Archive for January, 2006
Brain Scans as Lie Detectors
Monday, January 30th, 2006Some time ago when Dr. Melissa Clouthier was just Dr. Melissa, I posted about using Functional MRI for Lie Detector tests. The thinking goes that physiological changes occur when someone lies rather than tells the truth–parts of the brain light up like a Christmas Tree when we lie. It takes far more effort to lie than tell the truth. (Just like it takes far more facial muscles to frown than it does to smile–some people I know enjoy exercising their mouths by frowning as much as possible.)
I am going to review for everyone what the shortcomings are to ALL lie detectors, why they should never be used in court–even these new fancy, schmancy ones and what it has to do with how we practice.
All Lie Detectors are based on a FALSE premise: that a person knows the absolute truth. A lie detector can only pick up on what the person believes is true. Or, more specifically what facts the body is congruent with conscious mind. A person can believe he saw the whole crime committed and completely pass a lie detector test but that doesn’t mean what he believes is true is true. The problem with Psychopaths is that they BELIEVE their own lies. They will pass lie detectors very easily. That will remain true on a brain scan–it will cause them no more physiological effort to lie than to tell the truth. This proclivity is what makes them so dangerous.
(For smooth liars, watch Andrew Fastow when he gets started during his testimony at Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay’s trials. The man is pathological. My interpretation might be all wrong, but Fastow strikes me as completely psychopathic and able to lie with absolutely no effort. In fact, I think it is probably easier for him to lie. Bill Clinton also had this trait. He seemed far more believable when he told a lie than when he told the truth. Now, if you watched his body language, he would give himself away. But his words….wow was he good.)
Conversely, people who are very nervous will cause “artifact” and fail a Lie Detector because of the stress of the situation. Their brains are firing everywhere. Very few people, when accused of a heinous crime can sit with comfort and calmly answer questions. Words like rape, murder, knife, strangle, molest, etc. will cause huge emotionally stressed responses even if they are totally innocent.
Then you get to the interpretation. A good Lie Detector Test examination relies on the proficiency of the examiner. Some examiners are very, very good and can catch even the most sophisticated recipient in a falsehood which will cause a reaction indicative of lying. Likewise, Functional MRI is a delicate, new technology. Not everyone knows what they are looking at. It should alarm you that Chiropractors have far more radiology than a Medical Doctor. Only Radiologists rival Chiropractors and Chiropractic Radiologists and Medical Radiologists fare about the same when tested for diagnostic accuracy. Who will be administering and then interpretting these tests?
Functional MRI is very expensive. Will tax payers be paying for this? I hope not.
Now, in our practice Mr. Dr. and I use a technique called Muscle Testing in conjunction with some Emotional Release Techniques. That is, when a person vocalizes a statement, the physiology of the body interferes with the strength of the muscle for just a moment if the statement is INCONGRUENT. A novice at this technique would call it a “false statement”. That would not be true.
A patient could say “The sky is orange” when it is clearly blue and be utterly congruent with it and be totally strong in the muscle test. Some people would say that the person is “psychotic”. Not necessarily. There are many false statements that some people are congruent with.
For generations, people were congruent with a flat earth. Mothers are notoriously congruent with the statement “My child would never harm another person.” Does not make it true.
I have worked with people who have not been congruent with their own name. The muscle tested weak. Once the emotional problem associated with the weakness is removed, the muscle tests strong. Was their name a lie?
Be wary of doctors, scientists and experts who claim to be able to uncover the “truth”. More factors come into play than what the physiology reveals.
Grandparents: Too Busy for the Little Ones
Sunday, January 29th, 2006Well, well, well…. Dr. Helen posts about grandparents doing their own thang and ignoring their grandkids. She suspects that these grandparents were probably not great parents. Maybe.
I dunno. Many grandparents are helping to raise their grandkids to help out the working parents. Not so strange really. When society was more agrarian, the younger people worked on the farm and the older people did what they could at home.
Some grandparents we know who spent their golden years in Florida came back home because they knew they would need the kid’s help in their ending years. That strikes me as selfish. Let me understand, you don’t want to watch the kids, hang out with them, help the parents in any way, but these are the same kids you’d like to help take care of you? It seems that a lot of old people are counting on their children being far more benevolent then they were.
I can hear the older folks say, “But I didn’t ask my kids to have kids! They aren’t mine afterall!” No they aren’t. You are absolutely correct. And everyone is relieved when the responsibility lifts from the shoulders post-child rearing. It is something I look forward to, in fact.
But where are our priorities as a society? I’m torn. Once the kids move out and on, lots of women go and get jobs not just for the money but because they want to accomplish something for themselves. Since in my life, I’ve tried to balance this, it is hard for me to imagine that goal as such a burning hunger once the kids move out. Grad school: been there, done that. Interesting work: there and doing that. Travelling, yes. Writing more, yes.
Still, what is life without my kids? That is life. And once they have kids, even more wow! Friends of ours have very busy, yet very involved parents who split their time between their Winter home and up North. They make sure and have the Holidays together–Thanksgiving in Florida. Christmas in New York. The grandparents take all the grandkids for two weeks every summer to give the parents a break–the parents come for a week if they want. The grandparents play tennis, or work part time or do whatever for fun. Grandkids figure into that.
Perhaps a bigger issue is that families move all over the country for the success of business. Grandparents who are homebodies don’t especially relish the idea of jetsetting cross country to see the grandkids. Or they worry about a fixed income. Or they are just plain not interested in kids all that much, never mind that Oswalt the III looks just like Grandpappy and acts like him too. Who cares, right?
Society is more disconnected, no question. There doesn’t seem to be the affection for the grandkids, or children anymore, just generally. Kids seem to be a nuisance to be tolerated–and not just by old people.
Several friends of mine said, “ARE YOU INSANE?” When we considered another kid. Kids are soooo expensive! When we put our sons in the same bedroom people say, “Why do they share a room?”
Why not? Have we got so disconnected that sharing a room, having companionship is bad for kids? Heaven forbid we (shhhhh!) share.
While I can’t put my finger on the problem exactly, it does seem to me that a big chunk of society suffers from narcissitic disorder. The underlying belief seems to be: if I give to someone else, I must give up something I want coupled with the belief that sharing with anyone is a loss.
Mark Twain has a quote: To have the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.
Is it any wonder that we have people who are old and alone while children languish alone with their X-Box’s at home? There is something wrong with this picture.
Kobe Bryant & Phil Jackson: Conspiracy Theory
Sunday, January 29th, 2006This interesting pair has hatched a plan which includes the record-busting shooting of the other night to redeem Laker Cred. A loyal reader writes, saying:
The inside story is that this is set up for Kobe tobreak the old records. It not about team workas it is normally thought of. It is about fans and $$$.The team work is feeding the ball to Kobe so he can breakthe records. I think it is a deal he and Phil made toplacate disgusted fans after Kobe’s Sh** with themountain queen in Colo.
Sounds plausible to me.
Blogging Paradox
Sunday, January 29th, 2006Much to my chagrin, the posts where I create all of the content receive the most traffic. That is in contrast where a pithy quip is attached to some news event. That means, of course, more work for me.
Time is not on my side when it comes to this blog. My days are filled with endless minutiae related to kids and work and family. When I do get a chance to write, these topics are often my subject.
It would seem that I have a paradox: in order to write posts regarding my harried, often embarressing family life, I have to have a busy family life. No wonder I’m tired.
Hamas: Palestinians Vote Their Conscience
Friday, January 27th, 2006Some people will want to say that certain people, lesser people incapable of governing themselves, don’t mesh well with Democracy. They cite the Hamas victory in Arab-run Palestine as proof.
This would be a wrong assessment. Democracy worked in Arab-controlled Palestine and we are going to see the fruits of this noble endeavor. You see, the people in Palestine have certain expectations of their elected officials. The Hamas leadership was elected because they promised (as so many candidates do) to “clean up the corruption”. Ha! When the leadership fails to deliver, what then? Hamas clearly states their hate for Israel. How will that belief be manifested?
For so long now, wide-eyed idealists have painted the Arabs as victims, painted their few terrorists and terrorist methods as noble and portrayed Israel as a big, bad, merciless bully when Israel beat back and now, enclosed a seriously dangerous beast. But the Arab people have spoken, haven’t they? Clearly and unequivocally their voice is heard.
Iran leadership claps their hands in malevolent delight while other leaders rub their aching temples in frustrated dismay. Why? There is nothing better than bringing a little light to the subject and this Democratic vote has done just that. We know where the people stand. Or do we?
The Arab people will decide whether they prefer war or building a better life. Either way, a change must happen. Some fear a civil war. Again, why? The Arabs in Palestine must decide what they really want. A little bloodshed might clarify their desires, or they may anihilate themselves, either way the problem hopefully will once and for all resolve.
Should they unite and decide to “push Israel into the sea”. Let them try. A clearly declared war is much easier to fight than a nebulous “skirmish”.
Before you accuse me of warmongering, consider this: Israel and the Arabs have been warring now for many years. Just because it hasn’t been declared, doesn’t make it so. No doubt some on both sides feel battle fatigue and seek peace. I’m guessing that the current Democratic vote has been strengthening all around. Israel should now know that appeasement never satisfies anyone.
The people have spoken. What will they do?
Dumpster Diving
Friday, January 27th, 2006
Many years ago in Detroit, Michigan, my dear mother spurned on by an unconventional friend, picked through the garbage dumpster behind local grocery stores on the days when the stores removed past date food. While some of you might find this distasteful, I personally found it exciting in a publicly humiliating yet culturallly liberating kind of way–the way many street people feel. “Ha ha! You think that I am the ignorant one, but I don’t have to put on a suit every day and be a slave to The Man and get to eat free and live on my own terms. Buwahaaahaha!”
Besides the outside-the-mainstream fun of dumpster diving, good food sometimes managed to make it to our table this way. My always trendy mom (that was the very early 70s) was a health-food nazi and was put in a double bind by free, yet unhealthy food. My first taste of CoCo Krispies, poured from a bent, but perfectly intact box, was from dumpster diving and I never looked at breakfast the same way again. Go happily back to nasty granola? Nevuh!
Seems my mom and her crazy buddies were ahead of the curve. Now called “Freegans“, marauding people go from resteraunt trash bag to dumpster scavenging for edible, free food. As long as it passes the smell test everything is a-okay. More power to ‘em.
Busy
Friday, January 27th, 2006You’ll notice less posts this week. Sorry about that. Been very busy and dear Dr. Husband been using the computer at the end of the day to do work. It is my conclusion that two computers are necessary as marital strife can ensue…. It hasn’t yet. That was a prediction of future events.
Anyway, must buy a new computer and soon!
Political Teen: SNL Provides Profiles in Political Pandering
Tuesday, January 24th, 2006You have to go watch this clip. I don’t watch SNL anymore (no TV, don’t you know), but if they are spoofing the likes of Ray Nagin, Jesse Jackson and Hillary Clinton on a regular basis, I might get the rabbit ears out. Do they ever spoof Ted Kennedy or is he beyond spoofing being a living caricature?
Russia: Putin Pudding
Monday, January 23rd, 2006Has a war started already that we aren’t aware of quite yet?
Breastfeeding Blessings
Monday, January 23rd, 2006Read here about why breastfeeding is so important.
What is difficult to calculate is the emotional, relational and social benefits to the child. Breastfeeding literally connects the child to his mother. Eye contact, laughing and playing are often associated with breastfeeding.
Most moms I know that feed their child bottles, praise their children when they “hold it on their own”–the earlier the better. The child eats alone. Even the U.S. military has a policy against soldiers eating alone. They know that it negatively affects the psychology of the soldier. Eating and socializing go together from the beginning.
Breastfeeding requires the mom to slow down and focus on the child. Some call that a negative. Some days it feels that way. But the hormones released when the child nurses, I can actually feel dump into my system like a endocrine high–relaxin, relaxing me, oxytocin, making me love. Ectasy, who needs it? Breastfeeding provides it with no side-effects.
