Daily Thoughts & Issues

IN THIS ISSUE:

JULY 9

Days left until the next millennium 01.01.3001

Photo of the Week
Brad Lewis/Tony Stone Images
Achieve Your Dreams

July 9 - Martyrdom of Báb Day. * Independence Day in Argentina. * First Open Heart Surgery (1893), Chicago's south side, by black surgeon Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. * Fourteenth Amendment Ratified (1868) Defined US citizenship and provided that no State shall have the right to abridge the rights of any citizen without due process and equal protection under the law. German Army Group Center was taken by surprise when the Soviets began an offensive between the Baltic Sea and the Carpathian Mountains. (1944) Hitler refused to allow a German retreat and within a week Army Group Center was virtually annihilated with a loss of 200,000 men. Baha'l observance of the anniversary of the execution by a firing squad (1850) at Tabriz, Persia, of the 30-year-old Siyyid Ali Muhammed, the Bab (prophet-herald of the Baha'i Faith). * Johnny Weissmueller is the first to swim the 100 meter freestyle in less than one minute. He later wins Olympic medals and stars in Tarzan movies. * Birthdays: Vince Edwards, Elias Howe, Jimmy Smits, Ottorino Respighi, Brian Dennehy, Tom Hanks, David Hockney, Orenthal James (OJ) Simpsom, John Tesh, James Hampton, Fred Savage.

DAILY THOUGHTS

The more closely our maps or paradigms are aligned with principles or natural laws, the more accurate and functional they will be. Correct maps will infinitely impact our personal and interpersonal effectiveness far more than any amount of effort expended on changing our attitudes and behaviors.  Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Instead of saying, "Why did you do that?" Say, "Tell me more."  This simple phrase elicits more information without creating defensiveness. Dr. Buff's 365 Day Parenting Calendar

Penis size is no match for honest, nothing-held-back communication - Belinda, 30 Best of 1001 Sex Secrets Every Man & Woman Should Know

In the largest study of impotence since the Kinsey Report, it was found, in 1993, that about half of American men over forty have experienced middle-life impotence to varying degrees. Problems of declining sexual potency may already affect nineteen million men in the U.S. And, America's male menopause pollution will increase by almost 60 percent during the next twenty years. New Passages

Manners can be merely superficial and formalistic, but they can also be a way of making the ordinary details of life correspond to human sensitivity. Soul Mates

To do, one must be doing. - French Proverb Achieve Your Dreams

Things to Be Happy About: A Shetland pony. Roasted peppers on your sandwich. The comfort of a chubby chair. 14,000 Things to Be Happy About

It's hard to save the best for last.  Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me

There are four kinds of forgiveness. The last and perhaps most difficult kind of forgiveness is the advanced forgiveness of another. Everyone has been morally wronged or severely hurt by another person at some time in his or her life to such a degree that forgiveness seems impossible. However, harboring resentment and revenge fantasies only keeps you trapped in victimhood. It is only through forgiveness that you can erase wrongdoing and clean the slate. If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

Perfect Patties:  Bring on the burgers!  A juicy grilled hamburger is a taste treat kids love. Let them help you prepare the burgers but here's a prep tip: When forming ground meat into burgers, have your children dampen their hands with a little water to keep the meat from sticking to their palms. Parents Tips & Tricks

Christmas shopping in July? Why not? Avoid the last-minute rush and buy some gifts now or when you go on vacation and hide them until December. The more you can spread out your gift buying through the year, the easier it'll be on your pocketbook, the less you'll have to fight the holiday crowds, and the more time you'll have to enjoy the season.  Stress Busters

Destiny, n. A tyrant's authority for crime and a fool's excuse for failure. - Ambrose Bierce Win the Day!

La Hermana (hehrMAHnah) Sister. Es su hermana?  Is she your sister?  Living Language

TODAY'S ISSUE: MANHOOD

The Art of Manhood. Storytelling, drumming, dancing, and singing are practical during the dry season - Malidoma Some. Our "dry periods" are a great time to revive in ourselves the art of storytelling, the drama to be found in dance, the delight of drumming and the salvation that singing can provide. All this did not die in our boyhood - it can be part of our life again. We tend to let professional performers have all the fun. In doing so, we become less inclined to create this kind of magic on our own. We may still carry old voices inside that tell us we can't sing, that we're not artistically inclined, or that storytellers are born not made. We challenge those voices today by going the forbidden thing: allowing our joy and our grief all manner of expression. Men are now reclaiming their ancient abilities in the arts. We are healing ourselves and others in the process, building a new kind of beauty to leave behind. By reaching deep into ourselves through drum and dance, through story and song, we reawaken the colorful qualities of manhood. Today, I'll tell a story, whether it's ancient or one of my own. I'll drum out the storm that's rumbling in my soul. I'll dance out the demons that tell me I can't dance. I'll sing in delight, knowing that joy's melody is always in the perfect key. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

Manly Hugs:  Man is free, but not if he doesn't believe it - Giovanni Giacomo Casanova. As we grew up, many of us were not at all encouraged to show our affection for the men who were important to us. Occasionally we could hug our fathers or our grandfathers. But after a point, usually when we were about eight years old, even this limited kind of manly contact was forbidden. As a result of this, "hugging taboo", we became physically isolated from other men. We could touch each other in the simulated combat of team sports, or in a fit of drunken sentiment, but we were taught that to touch a man with genuine affection or feeling seemed somehow "unmanly." Now we recognize the hunger we have for the nurturing touch of other men. Being hugged by another man is a greatly supportive and empowering experience. Reaching out to hug another man, we share the physical expression of our manliness. When we hug, we are vulnerable. We need to experience hugs with other men. We are nurturers, and we can be nurtured. Today I will receive and give hugs in a respectful and loving way. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

Wildness and Wild Men: In Wildness is the preservation of the World... I would have every man so much like a wild antelope, so much a part and parcel of nature...The most alive is the wildest. - Henry David Thoreau. "All good things are wild and free," according to Thoreau. "Give me for my friends and neighbors, wild men, not tame ones."  We are blessed if we have friends who are truly wild men. Wild here does not mean those who drink heavily or hurt people. It means those unpredictable ones who might bring wild gifts, invite us on forays into nature, and refresh our souls in a multitude of ways. We never know what our wild friends will do or when they may appear. They can be embarrassing. Their clothing can be unusual. They can bring us great delight and joy. When men lose touch with the wilderness, they lose contact with an essential part of their masculinity. Outer wildness can evoke our natural wildness - that which is spontaneous, alive, zany and fresh. Remember a time when you had direct contact with natural wildness. Imagine it or literally go our and find some wildness. Be wild enough to cancel any tame regular plans and go off into a wilderness. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

Like, peace and love, motherfucker, or you're gonna die!  I'm gonna kick your ass if you fuck with my garden - Axl Rose. Deep down inside each of us is a wild man, a guttural, visceral, irascible being who if turned loose would call in sick tomorrow morning and see who is on Live with Regis & Kathie Lee. Who is this wild man, this virile beast within, who bays at the moon and at girls wearing those thong things?  Could this possible be me?  God, I hope so. Image a world where your wild man can roam free as the tide, where you don't have to hide, where you can live as free as the wind, unfettered by the expectations of others, or condoms. Imagine a world where beauty surrounds you, where women take you to dinner and then expect something in return. Imagine that you are born free. Wild men, like lions, need nothing more than a grassy knoll and a large plain tree to be utterly fulfilled.

By the end of the (men's) weekend I am deeply struck by the many forms of male beauty: Big roaring bears of men, fierce flying falcons of men, deep diving rout of me. Gentle men, angry men, laughing men...men hugging, men howling, crying, men dancing, singing... - Terrance O'Connor. Men can be so beautiful - to see, to watch, to hear - their bodies, voices, ways of being and thinking. Many men notice only women; some men are becoming freer to notice men to whom we are drawn. It may be the way they walk. Or the clarity in what they say. Or their dignity. Or the sound of their voices. Men singing together can be particularly beautiful. There is much to admire in men. Men are many things that are simply beautiful. And we do many things that are beautiful - in our relationships to ourselves, to others, to nature, and to the divine. Today I will take the time to notice and admire men's beauty. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

SPECIAL URLs

 

MENSTUFF COLUMNS BY AUTHOR

  • The Advice Diva - The Advice Diva - relationship and sexuality issues discussed - www.menstuff.org/columns/advicediva/archive.html
  • Peter Alsop - Song of the Month - www.menstuff.org/columns/alsop/archive.html
  • Reid Baer - A Man Overboard - Interview of the Month - www.menstuff.org/columns/overboard/archive.html
  • Reid Baer - Poetry - poetry read on YouTube - www.menstuff.org/columns/baer/archive.html
  • Molly Barrow - Shrink About This - www.menstuff.org/columns/barrow/archive.html
  • Peter Baylies - At Home Dads - on at-home-dad issues that impact fathers who stay at home to raise their kids - www.menstuff.org/columns/baylies/archive.html
  • Tom Blake - Middle-Age Relationships - from an expert on dating after 50. www.menstuff.org/columns/blake/archive.html
  • Mark Brandenburg - Great Fathers - on fathering issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/greatfathers/archive.html
  • Ted Braude - BoysWork - a columnist in the The Detroit Free Press "Body and Mind" section www.menstuff.org/columns/braude/archive.html
  • Armin Brott - A Father's Guide - hosts "Positive Parenting" on radio www.menstuff.org/columns/brott/archive.html
  • Dan Bulf - Get Real - weekly pod cast on men's issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/bulf/archive.html
  • Ken Byers - Transition - on men's life transitions - www.menstuff.org/columns/byers/archive.html
  • Sandra L. Caron - Sex Talk - college students get answers to their questions - www.menstuff.org/columns/sextalk/archive.html
  • Neil Chethik - Relationships - www.menstuff.org/columns/chethik/archive.html
  • Otto & Susie Collins - Susie and Otto - relationship issues discussed - www.menstuff.org/columns/susie&otto/archive.html
  • David Copeland - How to Succeed with Women - www.menstuff.org/columns/howtosucceed/archive.html
  • Forrest Craver - Spirituality & Social Change - www.menstuff.org/columns/craver/archive.html
  • Layne & Paul Cutright - Powerful Partnerships - relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/cutright/archive.html
  • Ron DesMarais - Cavemen in the Kitchen - great recipes for men - www.menstuff.org/columns/desmarais/archive.html
  • Jed Diamond - Irritable Male Syndrome - www.menstuff.org/columns/diamond/archive.html
  • Doc Love - Women Don't Lie, Man Don't Listen - answers to relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/doclov/archive.html
  • Barry Durdant-Hollamby - Creating Change - creating change in your life - www.menstuff.org/columns/durdant/archive.html
  • Irv Engel - The Real Deal - www.menstuff.org/columns/engel/archive.html
  • Nancy Fagan - Expert Dating Advice - with Nancy Fagan - www.menstuf.org/columns/fagan/archive.html
  • Warren Farrell - Men's Issues: Facts and Perspectives www.menstuff.org/columns/farrell/archive.html
  • Leonard Felder - Wake Up or Break Up - www.menstuff.org/columns/felder/archive.html
  • Marty Friedman - Strong Men, Strong Marriage - www.menstuff.org/columns/friedman/archive.html
  • Kim Garretson - Mansgland - using humor to encourage prostate exams - www.menstuff.org/columns/mansgland/archive.html
  • Lion Goodman - How to get Women to Love You - www.menstuff.org/columns/goodman/archive.html
  • Liz Halliday - In a Man's World - www.menstuff.org/columns/halliday/archive.html
  • Rick Hanson - Your Wise Brain - www.menstuff.org/columns/hanson/archive.html
  • Tim Hartnett - Daddyman Speaks - being a father www.menstuff.org/columns/daddyman/archive.html
  • John Hershey - Blood, Phlegm & Bile: Parenting with Humor - He writes a syndicated biweekly humor column about parenting and family life. www.menstuff.org/columns/hershey/archive.html
  • Gary Hoeber - Psychotherapy as Soul Work, www.menstuff.org/columns/hoeber/archive.html
  • Patrick Houser - Fathers Make a World of Difference, www.menstuff.org/columns/houser/archive.html
  • Paul Joannides - The Guide to Getting It On - on sex - www.menstuff.org/columns/getiton/archive.html
  • Jack Kahn - NOMAS Boston - www.menstuff.org/columns/kahn/archive.html
  • Patrick Kennedy - Seniors - www.menstuff.org/columns/kennedy/archive.html
  • Joe Kort - Gaydar - to increase understanding between gay and het men - www.menstuff.org/columns/kort/archive.html
  • David Kundtz - David Kundtz - presents seminars, workshops, retreats, and conference presentations in the areas of men's emotional health, stress management, and spirituality. www.menstuff.org/columns/kundtz/archive.html
  • Bruce Linton - Dr. Dad - on fathering - www.menstuff.org/columns/drdad/archive.html
  • Ron Louis - How to Succeed with Women - www.menstuff.org/columns/howtosucceed/archive.html
  • Tom Matlack - Tom Matlack - Good Men Project - www.menstuff.org/columns/matlack/archive.html
  • Wendy McElroy - Wendy McElroy on Feminism, www.menstuff.org/columns/mcelroy/archive.html
  • Robert N. Minor - Minor Details - on GBT sexuality - www.menstuff.org/columns/minordetails/archive.html
  • Robert L. Moore - Man & Mythology - www.menstuff.org/columns/moore/archive.html
  • Dennis W. Neder - Being a Man - general questions about men's lives - www.menstuff.org/columns/neder/archive.html
  • Marty Nemko - Worklife - general questions about men and work - www.menstuff.org/columns/nemko/archive.html
  • Eli Newberger - Eli Newberger - general information on men's lives - www.menstuff.org/columns/newberger/archive.html
  • Linda Nielsen - Embracing the Father - working with the father/daughter relationship. www.menstuff.org/columns/nielsen/archive.html
  • Kathy Noll - Bullies and Youth Violence - working with schools, teachers and parents to end school violence - www.menstuff.org/columns/noll/archive.html
  • Mark Phillips - Stay-at-Home-Dads - helping men maintain that which makes us men, instead of becoming hairy Mom-substitutes - www.menstuff.org/columns/phillips/archive.html
  • Carey Roberts - Socialism & Feminism - is a social commentator on political correctness. www.menstuff.org/columns/roberts/archive.html
  • Perry Rose - Dating, Relationship, Sex
  • Glenn Sacks - His Side - on fathering - www.menstuff.org/columns/sacks/archive.html
  • Trudy Schuett - Domestic Violence - serving the under-represented www.menstuff.org/columns/schuett/archive.html
  • Carl J. Schutt - Circumcision - social commentator on circumcision - www.menstuff.org/columns/schutt/archive.html
  • Hugo Schwyzer - A Pro-feminist's Response - www.menstuff.org/columns/schwyzer/archive.html
  • Michael Shaffran - Men's Issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/shaffran/archive.html
  • Judith Sherven - Judith & Jim - discussion and answers regarding relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/judith&jim/archive.html
  • Judith Sherven - The New Intimacy - www.menstuff.org/columns/newintimacy/archive.html
  • George Simons - Bellicose Veins - is a US specialist in intercultural and gender communication who hangs out in Mandelieu - la Napoule, France, as well as in Santa Cruz, CA. www.menstuff.org/columns/simons/archive.html
  • Andy Smith - Hard Hat Brotherhood - www.menstuff.org/columns/hardhat/archive.html
  • David B. Smith - Fighting Father Dave - www.menstuff.org/columns/smith/archive.html
  • Jim Sniechowski - Judith & Jim - discussion and answers regarding relationship issues - www.menstuff.org/columns/judith&jim/archive.html
  • Jim Sniechowski - The New Intimacy - www.menstuff.org/columns/newintimacy/archive.html
  • Reena Sommer - Custody - is an internationally recognized relationship and divorce consultant. www.menstuff.org/columns/sommer/archive.html
  • R. Don Steele - Don Steele - relationship questions answered -
    www.menstuff.org/columns/steele/archive.html
  • David Steinberg - Comes Naturally - on sexuality - www.menstuff.org/columns/steinberg/archive.html
  • Mary Lou St Lucas - A Mother's Love - www.menstuf.org/columns/stlucas/archive.html
  • Surprise - Surprise Author - From a new columnist every month - www.menstuff.org/columns/surprise/archive.html
  • Steven Svoboda - Fatherhood, Activism and the Law www.menstuff.org/columns/svoboda/archive.html
  • Michael Taylor - A New Conversation with Men - www.menstuff.org/columns/taylor/archive.html
  • Bruce Van Horn - Yoga for Men - issues around the health benefits of yoga for men - www.menstuff.org/yoga/archive.html
  • Michael Webb - Secrets of Blissful Relationships - on relationship - www.menstuff.org/columns/bliss/archive.html
  • Stuart Wilde - Spirituality - www.menstuff.org/columns/wilde/archive.html
  • Dr.Williams - Sex Health - on sexual health - Dr. Williams, www.menstuff.org/columns/sexhealth/archive.html
  • KC Wilson - On Gender Politics is a social commentator and author. www.menstuff.org/columns/wilson/archive.html

Plus

  • Health Tips - on general health - www.menstuff.org/columns/healthtips/archive.html
  • Independent Means - resources for raising financially fit kids - www.menstuff.org/columns/independentmeans/archive.html
  • Numbers - www.menstuff.org/columns/numbers/archive.html
  • Questions - www.menstuff.org/columns/q&a/archive.html
  • Surprise - from a new columnist every month - www.menstuff.org/columns/surprise/archive.html
  • Words Can Heal - helping children grow up healthy - www.menstuff.org/columns/wordscanheal/archive.html
  • Wuzup?! - National or international events happening this month - www.menstuff.org/columns/whassup/archive.html

AWARENESS EVENTS THIS MONTH

July is Freedom Month. If you enjoy the benefits this country has to offer, you might check out what kind of men it took to found this country. The Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games. Read this! July is Anti-Boredom; National Mobility; Purposeful Parenting: Recreation and Parks; The month of the Muslim new year; Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness; National Foreign Language Month.

June 27 - July 4: Special Recreation Week. June 25-July 1: Deaf-Blindness Awareness Week. June 27 - July 4: Special Recreation Week. Jul 1-8 Music for Life; July 3-Aug 15: Air Conditioning Appreciation Days. Jul 4-10 - Freedom Week. July 8:-14: National Laundry Workers; National Therapeutic Recreation: Take Charge of Change Week. Jul 9-15 - Nude Recreation. July 15-21: *Captive Nations; Legal Revolution; National Plan to Promote Your Business Week. Jul 1 UN Day of Cooperation; International Joke; National Financial Freedom; National Recreation and Parks; National Purposeful Parenting, Jul 2 - I Forgot; Ducktona 500 Day; July 3: Compliment Your Mirror: Stay Out of the Sun Day. Jul 4 - Independence Day (U.S.); American Redneck; Fear from Fear of Speaking ; Independence-from-Meat Day; Sidewalk Egg Frying; Jul 5 - National Family Day, July 7: Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together; International UN Day of Cooperation. July 9: Don't Step on a Bee Day. July 10: Intern Appreciation Day. July 13: Skeptics' Day. July 14: Cow Apprecaition Day. July 15: National Ice Cream; Saint Swithin's Day. July 16: International Town Criers; Naitonal Get Out of the Doghouse Day. July 17: Wrong Way Corrigan Day. Jul 20 - Ugly Truck; Riot Act anniversary. July 21: Rat-Catchers Day. Jul 22 - Ice Cream Cone Day. July 23: Hot Enough For Ya Day. July 24: Cousins; Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day. Jul 27 - *National Korean War Veterans Armistice; Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day. July 29: *Parents' Day. Jul 30 - Father-In-Law Day, National Parent's Day.

* Means a Presidential Proclamation has been made.

 *    *    *
Men are so competitive that we even "out-die" women in all 15 of the major causes of death in the U.S. Most of these deaths are preventable with a positive change in life-style, eating habits, and/or general health care. Let's not strive so hard to hold on to this record. See what you can change now to live a healthier life.
Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy Statement
Menstuff® Directory
Menstuff® is a registered trademark of Gordon Clay
©1996-2023, Gordon Clay