cliffdog.com a blog about living happy and healthy

i am glad i found this blog. i am built much like...

2012-05-18T09:20:58.333-07:00

i am glad i found this blog. i am built much like you but not nearly as strong. i am working on progressing to being a strong/skinny guy.

A dark crush, excludes all else.. that breath, not...

2011-12-22T15:17:56.296-08:00

A dark crush,
excludes all else..
that breath,
not yet exhaled.

A mind apart,
body revelling.

Evade this shadow,
An illusion of light.

I saw him interviewed the day before about youth r...

2011-06-23T15:00:22.336-07:00

I saw him interviewed the day before about youth rates... his arguments were flawed and I viewed him as something of a dinosaur with an outdated view... this observation was obviously confirmed with this comment... yes I would say he is completely out of step and overdue to retire. He would be in favour of the exhorbitant salaries executives are paid no doubt

Wow....I'm speechless. Well, sort of. OK, no...

2011-06-23T14:52:51.949-07:00

Wow....I'm speechless. Well, sort of.

OK, no, I'm not....here are a few thoughts.

I heard today that women may have up to 9 TIMES the pain threshold than men do. Of course it depends on personality, inner will and a few other 'things'....and I'm not bringing it up to make a point. However, I have begun to wonder what that means?

With regards to what the Boss said....ahem.....Perhaps some women take sick leave because they CARE, VALUE and NURTURE themselves more readily - to get back to health - knowing that if they don't, then they may not be able to take care of those around them (husband, children, students, friends, elderly parents, etc....)

IMHO...this guy makes a bad name for the men who don't care about this sh@t and instead are living their lives authentically and respectfully, as human beings - not weighing in the man/woman thing....pretty old paradigm me thinks.

Thanks, Cliffdog, for writing this blog and for being you.

Mo

FYI:
MYTHBUSTERS (albeit not a scientific study, but just for fun....)

For the following myth involving pain tolerance, all of the test subjects sat in a chair and submersed one hand in an ice bath at 1°C for as long as they could endure.

Do Women have a higher pain tolerance than men?

confirmed

Twenty-five members of each gender took part. The women lasted an average of 100.4 seconds in the ice, while the average for the men was 84.3 seconds.

Hi Schanelle, thanks for your feedback!..And of co...

2011-03-20T11:19:01.412-07:00

Hi Schanelle, thanks for your feedback!..And of course you can quote me. I'm honoured.
Aroha nui e hoa :)

Hi, I am doing an assignment entitled "in wh...

2011-03-19T19:42:20.098-07:00

Hi,

I am doing an assignment entitled "in what ways did the welfar state improve Maori social conditions"..I am going to quote u on a couple of sentences u mentioned above. I hope that is ok, Thank you. You are so insightful look forward to ur future posts.

I worked in the agricultural industry during the l...

2011-03-02T23:24:00.206-08:00

I worked in the agricultural industry during the late 90's and back then the dairy farmers were already starting to rely heavily on supplementary grain based feeds over grass. My worry about how far gone it is now has me only consuming minimal dairy products - mostly butter, ghee and yogurt once in a while.

I hear ya on the clean green NZ Cliff. Amazing marketing potential. Freedom Farms charge about 200% extra for their bacon just because they have Freedom in the name. Just imagine the market for genuine NZ grassfed beef if we're the only one left doing it. Not to mention sustainablly grown fruit and veg.

I agree with your points mate. You're right in...

2011-03-02T22:41:42.493-08:00

I agree with your points mate. You're right in that we are to some degree protected in NZ due to our grass-fed beef. However it worries me that there are major moves afoot to introduce factory farming. What a calamity! It would not only be disastrous for our public health but also removes a very cool economic advantage that we have (in our 'clean green' grass fed beef.)
I personally think we have a prime opportunity to become an organic, clean, ethical powerhouse!
My point about the petro-chemical inputs to meat, dairy and egg farming was based on my experience in North America where the stock feed is corn and grain, therefore we have a net increase in petrochemical input to support a decreasing caloric and protein output on balance.

Thanks for your comments Darren. You are doing a stellar job fighting the good fight :)

C

Nice article Cliff. I was mostly vegetarian for a...

2011-03-02T20:08:53.546-08:00

Nice article Cliff. I was mostly vegetarian for a couple of years, but I'll be honest and say that it was mostly because of expense!

I salute your reasons for not eating meat, these are actually reasons that can be well documented and justified, although I would argue that the petro-chemical inputs into farming grain, fruit and veggies are as high as livestock.

The things I am personally working on to address the issues you mentioned above are:

1. More effort to find meat that is farmed responsibly
2. Not sure about this one, but I have actually cut my weekly intake of eggs from around 40 to less than a dozen.
3. I have regularly caught, hunted, killed and butchered my own meat.
4. As a freediver, I really should take up spearfishing so I can pre-select my catch. Now to figure out a way to avoid using a petrol powered boat.....guess I'm swimming.....
5 and 7, I hope someone smarter than me figures out a way around these major problems.
6. Not as much a problem in NZ thankfully, but I worry all the time, that big business and greed will lead this country down that path. Until then I will keep on educating people to look for quality, grass fed, humanely treated animals whereever possible.

Cheers Cliff!

I would say that the change to, and back again sho...

2011-02-15T13:31:31.298-08:00

I would say that the change to, and back again showed that many Kiwi (Maori and Pakeha alike) wanted to retain Waitangi as our national day in name and spirit. Why should it have to be NZ day as many still propose. I stick to my original point that Waitangi is significant.
Treaty claims are in my opinion different to the celebration of the treaty itself as our national day.
Treaty issues - if they still exist are in part because there has been a dishonouring of our founding document (not withstanding those who 'protest for protest sake'). Simply having a different national day will not serve any purpose other than to sweep the issue under the rug so that we can have a good ol' knees up. I dare say that it would become the object of even greater protest. I agree that we should celebrate our collective nationhood, but there will always also be issues to face up to.
Waitangi in my humble opinion we can keep, warts and all, and celebrate in the manner that we each see fit.

Thanks Chris - I always appreciate your comments mate, and although we may have slightly differing opinions on this I think that we, in the main, sing from the same song sheet!

Hi, I will admit this a little negative as I was ...

2011-02-14T23:11:53.679-08:00

Hi,

I will admit this a little negative as I was put off from the very first line when you said that NZ had just had "its national day". This is not true. The 1973 Act of Parliament created the public holiday on Feb 6 and renamed it from Waitangi Day to "New Zealand Day". This upset many people, including Maori and only 3 years later a new Act was passed changing the name back to "Waitangi Day". This in itself should be enough to express how strongly the vast majority people here feel that Waitangi Day is NOT "our national day".

Interestingly it was the 1970's Labour Minister of Maori Affairs Matiu Rata (himself Maori) whom introduced the bill to Parliament to change the name to New Zealand day. This was an effort to diminish the aggravation of Treaty claims that he foresaw would pull Maori and non Maori apart, and allow a complementary relationship to develop between all New Zealanders on 'New Zealand Day'.

He saw that it would be useful to separate the struggle over Treaty claims from the issue of a national day. He introduced two Acts, one was to change the name to 'New Zealand Day' the other was to create a new body to discuss Treaty claims in the correct forum, he called this new body "The Waitangi Tribunal" (now familar to us all). The two acts were intended to be complementary. The New Zealand Day name change was passed, but the Waitangi Tribunal would not come to exist until 1977 after the name had already been changed back to Waitangi Day and Maori protests had become the norm.

So the original idea was good, defuse Waitangi Day by setting up the Waitangi Tribunal, and create a national day for all New Zealanders to do whatever they want, but specifically NOT focus on Treaty issues.

Unfortunately this never happened and as a result it is called Waitangi Day and it is not our national day. It is now nothing but a platform for radical racist Maori separatists to get a day in the media spotlight.

So, in my opinion, should we replace Waitangi Day? No. But we should have a completely separate day to be treated as a national day. Maybe the last Friday of each February. This will leave Waitangi day free for racist Maori separatists to protest all they want about whatever it is they are protesting about, I don't actually know because I along with most NZ'ers I stopped paying attention to them several years ago. I presume they want the mythical "us" to give "them" "their" country back.

I know these protesters are a tiny tiny minority of Maori and are not mainstream, but they are the only thing that Waitangi Day is about now. So hopefully the media will stopping giving them air time and the current "Waitangi Protest Day" can fade away into a real national holiday of unity with genuine Treaty grievances going through the correct channel, the Waitangi Tribunal.

Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed the p...

2011-02-11T16:53:14.426-08:00

Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed the post! :)

nice topic man! i really like your post and mostly...

2011-02-11T16:33:01.867-08:00

nice topic man! i really like your post and mostly the message behind it

Thanks Leah! Intention and purpose...two great wor...

2011-01-05T05:13:45.935-08:00

Thanks Leah! Intention and purpose...two great words :) Love what you do my friend. Look forward to reconnecting with you in 2011 :)

2011-01-05T05:12:10.138-08:00

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I love love love this post Cliff! So much truth i...

2011-01-05T01:22:23.121-08:00

I love love love this post Cliff! So much truth in it- I personally notice myself checking the box, and forgetting that the intention and purpose behind the doing is the key to acquiring my goal. Because if I stay true to the source of it, then all action is natural and aligned. Thanks for the reminder... I'm going to take a look at my 2011 goals, actions and intentions and make sure that I am focusing on keeping the process and completeness at the heart of it!

Cliff, A lot of great points there. It is about a...

2011-01-01T11:31:35.794-08:00

Cliff,

A lot of great points there. It is about a process and progress. Achieving change is about many thoughtful decisions.

My take on resolutions and habit breaking/making http://alfredball.lifemoves.ca/2011/01/how-to-get-unstuck-resolve-to-achieve.html

You are so right C, 2010 has been a year I am also...

2010-12-29T23:33:54.556-08:00

You are so right C, 2010 has been a year I am also so beyond thankful for.
It is been a roller coaster year of change, challenges and learning, but underneath it all came, amazing relationships, connections, immense learning and a huge 'soul' family full of love and support. So WOW! THANK YOU 2010 and thank you Cliff for our great great friendship, it is so special beyond words!
I am so thankful to have had a pal to learn and grow and climb up the Tree with me!

Love you so much C!! See you in 2011!
Marielle and I Can't wait for 2011 and for all our new adventures together! Bring it on!!

Intentions:
2011 The year of Surrender!! Time to LET GO AND LET LOVE!! Don't yah think !?! :)

Your buddy Melissa
X0

Thanks Alfred. The analogies between the morpholog...

2010-12-19T10:11:37.919-08:00

Thanks Alfred. The analogies between the morphologies of the body, the mind and the spirit can be quite striking...and exceedingly valuable!

Cliff, Clearly said and this what I try to teach ...

2010-12-19T08:09:09.804-08:00

Cliff,

Clearly said and this what I try to teach our clients. We can have our entire body engaged in a movement while doing it fast and mindfully.

Am J Psychiatry. 2002 May;159(5):728-37. The funct...

2010-12-11T13:52:13.491-08:00

Am J Psychiatry. 2002 May;159(5):728-37.
The functional neuroanatomy of the placebo effect.
Mayberg HS, Silva JA, Brannan SK, Tekell JL, Mahurin RK, McGinnis S, Jerabek PA.

LONDON, Oct. 15, 2009 (Reuters) — It's not all...

2010-12-11T13:47:29.969-08:00

LONDON, Oct. 15, 2009 (Reuters) — It's not all in the mind -- the so-called placebo effect is real and reaches right down to the spine, German scientists said on Thursday.

The finding may help in the hunt for better ways to tackle pain and other disorders. Using modern imaging technology the researchers found that simply believing a pain treatment is effective actually dampens pain signaling in a region of the spinal cord called the dorsal horn, suggesting a powerful biological mechanism is at work.

"It is deeply rooted in very, very early areas of the central nervous system. That definitely speaks for a strong effect," lead researcher Falk Eippert of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf told Reuters.
Eippert and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to study changes in spinal cord activity.

They applied painful heat to the arms of 15 healthy men and compared the spinal cord responses when they thought they had been treated with either an anesthetic cream or a placebo.

Both creams, in fact, were inactive but the fMRI scans showed nerve activity was reduced significantly when subjects believed they were getting the anesthetic.

The ability of sham medicines with no active ingredient to produce real clinical benefits has long perplexed doctors and frustrated drugmakers. Patients are typically given either an experimental drug or a dummy in clinical trials and the fact that those on placebo often get better, too, makes it hard to determine whether a new drug is working.

The placebo effect is particularly strong when treating central nervous system conditions, like depression and pain.

Traditionally, experts have viewed the effect as psychological, but the new German research is the latest in a growing body of evidence that there is an important physical component.

Just what turns down pain signaling in the spine when a placebo is given is unclear, although Eippert suspects a range of chemicals including natural opioids, noradrenaline and serotonin may be involved.

Writing in the journal Science, Eippert and colleagues said their work "opens up new avenues for assessing the efficacy and possible site of action of new treatments for various forms of pain, including chronic pain."

http://www.jaccjournaloftheacc.com/article/PIIS073...

2010-12-11T13:45:37.802-08:00

http://www.jaccjournaloftheacc.com/article/PIIS0735109706026969/abstract

Thanks Michael! Really enjoyed your post too mate ...

2010-11-03T02:13:46.836-07:00

Thanks Michael! Really enjoyed your post too mate (so much so that I reposted at my Tumblr: www.cliffharvey.tumblr.com)
Another interesting question is: "So what's next?"...which leads people to launch into a frantic quest for a simple answer...which often isn't in line with their highest goals and highest purpose. I had this very dilemma when I finally retired from weightlifting after achieving my goals - and then realizing that in the aftermath was beginning to set goals based on others expectations rather than those that were in line with my dream life.

Hey Cliff Great post! I always find it stange tha...

2010-11-03T01:10:44.545-07:00

Hey Cliff

Great post! I always find it stange that we try to categorize people by asking this question. It's incredibly hard not to ask it when you first meet someone, but if you think about it, what people do often really isn't a good reflection of who they are. Sometimes a better question is "What are you interested in?".

I wrote a post recently about this just before I left my job to start a new life, you can read about my thoughts here:
http://www.lifetothemaximum.com/2010/09/big-questions-so-what-do-you-do-and-so.html

All the best
Michael (London)