Conditioning to stop injuries
There may be as many as 200,000 ACL injuries per year in the United States. The first two-plus weeks of training camp in the NFL (National Football League) resulted in at least 15 season-ending knee injuries. This ligament tears more often than any other ligament because of the lack of muscle support for twisting or rotational movements around the joint. There has to be a way in which to support and strengthen the muscles to decrease ACL injuries from occurring. There are several ways to train your body for fighting this injury. Balancing drills, strengthening drills (squats and leg press), and core strength will have a great effect on ACL injury prevention. Core strength gives your arms and legs a more stable foundation to work off of, reducing some of the strain that can be placed on joints. It is important for individuals to realize how often these injuries occur and how important and effective prevention through physical conditioning is. There are many resources available on various physical conditioning strategies that individuals can utilize when seeking to prevent this injury from occurring.
AARON SMITH, East Ridge
History often repeats itself
We would be wise to pay attention to history. In 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, noticed a continuing pattern in the advance and decline of the world's democracies. He stated then that a democracy would continue to exist until such time that the voters discover that they can literally vote themselves gifts from the public treasury. From the moment that revelation is made, the majority proceeds to vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury. The final result is that every democracy finally collapses due to loose fiscal policy. That collapse is always followed by a dictatorship. Tyler charted the ages of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history...an average of about two hundred years. Every single time these nations progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence and from dependence back into bondage. Where are we today?
PAT PELFREY, Flintstone, Ga.
Approve domestic partner benefits
Chattanooga Council has an opportunity to make history this month by approving domestic partner benefits for city employees. The trend among private employers (including my employer) and government employers is to include domestic partners as part of a benefits package. Knoxville, Collegedale and, soon, Nashville will move toward attracting quality employees by adding domestic partners as beneficiaries. Author Richard Florida has noted that thriving cities all include the "3 T's"... talent, technology and tolerance. Approval of this resolution would add tolerance to the city's vision. I respectfully urge members of Chattanooga Council to follow the lead of 7th District representative Chris Anderson and approve the domestic partners resolution. In Jefferson Heights we stand behind Chris Anderson and the progressive future of the city of Chattanooga. As a Chattanooga citizen/taxpayer/property owner I urge council to "do the right thing" on this issue.
WILLIAM B. LOCKHART