Monday, April 29, 2013

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

THIS IS TO LET YOU KNOW I WILL NO LONGER BE DOING A DAILY BLOG

For almost seven years I have written my blog daily, its purpose was a discipline for myself to force me to stay in touch with with what is going on in and with the world.  As long as I enjoyed writing it, I wrote daily.  It is no longer fun for me (I truly am ADD and I feel 'been there, done that; time for something new)  So I have decided, at most, I may write once a week and think I will work more on letting my opinions (after all some things won't change) spread on Titter.

Thanks to all of you have been around and all of you who have offered comments.  I will try to be a bit more faithful to Facebook, as well.  I am beginning to get used to my iMac and my mail seems to be available to me more easily than for the last month (though it seems forever!).

If I get an I want to develop, I may write it down here from time to time.  I just refuse to remain faithful (fickle blogger that I have become).

So, while I divorce myself from the obligatory daily routine, I am reserving visiting privileges.

Bye for now.  You will see me from time to time should you choose to drop in.

Thanks to all of you who have faithful. Your comments and feedback has enriched me.

Yiayia

Monday, April 8, 2013

SUICIDE AND SOME OF ITS FACETS Part 2

One must first differentiate between a suicide and an attempt at suicide.  When you suicide, it becomes a done deal.  You are permanently dead.  Psychology Today had an article, written by Alex Lickerman, MD.  It listed six reasons why people attempt suicide.  They are: 1.  They are depressed (perhaps once sad but then chemistry shifted to a clinical depression for which medication is usually more effective than talk therapy.  The two combined are good. 2. They're psychotic  3. They're impulsive  4, They are crying out for help 5.They have a philosophical desire to die 6. They made a mistake.

More detail can be read directly from the article by clicking here.

There are many people who feel that someone should be able to end their life, if they choose to do so. It is typical of our current time when religion has been allowed to dictate much our government is choosing for us, in its hypocritical way, not only deciding we should continue to live even when our bodies and minds are being eaten away by neurological disease, cancer, or other lingering maladies causing much pain and suffering. 

Terry Pratchett, an author of fantasy novels, diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 59.  At age 62, he made a documentary which you should read here. This was made in England, where he lives and writes.

Around the world there have been people arguing the right to die as strongly as they advocate one's right to live. Vermont, a leader in many social concepts, argues it.  Read here.  The question then arises, as so many states are trying to enact laws to prevent abortion, contraceptives (which actually prevent abortion), and even sex education to allow pregnancies through ignorance.  The logic behind that set of laws and decisions is unfathomable but somehow is growing.

Hopefully, our country will reach an enlightened age when the one thing that everyone will be allowed to own is their own mind and body.  Of course, the controlling choices about the body of women, especially today, is being made by men, for the most part.  Will we be able to change this in the near future? We an only hope the malevolent powers trying to take over control of our country will be removed from choice over others.

To read about the bill in Vermont and other states with similar bills at this date, click here.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

SUICIDE AND SOME OF ITS FACETS Part 1

Th concept of what follows suicide is so different for so many who commit it..  For some it is a route to oblivion from intolerable physical or emotional pain.  For others, is is a route to a glorious afterlife.  Those who believe in Heaven may think to join a loved one in after life unless they are of a religion that forbids that image.  Death by suicide is probably one of the few crimes for which there can me no punishment by our own legal system though it is against the law in most places, a commentary of the ridiculous thinking behind those who think laws can stop anything..

The brain is a human organ, without which there is no life. President Obama has realized it needs much studying for scientist to get a better understanding of factors effecting its formation, what change how it functions and many other criteria.  Since the Iraq war during this last decade, the greatest number of brain damaged veterans ever in history are returning.  Doctor and other scientists need to gather more information on how to improve the quality of life experience, mobility, perception, reading of senses, as well as many other causes that change the brain including both legal and illegal drugs.

Suicide is a personal choice.  The person who uses suicide as an option for a problem solution often thinks little of the effect that choice has on others.  Children walking to their home to find a father having shot himself in the head on the doorstep, with pieces of brains scattered around them in the snow, cannot easily recovery from the shock, sight and loss.  Nor can the wife, dependent on her husband's income for herself and her children, easily recover after opening her front door and seeing her husband's feet hanging before her at eye level at her eye level.

It leaves survivors always wondering what they may have done wrong, whether they could have done more, with the hopelessness of knowing they can never get an answer to that question.  Suicide is death and death is final.   ...to be continued.


Saturday, April 6, 2013

THERE ARE STILL THINGS WE CAN COUNT ON

Whenever I hear the 'call waiting beep' when on a call, I can count on either being without my glasses or on a phone that does not show caller ID.  It makes me wonder if those who call have that kind of luck when gambling.  Another annoyance is to be in the basement when the phone rings and I have forgotten to take as remote phone with me.  Again, no caller ID and I am afraid I will miss an important call. so I either race upstairs, in great pain because of naked of cartilage knee, only to find it is a telemarketer that either wants me to consolidate my credit card balances (of which I have none), sign up for a life line in case I've fallen and can't get up, or let me know that there will be a truck to collect old clothes or whatever I would like to give  clean (with no need for repair and if other than clothing, must be in working order).  These conditions usually describe things I still want to keep!

It has become habit now to take the phone with me and set it within reach of the shower while I am in it.  I keep a strap wrench handy because I believe that all jar tops are now put on with a pneumatic tool with strength far beyond the strength of most women.

I'm convinced the real sneaky enemy lives within technology. Having learned to type on keys that were distinct and raised, I can no longer type a 'y' without it adding an 'h'/  I finally realized it is because all the keys are adjacent at the same level and  extremely sensitive to the touch even when you are only near one.  The mouse I use is even more sensitive and I have to keep fast to outsmart it.  If I hold a finger near it, I will move everything away.  At least I finally learned on my new iMac where that Apple hides things and can even get most of them back.

Lately I have fewer reasons to leave the house.  However, I can count on it raining when I have plans to work in the yard (there is raking, pruning, planting, etc to be done within the brief April window before the jungle appears in the yard.

I'm sure my readers could add to this list.  I know I am not alone with the spirits who hang around to make our lives more difficult.  They seem to get around to everyone with no prejudice.  I can hear them making strange house noises but I just can't see them.

But those we can see are in Washington, DC.  We can count on Boehner always saying 'no compromise'. We can count on Republican states continuing to try to eliminate legal abortion and contraceptives.  We can count on Cuccinelli  acting as though he is above the Supreme Court.

Friday, April 5, 2013

REPUBLICAN SUPPRSSION OF WOMEN IS NOT CALLED WAR EXCEPT BY ALL OTHERS

One must ask someone who reads the Bible, 'Is there anywhere in the Bible a prediction that women will continue to be treated as inferiors to men in 2013?'  It is difficult to address just what is behind the current misogyny in an attempt to curtail all contraceptives and abortions.  The foolish people who support the Republicans behind this treatment cannot see what is being done to the country.  The behavior has not increased the shrinking number of voters who will back Republicans.  Whatever can thee state governors be thinking?  How much are they being paid to hurt women?  Do they realize they are also hurting men...husbands, fathers, and all men connected to women?

How much can the bribing powers behind the Republican politics possibly pay them to continue in such a losing position with the majority of the populace?  Most of the powerful Republicans seem to have slipped into some deep denial and complacency, at least when on camera.  Can they really be so blind to arithmetic as they have come across when they speak?  The numbers are totally against them. Cheating as they are doing with Gerrymandering will still be unlikely to work.  Eric Holder is not unaware ofwhat they are trying to do.  There is no group that can be easily wooed since it is clear there is nothing of worth being offered.  They are not creating jobs, they are not stopping violence, they are not stimulating the economy thy are not fixing education they are not repairing infrastructure. 

There are seven states working very hard to shut down abortion clinics.  Tara Culp-Ressler
 wrote about this for ThinkProgress.  
"Abortion opponents are chipping away at reproductive rights from all angles — and one particularly insidious attack on women’s health is currently advancing in states across the country. Under the guise of “protecting women’s safety,” Republican lawmakers are successfully pushing unnecessary, complicated restrictions on abortion clinics that will ultimately force them to close their doors."    To read the entire article by her, click here,

Women will not cease to have abortions but the reason for which abortion was made legal was to prevent women from dying from botched, non-medical  abortions. The Republicans are trying to eliminate sex education in schools so that girls will probably have more pregnancies which will force them to bear children they do not want and can't support.  I cannot make sense of this except to believe the men planning this are misogynistic or insane, or both.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

THOSE WHO SHALL FOREVER BE KNOWN AS THE 'NO' CONGRES

The House and the Senate are filled with people being bribed to say 'No!' to anything on the unpublished agenda of the anonymous , old, white men who think they are running the country by simply standing in the way of progress.  I sincerely hope there will be enough intelligent voters in 2014 to correct the balance in Congress and that we go back to the majority rules plan our democracy had when it functioned as one.

Right now, President Obama is trying to get a bill passed to begin to end the plethora of war weapons being sold to the public without background checks.  To hear what the President has to say in bringing his message across the country, click here.

The NRA would have us arm everyone.  Then we could have a repeat of High Noon daily.  NRA also wants to ignore the suggestion that nothing being done keeps the amount of killings by gun violence at the current unacceptable rate.  While some people will get around the checks, the same thing that applies to liquor servers should apply with guns.  The seller should be held responsible if there is no background check and a crime is committed and proven. Likewise, those who keep guns in their homes unsecured.  How people think they can get ammunition and their secure gun our in time to stop an intruder is not clear to me.  It is as rational as the assumption that God will protect you at all times if you have faith.

I would prefer having a stun gun or even pepper spray or mace to disarm an intruder.  It is less lethal so if it is kept more available it is less likely to kill someone but quite likely to save your life and give you time to disarm the threatening one.