Science journalism faces media changes, emerging discoveries

By Steve Hammons

(A version of this article appears in the April-June 2010 edition of EdgeScience magazine on the website of the Society for Scientific Exploration.)

“Weird science” and “weird science journalism” may reconfigure how science is explored, communicated and understood.

The field of journalism is going through significant changes as print and broadcast media are transformed by electronic media of various kinds.

Science journalism is no exception. It now includes a wider range of potential communication platforms that provide opportunities to include expanded content and focus. The professionalism and credibility of some paraprofessional and citizen journalists is sometimes questioned, with good reason.

Sometimes, this growth of paraprofessional and citizen journalism is perceived as, and generally acknowledged to be, a trend that has some negative aspects. However, parts of these changes are related to more vigorous coverage of topics that science journalists may have been covering inadequately.

Often sticking with safe and conventional science topics, some traditional science journalists might have missed very interesting emerging developments in a range of scientific areas.

EMERGING VIEWS

Certain topics deemed unconventional, anomalous, metaphysical, fringe or even paranormal may, in fact, be very legitimate subjects that science journalists can cover. In the area of emerging discoveries, the public may be ahead of some science journalists in recognizing coming trends.

Where to begin? Interesting discoveries have been made in the fields of human psychology and consciousness, quantum physics and unidentified phenomena in the skies, to name a few.

Granted, some of the normal scientific inquiry and scientific journalism coverage over past decades may have been stifled by national security restrictions on these topics. However, the times are a changing and topics that previously were kept under tight security may now be more appropriate for public education and acclimation.

For example, the U.S. defense and intelligence communities’ research and operational activities often referred to as Project STAR GATE were top secret for over two decades.

However, since the mid-1990s, information on the rigorous scientific protocols involved has been declassified and released. These activities made highly significant discoveries about the nature and capabilities of human consciousness.

What has been called “anomalous cognition” might actually be just alternative cognition, complementary cognition or integrative cognition.

This research also led to the innovative concept of “transcendent warfare,” a term coined by a Navy SEAL officer.

Related to these consciousness studies, quantum physics research has uncovered further anomalous indications that seem to point toward revised views of the nature of the Universe. Some researchers now refer to the Universe as a multiverse where various dimensions interact and intersect.

And then there is the topic of what we generally refer to as unidentified flying objects (UFOs). This terminology could now be somewhat obsolete – at least in the cases of some UFOs. According to many respectable and reliable researchers, some UFOs that appear to be solid craft might be identified.

Some may be U.S. advanced aircraft or spacecraft. Some may be spacecraft of a more exotic origin. Some may not be solid objects and could be various kinds of phenomena we do not fully understand, but should try to.

OPEN MINDS

When considering these and other unconventional scientific topics, it might be useful for science journalists to abandon the term paranormal and think about aspects of them that may be normal and natural, and therefore worthy of normal journalistic inquiry.

Again, science journalism can possibly be excused over past decades of inattention to certain unconventional topics because of security measures that discouraged legitimate coverage of them.

This excuse may no longer be valid.

If science journalists want to attract readers, viewers and audiences who are interested in relevant and meaningful topics, the integration of conventional and more unconventional journalistic coverage is probably appropriate.

In this sense, integrative journalism may be similar to the concept of integrative medicine or integrative cognition – taking the best of both conventional and emerging science to create more useful perspectives and understanding.

Avoiding responsible and thorough coverage of important scientific subjects, including the unconventional, may diminish the perceived relevance of science journalism for millions of Americans and people worldwide.

More important than the fate of establishment science journalists, the human race may be affected by the lack of open-minded inquiry about vitally important emerging phenomena and developments.

‘Avatar’ also story of deep DNA within many Americans

By Steve Hammons

The blockbuster movie Avatar has triggered interesting discussions and perceptions by a wide range of observers and moviegoers. However, have we missed some aspects of particularly relevant elements of the film? 

There are millions of Americans who carry Native American Indian DNA with them. Yet, many of these people may consider themselves “white,” “black” or “brown.” Might they also now be going through a transformation similar to some of the characters in Avatar? 

James Cameron expands our views of other possibly-inhabited worlds and enhances our perspectives on planet Earth. In the movie, we see a people, the Na’vi, who are similar to Native American Indians. 

Three of the main characters, particularly the character Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington), move their consciousness from their human bodies to hybrid, combined-DNA bodies similar to the Na’vi. 

As they visit and live with the Na’vi, they come to appreciate and understand this unique culture, and eventually choose to help them defend their land. Is Jake’s experience of living within a combined-DNA body similar to the many Americans who have mixed-ethnicity backgrounds – especially those with Native American Indians in their family trees? 

WIDESPREAD CHEROKEE DNA 

An especially relevant example of this situation is the history of the intermingling of Cherokee and early English, Scottish and Scots-Irish trappers, hunters and explorers in the Appalachian Mountain region, primarily during the 1700s. 

The Cherokee culture and civilization had thrived for thousands of years in that mountain area that we now call northern Georgia and Alabama, up through North Carolina, Tennessee and the surrounding region. 

The matrilineal society of the Cherokee allowed significant independence and freedom for women. And when lonely European men first made their way into Cherokee lands in the early 1700s, Cherokee women were free to develop relationships with them. Nature took its course and babies of mixed ethnicity were born. 

As the decades passed, this mixing of ethnic groups present in the Appalachian region continued. By 1800, there were large numbers of mixed-ethnicity people living there. By the time of the infamous “Trail of Tears” in 1838 – the round-up and forced march to Oklahoma of the remaining Appalachian Cherokee – there were several generations of this mixed-ethnicity population. 

Many Cherokee and mixed-ethnicity people had already left the region in previous years. Having seen the writing on the wall, they left their ancestral homeland for places like Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and other areas to the west. By doing so, they avoided the Trail of Tears, on which approximately 4,000 men, women and children died from hardship, cold, starvation and illness. 

Those mixed-ethnicity people who could “pass as white” in the region around the Appalachian Mountains often did so. With Scottish or English names, these people found it wise to self-identify as white due to significant social and legal discrimination against Native American Indians such as the Cherokee. 

Over later decades, as many generations of Americans intermarried, this genetic and cultural connection in large numbers of American families became just a family story that no one was quite sure about. Today, millions of Americans have Cherokee or other Native American Indian DNA within them. 

Some know it. Some wonder about it. Some suspect it. And many have no idea about this element of themselves and within themselves. 

EMERGING CONSCIOUSNESS 

Current research in genetics and DNA is making great strides, some people say dangerously so. Much DNA has been mapped and we can identify certain genes which may contribute to physical characteristics or medical conditions. 

We can send a sample of a swab from our cheek to DNA testing labs to obtain information about our ancient ancestry. But there is much about the DNA within us that we do not understand. Much of it is unidentified and its roles are not entirely clear. Some people wonder what part our DNA plays in our personality, perspectives and consciousness. 

And, could certain elements of deep DNA, such as ancient Native American Indian genetic background, emerge in our thinking and feeling in some way today? 

Like Jake Sully in Avatar, many of us may be experiencing new kinds of viewpoints and feelings about life, Nature and spiritual awareness based on the Cherokee or other tribal DNA and ancient memories within us. 

The millions of Americans today who have Cherokee, Native American Indian or other tribal backgrounds within them might be undergoing a transformation. The push and pull within these Americans might be a struggle between different kinds of viewpoints and feelings that have connections to ancient DNA and ancient consciousness. 

In some ways, maybe this is also a struggle to not only identify and understand our ancient ancestors within us, but to also experience them here and now in our daily lives and challenges. 

As we know, Cameron’s Avatar is not only a fantasy about the future of far-away moon like Pandora or the experiences of the Na’vi people, it is about Earth and the human race today.   

Many Americans may be experiencing the confusing and conflicting feelings, challenging decision-making, emerging perspectives and transformation of consciousness that Jake Sully experienced in Avatar.

ESP in sports: Watch ‘sixth sense’ in Super Bowl

By Steve Hammons

This year’s Super Bowl might show us examples of ESP in sports.

It is well known that constant practice in sports and “situational awareness” can combine to allow an athlete to perform “on instinct.”

Intense focus in the here and now in the middle of multiple rapidly-occurring events in a sport contest can combine to create an environment where athletes can experience “anomalous cognition,” meaning unusual or unconventional perception and awareness.

Many people have read about ESP in fields like intelligence (U.S. Project STAR GATE), police work and martial arts, but the frequency of anomalous cognition in sports may not be as widely recognized.

What do we mean by the word instinct? Some researchers believe that instincts are also related to a “sixth sense” that can transcend our normal view of perception. That is, we can perceive in ways in addition to, complementary to, though slightly different than, our five senses of sight, touch, hearing taste and smell.

Some researchers suspect that ESP and anomalous cognition are not unusual at all. Rather, this is a natural part of human consciousness. It is not paranormal – it is normal. We might even call it “complementary cognition” or “integrative cognition.”

TWO RECON PIONEERS

When the book "Golf in the Kingdom" by Michael Murphy was published in 1972, many people interested in sports had not fully considered the impact of unconventional consciousness in athletics. His 1992 book "The Future of the Body" also addresses related subjects.

Murphy was co-founder of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, where many elements of the human potential movement and expanded human consciousness were explored. In his younger days, Murphy had served in the U.S. Army as a psychology specialist.

The interests and perspectives of Murphy and many of his colleagues involved in the human potential movement were recently explored in the movie "The Men Who Stare at Goats."

A close associate of Murphy, president emeritus of the Esalen Institute George Leonard, also wrote the 1975 best-selling book related to ESP or expanded consciousness titled "The Ultimate Athlete."

A fifth-degree black belt in Akido himself, Leonard also explored these topics in the book "The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons from an American Sensei" (1999).

Leonard was a former Army Air Corps attack (fighter-bomber) pilot during WWII, serving in the southwest Pacific theater. He served as an analytical intelligence officer during the Korean War.

Leonard passed on recently, on Jan. 6, 2010.

STAR GATE AND SPORTS

Perhaps some of the most useful research on the topic of unconventional awareness and perception comes from the U.S. government joint effort known as Project STAR GATE, conducted during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

This activity explored the ability of individuals to perceive things, places, information and situations from a remote location. They were able to gather important intelligence using only their consciousness.

In fact, a Navy SEAL officer wrote in a researcher paper for the Marine Corps War College that Project STAR GATE reflected a concept he called “transcendent warfare” – using advanced and emerging understanding in new ways.

Project STAR GATE activities also noted a key element that dovetails with sports and athletics: It seemed that the ESP impressions came to “remote viewers” through their bodies in a somewhat unconscious or subconscious way.

The people involved in the specific technique and protocol named “remote viewing” in Project STAR GATE found that letting impressions bubble up from their subconscious, and not using the conscious mind to try to interpret the information, led to more successful results.

They typically relaxed their minds and used various techniques to attempt to acquire information, then let their body express these perceptions by making sketches and notes in a spontaneous way.

Here we see the connection with sports and other activities. When the task at hand is partially a physical one, and we are using our body as much as, or more so than our conscious thinking mind, we may be more prone to accessing our sixth sense.

In this year’s Super Bowl, we might see examples of this if we look closely. And, if we open our minds to these possibilities, we might see expanded perception in our own lives.

These aspects of human development and education are relevant to not only sports and athletics, but a broad range of human activities in many fields.

And what is fun and interesting about the situation is the fact that we can look inside ourselves and explore these fascinating and transcendent elements of human consciousness, tapping into our own sixth sense.

'Goats’ movie helps us stare at human mind

By Steve Hammons

The new fact-based fiction movie "The Men Who Stare at Goats" deals with more than meets the eye. Or at least, we see some subjects touched on in quick and sometimes subtle ways that might trigger more thought.

In other scenes, certain topics are dealt with at length or even hit viewers between the eyes with a cinematic sledgehammer.

Incredibly funny parts of the movie are juxtaposed with the troubling, tragic and frightening.

Besides looking at the concepts of the First Earth Battalion and its real-life outside-the-box leader Army Lt. Col. Jim Channon (played by Jeff Bridges), we also get a glimpse at the Vietnam War years and post-Vietnam U.S. Army. These were dark and difficult times in the military and in America.

Yet, the 1960s and ´70s also brought forth the "human potential movement" which included a variety of touchy-feely human encounter activities, experimentation with mind-altering substances, a renewed interest in planet Earth and the natural environment, as well as the value of peace and human love.

From the troubled years after the Vietnam War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, moviegoers are asked to consider some basic questions about human beings, the U.S. government and military, and even the forces of good versus "the dark side."

THE HUMAN MIND

The movie, and the book upon which it is based, bring together various subjects in ways that give us the opportunity to reflect further about the larger, deeper and more complex aspects of the real-life material.

For example, the research and operational activities of Project STAR GATE, probably the most widely-known U.S. remote viewing program, was not part of Channon's First Earth Battalion.

However, as indicated by the scene when George Clooney identifies the contents of a small closed box as "a man sitting in a chair," remote viewing did turn out to be a real and valid human skill. Generally speaking, it is a sub-type of ESP, but conducted according to specific and scientific research and operational protocols.

Remote viewing-type skills are related to what we call intuition, gut feelings, instincts and the sixth sense. We probably all have these abilities and can practice and develop them further.

Some of the Project STAR GATE personnel reportedly had quite excellent results at times.

On a separate topic, in the movie an entire Army outpost in Iraq is slipped a mind-altering substance, LSD, via the food and water. In fact, during Army and CIA research of LSD a couple of decades ago, unwitting troops, intelligence officers and civilians were reportedly given this substance to test its effects.

The dangers of this and other mind-altering substances are clearly demonstrated in one troubling and shocking scene. This danger is real and was an unfortunate result for many people in the '60s, '70s and beyond. In fact, certain mind-altering drugs continue to cause severe health, social and legal problems today.

The often valuable research into human consciousness, from the '60s to the present, has been marred in many cases by excess, ignorance, misuse and dangerous behavior. Defining, understanding and separating worthwhile and constructive approaches from stupid and destructive behavior continue to be a challenge now.

VICTORY WITHIN REACH

In the movie, we also get glimpses of the positive potential of human beings, our military and our society.

When the Jeff Bridges character has a near-death experience in Vietnam after being shot, we might wonder about the many reports of similar encounters that have been thoroughly researched and documented. And we might wonder what conclusions can be drawn from them.

The reverence for the Earth through various rituals by some of the characters can also be interpreted as a valid perspective that connects humans with Nature – and helps keep our feet on the ground as well as offering benefits to mental and spiritual health.

Mention in the movie of U.S. military humanitarian operations, peace operations, conflict resolution and similar activities might seem whimsical. However, these activities are now considered important parts of American foreign policy and important missions of the U.S. armed forces.

How fitting that the movie portrays some recent activities in Iraq and Afghanistan as being part of "the dark side."

"The Men Who Stare at Goats" is a funny, thought-provoking and very entertaining movie. It moves along quickly, but not like the rapid-fire pacing of a thriller. It is more like a gentle roller-coaster of humor and tragedy, action and more contemplative moments, with representations of good and evil, light and darkness.

Perhaps most importantly, the movie gives us insight into human nature at its best and worst. The lessons that can be learned from the film, and the stories upon which it is apparently loosely based, are probably more valuable than we might think.

Human consciousness is now changing and evolving in ways that might result in developments so positive that the goals of people like Col. Channon may finally be within reach.

‘Integrative perception’ useful in health, media, defense

By Steve Hammons

Human perception is related to a broad range of important endeavors in fields like health, media, national defense and many other areas.

New developments in human perception and consciousness have the potential to help us make progress on these and other fronts.

Perception is personal and also social. It affects families, communities, countries and the international community. Our perception and understanding of ourselves are key in the areas noted above, and in many other ways.

We can take a look at a few examples to see how human perception affects progress in various activities and areas of interest.

HEALTH, HOLLYWOOD, DEFENSE

In the area of health, when well-known health-and-wellness expert and author Andrew Weil, M.D., appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” show on Sept. 10, he tried to apply his concepts of “integrative medicine” to the current national debate about health care.

Weil is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. He also serves as a professor of medicine and public health.

Another example is the new movie "Men Who Stare at Goats" starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. This film takes a look at innovative exploration of human consciousness within the U.S. military.

Although the movie and the book upon which it is based are reportedly slanted toward ridicule, many of these actual military and intelligence programs turned out to be quite valid and valuable. People who see the movie might become curious about these important and leading-edge efforts behind the scenes and explore them further.

As Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently noted, the perception of the U.S. internationally is an area of concern, despite recent progress. “Strategic communication” is directly linked to human perception.

In fact, in a paper for the Marine Corps War College some years ago, a Navy SEAL officer studying there noted that “transcendent warfare” may be a useful concept that optimizes forward-leaning research and activities in human perception and consciousness.

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

When Dr. Weil was discussing his views of health with King on CNN, he explained some of the ideas of integrative medicine. The concept of integrative medicine is similar to “alternative medicine” or “complementary medicine.”

Weil believes that leading-edge health and wellness methods can be successfully integrated with conventional Western medicine.

In his discussion with King, he suggested that Americans should take more responsibility for their own health and wellness through healthier eating habits, more exercise and other common-sense approaches.

He stated that the over-reliance, in his view, on high-tech and expensive technological and pharmacological methods to treat health problems is unsustainable and not always particularly successful medically.

Weil seemed to be saying that physicians and health care providers, government officials crafting health care proposals and all of us should consider “integrative” viewpoints when thinking about human health and the administration of health care services.

According to the website of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, “Since its inception, the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine has focused its efforts on three domains: education, clinical care, and research—with the primary emphasis on education.” The site notes that the “Defining Principles of Integrative Medicine” include the following:

1) Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.

2) All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the body.

3) Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body's innate healing response.

4) Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.

5) Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.

6) Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.

7) Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.

8) Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.

MOVIES, MINDS, INTELLIGENCE

Related to Weil’s views, we might wonder if this integrative perspective or integrative consciousness is applicable in other areas.

Although Weil is now best-known for his work in health, wellness, nutrition and integrative medicine, his 1972 book "The Natural Mind" focused on human consciousness.

This actually dovetails with the movie "Men Who Stare at Goats" and the real-life activities by the U.S. defense and intelligence communities regarding human perception.

Discoveries in the last few decades about human perceptual abilities have found that our instincts, intuition, gut feelings, extrasensory perception (ESP) and “sixth sense” appear to be quite real and valid.

A longstanding effort by the U.S. defense and intelligence communities commonly referred to as Project STAR GATE found that humans have the capability to use “anomalous cognition” or unusual perception to gather intelligence. A specific protocol that was developed to do this came to be called “remote viewing.”

As our understanding about human perception and consciousness improves, it may become apparent that anomalous cognition is really not so unusual after all. Like the study of the health concepts of alternative and complementary medicine, the terms “alternative cognition” and “complementary cognition” might be more appropriate

In fact, taking note of Weil’s perspectives, we might consider the term “integrative cognition” or “integrative perception” to describe using the full range perceptual abilities and capabilities of human consciousness.

This also brings us back to Adm. Mullen’s concerns about important defense challenges in understanding our own internal and external national behavior and how this is perceived overseas.

By examining some of these innovative areas, we can surely make significant progress in many important fields to deal with challenges facing us today.

Movies on UFOs, other worlds help public acclimation?

By Steve Hammons

Recent, current and upcoming movies on stories related to UFOs, off-Earth civilizations and how humans fit into the situation continue to emerge from Hollywood.

A few examples include Aliens in the Attic, a kid-and-family-friendly movie released in July. Planet 51, scheduled to open in November, is an animated film and another one for kids and families.

The dark and introspective District 9 hit theatres in August and seemed to strike a chord with audiences and critics. The Fourth Kind, dealing with abductions of humans, takes the genre to a different level and audiences can check it out beginning this November.

James Cameron’s Avatar, due out in December, is already creating a buzz and promises to be visually exciting and thought-provoking.

And Curmudgeon Films recently obtained the rights to the story of an alleged Area 51 scientist for a movie project tentatively titled S-4: The Incredible True Story of Bob Lazar.

MEDIA AND ACCLIMATION

Are these films and many other creative works helping people prepare psychologically and emotionally for possible significant developments regarding UFOs and encounters with non-human and/or human-related beings from elsewhere?

To explore this question, we do not necessarily need to believe that UFOs and non-human or human-related civilizations are involved here on Earth. However, most people would say this is possible. Some people say it is probable. And others claim that it is a reality – a reality we need to deal with.

For people who are interested, the study of such situations is challenging. There seems to be much speculation and misinformation.

There also appear to be very interesting and well-researched documents, witness testimony and strong circumstantial indications that something along these lines has been going on.

In the mid-1950s, Walt Disney was reportedly approached by the U.S. Air Force and development of a documentary film about visitation of aliens to Earth was allegedly started. However, the plug was pulled on this project.

In subsequent decades, many “fictional” movies and TV shows did emerge that dealt with this topic in various ways. This trend continues now.

People can speculate about if this is an organized acclimation effort to prepare Americans and people around the world for an unconventional situation, or if it is just the creativity, imagination and money-making sense of the movie and TV businesses.

Either way, it is probably true that kids, teens and adults are today more prepared for the possibility or reality of the existence of non-human or human-related extraterrestrials, beings from other dimensions or similar kinds of unconventional scenarios because of movies, TV shows and books on these subjects.

SPECIAL SCENARIOS

Much has been written and discussed about the so-called “Majestic” or “MJ-12” group of experts reportedly formed after the Roswell incident.

Fewer people probably have heard of the alleged U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps “Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit (IPU),” which, it is claimed, may have been active even before the Roswell case, due to previous intelligence about unconventional situations.

Reports of activities like these could indicate that, as part of dealing with a complex scenario, U.S. leaders realized that the American people would need to be informed and prepared in some way that did not cause undue social or other problems.

Indirect methods such as movies, TV programs, books and other creative endeavors would naturally be resources that could accomplish this. The close bonds formed between Hollywood and the defense community during World War II could have been leveraged to deal with this new challenge.

It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Some of the recent and upcoming movies, like those before them, take a good, hard look not only at “aliens,” but also at ourselves – the human race. This seems to be a necessary part of acclimation about how we might interact with or respond to encounters with others.

The scenario of human contact with more advanced civilizations is often compared to the experience of Native American Indians who encountered the technologically more advanced Europeans beginning in the 1500s until the “conquest” of what is now the western U.S. in the late 1800s.

The Native American Indian tribes, cultures and civilizations suffered quite a bit from this interaction. This is an understatement.

Would this happen to our own human cultures in the face of a technologically-superior race from elsewhere? This is a question that has been carefully considered by many researchers.

BE PREPARED

Preparing ourselves for the possibility or reality of contact like this seems to be wise. Being prepared for possible situations of many kinds is usually a good idea. This can enhance safety and the chances for good outcomes.

Movies, TV, books and other kinds of creative activities have an important part to play in these efforts. They help us explore and consider various possibilities. They prepare us psychologically, emotionally and spiritually, as well as forming common perceptions among us that might be helpful.

Of course, there are other unusual and thought-provoking subjects that may be both related to, and somewhat independent of, the topics of UFOs and visitors.

These include leading-edge thoughts and scientific research into teleportation, time travel, anti-gravity methodologies, advanced human perception, life after death and similar kinds of subjects. Plenty of movies and creative works have tackled these topics too, often with great results.

I like to think that my own two novels, Mission Into Light and the sequel Light’s Hand, as well as the subsequent movie screenplay and two TV pilot scripts based on them, help move the ball forward in these areas.

The books tell the story of the “Joint Reconnaissance Study Group,” a San Diego-based U.S. joint-military service and intelligence team of ten women and men who are tasked with conducting special research and operations. The novels bring readers and viewers into the inner workings of this special activities group as they explore different kinds of mysterious phenomena and the connections between them.

My adaptation of the books to a movie screenplay and a one-hour TV pilot, both closely based on the novels, might also spark interest along the way.

A two-hour TV pilot written by two other screenwriters, based more loosely on my novels, is also a good example of using the TV media to entertain and inform. With the help and guidance from a highly-qualified science advisor, we made sure that our concepts were sound.

Maybe one day these projects will make it to the big or small screen. It would be rewarding to think that these works could contribute not only to the body of worthwhile film and TV projects, but also help somewhat in the larger situations we might face.

Healthy, safe living should be part of national discussion

By Steve Hammons

America, heal thyself.

As debates about personal, family, community and national health continue, there have been limited discussions regarding physical fitness, healthy living, safety education and personal responsibility.

For example, the challenge of overweight and obese adults, teens and children in the U.S. appears to be just one of many areas where low-cost or no-cost solutions are within reach. Heart disease, diabetes and a multitude of other health problems are linked to the overweight and obesity epidemic in the U.S.

And while many Americans have begun physical exercise activities, changed their eating habits and improved their physical fitness, millions still have not.

The overweight and obesity dilemma, though ultimately linked to personal behavior, also ties in with family and community attitudes and support systems.

Similar factors can be seen regarding tobacco smoking and unsafe behaviors that lead to different types of health problems and accident injuries.

FELLOWSHIP OF THE GYM

Behavior, healthy or unhealthy, flows from within. Attitudes, motivation, personal history, self-image, personality and other elements can play large parts in health-related action or inaction.

Knowledge and information about healthy living are also key. Support systems of friends, family or other associates can also be important factors.

When it comes to physical fitness, many people find that participation at a gym, fitness club, community center, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club or other facility helps them get and stay motivated to exercise and continually improve their fitness levels.

Being around other people who are participating in health and fitness activities can be helpful. At today’s fitness centers, all ages of people can be seen on the treadmill or work-out machines. Young and middle-aged adults, grandparents and teens are often exercising together.

Some people say that this environment of common purpose – exercising and getting or staying in shape – can contribute to a unique sort of fellowship and mutual support. Finding a work-out buddy or buddies can also provide motivation and make exercising more fun. These buddies can be friends or family, co-workers or teammates.

If a formal facility is not available, there are many other options such as walking, stretching, jogging, hiking, bike riding or lifting weights with simple dumbbells (no, we’re not referring to your work-out buddies). Various other kinds of exercise and sports activities also can be fun and motivating.

In addition, some research indicates that moderate and vigorous exercise can help relieve stress, improve sleep, decrease anxieties and improve mood.

And then there is the personal satisfaction to be gained by setting a goal and doing your best to work toward that goal. When it comes to health and fitness, this can be particularly rewarding.

HEALTHY AND SAFE

Many of the same factors that apply to physical exercise and fitness are also in play regarding tobacco use, unhealthy eating and unsafe behaviors that can contribute to ill-health or accident injuries.

Ceasing tobacco use can be accomplished, though it reportedly is difficult. Certain aids such as nicotine gum and patches are available to make success more likely.

Healthier eating is not rocket science. Less junk food, more fruits and vegetables. Lean meats including chicken and fish. Smaller portions. Some people suggest smaller meals, but more frequent meals every couple of hours or so. There are plenty of healthy eating ideas out there that seem to make sense.

When we look at accident injuries, sometimes we find that risky behaviors caused or contributed to the injury. On the other hand, sometimes the causes are situations and risks that are a natural part of life, such as playing sports or simply getting out of your shower and slipping on a wet floor.

However, by increasing safety education and awareness, many accidents can be prevented.

For example, falls are a primary cause of injuries to children, including serious injuries that require treatment at a hospital emergency department or trauma center. Although children will always take spills, many serious falls are probably preventable by common-sense adult supervision and educating children about the dangers of certain behaviors.

Families, schools, neighborhoods and communities have many options to teach kids about things like falls, bicycle safety, crossing busy streets and similar basic safety education. Local fire and police departments often provide personnel to visit schools and provide these kinds of orientations for kids.

The list goes on and on about the dozens of steps that can be taken to improve the health and safety of all Americans. Most of them only require common sense and a determination to do what is needed to get and stay healthy and safe.