Veterans Day Thanks

Tags

B4Peace, Tomb of the Unknowns, United States, Veterans Day

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On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 there was an armistice; a temporary cessation of hostilities in the First World War was declared between the Allied nations and Germany.

On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that a “recurring anniversary of [November 11, 1918] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.”

Beginning in 1927, November 11 became known as Armistice Day.

In 1938, Armistice Day became a legal federal holiday in the United States.

In 1954, the 83rd Congress amended the 1938 act that made Armistice Day a federal holiday, replacing the word “Armistice” with “Veterans.” From then on, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In 1968, Congress passed a Uniform Holidays Bill which created three-day weekends for federal employees — and to encourage tourism and travel — by celebrating four national holidays (Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day) on Mondays. At that point, Veterans Day was made the fourth Monday in October. President Gerald Ford signed a law returning the observation of Veterans Day to November 11th beginning in 1978.

Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th. Canada has Remembrance Day, Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In many countries in Europe, it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

In the United States, an official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. Parades and various other celebrations are held in the states.

I want to say thank you to all American Veterans past, present, and future. I believe we should thank you every day of the year for your service.

 Eric

NOTE: I believe in peaceful dialog, not war to solve national and international difference — however, the images of this film are how our veterans live during war situations and we owe them a deep respect and to honor them.

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Advertisement

Authors…

Tags

Calling All Writers, Rachel Carrera, rachelcarrera.wordpress.com

Recently, Rachel Carrera posted a Call to Writers.

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Calling All Writers

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Rachel Carrera

Today’s post is directed at my fellow bloggers who write.  I follow a lot of authors’ blogs and feel honored to read where you are on your journey, whether you have been established and have several books published or whether you are just getting started following your dream.  I enjoy reading about those of you that have taken the traditional publishing route, as well as those of you who have mastered the arduous task of figuring out the self-publishing world.

As such, I thought it would be fun to interview some of you, then I will publish a post about you and what you are currently writing (as well as anything you may have already published, if you are already there in your journey).  So if you would be interested in being a featured writer, please email me at the address below (which I have put in JPEG format to elude spammers).  Once you send me an email telling me you are up for an interview, I’ll send you some questions and you can send back your answers as well as any photos of you and/or your book[s] that you want included, and links to where other bloggers can find your blog and your work.

Thank you all, and I look forward to hearing from you.

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Rachel Carrera recent interviews

Author Interview – David McCaffrey

Author Interview – Lisa Montanino

Author Interview – Gary Hoadley

Author Interview – Cath Filby

Author Interview – Morgan Amos

Author Interview – Chloe Hammond

Author Interview – Audrina Lane

Author Interview – Sandra Danby

Author Interview – Kerry Donovan

Author Interview – Krystol Diggs

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Thanks for visiting.
 Eric

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Need help or want to collaborate with me?
Just e-mail me at thehunt4truth@yahoo.com

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Bees – honey, they need our help!

Tags

Bees, garden plants, pesticide

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Why are bees dying?
Why is honey productivity low?

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BEWARE: purchasers at Lowes, Home Depot, garden shops, the grocery…

A new study shows that 36 out of 71 (51 percent) of garden plant samples purchased at top garden retailers in 18 cities in the United States and Canada contain neonicotinoid pesticides — a key contributor to recent bee declines.

See more at: http://www.foe.org/beeaction#sthash.453ZHtip.dpuf

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My “Posts I Like” is populated with pollination of flower shots from WordPress blogs – there were so many great shots today that many of them won’t fit… maybe you will visit these great photo pages to further enjoy your blogging day! 

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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Related posts on WordPress

Bee Huts

Pollen Bee

Pollination

The experiment begins

Where would we be without bees?

 

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grounded

Tags

B4Peace, film, Grounded, healing energy, health-boosting energy

 

“Grounded” is an independent feature film based documentary about what is considered by many authorities to be “The Greatest Health RE-discovery of All Time.” – the concept was tested on the people of Haines, Alaska (population 1,700). 

YouTube video Grounded

The surface of the Earth holds subtle health-boosting energy. The documentary goes to show that this amazing phenomenon, of connecting into the earth, can transform the life of people who have been struggling with health issues like chronic pain, and one man who had been wheelchair-bound for decades is able to walk again. Even plants are drastically impacted when they have been taken away from the Earth’s natural energy. Clint Ober Demonstrates Earthing – YouTube – Dr. Joseph Mercola and Clint Ober demonstrate the science behind a really powerful principle called grounding or earthing.

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see also:

Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever!

How to Connect with Your Body to Feel Balanced: 10 Grounding Techniques

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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RELATED:

Energy within

Change your Brain

How Energy Travels in the Body

We exchange energy – always

Quantum Wellness, by Kathy Freston

Change Your Frequency = Change Your Reality

7 Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra

Everything that is love cannot be fear…

Five steps to mindfulness

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Other
WordPress
Peace bloggers:

http://wordpress.com/tag/b4peace/
Please, join us!

 

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2014/06/20/.

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Young ‘n artful Emily Bear

Tags

child prodigy, Emily Bear, music prodigy, pianist, prodigy

Emily Bear

Child Prodigy Pianist

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Emily Bear began playing piano at just 18-months-old. When she was six, she played at the White House and by nine, she was playing at Carnegie Hall. Emily plays all of her music from memory – even 45 page classical concertos. “I memorize them (the notes) pretty quickly,” she says, adding modestly, “then it’s all about polishing the details.” 

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Here, 6-year old Emily Bear wowed audiences from the White House to her own house. Playing the piano since age 3, Emily composes her own music. Emily has composed more than 350 pieces for the piano. She’s recorded six albums.

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“Santa Fe” – composed and orchestrated by Emily Bear

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World Premiere of “Santa Fe” music composed and orchestrated by Emily Bear, age 10 with the Santa Fe Concert Association – Joe Illick, conductor.

see also: Live Music: Emily Bear in a Jazz Bakery Movable Feast at the Musician’s Institute

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

I assist spiritual authors,
artists, and bloggers… free…
just e-mail me: thehunt4truth@yahoo.com

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If you like this, you might also like:

• Young ‘n artful Akiane Kramarik
• Young ‘n artful Dušan Krtolica
• What’s up with genius Daniel Tammet?

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Young ‘n artful Akiane Kramarik

Tags

Akiane Kramarik, art prodigy, child prodigy, God, Jesus, music prodigy, Prince Of Peace, prodigy, Shroud of Turin

While I was researching consciousness / studies, I came upon the story of Akiane Kramarik. I read quite a few articles and I watched a couple of interviews. I posted a summary, and a few yars later I saved that at my WordPress (Young ‘n artful Akiane Kramarik, after relocating at WordPress.

I was in the midst of inspirations related to my consciousness studies when one day it dawned on me to look closely at the works and lives of living child prodigies. . . a hugely rewarding experience that was / is.

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Akiane Kramarik

a child prodigy

Painter, Poet and Pianist 

has encounters with Jesus since she was four. 

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Akiane is so far as is known, according to my research, one of very few visual art child prodigies to master realism. Realism is, according to the experts, the most difficult form of art to master. She’s created a few hundred paintings as she’s seen her visions. Some are awe-inspiring of Heaven, which Akiane says she has seen, through revelations.

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1. Child prodigy meets Jesus

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“I cannot believe this, you were only 8 years old
when you painted this [Prince Of Peace]…”
Katie Couric NBC, Katie Couric Show.

2. Akiane Kramarik Documentary (10 years old)

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“I cannot believe this, you were only 8 years old
when you painted this [Prince Of Peace]…”
Katie Couric NBC, Katie Couric Show.

3. Akiane Kramarik Documentary (22 years old)

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Here is a short video clip that overlays her Prince of Peace
painting onto the Shroud of Turin image.

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Here then is the story of another young person that is able to connect into the consciousness (unknown) for inspiration to bring forth incredible talents. I’ve featured just a few now. I’ve looked into dozens more. Personally, I am of the belief that these young people are inspired from within but that their connections within links strongly to an eternal source that most of the world suspects may not exist.  I have a few more and some stunning remarks to make in the near future… stay tuned.

Update 2018
Since this post I moved my center of operations to Facebook where I manage several consciousness related groups, from here: https://www.facebook.com/Cellular.Eric.

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Thanks for visiting.

  Eric

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RELATED

Young ‘n artful Dušan Krtolica

What’s up with genius?

how sweet the sound!

afterlife – part one: Colton Burpo

Mandisa – God Speaking

quantum thought reality

Living awareness

Ave Maria

How He loves us

The God who sees

Only one Word was on my mind

being like Koko

Ask, Seek, Knock

What Is Global Consciousness?

How is feeling upset my problem?

Give Our Lord the benefit of believing

a place called Heaven

Change Your Frequency = Change Your Reality

Cosmic Consciousness in the Real Universe?

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You can Load My blog READER list
(for WordPress members – signed in) 

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Keeping America… setting down my sword

Tags

Environment, Keep America Beatiful, Shaman Elizabeth Herrera, stop pollution, wordpress blog

I can do more to take greater responsibility for improving my community’s environment.

Shaman Elizabeth Herrera

When I was a kid, I lived on an idyllic street in Lansing, Michigan. My street had a soft hill that gently ended at a park overlooking the Grand River. The park was refuge where the neighborhood kids and I would play on the swing set and grass, but even then, the water was so dirty that none of us would go near it.

The Grand River was a victim of the factories and car manufacturing plants upstream. (Lansing is home to Oldsmobile and many other part manufacturers. The R.E. Olds’ crypt is there.)

At that time, a well-known TV commercial aired, featuring a Native American, complete with feathered headdress, who cried watching the litter and pollution spew into the water, air and land.

Since then, most citizens have “cleaned up their act,” but corporations continue to dump and spill toxic oil and chemicals all over the place. In December, Shanghai ordered all cars off the road because the air was too polluted to breathe…

View original post 111 more words

What about Mars?

Tags

Alien dawn, colonize Mars, ET is here, Mars, UFO

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We (NASA and the US) already have plans to inhabit Mars.

WARNING… stop with the above if not wanting to explore on the subjects of aliens, UFOs, conspiracies, and other possibly upsetting areas of the related works… material that follows presumes that perhaps…

Aliens are alleged to be living on Earth; and if so, much has been hidden for more than 60 years. In fact, there are mountains of evidence that are top-secret. I’ve included links to presentations that demonstrate some of what is alleged to be hidden. 

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See also: 

The Wars of 2121

are we aliens?

ET is here

Roswell – July 2, 1947

Holes In Heaven… what is HAARP?

what is a symbiotic engine?

UFO mother-ship… over

Global cataclysms have a purpose?

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Note that the comment section of these presentations is used..

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Thich Nhat Hanh And Mindfulness

Tags

free mindfulness exercises, Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh

This article ought to have been on the front page of every Sunday paper… I think.”

see also:

Is the brain spirituality wired? 
Theory of mind… evolving spirituality
mindfulness and prayerful healing
morning Meditation
practicing simply: mindfulness
Meditation Changes Brains!

 

 

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Children Of Light

Thich Nhat Hanh, the 87-year-old Zen master considered by many to be the father of mindfulness in the west, says as long as business leaders practice “true” mindfulness, it does not matter if the original intention is triggered by wanting to be more effective at work or to make bigger profits. That is because the practice will fundamentally change their perspective on life as it naturally opens hearts to greater compassion and develops the desire to end the suffering of others.

Sitting in a lotus position on the floor of his monastery at Plum Village near Bordeaux, France, Thay tells the Guardian: “If you know how to practice mindfulness you can generate peace and joy right here, right now. And you’ll appreciate that and it will change you. In the beginning, you believe that if you cannot become number one, you cannot be happy, but if you practice mindfulness…

View original post 686 more words

Meteor showers… May 23-24

Tags

Camelopardalid Meteor Shower, Camelopardalids meteor shower, Camelopardalis the giraffe, Comet 209P/LINEAR, Geminids, ISON, Perseids

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Comet 209P/LINEAR plus Camelopardalids Meteor showers…
For a Live NASA Chat on May 23-24, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1m3Wrn7

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Sky-watchers all across North America are in for a treat beginning on May 23 around 10:30 p.m. EDT and continuing into the morning of May 24 — a new meteor shower — scientists aren’t sure yet how many “shooting stars” people may see — but the May Camelopardalids meteor shower may be dazzling with about a one-per-minute rate. The peak of the shower will be between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. EDT May 24th. Meteors will be coming out of the north but will be visible all across the night skies. The central focal point would be from Camelopardalis — the giraffe — a faint constellation near the North Star.

At the same time, debris from Comet 209P/LINEAR will stream across Earth’s orbit on May 24, 2014.

NOTE: these are two events on the same date — the May Camelopardalids meteor shower and the Comet 209P dust trail debris.

There are two more major meteor showers coming up. Look for the Perseids on August 12-13 and the Geminids on December 13-14. There are also several smaller showers throughout the year.

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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RELATED

global weirding?

when is a comet not just a comet?

ISON close-up and ISON cometh

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What’s up with genius?

Tags

autistic savant, Daniel Tammet, genius, math prodigy, prodigy

“The key to growth
is the introduction of
higher dimensions of
consciousness into our awareness.”
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~ Lao Tzu

I don’t think that genius comes primarily from studies.

I can’t prove that.

I can demonstrate one reason that I think so though… prodigy children:

I’m not being scientific just yet… not this post.

I’m just wondering is all. I wonder if genius comes into any of us from a field of intelligence. For example, I have a documentary here that demonstrates that a lad can perform amazing feats of intellect… as a genius… and demonstrably these feats are beyond comprehension.

Here is what he can do without preparation:

What is 37 X 37 X 37 X 37? You have 30 seconds – no calculator, pencil or paper.

What is 13 divided by 97? Give me the answer to 32 decimal places please. Same rules.

Here is what he can do with preparation:

I want you to learn a new language in one week.

I’ll give you another week to memorize the value of Pi to 22,500 decimal places.

No kidding… he is able to perform these feats…

Please, meet

Daniel Tammet

A genius Autistic Savant

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Program Description
Daniel Tammet (born on 31 January 1979) is an autistic savant. Tammet has been “studied repeatedly” by researchers in Britain and the United States, and has been the subject of several peer-reviewed scientific papers.

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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Related:

Meditation Changes Brains!
Creating… life without compromise

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Awardings for Love and Kindness #3

Tags

Award for love and kindness, awards, B4Peace, blog award, idealistrebel, Madeleine Maya, Sherri of Palm Springs, WordPress

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Thank you

Madeleine Maya!

I am so happy to have this beautiful award
a third time and to be sharing it again.

YAY! 

I have more kind bloggers in my followings than I ever dreamed. The bloggers on my list (below) have done a kindness for me and/or for others or for bloggers using reblog or giving encouragements and by posting helpful information to the community at their blogs. Today, I want honor kind bloggers and also honor and thank Madeleine Maya. Madeleine‘s blog is one of my favorites here at WordPress that provides re-blogs and I follow these often to treasures… and … she has a collection of quotes, images and short posts that I hope everyone will get chance to view. Madeleine has a Masters in Psychology, a Specialization in Family Therapy and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. I am fotunate to have found her blog… hope you to will find treasures there. 

Barbara Mattio created this, The Award for Love and Kindness, to honor acts of Love and Kindness, and for us to share.  Barbara is a believer that Love and Kindness promote peace in the world. She created this award to give respect and appreciation and to promote these important values.

This stunning award is Barbara Mattio’s design. Click the badge to visit her Award for Love and Kindness page.

“It is important for us to remember that we are One Family living in One World; we are Sisters and Brothers, no matter how we look, what culture we live in, what religion we practice or who we love.  In many ways, blogging removes some of the obvious barriers between us, and helps bring those of us from all walks of life, ethnicity, creed, colors and ideals together as One Family,” said Barbara.

The Rules:

1. Share an act of kindness another blogger has done for you.
2. Thank the person who nominated you for the award, and link back to  their blog
3. Nominate those bloggers whom you feel practice Kindness and Love — you choose how many!

My Nominees for The Award for Love and Kindness are:

• Madeleine Maya
• Stellingsma2010
• Fozzy Fitness
• 5 minutes more please
• Iana Roy
• 007 Pandas
• By Divine-Design
• Ramblings from Jewles

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I will visit each site to notify the list…
this award is the coolest. 

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My awards page is here.
I display these awards with thanks and gratitude and links back to the source. It is my great pleasure to share them as well.

A note on posting awards:
When posting awards, it is best to post them onto a page and include the name of the award and how you came to get it. It happens that awards are a very popular search item and  unless you prefer not to be found, this is best.

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Other WordPress Peace bloggers:
http://wordpress.com/tag/b4peace/
Please join us!

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Mindfulness studies youth

Tags

Amishi Jha, B4Peace, free mindfulness exercises, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness, mindfulness training, Richard Davidson

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Richard Davidson: “Happiness is a skill.”

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Jon Kabat-Zinn: “Mindfulness is paying attention
in the present moment in a non-judgmental way.” 

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When we engage in mental training,
we change the function and structure of our brain.
In this respect, the mind is no different than the body… 

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Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness

The final event of the 2013 “The Emerging Science of Consciousness Series” presented by the Nour Foundation, Wisconsin Public Radio’s nationally-syndicated program features Neuroscientists Richard Davidson and Amishi Jha joined clinical mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn to explore the role of consciousness in mental and physical health.

These experts report that we can train the mind to become more flexible and adaptable. 

The entire session is included (below)
in the comments section of this post.

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Now, news on studies that focus
on mindfulness and our youth: 

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Mindfulness-Based Meditation Helps Teenagers With Cancer

Mar. 13, 2014 — Mindfulness-based meditation could lessen some symptoms associated with cancer in teens, according to the results of a clinical trial intervention. Mindfulness-based meditation focuses on the present moment and the connection between the mind and body. Adolescents living with cancer face not only the physical symptoms of their condition, but also the anxiety and uncertainty related to the progression of the disease, the anticipation of physical and emotional pain related to illness and treatment, the significant changes implied in living with cancer, as well as the fear of recurrence after remission …  full story 

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Mindfulness at School Reduces (Likelihood Of) Depression-Related Symptoms in Adolescents

Mar. 15, 2013 — Secondary school students who follow an in-class mindfulness program report reduced indications of depression, anxiety and stress up to six months later. Moreover, these students were less likely to develop pronounced depression-like symptoms …  full story 

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Mindfulness Meditation Increases Well-Being in Adolescent Boys, Study Finds

Sep. 1, 2010 — “Mindfulness,” the process of learning to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases well-being in adolescent boys, a new study reports …  full story

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Need help or want to collaborate with me?
Just e-mail me at thehunt4truth@yahoo.com

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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RELATED:

Stillness – your essential nature
There are no justified resentments 
Change from within

meditation changes brains
more… meditation changes brains
morning Meditation

Healthy spirituality and its biology
Is the brain spirituality wired?
Theory of mind… evolving spirituality

mindfulness and prayerful healing
practicing simply: mindfulness
Mindfulness training downloads (free)

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Teaching mindfulness-based practices to parents has the potential to improve parent emotion regulation and parents’ ability to cope with the stress and emotional complexity of raising a young teenager. Levels of child negative affect rise during adolescence and there is evidence that adolescents transmit their negative affect to their parents.

[See: Collins, W. A. (1990). Parent-child relationships in the transition to adolescence: Continuity and change in interaction, affect, and cognition. In R. Montemayor, G. R. Adams, & T. P. Gullotta (Eds.), From childhood to adolescence: A transitional period (pp. 85–106). London: Sage.; AND Larson, R. W., & Richards, M. H. (1994). Family emotions: Do young adolescents and their parents experience the same states? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 4(4), 567–583.]

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4-26.

Earth Day 2014

Tags

Earth Day, Earth Day 2014

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Well over a billion people around the world are expected to join in at an Earth Day event or activity on April 22, 2014. This is the 44th anniversary of the annual day of action. Earth Day began in 1970, when 20 million people across the United States—that’s one in ten—rallied for increased protection of the environment. How about you? If you aren’t aware of how to participate in Earth Day, here is a link: Google

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According to EarthDay.org

Our planet is at a turning point. The massive global migration underway now from countryside to cities will demand huge investments in energy, water, materials, waste, food distribution, and transportation over the next 25 years. If the right investments are made now, this unique opportunity will be the catalyst for dramatic changes in the built environment and the fight against carbon emissions and climate change.

There are suggestions at www.earthday.org/takeaction/ on what sort of impact you may have year-round as well.

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Need help or want to collaborate with me?
Just e-mail me at thehunt4truth@yahoo.com

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Thank you for visiting.

 Eric

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RELATED ARTICLES

Creating… life without compromise
What Is Global Consciousness?
global weirding?

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Terry’s House–a home for trafficked survivors.

Tags

healing, sex trafficking

Make it a priority to watch this short video… all of us are needed to make dramatic changes in partnership with the caring people here or elsewhere – take some time to do one thing to help someone… whatever you can do.

Pray that God will bless us all – every one of us…

 

 

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Stephensmustang

View original post

Beauty science within

Tags

Ann Kearney-Cooke, beauty, Dove, feel beautiful, psychology

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Psychologist Ann Kearney-Cooke introduces a Beauty Patch

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The science behind the social experiment is solid, experts say.

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Beauty Patch Experiment Panel Discussion

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Simply feeling more attractive may boost confidence. “The most remarkable finding was that an independent set of coders who listened only to the women (and didn’t see a picture) also thought that the women who were supposedly more attractive were more friendly and sociable.”

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see also:

Confidence in a patch?
Dove beauty experiment has surprising twist

Treat Yourself As If You Already Were
What You’d Like to Become

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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RELATED:

How is feeling upset my problem?

Stillness – your essential nature
Change from within

meditation changes brains
more… meditation changes brains
morning Meditation

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Mindful news… combat-related PTSD breakthrough

Tags

abuse victim, cognitive therapy, mindful therapy, Mindfulness therapy, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, trauma, University of Michigan Health System, veterans with PTSD

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Mindfulness therapy might help veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

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Source: Science Daily

Summary: Veterans with PTSD who completed a mindfulness-based group treatment plan showed a significant reduction in symptoms as compared to patients who underwent treatment as normal.

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A collaborative study from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System shows that veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) who completed an 8-week mindfulness-based group treatment plan showed a significant reduction in symptoms as compared to patients who underwent treatment as normal.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or MBCT, combines the practice of cognitive therapy with the meditative approach of mindfulness that stresses an increased awareness of all thoughts and emotions.

Previous research has shown stress reduction classes that use mindfulness meditation have been beneficial to people with a history of trauma exposure — including veterans, civilians with war-related trauma and adults with a history of childhood sexual abuse — but the new study is the first to examine the effect of mindfulness-based psychotherapy for PTSD with veterans in a PTSD clinic.

“The results of our trial are encouraging for veterans trying to find help for PTSD,” says Anthony P. King, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and research assistant professor in the U-M Department of Psychiatry, who performed the study in collaboration with psychologists at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. “Mindfulness techniques seemed to lead to a reduction in symptoms and might be a potentially effective novel therapeutic approach to PTSD and trauma-related conditions.”

Veterans in the mindfulness treatment groups participated in in-class exercises such as mindful eating, in which they focus on sensations associated with eating very slowly; “body scanning,” an exercise where patients focus on physical sensations in individual parts of the body, paying special attention to pain and tension; mindful movement and stretching; and “mindfulness meditation” including focusing on the breath and emotions. The participants were also instructed to practice mindfulness at home through audio-recorded exercises and during the day while doing activities such as walking, eating and showering.

After eight weeks of treatment, 73 percent of patients in the mindfulness group displayed meaningful improvement compared to 33 percent in the treatment-as-usual groups.

King says the most noticeable area of improvement for patients in the mindfulness group was a reduction in avoidance symptoms. One of the main tenets of mindfulness therapy is a sustained focus on thoughts and memories, even ones that might be unpleasant.

“Part of the psychological process of PTSD often includes avoidance and suppression of painful emotions and memories, which allows symptoms of the disorder to continue,” King says. “Through the mindfulness intervention, however, we found that many of our patients were able to stop this pattern of avoidance and see an improvement in their symptoms.”

Mindfulness techniques also emphasize focus and attention to positive experiences and nonjudgmental acceptance to one’s thoughts and emotions. Because of this, the researchers found that the patients in the mindfulness group experienced a decrease in feelings of self-blame and a trend toward decreased perception of the world as a dangerous place.

King says the results of this pilot study are encouraging, but further studies with a larger sample size are needed to fully explore the breadth of mindfulness intervention benefits. He added that the U-M-VA group is currently conducting a larger study including military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Further studies will help us understand whether mindfulness training is more aptly considered an adjunct option to gold-standard trauma-focused treatments such as prolonged exposure or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or whether it can function as an intervention in its own right for treating avoidance and other symptoms,” he says.

“Either way, mindfulness-based therapies provide a strategy that encourages active engagement for participants, are easy to learn and appear to have significant benefits for veterans with PTSD.”

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Michigan Health System. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Anthony P. King, Thane M. Erickson, Nicholas D. Giardino, Todd Favorite, Sheila A.M. Rauch, Elizabeth Robinson, Madhur Kulkarni, Israel Liberzon. A Pilot Study of Group Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Combat Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Depression and Anxiety, 2013; DOI:10.1002/da.22104

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University of Michigan Health System. “Mindfulness therapy might help veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 April 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130417130007.htm>.

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What is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy?

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Need help or want to collaborate with me?
Just e-mail me at thehunt4truth@yahoo.com

 Eric

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RELATED ARTICLES

• morning Meditation
• Meditation changes brains – PTSD related content
• Mindfulness – it is improving us
• your eMotion matters
• what is the happiest person in the world saying?
• awake my soul

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Apr 8, 2014.

 

more… meditation changes us

Tags

brain health, Mindfulness

Meditation Changes How Genes Are Expressed

First study to show rapid beneficial changes from meditation at the molecular level.

Here is a collection of tips and the benefits:

• Meditation changes brains
• Healthy spirituality and its biology
• Change from within
• Is the brain spirituality wired?
• Theory of mind… evolving spirituality
• Meditation energizes
• mindfulness and prayerful healing

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Only one Word was on my mind

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I read (March 29 actually):

“Researchers used brain scans to analyze the thought process of people with ‘high justice sensitivity’. By using a functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) brain scanning device, they studied the brain activity as the subjects watched videos showing behavior that was morally good or bad like seeing a person put money in the beggar’s cup or kick the beggar’s cup away. They were asked how much they would blame or praise the person in the video and to complete  questionnaires that assessed cognitive and emotional empathy and their justice sensitivity.

Those who scored high on the justice sensitivity assigned significantly more blame when asked to evaluate scenes of harm and also praised more the act of an helping person. But it was the brain scans that surprised the scientists.

During the behavior-evaluation exercise, people with high justice sensitivity showed more activity in the parts of brain associated with higher order cognition as compared to an average subject whereas the areas of brain concerned with emotional processing were not affected at all. Thus proving that individuals sensitive to justice are cognitively driven, not emotionally as everyone thinks.

So the search of justice does not primarily come from the sentimental motivations like portrayed rather it comes from reason and mental sophisticated analysis.

When evaluating good actions, a high  activity in the regions of brain involved on decision making, motivation and reward was shown, answering why some people react more strongly to justice related situations and why they value justice more than others. The findings also suggest that individuals make judgement about behavior based on how they process the reward value of good actions as compared to bad actions.”

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How do you suppose people are coming to higher-consciousness about social justice?

If you have been following my blog, you may guess that I believe it isn’t by accident — I’m pretty darn sure its because this is what we are doing while we are getting more spiritually fit and mindfully attuned and prayerfully loving. We are changing our brains and our genetics. We are evolving. We are learning and teaching that it is good to love being loving and compassionate. We are learning that we may even have compassion for people that are awful (and of course still have legal justice)… its work; yes it is… its God’s work.

My mission is to promote God’s loving grace; not religion.

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Need help or want to collaborate with me?
Just e-mail me at thehunt4truth@yahoo.com

Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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More about mindfulness and meditations at the Hunt4Truth

ripple-ing
make it so
morning Meditation
I am the tree… today
mirroring compassion
developing better brains
Spiritual Laws of Success
meditation changes brains
practicing simply: mindfulness
we exchange energy – always
Mindfulness – it is improving us
Only one Word was on my mind
How Energy Travels in the Body
Stillness – your essential nature
I ripple, you ripple, we all ripple
Four Quick Mindfulness Exercises
Drop into your heart and breathe
Healthy spirituality and its biology
mindfulness and prayerful healing
Theory of mind… evolving spirituality
Mindfulness training downloads (free)
Watch – a power is changing this world.
meditation may relieve chronic inflammation
Mindfulness Training Improves Attention in Children
Accept what you cannot change or change what you cannot accept.

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cyber world – how are we looking out for us?

Tags

cyber crime, Homeland Security, Terrorism

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I received a message from Senator Carper in my e-mail. I know that criminal and terrorist uses of the Internet poses a great threat, here in the United States and world-wide. I suppose also that letting the government figure out what to do and turning my mind completely away from the issue — while that is appealing to me — is not wise.

I wonder what others think. If you may have any ideas, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees are getting involved… this is a good time to think about the vastness of the related issues.

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Program Description
In part two of his conversation with John Taylor, Senator Carper talks about his new position as Chair of the senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The Senator discusses the continued threat posed by Al-Qaeda, improved security for the nation’s air and rail systems, and cyber terrorism, which he sees as a bigger threat over the next 10 years.

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E-MAIL I received
from: Senator Tom Carper

March 28, 2014

Dear Friends,

We are under attack.  Nearly every day, we hear about criminals from around the world targeting our nation’s critical infrastructure and sensitive information through cyberattacks. That is why it’s so important that our nation and government focus on securing our online communications and systems so that consumers, businesses, and the government can be prepared for these attacks.

To help meet this challenge, earlier this week I held a hearing in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on how the government and private sector can partner to address cyber threats. I also plan to hold a hearing next week focusing on how government and business can collaborate to protect consumers, like you, when our best efforts fail and a data breach occurs, like the recent breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus that affected so many of us.

While Congress has an important role to play in enhancing our nation’s cybersecurity efforts, legislation alone is not enough. Government, business, and academia must work together to find a solution to these problems. Our nation needs a workforce with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to protect our vulnerable digital systems. Here in Delaware, programs like the Cybersecurity Initiative at the University of Delaware are leading the way in educating and training our future cybersecurity leaders. I hope other universities take UD’s lead and begin offering similar programs to fill demand in this growing field.

Cybersecurity affects all of us, so I want to hear your views on this critical issue. You can reach out about this, or anything else, through email or by contacting me on Twitter@SenatorCarper and on Facebook at facebook.com/tomcarper.

Sincerely,

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see video: Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships
to Reduce Cyber Risks to Our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure
http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/templates/watch.cfm?
id=664847ec-5056-a032-52d4-49ee13950cab

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mindfulness: a state of non-distraction

Tags

attention, B4Peace, cognitive ability, Dawa Tarchin Phillips, embrace silence, forgive, Forgiveness, free mindfulness exercises, Jonathan Schooler, life is beautiful, Love without resentment, Meditation Changes Brains, Memory, Michael Mrazek, Michael S. Franklin, Mind-wandering, Mindfulness, mindfulness training, morning Meditation, reading, reading comprehension, ScienceDaily, Success and Inner Peace, task focus, working memory, working memory capacity

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Mindfulness improves reading ability,
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working memory, and task-focus

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If you think your inability to concentrate is a hopeless condition, think again — and breathe, and focus. According to a new study, as little as two weeks of mindfulness training can significantly improve one’s reading comprehension, working memory capacity, and ability to focus. (source)

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Findings were recently published online in the empirical psychology journal Psychological Science.

Michael Mrazek, author of the paper:

“What surprised me the most was actually the clarity of the results. Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering.” “Even with a rigorous design and effective training program, it wouldn’t be unusual to find mixed results. But we found reduced mind-wandering in every way we measured it.“

To investigate whether mindfulness training can reduce mind-wandering and thereby improve performance, the scientists randomly assigned 48 undergraduate students to either a class that taught the practice of mindfulness or a class that covered fundamental topics in nutrition. Both classes were taught by professionals with extensive teaching experience in their fields. Within a week before the classes, the students were given two tests: a modified verbal reasoning test from the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and a working memory capacity (WMC) test. Mind-wandering during both tests was also measured.

The mindfulness classes provided a conceptual introduction along with practical instruction on how to practice mindfulness in both targeted exercises and daily life. Meanwhile, the nutrition class taught nutrition science and strategies for healthy eating, and required students to log their daily food intake.

Within a week after the classes ended, the students were tested again. Their scores indicated that the mindfulness group significantly improved on both the verbal GRE test and the working memory capacity test. They also mind-wandered less during testing. None of these changes were true of the nutrition group.

Mrazek:

“This is the most complete and rigorous demonstration that mindfulness can reduce mind-wandering, one of the clearest demonstrations that mindfulness can improve working memory and reading, and the first study to tie all this together to show that mind-wandering mediates the improvements in performance.“

He added that the research establishes with greater certainty that some cognitive abilities often seen as immutable, such as working memory capacity, can be improved through mindfulness training.

Mrazek and the rest of the research team –– which includes Michael S. Franklin, project scientist; mindfulness teacher and research specialist Dawa Tarchin Phillips; graduate student Benjamin Baird; and senior investigator Jonathan Schooler, professor of psychological and brain sciences –– are extending their work by investigating whether similar results can be achieved with younger populations, or with web-based mindfulness interventions. They are also examining whether or not the benefits of mindfulness can be compounded by a program of personal development that also targets nutrition, exercise, sleep, and personal relationships.

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For more information on the mindfulness training program,
contact Dawa Tarchin Phillips
(805) 680-3988 or phillips@psych.ucsb.edu

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University of California – Santa Barbara. “Mindfulness improves reading ability, working memory, and task-focus.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 March 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130326133339.htm>.

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see also:

Meditation Changes Brains
Gamma brain wave production is associated with consciousness, attention, learning and memory. We want to train our brains to increase peace and serenity and this changes the brain.

Embrace Silence
Instead of rationalizing and asking your friends and family what to do without being you, just be you. Relax your mind. Open up the small spaces between your thoughts to silence.

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Thanks for visiting.

 Eric

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Need help or want to collaborate with me?
Just e-mail me at thehunt4truth@yahoo.com

.

RELATED ARTICLES

• Meditation Changes Brains
• Embrace Silence
• morning Meditation
• Gratitude is essential
• Looking at yourself honestly
  – Respect and Gratitude
• Spiritual Laws of Success
• Mindfulness – it is improving us
• what is the happiest person in the world saying?
• awake my soul

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Mar 25, 2014 .