Self Care on Real Life Survival Guide

 The Real Life Survival Guide begins taping this week for season two. The guide will keep its quick back and forth with intelligent guests who have lots to say. This season there's going to be an effort to focus on a particular subject. The first episode in this series will focus on self care.

Self care has become trendy with top ten and top 25 tips. The tips include advice like "stop over thinking", "be still", "eat as many greens as possible" and "forgive yourself and others."

For others, self care is a core issue. I went on-line to find the definition of self care. I came up with this link from an on-line medical dictionary. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/self-care

The definition has to do with nursing care and occupational therapy.

Number three is pretty basic.

3 personal care accomplished without technical assistance, such as eating, washing, dressing, using the telephone, and attending to one's own elimination, appearance, and hygiene. The goal of rehabilitation medicine is maximal personal self-care.

Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.

Number three is also an issue with people on the autism spectrum. Setting up a routine with visual cues to help with focus on some basic self-care issues. Basic issues like washing and brushing teeth, dressing, toilet habits and eating. Living Well With Autism has some good visuals to help children learn theses skills.

I went to the Education Resource Information Center to get more information about self-care for autistic children. They suggest systematic, intensive teaching in self-care skills due to deficits in language and attention skills. There are hundreds of scholarly articles about autism and the issue of self care. A lot depends on how early autism is diagnosed and how early treatment begins. The autism spectrum is a pretty broad range. How deeply the person is affected by the disorder has to do with where he or she falls on the spectrum. This the individual's ability to learn and practice self care.   

I have an iron in the fire on this issue. Autism has touched our family. I'm also on the board for the FOCUS Center for Autism. They work with children on the spectrum on socialization skills including self care. With one in 80 children being diagnosed as being on the spectrum, this is an issue that will become more prevalent in the near future.  Something to think about is how we're going to pull together the resources for the services needed to make many of these children functional (holding a job - having a degree of self-sufficiency). Many parents are now facing this on their own with little help from insurance coverage.

Not addressing the issue could result in a tsunami of adults with emotional and behavioral issues on the streets. During the early years of the Reagan administration, federal funding and grants to community clinics were cut. "We can no longer afford to pay for this service."  These clinics dealt with individuals with mental health issues. The result was that many of these people were put on the street. They had  illnesses like schizophrenia. If they were "lucky", they got warehoused in institutions. If "unlucky" many became homeless. There are many more individuals diagnosed with Autism. I realize libertarians and conservatives will cry, "we can't afford this." I suggest as a civilized and progressive society, we're going to need to be proactive. We will need to come together and find solutions. 


The Real Life Survival Guide airs Sunday afternoon at 4:30 on WNPR. You can hear episodes anytime on their website.

Saving Print Journalism

Two articles published by the Poynter Institute highlight aspects of efforts to save print journalism.
In signing a petition to save the The Times Picayune Garrison Keillor said, "A city without a daily paper is an office park with some malls." The owners of the Times Picayune laid-off  half the newsroom. In the second half of this year it will be published three days a week.

Newspapers are struggling mightily to survive against the Web, Social Media and mobile media as news sources. Warren Buffett bought 63 papers from Media General a few weeks ago. He has bought more since then. Buffett now owns 88. One of the papers he owns through Berkshire Hathaway, The Buffalo News, will erect a paywall for its on-line edition. 

There is speculation that Buffett would buy The Times-Picayune. Buffett acknowledged that he is following the situation in New Orleans but, he's not sure the current owners want to sell.

 

Pew Reports on the Widening Political Divide

Pew Research is reporting the partisan divide is the widest it has been in 20 years. Driving the division is politics. From what I've seen in the research it seems the Republicans have become more rigid.

Partisan Polarization Surges in Bush, Obama YearsTrends in American Values: 1987-2012


NPR on All Things Considered  gave three examples from the Pew Research Center on how things have changed since 1987.

 "There needs to be stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment": In 2012, 93 percent of Democrats agreed with that. 47 percent of Republicans agreed. In 1992, those numbers were 93 percent and 86 percent.  Republicans had a 39 point shift.

"Labor unions are necessary to protect the working person": In 2012, 82 percent of Democrats agreed; 43 percent of Republicans agreed. In 1987, those numbers were 76 and 58.  Republicans had a 15 point shift.


"Government regulation of business usually does more harm than good": In 2012, 41 percent of Democrats agreed, while 76 percent of Republicans agreed. Those numbers were 50 and 61 in 1987.  Republicans had a 15 point shift.



Wisconsinites 'Reach Out' To Heal Partisan Divide

Political polarization is blamed for the gridlock in Washington.  The same issue has deeply divided Wisconsin as they head into their recall of Governor Scott Walker Tuesday.  Is there any hope of breaking this self-destructive trend? There is is when individuals leave their political parties behind. There was another report on All Things Considered about two Wisconsin couples who have gone out of their way to discuss issues rationally.  The group has grown into Reach Out Wisconsin with 30 to 40 people meeting. They hope the meetings will help Wisconsinites move on after the election.


There was a story a couple of weeks ago about partisan politics and the Negro River in Illinois. On one side a group that wanted to rename the river calling it demeaning and racist. On the other more conservative individuals calling the drive to change the name another example of political correctness run amok. The two sides even had dueling Facebook pages with all sorts of insults being hurled back and forth. That is, until the leaders of the two sides started talking with each other. The insults came down off the sites. The argument became more respectful. Here are links to the two Facebook pages.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/adamscreek/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/176640022437400/
The group opposed to the change still can't quite let go but, the worst postings have come down.
Compromise can be found. In your face attitudes have to be set aside. The people near Negro Creek and Wisconsin are proving it.

Ignoring Science in North Carolina?

It looks as if developers will win in North Carolina. US News and World Report says a bill moving through the state legislature would allow developers to ignore sea level predictions based on global warming. By ignoring science developers stand to make a lot of money. So do the communities along the shore, at least, in the short run. They won't be around for the consequences with the sea level predicted to rise 39 inches by 2100.


You can find out more here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1peM85


Why are sea levels rising? Global temperatures are going up...fast! Below is a chart from NOAA.






Republicans pushing the bill to allow development along the coast...close to the water...assume sea levels will rise gradually. Scientists are warning the rise will be much faster.



N.C. Beaches Eroding 2 Feet Per Year, Study Finds


The bill would create jobs in construction and then support services. But, the bill gambles that the science  is wrong and, that rising sea levels will not be a factor. Eroding beaches are already an issue in North Carolina. Erosion problems are not going away. Is it ethical to sell property to consumers knowing the likelihood of ecological problems? And what about the problems this will cause the State of North Carolina as it deals with property loss after it has tried to legislate away ecological likelihoods?

Search for Common Ground in Time of War

0.5% Served in Military Since 9/11- Pew Research

The Pew Research Center released a figure this week that only 0.5% of the US population has served in the military since 9/11. Pew points out the past 12+ years is the longest sustained period of conflict in US history. They also state that the connections between the military personnel and the broader population are growing more distant as the armed services grow smaller.

Something not mentioned in the report is how this equation would change if there was a draft. If more civilians were pressed into service, the public would become more involved in the implications of our political actions and the war on terror. During World War II 9% of the US population was on active duty. Add their families and the number becomes significant. A large percentage of the US population was involved in the military during the Vietnam War. Having a greater portion of the population involved in our country's conflicts informs the discussions around the conversations around US policy and political decisions.

I think a better informed and more engaged public involved in the issues that have great impact will make this country stronger. The process can be painful as with the Vietnam War, but, the process is important.
My parents were drawn together for the common good by two events that caused the paradigm shift, The Great Depression and World War II. There was a commonality to the issues that brought about a willingness to bring people together to work things out. We don't have that today. We have extremism brought about by partisan politics reinforced by the large amount of money being spent by super PACs.

There are organizations trying to do something to bring partisan politics under control. It is not going to be easy. If enough of us become active and speak out, change is possible.

There are others who think so too. Robert Reich has a new book called Beyond Outrage. In it he explains, what has gone wrong with our economy and our democracy, and how to fix it.  Robert Reich is also chairman of Common Cause.

Charles Ferguson in an interview with Tom Ashbrook on On-Point talked about how people rose up to change the balance of power away from the monied elite during the Progressive Era and during the Great Depression. Charles Ferguson has a new book, Predator Nation: Corporate Criminals, Political Corruption, and the Hijacking of America.  


Another organization who wants to put an end the gridlock in Washington is called CenterPolitics.org. Their Website will be ready soon. They want to actively support candidates who are willing to work across the aisle and end the gridlock.


The most important element is what you decide to do. We all need to be informed and involved.

Medical Costs and Politics

When the the supreme court heard the case about Obamacare, members of the Tea Party and people who support the bill faced off outside the Supreme Court in dueling protests. There was actually a point of agreement. I'm almost certain it was missed. Both sides think the cost of health care is too high. 


Today there were two stories that caught my attention. The first from NPR about the increasing cost of health insurance. Costs are going up while coverage is going down. The story focused on one family but, what they are experiencing is the same for many families. High deductibles and decreasing coverage. 

Health Insurance Cutbacks Squeeze The Insured


I recently got some quotes for health insurance. We need to get individual insurance . Being underemployed means we have no other option. Deductibles start at $5000 and run as high as $10,000. After that, the plans might cover 80% of the cost. There's a lot that is not covered like office visits.


In the case of the Cooper family in the NPR story, Amber Cooper needs medication for her liver transplant that cost $1000 a month. It is no longer covered. The Cooper's now pay the entire cost of the medication out of pocket.

The second story that caught my attention was in the Huffington Post by Khadeeja Safdar. Medical costs are pushing Americans into credit card debt. According to a survey by a policy center called Demos, 50% of those surveyed paid for out of pocket medical costs with credit cards.  There's more in the article:

• Health care costs rose 6% last year.
• Over 25 percent of Americans ages 16 to 64 went without health coverage for at least some part of last year.
• An ordinary family with a job based plan will pay $20,000 toward health care. That's about 40% of their income.

Right Infighting Over Health Care

Meanwhile, the gridlock in Washington will make the situation worse. According to an article in Politico Republican plans to retool the Obamacare plan as an alternative were shot down by conservatives. They want full repeal. Nothing less. Their stance? Any national health care plan is creeping socialism at its worst. According to Politico's Jake Sherman, the drive to completely repeal is led by groups like Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform to Heritage Action to Club for Growth. Any attempt at compromise is being blocked by people with very deep pockets.  

Can anything be done? Be informed. Speak up. Tell your representatives you want something positive to be done.

There are groups that can help. One is called Center Politics. It's a nonpartisan political action committee.

http://www.centerpolitics.org/

You can find out more about the deceptions and confusion in US politics by going to FactCheck.org. FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. It is nonpartisan.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76471.html#ixzz1vjVExyZE

Rush to Justice

The Huffington Post has an interesting story about wrongful convictions. Michael McLaughlin reports that
The National Registry of Exoneration released a report today that says over 2000 convicted felons have been released because of DNA evidence and major discrepancies in evidence since 1989. One of the creators of the database, University of Michigan Law School professor Samuel Gross, says this is likely only the tip of the iceberg.


Perjury and false accusations are among the most common causes of bogus convictions. The most common crime is murder followed by sexual assault. 101 of those exonerationed were on death row. Gross hopes their findings can help law enforcement cut down on wrongful convictions.