|
I didn’t fall off the face of the earth
|
Last week I wasn’t feeling well, plus I had problems with my computer. Then today we almost had an electrical fire at our house – so please me patient with me trying to keep up with everything again. I’m feeling over whelm again.
And I have to ask – those of you with blogs – how are you able to write so consistently? How do you get through these periods when everything seems to go wrong without missing a few days of blogging?
________________________________________
If you like this post please share or vote for it below:
Stumble:
Kirtsy:
delicious:
reddit:
Digg:
________________________________________
If you like my blog please subscribe to read updates in a
feed reader (what does this mean?)
or by email!
Thanks! I really appreciate all your support!
________________________________________
Related Posts:
- I’ve injured myself with my computer!
- I only briefly fell off the face of the earth
- Blogs, my Goals and Everything
September 24, 2008
|
New Book Brings Stalking Issue to Light
|
(Today’s guest post is from Elizabeth Dillon and is about the prevalence of stalking and its effects on women – something we should all be aware of to protect ourselves and other women we know.)
With the release of Kate Brennan’s new memoirs entitled, “In His Sights” the issue of stalking has once again been brought to the forefront of news media. The book is the first of its kind; in it the author describes her personal accounts of stalking incidents, from phone calls, to unwanted visits, to strangers threatening to ravage her world on behalf of an ex-boyfriend. Names have been changed as the author hopes to remain anonymous and avoid further harassment from her formerly charming ex “Paul”, a man with deep seeded relationship issues and enough money to create elaborate, exasperating, and sometimes downright scary, hassles for Brennan. In the post-James Frey age, where the authenticity of memoirs is often in question, Brennan’s work appears to be legitimate, with her editor and the New York Times checking her facts. Before penning an account of her near decade of experiences Brennan questioned whether or not a novel would do more harm than good. However, she eventually decided that a publication would spread some awareness about the issue of stalking as well as act as a medium for her own personal catharsis.
While traditional notions of stalking conjure up images of crazed celebrity fans or dumped girlfriends who won’t stop calling, in reality stalking is a very serious issue that affects a great deal of people. According to a 2006 survey from the U.S. Department of Justice, 8.1% of women and 2.2% of men reported being stalked at some point in their lives. While the profile of a stalker can include nearly any characteristic, most are men of above-average intelligence stalking women. Most women know their stalker, who is often an ex-boyfriend. While the legal definition of stalking varies from state to state, it can generally be said that stalking consists of unwanted contact (including but not limited to visits, emails, phone calls and letters) between an individual and a victim in which the stalker communicates, directly or indirectly some threat that causes a victim to feel fear.
While Kate Brennan experienced her ordeal as an adult, college age women, now more than ever, are being forced to grapple with the issue of stalking. A 2000 national College Women Sexual Victimization Survey found that 13% of college women had been stalked since the beginning of their school year and that 42.4% of the perpetrators were ex-boyfriends. Often these young women are unaware of their rights, afraid to report the abuse, and are subjected to long periods of harassment without support. In some cases stalking crosses from the realm of emotional mistreatment to situations where victims fall prey to physical or sexual abuse. New technology has also made stalking easier, as sites like Myspace and Facebook provide catalogs of personal information and a simple medium for communication between strangers.
I dealt with my own stalking experience at the end of my sophomore year of college. Contacted initially through Facebook, I was followed, emailed, and messaged repeatedly after I made it explicitly clear that I was uninterested in a friendship or further correspondence in any form. While no violent or physical threats were made against me, the person contacting me did use several strategies to “hook” me in and make me feel guilty enough to respond. In messages, he shared that he was lonely and looking for friends, and repeatedly insisted that he did not have illicit intentions that he simply wanted someone to talk to. I felt guilty initially, however after months of uncomfortable letters I began to realize that I was being manipulated. As a complete stranger, this person had no right to expect advice or friendship from me. It took phone calls to my campus stalking unit, and repeated meetings with the University judiciary, to finally find myself sitting across the table from my stalker enumerating his habits at a disciplinary hearing. The entire ordeal was an uncomfortable hassle that left me emotionally drained and less trusting of people in general. My parents were worried for months, and I am still left with guilt, wondering what my denials did to this poor person’s already questionable mental health.
Whatever the severity of a stalking case, it can be said that this issue is serious, and one that can have harmful effects on both the stalker and victim. Individuals who have been stalked may suffer a range of psychological effects and might seek help by receiving cognitive behavioral therapy from a psychotherapist or medication to relieve their anxiety. If you are being stalked do not be afraid to take control of the situation by contacting the authorities. The journey may not be an easy one but it could result in a healthier lifestyle for all involved. For information about stalking and stalking resources visit the Stalking Resource Center.
More information:
Statistics
New York Times article
________________________________________
If you like this post please share or vote for it below:
Stumble:
Kirtsy:
delicious:
reddit:
Digg:
________________________________________
If you like my blog please subscribe to read updates in a
feed reader (what does this mean?)
or by email!
Thanks! I really appreciate all your support!
________________________________________
Related Posts:
- International Women’s Day/Blog against Sexism Day!
- Work + Life + Family = Interconnectivity
- My relaunch plan
September 19, 2008
|
Friday Favorites
|
Happy Friday!
We’ve got an out of state friend visiting, so I don’t have much to share today – but what I do have is cool and cute pictures – all fun stuff!
Fun
Yucatan Golden Rays on a Mass Migration
– really cool pictures!!!!
Have a great weekend!
________________________________________
If you like this post please share or vote for it below:
Stumble:
Kirtsy:
delicious:
reddit:
Digg:
________________________________________
If you like my blog please subscribe to read updates in a
feed reader (what does this mean?)
or by email!
Thanks! I really appreciate all your support!
________________________________________
Related Posts:
September 18, 2008
|
Strong American Schools
|
You may have seen the ads on T.V. lately for ‘Strong American Schools’. I got curious about them and decided to see what the whole thing is about.
Below is one of their ads in case you haven’t seen it – “One Nation Left Behind”:
Some statistics:
- 70% of eighth graders are not proficient in reading—and most will never catch up.
– Every year, more than 1.2 million students drop out of high school.
– Compared to students in 30 industrialized countries, American 15 year olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science. Even America’s top math students rank 25th out of 30 when compared with top students across the globe.
If you go to www.strongamericanschools.org – the url they use in the ad, it redirects you to a page on the greatschools.net site. The site EDin08 also shows up in searches and is apparently somehow related. Wikipedia says:
At any rate the site has a page where you can research and compare schools across the country. They also have a community where you can sign up and have an account and ask questions, etc. A bunch of articles to read – there’s a lot and they look like they are pretty good and useful – about all sorts of topics related to schools and kids. The site provides quite a few other resources and tools also.
Obviously the state of American schools is a big problem, and their ads are rather effective I thought – got my attention anyway! The stated goal of the campaign is:
to achieve nationwide debate on education reform during which every presidential candidate addresses three priorities for improving education:
– Agreeing on American education standards
– Providing effective teachers in every classroom
– Giving students more time and support for learning
Change
Hopefully they will be able to meet those goals. And of course we need a president that is really committed to improving our educational system, but it will take much more than that. And much more than better schools.
Parents and, our society in general, really need to take education more seriously.
Parents who care are already involved and will stay that way. But how do you reach those who don’t care? Their kids will still struggle.
And how do you change a whole society? Being good at sports can’t be ‘cooler’ than getting good grades. TV needs to be replaced with books. Curiosity and critical thinking skills need to be cultivated in our youth (and our adults!) instead of blind adherence to authority and superstition.
How do you do that when most people are too busy and overwhelmed to even think about picking up a book? When the example many kids see is parents who would rather go out and drink or sit and watch TV rather than interact with their kids? When our popular media is filled with reality shows and the latest gossip on celebrities rather than documentaries and articles about science, etc.?
Until there is some real change in the way our whole society functions – our kids aren’t going to be doing much better than they are now. Kids with parents who are responsible – will do well. But a large percent of our population will still struggle.
Am I being too pessimistic? What do you think? Do you think this campaign will make any difference? What do you think should be done?
________________________________________
If you like this post please share or vote for it below:
Stumble:
Kirtsy:
delicious:
reddit:
Digg:
________________________________________
If you like my blog please subscribe to read updates in a
feed reader (what does this mean?)
or by email!
Thanks! I really appreciate all your support!
________________________________________
Related Posts:
- American schools – no learning allowed!
- Kids need all the nutrition help they can get!
- 3 Reasons Why Science is Important in This Election
September 17, 2008
|
Taking Children to the Doc – Certainly Not Child’s Play
|
(Today’s guest post is from Sarah Scrafford in which she gives some very good tips for taking kids in to see a doctor!)
There are some things that moms dread, and taking their children to the doctor must rank highly on this list. It’s not surprising that kids are scared of needles and see the doctor as a big bad wolf when most adults themselves are terrified of medical check ups and hospital visits. Here are a few tips to help parents cope with the ordeal that a trip to the doctor’s usually ends up becoming.
• Talk to your kids (if they are old enough to understand) about what a trip to the doctor’s office will entail. Be as honest as you can with them without scaring them away. If you tell them that there’s going to be no pain at all and then let them have a shot, they’re going to find it hard to trust you. Sugarcoat the message by telling your child that they need to get better, which is why they are going to see the doctor.
• Get there ahead of time to give them time to get used to the atmosphere of a clinic. You don’t want to arrive a few minutes late all flustered and out of control dragging a child who’s reluctant to be there in the first place.
• Keep them occupied in the waiting room with their favorite toys or books. Don’t let them spend anxious moments sitting without doing anything. Kids are easily bored, so make sure you’re prepared to spend a long time waiting to see the doctor.
• Don’t take along snacks and drinks other than water.
• Discourage your children from touching things at the clinic since doctors’ waiting rooms are filled with germs from sick kids.
• Don’t make your doctor out to be a boogie man with monstrous proportions each time you need to get your child to eat his vegetables or do something you tell them. This will only make the clinic visit more of an ordeal than it usually is.
• Most moms dream of good pediatricians who have a good bedside manner with kids. They talk to them all through the examination and alleviate their fears. If your doctor is taciturn and reserved, get him to talk to your child by explaining that it will help smoothen the process.
• Make sure your appointment is a sure thing; you don’t want to go through the ordeal of dragging your kid to the clinic only to be told that you’re not scheduled to be there that day.
• Be prepared with a treat when your child is scheduled for shots or vaccinations that are a little painful.
By-line:
This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the subject of nursing degrees. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.
________________________________________
If you like this post please share or vote for it below:
Stumble:
Kirtsy:
delicious:
reddit:
Digg:
________________________________________
If you like my blog please subscribe to read updates in a
feed reader (what does this mean?)
or by email!
Thanks! I really appreciate all your support!
________________________________________
Related Posts:
- Medical care of the future?
- What’s the scariest thing about being a parent?
- Allergies – increasing all around the world
Next Page »