Tamie has previously explored the sense in which women are ‘the weaker vessel’ (1 Pet 3:7).  There is a sense in which being a woman means being vulnerable.

For us men, built to care for women, our lives must involve keeping women from fear (1 Pet 3:6).  We need to empower women to trust God, which means we need to be men who women can trust.

Men are the ones who stand with women.  A man is the one who goes in to bat for women.  Sure, men are fighters, but men are the ones who fight for women.  Fighting against women is Genesis 3 domination, and that’s fake manhood.

So get touchy-feely When she ‘gets emotional’, give her your utter respect.  In those circumstances, you need to be loyal and supportive.  That means you need to hear her and be sympathetic, and you need to avoid turning on the reason and rationality, trying to make her see things objectively, and solving her problems.  There’s certainly a place for those things, and they can be a wonderful way in which you complement her — but those things come all too naturally to you, and all too naturally, you use them to be selfish.  Rather than imposing your perspective on her, learn to see things from her side of the world.

So watch your words Think about the conversations you have with women.  Obviously you need to watch out for arguments.  More importantly, you need to watch out for things like ‘fun’ banter.  Those throwaway comments — That’s a women’s issue; That’s just like a woman; Aw, have a cry — might not be crushing, but they’re all part of creating a climate of apprehension for her.  Words matter!  Our language can be so insidious, and even those supposedly harmless interactions are actually control mechanisms that you need to be aware of.  If you’re committed to building her up instead of ‘putting her in her place’, then you won’t buy in to that kind of chatter.  If you’re competing with her, setting out to win against her, it’s not on.

In all this, I’m not saying men should become more feminine or less manly.  The thing is, by nature we are experts at cutting women down.  Instead, be a man she can trust.

내 마음속이 밤이 될때면 비가 내리곤 한다. 낮에는 수없이 많은 수분입자로 퍼져있던 감정의 방울방울들이 밤이 되고 혼자가 되면 구름을 이루고.. 서로 얽히고 섥혀 무거워 지다가 추락한다.

오늘은 그렇게 비가 내리는 밤이다. 보이지 않는 감정의 비가.. 알수없는 느낌으로 느껴지는 밤이다.

중력이 반으로 줄어든 듯 느릿느릿 내리는 그 비 속에서 멍하니 서있다. 누군가 옆에 서 있어주면 손이라도 꼭 잡고 의지할탠데, 그럴 사람은 없다. 이 공간에서는 철저하게 나 혼자 뿐이다. 물방울 하나하나가 내 몸에 무게를 더하는 듯이 움직이기가 어려워 진다. 어디론가 꼭 가야할 것 같은데 몸은 주저앉아 비를 맞는다.

한방울 한방울이.. 참 많이 야속하다.

This is the second installment in a series on lament.

===============

Not too long ago I was sitting in a Baptist communion observance, and my feelings in that moment contradicted the tenor of the gathering. It was such a solemn occasion. My heart was crying out on that particular night, “Jesus died for us! He has set us free!” My excitement just seemed to crash up against a wet blanket.

Since then there have been other times when I have felt a very somber sense of looking back to what Christ did on the cross, and yet the communion observance was “rushed” with little real introspection or thought expressed in the service. Again, my emotions clashed with the community expression.

Back in 2005, Joel Osteen was interviewed by Larry King (Feel free to check out the transcript for yourself.).  Here’s an excerpt:

KING: What do you wonder about the most? Now, I mean, you accept things as they are: He gets cancer, she doesn’t. What do you — what though, boggles your mind about this world?

OSTEEN: What do I wonder about? You know what, Larry?

I don’t know. I don’t know. Nothing comes to the forefront of my mind. I just…

KING: There’s no great searching?

OSTEEN: There’s no great thing

My purpose isn’t to criticize those churches or Osteen.  I do want to know how compelling an “unreal” faith is.  There are some major reasons I think Christians tend to shy away from sorrow or lament, but I’m not sure they are biblical reasons.  There is compelling biblical presence of lament.  I think it would enrich our lives and our worship, so intend to spend a couple more posts outlining some pros and cons of lament along with some biblical passages to get you thinking.

 On dit qu’un malheur n’arrive jamais seul. Quand les choses commencent à aller mal dans notre vie, on dirait que cela entraîne tout le reste et que l’on est accablé de soucis :
 -la santé qui fléchit,
 -les finances rendues difficiles,
 -les relations au travail s’enveniment,
 -la vie personnelle devient instable…
 
 Mais est-ce faire preuve d’objectivité de prétendre que “tout va mal” ? Car “tout”, c’est beaucoup ! Et il est probable qu’en y regardant objectivement, on pourrait circonscrire des limites à ce qui va mal.
 
 Il faut aussi vérifier sur quels critères se base notre jugement que les choses vont “mal”. Est-ce “mal” parce que cela nous cause un désagrément ? Dans ce cas, le critère c’est notre personnalité.
 
 Mais si l’on prenait un critère supérieur, on se rendrait compte que le “mal” n’est plus un mal. C’est un bien qui nous permet d’évoluer, un bien qui est une opportunité pour contrôler les émotions, etc.
 
 Cultiver la sérénité peut prendre toute la vie – et même plus! Mais la durée de l’exercice n’est pas ce qui importe. Ce qui compte c’est d’avancer. Au contraire, sans un exercice constant, on ne peut que régresser.
 
 Qu’arrive-t-il au muscle que l’on n’exerce pas? Il s’atrophie. Il en va de même pour la sérénité. Il faut la cultiver sans quoi elle régresse.
 
 Comment cultiver la sérénité? Voici quelques pistes pour s’entraîner:
 - devenir maître de son monde affectif et non esclave de celui-ci. Ne pas macérer dans un monde émotionnel négatif.
 - Ne pas céder à la colère dès qu’elle monte en nous.
 - Ne pas céder aux appels compulsifs sans appliquer une rétention.
 
 Tant la colère que les compulsions font “du bruit” en nous. Le philosophe Sénèque écrivait: “Ayez surtout le souci de séparer les choses du bruit qu’elles font.” Donc gardons l’objectivité.
 
 Cet entraînement pour l’âme est facilité, comme on le voit avec Sénèque, par les maîtres de sagesse qui éclairent le sentier de l’humanité.
 
 Pour bénéficier dès maintenant de tous ces enseignements, pourquoi ne pas assister à la conférence “Coaching pour l’âme”.

Ladies are notorious and the butt of many jokes on being hyper sensitive. Now I am really sensitive to that

Off & on I pride myself for being a “thick skinned” person; not easily offended or embarrassed by comments. I do take some effort to “train” myself in this area for sensitivity only brings misery upon oneself.

I guess being a woman, eventually now and then I do get victimized by sensitivity :) There are some good to sensitivity – it does make us more careful & thoughtful in many situations. But I still do feel perturbed whenever I start to “feel badly or deeply” about somethings that are not overt.

I am most weary of the “power of feminine deduction”. Therefore coming to conclusions based on my feminine intuition or sensitivity is highly disturbing for me. And yet it is so hard to divorce my heart from my mind.

It is a tsunami.

I am weary about this lately. I want to read the lines but not between the lines. I want to understand the signs of a situation and not the imaginary signs.

How shall I decide ? I am at war with the power of feminine sensitivity and the power of wise discernment.

Fun theory shows once again that human decision-making isn’t rational.

I always like to think that logic and rational thought rule when my prospects make a decision.  But, time and again I’m proven wrong.  That’s why you always hear us say in Power Messaging – “people decide on emotion and justify with facts.”

When I ran across this video it showed once again how emotional decision-making can be.  You and I know that taking the stairs instead of an escalator will provide more exercise.  And, we are fully aware that exercise is good for us.  (There’s plenty of research and data to prove that.)  So, it would be logical to assume that if we know what’s good for us, we’d always take the stairs instead of the escalator.  But, we don’t.

Watch this less than 2-minute video to see an interesting social experiment on getting more people to take the stairs.  It proves once again how we underestimate the power of emotions to impact a decision.

It’s the same when you go into a sales pitch with too much information.  Too much data.  Too many rational arguments.  You leave wondering why your prospect has paralysis by analysis.  It’s because you put her there.  And, as a result, she can’t clearly see enough reason to change from the status quo.

In fact, recent research indicates that 40% of sales cycles end in no decision.  Meaning your biggest competitive enemy is no longer an arch rival competitor, but prospects doing nothing.  In truth, however, this could be your biggest opportunity.  Taking market share from tough competitors is always difficult.  Getting a prospect to make a decision vs. waiting may be your next big growth opportunity.

Loosen the status quo with emotion
Just like the stairs were transformed into a piano, you need to create some emotion and excitement in your sales message.  If you want to loosen the status quo, you need a story that inspires your prospect to see the need for change.  Think about the video.  They were still stairs.  Weren’t they? They were still healthier for you than taking the escalator.  Right?  The “product” called stairs and the benefits of using them didn’t change.

Only the brand new story and the experience created around the stairs changed.  In fact, the stairs themselves became a giant prop to help sell the concept of stairs.  It engaged people’s body and mind in the product called stairs.  It made people want to try the stairs in a way that rationally explaining the benefits never did.

Where can you inject emotion?
You need a great story for your products and services.  The greatest stories are facts, wrapped in emotion.  For example, “the Kind died.  The Queen died.”  Those are the facts.  But, when you add emotion saying, “the King died, and the Queen died of a broken heart,” then you have a story.  You have a story that pulls people in, engages them and connects in a way that just the facts can’t.

We worked with a corporate, after-hours cleaning services company that offered a unique approach to cleaning.  It was a multi-color, microfiber cloth system that eliminated 90% of bacteria compared to just 33% with traditional cotton cloths.  You would think that fact would be enough to get prospects to bite.  It wasn’t until the company added a mini-story (drama and props) about how the multi-color cloths helped make sure your cleaners weren’t using the same cloth to clean your bathrooms as they did to clean your office telephone that they really got people’s attention.

Don’t be afraid to make your sales messages connect emotionally with your customers.  Help them see the need for change.  Help them see change is coming fast.  Help them see the impact of not dealing with the change vs. the impact of successfully adapting to the change. Creating enough emotional contrast between their current pain and the potential gain they can achieve by working with you.  And, then make your solution critical to their survival.

To affirm means to make firm in one’s mind.  It helps draw into your life what you affirm. Neuroscientists reveal that 70%  of our self talk is both negative and redundant – so consequently it’s important for us to pay attention to what we are saying to ourselves! We need to replace the old dysfunctional beliefs with positive empowering beliefs.  Using affirmations daily will help re-program our thought patterns and change the way we think and feel about things.  They also help ground our purpose.  Saying them with emotion, or as if they have already happened creates more power behind that belief.

Examples of Affirmations:

“I now set new and higher standards for myself and I step up to every challenge in a state of absolute certainty and unstoppable confidence.”

“I am now confident, assertive, and decisive in every decision.”

“All I need is within me now.”

“I live a life of design rather than a life of reaction.”

“There is always abundance in every area of my life.”

“I am improving in mind, body, and soul every day.”

“Wealth, and all good things are now overflowing in my life.”

Try using affirmations on a daily basis, and watch the magic begin to happen.

Recently, I took my son to see “This Is It”, the film compilation of rehearsal, behind-the-scenes footage for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” concert series that was to be held for 100 shows in London.  We got our tickets, popcorn, and soda, and expected to see an entertaining film about Michael Jackson, complete with the timeless moonwalk, a “scha-mon” here and there, and endless soundbites of “he-he”.  Instead I learned a lot more.

Michael Jackson was a hustler.  And a damn good one too.

He had you all fooled into thinking he was all about zipper pants, glittery gloves and wearing white socks with everything.   People talk about MJ because of child molestation accusations, Bubbles, carrying around a grown man like a 3-year-old (what ever happened to Emanuel Lewis?), or his battles with Vitiligo (hey, give him a break).  But Michael Jackson was about his business; his business just happened to be music.  In watching the film, I learned that Michael Jackson knew what a lot of us so-called business types still have failed to learn:

Love over Money

Through out the film, Michael kept talking about the love of what he was doing and the passion that follows it.  That’s key, and a lot of us miss it.  We’re so quick chasing a dollar that when we get it, it’s hard to hold onto because of how we got there.  Listen to most successful people.  Not your “guys” like Floyd Mayweather and those Cash Money Morons who throw money in the air every chance they get.  Not guys that will probably be broke in 10 years.  I’m talking about your Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Russell Simmonds.  They rarely talk about money first.  It’s almost as if the money is a product of something when you love what you do.  More attention is on staying true to the craft and what you do.

Focus on Service/Quality Of The Product

It’s been said there are three components of business: Price, Product, and Service/Quality.  If you have to focus on of them, I’d focus on Service/Quality.  It’s the only aspect of any business that is unique to the provider and can’t really be duplicated.

Too often, we focus on the Price and the Product itself; that’ really a mistake.  Focusing on price will cause you to lose business as soon as your competitor’s price is lower than yours.  Walmart has been doing that for decades.

Products become outdated, so focusing on the product itself is also a losing proposition.  I’m guessing that you haven’t used your VCR in years, and you might not even know what an eight-track player is.  Someone will always come around and build a better “mouse trap.”

Michael Jackson focused on the quality of his music.  There is a lot of music today that sounds better because of sound engineers, digital recording, and the autotune, but is the quality there? Will it be around 20 years from now? The hooks today are better, but I can almost guarantee you Chris Brown and Lil’ Wayne will be forgotten about in 20 years.  Michael’s music has lasted generations, from the Jackson 5 to his last album “Invincible”, and was indelible to everyone that heard it.  People say that his last album flopped; yeah, it flopped to about 13 million sales worldwide.  Most artists would dream to “flop” an album like that.  His best-selling album was Thriller, which did well over 100 million in sales world-wide.

But the biggest reason I know Michael Jackson put out a quality product was because of my son.  My son was singing along with a lot of his songs word for word.  It wasn’t just my kid, either.  There were dozens of parents in there with children from about age 5 up that were singing along.  You don’t last that long in any game unless you pour quality into your product.

Attention To Detail

One particular scene I remember was when  Michael and his producer were going over the music for “The Way You Make Me Feel.”  They were going over the intro and Michael kept harping on how he needed to make the intro “simmer” before going into the main part of the song.  The sticking point was one note.  ONE note.  One.  Not a whole bar, just one note that was dropping too early.  They must have gone over that 5 – 6 times before it got Michael’s approval, and he wasn’t moving off of what he wanted.

If Michael didn’t hear or see what he wanted, he stopped rehearsal and they did it again until they got it right.  Everything else seemed to flow, but if there was one aspect that didn’t quite work, the whole piece didn’t work.

Michael Jackson knew that people will demand success and remember your failures.  If you’re going to do something, do it right until it’s where you want it to be.

Be Hands On

Every great hustler/entrepreneur makes sure they are a part of the process in each aspect.  I remember years ago when Toni Braxton was on Oprah and she was saying how it was hard to manage millions of dollars so she had accountants and managers handling most of the money.  Oprah quickly pointed out that she still signed every check for Harpo Productions to makes sure she knew where the money was going.

I believe Oprah is currently sitting on about $1.5 billion right now.  Toni Braxton…not so much.

This doesn’t mean be micro-managing. Hire the right people and trust them to make good decision, but only a fool would leave their entire operation in someone else’s hands.  You need to know what’s going on.  Michael Jackson was hands on, even on what seemed to be menial tasks.  He  was even present at the dancer auditions, pointing out flaws and picking out the ones he wanted.  This could have been left to the dance choreographers, but if the dancers were going to be an “extension of Michael” as it was put, he wanted to make sure he was a part of the process.

“This Is It” taught me a lot about Michael Jackson’s drive to be successful, but it also gave me tools I could take away and apply in my own life and push to be successful.

It almost made me want to give him a pass for wearing skinny jeans and those damn Captain Crunch looking jackets throughout the entire film.

…almost.

Rest in Peace, MJ.

Law of Attraction ~ Your Emotions ~~~
I would like to suggest that you ponder these statements as I AM. There is great wisdom and truth here as always from Abraham. This message is particularly potent and absolutely life changing for those who are ready ~ able ~ and willing~ to receive and allow.

One of the things I MOST APPRECIATE here is the UNADULTERATED PURE TRUTH that applies to ALL.

*Your emotions are your indicators of your summoning and allowing.

*Strong emotion on either end means you are summoning a lot of energy.

*Mild emotion in the middle means you are summoning less energy.

*The frustration/anger side means you ARE NOT allowing your energy to flow.

*Strong summoning of emotion on the frustration/anger side means you are creating a lot of what you DON’T want.

*Strong emotion on the elation side means you are actively creating what you DO want.

– Abraham-Hicks – 1998

]]> http://punkteundstreifen.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/theodor-fontane-sagt/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:22:29 +0000 kati http://punkteundstreifen.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/theodor-fontane-sagt/

Es fällt das Laub wie Regentropfen
So zahllos auf die Stoppelflur;
Matt pulst der Bach wie letztes Klopfen
Im Todeskampfe der Natur.

Still wird´s! Und als den tiefen Frieden
Ein leises Wehen jetzt durchzog,
Da mocht es sein, dass abgeschieden
Die Erdenseele aufwärts flog.

]]> http://tinestalk.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/endspurt-zu-weihnachten-im-schuhkarton/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:45:41 +0000 tinestalk http://tinestalk.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/endspurt-zu-weihnachten-im-schuhkarton/

Brigitta F. (41) aus Wriedel und ihre Kinder Leonie (11) und Christopher (7) denken jetzt an arme Kinder, die an Weihnachten keine Geschenke bekommen. Das wollen sie ändern und packen neuwertiges Spielzeug, Süßes und Zahnbürste für ein Kind in Rumänien. Diesmal legen sie auch einen Gruß mit Fotos und Adressen bei. Der Karton geht mit etwa 30 000 anderen in sechs Sattelzügen auf den Weg. „Wir wünschen dem Kind viel Spaß beim Auspacken und Spielen“, sagen Leonie und Christoper, die sich gar nicht so richtig vorstellen können, wie es ist in Armut zu leben. Noch bis Mitte November sammeln „Ladies’ Circle Deutschland“ und „Round Table Deutschland“ zusammen mit der Rudolf Walther Stiftung kleine Weihnachtspäckchen für Kinder in Rumänien und Bosnien. Weitere Infos unter: http://www.lc56-lueneburg.de/84101.html

]]> http://emxbfxem.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/%e7%94%9f%e6%b4%bb%e9%81%8e%e5%be%97%e7%9c%9f%e6%b5%aa%e8%b2%bb/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:43:55 +0000 emmy http://emxbfxem.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/%e7%94%9f%e6%b4%bb%e9%81%8e%e5%be%97%e7%9c%9f%e6%b5%aa%e8%b2%bb/

最近在facebook add返舊時d朋友~~ 真係成8年冇見喇… 佢地都過得好好~ 而且仲靚左好多添~ 諗起同佢地一齊玩, o個時多姿多彩既生活~ 真係好開心~

以前雖然冇錢, 不過日日he he ha ha得閒又出下黎玩, 買下平野, 影下貼紙相~ 咁就一日~ 最開心係可以扮靚靚~~ 我真係唔知幾時開始已經唔再執著o係自己身上面了…

幾時先可以生活簡單得黎又可以可姿多彩? 我發覺我既個人價值觀都冇埋~~ 我只係知道~ 每一次見到連一套見工既衫都冇! 我就真係燥! 見完工又連一套返工衫都冇!~ 可以點~~?? 唔通我真係連一件見得人既衫都冇咩~~? 我到底去左邊~!!? 呢個根本唔係我黎…

我真係要努力d先得!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

]]> http://ativani.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/ativan-or-lorazepam/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:40:29 +0000 ativani http://ativani.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/ativan-or-lorazepam/

Lorazepam, initially marketed under the brand names Ativan and Temesta, is a benzodiazepine drug with short to medium duration of action. It has all five intrinsic benzodiazepine effects: anxiolytic, amnesic, sedative/hypnotic, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant. It is a powerful anxiolytic, and, since its introduction in 1977, lorazepam’s principal use has been in treating the symptom of anxiety. Among benzodiazepines, lorazepam has a relatively high addictive potential.
Contents

1987 Ativan advertisement. “In a world where certainties are few…no wonder Ativan (lorazepam)C-IV is prescribed by so many caring clinicians.”

Lorazepam has relatively potent anxiolytic effects and its best known indication is the short-term management of severe chronic anxiety, though in fact the FDA advises against this usage. It is fast acting, and useful in treating fast onset panic anxiety.

Lorazepam has strong sedative/hypnotic effects, and the duration of clinical effects from a single dose makes it an appropriate choice for the short term treatment of insomnia, particularly in the presence of severe anxiety. Withdrawal symptoms, including rebound insomnia and rebound anxiety, may occur after only 7 days’ administration of lorazepam.

Its relatively potent amnesic effect, with its anxiolytic and sedative effects, makes lorazepam useful as premedication. It is given before a general anaesthetic to reduce the amount of anaesthetic agent required, or before unpleasant awake procedures, such as in dentistry or endoscopies, to reduce anxiety, to increase compliance, and to induce amnesia for the procedure. Oral lorazepam is given 90 to 120 minutes before procedures, and intravenous lorazepam as late as 10 minutes before procedures.

The marked anticonvulsant properties of lorazepam, and its pharmacokinetic profile, makes intravenous lorazepam a reliable agent for terminating acute seizures, but it has relatively prolonged sedation aftereffects. Oral lorazepam, and other benzodiazepines, have a role in long-term prophylactic treatment of resistant forms of petit mal epilepsy but not as first-line therapies, mainly because of the development of resistance to their effects.

Lorazepam’s anticonvulsant, or CNS depressant, properties are useful for the prevention and treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. In this setting it is relevant that impaired liver function is not a hazard with lorazepam since lorazepam does not require oxidation, hepatic or otherwise, for its metabolism.

Where there is need for rapid sedation of violent or agitated patients, including acute delirium, lorazepam may be used, but as it can cause paradoxical effects, it is preferably given together with haloperidol. Lorazepam is absorbed relatively slowly if given intramuscularly, a common route in restraint situations.

Catatonia with inability to speak is responsive and sometimes controlled with a single 2 mg oral, or slow intravenous dose of lorazepam. Symptoms may recur and treatment for some days may be necessary. Catatonia due to abrupt or too rapid withdrawal from benzodiazepines, as part of the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, should also respond to lorazepam treatment. As lorazepam can have paradoxical effects, haloperidol is sometimes given concomitantly.

It is sometimes used in chemotherapy as an adjunct to antiemetics for treating anticipatory nausea and vomiting, i.e. nausea and vomiting caused or worsened by psychological sensitisation to the thought of being sick. It is also used as adjunct therapy for cyclic vomiting syndrome.
[edit] Formulation and administration
0.5mg tablets of the Ativan brand of lorazepam.

Pure lorazepam is an almost white powder that is nearly insoluble in water and oil. In medicinal form, lorazepam is mainly available as tablets and a solution for injection but in some locations it is also available as a skin patch, an oral solution and a sublingual tablet.

Lorazepam tablets and syrups are administered by mouth only. The tablets contain 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg lorazepam, with some differences between countries. Lorazepam tablets of the Ativan brand also contain lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, polacrilin potassium, magnesium stearate and colouring agents (indigo carmine—E132—in blue tablets and tartrazine—E102— in yellow tablets).

Lorazepam injectable solution is administered either by deep intramuscular injection or by intravenous injection. The injectable solution comes in 1 mL ampoules containing 2 mg or 4 mg lorazepam. The solvents used are polyethylene glycol 400 and propylene glycol. As a preservative, the injectable solution contains benzyl alcohol. Toxicity from propylene glycol has been reported in the case of a patient receiving a continuous lorazepam infusion. Intravenous injections should be given slowly and patients closely monitored for side-effects, such as respiratory depression, hypotension, or loss of airway control.

Peak effects roughly coincide with peak serum levels, which occur 10 minutes after intravenous injection, up to 60 minutes after intramuscular injection, and 90 to 120 minutes after oral administration, but initial effects will be noted before this. A clinically relevant lorazepam dose will normally be effective for 6 to 12 hours, making it unsuitable for regular once-daily administration, so it is usually prescribed as two to four daily doses when taken regularly.
[edit] Adverse effects

Any of the five intrinsic benzodiazepine effects possessed by lorazepam (sedative/hypnotic, muscle relaxant, anxiolytic, amnesic and anticonvulsant) may be considered as “adverse effects,” or “side-effects,” if unwanted.Lorazepam’s effects are dose-dependent, meaning that the higher the dose the stronger the effects (and side-effects) will be. Using the smallest dose needed to achieve desired effects lessens the risk of adverse effects.

Sedation is the most complained-of side-effect. In a group of around 3500 patients treated for anxiety, the most common side-effects complained of from lorazepam were sedation (15.9%), dizziness (6.9%), weakness (4.2%), and unsteadiness (3.4%). Side-effects such as sedation and unsteadiness increased with age.

* Paradoxical effects: In some cases there can be paradoxical effects with benzodiazepines, such as increased hostility, aggression, angry outbursts, and psychomotor agitation. Paradoxical effects are more likely to occur with higher doses, in patients with pre-existing personality disorders and those with a psychiatric illness. It is worth noting that frustrating stimuli may trigger such reactions, even though the drug may have been prescribed to help the patient cope with such stress and frustration in the first place. As paradoxical effects appear to be dose related, they usually subside on dose reduction or on complete withdrawal of lorazepam.

* Suicidality: Benzodiazepines may sometimes unmask suicidal ideation in depressed patients, possibly through disinhibition or fear-reduction. Though relatively non-toxic in themselves, the concern is that benzodiazepines may inadvertently become facilitators of suicidal behaviour.Lorazepam should, therefore, not be prescribed in high doses or as the sole treatment in depression but only together with an appropriate antidepressant.

* Amnesic effects: Among benzodiazepines, lorazepam has relatively strong amnesic effects,but patients soon develop tolerance to this with regular use. To avoid amnesia (or excess sedation) being a problem, the initial total daily lorazepam dose should not exceed 2 mg. This also applies to use for night sedation. Five participants in a sleep study were prescribed lorazepam 4 mg at night, and the next evening three subjects unexpectedly volunteered memory gaps for parts of that day, an effect that subsided completely after 2–3 days’ use. Amnesic effects cannot be estimated from the degree of sedation present, since the two effects are unrelated.

Full lists of Lorazepam side-effects:

For lists of lorazepam side-effects, refer to the manufacturers’ data sheets. Please note that some may list side-effects for the entire benzodiazepine class, not the specific side-effect profile for lorazepam.
[edit] Contraindications and special considerations
[edit] Contraindications

Lorazepam must be avoided in patients with the following conditions:

* Allergy or hypersensitivity. Past hypersensitivity or allergy to lorazepam, to any benzodiazepine or to any of the ingredients in lorazepam tablets or injections.

* Severe respiratory failure. Benzodiazepines, including lorazepam, may depress central nervous system respiratory drive and are contraindicated in severe respiratory failure. An example would be the inappropriate use to relieve anxiety associated with acute severe asthma. The anxiolytic effects may also be detrimental to a patient’s willingness and ability to fight for breath. However, if mechanical ventilation becomes necessary, lorazepam may be used to facilitate deep sedation.

* Acute intoxication. Lorazepam may interact synergistically with the effects of alcohol, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances. It should, therefore not be administered to a drunk or intoxicated person.

* Ataxia. This is a neurological clinical sign, consisting of unsteady and clumsy motion of the limbs and torso, due to failure of gross muscle movement coordination, most evident on standing and walking: It is the classic way in which acute alcohol intoxication may affect a person. Benzodiazepines should not be administered to already-ataxic patients.

* Acute narrow-angle glaucoma. Lorazepam has pupil-dilating effects, which may further interfere with the drainage of aqueous humour from the anterior chamber of the eye, thus worsening narrow-angle glaucoma.

* Sleep apnea. Sleep apnea may be worsened by lorazepam’s central nervous system depressant effects. It may further reduce the patient’s ability to protect his or her airway during sleep.

* Myasthenia gravis. This condition is characterised by muscle weakness and a muscle relaxant such as lorazepam may exacerbate symptoms.

* Pregnancy and breast feeding. Lorazepam belongs to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pregnancy category D, which means that it is likely to cause harm to the developing baby, if taken during the first trimester of pregnancy. There is inconclusive evidence that lorazepam, if taken early in pregnancy, may result in reduced IQ, neurodevelopmental problems, physical malformations in cardiac or facial structure, as well as other malformations in some newborns. Lorazepam given to pregnant women antenatally may cause floppy infant syndrome in the neonate, or respiratory depression necessitating ventilation. Regular lorazepam use during late pregnancy (the third trimester), carries a definite risk of benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome in the neonate. Neonatal benzodiazepine withdrawal may include hypotonia, reluctance to suck, apneic spells, cyanosis, and impaired metabolic responses to cold stress. Symptoms of floppy infant syndrome and the neonatal benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome have been reported to persist from hours to months after birth. Lorazepam may also inhibit foetal liver bilirubin glucuronidation, leading to neonatal jaundice. Lorazepam is present in breast milk, so caution must be exercised about breast feeding.

[edit] Special groups and situations

* Children and the elderly. The safety and effectiveness of lorazepam is not well determined in children under 16 years of age, but it is used to treat serial seizures. Dose requirements have to be individualized, especially in the elderly and debilitated patients in whom the risk of oversedation is greater. Long term therapy may lead to cognitive deficits, especially in the elderly, but this is reversible after a period of discontinuation. Benzodiazepines, including lorazepam, have been found to increase the risk of falls and fractures in the elderly.

* Liver or Kidney failure. Lorazepam may be safer than most benzodiazepines in patients with impaired liver function. Like oxazepam, it does not require hepatic oxidation, but only hepatic glucuronidation into lorazepam-glucuronide. Therefore, impaired liver function is unlikely to result in lorazepam accumulation to an extent causing adverse reactions. Lorazepam-glucuronide and a small amount of unchanged lorazepam are excreted by the kidneys, so in renal failure small increases in lorazepam levels may theoretically occur.

* Surgical Premedication. Informed consent that was given only after receiving lorazepam premedication could have its validity challenged later. Staff must use chaperones to guard against allegations of abuse during treatment. Such allegations may arise because of incomplete amnesia, disinhibition, and impaired ability to process cues. Because of its relative long duration of residual effects (sedation, ataxia, hypotension and amnesia), lorazepam premedication is best suited for hospital inpatient use. Patients should not be discharged from hospital within 24 hours of receiving lorazepam premedication, unless accompanied by a caregiver. They should also not drive, operate machinery, or use alcohol within this period.

[edit] Tolerance and dependence

Tolerance to benzodiazepine effects develops with regular use. This is desirable with amnesic and sedative effects, undesirable with anxiolytic, hypnotic, and anticonvulsant effects. Patients at first experience drastic relief from anxiety and sleeplessness, but symptoms gradually return, relatively soon in the case of insomnia but more slowly in the case of anxiety symptoms. After four to six months of regular benzodiazepine use, there is little evidence of continued efficacy. If regular treatment is continued for longer than this, dose increases may be necessary to maintain effects, but treatment resistant symptoms may in fact be benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms.

On abrupt, or overly rapid discontinuation of lorazepam, anxiety and signs of physical withdrawal have been observed, similar to those seen on withdrawal from alcohol and barbiturates. Lorazepam as with other benzodiazepine drugs can cause physical dependence, addiction and what is known as the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. The higher the dose and the longer the drug is taken for the greater the risk of experiencing unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can, however, occur from standard dosages and also after short-term use. Benzodiazepine treatment should be discontinued as soon as possible via a slow and gradual dose reduction regimen.

The likelihood of dependence is relatively high with lorazepam compared to other benzodiazepines. Lorazepam’s relatively short serum half-life, its confinement mainly to the vascular space, and its inactive metabolite results in interdose withdrawal phenomena and next-dose cravings. This may reinforce psychological dependence. Because of its high potency, the smallest lorazepam tablet strength of 0.5 mg is also a significant dose reduction (in the UK, the smallest tablet strength is 1.0 mg, which further accentuates this difficulty). To minimise the risk of physical/psychological dependence, lorazepam is best used only short-term, at the smallest effective dose. If any benzodiazepine has been used long-term, the recommendation is a gradual dose taper over a period of weeks, months or longer, according to dose and duration of use, degree of dependence and the individual. Coming off long-term lorazepam may be more realistically achieved by a gradual switch to an equivalent dose of diazepam, a period of stabilization on this and only then initiating dose reductions. The advantage of switching to diazepam is that dose reductions are felt less acutely, because of the longer half lives (20–200 hours) of diazepam and its active metabolites.
[edit] Withdrawal

Withdrawal symptoms can occur after taking therapeutic doses of Ativan for as little as one week. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, anxiety, tension, depression, insomnia, restlessness, confusion, irritability, sweating, dysphoria, dizziness, derealization, depersonalization, numbness/tingling of extremities, hypersensitivity to light, sound, and smell, perceptual distortions, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss, hallucinations, delirium, seizures, tremor, stomach cramps, myalgia, agitation, palpitations, tachycardia, panic attacks, short-term memory loss, and hyperthermia. It takes approximately 18–36 hours for the benzodiazepine to remove itself from your body. The ease of addiction to Lorazepam, (the Ativan brand was particularly cited), and its withdrawal were brought to the attention of the British public during the early 1980s in Esther Rantzen’s BBC TV series “That’s Life!”, in a feature on the drug over a number of episodes.
[edit] Pharmacology

Lorazepam is high-potency and an intermediate-acting benzodiazepine and its uniqueness, advantages and disadvantages are largely explained by its pharmacokinetic properties (poor water and lipid solubility, high protein binding and non-oxidative metabolism to a pharmacologically inactive glucuronide form) and by its high relative potency (lorazepam 1 mg is equal in effect to diazepam 10 mg). The half life of lorazepam is 10–20 hours.
[edit] Pharmacokinetics

Because of its poor lipid solubility lorazepam is absorbed relatively slowly by mouth and is unsuitable for rectal administration. But its poor lipid solubility and high degree of protein binding (85-90%) mean that lorazepam’s volume of distribution is mainly the vascular compartment, causing relatively prolonged peak effects. This contrasts with the highly lipid-soluble diazepam which, although rapidly absorbed orally or rectally, soon redistributes from the serum to other parts of the body, particularly body fat. This explains why one lorazepam dose, despite lorazepam’s shorter serum half-life, has more prolonged peak effects than an equivalent diazepam dose. On regular administration diazepam will however accumulate more, since it has a longer half-life and active metabolites with even longer half-lives.

* Clinical Example: Diazepam has long been a drug of choice for status epilepticus: Its high lipid solubility means it gets absorbed with equal speed whether given intravenously, orally, or rectally (non-intravenous routes are convenient in non-hospital settings). But diazepam’s high lipid solubility also means it does not remain in the vascular space but soon redistributes into other body tissues. So it may be necessary to repeat diazepam doses to maintain peak anticonvulsant effects, resulting in excess body accumulation. Lorazepam is the opposite case: Its low lipid solubility makes it relatively slowly absorbed by any route other than intravenously, but once injected will not get significantly redistributed beyond the vascular space. Therefore, lorazepam’s anticonvulsant effects are more durable, thus reducing the need for repeated doses. If a patient is known to usually stop convulsing after only one or two diazepam doses, diazepam may be preferable because sedative after-effects will be less than if a single dose of lorazepam is given (diazepam anticonvulsant/sedative effects wear off after 15–30 minutes, but lorazepam effects last 12–24 hours). The prolonged sedation from lorazepam may, however, be an acceptable trade-off for its reliable duration of effects, particularly if the patient needs to be transferred to another facility. Although lorazepam is not necessarily better than diazepam at initially terminating seizures, lorazepam is, nevertheless, replacing diazepam as the intravenous agent of choice in status epilepticus.

Lorazepam serum levels are proportional to the dose administered. Giving 2 mg oral lorazepam will result in a peak total serum lorazepam level of around 20 nanograms/ml around two hours later, half of which is lorazepam, half its inactive metabolite, lorazepam-glucuronide. A similar lorazepam dose given intravenously will result in an earlier and higher peak serum level, with a higher relative proportion of unmetabolised (active) lorazepam. On regular administration, maximum lorazepam serum levels are attained after three days. Longer term use, up to six months, does not result in further accumulation. On discontinuation, lorazepam serum levels become negligible after 3 days and undetectable after about a week. Lorazepam is metabolised in the liver by conjugation into inactive lorazepam-glucuronide. This metabolism does not involve hepatic oxidation and therefore is relatively unaffected by reduced liver function. Lorazepam-glucuronide is more water-soluble than its precursor and therefore gets more widely distributed in the body leading to a longer half-life than lorazepam. Lorazepam-glucuronide is eventually excreted by the kidneys and because of its tissue accumulation it remains detectable – particularly in the urine – for substantially longer than lorazepam.
[edit] Pharmacodynamics

Relative to other benzodiazepines, lorazepam is thought to have high affinity for GABA receptors, which may also explain its marked amnesic effects. The main pharmacological effects of lorazepam are the enhancement of GABA at the GABAA receptor. Benzodiazepine drugs including lorazepam increase the inhibitory processes in the cerebral cortex.

The magnitude and duration of lorazepam effects are dose related, meaning that larger doses have stronger and longer-lasting effects. This is because the brain has spare benzodiazepine drug receptor capacity, with single, clinical doses leading only to an occupancy of some 3% of the available receptors.

The anticonvulsant properties of lorazepam and other benzodiazepines may be, in part or entirely, due to binding to voltage-dependent sodium channels rather than benzodiazepine receptors. Sustained repetitive firing seems to get limited, by the benzodiazepine effect of slowing recovery of sodium channels from inactivation in mouse spinal cord cell cultures.
[edit] Interactions

* Alcohol. Lorazepam is not usually fatal in overdose, but may cause fatal respiratory depression if taken in overdose with alcohol. The combination also causes synergistic enhancement of the disinhibitory and amnesic effects of both drugs, with potentially embarrassing or criminal consequences. Some experts advise patients should be warned against drinking alcohol while on lorazepam treatment, but such clear warnings are not universal.

[edit] Overdose
See also: Benzodiazepine overdose

In cases of a suspected lorazepam overdose, it is important to establish if the patient is a regular user of lorazepam or other benzodiazepines, since regular use causes tolerance to develop. Also, one must ascertain if other drugs were also ingested.

Signs of overdose range through mental confusion, dysarthria, paradoxical reactions, drowsiness, hypotonia, ataxia, hypotension, hypnotic state, coma, cardiovascular depression, respiratory depression, and death.

Early management of alert patients includes emetics, gastric lavage, and activated charcoal. Otherwise, management is by observation, including of vital signs, support and — only if necessary, considering the hazards of doing so, giving intravenous flumazenil.

Patients are ideally nursed in a kind, non-frustrating environment since, when given or taken in high doses, benzodiazepines are more likely to cause paradoxical reactions. If shown sympathy, even quite crudely feigned, patients may respond solicitously, but they may respond with disproportionate aggression to frustrating cues. Opportunistic counseling has limited value here, as the patient is unlikely to recall this later, owing to drug-induced anterograde amnesia.
[edit] Abuse and misuse
See also: Benzodiazepine drug misuse

Lorazepam is a drug with the potential for misuse. Two types of drug misuse can occur. Recreational misuse, where the drug is taken to achieve a “high,” or when the drug is continued long term against medical advice. Prescribers of lorazepam must be alert to the possibility of abuse or diversion for illegitimate use when prescribing for unsupervised outpatients. This applies particularly to patients with past or present substance abuse disorders, as persons with addictive personalities are more likely to abuse medications such as lorazepam. In addition to recreational use, benzodiazepines may be diverted and used to facilitate crime: Criminals may take them to deliberately seek disinhibition before committing crimes (which increases their potential for violence) or they may give them to unwitting victims as date rape drugs, notably with alcohol.

In Northern Ireland in cases where drivers had low or no alcohol readings but were thought to be impaired through drugs, benzodiazepines were found to be present in 87% of cases.

A large-scale, nationwide, U.S. government study of pharmaceutical-related ED visits by SAMHSA found that sedative-hypnotics in the United States are the most frequently abused pharmaceuticals, with 35% of drug-related emergency room visits involving sedative-hypnotics. In this category, benzodiazepines are most commonly abused. Males abuse benzodiazepines as commonly as women. Of drugs used in attempted suicide, benzodiazepines are the most commonly used pharmaceutical drug, with 26% of attempted suicides involving benzodiazepines. Lorazepam was the third most commonly abused benzodiazepine in these ED visit statistics.
[edit] History and legal status
Early lorazepam marketing, a 1977 direct-to-patient advertisement implying its positive effects: “Now it can be yours – The Ativan Experience.”

Historically, lorazepam is one of the “classical” benzodiazepines. Other classical benzodiazepines include diazepam, clonazepam, oxazepam, nitrazepam, flurazepam, bromazepam and clorazepate. Lorazepam was first introduced by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 1971 under the brand names of Ativan and Temesta. The drug was developed by President of Research, D.J. Richards. Wyeth’s original patent on lorazepam is expired in the United States but the drug continues to be commercially viable. As a measure of its ongoing success, it has been marketed under more than seventy generic brands since then:

Almazine, Alzapam, Anxiedin, Anxira, Anzepam, Aplacasse, Aplacassee, Apo-Lorazepam, Aripax, Azurogen, Bonatranquan, Bonton, Control, Donix, Duralozam, Efasedan, Emotion, Emotival, Idalprem, Kalmalin, Larpose, Laubeel, Lopam, Lorabenz, Loram, Lorans, Lorapam, Lorat, Lorax, Lorazene, Lorazep, Lorazepam, Lorazin, Lorafen (PL), Lorazon, Lorenin, Loridem, Lorivan, Lorsedal, Lorzem, Lozepam, Merlit, Nervistop L, Nervistopl, NIC, Novhepar, Novolorazem, Orfidal, Piralone, Placidia, Placinoral, Punktyl, Quait, Renaquil, Rocosgen, Securit, Sedarkey, Sedatival, Sedizepan, Sidenar, Silence, Sinestron, Somnium, Stapam, Tavor, Titus, Tolid, Tranqil, Tranqipam, Trapax, Trapaxm, Trapex, Upan, Wintin and Wypax.

In 2000, the U.S. drug company Mylan agreed to pay $147 million to settle accusations by the F.T.C. that they had raised the price of generic lorazepam by 2600 percent and generic clorazepate by 3200 percent in 1998 after having obtained exclusive licensing agreements for certain ingredients.

Lorazepam is a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Substances Act in the U.S. and internationally under the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Lorazepam is a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in Canada. In the United Kingdom, lorazepam is a Class C, Schedule 4 Controlled Drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
[edit] In popular culture
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2009)

Lorazepam has been mentioned in several contemporary media in recent years, with various clinical aspects highlighted. It is seen in medical situations, such as the TV series House, MD as the drug of choice for the cessation of seizures. Usage for seizures is also depicted in the movie Saw III where “Jigsaw” is being operated on and begins to convulse: the character performing the surgery yells many times for Ativan, but discovers that none is available in the limited operating area.

Blue October mentions Lorazepam in their song “HRSA”, where it is being prescribed in a psychiatric ward for a similar use.

The dependency problem is portrayed in William Gibson’s 2007 book Spook Country, in which the character Milgrim is addicted to Ativan and the character Brown exploits Milgrim’s addiction, in order to control him, through a steady supply of Ativan and Rize (a brand of the benzodiazepine clotiazepam).

In Martin Scorsese’s recent film, The Departed, Billy Costigan–an edgy, bitter, intelligent undercover cop for the Massachusetts State Police–suffers from frequent anxiety, claims to have panic attacks, and is prescribed lorazepam by a psychiatrist who counsels both police officers and felons.

Blair Waldorf, of the CW’s TV show Gossip Girl, mentioned Lorazepam and some other drugs in the fifth episode of the first season.

In 2005, Fall Out Boy member Pete Wentz attempted suicide by overdosing on lorazepam; he included references to the episode in the songs “I’ve Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song)” and “7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen)”, on the album From Under the Cork Tree.

In Season 6, Episode 2 of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano is also given Ativan for the seizure when he first awakes from his coma, and is subsequently kept in an induced coma using Ativan.

In the 2009 Broadway musical, Next to Normal, The song, “My Psychopharmacologist and I” contains the lyrics: “Ativan calms me when I see the bills/These are a few of my favourite pills”. Ativan was one of the drugs found in the cabinet in the movie “The Glass House.” Dr. Glass was abusing the medication.

In 2009, Lorazepam was said to have been adminstered to pop music icon Michael Jackson on the morning of his death by Dr. Conrad Murray as a part of a cocktail of drugs which included Valium and was said to help him wean off of his use of Propofol. Mr. Jackson’s death was attributed to an overdose of the drug Propofol and Lorazepam.

Also seen in the hit show (season 2 episode 3 red bage) The Mentalist when Agent Lisbon is acussed of murder it turns out to be her phycologist who druged her with Lorazepam so she would forget parts of the day.

]]> http://fleischerblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/wenn-die-konjunktur-wieder-anzieht/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:35:11 +0000 Dipl.-Kfm. Hans-Jürgen Schmidt http://fleischerblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/wenn-die-konjunktur-wieder-anzieht/

Sehr geehrter Herr Fleischer/Metzgermeister,
in den letzten Tagen und Wochen hellen sich laut Medienberichten die konjunkturellen Aussichten für Deutschland wieder auf. Zwar differieren die prozentualen Wachstumsprognosen der Bundesregierung und einzelner Wirtschaftsforschungsinstitute, – einig ist man sich aber offenbar in der Feststellung: Es geht in Deutschland wieder aufwärts.

Unter dieser Prämisse könnte das für Ihre Fleischerei zunächst einmal bedeuten:

Ihre technischen und personellen Kapazitäten werden wieder besser ausgelastet.

Da in einer Rezessionsphase bestimmte Kostenarten allenfalls mit großer zeitlicher Verzögerung dem Beschäftigungsrückgang angepasst werden können (Stichwort: Kosten-Remanenz), wird ein Unternehmen durch diese „Kosten ungenutzter Kapazität“, die Leerkosten unverhältnismäßig stark belastet.
Eine Aufschwungphase jedoch reduziert die Leerkosten. Zudem dürfte sich die generelle Stimmung aufhellen.

Sicherlich ist der Kunde auch in Ihrer Fleischerei zwischenzeitlich besonders wählerisch geworden, da er insbesondere in Rezessionszeiten stark umworben wird. Sie standen (und stehen weiterhin) unter Innovationsdruck, Ihre meisterliche Kreativität war (und bleibt) gefordert. D. h. aber gleichzeitig: auch Sie als Fleischermeister sind hinreichend sensibilisiert, um jetzt bei anziehender Konjunktur in Ihren Bemühungen um Ihre Kundschaft nicht nachzulassen.

Hierbei könnten Ihnen die unverwechselbaren Stärken einer inhabergeführten, handwerklich strukturierten Fleischerei jetzt besonders zugute kommen, da Sie aufgrund des persönlichen Kundenkontakts Kundenwünsche schneller wecken und aufgrund Ihrer großen Anpassungsfähigkeit auch schneller erfüllen können.

Nutzen Sie Ihre Stärken:

Die typische Metzgerfrische Ihres Angebots
handwerkliche Fertigung
kompetente Beratung
Provenienz-Nachweis (gegebenenfalls gar Regional-Einkauf)
unverwechselbarer Geschmack durch besondere Würzung
individuelle Angebots-Portionierung

Auch die unmittelbar bevorstehende Advents- und Weihnachtszeit bringt sicherlich auch Ihnen zusätzliche externe (Kauf-)Impulse.
Hierbei könnten Sie durch saison- und aufschwunggerechte Angebote die sich anbahnende Stimmungsaufhellung unterstützen, also für die Kauf entscheidenden Emotionen sorgen.

In diesem Sinne grüße ich Sie herzlich
Dipl.-Kfm. Hans-Jürgen Schmidt (Blog-Moderator)

]]> http://lenrossettacross.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/my-memories-from-past-to-the-present-to-my-future/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:03:00 +0000 lenrossettacross http://lenrossettacross.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/my-memories-from-past-to-the-present-to-my-future/

Different is much more fun

Okay…well about me..Since I don’t feel like writing it in my book today.

So a this shall serve as a reminder to me…for the day, months and years to come, of how I felt when I first join this place….and the thoughts that were floating in my mind, and hope that someone else will understand and share my view.

So about me….I’m just another human being on this *Little* yet Huge planet, who happens to be up at 2:36AM on November 16…who can’t seem to fall asleep, like usual. Bad habit, yet….I don’t really care, it’s a habit I grown into…and sadly I don’t feel like breaking, since its only at night that I can be the person I would like to be more often. No I don’t mean that in some sick or nasty way, I just mean, its only at night that I can be my serious and old self.

Anyways I’m straying.

Names Len(Online) Miguel (Offline)..Yea boredom. Plus I hate my name anyway, I’m 19 years old, I live in Charleston, South Carolina. Attended West Ashley High School and Stall High School. I speak three languages- Spanish/English/Misteco. I am from Mexico, Born in Oaxaca, but I don’t remember much of my childhood…honestly, it all seems lost in the back of my mind, with only minor pictures for certain moments. I have two brothers and one sister, luckily I been granted the burden, responsibility and opportunity of being the oldest. My current agenda is to become a Citizen of this Country, USA. I have so many goals, so many dreams and so many ambitions, yet I have more barriers then others, but give me time, give me patience and grant me the opportunity, and I will make my dreams reality…no matter how much I have to work and sweat. No matter how many times I have to fall and get back up again, I won’t give up, I won’t give in and I will never forget….who I am, where I come from and all the help and responsibility that I carry.

Because I know that there is so much to do, so much to see, so much things left to do…and only so little time to do it all..

I want to learn Japanese, Russian, French, Portuguese, and Chinese. I want to travel all over the world, see all the beauty that this life will allow me to see within my few years on this planet. I want to be a Pilot, to soar even into the sky..and  infinite Space. I want to be a Doctor, so that I can help those that need it and cannot afford it, to help the ones that cannot do for themselves, due to lack of wealth that seems to rule the hearts of everyone. I want to be a Lawyer, so I know the rules of this game, to be able to beat and overcome the many complex systems that this government has in place and one day provide a better solution. I wish to be a Photographer, so as to be able to capture the rich and wonderful beauty that this world has, that is yet to be seen or experienced by the remaining population, to share these memories, and to show my view. I wish to Scientist, because there is so many things that are left to be understood and problems to be solved…Diseases to be cured, hardships to be simplified and answers to be obtained.

……But I am aware, that I am only one person, with only so much time in my hand. If I could I would like to make this wish…to be granted more time, to extend these seconds to minutes and minutes to hours, hours to days and have my days turn into years….But its only a childish wish, So I will make do with the time that I have been given, and give thanks to each breath that I been allowed to take. As long as I continue to live, I still have the power to reach and  have the ability to grasp my dreams.

And I cannot forget….that some have left this World, without ever truly getting to see all that it had to offer and to offer to the world, what only they could give. I can only say sorry that we couldn’t have seen it together, and that you’re dream was brought to an end, but I will carry on your memory, and I will be you’re eyes to see all that you did not get a chance to, I will live this life for you and me, and for all those before us who lost their chance, I will keep you’re memory, I will carry youre dream, and I will be you’re eyes….for even apart, I will not let you be forgotten. 

So please let me carry your’e burden with you, allow me to share you’re pain and let me see you’re fears, for alone we can only do so much, but together…even the hardest things become possible. So please, rest without without burden, sleep without sorrow and have no regrets. For one day, our deepest hopes will  come true, and our dreams will turn into reality, as long as our memories live on in each other, we will never cease to exist.

…..I know that each one of us will take a different road in our lifes, and will lose sight of our past….so if I may be so bold to make one more request.

Don’t forget the faces of the ones that once made you smile, who stood with you when you needed them. Who were there to offer a hand when you were so lost and scared, from our loved ones who have always stood by us, to the ones that were only there for part of out lives, and even the ones who have left, never forget them. The moment that we shared, the memories that were created and the tears and laughs that were born from our experiences. For every little event has helped shape us into what we are today and what we will become in the future. For the worse or for the better, our life is ours to do with as we see fit….but our lives are intertwined, the choices that we make, the decisions we take, effect the boundless people that care about us, and that are part of our lives.

So this is my memory, my hopes and my dreams that I choose to leave here. So that I may not forget the people that have come and gone in my life, however happy or sad that they brought into it. Pain, fear and sorrow showing us the colder and lonely side of the world, and ultimately making us stronger….but also the happiness, joy and peace that is also possible, even amongst all the chaos that we currently live in.

To Myself…..Never Forget

November 16, 2009 (5:00AM)

]]> http://scarlettink.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/the-greatest-of-them-all/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:44:12 +0000 Charlotte Pushparajan http://scarlettink.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/the-greatest-of-them-all/

Just this morning, lying on my side, half awake; I looked at my sleeping brother’s face and felt an inexplicable pang strike me somewhere deep within. I’ve been feeling extremely proud of him over the past few days ever since he was awarded the A* India Youth Scholarship award by the government of Singapore. On the scholarship, he will spend the next four years schooling at a top school in Singapore. While usually I am not the emotional sort, just the thought of him all of fourteen years, going away from home made me go all fluttery in the stomach….When I did it myself at fifteen it did not matter so much, but when I think of my little brother flying the nest, it’s an altogether different feeling, a poignant feeling of happiness and pride and hope but tinged with a hint of worry, doubt and a feeling of loss. It was during this general period of early morning mulling that I began contemplating what the most powerful human emotion could possibly be. Happiness, especially the happiness that comes with the flush of success was the first that leapt to mind and I think this was chiefly because pretty much all my life I’ve been conditioned to do things with ambition on the brain. But no, I countered…what is it that makes me chase my dream? What is that inner yearning called? Desire. I thought of desire and the myriad of forms it can take – the desire to be someone, desire to do something, the desire to possess something or someone, to help, rehabilitate and cure; sometimes the desire to steal, to main and most morbid of all, the desire to kill. While an honest desire expressed by one such as a family man wanting to give his children a better education is treated with empathy and a victor readily applauded; society has no sympathy for an expression of intent to harm another – and quite rightly so! Why are criminals the way they are?  What could drive a person to brutality? Anger? Hate? Doubt? Many acts of violence are perpetrated in a fits of anger leaving the perpetrator feeling at instances, strangely subdued and empty, shameful and distressed, sometimes even exhilarated. But even anger numbs in time and more often than nought fear sets in. Fear is an unsavoury companion that can somehow pervades when it is hardly expected, unfounded when the wolves are silenced and the moon begins to howl. I remember reading somewhere that George Sewell once said that fear is the tax that the conscience pays to guilt. Long and nerve wracking or fleeting and terrifying, fear can haunt with a passion, yet is not the most powerful emotion of all. The mind map continues…

Then there is hope. Dale Carnegie explained that most of the important things in world have been accomplished by people who kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. It tells us that hope is a beautiful thing, that anything can be achieved by hoping for it. Indeed, whenever things go wrong for me I am always advised by my elders to hope and pray…hope and pray. So when wise men reiterate it and miracles that happen even in the present day corroborate it, there is no denying the power of hope. But is hope the greatest emotion of all? Though its merits put it almost at the top, I am reminded of a saying I came across a long time ago – a saying I chose to personally discount as a bitter mans’ conception that went along the lines of – ‘hope, as deceitful as it is serves to lead us to the end of our lives down an agreeable route’. Fiercely echoing reality that not always has ‘the happiest, most desirable endings’, the thought bears great truth, albeit bittersweet.  So I would have to desist from naming hope as the most powerful emotion.

So what IS the greatest emotion of all? What is the one most powerful, all pervading force that can be assimilated into the expression of all other feelings? It lives in everyone – rich, poor, clever, ignorant …everyone! In a mothers eyes cast upon her newborn for the first time, in an unwritten pact of honesty between friends, in the will of a passerby to stop and go out of his way to help a poor man suffering, in the comfortable silence of a family at their Sunday meal, the shy smiles of a newly engaged couple, the street kid petting stray dogs at the side of the road, in the voice of a priest absolving a man of his sins at the confessional, in the strange pang I feel when I am confronted with the reality of my brother having to grow up … It is Love. Beautiful, Wonderful Love. Yes, love that lives in each and every heart, that skirts the realm of our consciousness and so patiently bears the whole host of conflicting emotions. Veritably, the greatest emotion in the world is Love. Think how much poorer our hearts and minds, so often prone to anger, sadness and greed would be if not for the gift of love? I thought of love and all my other worries vanished, because as much as there are reasons to worry about in the world there are greater reasons to love and cherish. No one can tell what the future holds for me or my kid brother, but with the wonderfully characteristic way that my love compounds my hopes for him I know, just know that all will be well.

]]> http://invincibleliving.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/broke-but-not-broken/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:21:02 +0000 invincibleliving http://invincibleliving.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/broke-but-not-broken/

Gosh, we’ve been through a whole-heckuv-alot since we’ve started our journey to get out of debt. Of the $100,000+ in non-mortgage debt we started with, $65,000 has been paid off in the last 2 years and 1 month. I don’t have time to tell it all, and there are things I may NEVER get to tell about our experience cause my wife won’t let me. There have been many momentum swings up and down and many motivation shifts from good to bad, better, best and worst again. And most of what I’m talking about has absolutely nothing to do with the dollars and cents side, but the emotional side instead. But through it all, I’ve never had a week like the one I just came out of.

I just really feel the need to share a moment of transparency, honesty, and vulnerability with you in this post. Is that alright?

This week I learned there is a HUGE difference between doing something out of habit vs. doing something out of conviction.

This week I was consumed by a level of depression that left me with virtually nothing to work with. No energy, no desire – not even for things I genuinely love to do. I felt deserted by my purpose, truly afraid for maybe the first real time since we started knocking out crazy amounts of debt way back in October 2007.

THAT was a fear like I’d never known. In October of that year I was a brand new husband 3 months into a fantastic marriage (still is…) faced with a financial situation we simply couldn’t find a way out of. There I was the new head of a household, and already felt like an utter failure because I couldn’t just ‘pay the problem away’. How can you call yourself a provider for you family when you can’t even provide the simplest form of security for your wife? THAT is the kind of fear I faced before we were introduced to Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace University.

Fast forward to today and as a family we are so many things we never knew we’d become. And today in numerous ways I was given reminders of that fact:

At our FPU class today, we decided to do one-on-one checkups with each family individually just to see where they are and where we can help them be better. During those checkups we were told by each family how much our time and effort and passion have meant to them. They praised us for being quality leaders and people willing to lead against the tidal wave our society is being swept into. I never knew how powerful that all was to others until I heard it today in the depths of what I was feeling.

Then, at the Wal-Mart while I was in the car waiting my wife had a full conversation with the checkout lady about the envelopes she pulled out to pay for her items. When the lady said “I could never do something like that, I can barely pay my current bills!” My wife took it as an opportunity to encourage the lady to take a fresh look at turning her finances around. My wife basically said this: “I used to say we could never do it either, but now we’re DOING never!”

Then when we got home, our neighbor upstairs – who also recently joined the Financial Peace class with his wife -  knocked on our door with the Disney movie “UP” for us to check out… Big deal you might say, but I can’t even BEGIN to tell you how far our relationship as neighbors has come in the 5 months they’ve lived above us! While he was there, we gave him their FPU kit that had been donated by a church member. They’ve come a LONG way in just the few weeks they’ve been involved. I wish I could tell the story, but one day that will be their story to tell! PRAISE GOD!

I walked into this week’s class in full possession of the habit required to teach them how to get out of debt, build wealth and give… but I had lost the conviction. I had come to a place where my wins were coming only on a vicarious basis. I was motivated seeing them win, but no longer seeing those same types of wins in our personal journey.

So much has changed in the last 2 years… and it’s changed even more in light of the fact that I’ve been unemployed since the beginning of August.

But again, I just praise God that even though we’ve been Broke ($) we’ve never been Broken! Not even with the things we faced this week. We’ve still got another $45,000 left of debt to erase, and countless hearts to teach this stuff to.

I’m recharged and ready to try once again to…

Live Invincibly,

@W

]]> http://newsurrender.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/wow/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:11:05 +0000 anon4him http://newsurrender.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/wow/

I can’t believe Diversion from Essay-Writing was my last post. Crazy! Well, some stuff has definitely happened since then. I’m not sure what is the most important or interesting to you guys (if anyone reads this anymore), but since I can’t decide, I’ll just share about the walk I took with God earlier today. You know how some nights there’s something that keeps nagging at you… something that says ‘this isn’t right?’ This was one of those nights for me. I lay in my bed resting for close to 2 hours, sending only a few texts out. I was supposed to be napping, but something kept me from taking the final plunge into sleep. After about 2 hours of listening to Charlie Hall’s “Center” and David Crowder Band’s “Only You” and having feelings of complete surrender mixed with incomplete surrender (I will explain), I decided I needed a walk and talk with God. I was hopeful that the stars would be out. They were not. Alas, God can hear me even with cloudy skies. So I put a coat on over my pjs and slipped some shoes on and headed off down our country road. Being that Pastor Tim’s sermon this morning was on being Thankful, I started off my prayers thanking God, and quickly declined into the what’s and why’s (trying to still be thankful throughout the prayers). Now I will explain the psuedo-complete surrender. While listening to the music I gave everything to the Lord, all of my hopes and fears and dreams… all of it… and then… I went back to imagining hugging Mr. X (you knew it was coming) and loving him so completely. So I realized, “hey, this isn’t surrendering” so I gave it to God again – back to peace and joy in Christ… which turned to joy and hope about Mr. X. Dang it- gave it away again. “It’s just you and me here now, here now… only you and me.. and Mr. X.” What the heck; just leave me alone! This continued for a while before i took the walk. Obviously, I was conflicted. I have the truth that only God is completely satisfying and all of my hope should be in him but I also have this desire for godly husband who I can love and encourage and bake cookies for. Now, I know, that part of me that wants this Mr. X is my flesh: 1. He is the best looking man I’ve ever met 2. He likes my cookies and that makes me very happy 3. … did I mention he’s flippin gorgeous? ANYWAYS, so yes. My flesh definitely desires him, but what about my spirit? Is it the flesh or the spirit that makes me so joyful when he wants me to think well of him? Is it the flesh or the spirit that makes me joyful when I see him scribbling notes in his bible? Is it the flesh or the spirit that makes me joyful that he understands the freedoms he has as a Christian, but also the responsibility that comes from those freedoms out of love for his brothers and sisters? Is it wrong to desire a relationship with a godly man? No. However, it is wrong to covet a relationship. How can God be #1 in my life when I’m melting over one of his sons?

….3:05 brain stopped functioning, you get the abridged version

Basically through the rest of our walk, God reminded me that he knows everything. What do I mean by everything? EVERYTHING. He knows what’s best and he’s got control. I need to trust him, that he’s going to work things together for his glory. He’s blessed me so much already, if he didn’t bless me with one single thing more till the day I die, he would have still blessed me beyond what I deserve! So what if I don’t get married ever? God is in control. So I decided tonight, that I’m not going to pretend to choose my future mate (I suck at making decisions anyway), I am going to let God choose – by his own way, in his own time, whoever he wants, God is going to determine the course of my life. And that gives me so much peace!

]]> http://slightlyignorant.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/dramatic-scene/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:12:37 +0000 slightlyignorant http://slightlyignorant.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/dramatic-scene/

“I know what you’re thinking,” shot Max at Deirdre. “You’re always thinking the same damn thing. You’re thinking that I shouldn’t go. You’re thinking that I’m being stupid. Just say it already!”

Deirdre looked coolly back at Max’s angry expression. She could have scratched her face off, for plainly showing her thoughts and emotions as it so clearly was. It was too late to fix the expression that had jumped unwillingly to it when Max had told her he was going out. She settled for pretending innocence instead.

“I’m not thinking a blessed thing, boy.”

“The hell you’re not,” Max spat back.

“Well, I’ve got nothing to say to you when you’re in such a foul mood,” Deirdre didn’t give up her act, but gave Max a bland look before turning her back to him. He knew everything she could say to deter him already. It was true that she thought him a fool for going, yet again, and there was no point in having another argument on the subject. Max would do what he wanted, and that was that.

A few minutes passed. Deirdre sat at her vanity, staring blindly at her own reflection. Finally, she heard the sound that she’d been expecting. The front door slammed with a force to shake the very panes of glass in it. She shut her eyes tightly for a moment, screwing her face up in pain.

 

Max waited outside the front door, wondering if this time Deirdre would come after him. But no, the minutes passed and still there was no sound of footsteps inside the large, boring suburban box of a house. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. Taking his car keys out of his pocket, he strode off down to the curb and unlocked, with an unobtrusive beep, the luxurious car parked in front of the closed garage door. He climbed into the front seat, put the key in the ignition, and turned it.

The effect was immediate. His seat bent down all the way back, several contraptions started moving around and making metallic noises, and the car began to pull out of the driveway and zoom down the street on its own.

When Max’s seat came back up, he was dressed in a black, skintight outfit, with a white mask covering his entire face except for a slit for his eyes.

Off to save… someone, Max thought, tiredly. Damn it.

He thought of Deirdre, her shimmering blonde hair running down her back in dripping strands as she took yet another hot shower. She always took showers when he went out on jobs. She seemed to like the sensation of heat when she was upset. Max took cold showers when he was upset. It was one of the many ways in which they differed. Another, rather crucial, point of difference, was that Deirdre wasn’t a superhero. Max was. He was really very tired of it.

]]> http://phramick.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/nobody-is-wrong-in-their-minds/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:57:13 +0000 phramick http://phramick.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/nobody-is-wrong-in-their-minds/

‘Cos even when they think they are wrong… they ARE right.

I just saw Religulous with Bill Maher, and I’d be lying if I said I never gotten myself into one of those arguments with religious people.  The question to Bill “What if you’re wrong Bill?!” is fired back in a similar annoying sense “And what if you ARE wrong? hm?”  Whose wrong would be more scary?  A religious person with a Centre-of-Universe mindset haunted by fear-based-locking-mechanisms (slaves) to ensure their masters’ weekly payment or otherwise cop the full blown vengeance of a pissed off GOD -OR- a non-religious person with a sense of reasoning?

Hahahahahahahahaha.  Bill was very entertaining.

From experience, being placed on a pedestal and copping the GOD complex from Buddhists seem bad enough, especially when you’re trying to show them that you are just another regular Joe.  People will always fear.  It is their fun (even when they say it ain’t).  However, there are no fear-based locking people in this class of philosophy  – freedom in thoughts, loving kindness, balance and no lasting fears all lead to a good start in any direction (except Thailand and Sri Lanka where Buddhism has become a religion).  You are what you are, mentally at that moment.  Always remember Universe is harmonious and precise hence the 5 rules (common sense in any culture).

Hell has its job, likewise heaven, human, angel, animal or ghost.  All the six main strings in Universe vibrate to create an elaborate Casino of sense-exploration.  Addiction to Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, Touch, Thoughts, Memories & Feelings is your own choice and played out at your own expenses.  In addition, should this Casino evolve into a Prison for you… well, again it’s your own adherence and no one else… in an event where one fails to recognise that one is conned by one’s very own mind – that event is called “ignorance”.  And that’s it!  Addiction to 8 data streams… ignorant or not, we consider every failure a learning curve.  Every wall one hits has its price, but a good wall none the less.  I can proudly say “I’m a wall hitter.”  It is how a dumbass like me learn.

That being said…
How could a pig farmer who screams like a pig in his moment of death be wrong?  There is no wrong in becoming a pig.
How can a suicide bomber whose heart-rates jump, hop and skip beats just before he presses the trigger be wrong?  There is no wrong in going to hell.

Nobody is wrong in their minds.

]]> http://2knowthetruth.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/love-isnt-enough/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:15:13 +0000 Jason http://2knowthetruth.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/love-isnt-enough/

I guess the title is misleading, I could’ve said, “When emotional love isn’t enough” but it wouldn’t have had the same affect.

The most important thing that I hope everyone can gain is that the love that Christ has for the church is our model for the love that husbands and wives should have for each other.

The best scripture to understand love from Christ’s view is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 and part of verse 8.

4″Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never fails.”

It is apparent that the love Paul is describing is actions, things that are done. But what affect would love have to the loved one if the love were merely emotional? If all you could do was describe how you felt, but there was nothing to show for it? Love is not a mystic feeling, or euphoria. Feelings should be a biproduct of love, not the basis for it.

Like, faith, Love without works is also dead. Faith without Love is dead as well. Paul clearly states that without his described love, everything done is completely worthless. (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3)

The great thing about this love though is that it is completely enjoyable. Meaning, because you absolutely love your spouse, these actions are easily be done becuase you enjoy loving them. And it is in this enjoyment that God fully recieves glory from the love you have in your marriage.

This all encompassing and enjoyable love is called Agape. Agape creates an environment to allow Jesus to be shown to your spouse through your life and ultimately giving God glory by upholding his covenant marriage.

As you can see love is going to be the glue that allows you to completely follow God’s order in marriage and in essence, give the most enjoyable marriage possible. Without love, our efforts in marriage are meaningless.

]]>