"If you are here because you feel sorry for me, you are wasting your time, but if you are here because your life and destiny are linked with mine, then we will make a difference..." - Elizabeth Penashue, an Innu elder
for one moment, i considered becoming a buddhist nun, though i am not a believer, not in the heirarchy- not even in the recycled spirit on a jouney of enlightenment- my way is western, maybe, rigid, true, but i am also looking, praying to live in the light.
i surfed the internet for my journey, googled 'enlightenment, america' and clicked on a link- a group of women- with british ordination into this eastern philisophical religion and they were tree huggers living on the west coast if i was so inclined. for ten minutes i read up on the ten senior nuns- ajahn 1 to ajahn 10. all were bald and beautiful and smiling-committed to purpose, set....but still, my head chattered: i bet they look better with hair
What are some signs or symptoms of right hemisphere brain damage? Cognitive-communication problems that can occur from right hemisphere damage include difficulty with the following:
attention left-side neglect memory organization orientation problem solving reasoning social communication (Pragmatics)
Attention: difficulty concentrating on a task and paying attention for more than a few minutes at a time. Doing more than one thing at a time may be difficult or impossible.
Left-side neglect: a form of attention deficit. Essentially, the individual no longer acknowledges the left side of his/her body or space. These individuals will not brush the left side of their hair, for example, or eat food on the left side of their plate, as they do not see them or look for them. Reading is also affected as the individual does not read the words on the left side of the page, starting only from the middle.
Memory: problems remembering information, such as street names or important dates, and learning new information easily.
Orientation: difficulty recalling the date, time, or place. The individual may also be disoriented to self, meaning that he/she cannot correctly recall personal information, such as birth date, age, or family names.
Organization: trouble telling a story in order,giving directions, or maintaining a topic during conversations.
Problem solving: difficulty responding appropriately to common events, such as a car breakdown or overflowing sink. Leaving the individual unsupervised may be dangerous in such cases, as he or she could cause injury to himself or herself, or others.
Reasoning: difficulty interpreting abstract language, such as metaphors, or responding to humor appropriately.
Social communication (pragmatics): problems understanding nonverbal cues and following the rules of communication (e.g., saying inappropriate things, not using facial expressions, talking at the wrong time).
i rememb er the new muppet show, though i never really watched it, living in atlanta and following bands aound the country at that point in my life, so no time for tv
but when we started talking about "phenomena" in gestalt, i immediatly heard that old muppets classic, manamana.....and i added it to the cd to represent penomena...but then i came across this bit....guess im not the only genius who thinks this way
one thing i like to do is edit poetry with other people.....its something hess does with me sometimes, though slightly hesitantly, as i pretty much put down every idea i am given...i done mean to be a curmudgeon, its more like im trying to expand my thinking and am looking for a conversation around why he would make the changes he would, and for myself, i actually enjoy the process because i know that it will definitly change how i look at my own poem....
i keep trying to figure a way to take what i am being given without defending my original work or putting down ideas, but since neither of these things are my intentions, im struggling with how to get the discussions without being offensive, because i cant take what You say it should be, instead i need You to rip apart and rewrite so i can rewrite myself....having other people critique your work is actually an important part of the process, and i am not totally sure how we forget that
i think this will be my song for the gestalt cd...
Wake up kids we got the dreamers disease Age 14 they got you down on your knees Souls polite, we're busy still saying please Friendnemies, who, when you're down ain't your friend Every night we smash their Mercedes-Benz First we run; and then we laugh till we cry But when the night is falling and you cannot find the light, light You feel your dreams are dying Hold tight
Chorus: --------- You've got the music in you Don't let go You've got the music in you One dance left This world is gonna pull through Don't give up You've got a reason to live Can't forget We only get what we give ---------
I'm coming home baby You're tops, Give it to me now
Four a.m. we ran a miracle mile we're flat broke but hey we do it in style The bad rich God's flying in for your trial But when the night is falling You cannot find a friend, friend You feel your tree is breaking Just bend
(chorus)
This whole damn world can fall apart It'll be ok, follow your heart You're in harms way I'm right behind Now say you're mine
(chorus)
Don't let go I feel the music in you,you,you YOU! Fly ....... high .......! What's real ....... can't die .......! You only get what you give Gonna get what you give Don't give up Just don't be afraid to live .......!
Health insurance rip off lying FDA big bankers buying Fake computer crashes dining Cloning while they're multiplying Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson Courtney Love, and Marilyn Manson You're all fakes Run to your mansions Come around, we'll kick your ass in!
Don't let go One dance left Don't give up Can't forget
Song of the day: you get what you give- new radicals
gestalt always brings it back to groyunding, to the breath....one of my favorite techniques as facilitator is to bring my client back to a cshared breath
....i wonder why i cant engage my therapist in this natural connection
no darkness, not on this cold night as the rounding moon shies behind no cloud- her gentle face, her light comes shining, filtered through the window pane and you, your back in knots, you roll onto your side and breathe in the clarity found only in Luna's demure gaze.
(janice and jen with pocohantas feathers at the cottage, winter wolf creek weekend)
i have to say, a gestalt weekend, followed immediatly by a wolf creek weekend is a pretty intense combination, and i am not sure how to re-enter the real world again, knowing it is a full two months til i gestalt again, and even more, four months til i see any wolf creek sisters....atleast in the natural setting (i am very good at gathering people together, and have kept in touch with many women)
i need a little more time to process in order to share anything else, though i woke up with the beginning of much poetry in my head this morning and hope i manage to capture some of it on paper sos i can share it
ok, not to be too inquizitive, but lying about getting a blow job from someone who is not your wife is impeachable, but lying to the american public in order to garner support for an unneccessary war is not impeachable?
what ever happened to priorities?
Study: False statements preceded war By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 32 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
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The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.
"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.
The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.
"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."
Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.
Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.
The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.
"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.
"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.
___
On the Net:
Center For Public Integrity: http://www.publicintegrity.org/default.aspx
Fund For Independence in Journalism: http://www.tfij.org/
there are so many different aspects and moments to the gestalt expereience...
i am really glad i have this space because i am finding it hard to hold all these different feelings of the people in my group...i want to share it with someone, so i will share it here with you
Song of the day: here comes the sun- beatles
thank you, kathy c., for this song of the light at the end of the tunnel, of hoipe and joy
ok, another gestalt contribution to mark the year point (or the nov. 2007 session)....you know, by the time i actually give out this disc, i will be sick of all the songs...so maybe once i am done putting it together, i will just put all the songs away until we meet again
Song of the day: seasons of love- from the musical 'rent'
thank you, lisa, for this song of love and memory...it opens my heart
so one way i show my love is by making tape mixes...well, CD mixes in this modern world, and for gestalt, i have gathered one song from every member, and im creating our story in music...now i know that the cd definitly will have a molly bend, and i will throw in a couple extra songs to make sense of what seems like random music
but as i learned long ago, many aspects will be hit upon in the selection ive been handed and indeed, so far ive received songs that address the natural phases of all groups (beginning, middle, endings), and others hit certain gestalt concepts (taking it back to the breathe, the resistances, developmental stages... )
this is the song that represents field theory....and the world really is just energy
Song of the day: energy- the apples in stereo
thanks tony, for this song of connection among everything
the theme of the weeekend is the "gestalt approach to development", and yesterday was more of a review for those of us already in mental health, but we were introduced to a couple of development theories that are new to me (prolly cause its difficult to make them 'evidence based' theory, which is necesarry for payment by insurance companies)
but what was most interesting is that anna freud was discussed (yeah! a chick!)and she appears to be the first to put a more gestalt bend to her thinking process
in gestalt, process is foremost important, and anna freud, instead of creating a series of linear steps (which even erikson, whose stages can remain incomplete, but still in order) anna freud created a design of four continuums that occur simultaniously (and yes, i know my spelling is atrocious) which is a fascinating idea to me... plus, tyhe state of women is currently on my mind alot (i have alot of feelings around hillary clintons campaign right now, and what it means for society to possibly have a female president)
we also learned about ken wilbers theory, which is more thematic then stage based. he has 26 facets (which really made me cringe, another 30 some things to know by hear for the assessment process?), who looks at things like sspirituality, religiousity, feelings on dewath (which us americans dont even want to think about, let alone be judged on) sexual and gender identity...like i said the list goes on....but the facilitators are creative and interesting and i am not so bored as ive been at some of the lectures recently in this program
you will have to forgive my absence, i havent felt much like talking, taking a swing inward to figure out how to create change for self....but i am finding myself interested in something new, crystalss
the intangebility of many things is difficult for me to acccept, concepts such as wisdom, my friend jim always says that if you name something, you have changes the entire meaning, and you are back at square one (a very sufi-ish way to think, i think) but its true
i dont know how electromagnetic energy works, or if i take it as truth yet, but playing with rocks definitly changes how i feel Song of the day:
Oklahoma City mayor puts city on a diet By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writer Fri Jan 4, 8:13 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY - With a button-popping spread of cornbread, sausage and gravy, chicken fried steak and pecan pie designated as Oklahoma's official state meal, it's no surprise that Oklahoma City's mayor wants to put the city on a diet. Mick Cornett has challenged the city to shed 1 million pounds as its New Year's resolution.
Prompted in part by his own struggle to lose weight, Cornett wants to end Oklahoma City's dubious distinction as one of America's fattest cities.
"The message of this obesity initiative is that we've got to watch what we eat," Cornett said Thursday. "Exercise is part of it and the city is trying to change into a city that is less sprawling, has more density and is more pedestrian friendly, but you're not really going to take on obesity unless you acknowledge that we eat too much and don't eat the right foods."
now granted, the mayor neesd to lose weight, so this idea has a selfish bend, but i still think its brilliant
As part of the initiative, residents can sign up and track their weight loss on a new Web site, http://www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com. More than 2,600 people had registered by Thursday. They've lost more than 300 pounds.
Besides a body mass index calculator, the site includes recipes and links to metro-area fitness centers. Plans call for expanding the site to include the opportunity to blog and network with other participants, Cornett said.
"It's always easier if you're doing something hard if you have other people to do it with," he said.
The mayor timed the start of the weight-loss program to the beginning of the new year, when many people begin exercise programs after holiday feasts.
Oklahoma City ranked 15th in a 2007 survey of America's fattest cities conducted by Men's Fitness magazine. The survey examined lifestyle factors in each city, including fast-food restaurants per capita and availability of city parks, gyms and bike paths.
since december 31, the city has registered about 20% of its citizens and lost 776 pounds....
how much do you think this will affect the economy in oklahome city? i wonder what percentage of people work at fast food restaurants, i wonder if doctor visits will go down, i wonder how much this city wide diet will change the entire system of this one city
i wonder where on the list cleveland falls on most obese, and what having a skinny mayor representing all us chunky folks has cost us...
Kenya death toll near 250 By Daniel Wallis and Wangui Kanina 47 minutes ago NAIROBI (Reuters) - A mob torched a Kenyan church on Tuesday, killing about 30 villagers cowering inside, as the death toll from ethnic riots triggered by President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election approached 250.
[editors note, the death toll has risen to 275 since this version of the srticle yesterday afternoon]
Fire engulfed a church near Eldoret town where hundreds of Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe had taken refuge in fear of their lives. Witnesses said charred bodies, including women and children, were strewn about the smoldering ruins.
"This is the first time in history that any group has attacked a church. We never expected the savagery to go so far," police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said.
Kibaki was sworn in on Sunday after official election results showed he narrowly beat opposition leader Raila Odinga. Both sides have accused the other of massive vote-rigging during the December 27 election. The dispute ignited long-simmering tribal rivalries in one of Africa's most stable democracies and strongest economies.
did no one learn from rwanda?
World powers called for calm and urged the political opponents to "exercise restraint" and talk to each other.
certainly the world seems to have forgotten how little calls for restrain did
Police and a senior security official said the blaze at the Kenya Assemblies of God Pentecostal church in western Kenya was deliberately started by a gang of youths.
Television pictures shot from a helicopter showed plumes of white smoke pouring from burning homesteads in the area. Young men, some toting bows and arrows, manned roadblocks.
truly, rwanda all over again, with people running the streets with machettes
Residents and a security source said the victims had sought safety at the small church, about 8 km (5 miles) from Eldoret.
too bad the church wasnt owned by white people, they may have survived id that was the case (pleas ehear my sarcasm)
"Some youths came to the church," said a local reporter from the scene. "They fought with the boys who were guarding it, but they were overpowered and the youths set fire to the church."
they keep talking about boys, where are all the men? what role does hiv play in children being in charge, if any
Local media said 20 people suffered life-threatening burns.
The attack revived traumatic memories in east Africa of the slaughter in churches of tens of thousands of victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide, and the mass suicide of hundreds of Ugandan cult members in a church fire in 2000.
well, i dont know about the cult thing, but im not the only one who sees rwanda in this
Police said more than 70,000 people had been displaced nationwide and about 170 killed. Reuters reporters around Kenya estimated the death toll at around 250.
Leading local newspaper, the Daily Nation, feared the country was on "the verge of a complete meltdown." Fuel prices rose sharply in Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi, all of which get petrol, diesel and other products from Kenyan ports.
and it will destabalize the entire region since it involves oil....
THOUSANDS FLEE
Police were out in force in the capital on New Year's Day and Nairobi's streets were initially quieter, before violence erupted in the slums again as dusk fell.
Ghana's President John Kufor, the chairman of the African Union (AU), is due in Kenya on Wednesday to meet Kibaki and "discuss the current crisis," an AU spokesman said.
Washington had first congratulated Kibaki, then switched to expressing "concerns about irregularities." Former colonial power Britain, the European Union and others pointedly avoided congratulating Kibaki. Instead, they expressed concern, urged reconciliation and a probe into suspected voting irregularities.
leave it to our president to speak before researching the situation
[snip] The Eldoret area where the church massacre took place is multi-ethnic but traditionally dominated by the Kalenjin tribe.
It suffered ethnic violence in 1992 and 1997 when hundreds of mainly Kikuyus were killed and thousands more displaced.
A senior security official in Rift Valley said that as many as 15,000 people were now sheltering from the violence in churches and police stations in Eldoret.
He blamed the opposition for incitement.
"We have lived together for years, we've intermarried, we have children, but now they've asked them to turn against them," the security official said. "We don't do this in Kenya. It is what happens in Yugoslavia and Sudan."
yes, blame the opposition, since it only takes one to tango, right
