NYTimes Money Issue Addresses Financial & Legal Issues for Same-sex Couples

The NY Times recently published a clear, informative article on the disparities and challenges faced by same-sex couples pursuing the same financial and legal safeguards afforded to heterosexual couples by marriage. The article both illuminates the complexity of the challenges and gives clear tips on the process of creating a legal document semi-equivalent jigsaw, at significantly higher cost.


The Extra Hoops Gay Parents Must Jump Through

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD

Published: March 23, 2011

Talk Therapy Aided by Pets...?

Fascinating. I'm trying to put this together, learn more about how this gets put into practice and how it gets managed in a therapeutic relationship. The possibilities seem remarkable. I welcome your input:

Easing the Way in Therapy With the Aid of an Animal

By JANE E. BRODY

Published: March 14, 2011

Surviving Adversity, Building Resilience

An interesting piece on Resilience and how our challenging experiences lead us to manage the new ones. 
NYTimes: 

On Road to Recovery, Past Adversity Provides a Map

By BENEDICT CAREY

Published: January 3, 2011

"Whatever else it holds, this new year is sure to produce a healthy serving of redemption stories, against-the-odds tales of people who bounced back from the layoffs, foreclosures and other wreckage of 2010. They landed better jobs. They started successful companies. They found time to write a book, to study animal husbandry, to learn a new trade: to generate just the sort of commentary about perseverance, self-respect and character that can tempt anyone who’s still struggling to throw things at the TV."

Puzzles to Stretch the Mind, to Distract and to Grow

Research continues to show that solving puzzles can have significant impact on our brains. I haven't seen much certainty about how they help or to what extent, but hopefully ongoing research will have more concrete answers in the near future. In the meantime, the likelihood that puzzles help us build and maintain our cognitive skills is enough for me to be intrigued. Here are some fun options from the NYTimes, or you can pick up a soduku, word search or crossword book for about $2 at your drugstore or airport overpriced bodega.

It's also a great practice to do puzzles collaboratively with a friend or partner. Rather than a competitive stance, try them in partnership. It's likely to build your empathy and compassion, test your patience (which is good), demonstrate how you can pursue collaboration well, and create a positive experience upon which you can pursue further, rewarding mutual experiences.

Let me know what you think...