Pledges, Weddings, and Big Boys Toys

This week saw an impassioned email debate in the School on whether we should instigate the practice of asking our students to make a pledge at their Graduation Ceremony. The suggestion originated at a graduation Ceremony two years ago, but was not taken forward because of the ‘Pledge’ contained in the last UK Prime Ministers Review of Nursing and Midwifery (The Front Line). In preparation for this year’s ceremony I was asked to raise within the School the possibility of our graduating students using the Declaration of Geneva as their prledge at the point of graduating.

It was way back in 1948 that the General Assembly of the World Medical Association adopted the Declaration of Geneva. Despite the wording being amended many times since then (the last being in 2006) it remains to many (within and without the medical profession) an anachronism. In its current form it reads as follows:

At the time of being admitted as a member of the medical profession:

• I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;

• I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude that is their due;

• I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;

• The health of my patient will be my first consideration;

• I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;

• I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honour and the noble traditions of the medical profession;

• My colleagues will be my sisters and brothers;

• I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;

• I will maintain the utmost respect for human life;

• I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;

• I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.

Even for the medical profession, one can argue there are major problems in the terminology used and how the concepts these words reflect are incongruent with modern values and ethics. When I put this version up on the screen at our last School Development Day, I was (quite rightly) verbally shot down in a fusillade of emotionality.

This week’s debate was both on whether we needed to make a pledge at all (graduating students will already be bound in practice by the NMC Code of Conduct, the law and their moral duty not to harm patients), and if so what would it look like. The general consensus from colleagues and students (albeit a small number from those likely to graduate in 2011) was that a pledge was inappropriate and there were other ways to increase the significance of the ceremony for students, colleagues and the families who attend to celebrate the students success.

Last year, our Chancellor, Irene Khan, asked the students to keep their caps off until they had thanked their family and friends for supporting them over the course of their programme. The students also gave the staff a standing ovation. Many colleagues agreed that this approach had an authenticity to it that no pledge could match.

And of course this week also saw the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Being an unashamed royalist I of course every moment of the day, and could be found for long periods, sipping champagne in front of the television marvelling in the day as it unfolded. It was a fantastic spectacle and people all over the world witnessed the couple making their own special pledge to each other.

Strangely however, I was particularly captured by the trees used to decorate Westminster Abbey. Six field maples and two hornbeams, all of which were nearly 20ft tall were installed at the Abbey. These trees were English, natural, seasonal, ethical. The field maple symbolises humility and reserve, and was used to make loving cups in medieval times, while the hornbeam signifies resilience. I wish the happy couple well.

This long weekend is also remarkably different for me from the one I spent last weekend. Last weekend was spent at 33000 feet in the air travelling back to Manchester. This weekend like many British people I have stayed at home. What some have called ‘staycations’ – last year this meant people who stayed in the UK to holiday rather than travel abroad, this year, it means ‘camping in your own back yard’. So this weekend, I’ve stocked up with refreshing summer drinks and BBQ food, and have stayed at home and played with my big boys toys in the garden. The result is a garden that has its perfectly stark symmetrical lines once again restored against a backcloth of the irregularity and chaos of shape and colour that Mother Nature gives to the world.

My Sweet Family Life

So i'm again participating in the new " Sweet Life " meme brought to you by the gorgeous Melissa over at Suger Coat It. Basically Melissa wants us to celebrate the good things in life, the stuff that makes our lives worth living, and loving. This week, she wants to know about our sweet families...

 Those are my beautiful boys, who make me laugh, smile and burst with love everyday. Sometimes they make me cry  and want to tear at my hair, but isnt that part of being a family? And i've always been a believer that the bad/sad/frusturating times are there to help us appreciate all the good stuff even more. But its not just my fiance and my son that make my life sweet. No, i have to count my extended family in that aswell, with a special mention to my mum and dad... or Grandma and Poppy as they are now more frequently called.

Thats Flynn and my mum at Mayfield Gardens a few weeks ago. I think having grandkids keeps my mum young, because she spends so much time playing chasies in the garden or building block towers that she doesnt have time to ponder any " ah, i'm getting older! " thoughts. And she's always willing to help me out - whether its coming round for a visit, or taking Flynn for the afternoon so i can do something on my own, or whatever. She is one sweet Grandma. But the real sweet star in the family?

Pop. Flynn is in love with Pop, Mick admits to having a man crush on him, and i've always been a Daddys girl. My dad is the most giving person i know, whether it be time, or money, or advice... the man does it all. All the help he gives us - we, a young family, just trying to find its feet - is what helps make my life sweet. I think, without my dad especially, my life would be vastly, vastly different....

Polly Dolly - Royal Wedding Bells

Ok, so its time again for the Polly Dolly challenge, brought to you by the lovely Dani at Danimezza. A few weeks ago our Pollys got married, and we created a beautiful set for our beautiful Polly brides. This time our Polly is a....

I thought yellow was an appropriate colour for what should be a nice, spring wedding - but i also think yellow is quite a "casual " colour, so i've tied in the dark purple shoes and fascinator to keep everything appropriately formal for a royal wedding. I've kept the jewellery quite simple so as to not overshadowed either the dress or the fascinator, so i've gone with simple shapes in silver and amethyst. Soft make up and a classic French manicure keep everything polished. So i've got my wedding outfit - please invite me Will and Kate!

30 Days of Music - Days 11 + 12

These music posts dont seem to be getting too many comments so i feel like i'm doing them mainly for myself but anyhoo, i'll carry on... if only to prove that i can keep a theme challenge going for the required amount of time! So day 11...
Day 11 - For you, what song defines the 80's ?

Do i even have to explain this one? Title song from the biggest selling album of all time, geniusly talented ( if somewhat personally dubious ) artist....yada, yada, yada.

Day 12 - For you, what song defines the 90's ?
Because the 90's the decade i grew up, the one where i really started to love and appreciate music, where i started out a 6 yr old listening to teeny bopper pop and finished up a cranky 16 yr old girl rocking out to the Foo Fighters, Live and Silverchair.... i've had a tough time answering this one. However, i thought really hard and came up with this -

I think " All The Small Things " by Blink 182 sums the decade up for me because its kind of a middle ground between the boy band pop that i started with and the grunge/metal/rock boys i ended up with. Plus its a funny song and one that everyone at my school loved when we were in Yr 10. It might have been released in 1999 so it only just makes the 90's, but its the song that defines the decade for me...

A Flood of Memories

In a few days it will mark the one year anniversary of the May Flood that hit Nashville and its surrounding areas. Along with this event has come in a torrent on severe storms and LOTS of rain. It is not making for a marker for all who went through what last year brought. Roads, schools, and bridges are closing as the rain falls. Ponds, streams, creeks, and rivers are rising to or beyond their flood stages. And the rain is still falling. People in flood prone areas who have just finished rebuilding are being told to leave their homes yet again. I can't begin to imagine what they're feeling. The memories are bad enough for me even though nothing I own was damaged. It's these memories however, that remind me how blessed to live on a hill. That something that simple keeps me from the damage so real to others I know. I'm beyond thankful for God's providence.
I was thinking about all this this morning as I went about getting ready for the day and I said in a prayer, "God please don't let it flood again." Almost immediately a chorus of a song popped into my head. It was the song "Let the Waters Rise" by the band Mikes Chair. The chorus says, "Let the waters rise if you want them to I will follow you. I will follow you."
That reminded me how God works through things. I'm just supposed to follow where he's going with it. God will use a flood this year just like he used the one a year ago. Maybe we needed to have a reminder of what happened a year ago. Like how everyone pulled together to help there own. How there was no looting, just neighbors helping neighbors. How people who didn't even know what they would find rushed into neighborhoods and houses to help people out of houses that were soon to be flooded. The May Flood of 2010 showed just what Tennesseans were made of. And believe me, what was shown makes me proud to this day to say I'm from Tennessee.
God has a plan for this reminder of all we went through last year and if that be waters rising again, I'll follow him.

Time To Leave

Time to leave teaching. It’s been thirty-six years - two in Lowell, Massachusetts teaching juvenile delinquents and thirty-four in Maine public schools. I’m going to miss it because I love teaching US History and current events to fourteen-year-olds, most days. They can be trying sometimes. When I tell people what age I’ve taught, they often say, “God bless you. I could never do that.”

What I’d come to like about fourteen-year-olds is that they’re capable of learning virtually anything and most of what I teach they’re hearing about for the first time. They don’t have many biases or preconceived ideas about the wider world and they’re very bright. Each year I’ve realized that many are brighter than I am. But I’ve been around longer. I’ve had more time and opportunities to learn, often the hard way. When I teach them classic concepts, they ask extremely perceptive questions I never hear in discussions with jaded adults. Their questions have forced me to consider fresh perspectives on ancient enigmas and those have been my biggest rewards in this work. When I didn’t enjoy teaching, it was often because of some fault of my own - usually my attitude.

Never did expect to be at it so long, but that’s how it unfolded. There were times I wanted to do something else but circumstances prevented career change. Twenty-five years ago, I was diagnosed with a medical condition for which I needed several expensive surgeries, each requiring about six weeks of recovery. With a young family, a mortgage and a pre-existing condition, no other insurance company would take me on. So, for a while, I felt stuck in the job. That wasn’t good for me or for my students until I managed to I change my attitude by counting my blessings - of which there have been many.

For the past few years I’ve met with a retired history teacher to chat about the trade. I asked him how he knew when to give it up. “When the time comes, you just know,” he said, but it didn’t feel right the last time we had lunch. My five-year teaching license was due to expire in July and I went through the process to renew it.

Soon after doing that, however, I went to CPAC - the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, for the fifth time. I renewed contacts and new opportunities opened up. I decided to call the Maine Public Employees Retirement Service and inquire about what my pension would look like if this were my last year.

The numbers didn’t point to a cushy life with medical insurance looming as the biggest expense. The economy doesn’t look promising for the foreseeable future either, but I could be dead by the time that changes. My wife and I are physically in good shape right now and we have no debts. She’s gotten her counseling practice down to a manageable pace, and I’ve been the one who is too busy. I’ve maintained a small property-management business for the past twenty-six years and written a regular weekly column for twenty, and I intend to continue with both. My income will diminish. I won’t be able to travel as often, but I’ll have time to pursue other interests which I expect to enjoy more than teaching.

There’s at least one book in me about what it’s been like as a controversial columnist in the same community where I’ve taught. Early in my career I was a liberal and I annoyed conservatives. Then I morphed into a conservative and annoyed liberals, who have been by far the most intolerant of opposing views. Public education is a very liberal profession which doesn’t abide conservatives well, so it’s been lonely. I started writing the book a few years ago but my life has been just too busy to make any progress. I’ve saved most of the paperwork generated by adversaries - most of it in the form of letters to various principals, superintendents, the school board, the state licensing board, and so forth. There are angry letters to the editor from various newspapers in which my column has appeared, and they number well into the hundreds. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sell the book to a publisher once it’s written, but hey: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.There’s been no shortage of people who have publicly declared me unfit to teach and who have tried to have me dismissed over the years, but I’ve weathered it. I’m leaving now because I want to. I expect I’ll have a few pangs when I see school busses roll by in September and I’m not part of it anymore, but I’ll get over it.

I Wanna Get Naked With Gok Wan!

Ok, maybe not literally naked ( although i sure could use a makeover ). So what am i on about? The gorgeous Dani over at Danimezza was lucky enough to not only meet but interview the fabulous Mr Wan, and she wants to share a special part of that with her readers - by giving away a copy Gok's latest book, " Through Thick and Thin ". To enter Dani's competition, we need to make a " positive body image " kind of post, and share our favourite body part with the world... and for me that part is this:

Yep, those are my shoulders right there. I have to say looking at them in a plain old photo they dont really look anything special but i really do like them. My shoulders and upper arms are quite toned, and have stayed that way even through pregnancy and weight ups and downs. As you can see, i have two small crows tattooed on my shoulders, and though some people think tattoos on women look cheap and nasty, i think mine only add to my shoulder-love. The tattoos, being crows ( who in various mythologies carry or protect the souls of the dead ) represent two people i have lost in my life, and i think they add a sexiness to my already nice shape. Its the same thing with my upper arms:

I love how toned they look in strapless dresses or singlets ( thanks a great weights routine pre-baby, and lugging said baby around since... ) and i love this tattoo. Its Chinese script and it roughly translates to " have faith in yourself ". Its there as an everyday reminder to never fall back into the black hole of depression, and to trust that i can do whatever i put my mind to.
So, to summarise ... Toned + Meaningful Tatoos = Sexy = Body Lovin'!

30 Days of Music - Day 10

Ok - todays prompt for the 30 Days of Music challenge is kind of hard.
Day 10 - For you, what song defines the 70's ?
Well, for someone who wasnt born until 1984 its kind of difficult to judge what defines an era i didnt live through. I really only have my parents album collection and the soundtrack of movies set in that decade to go off ( and, you know, what i know of history and what not ). So, with all that in mind, i'm going with this song...

Oh yea - " Rock and Roll All Nite " by Kiss!  There were so many genres of music prominent in the 70's so i went with Kiss because they were a little bit glam, a great big chunk of rock and had those amazing costumes that incorporated 70's fashion. I also think this song defines the decade where the focus moved away ( a little ) from the protesting of the late 60's/early 70's and onto more of a crumbling of those stifling societal expectations. You know, less of the traditions of the 50's and 60's and more of the " me, me, me! " attitude that would filter on into the 80's...
Ok, yep, kind of deep for a music post, but there you go. Thats my song. Play the video, turn your speakers up all the way, and rock on people!

Clear Winged Hummingbird Moth

I was out taking pictures yesterday when I spotted the interesting creature, seen in picture number four. It was, as you can see an odd looking bug, almost a mix between a bee and dragonfly. I was intrigued so I snapped a few shots, not an easy task because it kept moving, so I could show my family and see if they knew what it was. They didn't. I then uploaded the photo to Facebook and asked if anyone knew what it was. After a few funny and punny comments I got an answer. It is a Hummingbird Moth and more specifically a Clear Winged Hummingbird Moth. Mystery solved. And I have a renewed sense of just how creative the Creator is.

30 Days of Music - Days 8 + 9

Another combination post, because yesterday being Easter Sunday i was a bit busy doing other stuff, and i just couldnt bothered trawling through YouTube when i finally did get a chance to sit down. But i digress - where am i up to? Oh yea, days 8 and 9 of the 30 Days of Music challenge. So wheres the music?
Day 8 - Whats the last song you listened to?

Thanks to Mick, the last song i listened to was " Need You Now " by Lady Antebellum. He was playing it on his phone while i ate my breakfast. If it weren't for him i would have had to have found a video for Josh Groban's version of " Crying " ( originally by Roy Orbison ) because thats the last thing i heard on the radio. I dont mind Josh Groban but i didnt like his interpretation, so i'm glad i got to go with Lady Antebellum instead!

Day 9 - Whats the earliest song you can remember from your childhood?
When i try and think back to music in my early childhood i remember roadtrips to the beach at Nelson Bay, around 4 and half hrs drive away - which means we needed a lot of music to get us through the trip. It was the late 80's but my mum and dad were teenagers in the 70's so we got a bit of AC/DC, a dose of Dr Hook...and a lot of The Eagles. And the one Eagles song that sticks out in my mind?

Oh yea, " Hotel California " - how many times i did hear this song on family holidays? Luckily its a fantastic song that i really enjoy, even to this day. If it comes on the radio while i'm in the car, i'll turn it up and sing along to the words i know. The Eagles rock!

My Sweet Life

So ... the wonderful Melissa over at Suger Coat It has decided that being postive and positively loving your life is the way to go. Your sweet life, as it were. And what she wants us to do is start celebrating our sweet lives ( if thats what we have ) by sharing with each other something that shows how sweet life is, or can be. So, in the spirit of joining in ....

He's slightly blurry cos he's running... go Flynny go!

That right there - thats a good summation of my sweet life at the moment ( minus my lovely fiance ). Thats sunshine, and the outdoors and my sweet little boy-monster. Flynn and I went on a little day trip with my parents to a 6 hectare garden two weekends ago, and although he looks rugged up in the photo ( dont you love his little jacket? ) it was a beautiful day. We strolled around in the sunshine, enjoyed the impressive manicured gardens, marvelled at the enormous house which made me feel like we were visiting Pemberley ( cue the " Pride and Prejudice " discussion... ) and laughing at Flynns crazy toddler antics.
Family, laughs and sunshine? Couldnt be sweeter than that....

ISCHP and a Good Friday for an Ethnographer to be in Dubai

I am posting this blog before having breakfast and making my way to the airport to come home from what has been one of the best conference trips I have been on in a while. I am in Dubai now, after arriving from Adelaide where the International Society of Critical Health Psychology held their 7th Biennial conference. The conference was chaired by the indomitable Wendy Stainton-Rogers. She is a fearless lady and takes no prisoners.

There were some other influential colleagues in attendance as well, Professor Raewyn Connell who presented on the psychological dimensions of social transformation, often using examples of her own personal journey of transformation as a trans-gendered woman. This was the first time she had described publicly this journey. The openness and inclusion to be found in the presentations and discussions was unusual and made for some lively debates – it was these debates and discussions that are often missing in the busy-ness of our everyday academic lives, and yet are precisely what we, as academics, should be facilitating more often.

There was an extremely good Pecha Kucha session where the presentations were outstandingly brilliant, both in content and style of presentation. The use of images, voices and music was stunning. Each session was perfectly timed to 6 minutes and 40 seconds, and although some presenters had many more slides than the normal 20 slides, each were delivered within the automated time frame. It gave me renewed enthusiasm to try this approach again at future School Development days. In a similar vein, were two sessions that allowed individuals the platform for five minute challenges (again the sessions were timed). These challenges could be about current problems, aspirations for the future, or just to start a debate going. Again I will try and use this approach at future School Congress (or whatever replaces them in the new Governance framework).

And so it was coming back home that brought me once again to Dubai for a couple of nights. I arrived on Good Friday and once unpacked, thought about doing some work and enthusiastically took my lap-top to the pool. This is one of those so called infinity pools, three floors up and with a glass wall that perfectly merges the pool with the sea beyond – both of which were brilliant blue. It seemed churlish not to use the opportunity to consider developing an ethnography of pool behaviour. All was revealed (well nearly all in some cases), but it struck me that it was a great place to witness the behaviours of others and to try to make sense and understand the significance of these behaviours for the individual and families. – I made lots of notes and will write up – but that is for tomorrow.

In terms of human behaviour and the significance this has for our self and for others, two of the presentations from the conference stood out for me in illustrating this. One was from New Zealand and the other from Japan. Both used vivid, uncompromisingly graphic and emotionally moving images of the absolute devastation wrecked by the earthquakes and tsunami. Yet both these presentations were using the images to show what it was that people in both these communities and from across the world were responding to in terms of human kindness, generosity and in the facilitation of hope and opportunity for others.

Easter is traditionally the time of renewed hope for the future. Yesterday I was fortunate to travel 140 meters upwards in just 14 seconds in the Burj Khalifa tower. This wonderful building is truly impressive. It is the tallest building, and the tallest free standing structure in the world. It has the highest number of floors of any building and the highest outdoor observation deck in the world (Empire State Building you really need to get your act together) and the 140 meters travelled in 14 seconds – travelling in the longest single continuous elevator in the world was impressive. 10 metres travelled every SECOND! Spookily, you did not feel a thing until your ears popped at around floor 56.

The trip up gave me a 360 degree view of UAE and what appeared to be a huge commitment to how a new future was being successfully built against the back cloth or some very traditional ways of doing things (and the in a very inhospitable environment of sand and heat).

Likewise, in the UK, Easter will for some be embedded in religious celebrations, others will turn their attention to DIY. Such stores make a great deal of money as people start to redecorate, remodel the garden, and generally start on the repairs put off during winter. So for all of the readers of this blog who might be doing something like this over the Easter weekend, just spare a thought for those still grappling with the reclamation of their homes, communities and lives, and in so doing please just send out a message of understanding and support.

30 Days of Music - Day 7

Wow - cant believe i've made it a whole week! fair enough, i've combined two days prompts a time or two but the point is i've stuck with the whole challenge thing for a week. Yay for me and my consistency! Anyhoo...
Day 7 - What song do you listen to when chilling out?

Umm, chilling out - whats that? No, seriously, when i do get a chance to chill out its usually with Mick and Flynn in the house aswell, and its usually with the tv on and a book/magazine/laptop. So i really didnt have any idea what to do for this one. And then i remember that time before i was partenered up and when i didnt have a small, demanding toddler running my house and i recalled that i quite often liked to put 5 discs in my cd player and let them spin. Sometimes i even did a theme day - like " The All Goo Goo Dolls Day " or " All Country Music, All The Way " or " All Movie Soundtracks, All The Time ". So, bearing that in mind, i decided to go with a song off a Broadway musical soundtrack, one that makes me happy and uplifted and that i like to play every New Years Eve -

" Seasons Of Love ", from the musical " Rent ", which i saw on Broadway in December of 2004 and have loved ever since. The video is actually the opening credits of the film version of the musical, so its a slightly different version to the one of my cd, but i love it just the same....

30 Days of Music - Days 5 + 6

So...because yesterday was Polly Dolly day and by the time i finished putting together my set i was completely blogged out... i didnt do yesterdays " 30 Days of Music " prompt. So excuse me while i mash two days together and catch up a little, ok?
Day 5 - What song do you listen to when your sad?

The first song that came to mind for this one was Johnny Cash's version of " Hurt " ( originally by Nine Inch Nails ). And if i'm not sad enough before i even start to listent to this son, i end up in tears anyway because the combining of the pounding piano and the emotion in Johnnys voice just bring me undone. A brilliant cover by an absolutely brilliant and legendary artist....

Day 6 - What song do you listen to when your angry?

When i'm angry ( or upset/angry...whatever ) i like to either lock myself away in my room or go out for a drive and pump something loud, rockin' and vaguely metal-ish - which, since high school, has quite often been something by Linkin Park. " Hybrid Theory " was one of my favourite albums in Year 12 and i've enjoyed their stuff ever since ( even though some of the new stuff is a bit more tame than the older songs ). So i could have picked maybe 90% of the Linkin Park back catalogue to fit this category but i decided to go with " No More Sorrow " off their " Minutes To Midnight " album. Please enjoy.

Polly Dolly - Girls In Glasses

Yay - its Polly Dolly time again! And its all thanks to the wonderful Dani over at Danimezza. This week Dani has been shopping and, inspired by a great pair of spectacles she found, she'd like to know how our Polly would wear her....

Polly Dolly - Girls In Glasses by Amy1984 featuring sheer nylon stockings

I was really happy to get to do this one - for those who dont know, i'm a dispensing optician by trade, so i spend everyday at work helping clients pick and choose the perfect pair of glasses for them. I really enjoy the fashion aspect of the job and i'm thrilled whenever someone comes in and wants to get something a bit funky, or a bit different to what theyve normally had. And i really, REALLY love selling people colour. So many people that wear glasses are in a bit of denial and just want something inconspicuous, or " plain black that will go with everything ". So i really enjoy having a client who isnt afraid of colour - like Miss Polly here. I've gone with a cute red Rayban frame, which though a very bright colour becomes practical for daily wear because of its classic shape. I've done a dressed up nightime look on the left - with the gorgeous Jason Wu dress and some great booties - and a paired down daytime look on the right, to show how one pair of great glasses can work with all kinds of looks. However ... i really do advocate an " eyewear wardrobe " ( which is easy for me to say, seeing as i work in the industry and own at least eight pairs of frames... ). If you can afford it, why not?

Right To Life

Friday, April 8th I was involved in a debate with Shenna Bellows, executive director of the MCLU (Maine Civil Liberties Union), which is Maine’s chapter of the ACLU. The moderator chose three “set piece” questions for us including this one: “Are reproductive rights guaranteed by the Constitution?” Following are my abbreviated remarks:

The US Constitution is silent on reproductive rights, except for an indirect reference in the Preamble which proclaims that the Constitution is ordained “to secure the blessings of liberty to . . . our posterity.” Until 1973, government involvement with reproduction, as such, was handled at the state level, and that’s where the Constitution meant for it to stay. If there were any doubt lingering about that, I would refer you to the 10th Amendment, which states:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

The only example I know of when reproductive rights were denied to Americans is when citizens designated “feeble-minded” or “immoral” were - by state government authority - sterilized against their will in states like New Hampshire, Maine, and many others in the early to mid 20th century. One venue for this was about fifty miles west of here at the Laconia State School in New Hampshire. Another was about 25 miles east of here at the Pineland Center in New Gloucester, Maine. It’s estimated that somewhere around 65,000 people were forcibly sterilized around the United States up until 1963.

All this resulted from the Eugenics movement, begun by people who called themselves “Progressives.” They formed groups like the American Eugenics Society and others. Eugenicists were among the first social engineers of the twentieth century, deciding who should reproduce and who should not - and they used the power of state government to enforce those decisions.Progressive eugenicists included Democrats and Republicans such as Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, radical right wingers like the KKK, and radical left-wingers like Emma Goldman and Margaret Sanger, who went on to establish Planned Parenthood, leader of the abortion industry in America today - federal funding of which is heatedly debated in Congress right now, not because they disseminate birth control, but because they kill our posterity.

Adolph Hitler admired the American eugenics movement.

Goldman and Sanger pushed dissemination of birth control to women but were thwarted by state laws. It’s ironic that states forcibly sterilized people but disallowed dissemination of temporary birth control methods. It wasn’t until Griswold vs Connecticut was adjudicated by the US Supreme Court in 1965 that a “constitutional right to privacy” was declared which negated state laws outlawing dissemination of birth control. In his minority opinion, Justice Potter Stewart said:

“We are not asked in this case to say whether we think this law is unwise or even asinine. We are asked to hold that it violates the United States Constitution. And that I cannot do.” He would let Connecticut citizens persuade their legislature to repeal the law. Griswold vs Connecticut was the basis for Roe vs Wade.

While our constitution is silent on reproductive rights, our Declaration of Independence declares a “right to life,” along with rights to “liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Our Constitution designed a government to manifest its principles and here I refer you back to that phrase in the succinct Preamble declaring that one purpose is to “secure the blessings of liberty to . . . our posterity.” Killing our posterity in the womb would obviously go against that, not to mention violating their “right to life” - which is “endowed by our Creator.” Those are four words that stick in President Obama’s throat. He purposely omits them when quoting that section of that famous document. That our rights are “endowed by our Creator” - and not by our government - will remain in the Declaration of Independence until the ACLU sues to have it removed. Would it surprise anyone they did?

Every state had laws against abortion until the 1960s when New York legalized the procedure, followed soon after by other states until the US resembled a patchwork quilt of legality and illegality. Into this waded the US Supreme Court in 1973 with Roe V Wade.

The majority decision in that case which claims a “Constitutional right to abortion” is based on the afore-mentioned Griswold vs Connecticut birth control case. Progressive justices in both cases claimed rights to birth control and abortion under a “right to privacy.” Trouble was, the word “privacy” doesn’t exist in the Constitution, so they claimed that it emanated from the penumbra of an implied right to privacy in the First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments - none of which mention the word! To call this an exercise in gymnastic nomenclature is an understatement. They wanted it to be there so they insisted it was there, even though it wasn’t there.

If progressives wanted to establish a constitutional right to privacy or abortion or birth control, there was the Amendment process outlined in Article 5. It’s a cumbersome process and it was purposely designed to be so by the founding fathers because it requires a widespread debate in Congress and in all the states for ratification. Instead, seven progressive Supreme Court justices usurped that process. They usurped powers delegated to the states as well. Seven men produced a right to abortion out of whole cloth.

Said Justice Hugo Black of the process: “I like my privacy as well as the next one, but I am nevertheless compelled to admit that government has a right to invade it unless prohibited by some specific constitutional provision.” [Should the court continue this] “shocking doctrine,” he said, [it will wind up as] “a day-to-day constitutional convention.”

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU deny that a human life - our posterity - which has the right to life endowed by our Creator - is killed in an abortion. That’s why they work so vehemently against state laws requiring mothers to see ultrasound images confirming that what they’re carrying is a human baby before they choose to kill it.

Progressive justices imposed their will. They usurped the amendment process in Article 5. As a result of Roe vs Wade, abortion has been the most divisive issue in America ever since 1973.

30 Days of Music - Day 4

Good morning and welcome to Day 4 in my participation in the 30 Days of Music challenge. On Day 4, i need to tell you:
What song do you play when your feeling happy?

As soon as i read this prompt, one song popped straight into my head - " All I Wana Do " by Sugarland. I get the feeling that some of you may never have heard of Sugarland ( who are great country music duo ) and this would be the part where i get to prattle on about eclectic my tastes are. That, however, shall remain to be seen with my future video choices. What i will say is this a sweet country/pop song thats fun and sexy and great for singing along ...all the things i want to do when i'm happy. Hell, i've even started playing this song when i want to GET happy - you know, like on Monday mornings on the way to work. And this song will definately be making the playlist for my wedding reception, simply because its so joyful and makes me want to get funky with my fella  ( as influenced by lyrics such as " I dont wana get baby, lets turn off the phone ... " ). What song gets you in the happy mood?

Operation Slimdown - the " Wooty Woo! " Edition

Ok, i'm cutting to the chase here, no mucking around like usual - I'VE DONE IT!!!  Wooty woo! yes, i have reached my 10 kg goal. In fact, i've lost 10.3kg in 14 weeks. So in a little over 3 months i have achieved the goal which i gave myself 10 months to achieve ....and i'm kind of proud of that. Although i consistently lost weight every fortnight, it hasnt been super easy. The first two weeks were a little difficult - i had the occasional temptation ( like my BIL's birthday cake... ) but also just coming up with meal ideas ( especially for lunch at work ) that didnt involve any bread, rice, or pasta was a bit tricky.

And i have slipped and slid a little, in places. I'm constantly tempted by Portuguese tarts from the bakery near my work, and i will put both hands up and admit that i dont do enough exercise ( although my incidental exercise makes up for it ...a bit ). But i'm happy with the way i've done things and i'm happy with where i'm at. I have already said that i would like to push on from here - officially 67.5kgs - and get back down to at least 65kg. The smallest i've been in my adult life was 61kg and even though at the time i thought i had a rockin' bod ( which i did ) i look at pics now and think maybe i had a bit of Lollipop Head Syndrome going on ( for other examples please see Beckham, Victoria and Bosworth, Kate ). So 64/65kg might be a good medium for me...

Now that the official goal has been met " Operation Slimdown " will cease to exist in its current form. This means no fortnightly updates, and no fortnightly measurements with a tape measure ( although i will keep a constant eye on those damned scales... ). Thanks to all you regular readers and commenters for supporting me on the journey, and good luck to the rest of you who are still pushing on!

30 Days of Music - Day 3

Todays prompt:
What song has the highest play count on your iTunes?
Now, before we get to the clip, let me just say this - i dont have an iPod. I mean i do - i have a really old iPod Shuffle, one of the tiny square ones - but i dont use it. Havent used since i stopped goingt to the gym. Consequently i dont really have any playlists on our iTunes and most of the music is Micks. So what gets the most plays?

Naughty By Nature - " Holiday ". I know this one came out when i was in high school and its a great track to dance around the house to, but its definately more of a " Mick " song than it is an " Amy " song. Still, if i had an iPod i still might have this on my playlist, just for a bit of dance-y fun!

"Just enough clouds for a sunset"

30 Days + Music = Challenge!

Alright, so i may be a little late jumping on this bandwagon but after discovering that the very funky Tutu Ames is doing a 50 day music challenge i thought " hey, thats something i'd like to get in on! " .... except that i dont think i could quite keep it up for 50 days, so i decided to go with the 30 Day Music Challenge thats being touted on Facebook ( search it... its got its own page ). I planned on starting yesterday except that i went roadtripping for the day with my parents and Flynn to a beautiful, HUGE, manicured garden ( pics and post to come! ) so today i'll be catching up with the prompts for days one and two of the challenge.

Day One: What is your favourite song right now?
Cue " Party Rock Anthem " by LMFAO -

I am just loving this song right now - it makes me wana dance, and the film clip is a total cack up! Its not a song where you have to think about the lyrics, you just listen to the beat and go with it. Its fun, and right now, fun is what i'm into...

Day Two: Song that was #1 when you were born?
Ok, when i Googled this i got some conflicting results for the week of my birth, so i went with the song that was #1 the year i was born...1984 -

I have to admit, seeing as this was released the year i was born, i hadnt really heard the original version until i heard - and loved - the remixed version used in Baz Luhrmans " Romeo and Juliet ". But, thanks to Baz, i love this one too - Prince is definately funky, and kind of edgy and just a little bit " What the?! " ... which are all the things which make this song great...

So, lets consider my blog a jukebox of my personal favourites for the next month. There will be other posts too, of course, and maybe more than one a day sometimes. If you feel like playing along, go check out the page on Facebook and getting your playlist happening!
*Edit* A couple of people mentioned they love " Purple Rain "...but that was the wrong link! It was supposed to be a video for " When Doves Cry " which means that my " Romeo and Juliet " reference now makes sense!

The Wizard is Back in Oz

I first went to Australia ten years ago to speak at a conference on service user involvement in mental health. The paper - The Being and Doing of Mental Health Nursing: Users Perceptions became the basis for a book entitled Using Patient Experience in Nurse Education. The book inspired the hugely successful service user, student and carer conference we ask all student to attend at the beginning of their nurse and midwifery education and training with us. And 10 years later I was on my way back to Australia and where this story started. Despite the long journey involved, I was looking forward to returning to Adelaide to present my current work at a mental health conference.

Ten years ago I flew directly to Singapore, had three hours in a transit lounge and then flew on to Australia. These days, and one DVT later, my body isn’t so resilient or so forgiving. So it was a six hour flight to Dubai, an overnight stop and then a twelve and half hour flight to Adelaide. On this occasion I flew with Emirates, who have the most amazing collection of films and music to entertain passengers on these long flights. Interestingly, their 100 best albums mirrored my personal Ipod collection, so it was almost home from home, not sure why Leonard Cohen didn’t feature, maybe people these days don’t like his music.

I found it amazing that I could be in a plane that is travelling at nearly 600 mph, 33000 feet off the ground and all I had to do was press a screen and gain access to thousands of songs from my youth. I must confess to leaving my computer in the overhead locker and being totally self-indulgent for the twelve hours and listening to song after song that for me evoked so many good memories. I bought my first LP when I was 13 (1968) – Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland – and there it was on the menu of cd’s. I am amazed at how quickly (over the last 10 years) airlines such as Emirates have embraced new technology for the benefit of their passengers. I am sure we need to being do the same with our approaches to education and health care practice.

It is still a long journey and tiring. However, you do get to meet some interesting people along the way. When I first went to Adelaide, one of the people I met was Julia who in a different life became the Director of our Postgraduate Directorate when I took over as Head of School. This time, In Dubai I met Alli, who trains fighter pilots for a living. He chained smoked (no smoking restrictions in UAE) his way through an evening’s conversation where we discussed politics, his love of all things British, the state of the world economy and of course my relationship with the ubiquitous Manchester United football team. I have lost count of the number of people over the years who I’ve told that I really don’t know Sir Alex personally.

One of the albums on offer was the remarkable What’s the Story Morning Glory (by Oasis). As well as being a great collection of music, the title track always reminds me of 5am in the morning. Wherever and whenever I travel I always wake up just before 5am – even on trips like this where you gain and lose time as you travel. Interestingly, on the first trip to Alidade, some of the people I met presented work on the impact of circadian rhythms on people’s mental health.

I am writing this blog on the eve of the conference, which promises to be a very interesting one. This time I am presenting some work on risk and control in society and the impact this can have for some people with mental health problems. One of the issues I explore is Jeremy Benthams concept of the panoptican, and how sometimes therapeutic relationships are felt to be compromised by the sometimes bounded nature of care and containment. My new found friend Alli didn’t have any such problems. In an account reminiscent of Michael Moores’ Fahrenheit 9/11, he talked about how they trained their fighter pilots not to think about the fact they are killing other humans beings when they fire their missiles at targets. Partly this involved reinforcing the fact that the targets were selected away from the battle field, and the missiles guided by information relayed through satellites. Not a good use of new technology and it was somewhat frightening stuff.

Polly Dolly - Wedding Belle

Time for this weeks Polly Dolly challenge - the brilliant fashion meme brought to you by the lovely Dani over at Danimezza. When i saw this weeks challenge i got just a little excited, because this week Dani wants to know what we'd wear to our....

Polly Dolly - Wedding Belle by Amy1984 featuring t strap shoes

So - i'm getting married in 6 and half months so i was a little bit enthusiastic to get in there and create this set. Seeing as i've already bought my beautiful wedding dress and the only one i could find that was similar wouldnt clip to Polyvore, i decided to do an alternate to what i'm actually wearing. That is, i've decided to style a set with a short, cocktail length dress ( instead of a full length gown ). ( Also, we are actually having a cocktail style reception, but i've gone traditional full length gown instead ). Anyhoo, it took me ages to settle on this Alexander McQueen dress, which mirrors my "real " choice in that it is also Grecian-inspired. The braided updo compliments the style of the dress and the natural toned makeup is flattering to the overall look. I've also stuck with the royal blue/yellow-gold theme we are using in November, hence the gorgeous t-bar shoes, sapphire jewellery and my dream bouquet. Throw in the perfume i will wear on the day and the song i hope to walk down the aisle to ( " Bless The Broken Road " by Rascal Flatts ) and there you go - my kind-of, sort-of almost-close-to-the-truth wedding set!

Affirmative Action: Euphemism For Discrimination

Last Friday night, I was involved in a debate with Shenna Bellows, executive director of the MCLU (Maine Civil Liberties Union), which is Maine’s chapter of the ACLU. The moderator chose three “set piece” questions for us including this one: “Are Affirmative Action programs constitutional?” What follows are my remarks.

Affirmative Action is a euphemism for government-required policies that discriminate on the basis of race, sex and national origin. The very same discrimination that government legislates against in some areas of public life, it mandates in other areas. It’s a kind of schizophrenia.

From the ACLU web site:

The [ACLU] Racial Justice Program supports affirmative action to secure racial diversity in education settings, workplaces and government contracts to remedy continuing systematic discrimination against people of color, and to help ensure equal opportunities for all people. As part of this commitment, we are working to defend affirmative action in states that are threatened for a civil rights rollback.

Hmm. Systematic discrimination against people of color? Where? It’s been illegal for two generations. The ACLU claims:

Affirmative action is one of the most effective tools for redressing the injustices caused by our nation’s historic discrimination against people of color and women, and for leveling what has long been an uneven playing field. A centuries-long legacy of racism and sexism has not been eradicated despite the gains made during the civil rights era. Avenues of opportunity for those previously excluded remain far too narrow. We need affirmative action now more than ever.

Hmm. Injustices caused by our nation’s historic discrimination against people of color and women. What injustices? Where? Students at our colleges and universities are 60% female. If there’s any evidence of discrimination, it’s against men, not women.


Professor Russell K. Neili summarized a study by two sociologists at Princeton of the admissions process at ten elite private colleges and universities:

To have the same chance of gaining admission as a black student with a SAT score of 1100, a Hispanic student otherwise equally matched in background characteristics would have to have 1230, a white student a 1410 and an Asian student a 1550.

Is this what the ACLU means when it cites “the gains made by the civil rights era”?

When the ACLU says “we are working to defend affirmative action in states that are threatened for a civil rights rollback, they’re talking about initiatives like those proposed in several states like this one in California called the California Civil Rights Initiative:

The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.

What the ACLU objects to are the five words “or grant preferential treatment to” of course, because those words shine the light on what affirmative action actually does. By lowering the bar for some groups like the aforementioned “people of color,” they must raise it for other groups with whom the preferred “people of color” are competing for employment, college admissions or contracts. To the ACLU, treating everyone equally regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin is “a civil rights rollback.” That is what you call distorted thinking. Orwell called it “Doublethink.” What the ACLU wants to hide is that affirmative action does not preserve civil rights - it discriminates against whites, males and Asians by its very nature.
If one of my loved ones needed brain surgery and I wanted the best possible surgeon to do it, I’d have to consider what affirmative action has done with our medical schools. I’d have to look around for an Asian neurosurgeon and avoid black ones who could get admitted with the lowest scores. Wouldn’t you? I don’t like it, but this is the legacy of Affirmative Action.

People tolerated it back in 1965 when the Civil Rights Bill passed, but it been almost forty years - two generations. The ACLU insists we need it now more than ever. I don’t think so. Affirmative Action is racist and sexist. It should be abolished immediately in all its forms.