Health

HOW TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF CANCER SURVIVORS

Many times, we think we mean well, when we say, “OOOOHHH, Yes, my aunt had cancer and she died”. Or “my grandmother had cancer, but you know how she suffered so much.” Or maybe, “I know it because my mother had cancer and I had to take care of her.” Well to be honest, if someone trusts you enough to share this horrible situation with you, honestly tell them, I do not know what to say, but that is shitty. How can I support you?  The following are some simple suggestions on how to be supportive: Bring them their favorite meal: The last thing fighting survivors want to think of is cooking but they have to eat. Get their favorite movie and share viewing it with them: They need quiet company and laughter, not pity. Take out their garbage: The smell alone will bother their tummy while in treatment. Simple but greatly appreciated. Help them de-stress: Pay for them to have a massage, pedicure, and/ or manicure. Do their laundry: Anything tedious takes away their strength and time to heal. Ask to see their photo albums: Happy memories will boost their immune system. Offer to take them back and forth to treatment. Many times, people do not have the courage or time, so they stay away. Here is a real, simple one: send a card that you are thinking of them. Pick up some groceries for them. People overlook this one, offer to pay one of their medical bills. Insurance never pays the total amount, and now while they fight for their lives, while they may face financial ruins. Cancer can hit anyone in their lifetime. It does not have to be genetically inherited. It does not matter how healthy of a lifestyle you may have had, and it does not discriminate on age, gender, and/ or ethnic background. There are many treatments, but none makes you feel like you are in control of your life anymore. As a matter of fact, many will feel like you have lost your decision-making power so they will speak above you and even make decisions for you without soliciting your consent. You might even need lawyer (more money) if your employment starts wanting to get rid of you since they may not observe the Federal Disability Act, never mind implementing it. Cancer is not contagious. Many people will no longer touch or hug a cancer person. Give your loved one a hug and assure them you are on their side, no matter what. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports A CHALLENGE TO THE HISPANIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE July 25, 2023/No Comments “The mission of the Hispanic Women’s League is to improve the quality of life, assist in personal and professional development, Read More CALL FOR ARTISTS! July 5, 2023/No CommentsRead More A TRAGEDY July 4, 2023/No Comments LEADING TO AN ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN (a Community Responders Pilot and a Peace Ship for a Nuclear-Free Future) Hola, mis Amigos!!  Read More Load More End of Content.

People

INDOCTRINATION (Part II)

INDOCTRINATION (Part II) Last month we talked about “what is Indoctrination” and how to detect it as well as some basic methods of de-indoctrinating ourselves. I think it is worth expanding on that topic. I should also mention; that a lot of this information comes from Yuri Bezmenov’s (*) lectures whose conclusions I do not always agree with for the human mind is a lot more complex, and his conclusions apply to extreme cases which are sadly a sizable group. The methods that I will suggest are to help those who have been basing their world views on the ideas created through very intelligent, seemingly benevolent, however, fundamentally malicious purposes. Mind you, while Bezmenov’s lectures in the 80s were about the communist ideology, the very same methods are being used for both extremes today. The methods being used are more refined, but the way of disarming them remains the same because it is disinformation and reformation of the human mind. However, what has been twisted and broken can be fixed, the human mind is quite resilient like that. If there is a will, there is a way. Firstly, something that can benefit anyone, is how to protect ourselves against indoctrination. A quick recap of this topic in a way. The best defense is remaining rational. Never invest emotionally into an idea, no matter how right it seems. If you see the evidence against what you thought was true, take that evidence and gather more until you can say, “Yes this fact was incorrect” otherwise just 1 or 2 cases should make you say, yes there are exceptions to the rule. Find out why those exceptions occur; is it due to a fundamental flaw in your view, or is it something rare and bizarre? Even in programming, we often have to resort to exception handlers as such be ready to accept that, that is what it means to be of open-mind and foot firm on the ground. Reality is complex and fundamentally incomprehensible to current the human mind, there will be flaws and some we must accept. Secondly, ask yourself, Qui Bono? – or for whose benefit? If there is a pattern, be suspicious. Always be skeptical of everything, however, trust axioms and fundamental evidence. The combination of healthy skepticism and methods of finding more for yourself should safeguard you against most methods. For more insidious methods and short hands against misinformation is knowing these tactics that will make you go “that’s a trap” Now that we have talked about sound barriers to our minds, let’s talk about those whose lives have been impacted, usually negatively, by propaganda and how can we help them. It is very little we can do but always encourage them to look at the facts. A lot of such people are sadly too far gone and just must wake up themselves. In family counseling, the most important lesson I’ve learned was, never try to help those who do not want to be helped. If you try, they will just repel and reject you, best-case scenario, you wasted your time. For those who are still open-minded, remind them that the world is shades of gray and is not black and white. The things we think are good or evil – are never so. (*) Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov, journalist, known by the alias Tomas David Schuman, was a Soviet journalist for RIA Novosti and a former PGU KGB informant who defected to Canada. Read More From This Writer All Post Books Business Culture Education Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports Who We Are INDOCTRINATION (Part II) August 13, 2019/No CommentsRead More INDOCTRINATION July 13, 2019/No Comments INDOCTRINATION As a follow-up on our political concepts, this week I would like to talk about a word we rarely Read More STAYING CLOSED TO THE TRUTH June 13, 2019/No Comments “The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them “ — Thomas Jefferson Read More Load More End of Content.

Education

THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING ANOTHER LANGUAGE

Continuing with children’s relationship with language, children learn “implicitly”, which means they are able to absorb have a substantial amount of knowledge of a language but are not consciously aware of it. Adults can possess a substantial amount of knowledge prior to developing any knowledge “that can be used with the same speed, accuracy, and spontaneity with which children use their implicit knowledge”. Teens and adults depend on analysis and working memory, whereas children utilize patterns in sound and short-term memory. Because of the fluidity in learning with children, those who learn more than one language before the age of 6 are more likely to become native speakers in all aspects of a language but the older children get the harder it becomes to be fluent in a language (DeKeyser 1). Timing and sequence heavily impact how a person learns a language, so much that researchers have discovered distinctions between kinds of multilingualism​. An example of different​ kinds of multilingualism ​can be informal and formal bilinguals. People who are “formal bilinguals” are people who learn a language in school or academic settings, where people who are informal bilinguals learn their languages outside of settings like schools, “imitating the natural processes of acquiring the mother tongue”. Another distinction in multilingualism is hyperpolyglots. Hyperpolyglots are multilingual people who are able to retain knowledge and learn languages at much faster rates than the average person. Their neurology is much different than most providing them the capabilities to learn several languages with ease. Research has shown that hyperpolyglots tend to be​ “males, left-handed and… take pleasure in pouring over grammar and vocabulary exercises that others might find tedious.”​ Hyperpolyglots also tend to use various methods to learn another language. These methods can range from being on online chat rooms where only one language is spoken, watching TV or listening to music in a language, reading a book in a language, and so much more. In the experience of one hyperpolyglot, “​I’ll probably go through anywhere between three to 15 hours of audio programs and then, after I’m relatively confident in terms of vocabulary, I’ll start reading and watching the news. I’ll read the BBC, I’ll go through English and then Arabic, Farsi, maybe Swahili or Indonesian. I’m guessing [foreign language] would be to make it legal. You know, once I’m really confident with a language, I can watch a movie without reading the subtitles [background talking] and also, I can feel a little bit less guilty about you know, watching [laugh] soap operas.”​ Hyperpolyglots provide great insight into how the brain functions when learning multiple languages. Their proficiency can open new doors in the way of learning. I’ll be finishing up this series next month, so please stay tuned! See you next month. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics ALLOWING PEOPLE TO DISCOVER THE  PERSON I AM. July 29, 2020/No Comments ALLOWING PEOPLE TO DISCOVER THE  PERSON I AM. I’ve done a lot of reflecting over the course of the past Read More MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY: A SUBJECT MATTER WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO IGNORE! February 28, 2020/No Comments MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY: A SUBJECT MATTER WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO IGNORE! In our last article, we were Read More MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY: A SUBJECT MATTER WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO IGNORE! September 29, 2019/No Comments MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY: A SUBJECT MATTER WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO IGNORE! For this month, I would like Read More Load More End of Content.

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