text:
What follows are pertinent excerpts from a blog that I drafted on March 10, 2009, which revealed that President Obama seemed to be exhibiting symptoms of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) back then and after having experienced his governing of our country for approximately three years I now believe that those symptoms have become even more apparent today-You Decide:
Question: What is narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)?
The following book enlightens us on this topic:
Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited (Paperback)-By Sam Vaknin (Author), Lidija Rangelovska (Editor):
These are pertinent excerpts from Amazon.Com's Editorial and Customer Reviews:
"Editorial Reviews:
Product Description:
When the personality is rigid to the point of being unable to change in reaction to changing circumstances – we say that it is disordered. Such a person takes behavioral, emotional, and cognitive cues exclusively from others. His inner world is, so to speak, vacated. His True Self is dilapidated and dysfunctional. Instead he has a tyrannical and delusional False Self. Such a person is incapable of loving and of living. He cannot love others because he cannot love himself. He loves his reflection, his surrogate self. And he is incapable of living because life is a struggle towards, a striving, a drive at something. In other words: life is change. He who cannot change cannot live.
The narcissist is an actor in a monodrama, yet forced to remain behind the scenes. The scenes take center stage, instead. The Narcissist does not cater at all to his own needs. Contrary to his reputation, the Narcissist does not "love" himself in any true sense of the word.
He feeds off other people, who hurl back at him an image that he projects to them. This is their sole function in his world: to reflect, to admire, to applaud, to detest – in a word, to assure him that he exists. Otherwise, the narcissist feels, they have no right to tax his time, energy, or emotions.
The main body of research about Narcissism is surveyed in the book.
Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Re-Visited offers a detailed, first hand account of what it is like to have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It contains new insights and an organized methodological framework. The first part of the book comprises more than 100 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding relationships with abusive narcissists and the Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
From the Publisher: Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited and other books about the Narcissistic Personality Disorder and relationships with abusive narcissists.
His Web site "Malignant Self Love — Narcissism Revisited" is an Open Directory Cool Site and a Psych-UK recommended Site.
Sam is not a mental health professional though he is certified in psychological counseling techniques. He is the editor of Mental Health Disorders categories in the Open Directory Project and on Mentalhelp.net.
Sam is also the editor of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder topic in Suite101, the moderator of the Narcissistic Abuse List and other mailing lists (c. 4000 members).
From the Author: The posting of Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Re-Visited on the Web has elicited a flood of excited, sad and heart rending responses, mostly from victims of Narcissists but also from people suffering from the NPD. This is a true picture of the resulting correspondence with them.
This book is not intended to please or to entertain. NPD is a pernicious, vile and tortuous disease, which affects not only the Narcissist. It infects and forever changes people who are in daily contact with the Narcissist. In other words: it is contagious. It is my contention that Narcissism is the mental epidemic of the twentieth century, a plague to be fought by all means.
This tome is my contribution to minimizing the damages of this disorder.
From the Inside Flap: (From the Back Cover The Book)
The Narcissist is an actor in a monodrama, yet forced to remain behind the scenes. The scenes take center stage, instead. The Narcissist does not cater at all to his own needs. Contrary to his reputation, the Narcissist does not "love" himself in any true sense of this loaded word. He feeds off other people, who hurl back at him an image that he projects to them. This is their sole function in his world: to reflect, to admire, to applaud, to detest – in a word, to assure him that he exists. Otherwise, they have no right to tax his time, energy, or emotions – so he feels.
Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Re-Visited was written under extreme conditions of duress. It was composed in jail as I was trying to understand what had hit me. My nine years old marriage dissolved, my finances were in a shocking condition, my family estranged, my reputation ruined, my personal freedom severely curtailed.
Slowly, the realization that it was all my fault, that I was sick and needed help penetrated the decades old defenses that I erected around me. This book is the documentation of a road of self-discovery. It was a painful process, which led to nowhere. I am no different – and no healthier – today than I was when I wrote this book. My disorder is here to stay, the prognosis is poor and alarming.
This book contains three parts. The Main Text describes and analyzes the Narcissistic Personality Disorder using a new psychodynamic vocabulary. More than 100 Frequently Asked Questions relate to the various aspects of Narcissism and 6 Appendices shed light on how the Narcissist views select aspects of his world.
The Author Sam Vaknin was born in Israel in 1961. A financial consultant and columnist, he lived (and published) in 11 countries. He is an author of short stories, a winner of literary awards, and an amateur philosopher. This is his ninth book.
About the Author: Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited and other books about the Narcissistic Personality Disorder and relationships with abusive narcissists.
His Web site "Malignant Self Love — Narcissism Revisited" is an Open Directory Cool Site and a Psych-UK recommended Site.
Sam is not a mental health professional though he is certified in psychological counseling techniques. He served as the editor of Mental Health Disorders categories in the Open Directory Project and on Mentalhelp.net.
Sam is also the editor of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder topic in Suite101, the moderator of the Narcissistic Abuse List and other abusive relationships mailing, support, and discussion groups (with c. 5000 members).
Abusers exploit, lie, insult, demean, ignore (the "silent treatment"), manipulate, and control.
There are many ways to abuse. To love too much is to abuse. It is tantamount to treating someone as an extension, an object, or an instrument of gratification. To be over-protective, not to respect privacy, to be brutally honest, with a sadistic sense of humour, or consistently tactless – is to abuse.
To expect too much, to denigrate, to ignore – are all modes of abuse. There is physical abuse, verbal abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse. The list is long. Most abusers abuse surreptitiously. They are "stealth abusers". You have to actually live with one in order to witness the abuse.
Many abusers are narcissists and all narcissists are abusers. Ironically, pathological narcissism is the outcome of maltreatment and trauma in early childhood.
The study of narcissism is a century old and the two scholarly debates central to its conception are still undecided. Is there such a thing as healthy adult narcissism (Kohut) – or are all the manifestations of narcissism in adulthood pathological (Freud, Kernberg)
Moreover, is pathological narcissism the outcome of verbal, sexual, physical, or psychological abuse (the overwhelming view) – or, on the contrary, the sad result of spoiling the child and idolizing it (Millon, the late Freud)
The second debate is easier to resolve if one agrees to adopt a more comprehensive definition of "abuse". Overweening, smothering, spoiling, doting over, overvaluing, and idolizing the child – are all forms of parental abuse.
This is because, as Horney pointed out, the child is dehumanized and instrumentalized. His parents love him not for what he really is – but for what they wish and imagine him to be: the fulfillment of their dreams and frustrated wishes. The child becomes the vessel of his parents' discontented lives, a tool, the magic brush with which they can transform their failures into successes, their humiliation into victory, their frustrations into happiness.
The child is taught to ignore reality and to occupy the parental fantastic space. Such an unfortunate child feels omnipotent and omniscient, perfect and brilliant, worthy of adoration and entitled to special treatment. The faculties that are honed by constantly brushing against bruising reality – empathy, compassion, a realistic assessment of one's abilities and limitations, realistic expectations of oneself and of others, personal boundaries, team work, social skills, perseverance and goal-orientation, not to mention the ability to postpone gratification and to work hard to achieve it – are all lacking or missing altogether.
The child turned adult sees no reason to invest in his skills and education, convinced that his inherent genius should suffice. He feels entitled for merely being, rather than for actually doing (rather as the nobility in days gone by felt entitled not by virtue of its merit but as the inevitable, foreordained outcome of its birth right). In other words, he is not meritocratic – but aristocratic. In short: a narcissist is born.
But such a mental structure is brittle, susceptible to criticism and disagreement, vulnerable to the incessant encounter with a harsh and intolerant world. Deep inside, narcissists of both kinds (those wrought by "classic" abuse and those yielded by being idolized) – feel inadequate, phoney, fake, inferior, and deserving of punishment.
This is Millon's mistake. He makes a distinction between several types of narcissists. He wrongly assumes that the "classic" narcissist is the outcome of overvaluation, idolization, and spoiling and, thus, is possessed of supreme, unchallenged, self confidence, and is devoid of all self-doubt. According to Millon, it is the "compensatory" narcissist that falls prey to nagging self-doubts, feelings of inferiority, and a masochistic desire for self-punishment.
Yet, the distinction is both wrong and unnecessary. There is only one type of narcissist – though there are two developmental paths to it. And ALL narcissists are besieged by deeply ingrained (though at times not conscious) feelings of inadequacy, fears of failure, masochistic desires to be penalized, a fluctuating sense of self worth (regulated by narcissistic supply), and an overwhelming sensation of fakeness."
Customer Reviews:
…This book has an important purpose … It will be appreciated in a library, classroom or among the mental health profession.—Katherine Theriault – Inscriptions Magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 20
I cannot recommend this book enough to those who have this disorder, families, and friends who are trying to understand.—Patty Fleener, MSW, Webmistress of mental-health-today.com
If you wish to get under the skin of a Narcissist … to know how he thinks, feels, behaves…—Anthony M. Benis, Sc.D., M.D. – Author
If you wish to get under the skin of a Narcissist, then this is the book for you.—Dr. Anthony Benis, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York – Author Towards Self and Sanity – On the Genetic Origins of the Human Character
My 4000+ members enthusiastically and unanimously recommend Dr. Vaknin's book. It is an essential and crucial 'Must Read'.—Darla Boughton, owner of the MSN Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Psychopath support groups
Sam Vaknin is the world's leading expert on narcissism.—Tim Hall – New York Press, Volume 16, Issue 7
This book is required reading for any codependent – to understand how the other side works.—Dr. Irene Matiatos, Webmistress of drirene.com
Truly insightful. The author has done probably more than anyone else to educate others to this poorly understood condition.—Tim Field, author"
Note: The following article and/or blog post provides us with more detailed information on this topic-You Decide:
Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited Homepage–Posted on HealthyPlace.Com-By Sam Vaknin-On November 1, 2008:
These are pertinent excerpts from this article and/or blog post:
"The narcissist is an actor in a monodrama, yet forced to remain behind the scenes.
The scenes take center stage, instead.
The narcissist does not cater at all to his own needs. Contrary to his reputation, the narcissist does not "love" himself in any true sense of this loaded word.
He feeds off other people who hurl back at him an image that he projects to them. This is their sole function in his world: to reflect, to admire, to applaud, to detest – in a word, to assure him that he exists. Otherwise, they have no right to tax his time, energy, or emotions – so he feels.
According to the legend of Narcissus, this Greek boy fell in love with his own reflection in a pond. Presumably, this amply sums up the nature of his namesakes: narcissists. The mythological Narcissus rejected the advances of the nymph Echo and was punished by Nemesis, consigned to pine away as he fell in love with his own reflection – exactly as Echo had pined away for him. How apt. Narcissists are punished by echoes and reflections of their problematic personalities up to this very day.
How do I know so much about narcissism? I am a narcissist and, of course, I've done a lot of research on the subject.
My name is Sam Vaknin. I'm a Ph.D. My book, Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited, offers a detailed, first-hand account of what it is like to have a Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). It offers new insights and an organized methodological framework using a new psychodynamic language.
Inside this site, and through my book, I survey the main body of research about narcissism. I warn you though, Narcissism is a slippery subject: only with great difficulty can it be captured with words. A new vocabulary had to be invented to account for the myriad of facets and appearances – false and true – of this disease.
I've also included many frequently asked questions about narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) along with excerpts from my very popular Narcissism Email List.
I recommend that you start with the Table of Contents so that you can take fully advantage of the extensive information presented here. So enjoy your visit, read more about me, and come back often.
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Journal Entries: The Mind of the Narcissist
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Narcissist,Others and Society
- Articles by Dr. Vaknin
- Interviews with Dr. Vaknin
- Malignant Self Love: The Book
- Malignant Self Love: Book Excerpts
- Excerpts from the Archives of the Narcissism List
Warning & Disclaimer: The contents of this website are not meant to substitute for professional help and counseling. The readers are discouraged from using it for diagnostic or therapeutic ends. The diagnosis and treatment of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder can only be done by a professional specifically trained and qualified to do so – which the author is not."
Note: The following website contains the NPA personality survey, which gives you an insight into your own personality, if you choose to take and/or complete the survey-You Decide:
The Online NPA Personality Survey: "Personality Typing Based on Genetic Traits":
Question: Does President Obama suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)?
The following report by Dr. Sam Vaknin meticulously compares President Obama's actions with an individual suffering from NPD.
Please note that I have included my own notes within the contents of Dr. Vaknin's report as a means of sharing some recent articles and/or blog posts and videos that I believe further support his report-You Decide:
Barack Obama – Narcissist or Merely Narcissistic?–By: Dr. Sam Vaknin:
These are pertinent excerpts from this report:
"Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist. Scroll down for a detailed treatment.
Granted, only a qualified mental health diagnostician can determine whether someone suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and this, following lengthy tests and personal interviews. But, in the absence of access to Barack Obama, one has to rely on his overt performance and on testimonies by his closest, nearest and dearest.
Narcissistic leaders are nefarious and their effects pernicious. They are subtle, refined, socially-adept, manipulative, possessed of thespian skills, and convincing. Both types equally lack empathy and are ruthless and relentless or driven.
Perhaps it is time to require each candidate to high office in the USA to submit to a rigorous physical and mental checkup with the results made public.
A. Upbringing and Childhood:
Obama's early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations. Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went through a divorce when he was an infant (two years old). Obama saw his father only once again, before he died in a car accident.
Then, his mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia: a foreign land with a radically foreign culture, to be raised by a step-father. At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. She died of cancer in 1995.
Pathological narcissism is a reaction to prolonged abuse and trauma in early childhood or early adolescence. The source of the abuse or trauma is immaterial: the perpetrators could be dysfunctional or absent parents, teachers, other adults, or peers.
Note: The following videos give us some insight into President Obama's upbringing, which shaped his life before his political career-You Decide:
Video: Obama's Real History – The "Lost" Years!
B. Behavior Patterns:
The narcissist:
- Feels grandiose and self-important (e.g., exaggerates accomplishments, talents, skills, contacts, and personality traits to the point of lying, demands to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements);
- Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, fearsome power or omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist), bodily beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), or ideal, everlasting, all-conquering love or passion;
- Firmly convinced that he or she is unique and, being special, can only be understood by, should only be treated by, or associate with, other special or unique, or high-status people (or institutions);
- Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation – or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be notorious (Narcissistic Supply);
- Feels entitled. Demands automatic and full compliance with his or her unreasonable expectations for special and favorable priority treatment;
- Is "interpersonally exploitative", i.e., uses others to achieve his or her own ends;
- Devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with, acknowledge, or accept the feelings, needs, preferences, priorities, and choices of others;
- Constantly envious of others and seeks to hurt or destroy the objects of his or her frustration. Suffers from persecutory (paranoid) delusions as he or she believes that they feel the same about him or her and are likely to act similarly;
- Behaves arrogantly and haughtily. Feels superior, omnipotent, omniscient, invincible, immune, "above the law", and omnipresent (magical thinking). Rages when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted by people he or she considers inferior to him or her and unworthy.
Narcissism is a defense mechanism whose role is to deflect hurt and trauma from the victim's "True Self" into a "False Self" which is omnipotent, invulnerable, and omniscient. This False-Self is then used by the narcissist to garner narcissistic supply from his human environment. Narcissistic supply is any form of attention, both positive and negative and it is instrumental in the regulation of the narcissist's labile sense of self-worth.
Perhaps the most immediately evident trait of patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is their vulnerability to criticism and disagreement. Subject to negative input, real or imagined, even to a mild rebuke, a constructive suggestion, or an offer to help, they feel injured, humiliated and empty and they react with disdain (devaluation), rage, and defiance.
Video: Sam Vaknin Plumbs Obama's psyche and the apocalypse that he will produce if he remains president!–Posted on LaRouche PAC-On November 25, 2010:
Note: The following articles and/or blog posts and videos reveal what are undisputable examples of how President Obama deals with criticism and disagreement-You Decide:
Americans – Like Nazi Germans – Don't Notice that All of Our Rights Are Slipping Away (Part 17)!-Posted on Tea Party Command Center-By Jake Martinez-On January 25, 2014:
A President's Enemies List?–Posted on FrontPage Magazine-By Matthew Vadum-On May 14, 2013:
COLUMBIA CLASSMATE: OBAMA USING IRS TO PUNISH ME: 'Outspoken 2008 VP candidate claims prez trying to 'silence critics!'–Posted on WND.com-By ART MOORE-On October 7, 2012:
Is the Obama Regime Targeting Veterans? (Part 1)-Posted on We The People USA-By Jake Martinez-On August 24, 2012:
Is the Obama Regime Targeting Veterans? (Part 2)-Posted on We The People USA-By Jake Martinez-On August 31, 2012:
OBAMA ADDS MILITARY HEROES TO 'ENEMIES LIST'!-Posted on Big Peace-By BREITBART NEWS-On August 21, 2012:
Obama's Intimidation Tactics!-Posted on Western Journalism-By FLOYD AND MARY BETH BROWN-On August 17, 2012:
Video: Allen West Responds To Attack Ads: 'This Is What Happens In The Age Of Obama'!-Posted on Conservative 50 Plus Alliance-By NewsEditor-On August 16, 2012:
IRS, Labor Department Audit Businessman On Obama's Enemies List!-Posted on Western Journalism-By BREAKING NEWS-On July 21, 2012:
OBAMA PREPARING FOR CITIZEN UPRISING? Exclusive: Andrea Shea King sounds warning over White House power grab!–Posted on WND.com-By ANDREA SHEA KING-On July 16, 2012:
Video: Scary: Schumer Calls For 'Limits On First Amendment Rights'!-Posted on Western Journalism-By DANIEL NOE-On July 18, 2012:
DISCLOSE Is a SHAM: 'A proposed campaign-finance law attempts to scare and regulate opponents into silence!'–Posted on National Review-By Bradley A. Smith-On July 16, 2012:
WHEN LOVING YOUR COUNTRY MAKES YOU AS A DOMESTIC TERRORIST!-Posted on News With Views-By Tom DeWeese-On July 7, 2012:
Homeland Security Report Labels Those "Reverent Of Individual Liberty" As Possible Terrorists!-Posted on SayAnythingBlog.com-By Rob Port-On July 4, 2012:
Obama's Executive Order: National Security & Emergency Communications!-Posted on Freedom Outpost-On July 7, 2012:
THE FBI COULD CUT YOUR INTERNET ACCESS IN FOUR DAYS (HERE'S HOW TO PREVENT IT)!–Posted on The Blaze-By Liz Klimas-On July 5, 2012:
McConnell to Newsmax: Obama Poses Greatest Threat to Free Speech in 'Modern Times'!-Posted on NewsMax.com-By Paul Scicchitano and Kathleen Walter-On June 14, 2012:
WHITE HOUSE INSIDER: Obama In Serious Trouble – And That Makes Him Very Dangerous!-Posted on CDR Kerchner's Blog-By CDR Charles Kerchner (Ret)-On May 31, 2012:
Video: VanderSloot on Living the American Dream and Being on Obama's 'Enemies List'!-Posted on The Heritage Foundation-By Sondra Clark-On May 30, 2012:
Obama campaign to seek and destroy 'falsehoods' with 'Attack Watch'!–Posted on Independent Review Journal-On May 29, 2012:
4 FROM WND ON MOST DANGEROUS LIST: 'List of '30 new activists' includes Farah, DeAnna, Mitchell, Geller!'-Posted on WND.com-On May 25, 2012:
ROMNEY DONOR FINDS OUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ON PRESIDENT OBAMA'S 'ENEMIES LIST'!-Posted on The Blaze-By Becket Adams-On May 11, 2012:
Video: Romney Donor on Obama's Enemies List: They're Stalking My Kids!-Posted on YouTube.com-By jackohoft-On May 12, 2012:
Video: ForgeryGate: Why Was This Anti-Obama Eligibility Youtube Channel Terminated?-Posted on Western Journalism-By DANIEL NOE-On May 1, 2012:
Obama 'Sowing Social Unrest' Across The Country!–Posted on Politico-By SEUNG MIN KIM-On October 26, 2011:
Video: Obama's Intimidation Website on FaceBook!–Posted on ExposeObama.com-On October 9, 2011:
Obama Proudly Declares Class War: 'But the rich are already getting soaked!'–Posted on National Review Online-By DEROY MURDOCK-On October 3, 2011:
Attack Watch, new Obama campaign site to 'fight smears,' becomes laughing stock of conservatives!–Posted on The Washington Post-By Elizabeth Flock-On September 14, 2011:
White House uses Twitter to bully critics!-Posted on The Daily Caller-By Rob Bluey-On July 6, 2011:
Obamanites get violent in support of the agenda!–Posted on WND.Com-Exclusive Commentary By Rodger Hedgecock-On April 5, 2010:
Video: Fight the Smears!
Video: The Obama "Thug"-ocracy!
Is IRS Targeting Obama's Enemies?–Posted on The New American-By RAVEN CLABOUGH-On February 15, 2012:
Wikipedia Scrubs Obama Eligibility: "Mention of Citizenship Issues Deleted in Minutes, 'Offending' Users Banned!-Posted on WND.com-By Aaron Klein-On March 8, 2009:
HILLARY SUPPORTER'S UNTOLD OBAMA HORROR STORIES: 'Allegations of intimidation, manipulation, sudden death!'–Posted on WND-By Jerome R. Corsi-On April 4, 2012:
Obama's tyrannical face of Marxism – murder, threats, election fraud justified for his illegal election!–Posted on Obama Ballot Challenge-By Pamela Barnett-On April 5, 2012:
Hillary Clinton supporter's detail untold Obama 2008 election fraud horror stories – Allegations of intimidation, manipulation, death threats, sudden death!–Posted on CDR Kerchner's Blog-By CDR Charles Kerchner (Ret)-On April 4, 2012:
Did Obama Assassinate Clinton Delegates?–Posted on Politijim.com-By POLITIJIM-On March 18, 2012:
Obama Issues Ron Paul "Kill Order" As Russia Prepares For War!-Posted on EU Times-On November 30, 2011:
Body Count:
From my book "Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited":
"To avoid such intolerable pain, some patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) socially withdraw and feign false modesty and humility to mask their underlying grandiosity. Dysthymic and depressive disorders are common reactions to isolation and feelings of shame and inadequacy."
Due to their lack of empathy, disregard for others, exploitativeness, sense of entitlement, and constant need for attention (narcissistic supply), narcissists are rarely able to maintain functional and healthy interpersonal relationships.
Many narcissists are over-achievers and ambitious.
Some of them are even talented and skilled. But they are incapable of team-work because they cannot tolerate setbacks. They are easily frustrated and demoralized and are unable to cope with disagreement and criticism.
Though some narcissists have meteoric and inspiring careers, in the long-run, all of them find it difficult to maintain long-term professional achievements and the respect and appreciation of their peers.
The narcissist's fantastic grandiosity, frequently coupled with a hypomanic mood, is typically incommensurate with his or her real accomplishments (the "grandiosity gap").
An important distinction is between cerebral and somatic narcissists.
The cerebrals derive their Narcissistic Supply from their intelligence or academic achievements and the somatics derive their Narcissistic Supply from their physique, exercise, physical or sexual prowess and romantic or physical "conquests".
Another crucial division within the ranks of patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is between the classic variety (those who meet five of the nine diagnostic criteria included in the DSM), and the compensatory kind (their narcissism compensates for deep-set feelings of inferiority and lack of self-worth).
Obama displays the following behaviors, which are among the hallmarks of pathological narcissism:
- Subtly misrepresents facts and expediently and opportunistically shifts positions, views, opinions, and "ideals" (e.g., about campaign finance, re-districting). These flip-flops do not cause him overt distress and are ego-syntonic (he feels justified in acting this way). Alternatively, reuses to commit to a standpoint and, in the process, evidences a lack of empathy;?
- Ignores data that conflict with his fantasy world, or with his inflated and grandiose self-image. This has to do with magical thinking. Obama already sees himself as president because he is firmly convinced that his dreams, thoughts, and wishes affect reality. Additionally, he denies the gap between his fantasies and his modest or limited real-life achievements (for instance, in 12 years of academic career, he hasn't published a single scholarly paper or book);
- Feels that he is above the law, incl. and especially his own laws;
- Talks about himself in the 3rd person singular or uses the regal "we" and craves to be the exclusive center of attention, even adulation;
- Has a messianic-cosmic vision of himself and his life and his "mission";
- Sets ever more complex rules in a convoluted world of grandiose fantasies with its own language (jargon);
- Displays false modesty and unctuous "folksiness" but unable to sustain these behaviors (the persona, or mask) for long. It slips and the true Obama is revealed: haughty, aloof, distant, and disdainful of simple folk and their lives; and,
- Sublimates aggression and holds grudges.? ?Behaves as an eternal adolescent (e.g., his choice of language, youthful image he projects, demands indulgence and feels entitled to special treatment, even though his objective accomplishments do not justify it).
C. Body Language:
Many complain of the incredible deceptive powers of the narcissist. They find themselves involved with narcissists (emotionally, in business, or otherwise) before they have a chance to discover their true character. Shocked by the later revelation, they mourn their inability to separate from the narcissist and their gullibility.
Narcissists are an elusive-breed, hard to spot, harder to pinpoint, impossible to capture. Even an experienced mental health diagnostician with unmitigated access to the record and to the person examined would find it fiendishly difficult to determine with any degree of certainty whether someone suffers from a full fledged Narcissistic Personality Disorder – or merely possesses narcissistic traits, a narcissistic style, a personality structure ("character"), or a narcissistic "overlay" superimposed on another mental health problem.
Moreover, it is important to distinguish between traits and behavior patterns that are independent of the patient's cultural-social context (i.e., which are inherent, or idiosyncratic) – and reactive patterns, or conformity to cultural and social morals and norms. Reactions to severe life crises or circumstances are also often characterized by transient pathological narcissism, for instance (Ronningstam and Gunderson, 1996). But such reactions do not a narcissist make.
When a person belongs to a society or culture that has often been described as narcissistic by scholars (such as Theodore Millon) and social thinkers (e.g., Christopher Lasch) – how much of his behavior can be attributed to his milieu and which of his traits are really his?
The Narcissistic Personality Disorder is rigorously defined in the DSM IV-TR with a set of strict criteria and differential diagnoses.
Narcissism is regarded by, many scholars, to be an adaptive strategy ("healthy narcissism"). It is considered pathological in the clinical sense only when it becomes a rigid personality structure replete with a series of primitive defense mechanisms (such as splitting, projection, projective identification, or intellectualization) – and when it leads to dysfunctions in one or more areas of the patient's life.
Pathological narcissism is the art of deception. The narcissist projects a False Self and manages all his social interactions through this concocted fictional construct.
Note: The following articles and/or blog posts reveal undisputable examples of how President Obama and the DNC use deceptive tactics to divert American's attention from more important issues that are destroying our country-You Decide:
WH TELLS REPORTERS WHAT TO ASK!-Posted on White House Dossier-By KEITH KOFFLER-On August 21, 2012:
Political Punch!–Posted on ABC News-By Jake Tapper-On March 5, 2009:
DNC and Slogans for Rush Limbaugh Billboard–Posted on Freedom Eden-On March 7, 2009:
Obama's False Statistical Start!-Posted on ABC News "The Note"-By Rick Klein-On March 5, 2009:
STATE DEPARTMENT ASSEMBLING DE FACTO PROPAGANDA MINISTRY: 'Obama administration reveals plans to buy media broadcasts!'-Posted on WND.com-On May 3, 2012:
WHITE HOUSE ROLLS OUT KENYA PROPAGANDA PLAN: 'Aims to 'groom' journalists for favorable coverage from Nairobi to New York!'-Posted on WND.com-By STEVE PEACOCK-On July 2, 2012:
SPIN CYCLE! FEDS ENLIST JOURNALIST TO CONTROL MEDIA: 'Stunning salary, benefits for workers taught to 'deal with aggressive reporters'!–Posted on WND.com-By STEVE PEACOCK-On July 6, 2012:
When the narcissist reveals his true colors, it is usually far too late. His victims are unable to separate from him. They are frustrated by this acquired helplessness and angry at themselves for having they failed to see through the narcissist earlier on.
But the narcissist does emit subtle, almost subliminal, signals ("presenting symptoms") even in a first or casual encounter. Compare the following list to Barack Obama's body language during his public appearances.
These are:
"Haughty" body language – The narcissist adopts a physical posture, which implies and exudes an air of superiority, seniority, hidden powers, mysteriousness, amused indifference, etc. Though the narcissist usually maintains sustained and piercing eye contact, he often refrains from physical proximity (he is "territorial").
Note: The following video and article and/or blog post reveal undisputable examples of how the President's alleged hidden and/or mysterious powers seem to unexplainably affect individuals-You Decide:
Video: BARACK OBAMA: THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING!-Posted on YouTube.com-By THEYLIVE2012-On February 16, 2008:
Video: BARACK OBAMA THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: HIS PUPPETMASTERS! (PART 2)–Posted on YouTube.com-By THEYLIVE2012-On February 23, 2008:
Video: BARACK OBAMA THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: THE BEAST SYSTEM AND ITS MARK! (PART 3)-Posted on YouTube.com-By THEYLIVE2012-On February 29, 2008:
Video: Oliver Stone: Obama a wolf in sheep's clothing!-Posted on YouTube.com-By WishMishTV-On December 29, 2012:
Matthews: Obama Speech Caused 'Thrill Going Up My Leg'–Posted on NewsBusters.org-By Brad Wilmouth –On February 13, 2008:
The narcissist takes part in social interactions – even mere banter – condescendingly, from a position of supremacy and faux "magnanimity and largesse". But he rarely mingles socially and prefers to remain the "observer", or the "lone wolf".
Entitlement markers – The narcissist immediately asks for "special treatment" of some kind. Not to wait his turn, to have a longer or a shorter therapeutic session, to talk directly to authority figures (and not to their assistants or secretaries), to be granted special payment terms,to enjoy custom tailored arrangements – or to get served first.
Note: This is an example of how President Obama received "special treatment" as a Chicago Senator-You Decide:
Obama Got Discount on Home Loan: "Campaign Defends Lower Rate as Lender Competition for Business-Posted on The Washington Post-By Joe Stephens:
Bank that gave Obama sweetheart deal on mortgage gets 1.5 billon to party with–Posted On Out Doors Best-On February 22, 2009:
The narcissist is the one who – vocally and demonstratively – demands the undivided attention of the headwaiter in a restaurant, or monopolizes the hostess, or latches on to celebrities in a party. The narcissist reacts with rage and indignantly when denied his wishes and if treated equally with others whom he deems inferior.
Idealization or devaluation – The narcissist instantly idealizes or devalues his interlocutor. This depends on how the narcissist appraises the potential his converser has as a Narcissistic Supply Source. The narcissist flatters, adores, admires and applauds the "target" in an embarrassingly exaggerated and profuse manner – or sulks, abuses, and humiliates her.
Narcissists are polite only in the presence of a potential Supply Source. But they are unable to sustain even perfunctory civility and fast deteriorate to barbs and thinly veiled hostility, to verbal or other violent displays of abuse, rage attacks, or cold detachment.
Note: This article and/or blog post gives us an undisputable example of how President Obama is unable to sustain even perfunctory civility during an interview-You Decide:
Obama to reporter:'Let me finish my answers' next time!-Posted on USA Today-By David Jackson, USA TODAY-On April 19, 2011:
The "membership" posture – The narcissist always tries to "belong". Yet, at the very same time, he maintains his stance as an outsider. The narcissist seeks to be admired for his ability to integrate and ingratiate himself without investing the efforts commensurate with such an undertaking.
For instance: if the narcissist talks to a psychologist, the narcissist first states emphatically that he never studied psychology. He then proceeds to make seemingly effortless use of obscure professional terms, thus demonstrating that he mastered the discipline all the same, as an autodidact – which proves that he is exceptionally intelligent or introspective.
In general, the narcissist always prefers show-off to substance. One of the most effective methods of exposing a narcissist is by trying to delve deeper. The narcissist is shallow, a pond pretending to be an ocean. He likes to think of himself as a Renaissance man, a Jack-of-all-trades. The narcissist never admits to ignorance in any field – yet, typically, he is ignorant of them all. It is surprisingly easy to penetrate the gloss and the veneer of the narcissist's self-proclaimed omniscience.
Bragging and false autobiography – The narcissist brags incessantly. His speech is peppered with "I", "my", "myself", and "mine". He describes himself as intelligent, or rich, or modest, or intuitive, or creative – but always excessively, implausibly, and extraordinarily so.
The narcissist's biography sounds unusually rich and complex. His achievements—incommensurate with his age, education, or renown. Yet, his actual condition is evidently and demonstrably incompatible with his claims. Very often, the narcissist lies or his fantasies are easily discernible. He always name-drops and appropriates other people's experiences and accomplishments.
Note: What follows is President Obama's biography from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, that gives us a picture of his life achievements, which seem limited; a video of a 2004 interview where he admits that he lacked experience to run for President; a video that warned about electing a President with little or no experience; and an article and/or blog post published by News Busters that reveals the then Senator Obama's thin resume-You Decide:
Barack Obama-Posted on Wikipedia:
Video: Barack Obama Makes Shocking confession!–Posted on YouTube.com-By JGonzales112-On March 20, 2008:
Video: Fred Thompson On The 2008 Presidential Election!–Posted on YouTube.com-By onmessageinc3-On October 24, 2008:
Orlando Sentinel Only Just Notices Obama Has Thin Resume?-Posted on News Busters-By Warner Todd Huston-On November 18, 2008:
Investigation Reveals Numerous Bogus Claims On Obama Resume!-Posted on Western Journalism-By BREAKING NEWS-On April 7, 2012:
Note: What follows is a series of investigative reports titled "The Enigma That Is Barack Hussein Obama" :
Exclusive Investigatory Report: The Enigma That Is Barack Hussein Obama, Pre-Election To 2009 (Part 1)!–Posted on Western Journalism-By ALAN P. HALBERT-On May 9, 2012:
Exclusive: The Enigma That Is Barack Hussein Obama (Part 2)!-Posted on Western Journalism-By ALAN P. HALBERT-On May 11, 2012:
Exclusive: The Enigma That Is Barack Hussein Obama 2009 (Part 3 of 3)!–Posted on Western Journalism-By ALAN P. HALBERT-On May 14, 2012:
Note:What follows is a series of reports titled "The Fiction and Non-Fiction of Obama" and "Do You Know Anybody Like Obama":
THE FICTION AND NON-FICTION OF OBAMA (PART ONE)!-Posted on The Blaze-By Tiffany Gabbay-On May 12, 2012:
THE FICTION AND NON-FICTION OF OBAMA (PART TWO)!-Posted on The Blaze-By Tiffany Gabbay-On May 13, 2012:
DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY LIKE OBAMA? BECK'S LATEST EXPOSE COULD GO DOWN IN HISTORY!-Posted on The Blaze-By Tiffany Gabbay-On May 10, 2012:
Video: Updated: Can you find anything on this list that represents you?-Posted on GlennBeck.com-By Glenn Beck-On May 10, 2012:
Play the Obama's life history multiple choice challenge!-Posted on GlennBeck.com-By Glenn Beck-On May 17, 2012:
BECK'S ENTIRE OBAMA EXPOSE!-Posted on GBTV-By Glenn Beck on May 10, 2012:
Emotion-free language– The narcissist likes to talk about himself and only about himself. He is not interested in others or what they have to say, unless they constitute potential Sources of Supply and in order to obtain said supply. He acts bored, disdainful, even angry, if he feels that they are intruding on his precious time and, thus, abusing him.
In general, the narcissist is very impatient, easily bored, with strong attention deficits – unless and until he is the topic of discussion. One can publicly dissect all aspects of the intimate life of a narcissist without repercussions, providing the discourse is not "emotionally tinted".
If asked to relate directly to his emotions, the narcissist intellectualizes, rationalizes, speaks about himself in the third person and in a detached "scientific" tone or composes a narrative with a fictitious character in it, suspiciously autobiographical. Narcissists like to refer to themselves in mechanical terms, as efficient automata or machines.
Seriousness and sense of intrusion and coercion – The narcissist is dead serious about himself. He may possess a subtle, wry, and riotous sense of humor, scathing and cynical, but rarely is he self-deprecating. The narcissist regards himself as being on a constant mission, whose importance is cosmic and whose consequences are global. If a scientist – he is always in the throes of revolutionizing science. If a journalist – he is in the middle of the greatest story ever. If a novelist – he is on his way to a Booker or Nobel Prize.
This self-misperception is not amenable to light-headedness or self-effacement. The narcissist is easily hurt and insulted (narcissistic injury). Even the most innocuous remarks or acts are interpreted by him, as belittling, intruding, or coercive. His time is more valuable than others' – therefore, it cannot be wasted on unimportant matters such as mere banter or going out for a walk.
Any suggested help, advice, or concerned inquiry are immediately cast by the narcissist as intentional humiliation, implying that the narcissist is in need of help and counsel and, thus, imperfect and less than omnipotent. Any attempt to set an agenda is, to the narcissist, an intimidating act of enslavement. In this sense, the narcissist is both schizoid and paranoid and often entertains ideas of reference.
These – the lack of empathy, the aloofness, the disdain, the sense of entitlement, the constricted sense of humor, the unequal treatment and the paranoia – render the narcissist a social misfit. The narcissist is able to provoke in his milieu, in his casual acquaintances, even in his psychotherapist, the strongest, most avid and furious hatred and revulsion. To his shock, indignation and consternation, he invariably induces in others unbridled aggression.
He is perceived to be asocial at best and, often, antisocial. This, perhaps, is the strongest presenting symptom. One feels ill at ease in the presence of a narcissist for no apparent reason. No matter how charming, intelligent, thought provoking, outgoing, easy going and social the narcissist is – he fails to secure the sympathy of others, a sympathy he is never ready, willing, or able to reciprocate.
D. Narcissistic and psychopathic Leaders:
The narcissistic or psychopathic leader is the culmination and reification of his period, culture, and civilization. He is likely to rise to prominence in narcissistic societies.
The malignant narcissist invents and then projects a false, fictitious, self for the world to fear, or to admire. He maintains a tenuous grasp on reality to start with and is further exacerbated by the trappings of power. The narcissist's grandiose self-delusions and fantasies of omnipotence and omniscience are supported by real life authority and the narcissist's predilection to surround him self with obsequious sycophants.
The narcissist's personality is so precariously balanced that he cannot tolerate even a hint of criticism and disagreement. Most narcissists are paranoid and suffer from ideas of reference (the delusion that they are being mocked or discussed when they are not). Thus, narcissists often regard themselves as "victims of persecution."
Note: These videos and articles and/or blog posts give us an insight into President Obama's low tolerance of even a hint of criticism and disagreement that was displayed during the 2008 Presidential Election Campaign and now as President-You Decide:
Video: Obama Responds to Sarah Palin's Nasty Attacks!
Video: Sarah Palin Is A Traitor To The USA!
White House Enemy No. 1: Rush Limbaugh!-Posted on Reuters-By Steve Holland – Analysis, WASHINGTON-On March 5, 2009:
Rush Job: Inside Dems' Limbaugh plan!–Posted on Politico-By JONATHAN MARTIN-On March 4, 2009:
The narcissistic leader fosters and encourages a personality cult with all the hallmarks of an institutional religion: priesthood, rites, rituals, temples, worship, catechism, mythology. The leader is this religion's ascetic saint. He monastically denies himself earthly pleasures (or so he claims) in order to be able to dedicate himself fully to his calling.
The narcissistic leader is a monstrously inverted Jesus, sacrificing his life and denying himself so that his people – or humanity at large – should benefit. By surpassing and suppressing his humanity, the narcissistic leader became a distorted version of Nietzsche's "superman".
But being a-human or super-human also means being a-sexual and a-moral.
In this restricted sense, narcissistic leaders are post-modernist and moral relativists. They project to the masses an androgynous figure and enhance it by engendering the adoration of nudity and all things "natural" – or by strongly repressing these feelings. But what they refer to, as "nature" is not natural at all.
The narcissistic leader invariably proffers an aesthetic of decadence and evil carefully orchestrated and artificial – though it is not perceived this way by him or by his followers. Narcissistic leadership is about reproduced copies, not about originals. It is about the manipulation of symbols – not about veritable atavism or true conservatism.
In short: narcissistic leadership is about theatre, not about life. To enjoy the spectacle (and be subsumed by it), the leader demands the suspension of judgment, depersonalization, and de-realization. Catharsis is tantamount, in this narcissistic dramaturgy, to self-annulment.
Narcissism is nihilistic not only operationally, or ideologically. Its very language and narratives are nihilistic. Narcissism is conspicuous nihilism – and the cult's leader serves as a role model, annihilating the Man, only to re-appear as a pre-ordained and irresistible force of nature.
Note: The following articles and/or blog posts reveal undisputable examples of how President Obama is perceived by his followers or narcissistic suppliers as The "Messiah"; The "One"; Jesus, etc.-You Decide:
Farrakhan on Obama: 'The Messiah is absolutely speaking' 'Barack has captured the youth,' will bring about 'universal change'-Posted on WND.com-On October 9, 2008:
Is Obama The Messiah?–Posted on ObamaMessiah.blogspot.com-On January 7, 2008:
He ventured forth to bring light to the world: 'The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action – and a blessing to all his faithful followers'-Posted on The Times, UK News:
Jesus Did Not: Barack Obama Can?–Posted on Marvia's Panama Journal-By Marvia-On January 20, 2009:
Smith College Editor: 'Obama Is My Jesus'–Posted on News Busters-By P.J. Gladnick-On October 13, 2008:
Michelle Obama: 'This President Has Brought Us Out of the Dark and Into the Light'!–Posted on The Weekly Standard-By DANIEL HALPER-On April 17, 2012:
Barack Obama: President Or God?-Posted on Western Journalism-By MICHAEL J. NELLETT-On May 24, 2012:
OBAMA-MESSIAH COMPLEX: ALIVE AND WELL AT DNC!-Posted on Big Government-By WILLIAM BIGELOW-On September 3, 2012:
Narcissistic leadership often poses as a rebellion against the "old ways" – against the hegemonic culture, the upper classes, the established religions, the superpowers, the corrupt order. Narcissistic movements are puerile, a reaction to narcissistic injuries inflicted upon a narcissistic (and rather psychopathic) toddler nation-state, or group, or upon the leader.
Minorities or "others" – often arbitrarily selected – constitute a perfect, easily identifiable, embodiment of all that is "wrong". They are accused of being old, they are eerily disembodied, they are cosmopolitan, they are part of the establishment, they are "decadent", they are hated on religious and socio-economic grounds, or because of their race, sexual orientation, origin … They are different, they are narcissistic (feel and act as morally superior), they are everywhere, they are defenseless, they are credulous, they are adaptable (and thus can be co-opted to collaborate in their own destruction). They are the perfect hate figure. Narcissists thrive on hatred and pathological envy.
This is precisely the source of the fascination with Hitler, diagnosed by Erich Fromm – together with Stalin – as a malignant narcissist. He was an inverted human. His unconscious was his conscious. He acted out our most repressed drives, fantasies, and wishes. He provides us with a glimpse of the horrors that lie beneath the veneer, the barbarians at our personal gates, and what it was like before we invented civilization.
Note: The following article and/or blog post reveals a book that was written by a former Hitler youth that compares President Obama with Hitler-You Decide:
Former Hitler Youth author angers both right, left: 'Comparisons between Nazi leader, Obama draws strong reaction'!–Posted on WND.com-On November 22, 2008:
Hitler forced us all through a time warp and many did not emerge. He was not the devil. He was one of us. He was what Arendt aptly called the banality of evil. Just an ordinary, mentally disturbed, failure, a member of a mentally disturbed and failing nation, who lived through disturbed and failing times. He was the perfect mirror, a channel, a voice, and the very depth of our souls.
Note: This is an audio from a Chicago Public Radio Station, where a New York Times political reporter, Jeff Zeleny, takes us behind the scenes as Senator Obama mulls a presidential run during a speech in New Hampshire where he tells a crowd that "America is ready to turn the page, a new set of challenges, this is our time, a new generation ready to lead":
Obama Behind the Scenes!–Audio From Chicago Public Radio Station-On December 22, 2006:
The narcissistic leader prefers the sparkle and glamour of well-orchestrated illusions to the tedium and method of real accomplishments. His reign is all smoke and mirrors, devoid of substances, consisting of mere appearances and mass delusions.
Note: The following article and/or blog post paints President Obama as a leader that prefers the sparkle and glamour of well-orchestrated illusions to the tedium and method of real accomplishments-You Decide:
Smoke and Mirrors: "The Magic of Barack Obama"!–Posted on American Thinker-By Monte Kuligowski-On March 5, 2009:
In the aftermath of his regime – the narcissistic leader having died, been deposed, or voted out of office – it all unravels. The tireless and constant prestidigitation ceases and the entire edifice crumbles.
What looked like an economic miracle turns out to have been a fraud-laced bubble. Loosely held empires disintegrate. Laboriously assembled business conglomerates go to pieces. "Earth shattering" and "revolutionary" scientific discoveries and theories are discredited. Social experiments end in mayhem.
It is important to understand that the use of violence must be ego-syntonic. It must accord with the self-image of the narcissist. It must abet and sustain his grandiose fantasies and feed his sense of entitlement. It must conform with the narcissistic narrative.
Thus, a narcissist who regards himself as the benefactor of the poor, a member of the common folk, the representative of the disenfranchised, the champion of the dispossessed against the corrupt elite – is highly unlikely to use violence at first.
The pacific mask crumbles when the narcissist has become convinced that the very people he purported to speak for, his constituency, his grassroots fans, the prime sources of his narcissistic supply – have turned against him.
At first, in a desperate effort to maintain the fiction underlying his chaotic personality, the narcissist strives to explain away the sudden reversal of sentiment. "The people are being duped by (the media, big industry, the military, the elite, etc.)", "they don't really know what they are doing", "following a rude awakening, they will revert to form", etc.
When these flimsy attempts to patch a tattered personal mythology fail the narcissist is injured. Narcissistic injury inevitably leads to narcissistic rage and to a terrifying display of unbridled aggression. The pent-up frustration and hurt translate into devaluation. That which was previously idealized – is now discarded with contempt and hatred.
This primitive defense mechanism is called "splitting". To the narcissist, things and people are either entirely bad (evil) or entirely good. He projects onto others his own shortcomings and negative emotions, thus becoming a totally good object.
A narcissistic leader is likely to justify the butchering of his own people by claiming that they intended to kill him, undo the revolution, devastate the economy, or the country, etc.
The "small people", the "rank and file", the "loyal soldiers" of the narcissist – his flock, his nation, his employees – they pay the price. The disillusionment and disenchantment are agonizing. The process of reconstruction, of rising from the ashes, of overcoming the trauma of having been deceived, exploited and manipulated – is drawn-out.
It is difficult to trust again, to have faith, to love, to be led, to collaborate. Feelings of shame and guilt engulf the erstwhile followers of the narcissist. This is his sole legacy: a massive post-traumatic stress disorder.
Note: The following articles and/or blog posts and videos give us a disturbing picture of President Obama's narcissism and/or Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)–You Decide:
Obama does as Obama is!–Posted on Family Security Matters-By LAWRENCE SELLIN, PHD-On June 13, 2014:
Is Obama Insane, a Megalomaniac, or Both?–Posted on The Post & Email-By Sharon Rondeau-On June 8, 2014:
SAVAGE: 'SPINELESS' OBAMA 'CRAWLED' BEFORE U.N.: 'Accuses president of trying to appease 'Third World gangsters'!-Posted on WND.com-On September 25, 2012:
Meet Obama – The 'Sandman'!- 'Eminent psychiatrist reveals mysterious code in which America's leader speaks'!-Posted on WND.com-On September 15, 2012:
NARCISSIST-IN-CHIEF: OBAMA MOST CITED TERM IN DEM PLATFORM!–Posted on Big Government-By MIKE FLYNN-On September 3, 2012:
Obama reveals what 'moves' him!–Posted on American Thinker-By Carol Brown-On September 3, 2012:
Obama Edits Official State Department Documents to Tout Himself!-Posted on The Heritage Foundation-By Amy Payne-On August 17, 2012:
Special Ops Groups Slam Obama Over Bin Laden Bragging, Leaks!–Posted on We The People USA-By Jake Martinez-On August 15, 2012:
The Imperial Executive: 'Barack and George III—Separated by Centuries, Joined by Doctrine!'–Posted on The Patriot Post-By Mark Alexander-On July 5, 2012:
Video: Barack Obama – Narcissist or Merely Narcissistic?
Video: President Obama's Full Acceptance Speech!
Video: Obama's Speech on Race!
Video: President Obama's Full Speech at Tucson Memorial!
Video: President Obama's Full Speech on Mideast Policy!
Video: President Obama at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication!
ANOTHER AMERICAN FLAG WITH OBAMA'S FACE SHOWS UP IN SOUTH JERSEY!-Posted on The Blaze-By Mytheos Holt-On April 6, 2012:
Video: President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden!
SEALs slam Obama for using them as 'ammunition' in bid to take credit for bin Laden killing during election campaign!-Posted on The Daily Caller-By TOBY HARNDEN-On April 30, 2012:
Video: Mr. President: Heroes Don't Spike the Football!-Posted on Veterans For A Strong America:
Video: Great Moments In Obama's Historic Presidency!-Posted on Western Journalism-By FLOYD BROWN-On May 18, 2012:
Narcissism and Tyranny—The Consequence of Executive Egocentrism: 'Self Service Masquerading as Public Service!'-Posted on The Patriot Post-By Mark Alexander-On May 31, 2012:
Has Obama Lost His Mind?-Posted on The Post & Email-By Sharon Rondeau-On September 10, 2012:
These are pertinent excerpts from this article and/or blog post:
"(Sep. 9, 2012) — In an "unusual day on the campaign trail," Barack Hussein Obama is seen being grabbed and lifted into the air by the owner of a restaurant in Ft. Pierce, FL.
Has Obama lost his mind?
Where was the Secret Service? What were they thinking? And what was Biden attempting to do today?
Obama joked about the tax cuts which he purports Mitt Romney would make if elected, oddly associating tax cuts with one's "love life." What does one have to do with the other?
Obama's public story is that he has two daughters, but does he have two sons also? Whose son is he?
Before the 2008 election, Obama thought there were 57 states in the country. He believes that Islam has always been a part of American culture when it has not. Where was Obama educated to believe that?
He says he wants to help the middle class, but having been a member of a socialist political party and desirous of "spreading the wealth around," there is no basis for his newfound claim. Socialists and communists do not believe in a growing middle class. "Shared responsibility" equates to government ownership and control of the means of production of goods. If Obama is a committed communist, he would have no plans to "fix the economy" other than to have the government assume control over more segments of it.
For more than two years, at least one mental health professional has been questioning Obama's behavior, calling it "odd." Others have called it "bizarre."
Obama has been said to have used cocaine in the presence of others, and he has himself admitted to using it. Prior to being elected, there were times when he could not seem to organize his thoughts.
Is he using cocaine now? Why is his daily schedule monotonous at times and at others, not even posted?
He lies constantly when he says "no more secrecy." His college records and original paper birth certificate are still hidden from the public. His real name may be, also.
Obama has been called "neurotic," "narcissistic," and "unfit for office." He seems to have a need to feel "loved." "Narcissism" is defined as an "inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity. Synonyms: self-centeredness, smugness, egocentrism."
"Narcissistic personality disorder" is defined as "a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism." Is that true of Obama?
Does Obama care more about himself than the 320,000,000 Americans he is supposed to be protecting? Is he protecting or betraying? Has he taken the side of the Muslims rather than the free world? Have the "political winds shifted in an ugly direction?"
Is Obama's behavior measured, balanced, and what one would expect from the occupant of the Oval Office and commander-in-chief of the U.S. military, or are he and his wife fake?
While the Secret Service said more than three years ago that it could not arrest Obama, its members apparently can arrest those breaking the law by issuing threats. [Editor's Note: The Post & Email condemns any and all threats of violence in any form.]
Is Obama "unhinged?" Or worse, is he crazy, as Esquire Magazine ponders?"
Note: According to Douglas Hagmann, Director, Northeast Intelligence Network, the following article was first published by Ali Sina, author of Understanding Muhammad: A Psychobiography of Allah's Prophet and the founder of Faith Freedom International in September 2008. Mr. Hagmann believes that, from a national security perspective, the article offers a most disturbing but accurate insight into Barack Hussein Obama and the course he is taking the U.S. and the world-You Decide:
Understanding Obama: The Making of a Fuehrer!–Posted on Northeast Intelligence Netwrok-By Director-On June 6, 2011:
Note: These are other articles and/or blog posts by Dr. Sam Vaknin and Ali Sina that I believe relate to this disturbing issue-You Decide:
I. Articles by Dr. Sam Vaknin:
Do You Recognize Barack Obama in These Texts?
Obama's Nobel Prize Will Exacerbate His Narcissistic Tendencies
Strong Men and Political Theatres – The "Being There" Syndrome
Download "Narcissistic and Psychopathic Leaders"
II. Articles by Ali Sina:
The Hitler Factor: Is It Fair To Compare?
What Will The Future Bring Under Obama?
Obama and The Birth of Mobocracy in America
Note: The following articles and/or blog posts and videos relate to and/or support the above book, report, articles and/or blog posts and videos-You Decide:
Letter to our NM U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan-Grisham (re: Release of five key Taliban Guantanamo detainees in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl)!-Posted on Tea Party Command Center-By Jake Martinez-On June 7, 2014:
Americans – Like Nazi Germans – Don't Notice that All of Our Rights Are Slipping Away (Part 14)!
Vice President Biden Calls for a New World Order!-Posted on We The People USA-By Jake Martinez-On April 7, 2013:
Is There Something Amiss with the Sandy Hook Narrative?–Posted on The Post & Email-By Sharon Rondeau-On January 3, 2013:
Video: IF OBAMA SENDS POLICE TO TAKE YOUR GUNS, CIVIL WAR?-Posted on YouTube.com-By David Lory VanDerBeek-On December 29, 2012:
Video: Military & Police React to Obama's Total Gun Confiscation Plan!–Posted on YouTube.com-By TheAlexJonesChannel-On December 27, 2012:
Communist Party Leader: Obama Victory "Dawn of a New Era"!
Response To NM U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman Regarding My Request For Full-scale Investigation Into Allegations Made By Sheriff Arpaio's Cold Case Posse!
Video: URGENT WARNING: FBI Profiling Expert: "Obama Represents!-Posted on YouTube.com-By TheJoshTolleyChannel-On August 31, 2012:
Letter to Congressman Allen West Regarding Sheriff Arpaio's Cold Case Posse Allegations!
Special Ops Groups Slam Obama Over Bin Laden Bragging, Leaks (Part 1)!
Letter to Congressman Allen West Regarding Sheriff Arpaio's Cold Case Posse Allegations!
Letter To NM U.S. Senator Udall Regarding Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan!
Follow-up Letter To NM U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman Regarding My Request For Full-scale Investigation Into Allegations Made By Sheriff Arpaio's Cold Case Posse!
Follow-up Letter To NM U.S. Senator Udall Requesting Congressional Investigation Into Allegations Made By Sheriff Arpaio's Cold Case Posse!
The Vetting: 'Obama, Radical Islam and the Soros Connection'!
REASON TO HATE: BARACK OBAMA'S RACIST ROOTS! (PART 1 of 2)–Posted on News With Views-By Rusty Weiss and Cliff Kincaid-On July 21, 2012:
The Big Lie – Obama is the Living Example and Personification of The Big Lie Propaganda Technique. Obama is The Big Lie!-Posted on CDR Kerchner's Blog-By CDR Charles Kerchner (Ret)-On July 19, 2012:
What Do Hitler And Obama Have In Common?–Posted on Western Journalism-By DANIEL NOE-On July 19, 2012:
MICHAEL SAVAGE: OBAMA 'MOST EVIL' PRESIDENT EVER: 'Warns tyranny begins with kind of rhetoric delivered over weekend!'-Posted on WND.com-On July 17, 2012:
RUSH LIMBAUGH: OBAMA 'HATES THIS COUNTRY': 'Says president trying to dismantle American dream brick by brick!'-Posted on WND.com-By Joe Kovacks-On July 16, 2012:
Why Liberals Are Afraid of the Fourth of July!
Letter to Congressman Allen West Regarding Sheriff Arpaio's Cold Case Posse Allegations!
Follow-up Letter To NM U.S. Senator Udall Requesting Congressional Investigation Into Allegations Made By Sheriff Arpaio's Cold Case Posse!
Follow-up Letter to NM Governor Martinez Requesting The Removal of President Obama From The NM 2012 Presidential Election Ballot!
OBAMA JUST CAUGHT IN BIG LIE? 'Documents confirm he was member of socialist party!'–Posted on We The People USA-By Jake Martinez-On June 7, 2012:
Narcissism and Tyranny—The Consequence of Executive Egocentrism: 'Self Service Masquerading as Public Service!'
The planned re-election of Obama, revolutionary style!
'Civilization Jihad' And Obama's Connections!
The coming chaos from the Obama-Soetoro playbook!
Obama the Chicken is Being Plucked!-Posted on English Pravada-By Mark McGrew-On January 30, 2012:
Vets Call For Resignations, Impeachments in Washington: ''Call to Action' Says Purge of Corruption Required to Restore Constitutional Republic!'-Posted on WND.com-By Bob Unruh-On October 4, 2011:
Video: Declaration to Restore the Republic!-Posted on YouTube.com-By arnierosnerOn October 9, 2011:
Obama's 'Lost' Policies Could Foment Civil Unrest!-Posted on NewsMax.com-By David A. Patten-On October 1, 2011:
Video: Why This President Is So Dangerous'!-Posted on ExposeObama.com-On July 9, 2011:
The Brits Nail it Again–Posted on Off My Front Porch-By Steve Hilton-On August 13, 2010:
Note: The above book, report, articles and/or blog posts and videos relate to and/or support my following recent blogs-You Decide:
The Greatest Fraud Perpetrated in American History!
Has President Obama Gone Off The Deep End?
Do Alinsky's Rules Define This Administration's Governing Style?
Are We Witnessing Conversational Hypnosis At Work?
What is the cost of crossing the President?
Is Obama Employing the Cloward-Piven Strategy?
President Obama's 'Missing Link'!
President and DOJ have contributed to the racial mess in our country!
Obama the Polarizer!
Does Our President Hate America?
Is President Obama inciting riots across the US?
Godfather of The Islamic Revolution!
Is President Obama in on the Uprising in Egypt?
What is the ultimate goal of the TSA fiasco?
Progressive group maps out President Obama's strategy for next 2 years!
The Midterm Elections and the Communist Manifesto!
Powerful men who meet secretly and plan how to run our country!
Is it important to understand the Marxist assault on the foundations of our system?
Who owns our supposedly fair and balanced airwaves and news outlets?
What Happened to Free Speech?
The FCC Should Not Interfere With The Internet!
New World Order By Executive Order!
It's Getting Very Serious Now!
What we haven't been told about the President's background!
Have Americans Stopped Having Confidence In Their Government?
Obamanites Get Violent in Support of the Agenda!
Why did a black preacher from Harlem receive a "hit" on his life?
Key Witness In Obama's Passport Fraud Case Fatally Shot!
What is the true intent of the UN Small Arms Treaty?
The Military Pays the Price for Obama's Agenda!
Where Is America Today?
Is History Repeating Itself?
Nearly 80 percent don't trust the government!
Were We Forewarned About What to Expect If President Obama Got Elected?
Extensive Research Into Senator Obama's Background Completed on November 3, 2008!
The Russian View of What Has Been Happening In America!
Is it time to call for Obama's resignation!
Washington Times Calls for Obama's Impeachment!
A Nation Adrift Theme and Disclaimer:
"Food For Thought"
"God Bless & Keep Our USA Safe"
Semper Fi!


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DAVID HUSSEY is on the edge. Just as he feared his international career was finished, he has been given another chance to prove, to himself and selectors, that he can play on the world stage.
Hussey is in a strange position. The retirement of his brother Mike has revived talk of a late Test debut, and even that a good one-day series against Sri Lanka could put him on a plane to India. But a bad one could be the end of him.
That's how it is when a 35-year-old batsman loses his way, as Hussey did during Australia's winter series against Pakistan in the UAE, when he struggled for 46 runs at 15.33 in three one-day games and was axed from the Twenty20 side on the eve of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.
Hussey said on Wednesday he feared the selectors had lost faith in him for good, but he retained his position in the depleted one-day squad for the first two matches of the series and will be the second-most experienced batsman behind Brad Haddin.
While Mike Hussey takes an earlier-than-expected holiday with his family after the selectors controversially overlooked him for the one-day series, David is preparing for the role of finishing the innings.
"I was a little bit [worried about his career]. You always want to play as much international cricket as you possibly can and the UAE series didn't go to plan, I didn't play very well at all," Hussey said. "Then the World T20, I didn't get much of an opportunity. Coming back to Australia you really want to right the wrongs and prove a few people wrong and I really have struggled for the first part of the Shield season but in one-day cricket I have done quite well.
"So this is an opportunity for me to free the mind, play with no regrets, and show a few people that I can play in the international arena. I have always had a desire to play well at the international level, more for myself. I haven't really shown the world I can and this is a great opportunity.
"I'm sure Mike is very disappointed [not to be chosen], I'm sure he wants to play more one-day cricket for Australia yet I can see where Cricket Australia is coming from.
"A few people are going to put their hands up for that finishing role. I've had a couple of goes at it and have struggled with it, so I really need to stamp my authority and do that role consistently well."
The obvious candidate to replace Mike Hussey in the Test team is Usman Khawaja but Australia's batting is so muddled that the experienced David Hussey cannot be discounted before difficult Test tours of India and England. Another potential complication is the status of Shane Watson, whose desire to return to the top of the order as a specialist batsman places Glenn Maxwell in the frame to audition as a spin-bowling all-rounder.
With the country in limited-overs mode, there are few chances for Test aspirants to press their long-form credentials or prepare for the four-Test series in India. In that respect, the one-day series assumes extra importance for the likes of Khawaja, Maxwell and David Hussey.
"Everybody is talking about replacing Mike in the Test squad and I just want to do well and contribute to the team's success," Hussey said. "What an opportunity. If I do well, the ball is in my court."
The original release of this article first appeared on the website of Hangzhou Night Net.


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First things first: My apologies for the dearth of posting
But I have a reward for all of you who have been anxiously awaiting my triumphant return to writing about the cinema of Two Thousand and Ten in the Year of our Lord: capsule reviews! Delicious, delicious capsules.
Sofia Coppola - for whom I've been a bit of a defender/apologist - attempts a minimalist (or more minimalist) aesthetic in Somewhere, and it's an experiment that, save for some truly touching moments, largely falls flat. Coppola, so often written off as a Princess who has been handed the keys to her indie kingdom, is undoubtedly a major talent, and I think her namesake prevents a more objective analysis of her work - yes, she is a rich girl, and she makes movies about rich people, but the honesty of her perspective is often overshadowed simply by her being who she is. For whatever reason, her particular method of depicting rich people seems to rub a great many people the wrong way.
Somewhere represents the first time I've understood where her detractors are coming from - while in the past I feel Coppola has humanized the rich in a meaningful way, offering us insights into a social world that many of us never have and never will know anything about, the manner in which she tries to extract sympathy for her disaffected wealthy protagonist in Somewhere is insensitive and borderline obnoxious. The film opens with a static shot of hot shot actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) driving his expensive muscle car very fast on a desolate road, and this opening image, which drags on for what feels like an eternity, pretty much sums up the problem with Coppola's film - she basically sits back and expects people who have trouble paying their God damn mortgage to feel bad for this poor, lonely, alienated little rich man. Look how boring it is to be rich! Look how dull it is to drive a really fast and expensive car, look how passe it is to sit by your swimming pool, look how "meh" it is to have an almost absurd amount of big breasted women throwing themselves at you every time you turn around. I weep for this man.
Perhaps the stripped down aesthetic is the problem - Coppola is not the most expressive of visual artists, and the use of minimalism basically necessitates that you be able to tell stories in a purely visual way. Coppola's images don't feel evocative, they feel literal, and that makes the endless static images, long passages of silence and sparse dialogue more dull than poetic. Also, Dorff is good enough, but he's not a strong or dynamic enough actor to be able to express the things that Coppola wants him to wordlessly, as Bill Murray did in Lost in Translation.
The best moments in the film depict the relationship between Marco and his daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning) - essentially, this is a tale of a father reconnecting with his daughter, and the two of them have some moments together that are truly magical; especially affecting is a sequence when a tearful Cleo is leaving for camp, and Marco apologizes to her for not being more involved in her life, but his apology is drowned out by the sound of a helicopter. In spite of this, it still feels like Coppola is reaching to places she can't quite achieve through purely visual expression. Especially after the ambitious and extremely underrated Marie Antoinette, this feels like a retread to safer, more familiar territory.
An effective balance of social realist and mystery, Debra Granik's Winter's Bone is a sensitive class portrait and an engaging, suspenseful neo-noir. There is a real poetry to the film, espeically in its quieter moments; Granik and her cinematographer Michael McDonough capture the sparseness and stark beauty of their Missouri backwoods, expressing both the desolation of their setting and the literal and figurative loneliness of their main character, Ree Dolly, unforgettably brought to life by Jennifer Lawrence. Dolly, whose father has been in jail for dealing drugs and whose mother has had a mental breakdown, is forced to raise her two siblings in spite of being only 17 herself when an officer comes to her home and informs her that her father has skipped bail and, since he put the house up for collateral, their house will be claimed in one week unless he turns up. Ree then essentially takes on the role of a detective, searching for the truth of what happened to her father, and being delivered standard noir warnings by the townsfolk along the way; "stay out of it", "mind your own business", and so on.
The biggest problem with Winter's Bone is the dialogue, which tries too hard to approximate Southern dialect - it lays it on more than a little thick, and the performers with the exception of Lawrence frankly aren't talented enough to sell it. It tarnishes the illusion somewhat when you're constantly reminded that you're watching actors reciting lines; indeed, the films greatest flaw is that it feels the need to oversell all its point via the script, which isn't any great shakes. Still, Winter's Bone brings enough new ideas to its genre to make it worthwhile. But it could have been so much better.
Woody Allen, while not quite "returning to form", certainly rebounds from last year's despicable Whatever Works with the surprisingly pleasant You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Though still chock-full of token Allen cynicism - everyone cheats on everyone, every relationship is doomed to failure, and so on - there is a gentle feel to what is on the plot level standard Woody boilerplate. While Whatever Works essentially condoned immorality with its titular philosophy, Allen forces his characters in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger to confront their mistakes, and the result is a moving, if imperfect film. Anchored by terrific performances from a great ensemble cast, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is one of the year's most pleasant surprises.
We are introduced to Helena (Gemma Jones) as she tells a "clairvoyant" about her recent break up with her husband (Anthony Hopkins) , who is going through a life crisis and doing the things men apparently do when they go through said crises: break up from their boring old wife, get obsessive about physical appearance, and bag a bimbo half their age (and I.Q.) whose just sleeping with them for money (literally - his new girlfriend is an ex-hooker). While this is going on, their daughter (Naomi Watts) and her husband (Josh Brolin) are having - wait for it! - marital issues of their own; Brolin is a struggling writer whose novel he's sure will be rejected by his publishers, and Watts is resentful of being forced to be the breadwinner by working in an art gallery while her husband sits on his ass waiting for the phone to ring and stares out his apartment window at a young guitar player (Freida Pinto), who apparently only owns red clothing. Their fights lead them, naturally, to grow more fond of acquaintances than one another - Brolin begins making advances towards his neighbor while Watts finds herself falling for her boss (Antonio Banderas). You can imagine where things go from there, but Allen enriches this borderline soap opera by making his characters more alone by the end than they were in the beginning - acknowledging that the answer to your problems can't be found in the warm embrace of another person, but only within yourself.
While in his previous picture Allen just shrugged his shoulder at his characters' wrongdoing, here Allen grapples with his characters callous shortsightedness. This is typified by a scene where Pinto breaks off her engagement with the man she was to marry, and tearfully apologies to her fiance and his family for her wrongdoing. It's hard to remember the last time Allen didn't merely accept infidelity as a given - that is, didn't reductively characterize it as one of those things people do to each other - and acknowledged that it is profoundly hurtful to the person who was cheated on, and this in and of itself adds a dimension to Allen's work that has been long absent. In You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Allen does what he does best - that is, finding comedy in sadness and tragedy in the humorous.


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Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good
No…really…this is nothing more and nothing less than a small pumpkin stuffed with everything good! As it is the first day (FINALLY) of fall weather here (actual rain is falling as I type), I will take a brief break from my tomato and corn obsession.
I am not the first to plaster this recipe on a blog…and I certainly won't be the last. This is surely a recipe that will span the test of time…and on the interwebs, that is not something to take lightly. Take Pinterest for example; it is chock-full of seasonal sweets that utilize cookie dough, a popular candy bar and for good measure, some marshmallow fluff (examples found here, here and here). Admittedly, my sweet tooth prefers understated, almost savory desserts (I'm not calling myself objective here!) and while these recipes have a purpose (bake-sales, holiday parties, novelty, etc.), our grandmothers would not recognize them from their recipe repertoire. They are trends. They may, in fact, even taste good…but they are not staples and certainly not classics. I'm sure many out there disagree with me and that is fine…as I firmly believe that it takes all kinds. This recipe is a classic for so many reasons – it is more an idea than a recipe, it is flexible, it is seasonal and does not waste any bits, it can be made up of leftovers and pantry items or each ingredient bought for its specific purpose, it is cheap and can serve a crowd. For these reasons and many more, it has a place in my recipe box. A quick google search will prove this true for many others.
The recipe is available all over the web, however I've posted it here is taken directly from Dorie Greenspan's book Around My French Table. This dish epitomizes a perfect change of seasons dish…still emphasizing the freshness of squash while the filling is casserole and stuffing all wrapped into one. Serve it with a crisp salad lightly dressed earlier in the fall or with some seared chicken sausages when a chill in the air is familiar and calls for heartier meals.
- 1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
- 4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped
- About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- About 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment.
Cut the top off of the pumpkin and scrape any seeds and strings from the lid, do the same to the inside of the pumpkin. Once it is cleaned to your satisfaction, liberally season the inside of the pumpkin with kosher salt and pepper, you can also drizzle a little bit of olive oil in there as well, but it doesn't absolutely need it. Place it on the parchment on the baking sheet.
Toss all the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl (bread, cheese, garlic, onion, bacon, and herbs). I had some kale on hand, so I chopped it up and tossed that in as well. Season the mixtures with fresh ground pepper and some additional salt being careful not to over-salt as the cheese and bacon are already a bit salty.
Pack the mixture into the pumpkin…make sure it is filled! We ended up with enough stuffing for an entire additional casserole dish which we buttered before adding the stuffing.
Mix the cream together with the nutmeg and of course, season with salt and pepper and then pour it over the stuffing into the pumpkin.
The cream provides the majority of the moisture for the stuffing, so don't skimp…but your stuffing should not be swimming in the cream either.
Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours—check after 90 minutes—or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. It was so cute, I could hardly stand it!
Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.
When the pumpkin is ready, carefully, very carefully—it's heavy, hot, and wobbly—bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you'll bring to the table.
I cut wedges and plated it with a lightly dressed salad the included some microgreens from Trader Joe's.
The stuffing itself is delicious, but with a scoop of the tender pumpkin flesh, it is *literally* a perfect fall dinner. I've got so many ideas of what to stuff a little pumpkin with…sausage, wild rice, apples, linguiza, chestnuts, the list is endless! What would you stuff your pumpkin with?
It is wonderfully chilly outside now, but I need to temper my excitement for fall as the forecast is calling for 90's next week. Look for yet another post containing corn or tomatoes…or both.


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Retirees happy with decision to call it quits, according to latest study.
Some of the first wave of the baby boomer generation who've retired in the last five years say they've "felt in control" and therefore retirees are happy with decision to stop working.
That's the findings of the latest study from Ameriprise Financial that says 76 percent felt that way about their retirement. The findings, however, are based on a study of 1,000 retired baby boomers between 60 and 73 who had at least $100,000 in investable assets. It doesn't count those who are relying more on Social Security than other financial sources of retirement.
What's makes this particular group of retirees feel like they're in control is that 53 percent cited their health and 52 percent cited their emotional preparedness.
That shows the importance of being ready for retirement and taking care of your health to shape how you feel in retirement.
The Ameriprise Retirement Triggers study says the top reasons cited by people of when they retire included that they wanted to enjoy their life or no longer wanted to work. That was cited by 51 percent of the people who responded.
Achieving their financial goals was cited by 17 percent. But not everyone felt they were in control of their decision. Some 16 percent say they were either forced to retire, lost their job or were offered incentives to retire earlier, according to the study.
"This study finds that choosing a retirement date can be as much an emotional decision as a financial one," says Marcy Keckler, an Ameriprise vice president.
Even though most baby boomers feel confident after retirement, that hasn't come without some doubts, Keckler says. It's been more like a honeymoon period.
The study shows that 75 percent of retirees say they're "very satisfied" with their lifestyle. About the same amount say they're doing in retirement what they planned all along beforehand. About one third say the transition from work to retirement was an easy one for them.
Among those who said the transition wasn't without its emotional difficulties, 37 percent say they lament losing contact with their coworkers. Another 32 percent says getting used to a different routine took some time getting and 22 percent say it was a transition to find meaningful ways to pass time. http://nowitcounts.com/dating-advice-50-five-things-know-online-dating/
Nearly two thirds say they got into a new routine quickly and 52 percent say that in retirement they have less free time than they thought they would have before retiring, Keckler says. The study even pointed out that 42 percent say retirement is more fun than they expected.
The financial security is a big part for how these group of baby boomers are feeling in the first five years of retirement – a sentiment not likely shared for those who haven't done a good job of saving.
Some 57 percent say they're "very satisfied" with their financial status and 37 percent are "somewhat satisfied."
"This may help explain the fact that only one in ten of these new retirees have returned to work (in any capacity) during retirement," Keckler says.
Among those who went back to work, Keckler says they've maintained they didn't do it for the money but because they liked the opportunity or thought it would be mentally stimulating.
When it comes to second guessing themselves, this group of 1,000 baby boomers isn't doing that. Some 98 percent say they're happy with their decision to retire when they did.
But they say if they could do it again, 31 percent say they would change the timing of their retirement. That breaks down to 14 percent retiring earlier than they did and 17 percent saying they would wait.
The other regret they have is 29 percent say they wished they would have saved more money before they retired, Keckler says.
The findings of what people feel five years after they retire is quite different from what they felt before they retired, Keckler says. Some 47 percent say that even though they felt ready to retire, they had mixed emotions.
Another 25 percent said that a year away from retirement they couldn't wait to retire and 21 percent said they weren't ready.
In the timeline before people retire, the survey shows it's definitely stressful, even if they're happy with their decision today, Keckler says. About two in three say they felt that stress leading up to their decision. Even 25 percent today they feel stress even though they've been retired for five years.
"Younger boomers who are preparing for retirement should take note of what made their predecessors feel most confident leading up to retirement – as well as some of the things that they wish they would have considered more carefully before pulling the retirement trigger," Keckler says.
When they were preparing for retirement, 75 percent say they were confident in paying for basic needs, 62 percent were confident about pursing their hobbies and 60 percent were confident about keeping their minds active, Keckler says.
What they had less confidence in was maintaining their social connections and preparing their estate plans. Some 45 percent worried about keeping social connections. http://nowitcounts.com/retirement-plan-needs-money-bank/
In one way this study differs from those who have a lot less in savings with only 29 percent saying Social Security or Medicare eligibility played a role in their retirement decision.
Keckler says that might be the case because 70 percent of the people surveyed are drawing a pension. Many of today's baby boomers have to rely on a 401(k) than a company pension like our parents our grandparents did.
Before they decided to retire, 94 percent of the 1,000 surveyed say it was important for them to feel financially secure before they did so. That doesn't mean that everything has gone smoothly.
The study shows that 22 percent are spending more than they thought they would and 24 percent say they underestimated how much they would need in retirement. Some 28 percent, however, say they aren't spending as much as they had allotted.
"Oftentimes, the importance of preparing emotionally for retirement can get buried in all of the financial decisions that must be made important leading up to this milestone," Keckler says. "In reality, emotional and financial preparation goes hand-in-hand." http://nowitcounts.com/new-study-links-retirement-better-health/


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