Ritalin and Adderall a Hoax

I am sure that simply the title of my blog will anger more than a few parents.  In this day and age of pill popping frenzy, Ritalin and Adderall have become a mainstay for parents with children suffering from A.D.D. or Attention Deficit Disorder.  They claim that their children can not function properly in school without these drugs.  They can't focus, pay attention, or otherwise make it through the sometimes mundane tasks that children face in schools.  But how long are these drugs actually effective?  Are they capable of making a difference in the long run?  The answer to the first question is that they are effective for only 4 to 8 weeks, after which they start to decline in effectiveness unless a higher dosage is given.  The answer to the second question is that they do not make a difference in the long run.  They have such a short period of effectiveness because they are essentially amphetamines modified at a molecular level, made "safe" for children and teenagers.  Parents may say that their effectiveness is proven by the fact that when they take their children off the meds, they immediately regress and have trouble once again in school.  Yet there is never any inquiry as to why this happens.  Parents automatically assume that it is because the drug is working so well that their children can't adjust to life without it.  A more apt explanation, and one supported by research, is that they are simply going into withdrawal.  Ritalin and Adderall, like the amphetamines they mimic, create a dependency and also build up a tolerance within the child's body so that when they are taken off their meds, it is akin to taking a drug addict immediately off cocaine or heroin; the body can't deal with it.  (All of this is explained in more detail in the linked article.)

So if drugs aren't the answer, what is?  To find the answer, one must look back to early childhood and how a child is raised.  It is now being shown that a likely cause of A.D.D. is not some genetic anomaly or malfunctioning brain system, but more an issue with a child's upbringing.  Many children's attention problems can be linked directly to their experiences as a child.  A child raised in a stressful setting, one filled with uncertain parents or frantic parents always trying to make ends meet can contribute to attention problems later on.  The same goes for over stimulation in babies, especially when they are not ready for it.  Even abruptly changing a babies setting, whisking them from playing with toys to a bath time and time again can have a lasting effect.  It is instances like these and many more that are the cause of many a child's woes as they grow older.  Yet no attention (no pun intended) is being paid to how a child's issues originate and what can be done without drugs to help them progress through life.  We in the United States like the immediate fix, pop a pill and feel better, pop a pill and eradicate that high blood pressure, pop a pill and feel happy not depressed.  We are coming to rely more and more heavily on drugs as an answer to all of our problems.  If we inculcate our children with this same mentality from an early age, they will perpetuate this societal dependency on medication.   What should be done instead is to focus on how we can work with children, either with behavioural psychologists or other form of therapy, to help them maintain their focus and attention when needed.  Medication is not the answer, yet we keep pushing harder and harder for more and newer meds. 

Perhaps the best solution, and not one that will help children already "diagnosed" with A.D.D., is for parents to be more mindful of how they are raising their children, their interaction with them, the environment the provide, and their simply uninhibited presence to their children.  If young children see their parents running around frantically like chickens with their heads cut off, do we not think that they will adopt the same behaviour as they grow older.  Young children, from the time they are infants, are like sponges, soaking up anything and everything around them.  They take in verbal and non-verbal cues from their parents, they study faces, their surroundings, and are greatly affected by any stress in a household.  Even though our son is only three and a half months old (going on 4) he is already susceptible to high levels of stress.  For the most part, my wife and I are laid back people and as such, are son is as well.  Yet when he comes in contact with someone who we know is a high stress person, he freaks out and can't handle the stress.  What happens to a child who is brought up in a high stress household?  I would surmise that they are directly affected on a more permanent basis and carry that with them as they grow older.  Parenting is never a simple thing.  It requires us to remove ourselves from our everyday lives and focus on our children entirely.  It requires us to become centered and to a certain extent, stress free, so that we can interact with our children focused solely on what they need.  Life for anyone isn't easy, yet drugs, especially Ritalin and Adderall, are not the answer.  With their effectiveness lasting only 4-8 weeks, you would think that parents and doctors alike would be searching for other remedies, yet this is not the case.  Every year, more and more children are diagnosed with A.D.D. and more pills get prescribed.  Hopefully one day, a light will click on in the minds of these parents and doctors and other remedies will be sought out.  Until then, lets focus more on our children and their needs so that they don't feel the need to pop as many pills as possible to solve their problems. 

Tribute to Bryan Shaw

Throughout my relatively short life so far, I have met many people and have had the pleasure of calling a good number of them friends.  However, I can probably count on two hands the amount of people that I can call "good" friends, the ones who stay with you through the thick and thin, the ones who you can call up on a whim and pick up wherever you left off.  Bryan Shaw, it is safe it say, is one of those good friends of mine.  Currently, I have known him for over ten years and it seems whenever we get together, our friendship picks right up where we left off.  Recently, I haven't seen him for over two years, yet I know that if we got together, there would be no "re-acquainting" ourselves, we would just delve right into some deep philosophical discussion and keep our friendship going.   Bryan is one of those rare individuals who likes to push people, not physically or emotionally in a negative way, but push them in a way that forces them to consider their actions, put reason behind their beliefs, and explain themselves.  It is not out of an effort to make people feel uncomfortable, it is just who he is, a philosophical instigator of sorts.  To be honest, I wish there were more people like him in the world, people who seek to understand at a deeper level the undercurrents of life, why people do what they do, and to understand how everyone fits into the greater scheme of things.  Perhaps that is why we have become such good friends.  From the first time we met and he questioned my motives or actions, I fired right back with an explanation and subsequent inquiry and to this day it hasn't stopped.  We don't always agree on things, yet we are always able to push the boundaries of each other's understanding and rationale and to a certain extent, enlighten each other with a different point of view and our explanation of it. 

I first met Bryan at St. Bonaventure University where I studied for a year and half.   From the first moment we met, the discussion started and it has yet to stop.  During our time at St. Bonaventure, we raised havoc wherever we went, often times skirting the law and remaining just under the radar.  (Those stories will not be told here).  But through all of that havoc, I knew I could always count on Bryan.  He was always there to lend a hand and would share whatever he had with others, (at least his friends).  I have many great memories of those years at St. Bonaventure, but the better memories were to follow.   After I left St. Bonaventure, we remained in contact off and on.  We lived 7 hours away from each other so it wasn't like either of us could simply take a day trip to see each other.  But periodically we would make the trek, and whenever we did, it seemed like no time had passed.  It was almost as if you simply took a book mark, placed on the page where our friendship left off, and opened it back up when we saw each other again.   Whether the conversation touched on metaphysics, personal identity, Catholic theology and the purpose of religion, or whether it was as simple as discussing other people's actions, there was always something to talk about.  I must say, however, that the best conversations were had between 2 and 4 in the morning when there wasn't much distraction.  If we ever got into a conversation with others around, we would normally lose them somewhere along the road because either they couldn't follow our thought processes or we just went way over their head with our introspection and philosophical bent. 

It is not just the conversation that keeps us together as friends, it is the fact that we understand each other and will always be there for each other.  I can speak on behalf of Bryan here because I know him so well.  Even though we might only see each other every couple of years, I feel that I am closer to him as a friend than many others in my life.  That isn't to say that I don't value my other friends highly, it is just that I feel closer to Bryan than I do to others.  My only wish was that he lived closer so we could see each other more often.  But such is life.  I know that I can call him anytime and he will be there, ready to talk.  He is a unique individual who has much to offer anyone he comes in contact with.  It is safe to say that anyone who calls him a friend is lucky, for there are not many people like Bryan out there.  His viewpoints may clash with a lot of people, but then again, I often wonder how many of his friends actually know his viewpoints and his deep yearning to explore the philosophical underpinnings of the world at large.  It doesn't really matter, for all that matters is that I am one of the lucky ones who can call him a friend.  I will always hope for the best for him and know that whatever he does and wherever he is, he will always strive for happiness and satisfaction.  He won't settle for anything that detracts from his way of life or what he wants to do.  To Bryan, I wish you happiness and a long life, and know that our conversations will continue!  Cheers, brother.

No Prayer in Rhode Island

Religion has taken hold of the headlines again, this time hailing from the town of Cranston, R.I. where a high school student there successfully sued her high school to have a written prayer that was hanging on a wall removed.  This girl is a self proclaimed atheist, having lost her faith in God around the age of 10 when her mother was ill for a time and God did nothing to help her.  But her atheism is not the issue at hand here.  What is at issue is the removal of a prayer hanging on a wall.  This is not a situation where a public school is forcing students to recite prayers on a daily basis.  In fact, the prayer is non-denominational, having been written by a student in the 1960's, presented to the school as a present by that year's graduating class, and consequently hung on a wall in either their gymnasium or auditorium.  It seems this girl's main issue with the prayer is that it mentions "Our Heavenly Father".  The prayer reads as follows:  "Our Heavenly Father, Grant us each day the desire to do our best, to grow mentally and morally as well as physically, to be kind and helpful to our classmates and teachers, to be honest with ourselves as well as with others.  Help us to be good sports and to smile when we lose as well as when we win.  Teach us the value of true friendship.  Help us always to conduct ourselves so as to bring credit to Cranston High School West.  Amen."  That was it, the main bone of contention, that is now causing an uproar in Rhode Island.  (To see the article on this topic, click here.)

The ruling judge on the case claimed that the prayer's presence in the high school was unconstitutional as it violated the principle of government neutrality in religion.   His rational for ruling in favor of the prayer's removal in my opinion is flawed.  If you look to the specific wording of the Bill of Rights, in particular the first amendment, it reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."  Going off of the wording, there was no law made respecting a given religion or for that matter prohibiting anyone from practicing religion.  I know there must be flexibility within the amendment that maintains its pertinence across the ages, but to me, it seems pretty cut and dry.  If on the other hand the school had all the students recite the prayer every day, then perhaps there could be a larger point of contention.  But to have a prayer removed, whose only specific reference to religion is "our heavenly father" and "Amen", is to me bordering on the unconstitutional.  I have brought this up before, but the word God is present in our pledge of allegiance that is recited in most schools every day, and also on our currency which is used by essentially every American, including this high school girl.  I agree that students shouldn't be forced to recite something they don't believe in, whether it be the pledge of allegiance or a prayer, but when the law gets brought in to have a prayer removed from a wall, issues arise.  I personally hope that the appeal to have the prayer remain succeeds.  If the appeal succeeds however, I foresee a long, drawn out battle reaching the Supreme Court. 

I think its pretty clear where I stand in regards to the removal of this prayer.  I essentially think the judge's decision was wrong and feel that it should be appealed and the prayer re-hung on the wall of the high school.  It is not like the ten commandments are hanging from the wall.  What I do have a problem with is how people are reacting to this girl and the decision.  People are sending threats, speaking ill of her, and bordering on violence.  It has gotten to the point where police have to escort her to and around school just to maintain her safety.  If there was ever more reason for her not to believe in God, its people's reactions to her lawsuit and the subsequent ruling.  She has her feelings on the matter and as such, she should be treated with respect and dignity.  Just because she is an atheist does not mean people can treat her poorly, issue threats against her, and otherwise make her life a living hell.   Are we not taught to treat others as we would want to be treated?  The only true way to show this girl that God does exist is to treat her the same as anyone else.  If anything, the way people are acting in Rhode Island currently does more to solidify her position as an atheist.  Rhode Island is the most Catholic state in the country, and yet the people are reacting to this as if they were in the stone age.  While they may not agree with her viewpoints and the overall decision that was made, they do not have free reign to ostracize her and exclude her from the community based on her beliefs.  While I feel that the prayer should remain, I also think that this girl needs to be treated with a little more dignity. 

Is Grief a Disorder?

As I was perusing the NYTimes this morning, my attention was caught by a headline stating that grief may become a psychiatric disorder.  I'm not quite sure that I can stomach the fact that grief, the feeling we most often associate when we lose a loved one, might become a disorder that we can be treated for.   The issue is coming up now because the psychiatric community, namely the American Psychiatric Association, is working on the fifth edition of its "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders".  Grief has become one of many points of contention as the APA receives input from psychiatrists around the globe.  Some support its inclusion as a disorder, some are against it.  Supporters of its inclusion state that grief often times leads to depression and as such, many people who experience debilitating grief are going untreated.  I understand where they are coming from.  I can see how grief can lead to depression.  Its not easy to lose a loved one and often times it can lead us to question our own tenuous existence, question the relevance of life, and spiral dramatically downhill as life seems more and more futile.  However, isn't grief a normal human state?  Are we not supposed to mourn a loved one who passes away?  The period of grief that people go through, or bereavement, is different for everyone.  Some people take longer to get over the loss of a loved one while others are capable of moving past more quickly.  If you look at the numbers, between 8 and 10 million people lose a loved one each year, and most experience a period of grief lasting from 2-4 weeks on average.  Does that mean then that 8-10 million more people each year could get "treatment" for grief?

I am not saying here that some people don't need help to overcome the loss of a loved one.  I am sure that there are many people who benefit from counseling and for whom it is necessary if they are to move past their grief and get back to living their life.  However, my issue mainly arises from the fact that once it becomes a specific "disorder", whether or not is associated with depression, it opens it up to treatment by medication.  Many psychiatrists are known for treating disorders with medications.  For almost every mental disorder there is, there are a slew of medications that can be prescribed so people can deal with these disorders.  That means that any of the 8-10 million people who lose a loved one each year could potentially be prescribed a medication to help them deal with their grief, or perhaps a more apt statement would be so that they don't have to deal with grief.  Grief to me is part of who we are.  If we lose a loved one and don't experience some sort of grief, then we are not really in touch with our emotions and that perhaps is a bigger sign of a problem.  Everyone needs to grieve on some level.  It is the mind's way of dealing with a loss and as such, if we deprive people of grief through treatment, we are denying the mind its main tool of coping.  I can see the argument now; "But what if the mind is not capable of dealing with loss through grief?"  Does that then necessitate medication to mask the grief, or is counseling a better option in that it helps people see the grief for what it is and deal with it personally. 

I guess my biggest issue with this whole debate is that once grief gets listed as a disorder, "treatment" will most likely be medication.  Medication does nothing to cure a person, it merely disguises the symptoms of a given disorder and "returns" a person to normalcy (until they go off the medication).  Medication does nothing to help the person deal with the grief and sort through it.  As I said before, I do believe that grief can lead to debilitating depression if people are incapable of dealing with it, however medication is not the answer.  I believe that more emphasis should be placed on counseling to get through the grief.  I have dealt with grief before and it is not always easy to overcome, but it faded in time as I grew accustomed to living without a given person.  I was lucky enough to never sink into depression when dealing with grief, but I can see how it can happen.  Does that mean that if the possibility is there we should medicate it?  I don't think so.  All in all, grief can be a touchy issue.  Some people see it more as a condition or disorder while others see it as a fact of life, a process that people go through when they lose someone close to them.   To me, a disorder is something that is more of a life-long ailment that needs to be dealt with perpetually whereas grief is a process that occurs after a loss and usually goes away over time.  I hope that they don't classify it as a disorder because the last thing we need in this country is more people getting medicated.  Lets learn how to deal with life rather than how to medicate life. 

No Expectations

Of the many things I have learned since being a parent, there is one thing that I feel holds sway over everything else, expectations.  Especially in regards to an infant, 3.5 months old to be exact, expectations can be disastrous.  I have found that whenever I begin a day with my son having expectations of how events will unfold or what will happen, most often they get shot down and trampled under foot.  Its never intentional, its just a fact of life.  What I think should happen, or what I would like to happen, is often in direct contradiction with what my son would like to happen.   Its not that he has mastered control of his feelings or his actions at this point, its just the randomness of his day that tends to skew everything else.  Now before I go on, I am not implying that having plans for a day, or for that matter a tentative schedule, are things that should be totally thrown asunder, I am merely implying that to expect a string of events to unfold in a given order is absurd.  Schedules are important, especially to young children, but at 3.5 months old, schedules must be flexible.  To hold an infant to a certain eating schedule is to verge on the insane as most parents will know.  If my son wants to eat at 930 and I think he should eat at 1030, both our lives will be living hell if I try to hold him off for an extra hour.  This is not to say that holding him off a little is a bad thing, but if his demeanor slides towards outright screaming as if the world was coming to an end, he has got to be fed.  (For the record, I have never attempted holding him off for an hour, nor would I want to.)

Releasing one's self from expectations is perhaps the best lesson one can garner from being a parent.  It not only makes life more enjoyable with in infant, it translates exceptionally well to every other area of life.  If we enter into situations with expectations of how things will unfold or how life will present itself, whether it be with an infant or anyone else, we could be setting ourselves up for disappointment.  While events and actions will align with our expectations from time to time, it is not always the case.  I find that when we have expectations, there is a certain rigidity that is implied, and our expectations often times lead us to be less flexible when things go awry.  The inability to be flexible is one of the biggest downfalls when dealing with children as their attention, mentality, and view of life is completely different than an adults'.  As infants, everything can be broken down into a few variables; hungry, dirty diaper, tired, or simply wanting to play and explore.  There is no thought paid to how their actions will affect things later in the day, or how a lack of a nap will cause them to be fussy later on.  There is simply nothing we can do as adults to make them comprehend what we would like them to.  We must simply go with the flow, remain flexible and attentive to their needs, and be willing to alter our schedule to accommodate theirs.  As they grow older, I believe there must be a little more rigidity to their day, but when they are younger, a more flowing, flexible, schedule seems to function best.  

So what does entering into a day without expectations really mean?  To me, it means beginning the day with a personal dedication to deal with each moment as it comes, to deal with each action separately, and to be prepared to change on a whim.   It essentially means we must live in the moment, not considering the future, or the past, but simply be present in the present.  By being attentive to what is occurring around us, we are better able to act upon it and move forward more easily.  It assists in flexibility and our overall ability to deal with surprises.  If we can come to see surprises as a blessing rather than a curse, our days will be much more enjoyable, especially if we are watching children.  I find that over the course of watching our son, I have become more flexible and accommodating than I used to be.  I can see how some people would want to fight it, to maintain their old ways and hold their children to their schedule, but until children reach an age when they can comprehend the schedule and adopt the schedule as their own, it is futile to hold them to a schedule and our expectations for them.  Infants develop according to their own time frame, and live each day according to what their body tells them.  As such, we must seek constantly to be in tune with them and their needs if we are to make it successfully through a day with ripping our hair out.  Luckily, I have not pulled any of my hair out yet.  I find it enjoyable to enter each day with our son not knowing what it will hold.  Do I have certain things I want to do with him?  Yes, but they don't always happen when I would like them to, and you know what, I am perfectly fine with that.  To me, expectations are gone, replaced with only the here and now. 

Fourth Amendment Survives!

Our freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures in the digital age has survived.  A case was just overturned by the Supreme Court in which a man was sentenced to life in prison for "conspiring to sell cocaine" after police placed a GPS tracking device on his car and followed his movements for 28 days.  The only evidence they had was that garnered from the GPS device.  The final ruling essentially said that the police violated this man's expectation of privacy by placing the device on his car without a warrant.  From here on out, if any GPS devices are to be used to track suspects in order to ascertain their whereabouts over a period of time, police or any government agency must first obtain a warrant.  The ruling, while not specifically applied to other digital surveillance devices at this time (such as public video cameras, Onstar location services, or any other digital information), can be applied to them if the need arises in the future.  Expectation of privacy in the digital age is a new frontier that is just now being investigated and ruled on.  Personally, I am glad that limits are being placed on law enforcement officials in regards to their surveillance techniques.  If the ruling had gone the other way, in effect allowing police to track anyone at anytime for any reason without their knowledge, our country would have moved drastically towards a police state.  (To read the article off of which I am basing today's blog, follow this link to the NYTimes.)

The U.S. is largely known for the freedoms it espouses on its citizens.  Many things have changed since our founding fathers wrote our Constitution and the bill of rights, yet the wisdom with which they wrote them allows us to translate them into any age, under any circumstances.  They are simple statements, meant to protect the citizens of this country from the often times over reaching hand of the government.  Our founding fathers envisioned a country with a small government, in place to protect its citizens without intruding into their personal lives.  Since our country was founded, the government has consistently grown, especially over the past century, to be this behemoth that seeks to control more and more of our lives.  The beauty of our system, its checks and balances (while seemingly not always functional) allows us to challenge authority and as in this latest case, win.  While we may not always agree with the verdicts that the Supreme Court issues, or their rulings on laws and various other grievances, they have shown that they are still a potent and necessary ruling body when it comes to the rights we have as citizens of the United States.  Over the course of our history, there have been many times when the Supreme Court has come to the rescue of U.S. citizens, and this case is no different.  We can now cherish our freedom a little more and be free from worry about over intrusive law enforcement. 

Don't get me wrong, law enforcement plays a vital role in securing our safety and maintaining order in our society, yet there must be constant re-evaluations of their procedures and practices if we are to ensure our ongoing freedom and rights.  As it is, the ruling does not say police can't use GPS devices and other digital information for their surveillance, they must simply obtain a warrant before doing so.  Obtaining a warrant means they must show enough proof or evidence that it is necessary before proceeding.  This vital step ensures that our expectation of privacy is not impinged upon and that we can live our lives as we see fit within the confines of the law.  I applaud the Supreme Court justices for their due diligence in translating the fourth amendment into the digital age.  There is now a basis for which to refer to when other issues arise regarding our freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.  Let us only hope that they continue to uphold our freedoms and our rights as United States citizens. 

Tribute to Ray Rocuant

My cousin Ray, to me, is an inspiration.  He is much older than me, and growing up, I never got to see him all that much.  Even to this day, the amount of times I get to see him is minimal, yet when I do, his charisma, worldly knowledge, and free spirit, offer a type of inspiration and motivation that are hard to come by in this day and age.  I have heard him described by other family members as a true artist, living on his own terms, his own schedule, and essentially following his inner voice wherever it takes him.  Some may say he is not in touch with reality, but to me, he creates his own reality and lives it.  There doesn't seem to be an obstacle that he can not overcome.  Rather, he throws himself at any endeavor full force and lets the chips fall where they may.  But knowing the life he lives and how he has lived it is only part of the picture and the reason for his effect on me.  Whenever you are with him, engaged in conversation, it feels like you are the only other person in the room with him.  He seems to draw the conversation to the philosophical, pushing and prodding, inspecting actions, thoughts, and the rhythm of life in a way that is largely absent in most people.  Yet, while the philosophical may seem overbearing to some, he relates everything to personal stories from his life or the lives of people he has known.  In essence, he makes the conversation real, not ethereal and intangible.  It is this mix of philosophical tangents with concrete stories that entrances people, draws them in, and offers a view of a truly unique mind. 

It is not just the stories that draw you in, it is his unique ability to paint a verbal picture of anything he talks about with such vivid detail that you could almost step through the veil and live the story yourself.   Ray is passionate about what he has seen and done, passionate about the people he has met, passionate about life itself.  Its this passion that is intoxicating.  True passion like his is hard to find these days in people.  After spending an hour or two with Ray, listening and conversing, you begin to notice the absence of passion in other people.  I don't mean this in a negative way, its just something that happens.  He has a way of drawing the passion out of whoever he is with, if they are open to it.  I can see how some people would be turned off by him, by his tenacity for living a full life, yet to me its an example of someone grabbing life by the horns and riding it into the sunset, singing all the way.  The last time I saw him was a few years ago in California where he lives.  My wife and I went out there for a week and stayed at his house in the Sierra Nevada's.  I got to know more about then than any time previously.  And to be perfectly honest, that is where the idea first got planted in my head to start a blog.  It took me a little while to get started on the blog, but I credit the start of it to Ray.  Without our conversations, the stories exchanged, the philosophical debates, I probably wouldn't have started the blog. 

Trying to pay tribute to Ray in three paragraphs is not necessarily an easy thing to do, but then again, trying to sum up how anyone affects me in three paragraphs is challenging.  I would love to go on about the stories of his life, but I want to simply touch on his inspiration, his charisma, his vivacity that have impacted me.  He shows you what is possible if you live life with passion, if you dedicate yourself to what you are doing, and follow your inner voice.  While some may seem him as never truly "settling down", I see him as someone who is tune with his passions, however they may change and wherever they may lead him.  He is an amazing person, drawn to the nuances of life that make it fascinating.  His unique perspective on life offers me a view of what could be.  In short, it instills in me a desire to live my own life with passion, to follow my inner voice (which I normally do) and cherish every person and event that happens.  Ray is an example of how not to let any opportunity slip by, but rather dive right in, explore, and make every experience your own.  Some might say that I am idealizing him, striving to live the life that he has, but to be honest, I wouldn't want to live his life.  While it is fascinating to hear about, I have my own life, my own experiences, my own stories to tell.  Ray is simply an example of how to live life to the fullest.  So to Ray, his life, his stories, and his passion, I pay tribute.  Here is to many more years Ray, chock full of whatever you fill them with, for I know anything you do will be done with passion. 

Leap Seconds

Up until earlier this week, I had never heard of leap seconds.  When I did, it was in the headline of an article on the NYTimes website.  It came up because there has been debate for years as to whether to keep the leap second or get rid of it.  Obviously, the leap second is vitally important if there is this much discussion about it.  The decision was supposed to be made at an international telecommunications meeting in Geneva yesterday.  However, after much discussion, the decision was postponed for another three years until a panel of experts has time to review the implications of either removing or keeping the leap second.   I said "another three years" because the leap second has already been under review for 10 years.  That will make 13 years of study to determine whether or not the leap second should be kept or eradicated.  So what exactly is the leap second?  In an attempt to put this as simply as follows, a leap second is a second that is added to atomic clocks every four years to ensure that clocks stay in tune with the earth's rotation which is gradually slowing down.  What are the ramifications of this decision?  Well, if the leap second is removed from use, time will slowly slide earlier and earlier so that lunch time will eventually slide to mid morning and further as the earth's rotation slows.  If we keep the leap second this won't happen, but computers systems could get screwed up in the long run as these leap seconds get added on every four years or so. 

Personally, I say keep the leap second.  Computer systems are not as important as ensuring that our clocks stay in sync with the earth's rotation.  I don't want to be waking up as its getting dark and going to bed as its getting light (that wouldn't happen anyway because by the time lunchtime was at midnight, I would be long dead).  I guess the big issue I have with this is that resources are being wasted as people are paid to study the impacts of either keeping or removing the leap second.  I could understand it more if it took a year or two to make the decision, but at this point, no possible decision could be reached until at least 2015 as that is when this new panel of experts is due to finish their three year long study of the leap second.  It is extravagant wastes like these expert panels that take too long to figure something out that bother me.  The first stint of experts studying this leap second was ten years long, and they couldn't even reach a decision after that.  What makes them think that three more years will make a difference?  Perhaps this whole quagmire is in part due to the fact that this discussion and panel of experts is tied to the United Nations, known internationally for not really being able to make a timely decision.  Perhaps instead of focusing efforts on the leap second, we should put a little more effort into understanding our economic situation and seeing how we might be able to fix it for the future.  It won't matter a damn about leap seconds if economies don't recover and start growing again.

So yes, I am a little cynical this morning, but when I hear about money being wasted on topics that have no relevant bearing on the lives of millions, it irks me.  Don't get me wrong, I am sure that this decision will be considered vitally important perhaps a hundred thousand years from now when the earth's slowing rotation actually makes a difference, but now, not so much.  Even to me, the decision seems pretty cut and dry.  Keep the leap second and ensure that we will not one day be eating lunch at midnight.  As it stands, the panel of experts has been dispatched for another three years and we won't have to hear about the leap second till then.  I sure hope that they can reach a decision on this leap second after thirteen years of study.  I know that I will be waiting with baited breath in 2015 for their announcement.  (Ha, not likely!)  But seriously, lets focus resources where they are needed, like helping the homeless or feeding the hungry.  The money would go a lot further if put to these uses and could actually make a difference on a larger scale.  But then this panel of experts wouldn't be getting paid as much as they are to make this momentous decision, so I don't know.  Just wait, the next leap second will be added this year at the end of June and I am sure that we will all notice the difference.  Hold on, we are in for a wild ride!

Teacher's & Data

There is a large push in the United States to rely more and more on data and numbers to evaluate teachers and figure out if they are doing their job properly or not.   At my wife's school in Connecticut, just about everything a teacher does that relates to her subject and classes must be logged in and recorded so that at any one point an administrator can come in and see if that teacher is on target.  That's not even counting the analysis of the numbers that come from test scores, literacy objectives, class sizes, etc.  Now I am not a teacher and as such am viewing this from an outside perspective, but it seems pretty clear to me that all this effort to attain more numbers and data with which to analyze the teachers is overburdening the teachers and keeping them away from their one main task; teaching students.  If administrators actually put in the effort to get the numbers and data themselves, then perhaps teachers would have more time to focus on their students and actual teaching.  But instead, teachers are being forced to utilize their "prep" periods or their free time to enter in their curriculum, their classroom status, achieve literacy objectives (which should be part of the actual studies in a classroom, not something separate), and they are consequently left with no time in which they can review their classes and how they are going, make adjustments to certain lesson plans, or simply clean the room and ensure that it is ready for the incoming class. 

Now is there a place for data in assessing teachers and their performance?  Yes, but it can not be the sole indicator of a good teacher.  There must be more consistent observation by the administration, more walk throughs, more one on one time with the teachers.  Data alone does not paint a picture of a teacher, it is but one small portion of the whole.  Yet administrators and the board of educations in many school systems look mostly or only at the data in their evaluation of how their teachers as a whole are doing.  All they want is high numbers so that they can look good at the end of the day.  If they can increase their numbers with as little effort as possible on their part, then nothing else matters.  It doesn't matter that a teacher could have a bad day or two when testing occurs or when a teacher doesn't fulfill all requirements because he/she is too focused on the students and their needs.  There is no way to truly ensure that teachers are on track 100% of the time, it is simply impossible.  By getting little pieces of data delivered throughout the year, it is like looking at a portrait in which all you can see is the nose, two fingers, and an ear; you can't tell what it really looks like.  A truly well rounded evaluation of a teacher would have many facets in my mind, only one of them being data.  Other than that, classroom observations and walk throughs should play an integral role (not when comparing the classroom to data however), student and parent surveys, and one on one meetings between administration and teachers.  If a picture is to be painted of how a teacher is functioning in the classroom, more effort needs to be put in on the part of the administration rather than placing the onus on the backs of the teachers. 

I am biased here obviously because my wife is a teacher.  But when I hear about all the new initiatives and data driven stats that are circulating through the school, it bothers me.  And when I hear it coming from multiple teachers, it bothers me even more.  If I had to sum up everything I heard from my wife and other teachers, it would sound like this; "we have less and less time to focus on the students and actually teaching."  If the push continues to elicit more and more data from teachers and their classrooms, students will begin to do worse because their teacher's are focused more on what the administrator's want than what their student's actually need.  If administrators want to weed out the bad teachers, then they need to listen to students, parents, and other teachers combined with extra emphasis on unannounced classroom observations.  Simply relying on data to point out which teachers aren't doing their job is not sufficient.  While it may offer useful information, to rely on it solely is ridiculous.  The folly of data reliance will prove itself in time, but is there time to waste?  Is there time for students to lose their teacher's attention because of data?  I don't believe so, but in a world where no child is supposed to be left behind, data drives everything.  What is needed is an effort to get back to basics, to human observation, of actual interaction between administration and teachers to provide the necessary information to make judgements on how teachers are actually doing in the classroom. 

Airplanes and Biofuel

I would surmise that almost everyone reading this is cognizant of the push to reduce our overzealous use of fossil fuels and concurrently, the push to reduce CO2 emissions world wide.  One of the biggest challenges that is being faced is how to reduce amount of fossil fuel used by airplanes and the enormous amount of CO2 that is belched into the atmosphere every day from their engines.  Yet despite the challenges and related cost, companies are forging ahead by mixing bio fuel with regular jet fuel to help the environment.   The newest plant oil that is being mixed with jet fuel is from the tropical jatropha shrub.  The plant itself, and the fruit it produces is not edible and has no other use except as a hedge.  This is vitally important as the use of this plant does not deprive humans of a food source as some other bio fuels do.  That being said, however, the cost of producing the oil from the seeds of the jatropha fruit is 2.5 times higher than the cost of producing regular jet fuel.  Is it worth it?  It all depends on who you talk to.  The added cost of the bio fuel would obviously be passed on to passengers and is currently the only major downside to utilizing the bio fuel.  The bio fuel can not be used entirely to fuel the engines as it doesn't have the energy output of regular jet fuel, but it can be added until the overall fuel reaches a 50/50 mixture.  Just by replacing half of the regular jet fuel with bio fuel, emissions can be cut from 60 - 80%.  That is pretty amazing in my mind and well worth pursuing if we are to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.  (For the full article used for inspiration, click here.)

So now that this plant, along with other non-food plant sources are being utilized for jet fuel, what is being done to combat the higher price?  A lot actually.  Scientists are searching for different strains of the jatropha plant that can produce higher yields of the fruit.  By getting higher yields from one plant, it partially reduces the cost.  There is also efforts being made to increase the yield of the plants they already know about through genetic engineering so that they can get more fuel per acre.  As the engineering of the jatropha plant is still in the early stages, there is still a long way to go in terms of increasing its yield, but I am sure that the scientists will make headway as they did with modifying corn and other food sources.  They were able to modify these other crops to survive in harsh conditions while still producing larger amounts of food and as such, they will surely be able to do the same with the jatropha plant.  Perhaps the best part of this whole story is that it is already being tested in planes, in some planes up to six months continually, to see if there are any adverse effects on the engine from the mixture.   So far, everything is working perfectly and the engines show no extra signs of fatigue or wear from the use of bio fuel mixed with the regular jet fuel.  There is still a long way to go with this technology and a lot more that can be done, but the movement is in the right direction.

Ultimately, it seems that the goal of airlines should be to find an alternative fuel that they can use exclusively in place of jet fuel.  It would be difficult as not many other fuels come close to the same energy capacity that fossil fuels provide, but the effort in my mind needs to be made.  Even if they could achieve a mixture in which 25% was jet fuel and other other 75% was bio fuel, it would be hard to refute the benefits to the environment.  Yet for now, we must hope that they figure out a way of reducing the cost of the bio fuel so that the cost of air travel does not grow exponentially.  Although if we begin to run out of fossil fuels, which we will inevitably do at some point, the cost of the fossil fuel will most likely exceed that of the bio fuel and there would be no option left except to use bio fuel to its fullest capacity.  Overall, the movement towards greener more renewable sources of energy is well on its way and is not likely to disappear any time soon.  There is great potential for job growth in this sector as new technologies are needed.  Let us not forget that we all occupy this planet and the only way to ensure its survival is to minimize our impact on it.  It will be a long arduous process to try and undo what we have done, but we are taking steps in the right direction and hopefully more and more people will get on board with these efforts. 

Much Ado About Splenda

Splenda, the newest non-sugar, artificial sweetener to hit the market has been lauded by many as a fantastic sugar substitute, but is it really?  Splenda, or sucralose as it is also known by, is not actually a natural product as the name might imply.  It's name is extremely deceptive as sugar itself is also called sucrose.  So where did this artificial sweetener that is 600 times sweeter than sugar actually come from?  The plain and simple answer is that it was discovered while trying to make a new insecticide.  Don't believe me?  It's true.  (Here are a few links for you to check out; Splenda 1, Splenda 2)  The big difference between sucrose and sucralose is that sucralose is sucrose treated under heat and with a slew of chemicals to alter its basic structure.  The process replaces a few of the normal compounds of sugar with chlorine, the same stuff we use to keep pools clean and sparkly and the same stuff used as a toxic gas during wars.  And chlorine in and of itself is considered a carcinogen.  Yet despite the harmful effects of chlorine, the FDA approved Splenda for use.  Don't get me wrong, all this information can be quite confusing.  Some say its safe, many more are now saying its not.  In fact, out of all Splenda users, it has been found that about 70% either have a sucralose allergy or have sucralose toxicity.  Neither of these sound very appealing, yet people continue to use Splenda because it is technically "zero calorie".

That last statement that sucralose is "zero-calorie" is technically false.  The reason that it is zero calorie is because it is 600 times sweeter than sugar and much less is needed to attain the same effects as regular sugar.  Hence, with much smaller amounts, the user gets almost no calories.  That is unless that person consumes enough food containing Splenda to actually make it a caloric sweetener.  But enough about Splenda itself, what are some of the side effects?  The makers of Splenda will argue that there have not been any side effects shown through their clinical studies, most done on animals.  Yet what has been found by other sources is that Splenda has the following side effects:

• Gastrointestinal problems like bloating, nausea and diarrhea
• Skin irritations, rashes, hives, swelling and itching
• Breathing difficulties, wheezing
• Runny nose, cough
• Palpitation, chest muscle pain, itchy eyes
• Anxiety, depression, mood swings, sudden onset of anger
• Dizziness

Think that's all?  Think again, the following are also side effects that can be fatal:

• Enlarged liver and kidneys
• Growth rate plummets
• Atrophy of lymph follicles in the thymus and spleen
• Rise in cecal weight
• Hyperplasia of the pelvis
• Decreased fetal body weight
• Decreased placental weight
• Pregnancy period may stretch for a longer period
• Decreased red blood cell count
• Aborted pregnancy or stillbirth

Still thinking about using Splenda?  Go ahead, I wouldn't though.  After reading about the side effects a little while ago, I told my parents about the info I found knowing that they use Splenda on a daily basis.  I figured that if I pointed out all the side effects, they might stop using it and switch to a safer product.  Well, they did.  Perhaps the best outcome of their ceasing use of Splenda was for my mother.  She suffered from routine headaches that would not go away.  She could take any type of painkiller and it would still be there.  She could go in for a chiropractic adjustment and it would still be there.  Guess what, she stopped using Splenda and the headaches practically went away.  She still has a few here and there, but all in all, the worst of her headaches are gone, all by eliminating an artificial sweetener called Splenda. 

Splenda, if used in excess, can actually lead to weight gain.  How is this possible if it is zero calorie sweetener?  Simple, 1 cup of Splenda contains 96 calories and 32 grams of carbohydrates.  If a person not only uses Splenda in their coffee, but also consumes other foods made with Splenda, it could be possible to consume a cup of Splenda a day.  An additional 100 calories a day could lead to an extra 10 lbs by years end.  That amount of carbohydrates is not good for people with diabetes either.  So this amazing artificial sweetener that was supposed to help people eliminate calories from their diet and lose weight is not so amazing after all.  What it really is is a toxic substance that is portrayed as a sweetener.  Personally, anything that was discovered while trying to make a new insecticide will not enter my bloodstream.  This is not to say that I have not ingested Splenda, I have, but it was years ago and way before I knew the truth about it.  Also, I never really like the taste of it and as such, only used it a few times.  So what do people who want to lose weight do?  Simple, don't simply substitute artificial sweeteners for the real thing and eat more vegetables and fruits.  Its amazing what happens when we eat healthy, not artificially healthy, but truly healthy.  The best option for success is to keep it natural and keep away from manufactured sweeteners and other food substitutes.  In the long run, they will create more problems and make you less healthy. 

Tribute to Fr. Tom Lynch

In a day and age when many people are moving away from organized religion, especially Catholics, I am moving closer to it.  Having been born and raised a Catholic, it has always been my religion, not simply a religion that I belong to, but also one that I know the most about.  I feel that a big reason I still attend Church every week is in large part due to the community spirit cultivated in the Church that I go to.  I have been to many different Churches over the years and none have had the same type of open, welcoming community as the one I have been at since a child.  In large part, that sense of community is due to the pastor at my Church, Fr. Tom Lynch.  He is not one of those priests who holds himself above others as being "holier" than the rest of his congregation.  Rather, he is a priest who yearns to learn people's stories, their stories of struggle, of joy, and of life in general.  In large part, it is his personality, his down to earth demeanor, that keeps people coming back.  He awakens in people the realization that life is often times more than they can handle on their own and that they need God in their life to help them through it.  To him, it is not the priests that make the church what it is, it is the community of people who gather together, to support each other, to pray for each other, and to be an example to others of how God can work through their lives.  For most of my life, I didn't understand this concept either being too young or too apathetic.  Yet for all those years of not understanding, I still went to church (some years more than others), and I always went back to St. James in Stratford. 

With a priest such as Fr. Tom, whom I have never met anyone similar to yet, you have a confidant, someone who believes in you.  I have known him since I was probably 5 or 6 years old and can always remember him taking the time to listen or to stop on his way to a meeting to chat a little.  He has always been a priest for the people, blowing off important items on his agenda because someone was having a difficult day and needed advice or simply someone to talk to.  He always makes himself available to anyone who needs his help or advice and that's what draws people to him.  Yet while he offers advice and guides people on their spiritual journey, he does so with humility, being the first to admit that he struggles on his own spiritual journey as well.  He will be the first to admit that he is human and that life is not always easy for him either.  Coming from that standpoint, he wants only the best for his congregation.  What he wants is for people to go deeper in their spiritual life, to place more trust in God than they do in society.  I see the battle he is waging and it is not an easy one.  He is not one to mince words and often times grinds directly against convention because he sees it as a distraction.  There is a deep yearning within him to bring people together spiritually and to bring them closer to God.  What more could you ask for from a priest?  It is not an easy job these days to be a spiritual leader when society would have you believe that spirituality is to be found in sports, money, and work.  Yet he continues to push, both the rich and the poor, to move beyond themselves and see the bigger picture. 

Fr. Tom is one of the most down to earth priests that I know.  He is rooted in humanity and as such can relate to everyone.  He doesn't care who a person is, where they came from, or where they are going, he simply welcomes them with open arms.  Every weekend he makes an effort to meet and greet as many people as he can in Church.  Why?  Because he wants to get to know them and their story.  By getting people to open up in Church, he is providing an avenue for them to open up to others around them.  A spiritual journey is not one that is traveled alone according to him.  It is a journey that requires the support of others, their understanding, and their compassion.  For me, I think it is safe to say that I wouldn't be where I am today without his belief in me and what I am capable of.   A spiritual journey is one that is never completed as there are always areas to improve on.  I am glad that I have Fr. Tom in my life to offer assistance on my journey.  Yet it is not just me, but his community that he is there for.  He is a true example of what it means to be a priest.  For anyone who doesn't know him, I wish you did.  And for all those who do know him, take the time to thank him for all that he has done.  Here is to you Fr. Tom and your life long mission of giving, loving, and guiding people on their spiritual journey. 

Respect for Mothers

For anyone who thinks being a stay at home mom is easy, give it a try for a few days and get back to me.  Anyone who has stayed home with an infant for more than a day knows exactly what it is like and will sympathize when I say that you can't get much done around the house while watching one.  This is the first week of my new schedule, work on Monday and Tuesday, home with our son on Wednesday and Thursday, and back to work on Friday.  On my two days staying home, being "Mr. Mom", I experienced both ends of the infant spectrum; perfectly happy one day, fussy and overtired with moments of happiness the next.  Neither day afforded me much time to do any chores around the house.  I did manage to get a few things done, like dishes, vacuuming, and cleaning the kitchen floor, but that was about it over two days.  But, I would never complain about the lack of time to do things, because that's not the main reason I am staying home.  I am staying home to watch our son, not to get things done, and I relish every moment of bantering back and forth with his variety of sounds, reading books, talking to him, and watching him grow.  I will say, however, that I would much rather prefer the all day happy baby that I got on Wednesday versus the little tired fussy baby I got on Thursday.   Its simply that watching a tired fussy baby, who only has short periods of happiness throughout the day is emotionally draining.  I now know what its like. 

So what did we do?  Well, Wednesday was my favorite day, not only because our son was Mr. Happy, but because it was beautiful out and allowed us to get outdoors for a bit.  I won't get into all the nitty gritty details about feeding, changing diapers, and napping because, lets be honest, everyone knows that a baby does all those things multiple times a day and it would take up half of my description of what we did.  So despite all the normal, routine baby activities, we had a couple other things we did.  The first was take a trip to go see our chiropractor.  An uneventful trip during which he slept on the way down and back.  Early afternoon, however, I bundled him up, leashed up the dogs, and piled the crew in the car to head into the woods for a hike.  It was amazing in the woods.  After strapping our son into his carrier on my chest, we headed up the trail by a waterfall, dwarfed on both sides by enormous pine trees.  These tall trees caught our son's attention immediately.  He was swinging his head back and forth, trying to take it all in.  Whenever we paused, he would start to follow the trees up, craning his neck to try and see the tops.  I leaned back every time, giving him a little more of a vertical view and he just kept on looking; up, up, up.   I thought he might take a little nap in the carrier, but no, the woods with all their silence, the variety of trees, the waterfall alongside of us, were just too interesting for our son to sleep through.  The only time he started fussing a little was near the end of our hour and a half in the woods, but it could have been much worse.  Luckily he only had a wet diaper and fell fast asleep once we started leaving.   Thursday was a different matter all together.

I won't go into the details about Thursday, but will sum it up by saying he didn't want to nap, had a few good moments where we read books and played, but otherwise the day was filled with periodic house cleaning, calming a fussy baby, and attempting to get him to nap.  The true nap finally came when we went for a long drive in the afternoon.  That was obviously what he needed because when we got home, he was back to being Mr. Happy.  Amazing what a little nap time will do.  I completely understand what my wife went through for three months (not entirely obviously, but at least a glimpse).  I understand her exhaustion that I would see upon returning home from work.  That was me yesterday, not physically exhausted, just mentally and emotionally exhausted.  I still wouldn't trade it for anything though.  The time spent with my son is precious and I know that he will grow up quickly.  The little advances he makes every day are amazing to witness.  Over this past weekend he started figuring out his balance a little more.  While holding him in a sitting position, he would wobble back and forth, side to side, but always bring his torso back upright, a major step towards sitting and eventually walking.  And just yesterday, he achieved one of his own personal goals.  Over his bouncy seat hangs three different toys, one on either side and one in the middle with a ring for grabbing.  For weeks he had been trying to figure out how to control his arm and hand movements to grab that middle ring.  He would come close on many occasion and swat it by accident, but yesterday was the first day where he was able to control the movement of his arms and hand enough to reach in front of him, stick his fingers through the ring, and grab on.  What a day.  That moment made all his fussiness go away in my mind.  A small accomplishment, yes, but an enormous step for him.  I look forward now to next week and what my two days at home with him will bring. 

New Benefits of Exercise

I am pretty sure that we can all agree that exercise is important.  Whether it be walking, running, biking, or whatever, exercise helps keep us in shape and healthy.   Recently, however, there have been new revelations about the true effects of exercise on the human body at the cellular level.  Essentially, a new hormone was discovered that was found to have enormous impacts on an individual's health.  Irisin, a byproduct of protein breakdown in muscle cells during and after exercise, was found to move beyond the confines of the cell and affect fat cells within the body.  What the hormone does is turn fat cells from white to brown.  If your wondering what the big deal is in color, your not alone.  I was wondering the same thing myself.   It turns out that white fat is metabolically inactive, essentially just taking up space within the human body and leading to a variety of health problems.  Brown fat, which is essentially baby fat as we know it, is metabolically active, uses oxygen, and requires energy from the body.  Before this study was completed, it was thought that adults did not have any brown fat cells within their body, that we basically lost it all as children.  So who really cares if fat cells are brown or white?  Well, it really does make a difference in your health.  The hormone does nothing to contribute to weight loss, but everything to do with making an individual healthy. 

Brown fat cells, essentially prevent a person from getting diabetes.  While exercise alone will not result in large weight loss, it can prevent this debilitating disease from taking hold of a person's body.  In the study, which included both mice and humans (surprising right), it was found that mice which had a larger amount of irisin in their system and consequently more brown fat cells, had a higher tolerance for glucose despite being on a high fat diet, and were overall much healthier than mice with almost no irisin in their system.  But why study both mice and humans?  Another discovery that was made throughout this study was that the hormone is exactly the same in both mice and humans, which in turn indicates that it plays a vital role in mammals, having survived thousands of years of evolution.  So it turns out that while exercise alone will not slim a person down, it will make them healthy.  Imagine how many fewer problems people would have if they simply went for a walk every day.  Even if they kept on eating the same exact foods and added exercise (which I do not personally endorse), they could have an enormous impact on their future health.  Maybe this new enlightenment will be the motivation that people need to start walking and getting more exercise.  Its not simply about weight loss, its about being healthy. 

As I wrote about earlier this week, we are embroiled in an obesity epidemic in the United States.  It is not just the United States that is suffering, but rather individuals around the world.  The United States just happens to have the highest percentage rate of adults who are overweight/obese out of all developed countries.  Most recently, 65% of all adults in the US are considered overweight, shocking in and of itself, but what is more startling is the percentage of obese adults in the US which amongst men and women is around 33%.  These are serious numbers that all in all contribute to over 300,000 deaths each year, most as a result from a health condition developed because of the excessive weight.  If more and more people started walking, even if they didn't lose all the extra weight, they could reduce the risk of getting diabetes and perhaps other weight related health problems.  It turns out that we all have it within ourselves to be healthy, all that is needed is a little exercise (and diet as well, but that is a whole other topic).  As adults, we need to set the example for our children so that they do not in turn become obese or overweight and develop health problems of their own.  Currently, obesity is on the rise in children as well and unless we do something now to curb the trend, it will only get worse.  The benefits of exercise are bountiful and new ones, as we found out today, are still being discovered.  Maybe one day, people will get the picture and get more exercise, one day. 

Pass the Buck Quickly

Responsibility.  I have talked about this topic before, mostly related to individuals and their inability to accept responsibility when mistakes are made or when something goes wrong.  These same individuals will be the first, however, to claim responsibility when something goes well.  In reading through the news this morning, however, I was struck how this theme of responsibility, or lack there of, is taking center stage on a more global scale.  There have been a number of news articles recently in which blame for some occurrence was passed along to some other country or person, never truly being accepted by anyone.  Some of the incidents are as follows.  A nuclear scientist in Iran was killed due to a "terrorist bomb blast".  Tibetan monks setting themselves on fire are being blamed on overseas plots by the Chinese government.  A Russian spacecraft fails miserably and its failure is blamed on anti-spacecraft missiles.  Syria's increasing tensions are blamed on outside forces.  Shall I go on?  These are only highlights from today's news.  And that is not all.  I could go on listing more stories in which the buck is passed on and on ad infinitum.  Is it that responsibility simply scares people?  Or is it more a matter that they think anything that does go wrong must be the responsibility of some foreign party?  I think that in large part, the answer is entrenched in both questions.  I think that taking responsibility, especially when things go wrong, is frightening to a lot of people and also, they have a general feeling that there must have been some other cause other than themselves for any mishap.

Politicians and world leaders have long been known for not accepting responsibility for their actions when things go wrong.  I think it is getting worse, however, in light of technology and globalization.  With a wider audience than there was in the past and everyone looking for people to slip up, there is more pressure placed on leaders (either real of fictional pressure) to make sure they do the right thing.  However, people inherently make mistakes, it is part of who we are.  Politicians and world leaders are, after all, human (despite what they may think of themselves).  In part, the blame can be shared for this increased pressure.  We, as citizens of whatever country, expect more and more out of these officials.  If a mistake is made, the media and certain groups will be the first to parade that mistake around and criticize judgement, decision making ability, and even the person themselves.  Because of this pressure, and the pressure that these officials inherently place upon themselves, they feel that every action they make must be the right one, and if it isn't, then someone else screwed it up for them.  This increased pressure to be perfect and to make no mistakes detracts from the human condition.  Personally, if a politician or world leader screwed up and actually apologized or took responsibility for their actions, I would trust them more.  I would see a recognition of their own mistake and would be more likely to think that they would learn from it and move forward.  This isn't necessarily true, but simply taking responsibility goes a long way towards building trust. 

To be perfectly honest, I don't know what the answer is.  I could suggest that all world leaders attend a seminar on what it means to be human.  Or I could suggest an increase in the media being sympathetic, but neither of these are realistic.  Perhaps what we could start to do as citizens is begin to accept that these politicians and world leaders are human and that they will make mistakes.  We currently hold them up to such a high degree of scrutiny and expect near perfection from them.  By doing this, we are stripping them of the ability to make mistakes, as we all do, and make it less likely that they will take responsibility for their actions when something goes wrong.  The sooner we can accept them as people like us, the sooner they might accept the fact that they will make mistakes and take responsibility for them.  Even if they continue to view themselves as better than everyone else and persist in maintaining a perfect image of themselves, we would all be better off for changing our view of them and consequently of ourselves.  We must continue to allow the possibility of others making mistakes and accept their apologies when offered.  To go after someone maliciously because they made a mistake is to strip away their humanity and push them towards a mentality of passing the buck.  It is not an easy thing to do, yet if we try, perhaps we can slowly change our perspective of others, responsibility, and what it truly means to be human.

Teenage Weight Loss Surgery

Over the weekend I read an article in the New York Times, that was to me, quite disturbing.  The article was about weight loss surgery and the increasing pressure from doctors to use it at younger and younger ages.  Currently, the youngest a person can receive weight loss surgery at is 18 in the United States.  If Allergan, the maker of the lap-band, has its way, it will be able to market its product to teenagers as young as 14.  It is currently in the process of petitioning the FDA to allow it do just that.  With the growing obesity epidemic we are experiencing in the United States, there has been a concurrent explosion in weight loss surgeries, totaling over 200,000 just last year.  And its not as if the procedure is cheap, those 200,000 surgeries amounted to a cost of over $6 million dollars.  No wonder Allergan wants to market its product to younger and younger obese individuals.  Part of the problem with this influx in weight loss surgeries is that doctors have come to believe that dieting doesn't work for everyone and that this is a necessary procedure if we are to save individuals.  Wait, dieting doesn't work?  It seems to me there is a general problem with the way that doctor's are thinking.  If you look back through the history of man kind, I can almost guarantee that during no other time  has a person been able to reach a weight of 500, 600, or 700 + pounds.  Yet in the United States, we are continually seeing people reach higher and higher weights.  Is it a problem with dieting or with the type of foods that we eat combined with a lack of exercise that has contributed to the problem.  There are many diets out there, so I can't generalize, but there have been thousands of success stories when dieting and exercising have been combined in an effort to shed unwanted pounds.  I firmly believe that part of the problem arises with the type of foods that people eat.  If a person on a diet simply reduces his/her caloric intake without regards to the types of foods they are eating, then no, the weight won't be lost.  Exercise also goes a long way in getting rid of unwanted pounds.  It doesn't even need to be extreme exercise, but something as simple as walking every day. 

The article followed a young woman as she went through this weight loss surgery.  It was first recommended to her at the age of 17 and finally performed when she was 19.  A large part of the problem with her weight, over 250 lbs at a height of 5'1", was due to her inability to control her eating habits.  When in consultation for the surgery, she even tried to diet herself, and before she left to embark on the diet, the doctor said, "It's not your fault, but your not going to be able to do it."  Really?  Since when have doctors been so crass and driven by money that they flat out tell people that they won't be able to lose weight through dieting.  It turns out that this girl wasn't able to lose the weight and eventually had the surgery, but it still bothers me that a doctor would say that to a patient.  It makes me wonder how much they are getting paid by Allergan to push this product.  The procedure was minimally invasive, took 25 minutes, and cost only $21,369 dollars.  If there was ever a case of robbing people, this has to be it.  What surprises me more is that while doctors will tell you that dieting and exercise alone won't work, they won't tell you about the the enormous risks involved.  A certain number of patients, a low percentage, never make it off the operating table because of death.  Many others have complications with the procedure and have to return to either have the problem fixed or the device removed.  It seems to me that if someone was truly dedicated to losing weight without the possibility of dying, then they would stick to a regimen of dieting and exercise. 

Many people could criticize me saying I don't understand how hard it is to diet or how there is never enough time to exercise.  Well, is there enough time for you to save up $21,000 for an operation that still requires you to diet and exercise?  It seems to me that weight loss surgeries are simply thought of as an easy way out for weight loss.  I am sure that other people might tell me about the studies that have been done citing the genetic disposition of some people to be obese.  Well, just because there is a genetic disposition to a certain body shape doesn't mean that an obese person can't take matters into their own hands and change their future.  A genetic disposition to be a certain way is an excuse.  There have also been studies done showing that people are genetically more likely to be alcoholics, yet many find the strength to quit the habit and change their lives for the better.  Can they do it alone?  No, they find a community of like minded people to help them along.  Why can't it be the same for weight loss.  It seems, overall, that more and more people simply want an easier way out than true dieting and exercise.  By reducing the amount of food they can cram in their stomachs, they think that they will have an immediate cure-all.  But what about the necessary calories that they need to function every day?  Does it account for the lost calories?  Probably not.  Let me sum this whole thing up by saying that I am not an obese person and as such do not know what it is like to go through a diet to try and lose weight.  I am sure it is not easy, in fact, I am sure that it is downright hard.   But if people are driven enough to quit drinking for good, then they can be driven enough to lose weight through diet and exercise alone.  Lets hope that the FDA does not approve Allergan's petition to market their product to a younger crowd.  Lets hope that teenagers, and for that matter adults, can find it within themselves to lead a healthier lifestyle without invasive surgery. 

Tribute to My Other Grandmother

My grandmother on my dad's side of the family, Babci in Polish, is one of the most loving people I know.  She is usually the first person in the room to tell someone that she loves them.  She is always concerned about other's well being, putting everyone else's concerns above her own.  To me, that is the way she has always been and continues to be.  Unfortunately, she didn't take care of herself as much as she should have and she let diabetes take its toll on her.  She is blind now and mostly deaf, but still strives to be present to her family as much as possible.  She has been for many years now, the matriarch of that side of the family, making most of the financial decisions and deciding how things should be done.  She still has her wits about her despite her health issues and continues to be a presence in all of our lives.   Although she can't do much any more on her own, what I will remember her for the most is her cooking, her Polish dinners, her lavish Thanksgiving dinners; practically anything she made was memorable.  Although not the healthiest of cooks, her food tasted great and you could tell she put all her effort into it.  She always strove to bring family together and she did it with her meals.

Any meal that she cooked was a chance for our family to gather around the table and spend time together.  I can see now how it carried down through the generations and how important it is for a family.  She was a person who dedicated herself to helping others whenever she could.  Working at the local Catholic church and school, she helped out in any way she could.  Even with our family, after making sure that her and my grandfather were all set financially, she made sure she could help us out whenever the chance arose, usually around the holidays or birthdays, but even if it was some random discussion about a project that needed to be done around the house or a big ticket item that needed to be bought, she often jumped in and said, we'll take care of it.  I remember when we bought our house, we were talking to them about our bathroom that was in dire need of a remodeling as soon as we moved in.  She asked how much we thought it would cost and consequently wrote us a check for it.  We never asked for it or even expected it, but that's just the way she was.  Having been born during the tail end of the Great Depression, she was frugal and always made sure there was enough money in the bank to sustain them.  Due to her financial ability, my grandparents were able to afford moving into an assisted living facility a few years back, something my other grandmother will never be able to do unfortunately. 

My only regret now, is that Babci will never be able to see her great grandson.  Due to her lack of discipline when it came to her health, she now must deal with the consequences.  In large part, it was all those fantastic meals she cooked, packed full of butter and salt, that in part led to her diminished health.  She knew about her diabetes and was fully capable of preventing its progression, but failed to do so.  I feel sorry for her now, because seeing our son grow I am sure would have been a true delight for her.  She has gotten to hold him, however, so at least she will be able to take those memories with her.  I will forever remember my grandmother as one of the most loving people I know.  When she says she loves you, you can tell she means it.  At this point, every time she leaves, she shakes a quivers a little bit as she tells everyone how much she loves them because I think in part, she doesn't know if she will get to be with them again.  She knows her predicament with her health and knows that things could go south at any time.  That is perhaps the best lesson any grandmother could give a family, how to express your love for others.   The lesson; just say it, and mean it.  It is quite simple, but she has mastered it.  I will forever remember her fattening meals (they were sure tasty) and her generous heart and will keep those memories with me forever.  Here is to you Babci and all that you have done for your entire family. 

Indefinite Detention

Its been almost a week since our president signed the National Defense Authorization Act and I am sure that many people don't even know what it is.  Part of the reason for the lack of knowledge of this act is that it was signed into effect on New Year's eve when almost everyone was distracted from politics.  What this act does for the most part is spell out how the military will be funded.  In addition to military funding, however, there are also some controversial provisions inserted in the act which can have grave consequences for our future in the United States.  The most controversial part of this, and the one with which most people are having the issues, is the ability for the military to detain a United States citizen indefinitely and without charge if they are suspected of being a terrorist.  This indefinite detention can persist as long as there is a war on terror.  The way it is looking right now, our supposed "war on terror" is a never ending war, and as such, US citizens can be detained for a very long time.  President Obama almost didn't sign this act, but in the end gave in after some of the wording was changed.  The most significant change was that the power to detain a person was taken out of the hands of the military and placed in the hands of the president (although it is still the military that will be physically detaining any terrorist suspects).  Along with the signing of the act, President Obama issued a statement that he would not, during his term in office, utilize this controversial provision.  (For a full article on the NDAA, click here.)

While Obama may not utilize the provision allowing him to detain suspected terrorist indefinitely, even if they are US citizens, it leaves the door wide open for any future president to come in and utilize the provision.  This provision has never been tested in the courts and one could only hope that if it was utilized, that the courts would quickly strike down any effort to indefinitely detain someone.  The true problem arises in that if this provision is enacted by a future president, there is no burden of proof placed upon him/her to show that a given person is a terrorist.  There is no reason that needs to be given other than they are suspected of terrorism in order for them to be held indefinitely.  All it would take, essentially, would be a few reports of suspicious activity that could or could not be terrorist related for the president to authorize the military to swoop in and detain someone.  That's it, plain and simple.  So where does that leave the citizens of the United States?  For the majority of us, it wouldn't be a problem, but for anyone who even looks like they could be a terrorist (based upon individual discretion) they could be in for a long stay in prison or some other detention center.  There have been many cases over the past decade in which people have been questioned in depth due to alleged reports or suspicious activity and in the end have been fully exonerated.  The NDAA changes everything.  All those people who were questioned and released, under this new act, could simply be detained indefinitely, potentially separating them from their families for years without any charges being filed. 

So where do we go from here then?  What is the use of writing about this if it is already signed into law?  I believe that we the citizens of the United States need to be aware of this, of the changes that are taking place behind closed doors.  We can now only hope that the Supreme Court will look at this provision and consider it in direct violation of our Constitution and get rid of it.  The ACLU has vowed to fight this provision and we can now only hope that they are successful.  While this little provision, thrust in amidst military funding jargon, is seemingly innocuous, the potential for abuse is rife.  Hopefully we will never have to witness or deal with the effects of this provision, but one can never tell these days.  With politicians becoming more and more distrusted with every passing year, it is hard to maintain faith that they will do the right thing.  If you look at the overall scheme of things, Obama's statement that went along with his signing saying he will never invoke this provision is pretty pointless.  He has less than a year of guaranteed time in office and after that, who knows what will happen.  The only way we can make a change at this point is to get involved (as I have said before) and take a stand for what we believe is right and just.  We need to become thorns in the sides of politicians, poking and prodding until they give in to our requests and demands.  After all, it is the citizens of the United States that voted them in, and as such we need to step up to the plate and assert ourselves. 

Becoming Mr. Mom

With my wife about to go back to work next week, a whole influx of changes will be taking place in our household.  With our son now three months old and settling into a routine, we are about to throw a monkey wrench into the mix.  There are a number of factors driving our decisions in regards to our son; the first being that we don't want him in daycare five days a week at his age and secondly, we can't afford a whole week of daycare.  So what exactly is going to happen in our household come next week?  For starters, our son will be going to "daycare" on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.  I quoted daycare, because instead of sending him to a traditional daycare chock full of children where an average caregiver has 4 infants to watch, we will be having a family friend watch him.  This family friend of ours, along with our son, will also be watching a 2 year old and a 4 year old, and that's it.  Instead of being in a facility with numerous other children, our son will be in a house.  In our minds, this is a much better environment for him, especially at his early age and with being in "daycare" only 3 days, it will still allow us plenty of time to spend with him.  That leaves Wednesday and Thursday to contend with, and that is where I become Mr. Mom.  Since my wife's job provides our family with health insurance, it makes more sense for her to go back full time (despite the fact that she would much rather stay home) and for me to re-arrange my schedule so that I can be home on Wednesday and Thursday with our son.  In addition to making more sense in terms of insurance, I also have more flexibility in my schedule as I am self employed. 

The downside to the re-arranging of my schedule is that I will most likely have to work Saturdays to pick up the slack or just work longer hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.  But it is what it is.  I am looking forward to the two days I will get to spend our son during the week.  Those two days will make dealing with my new work schedule a whole lot easier.  But what kind of havoc will it play with our son's routine?  Hopefully, he will adjust quickly and adopt this new routine without too many issues.  It is not so much a matter of him dealing with new people, it is more a matter of messing with his sleeping schedule.  Currently, he normally wakes up between 5 and 6ish to eat and then goes back down for a couple more hours.  With the new schedule, we will have to be out the door by 630/645 in order to get him to our friend's house on time.  Maybe he will decide to take a nap once he gets there or maybe not, only time will tell.  Whatever the case may be, I know he will adapt and get used to it.  But enough about him adjusting to a new schedule.  I am truly excited to be able to spend those two days in the middle of the week with our son.  I know many dad's don't get that kind of opportunity and I am just glad that I can re-arrange my schedule to make it happen.  As excited as I am for this unique opportunity, I also feel for my wife who will have to quickly adjust from spending every day with our son to spending afternoons and weekends with him.  The plus side for her, is that as a teacher, she gets out earlier than she would if she worked in the corporate world and she gets her winter and spring breaks along with the summer to spend with him. 

Change is not always easy and I know there will be a little craziness that ensues next week when we embark on this new schedule, but we will just have to work through it.  It will mean getting more things done around the house on the weekends and organizing things better so there is less chaos when we are getting ready to leave in the morning.  I am sure it will all work itself out...eventually.  Looking at this major change our family will be experiencing, I wish in part that the US had more of the values of some European nations where both mother and father get to take time off from work to spend with their new family member and all in all, that time off is much longer than we in the US get.  Yet wishing will get me no where so as I look towards next week, filled both with excitement and a little anxiety, I am going to make every effort to make this transition as painless as possible.  I feel that as long as my wife and I can enter into this new transition peacefully and with as little anxiety as possible, then our son will able to do so as well.  Frankly, right now it is all about making it as easy for him as possible.  At three months old, he has no control over what happens so it is up to us as the parents ensure that he makes the transition smoothly with us.  Next week will be crazy, but for now, we will enjoy the last few days with our current schedule.  I will be Mr. Mom next week, but for now, I will just keep on working.