There will be a book sale on February 3rd from 9 am to 3 pm at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Greenwich. Proceeds from the sale will go to support the St. Cecilia’s children’s choir, of which my daughter is a proud member. While the rest of the world is obsessing over what snacks to serve for the Superbowl, you can be in East Greenwich browsing a great selection of books and scoring some deals. Hope to see you there!
Curried Pea Hand-Pies
Recently, on a particularly dreary day, I found myself flicking wistfully through the travel section of a broadsheet newspaper. As I sat on the sofa, slumped in my none-too-glam trackie bottoms and fleece-lined Crocs I tortured myself with page after page of unobtainable ‘bourgeois’ – which I believe is Russian for ‘jealous-making’ – holiday destinations. I ogled double-page spread after double-page spread of nut-brown bodies frolicking on pristine, deserted beaches, drooled over photos of towel-clad …
This looks good….
Amputations Bad–Public Health Good
If you spend a lot of your working time nagging people to keep their blood sugar under control and to take good care of their feet you will appreciate this. From the Centers for Disease Control…
CDC report finds large decline in lower-limb amputations among U.S. adults with diagnosed diabetes
The rate of leg and foot amputations among U.S. adults aged 40 and older with diagnosed diabetes declined by 65 percent between 1996 and 2008, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published today in the journal, Diabetes Care. The age–adjusted rate of nontraumatic lower–limb amputations was 3.9 per 1,000 people with diagnosed diabetes in 2008 compared to 11.2 per 1,000 in 1996. Non–traumatic lower–limb amputations refer to those caused by circulatory problems that are a common complication among people with diabetes rather than amputations caused by injuries.
The study, “Declining Rates of Hospitalization for Nontraumatic Lower–Extremity Amputation in the Diabetic Population Aged 40 years or Older: U.S., 1988–2008,” is published in the current online issue of Diabetes Care.
The study also found that among people with diagnosed diabetes in 2008, men had higher age–adjusted rates of leg and foot amputations than women (6 per 1,000 vs. 1.9), and blacks had higher rates than whites (4.9 per 1,000 vs. 2.9). Adults aged 75 years and older had the highest rate – 6.2 per 1,000 – compared to other age groups.
The study authors note that improvements in blood sugar control, foot care and diabetes management, along with declines in cardiovascular disease, are likely to have contributed to the decline in leg and foot amputations among people with diagnosed diabetes.
Awesome. This kind of progress comes from educating the public, engaging health care workers, and lots of government involvement. And everyone knows that it’s better to have legs than not. I see that up close all the time.
When I started out as an aide in a nursing home, back in the mid-80′s, bedsores were common and the general attitude was just beginning to shift from ‘nothing can be done’ to ‘we’d better do something or Medicare is going to whack us.’ It’s no longer routine or accepted that people get bedsores, and the people I see now who have them tend to be very immobile or paralyzed. It’s a terrible problem that is best prevented. But prevention required a big investment of labor and an attitude adjustment. The payoff comes later.
I gotta run to work, I have lots of people to nag. Have a nice day.
Some Historical Context on the Prayer Banner Controversy
My overall analysis is that the real problem we have right now in Rhode Island is not that the Cranston Schools had a banner hanging in an auditorium that had a prayer on it. The real problem is that our economy is sagging big time, and we need to figure out how to turn that around. But the prayer banner controversy does define an important distinction about what government can and cannot do. The thoughts of Oswald Krell also serve to give more historical context to the discussion:
[...]To begin: any sentence that contains “the founding fathers believed/thought/said/wanted/intended/were, etc is necessarily wrong.
Yes. wrong.
The founding fathers were not a monolithic bunch. Exactly the opposite. They were a group of men, many of whom had long years of experience in politics in some form. As such, as a group and for the most part, they understood the necessity of compromise. Not all of them; there were some doctrinaire ideologues, especially in the earlier days, but they were weeded out as time passed.
A great example of this is Sam Adams–whose father was a brewer, by the way. He played a major role in the early days of the protests that led up to the outbreak of fighting, but he did not have the political chops to play any role in congress during the war.
In-Between Two Worlds: From Print to Digital
This is a version of the presentation I made at the January 22, 2012 “One Book, One State” event which was sponsored by the Rhode Island’s Center for the Book. More than 200 people gathered in a historic church just outside of Providence to hear Geraldine Brooks, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Caleb’s Crossing, a work of historical fiction that brings readers into the life of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard University — in the year 1665. I’ve been reading a lot more on my iPad …
Some interesting thoughts and parallels…
Political Pollution: How Bad Air is Slowly Changing China
China confirmed this week that the number of its citizens living in cities has surpassed the rural population for the first time in its history. That massive urbanization — 690.79 million people are now city-dwellers according to the National Bureau of Statistics — has brought huge benefits, chief among them lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty. But it has also led to serious problems, perhaps none more so than the increasingly foul air in these heaving metropolises that are growing bigger, …
China is beginning to respond more to citizen outcry about poor air quality.
Salon Profiles the 99-ers
The New Agenda for America, Set by Occupy and the 99%
Occupy Providence Press Conference Today
From Facebook–
Today
Time
1:00pm until 4:00pmDescription
This press conference is being called in regards to the result of the passed proposal in agreement with the city to open the day center.The city has publicly announced that they plan to open the doors of the day center on Wednesday. In doing so the members present at media’s meeting feel that a press conference on behalf of Occupy Providence TUESDAY JANUARY 24,2012 at 1pm on the steps of city hall is appropriate to declare its one of many victories against economic injustice.
Please SHARE THIS! Bring a friend! Celebrate this wonderful event!
When the Occupiers set up their tents in Burnside Park this Fall, they talked with the people downtown who had nowhere else to go during the day. We’ve all known for years that homeless people have to move from place to place all day, between leaving the shelters in the morning and catching the bus back at night. In the winter, this becomes dangerous.
I talked to one of the Occupiers about two months ago. He said the Occupation would not abandon the people they had come to know over the months.
I am so proud of the Occupation and the City of Providence.
3 Credit CEU Course: Know Thyself: Using Archetypes to Understand and Heal Children
When: Monday, March 19, 9 am to 12 noon Where: 390 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston RI (in The Education Room in the rectory of Church of the Ascension) This 3-hour educational seminar is approved for 3 CEU (Continuing Education Units) through the Rhode Island NASW, including 1.0 CE in Cross-Cultural Practice. Course Description This seminar will serve as an introduction to using archetypes as both a diagnostic tool and treatment tool for children and teenagers. The training will review the definition …
My first CEU-approved seminar! Suitable for therapists, parents, or anyone who just wants to learn more about treatment with kids!
