Thursday, January 28, 2010


Winter Fest 2010


Monday February 1st

Memorial Gardens 11:00 ~ 2:00p.m

11:00 ~12:00 Games and Prizes

12:00 ~ 1:00 Free Skate

1:00 ~ 2:00 Hockey Game

Free Pizza and Pop for lunch!

Come out and support a great cause!

Contact April for more information.
494-4774 x 226

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010

GHANDI'S SEVEN DEADLY SINS


SPIRITUAL LEADER MOHANDAS GANDHI WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FIGURES IN MORAL ENLIGHTENMENT. THESE ARE THE SEVEN TRAITS HE CONSIDERED MOST DEADLY TO HUMANITY:
  1. WEALTH WITHOUT WORK
  2. PLEASURE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE
  3. SCIENCE WITHOUT HUMANITY
  4. KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT CHARACTER
  5. POLITICS WITHOUT PRINCIPLE
  6. COMMERCE WITHOUT MORALITY
  7. WORSHIP WITHOUT SACRIFICE

Wealth Without Work


This refers to the practice of getting something for nothing - manipulating markets and assets so you don't have to work or produce added value, just manipulate people and things.Today there are professions built around making wealth without working, making much money without paying taxes, benefiting from free government programs without carrying a fair share of the financial burdens, and enjoying all the perks of citizenship of country and membership of corporation without assuming any of the risk or responsibility.

Pleasure Without Conscience


The chief query of the immature, greedy, selfish, and sensuous has always been, "What's in it for me?Will this please me?Will it ease me?" Lately many people seem to want these pleasures without conscience or sense of responsibility, even abandoning or utterly neglecting spouses and children in the name of doing their thing.But independence is not the most mature state of being - it's only a middle position on the way to interdependence, the most advanced and mature state.To learn to give and take, to live selflessly, to be sensitive, to be considerate, is our challenge.Otherwise there is no sense of social responsibility or accountability in our pleasurable activities.

The ultimate costs of pleasures without conscience are high as measured in terms of time and money, in terms of reputation and in terms of wounding the hearts and minds of other people who are adversely affected by those who just want to indulge and gratify themselves in the short term.It's dangerous to be pulled or lulled away from natural law without conscience. Conscience is essentially the repository of timeless truths and principles - the internal monitor of natural law.

Science Without Humanity


If science becomes all technique and technology, it quickly degenerates into man against humanity.Technologies come from the paradigms of science.And if there's very little understanding of the higher human purposes that the technology is striving to serve, we becomes victims of our own technocracy. We see otherwise highly educated people climbing the scientific ladder of success, even though it's often missing the rung called humanity and leaning against the wrong wall.

Knowledge Without Character

As dangerous as a little knowledge is, even more dangerous is much knowledge without a strong, principled character.Purely intellectual development without commensurate internal character development makes as much sense as putting a high-powered sports car in the hands of a teenager who is high on drugs.Yet all too often in the academic world, that's exactly what we do by notfocusing on the character development of young people.

Politics Without Principle


If there is no principle, there is no true north, nothing you can depend upon.The focus on the personality ethic is the instant creation of an image that sells well in the social and economic marketplace.

You see politicians spending millions of dollars to create an image, even though it's superficial, lacking substance, in order to get votes and gain office.And when it works, it leads to a political system operating independently of the natural laws that should govern - - that are built into the Declaration of Independence : "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.... "

In other words, they are describing self-evident, external, observable, natural, unarguable, self-evident laws: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident."The key to a healthy society is to get the social will, the value system, aligned with correct principles.You then have the compass needle pointing to true north - true north representing the external or the natural law - and the indicator says that is what we are building our value system on : they are aligned.

Commerce (Business) Without Morality (Ethics)


In his book Moral Sentiment, which preceded Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith explained how foundational to the success of our systems is the moral foundation : how we treat each other, the spirit of benevolence, of service, of contribution.If we ignore the moral foundation and allow economic systems to operate without moral foundation and without continued education, we will soon create an amoral, if not immoral, society and business.Economic and political systems are ultimately based on a moral foundation.

Worship Without Sacrifice


Without sacrifice we may become active in a church but remain inactive in its gospel.In other words, we go for the social facade of religion and the piety of religious practices.There is no real walking with people or going the second mile or trying to deal with our social problems that may eventually undo our economic system.It takes sacrifice to serve the needs of other people - the sacrifice of our own pride and prejudice, among other things.
SHARED BY: JOEL JOHNSON






Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Are You Still Following Your New Years Resolution To Lose Weight?


One of the most common New Year’s Resolutions is “to lose weight, and get in shape”. However within a few weeks an overwhelming majority of people are right back where they started eating foods that aren’t healthy and not exercising. So why do so many people start out with good intentions and fail?

Most people focus on short term goals and instant gratification. They want to lose weight but aren’t committed to making the lifestyle changes necessary to lead a healthier life. Let’s be honest that chocolate covered doughnut with sprinkles certainly tastes better than a bowl of oatmeal, and who wouldn’t want to eat something that tastes better. Truth is unless you are training for an athletic event its ok to have a chocolate doughnut from time to time. The key is not to have a chocolate doughnut every morning. Realize that there are some foods that just aren’t healthy and you should only be eating them on a limited basis and in moderation.


The second part of getting in shape and losing weight is exercise. Again people start out with the best intentions I’m going to run 5 miles every day. However if you haven’t run a mile in more years than you care to admit, this is a recipe for failure. Set moderate and obtainable goals for yourself. First start out with walking one mile. After a few weeks, start walking for two miles and then three. Once you can comfortably walk the 5 miles, start walking four and half miles and run for a half mile. Keep up adding to the length you run and subtracting from the length you walk. It may take 6 months or more for you get to that stage, and that’s ok. It’s not important that you succeed quickly, just that you succeed.


One of the biggest reasons people give up weight loss resolutions is temporary defeat. Maybe they went on a vacation and gained a few pounds, or they had some big projects for work and haven’t exercised for a week or two, and what’s the point in starting back up again. When you start down the road to a healthier lifestyle realize there will be bumps and even a few dead ends on the way. Realize its ok to make a mistake as long as you get back on the right path again, and try not to repeat the same mistakes you did last time.

(http://startdietnow.blogspot.com/2009/12/are-you-still-following-your-new-years.html)



Tuesday, January 5, 2010


PBS Special on facing mental illness.

MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness is a multi-platform media project that explores severe mental illness in America.


The centerpiece of the project is a television program airing on PBS stations in October 2009. This video component is part of a national initiative that includes extensive web content with tools for civic engagement, active social media on Facebook and Twitter, and an ambitious strategy to engage citizens, professionals in many fields, and policy makers at all levels of government. The goal is to advance consensus about how to improve the kinds of support and treatment available for people with mental illness.

The television program MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness effectively illuminates challenging ethical issues as well as systemic flaws in program and policy design, service coordination, and resource allocation. These problems are contributing to a mental health system that is widely acknowledged to be broken. MINDS ON THE EDGE also provides a glimpse of innovative solutions that are currently being implemented across the country. These innovations, many shaped by the guidance and expertise of people with mental illness, offer promising solutions and hopeful direction to transform the mental health system.

The last decade has seen great advances in understanding mental illness, and scientists are making exciting new discoveries every year. Approaching mental illness as a medical illness – like cancer or heart disease – scientists are working to develop new and better treatments, methods for early diagnosis, strategies for prevention, and the possibility of a cure. NARSAD, a charity dedicated to supporting scientific research in mental health, partnered with MINDS ON THE EDGE to provide web content about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and research that is advancing the frontiers of knowledge about these brain disorders.

Strides have also been made in many areas of the criminal justice system to intercept people with mental illness and redirect them into treatment programs instead of incarceration. The Council of State Governments Justice Center, one of the organizations that has been at the forefront of this effort, allowed MINDS ON THE EDGE to draw on their data and resources for content presented here about the intersection of mental illness and the criminal justice system.

Program Synopsis

Panelist Fred Frese MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness connects the dots between personal dilemmas facing individuals and families who are living with mental illness, medical practices that can be obstacles to treatment, and public policies that all too often fall short in providing support that could make a positive difference.

The one-hour television program zeros in on wrenching and confounding situations that are playing out every day in homes and hospital ERs, on city streets and school campuses, in courtrooms and in jails, as Americans struggle with the challenges of severe mental illness.

Produced for PBS by the Fred Friendly Seminars using their signature format of a hypothetical scenario, the program considers the case of a college student who develops mental illness while at school. Her professor knows something is wrong, but is unsure how to approach her and whether it is even legal to contact her parents. Upset and confused when they see their daughter, her parents do not know where to turn and are shocked to discover how limited their options are when they try to seek medical help.

The program also explores the circumstances of an adult who has coped with his mental illness until his mother dies, and then he is left without critical support. As his mental health unravels, and he is unable to get treatment or maintain his home, he is arrested for a minor crime and absorbed into the criminal justice system. For him it is the beginning of a merry-go-round of homelessness and jail that has become all too common for many individuals who are living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other severe mental illnesses.

Click on the following link to watch the full PBS episode MINDS ON THE EDGE, Facing Mental Illness online
Minds on the Edge - Full Program

~ April

Monday, January 4, 2010

Make 2010 a Positive Year


New Year's Resolutions



Happiness and Positive Psychology


As a new year arrives, it is natural to think of goals or resolutions. Positive psychology principles can help individuals lead happier and more productive lives.


It seems a logical principle that a more positive attitude should lead to a happier life. Anecdotal evidence has been around for years, but it has only been recently that the field of positive psychology has been working on scientifically proving with peer-reviewed studies what causes happiness.


Positive Psychology and New Year's Resolutions


Since happiness is such an abstraction, positive psychologists have made this concept more concrete by examining the concept as one that is possessed by people leading pleasant lives, engaging lives, and meaningful lives.


At the end of each year, it is natural to evaluate the level of happiness experienced in the previous year and set goals for the next one. In making resolutions, people often decide to concentrate on vices: “I will quit smoking or stop overeating.” Similarly, the field of psychology traditionally has focused more on mental illness than mental health.


Positive Psychology – A New Field with a Literary Past


A refreshing change occurring in this field is positive psychology. “Positive psychology is an umbrella term for the study of positive emotions, positive character traits, and enabling institutions” (Seligman et al., American Psychologist, 2005).


Six virtues established by positive psychology are: wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. These virtues are not new. In his utopian work The Republic, Plato explored how man could best obtain wisdom and how a just soul paralleled a just society.


Self-Assessment Questionnaires and Goal-Setting


Making positive changes in life starts with self recognition. Instead of trying to work on every virtue at one time, decide to have one focus for each month of the year. A list of twelve ideas is provided below:


1. tend and befriend others;


2. master a new skill or topic of knowledge;


3. be aware of and thankful for good things;


4. organize a group activity and make it happen;


5. speak the truth and be genuine;


6. make careful choices that will not be regretted later;


7. forgive all who have wronged you;


8. finish what you start;


9. think of new and unique ways to do things;


10. live life with enthusiasm and vigor;


11. enjoy laughter – do something that will bring smiles to others; and


12. notice and appreciate beauty and excellence.


Choose one virtue to concentrate on each month; then write down one concrete item per week that would fall under that virtue. For example, if your virtue for January was “tend and befriend other,” you might write on each week of the month:


• go to dinner with a friend;


• visit my grandmother;


• reconnect with a college friend; and


• meet a new neighbor.


Remember your happiness aim is to have a pleasant, engaging, and meaningful life. Be sure to choose activities that will help you have a positive new year.


Read more at Suite101: Vickie Christensen: New Year's Resolutions: Happiness and Positive Psychology http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/new_years_resolutions#ixzz0beYefuEa:Dec 19, 2009