Addiction and the Janis Joplin play

On season 4 of Living Smart, I will be hosting a show on the science of addiction. I chose this topic because I lost a family member to an addiction. He was a sweet man with a terrible disease which eventually took his life. At the time we knew little except that maybe he did not try hard enough to quit, or that he needed twelve steps or to find God. I believe all these things are important, your will, religion and faith, but as time passes I realize there is so much more science behind this than we know and that this needs to be treated like a medical disease. New pet scans show us where the problem is in the brain and what sort of treatments can work best. Dr. Tom Kosten, a psychiatrist from Baylor College of Medicine is leading the research on a cocaine vaccine. He will be my guest. Addiction vaccines work the same way as traditional vaccines use to treat diseases. They zero in on addictive chemicals that people snort, shoot or swallow. When injected the vaccine triggers the immune system to develop antibodies. The next time the drug is ingested, the antibodies will latch onto it and preventing it from getting into the brain. IF these vaccines work, it could change the lives of millions.

LAST NIGHT I SAW THE PLAY LOVE JANIS at the Alley..about the life of Janis Joplin. I knew little of Joplin because I was not raised here and by the time we moved back to the USA, she was already gone. I was not too keen on her music, precisely because I always identified it with drug addiction and that is what my family member used to listen to Joplin, and acid rock.

I enjoyed the play because it reminded me how tragic drug addiction was and is for so many. Do you realize three great artists, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hedrix and Jim Morrison died at age 27 of drug overdoses? Why? In this play they don't discuss too much why Janis died. She was, like the other two, a victim of her time. In the 60's doing drugs seemed cool and if you were an artist, the thing to do. As soon as these incredible and revolutionary performers died, other artists started paying attention to drug abuse. Unfortunately for Joplin, Hendrix and Morrison it was too late.

I didn't know why Janis was so great but I learned it last night. She has a very unique voice, talent and passion. She also broke through racist ideas that blacks should only sing "black" music and white folks, should just sing "white" music. She was the first to mix blues with rock and roll. She stood up against racism in her town of Port Arthur and she actually learned to think critically and sing passionately.

I can say I discovered last night why Joplin was great. I had heard "me and Bobby McGee" in the past and her unique rendition of "Summertime" but what I really loved about this performer is that she was true to her art. As always the Alley does incredible work. The band was awesome, the performer qhite good. It is almost impossible I would think to be like Joplin..there is only one Joplin but she did a great job. I have to be a bit critical of the accents the actresses playing Joplin were doing. They sure didn't sound like Texas girls but they did a great job portraying an incredible and never forgotten artist.

What you can do about Global Warming

Recently I attended the Pachamama alliance seminar. They gave out a lot of material but the one I liked the most was this one. It shares what we all can do to make life better for ourselves and the planet, my mother earth, my "pachamama" Please take your time to read it.

• Relationship with self:

o Breathe deeply
o Read one page of something that inspires you
o Attend a religious or spiritual group that is new to you
o Play with crayons
o Stretch your body
o Write down your dreams
o Take a nap
o Listen to someone older than you
o Hug a tree
o Write down three things you are grateful for
o Do nothing for one minute
o Build a fort with blankets- remember to play
o Don’t answer the phone
o Study shamanic journeying techniques
o Display photos that represent the Dream that you want to inspire your life
o Write an answer to the statement “what is the purpose of my life?”
o Watch films, programs, and read books that inspire you
o Create spaces for authentic rituals in your life, such as giving thanks before meals
o Several times during thee day stop, relax for a moment and breathe
o Don’t read your email for one day
o Enjoy what you have
o Keep a dream journal
o Smile at yourself in the mirror
o Take care about what you put in your mind and heart

• Relationship with others/ community:

o Investigate several organizations that are doing something consistent with the Dream you want to have in your community, and get involved with one of them
o Contact you local elementary school and investigate opportunities to volunteer there (e.g., story reading programs)
o Mentor a child
o Form a support group with other participants in your “Awakening the Dreamer” Symposium that will meet monthly and talk about your daily practices, or take action together
o Investigate local churches that might share your spiritual and ecological visions and become involved there
o Turn off your television unless it is being actively watched, or give it up altogether for a period
o Create authentic rituals in your family- blessing at beginnings of meals, family reflection time, appropriate coming of age rituals, birthday rituals
o Establish a “game night” for your family and/or friends on some regular basis
o Have a family meeting where your family talks about whether the day-to-day life you create together does or does not support the Dream that each of you want to have, and what you can do about
o Join or create a shamanic group to support all aspects of awakening the dreamer and changing the Dream
o Invite your neighbors to have a pot luck together 3-4 times a year, with rotating hosts
o Investigate a neighborhood project that might bring your neighbors together in a common goal, for example: planting trees on the street, improving a local playground, preparing a list of basic contact information and map of utility cut-offs for all homes as part of earthquake neighborhood preparednesssmile as you walk down the street
o Dream with friends

• Relationship with the Dream

o Reduce, reuse, recycle. Investigate ecological organizations that help preserve and protect indigenous cultures and support them or volunteer for them
o Vote
o Engage in environmentally conscious policies.
o During a time period that you choose, buy only things you truly need.
o Choose a number of times that each week you will choose to carpool, bicycle, take public transportation or walk instead of driving your own car
o Investigate “one earth” methods of transportation, heating, and refrigeration, at home and work
o Take a test about your contribution to global carbon dioxide emissions based on your lifestyle and educate yourself what possible changes to your lifestyle
o Examine the roles of information technologies in your life
o Experiment with establishing a new or different “baseline” in your relationship with food- for instance, fast one day a month, skip lunch one day a week, eat only when you are strongly hungry one day a week, eat no meat one day a week
o Read a book about the day-to-day life of a different indigenous culture and consider what it reveals about your culture and its life
o Read alternative news sources regularly

• Relationship with the Earth
o Spend five minutes outside each day
o Plant an organic garden
o Find a houseplant you like and learn how to nurture it carefully and with awareness
o Volunteer with local organizations that clean up the environment
o Design, plant or landscape your yard so that it reflects your appreciation for and awareness of nature
o Display pictures or objects from nature that inspire you
o Pay attention to the natural measures of time and the movement of the earth and the moon
o Enroll your neighbors in planting trees in front of the homes on your street
o Plan a hike outdoors with your friends, family or some support group
o Buy a reusable water bottle
o Tell your favorite magazine to use recycled paper
o Take public transportation instead of driving
o Stop junk mail
o Promote local farmers
o Make consumption choices that encourage and support good behavior from private industries so they improve their environmental practices
o Investigate and get involved in the Fair Trade movement
o Investigate local farmer’s markets, or other means of using locally-grown food wherever available and/or using organically-grown food when possible
o Remove and safely dispose of toxic cleaning products, paints, carpets, etc.
o Read labels on food and household products before purchasing them and purchase biodegradable, toxin-free products
o Support your local healthy food store
o Reduce your consumption of processed foods
o Eliminate spraying pesticides on lawns, plants and gardens
o Learn about energy efficient appliance
o Learn about renewable building materials and energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal)
o When purchasing furniture find out if it was produced sustainably
o Test drive a hybrid car and consider it for your next purchase
o Want less

George Bernard Shaw and why we should care

A few months ago, I attended the Pachamama Alliance Awakening the dreamer, changing the dream seminar. I learned a lot but one of the things that stayed with me was a poem by George Bernard Shaw so I would like to share it with you.

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose, recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world wll not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief cancle to me. it is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment. and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

George Bernard Shaw

P.S. I agree with everything he says!

Living Smart taping this January Who is coming up?

It is that time of the year again! I am taping my Living Smart season 4 shows. I am truly excited. Visible Changes will be doing my hair and I have 5 different make up artists. Awesome Make up and Hair stylist Michael Demarse is coming back for a few days. Caruggi's is loaning me their stylish and fun clothes, and my wardrobe consultant Sam Gershen keeps me on a leash when it comes to picking outfits. She does truly know what looks great!!! The topics this time around are quite challenging. People ask me all the time. How do you pick your topics? My answer is that I think and meditate a lot about it and then I focus on what is going on and what I feel we all need answers to. Last year we saw the massacre at Virginia Tech, from then on we have had a few shootouts. This makes me sick and I wonder what we can do to prevent it so I started out with Dr. Anthony Green PhD. He specializes in school violence prevention and guess what? His AT RISK kids score over 95% in their TAKS test once he gets through working with them. What are his secrets? You'll find out what he does to make them pay attention and stay on track. Of course last year global warming was a big topic and so I invited a pioneer in green architecture LaVerne Williams and a permaculturist with projects around the world Diana Petrochelli.

Shame researcher Dr. Brene Brown taught me a lot about shame and how it affects all other emotions. Dr. Tom Kosten, an addiction researcher and psychiatrist has a lot to say about what we need to know about addiction and how to properly treat it. (The sciene of addiction is the topic because now we know full well how addiction works and thus can find viable solutions.
I couldn't do another season without a discussion on happiness. I found out the happiest man on the planet is a buddist monk, but he lives in Tibet so I found one here in our backyard. He is an amazing, wise and kind man, Master Jian Xiao Shih.

It breaks my heart to see so many people in debt so I invited Manisha Thakor who is an expert in financial literacy. I liked her book because it was simple, to the point and she makes it understandable.

After so much conflict in our society over the war in Iraq, I decided to invite Dr. Garth Jowett to teach us a bit about media literacy. Who are we to believe when the right and left wingers try to convince us their way is the truth. It pains me there are no qualms about lying anymore or distorting the truth so he'll walk us throught the maze of information we get on a daily basis.

We couldn't do a season without talking to the best legal expert in town. The people's lawyer Richard Alderman is not only a great lawyer and teacher, he is a also a very nice and generous man. I really enjoyed meeting his family and asking him for legal advise.

Dr. Jamey Summerfield is a very bright naturopath. I find her extremely interesting because she has studied so many different things and applies it all to her patients. She is a chemical engineer, a nutritionist, a medical massage therapist an emergency technician etc and knows a heck of a lot about fatigue which happens to be a huge problem in our society.

Dr. James Hollis is one of the brightest men I have ever met. He is a world reknowned jungian analyst. Every time he speaks I listen and learn. His book on finding your own path is absolutely amazing. Author and philanthropist, Barbara Elliott is a lovely person and has been working all her life to help others. She will teach us a lot about compassion and making the right choices in philanthropy.

Adele Gorody has been a wonderful advisor to me as I attempt to care for my parents. She will discuss the very important topic of caregiving. Millions in America will be faced with this reality and just like retirement, many of us are not ready for it. We will get some tips on making life easier for ourselves and our loved ones. She has lots of experience and is the Director of the very unique senior guidance directory.

I do hope you watch. We will be launching the season in April We are still airing Season 3. In the next few weeks you will learn about addiction to sugars and flours, depression in women, healing at risk young men, and overcoming addiction so stay tuned on Sundays at 3pm. All of you who watch. Thank you. Many blessings!