Heston and guns
“Charlton Heston’s obituarists worry that his acting career might be ’overshadowed’ by his controversial stance against gun control. Let’s hope so. Most of Heston’s movie roles were as stiff as his chiseled jaw. But his rock-like defense of the right to bear arms was worthy of an award.
“I say this not as a right-wing Republican, but as a Brit of the Left. Hollywood liberals demonized the man who was Moses for his pro-gun views. But that only shows how illiberal they have become. Anybody who retains enough liberal spirit to believe in individual freedom as the basis for a civilized society ought to have stood at Heston’s right hand on this issue.
“The revolutionary founding fathers of America took a rather different view of the people (even if they did exclude slaves). As James Madison wrote in ’The Federalist Papers,’ Americans enjoyed ’the advantage of being armed’ over ’almost every other nation … [where] the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.’ Mistrust of the masses explains why tyrants have backed gun control ever since, from Adolf Hitler to the oppressor apes in one of Heston’s famous films.
“Hollywood illiberals such as George Clooney and Michael Moore made a career of sneering at the aging Charlton Heston, which was almost enough to make me join the NRA. True, many of Heston’s conservative views might be as dated as his movies. But a willingness to take up arms for human freedom is one reason why we still don’t live on the planet of the apes.”
— Mick Hume, writing in “21-Gun Salute for Charlton Heston,” Tuesday in the Times of London
Ha-ha factor
“By seeking out positive experiences that make us laugh, we can do a lot on our own to stay well. In 2006, researchers investigating the interaction between the brain, behavior and the immune system found that simply anticipating a mirthful laughter experience boosted health-protecting hormones. Now, two years later, the same researchers have found that the anticipation of a positive humorous laughter experience also reduces potentially detrimental stress hormones.
“According to Dr. Lee Berk, the study team’s lead researcher of Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, Calif., ’Our findings lead us to believe that by seeking out positive experiences that make us laugh we can do a lot with our physiology to stay well.’
“In their earlier work, the researchers found that the anticipation of ’mirthful laughter’ had surprising and significant effects. Two hormones — beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals that alleviates depression) and human growth hormone (which helps with immunity) — increased by 27 and 87 percent respectively when volunteers anticipated watching a humorous video. There was no such increase among the control group who did not anticipate watching the humor film. …
“Using a similar protocol, the current research found that the same anticipation of laughter also reduced the levels of three stress hormones.”
— From a press release Tuesday by the American Physiological Society
Good deeds
“Windham, Maine, students may be required to complete 40 hours of community service to graduate, although feelings around town are mixed if it’s appropriate to enforce good deeds.
” ’I’m in favor of it, if it’s done right,’ said school committee member Mike Duffy. There was a public hearing on the matter, but Duffy said the adaption of the proposal will be decided in a vote in a few weeks.
If approved, the more than 200 students who graduate in 2009 would need to perform 10 hours of community service and turn in worksheets signed by an adult for proof. The 2010 class would have an additional 10 hours required and this would repeat until members of the class of 2012 need 40 hours of community service performed to graduate.
Duffy said he wants students to get involved in causes they believe in, like community sports or helping younger students.
“I don’t just want someone to say, I picked up three sticks,” said Duffy. “I want them to find something that they’re interested in.”
Most Windham High School students asked said they oppose the requirement.”
— Michael Hartwell, writing in “Service or Disservice?” on Tuesday in the Lakes Region Weekly
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