What? Blowing your nose is bad for you!

Apparently so...

Blowing one's nose to try and relieve nasal congestion, actually seems to increase and prolong congestion. This is according to a University of Virginia study reported in the NYTimes. They report:

Coughing and sneezing generated little if any pressure in the nasal cavities. But nose blowing generated enormous pressure — “equivalent to a person’s diastolic blood pressure reading,” Dr. Hendley said — and propelled mucus into the sinuses every time. Dr. Hendley said it was unclear whether this was harmful, but added that during sickness it could shoot viruses or bacteria into the sinuses, and possibly cause further infection.

So what are we to do?

The proper method is to blow one nostril at a time and to take decongestants, said Dr. Anil Kumar Lalwani, chairman of the department of otolaryngology at the New York University Langone Medical Center. This prevents a buildup of excess pressure.

Rutgers football ranked #1 in Big East and #25 overall

In an early, early (and very early) preseason ranking of all the college football programs in the country, ESPN has ranked Rutgers in the top 25, (no. 25 actually) and more importantly, the top team in the Big East.

Last year's disappointing 1-5 start is obviously not ringing in any one's minds because of the way Rutgers finished the season...with 7 straight wins, including a bowl game. I don't think we're better than West Virginia consistently just yet, but it's nice to see Rutgers getting some love. Last year, even though we lost to Pitt and WV, we were achingly close to turning the horrible start to the season around by beating them. The games were hard-fought and at that moment, I knew Rutgers would be able to compete with them on the same level in the future. In fact, last year, Scouts.com had our incoming class of 2009 ranked as high as #17, so things are looking up. Unfortunately, the incoming class is ranked #30 now, since a bunch of punks decided not to come to Rutgers. Anyway, I'm sure these rankings will change over the next 6 months, and Rutgers will undoubtedly be in and out of the top 25.

However, at the end of the day, I'm excited for 2009 and I think most of the Rutgers community can feel that change is in the air. With all the drama last year regarding the AD's firing, the stadium money, the horrible 1-5 start, and the 'under the table' payments to Schiano, we are ready to move on. And nothing helps cure some drama better than winning some games.

January 20th, 2009: The day that Barack Obama became president

Some cartoons that will remind me of this historic day...









...Thanks Tony!

President Bush read 40 books in 2008?

According to Karl Rove's column in the Wall Street Journal this morning, him and President Bush have an ongoing friendly reading competition over the past few years. That's very healthy on several fronts and having a sitting president with an interest in reading is impressive. But does President Bush really have such a voracious appetite for books? According to Rove, Bush has read a 186 books over the past 3 years! It's a little hard to believe considering what we think we know about the president from his mannerisms. His reading list from 2008 is as follows...

His reading this year included a heavy dose of history -- including David Halberstam's "The Coldest Winter," Rick Atkinson's "Day of Battle," Hugh Thomas's "Spanish Civil War," Stephen W. Sears's "Gettysburg" and David King's "Vienna 1814." There's also plenty of biography -- including U.S. Grant's "Personal Memoirs"; Jon Meacham's "American Lion"; James M. McPherson's "Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief" and Jacobo Timerman's "Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number."

That's certainly a heavy dose of history...

Anyway, if its true, then I am very surprised on two fronts. Firstly, I had no idea President Bush even read. He doesn't come off to me as a book worm. But 40 books or more a year? Though not impossible, my second gripe with this claim is how a president, of the United States no less, finds time to do that?

Either way, I'm embarrassed for myself. I need to catch up on my reading list.