Charlie P

I subscribe to a service called My Daily Insights and there was a recent mailing that so deeply touched me I wanted to share it with others. It's too long to post here so I put it on my web space so you can read it and comment as you wish.

Regardless of what you think of this, your children are precious and are only "loaned" to your for a short time to love and teach and nurture. If you're not listening, really listening, you're not being the best parent you can be. All of us, young and old, need to be heard.

http://cwp-auctions.com/cw/LearningToListen.htm

While looking for something completely unrelated I came across what I think is an awesome collection of photos and images with links. As of now it contains articles from July 2004 until now all on one page so it takes FOREVER to load all the images.

WARINING AND DISCLAIMER:

Some of the images in this collection may not be suitable for all people. There are a very few images of artistic nudity but the ones I found extremely disturbing are those of war and its casualties. So please exercise caution while scrolling through the images; some show death and are horriblly sad. But most of the images are very well executed photographs from the creative minds of some very talented people.

Now that I've told you what I think, see if you share my opinion:

http://arjay.typepad.com/vallejo_nocturno/images/

Again, PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER ABOVE BEFORE CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

It seems like I've seen so many "Am I pretty?" questions lately so I went on a hunt and was really amazed at how many people are looking for (maybe needing) reassurance. I hope most people are more self-assured than my search indicated.

Anyway, while I was looking around the web tonight I found a pic I wanted to share. My second question is whether this kid is going to have self image problems too and be posting "Am I pretty?" questions on Yahoo Answers?

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=6d18m0x

Just trying to lighten the mood a little bit around here.

The best way I've heard of to scientifically discover your ethnic roots is through DNA testing. I really want to do this but don't have the spare $$$. But I'd sure like to know other people's experiences. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, check out the Ancestry Project at http://www.dnaancestryproject.com/

First a quote from http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definiti...

"Altruism, in practice, is the performance of duties to others with no view to any sort of personal gain for one's efforts. If one performs an act beneficial to others with a view to gaining affection, respect, reputation, or any form of gratitude or remuneration then it is not an altruistic act. It is in fact a selfish act because the principal motivation was to reap some benefit for oneself. The desire of this benefit exists equally whether it is psychological, emotional, intellectual, or material - each form of desirable benefit is philosophically identical as a motivation."

My question is in a response to an interesting article on Yahoo! News, Brain gets a thrill from charity: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070614/hl_nm/brain_al...

The article states that this is evidence of "pure altruism," but it's not if there's a reward, is it? The scary part to me is making paying taxes pleasurable!

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is risk involvement.

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd Is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair.

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is To risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing dies nothing, Has nothing and is nothing.

They say they avoid suffering and sorrow, But they cannot learn, Feel, change, grow, love, feel.

Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves.

They have forfeited their freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

-- Anonymous

This is, in a way, a follow-up to my earlier question about whether freedom is an illusion, http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsK9B...

From 30 years ago:

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre." - Frank Zappa, 1977

I believe that she should serve out her sentence in prison but jail is a terrifying experience. No matter how spoiled she is, no matter how arrogant, I feel how much she is hurting and I don't want anyone to have to suffer. I only hope she is humbled by this experience and comes out on the other side a better person.

AP: ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Annapolis police raided the wrong apartment Wednesday night, using flash grenades and kicking a resident in the groin before they realized their mistake, police and the family said.

I know, it's an old joke but I still find it humorous...

There's not enough room for it here so you'll have to read it at:

http://cwp-auctions.com/cw/bushjoke.htm

It appears to me that America is a culture of scarcity rather than a culture of abundance. We have so much to share and yet so much of what I read in Yahoo! Answers is fear, based on the belief that everyone else is out to take everything we've got rather than a belief in nurturing all of humanity. So sad! Are there any ways we can bring about a change in focus? Can we on Yahoo! Answers be a part of the solution or just continue to be one more cause of the problem?

I had a lot of trouble deciding where to ask this question: science, philosophy, health...

The Human Genome Project has identified hundreds of disease processes and the gene they are identified with. See: http://lifespanassociate.com/human_chromosomes.htm and click on the pictures for details.

On Yahoo! News it was announced that Dr. James Watson, the discoverer of DNA, "gets own personal genome map." He said that he looked at part of it but that "He planned to skip the section of the map that would tell him if he was at risk for Alzheimer's disease, which his grandmother died from. That, he said, he didn't want to know."

If you were prone to a disease (even something as devastating as Alzheimer's) would you want to know? I would, even though it would be disheartening, because there are often successful treatments for disease processes if they are discovered early.

The url of the article is http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070531/ap_on_sc/human...

For a long time I've wanted to go to India and work with lepers. It's my understanding that the facilities in other countries are well staffed but the ones in India need volunteers due to the "untouchables" social policies (disavowed by the government but still in practice just like racist attitudes here in the US). Any info would be appreciated; that is, serious answers preferably.

I believe that we are rapidly loosing our freedoms in the US. But there are differences from State to State. My vote is for Vermont.