Friday, April 11, 2008

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Let me start by saying I'm not any type of medical professional nor am I associated in any way with the practice of neither medicine nor psychology.

I am simply an observer of life and I do my best to look at things in the simplest manner or as I was taught in grammar school math to reduce things to the lowest common denominator.

With all this in mind my view on the above mentioned disorder is that it does exist , medication may help alleviate some of the symptoms but to have the disorder go into a remission (for want of a better term) you would need specialized therapy probably inpatient for a period of time. This suggestion is based on what I feel is the cause of the disorder and that is television, the computer and now other readily accessible form of electronic stimuli.

How does this electronic stimulus cause ADD you're wondering, quite simple really?

As I describe my theory please take into account I will be using simple layman's terms.

The human brain has many complex connections in it and for it to function in what is considered a normal manner they all must be properly aligned and connected to each other. This alignment/connection takes place during childhood. This is when I feel we develop our attention span.

My analogy of this time period is that of the molding of jello. You mix your jello, (this is the part of the brain that aligns and connects all the brains sensors) then you let it stay still until its form solidifies. This is what is not happening to people with ADD, their brains are not allowed the time to form properly what I perceive to be a traumatic brain injury prior to the brain being fully formed. I feel if you were to study this disorder you would discover that the percentage of people with it has increased since the advent of TV and the two working parent household.

Still confused on how this causes ADD. Again it's simple, prior to the two working parent household and the use of the TV as an electronic babysitter, children were read to, they played games inside and outside, they developed an attention span by playing hide and seek, doing puzzles, drawing and other activities of that sort that required concentration for extended periods of time, 15 minutes or longer. At the same time this was helping them develop an imagination of their own. Enter the electronic babysitter, the TV and computer. Both parents are now working and multitasking to give themselves and their children the best things money can buy when actually the best for the child would be a parent there. Because of this the parents no longer take or have the time to read, play, or just be with and listen to their children. The child is plopped down in front of the TV or computer where the electronic images or stimuli change every 15 seconds to 30 seconds, in my analogy of the jello this is akin to constantly shaking the jello mold as it solidifies. Picture that if you will, a bowl of jello that instead of begin smooth, is as jagged and turbulent as the ocean in a hurricane. I feel the same happens to the receptors and sensors in a child's brain they are not given the time they need to properly form or connect. In addition when the longest sustained attention time a forming brain is exposed to over and over again is 60 seconds or less how could you expect this person to have any longer attention span as they age. Their brain would require re-training or wiring or an additional layer of jello on it that is allowed the time to form properly. This is why I feel an inpatient time maybe required.

The sad fact of this is that I feel for the most part this disorder could be prevented if parents took a little more time with their children and allowed them to develop as nature intended not as a fast paced materialistic society feels they should. Remember we reap what we sow. These children will be running the world someday and taking care of us in our old age scary isn't it.

I don't expect the medical profession to agree with this since treatment possibly would entail actual hands on treatment not just 'here's your drugs call me tomorrow', also it is a simple diagnosis for the disorder made by a lay person and to justify their degrees and costs they complicate everything. Parents for the most part probably won't agree since it would mean they need to take responsibility for their actions or lack of action as a parent. That's OK I leave to you the reader to use your own mind and decide if this theory has merit and should be looked into. Remember you have a mind of your own use it. What they tell you in advertisements and the media is what they want you to think which is not necessarily right or correct for you but it keeps them in control and makes them money.

Jimmy Bonz





Thursday, April 10, 2008

Lowes Home Improvement

I'm not a big fan of mega stores or chains, I feel they killed the American dream, no one can start with nothing and build themselves a living anymore.

However right is right and fair is fair and when they do something decent and customer friendly they should be acknowledged for doing such.

A year ago in March I purchased a quantity of laminate flooring. Do to life and the interesting things that happen to you as your living it I wasn't able to install it until this March, or at least try to install it.
This floor would not go together. A friend of mine who builds barns was helping me install it and we had trouble getting the pieces to interlock and when they did and you walked on them 1/2 of them unlocked. We tried for about 5 hours on a Sat, I tried by myself most of the day Sunday the floor was worthless I couldn't get it to work.

On Monday I called Lowes and explained the situation. They told me a manager from the store I bought it at would contact me in 24 hours. Yeah sure, OK I'll wait. You know it happened. Eric from the Wallingford CT store called me. Again I explained the situation and the time frame a year had just about past. I expected to be blown off ignored told forget it it was to late. That didn't happen Eric was very professional he asked questions told me I had to find the receipt so he could give me credit. I was astounded. I dug out the receipt brought it down to him, he did his paper work a Lowes truck came to my house picked up all the flooring and padding as well as tools for a full credit. They then delivered the new hard wood and tile floor, (no more laminate).

I had heard they stand behind their products but I didn't expect it to this extent. Eric and the others I met, the men who picked up the old floor and those who delivered the new, the people at the courtesy desk were all professional, helpful and courteous a credit to Lowes. Based on this experience I would recommend Lowes to anyone.

Jimmy Bonz

Monday, April 7, 2008

Out of the World Radio Foul Mouth Radio

I was stuck in a car this weekend where the owner loved his satellite radio. What a horrendous experience, I haven't been subjected to that much vulgarity since running into my ex wife soon after the divorce or just being around a group of drunks at closing time in some dive, lucky for me it has been years since either experience. People actually pay for this? I would have paid to have it turned off. I guess they claim they need to broadcast like this because the FCC wouldn't allow it it over the normal air waves. I think they couldn't get any sponsors and they had to take their no talent somewhere, so off the planet seemed like a good idea. It's too bad we can still hear them at times.
What talent does it take to swear and call people names, and discuss bodily functions in gutter terms? None as far as I concerned. Go to any low life establishment and you'll find this talk, it's nothing more then a bunch of emotionally stunted people who have no idea how to express themselves as decent functioning human beings. Apparently in order to fool their own minds into thinking they are normal they elected this Howard Stern person king of the brain dead and his behavior justifies theirs and makes it OK.
Let's get one thing straight, I swear, I know all the words, how to spell them and what they mean but unlike the foul mouths I use them sparingly and at appropriate times like when you slam your finger with a hammer, your wife just wrecks the car again, times like that. They can also be used in comedy ask George Carlin for his list. What's the difference between what is on that radio and a comic using the same words in a routine. Simple, most comics are intelligent people who use the words sparingly to emphasize a point or punch line very few curse every other or every third word. Most of the best comics rarely swear because they know as I was taught vulgarity is the last resort of a small mind. People who can think and express themselves intelligently do so. Those who can't, resort to vulgarities, trash talking, attempting to put people down to feel bigger themselves and label it 'humor' and surround themselves with others of low intelligence, low self esteem and huge egos and try to make others look foolish for not liking their behavior. And we just look at them shake our heads and give thanks we can think.

Jimmy Bonz