Getting Wiser by Getting Older ~ Wisdom

Hundreds of ideas how to improve the quality of life for senior citizens…

Dateline: Anywhere

 

Become Content

1. Stop Complaining
2. Change Your Perspective
3. Be Thankful
4. Don’t Compare Thyself to Others
5. Lower Your Expectations
6. Put People Before Things
7. Do Away with Wish-lists
8. Focus on Today
9. Savor the Little Things
10. Eliminate Excess

 

Practice Affirmations

 

Good Time Management: Avoid the unnecessary, inefficient, fear, indecisiveness, trivial tasks, distractions, disorganization, perfectionism; repeating, pleasing everyone, lack of rest, poor health habits, unmotivation, and holding onto the past.

 

Handling Emotions Well (wisdom reaction)

 

Develop a High Emotional Intelligence

 

Recognizing Triggers that lead to Negative Consequences (wisdom reaction)

 

Practicing Mindfulness

• A mindful attitude is non-judgmental, patient, non-striving, and able to let-go.
• One can do mindful eating.
• Mindful breathing means getting comfortable, observing each breath, and being non-critical.
• Mindful walking involves being aware of surroundings and keeping rhythm.

 

Becoming More Resilient

1. Experience More Positive Emotions
2. Express Gratitude
3. Hand-on Serenity Exercises
4. Move-on to Positive Emotions
5. Practice One Scary Thing Per Day

 

Get Mentally Tough

 

Utilizing Breathing Exercises

 

Use Coping Strategies

 

 

Adopt Any of 12 Things Happy People Do

• Express Gratitude
• Cultivate Optimism
• Learn to Forgive
• Avoid Overthinking and Social Comparison
• Practice Acts of Kindness
• Nurture Social Relationships
• Increase Focus Experiences
• Develop Strategies for Coping
• Savor Life’s Joys
• Commit to Your Goals
• Take Care of Your Body
• Practice Spirituality

 

Reframe Thoughts into Happiness

 

Turn Personal Weaknesses into Strengths

Inconsistent >>> Flexible

Disorganized >>> Creative

Obnoxious >>> Enthusiastic

Stubborn >>> Dedicated

Emotionless >>> Calm

Shy >>> Reflective

Weak >>> Humble

Indecisive >>> Patient

Impatient >>> Passionate

Arrogant >> Self-Confident

Intimidating >>> Assertive

 

Act When You Are Feeling Down

• Be Spiritual
• Be Sociable
• Move and Exercise
• Nurture Yourself: Eat, Shower, Read, Dress Up, Get Creative,
• Engage Your Brain
• Do Things that Make You Happier
• Accept Medical Help

 

Practice a Well-Designed Life

 

Do Healthy Anti-Aging Things

Try Retinoids, Alpha-Hydroxy Acids, Hyalukonic Acids, Anti-Oxydants, Peptides, Deramides, DNA-Repair Ingredients, and Lighteners

 

 

Silence Negative Thinking

 

Discard Distorted Conceptions

 

Eliminate Things That Block Happiness

 

Move Beyond Your “Comfort Zone” and Learn: Deal with challenges and problems. Achieve new skills, and expand “Comfort Zone.”

 

Have a Growth Rather Than a Fixed Mindset

 

Improve Memory

(i.e. Writing things down, Chunking data, Little and often, Make it a story, Create acronyms, Say things out-loud, Create silly sentences, Practice, Focus, Test yourself, Ask why, Get enough sleep and water)

 

Practice Healthy Habits of Highly Productive People

 

Relieve Stress

 

Distress Tolerance

 

Manage Anxiety

 

Just Say “No”

 

Letting Go

 

Develop Good Habits of the Mind

1. Perseverance: Focus, Complete Tasks, Remove Goal Obstructions.
2. Empathetic Listening
3. Manage Impulsivity: Remain Calm, Thoughtful, and Deliberate.
4. Flexibility
5. Metacognition: Aware of thoughts, strategies, feelings, and effects on others.
6. Striving for Accuracy: Setting high standards, checking, and finding ways to improve.
7. Questioning and Problem Solving
8. Applying Old Knowledge to New Situations
9. Communicating Clearly with accuracy and thought.
10. Gather Data through various sources
11. Creating, Imagining, and Innovation.
12. Responding with Wonderment and Awesomeness: Having fun, being intrigued, undaunted by phenomena.
13. Taking Responsible Risks: Competent, Adventuresome, and using new things.
14. Finding Humor.
15. Thinking Independently.
16. Remaining Open.

 

Deal with Confrontation

 

Observe Good Nutrition

1. Intake
2. Avoid foods that may induce dementia: White Foods (sugar, bread, rice, etc), Processed Food (meats, cheese), Foods containing Nitrites or Diacetyls (margarine, beer)

 

Flex Muscles of Spiritual Fitness

 

Learn Effectively

Incident Prevention: Understand Cause and Effect; Identify Root Causes: Apply Skills and Knowledge; Get the Big Picture; Cooperate with Others; Set Goals; Build a Working Memory; Deliberate Practice; Chunking Large Bits of Data; Explain Training Techniques; Improve Memory; Repetition; Self-Test; Adapt to Unusual Situations; Build Safe Habits; Drive (enough sleep, food) Healthy; Learn from and teach others; Humble Self-Confidence; Apply wisdom daily; Relax and Reduce Anxiety; Prioritize Tasks; Self-Controlled Behavior;

 

Practice Sensory Calming Techniques

 

Develop Your Sense of Humor

Max's Scout Services & Communications of the Americas WebBlog

The Dailey Sun~Chronicles

Volume VIII, Issue 80                      July 29, 2019                          ***** Edition

 

Dateline: Anywhere

 

Become Content

1. Stop Complaining
2. Change Your Perspective
3. Be Thankful
4. Don’t Compare Thyself to Others
5. Lower Your Expectations
6. Put People Before Things
7. Do Away with Wish-lists
8. Focus on Today
9. Savor the Little Things
10. Eliminate Excess

Practice Affirmations

Good Time Management: Avoid the unnecessary, inefficient, fear, indecisiveness, trivial tasks, distractions, disorganization, perfectionism; repeating, pleasing everyone, lack of rest, poor health habits, unmotivation, and holding onto the past.

Handling and Recognizing Emotions Well (wisdom reaction)

Develop a High Emotional Intelligence:

Recognizing Triggers that lead to Negative Consequences (wisdom reaction)

Practicing Mindfulness

• A mindful attitude is non-judgmental, patient, non-striving, and able to let-go.
• One can do mindful eating.
• Mindful breathing means getting comfortable, observing each breath, and being non-critical.
• Mindful walking involves being aware of surroundings and keeping rhythm.

Becoming More Resilient

1. Experience More Positive…

View original post 525 more words

Celebration of the Senses Day

 

Forget about the Monday blahs, the 24^th marks a day to take it all in. With all your senses, enjoy life. See, hear, feel, smell, and touch the wonders of our world, which we should be good stewards of.

·         See a rainbow, splendid architecture or artwork.

·         Hear a rolling stream, great music, or a waterfall.

·         Smell great cooking, flowers, or nature after a brief rainfall.

·         Feel the touch of a kind  human hand.

·         Taste spices, your favorite foods, or take in some aromatherapy.

·         Treat your proprioceptor (sensory receptor which receives stimuli from within the body, especially one that responds to position and movement) senses to the excitement of a rollercoaster and laughter.

 

 

Avoid noise, sharp objects, taking a nasty fall, terrified screaming (like that in the 1990’s movie “Arachnophobia”), visions of deceased beached grey whales (over 90 along the Pacific Coast this year), rotten eggs and other spoiled foods.

Happy Sustainable Gastronomy Day

The Dailey Sun~Chronicles – “No Rumors, No Fakes – Just the Facts, Jack!”

 

Volume VIII, Issue 42                                  6 – 18 – 2019                           ***** Edition

 

Sustainable Gastronomy

A commitment of gastronomy towards the principles of sustainability include:

• poverty reduction;
• efficient use of resources;
• environmental protection and climate change; and
• the protection of cultural values, heritage and diversity.

 

The United Nations has designated June 18^th as Sustainable Gastronomy Day. International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.

 

This is one of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals that are call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.

 

There are 17 goals (see: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/).

 

They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.

 

The Five Principles of Sustainable Food and Agriculture

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) has developed a common vision and an integrated approach to sustainability across agriculture, forestry and fisheries. This unified perspective – valid across all agricultural sectors and taking into account social, economic and environmental considerations – ensures the effectiveness of action on the ground and is underpinned by knowledge based on the best available science, and adaptation at community and country levels to ensure local relevance and applicability.

A common vision for sustainable food and agriculture must equally address social, economic and environmental dimensions to ensure sustainability.

The principles that can collectively guide the process of transition to greater sustainability are:

1. Improving efficiency in the use of resources is crucial to sustainable agriculture.
2. Sustainability requires direct action to conserve, protect and enhance natural resources.
3. Agriculture that fails to protect and improve rural livelihoods and social well-being is unsustainable.
4. Enhanced resilience of people, communities and ecosystems is key to sustainable agriculture.
5. Sustainable food and agriculture may require responsible and effective governance mechanisms.

 

“Sustainable Gastronomy Day” emphasizes the need to focus the world’s attention on the role that sustainable gastronomy can play. It also reaffirms that all cultures and civilizations are contributors and crucial enablers of sustainable development.

The UN General Assembly adopted on 21 December 2016 its resolution A/RES/71/246 and designated 18 June as an international observance, Sustainable Gastronomy Day.

The decision acknowledges gastronomy as a cultural expression related to the natural and cultural diversity of the world.

Sustainable gastronomy can play a role due to its interlinkages with the three dimensions of sustainable development, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by promoting:

• agricultural development;
• food security;
• nutrition;
• sustainable food production; and
• conservation of biodiversity.

 

Origin Labelling of Food

Food products linked to their place of origin are economically and socially beneficial to rural areas and promote sustainable development, boasting an annual trade value of over $50 billion worldwide. Such products have specific characteristics, qualities or reputations stemming from their geographical origin.

The study Strengthening sustainable food systems through geographical indications by the FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) analyses the economic impact of Geographical Indication registration in nine case studies:

• Coffee (Colombia)
• Darjeeling tea (India)
• Futog cabbage (Serbia)
• Kona coffee (United States)
• Manchego cheese (Spain)
• Penja pepper (Cameroon)
• Taliouine saffron (Morocco)
• Tête de Moine cheese (Switzerland)
• Vale dos Vinhedos wine (Brazil)

The registration of products linked to their place of origin has implications running far deeper than economic gains alone. Local producers and processors at the center of the registration process help make food systems more inclusive and more efficient. Together, producers develop the product specifications, and promote and protect the origin label. The creation of such labels also stimulates public-private sector dialogue as public authorities are often closely associated with the registration and certification process.

                                                                        =          =          =

copyright MMXIX – Max’s Scout Services & Communications of the Americas, LLC –

from Woodside, California 94062-2448

“The Dailey Sun~Chronicles”

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Needed U. S. Gun Policy [with Justice Stevens op-ed, written ’18] included with The Dailey Sun~Chronicles Volume VII, Issue 31, Fall 2018

 

 

 

Gun Control Gone Amuck in America

 

This list includes 23 incidents that did not receive media coverage as did

recent mass shootings. Included in this issue is a chart vividly illustrating

the rampant increase of mass shooting deaths in the U.S.A.

 

 

Along the North Atlantic Coast . . .

 

Dateline: Forsyth, Georgia

Authorities admit sheriff deputies fatally shot a 42-year-old woman confronting them with a pellet gun.

 

Dateline: Allentown, Pennsylvania

Police say the fatal shootings of two women stemmed from a family dispute.

 

Dateline: Hodges, South Carolina

Deputies say a 17-year-old shooting at a street sign accidently killed a man sitting at home on his front porch.

 

Dateline: Lamar Township, Pennsylvania

A man and woman, believed to be “intoxicated on bath salts,” were shooting bullets into the sky to chase away alien lasers. The aliens actually were merely fireflies.

 

=          =          =

 

More from the South . . .

Dateline: St. Joseph, Tennessee

Authorities say a 10-year-old girl was accidently shot in the head by her twin brother.

 

Dateline: Birmingham, Alabama

A masked gunman was killed by a McDonald’s employee, who had opened up fire inside the restaurant.

 

Dateline: Dora, Alabama

Autopsy results show a city councilman fatally shot a woman then killed himself.

 

Dateline: Greenville, South Carolina

Police sought treatment for a pit bull who dug up a loaded .38-caliber pistol.

 

Dateline: Austin, Texas

State authorities announce that more than 200 school districts in Texas have adopted policies allowing staff to carry firearms.

 

Dateline: El Dorado, Arkansas

Two were killed and two others injured during an early Sunday morning shooting in their home.

                                                            =          =          =

 

In the North American Wild West . . .

Dateline: Avondale, Arizona

In this Phoenix suburb, a man has been arrested for shooting his older brother during a dispute over a food storage container.

 

Dateline: Cheyenne, Wyoming

A man convicted of 1^st degree murder when he was 16 will soon be eligible for parole after serving 35 years in prison.

 

 

Dateline: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Tex Gilligan is recovering after he claims it was Charlie his Rottweiler dog, who shot him in the back after getting his paw caught in the trigger of a gun. They were out and about hunting for jackrabbits.

 

Dateline: Colorado Springs, Colorado

A 15-year-old who is accused of killing his mother and stepfather in Woodland Park. The minor will be tried as an adult.

 

Dateline: Helena, Montana

A good doctor died when his rifle discharged after he returned from a hunting trip.

 

Dateline: Fountain Hills, Arizona

92-year-old Anna Mae Blessing fatally shot her 72-year-old son, who wanted to place her in an assisted living facility.

 

=          =          =

 

In the American Heartland . . .

 

Dateline: Greentown, Indiana

A man was hospitalized after a bullet thrown into a fire exploded. The bullet struck the bystander in the thigh.

 

Dateline: St. Louis, Missouri

Retired 67-year-old police Sgt. Harper is dead after a street shootout with another.

 

 

Dateline: Hebron, Nebraska

A 21-year-old is facing charges in connection with a fatal shooting of one man and wounding of his brother.

 

 

Dateline: West Valley City, Utah

A naked gunman is suspected of killing two people living in a trailer on the property behind his house.

 

Dateline: Chicago, Illinois

CPD officers seize an average of one illegal handgun per hour.

 

 

Dateline: Charlotte, North Caroline

A man was arrested for going on-line to hire a hit man.

 

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copyright MMXVIII – Max’s Scout Services & Communications of the Americas, LLC –

from Woodside, California 94062-2448

“The Dailey Sun~Chronicles”

 

Why are minors being tried as adults? 

 

Must Federal and State Legislatures See

More Evidence Supporting the Need for

Gun Control in the U.S.A. !?!

 

Sun~Chronicles report . . . Odd Events During the Last Month in the U.S.A.

Only One Buck = $1

 “Newspapers are worth at least the price you pay; if it is free, it is worth nothing”    

The Dailey Sun~Chronicles

“All Good Honest News”

“News You Can Use”

“Truth with Humor”

“No Rumors, No Fake News Stories – Just the Facts, Jack!”

 

Volume VII, Issue 32

11 – 18 – 18

***** Sunday Edition

 

Some Odd Events During the Last Month in the U.S.A.

 

Kids Being Kids?!?

Dateline: Aurora, Colorado

A middle school principal nabbed a juvenile, who wore a clown mask and chased students walking home.

Funny Floridians . . .

Dateline: Big Coppitt Key, Florida

Daryl Royal Riedel, 48, chugged a 16-ounce beer after being stopped for suspicion of drunk driving.

 

A Sign of the Times?!?

Dateline: Chicago, Illinois

Free milk will be provided to low-income families through March from six sites in Chicago, Melrose Park and Blue Island.

 

Similar to the Leaning Tower of Pisa…

Dateline: San Francisco, California

A new violation against the sinking Millennium Tower was issued after another cracked window was found.

 

Lax TSA is Good…

Dateline: SeaTac Airport in Seattle, Washington

Visitors are being allowed past security for the first time in nearly two decades. The new program allows greeters to meet or see off loved ones. This “SEA Visitor Pass” meets TSA requirements for domestic travel gates and is certainly must friendlier.

 

It is Flu Season…

Dateline: Orono, Maine

Researchers at the University of Maine are using a $430K National Institute of Health grant to study immune responses.

 

State Trooper Caught Red Faced and Red Handed.

Dateline: Silverdale, Washington

Officer Manning has taken down a Confederate flag he flew outside his home after his supervisors were tipped off. Manning claimed he inherited it from his grandfather and was not aware of the negative implications of the symbol.

 

 

Climate Change with Bad Effects . . .

Dateline: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Insurance companies state they have received more than 12,000 damage claims after June’s event which was the city’s worst hail storm in 20 years.

 

Lucky Cats . . .

Dateline: Ledgewood, New Jersey

An animal welfare center rescued 172 cats from a home that had no electricity nor running water.

Poor Cat . . .

Dateline: Cleveland, Ohio

CPD officer Vu Nguyen, who collapsed during a timed 1.5-mile fitness run during 90-degree heat has passed away.

 

Tax Revenue Reaches a High . . .

Dateline: Juneau, Alaska

State revenue from marijuana taxes has reached a “high” of $1.2 million.

 

Poor American Veteran . . .

Dateline: Atlanta, Georgia

A USAF vet died after he lit himself on fire in front of the Georgia Capitol while protesting the Veterans Affairs system.

 

Taking Justice into Thy Own Hands . . .

Dateline: Youngstown, Ohio

A man charged in a human-trafficking investigation apparently fatally shot himself.

 

Civics Class Gone . . .

Dateline: Park City, Utah

Teacher was placed on-leave for instructing students to read the lyrics of Eminem song that slams President Trump.

 

“Post Turtle” Donald

Placed There by American Voters and Must be Removed by Others.

He does not know how to get himself down or do the right things while up there.

 

 

Now for the Bad News . . .

 

Dateline: Redmond, Oregon

A woman who was said to be in good health has died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a disease transmitted through rodent droppings.

 

Dateline: Provincetown, Massachusetts

Researchers say “Ladders”, a fin whale that washed ashore, was known to them for over 30 years.

 

Dateline: Jamestown, North Dakota

A landfill worker died when both a dump truck and payloader struck and ran over him.

 

Dateline: Charleston, South Carolina

The southern pine beetle has returned to the state. The last outbreak during 2000 caused $1.5 billion damages.

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copyright MMXVIII – Max’s Scout Services & Communications of the Americas, LLC –

“The San Dailey Sun~Chronicles”  [ for musement only ]

“The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”

The Dailey Sun~Chronicles

“All Good Honest News”           “News You Can Use”                     “Truth with Humor”

“No Rumors, No Fake News Stories – Just the Facts, Jack!”

Volume VII, Issue 25                          10 – 25 – 18                 Weekend ***** Edition

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

 

This Weekend’s Version of

“That Was the Week That Was in America”

 

[First] The Good News . . .

 

Dateline: Kansas City, Missouri

A man whose excessive flatulence forced the end of interrogation has pleaded guilty to federal gun and drug charges.

 

Dateline: Topeka, Kansas

A statue of former president and WWII general Dwight David Eisenhour was erected on the statehouse grounds.

 

Dateline: Gainesville, Florida

Northeast Park was renamed after iconic rocker Tom Petty, who played there as a boy.

 

Dateline: Brownsville, Texas

Solid median barriers along highway 48 are being modified to better protect the nesting grounds of pelicans.

 

Dateline: Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Vice President Mike Pence today is leading a political rally down in Roswell in support of GOP candidates. Future breaking news of his visit may stir up another UFO siting.

 

Dateline: Quechee, Vermont

The family of a man who jumped from a bridge hopes that a fence built will prevent suicides.

Dateline: Wichita, Kansas

A new crop report shows mostly adequate soil moisture levels across the state.

Dateline: Newport News, Virginia

Jill Biden christened the navy’s newest Virginia-class submarine, named the USS Delaware.

Dateline: Houghton, Michigan

The first phase of a multiyear effort to rebuild the gray wolf population at Isle Royale National Park has concluded.

Dateline: Las Vegas, Nevada

After less that two weeks on the job, Police Chief Jerry Delgado has resigned.

Dateline: Wapakoneta, Ohio

The town has begun a month-long celebration honoring the 50^th anniversary of native Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.

Dateline: New York, New York

A federal judge has ordered the release of a 2-year-old boy separated from his parents at the Mexican border more than six weeks ago.

Dateline: Rocky Mount, Virginia

The Empire Bakery Commissary plans a $10 million expansion that will create 75 jobs.

                                                            =          =          =

 

Uncle Jed Sees Post Turtle

 

Now for the Bad News . . .

 

Dateline: Madison, Wisconsin

There is a severe shortage of psychiatrists in the state. Twenty of Wisconsin’s 72 counties are without a practicing shrink. Perhaps the reason the governor is crazy like a republican.

 

Dateline: Portland, Maine

St. Lawrence University has decided NOT to rescind the honorary degree for Senator Susan Collins even in light of her recent Supreme Court nominee confirmation vote.

 

Dateline: Salem, Oregon

A federal judge denied a request to halt a logging operation in the Umpqua National Forest. The Umpqua National Bank is denying any involvement in this case.

 

Dateline: Santa Fe, New Mexico

The state agency that helps disabled Americans find work is telling job seekers to go away, citing its own financial woes.

 

Dateline: Provincetown, Massachusetts

Researchers say “Ladders”, a fin whale that washed ashore, was known to them for over 30 years.

 

Dateline: Key West, Florida

Nearly 3,000 have left the island chain to relocate following Hurricane Irma last year.

 

Dateline: Rindge, New Hampshire

Pigs are seeking the public’s help to find a white man who poured maple syrup on a police cruiser.

 

Dateline: St. Joseph, Tennessee

Authorities say a 10-year-old girl was accidently shot in the head by her twin brother.

 

Dateline: Auburn, Maine

The local police department is going to start shaming shoplifters by posting mug shots online in order to deal with their “out-of-control” problem.

 

 . . . wishing for no more bad news

Dateline: Olympia, Washington

Voters in two counties were mistakenly sent ballot-return envelops requiring two stamp postage.

 

Dateline: Jackson, Mississippi

Four Louisiana men pleaded not guilty in trying to bribe the Kemper County sheriff with $2,000 in casino chips while seeking lucrative jail contracts.

 

Dateline: Montpelier, Vermont

The Attorney General says scammers pretending to be utility companies are calling customers to demand payments for electricity.

 

Dateline: Pauls Valley, Oklahoma

Financially troubled Pauls Valley Regional Medical Center has closed.

 

=          =          =

The Ugly News . . .

 

Dateline: West Helena, Arkansas

An animal shelter says someone has been breaking in and using stolen dogs for dogfights.

 

Dateline: York, South Carolina

Bedbugs have been found in the offices at the Moss Justice Center.

 

Dateline: Monroe, Wisconsin

It is believed that skeletal remains found by deer hunters in Adams County are those of a man missing since 2017.

 

Dateline: Helena, Montana

A good doctor died when his rifle discharged after he returned from a hunting trip.

 

Dateline: St. Paul, Minnesota

State officials state more than 300 people have died as a result of traffic crashes in 2018.

 

More ugly and sad news stories …

Dateline: Sullivan, Missouri

Authorities say an 81-year-old man drowned after crashing his car into a neighborhood pond and then trying to retrieve and save his groceries.

 

Dateline: Hodges, South Carolina

Deputies say a 17-year-old shooting at a street sign accidently killed a man sitting at home on his front porch.

 

Dateline: Youngstown, Ohio

A man charged in a human-trafficking investigation apparently fatally shot himself.

 

                                                                        =          =          =

 

copyright MMXVIII – Max’s Scout Services & Communications of the Americas –

“The San Dailey Sun~Chronicles”

Mental Health Day 2018

On World Mental Health Day, Boehringer Ingelheim, is proud to support this annual milestone by showcasing a new way of thinking around the challenges of CNS research.  Launching this week, our comprehensive interactive information map showcases how our CNS team is committed to taking bold steps in their CNS research. By starting with how brain circuits malfunction and investigating these pathways, our aim is to alleviate the resulting symptoms that negatively impact on the daily lives of millions of people affected by mental illness: from memory loss, lack of motivation to cognitive impairment, we are looking at these symptoms.

https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/sites/all/libraries/content/neuromap/index.html

 

As a company, we actively support the annual World Mental Health Day, to raise awareness of the burden many people face around the world and because we believe, each of us can contribute to ensure that people dealing with problems concerning mental health can live better lives with dignity. And: even if there are setbacks from time to time, our Commitment Never Stops.

Our information platform is designed for everyone and aims to:

• deliver fast facts and figures on mental illness and brain disorders and the vital symptoms of these conditions
• allow the user to dive as deep as he/she likes
• explain personal experiences from people suffering from mental health symptoms
• showcase our neurobiological scientific research to improve our understanding of the brain and ultimately, find effective solutions for brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia or major depressive disorder
• explain the latest brain circuit research to find not only pharmaceutical solutions, but also how we are exploring ways to improve mental health through brain training and other innovative non-pharmacological treatments
• show how our collaborations with leading researchers across the globe can collectively combine efforts and achieve results.

Five Facts We Have Learned from the Kavanaugh Proceedings

What truths the Kavanaugh investigation and confirmation process has revealed:

1. Kavanaugh’s confirmation proves once again that the courts, especially the Supreme Court, are political.

One of the dominant myths of our political culture holds that the courts are nonpartisan. As Chief Justice John Roberts declared by way of an analogy to the role of baseball umpires in the “job” of judges “is to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat.”

The myth of judicial impartiality dates back to the earliest days of the republic, more than two centuries before Roberts was elevated to the court. Writing in 1788 on the “Judiciary Department” during the debates on the ratification of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton described the proposed judicial branch of government in Federalist Paper No. 78 thusly:

Whoever attentively considers the different departments of power must perceive, that, in a government in which they are separated from each other, the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution; because it will be least in a capacity to annoy or injure them.

The judiciary … has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatever. It may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment…

Hamilton went on in No. 78 to advocate for lifetime judicial tenure so as to ensure the “independence of the judges,” which he reasoned “is requisite to guard the Constitution and the rights of individuals.”

These are fine words, penned by one of the most gifted of the Founding Fathers. Believing in them is essential to accepting the court’s legitimacy.

Sadly, in practice, the country has only occasionally lived up to Hamilton’s lofty ideals. Armed with the power of judicial review—the authority to declare acts of the executive, Congress and the states unconstitutional (or conversely, to uphold them), established by Marbury v. Madison in 1803—the Supreme Court has assumed enormous political power.

According to a joint analysis prepared by the Congressional Research Service and the Library of Congress, the high court had declared 182 acts of Congress and 1094 state statutes and ordinances unconstitutional as of Aug. 26, 2017. In addition, the court had overruled, in whole or in part, 236 of its prior decisions. The analysis did not include an aggregate tally of the number of presidential executive orders the court had nixed.

In and of itself, power is neither good nor evil. The issue, always, is how power is wielded.

In its finest moments, the court has exercised the power of judicial review on behalf of minorities, the weak and the disenfranchised. In its Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954, for example, the court repudiated the doctrine of “separate but equal” in public schools. In 1973, it recognized the right of women to have abortions in Roe v. Wade. In 2015, in Obergefell v. Hodges, it invalidated state prohibitions on same-sex marriage.

More commonly, however, the court has wielded its power to further the aims and interests of dominant elites. To cite just five examples from the distant and recent past: In 1857’s Dred Scott v. Sandford, the court nullified the Missouri Compromise of 1820, holding that African-Americans could never become U.S. citizens. In 1894, in Plessy v. Ferguson, it upheld the “separate but equal” doctrine ultimately overturned in Brown. In 2010, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the court opened the floodgates to unlimited campaign spending. Five years ago, it gutted the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder. And earlier this year, it upheld the president’s Muslim travel ban in Trump v. Hawaii.

It’s small wonder, then, that presidents in every era have attempted to stack the bench with justices who share their ideological biases. Kavanaugh’s nomination is by no means the first to expose the ugly partisan underbelly of the process.

We’ve been here before, and not long ago. In 1969 and 1970, respectively, the Senate rejected Nixon nominees Clement Haynsworth and G. Harold Carswell because of their regressive views on segregation and civil rights. In 1987, the Senate turned aside Robert Bork, one of the chief architects of the legal theory of “originalism,” who in 1973 as solicitor general fired special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox in the infamous “Saturday Night Massacre.” In 1991, the Senate barely confirmed Clarence Thomas in the face of sexual harassment allegations brought by law professor Anita Hill and several other women.

In Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump selected a longtime GOP operative, who before his initial appointment as a district court judge in 2004 had worked as Whitewater independent counsel Ken Starr’s right-hand assistant, helping to draft the 1998 report to Congress that led to the impeachment of President Clinton. Following his stint with Starr, he joined George W. Bush’s White House, eventually becoming the president’s staff secretary. Since his elevation to the Court of Appeals in 2006, he has amassed a record that shows extreme hostility to the rights of consumers, voters, women, the LGBTQ community, workers and immigrants.

Even more attractive to Trump are Kavanaugh’s expansive views on presidential prerogatives and powers. In a 2009 article for the Minnesota Law Review, in an apparent about-face from his service on Starr’s legal team, Kavanaugh argued that sitting presidents should be immune from both civil suits and criminal prosecutions. Who better than Kavanaugh to protect Trump against special counsel Robert Mueller should proceedings involving the Russia investigation reach the Supreme Court?

Any pretense that Kavanaugh would bring the kind of independence and measured demeanor to the high court envisioned by Hamilton was laid to rest on Sept. 27, when he appeared before the judiciary committee to rebut the allegations of attempted rape lodged by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Red-faced, lips curled into an angry snarl, he barked out an unhinged conspiracy theory worthy of Alex Jones or Rush Limbaugh:

“This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons, and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups.”

The remarks prompted The New York Times to publish an open letter signed by over 2,400 law professors, announcing their opposition to Kavanaugh. “Judge Brett Kavanaugh,” the letter asserted, “displayed a lack of judicial temperament that would be disqualifying for any court, and certainly for elevation to the highest court of this land.”

The Republican-controlled Senate, willing to consolidate political power at all cost, disregarded the letter.

2. Kavanaugh’s confirmation signals the triumph of a judicial counterrevolution.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation represents the culmination of a multi-decade effort by the most revanchist sectors of the right to seize control of the justice system and neutralize the use of law as an instrument of progressive social and economic reform.

If the rise of the right in Trump’s America has established anything, it is that constitutional norms are fragile. Today’s political fringe is tomorrow’s ruling bloc.

3. For the time being, white male privilege has trumped the rights of women.

Trump and his enablers will eventually pay a heavy price for placing Kavanaugh on the court and, more generally, demeaning women and scapegoating minorities. The only question is when.

4. Elections matter.

In an unusual display of honesty, the Trump Administration has revealed their political intentions.

The right understands the critical importance of the courts. The left doesn’t. That will have to change if the conservative counterrevolution is ever to be defeated.

5. If the Democrats take back the House, Kavanaugh will face further investigations and possible impeachment.

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This article is adapted from the writings of Bill Blum, who is a former judge and author (“Prejudicial Error,” “The Last Appeal” and “The Face of Justice”).

David Dailey switched from the Republican party in 1972 when he lived in Indiana. David recently wrote to a close friend that at I.U. I learned about equality, history, consumerism, science, the environment, and psychiatry. Our president is sick. Most of my 4,000+ FB contacts are either upset or resigned to this Supreme Court thang. I’m glad that I have no case headed to the Court and will not live much longer. My daughter’s generation will have to figure out how to survive. My immediate prayer is that POTUS and Justices K. and Thomas will be impeached by the House of Representatives in 2019. If we are to believe social media, we are headed to another revolution… even POTUS is threatening violence if things don’t turn out his way.