Breaking The Cycle of Poverty

I am inspired!  A wonderful man named Geoffrey Canada and his Harlem Children’s Zone is concentrated on getting kids off to a good start.  This Good Morning America video just blew me away, with a fantastic blurb on his ‘Baby College’.

I see this not only as a value to inner city children, but to all children.  Many Hispanic, as well as Black children, can benefit from something like this.  For that matter, any child born into poverty here in the United States or abroad would do well to be in a program such at this.

Although not a sociologist, with not even a college education, I see certain trends.  I once attended a family function of my ‘adopted’ black family.  A group of about 5  young black girls, all under the age of 18;  some closer to 15 – ALL pregnant or with infants, disturbed me.  What is the motivation to get pregnant at 14 or 15?  It stems from generational conditioning and acceptance of children having children. It also shows a lack of self-esteem for herself and a need for love.  False promises by the father to ‘be there’ justifies the pregnancy in her mind.  We all know that words are cheap;  actions speak.

To keep kids out of this endless cycle, this program teaches parents ‘parenting’.  Sadly, many of these moms-to-be were never parented themselves.  From single parent homes, or having been raised by their grandparents or others, they never learned the responsibility of parenting.  Being a parent is not just having a baby, it is accepting the entire responsibility.

Having a baby is not like buying a couch!  You can’t return it if you don’t like it! You can’t put it out on the curb if you’re tired of it!

As it says in the video, children’s minds are like sponges.  Fill them with happiness, love, respect, knowledge, responsibility and self esteem, then you’re on the way to molding a successful child and responsible adult. Ignore them, establish no guidelines and boundaries of respect and responsibility, beat and punish them…, then you’ve instilled anger, resentment, lack of regard for others and a propensity for abuse and crime.  In short, they’ll repeat the cycle all over again because children learn what they are taught.

Check out the above links and see what YOU THINK.

I bet that you too, will be inspired!

WAKE UP, People!

I am AMAZED every time I go to the grocery store or (infrequently) out to eat.  I watch what others are buying on the grocery line and eating in restaurants.  It’s SCARY !

Yo —-  300 pound woman over there on the checkout line;  her groceries consist of – CASES of DIET soda (yeah.., like that’s gonna make a difference!) bags of chips, frozen this, frozen that, canned goods, ‘flavored’ coffee and (oh gag…) the flavored cream stuff for coffee. Then she’s got SPLENDA, which she may as well be injecting friggin’ anti freeze or something because that stuff is POISON… literally!  She’s trying to get SKINNY eating this CRAP?????

The woman with the kids:  I want to smack the shit out of her for buying  garbage to feed them!

Again – SODA…. what the hell IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?????  Do you wonder why your kids teeth are rotting, why they’re so hyper, and why they – at such a young age – have gastrological problems like ACID REFLUX?  Not to mention these kids look like little blubber people!  This is why!

Here’s some info on ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS:

Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners Nutra-Sweet, Equal and Splenda in diet sodas and low calorie foods are ‘excitotoxins’, causing neurons to fire spasmodically. They are linked to headaches and allergic reactions. “Splenda” has no sugar compound in it rather its molecules are bound with chlorine. Researchers in Britain were looking for a new pesticide formulation when they ‘discovered’ it.  Aspartame metabolizes into formaldehyde.

There are many side effects associated with artificial sweeteners which include: mood swings, anxiety, headaches, increased incidents of hyperactivity, itching, cancers, ringing in the ears, fibromyalgia, dizziness, and as recently discovered, tendency to overeat.

Isn’t THAT lovely?  Isn’t this what you want to eat?

Make sure you’re giving them the recommended dose of CHEMICALS in their food.  Did you know that over 3,000 chemicals are added to our food?  Over 10,000 chemicals, solvents, emulsifiers and preservatives are put into the food we eat.  Is it any wonder why cancer is so rampant?

Parents: Please, PLEASE LOOK at what you are feeding your kids.  Look at what you are feeding yourselves.

Mothers-to-be: You are harming your unborn child with every mouthful of chemicalized, preservative-laden, pesticide coated food.  If you are eating JUNK food – STOP!  Your baby is at risk!  If you still drink soda while pregnant you are, in effect – slowly poisoning your child even before it’s born.

WAKE UP, PEOPLE!  Every day you have another choice!

What will YOU CHOOSE TODAY – especially for your children – who cannot choose!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/02/19/common-toxins.aspx

RANT: Medicine Bottles & Kids

WHY is it MY RESPONSIBILITY to struggle to get a bottle of aspirin open because some kid ate it and died?

Some ‘childproof’ containers are adult proof, too!  Vitamins, pain medication, household cleaners:  everything is sometimes so difficult to open you want to smash the container rather than have to try to get it open.

Back to the RESPONSIBILITY thing.  If YOU as a parent, leave the medicine or cleaning solutions where the kids can get at them – it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY – not the manufacturer’s!!!!  The manufacturer did NOT come into your home and shove half a bottle of medicine down your kid’s throat!  YOU are the idiot!  YOU left it where the kid could get into it.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE!

When I was a kid everything was kept out of reach.  There were no ‘kid locks’ on the cabinets.  All medicines were kept where my sister and I could not get to them.  We were TAUGHT – ‘never take medicine unless Mom, Dad or Grandma gives it to you.’

Nobody wants to be inconvenienced!  Nobody wants to take ANY responsibility for anything. It’s ALWAYS someone else’s fault.

No, America – YOU are a bunch of IDIOTS!  Quit pointing your fingers at manufacturers, blaming them for what should be YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.  Whatever happened to ‘buyer beware?’  The legal system has turned it into ‘manufacturer beware’ because of the stupidity and irresponsibility of consumers.

We should go back to having lids on things that we can open and if your kid eats/drinks something – as the irresponsible parent – you should be fined or thrown in jail!

We Are All LAB RATS

YOU and I are lab rats.  Your KIDS are lab rats, too. Unless you grow and consume all your food yourself, YOU are held hostage by the food companies.

Think about it.  Everything thing you eat -  e v e n   those so-called ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ foods probably are tainted in some way with something.

I know too much.  I have my roots in the local food movement, but they stretch way back to the environmental movement.  What I do here, and on my website an other blogs, is try to EDUCATE.

For the most part, the average consumer has their head up their butt when it comes to food and the environment.  They think it’s not their problem, that it doesn’t concern them and that it doesn’t affect them.

Do you send your kids to public  school? Do they play sports?  Do they eat school food?  Do you take them to fast food joints?  What do you buy for them at the  grocery store? Do you eat in restaurants? What DO you eat when you eat? What DO you drink when you drink?

What about your home life?  What products do you buy:  laundry detergent, body care products, beauty products, perfumes, lotions, hair dye, nail polish?  What do you paint your walls with?  Where did you get your furniture? Do you use any bug killing preparations?  What about your lawn?  Do you have a lawn care service and do you KNOW what they put on your lawn?  Have you had a pest company assure you their ‘chemicals’ are safe around kids and pets?  Do you go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy lawn care products to keep the nasty bugs away?  Do your KIDS PLAY ON YOUR LAWN?

Where do YOU choose to shop?  Is Wally-World your best buddy because you have fallen victim and been brainwashed by their  ‘save money, live better’  catchphrase?

Big business, especially the likes of Wal-Mart, does NOT give a shit about you.  Look at the way they treat their own employees?  They’ve been convicted on a vast array of charges in recent years of labor violations.  Going waaaay back, and I have a copy of the article in my files here…. they even wanted to move a Native American cemetery because they wanted to build a store!  Do you think, in this day of corporate greed, that it’s gotten any better, that they’ve become a kinder, more gentler Wally?

There are numerous links detailing environmental disregard -and- total disregard for human life on this planet BY food companies and agricultural chemical companies.  You and I and this planet are being POISONED by thousands of chemicals a day because the likes of Monsanto and Bayer… those kindly aspirin people.

DO THE RESEARCH.  Do it for your kids, your friends, your family, your friends and if you care enough – our planet.

ADD/HD & Diet?

An article appeared in Reuters on children on medication for ADD/HD having hallucinations. Why is this no surprise?

The use of Ritalin and its cousins, all nervous system excitants, became the drug of choice during the 80s and 90s.  Ritalin is one of the most over prescribed drugs on the market today.  Although certain criteria should be met before assuming a child truly is ADHD, many physicians and parents are too quick to assume their child truly is ADD/HD, when all that may be needed is a ‘cleaner’ diet.

We’ve all seen kids bounce off the walls after eating high doses of sugar, haven’t we?  Why is it so strange to some that FOOD may actually be the cause of supposed ADD/HD in your kid?

The typical American diet is loaded with sugar and chemical additives. Browse any supermarket aisle containing lunch items and you will find a disturbing array of ‘food-like substances’ designed for convenience for Moms packing kids’ school lunches.  Food marketed as ‘healthy’ or a ‘good, nutritious lunch for your kids’ or ‘healthy snacks’ often contains more artificial ingredients than real, actual food.  Even so-called healthy yogurts:  low or no fat varieties of one popular brand, Yoplait, have a scary list of artificial ingredients.

Don’t fall for the claims of fast-food purveyors, either.  Every parent.., no.., make that every person, should read ‘Fast Food Nation’ by Eric Schlosser if you eat fast food.  Morgan Spurlock’s book, “Supersize Me”, which came out after the academy nominated movie, gives a behind-the-scenes look at McDonald’s and the fast food industry.  I guarantee, you’ll never feel the same about eating out after reading these two books.

ADD/HD is a real condition due to the brain’s neural transmissions and actual brain development. Rather than assuming your kid IS actually ADD/HD and is not just being a ‘normal’ kid with that kid energy, don’t automatically go for the doctor’s insistence on a drug regimen. Parents should consider a natural approach first.  What is your child eating during the day?  What IS IN their food that might be causing this?

Consulting with a licensed nutritionist or dietitian, having a chemical analysis done might be a good first step.  A cleaner diet, free of artificial chemicals, all sugars, no soda – might go a long way to helping the child.  Because studies have indicated that there are an average of 1,000 household  toxins in a child’s home  environment, eliminating these elements may also have some bearing.

As an old friend used to say:  “Start simple.”  It may be the most beneficial way to help your child.

Toxic Families, Toxic Kids

A recent study was done on children ages 2-5 on chemical exposure.  As parents were leaving a supermarket, or organic food market, they were asked if they would participate in a study.  Participants were asked to write down everything their child ate or drank for 3 days.  The children were separated into two groups. If their diet was over 75% from organic sources, they were considered ”organic’. The ‘conventional’ children ate little or no organic food.

The levels of toxins  in the urine of the organic kids was ONE SIXTH of the conventional diet.    The children on the conventional diets had levels that were more than FOUR TIMES the SAFE LEVELS set by the EPA.

Because of their development, children are far more susceptible to illnesses, learning disabilities and other developmental abnormalities from affects of pesticide exposure.  It was assumed that babies would be far more toxic resulting from hand to mouth exposure  from household chemicals.  Older children, however, were found to have higher levels of toxins from exposure at school, outside sports activities on commercially maintained turf.

For more info, see previous post:  POISONS in your YARD

Go to the referenced websites:

http://www.freewebs.com/thefoodblog

http://www.enviro-mentality-blog.com

http://www.envirolifesource.com/detox