Agent Orange Once Again in The News
The list of diseases that people who were exposed to Agent Orange can now get, has grown to 15. The new diseases caused by this chemical are hairy cell leukemia, Parkinsons, and ischemic heart disease.
Agent Orange was the name of a combination of chemicals that were used during the Vietnam War to clear the jungles so the American soldiers could find their enemies more easily. When these soldiers started to come home they began to show symptoms of some serious illnesses. The government tried to deny it at first but there has been so much proof and such a high number of sick veterans they had to admit that Agent Orange was responsible.
First Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease
A University of Kansas study suggests that memory loss may not be one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This is something I’ve been thinking about lately because I’ve noticed that as I am writing sometimes I look at what should be a very familiar word and all of a sudden after I’ve typed it, it looks strange and somehow wrong to me. I’ve been a little worried about it although I’m way too young for Alzheimer’s. I’m sure it’s something else but Kansas is pointing out that thinking and or learning problems could preceed memory loss by years.
Until they know for sure and develop some kind of treatment or cure, I’ll be paranoid every time this happens. I’ve taken care of Alzheimer’s patients and it’s not a nice place to be. One of my residents asked me if her husband would be visiting her that day, every afternoon I saw her. Her husband had died and I had to break the news to her of that every day and it was as if she was hearing it for the first time. Though it was the correct thing to do, it was cruel and after a while I just started lying to her and omitting the fact he had died.
Sids, The English Version
A recent study on Sids in England revealed that over half of the babies there who died from Sids were co-sleeping. That’s not all. It further suggests that the adult who was sleeping with the infant on the couch perhaps were also either drunk or under the influence of drugs. They have added this to the ever growing list of reasons why a baby would die from Sids.
All I know for sure is that my 2 year old nephew died from Sids sleeping alone in his crib. I believe my sister found him on his stomach, but he was a month short of his 2nd birthday and could and did turn over and reposition himself in his sleep. My sister did nothing wrong and did nothing to cause this.
Elderly Woman Assaulted
Last week I caught a news story about a 79 year old woman who was the victim of a home invasion and assault. It’s not difficult for a young adult male to push an old woman aside and take what he wants for himself out of her home, however this individual beat this woman for about a half hour so badly that her eye popped out of its socket. He then left her in her basement alone and bleeding for hours before a neighbor checked on her and called for help.
As far as I know she is still alive. Need I say more?
Who Should Pay For School Lunches?
A growing number of school districts are complaining that families who are supposed to pay for school lunches are not paying their bills and are creating quite a backlog of monies owed. There are full pay, reduced rate, and free lunches for those who can provide the documentation that they are too poor to pay.
My thoughts are who should pay? Should we be going by the families income? That’s how it’s done now, however I’d like to point out that families with little or no income are already getting free food. I know several who get food vouchers from the state and they are able to shop at the more expensive food stores and not have to worry about coupons or having to buy only what’s on sale. I have to shop at cheaper grocers and I only buy what’s on sale and very often the food is near expiration or of poor quality. A girl I know who is a single mom getting no help from the deadbeat dad, just went on the dole and she eats angus steaks and doesn’t even look at price while I can only afford reduced and sales items.
Should the schools pay for it if they are closed campus which most are these days? When I was young we could go home for lunch if we didn’t live too far, or if we did live far we could go to lunch anywhere we wanted.
Bottom line is that the kids have to be fed and not all parents make sure that this happens. The schools usually won’t let a child go hungry, payment or not. It helps the schools bottom line, because if the child is hungry they won’t do as well with their learning and schoolwork and the school would probably loose some funding with too many kids with very low grades.
Breast Cancer Awareness
This is breast cancer awareness month. What constitutes awareness as it concerns breast cancer. Well it’s more than just talking about it or giving donations although both are important. It’s more about checking yourself to make sure you are cancer and tumor free. It’s about taking the appropriate tests and maybe seeing your doctor to rule out any disease.
Remember the earlier you catch the cancer the better your chances of cure and survival. The other important fact to remember is that even men can get breast cancer and should be checked.
Lowering your risks is your responsibility by eating a healthy diet, getting exercise, and not smoking.
Brat Turns in Her Mother
It seems we have an Oakland County mother whose 19 year old daughter turned her in for having a pot plant growing in her living room. Authorities are trying to decide whether or not to arraign mom.
I don’t have any details about this family, but just going by the above statement so many things are going through my head now.
For instance, it’s only 1 potted plant for god sakes, get over it!
Mom and daughter must not be getting along, because why wait till now to squeal on her when this tall plant has obviously been there awhile?
I doubt also that mom just started using pot and grew this plant yesterday, daughter is 19 and must have known this for years.
Why also is a 19 year old who doesn’t like her mom and who is backstabbing and disloyal to the woman who gave her life still living in her home? I don’t know as I said these are just things that struck me right away when I read this article.
The New Autism Numbers
It was shocking enough a few months ago when I heard that 1 in 150 children had autism, but now it’s been raised to 1 in 100 children. That’s from 560,000 to 673,000 American children who now have autism. Doctors and researchers are wringing their hands about the increase. Their asking themselves how the disease is acquired. Is it genetic, enviromental, or what? Also why is this increase only seen in American children?
I would suggest to you that the numbers of children having autism now is not increasing. I would further suggest that what is actually happening is that the definition of the term autism is being stretched to now include children who we would have called naughty twenty years ago. Or better put, children who don’t behave in a conformist way that society says they should be behaving in now have some form of autism. It seems like just another way to dodge responsibility for ones own actions maybe even to include bad parenting.
Now you can take my words out of context and mix them up so that I’m saying kids with autism are just a bunch of brats with bad parents and that the parents are responsible for the autism. That is not what I said and it is not what I mean.
I am not a medical professional nor am I an expert on autism. I don’t even know anyone who is autistic or who has a child who is autistic. This is only my opinion and I could certainly be wrong. However I was taught that autism was when a child couldn’t communicate with the outside world except through some kind of art, hobby, or talent and that they could not be taught nor learn to function like a normal child without pain or some kind of trauma. It was like they were in another world, a world of their own. This does not describe 1 in 100 kids.
Correction
I just wanted to correct a minor detail in one of my recent past posts, and that is my grandson did not receive the H1N1 vaccine. I did speak to my daughter and she clarified that the baby got a regular flu vaccine. She said that she also has some misgivings about giving him the swine flu vaccine but she hasn’t yet made a clear decision about it yet.
I however wonder if there still isn’t some kind of confusion on her part because she also said that the doctor wants to give him another flu shot in about 3 weeks, and I know that with infants and the swine flu vaccine they have to give it in two doses.
The good new is that the baby handled this shot with no fever or any other ill effects. That we know of.
Kids and Violence
A recent study says that about 60% of American kids have been the victims of some kind of abuse or violence. As a country we should be ashamed. This number includes neglect and all types of violence against kids under the age of 17 by parents, strangers, and other youths.
I think we need to concentrate on lowering this number before we try to make peace around the world. Obama just won the Nobel Prize for peace? Maybe he should start in his own backyard first. As a representative of our country, he should be too ashamed to accept such a prize.