Living in Colorado means experiencing distinct seasons throughout the year, each with its own unique challenges and impact on various aspects of our homes. One area that is often overlooked but requires attention is the garage door. Understanding how Colorado seasons can affect your garage door is crucial for its longevity, functionality, and overall performance. In this article, we will explore the different seasons in Colorado and discuss their implications for your garage door.
Garages in Colorado Winters
Colorado winters are known for their bitterly cold temperatures and substantial snowfall, which can have a significant impact on the functionality and performance of your garage door. Here are some key considerations:
Proper insulation is crucial during Colorado winters to keep the cold air out and maintain a comfortable temperature inside your garage. Inadequate insulation can lead to cold drafts, energy loss, and increased heating costs. Ensure that your garage door is equipped with sufficient insulation to provide a barrier against frigid outdoor temperatures. For more information on the benefits of garage door installation, check our article Why Consider Garage Door Insulation.
Freezing and Condensation
Sub-zero temperatures can cause moisture to freeze on various parts of your garage door, such as the tracks, hinges, and weatherstripping. This can lead to stiffness, reduced flexibility, and even door malfunctions. Regularly inspect these components and address any signs of freezing or condensation. Applying a silicone-based lubricant to the moving parts can help prevent freezing and ensure smooth operation.
Garage Door Opener Performance
Extreme cold temperatures can affect the performance of your garage door opener. Lubricate the opener’s moving parts regularly with a low-temperature lubricant to ensure smooth and reliable operation. If you notice any sluggishness or issues with the opener during winter, consult a professional like Jim Beam’s Garage Doors to address the problem promptly.
Heavy snowfall is a common occurrence in Colorado during winter. The weight of accumulated snow on your garage door can put additional strain on its components and compromise its operation. It is essential to clear snow regularly from the garage door and surrounding areas to prevent excessive stress and potential damage.
The weatherstripping around your garage door serves as a seal against the elements, including cold air, moisture, and drafts. Over time, weatherstripping can become worn out, brittle, or damaged, compromising its effectiveness. Inspect the weatherstripping regularly and replace it if necessary to maintain a tight seal and prevent heat loss. We discuss weather stripping more in our article Water is Coming Under My Garage Door: Causes and Solutions.
Snow and ice buildup can interfere with the proper functioning of the safety sensors on your garage door. Ensure that the sensors are clean and unobstructed to prevent accidents and ensure the door operates safely.
Garages in Colorado Springs
Spring in Colorado brings a transition from the cold winter months to milder temperatures, but it also introduces fluctuating weather patterns and occasional storms. These changes can have an impact on your garage door, and it’s important to address them to ensure its optimal performance. Here’s a closer look at how spring conditions can affect your garage door:
As winter fades away, it’s an ideal time to conduct a comprehensive inspection of your garage door. Pay close attention to key components such as springs, cables, rollers, and hinges. Look for signs of wear and tear, such as frayed cables, rusted springs, or damaged rollers. We discuss the value of regular garage maintenance more in our article The Importance of Regular Garage Door Maintenance.
Spring storms can bring rain, high winds, and even hail to Colorado. It’s important to ensure that your garage door is properly weatherproofed to protect your belongings inside. Inspect the weatherstripping along the edges of the door and replace any worn or damaged seals. This will help keep out moisture, drafts, and debris, maintaining a dry and secure environment inside your garage. If water is seeping into your garage you should read our article Water is Coming Under My Garage Door: Causes and Solutions.
Balance and Alignment
Fluctuating temperatures during spring can impact the balance and alignment of your garage door. Temperature changes can cause materials to expand and contract, affecting the tension and overall balance of the door. An unbalanced or misaligned garage door can lead to premature wear and tear, noisy operation, and potential safety hazards. It’s always best to contact a professional garage door service like Jim Beam’s Garage Doors, as adjusting balance and alignment without the proper tools can result in injury or unwanted damage.
Spring is a good time to check the calibration of your garage door safety sensors. These sensors detect obstructions and prevent the door from closing if something is in the way. Dust, dirt, or misalignment can affect their performance. Clean the sensors with a soft cloth and ensure they are properly aligned, facing each other directly. Testing the sensors regularly ensures that they function correctly and helps prevent accidents or damage.
Garages in Colorado Summers
Summer in Colorado brings hot and dry weather conditions, accompanied by intense sunlight. It’s important to take certain measures to protect your garage door and ensure its optimal performance during this season. Here are some aspects to consider for garage door care during the summer:
The intense sunlight in Colorado summers can take a toll on your garage door’s exterior. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can lead to fading, discoloration, and even warping of certain materials. To protect your garage door, consider applying a UV-protective coating or using a sunshade. This provides an additional layer of defense against the harmful effects of sunlight and helps maintain the door’s appearance over time.
Summer often brings dust, pollen, and other debris that can accumulate on the surface of your garage door. Regular cleaning is essential to keep it looking its best and prevent any potential damage. Use a mild detergent or specialized garage door cleaner to remove dirt and grime. Avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasive materials that could scratch or damage the door’s finish.
While summer temperatures in Colorado can be hot, it’s still important to consider insulation for your garage. Insulating the walls and ceiling of your garage can help regulate temperatures and prevent excessive heat transfer. This not only benefits the comfort of your garage space but also helps to maintain more stable conditions for your garage door and its components. We discuss garage door insulation more in our article Why Consider Garage Door Insulation.
With high temperatures during summer, it’s important to ensure proper ventilation in your garage. Excessive heat buildup can affect the performance of your garage door’s components and even cause potential damage. Install vents in strategic locations to allow hot air to escape and promote air circulation. Additionally, consider using fans to keep the air moving within the garage, helping to regulate temperatures and prevent the door from being exposed to extreme heat. You can improve your garage’s ventilation by properly re-organizing and decluttering as discussed in our article Reclaiming Square Footage: How to Properly Organize Your Garage.
The hot and dry climate of summer can cause the moving parts of your garage door to become stiff or dry. Regularly lubricate the hinges, rollers, tracks, and springs with a silicone-based lubricant. This will help ensure smooth and quiet operation, prevent rusting or corrosion, and extend the lifespan of these components.
Take the opportunity during summer to perform safety checks on your garage door. Test the auto-reverse feature by placing an object in the door’s path and ensuring it reverses upon contact. Inspect the safety sensors to ensure they are clean and properly aligned. Checking the functionality of these safety features will help keep you and your family safe. We discuss garage door safety checks more in our article Maintaining Garage Door Safety: An Inspection Guide for Homeowners.
Garages in Colorado Falls
As fall arrives in Colorado, cooler temperatures and the vibrant colors of changing foliage set the stage for a new season. To ensure the proper maintenance and functionality of your garage door during this time, consider the following factors:
Fall is synonymous with falling leaves, branches, and other debris. It’s important to keep the garage door tracks and sensors clear of any obstructions. Leaves and debris can accumulate in the tracks, hindering the smooth operation of the door and potentially causing damage. Regularly sweep away fallen leaves and remove any branches or debris that may have accumulated around the garage door area. This will help maintain optimal performance and prevent any potential issues.
Fall brings a shift in weather patterns, including cooler temperatures and occasional rain showers. Inspect the weatherstripping around your garage door and ensure it is in good condition. Replace any worn or damaged weatherstripping to maintain a tight seal. Properly functioning weatherstripping prevents drafts, moisture, and cold air from entering your garage, helping to improve energy efficiency and keep your space more comfortable.
Take advantage of the season to conduct a thorough cleaning of your garage and garage door. Remove any accumulated dirt, cobwebs, and dust from the door’s exterior and interior surfaces. Pay attention to the tracks, hinges, and other components, ensuring they are free from debris and functioning properly. Cleaning your garage door not only enhances its appearance but also promotes its longevity and reliable operation. Fall is a great season to re-organize your garage before the snow starts falling. We discuss this more in our article Reclaiming Square Footage: How to Properly Organize Your Garage.
With the cooler temperatures of fall, it’s essential to ensure that all moving parts of your garage door are properly lubricated. Cold weather can cause components such as hinges, rollers, and springs to stiffen, leading to increased friction and potential wear. Apply a lubricant specifically designed for garage doors to these parts, ensuring they move smoothly and quietly. This not only improves performance but also extends the lifespan of the door’s mechanical components.
Fall is an opportune time to inspect the perimeter of your garage door and identify any gaps or cracks. These gaps can allow moisture, cold air, and pests to enter your garage, compromising its insulation and security. Seal any gaps or cracks with weather-resistant sealants or caulking to maintain a barrier against the elements. This not only helps regulate temperature but also protects your belongings stored in the garage.
Consider scheduling a professional inspection of your garage door system during the fall season. A trained professional like those at Jim Beam’s Garage Doors can identify any potential issues, perform necessary maintenance tasks, and ensure that your garage door is in optimal condition for the upcoming winter months.
Understanding the impact of Colorado seasons on your garage door is essential for its optimal performance and longevity. By being proactive and taking appropriate measures you can ensure that your garage door remains in excellent condition throughout the year. Remember, a well-maintained garage door not only enhances the aesthetics of your home but also provides security, convenience, and peace of mind.
If you don’t know already, Jim Beam’s Garage Doors is one of the top-rated garage door installers and repairers in the Northern Colorado area. With over 120+ reviews on Google and an average rating of 4.9 stars and top-rated status on HomeAdvisor, you can trust Jim Beam’s to do the job right the first time. Get a fast and free estimate on your garage repair, garage maintenance, or garage door installation today by contacting us!


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Experts warn of surge in hospitalization, strained healthcare system
The ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases will likely hit record numbers, tax the country’s ability to test for the disease, and overburden its hospitals, health experts warned President Rodrigo Duterte Friday.
In a briefing for the President, the executive director of the Philippine Genome Center, Cynthia Saloma, said although the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 seems generally milder than other variants, the sheer number of cases could trigger a flood of hospitalizations that could push the health care system to a breaking point.
“Many will be hospitalized so we have to be prepared for this,” Saloma said.
This developed as uniformed medical personnel will be deployed to selected hospitals to augment the health workforce, as the rise in COVID-19 cases continues, the Department of Health said on Friday.
Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said the government has also shortened isolation and quarantine periods for fully vaccinated health workers infected with or exposed to COVID-19 to further augment the health workforce.
The administration is also considering expanding the criteria in determining the alert level for a certain area, to include availability of health workers amid rising cases of COVID-19, the Palace said Friday.
Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles made the announcement, saying: “We have to consider the availability of our healthcare workers in determining alert level, and this is being studied by the IATF,” referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Citing the experience of other countries where their testing centers were also overwhelmed, Saloma said the country should also be ready to address the long queues.
“So, you will notice, for example, Australia with 92 percent vaccination, 64,000 were positive yesterday or today, and of course, France, with 300,000, and in other countries… These are countries with much, much better resources than us, and yet even their testing centers are stretched. Sometimes, they ran out of testing kits.”
Saloma said the DOH and other agencies should study how to maximize testing to avoid people waiting in long lines outside waiting to be tested.
With vaccination and the observance of public health protocols, fewer people will go to hospitals, she said, but this could be offset by the sheer number of infections and the still large number of people who are not vaccinated.
It was very important that the public be prepared for daily increases in the number of cases because of the nature of the Omicron variant, Saloma said.
With the Omicron variant, she said, the rise in cases was very fast.
“We are looking at figures of 5,000, then 10,000, then 70,000 today, and tomorrow it will be much higher. So, it’s very, very important that we manage these numbers as perceived by our public because it will indeed increase,” Saloma told the President.
Dr. Marissa Alejandria, director of the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology (ICE), stressed the importance of preparing for the new variant.
She said the concerning feature of this variant compared to Delta, again is its high transmissibility.
“So, our advice to the public is to isolate right away even if with just very mild symptoms. Even if there’s still no results, no test, one should isolate because it can spread to the entire household,” she said.
Alejandria also spoke on the guidelines to manage mild cases at home so that they won’t need to go to a hospital.
If milder cases are isolated at home, hospital beds can be preserved for severe and critical cases, she said.
“So that’s our appeal to the public. And then wear mask properly when you go out of the house,” she said. She also urged the public to continue washing their hands and avoid crowds and superspreader events.
The DOH on Thursday said it is now preparing for the “worst case scenario” amid the rise in new COVID-19 cases, which is most likely driven by the more transmissible Omicron variant.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they are prepared to source health care workers from different sectors to aid in the virus fight.
Duque said this includes post-graduate interns and health care workers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“We are making sure that all available healthcare professionals will be on deck and prepare for the worst case scenario,” Duque added.
If hospitals in Metro Manila become overwhelmed again due to the high number of people testing positive for COVID-19, his agency would deploy health frontliners from the different parts of the country.
The Philippines is seeing a fresh surge of new COVID-19 cases amid the local cases of the Omicron variant, which studies showed is milder than Delta.
The wave of infections due to the Delta variant last year stretched the country’s health care system beyond its capacity, with hundreds of patients lining up outside emergency rooms just to be admitted.
The DOH said Friday that the chances of the coronavirus mutating increase as more people get infected and warned against getting infected on purpose to achieve “natural immunity” in reaction to a statement from the OCTA Research Group.
“If there are more infections, there is a higher chance for the virus to replicate, which is their cycle. They can reproduce,” Vergeire said at a Palace briefing.
“Most importantly, this will give the virus a higher chance to mutate.”
Vergeire made the statement in response to a statement from OCTA’s Fr. Nic Austriaco, a molecular biologist, that the Omicron variant could provide population immunity through the antibodies of those who have recovered.
But Vergeire urged the public to remain vigilant and not voluntarily get infected with the illness due to such statements.
“This is not the direction of our response. We need to be careful; we need to prevent further transmission so we can prevent the variant from further producing,” she said.
Dr. Edsel Salvana and Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, members of the DOH Technical Advisory Group, said the coronavirus has continued to surprise them.
Salvana stressed that the variant is not a vaccine.
“Omicron is a virus. It’s not a vaccine, and it’s not like vaccines that are very safe and are not contagious. Omicron can cause harm,” he said.
Ong-Lim said that, although there are studies showing that those who have recovered from Omicron have antibodies that are effective against Delta, there is no definite proof that it is effective against other variants of concern.
Ong-Lim said she also cannot say the variant is the end of the pandemic.
“Although we want this to be the last, that there will be no further variants, unfortunately, we cannot say with certainty that this is the end of COVID-19,” she said.
“I hope it’s true, but we should be careful. Don’t voluntarily try to acquire the sickness,” she said.
At present, the Philippines has confirmed 43 cases of the Omicron variant.
Dr. John Wong, a member of the DOH Senior Technical Advisory Group, said the government should prioritize inoculating people who have yet to receive their first COVID-19 shot, as these people are the most vulnerable against the virus.
Wong’s statement was made after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered village chiefs to “restrain” and “arrest” people unvaccinated against COVID-19 and are still roaming around.
Duterte appealed to doctors and nurses undergoing internship to help the government contain the rising number of coronavirus infections, as he vowed to increase hazard pay among other benefits.
Duterte said the government has to look at the worst-case scenario and convert facilities into extension hospitals and deploy additional medical workers.
Wong told the President it was most important to vaccinate the rest of the population.
“A lot of the people in the hospitals now… both locally and also globally in many of the countries with Omicron, a lot of people in these hospitals are people without vaccination, not the people who are vaccinated,” he said.
Wong said that while studies showed that Omicron appeared milder than delta, and fewer people so far have died, reducing transmission is still key.
This could be done by restricting mobility, contact, and having people tested against COVID-19 at the start of symptoms, he said.
In other developments:
The province of Laguna is now under Alert Level 3 starting Friday, amid an uptick of COVID-19 cases in the area. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Rene Bagamasbad said they counted 697 active cases, up from only 35 on Dec. 31. New cases were almost doubling every day, he added.
The IHU COVID-19 variant recently detected in France is not a variant of concern, infectious disease expert Salvana said. “IHU is the name of the institute in France that described the particular lineage of the virus, and the WHO has been monitoring it since November last year,” he said. “So far it has a lot of mutations, but it doesn’t show anything like survival advantage or immune evasion that we see in Delta or Omicron.”

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Dakota Foot & Ankle Clinic Blog
Posts for tag: Arthritis
Are your joints stiff as you arise from bed in the morning? Do they follow the tune of the old Rice Krispies commercial with a snap, crackle and pop? Are they tender to the touch or ache with movement? If you can relate to any of this, chances are you have osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of Arthritis and can affect the foot and ankle.
Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is more commonly encountered as a person ages. For the most part, it is a progressive disease due to wear and tear on the joints over the years. The cartilage, or the cushion between the bones, is eventually lost causing the bones to wear against one another. This then leads to the common symptoms of inflammation, pain, stiffness and furthermore, loss of function and deformity.
The most common joints affected in the foot include the ankle joint, the joint below the ankle joint, the big toe joint and the little toe joints. Clearly this can be debilitating considering we use our feet day in and day out. Numerous options are available to help with osteoarthritis from a Podiatrist’s stand point. Please let us assist you in getting you back on your feet so you can give Kellog’s their Rice Krispies jingle back.
Awoken in the middle of the night you are greeted by an exquisitely painful big toe and redness with swelling and warmth to accompany it. You don’t recall any injury that day and are wondering how this just came about out of the blue. If this is the first time you have experienced this, you will likely schedule an appointment to see your doctor to see what could be afflicting your great toe. If this is not your first time, this is an all too familiar pain and you know that what you are dealing with is gout.
Gout is a type of Arthritis caused by urate crystals that deposit in joints and cause a painful inflammatory reaction. Gout occurs for one of two reasons with the first being the body produces too much uric acid which is a byproduct of purines, a substance in the body that can also be found in certain foods. The second reason is that the kidneys don’t properly eliminate the uric acid causing it to build up in the body.
Gout that goes untreated can lead to joint damage. It can also lead to deposits in the skin called tophi. Tophi are a buildup of gouty crystals. Tophi can be found in numerous places including fingers, elbows, feet and the Achilles tendon.
There are certain risk factors that increase your chance of developing a gouty attack. These include;
1. A diet rich in meat, seafood & alcohol.
2. Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, kidney disease and diabetes.
3. Medications, such as aspirin or blood pressure medications.
4. A recent trauma or surgery increases the risk of developing gout.
5. Genetics. A family history of gout increases your chances of developing a gouty attack.
6. Men are more likely to develop gout attacks, though the chance for women increases after menopause.
Numerous measures can be taken at home to avoid gout including maintaining a healthy weight, watching your diet, and drinking plenty of water. There are also medications that can help treat the acute gouty attack, but also help prevent them in the future. If you think you may be dealing with gout, Contact Us here at Dakota Foot & Ankle to schedule an appointment for further diagnosis and treatment.
Types and Symptoms of Arthritis
Osteoarthritis- This is the most common form and generally has a gradual onset. Sufferers generally feel muscle weakness and deterioration, breakdown in cartilage, and possible bone spurs. This form comes with pain that can also progress but can also be relieved with rest. Osteoarthritis is a problem in feet when people are overweight due to the amount of pressure on the many joints in the foot.
Rheumatoid Arthritis- This form is a major crippling disorder and the most serious of the forms of arthritis. This systematically affects more than a dozen smaller joints during its course. Sufferers generally feel stiffness, fatigue, and weight-loss. Women are 3 times more likely to be affected then men. Rheumatoid Arthritis can alternate between periods of remission and exacerbation, it can be active for months or years then stop, sometimes permanently.
Gout Arthritis- This usually affects a single big toe joint and is extremely painful. Men are more affected then women. Heredity, as well as diet, dehydration, and water pills/fluid retention can be factors and can affect those suffering from this form of arthritis.
Psoriatic Arthritis- This form only shows up in 1 in 20 psoriasis patients. It mildly affects only a few joints usually the ends of fingers and toes. Psoriasis affects the skin, and in severe cases it can affect the joints. As the skin worsens so does this form of arthritis.
If have any questions or feel that you are suffering from any of these symptoms of Arthritis please Contact Us at Dakota Foot and Ankle Clinic today to schedule your appointment withDr. Brian Gale, DPM, FACFAS in Bismarck or Hazen, North Dakota today. 701-255-3338.
photocredit: ashokorg0 via pixabay.com
What is Arthritis and what causes it?
Arthritis is the inflammation and swelling of the cartilage and lining of the joints, generally accompanied by an increase in the fluid in the joints.
This can be a disabling and occasionally crippling disease. Arthritis can occur at any age but is most common in people over 50 years of age.
It may seem that the foot is more susceptible to Arthritis; this is because the foot has 33 joints that can become affected.
There are several causes of Arthritis besides heredity:
- Injury from sports or industrial work (mostly those that have been ignored)
- Bacterial and viral infections that strike the joints (pneumonia, staph infections, and lyme disease)
- Bowel disorders (colitis and ileitis) usually result in arthritic conditions in the joints of the ankles and toes
Arthritic feet can result in loss of mobility and independence, but early diagnosis and proper medical care can help significantly.
Many patients that seeDr. Brian Gale, DPM, FACFAS have previously been told "there isn't anything that can be done for Arthritis in the foot or ankle." This is not true. Dr. Gale will be able to give you different options to help with your symptoms including: proper shoes, insoles, orthotics, ankle braces, or injections.
photocredit: elenute20030 via pixabay.com

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Persistent exposure to light at night may lead to weight gain, even without changing physical activity or eating more food, according to new research in mice.
Researchers found that mice exposed to a relatively dim light at night over eight weeks had a body mass gain that was about 50 percent more than other mice that lived in a standard light-dark cycle.
“Although there were no differences in activity levels or daily consumption of food, the mice that lived with light at night were getting fatter than the others,” said Laura Fonken, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in neuroscience at Ohio State University.
The study appears this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
If the mice are not less active or eating more, what’s causing the bigger weight gain? Results suggest that mice living with light at night eat at times they normally wouldn’t.
In one study, mice exposed to light at night – but that had food availability restricted to normal eating times – gained no more weight than did mice in a normal light-dark cycle.
“Something about light at night was making the mice in our study want to eat at the wrong times to properly metabolize their food,” said Randy Nelson, co-author of the study and professor of neuroscience and psychology at Ohio State.
If these results are confirmed in humans, it would suggest that late-night eating might be a particular risk factor for obesity, Nelson said.
In one study, mice were housed in one of three conditions: 24 hours of constant light, a standard light-dark cycle (16 hours of light at 150 lux, 8 hours of dark), or 16 hours of daylight and 8 hours of dim light (about 5 lux of light).
The researchers measured how much food the mice ate each day. They also measured how much they moved around their cages each day through an infrared beam crossing system. Body mass was calculated each week.
Results showed that, compared to mice in the standard light-dark cycle, those in dim light at night showed significantly higher increases in body mass, beginning in the first week of the study and continuing throughout.
By the end of the experiment, light-at-night mice had gained about 12 grams of body mass, compared to 8 grams for those in the standard light-dark cycle. (Mice in constant bright light also gained more than those in the standard light-dark cycle, but Nelson said the dim light-at-night mice were better comparisons to the light exposure that humans generally get.)
The dim light-at-night mice also showed higher levels of epididymal fat, and impaired glucose tolerance – a marker of pre-diabetes.
Although the dim light-at-night mice didn’t eat more than others, they did change when they ate, results showed. These mice are nocturnal, so they would normally eat substantially more food at night. However, the dim light-at-night mice ate 55 percent of their food during the daylight hours, compared to only 36 percent in the mice living in a standard light-dark cycle.
Since the timing of eating seemed significant, the researchers did a second study, similar to the first, with one important difference: instead of having food freely available at all times, food availability was restricted to either the times when mice would normally be active or when they would normally be at rest.
In this experiment, mice exposed to the dim light at night did not have a greater gain in body mass than did the others when their food was restricted to times when they normally would be active.
“When we restricted their food intake to times when they would normally eat, we didn’t see the weight gain,” Fonken said. “This further adds to the evidence that the timing of eating is critical to weight gain.”
The findings showed that levels of corticosterone, a stress hormone, were not significantly different in dim light-at-night mice compared to those living in a standard light-dark cycle.
That’s important because corticosterone has been linked to changes in metabolism, Fonken said. This shows there doesn’t have to be changes in corticosterone levels to have changes in metabolism in the mice.
So how does light at night lead to changes in metabolism? The researchers believe the light could disrupt levels of the hormone melatonin, which is involved in metabolism. In addition, it may disrupt the expression of clock genes, which help control when animals feed and when they are active.
Overall, the findings show another possible reason for the obesity epidemic in Western countries.
“Light at night is an environmental factor that may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in ways that people don’t expect,” Nelson said. “Societal obesity is correlated with a number of factors including the extent of light exposure at night.”
For example, researchers have identified prolonged computer use and television viewing as obesity risk factors, but have focused on how they are associated with a lack of physical activity.
“It may be that people who use the computer and watch the TV a lot at night may be eating at the wrong times, disrupting their metabolism,” Nelson said. “Clearly, maintaining body weight requires keeping caloric intake low and physical activity high, but this environmental factor may explain why some people who maintain good energy balance still gain weight.”
Other co-authors were Joanna Workman, James Walton, Zachary Weil, and John Morris, all of Ohio State; and Abraham Haim, of the University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, in Israel.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation.
Source: Ohio State University


Exclusive Clip, Tour Announcement: HorrorHound Fest Award-Winner “KILD TV”Movies/TV,News Fangoria Staff
Earlier this year, FANGORIA offered up the first news on the Blu-ray release and Horror Hound Weekend Film Fest screening of KILD TV, the upcoming indie slasher from FX guru Michael Muscal (BRIDE OF CHUCKY) and up-and-coming filmmaker William Collins. Now, FANGORIA has the latest wicked word on this freaky fright flick, including its upcoming screening tour and a new exclusive clip from the flick, which you can see below!
For those unfamiliar, here’s the official synopsis for KILD TV…
The crew of a local horror movie showcase is used to broadcasting creepy stories of heinous killers, but tonight, they are the story, trapped at their station with a real killer among them.
Following its world premiere at the 2016 Horror Hound Weekend Film Festival, where it took home the awards for “Best Film” and “Best Actor” (for D.C. Douglas), the creepy crew behind KILD TV have announced an upcoming screening tour of the film at a number of highly-anticipated horror film festivals. Future screening venues include:
April 8th – 10th: Toronto International Spring of Horror and Fantasy Film Festival
April 23rd – 24th: Legless Corpse Film Festival in Alabama
May 13th – 15th: Crimson Screen Film Festival in Charleston, SC
May 27th – 29th: 9th Annual Crypticon in Seattle, WA
And if you’re not yet excited for KILD TV, check out what critics have said about the horror offering…
“KILD TV is exactly what the great majority of horror fans want in a horror film …” – Horror Hound
“Blood, guts, and boobs. KILD TV is B-Movie fun!” – iHorror.com
“The FX were brutal and gruesome, both the onscreen kills and the aftermath of the offscreen ones — it will be most pleasing to the gorehounds out there.” – Leglesscorpse.com
If KILD TV is not coming to a town near you, don’t fret: you can get the film directly for the source as the film is still available (while supplies last) on DVD and Blu-ray at the film’s official website HERE. Stay tuned for much more on KILD TV here at FANGORIA.com!


text:
Guy Marshall-Brown is exhibiting in the Southwark Park Galleries Annual Open - on show until Sunday
35th Annual Open
Southwark Park Galleries
20 November - 8 December 2019
Guy Marshall-Brown is exhibiting in the 35th Annual Open at Southwark Park Galleries. The Annual Open welcomes over 300 works from artists of all backgrounds from across Southwark, London and the UK; with drawing, painting, photography, print, sculpture & video work represented.
For more information, click here.


text:
Today, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) expand trauma responses, while building healthier teams.
Co-developed by CMHA Vancouver-Fraser with Vancouver Fire and for fire fighters.
To date, Resilient Minds has successfully equipped fire fighters across BC and is quickly becoming a sought-after program in the fire-fighting community across the country.
“Firefighters work hard to protect our communities, and members of the public. CMHA is proud to be offering Resilient Minds to more first responders nationwide.”
Fire fighters are exposed to significant trauma as a result of their work and require skills to safeguard their psychological health, skills that are not taught as part of their technical training. This skill deficit not only puts them at risk of developing a psychological illness, but contributes to a high rate of suicide amongst fire fighters; 30% higher than the general population.
Recognizing that many other first responders, such as paramedics and behaviours within fire services more broadly.
For more information, visit www.resilientminds.cmha.ca.
– 30 –
About Resilient Minds
Resilient Minds has supported hundreds of fire fighters in BC to develop strategies to mitigate and boosting resilience.
- Innovative and stress-related injuries.
- Fire Fighters Train Fire Fighters– Using a peer-to-peer model of instruction, the Resilient Minds curriculum is taught by fire fighters to fire fighters.
- Volunteer and resources available to the two groups.

domain: psychology


text:
So is the Online Streaming Act, aka Bill C-11, now technically S.C. 2023 c. 8 as of three days ago, as terrible as they say? Well let’s take an honest, clear-headed, unbiased read through this piece of crap and find out. Hey look at me, two timely blog posts in a row!
To give you the basic background here, this past Thursday the House of Commons finally passed Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts, with the short title of the Online Streaming Act. I say “finally” because this bill has been around so long it used to have another name (Bill C-10) under the previous Liberal government. That Liberal government called an election because they only had a minority (unlike the current, uh, minority) so the bill died, but it came BACK, BAYBEEE! And now it is law. Let us read the law!
Actually let’s not read the law. Yet. We need some real legal background and context here. If you take my McGill Law class, you will learn that the conclusion of Class 2 (“Does Anyone Govern the Internet? A look at internet subject matter jurisdiction and net neutrality”) is that “the CRTC regulates access to the internet, but not the content of the internet.” This principle dates back to 1999, when the CRTC issued Public Notice CRTC 1999-197, which we in the internet law biz call the “New Media Exemption.” In that Notice, the CRTC concluded:
Therefore, pursuant to subsection 9(4) of the [Broadcasting] Act, the Commission [ed. – the CRTC] exempts persons who carry on, in whole or in part in Canada, broadcasting undertakings of the class consisting of new media broadcasting undertakings, from any or all of the requirements of Part II of the Act or of a regulation thereunder.
In plain English that means that if you put some video on the internet, the Broadcasting Act would not apply. So like, the CanCon (Canadian Content, but you knew that) rules and all the other shit that the CRTC may do to regulate TV would not be applied to the internet. Seemed sensible! Who wants the CRTC to regulate internet video? [SPOILER ALERT – the government]. The New Media Exemption was reinforced many times over the years, including in the Reference re Broadcasting Act, a Supreme Court case. The Supreme Court! They even voted 9-0! Everyone thought this was a good idea. Except some people [SPOILER ALERT – the government].
Thursday, everything changed. Now let’s read the law.
No, let’s not read the law. Yet. (We’ll get to it, I promise). Let’s take a look at some of the headlines in the wake of the law being passed. Maybe I should be clear about the law “being passed” on Thursday. Technically it “received royal assent” which is what we lawyers and politicians call passing laws in this country. I guess King Charles III approves all our laws or something. Anyway, the headlines:
- Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law (CBC)
- Streaming giants required to contribute to Canadian content as Bill C-11 becomes law (Toronto Star)
- The Bill C-11 Compromise That Never Came (Michael Geist)
- Bill C-11 passes without user protections (Open Media)
And our personal favourite:
- C-11 is now law and the internet is under government control (Toronto Sun, God bless ’em)
Maybe we can find some positive coverage? How about the government? Surely, they will have some good things to say:
Actually, the Globe and Mail has “Bill C-11 is a victory for the possible.” Yes, it is possible to impose CanCon and CRTC rules on Netflix and Amazon, but should you? The author at the Globe and Mail says:
The simplest justification for the new act is economic: Foreign streaming services, which take millions in subscription revenue out of the country, should be required to invest in local production
Why? Can someone tell me why ALL THE OTHER FUCKING FOREIGN COMPANIES THAT TAKE MONEY OUT OF CANADA HAVE NO FUCKING OBIGATION TO INVEST HERE, YET NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME DO???
Ahem. I am ahead of myself. Come back for the complaining in the analysis section later. OK let’s fucking read this thing already!
The Online Streaming Act
As already mentioned, the Act is called the Online Streaming Act for short (and I will shorten it even more by calling it the OSA), but really it is not a full law in and of itself. The long title – An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts – really tells you what it does. And those “other acts” are barely even worth a footnote. The key to the OSA is what it changes to the Broadcasting Act. It wipes away the New Media Exemption with one simple updated definition:
broadcasting undertaking includes a distribution undertaking, an online undertaking, a programming undertaking and a network;
The “online undertaking” that I bolded is what bas been added. This definition of “broadcasting undertaking” (which I will shorten to “BU”) is the key to the entire Broadcasting Act (which I will now shorten to the “BA”), because the BA applies to BUs (see section 4(2)). So now “online undertakings” (OUs!) are included, and regulated. And let us be clear, it is not just BUs that are entirely in Canada that are governed by the BA. Section 4(2) says BUs need only carry on “in part” in Canada to have the BA apply. Anyway, we should now look at the new OUs, which are not necessarily Canadian companies – what are they?
online undertaking means an undertaking for the transmission or retransmission of programs over the Internet for reception by the public by means of broadcasting receiving apparatus;
So basically a company putting “programs” on the internet, gotcha. What are “programs”?
program means sounds or visual images, or a combination of sounds and visual images, that are intended to inform, enlighten or entertain, but does not include visual images, whether or not combined with sounds, that consist predominantly of alphanumeric text;
So basically any video, gotcha. Like me on TikTok reproducing the Tom Cruise underwear dance to Old Time Rock ‘n Roll from Risky Business? Maybe! And audio too btw; don’t think Spotify is getting out of this unscathed.
So that’s the most basic thing you need to take from the OSA. They have added that any videos or audio on the internet are now subject to the BA. Yes, CanCon regulations, but there are a whole bunch of other obligations on BUs in the BA, like “the programming originated by broadcasting undertakings should be of high standard.” Oh, my Tom Cruise TikTok is of the highest standard I assure you. (You won’t find it btw, stop looking, it’s under a pseudonym)
So that is basically the point to take away here. “Programs” put on the internet by “online undertakings” who don’t have to be Canadian but just operate here, will be subject to the Broadcasting Act. So why all the controversy?
The Controversy: User-Generated Content
My Tom Cruise TikTok is “user-generated content” (UGC). I am a user, and I generated it, and it is content. Simple enough! But it is also, under the BA, a “program.” Don’t worry though, the OSA has specifically excluded UGC by adding the following new clause to the BA:
Non-application — programs on social media service
4.1 (1) This Act does not apply in respect of a program that is uploaded to an online undertaking that provides a social media service by a user of the service for transmission over the Internet and reception by other users of the service.
Well, then, problem solved! Oh wait, I should read on, as this new section 4.1 contnues…
(2) Despite subsection (1), this Act applies in respect of a program that is uploaded as described in that subsection if the program (…)
(b) is prescribed by regulations made under section 4.2.
4.2 (1) For the purposes of paragraph 4.1(2)(b), the Commission may make regulations prescribing programs in respect of which this Act applies, in a manner that is consistent with freedom of expression
Do you see the problem here? I will spell it out in plain English in case you can’t read legal gobbledygook. Yes, UGC is excluded, BUT the CRTC (that’s the “Commission” in the law’s text) can just go ahead and make regulations that would apply to whatever programs they want, including UGC. Uh, ok?
The Controversy – User-Generated Content, Part 2: The Senate-ing
You see part of the problem is that the CRTC is not quite independent. Oh, it has some independence in some stuff. But also it implements the government’s policy goals in the broadcasting and internet sphere. So maybe we should not give the CRTC the power to regulate UGC? That would be a good idea! The Senate, Canada’s “deliberative body” or “body of sober second thought” or some such tripe, actually did a good thing for once and proposed language that would very clearly prevent the CRTC from regulating UGC. Along with a bunch of other amendments, it sent that back to the House of Commons. The House said sure, some of your amendments are nice, we’ll keep those. But that UGC one? We don’t need it.
Why did they not need it? Because the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, who is responsible for this law, has sworn (pinky swear) like ten thousand times that “oh, we would never regulate UGC!” I really do not have the time to link to all the times he said that. Just trust me, I have been following. And sure, we all believe him, right? And the CRTC too, right? As the bill received royal assent, in that statement from the Chair of the CRTC I mentioned above, she wrote:
The CRTC has no intention to regulate creators of user-generated content and their content.
“No intention”. Sure Jan. That’s comforting.
Other Amendments to the Broadcasting Act
There are some. I’ll talk about one further below.
“Consequential Amendments to Other Acts”
I feel it necessary to point out that the Cannabis Act has been amended to say there are some limitations about advertising cannabis on an online undertaking, the same way they are limited on TV. Duuuuuude.
Superterrific Happy Hour Analysis
Most of the online discussion and debate has been about UGC. That’s fine, and I agree it is a mess. I have explained why above.
But as I hinted at when talking about the Globe and Mail piece, I want to talk about CanCon generally, and imposing our broadcasting philosophy (“we should have Canadian shows!”) on foreign actors. To begin that discussion, I want to point out a very important update to the BA (the “Act” in this section from the OSA):
3 (1) Paragraph 3(1)(a) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(a) the Canadian broadcasting system shall be effectively owned and controlled by Canadians, and it is recognized that it includes foreign broadcasting undertakings that provide programming to Canadians;
(a.1) each broadcasting undertaking shall contribute to the implementation of the objectives of the broadcasting policy set out in this subsection in a manner that is appropriate in consideration of the nature of the services provided by the undertaking;
Everything that I bolded is new. The BA used to say “our system should be owned by Canadians”. Now it says “well we give up, we recognize that Canadians just really like Succession and Celebrity Big Brother (or whatever, work with me here) and we can’t fight it, but we are going to make those foreign broadcasters contribute to Canada and be subject to Canadian rules.”
As I screamed above and will now try to be calmer about – why? Why is the broadcasting industry so special? Why does a foreign company have to succumb to the whims of the CRTC? I watched Schitt’s Creek and Letterkenny and Kids in the Hall because they were awesome Canadian shows. I watch hockey (Canadian) and not baseball (American). Make an awesome Canadian program and I will watch it. Apple’s iPhone (American) won out over Blackberry (Canadian) because it had a better product. It is the nature of capitalism. Yet we don’t force Apple to contribute to the Canadian tech sector. But for some reason we feel we have to force Netflix to contribute to the Canadian broadcasting / content / entertainment sector. Why?
As the Globe and Mail piece points out:
If Netflix or Disney+ or Spotify are going to take hundreds of millions in revenue out of Canada, they must also contribute to the production of domestic content. Just as the reluctant CTV, Global and City have done for many years
That is a disingenuous leap. CTV, Global and City are Canadian companies. Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify are not. Why “must they” contribute to produce Canadian Content? We are now imposing Canadian rules on American companies. I am no fan of giant American companies, but still, I don’t like it. And it is not just spending, it is preference. Like requiring online services (again, who are foreign) to prioritize CanCon to Canadians in their algorithms. I am scared as to what my “You might also like” on Netflix will become.
I recognize this is probably not the most popular position – CanCan supporters say we need all those rules to protect Canadian culture. Canadian culture is just fine, thanks, and if it is good and out there I will find it, on the internet or my TV. I don’t need the CRTC or the government to shove it down my (digital) throat.

domain: politics


text:
Devon Connelly could not wait to go outside and practice his jump shot.
Earlier that morning, the incoming sixth-grader at Laguna Beach's Thurston Middle School had been honing his skills at a camp dedicated to basketball, his favorite sport.
Devon was making the most of the waning days of summer vacation. The 11-year-old's zeal for sports, whether basketball, baseball or bodysurfing, belies serious medical struggles he has had to overcome.
Colleen Connelly received the news nine weeks into her pregnancy. Her child would be born with an omphalocele, a birth defect in which an infant's intestine or other abdominal organs, covered in a membrane, protrude through a hole in the belly button area.
"I was more scared than I had ever been because I really had never heard of it," Connelly said.
Connelly sought opinions from various doctors — one suggested she terminate the pregnancy.
Then she started doing her own research and joined a support group of mothers who had children with omphaloceles. Through investigation, Connelly learned that many children have had successful surgery and gone on to lead productive lives.
"Mother's intuition" led her to believe "it was going to be OK."
"But if it wasn't I still had to give him a fighting chance," Connelly said. "When I talked to other mothers, there was so much hope. It was not terminal by any means."
Problems right from the start
On Jan. 10, 2005, Connelly gave birth to Devon via C-section at St. Joseph's Hospital in Orange.
Devon had what doctors consider a giant omphalocele, one that is more than 10 inches in diameter. His liver and intestines were contained in a sac outside of his body.
The sac was too big to fit inside his abdominal wall cavity at birth, and so the first of two surgeries to repair the omphalocele was postponed until Devon had grown more.
Devon spent at week at Children's Hospital of Orange County and an additional seven days at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. Connelly and Devon rode home in an ambulance from Mission Hospital since the omphalocele made it impossible to fit Devon into a car seat.
Once home, Devon required constant attention. Connelly, who was not working full-time, was his primary guardian.
Eating was difficult. Devon had trouble keeping food down. He vomited every two hours for the first four years of his life, his mother said.
Connelly started Devon on breast milk and progressed to a high-calorie baby formula.
"He gained 3 pounds in the first year and he should have gained 16," Connelly said.
Children with omphaloceles encounter feeding problems because the intestines do not rotate properly as they should inside the abdominal wall cavity, said pediatric surgeon Vinh Lam, who operated on Devon. Lam is a member of Pediatric Surgical Associates Inc., a group of pediatric surgeons based in Orange and Mission Viejo.
"[Acid] reflux can grow out of that," said Lam, who on average encounters one omphalocele a year.
Devon slept sitting upright in an indoor baby swing for three months to prevent choking in case he vomited, Connelly said. She relied on restaurant delivery and neighbors who helped bring her groceries and run her errands.
Connelly waited 3 1/2 months before taking Devon on his first car ride. Connelly used a special brace, made of foam found in surfboards, that would absorb sudden jolts and protect the omphalocele.
A layer of skin grew over the omphalocele in the first year, providing greater protection in case the sac rubbed against another object, Connelly said.
When Devon was 10 months old, Lam performed the boy's first surgery, which involved pulling Devon's skin completely over the omphalocele. At 20 months, Devon had a second surgery, in which Lam closed the abdominal hole by repairing muscle tissue beneath the skin.
There were "no big complications," said Lam, who also performed multiple surgeries to repair an inguinal hernia, which occurs when tissue, such as part of the intestine, protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Hernias can cause groin pain.
Despite the surgeries, Devon learned to crawl and walk at the standard ages.
The cause is hard to pinpoint
One of every 5,386 babies born in the United States each year is born with an omphalocele, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many babies born with an omphalocele also have other birth defects including heart and neural tube problems, or chromosomal abnormalities, the CDC website said, though Devon was born without any of these conditions.
Debbi Kulick of Mission Viejo, on the other hand, gave birth to a son who had a "small" omphalocele but several additional medical problems, including a ventricular septal defect — a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart. In addition, his throat was the size of a straw and his vocal cords were fused together, meaning the mother could barely hear him when he cried, she said. And he was in and out of the hospital with respiratory problems.
But in terms of the omphalocele, only the bowels were outside the body, and they were successfully relocated when he was 5 days old, though this necessitated his wearing an ileostomy bag for a few months afterward.
The cause of omphaloceles isn't well known, though CDC researchers said certain behaviors could boost the chances of a baby born with the condition.
Women who consumed alcohol or smoked more than one pack of cigarettes a day were more likely to have a baby with an omphalocele, as were women who used selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy, the CDC reported on its website.
"Random defect" is what they told Kulick, she said.
But since she was 36 when she had her son nearly 27 years ago, she questioned her age. She wondered what living near a toxic landfill might have done to her.
As online support grew for those who once felt alone, Kulick discovered that a lot of parents likewise second-guessed themselves.
"People would come on the news group and say, 'How many people were on antidepressants?' " she recalled. "Some were, some weren't. How many were on infertility pills? Some were, some weren't."
Even without knowing what causes omphaloceles, the medical community is far better at handling the cases today. Babies born with the defect stand a much better chance at survival, even if they must wait a year or two for surgery, than children born decades ago, said Holly Hedrick, pediatric and fetal surgeon at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"One hundred years ago you would not do surgery," Hedrick said. "You lived with it. If it got infected, or had complications, you would not survive."
Of greater concern than an omphalocele are the respiratory, cardiac and digestive problems that can accompany the condition, Hedrick said.
'On good days, I can touch my toes'
Devon, who stands 4 feet 7 and weighs 70 pounds, said he can shake off an object hitting his stomach.
"It hurts a little bit, but it's not like I need to take a break," Devon said.
In the last year, Connelly said, Devon has worked on his flexibility during physical therapy.
"On good days, I can touch my toes," Devon said while reaching toward his feet.
At night he drinks a thick liquid that keeps inflammation in his esophagus at bay, Connelly said. She is not sure if this is directly related to the omphalocele.
Last year Devon did not miss a day of school because of illness and earns straight A's, Connelly said.
Devon is aware of what he has been through and says he feels deep respect and appreciation for every person who has helped and encouraged him along the way.
"I can't believe I had that [omphalocele] ... knowing what could have happened to me," Devon said.
Connelly is still part of an omphalocele support group — Mothers of Omphaloceles, or "Moos," the same one Kulick belongs to — offering an encouraging word or information for pregnant women and new mothers who have children with the condition.
"I was under the impression that only one child would be born with this," said Kulick, noting her days of isolation before the Internet. "No way was I to know there was another child like this."
She said the group is over 1,000 strong with members from around the world.
"These young ones who come on — we get new members almost daily — with these new ones we are able to say whatever issues you face one of us has dealt with the same thing."
Connelly couldn't agree more.
"The best reason Devon is here today is the knowledge from the support group," Connelly said.
"Sometimes when he does something, not because I'm big with sports, I know what he has been through and how many people said he would never do it. He did it and he's good at it. I feel very proud, not for the sport, but how far he has come."
Mothers of Omphaloceles, or "Moos," has a Facebook page and can also be found at omphalocele.net.
Staff writer Debbie Zucco contributed to this report.

domain: medical