Diary
During the first thirty minutes of the movie I wanted to scream out after every sentence of the dialogue: Brilliant!!! The rest of the movie is excellent as well. Woody Allen could (perhaps should) have stopped writing, acting and directing movies after Annie Hall (1977), and he would have deserved to be inducted into the hall of fame of great comic analysts of the human (New York) condition. Three thumbs up! This is the one Woody Allen film that you don’t want to miss if you like intellectual comedy.Annie Hall
Diary
D. D GUTTENPLAN filed this interesting report from Britain in today’s NYT. I have one recommendation for British vacationers in Spain and Portugal, age 18 and above, who are thinking about seeing a psychotherapist. Look up the local catholic priest. He does not charge any money for a talk therapy. Calling All Ids: Freudians at War
LONDON, May 28 - Who owns psychoanalysis? That question is
at the center of the most recent battle here in the Freud
Wars, the epic (or as the man himself might say,
interminable) struggle over the legacy of Sigmund Freud,
pioneer psychotherapist, cartographer of the unconscious
and former resident of Hampstead, the leafy corner of
Northwest London where the concentration of therapeutic
couches per square mile may be even higher than on the
Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Diary
Here is a fascinating story I recently came across again as I started to read a book on what is known about the similarities in behavior of identical twins raised apart. New York. As soon as Tamara Rabi arrived at Hofstra University, sheTwins Reunite After 20 Years
noticed the bizarre behavior. People she had never laid
eyes on would smile, wave and greet her as an intimate.
Then, met by Tamara’s blank stare, they would walk away. A
few friends claimed to have spotted someone who looked just
like her. Someone else from Mexico, she figured.
So when a friend of a friend showed up at her 20th birthday
party and could not stop gawking, insisting that Tamara
looked just like his friend Adriana Scott, it was mildly
annoying but not a surprise. As the other guests dug into
ice cream cake, the friend’s friend persisted. Adriana had
also been born in Mexico, he said. Like Tamara, she was
also adopted. And the two young women shared a birthday.
Thus began the real-life unfolding of a fairy-tale story
line, a paradigm that has inspired psychological studies
(nature vs. nurture), movies (“The Parent Trap”) and at
least one sitcom (“Sister, Sister”).
Diary
For some people going on a diet used to be a frightingly solitary affair. Do not despair! The end of solitude is here. Thanks to the Science Diet company, your dog can now go on a diet with you. This is a barrier-shattering moment in the relationship between the canine and human races. Canines finally are no longer treated as inferior creatures. Too long have they been discriminated against in terms of equal access to modern dietary and health products. The mission of the the Science Diet Company is to produce only the best products for your dog. Its promotial materials make this clear: “Nutrient control is the basis of all Science Diet products. Science Diet dog foods are specially formulated to provide proper nutrition specifically for your dog based on age, activity level and physical condition. Does your dog have ‘Special Needs’”? You can buy Science Diet Dry Dog Food and Science Diet Canned Dog Food at ePatPals.com.Science Diet Canine Food
Diary, Must Know
The Economist (print edition) Feb 12th 2004 published an interesting report about what scientists know about the chemistry of romantic feelings. Is this useful? The scientists think so. For a start, understanding the neurochemical pathways that regulate social attachments may help to deal with defects in people’s ability to form relationships. All relationships, whether they are those of parents with their children, spouses with their partners, or workers with their colleagues, rely on an ability to create and maintain social ties. Defects can be disabling, and become apparent as disorders such as autism and schizophreniaThe Science of Love
I get a kick out of you
Scientists are finding that, after all, love really is down to a chemical addiction between people
OVER the course of history it has been artists, poets and playwrights who have made the greatest progress in humanity’s understanding of love. Romance has seemed as inexplicable as the beauty of a rainbow. But these days scientists are challenging that notion, and they have rather a lot to say about how and why people love each other.
Diary, Curious News
Cynthia Rosen filed this interesting report in her Deva Vu column of the Wall Street Journal. Couples in the U.S. Used to Marry Early,Often and Informally In a Connecticut village in the 17th century, an unmarried couple moved in together. One day, while out for a stroll, they ran into the local magistrate. “John Rogers,” the magistrate said, “do you persist in calling this woman your wife?”“Yes, I do.”“And Mary, do you really wish this old man to be your husband?”“Indeed I do.”“Then by the laws of God and this commonwealth, I pronounce you man and wife…”Mariage in 17th Century America
Diary, Must Know
For the last 20 years I have taken almost daily refreshing power naps. Now the guardians of pseudo disclipine want to banish this smart daily routine from the work place. I fear that we may be returnig to the dark ages of knowledge about human productivity. SUE SHELLENBARGER filed in today’s Wall Street Journal this very troubling report that should be a call to arms for all power nappers around the globe. After a brief “power napping” craze in the late 1990s, workplace napping has retreated to the corporate closet. When David Oboyski of Kansas City, Mo., suggested starting a naproom at his previous job at a public-relations agency, citing research on how naps aid the bottom line, his boss and co-workers just laughed. “It became a running punch line,” he says. Luckily, “being the ‘nap guy’ didn’t hurt my career, but I learned my lesson and never brought it up again,” says Mr. Oboyski, who is now a self-employed marketing consultant.Unite Against the Power Nap Killers!
The Power Nap’s 15 Minutes Is Over
An Unlikely Fad Gets
A Rude Awakening
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