tan(012) – Death Squads, Happy People, Work Whispers

Preamble: Been kind of light on the tangents, not that sh*t isn’t pissing me off, I guess I am just controlling what does and does not piss me off. Its a slow curve to equilibrium, but I’m gettin gthere.

Quiet Whispers

It always humors me when I am at work, and their will be two people talking regularly, then suddenly they creep away from you and their voices become softer and then non-coherent. This is done for one or two reasons; first reason would be that the conversation has suddenly changed to the topic of ‘you’ or someone that is close to ‘you’. The second reason would be is that they are talking about something that is ’socially inappropriate’ at work. Either or, my whole thing is that I could really not be interested in what they have to say – I really don’t give a f**k. Even if you are talking about me or not, you are so irrelevant from my world that the best thing that I can say, well, what I WISH I could say, is by the great lyricist Styles P in a bar, “I don’t give a f–k who you are, so F–K who you are!”. Yup, that sums it up definitively.

Death Squads

The healthcare debate in the U.S. is very tense; as many people (as they should be) have passionate opinions on the current state of healthcare and where it should go. Obama’s plan is getting not so favorable reviews from both Democrats & Republicans alike, and at the Town Hall meetings, tempers are high – with many people shouting, pushing, and even fighting each other. The Republicans, along with their media outlet (Fox News) are pushing an interesting rhetoric, such as “Death Squads”, and “let’s take back our country”, and proclaiming that Obama and his goonies are socialists. Glenn Beck, the actor/news reporter (that was an intentional ‘/’ used to describe him) is even making arguments to compare the Obama administration to Nazi Germany. Below, are some funny and telling clips of how media, if not followed closely, can easily mislead and persuade a masses – it also shows double speak. Double speak is the fine art of:
“language constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a communication bypass. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., “downsizing” for layoffs) or deliberate ambiguity.”

Happy People
When I say ‘happy people’, I am referring to those that always have a smile on their face; they are always grinning from ear to ear. In the morning, afternoon, the night, during the cold winters, and the scorching heat – always smiling. What is up with that? Maybe I am just grumpy, but I feel some sort of hateration when I see these individuals; as I am secretly wishing to bask in what they are projecting. However, I take solace in the fact that what they are projecting is probably a mask to cover up something else, so I justify my hate, and I am content with that.

Life is tooo short! Be Happy! …. but don’t over indulge!

.:: LiBM ::.

Climbing Obesity

Controlling our hunger pangs may be one of the answers

I have heard of this ‘Heart Attack Grill’ which has several locations throughout the U.S. but I never visited their site, I was shocked that they are actively promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. The names of their foods are ‘triple bypass burger’, ‘pure lard fries’, and other nonsense. The restaurant is staffed by waitresses dressed as Nurses and the name of the establishment is called ‘Heart Attack Grill’ – that really says it all. No wonder the U.S. has the highest obesity rates in the world; and their healthcare system is in shambles and chaos. One of the reasons why the healthcare system is so battered and bruised like a Rihanna on a Grammy night, is because the population is not healthy – if even a good 40% of the population was not obese, then the healthcare system would not have to deal with as many cardiac arrests, myocardial infractions, strokes, and other debilitating diseases that come along with obesity. I understand that the Heart Attack Grill is a ‘novelty’ store and is just playing on a perception – the perception that American society has shifted to ‘healthy, green’ eating; as evident in the media – but that perception of the ‘healthy’ movement may be somewhat unrealistic. As the stats are still alarming, especially for minorities:

“According to the July 17 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, blacks have a 51 percent greater prevalence of obesity than whites. Hispanics also experience a greater percentage of obesity than whites with a 21 percent higher prevalence, according to the CDC publication.”

There are fast food joints everywhere; clogging up the street corners and stomachs of America – especially in lower income areas where the ‘alternative eating’ possibility (healthy foods) are out of their reach and budget. I acknowledge that this is a concern, but really what may be more significant is our timing and control of our hunger – if we listen to our hunger pangs, this can control and regulate our eating to more appropriate levels. What I mean is that most of our eating is triggered by external stimuli; environmental cues that we associate with eating events such as when we finish school/work, as soon as we get home, etc. Most times we are not necessarily responding to our internal cues (the hunger pangs, the growling belly); so we eat at times when we are not hungry and/or we at times when it is convenient to us or we eat when we want to relax – how many of you all have had a stressful day and when you come home, open up a salty bag of chips? You were not necessarily hungry, but the food was ‘comforting’ – these type of habits contribute a lot to the current obesity state of America as comfort foods are readily available and affordable. There is a whole science of research behind the motivations of hunger that really go deep into it, too long to discuss here, but I advise one to look it up if interested.
With all that said, here are some foods that are not only healthy, affordable, but will satisfy your hunger:

Salmon
Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that protect your heart by reducing both inflammation and the risk of blood clots. These fats also work to keep your cholesterol levels healthy. Eat salmon or other oily ocean fish like tuna, sardines or herring at least two times per week. For a heart-healthy meal, try grilled salmon steaks with a green vegetable and a side salad with a sprinkling of lemon juice instead of high-calorie salad dressing.

Olive Oil
Olive oil reduces your risk of heart disease by lowering your LDL cholesterol levels. Choose olive oil for cooking, or make a nice dip for whole grain bread by pouring a bit of olive oil in a small bowl and add a bit of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of oregano.

Oats
Oats contain a soluble fiber called beta glucan that helps reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Soluble fiber also helps keep your digestive system healthy. Enjoy oatmeal with just a small amount of brown sugar and plenty of strawberries and walnuts for breakfast. Cold cereals made with oats are also great with low-fat milk or soy milk plus slices of fresh fruit.

Apples
Apples contain a phytochemical called quercetin which acts as an antiinflammatory and will help prevent blood clots as well. Apples contain vitamins and fiber, come in several delicious varieties and are portable. Eat an apple with a handful of walnuts or almonds as a healthy snack or add apple slices to your healthy salads.

Almonds
Almonds and other nuts contain healthy oils, vitamin E and other substances that will help keep cholesterol levels in check. Almonds are also a good source of protein and fiber. Almonds make a great snack on their own, or sprinkle slivered almonds on green beans or asparagus with lemon juice as a deliciously healthy side dish.

Red wine
Red wine contains a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been shown to be good for your heart. Be sure to enjoy red wine in moderation. Studies show that only 4 to 8 ounces of red wine is needed each day.

Whole Grains
Whole grains provide vitamins and fiber that will help to keep your heart healthy. Make a deliciously healthy sandwich with two slices of 100-percent whole-grain bread, three ounces of lean turkey breast, lots of sliced tomatoes and avocado, plus lettuce and a bit of mustard. Switch from white pasta to whole grain pasta too.

Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables contain folate, which helps to keep homocysteine levels down, and vitamin E. Green leafy vegetables have also been associated with better retention of memory as age. Try using fresh spinach leaves or other greens for your favorite salad instead of iceberg lettuce.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are packed with vitamins and lycopene, which has been shown to reduce heart disease risk. Add thick slices of tomatoes to sandwiches and salads or enjoy tomato sauce on whole wheat pasta. In fact, cooked tomato sauce and canned tomato sauce that you buy in the store both contain more lycopene than raw tomatoes.

Soy
Soy protein has been shown to prevent heart attacks and soy makes an excellent protein substitute for red meat, which will reduce your saturated fat intake. Add tofu to your favorite stir fry or pour soy milk on your morning cereal.

And of course, EXERCISE is a big factor – have we not noticed that the common remedy to most problems, diseases, and stress is exercise.

.:: LiBM ::.

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Sources:

http://nutrition.about.com/od/foodfun/a/healthy_heart.htm

http://www.mypyramid.gov/

Obesity Statistics Report from Milwaukee Health Examiner

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Lucid Dreams

Influencing your dreams

Ever had that feeling that you were dreaming but still aware of what was going on? Almost as if you were cognitively aware that you were in a dream? You may have experienced a lucid dream; which is a dream that the sleeper is aware that he or she is dreaming. When the dreamer is lucid, he or she can actively participate in and often manipulate the imaginary experiences in the dream environment. Lucid dreams can seem extremely real and vivid depending on a person’s level of self-awareness during the lucid dream. Recently, there have been an interest to deliberate lucid dream; so that people can get an insight into their own unconscious forces at work. However, for one to truly be a ‘pro’ at lucid dreaming, it is said that people should practice picking up ‘dream signs’, such as:

Action — The dreamer, another dream character, or a thing does something unusual or impossible in waking life, such as flying, jumping or running great distances, walking through walls, teleporting/changing the dream setting, or noticing photographs in a magazine or newspaper becoming three-dimensional with full movement.
Powerlessness — There is a sensational loss of bodily strength. This can mean being unable to move entirely, simply that you are unable to run away from something you otherwise would. This can also include a loss of senses, such as severely limited vision or hearing.
Context — The place or situation in the dream is strange and includes fictional characters or places.
Form — The dreamer, another character, or an object changes shape, is oddly formed, or transforms. This may include the presence of unusual clothing or hair, or a third person view of the dreamer.
Awareness — There is a peculiar thought, a strong emotion, an unusual sensation, a loss of normal logic, or an altered perception. In some cases when moving one’s head from side to side, one may notice a strange stuttering or ’strobing’ of the image.
Clocks — The dreamer looks at a clock or watch, looks away, then looks back, and the time could have changed, unintelligible symbols appear on the watch face or even the watch can be gone all together.
Fingers — The dreamer seems to have an abnormal number of fingers (e.g. more than 5 on a hand).

Designed by Tauzero

One can build up a habit of periodically asking oneself throughout the day if you are dreaming, and performing some of the tasks above. This habit will eventually cause checks to be performed during a dream, leading to lucidity when dream signs are remembered and recognized. And then hopefully you will be able to answer some of those questions that bug you throughout the day

.:: LiBM ::.
Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream

Designed by Ringuchan

Utilize your natural Morphine abilities

The roles of endorphins

A famous line once said that the “end of stress, is death”, and this couldn’t be more true – as from when we are born, stress is all around us; and it is even said that how we respond to stress determines our physiological and mental health. A determinant to our overall health lies in how we respond (cope) in stressful situations; and a stressful situation can be an internal or external stimuli; and the common coping mechanisms are alcohol, illegal and prescription drugs. The latter of the two aim to reduce stress by allowing the receptors in the neural pathways to produce analgesia; which elicits a sense of relaxation – a good feeling. During the hard times of the 80’s in the Reagan Crack eras, with unemployment high like it is now, people got addicted to heroin and other opiate related drugs to cope with the stress; many drug users became addicted to the substance and developed habits that debilitated their personal lives. What many people don’t understand is that your body has the ability to produce the same ‘high’ feeling that xanax or any illegal opium drug can provide – and naturally.

Endorphins

Endorphins are endogenous opioid polypeptide compounds. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during strenuous exercise, excitement, pain, death, and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. Endorphins work as “natural pain relievers”, whose effects may be enhanced by other medications.

The term endorphin rush has been adopted in popular speech to refer to feelings of exhilaration brought on by pain, danger, or other forms of stress, supposedly due to the influence of endorphins. When a nerve impulse reaches the spinal cord, endorphins are released which prevent nerve cells from releasing more pain signals. Immediately after injury, endorphins allow humans to feel a sense of power and control over themselves that allows them to persist with activity for an extended time.

For the Social Media Afficiando

Key differences; naturally producing endorphins by engaging in some sort of physical activity is better than producing endorphins through other adrenaline rushes such as fear, pain, danger – in terms of stress. But even after you had the day from hell, and you hit that gym, do that 1/2 hour on the treadmill, push that iron, the same stressors will be there tomorrow – only difference is that you did not destroy your liver through drinking or damage brain cells through marijuana or crack. So, try to modify the stressors!

For the social media affluent aficionados who are frequently on their iPod, blackberry’s (funny how the plural of blackberry is ‘blackberries’), and on the computers commenting on the many ‘interesting’ occurrences in their lives or the TV show they may be watching; they experience certain levels of stress too – slow internet connections leading to frustration in downloads, e-beef with twitter followers, programming and design stumbling blocks, etc, sometimes the best thing you can do is to remove the stressor for awhile. That means, walk away, put down the iPhone or berry. Take a walk or go to the gym; do something tangible and active … and then tweet about that!

.:: LiBM ::.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphins

Satisfaction vs. Fun

A physiological difference of sorts

When talking about motivation and the rewards of motivation, I think it falls in one of two categories: satisfaction and fun. They sound similar, but are not the same. Satisfaction can be defined as contentment; which is a state of being at ease in one’s situation – physiologically, there are not major changes in the immune system when one is exeriencing a ’satisfying’ moment. However ‘fun’ produces an adrenaline rush that causes blood to flow all throughout the body and excites our senses. With ‘fun’ there is a stage of intense stimulation followed by an exhaustion period. To highlight the difference, I have created the following examples:

Satisfaction

Gardening

- dealing with the allergies, weeds, animals eating your flowers and vegetables is not a pleasurable experience, but I can see that the end result of the hard work of gardening can be rewarding

Home Renovations

- besides the fact that you may suffer some injuries or may staple some part of your appendages to a wall, the reward of doing your own home renovations is the increased value of your property and the feelings of accomplishment and success

Cooking

- there is a fine art to cooking; the boiling, the seasoning, steaming of a dish can be very theraupetic after a stressful day – and the reception of compliments and accolades of a meal well prepared can be very fulfilling (pun intended)

Kids

- the thousands of dollars they cost, the stress and anxiety, the endless cleaning up after their mess isn’t that much ‘fun’, but kids do bring out a rewarding factor to parents; as parents can witness the growth and evolution of their offspring right in front of their eyes.

Working Out

- the changing of your clothes, dealing with people who think its cool to walk around nude in changerooms, and the sweat and intensity involved doesn’t make working out at the gym fun, but the improved immune system functioning (cardiovascular, lower blood pressure/cholesteorel), weight loss, and muscle growth make it all rewarding.

Fun

Sports

- the rush of hitting the jump shot, tackling the running back, or beating a defender provides an adrenaline rush that not much other experiences can provide.

Gentleman’s clubs

- self-explanatory, I guess if one can’t understand this, then the ‘hands-on’ approach is necessary (pun intended – in some states and provinces only)

Romance

- See last explanation
Shopping (for women)

- beats me!!! I have no rational explanation

.:: LiBM ::.