Jack & Jill Politics

What's everyone's favorite Spike Lee Joint?

Mine is School Daze.

Did you ever get to see Miracle at St. Anna? Not my favorite, but a nice film.

do the right thing

For nostaglia sakes, I gotta say She's Gotta Have It.....

$50 dollar snearkers and I gotz no job! LOL

I could watch Mo' Better Blues over and over for two things. Wesley's butt swervin' in the air and the band with Clarke(?) singing Harlem Blues at the end...oh, and I want Clarke's dress in that scene. Oh, and Indigo's toe rings. And Denzel's look of resigned confusion after calling Clarke Indigo and Indigo Clarke. And his sad comeuppance for selfish singlemindedness, yet learning his lesson and sending his son out to play with his friends.

Guess it's more than two things. Luhdat movie.

Probably Malcolm X but that was because of Denzel. I really liked Inside Man but does that count? 24 Hours.

Clockers.

It's not even close.

Co-signing and Mo Better Blues!

For sure. But I have to say "Do the Right Thing" is a close second.

VIDEO: Black Family from FL hid under the bed from terrorists in the Taj Hotel (Mumbai)

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/12/03/...

that was scary. I can't believe those kids slept under the bed.

Hello,

A humble request...

Do you, by any chance, happen to know who Secret Dubai (the blogger: secretdubai.blogspot.com) is?

http://whoissecretdubai.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves (In Obama's White House)


http://blacksnob.blogspot.com/2008/12/sisters-a...

Nice writeup.

But what is the trio of women in that first photo wearing exactly?

it's the summer, craig.

be nice,....lol

summer isn't an excuse to look, well...

okay I'll be nice.

D. Rogers ensemble is particularly troubling/puzzling.

I know. She looks like a walking parfait . But every woman is entitled to at least one fashion faux pas.

Hey Miranda

What's going on with your girl?

Housewive's of Atlanta NeNe gets Evicted

Don't you know it was all over the radio yesterday? LMAO.....all I could do was laugh because this is just soooooooooo messy...and Sherree was on a show yesterday talking about her need for a 24-on call assistant. Season two should be even trashier than the first! Whatta guilty pleasure. Dang..LOL

Oh gosh yes. Did you see the reunion show? Along with the sixth housewife?

24 hour on call assistant?? I hope her 7 figure divorce settlement comes through. I swear, is that the top of the litter of rich/wealthy black women in Atlanta? Cause I doubt it! And its sad, but I am glad all of the black women were married and not jumpoffs (ahem, Kim), but that is neither here nor there. Sheree needs to do something productive with herself, I still don't know why her tired ass needs a publicist.

Why was girlfriend buying so much expensive clothes, accessories and she was RENTING?!?

Broke people trying to play at being rich. I bet you she put all those clothes back after the camera stopped rolling.

Indictments against Cheney, Gonzales dismissed
RAYMONDVILLE, Texas (AP) — A judge dismissed indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday and told the southern Texas prosecutor who brought the case to exercise caution as his term in office ends.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALe...

Just watching Rachel Maddow - DC is gonna be one big party - they're not closing the bars for like the week leading up to the Inauguration.

Sorrry folks, native New Orleanian here, I see nothing wrong with this. As anyone who has visitied New Orleans or lived there knows, the "Big Easy" never sleeps. Bars in the French Quarter, particularly Bourbon Street, are "open for business" 24/7, that's not to say that you won't be the only one in the place at 4am, or early in the morning, just that if you wanted a place to drink at 4am, you could definitely find your spot.

Oh and people drinking didn't make the city any less safe (as witnessed by the excessive drunkeness of Mardi Gras). It was the non-alcohol related crimes that hindered the city.

Besides, if the NOPD can perform crowd control even after losing alot of manpower after Katrina, then DC should be a piece of cake.

Sounds like they'll be creating a volatile environment all for the sake of making money. It can't be a good thing to allow folks to drink in public all night.

Yeah. The bars are supposed to stay open until 5a and the restaurants are going to stay open later as well. Heard it on the radio this morning.

I heard that they can serve liquor til 5am, but they're going to be 24 hrs from the 17th - 20th. Either way, that seems pretty OD to me.

You know there will be people acting like fools. People will get arrested and the MSM will remark on what happens when black folk get in the White House.

Trumystique: "WHYCOME" this sounds like the TRUTH!? :>)

I so sad that I missed the discussion of the designer submissions for Michelle and the WeeMichelles.

Anyone want to discuss with me?

Some thoughts:

1. I love all Michelle and Malia's designs from Mizrahi. Sasha - I could go to Sears or JCPenney and find a ' Sunday Best' dress that looks better.

2. Monique Lhuiller - KILLER. Love the red. I'm not crazy about the ruffles, but ruffles don't scare Michelle Obama. She has the shoulders to kill in this.

3. Carolina Herrera - looked like a dress to the Oscars, not the Inauguration. BUT, I bet that Ms. Herrera could design a killer suit for Mrs. O.

4. Badgley Micshka - Come on. This for the First Lady, not Beyonce.

5. Betsey Johnson - um, no.

6. Rucci - um, he needed to at least add color.

7. Lagerfeld- no for the dress. YES for the suit. Love the Winter White.

8. Diane Von Furstenberg - I like it. The shoulders would have to be toned down, but Michelle has the body for it.

9. Suwannagate - too fussy. and what's up with the black top - yuck.

10. Marc Jacobs - no. not enough WOW.

11. Christian LaCroix- ditch the cape, and I'm in love., I do love the American flag purse - cracked me up.

12. LaCroix ruffled neck - don't like it.

13. LaCroix bow in the back - too fussy

14. Kors was so clean. So simple. I like the dress, but don't love it.

15. DeLa Renta - what's up with folks having such a hard time with Sasha's dress? She's seven. Have none of them ever seen little Black girls dress up in ' Sunday Best'? Loved Michelle and Malia's dresses . No to Sasha's.

16. Zac Posen - just say no.

17. Zac Posen off the shoulders - getting better, but still no.

18. Tracy Reese - I like it, but don't love it. Love the color though - killer.

19. Rodarte - three no's, but huge no's too the WeeMichelle dresses.

20. Rachel Roy - too simple.

21. Peter Som- I love it for some reason. I don't really grasp why, but I can see Michelle in it, and me going ' sigh' looking at it on tv.

22. Tahari - don't like it.

23. Tuleh - Michelle would rock it - the color, and the flow that I think I see in it.

24. Kai Milla - I'm not into the jeweled top look.

25. Nicole Miller - hate the bow.

26. Nicole Miller - I like the dress, but think Mrs. O should be in a suit for the actual inauguration.

27. Reem Acra - they're killing me with the Sasha dresses. Killing me! Just say no.

28. Reem Acra - just say no.
I'm not kidding when I say any middle class Black mother could go into JC Penney or Sears, let alone Bloomingdale's or Saks, and find better selections for Malia and Sasha than we've seen from these designers.

29. Reem Acra for Michelle Obama - I like. Accentuates all the positives of Mrs. O

30. Reem Acra - like the White, but 29 is better, IMO

31. Badgley Mischka - um, no. not formal enough for the actual Inauguration

32. Rucci - no.

33. The Diane Von Furstenberg Suit - I'm in love. The design. The color. OMG, Mrs. O would rock it.

34. Carolina Herrera - classic, but not rocking.

35. LaCroix - give the man credit. He knows FLARE. Damn, this is FLARE.

36. LaCroix - too much flare, and pouffy.

37. Zac Posen - still saying no

38. Tracy Reese - me like this for the Inauguration.

39. Rachel Roy - no

40. Peter Som - I love it. and hope to see it on Michelle Obama one day. But, not at the Inauguration.

41. Tuleh - same as 40.

42. Marc Cornejo - blech.

I love the Lhuiller the best - but she does wedding gowns so she has skills. I'd like to know what Amsale submits if she does. I loooove the DVF gown and the suit - but not for the inauguration. The Herrera could work and Tuleh. But you gotta see fabrics. I know this is serious business but man I would love to play dress up for real with clothes that cost that much. With the right stylist and tailor and some taste of course one can look flawless and seamless every day. Sigh.

I didn't like any of them.

I LOVE the fact that they were drawn.

I'm in love with the red Lhuiller gown. Michelle Obama would kill in that. The LaCroixs were all TOO much, it looked like stuff that they would wear on "Dynasty". I think Zac Posen did the "Gone with the Wind" dress, really, what was he thinking. I saw a couple of suits (one of them a Nicole Miller, maybe) that would have looked good for the actual swearing in ceremony.

I agree with you about the girls' dresses, not cute.

some women can't do ruffles. but, as I said, Mrs. O isn't afraid of ruffles. she would KILL in that dress.

I did not like the one that looked like a plantation dress. It is wrong on so many levels to make Michelle Obama look like something out of "Gone With The Wind" or "Alex Haley's Queen" it's a 21st century Inauguarl Ball, not a 19 century cotillion. She young, hip and black, she is not Mary Lincoln.

What I liked, I really like that Red Monique Lhuiler(?), red was fabulous. That would probably be my pick, but not in Red, Royal Purple maybe. There was a Michael Kors dress that I loved. The Badgley Mischka was nice too. I also kinda like the Mizrahi(?) piece for Michelle, Malia, & Sasha

That Betsey Johnson montrosity was horrendous. As I said previously, the "plantation" dress, and I just could not stand those series of dresses that looked like something out of the X-Men (i.e. Storm) comics

LOL ...X-Men...

Which one was the plantation dress?

I think it was one of the Zac Posen dreses

Which I find interesting since I've seen some celebrity wearing Zac Posen dresses and they've all been pretty cute

It was more victorian than plantation. Posen can be a great designer but some of his gowns can be too constumey. That design is for costuming for a movie.

aww...#16.

I'm taking another look to narrow my choices down. And I am drawn to #14 Michael Kors because the color is stunning and would look great on Michelle. It's has a sense of elegance. And she has amazing arms.

#21 Peter Som. Winter white looks fab on people of color. The sleeveless boat neck shows off her arms. And just picture Barack in his black tux.

#29 Reem Acra may be close to my fave. Michelle could rock this so hard, Barack will want to leave the party early!

#33 Diane Von F. showed out with this suit. Has a Jackie O vibe to it. But not for the Inauguration though..

All of the LaCroix looks remind me of Diana Ross in Mahogany-"I want my man back"...

Are you sure about #38? I don't think it's formal enough

38 - I like it. You're right about the formality. I like a lot of these designs for Michelle Obama's first foreign trip, though.

33 - that's why I love it. It's a bit Jackie O, but it would be all Michelle Obama. The color against her skin - damn - she would rock it.

29 would hug every curve, wouldn't it. and power red too?

I still love #2. And, the Kors has grown on me, but it's a bit ' too' understated.

yeah. I think it's the color that makes me stare.

Wasn't it Norah O' Donnell that made it a point to say that she will not be able to accept gifts and has to pay for everything? I wonder what will be the price tag on some of these dresses.

true. But, Mrs. O needs a first class wardrobe. the PE made 4 million last year - I think she can get some designer duds.

The First Lady usually gets her threads for free.

Yes indeed. I'm so excited

Where did you see the designs at?

Here you go....

WWD

Not sure if this has ever been discussed, but an alarming incidence of Autism is affecting Somali immigrant children in Minnesota.

Here is an excerpt from the Star Tribune, Aug 24, 2008

Autism statistics alarm Somalis
A cluster of affected kids has sparked an investigation in Minnesota. Health officials are puzzled by the data.

As an educator, Anne Harrington had her suspicions.

As a pediatrician, Dr. Dan McLellan also had his.

Both noticed an unusual number of Somali children turning up in their autism programs in Minneapolis and began to wonder why......

In Minneapolis, fears have been fueled by some puzzling statistics. Last year, Somali children made up just under 6 percent of the school population, but 17 percent of those in the early childhood autism programs (14 of 81 children). The numbers have been creeping up for several years, especially among young children.

"People are worried," said Saeed Fahia, who heads a Somali community group. "Nobody remembers any autistic children in Somalia. I'm sure there must have been some, but there were not that many."

Autistic children often have trouble speaking, adapting to change or controlling outbursts, and tend to avoid eye contact and prefer to be alone.

Somali children appear to have a more severe form of the condition, said McLellan, a developmental pediatrician and autism specialist at Children's Hospital. He estimates that 10 percent of his patients are Somali. "I do think there's something up with this," he said. "I don't know what it is." .....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, there has been much debate about what has attributed to the Autism epidemic---many blaming chemicals and vaccinations/ too many vaccinations.

This is particularly disturbing because these children are first-generation Somali children growing up in America so clearly something has gone awry.

There's a substantial Somali population about 16 miles down the road in Lewiston, Maine. I'll have to listen round and see if I hear anything here.

I believe its the immunizations.

Think about it when we were young, you didn't hear about such things. A friend of mine took his children in for their annual shots, prior to that they were healthy, not to long after that they "developed" food allergies, allergies to milk etc.

Since then he has researched this issue and has made the decision that none of his other children will get these vaccines.

The older kids have all types of health issues described above, the youngest without any vaccines are perfectly fine, allergy free.

He has had to fight for his kids to go without the immunizations, but he said he will not continue to put his children at risk of allergies, autism etc....

I hear you and the many other parents that believe vaccinations are to blame. But the fact is there is absolutely NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE linking autism and vaccination.

But a parent categorically deciding not to give their child ANY vaccinations based on limited evidence is not a smart and informed way to make decisions.

The difference between today and when we were kids is that there is an industry making money off kids with psychiatric diagnoses. There are more vaccinations but there are many other culprits that could be to blame in the environment ie our tainted food supply.

I wish the FDA would get off its ass and actually do something useful and publish some studies about vaccination, bisphenol A etc

Yeah but they used to say smoking was safe too. We really have no idea. Jenny McCarthy thinks there is a link and she claims she found a way to 'cure' her son. I say whatever works do it. I think it could be some of the additives or preservatives. But there's so much pollution and they shoot up all the animals with crap and there's salmonella outbreaks. It could be any number of things, but the number of cases of autism has jumped so quickly amongst a large population something is going on.

The high instance of PDD and money making industry of speclal education should not be seen as mutually exclusive.

Yes parents are deciding not to vaccinate based on very little evidence between correlation between vaccination and deterioration of children health. The are also doing it because it fits in the age old Black narrative (with some merit) of the medical establishment using Black folks as guinea pigs.

No, I can not say that there is no scientific evidence linking autism with vaccination( I do not know what the professional journals put out to date.)
However there is published papers in professional journals talking about the relation between:

1)The effects of particular proteins, peptides, additives, antibiotic and the gastrointestinal system of developing children.

2)Abnormalities in the digestive system of Autistic children

3) Correlation between digestive abnormalites and the neurological system.

The stuff I read was published in 1998. And their findings were based on articles published circa 1990-1994. So to say the least the findings are old.

I am pretty sure that their scientist who follow that line of thinking that I laid out above are publishing literature dealing with vaccination as one of the many factors triggering autism. Most likely looking the content of these vaccinations.

Most of the so-called research done on the link between Autism and vaccines has often only looked at the mecury additive thimerosal. which was supposedly removed in 2001 (yet the vaccines were still on the shelves to be dispensed, sometimes 3-5 years later).

There has never been a study on how the INCREASED scheduale of vaccines affect children. Children are now given multi-component vaccines that contain multiple viruses and bacteria. And on top of that, tey may be given3-4 shots at a time. To me that is an even greater issue. Also, there are other additives like aluminum, which is also a neurotoxin, that can be just as mush a nuisance.

The case with the Somali children is very blaring to me, for the fact that most of the parents of these children were probably never given the Ameican schedule of vaccinations as a child....and Somalis have claimed not to be aware of the high incidence of vaccines before. But since they live in America now, subject to the same vaccine schedule as the rest of us, there children are now faced with alarming rates.

Regardless of what an individaul thinks may cause it, something alarming is happening.

Monie,

I am curious, what books or articles have read dealing with causes of autism. What you just posted is more current than the info that I read. After I found that my daughter was not autistic I stopped researching. The research I read is ten years old and it was based on articles published 5 to 10 years earlier. That's old information. I know that there are tons of findings published during the 15-20 year span.

I attend TACA (Talk about Curing Autism) meetings--Jenny McCarthy is one of their more famous members. http://www.tacanow.org

Also http://ageofautism.com is another site i frequent. David Kirby, who often post on the Huffington Post writes article there also. And they usually keep up to date with medical studies and the CDC etc.

I also visit http://www.generationrescue.org They are a great source also. And they have a list of recommended books, some of which i own that deal with biomedical treatments. I am still researching and discovering new sources and information each day.

But checking those sites is a good start.

Thanks

I was reading a lot of DAN (Defeat Autism Now) stuff on their Website. I also read writings in an anthology by Dr. William Shaw. When he published his work, I got the feeling that he and his like minded colleagues were seen as a fringe group. I am glad to see that DAN stuff is getting more mainstream.

For me the most overwhelming aspect of the whole bio/nutritional medical aspect of treating autism is the nutritional protocol. It seems very daunting to say the least.

They are still seen as fringe by the scientific community. As with many health issues there is often a divide between the advocacy community and the medical and scientific.

Right, there have never been studies done on administration of multiple vaccines, also limited studies about aluminum. But all the evidence we have RIGHT NOW points to vaccines not being linked to autism.

This Minnesota case is certainly problematic- I agree. It could be lots of things going on. It might be vaccines. It might be a psychiatrist who has a really low threshold for diagnosing black kids who dont speak English as autistic. There are lots of things that could be going on here.

But I think automatically jumping to the vaccine link doesnt help us get to the bottom of this problem of increased number of kids with autism.This approach would work if parents concerned with this link raised lots of money to fund large studies conducted by reputable scientists at big research institutions.

Right now many parents are so scared of vaccines they are refusing to vaccinate kids and we are seeing outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases like mumps ( that can cause heart problems and infertility). I understand the fear and concern about vaccinating but we also have very real consequences of NOT vaccinating.

I misread your first sentence, I thought it said there were studies on the implications of multiple vaccines and aluminum. I apologize.

I wish I could post all the scientific articles that talk about the evidence/lack of evidence for the vaccine-autism link. However many are not publicly available.

I've probably read about some of those same studies, both here and overseas. And in many of them, the studies were funded BY pharmaceutical companies of physicians who were developing vaccines themselves.

Dr. Paul Offit , of the American Academy of Pediatrics,caught a lot of flack for discrediting/belittling parent's concerns while at the same time developing a patent for a Rotavirus vaccine.

Let's fact if, vaccines are HUGE money makers. And when you mandate childhood vaccinations, that is guaranteed money.

There has also been an uproar over the Gardasil vaccine and because of the outrage among some who claim it has caused adverse reactions, even death,---- to increase the profits I heard the manufacturer is now pushing for males to get vaccinated also.

Everything that you could possibly do has adverse effects. Dont get me started about Gardasil. Because many anti-vaccine people are saying crazy things about Gardasil.

There are many reasoned, rational things ( cost, evidence etc) that you could say about Gardasil but the rational things are not what people are yelling about. There were 8 deaths out 16 million doses and one death was a car accident and the rest were completely unrelated to the vaccine.

Will all these things you have to back it up with evidence. And too often advocates dont care about scientific evidence. And there is this gulf between public health folk, doctors and scientists at CDC and other agencies who operate on EVIDENCE and advoacy groups who want action NOW.

I have been in both groups and I understand the tension. But people have to be able to communicate to come to an understanding and that relies on using a common language.

And I think our conversation exemplifies that. Because for a while I didnt understand that you were reading my comments as denying the existence of autism. I do believe autism is real. But the way we were discussing was at cross purposes for a while. And this happens all the time. Its only when I stepped away from the computer and saw isonprize's comments that I saw how you were interpreting my posts.

We need a common language, more scientific evidence and more education, awareness and dialogue.

We can agree to disagree.

But this is what I know for sure. many unfortunate cases have occurred where prescription drugs have been placed on the market, say Vioxx, for example. These drugs supposedly went through extensive testing and studies and once they entered the market they KILLED lots of people and injured many others.

Now I have always believed that medicines/vaccines/ etc have some risk...I have a medical backgroung myself, worked in a laboratory and I have plenty of experience with studies and experiments...... But I do know that when the CDC or FDA or any other body says something is "safe", I take it with a grain of salt. There have been too many recalls, negligence, and other mistakes done on the side of the scientific community too. Even when my eldest was a baby, a Rotavirus vaccine had to be recalled because it caused blockage in the intestinal tract of children.

So simply because a vaccine is meant for "good" does not always mean the outcome is good for all people. And while they may protect us from some foreign antigen, they can also be devastating physiologically to another part of your body. For example, it has been reported that the Smallpox vaccine administered to a healthy military member caused death because the vaccine contributed to an inflammation in his heart muscle tissue and led to a cascade of events which killed him. Now, it may have quickly killed that soldier, but it may also ravage another soldier in a different way ---like slowly deteroiating their heart muscles, only to strike later a few years later.

But again, at the end of the day I can only speak for my experience and report what i know to be the truth. And what I have is instinct...and the best scientist can't even deny or take that away from me.

If you don't mind, link me to those studies because I have not seen them and I follow Autism and vaccine developments closely. I am active in many local and national Autism organizations, and quite frankly I've been hearing the opposite.

Nevertheless, the last few years the CDC has actually changed their stance somewhat. One time, they used to flat out deny a link and credited Autism chiefly to genetics. Just recently they have cited enviromental factors AND chemical exposure as possible causes.

MMR Doesnt Trigger Autism http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7226763.stm

MMR and autism link http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/conte...

Time Trends and Autism in California http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/2...

Population Based Study of MMR and Autism from Denmark http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/34...

This is just a few of rigorous studies out there

Some of these studies, especially the one from Denmark had a "neutral" outcome, but is was also discredited for its poor study design.

If I am not mistaken, even Gerberding (sp) over at the CDC backed off of the findings of that one....I will have to look.

A large majority of these studies are conducted by those with ties to pharmaceutical companies...I would personally like to see more independent studies alleviating the conflict of interest.

To be honest with you, i don't attribute the onset to just one vaccine, like MMR, though that may be the case in some instance. Adverse reactions to vaccines in individuals are real and can be debilitating and have long term effects in some people. My concerns are the effects of of multiple vaccinations over time.

In 1983, most children received 10 vaccines throughout childhood. Today, children who follow the recommended schedules are receiving at least 36 vaccinations before the age of 6. That is a huge increase....and where I live now, they have actually revised the paln within the last school yer requiring more.

Like I said, if Autism is a made-up manufactured disorder...where is the comparable adult population who have the same symptoms and diagnosis like the children of today. There is none.

Something has occurred...I live it...I've seen the changes with my own eyes....and I stand by that.

Never said autism was a made up disorder. I was arguing that there could be some misclassification as well as something that is causing this uptick in cases that has nothing to do with vaccines.

Email me offline at my screename AT yahoo and you can tell me what you are looking for.

I saw regression in my boys after vaccinations.

And though many people believe that is also hogwash...believe me, I KNOW my children.

But I won't just stop at Autism...like you said, there are a lot of conditions like food allergies, ADD, speech delays and other things that are on the rise. To be honest, I have never seen such large special education preschool class sizes like I do now.

I had a scare of my own with my middle daughter. I thought she autistic. So I had her tested. Thank God she is not. However she is disabled, but you can not tell.

During the period of having her testing, I did some research on the condition. I found that there is biology and autism.

There is a camp that believes that autism is cause from the destruction of the gastrointestinal flora (good bacteria in the digestive system) at very early age (approx. birth to 2 1/2 years). They believe that between the incorrect immunization dosages, over use of antibiotics and high consumption of dairy products during that developmental period lead to the condition.

I, for one thinks that that possibility is likely. My daughter demonstrated very mild symptoms of the disorder between the ages of 1 and 3. She has minor gastrointestinal problems since she began to eating sold food. More importantly she was give high dosages of antibiotics right after I'd given birth to her.

However, with all of my children, I breast fed her exclusively for her first six months of her life. I believe that it strengthen her digestive tract which was severely damage during the brief period she was give dosages of antibiotics.
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I state all of this to say that the rise of autism in the US as well as groups suffering from it on disproportionate levels points to the possibility that autism is an acquired condition. In short, I believe that autism is treatable and preventable.

Two of my sons have been diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder) and my oldest has some speech and social issues, more like Asperger's. Autism is very real to me...I know a lot of people aren't convinced. But there is something truly happening.

There is NO familial history on either sides of our families. I have personally never been that ill in my life. And I had very good pregnancies, led a good lifestyle. So others like me are baffled.

What is interesting is that, all 3 of my sons are so talented in different areas. My two oldest were reading a 3 years old. And just recently, I discovered my 5 year old playing music on our keyboard correctly without ever having a lesson.

many children have gastrointestinal and immune issues. I am one to believe that the over-vaccination of our children is devastating....especially the multi-combo vaccines and sometimes our children are leaving the pediatrician with 3-5 shots in one visit.

I follow Autism news closely. there is so much I could write about how Autism affects the family life...and many here know I am also in a military family...so at times I am dealing with some real issues.

But life is still good...and my boys are such a gift regardless. But I still want answers because at times I am dealing with things that no other member of my family has had to face before...and you know you always ask your Mama or Grandma for advice...Sometimes, my relatives just don't have the answers.

My daughter has speech issue. She is diagnosed with auditory processing disorder. She has a problem decoding and encoding language.

The first three years of her life was daunting for me. Like you, I did not know what was going on. I was frustrated that she was not developing like her older and younger sisters. I was worried. I work in the school system and I know how special needs Black children are treated.

Like your sons, my daughter have gifts. She was counting before she was talking. In fact. up until she was 3 1/2, that was the only way to verbally communicate with her. We would count. by alternating. (She'd say 1, I'd say 2, She'd say 3, I'd say 4, etc.) When we walked down the street she would count whatever her mind found, houses, parked cars, lines on the sidewalk.

Sometimes she talks with a clarity and understanding that only emotionally mature adults can muster up. At other times she can be very petty and infantile.

She is gifted musically but not particularly interested in pursuing it. (To her mother's dismay)

She has a mathematical mind, but she can not read socials cues. That scares me as a Black mother of a Black daughter. She does not have many friends and most her friends are white and Asian (she can't get to with the Bitch in Training culture that a lot a Black girls are victim to.)

In regards to vaccination, my mother, who come from the Black school of thought --"don't for forget the Tuskagee Experiments." She told me not rush my kids into vaccination. She said to wait a long while after every vaccination. I did that with my children. I was always between 6 months - a year behind in my kids vaccinations. I think that also helped my daughter. We also do not eat a lot of dairy products. Soy milk, Ice cream once in a while. We do not consume much cheese or eggs.

I dont believe this at all.

Autism and pervasive developmental delay ( an umbrella term of which autism is a subset) are way up. Other psychiatric disorders that have never been diagnosed previously in children (bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia) are also on the rise. I think part of this is because psychiatry is pathologizing lots of childhood behavior at the pressure of school systems that have high child to teacher ratios. Teachers cant handle kids that they would have been able to handle in the past ( punishment, rules etc) and they are pushing kids to doctors and medication so they are "easier to manage".

Add to this the fact that blacks are routinely diagnosed with the more serious psychiatric disorders. For instance blacks with the same psych symptoms as whites are more often labeled schizophrenic than depressive with psychotic features. Schizophrenia has a worse prognosis and most people with this diagnosis end up insituitionalised.

All this adds up to something smelly. Especially when you are talking about Minnesota and black kids from a different cultural and linguistic background.

Trumystique

It is definitely true education system easily label disruptive children particular Black kids as special education kids. But it is not for the reason that you think.

It's 'cause "PIMPING IS EASY" . There's "gold in thar hills" when it comes to the economy of special education.

1) School gets more money per child if the child is special needs. In New York the special ed child bring in about 4,000 a year more than general ed children.

2) Hospitals get education money because they have on sight school for the children. No matter a student's medical condition, children are mandated by the state law to be educated.

3) Pharmceuticals make a killing from pushing medication.

4) Private educational institutions dedicated to special needs children easily misdiagnos(sp) children for the purpose placing them in their programs to meet quota. (One such institution tried to mislabel my daughter so she can qualify for their program. I read those mother fuckers the riot act. Told them to correctly diagnos my daughter be subjected to state arbitration --Ah works in edumacation, ah knows mah ways aroun')

4) Case workers and social workers and all other non education/medical support staff suck of that federal, state, and local funds earmark tit for special education.

5) Mofos in the State and City Departments of Education don't give a rats ass about teachers. Teachers are considered canon fodder when it comes to special education money.

I was speaking about the medical viewpoint- that childhood behavior problems are made abnormal and medicated. Before this behavior would have been "being slow" or "being rowdy" or "lively". Both the psychiatric community, allied health, educational communities and pharma are complicit in this. And I think you did a great job of outlining how the educational community benefits from labeling and diagnosing our kids with these conditions.

Great Frontline special on the topic called The Medicated Child at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/ . Also Frontline did a special in the early 90s about autism but I dont see it on the website

I've seen that one...but if we are discussing the same one, many of those children had diagnosis of schizophrenia and/or ADD. It was truly tragic to see the effects the medications have on the children. And I have personally pledged not to medicate my own children because those medications are never even tested on youth populations and they also have devastating physiological effects

Yeah, this smells funny to me too. There is definitely a significant number of minority kids being diagnosed and medicated at earlier and earlier ages and its quite disturbing. Something is not right here.

There is definitely a significant number of minority kids being diagnosed and medicated at earlier and earlier ages and its quite disturbing.


Absolutely! I know of some parents in my hometown that have flatly refused to go along with this. Good for them!

Institutionalized. Sorry

Trumystique

There is an increase no doubt that makes many suspicious. I was suspicious really when problems began to arise with my first son---and I rejected a label.

But what I will tell you with my own experience....my sons DO have communication and speech issues. And it is chiefly that they have problems using functional language..and that CAN lead to disruptive behavior. A lot of these children have sensory issues. I can take my sons to an "unfamiliar" place and it sets them off. And to another person observing, if may appear they are "spoiled" but these behavioral issues are NOT a result of bad parenting or simply kids who want to act out.

When soldiers complained about illness after the first Gulf War and blamed it on chemical exposure, the government and doctors told them it was in their imagination. Today: the medical community has finally admitted that Gulf War Syndrome is REAL.

There are (at least) two issues at work in these discussions of autism

1. The misdiagnosis of autism and pervasive developmental delays or PDD,

2. the mystery of the cause of autism.

Lest there be any confusion, AUTISM IS REAL. It is a real condition manifest in myriad ways, not the least of which is the lack of social awareness. But there can be sensory, gastrointestinal, and communication, and comprehension issues. There can also be brilliance, empathy, musical and artistic genius. And let's not forget awkward noises, embarrassing behaviors, and lack of regard for toileting needs.

But contrary to some folks, I do thank God that my son has autism. There are many days when I would dearly love to take the autism and stomp it in the middle of the street, take it and throw it in the trash truck.

But then I think, how would he have been able to show me how to change between the DVD and the VHS player? How would I live missing his utter joy in watching "Men in Black" for the 7,528th time?

But I digress. Yes, I think autism is often misdiagnosed, and yes, I think that research into the cause would be helpful.

But there are families who are in the throes of an autistic tantrum that have no idea how to deal with not only their child, but what their lives have become. The education, medical and community service systems are just NOT set up to deal with people with autism.

I wish I had a dollar for every person or implied or actually said

"All that boy needs is a good ass whuppin' He'll be just fine."

"Umph, what kind of mother is she? How can she let that boy carry on like that?"

"She's in denial. That boy is retarded, she just won't admit it."

"He's too big to ride in the grocery cart!"

I'll stop now and acknowledge that I am actually heartened to see this issue discussed on JJP. I could also be a rich woman if I had a dollar for every time I've been to a workshop, seminar, lecture and been the only brown face around...

I hope that those of you who are quick to dismiss the 'over diagnosis' will also be mindful of the families who, for whatever reason or cause, are dealing with situations and symptoms for which they are utterly unprepared.

I also ask each of you to think of the children and adults with autism. Actually, anyone who learns and sees the world differently. Be a bit more aware of other perspectives. You will be a better person for it.

And remember, AUTISM: IT'S NOT LIKE YOU THINK.

Thank you for sharing that isonprize. I marvel at my boys all the time because despite some challenges, they are gifted and beautiful...and they are MINE. And I learn so much from them as they learn from me.

But i have to tell you, with all 3 of my sons exhibiting traits of Autism, it is hard because I still dont understand how ALL 3 of my children are living with diagnoses.....it basicaly defies the statistics of genetics. So to me, I am in search of the culprits....and simply attributing to genetics isn't suffice for me. And you know Autism is even more prevalent in males.

I will say that it is scary thinking that in the event my husband or I aren't around to care for them, I wonder who will understand them enough to take care of them the way I do. I have had to learn so much myself and that is why I now make it a priority to educate every single family member or friend I have, just in case they have to stand in my place one day.

Because you know it takes a special kind of parent to deal with the issues we face, and like you said we were utterly unprepared but are now adapting.

I send my prayers to your family and especially your son.

I never said autism as a diagnosis is not a real. Its a syndrome because its a constellation of symptoms -- that are very real to you as a parent and anyone who has worked with autistic kids ( I have by the way). But the fact is that autism is just that --a collection of symptoms. We have no idea of the underlying cause and whether this spectrum of symptoms matches up to a particular organic problem.

What I am questioning is the drastic increase of this condition by thousands of percentage points in the last few years. The diagnosis of all psychiatric disorders are completely subjective and vary from psychiatrist to psychiatrist. While we have objective standards as codified in the DSM IV that helps this be a little bit more objective its still important to be critical- especially in instances where there are financial incentives involved.

There may be financial incentives, I don't deny that.

But what I am experiencing is very real. And is something entirely new. My hubby and i both have large extended families and we cannot find any evidence of the issues we are facing with our children in at leat 2 generations.

My two youngest are 15 months apart....and while the speech therapist in early intervention would work with my middle son, I would often ask her what did she think of my youngest, as he was always ther participating in the sessions with my other son. To her, my youngest was completely age-appropriate with social skills, language. At that time, I had held out on my youngest vaccines because of my older two.

Later, going against instinct, I vaccinated my youngest, since it was required for his daycare. He received multiple vaccines. And withind a month, he regressed. His temperament changed, his attention span waned. He was not the same child. I also took him to early intervention...and when the same speech therapist saw me at the office she was surprised, since she knew my middle son had aged out of early intervention. She wanted to know why was I there again...and I told her because my youngest son is exhibiting some of the same developmental issues.

Now she is not one to believe in the vaccine-Autism link herself, but she said to me "I am shocked. Your son is not the same little boy from a year ago....and I know that you know your kids" She always complimented me on the care and bond I have with my boys...and she admitted that his social and language skills had changed.

So to me, it is not just a matter of physicians just diagnosing subjectively. I have seen the regressive implications appear right before my eyes, and others have witnessed it...and agreed with me too.

We are not disagreeing.

You are talking about your kids. And what you are seeing everyday with them.

I am talking about populations of children and why we may be seeing increases in the number of kids with autism.

(AP) In central Alabama's Perry County, government workers already get a day off for President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Veterans Day. In 2009, they'll get one more: “Barack Obama Day.”

The rural county, which overwhelmingly supported Obama in last month's presidential election, has approved the second Monday in November as “The Barack Obama Day.” Commissioners passed a measure that would close county offices for the new annual holiday and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid day off.

At the state level, Alabama observes the standard federal holidays as well as a handful of its own that include Confederate Memorial Day in April and the June birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It observes Martin Luther King's birthday in January but the holiday is twinned with commemoration of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same day.

The Perry County Commission's three black members and one of its two white members voted for the Obama holiday.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/03/polit...

It observes Martin Luther King's birthday in January but the holiday is twinned with commemoration of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same day.

WHOA

I want a Barack Obama Day. Maybe I'll just request off from work :)

When I see this cover, that Outkast song plays in my head...

Ain't nobody dope as me I'm dressed so fresh so clean
(So fresh and so clean clean)
Don't you think I'm so sexy I'm dressed so fresh so clean
(So fresh and so clean clean)
Ain't nobody dope as me I'm dressed so fresh so clean
(So fresh and so clean clean)
I love when you stare at me I'm dressed so fresh so clean
(So fresh and so clean clean)


Damn, I haven't seen a politician which so much swagger. GreenLadyHere I need a church fan.... oh yeah, and an oxygen mask too. ;-)

carolinagirl: LOL! :>) :>) Just got back! Hope you survived long enough that the FAN & "OXYGEN MASK" will be helpful! :>) :>)

**S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G** to share with you! :>) :>)

LAWD HA'MERCY!! Just cain't go nowhere!! :>) :>) :>)

No one on the corner got swagga like us

Swagga like us

Swagga swagga like us

Carolinagirl,

Watch him as he walks out to do his press conferences! It's like.......dayummm!

The man's so dang good-looking! Wow!


GreenLady.....where you at? lol

Justice58: HERE!!!! :>) :>)

UNDER MY "OXYGEN MASK!" :>) :>)

Annnnnnnnnd, in front of the "AIR CONDITIONER!" :>) :>)

So I'm watching Jack Cafferty on CNN, and his last question was about Ed Rendell and what he said about Janet Napolitano's appointment. Apparentaly Rendell said, that janet was a perfect choice because she had no children, and therefore no life to interfere with the job.

did anyone else hear about this?

Ed Rendell is an ass. He really pissed me off during the primaries, when he was sutmping for Hilary.

Sounds to me like Ed is jealous!

Fast Eddie has put his foot in his mouth so often it's ridiculous. But as a Philadelphian, I liked him as mayor and voted for him as governor of PA. He has said some real stupid S$%^& but that's Eddie. I guess I'm used to it.

I will say in his defense however, he is definitely a team player. He is also a prolific fundraiser. He pulled all kinds of folks together in Phila to raise $$ for PE Obama. He also, as Phila mayor, did an appearance with Louis Farakhan. And Fast Eddie is Jewish. Yeah, he says some dumb S$%^& but he's real and at a basic level, he connects with people. .

He also was the one to suggest the "Philly Blitz" -- Four rallies in four REAL neighborhoods. Not a pristine cooker cutter suburban thing, but real gritty, all-kinds-of-people-in-the-city rallies. They were amazing. Fast Eddie knew just which neighborhoods to pick! And just how to help get 80+% turnout!

He can be a jackass, but he's my jackass...

What an asinine comment. It also reminds me of the mentality I have to deal with at work. If there's a big all-hands-on-deck project, everyone can go home at 5, unless you're a single woman with no kids (there's 5 of us) in which case you're supposed to stay "as long as it takes" to get the project done. My boss made tried that crap on me once, and I schooled him on a few home truths. He never made that mistake again.

Good for you, MsKitty! Put him in his place!

Yes, he pissed me off as well with the white people might not vote for the black guy thing! His voice annoys the hell out of me too, just like Palin's does! Ugh!

Barack is so fine! Dayumm!!!

Much respect to Michelle... and girl you better watch the interns!

I said those sistas on Barack's staff are Michelle's eyes and ears. There will be no cow-eyed intern casting glances Obama's way - they will get bum-rushed out the White House so fast, you can cast them in "Invisible Life".

CPL: You betta believe!! :>) :>)

IFFFF anyone sees somebody's earrings coming off, THEY had betta find the nearest EXIT!! 'cause THEY done "stepped" 2 far!! :>) :>)

I'm just sayin' . . . . .

Ditto Ditto Ditto

Pant pant pant

swooooooning

wrb: Girrrrrl! Church FAN/"OXYGEN MASK!" :>)

You're gonna be O.K. :>) :>)

Not only do I love this cover, but I also loved the previous Ebony cover of Michelle Obama as well. I think the Essence covers were horrid.

"I think the Essence covers were horrid."

Horrid is such a strong word (you think they are THAT bad?)....I admit this Ebony cover IS more appealing.

But ANY tastefully done cover with PE elect Obama and Michelle Obama makes me PROUD---Period.

Sorry, but horrid is the word. They looked plastic to me. Its not like the Obamas aren't both incredibly attractive, so I don't understand why the magazine felt the need to do that.

Too much retouching. That's why. Photoshop run amuck.

Do we get this cover automatically as a mag subscriber...or do you have to order it, or what?

This IS a great cover. I'll get this edition of Ebony and the "Michelle Obama" Essence cover.

Hey guys,

I have a query: Since there are a limited number of cambinet post (about 12 right?) and some people have taken issue with the lack of "diversity" in the top positions, or the lack ot "progressives" in the top positions, I wonder what ya'll think is better, having a diverse group of cabinet members, or having a more diverse administration overall? I ask because it seems to me since there aren't alot of those "cabinet" positions, a substantially diverse administration would be pretty amazing. For my money, Obama's cabinet is pretty diverse already: blacks, women, latino(admittedly just the one). But wouldn't it be worse to have a diverse top group, but still have a less than diverse staff positions. I think it was Eugene Robinson who I heard say that yes, Bush appointed Condi as SoS and NSAdvisor, but the staff below her was grossly under-diverse, I think he said that it was "still mostly white guys"

Persaonlly, the cabinet positions are for show. However, diversity staffing downstream is far more important. That type of staffing means folks are put in place to get the experience to go on and do far more important things based on having had that opportunity.

I think Obama knows this. It was evident with the OMG appointment assistant of Rob Nabor...Rob made not be chief honcho...but just gaining a foothold at a higher level increases the potential of diverstiy further down the line.

After all, look at who Obama is choosing. He is selecting folks who were downstream in the clinton adminstration that now are recognized as experienced competent folksand several are acknowledged experts

So, for my money I think building diversity downstream speaks well for talent pool later all.

Kinda like plants...the more you bulbs you plant in the fall...the better spring garden you have.

I've contradicted myself by stating that there are certain positions where I didn't care the color or sex of the person, only the ideology - progressive. Those are EPA, FDA, Interior, and any place dealing with workers rights, worker safety, safety of health towards the public. These places have been so devoid of people working FOR THE PEOPLE - that they need zealots to even begin to right the wrongs done during the Bush years. Ideology in those positions are needed over anything else. If there is a diverse ideologue, then ok, but I want to see near zealots on those positions.

Anyone sick of reading or hearing about America's Next Most Wanted Big Bad Black Athlete, this is a great read. This is the stuff you'll never see on ESPN (Every Suspect Probably Negro) or from the talking shrillers on any sports show:

http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/12/03/you-dont-k...

I'd love not to hear about them, but when they are as stupid as Plaxico, you just shake your head in disgust.

FYI, the nurse/doctor stupid enough to NOT report the gunshot wound have found themselves in trouble with the medical review boards.

Co-sign. I know there might be a double standard buried in all of this, but I can't get past the stupid. He's damn lucky he didn't hit his femoral artery, otherwise we would be watching his funeral today.

He wanted to be big & bad carrying around his lil gun and damn near shot his Willie off. The suspension is probably nothing considering the embarrassment.

Oh I listen to the 2 Live Stews everyday so I know the latest and greatest of the sports stories. Plaxico was definitely stupid, but so was Matt Jones and Nick Kaczur - but I bet I couldn't find 10 people to tell me what it is they did.

Did Bush pardon Gonzales?

Anyone going to see that new movie about David Frost and Richard Nixon?

Love this cover. Love it.

I just got the email from the Obama folks about their new limited edition calendar. I plan to get one of course (or 2 or 4), but I'm just curious - what is the money that they are raising going towards? Is it the inauguration and transition expenses? I'm happy to contribute to anything Obama does, but I'm not sure why I'm still being asked for money....

I have to re read the email,but I thought it said that the money was going to the Democratic National Committee.

D'oh! I guess I should have done that myself, huh? LOL. According to the email it states:

When you make your donation, you'll be supporting the Democratic National Committee. The resources they invested in the 50-state organizing strategy made this movement possible -- help us build for future victories together.

So "future victories"...hmm...dag, I'm broke Barack....if it wasn't for that calendar...

I'm guessing the transition and the re-election warchest. Why wait until just before the next election to start raising money?

I just got one asking for money for the DNC and it was for a polar fleece jacket.

Im not digging into my pockets anymore. And plus I am still waiting on my Tshirt.

Obama is not the first openly acknowledge non-white to be POTUS or VPOTUS.

There was a Native American name Charles Curtis. He was the Vice President under Herbert Hoover.

Per Wikepedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_President_Cha...