Category Archives: Current Issues

The Perks of Being Out of the Daily Grind

purje-mornings011-1280

I spotted this funny and very cute cartoon on my Google+ page this morning. I follow Hyperallergic and get their newsletter/email. I am not a “morning person.” One great thing about not having to conform to a regular work schedule of 9-5 or 7-3 or 8-4, which have been like some of my schedules in my past work life, is that I do not have to get up early. My income has decreased quite a bit but the perks have increased exponentially.

Let me list a few.

I get to sleep in, if my husband does not wake me up. He is still an early riser.
I can enter the fully awake state at my own pace. I normally become active gradually if left to my natural inclinations.
I have the freedom to browse websites and newsletters like Hyperallergic at my leisure. This is where I get some of my inspiration to write on issues I feel strongly about or ones that I am passionate about.
I can be more like the real me. Not forced to conform to the needs and desires of an employer.
I can choose what I want to devote my energies to. Like writing, volunteer literacy tutoring, working with special needs kids, staring out the patio window contemplating nature or letting my mind wander.

I have discovered that not being chained to a full-time work schedule is worth more than all the gold I used to get paid to do it.

So there are things to look forward to when you are out of the mainstream workforce after all.

There Might Be Something Good About Siri Afterall

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I know I have been writing lately about the risk to our creativity caused by an addiction to technology like Smartphones. And I have written about how this addiction can prevent authentic face to face communication with other people. I still feel these are some of the big down sides of being so hooked on our technology.

But today I found an article about a very positive use for Smartphones. This was a New York Times post by Judith Newman about her son 13 year old son Gus who happens to have Autism and his relationship with Siri, the Apple Intelligent Personal Assistant.

I already was aware of the ability of technology to engage kids with special needs. Technology is one of the tools used in modern schools to teach kids the curriculum. The computer lessons are often designed like games to help kids learn phonics, spelling and math. The kids enjoy interacting with the games and the games reinforce what is being taught in the classroom.

Ms. Newman’s post described how the features of Siri are beneficial to her son’s special needs. Kids with autism can have major difficulty engaging with other people socially in conversation. They can have special interests or obsessions about certain topics that they want to talk about to the exclusion of all else. They do not pick up on cues from other people that they are not interested and they find it hard to be able to take turns in conversation. Siri is able to talk with Ms. Newman’s son Gus on all his favorite topics without losing patience with him. Even though the voice recognition feature has some problems this is actually a plus for Gus because he is made to enunciate. This helps him practice speaking clearly. Siri also models being polite. When Gus got a bit sharp with Siri over some music suggestions she had made, Siri told him he had a right to his opinions. This helped him realize that he did not need to get angry if he did not agree with someone and then he thanked Siri for the music.

This sounds like a great use for this type of program for kids that need to learn and practice the art of conversation. It is a help to parents who need a respite from the long discussions with their kids about their child’s special interests. I would not want to see the kids getting attached to these devices to the exclusion of everything else but I do see how they can be beneficial in certain ways.

Definitely something worth further investigation, don’t you agree?

SOCS-Relative or Relativity

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It’s All Relative

Is how much you care all relative

to how you are related to someone

your relationship

the connection

is it by blood

or by marriage

just an acquaintance

or a close friend

a soul sister or brother

kindred spirits

or kin

or a stranger whose image you see on the news

Is your caring dependent on

whether or not you can relate

have things in common

or that you are

members of the same tribe

like the family of man.

473px-Poor_woman_in_Greece via wikipedia

2766873592_293a478c71_z Scooter Man by Ed Yourdon via Flickr

3093763311_2a83db98ba_z Homeless Boy and his dog

|Lindaghill|

|Loveisindablog|

Love Is In Da Blog

How Technology Can Block Our Creativity

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How Technology Can Block Our Creativity. I was coming out of my morning fog, drinking my coffee, and checking out my Email when I saw someone on LinkedIn, Dr. Louis Naude on the Council for Exceptional Children group site, had shared the article above about how so many of us are addicted to our smartphones. Dr. Naude states, ” If we’re constantly bombarding our brains with input we do not leave much space for creativity.” This has been an idea I have been kicking around for awhile.

If you are walking around, like “the walking dead”, constantly checking your phone when do you have the time to think creatively or think in depth at all? So I was interested to see there is this project, mentioned in the article, at New Tech City called Bored and Brilliant.

In the first post of Bored and Brilliant it says that people who study these things have found that, yes, we do need idle, reflective time for our brains to be creative. Novel idea.

The Bored and Brilliant project has been started to help people get unhooked from their smartphones and start being brilliant. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Here’s a part of their first post:

“Here’s the issue: It goes back to when Apple introduced the first iPhone in 2007 — that’s less than a decade ago. Fifty-eight percent of American adults have a smartphone today. The average mobile consumer checks their device 150 times a day, and 67 percent of the time, that’s not because it rang or vibrated. Forty-four percent of Americans have slept with their phone next to their beds.”

So if you think you may be spending way too much time with your technology it would be worth it to check out this project.

This post is my contribution to Dandelion Fuzz’s weekly challenge. This weeks topic is Social Media.

|Katgotyourtongue|

We Need To Be Dreamers

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We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.”

–Arthur O’Shaughnessy

We have to have dreams and believe in possibilities if there is ever to be human progress. It is so easy to get discouraged and bogged down with all the problems in the world. Thinking that things will never change or will always be bad.

There is always the possibility of new discoveries and that the world can improve.

“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

–Howard Zinn

I want to read over and over all the hopeful and encouraging words of all the dreamers and visionaries. It buoys me up and helps me to believe in life and the future of the world.

Let’s act in small positive ways and not give in to the darkness.

|Katgotyourtongue|

Soapbox Sound Off-Are Frankenfoods Safe for Consumption?

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Introducing Soapbox Sound Off. I want to make this a bi-monthly feature of my blog. To air some issues that are important to me. I would love to have readers chime in with comments, additions to my topic, and disagreements, but all in a polite way. I will present an issue and some added information for further reading if I have it. Readers are welcome to add to the information. I did start already with a post on Social Media last week. I plan to do this type of blog post bi-monthly on Wednesday.

Soap Box Sound Off: Are Frankenfoods Safe for Consumption?

I know my title is redundant and a no brainer, right? Something called “frankenfood” does not sound safe or healthy. I consider GMO foods and foods with a lot of chemical additives frankenfoods. Like Frankenstein’s monster they are something created by man that is turning out to be a monster. I receive various newsletters in my email. One is from the Organic Consumers Association. Many times I can not read all of their articles because I get overwhelmed with all the alarming news. I wanted to share the latest one I read. I have been concerned about GMOs for quite a while. GMO is an acronym for Genetically Modified Organisms or foods. I intuitively felt that eating something that was genetically tampered with may not be a good idea.

The link I am providing is to an article about genetically inserting pesticides into seeds. So when we eat the food it has some pesticide right inside of it. This article points out that the pesticide sprays being used now can not be washed off the food either. I did not realize that. I now want so much to eat as much organic as possible. The article mentions ways to fight against GMO and pesticides as consumers and talks about how the FDA has often abdicated its consumer protection role. There are so many GMOs, pesticides and other additives, that we are not told about, in our food now.

It is important that we all give some thought to this issue. It is a health issue for us, our families and the planet.

Here is the link to the article about GMOs and pesticides:

Consumer Self-Defense: 12 Ways to Drive GMOs and Roundup off the Market.

What do you think of GMOs and pesticide use in agriculture? Do you think GMOs and pesticides can have a harmful effect on humans and other species that share our planet?

Carmen Herrera Artist at 99

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I love reading a blog I subscribe to and get in my Email. It is from EngAGE. It is an organization based in Southern California that has created housing for older adults and runs all kinds of enrichment classes at their complexes. At their North Hollywood complex they have a full theatre available for the residents who can get involved in producing their own plays. In addition they have this uplifting blog to combat ageism. It features older adults doing all kinds of creative things. Senior Planet.org is another organization I love. They often feature similar articles as EngAGE and they discuss issues that impact older adults.

There are so many inspiring stories. One that was sent to me recently from EngAGE was about Carmen Herrera. She is an artist who was “discovered” at age 89 and now at age 99 her work is being featured at a famous museum and gallery. She is still working at age 99. I am sharing this information from the EngAGE blog and other articles about her. Here is one from the Guardian and another one here. Her art is now to be shown at The Whitney Museum Of American Art and the Lisson Gallery.

When I first read about Carmen Herrera I said fantastic! Here is an artist who is still creating. I love these stories about older people and their spirit to continue to create. Artists, writers, musicians often can all continue practicing their craft as long as they want. This inspires me and I envy them in that they have this wonderful work.

An alarming bit of information came up about women artists. I also get a newsletter from Hyperallergic.com which is about art. I read an essay “The Problem of the Overlooked Female Artist” by Ashton Cooper talking about how women and minority artists for many years were held back by a white male dominated art world. Or at least an art world that only respected white male artists. This is so disheartening to me. I did not realize this was again another field where this discrimination was going full force. Carmen Herrera mentions it in the interview above. How she was denied a show in a gallery because she was a woman. I don’t know how these artists did not completely despair. The essay from Hyperallergic links to several other articles on this topic of “overlooked” women artists. The author suggests the story of these artists lives should be explored in more depth to shine a light on what it was like to face this discrimination and how they coped with it all through the years before they were finally recognized. Some died before being recognized.

Carmen Herrera via Frederico Seve Gallery:

And from The Smithsonian:

|JusJoJan|

Meeting Sensitive Santa

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So many parents enjoy taking their kids to meet Santa at the mall and getting their pictures taken. It is such a common event this time of year. The lines of kids with their parents waiting to take their turn sitting on Santa’s lap. Waiting to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

For some children and their parents this is a major challenge. What most people take for granted as an easy holiday season activity the parents of children with autism find to be almost impossible.

These parents have the same wishes for their children as all other parents. To participate in all things that other children do. To be able to sit on Santa’s lap and get their pictures taken and be able tell Santa what they are hoping for on Christmas.

Children with autism are often very sensitive to noisy, crowded and over stimulating environments. It is hard to them to wait patiently in lines for long periods. So their parents must often give up on them ever doing something other parents think of as a normal thing to do around Christmas time.

I read a story in the LA Times by Hailey Branson-Potts about a place in Northridge, California, called Rock The Spectrum Kid’s Gym, that has found a way to make Santa accessible to kids with autism. I have a link to the article here: Sensitive Santa The story is very touching as it describes the kids’ reactions when they were able to approach Santa in an environment that was comfortable for them.

I wonder if anyone else has heard of this being done for kids with autism in other places? I think it is a great idea and could easily be copied. What do you think?

How to Defeat Aging

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This is day 4 of the post a day challenge. I am basing this post on a prompt on the Nano Poblano site. Tell everyone how you have defeated aging.

I have to say that I have not defeated aging and I do not want to. What I would like to defeat is Ageism.

All this anti-aging talk is because people have a real prejudice and fear about older people and getting older. And the current definition of older is pretty young. This is pathetic and sad. We are all going to get old. You may be able to delude yourself and invest in all manner of plastic surgery and end up looking like Jim Carey in The Mask with The Mask on.

I am not saying you can’t use moisturizer, some makeup or color your hair and try to stay in shape and healthy. I am talking about this exaggerated reaction to the appearance of aging where we are all trying to look like we are in our 30s or 40s when we are in our 50s and 60s.

I am not afraid of aging and do not desire to defeat it. Aging to me is not a negative thing. It is part of life and very natural. Of course I hope to remain healthy and with an intact mind but none of us knows what the future holds. I refuse to live in fear.

I hate the way old people are devalued by many in our society. It is such a mistake and a loss to everyone when this great resource is neglected. It is a valuable thing to have the older generations interacting with the younger ones.

Children benefit so much from relationships with grandparents. The elders are the keepers of our history and culture. We can learn a lot from listening to their life stories and hearing about their experiences and struggles.

People should not be marginalized and shunned because they are old. This is such a pernicious trend in our culture. It is like a bad science fiction or a dystopian film. The old go off to some disintegration machine because our youth obsessed culture can’t bear to look at them any more.

All the negativity about aging is dispiriting and discouraging. I believe that it can actually make people feel depressed about themselves and adopt a hopeless attitude about their lives. It certainly is not empowering is it?

It is really discouraging to me to hear older people denigrating themselves on top of it by making stereotyping statements or ageist remarks. It is like they have been so saturated with this prejudice that it has become part of them. Almost a kind of self-hatred or a way of ingratiating themselves with biased younger people.

It is pretty difficult to combat this prejudice because it is so ingrained. We have all internalized it to some degree. But that does not mean it is not worth it to fight to change this negative image of age.

Many older people are continuing to live fulfilling lives in spite of what is expected of them or not expected. They go on enjoying pursuits, being creative and engaged with life. They are usually not noticed by the mainstream.

There are many organizations and websites that are working to combat all the negative spin about ageing. Some are the National Center for Creative Ageing or NCCA, Encore, AARP, Engage and Senior Planet.

I hope we can turn the tide against ageism because it will benefit all of us. It is a human rights issue. No one has the right to put limits on the lives of others on the basis of gender, race, religion or age.

I challenge you to promote tolerance and become aware of ageist speech and stereotypes. See if you can catch yourself before you continue to spread these negative attitudes in your families and to your children. Do you have any older friends or family members in your life? Have you believed a stereotype about an older person?

|Nano Poblano| among other things 🙂

Statement by RN’s at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital as provided to National Nurses United | National Nurses United

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My thoughts about Nurses:

Nurses have always been on the frontlines of healthcare. They do the heavy lifting when it comes to patient care often with their own health at risk. They worry about exposure to infections and that they might carry something home to their families. Nurses deserve all the support we can give them along with the best training and the proper supplies and equipment to do their jobs safely for our sakes and theirs.

Link to Statement on National Nurses United blog: Statement by RN’s at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital as provided to National Nurses United | National Nurses United.