The President's Immigration Actions, and Our Response to Them

Immigration has been a difficult subject in the United States for a long time. Even before 1776 there were endless questions of how to protect borders. Just ask the Native Americans.Over the past few hundred years we’ve had various laws designed to limit immigration of a variety of people. Among them: Chinese, Southern Europeans, Russians, low-skilled immigrants, Filipinos, and communists. Then, in 1965 Congress did away with quotas based on national origin, leaving us with the system we have today, which emphasizes skills and family relationships.Of course that wasn’t the end of the immigration discussion in the United States, which is why the issue is in the news again today.The President, without approval from Congress, has unilaterally taken the following actions:--Revised interpretation of a law so that people who were in the United States illegally, and then left the U.S., and then used fraudulent documents to re-enter the U.S. would still be covered under the law, even though the law requires them to have never left the U.S.--Eased the rules for illegal immigrants who are seeking asylum so that they will not be deported if they have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country, instead of proof of a clear probability of persecution.--Relaxed the deadline for when employers must verify identification documents for new employees to three days after hiring, instead of within 24 hours, as stated by law.--Issued rules that expansively interpret a law’s description of “perishable commodities” to include tobacco and Christmas trees to cover additional workers, beyond the intended limits of the law’s authors.--Issued new rules that permit illegal immigrants to remain in the United States if they have a spouse or child who is otherwise safe from deportation.Just to review, the President (whose Constitutional responsibility is to execute laws) unilaterally reinterpreted these laws from what Congress (whose Constitutional responsibility is to make laws) intended.Now, before you get caught up in the fury that’s all over the news today in which one Senator warns that the President is “provoking a Constitutional crisis” and that his action is “unconstitutional and illegal,” while another Senator threatens that people upset by the new rules might revert to “violence” and “anarchy,” there’s something you should know.All of the steps above were taken by Ronald Reagan.But wait a minute, if the President changed the enforcement of laws without approval of Congress why wasn’t he impeached? Why didn’t the country fall apart? Why wasn’t there a Constitutional crisis?Because the steps that President Reagan took in 1987, and the steps that President Obama is announcing tonight, are perfectly within the powers of the President of the United States.The Washington Post has an interesting tidbit about how the President has the power to limit deportations under the idea known as prosecutorial discretion. Basically, it means law enforcement officers choose which laws to enforce and how often to enforce them. Similar to how a police officer doesn’t get in trouble for not giving a ticket to every single car breaking the speed limit.The Lawfare blog examines the statute and finds that it doesn’t actually say the President MUST deport anyone.So if a previous President (the darling of so many Tea Party conservatives who are now up in arms no less!) took similar actions, and the current President is backed by sound legal theory, and, perhaps, the actual text of the relevant law, why are so many elected officials and their constituents raising such a ruckus?The sad truth is that it’s just easier.It’s easier to cry out, “He thinks he’s king!” than to point to the fact that he has the authority to do what he’s doing.It’s easier to warn of “violence” and “anarchy” than to sit down at the table and hammer out legislation that would supersede anything the President could do.It’s easier to wrap yourself in your supposedly superior love of the Constitution than to make difficult decisions that might be unpopular with some of the people who voted for you, but that are ultimately good for the country as a whole.It's easier to fire up uninformed voters by telling them the President is threatening our country, than to explain what you would do differently.Unfortunately, many of the people governing the country, and many of the people whose main civic duty is holding those people responsible, repeatedly do the things that are easy instead of doing the things that are difficult.NOTE: The above examples of President Reagan's actions were taken from news reports in the New York Times published on the following dates in 1987: October 9, July 9, May 1, April 6 and October 22.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++There's one easy thing you can do. Like my Facebook page, Brett Baker Writes. Please.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Dick Cavett

Dick Cavett turns seventy-eight today. Unfortunately, that means that most people my age and younger probably don’t know him and his work, since it’s been forty years since the heyday of The Dick Cavett Show. He did host variants of his original show over the ensuing thirty years, but it’s the first show for which he’s best known.The Dick Cavett Show aired opposite The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1969-1975. While Carson’s guests usually consisted of television or film actors who had something to promote, Cavett welcomed a broad spectrum of guests. He welcomed writers, musicians, politicians, protestors, artists and just about anyone else who might be of interest to viewers who like to engage their brains while watching television.The original late night show ended three years before I was born, but thanks to Turner Classic Movies, and the internet, I’ve made myself familiar with Cavett’s work.And it is awesome.In the brief time it was on, the show provided countless memorable moments. Among them:--Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby and Stephen Stills all appeared on the show right after leaving Woodstock. Stills still had mud on his pants!--Jimi Hendrix appeared a few days later and defended his performance of the Star Spangled Banner.--Georgia Governor Lestor Maddox stormed off the show after Cavett said that he was elected by bigots. Truman Capote remained on stage.--J.I. Rodale, a proponent of sustainable, organic agriculture died on stage. Cavett was interviewing someone else, Rodale made a snoring noise, and then just died. The show never aired.--A Vietnam War veteran named John Kerry, who had become an anti-war protestor, debated John E. O’Neill, who supported the war. Thirty-three years later, when Kerry was running for president, O’Neill would form a political group that made up lies about Kerry’s service in Vietnam.--Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal practically came to blows as they traded insults. A partial clip of the event can be found here. If you don’t watch the whole thing, at least fast-forward to 3:31 of the clip and try to imagine one of today’s late night hosts having a show like that. Read Cavett’s account of the entire episode in his blog.--He did back-to-back shows on pornography.--He did a show with the Secretary of the Interior, and nine animals that Cavett commented on were subsequently added to the endangered species list.And those are just some of the outrageous moments that occurred on his show. They’re awesome, and I enjoy reading about them, but even his regular interviews are must see TV.A few years ago Turner Classic Movies replayed a number of interviews from his original show. Watching him interview Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, Groucho Marx, Woody Allen, and Robert Mitchum is like stepping into a time machine and getting to know Hollywood legends.Katharine Hepburn famously refused to give interviews, partly because she found them uncomfortable. Cavett tried for years to get her on the show. Eventually he succeeded, but then she wanted to back out at the last minute.So Cavett talked her into coming to the studio to get a feel for things the day before the show. She felt so comfortable that they sat on the set and ended up doing the two-hour interview right then and there, with no audience, and Hepburn dressed casually, wearing sandals, with her hair up. TCM showed the entire interview a couple of years ago and it felt historic.Cavett’s show was unlike anything else on television. Guests were there to have a conversation about their work, their craft, or ideas in general.I listened to an interview with Cavett a few months back in which he said that Johnny Carson always questioned staffers about why Cavett got guests that he couldn’t. Cavett was edgier, more daring, took more chances. And while this made for a good show, it didn’t attract viewers in the same numbers that Carson did. But still, of all the shows that tried to knock Carson off the late night throne, Cavett was the only person who Carson ever thought might succeed.The Dick Cavett Show was different from everything else back then, and it would be even more unique now. Today’s late night hosts are all incredibly funny and entertaining, but it sure would be nice to have a show like The Dick Cavett Show thrown into the mix.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I have a Facebook page Brett Baker Writes. You should Like it.

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What I'm Thinking About When I'm Running

I like to run. Not only is it good exercise, but it’s a good way to enjoy some fresh air, relieve stress, and see my neighborhood. Unless I’m running on a treadmill in the basement. Then it’s just good exercise and trying not to stare at the digital mileage display.Many runners listen to music while running, but I prefer not to. I’m not one of those fancy multi-taskers who can run, and chew gum, and breathe, and listen to music, and avoid being hit by a car at the same time, so I try to keep it simple. When I’m running it’s just me and…well, me.That gives me plenty of time to think. I’m a big fan of thinking.So if you ever see me running through your neighborhood here are a few things I might be thinking.“No, I don’t need a ride.” This doesn’t come up often, and it usually only happens when I’m running in a rural area, but I’ve had people in cars stop and ask me if I needed a ride. I know that the idea of someone running for fun instead of trying to get to a destination is foreign to some people, but no, I don’t need a ride. Unless you see me limping badly, or being chased by someone with a chainsaw or an ax. Then yes, I probably do need a ride.“I’m not stopping. I’m not stopping.” This is different than the “I can’t quit,” thought that I have when I’m in the middle of a difficult run and want to give up. “I’m not stopping” comes as a warning to people standing in their front yard.As in, “I don’t care if your dog is chasing me, and you’re calling its name, and it won’t come back because its biological predisposition to chase things has kicked in. Your failure to properly restrain your dog does not require me to interrupt my run so you can get your dog. Sorry, but I’m not stopping. Either the dog or I will eventually get tired, so you can get him then.”“Yes, I do realize that I’m running in the road.” While I’ve never had a driver actually stop and yell at me for running in the road, I can feel the scornful looks every now and then. Some drivers don’t like to share the road with anything other than other drivers in cars. Especially if sharing the road means they have to yield for two seconds while I cross at an intersection.I run in the road because asphalt is softer on my knees than the concrete sidewalk. And also because when I encounter a car that’s parked across a sidewalk I get infuriated and hurt myself when I try to pickup the car and flip it on its roof.“I see you.” This is my mental check-in with car drivers. If a car is approaching me and I can see the driver, I make sure to make eye contact so the driver knows that I see them, and so they see me. Sometimes I add a “So don’t think about running me over,” just for good measure.“2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12…” If I’m thinking about those numbers, then in all likelihood I’ve fallen into the trap of counting my steps. This happens sometimes when my mind is blank or when I subconsciously detect the rhythm of my steps, and it is maddening! I’d much rather hum It’s a Small World for the entire run than count my steps, and that song can drive you crazy.“The wind will be better as soon as I turn the corner.” This is a lie, but I keep trying to fool myself into believing it. I know it seems to violate the laws of physics or meteorology or some other sciencey stuff, but I’m sure that sometimes when I run, the wind blows in all four directions at once, and it’s always in my face. It’s great. And by great I mean horrible.So if you see me running and I look like I’m in pain, don’t be alarmed. Everything’s probably fine, and I’m just thinking one of the thoughts above.Unless the chainsaw guy catches up with me. Then I’m screwed.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Let your fingers run on over to my Facebook page Brett Baker Writes and Like it, please.

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Calm down, Scott Conant

Dear Mr. Conant,Let me start by saying, you’re awesome. I’ve watched you as a judge on Chopped, and as a guest judge on Top Chef. I also listened to an episode of the awesome podcast WTF with Marc Maron in which he interviewed you for about an hour, and you seem like a food whiz.You’ve got some fancy restaurant in Manhattan called Scarpetta that’s apparently so freaking good that guests have been known to begin weeping just from the smells wafting from the kitchen.Okay, so maybe I made that part up, but it has been so successful that when you wanted to open another restaurant in L.A. you didn’t even go through the trouble of picking a new name. You just named it Scarpetta. That’s what McDonald’s does!I haven’t eaten in any of your restaurants, but when Scarpetta Midwest opens, I’m there.Anyway, I’m mentioning these things because I want you to know that I’m not here to criticize, but to help. And since I’m looking out for you, I have a little advice: calm down, dude. If you keep getting yourself worked up then you’re never going to get around to Scarpetta Appalachia, and that would be a shame.Anyone who’s ever seen you on television probably knows that you’re not a fan of raw red onions. Woe to the arrogant dickhead chef who thinks they can go on Chopped and dice up a little red onion and add it to a dish and make you like it.You don’t like it. We get it. And, actually, I don’t blame you. It’s an overpowering flavor and completely ruins your taste buds for everything else on the plate. But Scott, buddy, I’m worried that it seems like you’re becoming angrier each time some putz tries to sneak these past you.They’re just red onions, and yes, it’s maddening that these professional chefs can’t think of anything better to do with them than to put them on a plate—raw—but is it really worth causing that vein in your forehead to explode, covering Ted Allen in your blood? Because it looks like that’s what’s about to happen every time someone serves you red onions.And on tonight’s episode I saw you yell at a chef because of the way she treated a piece of branzino. Much to my surprise, branzino is a type of seabass, not a forgotten Sweathog from Welcome Back, Kotter.Anyway, this chef realized she hadn’t sufficiently trimmed her piece of fish so she decided to touch it up a bit. She did so by holding the fish on the cutting board with a pair of tongs in one hand and then cutting the fish with a knife in the other.You immediately exclaimed disbelief that she would treat the fish in such a manner and ruin the texture of the flesh. After the round was over you skewered her for not treating the fish with the proper reverence, and said that she was disrespectful.Scotty, I don’t mean to offend you like the fish manhandler (fishhandler?) did, but if you’re worried about respecting the fish, and treating it with reverence, how about just leaving it in the damn ocean? I’m sure the fish would appreciate that. I realize that’s not likely.But, I do have one more question. When you’re judging Chopped, you’re served nine dishes. That’s a lot of food. So it’s not surprising when we see that most of the time the judges leave some food on their plate. When you leave half of a perfectly cooked fish on the plate just because you’ve got four more dishes after that to eat, have you treated the fish with reverence and respect?Or what about the extra dish that the chefs prepare that nobody eats, but that’s just for show? Is that showing respect?Maybe these are all rhetorical questions, Scott. I don’t expect you to answer them. But please, for the love of all that’s holy, calm down before your branzino explodes.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Show that you have great taste, and like my Facebook page Brett Baker Writes. Like it, please.

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I'm the Pilgrims and You're Squanto

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, maybe even my most favorite. It’s just hanging out and eating, and who doesn’t love that?I also like all of the Thanksgiving-themed programming on television. Sitcoms have memorable episodes, and Food Network has more turkey-and-fixins-themed shows than you can shake a stick at. And don’t even get me started on legendary episodes from Thanksgivings past, like the infamous WKRP turkey drop episode.So I might as well get in on the action and write about Thanksgiving over the next couple of weeks.Of course, Thanksgiving now is a little bit different than that first Thanksgiving. I doubt the folks at the first celebration enjoyed a stuffing as awesome as my wife’s goat cheese and spinach concoction.Part of the reason that Pilgrims had any excess to share and enjoy with the Natives at that first holiday, was thanks to the help of a member of the Patuxet tribe, Squanto.As you probably learned in elementary school, Squanto helped the Pilgrims survive those rough first years upon their arrival in the New World when he taught them how to catch fish and use the fish as fertilizer to grow corn.The old saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” could have been written about Squanto.Unfortunately, neither the Pilgrims or the Natives bothered to login to Facebook back then, so we don’t have any pictures or many first-hand accounts of how things went down. However, the spirit of the Pilgrims and Squanto lives on today.No, I’m not talking about goodwill toward man, or acceptance of those who are different from you, or any of those other lessons we could have taken away from Squanto and his English homies. That’s all fine and dandy, but I’m talking about the really important stuff: blogging and attracting readers.So for the purposes of this exercise, I’m the Pilgrims and you’re Squanto. Not only is this apropos for the reason I’m about to explain, but also because Squanto means divine rage. I’ve read comments on some blogs that couldn’t have been inspired by anything other than divine rage. But I know that none of my readers are full of divine rage, but rather divine grace, or divine wisdom.All right, let’s assume that you read my blog, and you think, “Boy that Dry it in the Water guy sure is smart/ funny/ witty/ thought-provoking.”First of all, thank you! That’s very nice of you. I appreciate the kind words.However, you’ve given me a fish. And even though I appreciate the fish, (not really, I don’t eat that crap!), what I’d really appreciate is if you taught me to fish. Which, in this metaphor, means that you tell other people how smart/ funny/ witty/ thought-provoking I am.You don’t want me to starve to death, do you? That’s not a very divine thing to do! So teach me to fish.Even though you’re Squanto, don’t make the mistake that the original Squanto made. Don’t forget to login to Facebook and like Brett Baker Writes. Then while you’re there, click on the Share button at the bottom of a post. That way all those cool, interesting, divinely-wise people that you’re friends with will see the post.You can also click on the Like button to show that you like what I’ve written. Some of your divinely-wise friends will see that as well, even if they haven’t yet Liked Brett Baker Writes.And if you’ve got something to say, then Comment on my post. I like to hear from you, and some of the insanely, mind-bogglingly intelligent people you’re friends with will see that you’ve commented and might checkout my posts as well.So don’t just celebrate Thanksgiving this year, become like the legendary Native American who helped make the holiday possible in the first place.Thanks for not letting me die.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++In case you didn't know, I have a Facebook page. It's called Brett Baker Writes. Like it, please.

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Professional Video Game Player is a Thing

Every so often I read something that’s so surprising that I’m sure that I’m being lied to. Like when I read that termites outweigh humans on Earth.Today’s revelation might take the cake though.I had no idea that anyone actually made a living playing video games. I’m not talking about the people who design video games and then have to play them to make sure they don’t suck.I’m talking about people who play video games. And that’s it!And chief among the professional video game players is a guy named Matt Haag. He’s twenty-two years old. And this year he’s going to make close to one million dollars.Yes, you read that correctly, one million dollars!What the f$%#?How can this be? How exactly does one make even a dollar playing video games, much less a million dollars?Apparently, Mr. Haag is really good at Call of Duty. That’s a video game. I’ve never played it, but I know that lots of people do play it. However, if I can make a million dollars playing it, then maybe I need to start.He’s been a professional for seven years. He just joined Major League Gaming—which, again, I didn’t know was a thing—and signed a sponsorship deal with Red Bull, the energy drink. Most of the people Red Bull sponsors are extreme sport fellows. Despite not being extreme, Mr. Haag gets the same treatment as Red Bull athletes, which includes help with training, diet, and financial support.However, Mr. Professional Game-Playing Millionaire makes most of his money from YouTube videos and from a site in which people watch him play live.So this guy makes money playing video games because other people are interested in watching him play video games.I have some experience with this. My two sons—ages eight and ten—are always watching YouTube videos of people playing video games. Their main interest is in Minecraft, and they’re fans of one guy in particular, a British dude whose YouTube name is Stampylongnose.Despite my endless pleas for them to actually play the game instead of watch videos of someone else playing the game, I still hear the familiar shrill, accented voice coming from the basement, talking about things that I don’t really understand.I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that people are interested in watching others play video games. The Bravo television network has a show called The People’s Couch, which shows regular people on their couch watching Bravo television shows.How much longer until some television executive actually takes a chance on a show in which people do nothing but watch paint dry, or grass grow? It can’t be long!Anyway, experiencing my sons’ interest in this British Minecraft guy, I see how the video game guy can make a million bucks. My sons have conversations at the breakfast table about whether the Minecraft guy is awake yet, or how old he is, or whether he’s married, or when he'll post a new video. If I’d let them, they would eat cake every single day, just like he claims to.When I was their age I was a fan of Hulk Hogan, and Ryne Sandberg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their hero is some dude with a weird screen name who records himself playing a video game.My son just peeked over my shoulder and asked, “What are you writing about dad?” Against my better judgment I told him that I was writing about a guy who makes a million dollars a year playing video games.As if he needed any more incentive to play video games.The house rule at the Baker homestead is no video games during the week. This makes for some very late Friday nights when the boys stay up late to take advantage of the weekend. Frequently, if we didn’t make them do something else, they’d play video games all weekend. Sometimes I feel bad about that, but sometimes it’s a saving grace if my wife and I have things we need to get done.Perhaps I shouldn’t worry about them playing video games. Maybe they’re not just playing; maybe they’re training.As my three-year-old daughter likes to say: That’s crazy town!+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Maybe I'll post a video of me writing. Wouldn't that be exciting? If I do you'll find it on my Facebook page page: Brett Baker Writes. Like it, please.

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Why Winter Sucks

Sometimes I’m here to entertain. Sometimes I’m here to annoy. Sometimes I’m here to make you think. And sometimes, like today, I’m just here to inform. So in case you forgot, I’d like to remind you that winter is on its way.Here are some of the things you have to look forward to:--Your car being covered in frost in the morning, and then freezing on your way to work.--Coming home from work in the dark.--Black ice.--Shoveling.--Shoveling again after the snow resumes.--Shoveling a third time because the weatherman was wrong when he estimated the ending time of the snow.--Wind so cold against your cheeks that it begins to feel hot.--Having to walk with your head tilted to the side because snow is blowing in your face.--Your gas bill.--Remembering how slippery that metal threshold at your front door becomes when it’s covered with powdery snow.--Remembering how hard your concrete steps are when you fall on your butt.--Television newscasts whose storm coverage consists of one reporter on a road over an expressway, followed by the same reporter’s interviews with drivers at a gas station, another report who interviews passengers stranded at the airport, a shot of the departure screen filled with “Canceled” and the meteorologist trying to explain the difference between a Winter Weather Advisory and a Winter Weather Watch.--Ice clinging to your windshield wipers.--Removing ice from your windshield wipers, and still not having a clear windshield because apparently there’s some microscopic piece of ice still attached to the blade that’s keeping it from making smooth contact with the windshield.--Clearing your driveway, and then having the snowplow bury the bottom again.--Forgetting your gloves at home.--Dry, cracking hands that begin to bleed if you happen forget to lotion them before you go to work.--Fishtailing.--That annoying person at work who will chuckle and then ask, “Cold enough for ya?”--Entire weeks without seeing the sun.--Days where you see the sun and blue sky, and for a second you forget that it’s the middle of winter and twenty degrees below zero and you get excited.--The disappointment when you remember.--Numbness in your toes because two pairs of socks aren’t enough.--Slush.--Huge chunks of ice behind the wheel wells of your car that won’t dislodge without standing next to your car and kicking them off, during which you’ll inevitably hit your shin and bruise your toes or heel.--Stiff fingers.--Stepping on the wet floor in your socks near the front door after someone tracks snow into the house.--Running out of windshield washer fluid.--Frozen locks.--Hitting that raised section of the sidewalk as you’re shoveling, and the handle of the shovel stabbing you in the stomach.--Cold floor tiles.--Snow plows waking you in the middle of the night.--Lake effect snow.--Wind chill factors.--Thinking that thirty-five degrees doesn’t feel all that cold.--C-O-L-DI don’t want to be too much of a downer, so I’ll stop there. You probably get the point anyway. Winter’s coming. It’s going to suck. But to quote a Pearl Jam song, “no matter how cold the winter, there’s a springtime ahead.”And despite my pessimism, not every single second of winter is going to suck. There will be moments like this:+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++The perfect cure for the winter doldrums? My Facebook page: Brett Baker Writes. Like it, please.

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A Standing Desk Might Save your Life

Twenty-five years ago Michael Stipe wrote the lyrics to a song called “Stand” that appeared on R.E.M.’s Green album. He intentionally wrote very inane lyrics to the song, but it turns out he was ahead of his time with the line "stand in the place where you work."And it’s not just a trendy thing to do to show that you’re cool. It might actually save your life.There are a growing number of studies that show that sitting in a chair all day just isn’t good for the human body. Our bodies aren’t designed to be sedentary. We can reduce our risk of all sorts of health problems like diabetes, cancer, obesity, and heart disease by following Theodore Roosevelt’s approach to life: “Get action!”Of course most of us have a job to do during the day, so we can’t go hike in the mountains, or wrestle alligators, or ride a bicycle. But we can stand.I have a standing desk at work. That doesn’t mean the desk stands. It means that I stand. I used to sit. But then when I read about these studies and did a little research, I decided that maybe I shouldn’t sit so much. I like my life. I’d like to prolong it.And before you say, “Well I don’t have to worry about sitting too much, because I go to the gym every night and run sixty-four miles and lift thirty-two thousand pounds,” there’s something you should know. Sitting for more than six hours per day does damage to your body that can’t be undone by exercise!It seems crazy, I know. I didn’t believe it either, until I read one doctor compare it to assuming that jogging after work would make up for the pack of cigarettes you smoked at work.Luckily, around the same time that I first began hearing about the detrimental effects of sitting, I was moving into a new office at work. When my boss asked me if I wanted a new desk, I said “Sure!” and ordered one of those fancy standing desks. (I don’t like to shill for companies, but I got a GeekDesk and it’s awesome!)For the first three or four weeks of the great standing experiment, I thought, “Good lord, what have I done?” My feet hurt, my back hurt, my hips hurt.I felt like someone who’d been standing all day!The human body is remarkable though. After a few weeks I adapted. The soreness in my back and hips went away, and after I purchased a soft, sturdy fatigue mat to stand on, my feet no longer hurt.I’ve been standing for almost a year-and-a-half now, and all is well. According to a 2013 study, standing instead of sitting burns an extra 50 calories per hour. That doesn’t sound like much, but I stand for seven hours a day. That’s 350 calories, which works out to about 20 pounds per year!That might sound like a lot, and I’d bet it’s probably an overestimation, but even if it’s one-half or one-quarter of that amount, it’s worth it.I’ve noticed that standing allows me to move around much more than I used to. If I need a moment to think I’ll pace around my office instead of just sitting in a chair and staring off into space. I stretch. I walk to the window every hour or so just to look out and see what’s going on. It’s great.And if I didn’t get much sleep the night before, or if it’s just been a really long day, I can push a button and the desk moves down to regular height and I can sit in a chair.Standing while working isn’t a new phenomenon. Donald Rumsfeld does it. Dickens and Hemingway both stood while they wrote. Michael Dell who founded Dell Computers stands and works. So did Jefferson and Franklin.And while there’s no evidence supporting the health benefits, I’ve found that skipping down the hall at work helps add a little excitement to everyone’s otherwise uneventful day. So do cartwheels.But if you can’t skip or do cartwheels at work, at least try the standing desk. Your body will thank you.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++With all the extra energy you'll have from standing you can like my Facebook page: Brett Baker Writes. Like it, please.

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