Welcome to 'OZ' - The 'Other' Side of the Rainbow!! Posting is at 10AM, Noon and 2PM CST daily. Up to 12 days of posts on the main page. The archives have more. You can forward posts by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of the post. Enjoy your stay! *** If you need to contact me, or have a copyright issue, please use the "Contact The Wizard" form on the left side of 'OZ'. Original source and author is cited and credited in each post where possible. ***
Tuesday, January 08, 2019
Some Great Words
Found this in an SPAM email sent to me....
The point of living is to be alive. To experience being alive. You can't get the full experience unless you involve yourself fully and live in the life, but the point of the life is not the things that vex you, it's the experience of them. you, yourself, are an entity beyond this lifetime and these experiences, your job is to dive into the life and live it. We get full of expectation and taking things for granted. We load ourselves with the burden of directing our lives so that when something outside our direction or desiring happens we feel cheated.
Yet when something like this happens it's usually something we could never have orchestrated deliberately and yet which gives us an experience so deep and unique and poignant that we are gifted ultimately with a depth of feeling and learning that we hadn't had since childhood. You have the opportunity to learn a whole new life suddenly. Something happens to catastrophically change your world. It's upsetting, it's shattering, it's overwhelming, but it persists. As you persist as well eventually you overcome the challenge and learn to work around it or over it or with it instead of against it. Or all of that, and still resisting it as well.
Whether it's a sudden illness or disability or the total loss of your home to catastrophe, or the loss of your loved ones, it's a hardness humans have faced forever to some degree and it's made us so strong that we dominate our entire planet and even venture into it's satellites and neighbor planets with our machines.
Nobody but a balanced and loving power who wants us to be ground to a sparkle like fine diamonds would ever put us through these tragedies, so that is what happens, outside of your plans, within a greater plan for your spirit, to shine it and give it strength.
However you see the metaphysical world, whether by higher power or personal power, most people acknowledge the idea of the part of them they call "I" is enduring beyond the physical state. That part of us is what grows, learns, becomes wiser and gentler and more loving with the lessons we learn. With strength comes grace.
The point of living is to be alive. To experience being alive. You can't get the full experience unless you involve yourself fully and live in the life, but the point of the life is not the things that vex you, it's the experience of them. you, yourself, are an entity beyond this lifetime and these experiences, your job is to dive into the life and live it. We get full of expectation and taking things for granted. We load ourselves with the burden of directing our lives so that when something outside our direction or desiring happens we feel cheated.
Yet when something like this happens it's usually something we could never have orchestrated deliberately and yet which gives us an experience so deep and unique and poignant that we are gifted ultimately with a depth of feeling and learning that we hadn't had since childhood. You have the opportunity to learn a whole new life suddenly. Something happens to catastrophically change your world. It's upsetting, it's shattering, it's overwhelming, but it persists. As you persist as well eventually you overcome the challenge and learn to work around it or over it or with it instead of against it. Or all of that, and still resisting it as well.
Whether it's a sudden illness or disability or the total loss of your home to catastrophe, or the loss of your loved ones, it's a hardness humans have faced forever to some degree and it's made us so strong that we dominate our entire planet and even venture into it's satellites and neighbor planets with our machines.
Nobody but a balanced and loving power who wants us to be ground to a sparkle like fine diamonds would ever put us through these tragedies, so that is what happens, outside of your plans, within a greater plan for your spirit, to shine it and give it strength.
However you see the metaphysical world, whether by higher power or personal power, most people acknowledge the idea of the part of them they call "I" is enduring beyond the physical state. That part of us is what grows, learns, becomes wiser and gentler and more loving with the lessons we learn. With strength comes grace.
You Know You're Gay When…
1. You wear the appropriate underwear for each of your dates.
2. You understand the subtle differences between at least 20 brands of vodka.
3. You understand the immense importance of good (or bad) lighting.
4. You can be in a crowded bar and still spot a toupee from 50 yards away.
5. You can tell a woman you love her bathing suit and mean her bathing suit.
6. You can tell a woman she has lipstick on her teeth without embarrassing her.
7. No one expects you to kiss and not tell.
8. You can have naked pictures of men you know in your home.
9. You can have naked pictures of men you don't know in your home.
10. You can have naked pictures of men you don't know in your home and on your computer.
11. Unlike your women friends, you can hang out in men's locker room.
12. You understand why the good Lord created spandex.
13. You understand why the good Lord did not intend everyone to wear spandex.
14. You know the difference between a latte, cappuccino, cafe au lait and a macchiato. And if you don't, you know how to fake it.
15. You know how to get back at just about everyone.
16. Your pets always have great names.
17. Nobody expects you to change a tire.
18. You're the only guy who gets to do the "Cosmo" quizzes.
19. You know how to get a waiter's attention.
20. You only wear polyester when you mean to.
21. At any given instant, you can recite who was gay since the dawn of history.
22. You are, hands down, your nephew's and nieces' favorite uncle.
23. You get to choose your family.
24. You can tell your sexual compatibility with a potential partner by the way he holds his drink.
25. You can smile to let someone know you can't stand them.
26. You wouldn't be caught dead in Hooters.
27. You can freeze an approaching bar troll twenty feet away.
28. You're good pals with women other people can't stand.
29. You've always got an opinion, and don't mind sharing it.
30. You've read the book, seen the movie, done the musical.
31. You know how to "air kiss".
32. You know exactly which cosmetic surgery to consider having... and the perfect excuse to give people who ask where you've been for two weeks.
33. You know how to dress strategically.
34. You know when to move out and move on.
35. You are the only one at the class reunion who looks better than you did in high school.
36. You've got at least one framed picture of a pet.
37. You know that being called a "cheap slut" isn't necessarily an insult.
38. You wouldn't buy someone a mug for their birthday.
39. You know which wine to bring.
40. Sales clerks don't mess with you.
41. You have a medicine chest stocked for any occasion.
42. You never hold a grudge for longer than a decade.
43. You've just about defeated the accent you were born with.
44. You know the way to a man's heart is not necessarily through his stomach.
45. You choose the most fabulous greeting cards.
46. You know every film ever made with male frontal nudity.
47. You've got sunscreen at every conceivable SPF level.
48. You have the latest International Male catalog.
49. You wouldn't dream of dressing out of the latest International Male catalog.
50. You can be bitchy without anyone blaming it on biology.
A child's view on thunderstorms
A little girl walked to and from school daily.
Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to school.
As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning.
The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school. She also feared the electrical storm might harm her child.
Full of concern, the mother got into her car and quickly drove along the route to her child's school.
As she did, she saw her little girl walking along.
At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile.
More lighting followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.
When the mother drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called, "What are you doing?"
The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture."
The Customer Isn't Always Right
NotAlwaysRight
If you've ever worked in customer service you'll, unfortunately, relate to these horrendous moments in the world of dealing with people. They might bring back bad, bad memories, but they'll make you laugh at the same time. It's always nice to see that someone else is struggling just as hard as you did once upon a time (or like you are right now, and I'm sorry). Here are some moments in customer service history that will make you laugh and maybe cry a little:
1. Listening Skills Don’t Carry Much Weight
GROCERY STORE | WV, USA | AT THE CHECKOUT, BIZARRE, TRANSPORTATION
(I am a cashier at a grocery store. Our management does not allow customers to take shopping carts outside. Instead, if a customer has a large order of groceries, we load them into a trolley and an employee follows the customer to their vehicles with the groceries. We always have employees on-hand to do these carry outs. An elderly customer comes to my register with several two-liters of soda and a box containing a 12-pack of soda, among other things. Thinking that this must be heavy, I offer to call a carry out for her.)
Me: “Hello, ma’am, would you like a carry out today?”
Customer: “What?”
Me: “Would you like help out?”
Customer: “What?”
Me: “Would you like help out to your car?”
Customer: “What?”
Me: *very slowly and deliberately* “Would you like someone to help carry your bags to your car?”
Customer: “Oh, no, dear. I don’t need that.”
Me: “Are you sure? It would be no trouble at all.”
Customer: “I’m sure!”
(I shrug and ring up her order. I bag her groceries, she pays, and I hand her a receipt.)
Me: “Thanks a lot. Have a great day!”
Customer: *stares at her bags of groceries* “Well, how am I supposed to carry all of this by myself?!”
2. The Power Of One
THEATER | BOSTON, MA, USA | AT THE CHECKOUT, EXTRA STUPID
(I work as front of house staff at a theater with multiple performance spaces. On this night we have three sold out shows in our building and an incredibly high volume of patrons in line for the box office and in line to get their tickets scanned. I am the only person scanning tickets at this point and I have developed a cluster of patrons around me, plus many more behind them. I realize that to proceed efficiently, I need more organization. I address my patron cluster:)
Me: “It will really help me out if everyone can form one line please!”
Woman In The Cluster: *as though this never would have occurred to her* “OH! Because you’re only one person!”
Me: “…exactly.”
3. Knocking The Wind Out Of Your Sails
MUSEUM | BOSTON, MA, USA | BIZARRE, HISTORY
(I work in a museum that focuses on the history of a particular ship. One day, a visitor approaches me and asks me this question:)
Visitor: “Excuse me, I have a question.”
Me: “Sure!”
Visitor: “When was the last time [Ship] had all of her sails out?”
Me: “The last time she sailed under her own power was in August 2012 on the 200th anniversary of her victory with—”
Visitor: “Yeah, but were ALL of her sails out?”
Me: “Well, no, only a few of the main ones necessary for—”
Visitor: “But I want to know when she had ALL her sails out like in this painting.” *gestures to nautical painting*
Me: “Ah! I see. Actually, artists painted ships with full sails to heighten the drama of the painting. There would be very few occasions when a ship would literally have all of her sails out at once because different sails are used in different situations and angles of wind and—”
Visitor: “Yeah, but WHEN was the LAST TIME she had ALL of her sails out?”
Me: *pause* “I guess I don’t know exactly.”
Visitor: *to his family* “Oh, she doesn’t know.”
4. Half Agreeing To Half And Half
RESTAURANT | SEASIDE, FL, USA | FOOD & DRINK, SPOUSES & PARTNERS
(I am joining my family for dinner when I overhear this exchange between my mother and our waiter:)
Mom: “Can I have a cappuccino?”
Waiter: “I am sorry, We do not have any.”
Mom: “Do you have any green tea?”
Waiter: “Yes, ma’am.”
Mom: “Can I have that with vanilla?”
Waiter: “We do not have any vanilla.”
Mom: “Nothing vanilla.”
Waiter: “Vanilla vodka.”
Mom: “Peppermint? Gingerbread?”
Waiter: “We do not have any flavorings.”
Mom: “Any [Flavored Creamers]?”
Waiter: “We have half and half.”
Mom: “See, I did not want half and half.”
(My father breaks his silence and speaks up and says to the waiter.)
Dad: “Just say yes to whatever she says and bring her half and half.”
Mom: “That works for me.”
5. Gives New Meaning To ‘Phone Bill’
BANK, CALL CENTER | CO, USA | CRAZY REQUESTS, EXTRA STUPID, MONEY, TECHNOLOGY
(A customer calls in to a bank call center.)
Customer: “I need to make a deposit.”
Me: “I can certainly help you with that deposit. What do we need to deposit? Cash, check, money order?”
Customer: “I need to deposit money.”
Me: “What type of deposit? There are different ways to make a deposit depending on what you need to deposit.”
Customer: “I need to deposit cash.”
Me: “I can find you the closest ATM so you can make your cash deposit.”
Customer: “You mean I have to go somewhere to make the deposit?”
Me: “Yes, if you are depositing cash.”
Customer: “Well, can’t I just deposit it over the phone?!”
Me: No, I’m sorry. There is not a way to deposit cash over the phone.”
Customer: “What kind of service is this?” *click*
6. No Signal Getting To His Brain
CELLPHONE STORE, RETAIL | WI, USA | EXTRA STUPID, TECHNOLOGY
Me: “Hello. How can I help you today?”
Customer: “My ‘wifis’ are all locked.”
Me: “Okay… let me see what you mean here.”
(The customer pulls out their [Smartphone] and shows that there are lock symbols on all of the wifi networks openly broadcasting in the area.)
Me: “Yes, these lock symbols mean that you have to login to the wifi network with a password.”
Customer: “Password? What password? Wifis need a password? I’ve never used a password.”
Me: “Does your home wifi not have a password?”
Customer: “Which one is my home wifi?”
Me: “Well, none of these. We have a wifi access point here in the store…”
(I demonstrate to the customer how to log onto a wifi using the store’s own broadcasting wireless network.)
Me: “But your home wifi will only be at your house. Not here. Do you know what your home wifi network is called?”
Customer: “Why can’t I use any of these other ones?”
Me: “These are just local wifi spots that are locked, with passwords, by their owners to keep people from freely using them.”
Customer: “But wifi is supposed to be free, and I was told that I would have access to wifi with my new device.”
Me: “Well, wifi isn’t always free. In places like Starbucks or McDonalds you’ll have free wifi that they pay for, but typical home networks, and even your 4G or 3G networks aren’t technically free. So, what you’ll have to do is go to your house, figure out what your home wifi is called, login to it by finding it on this list in your phone, and enter in the password if you have one.”
Customer: “So… what’s my wifi password, then? I don’t think I have one.”
Me: “I couldn’t tell you. That would be something you or you Internet provider would know.”
Customer: “My provider is you guys.”
Me: “Your home Internet provider.”
Customer: “See, I don’t understand. Wifis are free, so why? When I use my wife’s laptop, I just go to the Internet. There’s no passwords for the Internet. Where would I need to use a password for FREE wifi?”
Me: “Well, unless you’re stealing someone else’s unsecured wifi, you would have to have a network that you yourself are broadcasting, paying for, and connecting to that would either have or not have a wifi password involved. But again, I’m sorry, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that information. Your home cable or Internet provider would be responsible.”
Customer: “So do I have wifi or not?”
Me: “No. No, you don’t. Not if you don’t know what it is.”
Customer: “Why isn’t there some technical thing? You know I’m not good with this computer stuff, but I wish there was some technical thing that would just tell you what the password is. Everyone gets free wifi, but I’m the one with all the problems. I think it’s the phone.”
Me: “No, it’s not. Could you check on your home wifi for me and let me know what provider you have? I think I could get a pretty good idea of the problem with that information at least.”
Customer: “Okay. Yeah, I can do that. I’ll check with the wife. She’s better at this stuff.”
(I can now officially retire from customer service.)
If you've ever worked in customer service you'll, unfortunately, relate to these horrendous moments in the world of dealing with people. They might bring back bad, bad memories, but they'll make you laugh at the same time. It's always nice to see that someone else is struggling just as hard as you did once upon a time (or like you are right now, and I'm sorry). Here are some moments in customer service history that will make you laugh and maybe cry a little:
1. Listening Skills Don’t Carry Much Weight
GROCERY STORE | WV, USA | AT THE CHECKOUT, BIZARRE, TRANSPORTATION
(I am a cashier at a grocery store. Our management does not allow customers to take shopping carts outside. Instead, if a customer has a large order of groceries, we load them into a trolley and an employee follows the customer to their vehicles with the groceries. We always have employees on-hand to do these carry outs. An elderly customer comes to my register with several two-liters of soda and a box containing a 12-pack of soda, among other things. Thinking that this must be heavy, I offer to call a carry out for her.)
Me: “Hello, ma’am, would you like a carry out today?”
Customer: “What?”
Me: “Would you like help out?”
Customer: “What?”
Me: “Would you like help out to your car?”
Customer: “What?”
Me: *very slowly and deliberately* “Would you like someone to help carry your bags to your car?”
Customer: “Oh, no, dear. I don’t need that.”
Me: “Are you sure? It would be no trouble at all.”
Customer: “I’m sure!”
(I shrug and ring up her order. I bag her groceries, she pays, and I hand her a receipt.)
Me: “Thanks a lot. Have a great day!”
Customer: *stares at her bags of groceries* “Well, how am I supposed to carry all of this by myself?!”
2. The Power Of One
THEATER | BOSTON, MA, USA | AT THE CHECKOUT, EXTRA STUPID
(I work as front of house staff at a theater with multiple performance spaces. On this night we have three sold out shows in our building and an incredibly high volume of patrons in line for the box office and in line to get their tickets scanned. I am the only person scanning tickets at this point and I have developed a cluster of patrons around me, plus many more behind them. I realize that to proceed efficiently, I need more organization. I address my patron cluster:)
Me: “It will really help me out if everyone can form one line please!”
Woman In The Cluster: *as though this never would have occurred to her* “OH! Because you’re only one person!”
Me: “…exactly.”
3. Knocking The Wind Out Of Your Sails
MUSEUM | BOSTON, MA, USA | BIZARRE, HISTORY
(I work in a museum that focuses on the history of a particular ship. One day, a visitor approaches me and asks me this question:)
Visitor: “Excuse me, I have a question.”
Me: “Sure!”
Visitor: “When was the last time [Ship] had all of her sails out?”
Me: “The last time she sailed under her own power was in August 2012 on the 200th anniversary of her victory with—”
Visitor: “Yeah, but were ALL of her sails out?”
Me: “Well, no, only a few of the main ones necessary for—”
Visitor: “But I want to know when she had ALL her sails out like in this painting.” *gestures to nautical painting*
Me: “Ah! I see. Actually, artists painted ships with full sails to heighten the drama of the painting. There would be very few occasions when a ship would literally have all of her sails out at once because different sails are used in different situations and angles of wind and—”
Visitor: “Yeah, but WHEN was the LAST TIME she had ALL of her sails out?”
Me: *pause* “I guess I don’t know exactly.”
Visitor: *to his family* “Oh, she doesn’t know.”
4. Half Agreeing To Half And Half
RESTAURANT | SEASIDE, FL, USA | FOOD & DRINK, SPOUSES & PARTNERS
(I am joining my family for dinner when I overhear this exchange between my mother and our waiter:)
Mom: “Can I have a cappuccino?”
Waiter: “I am sorry, We do not have any.”
Mom: “Do you have any green tea?”
Waiter: “Yes, ma’am.”
Mom: “Can I have that with vanilla?”
Waiter: “We do not have any vanilla.”
Mom: “Nothing vanilla.”
Waiter: “Vanilla vodka.”
Mom: “Peppermint? Gingerbread?”
Waiter: “We do not have any flavorings.”
Mom: “Any [Flavored Creamers]?”
Waiter: “We have half and half.”
Mom: “See, I did not want half and half.”
(My father breaks his silence and speaks up and says to the waiter.)
Dad: “Just say yes to whatever she says and bring her half and half.”
Mom: “That works for me.”
5. Gives New Meaning To ‘Phone Bill’
BANK, CALL CENTER | CO, USA | CRAZY REQUESTS, EXTRA STUPID, MONEY, TECHNOLOGY
(A customer calls in to a bank call center.)
Customer: “I need to make a deposit.”
Me: “I can certainly help you with that deposit. What do we need to deposit? Cash, check, money order?”
Customer: “I need to deposit money.”
Me: “What type of deposit? There are different ways to make a deposit depending on what you need to deposit.”
Customer: “I need to deposit cash.”
Me: “I can find you the closest ATM so you can make your cash deposit.”
Customer: “You mean I have to go somewhere to make the deposit?”
Me: “Yes, if you are depositing cash.”
Customer: “Well, can’t I just deposit it over the phone?!”
Me: No, I’m sorry. There is not a way to deposit cash over the phone.”
Customer: “What kind of service is this?” *click*
6. No Signal Getting To His Brain
CELLPHONE STORE, RETAIL | WI, USA | EXTRA STUPID, TECHNOLOGY
Me: “Hello. How can I help you today?”
Customer: “My ‘wifis’ are all locked.”
Me: “Okay… let me see what you mean here.”
(The customer pulls out their [Smartphone] and shows that there are lock symbols on all of the wifi networks openly broadcasting in the area.)
Me: “Yes, these lock symbols mean that you have to login to the wifi network with a password.”
Customer: “Password? What password? Wifis need a password? I’ve never used a password.”
Me: “Does your home wifi not have a password?”
Customer: “Which one is my home wifi?”
Me: “Well, none of these. We have a wifi access point here in the store…”
(I demonstrate to the customer how to log onto a wifi using the store’s own broadcasting wireless network.)
Me: “But your home wifi will only be at your house. Not here. Do you know what your home wifi network is called?”
Customer: “Why can’t I use any of these other ones?”
Me: “These are just local wifi spots that are locked, with passwords, by their owners to keep people from freely using them.”
Customer: “But wifi is supposed to be free, and I was told that I would have access to wifi with my new device.”
Me: “Well, wifi isn’t always free. In places like Starbucks or McDonalds you’ll have free wifi that they pay for, but typical home networks, and even your 4G or 3G networks aren’t technically free. So, what you’ll have to do is go to your house, figure out what your home wifi is called, login to it by finding it on this list in your phone, and enter in the password if you have one.”
Customer: “So… what’s my wifi password, then? I don’t think I have one.”
Me: “I couldn’t tell you. That would be something you or you Internet provider would know.”
Customer: “My provider is you guys.”
Me: “Your home Internet provider.”
Customer: “See, I don’t understand. Wifis are free, so why? When I use my wife’s laptop, I just go to the Internet. There’s no passwords for the Internet. Where would I need to use a password for FREE wifi?”
Me: “Well, unless you’re stealing someone else’s unsecured wifi, you would have to have a network that you yourself are broadcasting, paying for, and connecting to that would either have or not have a wifi password involved. But again, I’m sorry, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that information. Your home cable or Internet provider would be responsible.”
Customer: “So do I have wifi or not?”
Me: “No. No, you don’t. Not if you don’t know what it is.”
Customer: “Why isn’t there some technical thing? You know I’m not good with this computer stuff, but I wish there was some technical thing that would just tell you what the password is. Everyone gets free wifi, but I’m the one with all the problems. I think it’s the phone.”
Me: “No, it’s not. Could you check on your home wifi for me and let me know what provider you have? I think I could get a pretty good idea of the problem with that information at least.”
Customer: “Okay. Yeah, I can do that. I’ll check with the wife. She’s better at this stuff.”
(I can now officially retire from customer service.)
'Never give up': Woman with locked-in syndrome learning to walk again
CTVNews.ca Staff , with reports from CTV Montreal’s Rob Lurie, CTV’s Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
When Nancy Bergeron was just 37 years old, she suffered a devastating stroke.
Nancy was left with locked-in syndrome, a condition in which patients are aware of their surroundings but can’t speak or move.
Nancy’s mother, Michelle Bergeron, says she was told by doctors that she should let her daughter die.
“The doctor told me, ‘Your daughter will never be able to walk,” Michelle says. “I told him, ‘You don't know my daughter.’”
Michelle didn’t give up, and neither did her daughter.
Two years ago, Bergeron began intensive rehabilitation using a combination of technology and stimulation at Neuro-Concept in Verdun, Que.
Research shows intensive rehab can help people with locked-in syndrome to regain some function. Bergeron is an example.
“I want to walk,” says the 47-year-old stroke victim.
Bergeron’s therapist, Antoine Deschamps-Laporte, is impressed with her progress.
“She can stand up for many minutes,” he said. “With the help from some competent physiotherapists, she can walk now,” he added.
That’s opening up new possibilities, including going to restaurants and on vacations, according to Deschamps-Laporte.
Bergeron’s experience is inspiring others at the clinic.
Rana Yousseff was told she would never stand after a car crash that left her with a spinal cord injury. Now, she’s back on her feet.
“I decided that, with the help of my family, my husband and my daughters, they will see me walk again,” she said.
Despite her challenges, Bergeron is writing a book about her recovery. She plans to one day walk into a bookstore to buy the first copy.
“Never give up,” she says.
*CTVNews.ca
Nancy was left with locked-in syndrome, a condition in which patients are aware of their surroundings but can’t speak or move.
Nancy’s mother, Michelle Bergeron, says she was told by doctors that she should let her daughter die.
“The doctor told me, ‘Your daughter will never be able to walk,” Michelle says. “I told him, ‘You don't know my daughter.’”
Michelle didn’t give up, and neither did her daughter.
Two years ago, Bergeron began intensive rehabilitation using a combination of technology and stimulation at Neuro-Concept in Verdun, Que.
Research shows intensive rehab can help people with locked-in syndrome to regain some function. Bergeron is an example.
“I want to walk,” says the 47-year-old stroke victim.
Bergeron’s therapist, Antoine Deschamps-Laporte, is impressed with her progress.
“She can stand up for many minutes,” he said. “With the help from some competent physiotherapists, she can walk now,” he added.
That’s opening up new possibilities, including going to restaurants and on vacations, according to Deschamps-Laporte.
Bergeron’s experience is inspiring others at the clinic.
Rana Yousseff was told she would never stand after a car crash that left her with a spinal cord injury. Now, she’s back on her feet.
“I decided that, with the help of my family, my husband and my daughters, they will see me walk again,” she said.
Despite her challenges, Bergeron is writing a book about her recovery. She plans to one day walk into a bookstore to buy the first copy.
“Never give up,” she says.
*CTVNews.ca
Monday, January 07, 2019
The Dildo Song
(To the tune of "The Dreidle Song")
O dildo, dildo, dildo
I made you out of clay
And when you're hard and ready
O dildo I will play
When I was a youngster
Indoors I'd always stay
And in my parents' closet
O dildo I would play
I dildo, dildo, dildo
I bought you yesterday
And when desire's burning
O dildo I will play!
O dildo, dildo, dildo
I made you out of clay
And when you're hard and ready
O dildo I will play
When I was a youngster
Indoors I'd always stay
And in my parents' closet
O dildo I would play
I dildo, dildo, dildo
I bought you yesterday
And when desire's burning
O dildo I will play!
Here is a sign from Newfoundland, Canada
RECOGNIZING A STROKE - A true story
Susie is recouping at an incredible pace for someone with a massive stroke all because Sherry saw Susie stumble - -that is the key that isn't mentioned below - and then she asked Susie the 3 questions. So simple - this literally saved Susie's life - - Suzie failed all three so 911 was called.
Even though she had normal blood pressure readings and did not appear to be having a stroke, as she could converse to some extent, the Paramedics took her to the hospital right away.
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately,the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
*Ask the individual to SMILE.
*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.
*And, if you have one, give them an aspirin right away.
If they have trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.
They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
A cardiologist says if everyone who hears of this information , let's other people know, you can bet that at least one life will be saved. Who knows, one day maybe this information will help save your life.
Even though she had normal blood pressure readings and did not appear to be having a stroke, as she could converse to some extent, the Paramedics took her to the hospital right away.
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately,the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
*Ask the individual to SMILE.
*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.
*And, if you have one, give them an aspirin right away.
If they have trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.
They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
A cardiologist says if everyone who hears of this information , let's other people know, you can bet that at least one life will be saved. Who knows, one day maybe this information will help save your life.
Singing horses - F-U-N!
A horse is a horse, of course, of course...
Click above to make 'em sing!
Just click on them 'on' and 'off'. Be adventurous! Be an artiste! they make beautiful music together!
Sunday, January 06, 2019
Let me Google that for you.
1. Abraham Lincoln was in such a rush to admit the Battle Born State into the Union that he received its state constitution in what unusual way?
One way to find the answer:
Go to Google and search [Battle Born State] to learn that the state is Nevada. Then search [Nevada sent Lincoln constitution] to find that Lincoln received Nevada’s entire constitution by ____________. Why was he in such a hurry? To help with abolitionist causes and his own reelection!
2. You’re in the woods gathering sweet gale, mugwort, yarrow, ground ivy, horehound, and heather. What are you making?
One way to find the answer:
Go to Google and search [sweet gale mugwort yarrow ground ivy horehound heather]. That long query will show that these plants are the ingredients for gruit, an herb mixture used to flavor beer before the days of using hops. You are making _________ _____.
3. The oldest person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence criticized the national emblem and suggested what as an alternative?
Go to Google and search [oldest person sign Declaration of Independence] to find Benjamin Franklin. Search [Benjamin Franklin national emblem]. Find that he suggested the _____ _______ as an alternative to the bald eagle.
Health Benefits From Chocolate?
It's not exactly a guilt-free pleasure, but food researchers say cocoa beans could be good for you. Dolly Sullivan is a believer. She eats two or three squares of Dove dark chocolate daily and talked her mother into switching from coffee to cocoa.
"I'm a chocoholic. I can't walk by a chocolate store," said Sullivan, 60, who lives in Warwick, R.I. "I've always enjoyed chocolate, but now I have a reason to eat it."
The health potential is real. Cocoa beans have natural compounds called flavanols, and a growing pile of scientific research suggests they do good things to blood vessels.
Customers at Neuhaus, a Belgian chocolate shop in Washington's Union Station, like thinking the dark stuff might be healthy, said manager Clementine Loeman.
"That way, they don't feel guilty," Loeman said, adding that chocolate was sometimes considered medicinal when the company began as a pharmacy 148 years ago.
Despite the enthusiasm, flavanols are missing from much of the chocolate on store shelves today. Flavanols make chocolate and cocoa taste bitter, and confectioners have spent years trying to perfect ways to remove the pungent flavor.
"Most chocolate, in fact, isn't flavanol-rich," said Norm Hollenberg, a radiology professor and flavanol expert at Harvard Medical School. "But all chocolate is rich in fat and calories. Chocolate is a delight. It can and should be part of a prudent diet. That means you limit what you take."
Flavanols are found in other foods, such as red wine, grapes, apples and green tea, although cocoa beans are a particularly rich source.
Mars Inc. developed the technology to visualize flavanols on a computer screen. Says Harold Schmitz, the company's chief science officer: "Now we understand cocoa well enough to start to do new things with it."
The company is starting with CocoaVia granola bars, made with a special cocoa powder that retains most of the flavanols. The bars also have plant sterols, which have been shown to help lower cholesterol.
For now, the 80-calorie, 23-gram snack bars are sold only on the Internet. The bars have a satisfyingly rich chocolate flavor, along with a slight but distinct bitter taste.
Mars says its Dove dark chocolates - a 1.3 ounce bar is 200 calories - also contain flavanols.
Researchers are excited by the potential of flavanols to ward off vascular disease, which can cause heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, dementia and hypertension. Vascular diseases are linked to the artery's inability to make a simple but fundamental chemical called nitric oxide. Flavanols appear to reverse that problem.
"The pharmaceutical industry has spent tens, probably hundreds of millions of dollars in search of a chemical that would reverse that abnormality," Hollenberg said. "And God gave us flavanol-rich cocoa, which does that. So the excitement is real."
*by Libby Quaid ©Associated Press 2005
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