From Denny: These are a selection from many wonderful poems written with heavy hearts and great sincerity about the reality of how war affects us all. The old men who send young men to war rarely stop long enough - or at all - to consider their haste to anger and action affects the entire nation for generations to come.
The following are not glory poems but rather the perspectives of those involved in war be they one soldier, a POW, a mother, a daughter, a citizen who knew none of them but felt a duty to pray for them constantly, knowing the personal cost war would bring to all. They span several wars from the Civil War to WWII, the Korean War and today's Iraq and Afghanistan War.
These poems came from the comprehensive Memorial Day site where there is much more than poems to view. Please take a look today as you remember those who came before us.
For the link to the Memorial Day Poems post at my poetry blog, The Social Poets, go here.
From Denny: Looks like science is beginning to catch up with what the truly spiritual people already know! Meditation makes us more intelligent! And now science has figured out the obvious.
Regular meditation has been found to enlarge the size of the brain. For those who have been meditating for a very long period of time brain scans revealed they had significantly larger amounts of the little grey cells.
Which area of the brain was larger?
Researchers using an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanned the brain's hippocampus because it is the area of the brain that is associated with our memory and learning ability. They found the area to be much larger in those who practiced regular meditation.
What was found in those who did not practice meditation?
Turns out the areas of their brains linked to emotion were much larger. The study inferred that with a larger emotionally area it is more difficult for a person to control their emotions.
What are the benefits of meditation to our brains?
It helps tremendously to maintain emotional control. Those who meditate are better focused and can control their emotions far better than those who do not meditate. Another benefit is reduced levels of stress which help boost the immune system. Some of this has been known from previous studies.
What has not been known until now about the link between the brain structure and meditation?
They studied 44 people, only half had practiced meditation for 5 - 46 years. They tended to meditate for between 10 - 90 minutes each day. Deep concentration was said to be part of their meditation routine.
The MRI scans verified "significantly larger cerebral measurements in meditators." It is these changes in the brain structure that might explain why meditators "have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions," according to Eileen Luders, lead researcher, "The differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue as to why meditators have these exceptional abilities." The brain has been proven to change its structure over time as revealed in previous studies.
Summary
Researchers found in meditators increased brain size in the area of the right hippocampus and in the right frontal cortex, enlarging the brains' measurements.
For now researchers are speculating about this area of the brain so closely linked to our emotions. Eileen Luders wonders, "These might be the neuronal underpinnings that give meditators' brains the outstanding ability to regulate their emotions and allow for well-adjusted responses to whatever life throws their way."
From Denny: Now this is really cutting edge. Scientists do a scan of 3 areas of the brain to see if you are in love with your spouse. They check for lust, attachment and romance areas of the brain. Very interesting explanations of what the scan depicts.
Watch this video as a writer from Esquire decided to find out how his brain looked in love with his wife vs. how he thought about a sexy actress. Brave or very stupid guy; you decide.
From Denny: Hi, everyone! Been busy on the blog's housekeeping and you all know how much I don't like (OK, despise) housework...
The Social Poets has become a bit of the Wild Wild West. Read that as too much overwhelming info on one page. Too much on one page has really slowed down the final load time of this blog too. Surely you find it as annoying as I do! So, something had to be done and two more blog pages were born:
OK, so I'm one of those people who enjoys a clean house, everything in its place, neat and orderly - I just don't like the effort it takes to do it! (Hmmm... TMI...)
Seriously though, if you are a blogger or are thinking about starting a blog, maybe try out the same idea for your convenience. For both content and link worthiness it's a great idea to have links to other blogs and sites. I just choose to do so by fitting it into my niche because I'm a total information junkie. Sigh... TMI yet again... :)
Actually, I've been wanting to expand on finding additional blogs to fit my categories and have been limited - until now. I really see the potential for how I could create additional interesting pages/related blogs!
Currently, on The Social Poets Fav Bloggers there are blogs on general musings, poetry blogs, writing blogs, political and social issues, creativity blogs, and more will be added. If you have some interesting blogs or sites you have run across (or your own) you think warrant as an addition, feel free to drop me an email with the link and I'll be glad to consider it! (Always looking for new talent as life is a team effort.)
On the links list page, The Social Poets Fav Links, there are links to my original poems (parked in various places so required a link page area), links to my friends who write poetry (let me know if you want to add your poetry page, be glad to do so to help promote fellow poets), writing sites (let me know your contribution to helping others develop their writing skills and be glad to include your site), poetry sites, music and more.
For your convenience the new links are located right before the day's post. The link pages also have a link to navigate you back to the home page of The Social Poets blog too.
Blogging is a lot of fun! Always learning how to solve "all the problems of the world." Now if world politics and world peace were just this easy...
Thank you, everyone, for visiting! Have a good week!
From the quotations blog, Beautiful Illustrated Quotations, to start off your work week with food for your head, an interesting famous quote about a free society, go here.
From the photography blog, Visual Insights, from a wonderful French nature photographer Denis Collette, to make your heart feel good, a beautiful floral portrait for all the mothers out there, go here.
From the science blog, The Soul Calendar, to keep you updated on the latest research, there is a write-up on the latest brain study about autism in young children, go here.
From the chocolate blog, Romancing The Chocolate, there is a yummy recipe for Marcarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars from one of our favorite Food Networks chefs we like to watch at our house, Giada, go here.
From the news, humor and poetry blog, The Social Poets, be sure to check out the Roundup of the Sunday Funnies from the late night shows that appears on Mondays, go here.
From the humor blog, Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd, get your work week started off right - laughing! - there is the always funny The Onion commenting about how Americans are handling the economy, go here.
From Denny: The health folks are claiming this swine flu is milder than expected - that's the good news. The bad news? It is spreading rapidly. One day it's 400 cases and the next day it's up to 700, almost doubling here in America.
What's a bit disconcerting is to look at the USA map showing the flu has spread all across the country. Then view the world map and all of North America is engulfed in this outbreak.
From Denny:New Orleans' Rebirth Jazz Band helps at risk kids discover and develop a new life.
Having worked with Special Needs kids myself I know how important it is to nurture young minds and hearts. When left unattended human nature turns resentful and eventually violent.
What they learn beyond music is the concept of the positive version of teamwork and emotional discipline that will carry them for a life time. This is a wonderful program producing heart-warming results!
From Denny: Posts have been delayed due to my jury duty service this week but I'm getting back up to speed.
Well, hike yourself on over to my blog called The Social Poets for the Libations Friday! 8 May 2009.
Why? New coffee recipes, new coffee site, original and amusing light-hearted poem by "moi" AND it's Friday! Does Life get any better? :)
Oh, and if you have never visited this blog before now, just scroll on down past the posting area to get an overview of all my blogs. There are the blog descriptions so you can get a feel for each blog's focus and personality. There are also headlines of the latest postings from each blog all contained on one page, a convenient fast-paced glance. Enjoy!
From Denny: Home cooked meals are the increasing trend with today's economy. A recent university study looked at 800 home cooks who are considered the nutritional gatekeepers of the family. If the cook has problems with proper portion control and types of foods served then 75% of the family tends to follow their lead.
Types of Cooks identified:
Giving cook - very generous person other people love to be around, often so concerned about recreating that perfect dish they don't always think about health.
Healthy cook - think too much about health they often make dishes no one can stand to eat.
Innovative cook - creative thinker who loves food and loves the taste, experiments a lot with spicy foods and new cuisines, fresh foods and tries new things, the person you want to hang out with regularly.
From Denny: Been on jury duty since Monday and the days are getting longer so not able to post much. Maybe tomorrow will be a shorter day!
Looks like Cheeky Quote Day is sidelined for today. Will a true story of what happened to me today do in its place? I'm up for a second-degree murder case. Probably will sit around all day waiting to be rejected. That's what happened today after 10 hours of jury selection.
I did get to chat up the staff. Talked to a sheriff who the local news station had promised to interview about his time in Iraq but didn't - clearly he needed to talk about it - so as any good blogger with a journalism degree, well, I jumped on the interview, duh! He's with the Army 239th, an MP and just got back from Iraq a few months ago. He proceeded to tell me about what it was like serving over there.
Real sociable guy and it sure surprised me when he started talking but I figured it was good for him to get the stress out. I mean, how many warriors actually tell you how many kills? And worse, how many were Iraqi children, armed with hand grenades and ordered by their parents to come kill Americans? Sad but true tale.
While he acknowledged it was a tough decision to choose self-defense and claimed it didn't bother him, I figured it did upset him and that's why he was telling me all about it. Soldiers from many wars often start talking around me and I hear the most amazing stories of personal trauma.
It isn't always what people tell you as true but rather the fact that they are talking about something so horrific while claiming it doesn't bother them. Of course it bothers them, why else would they need to talk about it? I don't waste time judging, just accept and listen. Talk about a lot to process for them.
***
Now the highlight of today's jury service was going to lunch at a little eatery known as The Roux House. We noticed the local TV news crew outside, went in and there was a big commotion at the back of the restaurant. We peeked in and it turns out a new politician was announcing her candidacy.
Who was it? Turns out it's the porn queen, Stormy Daniels, who was the regular prostitute for years for Louisiana's Senator David Vitter. Yep! The former pro is running against her customer!
I found it amusing. On her way out she stopped to talk to everyone at the few tables and so I took the time to interview her about her candidacy. Turns out ABC News was there too. I asked some very easy questions to give her a chance to prove herself. I'll try to blog tomorrow about the interview. What a hoot! When was the last time you had the opportunity to interview a porn queen AND attend a bizarre event in the weirdest world of Louisiana politics? It was a definite two-fer! :)
From Denny: Since I have to travel out of town on Mondays and get back late in the day (wishing I had the time to research and write another health article) ... thought I'd round up some chocolate articles as highlights this week from one of my other blogs, Romancing The Chocolate. Finally, scientists agree with all the women (and some awesome men) in the world that chocolate belongs as one of the major food groups! :) Enjoy!
From Saturday Nite Live's BitchPleez.com Blogger (As a blogger I like to mock myself!) and an entertaining episode of The Simpsons of a couple of precocious kids have fun dismantling their school screw by screw and then watch it crash, hike yourself on over to my eclectic humor blog: Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious and Odd.
And if you want some funny photos and funny sign photos, hike yourself on over to my photo blog: Visual Insights.
For some Cheeky Quotes, check out my general interesets, poetry and humor blog every Wednesday, for The Social Poets, go here!
And for some educational fun for building your word vocabulary or studying for those entrance exams, go to WordAhead.com where they have devised a humorous way to learn new words!
Slap That Cold Silly with Food as Medicine: "Utilize spices in your food to give healing support to that cold or flu. Here’s an easy exotic and delicious soup recipe when you are feeling miserable. Soup recipe included."
From Denny: This is a popular article. While it may be almost early summer and hot here in Louisiana it sure isn't in other parts of the country and world! After all it snowed in Colorado this month. On the news is the latest about a new outbreak of flu.
What is good about this article and soup recipe is that it gives real information about the properties of food and how they can benefit a situation with a cold, flu or allergy symptoms. Lentils and beans both act as astringents, pulling excess water out of the body. For that reason alone this is a good and practical read! :) We all know the miseries of a stuffy and runny nose.
Spices are another forgotten food in our modern culture and contain many healthful properties waiting to be rediscovered by us today!
Written by Denny Lyon @ HubPages Photo of paprika peppers by meaduva @ flickr
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tMTmOpl_HhQ2LP_Kvl4FS1P6fW8XqhjTawDD5RXQbu6rUV0vhDcz3cPKx4MEiAsOAPYBhwahM6qGzKe1uVGWNJt1H9NAuIb8dYGaC8YmukMwiUh6bKGc12OiomzD1UhwDRKAyhF0uxEBkMcd-EMXw=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ueTd2haaEgY-6WDmTsq7ca8gL0DOAvguyzvPn3WueqRIXS-4H29GLPcnaKeSjZfeRYlhPC7CbyuzSthofYR_vGaChnWnQ7tRWdI1S1oV4pxu1SxMGPBttsYHQGs4skBHAdYPYb9AJm3JUSpB9QFxKM=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v9yv49I36nhZSQVaz7F7s6Y9MvHBQV_YcmwNOgl8jgGnyBBT65oE1f17VK7cneXk2SDdAMFKR0hAirmCMxlUasLes_4lq440uZOd_wSBrMVQUlRmvScOGdpAxL1mvYTe8O1fU39FBSH8zh7EyK55KP=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vUg8UakMAGwjwzMqnzr4DKvg3YqQ7iTGzPhrW4lq34eA7OkQUhceqZ8QoOTHdaJlOp-x1YETOEH6r5Ks7X9JXZETDmzKYl4hPM6WYxzKSlyA_97ygPqF9n0WG2n-e_wFLc2RqFXzPQhU_Cj1p1jNqC=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_utnH3CIb_sEFlzp1F0QwfhVbRkC-SuSY2cGbuY7k0pgIXDOwBXbpGlxSntOD56rAudn4jeXylaZ00B_CqZhpfW4UhV8ttpqrTc2Go0qCPvuldH7LEPILiy_ghWDxcm9jPnM4PU99ThELMrVMMkgqtq=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uDjPrjWFVxuF0ZTH6dKM7gwNms06iMXQMSXChWrvlGxKVVY35XUrw_cg_LPujd1Hddm_ywcnoyIFz__yRqTJrVlf4fsynZQhcLE41fXWcjUVj1IQpfCCKTFhl3kI6897T8Yctpu5_I1dTP5orgnYUF=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vMcVz6bQl5W8ouLaOXRjTMyl_xzvPm_RxPw3hKTYF7agkejoWhJKJEvqsflY9Jz9bY9sRk9PJZReJQNWfbmaJy8T_ATjKOK1Qf-AvpfNkA8q-PTDSgFgPCNo_qENdF888B05n5zHF7anFkYxcUKVcS=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tqGwKlMR7ng0BD4m5KKNhQwt0pNgX_4jPcMLIM13WvhciDpfV7ogf2YjI9h397KW_q1ynFiXk3Tzn-MY0jpyEybUj0iRWTbumsCkNzuTtXQUk6hcGEy-iNXGQHebg90MnuBLdKUK_SqO2TsGNt_yji=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tWp3CF_KVyL0LNuD7ySEN0Nlk7oagdNh1KRIXCAhJaSMpLnE7uOXkj95kFom-rNRmP3Bk5x5SzPhvL2KhfT1qPhSXXZAch_XC0GF8nNCP_3gZH0qeToGUkv42kyF5wCFER8AhCr9-14V1h2iMPXTx0=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v7CDrwAM6TuiKn_A1N1LZX7fMM4FgnXphWAzUoJbfmhQ9UUjBwOl0Y9VhLNJaRFcaqD5ycSoq2IYbfAx50KnYKnUbITOw2DGl5lfjOrkVTtVQRDBdsPcPjLvTekXFVxOUZECVgeYnQPFuaZ3T0z2dH=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vVa5RO5HUKxR7_T5Mv-G-_jiy5GGqxZrOfqaB04JM_GWoIrkzeBa75sBEyxVXuKf3iyYOtJ0K4FDN_VeyrUIZO-LU89U0ZgahNYNv3tqdrdcyVa_PRl1eLHb2ML4WMGhOE8bXeAgqaEnWzyd3E3aOf=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uL73miOOFBJvC6_s0VP4NFspT9sQbCJCNjiQyQ1oGl5eULMb8RVyP2CvQwOee0PqE_luqKZUn7Q8rFhAkRCMVyHeIi4bhEkfxHMTw--j5iApuR6CcV0M2m3DTWno6ft4xsv2F6EDTltXQHNjTpAw0f=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uArr4nP-7dJJR3pJekgPnrlhPubGbuPC6FnpnvPS-KafeeagoHlkvcqpXvYKt-9tPJp2wlO4Gq_t-O3zW-CGgYqnvENQ25IqlvmQLDSGgV6COEcM37jKJrK5h6Y6iw74AtD9XebQ5XvbxL18H7MbZd=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJG-HVm31cAP6rlUT_oRs_bCPVC0CaiRn_5Pd1Cif9UMmIAyee-vLHN2B38MKg6I7kiyJZ5IRLLUhyS8fyTWT5mkPbWpTaKe15Jry_Ky9mP0Fit_JEPoJ3qO7u4eBbSnNXwoYSuvZA5NY82kfx9rRK=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tYVbPiwm84w05nTPhD29R2uQdpDad9EnfZT_r67m_xTXGkAhvSgzBW0hQmTqvmEhGsd7LkLlkdZzCRWYUnZLWJymVl5M3CWpSKIY8Nb4wIS6f0YoH5qpFFKhf1vCV_x2sXcJ5R-F5McGjOPgcNO6gh=s0-d)
