Daily Thoughts & Issues

IN THIS ISSUE:

AUGUST 21

Days left until the next millennium 01.01.3001

Photo of the Week
Joe McBride/Adventure Photo & Film
Achieve Your Dreams

August 21 - National Friendship Week (partners) * Feast of Father Sky - honoring God as Obatala (Yoruba/Santeria), Inkosi Yezulu (Zulu),Ouranos (Old Greek), Svarog (Old Slavic), Taranis (Old Celtic), Thunor/Thor (Old Anglo Teutonic), Haokah (Lakota), Ilyapa (Inca), Dyaus (Hindu) and El (Old Canaanite-Hebrew). Thur 8/23 eve) The Mystic's Wheel of the Year * Filipino opposition leader Benigno Aquino was assassinated at the Manila airport on his return to the Philippines. The killing precipitated greater anti-Marcos feeling and figured significantly in the election that brought about the collapse of the government administration of Ferdinand E. Marcos and the inauguration of Corazon C. Aquino, widow of the slain man, as president. * Gemini 5 (1965) launched and orbited Earth 128 times for a new international record of eight days. (Eight Days Around the World). * Birthdays: Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, Steve Case, Wilton Norman (Wilt) Chamberlain. James Robert (Jim) McMahon, Kenny Rogers, Melvin Van Peebles, Peter Weir, Clarence Williams III.

DAILY THOUGHTS

ariety is a polytheistic delight. A problem can arise, however, if we forget that Aphrodite is a cosmic goddess. Sometimes what we imagine to be a personal affair of the heart has cosmic dimensions: In looking for variety in sexual partners, we may be in fact desiring variety at a deeper level, at the very foundation of our experience. Soul Mates

Poisonous Plants:  Morning Glory, Mushrooms (many), Narcissus (bulbs), Nicotiana, Oleander, Poison Ivy, Pokeweed, Privet, Rhododendron, Rhubarb (leaves), Sweet pea, Tobacco, Tulip, Wisteria. The Old Farmer's Almanac

I like to sit on him when I give him fellatio so he can't move around - Carol, 30 Best of 1001 Sex Secrets Every Man & Woman Should Know

There is a force, the mechanism of which we do not fully understand, that seems to operate routinely in most people to protect and encourage their physical health even under the most adverse conditions. The Road Less Traveled

How many people participated in the March on Washington, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963?  (Answer)  African American History

Parental nightmare: When parents take their child to a public place, look away for a split second, and the child disappears. Teach your children in advance that when they are separated from you, they are to look for someone in uniform for help. Dr. Buff's 365 Day Parenting Calendar

Recent research by neurobiologists runs counter to our most basic fears about mental decline with aging. Brain cells don't die off in annual batches of a hundred thousand, as we believed; rather, they shrink or grow dormant in old age, particularly from lack of stimulation and challenge. But even in an older developed brain, "sprouting" can take place, in which new neural processes form additional synapses. New Passages

Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When you don't know what harbor you're aiming for, no wind is the right wind. Achieve Your Dreams

Things to Be Happy About: An outdoor career. Feeling free-spirited. Angle parking.  14,000 Things to Be Happy About

Give yourself a nickname before someone else does. Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me

You know you are moving in the right direction when you can accept your body exactly as it is in its present form. True acceptance comes when you can embrace and appreciate your body as it is right now, and no longer feel that you need to alter it to be worthy of someone's love - most especially your own. If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

Principles always have natural consequences attached to them. There are positive consequences when we live in harmony with the principles. There are negative consequences when we ignore them. But, because these principles apply to everyone, whether or not they are aware, this limitation is universal. And the more we know of correct principles, the greater our personal freedom is to act wisely.  Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

One way to simplify your grocery shopping is to buy in bulk such items as: paper towels, TP, Kleenex, printer cartridges, printer paper, detergents, cleanser, pet foods, toothpaste, shampoos, shaving creams, rice, grains, legumes, nuts, and baking supplies.  Simplify Your Life

Life Insurance:  The conventional wisdom for how much life insurance young parents should carry varies widely, from five times their yearly income to ten times, with either times yearly income being the most widely used rule-of-thumb. And for an at-home parent, families should buy coverage about eight times the annual cost of replacing their work. But it's probably worth going over the particulars of your situation - other assets, kids' ages, pensions - with a financial planner who works for a flat fee. (Many other planners and insurance salespeople can give great advise, but they may be more motivated by the commission they earn than by selling you the appropriate coverage.) Parents Tips & Tricks

 Research is beginning to show that not all type-A personalities (impatient, hurried, competitive) are at increased risk of coronary heart disease. However, the type-A people who are at greater risk are those who by their own definition are unsuccessful and consequently feel frustrated and angry much of the time. Stress Busters

 Shoot trash to score!  Something for the kids. Decorate cardboard like a small basketball backboard. Shape thin wire into a circle, and wrap pipe cleaners around the wire. Tape the "hoop" to the "backboard", and hang it above the trash can in your room. To Do Today

Kites are highest against the wind, not with it. - Winston Churchill Win the Day!

La venada (behHAHdah) Sudden impulse. Se afeito la baceza en una venada. She shaved her head on impulse.  Living Language

Answer:  250,000

TODAY'S ISSUE: INITIATION

"One of the characteristics of the modern world is the disappearance of any meaningful rites of initiation." - Mircea Eliade. Initiation introduces the candidate into the human community and into the spiritual world. Most societies throughout time have initiated heir boys into manhood during their adolescent years. Initiations have been a traditional way of altering the consciousness of the boy and teaching him the community's values. The community of men initiated each boy, taking him from his mother. The youth had to face obstacles - perhaps a wild animal - and deal with his fears. When men no longer offer this teaching to teenagers, the teenagers can become isolated or turn to each other in gangs. Today we have many such uninitiated men, who turn to addictions or violence - or both. We need to rediscover rites of passage into manhood. We need to establish communities of men willing to cooperate in bringing boys into manhood. We uninitiated men may stumble as we seek ways to initiate each other and the younger ones now growing up. But let's dare to be awkward. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul

Hey Man: Did you make a difference yesterday? Let us know at Contact Us. Today I will imagine how my life might be different had I been truly initiated into the community of men. I may choose to seek an opportunity to build connections to younger men by blessing them with initiation. A Quiet Strength: Meditations on the Masculine Soul Want to make a difference but you don't know where to start?

BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

Breakup by Leo Averbach. Forged in divorce hell. In this compelling and brutally honest memoir The author draws you into the cauldron of marital disintegration. Written as a journal in real time, this book interweaves the writer's daily ordeal and the couple's ongoing travails with the insights and experience of psychotherapy. It chronicles the author's struggle to cope with his wife's betrayal and its implications for their family. His first-person narrative, which is confessional and deeply reflective, reveals everything in describing the acrimony and emotions as the marriage falls apart. But what begins as a tale of anguish and despair becomes a story of transformation and regeneration, leaving the author to a new life. Llumkina Press, www.llumina.com, 2009, ISBN 978-1-60594-427-2

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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