Opportunity to Give Away Books-World Book Night USA

Greetings all. I wanted to share a fantastic community service opportunity. Right now you can apply to be a part of World Book Night (April 23rd) if you reside in the United States of America. The deadline has been pushed back to February 6, 2012. Applicants who are accepted get 20 copies of a book to give out. (In your application, you indicate a first, second, and third choice. Based on availability, you will usually get one of those three.) The idea is to hand out books to people who are light or non-readers. Share the wonders of literature!
I personally applied and was accepted. I'm really excited!

Image credit to WBN

For more info visit http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/about-world-book-night/register-as-a-2012-giver

Michelle Obama's Pushup form on the Ellen Show!

I believe yesterday the First Lady of the United States was on the Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about various things from her husband, President Obama, to her "Let's Move" initiative. In the midst of the interview, Ellen challenged Michelle Obama to a pushup contest. Now unlike the writer at the Huffington Post, I'll have to say that her pushups weren't very good. That she completed "25 push ups with perfect form," and had "the stamina to keep going" is quite an exaggeration! I can be very picky with these things; nothing against the lady herself. I appreciate her efforts to promote healthy eating and exercise. However, I don't want people to get the wrong idea about pushups. The contest starts @1:30 in the video.




We can see in the video that the First Lady takes a rather wide position, with her elbows slightly angled out from the start. In such a position, it is difficult to actually do a proper pushup. She does not go far down in the pushup either, never nearly getting her chest close to the floor. This poor form results in a very limited range of motion. Fewer muscle groups are engaged fully, if at all, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise, and more stress is placed on the bones involved. With everything in mind, Ellen had better form and probably could have won if she used Obama's form.

A pushup is a excellent full body exercise. It engages muscles from the legs to the shoulders and works the chest and triceps especially. For maximum strength gain and bone protection, do pushups with proper and consistent form. There's no shame in not being able to do a single pushup! Don't compromise by doing pushups with bad form. Do pushups on your knees or against a chair, railing, or table to build up your strength. Although Michelle Obama didn't do the pushups with the best form, many men and women cannot either.

Brilliant Talk and Animate on Changing Public Education

This video was presented in my college English class. Quite a fantastic talk on the public education paradigm- what has led to the formation of this model, what determines it, it's downfalls, and why it needs to be significantly modified. Although it does not delve deep into the complexities of the system, Sir Robinson expertly weaves together an overview of the paradigm (with a video to match it, credit to the RSA!). The speaker, Sir Ken Robinson, "is an internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation.  He is also one of the world’s leading speakers with a profound impact on audiences everywhere." Robinson has delivered speeches, worked with governments and organizations, taught at esteemed universities, and received numerous awards. You can see more of Sir Ken Robinson and his work on his website.
The video is about public education but the messages that are sent go far beyond the single topic. Conformity, economics, individuality, mindsets, and more!