In many ways February has been a very busy month for the project.
Firstly, you have all been so generous with your giving that a staggering 1008 items were donated. February saw such a wide variety of clothing, toiletries and toys arriving everything was wonderful and will be put to very good use by those in need. Thank you everyone, you are amazing.
The beady eyed among you may have already noticed that two new pages have been added to the site, ‘most wanted’ and ‘events’. Most wanted is a page dedicated to the needs of individuals and families that we are currently helping. This page will be updated and items crossed through as donations are received. Events is about well, events that Algerian Action will be hosting and attending-all in the name of fundraising and raising awareness of the project. Lots of things are planned so do keep looking.
You may have also noticed the Facebook link. It was suggested by someone much more computer savvy than me that there should be a Facebook page for Algerian Action. Apparently every charity has one and now, so do we!
So, if you fancy chatting to me and fellow supporters of the charity then please feel very welcome to ’become a fan’ and a ‘ friend’ by clicking on the facebook badge to your right.
Lastly, Our new project was launched the ’Eid gift bag appeal 2010′ . Your enthusiasm for this appeal has really warmed my heart. Donations for this have already started to arrive so, I’m hoping it will be a huge success!
Oh, and an update-remember the family in the shed? well a big bag of clothing and other bits and pieces has been sent to them. Thanks to your monetary donations we are in the process of sourcing a cooker for the family. At least then the lady will be able to start her cake making business and begin to support her family financially. It’s really wonderful that we have been able to help in this way as not only have some of the immediate needs been met but we have helped in the longterm too. Work is continuing on the home but progress has been made.
As always, thank you so much for your support and generosity. Have a marvellous March everyone!
Truths that little children have learned:
You can’t trust dogs to watch your food!
Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair!
Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time!
Today’s Meditation:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NAB Mt 5:43-48)
Did you notice this series of verses left out the end of the quote from the first sentence. There was no “as yourself” at the end of the quotation. There is no Old Testament commandment demanding hatred of one’s enemy. The “neighbor” of this “love” commandment was understood as one’s fellow countryman. Both in the Old Testament, and in the Qumran (1QS 9:21), hatred of evil persons is assumed to be permitted and all right. Jesus extends the love commandment to the enemy, and the persecutor. As children of God, we must imitate the example of the Jesus. Christianity is purposely not aggressive by nature and intent. Aggression displayed is transformed into a strategy of winning through the wisdom of love.
Jesus distinguishes between earthly rewards, and Godly rewards. The tax collectors were Jews of the region, who were engaged in the collection of indirect taxes such as tolls and customs. Such tax collectors paid a fixed amount of money for the right to collect customs duties within their districts. Whatever they collected above this amount was profit to them. The abuse of extortion was widespread among tax collectors. Hence, tax collectors were regarded as sinners and outcasts of society, and were disgraced, along with their families. Tax collectors were a symbol of low morality, being often associated with extortion and collaborating in the Roman occupation of Palestine. Tax collectors were hated publicly, verbally, and sometimes violently. It would have been difficult to be hated more than a tax collector. Jesus ate with tax collectors frequently, during His ministry. He instructs that loving those that hate you, increases God’s love for you. Loving our enemies is a must for all Christians. Remember, all people are God’s creation, and we should see Jesus in everyone we meet. If you don’t see Jesus in everyone, get your vision checked in the confessional, and at mass.
Jesus’ disciples must not be content with the usual standards of conduct in society. In the time of Jesus, the “greeting” mentioned above, was a prayer of blessing on the one greeted. In the last sentence of this reading, the word “perfect” was used. In the gospels this word occurs only in Matthew; here and in Matthew 19:21. In Luke’s gospel, the parallel verse (Luke 6:36) demands that the disciples be merciful. The idea of perfection for the Jews of that time, was a man who observed the whole law without exception. We need to transform ourselves to be like Christ, and follow His whole laws. The Franciscans’ have a saying: “commit yourself to daily conversion.”
“Lord, I love you above all. Help me to love all others as much as I love you. Amen.”
Pax et Bonum
Dan Halley, SFO
*****
Franciscan Saint of the Day: Bl. Sebastian of Aparicio
Sebastian lived from 1502 to 1600, and he was a bridge builder mostly in Mexico. At age 72, he distributed all he had among the poor and entered the Franciscans as a brother. He is known as the “Angel of Mexico” and is the patron of travelers.
(From http://www.franciscan-sfo.org website)
Prologue to the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule, Chapter 1:
All who love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with all their strength (cf. Mk 12:30), and love their neighbors as themselves (cf. Mt 22:39) and hate their bodies with their vices and sins, and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and produce worthy fruits of penance.
Oh, how happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them, because “the spirit of the Lord will rest upon them” (cf. Is 11:2) and he will make “his home and dwelling among them” (cf Jn 14:23), and they are the sons of the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:45), whose works they do, and they are the spouses, brothers, and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Mt 12:50).
Her teacher, Mrs Sims – who knew May’s mother – had asked May if she could mind her son Jason for three hours on Saturday evening.
Jason was a handsome six-year-old. He beamed at May when she arrived. He was genial and biddable. There were smiles all round. Mrs Sims put him to bed.
‘He’s asleep,’ she announced as she left. May settled in for a quiet evening of television.
Within five minutes of his parents’ depature, Jason appeared, wanting juice. May couldn’t be sure, but she thought he threw it over the television deliberately. May had the sense to switch it off at the mains.
Jason grinned, ‘More!’
He had a wicked grin. May obliged. What else could she do?
Jason tripped, beaker in hand, and the juice saturated the smart new sofa. While she cleaned up as best as she could, Jason disappeared. I mean, he really disappeared. May could find him nowhere in the house.
May became hysterical. She searched high and low, but in the end, she was forced to text Mrs Sims and…
Down a old gravel road
On a hill I go home
To visit the reasons
I don’t feel alone..
Where good people love me
‘Cause I’m one of their own..
A place out in the country
That i call Home sweet home..
Where chickens are laying
And Horses run free..
Where Grandma is baking
A pie just for me..
Where all the Men gather
By the barn talking cars…
And women talk about babies
and empty out canning jars..
Where children feel safe
Even when they are grown.
And love is the reason
It still feels like Home…
I had a plan. I was planning to bake last night. I have a lot of hamantaschen to bake, am a wee bit behind schedule, and am feeling the pressure with Purim just days from now. But my class on Pirkei Avot ran a little over (we were having a great discussion) and by the time I got back to Beit Frummie, I was plumb tuckered out. Baking deferred.
As I climbed into bed, all I kept thinking was:
Now I’ll never be qualified to be an Eishet Chayil.
You see, the candle of an Eshet Chayil burns on into the night. Me? I couldn’t manage much of anything after a day that included meetings, a funeral and meal of condolence, and teaching.
{{sigh…}}
Proverbs 31:10-31 has gotten a bad rap since the fabrente feminists decided that there was something negative about praising a woman for abilities and characteristics that have been highly valued by our people. [I highly recommend a contemporary look at this passage by Hillel's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning and the Jewish Women's Archive.] So much value was placed on them that it has become custom for husbands to sing — yes, sing!– this Proverbial selection to their wives at ths Shabbos table each week. Who wouldn’t enjoy being serenaded??
Eishet Chayil
A woman of valor, who can find? She is more precious than fine pearls.
Her husband trust in her, and so he lacks for nothing;
She does him good, never harm, all the days of her life.
Shee looks for wool and flax, and sets her hand to them with a will.
She is like a merchant fleet, bringing her food from afar.
She rises while it is still night, and provide provisions for her household, the daily fare of her maids.
She sets her mind on an estate and acquires it;
She plants a vineyard by her own labours.
She girds herself with strength, and performs her tasks with vigour.
She perceives that her labour is rewarding; her candle burns on into the night.
She sets her hand to the disatt; her fingers work the spindle.
She reaches out to those in need, and extends her hands to the poor.
She is not worried for her household because of the snow, for her whole household is dressed in crimson.
She makes covers for herself;Her clothing is linen and purple.
Her husband is prominent in the gates, as he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes cloth and sells it, and offers a girdle to the merchant.
She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she faces the future cheerfully.
She speaks with wisdom; the law of kindness is on her lips.
She oversees the activities of her household
and never eats the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and bless her; her husband sings her praises.
Many duaghter have done valiantly, but you exceed them all.
Grace is deceptive, beauty is illusory;
it is for her awe in the Eternal that a woman is to be praised.
Extol her for the fruit of her hand,and let her works praise her in the gates.
OK — so there are a few other things that might disqualify me.
But I really do use this as my model. This is who I want to become. I want to be a woman whose virtues are praiseworthy. Whose children praise her. And forget that she ever decried:
Look…I followed the recipe. I don’t know why the dough is so sticky. Mommy just isn’t very good at this kind of stuff.
So for all the other reluctant balebustas out there, here is Frume Sarah’s annotated version of the Working Mom’s Hamentashen:
Prep Time
Cook Time
Ready Time
10 min
15 min
30 min
Don’t know how they came up with the timing. From start to finish, including kitchen clean-up, plan about 90 minutes.
Ingrediants
1 (18.25 ounce) package moist yellow cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 cup Solo cake and pastry filling (any flavour), chocolate spread, Nutella, etc.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
I used a cooking spray to grease the pans. I grease them all at the same time so that I don’t have to stop what I’m doing after I fill a tray.
In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and flour. Stir in the eggs and water to form a stiff dough.
“Stiff dough” is not an accurate description. At least, I couldn’t quite get it to what I would describe as “stiff dough.” It is more reminiscent of moist sand. Do NOT add additional water; the dough will become rather unruly.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch round circles and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
1/8 inch thickness? 3 inch round circles? 2 inches apart? Feh! Roll it until it feels right. Use a flour-rimmed drinking glass to cut the circles. And don’t put them too close together. And be generous with the flour for the rolling pin. Helps combat the sticky tendency of this dough. Using a drinking glass yields about 5 dozen cookies.
Place a teaspoon of filling into the center of each cookie and pinch the sides to form three corners. Moisten with water if necessary.
I’m not from the pinchers. I’m from the folders. I like to fold the dough to make little triangular pockets. Some use water; others recommend an egg wash. I use neither.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Normally, I like my cookies on the “well-done” side. The success of a the hamantaschen baker is to find that find balance between undercooked and overcooked. Every oven is different. Mine are perfect in 6 1/2 minutes.
For extra points, allow your kids to eat them for breakfast in the days leading up to Purim. Makes for warm, fuzzy feelings.
I wanted to test out the video embedding feature on my blog with this post. When I first opened it in June 2008 WordPress did not allow the embedding of videos, but since has made changes. The video I’ve chosen is one that we did locally a few summers ago. It involves the Homer’s Heroes program that our little league organization is involved with. Tonight I will be at yet another registration night for our summer program (the final one being on Saturday) and while we always think of the 2000 plus kids ages 5-17 involved in our various age divisions of baseball, we should never forget that there is a smaller group of kids and parents who look forward to the summer just as much, if not more, than we do.
Thank you, as always, the the coaches and players with our own Lincoln Saltdogs who donate time and energy as well.
Let me clarify that. I love kids who are all about wanting more than what they have or kids who have goals to be somebody their community can be proud of. Those kids I can’t stand are the ones where they feel like they’re untouchable, the ones who THINK they know everything and don’t want any guidance whatsoever.
I volunteered my time at an institution of higher learning (the place will be left anonymous), and I gave a workshop on resume writing to a group of high school kids. Keep in mind, these kids aren’t dumb, but they are very one-track-minded. If it’s not about Plies or Souljah Boy (two GARBAGE rappers, by the way), then it’s irrelevant to them.
Keep in mind, these kids are 15 and 16 years old — old enough to look for jobs that don’t include the words “You want fries with that?” One of the students actually said she was doing data entry for her uncle’s company. I can dig that. What I despise with every fiber of my being is the kid that doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t care to learn and is downright disrespectful during the lecture, only to ask me if I can help him get a job at the end of the lecture.
Chad Johnson said it best: “Child, please!”
To all those new parents and expecting parents, PLEASE teach your child up. Train your child to be a scholar. Let them know that ignorance not only is intolerable but also the running joke of corporate America. School them on the actual-factuals of being independent AND interdependent. Yes, folks, there’s a difference between those two words.
We hear all the time that the children are our future. If the future’s run by those heathens I worked with, we’re in deep trouble. Real talk.
Tyson Davenport
Sunday, February 21, 2010
From Psalm 91:
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone
This verse is seriously good news for mothers. Especially ones with active children.
One of the things I am giving up for Lent is being anxious about my children and their safety.
Because my oldest was born during my abusive first marriage, I fretted constantly. I was anxious. I couldn’t sleep. I checked on her half a dozen times every night. I frequently slept on the floor by her crib, figuring that if her father went to harm her, he would trip over me.
So my son does have a tendency to forget the rules about things like climbing (it’s not the fact of climbing, so of his location choices are sketchy) or parking lots (WAIT for Mama, THEN move a millimeter). And I have busted the three year old more than once recently with a bead in her mouth (we finished teething HOW long ago, fruit bat?).
Why all the fretting?
Some of it is that I’ve realized I fixate on the big stuff – a stranger creeping in (getting past our large pit bull mix) and stealing one of them, or teenagers driving like evil dorks in a parking lot) because I don’t like the little stuff (the konked heads, the minor falls, the bangs and bruises) so if I guess I’m training by thinking about awful things so those little things don’t seem like such a big deal.
But it’s a silly waste of limited Mama mental resources. And…it’s not my job.
So I’ve realized this anxiety is kind of a bad habit, like the Diet Coke and the extra cookies. It’s a crutch, when I should be focusing on other things. I lean on it. It’s comfortable somehow to worry about the same thing over and over. It’s easier to fret over something I’m used to fretting about, rather than tackle anything new.
But what am I missing while I do that? I’m not sure – so this Lent, I’m going to shut it down (as best as I can, of course). I’m going to pray for more peace, to trust those angels that I know hover by my children all the time, to relax and know that God has plans for all of them.
I need to turn my Mama energy towards other things: praying for my husband and his sarcasm that hurts me and the kids. Praying for my tendency to lose my patience with colleagues who argue at meetings. Praying for all the women in the church who are dealing with the huge variety of challenges life throws at women.
I will leave the hovering to the angels. They have a different perspective, and I know exactly where they get their orders. My kids are in good hands.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4:1-13.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’”
Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and: ‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
–
When temptation is right in front of our faces, its the devil’s goal is for us to take it. In today’s gospel, Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations no matter how desperate the situation was for Him. He spent 40 days and nights in the desert for he was led by the Holy Spirit there. It may sound simple to just say no but temptations these days aren’t as simple as turning rocks into bread or as extreme as jumping over the top or pledging allegiance to the devil. Evil has found so many ways for us to side with him in such modern times.
Temptations like “not doing our homework”, or “watching TV when there’s a test tomorrow,” or “pretending to use the PC for ‘homework’. Simple acts like that are when we give in to temptation. Small it may be, it’s still turning against God which is something that should be avoided. The Priest who shared the homily gave a good point as to how Jesus’ temptations can be compared to a child’s temptations.
Our parents are the people who tell us what to do and what not to do. When they tell us to sleep early every night, we might as well do it , regardless of how much we are against the idea. The temptation here is whether or not we follow our parents. As much as we might loathe the command, we still do it because we both know its for our own good. Our body deserves a good rest and we must maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Just like how God tells everyone that if we follow His command, we are openly welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. No matter how much we like giving in to temptation or no matter how much people are against your actions that are for the Lord, you will be greatly rewarded in Heaven. Also, don’t you find it strange for a master to bow down to his own subject? God created all there was besides Him. That means He also created the devil. So, why would Jesus bow down to and follow what He has made? It’s like saying the piece of clay you molded just commanded you to follow it’s orders. Would you do it?
That’s what I want to say. We resist temptations, because God is still giving you a chance to turn back to Him. He wants you to be happy in making your own choices just as how your parents decide on when you are growing up. He gave us free will so that the love He receives from us will be a lot more rewarding compared to when He would have to make the world all good, righteous and holy. It is almost like a test if we have still turn to him even if we have free will.
“(1) The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (2) Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” 1 Timothy 4: 1-2 (NIV)
I think this passage from First Timothy sums up perfectly the following article titled, ” ‘Faith Leaders’ Undermine God’s Plans for Marriage”, from Allie Martin from OneNewsNow:
“An official with the Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD) says it’s a sad sign of the times that a group of “faith leaders” in Iowa signed a document declaring their support for same-sex “marriage.”
The letter, dated and made public on Tuesday, was signed by more than 160 faith leaders and was presented to lawmakers during a news conference held by the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa. It says many faith traditions affirm that “where there is love, the sacred is in our midst” — and goes on to say: “This belief is the same for couples comprised of a man and a woman, two women, or two men.”
…….(commentary by Ms. Martin) -Wisdom says it also damages the church when pastors, who are charged with defending God’s Holy Word, promote unscriptural practices.”
God’s Word is absolute Truth. It is Living. It is Divinely Inspired and it is Infallible. As much as we may want to twist it, misinterpret it and or deny it in order to rationalize our ignorant and sinful desires and lifestyles, we can’t. Homosexuality is an abomination against God. He plainly states this in His Word. God has an extreme hatred and disgust for it (as for all sin) and He will not change because we have confused worldly, carnal love as God’s love.
As ”little Christs”, we have to recognize the schemes of Satan, and not allow ourselves to be deceived by these false teachers. Open your spirits and ask God to show you the Truth revealed in His Word. He will show it to you, He will teach you, giving you knowledge and wisdom that isn’t of this world.
This spiritual slop is of Satan. Let’s call it for what it is – an all-out assault on God’s institution of marriage by satan and his posse. Remember, satan has already been defeated. Let’s stop giving him power that he is no longer justified and entitled to have. The Church has got to rise and be the voice of God in this evil generation, speaking the Truth of Christ, no matter what. God’s already won this battle. Let’s remind satan and this world of this truth.
Let us start with a quote “Confusion is the last stop on the road to clarity. The part of your mind that knows it all is butting up against a bigger idea.” Alan Cohen
Hello everyone how are you today? Wow that is a strong word confusion the mind can either confuse the hell out of you and life itself or it can put you on the right track.
It comes down to choices my friends always the choices we make are and will always be where it takes us. In other words you see how I just tried to confuse you huh huh. The choices we make are what will eventually place where we are today and where we will be in the future. You see sometimes we see things that are not there and sometimes we do not see things that are right in front of our eyes.
Let me explain sometime life will bring us horrible things into our lives but if but stop and analyze the horrible things we will find that we made a choice somewhere prior that brought these things into our lives. We have to be real careful on how we think and what we do and how we react to anything. Life is beautiful no matter how bad things might look just remember that you are a great person and you are here to do great things in life.
Never give up and never give in !!! I am still trying out for the semi pro football team. There were some cuts but I am still there so that is a good thing. You know why I am still there because I do not give up no matter how much I hurt no matter how bad my legs want to give up on me I keep on running. In my mind I have already won my place on the team the coaches just do not see it yet.
What they have seen is just how hard I play and I never miss a practice. My motivational speaking is starting to really take off as well. I get to speak to a HS locally next week. I am so excited about this before you know it You will see my videos.
Whatever You Do My Friends Just Do It Well And Do Your Best!!!!
“Why did you do that?” is a question children with ADD get asked a lot.
“I don’t know,” is the answer children with ADD give a lot—much to the frustration and incredulity of the authority figure.
“What were you thinking?” is another question that might receive a blank stare or unrevealing answer from a child.
Adults with ADD give those same answers that – while true – aren’t satisfying answers.
The answer(s) lie in the question Children with ADD spend a lot of time asking:
“Why am I in trouble?”
Children with ADD don’t ask this question for very long. Eventually, they simply accept the fact that they are a bad kid and resign themselves to spending much of their life in trouble and wishing as much as adults wished they could stop.
You might ask yourself, others, and the child in your care, “Why does (s)he get in trouble for the same thing(s) over and over again no matter how many times (s)he gets punished for it?”
Simple. The impulse comes and they act. There is no thought – even if there was time to think it – that the action in question is “bad” or “wrong” or “inappropriate” or will get them in trouble. They don’t think of the consequences because … why would there be any consequences? All the child knows is the action will be fun and or funny. It will feel good. It will make people smile. Who wouldn’t want to do this? Who wouldn’t want to watch me do this? What could possibly be wrong with jumping from the roof into the pool? It’s fun!
From the perspective of a child or adult with ADD, they are always in trouble. Their boss, spouse, or someone is always mad at them.
It’s one of those things that makes us ADDers ask, “How do normal people act? What is it that makes them act so differently?”
As much as you don’t get us — we don’t get you. We really want to. We really don’t want to get in trouble any more.
When we say we’ll try — we really, really mean it. But … we have no idea that what we’re about to do or say will upset anyone … so it doesn’t occur to us that now is the moment to “try.”
There are some days when you feel overwhelmed- yesterday was one of those days for myself. You can get overwhelmed by anything- children, work, technology and information and the effects of information overload. A man by the name of Conrad Gessner felt that the modern world was overwhelming people with data and this was harming people’s minds. He died in 1565. His preoccupation with data and information was around the printing press.
Thankfully if you do happen to feel overwhelmed with data, or at least how to search for a needle in a haystack, the State Library of Victoria has developed 21 research guides on locating information on topics such as Adoption and Bushfires in Victoria, through to researching what things cost in the 19th and 20th centuries.
This section of the SLV website is part of the new website which will be launched soon. It reminded me of an article on Everyday Usability, which provided a 14 point checklist to ensure maximum usability. One of the aspects which struck me was
You can nurture your website every day by remembering that you are the host and everyone who arrives wants to know what you have and how it will benefit them.
Updating the website regularly with new links or highlighting resources is a great way of keeping your website fresh, but the constant updating and evaluation is also needed.
A relatively quiet day, just the usual gym, laundry and kinder merry go round. I’ve felt grateful for the lovely late summer day, as the kids are currently playing in the sandpit.
Two weeks ago, we sent out an email about the one year anniversary of our website. There was nothing special about the message and we didn’t break any exclusive news item. But we did ask you to spread the word to three people who had never visited our site. That is when you, our greatest resource, swung into action.
In the three days following that email, our website hosted 10,450 visitors, including more than 7500 who were visiting for the first time.
It has been our experience that site traffic leads to both petition signatures and donations, and this time will be no exception. Most importantly, however, site traffic means more people are learning about the threats to parental rights, perhaps for the very first time.
Ironically, about 80% of the emails we send out at a given time go unopened. This means that only 1 in 5 even read what we asked of you, and I suspect fewer than half of those actually made the effort – and still our site traffic soared. You who are the “faithful few” truly have an amazing impact and we thank you. We could not do any of what we do without your tireless efforts alongside our own.
Action Item
This week, then, we would like to make a rare repeat request: find three more people who have never seen our site before, and urge them to visit parentalrights.org. If they have no idea where to start, invite them to play the video, or click on “Where Do I Start?” in the blue menu bar below the pictures. If you’re in Virginia, you might want to point them to our Virginia page in our States Watch section, where you can track the progress of our PRA resolution, HJR 193, which just passed the Virginia House of Delegates.
If you didn’t participate two weeks ago, just think how much more of an impact we can have with your help. If you did participate, of course you could take this week off – but can you be sure someone else will pick up the slack? You are our greatest resource: victory for parental rights and the protection of children depends on you!
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Sleep Is Essential For Brain Development
Article – January 28, 2009
Everyone has the occasional sleepless night due to an illness, injury, stress, or otherwise. Having trouble sleeping regularly though, is a problem that requires treatment. Human beings are so reliant on sleep for basic mental and bodily functioning and when this sleep is disrupted if affects us in more ways than we know.
Neuroscientists now believe sleep* is essential for proper brain development and also has an effect on how we perceive our world when we are awake. Our brain converts our experiences into a more permanent form which is stored in our brains as memory and lack of sleep can interfere with this process. Sleeping problems are also linked to mental disorders such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia. Scientists believe that sleep gives our bodies the chance to repair our bodies and minds as it is impossible to do this when we are still using our bodies. Lack of sleep not only puts stress on the body but it also impairs our basic functioning. Sleep deprivation leads to impaired reaction time, delays in speech, and leads us to make decisions we would not normally make as the human brain cannot function properly without adequate amounts of sleep. In fact, our basic biological need to sleep is so great that our bodies sometimes simply shut down which can be deadly. A prime example of this is when over tired drivers fall asleep at the wheel causing an automobile accident. A human being can only go so long without sleeping before the body simply shuts down.
Adults need about 7-8 hours of restful sleep every night and children need even more. If you have a sleeping problem, try natural sleep aids such as Chamomile tea, meditation, yoga, hot baths, or melatonin.
Sleep* - Sleep Well, Be Well! The Benefits of Sleep
Why do we need sleep? Scientists believe that sleep gives our bodies the chance to maintain and repair our bodies and minds. Each night we cycle through 5 stages of sleep ranging from light sleep to deep, deep sleep, and finally, to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Then the cycle starts over again with varying times spent in each stage until we are spending nearly all of our time in stages 1, 2 and REM sleep. A complete sleep cycle takes 90 to 110 minutes on average.
While we sleep our brains are using important neuronal connections that might otherwise deteriorate from lack of activity. During deep sleep, brain activity that control emotions, decision-making processes, and social interaction shuts down, allowing us to maintain optimal emotional and social functioning when we are awake. Cell growth and cell repair takes place to combat the effects of stress and UV rays in this stage as well. Hence, deep sleep can truly be called beauty sleep. Sleep also helps our bodies fight infection. This is because our immune system releases a sleep-inducing chemical while fighting a cold or an infection. Sleep helps the body conserve energy and other resources that the immune system needs to mount an effective attack.
Our bodies have a built-in indicator for when we fail to get enough sleep. Lack of sleep affects our nervous systems by leaving us drowsy and unable to concentrate. Not getting enough sleep also leads to poor memory and physical performance. If sleep deprivation continues, hallucinations and mood swings may develop. In the same vein, sleeping problems are common in both mental and physical disorders including depression and schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cancer, and head injuries. These sleeping problems may arise from changes in the brain regions and neurotransmitters that control sleep and from the drugs used to control the symptoms of these disorders.
The Dangers of Sleep Deprivation
The average adult appears to function best with 7 to 8 hours of sleep while infants need 16 hours of sleep and teenagers need about 9 hours. If you have been sleep deprived, your body will try to adjust by increasing the amount of sleep that you need. How do you know if you need more sleep? Experts say if you feel drowsy during the day or if you routinely fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you probably have sleep deprivation. Sleep is often the first thing to be sacrificed in our busy lives to get more done. But we are putting our well-being in danger as well as our health.
Bradley University researchers say that overall sleep deprivation strongly impairs human functioning. Moreover, mood is more affected by sleep deprivation than either cognitive or motor performance and that partial sleep deprivation has a more profound effect on functioning than either long-term or short-term sleep deprivation. Therefore, while we may get used to a sleep-depriving schedule, our bodies do not.
We pay the price for sleep deprivation with impaired reaction time, judgement, and sometimes our lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver fatigue is responsible for an estimated 100,000 motor vehicle accidents and 1,500 deaths each year. Moreover, sleep deprivation magnifies the effect of alcohol on the body. Caffeine and other stimulants cannot counteract the effects of severe sleep deprivation. If you are having trouble keeping your eyes focused or if you can’t remember the last few miles, you are probably too drowsy to drive safely. What is the solution? Take a nap. According to a study conducted by the Karolinska Institute and National Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health, Stockholm, Sweden, a 20 minute nap has a definite, marked effect on alertness. In subjects that took a short nap after experiencing sleep deprivation or a shortened sleep cycle, performance of visual vigilance tests improved while self-reported feelings of sleepiness decreased.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
1. Keep a set sleep schedule. Go to bed each night at the same time and get up at the same time. It’s tempting to sleep in on the weekends, but what you end up doing is re-setting your sleep schedule, making it difficult to get up the rest of the week.
2. Exercise helps you fall asleep and can improve the quality of your sleep. Exercise daily and be sure to exercise 5 or 6 hours before going to bed.
3. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. We are all aware that caffeine is a stimulant, but nicotine and alcohol intake keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep and deprives you of deep sleep and REM sleep.
4. Relax before going to bed. Make a relaxing routine such as a warm bath or reading part of your bedtime ritual.
5. Wake up with the sun. Sunlight helps your body reset your biological clock each day. If you are having trouble falling asleep, due to jet lag or mild insomnia, experts recommend exposing yourself to an hour of morning sunlight or using very bright lights in the morning to help reset your biological clock.
6. If you can’t sleep, get out of bed. Do something else until you feel tired, like reading or watching television. Lying in bed feeling frustrated because you can’t fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia.
7. Be comfortable. Maintain a comfortable temperature in your bedroom. Being too hot or too cold can disrupt your sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.
See a doctor – if you suspect you have one of the following sleep problems:
Insomnia - frequent or long-term inability to fall asleep.
Sleep Apnea – interrupted breathing during sleep characterized by loud snoring, obesity, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Restless Legs Syndrome – unpleasant crawling or prickling sensations in the legs and feet and an urge to move them for relief. Characterized by constant leg movement during the day and insomnia at night.
Narcolepsy – Falling asleep frequently during the day even if you have had a normal amount of nighttime sleep.
_______________________
Sleep Your Pain
Away:
These Tips Show You
How
By Steven Hefferon, CMT PTA
What’s the most time-consuming thing you do, day in and day out, everyday of your life? Eating? I hope not. Sitting in traffic? Ditto.Watching TV? Nope. It’s sleeping.
You spend between six and 10 hours a night in bed. That’s one-third of your life. And when it comes to back pain, those are some of the most important hours in your day. Sleep helps your body heal. It’s really the only time your muscles can completely rest and recover. There are a ton of studies linking sleep with healing. They show that, among other things, human growth hormone and melatonin, both of which play a big role in tissue recovery and immunity, are produced during sleep.
So if you’re not getting good sleep — whether it’s due to pain, anxiety, fear or whatever—you’re not giving your muscles, especially your back muscles, time to rejuvenate themselves for
the next day’s activities.
Believe me, I know. In my struggles with all kinds of pain over the years, I’ve come to understand first-hand the importance of restful sleep. In this article, I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned.
What’s the Best Mattress
Is firm better than soft? From a physiological standpoint, a more supportive mattress is better regardless of what sleep position you prefer.
But having said that, the real answer is this: The best mattress is the one that helps you sleep well and wake up without any added pain and stiffness. It’s really about personal preference and what you are used to.
In my experience, I have tried them all. I tried a memory foam mattress but it was too soft. (I gave to my parents, and they love it.)
I now use a firm box spring and mattress plus a towel under the sheets to give added support to my hips and pelvis.
Special Secret Tip:
You read that right — I put a towel under my fitted sheet. A small blanket works well too. Here’s what you do: Fold the towel or blanket in half (and in half again if it’s thin). Place it under the fitted sheet—so it doesn’t move around during the night—under the small of your back and spreading down toward your knees.
This extra support helps prevent your pelvis from sagging into the mattress. It might only make a difference of a few millimeters. But that is a huge difference when it comes to preventing the added stress that comes with remaining in any sleeping position all night long.
What’s the Best Position to Sleep In?
As with the mattress you chose, the position you sleep in is based
on your personal preference or physical limitations based on pain or restrictions from your doctor because of surgery. In general, back sleeping is the most stable position for your spine and the least irritating to your muscles. Side sleeping is the next best. Stomach sleep is the least desirable if your back is not adequately supported.
I personally like a modified side-lying position, using full-length body pillow. I sleep ‘hugging’ the pillow with my arms and legs, which is really comfortable and takes pressure off my lower back. You should try it. Body pillows can be found at most retail bedding stores. They are not expensive and may give you an alternative sleeping position that will make a big difference in your comfort level, thus improving the quality and duration of sleep.
Why am I Sore When I Wake Up?
Typically, those with back pain don’t roll over as much as those without pain. You may even find your self with limited movement. And because the hips are the heaviest part of the body, they sag into the mattress over time.That puts undue pressure on the ligaments, joints and muscles of the lower spine. This is why I recommend the added support under the fitted sheet.
Think of it as like stretching the same muscles for six to eight hours straight. Would that feel good? Of course not. So it’s no wonder you wake up sore. Find a way to support your body and you will minimize the irritation.
I hope these tips help, and I encourage you to think of your own comfort-enhancing positions and/or techniques.
A Few More Tips
* Don’t drink any fluids 60 minutes before bedtime. This is so
you don’t have to go to the bathroom and then have trouble falling back asleep.
* No physical activity for at least 45 minutes before bed.Exercising will rev your body up, making it hard to calm yourself and fall into a restful sleep.
* Take 10 deep breaths as you tell yourself you are going to sleep.When you awake you will be feeling great and ready for the new day.
* As you lay in bed ready to go to sleep, reflect on your day.Express gratitude and give thanks for all you have. It helps you look forward to waking up with renewed enthusiasm and the belief that tomorrow will bring you one day closer to your goals.
* Dress in warm bedclothes if you are cold and cool clothes if
you are hot. I have taken this to the extreme and love the results. I wear wool socks, flannel pants, a sweatshirt and a knit hat. It sounds strange, but if you can minimize the stress on the body in this case trying to keep warm your body will be more relaxed. Healing is always better when the body is relaxed.
* Do some reading. In my work on back pain, I scour the latest resources and reference guides. So let me recommend and urge you to read the best book ever written on sleep. It’s called ‘Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program That Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance,’ by Dr. James B.Mass. It’s available on Amazon.com for about $10. That would be money well spent.
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I was doing some research on sleep patterns in children. School age children should get 10 hours of sleep. James begs to go to bed 7:30-8:30 most nights so he’s fine. Davy, on the other hand, has never slept good and a good night is 8 hours. He only gets that much because we homeschool and I can let him sleep til 9 or 10 am if he stayed up til 1 or 2 am the night before. He can’t take the natural supplement, Melatonin, because that triggers his asthma. We’ve done a prescription in the past but we had not used it lately because we were able to be more relaxed with his schedule at home.
So I got to thinking, this really seems to bother us more than it does him. But things got turned upside down when he had a seizure-like episode. So far all the tests are turning up nothing that could have triggered it. But since I have epilepsy and I know lack of sleep is one of my triggers, we put him back on the prescription. Well, he went to sleep a lot sooner at night but now he’s waking up a whole lot earlier in the morning. Getting no more sleep, just sleeping during different hours. Some of this has to be just his different way of sleeping that just doesn’t fit into the norm.
I found this article about sleep in pre-industrialized times. Apparently people used to go to bed at sunset, sleep 4 hours, wake up to read, meditate, do chores, etc, and then go back to sleep for another 4 hours. Maybe it’s just me, but it makes a whole lot of sense. I usually wake up after 4 hours or so but I’ve trained myself to go back to sleep.
Another article talks about what we perceive as sleep problems may not be actually a problem at all. Maybe we’re just getting back to a natural rhythm of days-gone-by.
I got to thinking that it makes Proverbs 31 make a whole lot of sense. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
Prov 31:15 (KJV)
What if she used that time between sleep cycles to get a head start on the food preparation for the day? If I had that time, I could clean without kids undoing my work as fast as I could do it. I could work on gifts that I didn’t want the children to see yet. I could spend some quiet time reading and studying.
I got curious and starting looking up other references in the Bible to sleep.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Psalms 127:2 (KJV)
So is God telling us to go to bed early and sleep late? I don’t think so because sleep is also associated with idleness. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
Prov 6:9-11 (KJV)
All of these verses just make the first sleep and second sleep cycle make way more sense than expecting the long periods of uninterrupted sleep.
So I have decided not to worry so much when I wake up at midnight. And not stress too much over Davy sticking to a schedule that may not be ideal for us at all. I’ll keep him on the prescription for a few more weeks and hope that it will establish the habit of at least starting the first sleep cycle by 8pm. So if he wakes up, he still has time to get another sleep cycle in.
We’ve put in movies on occasion when he wakes up early and I don’t think that qualifies as a quiet activity. So if he wakes up now, I think we need to read or let him draw (who knows, that might be his most creative time of the day) and establish a habit of quiet activities that mimic those of ancient times. That way, when he’s an adult, he will have those habits to fall back on when momma and daddy aren’t there to tell him that he needs his sleep. Then maybe he won’t need to be on a prescription that can affect his day time performance.
I was reading 1 John 3:1-3 today where it talks about us being “children of God.” 1 John 3:1 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” I love this verse.
I remember as a kid the love I had for my dad and he had for me. Since he has passed away, I miss this. I remember when I could run to him and jump on his lap and he would make everything better. He would give me a great big hug and tell me how much he loved me. Even as an adult, I have wished this when having a bad day. I remember the last hug I gave him 10 years ago. This verse reminds me that even though I have lost my earthly father, I still have my Heavenly Father. I have an identity through Christ. I have a family through Christ. We are God’s children and we are special. I so look forward to the day in heaven when I can run and jump into the arms of God and receive a great big hug. I know in that moment, everything will be perfect.
Did that title yell at you? I hope so, as that is point of titles in all-caps.
First. Meet my new roommate.
Second. Meet my new roommate’s child (remember that activity?).
Becky with the future Mrs. Alesky.
I seem to fail epicly at maintaining a multi-media aspect to this blog, so I needed to get that out of the way. Onwards and upwards!
Long story–full of sharing circles in front of portable heaters and jockeying for position within the house–short, I have graciously and gracefully given up my single for a double room that I share with Becky. It is my first mitzvah here in Israel … actually, isn’t coming to Israel a mitzvah? … wait, I don’t even actually know all the mitzvot are, so it very well might be my fifth, or twentieth, or what have you. Anyway, to keep the peace and sanity currently reigning in the house, somebody needed to switch into the double, and that somebody ended up being me. On the bright side, Becky is awesome and it will all work out for the best. So goes chiam (to throw in one of the four hebrew words I’ve retained thus far).
The big news is: Dr. Alesky is betrothed! To Becky’s child! It’s a prefect match, no?
Some parents are so annoying. What kind of example are they setting for their children when they can’t even be considerate of other parents?
At one of our kids’ activities, the parents line up chairs so that they can see their children. Then they add chairs for grandparents and siblings and friends and whoever else happens to come that day. This means that other parents have no place to sit and no place to even stand. Some days they completely block the aisle. How are the children supposed to get out? How are parents supposed to get to their children? No concern whatsoever for anyone else.
This doesn’t just happen at one activity. At gymnastics tonight, all of the viewing chairs were being used. Eventually one mother left with her daughter. Her friend set a coffee cup on the empty chair then settled her daughter into the other empty chair. Really? She didn’t see me standing right behind her trying to see what my daughter was doing? And her COFFEE CUP needed it’s own seat?
Then we have the people who stop in front of our school to let kids out while blocking a line of cars behind them. Other parents park across driveways or block the buses.
3.9-Million tax dollars for the prolifiration of depravity.
Yale is in the gutter. Has been for years.
Most nine year old kids don’t think about that.
Why is it that we have to cater to the few that do? Why do we have to go to the worst and carter to that?
U.S. Gives Yale Researcher $3.9-Million in Tax Dollars to Develop ‘Avatar’ Sex-Ed Video Game for Kids
Friday, February 05, 2010 By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief
Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University (Wikimedia Commons photo)
(CNSNews.com) - The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a division of the National Institutes of Health, is giving Dr. Lynn Fiellin, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, $3.9 million over five years to develop a video game to teach “sex, drug and alcohol negotiation and refusal skills” to children 9-14 years of age.
The game will feature “virtual characters or avatars” that are guided by the children playing the game to make decisions about whether to engage in behaviors that put them at risk of being infected with HIV.
The game’s effectiveness in training children to avoid HIV-transmitting behaviors will be tested by having children as young as 9 play the game two days a week for a month—either after school or on weekends—at a New Haven, Conn., community center.
A press release about Dr. Fiellin’s $3.9-million grant put out by the Yale University Office of Public Affairs on Sept. 24, 2009 said that the children in the study will be “between 11 and 14 years old.” However, both the official NICHD grant abstract and the summary of the project posted on the Web site of Yale’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, say the children in the study will be “ages 9-14.”
Additionally, Peggy McCardle, chief of the NICHD’s Child Development and Behavior Branch told CNSNews.com the game is being designed for “preadolescents,” and specifically responded to a question about why children as young as 9-14—rather than older children–were being used in the study.
“According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey: 7.1 percent of high school students say they have had sexual intercourse before the age of 13,” said McCardle. “That figure is higher for certain groups, with 26.2 percent of black males and 11.9 percent of Hispanic male students reporting having had intercourse before age 13. Similarly, rates for other risky behaviors are also high, with 23.8 percent of high school students saying they had drunk alcohol and 8.3 percent saying they had tried marijuana before age 13. The rationale for the current project is to teach younger children the negotiation and refusal skills that they will need to resist pressures for risky behaviors, before those behaviors become established, or before they even begin.”
After they have played the game for four weeks, the children in the study will be periodically surveyed to see if they are refraining from activity—including “vaginal or anal intercourse”—that puts them at risk of HIV infection.
“We will evaluate the efficacy of the game by conducting a randomized clinical trial in 330 minority youths, ages 9-14 years, attending an after-school and/or weekend youth program, who will be randomly assigned to play the interactive HIV prevention video game, ‘Retro-Warriors,’ or to play a commercial ‘off-the-shelf’ video game,” says the official NICHD abstract for the grant.
“Subjects will play two sessions/week of their assigned game for four weeks,” says the abstract. “The primary outcome will be initiation of sexual activity, defined as the initiation of either vaginal or anal intercourse. Secondary outcomes include HIV risk behavior knowledge, social competency, self-efficacy, drug/alcohol use behaviors and overall risk-taking behaviors. We hypothesize that the experimental group will have lower rates of initiation of sexual activity and have higher knowledge scores at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months compared with the control group.”
McCardle stressed that the “primary outcome” of vaginal or anal intercourse mentioned here is not something that will take place in the video game itself, but are behaviors that will be statistically measured among the participating children to see if the game is having the desired impact on their lives.
“This project seeks to teach preadolescents the negotiation and refusal skills they will later need in adolescence to resist risky activities such as early sex and substance use,” said McCardle. “The researchers are designing a video game in which players will take part in role playing, to learn to avoid risky behaviors. It may be helpful to explain that ‘primary outcome’ which you mention, is a statistical term, referring to the measure or observation which is directly relevant to determining if the intervention is effective. So, in this case, the objective is to determine whether mastering the video game leads to improved skills for avoiding risky behavior. So, from 1 month to several months after the participants have mastered the game, the participants will complete questionnaires asking whether they have engaged in these behaviors (the primary outcome). If the research is successful, participants taking part in the video game sessions will have been less likely to engage in high risk activity than will youth in the comparison group—those who played a conventional video game.”
The NICHD abstract says the game will be designed to teach children “sex, drug and alcohol negotiation and refusal skills.”
“Research demonstrates that adolescents who acquire new knowledge, skills and attitudes in a video game, and practice these skills in the game, are more likely to behave similarly in real life,” says the abstract. “Therefore, the goal of this application is to adapt existing software to develop and refine an interactive video game designed to decrease HIV risk by teaching minority adolescents sex, drug and alcohol negotiation and refusal skills.”
The game itself will make it possible for 9- to 14-year-olds to role-play through “avatars” on a computer screen who make decisions about whether to engage in risky activities as directed by the child playing the game.
“Unique features of this intervention will include the use of virtual characters or avatars who can verbally respond to and interact with the player, a realistic virtual urban setting, the use of sex, drug/alcohol ‘risk challenges’ that the subjects can practice repeatedly, the use of message framing according to prospect theory, a fun and engaging intervention that encourages repeated involvement, and the ability to track the players’ choices and behaviors in the game,” says the abstract.
NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. (NIH photo)
McCardle told CNSNews.com that the “avatars” in the video game will not actually engage in sexual or other high-risk activity on the child’s computer screen.
“The avatars engage in role playing, having conversations in which they refuse to engage in risky behaviors,” said McCardle in written responses to questions from CNSNews.com. “They do not engage in risky behaviors.”
CNSNews.com asked how the game could develop critical thinking skills if the players were not allowed the option of making both choices—either to engage in risky behavior or not engage in it—leaving aside the issue of whether that behavior was actually graphically illustrated by the actions of the avatar on the computer screen.
“The idea is that players will create avatars based on their goals and hopes for the future,” said McCardle. “Making a poor choice won’t allow players to actually participate in risky behaviors, but will take them away from their future objectives. The game is still in the design phase, so the exact scenarios haven’t been worked out yet. The researchers hope to market the game through school systems. They are acutely aware of the sensitivities involved. They don’t want to create any situations in which teens would participate in inappropriate behavior, and don’t wish to set up any scenarios that school officials and parents wouldn’t approve of.”
Dr. Fiellin at the Yale School of Medicine received an initial installment on the grant of $820,866 in fiscal year 2009. The five-year grant period began on August 10, 2009 and will end on July 31, 2014.
CNSNews.com presented questions about the grant to the NICHD. The NICHD’s Child Development and Behavior Chief McCardle responded.
Here is a transcript of questions about the grant from CNSNews.com and answers from NICHD’s McCardle:
Peggy McCardle, Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: “Thank you for your inquiry regarding 1R01HD062080-01, ‘An Interactive Video Game for HIV Prevention in At-Risk Adolescents.’ Basic behavioral and social science research, like the study you cite below, contributes to our understanding of the complex factors that affect individuals, our communities and our environments. Research results from this field lead to new approaches for reducing risky behaviors and improving the adoption of healthy practices. Previous studies have shown that skills which adolescents learn in video games can improve health behavior. Dr. Fiellin’s study is an attempt to use video games to help adolescents avoid the risky behaviors that can lead to HIV infection.”
CNSNews.com: “The abstract for the project says: ‘The primary outcome will be initiation of sexual activity, defined as the initiation of either vaginal or anal intercourse.’ ‘Unique features of this intervention will include the use of virtual characters or avatars who can verbally respond to and interact with the player, a realistic virtual urban setting, the use of sex, drug/alcohol “risk challenges” that the subjects can practice repeatedly, the use of message framing according to prospect theory, a fun and engaging intervention that encourages repeated involvement, and the ability to track the players’ choices and behaviors in the game.’ ‘This research is designed to develop and test a video game that will teach minority adolescents how to avoid sex, drug and alcohol risk behaviors that can lead to HIV infection.’ Will the purpose of the game be for the player to have their character abstain from sex, or refrain from unsafe sex?”
McCardle: “This project seeks to teach preadolescents the negotiation and refusal skills they will later need in adolescence to resist risky activities such as early sex and substance use. The researchers are designing a video game in which players will take part in role playing, to learn to avoid risky behaviors. It may be helpful to explain that ‘primary outcome’ which you mention, is a statistical term, referring to the measure or observation which is directly relevant to determining if the intervention is effective. So, in this case, the objective is to determine whether mastering the video game leads to improved skills for avoiding risky behavior. So, from 1 month to several months after the participants have mastered the game, the participants will complete questionnaires asking whether they have engaged in these behaviors (the primary outcome). If the research is successful, participants taking part in the video game sessions will have been less likely to engage in high risk activity than will youth in the comparison group—those who played a conventional video game.”
CNSNews.com: “The abstract says: ‘We will evaluate the efficacy of the game by conducting a randomized clinical trial in 330 minority youths, ages 9-14 years, attending an after-school and/or weekend youth program, who will be randomly assigned to play the interactive HIV prevention video game, “Retro-Warriors,” or to play a commercial “off-the-shelf” video game.’ Why focus on the 9-14 years age group? Why not an older group?
McCardle: “According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey: 7.1 percent of high school students say they have had sexual intercourse before the age of 13. That figure is higher for certain groups, with 26.2 percent of black males and 11.9 percent of Hispanic male students reporting having had intercourse before age 13. Similarly, rates for other risky behaviors are also high, with 23.8 percent of high school students saying they had drunk alcohol and 8.3 percent saying they had tried marijuana before age 13. The rationale for the current project is to teach younger children the negotiation and refusal skills that they will need to resist pressures for risky behaviors, before those behaviors become established, or before they even begin.”
CNSNews.com: “How would you respond to critics who would say people 9-14 are too young to play a video game that features “virtual characters or avatars” engaging in sexual relations?”
McCardle: “The avatars engage in role playing, having conversations in which they refuse to engage in risky behaviors. They do not engage in risky behaviors.”
Jeffrey: “After it is developed, will this video game be commercially available?”
McCardle: “If the study proves successful, the video game program would be made available to school systems.”
Follow-up Question:
CNSNews.com: “In response to this question, ‘How would you respond to critics who would say people 9-14 are too young to play a video game that features “virtual characters or avatars” engaging in sexual relations?’ Dr. McCardle said: ‘The avatars engage in role playing, having conversations in which they refuse to engage in risky behaviors. They do not engage in risky behaviors.’ Question: Whether or not an avatar actually engages in risky behavior in the video presentation of the game, can a player decide to have his avatar choose to engage in that behavior? If the player is offered only one choice—the choice not to engage in risky behavior, but not the choice to engage in it—how does that develop critical thinking skills?”
McCardle: “The idea is that players will create avatars based on their goals and hopes for the future. Making a poor choice won’t allow players to actually participate in risky behaviors, but will take them away from their future objectives. The game is still in the design phase, so the exact scenarios haven’t been worked out yet. The researchers hope to market the game through school systems. They are acutely aware of the sensitivities involved. They don’t want to create any situations in which teens would participate in inappropriate behavior, and don’t wish to set up any scenarios that school officials and parents wouldn’t approve of.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/61017
The Bubblicious Brunch at The Westin (sorry, I refuse to use their spelling) was great fun. If there was one problem, it was the amount of people I knew at the event. Since it was a media day the place was heaving with familiar faces (quite surprising that media types would jump at the chance of getting something for free). Add to that the table of Barasti Big Deal winners from last year and the chances of me getting to food we’re greatly reduced.
What food I did manage to snag was very tasty. The Indian selection was particularly mouth-watering and I am kicking myself for not going back for more. Everywhere I looked people were walking around with dry-ice Cosmopolitans, looking rather like Hogwarts teachers on their day off.
The afternoon got hazy. We moved from brunch to the bar upstairs, where many conversations were had with too many print media types. Luckily nothing has appeared in any quote sections as yet.
We had tickets for the Nickelback gig and had every intention of going at the start of the day but by this point we were a little lost in it all. A group of us moved across to Barasti, which was packed and loud. I didn’t last long in there (or maybe I did).
Then we made a fatal error of judgement.
Honestly, we should’ve stayed put or gone home. It was high time. Sadly a few of us got a cab all the way over to Hibiki in The Hyatt Regency, sang one karaoke song each, then went home. The cab-fare-to-time-spent-in-bar ratio was ridiculous.
On Saturday we hosted the final of the Singstar competition at Festival Centre. It was the best one yet. Very well organised, massive audience, great contestants and a proper judging panel, a la X Factor. The winner, Sam, put in a hilarious performance. He came in an outfit that he obviously thought said “rock star”. What it actually said was “Blue Oyster Bar occupant in Police Academy”. Regardless of the fashion faux pas, his performance was brilliant. Ass-wigglingly, jacket-throwingly, crowd-pleasingly great!
This week we started our school visits after the show. On Sunday we went to Childs Play Nursery and saw hundreds of little people with chubby faces and too much hair and yesterday we called over to Horizon School for their sports day. Lots of familiar faces (once again). I was forced to part in a race which included clambering across a school bench with buckets of water. Midway the bench nearly gave way, much to the amusement of the on-looking teachers and parents.
Today, due to meetings at work, we’ve got a day off from the school visits. I’m missing the screams of children so much this morning as I sit here in this perfectly silent glass boardroom.
I have no preconception that I’d like to see you be or do. I have not desire to foresee you, only to discover you. — Mary Haskell, in a letter to the poet Kahlil Gibran
The Kid is almost 2, and he’s not really speaking yet. He babbles, he signs, he knows a couple of words, and he makes animal sounds. But he doesn’t talk.
Even a cursory amount of Internet research turns up dire warnings about speech delays. The extreme importance of intervening with speech therapy early is often stressed. I’m not discounting this, and indeed, we are getting speech therapy for our son. If it helps him, great, and I certainly don’t see how it can hurt. Although if it does cause him undue stress, I will probably discontinue it.
The most difficult thing about this situation — and I imagine this is true with every parent of a child who experiences some kind of delay or abnormality in their development — is to tamp down the anxiety. I tell myself every day not to stress about this, that The Kid is doing just fine in other areas and is likely just a late talker. This is a case where access to too much information, via the Internet, is probably a bad thing. It raises anxieties unnecessarily, leads me to fret about the rarest of outcomes and makes me worry that my child is not “normal” enough.
I never even wanted my child to be “normal.” Of course, no one wants their child to have a developmental disorder or a disease. But I mean that I don’t want my child to fit comfortably into what is average and expected for every person. I certainly didn’t. Rather, I want The Kid to be exactly who he is, even if that means he’s not talking like the other kids his age.
Thomas Sowell has researched late talkers and has found a corollary between late talkers and ability in music, math and memory. He also gives this sage advice, which I think applies to all parents and children:
In this age of labels, when there is a government program for every label, parents have to be on guard against having their children pigeon-holed. The stakes are just too high.
‘I’ve been for a scan. I knew something wasn’t right!”
Over in the UK, my mother gasped.
‘Well, it’s not normal is it? Someone as strong and healthy as me being this wiped out.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I don’t know how it’s happened, but it’s twins!’
She burst out laughing and I wondered why.
‘Oh, it’s just the way you said it! I was expecting something terrible.’
‘It is terrible!’
‘What did Tim say?’
‘That, if we want to keep expanding our family at the same rate, in two years time we’ll have to have quads. The only good news is there are two placentas so they’re not fighting for food or oxygen.’
‘Can they tell if they’re identical or not?’
‘Two placentas. That means not, apparently. Which is why I can’t understand how this has happened. Fraternal twins are supposed to run in families. We don’t have twins, do we?’
Actually, my older sister has twins, but through IVF. If three embryos get put in, you can hardly be surprised if two babies pop out.
‘What about on Tim’s side?’
‘Being married to him wouldn’t make me release two eggs, surely?’
‘There’s no telling what it might make you do.’
‘The government must add something to the water here, I reckon, to increase the birthrate. Oh, God! How will we cope? We’ll have to sell them to the circus.’
‘You’ll manage. Everyone always does.’
‘The book says that the accepted wisdom is that only women who cope well with babies have twins. That’s quite reassuring, isn’t it?’
For some reason, my mum didn’t reply.
Strange things people say when you’re expecting twins:
Wah! So big! It must be twins, lah?
Courtesy of the checkout girl in Cold Storage.
Do twins run in the family?
Not that we know of.
Oh. So you were just unlucky, then.
Thanks to our play-group leader.
I’m not even going to stand next to Tim, just incase.
Those kind of ’super sperm’ comments are the ones Tim most enjoys. I can’t understand why – having efficient swimmers is in no way related to your ability between the sheets.
But my favorite response of all was my sister’s.
Oh! You lucky, lucky girl!
And we are lucky. There are lots of people desperate to be in our position. Life isn’t always fair.
Try to remember when you were merely a child, you definitely like to have that white colored place together with your preferred toon characters upon your cabinets? In building the place of your kid, you might want to not merely base what you just need for her or him but base it on her or his preferred. A lot of topics normally include imagination, fairytale, marine, plus many more. Let’s concentrate on a single one template for at this point which are trains.
Addionally, it will be decent to style and design the place of your grandchild in a method in which the idea will be employed adequately as effectively as may cope up with his/her prefers. Be advised really don’t overlook to possess tranquility in embellishing the actual place of your child. Three stuff that you have to keep in mind are: Color selection, Layout and Theme. If you are want to forget these three, it might cause to having a disorderly theme of your kid’s bed room instead than obtaining a more comfortable scene. Right now, in creating the room of your baby, acquire bed sheets that confirm your template.
In the event you are low on resources, you are able to make your individual frames. Regarding head boards, you are going to utilize playwood, saw, brush, artistry, etc. You are able to let your child help also so he or she have the ability to inform what they’d like to possess on their head boards.
Green area rugs, gate signal, canvas, artwork gallery, game tables, and many others. It can be effective but needless to say, don’t go out of your theme and still preserve proportion. Request in addition your infant for recommendations so that you can add it on your list. If you’re following the price range and don’t want to decide to purchase these elements, you can actually establish your own theme for your child like train wall decors. Try to remember, imagination is the principal of achievement to making your child’s bedroom. It will require so many patience, however eventually, it will be worth it. Have a great time.
Below is an email from Emily Lim, author of Just Teddy, Prince Bear & Pauper Bear.
Emily is no stranger to many of us. We have featured her books on our blog and she is a dear friend and sister-in-Christ, from our church.
Congratulations Emily. And May God continue to bless you with wisdom and creative ideas to bless the little children.
Dear friends
Wanted to share the news that Just Teddy has been nominated as one of the favourite picture books in the inaugural Red Dot Awards! This Singapore children’s choice book award is organised by the International School Libraries Network (Singapore chapter).
It was unexpected as I wasn’t aware my book was in the competition to begin with! Just Teddy is the only locally produced book in the Picture Book category. Praise God for favour with the panel!
Between Jan to mid-March this year, all participating schools will read these nominated books and vote on their favourites. In the process, they will learn that, like Just Teddy who is one-of-a-kind, they too are unique -fearfully and wonderfully made.
Prince Bear & Pauper Bear has also now gone into its 2nd print run and now comes with a DVD cartoon animation of Prince Bear & Pauper Bear and The Tale of Rusty Horse. It is now available in all major bookstores.
Thanks for your support
Emily Lim
You can read more about my books atwww.mustardseedbook.com
Over the last month I have repeatedly run into situations where children were kept occupied by iPhones, literally, for hours. (Okay, the first time was when I was babysitting and couldn’t handle playing pirates with a six-year-old and a three-year-old boy and I handed them my iPhone which they instantly knew how to navigate.) A few weeks ago, out to dinner with my friends, their daughter kept herself busy throughout the evening by playing with an iPhone. I also ran across this post from the Appleblog, “I Gave My 3 Year Old an iPhone: Have I Created a Monster?” And now, Mashable excitedly reports that Elmo (the world’s favorite Sesame Street character) has not only an iPhone but an iPhone app. What does it all mean?
From AtomicJeep's Flickr photostream, Creative Commons licensed
I’m not a parent. So I’m not going to say that you won’t run into me in a few years pushing an iPhone-clutching-baby in a stroller. And I do understand that the apps these children are using are educational, artistic, and intellectually stimulating. The woman I babysat found out my ploy and asked that I curtail her sons’ iPhone use to thirty minutes a day. Kudos to her. My friends’ daughter is older and they only used the iPhone to keep her occupied during an adult situation. Understandable. I know she spends most of her time indulged in crafts, so the iPhone seemed more like a reward. But what about these small children like the three-year-old from the Apple blog? We all know technology is addictive. Everyday, studies are published questioning its effect on attention span, social skills, physical fitness levels, and even brain function. While the iPhone might not be proven to be bad, it hasn’t proven to be good (yet). What’s going to be the results of a generation brought up on apps?
In December 2009 we covered the results of a recent study Myopia Increasing Rapidly in The US Population. Recently National Public Radio’s Medical Detectives interviewed, Dr Susan Vitale, principle author of the study “1994-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey” and Dr. Don Mutti, an expert in myopia. It’s a good listen and only a little over 3 minutes.
With myopia increasing at such a rapid rate in our population will it be long before the use of orthokeratology to slow the progression of myopia in our children becomes the standard of care?
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Pink Sherbet Photography, D Sharon Pruitt
There are many stages kids go through that are memorable: when they become mobile by rolling or crawling or walking, when they start to eat solids and feed themselves, even learning to talk with loud screeches and constant questions is a special time. Of all the memorable childhood stages there is one I don’t look forward to at all. You know the one.
Toilet Training.
I dread this. At first the idea of transitioning from diapers and pull-ups into underwear is exciting, but after months of cajoling and laundry the excitement begins to wear off.
I remember with my first-born the discussion among moms would be about how early their child was toilet trained. As a first time mom I fell into the trap. I stressed about my daughter being toilet trained by 18 months and she was, for a few months anyway. I quickly discovered that my daughter had her own goal. We were off and on pull-ups for the next year. It wasn’t until just before her third birthday that I could confidently say she was toilet trained.
When it was time to train my son I tried to stay calm, remembering the stress of the toilet training process with my oldest. I expected he would be trained by around his third birthday so I didn’t worry too much, until his third birthday was around the corner. I wanted to book him into summer camp but kids have to be toilet trained to attend. After a few failed attempts I decided I would book him in camp anyway. Worst case I would have to cancel. I guess that was enough incentive. My son was completely trained a few days after camp registration.
You would think with two kids having gone through this stage I would know what to expect and not get so obsessed. Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment. I did start well, not worry about toilet training or even broaching the subject with my now three-year-old. If she wanted to sit on the potty or the toilet I’d let her but I wouldn’t turn it into a bathroom training session.
I did buy my daughter motivational underwear and eventually she learned to go pee on the toilet. She has the occasional accident but I can usually trust her to tell me when she has to go pee. But bowl movements are a whole other story. Now perhaps I’ve given mixed messages in the beginning, like when we were out and wanted her to use a pull-up so I wouldn’t be in a mad panic to find a bathroom, but since she turned three we’ve only used pull-ups at night (night-time training is a whole other game). With her using the bathroom regularly to pee I thought the next stage would follow closely behind (no pun intended). No such luck.
My daughter has taken to hiding in a secret corner to go poop. I’ve tried all the tricks that worked with my other two: taking her to the bathroom at key times, getting her to sit with a book on the toilet. I’ve even tried incentives like sticker and treats. It’s been a real hit and miss with her. Now she only turned three in December so she does have time before summer camp and school begins. I guess I haven’t learned much from my past experiences, except for the fact that I’m a little obsessive.
I am trying to not stress over this and not stress my daughter but if you know any tricks that have worked for you, please share them. PLEASE.
I volunteered my time at an institution of higher learning (the place will be left anonymous), and I gave a workshop on resume writing to a group of high school kids. Keep in mind, these kids aren’t dumb, but they are very one-track-minded. If it’s not about Plies or Souljah Boy (two GARBAGE rappers, by the way), then it’s irrelevant to them.
Chad Johnson said it best: “Child, please!”
The Kid is almost 2, and he’s not really speaking yet. He babbles, he signs, he knows a couple of words, and he makes animal sounds. But he doesn’t talk.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c2696221-acc1-4f5e-97d4-80e27f26967e)
Prince Bear & Pauper Bear has also now gone into its 2nd print run and now comes with a DVD cartoon animation of Prince Bear & Pauper Bear and The Tale of Rusty Horse. It is now available in all major bookstores.
Thanks for your support
Emily Lim
You can read more about my books atwww.mustardseedbook.com
In December 2009 we covered the results of a recent study Myopia Increasing Rapidly in The US Population. Recently National Public Radio’s Medical Detectives interviewed, Dr Susan Vitale, principle author of the study “1994-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey” and Dr. Don Mutti, an expert in myopia. It’s a good listen and only a little over 3 minutes. 
There are many stages kids go through that are memorable: when they become mobile by rolling or crawling or walking, when they start to eat solids and feed themselves, even learning to talk with loud screeches and constant questions is a special time. Of all the memorable childhood stages there is one I don’t look forward to at all. You know the one.