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Truth or %onseSuences! 'ffects of MariLuana 7se Rationale #dolescents often oXerestiOate the Rercentage of their Reers Yho use OariLuana and underestiOate the negatiXe effects of the drugâ€™s use 2erceRtion of harO is an iORortant factor for Oitigating risM 0orOatiXe education Oethods effectiXel[ correct OisconceRtions aDout DehaXior

Objectives FolloYing this lesson the student Yill De aDle to

Discuss the Rh[sical Oental social and eOotional conseSuences of OariLuana use Discuss the OisRerceRtions of OariLuana and its use 'ZaOine the effects of OariLuana on the Dod[ Rarticularl[ on Drain function 'Xaluate the iORact of OariLuana iORairOent on goals actiXities and occuRations Discuss the Rs[chological addiction asRects of OariLuana use

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1. 2. 3. 4.

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+n this lesson [ou Yill need

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Before You Start

r DistriDute the Student 9orMDooMs at the Deginning of the lesson r 2reRare the Media Disc segOent 9 S2'%T Scans of $rain #ctiXit[ iOages for disRla[ in Section  #rrested DeXeloROent r For Section  %learing the #ir draY the Tugof9ar iOage found on Teacherâ€™s Manual Rage  on the Doard ;our illustration should De aRRroZiOatel[  inches Yide alloYing aORle sRace for the students to Rlace notes on either side or the Oiddle of the draYing .aDel the toR of [our illustration Yith pToRicq

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Â© Mendez Foundation

Too Good for Drugs High School Teacherâ€™s Manual

.esson 8 Truth or Consequences? - Effects of Marijuana Use 1. Clearing the Air Last week we talked about the harmful effects of nicotine use. We also discussed the serious health risks presented by tobacco products, which are the primary sources of nicotine. What are 9TKPMNGUNWPIECPEGT[GNNQYVGGVJ some of the short-term and long-term effects of tobacco use? nicotine addiction, bad breath, heart disease, shortness of breath, emphysema, etc. Very good! What Fresher breath, whiter teeth, healthier heart, are some of the beneĆ‚ts of being tobacco free? healthier lungs, breathe better, smell better, etc. Excellent! Even though tobacco users can begin to experience these beneĆ‚ts after they quit, it is better to never start using in the Ć‚rst place. Today, we will talk about a drug that is the subject of an ongoing debate about its legal status as well as its effects on the body.

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/CTKLWCPCThatâ€™s right; the ongoing Can anyone guess which drug I am talking about? discussion about marijuana makes it difĆ‚cult to understand its true effects. We are going to take a look at the information about marijuana that perpetuates the arguments in this debate. 9TKVGVJGSWGUVKQPp+UOCTKLWCPCUCHG!qPGZVVQp6QRKEq6JGPWPFGTVJGNGHVUVKEMĆ‚IWTGYTKVGp5CHGq CPFWPFGTVJGTKIJVUVKEMĆ‚IWTGYTKVGp7PUCHGq

Iâ€™m going to put you into groups to discuss the reasons, messages, or other information you have heard that support each side of the debate is marijuana safe or unsafe? You will have Ć‚ve minutes to discuss what you have heard about marijuana and whether or not it is safe for people to use. I will give each group a stack of note pads. Write down one fact, idea, or reason per note supporting either side of the argument. Then, select a representative from your group to place your notes on the board under their corresponding viewpoints. If youâ€™re not sure which side Allow time for students to complete to put the note on, place it in the middle of the tug-of-war. the activity. Review the studentsâ€™ notes and read aloud the common ideas. This activity is designed to give students VJGQRRQTVWPKV[VQUJCTGVJGKPHQTOCVKQPVJG[JCXGJGCTFCDQWVOCTKLWCPC+VKUPQVPGEGUUCT[VQFGDCVG QTVGCEJCDQWVVJGUGKFGCU6JGTGUVQHVJGNGUUQPYKNNRTGUGPVVJGHCEVUCPFTKUMUCUUQEKCVGFYKVJVJG use of this drug.

In our lesson today, we will discuss recreational marijuana use not medicinal marijuana use. Youâ€™ve heard a lot of information about marijuana. With all of the information out there it can be difĆ‚cult to know if the information is consistent with scientiĆ‚c facts or just hearsay. Encourage student Where can we Ć‚nd reliable information about the effects of marijuana use? response. A good example of a reliable source for drug information is the National Institute /QXKGUHTKGPFUWUGTU on Drug Abuse (NIDA). What are examples of unreliable sources? dealers, some documentaries, etc. These sources are unreliable because they offer opinions or interpretations about marijuana that are often only assumptions or hearsay.

2. Fact Check

What you think you know about marijuana may or may not come from a reliable source. To evaluate your knowledge about marijuana we are going to play a game called â€œFact Check.â€? Open your workbooks to page 18. This game will help you determine if your perception matches the scientiĆ‚c facts about the drug. In a moment, I will put you in groups. Each group will receive game pawns, a deck of Answer Cards and a deck of Question Cards. Each group will use one playerâ€™s game board from their

ÂŠ Mendez Foundation

.esson 8 Truth or Consequences? - Effects of Marijuana Use workbook to play. The object of the game is to be the Ć‚rst person to reach the Ć‚nish line by determining if the statements about marijuana are fact or Ć‚ction. To set up the game, separate the Question Cards from the Answer Cards. Place the Question Cards face down on the table next to the game board. Deal each player one Fact Answer Card and one Fiction Answer Card. Place your game pawn on the start line on the game board. Select one player to be the Ć‚rst Announcer. Players will take turns being the Announcer in a clockwise fashion.

To play, the Announcer draws a Question Card and reads it aloud to the group. The other players must quickly decide if the answer is fact or Ć‚ction. Wait for the Announcer to Ć‚nish reading the statement before answering. Answer by placing either your Fact Answer Card or Fiction Answer Card face down on the table. The Announcer will determine which player was the Ć‚rst to put their Answer Card down.

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Once all of the Answer Cards are down, the Ć‚rst player to answer turns over his or her Answer Card. If the answer is correct, the player moves forward two spaces on the board. If the answer is incorrect, the player moves back one space. The Announcer will then ask the other players to turn their Answer Cards over. All of the players who answered correctly will move forward one space. Players who answered incorrectly will move back one space. Once the players have completed their moves, the Announcer reads the information at the bottom of the Question Card. If the Announcer draws a Joint Effort Card, the Announcer selects one player to answer the question. If the player answers correctly, the Announcer and the player both move forward two spaces. If the player answers incorrectly, both players move back one space. &KXKFGVJGENCUUKPVQITQWRUQHUVWFGPVUCPFFKUVTKDWVGCUGVQHICOGOCVGTKCNUVQGCEJITQWR Allow time for students to play the game. Collect the game materials.

3. Arrested Development

Did any of the answers in the game surprise you? Encourage student response. The questions, CPUYGTUCPFTGUGCTEJUWRRQTVKPIVJGCPUYGTUKPVJGICOGCTGNQECVGFQPRCIGUKPVJKUOCPWCN The game explored facts about marijuana and the effects its use can have on the body and brain. Does anyone recall, from the lesson on the effects of alcohol, when the brain stops developing? In the mid twenties. Thatâ€™s right; the brain continues to develop until we are in our mid-twenties. Tetra-hydro-cannabinol or THC interferes with the healthy development of the brain. Letâ€™s take a closer look at how the different areas of the brain are affected. &KURNC[VJG52'%65ECPUQH$TCKP#EVKXKV[/GFKC&KUE5GIOGPV

These scans illustrate brain activity like the scans we looked at in the alcohol lesson. These scans, however, show the underside of the brain. Refer to the image of the Healthy Brain. Who can tell which one is the active, healthy brain and which one is less active because of marijuana use? 4GHGTVQVJGKOCIGQHVJG$TCKP&COCIGFD[/CTKLWCPC7UG The presence of THC in the brain reduces or slows down communication between the cells. What can you tell me about the holes you see in 6JG[CTGPoVTGCNN[JQNGU6JG[CTGCTGCUQHVJGDTCKPVJCVJCXGDGGPFCOCIGFQTCTGPoVYQTMKPI the scan? properly. Thatâ€™s right; theyâ€™re not holes but actually brain cells that have been damaged or that have reduced activity.

ÂŠ Mendez Foundation

.esson 8 Truth or Consequences? - Effects of Marijuana Use The THC in marijuana attaches to the cannabinoid receptors throughout the brain. It is this attachment that lets marijuana affect so many different functions of the body. Look at the section in your workbook titled â€œEffects of THC on the Brain.â€? This diagram identiĆ‚es the areas of the brain that have large numbers of cannabinoid receptors. The chart to the right of the diagram includes the areas of the brain; what each area of the brain regulates; and how the area is affected by THC. Review the chart carefully and use the information to answer Allow time for students to complete the activity. the questions that follow.

Letâ€™s review your answers. Which speciĆ‚c areas of the brain are useful when you are preparing Hippocampus, Neocortex, Amygdala. How could marijuana use affect a personâ€™s for the SAT? They might forget to go to the test; they might struggle to recall performance on the SAT? information; they might not be able to focus on the questions; they might not be motivated to prepare Losing a scholarship, for the test; etc. What consequences could result from lower SAT scores? not getting into the college of your choice, etc. The THC in marijuana impairs memory and learning by altering how information is processed in the hippocampus.

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$CUCN)CPINKC Which speciĆ‚c areas of the brain are necessary to safely drive a vehicle? Cerebellum, Hippocampus, and Neocortex. How could marijuana use affect a personâ€™s ability to drive 6JG[OKIJVIGVKPVQCETCUJVJG[OKIJVTWPCUVQRUKIPVJG[OKIJVIGVC&7+VJG[ a vehicle safely? might hurt themselves or someone else; they might not be able to focus on driving; etc. Who else could Family members, friends, be affected if someone drives under the inĆƒuence of marijuana? UVTCPIGTVJCVOKIJVDGKPXQNXGFKPCECTETCUJRQNKEGQHĆ‚EGTUGVE Itâ€™s easy to think the decision to use the drug only affects the user, but everyone the user encounters can be affected by their choice to use drugs.

They How could marijuana use affect a personâ€™s relationships with their friends or family? OKIJVJCXGĆ‚IJVUYKVJHTKGPFUQTHCOKN[OGODGTUVJG[OKIJVDGEQOGRCTCPQKFVJCVVJGKTHTKGPFUCTGFQKPI something mean to them; they might not trust family members anymore; family and friends might not trust the user anymore; etc. Marijuana use reduces or limits the motivation to go out and do things with friends and family. It can also weaken trust in relationships resulting in users disappointing or pulling away from family and ending relationships with friends who donâ€™t use. Think about how some of these negative effects can interfere with a person working to reach their goals. Look at the section in your workbook titled â€œGoal Post.â€? Write down a personal goal in the space provided. This goal can be one you have already completed or one you are working toward. Then, list two negative effects of marijuana use that could interfere with you reaching your goal. Allow time for students to complete the activity and share their answers.

4. Rank

Letâ€™s look at how marijuana use could affect different occupations. I need eight volunteers Select eight volunteers and give each an Occupation card. to come to the front of the room. Line up the volunteers side by side in no particular order facing the class. Each of these volunteers represents an occupation. Your task is to line up the occupations according to the impact marijuana use would have on their job performance. Place the occupation whose job performance would be most affected by marijuana use on the far left and the person whose job performance would be least affected on the far right.

ÂŠ Mendez Foundation

.esson 8 Truth or Consequences? - Effects of Marijuana Use Allow several minutes for the students to direct the placement of the volunteers. Allow students to FKUEWUUVJGFKHHGTGPVQEEWRCVKQPU5QOGUVWFGPVUOC[UC[KVKUPQVRQUUKDNGVQTCPMVJGGHHGEVUQHOCTKLWCPC on these occupations. No. Why are you having Is it easy to rank the impact of marijuana use on these occupations? Every occupation could be affected if the person used such a difÆ‚cult time reaching a consensus? OCTKLWCPCEvery one of these occupations could be affected if the person used marijuana. Which job skills do you think are most impaired by marijuana use? #NNQYVKOGHQTUVWFGPVUVQFKUEWUUVJGUMKNNUGUUGPVKCNVQVJGQEEWRCVKQPUCPFJQYOCTKLWCPCWUGEQWNF KORCKTVJGUGUMKNNU6JGHQNNQYKPIRQKPVUECPDGOCFGKPVJGFKUEWUUKQP 5WTIGQPUFGRGPFQPCEEWTCVGFGRVJRGTEGRVKQPCPFUGPUKVKXGOQVQT UMKNNUYJGPRGTHQTOKPIUWTIGTKGU6JG[CNUQPGGFVQDGCDNGVQTGCEV SWKEMN[KHVJGTGKUCRTQDNGO

#KTNKPGRKNQVUCTGTGURQPUKDNGHQTOCP[RGQRNGPQVQPN[VJGRCUUGPIGTU but also people on the ground. Pilots need good depth perception, reaction time, and concentration.

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/GEJCPKEUPGGFHQEWUCPFEQPEGPVTCVKQPYJGPYQTMKPIQPCXGJKENG Forgetting to tighten a bolt or improperly repairing a system would leave the car unsafe to drive.

r%QPUVTWEVKQP9QTMGT %QPUVTWEVKQPYQTMGTUCTGTGURQPUKDNGHQTGXGT[VJKPIHTQOVJGJGCXKGUV earthmover to the smallest nail. They have to be able to focus on the smallest detail and not forget any step in the process. 2JCTOCEKUVUCTGTGURQPUKDNGHQTÆ‚NNKPIVJGEQTTGEVRTGUETKRVKQPHQT the correct person. An error in dosage or labeling could prove fatal.

$GKPICUVWFGPVKUCPQEEWRCVKQP/CTKLWCPCWUGKPVGTHGTGUYKVJNGCTPKPI If we donâ€™t have students, we wonâ€™t have any of these other occupations.

Some of you may have peers who use marijuana. You may think it doesnâ€™t negatively affect them. So far, their schoolwork, their social lives, and/or their athletic ability may not show any serious negative effects. Just because we canâ€™t see something, doesnâ€™t mean it isnâ€™t happening. We know the earth is rotating, but we canâ€™t feel it, and we certainly canâ€™t see it. At the beginning of the lesson, you listed thoughts and ideas about each side of the debate about the safety of using marijuana. Research consistently shows that recreational marijuana use is harmful to the developing teenage body and brain. It isnâ€™t something safe to put into your body, and for this reason, it will remain illegal for teenagers to use regardless of the legal status of use for adults. Next week we will talk about the harmful effects of street drug use and the misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. %QNNGEV5VWFGPV9QTMDQQMU %QNNGEV4CPM#EVKXKV[/CVGTKCNU Â© Mendez Foundation

.ooMing for More! SuRRleOental #ctiXities  4esources Putting it in Writing 9rite a RaragraRh aDout one of the folloYing Suotations pSo Oan[ Yriters OaMe doRe glaOorous a forO of roOantic transgression or YorldYeariness or Roetic sensitiXit[ or hiRness Mainl[ itâ€™s the stuff of ritualistic coOOunion aOong inarticulate Doresq .GQPCTF/KEJCGNU

p.ooM Lust in the conteZt of school Ye MnoY that OariLuana negatiXel[ affects concentration focus OeOor[ and retention Hello out there! %oncentration focus OeOor[ and retention +f [ou Yere in school arguaDl[ concentration focus OeOor[ and retention are iORortant thingsq #WVJQT7PMPQYP

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p+n the long run Ye shaRe our liXes and Ye shaRe ourselXes The Rrocess neXer ends until Ye die #nd the choices Ye OaMe are ultiOatel[ our oYn resRonsiDilit[q Eleanor Roosevelt

Home Workout

;our faOil[ and friends Oa[ thinM the[ MnoY a lot of inforOation aDout OariLuana Dut is their inforOation Dased on scientiĆ‚c facts or hearsa[! %reate a list of ten stateOents aDout OariLuana some of them true and some of them false. Then, challenge your family and friends to determine if the statements are true or false. $e sure you can DacM uR your statements Yith scientiĆ‚c facts. # reliaDle resource for drug information is the 0ational +nstitute on Drug #Duse.

Into Action

#t the Deginning of our lesson, Ye talMed aDout the tugofYar oXer RerceRtions of harm regarding mariLuana use. %onsider all the risMs of mariLuana use Ye coXered in our lesson. %hoose one area to research more eZtensiXely and Yrite a Drief RersuasiXe essay aDout Yhy one should choose not to use mariLuana. 4ememDer an effectiXe RersuasiXe essay considers the counterRointtor Yhat the oRRosition Yould arguetand then uses facts to suRRort Yhy the counterRoint is easily disRuted. For eZamRle, you may choose to research the effects of mariLuana use on the deXeloRing teen Drain or the addictiXe nature of mariLuana. The 0ational +nstitute on Drug #Duse is a good resource for you to begin your research.

Around Town

9rite a song or a Roem raising aYareness of the risMs of using mariLuana. #s you Yrite, MeeR in mind the facts you learned from our lesson, as Yell as research you gained on your oYn. ;ou may Yish to collaborate Yith a classmate. #rrange Yith the school staff a time Yhen you can hold a small talent shoY. ;ou might consider Rlanning it during a lunch hour and setting uR a stage area in the lunchroom. During this time, you Yill get the oRRortunity to read your Roem or sing your song, shoYcase your talent, and inform the student body about the facts surrounding mariLuana use.

ÂŠ Mendez Foundation

TGFD HS Lesson 8 Sample
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Rock Bands You Would Most Like to See In Concert

The Top Ten

Green Day interacts with their fans like no other band I've seen in concert. They really do love their fans, and show it by their amazing shows. Hope to see them again this February.

Anybody can choose any singer. but mohd rafi is voice of god. but if judge properly. rafi deserve for 100 bharat ratan.

what I have to tell,
just LP 's name is eough it says everything.
people's are crazy for them
I wanna go their concert and
first I want listen is "faint"
and they are so kind they donade a lot of money of thier part

3 Muse Muse Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The members are Matt Bellamy (lead vocal, lead guitar, piano, keyboard), Dom Howard (drums, percussion) and Chris Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals). They've won several awards including five MTV Awards, 8 NME Awards, more.

Best concert on the face of the earth! :) the energy at their concerts is incredible. go to one!

4 Guns N' Roses
5 You Me at Six

QUEEN is the only band to see live! The one and only, THE GREATEST, THE BEST, THE MOST PHENOMENAL BAND on Earth... EVER! Of course we would need FREDDIE (The most majestic voice in the universe! ) MERCURY, along w/ John Deacon, the best, yet most underrated bassist, to come out of retirement. Put these 2 geniuses together w/ the remaining 2 other genius musicians of QUEEN, and you've got Heaven on Earth! I would give Anything to see these 4 brilliant stars once live, rather than just on YouTube. When I discovered him and Queen a few yrs ago, Freddie totally BLEW ME AWAY & changed my life... Through the T.V.! This, after seeing Every big name live, and hardly remembering any of them! Yet, Freddie was able to yank my heart right out; his voice and delivery were like hearing, really hearing, music for the first time. His passion intoxicating, his energy mesmerizing, his talent spell-binding, his charisma hypnotizing, his voice... Absolutely outrageously magnificent! His performance ...more

8 Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold is an American alternative metal/metalcore (early) band, that was formed 1999 in California. Their longest lineup of members was M. Shadows (Vocals), Synyster Gates (Lead Guitar), Zacky Vengeance (Rhythm Guitar), Johnny Christ (Bass Guitar), and The Rev (Drums). more.
9 Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American funk-rock and alternative rock band, that was founded in 1983. more.
10 Three Days Grace Three Days Grace Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band formed in Norwood, Ontario in 1997 with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil Sanderson, and bassist Brad Walst.

The Contenders

12 Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine is a Funk Metal band formed in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk.
14 The Black Keys The Black Keys
15 Murderdolls
16 Bullet For My Valentine Bullet For My Valentine Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh metalcore band from Bridgend, formed in 1998 . The band is composed of Matthew Tuck (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Paget (lead guitar, backing vocals), Michael Thomas (drums) and Jamie Mathias (bass guitar). Former members include Nick Crandle and Jason James; more.
18 Triumph Triumph Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Between the band's 16 albums and DVDs, Triumph has received 18 gold and 9 platinum awards in Canada and the United States.
19 Godsmack Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin.
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Is aromatherapy safe for pets?

Once I began teaching workshops regarding aromatherapy a common question kept coming up. Can I use this with my pets? My opinion is utilizing complimentary care is always a good idea for anyone whether it is human or animal, but I honestly wasn’t sure how safe it would be to use essential oils with our animal friends.

This question has put me on a quest to understand the benefits of complementary and alternative options for our animal friends. I will always advise you to seek veterinary care, but wanted to find out a better answer. I began studying animal aromatherapy with my amazing instructor Kelly Holland Azzaro and have discovered that there are many options available.

Animal aromatherapy truly encompasses more than just the use of essential oils. As I share in my article about the definition of aromatherapy it truly is the use of aromatic plants in a variety of forms. I have been fortunate throughout my studies to work with a large variety of animals from small bunnies all the way up to large horses. Each animal brought me a deeper understanding of viewing a concern from all aspects, both internal and external. Since animals can not communicate it is important to spend some time really getting to know them.

Aromatherapy works on all levels of an animal including the physical, emotional, conditional and spiritual. Animals have a strong sense of smell, much stronger than humans so extra caution is required when using aromatherapy. They can’t tell us what they like or don’t like so being able to pay attention to the physical cues is important. I have been fortunate to volunteer at Celestial Farms, a farm animal rescue, and have really been able to learn the personality and cues of all the animals. When I work with clients I offer them a list of things to watch for. Each animal is different and will respond to holistic care differently.

Ultimately, the answer is yes, aromatherapy does work for animals*. I would advise you to take it slowly, work with a qualified holistic veterinarian or animal aromatherapist whenever possible. Always remember that this is a complimentary health care option and less is best.

*Not advised for birds, cats, fish or reptiles.

Herb Gardening – Dill

Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an herb that I have had great success with. In my outdoor garden, I sometimes get lazy and this herb tends to be self-seeding if you leave it alone. Self-seeding means that as the plant matures it will flower and develop seeds, the seeds then fall and if the birds don’t eat them they start to grow again. Due to this I haven’t had to plant dill in a couple years.

When I first started my Florida garden it was mostly in pots. As you can see dill does just fine in a small pot. I will be the first to admit that I did not stay on top of trimming or caring for this plant. If you take the time to trim plants regularly they will continue to grow nicely for an extended period and they won’t bolt.

I love drying the aerial portions to use on fish, in salads or sprinkled in sandwiches to add a unique delicious flavor. Another great use for dill is to make a lemon dill compound butter which you can use on chicken, pork or beef. Consider adding it to some pasta with garden fresh vegetables for a tasty summer dish.

To make a compound butter always make sure to use unsalted butter so that you can control the salt (sodium) within your recipes.

For a lemon dill compound butter:

one stick of butter (1/2 cup)
the zest and juice of half a lemon
approximately 1 tablespoon of fresh dill
salt to taste. (adjust all ingredients for personal preference)

When you don’t keep the plant nicely trimmed it will bolt, meaning it grows taller and starts producing flowers. The flowers will produce a bunch of seeds. Once the seed pods dry on the plant some cut off the top portion to continue allowing them to dry. The seeds can be used for a variety of purposes. A delicious option would be dill pickles. A recipe I like came from this site The Kitchn about making dill pickles.

Herbalists also delight in the different medicinal applications of dill which include improving your appetite and digestion. You can make the feather/aerial portion of dill into a tea to help ease abdominal pains or cramps. According to Michael Tierra in the Way of Herbs it can help with colds, flu or cough. It may also help with the flow of breast milk for breastfeeding mothers (pg 43, Reader’s Digest The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs). As with any holistic practice always consult with a physician or a natural health practitioner.

To learn about dill essential oil, please visit my article here. I would enjoy hearing how you use fresh herbs and what is your favorite? Stay tune for my next installment of fresh herbs from my garden.

Chickens & Essential Oils

Rooster exploring the farm
Beautiful rooster

Recently while I was doing some volunteer work with the farm animals a person asked my opinion about an article they had seen using Oregano essential oil with chickens. I am choosing to not share the link to the article because I do not want people to think I promote the authors suggestions. Unfortunately the article didn’t state which type of Oregano they utilized I have to assume it was Oregano vulgare.

Oregano essential oil is generally high in carvacrol and thymol. These chemical constituents lend to the possible therapeutic uses with viral infections, bacterial infections and helping with congestion. The author references investigating essential oils in the prevention of Avian flu. I did an extensive search through PubMed, one search and couldn’t find any research on Avian flu and oregano oil. Due to the therapeutic benefits with viral and bacterial infections this oil may help with prevention, as long as it was used safely and highly diluted.

Mama chicken protecting her hatchlings
Protecting her babies

For human use the oil has a recommended maximum dermal use of 1.1% and several cautions against oral use (pg. 375 & 376 Tisserand & Young 2014). Knowing these precautions I would never suggest use of this oil with chickens, simply because they are small birds with completely different systems. The only way I would use it would be during cleaning of their coop after illness and when all the chickens are removed for a period of time.

To ensure the health of your flock rather than turning to essential oils consider using the actual plant. Adding a variety of herbs to a nesting box can help deter pests, add a healthy snack and create a fresher environment. The fresh herbs will also provide vitamins and minerals which are not available from an essential oil. If you do use fresh herbs these will have to be changed frequently to avoid mold developing, if you are in a humid area consider dried herbs.

Chicken with chicks
Exploring the new world

Companion Animals

Relaxing on the porch

I have grown up with animals, usually a dog. I honestly can’t imagine my life without a pet of some kind. As I have been growing my holistic practice I have been asked numerous times about using various products on our fur babies. As I began exploring the options, I have also been volunteering at a rescue farm and learning about the love that we can get from more than just common house pets, cats and dogs.

Animals of all types have been companions to humans for thousands of years. The origin of these companionship’s were probably formed to help with hunting food, but that also meant that man and beast had to put some trust in each other and form a bond. Over the centuries the relationship has changed and developed into one of simple enjoyment. Most pet owners today have an animal simply for the joy that it brings.

In the last 20 years there have been numerous studies about the benefits of having a pet. Pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure, and can improve cardiovascular health. On they review several studies showing the therapeutic benefits of animals. In one study patients that spent time with animals rather than in an outpatient area showed decreased pain symptoms and positive mood.

According to Animal Planet’s site opening your home to a pet might be just what the doctor ordered. Owning a pet can help reduce allergies and blood pressure. Some of the mental benefits include:

  • Lifts spirits
  • Decrease depression
  • Lowers feelings of isolation
  • Lessens boredom
  • Reduces anxiety
  • Helps with communication
  • Motivation to recover faster

Pets can truly enhance your life for the better. Even if you are in a situation where you can’t own a pet consider volunteering. There are always animals out there that can benefit from your love and can provide you love in return. Besides who can’t resist smiling while watching a baby goat jump and play or any animal for that matter.

Baby Goat

What is an Aromatherapist…

and why does it matter?

Aromatherapist, Certified Aromatherapist, Clinically Certified Aromatherapist or Aromatherapy Practitioner. The amount of titles available regarding training is almost as high as the number of essential oils you can purchase. In the United States the use of essential oils is a loosely regulated industry. Mainly focusing on the use of essential oils as a fragrance generally in cosmetics.

An aromatherapist is a person that has invested in an extensive course of study. Generally 200 or more hours is required before receiving a certificate of completion. These courses require detailed study covering topics such as chemistry, anatomy and safety. As well as the emotional and energetic properties of the plant material. Generally they will also cover the FDA regulations and provide information about the limitations.

According to “Aromatherapists are alternative healers who use essential oils to promote healing and wellness. They meet with patients to discuss their symptoms and health goals, and they develop treatment plans based on their needs.” An important note regarding this definition, unless the person also has medical training they will not view you as a patient. Many aromatherapists study essential oils and other holistic healing modalities due to challenges they experienced from the traditional “allopathic” medical field. Many times aromatherapy will be an added modality to a practice such as massage therapy, cosmetology, or even nursing.

Although unregulated, a license is not required in the US, both the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists (NAHA) and the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA) have worked to establish some educational guidelines. These ensure people operate with safety and ethics in mind. So if you are interested in exploring the incredibly diverse nature of essential oils do some research into who can guide you safely. AromaWeb has a great guide of questions to ask anyone suggesting you use essential oils.


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Frankenstein, the modern Prometheus!

Dear Readers,

I recently read Frankenstein in my AP ENGLISH class, and I thoroughly enjoyed the imagery found within the novel. I have included an essay below that I wrote for my AP English class discussing Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, through the characterization and treatment of the creature, expresses the idea that society possesses a superficial and judgmental view on individuals. Often, society hates and fears what it is not comfortable with and it creates an expectation that everyone should look pleasing and act a certain way.  This unrealistic expectation molds people regarding how they look and act, therefore posing the question, how does the creation and maturation of the creature reflect on society’s characteristics, regarding lack of acceptance, as a whole?
Although the creature possesses moral strength and incredible knowledge, he only is noticed as a monstrous creature, unworthy of kind treatment.  The novel shows him ardently seeking knowledge, through reading works such as Paradise Lost and studying mathematics and the sciences. However, credit never becomes awarded to him for this desire for progression, and he slowly becomes involved in murderous acts, seeking revenge on humanity for his unjust and judgmental treatment.  This lack of recognition for the power of mind that he possesses becomes a reflection for society’s disregard for the significance of knowledge.  Because of this, the creature begins to doubt his kind and progressive nature, and turns instead to acts of violence, implying that society’s sawed views can carry a negative influence.

The creature, largely at the beginning his creation, is abhorred for his frightening appearance.  From the moment that Frankenstein gives him life, Frankenstein only sees him for his exterior qualities, and abandons him to fend for himself.  This causes the creature to hate his creator and hate himself, because he only sees himself as a monster.  His self-worth becomes diminished, as he believes from the beginning that he possesses no importance.  Frankenstein, instead of seeing the potential and great knowledge in his creation, only focuses on his deformed body, and immediately is disgusted with the creature.  This lack of love, acceptance, and inability to see past exterior flaws exhibits those exact qualities regarding society’s view and focus  on those different that the ideal person.
Near the end of the novel, the creature shows himself to the family he has observed and learned from.  He first appears to the blind father, who accepts him and takes him in, giving him shelter.  Later, the children arrive home and chase the creature from town, disgusted by his horrifying and disgusting appearance.  The old man, blind to the creature’s appearance, values him for his intellect and in general as a human being.  The children only see his physical form and do not take time to learn of his character, immediately hating and deciding to fear him.  These varying treatments reflect two aspects of society; those individuals who possess love and acceptance for everyone despite flaws, and those individuals who place judgment and hatred for anyone different from what they are comfortable with.  The way these characters in the novel treat the creature upon first meeting him possess a direct correlation to society’s judgmental and ignorant focus.

            Throughout the novel as a whole, the creature’s only judged quality becomes his outward appearance, never his desire for progression or how he ardently seeks for greater knowledge. The creature’s lack of recognition for his knowledge, why his creator abandons him, and how the family treats him, causes him to eventually seek revenge and turn to violence.  Hatred, judgment, and fear follow anyone who sees him, reflecting how society only values outward appearances and looks.  This fact assists the reader in feeling sympathy for the creature, because of the lack of love and acceptance he is shown, exhibiting the ignorant and superficial way individuals view others.

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An Interview with Dominic Hill – The Surviving Terminal Cancer Film & CUSP-ND Project

dhDominic Hill is a passionate patient advocate, the creator of the film Surviving Terminal Cancer and the man behind the CUSP-ND clinical study.

 How did you get engaged in the field of oncology?

Dominic: Brain cancer and cancer generally first came on my radar in the autumn of 2009 when my brother-in-law was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme. The tumor was right on his motor strip and it was deemed inoperable. At age 31, he was given a terminal diagnosis.  Such news had left my family in deep shock, but I felt that I needed to investigate whether his condition was indeed as terrible as the prognosis seemed to indicate.

Everything I discovered turned out to reinforce that information, but one sign of hope was a book that my family had found. The book was called “Surviving Terminal Cancer” and it was written by Prof. Ben Williams, an American academic and scientist who had used his intelligence and strategic analysis of the problem to implement a solution which enabled him to survive his disease. His book electrified me and made me realize that each patient is not equivalent to the mean, median, or any other line that we draw through the survival curve, and that there are just as many people who survived much longer than expected as those who succumbed to the disease early. I contacted Ben and I was also flying all around the world with the objective of finding a neurosurgeon that would operate on my brother-in-law. The unfortunate thing is that we did find several surgeons who said that they would have operated had he not already started radiotherapy under the care of his physicians in Oxford, England. In fact, he was never offered an awake speech mapping, differentiating dye or several other techniques which were available in 2010 in centers of excellence. He was not referred to any such center where meaningful resection may have been possible. Certainly, a resection would have bought us enough time to inform ourselves on more aggressive, combinational treatment options.

What made you decide to create a film specifically?

Dominic: After my brother-in-law died, my family was in acute shock. After recovering from that traumatic period, I remember frequently waking up, having dreamt that other people were facing what my family had faced and I had all this information that could be of tremendous value to those patients. When my brother-in-law was diagnosed, I was a director of a company and I gave the owner no choice but to give me compassionate leave so that I could work around the clock trying to inform myself. I quickly realized that for non-professionals, it is extremely difficult to get a handle on the complex scientific nature of a problem like Glioblastoma. Furthermore, for people who don’t speak English, they wouldn’t even haw the raw material to dive into because it’s not in their language. I realized how hopeless the situation was for regular people trying to find meaningful treatment options in the face of compassionate fatalism which is too often the perception of medical teams. I wanted to do something about it and I realized that a film in the digital era was the most compact and viral format that I could use and one that could be easily translated into many languages. I wanted to get an idea out of the book that this academic had written and make it more tangible, more emotive and more powerful for an audience to grip onto.

What were your objectives?

Dominic: I had two objectives, the first objective was to put a tool in the hands of patients when they needed it most, which is the crucial window between diagnosis and surgery. I wish that I could have seen a film like that when I needed it so there was a sense of obligation. I also believe that if you educate enough patients then eventually a tipping point will come when doctors are forced to engage into more patient-centric treatments because an informed patient population will accept nothing less. This idea follows Gandhi’s principle of how to affect change.

It is unethical to ask patients to join studies which are aimed at understanding more about the treatment or drug rather than trying to save the patient’s life.

 The second objective was to try to generate funds for a clinical trial. I wanted to answer definitively a question of whether these survivors, not only Ben Williams but others that have followed in his footsteps, are merely statistical outliers. Was this just a coincidence, would they have survived anyway? The only meaningful way to answer that question is to run a clinical trial on newly diagnosed patients and to give them a treatment which would not be exactly what those survivors had, but that would follow the same strategic approach. If we then see a significant move against historical survival, we can validate this “reckless” approach as an ethically justifiable avenue of research.

This is to some degree a ‘Trojan horse’ trial because if we can prove that the patients in the film were not statistical outliers and that indeed a ‘black box’ approach gave them a far greater chance of survival, what it would mean is that the clinical trial structure itself is denying patients the best chance of survival. It is unethical to ask patients to join studies which are aimed at understanding more about the treatment or drug rather than trying to save the patient’s life. If that word gets out, then I believe that more and more patients will be resistant to standardized linear treatment protocols, let alone clinical trials. I think that’s the future and I think half of the medical community has already realized that big data and open access treatment is the way it must go for us to accelerate learning and it’s now a question of driving the tipping point.

How did the group come about? How did you initiate the first contacts?

Dominic: The contacts came to me during two phases; the first phase was the search for treatment options for my brother-in-law and the second phase was the research for the film. A key person was Ben himself when he agreed to be interviewed for the film. Naturally, I had asked him if he knew of any other patients that I could interview and he put me in contact with a gentleman by the name of Richard Gerber in Italy. I flew to Italy with the camera crew to meet him and interviewed him for the film. Ben also put me in contact with another patient named Anders Ferry that at the time I wasn’t so keen to interview because I was making a film about glioblastoma and Anders had anaplastic astrocytoma. However, Anders eventually became probably the most important contributor after flying himself to London at his own expense to contribute to the film. The group grew organically and slowly to eventually reach its current size which today comprises individuals from the East and West Coasts of US, Canada, England, Belgium, and Germany.

Could you tell us a little bit more about the group?

Dominic: I believe our strength lies in the diverse nature of our group. Naturally, we have medical professionals among us; we have a neurosurgeon, a professional researcher and a neuro-oncologist leading our project.

However, we also have professionals from non-medical streams that could bring outside thinking into the group. I’m a systems engineer myself, we have a guy with a background in hedge funds, we have a software engineer, we have two professors who are also patients; one is a professor of applied mathematics and the other is a professor of behavioral psychology. Each one of us brings a unique perspective.

The common factor that tied us all together was that everyone in our group had either been affected by cancer themselves as a patient, or they had been affected through an immediate family member being diagnosed with cancer.

I think it’s critical to note that we also have a clinical psychiatrist on the team. With a lifetime of experience prescribing drugs that affect the brain, he can bring great value to neuro-oncological teams and help understand whether the drugs that they may want to use can penetrate the blood brain barrier, what are the safe levels of that drug and so forth. These are clinicians with extensive experience but because they are not oncologists, the oncological community does not confer with them enough when it comes to off-label treatments. Given abject prognosis, it’s just insane not to harvest this wealth of information.

How did you come to form the Anticancer Alliance?

Dominic: I think what’s important for patients today to realize is that because of the digital revolution, information is available at an unprecedented speed and depth.  Doctors are increasingly finding themselves facing extremely well-informed patients. What this means is that patients can become more equal stakeholders in the decision-making process that will ultimately impact their survival and treatment outcomes. That’s one side of the equation in terms of patient information, the other side of the equation is the strength of standing together. It’s the Roman concept of “fasces” which is the idea that a small stick can be broken easily but if you take 10 small sticks and bunch them together, you can’t break it with the same force. Applied to the paradigm of oncology, the real weakness of patient advocacy is the fact that we are separated, and there is no uniform voice that demands legislative change specific to oncology. Cancer is a unique disease, and I believe that will come a time when we will no longer apply a one size fits all clinical trial methodology to pain management, infectious diseases and oncology. Anticancer Alliance was formed for this reason and I believe that it has fantastic potential because, for the first time, it’s a tool that’s going to empower individual patients and connect them not only to each other but also to other stakeholders in the industry.

What are your hopes for the future with this platform?

I would like to see system change and system change is going to take engagement from every stakeholder: regulators, patients, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, private industry, researchers, charities – everyone must start thinking in a slightly different way. It’s the power of an idea that can bring change.

The progress made in cancer treatment between 1950 and 1970, when weighted pound-for-pound against capital invested, dwarfs what has happened since.

I hope that a platform like the Anticancer Alliance could be a growing community of collaboration and that’s the keyword – we are talking about empowering doctors and patients to work together; we’re talking about empowering regulators and providing a platform where they can find immediate feedback from those most affected by the decisions that they’ll make during their working lives. We’re talking about allowing the private sector, the pharmaceutical companies, to open a window into the hitherto obscure world of patients and doctors going outside of accepted norms. Researchers and patients are coming up with new ideas, and maybe we could leverage support for some of those ideas and even find a way to help the private sector commercialize them. It is essential to embrace the private sector; it wouldn’t be constructive to work against it. So, it’s truly about collaboration on every level and at the heart of that is the collaboration between the doctor and the patient. We can look at a period in medicine when doctors were more empowered to work directly with their patients and were less restricted by regulatory environments; the progress made in cancer treatment between 1950 and 1970, when weighted pound-for-pound against capital invested, dwarfs what has happened since. I think that tells us a lot about the importance of enabling the two key operators which are the joint partners in the risk analysis; the doctor who bears the responsibility for their individual patients and the patient whose life is at stake.

Researchers must become architects of clinical trials that make a meaningful attempt at saving patient’s lives.

I hope that the platform can generate remote working relationships and help connect like-minded individuals perhaps from different parts of the world.  Researchers trying to connect to geographically disperse micro-populations of patients would benefit enormously from a digital aggregation of those patients. This is the key aspect; connecting researchers directly to the patient communities. The patient is facing a life-threatening disease and the heroes are the researchers dedicating their careers to develop new treatment options. Incredibly, these two parties are totally dislocated with clinicians, regulators, charities and the private sector sitting between them. So, to put those two stakeholders directly in contact with one another is to allow the patient population to influence the development of new treatments, directly support and fund those researchers who are truly striving to deliver change to the clinic as opposed to academic aggrandizement or financial reward. Today, the clinical trial enrolment rate in oncology is extremely low, to change this, researchers must become architects of clinical trials that make a meaningful attempt at saving patient’s lives.

What we want is for people to join, contribute and contribute regularly because that’s how we’ll get strong.

Typically, when engineering a trial that is truly in the patient’s best interest rather than trying to understand more about a specific treatment, the researcher can face several difficulties and only through supporting those researchers and empowering them by driving funding for them can such initiatives get off the ground. If those researchers remain isolated without the support of the patient community that they are trying to serve, they have little chance of overcoming these obstacles. This platform is a meritocracy, we say “put your research here, put your ideas here” and if we have enough patients looking at this website, we should be able to generate enough interest, information and momentum behind it to deliver some funding. But that’s going to require charities to look at it, it’s going to require patients to look at it, it’s going to require doctors and researchers to be looking at it and none of them are going to do that if it’s not a growing community. This needs to be taken by people and run with, otherwise, it will die in its infancy. What we want is for people to join, contribute and contribute regularly because that’s how we’ll get strong. I think the perfect example is Wikipedia, which is a wonderful tool for many of us. Though sometimes it can be subjective, it is also a giant compared to any other encyclopedia that has ever been invented. There are entries on most obscure facts that no physical encyclopedia could ever hold. Similarly, our platform can enable particularly those diseases which have orphan status and don’t have patient populations large enough to generate interest from the private sector. I think particularly for those diseases, a platform like this could be extremely valuable and deliver tangible benefit to patients much faster than existing infrastructure.

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Sand play as an internal activity for toddlers

Sand tables are a favorite activity of sensory toys for toddlers. Sensory play encourages children’s natural curiosity and love of exploration. You can buy a table specifically for sensory play sand or sand to create a table using your plastic storage tub simple and filling it with sand. Mixing in the water until moist sand so that your sand can be molded into shapes or keeps it dry to fill and poured. Sand play is a versatile indoor activity, ideal for your child busy.

Sand tables give Toddlers experience tactile sand. Simply allow your child to play freely with and explore the dry sand is an activity in itself. You can also provide sand toys such as small and large buckets and shovels and sieves and let your child scoop, measure and pour. Small paper cups are also a great addition to the sand playing time and give you a chance to merge some of the basic principles of measurement in this activity. He says, “Let’s scoop some sand in this cup. Look, it’s half full. Did you want to dump it? Well. Now it’s empty. "

Wet sand is a nice reminder of creating sand castles on the beach and basking in the warm summer sun, but your child does not have to visit the beach to enjoy the sand sculpture. Add enough water to moisten the sand in the sand your table and explain how to pack wet sand to an object such as a paper cup, and turn it over and create a three - dimensional shapes in the sand. Help your child create sand sculptures, buildings and digging sand and then crush them and start again.

Does not have sand in your play sand to be the main source of entertainment. Can be as easy way for imaginative play. Give your toddler a game many cars, trucks, bulldozers and show him how to flatten areas to make the roads or use a bulldozer to remove sand hills. Making tracks on the sandy roads that you’re newly created and talk about the different paths that each vehicle leaves. Encourage discussion and ask questions. He says, "Why do you think that this dump truck makes more tracks from that car?" Any game can be a great addition to the playground of your sand. Dragon statues may perch on sand castle newly built, and statues alligator may bask on the shore of the river and fake. Let your child take the lead and choose which games he wants to bring to the table his sand.

Sand play and gives your child a chance to play a large number of matches. Adapt to sensory activity where the child is in a box and tries to guess the mystery element using only the child’s sense of touch sand table game by hiding things ambiguity in the sand. Linking the gang to the eyes of your child and encourage them to use their sense of touch to feel the sand and sift through it with her fingers to find the mystery objects. Talk about how it feels sand. Is rough? Is smooth? It's cool to the touch? Ask your toddler to describe the items she finds and guess what it is. Last game is fun to play effects. Buried dinosaur statues, fossilized teeth, and fake bones in the sand and give your child a pastry or a paint brush and shovel. Let's dig for dinosaurs and uncover the past just like a real archaeologist.

Related Post: Indoor Toddler Activities in New York

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Whether you suffer from agoraphobia or something else, Lauren is right…Small steps ARE Massive

Agoraphobia is undoubtedly one of the most misunderstood anxiety disorders; with many people assuming it simply means ‘being afraid to leave the house’. However, agoraphobia can be better defined as an intense fear of being in a situation where an escape is not easy. For me, this has included using cash machines because of the length of time you’re stuck waiting for your money and can’t leave; it has included being in elevators, cars, trains, cinemas, using pedestrian crossings; not being able to stand still because of the need to keep running; being unable to cross the road because there’s too much traffic, and a million other small and complex things that would take me way too long to list; but equally impacted my life beyond belief. The result of all of these things was what left me housebound. It wasn’t that the outside world was a scary place to…

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Is there science behind the near-death experience: Does human consciousness survives after death?

Near death experiences (NDEs) have been reported throughout world in essentially all cultures, including amongst the believers of the Hindu religion The contents of NDEs are independent of the gender, age, profession, religion, belief of soul, belief in angels of death or ghosts and belief in death kingdom and heaven, of people who experienced it. The frequency of occurrence is estimated to be between 5% to 48% in adults, and around 85% in children who experienced near-death situations. This frequency may be higher still, perhaps even 100 percent, were it not for the dreamlike and dissociative character of these experiences, and the amnesia-prone participation of the temporal lobe cortex of brain, causing a clear tendency to forget the NDE. A number of experiences can be very similar to NDEs, such as review of one’s life in this planet, or an out-of-body experience (OBE,) in which the physical body and its surroundings are observed from various external vantage points, often from above, such that the body is passing through a deep dark tunnel, or seeing flash of light equal to thousands of sun for pure souls. The experience of seeing God and conversing with him, seeing alien lands, seeing dead relatives or someone’s future, can all be regarded as similar in nature. Many individuals have reported horror experiences as well. Numerous cases-are existing in which the reality of the the OBE-observation can be independently ‘verified, by external conditions, situations, people, objects, etc. Even people who are non-religious, subsequent to NDE experiences have displayed a markedly decreased fear of death, and a corresponding increase in the belief in “life after death” and re-incarnation. Certain elements of NDE- experiences can be induced by drugs, such as hallucinogenic substances and anesthetic drugs like ketamine, and electrical stimulation of the right temporal lobe or the limbic system has also produced such effects. The possibility that the hallucinogenic transmitters (and endorphins) of the brain themselves play a role in the NDE has been postulated. Nevertheless, there are NDE-elements, such as the frequently reported quick life-reviews, and the acquisition of external, verifiable information about the physical surroundings, that cannot be explained. Wish-fulfillment, death-denial or fighting against death, and other defense mechanisms of the brain, are also not adequate explanations. The large body of NDE data now points to genuine evidence for a non-physical reality. The paranormal capacities of the human being also raises the question: Does the human soul exist?….;year=2013;volume=6;issue=2;spage=151;epage=165;aulast=Bhattacharya

People See Verified Events While Out-Of-Body

The scientific method requires all phenomena to be reproducible, provideveridical details (i.e., details which cannot be explained away, which are found to be true), and undergo rigorous tests to rule out all the known alternative explanations, for a theory to be proven as scientific fact. Using the scientific method, near-death experiences have been proven to be a real scientific phenomenon because they are reproducible. Near-death experiences were first shown to be reproducible during studies involvingthe subjection of fighter pilots to extreme gravitational forces in a giant centrifuge. But the question is not, “Are near-death experiences real?” Even skeptics now concede that it is a real phenomenon. The question to ask is, “Are near-death experiences a phenomenon of a person’s consciousness being outside of their body?” And if this can be proven true, then the next question is, “Can consciousness survive bodily death?” This last question likely cannot be proven true to the satisfaction of the skeptics using near-death research alone. This is because no matter how you define “death,” the only kind of definition that satisfies the skeptics is “irreversible” death. Just the very nature of the phrase “near-death” suggests that it is not true death – where nobody comes back. However, good scientific evidence for survival can be found in other realms of research such as psychic studies, quantum physics, consciousness studies, and remote viewing – not to mention the mountain of circumstantial evidence……

Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences

Evidence of the Afterlife” is by far the largest scientific study of NDE ever presented, and is based on researching over 1300 NDEs shared with NDERF. This book is scientific in content, yet easy and a delight to read.  The people whose stories are presented span all age groups, races, and religious affiliations and come from all over the world, yet the similarities in their experiences are as awe-inspiring as they are inexplicable.  Using this treasure trove of data, Dr. Long explains how medical evidence fails to explain these reports and why there is only one plausible explanation—that people have survived death and traveled to another dimension.

Evidence of the Afterlife” is so compelling that it will either validate your existing knowledge or it will heartily challenge your current belief system with nine lines of irrefutable evidence of the afterlife.  There are no explanations, medical or otherwise, that one can reasonably conclude after reading this book except that there is an afterlife!

Click the links below to go directly to interest area.  Otherwise, scroll down and enjoy reading everything!….

3 Out-of-Body Experiences With Some Objective Verification

Some people who have had close brushes with death report having left the physical body to float around and observe scenes in the direct vicinity of the body and sometimes further away, in the general region. In some cases, what they’ve seen can be verified; near-death experiences (NDEs) researchers then try to determine whether the person could have seen these events or objects through normal means, without having left the body.

These provide some of the strongest evidence that these mystical experiences are not hallucinations. Cases in which the experiencers’ accounts are verifiable are known as veridical perceptions.

Some include not only scenes observed in the world of our normal perception, but also conversations or encounters with beings on another plane of existence who tell the experiencer things that turn out to be true.

Here are a few veridical perception cases of out of dozens compiled from the work of various researchers by Jan Holden, a counseling professor at North Texas University and long-time NDE researcher.

While these few cases are outstanding, it’s the wealth of cases studied over more than 100 years that have a great cumulative impact on the researchers of NDEs……

Leaving Their Bodies, These People Saw Things Later Verified

Pam Reynolds was 35 years old when she went under the knife in an unusual, daring brain surgery. She had a near-death experience (NDE) in which she heard surgeons talking and observed the procedure, though all sensory perception should have been null at the time and her brain activity had ceased.

What she saw and heard was later verified by checking the surgeons’ reports. This 1991 case provides one of the strongest pieces of verifiable, well-documented, evidence for the existence of NDEs as a phenomenon outside of the brain. It suggests the feelings NDEers report of being separate from the body are accurate and not merely hallucinations conjured within a malfunctioning brain…..

What is going on during a near-death experience?

A man we’ll call Joe recalls plunging into darkness and seeing a bright light. He remembers a field of flowers and a figure in white who spoke to him about his future. The next thing he recalls is awakening to discover that during the time he’d experienced this vision, he’d actually been lying on an operating table with doctors hovering over him, frantically trying to restart his stopped heart.

You’ve probably heard stories similar to this one, which was recounted in a 2006 New Scientist article. What Joe remembers experiencing is called a near-death experience (NDE). Reportedly, about 10 to 20 percent of people who survive heart attacks experience an NDE [source: Callaway]. Written accounts of NDEs go back to ancient times. Usually, they involve euphoria, tunnels, bright lights, ethereal beings or some combination of those phenomena. Some people report seeing a high-speed replay of memories — aka, their lives flash before their eyes….

Near-death experiences: Fact or fantasy?


Speedboat Transfer to the local island of Rasdhoo

Gulf Craft Touring

There are several speedboats going nearly every morning from Rasdhoo to Malé and in the afternoon back to Rasdhoo. A single trip takes normally about 80 minutes, but if the sea is rough it can take 2 hours or even more. If there is a storm coming up, the captain reserves the right to turn around and go back to his origin! Because of this fact, we recommend you, particularly in the rainy season, when the weather can change quickly, to plan your inward journey one day before your international flight, so you would not miss your international flight back home!

Nearly all speedboat operators choose the model "Gulf Craft Touring", because it seems to be very reliable and extremely robust. The boats are normally equipped with two outboard engines and can reach a maximum speed of about 33 knots, but only when the sea is calm!

Prices: ..... from 40.00 USD per person and trip

Please feel free to contact us, if you have any questions about the speedboat transfers!


Senate passes HJR-3 on final vote, but resolution won’t be on this year’s ballot

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– The Indiana Senate has approved the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, known as House Joint Resolution 3 (commonly referred to as as HJR-3 and formerly known as House Joint Resolution 6).

HJR-3’s original language is as follows:

Critics of the bill, like Freedom Indiana, a group that includes several businesses and universities, said passing the measure would hinder Indiana’s ability to attract and retain top talent and have a negative impact on Indiana’s national image.

Monday’s vote was somewhat overshadowed by one state senator’s “war of words” on Twitter.

The Republican senator had proposed to restore the original language to the gay marriage legislation, that would have included the potential restrictions on civil unions and domestic partnerships. The measure failed to move forward in the senate Thursday and the bill became ineligible to be placed on the fall ballot.


There are times when disbelief of the reality we live in simply leaves us speechless. The problem is that deciding not to force something out of our mouths in response is just as bad as saying something ignorant. Still, my Spidey sense is tingling. The waves of change are surging… I hope.

As I’ve journeyed further and further into social media in the past few years, I’ve found myself on both ends of the emotional spectrum at what I’ve seen. The age of the hashtags have seen blistering debates over diversity (see #GamesSoWhite, #GamerGate, #BlackLivesMatter, etc.), and the energy and passion within are both exhilarating and disgusting at the same time. I always tend to soak in debates and discussions like these because, oftentimes, emotion can make one irrational and unable to ‘listen’.

Listen. It’s a beautiful word because it typically leads to ‘understanding’ which is an absolutely GORGEOUS word in my opinion.

Recently a brave and superb writer for Polygon by the name of Tauriq Moosa penned an opinion piece named “Colorblind On Witcher 3, Rust, and gaming’s race problem“. There he pointed out how indie survival MMO RUST has altered how player avatars are chosen in-game. “As lead developer and studio owner Garry Newman wrote: “Everyone now has a pseudo unique skin tone and face. Just like in real life, you are who you are – you can’t change your skin colour or your face. It’s actually tied to your SteamID [how the game recognizes you].”

rust_skintonesHe went on to comment on how some white players even shunned the game’s decision based on what they called ‘forced politics’. “Many white gamers expressed concern, as Megan Condis documents, disliking being forced to think about race and having to play someone who didn’t match their own race. “The problem is lack of freedom of choice,” one claimed.”

The irony in these comments are yet another example of hypocrisy when discussions of the importance of diversity in media arise. What these gamers fail to realize is that there are a number of games that ‘force’ the avatar upon the user and I’m certain they had no problem playing those games (Tomb Raider, TellTale Games’ Walking Dead, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, I.e). Yet for some reason, this MMO doesn’t get a pass because they aren’t getting to choose and “may have to take the chance [!] of playing a black character.” It’s clear that the developer is taking a much needed stand to diversify gaming in general and this method is one that I enjoy.

As gamers, we are always expected to take on the role of a protagonist that is different from who we are. For years, female gamers had to question whether or not they’d ever get female representation until Ghosts hit the scene. Native Americans got a shocker when Prey and Assassin’s Creed 3 hit the scene with their heroes as well. Recent games from major and indie publishers are finally beginning to pepper the scene with more diverse heroes and heroines to finally do what it seems other forms of media are having trouble doing or maintaining (a la Hollywood). Still, the key word is ‘pepper’. Considering the gaming industry is undeniably dominated by white males, you will see the majority of the product put out by major developers will represent that demographic simply because it is what they know.

“So, go out and do it yourself”

This is something you’ll always hear in an argument and, while it is valid, it misses a reality in this country (and probably many others). Those in power will lean towards either hiring or producing what is ‘comfortable’ to them and, as a result, you are left with stereotypical representations of minorities and/or women. Basically, it is one of those ‘easier said than done’ kind of things.  Jessica Conditt wrote an article on called “Gaming while black: Casual racism to cautious optimism.” In it she interviewed a biracial developer named Shawn Alexander Allen who has worked with Rockstar Games and has his own studio called Nuchallenger. In it he states the following:

“The games industry is hurting badly as a creative medium in terms of diverse voices. We don’t see many prominent black or Latino (or really any other minority populace) representation in protagonists, critics, marketing or creators. I mention prominent because while many other cultural forms like music, movies, and writing have a dearth of black voices, they at least have people who are out there making their culture better at all levels and are very visible.”

With that said, you can see why the industry is being questioned in the way it is. Those in power will bring their friends, familiar former co-workers, and others that their friends can vouch for with them to build their new gaming studio. This makes ‘getting in the door’ harder. Not only that, the ‘do-it-from-scratch-without-major-company-help’ makes it even harder since marketing and getting their voice out there AND HEARD is even harder.

People often forget how powerful portrayals of minorities are in major media. Since many portions of the globe are segregated, their only encounter with people ‘different’ from them are in movies, TV shows, and even video games. If all they see is a black person selling drugs, getting out of poverty, and becoming a hip hop star, then that is what they associate with blacks in America. Of course, the truth is so far from this it isn’t even funny.

In the last part of Moosa’s article, Witcher 3’s lack of diversity was also mentioned. A key part of that argument was that if the mythology can have fantastical creatures like dragons and elves then why can’t it have people of color (PoCs)? To that many commenters answered, “because of historical accuracy”. The ‘historical accuracy’ they speak of is referring to specific regional mythology that have their own fantastical tales of creatures and such (in this case Slavic) where little or no mention of people of color exist. As a result, we are left with an entire genre where a majority of the popular stories regularly leave out people of color. Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and even the original Star Wars trilogy have come under fire for their lack of diversity.

In my opinion, writers of stories that lean heavily on existing mythology have every right to use ‘historical accuracy’ as their excuse to leave out people of color, just as so many stories have done before. Totally their choice. The issue with that is they have purposefully chosen to not challenge themselves “from a writing perspective” to appeal to a gaming culture that is clearly multicultural and is STARVING for more diverse stories. If these developers and studios genuinely wanted to make a difference and stop adhering to the usual Eurocentric themes we always see in fantasy media, they would see the opportunity for them to create something true epic that touches and reaches MORE people. In short, the gaming community deserves better. Saying “Because that is how it was always done” is no longer a valid excuse. As a result, I think the criticism is justified. I think even George RR Martin recognizes this in his recent success, as he’s vowed to begin writing in more significant roles to people of color in the books. He sat in various panels and received questions from a fan base that was more diverse than he probably anticipated. He cared enough to make a decision to change his typical approach of having non-essential characters as people of color and to begin writing more in his upcoming books to include them. Even HBO has made a point to inject a more diverse cast in some roles that were either not defined or were ‘white’ in the books. Essentially I’m saying that if CD Projekt Red recognized the diversity of their fanbase, maybe they would see the value of breaking out of the norm and morphing the story that is already ‘based’ upon a previously written book. Skilled and imaginative writers could find a way to make the interactions and atmosphere true to the accepted canon without taking the easy and typical route of simply ‘reskinning’ a white character as a dark skinned character.

Just because something is and has always been doesn’t mean it always needs to be. Fantasy is fiction. It can be WHATEVER. If you want your FICTION to be POPULAR (especially worldwide) then you will open yourself up to appealing to multiple cultures and races. This is fact. There is nothing that stops the creator from breaking the unnecessary mold and injecting something different in there. Scared about poor representation or misrepresentation of a culture or race? Great! That means you care. It also means you can look for those who live and breathe that culture/race to help make the representation authentic.

witcher people

Look. I love Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt and I praise the developer for even touching on the racism that various shades of white see in European culture. That is a topic that many probably don’t even recognize. Seen and explained by one of the commenters in Moosa’s article, I even had to take a step back when thinking of whether to criticize CD Projekt Red of their ‘color omission’. Then again, I am glad they didn’t simply toss in a couple of black people in the background with cornrows and then mark that check box and call it diverse.

In the end, we just want companies and developers to recognize that people of color play and have played their Eurocentric games and stories for years. It is time for a change and other cultures can provide just as many appealing heroes and heroines.


Hepatitis C Trust launches Patient Activist Toolkit

The Hepatitis C Trust has today published a new resource, the Patient Activist Toolkit, which can be downloaded here. The toolkit is a guide to campaigning to help make tackling hepatitis C a priority in England over the coming years. It covers a range of activity, from relatively small actions like writing to MPs, to bigger actions like joining The Hepatitis C Trust's Patient Council and meeting with elected representatives.

As someone with hepatitis C, or as someone who has a family member with hepatitis C or who works with people with hepatitis C, your voice is powerful. By using your experiences, knowledge and unique view, you can make MPs, local councillors and others aware of the impact of hepatitis C, and the need to take further action to eliminate the virus in England. The louder our voice, the more chance we have of successfully improving services, obtaining wider access to new treatments, and eliminating hepatitis C as a serious public health concern.

The Patient Activist Toolkit explains what actions we would like to see from MPs and councillors and the various ways you can take action.

Rachel Halford, The Hepatitis C Trust's Deputy Chief Executive and coordinator of the Patient Council, said: "People with personal experience of hepatitis C have the most powerful voices and are the strongest advocates for the importance of eliminating the virus. This toolkit will be a valuable resource for helping them to campaign on hepatitis C."

Don't wait around for others; be part of the change you wish to see!


Childhood friendships

July 12, 2012 | Peggy

Comments (1)

Have you ever been totally puzzled by the peregrinations, bumps and grinds that children experience in their friendships? It was always endlessly fascinating for me to watch the way children bicker and argue with those children they declare to be their best friends. Both with my own children and those I taught, it was evident that there were constant readjustments being made in the relationships that children have with each other.

With that I would like to welcome a relatively new author who is able to capture that paradox. Rebecca Bender has just two picture books in print, and is a relatively new voice in Canadian literature, but what a voice it is. She has captured this unusual nature of friendship between children in both of the picture books available.

Giraffe and birdjpegIn Giraffe and Bird, Rebecca introduces us to two characters that are seemingly enemies. They cannot stand each other and are continually finding fault with each other. When Bird makes a face, Giraffe sticks out his tongue; when Bird tweets in his ear, Giraffe invades Birds personal space. Bird can't put up with Giraffes bad breath; Giraffe cant abide it when Bird eats too much fiber and then well, you know. If you ask them, Giraffe and Bird will tell you: they cant stand each other. But once they go their own way, they find that, in fact, they need each other, and maybe, even like each other (though they will not admit it). This book resonated so well with children that it won the 2012 Blue Spruce award voted on by thousands of children across Ontario.

DontLaughAtGiraffe_CThis title has been followed up by a hilarious sequel, Don't Laugh at GiraffeIn this book, Rebecca examines the delicate nature of embarrassment and friendship. Giraffe and Bird are both thirsty and so they go to the watering hole. Bird leaps in and drinks to his content, while Giraffe has a dilemma. The water level is down and he is so tall, how will he reach the water to drink? As Giraffe tries many creative (but ultimately unsuccessful) solutions, Bird leads the other animals in teasing Giraffe and making fun of his efforts. As the final effort lands Giraffe in the water in the most undignified way, all of the other animals burst into laughter, none so loud as Bird. Giraffe slinks away, still thirsty and embarrassed. How Bird handles this situation is a wonderful blueprint for friendship and problem solving.

Your children will go through many situations with their friends that they will have to grapple with and find solutions for. Having books on hand that show this as a normal process in friendships will support them in these journeys, and open the conversations with thinking about how to solve their own problems in a creative and positive way.


Bush Hill Park Primary School

020 8366 0521

Main Avenue, Enfield, EN1 1DS

Mrs J Garrad & Mrs N Husband

At Bush Hill Park we follow the new National Curriculum programmes for the study of science. The focus of our science teaching is on building the skills of scientific enquiry so that pupils learn to use various approaches to answer relevant scientific questions. All children are explicitly taught scientific vocabulary applicable to their topics.

At KS1 the principle purpose of our science teaching and learning is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking closely at the natural and man-made world around them. They are encouraged to ask questions and are supported in their development of understanding new scientific ideas.

In KS2 the pupils are encouraged to broaden their scientific view of the world through exploration, investigations and observations. They are encouraged to ask questions about their learning so that by KS2 upper they are developing a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas.

All children are taught to work ‘scientifically’, so that they develop the ability to use and apply different scientific skills during their investigations.

Science Curriculum 2017-2018 (PDF)


Id, ego, and super-ego

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{woman, child, man}
{film, series, show}
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{language, word, form}
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{game, team, player}
{system, computer, user}

The id comprises the unorganised part of the personality structure that contains the basic drives. The id acts according to the "pleasure principle", seeking to avoid pain or unpleasure aroused by increases in instinctual tension.[2]

The id is unconscious by definition: 'It is the dark, inaccessible part of our personality, what little we know of it we have learned from our study of the dream-work and of the construction of neurotic symptoms, and most of that is of a negative character and can be described only as a contrast to the ego. We approach the id with analogies: we call it a chaos, a cauldron full of seething excitations... It is filled with energy reaching it from the instincts, but it has no organisation, produces no collective will, but only a striving to bring about the satisfaction of the instinctual needs subject to the observance of the pleasure principle'[3]. In the id, 'contrary impulses exist side by side, without cancelling each other out....There is nothing in the id that could be compared with negation...nothing in the id which corresponds to the idea of time'[4].

The id is responsible for our basic drives, 'knows no judgements of value: no good and evil, no morality...Instinctual cathexes seeking discharge - that, in our view, is all there is in the id'[6]. It is regarded as 'the great reservoir of libido'[7], the instinctive drive to create - the life instincts that are crucial to pleasurable survival. Alongside the life instincts came the death instincts — the death drive which Freud articulated relatively late in his career in 'the hypothesis of a death instinct, the task of which is to lead organic life back into the inanimate state'[8]. For Freud, 'the death instinct would thus seem to express itself - though probably only in part - as an instinct of destruction directed against the external world and other organisms'[9]: through aggression. Freud considered that 'the id, the whole person...originally includes all the instinctual impulses...the destructive instinct as well'[10] as Eros or the life instincts.

The Ego acts according to the reality principle; i.e. it seeks to please the id’s drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long term rather than bringing grief.[11]At the same time, Freud concedes that as the ego 'attempts to mediate between id and reality, it is often obliged to cloak the Ucs. commands of the id with its own Pcs. rationalizations, to conceal the id's conflicts with reality, to be taking notice of reality even when the id has remained rigid and unyielding'[12].

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Tuesday, August 15, 2017

A Defeat at Camden, A Victory at Bennington

The Defeat

After the defeat in Charleston, the Congress appointed General Gates to be the new commander of the American Southern District. Gates was impatient to strike back at the British. He believed the British troops at Camden, North Carolina were vulnerable. Camden was also an advanced munitions depot, so it made a tempting target.

On July 27th 1780, Gates set off for Camden with over 3,000 regular and militia troops. Gates headed directly towards Camden, despite the difficulty in obtaining supplies on the route. Gates arrived near Camden on August 14th, with his 3,000 men, believing that this would give him overwhelming numerical superiority over the forces of British Colonel Radwon, whom he believed were in Camden. Little did he know that British General Cornwallis had learned of Gates' advance and hurried to Camden with reinforcements.

Gates' forces still outnumbered the British forces. However, the British forces were better equipped and included cavalry as well as more extensive artillery.

On the night of the 15th, Gates learned of the arrival of the British forces, when his forces approached Camden at night; only to run into a British force. Neither force wanted to fight at night, so they both retreated. The Americans took some soldiers prisoner and learned of the existence of Cornwallis' troops. Gates realized he faced a difficult predicament. Capturing Camden seemed nearly impossible, while a withdrawal with a large number of British cavalry forces present would be nearly impossible. He decided to stand and fight.

Gates arranged his forces in a defensive position, a strategy that had served him well at the Battle of Saratoga. Despite his knowledge of the British position, Gates arranged his forces in a disastrous deployment. He placed the militia opposite the British dragoons and Hessian soldiers, while placing his better trained Continentals opposite the Loyalist militia that Cornwallis lead. Gates' final error of the day was to order the militia forward to attack.

The American line broke at the site of the British regulars advancing. Most militia ran without firing a shot. Gates tried to staunch the retreat, but it was hopeless. The Americans began a full retreat from the battlefield, losing over 600 soldiers in the process. The Battle of Camden was a complete American defeat. It marked a low in the war for the Americans.

The Victory

Battle of Bennington, by Frederick Yohn

August 16, 1777, the Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War in Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles from its namesake Bennington, Vermont. A rebel force of 2,000 men, primarily composed of militiamen, led by General John Stark, and reinforced by Vermont militiamen led by Colonel Seth Warner and members of the Green Mountain Boys, decisively defeated a detachment of General John Burgoyne's army of led by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum, with support of Hessians under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann.
He was sent by Burgoyne to raid Bennington New Hampshire for horses, draft animals, and other supplies. Believing the town to be only lightly defended, Baum was unaware that Stark and 1,500 militiamen were stationed there. After a rain-caused standoff, Stark's men enveloped Baum's position, taking many prisoners, and killing Baum. Reinforcements for both sides arrived as Stark and his men were mopping up, and the battle restarted, with Warner and Stark driving away von Breymann’ Hessian reinforcements with heavy casualties.


Обложка альбома DethronedChristButcher - Guitar/Vokills Than Wilson - Guitar/Backing Vokills Rick Gustafson - Bass Dave Otero - Drums Dethroned started out in an Arizonan HELL called BullHead City in 1992. Though there was such a lack of musicians interested in extreme music in the town, two came together to start writing material as they searched for like-minded, anti-christian comrades. Chris Augustin and the one now known as ChristButcher started the search, which quickly became very frustrating and ended up ultimately impossible in such a small minded, middle of nowhere place. They both ended up in different states, but vowed to keep Dethroned alive regardless. Eventually, the realization that there was not going to be any way to accomplish this union from such a distance became apparent. ChristButcher knew he had to move forward on his own, without his long running comrade. So, the search began in Colorado for members to fulfill this much needed line-up. In the process, ChristButcher joined a band called Excommunion that had all the same ideas and ferocity that he had envisioned for Dethroned. So, having all he thought he needed....... Dethroned hit the back burner once again.


Romance of the Vanished Past

published June 2017

Did an advanced civilization disappear more than 12,000 years ago?

Scientific American (cover)

topics in this column: , ,

2 Comments to “Romance of the Vanished Past”

  1. Barbara Harwood Says:

    There have been arguments put forward about this sort of prehistoric civilization, but the lack of physical. evidence has to be considered. Such a civilization would have had many habitations, graveyards, and other evidence of their existence. WE have, after all, plenty of bones of animals that preceded those people by millions of years.
    At the same time our own civilization would probably disappear rather quickly if we were not here to keep it going. Nevertheless, there would be numerous mysteries for future anthropologists to puzzle over.
    There still remains the possibility that an advance civilization may have spent time on our planet. This could have given rise to many pantheons.

  2. fubarczar Says:

    It’s funny that Shermer is so skeptical, and worried about Hancock. When he debated Hancock on the Joe Rogan experience, time and time again he relied on strawman arguments. It is actually kind of funny how much faith he has in mainstream ancient archeology that just as often grasps at straws to support its theories. Perhaps that’s, from where Shermer gets his material to make all of his strawmen. Seriously why is Shermer so threatened by Hancock? As Hancock says himself he is proposing ideas, documenting his sources well, giving credit where credit is due, adding his own two cents here or there in support or critique of those ideas, all while just trying to advance the quest into the past to understand our own origins. It’s pretty harmless, very entertaining, actually, it’s thought-provoking, and it’s doing a great thing by getting more and more people thinking about history, about the meaning of life, thinking about sciences, etc. Think about it, Hancock has reached millions who may not have otherwise thought about these things.
    Plus I don’t need Shumer talking down to me. I know the difference between fact and conjecture, I know how to critically think. Thanks but no thanks big brother. Perhaps Shermer should take more of a pro/con or possible vs. impractical approach rather than being so dismissive and condescending. Try to be less derisive and more constructive Shumer.


NYTimes Review: 'CQ/CX'

Arliss Howard in 'CQ/CX'

Arliss Howard in 'CQ/CX'

“CQ/CX,” a new play by Gabe McKinley depicting the Jayson Blair scandal at The New York Times, is less “Front Page” than “Front Page Correction” — a straightforward dramatization and a cautionary tale of ambition, deception and hubris.

In an unprecedented front-page article in 2003, The Times reported that Mr. Blair, a young reporter on its staff, had committed journalistic fraud. In more than 7,000 words, the paper described how Mr. Blair had made up events and had plagiarized in his reporting on national news events. It called the widespread fabrications “a low point in the 152-year history of the newspaper.”

Mr. McKinley’s play, an Atlantic Theater Company production that opened Wednesday night at the Peter Norton Space, begins with Mr. Blair as an intern, then follows his career as a struggling reporter and finally a fast-rising star and opportunist in a turbulent journalistic landscape. The character, here named Jay Bennett, is an African-American who uses his minority status, his Internet skills and an adeptness at office politics to advance at a volatile time in the newspaper’s history.

It’s a world Mr. McKinley knows firsthand; for 12 years, from 1996 to 2008, he worked off and on as a news assistant at The Times, where his two brothers are still reporters.

Neatly but all too obviously he shows the newspaper world in an age of anxiety, struggling with new technology, shifting markets and conflicts between old and new media in a time of terrorism threats, wars and political upheaval.

The play’s title refers to editors’ shorthand for “fact has been checked and it is correct/correction,” as in, “fact is wrong and needs a correction.”


For example, to keep the same standard of living that would require €3,000 in Zaragoza you would need to make just about €1,108 (451,489 KZT) in Karaganda.

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Endometriosis is a common cause of infertility in women. Often taking some time to reach a diagnosis, women with endometriosis may have heavy and very painful periods, although sometimes there are no symptoms at all.

In endometriosis, there is abnormal growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus. Common places for this to occur include the outside of the uterus, bowel, ovaries and fallopian tubes, however endometriosis has been found to occur in many places in the body.

What causes endometriosis?

The cause of endometriosis is unclear although there is evidence of immune dysregulation and inflammation also plays a key role. High oestrogen levels is also a common occurrence in women with endometriosis.

What causes pain in endometriosis?

Women with endometriosis may experience severe pain with their period as the endometrial tissue responds to hormonal influences and bleeds along with the endometrial lining in the uterus, causing inflammation and discomfort in the area affected.

How can natural fertility management help?

Natural fertility management for the treatment of endometriosis focuses on reducing inflammation and supporting reproductive health so that pregnancy can be acheived. Herbal medicines along with nutritional supplements are needed to help reduce excess hormones and restore balance in the reproductive system. Endometriosis is not something that can be treated quickly, although over the months we can see significant improvement.


Hearing Health Center in Vestal, NY

At Hearing Health USA in Vestal, NY (formally Audibel) we are proud to provide exceptional patient care and the latest in hearing care technology to our valued patients. Through our comprehensive and compassionate approach to hearing health, we strive to provide optimal solutions for all lifestyles and budgets.

We value being a part of the local Vestal, NY community and believe in treating our patients like family. We know that every person has different needs, and everyone has a unique lifestyle, that is why we are readily available to answer all of your questions and to help you on your journey to better hearing health.

This information is intended for the sole purpose of fitting or selecting a hearing aid and is not a medical examination or audiological evaluation.

Meet Our Providers

Eric Freeman, HIS

Eric Freeman, HIS is a second generation hearing care professional. He started his career 10 years ago, and is passionate about hearing technology and staying up to date with the latest trends. As a father of a child with hearing loss, Eric understands the effects it has and is dedicated to helping people improve their quality of life through better hearing.

Kimberly Michalak

Kimberly Michalak, HIS, has been helping the Binghamton area hear better for the last 5 years. She prides herself on exceptional customer service and satisfaction. She previously occupied a trustee seat on the Johnson City School Board. When not at work, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her family and being outside.