tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206589782024-03-13T16:35:03.157+02:00Caulfield EmpathiesPulling on Trouble's braids...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-53385486977941548922011-06-29T15:29:00.003+02:002011-06-29T16:07:01.476+02:00Knowing God, pt.1 (The Study of God, p.15-16)Jim Packer, the author of this esteemed volume <i>Knowing God</i>, open chapter one with a quote from an early sermon from Charles Spurgeon, on the benefits and necessity of the study of God for a Christian. <div><br /></div><div>Spurgeon notes four particular blessings from the immersion of one's self in the contemplation of God: it is <i>improving to the mind</i>, more than reflection on any other subject; it is <i>humbling</i>, in that our ponderance upon God reveals increasingly our smallness, and His greatness; it is <i>expanding to the mind</i>; and it is "eminently <i>consolatory</i>", in that in our darkest moment, God offers us a sure unshakeable hope, a "quietus for every grief". </div><div><br /></div><div>I am questioning the fourth point a little, as whilst I know that this <i>should </i>be the case, and whilst I know that God's faithfulness and love is not dependent upon our fickle and swaying human emotion, it seems that there are times in some people's lives that God deprives them of a sense of His closeness for a long or short period. In those times, they seem not to find anything consolatory about immersion in the Word of God, but rather a depression that they are not emotionally connected with Him, and hence cannot feel the benefit from the contemplation of God that they once did. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-20440683113858716982011-06-20T05:19:00.002+02:002011-06-20T05:21:36.500+02:00Statement of IntentWith my spare time, whilst I have not much to do, I shall make the most of it by intentionally (and with discipline, when needed):<br /><br />1. Studying the Bible;<br /><br />2. Exercising;<br /><br />3. Writing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-88766840306756635522010-04-04T11:47:00.003+02:002010-04-04T11:51:51.518+02:00ShouldersSitting at my desk this morning, reading portions of the Bible and Desiring God and Jim Packer's Knowing God, I realise how little I pray.<br /><br />I realise how much I try to be a good Christian by reading a lot and talking a lot and by increasing my knowledge of Christian things, of doctrine. I realise how easily the devil's lies take hold in my heart about what I know not who I know. How little desire I have to talk with the God I proclaim to love!<br /><br />I realise exactly how much I need God to give me the grace to even have the desire to pray, to break through the apathy caused by comfort, boredom, distractions, anxiety of the future. My experience, and more importantly, the Bible's unchanging truth, tells me that God is the God of every area of life, that He is bigger than my worries, and turning to Him is the answer for everything.<br /><br />How I need to learn this truth every day, and stop seeing it as a one-off which I have sussed.<br /><br />Praise God for his glorious grace and patience!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-24755671287894748202010-01-03T18:11:00.002+02:002010-01-03T18:14:40.487+02:00Two PromisesHere are two promises given by God to you and to me. I feel especially gifted with these two verses as I start 2010...<br /><br />"I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32v8)<br /><br />"And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do no fear, or be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31v8)<br /><br />and a guiding principle...<br /><br />"The horse is made ready for the battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord" (Proverbs 21v31)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-28627683717062214942009-12-21T18:56:00.002+02:002009-12-21T19:00:21.754+02:00SilversWhat... reflecting on '09<div><br /></div><div>Feels like: Penultimation. Where the ultimate is the beginning of the new season. Like life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things done: Tithed a half to God. Got blessed with a gift. Learned much. Realisation but externalising.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things to be yet: Stepping in, circled. No passivity, production. Exercise gifts. Live life intentionally.</div><div><br /></div><div>Amen.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-21135752036223367152009-12-07T12:30:00.000+02:002009-12-07T12:31:06.685+02:00Calling"Base things of the world hath God chosen." — <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Cr&c=1#28">1 Corinthians 1:28</a><br /><br />Walk the streets by moonlight, if you dare, and you will see sinners then. Watch when the night is dark, and the wind is howling, and the picklock is grating in the door, and you will see sinners then. Go to yon jail, and walk through the wards, and mark the men with heavy over-hanging brows, men whom you would not like to meet at night, and there are sinners there. Go to the Reformatories, and note those who have betrayed a rampant juvenile depravity, and you will see sinners there. Go across the seas to the place where a man will gnaw a bone upon which is reeking human flesh, and there is a sinner there. Go where you will, you need not ransack earth to find sinners, for they are common enough; you may find them in every lane and street of every city, and town, and village, and hamlet. It is for such that Jesus died. If you will select me the grossest specimen of humanity, if he be but born of woman, I will have hope of him yet, because Jesus Christ is come to seek and to save sinners. Electing love has selected some of the worst to be made the best. Pebbles of the brook grace turns into jewels for the crown-royal. Worthless dross He transforms into pure gold. Redeeming love has set apart many of the worst of mankind to be the reward of the Saviour's passion. Effectual grace calls forth many of the vilest of the vile to sit at the table of mercy, and therefore let none despair.<br /><br />Reader, by that love looking out of Jesus' tearful eyes, by that love streaming from those bleeding wounds, by that faithful love, that strong love, that pure, disinterested, and abiding love; by the heart and by the bowels of the Saviour's compassion, we conjure you turn not away as though it were nothing to you; but believe on Him and you shall be saved. Trust your soul with Him and He will bring you to His Father's right hand in glory everlasting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-61103137549446906462009-07-13T15:17:00.002+02:002009-07-13T15:22:53.286+02:00Things I LearntNot to believe God is restricted by my small theology.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-78781049071337184132009-07-06T22:38:00.003+02:002009-07-06T22:55:53.500+02:00Calm DownHere are some scriptures about being radically uncluttered:<div><br /></div><div>"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength" (Isaiah 30v15, NIV)</div><div><br /></div><div>"You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you" (2 Chronicles 20v17, NKJV) <i>Jesus has already won the battle.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>"Stand in awe and sin not; commune with your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah." (Psalm 4v4, KJV)</div><div><br /></div><div>"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody" (1 Thessalonians 4v11-12, NIV)</div><div><br /></div><div>Peace.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-32273745402944274752009-07-06T00:59:00.006+02:002009-07-06T01:30:28.677+02:00Sad BeautyI was sitting on the train this evening between Manchester and Leamington, feeling sorry for myself with a swollen jaw and insuring myself holy points for the day to make up for missing the morning service by listening to a sermon on my iPod on 'awareness of sin'. The passage was about Jesus when he ate at Simon's house and Simon gave no water for Jesus' feet and no oil for his head, but the immoral woman washed Jesus with her tears and her perfume. The preacher showed how Simon was not aware of his sin, he was a Pharisee, a morally upright guy who was looked up to by society as a religious zealot. But the woman was known for who she was, which was probably a prostitute. She knew exactly how sinful she was, and was thankful in accordance. Jesus tells the parable of the two men, one who owed about £4,000 (in modern terms) and the other £40,000. Who loved the gracious debtor more?<br /><br />This is not the point of why I am writing. Whilst listening to this sermon, I was looking out the window. I always notice how trains run through some of the most beautiful desolate British countryside. I have been blessed this weekend to see some beautiful sights with some beautiful people, and these days I find myself just gazing and thanking God that He is so gracious to bless sinners such as myself, knowing how I have thrown myself on idols and committed adultery with false gods, just like the immoral woman.<br /><br />As well as this revelation of God's grace in natural beauty, I was struck by two films this weekend. God keeps bringing things to me in pairs. The first film was 'Revolutionary Road', and the second 'The Blindness', both recent films. I won't bore you with an amateur synopsis of either. Both films made me realise how the human race appreciates films with unhappy endings, and it is most often these films which win Oscars, or are treated as 'serious' films, whilst happy endings are seen as trivial and light entertainment. That's a massive generalisation of course. But I will hypothesise that films with unhappy endings ring a bell with people because life itself is bittersweet, and these films reflect that reality.<br /><br />This led me to think about how you can sum up the whole world as Sad Beauty. The world that God has given us, and I do not now simply talk of sunsets, mountains, coral reefs and sunshine, but marriage, honest work, family, animals, artistic talents. This world is beautiful - we are made in God's image, he has blessed us with all these things. This is the Beauty. The Sadness is the sin which takes all of these things and corrupts them. It takes the mountains and turns them to avalanches which kill holidaymakers. It takes the ocean and turns it into tidal waves and fierce storms. It takes marriages and demeans them with extramarital sex. It takes artistic talents and turns them into abhorrent monstrosities and nightmare visions. It takes family and rips it apart. It devours everything eventually with death. This is the Sadness.<br /><br />After thinking this, I thought that no, it is only a Sad Beauty for those who do not have the Hope. For those who have the certain knowledge of a home in heaven and a Saviour who has defeated the grave once and for all, it is a Beautiful Sadness, and that sadness is temporary and fleeting. It will end when our mortal bodies shut down, or when Jesus descends in perfect and awful judgment on the Final Day.<br /><br />"this is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us" (10v20).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-34820944112222915532009-07-03T11:41:00.005+02:002009-07-03T12:29:02.895+02:00On Real Prayer and ObesityThese past two days, I have been reading Spurgeon's <em>Morning and Evening</em>, which is a devotional book, where Spurgeon takes a verse and writes about 500 words on it, one for the morning, and a second to be read in the evening, two for each day of the year. I always find it encouraging, more so than any other devotional aid I have used. The passages for last night and this morning have particularly impressed upon me the dangers of apathy and a lukewarm faith. I would like to share my thoughts on these verses, and pray that the Word of God will have the supernatural changing effect on the listener that is necessary to live in the fulness of His plan.<br /><br /><strong>July 2nd (evening) - "To You I call, O Lord my Rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me! For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit". (Psalm 28v1)</strong><br /><br />It is useless to cry out for help to any other than God. Who can help us in our time of need other than the originator and author of our souls? Spurgeon speaks of 'mere formalists' who may be content with simply the act of prayer, and feel good about themselves for performing a religious ritual, and how different they are from the 'genuine suppliant', who is not content with God's silence, but must hear an answer. I wonder how often I truly strive in prayer to hear an answer from God, or whether too often I simply pray nonchalantly at a time that is convenient for me because I am doing nothing 'more important', and think 'well it would be nice if God answers, but I'm not expecting too much'. I keep getting the image of Elijah, who when he prayed for rain, sat down <em>with his head between his knees </em>(not the most comfortable position), and prayed <em>seven times </em>for God to send rain on Samaria. We see the persistent widow in Luke 18, who keeps persisting in approaching the judge until he gives her an answer. Jesus says "will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?". We cannot be content with praying just to gain a self-comforting peace of mind. We should strive to hear from the God who will not ignore those whom He has chosen from eternity past!<br /><br /><strong>July 3rd (morning) - "And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows" (Genesis 41v4)</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Spurgeon shares his thoughts in this passage about times of famine and times of plenty in his personal relationship with God. He talks about the times of drought as of when he backslides, and does not seek fresh stores of heavenly grain. He talks about the times of plenty as when he is soaked in the scripture, and in line with the Holy Spirit. I find it encouraging that a man so greatly used by God freely admits that he too had times of self-inflicted spiritual dryness. It serves to show more of the magnitude of God's grace, that He would use such broken vessels as you and I for His purposes! We need to seek to be fat in spirit from the meadows of God's revelation, by His Spirit, by His Word, and by striving in prayer and listening.<br /><br />I trust that God will listen to your earnest prayers and keep you sharp to guard against the danger of leanness.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-90667408739950549632009-05-23T02:36:00.002+02:002009-05-23T02:37:38.306+02:00Eyelashes are ImportantWhen did life not consist of<br />Sex, cigarettes, the next round of applause?<br />It's false and results in obvious flaws.<br /><br />There's liberating freedom in the place you were meant for,<br />But not freedom that should entail a need to create more<br />Distance between you and the God who made you,<br />It's one thing to label and another to know.<br /><br />So quit while you're ahead, look not to yourself,<br />But above and around and inside for the help<br />To live your life well with wisdom and scope<br />To bring salt and light and give others the Hope.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-1610250938040953112009-05-21T15:07:00.005+02:002009-05-21T17:09:53.867+02:00The Art"I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people" - Psalm 116<br /><br />These (two) verses from Psalm 116 struck me today, for various reasons. But that is not what I want to write about.<br /><br />God is sovereign.<br /><br />I can be a rather cynical person, and when it comes to the more amazing workings of the Holy Spirit, this cynicism tends to be somewhere in the background (or sometimes in the foreground). This is probably a mixture of my experiences and my previous teachings in a cessationalist church. God keeps gently nudging me out of my cynicism and further into liberating realisations that He is not confined to doctrine, to theology or some next man's four-walled interpretations. This is not to say that a small amount of cynicism is not healthy.<br /><br />But to repeat, God is sovereign.<br /><br />I mention this because the cynical portion of me reared his head on Sunday morning. We were asked to pray for God to show us a picture of something (an item of clothing, a face, an object, maybe all of these or none of these) related to a person whom He wanted us to talk to in the following week. I will admit to not putting much stock in such suggestions, not because I don't believe God can do it, but because I'm not used to seeing Him work in that way. This time I prayed, however, and got a very clear picture of a man's tshirt / jumper. As it was so clear, I immediately thought that I must have seen somebody in church wearing the top, but I looked around after praying and realised that the person I thought may have been wearing it was wearing a plain black cardigan.<br /><br />Monday and Tuesday came and went (with some very welcome distractions including an impromptu trip to Chester, being interviewed on the street about the male pill, and two full English breakfasts).<br /><br />After the second breakfast (I have two breakfasts every day) on Wednesday morning, I walked out of the salubrious Gemini's cafe, bid goodbye to Dave and wandered homeward, enjoying the sunshine and thinking about where I could hand my CV in. Then who walks past but a guy wearing the very tshirt I'd seen in my head on Sunday. No question. So I stood on the corner for a while, deciding that I couldn't conscientiously pray for opportunities to serve God and then ignore them when they arise. So I walked back down the Oxford Road and after about 7 minutes caught up with him. I proceeded to freak him out, but hopefully God will take hold of His life and not let him go.<br /><br />"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for his own ends" - Proverbs 16Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-31764243667876220382007-08-16T13:29:00.000+02:002007-08-16T13:35:09.267+02:00Saturday 11th August: Living to Tell the Tale"From a very early age, I´ve had to interrupt my education to go to school" - G.B. Shaw<br /><br />What books are worth reading? Only those which you can read, and when finished, say that your understanding has been added to? Probably, but this leaves a vast array of reasons for reading. Escapism itself adds to understanding, if it only provides a relapse from the everyday which reinvigorates one´s perspective on life. Then there are those books which are defined Classics, or fashionably cultish authors (Marquez, Guevara, Camus - those whom communists, hippies or poseurs will say they read). If for no other reason than to be familiar with a noted artist´s work, these are worth reading, if not for the subtexts of philosophy, hedonism, cigarettes, alternative viewpoints, etc... <p><br />But what use is it for me to read Vonnegut and feign enjoyment? If it was to pass an exam or to impress a girl, maybe it would be worth the effort. But an education in itself?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-47602832964955065192007-08-02T11:23:00.000+02:002007-08-02T11:24:34.820+02:00The Gloaming“It should be common in our churches to see people weeping in worship, overwhelmed at the sheer mercy of God. It should be common to hear people singing at the tops of their voices, passionately expressing the love that God has lavished upon us. It should be common to see people dancing like lunatics, freely and with abandon, responding to God’s salvation. It should be common to see people rapt in silence, lost in wonder, completely transfixed at the transcendence of our God. We have an amazing God, and our worship should be real, honest, authentic, engaged, expressive, and wholehearted; we should be holding nothing back.”<br /><br /><div align="right"><em>- Tim Hughes</em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-68280495202992109762007-07-21T00:48:00.000+02:002007-07-21T00:58:11.875+02:00Bus Drivers are ScumAll men are sex-crazed.<br /><br />All black people like hip-hop.<br /><br />All Muslims are terrorists.<br /><br />Anyone who likes Warhammer is a geek.<br /><br />All women like chocolate.<br /><br />All French people are rude and eat frogs.<br /><br />All stereotypes are wrong.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-74522055188678339822007-07-17T20:55:00.000+02:002007-07-17T21:00:50.232+02:00The Dope CabalaThere is an important difference between the words 'loser' and 'outlaw'. One is passive and the other is active, and the main reasons the (Hell's) Angels are such good copy is that they are acting out the day-dream of millions of losers who don't wear any defiant insignia and who don't know how to be outlaws. The streets of every city are thronged with men who would pay all the money they could get their hands on to be transformed - even for a day - into hairy, hard-fisted brutes who walk over cops, extort free drinks from terrified bartenders and then thunder out of town on big motorcycles after raping the banker's daughter. Even people who think the Angels should all be put to sleep find it easy to identify with them. They command a fascination, however reluctant...<br /><br /><div align="right"><em>The Doc</em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-15304943195908309432007-07-09T13:18:00.000+02:002007-07-09T13:22:22.965+02:00Easy UntilYou should stick things out. If you start a new job, or make some new friends, make the effort, even if you have birthing pains to start with. You feel worse if you give up on something straight away, which is easy if you're quite a negative personality type like me.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.43things.com/">www.43things.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-5473173234482211482007-07-09T00:37:00.000+02:002007-07-09T00:55:22.898+02:00Celebrity Culture<div align="left">I'm quite against the assimilation of various quotes for a piece of writing, and think that good writers should use quotes sparingly and probably as less than 7% of their finished work. But often you find that other people have worded things in a much more empathic way than you could. This is surely one of the largest reasons why poetry and prose are so popular - as a mirror for the soul, which can search out places that are hard to reach by one's self. Anyway, here's a selection of quotes which I have taken from and hope you can...</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><p>"If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."</p></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><p align="right"><em>- Vincent Van Gogh</em></p><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><p>“Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas ... with the music at top volume and at least a pint of ether.”</p></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><p align="right"><em>- Hunter S. Thompson</em></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-35997678994404102792007-06-21T17:53:00.001+02:002007-06-21T17:54:41.165+02:00IdentityYou are your phone.<br /><br />You are your friends.<br /><br />You are your make-up.<br /><br />You are your clothes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-29340995333114845742007-05-03T11:23:00.000+02:002007-05-03T11:26:16.105+02:00Waning Gibbous<div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"><em>"Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence: they go stark, raving mad"</em></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em></em></span> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#009900;">- Fyodor Dostoevsky</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-13552280765950772192007-04-20T20:31:00.000+02:002007-04-20T20:33:02.248+02:00Dj Southpaw<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tTYr3JuueF4"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tTYr3JuueF4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-7698923407603263212007-02-12T00:55:00.000+02:002007-01-22T16:54:49.157+02:00Private RadioRight, so here's the dl...<br /><br />Owing to a growing disdain for networking websites, the internet and modern technology in general, Caulfield Empathies is undergoing a lunch break. Fortunately for the reader, the proprietor of CE realises that the ethic of blogging is more journalistic in approach than cyber-"social" (if you follow me), and is not trashing the idea all together.<br /><br />Happy surfing<br /><br />-scriptorUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-83216344067801755382007-01-13T17:57:00.000+02:002007-06-05T17:01:58.074+02:00Black Cat Blues<div align="justify"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Caffeine</span> is a central nervous system stimulant, having the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Beverages <span style="color:#ff0000;">containing</span> caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks enjoy great popularity: caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance. In North America, 90% of adults consume caffeine daily. </div><p align="justify"></p><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Humans</span> have consumed caffeine since the Stone Age. Early peoples found that chewing the seeds, bark, or leaves of certain plants had the effects of easing fatigue, stimulating awareness, and elevating mood. Only much later was it found that the effect of caffeine was increased by steeping such plants in hot water. Many cultures have legends that attribute the discovery of such plants to people living many thousands of years ago. The early history of coffee is obscure, but a popular myth traces its discovery to Ethiopia, where Coffea arabica originates. According to this myth, a goatherder named Kaldi observed goats that became elated and sleepless at night after browsing on coffee shrubs and, upon trying the berries that the goats had been eating, experienced the same vitality. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;">Caffeine</span> is an ergogenic: increasing the capacity for mental or physical labor. A study conducted in 1979 showed a 7% increase in distance cycled over a period of two hours in subjects who consumed caffeine compared to control tests. Other studies attained much more dramatic results; one particular study of trained runners <span style="color:#ff0000;">showed</span> a 44% increase in "race-pace" endurance, as well as a 51% increase in cycling endurance, after a dosage of 9 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. The extensive boost shown in the runners is not an isolated case; additional studies have reported similar effects. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Caffeine is a drug that in large amounts, especially over an extended period of time, can lead to a condition termed "caffeinism." Caffeinism usually combines physical addiction with a wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle <span style="color:#ff0000;">twitching</span> (hyperreflexia), insomnia, and heart palpitations. (Under a rigid definition of addiction, meaning a process of escalating use, "caffeine dependency" would be a more descriptive term. However, under the widely accepted definition "chronic pattern of behavior that is perceived to be difficult to quit," caffeine may be said to be addictive.) Furthermore, because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid, high usage over time can lead to peptic ulcers and other diseases. However, since both "regular" and decaffeinated coffees have also been shown to stimulate the gastric mucosa and increase stomach acid secretion, caffeine is probably not the only component of coffee responsible. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Long-term overuse of caffeine can elicit a number of psychiatric disturbances. Two such disorders recognized are caffeine-induced sleep disorder and caffeine-induced anxiety disorder. In the case of caffeine-induced sleep disorder, an individual regularly ingests high doses of caffeine sufficient to induce a significant disturbance in his or her sleep, sufficiently severe to warrant clinical attention. In some individuals, the large amounts of caffeine can induce anxiety severe enough to necessitate clinical attention. This caffeine-induced anxiety disorder can take many forms, from generalized anxiety, to panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, or even phobic symptoms. Because this condition can mimic organic mental disorders, such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or even schizophrenia, a number of medical <span style="color:#ff0000;">professionals</span> believe caffeine-intoxicated people are routinely misdiagnosed and unnecessarily medicated when the treatment for caffeine-induced psychosis would simply be to withhold further caffeine. A Study in the British Journal of Addiction concluded that caffeinism, although infrequently diagnosed, may afflict as many as one person in ten of the population. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Several large</span> studies have shown that caffeine intake is associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease in men, but studies in <span style="color:#ff0000;">women</span> have been inconclusive. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">- <em>scriptor </em>(thanks to Wikipedia)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-75758342090389665582007-01-05T01:49:00.001+02:002007-01-05T01:49:42.037+02:00Tom Waits - Jersey Girl (1980)<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/sH5MoffAx-k' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/sH5MoffAx-k'></embed></object></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658978.post-47887729384887639642006-12-11T21:42:00.001+02:002006-12-14T20:19:44.626+02:00Acrostic Alice<div align="justify">Who am I? A normal guy. An 18yr old unsure about his future. I enjoy simple pleasures - reading novels, listening to the blues, watching westerns. Academically, nothing special. Emotionally, female. Bad sleeping patterns, spontaneous and extravagant shopping sprees. Monogamous. Spiritually growing, but prone to comfort zones out of which I must be shocked with a gentle cattle-prod. I like to stay busy, helping people, making friends, working towards a future. Looking always for originality and creativity. Learning, and not (just) the school variety. In other people, I appreciate honesty; openness without emotional prostitution; a big laugh; positivity; craziness; faithfulness; faith; a large heart; a healthy awareness of social attitudes without surrender to conformity for the sake of popularity or an easy life; beauty; a focus not on themselves.<br /><br />I realise this is a completely self-oriented blog, and I won't pretend that it's anything else. I wanted to see if I could put myself on a piece of paper. I didn't fit. So I wrote this instead. Please forgive me the introspection, and also the hypocrisy of my subject when compared with the last line of the above...<br /><br /><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">- scriptor<br /></span><span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">P</span>ost<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">S</span>cript: I found some quotations from Douglas Adams which proved a source of some amusement to myself, and I felt that I should do the honourable thing and share them with you.<br /><br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">"It is a mistake to think that you can solve any major problem just with potatoes"<br /><br />"It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'as pretty as an airport' appear"<br /><br />"The ships hung in the sky in much the same way as bricks don't"<br /><br />"Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the word 'safe' that I wasn't previously aware of"</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2