Wanda's Blog

Rest of November

2010-12-07T02:11:00.000-08:00

The rest of November proved to be as busy as the first part. We saw the Eakins exhibit and attended a lecture at the PMA and then went over to the Cleopatra exhibit at the Franklin. The former was good and the latter was pretty grim. Too many people, and the audio and written portions did not say the same things. Plus, the bimbos at the entrance were not paying attention at all to the times of the tickets. That probably accounted for the overcrowding. Then there were the toddlers and young kids. Why would you take your youngsters to an obviously NOT "Elizabeth Taylor" type exhibit that truly has some fidelity to the history of the time??? To annoy people who actually care about history?
At any rate, Philadelphia, unlike other major cities really seems far too often to take the low road and do things in a less than professional way. So sad when you compare to what Chicago and NYC do with their exhibits.
We went to the Met Museum of Art to see the Genghis Kahn exhibit, which was truly excellent, and then saw Bernadette Peters in "A Little Night Music" which was OK. I am not a great Sondheim fan anyway, and this story was silly. Although Peters was quite good.
The Polish Cultural Arts Society had their annual formal dinner and we attended. My friend Regina got to present a talk on the two books she has written, and we had a great time. The very next day we joined the same group at the Mazowsze performance at the Kimmel.
We learned to make gnocchi and other pastas at Carlow Cookery -- and then immediately ran out to buy pasta attachments for our Kitchenaid mixer. We made gnocchi for Tara and Mike that weekend. Although they thought that they were good, I thought our Carlow ones turned out better.
Book and Wine club discussion was on The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- very, very stimulating discussion. Seems as though people either hated or loved it. Brian and I both loved it, but we seemed to be in the minority. Really, it was work to read, but if one stuck with it, it was SO worth it.
We went to Shannon's for Thanksgiving. The twins are getting so big and are maturing and developing nicely. It is so much fun to watch them grow and learn! We are truly blessed.

can't believe it's November!

2010-11-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Having a spectacular fall! Carlow Cookery had a great soup “hands on” class. Yummy and it was so much fun to actually DO this time instead of watch – although we love to do both. We took the recipes to Shannon and Jon’s and made one of them for the family for dinner. It made a big hit.
Sandi and Hank were over for dinner. I made an interesting molasses based brisket. So yummy. Alina was over that day, and she indulged with a carvel ice cream cake shaped like a pumpkin. We took her to the zoo the next day, but although she loved the zoo itself, the class Tara had signed her up for was uninteresting and she was bored. Plus she was NOT happy that she had to go to daycare after the class since we had to go to the orchestra.
The performance was another winner. The conductor was a new one and he did a super job with the Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin piece and a magnificent job with the Musorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition/arrangement by Ravel. Fine, fine, fine!
We attended the Polish Arts Society of Trenton’s analysis of “Behind Closed Doors.” Brian and I had already seen most of the documentary, so none of it was particularly enlightening, but the discussion was interesting. Also interesting was how much more the two of us knew about what happened at this time in WW II history than many of the Poles who were there – not the immigrants – they knew. But the Polonia. Guess they were poisoned by their American education.
Went to Charlottesville and stopped to see Monroe’s house along the way. We stayed in the cutest B&B that had super food. Alice and Marshall joined us for dinner and the next day we drove up to their place near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just splendid. What a gorgeous part of the country.
On our way back from their house we stopped in a microbrewery and bought Jon some boutique beers. Some guy was pretty intrigued with us and he treated us to a taster’s selection of their beers. It kinda reminded me of the time the guys paid for our dinner in Nashville!
We went to Shannon and Jon’s and took the little girls trick or treating. The whole weekend was full of Halloween activities – they actually tired us out and we had to beg off on one party.
We attended two art museum Member’s Only tours. One was great, the other, I swear the poor woman must have had dementia. She rambled and simply made no sense. It was painful to listen to, and we left early to meet Tara, Mike and Alina at lunch.
Just got back from Chicago where we visited with Linda and Ken. What fun it was to see them again! We went to a beastly expensive restaurant for a 20 course meal with wine pairing. The meal took 3 hours and it was unbelievable. The NY Times actually rates Alinea as their #1 pick for Chicago restaurants – they are correct. It was a gustatory, auditory, olfactory feast for the senses – with a great deal of whimsy. We almost fainted when we got the bill, but it was worth it as one of those once in a lifetime treats.
We took in the Art Institute for 4 hours and went window shopping on the Miracle Mile. On the way back we met a lovely couple with similar interests and we will be getting together with them soon. He’s a journalist and she’s a banker, so she enjoyed talking with Brian and he and I really hit it off. It’s so exhilarating to talk with people who are up to date and well informed.
I once had an acquaintance say that the news was too depressing and never read it. How can you live without being aware of your surroundings -- or even have an opinion to vote if you don't read the paper??? Oh well, this guy Tom, reads 6 a day. Better informed than me.

October update

2010-10-17T20:48:00.001-07:00

Oh what a few weeks!
So, Ok, Brian liked Canada and I did not. Boring. He liked the history – and I, who like European history, and think North American history is dreadfully uninteresting, did not agree. Quebec was lovely – Ottowa had nice architecture – other than that, I am not sure that glass high rises are really my thing. Toronto sucked from an aesthetic point of view. Niagara Falls was not nearly as big as I remembered from when I was a kid. Big, but not AS big.
Luckily we met some wonderful folks – a couple from N.C, and a couple from Australia who were worth the trip. Great people and, since we plan to go to Australia in the next two years, they are a great contact. And friendly and intelligent.
Other than that it has been the usual whirlwind of activities. Our library book club started up at full speed again when David came back from his shore haunts. Discussion back on track and sparkling.
Alina spent two nights and we took her to the Philly Zoo. OK – nothing compares to the San Diego Zoo. Since I saw that zoo, all the rest have paled in comparison. But she loved it.
Went to the symphony and the orchestra played selections from Dutilleux, Liszt, and Prokofiev. OMIGOD was it a wonderful performance. We were mesmerized. Also went to the first opera performance which was Othello. Just OK – fairly weak voices. The soprano playing Desdemona saved it.
Did a presentation for the MA Dept of Mental Health in Worcester on my restraint issue material and then we did a B&B day plus a trip to the Museum of Russian Icons. Wow is all I can say. The museum is a little gem in the middle of MA nowheresville. We had the docent to ourselves and I was so entranced for the two hours that I nearly drooled. He just made it completely come alive for us. Otherwise it would have just been plain old pretty icons – with gold and silver.
Had dinner with Ted and Mary – Golly can she bake. She made an apple pastry that was so divine it could have ascended to heaven.
We had a Kosciuszko Foundation fundraiser at our home. Oh my! What fun and what a great group of folks. We had a Kosciuszko actor who was fabulous for the show (and his page) and wonderful Chopin music plus Polonaise dance lessons. Raised lots of $ and had one hell of a good time.

Activities galore

2010-09-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

So, the kids and grandkids are gone and it's just us! Boy are they growing up fast. Alina is definitely Dziadzio's little girl and Sophie is mine. Jacqueline is an equal opportunity grandchild.
We took the twins to the Polish festival at Czestochowa twice before they left. OMIGOSH did they have fun watching the dancers and dancing. It was hard to get them to leave. Thought we would see Ken and Bill and Rose/Jay there but didn't. Saw lots of folks from our Polish organizations though. Brian and I volunteered for two shifts at the Styka art exhibit and had some interesting conversations with the members of the Polonia.
The Romiszewskis and Pettis were over for Labor Day before Shannon and the twins left. We had great weather and a super picnic. I made Lori's lemon chicken which Brian grilled. It was definitely as good as hers and it made a big hit. The twins were on their very best behavior and all thought that they were little angels HA!
Went to our library book club where I presented Dog Boy and Brian presented more than one history book -- as usual. The book and wine meeting was loads of fun as usual and A Happy Marriage by Iglesias provoked MUCH conversation. One of the newer members -- probably will not last long with this group -- proved to be a very needy and self-referential angry guy. He was angry at his kid, his ex-wife. I can see why she is an EX! It was all me, me, me. I suspect he's a short timer. The group won't tolerate the narcissim and it was obvious that he was annoying folks. Too bad, because we could use more men in our club. I'll have to try to recruit some.
Went to see Sandy and Hank at the beach for two days. The weather was so gorgeous. I do think that fall is the best time to go to the shore. Not only are there no crowds but the weather is not so beastly hot.
The Motameds had their end of summer party -- smaller this year. We really do enjoy meeting his former buddies from Chubb. It gives us something completely different to talk about from our usual. It's so interesting to hear how high execs in corporate America view the world.
I started my creative writing class. The instructor is a complete jerk and I am wondering if I am going to get anything out of this. He spent the first hour pontificating about -- me, me, me, my, my, my and rambling. I finally got completely bored stiff and tried twice to re-direct him to what the heck he was going to teach us. It really amazed me that no one else tried to do that. What a bunch of wimps. Hey you guys are paying for this and you are NOT paying for someone to ramble about nothing of importance or interest. Want to pontificate, write a blog! Later several people thanked me for my intervention, but it all left a strange taste in my mouth. On the one hand I am turned off by him, on the other, I am disgusted by people's passivity.
We're off to Canada for 10 days -- a trip I've been looking forward to for a long time. Lots of great French food and culture.

a very frazzled August

2010-08-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

A more than frantic August! Wow, we have been busy, busy. We attended the museum tour and lecture about armor, which surprisingly was very good. Went to Carlow for a streets food cooking class, which was GREAT!!! Carlow Cookery is my new favorite place to go for a casual evening!
Had a small do with incompatible acquaintances that turned into a big and less than pleasant do. We have not had many events where we invite folks together for dinner parties like we did in the past – probably will have less now. I think we will continue to meet and arrange larger groups at restaurants or public venues the way that we’ve been doing. Safer. Perhaps people tend to behave themselves – drink less because they have to pay for meal/booze themselves. Perhaps home is a safer place than public to act out. High maintenance, needy friends. Arggh! I have enough trouble managing myself for goodness sakes.
Alina ran us ragged before Shannon came with the kids but it was a good ragged.
We went to the Kosciuszko Fnd. Fundraiser concert. It sounds as though they are happy to have volunteers to help out with their events. The musicians were pleasant, but not perfect. But it was about the evening itself, not perfection.
Shannon came with the twin crew and we have been trying to keep them busy and give her a break. Both Brian and I are feeling our age, as well as our propensity to be set in our ways! But they are so damn cute and turning into little people.
The few days that Alina was here with them were TRULY hectic. We had a photographer out with them to try and get family photos of all three. Thank goodness for children’s photographers because I would be pulling out my hair. Alina did not like him and the twins were less than pleased as well. I am hoping that he managed to pull off some cute shots though.
Brian and Shannon did Carlow’s tomato and corn class and we now have Shannon as a tomato convert. She had always hated them in the past – vestiges of being raised in W. Texas for so many years where the produce sucked.
Joined Sandi, Hank, and Ashley with the crew at the shore for 3 days – or as the girls called it – the “bitch.” They loved playing in the waves and sand, although J. was much more adventurous than Sophie. Ashley was a god send. They loved her.
We took a hiatus from the Thornburgs last weekend and took ourselves to Avalon with the Tulmans and the Simpsons. As always we had a wonderful time. Avalon is my all time favorite beach. Bitch??
So, September is upon us and I don’t feel a bit rested and the calendar is packed, packed, packed already. Looking so forward to our Canadian vacation – where it will be cool and less hectic!

things

2010-08-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Can things make you happy? Finally, studies that confirm what I have suspected for a while and all point to one conclusion: spending money for an experience – concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco – produces longer lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff. Whereas most physical goods tend to lose their appeal as the purchaser becomes accustomed to them, experiences strengthen social bonds and pay dividends over time. We reminisce about them, talk about them and even the most hellish of vacations or road trips turn out to be money well spent.

guest aggravation

2010-08-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

Good grief! This is the second time in recent memory that I have had a guest who had too much to drink get belligerent and obnoxious to another guest. The first time was in a discussion with my son in law, Mike, who was opining on a perfectly legitimate topic regarding end of life decisions and got clobbered verbally by a friend who took offense and took Mike’s opinion personally. Poor Mike – not only was he taken aback by the vitriol, but as far as I was concerned he was correct in his views. The other day’s fiasco concerned health care reform and a friend, who is pretty opinionated, not backing off on his views when it was clear that the other guest had one that was opposite to his. Arghh! I thought fisticuffs would result!
When I select guests I always want to choose an interesting mix of characters, but how to make sure they will all get along? It doesn’t do to invite people who are known to clash with other dinner guests or cause heated debates. No one wants tension at a dinner party. But how to predict this? I want my dinner parties to be lively, stress-free events, and invite guests who are good conversationalists, especially those who are known to bring along their sense of humor. But how to predict? We often have folks who disagree with our politics, and we simply do not get into debates with them, knowing that they hold opinions that we won’t change – nor do we want to. That seems to work well. When we get close to a topic that seems touchy, we simply change it. Although I don’t know why we can’t have a reasoned discussion about controversial topics, it just does not work most of the time.
So, I now know that I won’t invite those two folks with others, as once is one time too much as far as I am concerned. They now go on the short left side of my guest list that is reserved for people to have by themselves to dinner. Oh well, live and learn.

July doings

2010-08-04T02:18:00.000-07:00

Another month of whirlwind activites. Grace and Jan had a 4th of July party with fireworks watching at their house. Grace has such talent putting together a beautiful dinner party. The food was wonderful and the presentation was sublime! The woman should have been a stager of events! Of course the company was wonderful as well and it was great to see Jan on his feet and healthy again. Went to Sandy and Hanks for the day at LBI during a cooler day this month and the shore was gorgeous. We really lucked out on the weather. Empty nesters were over for a swim and picnic and that was a nice evening and we saw Barbara and Gene in NJ at the Spanish Tavern. I love those two and will never forget our bonding at our ill fated Ukranian adventure. I'd only opt to be with them in a ship wreck!
I went to one of the writer's group meetings and that was a bust. No one but the organizer and me knew anything about writing. I told her that I did not need to be in English comp 101 where people could not move an argument forward in a linear way. And I quit.
Alina was over for 3 days and then a weekend this month. What a chatterbox! Now she is beginning to chatter in Polish as well as English.
We also attended her 2nd birthday party. Must have been the hottest day of the year in Philly that day. I melted -- and so did she. After 2 hours, she asked to go home and when we took her there, she actually asked for a nap. I know how she felt.
Went to see Second City at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. Very funny show. Sephen Colbert is a graduate of Second City. It looks as though the PTC has an interesting season scheduled and I think we may go for season tickets as all of the shows sound good.
We went to the Constantine Tapestries collection tour at the museum and found it to be surprisingly intersting. I had not been enthusiastic about that one, but goes to show you that you should never pre-judge. It turns out to be one of the more interesting tours we've taken and both of us learned a lot. Afterward we stopped to visit an old friend that we hadn't seen for a while in Philly and we remembered why we distanced ourselves. Lordy, life is way too short to be with negative people. Plus, I remember that relationship -- it was one of those 90% us and 10% her, consistently. I felt lucky to get outta there without a cloud over my head!
Motameds and Rohovskys came to dinner. I FINALLY managed to get the 4 if them and us together after trying for two years. Had a great time and it was super to see that they were such a good match considering that we all live so close.
Bill and Ken came over for a swim and cheese/wine. It's been a while since we've gotten together with them. Will have to have them over when Shannon and the twins are here in August/Sept.
We went to Carlow Cookery and took a class on grilling fish. That was our first cookery class and we had SO much fun. We definitely will do that again. There were about 20 students and it was a really congenial class. Sampling all that food (all 5 dishes) was the highlight. The only one I didn't like that well was salmon, but I only like wild salmon for the most part. Actually, that was the first time in 6 months that I went back on my resolution to not eat seafood. I am really concerned about the overfishing and the fact that we are gobbling tuna AND that it has become an endangered species. Besides, when I think about what is being dumped into the ocean, I cringe.
We took a road trip to Bushkill falls, where I hadn't been since I was a little girl. It was a great hike, but the falls were a lot less impressive than they were from what I remember as a child. Things do seem smaller when one grow up. Funny thing about that.
Last week we went to NYC to the Met's Costume Institute and to see The Adam's Family with Nathan Lane. The Met exhibit was the best that I've seen there over the years -- and we've seen many exhibits there. The Adam's Family was really cute. Nathan Lane was good -- as always. And the actress that played Morticia was spectacular.
My facebook is yeilding some surprising results. I am connecting with some old friends and think now that we actually might have a reunion for the 50th. I also have been connecting with folks who have the same interests as I do and this has been the best part of this social networking site. I have become good buddies with a woman who has the same background as I do. Her father was deported to Siberia and he lived in the same town as my father. We are meeting face to face in October. I'm glad that I didn't let the drivel that some people post turn me off -- turning off is the purpose of unfriending!
So, this looks forward to another great month. Shannon and the twins will be here into September. I look forward to my time teaching Polish to the twins.
The only downer is that September -- and hence the beginning of the semester -- is upon us. Oh well, just another year of UMDNJ left.

Hot summer!

2010-07-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow is it hot and DRY! We have no rain and everything is wilting. Including me. But, as the so called conservatives tell us – there is no climate change. What are we leaving as a legacy for future generations?
Well, we continue to be busy and happy in our busy-ness. Went back to Tastebuds with friends last week and it was better than I remember AND we could have a decent conversation. Went to Inn at Phillips Mill with neighbors, Tom and Chris. Another good meal, but it was a bit noisy. For some reason there were a TON of people there. Got to keep down the restaurants to once or twice a week otherwise we will be sorry.
We went to Via Ponte with Ken and Bill. It turned out to be a bad choice. We’d been there with Przem and Jola but not on Trivia Night and thought it was just ok. It was loud and chaotic. I had to remind them to bring water. Brian’s appetizer was good and both of our entrees were good – not great but good, but the general incompetence was unacceptable. So it got a strike two and it’s off our radar screen.
Joined Sandi and Hank and Lori and Ashley at Harvey Cedars. The weather was DEEVINE and Lori made the BEST lemon chicken I have ever had.
I am moving forward on the book for LWW and am done with all but 2 of my chapters. Now time to farm out the rest. The Wiley book – I think – has been put to rest. Joan tried to get me to do some clinical vignettes, but I declined. They can pull them from Allan’s big book. I have been spending way too much time in my office in front of the computer.
I get to where I crave activity of some kind after a morning of writing and an afternoon on catching up on reading by the pool. Anything – even a walk in New Hope or Lahaska or a trip to B&N to check out the new book offerings. Wish Brian would play Scrabble with me! One of the few games I like, besides Super Quiz. That would be kinda fun on the deck. I need to find a Scrabble partner. Maybe Shannon when she gets here in August.
July 4 is upon us. Grace is having a Pagoda party tomorrow and we are having the Empty Nesters picnic on Sunday. The week after the 4th is beginning to fill up – I have my first Writers’ Group meeting on Tuesday in Philly, and the next week Alina is coming for 3 days.
We need it to cool down AND we need rain!

Whew!

2010-06-22T04:14:00.000-07:00

Haven’t posted much lately. I guess our project to fill time productively and happily is working a bit too well!
May saw us going on a Natural Habitat trip to Bryce Canyon, the north rim of the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park. Bryce was magical. Go on my facebook page to see absolutely stunning photos of the red hoo-doos. The national park service, however, has a long way to go before they learn how to evaluate the food service to which they farm out contracts. The food, wine and service was pretty mediocre. The north rim was disappointing in that I thought that there would be something different that we hadn’t seen at the south rim. Alas, it is the same but with fewer people. Majestic but the same views. The lodge was better than that at Bryce though. Zion was absolutely stunning as well. One can say that Bryce is lacy and dainty, but Zion is massive and Baroque. The vistas were amazing and the National Park service is doing a great job of controlling the tourists. We stayed outside the park. The accommodations were pretty darn good and where we ate was excellent for being stuck out in the middle of nowhere in Utah! The people on the trip were interesting and intelligent. I like this about NH trips. The travelers are a real cut above and the ratio is 10 travelers to one guide. Perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed the folks, except for one quasi handicapped lady who had no business on a trip that clearly advertizes that one has to hike – up and down steep hills in high altitudes – 5 -10 miles a day. She complained at the end that she hadn’t gotten her money’s worth. HELLLLO – if you can’t walk well from here to the end of the block, you ain’t gonna be able to hike down Bryce and back up. Go on a bus tour.
All in all though a wonderful trip with Natural Habitat. We truly bonded with most of the group and the guides were fantastic, arranging campfires with marshmallows and ghost stories, as well as wine and cheese at the bank of a river in Zion.
It was a good time to get outta town because I finally got to testify in the suicide case. It’s only been 2006 since the suit was filed! We lost. Hopelessly out-lawyered. It was such a good plaintiff case, yet the solo practitioners were so in over their heads that they put on a poor case. The defense lawyers were not all that great either in my opinion, but they were sharper than the ones who hired me. That’s it. No more solo practitioners. They simply do not have the resources to put on a good case the way that big firms do.
Interesting about that case. The judge was a guy who I went to high school with. He was voted cutest, best looking and all that good stuff. He was. He is not now. Has not aged well at all and he had no earthly idea who I was. Ah time. The great equalizer.
We visited the twins and their parents for the twins second birthday. They got matching tricycles and we got very cute photos! It was beastly hot in North Carolina! Come to think of it, it is beastly hot here.
Came back to a deposition in a case that I have had since 2004. So much for quick justice. I had been deposed by this jerk before and he didn’t get the answers he wanted, I guess, so he petitioned the judge in Illinois to re-depose. He stupidly wasted his time going over stuff that he’d gone over before and didn’t seem to “get it” that I was not going to answer questions the way that he wanted me to. What a tiresome attorney. Either very arrogant or unwilling to change his tactics because they’d worked for him in the past, I guess. Everyone wound up screaming at each other. The court reporter told me it was the worst dep she had ever been in. Me too. Gosh I hope the darn thing settles. I really don’t want to go to court with this jerk cross examining me.
Since we’ve been back, I put the final touches on the Wiley book and that one is in production now. I also met with my Lippincott team and we are in the process of updating that text, which will be in its 8th edition. Last too. I have no more texts in me and with retirement looming there are so many more interesting things I want to do.
I joined a writers group in Philly. We meet 2 x a month to share ideas and to critique each other’s work. It is time for me to tell the story of my parents. I’ve been encouraged to do that by so many folks, I have finally decided to take the plunge. Trouble is that I am a great academic writer, but no experience in anything else but that. I am hoping that the writers will help me break some bad habits!
We were at the opera last week to see Orpheus and Eurydice. Very good performance. Trouble is that we had to change our tickets to accommodate another show and had to take evening instead of matinee. Not being evening/night owls it was hard to stay awake on the way home. BORING old coots that we are.
We also saw Avenue Q with Ashley. It was her Xmas present and we had a blast. It was a very, very cute show. Some great lines. We took her out to the Yardley Inn for dinner afterward. Always a consistently good place to eat in Bucks County.
Ted and Mary came over to celebrate his birthday and our 41st anniversary. The Tulmans and Simpsons came over to celebrate Lorraine and Allan’s second grandson. Sandy and Hank came over to barbeque and swim. Grace had a birthday party for “the girls” to celebrate her 60th. Needless to say, she put on a great luncheon -- champagne, great food and party favors.
We’ve been busy with our two book clubs and empty nester’s group. The book clubs have really made us stretch our brains. Both of them are so different. The Doylestown bunch is younger. I think we are the oldest – surprisingly they listen to our “wisdom” and feedback. Don’t know whether they are being polite or what. The New Hope library bunch are older. We pool our aged collective wisdom. They are truly a well read and exceedingly well informed group. We don’t agree on everything, but it is fun to debate in a civil way respecting others’ points of view and having them respect yours – with grace.
Empty nesters is a fluffy group. No intellectual stretching there, but we have fun doing things. We meet to do interesting activities a couple of times a month. Robin finds the most off-beat things to do. What I really like about this group of friends is that they are all so positive and they keep us UP! We laugh a lot and have resolved to stay happy and stimulate our endorphins. I have decided that life is way too short to be down and to deal with negative and sour people who drain your enthusiasm. This bunch feeds your enthusiasm. Robin has the coolest way of turning everything into a positive. I noticed that we did have some downers who thought that this was a support group and they didn’t last long. No one wanted to hear them kvetch about life. They’re gone.
Tara is visiting with Alina and a friend from prep school this weekend. I haven’t seen Mihee in 8 years. It will be great to see her again. She wants to see the tile works in Doylestown. So this will be my10 trip there. Every time someone new comes to visit, they have to see the tile works. Sigh. It’s only for a couple of hours.
Here’s to a great summer. Next week we have a museum of art class; July 4 weekend is full of barbeques and activities and Brian made reservations to see The Adams Family in Manhattan in late July. Between all of this AND keeping up with the extended family in Poland who knows where the time goes? But it is FILLED! Whew!

having fun

2010-04-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

We continue on our project to make our end of life years richer and fuller. We finished up our course on cubism, which we both enjoyed but I think that Brian will definitely have to take a survey course in art history. Both of us will at the community college when I turn 65 next year. BCC has a program for seniors where you can audit what you want for free after age 65. Because I did all of that enrichment activity to keep myself sane by taking all of those art history, literature and so forth courses during my "lost years" in Midland, Texas, I was able to put more of what the professor said in the context of what else was going on in the art world during that time. It is interesting to bring together economy, politics, architecture, music and see how they intersect in the Zeitgeist of the times.
One Sunday we went to a B&B event in Flemington where they paired chocolate and wine. Oh my gosh were the chocolates wonderful. So were the wines, but I didn't really think that the vitner and the chocolatier did a great job of pairing. Some of the pairings were a bit jarring and some actually worked well. But we met a bunch of folks who were really, really pleasant, and the hosts were fantastically friendly people.
That same week we went to the Kantha exhibit and lecture at the Museum of Art. These members only tours and lectures are so informative. I would never be able to see or know the meaning and significance of some of the works that we have seen without them. The Kanthas were exquisite and so very detailed. That same day we were off to the Wilma to see Language Games, a new play. The Wilma is funny. The plays we have attended there are either fabulous or we have walked out at intermission. They are always thought provoking and edgy new works. This one was great and particularly interesting for an immigrant. It concerned a young man who is an ethnic Arab, whose father emigrated to the U.S. when the young man was age 3 years so that his family could have a better life. His son becomes an interrogator/torturer in what we are to understand to be Guantanamo. His father is arrested on suspicion of terrorist activity and brought to the prison and comes face to face with his son to be interrogated. What a powerful play. We stayed for the discussion, which we thought would be at a higher level. We were surprised at the concrete interpretations of this spectacular play. No one seemed to "get" the central theme of dialectic -- things turning into their opposite. E.g. Egyptian father's expectations of a better opportunity for his son by immigrating, and his son becoming an interrogator/torturer for the U.S. The African American psychiatrist turning into his opposite and the formerly oppressed becoming the oppressor. This plus the subthemes of destroying an identity by destroying a people's language and others makes this a powerful play for the thoughtful.
The next evening we saw Graham Greene's Travels With My Aunt, which was a superb performance and the theatre was packed for this oldie but goodie. My only complaint is that it was in the Walnut Street Theatre's smaller venue and the chairs are uncomfortable and too close to each other. Coupled with the fact that all I could get was evening tickets and we usually go to matinees because we get sleepy driving home, and there was an accident on 95, I was cranky by the time we arrived back in New Hope.
We drove down to visit Shannon, Jon and the twins in N.C. and saw Daryl, Dina, Amy and Mark as well. A very fun visit. We really like Jon's family a lot. They are always so gracious and inclusive. The little girls are no longer babies! How time flies. Both of them are talking much and so different from each other. Sophie is a thoughtful little scholar who loves her "Bacz" and Jacqueline is most definitely her Dziadzio's little girlie girl.
One of our book clubs had its meeting about Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. Blach. We were the only members of the club to not like this over-rated pabulum. I panned it on Goodreads but found that we were in a minority there as well.
The pool work got done this week. Glad to have those workmen out of our hair. The gardens are exploding and the property is gorgeous. It is always at its best in the spring I think.
We've been running from one activity to another as this blog attests. We took in Alice in Wonderland and thought it was far superior to Avatar. We ate Chinese afterward which was mediocre despite the 30 minute wait to get in at 5 pm on a Thursday. Last night we met our empty nesters at Bobby Simones, a local restaurant, and ended the week with a bang.
Next week I have to testify at a trial, which kind of ruins my whole week being on call. But Brian has errands and has to go to the audiologist, so I guess I may as well work.
The university becomes more and more of a pain in the rear. The dean asked me to spearhead multidisciplinary grand rounds at the medical school on April 29. I have 5 people: a psychiatrist, an epidemiologist, a physical therapist, a biochemist, and myself. Since January only the shrink -- buddy Andy Levitas -- has come through with any content or work with me on this. Just my ambition in life - to play nursemaid to a bunch of people with their doctorates making sure they get their stuff done. Like herding cats.
Then the office of ethics and compliance is running after faculty for us to take mandatory courses and answer intrusive questions. Like "do you do any volunteer activity?" I told them it was none of their business what I did in my spare time and Andy told them to shove their ethics course ...
A man after my own heart!
Every time I turn around there is another mandatory diversity, cultural sensitivity, HIPPA, organ donation course that they want you to take. Then our brilliant dean for grad studies came up with the idea of having all faculty teaching in graduate courses to send her a report of what courses they taught, the # of the course, the section, the names of the students, and their grades for the semester. Hmm. I was under the impression that the registrar's office does this. So yet another mindless piece of work for the faculty -- and then they bitch that people are not producing scholarship. Go figure. ONLY TWO SEMESTERS TO GO!!!
It continues to be very quiet without our kitties. It is so strange to come home and find it empty. We really miss them, but won't get another pet until we stop traveling. We have some big trips planned in the next several years.
I am having a heck of a good time corresponding with the extended family in Poland and the U.K. Especially fun is discussing issues with the younger generation. They are so darn cute!

death in family

2010-04-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

So, sad news -- but perhaps not. Yesterday Brian's father died suddenly while on a trip to the Grand Canyon with his wife, Jill. One minute he was looking at it and the next he had simply died. She was pretty distraught when she called Brian last night. Of course, he being the only rationale and empathic member out of a toxic crew of 6, he was asked to call all of them to pass on the news. Being the kind person that he is, he did, although it was not a whole lot of fun. Glad that is over and I really feel for Jill to have to go back and undoubtedly be treated abominably by the wicked stepdaughters. I cringe for her.
So, how do I feel about all of this? I am glad that my father-in-law did not suffer. If one does not depart this life in one's sleep, one should depart as suddenly and painlessly as Jack did. I really feel bad for Brian on many levels. He loved his father and his father loved him in his own strange way. He will mourn his passing and miss having him in his life.

Katyn -- the gift that keeps giving

2010-04-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we awoke to find that Poland's leadership was decimated in a tragic plane crash on the way to a memorial commemorating the victims of the Katyn forest murders. Being a bit paranoid on the issue of Russia, I defaulted to my position that they must have had something to do with it. Sabatoge. Of course that is a bit crazy. But I think that we need to spread the word about what Katyn was and why it is important. So I highly recommend learning about this nasty piece of history. University of Illinois professor, Allen Paul, has a great book out on the topic. He has recently updated it. Also, the film, Katyn is exceedingly powerful. Katyn is now available with English subtitles. It is a film by Andrzej Wajda, one of the world’s greatest filmmakers, who shows generations of his countrymen – (and the rest of the world) what they were told not to think about. With its mournful score, muted cinematography and restrained performances, this is a work of sober commemoration. Hopefully it brings some small measure of rest to the 22,000 innocents who were slaughtered by the Soviets for no other reason than to purge Poland of its intelligentsia. It is a story of personal legends, of unknown soldiers and civilians. Wajda unravels their various narrative strands, like a desperately ripped flag, a national tragedy doesn’t cease, it haunts.
The collective, spiritual crisis of post war Poles is sharpened by the introduction of documentary footage, juxtaposed with children looking for a Christmas tree during the Occupation then an open-air screening of propaganda films absolving Russia of the Katyn massacre. Wajda confronts historical evidence and personal recall. When a widow tells a collaborator, “You may think differently but you do the same. What difference does it make that you think differently?” it powerfully communicates real life complexity.

Health Care and Irrationality

2010-04-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

Abraham Verghese says it better than I ever could: http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2009/08/irrational-belief-breaks-down-the-rational-mind/23198/

Recent visit & activity

2010-03-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well FINALLY the new book is done and is out to Wiley for copy editing. Allan Tasman tells me that it is the easiest project he has ever done with anyone. Perhaps that is because I had no ego tied up in it and I did the majority of the work. Victim of my own competence. So, we will see now how it sells.
Shannon and Jon and twins were here during the third week in March. Tara and Mike came up for a day during that time and it was so very cute to see the babies playing. Sophie and Alina hit it off right away. Jacqueline was a bit more demure, but she soon joined in on the fun. Photos on my facebook page. So, Brian and I are reading up a storm. I am in the home slide of a biography of Madame Chiang Kai Shek. What an extraordinary and despicable woman she was. As for Chiang, he was just as bad as Mao.
What I am learning is that the U.S. wasted countless taxpayer dollars arming him and he simply hoarded the weapons. Mao couldn't help but win because Chiang was so pusillanimous and Mao actually had an ideology that he could sell. What did Chiang have? Militaristic nationalism, corruption, and opium. Arrgghh. We had McCarthy hearings over all of this. A pox on both the communists and the Chiang Kai Shek crowd!
Life continues apace and well. We are thrilled about health care reform passing, although we would like to have had a public option. But policy is incremental and the GOP and their tea party lunatic fringe have been so obstructionistic, that we were lucky to get what we got.
I am sort of disappointed in the press in that they simply don't hammer home the realities of what is going on with health care and the fact that we have such a dismal track record when compared to the rest of the world. Just look at our infant mortality rate! It is disgraceful for the so called "best" health care system in the world. They don't talk nearly enough about the other health indicators. They also don't bother to point out to the nay sayers who talk about the waits in Canada and other public option countries that we have to wait here as well. People with HMOs have to wait -- I did for 48 hours before I had an MRI because the morons wouldn't approve it for my back pain. AND if one has no health insurance you wait forever. And die. At any rate there is so much for the press to argue. Perhaps they don't because the GOP-tea partiers simply do not listen and refuse to engage in any discourse that makes their position untenable. I found it interesting today that the NY Times pointed out that the tea partiers were > 80% Republican, many were out of work AND ON GOVERNMENT subsidies. But they want smaller government. Go figure.
So we saw Antony and Cleopatra this past weekend and then met the Tulmans for Thai food. The opera was interesting, but I don't need to see this one again. Far too much recitative, the tenor was weak, the soprano was the size of Precious (the movie) although she had a great voice, and the staging was really odd. It just did not work for me. Back to the more classic operas.
We attended our last lectures on cubism at the Museum of Art and they have left Brian hungry for more.
He will have to take an Art History course. I think he may have missed some foundational concepts since he had not ever taken art history and I had. Next year when I turn 65 and no more UMDNJ (bye-bye!) we will be able to audit courses at Bucks County Community College for free under their seniors program.
His new bee in bonnet is that he wants us to take Spanish to get ready for our trip to South America.
We had Alina for an overnight. What a joy it is to have her with us! When she runs through the meadow after Brian yelling "Dzia Dzio!" it is very touching. Her fun thing to do is to help him chase the Canada geese away. They are the bane of our existence during mating season.
Today we are meeting our Doylestown group for a class on pairing chocolate and wine. There goes the diet again, and next week we have two plays (how did THAT happen?) and another museum lecture on Indian art.
Ken and Bill are planning a belated birthday dinner for me and we are headed out to North Carolina to visit the twins, Shannon and Jon after that. Whew. Having fun is exhilarating and tiring.
I was friended on facebook by one of my neices who lives in Warsaw. What a cutie. Facebook can be both inane and a lot of fun. I think that it works well if one ignores and does not friend the purveyors of inanity. It is great when linked with goodreads. And I have learned a lot from my Polish groups that I have friended. Most of it has to do with what I have to learn and read before next year's trip to Poland and the family reunion.

The ongoing project

2010-03-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Whew it has been a whirlwind month. How refreshing it is to step out of our usual repertoire of reading choices. The book clubs have forced us to stretch and read things that neither of us would read -- for example Brian is reading some great fiction and I am reading more history. Now there's a reversal! But both of us are enjoying the ones that we read together. We had a blast reading Water for Elephants and both adored the book.
I so feel as if I am on a senior slide. It is an effort for me to get to the computer to finish up works in progress. But I finally managed to complete the full manuscript for the Tasman-Mohr collaboration. Yay! Luckily, being the important personage he is, Allan is not too timely so he did not notice me dragging my feet in the last few months. At work I find that I could really not care what is going on and I basically read a book through meetings. Always hated those anyway as they are such a waste of precious time.
Time -- ah yes -- what a precious commodity and more precious every day. I was reading an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about a gambler. The guy is unemployed (lost job) has a wife and two kids and goes to the casino in Chester several times a week to -- as he puts it -- "kill time." Why would anyone want to kill time. Time is to fill with interesting things to do and things to learn -- not to kill. I wonder how many people out there (gambling addicts and others) are living lives of quiet and gray desperation where it is so dismal that they have to kill the precious commodity of time.
This past few weeks we met one of our "art of cooking" groups at a Venezualan Restaurant. Oh Yum. I've had a lot of cuisine, but never Venezualan. It was great! This group is run by a chef and he does interesting activities such as visiting the Terminal Market and the Italian Market, cooking classes, and sampling interesting fare across the city.
We attended an all Brahms performance at the symphony. The performance was wonderful, but Brahms is really not my favorite. I prefer more Romantic rather than Baroque and then my favorite, Berlioz, who was a true character, is always a treat. We attended the Picasso and the Avant Garde special exhibit. It was very well done and on Saturday we will be taking the first half of the course in cubism at the museum, so that will enrich what we saw. The last course we took (last month) was on the Renaissance and it was great. The U. of Penn. art history professor really brought the art and architecture to life, placing it in the context of what was going on historically and economically in Europe.
We visited Jon and Shannon for 4 days and took the kids to Gymboree and other kiddie activities. Jacqueline sure does like her Dziadzio, while Sophie seems to favor Babcia.
We watched Alina for a weekend while Tara and Mike went to the beer festival and she wore us out. The child has soooo much energy and she is always up and happy. What a temperament! She loves her Dziadzio, favoring him over me. We met the kids in Philly for lunch earlier this week for their anniversary and when she saw him in the restaurant, she yelled "Dziadzio!" at the top of her lungs and ran to him, throwing herself into his arms. It was truly a Kodak moment.
On a final note, sadly we had to put Wookie and Bevo down today. Wookie was almost 18 and Bevo was 15. They both had arthritis and had trouble going up and down the stairs. Wookie was in renal failure and drinking and peeing everywhere. Bevo was spraying to cover Wookie's scent. It became an untenable situation. This is the first time that we will be without an animal in over 30 years. Very sad.

Shotakovitch

2010-02-27T06:09:00.001-08:00

Omigosh. We went to hear Shostakovitch’s 11th symphony yesterday. What a treat! Who knew that one could combine harps with percussion and make it all work. Brass, winds, drums, 2 harps, violas, violins, gongs, cymbals and actually some instruments that I did not even recognize came together to produce a symphonic performance that got the orchestra FOUR ovations. It was breathtaking. I have an attraction to some of the broodier (is that a word?) and more complex composers – Berlioz being my favorite followed probably by Shostakovitch. I suspect that complexity is in the eyes of the beholder in that Beethoven is very complex, but being an amateur and not a musician, I don’t have the musical sophistication to analyze. I just know what these composers do to my soul. Plus, I never grew up with classical music and did not even start developing that part of myself until I was well into my twenties. So – on to my impressions, amateurish though they may be. Dmitri Shostakovitch, much harassed by the Soviet state, manages to communicate a melancholic depth and profound sense of anguish in many of his symphonies, concertos, and quartets. He seems overly ambitious at times, but I suspect that what appears to be pretentiousness is actually a subtle satire of the Soviet state and its blustering bombastic swagger through history. Shostakovitch’s genius was that he could subtly thumb his nose at the Soviet censors and often (not always) they were too stupid to see it. The 11th symphony is a large-scale tribute to the "victory" of the Great October Revolution of 1917, composed on the 40th anniversary of the occasion. The mass demonstration of 1905 ended in the brutal slaughter of thousands of peaceful peasants and workers rising against the rule of Nicholas II. The minor key pervades. The first of the four movements is called "The Palace Square," setting the somber scene where the violent events of the day would occur. Shostakovitch includes two Russian prison songs in this movement. The second movement, "January 9th," pictures the workers' march through the streets and their slaughter. "Eternal Memory" is the title of the third movement, a pensive requiem, and in the last movement, "Alarm," the spirit of revolt returns, with militant songs and a triumphant, percussive finale. Bravo/brava Philadelphia Orchestra!

Self acceptance and self esteem - not an excuse to stop growing

2010-02-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

I’ve been doing a lot of exploration into new activities as I approach my retirement. For certain I do not want to sit and rest on my laurels. I want to keep growing and keeping my brain and mind fresh and connect with others who both share similar and different interests. This is sometimes scary because it involves a certain risk. (What if people don’t like me?). It also means navigating between a the Scylla of self acceptance of who I am on the one hand, and the Charybdis of stagnation on the other. We hear so much about self-acceptance and the peace that comes with acceptance of oneself as a person. What is self-acceptance? Does it mean accepting your weaknesses or negative habits and doing nothing about them? Does this mean accepting your behavior, attitude and life style, and doing nothing to change and improve? This can be an easy way to give in to laziness, and to having good excuses for leaving everything as it is.
This kind of self-acceptance might make one feel a little better and alleviate feelings of inadequacy or anxieties about trying and learning new things, but it does not contribute to real progress and improvement. It is a recipe for stagnation.
The term self-acceptance seems not to be well explained and well understood. Accepting yourself as you are is only the first step. It helps you realize your good and not so good qualities, and can alleviate lack of self esteem, lack of satisfaction with life and the sense of unhappiness or the sense that things could have turned out differently “if only.” Reference, for example, Erik Erikson’s concepts of generativity v stagnation and integrity v despair.
Self-acceptance does not mean that you accept what you are and do nothing to change and improve. It does not mean accepting your fate and life as it is and it does not mean that others have to accept your behavior, no matter how annoying, offensive, rude or hurtful. For example, I overheard a colleague bemoaning a situation involving the students in his class who were beating a path to the dean’s office with complaints of his tardiness and curt, unhelpful responses to their oral and online communications. While I will be the first to admit that there are some really obnoxious students out there, this guy’s explanation that he “just can’t deal with all of these emails and online teaching and the dean shouldn’t assign these courses to me” and “That’s just the way I am. I am honest and will always be honest” seemed very much like excuses to me. There are ways to give students honest feedback without being offensive. I had to tell as student the other day that what he said to me was disrespectful, but I focused on the communication itself, not saying that HE was disrespectful – although he was and continued to be until he dropped my course. I wanted to say to my colleague: “So you are excusing your bad habits and the world should accept you for the jerk that you are? How self-absorbed of you.”
I believe that becoming aware and acknowledging your behavior, habits and your personality, and not being afraid to look at yourself as you are, is the first step to self-acceptance. Sometimes that means looking at yourself through the eyes of others and putting their feedback into the equation. Why? Not because your self-esteem depends on others, but because we humans receive information – of all kinds – from others. We are not islands unto ourselves. It is important to understand how a many different people see us and how they see different situations and compare their views to yours. It is the skill of reality testing and the basis of reality. Indeed the reason that ASD folks are so impaired socially is that they either are unable to process how others respond to them or situate themselves within a reciprocal relationship.
So, self acceptance is a good thing, because when you accept yourself as you are, you put yourself in a better position to begin improving yourself, opening yourself up to possibilities, and keeping life interesting.
Improvement requires that you understand and acknowledge your character and habits, stop comparing yourself and your achievements to others, and acknowledging your skills or the lack of them. This will bring some sort of inner peace, lightness and happiness, like getting rid if a burden. Acknowledging good and bad habits and traits of character can alleviate feelings of dissatisfaction, anger, resentment or unhappiness, but it is not an excuse for staying as you are, it is only the first step.

Mission working!

2010-02-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I am really pleased at my project to avoid stagnation in retirement that I started recently. Even though retirement is a year and a few months away, it was good to start it early so that we know what is out there and to get into the groove of things. We have joined 2 book clubs and that has forced us to step out of the usual material that we read. Brian has gone beyond reading just history and economics/finance and has actually read TWO novels and is reading Water for Elephants right now. I have stepped out of my mystery comfort zone as well, although my reading habits were always more eclectic than his and included non-fiction. Goodreads has been a great way to track readings and check on people's reactions to books. One of the most amazing two I read were The Soloist and The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, among others.
The dining and wine and empty nesters groups have proved a new way of meeting like minded people. And I am really looking forward to the group run by Chef Drummond of the Continental and the culture groups.
The family membership at the museum is a fabulous source of new and exciting knowledge. We went to a tour of Japanese decorative arts and learned a great deal from the wonderderful docent who spoke and we came away with a whole new appreciation of Japanese art. Before, we would have looked at it and simply said it was pretty or interesting. We're doing the Raja exhibit this week followed by the orchestra which is always a joy.
The Polish lessons are paying off, although those are coming to an end soon. They have proved super in terms of corresponding coherently with my family in Poland.
We've been seeing a lot of performances that we wouldn't have seen without the push of the "project in progress". Walnut St. Theater's The Prince got terrible reviews, but it was actually a great little 2 man play about a Vince Fumo type of politician. Very entertaining and enlightening. We look forward to Travel's with my Aunt.
There's also a fine LGBTF place here called the Nevermore and the people are very inclusive and fun. The guy who owns my beauty parlor urged me to come to events there and we have been delighted with the reception. We've been to some super wine tasting meals and shows there. All in all, we just have to keep up the momentum. This is life beyond your job, kids and grandkids -- although I would never give up the latter two! Just got back from N.C. and will be watching Alina next weekend. Look forward to Shannon and Jon's visit in March when we plan to go to trivia night at Via Ponte among other fun events. Life is awfully good when you stretch.

Meetings ARRGGHH!

2010-02-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

Another reason to be retiring: Meetings. Meetings are the bane of academic culture. Meetings, in academe, are inefficient, intrusive, ego-tripping power grabs. Political types love meetings. Lonely people love meetings. Get-a-Life types love meetings. Non tenured brownnosers love meetings. I qualify as none of the above. For every ten meetings I get sucked into, one is necessary. Meetings are usually initiated by people who have nothing better to do with their time – people who demand to be the bull’s-eye of attention. At work, I duck all the meetings I can because I am anal about getting work done, and for each minute or each hour I spend in a useless meeting, that's one minute or one hour where my very necessary work doesn't get done. I attend meetings – all the time – wherein people gab for the sake of gabbing, and demand center stage for the sake of attention and ego tripping. Most people who run meetings lose control of the meetings. Often people who babble in meetings do not engage their brains before speaking and talk about things that are not on task or on the agenda, and the person running the meeting has no idea how to redirect the person or simply say: “We can put that on the agenda for next week if you like.”
Then there are meetings that do not start on time and meetings to which the chronically tardy are consistently late. Such lateness may not be some kind of passive-aggressive statement, but it can be a pain for several reasons. Let’s take the meeting. First of all, I came to the meeting on time and had to sit through the introductory remarks which can often be a boring rehash of previous info. Then here comes the Late Great Meeting Attendee ten minutes late and we have to start all over and I have to hear the rehash rehashed. I have a very low threshold for boredom so this is excruciating for me. I’m also on a tight schedule scholarship wise as well and would like to get in and get out of the meeting as quickly as possible. Also, and maybe it’s just me, but isn’t there a measure of arrogance attached to someone who doesn’t seem to be bothered with the same time constraints everyone else in the room deigned to obey? Is anyone so important they can consistently waste the time of their co-workers?

Learning Polish

2010-02-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

I have spoken fluent and fairly literate Polish all of my life. Funny that my brother’s Polish is awful, yet mine is clear and precise – although I will be the first to admit that I need an infusion of vocabulary and I do stumble sometimes in conversation. I have always wondered about the discrepancy as we were both raised in the same Polish household. I sent him a copy of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s trilogy to watch and he was unable to negotiate the formal Polish – an interesting state of affairs. I can only surmise that I have the head for languages and I like languages. One pays attention and places importance upon that which interests them. Recently my involvement in the Polish community in Philly and environs and watching Polish TV has probably helped my vocabulary as well. It has also given me a great appreciation for the formal language and its beauty – sort of like listening to formal English when correctly pronounced.
We are planning on a family reunion in Sandomierz and in preparing to join my extended family at this event I have started taking internet classes on reading and writing. After all, the onus will be on me to translate spoken and written. Although I suspect that my neices and nephews will be able to negotiate quite well in English with their cousins.
Needless to say, Shannon, who does EVERYTHING precisely and in-depth and who has an innate curiosity about the world and learning whatever she can, has started investigating all things Polish and even joined the local Polish American group. Tara is more laissez faire about life in general and makes fun of her sister’s seriousness – although she herself has many hobbies and interests.
Anyway, I digress. My self-improvement in this area has taught me more than just the fact that I need better vocabulary and to quit mixing up my “z-s.” It has reinforced a number of concepts. I post them here because I know my kids read my blog.
In the Polish language there is great complexity when dealing with forms of address. Polish IS a very formal language. And people may take offense when they’re not addressed properly. A few months ago I was out with a group of friends and strangers, foreigners and Poles. I chatted with one lady in English, turned out she was Polish, so I switched to Polish. Because in English, I addressed her as “you”, I didn’t even think twice about using the same form in Polish – “ty”. She was my age, yet her response was an icy stare and an even icier “Ja z tobą krów nie pasałam” (I didn’t tend cows with you) which is a nasty warning to a person talking to you (me in this case) that he/she has breached the Pan/Pani barrier. OOPS! Apparently, that means you’re only allowed to use “you/ty” to people with whom you were tending cows at some point in the past, or somesuch. So, how do you maneuver this minefield of Polish courtesy expressions? I asked several people and got several answers. This is more or less the general consensus:
• 1. If you don’t know someone, address them as Pan/Pani (Sir, Madam) until you know them well and have a mutual agreement that you will switch to the informal you/ty.
• 2. Within your family it is generally ok to use the you/ty except that the “intelligentsia” older generation Poles do not address their elder family members (father, mother, aunt, uncle etc.) in the familiar either. This is probably a generational thing. There are also some complex exceptions to the family as well. In some instances one uses the third person when addressing older relatives. OY!
• 3. If the person you’re addressing is much, much younger than you, then you’re safe using the familiar.

Diminutives are very popular in Polish (and are by no means reserved for children). The Polish language allows for a great deal of creativity. Most diminutives are formed by adding a suffix. Male names it may be -ek or the more affectionate -uś; for female names it may be -ka, or -nia / -dzia / -sia / cia respectively. For example, Maria has a particularly great number of possible diminutives, which include: Marysia, Maryśka, Marysieńka, Marychna, Mania, Mańka, Maniusia, , Maryna, Marianna.
The Polish language is also undergoing radical changes because of the sudden globalization movement and open boundaries. New areas of technology, new concepts, and continuous innovations bring into life new vocabulary, which gets quickly adopted in all kinds of languages around the world. This process, vigorously opposed to in some countries for the language impurity, is enthusiastically embraced in other counties. In case of Poland, there are probably as many supporters as there are critics of the new trends in Polish language. Sort of like the French and the battle in France and Quebec against the encroachment of English.
The formal literary Polish language (a beautiful thing when one knows what to listen for) is usually very carefully revised and approved by linguistic experts. They test new expressions for compliance with existing rules that regulate what is correct or incorrect in Polish native tongue. While up to a decade ago, the language was changing in a very slow motion; the last several years abounded with incredible invasion of new foreign phrases and terms to define the progress that has come from the West. There are words like shop, weekend, link, Internet, show business, gay, email, etc. that surround people everywhere and force a foreign language upon them. Now, the Polish language experts face a great challenge. How do those foreign words behave in Polish language? Should they be spelled as the original spelling calls for, or should they be spelled as the sounds are heard, which is commonly known by Poles? But if they are spelled in accordance to the sound rule, so "the show business" becomes "szoł biznes", or "weekend" becomes "łikend", there lurk other conflicts. In formal Polish language, some letters don't follow others. For instance, "ł" is never followed by "i", thus "łikend" is not an option. On the other hand, there are no easy ways to get a widely acceptable Polish translation for those new concepts. While weekend means the end of a week and as such could be translated word for word, the Polish translation is long and not as precise as weekend can be. Similar is a case with other words, such as email and business or even funnier – cell phone (cell as in the unit of biology is komura and Poles have literally translated cell phone into the word “komurka” or “telefon komurkowy.” Although, there are a couple of linguistic Polish versions of business to express the same concept, most of them are long and not as easy to say as biznes is. Some words, like email, are an ultimate challenge since there are substitutes for them in formal Polish language. Hence “imejl.” Holy cow! Or “gej” – double holy cow. And again there is the word for “HIV” which is “chif” -- pronounced "heef" (there is rarely a stand alone h and traditionally no “v.” Oh my!
Finally, the issue of rude or vulgar words is important. Polish curse words are very strange. Cholera – meaning just what it is – the disease of cholera would not be a rude word in English but it is in Polish – analogous to shit. Parenthetically, I learned the other day that in Italian curse words are frequently related to churchy issues – so in Italian a curse word might be the word for chalice. Odd, but it might reflect the Italians' view of the Catholic church. Who knows.
One of the very most rude and vulgar words is one that we don’t spend much time thinking about. It is the word for “whore” – kurwa. Even worse is “kurwa twoja macz.” So far as I can see both are summarily beeped out of even the raciest programs on Polish TV on the rare times they manages to come up. Admittedly they are ugly word to hear, sort of like f—k and its derivatives, but why the word for whore receives special censorship is odd to me, although I do remember neither my mother or father using the word in front of me. They did use a lot of cholera, occasionally prefaced by the adjective “jasny” meaning light or bright. Hence bright cholera.
So enough of my thoughts and back to my self-improvement efforts.

Anniversary of the Katyn Forest Murders

2010-02-06T07:46:00.001-08:00

The Katyn Forest murders happened over fifty years ago and it is the anniversary of that brutal event. Several Polish groups are having discussions about Waja’s movie Katyn and about the books written about the topic over the years. It is still as moving, infuriating and shocking as the first time that I read about it. It is the story of 15,000 Polish army officers who were sent to concentration camps by the Soviet Russians in 1939 when they invaded the eastern half of Poland to 'help' fight the Nazis. It tells how the Soviets used the Nazi invasion as an excuse to invade and control Poland and to disband and arrest its army and send them to forced labor camps throughout the USSR. When the Nazis turned on the USSR and they began to retreat back into the Soviet heartland they evacuated many of the camps and sent the prisoners north. But in a number of cases the prisoners were slaughtered, either in the camps or elsewhere, including many of the Polish soldiers who had been arrested for simply defending their country.

Once the USSR switched sides following the Nazi invasion into Soviet held areas, the Polish government started trying to locate their missing men and so began over a year and half of lies and deceit by some within the USSR. It wasn't until the Nazis took over the area of Katyn Forest that the graves in which the soldiers had been buried were found and excavated and the truth began to come to light. However, even after this and the huge body of evidence showing that the bodies were some of those missing and that they had obviously been slaughtered en masse in the spring of 1940, the USSR continued to deny involvement and blame the Nazis. Even during the Nuremburg Trials where this case was heard it wasn't resolved. It wasn't until 1990 that the Russian authorities finally admitted that the massacre was committed by the Russian Secret Police (the NKVD) and that the locations of the remaining Polish soldiers murdered at the time came to light (at Mednoye and Piatykhatky)

There were two things that really surprised and angered me when reading various history books about this topic. The first is the even though it was obvious that the Nazis hadn't committed this crime (for a change) and that it could only have been committed by the USSR the Allied Governments did not push for justice as they should have done. Many have put this down to the fact that it was war time and the USSR was an important ally and they wanted to avoid the possibility of an alliance between Germany and the USSR, which is understandable. But when the war had been won, I don't understand why the Allies didn't push for a full independent inquiry and bring a proper full balanced case against the USSR during the Nuremburg Trials. In the end it was the USSR themselves that tried the case, how this was allowed is beyond me.

The second is that during the war, requests were put into the International Red Cross by both the Polish and German governments for them to conduct a full independent and unbiased investigation into what happened. It should be noted that it was actually the German government who requested one first. However these requests were denied on the basis that the USSR didn't want an investigation despite the fact that the two requests would normally be enough to start an investigation. This decision resulted in the Nazis trying to conduct an independent investigation in full view of many different people as possible, but this would never be accepted by the USSR. This attitude from the International Red Cross greatly surprised angered and sickened me as they are built on the promise of independent unbiased justice in situations such as these and yet they failed those soldiers at Katyn, Mednoye and Piatykhatky. Had they got involved how different would things have been? How much sooner would the families of those killed known what had happened?

Whether you read the history books, or you watch Andrzej Wajda’s award winning movie, this is a very emotive, moving and infuriating tale that shows how the might of the former USSR controlled and influenced many decisions and actions (or the lack thereof) during and after the Second World War. I find it incredibly sad that it was the Nazis who brought this massacre to light and worked with the Polish government to try and get it investigated and the guilty brought to justice, even if it was for their own propaganda.
This may be a harsh assessment about what happened post WW II and how Roosevelt sold Eastern Europe to the Soviets. Perhaps reading the new book on what happened at Yalta will soften my opinion to some degree. I have just reserved Plokhy’s Yalta: The Price of Peace in which he gives a blow by blow account of what happened. Here is the WSJ review: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704259304575043561664524730.html

Is it funny?

2010-01-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

Humor is a funny thing (pun intended). What might tickle you does nothing for me and vice versa. It’s extremely culturally sensitive and assumes both sender and receiver share similar values which enable both to “get it.” We connect with certain types of humor based on our upbringing, education, life experiences, and even social status. Humor is powerful. There are few things in life more intoxicating than being able to make people laugh. But it can also be dangerous.
Humor can be extremely volatile, especially when it goes beyond mere word play or wit. We’ve all heard or perhaps even shared, on occasion, jokes at the expense of others. I would be lying if I did not admit these jokes are sometimes quite funny. But where do we draw the line between a funny observation and something patently offensive? And shouldn’t I be mature enough to know when I might be potentially crossing that line?
Recently, two political cartoons came under fire for their allusions to the president and black stereotypes. One of the cartoons, which appeared in the February 18, 2009 edition of the NY Post, shows a chimpanzee shot dead by two police officers with the caption reading, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
A second carton, distributed a few days later, shows a picture of the White House, but instead of the lawn being covered in grass, it’s covered by a watermelon patch – the joke being there’ll be no Easter egg hunt this year, now that a black family occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
In both cases, the author/sender of the cartoon defends their actions by claiming a level of ignorance or in the case of the Post, that it was merely parodying a recent news event. But is either of those excuses legitimate? While it might be true the Post cartoon followed a recent incident where police shot to death a chimp after it attacked its owner’s best friend, it’s hard to believe the creator of the cartoon or the editor who published it was not aware of how black people were often portrayed as monkeys and how this political cartoon could be construed as a jab at the president. While the president should not be immune to criticism, the editor at the Post should not have been surprised at the vehement reaction.
The second cartoon is a little more problematic. As I explained earlier, it shows a White House lawn covered in a watermelon patch. The mayor of the Southern California suburb of Los Alamitos thought it was funny and decided to pass it on. Unfortunately for him, one of the recipients was black, wasn't so forgiving, and didn’t see the humor and saw the racial stereotype embedded within the joke. I will be honest with you, despite the fact it reached for the lowest common denominator, I thought it was mildly humorous, though offensive. But I am not black. Though he ultimately resigned, my problem is how the mayor, Dean Grose, had no idea how it could be perceived as racist. Is he that ignorant of history? And if he really didn’t know the stereotype of blacks and watermelons, what was so funny? I find it difficult to believe he would have found the humor in the cartoon had it shown a strawberry patch instead.
If I’m smart enough to know that some people might see it as funny, I should be smart enough to know the reasons why some people may find it painful and offensive. Isn’t it funny we all can’t see it that way?
In a great post on the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Gina Barreca asks how women deal with sexual harassment or sexism dressed up as a joke. I love this conundrum, because it is SO common. Who hasn't heard some appallingly sexist (or racist, or homophobic) comment explained away with a "just kidding" or a laugh or a comment about not having a sense of humor?
For example, after Liz Carpenter worked for the Johnson administration she wrote a book about her experiences working at the White House. The book was out for a while, did pretty well. One evening she met Arthur Schlesinger at a cocktail party. He came over to her and smiled and said "Like your book Liz. Who wrote it for you?"
Now, clearly dear Arthur meant this as his little joke. If she had stammered and blushed, he would win the point. He could then say, "see, you just can't joke around with these women." If she'd pounded her fist on the table and threatened to call a lawyer, he could say the same thing.
Instead what Carpenter did was to say in response, "Glad you liked it, Arthur. Who read it to you?"
I wish I was that quick! Was that a cool rejoinder or WHAT?!

Facebook

2010-01-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

Though Facebook’s mission is “giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected,” the underlying power of Facebook is its ability to disconnect people. Some people are giving up opportunities to hang out with real people in order to distract themselves by staying connected through Facebook. Facebook is like TV. If you stand outside someone’s home and watch the light coming out, you’ll notice that it flickers. TV flickers to make us constantly look at it. Facebook is the same way in that you can constantly check status updates right as they pop up. And you can play games without the benefit of human contact for days. I find it worrisome and wonder if what I am seeing in terms of my students’ increasingly crude, rude, and disrespectful behaviors are not a part of this kind of disconnection from the self correction that comes with having to interact civilly with others.

I like Facebook for having connected me to some nice folks from my past. But I don’t understand the need to know what someone is eating for breakfast via his or her Facebook status or Twitter update. People are creating substance out of nothing – simulacra in Baudrillard’s parlance (as much as I am not a fan of postmodernism).

With Twitter, Facebook, Second Life, video games and e-mail, our life is saturated by virtual friendships at the expense of real relationships, although there are times when I prefer emailing some folks to talking with them on the phone.

Author and educator, Michael Bugeja has been heavily involved in researching and studying how people have fallen into an “interpersonal divide,” which is “the void that develops when we spend too much time in virtual rather than real communities, neglecting our primary relationships and with that, our sense of self,” according to Bugeja’s Web site, www.interpersonal-divide.org.

YAY retirement upon me!

2010-01-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

I am having more fun planning retirement. My last month at UMDNJ will be May 1, 2011. No more faculty meetings; no more rude and disrespectful students who don't want to work and who think nothing of cheating. I guess I have to ammend that last about students in that the ones in my track (child) are the cream of the crop and I have enjoyed them. But in general -- nursing sure isn't what it used to be.
Meanwhile there is a whole world out there to actually enjoy. We already have a month trip to Poland planned for May of 2011. My family will be having a reunion in Sandomierz and it looks as though the Goldfines and the Thornburgs will be coming along as well. Hope that in laws can baby sit.
We have joined a book and wine club, a wine and dine club, an empty nesters group, and a movie and dinner club and we've bought the family membership at the Phila museum of Art and have started going to lectures already. Then there is the symphony, the opera, the Broadway series, ANG, EGA, and Polish reading and writing classes. Holy moly we may be busier in full retirement mode. Life is gonna be good and hopefully we can keep the neurons firing well and keep growing in our "golden" years. It's never too late to grow and learn and have fun.

Some never outgrow it

2009-12-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been slowly trying to re-connect with folks from South River with the idea that we might have a re-union in 3 years. It's hard to believe that 50 years will be coming up. One would think that by this time all the grudges, nastiness, backbiting, and other high school adolescent behavior would be a thing of the past. Being in psychiatry means that I subscribe to the idea that people develop, mature, and grow and that they are capable of change. Being a realist, I know that is not always the case.
I had an interesting experience with this social networking. Apparently someone from high school looked me up through the university, and sent me an email to my professional email address. I paste it here: "Hey aren't you the Wanda Troyanowski from SR with the crazy parents and big time problems? How's it hangin?" The email address gives no clue as to this cowardly person's identity and frankly I do not care who it is. Talk about someone with big time problems.
Yes, I am the Wanda nee Troyanowski from SR who had "crazy" parents. My mother was bipolar, my father drank and had a big time personality disorder and it was an abusive family. My brother was not the epitome of mental health and I had a pretty grim time of it. Friends were almost non existent because I didn't want to bring anyone home. Odds should have been that my life should have ended as bitterly as theirs -- or as obviously disturbed as my email friend "angelover" who sent me that snarky email.
But -- I got over it and got out of there and was successful beyond anyone's including my own expectations. Seems that some people simply don't have the capacity to turn it around. Angelover, you only wish that you were as blessed as I am. I hope you find some measure of peace with yourself.

2009-12-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

December 2009
Another year has passed and it dawned on us that it has been nearly 15 years since we moved back to the east coast. Time really does fly when you’re having fun!
This year has been busier than ever. We managed 6 different countries this year: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, and Switzerland. The Czech Republic and Sweden were our favorites. Beautiful, clean, and well governed countries, great food and affable people. We decided that had we not had grandbabies and children here, we’d move to Sweden in a heartbeat.
Wanda was on sabbatical during which we traveled, and she presented nationally and internationally. She is working on a new book with Dr. Allan Tasman geared to medical students and psychiatric trainees, and is on the 8th edition of her own text. The sabbatical will be over with the start of the spring semester, but she won’t be back teaching for much longer as she has decided to retire and become Professor Emeritus in Spring of 2011. Yay! No more faculty meetings. More time with grandbabies. Double Yay!
Brian is doing his investment advisement and is thankful that we have lost no large amounts of money during this terrible downturn. Ever the optimist, he took the recession as a time of opportunity and bought opportunities like crazy. He is enjoying life, enjoying his home, which is a never ending money pit, is fighting with the Canada geese and the deer that have a penchant to be horribly dirty and destructive. He is looking forward to his 50th high school reunion in 2 years and has connected with several friends who he had lost touch with. He is healthy except for the usual aches and pains that we all have at this age. Aging surely is not for the faint hearted.
We have always lived busy and full lives, reading much, museum trolling, traveling, and squeezing in hobbies as well as good works on behalf of others. But, there is nothing to compare with the advent of all these grandbabies to make life complete. They are such a joy. Every new development is a wonder. With three toddlers of the same age, it has become very interesting, but has underscored the limits of our physical endurance. Just when we thought that we were in great shape for our age, a few days with Sophie, Jacqueline, or Alina, is enough to bring us back to reality and realize why the natural order of things is to have young people bear the babies.
It would come as a surprise to no one that Shannon and Tara are both fabulous mothers and we just can’t say enough about Jon and Mike. They were born to be dads and the baby girls are wild for their fathers.
Despite the nuisance of the Philadelphia political situation, graft, corruption, and patronage that we try to ignore, we love living here. It has to be the perfect geographical spot for people who love music, shows, and museums and within driving distance to Washington DC and New York should we run out of activities here. The only downside is not having Shannon, Jon and the twins closer.
We hope this letter finds all of you fit and happy. Here’s looking forward to another wonderful year! And I have decided to post my blogs on facebook. Hoping to reconnect with folks who neither of us have seen for a while.
Wanda and Brian

The dangerous right

2009-04-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Propaganda. To hear the defamers of conservativism yammer about it, propaganda is what other people – especially socialists do. Never mind that these same pseudo conservatives manage to conflate totalitarianism, socialism, and communism (oh, I forgot liberalism) into the same boogey man. But what would domestic propaganda look and sound like in America? My two three votes go to the dangerous drivel spouted by the pseudo-patriots Sean Hannity, O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. These multimillionaires excel at portraying themselves as amusing, clever, and engaging populists. But none ever delves deeply into issues and none allows open vetting of their arguments. These rabble rousers say that they are entertainers, but they actually exploit a loophole that makes imbalanced political broadcasts legal. Hannity (also Rush, and Bill O’Reilly) claims that their programs are "entertainment", yet all of them express strong political opinions, clearly endorses candidates and aids them in on-air fundraising, even threatening listeners that calamity will befall those who does not vote their way.
Probably the worst of the worst example of this kind of craziness run amok is Limbaugh’s wish that our president fail. Who says that about their president? Only a traitor. Isn’t that just a little bit disloyal? What would Limbaugh and his ilk have said if Frank Rich or Maureen Dowd wrote that they wanted Bush to fail. But of course, they wouldn’t – FR and MD have way too much class. Ironically Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly and the other nitwits on cable TV spout rhetoric that is clearly disloyal, if not seditious, while claiming to be lovers and defenders of the USA.
Ideological division is nothing new to politics. But has ideology ever taken quite the seat of prominence it now enjoys? Have people ever been quite so prone to regard their ideological identity as more important than their national identity? The last 30 years are rare in that regard, if not unique. But before the rise of the FoxNews and CNBCs, there was some measure of reasoned discourse – a back and forth exchange of ideas. Listen to these guys – when an alternative view is expressed their strategy is to: outshout, change the subject, ridicule or otherwise dismiss the point to be disputed rather than to address it. This is dangerous and alarming. THESE are the tactics of the Soviets and the Nazis of Hitler’s Germany; or those of a dictator who is ALWAYS right. They are not the tactics of those who would engage in a democratic , respectful, free, and intelligent exchange of ideas (remember that which our Revolution was fought over?)
At the same time that we desperately need to instill more critical thinking and creative problem-solving then ever before in our population that is raised on reality shows, sports, and the propaganda of FoxNews and CNBC, these three are cowardly propagandist who refuse to step up and confront the many voices that challenge their most controversial and fundamental philosophies.

trip to Nashville

2009-04-03T04:13:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Nashville. Had to present two seminars. What a great trip. In one sense it was a hoot -- what can you say when a singers boobs don't move? This is sexy??? In another sense I have a new appreciation for country music. Going to the Country Music Hall of Fame was really interesting -- the evolution of the sound that we hear now from its humble twangy days -- was very enlightening. The Grand Ole Opry was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Brian and I had a great time. Picked up 3 silly little T shirts for the grandkids that say "Grand Ole Opry." Corny -- but that's what grandparents are for.
On our last night there we returned from dinner to find a body in prone position lying in front of our hotel door. Hmmm. So we turn it over to make sure it's alive. It was. We called security, which was particularly useless, but when the paramedics came they seemed competent enough. The last we heard the management said the man was not a guest of the hotel. He had wandered into the hotel thinking it was his and passed out. Why in front of MY room. I just wanted to go to bed, not nurse someone. Another trip, another adventure.
We went to a wonderful sports bar -- yes sports bar that was reputed to have the best ribs in town. The guys in back of us were really hammered -- celebrating one's divorce. I chatted briefly to him about the barbeque selections and when we left we found that he had paid for our dinner. Imagine. Wonder what he's gonna think when he sobers up and gets his Visa bill?
Another couple -- people are very friendly in Nashville -- got to chatting us up and asked what we were doing there. So I said that we couldn't get this kind of barbeque at home and that we were from up north. His reply was: "No kidding! You guys stick out like a sore thumb in here." Ok, so we had our prep clothes on -- but they were preppy jeans! Seriously they were a very funny and sweet couple.
The only sort of down thing was that I was shocked -- SHOCKED -- at how little my audience knew about seclusion and restraints and the Joint Commission and federal regs. What the hell are they doing in practice land? What the hell are they doing in nursing schools? Out of an audience of 200+ perhaps 10 knew that people could die proximal to restraint use, 2 had heard of the Hartford Courant series, and the majority did not know that when one puts hands on a patient it is a restraint.
There is something seriously wrong here. I thought that I had made an impact on this field and now this? Oh my back to the drawing board.
More later.

Florida

2009-03-22T07:35:00.001-07:00

Many of my friends are fortunate to have been very successful in their lives. They have second homes, most of which seem to be in Florida. These folks go back and forth between north and south and every year we have to deal with invitations to come and see them in their winter homes. While this is an expression of kindness and hospitality and I am glad that folks want to have us visit, it puzzles me that logical explanations of why we are not coming to Florida. That winter or ever – well ever might be too long. It seems logical to me though:
1) I can see these folks in PA (one of them lives across the pond) or NJ anytime I want when they return from FL
2) I don’t have to schlep on an airplane, pay for a flight, pay for parking at the airport, pay for boarding my animals when I can see them in PA or NJ for free.
3) I have a job that sort of requires that I do some work in order to get paid.
4) If I take off time from work to go on vacation, FL is not my choice of where to go. I like to travel, but interstate travel with condos and strip malls on either side of me while driving does not trump overseas travel.
5) When I don’t go traveling overseas, I happen to like where I live. A lot. I spent a whole lot of years living in PUKE! Midland, Texas where I fit in about as much as a palm tree in Maine and I am exceedingly happy to be back on the East coast. I have friends here. I have season tickets to stuff. I can be in Philly in 50 minutes, New York City in 75 minutes and Washington in 2 hours by train. And I want to go to FL why? Warm? It’s damn hot here in July and August for when I need a heat fix --- AND I happen to like winter.

Motor mouths

2009-03-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Not that I am not annoying in some ways, which I readily acknowledge AND better yet that I am aware of and in control of much of the time. I know when I am being annoying and I can stop and start because I have that self-awareness. Sometimes I use my annoying-ness deliberately. But the issue is that self-awareness is there.
That kind of awareness seems to allude others. For example, there are a number of people whose friendship I value, but they have qualities that make being with them a mixed bag. Sort of a push-pull or approach-avoidance situation. These are speed-talkers with whom it’s hard to get in a word in when trying to have a conversation. There are times I feel like yelling, "Will you please JUST SHUT UP!"Example: One friend will give me every single little detail on the most mundane things or will tell me things that I already know how to do, or will tell me in excruciating detail about subjects I don’t care about, or about people I don’t know and will never meet. For instance, s/he can't just say there was a rude customer in front of her/him at the grocery store. S/he'll tell you just about everything that led up to her/him being in the grocery store-the time s/he woke up this morning, how s/he couldn't find her shoes, etc. Twenty minutes later s/he'll finally get to the story about the rude customer.Another example: Another friend. S/he talks and talks and talks and talks....You get the point. You can't break in to give your opinion or what/not because s/he's already on another topic. S/he'll call me up and starts talking about her/his problems right away with barely (if at all!) asking me how I am doing. Thirty minutes to an hour later, after my eyes have long glazed over, s/he’ll ask a question and because I’ve dissociated I have no idea how to answer.
Another example: Friend who is almost a narcissist. Everything is about him/her and how s/he is and what s/he has done – never bothers to ask what I have done. Talks about him/herself way too much and again, will have to give me every single little detail about everything. If I try to get a word in edgewise this person simply increases the decibel of speech or keeps going on and on and on right over what I have tried to say.
Worse yet, no amount of re-direction, changing the subject, or bluntly saying that I don’t care about John and his divorce and how much alimony he is paying and that his divorce is because he decided he was gay etc. etc. makes a whit of difference. And body language?? Forget about it. They are too busy blathering to even pick up on body language. I love these people but damn do they get annoying! All I feel that I ever say is "Yeah, uh-huh, ok" etc. I mean occasionally I get a few words in but only when I am rude. And then I get interrupted. There have been times I can put down the phone with these friends and go get a drink of water or go to the bathroom AND THEY ARE STILL TALKING!!!These friends will never asked about me, and I never get much of a chance to talk about myself. What I have with them is not a CONVERSATION, it is being TALKED AT. Sadly, these chat-aholics, not only don’t have any self-awareness, but because of their lack of response to cues and lack of self awareness tend to drive others away from them. A chatty person, more than likely always was & always will be because they need an audience to unload on. Maybe they're not capable of shared conversation, maybe they don't care. We can't expect them to include us, stop & take a breath & let us join in or spend any time asking about us if past experiences have shown this isn't the case. To think otherwise is folly. So I have to suck it up or lose friends. But, wow, do I feel depleted after I am with them.

FACEBOOK

2009-02-23T10:56:00.001-08:00

After getting my toes wet in the facebook world, I have rapidly retreated into my privacy, if not obscurity. No more Facebook for me. Facebook is a crashing bore – for the most part. While my kids have found their college and prep school friends – worthy goals. Others seem on there to blather any piece of inanity that pops into their mind. Whether anyone besides them cares or not.
Facebook defines itself as ‘a social utility that connects you with the people around you’. This could not be further from the truth. Far from serving as an umbilical cord of friendship for the socially deprived, Facebook actively damages interpersonal relationships, harms job prospects, wastes precious time, and ultimately turns die-hard users totally reclusive. It is an extension of a dreary everyday reality for people who are hobby-less, uninterested in improving their minds, less than uninterested in becoming involved with a worthy cause and with too much time on their hands. It leads your girlfriend to ask questions about your photos, your friends to ask questions about your girlfriend, and her friends to ask her questions about your friends. You don’t need this headache, nobody does. Facebook complicates our lives.
Yet prurient voyeurism and wanton exhibitionism keeps keep some people hooked, and so, day by day, they log on, hungry for more low-grade banter and silly antics. It is difficult to believe such a squalid distraction was valued at $15bn as implied by the price paid by Microsoft to acquire a 1.6 per cent stake last October – easily enough to buy each of Facebook’s members some real friends.
Facebook is a goldmine of tosh – a monument to mediocrity. Once the preserve of institutions of higher learning, Facebook now caters to the untutored masses – anyone with time on their hands and a keyboard beneath them. Not to overlook the advent of Facebook for Blackberry – further broadening the scope of Facebook’s perversion of business equipment from desktop to handheld, enabling Sharon to update her status every five minutes while ‘on the go’. Sharon is eating. Sharon is at home. Sharon is tired. Sharon is on her way to the mall. Who the hell cares? Get a life Sharon. Get a life to the person who actually cares about what Sharon is doing from minute to minute.
Are lives so empty that they need to be filled with this drivel? Are people that desperate?
Sadly the addiction runs wide and deep. Mind-numbing status updates and staged photo albums are just the beginning: uploading photos of your sister’s newborn baby for thousands of people to see is overly personal (and how has the infant consented to this?) and changing your profile picture every five minutes does not change people’s perception that in real life you are irritating and uninteresting.
If you have funds to spare and do not consider world hunger or global warming worthy causes, you can purchase ‘Gifts’ for your friends on Facebook. Of course these are not real gifts, but rather icons of a cow’s head, or a pork chop. Happy birthday – here’s a pile of sick from Anonymous. How thoughtful. I’m trying to think of another word but it seems to elude me.What happened to putting pen to paper to elegantly articulate one’s feelings towards someone one cared about? Or to the intrigue of getting to know a person’s common interests as part of a gradual process? Or to the concept of delivering a personal invitation by word of mouth or script, rather than a mail-merge? It would appear that such niceties have been relinquished along with other staples of old-world charm – the Facebook Revolution signals a whole new era of meaningless interaction.

CV

2009-01-04T07:56:00.001-08:00

CURRICULUM VITAE

WANDA K. MOHR, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.

PRESENT TITLE: Professor

ADDRESS: 6131 Greenhill Rd. New Hope, PA 18938

CITIZENSHIP: U.S.A.

EDUCATION

Undergraduate 1966 (Diploma) Charles E. Gregory School of Nursing, Perth Amboy, NJ
1981 (B.A.) University of Texas, Permian Basin, Odessa, TX.
(Major: Psychology/English)
1991 (B.S.N.) Texas Tech University H.S.C., Odessa, TX.
Summa cum laudae

Graduate 1983 (M.A.) University of Texas, Permian Basin, Odessa, TX.
(Major: Behavioral Science)

1995 (Ph.D.) University of Texas, Austin, TX.
(Major: Nursing)

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

1992 - 1994 Research Assistant, University of Texas at Austin
School of Nursing, Austin, TX.
Project: Guardianship in Elderly Populations
Project: Risk Management Strategies to reduce the Likelihood of Potential Malpractice

1994 - 1995 Assistant Instructor
University of Texas at Austin
School of Nursing, Austin, TX.

1995-1999 Assistant Professor of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, Course Director Undergraduate Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Nursing of Children Division
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing Philadelphia, PA.

1998-1999 Adjunct Professor
School of Social Work
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

1999-2001 Associate Professor Child-Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN.

Sept. 2001- June 2003 Associate Professor Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Rutgers College of Nursing at Rutgers University, Newark, N.J.

May 2002 -present Adjunct Professor of Child Psychiatry Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey), Piscataway, NJ

August 2003-June 2007 Associate Professor Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing; Director Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nursing
University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, Newark, NJ

July 2007 – present Professor Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing; Director Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nursing
University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, Newark, NJ

December 2003 – present Core Faculty CDC Injury Control Center. School of Public Health. New Jersey Medical School. Newark, NJ

CLINICAL APPOINTMENTS

1966 - 1969 Staff Nurse, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
New York, N. Y.

1972 - 1973 Staff Nurse, U.S. Public Health Services Hospital
Staten Island, N. Y.

1983 - 1986 Psychotherapist (Executive Director)
Center for Behavioral Medicine & Applied Therapeutics Midland, TX.

1988 - 1989 Manager Adolescent and Children's Services Glenwood Psychiatric Hospital Midland, Texas

1989 Psychotherapist (on contract)
Permian Rehab Institute Odessa, Texas

1989 Nurse's Aide Project Examiner (on contract)
Texas Nurses Foundation Austin, Texas

1989 - 1992 Staff nurse; Patient Education Coordinator
Veterans Administration Medical Center Big Spring, Texas

2000-2001 Larue Carter Psychiatric Hospital (Indianapolis, IN)
Youth Services consulting clinical specialist.

LICENSURE: Registered Nurse NJ # 26NO04271700
CERTIFICATION: Clinical Specialist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health ANCC #386563

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

1990-present Sigma Theta Tau Intl.(Xi chapter)
Board of Directors 1997-1999
Counselor 1997-1999
1990 - 1995 Texas Nurses Association
1990-1991 President District 21
1990-1995 Psychiatric/Mental Health Committee
1990-1995 Capitol Core Group
1990-1995 TNA Statewide Psychiatric Nursing Task Force.
1993 - 1994 Association of Nurses in Graduate School
1993-1994: President
1994 - 1999 Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
1997, 1998 Research Committee.
1995-1999 Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses
1995, 1996, 1998 Research Committee
1996, 1997, 1998 Board of Directors, National Council, Program Planning, Research and Education Committee Chairperson
1997-1998 Website Development Taskforce
1995 - 1999 Pennsylvania Nurses Association.
1996 - 2000 Nurses' Network for a National Health Plan.
1997: Board of Directors
1999-2001 Indiana Nurses Association
2001-present New Jersey State Nurses Association
1995 - present American Public Health Association
1996-2000 Mental Health Section 1997 -2000 APHA Advocacy Network
1998-present American Academy of Nursing
1999- present: Expert Panel on Ethics; Expert Panel on Violence
1999-present American Psychiatric Nurses Association
1999 Seclusion and Restraint Task Force
1999-present International Society for Psychiatric Nursing
1999 Research Council
1999-present Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
1999-present Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses.
1999- 2001 Indiana Council On State Operated Care Facilities
1999-2001: Sub-committee on mental health
1999-2001 Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research
1999-2001 Great Lakes Center for Research on Community-based Care
2002-present Childhood and Violence Consortium. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Psychiatry
2002-2003 American Association of University Professors, Rutgers University
2002-2003: Co-chair Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee
2002-2003: Executive Council

HONORS

· University Master Educator Guild (UMDNJ) Master Educator Award, September, 2008
· Melva Jo Hendrix Award in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Excellence and Commitment; presented by the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses. April, 26, 2002. Phoenix, AZ.
· President’s Leadership Award, International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses, April 24, 1999.
· Distinguished Alumna, University of Texas, Permian Basin, December 1, 1998
· Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing; inducted Acapulco, October 31,1998.
· Advocacy and Service to Children Award. Presented by the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, Atlanta, September, 1998.
· SERPN 1997 Research Award. Presented by the Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric Nursing, Washington, DC November, 1997.
· Outstanding Doctoral Student--Distinguished Dissertation Award, University of TX. at Austin School of Nursing 1995.
· Council on Graduate Education in Nursing Administration/A.N.F. Scholar 1994-95
· W. Gordon Whaley University Fellow, 1994-95, University of Texas at Austin; Awarded $10,000.00.
· Professional Development Award; University of Texas at Austin Graduate School, Austin, TX. 1994.
· Phi Kappa Phi, inducted May 1993; University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.
· Professional Nurse Traineeship Award, U.S.P.H.S., 1992-94.
· Sigma Theta Tau (Iota Mu) International Honor Society of Nursing, inducted 1990.
· Who’s Who in American Nursing, inducted 1990 by the Society of Nursing Professionals.
· Outstanding Service Award, Texas Nurses Association, April 1991.
· Special Advancement for Outstanding Performance, 1990; U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

EDITORIAL POSITIONS

Editorial Boards: 2006-present American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
2005-present Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
1999-2005 Journal of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing
1997-2000 Contributing Editor Domestic Violence Report. Contributing Editor Sexual Assault Report.
1996-2002 Nursing Ethics
2000-2004 Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
2001-present Journal of Emotional Abuse
1998-2003 North American Book Editor for Nursing Ethics.

External Reviewer:
1996-present Nursing Ethics
1997 Image: Online Journal of Nursing Scholarship
1997 National Women’s Studies Association Journal
1997 W.B. Saunders Co. Nursing Books Section
1999 Lippincott-Raven
1998-2001 Journal of Emotional Abuse.
1996-present Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
1998-present Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Nursing Texts Section.
1997-2000 Nursing and Health Care: Perspectives on Community.
1999-present Sage Publishing Ethics for Healthcare Professionals section.
2000-present Nursing and Health Policy Review
1998 -present Nursing Outlook
1998-2005 Issues in Mental Health Nursing
2002 Violence Against Women (VAW-Net)
2005-present Child Abuse and Neglect
2006-present American Journal of Community Psychology

Task Forces

2007 American Psychiatric Nurses Association Task Force Position Statement on Seclusion and Restraints

SELECTED UNIVERSITY SERVICE (last 5 years only)

1999-2001 Class advisor for Class of 2002 Indiana University School of Nursing Indianapolis, IN
1999-2001 Indiana University Graduate School (Full Member)
Fall 2000 Chairperson PMHN Faculty Search Committee
2000-2001 Research Internal Advisory Group
Reviewer Qualitative Research Proposal Team
2002-2003 Graduate Faculty Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
Graduate Faculty Rutgers University College of Nursing, Newark, NJ
Master’s Policy, Procedure and Review Team Rutgers University College of Nursing, Newark, NJ
Academic Affairs Committee Rutgers University College of Nursing, Newark, NJ (Co-chair 2002-present)
Dean’s Advisory Committee (2002-present)
PhD Progression Committee Rutgers University College of Nursing, Newark, NJ
2003-present Graduate Faculty UMDNJ School of Nursing
Faculty Search Committee UMDNJ School of Nursing
Chairperson Research Committee UMDNJ School of Nursing
Core Faculty Member CDC Injury Control Center, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
Chairperson CAAP (2004-2006)
2004-present Faculty Affairs Committee (chairperson 2005-2006)

2007-2008 Ad Hoc Merit Raise Committee
Camden/Stratford Campus Committee on Research Integrity
President’s Faculty Senate Committee

COMMUNITY SERVICE

1979 - 1980 Board of Directors, Family Services of Midland, TX.
1983-1987 Board of Directors Midland County Hospital District (1985-1987 served as vice president)
1984 - 1985 Leadership Midland, Chamber of Commerce, Midland, TX.
1984 – 1986 Board of Directors, Visiting Nurse Association, Midland, TX.
1984-1986 Advisory Committee Midland College Respiratory Care Program.
1988 – 1991 Advisory Committee. Visiting Nurses Association, Midland, TX.
1986-1993 Member, Parents’ Committee, Groton School, Groton, MA.
1985 – 1986 Board of Directors, Community & Senior Services of Midland,
1991 Task Force, Midland Memorial Hospital "CARE," Citizens Against the Rollback Election, Midland, Texas.
1984 – 1995 Professional Liaison & Member Mental Health Association in Texas.
1994-1998 Rice University Parents’ Leadership Committee, Houston, Texas.
1993-1994 Volunteer counselor Teen Parent Council of Austin, TX.
1995-present National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
1995 - 2001 Alliance for the Mentally Ill, NAMI Committee to Combat Stigma.
NAMI Coalition for Reform of Restraints (1998-present)
NAMI Speakers' Bureau. (1995-present)
PA. AMI Speakers' Bureau. (1995-1999)
PA Training and Education Task Force. (1995-1999)
NAMI of IN Public Policy Committee; Planning Committee; Editor Newsletter
NAMI of IN Provider to Provider instructor (certified 1999)
1999-2001 Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research
1996-1999 City of Philadelphia 24 Hour Rapid Response Team , (Children exposed to violence)
1995-1999 Sponsor / National Alliance for the Mentally Ill ; contributing
professional member, Speakers’ Bureau , Education committee.
NAMI of Eastern Pennsylvania.
1999-2001 Larue Carter State Hospital Children’s Advisory Group
1999-2001 Mental Health Association of Indiana Children’s Group
Mental Health Association of Indiana Policy Group
1996 -1999 City of Philadelphia Community Violence 24 Hour Rapid Response Team Development Committee, (founding member).
1996-2000 Chairman of Grant Proposal Review. Robert O. Gilbert Foundation, Philadelphia, PA.
1997-1999 Traumalink of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Associate Scholar.
1997 –1999 City Wide Child Abuse/Domestic Violence Task Force, Philadelphia, PA., (member).
1997 - 1999 Associate, Forensic and Trauma Studies Center for Urban Studies, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
1997, 1998 National Institute of Mental Health Roundtable for Professionals, Arlington, VA.
1998-2000 University of Pennsylvania Children’s Group, Founding Member.
2000-2002 Appleseed Foundation; The Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Board of Director
2002-present CHADD Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder
2003-2004 Morris County Republican Women’s Club, Inc.
2002-2004 American Association of University Professors. Co-chair of Committee on Tenure and Academic Freedom
2002- 2004 Rotary Club of the Mendhams Publicity Chairman
2002-present NAMI National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Coalition for Reform of Seclusion and Restraint
2005-present ASTART Alliance for the Reform of Residential Treatment Facilities
Founding Member
2007-present National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Committee on Children and Youth
2006-present American Association of Orthopsychiatry

SPONSORSHIP OF CANDIDATES FOR GRADUATE DEGREES

DOCTORAL DISSERTATION COMMITTEES

“A phenomenological study of women in therapy.” Caroline Macmaron. School of Nursing, U. of Penn.(1999)
‘A study of sleep deprivation among night nurses.” Christine Bossone. School of Nursing, U. of Penn.(1998)
“A study of drug abuse in women.” Linda Cook (1995) School of Nursing, U. of Penn.
“A phenomenologic study of attachment in child molesters.” Tamara Beck, Graduate School of Education, U. of Penn. (2000)
“Development of the pre-school comprehensive assessment scale.” Megan J. Noone, Graduate School of Education, U. of Penn.
“Burnout among child welfare workers.” Nathanial Prentice, School of Social Work, U.
of Penn. (2000)

MASTER’S THESIS COMMITTEES

“A descriptive study of whistleblowing and non-whistleblowing nurses who have experienced ethical dilemmas in their practice.” Sally MacDonald. Edith Cowan University School of Nursing, Australia. May, 1999.

TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES (Average student evaluations 3.6)

Introduction to Mental Health Nursing (undergraduate)
Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (undergraduate)
Violence Case Study (undergraduate)
Victimology (undergraduate)
Communication for Health Care Professionals (undergraduate)
Policy and Policy Development (graduate/masters)
Advanced Practice in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing (graduate/masters)
Independent Study in Evaluation Research (graduate/masters)
Seminar in Research (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods) (graduate/doctoral)
Proseminar in Nursing Research (graduate/doctoral)
Proseminar in Conceptual Models (graduate/doctoral)
Qualitative Research Methods (graduate/doctoral)
Advanced Practice in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing I & II (graduate)
Advanced Practice in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing I & II Practicum (graduate)
Psychosocial Foundations (graduate)
Science & Research (graduate)
Differential Diagnosis in Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (graduate)
Diagnosis and Intervention in Child-Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing I & II theory and practicum (graduate)
Biopsychosocial Foundations of Mental Health (graduate)
Advanced Psychopharmacology (graduate)

GRANT SUPPORT (researcg)

“Building Scientifically Valid Systems to Investigate the Prevalence and Impact of Child Exposure to Domestic Violence” awarded by the Lucile and David Packard Foundation (2002-2005) with Co-investigators John W. Fantuzzo PhD (University of Pennsylvania) and Joy D Osofsky PhD (Louisiana State University). Co-PI. Award: $400,000.00. Indirect costs to institution: 10% as specified by foundation.
“Reaching for Rainbows: An Ethnography” Principal investigator for research area V of The Dawn Evaluation Project – A System of Care for SED Children and their Families (2000-present) Demonstration project funded by NIMH, RWJ, & Marion County. Area V portion awarded to investigator: $10,000. No indirects.

“Creating a taxonomy of exposure to domestic violence”. P.I. – Mohr. (1997) Funded by Dean's Research Award. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA. $4500.00. No indirects.

"A needs assessment of Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance Units." With John Fantuzzo Ph.D. Co-P.I.s Mohr and Fantuzzo. Conducted and funded by the City of Philadelphia Police Department, $2500. (1996). No indirects.

“The outcomes of child and adolescent psychiatric hospitalization during the ‘for profit psychiatric hospital scandal’”. P.I. – Mohr. 1996. Funded privately by Moriarty & Associates Fund. Amount of Award: $67,000 to University unrestricted indirect costs, $10,000 direct costs to investigator and $20,000 for expenses. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. (1995-1999).

“The nature of nurses’ experiences in for-profit psychiatric hospital settings.” University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX. P.I. – Mohr (1995). Funded by 1994 Council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing/ANF Scholar. Amount of Award: $250.00 and 1994 Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Small Grant Program. Amount of Award: $ 2,940.00. No indirects.

"An ethnographic study of case management efforts with at risk pregnant teens and teen mothers." (1991). P.I. Funded by the Teen Parent Council of Austin. Austin, TX. ($500). No indirects.

"Correlates of adolescent drug use." University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Odessa, TX. (1983). P.I. Funded by the University of Texas Research Fund and the Midland Independent School District ($2000). No indirects.

GRANTS (non research)

June, 1998 Private funding from Moriarty & Associates Fund to support writing of book on nursing advocacy (Sage Publishing) $4500. Entire amount awarded to University of Pennsylvania for salary support.

July, 2001 Planning grant awarded in amount of $39,503 by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation to develop study “Building scientifically valid systems to investigate the prevalence and impact of child exposure to domestic violence.” Co-investigators: John W. Fantuzzo PhD (University of Pennsylvania) and Joy D. Osofsky PhD (Louisiana State University). Ten percent indirects as restricted by foundation.

July, 2004 HRSA Dept of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration. Advanced Education Nursing Grant “Child and Adolescent Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. Total funding 7/01/04 to 6/30/07 $700, 537.00

PUBLICATIONS (refereed)

*** indicates data based

Teaching

Mohr, W.K. (1993). A nurse-led educational program in psychiatric settings: Developing a curriculum. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, 31(3), 34-38.

Mohr, W. K. (1995). Integrating esthetics into nursing: Literature as a suggested modality . Archives of Psychiatric Nursing , 9(6), 365-372.

Mohr, W.K. & Naylor, M.D. (1998). Creating curriculum for the 21st century. Nursing Outlook. 46(3), 1-7.

Mohr, W.K. (1998). Managed care and mental health services: How we got to where we are. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.4 (4), 1-9.

Mohr, W.K. & Naylor, M.D. (1999) Beyond the hegemony of the homogenous: Revitalizing curriculum and students. Journal of Nursing Education. 38(1), 1-5.

Mohr, W.K. & Finke, L.M. (2000). Seizing the leadership moment. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 13(1), 43-45.

Scholarly Discussions

Mohr, W.K. (1994). The private psychiatric hospital scandal: A critical social approach. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 8(1), 4-8.

Mohr, W.K. (1994). The uneasy values fit between nursing and the for-profit hospital care industry. Journal of Nursing Administration, 24(3), 12-16.

Mohr, W. K. (1995). Values, ideologies and dilemmas: A discussion of professional and occupational contradictions in a changing health care environment. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing ,23(1), 29-35.

Mohr, W.K. (1995). A critical re-appraisal of a social form in psychiatric settings: The multidisciplinary team meeting as a paradigm case. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 9(2), 85-91.

Mohr, W. K. (1995). Multiple ideologies and their proposed roles in the outcomes of nurse practice setting: The for-profit psychiatric hospital scandal as a paradigm case. Nursing Outlook, 43(1), 35-43.

Mohr, W.K. (1996). Ethics, nursing and health care in the age of reform. Nursing and Health Care: Perspectives on Community 17 (1), 16-22.

Mohr, W.K. (1996). Ethics, nursing and health care in the age of reform. Plastic Surgery Nursing. 16(4), 245-249.

Mohr, W.K. (1997). Response to: The use of seclusion in psychiatry: A literature review. Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing Practice, 11(3), 3-6.

Mohr, W.K. (1997). Interpretive interactionism: Denzin’s potential contribution to intervention and outcomes research. Qualitative Health Research ,
7 (2), 270-286.

Mohr, W.K. and Fantuzzo, J.W. (1998). Creating thoughtful research agendas. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 12(1), 1-9.

Mohr, W.K. (1998) Cross ethnic variations in the care of psychiatric patients: A review of contributing factors and practice considerations. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 36(5), 1-6.

Mohr, W.K. (1998). Updating what we know about depression in adolescents. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing. 36(9). 1-7.

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Beyond cause and effect: Some thoughts on research and practice in child psychiatric nursing. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 12(3), 118-127.

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Family violence: Toward more precise and comprehensive knowing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 4, 1-13.

Mohr, W.K. Gelles, R.J., & Schwartz, I.M. (1999). Shackled in the land of liberty: No rights for children. The Annals of The American Academy of Political & Social Science, 564, 37-56.

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Reflections on writing. Nursing Outlook.47(5), 198-199.

Mohr, W.K. & Regan-Kubinski, M.J. (1999). The DSM and child psychiatric nursing: A cautionary reflection. Scholarly Inquiry for Nursing Practice, 13(4), 305-318.

Fantuzzo, J.W. & Mohr, W.K.(2000). Prevalence and effects of child exposure to domestic violence. The Future of Children, 9(3), 21-32.

Mohr, W.K. (2000). Partnering with families. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 38(1), 1-7.

Mohr, W.K. & Fantuzzo, J.W. (2000).Developing a theoretical framework to understand the impact of violence: The neglected variable of physiology. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Violence 3(1) 69-84.

Fantuzzo, J.W., Mohr, W.K., & Noone, M.J. (2000). Making invisible victims visible: University/community partnerships in working with children exposed to family violence. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma 3 (1) 9-23.

Mahon, M.M., Deatrick, J.A., McKnight, H.J., & Mohr, W.K. (2000). Discontinuing treatment in children with chronic, critical illnesses. Nurse Practitioner Forum 3 (1), 6-15.

Mohr, W.K. & Tulman, L.J. (2000). Children exposed to violence: Measurement considerations within an ecological framework. Advances in Nursing Science, 23(1), 59-68.

Mohr, W.K. & Fantuzzo, J.W. (2000).Developing a theoretical framework to understand the impact of violence: The neglected variable of physiology. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Violence 3(1) 69-84.

Fantuzzo, J.W., Mohr, W.K., & Noone, M.J. (2000). Making invisible victims visible: University/community partnerships in working with children exposed to family violence. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma 3 (1) 9-23.

Mohr, W.K., Lafuze, J.E., & Mohr, B.D. (2000) Opening caregiver minds: NAMI’s Provider Education Program. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.15(5), 235-243.

Mohr. W.K. & Mohr, B.D. (2000). Mechanisms of injury and death proximal to the use of restraints. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.14(6), 285-295.

Kennedy, S.S. & Mohr, W.K (2001). A prolegomenon on the restraint of children: Violating the Eighth Amendment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 71(1), 1-11.

Mohr, W.K. & Horton-Deutsch, S. (2001). Malfeasance and regaining nursing’s moral voice and integrity. Nursing Ethics. 8(1), 19-35.

Mohr, W.K., Deatrick, J., Richmond, T., & Mahon, M.M. (2001) A prologomenon on values in turbulent times. Nursing Outlook. 49(1), 30-36.

Mohr, W.K. (2001). Bipolar disorder in children. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 39(3), 1-9.

Mohr, W.K. & Kennedy, S.S. (2001). The conundrum of children’s rights in the U.S. health care system. Nursing Ethics, 8(3), 196-210.

Mohr, W.K. & Mohr, B.D. (2001). Brain, behavior, connections, and implications: Psychodynamics no more. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 15(4), 171-181.

Horton-Deutsch, S. & Mohr, W.K. (2001). The fading of nursing leadership. Nursing Outlook, 49(3), 121-127.

Mohr, WK & Anderson, JA (2001) Faulty assumptions associated with the use of restraints with children, Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 14(3), 141-151.

Mohr, WK (2002) What excesses in the history of mental health can teach professionals. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. 40(5), 1-9.

Kennedy, S.S., Mercer, J., Mohr, W.K. & Huffine, C (2002). Snake oil, ethics and the first amendment. What’s a profession to do? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72(1), 5-15.

Mohr, W.K. & Anderson J.A. (2002). Hypothesized harmful effects of using harsh and punitive interventions. Journal of School Nursing. 8, 346-352.

Olson, J.N. & Mohr, W.K. (2002). The Lost Art of Accuracy: A Contextual Approach to Assessment. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 40(10), 38-45.

Anderson, J. A., Wright, E. R., Kooreman, H. E., Mohr, W. K. & Russell, L. (2003). The Dawn Project: A model for responding to the needs of young people with emotional and behavioral disabilities and their families. Community Mental Health Journal, 39(1), 63-74.

Mohr, WK, Petti, TA, & Mohr, BD (2003) Adverse effects associated with the use of physical restraints. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48, 330-337.

Anderson, J. A. & Mohr, W. K. (2003). A developmental ecological perspective in systems of care for children with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Education and Treatment of Children, 26(1), 52-74.

Mohr, WK (2003). Discarding ideology: Nature/nurture endgame. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care., 39(3), 113-121.

Lawrence, C. & Mohr, WK (2004). Investigator protocol: Sudden in custody death. Police Chief, 71(1), 44-52.

Mohr, WK & Pumariega, A (2004) Level systems: In-patient programming whose time has passed. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 17(3), 113-125.

Mohr, WK (2005). Rethinking the MO of the status quo. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry News, 36(6) 286-297.

Friedman,RM, Pinto, A, Behar, L, Bush, N, Chirolla, A, Epstein, M, Green, A, Pamela Hawkins, P., Huff, B., Huffine, C, McGinnis,L, Mohr, WK, Seltzer, T, Vaughn, C., Whitehead, K & and Young, CK (2006). Unlicensed Residential Programs: The Next Challenge in Protecting Youth. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 76(3), 295-303.

Mohr, WK (2006) Spirituality in mental health nursing. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. 42(3), 174-183.

Mohr, WK (2006) Reflecting on tragedy: A commentary on deaths of children in restraints. Child Abuse and Neglect: An International Journal (Invited Commentary), 30, 1329-1331.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). The profits of misery re-visited. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 29(10), 1047-1050.

Mohr, W.K. (2008, Mar.10). Caution -- slow down for safe restraint. Nursing Spectrum (New York/New Jersey Metro Edition); 20(5): New York/New Jersey Edition: 10-1.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Perilous Omissions and Misinformation. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 22(6), 315-317.

Mohr, W.K. (2009 in press) Aggression and a show of force. Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Mohr, WK. (2009 in press) Still shackled in the land of liberty: denying children the right to be safe from abusive “treatment” Advances in Nursing Science.

Mohr, W.K. , Martin A., Olson, J.N., Pumariega, A. & Branca, N. (2009 in press). Beyond point and level systems: Moving toward patient centered programming. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

Research ***(data based)

Mohr, W. K. (1996). Psychiatric nurses work experiences in troubled environmental contexts. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 10(4), 197-206. ***

Mohr, W.K. & Mahon, M. M. (1996). Dirty hands: The underside of marketplace medicine. Advances in Nursing Science 19(1), 28-38. ***

Mohr, W. K. (1997). The outcomes of corporate greed. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship . 29 (1), 39-47. ***

Mohr, W.K. & Noone, M.J. (1997). Deconstructing progress notes in psychiatric settings. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. 11(6), 325-332. ***

Mohr, W.K. (1998). Outcomes of childhood psychiatric hospitalization in deviant organizations. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 19, 153-171***

Mohr, W.K., Mahon, M.M., & Noone, M.J. (1998). A restraint on restraints: The need to reconsider restrictive interventions. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. *** 12(2), 95-107.

Mohr, W.K. (1998). A tale of two centuries: Voices of the past and present. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 7(6), 1-11. ***

Mohr, W.K. (1998). Experiences of patients involved in the Texas hospital scandal. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. 34 (4), 5-17.***

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Discovering a dialectic of care. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 21(2), 224-243. ***

Mohr, W.K. (1999) Deconstructing the language of psychiatric hospitals. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 29(5), 1052-1059. ***

Mohr, W.K., Noone, M.N., Fantuzzo, J.W., & Perry, M. (2000) Children exposed to family violence: A second decade review of the research advances and challenges. Trauma, Violence & Abuse: A Review Journal, 1(3), 265-283.***

Mohr, W.K. (2000) Re-thinking professional attitudes in mental health settings. Qualitative Health Research. 10(5), 595-611.***

Mohr, W.K., Fantuzzo, J. W., & Al Kabir, S. (2001). Safeguarding their children: Mothers share their strategies. Journal of Family Violence 16 (1), 75-92.***

Mohr, WK & Regan-Kubinski, MJ (2001) Parents experiences when their child becomes mentally ill. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 14(2), 69-77. ***

Petti, TA, Mohr, WK, Somers, J,W & Sims, L. (2001) Debriefing measures with staff and patients after episodes of seclusion or restraint. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 14(3), 115-127. ***

Mohr, WK (2003). The substance of a support group. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 25(6), 676-700. ***

Mohr, W.K. (2004). Surfacing the life phases of a mental health support group. Qualitative Health Research, 14(1), 61-77. ***

(Publications under review -- Refereed)

Scholarly Discussions

Mohr, WK (under review) Does restraint use constitute ethical practice? Archives of Psychiatric Nursing.

Mohr, W.K. & Kentgen, L (under review) Restraint and Seclusion in Juvenile Justice Settings: Health and Mental Health Implications. Social Science and Medicine.

Mohr, W.K. & Nunno, M. (under review) Black boxing restraints: The need for full disclosure and consent in mental health settings. American Journal of Psychiatry and Law.

Mohr, W.K. (in press). Bringing the science back to psychiatric nursing. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing

(Editorials)

Mohr, W.K. (1997). Reaching out to partners: Multidisciplinary research. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing.10(1), 5-6.

Mohr, W.K. (1998). A call to child advocacy. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 11(4), 127-128.

Mohr, W.K. (1998) The more things change the more they stay the same. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. 33(2), 6-7.

Mohr, W.K. (2001). A commentary on comments. Nursing Outlook. 49(3), 119-121.

Mohr, WK (2001) More children are dying in so-called treatment. Newsletter of the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 4(1), 4-5.

Huffine, C & Mohr, WK (2001). Youth at risk – in facilities that are supposed to help. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 14(4), 200.

Mohr, WK (2002). Let no harm be done. Nursing Outlook, 50(2), 45-47.

Mohr, WK (2003) A position statement on academic freedom and tenure. Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters Newsletter, February, 1,2,3.

Books

Mohr, WK (2002) Editor Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Mohr, WK, Foley, M, & Hopkins, T. (2002) Study Guide to Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Mohr, WK (2005). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Mohr, WK (2008) Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

(Contributions to Books)

Mohr, W. (1994). Night shift in the ICU, (pp. 329-330). In P. Chinn (Ed.) Esthetics and the art of nursing.NY: N.L.N. Publication.

Mohr, W. (1994). Kate Millett’s Loony-Bin-Trip, (pp.319-329). In P. Chinn (Ed.) Esthetics and the art of nursing. NY: N.L.N. Publication.

Mohr, W. (1996). Nursing care of adolescent children. In A. Burgess (Ed.) Psychiatric Nursing in the Twenty-first Century, (pp. 277-290). Stanford, CT.: Appleton-Lange.

Mohr, W. K. (1996). Patterns of psychiatric nursing practice. In A. Burgess (Ed.) Psychiatric Nursing in the Twenty-first Century (pp. 26-32). Stanford, CT: Appleton-Lange.

Mohr, W.K. (1996). Integrating esthetics into nursing. In Mental health nursing: The nurse patient journey--an instructor's manual. E.A. DeSalvo Rankin (Ed.) Appendix B. Philadelphia, PA.: W.B. Saunders.

Mohr, W. K. (1997). Advanced practice issues in the care of the adolescent client. In A. Burgess (Ed.) Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.(pp. 285-301) Stanford, CT.: Appleton-Lange.

Mohr, W.K. (2000). What happens to nurses who go up against the for profit health system. In J.Warren Salmon and Beth Blacksin (Eds.) How will health system integration affect the health of the public?: A critical examination. Chicago, Il: Health Administration Press.

Fantuzzo, J., & Mohr, W.K. (2000) Pursuit of wellness in Head Start: Making beneficial connections for children and families. In D. Cichetti, J. Rappaport, I. Sandler, & R. Weissberg (Eds.). The promotion of wellness in children and adolescents. (pp. 341-370). Washington, DC: CWLA Press.

Mohr, W.K. (2002). Afterword in Escaping the Yellow Wallpaper: Women’s Encounters with the Mental Health Establishment. E. Clift Editor.

Fantuzzo, J.W., Mohr, W.K., & Noone, M.J. (2000). Making invisible victims visible: University/community partnerships in working with children exposed to family violence. In R.Geffner, P. Jaffe, & M. Suderman (Eds) Children exposed to domestic violence: Current issues in research, intervention, prevention, and policy development. (pp. 9-23) Haworth Maltreatment and Trauma Press.

Mohr, W.K. & Fantuzzo, J.W. (2000).Developing a theoretical framework to understand the impact of violence: Psychological and biological models. In R.Geffner, P. Jaffe, & M. Suderman. Children exposed to domestic violence: Current issues in research, intervention, prevention, and policy development.(pp. 69-84) NY: Haworth Maltreatment and Trauma Press.

Mohr, W.K. (2001). Childhood psychopathology: Studying conduct disorder. In JJ Fitzpatrick & PA Wilke (Eds) The Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Research Digest.( pp. 163-167). NY: Springer.

Mohr, WK (2002). Understanding children in crisis. In WN Zubenko & JA Capozzoli (Eds) Children and Disasters (pp. 72-84). London, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Johnson, BS & Mohr, WK (2002). Introduction to psychiatric mental health nursing. In WK Mohr (Ed.) Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Johnson, BS & Mohr, WK (2002). Working with pediatric clients. In WK Mohr (Ed.) Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Delaney, K, Esparza, D & Mohr, WK (2002).Violence and abuse within the community. In WK Mohr (Ed.) Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Mohr, WK (2002). Conceptual frameworks and theories. In WK Mohr (Ed.) Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Mohr, WK (2002). Spirituality in psychiatric care. In WK Mohr (Ed.) Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Mohr, WK (2002). Neuroscience: Biology and behavior. In WK Mohr (Ed.) Johnson’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Mohr, WK (2003). A review of the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy with patients who have schizophrenia. Evidence Based Practice in Nursing & Health: A Guide for Translating Research Evidence into Practice. B Menyk & E Fineout-Overholt (Eds.) Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.

Mohr WK & Machado, G. (2003). The neurobiological impact of violence exposure on children: What we know and future implications. In J Osofsky (Ed.) Young Children and Trauma. New York, NY: Guilford Publications

Mohr, WK (2004). Examining the Empirical Literature on Cognitive Behavior Therapy with People who Have Schizophrenia. In Bernadette Melnyk (Ed) Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice (pp. 133-146). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.

Mohr, WK (2005). Introduction to Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. In Mohr, WK (Ed). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (pp. 3-15)

Mohr, WK (2005). Neuroscience: Biology and Behavior. In Mohr, WK (2005). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. (pp. 19-36)

Mohr, WK (2005).Conceptual Frameworks and Theories. In Mohr, WK (2005). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. (pp. 37-51)

Mohr, WK (2005). Evidence based practice and pseudoscience. In Mohr, WK (2005). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. (pp. 141-149).

Mohr, WK (2005). Spirituality in Psychiatric Care. In Mohr, WK (2005). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. (pp. 287-294).

Delaney, KR, Esparza, D, Hinderliter, D, Lamb, K & Mohr, WK (2005).Violence and Abuse within the Community. In Mohr, WK (2005). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. (pp. 353-367).

Mohr, WK (2005).The pediatric client. In Mohr, WK (2005). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. (pp. 771-806).

Mohr, WK (2006). Psychiatric records. In P. Iyer, BJ Levin, & MA Shea Medical Legal Aspects of Medical Records. Tuscon, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company Inc. (pp. 691-705).

Mohr, WK (2007). Psychiatric Nursing Liability. In P. Iyer & BJ Levin Nursing Malpractice
( pp.407-422). Tuscon, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company Inc.

Mohr, WK (2008). Physical restraints: Are they ever safe and how safe is safe enough? In Nunno, M. A., Day, D. M., & Bullard, L. B. (Eds.). (2008). For our own safety: Examining the safety of high-risk interventions for children and young people. pp. 68-86. Washington, DC: CWLA Press.

Mohr, W. K., Huckshorn, K.A.,& Masters, K. (2008). Seclusion and Restraint. In Psychiatry, third edition,, Tasman A, Kay J, Lieberman J, First MB, and Maj M (eds). John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, volume 2, pp 2491-2495.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Introduction to psychiatric mental health nursing. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 3-20, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008).Neuroscience: biology and behavior. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 21-39, , Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Conceptual frameworks and theories. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 40-57, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Evidence-based practice. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 58-72, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Spirituality in psychiatric care. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 117-129, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Nursing values, attitudes, and self-awareness. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 133-142, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Somatic therapies. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 341=348, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Pediatric clients. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 853-865, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, W.K. (2008). Clients with medical illnesses. In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices. 7th Ed., Mohr, W.K. (ed.) pp. 117-129, Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Mohr, WK & Lucas, G (in press) Seclusion and restraint. In M Riba & D Ravindranath, (Eds) Handbook of Psychiatric Emergencies. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Mohr, W.K. Gelles, R.J., & Schwartz, I.M. (2009). Shackled in the land of liberty: No rights for children. In Youth Crime and Juvenile Justice Volume III, Goldson, G & Muncie, J (Eds.). London, UK: Sage.

(Non-Refereed Articles)

Mohr, W.K. & Mohr, B.D. (1993). More thoughts on the nursing shortage. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 22(4), 1268.

Mohr, W. K.(1993, May). Educational programs for in-patient populations. Innovations and Research in Mental Health. Boston, MA: N.A.M.I. Publications.

Mohr, W.K. (1993, October). Project: Nurse on board. Texas Nursing, 1, 4-5, 14.

Mohr, W. K. (1995, March). What nurses can do about unethical management. Texas Nursing, 10.

Mohr, W. K. (1995, March). Ethics with in the medical marketplace: Recommendations for nurses. Texas Nursing 8-9.

Mohr, W. K. (1995, Feb.). Wanda Mohr reflects: How my investigation affected me. Texas Nursing, p.9.

Mohr, W. (1995, Feb.). Misery, mendacity, morals and money: Lessons from a Texas health care scandal. Texas Nursing , 8-10.

Boruch, R., Fantuzzo, J., Mohr, W.K. & Noone, M. J. (1997). Making invisible children visible. The GSE News. 1, 6.

Mohr, W.K. (1997). The invisible victims of domestic violence. Domestic Violence Report.2(6), 1-2.

Mohr, W.K. (1997). The cycle goes round and round: Creating batterers? Domestic Violence Report.3(1) 5-6.

Mohr, W.K.(1998). Police-mental health partnerships: Actuating a public health surveillance model of domestic violence. Domestic Violence Report 4(2) 2-3.

Mohr, W.K. (1998). Refining surveillance activities on intimate partner violence. Domestic Violence Report April/May, 3 (4) 54.

Mohr, W.K. (1998). Bringing together town and gown: Synthesis for practitioners. Domestic Violence Report, Aug/Sept. 3(6), 89.

Mohr, W.K. (1998 Oct/Nov). The state of domestic violence interventions:1998. Domestic Violence Report.. 3(7) 94.

Mohr, W.K. (Feb/Mar, 1999). How good are our domestic violence data? Domestic Violence Report, 4(3), 39, 44.

Mohr, W.K. (April/May, 1999) Health care provider gaps in education about family violence. Domestic Violence Report.

Mohr, W.K. (April/May, 1999). Ask the doctor: The experiences of families with emotionally troubled children. The NAMI Advocate. 4, 2-3.

Fantuzzo, J.F. & Mohr, W.K. (1999). Mental health consultations in Head Start: A commentary. National Head Start Association Dialogue. 2, 405-411.

Mohr, WK (2008). Caution: Slow down for safe restraint. Nursing Spectrum, March 10, 2008 10-11.

Book Reviews for NURSING ETHICS

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Clinical Wisdom and Interventions in Critical Care
Authors: Patricia Benner, Patricia Hooper-Kyriakidis, Daphne Stannard.. In Nursing Ethics, 6(5), 441-442.

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Ethics & Issues in Contemporary Nursing Authors: M. A. Burkhardt and A.K. Nathaniel. In Nursing Ethics, 6(4), 347-349.

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Our Hands are Tied: Legal Tensions and Medical Ethics Author: Marshall B. Kapp. In Nursing Ethics, 6(5), 439-440.

Mohr, W.K. (1999). When Medicine Went Mad. Edited by Arthur L. Caplan. In Nursing Ethics, 6(6), 545-546.

Mohr, W.K. (2000). Opening Up Care: Achieving Principled Practice in Health and Social Care Institutions. Authored by D. Stanley & J. Reed. In Nursing Ethics, 7(5), 459-460.

Mohr, W.K. (2001). Nurses’ moral practice: investing and discounting self. Authored by C. Kelly. In Nursing Ethics, 8(2), 167-169

Mohr, W.K. (2001). Nurses in Nazi Germany: Moral Choice in History. Authored by Bronwyn Rebekah McFarland-Icke. In Nursing Ethics, 8(2), 170-171.

Mohr, W.K. (2001) The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, her American Doctors and the Collision of Two Cultures. Authored by Anne Fadiman. In Nursing Ethics, 8(2), 172-174.

Mohr, W.K. (2001). A few months to live: Different paths to life’s end. Authored by Jana Staton, Roger Shuy, & Ira Byock. In Nursing Ethics, 8(4), 160-162.
Mohr, WK (2002). Taking advance directives seriously: Prospective autonomy and decision making at the end of life. Authored by Robert S. Olick. In Nursing Ethics, 9(2), 225.
Mohr, WK (2002). Lives of moral leadership. Authored by Robert Coles. In Nursing Ethics, 9(2), 231-232.

Mohr, WK (2002) Pricing life: Why it’s time for health care rationing. In Nursing Ethics

Book Reviews for JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING

Mohr, W.K. (1999). Queer Kids: The Challenges and Promise for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth. Author: Robert E. Owens Jr.In Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 12(4), 136-138.

Media Reviews for JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOCIAL NURSING AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Mohr, W.K. (2003). A new look at ADHD In Journal of Psychosocial Nursing 41(7), 50.

Mohr, W.K. (2003). Interventions for ADHD. In Journal of Psychosocial Nursing 41(7), 50.

Booklet

Mohr, W.K. (1997). Cracking the NCLEX: Princeton Review (contributing author psychiatric mental health nursing. Princeton, N.J.

Mohr, W.K. (1992). Project nurse on board: How to get elected to a hospital board. Austin, TX: Texas Nurses’Association Publication.

Other:

Mohr, WK (2007) The use of physical restraint within the context of the ethical standards of psychiatric professionals. Proceedings of the 5th European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry. Amsterdam, NL (pp. 319-320).

Mohr, WK (2007). Reduction of seclusion and restraint: practice implications. Proceedings of the 5th European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry. Amsterdam, NL (pp. 187).

Anderson, JA, Kooreman, HE, Mohr, WK & Russell, LA (2001) The Dawn Project: Operations and Evaluation Plan presented at symposium: An Examination of the Dawn Project System of Care: Evaluation, Operations, and Costs, JA Anderson Symposium Chair. In In C. Newman (Ed) 14th Annual Proceedings Annual Research Conference Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health (pp. 59-65). Tampa, Florida.

Mohr, WK & Pumariega, AJ (2001) Post restraint sequelae five years out: Concerns and policy implications. In C. Newman (Ed) 14th Annual Proceedings Annual Research Conference Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health (pp. 437-441). Tampa, Florida.

Petti, TA, Sims, L, Somers, J, Mohr, WK, Haugh, D (2001). Reduction of seclusion and restrains: Implications from the Indianapolis Experience. In C. Newman (Ed) 14th Annual Proceedings Annual Research Conference Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health (pp 441-443). Tampa, Florida.

RESEARCH (DOCTORAL DISSERTATION)

“The nature of nurses’ experiences in for profit psychiatric settings.” Dissertation research conducted at the University of Texas at Austin. (1995) Beverly A. Hall Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. supervisor.

PRESENTATIONS

October 31, 2008. Reducing seclusion and restraint in clinical settings. Clinical Perspectives Presentation with Susan Villani, MD, Andres Martin, MD, Joseph Shrand, MD, Kim J. Masters, MD, and Christopher Bellonci, MD. At the Fifty-fifth meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Chicago, IL.

October 4, 2008. The mode of death from misapplied restraint. Symposium: Abusive Residential Care of Youth: Professional and Advocacy Response. Presented at the Institute on Psychiatric Services. Chicago, IL.

October 4, 2008. Residential data suggest a widespread problem. Symposium: Abusive Residential Care of Youth: Professional and Advocacy Response. Presented at the Institute on Psychiatric Services. Chicago, IL.

March 12, 2008. Banning prone restraints. Testimony before the Maryland State Legislature House Ways and Means Committee. House Bill 592: Education—Student Behavior Interventions – Use of Time Out, Restraint, and Seclusion. On behalf of the Maryland Disability Law Center, 1800 N. Charles St. Suite 400, Baltimore, MD.

February 19, 2008 The psychotherapeutic system of rational emotive therapy: the other cognitive behavior psychotherapy. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Child Psychiatry, Piscataway, NJ.

October 27, 2007 Keynote: The use of physical restraints within the context of the ethical standards of psychiatric professionals. Presented at the 5th European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry. Amsterdam, NL

October 26, 2007 Seminar: Reduction of Seclusion and Restraint: Practice Implications. Presented at the 5th European Congress on Violence in Clinical Psychiatry. Amsterdam, NL

November 8, 2006 Building Bridges for Restraint Elimination: Sharing our Knowledge
Across Systems and Settings. TASH Annual International Conference. Baltimore, Maryland.

October 19, 2006 “The Adverse Effects of Restraint Use.”
“Level Point Systems: Challenging the MO of the Status Quo.”
“ Point Counterpoint: Provider Comments on Points/Level Systems.”
At the Provider Presentation Forum on Restraint and Seclusion Prevention. Massachusetts Medical Society. Waltham/Boston, MA.

October 20, 2006 “Individualized Treatment Planning: The Emperor’s Missing Clothes.” At Transforming Cultures of Care: The Vital Role of Nurse Leaders. Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center. Shrewsbury, MA.

September 11, 2006 Grand Rounds Reading Hospital and Medical Center, Reading , PA “ The ethics of seclusion and restraints: Challenging the M.O. of the Status Quo.”

September 14, 2006 Is it Possession? Psychosis? How Do You Treat It? The Role
of Religion in Psychiatric Care. Fifth National Psychopharmacology Institute for Advanced Practice Nurses. Cherry Hill, NJ.

August 30, 2006. “To tell or not to tell … the moral imperative of inform and consent.” At the Reaching for the Light: High Risk Interventions in Human Services International Symposium. Stirling University. Stirling, UK.

August 3, 2006. “Restraints, are they ever safe?.” At the Crisis Prevention Institute’s second international conference. St. Louis, MO.

January 17, 2006. “Rational Emotive Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy” At the Second Annual Seminal Thinkers Series. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Dept. of Psychiatry. Piscataway, NJ.

September 20, 2005 “The Developmental Ecological Theoretical Framework.” At the Second Annual Seminal Thinkers Series. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Dept. of Psychiatry. Piscataway, NJ.

September 17, 2005 “Reflections on Evil, Cults, and Spirituality in APN Practice”. At the Fourth Annual Psychopharmacology for Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses Conference. Philadelphia, PA

June 10, 2005 “Reducing the need for physical restraints.” Grand Rounds Presentation
Ancora State Hospital, Hammond, NJ

June 7, 2005 “Suicide assessment and prevention.” Keynote presented at: Broadway House, Newark, NJ

June 3, 2005 “Physical Restraints: Are they ever safe?” Presented at: Examining the safety of high-risk interventions with children and young people: An international symposium for researchers, policy makers, advocates and intervention system providers. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
January 18, 2005 “Promising Practices in Reducing Seclusion and Restraint.” Grand Rounds Presentation. Ancora State Hospital, Hammond, NJ.

November 17, 2004 “The Dangers of Restraints” Presented at TASH Conference Aversives, Restraints, and Seclusion: Ending State Sanctioned Abuse. Reno, Nevada

November 12, 2004 “Promising Practices in Reducing Seclusion and Restraint.” Grand Rounds Presentation. Ancora State Hospital, Hammond, NJ.

October 14, 2004 “Seclusion and Restraints: There is a better way.” Presented at Alternatives 2004 — “Achieving the Promise of Recovery: New Freedom, New Power, New Hope” Denver, CO.

June 1, 2004 “Working with Advocacy Groups” Presented at the RWJ School of Medicine Department of Child Psychiatry Piscataway, NJ.

May 7, 2004 “Faulty assumptions underpinning restraint use and adverse effects associated with the use of physical restraints.” Workshop presented at “Innovations and Alternatives to Eliminate Restraint and Seclusion. Phoenix State Hospital, Phoenix, AZ

April 30, 2004 “ Life Phases of a Support Group” Presented at the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, St Louis, MO

April 29, 2004 “Violence prevention and early intervention.” Workshop presented at the McFarland Mental Health Center. Springfield, IL

April 28, 2004 “Violence prevention and early intervention.” Workshop presented at the Elgin Mental Health Center. Elgin, IL

April 3, 2004 “The pathogenesis of violence.” Symposium presented at the Eastern Nursing Research Society annual meeting with N. Redeker & B. Caldwell. Quincy, Massachusetts

April 2, 2004 “The substance of a support group.” Presented at the Eastern Nursing Research Society annual meeting. Quincy, Massachusetts.

March 8, 2004 “Adverse effects of restraints and directions in the field.” Presented at Promoting Excellence in Care: Staff and Patient Safety Related to the Use, Reduction, and Elimination of Restraints at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

November 18, 2003 “ The developmental ecological theoretical perspective: Application to child psychopathology.” Presented at the RWJ School of Medicine Department of Child Psychiatry Piscataway, NJ.

September 16, 2003 “A workshop in rational emotive therapy with children.” Presented at the RWJ School of Medicine Department of Child Psychiatry Piscataway, NJ.

September 4, 2003 “Children exposed to family violence: The limits of our knowledge.” Presented at the RWJ School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds. Piscataway, NJ.

May 5, 2003 “A few remarks on where we are with seclusion and restraint” and “Creating a research agenda on restraint use and misuse.” Presented at A National Call to Action: Eliminating the Use of Seclusion and Restraint. J.W. Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC

April 25, 2003 “Sudden In-Custody Deaths.” Presented with Chris Lawrence & Sharon Lawrence at the Use-of-Force Conference & Expo. Chicago, IL.

January 16, 2003 “Managing Disruptive Classrooms.” Rutgers University College of Nursing Faculty Retreat.

January 15, 2003 “Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect.” Presented to the Rotary Club of the Mendhams. Chester, NJ.

December 13, 2002 “Adherence, Compliance, Engagement: Patients and Medications” Presented at the Midland Memorial Hospital Medical Center, Midland, TX

October 29, 2002 “The One-Hour Rule: Urgent Legislation” Presented on behalf of : The Mental Health Association, National Protection and Advocacy System, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, and the ARC of America at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, MD.

October 25, 2002 “Nature vs. Nurture” Presented at the Psychopharmacology for Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses Conference with Bonnie Raingruber PhD, RN, CS. Philadelphia, PA

October 16, 2002 “Employing aggregate data from multiple data sets to study children exposed to domestic violence.” Presented at the Family Services Division of the Montgomery County Police Dept., Rockville, MD

October 9, 2002 “Sudden in custody death: Beyond positional asphyxia, a systems approach. Presented at the 109th International Association of Chiefs of Police. Minneapolis, MN.

June 11, 2002 “Building Scientifically Valid Systems to Investigate the Prevalence and Impact of Child Exposure to Domestic Violence.” Presented at the 1st Annual Conference on Children’s Mental Health. University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD.

April 26, 2002 “The unique and combined effects of risk factors on children’s development.” Presented at the 4th Annual International Society of Psychiatric Nursing (ISPN) Conference. Washington, DC.

April 26, 2002 “Building Scientifically Valid Systems to Investigate the Prevalence and Impact of Child Exposure to Domestic Violence.” Presented at the 4th Annual ISPN Conference. Washington, DC

April 13, 2002 “Living in the fallout: the offspring of the mentally ill.” Presented at the RWJ Medical School. IFSS Family Connections: Siblings, Offspring & Partners of People with Mental Illness. Piscataway, NJ.

March 19, 2002 “What’s new in advanced practice?” Presented at the New Jersey State Nurses Association Annual Meeting. Atlantic City, NJ.

November 2, 2001 “An overview of qualitative methods.” Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services, Indianapolis, IN

July 2, 2001 “Creating relevant curricula in psychiatric mental health nursing.” Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC.

June 3, 2001 “The effects of risk factors on children’s development.” Duke University, Durham, NC

May 9, 2001 “The use of force in psychiatry: When is it helpful and when is it not?”
Symposium presented with C. J Huffine M.D. & A. Pumariega M.D.at the Annual American Psychiatric Association Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

April 17, 2001 Evaluation Briefing of the Dawn Project Evaluation Study.
“A theoretical framework for the Dawn Project”
“Demographic composition of Dawn Project Clients”
“Comparison of Costs to Marion County Under Capitation Versus Service as Usual”
“Families Reaching for Rainbows: A Focused Ethnography”
With ER Wright PhD, JA Anderson PhD, Geoffrey Warner PhD,
& H. Koorman M.A. Indianapolis, IN

April 6, 2001 “Combining municipal data bases on behalf of vulnerable children.”
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

February 27, 2001 “Post restraint effects five years out: Concerns and policy implications.” Presented at The 14th Annual Research Conference: A System of Care for Children’s Mental Health. Tampa, FL

February 27, 2001 “Seclusion and Restraint in Psychiatric Facilities.” Presented with T.J. Petti & A Pumariega at The 14th Annual Research Conference: A System of Care for Children’s Mental Health. Tampa, FL

February 26, 2001 “An Examination of the Dawn Project System of Care: Evaluation,Operations, and Costs.” Presented with J.A. Anderson; G. Warner; E. Wright, LA Russell, K.I. Rotto, H.E. Kooremen, & D Ziska at The 14th Annual Research Conference: A System of Care for Children’s Mental Health. Tampa, FL.

February 23, 2001 CMHS/SAMSHA Symposium on Restraints and Seclusion
“
How to develop a Manual on Preventing Seclusion and Restraint.” Doubletree Rockville, Rockville, MD

January 9, 2001 State of Indiana Community Mental Health Center Administrators. “An overview of the new HCFA and JCAHO standards on restraints and seclusion in behavioral health settings.” Indianapolis, IN.

December 13, 2000 Larue Carter Hospital, Indianapolis, IN. “How to care for aggressive and explosive children.”

October 16, 2000 Indiana Legislative Commission on Mental Health. “The rationale behind school based mental health clinics.” Presented at the Indiana State House, Indianapolis, IN.

October 4, 2000 Governor’s Conference on Mental Health. Panel on Seclusion and Restraint. “Why restraints are dangerous.” (Presented at the Indianapolis Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN)

Sept. 16, 2000 “A workshop on the effects of and alternatives to the use of seclusion and restraints in institutional settings.” (Presented at the NAMI IN statewide conference at Larue Carter Hospital) Indianapolis, IN

August 1, 2000 “The Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health in the United States: Children’s Mental Health” (Panel presented with E. Wright PhD and JA Anderson PhD for the Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research). Indianapolis, IN

July 13, 2000 “An overview of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health. (Presented to the Indiana State Legislature Committee on Mental Health) Indianapolis, IN

May 13, 2000 “A discussion on the use of restraints in psychiatric settings.” (Presented to Biannual meeting of the Indiana Protection and Advocacy System) Indianapolis, IN.

May 11, 2000 Keynote: “Where we’ve been and where we’re going.” South Carolina Department of Mental Health, Columbia, SC.

May 11, 2000 Workshop: “Updates in Mental Health Nursing.” South Carolina Department of Mental Health, Columbia, SC.

April 29, 2000 “New information about the use of restraints and seclusion.” (with Finke, L.M.) International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses. Miami, FL.

April 28, 2000 “Living in the fallout: The ongoing grief of persons with a mentally ill child.” (with Regan-Kubinski, M.J.) International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses. Miami, FL.

April 25, 2000 “The Dawn Project: A Model for Responding to the Needs of Young People with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities and their Families” With J.A. Anderson, L. Russell, E.R. Wright, H.E. Koorman, G. Warner. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA.

April 10, 2000 “Prevalence and Incidence of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence.” (with Fantuzzo, J.W.) National Academy of Sciences, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education Board on Children, Youth, and Families. Washington, D.C.

April 2, 2000 “Safety First: Mothers share their strategies.” Paper presented at the Midwest Nursing Research Society Annual Meeting. (with Fantuzzo, J.W. & Al Kabir, S.) Dearborn, MI

March 10, 2000 “The road less traveled: From research to policy.” Keynote delivered at University of Tennessee at Knoxville Sigma Theta Tau Research Day.

January 21, 2000 “Aggression/violence and Seclusion and restraint.” Psychiatric grand rounds presentation (respondent). Larue Carter State Hospital, Indianapolis, IN.

November 6, 1999 “How to get involved in the political process.” Workshop presented for March of Dimes of Indiana volunteers. Sheraton at Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis, IN

October 15, 1999 “Update on restraints.” Plenary session presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. Washington, D.C.

July 18, 1999 “Children exposed to domestic violence.” With J.W. Fantuzzo Ph.D. Plenary Session presented at the First Intimate Violence Institute. University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work, Philadelphia, PA.

May 14, 1999 “Elder abuse: Recognition, Intervention, Advocacy.”
Violence: Beyond the rhetoric. 1999 School of Social Work Alumni Day Conference. Penn Tower Hotel, Philadelphia, PA.

May 13, 1999 “The use of conceptual models in conducting research studies.”
Summer Research Institute. University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA.

April 16, 1999 “Organizational ethics in a for-profit environment.” Gallman Distinguished Lecture. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.

April 13, 1999 “Deadly restraint: Why people are dying in our psychiatric hospitals and how we can prevent it.” Invited testimony before U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee (Labor, Health & Human Services and Education Subcommittee). Washington, D.C.

April 11, 1999 “Marginalization and exteriorization in Psychiatric Nursing.” Symposium presented at the Midwest Nursing Research Society Annual Meeting. Indianapolis, IN.

April 6, 1999 “Deadly restraint: Why people are dying in our psychiatric hospitals and how we can prevent it.” Invited presentation to the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. Atlanta, GA.

Feb 18, 1999 “Effects of community and domestic violence on children and adolescents.” Sponsored by Devereux Community Services of Philadelphia, The Institute of Clinical Training and Research, and MCP Hahnemann University School of Medicine.

Feb 10, 1999 “Discovering a dialectic of ‘care.’” Presented at the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Feb 5, 1999 “Restraining children: A violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” Second Annual Symposium “Established and Emerging Rights: Exploring Juvenile Rights under the Constitution” Sponsored by University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law.

Dec1, 1998 “Being a child and mentally ill: Dually disadvantaged in America.” Presented at the University of Texas, Permian Basin. Distinguished Alumni Speakers’ Series.

Nov 17, 1998 “Let the voices be heard! Underserved children and their families.” Symposium presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Nov 17, 1998 “Partnership and the spirit of a public nursing.” Paper presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Nov 5, 1998 “Yes, of course we will – NO!” Presented at the Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric Nursing Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Sept 20, 1998 “The state of research: Identifying, overcoming, and working with the good, the bad, and the ugly.” Plenary Session Address. Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.

June 19, 20, 1998 Keynote presented at Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
“Mental Health Care for Youth in a Chaotic Environment: Parent-Provider Partnerships”

March 31, 1998 “Consumer Driven Care, Policy and Science.” Symposium presented at the Midwest Nursing Research Society, Columbus, OH.

March 24, 1998 Children’s Response to Domestic Violence. Presented at “Crimes Against Children.” University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA.

March 4, 1998 White collar crime in health care settings. Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Jan. 30, 1998 Qualitative methods in sociology: Psychiatric nursing in troubled environmental contexts as a paradigm case. Invited presentation to Rice University Department of Sociology, Rice University, Houston, TX.

Nov. 11, 1997 Advocating for children and their families. Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.

Nov. 11, 1997 A historical look at experiences of women and children in psychiatric care. American Public Health Association. Indianapolis, IN.

Nov. 11, 1997 Discovering a dialectic of care. American Public Health Association. Annual Meeting. Indianapolis, IN.

Nov. 10, 1997 Advocating for the advocates: Celebrating courage
Physicians for a National Health Plan. Annual Meeting.
Indianapolis, IN.

Nov. 3, 1997 Parents’ reactions to the psychiatric hospitalization of their children. Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric Nursing, Washington, D.C.

Oct. 25, 1997 Caring from long distance. Parents’ Weekend. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA.

Sept. 26, 1997 Childhood psychiatric hospitalization: The gap between what we know and what we do. Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing National Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Sept. 25, 1997 An ecological developmental perspective on children in crisis. Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. Pre conference workshop, Philadelphia, PA.

Sept. 11, 1997 Actuating community partnerships between police and the mental health community to combat domestic violence. Physicians for Social Responsibility, Philadelphia, PA.

June 30, 1997 Fifth International Family Violence Research Conference
1997 New England Center, Durham, N.H. Making visible the invisible: incidence of children exposed to maternal Assault. (with M.J. Noone and J.W. Fantuzzo)

June, 7 1997 Second International Conference on Children Exposed to Family Violence in London, Ontario Canada. (with J.W.Fantuzzo and M.J. Noone ) Symposia presentation on Treatment models for children exposed to domestic violence; Boys turning into batterers.

May 16, 1997 Managed Care: Coping with the counterevolution (with Arthur Caplan PhD, Claire Fagin PhD, RN, FAAN, MarkV. Pauley PhD, Arnold Rosoff, JD, and J. Sanford Schwartz M.D.. At the Annenberg School of Communication. Philadelphia, PA.

March 20, 1997 Child and adolescent psychiatry nursing-- what do we REALLY know? Springfield Hospital, PA. , Pennsylvania chapter of American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

Feb 17, 1997 The importance of engaging families and patients in care. Thomas Jefferson University College of Allied Health Sciences.

Feb 13, 1997 Engaging families and clients in the treatment team activities. Allegheny Health Care Systems Dept. of Psychiatry Grand Rounds.

Nov 6, 7, 8 1997 Sexual Assault Examiners Course. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA.

Nov 19, 1996 The effects of corporatization on nurses in the field. American Public Health Association Meeting, N.Y., N.Y.

Oct 5, 1996 Hospitalization of Children and Adolescents: Is It Always Necessary? AMI of PA conference Grantville, PA.

Oct 4, 1996 The invisible member of the treatment team: Including family members in treatment. Temple University Medical School Dept. of Psychiatry Grand Rounds. Philadelphia, PA.

April 12, 26, 1996 Including the family as members of the treatment team. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Dept. of Psychiatry. Presentation to psychiatric residents and social work department.

Mar 21, 1996 Nurses’ Experiences in For-Profit Psychiatric Hospital Settings. The Delaware Valley Qualitative Paradigm Nursing Research Interest Group Annual Symposium, Philadelphia, PA.

Dec 6, 7, 8, 9, 1995 Forensic Nursing and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Course. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Dec 6, 1995 Ethics for Nurse Executives. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Nov 1, 1995 Nurses’ experiences in for profit health care settings. Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric Nursing. Arlington, VA.

April 21, 1995 Nurses' experiences in deviant health care environments. Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.Workshop on: Ethics in the Workplace. The University of Texas at Tyler, School of Nursing, Tyler, TX.

April 6, 1995 The multi-disciplinary team meeting in health care organizations: A post-modern and critical assessment presented at the Post Modern Theory Conference of the International Academy of Business Disciplines, Redondo Beach, CA.

Oct 20, 1994 Nurses' experiences within the context of for-profit psychiatric hospitals, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, San Antonio, TX.

Sept 24, 1994 "Practical and Professional Ethics." Ambulatory Care Conference, Midland, TX.

Sept 24, 1994 "Workshop: Clinical management of depression for nurses." Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, Midland, TX.

May 6,1994 "Critical social analysis of psychiatric care: The multidisciplinary team meeting as paradigm case." Paper presented at the Ohio State University on May 6,1994 at the Psychiatric Nursing Conference: State of the Art, 1974-1994.

Oct 17,1993 "Ecological factors influencing ethical decision making of nurse managers in organizational settings: A critical social research approach." Fifth National Conference on Nursing Administration Research. The School of Nursing of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sept 10, 1993 "Ethical decision making and dilemmas in for-profit hospitals." Presented at Research Colloquium, University of Texas at Austin.

Expert Consultant

1998 NPR All things considered. “Schools or prisons?”
1998-1999 CBS News 60 Minutes II “Unsafe Haven.” (April 21, 1999)
1999 Foxfiles March 11, 1999 “Deadly Restraint.”
1998 Hartford Courant series “Deadly Restraint.” (Hartford, CT)
1998 Asbury Park Press “Restraining children in psychiatric hospitals.”
1999 The Morning Call series “Death by Restraint” (Allentown, PA.)
1999 The Charlotte Observer “Experts question home policy to medicate kids (Charlotte, N.C.)
Orlando Sun Sentinel series “Throwaway Kids” 11/7-11/10/99
2000 Detroit Metro-News “Michigan’s Mental Health Mess”
2001 “Finding Answers Close to Home”; “Troubled Kids, Far From Home” in Newsday (Sept. 22, 2002), Lauren Terrazano byline
2004 Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Expert Witness Activities (Law Firms and Institutions)

Moriarity & Associates, Houston, TX (Plaintiff)
Bellafatto Law Offices, Easton, PA (Plaintiff)
Bruning & Associates, Crystal Lake, IL (Plaintiff)
Latham & Watkins, San Diego, CA (Plaintiff)
Pickens, Barnes, & Abernathy, Cedar Rapids, IA (Plaintiff)
Sachs, Maitlin, Fleming, & Greene, West Orange, NJ (Defendant)
Tom Riley Law Firm, Cedar Rapids, IA (Plaintiff)
The Joynes & Gaidies Law Group, Virginia Beach, VA (Plaintiff)
Law Offices Jacobs, Grudberg, Belt, Dow, & Katz P.C. New Haven, CT (Plaintiff)
Law Offices Ephrem J. Wertenteil, New York, NY (Plaintiff)
Law Offices Gebhardt & Kiefer, Bridgewater, NJ (Defendant)
Jacobs, Grudberg, Belt, Dow & Katz PC, New Haven, CT (Plaintiff)
Wahrenberger & Pietro LLP, Springfield, NJ (Defendant)
Queller, Fisher, Dienst, Serrins, Washor & Kool, LLP New York, NY (Plaintiff)
Dughi & Hewit PC Attorneys at Law Cranford, NJ (Defendant)
Law Offices Spoganetz, John Cartaret, NJ (Plaintiff)
Attorney General Offices State of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN (Plaintiff)
Pietragallo, Bosick & Gordon LLP Pittsburgh, PA (Plaintiff)
The Legal Center for Special Education Des Moines, IA (Plaintiff)
Gebhardt & Kiefer P.C. P. O. Box 4001 Clinton, NJ (Defendant)
Kline & Specter LLC Philadelphia, PA (Plaintiff)

New Year

2009-01-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it's 2009 and I have not posted for several months. We have a new president-elect and that bonehead Bush and his evil Iago are on their way to obscurity. We had all of the kids, grandkids and pets over for the holidays. Poor Alina had a cold and proceeded to give it to all of us.
So what does the new year hold? Travel, writing, and being with grandkids as much as we can and away from the university as much as I can.
Tuesday and Wednesday are faculty retreat days and I am already strategizing a way to keep myself sane on Tuesday. Wednesday will see me sick or something. The faculty development topic of the day -- ALL DAY -- is cultural sensitivity. If I have to attend another seminar on cultural sensitivity I will throw up. What is it with these administrators? Do they really have any imaginations? Do they really think that forcing faculty to sit in an all day seminar is going to make them more sensitive? More like more aggravated that they HAVE to sit and have their time wasted. So I'm gonna be sick.

Too sad to get angry about

2008-10-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

So here we are down to the wire and my guys are ahead, which means that the conservative machine is getting more shrill and slanderous. Now these jerks have come up with so called evidence that Barak's birth certificate is not legitimate, among other lies. These people that email this kind of idiocy around never once stop to think that if any of this was true, that their own conservative journalists (the ones who are true intellects like George Will) would have uncovered this a long time ago. They never stop to ponder why David Brooks, Peggy Noonan, George Will, Chris Buckley, Colin Powell and the list of thinking conservatives goes on -- endorse Obama. They never question why this kind of evil blather comes from the other side, while the mainstream and the Democrats refrain from these kinds of slanderous lies and attacks. I'm on a lot of liberal list servs and never do I get this kind of nonsense from my side. Rather, these folks who will not hear, nor thoughtfully consider these facts, listen to the likes of Hannity and Limbaugh and worse. These are propogandists. And, once again, a chilling thought occurs to me. I am living through what probably happened in pre-WW II Germany. The parallels are eerie. My fervent prayer is that the thinking conservatives can help to purge their side of these dangerous loonies. They make me very, very afraid for our country. Over and out.

Racism

2008-10-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

A commentary on the subject of racism in this election........
Interesting perspective on Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?

What if the Obama's had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severely disfiguring car accident ?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became add icted to painkillers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five? (The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama had trouble reading from a Teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obama's adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. Would the election pol l numbers be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It distorts, rationalizes, and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Educational Background: Barack Obama:Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.Harvard - Jurist Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude.
Joseph Biden:University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.Syracuse University College of Law - Jurist Doctor (J.D.)
Vs. John McCain:United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semesterNorth Idaho - 2 semesters – JournalismMatanuska-Susitna College - B.A. in Journalism

Twins

2008-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

So, these are the twins. Are they not adorable? Such happy little peanuts!

I am having so much fun with all of the grandkids, much more than I did with the kids; although I had a ball with my kids. I reflect on why we have so much fun with grandbabies and have decided there are a few reasons besides the usual things that people say (i.e. you can give them back). I think there are primarily 2 reasons. One is that I never had the kind of relaxed time that I have the luxury of now. When the kids were little, I had no household help, no money, and Brian was away all the time. Occasionally, I would work a day or so. Now, I have TIME to enjoy every delicious second. And everything I observe is CUTE. Even when they throw up on me.

The second is that I have age -- and that has taught me what is truly important in life and that every second is precious. I think I always had my priorities straight, but they get straighter with age! I love this grandparent thing.

Goes around and comes around

2008-10-02T13:47:00.001-07:00

Here is a photo of little Alina. Is she not just adorable? She is a screamer though AND a spitter upper. Just like her mother was. What goes around comes around! Now I gotta learn how to turn this image right side up. Later.

Well, it's right side up.

Enough is enough, professors fight back

2008-10-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Over my years of teaching I have noted a gross incivility from students toward professors. This seems to be particularly prevalent under two sets of circumstances: 1) online classes, 2) foreign students from SubSahara Africa. The two seem to have a greater effect than one alone. Students in class face to face do not dare to be uncivil to me more than one time, because they simply get tossed out or I call security. This has not happened in a long time as I teach grad students, the classes are small, and most of my grad students think I walk on water. Undergraduate students were different. But I could control them with a whithering look for the most part.
The last 5 years has seen an influx of these SubSaharan immigrants to my universities graduate programs and the incivility, rudeness, and entitlement is unbelievable. Some of them, when brought before the dean, try to explain it away as cultural and that the professor is the one who is arrogant. Hey, ya know what, if you're in my culture (the US) you learn how to act in my culture and you know that the proper role here is me - professor and you - student. Not that respect shouldn't flow both ways. When I go to Liberia or Nigeria, I will be as subserviant to you princesses as the culture demands.
My African American colleagues have noted this behavior as well, and it drives them crazy; only they say that actually the behavior is intensified because they perceive that the SubSaharans think that they are better than US blacks.
One of my students complained to the dean that my posting my CV on the first day of class by way of introduction in my online advanced psychopharmacology was an example of MY arrogance. Only this group sees it this way, regardless it is not an excuse for the way that they treat us.
Today, one of my colleagues, who has had it with these students, suggested that we start bringing the students up to the Student Affairs committee to censure on grounds of incivility. His is a grand suggestion and I am going to start doing this. It is high time that it got around the student community that this behavior will not be tolerated, and since I have several nasty emails in my inbox right now, I'm ready to go. Stay tuned for the results! It is time faculty stood up for themselves and sent a message to their colleagues, as well as to students.

Socialism?

2008-09-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well here we are in capitalist land having bailed out Ford and GM and thinking about bailing out Wall Street. This from the bunch who think that universal health care is creeping toward socialism. My, Marx must be spinning around and around in his grave.

What happened to my country??

2008-09-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, here we are in a near financial meltdown. And this is whose fault? Who has been in charge of this country and economy for the past 8 years? And now we get to bail out the people who contributed to this mess. Let me get this straight. If I screw up at work, I get fired. If I am the head of Fannie or Freddie or all the investment banks that are in death throes, the American taxpayers bail me out.
It is so sad, really. We wasted all this money and lives on a war that was not necessary, started by people who lied to us; went from a surplus to a deficit and now the policies of the Bush bunch have us on the brink of financial Armagedon. And what will we use for money to bail us out? We will borrow. What will be decimated because we have no money to fund them -- NIH, NIMH, CDC, EPA, FDA, education, health care, social security? The legacy of the Bushies will be felt long after everyone forgets that arrogant jerk and his condescending smirk.
When I came to the states in the 1950s, it was a land of opportunity and times were good. We had moral direction, people respected the U.S. around the world. My parents would not recognize what has become of it.
Now Sarah Palin may be our next prez, if the wrinkly white haired dude kicks it. Omigod, the interview with Katy Couric was just plain embarrassing. I don't like Couric that well -- news reporter lite is what I call her -- but she is bright. She could barely keep it together talking with this empty suit. Empty suit. A fine metaphor for what has become of the greatest country in the world. Michael Moore ---- HELP!

Revenge

2008-09-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so for whatever jerk put me on McCain's listserv, you are not funny and you are trivializing the political process and my right to free speech. Not that the Bush/Cheney/Rove bunch did not do that already. Did I ask for this? I have now gotten 8 emails from that wrinkly old dude's campaign cluttering my mailbox that is SPAM -- read unwanted email. I would never have so little disrespect for someone as to put them on a listserv with which I obviously know they would disagree -- i.e. Obama, Clinton, etc. As my cleaning lady asked of her son once -- have you no honor? The answer is obvious.

Spin talks - truth walks

2008-09-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

THE SPIN:
A. Black teen pregnancies? A 'crisis' in black America.White teen pregnancies? A 'blessed event.'
B. If you grow up in Hawaii you're 'exotic.'Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're the quintessential 'American story.'
C. Similarly, if you name your kid Barack you're 'unpatriotic.'Name your kids Trig and Track, you're 'colorful.'
D. If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without f ully vetting the individual you're 'reckless.' A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a 'maverick.'
E. If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000 to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new African American voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, then spend nearly 8 more years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, then spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Veteran's Affairs committees, you are woefully inexperienced . If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as the governor of a state with 650,000 people, you've got the most executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and are well qualified to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so because your state is the closest state to Russia. If you are a Demoratic male candidate who is popular with millions of people you are an 'arrogant celebrity'.
F. If you are a popular Republican female candidate you are 'energizing the base'. If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself and makes his own decisions you are 'presumptuous'. If you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions you refuse to explain, you are a 'shoot from the hip' maverick.
G. If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are 'an elitist', 'out of touch' with the real America. If you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis, with multiple disciplinary infractions you are a hero.
H. If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you are an 'empty suit'. If you are a part-time mayor of a town of 7000 people, you are an 'experienced executive'.
I. If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are 'extremist'.If you believe in creationism and don't believe gobal warming is man-made, you are 'strongly principled '.
J. If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years with whom you are raising two beautiful daughters you're 'risky'.If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
K. If you're a black single mother of 4 who waits for 22 hours after her water breaks to seek medical attention, you're an irresponsible parent, endangering the life of your unborn child.But if you're a white married mother who waits 22 hours, you're spunky.
L. If you're a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you 'First dog.'If you're a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you 'b eautiful' and 'courageous.'
M. If you teach responsible age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society. If you teach abstinence only in sex education, you get teen parents.
Spin Talks - - Truth Walks

Sunday's editorials and columns

2008-09-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday's editorials and columns were enough to make one want to move to New Zealand or somewhere else far, far away. Daniel Rubin of Philly's Inquirer, who is covering the Fumo trial, observed that a majority of the jury pool had not even HEARD of Fumo -- ack! Their own state senator from Philadelphia. This led him to musings about the presidential race and conclusions that perhaps we deserve the presidents who we get. The Times' Frank Rich, Maureen Dowd, and Thomas Friedman were all on the same page as well.
What IS it with most of the media though? How come that nobody but a few have jumped all over Palin's inane contention that she is ready to take on the world because Alaska is so close to Russia. And I am ready to take over for Warren Buffet because I own Berkshire Hathaway stock.
Why isn't anyone focusing on trigger happy McCain instead of talking about Palin's glasses.
I think I'll consider moving to New Zealand.

Sarah Palin

2008-09-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

I saw some Einstein tell a CBS news reporter that she was going to vote for Palin and how much she liked her. He, in turn, asked if she knew where Osama Bin Palin stood on the issues -- you know, those that go beyond her cute glasses and pregnant daughter. This dweeb admitted that she did not. I, as an informed voter wanted to know, and thereby distance myself from the Einsteins of this ilk. So, I watched Sarah Palin's interview with that twit, Charlie Gibson, the same twit that let some genius make an issue out of Obama's lapel pin. Here's what I gleaned: 1) She avoided answering any questions substantively, 2) She has a testy nasty streak that came through when pushed the slightest to answer a question, 3) That characteristic is a good fit with her running mate, who also has a nasty testy streak that comes out when he is challenged, 4) Gibson was too much of a woos to say: " Hey lady, ya ain't answering my questions.", and 5) She would make a great hawker on QVC or HSN. Why you might ask?
Well, one of the things that has fascinated me about those shopping shows (besides how anyone with above a room temperature IQ can watch them) is how much verbiage the hawkers can emit. Imagine waxing poetic on and on about the qualities of a cubic zirconium! It takes real talent to produce that many words and not say a hell of a lot. That's Palin.

Someone passed this along to me

2008-09-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor. On the community organizer front, so was Gandhi, so was Martin Luther King Jr.
Food for thought, eh?

Academic Woes

2008-09-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

OK. So I know that I am an old curmudgeon. But I am totally convinced that academe is going to hell in a handbasket. Our university, the biggest health sciences university in the country, has decided that we should be tuition driven. Free markets, customer service -- hey, why the heck not right? NOT wrong.
Now, not only do we have to take virtually every cretin that comes in with money and a B (usually inflated) average in their undergrad, but we are pressured to keep them. The quality of the students in grad school is unbelievable. And in my profession we issue them the means for applying for prescriptive privileges. So we have people out there writing scripts after taking one semester of clinical pharmacology.
To make matters worse, the nursing profession has this nifty degree -- the DNP, doctorate of nursing practice. This is an easy way for the faculty who didn't bother to get a PhD to be called "Dr." and means one can go to school for 18 months of grad school with a total watered down curriculum and be called "Dr." So much for my 5 year struggle with a PhD.
What a sham. And the students are flocking to these programs, presumably so that they can be called "Dr."
What is the bottom line for consumers: 1) Ask what the heck kind of Dr. is taking care of you in a health care setting; 2) if it's not a DO or an MD run, don't walk, away and ask for a real doctor.

Grandchildren

2008-09-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Is there anything more wonderful than having grandchildren? You never have to agitate about being a good parent -- in a wonderful turn around, your kids do! HA!

Poisoned Brains

2008-09-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Most of my life I have been an independent thinker. I disagree with Democrats and Republicans both, but I pretty much vote Democrat. This is only because I can't stomach what the Republican party has become and -- so I hold my nose and vote.
I thought that the Bush years were some of the darkest in our country's history. But, one thing that has happened is that I have had an epiphany of sorts, as a result of this administration and then what is happening in the public arena today -- especially given the Palin nomination. UGH! The woman looks like Pebbles Flinstone. Remember her? Don't get me started on Cindy "Barbie Doll" McCain. But I digress.
My epiphany is that I now, after all these years understand what happened in pre- WWII Germany. Because that is what has happened to a good deal of our population. The lack of thought manifested by people in this election is astounding.
My husband has friends in west Texas -- an enclave of reactionary thought if there ever was one. The kind of nutty thinking (if it can be called thinking) that emerges from that part of the country makes my hair stand on end. Example, Nancy Pelosi wants to tax capital gains at 100%. How could anyone with an IQ above 70 believe something like that. Geez, it doesn't even make any sense from a purely logical point of view. One doesn't even have to go to the snopes website to know that is just plain stupid. Think about it, a wealthy and SMART woman, no matter what you think of her politics -- is dumb enough to want to propose financial ruin for herself and the country. But he keeps getting this one over and over. He's stopped explaining the logic or even referring people to snopes. It falls on deaf ears.
So, I now know how Hitler and his goons managed to take over the brains of an entire country. If people can believe the kind of drivel that comes out of the far right propaganda machine, no matter how implausible, they can also believe what the Nazis did. Sigh. I wish I didn't have that insight. Over and out.