Daily Thoughts & Issues

IN THIS ISSUE:

AUGUST 6

Days left until the next millennium 01.01.3001

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

August 6 - Halfway point of summer with 47 days having elapsed and the equivalent will remain before September 22, the autumnal equinox and the beginning of autumn. International Forgiveness Day. Sister's Day. Chinese Valentine's Day. Day of Independence in Bolivia, Chad. Day to mourn those killed and maimed by the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan (1995)  day to advocate for the outlawing of all weapons of mass destruction. * The day the Voting Rights Act became law (1965); Register to vote. The Mystic's Wheel of the Year * On this day in 1892, Harriet Tubman receives a pension from Congress for her work as a nurse, spy and scout during the Civil War. African American History * Electrocution first used to carry out death penalty (1890) at Auburn Prison, Auburn, NY. It was a botched affair. * Voting Rights Act of 1985 was designed to thwart attempts to discriminate against minorities at the polls. Tah act suspended literacy and other disqualifying tests, authorized appointment of federal voting examiners and provided for judicial relief on the federal level to bar discriminatory poll taxes. * Birthdays:  Sir Alexander Fleming, (1881) Scottish bacteriologist, discovered penicillin. Andy Warhol, Paul Bartel, Peter Bonerz, Freddie Laker, David Maurice Robinson, Daniel O'Connell, Scott Nearing, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Robert Mitchum.

DAILY THOUGHTS

Raspberry Season. To Native Americans and colonists, raspberry season meant not only fresh berries for jam, but also a fresh supply of remedies. The scraped bark was used as an astringent, a nausea cure and an aid to labor. The dried, ground stems were made into a powder and applied to wounds. The Old Farmer's Almanac

When men begin to enjoy cooking, or landscaping their homes, or take up musical instruments they once loved, it is obvious that a major reorganization of their personalities is in progress. Instead of fighting a transition that allows them to be more, these men are tapping into new sources of energy and pleasure. New Passages

It's best not to put monograms on your child's new school clothes. Such information could give strangers an edge in influencing your child. Dr. Buff's 365 Day Parenting Calendar

Conversation has no bottom line, it doesn't have to arrive anywhere, and more often than not it will lead to even further talk instead of a solution or an answer. Soul Mates

When you get married, one of the vows you should take privately is to fulfill every one of your partner's sexual fantasies - Alexander, 35. Don't be threatened by a woman's fantasies; take it as a compliment that she trusted you enough to share them. Joni, 29 Best of 1001 Sex Secrets Every Man & Woman Should Know

The women's liberation movement has been helpful in pointing the way to what is obviously the only ideal resolution: marriage as a truly cooperative institution, requiring great mutual contributions and care, time and energy, but existing for the primary purpose of nurturing each of the participants for individual journeys toward his or her own individual peaks of spiritual growth. Male and female both must ten the hearth and both must venture forth. The Road Less Traveled. What much of the men's movement is about is to remind everyone to support women in venturing out versus being supported by others, and to include men as an equal part of the equation, particularly in regard to raising children.

Curiosity is the beginning of success. Achieve Your Dreams

Things to Be Happy About:  Homemade potato chips. A great start to your day. Fluffed pillows.  14,000 Things to Be Happy About

Grandfathers don't mind hearing the same story over and over, but other people do. Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me

Since what you make of your life is up to you, you can either create a life filled with miraculous adventures or stay huddled and safe, never experiencing the joyful rush of journeying outside your world with boldness and abandon. A life devoid of adventure may be secure, but it is one that lacks texture and color. If you never venture forth, you can never expand and grow.  If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

When pioneering gay activist Frank Kameny added FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to the mailing list of the early gay-rights group, The Mattachine Society, he was called into FBI headquarters where he was told to remove Hoover's name from the list. Kameny offered to do so only if the FBI agreed to remove the organization from their surveillance list. No deal was struck. Gay & Lesbian Calendar

Throw out everything but the aspirin. If your eyes are bloodshot, instead of using Visine, which only masks the symptoms, figure out what it causing your eyes to be bloodshot; they stop doing it. If you've got heartburn, lay off the pepperoni pizza, or get out of the stressful job. Simplify Your Life

Because the body draws on reserves of vitamins A, B and C during times of stress, it's very important to replenish these essential nutrients daily. Vitamin A, found in dark green and yellow vegetables, is important for a healthy immune system. B vitamins found in whole grains, can aid concentration and help calm anxiety. Vitamin C, found in fruits and vegetables, helps the body restore itself from physical stresses. Note: Vitamin supplements should not substitute for dietary sources of nutrients. As their name implies, they are meant as supplements only. If you choose to take supplements, educate yourself about them first. You should know, for example, that too much vitamin A can be toxic to the body. Stress Busters

There is no knowledge that is not power. - Ralph Waldo Emerson. Win the Day!

El cangrejo (kahnGREHhoh) Crab. Compre cangrejo para la cena. I bought crab for dinner. Living Language

TODAY'S ISSUE: ABUSE

Here on this land I touched the blood and rattling bones of others brought here or not as I was - Nancy Morejon. Family backgrounds of many of us hold terrible stories - stories of persecution, slavery, exile, many kinds of violence. And family relations can perpetuate can perpetuate violence. Techniques that people must learn for survival can actually threaten survival if they're continued when no longer needed. If we were beaten when we were small, we learned to use force against those weaker than ourselves. When we are punished or humiliated for making the inevitable mistakes children make, we learn to lie and sneak, to enjoy the punishment of others, and to feel that innocent mistakes deserve such punishments. But we can choose to break our connection to this kind of violence, physical and emotional. Abuse within the family is terrorism of the purest kind, and no one deserves to live with it. When we make the decision to end abusive behavior, there are many places we can turn for help. The most important in the long run may be our own spiritual source, which is with us always and provides unfailing guidance. I can begin to reconcile the violence of the past. All that is needed is my own decision. Family Feelings

We need a world in which it is safe to be human. - Arthur Goldberg. We're frequently asked to consider the welfare of whales, seals, wolves, eagles and other creatures that are engendered by our industrialized world. But what about us human creatures? In our zeal to develop weapons that will protect us from one another, we've made our world an unsafe place for all. We've mortgaged our children's welfare by investing our wealth in destructive products. Nuclear technology, even in its "peacetime" applications, threatens our future.

Today is the anniversary of the day on which the US dropped a nuclear bomb on the civilians of  Hiroshima, killing and maiming many thousands of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and children. Since that time, the Bomb has bee a member of all our families, looming over our lives with the mysterious power to change our future in hideous ways. We can't go back to a pre nuclear world, but for the sake of all our families, immediate and global, we must use our creativity to clean up our post nuclear act.

Each of us has power to influence this aspect of our lives. It's the strongest pro-family gesture we can make - working in whatever way we can for peace, and for the containment of our dangerous relative. Family Feelings

Hey Man: Did you make a difference yesterday? Let us know at Contact Us. Today I'll remember the families of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and pray for the safe future of our human family. Family Feelings 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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