Red Flags - Culture

CMAJ Editors Win 2006 World Press Freedom Award

Wed, 03 May 2006 21:28:28 -0400

John Hoey, MD, former editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), and Anne Marie Todkill, former senior deputy editor, have won the National Press Club of Canada’s 8th annual World Press Freedom Award.

Extreme Plastic Surgery, Voice Re-Creation, And “Presenteeism” Are Signs That Pressures To “Fit In” At Any Age Are Getting Out Of Hand And Are Becoming Dangerous

Mon, 26 Apr 2004 15:54:46 -0400

We learn about “fitting in” very early in life. If we don’t fit in at school, we usually know it and suffer for it. Some kids go to great lengths to try to change themselves in ways that will allow them to fit the bill.

Beer Ads Leaping Out Of TV Sets, The “Fueling Talker” And “Alive” Sidewalk Billboards Offering Carefully Chosen Products To Passersby

Mon, 05 Apr 2004 16:03:57 -0400

How New Technology Invades Our Daily Life And Changes Us

Imagine that you are sitting in front of your TV watching a beer commercial, when suddenly a hand, holding a beer, leaps out of the television screen and appears to be offering you a taste.

Imagining Your Way To Better Health

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 15:08:27 -0500

We need imagination and curiosity to dream great new dreams for ourselves. But our contemporary culture is sadly diminishing our ability to remain curious and to let our imaginations soar.

All the major media; television, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet, treat us to pretty much the same visions of success and happiness over and over again, with only minor revisions.

A Christmas Story: So Little For Her, So Much For Me

Sun, 14 Dec 2003 15:16:46 -0500

One snowy December afternoon, in 1989, I stood in front of a beautiful store window, looking in at a lavish and heart-warming Christmas display.

Several families were admiring the scene. Babies gurgled. Mothers pointed and cooed. It was a happy sight.

Happiness

Wed, 10 Dec 2003 15:20:22 -0500

The holiday season is a time when many of us are moved to think more about what it means to be happy.

We find ourselves at events where the "happy you" is expected to shine: at parties; during family gatherings, in writing Christmas cards; and while shopping for gifts and making big meals, or going out to dinner.

Clothes That Spy

Mon, 24 Mar 2003 15:26:43 -0500

The sad truth is that the clothing we buy could become a new privacy invasion nightmare.

Tiny microchips called RFIDs (radio frequency IDs) are now being implanted in some clothing and other items as a new wave of inventory tracking begins.

Benetton, an Italian high-end clothing manufacturer, well-known for its controversial United Colors of Benetton ads, is one of the first major clothing companies to commit to a serious use of this technology. They have purchased 15 million of these tiny transmitters from Philips Electronics, some of which will end up in their 140 U.S. stores.

Body Breakdown

Mon, 10 Feb 2003 15:32:09 -0500

What do we expect? To get hammered every day by the powerful forces that our culture has produced — and not feel the effects?

I sometimes think that some people live in a plastic bubble and do not come out for air. I’m weary of reading about how this diet or that therapy will make you into a brand new person — healthy, wealthy and wise.

Culture Trap

Mon, 27 Jan 2003 15:33:28 -0500

MEAN PEOPLE

The mean health-busting people are doing well at Amazon.com.

One of the most popular books for sale at the huge internet site is entitled, The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers.

First published in 1998, the latest softcover version ranks in the top 400 of the best-sellers at Amazon.

How Culture Shapes The Developing Brain And The Future Of Humanity: What We Can Do To Change It

Mon, 04 Nov 2002 17:23:00 -0500

Without love, peace is not possible; depression replaces joy and the anger and rage that escalates into violence, homicide, and suicide become the norm. Steinbeck recognized this fact, which science has abundantly documented. The research however, has been ignored by bureaucratic scientists and the political stewards of society.

All That Beauty

Mon, 07 Oct 2002 16:42:05 -0400

Some People Are So Fed Up With The Devastating Emotional Effects Of The Tyranny Of Beauty That They’ve Joined The "Ugly Club."

Plump, pouting lips. Large firm breasts. Compact, nipped-in waistline. Perfect abs and polished, wrinkle-free face. Slim, attractive nose and strong, manly jaw-line.

Become A Health Issues Guerilla

Tue, 24 Sep 2002 16:43:49 -0400

SOME HELPFUL TIPS

Do you need to be a guerilla?

I am not talking about those fantastic large animals that Sigourney Weaver, (playing the role of Dian Fossey) brought to our rapt attention in the film, Gorillas in the Mist.

I’m talking about human guerillas. The activist types who do not take "no" for an answer.

Perspective: A Case Of Bruised Testicles

Mon, 10 Jun 2002 04:00:00 -0400

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

I just learned that my favorite cold breakfast cereal is named after bruised testicles.

And one of my favorite fish is actually called a Patagonia toothfish (but I have never ordered it by that distasteful name). And although I’ve never swallowed blowfish tails, I’m certain I won’t see them on a menu or fish counter by that name. The lesson I’ve just learned about food names has led me to not only question our food laws but - much more importantly - to divine a multibillion dollar idea for turning the unthinkable into everyday mealtime treats.

How To Live "The Good Life" At Poverty Level

Mon, 13 May 2002 04:00:00 -0400

SIMPLY FOLLOW THIS ADVICE!

Have you ever dreamed or living the "good life" on only a few thousand dollars a year, but thought that would be impossible? Or worried about being homeless in case your 401k, job, and stock portfolio went the way of Enron? Well, I have good news for you. Dream on about living in "voluntary poverty" - and in high style; and worry not about becoming homeless if you lack of income. Why?

The First Annual Dick Report On Credit Cards

Mon, 22 Apr 2002 04:00:00 -0400

ADVICE TO THE CONSUMER — TEN HOT TIPS!

Executive Report And Synopsis:

You live in a peculiar society that will allow you to run up debt, get into financial trouble, feel like you have access to much more than you’re worth. But there is no need to worry about this one bit.
If you end up not being able to pay, there’s no debtor’s prison, of course, and you can’t go to jail for debt. You just have to put up with some obnoxious "debt collector" screaming at you through the end of a phone. The Dick Report knows that most collectors are terrified at hassling anyone with debt.