Daily Thoughts & Issues

IN THIS ISSUE:

AUGUST 7

Days left until the next millennium 01.01.3001

Photo of the Week
Didier Givois/Adventure Photo & Film
Achieve Your Dreams

August 7 - Day the Clean Air Act was enacted (1977); day to give thanks for Father Air, the air we breathe. * Alone out on a windy or stormy night, sing sacred songs of praise (or play fast wordless music), while dancing energetically. Meditation: love and compassion for all. * Elul-Jewish month of self-reflection, peace-making, and renewal. Jews visit cemeteries and remember their ancestors. The Mystic's Wheel of the Year * Independence Day in Cote D'ivoire and Jamaica. * Purple Heart (1782) General George Washington ordered the creation of a Badge of Military Merit. The badge consisted of a purple cloth heart with silver braided edge. Only three are known to have been awarded during the Revolutionary War. The award was reinstituted on the bicentennial of Washington's birthday, 2/22/1932. and recognizes those wounded in action. * The Refugee Relief Act is passed, admitting refugees from Communist countries into the U.S. on an emergency basis. (1953) * Desert Shield (1990) five days after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the U.S. started a military buildup to prevent further Iraqi advances. * Gulf of Tonkin resolution (1964) gave President Lyndon Johnson authority "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to present further aggression" pertaining to the war in Vietnam. * First picture of Earth from Space (1959). * Birthdays:  Ralph Johnson Bunche (American statesman and first black to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Nathaniel Greene, David Duchovny, Stan Freberg, John Glover, Alberto Salazar, B.J. (Billy Joe) Thomas. And a special to Sequoia Thom Lundy.

Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors!

DAILY THOUGHTS

More extensive sources of intimacy become a lifeline for men in Second Adulthood - literally. But the biggest factor in protecting older men against depression and prolonging their lives may be the save-your-life wife. Men from the ages of forty-five to sixty four who live with wives are twice as likely to live ten years longer than their unmarried counterparts. New Passages

Ask your children what they dreamed last night and don't be surprised at what you learn!  Dr. Buff's 365 Day Parenting Calendar

Conversation hovers between people, takes its time to get in motion, finds its rhythm, and slows to an ending. A conversation tends to grow at its own tempo and in its own directions. Soul Mates

Nibble on the skin between my vagina and anus - Carrie 24. She sits on top with her back to me during felatio. Since I can't see, I never know what's coming next. Avery 37 Best of 1001 Sex Secrets Every Man & Woman Should Know

Any genuinely loving relationship is one of mutual psychotherapy. The Road Less Traveled

There is no progress without some discontent and discomfort. Achieve Your Dreams

 Things to Be Happy About: Your favorite quotation. Jokes for and by kids. Collecting old maps. 14,000 Things to Be Happy About (And cemetery plot maps of ancestors - Editor

Flowers and pricker bushes grow out of the same dirt. Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me

 At the age of forty-five, a man named Mark was abandoned by his wife. After twelve years of marriage, she emptied their bank account and safe deposit box and took of with another man. Mark was finally able to forgive his wife when he shifted out of being a victim and forced himself to see the bigger picture. In hindsight, he can finally view the entire event as a valuable learning experience; after all, without this apparent tragedy, he might never have learned advanced forgiveness needed to fully open to a future relationship of trust with another woman. If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

By working on knowledge, skill and desire, we can break through to new levels of personal and interpersonal effectiveness as we break with old paradigms that may have been a course of pseudo-security for years. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Every day the expensive exercise equipment - or the health club membership - goes unused, the guild level rises, which only increases the stress in our lives. We've become so addicted to compulsive, competitive behavior that we've even extended it to exercise, which, theoretically, we do for relaxation, and to improve and maintain our health. Now is the perfect time to get off the high-tech equipment sports treadmill and go for a walk.  Simplify Your Life

A number of research studies have demonstrated that positive touching can lead to a reduction in stress-related hormones. Stress Busters

Challenge:   Suggest to your kids to challenge a faraway friend to a word game. When writing to a friend or pen pal, start a game like tic-tac-toe or hangman. Ask them to make one move and send it back. In takes time to finish, but it's a fun way to keep in touch! To Do Today (And, if you and a distant friend used to love chess or checkers, you might do the same thing. - Editor)

Success follows doing that you want to do. There is no other way to be successful. - Malcolm Forbes Win the Day!

El coctel de mariscos (KOHKtehl deh mahREESkohs)  Seafood cocktail. Living Language

*SPECIAL BIRTHDAY: Since 1987, Sequoia Thom Lundy (1944) has been organizing and conducting Men in Touch retreats which offer men an opportunity to explore nurturing ourselves and one another through traditional body-mind healing practices, including yoga, tai hi, breath-work and simple, healing tough. These retreats have been held in AZ, BC, CA, NC, NM and WA. www.growinghealthier.com/men or E-Mail.

TODAY'S ISSUE: ECOLOGY

Herbal Lore:  Basil is good for the heart, head and fertility. Bay is thought to deter lighting and witches. Caraway see makes pigeons stay home. Cilantro is best sown by pregnant women. And, coriander seed is good for immortality. The Old Farmer's Almanac

We all begin as a bundle of bones lost somewhere in a desert, a dismantled skeleton that lies under the sand. It is our work to recover the parts. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Our minds are treasures, full of rich memories. Humans are gifted with the unusual capacity to store information, events, feelings, smells, sights and most of what we experience. What we take from the outer world we can retain in the inner world. Some memories are so painful that they go under. Psychic numbing is a protective process in which the worst things that happen to us, especially as children, can be forgotten. Then as we heal, the darkness lessens and we can see back into it. There is so much in our minds, only a part of which we access. We are so much more than what we consciously know or remember. As much remembering as we do, there is more to be done. Today I will allow myself to remember, permitting dim and forgotten memories to return. I may invite others to join me simply by whispering "remember" in their ears. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee. Job 12:8 So many men have been brainwashed into believing that the Earth is not alive, that it possesses no character, no feeling and that it's merely here to serve the insatiable demands of a greedy few. As we recover from this soul-shattering falsehood, a new depth of experience enters our life: we hear the earth speak, groan, sign and yes, bless us for listening to her cries. The deeper I delve into the truth of my own body and soul, the deeper the teachings I receive from the Earth. That teaching is never stale, never inappropriate - each one of us will learn something different from the Earth, the first and last Mother and Father to us all. Today I'll listen to the truth the Earth has to teach. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

If you don't believe, visit the big island of Hawaii. There is a grouping of five steam vents just off the North/South Highway (on the left as you drive South). One is large enough to climb down into via a ladder and has a platform to sit on at the bottom. The exhale is incredibly hot. But wait and listen. Moments later the earth will inhale bringing in cool air from outside. Imagining you're in the throat of the earth, close your eyes and feel and listen. You'll become a believer. Gordon Clay

Hey Man: Did you make a difference yesterday? Let us know at Contact Us. Practice harmony with the earth and all that live on it, including yourself. What Every Man Needs to Know Want to make a difference but you don't know where to start?

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Sex at Dawn: The prehistoric origins of modern sexuality by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha. Since Darwin's day, we've been told that sexual monogamy comes naturally to our species. Mainstream science - as well as religious and cultural institutions - has maintained that men and women evolved in families in which a man's possessions and protection were exchanged for a woman's fertility and fidelity. But this narrative is collapsing. Fewer and fewer couples are staying married, and divorce rates keep climbing as adultery and flagging libido drag down even seemingly solid marriages. How can reality be reconciled with the accepted narrative? It can't be, according to the authors' renegade thinking While debunking almost everything we "know" about sex, they offer a bold alternative explanation in this provocative and brilliant book. Their central contention is that human beings evolved in egalitarian groups that shared food, child care and often sexual partners. Weaving together convergent, frequently overlooked evidence from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy and pschosexuality, the authors show how far from human nature monogamy really is. Human beings everywhere and in every era have confronted the same familiar, intimate situations in surprisingly different ways. The authors expose the ancient roots of human sexuality while pointing toward a more optimistic future illuminated by our innate capacities for love, cooperation and generosity. With intelligence, humor and wonder, the authors show how our promiscuous past haunts out struggles over monogamy, sexual orientation and family dynamics. They explore why long-term fidelity can be so difficult for so many; why sexual passion tends to fade even as love deepens' why many middle-aged men risk everything for transient affairs with younger women/ why homosexuality persists in the face of standard evolutionary logic; and what the human body reveals about the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality. In the tradition of the best historical and scientific writing, this book unapologetic ally upends unwarranted assumptions and unfounded conclusions while offering a revolutionary understanding of why we live and love as we do. 2010, www.SexAtDawn.com, HarperCollins, www.harpercollins.com, ISBN 978-0-06-170780-3

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

August is Admit You're Happy, Black Business, Cataract Awareness, Children's Eye Health and Safety, National Immunization, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness, Children's Vision and Learning, Family Fun, National Back-to-School, National Inventor's, National Win with Civility, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month. Aug 1-7 Simplify Your Life, World Breastfeeding, International Clown Week, Simplify Your Life Week. Aug 1-11 - World Breastfeeding Week. Aug 2-6 - Psychic Week Aug 8-14 - National Resurrect Romance, Thanks for All the Gifts Week. Aug 12-19 - Truck Drivers' Week. Aug 15-21 - National Health Center, Reduced the Clutter, Weird Contest Week. Aug 16-22 - National Avidatoin Week. Aug 22-29 - National Save Your Smile, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. Aug 1 - National Kids, Respect for Parents, National Night Out Day. Apr 3 - Nation Night Out, Coast Guard day. Apr 6 - National Fresh Breath, National Pamper Yourself day. Aug 7 - National Mustard Day. Aug 8 - Admit You're Happy Day. Apr 9 - UN International Day of the World's Indigenous People. Apr 11 - Presidential Joke Day. Apr 12 - UN International Youth, Vinyl Record Day. Apr 14 - International Nagging, National Garage Sale Day. Aug 15 - National Relaxation Day, World Day of Keiki. Aug 16 - Stay Home with Your Kids, National Airborne Day. Aug 17 - Sandcastle Day. Aug 18 - Bad Poetry Day. Aug 19 - National Avidation Day. Aug 21 - Children's, Poets, Sandcastle and Sculpture. Southern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo, Vinegar Day, National Homeless Animals Day and Candlelight Vigils. Aug 22 - Be an Angel, National Punctuation Day. Aug 24 - Vesuvius Day. Aug 25 - Kiss and Make Up Day. Aug 26 - Women's Equality Day. Aug 28 - Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day. Aug 29 - According to Hoyle Day. Aug 31 - Love Litigating Lawyers Day.

* Means a Presidential Proclamation has been made.

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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.
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