Brain Candy

At least my lack of empathy was not unusual. Having practiced as a psychotherapist for 35 years, LaBier believes that what he calls empathy deficit disorder (EDD) is rampant among Americans. LaBier says we unlearn whatever empathy skills we've picked up while coming of age in a culture that focuses on acquisition and status more than cooperation and values "moving on" over thoughtful reflection. LaBier is convinced that EDD is at the heart of modernity's most common problems, macro (war) and micro (divorce). As LaBier explains, virtually everyone learns the basics of empathy in childhood (from our parents comforting us when we're in distress), but my father died when I was 4, and afterward my mother had to be very can-do, juggling three jobs, graduate school, and two kids. When I was upset, she never said, "Oh, I'm sorry. It must be hard to have me away so much after losing your dad." Instead, on good days, she'd say, "Why are you crying? Nothing is wrong." And on bad days: "You'd better toughen up because life can get a lot worse." Looking back at my 20-something self, I realize that if, as LaBier says, empathy is "the ability or the willingness to experience the world from someone else's point of view," I wasn't brought up to be able to do that. http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/06...athy/index.html So being strict or assertive, instead of being a natural reaction among a great number of people in certain situations, could be a sign of a disorder? I confused.

Thats my beef with most people in general.

I think smarter people are weary of dogma in all forms. Smarter religious people probably see a much more all encompassing god then a "do this or go to hell" one.

It seems like sexual attractiveness trumps governmental power in this case, if it is true. Freedom: You have the ability to do what you want, including impeed on others ability to do what they want, as they can to you. Hierarchy systems rise up instantly and legal systems hopefully soon after.

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Its probably going to suck, and is going to remain as faithful to the historical source as Beowulf was, adding soapy bits about how he was just an ordinary nice guy righting a few wrongs. Most movies suck. Historical fiction can and has been done well, there are plenty of things you can do and say artistically with an event or time period.

I think there is bad use and understanding of terms here.

Im not sure I understand how this is a case for socialism... also Socialism as a transition to communism and NATIONAL Socialism as ethnocentrism are completely different animals and hardly two sides of the same coin. If you're talking just about the idea of the government having heavy control on the means of production and distribution of goods then where does that leave the many other possibilities for that idea?

Prince Philip on population. Note the comments made by the reporter: Accuse the man of not following his own advice -probably decades before he realized their could be a problem- and suggest he is looking for radical solutions when he hasn't said anything to that effect, but avoid commenting on whether he is actually right or wrong.

The problem with reefer laws is most people who want to smoke it allready do, and there are a ton of them.. Why not fully legalize so we can at least tax it and try to enforce a minimum age? Right now it is about as useful as a sodomy law.

90% of the time, comparing a group or idea to fascism or nazism means absolutely nothing. But it does provide slogans that make a the group or idea much less appealing at face value. -The "Islamofascist" regimes must be stomped out now! -Conservatives invaded Iraq, nazis invaded countries, they are clearly nazis! -Liberals want more government, fascists had large government, liberals are fascists! Also National Socialists have SOCIALIST right in there name! I mean come on! -Hitler was a vegetarian, etc.

Im starting to see Oleg as a mad prophet living on top of a mountain, periodically descending to spread the holy word while us normals are trying to decipher what he actually means. This would be better, leaves much less room for interpretation and no room for an angry rant being interpreted as hate.

see this previously posted link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=A...00a7829cb454ccf Keep in mind when I say smart, I mean IQ (which is by no means 100% accurate but its the best thing we got). I dont know why intelligent people are breeding slower now, possibly because alot of them put their careers in front of having and raising children now. I also dont know why dumber people are breeding excessively, maybe because they have so many safety nets. It doesnt really matter, what matters is its going to be a slowly worsening problem. Health is another factor, medicine is a blessing but will also allow diseases and other problems related to genetics to pass on. I think this will be a problem but probably not as big, lets put it as a none issue for now. As far as welfare recipients, I cant find a study that suggests they actually have high IQ's, can you help me? Even if they did, to be on welfare is to suggest that you are, at the present time, having a hard time supporting yourself. How could having a child in such a situation possibly be anything but bad? For anyone including the tax payers?

I like some of their ideas and have been a fan for a while, ruin my life? How? They got interesting ideas and articles there, also I dont sense they are dogmatic about any of it.

Approaching war from a dualistic perpective: "The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God’s plan for both Israel and the West… a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ." -Hagee LOL self fullfilling prophecy. When asked in outside of sermons he will give more realistic reasons for this view, but keep in mind this is whats at the heart of it, unless he is a manipulative fraud.