Reports of explosions as Russian forces launch Ukraine military assault – BBC News

He has no special powers, but he is very good at reading body language, detecting lies and knows how to influence human behavior. Mentalist Carl Swindler can tell when you’re lying. If it’s not your words that give you away, it’s your posture or breathing pattern.

All of the people on the earth today are special! Anyone who has studied history realizes that our forefathers went through hell just to stay alive and then propagate.

The situation facing people who are in dissent is paradoxical. In places where they have the most reason to rebel, they have the least freedom to rebel; whereas in places where they have the most freedom to rebel there is least reason to rebel. In Muslim, right-wing Christian and Communist societies there is most reason for rebellion, and in those societies it is least tolerated.

I said it before, I’ll say it again: nearly all of us conform to the sociological norm and rest comfortably within the cultural box society demands of us, because, ultimately it’s too much effort to really be an outsider, a free thinker and doer due in part to the social consequences of being, well, different. Let’s face reality; most of us are sheep most of the time. Here’s round two of ‘what the flock’ just to further drive home the point.

Would you be surprised to hear that “the leading cause of disability in the US and Canada [is mental illness]” or that 1 in 4 Americans suffer from mental illness each YEAR? In other words, one person in every average-sized (2 parent/caregiver+2 child) home will suffer from a mental illness this year.

Why are we so allured by the myth of the end of the world? A short look at apocalyptic myths and society.

Voluntary euthanasia is not killing one’s elders, or sliding down a moral slippery slope whereby mankind displays more evil than normal; neither is it suicide. Those who are free of priest-led dogma, and are capable of thinking for themselves, accept (about 85% of Australians do) that legislatively-protected, medico-assisted, compassionate, gradual-death for the few who are in enduring and severe pain which has not been alleviated by the best of palliative care, and with no known remedy, is morally undeniable. Denying adequate compassion in these circumstances is denying the core teaching of Jesus, the founder of that Christian minority which opposes voluntary euthanasia.

Although Western democracy is claimed to be the best form of representative government, in Australia, voters do not select or vote for their electoral representatives; they merely vote for their preferred political party, the relative competence of the candidates offered them being somewhat opaque. The control of Parliament now achieved by a minority religious community has resulted in the denial of personal choice in significant social policies. Religious dogma has over-ridden human rights.

Representative government in a secular Western democracy can be expected to permit the expression of a variety of social values reflecting the conscience of all the people. Yet, when a minority religious community has imposed its inflexible dogma-driven values upon the whole population, is it not timely to question how this illiberal outcome occurred? Is Western democracy to blame? On what ethical or legal basis could such a minority be permitted to over-ride the freedom of choice reflecting the personal consciences of the overwhelming majority of a population holding diverse religio-cultural values?

It is truly amazing to read the news every day and learn of yet another bombing or terrorist act in Pakistan. Those poor folks just cannot catch a break. Still, this is their way of life and judging them on Western Civilization terms may not be the right way to view it all. Okay so, let’s talk shall we?

Americans are used to blending traditions to suit their modern families. The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico bring together Native and Christian traditions that are hundreds of years old. The annual holiday dances and feasting last for four days. During those days, the Pueblos’ most important values come together: art, family, generosity, and hospitality.

Theorising mass anger is often irrelevant when people seek actions of revenge and punishments like public execution etc. on the perpetrators when socially sensitive crimes are committed. At times, even from amidst such voices of vengeance we can hear some discerning ones which talk about social transformation through better upbringing of children in families as long-term measures rather than about instant hanging of a rapist-killer or the execution of a mass murderer of school children. Such voices make us optimistic about the fact that the world is waking up (though slowly) to the mind-care angles of many of its social issues – be it rape, gun-running, corruption or terrorism.