Are we in the 1960s?

I’ve been paying attention to the growing animosity between the police and their sympathizers and the growing number of frustrated citizens feeling a distance between the general populace and those sworn to serve and protect.  It is harrowing to see the distrust on both sides and to see damning evidence to support both as well.

My husband and I were watching a show the other day set in the sixties where racial tension was high, as was a wide divide between people increasingly more militant and a movement of peace-loving yet anti-police activism.

It looked a little familiar.

Photo courtesy of http://www.shmoop.com

Photo courtesy of http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/GTY_baltimore_6_sk_150428.jpg

It seems to me that (due to numerous cause and effect situations on both sides) the view of the public toward the police has, for many, turned from the protector of the people, to cold enforcers of the law.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Jfa1U_zho

Take this video (Sesame Street’s We’ll Watch Out For You) of what I grew up thinking of the police, versus what we see now when our kids google Cops, Police, etc.    See the difference?

There used to be Beat cops.  Then they moved to cars and now tanks.  There is a visual and ethical separation between the populace and the Police force and it is driving wedges hard into that relationship that is such a huge part of our society.  We need laws to prevent anarchy.  Laws need to be enforced, but if the people are the enemy of the police, and police are the enemy of the people, we are left with anarchy anyway.  No one wins.

When I read debates involving these wedges, I see officers or their supporters arguing that if people were more respectful, if there were less bad guys, if this next generation of kids weren’t entitled brats, etc… there would be no need for violence toward the populace. I see people insisting that officers are bullies with power that isn’t questioned.  That the people feel they can’t ask why they are being detained, questioned, etc. because they are accused of resisting arrest and that is reason to be shot now.

I saw a video today talking about how the unrest involving officers would lead to them not protecting the people… it was by an officer.

There are many online people insisting that if you are respectful, sit down, shut up and fall in line, all will be well… but we see plenty of videos where people do this and still have a problem.  Adversely there are still people who provoke the police, attack them and try to kill officers doing their jobs correctly.  It is that cause and effect cycle I referred to before.

There was a time when Police Officers were the people.  Each one, was one of us who had signed up to put their life on the line to serve and protect.  We protected them as much as they did us.  That was a lot more Sesame Street and less 1963 Harlem Riots.  There was a time when people waved to an officer and supported them.  When we felt telling our kids to go to the police for help was not only right, but the best option.  Now?  Not so much.

So what is the solution? How do we break the cycle? Are we going to live through another 1960s decade of war and peace mongers? What do you think?

While house sitting, my daughter found 3 Elf on the Shelf dolls…

Elf on the Shelf kind of creeps me out.  But now I see the appeal….  and I worry about how creative my kid is.  lol

I can’t wait to see what our friends and their kids think when they get home.

 

This kid went into Detail.  There is an entire book called “An Elf took a Dump in my cup.”

 

And then we found out that they aren’t actual Elf on the Shelf dolls.

The Vaccine Controversy

We are coming up on cold and flu season and a time when people begin to speak up more heatedly about vaccination. From seasonal vaccines to childhood vaccines- people begin to defend their point of view on the validity and necessity of such a practice. I am a nurse and have written posts defending my point of view on this topic more than once. I have collected studies and data to compile for collegiate papers while obtaining my degree, and did so again after obtaining a position as a full time RN for the benefit of staff and patient education. I have seen the devastating, and sometimes non-reversible, effects of  preventable illness on young children and their families. I have provided care and treatment for these families in their times of crisis, and have as a result found myself firmly rooted in a position for vaccination. However, today instead of once again writing my own article and simply leaving a trail of links for studies at the end I thought I would let the articles and research of physicians/scientists do the talking. Please find below just 2 links abounding with research and MORE links for your review. Wishing you all a happy and healthy day!

From: Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism: Healthcare Triage 12

“Humans try to make sense of the world by seeing patterns. When they see a disease or condition that tends to appear around the time a child is a year or so old, as autism does, and that is also the age that kids get particular shots, they want to put those things together. Parents watch kids more carefully after they get shots. Sometimes they pick up on symptoms then. Just because two things happen at the same time doesn’t mean that one caused the other. This is why we need careful scientific studies.”

 

From Violent Metaphors : Dr. Jennifer Raff

Dear parents, you are being lied to.

Dear parents, you are being lied to.

Motivate Me, Baby

Not every day can be awesome.  But you can be better than you were yesterday.  That doesn’t mean you’re perfect, or better than any one else.  What it means is what ever your hurdles are for the day, be they a chipped nail or some catastrophic event—

You got this.

You may feel like this:

From holycuteness.com

Or This:

dashburst.com Page by Daniel Zeevi

Or maybe even feel like you’re putting on a show:

http://www.dumpaday.com

But I’m telling you, you’ve got this.

You’re gonna gather your values:

claimingpower.com The Phone Booth: Step into the Hero You Are Meant To Be!!

Use them to get what you need out of today,

hold your head high:

and  Walk away from the left over crap.

http://www.austingunter.com

 

You’re gonna leap today’s hurdles like the freaking gazelle you are.

wildlife-animal-planet.blogspot.com

Today….  You. are. Awesome.

http://www.beforethetrailer.com

Love, Girls vs Blog

Memories

My kids often groan as I pull out my camera and snap the heck out of their cute moments.   I admit, I have an addiction, but when the pay off is captured moments like this…  It is worth the groans.  I found these in my old photos and thought I’d share.

 

Pearls don’t li…

Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it.

~Chinese proverb

Hipster humor

How did the Hipster burn his tongue?

He sipped it before it was cool.

(I don’t know who made this, so if you do let me know so we can give them credit.)

The Vaccine Controversy & Jenny McCarthy

Standing in the line at the Super Market I find myself regularly perusing the magazines that line the checkout counter. I know they are mostly fluff (all arts and leisure with a hearty splashing of Hollywood blah blah) but I can’t help myself…it’s there and so readily available. I only read the covers on the Hollywood blah blah magazines (I admittedly sift through articles from the home improvement and food mags), you know so I can keep up with the headlines of pop-culture LOL. Most days it’s a quick look with little to catch my attention for any longer than it takes to ring up my basket of groceries, but every once in a while I spot something that makes me look a bit more close, last night happened to be one of those nights. There staring back at me was a smiling Jenny McCarthy holding her son, whom she has claimed for many years, has autism as a result of infant vaccines. Head lining the picture “Vaccines” and “Autism” could be seen from 3 checkout counters over so I was moving on pretty quickly…before I realized what the full headline really was. According to the article Jenny McCarthy had stated in a TimeMagazine interview that her son may NOT have had Autism after all. Well, a day later that article is being picked a part and Jenny McCarthy is saying it isn’t true…but there is was before the public once again…the question of a link between Autism and Vaccines.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/jenny-mccarthy-report-of-new-stance-on-autism-vaccines-irresponsible-and-inaccurate-1.1617795

Here’s the truth. I took a double take at that article because I am a nurse…in fact I am a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and Pediatric nurse and I take childrens health very seriously. I have nieces and nephews and hundreds of patients whom I care very deeply about and seeing their wellfare placed in jeopardy over and over again without evidence drives me bonkers! I am all about questioning what we do in medicine because I know that questioning things is how we find great advancements. I know that when we break down what we are doing and why we are doing it- we learn. We learn that some things we have done for years (such as using alcohol swabs to dry umbilical cords)may no longer be necessary….we also learn that some things (such as oral suctioning to prevent pneumonia) continue to be prevelant and very necessary for the well being of those we care for.  It is absolutely vital that we question our practices…BUT it is more important that we research and perform studies to answer our questions. We don’t simply question something, find a few similar cases and decide we have a grand factual finding. We have to break down hundreds if not thousands of cases; we have to look at the science and the written reports before we can come to a definitive conclusion.

As far as Vaccines go I have yet to see reports or studies or papers in medical journals which have clearly and scientifically linked Vaccines to Autism or any other illness similar….and I look regularly. As I said I have a large number of people who are counting on me to have their best interest in mind, and that includes looking to see what the latest research says before I walk into a room to ask a parent if they want me to vaccinate their infant or child.

Naturally after such an article was published and placed on stands in a wide variety of super markets there have been an outpouring of posts on facebook, twitter and personal blogs about childhood vaccines (both pro and con). In the interest of full disclosure I must admit I am pro-vaccine because I have found research to show its benefits and have not yet found any which can solidly refute it. In fact, the only one that came close was quashed quickly. Here’s the link to an article looking at the original publication which brought up Autism and Vaccines together. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/

This is a website I was told about by a parent of one of my patients. http://www.voicesforvaccines.org/growing-up-unvaccinated/  It is a parent run website/movement and I must admit I am very impressed with how professional it looks, the stories and honesty of those on it, as well as the fact that they clear all of their info with physicians and scientists before they report. It is very pro-vaccine…no hiding or pretending here.   http://www.voicesforvaccines.org/growing-up-unvaccinated/

Finally…Information on vaccines from 2 organizations who dedicate their existance to finding the best practice for our worlds communities. Perhaps it is because I have friends who have worked for both of these organizations over the years (and who I know have spent countless hours in small reasearch tents in third world countries trying to find links and traits and cures)…but I trust them. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) http://www.who.int/topics/vaccines/en/ and the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm

Bottom Line – I’m not saying everyone needs to agree with me and run out and vaccinate your children…BUT I do think WE ALL need to make sure we stay well educated so we can make the most informed decisions possible.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy Day!

The Rainbow Loom Craze

Well, Santa and grandparents both brought my girls various kinds of looms for Christmas. I was amazed at how inept I am at following basic instructions, but once we got it, my girls haven’t stopped.

My tips are to watch YouTube tutorials and my mom had the brilliant but simple hack of sorting colors in muffin tins.

Big black frame for class party photo booth

Frame, random props and a camera and you are ready to go! The kids have a blast.