Some stuff for the kids

 CNN Science reports some interesting and curious information. Here are some articles from October.

As humans, it appears we have a long history of indulgences.

Archaeologists uncovered a 1,500-year-old wine factory in the Israeli town of Yavne after toiling away at the site for two years. A famous brand of wine from the ancient world was likely made at the world's largest wine factory from the Byzantine period, they said.

Meanwhile, researchers studying fossilized poop discovered that Iron Age Europeans enjoyed blue cheese and beer in their diet. 

And charred seeds found in a hearth once belonging to hunter-gatherers in Utah suggest humans used tobacco over 12,000 years ago -- 9,000 years earlier than previously thought.

Stunning photos revealing our wonderfully wild world have won in 19 categories of the 2021 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. 

Photographers from 95 countries submitted a record-breaking 50,000 entries, with shots including a gorilla enjoying a rain shower and a tent spider's web as an auto-rickshaw passed by in India (which was captured by a 10-year-old).

And enjoy a peek at the cuter side of wild animals with this litter of adorable newborn cheetahs.

Five cubs were born to cheetah mom Rosie Tuesday morning at Virginia's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. You can watch the feline family via the Cheetah Cub Cam, which features live footage of the den. If you listen closely, you can hear the cubs chirping.

Capture nature's fleeting moments yourself with this portable instant camera. Our partners at CNN Underscored, product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, suggest the Polaroid Go Instant Mini Camera. Use the small prints to make a fun photo collage.

An outburst of cosmic explosions has been traced back to a mysterious repeating fast radio burst in space called FRB 121102. Researchers detected 1,652 bursts over the course of 47 days. 

Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are millisecond-long emissions of radio waves in space. This one has been traced to a small dwarf galaxy over 3 billion light-years away. 

Scientists have yet to determine the actual cause of the flashes, and, naturally, everyone has a theory (greetings, aliens!). But researchers suspect these celestial phenomena as the more likely cause.

You never know what you'll find: 

An Australian-made rover will land on the moon in 2026 and collect lunar soil that may contain oxygen, which NASA hopes to extract.

These carved stone statues were used as garden ornaments -- until it was revealed that they were Egyptian relics dating back thousands of years.

Free Speech vs Political Correctness

I was thinking about the idea of free speech and the censorship, and political correctness after I heard a commentator on the radio complaining about how political correctness is limiting our right to free speech. The main point he and his guest were making is that people should have the right to say whatever they want about individuals and groups without the "political correctness brigade" bringing them to task and causing them or their reputations harm. 

Words are powerful, they can be used to incite peace or violence. I remember when I was growing up, we were taught a song "Sticks and stones, will break my bones, but names will never hurt me." This was taught to help us deal with name calling and bullying without resorting to physical violence to get even. Even though I had the song down and could use it, when words were used against me, I felt hurt and angry.  Words can be used to create images of wondrous worlds, adventures, and fun, and they can make us laugh, cry, or be afraid.

Political correctness means that we take the time to think about and understand what our words mean and how some words are damaging and hurtful to groups and individuals. Political correctness means that if we understand that words we are using can debase, belittle and demean others.  At an early age, we understand that words we use have power and we can use the power of words to help or hurt. In earlier times, the majority of people in our society did not seem to care that their words hut minorities and others. As our society matured, and minorities and others started to demand their rights, the majority of us realized that the words we were using could be hurtful. So over time, the language used to describe minorities and others shifted from words that were hurtful, to words that were respectful.   As a result, phrases and words used in earlier times were deemed to be incorrect. Our society is a better place than it was because we have been forced or have learned to control what we say and so to not hurt others many of us don't use these the words used by our parents and grandparents.

A saying I learned and one that I believe is true is "The pen is mightier than the sword." The pen is used to write down words and once written those words have a power that lasts longer than the might of any sword. Words form ideas, ideas, form opinion, opinion forces action, action changes events.  

As powerful members of society began to lose power, the term political correctness has gone too far started to appear in print and in speeches and in private conversation. As power shifted the rhetoric around political correctness increased and more and more people began to believe that political correctness has gone too far.  "This is a phrase used by some to take us back to a "better time" and at the same time devalue the respect that society now has for minority groups and individuals. 

We as a society were moving away from the idea that if a person or a group was different because of their ethnicity, color, religion, sexual orientation or disability they were different from the majority. There is a small but vocal group in our society who want to move back to the days when we could disrespect a person, or a group of people because they were different. They toss around the concept of political correctness impeding our "free speech" and claim that free speech is more important than political correctness. This claim is made so they can again feel free to demean, debase, ridicule or otherwise dehumanize other groups. This is done to hold on to power and stay in control.

Can we have "political correctness" and 'free speech"? The radio commentator I heard and his guest said no, political correctness impeded free speech. I don't believe this is true and I am sad that this idea is starting to make inroads into mainstream media.

Hippies

What does the word hippy mean to you? For many boomers, it is a reminder of a better time. Hippies were the forefront of great change. We were very naive. The word hippy is somewhat odd and old-fashioned now but it had enormous energy in the mid to late sixties. The word and the concept carried with it the impact of colossal social change as well as an extensive shift in public decency and knowledge. So, while this was often a time of a bit of discomfort for the baby boomer generation, it is also a part of our story and deserves respect for that reason.

I was not a hippy, but I had a few friends that embraced that lifestyle. As is often the case, the hippie movement was something that got tremendous media coverage but it represented only a small portion of the baby boomer population at the time. Very few of our age actually joined the “tune in, drop out, turn on” society. Hippies were seen as colourful, eccentric, flamboyant and immoral, they aroused public concern. Any time there was a public display the public media covered the event because they thought it might be a hippie gathering.

The hippies were a small minority, but they did change society because the hippies were white, middle-class children who were rejecting their parent's lifestyle. Part of the rejection was a discontent with the Vietnam War. Many hippies embraced the antiwar movement. Over a few short months, the two blended to where there was virtually no distinction. These changes in youth culture were brought on by the eruption of new music and changes in lifestyle. We thought a new worldview was emerging and we saw the leaders in the rock music world being seen as cultural leaders. All of this combined in our minds enough for us to see the hippie movement as a shift of our social values from the previous generation.

While on the surface we now associate hippies with drug use and free love (e.g. sex), the actual movement itself was grounded in a tremendous sense of value, morality and social responsibility.

The youth movement at the time held a mirror up to society and demanded we look. Moreover, for the first time ever, it held public figures accountable for actions that were taken that harmed the public good. Too bad, we as seniors have not continued that focus on holding government and its officials responsible. Holding people accountable is a good thing and one that hippies gave us and one we gave away.

There was a strong thread of ethics and philosophy in the hippie social system that, while different from what previous generations were used to, it was grounded in a fervent love and sense of right and wrong. Hippies did not reject the values of their parents but they and others who wanted change were bold and determined in their enthusiasm to put themselves on the line to see their values translated into government policy. 

Because the youth movement was so willing to demonstrate and make extraordinary and colourful public statements to emphasize their political, ethical or moral outrage, things changed in a way that the country had never seen before.

The youth movement of the sixties gave the power for change into the hands of the ordinary men and women. This is something we can be thankful that the hippie movement started. It is time for my generation to remember this legacy.

Do you know what your thoughts did last week?

Aha!  
They became the things and events of this week. The things you thought would be difficult became difficult; easy became easy; boring became boring, and fun became fun. Where you thought there might be surprises, you were surprised. And where you thought there might be land mines, there were land mines. 

Bravo! You can add this week to the list of your most creative accomplishments. 

Now, can you guess what your thoughts this week are going to do?

You are awesome

Baby Steps

Great big, innovative, world-changing ideas are plentiful don't you think. Everyone seems to have the latest and greatest idea or is busy chasing the latest and greatest idea. But people who take tiny little baby steps toward them are rare.

If you are one of those who are taking baby steps you are so acing this life.  There is a quote from the Chinese Philosopher Laozi (604 BC) which says a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  In this quote, Lao Tzu is trying to express the idea that great things start from humble beginnings. For many of us, this is common sense, but in our everyday quest to solve the problems of our world, we forget this idea. For example, if a person is lonely, it is hard to make new friends, but it is a small step to smile every time you see someone, or just say hi and smile when you see the same person every day. If you repeat this small gesture, over time a relationship may build and a friendship may be forged.

My six-year-old grandson was frustrated that he could not do a particular flip on his trampoline at home, but he started small and continued to work at it each day until he could do it. Small steps toward a goal are just as important as the big leap, and I sometimes think that slow and steady progress is easier on us than chaotic and rapid change. We are creatures of habit and although we say we like change, or we say we believe that the only constant in life is change. Change and progress bother us if they are done too quickly, we prefer to move slowly toward a future or a destination that creeps up on us, rather than one that jumps out at us. By moving slowly we can see how the change or the journey will change us, and we can begin to adapt to that new version or the new way of doing.

Common

The things that you think are common like windy mornings, starry skies, and old trees; beetles, strawberries, and doorbells; coffee, blue jeans, and summertime... are not common. They are a reminder that life is precious and that we need to take every moment to enjoy the wonders around us.

Retirement the time to find your passion

As you plan for retirement think about finding your passion

Planning for retirement is not just about finding the money. You will have time on your hands so is there something in your life that you love doing that you would do even if no one paid you? Figuring out what you love to do so much that you don't feel the need for money is a great way to tap into your true passion.

Think about it like this, when you get off work and are enjoying the weekend, what do you love ti do?The things you love are the things you're most passionate about. Even 15 minutes a day doing something you really love will make you happier and lead you to a more fulfilling life.

If you love music, talk to musicians and fans. If you love drawing or writing, talk to artists and writers. By talking to these people you'll find what you love most and find more ways to incorporate it into your life every day.


Having trouble then do some research. Research everything you can about your life's passion. This will not only help you become more educated about it, but it will also help you identify ways you can get out and enjoy it more.

Avoid Death Bed Regrets

I enjoy reading Mark Pattersons blog on retirement issues, for his blog go here. Mark postsed this on June 2, 2011

As we age and think about retirement and beyond, we become more reflective about the life we have lived. We also think more about the life we should have lived. Wouldn’t it be helpful to minimize the regrets we have about our lives? We can do this by anticipating those regrets before it is too late to do something about them.

I recently came across an article titled “Regrets of the Dying.” It was written by someone who worked for many years in palliative care, i.e., caring for those who have gone home to die. As death approached, many of her patients expressed themselves freely about their regrets and other “wish I had done that” issues. This is a form of self-realization and growth for these people. Sadly, because that growth arrived on their deathbeds, it was too late for them to benefit. We can benefit, however.

The author lists five common themes among the death bed regrets expressed by her many patients:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Mark hasve some personal comments about a few of these as do I Marks responses are in Italics mine are not

Regret No. 1 – living your own life, not the life expected of you – is so critical. Yet it was the most frequent regret expressed by the dying. We are in a constant struggle between gaining acceptance of our choices by others and making the choices that we want. That struggle never seems to end. Yet, as we age, we seem to have more time and freedom to move in directions designed by our own goals and ideals. When that time and freedom to make personal choices becomes available, we should exploit it
My thoughts:
The issue is that for many of us we do not take the time to understand what we expect from ourselves, so we take the easy way out and conform to what others want us to do. The hardest part is taking the time to understand what we want and to do that we have to spend time getting to know what motivates us, and this is not easy to do, but it is well worth the struggle.

Regret No. 2 – working too hard – was apparently unanimous among the male patients. I am acting on this problem now, having redesigned my work-life to create more opportunities to do other things. I am not working as hard as I could. I am not making as much money as I could. But I do not miss it. I hope that I can keep this regret off my list.
I do am sturggling with this issue, I have been a workaholic all my life and find that now I am struggling with the idea of enjoying doing nothing. The concept of relaxation is coming slowly to me and I hope within the  next six months I will be embracing this idea fully.

Regret No. 4 – keeping in touch with friends – I am working on this also. The rewards of reconnectingand enjoying friends from years past are immense. I’m talking about high school friends who knew you when you were forming your adult personality. Heck, they probably influenced your personality, for better or worse! Staying in touch with extended family is also important. I try to drive some of that activity myself by organizing summertime family gatherings at our lake home.
Staying in touch is hard but I am slowly using social media to reconnect to old friends and to keep in touch with family. The use of social media makes this task easier and more rewarding. I recommend using social media to start to reconnect to old friends and to family. It does work.

Here is a link to the full article on the regrets of the dying. I encourage you to read and think about it.

So what are you doing to minimize death bed regrets?

Some final thoughts on Passion and goals

When you live out your true passion in life you will also need to accomplish a few more things.  You must give your life to something, be free from pain, not focus on results, and not worry about survival issues.

When you give your life to something you immediately dedicate yourself to the passion.  This means you will  need to give as much time and energy possible to your passion.  The rest will follow naturally as you are dedicated and entirely given to your passion.

The pain and pleasure principle does not count when it comes to working toward a passion.  Your passion may give you pleasure as it makes you happy and you love to do it.  However, reaching your goals may be painful and frustrating.  You may cry at times and want to throw in the towel.  Success is never easy but you would very much rather work toward a passion than you would go to a job you hate every single day.  This passion is yours and you own it.  Feel the pain and make it satisfying in every way.  The pain will satisfy your soul which is much better in the long run because you will not have any regrets later on.

Never concentrate on results.  The universe is going to take care of the results.  Things might be slow at first and if all you are looking at is the results then you may never get there.  Focus on what you need to do and you will find the way to freedom, according to Tao.

Never worry about survival when you are working toward a passion.  This is the most important key to be successful with a passion.  When you worry or have fear you will create problems for yourself.  You need to have courage in your heart and your mind that you will be fine and you really will.  You have the power to control everything and to be positive.  Don’t worry.

Conclusions

A passion is something that you want to do and you were meant to do with your life.  Everyone has a passion and they can live a full life when they know exactly what their passion is and what they need to do.

Success is not measured by money.  Even the richest people are very unhappy with their lives.  In order to be happy you need to follow your passions and the riches and successes will follow along later.

There are many ways to look for and find your passion.  You can learn what your passion is by asking yourself many questions.  You might have the answer decorated all over your house and walls. 

If you have a true passion and you have obstacles stopping you from achieving living the dream then you must get past them and you can.  Anyone can be successful with a passion.  They can turn it into their own personal business easily if they want to.

The keys of successfully making your passion work believes that it will work for you and working extremely hard.  The harder you work the more successful you will be.  If you have a wait time and cannot get started right away you can do initial planning for your goals.

Remember, always set goals with stepping stones to get to them.  You will be able to see the progress you are making toward your goal and know how much longer it will take you.  Award your achievements as you meet your milestones and get closer to your goals.

You are a person who is worth living their passion.  You have the same capabilities as anyone else.  You deserve to be happy and you deserve to live out your passions.

Turning Passions and Goals into Reality Part Two

Make the Best of Your Resources

When you are making it happen then you need to make the best of your resources.  You might not have a lot of money and you need to find ways to take care of things like daycare and errands.  You can find friends and other supportive individuals to help you.  If you are short on supplies you might have to talk to friends and people to see where you can get a hold of more supplies. 

 The creativity you have learned in the earlier blogs will play into motion at this time.  You may not have money or resources you need.  You need to be creative about things you can do.  If you are a writer without a computer then you can go to the public library and use a free one.  Find resources that you can use to make your passions successful.

Sacrifice and Hard Work

In most cases when someone works toward a passion they are prepared to work hard and willing to sacrifice just about anything. 

When you first start off with your new job you might find that you are very poor to begin with.  You cannot expect to be a success overnight.  Things will take time but the importance is that you will be doing what you enjoy.  You will be required to work long hours and sacrifice family time and many other things.  Sacrifice is the most important thing you can do if you want to be successful.

There is no substitute for hard work if you want to reach your goals.  Only you can reach the goals you set for yourself and you will need to work very hard to get to where you want to be.  Embrace long hours, sweat and tears because they will be rewarding in the end.

Organize Your Life

Organize your life around your passion.  You have started a new job or passion that you want to be successful in.  Start living the successful day that you have always dreamed of.  For example, wake up early in the morning, brew coffee, read the paper, talk on your blog, and more.  Organize your life to be useful time that is healthy for you.  Plan your time with plenty of exercise and healthy decisions.  Be sure you are getting enough sleep also.  You will have to put in a lot of hours to be successful at first but you cannot lose sleep or you will have problems enjoying your passion.  Working toward a passion means you get to sleep too.  Proper organizing will allow you to be successful and more productive.

Visualize and Meditate

Visualizing is very important if you want to work toward your passion.  Meditation and visualization help you see where you are going with your passion.  You have an idea manifesting and you need to visualize it.  Meditation allows your ideas to manifest inside of you so you will make it happen.  You want to manifest your desires and you will be sure to make them happen.

Turning Passions and Goals into Reality

Turning your passions into reality requires you to do many things.  Now that you know how to find your passion and live your passion you need to make your passion really happen.  Here are things you can do to make it happen.

Believe

The most important thing to success believes that you will be successful.  You really can be successful but if you do not believe it then you shouldn’t even get started until you do.  Your abilities are in your mind and you have total control over your success.  It is not about impressing people.  You can believe and you don’t have to tell anyone.  Believe.  Relax and believe you will be very successful and one day you will be so excited to sit on the Oprah Winfrey show and talk about your passion and how you turned it into a reality.  Believe and feel empowered as you think about your endeavor and how you are going to be successful.

Attitude
Your attitude could make you or break you.  You need to maintain a complete positive attitude.  Be positive at all times.  Don’t let the little things get you down or upset you.  You are living your passion and every obstacle now is a learning experience.  Now you need to have a positive outlook on everything you do with your business and your passion. 

 When you have a good attitude it will help you become more successful with your business and your passion.  You need to have a positive outlook and believe.  When your attitude is positive and your outlook is positive things will begin to work in your favor more often than they ever have before.  It is really about the way you look at things and not how bad they really are.  You make things and a situation bad.  Your attitude is what will make it positive.

Hone Your Idea

If you are in a situation where you cannot make your passion a reality today then you will need to hone your intentions.  You can take your idea and make it better by chiseling away at the details.  Lay out the plan for your project or business endeavor and every detail you will need to consider.  When you are in a waiting period there is still plenty of things for you to do.  Don’t look at a waiting period as a sign you shouldn’t get started or as another way to procrastinate.

Build Momentum

The best way to build momentum when you are working toward your passion is to act on the ideas you have.  Act right away and don’t sit around for something to happen or come to you.  The same goes for a problem you need to fix.  You need to act on it.  The more responsive you are then you begin to build a momentum that is hard to break.  Your laziness will go away and you will do well with being more productive. 

Truths as others see them

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't bathe cats.

2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.

3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.

4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.

5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.

6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..

7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.

8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

10)  The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.

GREAT THRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED.

1) Wrinkles don't hurt.

2) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts

3) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground...

4) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.

5) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

6) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.

TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional...

2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.

4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.

5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions...

6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician

7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.

2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.

3) You are Santa Claus..

4) You look like Santa Claus.

Take the time to live!!!

Life is too short.