How Your Daily Newspaper Can Help You "Grasp" the World
By Dr. Bill Stillwell
As more and more people depend on the Internet as their primary news source, newspapers become less and less influential. Still, you probably have one delivered every day... and at least scan the headlines.
Well, here's a way to get a little something extra out of your subscription: Use it to improve your "grasp" on the world at large.
I discovered this technique during my medical school years. After fracturing my hand (during my Surgery rotation, of course), I had to get back function in my hand quickly. This method allowed me to regain my grip strength and finger flexibility in one-third the normal time.
It will help you not only if you have an injured hand, but also if you have general weakness due to aging or arthritis. Here's what to do:
1. Sit at a table with a newspaper in front of you, opened to the middle spread.
2. Slap your opened palm into the middle of the open page.
3. Keeping your hand firmly on the page, slowly crumple it into your fist, using finger power alone.
4. When the page is crumpled into a ball in your fist, squeeze it as tightly as you can. Then throw the crumpled page into an open bag.
5. Now, do the same thing with the opposite hand.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 4, alternating hands, until you have crumpled up the entire paper.
7. Wash the newsprint off your hands.
Begin with a small tabloid, like the National Enquirer. (Sneak one into your supermarket cart when nobody's looking.) After a week, you can move up to larger tabloids. When you've mastered those, try full-format papers, like USA Today, your hometown paper, and, eventually, the daily New York Times. After about a month of that, you may be able to make it through the entire Sunday edition of The New York Times, including all the ads and supplements.
When you get to that point, I promise you, you'll have a grip of steel.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Bill is William Thomas Stillwell, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at SUNY, Stony Brook. He is CEO of Dr. Bill's Clinic Inc.]
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It's Fun to Know: The Christmas Tree's Journey to the U.S.
The custom of putting up a Christmas tree can be traced back to 16th century Germany. As early as 1570, people in Germany decorated small trees with fruit, nuts, and paper flowers during the winter holiday. The practice spread throughout Europe, and was introduced to the American colonies by German settlers.
(Source: University of Illinois Extension)
______________________________
Word to the Wise: Flout
To "flout" (FLOWT) is to treat with contempt. The word is derived from the Middle English for "to play the flute."
Example (as used in The New York Times): "The thorough training in the fine points of lyric writing that he has received from Hammerstein has made [Stephen] Sondheim highly critical of those lyricists who flout the basic techniques of the craft."
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2232, 12-22-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
__________________________________________________
For all your Real Estate Interests look at The New Real Estate Source here.
As more and more people depend on the Internet as their primary news source, newspapers become less and less influential. Still, you probably have one delivered every day... and at least scan the headlines.
Well, here's a way to get a little something extra out of your subscription: Use it to improve your "grasp" on the world at large.
I discovered this technique during my medical school years. After fracturing my hand (during my Surgery rotation, of course), I had to get back function in my hand quickly. This method allowed me to regain my grip strength and finger flexibility in one-third the normal time.
It will help you not only if you have an injured hand, but also if you have general weakness due to aging or arthritis. Here's what to do:
1. Sit at a table with a newspaper in front of you, opened to the middle spread.
2. Slap your opened palm into the middle of the open page.
3. Keeping your hand firmly on the page, slowly crumple it into your fist, using finger power alone.
4. When the page is crumpled into a ball in your fist, squeeze it as tightly as you can. Then throw the crumpled page into an open bag.
5. Now, do the same thing with the opposite hand.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 4, alternating hands, until you have crumpled up the entire paper.
7. Wash the newsprint off your hands.
Begin with a small tabloid, like the National Enquirer. (Sneak one into your supermarket cart when nobody's looking.) After a week, you can move up to larger tabloids. When you've mastered those, try full-format papers, like USA Today, your hometown paper, and, eventually, the daily New York Times. After about a month of that, you may be able to make it through the entire Sunday edition of The New York Times, including all the ads and supplements.
When you get to that point, I promise you, you'll have a grip of steel.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Bill is William Thomas Stillwell, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at SUNY, Stony Brook. He is CEO of Dr. Bill's Clinic Inc.]
______________________________
It's Fun to Know: The Christmas Tree's Journey to the U.S.
The custom of putting up a Christmas tree can be traced back to 16th century Germany. As early as 1570, people in Germany decorated small trees with fruit, nuts, and paper flowers during the winter holiday. The practice spread throughout Europe, and was introduced to the American colonies by German settlers.
(Source: University of Illinois Extension)
______________________________
Word to the Wise: Flout
To "flout" (FLOWT) is to treat with contempt. The word is derived from the Middle English for "to play the flute."
Example (as used in The New York Times): "The thorough training in the fine points of lyric writing that he has received from Hammerstein has made [Stephen] Sondheim highly critical of those lyricists who flout the basic techniques of the craft."
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2232, 12-22-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
__________________________________________________
For all your Real Estate Interests look at The New Real Estate Source here.
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