The Lost Art of Opening Your Ears

By Robert J. Ottaviani

The bald eagle, the bog turtle, the African elephant, the blue whales, the gorillas, the lynx, the snow leopard, the giant panda, the black rhino, the whooping crane and the rarest of all sightings … the listener. All of the these aforementioned items share a common trait. They are all on the endangered species list, the listener having just been nominated by this author for special consideration. If we don’t act fast we could lose one of our greatest resources we have been given … listening.

When I was a child growing up my parents used to take me to their friends homes to visit. Visiting was a big social event back then with the grown ups gathering for coffee, confections, and exchanging pleasantries. Before our trip got under way I was always given two choices and I quote … “you are to been seen and not heard” and “don’t open your mouth and people won’t know how stupid you are”. I know by today’s standard I could turn them in to CASA (The National Committee For Prevention Of Child Abuse) or some organization looking to champion kid’s rights. But back then that’s not exactly how it worked. Kids today have no idea how good they have it.

So given my two choices I chose to adhere to both of them. In actuality my parents were probably right on both counts. Given my lack of experience in almost all facets of life at such a young age I could have blurted something less than brilliant. Secondly and most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to learn a valued life lesson … how to listen. Something that appears so simple to do and yet so hard for many to enact nowadays.

“Everybody’s talkng at me … I don’t hear a word they’re saying … only the echoes of my mind.” Unfortunately Freddie Neil, who authored this song is not alone.

Everyone’s talking these days. Everyone has something to say. Everyone has a point to make … but who’s listening? The lost art of listening is in imminent danger. If you haven’t noticed maybe it’s because you haven’t listened. Take note of some conversations that you encounter and see if you can spot that member of the endangered species.

Let me end by saying the following … listening restores a certain dignity to the spoken word by showing restraint and a level of interest in what others are saying. Listening allows one to exploit the virtue of patience. Listening makes for a more well rounded individual. As long as we are talking we only know what we know and think … but by listening we know what others know as well as ourselves. Are you listening?

Robert J. Ottaviani (Bert) is a cusp born Aries the ram who has lived through summer of love in the late sixties and the hippie culture that bled into the seventies. He has a passion for music, gardening and all things nature … and laffy taffy. He is freakishly aware of music trivia to absurd levels. Most days you can find him playing his guitar or jotting down lyrics. He was so impacted from the moment he first heard the Beatles that he has Beatle manianized his life, been to Liverpool, England and remains convinced he is the fifth Beatle . He is married to a gentle and lovely vibe of a woman with three wonderful children. He currently lives and resides in strawberry fields forever.

05.15.2010
A cup of drip brewed coffee has about 115 milligrams of caffeine, an espresso (and percolated coffee) about 80mg, while instant coffee has about 65mg of caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee is not totally caffeine free, containing about 3mg of caffeine. A 8oz can of Coca-Cola has about 23mg of caffeine, Pepsi Cola 25mg, Mountain Dew 36mg, and TAB 31mg. Tea has about 40mg of caffeine, while an ounce of chocolate contains about 20mg.

http://didyouknow.org/coffee/

Did you know?

The largest statue in the world is Mount Rushmore, the heads of four US Presidents carved into the Black Hills near Keystone. The heads are 18 m (60 ft) tall.

Adventures in Apartment Living

by Jennifer Maugle

Many of us have had the opportunity to meet some interesting and sometimes disturbing characters living just doors away. This is especially true when living in apartments under shared roofs and I am not even about to tackle landlords. Regardless of where you live, you have to wonder if you ever truly know your neighbors. Prior to taking the plunge and purchasing a house in 2007, my husband (then boyfriend) and I cohabited in a 2 bedroom apartment located in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. We called this place “home” for five years and we can recall both good and not-so-good memories.

First, a quick recap of good memories and experiences: a fairly inexpensive place to live, use of pool and tennis courts (none of which we utilized – ever), free gym, numerous parties and gatherings with family and friends, we got got engaged while living here, and in our final years of apartment living we were privileged to have the company of good friends living just down the hall. This allowed for many hangouts, movie nights, dinner dates and more.

But let’s move on to the not-so-good memories, shall we? Sometimes when I look back on our time there, I have to just shake my head and laugh (and feel blessed to have the home we now live in). As anyone who lives in or has lived in an apartment knows, there could be a variety of characters (um, neighbors) to deal with or come across.

Enter “Eddie”. Eddie, his significant other, and their baby boy moved in across the hall from us and seemed like a nice enough, young family. I was asked once if I would ever babysit (they did not know me whatsoever) and when I said, “No, I am 27 and have a full-time job”, they were surprised and thought I was actually 17. As they settled in across the hall and time passed, we began to notice the distinct smell of pot coming from their apartment, the hallway and landing of the staircase. I realize that this probably isn’t an uncommon thing but it still irked me that it was seeping under our door fairly often and oh the fact that they lived with a small child who was inhaling second hand weed.

We soon realized this wasn’t much of an issue compared to what was about to happen. Fast forward to the time when our good friends and neighbors had their car stolen right out of the parking lot beneath their window. I probably shouldn’t go into great detail but suffice it to say we all know who did it or at least who was associated with the incident. The car was found in northern New Jersey, stripped of its parts.

Let’s continue. Who doesn’t get annoyed by bugs and infestations? Well we did, that’s for sure. It was bad enough when the cockroaches began parading under our front door from across the trashy-smelling neighbor’s apartment. We sprayed and killed them one by one and even came up with names for some of them: Cocky (the original), Jocky (the quick one), Stocky (the slow, dumb one), and Papa Roach too. Not surprisingly, when the tenants moved out and the apartment was cleaned, we didn’t get any more roach visitors.

However, the worst was yet to come. One day, we noticed that we were starting to get bites and welts all over our arms and legs. They didn’t itch too much but it was summertime so we just thought we had a mosquito or four stuck somewhere in our bedroom, sucking our blood in our sleep. Well, as the bites didn’t go away and we never found any mosquitoes, we weren’t sure what was going on until one night when we put a bedroom light on in the middle of the night. Much to our shock and dismay, we saw a plethora of little brownish-black bugs crawling on our bed as well as on us(they were too light-weight to even feel). I about lost it. To make a long story short, we had a nasty case of the bedbugs. We had pest control come numerous times to treat our apartment and our possessions (these buggers are incredibly hard to fight). We had to throw away our bed (where the bedbugs infest, multiply and leave black spots of excrement under the mattress edges) and sleep on our futon in the living room for approximately two weeks. How and why did these blood suckers come to us and where in the world did they come from? Who knew that bedbugs actually existed in real life and not just in the catchy kids’ phrase “Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite”? We eventually learned that they came from a recently evacuated apartment down the hall. Articles about bedbug invasions began
appearing all over the Internet and the news, especially being an issue in New York. They were easily being brought over unknowingly from foreign countries, becoming an issue for hotels and travelers, bedbugs attaching to luggage and so on. Although they pose no major threat of disease or harm, they are highly annoying and difficult to get rid of. Bedbugs my friends, are not cool.

And what would apartment living be without the danger of fire? It was around midnight one evening when the smoke alarms sounded out in the halls. We didn’t immediately rush up and outta there given that these things tend to go off for no apparent reason or because some juvenile decided to pull the alarm for fun. After too many minutes went by without it being shut off, I started to worry and opened our door to the hall to peek out. Smoke! Lots and lots of smoke! My significant other and I promptly went down the three flights of stairs and outside to where everyone else was. I seriously considered taking our cat with us but I was persuaded to keep her inside and that everything would be fine (although we didn’t truly know). As we passed one of our neighbor’s doors, we noticed it was slightly open and discovered that it was the source of all the smoke. We stood outside chattering with other residents as four township firetrucks pulled up to assess the situation. In they went and out they came a bit later with our neighbor, in a state of much confusion and/or drunkenness, wearing nothing but tighty whiteys and a dull look in his eyes. I don’t think he had a clue as to what was happening – we later found out that he fell asleep with items burning on the stove. Class-act neighbor right there.

I could go on and on with other stories such as the children who shot BB guns outside at each other (and put dents in cars in the process) or the time I came home from work to find helicopters swirling overhead and police cars and ambulances staked out all over the place (there had been a shooting in the apartment building next door). Or, amusing stories about our male neighbor who enjoyed blasting his Britney Spears techno music with the lights off except for his rotating party lights ball. Or the fact that we had another neighbor truly named Chuck Norris who drove a jaguar.

We had five years worth of interesting apartment living I must say. I look back and laugh now but also thank my lucky stars that we were able to get out before anything else happened. We are very thankful for the home we now own thirty miles north of Philadelphia. Home owning is a whole other bag of stories but I’ll save that for some other time. For those of you currently living in apartments or other community-based living arrangements, hopefully you’ve had better luck than we have. If you’re holding out to make an eventual house purchase – good luck, you will get there! And remember, sleep tight my friends … and don’t let those bedbugs bite!

Valentine’s Day originates from the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on 15 February in honor of the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. During the festival, young men would draw the names of women from a box, and each couple would be paired until next year’s celebration. Often they would fall in love and marry.

Source: http://didyouknow.org/

By Jim Shields

Do you enjoy hiking, camping and exploring some of nature’s most precious gifts? Even if you are not a hard core rock climber or class IV kayaker you will always face risk when stepping off of the sidewalk or sand and onto the trail. So naturally when making the decision to get out into the wild there are certain risks and precautions that we must all think about. On May 15 and 16 there will be a 2 day course held at the Silver Lake Nature Center in Bristol, PA for anyone interested in becoming certified in Wilderness First Aid. This course is being taught by Wilderness Medicine Institute instructor and Director of Bloomsburg University’s QUEST outdoor program, Brett Simpson. Over two days you will learn in the classroom and practice simulations outside of the classroom. Students will learn how to help themselves and help provide wilderness first aid to others that are in need. Everything from sprained ankles, to bee stinks, to treating hypothermia will be covered and much more. If you are interested in attending this class please read the registration and pricing information below.


Wilderness First Aid Course with Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI) of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)

DATES AND COST: Our next WFA will be May 15-16, 2010. The Cost is $175 for participants till April 10th. $185 after April 10th. You can also receive $10 off for each person you get to register for the course.

LOCATION: Silver Lake Nature Center, Bristol PA.

REGISTRATION: You must pre-register for this course. To register contact the instructor, Brett Simpson at (570) 854-4095 or e-mail bsimpson@bloomu.edu.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The WMI of NOLS WFA/WFR Recertification course is an introductory level course designed to provide outdoor leaders, guides and rangers an introduction to First Aid and patient care in remote settings. Special topics include, but are not limited to: wound management and infection, realigning fractures and dislocations, improvised splinting techniques, patient monitoring and long-term management problems, plus up-to-date information on environmental emergencies. Emphasis is placed on principles of treatment and decision making, not the memorization of lists.

Upon successful completion of the course a two year WMI of NOLS Wilderness First Aid certification will be issued. All levels of training and experience are welcome. This course does not include
CPR.

WFR RECERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: In order to recertify Wilderness First Responder through this WFA course, WFR Recertification students will be required to successfully pass a practical exam. Students must have a current WFR certification from WMI, SOLO, NOLS, WMA or WPT. Students are required to submit a photocopy of WFR certification cards on the first day of the course (Bring a copy with you as there is not a copier available at the course). There is a one-year grace period for recertification of WMI cards. (Keep in mind that you are not current during this grace period and therefore cannot work as a Wilderness First Responder.) Please check your WFR certification closely; WMI will not recertify cards from organizations other than those listed.

REGISTRATION/POLICIES: Tuition payment in full is required to reserve your spot in the course. Tuition is non-transferable. Tuition is payable by check (with driver’s license number), money order, cash or PayPal (with a small transaction fee). The tuition fee covers textbooks, syllabus, equipment and certification cards. A full refund will be given if we are forced to cancel the course for any reason.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY: There is a non-refundable deposit equal to the amount of the course tuition needed to register for the course. .
If you notify the Instructor of your cancellation after the full payment has been received you will be refunded as follows: If cancellation notice is received not less than five weeks prior to the course, you will receive 75% of the balance due after the deposit.

For cancellations received not less than four weeks prior to the course will be a 50% refund of the balance due after the deposit. There will be no refund for cancellations received less than four weeks prior to course. If you can find a replacement for your spot we would accept that.

NO PETS PLEASE: Pets are not allowed at the teaching site, this includes leashing them outside. No exceptions. Any student bringing pets to class will be asked to leave class until the pet is safely situated in a kennel or other facility.

NO SMOKING OR ALCOHOL IS ALLOWED ON SITE

CLASS FORMAT/ EQUIPMENT: Check in is at 7:45 AM on the first day of the course. Course days run from 8:00am to 5:00pm. The format for the WFA/WFR Recertification is classroom lectures integrated with practical scenarios. Scenarios, and practice sessions will take place both inside and outside. Please bring outdoor clothing appropriate for lying on the potentially wet, muddy or snowy, cold ground playing the role of both rescuer and patient. Frequently stage (moulage) blood and make-up will be used to emphasize the reality of a scenario. Generally the classroom environment lends itself to a pair of comfy shoes/slipper and a crazy creek-type chair. Please come equipped with a light day pack, waterproof top and bottom, light hiking boots, and layers well suited for spending time outside playing the role of patient and rescuer.

By Georgia Cameron

I admit it. I have a problem. When I look into the eyes of a dog or cat on death row, or one that happens to wind up at my back door looking for food, I can’t help but get involved. There’s an intrinsic high you get when you save something that is near death, and seeing them off to their new homes with people that love and cherish them makes me feel like a super hero. I can’t imagine a drug that feels this good; on every level I am tingling with master-of-the-universe like power. I just saved a life.

After several years of near bankruptcy because of my condition, a few girlfriends and I pitched together and started what was supposed to be a tax umbrella and a little help for the vet care we put into our strays. Within three years we had grown to a point that was beyond a combined addiction – it was sheer insanity. With only 6 real volunteers and 4 foster homes, we managed to save over 220 animals in 2009. Of that number, more than ¾ had been marked for euthanasia at municipal shelters either because of space constraints or because they had failed behavioral tests. What makes our rescue different is that one of our founders is a professional dog trainer; we combine training into every single aspect of the rescue experience. Our dogs are rehabilitated from the ground up, and where once stood a terrified Chihuahua that would try and bite is now a happy family dog that enjoys hugs from children.

There are varying levels of rescue addiction. Some people watch Craigslist; others forward emails, some occasionally foster. Then there are the full blown addicts who are just crazy enough to try and start an actual organization dedicated to saving these animals. You are in a whole new territory when people are contacting you directly to save a dog they saw tied to a stop sign – and you actually go pick it up.

There is a lot of learning when you first start a rescue. Effectively filing your 501 application is no small feat, and finding ways to raise funds and stick to a budget is just as difficult. You will fight amongst yourselves, but in the end you’ll realize it takes the group effort to make a true rescue succeed, not just one individual.

Your personal life will suffer. Only a compassionate partner will understand when you have to skip a romantic dinner date so you can crawl through the mud, trapping kittens under an abandoned house that’s about to be torn down. You will reach points of sheer exhaustion, but you somehow manage to carry on (although not always coherently).

You will spar with your supporters. Some think you are miracle workers, others see you as paper pushers who just make the process more difficult with reference checks and adoption fees. You will quickly realize who your true friends are – the ones that will listen to your crazy stories and let you cry on their shoulder when you have a melt down. They also forward your frantic emails looking for homes when you get in 5 death-row dogs in one day, and somehow also managed to find a stray on the side of the road.

Your outer self may seem more tired, more world weary, and more jaded. You’ll have scars from bites, scratches and random accidents, and you’ll get more than one tetanus shot. Like a used car salesman you will start plugging your adoptable animals to everyone you know or meet. Yet the biggest change will come from within.

Your inner self, the one you know so intimately and can count on to act rationally, becomes like a lightning rod and occasionally a stranger. You will begin to feel the power of the universe as it moves through you, putting you in places at times that can’t be coincidence. You experience miracles that take your breath away. You will do things that sane people would walk away from, but you somehow embrace with the passion of a person who can see the difference they are making in the world.

In a short amount of time, you will become as one who does not feel complete if they aren’t juggling 20 balls at once. The people at PetSmart will know you by name, and your friends will begin to include veterinarians, animal control officers, and those similarly afflicted. You will love and hate the animals you save. You will fall to your knees in near ecstasy when that black mutt that’s been in your program for nearly a year smiles at you as he’s walked out the door by his new owners. You will cry when the dog that was dumped at the kill shelter for having cancer loses her battle, asleep on your bed. But you will thank the powers that be that you get to participate in this crazy ride that is animal rescue, and feel blessed for the ups and downs that now mark your life.

I am a rescue addict, and I am proud to admit it. In fact, it’s the thing I am most proud of about my life. It makes me whole just as it tears me apart. My inner-me has never been so lovely, just as my outer me has never had such a messy house or so many scars. But to save the life of a deserving animal, and give it a second chance, is the greatest accomplishment I can ever claim.

My name is Georgia Cameron, and I am the Vice President of a no-kill, non-breed specific animal rescue in Denver, Colorado. What started on a whim has turned into a full-time job and hobby. Check out NSC Rescue to learn about our organization and find out how you can get involved.

Become a fan of NSC Rescue on Facebook.




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By Robert J. Ottaviani

I took the standard oath when I signed on to blog for ProLong thereby surrendering my first born or designated child that I wished to sacrifice. They put me through all of the DNA testing,the secret handshake and signing off on the clause that prevents me from blogging for a competitor.
I know as I write the following I’m being semi-sacrilegious because part of ProLong Magazine’s objective is to promote a longer healthier lifestyle. However, the way I view it a sense of humor is vital to a healthy body and mind.With that in mind and in the style of a certain late night TV host and with tongue firmly planted in cheek I give you the following:

Top 10 reasons for not living a healthy lifestyle
10.Don’t have to concern yourself with those pesky expiration dates
9.Can use treadmill as an additional source of hanging clothes
8.Puts all you can eat buffets back into play
7.Amusement park rides don’t have a weight restriction only height
6.The rise in popularity in over sized furniture makes the timing oh so right
5.Calorie schmalories … give me some of that bacon fat
4.Polyester clothing with Lycra has great elasticity qualities
3.It gives one the opportunity to “super size” it
2.We will end the prejudice against fat people in our lifetime
1.Sugar is good food

Top 10 reasons for not exercising
10.Putting on twenty is easier than losing twenty
9.Eliminates choosing a favorite fitness guru to follow (Sorry Matt Tucker)
8.Riding a stationary bike gets you nowhere and the scenery is boring
7.Endorphin high isn’t as good as the one you get from donuts
6.Sweating is largely overrated
5.Assuming sedentary position makes it easy for people to find you
4.Eliminates those pangs of guilt when you cheat
3.Couldn’t figure out how to hook up the new exercise equipment to the sofa
2.Anything less than a lifetime commitment is considered failure
1.No time wasted kneeling on a mat at the gym staring at some unsightly posteriors

Top 10 reasons for staying off drugs and alcohol
10.The faces you wake up to the next morning are familiar
9.Able to avoid that one always annoying jerk
8.Have the ability to actually recall and recant stories with details
7.Wake up the next morning without corn stalks hanging out your car windows
6.Rehab is for losers
5.State store wont revoke your platinum membership status
4.New circle of friends are okay with you staying home to watch a movie
3.Less recyclables to put out each week
2.English becomes your first language again
1.”Let’s do some shots”

Robert J. Ottaviani (Bert) is a cusp born Aries the ram who has lived through summer of love in the late sixties and the hippie culture that bled into the seventies. He has a passion for music, gardening and all things nature … and laffy taffy. He is freakishly aware of music trivia to absurd levels. Most days you can find him playing his guitar or jotting down lyrics. He was so impacted from the moment he first heard the Beatles that he has Beatlemanianized his life,been to Liverpool, England and remains convinced he is the fifth Beatle. He is married to a gentle and lovely vibe of a woman with three wonderful children. He currently lives and resides in strawberry fields forever.

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Did you know these fast facts about the human mouth…

We have four basic tastes. The salt and sweet taste buds are at the tip of the tongue, bitter at the base, and sour along the sides.

Not all our taste buds are on our tongue; about 10% are on the palette and the cheeks.

Unless food is mixed with saliva you cannot taste it.

Your mouth produces 1 litre (1.8 pints) of saliva a day.

(It’s no wonder the dentist is so scary)

By Jim Calder

This time of year is typically known as the most depressing time for many. It is cold outside, exercise is usually lower than the warmer months, it gets dark earlier, and some are still coming down from the holidays. I recently was exploring the vast library of YouTube and rediscovered what the people of Japan have known for years.
Laughter is the best medicine and one that we all need. There is nothing like a good laugh, and Japanese game shows offer tons of easy and quick laughs. I have put together some clips here for easy access for our readers.
The Japanese have also figured out that it is OK and healthy to laugh at ones self, to not take yourself so seriously.

I would like to dedicate this post to two special individuals.
The first is my father-in-law Tom, who has a great hearty laugh that can be infectious at times making you smile and join in the laughter.
The second is my brother Peter, who will be traveling to Japan this spring and hopefully will be competing in one of these insanely awesome game shows.
Enjoy

This one is truly and literally NUTS.

Japan Insane Probe Spinner
I like this one because the water is either insanely hot or burns the skin and the contestants have to jump in a bucket of ice after to cool down.

Treadmill Madness with Hurdles
This one is pretty funny because most of the contestants just all go through or destroy the hurdles.

Crazy Treadmill Japanese Game
Anytime that you involve eating, a treadmill and a pit of water at the end, it will equal comedic gold!

Pantyhose Tug of War
This is one of my favorites because of the simplicity of the game and of course the smashed faces that it creates.

This one involves some serious skill and again the burning water and ice bucket. Classic.

Quiet Library
This one is pretty awesome. I am still not sure why. Probably because they are trying so hard not to make noise. The old man at the end is great.

This one is cool because of the crazy costumes the contestants have to wear.

Others
Rope Swing










This one is just straight up weird.