The Introverted Detective

This past week it has occurred to me that we have all been conditioned to stand on a taped "X" and inside taped boxes in stores everywhere. Basically, we have been trained. What does it mean to be conditioned? Let's dive into that.  It has to do with reward and punishment. It is how we learn, actually, so it isn't uncommon. It is the reason we obey enforced rules. When we break laws that are enforced we feel the consequences, thus we don't (usually) repeat our mistakes. It works the same way if there is an incentive to doing something consistently. For example, getting good grades and the reward of money may create a habit of working hard in school and wanting good grades. It creates good feelings when you get them after a while, reward or not.  This is why, after two months of "social distance", we distance in public places whether we agree with it or not. After long-term conditioning, we form habits that are hard to break, thus we create a new normal i...

The other day I got a request to review a book on twitter - my first one ever! The book Lake City Way Ninja Girl was written by Cait Moore, wife of horror writer Michael J. Moore. From the minute I read the first chapter I was hooked. I read this book, and the chapter of the next book (previewed at the end) in one evening and a morning. No joke.  Image from Book Sprout The tale of a 12 year old girl, mentally haunted by the shooting of a man beside the food bank in Lake City Way, becoming a vigilante had me on my seat from the first five chapters and made me want more by the end. It isn't a "happily ever after" ending, I'll just tell you that now, but it is worth every penny, should you ask me if you should invest in it. It would make a fantastic addition to any personal or public library.  This is a dark, young adult novel, but not so dark that isn't young adult. It is realistic to what might happen to a 12-year-old vigilante going after drug dealers in the stree...

We know about George Floyd, but what does the Black Lives Matter movement actually stand for? We're doing this Dragnet style - "just the facts". We're not going into opinion on this blog post. There is enough of that on social media everywhere, anyway.  Black Lives Matter is global, in the US, UK and Canada. They want to get rid of white supremacy and gain local power in order to intervene in the violence in black communities, either by the state or vigilantes. They want to improve opportunities for the black community and create a better black community. It was founded after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer in 2013. They reach out to the marginalized and will help you no matter your gender or immigrant status.  They want every black person to thrive in every way possible. Short answer, they fight racism toward the black community, and hope to make the world better for all people through this fight. They are for peace in the world. Founded  This organiza...

Women against getting the vote actually existed out there. What? This topic may get a little deep, so bring your shovel and let's get started! *Please note anything in this blog is research, not personal beliefs.*   Anti-Suffragette Propaganda First, we define feminism and the women's suffrage movement. Feminism is a movement that wants equality for women and men, in its most basic definition. Women's Suffrage was the movement that fought for the female right to vote. Now that we have that straight, we'll start with the oldest one.  Women's Suffrage Movement The women against voting did not want into politics, at all. Also, the belief that women and men had different roles was strong. Something known as "The Anti's Alphabet" explained some of why these women opposed the freedom we love so much. To sum this up, they had a duty to the home and children. Voting women challenged that, and challenged men who believed politics was no subject for women to spe...

Sherlock Holmes is known the world over for being an excellent detective with an equally cunning nemesis, Professor Moriarty. He was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This quirky, genius detective has not been forgotten. From The Great Mouse Detective to Sherlock , we know his name well.  The Great Mouse Detective Who is Sherlock? If you don't know, he is a detective with exceptional logic skills, a mind palace, and a sidekick known as Watson, Dr. John Watson. Dr. Watson is a war veteran with a cane and mustache, as well as a medical doctor. Professor Moriarty is a perpetual criminal problem for this pair who has his hand in most of the crime in England. *Spoiler Alert Coming!* There is a famous scene where the pair both fall to their deaths fighting each other, and then both of them come back to life. Why? Because of the public outcry against killing Sherlock off and financial problems for Doyle.  The Author  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh Scotland in the ...

Shawn Spencer, a fake psychic using his power of observation to solve cases in the Santa Barbara police department, is faking being a psychic. (If you don't know the TV show Psych, that is the main plot.) .He is not the first, however, to do this. Let's talk about fake psychics and how they were exposed.  Houdini (the illusionist) and Rose Mackenberg worked together to expose psychics, although you probably only heard about Houdini doing this. This pair exposed fake mediums who claimed to connect the living with the dead. Fake medium con artists conned money from the gullible, more than once. Houdini and Mackenberg would attend to "speak to their dead parents", but often proved the medium to be fake. Houdini even wrote a book on how things were faked.  Houdini and Mackenberg Mackenberg was a private investigator working for Houdini. She was a concrete-firm skeptic and very good at her job. She could "smell a rat before she smelled the incense". She had her w...

What can you do with pressure points? Can you make someone fall asleep with a massage or make someone immobile? Here's the scoop on what you can actually do to or for someone with pressure points.  James Bond (Sean Connery) massaging with a mink glove. Pressure points can relieve pain in so many ways, from headache to period pain to back pain. This is usually acupuncture, but can also be massage, and massage pressure points are the focus of this blog. I'm exploring what can be done, aside from pain relief, when it comes to massage. You can dive pretty deeply into this topic. This is simply an overview. Relaxation In so many movies and books you see it used as a way to put someone "in the mood" and it turns out that is not as much of a myth as you may think. The pressure points are for relaxation, not seduction, but can lead to it. (It is advised to massage for relaxing, not seduction.) This includes, legitimately, massaging scalp (head) and neck. It seems weird to mas...