Although the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” may portend attitudes’ interpretation of the fates deem inevitable, it can also reflect fatalistic expectations of future events within a cosmic play seen from a skewed perspective, just a nebulous notion or delusional state, demarcating individualized affect that attributes its own meaning to what images are suggested by “control”.

If seeking domination of circumstances to impact a specific effect is sought despite infinite unanticipated external possibilities, then personal thought, balanced upon positive and negative experiences, impress the ironic futility to any such endeavor. Now technology has an input into this very notion.

A variety of products developed for the enlightened individual who wants to take charge of his/her environment has been explored by slashgear.com; a reservoir of unimaginable ideas made concrete for anyone to redefine their personal surroundings.

First there is the color coordinated, Control Your Man Or Women Remote Control. Pink for the men and dark gray for the women who have issues with their paramour and require additional prodding instead of spending thousand of dollars in counseling or legal fees sucked up by lawyers to win a divorce settlement. The remote control claims to get them to do what you want on a whim, without the hassle of free will, free speech or love potion #9, conjured in a burning cauldron of witches brew so eloquently memorialized by The Three in MacBeth, Act 1, Scene1: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air,” as an inspiration for the evil queen, stepmother of Snow White, as she transforms, a result of a dark potion,  into the ugly contorted witch in the sweeping 1940 animated epic Disney masterpiece Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, surrounded by thunder, swirling wind and lightning and the poisoned apple, cackling her narrative to the mesmerized gaze of children and adults sitting in the audience. Although not a new concept it does have a soundly presented atmospheric charm all its own.

“Press a button and it yells at your significant other to do the task of your choosing. Both remotes emit obnoxious noises. the pink one sounds boyish  while the dark gray, whiny and ‘girlish.’” One remote is priced at $17.95, while the set, an amazing steal at $29.95. Perhaps behavior modification reminiscent of Psychology 101, the classic Lab Rat experiments devised for the quest to find the biological basis of behavior can apply here, or not.

Atmosphere is also a worthy condition to exist by making all life possible especially in a party environment within an array of merging amino acids. Now there is a way to test, and yes, manipulate your surroundings, and the people who comprise its milieu. Another genius invention shown on slashgear.com. Its the Portable Voice Stress Analyzer, particularly made for the paranoid of heart. Trapped in an affair with numerous people, the voice stress analyzer is small enough to slip into your purse or briefcase and works “by measuring the tremors in the audio signal from the vocal cords. It then assesses how honest the people surrounding you are,” a consideration of note when attempting to cultivate a sense of intuition.  Advertised on nerdapproved.com for $58.40 “with an easy to read LED layout makes determining innocence or guilt quick, easy and unequivocal,  so you can falsely accuse and alienate anyone you want, anytime, anywhere.”

The final piece to this triad effectively designed for any diagnosed or undiagnosed control complex is The Sonic Nausea Gadget to make those around you feel queasy enough to leave. “Sonic Nausea is a small electronic device which can really ‘boom’ one’s stomach. It generates a unique combination of ultra-high frequency sound waves which soon leads most in its vicinity to queasiness. It can also cause headaches, intense irritation, sweating, imbalance, nausea, or even vomiting. The unique sound wave characteristics make directional source determination difficult.  Powered by one 9-volt battery (not included). For extended run time six AA batteries in a battery pack with transistor clips (available from most electronics stores) can be used instead.  Use with extreme (paranoid) discretion.” $29.00. This product is also advertised on shomer-tech.com, which specializes in law enforcement and military equipment.

All of these treasures are a  testament to whoever said, “Things always comes in three’s”

My Percepto Rating: Its a secret. See if you can cajole it outta me.

Dependencies are tricky, not at all what one imagines until trapped, unable to remember what it felt like to live without the habit. Tolerance of delay in gratification defines behavior and ability to deal with stress wherever addictive personalities are a factor, especially if smoking is only one of many dependencies expressed. Failure is always present until ready to finally surrender its intoxicating effect or sustaining need.

Any attempt to quit smoking is usually filled with delusional thinking, often dismissing each attempt with some justification that defies good sense,  ultimately leading to an opposite effect. “Just one more until the next hit,” a constant companion or an extension of oneself that creates complex distracting rituals that affect judgment by testing ego strength, exposing weakness.

All this insight, however articulated, is useless when the pull, the need to have whatever is satisfied by this fixation, calls from some indescribable place. The struggle between craving and self-control, either resists temptation or rationalizes to oneself that it’s ok to be human and imperfect and give in to the weakness of bodies’ need.

While in this chaotic struggle, consciously asking oneself if what is needed is necessary or self indulgence may consciously spark a different thought, effecting determination,  strength and focus to change the habit by breaking the cycle.

Chosen to argue the optimistic aspects of the current financial collapse at Harvard Law School, I was hard pressed to find something positive to orate,  not knowing anything about Economics and finding the subject incredibly boring. One consolation at the very least, it would be unnecessary to go to the library for research. Enough information could be obtained from the Internet to sound scholarly and well informed at the podium. Discuss trends, be very philosophic, not too specific and answer questions well, also a good way to get elected president.

Perhaps a healthy dose of absurdity, a sound use of satire, with or without humor, maybe an analogy with a memorable cinematic masterpiece, a classic novel, or an odd situation filled with paradoxical choices, especially if the objective is to provoke thought. Whether those ideas are credible or outrageous is for the audience to decide.

Often, after having been accused of pointing out the obvious, I would respond with a twinkle in my eye and an inner smile, “it’s the obvious that becomes invisible and overlooked, camouflaged by all the other things in its constellation.” Now all I had to do was relate this to Economics, the financial collapse and find something reassuring to say about it.

I contemplated my thoughts, looking out at my fellow students and distinguished professors in the audience and said, ” Depression is never having to say your in need of an antidepressant.”

There are very few subjects that evoke the same kind of emotional reactions as the final outcome. Fear of the unknown, of the potential pain and suffering lurking in the background increases as cycles pass knowing that finiteness is inevitable especially when a close shave with death forces the subject to become a source of profound thought and inspiration.

The question always returns to what is left when the physical is dissolved. Philosophy raises questions, structures thought, but it is still difficult to relate to a non-physical existence, an irreconcilable perception from this side of life evoking the image of a black hole from where nothing returns unchanged, let alone with memory. The hope that something does occur, if firm, trusts that some kind of order or infinite potential exists but still not allowing it to be easily envisioned from this perspective.

There are so many theological explanations that it is difficult to isolate and accept just one. They are often intertwined with culture, language and history while portraying some kind of earthly reflection of what occurs, instilled as part of early development until the time that revelation transforms belief into knowledge. Commonalities of defined divinity offer clues on at least how the accumulation of life transforms; it nevertheless leaves a conscious residue of uncertainty. This turns out to be a very difficult subject with many answers dependent on the kinds of insights that are perceived on the path that leads beyond the event horizon.

How uncertainty in life is faced will help in dealing with anything with confident instinctive spirituality. The choice is whether the view of the void is feared more than the alternative of lingering with illness in an existence that has lost meaning to the one living it. That decision should not be left to others who themselves fear surrendering to the other side of life.

After the election, it occurred to me that I should read the constitution and clarify what my powers would be. It did no harm to explore being sworn in by the Chief Justice on a cold morning after a storm passed leaving a foot of snow. The stands where the ceremony would take place would be filled with politicians and dignitaries of all kind. The stars of Hollywood shining brightly through the rising sun, as the gods of myth watched. Warren, Jack, Barbara… I was planing to read Plutarch’s lives the week before, review the works of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

I thought of the words of Lewis Carroll:
Alice came to the fork in the road. “Which road do I take?”
“Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.
“I don’t know,”
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

I reflected on the wisdom of Ronald Laing “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change; until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.”

As I prepared to take the oath of office, hand over heart, the nurse came in and handed me the plastic cup with medications from the tray and a glass of water, and said “Here are your pills, G. W.”

The words “I don’t know, what do you think?” are highly predictable for any psychoanalyst to articulate in order to circumvent a patient’s attempt to evoke an answer from their therapist, especially those working with clients who display a perplexing array of symptoms where avoidance and denial are part of the repertoire of a neurotic complex.

Unfortunately, the delusional world of transference and counter-transference, a common occurrence in the artificially created world of therapy, often confounding the original basis for why help is offered: to assist the patient to find the answers for themselves. Slowly unfolding the onion, layer by layer, based on the presumption that the core pathological pattern will reveal itself in a catharsis of self-understanding.

Reflecting about sequestered thought, at best difficult when influenced by the sway of emotional neurosis, ruminations usually relegated by patients convinced they are unimportant, when in fact they are the ideations most important to reveal. Perhaps a painful display of embarrassment suggesting personality is kept together with Krazy Glue: a drop here, there, keeping all the feelings stuck together in a dam of in-congruent clutter. The emotional disarray of the affliction causing one to seek out the aid of a therapist in the first place.

A notable expert who expounded the words “I don’t know, what do you think?”, by portraying her vast expertise in the world of the pathological, was Deeana Troi, Counselor of the USS Enterprise 1701-D. Classically trained in Psychoanalytic Theory, perhaps the School of Neo-Freudians who often claimed eclectic causes for pathological behavior, Counselor Troi held firmly to the notion that the joy in helping someone find themselves is the primary reward. She interpreted through an empathic sense, characteristic of her Betazoid heritage. The words “I don’t know, what do you think?” often frustrated those around her as she approached a sensitive subject, causing the crew to consider beaming her to a planet inhabited solely by Argelian Amoebas. The only advantage having her as a therapist was not paying $250 for a 45 minute session, since money was abolished in the Twenty Fourth Century.

I don’t know, What do you think?

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Someone was trying to reach me by phone the other day, “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours”, they said, and although it’s nothing personal, I must admit I have a deep seated dislike for the telephone. Perhaps I am afflicted with Telephonophobia. Is there such a thing?

I used to feel bad about ignoring the ringing phone, mostly for the other person, but if I stopped what I was doing every time it rang, I would lose my train of thought so essential to writing the things I like. On the other hand, it’s not as if the phone rings all day.

Perhaps if I was involved in theorizing a mathematical construct for an emerging star system and Stephen Hawking was trying to reach me to discuss my formulas, or Oprah Winfrey to comment on my African Mythology Series, I would be able to overcome my fear of the telephone. More probably, I would be tongue tied at the prospect of talking to someone of such notoriety, only reinforcing my discomfort by taking it to the level of psychotic.

As Woody Allen, a most celebrated neurotic, would probably say: “The universe is in cosmic flux, increased solar wind is moving towards earth dooming our very existence, while global warming threatens to turn us all into mer-people as the continents sink, forcing us to spend our lives avoid being harpooned by Japanese Whaling ships for our blubber, and your worried about phone calls?”

It is a serious matter when someone chokes and there is no one at hand in the near vicinity appropriately trained to help them. A person’s life can depend on whether you know what to do or not.

Everyone should be knowledgeable or familiar with the Heimlich Procedure, however many obstructions can be dislodged before this procedure is used. Even children have the capacity to respond with help, when it becomes apparent that someone is in distress.

Symptoms of choking include:

1. A person cannot speak or cry out.
2. Turning blue (cyanosis) from lack of oxygen.
3. Desperately grabs at his or her throat.
4. Exhibiting a weak cough, and labored breathing producing a high pitched noise
5. The person has any or all of the above, and then becomes unconscious.

Response:
Encourage the person to cough first, slapping the upper back with the heel of your hand with measured hard blows (5 to 20 times) - children with more care. The back slap essentially will create a pressure that will often help to expel the blockage.

Abdominal thrusts, used in the Heimlich procedure, can cause damage (cracked ribs, bruising) if not properly applied to the right area. The person performing the procedure, standing behind the one who is choking and using their hands to exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm, compressing the lungs, exerting an upward pressure on the object lodged in the trachea, forcing it out. For pregnant women or obese people chest thrusts can be used in a modified form by placing the back of the hand on the chest rather than the abdomen.

If alone, abdominal thrusts can also be done using the back of a chair in the same manner, applying pressure to the diaphragm.

If a patient is unconscious, CPR should be done with chest compression and artificial respiration. Once conscious, the obstruction should be at the mouth and can be removed by turning the patient, allowing gravity to do the rest. Finger sweeping can induce vomiting which can also be a problem.

These procedures are appropriate for adults. Young children and infants are different. Training for this should be learned from a medical person in programs designed to address this.

It is always important to remain alert and avoid panicking. Someone’s life may depend on your assessment, judgment and action.

Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, C. Everett Koop, a religious pro-life conservative, came to the office of Surgeon General in 1982 as a noted, highly respected pediatric surgeon. Despite little power, he became the most influential spokesman on many issues impacting the health of the American public by succeeding to transform the office of Surgeon General “from a minimally effective obscure role to one of the most authoritative platforms to educate the American public on health threats that became increasingly apparent.”

Although his position on a number of medical issues isolated him from his conservative base, he continued to speak out, drawing public attention by effectively exerting his expertise, equating these concerns with the question of constitutional liberties of individual rights vs governmental authority. His influence continues, reflected in the profound impact he had on the American Conscience.

No federal official before or since Dr. Koop fought a more vigorous public campaign against smoking. Once he began investigating tobacco use in preparation for the Surgeon General’s report, he openly expressed how appalled he was by the tobacco industries’ aggressive manipulative lobby in Washington. He passionately devoted his time to informing smokers and non-smokers that the dangers of tobacco directly impacted the death of 400,000 people. His reports showed “smoking caused more fatalities from heart disease than from cancer and was the major cause of illness and death from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), while second-hand smoke presented an even greater health hazard than exposure to work place pollutants such as asbestos.” This led to a direct confrontation with the tobacco industry, and States where it’s grown, especially with the findings that tobacco was one of the most addictive drugs known to medicine.

His tenure also coincided with the greatest public health threat of the Twentieth Century, the AIDS Epidemic. While the Reagan Administration attempted to minimize his role, he fought for getting the word out through speeches and mailing every American household his comprehensive Surgeon General’s report on AIDS, though he was continually frustrated by President Reagan not being more vocal or aggressive as the AIDS crisis began to unfold. He succeeded in transforming the debate from the politics of homosexual promiscuity, morality and drug abuse to the issues of civil rights, accessibility of medical care and the economic hardship of those suffering with HIV. His passionate public posture successfully altered the view of AIDS as a plague to “a chronic disease that can be appropriately managed by medications and behavioral change.”

When a number of high profile legal cases arose, he grappled with the rights of infants with congenital birth defects to receive medical treatment and the justification of the government “to intervene in the relationship between doctors and parents in decisions about the future of their children.” His expertise and experience as a pediatric surgeon qualified him to publicly comment from an ethical position. Although he asserted that each case should be addressed individually, “we ought to do things to give a person all the life to which he or she is entitled, but not do anything to lengthen that person’s act of dying.” However, as a physician and on moral grounds, he stated “the right of the government to override the rights of parents should extend to the protection of children with birth defects and disabilities.”

He enraged pro-life conservatives who claimed he had abandoned his anti-abortion position when asked about advising a pregnant woman with Aids about abortion, his public position was “a woman should receive advice on abortion because of the risk of transmitting the disease to her child.”

A pediatric surgeon who understood his responsibility, the political landscape and successfully navigated the balance between public awareness, personal belief and national conscience; a recipient in 1991 of the Albert Schweitzer prize for Humanitarians. A profile of a remarkable life dedicated to provoking debate on some of the most complex medical, ethical and legal issues ever to face the American Public.

For more on the life of C. Everett Koop see the Wikipedia entry below-

C. Everett Koop

The room was stark white. No windows or wall trimming and very cold. The lights were intense and bright as I lay there on the table with an IV in my right arm, noting the staff preparing to operate. Unavoidable, inevitable and very real. It happened so fast, the diagnosis of a popliteal aneurysm. The loss of control and independence without any pain or presenting symptoms which resulted in unanticipated complications.

The day before, I shaved, as it became the last bit of control left to me before entering the hospital and going directly to the surgical area to prepare. Everything I came with was put in two simple brown shopping bags, left with a gown to sit in a cubical to wait for the beginning of my nightmare. An introduction soon came from the anesthesiologist who was concerned about allergies and past adverse reactions to medications. I also made sure that he knew I had researched Anesthesia Awareness. A phenomenon where the patient regains full consciousness during surgery, unable to speak or respond.

The surgeon came in to mark the area of the incision and reassured me that he would try to make only one cut. Placed on the gurney, I was heralded into the room. Bright, stark white, and very cold. The moment of unconsciousness came without warning as I gazed up at the ceiling blinded by the light.

When I came to, my left leg was heavily wrapped in an ace bandage up to the thigh. Heavily sedated, the moment of consciousness became my orientation back to the world, and of pain, abated only by oral medication which took longer to take effect since I would not allow the use of IV Morphine.

Trapped in a hospital bed, unable to walk. My only respite of familiarity was my iPod with stored episodes of all the Star Trek series, by season, and my top Science Fiction films of all time. A comfort zone to focus my attention on something other than what my reality had now become.

The hospital care was mixed. Some good nurses, others who had a way of letting the patient know they didn’t want to be there. There is not much difference in most hospitals.

No matter what the surgery is for, it’s a violation of the body and the spirit and requires a great deal of convalescence on numerous levels. Leaving the hospital is also a traumatic experience. Weak, uncertain and unable to go back to an independent life, the first few days home were difficult. Especially when a complicating hematoma developed and I had to go back to the hospital, led on a gurney, to the same stark white room with no trimming, no windows and very cold, as I gazed up at the ceiling blinded by the light.

- Artery Aneurysms

-Surgical Aneurysm Repair

-Preventing and Managing the impact of Anesthesia Awareness

-Preparing For A Hospitalization