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One of the hardest things to do is reset your financial blueprint when you have been raised to think that the root of all evil is money. You feel it is a conflict of moral character to make a large sum of money as this would mean you are inherently evil. I’m not sure where this comes from but I suspect it is misquoted from the Bible which states that the “Love of money” is the root of evil. So challenged with this dilemma, what does a person do to reset their belief system?

The first thing is to identify the thoughts and beliefs that keep you from making more money or enjoying the money you have. The second thing is to find evidence to break the old habits and beliefs and evidence to support what you would like to believe. While some self help guru’s tell you to simply reinforce what you want to happen with affirmations, many have found that until you break down the old untrue beliefs that you tend to hang onto from childhood, and those affirmations make you feel worse and not better. It’s hard to tell yourself something contrary to a belief so you must seek the truth so you don’t hold onto that which is not true.

I’ve read all the comments about Twitter and Facebook, My Space and numerous other start-up social networks about how great they are and wonderful to be a part of. But what I have found them to be are major time killers for those who use them. I do know people who do a great job of managing one or two of these and limit their time but I know a lot more who are on one or more of these social networks everyday all day an allow themselves to get sucked in and nothing else gets done.

I hired a professional writer who swore that my assignments took way more time than I said they would. What I discovered from some mutual friends she was constantly stopping to check and write on her Facebook page so what would take me thirty minutes to research and write was taking her half a day. It didn’t surprise me when I found out she was having trouble making a living as a writer and meeting her deadlines. If she would keep a journal and log the time she is wasting on these social networks she would discover they are on-line time killers!

I have read several accounts this week stating that newspapers are dead and that paper in general is dieing out with the invention of gadgets like the Kindle, etc. Though I like the Kindle and have read with one, there is still nothing like the feel of a book in my hands. If paper is dieing out then that means eventually there would be no more books and I think that would be a sad day.

The other thing I love to do is write and I admit I use the computer more times than not. However, there are times that writing something on a computer is not the same as writing it on paper. Composing a poem seems unimaginable on a computer since the scribbles and pauses you see on paper are somehow a part of the artistry of the poem. I am having a hard time thinking paper will one day be a thing of the past since I rely on it daily to write notes to the ones I love as well as to remind me of what I need to do. Life without paper would mean life without a pen as well and I’m just not willing to go that far; at least for now.

If you have ever studied history you may have noticed that the politicians of the day always seem to manipulate the masses and I see very little difference in today’s mass media hype political machine. To get a good sense of how this has been working from the beginning, read Kenneth C. Davis’ book, America‘s Hidden History. Mr. Davis has dug up some real gems to illustrate how the leaders and media of that time manipulated the people for both good and bad purposes.

I don’t remember who said this but it makes a world of since to me today, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” If we continue to allow others to form our opinions without us understanding the mechanics of how we are prone to being manipulated then we are a part of the problem and not the solution. This has nothing to do with what political party you are associated with and everything to do with making up your own mind without the hype and drama that today’s political arena brings into our lives. If we expect to keep our freedoms and maintain our lifestyles then we must understand how not to be manipulated by the right or left. I believe this is why we have found so many Americans these days migrating to the center Independent position. I only hope that politicians are watching because Independents don’t care what side of the isle you are on; they just want correct action.

It’s been about five years ago that I reached down to pick up a towel off the floor and stayed in that position for longer than I thought imaginable. I have gone through several physical therapy treatments and chiropractors since then as well as a daily exercise routine that I do religiously twice a day and as much yoga as I can stand at one time. Slowly, I have gotten better over time but it has taken work, some pain medication and patience. So this spring when my hip started hurting as well, I just wanted to throw in the towel.

I was expressing my frustration to a friend of mine and he recommended a chiropractor in our neighborhood that I had never heard of. My friend told me he was different from anyone he had seen before and was helped when he was giving up. What did I have to lose; so I went to see Dr. John Olsen. It was a very small chiropractic office but I got very big results for my hip and back. Dr. John is a quite man on a mission to help those in pain manage their pain and live a great life. It didn’t happen overnight and he said it wouldn’t but day by day and week by week, I got better results than I have ever gotten before. I didn’t need a Dr. with the latest technology or machines; I needed a chiropractor who cared enough to listen to my body and interpret what it was saying. Thanks you Dr. John!

I wonder if anyone is paying attention especially the Republicans in congress. I keep hearing the fears of ending up with socialized medicine but we are already there. In fact, we’ve had socialized medicine for a long time! It’s called the Emergency Room. Hospitals are well aware of the cost as well since they are the ones that supposedly bare the cost. Well, if you were a “for profit business” and had to provide services to a sector of clients who could not pay you how would you make up for that cost? You charge everybody else more!

Hmmm… Let’s make sure I understand this, we are all paying the hospitals (thus insurance premiums) more for our services in order to cover the cost of those who either cannot, or choose not to have health insurance. So in essence, we are already paying for their care which means we are paying for everybody to receive medical care; i.e. socialized medicine! We’ve been doing this ever since hospitals changed from non profit entities to for profit businesses. There may be other arguments but the one against having a socialized health system does not hold water.

I live in an older urban neighborhood with fairly small urban lots with a mix of older homes with second generation families as well as brand new homes that are historical replicas from the thirties and forties with all the modern updates for energy. It has been a great neighborhood with wonderful people that we have made friends with over the last few years. However, recently a family moved into our neighborhood with twenty two dogs between the outside and inside of their home and you can’t sneak into a neighborhood with that many dogs! You also cannot hide the fact that they are chained up on short chains, skinny as can be with sores from flies, fleas and ticks on their ears and faces.

Within a very short time, this quiet little piece of the world has been turned upside down with noise, stink and frustration from our new neighbors dogs. The dog pound has been out to see them at least once a week and they have been given citations though we’re not sure what for because the noise, smell and treatment do not stop. None of us are animal haters as we all have our own sets of dogs and cats; it’s just crazy to have 22 dogs in a home that is less than 1500 sq feet with a yard that is just as small! We do not have an ASPCA in our city and there is no where to turn outside of our local dog pound and humane society but there should be laws against anyone having these many animals in an urban area.

Are you being pressured at work to meet deadlines and goals that seem almost impossible? This kind of situation happening more and more because of the downturn in the economy. Workers and managers are expected to be more productive with less resources and time. And, there’s no doubt that a productive employee who performs under this kind of pressure, is going to be the one that advances. This presents a true dilemma. How can you become a star at work without burning out completely?

Research has shown that workers can immerse themselves in tasks and stay balanced. But there’s a catch. You can remain healthy as long as they take breaks and have outside interests. So, if you are logging in six-day weeks, you probably won’t burnout if you make sure you take a three-day weekend here and there. If you are a diligent worker, you are probably going to have to push yourself to take time off. You are going to have to fight against the desire to give of your time obsessively. But if you don’t control your time it will end up controlling you. In fact, the The Mayo Clinic lists “lack of control” as a major contributor to job burn out. Take the reigns and make sure you find ways to detach from the demands of work. No excuses.

Daniel Vitkus’s purpose for writing this journal, Madness and Misogyny in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, is to explore the complex relationship in the text between its counter -cultural message, its male myths of initiation and sacrifice, and its representation of male naturalness. In order to theorize and contextualize his work, Vitkus begins by referencing Foucault’s work (Madness and Civilization) which talks about modern men and madmen. Foucault suggests that modern men are actually the insane people because they judge the madmen due to their inconformity to the set standards of normalcy.

By referencing Focault, Vitkus is able to convey a sense of alienation and confinement that Kesey explores through the eyes of Chief Bromden. The male myth that Vitkus refers to is the American heroic figure. He expounds on how McMurphy falls into this category. He often refers to him as the “savior” of Chief Bromden and other men in the ward; he gives ample examples of why the men in the ward see him in this manner. Vitkus states that Kesey’s construction of nature and naturalness is clearly gendered in terms of a male strength and sexuality which he places in opposition to female power.