Slowly But Only Forward in Tel Aviv

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This slogan painted on a utility box in Tel Aviv seemed appropriate to share as we move from the introspection of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, towards the future and promise of the new year. Will this be a year of progress and potential, as individuals and as a nation, or will it be a year of pain and backsliding? 

The decision is in our hands.

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Purim 2010, and other miscellany

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A few quick snapshots. Today was the day schoolchildren across Israel have been waiting for - the day they dress up in costumes (we had Harry Potter and a fairy, in case it wasn't obvious), mishloach manot (gift baskets) full of hamentaschen and other candy treats in hand ready to trade with their classmates to celebrate the holiday of Purim.

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The actual holiday is on Sunday (and Monday, sort of), which means a three-day weekend and lots of holiday activities, conveniently scheduled for the week my husband is away for 8 days. (Did I mention it's storming and supposed to continue to do so for at least the next four days? You do the math. I'll be busy checking movie listings for tomorrow.)

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In non-Purim news, I won the most wonderfully soft and pampering spa cloths from Purplume during the OWOH giveaway - she packaged them up so beautifully with a little fabric mini lei (look at the photo on her blog - it's adorable) AND a delightful booklet called Blissful Bathtimes - Therapies for Rejuvenating Mind and Body. With Jay out of town and me flying solo all week they couldn't have arrived at a better time, either, I'll definitely be needing all the bliss and rejuvenation I can find. (Normally I'd be showing you my own photo of these goodies but Purim and the storm (really bad light) conspired against me - it was all I could manage to grab the few snaps of the kids you see above. )

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In less happy and infinitely more infuriating news, Facebook is at it again - encouraging the sexualization of women's bodies while forbidding innocent photos of babies being nourished the way nature intended. Where the hell are our priorities as a society?

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And with that it's time to get my own priorities in order and close the computer - the USA-Finland Men's Hockey Semifinals game is about to begin - Go USA!

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They don't go away when Veterans Day ends

*putting on my American hat today*

One and a half million sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers, neighbors, and friends.

One and a half million US service members have put their lives and families on hold to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some believe in the cause, others don't, but they all believe in their duty to serve and protect, and have made tremendous personal sacrifices to do so.

Over thirty thousand service members have been physically wounded, but many more have experienced less visible but no less traumatic psychological wounds. Numerous veterans are returning home suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, with all that that entails, including increasing rates of suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, and domestic violence.

These traumatic affects of conflict, left unaddressed, could have far-reaching negative consequences for the individuals affected, their families, their communities, and our entire country.

I've spoken to you before of Survivor Corps’ work among those affected by war around the world. They are working just as hard to help the less obvious victims of war in our own backyard - our veterans.

YOU CAN HELP!

Operation Survivor
Survivor Corps has shown time and again that community reintegration is a key factor in victims' overcoming this trauma. Survivor Corps is building peer support programs at the community level. These programs bring service members and veterans together for mutual support and encourage both individual responsibility and collective action to help others in need. Survivor Corps' alternative “treatment” can be made readily available in all communities, even those beyond the reach of traditional military or government centers of support.

Click Here to read more about Operation Survivor and to see what you can do to help.

We failed them after Vietnam. We owe it to those who suffered then, who continue to suffer now, to learn from their legacy of pain and isolation and do better for those who struggle now.
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Rebuilding a better world, one survivor at a time

Most people have heard at least something about the international campaign to ban landmines. Many have even heard that the late Princess Diana was involved. For most of us though, that is as far as it goes.

Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of Jerry White, let alone known that he is a leader in the international fight against landmines. I didn't know that he has this calling because he himself lost his leg to a landmine when he entered an unmarked minefield in the north of Israel, my own country, in 1984. I didn't know about his struggle to redefine his life after his accident, to choose survival, and I didn't know that he had taken it one step further, going on to found the Nobel Peace Price-winning Landmine Survivors Network (LSN), the same organization that Princess Diana was involved with.

I didn't know that he had recently expanded LSN's mission from aiding those injured by landmines to aiding all those who are victims of the worst epidemic of all - the very preventable epidemic of war and violence. The new mission bears a new name as well - Survivor Corps - which reflects both its calling and its philosophy.

Now I know, and I am proud to help spread the word. As you can see from their website,

"Survivor Corps is a nonprofit organization that serves victims of global conflict, by providing tools and support to help them rebuild their lives, improve their communities, and ultimately work together to break the cycle of violence in the world."

They do this through peer support, training and international advocacy, right in the affected communities. After all, who has more of a stake in ending a conflict than those scarred by it? Take some time to visit Survivor Corps' website and read their stories.

Innocent bystanders in faraway places are not the only ones who need encouragement to choose survival. Soldiers returning home from war also need support. Survivor Corps is launching a special program to help American Service members connect with each other and their communities to work together to heal the trauma of war and re-find their place in the world.

Jerry White has taken the lessons he has learned from his journey, and the innumerable lessons he has gathered from others who walk their own paths towards survival, and has written a book - I Will Not Be Broken: Five Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis - which strives to answer the question "given that bad things do happen, how do people absorb the blows and move through them?" How do we come back after a major life blow - a death, an illness, an accident, loss of a loved one, loss of a job... What determines whether we sink into despair or claw our way back into the light?

I am pleased to announce that Around the Island will be a stop on I Will Not Be Broken's upcoming blogosphere book tour and look forward to sharing my impressions with you. Given what I've read of Jerry White's story so far (and the sneak preview I got of the first few chapters) it's sure to be a powerful and inspiring read.

Absolutely outrageous!

I need to put my breastfeeding advocate hat on for this one, because I am HOPPING mad (and if you could see me hop you'd know how very bad that is). Warning, lots of exclamation points ahead... Thank you to Jennifer of The Lactivist for helping bring this to everyone's attention.

Robin Neorr, an Ohio mother, has been told by City Kids Daycare in downtown Columbus that she needs to pay an additional $50 per WEEK because her daughter is breastfed and receives her mother's milk in bottles while she is at daycare.

How did they justify this outrageous request?

They completely ignored all medical and legal regulations to the contrary and declared Robin's breastmilk a biohazard that had to be kept separate from all other food! They therefore claimed that they needed to store it in a separate refrigerator in another room and would have to purchase a separate bottle warmer to warm it up! They are claiming this created (completely unnecessary and medically and legally unjustifiable) extra work for the center, thus necessitating the extra $50 per WEEK. My god, for $50 a week they ought to be serving that milk in gold-plated bottles while someone fans the baby with palm fronds! First of all, there is absolutely no reason in the world for breastmilk, the most natural and healthy baby food in the world, to be stored separately, let alone labeled with a biohazard sticker (are these people for real??? A biohazard sticker??? Do they think this mother has ebola, or perhaps Deng Fever?). Are they afraid that the milk will somehow magically LEAP out of a closed bottle and contaminate the artificially-produced cow's milk formula stored in its own closed bottle on the other side of the shelf? I do read the papers you know, and I'm fairly sure I haven't seen a rash of bottle-leaping breastmilk lately.

The Center for Disease Control certainly doesn't feel that breastmilk requires any special precautions. They merely state that if the milk is being delivered to a child care provider, it should be clearly labeled with the child’s name and date. Oh yes, and they do suggest that mothers pack the milk in closed containers to avoid spillage. Dear me, that does sound difficult. Putting the child's name and using a properly sealed container. My oh my... Nor does the center's own state of Ohio see any problem with a child in care being provided with his mother's milk - the State's own Rules for Licensed Child Care Centers' section on Infant Formula and Food (section 5101:2-12-41) clearly states:

Center policies and practices shall support parent preferences (emphasis mine) in infant feeding, including breast feeding and introduction of solid foods as long as developmentally appropriate and not detrimental to the health of the child.
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Infants shall be served food in conformity with dated written instructions from the parent or guardian or physician. The instructions shall include amounts of food, type of food, and feeding times and be updated as needed based upon the child's needs and parent's instructions.

As for the handling of breastmilk, it says:

If breast milk is provided by the parent or guardian, it shall be labeled with the child's name and the date of receipt and immediately refrigerated or frozen. Refrigerated breast milk shall not be stored for more than twenty-four hours. Breast milk shall be kept frozen no more than two weeks and...

If formula or breast milk is to be warmed, bottles shall be placed in a container of hot (not boiling) water or be placed in a commercial bottle warmer. The container of water shall be emptied and cleaned each day. The bottle shall be shaken well, and the milk temperature tested before feeding. Frozen breast milk shall be thawed under cold running water or in the refrigerator.and...The unused portion of formula, breast milk or food remaining in a container from which the infant has been directly fed, shall not be reheated or served again.

Hmm... I didn't see anything in there about quarantine or biohazard stickers. Let's check what that same State Code says about handling formula:

Bottles prepared at center: when infant formula is prepared by the center, it shall be prepared in conformity with written instructions from the parent or guardian, or physician. All powdered or concentrated formula shall be prepared according to the manufacturers' instructions unless written instructions from a physician or an advance practice nurse certified to prescribe medication are on file at the center.

The center shall clean and disinfect all counter surfaces and equipment needed to prepare the formula. All equipment shall be washed in a dishwasher or scrubbed with hot water containing soap, and be thoroughly rinsed. Equipment not washed in a dishwasher shall be boiled for five minutes or more just prior to filling bottles. Handwashing facilities shall not be used for formula or food preparation or for rinsing or washing dishes and bottles. Handwashing facilities shall not be used for formula or food preparation, or for washing dishes and bottles or rinsing for reuse.

Open containers of ready to feed and concentrated formula shall be covered, dated and refrigerated. Prepared formula and food shall be discarded if not used within twenty-four hours.

Any formula or food to be stored at the center for any period of time, whether prepared by the parent or guardian or the center, shall be labeled with the child's name and date of preparation and shall be used only for the intended child.

Until used, all formula or food shall be refrigerated immediately after preparation or upon arrival if prepared by the parent or guardian. Formula or food that is commercially prepared may not be required to be refrigerated until after opening. Formula and food shall be stored no longer than twenty-four hours.

Well gee, it looks to me like the guidelines are even more complicated for formula-fed infants. Perhaps the Center is planning to start charging those parents an additional $60 or even $70 a week to cover the additional effort of all that mixing and sterilizing?

Robin Neurr has removed her daughter from this childcare center and she is ready to both spread the word about City Kids Daycare and to push for legislation to prevent all Ohio daycares from discriminating against breastfeeding children. You can help.

Activism works. The National Pork Board apologized to the Lactivist with hat in hand after just two days of bad publicity. You can help by spreading the word - talk about it, blog about it, lobby your representatives, and write directly to City Kids Child Care Centers. The centers are owned and operated by Patricia Elam. Her e-mail is citykidsdaycar@aol.com or you can call either of their centers at (614) 464-1411, or (614)777-4320. Daycare centers do not have the right to try and bully mothers into positions that compromise the health of their babies.

If you are a Central Ohio mom and would be interested in getting personally involved, please contact jennifer@thelactivist.com.