Articles from the Week of February 10, 2023
Interesting Quotes
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas Jefferson
The future depends on what you do today.
Mahatma Gandhi
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.
Yogi Berra
There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.
Susan Cain
“Coffee is the WD-40 of life.”
Author unknown
“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.”
Voltaire
Love... is the honoring of others in a way that grants them the grace of their own autonomy.
Anne Truitt
Little progress can be made by merely attempting to repress what is evil. Our great hope lies in developing what is good.
Calvin Coolidge
I’m multitasking. I can hear, ignore, and forget at the same time.
Author unknown
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
“The Lion and the Mouse,” by Aesop
Fascinating Facts and Trivia (many from InterestingFacts.com)
Which New England State Was Once Its Own Country?
Answer: Vermont. “The history of Vermont is quite unique: for a period of time in 1777, it declared itself an independent nation – the only state to ever have done so! This was motivated not just by its strong willed nature, but also in order to gain international recognition as a fighting force against British forces.
To that end, they successfully negotiated with England to be given autonomy - even after the United States became an independent country.”
Which 'Golden Girls' Actress Served In The U.S. Marines?
Bea Arthur. Though initially serving as a typist, she was eventually promoted to lieutenant before leaving the Marines, and continued to serve as a volunteer in various projects even after she was discharged.
Do you know which are the only species of birds that can fly backward?
Answer: Hummingbirds. “They not only fly backward, but they can also fly upside down, and this is mainly attributed to the structure of their wings. They have a ball and socket joint, which allows for a greater span of movement. The main reason why hummingbirds are able to move backward and side-to-side easily is to move from flower to flower to collect nectar faster and more efficiently. Intriguingly, hummingbirds can fly even when wet and can have a flight speed of 15 to 22 miles per second. They can also move their wings up to 200 times every second.” [Quoted from NeedtoKnowFacts.com]
About How Many Times Do Your Eyes Blink Every Minute?
“Our eyes blink around twenty times a minute, you may not have noticed, but it can have an important impact on our health. Blinking is a natural and necessary reflex that helps to spread moisturizing tear film across the eye's surface to keep them healthy and hydrated. It also helps clear away dust particles and other irritants by washing them away with tears.” [Quoted section from TriviaBright.com]
In Korea, a child is considered one year old when they are born.
This may be due to the fact that most children, at birth, are nine months old, so the time in gestation is rounded up to one year.
The average cumulus cloud weighs 1.1 million pounds.
Cumulus clouds seem light and fluffy, and they float in the sky, so they must be quite light. However, the water density of a typical cumulus cloud is 0.5 grams (about a marble’s worth) per cubic meter. That means the average cumulus cloud holds 500,000,000 grams of water — or 1.1 million pounds. So if you are under a cumulus cloud you have the equivalent of 100 elephants floating above your head. They are kept aloft by dryer, denser air, which is even heavier. [Information provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.]
George Washington lost more battles than he won
George Washington had very little military experience before the Revolutionary War and he lost more battles than he won. The United States gained its independence because of his perseverance.
Do you know the longest name of any mountain in the world?
It is a mountain in New Zealand, and it’s name is: Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu.
Counseling articles
Counseling Referral List
I mentioned this last week, but am repeating it for anyone who did not read last week’s articles. A referral source for pastors is now available on the SFACC website. This is designed to help pastors know how to refer parishioners to counselors, psychiatrists, mental health hospitals, substance abuse hospitals and eating disorders treatment centers. Please let the pastors of your church know about this article. It contains more information than pastors or anyone can easily retain, so it is compiled as a pdf document that they can print off and consult when needed. It also has sections on how mental health problems can sometimes appear as spiritual problems when they are not. We encourage you to read this yourself and then recommend it to your pastor or pastors it you believe they would benefit from this information.
If You Give a Man a Womb, Is He a Woman?
This Breakpoint article discusses the issue that is at the heart of the transgender debate—Is it ever possible, even with medical advances and surgical techniques, for a person of one gender to become a functioning person of the other gender. Click here to read the full article.
Teen Addicted to Endless Scrolling on Social Media Shares How Quitting It Positively Impacted His Life
Sometimes teens will listen better to other teens than to anyone else. Here are some comments from a teen about the impact of endless scrolling on his life, how he stopped and what he replaced it with, and how those changes have affected him. Click here to read the full article.
Cognitive Effects in Midlife of Long-Term Cannabis Use
Now that medical and recreational marijuana are becoming legal in more and more states and marijuana is stronger than the marijuana of previous decades, some people are finding that their cognitive functioning is being seriously affected by long-term use. This describes the various effects people are experiencing and a good practical strategy for cutting back on usage. Click here to read the full article.
15 Must-Read Memoirs from People with Bipolar Disorder
If you have a client recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder they often have anxiety about what the future holds for them. Probably they don’t have time to read 15 books but reading a few books might give them helpful suggestions they can use. Click here to read the full list.
OCD is increasingly the common denominator among extremist behaviors
Although many people with OCD are not involved in extremist movements, these authors say that some people with OCD do become involved in extremist movements. If you have clients with OCD, you might want to look at this article. Click here to read the whole feature.
This Study Could Be 'Scientific Nail in the Coffin' for Masks
I usually don’t include strictly medical articles here, but this one is particularly significant. It is by the Cochrane Library, a group known for its careful analyses. The study looked at the results of 78 randomly-controlled-studies, the best kind of scientific studies, and found that masks, even the highly-regarded N95 masks, did virtually nothing to reduce the likelihood of the spread of COVID or other airborne illnesses. This is particularly pertinent for schools, since some children have difficulty learning when they cannot see the faces of their teachers. Click here to read the full article.
Do People “Black Out” in Manic Episodes?
This is a very worthwhile article by Julie Fast, a respected author who has Bipolar 2, who gives a really good way to help people who have no memory of some of the things they did while in a manic episode. For those of us who do not have bipolar disorder, she also does a good job of answering the question posed in the title of the article. Click here to read the whole feature.
21 Ideas to Create More Love in Your Marriage
Since Valentine’s Day is coming up next week, here’s an article to remind all of us of the ways we can show spouses, family members and friends that we love them. Click here to read the full list.
Canada’s Doctors Coerced Into Promoting Euthanasia Call the Practice ‘Illegal’ and ‘Unethical’
In 2016 Canada passed the medical assistance in dying (essentially euthanasia) for those who had terminal medical illnesses. Because Canada has socialized medicine and because of rising costs (it usually costs more to treat a person than it does to euthanize them), the medical assistance in dying was expanded to anyone who requested it, even though they had no medical illness that was terminal. But now a significant group of medical doctors, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and medical professors are pushing back against the implementation of such a law. The implementation date has been pushed back from March, 2023 to March, 2024. Click here to read the full article.
Bipolar & Romance—Learning to Cope & Thrive Together
It is not uncommon to hear of divorce when one of the pair has bipolar disorder. Here is an article that looks at how having bipolar disorder can bring extra joy to a relationship. Click here to read the full article.
How to Respond When a Loved One Is Diagnosed with ADHD
Here is a concise list of things to say or not say when someone shares that they have received a diagnosis of ADHD. Click here to read the full article.
Different, But the Same
Here is an article by a husband whose wife had a stroke, and how it has affected their lives. I think it’s a good reminder of the vows we took when we married, to love each other, in sickness and in health. Click here to read the whole article.
Why ADHD Is Different for People of Color
A good article that explains how often ADHD is diagnosed and treated for many children of color. Click here to read the full article.
I Thought I Was Saving Trans Kids. Now I’m Blowing the Whistle.
This article was not written by a conservative, but by a gay woman who says that she is to the left of Bernie Sanders and is now married to a transman. She worked as a case manager for four years at The Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Initially she believed they were helping gender dysphoric children, but after seeing the results of their treatment, her attitude changed. She says: “By the time I departed, I was certain that the way the American medical system is treating these patients is the opposite of the promise we make to “do no harm.” Instead, we are permanently harming the vulnerable patients in our care. “To read her full letter, (and this is probably the first time I’ve recommended an article by someone to the left of Bernie Sanders) click here.
Have a wonderful week or weekend!
Henry Virkler