Saturday, July 30, 2011

RELATION BETWEEN RHINOPLASTY AND MENTAL ILLNESS

The desire for plastic surgery, and in particular nose jobs, may be a tell tale sign of a mental illness called dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which is basically is an unnatural preoccupation with slight or imagined defects in appearance. A person with BDD historically tends to have cosmetic surgery, and even if the surgeries are successful, does not think they are and is unhappy with the outcomes.

A new study released this week demonstrates a high rate of body dysmorphic disorder relation, up to one in three among nose job patients. Previous studies have shown that about 10% of patients seeking plastic surgery suffer from the condition and thus an increase is now present.

David B. Sarwer, associate professor of psychology at the Center for Human Appearance at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania explains:

"We know body image dissatisfaction falls on a continuum, and there has to be some degree of dissatisfaction that leads us to see a plastic surgeon in the first place. It's when it begins to interfere with daily functioning. Patients with more severe BDD struggle to maintain social relationships and have difficulty getting to work or staying employed. Almost all of us will get up in the morning and look in the mirror and see something in our appearance we may not like or wish looked different. But for patients with B.D.D., that thought never leaves their mind. They are chronically thinking about their nose, checking in the mirror or a reflective surface, or they avoid situations where people can see their profile. You can see that is a distraction and can make it hard to focus on jobs or studies or family."


The published report is based on a study of 266 patients evaluated by plastic surgeons in Belgium over a 16 month period. The patients made appointments to discuss a rhinoplasty procedure and were given a questionnaire to assess their symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder. Among those seeking the procedure for strict medical reasons only 2% of patients exhibited symptoms of the disorder.

However on the flip side, among patients seeking to change their noses for cosmetic reasons only, 43% showed signs of the disorder, expressing an unreasonable preoccupation and distress about their bodies despite having noses that were relatively normal.

It is important to note that researchers found no relationship between the level of body dysmorphic disorder and the level of abnormality in the nose, meaning that the perception of a faulty nose shape or size matches a clinical poor self esteem issue.

Dr. Phillip Haeck, a Seattle plastic surgeon and president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons speaks from his personal professional experience in the field:

"The biggest mistake is to offer to operate on them, because the chances that they will be satisfied afterward, no matter how good the shape of the nose may be, are very low. Often patients who have this can't stop looking at themselves. When I've encountered cases like this, I've found it difficult to make eye contact. They tend to stand in the mirror in the examination room and look at themselves throughout the exam."

Friday, July 29, 2011

MY DREAM HOUSE



Every once in awhile I pass by this place that I call my dream house.  While I'm not a fan of stonework I really like the subtly, dignity and beauty that the stone gives to this place.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

PARAPROSDOKIAN......HUH?

A paraprosdokian (pronounced /pærəprɒsˈdoʊki.ən/) is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists. 
 Paraprosdokian comes from Greek "παρά-", meaning "despite" and προσδοκία", meaning "expectation" but it is not a term of classical (or medieval) Greek or Latin rhetoric, but a late 20th century neologism.
A neologism is a newly coined word not yet accepted into mainstream language.

It's just a weird word to describe some linguistic fun and I thought I share some of it today.  Probably the best known modern usage of this is by Groucho Marx and to some extent Red Skelton.

  • If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
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  • War does not determine who is right-only who is left.
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  • Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.  Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad.
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  • Evening news is where they begin with 'Good Evening', and then proceed to tellyou why it isn't.
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  • To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism.  To steal from many is research.
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  • I didn't say it was you fault, I said I was blaming you.
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  • Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
Today you have had a language lesson and a laugh at the same time, now admit it wasn't that fun????











    

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

PICTURES FROM MY YARD


I have some very wonderful memories of my yard that gave me many opportunities to use my first digital Kodak camera.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

PAVEMENT PAINTING BUT DEFINITELY NOT ART

A few days ago as I was going about town I noticed the lines on the streets getting their much needed annual coat of fresh paint.  However over the course of a couple of days I began noticing something not quite right with the lines.  On some streets the lines were so long it almost appeared as solid lines and on some streets they were so short they looked more like dotted lines.  As I rounded a corner on my way home a couple of days later there was a young worker walking down the middle of the road behind a machine and he was using a small roller and painting over portions of the too-long yellow lines.  Just too funny for words.
  I don't about you but don't you think someone at some point on one day or another might have noticed that the machine was not working right?  I wonder how much the extra man hours and black paint cost the city.

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Father-in-Law of Europe

European history has always fascinated me particularly the history of various monarchs, how they are intrinsically connected and the impact they still have on our lives today.  I was reading the history of the Scandinavian countries Norway and Denmark today and learned that Harald V is the current king of Norway. It makes for a very interesting read to see who he is related to.

Harald V (born 21 February 1937) is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991. The son of the then-Crown Prince Olav and of Princess Märtha of Sweden, Harald was born at the Crown Prince Residence at Skaugum, Akershus, Norway.

King Harald V is the great-grandson of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and 68th in line to the British throne. He is a paternal second cousin to Elizabeth II and the late Princess Margaret, a maternal first cousin to Baudouin of Belgium, his successor Albert II of Belgium, and their sister the late Josephine-Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
King Harald V's grandfather  was known as the father-in-law of Europe and as you read on you will readily see why.



Christian IX (8 April 1818 – 29 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906. He became known as "the father-in-law of Europe", as his six children married into other royal houses; most current European monarchs are descended from him. King Harald V of Norway, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Sofía of Spain and Constantine II of Greece (the former and last King of the Hellenes) are all male-line descendants of Christian IX.  Four of his children sat on the thrones (either as monarchs or as a consort) of Denmark, the United Kingdom, Russia and Greece. A fifth, daughter Thyra, would have become Queen of Hanover, had her husband's throne not been abolished before his reign began. The great dynastical success of the six children was to a great extent not the favor of Christian IX himself, but due to the dynastical ambitions of his wife Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Some have compared her dynastical capabilities with those of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.  Four of his children sat on the thrones (either as monarchs or as a consort) of Denmark, the United Kingdom, Russia and Greece. A fifth, daughter Thyra, would have become Queen of Hanover, had her husband's throne not been abolished before his reign began. The great dynastical success of the six children was to a great extent not the favor of Christian IX himself, but due to the dynastical ambitions of his wife Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Some have compared her dynastical capabilities with those of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Christian's grandsons included Nicholas II of Russia, Constantine I of Greece, George V of the United Kingdom, Christian X of Denmark and Haakon VII of Norway. He was, in the last years of his life, named Europe's "father-in-law". Today, most of Europe's reigning and ex-reigning royal families are direct descendants of Christian IX.
There is a story that, while on an outing with his children and their families, they happened across a lost man whom they helped to find his way. Upon reaching the road, the man inquired as to the identities of Christian and his family. Christian replied truthfully, stating the names and titles of all present. Not believing Christian but instead taking it in humour, he proclaimed himself to be Jesus Christ before thanking them and departing.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

IT'S PUNDAY!

A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says: "A beer please, and one for the road."