Obs of a Prnnl Lrnr Obsrvr who happens to be a dctr There is no cure for curiosity-D Parker
Saturday, 31 December 2016
MCGRAW "A year from now, you're gonna weigh more or less than what you do right now."
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dewey "Time and memory are true artists; they remould reality nearer to the heart's desire."
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Friday, 30 December 2016
PHILLIPS "A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing."
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Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer. - Ed Cunningham
Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer. - Ed Cunningham
TOMLIN "I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific."
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BALTHUS "Painting is the passage from the chaos of the emotions to the order of the possible."
"Painting is the passage from the chaos of the emotions to the order of the possible."
In contrast to recent adult studies, among children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia, azithromycin use was not associated with a greater prevalence of cardiac arrest compared with penicillin or cephalosporin use.
In contrast to recent adult studies, among children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia, azithromycin use was not associated with a greater prevalence of cardiac arrest compared with penicillin or cephalosporin use.
CRUCIFEROUS VEG
- Three servings of cruciferous vegetables per week were associated with a 41 percent decrease in prostate cancer risk.
- One or more servings of cabbage per week were associated with a 38 percent decrease in risk of pancreatic cancer
- One serving per day of cruciferous vegetables was linked to a reduction in the risk of breast cancer by more than 50 percent
Half of the infants with a normal urine dipstick diagnosed with invasive bacterial infections were younger than 15 days.
Half of the infants with a normal urine dipstick diagnosed with invasive bacterial infections were younger than 15 days.
Optimists report higher levels of mental and physical functioning than pessimists, research reveals.
Optimists report higher levels of mental and physical functioning than pessimists, research reveals.
Pause and remember: Every single event in your life, especially the difficult lessons, have made you smarter, stronger and wiser than you were yesterday." -- Jenni Young
Pause and remember: Every single event in your life, especially the difficult lessons, have made you smarter, stronger and wiser than you were yesterday."
-- Jenni Young
-- Jenni Young
On any one day you can massively change the direction of your life.” ~Jim Rohn
On any one day you can massively change the direction of your life.” ~Jim Rohn
When you do not seek or need approval, you are at your most powerful.” ~Caroline Myss
When you do not seek or need approval, you are at your most powerful.” ~Caroline Myss
I urge you not to throw away time, for it's swift as an arrow, fast as a stream. Distraction is entirely due to lack of concentration; stupidity and blindness are caused by lack of true knowledge. - Yung-Ming, "Five Houses of Zen"
I urge you not to throw away time, for it's swift as an arrow, fast as a stream. Distraction is entirely due to lack of concentration; stupidity and blindness are caused by lack of true knowledge.
- Yung-Ming, "Five Houses of Zen"
Socialization causes greater anxiety in intelligent people “I have long held the opinion that the amount of noise that anyone can bear undisturbed stands in inverse proportion to his mental capacity and therefore be regarded as a pretty fair measure of it.” ~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Socialization causes greater anxiety in intelligent people
“I have long held the opinion that the amount of noise that anyone can bear undisturbed stands in inverse proportion to his mental capacity and therefore be regarded as a pretty fair measure of it.”~ Arthur Schopenhauer
I want to be with those who know secret things or else alone.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke
I want to be with those who know secret things or else alone.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke
― Rainer Maria Rilke
“I am alone, I thought, and they are everybody.” ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“I am alone, I thought, and they are everybody.”
~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky
You know the typical crowd, “Wow, it’s Friday night, what are you going to do? Just sit there?” Well, yeah. Because there’s nothing out there. It’s stupidity. Stupid people mingling with stupid people. Let them stupidify themselves. ~ Charles Bukowski
You know the typical crowd, “Wow, it’s Friday night, what are you going to do? Just sit there?” Well, yeah. Because there’s nothing out there. It’s stupidity. Stupid people mingling with stupid people. Let them stupidify themselves.
~ Charles Bukowski
~ Charles Bukowski
I am afraid. Not of life, or death, or nothingness, but of wasting it as if I had never been. ~ Daniel Keyes
I am afraid. Not of life, or death, or nothingness, but of wasting it as if I had never been. ~ Daniel Keyes
KENNEDY "One-fifth of the people are against everything all the time."
"One-fifth of the people are against everything all the time."
PLATUS-The day, water, sun, moon, night - I do not have to purchase these things with money."
The day, water, sun, moon, night - I do not have to purchase these things with money."
STEIN "It is the soothing thing about history that it does repeat itself."
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A day was arbitrarily divided into four intervals to roughly correspond to morning (4am-10am), midday (10am-4pm), evening (4pm-10pm), and late night (10pm-4am) meals.
A day was arbitrarily divided into four intervals to roughly correspond to morning (4am-10am), midday (10am-4pm), evening (4pm-10pm), and late night (10pm-4am) meals.
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ― Anaïs Nin
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ― Anaïs Nin
Thursday, 29 December 2016
Key elements for survival in the medical profession would seem, intuitively, to be a tolerance for uncertainty and a curiosity about the unknown.”
Key elements for survival in the medical profession would seem, intuitively, to be a tolerance for uncertainty and a curiosity about the unknown.”
JUGAAD , CHABUDUO, ADJUST , IMPROVISE
All the Asian economies were built on hardship and insecurity. So it is no surprise then that Jugaad is an not an original Indian concept but exists in other Asian economies as well, although they may be leaving it behind much faster than India. Chabuduo in China has existed as long as Jugaad has been in India. And it means 'close enough' in Mandarin. There are equivalent words in other Asian languages as well.
True happiness comes from our memories — our experiences.
True happiness comes from our memories — our experiences.
Psychologists find a linkage between materialism and life dissatisfaction in general.
Psychologists find a linkage between materialism and life dissatisfaction in general.
If you are truly aware of five minutes a day, then you are doing pretty well. We are beset by both the future and the past, and there is no reality apart from the here and now. ~ Peter Matthiessen
If you are truly aware of five minutes a day, then you are doing pretty well. We are beset by both the future and the past, and there is no reality apart from the here and now. ~ Peter Matthiessen
We fight a daily rearguard action against entropy.
We fight a daily rearguard action against entropy.
Study: People have decreased empathy for those with attractive partners
Study: People have decreased empathy for those with attractive partners
genes [can] be understood as lenses through which chance are refracted.
genes [can] be understood as lenses through which chance are refracted.
Wednesday, 28 December 2016
Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!" or "The King is dead, long live the King" This means that the (previous) king is dead and we wish the (new) king a long life
Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!" or "The King is dead,long live the King" This means that the (previous) king is dead and we wish the (new) king a long life
rising ape meets the falling angel is as perfect a description of being human RAFA
rising ape meets the falling angel is as perfect a description of being human
Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. ~ Janet Fitch
Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. ~ Janet Fitch
"I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you're prepared for it." -- Denzel Washington
"I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you're prepared for it."
-- Denzel Washington
-- Denzel Washington
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
Just because my path is different doesn't mean I'm lost." -- Gerard Abrams
Just because my path is different doesn't mean I'm lost."
-- Gerard Abrams
-- Gerard Abrams
don’t bring sweets and treats home. Keep your home a sanctuary of health and wellness by stocking up on winter produce such as grapefruit, clementines, pomegranate and root veggies.
don’t bring sweets and treats home. Keep your home a sanctuary of health and wellness by stocking up on winter produce such as grapefruit, clementines, pomegranate and root veggies.
nietzsche What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: “This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence—even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust! Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: “You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.” If this thought gained possession of you, it would change you as you are or perhaps crush you. The question in each and every thing, “Do you desire this once more and innumerable times more?” would lie upon your actions as the greatest weight. Or how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than this ultimate eternal confirmation and seal?”
What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: “This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence—even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust! Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: “You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.” If this thought gained possession of you, it would change you as you are or perhaps crush you. The question in each and every thing, “Do you desire this once more and innumerable times more?” would lie upon your actions as the greatest weight. Or how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than this ultimate eternal confirmation and seal?”
SATY
.simple, 'whole' foods such as the fruits, potatoes, were the most satiating of all foods tested. Interestingly, many plant foods such as beans, lentils and potatoes contain antinutrients which can delay or inhibit the absorption of nutrients or affects gastrointestinal hormone release. These factors could contribute to their greater satiating powers.
Monday, 26 December 2016
The average thickness of ice in Antarctica is about 1 mile (1.6 km).
The average thickness of ice in Antarctica is about 1 mile (1.6 km).
Mount Erebus is the southernmost active volcano on Earth is in Antarctica. It spews crystals.
Mount Erebus is the southernmost active volcano on Earth is in Antarctica. It spews crystals.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is 58.2°F (14.5°C).
The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is 58.2°F (14.5°C).
The ice sheet of Antarctica has been in existence for at least 40 million years.
The ice sheet of Antarctica has been in existence for at least 40 million years.
Chile has a civilian town in Antarctica, complete with a school, hospital, hostel, post office, Internet, TV and mobile phone coverage.
Chile has a civilian town in Antarctica, complete with a school, hospital, hostel, post office, Internet, TV and mobile phone coverage.
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest, and driest continent on Earth.
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest, and driest continent on Earth.
You cannot work in Antarctica unless you have had your wisdom teeth and appendix removed.
You cannot work in Antarctica unless you have had your wisdom teeth and appendix removed.
Antarctica is the only continent without a time zone.
Antarctica is the only continent without a time zone.
Some parts of Antarctica have had no rain or snow for the last 2 million years.
Some parts of Antarctica have had no rain or snow for the last 2 million years.
COLDEST
The coldest place on Earth is a high ridge in Antarctica where temperatures can dip below -133°F (-93.2°C).
Pumpkin is a type of winter squash that’s technically a fruit, but it has the nutritional profile of a vegetable.
Pumpkin is a type of winter squash that’s technically a fruit, but it has the nutritional profile of a vegetable.
One cup of cooked pumpkin provides (1):
- Calories: 49
- Carbs: 12 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Vitamin A: 245% of the RDI
- Vitamin K: 49% of the RDI
- Vitamin C: 19% of the RDI
- Potassium: 16% of the RDI
- Copper, manganese and riboflavin: 11% of the RDI
- Vitamin E: 10% of the RDI
- Iron: 8% of the RDI
- Folate: 6% of the RDI
- Niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and thiamin: 5% of the RDI
COMPLETING BY PY SCHOOLERS
Better to be safe than....................Punch a 5th grader
Strike while the .........................Bug is close
It's always darkest before............... Daylight Savings Time
Never underestimate the power of..........Termites
You can lead a horse to water but........how?
Don't bite the hand that................. looks dirty
No news is................................impossible
A miss is as good as a...................Mr.
You can't teach an old dog new............math
If you lie down with dogs, you'll.........stink in the morning
Love all, trust..........................me
The pen is mightier than the..............pigs
An idle mind is..........................The best way to relax
Where there's smoke there's...............pollution
Happy the bride who.......................gets all the presents
A penny saved is..........................not much
Two's company, three's....................the Musketeers
Don't put off till tomorrow what..........you put on to go to bed
Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and.......you have to blow your nose.
None are so blind as......................Stevie Wonder
Children should be seen and not...........spanked or grounded
If at first you don't succeed.............get new batteries
You get out of something what you.........see pictured on the box
When the blind leadeth the blind..........get out of the way
And the favorite:
Better late than.........................pregnant.
Strike while the .........................Bug is close
It's always darkest before............... Daylight Savings Time
Never underestimate the power of..........Termites
You can lead a horse to water but........how?
Don't bite the hand that................. looks dirty
No news is................................impossible
A miss is as good as a...................Mr.
You can't teach an old dog new............math
If you lie down with dogs, you'll.........stink in the morning
Love all, trust..........................me
The pen is mightier than the..............pigs
An idle mind is..........................The best way to relax
Where there's smoke there's...............pollution
Happy the bride who.......................gets all the presents
A penny saved is..........................not much
Two's company, three's....................the Musketeers
Don't put off till tomorrow what..........you put on to go to bed
Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and.......you have to blow your nose.
None are so blind as......................Stevie Wonder
Children should be seen and not...........spanked or grounded
If at first you don't succeed.............get new batteries
You get out of something what you.........see pictured on the box
When the blind leadeth the blind..........get out of the way
And the favorite:
Better late than.........................pregnant.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
LEXOPHILES (LOVERS OF WORDS):
1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
2. A will is a dead giveaway.
3. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
6. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
7. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
8. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
9. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
10. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
11. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
12. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
13. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
14. Local Area Network in Australia : The LAN down under.
15. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
16. A calendar's days are numbered.
17. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.
18. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
19. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
20. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
21. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at large.
22. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
23. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
25. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
26. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
27. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
28. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
29. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.
30. The roundest knight at king Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
31. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
32. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
33. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
34. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
35. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
36. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
37. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
38. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
39. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
40. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'
41. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
42. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
43. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
44. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
45. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
46. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.
1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
2. A will is a dead giveaway.
3. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
6. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
7. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
8. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
9. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
10. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
11. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
12. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
13. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
14. Local Area Network in Australia : The LAN down under.
15. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
16. A calendar's days are numbered.
17. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.
18. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
19. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
20. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
21. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at large.
22. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
23. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
25. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
26. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
27. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
28. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
29. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.
30. The roundest knight at king Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
31. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
32. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
33. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
34. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
35. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
36. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
38. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
39. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
40. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'
41. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
42. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
43. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
44. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
45. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
46. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.
When someone is mean, don't listen. When someone is rude, walk away. When someone tries to put you down, stay firm. Don't let someone else's bad behavior destroy your inner peace." -- Author Unknown
When someone is mean, don't listen. When someone is rude, walk away. When someone tries to put you down, stay firm. Don't let someone else's bad behavior destroy your inner peace."
-- Author Unknown
-- Author Unknown
TO MINDFUL BDDHAHOOD
STIMULATION FAST -TELLY-NET FAST 4 HRS AT A TIME, CAN LISTEN TO RADIO
DAILY LKM METTA PRAYER FOR ALL-COMMUTE METTA PRAYERS
CONSUME ONLY WHEN ESSENTIAL- SCHOPENHAUERS HERO- IF ON NRML AND OFF DAYS-NODS
WATCH SUNRISE -SUNRISE SENSE
SKETCH SOMETHING /SPMEONE DAILY- DA VINCI'S APPRENTICE
NO LIES DAY -VERITASERUM
20 MIN MINDFUL DAILY -ZEN GRASSHOPPER
WATCH SUNRISE -SUNRISE SENSE
SKETCH SOMETHING /SPMEONE DAILY- DA VINCI'S APPRENTICE
NO LIES DAY -VERITASERUM
20 MIN MINDFUL DAILY -ZEN GRASSHOPPER
30 CHALLENGES TO ENLIGHTENMENT
#1 Write a I-Like-This-About-You note/text/email each day for someone (Easy)
This is the perfect way to let someone else know you care. We are so often focused on the bad stuff that we forget to mention the good. You surely will make people’s day, 30 days in a row!
#2 Talk to one stranger each day (Hard)
This is a great one to cure approaching anxiety. Have you ever resisted the temptation to talk to someone because you were afraid and said to yourself that you actually don’t want to talk to her/him anyway? Not anymore! After 30 strangers you will understand people are just people and there’s nothing weird in speaking to someone you don’t know.
#3 Take one picture each day (Hard)
This one gets harder nearing the end of the challenge because at one point you will run out of the easy shots. This one is great to combine with other challenges, a great way to make a photo diary!
#4 Re-evaluate one long-held belief each day (Intermediate)
Questioning your own beliefs is a great way to rid yourself of bullshit while continually adapting to new knowledge you’ve taken on since putting old beliefs together.
#5 Take a 30 minute walk each day (Easy)
Walking is healthy, relaxing and inspiring. And it is both easy and free! A great exercise while walking is to observe other people and think about what the differences and similarities are between you and them. This will definitely increase your empathy and your observing skills! A great book on this subject is Manwatching.
#6 Take a moment each day to practice self compassion and self-love (Hard)
Do you love yourself? Do you beat yourself up after you make mistakes? You can test your own level of self compassion here. Chances are you don’t score very high. This is because our society sets standards that are almost impossible to achieve. And so we form a habit of thinking we are not good enough, not worthy enough. There is also a kind of stigma on self-love, it is often confused with either being arrogant or it being a weakness. Both are wrong. It is a skill that can be trained so you will develop the emotional skillset to accept parts of yourself which you might not like very much, you learn to stop fighting against frustration and start accepting it as an integral part of life itself. Self love and self acceptance are also crucial to loving and accepting others around you. Exercises to increase self compassion can be found here and check out the love yourself challenge here.
#7 Try a new recipe each day (Intermediate)
If you want to learn how to cook you need to practice, practice, practice. Forcing yourself to try a new recipe each day is a great way to learn of more techniques and ingredients. It also makes it easier to drop bad food habits you might have and turn them into healthy ones!
#8 Refrain from alcohol and other drugs for 30 days in a row! (Depends)
Do you have a social circle where there hasn’t been a sober night out for years? Can you try to have fun without ingesting chemicals to alter your doors of perception? This is a great challenge to learn how to stand up for yourself against peer pressure.
#9 Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days (Hard)
Ever wanted to write a book? Do it. Do it in 30 days. Check out the official site here.
#10 Learn how to draw a human face in 30 days (Intermediate)
There are many ‘how to’ youtube videos on drawing and if you ever wanted to learn how to draw, stop making excuses. Set yourself a challenge and be amazed what you can achieve in 30 days!
#11 Watch a documentary each day (Easy)
Always wanted to know everything about a certain topic? You are in luck, it’s the digital era! There are more documentaries online you can possible watch in a lifetime. YouTube, Google Video, TruthTheory.org and TopDocumentaryFilms.com are some of the great sources. Here is a list of HEthens best documentaries!
#12 Read a book summary each day (Easy)
We all know we would like to read more often, but somehow we are glued to the same computer screen you are staring at right now. Just clicking buttons. The solution is to take some time each day to read the key insights from a non-fiction book. Easy right? Do it somewhere cozy or outside. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, turn on some ambient music and pull that blanket over you. Then read one of the 10 Books That Will Change How You Think Forever or get a free account on Blinkist and read one of their 1000s of book summaries.
#13 Study a topic you’d like to master each day (Hard)
Always wanted to know everything about Animal Behaviour? Psychology? Physics? Philosophy? Educate yourself without school! Pick a topic, plan at least a lecture or an assignment each day and become a genius on your passion! Click here to find out what is possible and how to do it.
#14 Walk/Drive/Run a new route to work/school each day (Easy)
This is a great challenge to keep alert, discover new places, get a better understanding of your city and to have more fun while doing one of the mundane daily tasks of life.
#15 Read a new article on HighExistence each day (Not as Easy as you Think!)
A great way to keep inspired, to come up with new ideas and to motivate yourself to make the best out of life!
We recommend:
- What I Learned About the Future by Reading 100 Science Fiction Books
- D.H. Lawrence on the Overdeveloped Ego and Our Connection to the Cosmos
- The Real Secret to Making People Like You
#16 Media-fast for 30 days (Intermediate)
Don’t watch any television and stop following the news. Limit yourself to reading a maximum of 5 blogs this whole month. Log out of Facebook, Twitter and StumbleUpon. Stop the information overload and try living simple. You will be amazed how much free time you have left!
#17 Pick one bad habit you already have and ditch it for 30 days (Hard)
Are you a smoker? Do you like to see the negative side of things? Do you practice self-hate? Do you eat fast food? Do you play too many video games? Quit them for 30 days, and pick another challenge instead!
#18 Inspire yourself each day (Easy)
Studies have shown that people who are inspired are happier, nicer, productive and will not stray away from their chosen path if life gets difficult. So print a quote and tape it to the mirror. Have an inspirational video as your starting page. Use an inspirational mantra for meditation. Get a principle to live by. In short, get your dose of inspiration each day!
#19 Take a cold shower each day (Intermediate)
Cold showers are great for uplifting ones mood, cure stress related diseases, to strengthens ones immune system and to make your skin beautiful. You can read the reports of some HEthens that have been trying it for some time over here!
Or, if you want to push the boundaries to the superhuman level, consider immersing yourself in the Wim Hof Method. (Hardest)
#20 Think of an accomplishment you’d like to achieve for each year of the next 30 years, a year each day. (Hard)
This is great existential shock therapy. You can’t answer these questions without facing your life as it is right now and how it is likely to unfold. This one also gets harder progressively. It’s a great way to reflect!
Get the ’30 Challenges – 30 days – ZERO excuses’ e-book here
#21 Practice a random skill everyday (Easy)
There are many available How To’s on YouTube and other video sites. Pen tricks, hand stands, parkour, dances, cooking tricks. Broaden your arsenal!
#22 Take the stairs every chance you get (Easy)
Somehow escalators seem ridiculous to me, and in some cases elevators too. It always reminds me a bit of all the fat people in Wall-E. Too lazy to do anything. So take the stairs every chance you get for 30 days. It is healthy, it doesn¥t look silly and it will add up over a lifetime :)
#23 Wake up early each day (Intermediate)
It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom. – Aristotle
Check out how to become an early riser.
#24 Keep a journal (Intermediate)
Great for memory, reflection and especially awesome to look back to in the future and remember the good old times when you did these challenges!
We highly recommend the five-minute journal.
#25 Don’t lie for 30 days (Hard)
This is quite the challenge. Stop deceiving yourself and others, speak from the heart. This one goes great with cultivating right intentions, because if you master that, there won’t be any need for lying!
#26 Combine challenges (Easy)
Take a photo of yourself reading a different book at a different location. Take 10,000 steps on a new route to meet a stranger and ask for a recipe to try out. Do all challenges, a different one each day. Wake up early to make time to meditate, practice self-compassion and yoga. Finish it off with a cold shower!
#27 Doing something that scares you every day (Hard)
Fear is the one thing keeping you from being the best version of yourself. The only way to overcome your fears is to face them head on!
#28 Don’t complain for an entire day (Hard)
This one will likely take more than a few days to work up to achieving. Even if you’re a highly positive person, it’s difficult not to utter one negative sentence for a 24-hour span. Don’t be down on yourself if you can’t make it past an hour — as with everything this takes practice! This one is also great practice for becoming conscious of your thoughts.
#29 Meditate each day (Intermediate)
Read this to learn why you should meditate, learn awesome variations on meditation here and discuss this challenge here. The best moments are just after waking up and just before sleep!
#30 Practice (at least) one completely selfless act each day (Easy)
Go out of your way to help someone else out who may or may not deserve your kindness. Take out your neighbor’s trash. Give a $5 to a homeless person. Do something that takes real effort on your part while brightening the day of the receiver.
Time gives birth to Space, but Space gives death to Time" Oswald Spengler
Time gives birth to Space, but Space gives death to Time"
Oswald Spengler
DDMP DIADIMOPRO
As Colorado’s aid-in-dying law takes effect this month, proponents say they’ll make sure terminally-ill patients have access to a new, affordable drug concoction that will avoid the $3,000 cost of a common lethal sedative that has skyrocketed in price.
Officials with Compassion & Choices, an advocacy group, are reaching out to pharmacies statewide to confirm that they’ll stock components of a lethal four-drug cocktail to substitute for secobarbital, known as Seconal, the pricey sleeping pill most often prescribed to induce death.
It’s the second time in a year that right-to-die advocates have come up with a substitute for Seconal after Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. acquired the medication in February 2015 — and abruptly doubled the $1,500 retail price.
“We were looking for something more affordable and available,” said Kat West, an attorney and policy expert with Compassion & Choices.
The new law, which was passed by a two-thirds majority, was signed into law on Dec. 16 by Gov. John Hickenlooper. Colorado joins five other states — Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana and California — in which terminally ill patients, usually those expected to live six months or less, can choose to take doctor-prescribed drugs to end their lives. In Oregon, at least 991 patients have died after taking drugs prescribed since the law took effect in 1997. In Washington state, at least 917 have died under terms of the law enacted in 2009.
Access to the medications can depend, in part, on cost. Many health insurance plans pay for aid-in-dying drugs, advocates said, but some don’t, and the medications aren’t covered by federal programs such as Medicare or Catholic-run health care systems. Medicaid programs for the poor and disabled in Oregon and California will pay, but not those in Washington state, Vermont or Montana. In Colorado, it’s still unclear.
That can create a barrier for terminally ill patients who want to use the law, said Beth Glennon, a client-support coordinator for End of Life Washington, an advocacy group.
“The cost does affect people’s decisions,” Glennon said.
As of March, the latest data available, a bottle of 100 capsules of 100-milligram Seconal had a retail price of $3,082, according to data from Truven Health Analytics. Ten grams is a lethal dose.
When Oregon’s law began, the cost was about $150, recalled Dr. David Grube, national medical director for Compassion & Choices and a family doctor who has practiced in the state for nearly 40 years. He calls the price hikes “an almost-evil practice of greed.”
“I think it’s the black side of capitalism,” he said. “It really breaks my heart.”
Valeant officials didn’t respond to requests for comment, but in March firm officials issued a statement saying that secobarbital is approved only for treating short-term insomnia, epilepsy and for use in pre-operative anesthesia.
“If it is being prescribed for off-label uses, it is not something for which the product is manufactured or intended,” the statement said.
To fight the high prices, doctors in Washington state experimented last year with a cheaper mixture that included three drugs — phenobarbital, chloral hydrate and morphine sulfate. The components are widely available and cost about $500 for a lethal dose. But the combination turned out to be too harsh, said Dr. Robert Wood, a volunteer medical adviser for End of Life Washington.
“The chloral hydrate mixture was too caustic for some folks and our volunteers didn’t like using it,” because some patients became distressed, Wood said.
Most doses of lethal medication are bitter, often requiring patients to take anti-nausea drugs. But the new mixture was not only bitter but also caused a burning sensation in the mouths of some patients, said Glennon. “There was some profound burning,” she said. “We didn’t like working with it. As a volunteer, you want to reassure people. We’re about a peaceful, dignified death.”
Wood and his colleagues came up with a new option this summer, a four-drug mixture that includes diazepam, digoxin, morphine and propranolol, known as DDMP. It costs between $300 and $600.
The mixture, which puts patients to sleep and then halts their heartbeat and breathing, has been used 38 times so far, Wood said.
“It is no more difficult than Seconal to ingest and it seems to work quite well,” he added.
The mixture has been used “a fair amount” in California, where an aid-in-dying law took effect in June, said Grube. It’s not yet known how many terminally-ill patients have died under that state’s law, but dozens have requested prescriptions, officials said.
Valeant was widely criticized for raising the price of secobarbital, a popular sedative in the 1960s and 1970s that lost its patent status in the early 1990s. It has been used for aid-in-dying patients since Oregon passed the first U.S. law in 1997, which was modeled on similar action in the Netherlands, where secobarbital was the drug of choice.
Another sedative, pentobarbital, was also frequently used, but supplies in the U.S. became expensive and scarce after European drugmakers objected to its use as an execution drug in death penalty cases.
Doctors and pharmacists are not obligated to participate in aid-in-dying treatment under existing laws, including the Colorado action. In a recent poll, about 40 percent of more than 600 doctors surveyed said they would be willing to prescribe lethal medication, 42 percent said they wouldn’t and 18 percent weren’t sure, noted Dr. Cory Carroll, a solo practice family physician in Fort Collins, Colo., who endorsed the measure.
“The docs that are in opposition have a right to their beliefs, but they don’t have the right to control others,” Carroll said in a recent press conference.
West of Compassion & Choices anticipates that Colorado’s law will be used immediately, as similar laws in other states have been.
“We’re already getting calls from terminally ill people in Colorado who want to access this law,” she said. “I fully expect people to begin requesting prescriptions.”
KHN’s coverage of end-of-life and serious illness issues is supported by The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
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