kiss and tell?

Can a physical feature reveal psychological information about a person? It reminds me of the early studies in criminology, when phrenologists used to study skull shapes and the bumps on one’s head to determine if they were a criminal or not. Of course phrenology was dismissed hundreds of years ago, because it was clearly an inaccurate way to determine the legality of one’s nature. But a similar psychological technique may have made a comeback.

It is called “Lipsology”. Determining psychological characteristics through lip shapes. To practice lipsology, you apply lipstick to your lips, kiss a peice of paper, and look at the shape of the lip print. No, I am not making this up.

“The resulting imprints, given names such as “gerbil balls” “angel wings” “mother nature’s lines” “peppers” and “zingers” are supposed to indicate a wide variety of information, health, psychological predispositions, even some spiritual interventions”

The author of this post on Psychology Today was equally appalled that people are actually taking this seriously. I feel like psychology may have just taken a step in the wrong direction.

a good night’s sleep

I found an interesting post on Psychology Today. A recent study was done with children to examine the effects of inadequate sleep (which is said to be 7.7 hours for children 7-8 years old). A link has been found between short sleeping durations and an increased risk of ADHD.

I remember hearing about studies done concerning high school kids and sleep duration. When school was started later, the kids had better academic performance.. Perhaps these two studies are somehow linked. We all know that growing and developing bodies and minds need adequate rest, but maybe it makes more of a difference than we may have predicted.

I am definitely an advocate for later starting times for schools. My high school years were incredibly sleep deprived. First period in high school was basically a complete waste, since no one is fully awake to do anything. If school is started later for kids/adolescents, it could increase academic performance on two levels: decreasing ADHD for younger children (which also helps with academics later in life), and increasing academic performance for high school students.

Psychiatric Illness in the Clergy?

A post on Mind Hacks was discussing psychoanalysis of clergy members. The author found a 1969 article about several monks who underwent psychoanalysis, only to discover about themselves that they felt that they desired a married life to a life of God.

The incident that inspired the ’69 article occurred in 1961. It was decided that psychoanalysis would be beneficial to clergy in training, so 60 monks participated in psychoanalysis therapy. After the therapy, only 20 decided to remain clergy. The other 40 felt a calling to married life.

Similar results occurred when a group of nuns attended psychotherapy. A large percentage left the covenant, with a few converting to lesbians.

In retaliation, the pope banned clergy from participating in psychoanalysis.

The 1969 article was titled “Psychiatric Illness in the Clergy”. I may be wrong, but I don’t feel that the desire to marry and have a family should be considered a psychiatric illness. Nor do I believe that recognizing your sexual orientation to be a psychiatric illness. And, I feel like it is doing the potential-clergy and the rest of society a disservice by banning psychoanalysis of clergy. How can one successfully serve God if they aren’t happy with their life? A life of religious celibacy isn’t for everyone, and I think that people have the right to know if they are right for the job.

Hugo Chavez needs a stick removed from his … nevermind

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about the embargo lifting between the United States and Cuba. There was a summit meeting, and we got a picture of something that we never thought possible. Hugo Chavez and the President of the United States shaking hands with smiles. Granted this was not President Bush, but rather President Obama, it was still a great moment. Everybody knew the Venezuelan presidents feelings towards Mr. Bush. He had publicly called him the devil, and when he stepped up to the podium after him, he said that he had smelled sulfur, which is a reference to the Devil. In the article that I found on Fox news, Hugo Chavez is going back to his old self. It is clear that he does not understand that the relations with the United States and Cuba cannot be mended overnight, but he already has public outcries.

“If Obama doesn’t knock down the savage blockade against the Cuban people, it’s all a lie. Everything would be a big farce,” Chavez said.

Whether it be Bush or Obama in charge it does not matter. It could be Santa Claus in charge and Hugo Chavez would still have beef with the United States. Whether it be Bush who damaged relations with Venezuela or it could be Chavez himself having issues with us, it will never change. Relations with Venezuela will always be strained until Chavez is no longer president, because he will always have issues with the United States.

Church and State my foot!

As I was reading the article about one of Conneticutt’s middle school’s banning touch, I found this video clip of a principal who allegedly held a Buddhist hate chant inside his school.

A principal with a hate list? The department of education is investigating a Riverdale principal amid accusations he held a religious ritual aimed at teachers he considered his enemies.

Here’s what gets my goat: Christianity has dominated our schools since the beginning of Christianity. Is it only that these parents felt threatened by an alternative Eastern religion? Most people who know anything about Buddhism know its non-violent. Look at Christianity! I just don’t get people. The parent’s of the children from the school say the principal was trying to recruit them. How many times has a churchlady or friend asked you to go to some event, whether it be worship, or a basketball game, or a easter egg hunt or a picnic/bbq? The parents also said as the principal had hired some Buddhists! Holy Mother of God! I thought religious freedom was in our constitution and if you had the qualifications for the job, religion should not matter. But, I guess that’s only ok as long as you don’t tell anyone, and you go with the flow of the flock.

We won’t know for sure what happened in this instance until the investigation is over. It does bring up some alarming thoughts and questions however.

Rape and Burn

I was looking online to find articles about the negative effects of blogging and using Facebook and other such internet communities.  I wasn’t surprised to find quite a few blogs on the subject, but I was surprised to find this article. 

Lynch, a steroid addict, imprisoned the woman for hours before beating and raping her two weeks after meeting her on social networking site Facebook.

Following the attack he bombarded her with text messages and phone calls for several days.

Three days after Lynch raped the woman, he arranged that she be burned with sulfuric acid. Both Lynch and the acid-thrower were convicted and are going to be going to jail for a number (if smaller than I woud like) years.  It worries me that anyone who has an internet connection has access to these networks; they can learn about you and read your private thoughts and feelings. Anyone who has this sort of account should be very careful of what they share and with whom they talk, because there is no knowing what kind of crazys are out there.

Is that really your Attitude?

As I am finishing up with my psychology class in Persuasion, I keep thinking about attitudes and behavior. Behavior shapes attitudes through justification of effort and cognitive dissonance, but how do we judge our own attitude. At times, we tell ourselves we feel and act differently than we really do. For the psychology class, we were told to take an  Implicit Association Test, to see what our attitudes were ranging from people of color and the election to the elderly.

Here you will have the opportunity to assess your conscious and unconscious preferences for over 90 different topings ranging from pets to political issues, ethnic groups to sports teams, and entertainers to styles of music. At the same time, you will be assisting psychological research on thoughts and feelings.

I took the political quiz that was focused on Obama and McCain. The test looked at political party associations as well as race. I was some what surprised by the results, not because I didn’t know the attitudes, but because I had never had someone or thing come out and tell me it was so. It really made me look at other issues that I tell myself I feel X about when really it could be Y.  I like this sight and the information it is collecting, but I think some people who take the test might become angry about the results.

Nice Shoes!

I found the following article interesting: First Lady Michelle Obama steps out in Lanvin sneakers and they’re only $540! While many of us are barely holding on during this recession there is always a few that remind us how poor we really are. Apparently the First Lady was volunteering at a food bank the other day sporting $540 sneakers. Don’t get me wrong its good she is volunteering her time, not that she has anything else to do. Plus we all know she is rich so of course she will have the finer things in life. However, I believe it to be a poor choice of character flaunty luxury items in front of people that can’t even afford to feed themselves. Seriously $540 sneakers? She would have won me over if she showed up in a pair of $75 Nikes and donated the rest of the $465 to someone who truly needs it. Sure I might be a little jealous but im not the one the country is looking up to right now during this financial crisis. Any thoughts?

The crisis really is everywhere

I stumbled across an article just a couple of hours into may thinking that this crisis indeed has extended everywhere. I dont know if it as bad as the world economic crisis after World War I, but its definetely big. When you have protests in France, Great Britain, Germany, Turkey, and several Asian countries all demonstrating against the same thing, then you have a hell of a problem. Nobody can figure out how to stimulate the economy (besides Lewis Black.) The protests are about the loss of jobs and people getting laid off. We have that problem here in the United States as well as those other countries. We have it in this town even. I am also threatened by this crisis. I could lose my job tomorrow because the company I work for could not have enough money to pay me. The one thing that somebody needs to figure out is how do we rebuild the world economy without starting another World War. Nobody has if figured out yet, but keep the faith. Theyll get it one of these days. Things have to go up at some point.

Swine Flu

So if you haven’t heard of the latest pandemic, it’s swine flu! While I’ve heard everyone talking about it, I haven’t heard anyone really describe what it is, how it’s different from other kinds of flu, etc. Has anyone heard of why it’s “swine” flu? I know they said that the genetic material of the virus is of a Eurasian swine background (not a North American one, apparently) but I don’t remember hearing about a pandemic virus killing off great numbers of pigs any time recently. Are they just carriers who are actually immune to the virus? I’m not sure. However, every time there is a new possible pandemic that emerges, it is interesting to sit back and watch the panic and posturing that goes on. I’m not trying to sound callus, it’s just that as news media latches on to each new story, with blazing headlines and colorful graphics with daunting music for segment titles on programs, people tend to whip themselves into a huge frenzy before anything concrete starts to emerge that might actually be newsworthy. Obviously in our modern world a pandemic has the opportunity to spread much, much more quickly that it would have even one hundred years ago. Travel is available in a variety of different mediums, nearly all of which are significantly faster than anything that used to be available. Because of the population explosion that has occurred even over the last fifty years, there are a greater number of people living together in the same area of land, meaning that the disease or virus has a much better chance of finding a new host very quickly, even long before it would damage or kill the first one.

The ATA has been all up in arms over Vice President Biden’s comments about not using air travel or traveling in other confined spaces, but the CDC isn’t as worried as the VP. Though the pandemic level has been bumped up to “5” today and the WHO is instructing countries to mobilize (or at least dust off) their pandemic preparedness plans, there are still few things known about the pandemic and so it is really too hard to say what is and is not a proper precautionary measure. Though it is not necessary to cease air travel, stop taking public transportation, or stop shopping at the grocery store, it is important to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze and cough, to wash your hands regularly or use an alcohol-based sanitizer if you’re not near a bathroom, and to rest up if you start to feel symptomatic. These are normal, basic measures that people should be taking on a daily basis no matter what the time of year, simply because it’s proper hygiene – not to mention courteous to those around you. It seems like standard operating procedures like these are revived every time there is a “new” pandemic (which is never really seems to come to fruition as an actual pandemic) and then quickly forgotten once the excitement has worn off. Hopefully someday people will begin to pay more attention to taking care of themselves and those around them all of the time, not just when some fancy new virus pops up.

Stigma of Domestic Violence

On Earth Day, as I was coming home for the evening, I tripped on a box in my entry way. It was a very large, tall box and very much in my way. I fell forward onto the box and as my arms went out and up to protect my head and face, my elbow landed on the box resulting in a very pretty black eye with a gash in my cheek from my grandmother’s ring. This happened very quickly, and I didn’t think much of it…so I had a black eye with a hilarious story. Well- that soon changed as I went to work 2 days later and my eye had progressed. I have never received so many stares and jeers, so many laced questions, where my answers were perceived as lies. It made me pissed off that people were thinking, and some saying, that I was a victim of domestic violence. The thing is that they were trying to figure out the truth of the matter in a totally negative approach. I was offended. I think part of the reason I am so outright disgusted with being asked if I feel safe at home is because of my childhood. I grew up in a household with its very own intimate terror.  I am thankfully no where near that situation and hope never to be again. So there are two sides to this stigma. 1- People don’t recognize the signs of domestic violence and if they do, they don’t know how to act or help, or 2-People mistake unintentional injuries for domestic violence and are insulting.  Even though I was insulted, I’d rather have people questioning and treading the waters of speaking out against domestic violence.

I found some press releases about the stigma of domestic violence. They showed some interesting facts:

In interviews with nearly 25,000 women at 15 sites in 10 countries, researchers from the World Health Organization found that rates of partner violence ranged from a low of 15 percent in Yokohama, Japan, to a high of 71 percent in rural Ethiopia.

At six of the sites, at least 50 percent of women said that they had been subjected to moderate or severe violence in the home at some point. At 13 sites, more than a quarter of all women said they had suffered such violence in the past year.

 NEW YORK, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ — A surprising survey on domestic violence released today reveals an information gap that may very well prevent Americans from taking action when they witness domestic violence.  Approximately two-thirds of Americans say it is hard to determine whether someone has been a victim of domestic abuse (64%) and want more information about what to do when confronted with domestic violence (65%). Poll results clearly indicate that education about this topic is not only needed but can help save lives since 7 in 10 Americans (69%) will take some action when they are able to recognize domestic violence.
      When asked to define what actions comprise domestic violence and abuse, 2 in 5 Americans (40%) did not even mention hitting, slapping and punching. Over 90% of Americans failed to define repeated emotional, verbal, sexual abuse and controlling behaviors as patterns of domestic violence and abuse.

It is clear that every person needs to be educated about domestic violence and also know the ways to get help and intervene. It is important to remember however that women are not the only victims. Elderly abuse is on the rise, and there is also child abuse and men abuse. Everyone is a possible victim but everyone is also a potential advocate to Stop Domestic Violence and its stigma.

Twitter as a tool of revenge?

I personally do not use twitter, and here is why. I think that it is a stupid technology that we really dont need. We dont need to know what you are doing every five minutes, and if you are desperate for people to know what you are doing on a regular basis, then you need some friends. Now we have all become the slaves to the use of facebook, but at least facebook has alot of other features to it as well, whereas twitter is just twitter. But in the article that I discovered, apparantly someone hacked the fox news twitter page and made some innapropriate comments. I only have two words to say to that. HA HA! Normally you hear people that got fired from somewhere they come back and burn the place down, or go into a hostage situation, but this is ridiculous. There was no element of revenge here and the mess can be cleaned up in a matter of seconds. The people that did it dont even deserve a punishment for this. I mean sure, Bill O’reilly and Britney Spears wont be too thrilled, but they are used to being made fun of as it is. Is Twitter still pointless, YES!

Swine flu or bad economy?

Over and over again, I keep hearing about how airlines are taking such a hit right now. I just read the article: Half Empty Plane: Is it Swine Flu or Slump? and it really got me thinking. Would something like the swine flu affect your travel plans if you had a vacation or business trip ahead? Or do you think the economy is more or less what is causing this lull in air travel? The author said:

My flight to London was half-full – perhaps from last-minute cancellations over swine flu fears, but more likely the result of the global economic recession, which has drastically reduced tourism and business travel, or maybe it was just due to the ungodly departure hour of 7:45 a.m.

I honestly don’t think I’m letting the swine flu or the economy affect how I’m living my day to day life. If I want to go on a trip, and I have the money to do it, I’m not going to let the fear of catching this flu stop me from going.
My wonder is how much the airlines are going to have to continue to increase their rates because of the people who are choosing not to travel right now. I’m already really disappointed with Alaska Air’s choice to start charging for even your first checked bag. How many people can really fly without checking one piece of luggage unless it is for a quick trip? One thing I noticed after they started charging for bag number two is that the over head compartments are just getting more and more crowded. I really don’t think the extra charges are going to help much in the long run.
Anyway….rant over. Swine flu, bad economy, high airline prices…it is all life. I’m not going to let it stop me from enjoying life and doing the things I love to do.

An article on msnbc.com illustrates the grim situation in Mexico.  Add a virus capable of pandemic proportions to an economic ression and drug violence, and you have a place that is not very appealing to very many people.  The beaches are vacant, the flights are such that a person could stretch out in any number of empty rows, and the streets are void of travelers and locals alike. “Mexico City’s Chamber of Commerce said the closures and cancellations are costing 777 million pesos ($57 million) a day in the capital city alone — more than a third of the local economy.” Schools are closing, government offices are closed, attractions are closed…the entire country is shutting down.  And they should be commended for it.  Placing public and global safety before monetary gain is responsible and courageous.  On top of the horrors of drug violence, Mexico has maintained its composure and is taking every precaution possible to contain this vagabond virus.  Countries around the world are taking extensive measures to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread. “Cuba banned flights to Mexico. Argentina banned flights out of Mexico. France said Wednesday it would ask the European Union to suspend all flights to Mexico.” Lets just hope this global cooperation brings some amount of solidarity to this tiny crowded planet.

Pilfer, Plunder, Pillage and Ransack a Village! These Pirates Did Not Get Their Buried Treasure

It is unbelievable that there are still pirates in this world. You would think that since the days of the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” that these barbaric acts would be banned by any government, but they are still very much alive. These particular pirates that BBC talks about were captured after a rather unsuccesful attack on a Russian ship. Granted these guys deserved to be captured because the things that they do are not only illegal, and cruel, but they are just immoral and plain wrong. If this were happening off the coast of Florida, guess what, it would have ended rather fast, but since this is happening in Somalia, not much is done. Somalia is a godforsaken place, so naturally, there isnt much security there when it comes to maritime safety. There needs to be a bigger message sent to the pirates of Somalia, rather than just this simple capture of a few trouble makers. Either the United States, Russia, or Great Britian, the biggest naval powers in the world, need to unite against them. They need to know that this sort of thing can not be tolerated, and that if it does not stop, it will result in massive arrests and possibly death if they show any resistance. Since these pirate groups are not backed up by the Somali government (if any), it should not cause an international stir, and maybe even put a temporarary end to piracy. The reason I say temporary, is because chances are someone will start it up again.

“Footloose”

It has become the ultimate act of frustration:  whip off your sneaker and fling it at the offending leader’s gourd.  This article talks about the new fad ‘o frustration in India that has become commonplace.

“In India, flying footwear is the new hunger strike, overtaking even the trendy Facebook protest as an expression of civil disobedience.”

The article notes that it is considered an insult in India to show the sole of one’s shoe, as footwear is relagated to shuffling about the dirty streets outside.  Thus this phenomenon comes with cultural influences.

“Shoe-throwing is a real expression of the frustration of the people,” said Anil Bairwal of National Election Watch, a watchdog group. “But you have to consider that citizens are at a loss for what to do. For too long, they have hoped that the parties would improve themselves, be progressive, put the right people in the seats and work for the betterment of the people. But none of that has happened.”

It was, of course, the Iraqi journalist who flung his shoe at the ever-eloquent former U.S. president that started the shoe tossing.  He, unlike the Indians, has to spend time in prison, probably for forcing the president to do something he is not used to: Think fast, Mr. Prez!

‘Religion a la carte’

I found the following article interesting; Survey: Americans switch faiths often. In an age in which science is stealing most of our miracles it appears that people are still keeping their faith. However, people are often switching religions based on various reasons such as “changed life circumstances.” Again I was under the impression that people are losing their faith but the survey has proved me wrong. I wish the article dug a little deeper to see if these individuals actually practice the beliefs of their religions or do they simply just say they are religious? This is a touchy subject but im just burnt out on hypocrites that claim they are religious but do anything and everything possible to go against what their religion practices. Any thoughts?

ADHD Medication Equals Higher Test Scores?

A study done with children from kindergarten through 5th grade studied how taking certain medication for ADHA has increased their scores on reading and math compared to those not on medication. Their scores were still significantly lower than those without ADHD, but this study was done to show if the medication would help with bettering their grades because kids with ADHD have high dropout rates in school and get poorer grades than, that of their average classmates. I had ADD when I was in kindergarten and I took medication for this, which made me gain weight and just become a lot more tired and less active. Even though I was not diagnosed with ADHD, this still has the same type of effects that I experienced. It allows them to slow their hyperactivity down and allows them to concentrate more on their work in school. Some parents do not like having their kids take medication because of these side effects.

Teachers often advocate medication because it can calm disruptive behavior. But it’s a contentious issue for many parents, worried about putting their kids on drugs that can have side-effects including decreased appetite, weight loss and insomnia.

A psychiatry professor from the University of Illinois-Chicago said that not every kid should be put on certain medications to control this disorder. He also said that there has been research done that most kids with ADHD can benefit from taking these meds. I would agree that in some sense in certain situations like school, it may help, but it depends on the kid that is taking the medication, how the family feels, etc. I know that I could not tell if the meds I was taking for my ADD were helpling, but they certainly made me lazier and fatter starting in kindergarten. Who knows what could happen with many other kids. There was one 19 year old that was diagnosed with ADHD since he was 5 and burns off some extra excess energy by working out. So there can be many alternatives to it, but for kids who knows, can it be the only way?

Wouldn’t it be Crazy if Our Pres. Died of Swine Flu?

We have declared a Public Emergency over this Swine Flu which apparently can kill in less than two weeks.  In Mexico, it has already killed 81 people with over 1300 being thought to have it.  And check this out, President Obama was just in Mexico hanging out… well here, read this:

The newspaper Reforma reported that President Obama, who recently visited Mexico, was escorted around Mexico City’s national anthropology museum on April 16 by Felipe Solis, an archaeologist who died the next day from flu-like symptoms. But Dr. Córdova said that it does not appear that Mr. Solis died of influenza.

Dude totally died the next day!  So yeah, wouldn’t it be gnarly if Obama kicked the bucket?  Who the hell is the vice president anyway?  It isn’t Hillary is it?

It’s just no fun being a kid anymore

I found the following article interesting; Children tracked by sat nav to stop bad behaviour. The UK is combating rude behavior by children on school buses by developing a monitoring system which allows parents to track their children via GPS. The monitoring system works by children first swiping an identification card as they enter the bus which then allows parents via a satellite and the internet to track their children. The plan also includes “Bus Angels” which are children that “covertly” tattletale on inappropriate behavior while on the bus. Again this an elaborate scheme designed to improve bus behavior and as a safety precaution incase the bus would get in an accident or breakdown. My opinion on this matter is wtf? Are kids so out of control that we need to treat them like little criminals or little terrorists with “Bus Angles” tracking their every movement and prepared to take them out if necessary? I miss the good old days when parents were actually parents and children out of respect for their parents maintained a certain amount of good discipline. Don’t get me wrong children are expected to be a little rowdy and get into minor trouble, but that is no excuse to tighten the leash and suppress the children even more. After all the children have a lifetime of laws, rules, and regulations that they must follow as adults to keep them in line. So why not let the children have a little fun while they still can because let’s face reality growing up and getting old suck! Any thoughts?

Medical Student–possible murderer?

I briefly caught this story this morning on the news when I was getting ready for work. I forgot about it until I saw this headline on yahoo: Med Student Targeted Women on Craigslist. Basically, the guy is a second year medical student, engaged, comes from what sounds like a good family. He supposedly targeted some women on Craigslist, murdered one and robbed another. Guilty or not, this really got me thinking about people who can live two totally separate lives. How can your family, friends and colleagues know one person, but there is really someone else lurking in the shadows? The grandfather, who is a lawyer, gave this comment:

“This is not my grandson. I know my grandson,” he told The Boston Globe. “I hate to see a rush to judgment … He’s a wonderful boy, just absolutely wonderful, and couldn’t be better. I’m proud of him and proud of his abilities as a medical student. He always wanted to be a doctor.”

Maybe grandpa didn’t know the real grandson? The article also suggests that he had a gambling problem. His MO could have been acquiring money to pay off some gambling debt. What drives a somewhat successful medical student to do this sort of thing? It is cases like this that make me love Psychology. On the surface, you never can tell what people are actually thinking.

No Pursuit of Justice

Reading this article about the Obama administration’s decision not to pursue the Bush administration’s government lawyers who wrote the CIA “torture memos” or those officials who participated in carrying out those acts is, in my mind, a terrible failure for the new president. While I can appreciate that the man has his hands more than a little full – a massive global recession, climbing rates of unemployment, the near-collapse of our financial system, America’s auto industry teetering on the brink, a health care system that is corrupt and broken, and a very angry Mother Nature…well, that’s a lot for a new politician to address before he’s even up to his first 100 days in office. However, I don’t believe that the egregious measures taken in these “CIA prisons” like Bagram in Afghanistan are any less worthy of outrage, revulsion, or proper justice than those acts committed by military personnel at Abu Ghraib.

The example given in the article, Lynndie England, was dishonorably discharged after her part in the humiliation practices at Abu Ghraib was confirmed and served a year and a half in a military prison and the same amount of time on probation; of course, she was not the only individual in those involved to serve time, others did as well. It is not that I don’t believe that they should have their dishonorable discharges reversed, or that I think it is unfair they had to serve time in prison, what I believe is not only unfair and unjust is to only punish those who were lowest on the military food chain. Sure, these acts were not explicitly ordered nor was she ‘forced’ to commit them; however, the implied notion was that these practices were not just allowed or condoned, but encouraged. To punish the “underlings” but not to insist that the actions of those higher up, or those who were instructing, ordering, or actively encouraging these actions be held responsible for their grossly reprehensible behavior. No one should be above the law, national or international law – if certain persons can get off with not even a slap on the wrist just because of their privileged positions, then what point is there in making laws to abide?

It saddens and angers me that we have not reached a point where we are willing to prosecute and sentence those who commit horrible crimes just because they are in an elite and privileged position of power.

The Amazing Paul Farmer

I just finishd a book for my Health Psychology class called Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Inside I was introduced to Paul Farmer, a doctor and a medical anthropologist. He had a very interesting childhood, including living in a bus that was a converted TB clinic and then a boat; he had a very transient lifestyle. He got a full scholarship to Duke and then attended Harvard where he earned a M.D. and a Ph.D. He found his passion and ‘home’ in Haiti. There he treats patients and works on world health care. 

The desperate need Paul Farmer saw in central Haiti as a young man inspired him and four friends to create Partners in Health. They raised money and built what’s become the largest hospital in central Haiti.
What began as a small, understaffed and ill-equipped clinic in 1985, today has 100 inpatient beds, an array of specialists, and three operating rooms. They have nearly two million patient visits a year. And the medical care at the clinic is free. For Farmer, healthcare is a human right. He wants to show the world that children for example don’t have to die of treatable illnesses like tuberculosis or malaria, diseases which they treat every day.

It is pretty amazing and inspiring to hear Paul’s story.  Hopefully there will be more people like Paul Farmer.

No Stricter Gun Laws After 10 Years?

Of course there has to be a post on the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. I was trying to watch the news all day, especially for this, on what different updates there were about if there were going to be any news on the gun laws from the shooting that happened at Columbine. Obviously there was not, especially in the 2007 attack of Virgina Tech, which I believe is the Columbine of the new millennium, sadly. I even read a news report that a kid even brought a gun to his own school on the 10th anniversary of the shooting and went to jail for it. Also the fact that it was loaded made it even worse. I am not surprised whatsoever that gun laws will be put to rest just because there are so many people with so many guns already that I find it hard to believe that not every single person will get searched for it. On the brighter side, the Columbine shooting gave students a new found lease on life and have successful careers becuse of this incident. This shooting was a reminder that people should not take life for granted.

turn off tv week

this article suggests way to cut back time spent watching tv.

The average American watches over 35 hours of TV a week^[1] and the average Brit over 25.^[2] If you find yourself addicted to the “boob tube” and want to break the habit, or if you’re just celebrating TV Turnoff Week^[3] the key is to wean yourself off using the steps below, watching TV less and less until you stop watching it altogether.

World’s Oldest Marijuana Stash Totally Busted

Happy 420! In the Gobi Desert, archaeologists unearthed the grave of a 2,700 year old man who had 2 pounds of still-green marijuana buried with him.

2,700 year old marijuana found in grave in Gobi Desert

The researchers believe the individual was a shaman from the Gushi people, who spoke a now-extinct language called Tocharian that was similar to Celtic.

Scientists originally thought the plant material in the grave was coriander, but microscopic botanical analysis of the bowl contents, along with genetic testing, revealed that it was cannabis.

The analysis of the cannabis from 2.700 years ago showed that it was psychoactive, not only used as hemp for making clothes and ropes. There is still a lot of debate today about the legalization of marijuana. Federally, it is still against the law, but many states have legalized posession of a small personal amount or the growing of a certain number of plants for personal use.  Comparitively, if a shaman 2,700 years ago smoked marijuana, and died with riches, why is there still such a debate about marijuana. There are many cultures who don’t think it should be illegal, and some, the Rastafarian, use it as a part of their religious ideology.

Phish and Folk Fest

I just learned that Phish reunited! Happy day for Phish-goers, but after I read this, I wasn’t so sure:

Nearly 200 Phish [ tickets ]-heads were arrested on drug-related charges during the band’s three-night reunion concert in Hampton, VA, according to an Associated Press report. Police said they confiscated about $1.2 million in illegal drugs and more than $68,000 in cash from concertgoers, who were on hand to see Phish perform following a nearly five-year hiatus.

Most of the arrests were for drug possession, use and distribution.

This makes me consider the Alaska Folk Fest, held in Juneau, where a bunch of musicians and followers take the stage and dance floor and have a good time. I was talking to one of my friends who preformed for the Folk Fest. He didn’t like that it was this mass conglomeration of ‘hippie-like people coming together to get wasted and stoned.’  He didn’t have anything against hippies, as he knows me, but he didn’t like that the scene allowed such behavior. It wasn’t about the music as much the “parking-lot scenes” in many jam band shows. For some of the concerts I have been to, the parking lot is a lot more happening then the concert itself. This is what makes up the foundation of the group’s followers, but at the same time sheds negative light as well. There are many followers of music who don’t get intoxicated and drugged; there are those that do, but keep it under control and don’t get arrested. I am surprised we haven’t heard about a drug bust from this Folk Fest!

The Most Polluted Places

When I opened up my computer this morning to check my email, MSN Today popped up and there was a heading about the 9 Most Polluted Places in the United States and what actions were being taken to clean  them up.  There are 3 places for each air, water and land. Some of these places have received a lot of publicity, and most likely if you’ve taken an introductory environmental science class, you have heard about them. They’re nearly as famous as The Love Canal. There is the Gulf of Mexico that receives massive amounts of pollution from the drainage of the Mississippi River leading to algae blooms which leave the area void of oxygen and life.  And there is also The Nelson Tunnel, in Creede, Co. This particular story reminded me of our home, here in Alaska.

The Nelson Tunnel

The Nelson Tunnel sits on five acres in the Historic Creede Mining District, about one mile North of Creede, Colo. In 2008, the Nelson Tunnel became a Superfund site, the name given to the environmental program run by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that deals with cleaning abandoned hazardous waste sites.

The creek eventually feeds into the Rio Grande River, a gold medal fishery four miles below the Nelson Tunnel. Creede is known as a beautiful recreation area and many fishermen come there to enjoy the fishing. But pollution spilling into the creek has affected the fish population in West Willow Creek. There are no fish for a two-mile stretch below the site, and fish are sparse farther downstream in West Willow Creek. It’s thought that the metal contamination has affected their reproduction.

Hmmm…Does that sound like something that could, possible already has happened in Alaska? I am reminded of Mufasa from the Lion King. He tells Simba about the circle of life. He eats gazelles, then he dies and fertilizes the ground. The gazelles eat the grass, therefore eating him. Ahhh! We live in an ecosystem!

The story is evidently in lieu of Earth Day…Happy Earth Day? Why is there just one day a year that we give thanks to our Mother? If we lived every day as earth day, we might not have to go all out one day a year and try to convince ourselves that we are doing our part. We also might not have near as many superfunds or spoiled watersheds, or rotten air. Just a thought.

Gotta Have a Blog on 420!

I donno, maybe I just want to talk about weezy.

So I guess the movement to legalize pot is alive and kicking and this year a bunch of them think that they are getting closer and closer to achieving their goals.  You can check out this article, it talks about what is happening but honestly, I don’t see anything revolutionary in it.

Pot is a weird thing in America… So like, it is illegal, right?  Yet, it is not really frowned upon to smoke it, and it is legal for medical use, and with the exception of some folks, it seems like everyone agrees that weezy is a hell-of-a-lot better than alcohol in terms of adverse effects on society, and there is a national holiday for people to rejoice in the fact that they use the plant.  And, and, and…

There is nothing new to report here, I just figured we gotta have a blog on 420.  And…

  I love these goofy-looking guys.

Blame the Psychologist

I found the following article interesting: Psychologists aided harsh CIA interrogations, memos show . When the CIA stepped up efforts to interrogate terrorist suspects, on their payroll were psychologists. According to the article it was the psychologists that provided the “critical role” of devising extreme interrogations techniques like using sleep deprivation, insects, and waterboarding. The psychologists also provided the “legal justification for interrogation methods.” I was under the impression that social scientists understood any and all ethical obligation to the individuals they work with or study? Now correct me if im wrong but waterboarding and using insects to invoke fear seems to cross all ethical boundaries? The psychologists should have known better but it also appears that the CIA used the psychologists as an easy scapegoat to justify their extreme actions. I have no issues with certain interrogation techniques but call it as it is and don’t use social scientists to justify your dirty work.