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Nov 23
Choose happiness

Do You Choose Happiness?

By Lifestyle No Comments

Has someone recently said to you: “I believe you are strong enough to fight your battles”? More importantly, did that person genuinely listen to your problems and concerns? If so, you are a lucky person. Truly lucky, not “I choose happiness” kind of lucky. It is OK to feel sad and lonely sometimes. It is what makes us all humans.

“I Choose Happiness” Attitude

Popular psychology has entered our lives a long time ago and as much as it helped us, it also made some almost irreversible damage. Apparently, when developing the “assertive thinking” or “visualizing success” methods, no one truly took into consideration one important fact. The fact is that it is in our nature to feel both sides of the emotional spectra. And working against nature can never deliver good results.

The mentioned “choose happiness” attitude appears everywhere. We can find its traces in our school system, at work, even among our family and friends. The trend is widespread.  So, what can go wrong with this type of thinking, you may ask. Apparently, a lot.

The Traps of “Choosing Happiness”

First of all, the trend of choosing to be happy can be quite deceiving. Yes, it is natural to desire happiness. Paradoxically, it is also natural to be down from time to time. There are two traps here.

Enforcing positive attitude on someone who has real problems can be counterproductive. A person may end up feeling even worse than before. He or she may receive the message that the struggle that person is going through means that a person is not trying hard enough. Now, I am not an expert, but it is logical to assume that support is important.  Helping your loved one to go through the healing process and find his or her own way is essential. Not introducing the tyranny of being obliged to choose happiness.

Furthermore, the trap of “choosing happiness” attitude can lead to sweeping things under the carpet. In order to heal, an individual should confront the problems and solve them. Choosing happiness is leading to denial and can alienate someone from reality. Although it may seem seductive to create your own world where nothing can harm you, reality is a realm we cannot escape from. Eventually, we need to wake up. Therefore, let’s not make things even harder for ourselves.

Benefits of Choosing Your Own Way

If you choose happiness, we are all for it. If this attitude works for you, go ahead.  The purpose of this text is not to shame someone for his or her choices. The aim is to draw attention to possible downsides of “positive thinking” trends.

Sometimes, we forget that there is rarely advancement without clearing up the mess. Clearing up, not ignoring the mess. Get it? Or, as Alexis Conason, Psy. D., has elegantly put it:

“….expressing negative emotions is adaptive”. If we consider this thought further, we can also conclude that there is no evolution without adapting to circumstances. When we are adapting, we need to assess those circumstances and act accordingly. Alternatively, we would be wearing a blind fold and hope for the best.

To sum things up, we choose happiness as well. Only, we would prefer that happiness to be woven out of the both best and worst experiences in our lives that eventually make us what we are.

What is your choice?

Nov 17
Good night’s sleep

How Was Your Sleep?

By Lifestyle No Comments

Until recently I did not know that there is a thing called National Sleep Foundation. This opened the door to a big topic – the sleep. Science still does not have complete answers to what happens when we sleep and what actually our brains are doing. However, one thing is for sure: without good night’s sleep we cannot function properly. Therefore, maybe we should ask “How was your sleep?” more frequently.

The Research

According to the above-mentioned National Sleep Foundation, almost 20% of Americans experience sleepiness during the day. This means that those 20% of people in the US are not sleeping enough during nighttime.

The problem with not catching enough sleep is potentially serious. Although we may not be paying a lot of attention, but exhaustion in terms of sleep deprivation is one of the main causes of strokes and diabetes, for example. Not to mention everyday stress.

The minimum of eight hours sleep is what can sustain us during a day. It regenerates our cells and keep us alert and ready to perform tasks. The question that inevitably lingers is: what is it that we can do to make our sleep better? Researchers have compiled the list of things to avoid in order to secure a healthy, good night’s sleep.

Food & Alcohol

With holidays approaching, we know that there is no better feeling than getting cozy in your better with stacks of sweets. However, be smart. The experts advise not to take food three hours before going to bed. Our organisms need some time to process the food. As long as our cells are busy doing what they usually do when we invade them with various amounts of fats, sugar, carbs or protein, we cannot rest properly.

The interesting thing about alcohol is that it can “help” you fall asleep. Nevertheless, alcohol has other effects as well. It can cause sweating, discomfort, headaches. All these symptoms can make your night a real nightmare.

Bedroom Mess

Have you ever gone to bed and could not fall asleep because you felt stranded in clutter? I know I did. Interestingly, there is a scientific explanation for that.

Namely, a study at New York’s St. Lawrence University shows that regardless of our habits, our brains aim for organization. In case the bedroom where we sleep is not organized and neat, our brains register that information as an uncompleted task. The result shows in a form of cognitive dysfunction, depression, stress. Moreover, these states of mind can lead to even worse sleep quality.

Electronics

This is no news. We have heard about the unhealthy effects of having a mobile phone, for example, right next to your bed. However, a detailed explanation was missing.

Old Dominion University in Virginia has conducted a research and concluded that all devices that are emitting blue light. Why? Namely, blue light can influence the human “circadian rhythm”. If this happens, our bodies do not have internal clock to tell them when to sleep and when to wake up. In other words, we lose connection with our inner, biologically set alarms.

The so-called “circadian rhythm” is basically part of our biological schedule. Our brains control this rhythm. Other examples of the results of the circadian rhythm are the cycles of body temperature, or the menstrual cycle in women.

Therefore, the wise people suggest getting all of the electronic devices out of the bedroom. This should provide good conditions for a good night’s sleep.

So, how was your sleep? Any special requirements to have a good rest?

Nov 16
Greta Thunberg

San Francisco Honors Greta Thunberg

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If you woke up in San Francisco, you may have noticed the massive mural of Greta Thunberg on Mason Street, near Union Square. You may be one of the persons who do not know who Greta is. Since her face will be looking at passersby in one of the most beautiful cities in the USA, it is time to get acquainted. The news is that San Francisco honors Greta Thunberg. And Cobre is the artist behind the artwork.

Who is Greta Thunberg?

Greta Thunberg is a young environmental activist from Sweden. And she is much more than that. Greta started the wave of protests to regulate global climate. She has already made enormous impact. However, it seems that her messages are reaching young people across the globe more easily than they reach people who actually make decisions. Nevertheless, she has gone where only few activists her age have gone. The latest in her public speeches happened at the UN headquarters in NY.

Greta is a 16-year-old Swedish national, who got interested in climate change at the very young age.  The media reported about how her concerns influenced her health and led her to give up on consuming meat, for example. That was just the first step.

“It felt like I was the only one who cared about the climate and the ecological crisis. My parents didn’t care about it, my classmates didn’t care about it, my relatives didn’t care about this. I mean nobody I knew cared about this and I felt like I was the only one.”

Soon afterwards, Greta Thunberg fell into depression and stopped attending school. Protesting against climate change in front of the Swedish parliament was just the beginning of her fight. This was also the way to ease her mind and gain strength. Later on, she organized the school strike with many of her peers across the country joining her.

Today, she has a massive support. More than 1.5 million people joined her cause and protested in the streets recently.

Her Message

Greta Thunberg is one of the activists who is consistent in her fight. She lives what she preaches. Therefore, we can see her sailing across the ocean at the moment, instead of hopping on a plain and travel to distant places.

She talks to politicians and the audience using very severe and direct approach.  This young lady is raising questions and is on a mission to make everyone aware of the climate change. She explores the solutions to our planet’s problems and advocates their application as soon as possible.

Currently, she claims that the main issue with climate is to be able to keep the global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Reducing emissions is the first step humanity has to take in order to survive, according to Greta.

Ms. Thunberg had one more important message to convey to the Americans upon her recent visit. She reportedly said:

“Even if the politics needed doesn’t exist today, we still need to use our voices to make sure that the people in power are focused on the right things. Because this is a democracy, and in a democracy, people are the ones who run the country. I know it doesn’t seem that way, but if enough people were to decide they have had enough, then that could change everything. So, don’t underestimate that power.”

What is your stand on climate change and activism of this kind?

Nov 15
movie-themed slots film

Movie-Themed Online Slots and Their Popularity

By Lifestyle No Comments

There is nothing better than linking the two things which you like a lot – movies and slots. The game developers know this and thanks to them we have movie-themed online slots. That is one of the most popular categories of online casino games because slots bring our favorite movie characters to the reels.

The question is what were the reasons for using movie themes for slots. The truth is very simple, slots are engaging and there is a lot of scope for graphics and themes in the slot games. Adding movie theme slots becomes a trend because these themes add to the player’s enjoyment. One more very important reason is related to the fans of some movies. Namely, some movies already have their big fan base so that developers do not have to put in a lot of effort to bring in the audience. The player gets a new chance to interact with their favorite character. All of the mentioned makes movie-themed slots some of the gladly played games at online casinos.

People from Real Time Gaming made some of the best online slots and among them are several with a movie theme. First of all, they paid tribute to one of the best-known martial artists, Jackie Chan. His movies were the inspiration for the three RTG slots, “Eagle Shadow Fist“, “Fantasy Mission Force” and “Fire Dragon“. Players like these slots and as a proof, you can find their reviews written on our blog. 

video slot real money slot

RTG didn’t resist to the some old Hollywood classics.  One of them is the American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, “The Three Stooges“. Comic trio “appears” on the slot reels in three games. You can play it on bet safe and crypto accepted Casino Brango.

Movie-themed online slots have always been a safe choice for the casino industry. They are frequently used by developers and usually the games are a huge success. The number of slot games keeps increasing with passing of time. So, if you’re someone who loves movie-themed online slots, there is a chance of finding a game that is based on your favorite movie. If not, then wait for it, because a lot is yet to come.

Nov 10
History of gambling

A Brief History of Gambling

By Lifestyle No Comments

Gambling is as old as mankind. In ancient times, people used to look at the skies and ask for a bit of luck, rain, destiny prediction, or higher knowledge about the stars. Gambling, in its various forms, has always been connected with divine nature. People perceived it as the fine interaction between an individual and luck. Luck, as the abstract, divine force played a major role. A brief history of gambling is closely related to both mathematics and the spiritual world.

Ancient Gods & Dice Games

In ancient Egypt, people used to play the game called “Senet”, which was very similar to some of the board games today. During a game, a player had a task to pass the path of his entire life. This was depicted by moving pawns on the board. Although no dice had been used, the Egyptians used sticks. The movement of pawns on the board depended on the combination of faces portrayed on the sticks. Or, should we say – it depended on luck and throwing skills.

History of gambling recorded the story of Thoth. He was the God of writing, wisdom, magic and the moon in ancient Egypt. He was also known for gambling. Namely, he played the game of throwing a dice and competed against the Moon. Eventually, he won, earning 5 additional days to help the sky goddess Nut to deliver children.

Nezha was the Chinese god often associated with gambling. This mythical creature was one of the rare creatures that was brought back to life. The force that helped his revival was based on prayers of the mortals. The legend says that people invoked him, partially due to his ability to help with revealing the winning numbers in lottery.

Chinese also had their own versions of board games similar to the Egyptian ones. The same goes for ancient Greeks and Romans. From betting on animal fights, gladiator combat, to casting lots, people living in ancient times engaged in games that would determine the events that were about to take place.

The Greeks Playing with Numbers

We should also keep in mind that ancient Greeks, for example, had a very deep knowledge of mathematics, and that they liked to play with numbers. Nevertheless, it is a bit strange to think that they were thrilled to play the game of luck, hoping for the winning number combination to pop up. It is strange, because at the time, they have already had extensive experience in “playing” with the numbers and calculus. Some of the conclusions they came up with, we still use today.

What would the history of gambling be without ancient myths. There is an interesting Greek myth mentioning shooting of the dice. Furthermore, it is at the basis of one of the greatest Greek myths. Namely, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon were said to shoot dice in order to see how the entire Universe would be divided among them. Zeus won and he chose the heavens, with thunders as his main weapon.  This virtual event formed the basis of the order of gods and semi-gods in the Greek mythology temple. Having gambling at the heart of such an important event in mythology should send us some messages. Could one of those truths be that gambling is the inseparable part of our nature and we should simply accept it as it is?

Let us know your thoughts.