Gay Family Values: Foster Diaries: Risking Your Heart

One thing that we as human beings do not like to do with our hearts is risk them. Risk means uncertainty and with uncertainty comes the possibility of loss and pain. But however much we try too limit the risks we have to take, it has been a life lesson for me to learn to hold your heart out there anyway..even ?if you are hurt.And in the event that you are, you must learn not to let it keep you from loving again. This is the heavy lifting of the heart and way we build its capacity to love. Yes, I know...it sounds like the inside of a Hallmark greating card but it is also a fact of life as I have lived it.

One of the ways this lesson was brought home to me was through adoption and foster care.?Many of our readers may have been keeping abreast of my previous writings about "Baby Boy". The two year old who has stolen our hearts and who already feels like a member of our family. He came into our lives with two ear infections and soul full of pain and made me question my ability as a foster parent only to later steal all our hearts. At that time we had to say goodbye to him and let him be with a member of his family for long term care only to have him return six months later after having suffered horrific abuse in that home. We welcomed him back with the intention that this time we wanted him to stay. But as with all times you open your heart to someone...there is the possibility that it wont work out. Such is the case with Baby boy.

When Baby Boy came back into our lives this last Christmas we knew that the intention to adopt him came with a lot of risks. The first we considered was the effect this would have our our two children, Daniel and Selena. We also knew that Baby Boy was still in reunification with his mother and that she could very well ?get him back. ?For those of you who don't know what that is...

Concurrent Planning:
The county, when removing a child from their parents for abuse or neglect must give the parent every opportunity to clean up their act and become a fit parent in order for their child to be returned to them. In the meantime, the county is ideally pursuing two courses of action. They work to provide a safe place for the child and provide visitation between the child and his parents as the parent works any programs they need to in order to correct what ever problem they had. Parents we encounter most often are in drug treatment programs. they may also be requited to complete parenting and/or life skills classes as well as show that they have employment, safe housing, and emotional stability, before a child will be returned.

At the same time that all this is occuring the County attempts to find a family to serve as the childs potential adoptive home if the childs parents fail the family reunification process. It is their responsibility to not only provide for the child they wish to adopt..but they may also be asked to take the child to visits with their parents as a part of supporting the reunification process. The whole thing is called concurrent planning and it's meant to have a safe a stable home in place for fost/adopt kids no matter what happens with their birth parents. On the surface it seems a great plan...when all the players are doing their parts.

Because Baby Boy had been in such bad shape before, the county was ready to end moms reunification services and free Baby Boy for adoption. BUT...since it had been determined that the reason for Baby Boys dire condition was the abuse he was suffering from the family members taking long term care of him...they were extending mom's reunification services by another six months, increasing her visit times, and possibly letting her have unsupervised time with him.

This came as a blow to Jay and myself. As Baby Boys mom gets more and more time with him, we have to come to terms with the fact that one day soon he may be back with her. That is hard for me to take and every kiss, every giggle, every cute thing he does makes it harder and harder to consider giving him back. His mother had been arrested for weaving all over the road under the influence of drugs with him in the back seat with double ear infections at 3 am in the morning. she has already failed drug treatment at least one other time that I know of. The thought of giving him back comes not only with the pain of losing him...but also the fear of giving him into another situation where he could again be hurt. What if mom gets him back and then takes off with him out of county, relapses...and gets Baby Boy taken away again? Would that county even know?that we would be standing by ready to take him right back? Would they even consider us?

It was not like this with Daniel and Selena. When adoption process was being explained to us by our agency, they also let us determine the amount of risk we were willing to accept. At that time we had decided that we did not want to be considered for children still going through the reunification process with their parents. We wanted to focus on children who had already been legally freed for adoption. That choice limited to pool of kids we could be matched with substantially...but knew that we didn't want to risk that attachment only to see everything fall apart. Our social worker explained to us that it meant that it could possibly be a long wait for us but we were?OK?with that. In our minds it was better to build a family that would be permanent then to have everything torn apart by the?vagaries?of the courts. So we settled in to wait. Luckily for us..we were matched almost right away. Daniel and Selena's social worker reached out to us as a potential match for them and the process of adopting them was completed six months later. That is astoundingly fast in the adoption world and we were very lucky. Perhaps it was meant to be.

With Baby boy, everything is happening unplanned. We thought our family was complete with the four of us and though we talked about the possibility of potentially adopting again if the right situation came along, we didn't really expect it to actually happen...or this quickly. Baby boy stole our hearts and we had to give him back. When he then came back to us again it felt like it was meant to be...and so we allowed ourselves to really attach ?to him without reservation. And now his mom is succeeding with the substantial help of her tribe to the point that he may be spending prolonged periods of time with her and ?I am standing here heart in hand and realising I am learning the lesson all over again. If he goes...we have to let him go. If I love him, I need to let him go to whatever his life is meant to be. Perhaps he will come back again...hey, it's happened already hasn't it? It is hard to love someone and hold them that lightly.

The darker side of this is the part of me that hates myself for wanting his mom to screw up...those are my secret selfish thoughts and I am ashamed of having them. First because I don't want to wish someone so hooked on drugs that they can't find their way out...and second, because she is his mother and loves him in her own way too. I know the argument that if she really loved him, she would be a better mom...but I also know that if Baby Boy stayed with us, there would be another human being out their looking at the skies at night and wondering how he was doing and if was happy...just like I would be. I guess somethings in life we just can't reconcile and so we need to let it be and trust that things will happen the way that they need to.

And so here I am again...learning to hold ?my heart out to Baby Boy and let him be a part of our heart and a part of our family...with the clear knowledge that he may leave. And though that will come with a great deal of hurt...to never close the doors of my heart, to him or any other child who might need a safe place to land. No one said life...or parenting...would be easy, but I hope I am getting the lesson right this time.

Until next time dear readers....

Source: http://gayfamilyvalues.blogspot.com/2012/03/foster-diaries-risking-your-heart.html

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Ad?u, Barcelona: Mobile World Congress 2012 comes to a close

The mobile world's biggest players have exhausted themselves again, taking us with them in the process. While HTC and Nokia seemed to grab a lot of the attention, Samsung stayed quiet -- at least for now -- and there was a veritable pile of devices and news to cover. Let's take a look at what caught our attention during the week.

Continue reading Ad?u, Barcelona: Mobile World Congress 2012 comes to a close

Ad?u, Barcelona: Mobile World Congress 2012 comes to a close originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/liobouVgAtU/

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Diabetes drug improves glucose control without increasing risk of hypoglycemia, study suggests

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2012) ? Too high? Too low? Only about half of those with type 2 diabetes have their blood sugar levels on target, but a new drug shows promise in managing glucose levels.? TAK-875 works by boosting the release of insulin from pancreatic B cells, but only when diabetics need it most ? such as when glucose and fatty acids rise in the blood after a meal.

TAK-875, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, improves blood sugar control and is equally effective as glimepiride, but has a significantly lower risk of creating a dangerous drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, according to a new study.

The results of the phase 2 randomized trial were published in The Lancet.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes accounting for 90 percent of the 150 million people in the United States currently living with the disease. It is primarily caused by a lack of response to insulin which leads to high blood sugar and a variety of chronic conditions.

Free fatty acid receptor 1, also known as G protein-coupled receptor 40, or GPR40, plays a vital role in stimulating and regulating the production of insulin.

It works by boosting the release of insulin from pancreatic ?-cells when glucose and fatty acids rise in the blood, such as after a meal, which results in a fall in blood glucose levels. Drugs that activate the FFAR1 receptor have the potential to help diabetics release more insulin and improve control of blood glucose levels.

TAK-875 is a novel oral medication designed to enhance insulin secretion in a glucose-dependent manner, which means that it has no effect on insulin secretion when glucose levels are normal, and as such has the potential to improve the control of blood sugar levels without the risk of hypoglycemia.

In the study, Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D., professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, and colleagues randomly assigned 426 patients with type 2 diabetes who were not achieving adequate glucose control through diet, exercise or metformin treatment to one of five doses of TAK-875, a placebo, or glimepiride, a conventional diabetes treatment. The primary outcome was change in hemogloblin A1c from the start of the study.

At 12 weeks, all doses of TAK-875 resulted in significant drops in HbA1c compared with placebo, a similar reduction occurred in patients given glimepiride.

At a TAK-875 dose of 25 mg or higher, about twice as many patients (33 to 48 percent) reached the American Diabetics Association target of HbA1c less than 7 percent within 12 weeks, compared with placebo (19 percent) and was similar to glimepiride (40 percent).

TAK-875 was generally well-tolerated. The incidence of hypoglycaemia was significantly lower for all doses of TAK-875 compared with glimepiride (2 percent compared to 19 percent), and was similar to placebo which was 2 percent.

The overall incidence of treatment-related side effects was similar for the TAK-875 groups and placebo groups (49 percent; all TAK-875 groups vs 48 percent), but higher in the glimepiride group (61 percent) because of the increased risk of hypoglycemia.

The authors say: "In view of the frequent hypoglycaemia after treatment with sulfonylureas,the low-risk of hypoglycemia after treatment with TAK-875 suggests that there may be therapeutic advantage of targeting FFAR1 in treating people with type 2 diabetes." They conclude:"We are truly excited about the potential of TAK-875 and are eager to conduct larger trials to find out how well this drug works, how safe it is and what its place is in the treatment of diabetes.

"TAK-875 significantly improved glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes with minimum risk of hypoglycemia. The results show that activation of FFAR1 is a viable therapeutic target for treatment of type 2 diabetes," authors say.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Michigan Health System, via Newswise.

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Journal Reference:

1. Charles F Burant, Prabhakar Viswanathan, John Marcinak, Charlie Cao, Majid Vakilynejad, Benhuai Xie, Eckhard Leifke. TAK-875 versus placebo or glimepiride in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61879-5

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227093759.htm

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Use Of Physical Therapy Tables In Rehabilitative Therapy Software ...

As a physical therapist, you will take a look at people clinical histories, decide treatment schemes and look at people stage of progress. The strategies you use will aid people raise their mobility with decreased ache. You can aid people avoid losing mobility or raise mobility missing because of injuries such as uses up, amputation, arthritis or defects such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida. You could aid people execute physical exercise to boost their scenario or teach them to use units and tools to support in mobility.

A physical therapist does not purpose alone, he wants an assistant. This assistant is called as a physical therapist assistant or PTA. Physical Therapist Assistant Salary Obtaining the profession as a PTA does not only have a fantastic shell out to allow you reside easily, but it is also fulfilling to your element considering the fact that it allows you aid other people in slowly and gradually recovering from the problem they are struggling, so permitting them reside independently. The typical annual salary of a physical therapy assistant is from forty,000-sixty,000.

Currently there are several offices in the United States that do have chiropractors and physical therapists performing jointly. They are more equipped to supply hands on diagnoses of situations and what study course of treatments should be followed. Functioning jointly they can reduce ache and boost a people mobility.

The physical therapy act also plainly indicates the requirements for practising physical therapy, such as the right to operate only when a person is competently licensed to do so in his or her state. No person is also permitted to declare to be a physical counselor or use its phrases or any of its abbreviations so as to indicate that the human being is a lawful physical therapist until he is physical therapist accredited by the state government.

Because of to their extreme exercise regimen, it is popular for skilled athletes to visit physical therapists who specialize in injuries that consequence from particular fitness and skilled athletics. Even so, athletics physical therapists also deal with people from all professions and walks of living. Very similar to standard physical therapists, athletics physical therapists are worried with creating positive that their people are equipped to resume their every day activities as a result of physical exercise and other treatment strategies.

This kind of therapy can be easily availed at hospitals, clinics or fitness centers. You have to have to make positive to get a fantastic physical therapist you need to look at individuals suggested by close friends and relatives. Health and fitness insurance organizations and doctors also supply a record of fantastic physiotherapists. You initial have to have to look into if the therapist is capable and has the vital diploma. physical therapy school Faulty therapy can be harmful and lead to physical situations and result in the patient to develop into immobile. So be cautious when deciding upon a fantastic physical therapist.

Physical therapists are lucky to have the option to operate in so several distinct configurations. An really popular facility for physical therapists to look for work is a hospital. physical therapy doctoral programs Because there are so several form of treatments for distinct areas of the body, physical therapy will get subdivided into distinct groups in purchase to assure that every person is receiving the most powerful treatment achievable to suit their wants.

Source: http://indianamustangandburro.com/use-of-physical-therapy-tables-in-rehabilitative-therapy-software-programs/1783/

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PlayStation Vita Facebook app pulled for repairs, Sony blames house of Zuckerberg

After a short, two day stint on Sony's next generation portable, Facebook's Vita app has been pulled from the PSN store. According to a post on the official PlayStation Forums (EU), users were encountering an error code while trying to log into the popular social network, forcing them to close the application. Community team leader PadPoet says the error is a "Facebook specific issue (on their side)," and that the two outfits are working on a solution. "We will announce further details when ready," a Sony rep told Joystiq. Hopefully the app will make a triumphant return shortly, though it's absence doesn't make cripple the handheld's social aspiration's completely -- after all, there's always Twitter.

PlayStation Vita Facebook app pulled for repairs, Sony blames house of Zuckerberg originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/24/playstation-vita-facebook-app-pulled-for-repairs-sony-blames-ho/

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S&P 500 on track to end at four-year high (Reuters)

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Reuters - The S&P 500 was little changed on Friday but on track to finish at four-year highs after upbeat reports on housing and consumer sentiment.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120224/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Strange Phobias

Phobia is defined as an intense fear of any particular object, place or situation caused by various biological and environmental factors. Emotional traumas and unpleasant situations like death of a relative or failure in work are the most common factors responsible for developing phobia. A phobic person often show signs of nausea, anxiety, sweating, panic attack and breathlessness.

Every individual experiences a blend of negative and positive experiences at some or the other stage of life. All these experiences are linked to the amygdala and hippocampus areas of the brain through the nerves. The nervous system regulates the body?s response to negative and positive experiences of life and stores them in the brain memory. Good memories of positive experiences often come out as laughter and happiness whereas bad moments from unpleasant and negative situations come out as fear, anxiety or elevated stress.

In case of any unpleasant situation, a person receives a shock that gradually activates the NMDA receptor, a brain receptor responsible for excitatory neurotransmission. These molecules further produce specific physiological effects in the cell that gets triggered when the shock reaches the brain. Over a period of time, these NMDA receptors leave their imprints on brain cells that are further transformed to phobias.

There is an endless list of phobia that greatly influences the physical and mental well being of the individual. The list includes serious phobias, funny phobias, unusual phobias and various other strange facts.

Strange phobia is an excessive and unreasonable fear of something strange, something that no body can even imagine. These phobias often lead to elevated stress and sense of impending death. Following is the list of phobias:

? Allodaxaphobia ? Fear of the opinions of other people. People suffering from this phobia avoid going for debates and discussions as they can?t bear opinions of any other people.

? Barophobia ? Fear of gravity. It?s so strange to imagine that there are people who have the fear of gravity.

? Chromophobia ? Fear of colors. People suffering from this phobia tend to stay away from anything colorful.

? Dextrophobia ? Fear of objects at the right side of the body.

? Euphobia ? Fear of hearing good news. Many people have experienced so many bad moments in life that they fear good news and good moments of life.

? Francophobia ? Fear of France or French culture. Many people fear foreign culture and language.

? Genuphobia ? Fear of knees. It?s again a very strange and weird fear.

? Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia ? Fear of long words. People suffering from this phobia tend to be brief in their talks as they fear long words.

? Ideophobia ? Fear of ideas.

? Japanophobia ? Fear of the Japanese. People, who have experienced some unpleasant situation in Japan or heard some negativity of Japanese, develop a fear for them.

? Optophobia ? Fear of opening one?s eyes. What a weird fear? Few have this fear because they feel that if they open their eyes, they will see something bad happening around.

? Plutophobia ? Fear of wealth. In today?s corporate world, how can one fear wealth? Everyone is becoming a machine to earn more and more wealth but there are people who don?t want to become wealthy as they fear wealth.

? Selenophobia ? Fear of the moon. Few of the people don?t go out during night as they fear moon and moonlight.

? Uranophobia ? Fear of heaven. Heaven is a place that everybody wants to go but yet they are people who have the fear of heaven.

? Cacophobia: Fear of ugliness. These people react strangely to ugly characters, people or any other strange and ugly looking items.

? Dendrophobia: Fear of trees. These people are afraid of any place where there are ample of trees so they avoid going to forests, hiking trails and parks.

? Telephonophobia: Fear of telephones. Even though telephones have become the fastest means of communication today, there are many people who will avoid using telephones.

? Aritmophobia: Fear of numbers. These people avoid learning any financial issues, prices and other activities related to numbers.

? Heliophobia: Fear of the sun. The fear of sun is really a weird phobia but no doubt many people have this fear and these people avoid going to the beach, sitting outside, or any other activities where they are exposed to sunlight.

Source: http://www.a1article.net/health-and-fitness/strange-phobias-4750.html

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