15 Beliefs and Habits of Highly Effective and Happy People

15 Beliefs and Habits of Highly Effective and Happy People
Sept 23, 2013 | Prevent Disease | Tara Laserna

Regardless of industry, profession, town, city or nation, highly effective and happy people share many of the same perspectives and beliefs and they act on those beliefs.

1. Time doesn't fill me. I fill time.
The average person who is given two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his or her effort so it actually takes two weeks. Average people allow time to impose its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time and allow fluidity. They don't stress about time and because their perception is more fluid, time does not become their focus and tasks become more manageable.

2. I understand balance.
They know that the terms money and success are not interchangeable. They understand that people who are successful on a financial level only, are not successful at all. They have an off switch. They know how to relax, enjoy what they have in their life and to have fun. Their career is not their identity, it’s their job. It’s not who they are, it’s what they do. Unfortunately we live in a society which teaches that money equals success. Like many other things, money is a tool. It’s certainly not a bad thing but ultimately, it’s just another resource. Unfortunately, too many people worship it.

3. The people around me are the people I chose.
Choose the people you want around you and don't let people you don't want around you choose you. If the people around you make you unhappy it's not their fault. It's your fault. They're in your professional or personal life because you drew them to you--and you let them remain. Kind people like to associate with kind people.  It's about aligning yourself with like-minded people. They understand the importance of being part of a team. They create win-win relationships. A mean boss will only attract people he or she can control where a boss that empowers will attract people that love to be empowered. The former is a disempowering relationship while the latter is an empowering relationship. Know the difference.

4. I'm never bored and I never complain.
Complainers, whiners and those who refuse to take complete responsibility for their actions and outcomes (or lack thereof) often meet their demise in this respect. They bore easily because they are too busy pretending life has to meet their expectations instead of them reaching out and being passionate about every experience. It's about being busy, productive and proactive. While most are laying on the couch, planning, over-thinking, sitting on their hands and generally going around in circles, effective people are out there getting the job done. When you are living the life you choose, complaining, whining and boredom don't exist.

5. I have never paid my dues.
Dues aren't paid, past tense. Dues get paid, each and every day. The only real measure of your value is the tangible contribution you make on a daily basis. No job is ever too menial, no task ever too unskilled or boring. Remarkably effective people never feel entitled--except to the fruits of their labor.

6. I ask the right questions.
They consciously and methodically create their own success by asking the questions that will make them more productive, creative, with a more positive mindset and empowering emotional state.

7. Failure is something I accomplish; it doesn't just happen to me.
Occasionally something completely outside your control will cause you to fail. Most of the time though, it's you. And that's okay. Every successful person has failed. Numerous times. Most of them have failed a lot more often than you. But they found lessons in failures, not problems or misery. That's why they learned how to be effective. Embrace every failure: Own it, learn from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time, things will turn out differently.

8. Clarity, innovation and focus.
They have clarity and certainty about what they want (and don’t want) for their life. They actually visualize and plan their best reality while others are merely spectators of life. They innovate rather than imitate. They don’t procrastinate and they don’t spend their life waiting for the ‘right time’. The focus and apply themselves.

9. Volunteers always win.
Whenever you raise your hand you wind up being asked to do more. That's great. Doing more is an opportunity: to learn, to impress, to gain skills, to build new relationships--to do something more than you would otherwise been able to do. Success is based on action. The more you volunteer, the more you get to act. Effective people step forward to create opportunities. Remarkably effective people sprint forward. They look for and find opportunities where others see nothing.

10. Not only good communicators, but the best communicators
They are good communicators and they consciously work at it. They are more effective than most at managing their emotions when communicating with others and they are not slaves to these emotions. Ego does not rule their lives. They have identified their core values (what is important to them) and they do their best to live a life which is reflective of those values when speaking with others. Their ethical behavior is sound.

11. I address the solutions, not the problems.
People have a tendency of creating more problems than solutions which hinders their effectiveness. They can only see obstacles where as others just have a way of seeing past them and getting right to the solutions that no longer make a problem....well, a problem anymore. They are solutions seekers, not problem enablers.


12. I am humble and happy to admit my own mistakes.
They apologize when they must. They forgive and they are confident in their ability, but not arrogant. They are happy to learn from others and see other perspectives than their own. They are happy to make others look good rather than seek their own personal glory.

13. I set higher standards for myself.
This in turn produces greater commitment, more momentum, a better work ethic and of course, better results. They don’t rationalize failure. While many are talking about their age, their sore back, their lack of time, their poor genetics, their ‘bad luck’, their nasty boss and their lack of opportunities (all good reasons to fail), they are finding a way to succeed despite all their challenges.

14. I finish what I start.
While so many spend their life starting things that they never finish, effective people get the job done – even when the excitement and the novelty have worn off. Even when it ain’t fun.

15. Being multi-dimensional, amazing, and wonderfully complex
They realize that not only are they physical and psychological beings, but emotional and spiritual creatures as well. They consciously work at being healthy and productive on all levels inside and out. They don’t hang out with toxic people and they don’t invest time or emotional energy into things which they have no control of. They do what they can do advance themselves to the best of their ability and never look back, even for a second, because the past is no longer within their control. They plan for the future in harmony with their present state of mind and don't overplan or overanalyze because they understand that thought processes are constantly evolving and forever growing.

Tara Laserna is a Reiki master, energy healer, meditation and wellness coach.

Health Care is Actually Really Cheap! (Share this with Everyone)

Health Care is Actually Really Cheap! (Share this with Everyone)
Aug 8, 2013 | Stefan Molyneux

Stefan Molyneux interviews Dr. Keith Smith from the Surgery Center of Oklahoma on the lack of health care price transparency and the revolutionary changes that the center has introduced to the modern market.

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Why Does Mindfullness Meditation Work For Pain and Depression?

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Why Does Mindfullness Meditation Work For Pain and Depression?
Feb 14, 2013 | Prevent Disease | Karen Foster

Over the years, published research has demonstrated that the practice of regular meditation can increase brain density, boost connections between neurons, decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, provide clarity of thought, and increase positive mood endorphins. New research is demonstrating why training in mindfulness meditation helps patients manage chronic pain and depression.

Regular meditation effectively supports mental, emotional and physical health in numerous tangible ways. In building upon this strong body of evidence, researchers are continuing to deepen our understanding of the profound and inspirational benefits of regular meditation practice in everyday life.

In a newly published neurophysiological review, Brown University scientists propose that mindfulness practitioners gain enhanced control over sensory cortical alpha rhythms that help regulate how the brain processes and filters sensations, including pain, and memories such as depressive cognitions. The proposal, based on published experimental results and a validated computer simulation of neural networks, derives its mechanistic framework from the intimate connection in mindfulness between mind and body, since standardized mindfulness meditation training begins with a highly localized focus on body and breath sensations. This repeated localized sensory focus, the scientists write, enhances control over localized alpha rhythms in the primary somatosensory cortex where sensations from different body are “mapped” by the brain.

In effect, what the researchers propose in their paper in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, is that by learning to control their focus on the present somatic moment, mindfulness meditators develop a more sensitive “volume knob” for controlling spatially specific, localized sensory cortical alpha rhythms. Efficient modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in turn enables optimal filtering of sensory information. Meditators learn not only to control what specific body sensations they pay attention to, but also how to regulate attention so that it does not become biased toward negative physical sensations such as chronic pain. The localized attentional control of somatosensory alpha rhythms becomes generalized to better regulate bias toward internally focused negative thoughts, as in depression.

“We think we’re the first group to propose an underlying neurophysiological mechanism that directly links the actual practice of mindful awareness of breath and body sensations to the kinds of cognitive and emotional benefits that mindfulness confers,” said lead author Catherine Kerr, assistant professor (research) of family medicine at the Alpert Medical School and director of translational neuroscience for the Contemplative Studies Initiative at Brown.

Experimental evidence

Most recently, neuroscientists at UCLA have shown another fascinating neural effect of regular meditation: the ability to increase "cortical gyrification" of the brain. Cortical gyrification refers to the folding of the cerebral cortex -- a function that allows the brain to process information faster. The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of neural tissue in the brain and serves an important role in controlling memory, consciousness, thought processing, decision making, attention, and awareness. During cortical gyrification, the tissues of the cerebral cortex fold, creating indented fissures and "creases" called sulci and gyri. The sulci and gyri increase neural processing and neurotransmitter communication. In this way, increased gyrification enhances the brain’s capacity for computing information, maintaining focus and attention, creating and retrieving memory, processing logic, and forming decisions.

In experiments that Kerr and neuroscientist co-authors Stephanie Jones and Christopher Moore have published over the last few years, the team has used a brain imaging technology called magnetoencephalography (MEG) to show that alpha rhythms in the cortex correlate with sensory attention and that the ability to regulate localized alpha brainwaves on a millisecond scale is more distinct in people who have had standardized mindfulness training than in those who have not. The trio led these experiments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, and Massachusettes General Hospital before they all came to Brown in 2011.

In one experiment published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2010, they observed that when people focused their attention on sensations in the left hand, the corresponding “map” for the hand in the cortex showed a marked drop in alpha wave amplitude (as if to reduce filtering there). When the subjects’ attention shifted away from that body part, the alpha rhythm amplitude in the corresponding brain map went back up (as if restoring the alpha filter). Other research groups have shown this to be the case for other kinds of attention-related tasks including focusing spatial attention and working memory.

Then in 2011 in Brain Research Bulletin, the team published another paper. They randomized subjects to eight weeks of mindfulness training versus a control group. In MEG, they asked members of each group to focus attention on sensations in their hand and then to switch their attention to their foot. The people trained in mindfulness displayed quicker and larger changes in alpha wave amplitude in their brain’s hand map when they made the attentional shift than the six people who did not have mindfulness training.

Mindful computational model

In addition to the emerging experimental evidence, the research framework is also informed by a computer model that Jones has developed to simulate the alpha brainwaves through reciprocal interactions between the cortex, which processes information and thoughts, and the thalamus, which is like a switchboard that mediates information flow from the rest of the brain to the cortex. The model is well validated in that it produces alpha rhythms that closely match those observed in live MEG scans of real subjects.

Jones, assistant professor (research) of neuroscience, did not originally develop the model to aid meditation research.

“We were investigating what are the brain mechanisms that can create this prominent alpha rhythm and mediate its impact on sensory processing,” Jones said. “The model simulates the electrical activity of neural networks and makes very specific predictions about how this rhythm is generated. Once we understand the brain processes regulating alpha rhythm expression, we can better understand how it can be modulated with mindfulness practice and why this is beneficial.”

Among the most important predictions is one that could explain how gaining control of alpha rhythms not only enhances sensory focus on a particular area of the body, but also helps people overcome persistent competing stimuli, such as depressive thoughts or chronic pain signals.

To accomplish this, the model predicts, meditators must achieve proper control over the relative timing and strength of alpha rhythms generated from two separate regions of the thalamus, called thalamic nuclei, that talk to different parts of the cortex. One alpha generator would govern the local “tuning in,” for instance of sensations in a hand, while the other would govern the broader “tuning out” of other sensory or cognitive information in the cortex.

It’s a bit like focusing a telescope by precisely aligning the position of two different lenses. The authors’ framework hypothesizes that experienced meditators gain the ability to turn that proverbial focus knob to align those different rhythms.

Working with the framework

In the new paper the authors propose that training chronic pain patients in the standardized mindfulness techniques of focusing on and then focusing away from pain, should result in MEG-measurable, testable improvements in alpha rhythm control.

“By this process of repeatedly engaging and disengaging alpha dynamics across the body map, according to our alpha theory, subjects are re-learning the process of directly modulating localized alpha rhythms,” they wrote. “We hypothesize that chronic pain patients trained in mindfulness will show increased ability to modulate alpha in an anticipatory tactile attention paradigm similar to that used in [the 2011 study].”

Many such experiments are yet to be done, Kerr acknowledges, and her group can only do so many.

“There are a number of hypotheses in this framework that can be tested,” Kerr said. “That’s one of the reasons we wanted to put this out as a framework. It is beyond our ability to test all of these ideas. We wanted to make this available to the scientific field and present this unified view.”

In addition to Kerr, Jones, and Moore, the paper’s other authors are Matthew Sacchet of Stanford University and Sara Lazar of Massachusetts General Hospital.

The team’s research has received support from the National Institutes of Health, the Hershey Family Foundation, and the Osher Institute.

Karen Foster is a holistic nutritionist, avid blogger, with five kids and an active lifestyle that keeps her in pursuit of the healthiest path towards a life of balance.

Real Salt, Celtic Salt and Himalayan Salt

Real Salt, Celtic Salt and Himalayan Salt
Feb 5, 2013 | International Medical Veritas Association | Dr. Mark Sircus

This is what real salt looks like - we all know what regular white salt looks like - and we mistakenly think it is real salt when it is not. The fact is that refined white salt, such as commercial table salt is bad, very bad stuff. Unrefined natural salt on the other hand is good, very good stuff providing many health benefits.

Unrefined sea salt is healthy. The blood-pressure-raising effect of table salt can be due to its high content of sodium with not enough magnesium to balance it. This has a magnesium-lowering effect that can constrict the arteries and raise blood pressure. Real salt (of various kinds) contains plenty of magnesium and other important minerals, which is why it usually does not affect blood pressure in a negative way.[1]

Sodium is an essential nutrient required by the body for maintaining levels of fluids and for providing channels for nerve signaling. Some sodium is needed in your body to regulate fluids and blood pressure, and to keep muscles and nerves running smoothly.

Without appropriate amounts of sodium, your body may have a difficult time cooling down after intense exercise or activity. When the body is hot, you sweat. If you do not have enough sodium, your body may not sweat as much and you may then become overheated. This could result in a stroke or exhaustion as well as dehydration.

Sodium is an energy carrier. It is also responsible for sending messages from the brain to muscles through the nervous system so that muscles move on command. When you want to move your arm or contract any muscle in your body, your brain sends a message to a sodium molecule that passes it to a potassium molecule and then back to a sodium molecule etc., etc., until it gets to its final destination and the muscle contracts. This is known as the sodium-potassium ion exchange. Therefore, without sodium, you would never be able to move any part of your body.

Excess sodium (such as that obtained from dietary sources) is excreted in the urine.[2] Most of the sodium in the body (about 85%) is found in blood and lymph fluid. Sodium levels in the body are partly controlled by a hormone called aldosterone, which is made by the adrenal glands. Aldosterone levels determine whether the kidneys hold sodium in the body or pass it into the urine.

Dr. David Brownstein weighs in heavily on this matter saying, "Nobody makes a distinction between unrefined and refined salt. They 'lump' all salt together as a bad substance. This is a terrible mistake. There are two forms of salt available in the market place: refined and unrefined. Refined salt has had its minerals removed and has been bleached to give it the white appearance that we are accustomed to seeing with salt. It is the fine, white salt that is available at almost any restaurant or grocery store. Refined salt has been bleached and exposed to many toxic chemicals in order to get it to its final product. It has aluminum, ferrocyanide, and bleach in it. I believe this refining process has made it a toxic, devitalized substance that needs to be avoided."

"Unrefined salt, on the other hand," Brownstein continues, "has not been put through a harsh chemical process. It contains the natural minerals that were originally part of the product. Its mineral content gives it a distinct color. The colors of unrefined salt can vary depending on where it is taken from. This is due to the changing mineral content of the various brands of salt. It is the minerals in unrefined salt that provide all the benefits of this product. The minerals supply the body with over 80 trace elements needed to maintain and sustain health. Furthermore, the minerals elevate the pH (correct acidity) and lower blood pressure. Our maker gave us salt to use in our diet - unrefined salt - with its full complement of minerals. It should be the salt of choice. It is a vital ingredient that needs to be part of everyone's diet."

Dr. Brownstein says, "Years ago salt manufacturers decided that pure white salt is prettier than off-white salt and that consumers prefer pretty white salt. So they started bleaching it. They also added anti-clumping agents to increase its shelf life. The problem is that the chemicals added to keep salt from absorbing moisture on the shelf interfere with one of salt's main functions: to regulate hydration in your body. The sodium chloride in table salt is highly concentrated, denatured, and toxic to your body. Ever put salt on an open cut? It burns!!! Refined salt has the same effect on internal tissues and causes a negative reaction: your body retains water to protect itself, and your cells release water to help dilute, neutralize, and break down the salt. This loss of water dehydrates and weakens your cells and can even cause them to die prematurely. Natural sea salt is far superior to chemically-treated iodized table salts as it contains all 92 trace minerals, and it's only 84% sodium chloride while table salt is almost 98%".

All this adds up to one thing. Table salt, whether marine or not, is toxic - it's poisonous to the body and is responsible, in great part, to the onset of many terrible diseases including thyroid and metabolic dysfunction.

In addition to sodium and chloride, Celtic Sea Salt® provides other nutrients that naturally occur in salt beds, including trace amounts of calcium, magnesium potassium, iron and zinc.

In accordance with standards set by The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, independent analysis indicates that levels of heavy metals are non-detectable (e.g. arsenic, cadmium, mercury) or well below published safe limits in Celtic Sea Salt®. Perhaps most importantly, Celtic Sea Salt® is not exposed to refinement and bleaching used to manufacture typical table salt and there are no additives. Celtic Sea Salt® is harvested from the ocean using the sun, the wind and shallow clay ionizing ponds, a method passed down through the generations.

Many Americans over consume refined salt by eating processed foods, fast foods and canned foods with salt added. Celtic Sea Salt® is a good alternative as part of a healthier diet. Recommended use is a half teaspoon per day.

Himalayan Salt

Himalayan crystal salt that is mined 5,000 feet deep below the Himalayan mountain range was subject to enormous pressure over millions of years and is over 99% pure. The higher the amount of pressure the more superior or excellent the state of order within the crystalline structure of salt. Many Himalayan salts are sold cheaply but are collected from higher up near the tops of the Himalayan Mountains instead of from the deeper mines. These salts contain more impurities, do not have the same structure and are not as easily assimilable by the body.

Himalayan salt contains 84 minerals and trace elements in ionic state and is a delightful pink color. People often state that they use less of this salt than of other types. Many sizes are available from 3 oz in a salt grinder to larger 1-kg bags (2.2 lb). Salt chunks are also available for making your own "sole," which is a saturated solution of purified water with Himalayan salt. A specific recipe (see below) must be followed to make sole and results in a solution that has much less sodium than just adding salt to water would have. Daily use of sole is believed to stimulate the peristalsis of the digestive organs, balance the stomach acid, support the production of digestive fluids in the liver and pancreas, regulate the metabolism and harmonize the acid-alkaline balance.

Start Each Day with a Healthy Sole

The ideal way to use Himalayan Crystal Salt is in the form of a sole (so-LAY). Drinking the sole when you awake each morning is like getting up on the right side of the bed. It provides the energizing minerals you need daily to recharge your body, and it helps set the stage for a day of vitality.

Essentially, a sole is water saturated with Himalayan Crystal Salt. The sole contains about approximately 26 parts of salt to 100 parts of water. Prepare the water and salt combination in advance (see directions to the right). Each morning place a teaspoon of the sole mixture in a glass and fill with 8 ounces of pure spring water. Drink it immediately or sip it while getting dressed, checking emails or preparing breakfast. The water helps transport the electrolytes throughout the body to all the many places they are needed.

How to Prepare Sole

Sole is a mixture of water and salt. The object is to saturate the water with dissolved salt so it can't hold anymore. You'll know that you've created sole when there are undissolved salt crystals in the water. You can't oversaturate the water with salt. The crystals will simply drop to the bottom of the container.

Place several Himalayan Crystal Salt stones or Himalayan Crystal Salt granules about an inch deep in a glass container. (A canning jar works well.)

Cover the salt with two to three inches of pure, spring water. Let the salt dissolve for 24 hours.

If all the salt dissolves in 24 hours, add more salt to the container. The sole is finished when the water can no longer dissolve the salt and the salt crystals drop to the bottom of the container. There will always be salt crystals in the jar. It doesn't matter if you have only a few crystals or many. The water is saturated and is now sole.

Cover the container to prevent the water from evaporating. Since salt is a natural preservative, the sole will keep forever. It can't spoil or go "bad."

The vibrational energy of the Himalayan Crystal Salt remains in your body for 24 hours.

A teaspoon of sole contains 480 mg of sodium, or 20% of the Daily Reference Value of 2400 mg based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.

Redmond Real Salt

Redmond Real Salt is mined in the United States and is another good unrefined salt that I also recommend. It can be used as a table salt and for cooking and is available in coarse and fine grinds and in a variety of sizes.

Real Salt comes from a mineral rich salt deposit formed by an ancient sea in Utah. It contains 62 trace minerals, and is without additives, chemicals, or heat processing of any kind. Real Salt's unique pinkish appearance and flecks of color come from the more than 60 naturally occurring trace minerals. The result is a delicate "sweet salt" flavor that you may not have experienced before.

Notes

[1] http://drlwilson.com/Articles/salt.htm

[2] These processes in the body, especially in the brain, nervous system, and muscles, require electrical signals for communication. The movement of sodium is critical in the generation of these electrical signals. Too much or too little sodium therefore can cause cells to malfunction, and extremes in the blood sodium levels (too much or too little) can be fatal
http://www.medicinenet.com/electrolytes/article.htm

Can America Survive If Americans No Longer Agree On A Core Set Of Shared Values?

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Can America Survive If Americans No Longer Agree On A Core Set Of Shared Values?
Jan 10, 2013 | Economic Collapse Blog | Michael Snyder

What does America stand for?  That question is a lot more complicated than you might think.  Our Founding Fathers established a Republic that was based on a set of shared values that were embodied in the text of the U.S. Constitution.  But today, many of our politicians openly disregard the Constitution whenever they want and it has become fashionable to mock the U.S. Constitution.  For example, the New York Times recently published a piece by Georgetown University Professor Louis Michael Seidman entitled "Let's Give Up On The Constitution" in which he publicly called the Constitution "archaic" and "downright evil".  This is a man that has been teaching constitutional law to the next generation of lawyers at one of the top universities in the nation for nearly 40 years.  Unfortunately, Seidman is not an aberration.  The truth is that law schools all over America are absolutely packed with professors that teach that we should consider the U.S. Constitution a "living, breathing document" that must "evolve" as society evolves.  They also teach that when we find something in the Constitution that does not work for us today that we should just ignore it.  In fact, in his New York Times article Seidman insisted that "constitutional disobedience" is "as old as the Republic".  But if we can just ignore the U.S. Constitution whenever we want, where does that leave us?  Should we be able to ignore all laws when they are not convenient for us?

Personally, I strongly believe that we should follow the U.S. Constitution, and there are millions of others out there that agree with me.  If we want to amend the Constitution, there is a procedure for doing that, but it is not easy.  Our founders did that to try to ensure that any changes to our Constitution would reflect an overwhelming consensus of the American people.

But today America is more divided than ever before.  We can't seem to agree on much of anything.  We are at a period in our history when we desperately need to come together, but instead we are constantly at each other's throats.

Is there anything that truly unites us anymore?

In the old days, if you would have asked people to give you a one word definition of America, many people would have responded by naming important values such as "freedom" and "liberty".

Sadly, much of the country appears not to even value those things any longer.  One poll found that 51 percent of all Americans believe that "it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make the country safe from terrorism."  Other surveys have found similar results.

Not only that, we continue to elect control freak politicians from both political parties that appear to be obsessed with constantly eroding our freedoms and liberties.  There are literally millions of ridiculous laws, rules and regulations that govern even the smallest details of our lives, and the government is constantly inventing new ways to watch, track, register, monitor and control all of us.  If you doubt this, please see this article and this article.  If we continue down this path, we are going to end up in a very dark place as a nation.

Well, what about economics?

Aren't we united by a common economic philosophy?

Sadly, no we are not.

In the old days, Americans overwhelmingly believed in free market capitalism and overwhelmingly rejected socialism, but now that is rapidly changing.

According to a stunning Pew Research Center survey, 49 percent of Americans in the 18 to 29 age bracket have a positive view of socialism while only 46 percent of Americans in that same age bracket have a positive view of capitalism.

So what will the future look like if we continue to see this kind of shift among our young people?

And of course we have not had anything even close to a true free market system in the United States in a very, very long time.  Our economy is dominated by a partnership between the federal government and the monolithic predator corporations that dominate our society.  Individuals and small businesses that try to compete are being absolutely suffocated.  Our Founding Fathers were very suspicious of all large concentrations of power, and they sought to greatly limit the power of both the federal government and of the big corporations.  But today we have gone totally in the other direction.

Well, is there anything else that truly unites America?

What about religion?

Of course it is true that the overwhelming majority of the early colonists were Christian, and even 50 years ago it would have been accurate to say that America was a "Christian nation", but that is definitely no longer the case today.

The number of Americans with no religious affiliation has absolutely exploded in recent years.  It has grown by a whopping 25 percent over the past five years, and meanwhile the percentage of people that identify themselves as "Christians" in America is dropping like a rock.  In fact, one poll found that the percentage of Protestants in the United States has dropped below 50 percent for the first time ever.  For many more shocking numbers that show the precipitous decline of Christianity in America, please see this article.

So what fundamental principles do most Americans actually agree on?

And I am not talking about things like "American Idol is going downhill" or "Justin Bieber gets too much attention".

Is there still a core set of shared values that the entire nation can agree upon?

If not, where does that leave us?

Unfortunately, I think that it leaves us in a very difficult place.  The divisiveness that we have seen in Washington D.C. in recent years is just the tip of the iceberg.  We are living in a nation today that is more divided than I can ever remember.  A whole host of opinion polls have shown that anger and frustration in America are rising to very dangerous levels, and instead of focusing on the real reasons for our problems we all tend to point the fingers at one another.

In America today, we have been trained to group ourselves together by certain "categories" and to see those on the other side as "the enemy".  This is a very dangerous thing.  It keeps the American people from coming together to fix the very serious problems that are facing our country.

The truth is that we are being divided in dozens of different ways today.  The following are just a few of the ways we are currently being divided...

Republican vs. Democrat

Conservative vs. Liberal

Rich vs. Poor

Black vs. White (or insert any other two races or ethnic groups)

North vs. South

Urban vs. Rural

Anti-Gun vs. Pro-Gun

Male vs. Female

Young vs. Old

Traditional vs. "Modern"

Religious vs. Secular

Of course we should never compromise what we believe just for the sake of "unity".  That is foolishness.  But you can disagree with someone without hating them.

In America today, people will find a reason to hate someone else at the drop of a hat.  Surprisingly large numbers of Americans will hate others because of where they are from, what they look like, what their ethnic background is, what their political affiliation is or what their religious beliefs are.

If America is going to have any kind of a future, we have got to start loving one another.  That does not mean that we all have to agree with one another.  But we do need to start caring about one another and hoping for the best for one another.

For example, I fundamentally disagree with almost every single thing that Barack Obama does.  But I do not hate him.  On the contrary, I pray for him and his family.  I would love to see him experience a 180 degree turnaround and start fighting for the truth.  I believe that love is stronger than hate, and I believe that there is hope for every one of us.

I know that I have had my mind changed on a lot of things throughout my life, and if I could go back there are many things I would do differently.  I am thankful for those that loved me and had patience with me when I was younger.

And that is the kind of grace that we should extend toward others.  Yes, a stand needs to be made when others are promoting evil and trampling on our rights.  But instead of responding to hate with even greater amounts of hate, perhaps it would be better if we responded with even greater amounts of love.

And I am not saying that we always have to be "meek" in our approach.  For example, if I was pushing a shopping cart around the local supermarket and I came upon a young child that was about to guzzle an entire bottle of liquid bleach, I would yell and scream at that child to stop.  Sometimes yelling and screaming is the loving thing to do.  There is nothing wrong with "tough love".

There are preachers and radio hosts that I know that express what they believe in a very vociferous manner, but it is coming from a good place.  They love their listeners and they love their country and they are just trying to wake people up.  There is nothing wrong with that.

On the flip side, there are others that truly do hate particular categories of people.  For example, I was on a radio show earlier today, and the first half of the interview went great as I explained the problems with our economy, how our cities are degenerating and how the Federal Reserve is at the very heart of our financial problems as a nation.

But then in the second half of the interview, the radio host started blaming one particular ethnic group for all of our problems.  I had not properly researched this particular host and I was horrified.  I told her in a very clear manner that I thought that she was wrong.  I don't think that she appreciated that very much.

But the truth is that we are never going to fix the very serious problems that are facing this country if we choose to hate one another because of what we look like or who our ancestors were.  We are never going to fix the very serious problems that are facing this country if we choose to remain trapped in the "red vs. blue" paradigm and keep pointing fingers of hatred at one another.  We are never going to fix the very serious problems that are facing this country if we would rather indulge in hatred rather than love.

That doesn't mean that we don't fight for what is right.  There are most certainly politicians that need to be voted out of office.  There are most certainly big corporations that need to be exposed.  There are most definitely evil agendas that are being promoted at the highest levels.  Our society is clearly headed in the wrong direction and this country needs a massive wake up call.

But I think that we will get a lot farther if love is our primary motivation.  Without love, we are nothing.  Let us start to love one another as we would like to be loved ourselves.

So what do all of you think about this?  I am sure that there are probably some very strong opinions out there.  Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below...

Women Who Give Birth In Hospitals More Likely To Experience Life-Threatening Bleeding Than Those Giving Birth At Home

Women Who Give Birth In Hospitals More Likely To Experience Life-Threatening Bleeding Than Those Giving Birth At Home
Dec 5, 2012 | Dave Mihalovic

My father always use to tell me that if I ever had a serious illness, one of the fastest ways to die was to be admitted to a hospital. Healthcare technology has advanced considerably since then, however the statistical probability of mortality has only increased for hospital patients in many age categories and illnesses. Women giving birth are in their own category as conventional hospital settings and protocols provide an environment conducive to short and long-term illness for both mothers and newborns. Researchers are now finding that instances of life-threatening bleeding are on the rise for women giving birth in hospitals.

© Prevent Disease

A growing contingent of women are choosing to give birth with midwives, caregivers who view birth as a natural, rather than a medical experience, and one that should be tailored to a mother's needs.

The trend is now increasing exponentially due to worrisome life-threatening conditions experienced by women is labour courtesy of the medical system.

Excessive bleeding after birth -- Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) -- is one of the main causes of childbirth-related deaths.

It occurs more often in maternity units than during planned home deliveries, according to an analysis of the medical records of more than 500,000 women.

Now there are calls for a change in hospital procedures after researchers concluded that the over-use of medical intervention techniques during childbirth may be a significant cause.

The report, by researchers at the a new study has concluded that the over-use of medical intervention techniques during childbirth may be partly to blame for excessive bleeding after birth, says reliance on drugs to speed up contractions, surgical incisions to ease delivery and emergency caesareans may be compromising the safety of women in labour.

A small but growing number of American women are making the choice to deliver at home. From 2004 to 2008, the number of home births in the United States inched upward to 28,357 -- still less than 1 percent of the 4.2 million births each year, but a marked reversal in what had been a long trend toward hospital births.

As every decade and century passes, the previous misconceptions of conventional medicine are seen as a complete failure, not only in its illogical interpretation of the human body and its physiology, but in the care, interest and advancement of human health.

It was only a few decades ago when women used to be given general anesthesia while in labor and not to mention labeling infants as incapable of experiencing pain (See According To Doctors, New Born Babies Have Only Felt Pain In The Last 30 Years)

The medical community routinely discourages women from delivering at home even publishing faulty conclusions based on misinformation such as a paper published in The American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 2010 which concluded that babies born at home are more likely as those born in a hospital to die. It was later found out to be flawed and inaccurate, igniting a firestorm among experts and has been roundly questioned by critics.

The largest study yet on the safety of home births suggests that, in most cases, the risk to babies is no higher than if they are born in a hospital. However, some evidence is suggesting mothers may be more at risk in hospital settings due to lack of choice and "our way or the highway" type mentality of obstetricians who often coerce and bully women into procedures and tests they often oppose.

Janet Fyle, professional policy adviser at the Royal College of Midwives, said: ‘This is further evidence of a correlation between PPH and interventions in childbirth. It is not appropriate to herd every woman into hospital.

‘The important thing is to give people more choice and information.’

The study concluded: ‘Future research should address the possibility that procedures such as labour augmentation and emergency caesarean section are over-used in the hospital setting.’

Dave Mihalovic is a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in vaccine research, cancer prevention and a natural approach to treatment.

Experts: Mayan ballgame had astronomical function

© Latin American Herald Tribune

Experts: Mayan ballgame had astronomical function
Oct 5, 2012 | Latin American Herald Tribune

Mexico City - Restoration works at Chichen Itza have confirmed the hypothesis that the ballgame played in that ancient Mayan city in southeastern Mexico had an astronomical function, the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said.

After almost two years of restoration and preservation work, the Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza, at 120 meters (130 yards) long the largest in Mesoamerica, is gradually recovering its original appearance with the reincorporation of different elements, including the five "passages" that the ancient Mayas built on the site.

The passages are structures that, according to recent studies, were used to observe the path of the sun during the equinoxes and solstices, INAH said in a communique.

Archaeologist Jose Huchim, coordinator of the Chichen Itza comprehensive conservation project, said that observers were possibly stationed in those structures to follow the game and see if the ball went through the vertical stone ring and make sure players hit the ball according to the rules of the ritual.

Huchim said that 25 years ago, when he was studying archaeology, he observed the site with his then-professor Victor Segovia, a pioneer in the study of pre-Colombian astronomy, because both were convinced that the passages were oriented to the equinoxes and solstices.

"We found that the central passage did have an orientation that permitted a view of the equinoxes - that's why we thought it important to restore all five to determine whether all of them were built in line with the extreme (nearest and farthest) distances of the sun from the equator," he said.

Last year, as part of the comprehensive restoration project of the ballcourt, which dates back to 864 A.D., "we returned the five passages to 90 percent of their original form," the INAH researcher said.

"I began making astronomical observations and could prove that one of them marks the winter solstice, while the central passages marked the equinoxes, and those toward the north, the summer solstice," he said.

He recalled that for pre-Colombian Mayas, the sun was a vital element in their rituals for marking the change of seasons and to begin preparing the land for growing maize - the ball is an analogy of the sun and the movements of the game are an analogy of the sun's trajectory.

"The arc of the sun, which rises in the east, reaches its zenith and disappears in the west, at a certain moment was reproduced with the movement of the ball during the ritual," Huchim said.

Symbols of an Alien Sky - Episode One

Symbols of an Alien Sky - Episode One
Nov 2, 2011 | ExpulsedRenaissance

Editor's note: This is the second time I've watched this wonderful gift presented by the Thunderbolts project and it seems after watching it twice, the first time has disappeared. It seems for me at least, what he was saying did not sink in until a second examination. In the film presented, the mention of the ancient ways talked heavily of memory in a ray of creation sense and David Talbott who narrates this film reveals the underpinnings of this evolution in our cosmology.




For high DVD quality, purchase of this documentary and its sequels can be made at http://mikamar.biz/

"Symbols of an Alien Sky" is the introductory episode to the "SYMBOLS OF AN ALIEN SKY Series" by The Thunderbolts Project.

"Symbols of an Alien Sky will introduce you to celestial spectacles and earth-shaking events once remembered around the world. Archaic symbols of these events still surround us, some as icons of the world's great religions, though the origins of the symbols appear to be lost in obscurity. Cultural history seems fragmented and contradictory. But as demonstrated in this introductory episode, there are also levels of deep agreement between the cultures. According to David Talbott, these "archetypes" allow for a radical reinterpretation of both human and planetary history. Competing regional symbols are aspects of "one story told around the world," a story both awe inspiring and terrifying."

http://www.scribd.com/doc/59043870 (Reproduced from the now-hijacked webpage www.suppressedscience.net/physics) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_hijacking

http://www.thunderbolts.info/

http://www.plasmacosmology.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Talbott

http://www.velikovsky.info/Wallace_Thornhill

http://www.skepticalinvestigations.org/Examskeptics/skepticism_suppressedscie...

Remembering the End of the World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bzVlSFhm_Q
Thunderbolts of the Gods
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYFF4rMQx9E

Self-Compassion: A Powerful Motivational Force

© Loving Earth
We all make mistakes, but should you
beat yourself up or show a little mercy?

Self-Compassion: A Powerful Motivational Force
Sept 11, 2012 | Jeremy Dean

We all have a kind of virtual policeman living inside us. Amongst other things he's the guy that helps us work towards our goals, whether personal or professional.

When things go wrong and we stray off the straight and narrow, he reminds us what we were supposed to be doing.

But what kind of policeman is he? Is he the kind with a riot shield, a baton and a bad attitude or does he offer a forgiving smile, a friendly word and a helping hand?

People sometimes think of the latter, more relaxed internal policeman, as being weak and ineffectual. The danger, it is thought, with going easy on ourselves, is that it will lead to lower motivation. Surely if we don't use self-criticism to push ourselves, we'll never get anywhere?

So, what stance should we adopt towards ourselves?

Antitoxin of the Soul

Let's say someone is trying to deal with a recent period of low self-confidence. Here are three ways the inner policeman might deal with it:

• Self-esteem boost: think about positive aspects of the self to boost confidence.
• Positive distraction: think back to nice memories to create a distraction from the problem.
• Self-compassion: think about the self with kindness and compassion, seeing the period of low self-confidence in context, without evaluating or judging it.

When psychological researchers tested these approaches they found that self-compassion was surprisingly powerful (Breines & Chen, 2012). In comparison to self-esteem boosting and distraction, this study found that self-compassion was most likely to help participants:

• See the possibilities for change,
• Increase the motivation to change,
• Take steps towards making a change,
• Compare themselves with those doing better, to help motivate their change.

So self-compassion did not emerge as the soft-option: in fact, quite the opposite. By being sympathetic and non-judgemental towards the self, people were able to avoid both harsh self-criticism and potentially fragile self-enhancement.

When participants thought back to insecurities in their relationships, their shyness or social anxieties, it was showing compassion towards themselves that helped the most.

This may be because self-compassion builds a more balanced way of reacting to both failures in ourselves and difficult situations we find ourselves in. As the American writer Eric Hoffer said:

"Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless."

The Rise of the Conscious Warrior

sourcing

The Rise of the Conscious Warrior
Aug 31, 2012 | Zen Gardner

Life is a struggle. How much more then is the spiritual life, the fight to remain conscious in an illusory world where deviant forces vie for control more than caring, battering your very body and soul day in and day out on top of your struggle to survive?

Oh, we’re going peacefully downstream in the conscious dimensions. There we learn to let go and follow the flow of the Universe and synchronicity.

But in this physical, lower density world, we’re fighting directly upstream. In addition, we’re living in a time of increasingly turbulent waters. Our kayaks hit all kinds of eddies and crosscurrents, never mind the rocks and rapids we have to navigate–all while idiots, enemies and doubters, prodded on by the propaganda whores, are screaming obscenities from the shore and trying to hit us with anything they can get their hands on!

But alas, grasshoppers—we have powers they know not of!

The Call to Battle 

We’re in a warfare, any way you look at it. Only it’s not a warfare of hate, but of love. It’s not a warfare of physical violence, but a spiritual one of intention and a Truth directed life. The inherent cause of Universal consciousness is the dissolution of the ways born of ignorance and darkness by means of the all powerful exposing and enlightening weapons of Light, Love and Truth.

The medieval matrix, no matter how fancy and hi-tech it’s become, is dissolving and losing its grip. And we need to actively help it on its way to oblivion.

Don’t forget, non-compliance is a decisive action, not inaction. Inaction is going with the current of the matrix.

There is no sitting still. We’re all doing one or the other.

That’s the choice. That’s the battle.

In A Time of Imbalance the Call to Rise is Natural 

Similar to the poetic beauty of martial arts, the Truth warrior uses his weapons skillfully and with great discretion. While many argue we need evil for good to exist and all that esoterica, we happen to be living in a time of great imbalance.

Do you enjoy having lords of darkness rule over you and yours, exercising more death dealing, spirit quelling control over humanity by the day?

Didn’t think so. Will it collapse under its own weight? In many ways it has to. Will it do it all by itself?

Then why are we here? As long as we’re here we’re part of the Great Design and need to do our part.
All I know is that what I am finding out and tuning into calls me to participate. It’s as real as the sun and water hitting a seedling and the organism responding. If it’s not evident to you that our planet and civilization are under attack I do wonder how you got to this article. It couldn’t be any clearer. That’s why they direct the angst people are feeling, the knowing that something is wrong, towards fabricated “outside” enemies to divert attention from the real perpetrators.

Similar to how religion co-opts, steers and contains the human soul’s hunger for the spiritual, the Controllers arouse, channel and misdirect humanity’s sense that it is being attacked and they literally harness what they themselves have aroused, using it for their own parasitic, vampirist purposes.

Cattle prods and sheep dogs driving humanity into the slaughterhouse.

There is No “They”…They Said. 

The old “tell a big enough lie” ploy. Their biggest tool is to say there is no they. There are no dark forces. In fact, we’re told the “they” are the good guys looking out for us. Reminds me of the adage that the biggest lie Satan ever told is that he doesn’t exist.

There is no negative, destructive, usurping parasitic force in the Universe. Humanity just has other humans to worry about. The PTBs are here to save us from each other.

Oh really?

After all, that’s the mantra of the anti-conspiracy camp. ” THEY? Are you crazy? You really think there’s some ‘secret cabal’ running things from behind the scenes? How insane are you? If that were the case we’d be hearing all about it! No way they could hide something that big!”

Same old, same old.

Reversing, hiding and disguising the obvious truth so those who do sense the true reality that something is seriously wrong then question their own conscience just enough that they become neutralized and therefore unresponsive.

A very dark time right now indeed.

Consciousness Calling 

If you feel the call to participate more it’s consciousness calling, any way you slice it. Take your place on the great mandala and all that, but there’s a bulldozer headed for your house. Are you just gonna sit there?
It’s that urgent.

No doubt you’ve given all of this serious thought. And I know many of you have activated and it’s absolutely beautiful. I’m proud to be associated with so many amazing, loving committed people. I think we just need to be adaptive and prepared for more. The winds are picking up and the battlefield is becoming more fluid, more challenging and more demanding.

And for those on the sidelines:

It’s time to choose your weapon – or let it choose you.

I’m not gonna tell anyone what to do. If people don’t learn to choose for themselves, consciousness is not at work and back to the old paradigms we go.

But do something. Get the boat in motion or the rudder can’t take effect. Find and take your calling seriously and step it up. We all have to.

Meditate, intend, pray, affirm. Change your life, change the etheric. Try new consciousness technologies. Write, talk, show up, contribute, speak to groups, attend gatherings of active and motivated individuals. Find the opening and jump in. The rest will follow.

Contribute we must. Hopefully with our whole lives.

It’s not a time to get frantic by any means, but perhaps take this as an alert, something I know many of you are also feeling. Our old views of just weeks and months ago are shifting and will continue to do so. It’s subtle, but it’s real. We have to step it up and yield to what consciousness is calling each of us to do.
A purely motivated heart will always find the way.

Again and again.

Much love,

Zen

Food Co-Ops Beat Grocery Stores: 5 To 0

Food Co-Ops Beat Grocery Stores: 5 To 0
Aug 19, 2012 | Alt-Market.com

This article was written by Jan Cho and originally published at Care2.com

The National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) released a new study, “Healthy Foods Healthy Communities: Measuring the Social and Economic Impact of Food Co-ops,” that compares how food co-ops and conventional grocery stores perform in five categories: Supporting Local Food Systems, Creating Quality Jobs, Local Economic Impact, Environmental Stewardship and Promoting Healthy & Sustainable Foods. Download the complete report here.

As described on the NCGA consumer website, “unlike their conventional counterparts, co-ops are owned and governed by member-shoppers and rooted in principles like community, voluntary and open membership, economic participation and cooperation. Because of these principles and practices, food co-ops inherently serve and benefit the communities where they are located.” (You don’t have to be a member to shop at a co-op, one of several myths that the NCGA works to dispel.)

The typical food co-op works with more than 150 individual local farmers and food producers, compared with 65 for the conventional grocery store. Co-ops source 45% of their meats from local farmers, against 5% for conventional stores. Thirty-five percent (35%) versus 3% of deli foods are sourced locally, 31% versus 9% of dairy and 20% versus 14% of produce. Also, 82% of produce sales at food co-ops are organic, compared with 12% for conventional grocery stores.

Local foods and locally produced food products are better for our health. Why? Mainly because they are produced on a smaller scale, for members of the local community. Nothing extraordinary has to be done to harvest, produce or transport the food. No synthetic substances or extraneous processes are used to cut corners in production. At least not usually. Besides, local producers have to answer to consumers who are also their neighbors, so it’s in their interests to employ best practices to make the best food they can.

Local sourcing is also good for the local economy, by creating what economists refer to as a multiplier effect. It begins with the purchase of food from local farmers by co-ops. “Farmers in turn use some of the money they receive from cooperatives to buy supplies from local sources, hire local technicians to repair their equipment, and purchase goods and services from local retailers,” the report on the study explains. For every $1,000 a shopper spends at his or her local food co-op, $604 go back into the local economy — $239 more than if he or she had spent the same amount at a conventional grocery store.

In the area of environmental stewardship, food co-ops also come out ahead of conventional grocery stores. While acknowledging the fact that groceries of any type — co-op and conventional alike — generate a lot of waste, the study found that co-ops recycle 81% of their plastic waste as compared with 29% by conventional grocers and 74% of food waste as compared with 36%. The rate of cardboard recycling is comparable between co-ops and conventional stores. (Data on recycling rates for supermarkets nationwide are not available, so the study references numbers from a California government report that reviewed 30 grocery stores in the state.)

Unfortunately, there are only 120 retail food co-ops, operating 160 storefronts, across the country. The closest one to my house is an hour away, and out of the way, which makes it impractical for me to shop there on a regular basis. But maybe you can find one near you.

Noise down, neuron signals up

source

Noise down, neuron signals up
Aug 15, 2012 | Phys.org

Biomedical engineer Muhammet Uzuntarla from Bulent Ecevit University, Turkey, and his colleagues present a biologically accurate model of the underlying noise which is present in the nervous system. The article is about to be published in European Physical Journal B. This work has implications for explaining how noise, modulated by unreliable synaptic transmission, induces a delay in the response of neurons to external stimuli as part of the neurons coding mechanism.

Neurons communicate by means of electrical pulses, called spikes, exchanged via synapses. The time it takes for brain cells to first respond to an external stimulus with an electric signal —commonly referred to as fist-spike latency—is of particular interest for scientists. It is thought to carry much more neural information than subsequent serial spike signals.

The authors analysed the presence of noise in the nervous system detected through changes in first-spike latency. The noise is due to the synaptic bombardment of each neuron by a large number of incoming excitatory and inhibitory spike inputs. Previous attempts at noise modeling used a generic bell-shaped signal, referred to as a Gaussian approximation. Now, Uzuntarla and his colleagues have devised a noise model that is closer to the biological reality.

 They showed there is a relation between the noise and delays in spike signal transmission. The latter is caused by unreliable synapses that do not always transmit the signal, because their chemical-based signalling does not always work. Yet, the authors also demonstrated that synaptic unreliability can be controlled.

To do so, they identified two factors that could be tuned influencing the noise, namely the incoming excitatory and inhibitory input signalling regime and the coupling strength between inhibitory and excitatory synapses. Ultimately, the authors concluded, modulating these factors could help neurons encode information more accurately. 

More information: M. Uzuntarla et al. (2012). Controlling the First-Spike Latency Response of a Single Neuron via Unreliable Synaptic Transmission, European Physical Journal B; DOI 10.1140/epjb/e2012-30282-0 Journal reference: European Physical Journal B

The Essential Alan Watts – Remixed

The Essential Alan Watts – Remixed
July 28, 2012 | Waking Times

A beautiful and artfully assembled presentation of important wisdom from the great philosopher and entertainer Alan Watts.

Being human is such a gift and it is up to each one of us to look deep within to find our connection to all things and to find our place in the cosmos.  The revelations of Alan Watts can awaken us to the recognition of our infinite nature and to our vast potential for love and for peace.

Brains Are Different in People With Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory

UC Irvine scientists have discovered
intriguing differences in the brains
and mental processes of an extraordinary
group of people who can effortlessly
recall every moment of their lives since
about age 10. (Credit: © James Steidl / Fotolia)

Brains Are Different in People With Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory
July 30, 2012 | ScienceDaily

UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10.

The phenomenon of highly superior autobiographical memory -- first documented in 2006 by UCI neurobiologist James McGaugh and colleagues in a woman identified as "AJ" -- has been profiled on CBS's "60 Minutes" and in hundreds of other media outlets. But a new paper in the peer-reviewed journal Neurobiology of Learning & Memory's July issue offers the first scientific findings about nearly a dozen people with this uncanny ability.

All had variations in nine structures of their brains compared to those of control subjects, including more robust white matter linking the middle and front parts. Most of the differences were in areas known to be linked to autobiographical memory, "so we're getting a descriptive, coherent story of what's going on," said lead author Aurora LePort, a doctoral candidate at UCI's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory.

Surprisingly, the people with stellar autobiographical memory did not score higher on routine laboratory memory tests or when asked to use rote memory aids. Yet when it came to public or private events that occurred after age 10½, "they were remarkably better at recalling the details of their lives," said McGaugh, senior author on the new work.

"These are not memory experts across the board. They're 180 degrees different from the usual memory champions who can memorize pi to a large degree or other long strings of numbers," LePort noted. "It makes the project that much more interesting; it really shows we are homing in on a specific form of memory."
She said interviewing the subjects was "baffling. You give them a date, and their response is immediate. The day of the week just comes out of their minds; they don't even think about it. They can do this for so many dates, and they're 99 percent accurate. It never gets old."

The study also found statistically significant evidence of obsessive-compulsive tendencies among the group, but the authors do not yet know if or how this aids recollection. Many of the individuals have large, minutely catalogued collections of some sort, such as magazines, videos, shoes, stamps or postcards.

UCI researchers and staff have assessed more than 500 people who thought they might possess highly superior autobiographical memory and have confirmed 33 to date, including the 11 in the paper. Another 37 are strong candidates who will be further tested.

"The next step is that we want to understand the mechanisms behind the memory," LePort said. "Is it just the brain and the way its different structures are communicating? Maybe it's genetic; maybe it's molecular."
McGaugh added: "We're Sherlock Holmeses here. We're searching for clues in a very new area of research."

Archeologists Unearth Extraordinary Human Sculpture in Turkey

Archeologists Unearth Extraordinary Human Sculpture in Turkey
July 30, 2012 | ScienceDaily

A beautiful and colossal human sculpture is one of the latest cultural treasures unearthed by an international team at the Tayinat Archaeological Project (TAP) excavation site in southeastern Turkey. A large semi-circular column base, ornately decorated on one side, was also discovered. Both pieces are from a monumental gate complex that provided access to the upper citadel of Kunulua, capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Patina (ca. 1000-738 BC).

"These newly discovered Tayinat sculptures are the product of a vibrant local Neo-Hittite sculptural tradition," said Professor Tim Harrison, the Tayinat Project director and professor of Near Eastern Archaeology in the University of Toronto's Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations. "They provide a vivid glimpse into the innovative character and sophistication of the Iron Age cultures that emerged in the eastern Mediterranean following the collapse of the great imperial powers of the Bronze Age at the end of the second millennium BC."

The head and torso of the human figure, intact to just above its waist, stands approximately 1.5 metres in height, suggesting a total body length of 3.5 to four metres. The figure's face is bearded, with beautifully preserved inlaid eyes made of white and black stone, and its hair has been coiffed in an elaborate series of curls aligned in linear rows. Both arms are extended forward from the elbow, each with two arm bracelets decorated with lion heads. The figure's right hand holds a spear, and in its left is a shaft of wheat. A crescent-shaped pectoral adorns its chest. A lengthy Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription, carved in raised relief across its back, records the campaigns and accomplishments of Suppiluliuma, likely the same Patinean king who faced a Neo-Assyrian onslaught of Shalmaneser III as part of a Syrian-Hittite coalition in 858 BC.

The second sculpture is a large semi-circular column base, approximately one metre in height and 90 centimetres in diameter, lying on its side next to the human figure. A winged bull is carved on the front of the column and it is flanked by a sphinx on its left. The right side of the column is flat and undecorated, an indication that it originally stood against a wall.

"The two pieces appear to have been ritually buried in the paved stone surface of the central passageway through the Tayinat gate complex," said Harrison. The complex would have provided a monumental ceremonial approach to the upper citadel of the royal city. Tayinat, a large low-lying mound, is located 35 kilometres east of Antakya (ancient Antioch) along the Antakya-Aleppo road.

The presence of colossal human statues, often astride lions or sphinxes, in the citadel gateways of the Neo-Hittite royal cities of Iron Age Syro-Anatolia continued a Bronze Age Hittite tradition that accentuated their symbolic role as boundary zones, and the role of the king as the divinely appointed guardian or gate keeper of the community. By the ninth and eighth centuries BC, these elaborately decorated gateways, with their ornately carved reliefs, had come to serve as dynastic parades, legitimizing the power of the ruling elite. The gate reliefs also formed linear narratives, guiding their audiences between the human and divine realms, with the king serving as the link between the two worlds.

The Tayinat gate complex appears to have been destroyed following the Assyrian conquest of the region in 738 BC, when the area was paved over and converted into the central courtyard of an Assyrian sacred precinct. These smashed and deposited monumental sculptures also include a magnificently carved lion that was discovered last year and Hieroglyphic Luwian-inscribed stelae (stone slabs or pillars used for commemoratives purposes). Together these finds hint of an earlier Neo-Hittite complex that might have once faced the gateway approach.

Scholars have long speculated that the reference to Calno, identified as one of the "kingdoms of the idols" in Isaiah's oracle against Assyria (Isaiah 10:9-10), alludes to the Assyrian devastation of Kunulua (i.e., Tayinat). The destruction of the Luwian monuments and conversion of the area into an Assyrian religious complex may represent the physical manifestation of this historic event, subsequently memorialized in Isaiah's oracle, experts say.

Comment: I've added the badger to the analecta as this article seemingly wants to point it out and that the eclectic Sott.net so ironically presents that it makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Learn more about the badger here.

A Mayan Water System With Lessons for Today

National Geographic Society
A rendering of the ancient Tikal settlement
and its water collection and diversion system.

A Mayan Water System With Lessons for Today
July 16, 2012 | KELLY SLIVKA

A little over 2,000 years ago, many of the Maya were on the move.

They abandoned the eroded and deforested low-lying land on the Yucatan peninsula – probably because of a bad drought – and headed to hillier elevations in what is now modern-day central Guatemala, according to Vernon L. Scarborough, an anthropologist at the University of Cincinnati. There they began to build Tikal, one of the largest and most successful Mayan settlements.

University of Cincinnati
The Temple of the
Great Jaguar at Tikal.

A settlement, though, needs resources. When the Maya moved, they needed to devise a complex water collection and usage system that would sustain Tikal for nearly a millennium. This system is described by Dr. Scarborough and his colleagues in a new paper published online on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

While scientists have learned much about the Maya by mapping, measuring and digging at Tikal for at least a century, they have been unsure how the settlement’s residents managed their water.

“These have been the first systematic excavations done in the reservoirs,” said Nick Dunning, a geo-archaeologist at the University of Cincinnati and a co-author of the paper.

Around 20 years ago, he recounted, Dr. Scarborough began studying maps of Tikal created in the 1960’s by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and came up with a “fairly hypothetical” idea of how the ancient Mayans might have controlled water. “Vern has been itching to actually get to Tikal and get a chance to test some of these ideas,” Dr. Dunning said.

  Vern Scarborough, an
anthropologist at the
University of Cincinnati,
using a sediment coring
device to determine one
time water levels
in the Maya reservoirs.

Four scientists, a handful of graduate students and a few dozen expert Guatemalan excavators conducted research at Tikal in the summer of 2009 and 2010 and then combined their primary findings with historical ones by other scientists, Dr. Dunning said.

In the paper, the authors describe a series of dams and reservoirs that the Maya in Tikal used to direct the water they needed for survival. The authors also describe a rudimentary but seemingly effective water filtration system they found in which the Maya used sand to sift their water.

The nearest source of sand that the researchers could find was many miles away, suggesting that the Maya probably traveled a great distance to collect the sand they used for water filtration, the researchers wrote.

“They obviously realized that in order to have water they could use, they had to keep it clean,” Dr. Dunning said. The Maya put the sand into filtration boxes at the entrance to some of the reservoirs. Water from reservoirs without filters was most likely used for agriculture.

Dr. Scarborough suggested that the most significant insight is that it allowed the Maya to successfully cope with their capricious tropical climate, one that causes floods half the year and parched dryness the other half. “It accents the cleverness and uniqueness of the ability of these indigenous folks to roll with the punches, if you will, over time,” he said.

University of CincinnatiLiwy
Grazioso, a Guatemalan
researcher who has taken
part in the water system
research, in a Maya-built
canal at Tikal.

The Maya built their reservoirs out of rock quarries from which they also cut stones for their giant temples. The holes in the ground left after the removal of the stones were perfect for filling with water.


They also sealed off all the cracks and crevasses in their walkways and buildings with plaster, funneling every possible drop of water that hit Tikal into a reservoir. The reservoirs are placed on different tiers of elevation so that the Maya could use gravity to direct the water as they wished through the settlement, Dr. Scarborough said.

The researchers believe the simple “low-tech” methods used in Tikal to conserve resources to its residents could be harnessed anew as people move back into the highlands to farm today. A water system like Tikal’s doesn’t require much expertise or oversight, he noted.

“There are significant issues as to what are sustainable and what are not sustainable land use and forestry practices,” Dr. Dunning said. Given that Tikal sustained itself for over 1,000 years, current residents, many of whom are ethnic Maya, could apply such techniques to conquer some of the same problems, he said.