Daylight saving-time and Seasonal Affective Disorder

Well, it's that time of year again, time to turn the clocks back an hour tonight. I dread this change every year because it signals to me the beginning of the end of my natural cheerful and upbeat disposition, agreeable temperament, and boundless energy. Okay, I never had those traits, not even in my twenties or at any time in my life. I have always been a bit of a contrarian, had a foul temper (verbally, at least) that I have managed to control through years of utter hard work, and been on the verge of exhaustion on most days of my life. But once the time change sets in, the exhaustion deepens. I know, I know, I should try to follow the advice of the health and fitness experts who give all kinds of tips such as "go outside, exercise and go for a twenty minute walk a day, and take vitamins."

My results? The outdoors gives me allergies and makes me even more fatigued, walking makes me dizzy combined with all the heart meds I take and those vitamins hurt my stomach. So after this advice, my mood turns even darker. Is it Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? Who knows? Many colleagues and others suggest light therapy devices.

Does SAD really exist? Most psychologists and experts say "yes," but other studies such as this one found that the Icelandic population did not suffer from seasonal mood changes like other populations. Could SAD be culturally induced, caused by the media or companies who want to sell light therapy devices? Or is it real?

What do you think?

Dr. Melissa has a great post on "Race Relations on the Blogosphere." My favorite idea in her post is:

As an aside, it irritates the heck out of me when a mixed race person is referred to as "black". I've always respected Tiger Woods because he refuses to be pigeon-holed racially. In America these days, a lot of mixing goes on. Are half-white, half-hispanic people Mexican? It's insulting. It's meant to divide.

I think Dr. Melissa has a point.

Podcast with Mark Warner

We interview Mark Warner, the former governor of Virginia and an ex-potential Democratic candidate for President. Mr.Warner talks with us about why he decided not to run for President in 2008, why any sane person would want to be President, why he reaches out to the Daily Kos crowd, and what one thing he would change about our current political system if he could.

There is also a surprise guest who calls in. Hint, he is a great "humanitarian" who criticizes Israel and American foreign policy and has been referred to as our worst ex-President.

You can listen to the podcast right here or for dial-up users, click here. Archives of our previous podcasts can be downloaded at GlennandHelenShow.com. And you can do what the cool kids do and subscribe via iTunes.

This podcast is sponsored by Volvo at Volvocars.us.

Another Gun Book

After talking with Dave Kopel on our podcast the other day about issues of gun rights and gun control, I decided I needed to learn more about the practical side of gun ownership and self-protection. So, I just ordered another gun book by John Farnam entitled, Guns & Warriors. I posted a review of another one of the Farnam's books (written by Diane Nicholl & Vicki Farnam), Women Learning to Shoot, a while back and was very pleased with the quality and information in the book. In Guns and Warriors, the chapters look just as informative with titles like, general advice, travel advice, accidental shootings, police incidents, terrorism, and several chapters on history. I look forward to reading the book. You can see more about Guns and Warriors and read a sample chapter at DTI publications.

Podcast on Gun Rights and Gun Control

Today, we speak with Dave Kopel, author of Guns: Who Should Have Them? and editor of the book, Gun Control and Gun Rights: A Reader and Guide. Mr. Kopel is also Research Director of the Independence Institute, a regular contributor to the Volokh Conspiracy and runs his own website at davekopel.org where he discusses second amendment issues.

The topics covered in the podcast include: how and if gun issues will play a part in November's elections, how legalizing marijuana could lead to a reduction in violence, what to do about school shootings, international gun rights, and finally, but most importantly, how does it feel to be called "hot" by Bitter at the Bitch Girls blog.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking here or downloading directly here. If you have dial-up, click here. And you can subscribe via iTunes right here. Take a look at our podcast archives at GlennandHelenshow.com to listen to our previous podcasts.

This podcast is sponsored by Volvo at volvocars.us.

Carnival of the Insanities

The Carnival of the Insanities is up at Dr. Sanity's blog. Check out this post at the Thespis Journal Blog on the new Teacher Preparation Plan at Columbia University. As if assaulting their speakers isn't enough for Columbia University's vision of tolerance, now they will be assaulting our school children with their alumni's leftist political agenda. I hope at least a few of the student teachers at Columbia have a good set of earplugs; I know I would be purchasing a truckload before attending such a program.