The truth is, no matter how good your imagination or your grasp of language, there is an art to winning writing contests of which many writers remain totally unaware.

Fortunately, the skill to get your work, at least on the judge’s short list isn’t difficult to acquire.  Mostly you just need to use a little common sense and be prepared to do some research.

Research?  Aren’t we talking fiction and the muse?  Well yes, but if you really want to win a good short story writing contest offering a decent cash prize or a poetry competition you really need to give your work some depth and verisimilitude by furnishing it with a believable plot and credible characters.

This is even more vital if you are venturing into the realm of fantasy or the ever popular ghost story.  These types of stories have the potential to really stretch the imagination and take the reader to places where they really wouldn’t like to go in real life.  The opportunity to experience voyeuristically between the relative safety of the pages is another matter entirely!

Unfortunately, few stories of this type live up to expectations with many authors trotting out the same old diet of blood, gore and weird beasties with hairy antennae and six eyes sporting names such as Zygog and Phlybub!

So what’s to be done?  It’s back to research!  Read the winning entries and the judges reports on the types of writing contests you wish to enter and analyse what makes them work for you and what caught the judge’s eye.

You can start with the Xmas Chillers ghost story contest.  This has been running for several years and the top three from previous year’s winners list are always posted on the contest site.

Through meditation we not only become more physically balanced, but also emotionally, mentally and spiritually balanced. Many years ago meditation was considered something just not meant for modern people, but now it has become very popular with all types of people. One of the interesting benefits of meditation is increased balance. Through meditation we become more physically balanced, as well as emotionally, mentally and spiritually balanced. Through the increased self-awareness that we then gain we also begin to become more balanced in life, love and financial issues, just to name a few.

By meditating we are able to  develop the ability to move and direct the energies around us. The health benefits of meditation are astounding. The simple act of breathing properly in meditation relaxes our muscles and organs.  At deeper levels we can use meditation to focus more energy on specific organs or muscles to help cleanse them of disease and stress. Over a period of time the incremental effects will  improve our  health and longevity.

Commonly today, people can mean any one of these stages when they refer to the term meditation. Some schools only teach concentration techniques, some relaxation, and others teach free form contemplative activities like just sitting and awaiting absorption. Some call it meditation without giving credence to yoga for fear of being branded ‘eastern’. But yoga is not something eastern or western as it is universal in its approach and application.

Take your time as you explore these connections to your self and the universe and see what benefits manifest in your life.

One of the most interesting stories to come out of Cleveland Browns training camp this year has been the unexpected emergence of 6th round draft pick James Davis as a potentially integral part of the Browns’ 2009 offense.

With Jamal Lewis seeming to be firmly entrenched as the starter despite his advancing age, and Eric Mangini pledging early in camp to get more touches for Jerome Harrison, it appeared that Davis would provide nice depth and a body on special teams, but little else.

Then he ran 80+ yards for a TD against Detroit’s backups and seemingly overnight there was chatter that he could end up as the starter.

Yesterday, Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon-Journal posed the question “Do the Browns have a running back controvery?” His answer was a resounding…maybe.

The Browns could have a couple of very interesting decisions in the near future.

One is at quarterback. Which we all pretty much know about.

The other, though, is at running back where rookie James Davis might be making a push to unseat Jamal Lewis.

Far-fetched? Perhaps.

But a certain team that makes its living running the ball extremely well in the shade of the Rocky Mountains has had great success with late-round running backs.

I am sure that all Browns fans are excited about the potential that James Davis has flashed. And Eric Mangini has spoken glowingly of his rookie, which I thought was a little unexpected but certainly nice to hear. Still, there are some reasons for caution, and no one should be writing Jamal Lewis’ Browns epitaph just yet.

First off, many a running back has had a strong preseason, especially playing in the later quarters, and not seen it translate to the regular season. We need to see James Davis succeed against other teams’ first team defenses before we book his ticket for the Pro Bowl. Remove the 81-yard run from his impressive line against the Lions (12 carries, 116 yards, TD) and Davis’ stats look far more pedestrian: 11 carries, 35 yards.

True, the ability to take carries to the house from long distances is a desirable trait for a running back to have, and certainly something that Jamal Lewis now lacks, but Davis’ 81-yard scamper may have been more of an anomaly than something we will see regularly. According to his pre-draft Scouts Inc. profile, Davis’ straight-line speed is above average but not elite. While Scouts Inc is by no means the gospel, it is further reason to at least temper expectations that Davis will be regularly running up and down the field in the regular season.

Additionally, there is an important part of the running back role that many fans (myself included) forget about sometimes in our zeal to see a young guy or backup get on the field: pass blocking. Once again, looking at his Scouts Inc profile, Davis is criticized for not being great in this area:

Has shown the ability to catch the ball when facing the QB and is a solid underneath dump-off option. However, he lacks ideal experience catching the ball, he struggles to adjust to ball thrown outside of his frame and he is not a homerun threat after the catch. Shows adequate awareness in pass protection and flashes the ability to hold ground against blitzing defenders. However, he’s not very physical at the point of attack and doesn’t work as hard as he should to sustain.

This jives with reports I’ve seen and heard from people who have attended Browns training camp. Everyone has lauded James Davis for being extremely impressive as a runner, but are concerned that his blocking is not quite up to snuff. Certainly opponents will attempt take advantage of this with blitzes, which could leave Davis as the last line of defense to protect whoever is playing QB (at least we have two!).

Thus, especially early in the season, Davis being on the field could very well be a tip-off to the defense that we plan to run the ball or throw a quick pass. This would conceivably add more defenders to the box and potentially limit Davis’ effectiveness and the offense overall.

Now that I have said all of this, and highlighted what I see as the glaring questions/weaknesses surrounding James Davis, let me also say this: for the Browns to have a successful season, James Davis will have to be a major part of it. We saw how poorly the Browns’ offense played last year, and how much it was hamstrung by a lack of play-makers. the Browns will need the spring that Davis appears to have in his step to put a more dynamic unit on the field in ‘09.

At one time, Jamal Lewis was an explosive runner with the ability to maul people and run away from them. Those days, however, are long gone. While Lewis still runs hard and is a solid short-yardage back, he is slow to the hole and lacks any semblance of breakaway speed. He can churn out 4-5 yard carries on a good day, but rarely is going to move the chains if the distance to the marker is outside of that amount.

Having James Davis, a young running back with fresh legs and some burst, can be an excellent complement to the bruising Lewis. Sprinkle in Jerome Harrison – whose production with limited opportunities should not be forgotten – as a runner and receiver, and the Browns have the makings of a solid running back trio that can keep eachother fresh and offer varying looks to defenses.

James Davis may very well prove to be the every down back of the future for the Browns; and what a steal that would be, getting him in the 6th round. For 2009, however, the Browns and their fans will most likely be best served by Davis playing a role in which he gets 10-15 carries, Lewis gets a similar number, and Jerome Harrison gets 8-10 touches (carries and catches).

So rather than a controversy, let’s call it a committee. The Giants rode “Earth, Wind, and Fire” (Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derrick Ward) all the way to a Super Bowl and then to another solid season last year. With more and more teams moving to 2-3 back committees to provide different looks and keep legs fresh throughout the year, it may (and probably should) be something that the Browns look to do as well.

Next season, with Lewis likely gone and a full year to evaluate Davis, we can start discussing who “the starter” is. For this year, let’s enjoy the addition of what looks like another solid backfield option and hope that James Davis is what he appears that he may be: a solid building block for the future of the Eric Mangini era in Cleveland.

Bonus James Davis fantasy projection: As stated, it certainly looks more and more like James Davis will become an integral part of the Browns running game. And we’ve all seen enough rookie running backs produce to know that you shouldn’t avoid them like you do rookie receivers. A talented running back behind a decent O-line can usually come in and have success right away.

With Lewis and Harrison in the mix as well, however, I would not expect anything close to what Steve Slaton and Chris Johnson did last year (barring injuries to Lewis and/or Harrison). Still, James Davis is worth drafting in the later rounds and should at least have some value as a bye week fill-in. I look for him to get 125-150 carries on the season and between 550-675 yards with 3 or 4 scores.

Obviously if he starts getting 15-20 carries a game, he becomes a possible #3/flex starter or even a #2 depending on the matchup. But I would draft him hoping for that kind of production, not expecting it.

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Athletes are constantly searching for ways to reduce soreness and improve recovery. One recovery method that is growing in popularity with a number of athletes, both professional and amateur, is the use of sports massage therapy to aid in recovery.
Sports massage was developed to treat the soft tissue soreness that can come after strenuous physical activity. This is achieved through the manipulation of muscle tissue by hand.

According to John Julian, The Massage Company, a Dallas massage therapy provider, “Whether done before or after an event, sports massage therapy can provide a number of benefits for an athlete and should be an integral part of any athlete’s training regimen.”

There are several types of sports massage that are used at different times to provide different benefits for athletes. Pre-event massage therapy is used before a game or competition to aid the athlete in warm ups before competition. A pre-event massage focuses on the muscle groups that will be most heavily involved in physical activity, in an effort to increase blood flow to the muscle groups and prepare the body for activity.

Post-event sports massage usually occurs within two hours of physical activity and is used to relieve the tension and stress that can build up in the muscles after strenuous work. As a game goes on, numerous toxins and lactic acid can build in the muscles, leading to soreness and extended recovery time. Post-event massage is designed to reduce these toxins and speed up recovery so an athlete can resume an optimal training level more quickly.

Many athletes train heavily and frequent training sessions can result in muscle fatigue, which greatly increases the risk of injury. Restorative sports massage is used during training periods to aid in recovery between practices. Restorative massage between training sessions is helpful in reducing the risk of injury.

Finally, when an injury does occur, rehabilitative sports massage can be useful in reducing soreness around the affected area and trigger the body’s natural recovery systems.

“With any physical activity,” said John Julian, “there is a risk of injury. Certain types of sports massage therapy are useful in relieving soreness as well as helping the body recover from injury.”

The physical benefits of massage include increased blood flow and circulation, as well as a relief of tension and stress in muscle groups, which can lead to soreness. Mentally, massage is beneficial in providing relaxation as well as an improved overall sense of well being.

There are numerous benefits to be found in sports massage. Sports massage therapy is helpful in aiding recovery after strenuous activity, as well as alleviating soreness due to injury. Any serious athlete should consider adding massage therapy to his or her training regimen.

A hysterectomy is an extremely daunting prospect to face. A woman considering a hysterectomy procedure is certainly faced with a number of choices and consequences. Some of these consequences, such as the loss of the ability to produce children, are inescapable no matter what type of hysterectomy procedure a woman chooses. However, recent advances in the field of gynecological surgery have provided women with new options., With the development of the Da Vinci Surgical System, women now have a less invasive and less risky option when considering a hysterectomy procedure.

Accounting for 75% of all hysterectomies in the United States, an abdominal hysterectomy is considered to be an invasive hysterectomy procedure. The procedure involves a 6-12 inch incision across the abdomen. The reason for this incision is that it gives the surgical team the maximum amount of room to work as well as providing the most encompassing view of the affected area. Additionally, any previously undiscovered conditions, such as uterine cancer, can be dealt with more efficiently.

Due to the invasiveness of the procedure, an abdominal hysterectomy presents a higher risk of post-surgery complications and infections. This is compounded by the already substantial recovery time, which ranges from six to eight weeks. The hospital stay for an abdominal hysterectomy is usually one or two days, but can be as long as four. After the hysterectomy procedure, recovery involves a severe limitation of activities, which are gradually increased over the course of the recovery period.

In contrast, a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery offers gynecological patients with a considerably less invasiveoption. The Da Vinci Surgical System is a two-part robotic surgery system that utilizes both a patient cart, equipped with tiny robotic arms that actually perform the surgery, and a surgical console, with controls that manipulate the robotic arms. Essentially, the Da Vinci Surgical System only requires a surgeon to manipulate the controls while seated comfortably at the console, and a surgical assistant to change the tools on the robotic arms and monitor the patient. The surgeon is able to see the entire area he or she is working on with the help of a fully 3-dimensional camera attached to one of the robotic arms.

In a Da Vinci hysterectomy procedure, the robotic arms minimize the size of the incisions necessary to reach the affected organs, which results in a far less invasive hysterectomy procedure. Consequently, the reduced invasiveness minimizes the risk of infections as well as post-surgical complications. While there are several more incisions made in a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, the incisions are only 1-2 centimeters long.

The 3D image gives the surgeon a more accurate view of the affected organs than other less invasive procedures such as a laparoscopic hysterectomy, which only provides a 2-dimensional view. This, coupled with the surgeon being able to sit comfortably at the surgical console for the entire hysterectomy procedure, enhances the surgeon’s effectiveness without the need for a large surgical team.

Due to the more effective performance by the smaller surgical team, and the reduced invasiveness of the procedure, the recovery times from a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery are significantly shorter than the recovery from a traditional abdominal hysterectomy. Recovery times are reduced to as little as one to two weeks from a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, as compared to the six to eight weeks after an abdominal hysterectomy. Additionally, there is a reduced risk of infection and complications after a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery. The rate of complications after an abdominal hysterectomy is significantly greater than those following a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery.

Da Vinci Robotic Surgery is not only easier on patients. Surgeons who have used the Da Vinci Surgical System are also impressed with the method. According to Dr. Dennis Eisenberg, a Dallas-based gynecologist certified on the Da Vinci Surgical System, “The Da Vinci Robotic Surgery has proven to be extremely effective. It makes procedures easier for me, as well as less invasive for the patients, both for their bodies and their aftercare. With all that goes into a hysterectomy procedure, the Da Vinci Surgical System makes it better for everyone involved.”

With the increasing number of robotic surgeries performed by the system, a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery is fast becoming a more desired and respected option for patients who must undergo a hysterectomy procedure. The Da Vinci Surgical System allows for more effective performance from the procedure, a less risky option for the patients, and a more comfortable experience for all involved.