I was working on a post about Tennessee’s gubernatorial candidates, and wanted to point out that candidate Zach Wamp was not unlike both the current and most recent former president in his history of cocaine use.
Of course everyone knows that President Obama admitted to cocaine use in one of his books. But I had been under the impression that it was common and accepted knowledge that Bush was a cokehead at some point as well. I was surprised to learn that apparently I was wrong.
The most authoritative thing that I could find when I searched “Bush cocaine” was this Wikipedia page (note the qualification of “most” before authoritative there), but it doesn’t even contain the word “cocaine.” The rest of my search led me to unsourced (or shadily sourced) no-name webpages which contained all sorts of the sorts of wild allegations that set off the bullshit alarms from a mile away and remind you that anyone can post anything on the internet.
I wasn’t as turned on to politics in 2000 as I am now, not by a long shot (the 2000 post-election debacle was probably my turning point in that kind of attention, with 9/11 sealing the deal that this was something worth watching), so my skeptism-meter wasn’t as high. I must have “heard” that at some point (from one of my college classmates? from some radio jock? who knows?)and just accepted it as fact, and, until today, still did.
Most people are a lot more like me in pre-election day 2000 than like me now. Kind of scary when you think about how they’re getting their information.
When we have a headache, tummy ache or toothache or any kind of ache, we tend to dig deep in our bag and pull out a aspirin. We take this quick-fix in the belief that it will cure us and relief the pain in no time.
However, new research has found that this painkiller may be more of a hindrance than a help. A study from Edinburgh University, of 3,350 people whose blood pressure tests indicated they had problems with arteries in their legs revealed that they had almost double the risk of internal bleeding, while there was no discernible impact on heart disease.
Yorkshire-based GP Dr Andrew Green, who works with the charity Sense About Science said:
“The science part is that we know aspirin reduces people’s risk of heart disease in those who have previously had a heart attack,” he says. “For those people, the potential side effect of internal bleeding is a risk worth taking. But everyone else should steer clear — the risks outweigh the benefits.”
Judy O’Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation said, “Women are three times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than breast cancer. And it’s not just postmenopausal women either. If you are in your thirties or forties and you smoke and are overweight, your hormones won’t necessarily protect you. You could be at risk of a heart attack.”
But don’t be alarmed just yet, last month there were reports from Harvard University, indicating that aspirin could protect against breast cancer. So it is debateable as to what research we should listen to? If any at all?
Dr Green said:
“You have to look at the data,” says Green. “That study only found mild benefits. We need to be naturally suspicious of borderline evidence: the risks are too great.”
//
For more information on heart disease, please click here.
For more information on breast cancer, please click here.
Unless you have been on mars for most of the last twelve months you would have heard about the H1N1 virus also known as swine flu. In response to the perceived “killer” virus, governments around the world ordered mass dosages of a vaccine against the virus in a bid to save the populace from the terror of flu.
As things turned out there was no threat and many governments in the northern hemisphere have scaled back their orders considerably. In fact latest figures from the USA show that this flu season has been particularly mild with far less cases than usual. The Australian government was not able to cut back its order and hence has a lot of vaccine in storage. It is looking to get rid of this by another scare campaign about second waves (which is tricky when there was no first wave).
Through all this though there has not been any questioning of the basic assumption that giving people a flu vaccine protects them from flu and that in turn they and society benefit. Many countries have annual flu vaccination programs for those over 65. Some of these have been going for many years.
It is interesting then to note that it emerged recently that there is not actually any evidence to show that this does any good! The well-respected Cochrane collaboration released a report, which looked at 75 studies over a 40-year period. The conclusion was that “The available evidence is of poor quality and provides no guidance regarding the safety, efficacy or effectiveness of influenza vaccines in people aged 65 years or older”.
In simple terms after 40 years we do not know if giving people over 65 a flu vaccine does any good or any harm. Now to be fair there is nothing at all to suggest that there is any harm done even though the safety of its use has not been proved. Also it could be that nobody was able to find the evidence of benefit even though it may be there.
However after 40 years and 75 studies on a commonplace medical procedure you would expect evidence of benefit to be apparent. The assumption that because it involves vaccination it must be good is not a scientific position but one of faith. Interestingly it is exactly the type of criticism that is leveled at those opposed to vaccines by health authorities and doctors. Unfortunately “debates” over vaccination generate heat and no light as positions are entrenched and facts are of little interest.
Some drugs are more useful than others. Those, which are shown to be not useful, go out of use. Medical procedures too, become superseded. There is no reason the same logic should not apply to vaccination. Those, which are shown to be useful, should be continued. Those where there is not shown to be benefit should not.
Last year serious questions were raised over the papiloma virus vaccine (marketed as the Cervical Cancer vaccine) as how long the effect lasts in the body is unclear. The program of giving it to 13 year old girls means it may have worn off by the time they need protection. Also there is the lingering question about whether the body will in most cases clear the virus anyway.
An Australian report showed that after the introduction of the Chicken Pox vaccine there was an increase in the rate of hospitalization of the elderly with Shingles, which is caused by the same virus. This led a call for another vaccine program. Whilst there was a reduction in cases of chicken pox, in children this is hardly a massive achievement as it is essentially a minor childhood illness (yes there can be complications but this is rare).
The bottom line is that this matters. Governments spend large sums of money on vaccine programs. There is in many instances some compulsion about being vaccinated and penalties for not doing so. This does not occur with any other area of medicine. Assessments made on the basis of facts, not pre conceived notions, faith in vaccines, or opposition to vaccines, is what is needed. Those, which are shown to have benefits outweighing risks, are worth doing. Those where this is not the case, are not worth continuing.
Vaccination is a medical and public health issue. It is not a sacred cow. Programs need to be assessed, criticized and changed or stopped if not found to be of benefit. Justification on the basis that vaccination, of itself, is good is no better an argument than vaccination, of itself, is bad.
Its me again back with good information for my Fellow riders. Tha Fastlife Runna cares about your health. What I’ve learned about this fruit, it actually kills HIV diseases. I know we got some people that is sick out there with HIV and depend on anti drugs that battle HIV. Some of you are nasty and don’t know if you got it. I don’t want you to pass it to me and mess my life up. That’s the reason why I’m writing this post. Anyways, when that happens in your body, why not eat banana like a monkey everyday? A monkey eats more banana more than an average person eats meal 4 times a day and then next thing monkey jumping like a fool all day. Do you know why? Let me tell you why. Its the natural chemicals from a banana that speeds up the metabolism which make you hyper and also boost up the immune system that battle diseases inside your body. I’m going start eating fruits like a mad man because I know its the T. R. U. T. H. If you think i’m not serious, do some research pal. It’s sad to know that people depend too much on man made drugs with side effects instead of what Heavenly father gave you to eat to live healthier life. Banana ain’t got no side effects. When you take those man made drugs, next thing you gonna find out you have HIV-2. That’s a scary, ain’t it? Not me. I’m going eat bananas as my life depends on it because I’m stuck with a gay roommate living next door to me. I don’t know what the hell he’s doing with weird looking dudes every night. I don’t talk to him and I can’t wait to move out of my place when I graduate in May. Sometimes I wish he stop waving at me every once in a while when he see me walking to class. If I find this nigga wheezing and coughing, you better believe I’ll take off running. Thats the kind of person I am. I’m cautious when I come to those things like that.
Around 165 million Americans are addicted to caffeine.
I forgot to mention caffeine addiction statistics in my last post. Caffeine is a more easily forgotten “drug.” (Yes, it really is a drug.) Well, I am one of those 165 million.
Yesterday, it occurred to me:
Matthew 7:3-5 ”Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye’?? Look at yourself! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. 5 You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye.
I remembered this verse while thinking of a couple people whom I know that have addictions. While I was thinking of them, I held a big cup of coffee in my hand.
Here’s some things I have learned through various sources such as other people, personal experience, my academic education, research, etc… It’s rrreeeeal easy to overlook caffeine addiction. It’s even easy to joke about. I mean heck, I joke about it myself. [Have yall seen that McDonald's commercial where the guy doesn't respond with more than "I haven't had my coffee yet" until he gets his morning coffee? Yeah, that's freakishly close to the truth with me.]
Now think about an alcoholic… He/she usually receives a stamp of disapproval from society. It’s not too funny to joke about. It’s serious. Same with the smoker, the drug addict, etc. Hmm… Have you really done your research and become well-informed/educated on the effects that these substances have on the body? Most
“AH, ZEPHYR, MY dearest son,” the Pope says as he struggles to rise and ultimately fails, slumping back into the plush chair with the air of a rich man who has just let loose with a particularly satisfying fart: one made perhaps all the more satisfying for the flunkies who have to stand there, drinking in the air and commenting on its magnificence.
Let me be clear the Pope and I have never met. He’s new and I’m so lapsed I don’t think I even count as Catholic any more. Where he gets off speaking so pleasantly I can’t tell you. I can see Pykes, Dufresne and the Senator are all thrilled to the point of Rapture to be in the flatulent old German’s presence. I make a pained face and keep walking and when the Pope offers me his hand with the big ring on it I play stupid and pump his arm a few times and then sit down at the nearest chair.
“It’s a pleasure,” I baldly lie. “Now what’s this all about?”
My frankness breaks the mood like even the Pope’s weak arse couldn’t. Pykes and Kirkness exchange glances and Senator Keenan emits a girlish chuckle and sits close enough to me she can reach out and periodically stroke my knee, which she proceeds to do with alarming regularity. She is a handsome and well-preserved woman, but up close and looking through the layers of her nearly Baroque make-up, it wouldn’t surprise me if at any moment she suddenly bared yellow fangs and her bloodshot eyes rolled up into her head as she gave in to her desire for human flesh.
“Please excuse Zephyr’s candidness, Your Holiness,” the mayor says with a nervous little frown I’ve rarely seen him wear. “I can only explain that he understands the value of your time and doesn’t want to beat around the bush, as we say here in the States.”
His Holiness waves his hand and looks beneficent as they taught him to in Pope school. I smile, he smiles, the row of unspeaking cardinals smile and Ivory Keenan titters just a little more. Again with the knee.
“It’s regarding the Bloomingdale bombing, Zephyr,” the Senator says. “Paramilitary Zionists called Israel’s Black Commandos have claimed responsibility for the attack. It took twenty-five lives and left a further fifteen people who are still in hospital.”
My memories are the stuff of news footage. I nod and look around the room. A few bland suits have slipped in and one of them, she has the whole black hair/green eyes/big titties thing happening, oh boy, and she begins taking notes with an electronic stylus. I try to catch her eye, but I guess Catholicism comes with the Irish gene and proximity to the Holy Father has put a dent in her receptivity.
“Okay,” I say and resist the shrug.
“The City States Symposium has deliberated,” the Pope says in his heavy-lidded German English. “We have decided we cannot take any position except to condemn all violence that encourages segregation.”
I nod and glance around the room. Pykes looks like a kid too afraid to put his hand up to go to the toilet and might just risk pissing himself before the afternoon ends. Ironically it is his deputy Dufresne who has the poise to pull off the high-powered meeting.
The Pope stares at me until he has my eye. “We will not make any formal statement. However, the government assures me it will endorse a statement of sorts in retaliation for this attack on its sovereign soil.”
I blink, nod again. “Okay.”
It looks like no-one else really wants to speak, suddenly. Dufresne scowls, looking around the room. Finally she rests forward, arms crossed over her knee.
“Zephyr, we want you to go after them.”
I TRY TO think this through for a minute and basically fail.
“You want me to go after the terrorists?”
“Absolutely,” Pykes says.
“On behalf of, and sanctioned by, the United States government,” Senator Keenan says with a bold, affirmative nod.
I glance around the table and eye the cardinals briefly. “Um, where are they, then?”
My question elicits more glass-eyed stares. Dufresne looks at Pykes who looks at Keenan who in turn stares at Kirkness. No-one dares look at His Holiness.
“We understand the security forces in Jerusalem have contained some members of a local cell,” Keenan says.
“Sure, but that’s on neutral soil,” I remark. “That would kind of undermine the whole idea of the neutrality of the City States, wouldn’t it, to send me in there?”
Someone clears their throat. It’s not anyone helpful. I ask, “Um, do you mind if I ask why you want me to do this? Surely the government. . . ?”
“The President feels it would be best not to formally link our response to the government,” the Senator says. “However, a well-known American parahuman, taking the matter into his own hands with the tacit approval of the current administration. . . .”
“Sorry,” I say and risk cutting her off, though Keenan looks far too pleased to be stopped talking for me to call it that. “I’m not sure exactly what you’re after. This attack was launched from within Atlantic City, obviously. Can you give me any information regarding these Commando dudes and any contacts or networks or . . . anything?”
I drift off because of the uncomfortable looks around me.
I hesitantly add: “I’m not sure what you think it is I am able to do about, um, all this. I’m, like . . . I’m a superhero, you know?”
“Terrorism is a crime, Zephyr,” Ms Keenan rebukes me.
“A crime? Yes. A specialist crime,” I say back to her. “This is like . . . like getting hand models to take on the Triads or something.”
“Finally, something sensible. . . .” Kirkness mutters.
“Zephyr, I think you’re doing yourself a disservice,” Senator Keenan says.
“You must have faith, my son,” the Pope adds.
“I’m sorry,” I say and stand with genuine remorse. “If you know where the bad guys’ lair is in Atlantic City, you let me and the Sentinels know and we’ll kick their tails. International terrorism and diplomacy though, that’s just not my bag. Sorry.”
Only slightly less incredulous than they that I’m actually doing so, I open my palms apologetically and walk from the room. The security cadre eyes me as I jostle past. Their eyes are too busy for anything resembling sympathy.
Looking At A New School…..
With all that the two Older Woody boys have been telling me lately about there so-called “Catholic” private high school we are now in the process of looking for a new school.
I was so very upset the other day when one boy let me know how the year 11 boys and girls visit the toilets at lunch time for a bit more than using the facilities the way they are meant to be used.
Then how the year 10, year 11, and year 12 smoke more than cigarettes before/during/after school – before reaching the school grounds, and then on the school grounds.
So NOT happy. We are paying good money for the boys to receive a great education, to be told what really goes on behind the scenes.
The icing on the cake was when I received a letter sent home (to our old address, luckily for the school I have our mail redirected) for our oldest boy Hayden – to say that he had breached the uniform four times. I was not informed once, nor on the second occasion, nor on the third. It actually took four times before they contacted me. Hayden could not explain why the uniform breech notice was sent, so I contacted the school.
It was for not having his “Formal” hat with him on four different times. He had his sports hat instead!!! Yet the school lets them get away with a lot more. They all have computers at the school – they have gone one on one. Each and every student is not using the computer within the guidelines. NOTHING has been done about that situation.
DOUBLE STANDARD.
So we are looking at a new school. One that is closer to start with, and one that is smaller…..a closer knit community so that the kids take pride in them selves and achieve more out of school. All I want for my two older Woody boys is to achieve the best that they can and with their school at the moment I don’t feel like they are reaching for the stars….
What are your thoughts?
Maybe A New School?
Cheers
Lisa Wood.
Went to see Brooklyn’s Finest today and it was pretty good overall. The movie relied heavily on stereotypes though, which made it feel unoriginal. The movie was entertaining though because of the interlacing storytelling and a small level of suspense.
There are three stories within the film, all about Brooklyn police officers. Eddie (Richard Gere) is a week away from retirement. He’s separated from his wife and really depressed. As a cop, Eddie is a underachiever. If he’s not on duty or in his precinct he basically doesn’t care a bit about the illegal things he sees going on around him. It’s after the character gets turned down by a prostitute and abandoned by coworkers that he realizes being a dick isn’t the best route in life (I should take note). Despite his pitfalls Eddie was my favorite character, probably because his outlook on life was similar to mine. Next, Tango (Don Cheadle) is an undercover cop knee-deep in drug deals and drive-bys. He strives to get a promotion and change his lifestyle and that’s about the extent of his character. Lastly, Sal (Ethan Hawke) is struggling to gather funds to move his family into a new house. His wife played by Lily Taylor is expecting twins, on top of the what seems like 20 kids they already have. To help get money, he steals drug money from drug raids. His character’s motives were noble and it was easy to empathize with him. The ending I won’t even mention because well, that would be mean.
There was definitely a lot going on in this film plot wise. So many different themes (family, loneliness, drug use, justice, etc.) were touched on in this film. Also, as you can tell already there were a lot of big name stars in this film. Gere delivered as always. Same goes for Hawke and Cheadle. They were all great at showing their character’s flaws while also making the viewer connect and feel sorry for them. Wesley Snipes, Brian F. O’Byrne and Ellen Barkin had supporting roles. The film was directed by Antoine Fuqua, who has directed the likes of Training Day, Shooter and King Arthur. So he has a lot of experience with the grim, crime-type movies.
LOS ANGELES – Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob for his roles in “Lucas” and “The Lost Boys” whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38.
Haim died at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Los Angeles County coroner’s Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.
An autopsy will determine the cause of death and there were no other details, she said. Police Sgt. Michael Kammert said there’s no evidence of foul play.
Haim had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, Police Sgt. William Mann said. The cause of death is unknown, Mann said.
“He could have succumbed to whatever (illness) he had or it could have been drugs. Who knows?” Mann said. “He has had a drug problem in the past.”
Haim was taken by ambulance to the hospital from an apartment in Los Angeles near Burbank. The enormous complex is known asOakwood and is popular with young actors, Kammert said.
Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to The Sun in 2004.
“I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint,” he told the British tabloid.
“I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack,” he said.
Haim said he went into rehabilitation and was put on prescription drugs. He took both stimulants and sedatives such as Valium.
“I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck,” he said. “But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day.”
In 2007, he told ABC’s “Nightline” that drugs hurt his career.
“I feel like with myself I ruined myself to the point where I wasn’t functional enough to work for anybody, even myself. I wasn’t working,” he said.
The Toronto-born actor got his start in television commercials at 10 and earned a good reputation for his work in such films as 1985’s “Murphy’s Romance” and his portrayal of Liza Minelli’s dying son in the 1985 television film “A Time to Live.”
His career peaked and he became a teen heartthrob with his roles in the 1986 movie “Lucas,” and “The Lost Boys,” in which he battled vampires.
In later years, he made a few TV appearances and had several direct-to-video movies. He also had a handful of recent movies that have not yet been released.
But in 1997 he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing debts for medical expenses and more than $200,000 in state and federal taxes.
His assets included a few thousand dollars in cash, clothing and royalty rights.
In recent years, he appeared in the A&E reality TV show “The Two Coreys” with his friend Corey Feldman. It was canceled in 2008 after two seasons. Feldman later said Haim’s drug abuse strained their working and personal relationships.
In a 2007 interview on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” Haim called himself “a chronic relapser for the rest of my life.”
Oh dear, it just wasn’t Sir James Smith’s day. Mr Smith was on his way home after spending 4 months behind bars for marijuana offenses when he and his wife were pulled over for a license plate infraction. Unfortunately the two had also been puffing away on some weed. Hmm, there is another marijuana charge right there. Oh and their 11 month old daughter was also in the car at the time so bonus, he gets a “neglect of a dependent” too.
While listening to music today, I was struck by lyrics stating, “I sometimes wonder if I am a part of the cure or if I am a part of the disease in today’s World…” Coldplay melodiously humming in my ears and my head bobbing to the alternative beat. As I looked out of the window into Nature I pondered all of the ills that plague our society today, from hatred, to greed, to the crimes that we witness take place daily. The mistreatment of other human beings and the disrespect shown for others, as if some of us are the only individuals inhabiting the planet. The abuse of drugs and alcohol. The making money and material things more important than people. The tainting of the amazing things that GOD created for our good. With all of these things continuously going on I wondered what category I fell into…
Drug Rehab tends to get to the root the twofold nature of addiction to drugs.
They are: physical and psychological addiction. Physical addiction involves a detox process to cope with withdrawal from unrelenting Rehabilitation clinics located in the United Kingdom are treatment clinics that supply a secure environment and offer support, counselling and education in assisting drug addicts and alcoholics to get over their addiction.
Rehabilitation centres in the United Kingdom try medical, mental treatments and counselling services. Many addicts of drugs and alcohol, require hospital treatment to beat their disease.
For more info about drug addiction have a look at www.drugsaddictionadvice.com.
My most recent ex-boyfriend is a formerly homeless, recovering meth addict who is in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). We “met” through a Craig’s List ad I posted on Christmas Day 2006. His e-mail wasn’t witty nor did I find him particularly attractive (in his pictures) but I agreed to meet him in person because he had also responded to another Craig’s List ad I had previously posted. During our date, he dropped 2 bombs on me. One, he was 35 years old. (I was 23 years old at the time.) And two, he was homeless for 2 years. My response was: “So, what was that like for you?” I gave a very Social Work-ity answer. The belief that all people are fundamentally good guides the work I do. I shouldn’t apply the principles of the NASW’s (National Association of Social Workers) Code of Ethics to dating, though. I want a boyfriend to share my life with, not another client on my caseload.
This emotional vomiting/over self-disclosure phenomena occurs a lot when I disclose to men what I do for a living. A couple of weeks ago, when I was at a BDSM masquerade co-op party at a warehouse in Oakland, I was cross-faded (read: high and drunk) but, when I told some guy that I’ve worked with meth addicts, he said: “Well, when I was addicted to meth. . . “ Due to my foggy mental state, I listened to his story because, at the time, I was too disoriented to walk away.
While I am not religious nor would I consider myself very spiritual, I believe that life is not a string of haphazard events. As cliche as it sounds, I do believe that everything does happens for a reason. I suppose I project warmth, open-mindedness, and compassion into the universe. People pick up on that, I think. And, as a result, those in most need of love and unconditional positive regard gravitate toward me.
Despite the fact that Kyle Huber is not HIV positive, he has taken it upon himself to do his part in spreading the word about HIV/AIDS through his photography. The photographs of young gay men that have been affected with/by HIV are used very creatively as urinal ads directed right at the people that need the message the most. We have all been out to the bar and had a little to much to drink, then ended up going home with someone you maybe didn’t know that well. Hopefully these ads will catch your attention just in time and remind you that the only good sex is safe sex!
Check out more information and photos on this great campaign HERE!!!
“Despite knowing the information about HIV, too many young gay men feel invincible and invulnerable to the serious threat of being infected. So, in order to infect my audience with reality and the fear of HIV, I designed a powerful visual campaign consisting of graphic and personal imagery that creates a permanent emotional response. I strategically implemented “urinal posters,” typographic projections, car fliers and online ads to reach the young gay community at the most critical times. With support from local gay bars, nightclubs and events, my overall message is delivered as a system of unexpected reminders to practice safe sex.”- Kyle Huber
For more information on this great cause check out the HIV Awareness blog!
Don’t forget to JOIN the FACEBOOK GROUP and show your support of this great cause!!!
Don’t trust the witch doctors
they’ve got something to sell
they diagnose a customer
then cure you into hell
afraid to leave the house without your safety suit and tie
demand the younger man to wear one once before you die
walk with purpose and determination (and) don’t waste my precious time
the legal drugs will help you when you have to wait in line
I always have more than I need
’cause the more that I work and the more I succeed
the more that I drink and smoke the weed
then in the paper I read:
GD the legal drugs
and GD those illegal drugs
GD the legal drugs!
Dr. Bartendealer
Dealer, Deal Thyself
if you’re not an honest healer
then leave it on the shelf
the war on drugs makes more and more on drugs
while the drunkards kneel on DT rugs
and the smokers kiss their butts
I never have to worry if my cup is half empty or half full
’cause it’s always overflowing and I’m drinking like a fool
you’d like to profit from my vice but the poison served it’s purpose
when it killed me once or twice
now nothing gets me high
GD the legal drugs
and GD those illegal drugs
GD the legal drugs!
GD the legal drugs
and God please damn illegal drugs
GD the legal drugs!
“Take a vacation from yourself—leave this to the professionals.”
This was one that I did a great disservice to in missing back in 2000. You can’t really blame me, though. It was middle school. You really think this sort of movie was on my radar?
So let me now make up for it by saying that I unequivocally love this movie. This Cameron Crowe flick is a tale of life in a decade gone by, growth and coming of age, and most importantly, music, and how that music related to the rest. It is a story of character above all else, and all of them are superbly rendered to such a degree that the movie itself breathes. It exudes life in every note, and you absolutely feel it. This movie is not a musical, but it is musical, in every vein. This is the story of a band on the road to fame and the personalities that accompany it along its journey—and the journey is magical.
It catches you in the waves of music and carries you to every bank of that rushing, twisting stream. Oh, and if you didn’t catch it from the language, there’s drugs. Lots of drugs. Seriously, though—the soundtrack alone is sheer perfection. I normally take until the end to give you my feelings on the soundtrack—but in this case, it is as key a piece of the movie as anything else, and it shines in a barrage of powerful classics.
This movie is equal parts hilarious and endearing—charmingly moving, and a delightfully offbeat brand of comic. It is witty without trying, the characters sexy for their definitively human quality. The chemistry between characters is undeniable. Everyone connects and builds off one another, and there are no weak links. The majestic, tragic, but breathtakingly sultry Peggy Lane (Kate Hudson, in an Oscar-nominated role), is especially entrancing. And the catalyst for our story, the young reporter, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), is marvelous. We sympathize with him, with all of them, with every maddening twist and turn that defines and consumes their lives. We grow with Fugit. His life is ours—the outsider looking in, drawn ever-deeper into the world of his dreams. As he is exposed and he changes, so do we.
And also, a shout-out to Philip Seymour Hoffman. Ever a great among the acting world, even in a respectfully minor role as Miller‘s traditional blunt but insightful mentor, he shines. A few lines spill volumes of personality.
For a fun game, you might also watch it and try to pick out all the younger versions of some of your modern favorites. Zooey Deschanel, Jason Lee, and Jimmy Fallon all make the list.
Perhaps this film doesn’t capture all the negative aspects of the decade in as critical a light as it could, but at its heart, this movie remains a captivating look at what was and it makes us feel good while it does it. You will want to watch this again and your favorite scenes will stick with you. Even in its dark moments, it touches us—in a way that few movies can.
When things seem to bundle up and crunch all at once, like work and personal life issues, there is a tendency to just keep going and going. It is like feeding a locomotive that has gone off it’s tracks and we just keep making it go faster. One day it is going to hit something on its path and just crash in one big explosive way.
Some of us use alcohol, drugs and even sex to fuel this kind of mad coping mechanism. However, none of these things really help and we end up still wanting in the end with our “locomotive” out of steam or worse, damaged.
I have been hearing a lot lately about being authentic. This has been really meaningful to me. However, in the process to find true authenticity, there is a physical preparation to get there. One of the exercises is to simply breathe.
Many of us don’t breathe well. We don’t take time to take breaths that fill our bodies and let the oxygen flow through it. When we relax and for a few minutes do these deep breathing exercises with our eyes closed, it is amazing how calming and how connecting one can get with oneself.
I have begun to this more and it helps. Life is so chaotic and getting in touch with who we really are inside so that we can also live that way outside helps us to shape our lives authentically. That leads to happiness.
Today a tragic story in the News Paper and not isolated– and Jesus knows and cares!
I met with a Pastor not long ago and the topic got onto how there are people he encourages who feel despair, depressed, hopeless, without any happiness at all. It got me thinking about “Intimacy With Christ” restoring hope, transforming the depressed, giving joy to those who are in mourning sitting in ash heaps.
I’ve heard it said more than once or twice that Alberta has leading concerns in the area of domestic violence and depression. One web site- at just a simple quick search- came up with this:
The site basically supports the idea mentioned above. Also, other practitioners have said that 1/5 persons will at some point experience depression some time in their life. I have spoken with and to more than one or two persons who struggled with depression. I also had coffees with counselors and pastors who spoke to me about such cases. So, today– February 24th, 2010 there’s a good chance that such persons exist.
I once heard a long time ago that anxiety, depression, and guilt are primary causes for hospital beds being filled every minute in North America. I looked for a site that would substantiate this so I could cite it– but, didn’t find it- yet. Yet– we know– the state of the mind does influence the over-all delicate and minute or microscopic functions of the body.
So, what does “Intimacy With Christ” have to do with Depression, Domestic Violence, and Suicide?
Psalmist 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
Isaiah— speaking prophetically what God was going to do by His Chosen One- The Messiah:
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
The Lord Jesus Reading and Thus Pointing to Himself:
Luke 4:18, 21
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,.. And he began to say unto them; This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The Greek Word “thrauo” translated “brokenhearted” / “downtrodden” – literally means to break into pieces–or to shatter into small pieces.
Matthew 12:20
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
2 Corinthians 7:6
But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us
Now, let me say this first— there are some so far down the ladder that their psyche/state of mind has basically taken their body and chemical balance to the bottom. So– have you considered that perhaps God is leading you to get to a Dr. for help so that you can get your body/chemical balances in a much, much better place? Then, after that- maybe then it’s time to seek out a professional who is licensed to speak with as well as someone who is known to be “Intimate With Christ”?
All truth is God’s truth. He made us. He knows us. He is intimate already with every man woman and child on planet earth in that He knows when we rise and when we retire. He knows what we’ve been through and what we will go through. Science– under God’s caring provision can be a good thing. Yes– we call Jesus- The Great Physician– however, combined with that- He’s Sovereign Lord, too– and so– may be leading you to seek help outside of the darkness and despair you suffer.
(Some books written by professionals on such topics)
What kind of God is this God that He comforts? He’s loving! What kind of God is this that He actually cares one inch about you, your family, or friends– He’s Compassionate! What kind of God is this that He in one day “took away” all the spottiness of wrong doing to those who trust in Christ on that cursed tree– He’s forgiving! (God has not given us a spirit of fear/timidity before His Face- but, rather power to change, love to feel loved and love, and a sound mind- one that’s on track with True truth.)
Friend: Jesus Christ is a friend to the downcast! I’ve heard story upon story upon story upon story of Him healing families- ending domestic violence- and lifting up those who are in misery to have the feet of mountain goats or the wings of an eagle to once again dwell in the “high places.” No– he’s not a “Morphine Jesus” to keep you high all the time– but, He can recover, renew, and restore.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
Job 3:1, 12
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth…. Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? (Job knew what it was to be down-cast. And just read the last verses of Job and see how good God is– God is Good! )
Friend– Jesus knows and cares and understands you better than you know yourself. He made Dr.’s, Psychiatrists, Psychologists……. He gets your point. If you read the above verses you’ll see— The Bible Never Tries To Minimize A Situation Or Someone’s Pain.
The “Father-Mother God” (Jan. 19- My Utmost For His Highest- Oswald Chambers): The Bible teaches us that God is a Father to the fatherless. Someone can be fatherless in two ways– either you just didn’t have a dad at home or you have a dad or mom but they are emotionally not there for you at all. God both reveals in the Bible Himself as a father– a good father and as like a mother hen wanting to gather her chicks to herself for protection and nourishment.
Matthew 23:37
How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
Jesus is All-Knowing: He knows when you stand up and he knows when you sit down. He knows you inside out and that counts for something when we speak of “Intimacy With Christ” as He calls everyone to come and take his yoke upon them and learn of him– He calls all who are weary and heavy-laden. Is that You?
Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Psalm 139:1-13
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
You know– Jesus Christ calls and transforms people on basically the primary 3 levels of counseling out there? Yes He does!
Cognitively Jesus wants to transform your mind. He says, “I am the truth.” He says that His Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and He- God- Jesus- desires truth in your innermost being. The Holy Spirit- being the back-drop of authoring the Bible filled it with thousands of important truths. Many people are tormented because they believe a lie about something and so try to either carry the world on their shoulders, or seek to lift it up as though they should, and realize how heavy the burden all the time feeling that they should lift it, but- realize/fear they cannot.
Emotively Jesus wants you to experience Joy and a whole other range of positive emotions/healthy ones. He wants you to experience His peace. He wants you to experience His love. He wants to transform you emotionally from the inside out.
Behaviorally Jesus is instructs and calls one into behavior that is both productive/helpful and that which will be rewarded in the future. He wants our behavior to conform to loving our God with everything, loving our neighbors/ourselves, and loving our enemies. He’s concerned about behavior- and so tells the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more.
Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor as we are told in Isaiah– He counsels His people by exhortation in that He tells us what to do and not to do in the Bible and reminds/enables us by His Spirit to be productive citizens of Heaven first and earth. He counsels by encouragement- speaking to our fears the truth to us in love. He counsels by insight– He listens beneath our words to what we are really saying. He hears us and listens. He can read between the lines and send the resources we need to be over-comers.
When we are told to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ”- we’re not believing on a dead man whose bones are buried 2000 some years ago. When we put our trust in Him- as many as received Him to them God the Father gave them the power to become the sons and daughters of God. We enter a family. Our whole nature is transformed into something of the likeness of Jesus’ nature. We enter the potential for loving, encouraging, and insightful relationships.
One song says:
Put on the garments of praise, for the spirit of heaviness;
Let the oil of gladness flow down from your throne!
Put on the garments of praise, for the spirit of heaviness;
Your joy is my strength alone, my strength alone!
Make these broken weary bones rise to dance again,
Wet this dry and thirsty land with a river!
Lord our eyes are fixed on you and we are waiting,
For your garland of grace as we praise your name.
Another says:
As the deer pants for the water,
So my soul longs after You.
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship You.
You alone are my strength, my shield,
To You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship You.
I want You more than gold or silver,
Only You can satisfy.
You alone are the real joy-giver
And the apple of my eye.
You’re my Friend and You are my Brother,
Even though You are a King.
I love You more than any other,
So much more than anything.
Or:
Calvary’s love will sail forever
Bright and shining, strong and free
Like an ark of peace and safety
On the sea of human need
Through the hours of all the ages
Those tired of sailing on their own
Finally rest inside the shadow
Cast by Calvary’s love across their soulsChorus:
Calvary’s love, Calvary’s love
Priceless gift Christ makes us worthy of
The deepest sin can’t rise above
Calvary’s love
Calvary’s love can heal the Spirit
Life has crushed and cast aside
And redeem til Heaven’s promise
Fills with joy once empty eyes
Father God– I pray for every Albertan, every home, every down-cast person who cannot see hope, light, or purpose. Lord Jesus- You Cried out- “Come to Me All Who Are Weary and Heavey Laden.” I pray that they would come– that they would feel the pull and tug of Your Loving Spirit. My God– there have been people held in chains for years and need Your rescue. Father, I pray that they would be rescued. I pray Jesus Christ that by Your Power which can lift the Red Sea, unshrivel the lame legs, unblind the blind eyes, un-harden the hardest of hearts— I pray Lord– Have Mercy Oh Son of God- Son of David– Have Mercy on these.
Lord, many ask– why is Alberta such n such or repored as having high stats and explain it by the fact we work all the time. I pray that Albertans would once again see that worship of the “Almighty Dollar” is not Your path and brings no real and enduring happiness or peace.
I pray Father that You’d break the chains that have held people in their grip forever and a day. God, lift the spirit of the down-cast, lift up the weak, strengthen the knees that falter, heal the sick, deliver those full of anger from anger. Deliver those full of guilt from guilt. Deliver those full of hatred from hatred. Deliver those full of anguish from anguish of soul. You have Father at the Cross– but, in some sense they need deliverance to get them there– to the Cross– to Calvary’s love.
Oh Lord, I pray– Father grant them the joy You have given to me. Grant them the Peace You have given to me. Grant them a deep sense of worth and forgiveness that You have given to me. Grant them songs during the day and night– encouraging songs– which You grant to me every day. Father, I pray for Albertans and all who are down-cast and are in a cycle of despair– Help. In Jesus Name– AMEN.
Angie Sanselmente Valencia is a beautiful, young lingerie model. Authorities say she is also one of the biggest drug dealers in the world.
Several British tabloids including the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, and the Daily Mail have details about Valencia’s drug running activities and how she recruited an all-girl cocaine-smuggling crew. According to The Sun, she dated one of the world’s most violent drug dealers nicknamed “The Monster” and authorities almost caught up with her by tracing her registered Pomeranian lap dog.
Major League Baseball is beginning a program to start testing its minor league players for Human Growth Hormone. MLB already tests both major and minor league players for steroids and other Performance Enhancing Drugs. However, until very recently there was not an effective test to detect HGH.
On Monday, a British rugby player became the first athlete ever suspended for using HGH. Until now, the MLB players union has balked at potential HGH testing because it involved a blood rather than a urine test. Minor leaguers are not union members and commissioner Bud Selig can implement testing on those players without their collectively bargained approval. ESPN blogger/columnist Buster Olney came out in favor of HGH testing for Major League players in an article yesterday.
I tend to leave this subject alone, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, there’s not much I can add to the international news coverage that isn’t already easily available. Secondly, because a lot of that news coverage can often give a bit of a twisted, one dimensional and tunnel vision view of Mexico to people who wouldn’t know better, and I don’t particularly want to add to that. Thirdly, because, happily, the drug war is far removed from life at Chez Denness, and not something I either want to become involved in, or involve itself in my generally tranquil life.
I would also stress that the reports on Fox, CNN, the BBC and elsewhere shouldn’t deter anyone from visiting Mexico. Perhaps I wouldn’t recommend overnight stays in the northern border towns, but then I wouldn’t recommend that for any country anyway. Dover, in the UK, for example is not a place that I’d want to spend any longer in that necessary. I’m sure the good people of Dover would disagree, but the limited time of a holiday could definitely be better spent further inland. But, still, the drug war is an issue. It exists. It’s not going away.
I often talk to friends, family and students in Mexico City about the drug war and Calderon. He is certainly not the most popular figure in the country, although this dislike is more universal with regard to the economy, although his policies in combating the drug trade also elicit fairly strong responses. Although he does have some support amongst those I meet. The arguments tend to be more in how the war is prosecuted. I personally feel that events are dictating his policies rather than the other way round. And the only analogy I can make of the economy is that it’s like he’s caught in the whirlpool of a flushed toilet, desperately trying to prevent the last few pesos being sucked into the sewer.
We’ll have to wait and see how history views Calderon. Traditionally, history is not kind to Mexican presidents. Traditionally, Mexican presidents have been thieving crooks! But in the meantime, here’s an interesting podcast from the BBC, who dared send a reporter into the midst of the battle.
Do we want it all? All of the fullness of God’s definition of Intimacy With His Son? Really? Not my definition–but, really– His? His definition might turn out to be a little meatier, more demanding, and costly than what we imagined.
(Put on the Garments of Praise for the spirit of heaviness! Worth the Listen.)
Indeed God calls all men/women everywhere to “repentance” (To change their course, path, attitude of their mind) and commands all the billions of persons in this generation to put their faith in/union in the Lord Jesus Christ by the believing of God’s good news in Him- Just as it is written, “Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God.” (You see– it takes God’s powerful message- the gospel- Word- to give you the ability to even just “Hear”–”hearing by the Word of God”) Why is God commanding us to Jesus? Well:
Colossians 1:19 (NLT)
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,
Hebrews 1:3 (NLT)
The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
John 14:9 (NLT)
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (KJV)
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
You see God is commanding us to the Living Lord Jesus because in Him is God and He in God. Jesus is the Vine– we are the branches to remain in/stand in all that He is to us- Literally- Everything- Really- Everything (No fiction here or over bloating who He is to us). The verses I mention above simply put it that Jesus is Divine and all power and authority and glory dwell in Him and that’s something God has never been ashamed to admit. For, out of the Heavenly Glory God said that this was His Son with whom He was well pleased.
(Jesus is Lord of All — Hard to find song- worth listening too the end! )
Again- why might it turn out to be meatier, more demanding, and costly than what we might have imagined “Intimacy With Christ” means? Because– though there may be times of dimly lit candles– so to speak– with Jesus Christ and His bride lovingly at the table enjoying each other– there are days of woe, darkness, confusion, pain, tears, suffering in a cup. (Blessed Be The Name- Song) When his disciples said that they would follow their Lord anywhere Jesus mentions a cup– a cup filled with all the above mentioned for them to drink.
Matthew 20:22
But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
John 21:18
I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” (Some traditions have it that Peter was crucified upside-down because he felt it not his place to be crucified as His Lord and Savior was…)
The Apostle Paul did indeed have as His Motto- “That I may know Him”– or “I live now by faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” However— Paul didn’t sell Himself short on Intimacy With Christ– Paul included getting to know,
“the fellowship of His sufferings…being made in the likeness in the way in which Jesus Christ died.” (Jim Elliot was made/became in the likeness of His Lord laying His life down for the natives freely as “Faith worked through Love”.)
OK– I have said it before and say it again– “There is no Morphine Jesus”– “There is no Morphine Father.” And– “There is no Morphine Holy Spirit.” We’ll all have our days where we find ourselves with a cup in our hand- if we are continuing on with God in Jesus Christ. And that cup requires a grain of wheat to fall into the ground (Perhaps the deepest desires of your heart to be set down at the feet of Jesus to take up an unknown path– His path– though marked with suffering.) There is nothing easy about going the full course with Jesus– nothing. If someone has told you otherwise you might want to read Paul’s missionary journey a little more closely in Acts. God has set a different race before each of us. In that race the people in the book of Hebrews/Covenants were tempted to turn back– Paul had to remind them that their previous sacrifices– though as hard as things were– would not be unjustly be forgotten by God. He also reminded them in chapter 11 that a great cloud of witnesses had gone the hard path before them by various ways or means. Peter understands that suffering is part of the Christian walk in that he underlines that suffering for doing what is right is “well pleasing with God.” Hmmmmm— why? Because– what other choice do you have? You either live in the truth or live out of a lie. Why would a God who never lies enjoy watching His kids live a lie? Why would He be pleased when His kids live in the truth and suffer? Because– that’s just what He would have done if He was in their shoes and He proved it by sending His Son Jesus to show exactly what He would have done. Get it?
(Psssssst- hey, you — if you’ve never suffered for some involvement with getting closer to Christ or obeying Him– ya really gotta wonder– were you ever His? Are you? Really? )
Now– let me talk about the outpouring of and the indwelling Spirit. He too is not a Morphine Spirit– not here to make you high. Not here to give you blurry red eyes and to say, “Hey dude– I’ve got the munchies and by the way– Jesus is cool.” Rather, when the Lord Jesus was glorified He poured His Holy Spirit out upon His people from Heaven as a sign that He was ultimately glorified in Heaven to the fullest measure. Yes, the Spirit was sent to open eyes, regenerate, teach, comfort…. Yet, ultimately– He was a sign that Jesus was glorified in the Highest. Though– this be a fact- the much talked about “outpouring” has already come when Jesus was glorified- we need the eyes of our understanding opened to receive it as a fact just as we receive as a fact that our past, present, and future sins are covered once forever by the blood of Jesus Christ. Second, this Spirit- This Person- indwells us. With the Corinthian church struggling with various sins- Paul decides to take them straight to the fact that they are the temple of the Living God- their bodies. That God, Jesus Christ- by His Spirit lives in every believer. The Potential is within us-Him. We are God’s tents- so to speak. Jars of clay holding this great treasure. Now– with that said– is it like being pumped with Morphine? No– the Holy Spirit may comfort– but, there’s still a cup of suffering. You know- the cup that just won’t go away though we may beg thrice or a million times for it to go.
(Put on the Garments of Praise for the spirit of heaviness! Please- listen.)
In the Christian’s dictionary of words and phrases are words/phrases like faith, reckon, put on, put off, renew, be renewed, be transformed by, be filled, quench not, grieve not, abide in/ remain in, cast your cares upon, pray for, pray without ceasing, be anxious for nothing, rejoice, encourage one another daily, meditate day and night, sing, praise, walk in the light, be as your Heavenly Father, walk as Jesus walked, love not in word only, love in deed, weep with one another, present yourselves, give, ………….. All these be the Cast and Crew of the Holy Spirit to get us to the end of the race having some resemblance of Jesus Christ. Each of these words or phrases can carry the weight of years of learning/hard times and blessings. The Holy Spirit does not do a spinal tap into us and just inject us with Jesus– all of Him– and replace our years of thinking, experiences, emotions all at once. It’s a process– uphill– becoming more like Him and becoming more Intimate With Christ.
That’s where some of the pain/foolishness comes from– our years of Adamic living (body, soul, spirit—did you notice the order of things are backwards here—rather than, spirit, soul, body)—apart from God. Doing it alone. Or doing it in our imaginary little world “with God’s help” to make us good enough with our spotty works to stand “rightly” before Him. Not. That’s called- “Work your way to Heaven” theology- it’s just not true and never will be. You see– just because we have bad habits/thinking that flow from our mommy and daddy Adam and Eve who were permeated with rebellion—doesn’t eradicate that we still have “legitimate” desires. Yes, Legitimate- sometimes very strong- desires. We want people to be nice to us. We would like to have more than enough food for our nourishment- pleasant food. We would like to have healthy relatives. We would like to have a purposeful and pleasurable job/employment. But, you see— sometimes these are not– and so— pain. No “Morphine Jesus” on the run to get to us before we experience even one disappointment. Nope– He’s simply not going to be that to us 24/7.
Secondly, moving in the direction of God’s Word/The Spirit’s leading can be costly. We might actually have to give something that costs us something (many will give as long as their primary comforts they rely upon daily aren’t disrupted). We actually might have to lay down something that cuts in on a pleasure. To become more and more consecrated to His purposes might mean that we endure a sleepless night. To be His man/woman on the scene where He wants us might dig into our wallet or purse a bit. But, again– God takes no pleasure in his kids living out lies and though– He sees the cost– He takes pleasure in His kids laying it all down. Everything. “Faith works through Love.” Loving God, our neighbor and enemy– by the Power and Enduring Spirit who was poured out upon Christ’s People to demonstrate He’s/Jesus is now glorified in the Highest and indwelling His people to demonstrate that Jesus is all in all–yes, folk- we sometimes Love at a great cost.
Things that are not to be in our dictionary- Selfishness, arrogance, unkindness, getting even, not losing or looking like a loser, having all men everywhere speak well of us, continually experiencing pleasure, never putting another ahead of ourselves, never going out on a limb to save a fellow-man, not taking time to just enjoy worshipping God, not taking time to converse with God in prayer, not taking time to get to know what His Spirit has written into the Bible, not taking time to spend with His people, not caring for His people as much as judging them harshly, hypocrisy, not yielding to God’s Will to be done, not doing the good we know to be done,….
Father God, I guess what’s being said by You and Your Word is that the Christian walk can be painful, requires us to submit to and put our faith in Jesus Christ even when things don’t look that great. Father, you have given us all the sufficiency and sufficient Grace we need to carry out your will as You have promised that we’d not be allowed to be tempted beyond what we can bare– and in it You will provide a way of getting through. Father, You have told us to cast our eyes upon the Author and Perfector of our faith–but, it turns out that that Author suffered at the hands of men. Was ridiculed, scoffed at, disbelieved, and eventually physically harmed and murdered. We’re not looking at rose pedals falling from the sky– rather– as the old song says, “The old rugged cross.” There’s something rugged about the Christian walk even if the Holy Spirit is empowering us– he’s not numbing us. Even if the Holy Spirit is doing miracles through us– He’s not laying out a path for those miracles where there’s a lazy-chair every ten or so feet. He- the Holy Spirit is undoing us stitch by stitch and re-making us into Your righteousness and the undoing can feel very painful. Father, help us when the Legitimate Desires we have are not met day after day, week after week, year after year, decade after decade. Some have become bitter with You– I pray I will not nor the reader regarding the things that are not wrong to desire- just, that- Father- for whatever reason they are unrealized. God– You are the God of all comfort and there’s something more comforting in walking in the Truth rather than a Lie whether it’s painful or not. It’s more painful to discover one’s life has all being a lie at the end of the day. So, Father, thanks for Your Word of Truth, Gospel of Truth, Son- who is The Truth, and Your Spirit of Truth. In Jesus Name I Give You All The Glory- AMEN.
Every now and then, life gently cups your balls, blows softly in your ear, and reminds you just how good it can be. And I have a feeling it’ll be doing quite a lot of that over the next few days.
For one thing, with no pressing matters to attend to down at the offices of Luddite, Crapstone & Fuchs, I’ve decided to treat myself to a three day weekend. True, things usually go to hell when I leave my vice president, Sherm Schweinbumser, in charge, but there’s only so much damage he can do in one day.
Moreover, I just placed a call to Pete’s Poontang Emporium and they’re sending a trio of “Catholic school girls” to my palatial estate for the duration. You know, in honor of Lent. Don’t forget to bring your toothbrushes, ladies! Not that your mouths will have a lot of free time, but still.
Also on tap: a gross of OxyContin tablets from my new connection, Skynyrd Dave. You might remember him as the character I met in the parking lot of McDonald’s last week. I generally have a strict policy against doing business with the poor unless I’m in the market for whores or fast food, but given the bad rap that doctor shopping has gotten in recent years, I’ve had to become more flexible in that regard.
Oh, and as to my other little problem. Let’s just say you won’t be hearing anymore about Kang, and I have nothing to say about any squirming duffel bags that may or may not have been thrown out of a moving vehicle in front of the local offices of the Department of Immigration. I do hope to have a full-fledged butler hired soon; I’ve certainly learned my lesson about trying to go the cheap route with a foreign-born houseboy.
Anyhow, time for a quick Speedo wax before my dates arrive. If you’re in the neighborhood this weekend, by all means — don’t stop by.
Vice President Joe Biden stated that “Washington is broke” the country is in deep trouble. It’s a fact: politicians are loyal only to themselves, if you follow the money,you will see that the economy is corporate controlled. Men in suits(policymakers) must focus on the agendas of large corporations. Terrorism, war on drugs, war in Afghan and Iraq is fabricated to keep the population afraid and insecure.
Yeah yeah yeah I know. I never update.
Well that’s because I have a bunch of random stuff running through my head that I want to flesh out before I discuss…but then that day never comes….and a blog never comes.
Rundown:
It’s not the fear of flying. It’s the fear of plummeting to my death. (Blog about my fear of failure)
Boys are stupid. We should throw stones at them. But I’ve seen every man I’ve dated as being smarter than me either IQ wise or life experience wise. To the point where I don’t think I could date someone dumber than I am. How does one qualify? Apparently I’ m pretty picky for someone who is like a 6, 7 on a good day. If he uses the wrong “your” or spells something easy wrong? Points deducted. I’m working on lowering my standards though. Like I said, I’m a 7 on a good day. 4 or 5 if I open my mouth.
I PICKED THE WRONG MAJOR!!!!! (blog about having a degree in Communication but not really being able to write…actually that could
probably fit under failure fear one)
I might actually be crazy. And possibly not in the whole “doing the same action and expecting different results” way. But then again….who is sane?
I couldn’t say it a year ago but I am overwhelmed. (I choose to ignore it right now but if I sit down and really think about where I am in my life and how much my expectations and plans will have to change….I’m going to freak out….and that’s soooo not the remedy to getting my face to clear up [damn you Lupus].
……
I think that’s all that’s been bouncing around in my head lately. Maybe I’ll expand. Maybe I won’t.
Ignoring the fact that I slept……14 hours total yesterday….I’m going to bed. Goodnight.
Oh P.S., I need a new name for my blog. Five adjectives to describe me: random, snarky, honest (if we don’t count lies of omission), frazzled, easy to read….well that’s five but I don’t think it’ll help. I’d like to keep the general idea of “through my head, out my fingers” but make it more…buzzwording…errr like…title-y…..like a legitimate blog….if that’s what I end up doing with this.
Spanks a lot.
P.P.S. I’m looking for a new blog service too. I want a better way to sort my entries (because I am so random). I plan to do some event reviews, food/recipes reviews, diary entries, relationship musings, goal progress entries…..basically I want to talk about the different areas I intend to explore but be able to sort them so people can click on the category that interests them. Is this something I’ll have to learn HTML for? I briefly tried Blogspot but didn’t think I could do it the way I want. Any other good sites?
Okay, time to get minty fresh and then off to bed.
Wish me a productive tomorrow.
In an house on suburban long island, a group of 20 somethings warm up by the fire and snort some cocaine. Their actions reverberate for the worse for thousands and thousands of miles.
It is estimated that the trafficking of drugs from South America through Central America, Mexico, and arriving in the United States, is worth a whopping $13 billion a year. The economist estimated that retail drug sales(illicit) in the United States is $60 billion. Add these two statistics together, and one can infer a connection between drug trafficking and Americans’ illicit drug consumption.
And Mexico is the final point in transit before final delivery to the United States, making it an integral piece to successfully place the products on the market. It is no secret that Mexico has a long history of corruption and poverty. The corruption is not the exclusive cause of poverty, but it would not rash to assume that it is a significant contributor.
Of course, the steely, unforgiving force of poverty is what causes so many Mexicans to abandon their homeland. They flee from it like one would from a powerful predator. It is, in its own way, a form of persecution; watching your child wither away from malnutrition is a tragedy of the highest order.
The source of Mexicans’ unfortunate plight cannot be grounded into an easy categorical list of causes. It goes way back, but undoubtedly, its remarkably bloody past and its proximity to its powerful neighbor in the North are part of the core. However, I contend that Americans’ illicit drug use, at least within the past 20 years, has significantly increased the amount of unauthorized migration to the United States and here is why:
Quickly visualize the effect that dropping $13 billion dollars in front of poor Mexicans that have no other hope to obtain financial stability for themselves and their family. (they don’t have to be poor, actually, it can be anyone, but the poorer an individual is, the faster they would jump at the money) It’s quite simple; many will grasp at that money with delight in their eyes. Thus, all of a sudden these same people are exponentially wealthier in very short amount of time. A problem, however, is these ill-gotten gains violate Mexican law. The solution: pay off poorly paid police, military, and other government officials. Therefore, government corruption rises. Many officials whose duty is to act in the best interests of Mexico’s people will now be more likely to act solely to preserve their considerable financial gains from illicit drugs, even if it is directly against the peoples’ interest. Without the peoples’ interests in mind, the government, then, does not focus on addressing the already existent poverty, and then, like a uncontained wildfire , its reach expands.
Americans, by flippantly using illicit drugs, create an germane environment for poverty to flourish and blaze its destructive path in Mexico and beyond. Ironically, many Americans who consistently lay all of the blame on individual Mexicans and others Latinos for coming here illegally surely are illicit drug users, or have been at some point. I suggest that those people give themselves lashes for the unpatriotic effects of their actions.
Seriously, though, if there is one reason not to use drugs, it should be that that use has and will continue to destroy human lives–both here and south of the border.
Recently we were encouraged to write an obituary for a living person of our choice. I used the opportunity to pay tribute to one of the best authors alive today, Bret Easton Ellis. Here is what I would have to say about the great man if he died today.
IN HIS 1987 novel The Rules of Attraction, Bret Easton Ellis wrote: “You will never know me.”
Now, after his mysterious death, the 45-year-old Californian author leaves behind more questions than answers.
And an unexplained passing, prompting wide-reaching explanations from a multitude of friends and acquaintances, is surely the way he would have wanted to go.
Forever an enigma, Ellis rocked up on the literary scene in a wash of overpriced denim and exuberant metaphor.
A cocktail of sex, drugs and hyperbole made his debut novel Less Than Zero an instant hit, while the rushed Brat-Pack film adaptation only served to demonstrate the unreplicable quality of his prose.
No one could explain the secret to Ellis’ writing.
Blending pity and envy, his portraits of privileged existence allow readers a glimpse of something they will never be part of.
Yet, far from offering simple escapism, Ellis has consistently shocked and disgusted his audiences to the point that a snapshot is all they could feel comfortable with.
The gaps between his later novels, often as long as five years, were punctuated by speculation about his private life.
By dealing with the vulnerability of celebrity in Glamorama and developing a fictionalised self in Lunar Park, many felt they were being invited to probe into the existence of a surprisingly secretive individual.
The truth is far more intriguing.
Ellis at a Lunar Park book signing
Just like his characters, Ellis invited reverence and revulsion in equal measure.
And his semi-autobiographical novel Lunar Park only added to the aura of mystery set up by the morally-ambiguous American Psycho and Ellis’ own morally-ambiguous existence.
The overlap between his life and work, culminating in their disturbing convergence in Lunar Park, will leave fans holding out hope that his death is just a plot-device, or even a valuable sub-plot in a much larger and hitherto unread story.
Publishers Knopf have not yet announced whether they will release Ellis’ final novel, Imperial Bedrooms, which was set to hit bookshelves in May.
All that is known of the work, a long-awaited sequel to Less Than Zero, is its opening line: “They had made a movie about us.”
Surely the mystery of Bret Easton Ellis’ life will be unravelled on the silver screen.
He would surely hate the commodification of his life, but secretly love the attention.
*Disclaimer: My details of Ellis’ death and the future publication of Imperial Bedrooms are fictionalised this article was just written as an exercise.
Day 41
“…where I can run
just as fast as I can,
to the middle of nowhere,
to the middle of my frustrated fears;
and I swear you’re just like a pill,
instead of makin’ me better,
you keep makin’ me ill,
you keep makin’ me ill.” ~P!nk, Dallas Austin
I’ve continued to be inspired by people’s 100 lists and you’ve probably seen many that I’ve highlighted in recent resource lists. Dragos wrote one that triggered me to write another with his excellent post on 100 tips to write huge lists. This list is on my favorite subject and while the length of these lists makes them quite a challenge to make, this particular subject is one I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and writing goals in so its a great topic for me to tackle in a list. The items were actually fairly easy to come up for me without any research or added web surfing, but the real effort was then in putting a short description or example for each.
Anyway, I’m thrilled to have this list completed and can’t wait to experience and see the results of personally doing every single one on the list. That is the challenge I made for myself and I hope you challenge yourself with some or all of these items as well. This is also my largest single article ever and was awesome to create! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. I’d love if you could help to share it as well, thanks.
1. Smile
This is a great habit to develop to start each and every day and to practice whenever you have the chance. The great thing is that smiling at others is easy and takes nothing but a little effort. Nearly everyone responds to a smile and it makes you and the other person feel better immediately.
2. Hold or Get the Door for Someone
Simple things are a great way to serve others and these little things can really make a great difference. Stop and hold the door for someone whenever you get a chance you hold the door and let someone go in front of you. This sends a strong message and you can really bump it up by combining this with #1, a great smile with the door offer.
3. Help someone get where they want to be
I mean when it comes to transportation or as a physical destination. There are always friends, colleagues and family needing a ride somewhere or a pickup form a trip, vacation or event. Perhaps it’s to be a designated driver for a group of friends. Simply offer to help get there where they want to be.
4. Buy someone lunch
Buying lunch is not that expense, as many people do it everyday and when you have an opportunity when you are getting or eating lunch with someone, simply buy their lunch as well as yours. Don’t offer, don’t tell them, just do it and don’t make a big deal about it. Don’t say they can get the next one, don’t say they’d do it for you, just buy them lunch and leave it at that.
5. Pick up a hitch hiker
This one scares a lot of people and I will certainly include myself in that group. However, it’s a great way to serve others and is a lot safer than we tend to think or what we are often taught about strangers. It is also very safe if you think about where and when it is OK to pick up a hitch hiker and what people you want to pick up. Often you can offer someone (a stranger a ride) when they are not trying to hitch hike and this is very safe.
6. Provide Road Side Assistance
People have car trouble all the time. I’m sure you have at one point as well. Whether its changing a tire, jumping a battery or calling for an expert for a tow. Stopping to help someone can make a tremendous impact on someone who is struggling on the side of the road. This is especially true with accidents and is sad when people leave in a hurry when they should be stopping to help and offer a testimony to ensure people are not taken advantage of.
7. Mow Your Neighbors Lawn
Little things make a big difference and little things for a neighbor can turn an unknown neighbor into a great friend. Mowing a lawn or raking some leaves only takes a few minutes to do a little more than your own yard. it looks better when lawns are mowed at the same time and while you shouldn’t expect it, often such favors will be returned. I’ve experienced this one many times.
8. Invite someone over for dinner
An easy way to develop relationships is to have a meal together and so inviting someone over for dinner is a great way to serve them and that relationship.
9. Give a gift certificate
I love giving people living on the street gift certificates. Gift cards for food or stores for basic needs like clothing you can buy pretty much anywhere and then instead of givingmoney to someone who you have no idea how they might spend it, you can give them something that they have to use for their basic needs. I’ve given grocery store $20 gift cards to peddlers and they are always just thrilled getting it and it makes it easier for me knowing they can’t just turn around the corner and spend it on drugs or alcohol (you can’t buy alcohol in grocery stores here in Canada).
10. Help someone achieve a goal
People often struggle achieving their goals and every one of us can use help in some way. Ask people about their goals and do what you can to help them achieve it. Perhaps you make a suggestion of where to start or some person to refer, a course or knowledge or some personal tutoring or action to help them with, whatever it is, helping people achieve their goals is a wonderful way to serve others.
11. Share your dreams with someone
The more you think about your dreams and share them with others, the more likely they are to come true and for you to spend time on them. So, sharing your dreams with someone and them sharing theirs in return, helps make those dreams more likely and timely.
12. Shovel snow from more than your own walks
If you live in a subzero climate with snow, shoveling the walks can be a regular event in the winter months. Take a few minutes and shovel the walks for your neighbors or a local bus stop, or public pathway.
13. Write an article that helps people
This is an easy one for bloggers as it’s a regular event. For non-bloggers however, writing is not always seen as a way to help people, but it’s incredibly helpful. Pick a subject you know well and write an article about it and share it with people you know.
14. Teach something specific that you know about
Take writing one step further and teach someone something you know in person. Take the time to help them learn it, to explain it and to have then learn from you. Teaching is a great way to serve others and we all have an opportunity to teach others in areas we already have learned.
15. Listen intently in conversation
Conversations and communication can be difficult at times and in order to make it work and to serve others in a communication is to truly listen and to listen intently. Others will feel values that you took the time to listen and they were actually paid full attention and that you cared enough to hear them out.
16. Always let others speak before you
Another angle of communication is in when you speak and when others speak. To give to others and serve them in your communication, let them speak first and present their ideas. Often the people who speak first are the ones credited with an idea (if you had the same idea to share as well) and it’s great to allow that credit and attention to be paid on someone else. It’s a wonderful way to serve someone else when you know they had the same idea as you, but instead of stating that, you can simple tell them, “That is a great idea!”.
17. Volunteer in your community
This likely came to mind when you first thought about serving others and it’s a classic example of course. There are many ways to do this through programs, organizations, clubs, groups, community associations and any other activities in your community. There are often websites and directories for connecting volunteers and placements that would be good for them. Do some searching around your community.
18. Host a homeless person overnight in your home
It’s sad that this is such a scary thing for people image themselves doing but what better way to serve others than to provide the most basic of needs for someone who really needs it. There are many incredibly deserving and kind homeless people who simply can’t afford a home in our rich nations even though they have a job and family. Helping these people out and to get to know them a little and provide some assistance is a great way to serve others.
19. Donate money to a charity
Pick the charity you like, or many and set aside some money to give to them. The best way to give is to set it up to be an automatic width drawl so that the charity knows they can count on that monthly contribution and so that you make sure you do your giving before your other spending. We all spend too much anyway.
20. Pick up loose garbage
Our cities are for the most part, quite disgusting. There is garbage everywhere you go and it will never get cleaned up without people seeing the difference and by helping to pick it up. Do what you can and stop to pick up some garbage instead of walking over it for a change. I especially like to do this when I go out into the wilderness for a hike or ride. I always come home with more than I went out with since I make sure I take a moment to notice and to pick up someone’s garbage left behind.
21. Be a mentor to someone
Everyone needs help to achieve their dreams and goals in life and mentor ship is an excellent way of providing that needed help, encouragement and guidance required. Look for opportunities to mentor people and provide that benefit to someone else as a way to serve.
22. Give away your old stuff
I said it above and I’ll say it again. We all have too much stuff. Do a favor for people in need and give away some of the things you no longer need or use or wear. Others would be happy to have it and it will help you simplify your life and enjoy your time more. Find a few locations that you can drop off your stuff or call an organization that collects your goods to redistribute to those in need.
23. Buy someone a book
If you have explored LearnThis much, you know that I love books. Well do someone a service and buy them a book to enjoy as well. Don’t buy them a book though that YOU would enjoy, buy them a book that THEY will enjoy.
24. Be genuine with your apologies
Put some sincerity into your apologies and be genuine when you do make a mistake. Own up to it and make the appropriate apology in person and in a serious tone.
25. Bring baked goods to work
No matter where you work and if you work with people, people love food. Bringing in some baked goods or snacks is always appreciated. You can do this with your colleagues or clients, just try to ensure the food is something most can enjoy and its best to find something that is not just sugar or unhealthy. There are many great foods to share that are healthy as well and people do enjoy.
26. Compliment someone
Serving others has to be about them. Compliments are a great way for you to focus something positive on them and brighten their day. Find something you can be genuine about and give them the compliment with smile and positive approach.
27. Help to organize charity event
Charities and non-profit organizations struggle to get people to commit to planning an event or attending a volunteer effort. You can help out the organization AND the people it is serving if you help to run the charity or a charity event.
28. Be sportsmanlike on sports teams
Sports involve a lot of different personalities and sometimes emotions. Playing very sportsmanlike and keeping your cool even when others do not, serves everyone playing as an example and often the source of calm for the rest of a team. Do your best to stay calm, play with sportsmanlike conduct and encourage fair and fun play over competition and winning.
29. Encourage people
I just mentioned this for sports above but its possible in all areas of life. You have endless opportunities to encourage people to do what they love, follow their dreams, achieve their goals and do the things they enjoy doing. Encourage positive behavior and fun actions through you day, you will enjoy it more, help others recognize those same things and hopefully, keep more of those actions coming as a result in the future.
30. Give books you’ve read away
Not many people read all the books they have, let alone read them more than once. If you have books you know you will not read away keep them in mind and anyone interested in that subject, simply give them that book. I absolutely receiving free books from others and always enjoy reading them as I know there is someone to have a conversation then with about that book.
31. Be a friend to those who don’t deserve it
Friendship is often thought to be something that is earned. Well serving others you not looking for what others earn, you are simply serving others. Extend the offer of friendship to someone who doesn’t seem like they deserve it. Perhaps they have made some bad choices in life, hurt you in the past or stuck in a difficult set of habits to break. The best thing for them is a true friend and it’s a great way to serve if you can provide that.
32. Support mission and aid workers
There is constantly aid work going on around the world and traveling missionaries or support works in developing nations and disaster zones and they need support. You can support them with funds, letters, time, gifts or any combination of those. Spread the word as well and help these organizations grow, they are themselves doing a great service that deserves more support.
33. Share your creativity
Creativity sparks new ideas in others and ideas trigger change, growth and hope. Sharing your creativity with others serves these same results and is a great way to connect with people as well.
34. Promote someone else’s idea
We all our own ideas but how often do you reinforce and encourage someone else’s idea. Just one more way to serve and build others up.
35. Tell someone they are your friend
It’s funny how we don’t know how to classify as a friend or not. Everyone has a different definition of this, but we all like to hear that someone is our friend when we do finally hear it. Make it obvious if you are around someone new or you just don’t really know if they consider you a friend or not, to specifically say it. Fit it into a sentence or an introduction or just a comment, like it’s great to do stuff like this with friends, thanks.
36. Introduce a friend to someone they don’t know
Friends make connecting with other people much easier and if you ensure you always introduce your friends to other people you know, it builds new connections and make more people feel welcome in a conversation. It’s never fun to be the third wheel not knowing someone in the group so make sure you always introduce people to each other.
37. Talk to people at parties who look “out of place”
On the theme of meeting people and introducing people, often you can serve others by simply approaching them and introducing yourself. It only takes a minute and can make a new person or someone who is uncomfortable or out of place to feel a lot better. Invite them other into a group you are with, or just spend a few minutes to ask them questions and help them feel more comfortable.
38. Stay calm and don’t react in arguments
Arguments are a sure way to cause problems and staying calm may not be the easier thing to do (especially if you are under attack), but it is the best way to serve others both in the argument and seeing it indirectly. If you can stay calm and not make the situation any worse, then you do everyone a service including yourself from not reacting negatively.
39. Support your loved ones no matter what
We often put higher expectations and judgments on those we love instead of accepting thing for who they are and their decisions. There is nothing wrong with hoping for them to change or break away from destructive habits or decisions but there is a point at which you simply must support them as well if they make decisions or choices that you don’t agree with. Isn’t that the best way to show you love them anyway?
40. Share successes
People learn from the success of others and so sharing both your successes and the successes of others with more people is an easy way for everyone to learn from those experiences.
41. Practice appreciate inquiry and positive dialog
Appreciate inquiry has so many benefits it’s a wonderful way to help people feel included, listened to, engaged with and ultimately it’s a way to bring the best out of people and what they are involved in doing. I strongly believe in this one as it has such a focus on others and bringing out the best in people it is really an exceptional way to serve others.
42. Pay for the stranger’s coffee behind you in line
Head on through the drive through or even at a till in person and tell the cashier you would like to pay for that other person’s purchase as well. You will quite likely surprise the cashier and the other person with such a simple act of kindness.
43. Offer your seat on the bus / train
Public transport is often quite crowded and its sad how selfish people seem to be when onboard. Look for a chance to offer your seat or a helping hand to someone traveling with extra bags, children or perhaps a disability.
44. Operate a blog and give away great content
This is obvious one for me and I’m sure many of my readers here as well. Blogging really is about serving others once you start writing for what your readers want, and not what you want yourself. The best blogs exist because of the authors wanting to provide value and great content. There is much to learn from blogging and the best part by far, is the way it serves others and connects you with people.
45. Take on a project as a DIY with a friend
Do-it-yourself (DIY) has many benefits and when you can offer to help a friend take on a project you are doing a great service for them. Your help, support and perhaps expertise will bring you together to accomplish something and enjoy it when its done.
46. Accept others ideas without immediately judging them
It’s easy to be critical at times, especially if we think we have our own better idea. Do a service to others and don’t discount or be negative towards their ideas. Let them stand on their own and don’t immediate judge them.
47. Put and keep your cell phone out of site in conversation
This is a huge pet peeve of mine and I’ll never do it to others. If you are in a conversation with someone, give them your full attention, face them and put your dang phone away. It sends a poor message to be playing with your phone or answering it in the middle of a conversation. You can’t serve someone when sending the message that whoever might be calling is clearly more important than you so I’m going to check right now.
48. Inspire others
This is a whole list on its own for ways to do this but we do all have things we are passionate about and enjoy. Spread that passion and look to spark inspiration in others in sharing those.
49. Share appreciation aloud
People rarely feel appreciated enough even though it is incredibly easy to do. Practice expressing what you appreciate about someone and do it aloud so they hear it and perhaps others will hear the same, share more or learn from you to do the same.
50. Share gratitude in life
Similar to appreciation to others, gratitude is usually expressed towards circumstances, gifts and talents and life and life in general. Some show gratitude to God, to others or to their environment. Be grateful for what you have, recognize the abundance you have to experience and share that gratitude with others. Spreading gratitude and recognizing it is definitely a way to serve others.
51. Demonstrate perseverance
There are many ways to demonstrate perseverance but I’m thinking more specifically in the ways you are already serving others. Taking items on this list and persevering to keep them happening, to keep on practicing, to keep on serving.
52. Make moral decisions
Moral decisions are ones that are considered to be right. Moral decisions serve the general good and allow you to serve by making choices based on what is right and good. We all have a moral grounding as human beings and it’s how we are created and how we think at the deepest fundamental levels. Using that moral compass for our decisions serves others in these good decisions.
53. Live ethically
Ethical living has some parallels with moral living but perhaps more from the human defined perspective, and not human nature. Ethics are largely defined by our cultures and society and so making that system stable and effective requires that we follow ethics and make decisions that take society into mind and use that in the way to live. It’s all about what is right for many, a great way to serve others.
54. Share your mistakes with others
Mistakes are a wonderful way to learn and something that can easily be taught to others if shared. Examine your mistakes and do more than learn from them yourself, share them with others. You can gain a lot of trust in sharing mistakes and help others learn from those actions before they make the same mistakes.
55. Clap and cheer aloud
You often have a chance to clap for someone or even cheer for them at conferences, events or sports activities. What about in meetings, daily work or even at home around the house? Take a moment to recognize others and serve them by showing your appreciation for a job well done, an accomplishment or for taking on a new adventure. Show them by clapping for them or cheering. Bring others into the habit and use it often. We do this in my workplace very often in meetings, after hearing good news or any accomplishment that is share with a group. The cheers and clapping always bring on a smile and serves everyone involved.
56. Tell me about yourself
Tell me about yourself or introduce yourself are pretty common questions in interview and sometimes in business meetings with new clients or with new employees and colleagues. Use this chance to share your values and principles instead of just your usual background like where you work, your educational background or where you live. Tell someone what you value most, why and what principles you follow in all of your life. This has much more significance, surprises people so gets remembered and creates a faster stronger relationship can typical introductions.
57. Magnify someone’s kindness
Visit BondChristian.com and read about magnifying someone’s kindness and then go do it. Marshall wrote, “So how do you magnify someone’s kindness? You truly appreciate it. You accept it – you accept that in that moment, you are depending on someone else, that you really do need someone else.”
58. Be willing to describe your vulnerabilities
Vulnerability exposes oneself and is an catalyst to building trust. When people see vulnerabilities, they relate quickly and connect at a stronger level which immediate builds trust with that person. Vulnerabilities also humble oneself which leads to…
59. Be humble
There are many ways to be humble, not just in exposing vulnerabilities. Giving credit to others, taking blame, talking about others not yourself, and avoiding the temptation to be right are all great ways to be humble. Humility is goes hand in hand with serving others from a character trait perspective and the focus on others is what allows humility to surface.
60. Choose to be happy
Happiness is not something you seek, it’s not something you can find and its not something you can gain based on “if only…”, “when this…” and “as soon as this happens…” thinking. Happiness is something you must belief you can have and you then have to choose to be happy. You can be happy with hardship and suffering all around you and under terrible circumstances in your life if you truly believe you have that choice. For all those that need outside influences to be happy, you can provide that service and choose to be happy and to be an example of happiness for those around you regardless of the circumstances.
61. Admit your faith and beliefs
How you possibly serve others if you do not share or admit for faith and beliefs with them. Wouldn’t that be deceiving them, hiding things from them or even lying to them if you take it too far in fear of telling them? If you truly have faith and believe in it, you HAVE TO also believe in the value of sharing it. Yes, there are good times for this and perhaps some bad times, but you must be willing to admit your faith and belief systems.
62. Ask open ended questions
Good conversations depends a lot on questions and interaction between people. You can give control of a conversation and draw someone into being more expressive with you by asking open ended questions that allow them freedom to respond with more of their thoughts and not just a yes or no answer.
63. Be a change agent
We need to change through life or we become complacent and we die within our trapped lives. Change prevents that and allows people to grow and develop. Obviously personal development is connected deeply to change and if you see the value in it, serving others should involve being a change agent to help make changes happen in your life, those around you and your community for the better lives of all.
64. Avoid and guard against gossip
Gossip can be disastrous to friendships, careers and other people’s lives. Learning to avoid gossip and guard against it both for yourself and for others is a valuable service to engage in.
65. Live with purpose
Purpose is difficult to understand if you don’t know your purpose yet. It becomes the driving force in your life and gives you the energy to do all that you do in place of all the distractions and selfish acts that tend to keep us from our ultimate purpose. I’ve learned that people who believe they know there purpose rarely claim a selfish one and its most often one that has a betterment for others at some level in it. I believe we all have this created in us and so living with purpose in some way involves serving others. I certainly know that’s in my purpose.
66. Express your passions
Passions expose a positive attitude, joy and excitement from a person when they are expressed, or at least more so than normal topics. This excitement rubs off on others and in turn help to encourage them to be excited or to express their own passions as well.
67. Ask more questions than you answer
Asking questions shows interest in others and makes them feel more comfortable and connected in conversations. Use questions to serve others.
68. Hand write a personal thank you card
Hand written cards and especially thank you cards are very impactful compared to verbal, email or other means. Write a personal note or thank you to those that do things for you. It’s a simple way to return a good feeling.
69. Take the blame
I don’t mean to take the fall for things you did not do (as that seems dishonest), I’m meaning to own up and take the blame when you do make a mistake. Owning up to it instead of denying it, blaming others or fighting back in any way is the fastest way to resolve things and so a great way to serve others.
70. Keep excuses to your self
It’s very easy to be get defensive and this is related to the blame game above. We use the technique of the victim cycle to make excuses in life. Keeping these excuses to ourselves at least keeps others from getting sucked into the blame game and helps to protect our habits from impacting others. Of course learning to eliminate excuses altogether is best but even the first step of keeping them to yourself helps to serve others.
71. Apologize sincerely
It’s actually quite sad to see how poorly most people apologize. Insincere and often still accusing of others disguised right within the apology. “I’m sorry you took it that way” is a LOT different than saying “I’m sorry I hurt you”. Keep your apologies sincere and always make sure you only include what you did that you are sorry for.
72. Promote employee engagement
A great way to serve others at work is to engage other employees and colleagues whenever possible. Look at ways to involve others, find things that excite your colleagues and show interest in people over the bottom line.
73. Give honest feedback
Mastering feedback is a crucial skill for a manager but can apply to anyone when serving others. Feedback is a powerful tool to use to send a message of concern and care. If feedback is used properly, there is no good or bad feedback, it’s simply a way of showing concern, express a hope for developing the best in others and a great way to serve them.
74. Tell stories
I love stories and I know many others do as well. It’s unfortunately so many people loose the interest in stories as they age, I for one have not. Anything told as a story or that makes a story is of interest to me over other experiences and I know that stories have a way of drawing in others and developing relationships. Telling stories attracts people and is often used as a way to communicate an otherwise complex topic.
75. Control your response
While it is difficult to master, we do control our response to every situation in life. The choice is hard to always make the way we want to when thinking clearly yet with practice, we definitely serve others by getting better as controlling our response and being constructive and positive in otherwise difficult circumstances.
76. Master your state of mind
Our response is typically due to some moment or short time frame. Our state of mind however, is really an extension of that response and applied over long periods of time. State of mind affects our emotions, our mood and our thoughts at a drastic level and so in order to be at our best and to be in a state of mind that is helpful to others, we need to have some control over that state of mind.
77. Use the words, “Thank you.”
Why is “Thank you!” so hard to say? Compliments can be hard to come by sometimes and I believe its because we are so good at wrecking a good compliment with a poor response. Sometimes we argue back and say things like, “No I didn’t” or “Nah, you’re just saying that”. People have been taught that that is how to be humble but they are sadly mistaken. Responding in this way sends the message that they are wrong and so the compliment is rejected. It’s a terrible thing to do and subtly and unconsciously stops people from sharing compliments. There is one good response for a compliment, two simple words, “Thank You”.
78. Be prepared
The good old Scout’s motto, “be prepared” is a great way to think when it comes to serving others. If you are not prepared, you will need to be dependent on others and if you need them, how can you serve as easily. I’m not saying there are not exceptions to this, but in general, if you are prepared for a circumstance, you are more likely able to serve others in that circumstance yourself.
79. Stay healthy
Staying healthy keeps you out of the health care system, keeps others from having to look after you and enables you to live longer, set a good example and be able to serve others. If you can’t look after yourself, how can possibly serve others as easily?
80. Live with less stuff
Serving others tends to take a second place in life for many of us from all the other things we have going on. We volunteer if we have time, we help a friend if we are not already doing something and we put our spiritual needs behind our career and family for the most part. Well, all our stuff and complexities tend to distract us even more and so living with less stuff and activities is an easy way to serve others as it frees our time for it and lets us put it as a priority.
81. Eliminate complaints
Complaints are toxic to other people and their moods. Most complaints are simply dwelling on the past and never really help anyone. Do others a favor and eliminate your complaints.
82. Keep emails positive
Emails are a cause of many communication breakdowns from saying things the wrong way or sending an unintended message. This happens especially with emails that are criticizing something or negative in tone. To prevent this and to keep in mind your service to others, keep your emails positive.
83. Communicate in person
When you have a chance to communicate in person over email, voice mail and even the telephone, take it. You can always communicate more easily in person than other methods.
84. Ask for help when needed
Another way to serve others is to ask for help when its needed. People do generally want to help when they can and asking for help is a sure way to give them that opportunity. Taking on work yourself often leads to frustration and bitterness which can have long term effects that affect your ability to serve. Sharing skills, advice and a helping help is a great way to serve others, on both sides.
85. Use your talents
You are created with your own set of unique talents and when you discover what they are you should use them. Talents are wonderful to show with applied skill and are very inspiring to others. Your talents are always the areas you will have the most impact in and if you use your talents, you have the greatest ability to serve others.
86. Practice patience
I’ve had to learn this one the hard way and am realizing how effective applying patience is in serving others. While I used to get very frustrated and impatient with others, I’ve felt that God has been testing to learn to have patience and has opened my eyes to see how it is best for others when patience is practiced. I have learned the value in it now and truly believe that patience is a powerful way to serve others.
87. Protect forests
Our forests, our planet, our resources, it’s all a hot topic globally now and for good reason. We are destroying what everyone deserves to enjoy and a small portion of the humans are destroying the largest percentage. It’s a shame and the only way to combat it is to serve others by protecting the forests, the resources and our planet as a whole.
88. Forgive an action
Holding a grudge will get you know where. Forgiveness as hard as it is, is the best way to serve others. It’s the key to Jesus’ message and if we can live like Him, we are serving others by doing do.
89. Cancel a dept
Have you ever chipped in a few coins to cover someone’s bill at the grocery store? How about the money a friend borrowed and has never paid back yet? Cancel the dept and simply give it to them with no expectation of repaying the dept. If someone owes you something, don’t hold it over them, simply cancel and forget the dept and hold onto the relationship instead of the moneyattached.
90. Avoid the unimportant
Unimportant things distract us constantly from our lives, in our work, our families and in our relationships. The dept mentioned above could one of these things and it prevents us from realizing and experiencing what actually matters. If you want others around you to experience the best memories and relationships with you that is possible, avoid the unimportant and start doing, saying and acting on the important things in your life.
91. Be enthusiastic
I know that this one may be somewhat a personal preference but as a very animated and enthusiastic person myself, I’ve heard countless times how my energy and enthusiasm is such a great presence and character trait. I see the same in others and so I definitely believe that enthusiasm builds positive energy in others and that can only serve them by influence and perhaps, by being contagious.
92. Donate blood
This is a huge need for trauma care and a very selfless act that is truly done to serve others and provide a critical need.
93. Use positive dialogue
Positive dialogue fits into a few other items here as well but this is specifically in how you talk and what you talk about. If you focus on the positives in your life and words you say, you will make a positive impact on others as well. Positive dialogue includes discussions, your comments, feedback, hopes, dreams, aspirations and stories that are uplifting and positive in nature.
94. Do extra household chores
This is an easy one to do but unfortunately the word, “chores” has such negative thoughts associated with it for most people we avoid it. If that is the case for others as well, would you not say then that to serve them well would be to do some of their household chores?
95. Give anonymously
Giving is a great way to serve others. Make it an even better service by leaving a mystery by giving anonymously. If you are serving them, you don’t need the recognition and certainly don’t need the receiver to feel any obligation. The best gifts are the ones received in gratitude and anonymous gifts are easier to be grateful for than one that is connected elsewhere in our lives, so give anonymously.
96. Leave a specific compliment with a tip
Tips are an easy way to serve others in return for what they have done for you. If you want to make a stronger impact, then write a note or message with a tip to leave a specific compliment. Perhaps at a restaurant you could ask to speak to the manager and tell them about the great service you received from a specific server. The restaurant manager will be happy to hear this and the server will likely gain other benefits, far more than just your added tip.
97. Say hello often to strangers
Living in Calgary, while it isn’t a huge city, its much bigger than the small town I grew up in and it is odd how seldom people say hello. I hate that about the city and I’m doing my best to change it. You can to by greeting strangers, smiling in public and by simply hello to people as often as you can around the city. I ride my bike to work and love the bike paths I ride along as I often pass by people and have a chance to spread a smile and a hello. Most often it brings a smile in return and isn’t that a great way to serve. I think so.
98. Keep your promises
Being a person who can be trusted to do what you say is an important way to serve others. Breaking a promise kills trust and takes much longer to rebuild. If you want to serve others, you need to keep your word to them and be honest when you know you can’t keep your promise as early as possible or ideally, before you make it in the first place.
99. Let love for others drive your life
Love is the most powerful thing in this world. It provides us all with an ability to drive through incredibly painful circumstances. It brings about hope and joy that can overcome any amount of suffering and it sets an example for service to others and to God like nothing else. Love is a gift we all have the option to experience by God’s grace, it is offered to each and every one of us. Experience that, make love a focus in your own life and use it to drive your life to serve others.
100. Recognize when God calls you to serve
Finally, my last in this list of 100 ways to serve is to open your mind and heart to God, to listen and then ultimately to act upon his calling in a way He wants you to serve.
Its me again back with good information for my Fellow riders. Tha Fastlife Runna cares about your health. What I’ve learned about this fruit, it actually kills HIV diseases. I know we got some people that is sick out there with HIV and depend on anti drugs that battle HIV. Some of you are nasty and don’t know if you got it. I don’t want you to pass it to me and mess my life up. That’s the reason why I’m writing this post. Anyways, when that happens in your body, why not eat banana like a monkey everyday? A monkey eats more banana more than an average person eats meal 4 times a day and then next thing monkey jumping like a fool all day. Do you know why? Let me tell you why. Its the natural chemicals from a banana that speeds up the metabolism which make you hyper and also boost up the immune system that battle diseases inside your body. I’m going start eating fruits like a mad man because I know its the T. R. U. T. H. If you think i’m not serious, do some research pal. It’s sad to know that people depend too much on man made drugs with side effects instead of what Heavenly father gave you to eat to live healthier life. Banana ain’t got no side effects. When you take those man made drugs, next thing you gonna find out you have HIV-2. That’s a scary, ain’t it? Not me. I’m going eat bananas as my life depends on it because I’m stuck with a gay roommate living next door to me. I don’t know what the hell he’s doing with weird looking dudes every night. I don’t talk to him and I can’t wait to move out of my place when I graduate in May. Sometimes I wish he stop waving at me every once in a while when he see me walking to class. If I find this nigga wheezing and coughing, you better believe I’ll take off running. Thats the kind of person I am. I’m cautious when I come to those things like that.
LOS ANGELES – Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob for his roles in “Lucas” and “The Lost Boys” whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38.
Oh dear, it just wasn’t Sir James Smith’s day. Mr Smith was on his way home after spending 4 months behind bars for marijuana offenses when he and his wife were pulled over for a license plate infraction. Unfortunately the two had also been puffing away on some weed. Hmm, there is another marijuana charge right there. Oh and their 11 month old daughter was also in the car at the time so bonus, he gets a “neglect of a dependent” too.
While listening to music today, I was struck by lyrics stating, “I sometimes wonder if I am a part of the cure or if I am a part of the disease in today’s World…” Coldplay melodiously humming in my ears and my head bobbing to the alternative beat. As I looked out of the window into Nature I pondered all of the ills that plague our society today, from hatred, to greed, to the crimes that we witness take place daily. The mistreatment of other human beings and the disrespect shown for others, as if some of us are the only individuals inhabiting the planet. The abuse of drugs and alcohol. The making money and material things more important than people. The tainting of the amazing things that GOD created for our good. With all of these things continuously going on I wondered what category I fell into…
This is Kyle!!
