Articles from the Week of January 6, 2023

Interesting Quotes

To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.

Ludwig Van Beethoven 

A good way to overcome stress is to help others out of theirs.

Dada J. P. Vaswani, Indian spiritual leader

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."

Mark Twain 

Fascinating Facts and Trivia (many from InterestingFacts.com)

“Foreign Accent Syndrome is a rare side effect that causes people to speak their native language in a foreign accent

“Foreign Accent Syndrome is a real thing where people talk in their native language with a foreign accent. An example of this would be an American person speaking English with a French accent. Foreign Accent Syndrome - or FAS - is a possible side-effect of a head injury, stroke, or anything else that causes serious brain damage. It was originally thought of as a made-up symptom of a brain injury, but research has concluded that it is real and points towards serious brain trauma.” Click here to read the full article. 

Do you know what is atop the Washington Monument?

There is a nine-inch pyramid of pure aluminum at the top of the Washington Monument. In the 1800s it was quite difficult to purify aluminum, so this was significant for the time. Since the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the area at the time, wires were run from the pyramid into the ground in order to provide grounding during thunderstorms.

Counseling Articles

No Civilization Without Restraint: Wise Words From 1939

This is another Breakpoint article from the Best of 2022 series. It discusses the research from Oxford sociologist J.D. Unwin, which has some important implications for us today. I encourage you to take a couple minutes to read what he discovered when studying multiple cultures, and how this applies to the trends happening in our culture today. Click here to read the full article. 

God’s Faithfulness in the Past Assures Our Happy Future

The world pursues happiness but rarely finds it. Randy Alcorn tells of two people, both supposedly experts in finding happiness, who hosted an hour-long radio show on The Pursuit of Happiness and who ended the show by placing plastic bags over each other’s heads and committing suicide. As we begin a new year I think we can be thankful that our happiness is grounded in God’s faithfulness in the past and his promise of a wonderful future. Click here to read the full article.  

Mom Rescues Daughter From Cult After College Brainwashing

This is an interview with a mother and daughter. The daughter went to Mt. Holyoke College, the oldest women’s college in the U.S., and experienced a radical personality transformation as a result of her gender studies courses. This interview shares the story from both the mother’s and daughter’s perspectives. Some people would question the use of the term “college brainwashing” and “cult” but if you listen to the total interview I think parents probably should be cautious about sending their daughters to college to major in women’s gender studies without sitting in on some of the classes themselves to see what teaching their daughters will be exposed to. In this situation the daughter finished her education at another college, is reconciled with her mother, and now works at Praeger University. Click here to watch the full video.  

Bipolar & the Carb Connection

In general, complex carbs are healthier for most everyone than simple carbs, but for people with bipolar disorder they have an added benefit, as this article explains. Click here to read the full article. 

Routine Maintenance: How Sticking to a Schedule Helps Maintain Balance

Another helpful article about a method that can help a person with bipolar disorder maintain balance. Click here to read the full article. 

Marijuana Edibles at Home Land Increasing Number of Children in Hospitals: AAP Study

Another serious problem with more and more states legalizing recreational marijuana. Click here to read the full article.  

New television network

In case you haven’t heard there is a new Christian television network that you may be interested in trying out—the Great American Family network. Click here to learn about it. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Henry Virkler