Synchronicity

Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events, that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance, that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner. The concept of synchronicity was first described by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung in the 1920s.[1]

The concept does not question, or compete with, the notion of causality. Instead, it maintains that just as events may be grouped by cause, they may also be grouped by their meaning. Since meaning is a complex mental construction, subject to conscious and unconscious influence, not every correlation in the grouping of events by meaning needs to have an explanation in terms of cause and effect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity

cf. memes

Blithering Fantastic

Is Sore Dragon Fantastic?

Or is it Blithering?

Fare to Australia (Dorset Martyrs)

God is our guide! from field, from wave,
From plough, from anvil, and from loom;
We come, our country's rights to save,
And speak a tyrant faction's doom:
We raise the watch-word liberty;
...We will, we will, we will be free!

Desire and Sacrifice

"There's a lion in the road, there's a demon escaped,

There's a million dreams gone,

there's a landscape being raped ..."

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/toby.p/where_are_you_tonight.htm

"Horseplay and disease is killing me by degrees

while the law looks the other way."

"The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure,

to live it you had to explode.

"In that last hour of need, we entirely agreed,

sacrifice was the code of the road.

I left town at dawn, with Marcel and St. John,

strong men belittled by doubt."
(Bob Dylan)

People get addicted to what makes them happy (gives them a thrill, buzz or they think it makes them happy not knowing an alternative): despots, social workers, heroin addicts, alcoholics, do-gooders, sadists, masochists, paedophiles, political idealists, anti-socials, etc, etc.

Stopped by

Self-sacrifice (Jesus Christ)
Deterrents (violence, intimidation, hubris etc.)
Voted Out

Cuthman

When Cuthman came to Steyning, the South Saxons were in conflict with other tribes of Saxons especially the West Saxons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthman_of_Steyning

http://www.mail-archive.com/celt-saints@yahoogroups.com/msg00438.html

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/History.htm

Local Kings would have to submit (sacrifice) to higher authorities. This might be by force, weight of numbers, but not necessarily the truth, justice, idealism, rationality, fair play. This is the Christian way. It may make for harmony, but not for truth or justice. This is real politik. It might have more to do with property rights, honour, pride (hubris), charisma, convenience.

Hare and the Tortoise

Hare and the Tortoise

The story concerns a hare who ridicules a slow-moving tortoise and is challenged by him to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, decides to take a nap midway through the course. When he awakes, however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tortoise_and_the_Hare


Took an untrodden path once where the swift don't win the race,
It goes to the worthy, Who can can divine the word of truth.
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/getsome.org/guitar/olga/chordpro/d/Bob.Dylan/IAndI.chopro


Comment: The Owl (INTJ) is the Judge. Hare is ISFJ and Tortoise ENTP variant.

Alternatives: The Racehorse (or Greyhound) & the Turtle

Hare: the Messenger

Hare

Normally a shy animal, the European Brown Hare changes its behaviour in spring, when hares can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows; this appears to be competition between males to attain dominance (and hence more access to breeding females). During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen "boxing"; one hare striking another with its paws. For a long time it had been thought that this was more inter-male competition, but closer observation has revealed that it is usually a female hitting a male; either to show that she is not yet quite ready to mate, or as a test of his determination.

Hares do not bear their young below ground in a burrow as do other Leporidae, but rather in a shallow depression or flattened nest of grass called a form. Young hares are adapted to the lack of physical protection offered by a burrow by being precocial, born fully furred and with eyes open. By contrast, the related rabbits and cottontail rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless.

The hare's diet is very similar to that of the rabbit.

http://www.dogluvers.com/dog_breeds/Hare

The Three Hares Project is researching and documenting an ancient symbol of three hares or rabbits running in a circle and joined by their ears which form a triangle at the centre of the design. The symbol is a puzzle for each creature appears to have two ears yet, between them, they share only three ears.

The Project has revealed the motif to be an extraordinary and ancient archetype, stretching across diverse religions and cultures, many centuries and many thousands of miles. It is part of the shared medieval heritage of Europe and Asia (Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism) yet still inspires creative work among contemporary artists.

http://www.chrischapmanphotography.co.uk/hares/index.html



.

Five Types of Raptor (Birds of Prey)

Which type of INTP are you? Animal (Bird) Allocations

http://tinyurl.com/yb4ufj

Extracts:

1) Liberal Loser: Secretary Bird, Ostrich, White Eagle

This INTP subtype tends to let an overwhelming sense of social injustice often due to their inability to control their immature feelings cloud their logic. Too much weed, or not enough, smoked at the peace rallies they attend with their overwhelmingly illogical SP soul mates typically add to the feelings of social injustice.

2) Golden Boy (or girl): Golden Eagle

This INTP subtype is as rare to see as a baby pigeon, as they tend to be physics professors, philosophy professors, professional programmers for prestigious universities or international companies, or as government analysts for the CIA and NSA. They are rarely seen, but when they are, it is typically due to personal issues that they need to whine about on internet lists, such as "my wife is a crazy bitch" or "I have no friends, I want someone to love me". They tend to be blind to the plight of their lesser INTP brethren because they have been given a golden spoon.

3) Classic Nerds: Buzzard, Black Eagle,

Similar to golden boys without the golden spoons, they tend to be intelligent, yet utterly incapable of holding a jargon free conversation. Most normal humans are incapable of communication with them outside of topics such as Star Trek, role-playing games, or the latest Matrix movie. To most, they appear asexual (and tend to BE asexual). They tend to get low level programming jobs, teach computer science at the local community college,

Steppe Eagle

or unemployed creating annoying

4) Religious Fanatic: Griffon Vulture, Griffin (powerful variant)

This type has given internal logic up for the external imposition of logic. This is usually due to severe bullying and ridicule as a child, which causes this INTP to be crushed to an empty shell – the perfect vessel for religion.

5) Cynical Realist: Vulture, Condor


This type of INTP has seen the world, and realized that they want no part of it, except where they can get knowledge, experience, and entertainment from it. They see life for what it is, a big cosmic joke, and often wonder if they should laugh or cry, but otherwise just say the hell with it, and go get laid. They tend to be sarcastic and funny, are world travelers, and can blend in to any environment, and they tend to get laid a lot. They also tend to be fairly well educated, yet stuck in worthless and meaningless jobs, both because the people around them are idiots and because they don't have the mindless compulsion to kiss ass to move up in life.

Three Hares

Rabbits in China
http://threerabbits.net/

This must mean that Rabbits were alive and well and living in China a thousand years ago.

But what species?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Hare

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amami_rabbit

or another species, e.g. domesticated European Rabbit transported along the Silk Road

See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_hares

List of Cognitive Biases

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

Jung's Typological Model

Jung's typological model regards psychological type as similar to left or right handedness: individuals are either born with, or develop, certain preferred ways of thinking and acting. The MBTI sorts some of these psychological differences into four opposite pairs, or dichotomies, with a resulting 16 possible psychological types. None of these types are better or worse; however, Briggs and Myers theorized that individuals naturally prefer one overall combination of type differences. In the same way that writing with the left hand is hard work for a right-hander, so people tend to find using their opposite psychological preferences more difficult, even if they can become more proficient (and therefore behaviorally flexible) with practice and development.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbti

Comment: I find acting as my opposite type so difficult that it amounts to psychological torture.

Perseus System (Link)

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Perseus.html

Stop being influenced by Fools

A series of experiments in the 1960s suggested that people are biased towards confirming their existing beliefs. Later work explained these results in terms of a tendency to test ideas in a one-sided way, focusing on one possibility and ignoring alternatives. In combination with other effects, this strategy can bias the conclusions that are reached. Explanations for the observed biases include wishful thinking and the limited human capacity to process information. Another proposal is that people show confirmation bias because they are pragmatically assessing the costs of being wrong, rather than investigating in a neutral, scientific way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

Gonna change my way of thinking
Make myself a different set of rules
Gonna change my way of thinking
Make myself a different set of rules
Gonna put my good foot forward
And stop being influenced by fools

Rock of Gibraltar

Anchoring or focalism is a cognitive bias that describes the common human tendency to rely too heavily, or "anchor," on one trait or piece of information when making decisions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring

This is the problem of the Dryad, oir the nymph chained to the Rock of Gibraltar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

Dominant Process (Repeated Message)

Dominant Process Chart

return to top


Four letter type 1st (Dominant) 2nd (Secondary) 3rd 4th

ENFP or INFJ N F T S
ESTP or ISTJ S T F N
ENTJ or INTP T N S F
ESFJ or ISFP F S N T
ENTP or INTJ N T F S
ESFP or ISFJ S F T N
ESTJ or ISTP T S N F
ENFJ or INFP F N S T


http://www.neurocareusa.com/Temperament/Table%20of%20Dominant%20and%20Secondary%20%20Process.HTM

Power & Control Wheel

Why did you call it the Power and Control Wheel?
Battering is one form of domestic or intimate partner violence. It is characterized by the pattern of actions that an individual uses to intentionally control or dominate his intimate partner. That is why the words “power and control” are in the center of the wheel. A batterer systematically uses threats, intimidation, and coercion to instil fear in his partner. These behaviours are the spokes of the wheel. Physical and sexual violence holds it all together — this violence is the rim of the wheel.

http://www.theduluthmodel.org/pdf/PhyVio.pdf

Sleeping with the Enemy

This intense obsessive jealously further imprisons her so she doesn't dare look at anyone or talk to anyone. The movie Sleeping With the Enemy illustrates this behavior. Her friends feel uncomfortable visiting her so they begin to withdraw. They are afraid to make things worse for her. They only make things easier for him. Now the only voice she hears is belittling and shaming her, telling her no one would want her and blaming her for everything. She is his property now. Especially if they've gotten married..he has papers on her now. All of this along with verbal abuse sets the stage for physical abuse.

http://www.angelfire.com/vt/rcwn/Pagethree.html

The Fog

Fear, Obligation and Guilt

http://www.angelfire.com/vt/rcwn/Pagefifteen.html

You Will be Sorry

"It doesn't matter how you play the game as long as you do not lose."

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/BPD/blackmail.html

or

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game",

Categorical Imperative

Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end. ”
—Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative

In a Land of Wolves and Thieves

Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill
All he believe are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies.

http://www.sing365.com/music/Lyric.nsf/License-to-Kill-lyrics-Bob-Dylan/4ABF988F45FB490B482569690039B055


Well, you're on your own, you always were
In a land of wolves and thieves
Don't put your hope in ungodly man
Or be a slave to what somebody else believes.

http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/bob-dylan-lyrics/trust-yourself-lyrics.html

They took a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer out of him
That's what they did.

Everybody's asking why he didn't adjust
All he ever wanted was somebody to trust.

They took his head and turned it inside out
He never did know what it was all about.

He had a steady job, he joined the choir
He never did plan to walk the high wire.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobdylan/cleancutkid.html

Highway Chile

Now some people say he had a girl back home
Who messed around and did him pretty wrong
They tell me it kinda hurt him bad
Kinda made him feel pretty sad
I couldn't say what went through his mind
Anyway, he left the world behind
But everybody knows the same old story,
In love and war you can't lose in glory


http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/jimi_hendrix/highway_chile.html

Strategies to Handle Difficult Conflicts (Bully Free At Work)

Strategies to Handle Difficult Conflicts


Dear Andy,

Not all conflicts can be resolved. However, would you like to know some tips to help you resolve more conflicts that might border on bullying but are more 'difficult' as opposed to actual bullying in the workplace? Here they are:

1. Avoidance

A refusal to engage or solve.
Most prevalent.
Example:

A very obvious verbal attack occurs, and the target, due to fear, simply walks away (but they wished they could have 'done something').

While this obviously is not a good way of dealing with difficult situations or bullying, it is worth being considered as a strategy for when the conflict is 'just not worth the effort' of being addressed. It is also worth it to walk away when the power balance between individuals is not even and saying something might make things worse.

2. Accommodation

Taking the conflict and submitting.
Going along with the conflict by seeing it as more advantageous to support the other person at this time.
Example:

Listening to unhelpful criticism and believing it.

Very frequently used, especially where there is low confidence and self-esteem. This is another poor method of dealing with difficult conflicts at work, but it may do if you know that there is a solution coming soon, or you believe submitting may get you further.

3. Compete

You push hard to get your own way in the conflict, without regard for the other's needs.

Example:

You are very upset with someone, and when they try to explain their situation, you cut them off and over-explain your point in order to gain control.

This can be very useful when the conflict is mild and you are passionate about your stance, but can lead to a vicious circle as the conflict escalates.

4. Compromise

This is more win-win, and requires the goodwill of both parties. You don't give in to the conflict, but rather work out a solution somewhere between the two sides.

Example:

One person wants to order a type of food and the other person wants another type of food. Both compromise and order something totally different.

This can lead to the downfall of the actual solution leaving none of the sides happy. Sometimes no one wins.

5. Collaborate

The most useful tactic, particularly with extreme conflict and workplace bullying. The aim here is to focus on working together to arrive at a solution, where both sides have ownership of and commitment to the solution.

Example 1:

You and someone else are at completely opposed viewpoints over a project. You sit down and work out why they believe in their point of view, and explain your own. Clever and lateral thinking can provide a solution, which answers both sides, but is not a compromise.

Example 2:

Someone is being difficult at work. You talk to this person using the strategies below and collaborate on modifying their behavior.

Use this strategy when the goal is to meet as many of the current needs as is possible. This can be the most difficult strategy if confidence is low, as it involves naming the issue to the conflict-creator, which can cause anxiety and fear.

To collaborate successfully on an issue such as continuing conflict you need to follow a few basic guidelines:

You must recognize that (maybe) part of the problem is your own fault: you allowed it to happen and did not try to address it to begin with. You can state this aloud and actively take part of the responsibility, as this will put the onus onto the other person to take the other part of the responsibility.
Remember that we frequently don't like in others what we don't want to see in ourselves, but occasionally find anyway. Be very sure that you have not committed the same conflict/offense.
Manage yourself during the resolution attempt - learn calming strategies if you are hot-tempered, or confidence boosters if you are shy. Try not to be emotional, as emotion will only make things escalate, and put a further wedge between parties. It is your responsibility to manage yourself; anything less, we are putting our unnecessary 'stuff' on the other.
Maintain eye contact and use your body language to convey your belief in what you are saying. Don't fiddle with something nervously, don't cross your arms protectively, and don't put yourself on a lower level than the other person (such as sitting on a lower chair). Our body language shows our heart. Is your heart showing the desire to collaborate?
Don't believe that the best defense is a good offense - that is part of the competing strategy. Comebacks and not acknowledging another's point of view are also part of competing: listen to the other side as they have just as much of a right to share as you do. Seek first to understand.
Work the issue, not the person: this means addressing the behavior rather than the entire existence of that person. There is a different level of ownership for behaviors, and people will take less offence if you address their behavior than if you criticize them personally. Never lay blame, as this will only fan the fires. Check your heart: can you separate the person from the performance?
If you are not getting anywhere, ask for further information from the other person about the reasons for their behavior, but don't ask the questions with 'why' at the beginning - if you do, this will actively put the other person under the spotlight and they will get defensive.
PS: If you sincerely feel you cannot resolve a conflict due to being very emotionally upset, then own this fact and ask for forgiveness of not being able to resolve the conflict at the moment. These are your emotions and they must be owned by you. Again, separate the person from the situation. This allows us to have hope in moving through difficult situations.

Above all, remember that people who enjoy creating conflict are ultimately power-seekers who enjoy controlling others. Frequently this is because either they have suffered in a similar way before, or feel that they have very little control over their own lives and they do anything they can to feel in control. A little compassion will take you a long way both in resolving the situation and in putting it behind you when it is resolved. After all, what is the alternative? It's time for extending the olive branch...but be careful it doesn't get burned off!

Valerie Cade, CSP is a Workplace Bullying Expert, Speaker and Author of "Bully Free at Work: What You Can Do To Stop Workplace Bullying Now!" which has been distributed in over 100 countries worldwide. For presentations and consulting on workplace bullying prevention and respectful workplace implementation, go to
http://www.bullyfreeatwork.com.


You have permission to use the above article in your newsletter, publication or email system. We ask you not to edit the content and that you leave the links and resource box intact. © Bully Free at Work. All rights reserved.


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Xeer

Xeer is accepted by the people. You cannot deny that. It is a strange culture, the Somali culture. But there is a beauty to it. All agreements are reached and all disputes are resolved through consensus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeer


Xeer, pronounced [ħeːr], is the polycentric legal system of Somalia. Under this system, elders serve as judges and help mediate cases using precedents. It is a good example of how customary law works within a stateless society and is a fair approximation of what is thought of as natural law.

This an extreme right wing tribal patriarchial de-centralised society.

To be nobody but yourself .... e.e. cummings

"To be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else

- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight - and never stop fighting." - e.e. cummings

but .....

The Guards are guarding against people contravening the Universal Morality and the laws of the land.

The Bully is going to bash you unless you are just like him. The Monster is going to bash you anyway. He is nobody but himself and he likes ...bashing people.

The Herd of Elephants are after a little bit more territory and the Mouse does not want to be trampled or squirted at.

'Civilized'

We have the ability to determine what we value and act upon it.

We can alter our perspective of the present and vision our future.

We have the power to choose.

We can base our priorities on something beyond instinct.

We can use our resourcefulness to remain 'civilized' regardless of how difficult the circumstances.

What separates our species from the 'wild kingdom' is more than our opposable thumb.

© 2011 Gail Pursell Elliott

Edward Estlin Cummings

Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962), popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings (in the style of some of his poems), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings. He is remembered as a preeminent voice of 20th century poetry, as well as one of the most popular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_e_cummings

Golden Age

The term Golden Age (Χρυσόν Γένος) comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five (or more) Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline. By extension "Golden Age" denotes a period of primordial peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_age

The Titans (Titanic struggle)

In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek: Τιτάν - Ti-tan; plural: Τιτᾶνες - Ti-tânes) were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age.

In the first generation of twelve Titans, the males were Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus and the females were Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea and Themis. The second generation of Titans consisted of Hyperion's children Eos, Helios, and Selene; Coeus's daughters Leto and Asteria; Iapetus's sons Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius; and Crius's sons Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses.

The role of the Titans as Elder Gods was overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians, in the Titanomachy ("War of the Titans") which effected a mythological paradigm shift that the Greeks may have borrowed from the Ancient Near East

Titans
The Twelve Titans:
Oceanus and Tethys,
Hyperion and Theia,
Coeus and Phoebe,
Cronus and Rhea,
Mnemosyne, Themis,
Crius, Iapetus
Children of Oceanus:
Oceanids, Potamoi
Children of Hyperion:
Eos, Helios, Selene
Daughters of Coeus:
Leto and Asteria
Sons of Iapetus:
Atlas, Prometheus,
Epimetheus, Menoetius
Sons of Crius:
Astraeus, Pallas,
Perses (not Perseus)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(mythology)

Eris

Eris (Greek Ἔρις, "Strife") is the Greek goddess of strife and discord, her name being translated into Latin as Discordia. Her Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Latin counterpart is Concordia. Homer equated her with the war-goddess Enyo, whose Roman counterpart is Bellona. The dwarf planet Eris is named after the goddess.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eris_(mythology)

Humpty Dumpty (Revisited)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.[1]

Origins
The rhyme does not explicitly state that the subject is an egg because it probably was originally posed as a riddle.[1] The earliest known version is in a manuscript addition to a copy of Mother Goose's Melody published in 1803, which has the modern version with a different last line: "Could not set Humpty Dumpty up again".[1] It was first published in 1810 in a version of Gammer Gurton's Garland as:

Humpty Dumpty sate [sic] on a wall,
Humpti Dumpti [sic] had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more,
Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpty_dumpty


The alternative (=original) version has an different answer to the riddle.

Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer

Pigs v Magpies

Cops and Robbers

-----------------------------

INXP may very well be a Magpie, Cuckoo, Crow, Raven, Jay, Chough, and are thought to be average sort of clever animals.
They are usually thought of as cheats and thieves rather than Police Officers.

Cops (Pigs ISXP) v Robbers (Magpies INXP).

Lawyers (Eagles INTP)

http://personalitycafe.com/infj-forum-protectors/1666-modern-animism-character.html#post926169

Chimaera

The Chimera or Chimaera (Greek: Χίμαιρα, Khimaira, from χίμαρος, khimaros, "she-goat") was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing female creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of multiple animals: upon the body of a lioness with a tail that ended in a snake's head, the head of a goat arose on her back at the center of her spine. The Chimera was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. The term chimera has also come to mean, more generally, an impossible or foolish fantasy, hard to believe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(mythology)

The important (and confusing) part of the Chimaera is the goat looking backwards.

Human Nature

Ethology (from Greek: ἦθος, ethos, "character"; and -λογία, -logia, "the study of") is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethology

Instincts are the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior. The fixed action patterns are unlearned and inherited. The stimuli can be variable due to imprinting in a sensitive period or also genetically fixed. Examples of instinctual fixed action patterns can be observed in the behavior of animals, which perform various activities (sometimes complex) that are not based upon prior experience, such as reproduction, and feeding among insects. Sea turtles, hatched on a beach, automatically move toward the ocean, and honeybees communicate by dance the direction of a food source, all without formal instruction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instinct

Human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that all humans tend to have.

The questions of what ultimately causes these distinguishing characteristics of humanity and how this causation works, and how fixed human nature is, are amongst the oldest and most important questions in western philosophy. These questions have particularly important implications in ethics, politics and theology because human nature is seen as providing standards or norms that humans can use when judging how best to live either as individuals, or members of a community. The complex implications of such discussion are also often themes which are dealt with in art.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_nature

Andy Horton (me) surmises that human beings have an inherent cognitive way of thinking that varies according to personality. Behaviour does not follow from thinking because of social constraints. Also, humans have a ability to change their cognition if they want to.

Goblin Market

Goblin Market is about two close sisters, Laura and Lizzie, as well as the goblin men to whom the title refers, and another girl named Jeanie.

Although the sisters seem to be quite young, they live by themselves in a house, and are accustomed to draw water every evening from a stream. As the poem begins, twilight is falling, and as usual the sisters hear the calls from the goblin merchants, who sell fruits in fantastic abundance, variety and savour. On this evening, Laura lingers at the stream after her sister has left for home. Wanting fruit but having no money, the impulsive Laura offers a lock of her hair and "a tear more rare than pearl."

Laura gorges on the delicious fruit in a sort of bacchic frenzy, then comes to her senses and, after picking up one of the seeds, returns home. Lizzie, waiting at home, and "full of wise upbraidings," reminds Laura about the cautionary tale of Jeanie, another girl who, having likewise partaken of the goblin men's fruits, died just at the beginning of winter, after a long decline.

Night has by then fallen, and the sisters go to sleep in their shared bed.

The next day, as Laura and Lizzie go about their work in the house, Laura dreamily longs for the coming evening's meeting with the goblin men. But at the stream that evening, as she strains to hear the usual goblin chants and cries, Laura discovers to her horror that, although Lizzie still hears the goblins' voices, she no longer can.

Extract from a longer explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin_Market

Loki

Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr.

Loki is a shape shifter and in separate incidents he appears in the form of a salmon, mare, seal, a fly, and possibly an elderly woman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki

Loki reads like an ENFP.



Seid or seiðr is an Old Norse term for a type of sorcery or witchcraft which was practiced by the pre-Christian Norse. Sometimes anglicized as "seidhr," "seidh," "seidr," "seithr," or "seith," the term is also used to refer to modern Neopagan reconstructions or emulations of the practice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sei%C3%B0r

Fear on the Low Road

Creating Fear
The process of creating fear takes place in the brain and is entirely unconscious. There are two paths involved in the fear response: The low road is quick and messy, while the high road takes more time and delivers a more precise interpretation of events. Both processes are happening simultaneously.

The idea behind the low road is "take no chances." If the front door to your home is suddenly knocking against the frame, it could be the wind. It could also be a burglar trying to get in. It's far less dangerous to assume it's a burglar and have it turn out to be the wind than to assume it's the wind and have it turn out to be a burglar. The low road shoots first and asks questions later.


http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/other-emotions/fear.htm

http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/other-emotions/fear1.htm

The Map is not the Territory

The map is not the territory is the idea that the way we represent the world refers to reality, it isn't reality itself. We don't respond to reality. We respond to our internalized map of reality.

How we represent things are our interpretations. Interpretations may or may not be accurate.

If we have inadequate maps, we don't see all our choices. Re mapping is an important problem solving strategy. Our language reveals the maps and models we use to guide our behavior.

Words only have meaning in that they trigger sensory representations in a speaker or listener.

http://www.nlp-mentor.com/map-is-not-the-territory.html


Debatable argument

Estimated Frequencies of the 16 Types

Estimated Frequencies
of the Types in the United States Population

http://www.capt.org/mbti-assessment/estimated-frequencies.htm

Trance and Hypnotism in the Community

Ericksonian Hypnosis
Traditional hypnosis uses ritual inductions and direct suggestion. Ericksonian hypnosis on the other hand is conversational and natural. Many of his techniques are not what we might think "hypnotic" but create trance states (where we find unconscious resources and choices). Trance being a common altered state we access naturally many times a day.

http://www.nlp-mentor.com/milton-model.html

By using gross generalizations, deletions and distortions, you remove all specific content from the message. When a message has no specific content person must go inside to extract individual meaning from their unconscious minds. Artfully vague (vague with a purpose) language gives people the freedom to make their own meaning of words.

http://www.nlp-mentor.com/nlp-hypnosis.html

The Cards

The Cards

% of each type

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

Clubs 45 Guards
Spades 23 Artisans
Diamonds 15 Rationals
Hearts 17 Idealists

Collaboration

Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realise shared goals, (this is more than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but a deep, collective, determination to reach an identical objective) — for example, an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature —by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Most collaboration requires leadership, although the form of leadership can be social within a decentralized and egalitarian group. In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources. Collaboration is also present in opposing goals exhibiting the notion of adversarial collaboration, though this is not a common case for using the word.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaboration#Game_theory

[Late 19th century. < late Latin collaborat-, past participle of collaborare 'work together' < Latin labor 'toil']

http://uk.encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861787621/collaborate.html

Dunning-Kruger Effect

Very interesting. I had not heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to realize their mistakes. The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their own ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. This leads to the situation in which less competent people rate their own ability higher than more competent people. It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence. Competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

I am not sure that this statement will always stand up to critical analysis. Highly plausible and helpful; Judgement or Perception?

I think it is all a fallacy!

Retrograde Amnesia (Ency. Britannica)

Retrograde amnesia

Open Workspace Since retrograde amnesia relates to memory for events that took place when brain function was unimpaired, it clearly cannot be ascribed to failure of registration—with the exception, perhaps, of the very brief permanent amnesias following electroconvulsive shock or head injury. Retrograde amnesia otherwise would appear to be wholly due to a failure of retrieval, though this failure is evidently selective. That recent memories are generally harder to evoke than those more remote is usually explained on the basis of consolidation; i.e., progressive strengthening of memory traces with the passage of time. Yet, recency is not the only factor, and in some cases memory for a relatively recent event may still be preserved while that for one more remote is inaccessible. Much depends, too, on the method used to test retrieval; e.g., recognition may succeed when voluntary recall entirely fails. By and large, the availability of information in memory would seem to depend to a considerable extent on its relation to the person's current interests and preoccupations. When these are severely curtailed by an amnesic state, the links connecting present and past are severed, with a consequent failure of reproduction.

Retrograde Amnesia

Retrograde amnesia is caused by trauma that results in brain injury. Critical details of the physical changes in the brain that cause retrograde amnesia are still unknown. Retrograde amnesia is often temporally graded, meaning that remote memories are more easily accessible than events occurring just prior to the trauma (Ribot's Law).Events nearest in time to the event that caused memory loss may never be recovered.

A person who has suffered this injury will often feel as if the time (1–4 hours) before the injury were a dream. If someone informs the injured person of the events just before the trauma, he or she will most likely recollect some of the happenings.

The memory loss may just affect specific “classes” of memory. For instance, the victim, a concert pianist before, may still remember what a piano is after the onset of retrograde amnesia, but may forget how to play. The relearning rate for often used skills such as typing and math is typically faster than if the victim had never learned these skills before. While there is no cure for retrograde amnesia, “jogging” the victim’s memory by exposing the victim to significant articles from his or her past will speed the rate of recall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrograde_amnesia

Movement and Coping Strategies (Karen Horney)

From her experiences as a psychiatrist, Horney named ten patterns of neurotic needs. These ten needs are based upon things which she thought all humans require to succeed in life. Horney distorted these needs somewhat to correspond with what she believed were individuals' neuroses. A neurotic person could theoretically exhibit all of these needs, though in practice much fewer than the ten here need to be present for a person to be considered a neurotic. The ten needs, as set out by Horney, (classified according to her so-called coping strategies) are as follows:[

Moving Toward People

1. The need for affection and approval; pleasing others and being liked by them.
2. The need for a partner; one whom they can love and who will solve all problems.

Moving Against People

3. The need for power; the ability to bend wills and achieve control over others—while most persons seek strength, the neurotic may be desperate for it.
4. The need to exploit others; to get the better of them. To become manipulative, fostering the belief that people are there simply to be used.
5. The need for social recognition; prestige and limelight.
6. The need for personal admiration; for both inner and outer qualities—to be valued.
7. The need for personal achievement; though virtually all persons wish to make achievements, as with No. 3, the neurotic may be desperate for achievement.

Moving Away from People

8. The need for self sufficiency and independence; while most desire some autonomy, the neurotic may simply wish to discard other individuals entirely.
9. The need for perfection; while many are driven to perfect their lives in the form of well being, the neurotic may display a fear of being slightly flawed.
10. Lastly, the need to restrict life practices to within narrow borders; to live as inconspicuous a life as possible.

Upon investigating the ten needs further, Horney found she was able to condense them into three broad categories:

Compliance

Needs one and two were assimilated into the "compliance" category. This category is seen as a process of "moving towards people", or self-effacement. Under Horney's theory children facing difficulties with parents often use this strategy. Fear of helplessness and abandonment occurs—phenomena Horney refers to as "basic anxiety". Those within the compliance category tend to exhibit a need for affection and approval on the part of their peers. They may also seek out a partner, somebody to confide in, fostering the belief that, in turn, all of life's problems would be solved by the new cohort. A lack of demands and a desire for inconspicuousness both occur in these individuals.

Aggression

Needs three through seven were assimilated into the "aggression" category, also called the "moving against people", or the "expansive" solution. Neurotic children or adults within this category often exhibit anger or basic hostility to those around them. That is, there is a need for power, a need for control and exploitation, and a maintenance of a facade of omnipotence. Manipulative qualities aside, under Horney's assertions the aggressive individual may also wish for social recognition, not necessarily in terms of limelight, but in terms of simply being known (perhaps feared) by subordinates and peers alike. In addition, the individual has needs for a degree of personal admiration by those within this person's social circle and, lastly, for raw personal achievement. These characteristics comprise the "aggressive" neurotic type. Aggressive types also tend to keep people away from them. On the other hand, they only care about their wants and needs. They would do whatever they can to be happy and wouldn't desist from hurting anyone.

Detachment

Needs eight through ten were assimilated into the "detachment" category, also called the "moving-away-from" or "resigning" solution or a detached personality. As neither aggression nor compliance solve parental indifference, Horney recognized that children might simply try to become self sufficient. The withdrawing neurotic may disregard others in a non-aggressive manner, regarding solitude and independence as the way forth. The stringent needs for perfection comprise another part of this category; those withdrawing may strive for perfection above all else, to the point where being flawed is utterly unacceptable. Everything the "detached" type does must be unassailable and refined. They suppress or deny all feelings towards others, particularly love and hate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Horney

Different Types of Stalkers

You can be stalked by a Bull Dyke or a Skylark, stalked by a Bird of a Paradise or a Hawk, even stalked by a Hamster, stalked by a Rat or a Cat, stalked by a Tiger or a Mongoose. Or (God forbid by a Camel) or a Black Unicorn. Or a Dire Wolf or a Turtle. An Alligator or a Snake?

What do your prefer?

Transhumanism

Transhumanism is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics and capacities. The movement regards aspects of the human condition, such as disability, suffering, disease, aging, and involuntary death as unnecessary and undesirable. Transhumanists look to biotechnologies and other emerging technologies for these purposes. Dangers, as well as benefits, are also of concern to the transhumanist movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism

Coping Strategies

1 Coping strategies
1.1 Moving With
1.2 Moving Toward
1.3 Moving Against
1.4 Moving Away



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coping_strategies

Oedipus Complex in the Twenty-First Century

In their book Homicide, evolutionary psychologists Martin Daly and Margo Wilson argue that there are few testable predictions that can be derived from the theory of an Oedipus Complex, and they found no evidence for the existence of an Oedipus Complex in humans. They do find evidence of conflict between parents and offspring, but this is not conflict over possession of the opposite sex biological parent, i.e. it is not Oedipal conflict.

The Oedipus Complex in the Twenty-First Century

"A large number of people these days believe that Freud's Oedipus complex is defunct...'disproven', or simply found unnecessary sometime in the last century". In a postmodern understanding, however, "the Oedipus complex isn't really like that. It's more a way of explaining how human beings are socialised...learning to deal with disappointment". The key element to be learnt is that "You have to stop trying to be everything for your primary carer and get on with being something for the rest of the world"

Comment:


I am not a Freudian but I am a Greek

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_complex

I do not hold with Freud's views on this subject. This means I think it is overstated adolescent fantasies and all very childish.

Andy (Perseus)

Who will guard the guards themselves?

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? is a Latin phrase from the Roman poet Juvenal, which is literally translated as "Who will guard the guards themselves?" Also sometimes rendered as "Who watches the watchmen?", the phrase has other idiomatic translations and adaptations such as "Who will guard the guards?".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes%3F

In the Perseus System the Guards (Administrators) and Protectors (Teachers and Counsellors) are different. And the Priests and Managers will also be different.

Nation

nation

[< Anglo-Norman nacion, nacioun, naciun, nation, natiun, etc., and Middle French nacion, nation (early 12th cent. in Old French in plural as naciuns denoting gentiles; late 12th cent. in senses ‘birth’, ‘a people united by common language and culture’, and ‘family, lineage’; early 13th cent. in sense ‘descendants’, early 14th cent. in sense ‘innate character’; late 14th cent. in sense ‘the native population of a town’; late 15th cent. denoting a division of the university of Paris; 1505 in the passage translated in quot. 15231 at sense 7b in sense ‘native population of a town’; 1668 in French in sense ‘species of animal’; 1765 in sense ‘territorial division of the Maltese Order’) < classical Latin ntin-, nti birth, race, nation, class of person, in post-classical Latin also (in plural, nationes) denoting gentiles (Vetus Latina: the Vulgate has gens), (in singular) the animal kingdom (Vulgate), Irish clan (1336, 1566 in Irish sources), division of university students (mid 13th cent. with reference to the university of Paris, a1350 with reference to the university of Oxford, 15th cent. with reference to Scottish universities) < nt-, past participial stem of nsc to be born (see NASCENT adj.) + -i -ION suffix1.
Compare Italian nazione (1294), Spanish nación (1444), Portuguese naçao (1691; 14th cent. in forms naçõ, nasçião), and also German Nation (14th cent.).]

I. A people or group of peoples; a political state.

1. a. A large aggregate of communities and individuals united by factors such as common descent, language, culture, history, or occupation of the same territory, so as to form a distinct people. Now also: such a people forming a political state; a political state. (In early use also in pl.: a country.)

OED

nation

Ambiguity in usage
In the strict sense, terms such as "nation," "ethnos," and "people" (as in "the Danish people") denote a group of human beings. The concepts of nation and nationality have much in common with ethnic group and ethnicity, but have a more political connotation, since they imply the possibility of a nation-state.

Country denominates a geographical territory,[3] whereas state expresses a legitimized administrative and decision-making institution. Confusingly, the terms national and international are used as technical terms applying to states. International law, for instance, applies to relations between states, and occasionally between states on the one side, and individuals or legal persons on the other. Likewise, the United Nations represents selected sovereign states, while nations that are free, per se, are not admitted as members.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation

A Sovereign state is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, independence from other states and powers, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states.It is also normally understood to be a state which is not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. While in abstract terms a sovereign state can exist without being recognised by other sovereign states, unrecognised states will often find it hard to exercise full treaty-making powers and engage in diplomatic relations with other sovereign states.

Alternative

al·ter·na·tive   /ɔlˈtɜrnətɪv, æl-/ Show Spelled
[awl-tur-nuh-tiv, al-] Show IPA

–noun
1. a choice limited to one of two or more possibilities, as of things, propositions, or courses of action, the selection of which precludes any other possibility: You have the alternative of riding or walking.
2. one of the things, propositions, or courses of action that can be chosen: The alternative to riding is walking.
3. a possible or remaining course or choice: There was no alternative but to walk.
–adjective
4. affording a choice of two or more things, propositions, or courses of action.
5. (of two things, propositions, or courses) mutually exclusive so that if one is chosen the other must be rejected: The alternative possibilities are neutrality and war.
6. employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas, methods, etc.; existing outside the establishment: an alternative newspaper; alternative lifestyles.
7. Logic . (of a proposition) asserting two or more choices, at least one of which is true.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alternative


alternate

[ad. L. alternãti-us pa. pple. of alternã-re to do one thing after the other; f. altern-us ever the other, every second; f. alter the other of two, the second.]

alternative

[ad. med.L. alternãtîvus, f. L. alternãt- ppl. stem of alternãre: see ALTERNATE a. and -IVE.]

alter

[a. 14th c. Fr. altére-r (Pr. or It. alterar) ad. med.L. alter-re, f. alter other.]

native n

[< post-classical Latin nativus a person born in bondage (frequently in British sources from the late 12th cent.), a person born in a specified place (late 14th cent. in a British source), use as noun of classical Latin ntvus NATIVE adj. In later use sometimes directly from the Latin adjective. Compare Middle French, French natif (mid 16th cent.), Italian nativo (16th cent.), both in sense 3a.]

native adj

[< Middle French, French natif belonging to the origin of an object (late 14th cent.), born in a particular place (early 15th cent.), (of metal) occurring naturally (1762; early 12th cent. in Old French (in a Franco-Occitan context) in form natiz in sense ‘originating (from a place)’) and its etymon classical Latin ntvus having a birth or origin (see note), innate, natural, naturally occurring, (of words) used with their natural meaning, in post-classical Latin also born in a particular place (9th cent.; late 12th cent. in a British source), that is the place of a person's birth (from the second half of the 11th cent. in British sources), holding a certain position by right of birth (late 11th cent. in a British source), born in bondage, and spoken in a person's place of birth (both from 12th cent. in British sources), < nt-, past participial stem of nsc to be born (see NASCENT adj.) + -vus -IVE suffix. Compare NAIVE adj.
Compare Old Occitan, Occitan nadiu (c1200; also in Occitan as natiu), Spanish nativo (1424), Italian nativo (1532; early 14th cent. as natio), Portuguese nativo (16th cent.), Catalan natiu (1805; 1120 as nadiu).
In sense 8 after classical Latin ntvus in Cicero De Natura Deorum 1. 10. 25.]

OED


alternative

1580s, "offering one or the other of two," from M.L. alternativus, from L. alternatus, pp. of alternare (see alternate). Sense of "the other of two which may be chosen" is recorded from 1838. Adj. use, "purporting to be a superior choice to what is in general use" was current by 1970 (earliest ref. is to the media); e.g. alternative energy (1975).
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=alternative&searchmode=none

alternative

< Medieval Latin alternativus < Latin alternare (“to do by turns”), past participle alternatus; see alternate.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alternative

Alternative culture
From Wikipedia,

Alternative culture is a type of culture that exists outside or on the fringes of mainstream or popular culture, usually under the domain of one or more subcultures. These subcultures may have little or nothing in common besides their relative obscurity, but cultural studies uses this common basis of obscurity to classify them as alternative cultures, or, taken as a whole, the alternative culture. Compare with the more politically charged term, counterculture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_culture

De-escalation and interpersonal/communication skills

De-escalation and interpersonal/communication skills

Staff employ communication and de-escalation skills to manage aggression and prevent violence from escalating as far as possible.

http://pso.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/pso1600/Sec%201.3%20Descalation.htm

Dialogue from the Owler

The Crackpots

Murder by Poison followed by Suicide

Many people psychiatry as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? The murders changed all that. Revealed psychiatry is not harmless nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives the Psi Cops unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it teaches their disciples to others label people by nasty disorders. Let's now stop being so damned respectful to those bastards!

For Whom the Bell Tolls

John Donne (1572-1631), Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII: Nunc Lento Sonitu Dicunt, Morieris:

"Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/for-whom-the-bell-tolls.html

Workplace Bullying Gossip: What Can You Do?

Workplace Bullying Gossip: What Can You Do?

Gossip. We've all heard about it. We've all 'done it'. We've all been on the receiving end of it too. No one is immune. Yes, some are addicted to it and use it as a means of connecting with others. Bullies thrive on the usage of gossip. It takes a true leader to not participate in gossip. Furthermore, it takes a true leader to stop it. So now what?



They say if you really want to know what people think about you, go to the washroom at work and wait to hear what others say! Well, even if you've never done that or won't do that, know that gossip is happening everywhere. The question is, do you have a personal policy with regard to not spreading gossip? Do you have an organizational policy? What can you do if you are on the receiving end? What is gossip anyway?



What is Gossip?
Gossip can be explained as: Rumor or discussion of a personal or sensational tone.



Why Do People Gossip?
Gossip is a way of avoiding responsibility for one's feelings, and it can be used by someone with a lower self-image as a way to connect with others and feel better about oneself, but at the expense of another.




Gossip acts as an external substitute to filling one's own needs without having to face anything that is going on inside such as rejection, fear, etc. Know this: it is hard to truly connect with others when you are disconnected from yourself. This won't change until you are willing to practice staying mindful with your own feelings and take responsibility for them rather than avoiding them with gossip. Bullies choose gossip as a tactic many times. Why? It's so much easier than facing their own lack. People gossip out of lack.



Why Does a Bully Use Gossip?
Gossip fits well into the bully's plan. The bully can stretch or bend the truth or make up a lie about a target and not confront the target directly. Remember, gossip is indirect, passive behavior that the target is not usually included in directly. The bully uses gossip, the most powerful form of control in an organization, in order to discredit an individual. If the target is discredited, the bully gets a 'rush' to feel their addiction of needing power over.




Why Do People Enjoy Hearing Gossip?
Gossip is almost always something personal toward the target where the target is being presented as 'less than'. When we hear of someone as 'less than', we do not have to do the work to be more ourselves. Competitiveness is king in this equation. Anyone addicted to competitiveness and envy will surely have to discipline themselves to not gossip.





So, What's The Answer?
Decide to stop participating in gossip.
When you hear gossip, resist the temptation to contribute.
Advanced leadership: confront the person gossiping by changing the subject if someone seems to be a good person and just got off track.
Advanced leadership: confront the person gossiping by talking to them after privately if you feel they could 'hear you' and not become defensive.
Advanced leadership: confront the person within the group publically right away to help the target save face if the person gossiping is really running the target down.
If gossip is a problem in your organization, share with your manager that you'd like to see a policy in place to ward off gossip. Remember, a policy about anything must be clear as to what it is and what the consequences are if it happens.
If you are a target and you find out after the fact, continue to log your issues and have a collective case to go to a higher authority. Resist the need to defend yourself right away. Plan your move.
Remember, the truth rises to the top. Most people hearing gossip don't usually feel good about the person gossiping even though you can be under the illusion they are 'getting along so well'.
Become the change you want to see in the world, says Gandhi and stay positive by your example.
Become more and more rooted into who you are and why you are here. Great leaders who have had to fend off gossip often say 'the vision leads the leader' even though there may be muddy waters...and there are muddy waters for us all.

Here's to a week of support, kindness, gentleness, patience and hope.

Valerie Cade, CSP is a Workplace Bullying Expert, Speaker and Author of "Bully Free at Work: What You Can Do To Stop Workplace Bullying Now!" which has been distributed in over 100 countries worldwide. For consulting on workplace bullying prevention and respectful workplace implementation, go to http://www.bullyfreeatwork.com.

You have permission to use the above article in your newsletter, publication or email system. We ask you not to edit the content and that you leave the links and resource box intact. © Bully Free at Work.

Jobsite: Profiling Theory

The Theory Bit
You're probably wondering where this all came from. Well, it started from within the company: 2005 saw us celebrate our 10th birthday, and like all great milestone ages in your life it gets you thinking. We realised how much we've changed as a company and how much we have changed as individuals over the last 10 years. We realised that different people want different things from their work life, will need different management and will be attracted by completely different things. We also realised if the individual doesn't match the company culture - it is a lose-lose situation for both parties.

http://www.jobsite.co.uk/home/questionnaire_theory.html

Toady

toady (td)
n. pl. toad·ies
A person who flatters or defers to others for self-serving reasons; a sycophant.
tr. & intr.v. toad·ied, toad·y·ing, toad·ies
To be a toady to or behave like a toady. See Synonyms at fawn1.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[From toad.]
Word History: The earliest recorded sense (around 1690) of toady is "a little or young toad," but this has nothing to do with the modern usage of the word. The modern sense has rather to do with the practice of certain quacks or charlatans who claimed that they could draw out poisons. Toads were thought to be poisonous, so these charlatans would have an attendant eat or pretend to eat a toad and then claim to extract the poison from the attendant. Since eating a toad is an unpleasant job, these attendants came to epitomize the type of person who would do anything for a superior, and toadeater (first recorded 1629) became the name for a flattering, fawning parasite. Toadeater and the verb derived from it, toadeat, influenced the sense of the noun and verb toad and the noun toady, so that both nouns could mean "sycophant" and the verb toady could mean "to act like a toady to someone."

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/toadying

Wind Troll

Ysätters-Kajsa was a wind-troll, not a dark and gloomy troll, but a happy and playful one. What she liked most, was a real gale ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ys%C3%A4tters-Kajsa

Grammar: Art & Science

Grammar

[ad. OF. gramaire (F. grammaire), an irregular semipopular adoption (for the form of which cf. OF. mire repr. L. medicum, artimaire repr. L. artem magicam or mathematicam) of L. grammatica, ad. Gr. (scil. art), fem. of adj., of or pertaining to letters or literature, f. letters, literature, pl. of letter, written mark, f. root of to write. Cf. Pr. gramaira (prob. from Fr.). Old Fr. had also a learned adoption of the L. word, gramatique, parallel with Sp. gramática, Pg., It. grammatica, G. grammatik, Welsh gramadeg.

In classical Gr. and L. the word denoted the methodical study of literature (= ‘philology’ in the widest modern sense, including textual and æsthetic criticism, investigation of literary history and antiquities, explanation of allusions, etc., besides the study of the Greek and Latin languages. Post-classically, grammatica came to be restricted to the linguistic portion of this discipline, and eventually to ‘grammar’ in the mod. sense. In the Middle Ages, grammatica and its Rom. forms chiefly meant the knowledge or study of Latin, and were hence often used as synonymous with learning in general, the knowledge peculiar to the learned class. As this was popularly supposed to include magic and astrology, the OF. gramaire was sometimes used as a name for these occult sciences. In these applications it still survives in certain corrupt forms, F. grimoire, Eng. GLAMOUR, GRAMARYE.]

1. a. That department of the study of a language which deals with its inflexional forms or other means of indicating the relations of words in the sentence, and with the rules for employing these in accordance with established usage; usually including also the department which deals with the phonetic system of the language and the principles of its representation in writing. Often preceded by an adj. designating the language referred to, as in Latin, English, French grammar.
In early Eng. use grammar meant only Latin grammar, as Latin was the only language that was taught grammatically. In the 16th c. there are some traces of a perception that the word might have an extended application to other languages (cf. quot. 1530 under GRAMMATICAL 1); but it was not before the 17th c. that it became so completely a generic term that there was any need to speak explicitly of ‘Latin grammar’. Ben Jonson's book, written c1600, was app. the first to treat of ‘English grammar’ under that name.
As above defined, grammar is a body of statements of facta ‘science’; but a large portion of it may be viewed as consisting of rules for practice, and so as forming an ‘art’. The old-fashioned definition of grammar as ‘the art of speaking and writing a language correctly’ is from the modern point of view in one respect too narrow, because it applies only to a portion of this branch of study; in another respect, it is too wide, and was so even from the older point of view, because many questions of ‘correctness’ in language were recognized as outside the province of grammar: e.g. the use of a word in a wrong sense, or a bad pronunciation or spelling, would not have been called a grammatical mistake. At the same time, it was and is customary, on grounds of convenience, for books professedly treating of grammar to include more or less information on points not strictly belonging to the subject.
Until a not very distant date, Grammar was divided by Eng. writers (following the precedent of Latin grammarians) into Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody, to which Orthoëpy was added by some authors. All these terms (except Syntax) were used more or less inaccurately (see the several words). The division now usual is that into Phonology, treating of the sounds used in the language, Accidence, of the inflexional forms or equivalent combinations, and Syntax, of the structure of sentences; the branch of grammar dealing with the functions of the alphabetic letters is usually treated along with the phonology.

1398

Glamour

glamour
n.
1. An air of compelling charm, romance, and excitement, especially when delusively alluring.
2. Archaic A magic spell; enchantment.

-------------------------------------------
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/glamour

[Scots, magic spell, alteration of grammar (from the association of learning with magic).]
Usage Note: Many words, such as honor, vapor, and labor, are usually spelled with an -or ending in American English but with an -our ending in British English. The preferred spelling of glamour, however, is -our, making it an exception to the usual American practice. The adjective is more often spelled glamorous in both American and British usage.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/glamour

1. Magic, enchantment, spell; esp. in the phrase to cast the glamour over one (see quot. 1721).

?17.. Johnny Faa in Ritson Sc. Songs (1794) II. 177 As soon as they saw her well far'd face, They coost the glamer o'er her. 1720 RAMSAY Rise & Fall Stocks 152 Like Belzie when he nicks a witch, He..Casts o'er her een his cheating glamour. 1721 Gloss. to Poems s.v., When devils, wizards or jugglers deceive the sight, they are said to cast glamour o'er the eyes of the spectator. 1789 BURNS Capt. Grose's Peregrin. iv, Ye gipsy-gang that deal in glamor, And you deep read in hell's black grammar, Warlocks and witches. 1830 SCOTT Demonol. iii, This species of Witchcraft is well known in Scotland as the glamour, or deceptio visus, and was supposed to be a special attribute of the race of Gipsies. 1859 TENNYSON Enid 743 That maiden in the tale, Whom Gwydion made by glamour out of flowers. 1860 READE Cloister & H. I. 98 He knows father and daughter both. They cast their glamour on him. 1894 D. C. MURRAY Making of Novelist 199 The man had a glamour for me and drew me with the attraction of a magnet.
2. a. A magical or fictitious beauty attaching to any person or object; a delusive or alluring charm.

1840 HOOD Kilmansegg, Fancy Ball xxxvi, For to paint that scene of glamour It would need the Great Enchanter's charm. 1863 OUIDA Held in Bondage 97, I know how quickly the glamour fades in the test of constant intercourse. 1874 GREEN Short Hist. v. §1. 213 A sudden burst of military glory threw its glamour over the age of Cressy and Poitiers.
b. Charm; attractiveness; physical allure, esp. feminine beauty; freq. attrib. (see sense 3). colloq. (orig. U.S.).

OED

Value of Diamonds

The value of the Emperor's diamond, like that of most other diamonds, depends heavily on the perception of the buyer. If it is accepted as a unique gem and a crown jewel, it could be auctioned off for a million dollars. If, on the other hand, it is seen as a piece of industrial boart, it will be sold for $140 and used as grinding powder. It is, as Jolis observed, "a two-tier market."

http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/chap20.htm

Most jewelers would prefer not make a customer an offer that not only might be deemed insulting but would also undercut the widely-held notion that diamonds hold their value.

"We usually can't pay more than 60 percent of the current wholesale price," Jack Braud, the president of Empire Diamonds, explained. "In most cases, we have to pay less since the setting has to be discarded and we have to leave a margin for error in our evaluation [especially if the diamond is mounted in a setting]." Empire removes the diamonds from their settings, which are sold as scrap, and resells them to wholesalers. Because of the steep markup on diamonds between the wholesale and retail levels, individuals who buy retail and, ;n effect, sell wholesale often suffer enormous losses on the transaction. For example, Braud estimated that a half-carat diamond ring that might cost $2,000 at a retail jewelry store could only be sold for $600 at Empire.

Personality Types and their Career Choices

Personality Types and their Career Choices

The relevance of the MBTI for career planning has been questioned, with reservations about the relevance of type to job performance or satisfaction, and concerns about the potential misuse of the instrument in labeling individuals. In her original research, Isabel Myers found that the proportion of different personality types varied by choice of career or course of study.[1]:40-51[14] However, some other researchers examining the proportions of each type within varying professions report that the proportion of MBTI types within each occupation is close to that within a random sample of the population.

Studies suggest that the MBTI is not a useful predictor of job performance. In 1991 three scholars at the University of Western Ontario analyzed the results of 97 independent studies that evaluated the effectiveness of personality tests in predicting job success and job satisfaction ("Personnel Psychology," winter 1991). The results of the nationwide study found that the MBTI was not an effective tool in predicting individual performance or satisfaction in a corporate setting: "The validity coefficient for personality tests in predicting job success was found to average 0.29 (on a scale of 0 to 1). The corresponding average validity for the MBTI, however, was a weak 0.12. In fact, each study that examined the MBTI found its validity to be below acceptable levels of statistical significance." [44] As noted above under Precepts and ethics, the MBTI measures preference, not ability. The use of the MBTI as a predictor of job success is expressly discouraged in the Manual.It is not designed for this purpose.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Skepticism

Extract cut from the Wicker Man

Postman: It's for his nibs - postmarked Summerisle. Got a bit of skirt over there, has he?

McTaggart: What him? The only woman he's interested in is the Virgin Mary.

Postman: Oh? I thought he was going steady with Mary Bannock?

McTaggart: Steady's the word. In two years he hasn't so much as tickled her fancy. He's keeping himself pure for the wedding day!

(They laugh. Outside, Howie is just arriving for work)

http://www.steve-p.org/wm/diffs.htm

Cross-quarter Days

Cross-quarter Days

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-quarter_day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_calendar

Heath Etymology

http://keithbriggs.info/heath.html

Wheel of the Year

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wheel_of_the_Year.svg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_the_Year

Knights of the Round Table

The table is round and this gives no one member of those invited to the table any advantage. But you have to be a Knight and this means a stakeholder (stick your stake in the ground), which means property, and are representatives of the commoners allowed around the table?

The game is Capitalist Poker and your stake is represented by the amount of resources (represented by money tokens) that you can call on to play, representing castles and armed retainers, agricultural land and serfs (possessions) and possibly benefactors (from over the sea).

But the hands are dealt by God (whoever he may be) and who is going to take the Pot? Now being a commoner my stake is low and although my cards are high what card is going to appear in the river? Will the benefactor invest when the wrong card means Death?

Dark clouds of the Revolution are in the sky, Thunder and Lightning, the new game is Chess and the armies are gathering. This is to be expected when the commoners are not allowed at the Round Table. The gate is locked and the paid Guards are watching.

Our Way of Life

In introducing the inherited spirituality of his people, T.P. Tawhai, a Maori writer, said that “the purpose of religious activity here is to do violence with impunity”. He explains that rather than reaching for redemption and salvation, or conveying messages of praise and thanksgiving, religious activity “seeks permission and offers placation”.

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-faith-column/2007/03/eat-world-life-problem-others

Our Religions: Are they the Religions of Humanity Itself

Wherever you find indigenous peoples who have not swallowed (under force) the bitter pill of civilization, you find animism.

…there once was a religion that could plausibly be called the religion of humanity. It was humanity’s first religion and its only universal religion, found wherever humans were found, in place for tens of thousands of years. Christian missionaries encountered it wherever they went, and piously set about destroying it. By now it has been all but stamped out either by missionary efforts or more simply by exterminating its adherents. I certainly take no pride in its discovery, since it’s been in plain sight to us for hundreds of years.

Of course it isn’t accounted a “real” religion, since it isn’t one of ours. It’s just a sort of half-baked “pre-religion.” How could it be anything else, since it emerged long before God decided humans were worth talking to? It wasn’t revealed by any accredited prophet, has no dogma, no evident theology or doctrine, no liturgy, and produces no interesting heresies or schisms. Worst of all, as far as I know, no one has ever killed for it or died for it–and what sort of religion is that? Considering all this, it’s actually quite remarkable that we even have a name for it.

The religion I’m talking about is, of course, animism.

Daniel Quinn
Our Religions: Are they the Religions of Humanity Itself?

http://wilderix.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/animism-baptism/

Agnosticism

agnostic | anstk | n. & a. M19. [f. A-10 + GNOSTIC.] A n. A person who holds the view that nothing can be known of the existence of God or of anything beyond material phenomena. Also, a person who is uncertain or non-committal about a particular thing. M19. B adj. Of or pertaining to agnostics or agnosticism. L19.
Coined by T. H. Huxley (OED); but occurs earlier in a letter of 1859 from Isabel Arundell.
agnostical a. L19. agnostically adv. L19. agnosticism | -sz()m | n. the doctrine or tenets of agnostics, an agnostic attitude L19.

cf. Nihilism on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdism

Demographic research services normally list agnostics in the same category as atheists and/or non-religious people.[4] Some sources use agnostic in the sense of noncommittal.[5] Agnosticism often overlaps with other belief systems. Agnostic theists identify themselves both as agnostics and as followers of particular religions, viewing agnosticism as a framework for thinking about the nature of belief and their relation to revealed truths. Some nonreligious people, such as author Philip Pullman, identify as both agnostic and atheist.[6]
Thomas Henry Huxley defined the term:
Agnosticism is not a creed but a method, the essence of which lies in the vigorous application of a single principle... Positively the principle may be expressed as in matters of intellect, do not pretend conclusions are certain that are not demonstrated or demonstrable.

Etymology
Agnostic (Greek: ἀ- a-, without + γνῶσις gnōsis, knowledge) was used by Thomas Henry Huxley in a speech at a meeting of the Metaphysical Society in 1876[7] to describe his philosophy which rejects all claims of spiritual or mystical knowledge. Early Christian church leaders used the Greek word gnosis (knowledge) to describe "spiritual knowledge." Agnosticism is not to be confused with religious views opposing the ancient religious movement of Gnosticism in particular; Huxley used the term in a broader, more abstract sense.[8] Huxley identified agnosticism not as a creed but rather as a method of skeptical, evidence-based inquiry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism
Nihilism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Nihilism (pronounced /ˈnaɪ.əlɪzəm/ or /ˈniː.əlɪzəm/; from the Latin nihil, nothing) is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life[1] is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value. Moral nihilists assert that morality does not inherently exist, and that any established moral values are abstractly contrived. Nihilism can also take epistemological, metaphysical or ontological forms, meaning respectively that, in some aspect, knowledge is not possible or that contrary to our belief, some aspect of reality does not exist as such.
The term nihilism is sometimes used in association with anomie to explain the general mood of despair at a perceived pointlessness of existence that one may develop upon realizing there are no necessary norms, rules, or laws.[2] Movements such as Futurism and deconstruction,[3] among others, have been identified by commentators as "nihilistic" at various times in various contexts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism

Gnosticism

Gnosticism (Greek: γνῶσις gnōsis, knowledge) refers to diverse, syncretistic religious movements in antiquity consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that the material cosmos was created ...

The gnōsis referred to in the term is a form of mystic, revealed, esoteric knowledge through which the spiritual elements of humanity are reminded of their true origins within the superior Godhead, being thus permitted to escape materiality.[5] Consequently, within the sects of gnosticism only the pneumatics or psychics obtain gnōsis; the hylic or Somatics, though human, being incapable of perceiving the higher reality, are unlikely to attain the gnōsis deemed by gnostic movements as necessary for salvation.[6][7] Jesus of Nazareth is identified by some Gnostic sects as an embodiment of the supreme being who became incarnate to bring gnōsis to the earth.[8] In others (e.g. the Notzrim and Mandaeans) he is considered a mšiha kdaba or "false messiah" who perverted the teachings entrusted to him by John the Baptist.[9] Still other traditions identify Mani and Seth, third son of Adam and Eve, as salvific figures.[10]

Whereas Gnosticism has been considered by scholars to originate as a branch of Christianity, alternate theories have proposed traces of Gnostic systems existed some centuries before the Christian Era, thus predating the birth of Jesus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism

Epiphany to the Magi

e·piph·a·ny (-pf-n)
n. pl. e·piph·a·nies
1. Epiphany
a. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.
b. January 6, on which this feast is traditionally observed.
2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.
3.
a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.
b. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself" (Frank Maier).

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epiphany

JC (the Nazz) was a Skylark (INFJ*) and the Magi (ENTJ*) rode on sneering Camels (ESFJ variant) from a different camp.

Intuition is not the whole world.
(* unsure, these could be complex shape-shifters)



Pervasive throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia until late antiquity and beyond, Greek mágos "magian"/Magician was influenced by (and eventually displaced) Greek goēs(γόης), the older word for a practitioner of magic, to include astrology, alchemy and other forms of esoteric knowledge. This association was in turn the product of the Hellenistic fascination for (Pseudo-)Zoroaster, who was perceived by the Greeks to be the "Chaldean" "founder" of the Magi and "inventor" of both astrology and magic. Among the skeptical thinkers of the period, the term 'magian' acquired a negative connotation and was associated with tricksters and conjurers. This pejorative meaning survives in the words "magic" and "magician".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi

The Special One

The Special One (for dialogue)

S: Special (believes he or she is special and unique)
P: Preoccupied with fantasies (of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love)
E: Entitlement
C: Conceited (grandiose sense of self-importance)
I: Interpersonal exploitation
A: Arrogant (haughty)
L: Lacks empathy


http://www.personalityresearch.org/pd.html

Universal Morality

Universal Morality

One of the main theses in Lewis's apologia is that there is a common morality known throughout humanity. In the first five chapters of Mere Christianity Lewis discusses the idea that people have a standard of behaviour to which they expect other people to adhere. This standard has been called Universal Morality or Natural Law. Lewis claims that people all over the earth know what this law is and when they break it. He goes on to claim that there must be someone or something behind such a universal set of principles. (Lindskoog 2001b, p. 144)

These then are the two points that I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in. (Lewis 1952, p. 21)

Lewis also portrays Universal Morality in his works of fiction. In The Chronicles of Narnia he describes Universal Morality as the "Deep magic" which everyone knew. (Lindskoog 2001b, p. 146)

In the second chapter of Mere Christianity Lewis recognizes that "many people find it difficult to understand what this Law of Human Nature [...] is". And he responds first to the idea "that the Moral Law is simply our herd instinct" and second to the idea "that the Moral Law is simply a social convention". In responding to the second idea Lewis notes that people often complain that one set of moral ideas is better than another, but that this actually argues for there existing some "Real Morality" to which they are comparing other moralities. Finally he notes that sometimes differences in moral codes are exaggerated by people who confuse differences in beliefs about morality with differences in beliefs about facts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis

Moral universalism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Universal morality)
Jump to: navigation, search
Moral universalism (also called moral objectivism or universal morality) is the meta-ethical position that some system of ethics, or a universal ethic, applies universally, that is, for "all similarly situated individuals"[1], regardless of culture, race, sex, religion, nationality, sexuality, or other distinguishing feature. Moral universalism is opposed to moral nihilism and moral relativism. However, not all forms of moral universalism are absolutist, nor are they necessarily value monist; many forms of universalism, such as utilitarianism, are non-absolutist, and some forms, such as that of Isaiah Berlin, may be value pluralist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_morality

Social Democratic

SOCIAL DEMOCRATISM

Social Democratism is a moderate form of Socialism.

The Social Democratic current came into being by a break within the Socialist movement in the early 20th century. One reformist group of Socialists rejected the idea of a Socialist revolution, and instead tried to achieve the Socialist ideals through Democratic means.

Social Democrats are in favor of a highly regulated Capitalist market economy, but with a strong and large government [Moderate Interdependence].

Social Democracy is often considered the most commonly embraced political ideology in the world.

http://www.moral-politics.com/xpolitics.aspx?menu=Political_Ideologies&action=Draw&choice=PoliticalIdeologies.Social_Democratism

Moral Matrix: Political Ideology

A Political Ideology is a sub-section of a Political System typically mapping to the specific beliefs of a group or to a theory.

Because certain ideologies are complex and include multiple factions, they can easily span multiple Political Variations. Ideologies can also overlap.

While some of the ideologies listed here are well known and hardly disputed (i.e. Social-Democracy), others are often the subject of intense discussions (e.g. Trotskyism).

Where a clear ideology name was not established, we came up with our own or picked the term that we thought best represented the zone on the Moral Matrix.

Click on the Matrix to learn more.


http://www.moral-politics.com/xPolitics.aspx?menu=Political_Ideologies&action=Draw&choice=PoliticalIdeologies.All

Moral Matrix

OVERVIEW

This test is a morality-based political test. It finds your political position not by asking you what you think about political issues but by defining your Personal Moral System.

Political opinions are shaped by your moral values. Once we map your personal moral system, we can accurately tell you what your stance is on any political issue.

Note that moral values is not the same as 'traditional values'. Moral values can be of any political flavor. Everyone has moral values.


PERSEUS'S SCORE

Your scored -3 on Moral Order and 1 on Moral Rules.























The following categories best match your score (multiple responses are possible):

System: Socialism
Ideology: Social Democratism
Party: Democratic Party
Presidents: Jimmy Carter
04' Election: John Kerry
08' Election: Barrack Obama



Of the 639,098 respondents (11,539 on Facebook):

11% are close to you.
50% are more conservative.
8% are more liberal.
15% are more socialist.
14% are more authoritarian.

http://www.moral-politics.com/xpolitics.aspx?menu=Home&action=Test&choice=Long

Slithering in the grass down by the Lake .....

According to Dr. Hare and Dr. Babiak, psychopaths are always on the lookout for individuals to scam or swindle. The psychopathic approach includes three phases: the assessment phase, the manipulation phase and the abandonment phase. "Some psychopaths are opportunistic, aggressive predators who wil take advantage of almost anyone they meet, while others are more patient, waiting for the perfect, innocent victim to cross their path.

http://toogoodtobereal.blogspot.com/2006/06/beware-techniques-of-sociopath.html

This is a work of the Guardians.

"Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?"

"Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" is a quotation – sometimes misquoted with "on" in place of "upon" – from Alexander Pope's "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot" of January 1735. The line has entered common use and has become associated with more recent figures.

It can be taken as referring to putting massive effort into achieving something minor or unimportant, and alludes to "breaking on the wheel", a form of torture in which victims had their long bones broken by an iron bar while tied to a Catherine wheel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_breaks_a_butterfly_upon_a_wheel%3F

In Finnish teilata, "to execute by the wheel", refers to forceful and violent critique or rejection of performance, ideas or innovations. In Norwegian, the verb radbrekke is generally applied to art and language, and refers to use thereof which is seen as despoiling tradition and courtesy, with connotations of willful ignorance and/or malice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wheel

The Boxer

boxer | bks | n.1 rare. M16. [f. BOX v.1 + -ER1.] A person who puts things in boxes.
boxer | bks | n.2 L17. [f. BOX v.2 + -ER1.]

1 A person who boxes; a pugilist. L17.
2 Hist. (B-.) [Repr. Chin. yi he quan lit. 'righteous harmonious fists'.] A member of a Chinese nationalist secret society responsible for a rising in 1900. E20.
3 A dog of a smooth-coated square-built breed of the bulldog type, originating in Germany. E20.
Comb.: boxer shorts: men's loose shorts or underpants

box | bks | n.1 OE. [L buxus f. Gk puxos.]
1 More fully box tree. A small evergreen tree or shrub of the genus Buxus (family Buxaceae);

box | bks | n.2 LOE. [Prob. f. late L buxis, -id- var. of L PYXIS box of boxwood.]
1 A case or receptacle, usu. rectangular or cylindrical and with a lid, of wood, metal, card, etc. (Freq. w. function, type, etc., specified or understood contextually.) LOE
-------------------------------------------
Excerpted from The Oxford Interactive Encyclopedia
Developed by The Learning Company, Inc. Copyright (c) 1997 TLC Properties Inc.


1742 FIELDING J. Andrews III. ix, A stout fellow and an expert boxer. 1875 JOWETT Plato (ed. 2) I. 154 As if I had received a blow from the expert hand of a boxer.
OED

Strain Theory (Sociology)

Strain theory (sociology)


In criminology, the strain theory states that social structures within society may encourage citizens to commit crime.

Structural: this refers to the processes at the societal level which filter down and affect how the individual perceives his or her needs, i.e. if particular social structures are inherently inadequate or there is inadequate regulation, this may change the individual's perceptions as to means and opportunities;

or

Individual: this refers to the frictions and pains experienced by an individual as he or she looks for ways to satisfy his or her needs, i.e. if the goals of a society become significant to an individual, actually achieving them may become more important than the means adopted

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strain_theory_(sociology)