Science vs. Religion

I'm going to wax philosophical for a moment. There's a lot wrong with the world today, but fortunately, its not as bad as many people make it out to be. I think a lot of what's wrong is due to a perceived conflict between "science" and "religion". Many people in the "religion" camp blame all that's wrong on a perceived creeping atheism and have harbored a major distrust in "science", even if the head's of that particular religion have either made no statements against, or have even made statements supporting, science. Many people in the "science" camp blame much of what's wrong with the world on the perceived atrocities caused in the name of a god or gods.

I personally think that both camps are partially to blame but that both should stop blaming the other. Much like how we need bipartisan/nonpartisan agreement in politics, science and religion need to, and can, work together. Its not science vs. religion, nor is it science OR religion. I believe that God is a God of science. He does not violate scientific laws of nature, rather He uses them to perform His work, however, He has access and and understanding of laws that we haven't figured out yet (a "higher law", so to speak).

If we, as a people, taught and everybody understood the scientific method/process, and if we embraced said principle, instead of fearing science or remaining in ignorance, the number of people that would fall for easily debunked ideas/claims would decrease dramatically. Likewise, the number of people that wasted money on products and services that claimed to be beneficial to health, when there is no scientific evidence to support such practices, would decrease dramatically.

Religion doesn't know everything, and needs to stop discouraging people from embracing science. Science doesn't know everything, but does its best to try to. However, it, too, needs to stop discouraging people from embracing religion. "Live and let live", as the saying goes. Science is not the enemy of religion. Neither is religion the enemy of science. By learning and embracing the scientific method, we can do our best to improve our lives, and the world, with the technology and science that God has provided to us to do so. This life is a time to learn all we can to prepare ourselves to return to meet God, and become like him. If we don't do it now, we will just have to learn the same things in the afterlife. Why not get it over with so we don't have to take the "remedial classes" in the afterlife, and we can jump straight into the advanced courses?

Love My Little Girl

Before having children of my own, I wanted all boys. I would often say, "If I have a girl, she'd probably be like me, and I might kill her." I remember watching an episode of Ellen where Pink was a guest. She was pregnant and talked about how her mom wished a girl on her. She didn't want a girl because of the same reason as me. I laughed. I was not the only one! Lara was already born by this time, and I was already in love with her.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on the sofa next to Dave. He was holding Ian, when Jaron came over to cuddle with me (Lara was taking a nap). Jaron initiated a group hug when it hit me, "I'm so happy I have a daughter!" I told Dave that too. I also said that a home full of boys is too much testosterone for me...lol
There are so many fun things you get to do with daughters. Lara is getting old enough to do a lot of girly things with her. Last week we got mani pedi's together. It was soooo much fun! I love finding girly things for her to wear. She's calmer than her brothers, which is refreshing. Although she is quite the drama queen, and her cries, shrieks, etc grate on your nerves like nails being scraped across a chalk board, the fun times make it all worth it.
I love my boys, but I'm so glad I have a girl too. I'll probably change my mind about that during the teenage years, we'll see ;)

Mosquito Prevention

With the summer months alive and kicking, many people are spending more time outside in backyards and "the great outdoors." I wanted to step into my capacity as a public health advocate and provide a little information on how to avoid mosquito bites. (hey, pharmacist-in-training here. get used to it. :) )

I've recently seen a few good links discussing mosquito repellents and thought it would be best to just share each link, but people get kinda annoyed when you share them in quick succession on Facebook, so I decided to aggregate them into a blog post, and then share that.

This first one, from Forbes.com, looks at natural products that purport to repel mosquitos. Basically, citronella candles aren't that effective. The only "natural" alternatives that show efficacy are neem oil or soy oil mixed with lemon eucalyptus. But, they wear off quickly, thus necessitating more frequent applications. But basically, nothing beats the effectiveness of DEET.

Speaking of DEET, even the Environmental Working Group, (which I almost never use as a legitimate source due to their overwhelming bias against vaccines, GMO's et al) has admitted that DEET is safe and effective, when used appropriately:

Though DEET has been much maligned, and in rare cases, intense doses have been linked to nervous system impairment, an extensive review of the scientific literature found few reports of serious health hazards when the chemical was used sparingly, as the maker's instructions specify.

and also:

EWG advises consumers that when it comes to bug-borne diseases, prevention is key. Repellents should not be the first choice for protection from bug bites, but selecting the appropriate repellent can be important for people in high-risk places. Picking the best repellent for each situation can be complicated: More intense concentrations of repellent chemicals don’t necessarily do the job when it counts. Repellents don’t need to contain 100 percent DEET to deter pests. Consumers should avoid anything stronger than 30 percent DEET.

Now, I'd like to point out that the EWG says nothing over  30% is needed, however, the CDC recommends 50% as the limit and explains: "Higher concentrations of DEET may have a longer repellent effect, however, concentrations over 50% provide no added protection." (That link to the CDC is a great primer explaining what DEET is, what the percentage means etc.)

And finally, I'd like to end with a link that discusses Five Myths of Mosquito Repellents. Among them, he points out how natural alternatives may provide some protection, but will need to be applied 3-4 times as often. He also explains the proper way to apply mosquito repellent to get the best protection.

All links are worth the time to read. Have fun out there and be safe.

 

Reading Is Fundamental

Last year, Jaron wanted Jurassic Park read to him. He loves the movie, but we weren't sure he'd really understand what was going on in the book. We decided to head to our local library, pick up a copy, and give it a shot. Dave read it to Jaron, and I worked on projects and listened as well. We were surprised how much Jaron actually understood. He'd stop Dave to tell him how the book was different from the movie. Sometimes Dave stopped and asked Jaron what was going on in the book, and Jaron knew (for the most part).
We moved not too long after we finished the book. With the move, having a new baby, Dave in pharmacy school, etc, we didn't read another long book to Jaron. Recently, Jaron wanted The Hobbit read to him. Since we already have it, and things have calmed down, Dave is reading it to Jaron. Jaron has already seen the movie, so he's already picking out the differences. This time, Jaron asks questions about what's going, or if what it being read will be in the next movie. Sometimes Lara will sit in on the readings and listen. Love my kids! I hope they develop a real love for reading.

Enjoying New Yogurt Smoothie Bars On A Hot Summer Day

There's nothing like a hot summer day for a cool treat. Thanks to BzzAgent, we were able to cool off with Kroger Yogurt Smoothie Bars.

He can't wait to dive in

Kroger's Yogurt Smoothie Bars come in two flavors, Strawberry Banana and Triple Berry. We went with Triple Berry, and they were delicious. They are low fat and one bar is only 50 calories, so you can enjoy them guilt free.

They are serious when it comes to frozen treats

Kroger new line of guilt free treats includes Ice Cream Sandwiches, Fudge Bars, and Fruit Bars as well.

Even our little guy gets in on the action

We enjoyed the Triple Berry Yogurt Smoothie Bars and can't wait to try the rest.

Yum!

As a member of BzzAgent, I was selected to try Kroger New Yogurt Smoothie Bars for free. Love BzzAgent!

What Kind Of Mom Am I?

I have friends that like to decorate for every season and holiday, friends that like to decorate cakes and cookies, friends who like to do cutesy birthday things, friends who like to make crafts for different occasions too. I think it's cute, and if it's your thing, go for it! Something I realized was I'm not the mom who:

• Decorates for every season and holiday 
• Decorates cakes and cookies
• Does cutesy birthday things
• Makes crafts for different occasions 
• Does themed Christmas trees every year
• Makes sandwiches and snacks that look like animals
• Wears make up everyday
• Makes sure my hair is perfect
• Wears the latest trends
• Has a closet full of shoes
• Is perfect

I can go on and on, but I won't...hahaha. I'm just a mom who's a low key, no frills kind of gal. I'm ok with that. I do have things I do like to do. I'm the mom who:

• Makes quilts for my kids
• Makes dresses for my daughter
• Has one way of decorating my home
• Decorates for Christmas
• Has a "homespun" Christmas tree every year
• Likes my sleep
• Takes my kids on adventures
• Coupons to provide for my family
• Gets lots of cuddles
• Wears mostly flip flops
• Has clothes that are stained from kids
• Makes up funny songs
• Loves music
• Loves to explore
• Rearranges furniture when I need a change
• Is not perfect

I'm happy with who I am. Sometimes my kids ask why I don't do something like another mom. I tell them, "That's just not me." I hope they see from my example that they don't have to be like anybody else. We are all different, we like different things, and we have different talents. I hope when they get older and look back, they think I'm a cool mom. 

Things Are Not Always as They Seem

Every argument, by definition ("a coherent series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion" - Merriam Webster) contains a thesis, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. 

All too often, especially in politics, people ignore an argument's thesis and conclusion, misinterpret the supporting details based on the lack of context, and develop opinions based on the incorrect interpretation/incomplete information. This is a sad fact of life. What follows, after the full details come to light, is very illuminating. Some, when pointed out the error, will retract their original opinion and reform a new one based on new information. This is often the minority. More often than not, I notice people attempting to reduce the discomfort of cognitive dissonance by maintaining their current opinion by ignoring the new details from the original argument or adding new details that are irrelevant to the original argument.

In recent weeks several examples have passed through my Facebook newsfeed. One was a link posted by a conservative group that claimed that a proposed law in California was going to make pedophilia a sexual orientation that was going to be protected by the law. I think the link to the original article is here, but it is noted that it has been changed significantly from its original content. A friend posted it and was complaining how wrong it was. One of their friends commented with the actual wording in the bill and noted it said nothing about pedophilia. I read the bill and the original post and discovered that the bill was only making it illegal to force LGBT to go through "treatments" to force them to turn straight. Said "treatments" have been scientifically shown to be both ineffective and potentially harmful. The only person in either the bill or the originally posted article that said anything about pedophilia as being a sexual orientation was a conservative lobbyist in the article. It should be noted that Wikipedia only refers to hetero- homo-, bi-, or asexual as constituting sexual orientation and does not include pedophilia in that classification. I mentioned this in a comment and the response was basically "I concerned that it doesn't address treating the victims of pedophilias" (changing the goalposts). To which I replied that that was neither the aim nor scope of this particular bill and that argument was like complaining about the second amendment because it doesn't address treating victims of crossbow violence. The original poster then deleted the whole link; I don't know if they realized the logical fallacies in their arguments, or if they just didn't want argue about it anymore. (I'll note here that if you follow the link above, the website has issued a correction and an apology)

The most recent example of this fallacious thinking based on ignoring the thesis and conclusion and only misinterpreting the evidence involves the MSNBC commercial about our children. You can watch it here. The posts going around Facebook regarding it either come from sources like the fear-mongering blow-hard Glenn Beck (and others) or this meme. The meme focuses on a single line from the supporting evidence of her argument: "We have to break through our private idea that kids belong to parents, or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to whole communities…" but completely ignores her thesis: "We have never invested as much in public education as we should have" or her conclusion: "Once its everybody's responsibility, and not just the household's, then we start making better investments." In context, it should be abundantly clear that her whole intent was that the entire community should be concerned with the public school system, for the children's sake, not just parents of school-aged children. This concept was exemplified by the community of Forest Ranch, up the hill from Chico California. Due to major budget cuts, the only elementary school in that little town was going to be closed down and the kids sent down to Chico. The entire community pulled together and donated/fund-raised enough money to open it as a charter school. I would be willing to bet that the majority of that community was of an age that they, themselves did not have school-aged children at home with them, but they understood the importance of have a high-quality school in their community. There is no nefarious subplot to enslave your children and/or force you to let the State determine how to raise your kids. She was simply saying we all need to care about the education of our children. I have tried to point out these very important differences between the fear and the reality, with many varying responses. The mental acrobats people go through to maintain their current beliefs about a situation, even in the face of contrary evidence is quite amazing. 

I won't even take the time to address the "Monsanto Protection Act" other to mention it is similar to the above and point you to a good analysis here.

So the moral of the story is: Don't believe anything you see posted on Facebook without trying to verify the claims first.