Stockholm Syndrome

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME:

This phrase has been popping up every once in a while usually used in analysis of an abduction situation wherein the victim gradually identifies favorably with their captor and who performs tasks not in character for them ordinarily.

Having said that and not knowing the etiology of the Syndrome I shall now go Google it. Maybe there was an incident in Stockholm where some one captured some else and got them to rob a bank for instance. Alternatively perhaps some professor from Stockholm promulgated this theory. So lets go to Google.

Stockholm syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm, Sweden, in which several bank employees were held hostage in a bank vault from August 23 to 28, 1973, while their captors negotiated with police. During this standoff, the victims became emotionally attached to their captors, rejected assistance from government officials at one point, and even defended their captors after they were freed from their six-day ordeal. The term was coined by the criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot as "Norrmalmstorgssyndromet" (Swedish), directly translated as The Norrmalmstorg Syndrome, but then later became known abroad as the Stockholm syndrome. It was originally defined by psychiatrist Frank Ochberg to aid the management of hostage situations.

Got the bank robbery part right at least. Poor Mr. Bejerot, robbed of Normallmstorg Syndrome. It coulda been Bjerot Syndrome...or Ochberg Syndrome.

My mind does not normally think sneaky but here goes:

I have been thinking about the ISIS people who want to get plastic bombs onto airplanes. I find myself wondering if ISIS has truly long range planning regarding this act. I find myself wondering if the FBI or CIA or NSA have brain stormed about the possibility of ISIS getting agents hired at any major air plane manufacturer and routinely installing plastic bombs into the structure of the planes well ahead of any use? How good is the security at any American airplane manufacture? Do their HR departments conduct security clearances? Do they even ask interview questions such as “How do you feel about working on various religious holidays?” or “Do you like to travel? You do? Oh where have you traveled? What was your favorite?” These are loaded questions but I think it might be legal to ask. Just thinkin' out loud is all.......

Watch out Thursday Night Football...

Thursday night television:

Premier of How To Get Away With Murder.

Sensational. Granted I have not viewed a lot of network drama (working, bed by 9 pm, did not want to stay up until 10 pm thank you and technophobe regarding any recording device) but this ABC show is killer in several ways.

Lawyer teaching Law 101, has about 100 students in her class. Simultaneously she is trying a murder case. PA accused of giving her demanding boss an aspirin to which he is allergic and dies. She was also his mistress. The victim has a wife, there is a partially incapacitated senior partner. We also see flashes of what looks like members of the professors class reenacting a murder, plotting how and why and where to dispose of the body. Back to class; she challenges everyone to guess her method of attack as the defense lawyer in the case now on trial. The winner will get immunity from any test at any given time during the course of the class. The one poor student who didn't get the email about the assignment gets to go last in the guessing contest. And during all of this there is a missing female student, searches are on.

As the trial unfolds various students scurry around trying to find holes in the evidence. One girl scurries into the courtroom and whispers into the lawyers ear. Defense then pillories the witness by tricking her into admitting that she is color blind (was the pill the same yellow as the prosecuting attorney's shirt? Yes, um that prosecutors shirt is blue) and she could have mistaken the yellow aspirin for the blue anxiety medication.

That evening our last to argue student is flipping through a law book and discovers what he thinks is a pertinent point of law. He dashes to the professors house, finds the door unlocked and calls out to her and goes into the bedroom and interrupts an intimate moment with a man who quickly leaves. Student backs up to leave and professor asks him why he is there. He says he found where a discredited witness could allow the defense attorney to call to end witnesses and potentially go to jury. She tells him that won't work because anything coming after that will taint any cross examination. Sorry about the interruption.

Next sorty into discrediting the witnesses is one of the other students, very good looking gay guy, tracks down good looking IT guy who works for the victim and romances him to reveal an incriminating email. I must say the homoerotic romance was hot. Hoo boy!! Now since the email is illegally obtained, how to introduce this. Get creative. Email introduced as legitimate discovery document. Prosecution objects because it was not in original discovery. This forces judge to allow this. (Now I must say that this could have gone badly, the judge could have called counsel to the bench and declared a mistrial, end of show. Just pointing out holes here.)

Third bit of evidence to be discredited is security video tape of accused purchasing some aspirin shortly before death of victim. Defense calls in a detective from Philadelphia branch and swears him in (turns out the guy is the one in her bedroom that junior interrupted and a gorgeous black guy!) He glares at her. She glares at him and asks him if in his experience did he have knowledge that any video tape had every been tampered with? Yes. Thank you officer, you are dismissed.

At a college get acquainted meeting the law students are chatting and meet another a typical suited middle aged white professor who is there with his wife to meet and greet. He is the defense attorney's husband, eye brows raised, he was not the guy in the bed room!

Fourth happenstance, second girl student is in courtroom bathroom and sees the accused seeing the victims wife who pats her on the shoulder. Second girl scurries to defense attorney's  secondary team who poo poo this as inadmissible. The secondaries have their own story line of shiftiness and smarm.

About three quarters of the way through the program, because of all this discrediting of evidence and testimony, the trial does go to jury and the accused is acquitted. Yay pizza is on me moment!!!

Then the missing students body is discovered in a sorority house water tank on the roof. The professors husband is watching this on TV when his wife comes in and he comments, “They found my student.” They both comment about the poor parents. She then says, “I bet the boyfriend did it.” Hmmm, could she be thinking that her husband might be involved?

Last scene shows the students assembling to burn their body. As the flames leap up we see camera close up of real guy rolled up in the rug. WTF?!

There are OTHER plot twists and turns developing as we speak, very impressive. Please ABC, keep up the high quality of writing and production or lose to Thursday night football. All you Thursday night football peeps need to record this show. You just gotta!!!

Another dream night.

09-21-14

Another dream night.

I was traveling with some people through what seemed like familiar territory. I asked to be let out at a certain spot telling the driver I would meet them at the bottom of the hill.

I found a nice pathway and started walking down. As I walked I saw a lion cross the path, then I saw a tiger cross the path. I then saw someone to my left and told them “Hello”.

Then I was in a town somewhere looking for a way home and I realized I was only wearing my biggest sweater, nekkid underneath. Hmmm. I found a very large store that turned out to be a charity of some sort. Some one gave me a pair of brown stretchy pants. Thus attired I asked for a phone and a phone number. Nope.

Then as usual I started looking for a bathroom.

So it seems I must look up Lost, Naked, Lions, Tigers and Pants, oh my.

Lost
To dream that you are lost suggests that you have lost your direction in life or that you have lost sight of your goals. You may be feeling worried and insecure about the path you are taking in life. If you try to call for help, then it means that you are trying to reach out for support. You are looking for someone to lean on. Alternatively, being lost means that you are still adjusting to a new situation in which the rules and conditions are ever changing.

Naked

To dream that you are naked denotes fear of being found out and exposed over your activities. You feel that you are being misjudged.

Lion
To see a lion in your dream symbolizes great strength, courage, aggression and power. You will overcome some of your emotional difficulties. As king of the jungle, the lion also represents dignity, royalty, leadership, pride and domination. You have much influence over others. You also need to exercise some restraint in your own personal and social life. Alternatively, a lion represents your need for control over others. You have to be in charge.

Tiger
To see a tiger in your dream represents power and your ability to exert it in various situations. The dream may also indicate that you need to take more of a leadership role. Alternatively, the tiger represents female sexuality, aggression, and seduction.

Pants

To see or wear pants in your dream suggest that you are questioning your role in some situation. Consider the material and color of the pants for additional interpretation. Alternatively, the dream may be hinting at some sexual matter.

Colors

Colors in dreams represent energy, emotions, and vibes. First consider what that single color in your dream means to you and your own personal associations and relationship with that color. In general, pale pastel colors indicate weakness or subtlety. Dark colors represent passion and intensity. Bright colors mean awareness.

Um, some mixed messages here. Apparently I am still adjusting to a situation and will be strong and sexy and passionate and intense! Oy, can I get an aspirin?

Another sleepless night?

I woke this morning from a catering dream.  I dreamt that I was very busy rushing around preparing for a meeting of some sort.  I had china ware set out including a tea set.  Then someone yelled, "They are here!"

"Who?:

"The Canadians!".

So I hopped in the car and sure enough there were a string of pretty little Canadian jets just rolling to a stop on the runway.  They were the prettiest white with a red Canadian Maple on each nose.

I directed everyone to the meeting place and was busy serving coffee.  My husband rushed in and shouted, "You have to stop being so nice or the Canadians will steal you!".

Then I woke up.   

So I tottered off to the dream interpretation site.  To dream of a jet signifies pride, power etc.  To dream of Canada is to identify with your perceptions of that country......oh dear..and that can mean ony one thing...

Canadian jets are... nice.

I wonder if the Canadian Air Force has a precision flying team called the Canadian Maples...wait isn't that a hockey team!?

Unfortunately the only picture I could find was this:

These are seriously NOT white with red Maple leaves...sigh...

It was just an innocent Volcano....

Woke up from restless night, read, played my games, bathroom a couple of times and then a horrific dream. I was visiting what appeared to be hillbilly friends in the mountains. There were people all over the house and they were all asking me to solve various problems. Would I deposit a check for someone, would I take someone to town etc. Then all of a sudden we were fleeing from a combination volcanic eruption and forest fire in a rickety vehicle that I was driving. I couldn't find my purse. So finally got about half the people loaded up and drove down a very narrow road, crashing through fences and over ditches and finally crashed into some kind of research station and it looked like we were going to have to get out here and get off the mountain using alternate transportation. I dunno know.  Husband woke me and I was very glad to wake from that dream, purse was located in its usual location. One good thing? We are going to my appointment at 9 am in Myrtle Point and then eating out at Kozy Kitchen.

We toddled off to breakfast, he ordered veggie omelet and I ordered Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Yum.

As we sat there munching away, I told him my stupid dream.

I also said, “I learned a new internet word while I was looking up Volcano on the dream web site.”

“Oh, what was the word?”

“Vlogging.”

“What!?”

“Vlogging is apparently a You Tube video posted by people on how to something. For instance I when I looked up how to make Gorgonzola Steak Sauce. I didn't know it was called Vlogging... for Video blogging.”

He looked at me and asked, “Why would you want to make Golden Jello sauce?”.

“ Gorgon ZOLA steak sauce!”

We blinked a couple of times, and started giggling like a crazy. The waitress came over and asked and we had to explain what had happened and she got the giggles.

After that all anyone had to say was Golden Jello Sauce and the giggles started again.

Oh, and the dream symbol for Volcano is all about losing control of your emotions. Like when you get the giggles over someone mentioning Golden Jello Sauce.

This also prompted a childhood memory that I then related to husband. Several decades ago one of the Aunt's was visiting and we were all sitting around the kitchen table yakking away. Somehow different recipes were being discussed and she contributed her part, “I have a recipe for lemon jello with tuna fish....” dead silence. Mom knew we were all primed for a round of very rude sniggering so she leapt up to get her recipe box in preparation of writing it down. I excused myself down the hall to howl in the bathroom and flush several times. Social disaster narrowly averted. Maybe she could have called it Golden Jello salad.....

 Now, remember that the main ingredients in our childhood dinners consisted of meat, potatoes and dessert. Mom had tons of recipe using Jello. We had NO idea that jello could be used in a savory recipe. Dad's idea of salad was a wedge of iceberg with Thousand Island dressing smeared all over. Or perhaps whole radishes to be dipped in salt. The main dishes were spaghetti, hamburgers, roasts, chili, fried chicken, potatoes in all kinds of casseroles and many, many desserts.   If anyone remembers any other jello horrors, do let me know.

LOOK OUT, its....a book review.

BOOK REVIEW: Listened to an NPR interview with Michael Bunker. He writes for a genre called Amish Sci-Fi. WOT!?! The author speaks with imagination and authority being a member of a plain community in Texas.

The book being discussed is entitled “Pennsylvania” The Complete Novel. (More about THAT later.) Setting is in Pennsylvania mid 21^st century. War has visited in such a fashion that the Amish who are tech free live in five Amish Zones (AZ). The rest of the world powers evolved into one pricipal that of encouraging business. And the Amish are being relatively unmolested because they produce the majority of the food for the world. As a result, all personal travel was outlawed, all roads were dug up. All non Amish are wired into the internet in their heads and live a vastly different life as Englischers. And there is peace except for the occasional rebellion. The main prison is in Oklahoma.

Story starts out with 18 year old Jed Troyer saving up to join his childhood friend on New Pennsylvania, help him in the Amish way and eventually get his 200 acre farm for himself. Eighteen!!

This started to feel distinctly like an old Robert A. Heinlien youth adventure until everything went to Hell. Then as more characters and situations were introduced Isaac Asimov took over for five or six pages to explain in rather tedious detail exactly how the internal internet system evolved. Then the action bits kicked in here and there. My favorite chapter is “The Barn Raising” wonderful summation of an Amish barn raising and the plain and sacred aspects of the effort.

There were just enough questions raised and explained in sequential action events to explain what was going on. There is the promise of a happily ever after but we will have to wait because it is a CLIFF. HANGER. The writing of which is implied. ARGH!! This book is a keeper even if I was highly tempted to dash it against the wall.

PS: Of course there is a power struggle for Okcillium, not unlike Unobtainium on Avatar. What next Impossibilium?

Hey what are they doin' over there?

The kitties are not ours but if we had that many they would all be lined up on the couch watching the activity across the street at the large two story farm house.
 

It stood vacant for several years, gradually some repairs have been made to it, the very large oil tank just out side on this end was removed.  New roofing along with Sky lights were put on the top floor and some serious work was done on the shrubbery around the house.  And we have listened to the music of weekend skill saws for quite some time.  I assume it is all interior work.  
 

The owners finally broke out the power washer and what a difference!  From this distance it looks like the original paint job has held up pretty well.  Our initial scrub on our house a few years ago scoured off years worth of nastiness and flaky paint.  This project may not even require new paint but it couldn't hurt.  Wonder if the fancy work on the upper floor will get pink or green spindles?  This old farm house was one of the first houses in this area in the late 1800's and stood amidst farm land until the city grew enough to meet the farm.  I'll try to keep you posted with shiny pictures of this old beauty.