Email sent out advertizing but you get a better deal if you mention this blog

 Hi all,

     This is a very exciting time for me.  I will be moving into my
new office space this Saturday, 1 Jun 13 and will have further
deliveries 7 Jun 13.  So I shall be at the office and open to greet
any visitors.  Otherwise, appointments will be required in case I am
seeing clients.

       I do not have a fridge at this time, so you will need to bring
your own coffee.  Sorry!

      I shall be providing individual, couple and family
psychotherapy/pastoral counselling.  I will also provide group therapy
for community needs at a very affordable rate.  To be on a list for
group please contact me so I can initiate a list.

      I am situated at the Dufferin Medical Clinic, 2045 Dufferin
Street, which is between Eglinton and St Clair, on the East side, just
North of Rogers Road.  I am on the third floor, suite A (on the South
East side of the waiting area).
      There is paid parking adjacent to the building but ample parking
space on the side streets.  The TTC stops almost immediately at the
front of the building.

      I have my own web site at www.redigondapsychotherapy.com (this
will require updates).  I may also be found on psychology today.

      I am working under mentorship with Dr Beech.  I am also working
on my papers and longitudinal study towards my Specialist for Pastoral
Counselling.  The objective is for me to complete all my studies by
September and be ready for the new College of Psychotherapy, in the
Fall.

      During my undergrad, I learned that there are many people out
there with no credentials providing counselling.  I was surprised and
am pleased that the government will begin controlling this with the
start up of the new college.

      This is an exciting time and change.  My fee is 75.00 for a 50
minute hour.  At the end of my studies my fees will increase to 100.00.

      In the meantime, I will be accepting referrals for 60.00 (always
at a 50 minute hour).   According to the Associations I belong to, it
is unethical for me to provide or accept any gifts or monetary value
of any kind for referrals.
At the end of my studies and upon my registration, referral fees will
be 75.00 for 50 minutes.  I will continue to work Tuesdays elsewhere
on a sliding scale according to client's affordability.  I appreciate
your friendships, associations, and contact.  Please forward this
email to persons of interest.

       I may be contacted at my present email which I will be changing
to alumni in the near future.  However, emails will still be forwarded
to me.  My cell phone shall continue to be 416-878-4945.  For those of
you who have my home number please feel free to reach me at home.

       Thank you so much.

       On Saturday 8 Jun 13, Oakwood - Village Arts and Festival will
be a day of festivities.  This will be at Oakwood between Rogers and
Vaughan.  I will be selling my book "Hey Guy Buy Me" which I wrote for
fun.  I am presently writing my second book which is almost completed.
  However, I am placing it aside until completion of my papers.

Thank you so much.

Silva
   What I did not send out is that for those who mention my blog, they will get a rate of 50.00 rate for a 50 minute session as an appreciation gesture for those who have spent time with me here.  That will be in effect until Christmas Day.  I do not take holidays during Christmas since that is a time when many become depressed and suicidal. 

I am getting my own office. Why not set up an appointment to see me?

      In my last blog, I said that I would post my paper on evolution.  For those who are interested you may find it in my previous blogs.  Just type out evolution and it should come up.  I have had ten readers so it does not seem to be of interest.  Oh well.  I am certainly not Madonna or Lady Gaga so ten is fine (my humour needs upgrading).

    I will now discuss the topic at hand.  As of 1Jun 13, I shall have my own office at the Medical Clinic, 2045 Dufferin Street, Suite A, Third floor.  This is at the East side of Dufferin Street, North of Rogers Road, which is between Eglinton and St Clair.  It is all rather exciting and of course a bit scary.  On 1st of  June, I shall drag two of my Staple's chairs which now adorn my living room and one small table to hold tissues.  A good cry is always good.  The small table I shall drag along, I bought from my neighbour at her garage sale.  I also have a table cloth that I think belonged to my mom and I decided to take.  I am not quite sure, but it hides the table well.  I am hoping to get my desk delivered on the same day, which cost me a fortune at Bombay on sale.  There are always the additional costs as well.  I have never had a nice desk before.  My desk is now worth more than my car (the side mirror fell off again).  Some women and men like shoes and heels.  I like looking at desks. I will no longer do that now.   I told the saleswomen who was so nice to me that the only desk I ever had and still have, was a gift from my parents when I was about her age.  She commented that it must have been a good desk to last so long.  Cute.  However, I am sure the desk is quite cheap, but it comes from my parents so I have a home for it.  I remember how happy they were when they brought it to me.  I made the mistake of placing a plant on it.  There is now a visible, protruding area.  So as I sat on a chair which cost a fortune on sale as well, I pondered if I could afford this desk.  Of course I cannot.  But, I did it.  I bought my beautiful desk and am as excited as one who buys her expensive prom dress.   I was advised by who I presume was the manager that I should buy the top glass for it as well.  I decided not to do that.  "You will indent it when you use it?"  I thought about it for two seconds and said, "Naw."
      Do I really need to spend a few more hundred dollars of glass to put on my beautiful desk?  Do I want to do that?  That is like placing plastic on a sofa.  No plants for this one.  I had actually already been at Staples that morning and spent a rediculous amount of money for a lateral filing cabinet.  They wanted to sell me more chairs from the internet.  I don't like buying from the internet unless it is books because I am never quite sure what I am getting.  He showed me a picture of what he was trying to sell me on sale, and later, I am sure I saw the same chairs being sold at Costco for half the price not on sale.  I went to Costco after Staples, to frame my Masters Degree to hang on the office wall.  It has been living rolled up as I got it, minus the ribbon and waxed stamp, in different areas such as my closet, top of my book cabinet.etc...  Anyhow, how is that for sales?  There should be a law regarding sales.  Is there any such thing anymore?
     The delightful woman at Bombay was giving me tips about ordering a printer on line and how to get a good deal.  I am afraid that the desk is the max of my over budget.  I know that starting a business is not very cost effective.  I am still using my tiny Sony Aspire One, which I bought for the sole purpose of saving time when working on my basic internship at a hospital.  Now that was a sale that cost me about twice the price when they were finished installing the software.  I am still using my Canon printer which works quite well.  I always buy Canon printers and cameras because they last a long time.  I am loyal to what lasts.  I would really love an Apple computer desk top for my beautiful desk but that is not going to pobably happen in my life time.  I will eventually buy a scanner. 
     After all this spending, I went to my "Happy Place."  I thought that since I was spending so much, why stop now?  Do you have a Happy Place?  If not, you should find one.  After taking one boyfriend there and him hating the noise and everything else he saw in it, I realized he was not for me.  How do you assess your men?
    As I sat at the Rainforest, next to the man holding the world in his hands, listening to the lightening, and watching the gorillas, I thought of what I was missing.  I was missing a beautiful chair for my desk.  I thought of all the time I have spent at the Rainforest.  It is a place I have been with family, with friends and with myself.  It is good times.  I thought of how comfortable my chair was and did not think about it before.  I wondered how it would look with my beautiful desk.  I thought of all the designer shows that I watch which tell you how to mix nice and old and different -  Hillary and Candace and the colour lady etc....  I thought that I had found the perfect chair!  Yes, I need a chair from the Rainforest.  What a befitting chair where memories are warm and wild.  I always thought that if I became rich, I would have a ceiling like theirs in my bedroom.  Of course I will not win the 30 millions this weekend.  I begged and pleaded to be able to buy the perfect chair, for me.  Only once before did I want to buy something from there in the restaurant, aside from the menu;  that is their plastic table covering.   That was my way of refurbishing my desk which my parents gave me.  That did not happen either.  The desk is still bare and bland.  How can I get my chair and table covering since I now recall the latter?  I have been a faithful customer of the Rainforest since I heard of it.  I fell head over heels.  I even continued to go when they got rid of my club sandwich.  I even continued to go when they got rid of my favourite veggie burger.  I will continue to go to the Rainforest regardless, but how nice it would be to take a bit of my "Happy Place" with me to my home, and a bit of it to my office.  Oh well!  If any of you know how, please, please, tell me!

      So, soon, I shall have my own office.  On the 7th of June I will be in my office probably all day waiting for Staples to deliver my filing cabinet.  Feel free to drop in on the 1st or 7th.  I will be very, very casual moving and getting organized.  There will be no other days to drop in without an appointment because I cannot stop counselling to greet visitors, but these two days if you wish to visit and see me trying to get organized please feel free to stop by.  If you are a relative or friend bring coffee and donuts.  I will have some of my books available to sell if you have not bought one.  No pressure.
     This is a special time for me.  This is where I open another door (hopefully it does not get stuck).  Hopefully all goes well.  The contract is signed by all parties and the furniture is bought, to get started anyhow.  I am hoping to provide group therapy as well.  I think there is enough space.  I will need a few more chairs for that later.  There are quite a few people experiencing grief and I am thinking of providing a service for small groups.  I want to supply the needs of the community.  Do you have a need for group therapy?  Let me know what it is so I can develop a file system and program for that.

     I want to thank you all for reading my blogs.  I started this because I was advised to get on the internet.  I didn't realize I would have fun writing to you.  United States of America, you are my biggest readership.  I so appreciate it and it is only befitting that New York and Disney World is my favourite place and your Banana Cream pie is the best!  Thank you.  Now I have to figure out how to get Toronto's attention to build up my practice.

     I was reading the March/April 2013 issue of Family Therapy (ok I am a bit behind in my reading).  I want to share some of the info.  Page 12 indicates that almost 80% of Americans use the internet.  15% maintain a blog.  Another tid bit on page 13, indicates that "a university education is generally worth about 12 percent more core confidents, and women have about 15 percent more close relationships than men."...."Bloggers were almost 50 percent more likely to have a non-kin core tie in their closest social relationships."  This part surprised me on page 14, "Bloggers go to church more, volunteer more, and are more frequent visitors to public spaces."
    
     So, remember coffee (black) and donuts (boston cream is sooooooooooo good!)
      What???? I am supposed to supply the stuff?  Who said that?  My coffee pot is too small.
      What do you think?

What a week. Talk about stress. Talk about religion. Talk about abortion. Talk about Homosexuality. Where do I begin? Where is my day of rest?

     It appears I have to put my book aside which is quite sad for me because I am so soon at completing my first draft.  I had really wanted to finish it by the end of summer.  I had really wanted to paint my house by the end of summer.  I had really wanted to.....................................
     This is a year of loss for me and I feel it each day.  I lost my mom who was closer to me than any other human.  But I also lost a close friend of mine who was a priest and who I had known for many many years.  He was Irish and Scottish and we fought over politics and theology and life in general.  And that was the beauty of our friendship.  We could fight!  When it was over, we moved on to our next debate, our next challenge.  Though people were suspect of our relationship, as people like to gossip about what they do not understand and create stuff that comes from within themselves and their own sins rather than what is real, this priest was older than my father and I never had an interest in older men than friendship in its purest form.  Anything that was close to my dad's age was uchy to me and my dad was quite young.  He had longish hair before it became fashionable.
     So I have lost my closest confidants and that is a great loss.  This week has been a lot of new and old stuff occurring.  There has also been a focus of religion formation.  I have learned that I may now be referred to as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.  I hope I have that right.  We had a priest come from Montreal who has a PHD in these affairs.  He teaches seminarians.  He reminds me of a math teacher I had in high school where my math grades reached its highest score.  She taught us as if we were all idiots and it sunk in.  She wrote books on math.  This man gave me the same impression, however it is a skill.  Many scholars are brilliant but they do not know how to teach.  So I had about six hours of training about the Eucharist Wed and Friday night and Saturday I went to a Day of what I will call Catholicism of all sorts.  I will not name it because though I will criticise it a bit, I do not want to take away too much of how much it works for people either.

      The first thing I did when I got there of course is find my coffee as soon as I paid for the day.  That was not easy because I had not registered in advance because I was not certain I could go.  I had wanted to do something for a friend of mine which I was supposed to do at a later date, but find that I cannot.  However, I could not locate my friend so went to the event.  They had confession there and they said that if we went to confession, heard two speakers, attended mass and one other thing, we would have something that I cannot recall what it was that was good for us.  So, after finally getting my coffee and being sure that my blood pressure had hit the roof because I was directed in circles to pay for the event, I decided to begin right and go to confession.  Catholics go to confession and report their sins.  What we can do though is focus on a theme rather than individual sins.  A protestant once told me that he went to our confession.  That was very telling.  So I went and reported my lack of patience and I added that I had gossiped.  Gossip is something I hate and detest.  I was angry that when I was in my backyard, there was smoke coming onto my deck by an adjoining one, forcing me to go inside my home or breathe in the smoke.  My other gossip was about another person cutting along my property.  I fumed.  Therefore, I shared that anger with others in the vicinity.  I am sure I could have a lot more sins, but I don't have the time to commit them.  What was different, this time was that the priest told me not to be too hard on myself, so that I can be less hard on others.  Usually, they just forgive me or if I do not sin enough I am asked and probed to discover if there are more.  Actually, that only happened once.  Advice -  don't go to someone who knows you too well.
      That stuck with me.  I am hard on myself.  I have a high expectation.  I am ok with it and it does not bother me.  I strive towards being the best I can be in regardless of what I do.  If I fall, I pick myself up and strive some more.  I like that about me.  I like me.  However,  I did not really consider how that trait in me, may effect as I see others.  I am not talking about my counselling.  I enjoy and love my work.  I really care about helping others.  However,  I am perhaps too critical with those who are close to me.  I have an expectation.  I am too hard in that expectation.  I know I have learned that behaviour.  So this weekend, I learned to be easier on myself so I can be more compassionate and lenient with others in my social life.
       So now that I was forgiven and I had a hopefully glowing soul, I heard a speaker at the seminar complain about science not superseding religion.  I kept hearing this man and his complaints about evolution and his complaints about a lot of things, and I felt my anger rising once again.  He then also bashed the education system and in particular the University of Toronto - my school.  In his bashing because I did not see the merit, or anything of substance like any reference.  What I saw was over 1000 people coming for a day of instruction without know that one comment the speaker made was contrary to the comments of our Pope who is now considered a saint.  I approached him during the break and informed him of this.  He did not argue with me.  I also made mention of his comment about the University of Toronto.  I offered to send him a paper I had written about evolution.  His pit bull came to the rescue informing me that he was retired.  She then began bashing St Michael's College.  I informed her I had studied under the Jesuits.  She then became more angry asking me if I had read the book, the Jesuits.  I was stunned.  I actually do have that thick book in my book shelf as a book to eventually read.  This was her argument?  How do I argue with that?  How do I argue?  The Pope is a Jesuit.  I have a sign at home with a big head and it says bang head here if you are stressed.  I used to keep it in my locker and every once in a while, I would bang my head against it and everyone in the locker room would laugh, thus decreasing their level a tad.  However, I just stood there dumbfounded. 
      I returned to my seat venting a tad to a woman beside me who looked so calm.  She lives the life I dream by the water and going South in our cold winters.  Well perhaps not so cold anymore because of global warming but that is not the topic here.  I saw the elderly man again.  He was seated at a table and he gave me a 5.00 magazine with a picture of the pope.  I saw an elderly man with a kind face.  His view and his education was different than mine.  His temperament was as I could only wish for mine to be - composed and patient and loving.

     "Don't be hard on yourself so you can be less so on others."

     Would that priest's words continue to haunt me, I wondered?

     Then I heard another speaker.  I had already read her book.  Her name is Dr Gloria Polo.  She is a dentist.  She is from Columbia and she told her story of dying and going to hell and seeing Jesus/God and the devil.  Her book seemed more real to me than her verbalization of the events that occurred to her.  I felt there was too much drama.  Was it cultural?  Was it real?  Was it fake?  Was there a scientific explanation?  She spoke in Spanish and I was surprised at how much I understood.  I was unaware that the speaker would not be talking in the English language.  

      Lunch was excellent and at the end of the day, I left exhausted and couldn't wait to order my prize pizza.

     What a week.  I also negotiated this week for my own office.  I need extra space.  That is not an easy chore.  I need space for clients and I want a nice space for them.  I want to be set up with my own office by 1 Jun 13, with a special rate of 50.00 for a 50 minute hour.  That is 25.00 lower than my regular rate, leaving one day a week for a sliding scale.  I am negotiating while thinking of all the set up costs.
    But, why am I putting my beloved book aside?  Because I have to refocus on my specialist papers.  The objective is to be completed by Septembers.  I will be working alone so I can work faster.  Apparently I am ahead of my peer group.  Why not?  I put all I have in what I have to do and make it a priority.  So I will focus on my clients and my papers and all else I have to submit and I will be completed by my mentor's bench mark of September.  There are hiccups.  One of the organizations I belong to has rejected any courses with the mention of spirituality or religion.  None of my undergraduatete psychology courses count (of course not).  None of my courses by a bonofide psychologist  professor count.  But that is ok, because I have taken lots of courses and even if I need one more, I shall get it from a course that has no hint of spirituality in it.  No problemo. 
      I will not talk about homosexuality and abortion today.  It is too much for today.  What I do know about myself and my care for others,is that what is important for them I need to have an understanding of.  I will never discount science and medicine.  However, I will never discount the religion and spirituality of those I serve.  I am not there to correct a person's perspective of religion when they come to me.  I need to understand how they view themselves as a Muslim, a Jew or a Catholic etc......
     During the lectures, I also heard some derogatory comments about therapists and I would have been interested in knowing how their experience had been effected to form this opinion. 
    I  belong to many worlds of thought.  I am comfortable with my place in it.  I did not agree with everything I heard and picked up on the contradictions.  My concern is that this was not a small class of academics arguing beliefs etc...This was about leadership and people coming to them to know about what the Catholic Church teaches as the Pope at the head of the Church.  There was mention of supporting the Pope and how he is under attack.  Even though there were subtle attacks, perhaps it was unintended.  Perhaps I need to be a bit less hard on myself so I can be less hard on others where I would normally expect more.

     So I am putting my book aside, once again and now I will put my computer aside and enjoy my day.  My pets have been pestering me while I am trying to type because they think I should get off and play and that is what I shall do for the rest of the weekend.  However, my next posting will be my paper on evolution. 
     How was your week?  What do you think?

    Awwww, to live by the waterfront, walking along the beech and looking out of my glass house.  I shall do that one day.............           

The developing brain and the environment – psych notes continued. Malnutrition and HIV

The developing brain and the environment – psych notes continued.

                                   Malnutrition and HIV

                                   Interactive Model

Under nutrition ------------------------------------------------------------------Health factors

‘                                                                                                                             ‘

‘                                         Impaired Brain and                                                     ‘

‘                                         Behavioral Development                                            ‘

‘                                                                                                                              ‘

Psychological        ………………………………………………………….External                                                                                               

Parental education, level, toys, lethargy                                          health care available

                                                                                                      Environment (eg pollution)

                                                                                              Home environment, economics .

                                                                                               Housing, sanitation, etc …

Many things may have direct or indirect effects – no fine line- Especially for chronic marginal nutrition  - on going – generally through lifetime and through generations.

Type of Studies:

Retrospective:  looks backward in time from effects to causes

Prospective:  looks forward in time, assessing outcome

Both are correlation.  Studies can look at nutrition level or mothers’ report of toys, of what she ate……You can’t say that A led to B.  Correlation is not causation. 

     Intervention Studies:  eg drug trial – don’t know if placebo or drug assigned randomly.  Different to conduct random assignments. One is in readings and other adds on to first one. 

The INCAP study Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama

     - Two Protein villages (atole). ( Atole is a corn based drink.)

    -   Two control villages (fresco) (something like koolade with sugar)

     Supplemental vitamins (both groups)

      Minerals to both

-add libitum supplementation two times per day

(four villages – all poor, very rural and agrarian, limited education esp. women

   Children under seven and pregnant women and then focused on children under three years of age.  (Could be differences in Families – what eat at home, status within)

Five year study – born and developed, birthrate, head circumference, psychological testing when older- ran out of money?  Ten years later follow-up (1986 or 7)- assessed

Early Results 

Protein did not cause any difference between groups

Total Caloric intake was

.effect of total caloric intake on:

-Height

-Weight

-head circumference

INCAP preschool battery

Overall score and some subtests

Follow up results (1988-9)

“psycho educational tests”

Vocabulary

Numeracy

Reading

Knowledge

Suggests long term effect  (lots of things wrong with this study)

.information processing tests

. raven’s progressive matrices

Interactions between nutrition and socio – economic status (SES)

What does Mother's Day mean to you?

     I remember reading a passage from a huge resource book that Mother's Day started with a single woman wanting to celebrate her mother.  I wish I had asked for that resource book because I used to love reading from it.  It was thick and big and wonderful.  I used to have a bit of time to spare where I was working and used to enjoy going through the pages of tid bits.

      Several years ago, an elderly woman told me that when the priest at mass ask the women who are mothers to rise and go to the front of the church to receive a flower for Mother's day, she tries to become invisible because she never could have children.  She does not want the entire congregation to know.  She told me that every year when she goes to celebrate mass, this is the day she hates to go.  This is the day she suffers - Mother's Day.  That gave me a new perspective about Mother's Day.  I had to look outside of myself and my view of Mother's Day to those who suffer on that day because that is what I am conerned with, the happiness and suffering of others.  That is my work.  If I can not look beyond myself, than how can I help others?
     This year I went to Mass on Mother's day and I observed.  First two elderly people who were celebrating their birthdays were honoured.  Both were blessed and given a bouquet of carnations.  They were very happy and a tad embarrassed at the attention. Then a woman from the rear of the church approaches them as they are about to return to their seats, takes the bouquet from them and removes one carnation from each to give to them and hands the remainder to one of the men who is holding carnations to give out.  She is quiter perturbed.   "How embarrassing" I remarked to someone nearby.  Then all the mothers are asked to rise and go to the front of the church.  One woman ahead of me is asked by another why she is not going to the front of the church? She has risen to leave.  The older woman wanted to direct the younger middle aged woman to the front, assuming her a mother.  This woman explains that she is not a mother and seems to need to say this a few times as she leaves the church.  Her discomfort is clear to me, but not to others as she is stopped several times to be directed to the front of the church.   I notice older women leaving the church and there are so few sitting down that it becomes a refection of who does not want to be a mother, can't be a mother or is simply too young..............One woman stops walking down the aisle, to tap me on the shoulder and tell me, that as a mother I should go to the front of the church.  She wants to ensure I understand because she does not think I understand the Italian language.  I find this all very interesting and continue to sit and observe.  Finally, I find all this tiring and leave the church as well before final blessing.  There are only girls left sitting down now and very few of them.  All the women have either reached the front of the church for their flower or left.
     I have discovered that for many, there is a problem of looking beyond themselves.  There is a naieve psychology that everyone thinks they know how people tick.  They read an article and based on that article and their frame of reference they know the answers.  What I have learned is that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I do not know.  It was an elementary substitute teacher who taught me that and I never really knew what he meant until I grew and continue to do so.  I am a life time student.  My need is to grow, while appreciating what I have around me.
     When the elderly woman first told me about how much she dreaded going to church on Mother's Day, I shared with a long term friend that perhaps the church should not be selecting women apart from others.  Perhaps, they should just honour the mother's without having all go to the front.  Perhaps they can ask the mothers to take a flower as they exit.  Perhaps they can just give everyone a flower without going on about all women as if they know all women.  When did this start in the church?  Who's idea was it?  Were all women considered?  Are all women mothers?  When I told my friend about how some women may experience this, such as the elderly woman, I learned something.  She was horrified that something like this could be taken away from her.  This carnation and having her go to the front of the church was an honour she deserved.  I pondered and was surprised by the hostility directed at me.  I pondered some more.  I thought of my PHD canditate TA, in psychology who helped the prof teach us stats.  I knew she knew nothing about stats.  It is incredible how people can learn when they teach, what they are supposed to know already before teaching it.  It is quite motivating.  She said that she felt like an outsider in her family.  She felt that she had outgrown them.  I thought at the time, that she was perhaps arrogant.  I had often heard other students say that they can no longer reconnect with their families.  They have become too different from who they were.  They have grown, and by growing, they have grown apart from the families who raised them.  Normally there is a difference in culture or education.   I now understand that perspective as well.
     I believe that to help others, we need to understand the suffering of others, the world of others as they see it.  For some who are not mothers by choice, all she may need is just to be around some screaming children to confirm that she made the right decision and that is why she is not in prison (humour required).  For others who have tried so hard to have children and cannot, being a mother may have been the only thing she really wanted and it is tearing her up inside.  For others who have had an abortion, they may be suffering the loss of that child and not able to forgive themselves, while blaming others.  For children who are sexually, mentally and physically abused, mother's day is no day to celebrate but to be haunted by it.  Their mother may have committed the act or allowed it to happen.  There are mothers who have suffered the loss of a child and what greater grief is there, than a parent who had their child die?  This is not according to the plan of the circle of life.
       Give me a day to celebrate and I shall.  I celebrate my mother on Mother's Day.  Mothers Day is to me, a day to celebrate my mom.  However, I am not everyone.  Everyone has had a different life, some better and some unimaginable.  Not all mothers are wonderful.  Some are absolutely horrible.  I think that Mother's day should be celebrated.  There are wonderful mothers out there.  Why not spend some time today, the day after, reflecting what Mother's Day means to you.  This includes men.  Feel free to leave a comment.  I am interested to know.  Is it a day of joy and celebration?  Is it a day you dread?  Is it a day you can come to terms with?  Is it a day that perhaps can allow you to think about it differently?  Is it a day that you can learn to forgive yourself?  Is it a day that you can just be yourself and pleased with who you are regardless of what is forced upon you?  To all the Mothers out there, I hope you had a wonderful day and that you deserved that day.  What do you think?   

Federal Retirees want respect

    I went to another association meeting for federal retirees.  I joined this organization when I retired the first time.  I realise that many member have died as I see them replaced by a lot of new faces.  I was so young when I joined that I was asked for ID.  They were very old school.  Now there are fresher faces and some look a lot younger than they used to.  There is another generation of Seniors.  One remarked that he does not think seniors should be called grey power because so many have no hair.  I found that cute.  Most of the jokes were not.  This has been a week of everyone telling me jokes that I wish I had not heard.
    What stood out for me in this meeting was that several people complained about how some people talk down to them in the helping fields or otherwise.  I paused to think.  In this room there are so many people who were leaders in their field, who are educated, who have worked for many years.  This is a room of professionals and I am humbled in their presence.  I take what they say very seriously.  Here is the voice of experience.  Their benefits are decreasing while the government is mismanaging funds.  Look a what the previous premier has done.  I was stunned when he was re-elected.  I was stunned when he said on the news that people approach him about some sport that is going on now, rather than the closures that cost tax papers so much.  I would really like to see jail time for misappropriation of tax payer dollars.  The government took the military pension surplus to pay down the national debt.  After much time spent to have the money returned in court, the retirees lost.  How does this happen in a seemingly democratic society?  Can the government do what it wants without consequences?  Is the Premier correct that people are more interested in some sport than the cost of so much money wasted?  When does condescending behaviour begin and when does it stop?
     As I focus on two women who complain about wanting respect to those perhaps too young to understand (as one mentioned) and not in any position of importance where they can make a difference, I wonder if the intensity of the problem would be addressed.  I remember a senior casually tell me how horrified she was at a Senior Community Centre when staff had the elderly hold hands and play ring around the rosy.  I remembered that from my kindergarten days or was it grade one?  This woman told me that at the centre there are seniors who had been and are quite prosperous and important and now they are treated like children and not respected.  She quit.  I told her she should complain and she said she was getting the message towards those who can make a change.  However, I saw this particular centre being recommended on a handout.
       People have their own perspective of the elderly.  I have heard so many opinions,  some I find most amusing and others rather disturbing.  However, for those who do not die young, will age and then they will realise that, perhaps they will not like how some people consider them.
       I have the gift of having a mentor, director and favourite profs who are all in their seventies and eighties.  I have learned so much from them and am still learning.  I have always been in awe of people who have lived much longer than I and who can relay just a bit of that wisdom my way.  However, I appreciate all ages and have learned from them all.  I am a student for life.
      Some elderly are very vulnerable.  They are physically fragile, they are cash poor, they are dependent on family.   There is much abuse towards the elderly.  Children may take advantage of them for their money, their inheritance, etc....  Children may be abusive towards them phyisically, mentally and financially.  Elderly men have the highest suicide rate in Canada. 
      So the next time you see an elderly man or woman, why not look at them as people who have lived a long life and perhaps treat them with a little bit more respect as you would your own peer?  At least, do not speak to them as a child, but as an adult.  What do you think?
       

The Dutch Famine Study

The developing brain and the environment – psych notes continued.

The Dutch Famine Study

  

     “Famine and Human Development” by Stein, Susser, Saegen and Morolla, 1975.

Period of Famine:  Oct 44 – May 45

Daily caloric intake:

1939 to 1944 – 1800 cal.

1944 to 1945 -  < 700 cal.  (due to war)

   Malnutrition on early life – not effect on adult in this study

   Part of Netherlands was completely cut off  and therefore there was a consumption of  700 cal for six months and then they were liberated.

    All in a sudden there was famine.  The Dutch kept good medical records.  All nineteen year old males went through medical and intelligent testing because of the draft at the time.

Study Groups = 9 months gestation period

Pre-famine                                              Post famine

               1943       1944        1945      1946

     

Assessment

-  all 19 year old males tested

-RAVEN’s Progressive matrices

    - Raven is visual spatial IQ test,

Gets harder and harder – culturally neutral, cognitive visual ability

Result -  no difference between affected and unaffected parts of the country.  At any time, though did find it in class.  No effect on nutrient.  Infant mortality went up. 

Did they treat pregnant women differently?

Blond and blue

Could really malnourished died or not be tested?  

Only men tested therefore how about females?

Very different in sex, culture – gender difference and sensibility – racial

Enriched environment with malnutrients.  Think about all reasons.

Reading:  Long term effects.  What do you take from this study?

    Always think about IQ tests and how appropriate it is.

Pay attention

Easy to measure corpus collusum

Lot of discussion difference between corpus between male and female

All of this is correlational

Group that is malnourished characteristics and unnourished

Screening – what did they rule out?

Chose people who graduated high school, no history of drugs, alcohol etc…self reports.

What factors are ruled out?  One group malnourished and one not. 

Difference because malnutrition but not always – Multifactual

        One of the most dramatic factors in this study, maternal education wants this to be assessed.

 Social – look out. 

     All the same in the two groups- when dealing with large groups there can be so many other variations.  At bottom, correlations.  

to be continued........