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Sunday, 2 October 2016

Menswear and Winter Goals

Trousers - Pringles, Top - H&M, no clue where my socks are from but I love the colour...

So as I officially start back at uni tomorrow and it's October and we only have a few months left of the year, I thought that - Inspired by this post by Megan Ellaby - I should publicly set some achievable goals for the end of the year in the hope that it gives me some sort of motivation in the colder months when usually I'm in hibernation.

Firstly, and it may seem like something I shouldn't have to be telling myself at the grand old age of 20 but, to keep my room tidy and organised. The and organised part is most important.. I have a tendency when tidying to be incredibly lazy and just shove everything in sight under my bed or in my wardrobe and that definitely needs to stop. This should probably also start with me making sure everything actually has a home in my room so I guess that's my Sunday.

My second goal for by the end of the year is to make sure I'm on top of all my uni work. I usually am pretty good for this anyway but I don't want to fall behind even slightly and I need to make the most of the library being so close by. I also need to make sure I spend enough of my own time on uni work, this is obvious and I know I'll be fine because I enjoy my degree but I do need to remember it is my top priority.

Thirdly and finally I want to read more. I always say this and it never happens but this time I actually want it to. I adore reading but I hate putting books down at all which, though I am working on, I think if I really want to read a full book in one sitting, I need to plan for the day and make sure there's nothing else I should be doing and just sit and read and to be okay with it because I often feel an awful sense of guilt towards the fact I'm basically neglecting the real world for a day but I need to be okay with that.

I know these aren't the most ambitious goals ever and they're of course not all I want to be doing but nonetheless they are important to me and I don't really have any excuse for not doing them. Do you have anything you want to be better at in the next few months? Please let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

ps. I will definitely blog this outfit as soon as I have someone to take my photos and when it's raining less...

  1. I pretty much have the same goals as you since going back to uni! I also want to read more because except uni books I haven't really read anything for myself X

    1. Exactly that's the thing! Remembering to read for pleasure as well and getting the balance right is so important! X

If you have any questions feel free to tweet me! @indixchxrlotte

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The question of whether or not it is ever okay for animal welfare organizations to serve meat at fundraisers was recently brought to the fore in this article.

The truth is, more and more animal agencies like municipal shelters, humane societies, SPCAs, and rescue organizations are adopting animal-friendly menu policies for official functions. These organizations frequently take in farmed animals like rabbits, chickens, goats, and sheep, and have found it inappropriate to serve similar animals at events.

That sizable and growing list includes organizations around the U.S. like St. Martin’s Animal Rescue in Sheridan, OR; Second Chance Animal Center in Shaftsbury, VT; Hearts United for Animals in Auburn, NE; Wyandot County Humane Society in Upper Sandusky, OH; East Bay SPCA in Oakland, CA; SPCA LA in Los Angeles, CA; Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, CA, Animal Rescue Inc. in New Freedom, PA; Palm Springs Animal Shelter in Palm Springs, CA; Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville, NC; and Washington Humane Society in Washington, DC.

A Changing Trend

In a 2013 survey of people who work or volunteer for California shelters and rescues, 85 percent of respondents believed it is ethically inconsistent for an organization that rescues animals to sell or serve animal products at sponsored/fundraising events. However, at that time, only 29 percent had already adopted a formal policy.

To boost these numbers, Animal Place, one of the oldest and largest farmed animal sanctuaries in the country, began offering a number of resources for animal organizations via its “Food For Thought” program. Animal Place assists organizations with developing a policy, offers event planning and catering tips, and even provides grants to eligible organizations.

Organizations Picking Up on Food for Thought

“We’re the ones on the frontlines, rescuing animals in our communities, and it just doesn’t make sense to rescue a dog or a cat and then turn around and serve meat at a community-based function,” said Todd Stosuy, Field Services Manager for Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, one of the largest animal control agencies in the country with a policy of leaving meat off the menu. “Why do we go out there and rescue these animals, when we’re serving other ones for people to eat?”

For some progressive organizations, a plant-based policy is a way to further act in accordance with their mission, and to respond to critical public concerns such as environmental sustainability and human health.

“We’re relied upon to be a leader in animal welfare standards, so we have to be active,” Heather J. Cammisa, president and CEO of St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ, told the Chicago Tribune for a recent story that explored the trend toward vegan policies (Animal welfare groups may be losing their appetite for meat). “Our mission involves the humane treatment of animals, building an environment where people respect all living creatures.”

Donors and volunteers are embracing animal-friendly menu policies too. St. Hubert’s received a six-figure gift because a supporter was so grateful that the shelter extended its compassion and advocacy to farmed animals.

“Once people were educated and explained why the policy was in place, people seemed to not only understand why we had the policy, but respect it,” said Laura Clarke, executive director of Whatcom Humane Society in Bellingham, WA. “I’ve seen firsthand so many WHS staffers, volunteers and donors who have made the transition from meat-eater to vegetarian/vegan.”

“For those of us working in animal rescue, sheltering and protection, it’s our responsibility to help when and where we can, and that can extend to the food we serve at our events,” said “Cat Daddy” Jackson Galaxy, host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell.”

Galaxy endorses Food For Thought, and joined Animal Place to offer advice and encouragement for other shelters to adopt a similar policy in this video:

As Captain Cindy Machado of Marin Humane Society said, “Whether it’s a humane society-sponsored function and we’re providing a lunch, dinner, breakfast, or snack, we want to make sure that we’re sending the message that no animals were harmed in the serving of that product.”

Spreading Compassion for All Animals

So, is It ever okay for an animal welfare organization to serve meat at a fundraiser? No. Animal nonprofits, especially shelters, humane societies, and SPCAs, should care about what happens to all animals, including farmed animals. Fortunately, more and more are doing exactly that.

Image source: Shannon/Flickr

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One Savvy Mom ™ | NYC Area Mom Blog: How To Kid-Proof Your Mobile Devices & Online Technology - Top Safety Tips From The Experts

How To Kid-Proof Your Mobile Devices & Online Technology - Top Safety Tips From The Experts

How To Kid Proof You Mobile Devices Online Technology Top Safety Tips From The Experts AT&T One Savvy Mom
Have you seen the statistics? I was shocked to learn that, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, children 8-18 years of age spend more than 7.5 hours a day using a smartphone, computer, television or other electronic devices.

Aren't you just as shocked as I am? That is a TON of time! While it can be hard to imagine all of the screen time that today's youth encounter, it's a reality that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

We have to face it; modern technology is here to stay. So, we as parents must learn to navigate and safely incorporate it all, into our children's lives.

There are plenty of ways that we as parents can ensure that our kids are using Internet technology and mobile devices in a responsible way. If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, and don't quite know where to start, we've rounded up these valuable tips, from the experts at AT&T.

  • Take advantage of parental controls.                                                                                Ask your wireless and Internet service providers about parental controls available to you. For example, AT&T Smart Limits for wireless allows parents to block unwanted calls and data use; set text and purchase limits; limit phone use during certain times of day; check on daily phone activity; and get customized alerts and weekly reports. Parental controls for Internet service include the ability to block access to specific services, view your child’s activities online, and receive tamper controls alerts.
  • Be aware of what your kids are doing online.                                                                         Talk with your kids about cyber-bullying and other online issues regularly.
o Know the sites your kids visit and their online activities. Ask where they’re going what they’re doing and who they’re doing it with.
o Tell your kids that as a responsible parent, you may review their online communications if you think there is a reason for concern.
o Ask for their passwords, but tell them you’ll only use them in case of emergency
o Ask to “friend” or “follow” your kids on social media sites or ask another adult to do so.
o  Encourage your kids to tell you immediately if they, or someone they know, is       being cyber-bullied. Let them know you will not take away their device if they confide in you about a problem.
  • Establish rules about appropriate use of computers, cell phones and other technology.
    • Be clear about what sites they can visit and what they are permitted to do when they’re online. Show them how to be safe online.
    • Help them be smart about what they post or say. Tell them not to share anything that could hurt or embarrass themselves or others.
    • Encourage kids to think about who they want to see the information and pictures they post online. Think about how people who aren’t friends could use the information.
    • Remind them to keep their passwords safe and not to share them with friends because sharing that information could compromise their control over their online identities and activities.
  • Check privacy settings on social media.                                                                                Make sure you set the privacy settings on whatever social media your child uses but emphasize that there is no privacy. The more private, the less likely inappropriate material will be received by your child, or sent to their circle of acquaintances. Make sure your child understands that everything sent over the Internet or a cellphone is public and can be shared with the entire world, so it is important that they use good judgment.
**// Disclosure: Company sent a review unit.  All opinions expressed are our own.


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Preparing a surprise

After having rested for a while next to Theo the cat (let's call her Cleo since she hasn't been given a name yet ^^) looked up at him. He seemed a bit distant so she did not want disturb her.

While resting she had come up with an idea of how she might be able to cheer Theo up and maybe even help him to stay out of trouble; by bringing him some extra bloodbags. She wanted to surprise him by doing this so she carefully snug away and exited his room through the window.

Once outside Cleo headed back in through the main entrance of the school, following a few students as they opened the door. Then she went to dining area, looking for some students she could steal the blood from. It was surprisingly easy to steal a bloodbag from one of the first year students as they were buissy talking to each other.

Now that she had a bloodbag she just needed a place to hide it. When she first had arrived at the school and had been looking for Theo she remembered passing by a library so that was where she went. Inside the library there were plenty of hiding places behind books, underneath shelves and so on. She quickly found a suitable place and then went back to the cafeteria to get some more bloodbags.

< Prev : Its Just Lunch


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New Home

(Glad to be back. Glad to see others for most part listened. Except Johnny n Tammy. Oh well)

It was another sold out show for Amber and after she signed a few autographs and one fan even kissed her. As she got to the limo and begun the transformation into Becky Sue, she felt jealous. Amber often had people throwing themselves at her, but Becky had never been kissed. It seemed weird thinking that way, but they were two totally different people.

Soon the limo arrived at the strip where the plane was to whisk her off to Skylar Prep. There the only one who knew the truth was the Headmistress. On the plane she watches one of Naomi's films. That girl was a true goddess and was responsible for the feelings she's been having. Before she just felt like she was different, not having those feelings, then she saw her first Naomi film, and things changed. As the plane touches down and she descends she sees the beat up old truck of her dad's waiting.

She rushes over and he lifts her up hugging her."How ya doing Moonbug?'

For the longest time she hated the nickname, now though she cherished it."Missing all of you greatly."

During the drive they catch up and Becky is feeling homesick. As they pull into the school she grows worried. Her agent said everything was ready but still, her roomie could find out. Best to tell her._._eventually. She gets out grabbing the duffle bag then her dad hands her another."From your mom, make sure to share."

She hugs him again, already tasting the goodies in her head. She heads towards the girl's dorm her song Not Okay playing in her head. High School, a new experience, but will her hopes of a normal life come true?

< Prev : Twins Arrival Next > : OOC - hello?


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...So is the overall game, but it is a pretty trip. Oozing bizarre style out of every pore, this is proof that creative design does not require fancy DVD players or burly graphics cards. It is perfectly suited for the PSP, with gameplay and graphics that actually take advantage of the 16:9 aspect ratio and great screen. Though it does not roll quite far enough, LocoRoco is certainly a song worth singing.

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...You must solve lots of classic Zelda style puzzles, lighting torches to open doors, burning spider webs that block your path, blowing up boulders with your bombs, shooting out the right bits with your bow, and using your chain shot to reach areas you couldn't before. Sound familiar? That's because it is, but it's still good fun, and Twilight Princess Zelda maintains a respectable level of challenge, without ever being frustrating or getting you lost...

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Transworld Trading Inc.

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Biomass fuel

The production of low and zero carbon energy is a key element of the UK Government’s strategy for reducing greenhouse gases. The UK Renewable Energy Strategy sets out to achieve a target of 15% of the UK’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2020: almost a seven-fold increase in the share of renewables in scarcely more than a decade.

Reusing previously developed land (PDL) for renewable energy crops offers a unique opportunity to produce carbon-neutral biomass fuels without impacting on food production. The edge-of-urban context of many previously developed sites means that further greenhouse gas reductions are achievable, for example, through the use of organic waste streams diverted from landfill. This adds nutrients to the soil and economic returns through biomass fuels, creating a sustainable alternative to redevelopment.

A range of wider benefits for post-industrial areas will include improvement in the appearance and character of an area plus creating the potential for creating a local source of biomass fuel contributing to community or economic development. A further economic advantage is that the major capital cost of land is avoided compared to using productive agricultural land. Indeed, many contaminated sites have negative asset values reflecting the costs of future remediation, or ongoing maintenance costs, which can be offset provided that adequate growth can be successfully established. Colonizing grass species such as reed canarygrass can temporarily stabilise contaminated soils and prevent dust generation, run-off or groundwater contamination.

Case Study: Rainton Bridge

Fuel production

The aim of the BioReGen project ( is to demonstrate the feasibility of reusing brownfield sites to grow biomass energy crops at a commercial scale on a variety of contaminated sites. Following successful results in pilot scale field trials in 2004-2006, a series of five 1 ha demonstration sites were established in 2007 with funding from the EU Life III Environment Programme and the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

The site is a 2 hectares vacant area of the Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate. Historic maps indicate that the land was in agricultural use until 1896 when it became a sewage farm until about 1979.

Site preparation included glyphosate spraying, ploughing and disking before amendment with source-segregated green waste compost (PAS100). Energy crops being trialed include: Willow short-rotation coppice (A), Miscanthus (B), reed canarygrass (C), and switchgrass (D).

Site before 2007                                                            Mature biofuel crop, 2008


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McBee Strategic Consulting Firm Lobbying Profile

See also: Individual Lobbying Profile

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Legislative DirectorClient lobbying profileMajor Donor profile
2003-2005Nature Conservancy
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Sr Policy Advisor, Transportation & EPAClient lobbying profileMajor Donor profile
1998-2003Senate Environment & Public Works Committee
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Staff Member
1997-1998Collins, Susan M
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Staff AssistantMember profile
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Make Up For Ever - Step 1 Primers

So MUFE recently launched a primers program that suits different needs and wants; all these primers serve a certain purpose as well as makes your face a smoother canvas that makes your makeup application better with longer lasting results. From the many primers, I got to try out the main four which are:

Nourishing Primer
The nourishing primer has a serum-like formula that has a cooling effect on the face

Hydrating Primer
The hydrating primer has a light and creamy formula that hydrates your face. It definitely keeps your face moisturized and makes your makeup (foundation, concealer..etc) easily blendable

Smoothing Primer
This little tube right here feels more is a dupe for Benefit’s Porefessional with the formula being very similar to it as well as the effect and smell

Mattifying Primer
I felt that the mattifying is somewhat similar to the smoothing primer but more blend-able. This primer is perfect for those who want to spend the entire day out with their makeup on and get the least “oily effect”

Swatches below!

Hydrating - Nourishing - Mattyfying - Smoothing

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Okorocha’s illegal demolition of Owerri market

Filed under: National Issues |

On the morning of Saturday, August 26, 2017, bulldozers accompanied by a horde of armed security operatives, acting on the orders of the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, stormed Eke-Ukwu Owerri Market, and forcefully evicted the traders, demolished their shops and destroyed wares worth millions of naira. Security operatives, specifically, military men from the 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, deployed to maintain law and order during the forceful demolition of the market, shot indiscriminately into the air to prevent any resistance to the demolitions. In the process, operatives allegedly shot a 10-year-old boy, Somtochukwu Ibeanusi, who was reportedly trying to assist his parents to evacuate wares trapped inside their shop. A number of Owerri natives who dared to resist the demolitions were shot at, killing two persons, while injuring three others. Thousands of traders have lost their livelihoods at a time Nigeria is battling to exit an economic recession.

SPACES FOR CHANGE strongly condemns the sudden invasion of the market on Saturday morning and the extreme use of force that characterised the demolition, leading to loss of human lives, injury and disturbance in parts of the city. Particularly distasteful is the Imo State Government’s spiteful media campaign denying the deaths, the injuries and playing down the scale of human suffering resulting from the forced evictions and demolitions executed without compensation, without meaningful consultation with local traders, in total disregard to court orders and without adequate relocation plans. We confirmed that the slain boy lives at 9 Oguamanam Street, Owerri, and that the incident occurred on Multichoice Line in the market. We further confirmed that three persons died during the ill-fated demolitions and three others were seriously wounded, and are currently hospitalised.

Eke-Ukwu Owerri Market, located along Douglas Road Owerri, is the biggest and most popular trading centre in the state, attracting traders and shoppers from different parts of the country. The market is also the traditional and ancestral market of the Owerri people, established long before Nigeria’s Independence in 1960. Recently, Okorocha announced plans to relocate the market to a new site, which is presently under construction. In radio and television announcements, the state government ordered traders to start buying up the news shops in the new site. Interviews with local traders reveal that the shops are too costly, and sold at costs they cannot afford. Not only that, the market is still under construction, lacking adequate infrastructure and the needed conducive environment for robust commercial operations.

Since May 2015, an unceasing string of demolitions has raged through the state in the name of urban renewal. From Wetheral to Douglas Road, to Ikenegbu, to Aladinma, to Orji Road, to Amakohia, to Akwakuma, and many other locations, agony and massive human suffering trail these exercises. At present, the demolitions have affected businesses, residential buildings, schools, churches and other private enterprises. Sadly, most affected persons, groups and communities were not served appropriate notices nor consulted by the state government’s physical and urban planning authorities prior to the demolitions.

The majority of the demolitions occurred in defiance of court orders as well as pending litigation before the court of law. In September 2016, Eke-Ukwu Market traders approached the court for justice. An Imo State High Court restrained the state government from destroying, relocating or tampering with the market. Yet, the governor went ahead to demolish the market in total disdain for the court order. Similarly, Okorocha had in July 2017, demolished Shell Camp Quarters, inhabited by serving and retired lecturers of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, despite a subsisting court order. Not only are court orders brazenly flouted, there is substantial evidence that the cleared land are not used for any development purposes, but rather, reallocated to political cronies.

Demolitions targeted at markets have been witnessed across the country. In many cases, supermalls, especially SHOPRITE superstores, have sprung up in the city centres shortly before or after the market demolitions, giving rise to speculations that that the market removal agenda may not be unconnected with the capitalist pursuits of corporate actors and their state collaborators. In Imo State, many households wholly depend on the income sourced from informal trade and artisanal activities. These widespread demolitions are insensitive to local economic realities, while too many of them have been carried out in contravention of due process requirements laid out in the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

We therefore urge the Imo State Government to immediately halt all forced eviction and demolition of markets, people’s homes, churches, schools and businesses without recourse to due process and the rule of law.

We particularly demand the Imo State Government to pay compensation to owners of properties already destroyed and provide relief in the form of alternative housing and/or fair compensation to all residents previously evicted or whose homes or real properties have been demolished. We specifically call on the National Human Rights Commission to launch an independent investigation into the August 26, 2017 demolitions with a view to identifying the killers of Imo citizens and bring them to justice. We also call on all national and international human rights groups, the media and well-meaning Nigerians to press on the Okorocha administration to discontinue the market demolition policy and ensure the urban renewal agenda has a human face.


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Getting started with options trading

Before you get started with options trading, you should do a lot of research so that you understand what options are all about.

I have discovered in blogs that people did not understand what they were getting involved with until they had committed money.

The risk of loss in trading securities, options, futures and forex can be substantial. Investors must consider all relevant risk factors including their own personal financial situation before trading. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors.

Regardless of how aggressive an investor you are, you probably shouldn't commit more than 5% of your invested funds with options.  You should also have enough bank so that you can make 20 trades with the same amount of capital committed to each trade.

Let's say you are going to commit $10,000 to options trading, then you should plan on only putting down $500.00 per trade until you build your balance up.  You can (read WILL) come across a streak of bad trades and if you commit too large a share of your options money, then you could get wiped out.

$500.00 on an option trade is probably the smallest amount you want to commit to a trade.  Smaller dollar amounts means your transaction costs, on a percentage basis, will be very high and it will make it that much more difficult to make money.

A fellow subscriber to one of the option services once mentioned that they only committed $100.00 to an option recommendation because they weren't sure about the advice. You either commit or don't commit, there is no reason to put in a measly hundred on a trade.

Here's why: Let's say the option they bought was trading at $1.  That one contract cost them $100.00 (1 contract represents 100 shares at $1.00), but let's not forget the commission.  That person told me they bought it from one of the online discount brokers (this is the only way to go with option trading, do not use a Smith Barney type or it will be near impossible to make money on option trading due to their high fees) at a cost of $20.99.  Don't forget that the goal is to make money and that means you want to sell at a better price than what you paid which means you incur another what? Yes, another commission must be paid.  In this case that person would have to pay another $20.99 to get out. $21.00 doesn't seem like much in fees, but when you figure it on a percentage basis, then you see why you should commit more or stay on the sidelines.

This means they would need that option they bought for $1.00 to appreciate 42% just to break even. Folks, options do appreciate better than 42%, but you are stacking the deck against you.

A better way to act on the information is to either 1. Pass on it. I found it is not always a good idea. It seemed that the ones I passed on were truly big money winners. 2. Commit your predetermined equal stash. In the above example, had you purchased 10 contracts, then you would need the option to go up 6% for you to break even.  They were paying $19.99 for the transaction plus $1.00 per contract, $29.99 to buy and another $29.99 to sell.

Let's say the option went up to $2.00 a contract, then the person that committed $100.00 would net $58.02 or 58% on a 100% move after transaction costs.  The person that committed $1,000.00 (continued)

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How Online Content Marketing Affects Your Business

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How Online Content Marketing Affects Your Business:How Online Content Marketing Affects Your Business

Content creation is one of your best tools in marketing. Original, eye-catching content can give your site a boost and drive business to your company.  In fact, content is the single most important factor in both driving business to your website and keeping customers interested once they arrive.  Content also affects your Google rankings and those of other search engines.  Original, quality content brings your rankings up; copied, stale content drives them down.

Obviously, content is important.  However, many business owners are stymied when it comes to creating content that others will want to read.  Because content can seem so overwhelming, many business owners take the attitude that “getting something up” on the website is the best they can do and convince themselves this will be enough.  Remember—having a website is a means to an end, not an end in itself.  If you are going to invest your time and resources in having a website, be sure to do it right with valuable content.

This infographic shows the basic components of content marketing and gives you an idea of just how effective this strategy can be when used properly.

  • Thought leadership.  Content consists of many things:  blog posts, white papers, ebooks, podcasts and other items.  Choosing the right type of content is the first important decision you must make.  The type of content your readers want depends on your target audience.
  • Word of mouth drives 50 percent of buying decisions.  The way to get people talking about your website is to create original, inviting and interesting content.  This has an exponential effect on your website’s popularity as more and more people tell others about your great site.
  • Increased visibility.  Blogs increase visitor traffic by an average of 55 percent.  Websites with blogs also garner 97 percent more inbound traffic and 37 percent of experts agree that blogs are the most valuable type of content marketing.
  • Improved sales.  Marketers agree that good content drives sales.  67 percent of Twitter users buy from brands they know and blogs are 63 percent more likely to drive sales decisions than other written media.
  • Social media marketing.  63 percent of companies agree that social media use has increased their overall sales figures.
  • Solid footing.  70 percent of customers are more likely to remember and buy a brand about which they have read an article than those which they have been exposed to only by ads.  60 percent of customers state that they feel more comfortable with a company after reading about it in a blog or in marketing content, and they have more positive feelings toward the brand.

It is clear that content is very important in your overall marketing strategy, so taking the time to write original content is an investment that pays off.

Orange County SEO can help you create original, valuable content for your website that will give your business the website traffic you want.  Contact us today to find out how we can help you with good content marketing strategies.

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TomTag: your stories – Elizabeth

We learn a great deal from listening to our customers about their experiences with TomTag. It’s always interesting to find out about the different ways they use our products and wonderful to hear how it often makes such a real difference to their lives.

We thought it might be helpful to share some of those experiences and ideas with you too so we’ve interviewed a number of our customers who have been kind enough to talk about their different stories and backgrounds with us.

First up is Elizabeth, a childminder from London, and mum to two girls aged 4 and 12.

Why did you purchase TomTag?

I bought TomTag to use with my daughters as both girls are on the autistic spectrum. Although they are both verbal and relatively high functioning they still need some support with their daily life activities.

I’d describe my youngest daughter as being in a permanent ‘fight or flight’ mode, always needing reassurance about what to expect during the day. The eldest has executive functioning issues and needs support to help her sequence activities and with organisation.

Did you use any other type of visual supports before you tried TomTag?

I used to make my own picture timetables and sequences. It was very time consuming having to print off the pictures, laminate them and then attach them to Velcro. My youngest daughter really didn’t like the Velcro system so when I saw TomTag advertised in Aukids magazine I decided to give them a try.

So, how do you use it?

In lots of different ways!

For my younger daughter I have set up:TomTag examples at home Elizabeth

  • daily timetables that I create by prominently displaying 3 tags on hooks on the fridge (and also in the other rooms where she needs to use them) to show her what her morning, afternoon and evening routines should be
  • a toilet routine reminder hanging in the bathroom which is a simple picture sequence checklist to break the routine down into small steps.
  • social story resources to help prepare for things like visits to the doctor and hairdresser. I explain what’s going to happen and the order of events whilst we look at the pictures together.

My elder daughter uses TomTag for:

Younger child tag examples

How has TomTag helped your children?

My little one finds TomTag very comforting. She feels in control of her day now and is less anxious about what is going to happen next. Seeing her routine in pictures also helps with teaching her sequences and time concepts. She loves the ‘hands on’ system – she particularly enjoys clicking the buttons in and out!

My older daughter finds TomTag really helps with her organisational skills. She feels less anxious at school knowing she has all the right things with her. She also likes the ’hands on’ nature of TomTag and she’s now started taking responsibility for planning and organising her day. For example, when she started going to choir as an after school activity, she changed her tag by herself to show this change of routine.

I’ve also found the tips and advice for teaching life skills on your website very helpful.

Do you have any suggestions for how we could make TomTag even better?

The range of images supplied in the various sticker packs is generally good. I have used the blank stickers to draw some personalised images – an umbrella, keys and phone charger.

I think there could be some additional ‘days out’ type images e.g. summer fair, fun fair, adventure park or castle. Perhaps a jumbo version of the tags and buttons would be useful for children who have sight problems but I appreciate the product would not then be as portable!

Overall I think TomTag is a wonderful product and it has really made life easier for both my daughters.

Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your story and for giving us some insightful tips on how TomTag works in your home.

Follow the highlighted links in the interview to find out more details about all the products used by Elizabeth and her family.

Would you like to share your story with us?

All it takes is a short chat with us on the ‘phone, ideally send us a few pics of your TomTags in use then just leave the rest to us. It’s easy to get in touch with us, all the details are on our Contact Us page.


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How will the PASPA sports betting repeal affect states and the casino and racing industries?

Hartley examines the reasons that states not named New Jersey or Delaware have lost some of their initial thirst for sports betting in the U.S., as have several gambling companies.

PASPA has been repealed for two weeks but only New Jersey and Delaware, who said they would be offering sports betting immediately after the repeal, have any concrete plans to begin offering sports betting in the near future. Both states indicated they would begin offering sports betting as soon as the lawmakers ensure that the regulations and tax considerations are firm and viable. New Jersey will apparently offer sports betting at Monmouth Park as a pilot, while Delaware will just expand betting at the three racetracks that have already offered NFL parlay cards the last 2 years.  New Jersey is anticipating that sports betting will bring in $13 million in tax revenue in the first fiscal year, but it had lofty expectations with online poker as well, and as we know that turned out to be a dud.

Aside from New Jersey and Delaware there has been little movement to start offering sports betting – even in the states that already passed sports betting bills – New York, Mississippi, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. And from the other states that had bills introduced but were awaiting a PASPA repeal before proceeding any further, there has been little anxiousness on their part to seriously look at sports betting either. It has only been a couple of weeks since the repeal, but the fanfare and excitement that states indicated prior to the SCOTUS decision certainly hasn’t continued after May 14th.  No doubt many of the states were blindsided by the decision and are now facing a reality check.

US sports bettingHaving talked to analysts from a few states it seems the majority of legislators were confident SCOTUS was going to rule for New Jersey and allow them to offer sports betting at casinos and racetracks, but would not grant a full repeal. Had that occurred, the states would have moved slowly and weighed all their options buying them time, but now that they have the right to offer gambling as they see fit, it seems most states are ill equipped. In at least five states with bills on the table there is a disagreement among legislators on how to proceed and states like California and Florida will have to work out an agreement with the Tribes before they can move forward with anything. Aside from tax considerations, states have to take bids from casino companies, racetracks, bars, etc. to operate the sportsbooks and they have to decide how much say they want to give the leagues in the drafting of legislation, as well as whether to allow betting on amateur sports (see NCAA). Some states have indicated they will work with the leagues, while others want nothing to do with them. Plus, states have to decide whether to grant the leagues their proposed ‘integrity fee’.

As well, another consideration is that some believe that Congress will now take up the issue and PASPA will be replaced by a new federal legislation, with Congress setting the rules. MGM and Caesars have gone on record stating they prefer a federal sports betting law to  50 individual state laws and the leagues have gone on record saying they want PASPA replaced by a new federal law as well, no doubt to insure the 1% integrity fee that they have requested is included in the regulations. A few states seem to be waiting to see if that occurs and at least a couple of state legislators have indicated they would be only too happy to see uniform rules across all states. And if that does happen any money and effort put in to creating state regulations would be a waste of time. Neil D. Braslow, a first amendment attorney explained why he doesn’t believe that will take place however.

"The professional sports leagues prefer federal legislation because now they realize that they are too late on the issue. For example, New Jersey is not going offer any kind of “integrity fee” or other proposed regulation by the professional sports leagues after they have spent millions of dollars over the past few years on litigation, in addition to the countless amount of revenue that they have lost because they have not been able to offer sports betting for the past several years. The New Jersey Sports Betting Act was originally signed in 2012, which is when the professional sports leagues sued to stop it. By passing federal legislation, the professional sports leagues would be able to go after 'integrity fees' and other regulations instead of dealing with each state individually. It is anticipated that several if not all states, in addition to New Jersey, will not be interested in any kind of fees to the sports leagues. Nevada has operated without any kind of fees going to the sports leagues for years, so it is unclear why they think they are entitled to them now.

Federal legislation would greatly benefit the professional sports leagues. In addition to being able to get their 'integrity fees' they would also have greater control over the data that is used to determine winning and losing wagers. The benefit of federal legislation is that it would be clear as to the regulations and guidelines of sports betting, instead of having to interpret them separately for each state.”

Even if there was no concern over federal legislation and if the regulations were drafted, there is a question as to whether existing casinos or racetracks will be interested if the cost is too high. Despite a sports betting law having been passed in Pennsylvania it seems almost all casino operators are hesitant to pay the $10 million licensing fee demanded by the state along with the insane 34% tax on gross profits. States should note that sports betting has not proven to be a huge money maker in Nevada and several casinos have removed sportsbooks to add more slot machines. Aside from the slim margins that sports betting brings in, it involves risk unlike slots and most table games which have a fixed payback rate. And Nevada sportsbooks along with those in the UK have lost money when major longshots or extremely popular favorites have won. Also, in Nevada sports betting is just built into the overall casino operating costs and sports winnings are amalgamated with casino profits when remitting money to the Nevada government at a rate of 6.75%. At the crazy rate Pennsylvania is proposing to charge it is unlikely any sports betting operator will be able to make money. Even at a 12% tax that some states are proposing it is uncertain if there is money to be made for the operator. After the announcement of the repeal by SCOTUS, MGM announced in a press release that it was pleased to be able to offer sports betting as an add-on product. But, other than in New Jersey with Borgata, MGM certainly has given no indication they are ready to jump in at their casinos in Michigan, Mississippi, Illinois, Massachusetts and Maryland if the taxes don’t make sense. And the same holds true for racetracks. The racing industry is hoping that adding sports betting will bring in more patrons to the tracks to wager on racing, but if a tax on sports betting eats away at those profits, or if sports betting cannibalizes racing revenue, they will almost certainly bow out.

William Hill sports bettingThe two companies that seem the most excited about legal sports betting are William Hill and Paddy Power-Betfair. The two UK based companies made large investments in the U.S. in anticipation of legal sports betting as they both believe they have a formula to ensure it is profitable. By purchasing Leroy’s, Lucky’s and Club Cal Neva in 2012 William Hill obtained 55% of the sportsbook locations and 11% of the revenue in Nevada. That share has increased substantially to almost 30% of revenue thanks to in-play wagering, which is popular and has a better return for the sportsbook, along with high profit prop bets aimed at casual bettors. Plus, their mobile app, available to bettors while in Las Vegas, has proven to be very popular. William Hill hopes to further expand their presence after winning the bid to host the sportsbook at Monmouth Park racetrack and more recently partnering with Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City. Paddy Power-Betfair made huge investments by purchasing the TVG network and creating a partnership with Caesars in Atlantic City. The company is hoping that a traditional sportsbook, in addition to the very popular betting exchange that became the top gambling site in the UK, will help bring in large profits for the company. Managers acknowledge they will have to get Americans accustomed to exchange wagering and they will have to Americanize it by displaying fixed odds rather than decimal odds, but exchange wagering guarantees a profit, since bets are player-to-player with Betfair taking a commission on winning bets. Thus, the company assumes no risk. Traditional sportsbooks operate the old-fashioned way with odds closing at the start of games and bets offered at fixed odds and changing with action which could explain why their profits are lower than their UK counterparts. Even still, there are salaries and overhead to pay, so it’s hard to see even William Hill or Betfair agreeing to a $10 million license fee and a 34% tax on revenues proposed in Pennsylvania, unless the state has more sports bettors than meets the eye.

So, the die is cast and sports betting is now legal for all states that want to offer it. It has the potential to help struggling casinos, racetracks and any other establishments the government wants to license, but the rules and regulations, including tax concerns, have to be reasonable. The margins on sports betting are small and all gambling operators know this. So, if the states are going to demand ridiculous fees or taxes on profit most companies will take a pass as they know it would be a losing proposition. New Jersey and Delaware understand that.  They have put in a tax scheme that aims to increase traffic at casinos and racetracks rather than looking for an initial windfall, as they understand that as those entities do well, so to will the state. But a 34% tax on profits is a non-starter. And if states are waiting on the sideline to see if the Feds are going to introduce legislation to replace PASPA they are playing a fools game, since the chances of the Feds taking another run at legislation are very slim, especially given the comments by SCOTUS indicating this is solely a state’s concern.

But if the states do act reasonably, offer a full array of betting options and do not kowtow to the leagues’ unreasonable request of a 1% integrity fee, there is a good chance that they can put a halt to the spread of illegal sports betting and help state coffers in the process as well. The next year should tell how many states heed that call and how many price themselves out of the market.

Read insights from Hartley Henderson every week here at OSGA and check out Hartley's RUMOR MILL!


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Oshkosh Aces MC

The Oshkosh Ace Motorcycle Club was formed in 1928 at National Cycle, an Oshkosh Harley Davidson dealership. Our predecessors and founders of the Original club were Clarence Robl and Carl Reigh. Joe Robl, the owner of National Cycle was also instrumental in the club's creation. Club meetings were held in a building behind the dealership and the club was active in numerous racing and hill climbing activities over the years. They also won several trophies and safety awards. The "Originals" had weekly rides and other enjoyable activities, all related to the sport of motorcycling. The club was active into the late 1950's and was re-started in the year 2000 by four friends, one of whom found an early period club shirt at a rummage sale.

The Oshkosh Aces Motorcycle Club, Inc is now a thriving family organization boasting a diverse membership from several walks of life, including military veterans of Vietnam and Korea, current and retired law enforcement and variety business and trades people. The new club incorporated in 2003 as a Not For Profit organization and participates in several charitable causes in addition to our enjoyment of "Getting In The Wind" on a regular basis. One of our Originals is 74 years young and still rides with the best. We honor our tradition and strive every day to live up to it.


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Hello I am Lakshani26silver

I have 660 OSMOZ points and I am registered since 2017-08-05

I currently wear 4 fragances

I anoint: On my wrists / arms, On my neck, On my cleavage/chest

I wear different fragrance depending on if it’s daytime or evening

I wear: Eau de Givenchy

I apply fragrance: 7 days a week

I buy fragrance: Less than once a year


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2017 Thoughts for the New Year

I did not see the ball drop over Times Square at the stroke of midnight. I was visiting friends next door and they were on a media blackout… so tired of bad news…wars in foreign lands…terrorist attacks…contested election results…international relationships showing signs of wear… fear about our preexisting medical conditions, ect. So we drank an Irish whiskey called “Writer’s Tears” and ate way too much dark chocolate. By 1210 a.m. on January 1, 2017, I was home watching television and revisiting the dropping of the ball over Times Square.

Why? Well I could say because the primary alkaloid in dark chocolate is theobromine with an average biological half-life of 7.1 hours. But more than that…much more than that …was a driving need to look optimistically toward the New Year. No New Year resolutions…just a recommitment to my life spent as a nurse, to know and tell the truth, to advocate for those who do not have the power to advocate for themselves. On December 7, 2016, the Gallup Poll released its annual ranking of professionals on honesty and ethics. Healthcare professionals and police officers filled the top spots. Once again nurses ranked #1. This tells me that the public needs to feel safe in times of great risk around the world. Sadly, the lowest ranked profession was U.S. congress member.

Healthcare providers are the gatekeepers and the safe-keepers and need to hold that responsibility as a foundational duty. Health policy makers in the U. S. Congress need the guidance and wisdom of those who actually must delivery health care. As 20 million more Americans have health insurance under the ACA then prior to ACA, the world in 2017 may become even riskier without wise decision-making regarding access to healthcare. Activism and compromise are needed if we are to maintain the public trust.

We at Pacific Perinatal Group pledge to serve our perinatal colleagues in their efforts to improve maternal, fetal, and neonatal health outcomes. As a Benefits Company in 2017, we re-dedicate ourselves to the emotional, professional, and spiritual resuscitation of perinatal healthcare providers everywhere. Let’s look for safety in each other’s hands.

Happy New Year! … From the Partners and Staff at PPG.

Jan 2017 blog.png

Let's Dream, Support and Do Things

 I always wonder why I get inspired at the most inconvenient times.....like 11:30 pm the night before my 12 hour shift at the hospital.  I saw this quote and it completely resonated with me.  People ask me all the time about PPG, what we are about, what we are doing and where we are headed.  This quote summarizes our PPG  philosophy and how we want to motivate others. Let me explain....

A few years back, I began contemplating my career and what I wanted to be when I grow up and honestly was feeling a bit uninspired in my career.  During this time, I was given an amazing opportunity to partner with three other women and form a new kind of nursing business that ultimately became known as Pacific Perinatal Group (PPG).

We wanted to develop a nursing education and consultation business that was different than anything we’d ever seen. We wanted to “do things.” We were tired of the status quo of educational conferences in run down locations, covering watered down topics and leaving nurses feelings scared and uncertain about their practice.  We dreamed and envisioned a company that would invigorate nurses again and bring them back to the passion they have for their calling.  We envisioned bringing cutting edge topics that would challenge our way of thinking and would change our practice.  We imagined a myriad of specialties coming together to conferences to enhance rich discussion and collaboration. And…we wanted to be supportive to all of our colleagues. Not judgement or exclusivity but appreciating each for their individuality and contributions.

Right before our eyes, these dreams and visions are becoming reality.  PPG IS about support, inspiration, inclusiveness, education, excellence….and Passion.  In today's high tech, high-risk, demanding, draining perinatal world, this is such a need.

Perinatal friends...would love to hear your thoughts. Have you attended one of our events? How we can support you better?  With much admiration~Darla

Patient Safety, Perception of Risk and Healing Presence

You cannot open a medical or nursing journal, go to a staff meeting, or attend a professional conference without hearing about patient safety and the many strategies designed to improve outcomes and decrease liability. Patient safety and associated legal risks will be among the threads discussed during PPG’s Spring 2017 Conference (Save the Date - April 21, 2017), as we look at the impact of perinatal healthcare changes over the past decade.

Patient safety and the “Culture of Safety” have driven organizational focus since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released the groundbreaking report: To Err is Human in (1999).  Why? Because the report brought a shocking realization that we were perhaps seeing just the tip of the iceberg of preventable patient injury and death while in modern complex healthcare delivery systems. The World Health Organization and other national healthcare systems around the world were identifying similar errors. To Err is Human took great care to explain that flaws in the system of healthcare were to blame for many of the poor outcomes. Intensive effort has been expended by patient safety experts (Leappe, 2015). Still, it was just last month that the professional literature was full of critiques of a report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The study arguably found medical error to be the third most frequent cause of death in US hospitals (Makary & Daniel, 2016) and we are reminded that there is much work to be done in healthcare delivery.

Attention to risk reduction and promotion of optimal outcomes is very important. We support evidence-based practice because it gives power to changing practices that are not in the best interest of the patient, like excessive oxytocin use. But, ask yourself what motivates you as a perinatal care provider? What led to your entry into practice? Was it patient safety? There are of course many reasons, but a common denominator appears to be the desire to help people. There is usually a measurable degree of this, and to birth babies, and teach new parents to care for their babies, and importantly to decrease suffering. But few of us get up in to morning and say, “Today I am going to keep my patients free from harm.” However, if we manage to not harm our patients – are we fulfilling our duty to them? I would argue that patient safety is merely the bear-bones bottom line of clinical practice - a stripped down version of what healing is all about. Revisit the Hippocratic Oath (“first, do no harm”), the Nightingale Pledge (I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession”), or the ANA Code of Ethics and you will find a multitude of duties for which we are responsible. It is a lot to do, truncating time for important provider-patient relationships, and sabotaging a sense of satisfaction with our chosen profession. Let me explain….

In facing the risk of medical error, we begin to lose confidence in our ability to independently protect the patient from falling through one of the many cracks in a complex healthcare delivery system.  Anxiety – when trying to stay on top of patient’s needs on a busy day, or when working with an exhausted team, or the challenges of managing mothers with co-morbidities, or just getting charting done – anxiety is understandable. There is a growing body of knowledge that recognizes hypervigilance and anxiety as a symptom of trauma. According to Wikipedia (2016):

Hypervigilance is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect threats. Hypervigilance is also accompanied by a state of increased anxiety, which can cause exhaustion…. In hypervigilance, there is a perpetual scanning of the environment to search for sights, sounds, people, behaviors, smells, or anything else that is reminiscent of threat or trauma.”

 Does any of this sound familiar?

 I recently received an email from an old colleague who I had not heard from in a long time. She told me that she had not worked for several years and was being treated for PTSD. Apparently, somewhere in her 40-year career in nursing between Vietnam and working with an especially difficult team member, anxiety got the best of her and she had to take a break. Now, I am not suggesting that perinatal providers are all suffering from PTSD. But many of us do feel anxiety when we cannot be in two places at one time, like when technology is increasing risk to our patients and we must closely monitor it, instead of interacting meaningfully with the patient. We feel anxiety when our ability to sit down and really know the patient is replaced by the demands to be doing something else. Carper (1978) wrote about ‘the therapeutic use of self, which has been defined as the ability of a caregiver to use his or her personality "consciously and in full awareness in an attempt to establish relatedness and to structure nursing interventions" (NursingPlanet.com). Constant “scanning of the environment” as noted above for threat to patient safety, if not hypervigilance, certainly distracts the provider from connecting at that level with the patient.  If over time we do not have signs and symptoms of PTSD, we certainly know exhaustion and perhaps waning job satisfaction.

Eric Cassell MD, in his 1991 classic, The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine stressed the importance of knowing the person, as well as the science of that patient’s disease or condition. The more a physician (or healthcare provider) knows his or her patient as a person, the greater the effectiveness of the relationship. This he stated is the basis of the doctor-patient relationship, in effect a collective collaborative relationship necessary for healing to occur. He cautions against patient stereotyping as this makes that patient two-dimensional and fails to recognize the evolving continuum of that patient’s experience.

So what is the solution to this modern day situation? There are strategies. A potentially under-appreciated strategy in healthcare systems for promotion of patient safety is to promote provider-patient relationships as primary, much the way we honor the chaplain-patient visit. One very low-tech strategy is to sit down for five minutes and meet the patient, the family, and the significant others. To maximize the therapeutic use of self, the healthcare provider must be quick to relate and prioritize the primary relationship of provider and patient, while providing care that also focuses on protection from harm. I believe that entering into a therapeutic relationship with the patient who may be for at least the time being, frustrated, angry, frightened, painful, or suffering is engaging and very challenging. But, seeing the stabilizing effect of therapeutic use of self is the reward of being a healthcare provider. Assisting with the passage of a new life into the world is of course the ultimate reward….  And as is human nature, we are more protective of those with whom we have relationships.

Meaningful healing relationships heal providers as well. Healthcare providers, while carrying a mega-dose of altruism, also need to be fed with the belief and understanding that we do good work – that we are in fact good people. It is a two-way interaction greater than the sum of its parts. We can then get up in the morning and say, “Today I am going to connect with the person who is my patient, even if just for the moment. And if necessary, I will protect her and baby too”. Our work has never been more important.

Carper, B (1978). The fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 1. 1, 113-117.

Cassell, E. (1991). The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Institute of Medicine (1999). To Error is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Leappe, L. (2015). Patient safety in an era of healthcare reform. Symposium: Patient Safety: Collaboration, Communication, and Physician Leadership, 473:5, 1568-1573.

Makary, M & Daniel, M (2016). Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US. BMJ, 353, i2139.

Wikipedia (2016).  Hypervigilance. Downloaded from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervigilance on July 29, 2016.

Microbiome Revisited

We are 3 months out from our Spring Conference and I’m still riding the wave! Every speaker and topic ignited my imagination and drive to delve further.  Take Dr. Steve Frese’s presentation on the infant microbiome.  As I listened to him speak, my mind went back to my college days. Microbiology with Dr. Alexander. On the last day of class we were discussing the famous quote “the microbes will have the last word” attributed to Louis Pasteur.  Of course, Pasteur was French so it was probably more like “les microbes aront le dernier mot”.  At the time, I was a Biology major trying to decide between nursing and medicine, so my paradigm was framed by a “bacteria equals disease” mentality.  This quote was chilling to me.  I saw bacteria as the enemy.

Medical science has been in a 100-year war against bacteria. Always present in the news are reports of antibiotic resistant “super-bugs” and stories of how modern medicine has run out of novel antibiotics.  Truly, it seems like we are on the cusp and microbes are about to get the last word.  But emerging science is now telling us that we had it all wrong.  In eradicating as many bacteria as we could, it seems that instead of keeping ourselves healthy, we have attacked one of humans most important allies.  You know all those times we look back at some crazy thing that we used to do a hundred years ago and think “how could they have been so stupid?”…well, um, hehe, yeah…..

If you missed the conference, or just want a refresher on what the microbiome is, the following video from NPR is a good place to start. The animation, clearly, is fictional, but gets the point across.

Here is another video of Dr. Robynne Chutkan, which describes the research surrounding diet and the effect on the microbiome

For the super nerds out there, a great book called “I Contain Multitudes” by Ed Yong will be available August 18, 2016.  It’s available for pre-order on Amazon.

The Amazing Role of Being a Labor Nurse

February is the month that we all think about love and life, of hearts and relationships….but do you ever really think about what we do for a living?  I am amazed at what we are gifted to be a part of, the difference we can and do make in someone’s life forever.  As nurses we bring that feeling of February to everything we do—at work, at home, at school—it’s who we are!

This plaque is on the wall in my boss’s office, the author is unknown, but he/she had a good handle on what we really do as labor nurses—as nurses in any field.

I Am Your Labor Nurse…

While everyone else in this hospital strives to make their patients feel better, I will work my butt off to put you into more pain.  I can give you enough pain meds to knock down an NFL lineman, but first I will stick you with a crazy huge IV needle, because 22’s are for wussies!!

I will let you hold my hand, I will tell you to keep calm and BREATH, and I will poke your child in the head several times before you ever get to touch him yourself.

I will see you at your most vulnerable and your most exposed, and I will also help you to be your most strong, courageous, and amazing.

I will tell you that you can do things that you, yourself, don’t believe you are capable of….but you will find I am right.

I will help you through this.  I will end up with a twisted back, tired feet, and fluids on my scrubs—and I won’t even notice because it’s all part of the privilege of helping you bring a life into this world.

I am your labor nurse, and this is the grossest, most amazing, most terrifying, most gratifying job in the world.  Please don’t punch me…that’s what your husband it for.

Again, I do not know who the author is (does anyone else?—would LOVE to know), but they did a beautiful job at depicting our work world—the craziness, the beauty, the honesty, and the humor of it all!!  Thank-you whoever you are!!

Enjoy who you are and what you bring into others’ lives—you are loved and very appreciated!!

Trust is a Loaded Word

Trust is a word that circulates a lot in the nursing profession.  We want patients to trust us, nurses want to trust the nurses and doctors who are on shift with us, and we all want to have trust in the system in which we give and receive care.  Trust is a loaded word.  Do we know what it means? Are we using it accurately?  For the uninitiated, Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher and professor at the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work and an incredibly prolific writer and speaker on the concepts of vulnerability, shame, trust…you know, the BIG stuff.

As you watch, its easy to apply to our friendships or our marriages or other important relationships, but I think the anatomy of trust and the individual components of trust can be uniquely applied to how we interact with one another and with our patients.

 Here’s a link to a talk she gave on trust at UC Berkeley:

A New Year's Resolution

As I gave thanks to some dental work for interrupting my holiday food binging, I reflected on the abundance I experience. As a nurse making a fair living, I cannot remember the last time I was hungry. But that is not the case for many in our country and around the world. A pause was needed to consider first, had I shared enough, and secondly, prospectively what impact does hunger and inadequate nutrition have on our pregnant patients, the fetus, the neonate, the family.  A cursory Google search quickly produced something that I had learned many years ago in graduate school (but had forgotten) about the Dutch Hunger Winter.

The “Dutch Hunger Winter” occurred towards the end of WWII in The Netherlands from October 1944 to May 1945, as a result of the German blockade.  Food stocks in the cities in the western Netherlands rapidly ran out. The adult rations in cities such as Amsterdam dropped to below 1000 kilocalories a day by the end of November 1944 and to 580 kilocalories in the west by the end of February 1945. Starvation occurred and in those women carrying pregnancies, there was a high incidence of pregnancy lost, preterm labor, and small for gestation age birth weight. The Dutch Famine Birth Cohort Study (Stein, et al.1975) found that the children of the women who were pregnant during the famine were smaller, as could be expected. However, surprisingly, when these children grew up and had children, those children were also smaller than average. These data suggested that the famine experienced by the mothers caused some kind of epigenetic changes that were passed on to the next generation.

Findings from ongoing follow-up research on these starvation pregnancies (two generations out) show associated diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and schizophrenia in those offspring AND their offspring (Haij, 2014). Epigenetics has been defined as the study of the mechanisms controlling gene activity during development of “complex organisms" (Holiday, 1990). An area of research called developmental origins of health and disease (DOHAD) has been exploring for some time possible epigenetic changes related to the fetal intrauterine environment.

So where does all this leave us?  Well, we know that famine is bad for anyone. But we do not understand how obesity in subsequent generations is genetically hard-wired. We do not fully understand the impact of micronutrient deficiency on fetal genetics.  What is clear is that nutrition in pregnancy may be one of if not the most fundamental components of prenatal care.

Pacific Perinatal Group will explore this topic further at our spring 2016 conference: Mamatoto: Integrating Maternal, Fetal, & Neonatal Care. For further information go to: http://www.pacificperinatalgroup.com/events/spring16. As we ready ourselves for another year of caring for childbearing women and their babies, it is helpful to consider this early 18th century proverbial saying: “As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.”  Early influences can have a permanent effect.

My New Year resolution is this: to do what I can to protect, nourish, nurture, and educate childbearing women as our best hope for future population health. Happy New Year from Pacific Perinatal Group!

Hajj, N, Schneider, E, Lehnen, H., & Haaf, T. (2014). Epigenetics and long term consequences. Reproduction, 14 pp. 111–R120

Holliday, R. (1990). DNA Methylation and Epigenetic Inheritance. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B,  Biological Sciences. 326 (1235), pp. 329–338.

Stein, Z., Susser M., & Saenger, G, et al. (1975). Famine and Human Development: The Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944–1945. New York: Oxford University Press.

Mamatoto-In Memorium

In Memorium

I have been working on the March Blog this week, inspired by newborn lambs frolicking in the greening pastures of Oregon’s many rich fields and agricultural valleys. This is an ancient and recurring rebirth that we witness every spring, filling us with the hope of survival. Our spirits are lifted. We make plans for the future. We trust that rebirth will happen again and again, as it has for all time. The pattern of renewal can be counted on.

While pondering springtime and rebirth, the sad news came to us at PPG that our beloved friend and partner Darla had suddenly and unexpectedly lost her mother. I was painfully reminded that the wonder of life comes and goes on the terms of a higher power. We are honored as healthcare providers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors to witness the miracle of life as it slips through the veil into this world and out again.

Mothers are amazing. They give birth to us. In Spanish giving birth is expressed as “dar la luz” or to give light. If we are lucky they stay to feed us, protect us, grow us, give us our culture and faith. If we are fortunate, as we become adults, mothers befriend us. And just when we are ready to give back to them because we are strong and can, they leave us with a legacy to remember. We are all on some level (even if DNA is the only evidence) – we are all our mother’s child and always will be.

Perinatal providers have the privilege of ushering new lives into this existence - often several times a day. We place the newborn skin-to-skin with Mom and watch the bond of a lifetime become irreversibly complete. Mamatoto, a Swahili word meaning mother baby, reminds us of this oneness. There is nothing like baby lambs in springtime to remind us that we can trust in birth as part of an eternal cycle. We are all part of the miracle. We are humbled to witness life’s renewal.

In memory of Darla’s Mom

Oxytocin-The Love Hormone

Because many of us celebrate St. Valentine’s Day on February 14th, we thought how better to celebrate than to talk about “Oxytocin - the Love Hormone”. Now like all great loves, we know that it can be a love-hate relationship. As Perinatal Nurses know all too well, nurses who carefully titrate this drug in labor (and often go to the mat to protect laboring women from overuse of oxytocin), the love hormone can be too much of a good thing in the wrong hands.

Kerstin Uvnas Mobergin in her book “ Oxytocin, the Love Hormone” discusses how oxytocin helps mothers bond with babies, and sometimes with the adults in their lives. Oxytocin’s impact on successful breastfeeding is also well known. Nutritional supplement and pharmaceutical companies have bottled this elusive hormone for home use as a nasal spray in what some believe to be the answer to stimulating human attachment behavior.

So as we celebrate February 14th, the day set aside for recognizing those we love, it is important to remember to use the love hormone judiciously when it comes to laboring women. As we become better stewards of patient safety related to oxytocin, remember that childbearing women are hardwired to produce and uptake oxytocin as needed and a little goes a long way. Further, ongoing research about oxytocin suggests that oxytocin may be related to broader emotions and may not be all about love. The following Ted Talk suggests that oxytocin may be important for a multitude of emotions.

Hopefully we can all feel the love. So hug somebody today. It will release oxytocin and make you and yours feel good. Happy St. Valentine’s Day from the partners at PPG to Moms and their loved ones everywhere!

Nurse POWER (pose)

Nurse POWER!

My sister sent me the link to this TED talk just before a job interview. Thank goodness! I arrived with enough time to find a restroom, go into a stall, set the timer on my phone for 2 minutes and pose. Power pose that is. I chose the wonder woman version, because, well, it seemed to fit the occasion. I can truly say I felt comfortable and dynamic.  I knew I had been able to portray the exact image of myself that I had wanted. My best self had come across.

In the video, Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist describes her research on how certain body positions can increase testosterone and decrease cortisol, which allows a person to be more calm. This same combination is found in leaders and more assertive-type people. This made me think about nurses and the nursing profession. How many of us are not able to assert ourselves, be leaders and take a role in the decision-making of our units and organizations because of our perceived lack of power? And although you can’t stop for a power pose break in the middle of, say, a hemorrhage, could a regular practice of this help in those stressful, emergent situations? Let us know what you think in the comments section. Is this silly? Funny? Useful?

Nurses Make a Difference

This video is a beautiful homage to nurses, from the perspective of TV news commenter Lawrence O’Donnell. He left his stay at a New York City hospital with a deep respect and affection for the nurses who cared for him and for the nursing profession. It’s always nice to hear the revelations of non-health care professionals about how nurses care for their patients. Although I was quite surprised that he thought tipping nurses was appropriate and inadvertently compared us to housekeepers at a hotel, I appreciated some of the larger aspects of the nursing life that he was able to touch on. Sometimes, jokingly, I’ll bid my husband farewell in the morning with an “off to save some lives" instead of the usual “off to work." But that is exactly what we do. And most of us don’t think that’s particularly remarkable. But as Lawrence put it, don’t you think that is more newsworthy than what some congressman said? Despite all the bad news we hear and see, I hope we as nurses can remember that a lot more things go right in our country and in our hospitals, every day, and that we get to do work that is meaningful and important. We at Pacific Perinatal Group have a deep, abiding respect for nurses and the nursing profession. Please return back to this blog often, as we try to keep positive, respectful and thought-provoking issues at the forefront for discussion.

Please leave comments below. What did you think of this video? What is the sweetest/funniest way a patient has tries to show appreciation? Any perceptions or misperceptions of nurses that you encounter?


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What is Platelet –Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy?

PRP is the abbreviation used for Platelet-Rich Plasma. This product is obtained by spinning down your own blood to get a rich concentration of platelets. Platelets are not only involved the clotting system, but also involved in the repair of the injured area. Once the platelets have migrated to the injured area they release from their alpha-granules a high number of different growth factors and a high concentration of chemotactic factors. The different growth factors prepare the environment in the injured area by causing angiogenesis (increasing the number of small blood vessels to the injured area—this allows the better transport of nutrients in and waste products out of the injured area); and proliferation of cells into tissue(inducing growth in the injured area). The chemotactic factors attract stem cells from other areas of the body, which are then induced by the growth factors to become the needed cell to lay down healthy, new tendon, cartilage or ligaments.


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French Provincial Style Side Table

This elegant french provincial styled side table can inject drama in any space with its distinctive, chic look. Painted in a dark grey chalk paint, with a white undercoat, we have used a crackle technique to add age and character. $125.

W: 22"
D: 15"
H: 24"


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About Us

The Pennsylvania Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Network, or PAIRWN, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the well-being of immigrant and refugee communities in Pennsylvania.

As the first organization in Pennsylvania to focus directly on immigrant and refugee women’s issues, PAIRWN has a crucial and ground-breaking mission.

Our Members

PAIRWN’s members are women from all over the world who have made Pennsylvania their home. We are successfully working in local immigrant and refugee communities and forging partnerships with individuals and communities, nonprofit organizations, legal services, government organizations, school and universities, businesses, and media outlets.

Our organization is led and managed by immigrant and refugee women from diverse backgrounds. PAIRWN is a collaborative project for self-empowerment between these women, their families and friends, and the broader immigrant and refugee communities of Pennsylvania.

Our Work

Our work is crucial to supplement the notable achievements in housing, employment, and health screenings completed in those first few years after arrival.

Access to continued translation and interpretation services, healthcare resources, ESL classes, transportation, and job training; continued work on immigration paperwork; opportunities to retain cultural heritage and share traditions with young children; resources for remedying experiences with discrimination, domestic violence, and sexual assault; and developing leadership skills in a new country – all these needs, among many others, go beyond the definition of an initial successful placement.

Immigrant and refugee women can continue to struggle, to remain isolated by cultural, linguistic, and financial barriers for years after their arrival in the United States. Without our work, many of these women would struggle alone.

Who We Serve

PAIRWN seeks to meet the needs of a large and under-served population. We seek to provide women with support and a voice. In helping women, we often work with families as a whole and with people of all ages, genders, nationalities, races, and religions.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pennsylvania is home to a foreign-born population of over 565,000 people. PAIRWN currently serves the immigrant and refugee communities of Central Pennsylvania in the six counties of Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, York, Lebanon, and Perry surrounding the state capital of Harrisburg. Many people within this population have limited English language skills; many live at or below poverty level.

Leadership and decision-making responsibilities are reserved for immigrant and refugee women. However, all people interested in our mission and projects are welcome to become members and partner with our organization.

For More Information

PAIRWN provides services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.

Our official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

See this video for more information (https://youtu.be/t88uTA7ZeuI)