The Healing Waters: 08/01/2010

22 August 2010

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 22 Aug 2010

*** Check out news, political opinion, political humor and funny cartoons, recipes, science news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

From Denny: I tell ya, this summer heat index of 116 degrees Fahrenheit, along with the WikiLeaks nutjob child who thinks he's stalking me on this blog, you know it's a full moon out tonight. This poor kid has scrambled eggs for brains, taking a second and third run at me.

Guess it's time to go ahead and do another WikiLeaks post to explain to him and his silly little friends living in some gaming fantasy world in their heads that real life is not a computer game. It's much more serious because the people who are stalking them are out for a lot more than winning their props as a gamer.

As far as posts go I did manage to find some interesting health and science news and had some fun with some photo posts too. Take a look.

The Social Poets:

BP Screws Over Gulf Residents With New Claims Restrictions - BP continues to play the shell game of moving the pea with misdirection and sleight of hand, with the definition of "legitimate claims" an elusive target to hit for residents.

Economy, Afghan War, America, World Politics Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - This week's political opinion delivered through the national cartoonists.

Obama Family Photos and New Michelle Obama Portrait Unveiled - Enjoy the new First Lady portrait and a few other well done photographs of the First Family.

Scumbag WikiLeaks Founder Assange Charged With Rape in Sweden - Sweden charges WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, with rape and molestation.

Poetess Defies, Shocks Saudi Arabia - A brave woman in the Middle East dares to criticize her religion and her culture - through a live TV national poetry competition, the Arab world version of American Idol.

Funny Back to School Quotes and Cartoons - Cheeky Quote Day 18 Aug 2010 - Get a grin at some great cartoons and funny quotes about parents' favorite time of the year: when the kids go back to school.

Funny Video: Truth Is Bush Tax Cuts Are 30 Percent Of Our Deficit

Roundup of Late Night Funnies - 16 Aug 2010 - Check out this week's funny late night jokes and latest cartoons lampooning politics to American culture, with a funny side dish of funny video clips thrown in to keep you grinning.

Funny Video: Newt Gingrich Mocked by Colbert For Lack of Morals - Check out Colbert as he mocks the amoral Gingrich trying to make a political comeback for President.

The Healing Waters:

Lonely people: Under More Pressure Have Higher Blood Pressure - Be aware of how loneliness can impact your daily health.

How Can You Predict The Strength of Your Relationship? - Check out the latest study and new test devised to help you predict the strength of your relationship.

The Soul Calendar:

Check Out NASA Images of Devastating Pakistan Floods - These aerial view flood images of the entire country of Pakistan are mind-boggling in their scope of how the monsoon flooding is affecting the lives of millions.

New Tomb Uncovered in Egypt With Colorful Art - The fun side of archaeology is what you find in pristine condition after thousands of years.

Dennys Funny Quotes:

Funny Odd Hunh?! Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - Check out this week's grinners to soothe your work week stress.

25 Ridiculously Funny Celebrity Duck Face Photos - Laugh at celebrities posing for the camera, mocking sexy.

Dennys Food and Recipes:

4 Casseroles 4 School Night Dinners: Chicken, Tex Mex, Tamale, Shepherds Pie - Check out some family favorites, easy and quick to cook - and nutritious.

Muffin Monday: 5 Yummy Breakfast Muffins - Skip the coffee shop muffin, make your own, save some money and save a whole lot of calories too.

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:

7 Quotes: Defining Joy in Our Lives - 7 quotes to consider about how we live our joy.

Visual Insights:

Raucous Tea Party Republicans Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists are lampooning about the Tea Party and the Republican idea of politics this time!

Dennys Photo Gallery: Beautiful Yummy Artichokes and 11 Recipes

Arts: Whimsical Fiber Artist Ed Bing Lee - This fiber artist has a sense of the whimsy while he explores new ways to use simple knotting techniques to develop his art.

*** Coffee cup from Brazil photo by Quoquo at flickr

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

19 August 2010

How Can You Predict The Strength of Your Relationship?

*** Check out the latest study and new test devised to help you predict the strength of your relationship.

From Denny: Leave it up to medical researchers to figure out a test that can tell us when to make a fast exit out of a relationship. The things these guys study... :)

Researchers believe they have devised a test that can tell if a relationship can hold together or fall apart. They think they can predict the strength of a relationship.

Human relationships experience a lot of emotional pain and it seems we are forever looking for that pain avoidance - at least in American culture. Well, what if we did know exactly when it was a good idea to exit that romantic relationship? Figuring out whether to break up or stay together is often a wrenching decision for most people. So, what if science has figured out a way to make the process easier?

The University of Rochester researchers who did this study, and devised the test, say it involves discovering what people really think and feel about their partners. That sounds simple enough.

Turns out that previous studies found people were very reluctant, even unable to express their true feelings about their partners. Ronald D. Rogge, coauthor of this study, says, "That assumes that they know themselves how happy they are, and that's not always the case."

So, Rogge and his team decided on a test where volunteers supplied their partner's first name and then two other words that related to that partner, like an affectionate pet name or perhaps a distinctive characteristic. Then the volunteers were asked to watch a monitor as words were presented on the screens. Positive ideas were displayed like "vacation" and "peace" also paired with the partner-related words. Then bad ideas, negative connotations, like "tragedy" and "criticize" were paired with the partner-related words.

The volunteers watching the monitors were then asked to press a bar when they saw various words. One test featured the negative connotation words and partner-related words and another test involved the positive pairings. Researchers hoped to get people to automatically react to the words.

What researchers found is that if people generally had good associations with their partners they would definitely perform the "good words" positive connotations task easier than the "bad words" task.

Researchers also discovered in this test that those who associated bad words with their partners, had greater difficulty associating their partner with good words, well, these people were far more likely to separate their relationship during the next year.

Sometimes, the indirect approach works better with uncovering what is difficult to express. When asked directly people often feel pressured to give the appropriate societal response as opposed to how they really feel about their partner. This test would be useful for therapists when clients are unwilling or fearful to divulge their true feelings about their partner. It also helps to pinpoint the nature of the relationship problem.

From the study: "In deteriorating relationships, the negative associations people begin to form about their partner may be too subtle or threatening for them to recognize in themselves or too socially undesirable for them to report to others."

The study was in the journal Psychological Science.

*** Photo by Kjunstorms @ flickr

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

17 August 2010

Lonely people: Under More Pressure Have Higher Blood Pressure

*** Be aware of how loneliness can impact your daily health.

From Denny: The "geniuses" in the medical community have finally figured out the obvious - that loneliness and social isolation can cause more than severe tearing on the psyche. It also affects blood pressure.

The study was done at the University of Chicago. Researchers surveyed 229 people ages 50 to 68. These respondents were part of the Chicago Health, Aging and Social Relations Study. This was a multi-year study cutting across racial and ethnic boundaries as well as gender to include white, black and Latino men and women.

Those surveyed were asked to rate their feelings about various statements, for example:

"I lack companionship"
"I feel in tune with the people around me"
"My social relationships are superficial"

The study also recorded other details like smoking status, physical activity levels, body mass index and cardiovascular health to see how it might impact the survey results. Those surveyed were monitored for five years.

What did researchers discover about the link of loneliness to higher blood pressure? They found out that those who ranked the highest for feeling the most lonely had blood pressure levels as much as 14.4 points higher than those surveyed who felt least lonely.

Another startling fact of concern is that those surveyed who had the higher levels of loneliness when they started the study found their systolic blood pressure increased over the years of the study.

Need a definition of what is systolic blood pressure? Check out what eMedTV says: "Systolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure that blood exerts on vessels while the heart is beating. In a blood pressure reading (such as 120/80), it is the number on the top. If the top and bottom blood pressures are both too high, a person is said to have high blood pressure. If only the top number is higher than 140, the person has a condition called isolated systolic hypertension."

Researchers also found that even when they factored in other details like age, race, ethnicity, gender, cardiovascular risk factors and depression - their findings held true. Lonely people find their blood pressure higher than others feeling less lonely.

The study appeared in the journal Psychology and Aging.

This is where having a pet and/or a regular social routine is helpful to manage stress. Be sure to see your doctor and a nutritionist if you are suffering feelings of loneliness and/or depression.

Many times, depression and low feelings are a result of an improper diet. Many people with active nervous systems - like creative people - need higher levels of B vitamins. It is often that simple to start feeling better and more sociable.

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

15 August 2010

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 15 Aug 2010

*** Check out news, political opinion - serious and funny cartoons, recipes, science news, health news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

From Denny: These are all the posts I managed to get out this week while suffering through all this crazy summer heat and humidity. This summer Louisiana didn't have the usual whiners' bragging rights about the summer heat. The rest of America got to "share" - and a lot of the world too! :)

One bit of good news: Prez Obama is thinking of lifting the oil moratorium here on the Gulf coast. Uh, yeah, put 300,000 people back to work would be helpful for this economy - not to mention the rest of America would appreciate not having their fuel prices skyrocket this winter from a low supply.

Earth to White House: It sure would be great if you would lift this moratorium immediately - and gift it to Congressman Charlie Melancon to announce it. Lifting the moratorium would help Melancon win in November against Whore House Vitter, a complete embarrassment as a senator from Louisiana. Louisiana is all a twitter and excited about getting back to work - so make it happen, Mr. Prez, and it would be much appreciated.

And to my StumbleUpon friends: Now isn't one silly email a whole lot less annoying than a bunch of "shares"? :)

The Social Poets:

Obama Blasted for Saying Religious Tolerance OK in America - Republicans try to turn the Constitution into an issue for the November elections - now they are against religious freedom for anyone not Christian.

America and World Politics Cartoons - 14 Aug 2010 - Check out the latest opinions on the economy, the November elections, the building of a mosque on Ground Zero in New York City and education in America now that budget cuts have arrived.

Obama Sends Thousands More Jobs Out of America: Mexico - Prez Obama tricked by GM to send thousands of jobs out of America and to Mexico.

Doctor Says Kids Suffer More From Gulf Oil Spill - Check out the long term impact this BP oil spill has on America's children in the Gulf region.

How Male Journalists Fight: Whiz All Over Each Other - American male journalists in the Democratic Party and the White House fuss and fight each other while the public is frustrated about the economy.

Earth to White House: Why You Are Getting Criticized - The White House is complaining it is not appreciated enough for what it has done. Here's why fellow Democrats are angry with the President.

Funny Video: Colbert Reveals Master Plan to Ruin Gay Marriage

Funny Video: Jon Stewart Comments on Gay Marriage - Californigaytion

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 8 Aug 2010 - Check out news, political opinion - serious and funny cartoons, recipes, science news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

The Soul Calendar:

BP Oil Spill and Global Warming Cartoons - 14 Aug 2010 - The BP oil spill continues in the news as they try to squirm out of paying for the error of their arrogant ways.

Check Out Spectacular August Perseid Meteor Showers - Look up in the middle of the night to see as many as 100 shooting stars above your head for a spectacular show brought to you by the Universe!

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:

How Is Your Aim In Life? - How high - or how limited - are your goals in Life?

Friendship Quote: When Friends First Meet and Connect - How friendships begin and can last a life time.

The Healing Waters:

Want Others To Think You Sexy? Wear Red - How the color of red figures into our sexual preferences.

How Funny: Your Belly Button Key to Athletic Success - Check out your body type to know which sport is easier for you to excel.

Dennys Funny Quotes:

Hunh?! Cartoons - 14 Aug 2010 - Check out this week's great cartoonists and how funny everyday life can be.

Palin Memory Fails, Writes on Her Hand: Again - Strange Sarah Palin does it again and again: writes on her hand like it's an 8th grade math test for answers to cheat the test.

Weird News: Oregon Authorities Shut Down Girls Lemonade Stand - Local Oregon government looked like jerks shutting down the all American lemonade stand because the little girl didn't own a food handler's license that only adults can purchase.

Weird News: Woman Smashes McDonalds For Not Having Her Order - Check out this weird news of the day - what happens when McDonald's doesn't have what an enraged customer wants on the breakfast menu.

Funny News: 100 Year Old Scotch Whiskey Thaws Out to Drink - Strange but true: check out this funny news of the day.

Dennys People Watching:

Meet New Baby Elephant at Vienna Zoo: Big Ears - The naming process is in full swing for this one week old baby elephant born to a Vienna, Austria zoo. Vote online for your choice.

Dennys Food and Recipes:

Chef Recipe: Seared Grouper with Crawfish, Bacon Risotto, Softshell Crab - Louisiana chefs celebrate fabulous new recipes in local food and wine competition.

Easy Slow Cooker Recipe: Macaroni Chili Cheese Casserole - For back to school busy try this simple recipe for a slow cooker the whole family is sure to enjoy.

Cake Tuesday: Buttermilk Fudge Cake With Chocolate Gloss Icing - Make a stunning tasty chocolate cake to entertain your sweet tooth.

4 Easy Summer Dishes When Its Just Too Hot to Cook - Try some easy and quick summer recipes to beat the crazy heat - and avoiding cooking with any heat.

Visual Insights:

Tea Party, Republican, Gay Marriage Cartoons - 14 Aug 2010 - Check out the usual amusing rantings from the far-right-gone-over-the-edge-crazy.

*** Coffee photo by Quoquo @ flickr

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

12 August 2010

How Funny: Your Belly Button Key to Athletic Success

*** Check out your body type to know which sport is easier for you to excel.

From Denny: This was an odd news story. Studying sports seems to be a never ending fascination, especially for coaches who are always trying to figure out how to make athletes better. Turns out there are some observations that help determine an athlete's greater success in a particular sport: where their belly button is located. Where your center of gravity is located really does determine your athletic success.

I told you this was an odd story. :) Seriously though, what was found is that a person with a physique of a long torso and shorter legs was better at swimming. A person with a shorter torso and longer legs was better at running.

Best swimmers: long torso (low center of gravity), usually European origin

Best runners: short torso, long legs (high center of gravity), usually African origin

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

11 August 2010

Want Others To Think You Sexy? Wear Red

*** How the color of red figures into our sexual preferences.

From Denny: This University of Rochester study says that women found men more desirable if they wore red. OK, guys, want to attract women? Wear red! :)

Red is considered the color of success and strong vitality, especially sexual vitality. It's also the psychological color of confidence. Most women want men who are viral and confident as mates.

Of course, the color complement to red is the opposite on the color wheel: green. A little green in your wallet should help the relationship along too.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

08 August 2010

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 8 Aug 2010

*** Check out news, political opinion - serious and funny cartoons, recipes, science news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

From Denny: This week I was forced "off the grid" on two different days. Monday and to noon Tuesday my server was off line - which is rare - but when it happens on a Monday I always figure there was an obnoxious computer virus attack. Then again on Thursday we had some seriously severe thunderstorms in our area for the day, lots of intense lightning which we never used to see until this year. Even my outdoor cats made a run for inside the house with a "Make way, lady, we're running in full speed: incoming!"

Well, I made good use of the "snail time" and read some "snail books" - quite the treat when normally I'm fast paced and hard-charging. I might try this "off the grid" vacation a bit more often as it was enjoyable! Anyway, I wasn't able to publish all that I wanted to this week and will see what I can do to get caught up for you. Thanks for your continued support, much appreciated! :)

The Social Poets:

Cartoons: American Economy, Immigration, Iraq and Afghan Wars - 7 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists think this week about the smoke and mirrors going on in politics and the Afghan and Iraq Wars.

Vision of The Gardener Prophet poem - Libations Friday 6 Aug 2010 - 2012 begins early. Check out a poem of prophecy warning humanity.

What Is Prez Obama Really Thinking? Watch His Hands As He Talks - Our body language reveals much about our thoughts, telegraphing it to others if only we learn the language and how to read it.

Is The Oil Spill Really Gone in the Gulf, More Smoke And Mirrors From BP? - *** More bizarre reports from the BP and government corners trying to end the the politics about the Gulf oil spill, when all they did was stir up a hornet's nest of criticism and anger.

Speaker Pelosi Champions Unemployed, Orders House Back From Vacation - *** Speaker Pelosi relentlessly drives hard to pass two important bills: keep teachers in the classrooms and hire the unemployed out of work for two years.

Roundup of Late Night Funnies - 2 Aug 2010 - *** Check out jokes from the late night comedians about American society, funny videos from Colbert and Stewart and a few of the newest political cartoons.

Funny Video: Jon Stewart Mocks Media For Sorry WikiLeaks Reaction - *** Check out Jon Stewart as he rips to shreds, in fine mocking style, the not so stealthy WikiLeaks leaker.

Funny Video: Colberts Live Tony Hayward Cam Tracking His Slow Resignation - *** Check out Colbert's reaction to BP finally - OK, temporarily - plugging the Gulf oil leak. The best news yet is the slow motion firing of BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 1 Aug 2010 - ** Check out news, political opinion - serious and funny cartoons, recipes, science and health news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

The Soul Calendar:

BP Oil Spill and WikiLeaks Spill Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists were lampooning this week, skewering BP for the Gulf oil spill and the WikiLeaks documents spill.

How Northern Lights Are Created By Sun Flares - Check out 3 video clips of the solar flares and magnetic filament in action as they create the Northern Lights on Earth.

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:

2012: What Will Happen to Earth and Us? - What you can do to ensure your safety and survival as geologic time rapidly changes - and the resulting paradigm shift of humanity - is in the process of occurring.

Dennys Funny Quotes:

Hunh?! Just Plain Bizarre Funny Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010

Funny Video: BP Creates Rich Fish in Gulf Oil Spill - Mocking BP: An idiot public relations BP talking head points out the up side to the oil leak: the fish are rich!

Murphys 15 Laws About Sex - Yet another funny list joke making the rounds.

Funny Legal News Story: The Case of a Contraceptives Miss-taken Use - Laugh at this funny use for a contraceptive that exemplifies the kind of humorous cases found in our court systems every day sure to amuse us!

Funny Video: Colberts Sound Advice on How to Get a Job - Bad economy? No problem. Comic Stephen Colbert to the employment rescue to help you land that all important life-changing job.

Funny Video: Surfing Group Known as The Radical Rodents - Laugh at these funny talented rodents surfing the waves in Australia.

Dennys People Watching:

Ethics Investigations in Congress Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists had to say this week about political corruption and the Speaker's promise to drain The Swamp. Washington, D.C. sits on a literal swamp so it's natural to get a few rats running around the place.

Dennys Food and Recipes:

Chef Bergeron Appetizer: Zucchini Cakes With Unusual Garlic Dill Sour Cream Mayo Sauce - Check out a simple veggie recipe that can be an appetizer or served as an entree, your choice. And what an unusual outstanding yummy sauce.

Cake Tuesday: Italian Cream Cake - One of my favorite cakes to order a slice for dessert when we dine out - and also an easy cake to make at home!

Muffin Monday: Coconut Muffins - Check out this simple easy recipe and enjoy a sweet breakfast or afternoon snack.

Visual Insights:

Gay Marriage and Society Cartoons - 7 Aug 2010 - The more things change, the more they remain the same. As gays battle for their right to marry, soon they discover the same marital experiences as everyone else. Check out the cartoonists this week.

Funny Photos: How Your Brain Can Be Fooled - Funny photos that prove how easy it is to fool your brain into interpreting a photo to mean something other than is actually true.

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

01 August 2010

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 1 Aug 2010

*** Check out news, political opinion - serious and funny cartoons, recipes, science and health news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.