Save The Toads
Ok, add this one to your believe it or not column. Today in the flaming liberal Philadelphia Enquirer a headline in the local section got my attention. At first I thought it was a joke. Unfortunately, it is true. Local volunteers are being actively recruited to save toads crossing the road from getting squished by of all things…cars, you know, traffic going to and from work, you know, so we can all make more money and send more taxes to our wonderful overseer in DC.
As the story goes, in late March and early April hundreds, perhaps thousands, of toads leave the forest in search of water where females can lay eggs. The toads who live in the woods at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education must cross the street to reach the water. And can you believe this, last year “100” (yes they’re counting) toads were killed during their migration. Volunteer “toad spotters” will notify authorities when the toads begin to migrate. Volunteers also redirect traffic and “assist” toads crossing the dangerous highway.
You cannot be serious. Do people have nothing to do? Could I politely suggest that this time and effort go toward helping PEOPLE? You know, people with a soul, who are hurting, hungry, depressed, lonely, in search of…
Somewhere, somehow we have lost our priorities. Or, perhaps some people just simply have too much time on their hands.
The Iraq War and Bush’s Persistence
84 percent of the people now say they feel safe in their neighborhoods, according to the latest ABC News/BBC/NHK poll. That’s double what it was two years ago, and 60 percent of people expect things to improve further next year.
The report tonight on ABC news was excellent. There has been notable improvement and success in Iraq. The majority of Iraqis believe democracy is the best form of government. I wonder if Obama will take credit for this achievement or if he even cares? It’s been a long struggle and mistakes were made, but the people of Iraq are free. Democracy costs $$ and blood. Is democracy worth it? W was right to persist.
AIG and Banking Bonuses
Claire McCaskel senator from MO. recently referred to the banking executives as “idiots” for continuing to pass out large bonuses after taxpayers bailed them out. AIG and others are now saying they have to pay the bonuses because of “contractual” agreements. OK but where were the “erudite” lawmakers including CM to ask this question prior to TARP? Did congress not know that banks like this pay handsome bonuses? It could have been a precondition to receiving TARP funds that contracts like this would need to be renegotiated before taxpayers funds would go to bail out finance junkies. This is what happens when we rush to war. Whether it’s Iraq or the financial mess, it would have been better to slow down and get it right.
Incorporating Dream Work in Psychotherapy
Over the millennia, dreams have made a profound impact on life and history.
Dreams may have served as the germinating seed for art, myths, “fairy-tales,” architecture, poetry and music. Fascination with dreams has been recorded by Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Babylonians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans since ancient times. Dreams have always played a critical role in world religions from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and in Judeo-Christian
beliefs. It is well documented that native and aboriginal religions integrate dreams with all of nature.
Hermann Hesse
“We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions. We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame. In the same way all disrespect for life, all hard-heartedness, all indifference, all contempt is nothing else than killing. With just a little witty skepticism we can kill a good deal of the future in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is flowering everywhere, but we only see a small part of it and step on much of it with our feet.”
– Hermann Hesse, German poet and novelist.
OUR DEFENSE AGAINST SATAN
John 8:44
The devil . . . does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies
Theoretical Model—Cognitive Therapy (CT)
Aaron Beck has defined CT as being an active, directive, time-limited, structured approach to therapy based in the underlying theoretical rationale that an individual’s affect and behavior are largely determined by the way in which one structures their worldview. The overall strategy of cognitive therapy emphasizes the empirical investigation of the client’s automatic thoughts, inferences, conclusions, and assumptions.
Olberman
Keith Olberman spent 15 minutes of precious air time last night ranting and raving about Bill O’Reily and Fox. Worse than 2 sixth graders fighting in the locker room over who cut in the lunch line. Is this really what’s it’s come down to? He could make better use of his time by trying to bring in his White House buds to discuss change we can believe in and why “the annointed one” signed off on a bill containing 8000 earmarks. And please don’t tell me that republicans had 40% of the earmarks. That’s exactly why we need presidential leadership (screw republicans and democrats) to lead the way regardless of party association. Could we elect a leader that would do the right thing for the country? You know, “change we can believe in”. When are we going to “turn the page” from “old politics?”
Living in the Present
Fear, anxiety, depression, and unhappiness are common among our society today. Many people who suffer with these negative moods may come to believe their personal happiness is dependent on situations and events outside of one’s control and are usually focused on past events or future worries. If “they” had not hurt me, then I could be happy. ” If I had not made the mistakes in the past, I could be content today.” “I’m so worried about my future, I have no peace in my life.” “If only…”
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