Airports profiling fear and stress May 18, 2006
Posted by fmmh in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farAccording to today’s CNN article, airports now consider behaviors of fear and stress as suspicious traveler activity.
It states . . .
Officers are taught to look for abnormal behavior in passengers, such as people wearing coats when it’s warm in order to disguise bombs, or people acting fidgety or nervous.
Also . . .
The officers must be able to differentiate between nervous travelers and those having something to hide, he added.
I’m thinking about all the times I’ve felt scared, paranoid, and different. Often I wear inappropriate clothing (jackets when it’s warm) to hide or feel safe. I doubt airport security could differentiate my panic attacks from geniune suspicious behavior. I can’t imagine being confronted by security and having to disclose reasons for my behavior. Getting frisked or restrained for non-compliance (too scared to cooperate) would be very traumatic.
This is a sensitive subject with a potential increase of stigmatization of persons suffering with psychiatric disorders. Words of wisdom before the next flight . . . don’t forget the antianxiety meds!
Baby schedule May 9, 2006
Posted by fmmh in : Baby , 1 comment so farPeople keep asking me if Babyboy is sleeping through the night. I wonder what does that mean. Are there no awakenings? Babyboy does sleep through the night when he isn’t crying, nursing, grunting, or getting his diaper changed. Maybe people wonder how long he is sleeping each night?
9pm bedtime & feeding
1am feeding
4am diaper change & feeding
630am diaper change & feeding & burping
7am rise & shine
I guess that makes it approximately 7 hours of sleep. His nights are pretty consistant. However, his day schedule constantly changes, feeding every 1 to 2 to 3 hours with diaper changes and naps in between. I often struggle an hour burping him. Babyboy will regurgitate milk or cry and thrash his body angrily if we aren’t in sync with his burping needs. A typical day, we both change our outfits 3 times because of spittle.
Why am I feeding him so much? I don’t know. I think the reason varies (growth spurts, volume consumed, spittle amount, feeding rate & frequency, and mood).
I try not to bath him more than twice a day. He’s not too fond of baths. Babyboy has eczema and must have balm rubbed all over him after the bath. The peds doc prescribed a lot of meds for him to treat the itchy skin, but I found the organic balm works good enough, although expensive. Silly docs think I’m gonna give my baby drugs just because they prescribe it for free? “Whateva, whateva, I’ll do what I want!” ~South Park’s Cartman
I avoid putting him in his swing because I feel guilty, like I’m neglecting him. If I need to put him in his swing, so I can clean or do other mommy stuff, then I try not to leave him there for no more than 2 hours. It’s really tempting to let him stay in there as long as he is sleeping.
Every few days Babyboy’s nails have to be trimmed. Toenails are the hardest. I have never trimmed his right foot’s toenails because he won’t let me. He’ll even wiggle his toes while sleeping.
Breastfeeding is a lot of work!!!!! I’m not complaining (I didn’t mention the pain involved) because it (breastfeeding) is the best thing for Babyboy and also me (bonding, weight loss, emotional needs).
The War on Terrorism May 6, 2006
Posted by fmmh in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farI’ve decided The War on Terrorism is not only a waste of time and money, but it is an example of how morally backwards Our Nation has its priorities. I don’t believe terrorism is a threat to our way of living. I don’t believe anyone in the United States has anything to fear of any form of terrorism. I don’t believe 9/11 was that big of a deal. Yes, I am still mesmerized, shocked & awed, and all that sad stuff about The Towers, Pentagon, and Flight 93. But, how many people were directly affected? Not that many compared to a bigger issue Our Nation faces . . . sexual predators. According to RAINN . . .
* Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.* One in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape, and 10% of sexual assault victims are men.* In 2003-2004, there were an average annual 204,370 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.* About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
I’d like to see the leaders of our country divert all efforts and monies to the protection of our children who are at risk of sexual assault, child pornography, and exploitation. The children are our future. Let’s stop worrying so much about border control, who handles which port, how safe the airlines are, or whatever the terrorism worry. Let’s start caring for our children. Let’s protect them. Let’s teach them to grow up and become assertive and non-violent adults, so that, no future generation will have these horrible statistics we have today.
