Articles from the Week of January 13, 2023

Interesting Quotes

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.

Socrates

Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really and truly of no great use; a right heart exceeds all.

Ben Franklin

"Walking is man's best medicine."

Hippocrates 

Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods in school. And the person that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and fool.

Plato [So apparently this isn’t only a modern phenomenon]

Life is like a hot bath: It feels good while you’re in it, but the longer you stay, the more wrinkled you get.

Garfield the cat

"Don't complain about growing old - many, many people do not have that privilege."

Earl Warren 

If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one's own self-deception and ignorance.

Marcus Aurelius 

Fascinating Facts and Trivia (many from InterestingFacts.com)

The Earth’s shape is constantly changing.

Although we usually picture our world as a sphere it’s actually an irregularly-shaped ellipsoid (think of a slightly flattened sphere). It’ shape is constantly changing because of the centrifugal force caused by it’s rotation, the pull of the sun’s and moon’s gravitation, shifting of the tectonic plates, the residual effects of the last ice age (about 16,000 years ago) and other factors. Don’t worry, the changes are not likely to fling you off into outer space anytime soon.

Humans are the only known animal that cries from emotion.

“Most animals with eyes produce tears, but only one releases them in moments of sorrow and joy: humans. Creatures throughout the animal kingdom also feel emotion, but humans are the

biological anomaly for being able to stream tears down our faces during times of emotional upheaval or relief — and scientists remain perplexed about exactly why.”

Sand dunes can “sing.”

“Most rock formations found in nature are revered for their stoic appearance — think snow-capped mountains or monoliths like the Rock of Gibraltar. But some more active landscapes, like ever-shifting sand dunes, have a livelier presence: They can “sing.” An estimated 35 sand dunes around the world, including some in the United Arab Emirates, Chile, and the U.S., are known to produce eerie, vibrational hums in a variety of tones. Some even produce booms or croaking sounds. Marco Polo noted the phenomenon during his travels, and many communities surrounding dunes have developed their own superstitions about the songs. Yet for centuries, no one really understood why or how these sounds happened.

“Today, scientists believe sand dunes produce their songs in part because of avalanches. By nature, sand dunes shift as wind whips sand into new locations, and it’s likely the humming sound occurs when air pushes through millions of sand grains as they tumble into new positions. Even then, it takes a combination of weather conditions to create the silty harmonies; generally, sand must be extremely dry to emit sound.

“Some of the world’s loudest sand dunes are found in China in the Badain Jaran Desert, reaching more than 1,600 feet tall and emitting sounds that peak at 105 decibels — the same volume as a music concert. In North America, the largest sand dunes are all found within Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado, reaching 741 feet at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where scientists believe they have been singing their tune for nearly 12,000 years.”

Counseling Articles

Social Media Use Is Linked to Brain Changes in Teens

This is an article from the New York Times, so you probably cannot read it if you do not have a subscription, so I will summarize a major point or two. A study did successive brain scans of children between the ages of 12 and 15 and found that those who spent more time on social media became more susceptible to social feedback from peers whereas those who spent less time on social media became more independent of social feedback. Other research has found that almost 50% of teens say they are almost always on social media. I think one implication of this research is that for parents to raise children who have a healthy sense of independence they should explain this research to children and help their children develop healthy limits to how much time they spend on social media. Click here to read the full article. 

Vaping on campus still a concern for schools in Palm Beach County

For those of you who work with children and teens, here is an update on how prevalent vaping is in our middle and high schools in Palm Beach County. Click here to read the full article. 

The Arctic Blast Exposed A MAJOR Problem With Electric Cars….

This is obviously not a counseling article, but if you’re considering purchasing an electric car, and especially if you’re thinking of visiting family in the north at Christmas, you may want to read this article. Apparently cold weather reduces a batteries’ range by 30 to 40%, it increases the time to charge by about the same amount, and some charging stations simply quit functioning completely in cold weather. If you only plan to use your EV in Florida this may not be a problem. Click here to read the full article.  

Screen All Surgery Patients for Cannabis Use, New Guidelines Say

Although this article is from a medical journal I’m including it here, since some of your clients may use marijuana recreationally or for medical reasons. If they do and are going to have surgery, it is very important that they tell their doctor and anesthesiologist, because marijuana use may alter how and what anesthesia is used. Click here to read the full article.  

10 Google Search tricks to find anything

Although we probably all have some reservations about Google, it can be a useful tool for finding information that we might not be able to quickly access in other ways. Here are some Google tricks you may not know about. Click here to read the full article.  

Brain’s waste disposal system discovered

This brief article discusses the discovery of a waste-disposal system in the human brain. While the discovery is so recent that no clinical applications have been developed to use it, the possibilities for future applications are quite important. Click here to read the full article.  

Fresh bad news for kids makes pot legalization look even worse

As more and more states make recreational marijuana legal, the harmful effects of marijuana on teens continues to accumulate. Click here to read the full article.  

Icelandic Horses: Fairytale-Like Photos of One of the World’s Oldest and Purest Horse Breeds

This absolutely has nothing to do with counseling, but if you’d like to see some absolutely beautiful pictures of Icelandic horses, I invite you to spend a moment looking at these. Click here to see the pictures. 

Atheists refute claims abortion bans violate religious freedom

There are several atheist groups who are claiming that abortion bans violate their religious freedom. However, Monica Snyder, President of Secular Prolife, has made the following counterarguments:

"It's a biological fact," she said. "You don't need to be religious to recognize biological facts, and you don't need to be religious to believe all humans are morally valuable."

She also argued: “Freedom of religion is important, but it doesn't justify human rights violations. Abortion violates human rights by killing human beings," Snyder asserted. "Freedom of religion doesn't justify it." Click here to read the full article.  

Kayleigh McEnany Announces Major News - 'Living Through Chaos By Leaning on Christ'

Probably most of us have become aware of Kayleigh McEnamy over the last two years. She has struggled with several really difficult situations. She has also been open about her faith, and how it has helped her through those difficult struggles. Click here to read the full article. 

More Schools Requiring ‘Psych Clearances’ For Kids To Stay In Class

If you work with children with mental health issues such as autism or ADHD, more schools are now requiring parents, after their child has a “breakdown” at school, to obtain a mental health clearance or risk assessment saying they are not a danger to themselves or others before they will be allowed to come back to school. Click here to read the full article.  

3 Things a Child Crimes Investigator Won’t Let Her Own Kids Do—Tips to Avoid Groomers, Sex Predators

Child crime investigators often see things we don’t. This crime scene investigator from California shares tips for protecting children based on her experience. Somebody may have been multitasking when they wrote this headline—her article contains five tips rather than three. On a side note, to those female counselors who may be wondering how God would have them use their skills, you might consider using them in this area. Click here to read the full article.  

Are the Moms All Right? Busting the Myths About Motherhood

Another excellent column from Breakpoint, disputing several of the common myths about motherhood that are present in American culture today. Click here to read the full article. 

Best wishes to everyone!

Henry Virkler