2/22/12
2/17/12
2/10/12
2/6/12
1/29/12
1/27/12
facing down fear:
"Americans are still afraid. It's been a dozen years since sociologist Barry Glassner wrote about "The Culture of Fear" and argued that our national anxieties were mostly misplaced. Glassner revised his book in 2010 and added a longer subtitle: "Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things: Crime, Drugs, Minorities, Teen Moms, Killer Kids, Mutant Microbes, Plane Crashes, Road Rage & So Much More" Glassner has earned a reputation as a rational critic of dire news -- whether it arises in media, political or popular circles. He says three out of four Americans report that they're more afraid now than they were 20 years ago, and he's kept track of how those fears have ebbed and flowed. In a telephone interview, he talked about sorting genuine fears from exaggerated ones and looking critically at the facts.
What has changed about Americans' fears in the past decade?
We're at least as afraid now as we were then. Americans live in the safest period in human history, in the safest place in human history. Unfortunately, there are so many fears that preoccupy us, many that are unfounded. Basically, you can't turn on local TV news or listen to politicians campaigning without being told that the world around you is frightening, that American society is losing its place in the world. Even when crime rates are much lower and, in many ways, American society is as strong or stronger than it has ever been. The good news is that after Sept. 11, 2001, many of the kinds of patterns that I wrote about stopped. At that point, we had a really serious danger. We had one of the most truly frightening events in the nation's history, our focus shifted in that direction. But by the summer of 2002, the airwaves of cable news networks were obsessing again about missing children, which is about the last thing any person or parent needs to worry about.
In recent months, many people's fears are tied to economic issues. They're afraid of losing a job, of never finding one, of losing their homes. Are those real fears?
The economic uncertainty internationally is very real, and we have plenty to be concerned about. But we need to focus on the real dangers and legitimate concerns. There's a lot of talk in the presidential campaign that we're close to no longer being a free economy or that capitalism will disappear. Neither of those is very likely, and debating that kind of scenario is not really very helpful.
Why are so many people afraid of such extreme possibilities?
We need to be careful to distinguish how people respond to fear mongering and who is spreading the fears. If we ask why so many of us are losing sleep over dangers that are very small or unlikely, it's almost always because someone or some group is profiting or trying to profit by either selling us a product, scaring us into voting for them or against their opponent or enticing us to watch their TV program. But to understand why we have so many fears, we need to focus on who is promoting the fears.
What's your advice for someone faced with "fear-filled" news?
If I can point to one thing, it's this: Ask yourself if an isolated incident is being treated as a trend. Ask if something that has happened once or twice is "out of control" or "an epidemic." Just asking yourself that question can be very calming. The second (suggestion) is, think about the person who is trying to convey the scary message. How are they trying to benefit, what do they want you to buy, who do they want you to vote for? That (question) can help a lot.
In terms of economic fears, even statistics are frightening -- unemployment figures, for example. Some sources find them encouraging, others discouraging. Who's right?
What you can do in that case is try to find a source that doesn't have a stake one way or another. So, for example, in scares about diseases and medical situations that are posted all over the Internet, go to a scientific source -- the Centers for Disease Control is a good one.
You're speaking at a church. Do you think religion has a role to play in helping people handle fears?
Last week I spoke to a political group. Any community where people are trying to proceed in a more constructive and rational way can be useful. It's really in schools, from kindergarten through graduate schools, where people have the best opportunity to understand how to sort out realistic claims from exaggerated ones and learn how to think critically".
by Nancy Haught
who is leonardo da vinci:
Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Leonardo da Vinci
1/22/12
who is exitmusic:
Almost as soon as Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church, who perform together as Exitmusic, take the stage at Pianos and begin playing their elegant but ghoulish guitar pop, like a sonic Brontë novel, people in the audience begin making out with one another. There’s something erotically incantatory about the couple, both 30 and ridiculously attractive, who play stock-still onstage as if in a trance. They met when they were 18 aboard a train in Canada. Palladino grew up in New York, the daughter of an opera singer, and has been acting since she was 14 (she’s currently Angela Darmody on Boardwalk Empire). At the time, Church, who grew up in Winnipeg, was just bumming around. “An Australian backpacker gave me his girlfriend’s train pass,” he says. “School was over, and I had a shitty job I didn’t have much allegiance to, so I got on the train as Tammy Hopper from Australia. I had nothing better to do.” Neither did she. Aboard that train, they decided to go together up to the observation car to watch a meteor shower, “but they kept it lit on the inside so all you could see was your own reflection smiling back at you,” says Palladino. Afterward, Church sent her several letters, but she remained aloof. “The whole time, I was trying to get her to invite me to New York,” Church recalls. “She didn’t. So finally I was just like, ‘I’m fucking coming to New York.’ ” Palladino, a beguiling fairy with the raunchy cackle of a sailor, says, “I don’t know how to defend my initial inaction. But ten days after he got here, he moved in.” It’s been nine years; they’re now married. On their forthcoming EP, From Silence, they showcase the insular romanticism that defines their sound and life. “When I was a teenager, if you’d asked me, I would have said I was in a relationship with New York City,” she says. “It was my first real love.” She pauses and looks at Church. “But now I have him.”
by Lizzy Goodman
1/15/12
1/11/12
"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish."
~ Steve Jobs
Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish."
~ Steve Jobs
1/10/12
1/8/12
1/6/12
12/30/11
12/12/11
12/9/11
12/6/11
becky rocks:
dance to the rythem of ♥
start the music, sense the heartbeat
look at my face, notice my grace
use our chemistry, for dance literacy
connect our heart with this love art
dance with me till the sky goes dark
start the music, sense the heartbeat
look at my face, notice my grace
use our chemistry, for dance literacy
connect our heart with this love art
dance with me till the sky goes dark
if god is the DJ, then life is the dance floor;
love is the rhythm, and you are the music
love is the rhythm, and you are the music
ps***baby i will play the music on and on
Posted by BECKY at 3:37 PM 0 comments
12/4/11
12/3/11
12/1/11
good vibrations:
"Everything in the universe is in a constant state of vibration, including our bodies. Sound is vibration that can be translated by the delicate structures of our inner ear, but it moves more than just those tiny receptors. It is part of the spectrum of energy vibrations that affect us on the mental, physical, and spiritual levels. Long ago shamans recognized the power of sound when they first used chants and drumming to heal people. In ancient Egypt, Greece, and India, the use of sound and music for healing was a highly developed sacred science. Sonic vibration has been one way of experiencing the energy of the universe for much of humanity’s history.
When the vibrations of our physical and spiritual bodies are out of harmony it can cause disease. Sound healing gently massages the molecules back into the right places, clearing blockages and restoring harmony. Ancient healing systems such as Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurveda associate specific musical notes with subtle-energy systems of the body, such as in yoga where particular notes of music correspond to each of the seven chakras. In Tibet, priests have long used bells and bowls over and around the body to tune and clear the energy centers. Chimes and tuning forks are other tools that have been used to heal not only the body but the energy in a room as well.
Knowing that sound has the power to heal, we should also try to remember that sounds from modern life can have a negative affect. Choosing silence over discord may help us maintain a state of equilibrium. As we seek soothing and harmonizing sounds to surround us, we may be doing more than creating a balm for the noise of the world. We may actually be performing an act of self-healing that connects us with one of the most basic vibrations of the universe."
~From Dailyom
11/20/11
11/19/11
peaceful easy feeling
Your Comfort Zone
Create a Soft Place to Land in Your Home
a Refuge from the Stress of the Day
"Our day-to-day demands can quickly take their toll on our well-being if we are not vigilant about caring for ourselves as best we can. One way we can ensure that we have an opportunity to relax and recuperate each day is to create a soft place to land when we arrive home. This landing pad, whether it is an entire room or merely a small corner of a larger area, can provide us with a safe and comforting refuge in which we can decompress and recover from the day’s stresses. There, we are enveloped in feelings of security that transcend other issues that may be unfolding in our homes. Our landing pads also act as way stations that enable us to shift our attention away from our outer-world concerns and back to our inner-world needs.
To create a soft place to land in your home, begin by scouting potential locations. Or perhaps your entire home is your landing pad in which case you may only need to declutter. Your habits can often provide you with insight into the perfect spot, as there may be an area of your home you gravitate to naturally when you are in need of comfort. Any space in which you find it easy to let go of stress and anxiety can become your landing pad. A basement or attic, spare room, or unused storage area, furnished with items that soothe you, can give you the privacy you need to unwind. If you appreciate the elements, you may find that spending time in a section of your garden or outdoor patio helps you release the day’s tensions. Preparing these spaces can be as easy as replacing clutter with a small selection of beautiful objects that put you in a relaxed frame of mind. Remember to consider noise and activity levels while choosing the site of your landing pad. If you know that ordinary human commotion will distract you from your purpose, look for a secluded spot.
The soft place to land that you create should inspire within you the mantra, “I can breath here. I can relax here. I know I am safe here.” When you return to your home after braving worldly rigors, you will feel a subtle yet tranquil shift occur inside of you as you settle in to this most personal of retreats and feel centered once again." dailyom.com
11/4/11
11/2/11
10/19/11
putting yourself first:
"Putting yourself first means that it may be necessary to say no to someone else in order to say yes to yourself. We have all heard the instructions of an airline attendant reminding us to put on our own oxygen mask before we help anyone else with theirs. This advice is often cited as a metaphor for self-care because it so accurately expresses why it is important. It seems to say, ironically, that if you can’t take care of yourself for yourself, do it for others. Few situations in our daily lives mimic the wake-up call of an airplane emergency, so it’s easy to keep putting self-care off — easy, that is, until we get sick, overwhelmed, or exhausted, and suddenly don’t have the energy to care for the people who count on us. That’s when we realize we haven’t been getting the oxygen we need to sustain ourselves. We begin to understand that taking care of ourselves is neither selfish nor indulgent; it’s just plain practical.
Putting yourself first means that it may be necessary to say no to someone else in order to say yes to yourself. For many of us, there is always something we feel we could be doing for someone else, and it helps to remember the oxygen metaphor. You can even encourage yourself by saying “I am caring for myself so that I am better able to care for others” or some other mantra that will encourage you. It also helps to remember that self-care doesn’t have to be composed of massively time-consuming acts. In fact, the best prescription for taking care of yourself is probably small, daily rituals; for example, taking one half-hour for yourself at the beginning and end of the day to meditate, journal, or just be. You might also transform the occasional daily shower or bath into a half-hour self-pampering session.
Whatever you decide, making some small gesture where you put yourself first every day will pay off in spades for you and the ones you love. The oxygen you need is all around you; sometimes you just need to be reminded to breathe."
from DailyOM
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