Resources for a Teenager – YouTube

The sixth in a series of posts detailing those resources I’m finding useful on my own particular (life) journey.

This date of publication is particularly pertinent, which is why I’m publishing today.

Meta

Thankfully, I haven’t had a TV since 2009. I don’t watch TV shows via Netflix, Amazon Prime etc., and I don’t want to.

However, with an internet connection, I am fortunate to be able to watch-free-to-view content (albeit advertiser supported).

The List

The rationale

1. Listening to Shame: Brené Brown closes out the main TED conference, which (I believe) is the top slot. And she nails it! #goBrené This talk has 8m views on TED.com, and a further 2m on YouTube.
2. The power of vulnerability: this is probably the first talk I watch of Brené. It’s had 33m views on TED.com, and 7m on YouTube. I think these watch numbers means that her work resonates deeply and widely. Her work has given us a great gift, a way to reframe vulnerability and consider it as a superpower [cf IN-Q below].
3. Oscar & Clark: I love this playful scat singing by Clark Terry, which seems to be the best example I can find of his
4. Bach’s Blues: the piece which I can still remember Oscar playing and the first one which ‘broke through for me (and one which still brings tingles)
5. Kendra: Kendra is / was the scrum-half for the Black Ferns team which won the rugby World Cup.
6. Lt Gen Silveria: in amongst all the posturing and double-speak, a leader truly stands up for right action and makes clear the vital importance of treating each other with dignity and respect.
7. TryLife Jacob: a resonant clip which is a trailer for TryLife’s interactive movie. I have had one go at this, which actually was difficult / challenging to experience [probably as it should be]. I need to find time to go again. A fantastic creative endeavour.
8. Huygens’s descent: it’s awe-inspiring that we can send machines to other planets and then watch as they land. Footage like this helps challenge our delusions of grandeur, and reframe how we consider ourselves.
9. Holocaust denial: the Nazis truly are ‘a warning from history’. We can re-learn the lessons through these materials
10. Antisemitism Today: one of my best friends happens to be Jewish. By standing up for him, I believe I am standing up for all of us
11. Building a psychologically safe workplace: the idea of feeling safe enough hardly seems revolutionary, but sadly it is. Amy Edmondson’s work is brilliant and vital.
12. Over the wall: one of my favourite movies. One of my favourite scenes. Articulates CG Jung’s concept of ‘The Middle Passage’ en route to our 'Second Adulthood’, and reminds me of Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey” [h/t Parker Palmer].
13. Haka Documentary: I’m fascinating by the sentiments articulated in this piece, which shows Maori culture as being deeply rooted to the land, to nature, and to one ancestors. A powerful groundedness.
14. Legacy: this book is on my wishlist. The video briefly summarises the key points, and the importance of humility in the lore and culture of the All Blacks rugby team [aka the male version of the Black Ferns; the name for the work they do with children is called ‘Small Blacks’…!]
15. Healthy Romantic Relationships: a work in progress for me…
16. オスカー・ピーターソン リユニオン・ブルース: oops, this just sneaked in [couldn’t resist]. Classic line-up (I think) of Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen.
17. The Incredibles: I love Violet’s forcefield (although I love Brené reframe of the need-for-armour more…)
18. Deactivating HAL: how do we do this for ourselves and reach our second adulthood. You may be discerning a pattern here… ;)
19. Living from the Inside: Parker is epic. And he’s speaking at Naropa University. It’s all good.
20. The Growth Mindset: Carol’s work is so important for us all as humans, and as role models for each other and younger generations which we nurture.
21. Life is Good Superpowers: “we have superpowers too”. IN-Q’s poetry is brilliant. This poem is important and suggests we need to rethink our own abilities.
22. Saying yes: clearly I’m projecting with all these clips #whatevs
23. Excited for now: what soulwork do we need to do so we can be fully present?
24. The Navigators: starting with an obituary in The Economist, I became intrigued by the connection of Papa Mau with nature and the ocean in all its forms. I think there is an authenticity which comes from being connected to the land and ocean. All this still lives on in the Polynesian Voyaging Society

The Task

When folk we say we live in challenging times, or change is a constant, IMHO it was ever thus.

Therefore, how do we discern our path? How do we find courage to voyage alone and with no guidance? How do we self-actualise, when (as ever) all about us are encouraging us to conform.

Here are some clues. It’s like a vision quest. We must journey alone, and create a path – the pathless path – and one which is only discernible once we’ve made it.

Feedback

Any thoughts, additions, amendments – whatever – please add in respectful and constructive comments below. Thank you!

Resources for a Teenager - blog series

Intro

Living can be a challenge. Feeling like you’re connected - a jigsaw puzzle when the pieces fit together – is a challenge for most of us.

When you love a parent, and lose them before you might reasonably expect to, I can only imagine it’s incredibly difficult.

I thought it’d be helpful to breathe life back into this blog - after a prolonged quietude – by making a record of those of the resources I’m finding useful on my own particular journey.

I’m offering them here so that others may refer to them, choose what resonates, and read, watch, mark, and inwardly digest to support a life more fully lived.

I hope they are useful!

Materials

I’m planning to coalesce my findings – to begin with – about ‘Living’; Economics; and Fiction.

These signposts will (probably) be books; videos; blogs & online articles; and podcasts.

I’ll hopefully have bandwidth to provide a minimalist commentary.

Series

I plan to embed a number of widgets in these posts.

It may well be that the order is a bit haphazard (according to the collation of various types of materials), and that the order is the type of material, rather than the theme. I’d apologise, but better to ship than be perfect… ;D

Feedback

Any thoughts, additions, amendments – whatever – please add in respectful and constructive comments to the posts. Thank you!

Please help me raise Movember £$€ for Men’s cancer charities

Intro

Yes, hi folks – it’s Movember time, a time when we aim to raise awareness and funds to support research into Prostate and Testicular cancers.

This is therefore a quick post to spread the word, encourage you all to give money in support, and tell you what I’m doing to earn your commitment and hard cash!

Movember recap

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer. 

Once registered at movember.com each Mo Bro must begin the 1st of Movember with a clean shaven face. For the entire month each Mo Bro must grow and groom a moustache. There is to be no joining of the mo to the sideburns (that’s considered a beard), there’s to be no joining of the handlebars to the chin (that’s considered a goatee) and each Mo Bro must conduct himself like a true gentleman.

A Mo Sista is essentially a woman who loves a Mo. An individual that is dedicated to supporting the Mo Bros in her life through their moustache growing journey; whether it be a friend, colleague, family member or partner. These inspirational women are committed to raising awareness of men's health issues and much needed funds for men's health along the way. 

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health. 

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their Movember journey throwing their own Movember parties or attending one of the Gala Partés held around the world to stand tall and celebrate the moustache.

Sideburns, Burnsides, and Cider

A quick back-story to this year’s ‘tache.

Burnsides

Ambrose Burnside was an American Civil War general, known for his fantastic pair of burners, which happily joined in the middle under his nose. Oops, there goes rule 1!

According to that old faithful, Wikipedia:

Burnside was noted for his unusual facial hair, joining strips of hair in front of his ears to his mustache but with chin clean-shaven; the word burnsides was coined to describe this style. The syllables were later reversed to give sideburns.

Cotswold Cider Co – Sideburn

In his spare time, my brother makes cider, and he’s actually rather good at it! In particular, he makes Sideburn Cider:

A lightly sparkling, real good "toffee-apple infusion" - splendid...

ABV 6%, 500ml

Celebrating the Sideburns proudly worn by real cider lovers. "Gracing the bottle is their inventor and our hero, Ambrose Burnside."

My own work in progress

Given that I didn’t totally obey the rules last year with my “monkey’s tail”, I’ve ploughed ahead with my Ambrose Burnside tribute.

Here is a week-old version. I’ll post a more up-to-date photo asap.
I think it’s splitting opinions, although I'll admit that a normal ‘tache probably takes a bit more courage and persistance than my own facial fuzz!

Please give what you can. Thanks

Albert has got the ball rolling on http://mobro.co/justingsouter.
I’ve put my money my where my mouth / top lip is. I hope you can do the same!

Thank you.

Brené Brown and wholeheartedness

Introduction

A quick post about a recent discovery I made, and grateful for the serendipity that brought me!

I recently gained a new Twitter follower, @kabbenbock, over at @souterconsults. I usually find out about new followers through an e-mail alert, and those with bios that resonate with me I check out, and follow back, as appropriate.

@kabbenbock IRL is Andy Smith, who I was aware of him as one of the authors of The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways to Use Social Media to Drive Social Change.

I felt flattered to be followed by someone like Andy, and checked out his Twitterstream before tweeting my thanks for the follow. One of his tweets was:

Great storytellers create a purposeful narrative, sucking us in, forcing us to make it our own buff.ly/Sy9Php @kareanderson
— Andy Smith (@kabbenbock) September 18, 2012

Kare Anderson’s article includes this quote:

Ironically, the sharing of one’s vulnerability with trusted others is one of the prime gateways to overcoming shame according to the star of one of the ten most watched TED talks, Brene Brown. In Daring Greatly, she describes the paradoxical power of embracing our vulnerability and acknowledging our fears as a path towards being more courageous and connected with others. That means letting go of the need for certainty and control.

This intrigued me, and I sought out Brené’s TED talk.

Brené Brown

The following is an except from Brené Brown’s bio page:

Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of HoustonGraduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.  

Brené is a nationally renowned speaker and has won numerous teaching awards, including the College’s Outstanding Faculty Award. Her groundbreaking work has been featured on PBS, NPR, CNN, and has appeared in The Washington Post,Psychology Today, and many other national media outlets.

Her 2010 TEDxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of most watched talks on TED.com, with approximately 5 million views. She gave the closing talk, Listening to Shame,  at the 2012 TED Conference in Long Beach. 

TED Videos

The videos are below. The first has now reached 6.1m views; the second is on its way towards 1.5m. Half a dozen of these combined views are from me! ;-)

The Power of Vulnerability

The blurb for this TED talk is:

Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share. (Filmed at TEDxHouston.)  

Listening to Shame

Blurb for this one is:

Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word.

IMHO even more powerful than the first talk. I love Brené’s admixture of vulnerability, insight, and joy. Thank you, Brené! :-D

I've put in YouTube versions of these talks as they're easier to tweak to fit in the blog design...

Videos for further context

I've gone a bit crazy with all these videos, but this for me is extraordinary stuff! Let me know if it takes an age to load...

TEDxKC - Brené Brown - The Price of Invulnerability

Shame & Empathy by Dr. Brené Brown

Resources

Check out Brené’s resources page for links to videos, podcasts, and online articles.

Books

I’m still in the early stages of exploring Brené’s work, however I’ve cued up Brené’s books on my Amazon wishlist:

1. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME (BUT IT ISN'T): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy and Power
2. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to be and Embrace Who You are
3. Daring Greatly

Podcasts

I’m a big fan of podcasts, and have listened to the Smart People Podcast interview with Brené. The first 5 minutes or so are context, which I’ve fast-forwarded when I’ve listened to the podcast again! ;-). Direct link

You may also want to check out this interview with Koren Motekaitis with is rather tremendous. Direct link.

Wholeheartedness

On of the key outcomes for Brené’s research has been that some people are what she calls “wholehearted” – in summary, they are confident that they are ‘enough’ and worthy of other people’s love.

I guess that’s the point of her writings, so I plan to read them after Loving What Is by Byron Katie, and Coming to Our Senses by Jon Kabat-Zinn. The books-to-read pile is growing! ;-)

Graphics

These are some graphics from Brené’s website which I am posting here to bring to a wider audience. I’m seeking to “be the change I’m trying to create”.

 

Wash up

I’m sharing these materials as they have resonated strongly with me. Whilst I’m keen to read all three books straight away, I sense that part of me is seeking in them “the answer” which I am coming to realise doesn’t really exist. I am confident that they will, however, be part of the solution!

I also like the idea that they are something to ‘move towards’, rather than ‘move away from’ – in the words of a buddy of mine. That puts Brené’s work in the same category as the positive psychology movement, in that it is creating new skills, rather than sorting out the past. Time to leave the past and create the future!

UPDATE 06/10/12: Added link for podcast interview with Koren Motekaitis.

Happy Movie press release

Introduction

I’m also posting supporting materials to accompany the recent event where I was part of a group which showed The Happy Movie. This is the press release we prepared. Links etc. in the final section.

PRESS RELEASE

Issued: 27 January 2012

POP-UP CINEMA BRINGS GLOBAL ‘HAPPY’ EVENT TO THE NORTH EAST

A merry band of happiness promoters is bringing the documentary film, Happy, by Oscar nominated Director Roko Belic, to the North East. It will be screened for one day only at a ‘pop-up cinema’ at the Centre for Life, Newcastle on World Happiness Day, February 11th. On the same day the film will be enjoyed in communities across the globe, from Sao Paulo to Singapore as people celebrate what it means to be happy, who is happiest and how we can contribute to the happiness of others.
Despite the credentials of the Director, the film does not currently have a distribution deal through cinemas and can only be seen at special screenings like this one. It is being hosted by a small group of North East based supporters of happiness, wellbeing and positive psychology who hope it will inspire viewers to join them a new movement to promote happiness in the region.
With real-life people and stories, the film brings to life the findings of most happiness and wellbeing research which shows that good family, social and community relationships, rather than wealth and status, are what really make us happy. Roko Belic learned a lot about the nature of happiness and what is important in life while making the film. He said,
“I learned something simple but completely illuminating. Research showed that just about all happy people have strong relationships. They are healthier and have happier children. They are more likely to find a creative solution to a problem and to help a stranger in need. Happy people have fewer conflicts and are less likely to commit crimes, pollute the environment or go to war. In other words, just about everything I cared about, everything I wished I could change in the world, was improved with being happy.”
“The greatest lesson I learned while making this film is that my pursuit of happiness is not about me. It's about our relationships and how we help each other. It's about us.”
Paul Hemphill, one of the organizers of the Centre for Life screening said:
“Our event will be so much more than a typical cinema screening. The doors will open an hour beforehand for the chance to chat and make new friends over a drink. And then afterwards, for those who want to stay, there will be time to discuss the film with a panel of local experts. We hope that the whole event will be an incredibly rewarding and potentially life changing experience for everyone who attends.
Tickets to see the film should be bought in advance online and cost £10 or £7.50 (concessions) from Eventbrite.com. The doors open for the matinee screening at 2pm and for the evening screening at 6:30pm.
##Ends##

Notes to editors

1. The organisers of the event in Newcastle are five small business owners with interests in coaching, personal development, training, wellbeing and organisational improvement. They are; Mike Cockburn (Sogno), Paul Hemphill (Horizons Coaching), Jan Etoile (Etoile Enterprises), Justin Souter (Souter Consulting), and Emily Sweetman (Emily Sweetman Limited)

Contact details:

Mike Cockburn: @mikesogno
Paul Hemphill: @HorizonsLife
Jan Etoile: @etoileenterprises
Justin Souter: @justingsouter
Emily Sweetman: @emzo1968
2. The quote from Director Roko Belic is taken from an article in the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roko-belic/happy-documentary_b_1220111.html
3. World Happy Day 11 February 2012: “World HAPPY Day inspires action for increasing happiness in our own lives and in the world. A growing body of research shows that happy people are healthier and live longer. They are more likely to care for the environment and less likely to commit crimes or go to war. Happy people help others more often... and are more likely to find creative solutions. Increasing happiness benefits us as individuals and communities in infinite ways and is a goal worth sharing.” See http://www.worldhappyday.com/
4. The film Happy combines cutting-edge science from the new field of positive psychology with real-life stories of people from around the world whose lives illustrate these findings. We see the story of a beautiful woman named Melissa Moody, a mother of three who had a “perfect life” until the day she was run over by a truck. Disabled for nine years and disfigured for life, amazingly she is happier now than before her accident. Manoj Singh, a rickshaw puller from the slums of Kolkata, India who lives in a hut made of plastic bags with his family, is found to be as happy as the average American. Through these and other stories HAPPY leads us toward a deeper understanding of how we can all live more fulfilling, healthy and happy lives. See http://www.thehappymovie.com
5. Screenings take place at 3pm (Doors open 2pm) or 7.30pm (Doors open 6:30pm) at Centre for Life conference centre, Newcastle on Saturday 11 February 2012. Tickets cost £10 or £7.50 (concessions). Matinee tickets from http://happynortheastmatinee.eventbrite.com and evening tickets from http://happynortheastevening.eventbrite.com/
6. This Happy movie press kit includes biographies and photographs
www.thehappymovie.com/files/HAPPY-Press-Kit.pdf

Happy Movie - reflections

Intro

This posts details how we got on at the Centre for Life with our matinee and evening showings of The Happy Movie.
I’m also posting some supporting materials, which I will update in a couple of weeks – I want to get this all live before it gathers dust! ;-)

Centre for Life = fantabulous

I’d firstly like to say how grateful we are to the Centre for Life and their team, led by Owen, who did a tremendous job making everyone feeling welcome and putting on the show without a single glitch – bravo!

Photos

I took these before everyone arrived. We sold 20 tickets for the matinee, and nearly 40 for the evening. Happy times! :-D

Discussion sessions – interesting thoughts / quotes

It’s them what came that made it

We had a great bunch of people who came, watched the movie, and discussed their thoughts afterwards. We had some really interesting points made, mainly around communities rather than individual happiness. The following sections represent a sample of them.

Afternoon

• “I’d sacrifice the pawn to save the queen any day”
• “There’s no one key to happiness, it’s different for everyone”
• Concerns about the lack of community in our Communities; and a related discussion about the Diamond Jubilee – it doesn’t matter what you think of the Monarchy, “the point is to have the party”
• Targets / key performance indicators in schools – “measurement kills happiness”
• We talked about the concept of ‘Pay it Forward’
• A passionate point about giving children the chance “to be aware”
• It was felt that managers in any organisation could be kept ‘grounded’ by having them rolling up their sleeves and often working with customers and front-line staff

Evening

• A quick discussion about choosing to be happy
• We discussed meditation, e.g. mettā bhāvanā
• “After a week on my own, I craved the company of other people”
• Our focus also took in random acts of kindness [see also The Kindness Offensive]
  • There was a great point made – if  you’re doing random acts of kindness, then you’re more likely to notice them in other people
  • Check out this awesome London Underground site which document stories of kindness :-D
• “If you’re looking for good things, you’re more likely to see them”
• We talked through the difference and relative merits of experiential versus existential happiness – i.e. is happiness something that can be built and increased, or is it something that is innate?
• “it’s about the acceptance of yourself”

My thoughts

• The movie is quite challenging: in a constructive way
  • We all have our preconceived ideas, and it’s healthy to have them compared to other perspectives, and ways of living
  • Amazing to watch a rickshaw puller, living with his family in a shanty - who is obviously a very happy person, and lives in harmony with his neighbours
• Not everyone is thinking “how can I be happier – or more fulfilled?”; I was instructive to remember that “nobody is broken, and nothing needs fixing”

Thanks to my colleagues

Whilst I don’t wish this post to turn into a schmaltzy love-in, however I’m really grateful that we as a group were able to make this happen, and share the movie with the North East. So, credit where it’s due to:
Mike Cockburn: @mikesogno
Paul Hemphill: @HorizonsLife
Jan Etoile: @etoileenterprises
Emily Sweetman: @emzo1968
Onwards!

Movember Shave-down

Intro

As per my previous post, I promised to report in. You can skip the blurb and go straight to the photos if you’d like…

What it is

Shave-down

From the Lady Grey's Bar website:

SHAVE DOWN PARTY: 31st of October – 7.00pm

Hosted by our Mo Bro’s at The Boiler House Barbers, Jesmond, this party marks the start of Movember. Every member of our team can get a free shave from a team of professional barbers and once everyone is clean shaven we’ll be taking photos to capture the ‘before’ shot and you can meet your fellow Lady Greys Mo Bro’s.

Mo Sista’s are encouraged to come and we’ll have lots of Movember Merchandise for you to wear proudly to show your support for the cause. You can also sign up to the team on the night so bring as many Bro’s as you can find, the mo’ the merrier.

How I plan to raise more £££ :-D

Ok, so I realise I’m going off-piste with this, and big thanks to Nathan of LGB for his willingness to go along with my idea. I’ve been growing my normal stubble into a rather itchy mass. The plan is to go to the Boiler House and have them craft something evil on my face – i.e. I figure I’ll raise more money my wearing something amusing for the whole month!

What happened

The folk at the Boiler House were very helpful when I agreed with Nathan that I would opt out of the competition, and forego any potential end-of-Movember prizes.

The goal

Inspired by Phil Wright and his “are you looking at my monkey’s tail” look – I have set out to recreate the splendour as best I can.

Lori and the clippers

I was fortunate that Lori (featured in the 3 photos towards the end of the slideshow below) choose to use me as a guinea-pig. Apparently, her rugby-player boyfriend was also thinking of having a monkey’s tail, so she was inspired. And charming, bless her!

Flickr photos

Although the smartphone images are pretty blurry, I hope you’ll get an impression of the event. The Boiler House has fantastic decor, and I did get slightly carried away with the snapping…! :$

 

Please Donate

I would be very grateful if you could please sponsor me – click on the images on this post, or on this link. I’ve led by example :-)

My profile is http://mobro.co/justingsouter – the donate button is at the top right.

Many thanks! It’s for a tremendous cause :-D

Movember: please help raise money to combat men’s cancers

Intro

Pretty much a 'Ronseal' post - does what it says in the title!
This post gives you some of the background to Movember, explains how things work (and my twist on the theme), and then encourages you to donate your hard-earned cash to a very worthy cause. Vamos!

The Details

About

From the Movember website:

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face and then for the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.
Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.
At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember.

Docs for more info

Fill your metaphorical boots with the docs presented in the widget at the bottom of this post.

How it’s going to work

Team

I have signed up and joined the team from Lady Grey’s bar. More information about us on the Movember website - please join us. Thanks to Michael Walsh who I bumped into when he was distributing promo flyers – and I became aware of the team :-)
I thought it’d be more fun and hopefully I can raise more money as a result of doing this other people :-)

Shave-down

From the LGB website:

SHAVE DOWN PARTY: 31st of October – 7.00pm
Hosted by our Mo Bro’s at The Boiler House Barbers, Jesmond, this party marks the start of Movember. Every member of our team can get a free shave from a team of professional barbers and once everyone is clean shaven we’ll be taking photos to capture the ‘before’ shot and you can meet your fellow Lady Greys Mo Bro’s.
Mo Sista’s are encouraged to come and we’ll have lots of Movember Merchandise for you to wear proudly to show your support for the cause. You can also sign up to the team on the night so bring as many Bro’s as you can find, the mo’ the merrier.

How I plan to raise more £££ :-D

Ok, so I realise I’m going off-piste with this, and big thanks to Nathan of LGB for his willingness to go along with my idea. I’ve been growing my normal stubble into a rather itchy mass. The plan is to go to the Boiler House and have them craft something evil on my face – i.e. I figure I’ll raise more money my wearing something amusing for the whole month!
I will report in this week!

Please Donate

I would be very grateful if you could please sponsor me – click on the images on this post, or on this link. I’ve led by example :-)
My profile is http://mobro.co/justingsouter – the donate button is at the top right.
Many thanks! It’s for a tremendous cause :-D

Docs

Movember docs if you’d like further details!

UPDATED: to get the Scribd widget to work [fingers crossed!]

Combat Stress – caring for Veterans' mental health

Introduction

For my undergraduate degree, I studied Psychology, and fascinating it was – it’s related to the human condition, but both the physical and metaphysical perspectives [well, something like that – Ed.].

I was also a member of the URNU, the University Royal Naval Unit, and loved that as well. A little bit of background (i.e. a related post) can be found here.

Based on a gut instinct that our servicemen and women could be treated more respectfully and looked after better, I’ve recently donated to Help for Heroes. Based on my background though, I’ve got a closer affinity to Combat Stress, and this post is designed to help you understand why.

I realise that there are a number of quotes from the Combat Stress website, but I’m guessing you’ll bear with it…!

About Combat Stress

Why Combat Stress exists

Combat Stress is the UK's leading military charity specialising in the care of Veterans' mental health.

We treat conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety disorders.  Our services are free of charge to the Veteran.

Since 2005 the number of ex-Service men and women seeking our help has risen by 72%.  And we have a current caseload of more than 4,300 individuals. This already includes 102 Veterans who have served in Afghanistan and 400 who served in Iraq.

In March 2010 our Patron HRH The Prince of Wales launched our major fundraising campaign – The Enemy Within Appeal.

The £30 million, three-year appeal is designed to help us treat the escalating number of psychologically injured Veterans who are turning to us for help, by:

• Establishing 14 Community Outreach Teams nationwide
• Enhancing clinical treatment at our three short-stay treatment centres

If you need help yourself

This link has the map referred to below in the following quote:

Combat Stress provides effective treatment and support to Veterans of the British Armed Forces who are suffering from mental ill health.

If you or perhaps someone in your family has a problem, then please call us for an informal chat.

Our services are free of charge and regardless of War Pension/Armed Forces Compensation Scheme status.

We have people in your area ready to take your call –8.30 am to 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday.  Simply click on your region in the map [below] for contact details of your local Support Desk.

Veterans do not have to have seen active service in order to qualify for our help – but if you are in any doubt, just ask us.

Some facts re the Falklands War

At a recent Combat Stresss fund-raiser that I attended, Lieut-General Robin Brims addressed us, and mentioned the problems that service personnel faced returning home after fighting in the Falklands War.

I don’t really have time to substantiate the following quote which I believe backs him up, but it’s from here and quotes Guardian and Observer sources:

Since the war, hundreds of veterans, both Argentinian and British, have committed suicide. Numbers of suicides are not recorded by the MoD, but the South Atlantic Medal Association claimed in 2002 that more British ex-servicemen from the Falklands have killed themselves since the 1982 conflict than died in action: 264 they estimated (300 is more recently quoted).

An example is Lance Corporal Colin Deary who lost three friends in the Falklands, was discharged from the army eight years later with drink problems, and in 1994 stabbed himself to death. Similar reports have been made about the Argentinian troops.

[…]

As in all wars but still not adequately recognised by the military establishment, the servicemen and women suffer to varying degrees from post traumatic stress disorder. Many soldiers found it hard to return to normal life, ended up getting into trouble and committing crimes.

Simon Skinner suffered flashbacks and stumbled from one crisis to another attempting suicide on several occasions, becoming an alcoholic and getting into debt, and finally in 1995 having his final flashback. ‘He got out of bed, stood to attention, marched out of the room as if in a trance and, stumbling, fell down the stairs. He died five days later.’

Video highlighting the issue

The Enemy Within Appeal

Caution: this advert features a simulated flashback some viewers may find disturbing.

On 11 March 2010, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, launched the Combat Stress Enemy Within Appeal at St. James's Palace. 

This accompanying advert highlights the emotional 
impact of PTSD on the lives of Veterans and their families.

The key aims of The Enemy Within Appeal are to:

• Raise £30 million to enhance and develop mental health services for Veterans.
• Raise awareness of the plight of Veterans suffering from psychological injury.
• Encourage Veterans and their families to seek help earlier.

Please help us in any way you can.

N.B. You can now follow us on:

 

Enemy within appeal leaflet

This gives info on the appeal mentioned above – probably best viewed in Fullscreen mode…

The Enemy Within appeal leaflet

Wash up

Hopefully you get the general idea. I’m expecting to do another Byte Night sleep-out in the Autumn, but plan to devote any future fund-raising activities to help this cause. I hope you can support me. :-)

Read all about it: Wellbank in good hands!

A post about how the namesake of this blog is prospering under new management.

Photo credit to Ajnabeee. More photos tagged with ‘Wellbank’. fyi a place in Scotland called Wellbank.

I was at the Codeworks Connect Christmas party 10 days ago. There I bumped into Andrew Robson, its outgoing Chairman. Andrew is the boss of Perfect Image, an IT systems integrator in the North East of England.

The ever-genial Andrew ventured that he knew something about me that I probably wasn’t aware of. I immediately thought “Oh no, what have I done *this* time?”.

It was therefore with a mixture of fond memories and slight wonderment that Andrew announced that he and his family now live in my Granny’s old house – blog post passim.

So, we proceeded to have a long chat about the history of the house, and what the Robsons have done to refurbish the house. We talked about:

• My Uncle floating this slippers in the bath, and jumping down the stairs
• The marvellous outside loo
• How they had found some fascinating stuff, e.g. university newspapers and some books[?] from the late 19th century.
  
  • uni newspapers
  • 1880s records
• What needed to be done about refurbishing the house

Apparently (and thankfully) they have left the garden pretty much the same. And Don the Gardener still comes to look after the garden when he can. :-)

So, a happy story and good to think that my roots are in good hands.

More news as I have it.

Technorati Tags: family,upside,good news

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - IRL #1

I've got stuck thinking of the right words, so I'm posting this - which I hope to the first of three posts on the topic:

Caroline and I recently attended a wedding. Nothing unusual about that, but what was unusual that the Groom suffered a major stroke 6 months ago, and as a result has "locked-in syndrome"

It was a pretty emotional occasion. Imagine you've been a healthy, fit, middle-aged man - wanting to get re-married to that special person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Out of the blue, you suffer a massive stroke, and you are henceforth denied even the ability to speak, let alone move anything apart from your eyes.

An interesting apposition then, with the film of the book "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" - some of you may have seen this, although I'm not sure whether it's come to the UK yet.

Information about Locked In syndrome:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked-In_syndrome
• http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/lockedinsyndrome/lockedinsyndrome.htm
• http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/331/7508/94
• http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/lockedin-syndrome-is-there-any-hope-for-sufferers-475556.html

Also, thanks to Annette Gorey I have this link to an academic paper on the subject.

Next post will be about the role of Technology in the happy day. :-)

p.s. See also my later posts - here and here.