Birthday Greetings

A Birthday Poem for our dear friends Billie & Marc,
with love from August & Tim:

Life is given to us,
we earn it by giving it.

Let the dead have the immortality of fame,
but the living the immortality of love.
Life's errors cry for the merciful beauty
that can modulate their isolation into a
harmony with the whole.

Life, like a child, laughs,
shaking its rattle of death as it runs.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

And lest we get too serious . . .

When I Am An Old Man I Shall Do As I Please.
I'll Not Cover My Mouth When I Cough Or I Sneeze.
I'll Put On A Shirt That Spent A Week On The Floor.
I'll Eat Five Or Six Cookies And Go Back For More.
I'll Burp And I'll Belch, Pass Gas With A Wink,
I'll Eat From A Dish That Spent Weeks In The Sink.
My Favorite Foods Will Come From A Can,
I'll Eat Every Hour, That Is My Plan.
I'll Forget My Zipper, Now That's Not So Bad,
For All You Know It Might Start A New Fad.
When I Am An Old Man, I'll Say What I Think.
I'll Tell You I'm Tired Of Bellies With Rings.
I'm Tired Of Noses And Tongues That Go Clink.
When I Am An Old Man I Wont Have To Brag,
No Special Colors For Me, I'll Be Starting To Sag.
My Color Is Gray, Has Been For Years.
It's The Color Of Hair That Grows In My Ears.
I Wont Need To Wear Red Or Purple You See,
I'll Admit That I'm Old When I'm One Hundred And Three.

© 2005 Bill Waddell

Flash, Rinse, Repeat

Our friend, Jack, responded in an email to the post about a certain psychiatrist's response to our book, The Risen. This is a presumably licensed professional who professes to use "alternative" methods, some of which reminds one of Victorian-type quackery devices like electromagnetic trusses and womb massagers.

"Save us from the bottom of the food chain in the medical profession. Calling you a fraud is a fragile (i.e., lame) attempt to appear to be open when one is not. Nice try, but those of us who know don't need to be convinced. This is what the "empirical mind" does very successfully. It will reference all experience into previous experience.

"This individual is also in my opinion a hypocrite. Here he promotes unconventional methods in his practice in which I would believe he is compensated. I'm not sure any of these are FDA approved. Below is a is a little excerpt from the "AlphaStim" FAQ page. Oy! "

Question: What causes the metallic taste in my mouth or flashing lights when using CES or treating on or near the head?

Answer: Close proximity to the nerves governing taste or the optic nerve in case of the flashing lights can stimulate these nerves causing the metallic taste or stroboscopic effect. This is not cause for concern and is normal in many patients. The flashing lights will go away when the stimulation is discontinued. If the metallic taste persists, rinse your mouth with water and it will go away.

Can anyone say "side effects" three times quickly? Not until you rinse your mouth out first.