Academic-Capital

The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson

Friday, May 31, 2019

Early Morning Surfing-Cold and Cutting

Early morning surfing is some of the best I have ever done! I didn't think I could get up in the morning and jump into the freezing cold ocean. The sun isn't out, few die hard surfers are putting on their gear, the lifeguards are not on duty yet. The first couple of times were pure cold torture but after forcing myself to do it a few times I came to like the activity of an early morning dip!

The first thing you notice as you pull up with your coffee and gear in the back of your SUV is plenty of parking. Die hard surfers get there early before work and before the crowd.

Creepy Beach Art in the Morning

Trust me when I say don't feel like stripping off your sweatshirt, knit hat, and clothing to get into swimming gear. Even standing outside your car can be cold if the temperature is low and the dampness sets in. You might debate a few times......"I'm not sure I'm in the mood for this!" Brr......

Eventually you grab your board and head to the shoreline to do some quick stretching. You spirits rise as you see other surfers have already made their way to the water and are riding some of the best waves you are likely to experience all day.

There is almost no use going into the ocean slowly and suffering your way into the abyss. Why put yourself in that torture as the cold water first hits your feet and makes a "eye opening" way up your leg with each step? I say it is much better to just walk like the terminator out there and dive into the the first big wave. Take it like a "man" and get in there (the women surfers have no problem just jumping in😃. )!

What Happens When You Close Facebook for 7 Days?

Feeling in a devilish mood and annoyed by the constant dinging sounds on my phone I decided to take a leap of faith and close my Facebook account! With commitment I wanted to see what would happen to my world if I deactivated and disconnected for a week. I wasn't sure if there would be life after Facebook but with high hopes I jumped into digital no mans land!

This generation is more connected than at any time before and by showing them that nothing terrible happens maybe we can get their fingers off the phone. 😜

At first it was tough! I'm not going to lie! With time and self soothing words 😏I was able to keep myself away much like a person trying to quit smoking for the very first time. After my body stopped convulsing from digital withdrawal it slowly turned into a positive experience!

First, closing the account for 7 days wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In order to do this well and reduce the nagging tendency to check back I removed the app from my phone. With no sounds to remind me that someone self-gratified their need for attention through a new post, I saw a world where even the average person has value.

Without Facebook your self-perception gets more accurate! 😱

Second, I started to pay attention to other things and loosen up my schedule to do what I want when I want to do it! I stopped looking at my clock as much and started to open up opportunities to experience new things. The day seemed to take on a new life of its own without our conscious state being distracted by others.

Third, you begin to define yourself for yourself. That means we are able to stop comparing our lives to others and focus more on what is important to us. Our brains are designed to find our social position and therefore scan others for comparison material. The problem is that Facebook is more a reflection of people pro-self and positive experiences but leave little room for a more balance perspective on the imperfections of life.

Fourth, I learned that because people are so reliant on Facebook they can get upset if they can't find you! Disappearing out of cyber-world looks like you blocked them. Make sure you post a statement and then post your phone number for those who don't have it.

Fifth, Facebook isn't evil, bad, or useless. It has a lot of great benefits like keeping people in touch with each other. However, my goal is to still keep Facebook; just not be as "connected". Check it once or twice a week for important events. I don't really need it but those people who know me and like to see aspects of my life probably want to a smiling face everyone once in a while.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

"Garden of the Gods" Pictures of Ancient Greek Decor

Last weekend I went to a wine bar near Ramona as a quick, no think, unplanned kind of stop! We didn't think much of it but when we went inside...we were early and they weren't just open yet.....we were bedazzled by the ancient Greek garden. Walking and sipping in the garden is one of the best ways to spend your time. If your lucky you will have some type of conversation that leads to new insight. If your hanging around in the Garden of the Gods you may want to have some type of stimulation.

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My goal is to bring supplies each time I go down. However, if you feel more comfortable donating through an established non-profit you may do so through https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/1984592

Who Says You can't Cook on A Boat? A Simple Sirloin Pie Recipe

Cooking on a boat isn't much different than cooking at a camp site. You have limited supplies, limited tools to use, and limited cooking equipment. One thing most boats have is a stove top, grill, and oven. In this case a very small oven and the use of camping cookware can create a fairly solid meal.

1. Make your crust: I like to make my own crust. I add flour, butter, salt, and water until I can kneed into something smooth. I spread out half of the bread dough onto my cookware and keep the other half for the top. I cook it in the oven prior to adding anything so that it will be lightly browned. If you don't do this it is likely to get doughy.

2. Mix in the Ingredients: There are a lot of different ingredients that I use. I used a can of sirloin tips with gravy, can of vegetables, and some potatoes. Of course I mix it with spice.

3. Top the Crust: I spread the top crust to ensure that everything is sealed. Make sure that the edges are pushed in and crimped so that it doesn't leak out when cooking.

4. Cook It: How fast you want to cook or not cook depends on your temperature. While almost everything except the potato and dough is precooked you are really just trying to finish it off. In a small oven I put it in at 350 for an hour but check it regularly.

It turned out Delish!

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

4 Tips on Putting Together Your Research Pantheon!

Research teams can be complex and best ensuring that a research product succeeds is by staffing it with the right people that have the knowledge complete the work. I'm working on conducting a research project and have put together a team of interested scientists and professors. Each brought with them certain skills and a diverse background to ensure that their unique contribution is meaningful.

I put together a few ideas on how to select your research team. They are generic enough to apply to most situations.

1. Define Your Research, Objectives and Plans: Before you start putting your team together you should have a pretty good idea of what you want to do. Make sure that you have everything defined before moving forward.

2. Select Your Team on Skills: Your team will determine your potential success. Ensuring that you bring on board the right skills is essential. You may want to think in terms of experts in the field, familiarity with research design, people who can help create practical outcomes, etc....

3. Create Timeline and Plan: Having milestones and timelines helps to keep people on track. It is helpful for people to know when deliverable are due. Just make sure you build in some spare time in case there is an unexpected delay.

4. Designate Tasks: To complete your timelines and time-frames you need to apply the skills specifically. Therefore, put people on the teams and tasks they can do well.

5. Regular Check-Ins and Follow Ups: It is helpful to have check-ins to ensure that you are meting your deadline. Allowing each person to go around and discuss what they are working on helps to keep everyone else informed.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Coastal Pictures-Ocean Beach

Surfing and jogging in Ocean Beach, CA I was able to take a few nice shots of the beach, coast, and pier. OB is the place where people of hippie persuasion hang out and lounge. For me, it is one of the closest place to enjoy the beach. Great coffee shops, down low dining, and brew pubs. I can spend a whole day enjoying the sun, water, and culture.

Monday, May 27, 2019

Why Does Nature Reduce Stress? Veterans and PTSD

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Our species was born in nature and must return to nature to feel at its most comfortable state. Well known stress release techniques include breathing, moving, aroma, and scenery. These are all part of nature and drawn from our need to connect back to the earth. As a people we have separated and change our environment to the points that our body reacts to stress in new ways. Veterans who suffer from PTSD should connect with nature.

Connecting to nature simply means spending our time and efforts in nature. Hiking, walking, biking, camping, hunting, etc... are all about touching base with nature. While the activity may change we ultimately want to be immersed in our world.

To understand why nature reduces our stress we should look at our biological history. Our species came from the forest, jungles, and swamps. Everything we know about ourselves for most of our historical significance came from nature.

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When we return back to nature we connect with our historical past on a subconscious level. Our biorhythm slows down and we get into a state of homeostasis. We can think of this as a state where we feel safe, comfortable and at home.

Our modern society increases our anxiety through constant contact, information, noise, pollution, and forced activity. It is antithetical to our original nature as a small clan people who developed based on our environmental lifestyles.

Veterans with PTSD have a particular difficulty getting their nervous systems to calm down. Getting connected to their deepest psychological/biological connection rooted in the human species it is possible to rewire the brain to better handle trauma.

it is important to remember that PTSD happens to veterans (and others) due to extremely stressful events in which they do not feel safe. While the particular event may have caused that specific trauma it is their childhood upbringing that makes a significance difference in who will get and who won't.

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Connecting to the true self all the way back to nature helps reset the switch on trauma. Getting involved in the outdoor world opens possibilities to see the world in a new way vastly different than the world of hustle, bustle, and electronic noise.

Here is a great resource for understanding PTSD.
https://militarybenefits.info/helping-ptsd-veterans/