Adventures in Potty Training

It happened one morning, after having a late breakfast of eggs and toast. We were watching our Saturday morning cartoons, when my two year old daughter turns to me, scrunches up her face and says "Mommy, I think I'm gonna be potty trained".  As I sat in stunned silence, she asks me, "would that be okay Mommy?".  This comes after months of my husband and I discussing the benefits of being potty trained, and my mom's unapologetic attempts to bribe her compliance.  The first week was a dream,  she had a couple of accidents, but that is to be expected. She did so well with her potty training that we bought her the pull-ups that she had been begging us for, but that we would not buy until she showed an active interest in the toilet.  As we moved into the second week, her interest started to disappear, and we would have to chase her down for potty breaks. This is week three, and this week has been wild. My daughter declared this Monday "I'm a baby and don't want to be potty broke", and has continued on this tangent the whole  week. My friends and relatives tell me that it's part of the process and that she'll eventually use the toilet willingly and continuously.  Hopefully this will happen soon.  

Virginia Set to Execute First Woman in Nearly a Century

The state of Virginia is preparing to execute Teresa Lewis; she is scheduled to die, by lethal injection on Friday, September 24 at 9pm.  Lewis will be the first woman to be executed in Virginia since the year 1912.  There have been appeals made from the European Union, to change Lewis' sentence to life in prison, stating that she has been tested and found to be borderline mentally retarded.  She was convicted and sentenced to death for masterminding the hired killing of her husband and stepson in 2002.

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Associated Press

“You’ve come a long way baby” to borrow a slogan from an advertising campaign that most of you don’t remember.  Welcome to the full spectrum of equal rights people.  When I was a child, I was taught that if you acted like a lady, you would be treated like a lady.  Though I believe in equal pay for equal work, I miss the days of chivalry and mannerly men.  The simple act of a gentleman holding open a door, or giving up his seat for a lady,  takes you back to a simpler time when people treated each other with a respect that is unheard of now days.  In this case, she is has committed the crime, and should be held accountable. Though the rest of the world has tried to plead for a less severe sentence because of her gender, it is my belief that we should not differ in punishment based upon race, gender or sexual orientation.  Her supporters claim that she is a changed person, and that she should be spared execution based on her newfound religion.

Katy Perry Dropped From ‘Sesame Street’ After Racy Outfit Sparked Outcry from Parents

Because of a large public outcry, the “Hot and Cold” segment featuring Katy Perry with Sesame Street star Elmo; will not appear on Sesame Street as originally planned. Parents concern over the pop star’s revealing outfit has caused Sesame Street executives to pull the episode due to the “feedback we’ve received”. Perry known for her shockingly revealing music videos and outfits, appeared in a green bustier in the dropped segment.

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Associated Press contributed to this article

If you have seen Sesame Street in recent years, this situation will not come as a shock to you.  I recently started watching it again, and was surprised at the new content.  I have seen Actors and Musicians on Sesame Street that I would not let my daughter watch in any other media.  When I started seeing Adam Sandler, king of stoner’s and toilet humor on a program that is supposed to be produced for children, I further began to question the quality of their programming.  I, as an adult love Adam Sandler and think he is hilarious, but as a parent, I will not let my two year old watch most of his material.  So this wardrobe situation does not surprise me at all, the only thing about this situation that does surprise me is the fact that enough parents are monitoring what their children are watching to have a public outcry.  I was starting to feel that I was the only parent left that rigorously screens what her child watches during her limited expose to television.  After reading the article, I watched the banned segment on you tube, and while the top did show a lot of cleavage,  it was no more revealing than the outfits that you see every day in the grocery stores, the pharmacy or even Wal-Mart.

Serious baggage for pilots

According to a recent review, hundreds of pilots both private and commercial suffer from various forms of mental illness, conditions range from schizophrenia to alcoholism and drug abuse.  The Federal Aviation Administration or F.A.A., requires yearly medical evaluations for all pilots, and twice yearly for pilots over the age of forty. Pilots that have been deemed alcoholics are unable to fly and must go through a re-certification process and be enrolled in a post-rehabilitation program to attempt to become re-certified to fly. With changes in the F.A.A. policy, pilots allowed to fly while taking prescription anti-depressants, if they have been successful treated with them for at least a year, but these pilots only have a limited time to come forward and admit to treatment for mild to moderate depression to avoid punishment.

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If you survey any large group of people, you will find that there are a percentage of people within the group with mental illnesses. These pilots while being afflicted with mental health issues are obviously seeking the medical help that they require.  The thought of mentally unstable people having the absolute responsibility for all the lives on board the plane that they are flying, is an unsettling thought, but these pilots have been thoroughly evaluated and deemed sound.   As for the issue of anti-depressant use among pilots, with the level of responsibility required of each pilot, I find it amazing that they are not all taking anti-anxiety or anti-depressants.

L.A. protests over police killing highlight frustration of immigrant area hardhit by recession

In a primarily Hispanic community in Los Angeles, California, the death of an illegal immigrant shot by local police started a three-day protest by people who felt the killing was a use of unnecessary force by the police.  The man had harassed two women with a knife, before confrontation with the police officers. The man then lunged at the officer prompting the use of lethal force.  The article then suggests that the cause of the alleged attack upon the officer was the fledging economy and the anti-immigrant attitude of our society, causing the man to drink to deal with the hardships of life, so he is no way responsible for his own actions.

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It seems that nowadays that no one is responsible for his or her own actions.  According to this article, the economy and discriminatory attitudes are to blame.  Whatever happened to personal responsibility?  The officer, forced to protect himself and innocent citizens will stand accountable, and will have to justify the use of lethal force.  The current recession has caused difficulties for more than just the immigrant population within our country, to use the state of our union, as an excuse for personal actions is unacceptable to me.  It all comes down to lack of responsibilities for our actions, if the whole of our society were to accept this as a normal concept, it would spell the end of our personal liberties and our society, as we know it.

Vampire Books Like "Twilight" May Be Altering Teen Minds

Researchers held a conference in England to discuss how books and movies affect teenage minds. The experts fearing that teenager’s minds are more susceptible to influence, wonder about the effects of the current trend of literature containing dark themes: vampires, post-apocalyptic, etc. They also feel that the character Bella from the Twilight series preaches ultra conservative values, and may thwart the act of independent thinking or the development of a woman’s independence. The researchers also fear that damage may occur to young minds based on the scenarios of no positivity or hope.

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In every generation, there is always a public outcry over the current literary trends of teens. When I was a child, it was the Dungeons and Dragons books; they were supposed to teach you to worship the devil. When I was a teenager, the Anne Rice vampire books were all the rage, people went nuts again. Then along came the Harry Potter series and the devil worship banner was raised again. At one point, there were people in my community actively seeking the removal of the Harry Potter series from the town library. My religious zealot aunt refused to let her children read the series, she was afraid that they might become possessed, or have an independent though I am not sure which. My point is that no matter what the current teen literary series is people will find something disturbing and “dangerous” about it, especially if it inspires a new independence of thought and a break with the traditions of the area.

Magic mushrooms may ease anxiety of cancer

Recent studies in the United States have shown the effects of the hallucinogen, Psilocybin, more commonly known as magic mushrooms, in the treatment of some cancer patients.  Psilocybin, with effects comparable to the street drug LSD, being used to treat people with late-stage cancer in this study  This research revives a field of study abandoned in the in the early 1970’s, hoping to establish that hallucinogens improve moods and decrease anxiety in some patients.  Most patients tolerate the treatments well, showing no sign of severe anxiety during their treatment sessions, and showing significant improvement with their depression.

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After watching my grandmother and step-mother-in-law suffer in the final stages of cancer, I am for any form of treatment that might alleviate the symptoms of this disease. If street drugs can help alleviate the pain and suffering associated with terminal illnesses, the federal government should find a way to regulate the production and distribution of a pharmaceutical grade product, to replace the illegal street variety. If our government would legalize, produce and control the distribution of what are now common street drugs, we could save millions of dollars that we spend on “the war on drugs”, and increase our federal income though taxes on such drugs.

U.S. smoking rate smolders at 1 in 5 adults

During the year of 2009, the amount of smokers within the United States held steady at around 21%, the smoking rate has held steady since 2004, according to the Center for Disease Control.  Officials believe that cuts in anti-tobacco campaigns and new marketing strategies by tobacco companies are to blame.  Smoking bans and tobacco taxes seem to be the cause of decreases in smokers in some states, but say that nationwide progress has come to a halt. However, statistics remain virtually unchanged. Advocates deem the reports to be important sources of data to use to press for more smoking regulations at the local, state and national levels of government.

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I do not understand how it is the business of the Center for Disease Control or the American Heart Association, what we Americans chose to do.  I smoke, I know it is bad for me, but many things are bad for you but you do not hear about them constantly.  I understand that they are coming from the angle of America’s tax dollars having to pay for my iron lung, and other health care expenses, but still give me a break.  I do not chase around people with a case of fanatic religion trying to tell them they are wrong.  The government actually has an advantage with smokers, we pay their insanely high taxes for the privilege of smoking and we die younger lowering the chance of them having to pay us our social security.  

Church to go Ahead with Sept. 11th Quran Burning

In Miami, Florida, Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center, has vowed to go through with plans to protest the 9/11 terrorist attacks by burning the Quran.  Although he did leave himself, a way out of the situation by declaring that he is still praying over the decision.  The Quran burning ceremony condemned in Washington, by an interfaith coalition, while they try to deal with a rise in bigotry toward Muslims in our society. This book burning is supposed to send a message to radical Islam.  When asked if he was aware of the possible consequences o his actions Jones replied, “We are actually very, very concerned of course; we are continuing to pray about the action on Sept. 11. But we don’t know how long we do back down?”

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I can easily understand where this man’s anger comes from regarding the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I remember watching via television as the towers smoldered and collapsed trapping thousands of people inside.  I remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and the innate knowledge that nothing would ever be the same again. Then after the process that we as a nation have gone through trying to rebuild the sense of America that was lost during  the attacks that day , we have Christian radicals trying to stir the smoldering flames of indignation, instead of helping to rebuild and reestablish a since of  our former America. While I respect the right of all people, Jones seems to think he is on a mission to prove that Christianity will conquer Islam, instead of just existing in harmony. I cannot agree with Jones chosen course of action, it reminds me of the extremist overseas burning our flag to emphasize their points. If we respond to others actions upon the same level, we are no better or right than they are.

Animal Hoarders

In the town of Tarentum, Pennsylvania, Linda Bruno, ran a successful cat rescue.  People would send their pets from hundreds of miles away to her shelter, unaware that it was in reality a kitty concentration camp.  During a raid, investigators found killing rooms and mass graves.  Over the past fourteen months, Bruno had taken in over 7,000 cats, but had only placed 23 in homes.  A similar case in 2007, a source informed authorities that Sylvia Gyimesi the owner of the Best Buddies Rescue was euthanizing animals with a mix of vodka and sleeping pills. In the case of both women, their ultimate goal was to help the animals, but their rescue mission turned into a case of animal hoarding. Animal hoarders often run legal, not for profit charities.  These shelters and rescues make up about a quarter of all new hoarding cases each year.  While animal hoarders try to care for abandoned, abused, or stay animals, eventually rescuing becomes an obsession.  The presence of psychological problems such as dementia, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder contribute to the problem.

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I, myself am an animal lover and cannot stand to see an animal suffer but, I am also painfully aware of my limited resources.  I cannot understand how these “rescuers” can accumulate so many animals knowing they do not have the ability or resources to care for the animals.  They should know that something is terribly wrong when they are digging mass graves in their yards.   I understand that most of these animal hoarders have psychological disorders, and do not understand the full consequences of their actions.  I believe that we could greatly reduce this problem if everyone would heed the advice of Bob Barker, “Spay and neuter your pets”.

Ranger Whose Tip Led to Capture of Arizona Fugitives May Be Barred from Getting Reward

The Arizona ranger whose tip lead to the capture of two fugitives, may be ineligible to receive the nearly 30 thousand dollars in rewards established by both the U.S. Marshalls Service and a privately ran prison. The U.S. Forest Service usually prevents their employees from receiving gifts over the amount of $25.  Pam Baltimore, spokesperson for the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest announced that though local forest officials would like to see the ranger receive the reward money, which if the federal policy denies the allowance of the reward to the ranger there is nothing further to do. Though the Forest Service named the ranger a “hero”, they also stand by the position that the ranger was in fact just doing his job.

 This forest ranger while performing a routine duty associated with his job stumbled across two violent fugitives, which had escaped apprehension at the hands of other authorities. The ranger’s suspicions of the campers lead to the capture of both fugitives by the authorities.  In my opinion, the Forest Service should make an exception to federal policy to allow the ranger to except this reward.  However, the forest service said that the ranger was simply doing his job, but a person should be reward for doing their job to the best of their ability. By showing your employees that you appreciate the fact that they are dependable and trustworthy, helps to avoid complacency in the workplace.  During my many years in the workforce, I have seen how the lack of incentives and rewards can affects employees, leading them to complacency within the workplace.  Complacent workers are a danger to themselves and to others, if one does not take precautions all are at risk. If the ranger had not done his job, and had not gone to investigate the unattended campfire, the fugitives could have still been avoiding capture.    To deny this ranger a bonus for putting himself into a potentially dangerous situation, is in itself unethical.

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