"When I'm not doing something that comes deeply from me, I get bored. When I get bored I get distracted and when I get distracted, I become depressed. It's a natural resistance, and it insures your integrity." -Maria Irene Fornes
My classmate Dimpi posted this quote on her Facebook profile a week ago or so, and I've thought about it a great deal since I first read it. I find the way Fornes describes her self-sabotage and relates it to her integrity fascinating. And I've wondered ... in what other ways could seemingly unproductive behaviour keep us from violating the deepest and truest selves?
Like maybe my awkward behaviour around that person I really really liked until I found out that he was a bit of a philanderer? Or the reserve I've felt around someone that I just couldn't shake off, and then I realized that they have a pattern of inappropriately crossing other people's boundaries, or betraying friendships? What if, deep inside, my instinct/intuition has done a fantastic job of sussing out the situation, but my head hasn't yet caught up? Wouldn't that conflict create some confusing/inexplicable thoughts and behaviours?
A conversation with a friend last night made me do a LOT of processing and thinking today (along the lines above), and I think I'm going to give my intuition more credit going forward. It's worked well for me in the past, in retrospect. Integrity has always been very important to me, but now (as a result of mulling over this quote) the meaning of the word is even richer - it includes being true to myself at my deepest core. And I can't do that unless I stop fighting that instinctual understanding and pay attention to what I may already know but haven't figured out.
Starting today, integrity doesn't just mean decency and keeping my word. It also means being patient enough to hear - and trust - that still small voice, and to live in congruence with my core.
I may not have fleshed out this discussion sufficiently, and I may revisit this topic in the future, but these are my thoughts for now. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this. Feel free to comment below. :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Integrity
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
You can tell where this is going, but you can hardly believe it when it gets there : Pharyngula
"Anti-feminist" asserts rape acceptable equalizer: "I'm also wondering now if the fact that we've got our oh-so-sensitive testicles dangling gently in a place just ripe for a savage kick isn't an example of cosmic justice, after all."
Dana Milbank - Republicans' new Web site not exactly what they hoped it would be
Quote of the day: "'A 'teacher' told my child in class that dolphins were mammals and not fish!' a third complains. 'And the same thing about whales! We need TRADITIONAL VALUES in all areas of education. If it swims in the water, it is a FISH. Period! End of Story.'"
Sunday, May 23, 2010
ADHD in kids tied to organophosphate pesticides | Reuters
ADHD in kids tied to organophosphate pesticides | Reuters: "www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2009-3058"
Back away from the bok choy, ma’am - The Body Odd - msnbc.com
A case of too much of a good thing. Brassica family only, people ...
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Stomacher - Untitled/Dark Divider on Vimeo
INCREDIBLE video. I am impressed and inspired. This was apparently his first effort at time lapse photography!!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
If today were a symphony
If today were a symphony:
The first movement would be a lilting, bucolic scherzo of songbirds starting at 5AM;
the 2nd movement would be a long discordant adagio starting @ 7AM, featuring heavy machinery w/ jackhammer riffs;
& the final movement, starting sometime after dinner, would be an odd trio of indistinct dialogue from my roommate's TV, the murmur of airplanes flying in & out of airport a half-hour away, & the plaintive caterwauling of a feline companion whose appetite consistently exceeds her alloted portion.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Jian Ghomeshi interviews Al Green (archive)
qpodcast_20080901_7217.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)
I listened to this interview yesterday, and it really intrigued me. I especially like the portion that begins around the 28-minute mark, where he talks about his job being to "tell all the lonely people that there's LOVE in the world." Beautiful, really - how many people feel that they've been given this kind of mission in life? What would our world be like if more of us truly believed and trusted in this kind of a message?
Why ‘hooking up’ has become so prevalent on campus - thestar.com
Why ‘hooking up’ has become so prevalent on campus - thestar.com: "The new study, published in March, also helps explain why hooking up has become so prevalent. Trying to actually date seems too risky — put yourself out there, and you might get hurt.
'Men talk most about rejection,' Kahn says. 'When you're hooking up you're not going to get rejected, 'cause you're probably wasted anyway.' (Previous studies have shown that most hookups are preceded by alcohol consumption.)
Both genders said the potential for a broken heart is one of the biggest drawbacks to traditional dating."
Monday, May 10, 2010
First course of veggies may appeal to hungry preschoolers
First course of veggies may appeal to hungry preschoolers
Wow, this is an interesting study! Any parents of young kids wanna try it out and tell me how it works for their families?
Jigsaw Sudoku - Free Online Sudoku Game
Finally! I've found a sudoku puzzle I can win! LOL Jigsaw Sudoku - Free Online Sudoku Game
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Sex, Lies and Oil Spills
The Bush/Cheney legacy lives on.
This makes me want to swear, but there is no profanity that will scale to the level of this destruction and waste.
Tactical error
This conversation just happened:
Telehassler [with thick accent]: Hello, may I please speak with [my full name].
Me: Yes, speaking.
Telehassler: blah blah blah Mr. [last name] blah blah blah I should let you know, Mr. [last name], that this call is being recorded for quality control purposes.
Me [politely]: Oh, will they tell you that because I am female, you shouldn't refer to me as Mister?
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
86 percent of disadvantaged preschoolers lack basic motor skills
86 percent of disadvantaged preschoolers lack basic motor skills
Yet another reason why every child has a right to a good beginning in life.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Beautiful!
I'm Back !
Originally uploaded by Yoann Rigolleau.
Found on Flickr. I wish it were mine, but I'm studying, not playing with my camera. In France. Sigh. :)
Social networking helps hermit crabs find homes
Social networking helps hermit crabs find homes: "One previously identified strategy that apparently helps each hermit crab find the very best shell is joining a lively group activity known as a synchronous vacancy chain. When a new shell becomes available, crabs gather around it and queue up in a line from largest to smallest. Once the largest crab moves into the vacant shell, each crab in the queue swiftly switches into the newly vacated shell right in front of them. As a result, a single vacant shell kicks off an entire chain of shell vacancies that ultimately leads to many crabs getting new, and generally improved, housing."
This is truly awesome.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Children's cognitive ability can be affected by exposure to urban air pollutants
Children's cognitive ability can be affected by exposure to urban air pollutants: "A study by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) carried out in Krakow, Poland has found that prenatal exposure to pollutants can adversely affect children's cognitive development at age 5, confirming previous findings in a New York City (NYC) study.
Researchers report that children exposed to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Krakow had a significant reduction in scores on a standardized test of reasoning ability and intelligence at age 5. The study findings are published today online in Environmental Health Perspectives.
PAHs are released into the air from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation, heating, energy production, and from other combustion sources."
NOW can we please get over the stupid "climate change is a hoax" spinning and just reduce our burning of fossil fuels?????
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
John McCain: U.S. Lacks A 'Coherent' Iran Policy
As opposed to "Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran"?
Just listen to his sick "heh heh heh" at the end and tell me you aren't deeply, passionately grateful that Obama's in charge instead.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Hébert: Groping in the dark in Ottawa - thestar.com
Hébert: Groping in the dark in Ottawa - thestar.com: "Taken together though, they make up the disturbing pattern of a government that would rather blindfold its critics and keep Canadians guessing as to its actions than be accountable for them."
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Increasing use of newer antipsychotics in children: A cause for concern? | Therapeutics Initiative
Horrific: "American children are approximately three times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications in general than children in Europe. Antidepressant and stimulant prescribing are three times greater in the US than in the Netherlands and Germany, while antipsychotic prescribing in the US is 1.5 to 2.2 times greater."
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Featured Article - Older non-smokers gain most from tobacco ban, study suggests
Featured Article - Older non-smokers gain most from tobacco ban, study suggests: "A study in New Zealand showed that, three years after a smoking ban on all workplaces was introduced, hospital admissions for heart attacks among men and women aged 55-74 fell by 9 per cent. This figure rose [increased] to 13 per cent for 55-74 year olds who had never smoked."
This is really interesting research! It basically suggests that ~4% of all MIs in 55-74 year olds is caused by second-hand smoke in public places!
Featured Article - Thrill-seeking holidaymakers are putting dolphins at risk
Featured Article - Thrill-seeking holidaymakers are putting dolphins at risk
Seems pretty obvious to me ... Wild animals are meant to be wild animals, not petting zoo objects.
Why do you think we do this to such creatures? My own theory is that most of us are so disconnected from the wild, magical, beautiful, and mysterious in our own lives and hearts that we seek it in external things.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Christians Urged to Boycott Glenn Beck - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com
Train wreck.: "Last week, the conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck called on Christians to leave their churches if they heard any preaching about social or economic justice because, he claimed, those were slogans affiliated with Nazism and Communism."
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Desmond Tutu - In Africa, a step backward on human rights - washingtonpost.com
Desmond Tutu - In Africa, a step backward on human rights - washingtonpost.com:
But a wave of hate is spreading across my beloved continent. People are again being denied their fundamental rights and freedoms. Men have been falsely charged and imprisoned in Senegal, and health services for these men and their community have suffered. In Malawi, men have been jailed and humiliated for expressing their partnerships with other men. Just this month, mobs in Mtwapa Township, Kenya, attacked men they suspected of being gay. Kenyan religious leaders, I am ashamed to say, threatened an HIV clinic there for providing counseling services to all members of that community, because the clerics wanted gay men excluded.
Uganda's parliament is debating legislation that would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment, and more discriminatory legislation has been debated in Rwanda and Burundi.
These are terrible backward steps for human rights in Africa.
...
That this pandering to intolerance is being done by politicians looking for scapegoats for their failures is not surprising. But it is a great wrong. An even larger offense is that it is being done in the name of God. Show me where Christ said "Love thy fellow man, except for the gay ones." Gay people, too, are made in my God's image. I would never worship a homophobic God.
...
Sexual orientation, like skin color, is another feature of our diversity as a human family. Isn't it amazing that we are all made in God's image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people? Does God love his dark- or his light-skinned children less? The brave more than the timid? And does any of us know the mind of God so well that we can decide for him who is included, and who is excluded, from the circle of his love?
Transformative scene from "V for Vendetta"
I finished watching "V for Vendetta" yesterday, and wanted to share this scene - it was just what I needed to see at exactly the right time. If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest renting it before you watch this. It's very, very good, and will provide context will enrich the viewing of this scene. (The movie is melodramatic in parts, as is par for the course for this genre.)
This scene is so powerful - monstrous and yet resonant with truth. "This is the most important moment in your life - COMMIT to it."
Saturday, March 13, 2010
NEJM -- The Israeli Field Hospital in Haiti -- Ethical Dilemmas in Early Disaster Response
NEJM -- The Israeli Field Hospital in Haiti -- Ethical Dilemmas in Early Disaster Response
A fascinating account of how some very difficult decisions were made as fairly as possible.
Friday, March 12, 2010
How Your Twitter Account Could Land You in Jail | Mother Jones
How Your Twitter Account Could Land You in Jail | Mother Jones
Interesting. The individuals were arresting for using Twitter to inform protesters of the recent G20 summit in Pittsburg how to avoid riot police.
Madison calls the arrest an attempt to "stifle dissent" and says his actions were "perfectly legal." His lawyer, Martin Stolar, calls them "absolutely protected speech." Madison also points out the irony that last June the State Department asked Twitter to delay scheduled maintenance so as not to interrupt Iranian protesters tweeting from the barricades.
Cancer is a preventable disease that requires majo... [Pharm Res. 2008] - PubMed result
Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes
Very cool, especially since it's published in a journal called "Pharmaceutical Research"!!!!!!!!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Doctor and Patient - A Surgeon Learns of the Choking Game - NYTimes.com
The subject of this article is grim but really important. It's important to educate yourself and the young people in your life that this activity is extremely dangerous. The article also lists signs that can warn of a child participating in such "games".
snip:
"Until recently, there has been little attention among heal...th care
professionals to this particular form of youthful thrill-seeking. What
has been known, however, is that children ages 7 to 21 participate in
such activities alone or in groups, holding their breath, strangling
one another or dangling in a noose in the hopes of attaining a legal
high.
"Two years ago the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 82 deaths attributable to the choking game and related activities. This year the C.D.C. released the results of the first statewide survey and found that one in three eighth graders in Oregon had heard of the choking game, while more than one in 20 had participated."
Monday, March 01, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
And then it was Friday
I have studied and scribbled and rubbed my eyes and practiced and missed most of the Olympics and spent many hours alone being epically harassed by two cats while trying to study, scribble, etc. and it already has all been worth it. Another midterm week vanquished, so much more learned, new confidence found, new resolve born, and another corner turned towards being able to help people live healthy, empowered lives.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Hospital Infections: Deadly, Costly, And Potentially Avoidable - Shots - Health News Blog : NPR
Hospital Infections: Deadly, Costly, And Potentially Avoidable - Shots - Health News Blog : NPR: "Each year nearly 300,000 U.S. patients get serious cases of pneumonia and sepsis -- bloodstream infections -- during their hospital stays. Almost 50,000 of them die."
Just another sign that we urgently need to change the way we manage disease in today's world.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Family Guy Actress with Down Syndrome's Sarah Palin Smackdown Too Hot for NYT - sarah palin - Gawker
Family Guy Actress with Down Syndrome's Sarah Palin Smackdown Too Hot for NYT - sarah palin - Gawker: "In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes."
Thursday, February 18, 2010
YouTube - Chinese Bluegrass (REDGRASS): Red Chamberç´…åº, Jaybirds
If you needed a demonstration of how global our society is becoming, of how music can bring people together, or of how we really aren't all that different from one another, I offer you this outstanding video:
YouTube - hang insomniac jam
I recently saw a live performance with this type of instrument at my college. It was incredibly beautiful. As he explained, this drum uniquely provides the drummer with the ability to not only set a rhythm, but also to play a melody. It's an ethereal sound. Enjoy! :)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Nature Conservancy: 2009 Nature Photography Contest Finalists Announced
Incredible nature photography. So jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Nature Conservancy: 2009 Nature Photography Contest Finalists Announced
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Easy rice bowls
I just finished eating an amazing home-made rice bowl, and despite the fact I should be working on an important assignment, studying for a number of important upcoming exams, etc., etc., I have to share with you how incredibly easy and delicious it is to eat healthily, and provide an example. Considering the overwhelming scientific research indicating the benefits of eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, I hope you enjoy some of the suggestions shared below. :->
I find when I have vegetables like peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. washed and chopped beforehand, it makes everything sooooooo much easier, even when cooking for just one person (as I am). Having a little chest freezer is a godsend too, as you can freeze small containers of guacamole, cooked rice, cooked quinoa, cooked chicken/turkey, etc. Months ago I even bought large packages of cheddar cheese on sale, then cut them into smaller pieces (good for 1 – 2 meals, depending), and then froze them all in a big resealable plastic bag. (Yes, the cheese is crumbly after being defrosted, but yay! That means I don’t have to shred it for my meals – just taking a knife to it breaks it into many small pieces.) You can also chop raw peppers (perhaps bought on sale or in season) into pieces and freeze them in an airtight plastic container, and use them for soups and stews later.
And do NOT throw out those broccoli/chard/kale stems! They are fantastic in soups, stews, and stir-fries. They just need more cooking time, like onions.
Anyway, let me tell you about today’s rice bowl. I used my rice cooker (a necessity since I otherwise burn rice when I try to cook it in a pot) to prepare a large batch of delicious brown basmati rice. (Most of it destined for my freezer.) While I was waiting, I collected my other ingredients: a few chopped peppers, a handful of baby spinach (chopped), about a tablespoon of guacamole, about another tablespoon of crumbled feta, some very small broccoli florets, a little bit of leftover turkey (from the freezer, then defrosted, woohoooo!), and a couple of mushrooms (chopped, of course). When I added the hot rice (about three-quarters of a cup) to the other ingredients, everything got nicely heated and steamed, without any additional cooking! I then liberally drizzled some balsamic vinegar and olive oil* all over this creation, added a little salt, and voila!
As you can imagine, you can vary the ingredients quite a bit, so it’s new every time! (Although if you choose something that takes longer to cook - like carrots - you will need to cook them in advance, or shred them.)
Okay, now back to my assignment … Wish me luck!!!
*Olive oil is soooo good for you raw, terrible once you cook it. My nutrition prof actually prescribes some patients to take 1 – 2 tablespoons of raw olive oil a day, but strongly advises against cooking with it.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Medical training does change you
This is what medical training will do to you: I see an ad for fitness training on a web page with a picture of a shirtless, very muscular (and handsome) man. And my only real thought is: What the heck is that huge muscle just below his ribs? And then I geek out and drag out my Netter's and realize it's a large external oblique abdominal muscle. And then ... he's forever the external oblique guy.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Why Antidepressants Are No Better Than Placebos - Newsweek.com
Why Antidepressants Are No Better Than Placebos - Newsweek.com: "In 1998 Moore used the Freedom of Information Act to pry such data from the FDA. The total came to 47 company-sponsored studies—on Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Serzone, and Celexa—that Kirsch and colleagues then pored over. (As an aside, it turned out that about 40 percent of the clinical trials had never been published. That is significantly higher than for other classes of drugs, says Lisa Bero of the University of California, San Francisco; overall, 22 percent of clinical trials of drugs are not published. 'By and large,' says Kirsch, 'the unpublished studies were those that had failed to show a significant benefit from taking the actual drug.') In just over half of the published and unpublished studies, he and colleagues reported in 2002, the drug alleviated depression no better than a placebo. 'And the extra benefit of antidepressants was even less than we saw when we analyzed only published studies,' Kirsch recalls. About 82 percent of the response to antidepressants—not the 75 percent he had calculated from examining only published studies—had also been achieved by a dummy pill."
Op-Ed Columnist - Orphaned, Raped and Ignored - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - Orphaned, Raped and Ignored - NYTimes.com
Again my hero Nick Kristof brings light to darkness, telling heartbreaking stories to us so that we'll give a damn and DO something.
Time to end pelvic exams done without consent - The Globe and Mail
Time to end pelvic exams done without consent - The Globe and Mail: "Imagine that you are undergoing a fairly routine surgery – say, removal of uterine fibroids or hysterectomy. During or right after the procedure, while you are still under anesthesia, a group of medical students parades into the operating room and they perform gynecological exams (unrelated to the surgery) without your knowledge.
Do you consider this okay, or an outrageous violation of your rights?
Regardless of your feelings, you should be aware that this is standard procedure in many Canadian teaching hospitals. "
Friday, January 29, 2010
Featured Article - Ginkgo herbal medicines may increase seizures in people with epilepsy
Featured Article - Ginkgo herbal medicines may increase seizures in people with epilepsy
Good to know. Doesn't mean that ginkgo should never be used, though ...
Featured Article - 'Good' bacteria keep immune system primed to fight future infections
Featured Article - 'Good' bacteria keep immune system primed to fight future infections
Just ONE of the ways our friendly microbes help us. :)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Op-Ed Columnist - What Could You Live Without? - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - What Could You Live Without? - NYTimes.com: "Kevin Salwen, a writer and entrepreneur in Atlanta, was driving his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, back from a sleepover in 2006. While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.
“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal,” Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah was too young to be reasonable. She pestered her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.
“What do you want to do?” her mom responded. “Sell our house?”
Warning! Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager."
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Op-Ed Columnist - Religion and Women - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - Religion and Women - NYTimes.com: "“Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths, creating an environment in which violations against women are justified,” former President Jimmy Carter noted in a speech last month to the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Australia.
“The belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God,” Mr. Carter continued, “gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo.”"
Saturday, January 09, 2010
AP News : TheMonitor.com
AP News : TheMonitor.com: "OSLO, Norway (AP) -- Aker University Hospital is a dingy place to heal. The floors are streaked and scratched. A light layer of dust coats the blood pressure monitors. A faint stench of urine and bleach wafts from a pile of soiled bedsheets dropped in a corner.
Look closer, however, at a microscopic level, and this place is pristine. There is no sign of a dangerous and contagious staph infection that killed tens of thousands of patients in the most sophisticated hospitals of Europe, North America and Asia this year, soaring virtually unchecked.
The reason: Norwegians stopped taking so many drugs.
Twenty-five years ago, Norwegians were also losing their lives to this bacteria. But Norway's public health system fought back with an aggressive program that made it the most infection-free country in the world. A key part of that program was cutting back severely on the use of antibiotics."
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Featured Article - Chlorophylls effective against aflatoxin
Featured Article - Chlorophylls effective against aflatoxin: "A new study has found that chlorophyll and its derivative chlorophyllin are effective in limiting the absorption of aflatoxin in humans. Aflatoxin is produced by a fungus that is a contaminant of grains including corn, peanuts and soybeans; it is known to cause liver cancer – and can work in concert with other health concerns, such as hepatitis."
