Looking for Sacredness

Has anyone seen "sacred" anywhere?  It's been missing for sometime and I was wondering if anyone had seen or experienced true sacredness lately.

Does sacredness really exist in today's society?

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Is biotech industry really Augusta's 'future?'

You might have heard the old line about Brazil, that it’s the “country of the future and always will be.”

Humility: A (painful) blessing

With boys, I can’t even hide under the façade of “perfection.” They let it all hang out – good behavior and bad.

One vote just isn't enough

Despite the scrutiny of voter fraud in Georgia, legislators in Texas apparently break the law every day while in session.

Scientific Terminology

What is the purpose of science? We have the answer.

The Top 10 Reasons To Move To (or at least visit) Hawaii:

Come on, it’s Hawaii, do I REALLY need to enumerate the reasons?

Wedded Bliss

"Careful," said our neighbor Etta when she heard where we were traveling, "they don't take kindly to strangers down there."

April 1st declared “Augusta Commission Day” in Richmond County

At a recent meeting, county commissioners voted on a resolution honoring their contributions to the Augusta area.

Bubba Meets Hawaii

A southerner moves to Hawaii and lives to tell about it

The refugees and their trauma

They have a life without a home. The refugees are unable to work, reliant on others for aid, in communities that often reject them.

Different races, religions, cultures but all have been forced to flee and to live together in a crowded place.

I used to be a psychotherapist for this kind of individuals back in Europe and I did it both in Romania and Czech Republic. In both countries I have met people who had similar stories, similar problems, and no matter where they came from.

A significant proportion of refugees have experienced severe trauma. Many have been tortured, refugees are victims of persecution.

Refugees often have little idea about where they are going. They are running away, not running to.

The severity of trauma experienced by refugees can vary widely.

Most refugees do not acquire psychiatric disorders-a testimony to the resilience of humans to stress and loss. However, epidemiological studies of refugees indicate higher-than-expected rates of psychopathology. Most of these disorders are those with which psychiatrists are familiar, mood, anxiety and substance disorders.

Refugees with various psychiatric disorders may manifest distrust, suspiciousness or ideas of reference. Typically, paranoid symptoms in refugees diminish with amelioration of the presenting disorder (whether a mood, anxiety or substance problem). Some isolated refugees may acquire the characteristics of paranoid personality during their later adult years.

Between five and thirty-five percent of the world’s refugees and asylums are estimated to have been tortured. Torture is a global public health problem, and the use of torture has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Early intervention in treating trauma symptoms is important in preventing future disability and prolonged suffering.

In the past, most refugees had the opportunity to integrate and become useful to their host societies. Today`s refugees often find themselves confined in overcrowded refugee camps and settlements which may be little more than a dead end, where human dignity is liable to be crushed and hope and regeneration seriously endangered.

I used to provide them psychological support, acting as a group psychotherapist, meeting the challenge to have together Muslims and Christians, people of opposite opinions and cultures but who were pushed into the conflict by people that had nothing in common with them. It was not their war and it was my job to make their life easier, to help them accept themselves and to pass through their drama.

I have found the best method in the group therapy and role playing and this helped me “lift their souls” as they have expressed themselves.

This kind of work requires dedication and time, but it opens a great perspective. You get to the point to value the small things and to hear stories that you may find unreal. There is a different universe, where you can find the drama, the tragedy, the crime, the life and death, the value of the basic things that are normal for us and most of all, you have the chance to value the life!

Week 16: Super fans

Think you’re funny? Prove it. Give us an entertaining caption for this AP photo of these two superheroes at Dragon Con in Atlanta and you could win a prize.

The State of Things

The horrors in my freezer. Ho hum.

BBB: Less talk, more action?

I like the Better Business Bureau, but I’ve always had a problem with the organization. It’s quite likely the same problem you have with the organization: It’s too … I’m struggling for a word here ... benign?

WWJD: What Would Jesus Drive?

In which Elliott ponders whether Jesus would prefer a motorcycle or a mo-ped.

Today's thoughts

This is an invitation for you to post questions for me and to find here the answers that you are looking for.

Still Life with Sirens

He's got this all thought through.

No limits

Welcome to the wonderful world of parkour, where gravity and preconceived notions seem optional.

Chuck Norris Lives Here

My boys can take it like a man.

Carmen Sandiego steals Augusta National

Like most Augustans, Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne was stunned to wake up yesterday and learn that his beloved golf course had been stolen.

Week 15: Beach blanket bingo

Give us a funny caption and you could win a prize.

Major retail projects slow -- except for one

What’s going on with Mullins Crossing Phase II? Zilch.

Firemen defeat gravity in vehicular combat

Ever doubt the power of water?

It's Time to Get Your Greek On!

With four days of live entertainment and dancing, tantalizing Greek foods and pastries, Greek market, children’s activities, church tours and more – there will be something for everyone!

File Under: Baby, Newborn Variety

Heading out the door to an anniversary party for friends and I'm totally tempted to just wear the clothes with the spit-up and pretend it happened on the way.

A Distinct Possibility

What will the baby say first?

Farewell, Ed Cashin

Edward Cashin’s memorial service today was a beautiful tribute to a man who exemplified “a life well lived.”

USC Aiken Convocation Center chosen to host the 2016 Olympics

Fresh on the heels of the major announcement that the National Symphony Orchestra will be performing in the venue, officials with the arena announced that the International Olympic Committee has chosen the facility to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Week 14: Wild on...

Give us a funny caption and you could win a prize.

Animal Magnetism

Again I'm in the minority. Now with added roadkill.

King Vitamin

Torturing my boys, one meal at a time.

Lack of information makes for speculation

This week, I have more questions than answers. That’s just how it goes sometimes – some days are diamonds, some days are stones.

Snooze.

Henry slept from 9 last night to 7 this morning.

I think I feel a brain cell coming on.

Babe Tooth

These days, the Tooth Fairy is burning the candle at both ends.

Students take Post-It art to new level

It will never be high society art, but students have taken Post-It Notes to a whole new level...

Jackson, Sharpton to purchase home in Augusta

With the increasing frequency of racially offensive statements and other problems in the Augusta area, rumors of the arrival of some famous new residents in Augusta are coming true.

EXTRA POINTS: Jefferson Co. 27, Burke Co. 17

Augusta Chronicle preps editor Jeff Sentell will go overtime on his blog after each high school game he covers this season.
Most of it will be opinion. Everyone has one. He asks you to share your own impressions. What did or didn’t you like? Who did you think was the star of the game?
Think of this as a virtual barber shop. We encourage everyone to share their thoughts on the big game each week. Everyone has an opinion. Share yours. Show the world what you know.
This blog covers the Burke County-Jefferson County contest.
Jefferson County tamed the Bears in a 27-17 game that was not that close.

Week 13: Bathroom break

Give us a funny caption and you could win a prize.

For enough cash, I'll be your yes man

A canal on Ellis Street - that's a bold proposition. I like bold propositions. Augusta Commissioner Andy Cheek's idea to turn the downtown street into a tourist-attracting waterway is perhaps the most audacious public works pipe dream to come down the, uh, pipe, since I advocated the construction of a Seattle-style space needle along the riverfront in the late 1990s.