There are two days in every week about which we should not worry,
two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares,
its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
we cannot erase a single word we said.
Yesterday is gone forever.
Continue reading
The above note was a prelude to the following hilarious e-mail exchange:
From: Justin Flecker
To: David Thorne
Subject: Lamp
I received your note but you can’t go onto other peoples property and take things, that’s trespassing. Massanutten is a wooded area and I installed that light for security. It’s a safety issue. I can’t help it if some of the light goes across the road, close your curtains if it bothers you.
From: David Thorner
To: Justin Flecker
Subject: Re: Lamp
Hello Justin,
Thank you for your email. While I accept that curtains are usually the key to community accord, in this instance they would need to be constructed of eight-inch-thick lead sheeting. Last night, with my curtains closed and bedside light off, I read a book. Wearing sunglasses. Under a blanket.
Though unconvinced that blinding local fauna is the best solution, I do understand the heightened need for security living in a wooded area such as the gated community of Massanutten demands. Having formerly lived my entire life in Australia, I am unfamiliar with much of the local wildlife but I did see my first raccoon last week. I stepped outside to have a cigarette and the raccoon, sitting less than five feet away besides and up-ended bin eating the remains of a Domino’s Artisan Tuscan Salami pizza, hissed at me. Surprised, I threw myself backwards, rolled several times towards the door, and sprang to my feed holding the welcome mat above my head to appear taller. Sometime during the roll-spring-mat maneuver the raccoon left. Which probably isn’t as exciting a story as it should be but this isn’t Borneo and I I’m not Jack London.
I did see a snake the other day though. I picked up a stick to poke it with which also turned out to be a snake. Jumping back in panic, I threw it away, but our dog thought I was playing fetch and I had to run and jump over a creek to get away.
As such, this weekend I intend to set up a canister of poisonous gas in my yard with an industrial fan behind it. I can’t help it if some of the gas goes across the road.
Regards, David.
In this must watch TED talk, Caroline Heldman talks about the increasing “objectification” of females as sex objects. An “object” by its very nature is inert, depending on the “subject” for its worth and value. “Objectification” is by its very nature disempowering and harmful to the female psyche. In the talk Caroline enumerates the harm and also provides us with steps to take to reverse it.
Yoga is about “de-objectification”. It is the process by which we slowly de-identify ourselves from the mind-body and instead move towards our soul. It is apparent then that yoga can play a big part in reversing this trend towards viewing females as sex objects. Sadly so immersed are we in the prevailing paradigm of sex-objectification that the asana practice of yoga is itself in danger of falling victim to it. Let us take cognizance of this danger and revert the asana practice (practice of yoga postures) to its roots and practice it as something that empowers us and not objectifies us.
You may also like: Crazy Sexy Cancer
Steve Jobs was very lucky. They detected his pancreatic cancer early. It happened incidentally. He was being screened for something else and this came to light. Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive form of cancer and it is very important to detect it early. This almost never happens as by the time symptoms appear the cancer has advanced quite a bit. So what did Steve Jobs do? Sadly he decided not to treat it and relied on home remedies.
Just as you never bring a knife to a gunfight, never bring carrot juice to a fight against pancreatic cancer as your sole weapon. Later Steve Jobs was blunt in his assessment of his actions, “I was stupid,” he said.
There is tremendous distrust of medical science. Many second-guess their doctors and go against doctor’s recommendation based on what they find on Google. Sometimes we rely on obscure web sites and blogs rather than trust doctors. This can be very risky as Steve Jobs case illustrates.
But it is also true that there is a risk of being over treated if one relies solely on the advice of some doctors. Doctors find themselves in a difficult situation. They are at the risk of being sued so their entire practice is based on defensive medicine, which sometimes causes them to recommend useless tests and procedures. Doctors are now more inclined to push decisions to their patients, explaining pros and cons of the various choices. Rightly or wrongly lay people find themselves to have research and read medical literature to make sense of their options. This can be confusing and tricky. You may find two different studies reach exactly opposing conclusions. This article seeks to provide some guidance on how to navigate through the maze:
Continue reading
