When the Laughter Dies...

Jokes are no laughing matter to the brain. They are a type of release valve that enables us to think the unthinkable, accept the unacceptable, discover new relationships, adjust better and maintain our mental health. They are also funny. Without them we probably would be a dull, dimwitted society, trapped in a harsh world too serious to bear.

I instantly thought of Comedy Central when I read this quote. Especially The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. When our crazy world becomes too overwhelming, laughter is our release and allows us to overcome our crazy world.

It is a crazy world, indeed, when the laughter dies. I remember when I heard Phil Hartman died. It was if a part of the world had died. Yes, we have healed and we move on, with humor at our side. Again, today I read that Richard Jeni passed away. And another rift in the world laughter continuum has formed. And again, we will heal.

We are blessed to be able to rekindle the laughter from Hartman and Jeni, and all the past comedians like John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Richard Pryor, with their recorded performances. Those performances that helped us heal in times of stress and trial. In a way, comedy has saved us from (and in spite of) ourselves.

To those comedians, all I can say is: Thanks for the memories!

Headlines: Pardon Me!

Pardon Me! We pardon scooters all the time as they zoom by us on the sidewalks of life. Why not this scooter? I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was found guilty on Tuesday by a reportedly saddened grand jury on four of the five charges for lying to investigators during the Plame leak case. It would be a political move of varied motives for the President to pardon Libby, but wouldn't it be nice for the fall guy to get some justice, too?

Success in Iraq is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed. General David Petraeus, US Army commander in Iraq commented recently that it will take more than military might to end the violence in that war-torn country. Gen. Petraeus hinted that resolution in Iraq would need political negotiations to create peace. Political negotiations, eh? I think it's time for the US President to pardon Iraq.

"I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden." would likely be a hummed tune for the fired Maj. Gen. George Weightman and Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley were singing before the bad press came out for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Sure, military service is tough. However, we are talking about our injured soldiers here. I think we can lay off the tough guy act in a hospital, can't we? Just think what these vets will say to their grandkids: Yeah, it was difficult fighting off those rats and cockroaches, but the moldy stench was the worst. I survived Iraq because they gave me a gun and ammo, but surviving Walter Reed was the biggest battle I faced. No guns, no ammo. Not even rodent bombs or roach motels. Conditions were deplorable. I needed to raise the black flag, but the Army didn't supply us with any. So, we had to use our crutches and wheelchairs to squish the enemy! No pardons likely here. No matter how hard they beg.

"Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again!" I don't know if Pierce Brosnan will need a pardon after this one, but he is slated to sing, yes I said SING... ::LOL:: Sing ABBA tunes... ::ROFL:: With, get this... Meryl Streep! ::LMAO:: Okay, okay, Brosnan is a handsome actor, a remarkable artist, but I don't recall any singing scenes in the Bond movies. The big question now is, will I be walking out of the theater singing S.O.S. out of desperation or under a euphoric state of enjoyment? By the way, Pierce, I'll pardon you in advance on this one.

No Pardons for Captain America! I was completely saddened by the news that our superhero, Captain America, ::sob:: is dead. Captain America is dead apparently due to his resistance to register with the federal Super Hero Registration Act? Is this a sobering reflection of the state of affairs in our country? What will our country do without Captain America? Is this the end? Will Tek Jansen be able to fill such big shoes?

Well, if there are pardons to make, lent is a good time to make them, as we forgive others and forgive ourselves for all the blunders and ignorantly foolish things we do and forget to do. I hope you have it in your heart to pardon me, as well. I promise I will pardon you, too.

Teeth Are Bones, Right?

If teeth are bones, and bones that are broken or chipped can heal themselves, then why do we treat teeth like they cannot heal themselves, too?

Are there certain conditions that will allow a tooth to heal itself? My logical thinkings says that there must be a way that human teeth can heal themselves if placed in the right conditions, just like other bones in our bodies.

I know that there will come a day, when someone who knows teeth much better than I do, that when your dentist finds a cavity or a chipped tooth, they will use a special cast to allow the tooth to heal itself. This will revolutionize the dental industry from a destructive, drilling and filling surgically invasive business to a healing and dental wellbeing business.

People will then consider going to the dentist a part of a good day!

What's happening now? Well, I typed in "tooth cast heal dentist" in google and got this website:

PI Dental Center

I was encouraged to read this piece from a dental center, thinking maybe they are cutting edge. However, the article doesn't mention that teeth could heal just like bones in the right environment. That should have been an indicator to the fact that they are cutting edge in the same old, same old dentistry of drill, cut and fill. Just using more screws and prettier plates.

Let's take these "tooth implants" to the next, more temporary level! Tooth Casts that allow the tooth to heal on its own in an environment that promotes healing. A Tooth Cast that can be removed once the tooth has healed and repaired itself. Anyone in the dental industry ready to research and do something revolutionary for the human mouth?

Under God: Are You Covered?

Just as Christian women have recently come out from being under the head covering of men, it seems that Christian men are also coming out from being under the head covering of God. If you read the New Testament, you'll see that the apostle Paul was a big advocate of head covering. You can read that in one of two ways: headcovering = limiting, or headcovering = protecting and reflecting glory.

Now, I am sure that many people see the headcovering with its potential to be submissive, limiting and even oppressive. And for men who feel it is their duty to command the world, having to deal with a headcovering to God goes against their own ability to do whatever the heck they want. Thus, ditch the headcovering and ditch God--but not entirely. Use the headcovering of God as a cloak to hide indiscretions and secret plans. You see how that can really hide all the bad stuff and make people think that everything is being done in the light of God.

George W. Bush is experienced in this type of clandestine action to take one thing that is good and is limiting and use it to hide and in a way shield him from his diverging activities. As president, the laws enacted by our democracy's representatives are his headcovering. They are there not just to limit him, but to protect his head and when the law is upheld due to his efforts, he is rightly glorified. However, when the headcovering is not used on the head --are you following the analogy here?--Ok... When the law is circumvented and instead of placed as a protective covering over the right foundation of our government (the Constitution), it is used as a shield to deflect and contort the law, what is there to protect the head (the US Constitution and the proper use of government)? Nothing.

The struggle to keep "under God" in the pledge of allegiance may be nothing more than symantics to some. To others it signifies that headcovering, the law, not just of God, but the laws of our country. And still to others it is the push to keep the public thinking that God is protecting us, when in actuality it is distorted and is only protecting the personal interests of those leaders.

Did I mention that when men and women keep the headcovering over their heads, it protects and reflects glory to them? Ok, so what's so great about being limited and submissive? We don't harm ourselves or harm others (our protection--it is in this protection that even if others harm us, we forgive and heal), it keeps us focused on the mission designated by our Creator, and allows our Creator to mold us into the creation that we have been designed to become (the reflection of glory is from the Creator in becoming what we are meant to be). That same headcovering is there not just to help yourself, but others, too. When we become what God made us to be, then we learn that the head covering not only protects our head and heart, but puts our hands into service to serve God and those who God places into our care. (You can see how restrictive it would be if that headcovering were used as a cloak or shield--the ability to serve God and others is severly restricted or nonexistent.)

There are people out there that wear that headcovering to physically represent their faith. You'll see devout Jewish men wearing their yarmulke, nuns in their habits, traditional Catholic women wearing prayer veils, and Islamic women wearing burkhas. It reminds them of their faith, and stands for the protection, guidance and reflects the glory given by their Creator. It shows respect for their Creator, and in return, honor.

Your Child Taking Drugs ... for ADHD?

If you have a child that has any indication of cardiovascular or heart issues, and he/she is on drugs for behavioral issues, you may want to speak with your doctor and get them off the drug as soon as possible. You may just want to speak with a doctor or psychologist anyway if your child is taking or has been suggested to take drugs to ward off ADD or ADHD.

Even though the drug companies say their ADHD drugs are safe, sometimes they may not have researched every possible complication or effect of their drug.

In this case, ADHD drugs like ritalin can have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, leading to heart arrhythmia, strokes, heart attacks, and death. Wonderful, huh?

Now the rant: Teachers are selfish imps that should be stripped of their teaching licenses if they demand your child take drugs for behavioral issues, without a thorough psychological evaluation with a competent psychologist and medical doctor. There are many other physical and mental issues that could be the underlying issue for your child's behavior, and treating the symptoms with drugs instead of researching the underlying causes may do more damage than good.

The teacher needs to be able to establish rapport with her students, be able to control child who are unruly, and work with children who need additional guidance. There's a significant amount of work entailed in such teaching endeavors, so thank goodness they get summers off, they deserve it.

When I went to school, doing drugs were bad, and the government spent a significant amount of money to keep kids from doing drugs (remember Nancy Reagan's Just Say No campaign?). Now, an ever increasing amount of kids are forced to do drugs by schools. And these aren't just another type of Tylenol, these are major drugs! Say no to cocaine, but here's some Ritalin (which has very similar components and affects the same areas in the brain).

What's the message here?

(In child behavioral cases where drugs were the first resort...do I really need to preface this? Oh, yeah, the same people I am talking about here get terribly offended, too. Good grief.) Teachers are lazy, parents are ignorant, and society will suffer because we are drugging our kids. This is the new drug revolution and if it continues, we are doomed.

Is legislation needed to make sure teachers and parents are assessing our children that show signs of behavioral issues with the appropriate psychological and medical evaluations, and using non-drug treatments as the first resort, exhausting all non-drug measures, before falling back on what ought to be the last resort: drugs? Maybe. This is our future we are talking about.