Legends About Flying That Aren't True

10 Urban Legends About Flying That Aren't True

Posted: 07/08/2013 2:38 pm, by Caroline Morse

From terrifying tales about airplane bathrooms to mid-flight door-opening fears, there are a lot of myths about air travel flying around out there. Here are 10 urban legends that just aren't true.

Airlines Dump Waste In-Flight

Apparently, so many people believe that airlines jettison sewage in-flight that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had to release a fact sheet titled "It Came from the Sky: Human Waste, Blue Ice, and Aviation" to dispute the myths. The sheet dispels the legend of "blue ice" (or frozen airplane toilet water, which sometimes has a blue chemical added to it), explaining that aircraft waste is stored in a holding tank until landing, that it is not possible for airplane crew to dump waste in-flight (due to the mechanics of the system), and that the most likely explanation for being hit by something blue and disgusting from the sky is that "bird migration also occurs during a time when fruit trees are ripening. As the fruit goes through a bird's digestive system it loses none of its color, which means if it was blue going in, it will be blue coming out."

Personal Electronics Make Planes Crash

If you don't turn off your cell phone before takeoff, are you dooming yourself to a fiery crash? Probably not, or we highly doubt that electronics would be allowed on planes at all. Truth is, there's no real evidence that electronics pose a safety hazard during flight--pilots are even allowed to bring iPads into the cockpit. In fact, earlier this year, the FAA revealed that it's rethinking the ban on device use. So, soon you may not have to stop reading your Kindle during takeoff and landing after all.

Recirculated Air Makes You Sick

Do you get sick every time you fly? It's not the recirculated air that's making you ill. The air inside the cabin is pressurized fresh air that has been filtered to remove more than 99 percent of bacteria and viruses. The more likely culprit for that virus you caught on vacation is something you touched onboard the plane--tray tables, blankets, and bathrooms are germ hotbeds.

Airplane Food Tastes Bad

No one fondly reminisces about all the great airplane meals they've eaten on their travels. But is the food itself really to blame? According to a study conducted by University of Manchester researchers, it could be the loud noise from the plane's engines that makes flyers think their in-flight meals taste bad. The study found that background noise (which is constant on airplanes) can distract eaters and change their perceptions of how the food tastes.

You Can Open the Aircraft Doors In-Flight

News stories abound of disgruntled passengers attempting to pry open airplane doors during flight. No need to worry--it is physically impossible for a person to pry open an airplane door when the cabin is pressurized, because the difference in air pressure is too great.

Brace-Position Conspiracies

Google "brace position" and you'll be treated to pages of results from people who believe that, in the event of a crash, it is not safer to sit in the brace position than sit normally -- and, in fact, that it's encouraged only to preserve passengers' teeth (thereby making body identification easier). Another theory is that the position is designed to break flyers' necks and kill them quickly, because it is cheaper for an airline to pay for a wrongful death settlement than injury compensation. That's just simply not true. Studies of airline crashes have shown that the brace position, when done correctly, saves lives. By placing your head on the seat in front of you, you will significantly reduce the risk of head trauma in a crash.

Autopilot (Not Pilots) Fly Planes These Days

Technology is so advanced that the pilot can just press a button and cruise on autopilot for the entire flight, right? Not quite. Autopilot is rarely used during takeoff and landing. It's primarily used when the plane is cruising. Even then, the pilot keeps a close eye on it and makes adjustments as needed.

You Can Get Stuck to the Airplane Toilet

It's a myth that sounds so plausible even the BBC believed it: In 2002, the news agency ran a reportabout a woman who got stuck to an airplane toilet after she flushed while remaining seated. The story claimed that the flush had created a vacuum seal that trapped the passenger to the toilet and that the woman had to be freed by airport technicians after landing.

The BBC had to run a retraction after the story was proven to be just an urban legend. In fact, it's not possible for anyone to get stuck to an airplane toilet seat--the person sitting would have to create an airtight seal around the toilet (not likely), and even if that did happen, as soon as the toilet stopped flushing, the seal would be broken.

You Get Drunk More Quickly on a Plane

We'd like to think that pricey in-flight drinks give you more bang for your buck by getting you more intoxicated, but it's not true. Studies have shown that drinkers' blood-alcohol levels aren't higher in the air than on the ground. However, both alcohol and air travel can dehydrate you, so your hangover may be worse after a few drinks in the sky than a few at the bar.

The Oxygen in Masks Gets You High

If you prefer to get your scientific facts from Hollywood, you may believe that the oxygen in airplane masks is there to get flyers high. As Tyler Durden said in Fight Club, "You know why they put oxygen masks on planes? Oxygen gets you high. In a catastrophic emergency, you're taking giant panicked breaths. Suddenly you become euphoric, docile. You accept your fate." Of course, the truth is that oxygen masks are there so that you can breathe in the event that the cabin pressure is lost. Oxygen won't get you high--no matter what "oxygen bars" or movies try to tell you.

--By Caroline Morse a HuffPost Contributor

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

A Beautiful Mind Is...

Meditation In Action: 5 Ways Mindfulness Can Help You Discover Inner Beauty 
Posted: 07/08/2013 8:16 am EDT  |  Updated: 07/09/2013 1:32 pm EDT

By Headspace

We all have ideas about what a healthy, happy body looks like but do we know what makes up the components of a healthy and happy mind? What does a "beautiful mind" really mean? What qualities of mind do we prize the most, and which ones best reflect this notion? And how does meditation support us to train our mind to be comfortable and able to take life in its stride? The meditation experts at Headspace explore 5 elements that make a beautiful mind. What does a happy mind mean to you? Join the discussion in the comments below -- we’d love to hear your thoughts.

A beautiful mind is ...
Calm.

Imagine a mind perfectly at ease with itself, with everything and everyone around it. It's a mind that is tranquil and serene, no matter how busy or quiet life may be. That's what it means to have a calm mind. Meditation simply gives you the necessary tools to facilitate this process, in a natural and effortless way.

A beautiful mind is ...
Grateful.

It's so easy to spend life chasing after all the things we don't have, the things that we want, the things we think will make us happy. Sometimes we're so busy chasing that we forget to notice the things we already have, the people in our lives and the fortunate circumstances in which we live. There's not much beautiful about a mind which is always craving more. So use meditation to develop a healthy sense of appreciation for what you have right now.

A beautiful mind is ...
Clear. 

Take a moment to picture a perfectly still pool of water, with not even a ripple on the surface. The water is so still, so clear, that you can see everything within it, even the things right at the bottom. This is the clarity of meditation. It's having the ability to see the mind -- to know the mind -- exactly as it is. Free from judgement and self-criticism, a clear mind is one that simply knows.

A beautiful mind is ...
Spontaneous.

Sometimes life seems repetitive: You feel stuck in a rut, like a hamster on a wheel. When you feel this way, life quickly loses it's magic, creativity and excitement. It's as if you are caught up in an internal dialogue, unable to get free. Meditation shows you how to step out of that dialogue, how to be present, living moment to moment with a natural spontaneity.

A beautiful mind is ...
Caring.

It's important to know how to make yourself happy. But just as important is the ability to bring happiness to the lives of others. How can you live with any sense of genuine happiness when those around you are unhappy? Meditation is a way of letting go of our own self-serving, self-interested desires, making way for a caring, compassionate and beautiful mind.

Want more tips on how to make meditation part of your day? Headspace is meditation made simple, accessible and relevant to your everyday life. Sign up for the free Take10 program to get the basics just right with guided audio programs and support to get your Headspace, anytime, anywhere on the Headspace app.

Empowerment

Learning Through Oprah:  Empower Yourself

http://www.oprah.com/health

Banish a Bad Thought Before It Takes Over Your Life
Send negative memories, worries and obsessions packing with these no-nonsense strategies.

By Corrie Pikul


Show It The Door
We've all had the frustrating experience of going into another room to get something and then realizing... we've totally forgotten why we're there. What's happening, say scientists from Notre Dame University, is that the act of passing through the doorway serves as a cue (an "event model" in science-speak) to your brain, telling it that it's finished with the immediate task and to move on to something else, freeing up space and energy for new memories. You can take advantage of this mechanism in order to help you "forget" more strategically: If you find yourself getting worked up about something while you're preparing dinner, stop and exit the room. And if you happen to have an open-plan layout, keep on walking right out the front door (just come back in before the water boils and the pot overflows).

Try The Lady Macbeth Method On It (With More Success)
Decisive people have no idea how lucky they are to be spared the kind of second-guessing that can lead to sleeplessness, queasiness and general obsessiveness. But the rest of us now have a secret weapon against waffling: soap. Psychologists at the University of Michigan found that washing your hands with soap and water can help you stop questioning your judgment. The study authors explain that the act of washing up serves as a powerful metaphor of "cleaning the slate" and helps us mentally wipe away doubts and misgivings.

Head It Off With A Decoy
When our brain insists on reminding us of that awful thing we said at the party last night, most of us react by suppressing the thought (and perhaps groaning). This often works, found British neuroscientists Roland Benoit and Michael Anderson, who used an fMRI machine to trace the brain activity of people who were trying to forget something. In a study published in the journal Neuron, they explained that when we push a memory out of our head, activity in the hippocampus, the region of the brain critical for remembering the past, is inhibited. However, there's always the threat that the thought will pop up again... and again. Another trick that the scientists tested was thought substitution: Whenever you start rehashing the night, tell yourself instead to think about your vacation to Aruba, or reimagine every bite of a meal you enjoyed. Doing this will induce frenetic activity in the parts of the brain that need to work to retrieve memories and along the pathways to consciousness. The two thoughts will literally compete for your attention, so make the substitution memory engaging and pleasurable enough to win.

Treat It Like A Heartbroken Poet Would
Those troubled souls who vent their grievances on paper are on to something, found Ohio State University psychologist Richard Petty, Ph.D., and his colleagues. In one of their studies, high school students who were asked to write down thoughts about body image and then rate their own figures were only affected by their thoughts if they were asked to hold on to their papers and review them. Those who were told to chuck the papers in the trash showed no difference in how they rated themselves, regardless of whether they confessed positive or negative thoughts. "By physically throwing away or protecting your thoughts, you influence how you end up using those thoughts," Petty said. So write them down and then—this is key—be sure to shred them, burn them, toss them in the compactor or drag them into the trash can on your desktop—and empty it.

Work It Out—But Choose The Right Kind Of Exercise
At any road race, you'll find dozens of running enthusiasts who have successfully kicked bad habits (as well as chronic bad moods) by following a regular training schedule. And intense physical activity has been shown in studies to raise serotonin and dopamine levels and lower the stress response. But while distance running, biking and swimming can boost general mental wellness, these solitary, repetitive activities can be the worst thing when you're dwelling on something specific and unchangeable. They can provide you with uninterrupted time to obsess, and that may reinforce negative thought patterns. During those times, consider seeking out physical activity that makes your brain work as hard as your body, like a class (Spinning, Zumba, Bikram or Ashtanga yoga), a group sport (community soccer, pickup basketball) or a team activity (rowing, a running group, a master's swim team). You could also try going for a meditative run, in which you focus so intently on your breathing or the rhythm of your footsteps that your mind doesn't have an opportunity to wander into a dark place.

Turn It Into A Mantra
If you've ever tried to teach English to a child or a friend, you know how repeating the same word over and over—"water," "water," "waawderr"—can make it sound like gibberish. You can use a similar strategy on words—and, therefore, concepts—that are bothering you, according to therapists who practice a form of clinical psychology called acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). A tenet of ACT is that when something upsetting happens, we cause ourselves additional pain by rehashing how wrong it is, how unjust life is and how it may prove that we're a bad person. One technique to stop yourself from doing this, called cognitive defusion, is to repeat a troubling word or phrase over and over for at least a minute. This helps you drop the baggage around the word and focus on what it is: a combination of sounds. You can then change the context around the word and give it a new, more positive meaning (or at least a less powerful one), explains Dennis Tirch, Ph.D., author of The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety. Try it first with a neutral word, like "laptop," and then say your troubling thought aloud ("taxes," "flare-up," "failure") and keep repeating until it no longer has the power to disturb you.

Show It Your Studious Side
You're surprisingly vulnerable to negative thinking when you're doing something that's practically second nature to you, says psychiatrist Rebecca Gladding, MD, coauthor of You Are Not Your Brain. When you're in the flow—say, knitting another scarf—the brain's prefrontal cortex, which handles executive function, kicks back and lets the basal ganglia, or the habit center, take over. This is when the toxic thought sneaks in and gains control, while your knitting needles continue to clack away rhythmically. Get your prefrontal cortex to refocus by turning your attention to a challenging activity that requires your full attention, like listening to Coffee Break French podcasts, playing Words With Friends with a responsive pal or cooking (only if you aren't a gourmet chef). Gladding says that it's important to do this quickly, because the more time you spend dwelling on things, the stronger those mental pathways become. "Then every time you get anxious, you'll automatically switch into obsessive mode," she says—and that's something you definitely want to avoid.

http://www.oprah.com/health

A Truth From Downton Abbey

8 Things To Do To Stay Married At Midlife...and Beyond

Sharon Greenthal
Blogger, Empty House, Full Mind. 
Co-founder, GenerationFabulous.com

8 Things To Do To Stay Married At Midlife
Posted: 07/08/2013 11:03 am

By the time you reach midlife and the oftentimes-simultaneous status of empty-nester, you've most likely been married for quite some time. Twenty, twenty-five years or more have flown by, and if you're fortunate, your marriage has survived the tumult and emotional roller-coaster that is the child-raising experience.

And now it's just the two of you, looking back in shock that all of that is done --looking forward and wondering:

What the heck do we do now?

I'm no marriage expert, but I've made it this far -- 24 years and counting -- and I've observed  a lot of married couples over the many years I've been married.

Note: I'm assuming that my marriage will remain intact for the next 24+ years. But you never know. My husband could up and leave me tomorrow, especially if Jennifer Lopez came knocking at our door looking for him. And don't think I wouldn't give it a lot of thought if Idris Elba found his way to my world. If you don't know who Idris Elba is, check him out.

So how do you stay married?

1. Decide you want to.

I don't mean to sound flippant, but in my experience that seems to be the most important thing couples do to remain married. This does NOT apply to those who cheat on each other, or are abusive or mean or just plain awful. This is about those months... years... that are tinged with a touch of ennui.

2. Make the marriage bigger than either individual.

You must do this. Neither individual's needs can be more important than the needs of the relationship. Sure, I'd like to take a few months and go live in a little apartment by the sea, writing and working and just indulging in being, well, alone. But that's never going to happen, because my marriage is more important than my personal needs. My priority is my relationship, not my yearning for solitude.

3. Accept that it will never, ever be 50/50.

You know those people who say marriage is an equal partnership? I say HA! to that. You may be equals and treat each other as such, but there are times when one of you takes a whole lot more than the other, when it's more like 80/20. If you're fortunate (and smart), those times when you both need 80% won't coincide. And rest assured (you probably already know this), the pendulum swings both ways.

4. Leave each other alone. 

By the time you're at midlife, you know what you are and how you like to spend your time. Me, I'm a fairly self-contained person -- I live in my head. I can be silent and reading, working , or just puttering around for hours -- that's just how I am. Thankfully my husband knows this about me and -- most of the time -- he lets me be. Likewise, I leave him alone during football season when he

1. attends USC games and acts like a college boy and

2. sits on the sofa watching football for hours...and hours.
and, to completely contradict myself...


5. Intrude when needed.

If you want to avoid watching your husband drive off in a (real or metaphorical) red sports car with a 22 year old by his side, you must pay attention and ask questions. Likewise, your husband should be tuned in to your moods and emotions and be able to know when to run interference between you and the bags of potato chips and Oreos in the pantry or case of Sauvignon Blanc in the wine rack.

6. Have sex, but only if you want to.

Sex is very important -- but I know some married couples who have virtually no sex at all and are quite content with their relationships. Really, I do. Don't feel obligated to live up to someone else's standards of what a good sex life is. This is the most personal and private part of your relationship, and it should work for you and your husband and no one else. If you want to improve your sex life, TELL YOUR PARTNER. Likewise, if he is grumbling, pay attention. Remember, that 22 year old is out there.

7.  Go out and have fun.

Whatever it is you like to do - gardening, off-road racing, antiquing - do it. Together. Playtime is more important than ever when it's just the two of you.

8. Reminisce.

Remember your lives together. Talk about when your children were small, when you dated, the night you got engaged. Talk about the friends you've had, the people you love. The key is to connect, and remembering is connecting.


Marriage is tough, but here's the thing -- it matters.

Knowing someone has your back all the time is worth all the hard work and infuriating moments.

And having someone's hand to hold in the middle of the night makes it all worthwhile.

Animals Have Feelings Too

The kindness one does for an animal may not change the world...

But, it will change the world for that one animal!

The Strongest of Souls

by Jurek Zamoyski

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; 
the most massive characters are seared with scars."

~ Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese artist and poet who immigrated to the United States,

 as a young man with his family, and was educated in the United States.  

He was born on January 6, 1883 and died on April 10, 1931.  

He wrote the mystical poetry collection "The Prophet" in 1923.

Kahlil Gibran continues to be recognized as a literary hero.