“Just noticing”: Observations of a blogger
Posted by Michelle Moquin on August 4th, 2013
Good morning!
“Just noticing….”
WATCH: Pennsylvania Town’s Only Police Officer Pretends To Shoot ‘Nancy Pelosi’ While In Uniform
Gilberton Borough, Pa., Police Chief Mark Kessler sparked an uproar this week when his profane, pro-gun tirades blasting “libtards” surfaced. Despite the backlash, both Kessler and Gilberton Mayor Mary Lou Hannon have defended the displays by arguing that he was not in uniform and was acting as a private citizen.
In the video above, Kessler, the town’s only law enforcement officer, takes to the shooting range in what appears to be his police uniform.
He demonstrates how to shoot a handgun, choosing what he calls “Nancy Pelosi,” the House minority leader, as his target. The picture on the paper looks like a homicidal clown with a hammer, though Kessler refers to it as “Nancy with her gavel” throughout the video, before putting “two in her face.”
In other videos, Kessler has appeared out of uniform.
Kessler is also a member of the North Schuylkill school board and the leader of a volunteer group called the Constitutional Security Force, which has vowed to take up arms to protect against tyranny. Local reaction to Kessler’s videos has been mixed, with some calling them inappropriate and other claiming that he is free to express whatever political views he holds.
*S*I*C*K*O
Readers: Men continue to be abusive and think that just because they are making a joke about being abusive to women, or they think they are acting “cute” by the way they express their views, that it is okay to behave this way. It isn’t. I don’t care what your political views are, there is nothing funny about putting “two in her face.”
It is the subtle and not so subtle ways, as shown above, that make these kinds of sick behaviors the “norm” when it comes to men and their “freedom to express” themselves. It’s disgusting and this man, yes not just any man but an officer in uniform, should be slapped upside the head and worse.
This is unacceptable behavior and is never going to be the “norm,” even though, yes sadly, it is “normal” behavior by many men, and evidently men in uniform are no exception. It is not acceptable to me and never will be. I will never get “used” to this even if I was exposed to it every day. And somewhere on this planet women are exposed to these kinds of behaviors and much much worse – where the act is no joke.
I have said this before. To get used to it means, we normalize it and that is never going to happen with me – that means we as women are giving up and giving in to it. That will never be. I am just sick of it. It is so prevalent in so many little hits of dialogue…the nuance that can slip by in a sentence or two, if one is not conscious of it being there. Or blatantly slammed right in your face as this story shows.
What woman would ever be attracted to a man who acts this way? Certainly not I. I HOPE that any woman connected to him has let him know just what kind of man he truly is. I HOPE that we as women will never give up and give in to it, and instead let our voices drown those who speak out against us, and our actions take center stage.
Thoughts? Blog me.
Peace & Love…You know what to do.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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August 4th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
White men in America feel free to do anything disgusting. They were given the green light as soon as the bigots in your country decided that the best way to negate the winning of your Presidency by a black man was to show the rest of the country that it was still a white man’s country.
They accomplished that by allowing any white man to dis the “N.” Your white controlled media cooperates by making sure each insult to the “N” gets major headlines. So this behavior is to be expected. When you turn the dogs loose, you can’t control who they will bite.
August 4th, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Yoga Improves Brain Power More Than Aerobic Exercise
A good workout can help your brain as much as your body, you’ve no doubt heard. That’s one reason why so many people go for a run when they want to clear their heads. But did you know that, when it comes to boosting your mental prowess, you’re probably better off striking a yoga pose than hitting the track or treadmill? A new study shows why…
Participants included 30 adults who did not regularly practice yoga or any similar type of mind-body based exercise (such as tai chi). Each came to the study center on three separate days and took tests designed to measure various aspects of cognitive function.
On one day, they did no exercise prior to taking the tests. On another day, they did 20 minutes of yoga poses, focusing on their breathing and ending with a brief seated meditation, then immediately took the cognitive tests. And on yet another day, they ran on a treadmill for 20 minutes (getting their heart rates up to 60% to 70% of maximum) and then took the same cognitive tests.
The results were surprising—because the participants scored significantly higher after doing yoga than after an aerobic workout or after no exercise. Specifically…
One test measured inhibitory control, the ability to ignore irrelevant information and maintain focus on relevant items. On a computer screen, the participants saw numerous rows of arrows facing left or right and had to press the arrow on the keyboard that corresponded to the direction of the arrows in a certain “target” position. Results: The average score for correct responses after yoga was 90%…but just 83% after running, which was about the same as after no exercise.
Another test looked at working memory (which is responsible for creating and storing memories and retrieving information), with the participants having to remember ever-changing sequences of shapes and respond as quickly as possible. Results: The average score was 87% after yoga…but just 77% after running and 78% after no exercise. Response time also was faster after yoga—an average of 0.55 seconds, compared with 0.64 seconds after running and 0.60 seconds after no exercise.
Explanation: The researchers offered several possible reasons why yoga boosts brain power. Other studies have shown that yoga improves mood, and better mood is associated with better cognitive function. Yoga also reduces the anxiety that can get in the way of tasks that require full attention. In addition, yoga’s emphasis on body awareness and breath control may help enhance the ability to concentrate.
Some questions remain, of course. This study did not demonstrate how long the mental performance-enhancing benefits of yoga might last, given that the participants took their cognitive tests within five minutes after finishing their yoga sessions. And the participants in this study were all women, so we can’t say for sure whether men would benefit similarly (though it makes sense that they would).
Still, provided you have your doctor’s go-ahead to do yoga, there’s certainly no harm—and potentially much to be gained—in doing some yoga poses whenever you feel in need of a brain boost or are about to tackle some challenging mental task. For inspiration and pose illustrations: Check out the Yoga Journal Web site.
Source: Edward McAuley, PhD, professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois. This study was published in Journal of Physical Activity & Health.
August 5th, 2013 at 12:42 am
If that creep was an OTW he would be in jail for threatening a member of Congress.
August 5th, 2013 at 12:44 am
He can thank Nancy Pelosi that he still has a job. If it were left up to the republicans he would be jobless. He obviously has no talent for anything but defending white interest under color of authority.
August 5th, 2013 at 12:44 am
I’d love to see a liberal go in the backyard and shoot a “Mitch McConnell”. But that won’t happen because of a thing called class.
August 5th, 2013 at 12:48 am
If you were an OTW and took a detour that took you through this bigot’s town, it could be terrifying. Imagine giving someone who is obviously in need of a mental evaluation a badge. Only in white America.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:05 am
Menopausal Fog
Many women I know look forward to reaching menopause and being freed from monthly menstrual hassles and worries about unintended pregnancy.
But they’re not so happy if they find themselves experiencing menopausal “brain fog”—including poor concentration…difficulty recalling where they put things…and/or trouble remembering names and phone numbers.
And they’re really not happy when their husbands and others get frustrated and blame them for forgetting things and just seeming to be “not all there.”
Up to two-thirds of women say they experience brain fog while going through the midlife transition. And while some studies support this, there is not much objective proof of the phenomenon—so some people claim that the menopausal brain drain is all in women’s heads, so to speak.
Researchers decided to find out whether menopausal brain fog is real…and, if so, to pinpoint exactly when a woman can expect it to start. What they found was fascinating…
HEAD TEST
To go hunting for brain fog, the researchers gathered 117 women, average age 49, and, based on each woman’s stage of menopause, split them into four groups…
1. Late reproductive stage—characterized by subtle changes in menstrual flow and/or the length of menstrual cycles.
2. Early menopausal transition—a woman’s cycles become persistently irregular, varying in length by a week or more.
3. Late menopausal transition—periods come two months or more apart.
4. Early postmenopause—the first 12 months after a woman’s final period.
For the study, the women answered questionnaires about their general health, quality of life and symptoms (if any) of depression or anxiety. And they completed a battery of tests designed to measure their cognitive function—including their attention level…short-term or “working” memory…verbal fluency…dexterity…visual/spatial skill (for instance, identifying objects that had been cut into pieces and rearranged)…and verbal learning (such as recalling lists of words).
Results:
Surprisingly, women in the third stage did just as well on the cognitive tests as those in the first and second stages, I heard from the lead researcher, Miriam T. Weber, PhD.
However, women in the fourth stage (the first year after the final menstrual period) were a different story—for the most part, they did significantly worse on tests of attention, verbal memory, dexterity and verbal learning.
For instance, Dr. Weber said, they took an average of five to six seconds longer to complete the dexterity task of putting pegs into pegboards…and they remembered an average of two fewer words in tests measuring recall of 15-word lists.
In other words, brain fog in postmenopausal women is real—and it seems to begin shortly after the last menstrual period.
HELLO, BRAIN FOG—NOW GO AWAY
The good news is that the cognitive dip seems to be temporary. Though Dr. Weber’s research wasn’t focused on measuring how long these effects persisted past menopause, a national women’s health study done a few years ago suggested that cognitive skills rebound to premenopausal levels once a woman is postmenopausal.
That study didn’t specify exactly when the rebound takes place—but “postmenopausal” by definition means that a woman’s final menstrual period occurred at least 12 months earlier.
Now, what can women do about all this? If you’re heading into menopause, you’re probably hoping to cope well with brain lapses while you wait for things to get back to normal.
Weber offered these tips…
Safeguard your overall health. Eating right, exercising, maintaining an appropriate weight and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control will help your brain work optimally.
Keep a calendar handy. Write frequent notes to keep track of appointments and other commitments.
Resist the urge to multitask.
Focusing on one task at a time optimizes brain power—so turn off your cell phone and disable e-mail pop-up windows when you’re in the middle of an important task.
Relax and be patient.
As Dr. Weber said, “Just knowing that this is a normal part of life might reduce anxiety, and that helps your brain function better.”
Source: Miriam T. Weber, PhD, neuropsychologist, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York. Her study was published in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:07 am
Absolutely shameful and terrifying!
August 5th, 2013 at 1:09 am
I have visited your country. It is a beautiful place to visit, but there are a lot of sick people there with guns. The USA is a sad place.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:11 am
The problem with some people is they don’t get it. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. When these people lose and election they carry a nasty grudge.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:15 am
Este es un sociopata!
August 5th, 2013 at 1:18 am
Should’t it be illegal to threaten another living being by shooting at an effigy of the person? Even if not, should a person who does it be allowed to have a gun with a badge giving him certain privileges to use it?
August 5th, 2013 at 1:19 am
They let him have a gun. The party of stupid needs to be voted out.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:21 am
My God! Do these republican have any sense of right and wrong? To do this as a police officer is just another level of wrong.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:22 am
This shows how the republican plan to dumb down America is working… look at this ignorant bastard then read the posts supporting his insane actions….Stupid, thy name is Republican.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:23 am
They are PROUD of their ignorance. I am not a fan of those who sit around a blame former politicians exclusively for current problems (like blaming Bill Clinton for EVERYTHING) BUT this huge pride in ignorance began under Baby Bush…During that time, a top country song lyrics that said, “I don’t know the difference between Iraq and Iran” and everybody just gobbled it up. We’ve gotten steadily stupider since.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:24 am
When you put on a police uniform you are supposed to leave your opinions and biases at home.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:25 am
This is obviously an unstable person. Why does he have a badge?
August 5th, 2013 at 1:26 am
Nancy Pelosi is a domestic terrorist alongside all of her other congressional asshole friends.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:28 am
He is among the crazy republicans that argue that the US needs Jesus. Hell, Jesus wouldn’t recognize an ounce of christianity in any of them.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:29 am
Did he devise a plot to blow up a building? No. Did he hijack a plane? No. Did he commit an act of violence against any person or property that is not his? No. Did he issue a threat that he was ACTUALLY going to murder anyone? No.
Did he swear? Yes. Did he call liberals “libtards”? Absolutely. Did he call them cocksuckers? Roger that. Did he EXPRESS AN OPINION (loudly)? Hells yes.
Did you just overreact? You bet. Does your completely unqualified *opinion* matter less than his? Not one bit. Are you a prosecutor, judge or jury? Thankfully, no.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:30 am
He did nothing illegal. Was it in bad taste? No. Fuck the bitch.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:31 am
My only question is where was the John Kerry mug?
August 5th, 2013 at 1:32 am
Fuck you liberals. This is America, you can use any A-hole’s picture for target practice.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:34 am
Thanks for the Menopausal Health info. I have been telling my doctor that I have brain fog. The bastard said it was all in my mine because memory loss was not a by product of Menopause.
I am getting a female doctor after I show him this article.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:34 am
My son is a police officer and considers this officer’s behavior a disgrace to his uniform!
August 5th, 2013 at 1:36 am
I absolutely support his actions. Even if I didn’t, they are protected by the 1st and 2nd amendments. And, as an oath keeper who is tired of the entire system, I’m glad he exists.
I wish there more just like him. In fact, there are. They just don’t have the balls to post their videos to YouTube and piss off a bunch of overly-sensitive people who can’t comprehend *why* he’d do this.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:38 am
Fuck you liberals complaining about America. You live here dumbass! Dont like it? GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! Why was your Countries Colleges not good enough?
I’m so tired of hearing people talk SHIT when the very Country they are living in, they CHOOSE to live in!!! WTF!
August 5th, 2013 at 1:39 am
Rob, there are other ways to be an activist. I agree that he has the right to express himself. ITs just that he has a job that requires him to serve in a different capacity, Every profession has a code of conduct.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:42 am
Brad, I’m sick of assholes like you thinking that just because we live in America that we should shut up about the state pieces of shit like you have turned it into.
WTF, we can complain all we want that is our Constitutional right too. That is another problem with you cock suckers, you can only mention the Constitution when it helps your argument.
Fuck off and eat shit.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:43 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this blog Michelle. I have been suffering from menopausal brain fog and I just couldn’t put a name to it.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:47 am
Michelle, you have the weirdest blog out there. I have been trying to get on for days. I see almost no comments. When there is no Zen Lill, I know something is wrong.
Gwen, my cousin, swears by anything Zen Lill posts. So when she stops calling me. I know something is wrong. It’s a quarter to 5 AM and who the fuck is up writing this?
I guess I need to change my hours to post to your blog.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:49 am
I agree with you Lionel#3, if he were an OTW, he would have been fired.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:52 am
He’s the chief of police in that hick town? Then he’s sucking somebody in charge’s dick cause he most certainly failed the psych eval.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:53 am
Juan#33 – There’s the race card.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:54 am
I have to agree with John. You’re pushing it there. This topic has nothing to do with race.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:57 am
Bullshit, John, you know that he’s speaking the truth. White folk wouldn’t tolerate an OTW with that attitude carrying a badge. They would be al high and mighty claiming they had to because carrying a badge requires a special code of conduct.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:58 am
Fuck you John#35 and Phil#36. Only losers who cannot debate intellectually throw around the trite “race card” phrase.
August 5th, 2013 at 1:59 am
Murica
August 5th, 2013 at 2:01 am
it’s cops like this that make it harder for other good officers to do their job.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:02 am
Bill#39 Get it right asshole, it’s America.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:03 am
Can’t the FBI do something about him now?
August 5th, 2013 at 2:04 am
“Murica.” He has it right, rednecks.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:06 am
Steve, America for me maybe, but for you hicks, it’s murica. #Murica http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=murica
August 5th, 2013 at 2:07 am
Jolene#42, I hope they do.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:08 am
LOL. Somebody get Steve#41 a chili dog ASAP….
August 5th, 2013 at 2:10 am
Jolene#42, “nameing something” and then shooting it does not constitute a “threat” as defined by most states. Directly saying the he was going to go out and actually kill the real nancy pelosi would have been an obvious one.
Keep in mind there are all sorts of “threats” (direct, indirect, veiled, conditional, etc.) and whatever he did would have to fit within that states standards for an “illegal or unlawful” threat (something that would not be covered under the 1st Amendment as protected speech).
August 5th, 2013 at 2:11 am
Jolene#42 – Federal law interstate communications law regarding threats is as follows:
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/41/875
August 5th, 2013 at 2:12 am
You sheeple are so dense. It’s not a threat you morons. Grow a pair. Stop fucking crying. You’re the reason this country is the way it is. Everything is a threat to you fuckers except the real threat sitting right in the WH! Wake the hell up.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:13 am
This is a good cop, a very good cop.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:14 am
Psychopath with a badge . Scary . Disturbing . Dangerous .
August 5th, 2013 at 2:15 am
… and why is this man not under investigation by internal affairs?
August 5th, 2013 at 2:15 am
Fuck Liberals!
August 5th, 2013 at 2:16 am
Maud#52, because he did nothing wrong.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:17 am
We don’t need rogue officers like that. He’s liable to make a hasty decision that will hurt someone. Take his badge away and fire him indefinitely.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:18 am
Actually he did Howard#54. When you pull a stunt and you’re wearing the uniform of your corporation/company/department, you put the whole place in jeopardy.
It’s the same reason students are punished when they do crap in public or on film wearing things connected to their school.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:20 am
Maud#52, he ain’t fired because in his town there is no Internal Affairs. He’s the only police in that town. No worries, he won’t be able to log into a single state or national database for that act of unprofessionalism.
The town’s PD will be unaccredited and he won’t be able to run so much as a tag, get BOLOs, or anything else.
Such are the ways of a goof. Too stupid to realize he just screwed himself and his township.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:21 am
The man is a simpleminded moron. Anyone of like mind is also.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:21 am
I am embarrassed to say that this is 8 miles from where I grew up.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:22 am
Sick minds – should not be allowed to own a gun, let alone have his job !!!
August 5th, 2013 at 2:22 am
Another case of small penis syndrome.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:23 am
Another piece of shit with a gun and badge instead of a dick and brain.
August 5th, 2013 at 2:33 am
Meditation Boosts Memory and Mood
Appeared originally as “Kirtan Kriya Meditation Boosts Mood and Memory”
What if we told you that you could think better and feel better, despite getting older, by investing just 12 minutes a day?
We bet you’d jump at the chance. But actually, you wouldn’t even have to jump—you’d get to sit.
Even better news:
The technique we’re referring to involves no drugs…requires no formal training…has no negative side effects…is easily done at home…and costs absolutely nothing.
We’ve got good reason to be high on this technique—because we all shudder at the prospect of losing our memories and brain power as we get older.
Those fears are well-founded. Among Americans age 65 and older, 13% show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, such as memory loss, confusion, speech problems and personality changes…and an additional 10% to 20% have mild cognitive impairment, which can progress to Alzheimer’s disease.
Sadly, such problems often are accompanied by depression, anxiety and other mood disorders that can further aggravate cognitive decline and erode quality of life.
So it’s great to know about a simple way to offset some of these effects. Here’s the secret…
REPEAT AFTER ME
We’re talking about a form of meditation called kirtan kriya (pronounced KEER-tun KREE-uh), which involves repeating a mantra consisting of four syllables—Saa Taa Naa Maa—while doing a specific hand motion.
Don’t laugh—because this really works!
The proof comes from a recent study involving seniors who already had memory loss from mild cognitive impairment or mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. At the start and end of the study, all participants answered questions about their emotional states and underwent tests of their cognitive skills.
They also had brain scans to measure cerebral blood flow in various areas of the brain linked to concentration, attention, decision-making, speech and emotions.
One group of participants (the control group) was asked to listen to classical music for 12 minutes per day for eight weeks. The other group was taught kirtan kriya meditation and asked to perform it at home for 12 minutes daily for eight weeks.
Results:
Among the kirtan kriya meditators, researchers found significant improvement in the areas of tension and fatigue, and lesser but still notable improvement in depression, anger and confusion…whereas among the music group, scores worsened in all these areas.
The meditation group also showed improvement in cognitive function—and interestingly, these effects were accompanied by corresponding changes in cerebral blood flow. In contrast, among the music group, there were no significant changes in cognitive function or cerebral blood flow.
More research is needed to confirm these findings and shed light on just how this form of meditation helps with age-related memory loss and mood problems. But in the meantime, there’s certainly no harm in giving it a try to see if it helps you.
HOW TO DO KIRTAN KRIYA
Sit with your eyes closed. You will be using the tip of the thumb of each hand to touch the tip of each finger in sequence. As you say Saa, touch the thumb to the index finger…as you say Taa, touch the middle finger…as you say Naa, touch the ring finger…as you say Maa, touch the pinky finger.
Repeat the mantra in your normal voice for two minutes…in a whisper for two minutes…silently in your head for four minutes…in a whisper again for two minutes…and in your normal voice again for two minutes.
Are you musical? Instead of speaking (or thinking) the four syllables in a monotone, you can try chanting them in a singsong fashion, hitting the note A (on Saa)…then G (on Taa)…then F (on Naa)…and then G again (on Maa).
We wondered whether it would still be useful to do this meditation even without the finger touching—for instance, if a person had arthritis or for some other reason found it difficult to perform the hand motions.
So we contacted study coauthor Andrew B. Newberg, MD. He told us, “This is an interesting question. The short answer is, we don’t know if modifying the practice will diminish its effectiveness.
Our hypothesis is that the combination of the verbal part and the movement part work synergistically to add to the effect, but this has not been proven yet. And I would think that doing something is better than nothing.”
For more information: Click here for an article about kirtan kriya from the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation…or watch the video below on how to do kirtan kriya meditation.
Source: Andrew B. Newberg, MD, director of research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Medical College, Philadelphia, and coauthor of How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist (Ballantine).
He is coauthor of a study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
August 5th, 2013 at 8:12 am
I read everyone. Crazy world, huh? But I was looking for Howie. Where are you my man?