/No WIFI for French Students---Violence Imitated?

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/No-WIFI-for-French-Students---Violence-Imitated-.html?soid=1101558221222&aid=L8g-WJMAJbM

Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tips. Kids are kids because they are less experienced in the ways of the world than their parents and because they are less strong in mind and body, at least until they are about 14 years old. The way I see it, we have three main jobs are parents. First, protect them from physical and emotional risks they are not mature enough to appreciate. Second, provide them with the vital elements to sustain healthful living. And third, love them so they feel welcome, worthy, and appreciated as a member of the earth community. It's quite simple really, but it takes focus, energy, and time. If we delegate any of these functions to others, we must still be absolutely vigilant in their performance. Kids don't know what effects frequent exposure to violent images may have on their world view. And they can't appreciate what EMF radiation can do to them either. We must educate ourselves and draw the protective line of safety for them, meanwhile educating them as they mature on how to protect themselves. 

The Tragedy in Newtown CN

Our hearts go out to the families of the dear children and their educators who were so brutally killed at the elementary school near Newtown CN last Friday. We can hardly imagine the pain they must deal with. Also our sympathies go to the first responders, who were traumatized by the events.

  

It is human to try to make sense of the event, to look for causes or messages or lessons. Ending the lives of first graders holds no meaning whatsoever. It is yet one step more vicious than a number of vicious mass murders which have occurred in recent decades.

  

Like our President, we want to look harder now for ways to prevent these events. And a number of ways have been mentioned. I would like to discuss the most prominent.

  

First, is the recurring and contentious theme of gun violence and gun control. Why, in what we consider the most advanced nation in the world and in a time of peace, do we lead the world in killings with guns, so many more than in other advanced countries and even more than less advanced countries? I hope there will be a serious reconsideration of appropriate gun control policy at the city, state, and federal levels to help keep mass-killing weapons out of the hands of those likely to misuse them. It has been noted however that these events have increased even during a time when gun controls have increased.

  

And this takes us to the second discussion, about how to help those who have mental problems serious enough to drive them to suicide or homicide or both. We as a nation are very poor at finding out who might be in such a mental state. We could point to a lack of professionals and accurate diagnosticians who might be able to help a family dealing with a young person who is showing signs of being unable to deal with people in safe, consistent ways.

  

But even more important I think is the breakdown of community and the breakdown of the core family group. It is the adults immediately surrounding a child who are the models and stimulus to a young child.  And too many parents are more absent than on the scene. Likewise, our schools are generally too understaffed and over-burdened to recognize and help those children who avoid or resist the norms of behavior.

  

The fact is that more and more parents lack the time, money, knowledge, and support to meet the real needs of their children. There just is not enough parenting going on. It is not only parenting quality that is at stake but "parenting quantity." That is, time spent with the child, from day one to year twenty-one.

  

Research is showing that many youngsters today, in ever increasing numbers, are just not getting the necessary sequence of interpersonal and other stimulants and environmental factors to get normal brain development. But of course most of such children never turn to extreme violence.

  

This leads to a third discussion which rarely gets mentioned but may be at the heart of these extreme violent acts, Most of the perpetrators in these horrific incidents are on some kind of psychotropic drug. The stupendous growth in the use of these drugs over the last several decades coincides with the growth in the frequency of these incomprehensible acts of violence. 

  

Even the ads on TV list suicidal or violent tendencies as possible side effects for many of these mind and mood altering medications. They wouldn't have to mention these dangerous effects unless the drug researchers had seen them in their studies. Yet people continue to ask for these drugs and physicians seldom monitor people's thought patterns once they are taking the prescriptions.

  

Experts have noted that many of these drugs work by stimulating patients to become more active, which looks like they are becoming more functional, but on the down side, by stimulating them into action, the drugs also make it easier for them to carry out their more desperate feelings. For example, a patient who might otherwise be troubled by suicidal thoughts may be more prone to take action on them. After many if not most of these horrible shootings we learn that the shooter was on some kind of psychotropic medication. We seldom learn which one without major sleuthing.

  

The last area I want to look at is the media. Our 24/7 live coverage of these incidents obviously has the potential to give people who are already feeling the kinds of feelings that lead to violence against self or others new ideas about how and why to commit these crimes. Gun specialists have predicted a rise in sales of the rifle the shooter used in Newtown, ostensibly for self-protection against someone else who already has one or in order to get it before it is outlawed in reaction to the Newtown massacre. For these reasons, some have suggested that law enforcement try not to give so many details about these tragic events. But it seems unlikely that such information can be kept secret.

  

Another influence of the media which I think we need to look at is the constant barrage of advertisements which imply that if you are feeling bad for any reason, a pill will fix it. Depressed? Anxious? Grieving? Feeling disconnected? Shy? Nervous? Anti-social? Disoriented? They have a pill for you. But few studies have been done to find out if these medications really work for any length of time or in what proportion of patients their mental effects are detrimental.  .

  

Meanwhile, these drugs cover up symptoms which otherwise might lead a person to get real help, from someone professional, religious, or simply supportive, to help them through a difficult junction in their life, a period of mourning, a time of confusion, anger, or despair, and so on.

  

A number of doctors have come forward to complain that it is wrong to cover up relatively normal reactions to life by overmedicating. It is no wonder then that some people's troubles reach fever pitch and drive them to do horrific things.

  

In a nation of over 300 million people, we are bound to have some very deranged people. But they are a tiny minority. Yet it is said that over 100 million Americans are currently taking a medication which alters their mind or moods. It is likely that when a troubled person, a drug reaction, and a gun come together we have a problem. It is probably a case of the perfect storm.

  

What we see in so many cases is this perfect storm: A person who has not had their developmental or emotional needs met and who has not been able to get appropriate help gets on a medication which changes their anger and depression into actionable rage and gets access to a weapon of massive destructive power. 

  

All these factors need to be addressed in a civil society which cares about the safety and quality of life of its citizens and about the future of its children..

Preventing Colds and Flu

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

What happens around holiday time when so many people have cold or flue symptoms? How can you avoid them or limit their effects? Cold and flu are the most common infections that affect Americans. Children typically get 9 to 12 infections each year, and adults have about seven per year. Aside from making you feel miserable, these infections are the leading cause of lost work and school days. Also of not enjoying the holidays! Having the right strategies in place can cut your risk of getting sick this season. My guest this week is Jonny Bowden, known as "The Rogue Nutritionist." He is a well-known authority on ways to get and stay healthy naturally. He will tell us his top nutritional picks for cutting down the frequency and duration of colds and flu, and will explain how to protect the respiratory system, which is our first line of defense from air-born infection. A few good habits can make all the difference. So have your family listen in about keeping the holiday season healthy.

 To hear the program, simply click on this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first, Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, is a board-certified nutritionist with a master’s degree in psychology. He is the best-selling author of twelve books including “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth”, “Living Low Carb”, and “The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth”. He has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS and Dr. Oz’s XM Radio show as an expert on nutrition and weight loss, and has written or contributed to articles for dozens of print and online publications including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Us Weekly, “O” The Oprah Magazine, The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair Online, Time, Oxygen, Marie Claire, and Diabetes. Men’s Health, Prevention, Natural Health, and more. Dr. Jonny is a consultant to the Natural Products Industry and serves on the advisory boards of several companies, including Barlean’s Organic Oils, Resverage and EuroPharma. His latest book, “The Great Cholesterol Myth”-- co-authored with renowned cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, MD-- came out this fall.

To hear the program, simply click on this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first, Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Randy Rolfe Take Home Tips: It is our responsibility as parents to see to it that our home environment is a safe and nurturing place for our children's health. Clean air, clutter under control, qiuet times, and comfortable temperatures are just as important as good nourishing food. And setting a good example for healthy habits out and about is important too. Like washing hands before eating and wearing appropriate clothing in winter. Remember: Kids do as you do, not as you say! Have a very happy holiday!

Keep young Drivers Safe on the Road

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

As our kids go back to school excited about the new year, parents worry about seeing them get into cars. Traffic crashes are the #1 cause of death for all people in the world ages 10 – 24 and for all people in USA under the age of 35. America has lost more lives (over 2 million) in 110 years of driving than all the wars we fought during the last 234 years. My guest this week on Family First is John E. Langan, a highly respected expert on traffic safety and crashes. He has testified in criminal and civil proceedings as an expert in traffic crashes in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

John Langan has been actively promoting traffic safety since 1969. He is founder and president of driveAWARE, a nonprofit traffic safety advocacy and victim support organization. In 1984, he founded and served as first president of the National Association of Traffic Accident Reconstructionists and Investigators. He has also testified before a Pennsylvania government committees on Teen Driver Safety.

Have your kids listen to this call! To hear the program, simply click on this link::http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Mr. Langan served for over 15 years as a police officer with the Warminster Police Department in suburban Philadelphia. His assignments included traffic safety engineering surveys, traffic safety educational articles and public speaking, and traffic safety enforcement. He was responsible for reconstruction of serious traffic crashes and assisting the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office in prosecutions, including Vehicular Homicide.

Langan left the police force after sustaining debilitating injuries assisting a fellow officer who was physically assaulted by a motorist stopped for reckless driving. He then earned a BA in Organizational Management from Eastern U. and an MBA. He is certified in traffic crash investigation from Northwestern U., U. of North Florida, and Texas A&M U. He is also certified by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction. He is an active member of the Fraternal Order of Police and a volunteer driving safety instructor with the AARP.  

Ask your children to listen to this call! To hear the program, simply click on this link::http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Take Home Tips from Randy Rolfe: I recommend you drive with your child as many times as it takes for you to have faith in their caution, attention, and good sense. Don't assume because they have taken a driver's course that they know what to do!

Lisa Oz on Transforming Your Relationships

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Lisa Oz, relationships expert, to join radio host Randy Rolfe this Friday August 3 at 4 PM ET, 1 PM PT.   

Have you ever tried to change someone else to make them easier to deal with or more to your liking? Have you sometimes assumed that your own spontaneous reactions to the people around you were the most real and best to communicate or act upon? How have these worked for you? What are the most important relationships in you life? How can we be the best “me” for our spouse, our children, our parents, and all those we care about? My guest this week on Family First is Lisa Oz, an esteemed and respected worldwide authority on the subject of wellbeing and relationships. Lisa Oz inspires audiences at a multitude of speaking engagements and events. She is a moving speaker, producer, writer, actress, and coauthor of six New York Times best selling books, She will be sharing with our Family First listeners some important ideas and key strategies for transforming our relationships and ourselves. Be sure to listen in for Lisa’s wise and witty candor about what really makes our lives work.

Listen in! Click on the link above or go to:http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Lisa Oz has been heard on The Lisa Oz Show on Oprah Winfrey Radio. She is also a frequent relationship expert on Good Day New York, Fox 5. Lisa has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for six books, including “YOU: The Owner’s Manual” series and her most recent book, “US: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter Most.” She is President of Ozworks, LLC, a media and investment consulting company which she founded. She directs Pine Room Pictures, a production company specializing in family friendly media. Her latest best-selling book, “US – Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter Most” is inspiring thousands to have more rewarding relationships. Born in Philadelphia, PA, Lisa received her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College. She attended Columbia University’s Union Theological Seminary. She lives in Cliffside Park, NJ with her husband Mehmet Oz of 26 years and their 4 children, Daphne (25), Arabella (21), Zoe (17), and Oliver (12).

Don't miss it! Click on the link above or go to:http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on podcast or apps.

Randy Rolfe Take Home Tips: Our relationships to those around us are really what determine our satisfaction with our lives. Whether it's with our family members, our coworkers, our friends, our community, our higher power, or ourselves, all are important relationships which we must nurture in ways that are creative, respectful, and loving. We must look for the common ground in each relationship, in the belief that we are both meant to prosper from our bond.  Listen to Lisa Oz on relationships!

Turn frustration and anger into peace and composure

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Parents have lots to feel upset about today, with pressure from the economy, pressure from jobs, pressure from the normal responsibilities at home which don’t diminish with these other added pressures, and then extra pressure to have their children succeed in school so they won’t be unemployed, plus daily pressure from advertisers to keep up with the social competition. No wonder parents’ patience can wear thin and anger begins to affect family relationships. Kids too get angry. They feel pressure to achieve, feel the stress of keeping up, and have less time and support from parents.

My guest this week is Jules Shuzen Harris Sensei, a leader in the teaching of Zen Buddhism, and the founder and Vice Abbot of Soji Zen Center in Lansdowne, PA. Buddhist philosophy has grown in popularity over the last fifty years because of its unique approach to handling powerful emotions through methods to calm the mind and relieve our stress, which methods Shuzen will share with us.

To hear the show live online, click on the above link at 1 pm PT/2 pm MT/3 pm CT/4 pm ET. The show is also archived for on demand, download, or podcast.

Jules Shuzen Harris Sensei received Shiho from Enkyo Roshi at the Wisdom House in Litchfield, Connecticut and became her second Dharma successor. Shuzen is a member of the Zen Peacemakers Sangha, the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, and the American Zen Teachers Association. Shuzen is a Soto Priest who has practiced Buddhism for more than 25 years. In August 2006, Shuzen received Hoshi from Enkyo Roshi at the Grail. In May 2002, Shuzen, an assistant teacher at Kanzeon Zen Center, Salt Lake City, UT, received Denkai (transmission of the precepts) from Genpo Roshi, Abbott of the Center.

Jules Shuzen Harris holds an Ed.D. with a concentration in applied human development. As a psychotherapist, Shuzen has found creative ways to synthesize Western psychology and Zen to achieve dramatic results for patients and students. He also holds black belts in Iaido (the use of a samurai sword) and in Kendo (Japanese fencing). He founded two Japanese swordsmanship schools in Albany, NY and Salt Lake.

To enjoy Jules' insights live, click on the above link this Friday at 4 pm ET/3 pm CT/2 pm MT/1 pm PT. The show is also archived for podcast, on demand, RSS, and download anytime.

Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tip: Thomas Jefferson said to count to ten when your blood starts to boil. Most of the things that make us angry are just things over which we have no control when we thought we did. Rethink the situation and don't let outside circumstances change your inner state of peace and joy! Remember, your example is more powerful than you can imagine for how your children will later handle their circumstances.

Latest word on ADHD

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

More and more children today are being diagnosed with learning disabilities, and at earlier and earlier ages. Schools have difficulty meeting the needs of kids with learning differences, and some kids can affect the whole classroom when they become bored or confused. Parents face difficult choices when they hear ADHD: get supplemental schooling, change schools, use questionable medications, try alternative health approaches, check environmental factors, hire tutors, or try home education?

 My guest this week is Sherry Torkos, an award winning pharmacist, health author, and fitness expert who has researched a number of critical health issues and made the scientific information accessible to the general public through her many books on different topics. As a mother herself, she has explored many issues of child health and will share with us what we actually know about ADHD and how parents can recognize it, minimize it, or prevent it in their children through methods which really work. 

Click on the above link this Friday May 4, at 1pm PT/2pm MT/3pm CT/4pm ET, to hear Sherry Torkos on ADHD and learning differences. The program is also archived for on demand and download later!

Sherry Torkos is a pharmacist, author, certified fitness instructor, and health enthusiast who enjoys sharing her passion with others. Sherry graduated with honors from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1992. Since that time she has been practicing holistic pharmacy in the Niagara area. Her philosophy of practice is to integrate conventional and complementary therapies to optimize health and prevent disease. Sherry has won several national pharmacy awards for providing excellence in patient care.  

As a leading health expert, Sherry has delivered hundreds of lectures to medical professionals and the public. She is frequently interviewed on radio and TV talk shows throughout North America and abroad. Sherry has authored fourteen books & booklets, including The Glycemic Index Made Simple and Breaking the Age Barrier. Her most recent book, The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine has become a national bestseller. She has a very helpful website at www.sherrytorkos.com.

Click on the link at the top of this message to hear Sherry Torkos' insights. The program is live at 4pm ET/3pm CT/2pm MT/1pm PT on Friday May 4. It is also archived for on demand or download indefinitely!.

Take Home Tips from Randy Rolfe: Frequent, loving interaction between parent and child is the best way to see that a child's brain, behavior, and perception develop normally. It is also the best way to notice if something doesn't seem right so that you can investigate further to see what adjustments you can make to the environment or your interactions to minimize any developmental delays.

Hope and Insight from a rare experience of death and recovery

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Each of us has our own relationship with our Creator which we develop from our parents, our church experience, our community and culture, and our own personal experience. One of the issues all humans face is the meaning of life and death and what may happen once our bodies give out. My guest this week is Dean Braxton, who had a serious health crisis which led to his clinical death. Yet he did come back and has a moving story of his experience while his body had stopped working. He says many of the ideas he had adopted during his years of service as a minister were shattered by his experience of the unfailing love God offers.

Dean and his wife Marilyn, married 27 years with six children, now travel the world to share his experience, which has been documented by the hospital medical records. Also serving in human services for over 20 years, Dean Braxton tells their story in his book In Heaven Experiencing the Throne of God. Their mission is to give hope in a unique and transparent way.

Listen to our interview on Family First with Dean Braxton this Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM Mt, 3 PM CT, 4 PM ET, or anytime afterwards on your PC or smart phone, or download for MP3, RSS, or apps. Just click on the link above and select Family First and April 13. 

Dean and Marilyn Braxton are licensed ministers, serving through their By His Word Christian Center, in Tacoma, Washington. Dean Braxton served for 35 years as senior and assistant Pastor, board member, youth leader, Life Skill Pastor and more at various churches. He served as a Program Manager for the Juvenile Drug Court/Chemical Dependency Disposition Alternative (CDDA) for King County and was a member of the senior management team for the King County Superior Juvenile Court System.

Dean served for 20 years also for the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a Chemical Dependency, Human Relations and Equal Opportunity Superintendent. He has helped train over 400 parents in parenting skills and given over 1,000 training presentations dealing with subjects addressing human service issues. In addition to working with youth, he has coordinated three prevention treatment family conferences. He helped develop a number of model programs funded by the U.S. government, King County, and private industries.

Click on the link above to hear Dean Braxton's moving story this Friday at 1 PM PT, 2 PM MT, 3 PM CT, and 4 PM ET, or any time afterwards on your PC or smartphone, or download to MP3, RSS, apps, etc.

Randy Rolfe"s Take Home Tips: Children come with a natural spiritual awareness of their connection to the whole of creation. Help them nurture that sense that the world is good and that love is at the core of the human experience. Avoid introducing limiting beliefs and doctrines which.complicate or compromise their innate good sense and wish to please and prosper. Having kids is a great opportunity and I think even a calling to reexamine our own innate awareness of our connectedness to all that is good in the world.