Posted in A Way With Words, Advocacy, Beyond Words Live, Creative Ideas, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Great Quotes, Healthy Living, Human Relations, humanity, Law & Legislation, Love, Relationships, Sexual Assault, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Survivors, Victimology, Video Blogging, Video Documentary, Violence, Volunteering, Well said!, You Tube Videos, tagged Developing a Voice, Domestic Violence, dreams, future, Goals, inspiration, Kat, Kathryn, Kathy, Living, Making Changes, Moving Forward, Surviving, survivor stories, Thriving on April 19, 2012| 4 Comments »
Being a survivor from domestic violence can mean many things to many different people. Here is my story, and my journey after that in order to have a voice in helping others through a variety of advocacies that I do.
The story of my past experiences with domestic violence and how I have moved forward throughout the years to provide advocacy to others.
Posted in Beyond Words Live, Contests, Cooking, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Humor & Laughter, Recipes, Survivors on October 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
How about this for a DVAM (Domestic Violence Awareness Month) creation donut?
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Health, Healthy Living, humanity, Law & Legislation, News, Our Heroes, Relationships, Society, Survivors, Victimology, Violence, tagged Glamour Magazine, National Domestic Violence Hotline, Tell Somebody Campaign on July 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Domestic Violence is no joke. Glamour and the National Domestic Violence Hotline are working on a campaign called, “Tell Somebody Campaign”. Click on the video below to learn more about what you can do to help stop domestic violence in your area.
#DVWarrior
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Advocacy, Beyond Words Live, Business Ethics, Counseling, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Health, Healthy Living, Human Relations, humanity, Love, Positivism, Relationships, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Victimology, Volunteering on July 3, 2011| 2 Comments »
Empathy can be literally defined as:
em·pa·thy [ émpəthee ]
- understanding of another’s feelings:the ability to identify with and understand somebody else’s feelings or difficulties
- attribution of feelings to an object:the transfer of somebody’s own feelings and emotions to an object such as a painting
[ Early 20th century. < Greek empatheia “affection, passion” ]
Ashoka Fellow Molly Barker, Founder of Girls on the Run International®, who has been working to build-up Ashoka’s Empathy Initiative. suggests the following:
Empathy has been a hot topic at the summit. Typically considered a soft skill and not necessarily essential to leadership (at least in the traditional sense), Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka, has uncovered a number of thematic connections between all of those folks who are social entrepreneurs. Empathy has been and continues to be at the top of that list.
Empathy is one of those things … “things” because I’m not sure precisely what to call it … that I’ve taken for granted. I was raised in a very empathetic home. My family members are empathetic. My children are empathetic and most everyone – heck, EVERYONE! – I work with is empathetic. I’ve naturally, based on my own experiences, assumed that most people would understand why empathy is essential to being human … a kind of “duh” sort of thing. A clear and VERY obvious outcome of Girls on the Run is the ability of every girl and coach to give and receive within an empathetic context.
In my mind, without empathy we lack the ability to deeply connect with another living creature. Empathy affords us the experience of being one in experience with another, putting aside our own ego, the need to be right, and being with the emotions of another. It doesn’t mean fixing them, making the emotions go away or enabling the individual. To me it simply means being with their emotions without interference from me.
via So how do you get empathy, anyway? (Hint: You won’t find it in a lecture.) | Ashoka.org.
As an advocate, I am always under the impression that being with empathy is demonstrating a concern and understanding of the here and now of the caller/person communicating with (no matter the mode of communication). It isn’t a time of formulating one’s opinion of the situation; it is more important to sort through options and more options for the situation given at hand, as well as providing emotional support and guidance for catapulting forwarding to the light at the end of the tunnel, in order to move forward to, hopefully, without the burdens of the crisis situations at hand.
People need to have a voice in their lives moving forward, they need to see and weigh out the options available for them (because when in crisis mode, you rarely see through the mist of the tears caused by the emotional and/or physical pain currently enduring); however, they need to know that they aren’t crazy, that they have lives that are valued, and that they can do things and make great decisions that affect their own lives, as well as those around them.
How do YOU see empathy? How do you apply empathy in your daily lives?
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Advocacy, Advocacy Reports, Childhood Trauma, Counseling, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Education, Health, Health Forums, Healthy Living, How to, Human Relations, humanity, Language Growth, Law & Legislation, Mental Illness, Parenting, Relationships, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Survivors, Violence, Volunteering on June 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides a great fact sheet resource to Domestic Violence and Children: Questions and Answers for Domestic Violence Project Advocates, answering such questions as:
How do children react to domestic violence?
What are some typical short-term responses?
What about children’s responses in the long term?
What are the factors that help children recover?
What should parents tell their children about domestic violence?
How much information is enough but not too much?
What should a parent tell a child about the parent who was abusive?
How can advocates protect children from adult information?
How should parents respond to and cope with their children’s feelings about them?
What are some strategies for managing children’s behaviors that may occur in families with domestic violence?
How can advocates determine when a child needs more help?
and,
What is secondary trauma and how does it affect me?
Click on the link below to learn more:
http://www.nctsnet.org/sites/default/files/assets/pdfs/DomViolenceFactSheet_final.pdf
Posted in Accountability, Advocacy, Advocacy Reports, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Education, Fund Raising, Health, Health Forums, Healthy Living, Human Relations, humanity, Language Growth, Law & Legislation, Mental Illness, Parenting, Positivism, predator safety, Relationships, Research, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Suicide, Survivors, Trainings & Conferences, Violence, Youth on June 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Domestic violence cases seem to prevail in spite of all the efforts of the advocates across the United States and throughout the world; however, that doesn’t stop the advocates from continuing to try. One focus has turned its head towards the affects upon childhood trauma. One such foundation taking this focus in their hands is the Makers of Memories with its public policy initiative:
The Makers of Memories Public Policy Initiative, launched earlier this month in Washington DC, has already begun to develop momentum towards our two key objectives of:
1) raising awareness about the problem of childhood exposure to domestic violence; and
2) developing a set of solutions to address this problem.
Participants from a wide range of national nonprofit organizations have agreed to collaborate on the educational content and distribution of our documentary film project, 43 Million Secrets, and have contacted us to explore ways that we can work together to motivate leaders and policy makers to take action to provide support and assistance to children who experience domestic violence. We also are exploring programmatic initiatives with these organizations. Some of the individuals and organizations we have engaged to collaborate on our work are featured below in the images from our meeting in Washington DC on June 14.
via Makers of Memories.
Posted in Accountability, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Human Relations, humanity, Law & Legislation, Security, Society, Survivors, Trainings & Conferences, Victimology, Violence on June 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Marsys’ Law created as a result, in California, when a woman was lured back to her ex-boyfriend who claimed wanted to get back with her and make up but in actuality had a shotgun ready to kill her when she entered his home. This event was a great opportunity to learn more.
PASADENA – The Pasadena Police Department will host a free Crime Victims’ Clinic from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday in the second floor assembly room at the department headquarters, 207 N. Garfield Ave.
The clinic will offer information on the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights Act (Marsy’s Law) passed in 2008, giving victims of crimes and their families 17 constitutional rights.
Workshop participants will include the Pasadena Police Department, Justice for Homicide Victims, Pasadena Superior Court, L.A. District Attorney’s Office, Bailiff’s Office, Victim-Witness Assistance Program; Peace Over Violence and Crime Stoppers.
The clinic is being coordinated, organized and planned by Police Specialist III Patricia Magallanes.
via Crime victims’ rights to be discussed at police clinic – Pasadena Star-News.
Posted in Accountability, Advocacy, Childhood Trauma, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Education, Healthy Living, humanity, Law & Legislation, Parenting, Relationships, Society, Survivors, Victimology, Violence on June 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Recently attended a child custody inservice presented by Barry Goldstein and Dr. Mo Hanna (who, incidently co-authored the book called Domestic Violence Abuse and Child Custody). Dr. Hanna also speaks to childhood trauma in her part of the presentation. The statistics presented in this video by Makers of Memories foundation are, indeed pretty staggering and worth taking note. In a quest to end domestic violence, we must take a look from all perspectives to really figure out a solution to end it forever.
Please reveiw and let me know what you think.
YouTube – 10 Shocking domestic violence statistics for 2011.
See also for more information:
http://domesticviolenceabuseandchildcustody.com
Posted in Advocacy, Counseling, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Healthy Living, Humor & Laughter, Internet Communities, Relationships, Self Help Sites, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Survivors, Victimology, Violence, tagged Activisim, Advocacy, Community Support, Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Voices, empowerment, Finding the Voice, support on June 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Everyone needs a place to go to where they can heal, be safe to talk, and empower others along their healing journey. For those traveling the healing journey due to domestic violence issues, Facebook’s page called, Domestic Violence Voices, offers just one such place.
It’s just a great feel good place with a great community spirit.
Posted in Advocacy, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Fund Raising, humanity, Love, Positivism, Society, Survivors, Victimology, Violence, tagged Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Fund Raising, Glamour, NDVH, Survivor Support, Text to Tell Program, Victim Support on June 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Information to be passed around and acted upon:
Today is the one year anniversary of the death of UVA student Yeardley Love. (Note our blogpost about Yeardley Love’s death and what to say to someone you care about here.)
To honor the one-year anniversary of her death, Glamour is encouraging women to talk about relationship violence—both to ask for help and to offer it without judgment. Glamour‘s Tell Somebody campaignis aimed at raising awareness about the secret that kills four women a day in the United States—relationship abuse. Over the course of an average year in twenty-first-century America, more than 1,400 women will be murdered by someone they’ve loved. Glamour asks: Why are women more likely to be killed by their boyfriends now than they were 35 years ago? And what can we do to reverse the trend?
In an exclusive Glamour/Harris Interactive representative, online survey* of 2,542 women ages 18 to 35—single, living with a partner and married—a full 29 percent said they’d been in an abusive relationship. Another 30 percent said they’d never been abused but then went on to acknowledge that, at some point, a partner had viciously hurt them: from verbal degradation to being strangled or threatened with a knife. View the top findings from the survey athttp://glmr.me/jKUWxq.
The Tell Somebody campaign kicks off in Glamour‘s June issue with an exclusive interview with Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. Also included in the feature are family photos of Yeardley Love that serve as a reminder that the women we hear about in the news are much more than just headlines. Many brave women came forward to tell their stories—and 62 percent said that having the support of a friend, family member or coworker helped them “get through the relationship safely.”
The message here? Tell Somebody. Ther feature includes exactly what to say to a friend or loved one who may be in an abusive relationship.(Note our blogpost about Yeardley Love’s death and what to say to someone you care about here.)
“The fact that abusive relationships have actually gotten more deadly for young women in the 21st century is not only confounding—it’s maddening,” says Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine. “Glamour wants to encourage all young women to start talking about this violence. Our message is simple: If you, or a friend, are in a dangerous relationship, Tell Somebody.”
Young celebrities like Emma Stone and Ashley Greene, are also joining the campaign, coming together to create an awareness video highlighting shocking statistics and underlining the message of the campaign: If you or a friend is suffering, Tell Somebody. To see the video, along with a moving series of exclusive videos of survivors, go to http://www.glamour.com/tell-somebody/video/2011/05/tell-somebody-help-put-an-end-to-relationship-violence.
There is an easy way everyone can help: In 2010the National Domestic Violence Hotline received 281,787 calls, but due to a lack of resources, 83,027 of those calls went unanswered—that’s more than 1,590 calls per week. We can change that. Glamour, the Avon Foundation for Women and the Avon Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program—an initiative that has donated more than $30 million globally to reduce domestic violence since 2004—are working to make sure that no call goes unanswered from now through October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Women need to have someone who will listen,” says Katie Ray-Jones, director of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. “We know that for about 85 percent of our callers, it’s their first time ever telling their story.”
Glamour is asking people to make a $10 donation by texting TELLNOW to 85944. The Avon Foundation will match every dollar donated, up to $200,000. “It takes so much courage for a woman to pick up the phone and make that call,” Vice President Joe Biden told Glamour. The least we can do is make sure someone is there for her.
Join Glamour‘s campaign to stop relationship violence by changing your Facebook status to—Relationship violence kills 4 women a DAY in the U.S. If you or someone you know is being abused, Tell Somebody. Make sure someone is always listening by texting TELLNOW to 85944. Your $10 donation will help keep the National Domestic Violence Hotline open.
To learn more about Tell Somebody, visit glamour.com/tell-somebody.
*Survey Methodology: This survey was conducted online within the United States between March 3 to 17, 2011 among 2,542 women (aged 18-35). Figures for age, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Go to http://www.Glamour.com/tell-somebody for the full methodology.
Posted in A Way With Words, Advocacy, Domestic Violence, DV Warrior, Victimology, Violence, Volunteering, tagged advocate, Blogger, Domestic Violence on June 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The other day, I popped onto the site and realized just how long it has been since I have been on this site writing and sharing with you all various tidbits of interest that embarked upon various issues — especially domestic violence issues — mixed in with a variety of diverse things.
What have I been doing since then?
Well…
mostly being a domestic violence warrior — networking and sharing survivor stories in an effort to make a change — hopefully, for the better.
Please keep feeling free to offer feedback, ideas, comment, opinions and suggestions. I love reading through all of them. 🙂
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Advocacy, Counseling, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Healthy Living, Human Relations, humanity, News, Our Heroes, Relationships, Society, Victimology, Violence, Well said!, tagged dispelling, domestic, myth, Sunday, Superbowl, Violence on February 4, 2008| Leave a Comment »
OMG, just read a blog posting that an author stated that,
Of course, the author then adds,
The first sentence sent the hair up on the back of my neck — MYTH? a fallacy??? I don’t think so!! I have been working in the domestic violence field for more than 5 years now, not counting the 15 years that I have been a paralegal and the many years of physical and emotional domestic violence that I personally encountered for many years, and yesterday was probably the first experience I had had with working specifically on Superbowl Sunday in this industry and I wrote the following on another site…..
entitled, “Underdogs come up and win! Thank goodness someone did!!!”
Today has been a rough day for me. For many that know, I answer crisis calls for a living. That, in itself isn’t too bad because I generally can separate myself from their pain and move forward to the next caller.
Today, it has been different. Perhaps, it is because I have never worked in this field on Superbowl Sunday; I don’t know. It seems like I had before, but I don’t remember it being this rough.
Superbowl for most people can be all fun and games, but from the domestic violence perspective it can be quite the opposite. I have been receiving higher risk crisis calls today percentage wise than I ever have, I believe. I mean, usually, it is just calls wanting more information or how to plan to help from friends or family members OR understanding how they need to understand why they need to stay away from the abusive person OR some students wanting help on their projects.
Today, though….
* a woman’s face was bashed in by her ex and she just returned home from the hospital. Her ex was on the way to p/u the kids and she needed to ensure their safety until she could reach the attorney and the district attorney in the morning….
* callers calling from places they are hiding from their abusers….
* callers from the other room while there abusive partner was enjoying the superbowl game after having beaten them up. They were seeking shelter space….
* callers wanting us to call 911 for them…
* caller stating that her husband had just “disciplined” her daughter by yanking her hair and dragging her through the house and throwing her into the doorway. The daughter now has a concussion….
* other child abuse calls being called in….
and sooooo much more.
It is times like these when one gets these sort of calls you would like to be able to hang up the phone and call “The Equalizer” to take care of things. I guess I always loved that show because the actor would do so in a not necessarily violent way to get the point across to the aggressor — a sort of person who advocated for the underdog.
It is sort of the peace de la resistance (sp?) in the fact that, at least, one underdog has won today — even if it is from an event that seems to masks the pain of others in the same day.
Some day — I wish the pains of the victims away and the abusive/aggressive folks of this world find peace so that we can all live in the world as one happy family. Is it really too much to ask for???
Now, try to tell me, after my experience yesterday on a domestic violence hotline, that Superbowl Sunday isn’t one of the worst days ever for domestic violence.
In all fairness though, there are hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of calls received day in and day out throughout the entire year. Domestic violence isn’t just domestic violence on Superbowl Sunday; however, the intensity culminates to something that is both exasperating and emotional.
Some day…..
the violence in the home has to end!
Posted in A Way With Words, Advocacy, Career, Counseling, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Elderly, Healthy Living, Human Relations, humanity, Humor & Laughter, Job Search, Job/Careers Search, Positivism, Prayer, Relationships, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, tagged joy, no, stealing on January 8, 2008| Leave a Comment »
This is the first morning that I have felt half way awake since I woke up on Saturday afternoon b/c I then left Saturday night to work a shift from 6pm Saturday night until 2pm Sunday with an Alzhiemers client. When I arrived her, there was a new shift person that was there for the first time and it had made her extremely nervous and frustrated. I managed to settle her down that evening and she awoke refreshed and rearing to go, while I awoke with a backache from hell b/c I had slept on the wooden futon bed all wrong.
It took me a while to get moving and she hopped in and out of the room I was several times asking me what was the agenda today. Finally, I got her engaged in the Joel Olsteen preacher from Lakewood Church in Houston TX on the television. I told her that he was a powerful speaker and she sat and listened with great intensity. He spoke about frustrations and not letting people get under your skin and get the best of you — in another words, not to let other people steal your joy. This was poignant for her….
as well as for me (for what had happened earlier this past week and what is about to happen this week).
We both went forward into the day with a great attitude and went to have breakfast at an Austin tradition hole in the wall place, then tried to go to the LBJ Wildflower park (but we ended up being there an hour too early) then window shopping for a bit before we headed back home. While we were back home she relaxed reading the NY Times Newspaper and a book about Elvis Pressely. She became recharged and we headed to the local Dairy Queen to find a sign outside the door over a trashcan stating “Bad Attitudes Here” with an arrow directed towards the trashcan. We laughed about the irony of it — especially after the Joel Olsteen sermon about the joy and marched into the Dairy Queen saying “No one is going to steal my Joy!” and ordered some delicious waffle sundaes. (BTW, did you know that the first Dairy Queen was actually in Canada??? That was something that I hadn’t known before.)
At any rate, I went from her home to my home to sleep for a few hours before heading into an overnight shift. Getting off Monday morning, I was still exhausted because I hadn’t caught up on my sleep yet. Today, though, even after working last night on another overnight shift, I am feeling recharged (at least, for the moment…lol…).
On the desk I share with another employee at the hotline, I tore off the 7th quote of the day off of the 2008 calendar and revealed the 8th. Today’s message was — “There’s nothing noble in being superior to someone else. The one mobility is in being superior to your previous self.” — a Hindu proverb. That is, indeed, so very true.
Today, the supervisors are meeting to decide about who is to get the permanent overnight shift (you see I have been working as a relief for the past 5 years) that is open. Myself and two others applied. One is disqualified from applying because she hasn’t been there long enough to transfer to another shift; the other one would not be a good choice because she has argued with the employees on the overnight shift in the past. Hopefully, the logical choice will be me. Even the overnight shift folks are all rooting for me.
But that has no effect on the rhyme or reason of the supervisor staff. We’ll see.
All I know is that I am better today that I was yesterday — no matter their decision and choice — and, no one can still my joy. My real joy isn’t whether I am working PT or FT; my real joy is being able to be the best advocate that I know myself to be.
Of course, I am going to have to remind myself to think positive. My coworkers have already planned to order out for our meals tonight. We’ll see and hope that that might be in celebration that I am “in” for the FT position.
No harm in keeping my fingers crossed for the best though, right?
Any prayers would be appreciated….as I really need the FT work income wise, which will allow me the opportunity to not work for 2 employers quite to the extent that I have been.
At any rate, please remember that there is no stealing the joy!!!
😀
Posted in A Way With Words, Advocacy, Counseling, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Customer Service, Domestic Violence, Health, Healthy Living, Human Relations, Humor & Laughter, Just for fun!, Mission Work, Relationships, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Victimology, Volunteering, Well said! on December 15, 2007| Leave a Comment »
has become a way of my looking at life in the advocacy world when answering domestic violence calls on a daily basis… or in working with the elderly… or in my victim advocacies….
It is a way of, essentially, looking at the glass half full rather than half empty. Instead of going home a bit exhausted from the many callers I wasn’t quite sure the seeds I was planting in planning for them to be safe and living a fruitful life was working, I started a while back counting the “God Bless You!”s I received that day. It would seem that those seeds might just germinate and grow into a future that one could have without victimization, harm, destructive behaviours, etc.
How many “God Bless You!”s have you received today??? or, how many “God Bless You!”s have you shared with someone else today???
See more progress on: Get more “God Bless You!”s
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Advocacy, Business Ethics, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Customer Service, Domestic Violence, Education, Healthy Living, How to, Human Relations, Humor & Laughter, Job Search, Job/Careers Search, Law & Legislation, Love, Our Heroes, Relationships, Research, Self Promotion, Society, Technology, Well said!, Youth, tagged , 50th anniversaries, 75th, ambitions, American, Career, culture, dreams, fulfilling, growing up, jobs, leaders, retirements, Society on December 10, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Does anyone actually achieve their dream job — or, is it just merely a figment of everyone’s imagination?
While someone may be doing the job they absolutely love to do, it may not pay all that well and they have to struggle to make ends meet. Additionally, family members or friends may look down upon someone that isn’t mastering the financial ladder as someone that is being less than their full potential.
A friend was asking me tonight, who often plays “career coach” to me from time to time, what I want to be when I grow up. If only I could pick and choose the qualities of each of my past jobs that I liked the best and make the ideal job that would be pleasing in all aspects — high income, advocacy, interaction with others, great researching skills, and so much more.
It was announced in the news and news media sources lately a lot about the newest generation of workforce employees are having a tendency to job hop more and have many more background experiences than their counterparts in generations slightly ahead of them. No longer, for instance, is the trend that people people have jobs for more 20 or more years. It would be unheard of, perhaps, to see these generation of workers retiring with a job of tenure of 40-50 years of service, as my bosses’ generations have done.
My parents will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this month. Gone, too, are the days that many couples will look forward to see the day of having a 50th wedding anniversay, while couples in my parents’ generation and before saw 50th and 75th wedding anniversaries as part of the norm of the culture.
What has happened to our culture? or, do we even have a culture to be considered these days? What is to be considered about the American society? Are we all going to be judged by the people who lead us — or what affect we, as individuals have upon our local and global societies?
Okay. So, I have digressed.
Does anyone actually achieve their dream job — or, is it just merely a figment of everyone’s imagination?
Does anyone have an answer????
Posted in Accountability, Advocacy, Counseling, Domestic Violence, Healthy Living, Human Relations, Law & Legislation, News, Parenting, Petitions, Politics, Relationships, Research, Science, Scientific, Society, Victimology, Violence, Well said!, writing research, Youth, tagged alienation, parent, PAS, syndrome on December 4, 2007| 19 Comments »
those at the Justice for Children program.
“It is the position of Justice for Children that PAS is junk science.
“P.A.S. per se (not “parents lying about abuse allegations”) is not a syndrome. People lie on the witness stand every day but that does not make it a syndrome. Various credible studies have documented that the incidence of false allegations of abuse in custody proceedings make up significantly less than 5% of all abuse allegations in custody proceedings. When mental health experts or attorneys claim that P.A.S. is a “syndrome” — knowing full well that it lacks scientific validity, is the concoction of a disgraced psychologist, and has been soundly rejected by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges — that is disingenuous at best and unethical at worst. Moreover, when it is used as a vehicle to keep children in the custody of men who abuse them, it is also immoral. ” – Randy Burton, Founder, Chairman and President – Justice for Children
PAS is touted to be an accepted psychological “syndrome” when, in fact, it has no scientific foundation and has been routinely rejected by courts and mental health professionals as admissible in the courtroom. Nonetheless, PAS is still being used by unscrupulous attorneys and hired gun “experts” to attack the credibility of, parents, usually mothers, and undermine the testimony of little children who have accused their fathers of unspeakable acts of abuse. “
For more information see their posting on Justice for Children.
Posted in A Way With Words, Advocacy, Counseling, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Great Quotes, Health, Healthy Living, Human Relations, Humor & Laughter, Love, Relationships, Self Promotion, So What Campaign, Society, Spiritual Growth, Well said! on November 5, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Advocacy, Being famous, Counseling, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Great Quotes, Health, Health Forums, Healthy Living, How to, Human Relations, Law & Legislation, Love, News, Our Heroes, Politics, Relationships, Sexual Assault, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Victimology, Violence, Well said!, You Tube Videos, tagged book, domestic, Givins, grace, home, lead, me, Mike, out, Robin, speaking, Tyson, Violence, will on November 4, 2007| Leave a Comment »
“Grace will lead me home” – the title of the book she is promoting and speaking out about domestic violence, bringing home to a lot of victims of domestic exactly the fears, trials and tribulations that they have faced and feared. Check out her story in these YouTube videos:
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcZg2_BDZKo]
– Robin Givins Story, Pt 1
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SkgsHX2g0w]
– Robin Givins Story, Pt 2
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVFaEJDO_zs%5D
– Robin Givins on ABC (NOTE: sad to see the hate comments left on this video)
“You have to talk about it to conquer it!” – Robin Givins
(what a great quote!!)
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Advocacy, Art, Austintatious, Being famous, Creative Ideas, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Healthy Living, Human Relations, Internet Savvy, Keeping in Touch, Law & Legislation, Love, Margaret Mead, Our Heroes, Relationships, Society, Writing on October 21, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Counseling, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Healthy Living, Internet Savvy, Law & Legislation, Law Action Alerts, Relationships, So What Campaign, Society, Victimology, Violence, What's so funny about this? on October 20, 2007| Leave a Comment »
October is domestic violence month.
I have a dear friend in Pennsylvania who heard one of Congresswomen speak out with the declaration of Domestic Violence Month and everything uttered out of that woman’s mouth was as if the victim is always a woman. Here, in this video below, sent to me via a Canadian friend of mine (under the guise of a “joke” – “Never marry a woman larger than you”), demonstrates that the victim isn’t always a woman…and the police in the video took it ever so lightly that they just drove by the residence.
When is domestic violence going to be taken seriously — whether it is a man or woman being victimized and the perpetrator held accountable for his/her actions??? After all, isn’t violence just as much a violence no matter who is doing the assault?? As a domestic violence survivor, I couldn’t find myself laughing while watching this video?
What about you???
PS. While the “joke” opened up the can of worms with domestic violence battle, the slur made with the title implying that women that don’t fit the idealist image of the skinny minnie woman (oftentimes wayyy to skinny to fit the mold of the “dream woman”) would be a bully, is downright degrading and not respectful to a woman who is truly a woman without the skinny minnie or bullying imagery. Oh, don’t start me on this one…. What would Tyra say (do you think it might be “So what! if women aren’t skinnie minnies, it doesn’t mean that they are all bullies?” “Who says fat women aren’t better than skinny minnie women?” “Why do fat women have to be laughed at?” or, “What’s so good about this video, it certainly dehumanizes women and in no way represents women on the whole???”)????
I don’t think that there is a blog space that is large enough for my soap boxes!! That being said though, I believe that this video surely sparks something to think about for everyone.
Posted in Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Human Relations, Law & Legislation, Law Action Alerts, News, Relationships, Society, Violence on October 2, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Just arrived about the woman being killed by her daughter’s boyfriend, Selwyn P. Davis, last year (he is on trial)
“Davis, the former boyfriend of Lara’s daughter, is accused of killing Lara on Aug. 22, 2006, during a two-day crime spree. He also is accused of breaking his ex-girlfriend’s jaw, slicing his uncle with a knife, sexually assaulting a teenager and trying to run over a police officer with a car, according to court documents.”
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/10/03/1003davis.html
Posted in Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Health, Health Forums, Healthy Living, Human Relations, Law & Legislation, predator safety, Relationships, Self Help Sites, Society, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Suicide, Violence, You Tube Videos on October 2, 2007| Leave a Comment »
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZh5HN2q_qo]
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9m80kf8l7A]
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njx-n6SsdV8]
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZobGvCcitOQ]
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBpiKQBaTVY]
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Advocacy, Counseling, Domestic Violence, Healthy Living, Human Relations, Law & Legislation, Love, Parenting, Relationships, Security, Sexual Assault, Society, Suicide, Violence, Youth on October 1, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Posted in A Way With Words, Advocacy, Domestic Violence, Great Quotes, Love, Relationships, Self Promotion, Society, Spiritual on August 20, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Women, please let your own sun, your
concentrated energy, your own submerged
authentic vital power shine out from you.
We are no longer the moon,
Today we are truly the sun.
We will build shining golden cathedrals
at the top of crystal mountains, East of
the Land of the Rising Sun.
Women, when you paint your own portrait,
do not forget to put the golden dome at
the top of your head.
~Raicho Hiratsuko
from “Women’s Manifesto”
(1911) translated by
Mayumi Oda
Posted in Accountability, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Health, Law & Legislation, News, Relationships, Society, Violence on August 6, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Friend reported to me tonight that a friend was arrested in Travis County, Texas, recently on a Class B charge of being an unfit husband and asked me if I had ever heard of such of a thing. I told him that I have certainly heard of being an unfit parent, but insofar as being an unfit husband, I hadn’t necessarily heard of that but suspected that its intent might be to light a fire, so-to-speak under some derelict folks who sit and are waiting for things to happen to bring themselves out of a situation rather than to try to do something about it directly.
He went on further to explain that indeed that they had lost their home due to a storm and waiting on FEMA to help fix the situation; however, it is year later and they no longer have a home that they can live in and they have been living in and out of people’s homes and their own car.
Insofar as the actual law, after a bit of research tonight, I haven’t found it yet. Does anyone know anything about this law????
Posted in A Way With Words, Accountability, Being famous, Business Ethics, Counseling, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Great Quotes, Love, Parenting, Politics, Relationships, Society, Spiritual, Violence, War on June 19, 2007| Leave a Comment »
“I wanted to change the world.
But I have found that
the only thing one can be sure of changing
is oneself.”
– Aldous Huxley
Posted in Accountability, Advocacy, Counseling, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Law & Legislation, News, predator safety, Relationships, Sexual Assault, Society on May 21, 2007| 1 Comment »
Your say is needed to make sure that DV programs are funded. Lifetime is pushing the petition to be signed and states the following:
In just a single day, domestic violence programs served nearly 50,000 adults and children in the United States.* These programs provide emergency shelter, counseling and legal services critical to families trying to escape abusive homes and break the cycle of violence.
Every 2.5 minutes another American is sexually assaulted.** Rape crisis centers, schools and clinics across the country offer medical assistance, counseling and prevention programs.
Today, these lifesaving programs are in jeopardy if Congress does not decide to fully fund the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 2005, which Lifetime viewers helped to make law.
You can help again! Make your voice heard by signing this petition to urge Congress to give the funding needed to keep the doors of shelters, rape crisis centers, and prevention programs open and ready to rebuild lives and make communities safer.
Sources:
*”Domestic Violence Counts,” National Network to End Domestic Violence, March 2007
**RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), calculation based on United States Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey
Posted in Advocacy, Counseling, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Law & Legislation, Politics, predator safety, Relationships, Sexual Assault, Society, Violence on May 7, 2007| Leave a Comment »
When does a Protective Order become more than “Just a piece of paper”? When you advocate for programs like this come into place in your state!! See the following article…
Posted in Counseling, Domestic Violence, Law & Legislation, News, Parenting, Relationships, Society, Violence on April 29, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Found this article on him and thought I would share it with you all, although, I am sure, that he would prefer all this media exposure to just go away and quiet down. The author certainly does make a good point in the end.
Published on April 29, 2007 by Ezine @rticles
Alex Baldwin Doesn’t Get It
by Douglas Bower
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Alex Baldwin’s tirade against his minor child needs to be seen for what it is—child abuse. Not only is it child abuse but is also so typical of the mindset and the philosophy that Americans so easily resort to when it comes to taking responsibility for their actions. “It’s not my fault.”
Here is what Baldwin said after calling his little girl a “thoughtless little pig” and threatening to come from New York to Los Angeles to “straighten her out”—a threat to the kid’s safety if ever there was one.
“Although I have been told by numerous people not to worry too much, as all parents lose their patience with their kids, I am most saddened that this was released to the media because of what it does to a child,” he wrote. “I’m sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child. I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now. You have to go through this to understand. (Although I hope you never do.) I am sorry for what happened. But I am equally sorry that a court order was violated, which had deliberately been put under seal in this case.”
1. “Although I have been told by numerous people not to worry too much, as all parents lose their patience with their kids, I am most saddened that this was released to the media because of what it does to a child.” – The man is not worried that what he said to his daughter would affect her adversely, only that what he said to her was released to the media. He is not concerned about how his abusiveness might affect the girl but how the release of the recording might affect her. Is this man in his right mind or is this indicative of just how much his character is flawed?
2. “I’m sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child. I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now. ”— The man is shifting blame and not taking personal responsibility for his words or actions. He is sorry for losing his temper but blames “parental alienation” as that which drove him to lose his temper. No, Mr. Baldwin, “parental alienation” is your perception of a stimulus provided to you through the circumstances in which you’ve found yourself. Parental alienation, whatever that is supposed to mean, is not some animated, sentient entity capable of doing anything. It hasn’t arms nor legs, a brain to think with, or anything else that would enable “it” to “drive” you to do anything. Your loss of temper is a behavior you chose to deal with a situation. (Since he is referring to someone committing the sin of “parental alienation,” he must certainly be blaming the child as the alienator—it’s the child’s fault for alienating him—“parental alienation” made him do it.)
3. “You have to go through this to understand.”— If ever there was an indication of the lack of critical thinking skills in the minds of Americans, this is it. This is something to which many resort in trying to justify their irrational and ill-chosen behaviors. Think a moment to what this man is actually saying: If you went through what I’ve been going through, then you would not condemn me. And, if you’ve never walked in my shoes, then you do not have the right to criticize me for calling my daughter a little pig.” This man is claiming that the only way we could “understand” why he did what he did is if we had undergone this spookily-termed, “parental alienation.” This man is not apologizing but trying to justify his bad behavior. And, he claims, you would understand why he abused his child if you had undergone his trials and tribulations. I don’t have to have murdered someone to understand why someone resorted to bad behavior by killing his neighbor. I don’t have to have sexually abused a child to know that it is ill-chosen behavior. I don’t have to have stolen something that didn’t belong to me to understand that stealing is wrong. How, I would love to ask Mr. Baldwin, would our understanding help us to “get it?” How would our undergoing “parental alienation” help us to understand that what Mr. Baldwin did to his daughter is somehow justified? After all, Mr. Baldwin seems to be saying if we had ever undergone “parental alienation,” we would understand—cut him some slack.
4. “I am sorry for what happened. But I am equally sorry that a court order was violated…”— See how the man is trying to shift blame? What the man is sorry for, I cannot fathom, but I most certainly see that he is blaming the one who violated a court order. Baldwin cannot, at least as yet, just say that no matter what the circumstances were, no matter what the situation dealt, no matter what information he was provided to which he had to respond, that he was wrong—period—for lashing out at that child.
The past decades, if not a century, of psychoanalytical psychobabble has taught Americans that they are victims. If they act out with bad behavior, it couldn’t possibly be the fault of the one who chose the bad behavior. It was “the circumstance’s fault.” If they get caught in some behavioral sin, then it wasn’t their fault but the fault of someone or something that provided them with something to which they had to respond and did so badly.
Every circumstance, situation, problem, child acting out, a spouse acting out, a boss firing you, is just information provided to you. You get to choose how you are going to react to what is before you. All we ever do is behave. From the time we are born to the time we die, all we do is choose behaviors in response to a stimulus. What marks us as mature, sane, and rational is how we’ve learned to think critically through a bad hand dealt us and choosing the correct, socially appropriate and morally correct behavior.
Was one of Alex Baldwin’s choices when his daughter didn’t pick up the phone when he called to lash out in an abusive tirade at her? Yes.
However, thinking, and I mean using critical thinking skills, is what would have directed him to consider better alternatives. He could have ranted at the girl or he could have made a better choice. A little bit of maturity would have gone a long way in preventing his childish behavior.
Oh, Mr. Baldwin, we understand perfectly and are wondering,
“Just who is the child here?”
Posted in Advocacy, Domestic Violence, Society, Trainings & Conferences, Violence on April 22, 2007| 1 Comment »
For those going to
New Hampshire anytime soon, I have also received an announcement today for a conference about INTERNATIONAL FAMILY VIOLENCE AND CHILD VICTIMIZATION RESEARCH CONFERENCE presented byt the University of New Hampshire in conjunction with the Family Research Laboratory and Crimes Against Children Research Center.
July 8-10, 2007Sheraton Harborside Hotel
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Online registration begins in early April. Go to www.unh.edu/fri/conferences/2007/onlinereg.html. Registration should be done by May 11th to receive the early registration discount.
Posted in Cho Seung Hui, Domestic Violence, Law & Legislation, Mental Illness, News, Society, Violence on April 19, 2007| 1 Comment »
Although people often use the terms mental illness and violence in the same sentence, especially when there was such a tragedy as was had at Virginia Tech Institute. People jump to the conclusion that, because, for instance, the violence that affected so many students and staff at the Institute was so maddening, they often presume that mental illness must have been at the core of the issue. While some of the investigation seems to have unveiled that he had been to a mental health facility for assessment, it doesn’t mean that he was actually treated for mental illness or that, if he was undergoing some form of treatment, the proper treatment was being presented or followed through.
The National Alliance for Mental Illness has immediately released a statement to this regard to be passed to others:
For Immediate Release
April 18, 2007
The VTI Tragedy: Distinguishing Mental Illness from Violence
Statement of Ken Duckworth, MD
NAMI Medical Director
Acts of violence are exceptional.
Treatment works, but only if a person gets it.
NAMI offers below the federal government’s authoritative language on perceptions of violence.
Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health (1999)
National Institute of Mental Health (2006)
By issuance of the above statement, NAMI hopes to be able to clarify some questions that many might have with any alleged mental illness(es) that the gunman, Cho Seung Hui, might have had.
I am sure that more information will be divulged as the security and authorities perform their thorough investigations on the matter. Some other theories being tossed around is that he was searching out his ex-girlfriend, and, by some sources, it seems that his ex-girlfriend may have been one of the first presumed to have been shot at in the dormitory. While this may not be the official worst blood bath at a college/university in American history, it will certainly be interesting as more information surfaces to see what actually that they can piece together, although the whole story may never be known, especially since not many people knew him well.
At this time, rumors of new gun laws needing to be made are re-surfacing as well as other legislations. The total ramification of the whole ordeal has affected the Nation’s society, especially the VTI staff and students, beyond comprehension and will probably be something to be dealt with in the future, as we have seen from many of our tragic events. Hopefully, something good will come out of the event; heroes will emerge; and a tragedy turned into a triumph. At this time, the “triumph” is still unknown, but one can always hope and dream — right??
April 20 – Virginia Tech Tragedy: Responses and Resources
Posted in Advocacy, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Society, Spiritual, Volunteering on April 17, 2007| Leave a Comment »
LOL…
Am I not alone? As I read More.com’s article, Fixing the World After 40, I am captivated by the words:
While I was raised by a somewhat affluent family because my father had worked hard to make sure all four of us kids had what we wanted and dreamed for, which has had to have been difficult with each us having differing dreams and ambitions. For instance, my sister had told me one night when we were laying in our beds in our bedroom that, “I am going to marry someone so that I can have steak and mushrooms every day.” She married an attorney and could quite possibly have her dream fulfilled. Another sister of mine wanted to be a teacher and she has not only fulfilled her dream, but volunteers her time at a few organizations and runs in marathons. My brother had told me that, when he was four years old, “I am going to design a car that runs on air.” While I don’t think he has done quite that, he has been quite successful in his life with work, travel and his friends. With him being just shy of being the most genius man on this earth, it would not surprise me if one day, he also achieves that dream. There is still plenty of time, he is in his 30’s; he has a lifetime to enjoy all the achievements and mark on this earth that he has made thus far. I will never cease to be amazed by my siblings’ determination to fulfill what they have wanted to achieve thus far.
I, too, came of age in the ’70’s; I had my own dreams and ambitions, although my journey has not be quite the simply and paved road. I have had to jump across many divets and take many detours along the way; however, I keep gravitating towards ways that I could help others. While I had to keep working hard at bringing home some income as a single parent for most of my daughter’s life, I couldn’t help but find some time in the day to try to help others in some form or fashion. My mother would get frustrated with me as she would remind me, “You can’t help everyone.” I would look at her puzzled and think, “Why not?”, although as I get older, I realize that I truly can’t help everyone. This became clearer too as I try to fixed the marriages I had with abusive men. I kept thinking that I saw the good in them and I could help them shine; it is oftentimes I hard lesson to learn that the only one that one could truly change is oneself and take that knowledge to empower myself to move forward throughout the years.
That still doesn’t change the aspect of my desire to help others and make a difference in this world through whatever steps I can do to change the world to a more peaceful environment, including the many hours I have volunteered as an advocate for children through CASA and GAL, for the elderly through Family Eldercare, for the victims of domestic violence, and for the victims of crimes through being a Victims’ Advocate (and so much more). Sometimes, I feel like a “Who” in “Whoville” waiting for “Horton” to finally hear me; however, it is the thanks that I have received along the way from folks that I have somehow made a difference in their lives that keeps me fueled to continue against whatever odds I have had to cross.
The difference between trying to help another person to change and making a difference in the world to change things for the better is that one is providing the tools for that person to change.
In the meantime, I am relieved to see that there are others who haven’t been necessarily vying for that $50,000+ job and have settled our lives in the hopes of making a difference in the world, even if that means a smaller income to live upon. Some day, I will have achieved most of my dreams and will reward myself with a small home in the country built in accordance to my vision; in the meantime, I strive to make, at least, one person smile and feel better about themselves each day. If I accomplish that, at the very least, I will have fulfilled my dream each day. I’ll keep hoping and praying that “Horton” finds this “Who” in “Whoville” and a thousand prayers to bring peace to this world.
Posted in Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Law & Legislation, News, Society on April 17, 2007| Leave a Comment »
This week, so far, has been a bit with some craziness — Virginia Tech massacre allegedly due to a domestic violence/obessesive ex syndrome issue. Abortion/Pro-life folks coming to a head on some of those issues. Brought up some YouTube domestic violence videos and posted them under the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE tab for you to review. Some positive outcomes include Lawrence Wright receiving his Pulitzer Prize on his 9/11 non-fiction book and a re-discovery of a FREE HUG project which projects a healthy attitude on things. Why can’t we all just get along?? Thank goodness for the volunteers bringing cheers and support along the way; be sure to thank a volunteer this week! Check it all out.
Posted in Advocacy, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Society, Spiritual on April 17, 2007| Leave a Comment »
can’t we all just get along???
This YouTube FREE HUGS project is interesting. What a great idea, but do we really have to hold up a sign to get a hug???
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4]
More about the FREE HUGS project….
“Sometimes, a hug is all what we need. Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.
In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.
As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.
In the Spirit of the free hugs campaign, PASS THIS TO A FRIEND and HUG A STRANGER! After all, If you can reach just one person…
Music by Sick Puppies. (Visit http://sickpuppies.net or http://myspace.com/sickpuppies for the music)
—————————— ——————-
PS. The response to this video has been nothing short of overwhelming and touching. Hugs to every single one of you who messaged. There has been thousands of emails from all over the world by people seeking to participate in the Free Hugs campaign and asking for permission. You do not need permission. This is the peoples movement, this is *your* movement. With nothing but your bare hands you can make THE difference.
Imagine all the people.
—————————— ——————
http://www.freehugscampaign…
http://www.myspace.com/free…
Press/media contact:
paul.stepanek@oninternational. com”
Posted in Advocacy, Domestic Violence, Health, Law & Legislation, News, Society, Volunteering on April 16, 2007| 2 Comments »
Shocking is the news of the killings and woundings found at Virginia Tech this morning from a gunman that went on a rampage and killed 31 and wounded 29 with his shootings at two different buildings on campus two hours apart — a dormitory and some classrooms in another building. This sends chills as we all remember the
Columbine High School and University of Texas massacres in the past. More information will be divulged in due time; it is my understanding that the gunman has been killed — either by the fire of the police or through taking of his own life. We may never know the whole story; but, rest assured, it will be marked in history as one of the most tragic events in US History. At this time, I understand that this may be a domestic violence issue because he was seeking out his girlfriend. Nothing has been said so far, to my knowledge, whether or not his girlfriend was among those killed, wounded, or witnessed the tragic series of events today.
In my email, I have also received communication about the pro-life/abortion issues. They seem to want to pinpoint the fault of the abortion laws being pushed actively by Nancy Pelosi, Teddy Kennedy, and Hilary Clinton to allow for funding under Medicaid for abortions, etc. Whoever is to blame is not the point. Pro-life activists state:
“Both Pelosi and Clinton are getting stronger and stronger as the weeks and months go by. Every week they are in power, over 26,040 abortions are performed in our United States. Every month they are in power, over 111,600 babies die in abortion. That’s one baby every 25 seconds. Since 1973, that’s over 47 million babies. Babies who were going to be named Jack, Sara, Timmy, Adam, Claire, Ben, Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary, Abraham, Daniel, David, Michael, Salvatore and so many more….We cannot let Pelosi and Clinton set the agenda in congress for the next 2 years and stand idly by when over 2.6 million babies will die during abortions!”
No matter what your viewpoint on abortion/pro-life, those are some staggering numbers indeed. One can’t help but feel how future generations will be affected by the availability of more abortions. If you go by the adages of the survival of the fittest, it would seem that these potential children of the world are not given the opportunity to survive; they are not given a choice and many children who could be the future leaders of their generation are lost. Just think it is so very sad to think about. On a brighter note today, this week is “National Volunteer Week”. I would certainly go read my posting about this week and look to the right column for some ideas of resources where you can look to do your part in today’s society to make it a better place for living for all concerned. At least, find a volunteer and hug them this week, letting them know that you appreciate all that they do to help make your community a better place to live, if you do nothing else!
Sometimes, out of the madness of events, can come some good. Austinite, Lawrence Wright (previously a staff writer for the New York Times), has provided a prime example of this. After the 9/11 tragedy, he went on a pursuit to find out what had happened and wrote a book called, “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.” Today, he was notified that he has won a Pulitzer Prize for his work endured to create and write the book. Many kudos to his deligence and hard work!
Blessings for all the victims and their families, as well as all the volunteers. May this Nation see some semblance of normacy in their lives, whatever normalcy may mean to them.
Posted in Bluebonnet Photo Tour, Bluebonnets, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Sexual Assault, Society, Spiritual, Weather on April 14, 2007| Leave a Comment »
I am working two shifts today and writing this in between calls and multi-tasking with other things that I am working on as well. The fact that I am able to do this is good because that means that there aren’t as many crisis callers today.
Yesterday was a wonderful day spent looking for bluebonnet photo opportunities, as well as photos for my Cross Project. The Cross Project was interesting as I was welcomed by many Churches (not of my own faith denomination) to go into their Churches and take photos. As such, I met a lot of interesting folks along the way. (The Cross Project photos have been updated, although I have a few more to add later when I create a page for my bluebonnet photos I took yesterday.) The icing on the cake was having fajitas with my daughter and her significant love. I had so much fun there.
This morning, at work, we encouraged one of our coworkers to go home because she was sounding sickly. Another coworker came in a bit later. When we told him that we had encouraged the other coworker to go home, he shared with us a story about being in the subways in NYC. He stated that a very determined woman was walking through the subways pushing her way through, all the while spraying lysol ahead of her just to make sure that she wasn’t going to get sick! Sometimes, I feel like that at times; being sick is no fun indeed, although I don’t get sick too often.
On another note, today is sunny and very windy. North Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth area) had two tornados hit last night. While it is windy here in Austin (central Texas), it is very nice out there and doesn’t appear to be the type with tornado capacity; hopefully, it will remain to be a very nice day. We need that for a change!! I am also sure that the SafePlace Walk this morning is very appreciative of the wind and sun; it certainly makes for beautiful weather to walk in and make an impact on awareness for domestic violence and sexual assault programs. I am envious; it looks gorgeous outside of the window in our office.
Okay… just completed the Bluebonnet Project! Check it out! 😀
Posted in Advocacy, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Law & Legislation, Photo Projects, predator safety, Sexual Assault, Society, Spiritual on April 12, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Worldly Inquiring Mind “iWIM” 😀
Check out pictures from last year’s SafePlace Walk (2006) to see the excitement and fun that you will have at this year’s Safe Place Walk (2007) who raises funds for domestic violence and sexual assault programs in the Austin area. See you all there on Saturday, April 14th!
[rockyou id=38423391&w=426&h=320]
Don’t forget to also check out my Cross Project that I am working upon as well. It is a collection of photos of crosses that I am, currently, finding throughout the Greater Austin Area. I am seeking out a publication commitment as well for part of this project. Any ideas/suggestions, please let me know.
Posted in Bluebonnets, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Law & Legislation, Photo Projects, Society, Spiritual on April 12, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Worldly Inquiring Mind “iWIM” 😀
So much was added today. More shopping links, Radio-Television-Film links, interesting links on self help and domestic violence issues, Webby Award links and so much more were added. I added a Sunrise Thoughts article, as well as an article about being careful regarding Imus, a tragic death of a 7 yr old who had been shot while jumping on a trampoline and some personal humorous antedotes of my needing to be careful as well. Check out my garden flower photos as well. I just might add some of my Cross Project photos by tomorrow afternoon. 🙂
Posted in Creativity, Domestic Violence on April 11, 2007|
I don’t normally write so early in the morning, but I had worked last night until 11:15p and had to be back here at 7a to help cover for some folks attending a meeting; hence, the ability to have some sunrise thoughts. 🙂
At any rate, I thought you would enjoy a small antedote about what I discovered when I went home last night. I walked into my home only to discover that my home (inside) had been “T.P.’d” (toilet papered). My mistake began with (1) taking a roll of toilet paper out from under the master bath sink (intending to take it to the guest bath) but never quite making it to the guest bath, and (2) leaving my bedroom door open when I left for the day yesterday. This gave my two cats ample opportunity to romp and play in additional space in my home yesterday; much more space to explore and get into trouble!! One (or both) the cats knocked down the toilet paper from the sink counter and let it roll throughout the home. Don’t know who to blame so I scoffed at both of them as I am walking throughout my home to pick up toilet paper from everywhere and just let it be. After all, it was partially my fault.
Oh, if you haven’t checked it out already, there is a site that you should really check out. I added I Spy With My Little Eye last night, but you may not have noticed it right away. The site is a dutch group focused on domestic violence is one of 5 non-profit sites that won the 11th Annual Webby Award this year. Check I Spy With My Little Eye out when you can. It will surely amaze you.
Thank goodness for Chick-Fil-A. I was able to pick up a bagel with ckicken and egg, hashbrowns, and a large Diet Dr. Pepper to help fuel my energy this morning. More later.
Posted in Advocacy, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Law & Legislation, News, Society, Spiritual on April 11, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Worldly Inquiring Mind “iWIM” 😀
Lots went on today besides adding a lot more resource links to the page, as well as linking up some blogger pages that I have found interesting. Check out the YouTubes about a strong parent and the miniture earth; some extemely moving videos. Speaking of videos I found some that did a parody about being “Christian” vs a “Christ Follower”. Pretty interesting. Don’t forget to take a look at the latest blog posting on some Bits and Pieces of thoughts wherein I mentioned things about exercising on a recumbant bicycle, Emilio, and Larry Birkhead.
Posted in Advocacy, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Law & Legislation, predator safety, Sexual Assault, Spiritual, Web Development Sites on April 9, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Worldly Inquiring Mind “iWIM” 😀
The site has been updated with additional domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, healthy living, teen dating helps and sites, as well as a links to articles on domestic violence, predator safety, child internet protection, and so much more. Come take a look and explore. While the site is still under constant construction, it is shaping up with a lot of useful information, spiritual guidance, and self-help sites.
Posted in Advocacy, Bluebonnet Photo Tour, Bluebonnets, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Missing Kids, News, Sexual Assault, Society, Spiritual, Web Development Sites on April 7, 2007| Leave a Comment »
in the Worldly Inquiring Mind site. I have updated this site within the last few days with a variety of resources concerning advocacy and self help, shopping, healthy living, Texas history, Texas Travel, Publishing, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Missing Children, Spiritual Growth and oh so much more. Be sure to come and explore soon what you might be missing!!
Posted in Advocacy, Domestic Violence, Law & Legislation, Society on April 4, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Check out the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE tab here for a page written about the CIRCLE OF ACCOUNTABILITY, along with a video, entailing some ideas/suggestions about the responsibilities of everyone in the “village”. Where does domestic violence end?
Posted in Advocacy, Creativity, Domestic Violence, Health, Society on April 3, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Red Flag Awareness Goes YouTube! « Worldly Inquiring Mind “iWIM” 😀
YouTube is often utilized by many folks to make silly videos about this and that — sometimes sharing songs, movies, quips about their likes or dislikes and so much more. Organizations, such as Texas Council for Family Violence are also utilizing this web tool creatively to get their message out and advocate for healthy dating relationships. Check out the article on the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE tab and see what I mean. 😀
Posted in Advocacy, Domestic Violence, Health, Society, Spiritual on April 2, 2007| Leave a Comment »
It is tough enough for a victim of domestic violence to struggle with being in an emotional, mental and/or physical form(s) of domestic violence, but to also struggle with the religious beliefs as well can be a whole another story, especially as the victim asks oneself, “Why? If there is truly a God out there, why am I being harmed? What did I do so bad to deserve such a wretched life?”, along with many other questions. The victim is pushed into believing that they deserve to be harmed and that there is no one, not even a God, that could save them.
Check out this posting on the Domestic Violence tab/page and see what I mean. Also, see what some people are actively doing out there to change things where domestic violence victims can feel welcomed to seek refuge — even in the Church!
Posted in Domestic Violence, Society on March 28, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Domestic Violence Awareness « Worldly Inquiring Mind “iWIM” 😀
33% of homicides are due to domestic violence. I have started a page to mark some awareness of some of the domestic violence cases being tried this year.
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