When it comes to analyzing your web site statistics, what’s
infinitely more important than the numbers themselves is the
actual trend that they portray. If you’re trying to build
traffic to a web site - and who isn’t these days? - then your
first concern should be that the numbers are increasing on a
regular basis.

To properly watch those numbers, and know when you need to make
adjustments, you should not depend on analyzing statistics over
time. Instead, you should make a daily, weekly and monthly
schedule to look over certain statistics.

For example, you may want to watch daily trends in traffic and
page views so that any trend lasting more than a couple of days
can be immediately addressed.

Once a week, you might want to look at how many hits you’re
getting via search engines.

And, perhaps, once per month you’ll want to look at how many
page views per visit are being generated by search-engines
versus links, versus direct traffic.

If you’re running pay-per-click advertising, it’s even more
important to track your clicks and where they come from on a
regular basis. Small changes can easily lead to large
disruptions in your income flow.

In the end, you’ll need to decide for yourself which stats you
should analyze daily, weekly and monthly according to your own
site goals. Once you’ve decided which are the most important
statistics to track regularly, write down a daily, weekly and
monthly to-do list.

Make that plan, stick to it, and you’ll find yourself infinitely
more in touch with your site. You’ll think about creating
solutions to your challenges more often. And, in all likelihood,
you’ll find yourself dealing with a more and more successful web
site.

Visit Web Analytics
Guide for more information and articles on web site
analytics and analysis.

As part of the whole campaign for the all-new 2007 Lexus ES 350, this automobile brand has come up with an extensive and integrated marketing campaign. The 2007 Lexus ES 350 is actually a luxury sedan. At present, it is still in the process of making itself known not only in car and auto shows but also in showrooms as well. Since the Lexus brand of vehicles is known for its line of luxury cars, the marketing strategy for this new sedan surely would also match its reputation.

As per the new campaign for the luxury sedan, it holds a tag line which asks the market and the consumers around the globe: “Is it possible to engineer desire?” For the most part of this strategic campaign, the United States and the rest of North America would be the main focus. And the highlights for the whole campaign would shine on the Lexus ES 350’s L-finesse styling, advanced engineering, as well as on its class up luxury features.

Previously mentioned, the new sedan holds the L-finesse styling. This kind of styling is actually considered to be a new design language used and spoken in the automobile brand’s complete sedan line up. It is also considered to be a philosophy which has ground its roots in balancing contrasting elements. And as part of this styling and philosophy, the new Lexus ES 350 is known as the sedan that has been designed so as to inspire longing.

This sedan is actually the third vehicle in the whole Lexus family of vehicles to spurt out from the mentioned styling. It exudes simplicity yet it holds contrasts in its significant design. It features a panorama glass roof which actually covers the entire cabin to the distinctive wrap-around tail lamps. If you are looking for curves, the ES 350 has these. It also boasts of sculpted counter-curves that exude an aura of gracefulness and movement.

Deborah Meyer, the vice president of marketing for the Lexus brand, exclaims, “The vehicles advanced engineering and distinctive styling come together to inspire the theme of engineering desire. The new campaign demonstrates how the ES is designed to appeal as much to one’s heart as to one’s head.”

The campaign for the vehicle has already started and sure enough the whole country would be swamped with advertisements and pieces of information on the Lexus ES 350. The company would be using various channels of media like national television, print, broadcast, radio, wallscapes, bulletins, transit shelters, and commuter cards among many others. In line with this, Meyer continues, “From the inside out, the all-new ES makes a dynamic statement of personal style and luxury, and the new ad campaign shows how the new ES embodies that personality of sophistication and elegance.”

Auto Parts Corner would surely be updating its collection of Lexus parts now that the new Es 350 is out to conquer the automobile world.

———-

Tracy is a 29 year old researcher and writer from Dallas, Texas with extensive experience in writing auto-related articles and covering automotive related events. She is currently a contributing writer for a leading automotive e-zine.

The burning cigarette can burn your sexual life too

With a cigarette in my hand…I feel like an Impotent, seems to
be a joke but their isn’t anything funny about it. You always
knew that cigarette can cause variety of life-threatening
diseases like lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease just add one
more to it. Guessed it right buddy, Impotence! Scientifically
called erectil
e dysfunction and defined as the inability to achieve or
sustain erection till the time being essential for sexual
gratification.

Stats reveal even shocking outputs; around 430,000 deaths each
year are directly caused by cigarette smoking. Smoking is
responsible for changes in all parts of the body, including the
digestive system and human impoten
ce. Current estimates indicate that about one-third of all
adults smoke. And, while adult men seem to be smoking less,
women and teenagers of both sexes seem to be smoking more.

Perilous Smoking

Smoking is a major and avoidable hazard for sexual health.
Given that two of the three main side effects of smoking on
erectile function are acute responses to nicotine, then
immediate improvements on stopping smoking are possible. Smoking
reduced volume of ejaculate, it also leads to reduction in sperm
count and causes of abnormal sperm shape.

British Medical Association (BMA) estimates that up to 120,000
UK men in their 30s and 40s are impotent as a direct consequence
of smoking. This figure is likely to be an underestimate,
because it does not include impotence due to previous smoking in
men who no longer smoke.

Smoking has been shown to have
harmful effects on all parts of the digestive system,
contributing to such common disorders as heartburn and peptic
ulcers. It also increases the risk of Crohn’s disease and
possibly gallstones. Smoking seems to affect the liver, too, by
changing the way it handles drugs and alcohol. In fact, there
seems to be enough evidence to stop smoking solely.

Other Hazardous Consequences of Smoking

” Smoking causes cancer.

” Smoking causes heart disease.

” Smoking causes fatal diseases.

” Smoking causes Erectile Dysfunctions.

” Smoking when pregnant harms your baby

” Smoking causes cancer, chronic bronchitis and other chest
diseases

The housing boom of the last seven years has been one of the biggest ever. Mortgage-backed securities are one reason for the torrid pace of real estate growth.

Understanding Mortgage-Backed Securities

A mortgage-backed security is essentially a bond. Investors purchase interests in the mortgage security and your monthly mortgage payment is the revenue earned from the security. Unlike a bond, however, the value of a mortgage fluctuates because it can be paid off early. A 10-year bond definitely matures in 10 years, but a similar mortgage may be paid off at any time with a refinance or outright cash payment.

Mortgage-backed securities are issued by retail lenders, i.e., the lender giving you a mortgage. They do this for a number of reasons. The primary reason is to create liquidity so they can use the money for other purposes. If you have a thirty-year mortgage, the lender is going to have to wait thirty years to recover its money and profit. That is a long time in the world of finances. To overcome this, the lender sells securities on the secondary market and your property acts as the collateral for the security. Essentially, the mortgage lender is obtaining a loan from investors by using your mortgage and home as the guarantee of payment.

Lenders will also use mortgage-backed securities to clean up their balance sheet. After the Savings and Loan crisis of the 1980s, new regulations were created that require lenders to maintain certain debt to equity ratios. By issuing mortgage securities, lenders can keep their books safely within the relevant standards set by the regulations.

At first glance, you might think mortgage-backed securities sound a little fishy and speculative. In reality, they have been around for some time and drive the market. Government entities such as Ginnie Mae [Government National Mortgage Association] are active in this secondary mortgage market, guaranteeing many types of mortgages which makes them easier to sell on the secondary market.

As recent as 2004, it was estimated that over 729 billion dollars worth of mortgage-backed securities existed on the secondary market. The size of this investment is what lets lenders keep issuing mortgage loans to you and me.

Sergio Haros is with Great Western Mortgage - San Diego Mortgage Brokers providing San Diego home loans. Great Western Mortgage writes San Diego mortgages and San Diego refinance loans.

Taking your family or friends for a long ride with your Ford Escapeaway from the busy city streetswould be a perfect way to spend the hot summer days and of course, to test this SUV’s performance. Ford Escape is an entry-level Sport Utility Vehicle, and although positioned a rank lower than the best-selling SUV, the Ford Explorer, it offers a respectable line of performance auto parts, impressive power and remarkable rugged looks. In 2004, a hybrid Escape model was launched, giving Ford the pride of introducing the first Sport Utility Vehicle to use hybrid technology. The 2004 Ford Escape Hybrid was proven to be 75% more fuel efficient than the other Ford Escape models and other SUVs as well.

You must be excited driving the Ford Escape for your adventure, but before you head for fun, make sure your vehicle is equipped with the necessary auto parts and accessories to ensure your convenience, comfort and most especially, safety. Whether you are driving a Ford Escape or not, you must do a regular checkup on your auto to ensure it’s always at its best shape and driving condition. Although built with Ford’s high quality standards, Ford Escape Parts are also subject to common car problems, especially when it is not given enough care and attention.

If you want your vehicle to work at its best, don’t let small problems pass without fixing them. They can be a big source of stress and great financial burden, too. But don’t worry because the friendliest and most comprehensive Ford Parts Discount store offers excellent quality replacement Ford Parts at very reasonable prices. Ford Parts Online now features updated inventory of the most dependable Ford performance parts, Ford body parts and even Ford accessories. If you are thinking about buying Ford Parts Used, think again. You can now buy original top quality Ford parts at exciting deals easy, fast, conveniently and securely online.

Here are some insights that can help you prepare your vehicle for a long ride and some tips on car maintenance. Replacement and aftermarket auto parts mentioned can be found at Ford Parts Online, the most experienced and trusted Ford Parts Discount store:

1. Ford Wheels are the closest to the road, so they are more prone to wear and tear. Always wash your Ford Wheels with soap and water to prevent corrosion. Likewise the tires must be properly scoured to remove deep down grime and small particles it came contact with on the road. If you notice serious problems, don’t hesitate replacing them. It’s better to spend extra amount for a new wheels rather than suffer the inconveniences of a road accident.

2. Traveling during the hottest days of the year could be wearisome if your air conditioning system isn’t working. Check the major parts of your a/c system, especially the Ford AC Condenser, which is the one in charge of cooling off the refrigerant gas that absorbed the heat from the cabin. Check if the condenser has leaks; the refrigerant gas could freeze anything it contacts and could suffocate when inhaled.

3. Check the electrical system; especially, check your Ford Alternators and test the battery. Without these two essential parts of the system, your car won’t run. Make sure your battery and the alternator are free from damages.

4. Replace busted Ford Lights. Driving without sufficient light especially at night is extremely dangerous. When driving off-road, you may need additional auto lights for added safety.

5. Lastly, don’t forget to check the engine, fuel and the fuel filter to avoid breakdowns and roadside delays. Clean filters could help you improve the vehicle’s performance and help you save on fuel expenses.

For proper maintenance of your Ford Escape Parts, you can consult the Ford car experts or Ford-trained technicians. Ask you dealer about their repair and maintenance services. Meanwhile, for your best replacement Ford Escape parts and other Ford auto parts needs, you can count on Ford Parts Online.

Jay Stevens works as a consultant for an established auto parts store in the country. He has expertise in automotive technology and has inside knowledge on the auto parts industry.

There are so many decisions that go into deciding a vacation destination. When it involves more than just you and your friend or significant other, it seems to get even more complicated. Small, and even family vacations should not drive you to drink or pulling all your hair out. These are just a few tips to help you make your choice a little less stressful.

The first and easiest thing to ask yourself is what you and the people you will be going with like to do? Are you totally outdoor people, strictly indoor types, or a combination? Are all of you athletic or in good shape? Do you like hot weather, mild or cold seasons? Is sightseeing something you would like on your agenda or are you strictly an activity oriented type? Do you enjoy ‘roughing it’ or do you want more comfort? Do you like camping, fishing, backpacking, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, bird watching, wildlife viewing, history, learning how some of the unique formations in the parks came to be there, snorkeling, swimming, scuba diving, sailing, boating, kayaking, whitewater rafting, photography, hunting, or just lazing around beautiful places?

The next thing to consider is how much do you have to spend and how much time will you have. There are so many national parks and monuments that are relatively close to people that it is not expensive to get yourself there. Some of the exciting wilderness areas in Alaska can be expensive to get to, but if you have the money and enjoy the great outdoors, it is certainly worth going for an incredible experience you won’t soon forget.

That being said, it only remains to pick your destination. Bear in mind, that almost any area has inexpensive travel options and moves up from there to more expensive ones. Also, just because you are going to a national park, does not mean you have to ‘rough it’. There are plenty of options for day hiking, climbing, fishing, water sports, etc. that do not involve sitting by a campfire enjoying the great outdoors if that is just not your style.

Camping is generally believed to be the cheapest type of a vacation after you make the initial investment of camping supplies. This can be a tidy sum, but remember that the equipment usually lasts for quite a few years. It is generally true that camping fees at the parks are cheaper than an average hotel room. And if you own an RV, you can camp in true comfort. Most campgrounds are situated in gorgeous surroundings and allow you easy access to the park’s highlights. There are very few parks that don’t have some kind of campgrounds. Also, when you camp, you usually cook your own food which also saves you money. And no, you do not have to eat hotdogs all week unless that is what you love!

Now, if you live in the Midwest, there are plenty of park options within driving distances that take no more than twelve hours or less, depending where you live. Of course, you can always choose to fly anywhere, but some parks are a little distant from the nearest airport. Driving allows you the luxury of taking along everything you think you need for a comfortable stay.

My favorite pick for the Midwest is Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is hands down one of the best all-around parks for the family. It falls within the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. You can choose to rough it on the Appalachian Trail, camp out in a developed campground or wilderness, or stay in anywhere from luxurious suites to nice inexpensive hotels in nearby Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN. And, speaking of Pigeon Forge, you have Dollywood and all the innumerable attractions they offer in the area. On the North Carolina side you have more campgrounds, the city of Cherokee that has several Indian souvenirs and museums, whitewater rafting and fly fishing (the last two are actually offered in both states). The mountains are absolutely beautiful and make for great photo ops. Please look up our Great Smoky Mountain web page for further details.

Another great choice is Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and State Park. They also have camping and wildlife viewing, especially bird watching. A unique shoreline allows for walking on the beach or swimming in Lake Michigan. They even have areas for you to bring your own horses and go horseback riding. For those of you that enjoy sightseeing and history, you can see the five World’s Fair houses from 1933 or attend the Gathering At Calumic in early May, where Eastern Woodland Indians and Western Great Lakes fur traders and Voyageurs reenact what life was like along the Calumet River from 1730-1830.

If you enjoy boating, there are several places in the Midwest, but the two northern ones are Voyageurs National Park and Isle Royale National Park. Voyageurs is in Minnesota and Isle Royale is off of the northern coast of Michigan in Lake Superior. Both offer great wilderness adventures as well as canoeing, kayaking, motor boating and fishing opportunities. Voyageurs is considered a water park meaning you have to take a boat over to the actual park, but it is a short journey. There are places to camp out or lodges to stay at that will help equip you, enabling you to boat around the waterways and find those great fishing spots. Isle Royale is a long boat ride or a short “puddle jumper” flight. It has wilderness camping only, but also has a lodge for those who only enjoy day hiking and some comfort. There is kayaking, fishing, backpacking, wildlife, with the longest running research program studying wolves and moose, scuba diving, and ship wrecks. It is truly a unique ecosystem to observe.

The Western US has much more to offer in national parks. The most famous is Yellowstone where you will see Old Faithful and lots of other geothermal marvels and one of the few places in the lower 48 to observe grizzly bears up close. You’ll also see bison roaming very close by so be careful. It is located on the border of Wyoming and Montana. There are numerous ranches and lodges to stay at or you can camp out in the park. There is also great fly fishing, kayaking, climbing and backpacking. Another biggie is Grand Canyon National Park. This one is in Arizona, again on the border of Arizona and Nevada, but also close to the southern Utah border. It is part of the Grand Staircase, an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that runs south from Bryce Canyon National Park, through Zion National Park (both in Utah) and ends at the Grand Canyon. There is camping, backpacking, day hiking, whitewater rafting, and plenty of photography opportunities.

Other great parks, (although all of them are super places to visit) in the west, are Yosemite, Channel Islands, Redwood, Arches, Olympic, Grand Teton, Canyonlands, Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier, and Sequoia. All of these have great wide spread activities that will suit any vacationers’ needs and desires. Please check out our individual park pages for further information on each of these superb parks.

The Eastern United States also offer splendid options for vacationing. Acadia National Park in Maine has unsurpassed northern oceanside views and cliff climbing that you won’t find in other parks. There is also fishing, island exploring, hiking and beautiful gardens to gaze upon. Further down the eastern side is Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The Appalachian Trail runs through the park for 101 miles giving you plenty of hiking and backpacking options. There is also camping, fishing, bird watching and horseback riding.

In Florida, you will find three national parks and one preserve with the most famous being Everglades. Everglades is so much more then what you have seen on TV. The wildlife is phenomenal and makes it easy to get some great animal and bird shots. There is also wilderness camping, (watch out for alligators!) canoeing, fishing, airboat rides, hiking, and rare, as well as beautiful flora. Big Cypress National Preserve is right by Everglades and is very similar, but also offers cypress stands, mangrove forests, endangered species of wildlife like the peregrine falcon and the Florida panther. Activities include fishing, biking, canoeing, hiking, and hunting. Biscayne National Park is off of the eastern tip of southern Florida. As the world’s third-longest coral reef tract, there are snorkeling, scuba diving trips, sailing, swimming, fishing, canoeing and kayaking opportunities, making it a celebrated national park vacation for family vacations or outdoor adventure-seeking spring break crowds. Dry Tortugas National Park is a unique park preserving Fort Jefferson that was built during the Civil War and never finished, and the nesting places of terns and sea turtles. You will be able to enjoy Key West snorkeling, saltwater fishing, swimming, lighthouses, ship wreaks, hiking, beach camping, boating, scuba diving, bird watching, and underwater photography of some of the best coral reef and marine life areas down in Southern Florida.

Again, I want to stress that this has been just an overview of some of the impressive parks to be seen in our national parks system. I urge you to dig into our site, http://www.Adventure-Crew.com, and read some of the park pages for the areas you are interested in visiting to find the perfect place for you to enjoy a wonderful vacation full of memories and remarkable photographs. A lot of the research has already been done for you, so dive in! With the national parks, your choices are truly endless.

Corie Marks
http://www.adventure-crew.com

Corie Marks works for a website dedicated to promoting outdoor adventures in US national parks, monuments, and wilderness areas, Adventure-Crew.com. Her duties entail marketing, sales, writing for the website and field work with her husband Stu, who is the Art Director for the website.

Is Croquet a good courting or dating activity? In the eighteen-hundreds, youth in the British Empire and colonies used croquet as a means of courting. It was a chance for young men and young ladies to spend time together out on the playing field without their ever watchful and over protective bourgeois parents looking over their shoulders and observing everything they do and say. But is it still a good dating activity today? I thought so, until I played with “Mallet Girl.” I do not recall Mallet Girl’s real name, so I will just refer to her as Mallet Girl.

So, anyway, Mallet Girl and I went on a group date to a park to play some pleasant and casual American backyard poison croquet. Everything was going fine, until half way through the game when it was Mallet Girl’s turn to hit her ball. She was several wickets behind me and about thirty feet away. I was a safe distance from Mallet Girl, and I was in the lead, and thought that I did not have anything to worry about. The sun was shining brightly in the partly cloudy but mostly blue sky. A cool breeze rattled the leaves in the trees. Indeed, I was in a world of nearly perfect tranquility.

From my safe distance I calmly stood there peering out of the corner of my eye as Mallet Girl pulled her club back to take a swing. It looked more like a swing to hit a baseball than a croquet ball, or a drive swing in golf. Anyway, Mallet Girl swung at full force. Her ball went rolling across the grass as intended, but suddenly, and before I could react, yet in slow motion, I beheld the end of her mallet floating across the grass toward me. It was going so fast it traveled the entire thirty feet without losing any altitude. The end of her mallet streamlined toward me, a foot above the grass, slamming into my shin… Whack! leaving me scarcely enough time to jump.

Well, all I have to say is that Mallet Girl did leave an impression on me. For several days there was an indent and bruise on my shin. Although, Mallet Girl and I never went on a date again, I will never forget her. I can still see the end of her mallet hovering across the grass toward my shin, even today.

So, is croquet a good courting activity? You decide. Many girls would love a nice relaxing game of croquet out in the park. It is a good time or activity to just talk to someone while playing a friendly game. But, beware that the girl that you take is not “Mallet Girl,” or you may be in danger. Also, make sure the girl does not beat you, because it stinks to get beaten by girl… believe me, I know.

Peter Jay is a yard game enthusiast with Yard Game Central and a manager and web administrator with Play Croquet. For information about a Croquet Set, visit PlayCroquet.com.

The startling facts which have recently surfaced in our nation’s capitol about Dubya’s dilatory response to clear and concise information received from federal-disaster officials, concerning the imminent danger that Hurricane Katrina posed to thousands of New Orleans’ residents, makes me wonder if the severely lame duck President knew anything in advance about 9/11. It’s certainly ironic that a few astute historians, such as Georgetown University’s renown Dr. Charles Tansill and the writer John Toland, tend to agree that, fifty-five years ago, FDR knew well in advance about the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, but deliberately ordered that the U.S. Naval Command at Pearl not be warned.

Why? According to sensitive classified War Department documents, made unavailable during the mid-1940s to (or hidden from) the Congressional Blue Ribbon Commission that investigated the Pearl Harbor debacle, Roosevelt had secretly negotiated a pact with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which assured U.S. entry into the war against Germany, even at a time when the savior of the Great Depression was assuring the American people that the America would remain neutral. A war with Japan had meant allying with Britain in the fight against Hitler.

If anything, Pearl Harbor was a pragmatic answer to Roosevelt’s foreign policy enigma. According to a primary historical document retrieved in an exhaustive records search, a letter written by an Afro-American maid, who was serving the Roosevelt’s breakfast on that fateful Sunday morning, to her older brother, FDR was sitting at his desk playing with his stamp collection when news of the surprise attack reached the White House. If a first-hand recollection of the events of that morning, by a young educated black woman, is of any value to history, the maid’s recounting in her letter of Roosevelt’s reaction to his “day of infamy” seems to reflect the mind of the man. Roosevelt allegedly looked up at his wife, Eleanor, and peacefully smiled saying, “It’s done, mother.”

Bush’s initial reaction to the WTC bombings, while reading the ever-popular goat story to Florida elementary school children, was very similar to Roosevelt’s response to the death and destruction at Pearl Harbor. Strangely, Bush showed no shock or dismay when he was told whisperingly by Andrew Card that the first WTC tower had been bombed. George merely kept on reading and exhibiting that same smug self-assured smile that he showed on the evening of the 2004 Presidential election, when he was sitting by George Herbert, his father, somehow knowing that he was going to win the popular and electoral votes in Florida.

It was only after the second subtle prompting by Card that Bush showed a modicum of impassionate concern. Over a period of two years, Roosevelt manipulated the nation into a war against fascism, and in one fail swoop, GWB became the first president to declare war on state-sponsored terrorism. Before 9/11, Bush had no real mandate from the American people as an inaugurated chief executive. The U.S. Supreme Court had declared him the winning presidential candidate when his opponent, Al Gore, had clearly won the popular vote. But a pronounced national threat has a profound way of uniting a politically divided electorate and a partisan Congress, as did the Al Quaida sponsored terrorism on that fateful day in September.

The deviously shrewd Karl Rove must have been drooling over the political capital that 9/11 generated for his protégé, the Yale underachiever. It was probably as much, or more, than the infamous Colonel Edward House demonstrated when President Woodrow Wilson followed his cunning advice and covertly prepared for war between 1914 and 1917, while publicly preaching and advocating neutrality during Britain and France’s war with Kaiser Wilhelm. A poignantly revealing psychological analysis of Wilson’s obsessive reliance on House’s advice was made by Alexander L. George in his provocative book, “Woodrow Wilson and Colonel House: A Personality Study.”

Perhaps a book will someday be written by some insightful psychotherapist about Bush and Rove. In the meantime, one can only ponder the possible clandestine political connections which exist between wealthy federal power-mongers in their continual quest for Machiavellian political expediency. In the case of the neglected City of New Orleans, there had to have been some bleak and underhanded political machinations occurring in the White House to explain the lack of response shown by the Bush administration to a despairing municipality’s plea for help. The singer, Joan Biaz, couldn’t have said it better in her rendition of the famous song about the great Southern port city. The answer to this perplexing conundrum will be gone, fleeing from scrutiny probably farther than five-hundred miles when the day is done.

Norton R. Nowlin holds M.A. and B.A. Degrees from the University of Texas at Tyler. He also has attended one year at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, in San Diego, California, and holds an advanced paralegal certification from Edmonds Community College, in Lynnwood, Washington. Mr. Nowlin also has 70 semester hours of post-graduate study in history, economics, and political science from National University and Pepperdine University. Mr. Nowlin works as a paralegal to the politically active attorney, Paul R. Lehto, of Everett, Washington. Norton R. Nowlin is married to the physicist and math tutor, Diance C. Nowlin, and has three grown children and four grandchildren. He and his wife reside in Mountlake Terrace, Washington with their two very intelligent cats.

About one week ago to the day, I injured my lower back. And though I am now fully on the road to recovery, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be saddled with nagging lumbar back pain indefinitely as is the case with many disability claimants.

It would be awful without a doubt. But here are some specific things my spouse (also a former DDS examiner and a current D.O. CR) and I discussed: light jobs would be difficult because handling any amount of weight, let alone, say, 20 pounds, would aggravate a back problem. I rediscovered this reality yesterday as I, in a limited fashion, tried to help my wife with groceries. The simple weight of a gallon jug of milk was enough to make me wince. How about a sedentary job? Well, the problem with sedentary jobs has to do with…being sedentary.

As many claimants with chronic lower back pain will attest, being in a seated position can become very uncomfortable even after a few minutes. But even “sedentary jobs” are not entirely sedentary. Most sedentary work still involves having to get up and down from a seated position dozens of times during the course of a day. And this can obviouly present a problem for someone with lower lumbar pain. And, of course, there are the psychological aspects of having continuous pain and discomfort; chief among these is the effect that continuous pain has on one’s ability to maintain attention and concentration. And, of course, pain does have a nasty effect on one’s disposition.

Now, in the context of disability claims adjudication, why do I even bother mentioning this kind of stuff? Simply for this reason: Disability examiners, their supervisors, and the medical
consultants with whom disability examiners work all too often slap decisions on cases without allowing claimants reasonable consideration with respect to their pain. This is not a trivial
issue as the social security administration has been sued a number of times over its failure to recognize claimants’ limitations due to pain.

Why do the “functionaries”, or cogs of the disability system, fail to recognize the role that pain plays in a claimant’s functional limitations?

Well, in the case of examiners, it may have a little to do with age. Most disability examiners tend to be younger individuals (twenties and thirties), i.e. people who have never had to deal
with a disabling illness, such as degenerative disc disease. It’s an unfortunate reality of human existence that people are often unable to empathize with someone else’s pain if we have
not experienced something similar ourselves.

In the case of the disability docs, that is the physicans who serve as unit medical consultants in a state’s DDS (disability determination services), the blinders they wear may have more to do with the nature of their work. Basically, “disability docs” sit in an office all day long, reading files and writeups that have been written by disability examiners. After a disability
doc has finished perusing a file, he or she will write an RFC (residual functional capacity form) that may or may not agree with what an examiner has “conjured”. At any one time, a DDS
medical consultant may have dozens of cases in his office which need reviewing. But in NONE, ABSOLUTELY NONE, of that time will one of these doctors ever see, touch, or feel one of the claimants that they are writing an RFC for. Can you make out the picture that I’m drawing. These doctors render VERDICTS on cases, in a way that is very impersonal, removed, bureaucratic, and even automated. And with the number of cases that come across their desks, it’s hardly a wonder that MOST cases are given a medium RFC, or residual functional capacity rating.

What is a medium RFC? It means several things, but in terms of exertional limitations, it means that a claimant is still expected to be able to, in the course of a workday, lift 50 lbs
occasionally and 25 lbs frequently. As an examiner, I saw medium RFCs given to claimants who, doubtless, would have difficulty lifting even 20 lbs once, let alone 50 lbs occasionally.

This, of course, qualifies as a gripe that I hold against the SSA system. However, I believe it is wholly a legitimate one concerning a legitimate problem. How do you address the problem?

Here’s a novel solution that might have an immediate impact on how DDS medical consultants rate the limitations of claimants: require them all to keep fifty pound dumbbells beside their desks and each time they consider handing out a medium rfc, require them to lift it just once. Each time they perform this action and feel the discomfort that comes from lifting fifty pounds, they can then consider the effect this amount of weight might have on a claimant with chronic lower back pain. And, just perhaps, their ratings of cases might begin to approach a state closer to reality. Because, presently, it is doubtful, at best, that many of these doctors have any real clue as to what fifty pounds really is, or feels like.

The author of this article is Timothy Moore, who, in addition to being a former food stamp caseworker, medicaid caseworker and AFDC caseworker, is a former disability claims examiner. He
publishes a helpful FAQ on the disability process at
http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/questions.html

Hey, does anybody out there have diabetes?

Well, if you’re shaped like a pear and you’re from the South where the three main food groups are flour, sugar and lard, (pronounced shortening for you Northern folk) then you have a good chance of developing it.

It ain’t no picnic, and about as aggravating as a loose tooth.

I wasn’t always round. I was a very skinny child, all hair and eyeballs. I have naturally curly hair and my mama refused to let me cut it until I was thirty or there abouts. You could have drawn big round eyes on a rag mop and stood us up side by side and we would have been twins.

I ate what everyone else ate, but I stayed skinny, all the way through school and up until my fourth marriage. I’ve always felt that fat people were happy people. My sister remarked on my weight gain and told me to get miserable for a change. “I swear , if you get any happier you won’t be able to fit through the kitchen door.”

Well, turns out she was right. I was pushing against 200 pounds this time last year. I kept feeling sick, and short of breath. My eyes didn’t work right and I had about as much energy as a dead house cat. All of this combined was a pretty good sign that I needed to see a doctor. I did. He did the blood work. He told me I had developed type 2 diabetes.

The normal range for the hemoglobin A1c (a simple lab test that shows the average amount of sugar (also called glucose) that has been in a person’s blood over the last 3 months) should be around 7 or below. Mine was 14.3. My blood sugar had been at a constant level of 400 for the past several months.

I was immediately handcuffed, taken into custody and sentenced to a life of green weeds, vegetables, fruit and no bread! Gone were the days of freedom where I could eat fried pork chops, biscuits and gravy, mashed potatoes, wash it all down with a huge glass of sweet tea (with real sugar) and finish it all off with an entire chocolate cake topped with a half gallon of vanilla ice cream.

No! I even had to eat my weeds and fruit from a small plate about the size of a silver dollar. Gone was the macaroni and cheese, the cornbread and beans, the fried potatoes, the overflowing plate and the sweet, sweet tea (with real sugar).

If you need a good laxative, try Splenda. The first time I tried it I was amazed. My stomach started to make noises that sounded like a volcano was getting ready to erupt. And talk about flatulence! I tooted with each step I took. And these weren’t quite little poots either. It sounded like thunder. It rattled the windows. My poor Hubby. He was so patient through it all.

However, since I was feeling a lot better after the medication started working and my glucose levels were beginning to return to normal, I have stayed with the diet. It hasn’t been easy. Sometimes I get so hungry I could eat a pile of dirt…if it was mixed with lard and sugar and shaped like a biscuit.

Oh, and I don’t look extremely happy anymore. I weighed this morning and I am down to 129 pounds. I look like my rag mop once again.

Think I’ll get us both dressed up, draw her a pair of big round eyes and go have our pictures taken. I’ll be the one on the left with the short hair.

Leeuna Foster is a Marketing Strategist, Author and Poet. She has been writing for two decades and her short fiction and poetry have won several national and regional awards. If you enjoy Southern Humor, visit her website at: http://www.southernfriedwriters.com