Celebrating New Years!

The New Year is upon us everyone and we are all about celebrating it. Think of the bright lights in Times Square, the laughter that chimes from your living room, or the cute boy (or girl) across the room from you at a New Years Eve party. Now think that any one from any of those celebrations could end up losing their life at the end of the night. A major factor can be alcohol. Statistics say "Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash."* With our celebration in action someone may pay the cost for someone else's mistake. "With an average of 140 deaths (based on statistics from 2002 to 2008), New Year's Day is the second most deadly day for drivers, according to Anne Fleming of the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety." A simple mistake of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated may end yours, or another person's, life. 

 These lost lives can easily be avoided. First, by making sure you have a designated driver at the beginning of the night. Pick someone you trust who will stay sober to drive you home. In case they didn't keep to the plan and had a few to drink, (if at a house party) sleepover; if you're in public, call a taxi or catch a ride with a friend who has a sober driver. If all else fails, there are drivers offered through AAA** (costs vary), just look up the number for your area to call. There are no reasons to have another lost life to drunk driving, designate a driver or call one up. Have a safe holiday, Happy New Year everyone!

sites & sources 

*http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/about/drunk-driving-statistics.html

**http://newsroom.aaa.com/safety/holiday-safe-ride-program/

***driver listings for different areas across the country. 

http://duijusticelink.aaa.com/for-the-public/aaas-role/public-education/sober-ride

Wait a Minute...

The post “The Sacred Pause” made me reflect on my own experiences. Everyday we are bombarded by stimuli and we don’t often get the chance to take a moment and consider what is going on. We are forced into the here and now, whether we want to or not, and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for us to think. When we are discussing regret or talking about the motivation behind a decision, we usually talk about what we could have done differently or what we “should” have done. Often we come to the conclusion of “if we only had more time.” The sacred pause is a moment we take to collect ourselves and bring ourselves back to the present. The beauty of it is we can rearrange our course of thinking and redirect our next decision, big or small. In the end, every decision we make adds up, and essentially makes an impact on our life as a whole. These moments we take can be more important and life changing than we may give them credit for.

 I know that personally I need a minute or two to myself every so often, and this article reminds me of why I do it. I am an easily overwhelmed person so taking a moment to think about things and to help me sort my mind really aids my overall decision making. It helps me focus and properly weigh out the consequences of my decisions. I encourage others to take a moment to stop and reflect, and here is why; when we take the time to think about our decisions, we can choose the better (or just different) choice for ourselves. In the article it says, “By disrupting our habitual behaviors, we open to the possibility of new and creative ways of responding to our wants and fears.” By stopping to think we can change the course of our decision making. The next reason is that when we pause we can, as I said before, bring ourselves back to the present. It helps us focus. The post states, “A pause is a suspension of activity, a time of temporary disengagement when we are no longer moving towards any goal.” This moment of being completely still will help us determine where we want to go in terms of that goal. Lastly, we can take the moment for ourselves just because. Life keeps moving so taking the moment will not mean the end of the world. We will end up relieved and clearer minded more so than before. We just need to remember to take the time to step out of the situation were in and focus on our mind; to bring ourselves back to the present.

Article: "The Sacred Pause"

Feminism Vs. Misandry

Feminism has been a topic that I became interested recently. What is feminism by definition?

- the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities

organized activity in support of women's rights and interests"

 (http://i.word.com/idictionary/feminism)

-the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

(Google search: feminism)

-the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/feminism?s=t)

In all of these definitions, we see the word equal. We do not see better than or more than. Now let's see the definition of misandry. 

-dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against men 

(Google search: misandry definition)

-hatred of males.

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/misandry?s=t)

-a hatred of men

(http://i.word.com/idictionary/misandry)

Misandry is the hatred of men. Often feminism is mistaken for misandry. This is an important point that should be brought to attention of both men and women. Feminism is something wonderful in my eyes because it stands for the equality of women. To offer equal opportunity and to not be put down because of gender. The point is not at all to put down men or to take anything away from them. It is for women and men to see eye to eye and be treated as just another person in the world. One angle to look from is the workplace. I know when I begin working I very much would like to be evaluated by my ability and work ethic rather than by my gender. My gender should not determine my ability.

Feminism does not at all mean that since I am female I will not be given a chance. An important point about feminism is if I have proven myself able just like a man has, why can't I be given the same job. Being a women does not entitle me to any job, just like being a man does not entitle him to any job. We both work and show our skills at our jobs. Our gender should not be an issue. Feminism is asking for equal chance, to be looked at the same way a man is when it comes to rights, work, politics, and society. Misandrists may believe they are better than guys, misandrists do not think highly of men, and some feminists may be misandrists, BUT being a feminist does not mean they're also a misandrist , they are separate things. I feel this is an important point to make because feminism can sometimes  be believed to have a negative connotation. Whether you think that or not is your personal opinion, but I believe feminism should be given a fair chance. Feminists are not always the aggressive unshaven women the stereotypes make them out to be, they are just women fighting for an equal chance in the world. If you think that if  someone is a feminist that it automatically means they hate men, then you are thinking of a different word, and that is misandrist.

(Photo-Google Image Search: Feminist Pictures

http://www.chicagonow.com/nails-on-a-chalkboard/2014/05/5-reasons-to-teach-feminism-in-high-school/ credits another site)

Comfort In the Fear of Halloween

I came across the article, "This Halloween, Banish The Boo For Anxious Children" recently and it came to my attention in an interesting way. Most people are excited for the fall season, carving pumpkins, cute sweaters, and hot chocolate! Growing up I always looked forward to this time of the year because it meant time inside spent with friends and family. Halloween is just the beginning of this wonderful season, but something I never thought about was it could bring genuine fear. Yes, Halloween is correlated with scary things, but I always felt it was the type of scary that happens for fun. This article speaks about different techniques of how to avoid the anxiety produced in some children by this holiday. 

I feel this article speaks of very effective methods, especially because it resonates with what I believe is so beautiful about this holiday and season. Time spent together with people you care about. It talks about having children spend time with others, " 1. Host a Halloween Party: Avoid complicated trick or treating for your socially anxious child. Have a special, small party at your home that you can control and scale down the massive neighborhood spectacle.

4. The Buddy System: Encourage your children to invite a favorite friend to join the trick or treating. By being proactive, the social anxiety can be avoided."

Another tip that I thought was effective was planning. Making sure your kid feels that the night will be a good one, that they have a sense of security. "2. Write a Social Story: Anxious tweens and teens can benefit from an easy-to-understand social story that maps out the holiday and allows for pre-planning.

3. Create a Time-Based Schedule: With your child, plot out the evening starting with getting dressed up and ending with counting candy at the kitchen table. Schedule to the rescue!" The more I read the different actions you can take to help your kid the more I agreed because at first I wouldn't think much of the fear part, because of so many good experiences, but then I realized that these are good possibilities of why I enjoyed the holiday so much. Each Halloween was predictable for me, I would go with friends, go to Halloween parties, get ready with friends and come home and eat candy. It was familiar, routine, and comfortable. Im not saying that if I didn't have those experiences I would have been crippled with fear of the holiday, but they may have contributed in my good experiences. With that noted, these things could definitely help someone else who doesn't have as much fun during this time of the year.   

Article: http://m.psychologytoday.com/blog/worrier-warrior/201410/halloween-banish-the-boo-anxious-children

E-books and Kids

Technology has become a dominant part of modern society. We use it to communicate and to advance in the world we live in. I came across this article about technology and how it affects children's abilities in reading. I found it very interesting because it made me realize how technology affects most parts of our lives. Right now i am typing on my iPod which i will then upload onto the internet. I see my grades online, i type assignments using a computer, I communicate with my parents and friends through my cellphone, and i even spend my free time on the internet. Modern day society is saturated with technology. 

As useful as technology could be, can it really take the role of books in a child's development in their ability to read? "But a handful of new studies suggest that reading to a child from an electronic device undercuts the dynamic that drives language development." The question i come to ask is now that we are coming up with all of this new technology how quickly should we integrate it into our lives and how we learn?  If it's resulting badly should we continue? The article also states, "And there isn’t any data, really, on e-books." Without really knowing the effects of e-books should we really teach our kids with them? I personally am a fan of pen to paper and reading physical books, but I also see that technology and electronics have helped us advance greatly in this world. "There’s a lot of interaction when you’re reading a book with your child,' Dr. High said. 'You’re turning pages, pointing at pictures, talking about the story. Those things are lost somewhat when you’re using an e-book.' In a 2013 study, researchers found that children ages 3 to 5 whose parents read to them from an electronic book had lower reading comprehension than children whose parents used traditional books. Part of the reason, they said, was that parents and children using an electronic device spent more time focusing on the device itself than on the story (a conclusion shared by at least two other studies)." The article talks about how kids need the interaction and the physical turning of the page to grasp the concept of reading and understanding of what they're doing. "A study by the University of Wisconsin in 2013 found that 2-year-olds learned words faster with an interactive app as opposed to one that required no action." This also confirms that toddlers need the interaction to learn the words and how to read better. Physical books cannot compare to tapping a screen and listening to sound in a sense that the book has one purpose, to be read, versus the e-book that provides a lot of extra things in addition to the actual reading part; we are still figuring out whether or not that is detrimental for a toddler who is learning how to read. 

We don't want our kids to have the lower hand in education, we want them to excel and fulfill their full potential. So much of our lives are already on devices, should we add reading and learning onto the list; especially at such a young age where the kids are more concerned with the device than the actual reading? With these studies coming out and turning the red light on for e-books and reading for toddlers, should we continue to integrate it into our kids learning process?

Article: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/us/is-e-reading-to-your-toddler-story-time-or-simply-screen-time.html

Women are Normal People Too

Women have been underrepresented and treated as a less than since the beginning. In a male dominated society, women have always had to work twice as hard to achieve what they wanted and earn half the respect. What I appreciate in this article is that Google has recognized the problem, and addressed it. Although things are not completely fixed they are making progress. What they've recognized as well is that the bias is not always upfront and straightforward, it is also done subconsciously. What I felt was the best line in the article was, “The lecture begins with a dismal fact: Everyone is a little bit racist or sexist.” This right away tells they are aware of the problem. The goal is to eliminate this bias, to eliminate any idea that a woman cannot fulfill, or is in any way incapable, of a job because of her gender. Any person should be looked at as a person and the question they should be asked is: are they qualified to do the job?

 

As the article goes on the situation brightens. “Which one of you does the dishes?’ The strange, sexist undertone of the question was immediately seized upon by a senior executive in the crowd, who yelled, ‘Unconscious bias!” and “Mr. Bock saw all of these actions as evidence that the training was working. “Suddenly you go from being completely oblivious to going, ‘Oh my god, it’s everywhere,’ ” he said.” These statements confirm what I said. Google recognizes the issue, and I believe this is another step in the right direction. Women’s rights and Title IX were just two pieces of a whole movement that we still are in the process of; the equal treatment of women. We’re still trying to reach the point where we can say that there is no difference between two people in the workplace based on gender, only by ability and work ethic. There will be no more, “She just a women,” nor “Why send a women to do a man’s job.” When the shock and awe of a woman holding a position, that’s usually held by a man, passes; we will have reached our goal. Hopefully, Google’s attempt at eliminating hidden bias will encourage other companies. I can’t expect a world revolution to come out of this, but maybe a few companies will look into their establishments and ask themselves, “Is our workplace honestly fair to everyone?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/technology/exposing-hidden-biases-at-google-to-improve-diversity.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news