In the November midterm elections of 2006, the Democrats scored a net gain of seats in Congress even though they did not hold the office of President.
In the November midterm elections of 2010, the Republicans scored a net gain of seats in Congress even though they did not hold the office of President.
This trend has been historically true since World War II, when Republicans picked up seats under Democratic Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Carter, Clinton and Obama. Similarly, under Republican Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I and Bush II, Democrats gained seats.
This historical fact tends to indicate that the American people are dissatisfied with the federal government and apparently don't want whatever party is in power in the White House to also be in control of Congress.
The following "Never-to-be-Forgotten Principles of Government," by former Libertarian Presidential candidate Harry Browne (his comments in quotes, plus my elaborations) may reflect the underlying causes of this phenomenon.
1) Government is force.
"Every government program or regulation is a demand that someone do what he doesn't want to do, refrain from doing what he does want to do, or pay for something he doesn't want to pay for." Harry Browne
All too often, this force is used against those who have not intruded on anyone else's person or property.
2) Government is politics.
"Whenever you turn over to the government a financial, social, medical, military, or commercial matter, it's automatically transformed into a political issue; to be decided by those with the most political influence." Harry Browne
Politicians act mainly in terms of political favoritism, rather than in terms of the ultimate benefit to society.
3) You don't control government.
"No law will be written the way you have in mind, it won't be administered in the way you have in mind, and it won't be adjudicated the way you have in mind." Harry Browne
While the purpose of laws may embrace noble intentions, they are written by politicians for political purposes, administered by bureaucrats for political purposes and adjudicated by judges appointed for political purposes.
4) Every government program will be more expensive and more expansive than anything you had in mind when you proposed it.
"It will be applied in all sorts of ways you never dreamed of." Harry Browne
When Medicare was first created in 1965, the politicians projected the cost in 1992 would be $3 billion. The actual cost in 1992 was $110 billion. The same politicians have driven this country into a $14 trillion national debt.
5) Power will always be misused.
"Give good people the power to do good and that power eventually will be in the hands of bad people to do bad." Harry Browne
A power base attracts those who seek to promote self-interests and control others. The more power they have, the more control they have and the more havoc they can inflict. The only way to prevent it is to limit the power of government in the first place. Giving power to politicians is like giving a bottle of gin to chimpanzees.
6) Government doesn't work.
"Because government is a force, because government programs are designed to enrich the politically powerful, because every new government program soon wanders from its original purpose, and because politicians eventually misuse the power you give them, it's inevitable that no government program will deliver on the promises the politicians make for it." Harry Browne
Government programs almost always cost more than it would cost in the private sector, often have adverse side-effects, usually have disappointing results and create vast bureaucracies that outlive their usefulness.
7) Government must be subject to absolute limits.
"Because politicians have every incentive to expand government, and with it their power, there must be absolute limits on government." Harry Browne
These limits are already provided for in the Constitution where the primary freedom it guarantees is freedom from excessive government. The Founding Fathers were aware government was the problem, not the solution. Unfortunately, we've strayed far from the original intent based on individual freedom and individual responsibility.
Freedom is never free.
Governments with too much power, in the wrong hands, become instruments of evil.
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Quote for the Day -- "Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good." Thomas Sowell
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Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Road to Toluca Lake
At age 30, I left the harsh Minnesota winters for the land of fruits and nuts. I soon found a job as a senior systems analyst for a large computer complex near downtown Los Angeles and rented a house on stilts in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Universal Studios in the San Fernando Valley.
Six months later, I found a better job at a small computer software company next door to Warner Brothers studios. My office was officially in Los Angeles and the movie studio was officially in Burbank, both bordering the tiny community called Toluca Lake -- a small, quaint area within the Los Angeles metropolis.
Soon I begin looking for a house to purchase. One day I spotted an ad about a fixer with a pool, within my price range, that was “less than 20 blocks from Bob Hope.” I didn’t know it at the time but the real estate agents in the area used Bob Hope as a point of reference – the closer to Bob Hope’s house, the more exclusive the property. In real estate, location is everything. Apparently, this particular real estate agent had a sense of humor.
I bought the house. The pool was basically a swamp and cost several thousand dollars to get back into shape. Every day I drove to work, I passed by Bob Hope’s estate which was a couple of acres surrounded by high walls. I was told he had his own golf hole in the backyard – about a nine-iron shot.
Not long thereafter, I married. We sold the house and bought a yacht. We lived on the yacht for six months, then sold it and bought a condo in Sherman Oaks. Next we sold the condo and rented an A-frame in Topanga. Then it was time to buy another house. This time, we found one in an area real estate agents refer to as Toluca Woods, south of Cahuenga Boulevard and north of Riverside Drive, "within 10 blocks of Bob Hope."
It was a nice area. William Holden once owned the house at the end of the block. My wife and I often dined at the local hangouts where we would bump into some of the more famous Toluca Lake residents such as Jonathon Winters and Andy Griffith. The fellow I worked for was a member of Lakeside Country Club in Toluca Lake, Bob Hope’s home course. I played a few rounds of golf and occasionally lunched there.
Then we divorced. My wife, bless her heart, kept the Toluca Woods house and I moved back into the Hollywood Hills. Oddly enough, I rented a place on the very same street, a little further uphill, as the house on stilts I had rented when I first moved to Los Angeles. Back to square one once again.
Anyway, that’s my Bob Hope story. I never met him, or even saw him, yet he seemed to have an impact on my life.
Leslie Towne Hope was born in Eltham, England on May 29, 1903. His father was an English stonemason and his mother an aspiring Welch concert singer. In 1907, Leslie’s father moved the family to Cleveland, Ohio. By way of his father’s naturalization, Leslie became known as “Bob.” In 1920, Bob and his brothers became U.S. citizens.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Bob Hope was a star of radio, television and the films. He and crooner Bing Crosby were featured in several “Road” pictures and carried on a famous comic feud. Hope was also a frequent host of the Academy Awards ceremonies in Hollywood. Although he never won an Oscar for a film performance, he received five honorary Academy Awards for his contributions to the motion picture industry.
Bob Hope will always be remembered for his tireless service to our military troops. He spent much of World War II traveling the globe to entertain Allied Forces. He continued this practice during later conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and elsewhere, well into the 1990s.
Bob Hope traveled off on the Road to the Great Beyond on July 27, 2003, at age 100. When his grandson asked him at his deathbed where he wanted to be buried, he remarked, "Surprise me."
Thanks for the memories.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "I love to go to Washington -- if only to be near my money." Bob Hope
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Six months later, I found a better job at a small computer software company next door to Warner Brothers studios. My office was officially in Los Angeles and the movie studio was officially in Burbank, both bordering the tiny community called Toluca Lake -- a small, quaint area within the Los Angeles metropolis.
Soon I begin looking for a house to purchase. One day I spotted an ad about a fixer with a pool, within my price range, that was “less than 20 blocks from Bob Hope.” I didn’t know it at the time but the real estate agents in the area used Bob Hope as a point of reference – the closer to Bob Hope’s house, the more exclusive the property. In real estate, location is everything. Apparently, this particular real estate agent had a sense of humor.
I bought the house. The pool was basically a swamp and cost several thousand dollars to get back into shape. Every day I drove to work, I passed by Bob Hope’s estate which was a couple of acres surrounded by high walls. I was told he had his own golf hole in the backyard – about a nine-iron shot.
Not long thereafter, I married. We sold the house and bought a yacht. We lived on the yacht for six months, then sold it and bought a condo in Sherman Oaks. Next we sold the condo and rented an A-frame in Topanga. Then it was time to buy another house. This time, we found one in an area real estate agents refer to as Toluca Woods, south of Cahuenga Boulevard and north of Riverside Drive, "within 10 blocks of Bob Hope."
It was a nice area. William Holden once owned the house at the end of the block. My wife and I often dined at the local hangouts where we would bump into some of the more famous Toluca Lake residents such as Jonathon Winters and Andy Griffith. The fellow I worked for was a member of Lakeside Country Club in Toluca Lake, Bob Hope’s home course. I played a few rounds of golf and occasionally lunched there.
Then we divorced. My wife, bless her heart, kept the Toluca Woods house and I moved back into the Hollywood Hills. Oddly enough, I rented a place on the very same street, a little further uphill, as the house on stilts I had rented when I first moved to Los Angeles. Back to square one once again.
Anyway, that’s my Bob Hope story. I never met him, or even saw him, yet he seemed to have an impact on my life.
Leslie Towne Hope was born in Eltham, England on May 29, 1903. His father was an English stonemason and his mother an aspiring Welch concert singer. In 1907, Leslie’s father moved the family to Cleveland, Ohio. By way of his father’s naturalization, Leslie became known as “Bob.” In 1920, Bob and his brothers became U.S. citizens.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Bob Hope was a star of radio, television and the films. He and crooner Bing Crosby were featured in several “Road” pictures and carried on a famous comic feud. Hope was also a frequent host of the Academy Awards ceremonies in Hollywood. Although he never won an Oscar for a film performance, he received five honorary Academy Awards for his contributions to the motion picture industry.
Bob Hope will always be remembered for his tireless service to our military troops. He spent much of World War II traveling the globe to entertain Allied Forces. He continued this practice during later conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and elsewhere, well into the 1990s.
Bob Hope traveled off on the Road to the Great Beyond on July 27, 2003, at age 100. When his grandson asked him at his deathbed where he wanted to be buried, he remarked, "Surprise me."
Thanks for the memories.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "I love to go to Washington -- if only to be near my money." Bob Hope
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Monday, April 11, 2011
Interview with an Air Conditioner
Starting in the mid 1960s, I spent a couple of decades as an ambitious computer programmer and manager, in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Married for 5 years, then divorced. In my 40s, I was burned out. I quit the full-time corporate grind and became a programmer for hire (hourly rates, short-term contracts). I also left the big city for a less stressful life in the boondocks.
After living in the Arizona desert for 6 years, I moved to the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, where I became even more reclusive. With no computer programming jobs available in Redneck Heaven, I managed to get a part-time job teaching computer courses at a local college (2001-2006) and writing a column for a weekly newspaper (2001-2007).
When I started at the newspaper, it was understood that I was to be part-time (about 15 hours per week), working primarily on putting the paper together on the computer. But various levels of management had other ideas about my duties whereupon it soon became apparent that I would either have to become embroiled in office politics or leave.
I had been with the paper for only two weeks, pondering my next move, when I asked the editor-in-chief on Friday afternoon if I could write an article for the paper. She was a crusty old newspaper warhorse and gruffly told me to go have an interview with an air conditioner.
It was early spring. Obviously, she wanted me to write a piece about how everyone should do some maintenance on their air conditioner prior to seasonal usage. But being the smartass rebel I am, I took a different approach.
That weekend, I cranked out the short piece below and turned it in to the editor on Monday morning. From that day on I wrote a weekly column for the paper for 7 years straight, never missing an issue, until we got new management with a "my way or the highway" attitude -- I took the highway.
__________________________
INTERVIEW WITH AN AIR CONDITIONER
One of the news editors suggested I interview an air conditioner. After all, summer was right around the corner and it was assumed readers would want to know the general feelings of their outdoor cooling equipment.
I had always been under the impression appliances were incapable of speech but I could be wrong. Rather than question the wisdom of the editor, I decided to go along with it.
So I sat on my deck the following Saturday afternoon, gazing at my air conditioner, trying to figure out a way to communicate with it.
Finally, I walked right up to it and introduced myself.
I wasn’t too surprised at the silence that followed. Then I felt a little embarrassed. After all I had lived there for two years. Surely it knew who I was by now.
“So how’s it going?” I said, as if I was expecting an answer.
Again, the air conditioner didn’t respond.
However, my dog wandered over for a closer look. She seemed a bit perplexed that I would be talking to the big green box sitting on a slab of concrete next to our abode.
“Ya ready for another summer?” I asked the big green box.
Again no response.
I wanted to ask it if it had a name but was certain I wouldn’t get an answer. For some strange reason, I wanted to call it Frosty. Then I noticed it already had a name engraved on its side that read Intertherm; a proper name for a hunk of cooling equipment.
I wondered if Intertherm was looking forward to summer and being in use on a daily basis.
Suddenly, my dog tilted her head to the right, as if the big green box had communicated with her.
I quickly realized Intertherm was indeed looking forward to heavy usage, after all that’s what machines do. They delight in running smoothing and helping those who created them.
Without uttering another word, I thanked the air conditioner for its fine service and assured it, in my mind, that I would take proper care of it.
My dog gave me an understanding look, then ran off to regain her sanity by chasing a squirrel.
I have no idea if I actually communicated with my air conditioner but it could’ve been possible. If nothing else, it left me in a good mood. Intertherm seemed to be in a good mood too. I even caught a glimpse of a smile as I walked away.
I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to my toaster, mostly about sports.
So now that summer is around the corner, have a chat with your air conditioner. But don’t call it Frosty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier." H.L. Mencken
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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After living in the Arizona desert for 6 years, I moved to the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, where I became even more reclusive. With no computer programming jobs available in Redneck Heaven, I managed to get a part-time job teaching computer courses at a local college (2001-2006) and writing a column for a weekly newspaper (2001-2007).
When I started at the newspaper, it was understood that I was to be part-time (about 15 hours per week), working primarily on putting the paper together on the computer. But various levels of management had other ideas about my duties whereupon it soon became apparent that I would either have to become embroiled in office politics or leave.
I had been with the paper for only two weeks, pondering my next move, when I asked the editor-in-chief on Friday afternoon if I could write an article for the paper. She was a crusty old newspaper warhorse and gruffly told me to go have an interview with an air conditioner.
It was early spring. Obviously, she wanted me to write a piece about how everyone should do some maintenance on their air conditioner prior to seasonal usage. But being the smartass rebel I am, I took a different approach.
That weekend, I cranked out the short piece below and turned it in to the editor on Monday morning. From that day on I wrote a weekly column for the paper for 7 years straight, never missing an issue, until we got new management with a "my way or the highway" attitude -- I took the highway.
__________________________
INTERVIEW WITH AN AIR CONDITIONER
One of the news editors suggested I interview an air conditioner. After all, summer was right around the corner and it was assumed readers would want to know the general feelings of their outdoor cooling equipment.
I had always been under the impression appliances were incapable of speech but I could be wrong. Rather than question the wisdom of the editor, I decided to go along with it.
So I sat on my deck the following Saturday afternoon, gazing at my air conditioner, trying to figure out a way to communicate with it.
Finally, I walked right up to it and introduced myself.
I wasn’t too surprised at the silence that followed. Then I felt a little embarrassed. After all I had lived there for two years. Surely it knew who I was by now.
“So how’s it going?” I said, as if I was expecting an answer.
Again, the air conditioner didn’t respond.
However, my dog wandered over for a closer look. She seemed a bit perplexed that I would be talking to the big green box sitting on a slab of concrete next to our abode.
“Ya ready for another summer?” I asked the big green box.
Again no response.
I wanted to ask it if it had a name but was certain I wouldn’t get an answer. For some strange reason, I wanted to call it Frosty. Then I noticed it already had a name engraved on its side that read Intertherm; a proper name for a hunk of cooling equipment.
I wondered if Intertherm was looking forward to summer and being in use on a daily basis.
Suddenly, my dog tilted her head to the right, as if the big green box had communicated with her.
I quickly realized Intertherm was indeed looking forward to heavy usage, after all that’s what machines do. They delight in running smoothing and helping those who created them.
Without uttering another word, I thanked the air conditioner for its fine service and assured it, in my mind, that I would take proper care of it.
My dog gave me an understanding look, then ran off to regain her sanity by chasing a squirrel.
I have no idea if I actually communicated with my air conditioner but it could’ve been possible. If nothing else, it left me in a good mood. Intertherm seemed to be in a good mood too. I even caught a glimpse of a smile as I walked away.
I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to my toaster, mostly about sports.
So now that summer is around the corner, have a chat with your air conditioner. But don’t call it Frosty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier." H.L. Mencken
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Thursday, April 7, 2011
Catch-22
CATCH-22
In 1961, Joseph Heller wrote a classic novel about military madness during World War II and the human desire to survive it. It was his first novel and he called it CATCH-18. His publisher, Simon & Schuster, felt the title would conflict with the new Leon Uris novel called MILO 18, so they changed it to CATCH-22.
In the novel, catch-22 is a term used by bomber pilots to describe their dilemma. In order to get out of combat you must be judged to be crazy, but if you express a desire to get out you are thereby judged to be sane. Therefore, you can never get out of combat. If a pilot wanted to be grounded, all he had to do was ask. But by asking, it proved he was rational and therefore was required to fly.
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." Joseph Heller
Catch-22 is now a term in the English language which means the only solution to a problem is denied by a circumstance (or rule) inherent in the problem. Within a catch-22 rule there is always an exception that makes the rule a circular argument that can’t be resolved.
People with power tend to go to great lengths to maintain their power and those without power suffer the consequences. Creating a catch-22 is one way to maintain that power.
The real world is full of catch-22s.
Getting your first job, particularly in a specialized technical field, is a catch-22. You can’t get the job because you have no experience and you can’t get any experience until you get a job. In Hollywood, it’s nearly impossible to break in. In order to sell a screenplay you must be a member of the Writer’s Guild and you can’t become a member of the Writer’s Guild unless you’ve sold a screenplay. The same is true for actors. You can’t play a part unless you belong to the Actor’s Guild and you can’t get into the Actor’s Guild unless you’ve played a part.
Marriage is often a circumstance without a solution, a circular argument that can’t be resolved, making it a classical catch-22. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.
Our entire banking system is built around a catch-22. If you are poor and desperately need a loan, you don’t qualify for a loan. But if you can prove that you have enough accumulated net worth, in other words don’t really need a loan, then you qualify.
Military strength is another catch-22. The USA spends an excessive amount of money building a powerful military to protect itself from its potential enemies, thereby creating more potential enemies who resent the powerful military in the first place. The stronger we become, the more despised we become. Thus, the stronger we become, the stronger we must become.
As the lone superpower on Earth we have become trapped in our own catch-22. We see ourselves as noble crusaders saving the rest of the world from evil, while the rest of the world sees us as self-appointed global cops perpetuating evil by imposing our will on others. Even if our intentions are honorable, it doesn’t mean they will be perceived that way or that they will always be honorable in the future. Being the toughest dude on the block requires cooperation and restraint. No one likes a bully. And no one likes a self-appointed cop either. A planet with a single superpower is a planet out of balance.
Even your basic personality is a catch-22. Honesty often offends people whereas deceit gratifies them with what they want to hear. You can alienate people with your opinions or you can accommodate them by being agreeable. Pleasing others and being an honest human being with conviction are in direct conflict.
Life is a catch–22. You can make dust or eat dust. Either way, it’s always dusty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some people have mediocrity thrust upon them." Joseph Heller
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
___________
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In 1961, Joseph Heller wrote a classic novel about military madness during World War II and the human desire to survive it. It was his first novel and he called it CATCH-18. His publisher, Simon & Schuster, felt the title would conflict with the new Leon Uris novel called MILO 18, so they changed it to CATCH-22.
In the novel, catch-22 is a term used by bomber pilots to describe their dilemma. In order to get out of combat you must be judged to be crazy, but if you express a desire to get out you are thereby judged to be sane. Therefore, you can never get out of combat. If a pilot wanted to be grounded, all he had to do was ask. But by asking, it proved he was rational and therefore was required to fly.
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." Joseph Heller
Catch-22 is now a term in the English language which means the only solution to a problem is denied by a circumstance (or rule) inherent in the problem. Within a catch-22 rule there is always an exception that makes the rule a circular argument that can’t be resolved.
People with power tend to go to great lengths to maintain their power and those without power suffer the consequences. Creating a catch-22 is one way to maintain that power.
The real world is full of catch-22s.
Getting your first job, particularly in a specialized technical field, is a catch-22. You can’t get the job because you have no experience and you can’t get any experience until you get a job. In Hollywood, it’s nearly impossible to break in. In order to sell a screenplay you must be a member of the Writer’s Guild and you can’t become a member of the Writer’s Guild unless you’ve sold a screenplay. The same is true for actors. You can’t play a part unless you belong to the Actor’s Guild and you can’t get into the Actor’s Guild unless you’ve played a part.
Marriage is often a circumstance without a solution, a circular argument that can’t be resolved, making it a classical catch-22. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.
Our entire banking system is built around a catch-22. If you are poor and desperately need a loan, you don’t qualify for a loan. But if you can prove that you have enough accumulated net worth, in other words don’t really need a loan, then you qualify.
Military strength is another catch-22. The USA spends an excessive amount of money building a powerful military to protect itself from its potential enemies, thereby creating more potential enemies who resent the powerful military in the first place. The stronger we become, the more despised we become. Thus, the stronger we become, the stronger we must become.
As the lone superpower on Earth we have become trapped in our own catch-22. We see ourselves as noble crusaders saving the rest of the world from evil, while the rest of the world sees us as self-appointed global cops perpetuating evil by imposing our will on others. Even if our intentions are honorable, it doesn’t mean they will be perceived that way or that they will always be honorable in the future. Being the toughest dude on the block requires cooperation and restraint. No one likes a bully. And no one likes a self-appointed cop either. A planet with a single superpower is a planet out of balance.
Even your basic personality is a catch-22. Honesty often offends people whereas deceit gratifies them with what they want to hear. You can alienate people with your opinions or you can accommodate them by being agreeable. Pleasing others and being an honest human being with conviction are in direct conflict.
Life is a catch–22. You can make dust or eat dust. Either way, it’s always dusty.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some people have mediocrity thrust upon them." Joseph Heller
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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Friday, April 1, 2011
The Metabolic Syndrome
Properly maintaining the following metabolic factors, dubbed the Deadly Quartet, is crucial to good health.
1) Weight
2) Blood pressure
3) Blood-sugar (insulin) level
4) Cholesterol levels
According to the Mayo Clinic, having any of these factors at an abnormal level increases the risk of serious disease. When one or more of these conditions is out of appropriate balance, it's called the Metabolic Syndrome.
Many studies have shown that stress can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. Wake Forest University conducted an experiment whereby they exposed laboratory monkeys to chronic social stress causing "a significant number of animals to develop Metabolic Syndrome." A Yale University study found a link between chronic psychological stress (in human subjects) and abnormal fat storage that appeared to lead to the same syndrome.
Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal gland. It helps regulate blood pressure, releases insulin for blood sugar maintenance, controls metabolism, responds to inflammation, aids the immune system, and so forth. It's present in the body at higher levels in the morning and lowest in the evening.
During stress, the adrenal gland becomes more active, secreting high levels of cortisol into the bloodstream.
Abnormally high amounts of cortisol can result in abdominal fat storage, elevated insulin levels (linked to heart attacks, strokes and diabetes), high blood pressure, high blood sugar, poor cholesterol levels and more.
The bottom line is that stress, especially chronic stress, can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. An estimated one out of four Americans currently exhibit signs of this malady. How we react to stress plays a major role as well.
There are a zillion causes of stress -- anger, depression, fear, incompatible occupation, difficult relationships, finances, health, ambition, perfectionism, competitiveness, low self-esteem, heartache, accidents, crime, etc.
Dr. Murray Mittleman, a cardiovascular specialist, interviewed 1,600 heart attack victims and determined the risk of a heart attack was more than twice as great if the person had been very angry just prior to the attack.
Anger is a petty indulgence by self-centered people. Get over it – you're not the center of the universe.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Center reported that people who experience major depression were four times as likely to have a heart attack as those who were not depressed.
Depression is primarily a self-inflicted emotion by people who become discouraged (give up) or suppress anger. A study at Duke University found that 60 percent of clinically depressed people who took a brisk walk at least three times per week were no longer depressed after 16 weeks. Get off your butt and take care of business.
Anxiety is commonplace in this world. Your adrenalin pumps faster whenever you go into a state of worry or fear. When in a continual state of stress, you get an adrenalin overload, leading to the Metabolic Syndrome.
To relieve stress, some people overindulge in things to take their mind off of reality, such as food, booze, drugs, smoking, and caffeine. Or they may immerse themselves in activities to distract themselves, such as TV, music, hobbies, sports, games, work, travel, etc. But distractions are simply diversions. The stress is still there.
Stress stems from a lack of courage to deal with reality and the anguish of not being in control of your life.
All you have to do to straighten out is drop the anger, climb out of the depression, change your diet, exercise regularly, drink moderately, quit smoking, find a stress-free occupation, dump bad relationships, acquire positive relationships, be carefree in your leisure time, overcome your fears, take a deep breath, relax your body, quiet your mind, smile at the sky and thank whatever might be looking down at you for your divine existence.
Life can be a glorious journey or a bad ride – it's simply a matter of choice. So take control and be happy.
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Quote for the Day -- "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." Aesop
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Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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1) Weight
2) Blood pressure
3) Blood-sugar (insulin) level
4) Cholesterol levels
According to the Mayo Clinic, having any of these factors at an abnormal level increases the risk of serious disease. When one or more of these conditions is out of appropriate balance, it's called the Metabolic Syndrome.
Many studies have shown that stress can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. Wake Forest University conducted an experiment whereby they exposed laboratory monkeys to chronic social stress causing "a significant number of animals to develop Metabolic Syndrome." A Yale University study found a link between chronic psychological stress (in human subjects) and abnormal fat storage that appeared to lead to the same syndrome.
Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal gland. It helps regulate blood pressure, releases insulin for blood sugar maintenance, controls metabolism, responds to inflammation, aids the immune system, and so forth. It's present in the body at higher levels in the morning and lowest in the evening.
During stress, the adrenal gland becomes more active, secreting high levels of cortisol into the bloodstream.
Abnormally high amounts of cortisol can result in abdominal fat storage, elevated insulin levels (linked to heart attacks, strokes and diabetes), high blood pressure, high blood sugar, poor cholesterol levels and more.
The bottom line is that stress, especially chronic stress, can lead to Metabolic Syndrome. An estimated one out of four Americans currently exhibit signs of this malady. How we react to stress plays a major role as well.
There are a zillion causes of stress -- anger, depression, fear, incompatible occupation, difficult relationships, finances, health, ambition, perfectionism, competitiveness, low self-esteem, heartache, accidents, crime, etc.
Dr. Murray Mittleman, a cardiovascular specialist, interviewed 1,600 heart attack victims and determined the risk of a heart attack was more than twice as great if the person had been very angry just prior to the attack.
Anger is a petty indulgence by self-centered people. Get over it – you're not the center of the universe.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Center reported that people who experience major depression were four times as likely to have a heart attack as those who were not depressed.
Depression is primarily a self-inflicted emotion by people who become discouraged (give up) or suppress anger. A study at Duke University found that 60 percent of clinically depressed people who took a brisk walk at least three times per week were no longer depressed after 16 weeks. Get off your butt and take care of business.
Anxiety is commonplace in this world. Your adrenalin pumps faster whenever you go into a state of worry or fear. When in a continual state of stress, you get an adrenalin overload, leading to the Metabolic Syndrome.
To relieve stress, some people overindulge in things to take their mind off of reality, such as food, booze, drugs, smoking, and caffeine. Or they may immerse themselves in activities to distract themselves, such as TV, music, hobbies, sports, games, work, travel, etc. But distractions are simply diversions. The stress is still there.
Stress stems from a lack of courage to deal with reality and the anguish of not being in control of your life.
All you have to do to straighten out is drop the anger, climb out of the depression, change your diet, exercise regularly, drink moderately, quit smoking, find a stress-free occupation, dump bad relationships, acquire positive relationships, be carefree in your leisure time, overcome your fears, take a deep breath, relax your body, quiet your mind, smile at the sky and thank whatever might be looking down at you for your divine existence.
Life can be a glorious journey or a bad ride – it's simply a matter of choice. So take control and be happy.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." Aesop
___________
Bret Burquest recently published THE REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY (available on Amazon) -- topics include collective consciousness, UFOs, parallel dimensions, Edgar Cayce, Atlantis, St. Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK and MLK assassinations, Dead Sea Scrolls, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after WW II, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, much more.
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