the spine forms a 135° angle with the thighs and the upper body leans forward slightly.) This position puts the least strain on the spinal disks and back muscles. Could it be time for an ergonomic chair.


Those of us who spend many hours sitting at a desk should take this into account, especially if working from home (chances are that you won't get an ergonomic chair at the office). This could be part of the reason why so many suffer from chronic back pain, spasms, slipped spinal disks, etc. In the meantime, taking frequent breaks from sitting down and stretching can make a difference, since the human body wasn't meant to be sitting for hours at a time. Let's start treating our spines with care.

Listening With Your Heart

To be a good listener, we need to practice empathy; attempt to feel  
what the other person is feeling by listening with your heart and not  
your head. There are times when we all need a shoulder to cry on (as  
the saying goes) and we would like to feel understood when we "cry in  
that shoulder."
 
To be a good listener, we need to refrain from interrupting the person  
when they speak and curb the desire to say phrases such as,  
"Everything will be okay", "There are others in worse situations", "Be  
strong, crying won't solve anything", "You have to be positive." This  
makes the person in need feel lonely and misunderstood. They might  
even feel that they are weak because they don't know how to cope.
 
If we can't offer empathy or don't know what to say, we can remain  
silent and even admit that we don't know how to handle the situation,  
but always offering ourselves to be there to lend a listening ear, or  
comforting touch.

Strengthen a Loving Relationship

Love relationships can be difficult at times with varying degrees. They
can keep you in a constant state of anger, make you not want to see
the person, and even the thought of that person can put knots on  your
stomach. On the other hand, there are times when things are bliss. You
have loving thoughts for the person, enjoy their company, and there is
always understanding and agreement. And of course, there are
relationships that are somewhere in the middle; the area for the
majority of relationships.
 
One thing is certain, that for a relationship to flourish, the good times
have to predominate the bad times. Good times predominate when
there is a mixture of understanding, respect, generosity, unselfishness,
trust, levelheadedness, empathy, and even creativity. Both members
need to be on the same team. In addition to having in common love,
ideas, and interests, a common space also needs to be maintained.
That is not stating that everything has to be shared, because it doesn't.
The key is to respect the differences.

Cats Social Bonds

Cats form strong social bonds with each other, although some may be introverted or lead solitary lives. I had 3 cats that were always together. One cat (Lubissa) was unsocial who would come to me only at feeding time. I was unable to touch her. She remained with me 13 years and in the last year would allow me to pet her on her terms; sometimes coming up to me. Although she was unsocial, she craved the togetherness of the other 2 cats. At times she would seek Tara (the dog), but Tara was never interested. There was another cat (Silo) who was also unsocial but not as bad as Lubissa. His bond with Lubissa wasn’t as strong as with Alaima (the other cat). He was always in search of her and tolerated Lubissa. Alaima, seemed to be the matriarch of the group, always on her own but tolerating Lubissa and Silo at all times. I recently lost Lubissa and Alaima so Silo is always alone. There are 2 other cats but they remain to themselves seeking only human affection.

Communication among cats consists of nose-touching, grooming each other, playful biting with purring, chirping, and meowing. They establish hierarchies, although they don’t remain permanent. They usually enjoy companionship, weather it’s another cat, human, or other animal. They do depend on humans greatly, although they practice a great deal of independence.

China’s Dog and Cat Fur Trade

Millions of animals are killed every year in China for their fur. According to Swiss Animal Protection (SAP), Chinese companies will at times deliberately mislabel their fur products as “Asian jackal’, “rabbit”, or “raccoon” to fool consumers.

Animals are rounded up (many are beloved pets), thrown into crates and taken to the fur farms where they are stunned with blows to the head or swung against the ground. SAP has documented conscious animals during the skinning process. Since there is no animal welfare legislation in China regarding dogs or cats, these animals are denied any act of kindness and granted all of the atrocities of cruelty. Pain and suffering go into every piece of fur manufactured from these animals. Please boycott all fur-like products (even toys) from China and write to China’s Ambassador in the US:

The Honorable Zhou Wenzhong

The People’s Republic of China

2300 Connecticut Avenue NW

Washington DC 200081799

Watch the following video depicting the cruelty inflicted on these animals that will become fur. Warning: Contains graphic material.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gx8qFYhdbo

I’ve Been Away Too Long

I have been so busy that I haven't been able to keep up with my internet activities and I've missed it so much. Once you've been away for so long, it becomes hard to get started again; harder than when you first initialed it. You feel like you just don't know where to get started or if anyone is even interested anymore. Here I am again and I hope to not let anything come between blogging and me!

Human Warmth

Humans are social creatures which need human warmth. Children will not thrive without the caresses, love, and warmth of a parent or guardian, even when all other care is present. Studies have shown that children may not develop psychologically and may even die with the total absence of human warmth even when food and medical care are available. If parents neglect to give affection, the child will find it hard to connect with others, to give, and receive affection as they grow into adulthood. Their emotional expressions may be limited; they may avoid human contact, and might even act cold and distant. Sometimes individuals may not even be aware that they are frigid and might feel uncomfortable when touched or hugged. These individuals don’t realize that they are truly in need of human warmth.

Becoming aware and seeking companionship is the key to learning the art of human warmth; where it becomes more comfortable to be touched, hugged, or kissed. We actually feel good when hugged whether it is a greeting, or we need to be consoled, or just because. This is true whether it is a friend, family or lover. There is a form of communication transmitted when we touch each other. A hug, kiss, touch, or squeeze accompanied with respect and true amicability is seldom confused with a different, perceived message.

Non-verbally communicate with someone by gently putting a hand on their shoulder, hugging them, kissing them, etc. and be aware of the sensation.