Viral infections are often untreatable if not caught in the early stages. However, when it comes to the love affair virus, which affects marriages on a global scale, it's hard to discern the incubation phase. When is it treatable? Does it have to run it's course? Can it be cured? Is it preventable?
Over the centuries this virus has morphed, adapted, and become resistant to all social, cultural, and moral norms. It has been a smoke screen for more important things -- from psychological stuff like deep seated self-worth issues to huge political controversies like how the Lewinsky scandal overshadowed Whitewater.
The media and now the social mediums from MySpace to Twitter are in on the act celebrating extramarital affairs. Fascinating viewers in Star Magazine fashion. Therefore, it shouldn't surprise anyone that we hear more about them. Sex sells. What we need to pay attention to; however, is that energy follows thought. It's the basis of Viral Marketing. Get people thinking or talking about a product, service, or idea and increase demand.
Once the desire is created in the mind [or whatever part the anatomy] our ego takes over justifying why that desire must, can, and should be met. Whatever it is, whether it's a pair of shoes, an ice cream, or an extramarital affair, the human brain is an expert at defending behaviors. Chemicals release to add an obsessive quality to the mix, like Oxytocin.
So it's normal, right? It's okay? If that's what you think then it is. Only you know the circumstances. No one can judge that but you. You are what you think. And you can choose how you want to use those synapses. Do consider that if what you think is a combination of what you watch, read, and the company you keep, your thoughts shift according to whatever you're"tuned in" to. You can control your thoughts, but most people don't.
Granted, committed relationships are messy. Unless you've been in one you really don't understand what you're committing to. Any time two people are put together for long periods of time there is going to be conflict. However, commitment like what deodorant you use is a choice. While conflicts, diminishing affections, disappointments, and rote patterns are all part of long-term commitment, how you choose to deal with them is up to you.
You can blame it on your spouse or committed partner. They're too fat, angry, or selfish. They're not pretty, handsome, or sexy enough. You can blame it on your children. Or blame it on stress at work. Blame it on anything you want. But when it comes down to it, it's your choice. Yes, there are abusive, damaging partnerships and other possible circumstances, but that's another story.
For the most part relationships are a gift to learn about ourselves. Many people refuse the lesson. Relatively good partnerships get destroyed, because instead of being patient with the wax and wane of love, at the first sign of trouble, one partner will leave for another and another and another and another hoping things will be different. What they discover is the dynamics of relationships never change. What must change is who they are when they're in them. Growing up and being a whole person is not the prerequisite; but it should be the goal. Two halves won't make a whole.
Learning how to communicate what we need and desire is half the battle. Being willing to listen to our partner's needs and desires is the other half. What's also important is that we have to grow beyond the 'greener pastures' idea. It's not better somewhere else. It's just different. Pushing through difficult stages in a relationship can be painful, but once we do, we get to the other side of love -to a deeper form of intimacy that never grows stale, because it is determined to evolve to keep us fulfilled.
Many people have asked me why I chose to write this article. After reading day in and day out news of someone else having an affair and the destruction it's caused, I wanted to explore the epidemic. Committed relationships have become an oxymoron and affairs metaphor for our existence. Now many would call me a bit of a commitmentphobe and find it funny I'd choose to write about the subject. I admit I have been, but that's because I know I missed the personal journey we all need to take before we commit. I married too early. (not according to standards according to development). I am divorced. I realized my part in its failure, but it was too late so ultimately didn't have much say in the matter. Many people don't. I understand that. It takes two - two whole people. True commitment means agreeing to go to the depths of love. It means seeing ourselves (the good, bad, and ugly) learning who we are in relation to the one we love (a person, who has just as many dreams, ambitions, ideas, hurts, and hopes as we do).
If we understood what committed relationships were really about we wouldn't be in such a hurry to get to the alter. We also might make different choices once we are in them. However, just as the media can shape our concept of affairs it can shape our ideas on commitment. Both ideas are warped. The media places these concepts in a fairy tale we all want to believe. Romance is a wonderful thing, but it will forever be a passing state until we become self-aware enough to be able to sustain it. Religions claim to have the answers, but I don't feel it's about that either; though no doubt religion has helped many couples stay committed. I also don't think it's about morals, though morals have gotten many couples through tough times. I truly believe it has to come from an evolution of personal consciousness.
If you are not ready for it or the one you love isn't, don't go there. No one should take commitment lightly. It is a serious experience. Yes, it can be a blast and the most beautiful thing in the world but there's a steep learning curve. Like being a parent, you have no choice but to grow. It's not for sissies. However, if we don't go there in our lifetime, I don't think we've fully fulfilled our mission here. Yes, I admit I'm a little task oriented. I like to think there's a reason we're here and it's mainly for the experience and evolution of consciousness we get from relationships with others. If that wasn't part of our purpose, we wouldn't be here as separate beings who have the ability to reflect, adapt, choose, and grow. We'd all be one mass of energy or something. I know there are many types of relationships and all good places to learn about union within a state of differentiation. The parent/child relationship is a huge evolutionary experience. But the intimate relationship creates the most profound shift, because it explores relationship at a deeper level (ego/individuation, power, desire) interacting through the energy of love. It's an energy we know for a fact has a capacity to do unbelievable things. My theory is that if we each do our part to raise human consciousness, our capacity to love will inevitably expand, so there's no telling what kind of magic we can create.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tip Your Barista, They May Inherit The Earth - Part I
No matter how old or young, people dream. They aspire to something. Many of us want to save the world in our own little way. Granted, some are just out there for the deal, the take, so they can get as much as they can. However, most of them only find getting it all is never enough. Others get caught up in corporate missions, promotions, and benefits, but in the competitiveness of their rigorous routine, they quickly lose perspective of their own personal longings. The economic downturn like all tragedies has an upside. In the gloom of dark days the light in the heart slowly turns back on showing us what we have forgotten and what really matters.
It's the simple things. Over a year ago, in the May 18, 2008 issue of The New York Times there was an article about the huge trend sweeping across the nation, entitled "Voluntary simplicity movement re-emerges". The unemployed are not only getting rid of their "stuff" they are also "dumbing down" their resumes as the June 26, 2009 issue of The Week notes. And perhaps getting more fulfillng jobs as described in The Week's "Last Word" section, entitled "The philosopher with a wrench". A must-read excerpt of "Shop Class as Soulcraft" by Matthew Crawford, who describes the wisdom he's found being a motorcycle mechanic, even though he has a Ph.D. in political philosophy and held "the bomb" job as executive director of a policy organization in Washington. A la Persig's, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Crawford expands beyond the idea of a quality of work ethic into more of how you can experience the world 'on the head of the pin' through learning a "simple" trade.
The duly employed are having their own epiphanies. A New York marketing director for a fashion designer said, "I'm contemplating moving. I went home to North Carolina to see my family a while back, and stayed up all night playing Scrabble® with my sister. It dawned on me, I don't ever get to do that." He continued saying that his life is basically going to work, going to dinner, going to bed, and doing it all again the next day. There's no "family time". A CEO of a large logistics transportation company said he always had to travel so much he was never able to find a sense of "community" until he happened upon a local coffee shop.
What fills us isn't the car, the house, the clothes, the shoes, the jewelry and the trips. It's our tribe, whether that's a blood-related family or a community. Within that microcosm is a safe place where people unite with people. Listening. Understanding. Finding solutions. Or making the problems more palatable. Coffee shop baristas can teach us all a lot about community. Recently, two of Atlanta's top baristas have chosen to continue running a coffee shop on their own until a new buyer comes along -- after their boss decided to "check out" of the business. The community who they served day in and day out didn't lash out, because they didn't have pastries any more or hot water some days. Instead, one patron tipped them $10.00 and left empty handed - he didn't even get his coffee. These patrons know the baristas personally, in turn the baristas have taken the time to get to know their patrons beyond whether they want a cappuccino or a shot in the dark. So, there is an understanding. The patrons are more patient - more forgiving - even waiting outside for hours until the guys show up to open the doors, knowing the guys have had to work two shifts straight everyday for weeks. Of course, these baristas also happen to serve an incredible cup of coffee, so patrons know it's worth the wait. In the meantime, they are all getting to know each another a lot better and something pretty incredible is happening.
(To be continued...)
It's the simple things. Over a year ago, in the May 18, 2008 issue of The New York Times there was an article about the huge trend sweeping across the nation, entitled "Voluntary simplicity movement re-emerges". The unemployed are not only getting rid of their "stuff" they are also "dumbing down" their resumes as the June 26, 2009 issue of The Week notes. And perhaps getting more fulfillng jobs as described in The Week's "Last Word" section, entitled "The philosopher with a wrench". A must-read excerpt of "Shop Class as Soulcraft" by Matthew Crawford, who describes the wisdom he's found being a motorcycle mechanic, even though he has a Ph.D. in political philosophy and held "the bomb" job as executive director of a policy organization in Washington. A la Persig's, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Crawford expands beyond the idea of a quality of work ethic into more of how you can experience the world 'on the head of the pin' through learning a "simple" trade.
The duly employed are having their own epiphanies. A New York marketing director for a fashion designer said, "I'm contemplating moving. I went home to North Carolina to see my family a while back, and stayed up all night playing Scrabble® with my sister. It dawned on me, I don't ever get to do that." He continued saying that his life is basically going to work, going to dinner, going to bed, and doing it all again the next day. There's no "family time". A CEO of a large logistics transportation company said he always had to travel so much he was never able to find a sense of "community" until he happened upon a local coffee shop.
What fills us isn't the car, the house, the clothes, the shoes, the jewelry and the trips. It's our tribe, whether that's a blood-related family or a community. Within that microcosm is a safe place where people unite with people. Listening. Understanding. Finding solutions. Or making the problems more palatable. Coffee shop baristas can teach us all a lot about community. Recently, two of Atlanta's top baristas have chosen to continue running a coffee shop on their own until a new buyer comes along -- after their boss decided to "check out" of the business. The community who they served day in and day out didn't lash out, because they didn't have pastries any more or hot water some days. Instead, one patron tipped them $10.00 and left empty handed - he didn't even get his coffee. These patrons know the baristas personally, in turn the baristas have taken the time to get to know their patrons beyond whether they want a cappuccino or a shot in the dark. So, there is an understanding. The patrons are more patient - more forgiving - even waiting outside for hours until the guys show up to open the doors, knowing the guys have had to work two shifts straight everyday for weeks. Of course, these baristas also happen to serve an incredible cup of coffee, so patrons know it's worth the wait. In the meantime, they are all getting to know each another a lot better and something pretty incredible is happening.
(To be continued...)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Why Walking Down the Blocks of Information is Good for Your Health
Is the FDA hurting us more than helping us? Is the FDA petitioning to prevent accessibility of worthwhile vitamins from consumers in an effort to allow the pharmaceutical companies hoping to profit development time to produce it? That's what the July 20, 2009 issue of Life Extensions alludes to in reference to the new research that found the growing benefits of B6 vitamer pyridoxal-5-phoshate. Conspiracy theory or truth?
There's a cacophony of information and points of view out there, and a lot of it isn't just noise. It's information you can use as long as you understand where and who it's coming from. You can go to Quackwatch.com where Dr. Stephen Barrett from Chapel Hill, N.C. gives his views on what he deems quackery and health fraud to help you make intelligent decisions. The FDA approves of him. In 1984, he received a Commissioner's Special Citation Award for Public Service in fighting nutrition quackery from them. You can also visit Randi.org, a forum where educated minds battle it out to the bitter end on everything from science to the paranormal. You can research folk remedies on earthclinic.com or visit mercola.com where Dr Mercola gives you advise on supplementation and medicine based on his 20 years of clinical experience. An interesting article by the national council for dentistry Charlie G. Brown is posted there, which talks about the odd way the FDA has handled the mercury amalgam issue. They vehemently protect it from going into animal products like a recent horse ointment, but totally turn a blind eye to issues relating to any human products. See the link to the full article in the links/resources list below. You can also subscribe to Life Extension Magazine or visit their online site. Life Extensions dates back from the Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw days, after they co-wrote the book of the same title. While wonderful information, keep in mind that Dr. Mercola and Life Extensions have a supplement product line they are also trying to sell.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is also a good resource. They question the FDA ability to protect us saying, "Adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death in America. Reactions to prescription and over-the-counter medications kill far more people annually than all illegal drug use combined." But like the tobacco industry, drug companies lobby hard to get what they want. Based on an article from The Center for Public Integrity, the year President George W. Bush signed the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, creating a taxpayer-funded prescription benefit for seniors, the drug industry spent about $116 million lobbying the government. In 2004 that number went up to $123 million with 52% of the lobbyists being former federal officials. 61% of Medicare prescription drug money will become profit for the pharmaceutical companies according to an October 2003 Boston University study. That study estimates a $139 billion dollar increase in profits over an eight year period.
The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 actually went into effect in 2006. After that date, the Wall Street Journal reported increased earnings from the industry. Prescription volume over the course of one month in July 0f 2006, had increased 4.9% from the previous year, which translates to increased sales for drug companies. According to the Center for Public Integrity article mentioned earlier, of any other government, the US uses tax breaks and subsidies more often to contribute to the development of new drugs. With nine of the largest drug companies in the US you'd think drugs would be less expensive, but they are actually getting more expensive everyday, and since the US are such huge consumers of drugs, the global pharmaceutical companies even profit more from them. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that spending for prescription drugs has been increasing at "double-digit rates" from $40.3 billion in 1990 to $216.7 billion in 2006. Taking into consideration that the population increased 16% over that time period, that number is still extremely high. Are we getting sicker? Are cost of drugs increasing that much? Are doctors being paid-off to push drugs like Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff, the psychologist who received $800,000 from GlaxoSmithKline in 2008, and was subsequently barred from Emory University Chairmanship?
Did the Vioxx fiasco of 2004 not scare anyone? The drug was marketed by Merck & Co. to over 80 million countries worldwide. When the drug was pulled on Sept. 30, 2004, 2 million of Americans were on it. It's no secret, Merck was concerned about the heart attack risk as early as 1996, but instead of spending for more research, they put over $500 million into the direct-to-consumer advertising of Vioxx.
We haven't seen a debacle like that since Thalomid, which was given to pregnant women in the 1960s for morning sickness and resulted in severely deformed babies. Perhaps Vioxx didn't frighten people enough, because that was the same year we were fixed on other news like the Bird Flu crisis in Asia, Locust attacks in the Sub-Sahara, and of course, the Tsunami in South Asia. As information pours in from all corners of the earth, it can divert our attention to other important news.
Defenders of the FDA in the Vioxx case claim it required Merck to add labeling information about a possible link to such problems in April of 2000. It is also worth noting that FDA claims to have had limited resources to do their job mainly due to the restructuring that took place after the FDA Moderization Act of 1997. Even before the restructuring, the FDA had to step up their processes a notch to accommodate the acceleration in the new-drug approval process since The Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992. Things can slip through the cracks if you have limited resources and have to rush -time is money after all.
In addition to pharmaceuticals, there's also the mostly unregulated vitamin supplements and homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic medicines are developed basically on the theory that small doses of substances simulating the illness provide the cure - kind of similar to the vaccine theory. However, the FDA has no power with these unregulated medicines, unless or until they prove a real danger like the recent Ziacam threat. WSJ blogger, Jacob Goldstein in his June 16, 2009 article, "Zicam, the FDA and Homopathy", tells how after 130 reports of loss of smell after using the nostril-inhaled cold remedy Zicam, the FDA sent a warning out to consumers.
The FDA has to regulate food as well. In the early 1990s the scientific consensus at the FDA was that GM foods were dangerous and might even be poisonous, creating nutritional problems, hard-to-detect allergies, bacteria, and new diseases. They pleaded for further testing, but were ordered by the White House to promote these types of foods and organisms. Therefore, the policy that is in place declares no safety studies are needed. However, a recent press advisory sent on May 19, 2009 from the The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called for a moratorium on GM foods stating: "GM foods pose a serious health risk". The AAEM continued by saying that after animal studies, "there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects" and that "GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health." Highly recommended that everyone see the movie, Food, Inc.
Another WSJ blog entitled, "FDA Tries to Decide What Should, Shouldn't Be Kept Secret" by Sarah Rubenstein talks about how there are efforts being made to lift the veil of secrecy at the agency to help consumers better understand their decision-making process. The question is of course how much will they tell us?
It is worth staying tuned-in --- and if you have children, turn them onto the many blocks of information as well ---or at the very least the nutritional block on the labels of the food they eat, like The FDA's "Spot The Block" campaign with Cartoon Network encourages them to do. It launched last year and is now in it's second year, no doubt as a move to address the growing obesity problems among children. When it comes to drugs and alternative therapies, being a tenacious sleuth and teaching your children to be one is not just good for your health, it could just save your life.
Resource Links:
lifeextension.com
randi.org
mercola.com
http://www.earthclinic.com/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/06/16/FDA-Protects-Your-Pets-from-Mercury-But-Not-You-Until-Now.aspx
http://projects.publicintegrity.org/rx/report.aspx?aid=723
www.kff.org/rxdrugs/upload/3057_07.pdf
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-10-12-vioxx-cover_x.htm
http://www.opednews.com/articles/American-Academy-of-Enviro-by-Jeffrey-M-Smith-090519-809.html
http://www.aaemonline.org/pressrelease.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/06/02/fda-tries-to-decide-what-should-shouldnt-be-kept-secret/
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/11/01/8189593/index.htm
http://www.prisonplanet.com/psych-doctor-nemeroff-barred-from-emory-university-chairmanship-after-revelation-of-secret-financial-ties-to-big-pharma.html
There's a cacophony of information and points of view out there, and a lot of it isn't just noise. It's information you can use as long as you understand where and who it's coming from. You can go to Quackwatch.com where Dr. Stephen Barrett from Chapel Hill, N.C. gives his views on what he deems quackery and health fraud to help you make intelligent decisions. The FDA approves of him. In 1984, he received a Commissioner's Special Citation Award for Public Service in fighting nutrition quackery from them. You can also visit Randi.org, a forum where educated minds battle it out to the bitter end on everything from science to the paranormal. You can research folk remedies on earthclinic.com or visit mercola.com where Dr Mercola gives you advise on supplementation and medicine based on his 20 years of clinical experience. An interesting article by the national council for dentistry Charlie G. Brown is posted there, which talks about the odd way the FDA has handled the mercury amalgam issue. They vehemently protect it from going into animal products like a recent horse ointment, but totally turn a blind eye to issues relating to any human products. See the link to the full article in the links/resources list below. You can also subscribe to Life Extension Magazine or visit their online site. Life Extensions dates back from the Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw days, after they co-wrote the book of the same title. While wonderful information, keep in mind that Dr. Mercola and Life Extensions have a supplement product line they are also trying to sell.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is also a good resource. They question the FDA ability to protect us saying, "Adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death in America. Reactions to prescription and over-the-counter medications kill far more people annually than all illegal drug use combined." But like the tobacco industry, drug companies lobby hard to get what they want. Based on an article from The Center for Public Integrity, the year President George W. Bush signed the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, creating a taxpayer-funded prescription benefit for seniors, the drug industry spent about $116 million lobbying the government. In 2004 that number went up to $123 million with 52% of the lobbyists being former federal officials. 61% of Medicare prescription drug money will become profit for the pharmaceutical companies according to an October 2003 Boston University study. That study estimates a $139 billion dollar increase in profits over an eight year period.
The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 actually went into effect in 2006. After that date, the Wall Street Journal reported increased earnings from the industry. Prescription volume over the course of one month in July 0f 2006, had increased 4.9% from the previous year, which translates to increased sales for drug companies. According to the Center for Public Integrity article mentioned earlier, of any other government, the US uses tax breaks and subsidies more often to contribute to the development of new drugs. With nine of the largest drug companies in the US you'd think drugs would be less expensive, but they are actually getting more expensive everyday, and since the US are such huge consumers of drugs, the global pharmaceutical companies even profit more from them. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that spending for prescription drugs has been increasing at "double-digit rates" from $40.3 billion in 1990 to $216.7 billion in 2006. Taking into consideration that the population increased 16% over that time period, that number is still extremely high. Are we getting sicker? Are cost of drugs increasing that much? Are doctors being paid-off to push drugs like Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff, the psychologist who received $800,000 from GlaxoSmithKline in 2008, and was subsequently barred from Emory University Chairmanship?
Did the Vioxx fiasco of 2004 not scare anyone? The drug was marketed by Merck & Co. to over 80 million countries worldwide. When the drug was pulled on Sept. 30, 2004, 2 million of Americans were on it. It's no secret, Merck was concerned about the heart attack risk as early as 1996, but instead of spending for more research, they put over $500 million into the direct-to-consumer advertising of Vioxx.
We haven't seen a debacle like that since Thalomid, which was given to pregnant women in the 1960s for morning sickness and resulted in severely deformed babies. Perhaps Vioxx didn't frighten people enough, because that was the same year we were fixed on other news like the Bird Flu crisis in Asia, Locust attacks in the Sub-Sahara, and of course, the Tsunami in South Asia. As information pours in from all corners of the earth, it can divert our attention to other important news.
Defenders of the FDA in the Vioxx case claim it required Merck to add labeling information about a possible link to such problems in April of 2000. It is also worth noting that FDA claims to have had limited resources to do their job mainly due to the restructuring that took place after the FDA Moderization Act of 1997. Even before the restructuring, the FDA had to step up their processes a notch to accommodate the acceleration in the new-drug approval process since The Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992. Things can slip through the cracks if you have limited resources and have to rush -time is money after all.
In addition to pharmaceuticals, there's also the mostly unregulated vitamin supplements and homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic medicines are developed basically on the theory that small doses of substances simulating the illness provide the cure - kind of similar to the vaccine theory. However, the FDA has no power with these unregulated medicines, unless or until they prove a real danger like the recent Ziacam threat. WSJ blogger, Jacob Goldstein in his June 16, 2009 article, "Zicam, the FDA and Homopathy", tells how after 130 reports of loss of smell after using the nostril-inhaled cold remedy Zicam, the FDA sent a warning out to consumers.
The FDA has to regulate food as well. In the early 1990s the scientific consensus at the FDA was that GM foods were dangerous and might even be poisonous, creating nutritional problems, hard-to-detect allergies, bacteria, and new diseases. They pleaded for further testing, but were ordered by the White House to promote these types of foods and organisms. Therefore, the policy that is in place declares no safety studies are needed. However, a recent press advisory sent on May 19, 2009 from the The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called for a moratorium on GM foods stating: "GM foods pose a serious health risk". The AAEM continued by saying that after animal studies, "there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects" and that "GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health." Highly recommended that everyone see the movie, Food, Inc.
Another WSJ blog entitled, "FDA Tries to Decide What Should, Shouldn't Be Kept Secret" by Sarah Rubenstein talks about how there are efforts being made to lift the veil of secrecy at the agency to help consumers better understand their decision-making process. The question is of course how much will they tell us?
It is worth staying tuned-in --- and if you have children, turn them onto the many blocks of information as well ---or at the very least the nutritional block on the labels of the food they eat, like The FDA's "Spot The Block" campaign with Cartoon Network encourages them to do. It launched last year and is now in it's second year, no doubt as a move to address the growing obesity problems among children. When it comes to drugs and alternative therapies, being a tenacious sleuth and teaching your children to be one is not just good for your health, it could just save your life.
Resource Links:
lifeextension.com
randi.org
mercola.com
http://www.earthclinic.com/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/06/16/FDA-Protects-Your-Pets-from-Mercury-But-Not-You-Until-Now.aspx
http://projects.publicintegrity.org/rx/report.aspx?aid=723
www.kff.org/rxdrugs/upload/3057_07.pdf
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-10-12-vioxx-cover_x.htm
http://www.opednews.com/articles/American-Academy-of-Enviro-by-Jeffrey-M-Smith-090519-809.html
http://www.aaemonline.org/pressrelease.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/06/02/fda-tries-to-decide-what-should-shouldnt-be-kept-secret/
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/11/01/8189593/index.htm
http://www.prisonplanet.com/psych-doctor-nemeroff-barred-from-emory-university-chairmanship-after-revelation-of-secret-financial-ties-to-big-pharma.html
Monday, June 08, 2009
Long-term Effects of Instant Pudding
It was the late 40's when televisions were setting up shop in living rooms across America, programming shows like Puppet Playhouse and Howdy Doody. TV became an endless source of instant entertainment. By the 1950's Instant Jell-O Pudding was introduced as the "busy day dessert". Since then everything from mashed potatoes to tanning has become available... in an instant.
At 13, my son has been fully indoctrinated into instant gratification along with the rest of his generation. Cable. Xbox. Wii. And of course, the Internet, which has become TV on crack. No more just turning on a box to simply get instant visual entertainment, now you can have instant access to whatever you would want to purchase, see, hear, play, learn, research, or experience. It's a wonderful thing, except it doesn't foster an appreciation for the virtues of patience. On one of our many Sunday walk-abouts my son and I discussed the idea of how controlling the need for instant gratification is key to long term success. I think it was the psychologist Daniel Goleman whose research in the mid-80s and subsequent New York Bestseller, Emotional Intelligence tied success with an ability to delay gratification.
The Internet serves as a fast forward or fast rewind tool. You are able to defy the linear laws of time and space. It has also become instant consumer-driven 'order' in chaos. While I am excited about the Internet dissolving obstacles and boundaries (my son says it levels the playing field... "World is Flat" author, Thomas Friedman seems to agree ) and am eager to see where it can take us, I am also aware our children need to learn how to make boundaries when they need them, to understand the value of patience, and the power of the pause.
When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me stories about his days as a tailor's apprentice or a Lineotype operator's apprentice. Apprentices were a dying breed even in my youth. It sounded like a frustrating job to me back then. Funny thing, I chose to be a ballerina and the process is very similar to an apprenticeship. Later, as a writer, I learned I had to be in love with the process of writing and rewriting, along with the slow evolution of getting to the essence of a story, character, or plot. Granted the idea that our kids will totally miss out on the lesson, is not fair to say. There may be the opportunity to learn it. However, when accustom to having everything in an instant, the long-term effects may cause our kids to jump into a fire of learning instead of having the benefits of slower means.
Is there a place for skipping steps? Jumping in without a rulebook? Yes, I believe so. However, to be successful, I still feel there needs to be a highly honed dose of patience. Knowing when to surf, skip, fast forward, rewind, and stop, watch or observe. Being okay to wait it out and learn, research, and study until the environment is more conducive to the venture. If we can learn how to develop that in our kids, I feel they can be true time travelers, able to create in more powerful ways than we ever could.
At 13, my son has been fully indoctrinated into instant gratification along with the rest of his generation. Cable. Xbox. Wii. And of course, the Internet, which has become TV on crack. No more just turning on a box to simply get instant visual entertainment, now you can have instant access to whatever you would want to purchase, see, hear, play, learn, research, or experience. It's a wonderful thing, except it doesn't foster an appreciation for the virtues of patience. On one of our many Sunday walk-abouts my son and I discussed the idea of how controlling the need for instant gratification is key to long term success. I think it was the psychologist Daniel Goleman whose research in the mid-80s and subsequent New York Bestseller, Emotional Intelligence tied success with an ability to delay gratification.
The Internet serves as a fast forward or fast rewind tool. You are able to defy the linear laws of time and space. It has also become instant consumer-driven 'order' in chaos. While I am excited about the Internet dissolving obstacles and boundaries (my son says it levels the playing field... "World is Flat" author, Thomas Friedman seems to agree ) and am eager to see where it can take us, I am also aware our children need to learn how to make boundaries when they need them, to understand the value of patience, and the power of the pause.
When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me stories about his days as a tailor's apprentice or a Lineotype operator's apprentice. Apprentices were a dying breed even in my youth. It sounded like a frustrating job to me back then. Funny thing, I chose to be a ballerina and the process is very similar to an apprenticeship. Later, as a writer, I learned I had to be in love with the process of writing and rewriting, along with the slow evolution of getting to the essence of a story, character, or plot. Granted the idea that our kids will totally miss out on the lesson, is not fair to say. There may be the opportunity to learn it. However, when accustom to having everything in an instant, the long-term effects may cause our kids to jump into a fire of learning instead of having the benefits of slower means.
Is there a place for skipping steps? Jumping in without a rulebook? Yes, I believe so. However, to be successful, I still feel there needs to be a highly honed dose of patience. Knowing when to surf, skip, fast forward, rewind, and stop, watch or observe. Being okay to wait it out and learn, research, and study until the environment is more conducive to the venture. If we can learn how to develop that in our kids, I feel they can be true time travelers, able to create in more powerful ways than we ever could.
Metamorphosing the Mirror.
Physically or metaphorically reflective surfaces have been our teacher and our nemesis since the beginning of time. It could be said we all - in varying degrees - are like Narcissus, who in the familiar myth saw his reflection and was mesmerized. Granted, he thought it was someone else. His admiration for this image turned into love, and then into an obsession that eventually overpowered his desire for anything or anyone else. In the end, he starved himself and died.
Well, thin is in; glamour and beauty are defined for us in the media. Many women in our tenacious effort to meet this feminine ideal have turned into hyper-conscious vigilantes bedeviled by our mirrors. As with Narcissus, the reflective surface is not always glass or metal, it can be a pool of water or even people who reflect what they see in us. They can be our mother, father, sister, brother, teacher, boyfriend, girlfriend, neighbor, relative, or stranger. They can report back positively or negatively. Yet regardless, we listen and act accordingly to change or maintain the view. In our effort to “know thyself” we have been lead down a warped path.
As much as these mirrors or people attempt to reflect reality to us, they usually distort it. The reflective surface could be slightly more concave or convex creating an illusion of being taller or shorter – consider all those dressing room mirrors especially the ones that are inevitably there when you’re trying on a bathing suit. The observer interpreting the perspective also brings his or her own expectations or illusions. For instance, a person who grew up in a critical environment may see something totally different than one who grew up in a loving home – even if they are looking in the same mirror. If there is an observer and one who is being observed, you actually have two sets of expectations and illusions to deal with. So, what’s the truth?
What do I really look like? Who am I? Am I fat? Am I pretty? Does this outfit look good on me? The answers all depend on what or who is acting as the reflective surface and who is interpreting that reflective information. We can set up five different mirrors and depending on their shape, size, length, width, and angle of incidence (where the reflection hits the “normal” and reflects back)– the results will vary. Remember that. Also be mindful of what preconceived notions you have of yourself that you have brought to the mirror since childhood. If those notions no longer serve you, learn to shift them. Burn the tape that runs in your head and record a new one. Finally, if someone else is acting as your mirror, realize where that interpretation is coming from and receive the information accordingly.
By all means learn to know yourself, but do so with compassion, clarity, balance, and most of all love and forgiveness. Because in reality, you are but a reflection of your thoughts, so make them wonderful.
Well, thin is in; glamour and beauty are defined for us in the media. Many women in our tenacious effort to meet this feminine ideal have turned into hyper-conscious vigilantes bedeviled by our mirrors. As with Narcissus, the reflective surface is not always glass or metal, it can be a pool of water or even people who reflect what they see in us. They can be our mother, father, sister, brother, teacher, boyfriend, girlfriend, neighbor, relative, or stranger. They can report back positively or negatively. Yet regardless, we listen and act accordingly to change or maintain the view. In our effort to “know thyself” we have been lead down a warped path.
As much as these mirrors or people attempt to reflect reality to us, they usually distort it. The reflective surface could be slightly more concave or convex creating an illusion of being taller or shorter – consider all those dressing room mirrors especially the ones that are inevitably there when you’re trying on a bathing suit. The observer interpreting the perspective also brings his or her own expectations or illusions. For instance, a person who grew up in a critical environment may see something totally different than one who grew up in a loving home – even if they are looking in the same mirror. If there is an observer and one who is being observed, you actually have two sets of expectations and illusions to deal with. So, what’s the truth?
What do I really look like? Who am I? Am I fat? Am I pretty? Does this outfit look good on me? The answers all depend on what or who is acting as the reflective surface and who is interpreting that reflective information. We can set up five different mirrors and depending on their shape, size, length, width, and angle of incidence (where the reflection hits the “normal” and reflects back)– the results will vary. Remember that. Also be mindful of what preconceived notions you have of yourself that you have brought to the mirror since childhood. If those notions no longer serve you, learn to shift them. Burn the tape that runs in your head and record a new one. Finally, if someone else is acting as your mirror, realize where that interpretation is coming from and receive the information accordingly.
By all means learn to know yourself, but do so with compassion, clarity, balance, and most of all love and forgiveness. Because in reality, you are but a reflection of your thoughts, so make them wonderful.
Addressing the over 60 crowd at the Unemployement Offices
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2009 demographic, 6% of the unemployed are over 60. Granted, the majority of unemployed are younger professionals. However, the crowd over 60 is still required to attend unemployment meetings and listen to speeches that do not address their needs in the least. The focus is all about how to build a career. That's useless information for folks just shy of retirement age. These unfortunate souls don't care anything about building a career. They just want direction on how to survive until they can retire.
Every Sunday, I ride bikes with a friend of mine who is over 60 and unemployed. He's wasn't a high-priced CEO. He simply had a decent job he enjoyed. He worked 30 years for the company. A few months ago, it closed its doors, folding under the pressures of the economic downturn. For 30 years, he got up in the morning had his coffee and drove to work. Then suddenly he couldn't anymore. Financially it wasn't an option to take early retirement. He had to file unemployment, attend the meetings that didn't address his needs every week, and hope that he could find something, anything that would give him an income and occupy his mind.
For several years, he and his wife have watched their peer group move away from the stresses of city life. They had always enjoyed the company of their younger friends, but they missed having friends their own age. No matter how old you are, unemployment amplifies the need to connect, to be involved, even to be seen. Younger professionals have social networks online to connect them. If the older generation have gotten on these networks it's not to connect to their peers, it's more to stay in touch with their kids and grand kids.
This generation isn't accustom to talking about their woes, so in the case of unemployment, the isolation gap from their peer group widens. Loneliness threatens. Depression knocks - but many in this age group have never had the luxury of time to be depressed like the Anti-Depressant Generation whose parents' wealth served as a constant crutch for any unfortunate events. The over 60 crowd still feel the need to be useful, to offer their skills which in many cases are so unique, no one younger could even hope to have them. But the economy and the government agencies have turned a blind eye to them. They do not have any information for them. So like they have time and time again, this group of newly unemployed is having to find their own way in the dark.
How much time would it take for an unemployment office to consider this generation of workers? Do they have to pay for a marketing research study to convince them? Do you have to wait for a government action to be filed? Do they need a script? Maybe. But in the meantime, if they could even simply see them. Address them. Acknowledge they are sitting in the meeting. That would be a start.
Every Sunday, I ride bikes with a friend of mine who is over 60 and unemployed. He's wasn't a high-priced CEO. He simply had a decent job he enjoyed. He worked 30 years for the company. A few months ago, it closed its doors, folding under the pressures of the economic downturn. For 30 years, he got up in the morning had his coffee and drove to work. Then suddenly he couldn't anymore. Financially it wasn't an option to take early retirement. He had to file unemployment, attend the meetings that didn't address his needs every week, and hope that he could find something, anything that would give him an income and occupy his mind.
For several years, he and his wife have watched their peer group move away from the stresses of city life. They had always enjoyed the company of their younger friends, but they missed having friends their own age. No matter how old you are, unemployment amplifies the need to connect, to be involved, even to be seen. Younger professionals have social networks online to connect them. If the older generation have gotten on these networks it's not to connect to their peers, it's more to stay in touch with their kids and grand kids.
This generation isn't accustom to talking about their woes, so in the case of unemployment, the isolation gap from their peer group widens. Loneliness threatens. Depression knocks - but many in this age group have never had the luxury of time to be depressed like the Anti-Depressant Generation whose parents' wealth served as a constant crutch for any unfortunate events. The over 60 crowd still feel the need to be useful, to offer their skills which in many cases are so unique, no one younger could even hope to have them. But the economy and the government agencies have turned a blind eye to them. They do not have any information for them. So like they have time and time again, this group of newly unemployed is having to find their own way in the dark.
How much time would it take for an unemployment office to consider this generation of workers? Do they have to pay for a marketing research study to convince them? Do you have to wait for a government action to be filed? Do they need a script? Maybe. But in the meantime, if they could even simply see them. Address them. Acknowledge they are sitting in the meeting. That would be a start.
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