Chicken Safety | Chicken Contamination - Consumer Reports

"When you shop at your favorite grocery store, you probably assume that the food on display is safe to take home. But in the poultry aisle, that simple assumption could make you very sick...."  CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Obama ~ White House Correspondents' Dinner ~ NAILED IT!!

The President nailed it, as did Cecily Strong, and Luther, POTUS "Anger Translator".  Finally (for me) the Hollywood stars' piece was over and the real business of the evening began.  I never miss this event;  this was one of the all-time best.  You can hear it (the reason why we really watched) in this link. That part of the evening was brilliant, cathartic and memorable.

 CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO AND ARTICLE

'Just Say No' to the Gateway Theory of Pot - The Atlantic

"Many young adults remember their childhood participation in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known by the acronym "D.A.R.E."  One of the program's core messages—along with the idea that you should always shout "NO!" when offered some "really cool drugs to smoke"—is that marijuana is a "gateway" to all sorts of other substances.  D.A.R.E's effectiveness was later called into question, and its curriculum overhauled, but the legend remains: One toke, and before long you're living a less-accented version of Trainspotting."    READ MORE
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3 Reasons You Can’t Win with a Narcissist | World of Psychology

About Sarah Newman, MA

Sarah Rae Newman is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and a mental health and science blogger. She has an MA in psychology from the New School for Social Research and an MFA in writing from CCNY. She is the author of the book The Fog of Paranoia: A Sister's Journey through Her Brother's Schizophrenia.

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Stephen King lets Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have it - Salon.com

In a brilliant tweet, the horror master perfectly sums up the state of the 2016 presidential race..

SALON STAFF  

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The Worst of Our Corrupt Congress Was on Display This Past Week In Washington | Alternet

One day, historians might discover that what unfolded this past week in Washington was a surreal snapshot of the slow-but-steady death of American democracy.  CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

5 Right-Wing Lunacies This Week: Bill O'Reilly Hits Peak Paranoia | Alternet

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Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: Do They Really Have No Shame?

• About the Author

  

  Dr George Simon received his PhD in clinical psychology from Texas Tech University and has specialized in disturbances of personality and character for almost 25 years. He has appeared on several national radio and TV programs, including Fox News Network and CNN, given over 250 workshops and seminars nationwide, and consulted to numerous businesses, agencies, and organizations seeking his expertise on character disturbance. His webcast called 'Character Matters' launched recently on UCY.tv.
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"Most folks know the feeling of shame so well, they can hardly understand that character-impaired people may have different underlying motives for their behavior. Erroneous notions about human nature may make sense in the context of ‘neurotic’ personalities, but when trying to understand character-impairment they leave us vulnerable to abuse and manipulation...."  CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

Beware the Covert-Aggressive Personality ~ George Simon, PhD

• About the Author

  

  Dr George Simon received his PhD in clinical psychology from Texas Tech University and has specialized in disturbances of personality and character for almost 25 years. He has appeared on several national radio and TV programs, including Fox News Network and CNN, given over 250 workshops and seminars nationwide, and consulted to numerous businesses, agencies, and organizations seeking his expertise on character disturbance. His webcast called 'Character Matters' launched recently on UCY.tv.

"The covert-aggressive personality employs a potent one-two punch: the covert-aggressive conceals aggressive intent to ensure you never really see what’s coming; and he or she exploits your normal sensitivities, conscientiousness and other vulnerabilities to manipulate you into succumbing. Covert-Aggressive Personalities are the archetypal wolves in sheep’s clothing that I introduced in my first book, In Sheep’s Clothing ..."     CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

Stockholm Syndrome: The Psychological Mystery of Loving an Abuser ~ bfrom Counselling Resource Mental Health Library

• About the Author

  

  A Clinical Psychologist with over 40 years in the field, Dr Carver is currently in practice in southern Ohio in the US. He became Consulting Psychologist with CounsellingResource.com in 2007.

Sadly, most people do not really understand the broad dimensions of abuse, especially emotional abuse. Terms like "gaslighting", "sadism", and "Stockholm Syndrome" seem to have no relevance whatsoever in their relationship.  If a friend or counselor might ask them about the practices inherent to each of these, they would likely immediately deny all of them as being part of their relationship. Add to that an initial irritation with the counselor on the part of the abused.  

However, after they have experienced this grueling and onerous Herculean journey with their significant other, they are shocked to discover that their "apparently normal, but bumpy relationship"  is indeed the nightmare they thought they were experiencing all along.


"If you’re in a controlling and abusive relationship, you may recognize several of the characteristics described in this article by Consulting Clinical Psychologist Dr Joseph M. Carver, PhD. Beginning with a description of how bonds form between victim and abuser, the article continues with observations about cognitive dissonance and offers suggestions for friends and family of victims...."        CLICK HERE TO READ  THIS ARTICLE!

Societal Stockholm Syndrome ~ Essays by Kathleen Trigiani

....."thus the label, Stockholm Syndrome, was born. It has happened to concentration camp prisoners, cult members, civilians in Chinese Communist prisons, pimp-procured prostitutes, incest victims, physically and/or emotionally abused children, battered women, prisoners of war, victims of hijackings, and of course, hostages"... Virtually anyone can get Stockholm Syndrome it the following conditions are met:

• Perceived threat to survival and the belief that one's captor is willing to act on that threat
• The captive's perception of small kindnesses from the captor within a context of terror
• Isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor
• Perceived inability to escape.

Stockholm Syndrome is a survival mechanism. The men and women who get it are not lunatics. They are fighting for their lives. They deserve compassion, not ridicule....... CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

Paul Krugman: Uh-oh, we’re just this screwed - Salon.com

Austerity failed, yet Britain's conservatives might be rewarded. There's a lesson for us, Paul Krugman argues today

SALON STAFF

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Ted Cruz Isn't an Idiot -- He's Delusional and That's Far More Dangerous | Alternet

"For those who think like Cruz, there is virtually no amount of data, reality checks or facts that can persuade them to give up their false ideas."

By Sophia A. McClennen / AlterNet

April 1, 2015

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The Truth About Facebook: How Communication Became Synonymous With Surveillance | Alternet

Savvy tech critic talks outrage culture, surveillance and the power we give Google & Facebook to moderate our lives

By Michael Schulson / Salon

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The Truth About Facebook: How Communication Became Synonymous With Surveillance | Alternet

Savvy tech critic talks outrage culture, surveillance and the power we give Google & Facebook to moderate our lives

By Michael Schulson / Salon



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How I Discovered an Amazing Sexual Technique to Satisfy a Woman -- It's Simple! | Alternet

"When I learned about this, it was hallelujah time."

By Janet Allon / AlterNet

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Memories likely can’t be erased: Research offers new clues to how we remember - Salon.com

A new study challenges more than a century of neuroscience and could radically change the way we treat PTSD

RONI JACOBSON, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

Old Souls: Compelling Evidence From Children Who Remember Past Lives by Thomas Shroder — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

A riveting firsthand account of one man's mission to investigate and document some of the most astonishing untold phenomena of our time All across the globe, small children spontaneously speak of previous lives, beg to be taken "home," pine for mothers and husbands and mistresses from another life, and know things that there seems to be no normal way for them to know.   CLICK HERE TO READ!

Justice system to 13-year-old girl: It’s not rape because you have curves - Salon.com

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS OUTRAGE!

Narcissistic Parents' Psychological Effect on Their Children/Seth Myers/Insight is 20/20

Narcissistic Parents’ Psychological Effect on Their Children

Narcissistic parents will never understand the breadth of their impact on kids.

Published on May 1, 2014 by Seth Meyers, Psy.D. in Insight Is 20/20

The topic of narcissism begs the following question flashing in neon lights: Why would a narcissist want a child to begin with? Aren’t they so focused on themselves that they wouldn’t have the slightest interest in paying attention to others, much less attending to a needy young child who craves constant attention and praise?

Alas, the question presumes a type of normalcy and natural order of the parent-child relationship that betrays the root of narcissism. The truth is, narcissistic parents don’t have children because they want to nurture and guide their offspring through life; they have children so that they have an automatic, built-in relationship in which they have power, one in which the narcissist can write the rules without any checks and balances. Understand this: Control over someone else is the ultimate jackpot every narcissist works so hard to win. The reality of narcissistic parenting couldn’t be sadder: The child of the narcissist realizes early on that he exists to provide a reflection for the parent and to serve the parent - not the other way around.If you comb through online relationship forums and chat rooms devoted to the subject of adult children of narcissists, you'll find that all of the posters of comments have suffered similar bruises at the hands of a narcissistic parent. To read some of the comments is heartbreaking, and calls into question how strange and illogical it is to create such rigorous adoption laws when an ill-fit individual can procreate whenever they want – and mess up the life of a child without suffering a consequence. The real tragedy occurs behind closed doors at home, much like the process of physical abuse. The problem with being a child of a narcissist is that it takes these children so many years of frustration and anguish to figure out that Mom or Dad isn’t quite right; until that point, these children are merely dancing as fast as they can, trying to please the impossible-to-please narcissistic parent. It takes years to finally see that the type of parenting they’ve been receiving is wrong – if not emotionally abusive.Young children of narcissists learn early in life that everything they do is a reflection on the parent to the point that the child must fit into thepersonality and behavioral mold intended for them. These children bear tremendous anxiety from a young age as they must continually push aside their own personality in order to please the parent and provide the mirror image the parent so desperately needs. If these children fail to comply with the narcissist’s wishes or try to set their own goals for their life – God, forbid – the children will be overtly punished, frozen out or avoided for a period of time – hours, days or even weeks depending on the perceived transgression in the eyes of the narcissistic parent.With young children, the narcissistic parent is experienced as unpredictable and confusing. After all, narcissists are awfully difficult to understand for adults, so just imagine how confusing the capricious narcissist is in the eyes of a young child! Because young kids can’t make accurate sense of the narcissist’s interpersonal tricks and stunts, these children internalize intense shame (‘I keep failing my Mom’) which leads toanger that the child turns on himself (‘I’m so stupid,’ ‘Something’s wrong with me’). The overall quality and strength of the bond between the narcissistic parent and young child is poor and weak. Deep down, the child doesn’t feel consistently loved, as the child is taught the metaphoric Narcissistic Parenting Program: You’re only as good as I say you are, and you’ll be loved only if you’re fully compliant with my wishes. Simply put, it’s truly heartbreaking for the child – though the narcissistic parent is sinfully oblivious.It’s not until many years later that the life experiences of the child of the narcissist start to make a little more sense. Friends often catch glimpses of the kind of ‘crazy’ parenting these individuals received, so he or she starts to get a healthy reality check like this: “Your mom is insane,” or “Your Dad is seriously messed up.”How narcissistic parenting impacts the adult relationships of children of narcissistsBecause the narcissistic parent-child bond was so distorted and corrupt, the offspring as adults tend to gravitate toward drama-laden, roller-coaster relationships – especially with romantic partners. Because they didn’t grow up with the belief that they were intrinsically okay and good, it makes perfect sense that these individuals would gravitate toward stormy romantic partners later. These adults would feel like a fish out of water in a relationship with someone who loved them consistently, and the experience would be so unfamiliar that it would cause major anxiety. Accordingly, these individuals tend to seek out partners who are emotionally unavailable, critical or withholding – just like Mommy and/or Daddy was in the past. In short, the only kind of relationship the adult child of a narcissist really fits in with is one with a highly skewed dynamic: The child of the narcissist must cater to and keep their partner happy, even when that involves squashing her own needs and feelings.It’s not until the adult children of a narcissist get (a lot of) psychotherapy or have a life-changing experience that pulls them away them from the disturbed parent that these adult children can truly begin to heal – and then create better, more normal relationships that offer the give-and-take reciprocation most of us have and value in our relationships.What’s interesting to note is the narcissistic parent’s reaction to witnessing healthy psychological change in their child. Once the child or adult child of the narcissist starts to get psychologically healthier and begins to distance himself a bit from the parent, the narcissistic parent experiences a sort of existential panic. Often, it’s a psychotherapist, colleague or friend who plants the seeds of change, declaring to the child that the parent is toxic and emotionally abusive. Thrust into fight mode, the narcissistic parent feels furious and works to ostracize the individual suspected of inducing the change and pulling the child away from the parent’s tight grip. Though it can initially be confusing to the adult child why the narcissistic parent verbally tears apart his closest confidants, the parent’s reaction ultimately shows the adult child what matters most to the narcissistic parent: his or her own emotional needs – not those of the adult child.If you happen to be someone who has suffered at the hands of a narcissistic parent, talk to your friends and other family members about your experience, and consider talking to a mental health professional. After years of dealing with the inconsistency of a narcissistic parent, it can be extremely healing to have a therapist help you make sense of the craziness.