Democrats- Strengths and Weaknesses

Picture from Zimbio

Although I am a Democrat, I can see some serious flaws in my party. For one thing, this recession has hit blue states particularly hard. The lack of decrease in social spending has proven almost deadly for state budgets. Problems are not solved by throwing money at them. Another flaw with the party is evident in a recent pole that showed that only 29% of people believed that the democratic party was generally friendly toward religion. That was down from 40% that believed it was so a year ago. Democrats continually preach acceptance for all, but seem to rarely accept anyone's beliefs that are different from their own. That said, I believe there are many valuable beliefs and practices that the democratic party posses and put into action. We have never before had such a charismatic president, in my opinion, who is an amazing public speaker (a quality our last president was most regrettably lacking). The Democratic party has also become generally known as being socially progressive, and is trying to drop the title of liberal, after the term was unfortunately given a negative connotation. Despite the flaws, I am very happy be in a country controlled by the Democratic party.

Republicans- Strengths and Weaknesses

picture from Tea party signs

The Republican party, like any other political party, has it's strengths and weaknesses. And even though I am part of the Democratic party, I am able to see the positives of the Republican party. For one, they have for the most part been very fiscally conservative, not including the last administration. After the recession (caused by the Bush administration), W's home state remained a model citizen, compared to California. It's economy kept growing even after the recession had hit! Never the less, I believe the Republican party has some very serious flaws. By a wide margin, of 51% to 28% the Republican party is seen as most concerned with protecting religious values. Since there is supposed to be a separation of church and state, this is most worrying to me. This has probably increased with the creation of the Tea party, a far right extremely religious movement. Not that religion is a bad thing, it just is when people become fanatical, and un-accepting of other religions and beliefs. The Republican party has also unfortunately been defined of late by the radical right, who have resorted to scare tactics to gain support in most cases. For health care, for instance, the amount of false information being distributed by the tea party and other like them is atrocious. It is unfortunate for the rest of the party, to have to be associated with these buffoons. I hope for the sake of the party, that they will pull themselves out of this hole of uneducated fanaticism, governed by fear.

Differing Opinions on Health Care Reform

picture from The New York Times

Recently, the country has gotten to watch as a quite unique drama has unfolded with the decision of president Obama to reform health care. Both parties believe that health care reform is necessary. But Republicans disapprove of the heightened government regulation, which will require all citizens to buy health care. They also believe that government spending should be cut back significantly and that health care would only increase our national debt. Democrats, while being aware of these facts, are also aware of the innumerable benefits that come with having national health care. But unfortunately, they have had to compromise, as the republicans have now become known as "the party of no". Despite the fact that Obama agreed to include many of the republican's changes to health care, they remained resolute in their rejection of the reform. If they plan to meet all of the president's changes in this manner, we have a long hard haul ahead of us.

Community Service Paper

Community Service

For my community service, I volunteered at Xenophon Therapeutic RidingCenter located in Orinda. Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center is dedicated to helping those with special needs, through the use of both Hippotherapy and therapeutic riding. During Hippotherapy, a physical, occupational, or speech therapist does treatment on an individual using the horse as part of the therapy. Therapeutic riding, on the other hand, teaches the rider to control and direct the horse, and although it is not technically considered a therapy, it does provide the benefit of learning balance and is a great form of exercise. Both forms of therapy use the motion of the horse to positively influence physical, physiological, and behavioral functioning. I did my hours over the summer, from one in the afternoon, to five in the evening, starting in late June, till the end of August, every week on Wednesday. My role was a side-walker, which is the person on either side of a rider who may need help with their balance, or in the event that the horse spooks (meaning gets startled, and usually either takes off, or spins) at something, can get the rider safely off. Although a formal scientific study of the effects of therapeutic riding has yet to be preformed, and it’s benefits are considered far from being a treatment for many disorders including autism, I personally believe that the interaction with both the horse, and the instructor is very valuable for children who have trouble connecting with their environment, and have a tendency to shut themselves in from the world. A testimony to that statement comes from Temple Grandin, who is autistic, and a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She claims that, like animals, she thinks in pictures, not language, which causes her to have anxiety problems and have trouble function in society without the help of medication. The way her brain processes the world allows her to connect with animals far better than people. This ability, which is a characteristic of the autistic brain, allows her to connect with animals on a whole new level and she is now best known for her work designing slaughterhouses to be a less stressful experience for the animal. Her life is proof that people with disabilities are an important part of society, and can live happy, healthy, productive lives with the help of people, and animals who are willing to put in the work to help them prosper.

In our community and in the world, there are many people who have either mental, or physical disabilities, or both. Despite their setbacks, these people can still prove very valuable to society, and live happy, healthy lives, but may require a little more help than others do. In the past, people with disabilities have been viewed as inferior, and have most unfortunately been often treated with cruelty and contempt. Fortunately today, our society is becoming more accepting of differences, helped along by programs like Special Olympics and Best Buddies, and there is even a movement afoot to end the use of the derogatory term for people with mental disabilities, the term ‘retard’. This word has been controversial in politics of late, after President Obama made a reference to his bowling skills in correlation to the Special Olympics, and The White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel used the word “retarded” at a private meeting last year. Both men publically apologized, and brought the controversy over the word into the eye of the public. The campaign became nation wide at the global youth summit of the Special Olympics and soon after, over 250 schools were involved, as well as some organizations based on faith and the movement continues to gain support, with over 78,000 pledges to not use the “r-word” nation wide. This campaign is an effort to bring awareness to the fact that people with disabilities should not be discriminated against, and since the term ‘retard’ has taken on such a negative connotation, it should not be used any more to describe a group of people. The word ‘retard’ technically means to be delayed, and only recently has it begun to be used in general conversation for anything that is presumed to be negative. Through my work at Xenophon, I met many individuals with disabilities who I would never even think to refer to as retarded, because of the extreme negative connotation to the word and the fact that they were in no way slowed down by their disabilities.

Although the government has not participated in promoting the end of the use of the ‘r-work’, the Obama administration has created a plan to empower Americans with disabilities. This plan would attempt to provide Americans with disabilities educational opportunities necessary to their success, and end discrimination as well as promote equal opportunity, and other improvements to their quality of life. Whether the Obama administration will come through on all these promises remains to be seen. They have, however, already begun to help families with children with disabilities by making it illegal for health care providers to deny children coverage under their parent’s plans because of pre-existing conditions. This law, which is part of the health care reform, is extremely beneficial for children with disabilities because higher rate of health problems they experience as compared with the rest of the population. It is unfortunate that health care companies were unable to take this initiative on their own, and needed government encouragement to do so. They may have only done it because they will be getting many new customers, because of health care being mandatory, that there will not be as great an impact on their profits if they cover people more prone to health problems. I believe that it should have been made a law a lot sooner, since it is a form of discrimination, and we are a country based on equality. But unfortunately in the constitution, there is nothing about health care, since it was a nonexistent issue to our founding fathers, and this is why it has taken so long for any president to initiate a change in policy. It will hopefully take some of the financial strain off parents and will hopefully lead to more parents being able to keep their special needs children, rather than put them up for adoption. The need for parents to take care of their special needs children is greater than ever at the present time because with the disastrous financial effects of the recession, many states have been forced to cut their funding to important and necessary programs, like foster care. Indiana, for instance, is now paying foster parents only twenty five dollars a day, instead of the usual hundred, if they are fostering a special needs child. This greatly limits the services the families are able to provide for the children who need the most help. For a child with special needs to be given the greatest chance of success in the world, the majority require many forms of therapy, and typically a fair amount more medical attention than a regular child. It is also a huge time commitment to take in a child with special needs, and one which now only the wealthy that are willing to pay out of pocket, are able to provide. Families like these are few and far between, and the number of children needing their help is ever increasing. Hopefully this issue will be one Obama will address in during his presidential term, and will hopefully provide some concrete responses to his promises. It may also play a role in the 2012 presidential election. For Sarah Palin, who may run for president in the election, this issue hits close to home. Her youngest son, Trig, has Down syndrome and she has in the past said that children with special needs would “Have a friend in the white house”. Regardless of party affiliation, this is a very tempting promise to parents of children with special needs and is a powerful tool for Palin to use to get votes if she chooses to run in the upcoming election.

For long term effects, I believe that more services should be made more readily available to those of our population who need it most. And as the Democratic Party has been in the past more socially progressive than the Republican Party, I am optimistic that many necessary changes will be made, in spite of the current economic situation. But now, I fear that with cuts to extremely vital programs such as foster care, we will have an entire generation of children who have suffered from lack of a stable home life, which leaves them ignorant to many social situations that can only be learned from a functional family. These individuals will undoubtedly have emotional damages to show for their missing proper care. Children with special needs especially need a stable home life in order to be able to thrive, which is rarely found when being bounced around in foster care. This may produce many individuals incapable of functioning in normal society, and consequently need to be institutionalized. This I believe will cost the government much more than if they had just been able to pay more families for their foster care, so that they may find a permanent homes. Those willing to adopt a child with special needs are in my opinion, saintly in the extreme. There is said to be nothing more difficult than raising a child who needs constant attention, and can be un-gratifying if there is any expectation that they will be able to function normally in the world. From talking to parents at Xenophon, I have learned that appreciating the little things can really make all the difference, and taking things one day at a time, can teach patience and understanding. Parents there are not concerned on whether or not their child will make the soccer team, or get into a certain college, they have learned to appreciate the fact that their child learned a new word, or was able focus on the instructor for a longer time than usual. If all parents were as patient as these, there is no telling what the world would be like, but I can only imagine the cost it must have taken to get to this mindset. The realization that your child will probably never go to law school, or get a PhD must be devastating in this area especially, seeing as nearly everyone is hyper-driven to succeed. Programs like Xenophon give the children a much better chance to go out into the world. But sadly even though Xenophon is a non-profit organization, few families have access to such a luxury, either because of time constraints or location. If the government were able to endorse more programs like Xenophon, even if they are not Hippotherapy, or Therapeutic riding programs, the country may see an increase in the number of individuals able to contribute to society in a meaningful way, which would be beneficial to all parties involved, and lead to the improvement of our society for years to come.

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The Majority of Adoptions from China are now Special-Needs Children

The Durkins have now adopted two children with special needs,
though with problems that are correctable.

Since China has slackened it's strict one child per family law, the number of orphans, usually rejected girls, has gone down significantly. This is a good thing for the children, but for foreigners who wish to adopt, the waiting list for healthy children has tripled to 4 years. Many are now choosing to adopt a child with special needs instead now. Perhaps it is the shorter wait period, of only a year. Perhaps it is because they wish to provide care to a child who wouldn't normally get it. Either way, China's rate of birth defects has increased almost 50% between 2001 and 2006. And since many families believe the children to be bad luck, or wish them to get care that they can't provide, the majority of these children end up in orphanages. Luckily, there are many American families waiting in the wings, who are sure to provide the best care possible for the children that need it most, because they have had to go through a rigorous screening process. This strikes me as a bit odd, because in the United States, with more and more genetic tests becoming available to us every day, many children with disabilities are aborted. People don't usually chose to care for a child who will never live up to the social standard of normal. But luckily for the children there are the rare few who will. Every child matters.

Indiana Cuts Funds for Special Needs Foster Children

Indiana is proposing to move kids with behavioral, emotional, and medical problems into cheaper care. Where it used to be that families fostering children with special needs got up to $100 dollars a day (for therapy, clothes, food, etc), now they will only get $25 a day. This will undoubtedly cause fewer families to want to take in special needs kids, and the state will end up with more children in need of homes. This cut would save the state $56 million, but I predict that it will cause more problems than solutions. It is unfortunate, that California also, has cut funding to child services. These are the kids that need the most attention. The long term repercussions are not evident at the moment, but I don't think that any good can come out of a situation like this one.

Sweet Studies: Chocolate and Heart Health

Labels : Health

New Laws to Protect Kids with Pre-existing Conditions

Gladys Soto with her son and daughter

The new health care law prohibits insurance companies from refusing to cover kids with pre-existing conditions. This is great for families with special needs children. In the term 'pre-existing, I would imagine it would encompass mental disorders as well, though many mental disorders have physical side effects that in the past, insurance agencies have used as a basis to refuse coverage. The article tells the unfortunate story of Gladys Soto, who was unable to ensure her family, after losing her job, and being told that the cost of insuring her son with asthma would be more than she could afford. Many other families are familiar with this unfortunate predicament. With the new health care law though, insurance agencies will be getting many more customers which will eliminate the need to charge extra for individuals with pre-existing conditions. The article was not clear whether they will be required to not charge extra, only that they will be unable to refuse to cover, but it is my hope that equal health care coverage will be available to all, regardless of any problems they may have.

Mental Health Break- New Mode of Transportation

From Kludges

This makes me wonder if it is a faster way to travel, but I am guessing that steering would be problematic. And if any hills were present, this may be a mistake. Regardless, this looks like tons of fun.

Patients with Down Syndrome may Offer new insite to Ageing

Marybeth Solinski, has down syndrome, and just celebrated her 59th birthday

Typically, people with down syndrome do not live to the normal life expectancy. They often age faster, and this has opened a window for scientists on how we age in general, because it can be inferred that chromosome 21 plays a significant role, since people with down syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21. There is also an extremely high rate of Alzheimers in people with down syndrome, but also an increased ability for the brain to repair and compensate for the brain plaques and tangles indicative of the disease. This ability reveals another gene possibly located on chromosome 21 that scientists may be able to utilize in treatment of other brain disorders in the future.

Stem Cells a Possible Treatment for Autism?

Lauen DiCorcia, who has been helped by Stem Cell Therapy

In Germany, they are now offering a treatment for Autism using Stem Cells. One story of Success is Lauen DiCorcia, who received stem cells from her hip bone marrow reinserted via lumbar puncture. Her parents say the results were immediate, and she was able to sleep through the night for the first time shortly after the treatment, among other things. But with a disease like Autism, it is hard to know if an improvement has occurred because of a treatment, or coincidence. Parents are desperate for even the slightest improvement, and can often attribute improvement to treatment, even though that is not always the case. To prove that this treatment would work, you would have to do a double blind test, with two patients, and have one get the stem cells, and one not, but not have anyone know which was which but the research scientists. The article did not say if such a test has been done yet or not, and since this is from a site advocating Stem Cell research, it would definitely be bias.

T-shirt with an attempt at a message

Picture from One More Beautiful Sunrise

As One More Beautiful Sunrise has already stated, this t-shirt can be interpreted as extremely offensive. I noticed though, that it is also without an ounce of logic. Of course the people that are for abortion have already been born, those who are not yet born can't have an opinion, they are for the most part, just a clump of cells. Their brains are not yet able to even control their bodily functions, let alone have opinions on abortion. If Reagan was trying to say that those who are going to be born will be pro life, than he should notice that everyone is born, but not everyone is pro life, obviously. People really should think before they talk, and especially if they are quoting someone.

Legalizing Marijuana Will be on the California Ballot

California is leading the way to legalizing Marijuana, and we do need it probably the most now too. It would generate much needed revenue for California. Luckily a poll from April of 2009 showed that about 56% of Californians support it, and I would guess that since we have cut back even more on our spending since then, more may be in favor now. The argument against it is that it will cause more automobile accidents, but my guess is that it will probably go up, but will not be any different than the rate of drunk driving accidents. If people are arguing to keep Marijuana illegal, maybe they should also be arguing that alcohol shouldn't be legal either. But seeing as that didn't work out so well in the twenties, I think it is time to change our perspective.

What happens when you forget your handoprompter...

She will never live down the handoprompter. People are also referring to her now as 'Caribou Barbie'. I guess 'Wolf slayer equip with helicopter' just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Palin on Having Son with Down Syndrome

Palin's Past Promises

Nancy Lannone and her Daughter Gabriella, who has down syndrome.

Nancy was hopeful after hearing Palin's promises during the 2008 presidential election

During the 2008 presidential elections, Sarah Palin said during a speech that children who have special needs would "have a friend and advocate in the White House". But after this emotional speech, in which her son, Trig, who has down syndrome was shown, Palin failed to elaborate as to what this "friendship" would do to benefit those with special needs. Nevertheless, parents of children with special needs were tempted by those words. It would be a new experience for them to have someone in the white house who was going through the same thing they were, and who would understand on a deeply personal level the challenges of raising a child with special needs. This is exactly the strategy the Republicans were going for. I find it unfortunate that Trig was used essentially to get more votes. In Alaska, Sarah Palin has signed legislation for children with special needs, but she did not take part in writing the legislation at all. Odd, considering that this would seem to be an issue that would hit close to home for her. It will be interesting to see if she runs for president, if this controvertial issue will be an essential part of her campaign or not.

Michelle Obama takes on the Giants

The food giants, to be exact. At a meeting of the Grocery Manufacturers Association on Tuesday, she asked corporate giants such as General Mills, Coca Cola, and Kraft to produce more healthy food and stop adding extra sugar and salt to foods that are "non-fat". If nicely asking corporations to comply will work, the future only knows but there have been some hopeful signs. Some corporations have already taken initiative to produce healthier products. But Obama says that still, 70% of foods marketed to kids are among the least healthy. Hopefully Obama's message will be taken seriously. The need for a food reform is growing increasingly necessary in the United States and also in the world. Hopefully this will boost the production of organic products, which will not only benifit people, but the environment too.

Manatee Squash

Clean glass can be a safety hazard.

Time is of the Essence for Health Care Reform

As a two week break for congress looms on the horizon, the pressure for passing the health care bill is building, because if it has to wait till after the break, it will lose much needed steam. While democrats are more interested in passing something, republicans are criticizing process instead of substance. But speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi is confident she will be able to get the necessary 216 votes to pass the house version.

The dangers of Golfing- attack trained Cacti!!!!

My only question is why the guys trying to help him are wearing latex gloves... those don't provide much protection
picture from Fail Blog

Biden's visit to Israel

Video in which President Benjamin Netanyahu expresses his gratitude to the United States for helping to start placing sanctions on Iran, so as to hopefully help curb their nuclear program.

Soda Tax

Clinton speaking during a news conference

In New York, there has been a push to end the selling of soda and other fattening beverages in schools, and to charge a soda tax to help end obesity, and aid budget problems. The guidelines would still allow for 100% juice drinks, water, and low-fat milk to be sold in elementary and middles schools, and for diet beverages, teas, and sports drinks with a certain number of calories to be sold in high schools. This, I think will make a huge difference for both the education system, the health care system, and the budget problems. For the education system, it will mean less badly behaved sugar high kids to deal with, and will allow teachers to spend more time teaching and less time dealing with kids who can't sit still. For health care, the effects will be felt over time, but it will hopefully lead to a decrease in obesity, and the many health problems that accompany it. This will also provide another source of income for the government, which is greatly needed at this time. I personally think they should start taxing all food items that have a certain amount of sugar in them. This would bring in even more revenue, help end the obesity epidemic, and help steer people towards foods that will be better for them in the long run.

Thinking in Pictures

Temple Grandin, a professor at Colorado State University, is a doctor and professor in animal science, a writer, and is also autistic. But although Autism causes many problems, in her case, it has helped her to be able to understand animals on a level that is beyond the norm. As she puts it, "I think in pictures, not words" which is the same way that animals think, she claims. Her ability to connect with animals on such a unique level has led her to improve slaughter houses so that they are a less stressful place for the animals, and also, after observing that a cow would become calmer once it was in a squeeze chute, she invented a squeeze machine to treat people with autism. "Therapists have found that deep presure over large areas of the nervous system help relieve anxiety when the nervous system is all hyped up" says Temple. I think this is true for not only individuals with autism, but with others as well. Anyone who has experienced a hug would know what I'm talking about. Grandin's life gives people with autism and other conditions hope that although they are dibilitated in some areas of life, that is no reason that they can't excel in others.

Temple Grandin- Helping Us to Understand the Autistic World.

A movie by BBC, entitled "The woman who thinks like a cow"

Campaigne to end the "R-Word"

A nation wide campaign has been launched to persuade people, especially high school students, to remove the r-word, retard, from their vocabulary. This is a campaign that I believe is long overdue. The word has taken on a negative connotation, while in the past, it was used to describe people with special needs. Now that is used as an insult, it hurts those who have special needs, and those who love them as well. The campaign called "Spread the word to end the word" is now spreading nation wide. At my school, although we don't bring specific attention to this specific bit of foul language, we have a blanket ban on degrading, racial, ethnic, and homophobic remarks which does bring attention to this cause though not directly mentioning it. Their web site is http://www.r-word.org/

Republicans Resent the Resort to Reconciliation

Democrats seem ready to trade House seats for healthcare reform / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com. Relying on the prediction that once the health care reform gets passed, the public will react favorably toward it, Democrats have made the gutsy move to push health care through, at all costs, even, it is rumored, using reconciliation, which the republicans are calling "a trick". They are forgetting the fact that it was used by the last administration to pass the bush tax cuts. Whether this will pay off for the Democrats or not remains to be seen.

Obama makes a powerful statement

YouTube - Obama on Health Care: "Let's Get It Done"#watch-main-area

The Benifits of Equine Therapy

Although the true benefits of equine therapy have not been thoroughly tested, they undoubtedly have the ability to change lives. In an article published in the Oakland Tribune, tells how a boy named Anthony was dying of cancer, and how riding prolonged his life. I personally believe that it is more the fact that he had something to live for and to motivate him that prolonged his life more than the actual riding. But in a person's greatest time of need, anything that helps them get to the next day is worth the world.

Obama's Plan for Americans with Disabilities

Programs like Xenophon help children to gain skills for later life
picture from Xenophon

When Obama took office, he came up with a plan to help people with disabilities. This plan included: "(1) providing Americans with disabilities the educational opportunities they need to succeed; (2) ending discrimination and promoting equal opportunity; and (3) increasing the employment rate of workers with disabilities; and (4) supporting independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities". I think that if he is able to put all his plans into action, it will be amazing, and also a miracle, considering how slowly our system works. But his plan has some flaws. For instance, Obama's plan supports universal screening. This would it make it possible for all infants to be screened for twenty-nine different disorders. While this would help children get treatment early, it may cause an increase in the number of children put up for adoption, due to them having certain disorders. And if the universal screening allows for prenatal screening, there may be a rise in abortions, because parents may not want to bring a child into the world that is set up to live a more difficult life. This would constitute as discrimination, which is one of the things Obama hopes to end, and if the people who are voting on these proposals for-see these effects, they may not pass the proposal, especially those who are against abortion. From my work at Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center, I have seen that although many disabled children can learn to live a fairly normal life, it is by no means easy for them. Anything that Obama gets passed to aid those with special needs will be a good step in the right direction.

Xenophon on CBS

Video Library - cbs5.com

Publicity for Xenophon

Xenophon therapeutic riding school in the news. It appears that KTVU does not allow people to embed their videos in blogs.

Mental health Break- Awesome Swing/ferris wheel

from Kludges

Favorite quote from comments: “The parental conundrum: There’s no way I’m letting my kid anywhere near this thing, yet I am longing to get on it myself.”

The Handoprompter!!!

Palin's notes for her speech

It is the hope, that only the brightest are participating in politics. Therefore it would be assumed that they would be capable of remembering three talking points. Alas, Sarah Palin has dashed our hopes (or as she says "our hopey changey thing"). During her appearance at the Tea Party convention in Nashville, she was seen to glance down at notes written on her hand during her speech. These notes consisted of the words "energy", "budget" and "tax". As these are extremely controversial issues for our country, someone who hopes to run for president should not have trouble remembering them, in my opinion. She has been ridiculed by many for this, including Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. My only worry, is that this is another way that Palin is attempting to separate herself from other "high minded" politicians, and appeal to the average person. If that is so, than it is getting scary how low she presumes us to have sunk.

The First Lady's Crusade Against Obesity

Michelle Obama during the healthy kids fair in October, '09

On Tuesday, president Obama signed an executive order to support the "Lets Move Campaign" headed by Michelle Obama. The Campaign encourages physical activity, healthier foods in schools, more accurate and informative food labels and screening for obesity in children at medical checkups. The proposed federal budget would give one billion dollars a year for child nutrition programs and 400 million dollars to help bring fresh produce to all super markets within seven years. This response is unfortunately long overdue, and already seventeen percent are over weight, and nine percent are obese. All these measures will hopefully be very helpful, though their benefits will not be felt for several years at least. I think it finally a good large step in the right direction, though what would be even better, is if they started pushing organics more and not just produce. Part of the obesity epidemic is that it is cheaper for farmers to use pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones to produce food. So the food that is worse for you is less expensive, and as a result, children are being exposed to all these chemicals with disastrous effects. If the food that was better for us was made more available, and cheaper, it would make a world of a difference.

Hippotherapy

A student working with the horse Pooh at Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center

Hippotherapy (horse riding) is not a therapy that has been proven to be an affective treatment, though it does have benefits. In Bill Ahearn's discussion of treatments for autism, he points out that it has had no controlled demonstrations, and that "Testimonials by a child's caregivers must also be questioned as a valid source of information because of the predisposition of people to rate any treatment as effective no matter the effects it produces." This may be true for autism, but I believe that any opportunity to get a child to socialize and connect with someone, either animal or human, is very beneficial especially for children with autism. In some cases, people with autism find that they can connect with animals better than people. Temple Grandin, a professer of animal science at Colorado state university, who is famous for her work designing more humane livestock slaughter processes. She is also autistic and says that she connects better with animals because "Animals are sensory thinkers, thinking in pictures, smells, sounds. They don’t think in terms of language. I don’t either." Whether animal therapy, including hippotherapy is scientifically proven to be beneficial or not, I believe that animals can connect with us on a level that people can't (though I have no proof), and that their unconditional love is something everyone should experience.

Etiquette, for Etiquette's sake

During the State of the Union address, there was what was considered to be a breach in etiquette on the part of both the president, and Justice Alito. Obama expressed the opinion that he did not agree with the supreme court removing limits on corporate spending on politics, Justice Alito, grimaced, shook his head and mouthed the words "that's not true" when the president said that this would lead to a flood of special interest money in elections. This was not considered acceptable behavior for a supreme court justice, who are supposed to show no emotion when attending political events. I personally believe Obama was not out of line at all. That change in policy will most likely change the way political campaigns are run in the future, and will make a campaign like Obama's not possible. He has the right to inform the American people of such an important event, and it is good that he has the guts to do so. As for Alito's response, I think the whole formality of the event was a bit silly. After all, he is only human.

Community service

For my community service, I volunteered at Xenophon, which is a therapeutic riding center in Orinda. It helps children with special needs connect more with their world and gain balance and coordination that they would not otherwise be able to achieve, especially if they are wheelchair bound. I was what they call a side walker, someone who walks along side the horse and makes sure the rider is able to keep their balance. It was loads of fun and I volunteered a total of 20 hours. Unfortunately, I was not able to keep volunteering there once school started, because it was during the day. But I know that next summer, I will definitely be back.

As if Uganda didn't have enough problems.

After a visit to Uganda by three American evangelical christian missionaries who gave lectures about "curing homosexuals" and the threats they pose to the traditional family, a bill has been proposed that would sentence homosexuals to death by hanging. Naturally, Western nations have advised Uganda to drop the bill, because it is a violation of human rights, though Uganda's minister of ethics and integrity recently stated that "Homosexuals can forget about human rights". After realizing that it would lose quite a bit of foreign aid, Uganda said it would change the death sentence for homosexuals to life in prison. In a world where there is already so much going wrong, one would hope that at the very least, people can learn to accept each other for who they are. The last thing we need is another war, though that is probably unlikely, since our army is already homophobic. It will be interesting to see how the situation will play out, whether it will lead to civil war, genocide, or a mass migration to places like San Francisco, which is famed for it's accepting society. Only time will tell.

Prospects for Lunar Lava Tubes

Using high resolution photos taken by the Japanese moon orbiter SELENE, scientists have discovered a vertical lava tube, 213 feet wide and 260 feet deep. It is thought to be suitable for a possible colony, since it has a lava shield over the top protecting it from the moon's harsh environment, and doesn't look like it will collapse. I personally think that it would be unwise to inhabit a place where you must bring everything you need to live. It would be very expensive, and not a quality of life many would enjoy, because you would have to stay inside to survive. True, the view would be spectacular, but then again, you would be living in a dark tube, and excursions would probably be few and far between. Lets focus on saving the planet we evolved to live on and learn to not treat our world as disposable.