Like most we have a #Roku in our home and like most it is personalized. I have a Star Trek theme and screensaver set up.
 However on the morning of November 29th I got up and my theme was changed to a halloween theme.
Now some facts.
In America halloween is not a nationally recognized holiday, it is also not a Christian holiday but is widely known as a demonic holiday or Satan's day.
Another fact only about 70% of American's say they will do something to celebrate halloween but less then 70% state that it will be part of the custom.

So that leaves over 30% of American's that will have no part in halloween, yet Roku Service changed my personal theme to a theme honoring Satan.
Now you might say Google does it on their homepage, Google in on the Internet not on a device in my home, that I have control over.

Or you might say, it's easy to change back, however I should never have been forced to change it back.

Roke in a word #Hacked my system and changed it to reflect their personal religious viewpoint. They forced their view of a known holiday that celebrates Satan on me an my family and they had no right to do so.

If Roku does it for halloween then they MUST do it for every holiday and every event known in the world. If they pick and choose they are pushng their personal religious beliefs off on others.

In short it bothered me, and in fact worried me that a large company has the ability to #Hack my system and use it to promote their religion. That is a violation on so many grounds. I hope Roku reconsiders it for the rest of the holiday's this year. Let people set up their own holiday theme don't for it off on others.  

On November 19th I married my very best friend and this years marks 33 years we have been together and like a good wine we get better with time. (not age because we will be married forever.)
This year the gift she thought of and bought has very special meaning.
At about the age 12 I took a deep interest in physics and astronomy and started asking my dad for a telescope, either for Xmas or my birthday, year after year he did not get it. Then when I turned 16 he bought one, a toy kid scope, he thought it was a good fit for me.
Once married and early in our marriage I mentioned a telescope now and then and I never realized my wife was really paying attention, to the type and model.
This year she handed me her phone and on it was a telescope and  she asked if it was the right one. My eyes filled with tears, I had not mentioned a telescope in 10 years. It arrived yesterday and I spent the better part of 2 hours assembling it, I have to read the instructions sometimes 2 times to ensure I do it right. Today I balanced it.
I do not understand how it is portable, it weights at least 75lbs. It's an Orion SpaceProbe 130ST, I plan to use my Canon camera to take some photos and videos.
It is overcast right now so nothing planned.

I have the best wife in the universe, and she forever has my heart.

I have entered into a contractual agreement with renowned stage actor Shawn Patrick Murphy to narrate "David's mark".
It is currently in production to be released soon.
Check back here for updates and be the first to hear the remarkable reading of "David's mark".

I have entered into a contractual agreement with well known public reader Kelly Ryan Wilmoth to narrate "Still With Eyes Closed".
It is currently in production to be released soon.
Check back here for updates and be the first to hear the remarkable reading of "Still With Eyes Closed".

I have entered into a contractual agreement with well known public reader Kelly Ryan Wilmoth to narrate "The Boy in The Wood".
It is currently in production to be released soon.
Check back here for updates and be the first to hear the remarkable reading of "The Boy in The Wood".

#stopthestigma

Currently this is a lot of buzz on Social Media centered around Stop the Stigma. I do understand that stigma and the campaign, but something else needs said.

Understanding and proper diagnosing bipolar is still new. It was not until the 1990's that is was starting to be understood and at that time it was called manic-depression. It was soon called bipolar.

So what is bipolar? Severe and uncontrolled deep mood swings. From a high to a depressing low. That's the short answer, Google it for details.

But as the understanding for bipolar was being understood so was ongoing depression. Severe and ongoing depression is just as life changing as bipolar, but aside from depression and bipolar there appeared to be another "group" to squeeze in to the mold.

There was a group of people falling between ongoing depression and bipolar, they would suffer from bouts of depression for days but then level off to a normal mood, then back into depression and then normal mood, no manic and no lasting depression.

So in their great wisdom DSM doctors opted to create Bipolar-1 and Bipolar-2, keep in mind bipolar is an illness with 2 extememe opposing moods. Not 1 every now and then.

Over time ones given the label Bipolar-2 shortened it to Bipolar and this caused a great deal of confusion for people in general who believed all bipolar is the same. I have often heard, "so and so has bipolar and they don't have these issues that you do." Well so and so does not have bipolar they have a label called bipolar-2 to mess up the real illness.

So with the passage of time it was discovered that bipolar has a genetic marker or switch. This means that there can't be a Bipolar-2, but that bipolar can be spectrum. So last I heard the DSM will soon remove Bipolar-2 and either place those in the spectrum of depression or bipolar. However since bipolar is a genetic disorder and on a spectrum then there are different degrees of it.

My gretest hope is to rid the medical term Bipolar-2. It is very difficult to be bipolar and have to try to explain to others that ones with Bipolar-2 are not and that is why they do not have the same issues.

Another lesson from learning that Bipolar is a genetic disorder was that medication CAN'T treat it. I've heard everyone is different speech, but that is a total lack of understanding what a genetic disorder is. I also think people in America are convinced we have preset levels of chemicals in our heads. Truth is Downs is genetic but no doctor in his right mind would suggest taking an SSRI can make Downs go away. The pharma has got into people's head that drugs are needed to fix Bipolar. Sadly they can't. Just consider, since bipolar is a swing between to moods, manic and depression, if you take an anti-depressant you go manic, if you take an anti-psychotic you fall into depression. So the doctor convinces you that it has to be tweaked to find a balance, really? 

(I will not even take to the time write about how dangerious SSRI's are.)

So how do you treat real Bipolar? There is a growing understanding at the NIH and the APA that drugs make the condition worse. However there is a way to deal with the symptoms.

1) Live a structured life. Much like Altztimers, life a fixed schedule. Sunday - Monday the same thing every day and plan for trips and the unexpected. Sounds boring, sounds lifeless, no, in fact for someone like me that is Bipolar I have thrived and I function a lot better having a fixed schedule.
2) What about manic times when you can't sleep? STAY in bed. Doctors used to say get up and do something to burn off the energy, but if you are bipolar you know that has the opposite effect. It has taken a great deal of discipline however I have learned that staying in bed has resulted in a much better outlook and shorter manic periods and less severe.
3) Depression cycles, GET OUT and help someone else. So what that you don't feel like it, so what that you want to stay in bed. When you are depressed get out and help someone in need. Find someone worse off than you are and help them. Helping others shifts the focus from you to them.

Other things that help
Valerian Root
Melatonion 1-MG nightly
Vit C 2,000 MG daily
Lithium Ortate (dosage is difficult but at 25mg pills about 3am 3 noon and 3pm)
Grounding (your mate and others will need to learn how to do this)
MIndfullness (be aware of when, where and what you are doing at all times. Be in the moment that you are. Again mate and others need to help on this)
In manic times accept what you are told about how you are acting and give your mate permission to give you strong suggestions to make adjustments in how you are acting.
Do not feed your mind negative information, do not take in violence, gambling, Shopping shows, shopping channels, extreme activities, in any form, no visual, music, or reading. Keep what you put in your mind safe, calm and not over stimulating. If you do you will likely have bad manic periods. 
When in a manic state stay OFF the computer. Online shopping is murder to manic's.

Soon Bipolar-2 will be deleted and those with that form of depression will be placed in a proper category, until then those who suffer from real Bipolar will suffer the stigma of having to explain what bipolar is and is not when someone with a form of depression is saying they have Bipolar when it's Bipolar-2 which is not Bipolar.