Romanian Film Festival in London

Just in case anyone is from London, UK area, I am busy these days organising the Romanian Film Festival which will take place at Curzon Mayfair cinema (38 Curzon Street, London W1J 7TY). If you are interested, check out the RFF blog I have just built at http://romanianfilmfestival.blogspot.com/ or the official Film Festival website at http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/filmfestival/.

Take care y'all
Jo

Design Change...

I have decided to change the layout of the blog, which was frankly too boring and uninspiring for me. Here's my latest concoction. Hope y'all like it!

10 Best Herbal Sleeping Remedies

Every once in a while I get sleeping problems, and this time I have decided to find some natural herbal remedies to help. Here's my top 10 of herbal sleeping remedies:

1. Valerian (Lat. Valeriana officinalis) - this is the first herbal remedy used to cure insomnia, as well as stress and anxiety. It also purports to improve the quality of sleep. However, valerian is only a long-term aid. For best results, it should be used regularly for at least one month to benefit from its effects. Valerian can be used as a tea or extract. Research has shown that valerian is at least as potent as diazepam or variants (see here).

2. Lavender (Lat. l. angustifolia) - it has a general tranquillizing and relaxing effect on the body, which induces sleep. Lavender can be used as a tea, relaxing oil (to be rubbed into muscle areas), or for aromatherapy purposes.

3. Passion Flower (Lat. passiflora) - it acts as an internal relaxer, promoting the gentle functioning of the body, particularly the digestive system. Like valerian, it is best to be used regularly to enhance its benefits. Passion flower is typically used as a tea, although pills can be found.

4. Hops (humulus lupulus) - it is a typical component of beer. Hops are a natural sedative which is often combined with chamomile, lavender or valerian.

5. Chamomile (matricaria camomilla) - it is used 'on the spot' to relax and help restful sleep. Usually brewed as a tea and drank before bedtime.

6. Lemon Balm (melissa officinalis) - it has sedative action and can be brewed as a pleasant-tasting tea.

7. Kava (piper methysticum) - it is highly potent for anxiety relief. It can usually be found as an extract or as a spray to be used under the tongue.

8. Lime / linden flower (tilia cordata) - it is used to calm headaches, anxiety and to promote sleep by relaxing muscles. It makes a very pleasant-tasting tea.

9. Chaste tree - recent studies have shown that chaste tree increases the natural production of melatonin in the body (the hormone that instigates sleep). I don't know that much about this one, but I will be looking into it.

10. Honey - well, ok, not a herb per se, but in combination with the other herbs it helps promote sleep.

Many of these herbs can be mixed into potent sleeping teas: for instance, valerian is often combined with hops and lemon balm. The best advice is to look into the contents of sleeping teas you buy if you do not make one yourself.

Why Have a Dog?

Today as I was walking down the street a car drove by with a bumper sticker reading "A dog is good for..." Trouble is, before I could find out what the dog was good for, the car drove out of my sight. Which of course, left me wondering what a dog might be good for.

My parents have a dog named Tess, a beautiful but obnoxious German shepherd. It's now almost a year old and a complete pain in the... She's jumping on everyone, blissfully unaware that her paws are full of mud from the recent rain. She's barking half the night because - well, it's one of those dog things. She's happily stealing all my parents possessions that are left in the garden - the front mat was found soiled in the back yard, one slipper was discovered amongst the rose bushes.

The other day, my dad, who was working in the garden, saw Tess proudly walking by with his glasses in her mouth (he inadvertently forgot them on the porch). My dad managed to retrieve the glasses, but the next day when he left them on the table outside they disappeared for good. They found some early grave somewhere in the yard.

There you go - that's one of the famous tales of Tess. Then, I ask, why bother with a dog?

But you see, sometimes I have dreams about Tess. She is this lively, energetic being that knows a lot of things that I don't. I don't know how to bark, how to eat a bone, how to smell and detect movement in the bushes hundreds of miles away, how to always be happy when the owner comes. This is stuff I will never know.

There's something reassuring, peaceful and faithful about a dog - perhaps it's the ability to be part of nature without second thoughts. Perhaps it's my perception of connecting with nature. Perhaps it's a realization that in the end we're not that different, man and dog, and that our obsessing to commune only with other human beings can be a bit tiring. Why have a dog? Because she can teach me a lot of things about myself that I didn't know - like belonging to nature.

Why I Find Tarot Fascinating

When I grew up I used to think that Tarot was for fat old gypsy women, weird-looking quacks and Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost. It was years later that by circumstances I came into the posession of a Rider-Waite Tarot (the standard tarot deck). I read somewhere that the Rider-Waite tarot is the ugliest deck of them all. Well, that's probably true. It is also true that it is quite fascinating, for someone that enjoys symbolism like me.

Then I started playing with it. My game was quite simple: I would be shuffling the Major Arcana (the first 22 cards) and extract one card out of it. I have to say that some rather weird things happened. The first time I looked at the cards, I was drawn by the sight of one card: the Hermit (no. 9). Then, when I shuffled the cards and extracted one, to my surprise I got this same one. When I shuffled the next day, I got the Hermit again. Well, once can assume I wasn't shuffling very well. That's well possible. Yet the third day when I shuffled again I got the same card. I have to say that this experience had an impact on me, in the sense that it made me more interested (and perhaps more appreciative) of the Tarot.

Since then, I have spent some time to decipher the symbols and imagery of the Tarot, which I find quite fascinating. I'm by no means a Tarot specialist, but I'm trying to learn about it. I found that the Tarot is to some degree a two-dimensional portrayal of the human experience - kind of like snapshots are of ourselves at different times through life. Except these 'pictures' are portraying our internal, rather than our external selves.

So what do I think Tarot is relevant for?
1. Mirror of ourselves - so far, this is the best use I could find for it. When I pick a card out of the shuffle, I get an image of where I'm at and perhaps who I am at that particular moment. The card does not have universal validity - that is, it changes through time as we ourselves change.
2. Meditative and learning tool - studying one of the 22 major trump cards from time to time gives you insight into the deeper level of human experience. It is what Jung would have called 'tapping into the collective unconscious'. It is also, incidentally, a great way to learn about the symbols of Western Esotericism (something I'm really keen on).
3. Insight into the future? - This is what Tarot is most renowned for. People pay good money for some tarot reader to look into their future. While I think Tarot may be showing something about the future, I think it does it by showing you the path you are on, or the consequences of the things you are doing in the present. However, it does this in very symbolic and personal terms, and I think all a card reader can do for you is to show you some of the symbolism of the card. Card readers cannot really know what goes inside your head - only you can know that. In other words, the best person who can and should analyze cards is yourself. Moreover, the 'future' you see in cards is changeable. It doesn't need to remain that way. In many ways, the very act of looking into the future changes it, because we then know how to remove ourselves from a path we do not want to take.

Play a Prank on April Fools Day!

It's April Fools Day! Have you played a trick on anyone yet? I did (hehehe). Ok, it was kind of lousy, but I had to come out with something very early in the morning till my sister was sort of awake and aware of the day.

Play a trick on someone today! Here are the ground rules:
- the joke should not cause long-term harm
- you should expose the joke during the same day, preferably quickly enough
- play the trick before mid-day
- keep it in good taste i.e. don't hurt people's feelings too much
- take it all in good fun, even if someone plays a trick on you before yourself!

More on my thoughts on April Fools Day on my other blog http://www.esotericoffeehouse.com

Iron Defficiency Anemia: What Iron-Rich Foods to Eat and What to Avoid

The first thing you should know is that there are several types of anemia, including:
- iron-deficiency anemia (the most common)
- sickle cell anemia (a disorder affecting African Americans)
- vitamin deficiency anemia
- blood loss anemia (due to internal bleeding)

This article will deal with iron-deficiency anemia, which is more common with women due to menstruation and pregnancy problems, but can occur in men as well.

Iron-deficiency anemia is usually detected through blood tests, as in case of an anemia the hemoglobin and red blood cells (RBCs) are lower than normal. Depending on the gravity of the anemia, the doctor you’re seeing might recommend iron tablets and other medication. In addition to this, you can help yourself recover faster by eating certain foods that will help restore the balance of iron in your body.

The following foods are recommended:
1. Liver: if you can stand it, liver is a great source of iron. Do not eat liver if you are pregnant, as it contains high traces of vitamin A, which may be harmful to the baby.
2. Red meats: eat plenty of steaks, as ‘rare’ as you can stand them. Beef and lamb steaks are particularly rich in iron.
3. Steamed mussels and oysters
4. Baked beans and chick peas
5. Iron-enhanced cereal, like Bran and Branflakes
6. Boiled Spinach
7. Boiled egg
8. Wholemeal bread
9. Canned Sardines
10. Tofu
11. Pumpkin and Sesame Seeds
12. Beets


Other foods that contain decent amounts of iron include: asparagus, broccoli, brown rice, banana, honey and lentils.

An important aspect to remember is that the iron from meat products (‘heme’ iron) is easily absorbed in the blood, while the one in vegetables is not. In order to improve the absorption of iron, vitamin C is needed, which you can procure from orange juice, tomatoes and lemons.

Another issue to recall is that polyphenol-rich foods deter the absorption of non-heme iron into the body. Examples include teas, coffee, cola-based products and chocolate.

Whatever iron-rich foods you choose to eat, it is important to remember that they may not be enough to restore your iron levels. Therefore, it is important to consult with your doctor about the necessity of taking any iron tablets, as well as to share with him the diet you would like to employ.

Spring Troubles: Spring Fever, Asthenia, and Other Seasonal Disorders

Spring is almost here and I usually feel a bit moody this uncertain time of year as seasons change. A lot of people around me seem affected by similar ‘mood swings’ that include fatigue, insomnia, hyperactivity, or nervousness.

Spring-induced disorder is scientifically termed alternatively as “spring asthenia”, “spring fever”, “seasonal affective disorder (SAD)”, or even “spring depression” if symptoms become serious. Despite the flurry of names, not a whole lot of research has been dedicated to it (and for that matter, not a lot of obnoxious health-related web pages!). The truth is, I think, that spring moodiness is generally a phenomenon without long-term health effects that medicine and science are not so concerned about. Still, it is part of quintessential human existence, and has an impact on our sense of wellness in this period of year.

Spring Fever . Apparently, it has to do with the impact increasing amounts of light have on our body. The eye captures the extra amount of light, sends the information to the brain, which reacts by commanding hormonal changes, particularly melatonin levels. As you know, melatonin is related to sleepiness; so the less melatonin we produce, the more we stay awake and the more active we get. This of course makes us become hyperactive, nervous and sometimes, sexually exacerbated. We can all recall the famous saying “mad as a March hare”. Other symptoms include the loss of weight due to heightened chemical processes, increased appetite, or anxiety. Sometimes the attempt to overexert ourselves becomes too much: hence many heart attacks, suicides and depressions occur in this time of year. If you feel that your seasonal disorder is turning into something more serious, please consult a doctor.

Spring Asthenia. Although much more publicized, spring fever is not the only way that spring can affect us. Changes in temperature, sunlight or atmospheric pressure in spring can cause asthenia, a disorder when people feel very tired, fatigued, and lacking vitality. Migraines are associated with this as well. So paradoxically, spring that can cause hyperactive tendencies may provoke low vitality as well – sometimes in the same person!

Other Temporary Disorders. Besides this, I have noticed that spring causes temporary gastrointestinal disorders - stomach and colon problems, including increased acid due to hyperactivity, increased or decreased colon function. I haven’t found much evidence of this on the web, but I think it’s all part of the adjusting period of spring.

How can we successfully and quickly pass over these spring troubles? Normally, these things tend to ‘sort themselves out’ as our body adapts to the sunlight and increased temperature. However, there are some things we can do to help ourselves:
- expose ourselves to the sun (or natural light) for about 30 minutes a day. This helps the build-up of vitamin D, which is vital for the health of our bones, teeth and the prevention of serious diseases
- follow a balanced diet.
- exercise preferably outdoors; however, be careful not to over-exert yourself.
- if you suffer from asthenia, you should eat high energy foods like pasta, chocolate, coffee. Royal jelly and yeast are also recommended. Iron-rich foods like spinach, red meat, cranberries, beet root help as well.
- if you suffer from spring fever, try relaxation exercises
- eat new vegetables and fruit
- sleep sufficient hours a night
- drink sufficient water or tea (2 l a day)
- if you find that symptoms worsen or do not pass away consult a doctor.

I'm actually curious to hear if other people are suffering from spring disorders, as I really think that it is a much more common phenomenon than witnessed by doctors (most do not come to their attention anyway).

Natasha Richardson Passes Away in Absurd Accident

I have just heard that actress Natasha Richardson, 45, the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and wife of Liam Neeson, has passed away. God rest her in peace.

This has really saddened me. I mean, how absurd. She went to a ski lesson on a beginner ski slope, and died. There was no major fall, she just fell and hit her head; then got up and started laughing. I'm not privy on the details, but it is fairly obvious that it didn't seem like a big deal. I mean, falling down when skiing or doing some other sport happens all the time, even hurting one's head. My mother had a similar incident on a ski slope about twenty years ago; she fell down and hit her head. But nothing happened; she too laughed, we laughed and went home to the hotel.

Freak accidents are a really awful way to go. Sure, they probably happen more often than we think: but only when they happen to celebrities we realize how weird life really is sometimes. I remember when I was small I was really impressed by an article I saw in a newspaper about a man that was walking home from work, stepped into a pond and got electrocuted because there had been a storm and the electricity line had fallen right into that pond.

What can I say? Life is short, and sometimes very twisted, just as it is beautiful and brilliant. You have to live it to know it.

PS. Now I hear on BBC News that she did not even hit her head. This makes it even more absurd, if at all possible.

Mondays Suck - Or Do They?

Mondays suck. There's no doubt about it. The question is why. People tend to think: oh, that's because Mondays we start work / school again. I used to think this too. But today, when I had neither work nor school, and it still sucked, it occurred to me that perhaps this goes deeper than it seems. This made me ponder that Mondays are the days of the Moon. Mind you, that's not only in English cultures, but in French, German and so on. Obviously, there's a sharp contrast between the brilliant Sun-days and the darker Mon-days. Sun-days are meant to be warm, bright, homey. By contrast, the Moon-day is cold, dark, obscure.

Then again, if you look at it in Christian Bible terms, Monday is the first day of creation. Have you thought about it that way? It's actually the first day when God rolled up his sleeves and said, ok, how will I make this happen? On Monday he decided that light was a good thing. So Monday is when chaos starts to be dismantled, and order begins to appear. Yet it is still hovering there, the darkness at the edge of your eye, the spiritual beginnings. So I think Monday, even in Christian terms, is a muddled time of incertitude, governing darkness and the glimpse (and hope) of a new creative week.

Doesn't it strike you funny that the day of the first creation would actually come after Sunday, the day of the last creation and of rest? In other words, creation keeps repeating itself, every single week. The darkness of a new beginning comes after the brightness of an ending.

The Meaning of Trivia and Horizontal Knowledge

I like to know things. I like to pick up any piece of data or information that flies by my ear. I would use any opportunity to put another file into that almighty library that is our brain. I shove in there all shapes and sizes of bits and bytes. I'm a trivia collector, I guess.

But what good is it in the end? Does it really serve any serious purpose? The only meaningful application I can see is if you win the "I want to be a millionaire" programme or the like. But apart from that there's no real reason for it - it's more like an addiction than anything else. It's what I call "horizontal" knowledge.

The internet is full of horizontal knowledge - tons and tons of trivia posted by so many addicted knowledge seekers. Wikipedia, blogs, websites, it's all out there. Yet I think behind all this trivia search there's a more hidden yearning - that of "vertical" knowledge - information that would go into the heart of things and give meaning to our lives.

The Health Benefits of Tea: White Tea Might Be the Best

I didn’t use to drink a lot of tea in the past, preferring to indulge in coffee, soft drinks and others. Yet, for a reason or another, about two years ago I began drinking more and more tea every day, perhaps because I was surrounded by roommates doing the same thing. Now, I knew that tea was good for your health, but I never looked too much into it. What type of tea, how much and on what occasions? As I have become quite health-conscious recently, I decided to do my research homework.

Choosing Tea
All tea types come from the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), which was originally cultivated in Southeast Asia. The difference between teas rests almost exclusively on the amount of processing being done to the leaves. White tea is processed the least, green tea – medium, while black tea – the most. The potency of positive health effects have to do with this length of processing. Basically, tea that is least processed contains the most catechins, an antioxidant that has been shown to inhibit bacteria and virus growth and other health problems. According to this, the healthiest tea should be the white tea, which is however rare and more expensive. Green tea comes second-best, and least is black tea. Nevertheless, it should not be understood that black tea is ‘bad’ or inefficient; its consumption has been shown to produce some promising health effects.

Health Studies on Tea
First of all, it must be noted that not a lot of scientific research has been done on tea until very recent years. Often, I have found these studies to be incomprehensive and unconnected, being undertaken in different institutions from Egypt to Croatia to the US. This is what I have gathered:

• Teeth: Green tea apparently reduces teeth and gum disease. A separate black tea research reported similar reductions in mouth-related diseases.
• Immune system: all forms of tea seem to be good in helping the immune system fight bacteria and viruses. However, research shows that white tea may be the most effective.
• Antibiotics: a 2008 study from Egypt shows that taking antibiotics with green tea increases the potency of the medicine. No similar research was undertaken for other types of tea.
• Bones and joints: research shows that green tea prevents and eases arthritis inflammation, cartilage breakdown and may improve bone mineral content for older women
• Cancer: so far, white tea has been shown to be most effective in cancer prevention, as it prevents cancer-mutating DNA in cells. Researchers consider white tea is most effective against colon, stomach, esophageal and other gastrointestinal cancer. Other research shows that the risk of ovarian cancer is reduced by 46% for women that consume at least 2 cups of tea (any type) per day. A Japanese study also affirms that lung cancer may be prevented or inhibited by green tea.
• Heart disease: research has shown that both green tea reduce risk of heart attack, and both green and black tea lower the danger of atherosclerosis. A 2006 Japanese study also showed that green tea is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease.
• Diabetes: both green and black tea prevent diabetes and reduce its ensuing complications.
• Stress Levels: research performed on black tea shows that it reduces stress hormones.

How to Keep Healthy with Tea
This brief review of several scientific studies shows that tea is a good prevention and disease-reducer for a number of serious diseases. However, as the Mayo Clinic emphasizes, further in-depth studies are required before science will admit the qualities of tea. In the meantime, perhaps there is wisdom in the health benefits Asian cultures have always attributed to tea.
So, how to keep health with tea?
• Drink more than 2-3 cups of tea per day but do not exaggerate (even if you wanted to, probably your bladder wouldn’t be able to take it!)
• Don’t forget that all tea (except herbal) contains caffeine: black tea contains roughly 1/3 of a cup of coffee, and green tea 1/6.
• As with everything consumed in excess, drinking too much (particularly black) tea may have adverse effects on health including caffeine-related problems (anxiety, sleep disorders, arrhythmias) and high fluoride-related problems (arthritis, osteoporosis, or even cancer)
• Drink tea, refrain from tea supplements. Research points out to the fact that too many tea antioxidants could cause chromosome damage and leukemia
• To the best extent, drink white tea; green tea is second best.

References


Kushiyama et al. Relationship Between Intake of Green Tea and Periodontal Disease. Journal of Periodontology, 2009; 80 (3): 372

American Society For Microbiology (2001, May 24). Tea Fights Cavities, Reduces Plaque. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2001/05/010523072047.htm

Society for General Microbiology (2008, April 1). Green Tea Helps Beat Superbugs, Study Suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2008/03/080330200640.htm

National Institute Of Chemistry, Slovenia (2007, January 16). Cup Of Green Tea To Keep The Bacteria Away. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2007/01/070116132946.htm

Mayo Clinic (2008, April 6). Drinking Tea May Offer Health Benefits, But Evidence Still Limited. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2008/04/080402212206.htm

American Chemical Society (2000, April 13). Cancer-Preventive Potential Of White Tea. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2000/04/000410084553.htm

American Society For Microbiology (2004, May 28). White Tea Beats Green Tea In Fighting Germs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2004/05/040526070934.htm

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2008, April 10). Digestive Process Affects Anti-cancer Activity Of Tea In Gastrointestinal Cells. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2008/04/080407172713.htm

University Of Southern California (2002, April 9). Polyphenols In Tea May Reduce Risk Of Stomach, Esophagus Cancers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2002/04/020409073717.htm

JAMA and Archives Journals (2006, January 3). Drinking Tea Associated With Lower Risk Of Ovarian Cancer. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2006/01/060103085358.htm

University College London (2006, October 4). Black Tea Soothes Away Stress. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2006/10/061004173749.htm

American Chemical Society (2005, April 19). Tea May Help Prevent Diabetes And Cataracts. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2005/04/050419094700.htm

Alexopoulos et al. The acute effect of green tea consumption on endothelial function in healthy individuals. European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation, 2008; 15 (3): 300 DOI: 10.1097/HJR.0b013e3282f4832f

"The combination of green tea and tamoxifen is effective against breast cancer." Sartippour MR, et al. Carcinogenesis. 2006 Dec;27(12):2424-33. Epub 2006 Jun 19.

Dangerous Side Effects of Tea Exposed. Bio-Medicine. Online. Available at: http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Dangerous-Side-Effects-of-Tea-Exposed-20270-1/

The Ugly Recession and the Beautiful TV

The darker it gets outside, the lighter is the TV. Outside, companies are failing, people are getting fired, banks are going bust, but the TV continues to live in an idyllic world of funny shows, light movies, or so-called "reality" shows that has some blondes fighting over the lipstick brand. The funniest things are the bank ads. It appears that, the more banks go down, the happier their ads get. I open the TV, and all I see is light, dancing people, happy music and flowers. How lovely! I can't wait to open the doors of a bank and dance into a sunny Garden of Eden, where butterfly-clad cashiers would flip their wand and pour money at my feet.

Alas that all this make-believe only exists inside the little TV box. In the real world, in the banks' Garden of Eden there be serpents that always manage to sneak in and whisper some insider trading information into your ear. And then, just as you started to float on feel-good music, the paradise goes poof! and there you are, all alone, with all your savings miraculously transformed into the pension of some former bank CEO.

And then what's left to do? Why, you can always open the TV and immerse yourselves into more happy thoughts delivered (almost) free. Because, since the world spun around, there is some profit to be made from other's people's misfortune, and the entertainment business knows all about it.

Why a Woman Should Never Let a Man Look into Her Purse

From the window of my bus, I see women passing by, all carrying their purse. A woman's purse is so entwined with whom she is that in a way it becomes part of her nature - at least her public persona. Back in shamanistic times, people used to believe that part of their self - or their very soul - was kept outside of their bodies, in an object such as a treasure chest. Look no further than Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest, where evil Davy Jones keeps his heart in a locker. We may not believe this stuff anymore, but women still carry their public identity along with them in the mysterious handbag.

Ask any man, and they instinctively know that a woman's handbag is off-limits, that they can't touch it. It is her female mystery, the darkness all males are drawn to like moth to a flame. Getting into a woman's bag is a hidden desire which has definite sexual connotations. A good friend of mine told me how she went to a shrink once, and the second or third time they met the shrink asked if he may see what is inside her bag. She thought nothing of it at the time, but as it later turned out, the psychologist was a womanizer who tried to hit on her too. So, a word of advice, girls: do not let a man look into your bag (unless of course he is an airport attendant!)

The End of the West

Back in the 1900s, a landmark book was published by Oswald Spengler, called the "Decline of the West". This book was something of a best seller in the era, a shocker and an eye-opener, so to speak.

But the West did not die as he predicted. Spengler, a German, had seen the First World War and the disaster it brought. Yet he did not see the rise of the USA as the standard-bearer of Western values. Old Europe was aging out, and losing its creative stream, but the US was ready to make the West live on. After World War II, it emerged as the quintessential Western power, representing Western values throughout the world.

In 2000, there were 1000 years since the West began its growing global domination. In 1100, the newly consolidated Western states launched their first expansionary war in the East: the Crusades. The unsuccessful Crusades were later followed by a more methodical conquest of the Americas, the Indies and Africa by the rising Western nations. It was first the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Dutech, and then the English and the French. In the process, the Westerners destroyed or transformed the empires of the Aztec, the Indies or the Japanese. They irremediably changed the cultures and lives of billions of people.

Yet an unexpected - unnoticeable thing - happened after the West established its colonies around the world. The colonies began to alter the West as well. Like it or not, we live in the shadow of the 1800s colonization. We see it today everywhere - the rise of the East - Japan, China and India, the growing immigration from outside Europe, the alteration of American and European demographics, the unrest in the Arab countries etc.

This may sound a bit, you know, "geopolitical", but it affects our everyday lives. We know now that economical problems in China can affect the West. We know that communities are becoming increasingly ethnically and racially diverse. We see it in the movies, on TV, in popular culture, how being white European does not automatically mean exclusivity to fame, power or fortune anymore.

Of course, the election of Barack Obama as President of the USA has been one of the starkest images of how the West is receding in influence. Here he is, the son of a Kenyan black man, the President of the most powerful nation on Earth that used to embody the quintessential West. Just by seeing this charismatic half-black, half-white man speaking for the entire U.S. is an amazing and telling sight. The West is slowly, but surely disappearing. In its stead, there is a growing mixed, "mutt" culture that is moving from the outskirts of the cities toward its exclusive center.

Should we mourn the West's passing? Back in the 1900s, Spengler's book sounded like doomsday was coming near: the end of the West was the end of all. But the death of the West is not a bang, but a whimper: a slow transformation into something else. The West is disappearing, but perhaps this is not a disaster. Surely, the West has brought a lot of good things, but I'm afraid a lot of bad things as well - the polarization of the world, antagonism and war. Perhaps in the future, there will be no West or East, but one diverse planet.

The Virtues of Change: A Simple Exercise

Just once in a while, sit on your back and stare at the ceiling, or stand on your head. I'm not going to extoll here the therapeutic virtues of doing this - a yoga course might explain it for you. I just want to talk about the impact of sitting the wrong side up and of inverting your perspective on things.

Does this sound like a bad or dangerous thing to do? Perhaps it is, because as with all such things, it is unsettling. You may see, for instance, that what we call up or down is a matter of opinion, not absolute. You may see the ceiling is much larger, and more important than it seems every day. You may see that we don't always need to sit on a bed or on a sofa - the carpet is a place to be just as well.

What is the point of such an exercise? I should say that on one level there is no point at all, and doing pointless things is the privilege of being human. On another level, it may let you recall that nothing is as solid as it seems - not even in the comfort of your room. You may reply - why put myself in a position where I may remember that nothing really stays? I'd say, because change is not that bad. Without change, we'd never meet someone, never promote on our job, never take a pleasant trip. Without change, we would not be living.

Sitting on your back is far from a shattering life-changing experience. All the better. Change usually comes in subtle ways, and switching your perspective for one minute a day may turn you into something better. There's no telling - that's the magic of change.

Have You Started on Your New Year Resolutions Yet?

Well, I have and it is the first time in a long time that I am actually thinking about them beyond the end of the year and the occasional 'midyear' crisis.

One reason for my new approach is the way I decided to formulate them this time around. I have decided to make a three-tiered resolution scheme divided based on "Attainability". The first tier represents the "most attainable" goals. For instance, I could put "I will eat more spicy food this year" or "I will save more energy by shutting off the lights when I don't use them". These resolutions are not so difficult to attain, but require constant remembering. I thus make mental "sticknotes" that when I see light on I will close it, or when I'm eating I will add some Tabasco or extra pepper in my plate. Attaining these initial resolutions are a small 'victory' that give me enough courage to approach the second tier of goals.

The second tier is more complicated, less tangible goals, like "I will be less stressed this year" or "I will smile more". These are longer term, and may require some breakdown. For instance, how could I be less stressed this year? Perhaps I could get fresh air more, walk in the park; pick up a hobby, go to the pool more. The idea is to get more first-tier (attainable) activities that would contribute toward the overall goal. I plan to go into the second tier when I have mastered the discipline of the initial goals.

Finally, there's the third tier. Here things are more complicated, because these are long-term goals that may actually exceed one year to obtain. These are loftier ideals of the type: "I want to be someone that I can admire" or "I want to become rich" (really). Ideally, these ideas would build on some of the lower first and second tier goals, and require further planning and breakdown. I won't be disheartened if I don't obtain these in my first year of planning them. They may require quite a lot of time, but it is important to make steps toward achieving them.

So, if you haven't applied your resolutions yet, perhaps you can try breaking them down as I have suggested. Give them a bit of time: sometimes resolutions are expressions of your innermost desires. And from time to time, it's worth remembering yourself.

Quick Judgments: People are More than Their "Labels"

Today I saw a documentary on the life and death of Anna Nicole Smith. Remember the spunky Playboy girl whose life fell apart after the death of her son? Funny how things go, from that whole documentary what impressed on me the most was someone's casual commentary at the end that Anna Nicole's life reads like a morality story. Does it really? In the context of her personal tragedy, this remark sounded just awful. I could hear some preacher say how being so sexually overt or "slutty" was the reason of her downfall. It just made me remember of those supposedly bygone times when women were stoned to death for being sexually promiscuous. We are not really all that far from those times. If you don't believe me, check out a horror movie. The most sexually active person always gets killed.

What worries me the most in all this is the easy, casual way society passes judgments on people's lives. Anna Nicole was a "slut" - she deserved to die. Is it really so simple to pass pronouncements on other people? Do we really know what goes on in other people's lives? Do we capture any of a person's essence by placing a label on him or her? Is a person simply "black" or "Mexican" or "Arab"? Is he/she simply a "doctor" or a "Harvard graduate"? I don't know. It just seems so much simpler and less time consuming to quickly "weigh" a person and not bother with subtlety.

I admit that there is no time to get to know all the people we meet. At the same time, we should perhaps recognize that this is more our fault - our choice than theirs. Consequently, we should maybe refrain from saddling people with epithets they did not deserve. Give other people a little more chance.

Between Extreme Skepticism and Extreme Faith

Whatever you say, the internet can breed all sorts of amazing claims. Yesterday I ran across site where people claimed they discovered immortality. Today, someone affirmed they found the secret of happiness. In a world characterized by uncertainty and skepticism, such self-assurance is quite disconcerting.

I'm not going to say they are whacks. Why would I? That would imply I also hold the key to some absolute truth, and I don't. In fact, I am quite bewildered and a bit envious. I have been looking for some miracle, or a revelation, my whole life. I wish I could wake up one morning knowing the secret to happiness. For goodness' sake, I'd be content to know what happiness is.

Truth is, Descartes ruined it for all of us when he said we must question everything. He helped plant the cursed seed of rational skepticism within us all. Yet even Descartes knew that, if one questioned everything, there'd nothing left. So he put forth his own statement of faith: "I think, therefore I am". That was not a logical argument, but a cry of existential despair. If we carry too far along complete skepticism we find ourselves, often unconsciously, in desperate need to believing in some kind of absolute truth. We suddenly swing from extreme doubt to extreme faith.

So then, in the existential uncertainty of today's world, are we to accept some bloggers' claim to knowledge of happiness or immortality? I am afraid we are inclined to. We can't wait to be mesmerized, awed and convinced. Until we are, we just play skeptic.

Snow, or the Fertilizing Rays of the Sky

It's snowing like crazy, something that hasn't happened here in London since the 1990s. It's beautiful just to sit at the window and hear the flakes falling. It may look like chaos, but in reality I know that each flake has its pre-established role in the order of things, their own path to follow. They dance their way through the music of the spheres, which dictate each flake the chord they play.

Back in Late Antiquity, the poet Lucretius depicted the universe as a snow-like fall of atoms, each of which follow a parallel trajectory. I always found this image compelling - the relentless fall of atom-flakes.

Did you notice how, when it snows, the earth and the sky become alike, white, united by the falling snow? It's hard not to think that the sky itself is coming to earth in bite-size pieces. This is what 16th century alchemists thought. They imagined that, through snow flakes, the sky was sending its fertilizing rays to feed the earth and bring forth plants. There were occult virtues in those little flakes, encapsulated grains of divinity that would renew the earth.

It may sound like poetry, not science, but back in the day, there was no real difference betwen the two. Science, knowledge, philosophy were born out of a poetic fascination with nature and the world. That is why poets like Goethe and Shelley saw themselves as scientists as well. Today, it has all come apart. The poets have moved to the sky, and the scientists have burrowed into earth, and there is no snow in between to unite the two worlds.

Parents and Children: the Bond of Expectation

The other day I watched this rather fascinating documentary about Dodi Al Fayed, Princess Diana's ill fated lover. The reporter was exploring how Dodi lived under the shadow of his wealthy and enterprising father, Mohammed Al Fayed, the founder of the world famous Harrods. Apparently, Dodi was haunted by his self-perceived inability to fulfil his father's expectations of him. Whether or not this interpretation is true, or who knows? a projection of the reporter's own intimate fears, the fact of the matter remains that we cannot but fail to fulfil our parents' expectations.

Of course, not everyone is fortunate, or unfortunate, to have a father as Al Fayed. Yet we are all the products of our parents' desires - let's face it, we are here at all because our parents wanted us to be. This gives them a deceiving sense of 'ownership' that works as long as we are little children. Alas, the problem is that as we grow into adulthood, our parents want more and more from us: they want us to be everything they were not. Where they failed, we are supposed to succeed. They want to mold us into more successful mirrors of themselves.

Yet it is obvious we cannot be all our parents would have liked us to be. We are not them, we can't live their lives, can't fix their mistakes or emulate their desires. We are someone else than who they are. The novel relationships we establish with our own world define us as someone else than who they are. So it is part of our affirmation as human beings to deny our parents' expectations. It is a very painful and lonely thing to do, and we should not discount the anguish involved in breaking such a strong bond of desire. Yet it needs to be done, if we are not to fail ourselves.

What to Do When Rain Pours

Truth be spoken, we don't have much to fall back on when the rain starts pouring just above our head. You can recap your CV and remember how much some HR people appreciated you. You can review your awards from when you were knee-high in the spelling bee contest. You can hug your TV or beautiful car. You can cuddle near your husband, brother, parent, as long as they can stand your self-pity phase. You can do something constructive and go shopping. Or, of course, you can go partying yourself out of your wits and deal with the hangover in the morning.

I'm not here to lecture. Perhaps it is good to keep a list of all wonderful things that ever happened to you. They will provide a comfort and make you reconstitute who you are. Because, isn't it funny how who you are begins to dissolute itself in front of your eyes at the first nasty setback?

What I think is that there has to be a way of tapping into your own self-worth, your deeper self. Perhaps there is no price tag there, a salary requirement, or an Ivy League degree. Yet deeper than that there's the sense of inner worth, the value of who you are. You don't get easily down there. Yet sometimes when you are really down and out, there's a small light of hope shining. I will get through this. I am better than this. I will recover and get back into it. An instinct of survival perhaps, but also a glimpse of the deeper self.

What Price Self Worth?

Undoubtedly, we feel good when other people say nice things about us. The other day, some guy on the street tried to pick me up by telling me "you're such a lovely girl". It was a lame line, but I couldn't help guiltily feeling good about myself. That's all fine, but there's a reverse to the coin. I have been more than once apostrophed while driving (despite being, of course, a brilliant driver). It didn't destroy my world, of course, but then again, I felt a bit unhappy about it.

I'm not sure why we depend so much on what other people say. It's not just close family, obviously, though they are usually the most powerful. Yet just about anyone on the planet has some potential magical power to ruin someone else's day just by pronouncing a nefarious word.

All this got me to thinking: do I really need to be told that I'm pretty, to know that I'm pretty? Do I need this mirror of the world to convince me of who I am? Should we be this dependent on our environment?

The Art of Persistence and Giving Up

You know, there are moments in life when, despite your insistence, things just don't happen your way. Let's imagine a situation. You are at a bus station, waiting for the bus to take you home (like me today). You know from memory, or just by the sign post, that the 390 should eventually do just that. Yet, minutes go by and no 390 is coming. Other buses keep arriving, picking up the others waiting at the bus stop. But no 390. You are tired, spent, hungry, and envious of all the other people who got their ride home. Will you get yours? Perhaps you should give up waiting. After all, you could just walk for fifteen minutes to the nearest tube station - a ride that is usually longer and more expensive, but now perhaps more reasonable. Yet, there is a mixture of will, stubborness or laziness keeping you in place. Come on, the bus should come any minute now. Any minute. Except it, just as stubbornly, doesn't want to.

Now, being generally more stubborn than a bus, I waited and waited until eventually it came. But it was a mixed blessing. The bus, as it turns out, had a premature termination stop way before my home. So I had to get down and wait for another bus. I arrived perhaps one hour and a half later than I planned, pissed off and all that. Was it worth the wait? Obviously not - getting the tube would have gotten me home much faster and much happier.

There must be an art, which I'm willing to explore, about knowing when to give up and when to persist. Will persistence finally break resistance? Or will the pressure make resistance harder? Or then again, aren't you paralyzed by the fear that, just when you give up on the bus and walk to the tube, the bus comes and you are too far to catch it?