Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Swine flu prevention--STAY HEALTHY!

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe, etc.).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

I suggest you pass this on to your entire e-list. You never know who might pay attention to it - and STAY ALIVE because of it.

REMEMBER....in order to Make Dust.......you MUST be healthy!

:)....

Bubba

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Team Little Guy Announces $100,000 Fundraising Effort!


Team Little Guy is pleased to announce it is taking on a new fundraising effort! Over the past two years the team has endured 208 miles of running through the mountains of North Carolina to raise over $145,000 for the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation’s Micro Community Grant program. This year Team Little Guy is mounting their bikes to raise money for Hope for the Warriors, specifically the Warriors Hope and Care Center.
What is Hope for the Warriors? Their mission is a promise that the sacrifices of the wounded across military service branches and throughout the nation will not be forgotten, nor their needs unmet. They accomplish this mission through various programs, supported by donations, specifically designed to help wounded service members and their families cope with the struggles that most of us don’t face.
The Warriors Hope and Care Center vision is to provide a rehabilitative center with specialized services and family resources in a collocated, comforting venue. Coordinating with both the Marine Corps and the Navy, that vision led to the design of a robust rehabilitation facility that will now be built in eastern North Carolina with a level of care worthy of heroes. You can learn more about Hope for the Warriors at their website
http://www.hopeforthewarriors.org/.
So what is Team Little Guy’s goal? We want to raise $100,000 by June 30, 2010 for the Warriors Hope and Care Center. To kick off our fund raising efforts we rode 170 miles in
The Tour to Tanglewood on September 26-27, 2009. Throughout the rest of this year and the first half of 2010 we will be participating in biking and running events to raise awareness of our fundraising efforts and also raising awareness of credit unions “People Helping People” philosophy.
Now, 170 miles might seem like a daunting task but it is no way as daunting as when a Wounded Warrior has to learn to walk all over again with prosthetic legs because he or she was wounded in a road side bomb attack in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The $100,000 Team Little Guy hopes to raise will help to furnish the Warriors Hope & Care Center, which is scheduled to open at Camp LeJeune in 2011. Included in this facility is a planned memorial statue, which credit union funds will also help construct.
The team recognizes that times are tough, but it is our hope that by working together cooperatively these next nine months, credit unions, as well as credit union staff & members as well as all who want to make a difference across NC can work together to not only meet — but surpass — this ambitious fundraising goal.
More important than hitting a number, however, is the impact our combined contributions will have on these heroes and their families.
You’ll be finding out more information about how you & your credit union can support Hope for the Warriors and this effort very soon.

The final event will be the “Ride for the Warriors.” On June 17, 2010, Team Little Guy will begin this event at Ft. Bragg. Over the next several days they will bike to all five major military installations in North Carolina and visit credit unions on the way. Our journey will end at Camp Lejeune where we will present the check to Hope for the Warriors.

Stay tuned and visit www.teamlittleguy often for updates.

You are all the very best!

Bubba......:)

Sunday, October 4, 2009

The Road.....


October 4, 2009---The 28th Twin Cities Marathon

9:00am EST….8:00am CST…..I step from the stoop to the street to run as I have for the past 28 years. The 1st steps were 28 years ago in Minneapolis when I ran the very 1st Twin Cities Marathon. I lived there then. For the next 19 years I kept the streak alive by showing up every fall in Minneapolis to run 26.2 miles to the State Capital in St. Paul. In 1983 I set my marathon PR there: 2:58:17.

The streak ended at the 20th running of that fall classic. There were other roads to follow. My internal running compass was to be set in different directions. The goal was 20 TCM’s in a row. That had now been accomplished.


Yet every year since then, as I did today, I always started my run on TCM Sunday at the moment of the Start in Minneapolis adjacent to the Metrodome. On this Sunday thousands lined up outside the Metrodome to begin the arduous journey into themselves on the road to St. Paul. Some 24 or so hours later the Metrodome itself will be filled to capacity as a seasoned warrior named Brett will lead his Vikings against the very men he once lead in Green & Gold. He is now on a different road as well.

I just finished reading Cormac McCarthy’s excellent read, “The Road.” Of personal interest was the father/son journey into the unknown of a wasted world. The dynamic of the relationship rivaled that of what Robert Pursig described in that 70’s classic, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” Pursig vividly described a cross country trip by motorcycle with his son as he explored the limits of his sanity.

It has been a mere 8 days since I shared 100 hard road miles with my son Eric. In 1985 a then much younger Eric had crewed for me and my partner Tony Benthin as we biked/ran/canoed some 530 across the entire state of Minnesota. Eric got a first hand look at the road we travelled that tested our will and determination. We asked no quarter-we gave no quarter.

From 1985 to 2009 has created many changes in Eric and myself. He is in the prime of his athletic self. I am on a new road. Time has been both friend and foe. I must now travel that road with what I have. Yet, while the body must deal with physical changes, the mind and will must remain strong. That I can control. That remains strong.


I now have chosen to give what I’ve got to a different road. Eric invited me to be part of, “Team Little Guy.” This team is comprised of Credit Union workers and members who run or ride together to raise money for a variety of great causes.


With the Tour to Tanglewood just wrapped up this past weekend, it’s time for Team Little Guy to turn its attention to the organization that we will be supporting over the next several months. Hope for the Warriors is a three-year-old organization that is working wonders in the lives of injured troops and their families. Our plan for this effort is at: www.teamlittleguy.com


For the past 30 years I have run for myself. I will now ride on a different road. I will ride for those who can’t. I will ride for your continued support as we help those in need. I will continue to ride and kick some butt whenever I can. I will proudly ride with Eric & Team Little Guy as we ride down the roads we have chosen.

I so cherish the past….but wallow in the many miles to come…..


Bubba…..