Here is an example of what not to do:

Toting a propane tank around in your trunk is a bad idea. Not securing it is a second bad idea. Keep the links out of the chain of disaster by using your head. Okay?

Bon dia.

Whether it’s voluntary or enforced, it seems to be a safe bet that most electric vehicles will eventually break their silence in one way or another to warn nearby pedestrians — especially the blind. Chevrolet looks to be taking a slightly different approach than most with the Volt, however, and it recently tested out its system with a group of visually-impaired folks at its Milford Proving Grounds. Rather than simply making the vehicle sound like a regular car, Chevy has implemented a driver-activated system that emits what’s described as more of an "excuse me" sound than "hey you" sound whenever you want to warn people you’re approaching. Of course, depending on the driver does have its limitations, and Chevy says that future iterations of the Volt are likely to incorporate a more active system that can automatically alert pedestrians. Check it out in action after the break.

Continue reading Chevrolet Volt gets driver-activated warning system for the blind

Chevrolet Volt gets driver-activated warning system for the blind originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Chevrolet Volt gets driver-activated warning system for the blind
Donald Melanson
Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:07:00 GMT

Whether it’s voluntary or enforced, it seems to be a safe bet that most electric vehicles will eventually break their silence in one way or another to warn nearby pedestrians — especially the blind. Chevrolet looks to be taking a slightly different approach than most with the Volt, however, and it recently tested out its system with a group of visually-impaired folks at its Milford Proving Grounds. Rather than simply making the vehicle sound like a regular car, Chevy has implemented a driver-activated system that emits what’s described as more of an "excuse me" sound than "hey you" sound whenever you want to warn people you’re approaching. Of course, depending on the driver does have its limitations, and Chevy says that future iterations of the Volt are likely to incorporate a more active system that can automatically alert pedestrians. Check it out in action after the break.

Continue reading Chevrolet Volt gets driver-activated warning system for the blind

Chevrolet Volt gets driver-activated warning system for the blind originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Chevrolet Volt gets driver-activated warning system for the blind
Donald Melanson
Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:07:00 GMT

This conference will bring together the fields of transportation and emergency management to discuss evacuation planning to accommodate the needs of all people before, during and after a major disaster. Conference topics include addressing the challenges faced by special needs populations during disasters and improvements in evacuation planning and modeling. The conference will take place February 3 – 5, 2010 in New Orleans and online registration is available. For more information about emergency preparedness as it relates to people with disabilities read Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities and People with Disabilities.

National Evacuation Conference
(author unknown)
Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:56:12 GMT

Each week we’ll try to introduce you to some nifty resource for learning about science and the ocean, whether fundamental or just plain fun.   At MLML, our multi-talented students are puppetry and singing pros. Apparently theatre arts and science are not as uncommon a pairing as you might think  – enjoy the singing and puppetry exploits of students at UC Berkeley:

That bubbling incident in my undergrad organic chemistry class might have been avoided had my lab safety instructions been this fun…

Hello All,

I have watched this video a number of times and everytime I watch it I am amazed by this it. Ajarn Chai and this boy are amazing. Big props to his parents and Instructors for teaching him the fundamentals, discipline and respect to have the talent level that he already shows.

This boy has better form & mechanics @ 6 than Martial Artists that I have met who have trained for 20 years. Enjoy this video clip it is awesome!!!

Hello All,

This is a question that I am asked quite often by my new students and people who have not trained. My interest level in Martial Arts began when I was around 9 years old. My Grandfather was a huge boxing fan, he and my Dad would watch boxing on TV and I would watch it with them as a way to bond with them. My Uncle was learning Tai Chi around this time and when he would visit from Connecticut he would show me some pieces of the Forms that he was working on.

As I grew up in the 1980’s Martial Arts was exploding, fueled Sijo Bruce Lee’s influence. I remember watching the Karate Kid movie and being so excited by it. We watched movies with Martial Arts movie stars like Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and many others. The Ninja craze was also going on then as well and for my 10th birthday I got a Ninja uniform complete with authentic Ninja Tabi boots.

As I got older my interest in Martial Arts died down some but was always in the background. I had a friend in High School that trained in Tae Kwon Do and that started to refuel my interest. In 1992 I began training Karate through a Community Ed program and my interest started to take off. Though I enjoyed the training the material didn’t seem to  fit what I was looking for. What I was really looking for how to protect myself and more importantly my brother Colin. He was having some issues with a group of kids who were ganging up on kids randomly. Colin always seemed to be on their radar, though in the end thankfully they never did anything to him.

This lead me to look into other Martial Arts styles including Tai Chi, Isshin Ryu, Boxing, and Bruce Lee’s Martial Art Jeet Kune Do. I was having some trouble finding a Martial Arts School that taught one of these styles in Livingston County. By sheer chance in the summer of 1994 I met John Noonan (http://www.independentmartialarts.us) who was studying Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts. I trained with John for about 1 year.

In the spring of 1995 John and I went to Sifu Dave Hatch’s (www.attributivemartialarts.com) house for a private lesson. Sifu Dave at that time was an Apprentice under Guro Dan Inosanto (www.inosanto.com). I began training with Sifu Dave in fall of 1995 and he has been my primary Instructor since.

From 1995-2000 I put in approximately 12,000 hours of training in through training with Sifu Dave, teaching Cardio Kickboxing, private and solo training and seminars. During that time my friends would ask why I trained as much as I did. I would respond ” This is what I love to do, I get to meet and train with some of the best Martial Artists in the world!!!”

Like I said in the beginning I wanted to train to learn how to protect myself and my loved ones. Today I feel that I can do that and now I teach others to do the same. During the time I have trained I have learned a lot about myself, I feel that if I had not began training Martial Arts I would not be the person I am today. Martial Arts has helped me improve my self-confidence, self-awareness and helped me relate to people better.

I train now for the love of learning my Instructors are always learning new things and it inspires me to do the same. I have met people from Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, the Philipines and many other countries. From them I have learned so much about the history and culture of their home land it is amazing. This diversity in training and understanding has gone along way to teach me that we are really all just people and at the core we are all looking for the same things.

One of the other huge benefits in training is my understanding of my body. Martial Arts has taught me much about how and why I move the way that I do. When I am teaching I feel that I am not just teaching them how to protect themselves and their loved ones I am teaching them to understand and accept their bodies better.

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I would love to hear what you have gained from training Martial Arts. If you have not trained then what you would like to gain from training.

Shawn

Early in the morning on Thanksgiving eve, just a few miles from my house in Arlington County, Virginia,  Mr. James Bea, 59, was killed on the job.   Mr. Bea and his county-employee co-worker were working at the site of a water main break.  They were removing a set of temporary lights that had been erected to allow others workers to proceed through the night with the sewer line repairs.  Mr. Bea, who had been a county employee for 24 years, was electrocuted and his co-worker suffered serious burns.  

Arlington County issued a news release (11/25/09) and a video story through its AVNetwork  called ““Power Line Tragedy.”   The video release features Mr. James Bea’s boss, Bob Griffin, the director of the Department of Environmental Services (DES), reminding us that public sector employees are often hidden from view, unrecognized for the work they do, and working in conditions that most people would find “deplorable.”   From the county’s video release, I’ve posted at the end of this post the text of director Bob Griffin’s remarks.  

Mr. James Bea’s death is being investigated officially by the Virginia OSH, and hopefully they will help provide the Bea family and his co-workers some answers.  His death gave me the chance to explain to my husband, Jim, that the death of a public sector employee in 27 other States would not result in any official investigation. 

“That’s a big gap…a big loophole, isn’t it?” he said.

Indeed it is.  But the “Protecting America’s Workers Act” (S. 1580 and H.R. 2067) would correct this unfairness and ensure that 9 million workers have OSH protections.  This huge OSH gap affects workers and their families in: AL, AR, CO, DC, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, KS, LA, MA, ME, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TX, WI,  and WV.

Several years ago, Casey Jones (whose husband Clyde worked for the City of Daytona Beach, Florida—not covered by OSHA) and the late Carolyn Merritt of the CSB tried to draw attention to the gap in H&S protection for state, county and local employees.   I’m counting on George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, Patty Murray, Tom Harkin and other Members of Congress to act on S. 1580 and H.R. 2067 early in 2010. 

In the meantime, I’ll listen again to the words of Arlington County DES director Bob Griffin on the death of long-term county employee James Bea, 59:

“He was the type of guy, like a lot of the folks that we have in  DES who are generally unrecognized for the work they do.  Working through the night, in conditions in which most people find deplorable.  Last night in the trench with water.  He ’s the the type of person who was plowing snow, also the type of person you’d not find complaining about the work.”

“He loved his family, he loved his coworkers, he loved working for the county.  It’s an enormous loss, it’s an  absolute enormous loss for us.”

“When you’re saying ‘thank you’ on Thanksgiving, remember the folks who are providing the service that people don’t think about.  The folks that are providing the water, and making sure the sewage is taken away, and the roads are safe to be on.”

“If nothing else, it’s a poignant reminder of how dangerous the job really is, and sometimes that gets forgotten.”

[Excerpt from Arlington County, Virginia's video news release]

We Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. As you may know, today is the day after Thanksgiving. Which to many is known as Black Friday; one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. Furthermore, here are some tips for both online and retail shoppers from the Better Business Bureau and The National Retail Federation.

• Hold on to your bags. Don’t let anyone else “watch” your bags while shopping.

• Protect your computer. When using it for online shopping, make sure you have the most recent updates, such as spam filters, anti-virus software and anti-spyware.

• Educate children before heading into the melee. Go over what will happen if you get separated. Some ideas include teaching them to look for a uniformed security guard, police officer, or head to the customer service desk.

• Scrutinize. Make sure you’re ordering from legitimate sites. The Better Business Bureau provides a “trustmark” for sites that it approves as valid with good customer satisfaction records.

• Park close to your destination, if possible, or under a light at night. Store packages, electronics, and other valuable items in the trunk.

• Trust your gut. If Web sites and e-mails have deals that sound to good to be true, they probably are.

• Be careful with cash. Count discreetly. Don’t bring out an entire stash from your wallet. Consider bringing only what you might need for the shopping trip.

By Following these simple tips it will allow for a safer holiday shopping experience on Black Friday. For more information or questions visit our website at www.kimberleyvassal.com

Black Friday Sale -Until Monday

APWagner.com is having a Black Friday Sale where you might want to pick up some items for your own household. Outdoor extension cords are available in 25 feet, 50 feet and 100 feet and are on sale for as low as $5.61.

Appliance cleaners such as Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #3 Graffiti Remover, Free All Deep Penetrating Oil – The Rust Eater, and the Appliance Cleaner Wipes are all on sale and will help make your home sparkle.

Place a Smells Begone Odor Absorber in Energizing Citrus Scent or Calming Rain in your bathroom and guest rooms to make the room more inviting for holiday guests.

Pick up some stocking stuffer like Lady Magnogrip Wristband or a 8-Pc Screwdriver Set.

Help control winter heating bills with an Electronic Thermostat this winter.

View all Black Friday Sales Items

Water Safety for Your School-age Child
	Swimming and playing in water can give your child much pleasure and good exercise. But you must take steps to prevent your child from drowning. Never let your child swim in any body of water without an adult watching. Be sure the adult watching your child knows how to swim,  get emergency help, and perform CPR. Keep a life preserver and shepherd’s hook in the pool area to help pull a child to the edge of the pool when necessary. Teach your child safety rules and make sure they are obeyed.   -Never swim alone. -Never dive into water except when permitted by an adult who knows the depth of the water and who has checked for underwater objects. -Always use a life jacket when on a boat, fishing, or playing in a river or stream. Caution your child about the risks of drowning during the winter by falling through thin ice. Don’t let young children and children who cannot swim use inflatable toys or mattresses in water that is above the waist. Watch children closely when they are playing near standing water, wells, open post holes, or irrigation or drainage ditches. Teach your child to swim once he or she is ready (usually around 5 years old).

provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics

by Gary Bauer
11/27/2009

Like millions of American families yesterday, my family celebrated Thanksgiving, which President Washington declared “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”

But as we were thanking God for His blessings, it struck me how many of those “signal favors of Almighty God” are endangered today not only by an administration that views the country it leads as inferior and unexceptional, but also by enemies determined to make that belief a reality.

Religious liberty: Conservatives have long denounced the Left’s assault on the First Amendment’s guarantee of religion freedom. That assault has intensified over the last year. President Obama recently signed a hate crimes law that may designate any talk against homosexual conduct as a hate crime. And Obama nominated David Hamilton as a judge to the Seventh Circuit Court. The Senate confirmed the former ACORN and ACLU attorney despite a decision in which he ruled that prayers in Jesus’ name are unconstitutional but prayers to Allah are not.

Free Elections: Such elections are fundamental to constitutional democracy. As James Madison said, “Where annual elections end, tyranny begins.” But our elections are increasingly marred by fraud. A new study by Aristotle International Inc, a technology company specializing in political campaigns, found that there are 12.9 million Americans who remain registered voters despite being dead. That’s 8.9 percent of voters, enough to tip almost any election.

In August, Attorney General Eric Holder dropped a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party, two of whose members brandished weapons and verbally and physically threatened voters in Philadelphia last November. When you consider also that ACORN has received more than $50 million in taxpayer funding over the last two decades despite being under investigation for voter registration fraud in a dozen states, it is easy to see why some commentators only half joking compare America’s elections with those in the most corrupt African countries.

Family and the Defense of Human Life: Perhaps the most cherished words of our founding are found in the 2nd paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, which states in part, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Yet more than one million of our nations’ most vulnerable members are destroyed each year. Under ObamaCare, an increasing share of that genocide would be paid for by American taxpayers. What’s more, President Obama has also released a directive to rescind President Bush’s provider conscience regulation, which protects pro-life medical professionals from having to participate in abortions. Abortion advocates have made clear their intention to force all medical professionals to participate in abortion and other life-destroying procedures, even though such participation violates the Hippocratic Oath not to destroy life and would drive needed pro-life medical professionals out of the profession.

Financial Responsibility: Our national debt has reached more than $12 trillion. By 2019, our government will spend more than $700 billion a year just to service that debt. And while our debt has been a problem for decades, it has ballooned since Barack Obama took office less than a year ago.

The federal government added almost $2 trillion in debt this year and wants to add to it with a $2.5 trillion budget busting healthcare bill. The federal government spent $3.5 trillion in Obama’s first year in office, leaving our children and grandchildren (and great grandchildren and beyond) to shoulder the burden.

National Security: The Obama administration seemed to have little trouble deciding to launch a surge in government spending, but committing to a surge of troops in Afghanistan has been a much harder decision. Our armed forces are undermined by cowardly political leadership that has forced our men and women in uniform to wait months for reinforcements in order to fight a politically correct war.

Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief bows to foreign monarchs and meets with dictators while refusing to meet with the Dalai Lama or human rights advocates in China.

And now the Obama administration has decided to put 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on trial in a civilian court in New York. That decision may encourage jihadists to attack unarmed civilians here in the U.S. instead of fighting us on foreign battlefields.

It is perhaps human nature not to fully appreciate our blessings until they are threatened. The United States of America remains a free nation, with a standard of living higher than almost any other country. But if we hope to continue enjoying “the many signal favors of Almighty God” next Thanksgiving, we must continue fighting for our values now.

What you may never find in your mainstream news sources THE CON IS ON – PART – 1

Hundreds of police officers armed to the teeth are seen guarding a prison in Mumbai; it is the famous Arthur Road Prison. Since the November 2008, it is the most heavily guarded prison in India. Most of the security is to safeguard one single prisoner. More than 30 million dollars have been spent to secure his safety. Ironically, he is the most secure person in India today.

This person happens to be Ajmal Kasab the sole surviving Pakistani terrorist who indulged in mass killings on 26/11/2008 in Mumbai, India. The people of India would love to see him hanged at the earliest. However, the ruling political class could have other designs.

On the night of 26 November, the whole world saw Ajmal Kasab live on their television sets spraying bullets on the innocent citizens. More than a billion people were witnesses to the mass massacre of innocent citizens of different countries. Yet there is a court case going on to decide if he is guilty. Strange isn’t it?

Another terrorist Afzal Guru has been awarded the death sentence by the highest Indian courts yet the Congress govt is reluctant to execute it. The Congress govt very cleverly invents ten different excuses for the delay. The sentiments of the people of this country are the least of its concerns. The crying emotions of humanity do not move them a bit.

Dossier after dossier, I do not remember how many, may be 7, 8 or even 9 which have been sent to Pakistan have not generated the results which the Congress – NCP party wanted us to believe they would. Right from day one, it was a foregone conclusion that the Islamic republic of Pakistan would never take action on terrorism. They are not fools to cut off and dismantle their only industry, which brings in the moolah.

The citizens of India may be fools but the Pakistanis are not. Terrorism is a large-scale enterprise for them and they hold the sole copy rights for it, of course they have franchisees and outlets numbering in millions spread all over the world.

Just like the Pakistanis, it could be possible that the Con – gress and NCP party politicians are also masters at lies, deceit, deception and betrayal. I will not at all be surprised, if either Afzal Guru or Ajmal Kasab contract some disease like malaria, jaundice, swinflu or even some kidney problem in their highly secured prison cells. Don’t you think it would be convenient for some ‘Sickularist’ politicians if these two terrorists whither away and die? Remember Harshad Mehta?

Or

Suddenly one fine day we may hear Ajmal Kasab has committed suicide. Now please don’t ask me stupid questions as to why will such a deed be allowed to? Every one knows why

‘THE CON IS ON’

Varon B K Sharma

Author of the reality based fiction ‘Assassination Of George Bush’ www.varonbksharma.com

Please do await the next in the series ‘THE CON IS ON’ – 2- IF you like, my articles please forward it to friends and all patriotic Indians.

Take time to remind employees about safety basics.

If most of your safety training sessions focus on the details of specific hazards and work practices, you can easily forget to step back and remind employees about the “big picture.” Fundamentally, that means developing an all-around “safety attitude”—keeping safety in mind at all times and in all situations—not just at work, but also at home and on vacation. In fact, practicing safety at work is only part of the picture: Nearly 90 percent of fatal injuries and two-thirds of nonfatal but disabling injuries to American workers occur away from the job.

Be alert to the most hazardous situations.

Part of safety basics is knowing the most common causes of death and serious injury so that you can stay particularly alert to these possible hazards. As a training exercise, ask your employees to name what they think are the five leading causes of accidental death, then compare their list to the most recent available statistics for 2003:

• Motor vehicles—which accounted for more than 40 percent of fatal accidents both overall and in the workplace
• Falls (16 percent)—falls were also the leading cause of serious nonfatal injuries
• Poisoning (13 percent)
• Choking (4 percent)
• Drowning and fires (tied at about 3 percent each)

Emphasize the “secret weapon” against accidents. Actually, the secret weapon isn’t really all that secret … it’s common sense! Remind employees that most accidents can be prevented simply by paying attention to hazards and engaging their brains before they act in a potentially unsafe manner. Ask your groups to name examples of using common sense to enhance safety; these might include:

• Reading the label on a chemical container before using it
• Wearing all required PPE whenever known hazards are present
• Removing or avoiding any possible slipping, tripping, and falling hazards
• Making sure flammable and combustible materials are kept away from sources of ignition
• Never disabling or circumventing safety devices, such as machine guards
• Staying away from power lines or any type of energized electrical equipment
• Asking a supervisor for help and guidance if they are not sure how to do a job safely

Work injuries cost Americans more than $150 billion per year, or more than $1,000 per worker.

Why It Matters…

• There are more than 100,000 accidental deaths per year in the United States, including close to 5,000 in the workplace.
• More than 3 million Americans suffer disabling injuries on the job each year.

Central Florida Safety Academy offers a broad  range of safety courses to help meet your training requirements. Most of our online courses are also available on-site if you operate within the Central Florida area.

To say I’m thankful would be an understatement. Let me explain:

PART ONE - childhood to college

I grew up very emotionally abused, hurt, withdrawn, confused, angry, and fearful. I was raised to believe that, in order to get to heaven, you have to be an extremely well-behaved person. I assumed that if God existed at all, then he probably hated me because I wasn’t perfect. I was keenly aware of the disappointment my mom felt towards me when I was anything less than spectacular, and I just decided that God must be the same as my mom – a powerful, angry authority figure who breathed down my back and analyzed my every move.

Well – through a series of crazy and unexpected events, I came to meet some people who believed in a very different God than what my churches and my parents had been teaching me my whole life. I was just turning 18 when I was first exposed to this new idea. It was the idea that God is relational. I’m sure you have heard at least once, if you’re living in the United States, that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Well, these people actually believed that!

Long story short, I came to actually believe, for the first time in my life, that my life mattered to God. I sincerely thought that he wanted me dead up until I was 18 – and it wasn’t until I turned 20 that I had let my guard down enough to let Jesus be my friend. I actually prayed, asking him to forgive me for relying on my rule-following and religious activities for my salvation. I recognized that only by relying on Christ to be my righteousness would I ever be able to be in heaven, face to face with God.

So time went by; I left a religious organization that I had been very active in; I started praying differently. Before it had been, “God, please help me to do everything right today, please help me to try harder, please help me to stop feeling upset.” Now it changed to things like, “I feel really discouraged today.” and, “Thank you for being present with me” and eventually.. after a very, very long time, it was, “I love you.” I was so amazed that I was actually approved of by God himself, that God did not want me dead; rather, he wanted nothing short of the best for me.

PART  TWO- no hope

Age 20 was when I made that decision to have a friendship with God and leave my life of never-ending striving to be perfect, striving to feel the “right” way, think the “right” way, dress the “right” way, listen to the “right” kind of music, etc.  I really had thought I was something – boy, look how much better I was than other people! It was a very new experience to be freed from that bullshit and live out of relationship rather than out of obligation and fear.

But drama was going on in my family and I was severely depressed.  I moved out of my home to escape the abusive environment; this led me to become so depressed that I didn’t want to live anymore.  My mom was livid that I had stopped believing what she believed – that I now was not taking seriously the ever important rules that she followed.  It wasn’t that she was heartless, but that she genuinely felt I would go to hell if I didn’t wear green socks every Tuesday. 

Lol – that example is a little extreme, but hopefully you get the idea.  I no longer believed a woman had to live with her parents until she got married; i no longer believed a woman had to get married as quickly as possible and start having lots of babies; i no longer believed that birth control was from the devil; i no longer believed that the type of music I listened to or the length of my skirts determined my eternal destiny.  And she was livid! 

When I moved out, she forbade me to visit the family because she felt that I was a bad example for my younger siblings.  She said I had become worldy and that she and her church were praying for me to repent and turn back to God.  That was an incredible amount of pain to carry around with me – being accused and also being separated from my siblings.  I had always considered myself their protector – although I never mentioned this to my mom- because I knew they were hurt by her and I wanted to provide them with a sense of safety and comfort.

All that said – I attempted suicide on Feb 14, 2007.  I felt completely, desperately alone and rejected – not by God, but by my family, which was the biggest thing in my life.  I knew my family much better than I knew God, and my little sisters were so precious to me and now I wasn’t even able to be in contact with them.  I wasn’t in touch with my dad, who had always been my protector when I was bullied by my mom, and there just was no hope.  My brothers (1 year and 3 years younger) had already moved out long before me and were struggling financially and my mom was so mean to them.  There was just no hope; everyone I loved was suffering and I was powerless to change it.  And I myself had been disowned.  So what was left for me?

PART THREE- Merry Christmas – not!!

I kinda recovered from that to a certain extent, was trying really hard to be positive and keep living.  The realization that I had come so close to death scared me and I didn’t want to take my life into my own hands again, so I kept living day after day.  I talked to my pastor and my mentor a lot, read the Bible a lot, tried to understand better who God was and tried to believe that he was taking care of me.  I had so many loving friends who encouraged me to trust God and they prayed with me often.

But then my brother announced to me one day that our mom was getting married and moving out of state!!  I hadn’t even seen or spoken with my mom or my youngest siblings in months, and that hurt me bad enough!  Now they were all leaving permanently! I found this out during the fall semester of 2007. 

In December I received a $100 Wal-Mart gift card from my mom.  I was so angry and hurt that she was keeping me away from the family, but this gift showed that she still must care to a certain degree about us.  I spent that gift card on Christmas gifts for them, even though I was not allowed to spend Christmas with them – and neither was one of my brothers.  So I spent Christmas eve at my brothers’ house hoping to feel less empty inside if I could at least be two of my family members. 

On Christmas morning, my brother who was allowed to visit the family went over there and he took with him the presents I had bought and wrapped.  I had included a gift for my mom as well, although she only got one gift (whereas my siblings had all gotten two) and her gift only cost $5.  I thought perhaps she would be enraged by my sending gifts b/c she had told me not to contact the kids – not even letters.  So I threw the gift in for her so she would hopefully sway her opinion of me.

The gesture did soften her up.  She called me!  She sounded very timid and awkward, kind of afraid, but she said thank you for the gifts and she asked if I wanted to talk to the kids.  I got to talk to each one individually on the phone.  Hearing their cute little voices, chattering and chattering away about all the presents they had gotten.  I felt bad that I wasn’t talking much myself.  I didn’t want my voice to give away that I was weeping at the sound of their voices.

The next month, she invited me over to say goodbye.  My fist time seeing them in months – and I was seeing them to say goodbye.  My mom was getting remarried and they were all flying to Alaska for the wedding and to live their new lives there.  After the visit, as I was walking back to my car, my littlest sister Allie ran out to say goodbye again and to hug me.  It was a great, big “squeeze hug” as we call them in my family – but a few minutes went by and she still hadn’t let go of me.  I looked down at her, and their were tears streaming down her face.  And I felt so helpless, so grieved, and so overwhelmed with heartache in that moment.

-to be continued- (it has a happy ending, i promise!)

Our house shares sleep, or co-sleeps, part of the night, every night. We’ve been doing it since our daughter was just a teeny tiny baby. She falls asleep in our bed, we move her to her crib, and when she wakes up for a change and feed at about 4 or 5 am we let her stay in bed with us.

This is a prefered arrangement for us because of a few factors. First, I work, and I have since my daughter was 4 months old. Co-sleeping gives us some much appreciated snuggling time.

Second, our little one sleeps much better next to me. In fact, I’ve noticed that her deepest, soundest sleep periods tend to coincide with her placing her legs in my lap, or her hands on my face. Both of which make mama happy as a clam.

Third, husband and I are just too lazy to trod down the hall in the middle of the night to check on baby if she makes noises, turns over etc.  How lazy are we? Well, what was supposed to be baby’s nursery is now a storage room for her clothes and toys. We never even moved her crib out of our room. Yes, it’s just across the hall. So what. I told you, we’re lazy.

I’m convinced that most of the scare-mongering about co-sleeping is driven by crib manufacturing companies. Co-sleeping can be perfectly safe, provided you take co-sleeping safety as seriously as you would crib safety.

The excellent PhD in Parenting blog has an excellent post running down all of the how’s, where’s and why’s of co-sleeping safety. Check it out!

I have no desire to drink, but I do have the desire to drink whiskey with you, while walking by the river, each sip stinging our throats (mine worse than yours). The pain of each sip is what I enjoy, you enjoy the process of drunkenness.

We talk about vulnerability and both open up ourselves in ways that we didn’t think were possible. We talk about tricks, you find relief in talking about the worst ones, I find it in talking about my favorites. We end up on that floating dock on the river, the one that seems like they would want to keep people off, but make no attempt to. You know the one. We sit there for hours, feet dangling, reaching for the water but not quite making it. A storm is coming, or has already past, we aren’t sure, but the clouds sure are moving fast.

Look at all the light pollution. It makes the clouds absolutely beautiful. We wonder where they are going. Why the rush? I have no desire to leave, you want to float away as fast as possible. Desperately looking for stability, for some sort of stable home.

This whole time I have been nervously picking at my nailpolish, now my nails are a wreck. You notice and don’t say anything.

We both end up holding each other, but I don’t remember when that happened. We both know this won’t lead to much more and thats okay. Sex is easy to find, we both know this. What we really need is someone to sit with and where silence is okay. Together, we have this.

Soon you will get bored with this town, as everyone eventually becomes. You will move away and I will stay behind. Why don’t I have any desire to leave? What is keeping me in a place where I feel constantly so vulnerable that I don’t want to leave the house. The idea of leaving terrifies me more. The idea of going somewhere new, having to start over makes me want to vomit. At the same time, the idea of moving to a new place where no one knows my past is fantastic.

Eventually, we leave the dock and end up back at my house. We fall asleep and in the morning, you already have your plans together for leaving.

Someday maybe I will be able to leave. Until then, people will come and go, but something will hold me here. Maybe someday I will find out what.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody and while you shop for bargains make sure the merchandise you are purchasing is safe for your child.

Avoid toys with small parts that could choke or suffocate young children and check your purchase for toxic chemicals. For more information, visit the U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s website

I posted a thread in one of the FetLife groups asking for recommendations on an aftercare kit: items people have found useful, if not essential, for taking care of your sub after most scenes. Granted, everyone is different and the actual scene must be taken into account, but it’s always helpful (in my opinion) to have a good core kit and add to it what may be needed depending on circumstances.

What I’ll be adding to my Aftercare Kit (once payday rolls around and I take care of bills):

Blanket

Pillow

First Aid Kit

Bottled water

Crystal Light/Powerade/basic electrolyte powdered drink mix

Hard candies

Antiseptic

Towel

Kleenex

Tylenol

Antiseptic

Ointment for chafe marks, rope burns, etc.

Camera

Time to make sure she’s still OK.

I’ll probably add to this as time goes on, but this seems like a good place to start. By the time I’m done, my aftercare kit is going to be as big (if not bigger) than my toy bag.

…so little time.

1. First off – thanks so much to all of you who came out to our first annual DECA cocktail party. It was a full house and we were deeeelighted.  I want to say a special thank you to a few people:

• Melanie 0f Melanie’s Bistro for hosting the evening, preparing some really fantastic food, and serving up the beverages
• City Councillor, Janet Davis for helping us with the flyers, and
• Graphic Designer, Aron Harris, for designing said flyers, but more about him another time.

2. Did you know DECA was in a parade? You would if you had ventured down to the Beaches Santa Clause parade last weekend.  About the experience of dressing up as local fruits and vegetables to promote the East Lynn Market in a parade on a cool November Sunday, DECA vice-chair, Catherine Porter, said it was “quite possibly the best cure for depression. I vow to go in every parade I can from now until…death?”  (That’s her in the pumpkin suit.)

3. UP!  This Friday night, Gledhill Public School is hosting a family movie night. All proceeds from popcorn sales and the $1 admission charge will go to Community Centre 55 to help local families in need.  All children must be accompanied by an adult.  Showtime is 6:30.  Doors open at 6 p.m.

4. G-Spot Bar and Grill – A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 14th at 9:30 a.m. to review the application for the liquor license of the G Spot Bistro.  If you have any concerns at all about this establishment and it’s liquor license please try to make it to this hearing if you can.  It’s at 90 Sheppard Ave. on the 3rd floor.  Contact 416-326-0366 for more information or let me know if you would like to know more.

5. A note on safety.  A resident on Oakcrest Ave. wrote me a little while ago to let us all know about an incident at her home.  They had gone to get into the car at 8:30 in the morning when their son decided he needed a new diaper (honestly it’s always when you’re walking out the door isn’t it?).  Anyway, they left the car unlocked while they went in to change the diaper and when they came out, the car was ransacked.  Someone had pulled everything out and gone through all the nooks and crannies.  In my own experience, I think someone goes down my street every night checking to see if any car doors are left accidentally unlocked.  Keep your vehicles locked folks.

6. Merrill Bridge Road Park (Is it just me or are there too many geographic identifiers in the name of this park?)  On Monday there was a meeting about making this park an off-leash dog park.  I understand there was discussion about making part of the park off-leash and discussion about making all of the park off-leash and fencing off the ravine.  There would be some on-leash hours during the day in the summer.  Anyway, the City (Parks and Rec) will now go off and consider the input from the meeting.  For more info, check out the Merrill Park Dog Association site.

7. Basement Flooding – Apparently the City is doing an environmental assessment and looking into the issue of basement flooding from the DVP to Vic Park and south from Sammon Ave.  The study will consider solutions and will include some public consultation next fall.  If you would like to know more about this, contact Councillor Sandra Bussin or Josie Franch, the Public Consultation Coordinator for the City at 416-338-2859.

8. Councillor Janet Davis is organizing a meeting to help tenants better understand their rights and responsibilities as tenants.  It will be Dec. 2nd from 7-9 p.m. at the Secord Public School Gym at 101 Barrington Ave.