The Dopa is mine. Get your own

(Wouldn't you know it I look for an image for dope and a rock group pops up. Are they running out of names?)

Sex drugs rock and roll, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, cocaine, pick your poison or favorite method of tickling your pleasure centers. It's just yet another facet of our complexly simple selves. We may be simpletons on the outside but the internals work like clock work flipping switches with enzymes and hormones and various proteins.

So what's your fixation? What blows the wind up your skirt? Come on don't tell me you don't have some devilish pleasure hiding in the frontal cortex.

I have a theory about all this as it's another piece of the puzzle that makes us us. Dopamine receptors. That little understood function of the human brain that makes chocolate cake so irresistible and in spring time when a man's thoughts turns to fancy at the sight of some cleavage. Dopamine is the motivator. Or maybe it's the quest for the results of such biochemistry that gets us off our arses to do anything. For me there must be something stimulation about writing or I sure wouldn't be sitting here pounding on the keyboard. But if it wasn't for a certain imbalance in our human anatomy we'd all be laying dead in some cave somewhere starved to death. Even the very act of breathing requires an offset. Did you know that if we were to breath pure oxygen we would die? Our body would become balanced and not take another breath.

This too is tied to our obsessions with obsession. If one is good then one hundred or one thousand must be better right? At some point our feeble bodies start to say enough is enough. "Keep up that obsession and I'm going to hurt you." Illegal drugs? Ha that's nothing compared to to what the doctor can prescribe. Drug Lords have nothing compared to the profits of Big Pharma. What's that you say? Not your cup of tea? Well the doctor has a pill for that you know because after all you can't go home empty handed. Just be sure to read the side effects.

Now excuse me while I stop. I "need" another cup of coffee because I'm running out of ideas here. :-)

I'm going to pump you up

No not that way.



When I first saw this as a thumbnail I thought it was Lady Gaga's newest fashion statement, but the article deals with the brain. A complicated subject if there ever was one. There's been some interesting shifts in thinking about psychiatry and psychology over the last 50 years. Sigmund Freud appears to have everything wrong on the influences of mommy and daddy in how we turn out. Yes you may pick up a habit or two from them along the way but what makes us the unique folks we are is more based on brain chemistry and how we adapt to daily problem solving. I had written a paper some 40 years ago about the subject with the premise that who we are is based on genetics relative to our environment. I see now that it was only partially true. Some years later studies of twins separated at birth concluded similar characteristics even when raised by different families. Now come to find out that our brains are malleable and capable of great changes or rewiring if you will with changes to our situations. That would follow logically as we evolve and adapt to our surroundings. Interesting to note that it can now be determined with great accuracy whether an individual will land up in jail based on little more than a brain CAT scan. Certain parts of the brain can be exposed showing underdevelopment or a destruction from injury that could never be examined before. This may lead to better treatments of many neurological problems. However we have a long road to go considering the side effects of so many medications on the market right now. Repairing psychosis may be one thing but when the liver is destroyed in the process I don't think the patient will go for the trade off.

Neuroplasticity is the latest term meaning the brains' ability to rewire. Whether this can be done through therapy or drugs or a combination of both we'll have to wait and see. And you always though you were stuck in your own ways. I have a theory about that too. We reach a point as we age where we regress back to our beginnings. It's back to the smart ass teenager because will you really care what you say when you're 80 or 90? But then we get to the point where someone needs to change our diapers again.

Read on pump up your brain

Beaver Friday and she's armed

Cruising through the headlines we see little has changed in Syria. A blast yesterday killed a bunch more even as everybody was told to knock it off. I see little to no good in sending observers. What would they do? "Yep here comes another Syrian Army tank and it's firing on that apartment building." This said as the observer runs for cover. Sorry UN we already witnessed much of the atrocities live right here on the web. It's my opinion that when a nation turns on its' own people many of whom are women and children then it's lost its' right to sovereignty. Without some type of due process then we are nothing more than an uncivil mob going by the rules of the jungle.

In looking through the news today I see nothing of our current conflict in Afghanistan. This for all practical purposes has become the forgotten war. Oh there may be a report of a casualty or two in local media but for the most part it's been an information black out. And exactly what is our mission there? I don't think even the generals could answer that question. We went to go after Bin Laden and that was successful last year. If we have this delusion that somehow we're going to turn that area of the world into some functioning nation we'd better think again or better yet read their history. Afghanistan never really has been and will probably never be a nation with a central government. You can't force groups of people to act as a unit when it's not in their nature. They were a region made up of tribes and clans for centuries so their loyalties are local and not national. As soon as we resign ourselves to that fact and depart the sooner they can go about their business. It may not be a pretty life by our standards but it is theirs' none the less.

We now are coming up on the anniversary of Bin Ladens' demise. Wonder what threat level we are at present. They did away with the color coding. And they spent a lot of energy trying to scare us over the last few years which by the way only works for just so long. We are now at emergency alert fatigue. No specific threats isn't going to get anyone in a more vigilant mood and just what suspicious activities should we be looking for anyway? Someone carrying a backpack? Ninety five percent of people using public transportation carries a backpack. And as forgetful as we are it's not unusual to see one left lying around. Maybe a good excuse when the teacher asks "where's your homework". Didn't think the ATF would blow up my bag. So much for the new ipod along with last nights' assignment.

Somehow over the last ten years we've gotten to a very ugly chapter of world history. The crudeness and lack of decorum have become prevalent. No longer do we hold back for a more learned approach to any situation but blare out a gut reaction without first getting all the facts. Stop if you will and contemplate any given situation. Then do a little research before opening your trap. You may find that things are not as you thought they were but then again sometimes they are.

Bank fails as always unless I forget.

Bank update 5 banks failed this week in MD SC MN and Cal. Hard to say what states will be affected in the future but one things for sure this isn't over yet.

Ode to political swings

Is the pendulum swinging back the other way finally? After the tea bagger assault on congress the last election cycle are voters finally waking up to the fact that those boys and girls that they sent to congress don't have our best interests at heart? Pennsylvania that "swing" state that moves like a grandfather clock has just dumped two conserva Dems. Couple this with the folks in Wisconsin about set to dump some extremist republicans and we may be seeing a trend. These are somewhat anicdotal examples as the race for power is still in the early stages. We have after all just gone through the most extreme conservative primary on record. Sorry guys the bulk of the American populace is not really that crazy, oft times stupid but never that extreme.
Conservadems loss

It makes one wonder then is this some diabolical plot cooked up by the corporate insiders? I speak of the ones almost never seen in headline news but somehow making it to those G summits and closed door get togethers where the primary goal is to protect Swiss bank accounts. With the lack of transparency we know that such powers are playing both sides of the political spectrum. But will the shift come swiftly as the nation is waking up to the fact that one party does not serve its' interests but those of its' corporate masters. And who in their right mind would vote for an ideology akin to a torturer? Thought the Marqis de Sade was long dead.

But here we have it. A party so void of real constructive ideas that it's down to name calling. And what group, what gender haven't they insulted over the last year? Oh that's right the "job creators" who still after all the cash and tax breaks bestowed on them continue to lay off staffs and close factories because it's cheaper and more profitable to produce over seas. Those smaller companies left that are hiring do so at a loss to wages and benefits. Can't afford the new health care coverage Mr. Employer? But you had no problem covering the private school for your kids or the new fishing boat you just bought. And I'll bet your pure bred mutt gets better vet care than one of your workers.

Should the other side of the aisle get hijacked by corporate powers it will be interesting to see how they can spin the message. There's only so many ways to present a position and make your idea look good. As for Mr Raw Money it's obvious he won't win. His own party doesn't like him but who do they have left left to run? Their enthusiasm for him is apparent in the fact that only 10% of their party came out to vote in the primaries and from what's been reported they are in an organizational mess. But keep an eye on the sate and national senate and congressional races. That's where the real power shift will occur.

Billy saves the day!

Sorry Billy but I lost your comment over at word press. Now if Blogger will kindly keep their grubby hands off the way things work here I just may hang around. And Billy don't let some crazy chick prevent others from commenting on your blog. We can ignore her by skipping over her comments and when in doubt just hit the trash can button. Ya get junk mail don't you? Doesn't mean you seal up your mail box with glue now does it?

Up yours boys Blogger now sucks. The weasly geeks just couldn't leave well enough alone they just had to fuck with things so this may be my last post. You can now catch me on http://demeur.wordpress.com/

News you can't use and nobody cares about

• North Korean nuclear test ready 'soon'
Wonder if they're any better at this than their rocket science?
• The $50 light bulb you’ve already paid for
This is the bulb that lasts for 20 years? I guess we'll have to wait 5 years until the company outsources production to the Chinese and the price comes down. Wait a minute if we've already paid for it then kindly fork it over.
• Ann Romney says talking to women makes her sure of victory
• Which women? Older rich women with grown kids.
• Hugh Hefner declares war on bedroom politics
• What an assault with condoms?
• Man stops policeman, confesses to murder 25 years ago
He must need health care coverage because that's the only way you can get it now is in prison
• Couple accidentally shot at gun safety class
• Looks like somebody fails the class. Wonder if they give refunds?
• Key witness to testify against former John Edwards
• I thought he was still John Edwards.
• George Zimmerman being tracked by sensitive GPS device
• Better that than an old hunting dog I guess.
• Man charged with felony for allegedly stealing $1 McDonald's soda
• Would they give him the chair if he stole the fries along with that?

Almost forgot there was one bank fail last week. The pace has slowed so much that I forgot to check. Are we coming to the end of the economic poop storm or is the other shoe going to drop?