The axiom 'for every action, there is a reaction' should have people thinking ahead to what those reactions of consequences might be. The Cheney/Bush administration neglected to do this when they declared war in Iraq. As a result, the pain and price paid in human suffering will last for decades. A far cry from the scenario they had fancied...that we would be greeted as liberators and met with flowers and wild greetings.
While Pro-Lifers think that they would not condone murder, the are expressing relief that Dr. Tiller will no longer be doing abortions. In fact, no one will be doing the difficult and humane acts he was doing or making lives possible for so many people. A life is not just a fetus growing to term., it is all humans of all ages who search not only for life, but quality of life for all. There will be no more happy babies or happy parents in the future simply because Dr. Tiller was assassinated. A 9 year old girl, impregnated incestuously by her father. should not have been required to become a mother under those conditions. Yet there are those fanatics out there who would have had her carry the baby to term regardless of the cost to the child-mother, her infant, and the family members (if there were those) who would forever carry the shame and scar of the father's actions. Most importantly, how would that infant develop self-esteem if it were kept in the home with this child-mother, or if put out for adoption, only to learn later in life of its beginnings.
When we thought ethanol would free us from oil dependency, we were feeling freer and hopeful until we realized that more fuel was expended to make the ethanol from corn than it was worth. Brazil seems to fare better using sugar beets.
An unexpected figure came out of an article on BBC under technology.
The horror of the World Trade Towers bombing was the nucleus for many more deaths beside those in New York. Deaths followed in the workers who cleaned up without masks. The people who fought and those who worked in Iraq, adding the Iraqis themselves. These deaths had news men and women also being killed...a fact not as common in previous wars Aid workers were not immune to the pull of death. The events are like links in a chain. They extend, breakout, shorten, and continue in places that would surprise those who do not understand the connectedness to these deadly events.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
LAUGHTER IS CONTAGIOUS
Have you ever noticed how much funnier things are when people are laughing? Marketers did when they added laugh tracks to sit-coms. Canned laughter often loses spontaneity because the laughter doesn't always remain consistent with the level of humor to which it is responding.The reverse is also true. You can change from a great to a grim mood when the people around you are sullen and unsmiling.
I was thinking about laughter when a witty friend and I were riding a few miles together in my car. We both broke into gales of laughter after I had speeded up very quickly to catch up to another friend who was seven cars ahead of us. My friend commented wryly that she just had her face lifted by the g-force! She laughed as she said it and it broke both of us up to share a great guffaw.
Naively, I commented that the friend who was a few cars ahead of us, and who I know to be extremely competitive, must have been offended when I told him I usually drove faster than he. I followed this by telling her that I am not really competitive. The instant laughter from her pointed out the ridiculousness of what I had said since most see me as quite competitive in many areas.
The science of laughter is called gelotology. We laugh at the exaggerated, the ridiculous, the satirical, the unexpected comeback, puns, clever ideas, and self-deprecation. Naturally, people may also laugh at cruelty and sick jokes, but all good things are often used in poor taste. Laughter is very important to stress management. Elizabeth Curie wrote some of the benefits of laughter. "Hormones: Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress."
Many laugh when others might cry and feel embarrassed by their own response. It seems to be a need to laugh to ward of tears. It may be a protectvie thing from our past, that of not letting an enemy see your vulnerability. Laughter provides a physical and emotional release. Read this article in total to find the many benefits to humans of laughter.
I was thinking about laughter when a witty friend and I were riding a few miles together in my car. We both broke into gales of laughter after I had speeded up very quickly to catch up to another friend who was seven cars ahead of us. My friend commented wryly that she just had her face lifted by the g-force! She laughed as she said it and it broke both of us up to share a great guffaw.
Naively, I commented that the friend who was a few cars ahead of us, and who I know to be extremely competitive, must have been offended when I told him I usually drove faster than he. I followed this by telling her that I am not really competitive. The instant laughter from her pointed out the ridiculousness of what I had said since most see me as quite competitive in many areas.
The science of laughter is called gelotology. We laugh at the exaggerated, the ridiculous, the satirical, the unexpected comeback, puns, clever ideas, and self-deprecation. Naturally, people may also laugh at cruelty and sick jokes, but all good things are often used in poor taste. Laughter is very important to stress management. Elizabeth Curie wrote some of the benefits of laughter. "Hormones: Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress."
Many laugh when others might cry and feel embarrassed by their own response. It seems to be a need to laugh to ward of tears. It may be a protectvie thing from our past, that of not letting an enemy see your vulnerability. Laughter provides a physical and emotional release. Read this article in total to find the many benefits to humans of laughter.
Friday, June 5, 2009
VATICAN TO TRY TO GET MORE CONFESSIONS
My mind is boggled at the concept that the Vatican is unhappy that its subjects aren't confessing enough. If one can believe the teachings of the church that God is omniscient and omnipotent, why then do confessions have to be prurient fodder for the priests? Is that middle man really needed? Can't God do the punishment directly? What are we to believe when bad things happen to us? Aren't we being punished for something we have done, our ancestors have done, Adam and Eve did, all men and women have done, our children will do?
With my irreligious logic, it seems to me that by the time a person can articulate a sin to a priest, there is self-awareness of that sin. In raising children, I learned it was a more effective life lesson if the punishment fit the crime. A Hail Mary doesn't seem to associate with fornication, adultery, or whatever sins would be confessed these days.
Thus I was amused to read this recent article. "Archbishop Mauro Piacenza has told Vatican Radio the sacrament of penance has been experiencing a "deep crisis" for decades. Piacenza, an official for the Vatican office on clergy, says fewer people distinguish between good and evil, and as a result don't go to confession." It seems the church has not troubled to ask its subjects why that decline might be.
As a therapist for many decades, I believe that it is more important for people to learn beyond recognizing good and evil. To manage their lives, they must learn a complicated concept of what behaviors are effective (or non-effective) in many areas of their life, some of which include family, relationships, honesty, integrity, fidelity, commitment, setting life goals, striving for professional success and so much more.
"The archbishop said in the interview Tuesday that if faithful don't have a sense of sin, they might "confuse" confession with "the couch of a psychologist or a psychiatrist." " Psychological treatment has undergone many years of research to establish its effectiveness. There have been many improvements in therapeutic techniques as a result. I am unaware that the church has ever really researched the effectiveness of that particular sacrament and I would welcome any reader correcting me if I have missed research done by the church as to its effectiveness with regard to confession. In fact, I wonder if many people are telling people they trust, (whoever that may be in their life) and benefiting from catharsis. If more is needed, saying more prayers (which has been researched and no significantly positive effectiveness in findings was the result against those in similar situations who did not pray
0...but that is another topic....
With my irreligious logic, it seems to me that by the time a person can articulate a sin to a priest, there is self-awareness of that sin. In raising children, I learned it was a more effective life lesson if the punishment fit the crime. A Hail Mary doesn't seem to associate with fornication, adultery, or whatever sins would be confessed these days.
Thus I was amused to read this recent article. "Archbishop Mauro Piacenza has told Vatican Radio the sacrament of penance has been experiencing a "deep crisis" for decades. Piacenza, an official for the Vatican office on clergy, says fewer people distinguish between good and evil, and as a result don't go to confession." It seems the church has not troubled to ask its subjects why that decline might be.
As a therapist for many decades, I believe that it is more important for people to learn beyond recognizing good and evil. To manage their lives, they must learn a complicated concept of what behaviors are effective (or non-effective) in many areas of their life, some of which include family, relationships, honesty, integrity, fidelity, commitment, setting life goals, striving for professional success and so much more.
"The archbishop said in the interview Tuesday that if faithful don't have a sense of sin, they might "confuse" confession with "the couch of a psychologist or a psychiatrist." " Psychological treatment has undergone many years of research to establish its effectiveness. There have been many improvements in therapeutic techniques as a result. I am unaware that the church has ever really researched the effectiveness of that particular sacrament and I would welcome any reader correcting me if I have missed research done by the church as to its effectiveness with regard to confession. In fact, I wonder if many people are telling people they trust, (whoever that may be in their life) and benefiting from catharsis. If more is needed, saying more prayers (which has been researched and no significantly positive effectiveness in findings was the result against those in similar situations who did not pray
0...but that is another topic....
Thursday, June 4, 2009
WORTHY OF NOTE
A man, kidnapped by his father and taken to Hungary at age 2, now 27, was discovered by his sibling on Facebook. The reunion this week in England is heartwarming though he scarcely speaks a word of English.
There are rumors circulating that Facebook is considering charging for its services.
Geography of a recession.
Bing is another relative newcomer.
Last, a word about Craig's list and some thinking about it being free and what this does to the mercenary markets.
There are rumors circulating that Facebook is considering charging for its services.
Geography of a recession.
Bing is another relative newcomer.
Last, a word about Craig's list and some thinking about it being free and what this does to the mercenary markets.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
CHANGE IS NECESSARY BUT NOT ALWAYS DESIRABLE
Without a doubt, parts of the country reflect the terrible economy more than others. In Eastern Massachusetts, unlike the mid-West there are fewer large factories and plants that can close, leaving total desolation. When a military base or such closes, all the peripheral businesses that supported them also die. Locally where I live, more likely, now restaurants have instant seating available most of the time, theaters are frequently less crowded, and merchants complain about the lack of business. Prices have been raised to help balance the shortfall. Pretty soon, the added prices will keep customers away, thus insuring the demise of the business.
Luxury items are suffering. Malls are seeing many shop closings. For Rent or Lease signs are sprouting like grass in the springtime. Many Massachusetts smokers go to New Hampshire even after the additional $1.00 tax hike MA levied per pack. New Hampshire then raised the tax on theirs but kept it just under the MA hike.
It is my belief that the current administration is doing its best to handle the situation. Jobs in other areas are starting as infrastructure is finally being attended to in many states. People are normally impatient and forget who put us into this economic quagmire. It was not Obama though the short-sighted and politically ignorant will still blame whoever is currently in charge.
Indeed, most of us have lost 1/3 of our on-paper wealth. It ids axiomatic that people place their losses from whatever the top value of their portfolio might have reached at one time. They certainly didn't sell then or they wouldn't be complaining now. When people did sell at that time and put their money in liquid or more stable positions they be whining less than those who trusted the 'Cramers' and others who denied that the country and its financial system were in such difficulty.
Once again, Obama's promise to break the country financially rather than do more bombing worked for him. Cheney can say all he wants to say about having protected the United States from another 9/11 attack, he only killed hundreds of thousands of people and ruined more lives with his war. Bush, who never seemed invested in the people anyway, remains silent in his new home, protected by Secret Service for life, and now has his permanent vacation like many of the CEOs who left their companies, taking millions for themselves while the stockholders lost everything and the employees were left destitute. A blind man may not see it but he can certainly hear it.
Luxury items are suffering. Malls are seeing many shop closings. For Rent or Lease signs are sprouting like grass in the springtime. Many Massachusetts smokers go to New Hampshire even after the additional $1.00 tax hike MA levied per pack. New Hampshire then raised the tax on theirs but kept it just under the MA hike.
It is my belief that the current administration is doing its best to handle the situation. Jobs in other areas are starting as infrastructure is finally being attended to in many states. People are normally impatient and forget who put us into this economic quagmire. It was not Obama though the short-sighted and politically ignorant will still blame whoever is currently in charge.
Indeed, most of us have lost 1/3 of our on-paper wealth. It ids axiomatic that people place their losses from whatever the top value of their portfolio might have reached at one time. They certainly didn't sell then or they wouldn't be complaining now. When people did sell at that time and put their money in liquid or more stable positions they be whining less than those who trusted the 'Cramers' and others who denied that the country and its financial system were in such difficulty.
Once again, Obama's promise to break the country financially rather than do more bombing worked for him. Cheney can say all he wants to say about having protected the United States from another 9/11 attack, he only killed hundreds of thousands of people and ruined more lives with his war. Bush, who never seemed invested in the people anyway, remains silent in his new home, protected by Secret Service for life, and now has his permanent vacation like many of the CEOs who left their companies, taking millions for themselves while the stockholders lost everything and the employees were left destitute. A blind man may not see it but he can certainly hear it.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
SEXUAL FANTASIES
"Sexual fantasies are something we rarely discuss, even among good friends. Our deepest sexual thoughts are often considered too weird, perverse, or just plain wrong to be shared amongst polite company; fantasizing might indicate there is something wrong with our relationships, or worse, ourselves. But research indicates that having sexual fantasies is an absolutely normal, if not necessary, part of being a sexual being. It’s not having them that is aberrant." Recent research in the UK with 18,000 subjects makes this point clear.
If there were no sexual fantasies, there would be no rich erotica history from past eras and cultures, drawn and written before the morality cops came into play. We talk about the mind-body connection working for our medical healing but it seems a taboo subject to freely discuss the way that men and women deal with their physical/sexual needs when there is no partner nearby. Imagery is an important component of human tools. When we are hungry we can imagine a lovely dinner; when we crave sweets we drool over the imagery of desserts and other goodies. When we watch love scenes on TV or in movies we identify with whoever is on the screen fitting our fantasies. Without the human need to fantasize there would be no market for porno, a most lucrative business. Do the men who go to prostitutes fantasize having sex with their wives like that or do they fantasize making love to a prostitute when in bed with a prim wife? The answer may explain a lot about how people have to accept lots of things in life and compensate in whatever fashion is possible to them.
The article by Brie Cadman goes on to write: "But we now know that fantasies are no more pathologic than masturbation. They allow us to think about doing something we would never actually do, or about things we’ve done before and would like to do again. (An ex-flame, for instance.) They allow us to sleep with celebrities. (You and me, Robert Downey Jr., just you and me.) Furthermore, fantasy may help our sex lives by increasing desire and arousal; those who fantasize frequently also tend to have more sex. And cerebral foreplay has certainly helped millions (billions? trillions?) of masturbations end in success."
If Nature had not wanted humans to masturbate, humans would not have bene provided with a do-it-yourself kit. The urge to masturbate starts in infancy though society tries to shame children to make them stop (probably because it is too arousing to the spectator adults). Then when an adult male is asked to masturbate in a fertility clinic to offer a sperm specimen, he is handed with which material to fantasize!
If there were no sexual fantasies, there would be no rich erotica history from past eras and cultures, drawn and written before the morality cops came into play. We talk about the mind-body connection working for our medical healing but it seems a taboo subject to freely discuss the way that men and women deal with their physical/sexual needs when there is no partner nearby. Imagery is an important component of human tools. When we are hungry we can imagine a lovely dinner; when we crave sweets we drool over the imagery of desserts and other goodies. When we watch love scenes on TV or in movies we identify with whoever is on the screen fitting our fantasies. Without the human need to fantasize there would be no market for porno, a most lucrative business. Do the men who go to prostitutes fantasize having sex with their wives like that or do they fantasize making love to a prostitute when in bed with a prim wife? The answer may explain a lot about how people have to accept lots of things in life and compensate in whatever fashion is possible to them.
The article by Brie Cadman goes on to write: "But we now know that fantasies are no more pathologic than masturbation. They allow us to think about doing something we would never actually do, or about things we’ve done before and would like to do again. (An ex-flame, for instance.) They allow us to sleep with celebrities. (You and me, Robert Downey Jr., just you and me.) Furthermore, fantasy may help our sex lives by increasing desire and arousal; those who fantasize frequently also tend to have more sex. And cerebral foreplay has certainly helped millions (billions? trillions?) of masturbations end in success."
If Nature had not wanted humans to masturbate, humans would not have bene provided with a do-it-yourself kit. The urge to masturbate starts in infancy though society tries to shame children to make them stop (probably because it is too arousing to the spectator adults). Then when an adult male is asked to masturbate in a fertility clinic to offer a sperm specimen, he is handed with which material to fantasize!
Monday, June 1, 2009
WHEN PEOPLE TALK TO GOD
The USA Constitution clearly states that there shall be a separation of church and state. Apparently, though many of us believed the 43rd president was violating that concept, it has become more overt that he, indeed, was believing that God was telling him to make the war in the Middle East. Bill Maher said he doesn't want to be governed by 'people in Congress who believe in talking snakes.' Well, I don't want the country run who byh someone who things he is having a dialogue with God.
A few days ago this article appeared. Click here. "Bush explained to French Pres. Chirac that the Biblical creatures Gog and Magog were at work in the Mid-East and must be defeated." "In 2003 while lobbying leaders to put together the Coalition of the Willing, President Bush spoke to France's President Jacques Chirac. Bush wove a story about how the Biblical creatures Gog and Magog were at work in the Middle East and how they must be defeated.
In Genesis and Ezekiel Gog and Magog are forces of the Apocalypse who are prophesied to come out of the north and destroy Israel unless stopped. The Book of Revelation took up the Old Testament prophesy:
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
Bush believed the time had now come for that battle, telling Chirac:
"This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people's enemies before a New Age begins"."
The moral of the story is we need to change the way we choose our elected officials. They need to understand the job and how to do it by themselves since God may not be listening when you need a direction.
A few days ago this article appeared. Click here. "Bush explained to French Pres. Chirac that the Biblical creatures Gog and Magog were at work in the Mid-East and must be defeated." "In 2003 while lobbying leaders to put together the Coalition of the Willing, President Bush spoke to France's President Jacques Chirac. Bush wove a story about how the Biblical creatures Gog and Magog were at work in the Middle East and how they must be defeated.
In Genesis and Ezekiel Gog and Magog are forces of the Apocalypse who are prophesied to come out of the north and destroy Israel unless stopped. The Book of Revelation took up the Old Testament prophesy:
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
Bush believed the time had now come for that battle, telling Chirac:
"This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people's enemies before a New Age begins"."
The moral of the story is we need to change the way we choose our elected officials. They need to understand the job and how to do it by themselves since God may not be listening when you need a direction.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
THE RISK OF ORDERING COFFEE IN A NEW RESTAURANT
Coffee, as a beverage, has many faces. We know it comes from many parts of the world and can have an amazingly different taste depending on where it is grown. Check this site out: " Historical data actually suggests the true origin of the coffee plant lies on the plateaus of central Ethiopia, across the Red Sea from Yemen. Arabica coffee trees still grow wild in these parts. Legend also has it that once the Arabians became aware of the power of the coffee plant and its brew, they shunned the idea of sharing it with the rest of the world. For this reason they parched and boiled all coffee seeds or beans that left the country, rendering them sterile. This monopoly over the coffee trade, which was almost impossible to secure, collapsed around the 17th century (an exact date is not known) when a man named Baba Budan spirited seven beans bound to his belly out of Arabia and into his homeland of India. He planted them there and they grew plentifully."
Not only do coffees brewed have totally different flavors depending on the source, the treatment it gets and the amount of roasting are also factors. You can prepare it in innumerable ways to extract the bouquet from the beans.
Some restaurants are trendy and serve an espresso (highly roasted bean) so that it tastes like burned toast with boiling water forced through it to pull out the 'flavor'. Some 'acquire' a taste for it even though it is like drinking boiled and ground up, burned rubber tires. A real restaurant drawback is that the waitstaff can never describe their coffee. Asking if the coffee is dark or medium roast is like asking for them to name the table of elements.
In the Mediterranean countries, if you are asked whether you wish coffee or tea, you might want to ask the type of coffee. Turkish coffee is a bit darker roasted than typical Greek coffee, but they are both boiled to produce a demi-tasse of mud so thick that when the small amount of liquid is drained out, the cup is turned over and the sagging sludge is 'read' by fortune tellers.
Lessons learned, let someone else at the table order coffee first, smell it and decide whether you want to order some. At times, when hot is not pleasant, it is tolerable as iced coffee. My favorite way, however, is 5 ounces of medium roast Arabica, hot, with a tad over 1/2 ounce of good scotch added, 1/2 teaspoon maple sugar stirred in, topped with whipped cream. This works well after dinner though too much trouble to prepare for myself if am eating alone.
Lastly, should it be organic or coffee for the masses? Since no one is really concerned about the masses. Since I have never tasted the pesticides and other toxins that might be in my regular coffee, I must confess that I am unable to trust any farm product I haven't seen growing, I take my chances that n
'normal' coffee won't kill me since it doesn't seem to have had a negative effect through at least the 4/5th of my life already lived.
What I need is a source for restaurant quality coffee beans that I can grind for myself. After having traveled through Costa Rica, I'm quite convinced the good stuff does not get to American Supermarkets. It is bought by a few serious buyers and we only see it in big chains of coffee houses, hotels, or the best restaurants.
Not only do coffees brewed have totally different flavors depending on the source, the treatment it gets and the amount of roasting are also factors. You can prepare it in innumerable ways to extract the bouquet from the beans.
Some restaurants are trendy and serve an espresso (highly roasted bean) so that it tastes like burned toast with boiling water forced through it to pull out the 'flavor'. Some 'acquire' a taste for it even though it is like drinking boiled and ground up, burned rubber tires. A real restaurant drawback is that the waitstaff can never describe their coffee. Asking if the coffee is dark or medium roast is like asking for them to name the table of elements.
In the Mediterranean countries, if you are asked whether you wish coffee or tea, you might want to ask the type of coffee. Turkish coffee is a bit darker roasted than typical Greek coffee, but they are both boiled to produce a demi-tasse of mud so thick that when the small amount of liquid is drained out, the cup is turned over and the sagging sludge is 'read' by fortune tellers.
Lessons learned, let someone else at the table order coffee first, smell it and decide whether you want to order some. At times, when hot is not pleasant, it is tolerable as iced coffee. My favorite way, however, is 5 ounces of medium roast Arabica, hot, with a tad over 1/2 ounce of good scotch added, 1/2 teaspoon maple sugar stirred in, topped with whipped cream. This works well after dinner though too much trouble to prepare for myself if am eating alone.
Lastly, should it be organic or coffee for the masses? Since no one is really concerned about the masses. Since I have never tasted the pesticides and other toxins that might be in my regular coffee, I must confess that I am unable to trust any farm product I haven't seen growing, I take my chances that n
'normal' coffee won't kill me since it doesn't seem to have had a negative effect through at least the 4/5th of my life already lived.
What I need is a source for restaurant quality coffee beans that I can grind for myself. After having traveled through Costa Rica, I'm quite convinced the good stuff does not get to American Supermarkets. It is bought by a few serious buyers and we only see it in big chains of coffee houses, hotels, or the best restaurants.
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