Compared to other popular sports such as surfing, football, soccer, golf, basketball and other mainstream sports, skimboarding is like a 6 month old baby that is about ready to have a giant growth spurt.Just in the last few years skimboard sales and products have sky rocketed and the number of kids and young adults picking up a skimboard is growing substantially every year. YouTube has definitely helped the skimboarding industry because it’s been able to show a huge audience what skimboarding truly is. Most older adults have never even heard of a skimboard. Now you can go onto the internet and type in skimboarding and thousands of pages of information and videos are at your finger tips.Whenever I head to the beach now I’m amazed at all the skimboarders and how popular it’s grown over the last decade. When I was a kid which has been some time I would never see a skimboarder, it was body boarding or surfing.It’s great to see so many young people picking up this sport and especially inland skimboarding. The great thing about this sport is you don’t need an ocean and waves to go out and have fun. All you have to do is find a muddy puddle, river, pond or lake and you can have a riot all day long with your friends.In this awesome day and age of technology it’s good to see kids still going outside and having fun. When I was a kid I had the first edition of Nintendo but I still spent most of my time outside with my friends raising havoc.
School Improvement – Improving Schools by Building a Healthy Faculty Culture
The single greatest determinant of student learning is the faculty. Teachers are far more important than the curriculum, facilities, administration or any other aspect of a school’s operations. Investment in teachers yields a high rate of return, improves teaching and learning, and helps to improve schools.Central to determining teacher effectiveness is faculty culture. A healthy faculty culture is essential for students to learn and teachers to teach at the highest levels of their abilities. On the flip side, an unhealthy culture is a disease that permeates the life of the school community and saps energy for learning.We know that school culture and the nature of relationships among adults in schools is a significant determinant of students’ academic and social progress. While subject-area knowledge and teaching skills are necessary, a school’s faculty culture, more than any other factor, determines the level of student learning. Yet, faculties are typically characterized by departmentalization, turf wars and isolation. As Roland Barth states so well, “All too often, the adult relationships are (in that wonderful phrase from preschool education) parallel play. For hours at a time, two- and three-year-olds in a sandbox can be so engrossed in themselves, in their own work and project and tools, that they are oblivious to anybody else in the sandbox. This is thought to be a stage of development through which two- and three-year-olds soon pass on their way to far more sophisticated forms of human interaction. But I’d say that parallel play characterizes most of what I see going on in schools. The self-contained classroom is parallel play. The English department that doesn’t interact with the math department is parallel play. One school doing one thing, the school a mile down the road doing something different, oblivious to each other, is parallel play. Parallel play is endemic. It’s as if we have a case of professional arrested development.” Unfortunately, Barth is correct. Fortunately, schools that invest in developing and maintaining a healthy faculty culture significantly improve student learning, create a dynamic and engaging learning community and establish a competitive edge in the marketplace.Although schools must ultimately define healthy faculty culture for themselves, traits such as collegiality, trust, validation, creativity, recognition, innovation and humility contribute to creating and sustaining a healthy faculty culture. Conversely, cynicism, suspicion, defensiveness, poor communication and isolation are examples of traits that create an unhealthy culture. A culture characterized by enthusiastic commitment to learning and personal growth, collaboration, and unremitting devotion to each and every student’s success is essential for student learning to thrive. We need to elevate learning at all levels above all other concerns, activities and goals, and value dearly experimentation, new ideas, adventure and discovery. Teachers must teach teachers, observe each other, give constructive feedback, and collaborate across disciplines. Learning is at its best in a school culture, created by adults and students, which values leaning above all else. In fact, research clearly demonstrates that student learning correlates directly to adult learning. Assessing, analyzing and improving faculty culture is all about learning together as a faculty and staff.School improvement and the process of defining and building a healthy faculty culture involve both administrators and teachers. The first step is to assess the existing culture. Several assessment tools are available. The Faculty Culture Profile is one good example. The second step is to analyze the information and develop an action plan to address the issues and improve faculty culture. Total faculty involvement and strong leadership from the school’s head and other administrators are essential. The analysis of the results of the assessment will likely surface some difficult issues. Dealing with these issues openly, honestly and respectfully is critical to school improvement and to building a healthy faculty culture. The process of addressing the problems must be forward looking and solution oriented.
Distilled Water
Why is it that water (H2O) which is the second most simple element next to oxygen (O) seems to be much too complicated for some medical doctors to figure out. Not only is water the number two simplest element it also happens to be the most important next to oxygen for our survival, or for the Earth’s survival for that matter. All living things require water to survive and without a continuous supply, the average human will perish in a few days.Poisoning of AmericaWater is required for our bodies to produce blood, lymph, digestive juices, lubricants, bile, extracellular fluid, and cytoplasm, the fluid inside the plasma membrane. It is common knowledge, that most municipal and private water supplies are severely polluted with everything from:chlorine
trihalomethanes- 1. chloroform 2. bromoform 3. fluoroform 4. iodoform 5. chlorodibromo-
methane 6. dichlorobromomethane 7. chlorodifluoromethane (carcinogens)
nitrates
pesticides
herbicides
fungicides
heavy metals
even jet fuel and pharmaceuticalsConsidering the fact that since the government established “the priority pollutant list” of 126 known cancer-causing chemicals, over 1000 chemicals have been introduced to our environment annually over the past 50 years. And there are no guidelines for what is to be considered safe levels in drinking water established for any of these, some of which can be found in every water supply in America, including:rivers streams
lakes
reservoirs
wells
municipal water suppliesAs a consequence of this alarming condition of America’s drinking water sources, the bottled water industry has morphed into a $15 billion profit center, including bottled waters, sports drinks and another $7 billion in water purification equipment sales – such as reverse osmosis (RO) distillation, filtration, plus the current fad of ionizers that produce alkaline water.Carbon FiltersRegardless of the process or the technology behind it, the main purpose of these devices is to produce the cleanest, purest, healthiest water possible. The most commonly used method for cleaning up tap water is the carbon block filter which removes the water’s bad taste, smell, chlorine, nitrates and many chemicals. It is indeed the most economical form of water treatment available; however, it comes with several serious drawbacks.It does not remove all chemicals present;
chemicals can build up in the filter to dangerous concentrations which end up in your body if you don’t change the filter regularly;
a carbon filter is a breeding ground for bacteria and germs;
the filter can develop channeling from water taking a path of least resistance, therefore, unfiltered water can pass straight through the filter unobstructed.Reverse OsmosisThe second most popular and most effective filter system is reverse osmosis. The RO process involves a special membrane which most pollutants cannot pass through, in addition to pre-filtering and post filtering to ensure that 99% of the pollutants are removed.Distillation ProcessThe most effective process of removing everything from the water including bacteria and cysts is steam distillation along with a post carbon filter to catch any residual volatile gases that escape with the steam. Because distilled water is pure, clean H2O and has a pH of 7 (neutral on the pH scale of 1 to 14 with one being acid and 14 alkaline), it is used in science and medical laboratories and research facilities including biology and chemistry laboratories because of its pure neutral qualities.Organic vs. Inorganic MineralsUnlike with RO and distillation, filtration and the ionizers do not remove the hardness or inorganic mineral from the water. According to Dr. Charles Mayo of the Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association, the Harvard Medical School and many doctors and nutritional experts have determined that there very few of the minerals found in water are inorganic. They cannot be chelated or absorbed easily by our cells or tissues and as a consequence contribute to many ailments and diseases related to the intestinal tract. They also contribute to kidney stones, gall stones, hardening of the arteries and plaque buildup in the colon.Dr. Charles Mayo said, “Water hardness is the underlying cause of many, if not all, of the diseases resulting from poisons in the intestinal tract. These [hard, nonchelated] minerals pass from the intestinal walls and get into the lymphatic system, which delivers all of its products to the blood. These, in turn, are distributed to all parts of the body. This is the cause of much human disease.”Alka-LiesSince the ionizers and filters are ineffective at removing the minerals from the water (including chemicals and other toxins) advocates, manufacturers, and sales associates malign the use of RO and distillation. Alkaline “miracle water” advocates teach the fallacy that the minerals in water are truly beneficial for our health. They”warn” that RO and distillation remove these “valuable” minerals. They also go so far as to say that, because RO and distilled water are so pure, they will leach good minerals from your body, depleting its supply.Promoters of alkaline water even say that distilled water is acidic, not neutral (pH of 7) which causes it to dissolve and leech even more minerals from the body.The alkaline water industry is now extremely profitable and has become so by making false medical claims that alkaline water can cure a myriad of diseases and prevent many others. In order to claim that alkaline water is superior to any other purified water, they must find fault with the two purest and healthiest water purification processes available. The main reason for the popularity of the alkaline water machine is because of the exorbitant profits and the fact that it is sold through multi-level marketing (MLM) and each machine retails at between $2,000 and $5,000.Trading Truth & Integrity For ProfitThere are medical doctors promoting MLM water filters for the whole house, shower or sink, prompting them to claim that, “drinking pure, clean, healthy distilled water will result in early death.” This is not only a false claim, it would cause anyone with common sense to question the scientific knowledge and medical judgment and reliability of these doctors or any other “nutritional experts.” Unfortunately, when you Google their erroneous statement, “Early death comes from drinking distilled water,” you will find 227,000 results from other ignorant people, many of whom are healthcare providers, quoting their lies.The next time that you hear anyone claim:that the minerals found in water are totally beneficial to our bodies’ health;
that distilled water is acidic;
that distilled water will leach valuable minerals and nutrients from your body; or
that “early death will come from drinking distilled water;”… ask them, if these claims were true, why would the government allow tens of thousands of naval sailors to continuously drink distilled water found on all Navy ships for well of over five decades? Why would the Mayo Clinic and many other hospitals, medical centers and clinics recommend distilled water to their patients?”America’s Doctor” – One that Can be TrustedDr. Andrew Weil M.D., has appeared in USA Today, Oprah, Larry King, Good Morning America, cover of Newsweek (4 times), has two medical degrees from Harvard, and is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. He was nominated for Newsweek magazine’s “top 100 most influential people in the world. Dr. Weil states that, “the minerals that our body needs come from our food, not from our water, and the pH of foods or water does not have an effect on the body’s pH. Alkaline water machines and their product, alkaline water, are “bogus.” Don’t buy one or alkaline water, save your money.Our Body, Not Food or Water Regulated The Blood’s pHWhether you’re drinking distilled water with a pH of seven or orange juice with a pH of 5.5 or alkaline water with a pH of 8.0, when these reach the stomach, their pH is changed to the pH the body requires. If we were to drink something extremely acidic, the duodenum will neutralize the acid; and if it is extremely alkaline, the stomach will produce additional acid to neutralize it.The distillation process involves turning water into steam, leaving behind all of the pollutants, then capturing the steam, cooling it, converting it back to a liquid free of pollutants. This is how mother nature has been purifying water since this planet was created. The hydrological cycle is the process of water being heated by the sun, evaporating and collecting in the atmosphere in the form of clouds, cooling, condensing, and falling back to earth as pure (distilled) water free of pollutants which were left on the earth’s surface.The Land of Hunza (Burusho or Hunzakuts)The Hunza people living in the Himalayan Mountains are known to live well over 100 years with few diseases and little or no sickness, extremely healthy, vibrant and strong. It has been determined, that in addition to eating homegrown fruits and vegetables and hormone free meat, their primary source of drinking water is melted glacier water (distilled water). These glaciers were formed thousands of years ago before the atmosphere was polluted, as a result of pure rain and snow (distilled water).Conclusion: Simple Simon Science Lesson on Water101Water: H2O (Two hydogen molecules and one oxygen molecule bonded together) The formula for water is H2O plus nothing! Nothing means zero quantities of something.Add carbon dioxide (CO2) to H2O (water) and you have H2O + CO2 or H2CO3 Carbonic Acid.Add sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3 ) to H2O (water) = NaHCO3 or Alkaline water.The best water to drink is the cleanest, purest water which is H2O + Nothing= Distilled Water.The Proof of The Pudding is in The EatingThe author of this article has been drinking one to 1-1/2 gallons of distilled water daily for over 40 years, in addition to fasting (not eating food) a minimum of 21 days per year and as a result I am in perfect health and sickness and disease free. So for those of you who have a desire to argue, feel free…But, “a man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man [or doctor] with an argument.”