DCastleFT.GlobalEcon Merkel mauls central banks : Unconventional monetary policies being pu.. http://tinyurl.com/pmkd8k
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
DCastleFT.GlobalEcon
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DCastleFT.GlobalEcon Merkel mauls central banks : Unconventional monetary policies being pu.. http://tinyurl.com/pmkd8k
DCastleFT.GlobalEcon Merkel mauls central banks : Unconventional monetary policies being pu.. http://tinyurl.com/pmkd8k
DouglasCastle.Digg R
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DouglasCastle.Digg Rwandan to face genocide charges in Finland: Finnish prosecutors will file.. http://tinyurl.com/ofbpkd
DouglasCastle.Digg Rwandan to face genocide charges in Finland: Finnish prosecutors will file.. http://tinyurl.com/ofbpkd
DouglasCastle_FTnews
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DouglasCastle_FTnews Anti-Castro politicians fight thawing of relations : Cuban-American po.. http://tinyurl.com/q4ng52
DouglasCastle_FTnews Anti-Castro politicians fight thawing of relations : Cuban-American po.. http://tinyurl.com/q4ng52
Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.
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Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.
Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.Dear Friends:
As a man born with an irresistible propensity for apologies (I have actually apologized to neighbors about the weather), I had to take this moment to apologize to all of my readers. Please read on.
I spend a great deal of time railing and carrying on about being heard and being noticed in this noise-filled, e-media world. It is nothing short of magic to hear, and to be heard amidst the constant full-sensorial assault on the senses imposed upon on us in a promotion-obsessed high-technology society. It seems, too much of the time, that everyone is promoting and no one is producing...that everyone is selling, even if no one is buying. Ironically, if you truly want to purchase something, it's almost unimaginally difficult to get service -- "All of our representatives are currently assisting other callers..."
Two days ago, I tried to contact a domain registration service by telephone. I called the number for "Immediate Customer Assistance." The first time I phoned, I held for 15 minutes. The second time, 20 minutes. The third time, I started yelling into the telephone (at no one) after hearing a musical tape loop of Dave Brubeck's immortal "Take Five," which was, until very recently, one of my favorite songs. While I waited on the telephone, I went through in excess of one hundred emails which had accumulated in my computer inbox in the space of two hours.
Approximately one in every ten messages was spam. Ironically, in going through my spam filter's collected entries, I have generally found that approximately one in every twenty five spam messages is a miscategorized legitimate email. My computer can no longer effectively differentiate between them - the machine is as overworked and confused as I am (Note: I plan to publish the results of my study in the International Journal Of Useless, Unsponsored Research, August Edition. Adam J. Kovitz, of THE NATIONAL NETWORKER refused to finance this endeavor when I offered him a right of first refusal, citing it as "crap," or some variant thereof). Anyway:
Several days ago I started featuring several different newsfeeds on a number of the blogs which I administer, co-author or write. While International News is very important, the feeds have been posting to these blogs many times each day. Enough is enough. To make matters worse, the hyperlinks to the top news stories are not live [by the way, if you want to bring any of the links on these posts to life so that you can read the entire story, all you need to do is paste them into your browser].
I have been quite a hypocrite...filling my readers' blogs, widgets, RSS feeds and email with this avalanche of sobering and saddening news, instead of heartfelt, informative and stimulating content. I have been loitering and littering, and I am deeply sorry.
Starting tomorrow (because nobody ever starts today, whenever today may be - we Humans are prone to procrastination and indecision, which I should probably write about if and when I can get around to making up my mind about it), I will decrease the frequency of these feeds to once daily for each. The feeds in question are from Associated Press (AP), The Financial Times (FT) and Digg.
Please stay with me. I will make it up to you.
I am deeply in debt to those people who read what I write, and I will not abuse the privilege and honor of your interest and loyalty.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Thursday, May 28, 2009
BRAINTENANCE 5/28/09 - 6/3/09
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RECALL TRIGGERS - Access to to memories and feelings past.
Dear Friends:
Recall...
It is interesting to note that the two most powerful stimuli ("triggers") to create full and vivid sensorial recall happen to be 1) the olfactory sense -- your sense of smell...the scent of an old perfume, cologne, a favorite childhood food, certain flowers...and 2) music...both instrumental and vocal.
If these two forces are properly incorporated in any therapy session, form of entertainment, or presentation, the efficacy of the communication will be heightened. Human beings are uncanny in this way; we mark the most significant moments in our lives with ambient music and fragrances.
Ironically, these are stimuli which are actually processed by the most primitive parts of our brain. This also explains how a person can be moved to tears when hearing an old melody, or how an individual can find himself (or herself) mysteriously attracted to a new love who happens to wear the same fragrance as had been worn by a a love long past. The mechanics of memory are truly amazing.
--Douglas Castle
______________________________________
I have heard rumors that some of our readers needed a serious challenge. As Uncle Ned would have said, "Try deeze on fer size." Here you are, folks:
1. What is the sum of the numbers from 20 to 1,000, inclusive?
2. Counting by tens, what is the sum of the numbers from 10 to 5,000, inclusive?
3. If a bank account bears interest at 5% annually (compounded each year), approximately how long will it take for the account to grow to 2.5 times its original size?
4. If Barry (not his real name, which is actually Paul DiPalma, but I would never reveal that in a blog posting) loses 2% of his body weight per year, and he starts his diet and fitness regimen at a weight of 280 lbs., how much will he weigh at the end of 5 years?
5. Cousin Vladimir, recently home from the Gulag, has decided that it would be fun to play Russian Roulette. He takes his trusty six-shooter (a revolver), and places one bullet in one of the chambers, and spins the barrel around a few times. He then aims at this foot and proceeds to shoot, with perfect aim:
What is the probability of his shooting himself on the first shot?
If he does not shoot himself on the first shot, what is the probability that he will succeed on the second shot?
If he does not shoot himself during his first two attempts, what is the probability that he will succeed on the third shot?
What is the probability that he will not shoot himself during five consecutive attempts?
What is the probability that he will shoot himself during five consecutive attempts?
If he had instead placed two bullets in the chambers, how would it have changed each of your answers in the questions above?
6. A colony of bacteria reproduces and doubles its size every 12 hours. After 144 hours, how many times larger will the population be than when the growth measurement process first started?
7. A student is working on a term paper which is required to be five typewritten double-spaced pages in length. Since this student is less than enthusiastic about the project, and wishes to write as little as possible, he determines that his three-page paper could be expanded to five pages if he adjusted the left and right margins. By what percentage would he have to expand each margin in order to stretch his text to meet the five-page requirement?
*Spend some time watching some of the meditation videos above, and give yourself a break from hearing all of the news about the economy, North Korea's rocket tests, American Idol controversies, and other difficult things that we are forced to contend with from day-to-day.
BCNU.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
RECALL TRIGGERS - Access to to memories and feelings past.Dear Friends:
Recall...
It is interesting to note that the two most powerful stimuli ("triggers") to create full and vivid sensorial recall happen to be 1) the olfactory sense -- your sense of smell...the scent of an old perfume, cologne, a favorite childhood food, certain flowers...and 2) music...both instrumental and vocal.
If these two forces are properly incorporated in any therapy session, form of entertainment, or presentation, the efficacy of the communication will be heightened. Human beings are uncanny in this way; we mark the most significant moments in our lives with ambient music and fragrances.
Ironically, these are stimuli which are actually processed by the most primitive parts of our brain. This also explains how a person can be moved to tears when hearing an old melody, or how an individual can find himself (or herself) mysteriously attracted to a new love who happens to wear the same fragrance as had been worn by a a love long past. The mechanics of memory are truly amazing.
--Douglas Castle
______________________________________
I have heard rumors that some of our readers needed a serious challenge. As Uncle Ned would have said, "Try deeze on fer size." Here you are, folks:
1. What is the sum of the numbers from 20 to 1,000, inclusive?
2. Counting by tens, what is the sum of the numbers from 10 to 5,000, inclusive?
3. If a bank account bears interest at 5% annually (compounded each year), approximately how long will it take for the account to grow to 2.5 times its original size?
4. If Barry (not his real name, which is actually Paul DiPalma, but I would never reveal that in a blog posting) loses 2% of his body weight per year, and he starts his diet and fitness regimen at a weight of 280 lbs., how much will he weigh at the end of 5 years?
5. Cousin Vladimir, recently home from the Gulag, has decided that it would be fun to play Russian Roulette. He takes his trusty six-shooter (a revolver), and places one bullet in one of the chambers, and spins the barrel around a few times. He then aims at this foot and proceeds to shoot, with perfect aim:
What is the probability of his shooting himself on the first shot?
If he does not shoot himself on the first shot, what is the probability that he will succeed on the second shot?
If he does not shoot himself during his first two attempts, what is the probability that he will succeed on the third shot?
What is the probability that he will not shoot himself during five consecutive attempts?
What is the probability that he will shoot himself during five consecutive attempts?
If he had instead placed two bullets in the chambers, how would it have changed each of your answers in the questions above?
6. A colony of bacteria reproduces and doubles its size every 12 hours. After 144 hours, how many times larger will the population be than when the growth measurement process first started?
7. A student is working on a term paper which is required to be five typewritten double-spaced pages in length. Since this student is less than enthusiastic about the project, and wishes to write as little as possible, he determines that his three-page paper could be expanded to five pages if he adjusted the left and right margins. By what percentage would he have to expand each margin in order to stretch his text to meet the five-page requirement?
*Spend some time watching some of the meditation videos above, and give yourself a break from hearing all of the news about the economy, North Korea's rocket tests, American Idol controversies, and other difficult things that we are forced to contend with from day-to-day.
BCNU.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Expand your network
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Expand your network exponentially - Build viable, active professional relationships. THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW) is an organization which 1) publishes a free weekly newsletter; 2) offers its subscribers and members an unparalleled suite of fabulous business-building services; and 3) acts as a true community in building teams and in proactively making pre-qualified direct, personal introductions. If you want to accelerate your journey to achievement, join us. We take our subscribers and members seriously. To see the latest issue of our Newsletter, click on http://htxt.it/M58L . Get your free subscription TODAY. Click on http://htxt.it/hsZo THE NATIONAL NETWORKER
Expand your network exponentially - Build viable, active professional relationships. THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW) is an organization which 1) publishes a free weekly newsletter; 2) offers its subscribers and members an unparalleled suite of fabulous business-building services; and 3) acts as a true community in building teams and in proactively making pre-qualified direct, personal introductions. If you want to accelerate your journey to achievement, join us. We take our subscribers and members seriously. To see the latest issue of our Newsletter, click on http://htxt.it/M58L . Get your free subscription TODAY. Click on http://htxt.it/hsZo THE NATIONAL NETWORKER
Monday, May 25, 2009
Music Therapy - I ha
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Music Therapy - I have recently revamped my Humanitas Maximus blog. I have some excellent music players on the site that you can listen to. If you'd like, you can even embed them on your own websites, blogs, newsletters, social media, homepages and bathroom stalls (kidding). Here's the post from Twitter: douglascastleMUSIC THERAPY - Please have a listen at http://htxt.it/xie2 . I have updated the celebrated Humanitas Maximus blog - great music! --Thank you, music lovers. --DC
Music Therapy - I have recently revamped my Humanitas Maximus blog. I have some excellent music players on the site that you can listen to. If you'd like, you can even embed them on your own websites, blogs, newsletters, social media, homepages and bathroom stalls (kidding). Here's the post from Twitter: douglascastleMUSIC THERAPY - Please have a listen at http://htxt.it/xie2 . I have updated the celebrated Humanitas Maximus blog - great music! --Thank you, music lovers. --DC
Friday, May 22, 2009
LINKS 4 LIFE PUBLIC
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LINKS 4 LIFE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Life Links has been renamed "Links 4 Life" Dear Friends: Effective immediately, LIFE LINKS has changed its name to "LINKS 4 LIFE." Our web address will remain the same, at http://htxt.it/aZAI , and our updates will be posted more frequently. As a not-for-profit service for the benefit of the public, we offer unsurpassed resources in the event of a health, financial or psychological crisis. We have contacts for returning soldiers, the recently unemployed, the elderly and the chronically ill. Please visit the site and make us a favorite. Please forward this message to all of your family, friends and business associates...it could save somebody's life. Thank you. Douglas Castle
LINKS 4 LIFE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Life Links has been renamed "Links 4 Life" Dear Friends: Effective immediately, LIFE LINKS has changed its name to "LINKS 4 LIFE." Our web address will remain the same, at http://htxt.it/aZAI , and our updates will be posted more frequently. As a not-for-profit service for the benefit of the public, we offer unsurpassed resources in the event of a health, financial or psychological crisis. We have contacts for returning soldiers, the recently unemployed, the elderly and the chronically ill. Please visit the site and make us a favorite. Please forward this message to all of your family, friends and business associates...it could save somebody's life. Thank you. Douglas Castle
LIFE LINKS HAS BEEN RENAMED "LINKS 4 LIFE"
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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Life Links has been renamed "Links 4 Life"
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Life Links has been renamed "Links 4 Life"Dear Friends:
Effective immediately, LIFE LINKS has changed its name to "LINKS 4 LIFE." Our web address will remain the same, at http://lifelinksiep.blogspot.com/ , and our updates will be posted more frequently. As a not-for-profit service for the benefit of the public, we offer unsurpassed resources in the event of a health, financial or psychological crisis. We have contacts for returning soldiers, the recently unemployed, the elderly and the chronically ill. Please visit the site and make us a favorite.
Please forward this message to all of your family, friends and business associates...it could save somebody's life.
Thank you.
Douglas Castle
---This message is sponsored by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER, INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS and SrMeetUp!---
Thursday, May 21, 2009
BRAINTENANCE EXERCISES: 5/21/09 - 5/26/09
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Dear Friends:
Firstly, I would like to give you some answers to some of the questions about your brain, mind and intelligence. Secondly, I'd like to offer you some clues on how to find the balance of the answers -- those answers to the questions which I won't give you outright.
For the unanswered questions, I will just provide you with strings of words to be put into certain of the search engines in order to generate information (in the form of articles, websites, etc.) from which you can harvest the answers yourselves.
By the way, when using search engines, you must understand how they "think"...that is, how they process informational requests. For example, if you want every word in a group of words to be found in each response generated, you must use the plus sign (+) between each word; if you want the words to be in a certain sequence, you must put quotation marks around those words.
An interesting observation...to use a search engine, you must organize the way you think and present requests for information. Another interesting observation...when you use search engines, you are partnering your mind with a machine. The better your understanding of the machine, the more successful your results. Sadly, the machine cannot learn how you think -- but you, being a sentient and highly-evolved life form (with the notable exception of my neighbor, Sid), can learn how the machine "thinks."
Here we go:
1. How many cells does the average adult human brain contain? Approximately 100 billion cells (principally neurons).
2. What does the average adult human brain weigh? Between 2.25 and 3.25 pounds. There is no correlation between brain weight and intelligence.
3. What is the name of the tissue that separates the two hemispheres of the human brain? The corpus callosum.
4. What percentage of the brain's capacity do researchers believe that we use at any given time?
This is a ridiculous question, of course. The myth about 10% of capacity being used at any one time, or for any one task, is a wild understatement. Scientists do not know how to gauge, or by which physical standard to measure the brain's total capacity, or the extent to which certain parts of the brain work (in the "background") to support conscious and unconscious activities. For an interesting view, click on http://www.sciencemaster.com/columns/wesson/wesson_part_05.php .
5. As we gain knowledge or do mental gymnastics, what happens to the physical brain?
intelligence, brain physiology, brain morphology, convolutions, correlation between brain use and brain physiology/morphology, correlation between intelligence and brain physiology/morphology...GOOD LUCK.
6. What is the difference between the brain and the mind?
Brain versus mind...GOOD LUCK.
7. What part of the brain is associated with appetite?
Brain, appetite, control...GOOD LUCK
8. What part of the brain is associated with conscious thought? The cerebrum.
9. What part of the brain is is associated with autonomic ("unconscious") bodily functions and "maintenance" activity? Brain, function, autonomic activity, unconscious bodily functions...GOOD LUCK.
10. What does "IQ" stand for, and what does it really measure? "Intelligence Quotient" is a measure which predicts how well a person can reason, and can be expected to perform typical academic tasks. Its relevence is as questionable as the actual nature of intelligence, itself.
11. Can destroyed or damaged brain cells be re-grown? Yes - thankfully, they can. For further information about this, click on http://www.cnsfoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rch_neurological .
12. Can a brain cell associated with one function "learn" to take over another function? Yes.
13. What do researchers think actually happens to the brain with the outset of Alzheimer's disease? You're on your own: alzheimer's, morphology, causes, effects on the brain, symptoms, physiological changes to the brain, predictive factors...GOOD LUCK.
14. What part of the brain is actually a crystalline body? The rest of it seems rather mushy by comparison... The pineal body (sometimes called the pineal gland) - this is worth researching further. Q: What function does the pineal body serve? What does it create or secrete? When is it most active?
15. What brain wave pattern is associated with deep sleep? The delta brain wave, especially during deep, dreamful sleep. It is during these delta periods that the brain manufactures the greatest amounts of Human Growth Hormone.
16. What brain wave pattern is associated with normal wakefulness? The beta brain wave.
__________________________________________________________
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Dear Friends:
Firstly, I would like to give you some answers to some of the questions about your brain, mind and intelligence. Secondly, I'd like to offer you some clues on how to find the balance of the answers -- those answers to the questions which I won't give you outright.
For the unanswered questions, I will just provide you with strings of words to be put into certain of the search engines in order to generate information (in the form of articles, websites, etc.) from which you can harvest the answers yourselves.
By the way, when using search engines, you must understand how they "think"...that is, how they process informational requests. For example, if you want every word in a group of words to be found in each response generated, you must use the plus sign (+) between each word; if you want the words to be in a certain sequence, you must put quotation marks around those words.
An interesting observation...to use a search engine, you must organize the way you think and present requests for information. Another interesting observation...when you use search engines, you are partnering your mind with a machine. The better your understanding of the machine, the more successful your results. Sadly, the machine cannot learn how you think -- but you, being a sentient and highly-evolved life form (with the notable exception of my neighbor, Sid), can learn how the machine "thinks."
Here we go:
1. How many cells does the average adult human brain contain? Approximately 100 billion cells (principally neurons).
2. What does the average adult human brain weigh? Between 2.25 and 3.25 pounds. There is no correlation between brain weight and intelligence.
3. What is the name of the tissue that separates the two hemispheres of the human brain? The corpus callosum.
4. What percentage of the brain's capacity do researchers believe that we use at any given time?
This is a ridiculous question, of course. The myth about 10% of capacity being used at any one time, or for any one task, is a wild understatement. Scientists do not know how to gauge, or by which physical standard to measure the brain's total capacity, or the extent to which certain parts of the brain work (in the "background") to support conscious and unconscious activities. For an interesting view, click on http://www.sciencemaster.com/columns/wesson/wesson_part_05.php .
5. As we gain knowledge or do mental gymnastics, what happens to the physical brain?
intelligence, brain physiology, brain morphology, convolutions, correlation between brain use and brain physiology/morphology, correlation between intelligence and brain physiology/morphology...GOOD LUCK.
6. What is the difference between the brain and the mind?
Brain versus mind...GOOD LUCK.
7. What part of the brain is associated with appetite?
Brain, appetite, control...GOOD LUCK
8. What part of the brain is associated with conscious thought? The cerebrum.
9. What part of the brain is is associated with autonomic ("unconscious") bodily functions and "maintenance" activity? Brain, function, autonomic activity, unconscious bodily functions...GOOD LUCK.
10. What does "IQ" stand for, and what does it really measure? "Intelligence Quotient" is a measure which predicts how well a person can reason, and can be expected to perform typical academic tasks. Its relevence is as questionable as the actual nature of intelligence, itself.
11. Can destroyed or damaged brain cells be re-grown? Yes - thankfully, they can. For further information about this, click on http://www.cnsfoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rch_neurological .
12. Can a brain cell associated with one function "learn" to take over another function? Yes.
13. What do researchers think actually happens to the brain with the outset of Alzheimer's disease? You're on your own: alzheimer's, morphology, causes, effects on the brain, symptoms, physiological changes to the brain, predictive factors...GOOD LUCK.
14. What part of the brain is actually a crystalline body? The rest of it seems rather mushy by comparison... The pineal body (sometimes called the pineal gland) - this is worth researching further. Q: What function does the pineal body serve? What does it create or secrete? When is it most active?
15. What brain wave pattern is associated with deep sleep? The delta brain wave, especially during deep, dreamful sleep. It is during these delta periods that the brain manufactures the greatest amounts of Human Growth Hormone.
16. What brain wave pattern is associated with normal wakefulness? The beta brain wave.
__________________________________________________________
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
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