What it is REALLY like

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"I never wonder to see men wicked,
but I often wonder to see them not ashamed",

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), poet and prose satirist,
most famous for his novel 'Gulliver's Travels'

Ever since Americans learned that American soldiers and intelligence agents were torturing prisoners, there has been a disturbing question: How high up did the decision go to ignore United States law, international treaties, the Geneva Conventions and basic morality?

The answer, we have learned recently, is that — with President Bush’s clear knowledge and support — some of the very highest officials in the land not only approved the abuse of prisoners, but participated in the detailed planning of harsh interrogations and helped to create a legal structure to shield from justice those who followed the orders.

We have long known ... that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved a list of ways to abuse prisoners. But recent accounts by ABC News and The Associated Press said that all of the president’s top national security advisers at the time participated in creating the interrogation policy: Vice President Dick Cheney; Mr. Rumsfeld; Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser; Colin Powell, the secretary of state; John Ashcroft, the attorney general; and George Tenet, the director of central intelligence.

"This is a monument to executive supremacy and the imperial presidency," said Eugene R. Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School and the Washington College of Law at American University.

Only by fully understanding what Mr. Bush has done over eight years to distort the rule of law and violate civil liberties and human rights can Americans ever hope to repair the damage and ensure it does not happen again.
(via various editorials published by The New York Times on the topic: 'Torture')



[Read about Torture on Wikipedia]


[Related: Fernando Botero and Mark Twain]


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Wouldn't you like to know

...when
your number is up.

Could it be in 10 years, 30 years or next year?

Consulting a psychic is hardly a reliable way to find out.
Instead, here is a statistics-based way of predicting your longevity and of making you aware of the factors that enter into the equation.

And, most importantly, you will find out about the kind of behavior modification options you have, to extend your stay on our beautiful planet,
should you so desire.

On your mark, get set, live longer!

(Your adjusted age count appears in the upper right framed box on each progressive page.)



[On a somber note: An undesirable circumstance]

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On Wellness

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"The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being.

And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally
but also physically and spiritually."

Greg Anderson, Author and 'Cancer Conqueror': long-term lung cancer survivor



[Related: Doctors' Dilema]

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What is Sauna

For anyone not afraid to strip naked and in overall good health, i.e. no history of stroke or hypertension, there is nothing quite as beneficial to body and mind as taking a sauna bath. If you have never experienced it, it is a treat, and treatment, not to be missed. (Sauna is not recommended for children.)

A modern Sauna is a small to medium sized room, made entirely from wood, accommodating from four to eight people. It generally has two levels of benches, a lower one that would correspond to the height of an average chair and one that is double that height and therefore closer to the ceiling where the heat is strongest.

The heat elevates your body temperature, akin to having a fever, which destroys toxins in your system and eliminates them through intense perspiration. Sauna temperatures around 180 degrees Fahrenheit ("dry heat")or slightly higher are achieved by a specialized electric stove with a top layer of hot stones through which the heat escapes into the room. When water is poured on the stones to raise the level of humidity, the temperature is greatly increased and could reach a danger-point for the body, causing heat stroke. If high humidity levels are desired ("wet heat"), the temperature setting must be lowered proportionately, i.e., for 100% humidity, temperature should be around 100 degrees.

Sauna baths are generally taken in the nude, sitting or laying on a towel to absorb sweat.

The concept of sauna as a purification of the body has been practiced in various cultures, since the ancient times of Roman baths, for ceremonial as well as therapeutic purposes.

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SAUNA: De-tox Body and Mind

In our contemporary moral climate, which can be characterized as downright prudish, we have been brainwashed into thinking that nudity equals lasciviousness and that it is a certain prelude to sexual activity. This cannot be further from the truth. The human body in its natural state is one of the wonders of creation and certainly nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to be debased by negative and judgmental connotations.

The Sauna is perhaps the only remaining setting where nudity is accepted, even called for. The simple act of ridding yourself of all clothing and stepping into an environment unfettered, is a liberating act. Settle yourself on a bench in the sauna room, close your eyes and let the heat permeate your body and open the pores of your skin. As the ensuring perspiration purges the toxins from your system, so will all tension and anguish be released from your mind as you give yourself over to complete relaxation. Contained in this chamber of ultimate warmth you experience the process of purification and renewal.

Sauna etiquette prescribes silence in the sauna room for a reason. Free from auditory distractions you can focus on letting go, both physically and mentally, of all the pollutants that have weighed you down. You emerge cleansed and light-footed in body and in mind.

The aftermath of a sauna bath gives new meaning to the concept of
being "born-again" ...

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