A nice feel good story

For some reason this story caught my eye. Thank you Lt. Col. Richins for your service.

For football coach back from war, it's like starting over – USATODAY.com

Damn,,,scary stuff

Probably should say WTF they can't be serious. "Minor-attracted people" come on now peoples, call it what it is. Don't get me wrong I do believe that pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder, but it's still wrong. It is criminal and immoral.

I have to admit I do agree with the APA in their assessment that it is or could be a slippery slope.

Mental Health Group Looks to Remove Stigma From Pedophilia

Pat Summitt, Tennessee women’s basketball coach, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease

I was flabbergasted when I saw this headline.

Pat Summitt, Tennessee women’s basketball coach, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease - The Washington Post

And so it begins,,the eyes are opening

The Best BBQ Chicken Recipe

Don't know if this is "the best" but it sure is simple. And I like simple!!

The Best BBQ Chicken Recipe

Turkey, Mushroom, Onion & Swiss Grilled Panini

Not a crazy difficult recipe idea, but something to keep on file for future reference. If I had the turkey I'd be making this for dinner tonight.

Turkey, Mushroom, Onion & Swiss Grilled Panini Recipe | One Dish Dinners

More online self-education

Another clean out the favorites link to share. I couldn't have said it any better than this:

One of the values I try to live is “growth.” As part of that quest, taking control of my continued education and intellectual improvement is crucial. We live in an age of such democratization of access to resources that can be used to learn– we just have to take advantage of them. Lots of online self-education lists focus on giving the largest amount of links possible, regardless of how useful they actually are. Instead of copying that format, I decided to focus more on the quality of the websites. The following sites are a great base for your own growth as an intellectual individual.

14 Links to Make You A More Intelligent Person

A mish mash of stuff

Cleaning up my favorites yet again (tho I am converting to Firefox in the process), hopefully I haven't posted these articles before, sorry if I have. Just thought I'd pass these along

140 Best Twitter Feeds

The 50 Best Websites of 2011

Libraries anyone can access

A good list for all you information geeks:

100 Extensive University Libraries from Around the World that Anyone Can Access « mary & mac design

Positive emotions and self-esteem

Positive psychology offers insight into the emotional and affective nature of this experience and provides insight into how emotions and mood relate to self-esteem.

Positive psychology?? WTF?? To Wikipedia I go,,,

Positive psychologists seek "to find and nurture genius and talent", and "to make normal life more fulfilling", not simply to treat mental illness. The field is intended to complement, not to replace traditional psychology. It does not seek to deny the importance of studying how things go wrong, but rather to emphasize the importance of using the scientific method to determine how things go right.

Positive psychology began as a new area of psychology in 1998 when Martin Seligman, considered the father of the modern positive psychology movement,,,though the term originates with Maslow, in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality

Positive psychology finds its roots in the humanistic psychology of the 20th century, which focused heavily on happiness and fulfillment. Earlier influences on positive psychology came primarily from philosophical and religious sources, as scientific psychology did not take its modern form until the late 19th century.

Considering I have had the pleasure of hearing Seligman speak (1987) and spent time conversing with him in a group setting, studied Maslow in college, and find humanistic psychology alluring (humanistic psychology has its roots in the existentialism of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre all of which I have read). The idea of positive psychology doesn't seem so far fetched.

Emotions and mood play a role in the evaluations we make of ourselves and others, and whether we believe we’re leading a life of success and significance.

Sounds like existentialism to me. Existential thought tends to focus on the condition of human existence, and an individual's emotions, actions, responsibilities, and thoughts, or the meaning/purpose of life.

When we feel comfortable and harmonious in the world, we are able to view people as connected and related, and we can generate a positive mood and attitude about our place and purpose in the world.

Author's suggestions for experiencing more positive emotions and thus greater self-esteem:

• have compassion for ourselves and others


• work to let go of the past and be in the present moment


• do something kind for someone else


• visualize your best possible future and establish measurable and realistic goals to work toward this aspiration

How to Use Positive Emotions to Enhance Self-esteem | Adventures in Positive Psychology

God's love,,,wtf

Some great examples of God's love--The Flood of Noah (Gen 7:23); Abraham's war to rescue Lot (Gen 14:17-19); Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24); Lot's wife (Gen 19:26); Er for being wicked in the sight of the Lord (Gen 38:7); Onan for spilling his seed (Gen 38:10); God's seven year, world-wide famine (Gen 41:25-54).

Just to name a few.

Superchunk

I'm sorry y'all but these guys are just too freakin cute. I have had kittens before but never since birth. I have been catching myself sitting on the floor just watching them nurse, or trying to get their legs under them. I will try and control myself,,,lol!!

The runt (yes another kitten picture,,,but it's cute)

Comfort food and emotions

Anyone that knows me knows that I have a wee bit of an obsession with food; not that I over eat or eat junk food allowing myself to become grossly obese (tho I am overweight, partly from inactivity and partly from medications causing weight gain.) I have more of a passion (obsession) for cooking and I love to explore different flavors. But recently I have found myself going back to standard favorites, comfort foods so to speak. Well now I know why!!

For example, while mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and meatloaf may be bad for your arteries, they may reduce sadness and stress. Comfort foods seem to help calm our emotions.

My comfort foods: simple baked chicken, pan-fried potatoes with onions, and mandarin oranges (canned). Also on my list is bacon and eggs with toast. And who doesn't have homemade chicken noodle soup as a comfort food.

So what are your favorites?? When your stressed or a bit down, what foods help sooth your soul?



Comfort Foods Calm Emotions | Psych Central News

Sane spirituality??

When I first read this article back in March, I began a diatribe as to whether I was spiritual but not religious (SBNR). But upon re-reading the article to get my train of thought back, I seem to have missed a small piece of the author's definition of sane spirituality.

,,,it perpetuates the false proposition that there are only two sides in the religious debate: conservative Bible-thumpers and radical anti-religionists. What about the rest of us?

So my first question would be, who are the rest of us? The author continues:

,,,[t]he real voiceless ones belong to neither of those two camps. I'm referring to the enormous number of people who actively engage in some form of what my colleagues in the Forge Institute call "sane spirituality." These are people who recognize that we're part of a transcendent something -- a no-thing, really -- and that connecting to, or uniting with, that infinite ineffable wholeness is natural and beneficial.

I'll be honest, just to be on the safe side I looked up the definition of transcendent and found this--going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing or exceeding ordinary limits; superior or supreme. Uhm, call me stupid but that sounds an aweful lot like god or god like characteristics. [I purposely used a lower cased "g" not to offend but to stress that I am not picking out a particular god in this case.]

So now I am even more confused than I was before. Is this author going "new age" (for lack of better term, since new age of today doesn't seem to equate to the "new age" of 30 years ago? To continue,,,

This diverse, unorganized mish-mash of open-minded seekers tends to approach spirituality in a reasonable, rational and pragmatic manner,,,[m]any practice methodologies derived from ancient traditions,,,although very few Western practitioners call themselves Hindus or Buddhists. Also in the group are people whose world views are secular and who view practices such as meditation** as the applied components of a science of consciousness, or simply as ways to enhance well-being. Finally, the voiceless include many people who appear to be conventionally religious,,,[b]ut they participate on their own terms,,,

Yup, that be some "new age" gobbledyguck right there. What clinched that bit of incite on my second reading of this article ",,,they're more inclined to postulate a formless, creative power that would not seem out of place in a physics seminar." In other words, the hijacking of quantum physics by the likes of Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer.

As I write this, I keep thinking to myself, "how did I miss this the first time around?" I think I became so stuck on the word "spirituality" that my anti-religion radar went off, blinding me to the fact that spirituality does not mean religion, but deals with ideas that are incorporeal or immaterial in nature. Spirituality attempts to recognize aspects of life and human experience which are not captured by a purely materialist or mechanistic view of the world.

They do what works, placing direct experience and observation over ideology or doctrine. To the degree that they have faith in something, it is the kind of faith that proceeds from evidence and reason, like a scientist's faith in the outcome of an experiment.

Again this line of thinking is a bit baffling to me. I guess that I'm having a difficult time rectifying the author's use of the words faith, evidence and reason within the same thought. [By it's standard defintion, faith is believe without proof or evidence; or, to borrow from Bertrand Russel, ",,,[w]e only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for evidence. The substitution of emotion is apt to lead to strife since different groups substitute different emotions."]

Recently I was listening to a podcast where the guest presented a 3 part definition of faith as used in today's world. According to this definition there are three types of faith:

1. faith that makes the world go round, based on partial evidence


2. faith without evidence


3. faith that is counter intuitive, counter to the evidence

So following this line of thinking I can accept his use of faith within the limits of the first two definitions, but not the third.

As I continued reading his article, I can understand the point he is trying to make; at least I think I can. What I keep getting stuck on is his use of words that are so steeped with religious overtones that my mind cannot get past them. My brain keeps screetching to a halt.

This practical, autonomous, experience-driven spirituality recognizes that there are many ways to define the sacred and many pathways to it,,,It is a down-to-earth antidote to the screaming ideologues and fanatics who falsely polarize religious discussions.

What has caught my attention is the author's reference to Sam Harris. Is he attempting to claim Harris as his own?

It turns out that he acknowledges the distinction between unthinking religious belief and sensible spirituality. In fact, he's a long-time meditation practitioner himself,,,

It seems he is pushing a guru type status on Harris to lead the charge. Whether that is warranted or not, I don't know as I haven't read any of his works as of yet. I think the author would have been better served by showing how Harris wants to celebrate the spiritual aspect of human existence and explain how we can live moral and spiritual lives without religion. Maybe that is his point and I am just missing it. May be it's beacause I have become a bit like,,,

The fanatics who believe that their way -- their God, their prophet, their book -- is the one true way are on the wrong end of history. They're bound to wreak a lot of havoc on their way out, but mockery is not the antidote and logic alone won't change many minds.

Altho that mind set is changing as I get older, new and different experiences are influencing my life. I find myself exploring/seeking connections between spiritual experience—especially an experience of selflessness—and human happiness. Now I'm beginning to sound like the author, and that may be the point. It only took me five months to figure it out.

The urge to transcend, to connect deeply, to penetrate the great cosmic mysteries and elevate mundane life to the level of the sacred has always been with us and it always will be. That impulse, sensibly pursued, is the heartbeat of healthy religion, and it's the best remedy for the madness of extremism.

Philip Goldberg: Making Space For Sane Spirituality
_____
**Now in the interest of full disclosure, I do practice meditation. I have for many years off and on, even when I was a fundie. My use of meditation though has no religious/spiritual conotations, I use it purely to try and calm my bipolar brain, control my panic attacks (I take no medication for either), and for pain management.

Russell, Bertrand. "Will Religious Faith Cure Our Troubles?". Human Society in Ethics and Politics. Ch 7. Pt 2. Retrieved July 31, 2011..

Can you say oxymoron?

Not a true oxymoron by definition, but damn close!!

Eeny,,,meeny,,,miney,,,mo,,,and oh shit

I was only expect 4,,,roflmao,,,born 1130Am saturday morning:

Well it sure wasn't apple jam!!

Apple, grape, fig, tomato, wheat, quince, pomegranate, carob, etrog or citron, pear, datura or some obscure extinct plant? Pick one please!!


I stole the idea of "church signs" from a podcast I listen to Agnostic Brothers Podcast. So here is my first installment. Regretfully only 2 (maybe 3) churches put unusual sayings on their signs so is going to be slim pickings.

Will this sh*t ever stop

Normally wouldn't comment on an article such as this,,,but like the author says:

If you give the members of the religious right enough rope, they tend to hang themselves.

That's why I am a huge proponent of letting them talk freely because sooner or later, they always wind up with their foot in their mouths. You can set your watch to it.

The gentleman he speaks about is one scary dude. Hopefully he will hang himself soon!!

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Hate group leader doesn't want gays to serve on juries

My refuge so to speak

Welcome to The Para X Network

I would like to introduce y'all to my refuge so to speak. If you are interested in anything dealing with the paranormal this is the place to go. Now some of you may be scratching your head with wonder--yes I am a atheistic/agnostic that is a skeptical believer in paranormal phenomenon. It is a complicated story which some day I hope to share,,,but for the moment I will say that my thinking has undergone a major paradigm shift in the course of the past 2 yrs. And yes I am approaching this shift from a rational standpoint, well as rational as I can be, that's why the confusion.

But anywhooo,,,here's a bit about Para X:

Para X Radio broadcasts all paranormal content from all sides of the paranormal universe. Para X Radio is unbiased, and promotes equality through our programming by inviting anyone to respectfully share their opinions during our live shows through our chat room and call-ins when available.

Para X Vision is a multi-media experience, with video and audio, and contains programming not found anywhere else!!

Para X Entertainment is your location for live events that you can attend, as well as news about where you'll see the Para X Network NEXT.

Para X Home

Para X Facebook Page

Red pepper sauce recipe

Found this recipe a few months ago but as of yet haven't tried making it. Only dilemma is what to serve it with,,,lol,,,I'm thinking maybe over grilled chicken.

Here is the recipe which can be found at Red pepper sauce recipe:

Rouille--Red pepper sauce recipe

1 small red pepper
2 garlic cloves crushed
pinch of saffron powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g / 2 ozs crust less white bread
2 egg yolks
250ml / 8 fl ozs olive oil

Cut the pepper in half and remove core and seeds chop into small pieces and crush to a paste with the garlic.

Add the saffron, salt and pepper to taste.

Moisten the bread with a little water. Work it into the pepper and garlic until thoroughly incorporated.

Beat in the egg yolks and add the oil a little at a time. Beating well between each addition.

As the roville becomes thick pour the oil in a thin steady stream.

Continue beating until the roville is thick and smooth makes about 250 ml / 8 fl ozs

New song I'm hooked on

"Best I Am"

Long.
I`ve Been Running away for far too long
Afraid of what
Afraid of what I know is soon to come
I may not be much of an example right now
But I can give you all of my knowledge on how
to get along in this place
right now all I can say

[Chorus]
Is that I will do the best that I can
to be a good example of man
I know one day that You`ll understand
you deserve the best that I am
you deserve the best that I am

It`s So hard
so hard to think about when I was child
so angry at life
I blamed the world for such a long long time
But Things happened so quickly
some people just go
I needed answers to heal me
I wanted to know how to get by
and now its my turn to say

[chorus]

This is all for you
everything in this world
everything in my world
everything in your world
things wont always go right in this life
theres always changes
we`ll make it

[Chorus]

Un Papá Escéptico (A Skeptical Papa)

This was a very interesting podcast that I encourage my freethinking readers to check out.

We interview Danny Zepeda, a skeptical blogger living in Morelia, a city in central Mexico. He talks about the state of freethought South of the Border, the prevalence of superstition and alt-medicine quackery in Mexican society, and the challenges of raising children to be critical thinkers.

Zepeda's blog, Papá Escéptico is in Spanish, the hosts suggest using Babel Fish to translate.

Pain meds not working,,this may be why

The opening statement of this article in may opinion says it all:

The power of positive thinking can reportedly work wonders for your career and social life. According to a new study, your attitude may also affect how well your pain medication works.

Any time I hear the words "the power of positive thinking" I flash back to my college years (or has it been longer than that,,,lol). Norman Vincent Peale published a book of the same name. Altho this book is very Christian based, the core message holds true regardless of your belief system--faith in yourself makes good things happen to you. So how does this translate to pain management?

"This tells me that when we're talking to patients and presenting therapy, the more positive we are about how the therapy is going to impact them, the better outcomes we're going to have," says Rubingh, who was not involved in the study. "And from the patients' point of view, this says the more positive and open-minded they are to different types of treatment, the better they're going to do."

IMHO "faith" in your treatment protocol, "faith" in your medical providers, equals a positive result in your overall well-being. Dealing with chronic pain on a daily basis has taught me this one point. I have to believe that my treatment protocol is going to work; that I will get relief by properly taking my meds. A very simple matter if you think about it.

Pessimistic? Pain meds may not work - CNN.com

Friends

As usual I'm a bit behind in my reading,,,so much to read and learn, so little time!!

You probably know intuitively what lots of research has shown - friends are often similar to each other in many ways. They often share attitudes, values, and interests. They are often the same sex and about the same age. Of course, there are lots of fascinating exceptions. The general rule, though, is not surprising.

But would it apply to the ways that friends interpret their interpersonal worlds? Even without consulting with each other, would two friends look at the same facial expression or body posture and think the same thing about what that person was feeling?

I would be curious to see how the findings of this study would be changed if the participants where online friends; in other words ones that have never met face to face. I have many online friends, a few that I consider good friends, and 1 or 2 (maybe 3) I consider close friends (friends that I talk to everyday, that know the happenings of my everyday life, have been a support system when life gets chaotic, and I have spoken to on the phone.)

I would assume that the basis of our friendships would be similar if not the same, shared attitudes, values, and interests. So would we interpret the presented data the same?

Something new is happening among scholars and in society more generally. After decades of obsessing about romantic relationships, more and more people are recognizing the importance of friendship in so many of our lives - including the lives of people who are single and coupled. For a very long time, hardly anyone asked me about the friendship theme in the research I had conducted over the past decades. Now, I get asked about that much more often.

I remember many moons ago the rage about the hows and whys of romance and what it all meant. I find it interesting that the author is now seeing a shift in this pattern. Is it because people are beginning to see the importance of friendship in their daily lives as opposed to having that one true soul mate?

What Friends Know that Others Don’t | Psychology Today

Feed your brain

Some great ideas to help you find inspiration for writing. If you're like me, I can use all the help I can get.

Have you ever sat for hours, staring at your screen, hating yourself for procrastinating, but struggling to think of a single sentence to write?

The blinking cursor mocking you from a blank screen might be the world’s worst place to search for writing inspiration. Your brain needs stimulation and fuel to think creatively.

A weightlifter would be a fool to expect major muscle mass without a proper diet and exercise regimen –– you can’t expect to produce compelling copy without making a conscious effort to feed your mind and spirit.

Writing Inspiration

Codex Sinaiticus

I was a bit disappointed that I could not get the The Codex Sinaiticus Project website to work. But still a interesting prospect if they can get the kinks worked out,

Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century, contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament. The hand-written text is in Greek. The New Testament appears in the original vernacular language (koine) and the Old Testament in the version, known as the Septuagint, that was adopted by early Greek-speaking Christians. In the Codex, the text of both the Septuagint and the New Testament has been heavily annotated by a series of early correctors.

The significance of Codex Sinaiticus for the reconstruction of the Christian Bible's original text, the history of the Bible and the history of Western book-making is immense.

Altho I couldn't acces the manuscript there is still some interesting information available on the site pertaining to the codex.

Guy has got balls,,,

This clip is a bit dated and normally I would not post anything concerning the WBC (they do not need any more free publicity) BUT this clip is F***ING hysterical,,,



And I love this comment:

I’m sorry for that man by the way. Since he didn’t really condemn the advances of the interviewer that might be seen as inappropriate by his folks…

If you watch the clip, he's right, Fred Jr. didn't really say anything to condemn,,,the women did,,,got to love it.

Flirting with a Westboro Church Man | Unreasonable Faith

Mystery or science??

Sort of a fun read here, but didn't really look into the validity of the statements made by author. Some food for thought for possible exploration later. Enjoy!!


10 Famous Unsolved Mysteries Easily Explained by Science | Cracked.com

Susan Werner: The Gospel Truth

Another must listen to podcast #10 – Susan Werner, especially for music lovers. The interview is very informative and will hook you; many samples of her music. This will be a CD I will be purchasing and soon. As described by the interviewers:

,,, We interview the talented singer/songwriter whose latest album - The Gospel Truth – she describes as “agnostic gospel”, combining the music of faith with the lyrics of doubt,,,

Found this on YouTube a nice medley of her stuff:



Also from American Freethought:

• The Agnostic Gospel of Susan Werner (Pt. 1 of 3)


• The Agnostic Gospel of Susan Werner (Pt. 2 of 3)


• The Agnostic Gospel of Susan Werner (Pt. 1 of 3)

Susan Werner's homepage: Susan Werner

Fascinating people,,,not sure how else to explain it

Not sure how to describe this gem of a site I discovered, other than it's a blog about fascinating people. So original I know. Take a look some good stuff to read.

Fascinating People

Pretty kewl story,,,

Amateur Fossil Hunter Makes Mammoth Find In Florida : NPR

A good listen for all you freethinkers/skeptics

Last night while at work I was listening to my usual podcasts and came across this particular episode that I found very interesting. It is an interview with Tim Farley, who is the creator of the website WhatstheHarm.net. The show hosts call it "an invaluable database of death and destruction caused by alternative medicine, superstition, lack of critical thinking." A good listen if you have the time and a informative website.

Podcast #56 – Tim Farley (WhatstheHarm.net)

The podcast is from American Freethought; a great freethinkers podcast. You can download episodes directly from their site or subscribe via iTunes.

A very interesting blog,,,

This may come across as being morbid, but I actually found that reading the stories fascinating; case in point was the May 15, 2011 entry for Kim Hill. I think the blog owner says it best in their January 3, 2011 entry titled A Look Back "Some people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people lead."

The Blog of Death

A bit more about the blog:

The Blog of Death is a frequently-updated Weblog highlighting obituaries of the famous, infamous and interesting unknowns.

The Blog of Death is written by Jade Walker, a New Hampshire-based writer/editor with a passion for obituaries. As the overnight editor/producer of The New York Times on the Web, she published the Obits section and spent a year working on the Portraits of Grief, a collection of obits for the victims of the Sept. 11th terror attacks. When she was the editor of Inscriptions Magazine, Walker compiled the hugely popular R.I.P. section of writer obits. Now she spends her days commemorating the dead on her popular Weblog and her nights working the graveyard shift as an online editor/producer for Yahoo! News.

Three Books,,,

All three sound intriguing might be because I love words, not so much grammar. Something to keep in mind for future reference.

Three Books For The Grammar Lover In Your Life : NPR

The 100 greatest non-fiction books

Some interesting titles on this list, will have to see what I have and/or haven't read.

The 100 greatest non-fiction books | Books | guardian.co.uk

Brandon Marshall personality disorder: Miami Dolphins receiver diagnosed with borderline personality disorder

Kudos to Mr. Marshall for putting a face on BPD!!

Brandon Marshall personality disorder: Miami Dolphins receiver diagnosed with borderline personality disorder - Sun Sentinel