For most people, the Thanksgiving holiday means a day off work (for some a 4 day weekend), a roast turkey or some other huge meal, and family gatherings. It also means that the Christmas holiday is right around the corner, and we will soon be consumed with shopping.
The Thanksgiving holiday should be more that just a day off work and a day of eating. While the words “thanks” and “giving” can both be found in the name of the holiday, sometimes those two things are the farthest things from people’s minds. This should be a time where we should reflect on what is really important in our lives – family, friends, good health, for examples. This should also be a time where we should give a little to help others who may not be as fortunate. Find a charity that is meaningful to you, and make a donation. For me, I have a favorite organization that cares for severely disabled and special needs children and adults. I am forever grateful for the support they provide for my nephew, who has severe disabilities.
So for this Thanksgiving holiday, I encourage everyone to put real thanks, and real giving, back in this holiday. Please consider giving thanks by helping your favorite charity and make a donation.
NBC’s Today Show reported this morning that some Wall Street firms (some being described as “influential firms”) have access to the swine flu vaccine, while many hospitals and doctors’ offices are still waiting to receive their supply to treat high-risk people. (The video of the news story is below.) With near panic setting in with people who are either in the high-risk category themselves, or for those who have children in the high-risk category, this is not welcome news.
I know that many businesses make traditional flu shots available to their employees, but this case with the swine flu vaccine highlights the inequality of how crucial vaccines may be doled out. My opinion is that any vaccine – swine flu or not – should be made available to hospitals, doctors’ offices, or other medical organizations and institutions first, and then when that demand is satisfied, the vaccine can be made available to other organizations as needed.
With continued reports of there not being enough vaccine to go around to high risk people, it is appalling that somehow Wall Street firms and banks have found a way to move themselves up the list. It’s bad enough that some of these same companies were partly to blame for the recent economic collapse and needed to be bailed out financially, but now they want to take a vaccine away from a more deserving child or pregnant woman? It’s greed at its worst. Those vaccines should be immediately pulled from their use.
I’ve come to the conclusion that if there ever was a virus that threatened all of humanity, if we respond in this same slow and disorganized manner, we may very well be doomed. It’s time to bring some organization, and some fairness, to the vaccine process. How about something simple – hospitals, doctors, and medical institutions get the supply first, with the highest priority?
News coverage exploded yesterday when it was believed that a young boy, Falcon Heene (AKA Balloon Boy) was thought to be flying high in giant Mylar balloon that was accidentally released from its mooring. Not only was the news coverage over the top, but also various emergency services pitched in to try to bring the balloon down and bring the boy to safety. When the balloon made it to the ground on its own, the boy was not in it. While some worried that the boy had fallen out, there were also many who felt that the boy was never in there to begin with. The latter turned out to be true – Balloon Boy was hiding in the attic at home , afraid because his father had yelled at him earlier in the day.
As I was watching some local news coverage on the matter – I had no choice, all the national and local news channels were full of it – and it was announced that the boy was found safe in his own home, one reporter commented that the whole matter seems to have been blown out of proportion, and asked “how did that happen?”
One answer to that question – The news media happened. The news media’s need to follow any story just to grab viewers, even before the story has played out, left them with no tragedy to cover and with a little egg on their faces. While I can certainly understand the parents concern for their child, there was no reason for every national and local news channel to provide literally blow-by-blow coverage as the balloon sailed overhead.
It was no surprise that the family showed up on the morning news shows today. But. as live TV can sometimes be unpredictable, it was a little surprising to see Balloon Boy upchuck right on camera on The Today Show. While the camera pulled back, his father Richard didn’t seem to miss a beat. Rumors abound that the whole incident was a publicity stunt, which Richard Heene denies. (Update October 18 - it has been ruled that the whole incident was, in fact, a hoax.)
If the parents made police and other rescue people think that their son was in the balloon, I am not going to criticize the involvement of other people who were attempting to rescue him. I do think that the kid vomiting on national television during an interview may indicate that the kid is under stress from the situation and while mommy and daddy may want all the media attention, the Balloon Boy may not.
But the real “suckers” here are members of the news media, who seemed all too eager to cover the story, almost if they were hoping for the worst ending possible – a balloon crash with the boy inside. While Balloon Boy’s suspected plight was unusual, it wasn’t a threat to 99.9999% of the population and did not deserve such extensive TV coverage. Maybe next time, the national news media should wait until a story like this actually plays out before they give it so much air time, especially for a story that affects so few people.
With the recent announcement that President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, some people were incensed at the news, saying that Obama has done nothing to deserve it. Some also seemed to blame Obama for the award, which is just plain silly, seeing that he didn’t ask for it nor did he award it to himself.
Personally, I am thrilled that he will receive this recognition. Some pundits have commented that the simple fact that he was not George W. Bush put Obama on the top of the list. I think it is much more than that. Looking back to his July 2008 speech that he gave in Berlin, Germany, before he was elected, he was greeted by a massive throng and his words moved many people. His winning of the presidential election was a result of a huge number of Americans saying that they wanted change. His style has inspired many differing peoples inside the Unites States and in other parts of the world. He has brought respectability back to the people of the United States.
To those that say he hasn’t done anything yet, they are partly right. He didn’t sit by and watch the economy tank, as did the Bush administration. He didn’t get us into a war in the Middle East without having a clear strategy to facilitate the transfer of power in Iraq or without having an exit strategy, as in the Bush administration. He didn’t destabilize the oil market by a war, as did the Bush Administration. He didn’t create the Patriot Act, which threatens the freedoms of Americans, as did the Bush Administration. I could go on, but you get the idea of all the things that President Obama did not do. Of course, this only gives more credence to those who believe that Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize because he stands for everything that the Bush administration was not. But I believe that Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has inspired many around the world, and has brought hope that maybe, just maybe, there is someone out there who has the gift of communication that may help bring people together.
A recent report from the British Journal of Psychiatry says parents who use sweets as a bartering tool with their children may prevent them from learning patience, which could lead to violence and delinquency. The study, led by Simon Moore, a senior lecturer in Violence and Society Research at Cardiff University in the U.K, followed and analyzed 17,500 children born in 1970. They discovered that 69% of participants who were violent had eaten sweets nearly every day during their childhood.
I have problems with studies such as this, because they seem to compartmentalize diet and behavior and then use one of the components on which to hang their findings.
Here are some questions that I have for those who conducted the study:
How many of those same people drank milk as a child? If they all did, could one say that drinking milk as a child makes some of them violent? What was their overall diet like? Could something else in their diet have contributed to violent behaviors? How many of these people had divorced parents? What happens if that same 69% were children of divorce parents, could one say that the divorce led the children to violence? How many grew up in middle class households? How many of them watched cartoons? How many of them went to school? How many of these people were spanked as a child? How man of them had parents that were college educated? Or had parents who both worked? How many of them were not the only child? How many of them ate sugar free foods rather than those made with real sugar? How many watched sports on television? How many got toys as Christmas gifts? How many of them are brunettes?
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. When researchers take out only one piece of what is likely a complex set of events or activities and says that one thing is the cause of another, it seems to me that they are making the data fit their desired results. When the matter turns to behavioral issues, things can get dicey. It seems easy to blame one segment of a person’s life for his/her later bad behavior, but to do so may take away that person’s own responsibility for their own choices. A person’s behavior as an adult is likely the sum of many parts. Sure, there may be a few key elements of that person’s childhood that may shape what direction their adult life may take, but using sweets as a bartering tool seems to be one of those things that would be low on the list.
Sugar is not the villain, and neither are parents. As children grow up, they are influenced by many events and make many choices that set the tone for what kind of adults they will be. A person’s behavior is often the sum of many things, and as long as people have a freedom on choice, I’m not sure science will ever find the perfect equation to explain human behavior.
I was flipping channels this morning and landed on a new show hosted by a Dr. Oz (I watched part of it, I didn’t care for the show). He had someone on the show that was talking about what is inside a man’s brain. Seeing that I’ve always wanted to know what goes on in there, I watched for a while. (I am sure my husband wonders the same about a woman’s brain; too bad he doesn’t have his own blog where he can talk about it.)
The guest, whose name I did not catch, says that men can’t take in a lot of detail, so women need to speak with as few words as possible, as men get overwhelmed with details. He also said that women have to repeat information to men often because their memory center is smaller.
Tell me something that I don’t know. My husband and I have a standing joke about how he doesn’t always seem to hear me. Sometimes while speaking to him – sometimes he is looking me right in the eye when I do so – 30 seconds later, he’ll say, “What did you just say?” Or, when I ask him a question that requires a specific answer, I get a yes or no response. For example, “Would you like chicken for dinner or should I get Chinese?” and he responds “yes.” Many times I will give him a bit of information, and 10 minutes later he will ask me a question that makes me realize he didn’t hear a word I said. For example, he may ask, “What did you blog about today” and 10 minutes later, he will ask, “Did you blog today?”
Of course, I am far from perfect, sometimes flooding my husband’s brain with information when he asks a simple question like, “What did you do today?” which to his mind, probably sounds like I am reciting “War and Peace.”
So we came up with a solution. When there is something that is important that I need to say and I think he needs to remember, I preface it with warning beeps, similar to what they use for TV weather warnings and alerts. For example, I may say “Beep beep beep beep beep….I called the plumber and he is coming over on Wednesday.” Just like a TV warning, he looks up and pays attention. So far it has worked every time.
So if you think your husband is not listening to you, try the “beep” routine. It should work, and you won’t have to worry so much about how you should be interacting with a man’s brain. Just remember, keep your message brief, because he may tune you out before your message is over! Now, if I could just get a message to scroll across my head at the same time….
USA Network's Adrian Monk, poster boy for germaphobes
It seems that almost every time I turn on the television someone is talking about all the germs and bacteria that lurk among us. Just this week, I was informed that my purse is likely a cesspool of disease inducing bacteria, my shower head could kill me with the germs it can spray out, my makeup can be spreading germs all over my face, my shopping cart is likely covered in crud that could make me sick, my shower cap could be awash in nasty bacteria, and my toothbrush is probably dirtier than my bathroom floor.
One can only wonder how I have survived on this earth so long.
All kidding aside, while many people do not always think about the things that they touch on a daily basis and where it has been, I see no harm in raising a person’s consciousness about how he or she can come in contact with germs. But I sense that what seems like wall-to-wall coverage of where germs may lurk is an offshoot of the H1N1 (AKA “swine flu”) concerns. I feel as if someone is preparing me for some sort of viral Armageddon, not unlike Stephen King’s classic book, “The Stand.” I’ve noticed that completely healthy people are getting somewhat obsessive/compulsive when it comes to wiping down surfaces and slathering on globs of hand sanitizer and practically bathing in antibacterial cleansers. I suppose there are many people who aren’t as clean conscious as I am, so all this media coverage about where people can come in contact with germs may be of help to some. But I think the whole thing can be addressed by a few common sense tips, without creating a country of germaphobes:
1. Wash your hands - a lot. If you can, wash them in your sleep too. You don’t know where your hands have been in your dreams.
2. Keep your kitchen and bathroom clean. In fact, never go in there because then you can be sure there are no germs in there.
3. Never put your purse or man-bag on the floor. Ever.
4. When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth, preferably with your arm. Never use someone else’s arm.
5. Close that toilet seat when not in use. Quit debating the issue, just close it!
6. Never have children as they are nothing but large germ and bacteria magnets. If you already have children, well, you're screwed.
7. Bleach. Bleach everything. Just bleach it all.
Of course, if as in the case of the book “The Stand” we get a germ that is transmitted just by the air we breathe, all bets are off. In the meantime, I think I will buy stock in Clorox (CLX).
For most people, the Thanksgiving holiday means a day off work (for some a 4 day weekend), a roast turkey or some other huge meal, and family gatherings. It also means that the Christmas holiday is right around the corner, and we will soon be consumed with shopping.
