by Grania

Neil deGrasse Tyson has at times been a little testy about the attention his atheism gets when he spends so much more time as a science educator; so when I saw this on Twitter yesterday:

At first I was all like:

But he was clearly on a roll, and now the story has gone viral being reported all  overtheplace.

My verdict: he’s funny and he’s right. So, bro fist!

For many, meditation is a crucial part of their day, whether it be for 10 minutes or two hours. Meditation is something that you can learn to incorporate  in your daily life. As with anything, there are many forms of meditation such as guided meditation, transcendental meditation, prayer, Zen meditation, Buddhist meditation and mindfulness meditation. No matter what form of meditation you use they generally all “…have four elements in common: a quiet location with as few distractions as possible; a specific, comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions); a focus of attention (a specially chosen word or set of words, an object, or the sensations of the breath); and an open attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them): National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)”

Mindfulness meditation  is a great form of meditation that can be used in everything you do.  Psychology today proclaims that, “Mindfulness is…

“The United States participated actively and effectively in the negotiation of [this] Convention. It marks a significant step in the development during this century of international measures against torture and other inhuman treatment or punishment. Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.

The core provisions of the Convention establish a regime for international cooperation in the criminal prosecution of torturers relying on so-called ‘universal jurisdiction.’ Each State Party is required either to prosecute torturers who are found in its territory or to extradite them to other countries for prosecution,” – Ronald Reagan’s signing statement on the ratification of the UN Convention on Torture.

Allow me to repeat:

Each State Party is required either to prosecute torturers who are found in its territory or to extradite them to other countries for prosecution.

Seasons eatings!

All of the old-fashioned giving this time of year is making me thirsty. I just made a donation in your name to The Human Fund and now I’m exhausted. It must be time for Festivus, especially the hip flask. Sometimes I celebrate a night early.

I’m in the spirit for some holiday cheer so me and my good buddy, the Ghost of Christmas Past, hit the town to chaser down some of the festive offerings. Let’s see what’s out there.

Beware of fast food outfits bearing gifts. Who knew that Sugar, Sugar was a Christmas song?

I totally dislike Black Friday.  I think I have only done it once, and that was to buy a dress for a wedding that evening.  I have blogged in the past regarding this, and will include links to those at the end of this blog.  The reason I dislike Black Friday, is I don’t like crowds…and when we start to hear about “keeping safe” tips in regards to shopping, well, let’s just say, I’m happy to stay home and start decorating for Christmas.  Yes, Christmas, not “the holidays”, but Christmas.  That being said, not everyone shares my opinion about Black Friday (yes, you, NKO, who is a professional at Black Friday shopping 🙂 ), so thought I’d pen a quick blog, just in case you care to take your life into your own hands and go shopping.  I, will be partaking in Cyber Friday.  🙂

5 secrets to shopping ONLINE…