Another athlete got caught cheating today. Another cyclist at the Tour de France - make that three for 2008's edition and we're barely through the Pyrennes. Is anyone surprised?

Now before anyone starts the diatribe on how cycling is so full of drug users, let's remember that we've seen any number of athletes in any number of pro and collegiate and amateur sports test positive for a plethora of supposed "performance-enhancing" drugs. And let's also keep in mind that as long as athletes strive for greater performances, and as long as a truckload of money is being thrown at them, there are always going to be those that will try their luck with drugs.

Oddly enough, this isn't the part that upsets me most.

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**BREAKING NEWS - Bush approval rating at 28% ***

In the recent past, I have tried compiling a list of ideas or notable topics for discussion. When inspiration finds you, you better make note of it! There are times when I start writing about the topic immediately, and times when I let the idea germinate in my mind (or in print) before I actually give birth to it. There are also times when I have something important to mention that simply gets pushed to the side for other topics. This happens a lot with items "in the news". Sometimes, better late than never!

So here's a thought from the "better late than never" category.

I've heard of "approval ratings" in politics, but I'd never heard of "disapproval ratings". It's kind of a strange spin on things - establishing what percentage of the population don't approve of your work! Perhaps this is what we have to resort to these days, when it's easier to count those that don't approve of what you're doing as opposed to those who do.

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It's a noisy world we live in.

"Noise" is not just of the "sound" variety. We are bombarded with sensory information all day long. It is a 24/7 process. We live in a world of data. Our senses take in so much data about the world around us that we can't even process all of it. You can't get away from information. Some have even gone so far as to call it "information overload".

And I can't agree more.

Why even discuss noise? It was brought to my attention by a client's comments to me yesterday. He remarked that in the time I have known him, I've always been able to "filter out the noise of the situation" to find solutions - as a PT and as a coach.

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Fresh from the "Hypocritical Quote of the Day" file comes this gem from U.S. evangelical leader James Dobson.

Before I give you the quote - some brief context should be noted. He is making reference to a 2006 speech by Barack Obama, in which Obama simply stated that it would be impractical to govern based solely on the words of the Bible. Obama's thought was that there are passages in the Bible that go so far as to promote slavery (Leviticus) or stoning your child  (Deuteronomy), aspects that (obviously) would not be consistent with fair and reasonable governance.

So, hold on to your liberal seats, because here we go:

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