Yes, I would call it a fiasco.
And a nuisance.
And a strange twist of professional football history.
Brett Favre - the quarterback who had forged himself into the Green Bay Packers' history books. A man that could have retired as one of the legendary Packers, perhaps the greatest football team in the modern era. A quarterback that could have bowed-out gracefully after his 17th professional season.
But no, the ego won out.
There is a difference between "can he play" and "is it time for him not to play". Does he have more great seasons in him behind the New York Jets' offensive line, throwing to receivers that he doesn't have much playing time with? Will he still be a first ballot Hall of Famer? Will history still look back fondly? Or will he be remembered for his leaving the Packers, instead of what he accomplished with them?
The 29th Summer Olympics are upon us. It is always an exciting time for me as I love to watch virtually any sport being performed by an athlete at his or her highest capacities. It is a two week period in which the world focuses on the spirit of competition and forgets about the other issues that abound. Though it sounds cliched, you do still see moments like Dara Torres holding up her swim final so that one of her competitors could change suits and be ready to compete. This was an amazing act of sportsmanship, and it seems like every Olympiad provides us with stories like this, along with the countless tales of personal struggle. Having worked at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, I know that this spirit of good will and fair competition does exist - and these tales of personal challenge are more the standard than the rarity.
There has been great debate over China hosting the Olympics - primarily due to issues of human rights and individual freedoms. Should the International Olympics Committee have chosen Beijing for the 2008 Olympics given that human rights are a key element of the Olympic movement?
The budget for the war in Iraq is, by many estimates, well on it's way to a trillion dollars.
That's a whole lot of zeros for anyone.
We can't fund a base level of health care for the people of the United States. Apparently the system can't afford it - not even basic emergent care.
Am I the only one that sees the hypocrisy in this?
Now this doesn't have to be an initiative to make all care free. No, we don't have to use the word "socialized" because Lord only knows that word does crazy things to people wearing red, white and blue. But how about we consider giving people some basic elements of care that can give them a springboard upon which to pursue the American Dream?
Another athlete got caught cheating today. Another cyclist at the Tour de France - make that three for 2008's edition and we're barely through the Pyrennes. Is anyone surprised?
Now before anyone starts the diatribe on how cycling is so full of drug users, let's remember that we've seen any number of athletes in any number of pro and collegiate and amateur sports test positive for a plethora of supposed "performance-enhancing" drugs. And let's also keep in mind that as long as athletes strive for greater performances, and as long as a truckload of money is being thrown at them, there are always going to be those that will try their luck with drugs.
Oddly enough, this isn't the part that upsets me most.
**BREAKING NEWS - Bush approval rating at 28% ***
In the recent past, I have tried compiling a list of ideas or notable topics for discussion. When inspiration finds you, you better make note of it! There are times when I start writing about the topic immediately, and times when I let the idea germinate in my mind (or in print) before I actually give birth to it. There are also times when I have something important to mention that simply gets pushed to the side for other topics. This happens a lot with items "in the news". Sometimes, better late than never!
So here's a thought from the "better late than never" category.
I've heard of "approval ratings" in politics, but I'd never heard of "disapproval ratings". It's kind of a strange spin on things - establishing what percentage of the population don't approve of your work! Perhaps this is what we have to resort to these days, when it's easier to count those that don't approve of what you're doing as opposed to those who do.
It's a noisy world we live in.
"Noise" is not just of the "sound" variety. We are bombarded with sensory information all day long. It is a 24/7 process. We live in a world of data. Our senses take in so much data about the world around us that we can't even process all of it. You can't get away from information. Some have even gone so far as to call it "information overload".
And I can't agree more.
Why even discuss noise? It was brought to my attention by a client's comments to me yesterday. He remarked that in the time I have known him, I've always been able to "filter out the noise of the situation" to find solutions - as a PT and as a coach.
Evidence-based practice. EBP. It's become one of the catch phrases of our era. In a land of randomized clinical trials, case reports, and clinical observation, clinicians are constantly seeking out the evidence to support their diagnostic and treatment interventions.
It's a phrase that is in vogue in the health care world. The concept certainly makes sense. Good research ... good data ... good conclusions ... an overall improvement in our practice patterns ... and overall good for the patient. How can you beat the logic of that?
If it was only that simple. Well, hold on a minute - maybe it is.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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