Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The 2012 National Nursing Home Week has a theme of “Celebrating the Journey” as a way to pay tribute to the staff, families and residents of our nations nursing homes.
I have the amazing opportunity to work with a 78-year-old woman named Mary. She has resided in a local San Diego nursing home where they care for her 24/7 since suffering from a stroke that left her paralyzed and with limited speech. Each week I walk into her nursing home and I see fresh flowers, smiling faces, and a clean living environment. I know the staff, nurses, doctors and administrators work very hard to make the residents feel at home and maintain their standard of living. As I was leaving last week I noticed a poster that was announcing May 13-19 as National Nursing Home Week (NNHW) and the theme of “Celebrating the Journey.” NNHW is sponsored by the American Health Care Association and is designed to spotlight the residents and …
Some on Wall Street think Facebook’s initial public offering of stock is latest dot-com hysteria.
No doubt Facebook has changed lives—more than 900 million, in fact. But with its initial public offering of stock on Friday, the social network founded by Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard dorm room has raised stratospheric expectations. The 8-year-old company’s valuation would top $100 billion, according to Wall Street. Is this an omen of wild profits to come or the latest Sign of the Apocalypse? Remember the dot-com bust?
Monday, May 14, 2012
Time magazine cover photo of boy nearly 4 feeding on his mother has sparked debate and outcry.
Mothers, we hope you got the rest and recognition your deserved Sunday. Now back to work—deciding whether the latest media-sparked debate is worth your attention. We refer, of course, to extreme breast-feeding, the “attachment parenting” practice pictured on the cover of Time magazine. That’s the one where a boy nearly 4 is standing on a small chair, feeding on his mother’s left breast. Advocates like Dr. Bill Sears say moms should breast-feed as late as age 7. What’s your age of weaning? (And see what Valerie Brown has to say in her column Confessions of the Evil Mother Lady on Rancho Bernardo Patch.)
Friday, May 11, 2012
Funeral procession for Coronado-based Navy officer raises hard questions about American role.
Coronado is home to many military families—including about 75 percent of students at Strand Elementary. So Thursday’s funeral procession for Lt. Christopher Mosko was especially meaningful. A charter plane brought Mosko, who was killed last month in Afghanistan, to North Island Naval Air Station. But a larger question looms: What does Mosko’s ultimate sacrifice mean? One poll says only 27 percent of Americans back the Afghanistan war. Osama bin Laden once launched attacks from that country. Now he is gone. Should U.S. troops be, too?
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Learn what the difference is between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and why both can help you be motivated to achieve your fitness goals.
If you could take a magic pill that would make you lose weight and be in shape, would you take it? It’s an interesting thought and helps examine different types of motivation. Intrinsic motivation generally is described as performing an activity for itself, as well as for the pleasure and satisfaction derived from participation. In other words, you like the activity because it’s enjoyable and you are satisfied with the activity regardless of external rewards. Extrinsic motivation is described as engaging in an activity as a means to an end and not for its own sake. Extrinsic motivation is usually associated with extrinsic rewards like social acceptance, rewards, and monetary compensation (Deci & Ryan 2000). Most exercise researchers will …
In 2008, Californians backed amendment to ban same-sex marriages. Have you changed?
President Barack Obama came out of his “evolving” views closet Wednesday by concluding, in an ABC News interview, that “for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who has a lesbian daughter, said he applauded the president: “I know it’s a difficult political position, but he’s on the right side—and history will judge him that way.” Yet California voters—along with a 4-0 vote by the Grossmont Union High School District board—turned thumbs down on gay marriage via Proposition 8 in 2008. Have your views evolved?
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Only one team in Major League Baseball has a worse record than the local professional ballclub.
The San Diego Padres are on a roll—having won two games in a row. Better yet, the 11-20 Friars are no longer the worst team in baseball. (Thank you, 8-21 Twins!) But mired in last place in the National League West, the Padres are 8 1/2 games behind the division-leading Dodgers. (The horrors!) It could be worse. We could have paid $240 million for a player only to end up last, like the Angels. The question remains: Is the season over for the Padres? Or does hope remain for a May Miracle and pennant race?
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The President’s Council on Fitness, Sport and Nutrition (PCFSN) is celebrating its 29th year of promoting health and fitness.
I remember being in elementary school and my teachers talking about the Presidential Fitness Award and practicing each of the tests in preparation for the day when my classmates and I all held each other’s feet and did sit-ups. If you were wondering if that same test still exists, the answer is … yes. In an effort to track the fitness level of our students, each year 5th, 7th, and 9th graders all perform the same five physical fitness tests, which are the sit and reach, shuttle run, pull-ups, sit-ups, and the endurance walk/run. The goal of the Presidential Fitness Test is to help educators help their students be at their best. Since we know that exercise and a healthy body helps with learning, it’s understandable that we would want to …
Governments have long taxed alcohol and tobacco to limit damage. Time for fat, sugar?
After the surgeon-general declared smoking dangerous to your health, steep taxes helped bring down U.S. cigarette use. Now comes the latest report on obesity, which suggests that 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030. The forecast by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “32 million more people could be obese in 2030—adding $550 billion in health spending over that time span,” according to an Associated Press report. Is it time to slap extra taxes on foods high in sugar or saturated fat? Or should education and the marketplace handle what some call a public health crisis?
Monday, May 7, 2012
U-T San Diego makes a big push for Carl DeMaio as San Diego mayor. Does it help or hurt?
As a policy, Patch does not endorse candidates in elections. But we back any effort to explore all sides of a race or ballot initiative. We have a standing invitation to all incumbents and office-seekers to blog on Patch—giving them direct, unfiltered access to their communities. But it’s traditional for newspapers to endorse candidates for local, state and national office. Locally, U-T San Diego on Sunday used a wrap-around of the front page to display its editorial backing of Carl DeMaio for San Diego mayor. In light of media fracturing—with many sources of news and opinion available—do newspaper endorsements still carry any weight? Do people take cues from the local metro daily or the free weeklies? Or are these efforts now meaningless?
Cathy Kosich
5:45 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Thank you to those who give so much to our seniors everyday. We were very fortunate to have a referral to a wonderful care facility in Poway. Gate Manor has such caring and compassionate staff. Marie should be “Caregiver of the Year” as she was so patient with my mother in law. Even on the most difficult days she always has a smile. Also thank you to Jim, Lennie and Roy for their assistance in … more ›