Why MARCONS Prevent You From Killing Lyme Bacteria and How You Can Stop Them

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You've seen the movie trailers that begin with, "Alien Invaders Take Over Unsuspecting People." You probably thought this only happened in the world of science fiction. But it could be happening right now, literally right under your nose.

A weakened immune system can not prevent the MARCONS from coming in right under your nose

The alien I'm talking about is a new super staph bacteria called MARCONS which stands for "Multiply Antibiotic Resistant Coagulase Negative Staph." In his book, Mold Warriors, Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker finds these bacteria in the noses of his Lyme patients that have severely weakened immune systems. What makes the immune system of people with Lyme disease so susceptible to these invading staph bacteria?

Lyme disease toxins weaken your immune system

Lyme disease can produce lots of toxins which make people feel fatigued, anxious, or downright miserable. These toxins also attack and weaken the immune system. If the immune system is weakened enough, you can not defend yourself against getting these super staph bacteria. Once they get in, these staph bacteria can mutate quickly which helps them to evade your immune system and to become resistant to many drugs.

Super staph bacteria have developed immunity against many antibiotics

In his Lyme patients, Dr. Shoemaker found these staph bacteria were resistant to antibiotics from several different classes. He saw this multi-drug resistance especially in his patients that had been on several different kinds of antibiotics. Not only do they develop immunity, staph can also shield itself from attack.

Staph can make a protective shield for Lyme to hide under

Staph bacteria can produce a protective shield called a biofilm. Unfortunately, your immune system and most antibiotics can not breakthrough this shield. Other species of bacteria, including Lyme, can hide under this biofilm. Under this shield, they can swap things like drug resistant genes. This can lead to dangerous new strains of drug resistant Lyme disease, Staph, and other super germs. If your immune system and drugs have difficulty penetrating the biofilm shield, what else can help you to stop these staph bacteria?

Special herbs help you to cut through biofilm shields

In a laboratory experiment, an herb called Terminalia Chebula cuts through the biofilm and kills the Pseudonomas bacteria that created it. Other experiments show that berberine extracts from an herb called Coptidis Rhizome are able to cut through the staph biofilm and kill it. People with Lyme disease report being symptom-free for longer periods of time when taking Terminalia Chebula and Coptidis Rhizome along with other medicinal herbs.

Herbs in your spice cabinet prevent bacteria from working together to make biofilms

These staph bacteria use chemical signals to communicate that there is a "quorum" which means there are sufficient numbers of bacteria to make a biofilm. Herbs like garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, ginger can interfere with the chemical messages that these bacteria send to each other. These herbs are called quorum sensing inhibition (QSI) herbs. Extracts of these herbs have stopped staph from performing quorum actions like producing a biofilm. Taking a combination of these herbs can help you to fight off these nasty staph bacteria.

Herbal teas can help you to cut through biofilms and kill the bacteria underneath

Taking a combination of anti-biofilm herbs in a tea and adding QSI herbs to your diet can help your body to penetrate and stop biofilms from reforming. These herbs can also be used in a nasal wash to breakup biofilms in your nose. Some herbs can be powdered and inhaled directly into the nasal passage. Once the herbs have cut through existing biofilms, then your medications, antimicrobial herbs and your immune system can kill the underlying Lyme and staph bacteria more effectively.

Herbs can strengthen your defenses against a MARCONS invasion

To beat back the invasion of the super MARCON staph bacteria, a targeted program of herbal tea, nasal washes, and dietary changes can help you to cut though biofilm shields, weaken the bacteria, and help your medicines and immune system fight back. Not only can these herbs help you to kill these super bacteria, they can be taken as a preventive program to keep you healthy especially if you have not been invaded yet. Consult with a trained herbalist to find the right combination for your situation.

Stopping a staph bacteria invasion helps you fight a Lyme infection more effectively.

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Source by Greg Lee

High School Wrestling: Mental Training for Peak Performance

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Athletes seeking to become champions in their chosen sport hope to find that desirable state of "being in the zone." Sports psychologists often refer to this optimal state as "flow." Flow involves a person's complete focus on an activity. For instance, a cellist playing in an orchestra may find herself totally "lost in the moment" as the rest of the world seems to disappear. As you can see, flow is not limited to the field of sports.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term flow in the early 1970s. Similarly, sport psychologist, Dr. Jim Loehr, coined the term "mental toughness" in the 1980s. What does "being in the zone" involve? Many athletes have experienced a time where they were totally absorbed in their sport. The athlete was focused on the present, lost in the moment, and everything felt effortless. The athlete perhaps felt a sense of peace and no fear or anxiety. Many of us have seen a basketball player who just can not seem to miss during a certain game. Many of us have seen wrestlers totally dominate a match in which everything they did seemed to go right. That is what the flow state is like.

How can a wrestler produce this sought after mental state? Here are some things to consider:

Motivation

Do you love wrestling or is it just a hobby? Is wrestling a passion or just an activity to pass some time? For wrestling champions like Dan Gable and John Smith, wrestling was an all-consuming passion. How much do you value wrestling? How much of a priority is it in your life? Do you look forward to practice? Can you push yourself hard or does your coach need to push you? One of the best techniques for getting and staying motivated is goal setting. Yes, I know you have heard it before. However, you need to have clear goals to succeed. Do you want to be a state champion? Perhaps your goal is merely to be able to walk off the mat after each match knowing that you never gave up physically or mentally. You want to know that you gave it 100% and that you did everything within your power to win. Do approach a match wanting to win or not caring too much about the outcome? Champions have an absolute desire to win.

Paying the Price

In his book Wrestling Tough, Mike Chapman writes about "paying the price." What price are you willing to pay to become a champion? Are you willing to push yourself hard in practice even when you're feeling tired? Are you willing to drill moves repeatedly even if it becomes boring? Well, you need to drill repeatedly if you want moves to become second nature. Are you willing to put in extra practice time if that's what it takes? Are you willing to work out on your own and really push yourself even if your coach is not there monitoring you? Essentially, I am asking you this: "Are you willing to work hard?" I did not always enjoy running sprints during practice but I did it as hard as I could anyway. If I had the opportunity to run in the gymnasium before classes began for the day, I took advantage of it. I worked out in my room some evenings even though I had just finished practice a couple hours earlier. I worked out during the summer. I pushed myself hard without anyone telling me to. I went to wrestling camps. What price are you willing to pay to become a champion?

Focus on the Process

How does one win a wrestling match or a tournament? Do you focus on the desired outcome? I do not think so. You want to win. That's a given. However, a wrestler can become too focused on winning or losing. Yes, you need an absolute desire to win. However, your focus should be on the process or the means of winning. You win a match by executing your moves and scoring points. You win a tournament by focusing on one match at a time. Keep your focus on wrestling well and executing all of your moves flawlessly. Then the desired outcome of winning will simply take care of itself.

Sometimes I would look at the bracket sheet before a tournament and think about wanting to win that tournament. But, I knew I had to take one match at a time and that by keeping my focus on each individual match I had a good chance of winning the tournament. A well known proverb states, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Focusing on a thousand miles is overwhelming, but taking a single step is easy. All of those individual steps lead to the desired outcome.

Confidence

Are you confident in your abilities as a wrestler? Do you believe you can win the match even if your opponent is supposedly unbeatable? Do reflect on the strengths you have from time to time? You should. Do you reflect on past success performances occasionally? You should. One secret to confidence is knowing that your skills are good. You need to practice, practice, and practice some more until you have absolute confidence in your wrestling skills. In addition, confidence is high when you know that you are in good condition and can go all out for a six minute match. Dan Gable was expected to easily win the NCAA Wrestling Championships in 1970, but he lost his final match to Larry Owings. Alexander Karelin went undefeated for 13 years of international competition before losing his final match in the 2000 Olympics to Rulon Gardner. Anyone can be beaten. Be confident in your abilities and encourage your teammates as well. Remember that natural talent does not always win. Often, the wrestlers who have worked the hardest and are confident in their abilities win matches.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali said, "To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are." You may also have heard the expression, "Fake it until you make it." If you are not feeling confident, then at least act like you are. Sometimes, I would slap my headgear and run onto the mat as though I was ready to tear into my opponent even if I was not necessarily feeling confident. You've watched wrestling matches involving great wrestlers. You've seen how they act and the athletic poise that they have. Try to emulate them if you are not feeling confident. Send a message to your subconscious mind that you are confident. I love watching Jet Li and Jason Statham movies. They always look so cool and composed when facing an adversary.

Visualization

In his book Psycho-Cybernetics, Maxwell Maltz states, "Our brain and nervous system can not tell the difference between a 'real' experience, and one which is vividly imagined." Practice mental rehearsal before a match. Visualize yourself executing your moves flawlessly and defeating your opponent. Replay past wrestling successes in your mind as well. If you vividly imagine winning a match, then your brain and nervous system believe that you have won the match. If visualizing your family or loved ones makes you feel motivated then do so. If visualizing a warrior confidently engaging in battle with his enemy motivates you, then use that mental image.

Self-Talk

Obviously, you do not want to use negative self-talk before a match. You do not want to say, "I'm weak" or "I can not beat this guy." You want to use positive self-talk. You may say to yourself, "I am strong" and "I have great skills." In addition, you may say to yourself, "I can beat this guy." You may simply want to repeat one key word repeatedly to yourself. For example, you may want to say "Relentless" to yourself several times to remind yourself to be aggressive.

Optimal Arousal

An athlete needs a certain amount of arousal. He does not want to be under aroused or over aroused. If your heart is pounding before a match and you feel very nervous then try to do some deep breathing and relax. If you feel sluggish and unmotivated then try jumping rope or running around some to get your heart rate up. I read a story once about a biathlete. The biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The coach of this biathlete realized his athlete was not in the proper frame of mind. He told her to run to a tree and back. The tree was quite a ways off. The athlete did not understand why her coach wanted her to run to a tree and back and was not very happy about it. But, she did as her coached asked her to do. When she got back from the tree she was smiling and her coach looked at her and said, "Now you are ready." He knew she simply needed a little more physical arousal to be in the flow state.

Focus

Have you ever watched a tennis match? Have you noticed how tennis players often adjust the strings on their rackets between points? They may really be adjusting their strings, but it also keeps them focused on the moment. They are not staring into the crowd or thinking about unimportant matters. Can you stay focused during a match? Are you distracted by the crowd or by unimportant thoughts? If you make a mistake, can you let it go and refocus on what you need to do to get back on track? If you are taken down, instead of focusing on your mistake and thinking, "I really screwed up," you could reframe your thought and think, "No problem, I have plenty of time to get back on track." Then you could switch your focus to getting back to your base and getting an escape.

The Power of State

Many things can influence your psychological state. Beliefs, values, mental images, music, movies, and many other things can influence one's state of mind. Do you believe you can win? Do you value hard work and being successful? Music "charges up" some athletes. If listening to AC / DC or the theme from the movie Rocky increases your energy, then listen to it before your competition. If watching a movie like Gladiator the night before a competition makes you feel motivated then watch it. Some athletes find it helps to meditate or listen to hypnosis recordings to get them focused and ready to wrestle.

Routines and Rituals

Some athletes find that having pre competition routines and rituals help them to perform better. Some like to use visualization. They may envision the moves they are going to do during the match. Some may envision themselves having their arm raised in victory. Some may envision themselves standing on the top of the podium in 1st place. Some like to shout and slap themselves. Others like to listen to the same song. Some wrestlers may have a lucky tee shirt. Some may pray before they wrestle. Some may repeat to themselves, "I will succeed. I will beat this guy." I used to shake my coach's hand before stepping onto the mat. Find a routine that works for you.

Experiences

I watched a teammate walk confidently onto the mat, throw his opponent with a headlock, and get a pin. A week or two later he wrestled the same opponent and was beaten 12-0. What happened? Obviously, it had to do with mental toughness. My teammate was simply not in the same flow state he had been in during the previous match. During my senior year, I was pinned by an opponent a week before the conference tournament. But, I beat him in a dominating fashion in the conference finals because I absolutely believed I could beat him. I surprised many people. However, I was not surprised because I was totally focused and had no doubt that I could win.

My nephew lost a match 11-0 to his opponent and then beat that same opponent 14-4 a week later. What happened? My nephew decided the way to win the match was to attack relentlessly from the start, which he did. I think his opponent was surprised and kind of lost his focus when he got behind. Things were not going like they had in the previous match. I think my nephew broke his spirit. In junior high, a friend and I both lost our first match in a youth wrestling tournament. He was ready to give up and leave because he did not want to get a green fifth place ribbon. I thought to myself, "What makes you think you'll win your next two matches and even get fifth place?" His attitude shocked me. I still wanted to win my next two matches even if it did mean getting fifth place.

Some wrestlers get nervous when they have to wrestler a good wrestler. Getting to wrestle someone good should be viewed as an exciting challenge. What is so great about beating someone that offers very little challenge? Even if you have to wrestle an exceptional wrestler, you can still focus on doing your best and not being pinned. You do not have to give up before the match even starts.

There was a television show called "The Wonder Years" that focused primarily on a boy named Kevin Arnold. In one episode, Kevin decides to join the wrestling team because he was able to beat a few guys in gym class. He finds out that the wrestling team is a lot harder than wrestling in gym class. Kevin gets a chance to wrestle a match against a state champion. Kevin wants to give up and lay his shoulder on the mat and be pinned but something inside of him will not let him give up. He survives the match without being pinned. After his match, Kevin's coach points out the fact that Kevin was beaten 15-2. Kevin says, "Yeah, I told you I was good." This is fiction of course. But, I think you get the point. Even if you are losing a match, you can keep doing your best and retain your pride and dignity by not giving up.

I am not a sport psychologist or a peak performance expert. You can search for articles online, read books, and watch videos to learn more about how to find that somewhat elusive state known as "being in the zone."

Some Books

  • Wrestling Tough by Mike Chapman
  • Flow in Sports: The Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances by Susan Jackson and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
  • The Fighter's Mind: Inside the Mental Game by Sam Sheridan
  • The New Toughness Training for Sports: Mental , Emotional, and Physical Conditioning from One of the World's Premier Sports Psychologists by James Loehr and Chris Evert
  • The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey (I realize this book is about tennis, but it is a classic book about peak performance and worth looking at)

Videos

Dan Gable has a DVD called Coaching Mental Toughness on the Mat.

As you can see, trying to get into the "zone" that produces peak performance is somewhat complicated. I hope that this article has helped you in that quest. No single perfect state produces peak performance. Every athlete may have a different route for finding the flow state. Some wrestle well when they are happy. Some wrestle well simply because they know that they are in great condition and have great skills. Some wrestle well because losing is deemed absolutely unacceptable to them and they want to settle for nothing less than victory. You need to find what works for you.

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Source by Tharin Schwinefus

Rostam: Tales of Love and War – Analysis of a Tragedy Decipted in a Father and Son's Relationship

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In Rostam: Tales of Love & War from the Shahnameh, Rostam and Sohrab's father and son relationship is the least bit typical. The historical and social connections between Rostam and Sohrab intertwine with the themes of the novel, related to love, separation and loss. Further, the tragedy that finalizes the novel maybe the saddest, but I find that the similarities within Rostam and Sohrab's characters within the battle is most disturbing. Both are strong, courageous and daring, and both use these features with similar goals in mind unknowingly, except to later find out that they are related. This article will primarily proceed to analyze the social connection and the historical relationship between Rostam and Sohrab. Then, it will subsequently proceed to look at the characterization of both the father and the son in Shahname, as they tragically battle to end one another's lives. This article will initially elaborate on the political historical relationships of the father and son. However, the explanations will expand towards elaborations of the humanistic aspects of the story.

The tale of the two heroes begins with the trip of Rostam to the borders of ancient Iran. Evidently, based on Shahname, this results in Sohrab's birth. Nine months passes and princess Tahmineh gives birth to a son as splendid as the shining moon. He seems another Rostam, Sam, Nariman, or any other previous heros of the nation. Since his face shone bright with laughter, Tahmineh named him Sohrab – Bright visaged. As Sohrab grows older and stronger, the mystery of not knowing his father is kept within the depth of his mother's heart. She wants to protect her only son. Although the secret remains untouched, the evidence of him having a powerful father becomes more visible day after day. Sohrab was destined to emerge into the next super hero of the region. He has been described with many characteristics which hints at him belonging to the Iranian Pahlavan (Heroic) cycle: "tall as a cypress, mighty of limb and mammoth chested" are the words that have been used in order to address his looks. When the disclosed information about his father is revealed to him, Sohrab seeks to meet his father Rostam. He believes that a man with powers of his father deserves to be nominated as a king. Thus, he plans to ride to Iran and bring the current ruler down. However, based on history; the cycles of power and heroism could never merge. The Shahname distinguishes the two cycles by different means. The categorized persona can not be transferred from one cycle into the other, but they may combine their powers in order to exist alongside one another. One of these two categories is known as the line of heroes. Such characters are to protect the land and guide the kings towards doing their duties correctly. The other group consists of kings whom rule the lands. They are to be legitimized representatives of God via maintaining justice. Pahlavans (heroes) assist the kings in order to bring fairness to the lands. Based on the information enclosed, the lack of experience of the aforementioned young fellow appears to ask for unjustness within the Iranian ancient world. Since Ferdowsi believes that God favours the Iranians in Shahname, the lands must be preserved by all means. On the same note, Ferdowsi also believes that the forces of justness and goodness must always win. Therefore, Sohrab is destined to die so that Iran, the land of all goodness and happiness, could be saved.

Hence, the summary of the historical background indicates that Rostam must kill his own son in order to proceed with his duties and satisfy the love for his great nation of Iran. However, the battle of Rostam and Sohrab needs to be examined further, especially since this fight is not any ordinary battle between two different forces. It must be borne in mind that Rostam's abolishment of Sohrab at a young age was mostly due to his love for his country of Iran. His patriotism forced him to go back to the Persian lands. In accordance to the same notion, the love for Iran keeps him settled down within the borders. Thus, he never leaves the nation in order to visit Sohrab ever again. Consequently, this notion of love strikes against Sohrab later on. After finding the identity of his father, Sohrab's love for Rostam brings Sohrab to the Iranian territories. Although these arguments are not mentioned in Shahname clearly, the evidence of such emotions is visible to all readers via different means. Ergo, as observed, love plays a symbolic role for the actions of both characters, especially when they leave their hometowns. The theme of this tragic story is mostly based on shared desires and love, contrasted with the lack of further connection between the characters. All connections between the characters were seemingly lost upon Rostam's early return to Persia. As it is illustrated in this article, engagement in the humanistic approaches plays a major role towards the tragic death of Sohrab.

The humanistic background of the story hints towards a lack of communication and connections among father and son. In spite of Sohrab's love for his father and his keen return to find Rostam, the duo characters were not in contact with each other ever since the birth of Sohrab. The theme of their separation expands all the way into the battlefields. As the story is conveyed to readers, each of the characters ironically hint towards one another as relatives, but there never is a full connection until the end. For instance, when the news of Sohrab's attack is revealed, Rostam states, "So it seems that a second Sam (his own ancestor) is loose in the world; this would be no surprise if he were a Persian, but from the Turks it's unprecedented. I myself have a son over there. ". Another example would be seen at the time of battle in which Sohrab consistently asks his companions for Rostam's features. Unfortunately, he is unable to find out who Rostam is despite all his efforts. In Clinton's version of the book, it is mentioned that the young hero asks the same from Rostam as well, but yet again, he is disappointed by not getting a straight forward answer, "Are not you the son of brave Dastan, the son of Sam? Are not you the pahlavan Rostam? ".

Throughout the fight, both warriors know that they are dealing with extraordinary opponents. Rostam relates to his opponent by stating, "I've never seen a monster fight like this; my combat with the White Demon was as nothing to this and I can feel my heart's courage begin to fail. A young, unknown warrior who's seem nothing of the world has brought me to this desperate pass, and in the sight of both our armies ". He knows that only a mighty Pahlavan such as himself could battle like this; therefore, he continues his statement by saying, "I do not know who will win". The same feelings flow within Sohrab's veins. At the bottom of his heart, he knows that this warrior may be the well-known famous Pahlavan, Rostam. As the result of his predictions, he attempts to stop the fight in many occasions. For instance on the second day of the battle, he approaches Rostam through the following means of "When did you wake? How did you pass the night? And are you still determined we should fight? But throw your mace and sword down, put aside . These thoughts of war, this truculence and pride. Tragically, Rostam thinks of this as a trick, and once again, the connection is lost, "Before this hour we never spoke like this. Last night our words were of the coming fray. Your tricks will not work with me; do not try again ". Thereafter, they proceed to execute a hand-to-hand combat.

As evident in the above quotes, the continuous distance between Rostam and Sohrab is fuelled by their fear from one another. As a courageous young warrior, Sohrab never shows fear towards any of his enemies. On the other hand, when Rostam is informed about a young warrior whom appears to be very strong, he shows signs of fear towards the battle. Such evidence could be observed when Rostam delays his journey of facing the enemy – Sohrab. Once on the battlefield, he sneaks up onto the enemy's camp to see the opponent, which once more shows that Rostam is uncertain about his own grounds. At last, he refuses to mention his name to Sohrab out of fear during the battle, which leads towards the tragedy of the loss of Sohrab. Bear in mind that the fact behind why he does not mention his name to Sohrab during the battle could also be due to the fear of loss. Rostam has maintained a very good name for himself over the years and does not want to ruin his reputation in case he loses to a younger fellow with unknown origins.

Rostam is weaker than when he was younger, yet he is experienced. Despite his fear, he also is right and just since he is defending the lands of Iran. Rostam is destined for success in this battle. Sohrab is inexperienced, therefore, he puts together some bad decisions about handling the throne. Sohrab simply does not know that a hero could not become a just a king. Kings are simply chosen by the almighty God; which is a sacred belief. Sohrab is also very impatient, both towards seeing his father and wanting to make decisions right away. He does not notice that this cycle of heroes and power has been established for years and that he would not be able to change the justness of beliefs in one night.

At the stage where Sohrab is wounded and is about to die, we see the tragedy of the story in which the father and the son are so close, but yet so far. Death is another symbolic element which separates the two from one another once more. The tragedy is topped off when Sohrab himself reminds Rostam of his mistakes which has led to this tragedy, "I tried in every way to draw you forth, But not an atom of your love was stirred".

It remains unknown whether the humanistic aspect of the story could have overcome the rigid, historical aspect. Had Rostam and Sohrab have put aside their fears of death, trusted one another, and shared unconditional love with each other, they could have merged the cycles of Kings and Heroes. But Rostam's love never betrayed the King in the first place – no matter how unjust a king he was.

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Source by Soroush Nazari

100 Domestic Violence Facts

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1. Japan is known for being big on video-games, as a matter of fact they even have a "Domestic Violence Video Game.

2. DV, Spousal Abuse and intimate partner abuse statistics come from only two major sources, Agency Data and Survey Data. The problem with the data is that it is biased because it is too varied, complex and partially unvolunteering.

3 Fact: DV shelters funded by the Federal Government are not required to produce information and do not, information about what they do, how many numbers in or out is unknown, statistics and algorythims are not recorded, this does not help determine if domestic violence is rising or decreasing.

4. Legally and fully married couples report less than 5% of domestic violence calls and are less violent than the more unstable and unbonded relationship.

5. A CDC (center for disease control) survey found that 50 percent of all spousal violence was mutual making Partner aggression two-way.

6. 75% of domestic violence is caused by drug addicts.

7. Pets such as dogs, cats, etc are affected by Domestic Violence just as much as humans.

8. More than 50% of spousal Abusers also abuse their children.

9. Domestic violence occurs in both Religious and NON Religious families.

10. Spousal Abuse occurs in poor, middle class, rich and in wealthy families although lower income families are more likely to experience it.

11. It was illegal for a man to hit his wife after 9 PM in London (meaning it was OK before 9 PM) reasoning was that women needed time to rest in order to do house chores.

12. Domestic Violence is a disease as it can be transmitted from one generation to the other.

13. Battered women shelters serve more children than they do women.

14. All Abusers do in fact feel guilt and are afraid of being caught.

15. Statistics on Domestic Violence are not precise, never have been and never will be. However, statistics certainly can become more accurate.

16. Women can indeed support themselves if they leave a domestic violence relationship, even if they believe otherwise. There are many programs available for DV victims.

17. When a victim decides to leave and gets caught is when they are in the most danger.

18. Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness nationally.

19. 25% of all violent crimes reported in the UK are domestic violence related.

20. Domestic Violence claims the life of 2 women a week minimum, based on what is reported.

21. Often it is mocked, deemed foolish and comic when a man claims being a victim of domestic violence, however studies show that men lose their life to domestic violence at similar rates as women do.

22. Certain types of Abusers can be very well liked socially, can seem very nice out of the home debunking any claims the victim may have and making them feel NON-Credible.

23. 63% percent of all murders committed by boys between the ages of 11 through 20 kill their mother's Abuser.

24. Every State in the US has a State coalition against domestic violence.

25. Domestic Violence can happen to anyone, even Oprah was once a victim and celebrities are constantly on the map for it.

26. Prevention and Education of DV is not taught in schools, If you know of a school that does have classes please reply here.

27. Police, Correctional, FBI, and High Ranking officials can also be Abuser's of Domestic Violence.

28. Men can be just as afraid of women in intimate partner relationships.

29. Men are less likely to report abuse as victims due to embarrassment, stigmas, credibility and nothing has been done to encourage it.

30. Every 15 seconds a woman is assaulted by a boyfriend her husband or a lover, every 14 seconds the same happens to a man (FOX 2 NEWS)

31. There are 1500 Shelters for women in the United States and 3500 Animal Shelters, this is true there are more Animal Shelters.

32. Court ordered Domestic Violence courses and classes are not always successful and DO NOT Guarantee the abuse will stop, However it can and does help.

33. Professionals such as, Doctors, Lawyers, Police Officers, Ministers, Psychologists also beat their wives.

34. Stopping an Abuser's Drug and or Alcohol problem will not stop their abusive patterns, they are two separate entities although drug and alcohol use does make abuse more likely.

35. Many assaults are planned, premeditated and can last for hours.

36. Abuser's target NON visible part of the body and even when bruises are visible the victim usually manages to cover up the bruise.

37. An abuser will assault a women in the stomach while she is pregnant as it manipulates the woman drastically as she does not want her baby hurt. This is what I call the 2 in 1, abusing 2 people with one stone.

38. Police presence can make a woman even more vulnerable, because once the police is gone and the couple are back together, the victim will have to pay the consequences.

39. Domestic and Family violence kills just as many women every 5 years as the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War according to (The Domestic Violence Sourcebook, Berry, 1996)

40. Just 17 states kept data on reported domestic violence offenses in 1991, According to this report: (Senate Judiciary Committee Report, October 1992)

41. Domestic Violence is the leading cause of death of women in the United States of America, According to the US Surgeon General.

42. Among causes of injury to women combined such as muggings, rape, Car Accidents, slips and falls, work related injuries, Battering would be the leader of the pack being the single largest cause of injury to women nationally.

43. 30% of all Domestic Violence incidents involve weapons.

44. 80% of OHIO prisoners come from homes where domestic violence was an issue, this includes juveniles as well as adults.

45. Domestic Violence is not an anger control, however the victim may be led to believe so.

46. ​​Children are aware of the DV in their home, even if it is hidden.

47. It is a crime and it is against the law to harass or physically harm another human being.

48. The US economy suffers a loss of up to $ 100 Million Dollars a year in Medical Expenses and between $ 3 and $ 5 Billion Dollars in missing work or sick days annually.

49. 22% percent of all Divorces in middle-class relationships are due to violence (EAP Digest November / December 1991)

50. Family Violence or Spousal Abuse is a secretive crime and can be a very well kept secret for years if not permanently.

51. Pregnant women that are battered are more likely to have babies with defects, low birth weights and even miscarriages.

52. Babysitters, Housekeepers, Gardeners, Caregivers, Guardians, Godparents, Butlers, and or sleepover friends are not exempt from domestic violence, no one is.

53. local law enforcements are not required or mandated to maintain data on the relationship between victim and offender except in the case of murder.

54. Until 1984 advising the Male partner to "take a walk around the block" was usually as much as police could legally do when responding to a domestic violence call.

55. It was in 1984 that the United States Attorney General suggest that automatic arrest become standard when responding to a domestic violence call.

56. Non Cooperation of the victim during abuser prosecution is too often the cause for dismissal of abuse cases, however some states no longer require the victim to follow through and now continue prosecution when enough evidence allows. This is know as the no-drop policy.

57. Abusers may use legal and or illegal drugs to spike a victim's food or drink in order to further manipulate them and make them more vulnerable.

58. There are actually countries that do not have a domestic abuse law or crime bracket, for example in Scotland there is no crime known as Domestic Abuse.

59. Insurance companies treat Domestic Violence as a pre-existing condition. Meaning if you're husband beats you either you can be turned down for insurance or you may have to pay a much higher insurance premium.

60. Domestic Violence can be that of a slavery setting, where the victim works and the abuser reaps the benefits and controls every aspect of the victim's lifestyle.

61. In any given Domestic Abuse Case 95% of the times The male partner is arrested.

62. Domestic violence is an under reported crime Only approximately 25 percent of all physical assaults, and 50 percent of all stalkings perpetuated against females by intimate partners are reported.

63. Over one Million of Domestic Violence allegations are false.

64. In 7 out of 10 cases women were the aggressors of an Abuser / Abusee relationship where there male partner did not re-act physically According to a national survey on partner aggression Published by the Centers for Disease Control in May 2007.

65. Men and women commit domestic violence at similar rates according to Professor Linda Kelly of The Indiana State University School of Law.

66. Women who experience domestic violence first hand are more likely to get sick in their latter years, sick as in suffering from asthma, getting a stroke, 70% chance of having heart disease and a chance of turning to substance abuse or heavy drinking.

67. Domestic and sexual violence are known to involve the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV etc

68. The majority of women who have been victims of spousal abuse become less negotiating about practicing safe sex or using protection with future partners.

69. Many Abuser's have no criminal history or crime record and can seem harmless, kind and family oriented.

70. Undocumented immigrant victims are somehow more vulnerable to abuse, because of their partner's documented legal status, making them less likely to seek help due to deportation threats made by their abusers.

71. Women use violence to resolve conflict in intimate relationships just as often as men according to a well-publicized study conducted by Dr. Murray Strauss of the University of New Hampshire.

72. Abuser's with Legal US Citizenship many times deter their victims from gaining US Citizenship / legal status to keep them isolated.

73. A host of different women from Hispanic backgrounds such as Mexico and Columbia are lead to believe that Domestic Violence is acceptable because of their Macho like cultures.

74. Undocumented Immigrants often do not trust the American Legal system when it comes to domestic abuse because of their fear of deportation, also the reason why they will stay in such relationships longer.

75. Men are less likely to view partner aggression towards them as a crime, another reason why men do not come forward.

76. A high number of women become victims due to them first initializing an assault towards their husband or partner.

77. Women are more likely to report abuse then men are as victims.

78. Domestic Violence does not appear on the US Department Of Health and Human Services list of leading causes of injury. However, accidental slips and falls, over exertion and car accidents are.

79. The cost of domestic violence towards men us "UNKNOWN" however the cost of domestic violence towards women is $ 5.8 Billion according to the center for disease control but supposedly $ 13 Billion from other sources.

80. Automatic mandatory arrest laws escalate, not reduce, the risk of successful partner violence, because when abusers are let loose they are known to retaliate.

81. The claimed fact that women lose $ 8 Million days of paid work is actually reversed, this is the total amount of lost days in monies Men lose each year not women, do the math.

82. 71% of kids killed by a parent were killed by their mothers, according to Data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

83. Domestic violence facts and statistics are amongst the most misleading, mythical, railroaded, un-informative and farse facts and statistics ever. Much trickory and deception is used in the numbers brought forward.

84. BWS or Battered Women's Syndrome first came about in the 1970's. This alleged syndrome helped and cushioned women who murdered their husbands, boyfriends, or lovers. It was also used to justify why they killed their partners.

85. Major Holidays are not any better for victims than they are for Abusers, Thanksgiving and Christmas raises tension and stress in domestic abuse relationships due to the victims yearning want to see his or her family and the abuser just not allowing it.

86. Abusers tend to deplete their victim's bank accounts and destroy their credit to make them less versatile and more dependent on their abusers.

87. A staggering number of victims do not know what domestic abuse is, nor do they know that they are living it. Even when they have a sense that something's wrong, they do not see the abuse coming as it stems and grows, it is why they say love is blind.

88. Spousal and Domestic Abuse rates are not their highest on Super Bowl Sunday than any other single day of the year. Not all men are into football, as a matter of fact men usually are not with their female partners on that day.

89. The reason or reasons why victims stay in such relationships is or are limited financial funds to get out and move, fear of making the abuse worst if caught leaving, and immunity to the abuse, there is an old saying "we like what we know, but we are afraid of what we do not know "

90. A century 100 Years Ago it was legal for the husband to beat his wife in the UK given that he only used a stick no thick in width than his thumb.

91. Domestic Violence occurs in absolutely all races and ethnic groups to any gender regardless of age.

92. If battering and abuse is not decreasing, its increasing and tends to develop over time.

93. Abusive women have used domestic violence as a tool to arrest and intimidate their male partners by making false claims that her husband assaulted her. With the new domestic abuse laws of mandatory arrest on a domestic abuse call this is an easy one for women to pull. (Ladies do not get any ideas, if you're husband treats you well, be nice to him)

94. A study on dating couples determined that 70 percent of all physical abuse was inflicted by both parties.

95. Blind, deaf, handicapped and mentally retarded persons are also subject to abuse one way or another.

96. Military domestic violence statistics show that the army had the higher incidents of all the services Marines, Navy, and Air Force following in order.

97. Technology has played a major role in domestic abuse recently. For example Abusers use Email, tracking devices, cell phones etc, to monitor their victims where abouts. Victimized Men have also incorporated the use of technology in the form of surveillance to record and prove that their spouse was indeed abusing them.

98. Written policies, standards, protocols are a must by all law enforcement when responding to any domestic disputes.

99. A victim does not have the option to choose whether they can press charges or drop the charges once an arrest is made. The state takes over the case and follows prosecution.

100. A protective order, Order of protection, stay away order, restraining order, emergency protective restraining order whether temporary or permanent does not guarantee solid protection for a victim, especially since victims tend to allow the abuser to contact them after an arrest or the abuser may stalk the victim. However an automatic mandatory arrest is made if authorities are made aware that the perpetrator has violated such court order.

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Source by Beth Ross

Racquetball Defense Schemes

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Like other sports games, there are two main things that matter in racquetball: offense and defense. Offense is a series of moves initiated by one combatant to help him win the fight.

Defense alternatively is the series of moves in reaction to the opponents offensive moves. The following are some tips on defense strategies.

Focus court

In racquetball, the middle court is the strongest position. In the middle court, you are on top of things. If your opponent is occupying it, you are in a defensive position. You have to strive to take it away.

Getting your opponent out of the focus court can be performed by hitting a ceiling shot or a pass shot. Stay out of the side walls in the least times. Your opponent dominates the court if you're on the side walls.

Kill shot

The kill shot is hitting the ball low plenty of to the front wall without hitting the side walls. Done perfectly, this can establish the ball bounce twice on the floor making it impossible to be returned.

The best way to do a kill shot is hitting the ball a couple of inches off the floor straight to the front wall.

Pass shot

In racquetball, the pass shot is one very good defensive shot. The excuse is simple: Anyone can execute it, whether you are a pro or a newcomer.

Hit the ball toward the front wall making it come as far away from your opponent as possible. Choose hitting it "down the line" or "cross court".

"Down the line" means hitting the ball parallel to the side wall and making it come straight back between the side wall and you.

A "cross court" hit means hitting the ball against the side wall farthest from your location. The ball will fly between your opponent and the side wall.

To be considered a good defensive shot, slam the ball fast adequate as you can muster. Make it go together with such speed that your opponents slow reaction time will result in the ball to bounce twice before hitting the back wall.

The Z-ball shot

This is the shot that hits the front wall first, then one wall and finally the other side wall and returns parallel with the back wall. The ball gathers adequate spin as it hits the three walls.

Done correctly, the ball rolls alongside the back wall which makes it hard for your opponent to return.

Around the world

Another defensive shot can be executed in times when you're out of position. Doing this should actually be done with adequate force.

Hit the ball hard enough into a side wall with sufficient momentum to rebound on the front wall and still have adequate energy to hit the other side wall as high as possible. The ball will bounce to the floor nearly behind the center court heading to the other back corner.

From there, it will make a second bounce after hitting the back corner wall.

Other defenses

They're other defensive moves done usually by the pros of the game. Some are combination's of these popular ones and some are variations.

Racquetball is as with other sport where the fun resides in the struggle between players. Of course, as everyone knows, the best defense is offense.

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Source by Glen Singleton

HypoManiacs Often Misunderstood

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Are you a Hypomaniac? If you are you have some definite advantages over others. Hypomaniacs are often superstars in their fields, but they are often misunderstood by those who work so hard to profile personalities and put individuals into neat little boxes.

Regarding this article which seems to be the present day thought on the Hypomaniac Syndrome: 'Hypomanic' executives often most successful Associated Press 04/26/2002 Washington-

I too have been studying this group of people as I observe the superstars and read the biographies of the most driven individuals. Here are my thoughts on the subject. Perhaps you can assist and shed some light on this subject.

First off the Very good article. But how does an individual know if he has this "Hypomanic" Thing? I submit the hypomaniac person maybe much more complicated than was introduced in this article.

And having those traits myself (many times those who chose the subject of psychology actually have questions about themselves which causes them to go into such subject matter as a profession). I have read 100s of biographies of the greatest leaders, sports figures, inventors, entreprenuers, warriors, scientists, etc. Yet I have a hard time placing many of these people into those categories. So it seems hard to find a correlation to these comments in the article and also difficult to see the downside of such a person for society, it is a plus and allows many of us to live without worry because those hard chargers are protecting the heard so to speak.

Most hypomaniacs would not see the drawbacks. I too do not see them as negative; I do see them as an advantage. This is very interesting indeed. I first must question and wonder about the "risk taking" thing a little, in that I do not believe these people see it as a risk, I know I do not. Challenge yes, risk, not really. Innovation is a necessity of any of these people, and that maybe perceived as out on a limb or a risk. As far a the grandiosity issue I think that too maybe debatable, because nothing is impossible, anything can be achieved it is more a matter of mind and perseverance which I guess a PhD in the psychology field would not be able to readily recognize. Any person like this Hypomanic, constantly has others tell them they can not do something, yet they do it for spite. Is it really grandiosity of the Hypomaniac or is it misjudgment of the observer? I think it maybe the psychologist are thinking they are so special that they can not conceive of these people and their reach. For instance many Entrepreneurs and I use this context because the article does (I suppose scientists have other traits if they were hypomaniacs) do poorly after their first big win, in their next big thing or endeavor.

Entrepreneurs rarely have multiple wins in different industries, except people like Branson, Gates, Fred Smith (Fed EX), Wayne Hiezinga. The reason for these is they carried their same work ethic into the next battle, and they are not done yet, they want more. I see one of the traits at Harvard use to be hard work ethic, yet do not see it in these people anymore. Enron debacle was stupid, they had the world by the balls, but leadership slacked off, right when they should have been really turning on the juice. They needed a visionary, no prisoners leader, like the previously mentioned, too bad, because it hurt America. The reasoning being that commoditizing additional things that are omnipotent for our society is of value. I think also if the idea that Gates also has savant tendencies and you add Bi-Polar to it, then you have to go back to the drawing board and can not relate his success or hard work ethic with that of the others.

Anyone out there is doing research on this Hypomanic personality trait should post their comments after this discussion. When studying great people such as, Gates "The Road Ahead" (And the Inner Circle Magazine), Turner "It Is not As Easy as It Looks", Ellison "The Difference Between god and", Richard Branson book "Virginity," and Guzietta from Coke A Cola "I Want the World to Buy a Coke". All seem to have many of these traits. I think the anger in stupidity, bureaucracy, and slow moving brain dead people, causes them to work harder, all seem to mention this in their autobiographical works. Perhaps they are trading the maniac mild depression into anger and steam and using it to heat up the soft tissue in the back of the head to drive their stick-to-it-ness back to the home front battle. I sometimes think that the anger of the brick walls in the way force these individuals to go crazy forcing them into their work. How can anyone be depressed if they are doing what they love to do? They love to win.

A hypomaniac which does not like what they are doing might be different. Tesla the famous AC inventor had many of these traits and yet loved his work. There maybe cases to prove this point wrong. Maybe these off the chart Hypomaniacs have other sides to them, but this mild maniac depression seems a little unlikely. If people have witnessed these traits in these people, I would say they mistook the depletion of vitamins due to the self inficted stress of the their own inner personal battle with the "human factor" resistance put in their way to get to where they are going to be. It is possible to go without eating and sleeping and then all of a sudden it hits you. Maybe these people if witneesed in a depression like state, just need some more Chormium Picolinate or protien for their brains. This particular article may have missed a couple other benefits, although obviously can not be a whole book because it is just an article;

1. When people can not put you in their frame of reference they mis judge your motivations and needs in negotiations and therefore give you the upper hand;

2. Also a person moving that fast can not have too many friends due to time. Therefore does not get too caught up in "Familiarity Breeds Contempt" traps;

2.5 Competition can not keep up, because if they copy them, they are already several more steps ahead and back around to flank them. They never know what hit them and then it is too late;

3. Misdirection and miss information techniques are easier to emloy because no body can figure out where you are going or coming from;

4. When they are moving that fast and have faith in future moves they do not need to worry, they will find a way. This looks dangerous to others, and it gives them an advantage because no one will dare follow;

5. A moving target is harder to hit and almost impossible to follow;

6. Their very existence intimidates people, which can also help you. People are afraid of you;

7. Their energy radiates out word and causes things to line up your way by your sheer will.

Now on the drawbacks side of things the articles fails to mention the following; Draw Backs:

1. They burn people out;

2. Others that emulate them often fail, it requires too much knowledge and skill to work at this level;

3. People question their judgment because they do not realize the multiple affect. ie … Ted Turner over paying in a merger so he had the movie classic content for his future project;

4. They have problems relating with people who can not reason or do complex thoughts;

5. They do not do good at parties which are wasting your time. Although you can be the life of the party quite easily;

6. They are still stuck in linear time and therefore can not do everything you want to;

7. They have to be careful not to run right over someone or through them, it is very easy to do;

8. They have no peers, this may actually be a benefit up for discussion.

Regarding the downer side of this hypomaniac title or labeling, I can not see the mellow downer side of it. I do not see that maniac depression state? Perhaps that was put in there to capture the "Bi-Polar" thing to loop the story in a full circle, readers believe in all that Bi-Polar, lithium and Prozac (a good book on this subject is "Living With Prozac" ( scary book if you think of what this can do to our soicety) stuff. After all readers will not buy the superman idea without the kryptonite? Is the author sure that, that was not put in just to appease readers and make them not feel so little against these people?

There may be brief times where you have to think a lot, to get them out of a jam they got into by hitting the wrong turn in the maze or running through the wrong door of opportunity. But then again that is only a short time frame, then you usually just find a way to use all the mistakes as advantages. This article now makes me remember, of a guy who crashed into his new house in his new Beechcraft Baron? He may have had a moment such as this depression thing, but killing one's self is giving up and a person with unlimited energy and a brain to match would never give up. Now if you need a down side maybe it would be the "burn out affect" or something else, although that does not seem to work either, judging by history and the referenced biographies above. Of course if one does not eat right or take care of themselves this type of person will write checks that it's body can not cash, causing health issues, I suppose.

In this article are the PhDs or author really specialists in Bi Polar disorders? I once had a gentleman who worked for me who was Bi-Polar, he had his life really screwed up, nice guy and needed help. I had to cut him lose due to performance issues, we needed more output. Some days he was terrific and other not at all. I was wondering what type of job a person like this might be best suited for. He was not good at a sales, although everyone seemed to like him. My theory was that his displacement caused feelings of superiority in others around him and make him appear to have Charisma and be approachable and non-intimidating. He was on Litium. What does lithium do to people, well it seems wrong to give to people, does it have after side affects?

After all Bi-polar is interesting since the Cerebellum if unfolded is 1128 cu centimeters the size of a record album cover which is bigger than either of the left or right side of the brain. Even together the cerebral cortex including both halves is 1900 cubic centimeters. So those who use it well are able to do more faster. We know from those who have brain injuries that their brain uses the cerebellum as RAM memory and lights up on the computer screens with activity when the damaged part of either the left or right side can not be used. There are more cells and neurons in the cerebellum than the rest of the brain, much more capacity. So when some is using it they can do more faster and process more data and crutch more numbers so to speak. You may wish to check up on Nueroantomist Santiago Ramon y Cajal.

Sharks have also huge cerebellums and they have 400 million years of evolution on the modern man no matter what you believe as far as 160,000 years, 40,000 years since Neanderthal or 10,000 years of Chinese recorded written history. The problem I see with the article is that everyone is a Doctor of something and they are the same people giving kids under age 6 Prozac and screwing up their brains before full development. Perhaps the Hypomaniac is a positive label although to try to narrowly title a behavior is unhealthy and can cause risks of mislabeling. People who appear to be different for whatever reason all share another familiar advantage in sports, war, business, game or politics. Their opponents and followers, who do not understand them, once they realize that they do not understand, often fear them. From a Machiavellian standpoint one could say this is good if you are in a leadership capacity and especially good in the unforgiving battle in politics. It's best if your opponents think you are crazy and unpredictable, because that incites fear and hesitation, the edge needed in surprise attack or reciprocal response. If your followers do not understand your methods but understand your strength in intelligence they will follow you and not try to topple you out of fear and admiration. This too would be considered a positive attribute if this article Bi-Polar theory holds true from the Hypomaniac executive model.

Remember Patton use to say that if stood on his jeep to make a speech he had everyone's ear, his troops knew he knew how to win, the media made him sound crazy beating up on hospital wounded or panic attacked soldiers and no one could figure him out and therefore to his advantage, he was able to fly by the seat of his pants into victorious battle. Hitler talked in mesmerizing cadence and put people in a beta state of mind. While also having the ups and downs of Bi-Polar tendencies. Vince Lombardi said to be one of the greatest sports leaders in history also had mood swings to the low, they say. Steve Jobs is a good example of bi-polarality in this article context from what I have read. Perhaps a bi-polar type tendency and a trend towards hard charging never give up individuals and hypomaniac label may actually be a strength of character to be addressed and watched for positive advantages and to keep from turning evil?

The premise that there is only room for one visionary at a time is false. Visionaries always seek out like-minded visionaries to vision with. If one is the absolute boss, then there is a problem but it is not like household pets where the first pet is the boss. Visionaries often work well together and two minds are better than one providing the fundamental issues are equal (Belief System Theory-Equally yoked principle). Now then people like Mr. Lear, Edison, Tesla, Copernicus, Leonardo de Vinci, etc. may actually be loners and work better that way, although they all had companions and understood they needed help to get out their message and inventions and bring things to market.

There can be other experiments to determine if these hypomaniacs really exist to the degree mentioned in the article. By using naturalistic observations and a limited control group of other over achievers and we will have created a random assignment. I question the validity of subjects like Gates and Jobs as proof that the Bi-Polar theory holds true to the Hypomaniac hypothesis. The correlation in such limited data set along with the PR bull that their companies and books promote make it difficult to know the truth of any of this. I mean, the theory still may have some validity, and it can not be proven either way unless we can have them at our disposal for a week or two which is impossible based on the justice departments needs of gate's time when he should be working on R and D projects and Jobs incredible schedule and interview rounds with his latest new product rollout. And if these subjects were taken away from their artificial lives compared with that of normal folks we could lose the whole project. For instance if we took all these people and put them on a track with go carts and watched their behavior we might see some interesting things similar to all, but we may also find none to that of the HS Athlete, full of piss and vinegar wanting to conquer their world. Does this make sense? If the article and theories hold true and we can not have off the chart in one direction without off the chart in another, which I believe too, then the Bi-Polarity between Major Depression and Mania maybe a good answer for things. And if this is so then we should not condemn those who are too far off the end on one side, because they have so much to offer the world on the other. Interesting.

This subject matter is fascinating as we try to understand the human spirit and will of top performing individuals, what on Earth makes them tick? The examples presented are interesting indeed and we need to take a real look into the theory, which seems to be too simply defined in the article and there has to be more to this. Although the article hits home for me, thus I find this subject matter of value, it appears we might all learn from such hard charging super stars like Gates and Jobs. I think I still have to question trying to pigeon hole any individual as people are complex and are an accumulation of all their observations, experiences, genetics and achievements are unique and therefore such simple classifications may be highly invalid, why do not we simply ask them? If any one has any data on Hypomaniac Syndromes, please post them below so that other Think Tank members can review this as many over achiever tend to also join think tanks to make a difference.

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Source by Lance Winslow

Is Cosplay an Absurd Escapism Or Creative Self-Expression?

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Is cosplay a cool pastime to hone creative self-expression or a nerdy and expensive way to escape pressures of the world? And do you care either way?

CosPlay 101 for the uninformed and misinformed

What the heck is CosPlay? Sounds like a new online video game or a new Facebook apps like Farmville to you? Well, no. CosPlay is a combination of two words: "Costume" and "Roleplay." Therefore, a Cosplayer is a geeky, not necessarily good-looking somebody who assumes the role of a character from an anime show, a video game, comics, manga, comic series, movies or TV series. These cosplayers step into the shoes of the characters that have inspired them or they think is really cool and copy their costumes, prosthetics, make-up, hair and uber-cool accessories. Here's what really surprised me, cosplayers not only have to look like characters, they have to act like, sound like and essentially be the characters they portray down to the last giggle.

There is this issue among cosplay elders as to how and when this social phenomenon really started. However, they seem to agree on one thing – the origin of the word Cosplay. Most of the elders agree that the journalist Noboyuki Takahashi, first coined the term in the article "My Anime," after attending the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention and seeing a bunch of Trekkies (Star Trek fans) strutting their stuff. From there, cosplay has evolved into a subculture among enthusiasts of anime, manga, comics, movies and basically everything fun and fictional under the sun and elevated into an art form and subculture in various countries. In the Philippines, the popularity of cosplay has also spiked in the last few years.

Cosplay and The Modern Escapist

"I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used . Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he can not do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls? "
– JRR Tolkien–

I'm no card-carrying psychologist or sociologist, but I can tell you roughly on the observations I made that cosplay is now part of the modern escapism. Mr. Webster defines escapism as the habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine.

I'm sure you will agree that the world in which we live is full of stress, threats, constant noise, irritating soap operas, unhealthy fast-food junks, dizzying billboards, and overnight facebooking. Hence, we all need to escape – to refocus our attention on things pleasant or enjoyable, as opposed to the hard realities of the everyday world. When we are stressed we want nothing more than escapism, and cosplay certainly offers that for others.

It is nice to add a bit of fantasy to an otherwise boring or stressful world. Yet, translating someone's fantasy into reality can be tricky. I do not know if parents should really get worried about their teens' expressing strong desire to live in fantasy world of anime, perhaps they should consider that as healthy and part of today's social reality. And that the desire to 'escape' is part of the complicated process of discovering ourselves. I think we are all escapist in different ways.

This is where I got myself into the most trouble-of-judgement. I failed both to understand how important the notion of escape is to many cosplayers and to clarify the exact type of escape I was addressing. I admit that many Filipinos nowadays participate in cosplay not mainly to avoid their own personal wars such as their jobs, relationships, school pressure and other life hassles, but rather to have fun, compete, and even make a living.

The Magical World of the Escapist

"Harry goes off into this magical world, and is it any better than the world he's left? Only because he meets nicer people. Magic does not make his world better significantly. The relationships make his world better. Magic in many ways complicates his life . "
–JK Rowling–

Is there a difference between healthy and unhealthy escapism? In today's reality, we can not do our ancestor's way of escapism – which is telling stories around the fire or do writing on the caves. We now escape the woes of the world by reading books, watching soap operas and movies, browsing the internet, blogging and so on and so forth.

As I said earlier, cosplay is a new and modern form of escapism. Unlike other forms of escapism, cosplay is much more involved. Other "characters" are directly playing in their magical world, interacting using their assumed personality. Events, such as regular conventions and gatherings, also take place in this new form of escapism that is directly dependent on the authors of the anime characters.

Fantasy Self and the Anime World

Therein causes the problems of the cosplayers. This is just my theory OK. The assumed character, which I will call the Fantasy Self begins to rival the real world. Because of the sheer complexity and magic of the anime world, the Fantasy Self may continue to rely on the cosplay as his or her form of escapism. There is a possibility that the Fantasy Self will treat the anime world as a large part of the person's real life and may dominate the real world.

When the anime world becomes part of the their real world, any stress from the anime world will be brought with them when they enter the real world. Now, no longer does the cosplayer have to be concerned with only real world, but also must be concerned with the happenings in the anime world. Such cosplayer are those who come home so stressed and depressed after attending a cosplay convention – when it is supposed to be just a fun day walking around in costume and be someone extraordinary for a day.

The Collapse of the Fantasy Self and Real Self

The other possibility that might occur with prolonged stay in the anime world as a form of escapism is the collapse of the Fantasy Self into the Real Self. I repeat, this is just a possibility, I'm not a psychologist – but I do read psych books – and it's just my theory. This is the situation when the cosplayer loans money to buy costumes, skip classes or work to attend cosplay conventions, and if they started claiming that cosplay is more than just costumes. Actions such as these are clear demonstrations of where the cosplayer's priorities lie.

The trouble with this sort of collapse is apparent. As their real lives are no longer the focus of their attention, their grades in school will falter, their health will falter, their performance at work will falter as will their social lives – often sacrificing time with friends and family for time with cosplaying.

The Cut-off Point

I guess the cut-off point is whether it can be a healthy means for not getting completely depressed by reality, and on the other side, in its extreme form, whether it results in obsessive behaviors that make people completely ignore reality to their detriment.

After all, I'm not the final arbiter of what counts as healthy or unhealthy, and more importantly, I can not claim to know everything about cosplay- I am not a cosplayer myself. I just want to give my comments and learn surprising things about what is happening around me. For people who are more extreme than I am, I respect their choice to be that, just as I hope they respect my theories and opinions I make regarding my observations or what I prefer to keep as leisurely pastimes.

I can safely conclude that Cosplay, can be a healthy form of escapism and a great opportunity in developing creativity and self-confidence. Of course, extremes have bad effects.

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Source by Yodz Insigne

Social Responsibility Begins at Home

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Talk to anyone about a company's social responsibility and some of the first images that come to mind are the rain forest in Brazil, with the associated need for conservation, and the sweatshops in the Far East, where small children make T-shirts for the West . In other words, things far away from home; big multinational stuff, the sins of globalisation that the Seattle warriors fight by burning McDonalds' franchises. Society is a nice concept that, if a bit vague, a bit idealistic and a bit moral, fits well in company mission statements. After all, imagine the alternative. Do you know of any company that would admit to wanting to pollute the environment, destroy social relationships or run workplaces like concentration camps?

The trouble with global social responsibility is that it distracts from what is happening next door or downstairs. Companies that are 'socially responsible' – by the stereotype standards of no-pollution-no-child-labour – may, in fact, operate socially irresponsible policies affecting their own staff. Sumantra Ghoshal, a professor at the London Business School in the UK, refers to the atmosphere in some companies as being like 'Calcutta in summer', a suffocating environment. Such companies may have mission statements espousing their commitment to social responsibility: promising no polluting of rivers, while ignoring the daily pollution of the minds of their work force.

Let's face it, Ghoshal is right. Some working environments are not nice! High levels of internal politics and personal wars, disregard for the life of employees who are just numbers on a spreadsheet, and irrational 'contingency policies' (hire fast / fire fast) may lead to a 'Calcutta in summer' workplace, even if the company swears it will never dump a chemical in the nearby river.

Social responsibility, like charity, begins at home: in the manager's office next door and downstairs in the HR department and the labs. It has to do with understanding that people spend a great deal of their daily life working for organisations and that the company – whether it wants to recognise it or not – has a 'social responsibility' to them. A responsibility that involves a duty to provide an environment that respects the individual, enhances the human condition and values ​​the employee. Surely, if it's good for trees, it must be good for humans.

Those who think this is airy-fairy stuff are no different from those who think that the pollution of the river by the chemical plant is a necessary evil if business is to meet its objectives. Years ago, such people got away with murder because the population was largely ignorant of the issue, or silent or insensitive. Today, such practices make headlines that backfire on the company in a way that it can not afford. Probably, some years from now, the Calcutta-in-summer workplaces will make headlines in a similar way, with similar consequences.

As a self-confessed novice in matters green, who still needs to be reminded what a recycling box is for, it may seem strange that I should use 'green examples'. I am not bringing them here as an expert practitioner but to compare and expose the double standards of so-called social responsibility.

The circadian mind of a manager

One of the behaviours one finds in a less than socially responsible environment is a kind of management schizophrenia. Outside the office, a manager may be a kind, civilised and perhaps church-going human being. In the office, he may transform himself into a careless nine-to-five manager who, quite frankly, may not give a damn about the 'working environment' as long as 'the numbers are achieved' (and his bonus is safe). Perfectly reasonable human beings become very unreasonable managers on entering the office as if affected by some sort of toxic gas. Once in the office, toxic management takes over. It's as circadian as night and day.

A company's obvious need to have policies and procedures is a perfect excuse for toxic managers. They say, "Sorry, it's not me, I have to do this, it's company policy" or "If it were up to me, I would allow this, but I do not make the rules"; or "I can not allow you to do that, because then everybody will expect the same". And the employee is denied a small privilege that would have made no difference to the running of the business, but that might perhaps have made all the difference to a working mother, such as a little flexibility in her working hours.

Managers who hide behind company policies – 'I do not make the rules' or 'I have to treat everyone the same way' – are often simply lying. In many cases, they do have the power and ability to interpret company policy. They could grant an exception to the rule and accord the individual a special concession because common sense says that the rule was not invented to make life difficult.

One of the best defence systems of the toxic manager in the Calcutta environment is the use of 'internal equity' as an all-seasons argument. "We must see the equity aspects of this issue in the organisation," a manager or an HR leader will say, "We can not give this to Smith or it will set a precedent for others".

That kind of argument assumes many things, but the one that has always puzzled me is that it presumes that the entire organisation may want the same as Smith. This is not true in most cases. For example, I did an MBA sponsored by my employer. As I remember, there were no rigid criteria about who could do it. I knew a couple of colleagues like myself who were sponsored. My boss did not have a long queue of people in his office wanting to do an MBA! As a matter of fact, it was hard work that some of us did on top of our normal workload. In another organisation, such an opportunity would not have been available because (here it comes): "It would not be fair in terms of internal equity!"

Fairness, the greatest parapet

Fairness is a word that can be used with a great deal of semantic discretion. Many managers – and many HR departments – seem obsessed with defending fairness. And yet, under this parapet, they exhibit the greatest unfairness of all, that of homogenisation. Fairness, as unilaterally dictated and interpreted, may boost the manager's moral ego but may not impress anybody else. Salary differences between staff, executive privileges, boards driven by personal gain, are all unfair, yet they are part of daily life.

At this point you may be convinced that I am determined to paint a dark picture of business life. Let me be clear: I know business life can be highly rewarding and enlightening. I also appreciate that much work takes place in non-Calcutta environments. But the cynical way in which corporations deal with so-called social responsibility should not be covered up. The company is socially irresponsible, despite all its 'care for the environment' policies, when all it achieves is a good track record of clean rivers, but it is a place that is not worth working in as internal mental pollution merely replaces external pollution. Blame it on my lack of environmental education, but I can not stand those environmentalists who care about recycling their memos, who dispose of cans in special containers and who use the same hotel towel every day to save water, while they pollute the working environment of the people working for them. Maybe we should have offices or cubicles painted in green for those managers.

Pending revolutions

The customer revolution took place in the 1980s with a proliferation of customer services departments. Today, these are the baseline; they do not raise eyebrows of admiration any more. Companies are supposed to have them. The Quality movement focused on quality as a final end, today, this is the starting point. In a few years' time, you will not see an ISO logo on letterheads or on the company van.

Now, as the shareholder revolution is beginning to take off, the actions of boards and management are increasingly scrutinised. The next big revolution will be the employee revolution. At that point, toxic management will be uncovered and companies that are internally socially irresponsible will make the headlines. Those companies that are brave enough to look at themselves in the mirror and identify socially irresponsible internal practices, and who are then also brave enough to do something about them, will win the game.

You and I know of companies full of 'nice people'. In many cases, though, it's as if we were saying: "Individually, we're all basically good guys. Collectively, we can be a bunch of arrogant people who use the excuse of rules dictated by somewhere else to exercise power and control" . If a working environment can produce and nurture Calcutta-in-summer managers, who otherwise are 'nice guys individually', this environment is toxic; you should avoid it if you can. And that's the problem: the 'if you can'. After all, a few million people live in Calcutta. Many can not afford to be anywhere else and, indeed, some may even like summer there.

Social responsibility is not merely a green issue or an ethical corporate governance approach which takes a stand on not polluting rivers and not cutting trees in Brazil. It must begin at home. That is, in the office next door, the manufacturing plant or the project team. None of this, however, is taught in business schools.

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Source by Leandro Herrero

Ancient Matriarchy

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The word Matriarchy conjures up images of a culture where women have total control of men and total control of the society and everything that goes on within it. Which is not true. Matriarchy is not the exact opposite of Patriarchy. In a Patriarchal society, women are repressed and are not allowed simple freedoms that we take for granted today. Men actually do have power over everything and even a woman's word is deemed foolish and unimportant. In a Matriarchal society, women have power, but so do men, there is no repressing of the other therefore making it an egalitarian, or equal, society. There are many authors, archaeologists and anthropologists alike who say that a matriarchal society never existed. I think this is a little closed minded, as there have been hundreds and hundreds of cultures before us that lived for thousands of years. Is it really impossible to think that maybe some of those cultures could have been matriarchal?

Along with the term Matriarchy, we have Matrilineal, where the lineage goes through the woman instead of the man, and Matrilocal, which means that when a man and a woman get married, they live with the bride's family instead of the grooms family. Even though some scholars do not want to believe in Matriarchal societies, it has been proven that there were some in history. For example the Iroquois Indians were said to live in a matriarchal society. Where women and mothers had political influence, could fight in battle, grow crops among many other liberties. Author Doug George-Kanentiio in his book "Women are the Center of Iroquois Life", writes that "Nature, we believe, has given women the ability to create; therefore it is only natural that women be in positions of power to protect this function . "

There has been evidence to suggest that in parts of India, Asia, Celtic societies and indigenous tribes had matriarchal societies. It is very well known that ancient Celtic women had equal power and influence to men. They fought in war, made important decisions and had property ownership. Celtic women were known to be fierce warriors fighting right beside their men in battle, the most famous of these warrior women is Queen Boudicca of the Iceni. The Picts of Scotland were said to be a Matriarchal or Matrilineal society as well. Although not much is known about these great and fierce people, this little fact was said to be recorded by Roman historians.

There are also some animals that operate in matriarchal societies, like lions. It is a proven fact that lions live in a Matriarchal society. The Lionesses do the hunting, general protection of the tribe, taking care of the cubs and many other duties. The male lions have their place though, as they are used to take down big game, and for protection of the tribe from another male lion trying to take over. The Lionesses also outnumber the male Lions by alot. Therefore allowing the male to breed many times to create a larger tribe.

Author Heide Goettner-Abendroth, is known for her extensive research into matriarchal societies. She goes on to say in one of her published papers, "Matriarchies are all egalitarian at least in terms of gender-they have no gender hierarchy, that, for many matriarchal societies, the social order is completely egalitarian at both local and regional levels" . This theory that a Matriarchal society is in all actuality, an egalitarian society, has been proven many times over. So it could never be the opposite of Patriarchy.

Some other cultures, which were Goddess based, like ancient Crete were said to live in an egalitarian society as well, where the divine feminine was revered. Men and women each had their duties and they lived in a happy and peaceful society. The Goddess in Crete was personified in the land and her sacred creatures. For example, mountains and caves were seen as some of Her sacred places, and bees, serpents and bulls were seen as some of Her sacred animals.

For more info on Matriarchal cultures check out the book "Societies of Peace" by Heide Goettner-Abendroth.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little something about Matriarchy!

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Source by Tara L. Reynolds

Manly Men, Or Not: Comparing Masculine Strength and Weakness in Beowulf and Of Mice and Men

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Societal gender norms tell us men that are supposed to be strong, virile and masculine. They are not supposed to be weak, indecisive or-god forbid-sensitive.

At least that's what stereotypes and gender binaries tell us. But such norms are human conventions, and humans are of course imperfect beings. One should always consider the source where they get their gender roles from.

Yet, this mythologized concept of masculinity is commonplace in nearly all of the world's civilizations for millennia. Even today, in our post-feminist world, the uber-masculine with its unfettered sexual prowess and penchant for violent action films (again, stereotype) still saturates our daily lives. Take a look at an alcohol ad sometime and you'll see what we mean: barely clothed women, sport themes and manly men. Yep. It's pretty brash.

If one were to search the literary epitome of Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World," one would easily come to Beowulf. Beowulf, the old English epic poem about a heroic warrior who slays dragons, menacing monsters and even their overbearing mothers, is laden with ancient testosterone. It's certainly no surprise Hollywood producers thought to make Beowulf into a feature film and cast a sexy Angelina Jolie-even though she's supposed to be an ugly monster. Beowulf's masculine vibe is, of course, sourced from his strength, skill and success. In fact, strength is a major theme of the poem. It would have to be, if the warrior of the story needed to live at the end. Beowulf the man goes to extreme lengths to prove his ability and strength-he swims to the bottom of lakes, saves entire towns and even violently slaughters Grendel in hand-to-hand combat when he could have just used his sword. He's a bit a of a showoff, but you gotta flaunt what your mama gave you.

While Beowulf stands as the man's man of English literature, gender and strength become more complicated as time goes on in literary canons. For example, take John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. In the novel, the men are constantly undermined or made to appear weak, creating a tension-ridden story and plot in the equally disempowering Great Depression. Lenny, though extremely strong of body, is also extremely weak of mind. His buddy, George, is financially powerless in achieving his dream of owning his own ranch and Curley? Well, Curley's got an Napoleon complex that causes him to overcompensate for his short stature with endless bullying and pugnacious behavior all in effort to assert his manhood, even though the former boxer's hand is later symbolically crushed like a soda can.

These weaknesses, of course, feed into the novel's overall psychological and social commentary of the time when the country's economic woes left a once powerful and daresay masculine nation weak and unstable. What's more, the male weaknesses also reveal the security and pride men are believed to derive from the masculine abilities. They pay for sex or obstain from female relations at all, like George, suggesting a lack of virility that comes with manliness. They are essential powerless, the antithetical situation to masculinity. They are all striving to be Beowulfs, but end up being Lennys and Georges. Whether it's a gang like in The Outsiders or a pack of impoverished men in the great depression, they all want to feel like Beowulf. At least that's what social gender norms tell us.

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Source by Paul Thomson