March 2, 2010

A Celibate Marriage: the pain and unhappiness in an era when sex sells

“We are living in a time when it seems as if sex is used to sell everything. From laundry detergent to pancakes, from make-up to hair dye, sex sells. We are inundated with it.”

I was doing a seminar on Sex, Love, and Marriage. During a break a well-dressed, pretty but nervous woman came up to [...]

February 22, 2010

Bus Story- Do You Want to Get On or Under the Bus?

This morning I had one of those weird things happen where a person speaks on a subject and then later it unfolds as if prophesized. I smiled at the man at the bus as he told the young lady to get out of the street before a bus or a car came and slid on [...]

February 21, 2010

China Impression (Chapter one: Differences Among Cities)

China Impression

Chapter One: Differences Among Cities

This Chinese New Year Season,something did surprise me.

As a rule, every year this time, I must make the trip to the hometown of my wife, where her father still lives in. What astonished me is that I could not find anybody smoke in the bus! Just last year and before, [...]

February 17, 2010

Things People do on the Bus

 Each morning I become privy to the things people do to keep themselves busy on the bus. While most of the elderly just look out the window as if glad to be alive, the rest of the passengers seem to believe that they must keep busy in order to pass the time before they get [...]

February 16, 2010

Life Should be Driven by Passion

At one a.m. I was editing chapters of a book that I have written and re-written in hopes that the agent who asked to see it could get it published. In seven hours I had to leave for an early morning office meeting and hoped that I wouldn’t slip into a nod and drift off [...]

February 15, 2010

Jesus Was A Jew

 

Jesus was a Jew. He spoke the Jewish language, lived the Jewish life, and was very active in the Jewish community. Jesus studied and learned the Old Testament in His growing years, as well as celebrated the Jewish feasts and festivals. It makes sense that Jesus would use the culture, language, and traditions [...]

February 13, 2010

The SWI Question of the Day (02-13-10)

What do you think of Body Piercing, Tattoos, and Branding?

We welcome your thoughts and comments.

February 10, 2010

The SWI Question of the Day (2-10-10)

Should Homelessness concern you/us?

We welcome your thoughts and comments.

February 8, 2010

How to get your child through school successfully - a parents guide

Chapter 7 – Dealing with Schools

For most of us dealing with the teachers and administration at our child’s school can be a difficult process.  Many of us approach this important task with needless trepidation or false conceptions.

We were once students ourselves and may have built up a habit of obeying or even expecting punishment or [...]

February 1, 2010

The SWI Question of the Day (2-1-10)

Should there be a ban on smoking – if so – in what places or areas?

We welcome your thoughts and comments.

January 30, 2010

The SWI Question of the Day (1-30-10)

Do you think their will be a cure for HIV/Aids?  What should – or could – be done to prevent it?

We welcome your thoughts and comments.

January 22, 2010

The SWI Question of the Day (1-21-10)

There have been many publicized cases of infidelity in marriages and relationships.  A defense that is sometimes used is Sex Addition.  Is this a real addiction or a rationalization/excuse when the participating parties get caught?  What are your thoughts?

January 17, 2010

Sharing the Love

The weekend is almost over. I have been editing for a few hours while my husband and friends, female as well as male, lock horns over a football game. Sports has never been my passion but I sat in the living room with them after dinner to share in what was important, our friendship. Two cups [...]

December 22, 2009

The Thing About Being Happy

Happiness used to be contagious. It used to create a spark in the people you passed if you smiled and were giving off rays of pure joy. Those whose paths you crossed would smile back and spread the joy to the next person they met. Your uncontrolled glee created a domino effect that could only [...]

December 20, 2009

Taking The First Step

My daughter Elizabeth and I attended an open house at the college she decided to attend. The dean spoke to the students and posed this riddle to them. “Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. Question: How many are left?”
We looked at each other thinking – duh – that’s pretty obvious, there’s only one left – but here is what he [...]

December 11, 2009

Christmas 1947

Christmas 1947-Alabama (Not so much unlike Christmas 2009–Alabama—same heart–same spirit)

By Angela Posey-Arnold

“What are you getting for Christmas this year, Jimmy? I think I’m getting a record player. I picked one out at Elmore’s.” Bonnie said to her friend and classmate at lunch.

Jimmy swallowed the last bite of apple, “A record player? That will be neat. [...]

December 10, 2009

Totally Gross: The Gross Food Movement

Looking for something to help wind down at the end of a hard day clogging your arteries with Monster Pies? How about the McNuggetini? This festive drink (?) consists of a chocolate milkshake mixed with vodka, rimmed with barbecue sauce, and garnished with half a chicken nugget. “Hey bar-keep! Gimme a double will [...]

December 6, 2009

Bad Habits of Others

Bad Habits of Others

by Bob Grant

 

Bad habits of others get under your skin,

The list is quite long so let me begin.

Grinding the teeth or picking the nose,

Chewing that gum or painting ones toes.

Tapping that pencil or sucking of gums,

Breaking that wind or licking of thumbs.

Belching quite loud or sucking up snot,

Scratching ones crotch or giggling [...]

December 2, 2009

Moving Forward with the Fantasy of Life

This time last year I was swimming in Christmas presents that I had purchased for my family and a few friends. I hadn’t spent that much since I am a careful shopper but I had more funds to do as I pleased. This year there is less money to spend all around and I am [...]

November 27, 2009

Health care debate and personal choices

Quoting Cassius, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves…” It’s easy to pronounce and pontificate about what “they” should do, it’s quite another little something to step to the platform, roll up our sleeves, and actually take action. Irrespective of legislation regarding “single payer” or “pre-existing conditions,” we must each make a difference in our own lives by establishing good health as a higher priority in day-to-day [...]

November 19, 2009

The Coolest Job

Like most artists I would prefer making a living from my art. For the majority of us that never happens and we have to make do with professions outside of the creative. Sometimes we get lucky and land a job we enjoy. Sometimes we land [...]

November 17, 2009

If Not in YOur Neighborhood Then Where?

 

There is a sewage treatment plant in Harlem located under a state park. When David Dinkins was Mayor the project was supposed to be built in a different area, somewhere downtown near West 72nd St. Those is that area got together and rallied against putting [...]

November 16, 2009

The Truth About Harlem

As a college student eager to explore the world outside the South I spent many winter breaks in New York City. My first was with my roommate Kaye who lived in Queens. I got to see a few of the sights and only visited Harlem once when we went to [...]

November 8, 2009

Sex in the Music, A Review

When the caller told Clint Eastwood’s character to “Play Misty for me” in the movie of the same name the audience knew what she was about. ‘ty’ as sung by the likes of the great Billy Eckstein’s deep sensual voice was one of those songs were the lyrics as well as the timing suggested having [...]

October 29, 2009

The Ridiculous side of life

The Ridiculous Side of Shop Till You Drop

Nancy Pofahl

The holiday [...]

October 26, 2009

Government List of Things that Could Kill You

Government List of Things that Could Kill You

By Alan Caruba

With the presidential announcement that H1N1, the “swine” flu, is now officially a national emergency, plus reports out of the CDC that not enough vaccine is available, I thought it might be helpful to provide a list of things that the government says could kill you.

Right [...]

October 21, 2009

Afterthoughts on the Afterlife

Long before today, the first year anniversary of my father’s death, I contemplated what happens when we die. My thoughts weren’t just about going to the light or about resting in peace. I wondered how you prepare yourself when you know your time has come.

When [...]

October 20, 2009

Giving Thanks

America’s first national Thanksgiving occurred in 1789. According to the Congressional Record for September 25th of that year, this was the first act of the Framers after completing the Bill of Rights:

Elias Boudinot said he could not think of letting the session pass without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them. [...]

October 20, 2009

Street Story: A One and Only Love

The music came from a place I couldn’t see. Had I been a contestant on that old show “Name That Tune” I would have been a winner in less than five notes. A trumpet somewhere on the upper Westside of Manhattan was beautifully playing “My One and Only Love”. It [...]

October 18, 2009

The Ridiculous Side Of Life

The Ridiculous Side Of A Pet Owning You
Nancy Pofahl

I have a cat. Or should I say, my cat has me. I am a slave to her turn-on-a-dime mood swings and iron will and insatiable but picky appetite. She is the family cat, but I am her mother. I have [...]

October 13, 2009

The Chapel Girls

My first day of Catholic high school I met Mary and Jessica (names changed) and we became fast friends.  They were very religious girls who had attended the other all black Catholic grade school in Atlanta all the way across town. Each morning we met on the bus and walked together, our books clinched to [...]

October 11, 2009

When You See Life as a Series of Moments in Time You Can Create More Positive Moments.

 

HOW I LEARNED THE PHILOSOPHY THAT LIFE IS A SERIES OF MOMENTS IN TIME.

Many years ago when I was struggling with the death and dying of my Dad our Family was blessed with a priest who would come to visit us often. Father York, a Catholic Priest, and my Dad was close friends [...]

October 7, 2009

I am outraged

People, please, can we take a breath? Let’s slow down long enough to step back from the brink and move distant from the precipice of righteous anger. Let’s put the “go-ahead-cross-this-line” bravado on the back burner long enough to hear what someone has to say before we puff up, poke our finger in his chest, and give him the piece of mind we think he [...]

October 7, 2009

Curing Depression

Carl Jung

Now here is another brain teaser for your therapist, or should I say mind teaser, the notion of curing someone with depression. Sadly, this is one of the most common causes of problems in marriages, and while we look for help from the professionals they take advantage of that vulnerability with a platform [...]

September 29, 2009

The Best Present of All

Broken down to the most basic component – your life is simply a series of moments. Each one is precious. Some may be more exciting or memorable than others, but each one is important and brings you to the next…and the next. Each is a gift, a present, crafted specifically for you and comes directly from the hand of God! If some famous person gave you a valuable gift of some kind, you’d protect, admire and appreciate it constantly. How much more should we do that with today’s [...]

September 23, 2009

Inner Quiet

The negative effects environmental noise has on your health including hearing loss, increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and increased appetite leading to weight gain are no secret. What I want to focus on today is quieting the inner noise, which is just as destructive to true health. “Internal noise” or the constant stream of self-talk that runs through your mind can greatly impact your health as [...]

September 23, 2009

Refocus

Much like reframing an old picture can give it new life, so can reframing the situations that cause us stress. According to Dr. Don Colbert, author of The Seven Pillars of Health, the term “reframing” means learning to see the past, present and future in a positive light. [...]

September 21, 2009

Prayer – Basic Mind-Body Therapy!

Did you know, prayer is the most basic mind-body therapy known to man? In fact, even though some experts are only realizing how important your spirit is to your physical health now, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, believed that the moral and spiritual aspects of a person’s life affected their health. [...]

September 21, 2009

Breathe!

You take between 18 and 26,000 breaths every day! You require 88 lbs. of oxygen daily – it is the most critical chemical in your body. Your brain alone requires 25% of the oxygen you take in. Breathing is the only bodily function which can be done either consciously or unconsciously. The average person uses only twenty percent of their lung capacity. Increasing oxygen content in all the cells of the body can produce dramatic changes in general health and mood. [...]

September 21, 2009

Let There Be…Quiet!

We are so used to being surrounded by sound some of us cannot stand to be without some type of noise – whether it’s the television or radio in the background, a CD or static and nature sounds from a “white noise” machine. If you pay attention, you’ll find there are very few (if any) places where you escape intentional sound – stores, doctor/dentist offices, restaurants, gas stations, public rest rooms – they all seem to have music piped in. [...]

September 18, 2009

Curing Alcoholism

Equality: The Quest for the Happy Marriage

If you would like to get your therapist’s head spinning ask him or her what it means to be cured and watch as your therapist struggles to answer that question.  The unfortunate reality is the psychology industry, with its biological foundation, has not yet defined what it means [...]

September 16, 2009

Eat less; extend your life

Due to the long lifespan of people and the rigors of the diet, studies of calorie restriction in humans are ongoing and have yet to show that people live longer. Nonetheless, thousands of individuals now follow calorie restriction diets, hoping to discover what Ponce de Leon did [...]

September 15, 2009

The Biggest Loser, Personal Finance, and You

I have a confession to make: I really do enjoy watching television. So imagine my happiness that NBC’s The Biggest Loser is premiering another season tonight at 8 p.m. EDT. Say what you will about the show — that it exploits overweight people, etc. — but I choose to look at it more optimistically. Essentially, [...]

September 13, 2009

Irritable….what?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a group of symptoms indicating a malfunction of the bowel. Unlike celiac disease discussed in last week’s email, this is not an autoimmune “disease.” It is a “syndrome” which means a group of symptoms, the most common of which are cramping, abdominal swelling, discomfort or pain, spastic contractions of the colon, bloating, gas, whitish mucus in the stool, diarrhea, and/or constipation. [...]

September 13, 2009

Gluten: Friend or Foe?

Celiac disease is one of the most common chronic health disorders in the western world. It is also one of the most under and mis-diagnosed. Until recently, medical schools taught that celiac disease was relatively rare and only affected about 1 in 2,500 people. Recent studies and advances in diagnosis show that at least 3 [...]

September 13, 2009

Oh, My. Candida!

While the title of this article is a play on the first few words of an old Tony Orlando song, Candida is no laughing matter. Candida albicans is a common, fungal form of yeast that lives in a moist, warm environment. It’s believed that Candida is present in at least 90% of people. It grows most commonly on the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts in our bodies. However, it can grow almost anywhere in your body and cause [...]

September 13, 2009

The Roaming Eyes

The Roaming Eyes
Did you ever have a conversation with someone who doesn’t look you in the eye? Someone whose eyes is focused somewhere else, and not on you to whom he or she is talking to. The eyes look around, looking at other people, at the things behind you, looking at who is coming and [...]

September 12, 2009

Fainting Over Fret and Fear

 Fear, Fret and Faint

By Angela Posey-Arnold

Frank Parker is under attack, literally. Nothing in his twenty five years as a news reporter has prepared him for this. An all out fear assault explodes every morning as he arrives to the local radio station to report the news. He cannot find an escape as bad news pours [...]

September 10, 2009

One Kiss

To be honest most mornings I want to throw my husband out of the window. He comes to bed late having spent the early hours on the computer with African and Asian companies, he snores like a train in need of engine work and he is retired. I wake and look over at him wanting [...]

September 9, 2009

Sex Surrogates: The “Logic” of Professional Psychologists Part 3

International Professional Surrogate Association

I am sorry to be so hard on the psychology industry but some of their practices done in the name of “science” bely belief, and I have discovered another concept ridiculous to the point of being hilarious.

Before I go into that concept I do want to discuss what had been my [...]

September 9, 2009

Someone Knows The Hamilton Heights Rapist

Terror does not always live in a vacuum. Ask any woman who lives in Harlem these days since the Hamilton Heights Rapist struck for the fourth time in less than six weeks. This time to add to the consternation  this brazen criminal raped a woman on the seventh floor of an apartment building. That means someone had [...]

September 6, 2009

When Time Stands Still

When time stands still
All you can do is ponder,
And wonder how you got to where you are.
Could you have foreseen it?
Could you have prevented it?
Will you look back in sorrow
Or consider it a blessing?
You find no answers
But only long for the day
When time resumes.

September 5, 2009

Warrior-Second Class

Wounded in battle and weathered by storms [...]

September 3, 2009

It pays to be mean

Is it a problem that negative journalism is read, viewed, discussed more than positive reporting?  Well, more viewers means more money and as a race, it would seem that we are more attracted to the negative than the positive.

Just  a few nights in front of the TV around any election will demonstrate to the viewer [...]

September 1, 2009

MEDICINA TRADICIONAL MEXICANA

Recientemente la Universidad Autónoma de México (U.N.A.M.) presentó el resultado de un esfuerzo monumental, consistente en la construcción de una enciclopedia multimedia especializada en la medicina tradicional [...]

August 28, 2009

Question: Is Marriage Dead?

Tim Kellis, author of "Equality: The Quest for the Happy Marriage"

I’m half way through my two month blog tour on relationships.  The stops have generally been both interactive and productive.  I’ve particularly like the stops where the topics were questions related to relationships.

I wanted to share one in particular, at the Long Relationships blog. [...]

August 27, 2009

Just Do It!

I spoke to my Aunt Ruthie recently. She just moved for the third or fourth time since my Theo Costa (Uncle Gus in Greek) passed away seven years ago. When I think about Aunt Ruthie a collage of memories comes to mind – she’s always been a very soft-spoken Southern [...]

August 26, 2009

Opposites Day

How often do people do things thinking they are doing something good, healthy, useful, and end up with just the opposite effect? Often, the effect is opposite to what we want because mainstream media has not been very forthcoming, for the sake of the corporations supporting it, who would prefer to keep the truth silent.

“Opposites [...]

August 20, 2009

Where’s Your Focus?

Have you been feeling a little down on yourself lately? Like “ordinary” just doesn’t even begin to describe how you see yourself? Feeling like you just are not doing anything well enough? I think we all feel that way at times. At least I will admit I do. I want to share something with you [...]

August 20, 2009

Food Sequencing

Another protocol you can try is called “food sequencing.”  The basic premise of this practice is to “layer” your meal by eating all of each food by itself and then moving on to the next food, rather than taking a bite of this and then a bite of that. Therefore, the concept says if you eat five [...]

August 20, 2009

Meal Combining for Better Digestion

There are some strategies you can try that may seem a bit “unusual” that can jumpstart your digestive health. Here is a protocol you may consider trying. Keep in mind that this works for some people and is ineffective for others. It is not harmful, so if you choose, you can try it see if you find any improvement. The only way to find out what is right for you is to experiment: try it, pay close attention to your body’s response, keep track in your journal and assess the changes. [...]

August 17, 2009

Choose Life – Part Two

Here are six simple suggestions you can easily include in your lifestyle to improve the balance of good bacteria to bad in your digestive [...]

August 17, 2009

Choose Life – Part One

The Standard American Diet (SAD), typically sugar- and junk food-rich, low in fiber and void of nutrients; overuse of drugs such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatory meds, and acid-blockers as well as sleep deprivation and chronic stress damage our ecosystem. [...]

August 12, 2009

A Letter From Your Guardian Angel

A Letter from Your Guardian Angel

 

Greetings to you, my charge, in the name of The Lord our God and Creator Who lovingly assigned me to you. I am always happy when God sends me to do something really important in your life. Great joy filled my soul last week when I intervened in the car [...]

August 11, 2009

One Size Never Fits All!

One size NEVER fits all – especially when it comes to diets! If you do a search on Amazon.com of “diet books” you get over 22,000 results! You’d think one of those must be the one that will work for you. That’s possible, of course, but even if the diet works for you at the beginning, after a while, you will need to make adjustments for any number of reasons: you age, your stress level changes, your body adapts to your exercise program, you have trouble sleeping; you develop a food sensitivity and on and on.

[...]

August 6, 2009

How to Create a Healing Atmosphere

Much is said about the importance of cleaning up your diet, eliminating junk food, drinking enough water and taking the right supplements in order to help your body heal. And those are all very important things we must pay attention to. However, there is another facet to healing that is many times overlooked and that [...]

August 6, 2009

Supplements are All the Same – Right?

Abraham and Sarah of Bible fame never took vitamins and they were able to have a child when they were both well past child-bearing age – Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90! In fact, Sarah had been barren as a young woman and unable to conceive. You can read about it in Genesis chapters [...]

August 6, 2009

The Heart of the Matter

Physically we know that heart health is critical. However, what I would like to focus on here is how central our heart is to every aspect of life. We consider the heart to be the core of our being, as in getting to the heart of a matter. We encourage others to speak and act from their heart or to follow or listen to their heart. [...]

July 27, 2009

Eternal Words

Once you speak a word, it exists forever. The laws of physics tell us that energy in the universe is never lost. It is transformed from one state to another. Sound waves never disappear. Sound is an energetic disturbance that causes a movement of particles. Because space is a vacuum with no matter, sound is unable to “travel.” Think about the implications – if we had the right equipment, voices from the beginning of time could be [...]

July 19, 2009

Are You On Autopilot? Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness

We tend to do things “mindlessly” rather than “mindfully.” You know what I mean. You can sit down with a bag of cookies and before you even realize what has happened, you’ve inhaled half the bag and barely even tasted one of them. The most precious resource God has gifted us with is time and we value other things so much more highly and waste this most valuable commodity. We have a limited amount of time and number of days on this earth. Living each to the fullest is a way of thanking God and appreciating His grace and [...]

July 10, 2009

The high price of Jackson’s fame–do you really want to dance with this woman?

The high price of Jackson’s fame–do you really want to dance with this woman?

by Bill Hazelgrove

Fame is a fickle lover. She comes and goes and seldom cooperates and is rarely faithful. Even Madonna has become tarnished by this ghost after resorting to pornography when things were really low in the nineties and since becoming a [...]

July 9, 2009

What Makes Us Happy? Harvard Knows

What Makes Us Happy? Harvard Knows

By Jack B. Rochester

Does attending Harvard make one happier? Probably not. As reported in The Atlantic magazine  cover story for June, “What Makes Us Happy,” [please try to forgive the insipid photo on the cover], a research study has been underway since 1937 to see how Harvard men [...]

July 9, 2009

Keep Moving!

Arthritis affects more than 30 million Americans, resulting in severe pain and disability. While osteoarthritis is the most common type, there are 100 other conditions, which affect joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Rheumatoid arthritis and gout are the other two most familiar types. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes the cartilage around joints to break down causing pain, stiffness and disability. As with all the major diseases, inflammation is at the root. However, the damage is accelerated by the repetitive action of certain occupations, injuries, family tendency and being overweight. [...]

July 9, 2009

Know Your Numbers?

High blood pressure is called a “silent killer” because it is painless and symptomless – until it’s too late. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in our country. There is no single action you can take that will change your life as dramatically as taking control of high blood pressure and cholesterol, which usually go [...]

July 5, 2009

Am I Ready to Start a Business? 10 personal questions to ask yourself before you commit

 

     No, we won’t begin with “Do you have a master’s degree?” Although education does matter, higher education is not a requirement for starting or succeeding in a new business. In fact, according to a 1992 United States Census Bureau report, [...]

Page 1 of 212