Safety Seminar: Safety It Starts with You by Craig Harrison

Craig Harrison was the Keynote speaker at the Safety Seminar.  He talked about creating a culture of safety.  He included three things: Establish trust, Two-way communication and Cultivate a Kaisan philosophy of continuous learning.  He presented as examples of this philosophy Tesla Motors, which was able to reduce their accident rate, and the pilot Sully (Chesley Sullenberger), who has in place a system of employing these methods with his flight crew, even if someone is newly assigned.  He would meet with his assigned crew before they began their flight.  At this meeting he would open communication, and provide a safe atmosphere for them to work together towards a common goal. 
The last topic presented by Harrison was that of praising.  His four tips for praise: Make it genuine, Make it specific, Never mix positive with negative, keep praise positive and It should be timely to be most effective.  He further emphasized praise by saying, MBW, Manage by Wandering, catch people doing things right and be a praise dispenser!

Mosquitoes: Spreaders of Disease

I went through a Facebook list of the most dangerous animals, and mosquitoes were on the list.  More than 700 million people get diseases from mosquitoes annually.  This results in over a million deaths.  Not because they are dangerous of themselves, but because they carry so much disease.  Malaria traditionally has been the most feared disease that the carry.  However, now there are other illnesses to worry about.  These diseases include Zika, Dengue, West Nile, Yellow Fever,  Chikungunya, La Crosse Enchephalitis, Rift Valley Fever, Jamestown Canton Virus, and Snowshoe Hare Virus.  The flier I received form Santa Clara County Vector Control suggests wearing long sleeves when outdoors, apply insect repellent and making sure screens are tight fitting and not in need of repair.  Another important thing is when traveling to areas where malaria is prevalent, sleeping under a screen that has been treated with repellent. 


Another thing to be careful of, is that we are not breeding mosquitoes in our own property.  Mosquitoes can take advantage of even small bodies of water to breed.  The mosquito fish is a good way to rid breeding mosquitoes without using chemicals. 

Elizabeth Smart and Resiliency

If anyone can teach and explain how to overcome overwhelming trauma it is Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped, and held hostage for nine months.  During that time she experienced tremendous trauma, including almost daily rape.  Elizabeth provides some insight of how she has been able to overcome such horrendous trauma.
She says, The human spirit is resilient.  God made us so.  He gave us the ability to forgive.  To leave the past behind.  To look forward instead of back.  I'm not the first on who has ever done this.  People have been doing it for generations.  Since the beginning of time, men have found ways to heal.
She talks about the history of strong Mormon women in her family, especially her mother.  After her ordeal, these are the words her mother told her:

Elizabeth, what this man has done is terrible.  there aren't any words that are strong enough to describe how wicked and evil he is!  He has taken nine months of your life that you will never get back again.  But the best punishment you could ever give him is to be happy.  To move forward with your life.  To do exactly what you want.  Because, yes, this will probably go to trial and some kind of sentencing will be given to him and that wicked woman.  But even if that's true, you may never feel like justice has been served or that true restitution has been made.  But you don't need to worry about that.  At the end of the day, God is our ultimate judge.  He will make up to you every pain and loss that you have suffered.  And if it turns out that these wicked people are not punished her on Earth, it doesn't matter.  His punishments are just.  You don't ever have to worry.  You don't ever have to even think about them again.  You be happy, Elizabeth.  Just be happy.  If you go and feel sorry for yourself, or if you dwell on what has happened, if you hold on to your pain, that is allowing him to steal more of your life away.  So don't you do that!  Don't you let him!  There is no way he deserves that.  Not one more second of your life.  You keep every second for yourself.  You keep them and be happy.  God will take care of the rest.

Elizabeth put this advise into practice.  She also employed some specific activities to help herself heal.  On of these included horse back riding with her grandfather.  Horses provided her a place to heal, as she experienced nature on the back of a horse.
Elizabeth also turned to her music.  She plays the harp.  She studied music performance at BYU.
She also embraced an attitude of gratitude, focusing on her many months of good experience, rather than her terrible nine months.
She concludes with this statement, "All of these things have helped me.  But ultimately, to get better, I simply made a choice.  Life is a journey for us all.  We all face trials.  We all have ups and down.  All of us are human.  But we are also the masters of our fate.  We are the ones who decide how we are going to react to life.

Resilience is a special gift.  It is such a factor in our reaction to trauma.  It is often a determining factor on our response and outcome.  Those people with more resiliency are able to move past trauma.  However less is known about where resiliency comes form.  Is it something that can be taught, because if it can, this could be a major focus of mental health treatment.


Wikipedia gives a definition of psychological resilience, which is a new area of focus in mental health:
Psychological resilience is defined as an individual's ability to successfully adapt to life tasks in the face of social disadvantage or highly adverse conditions.^[1] Adversity and stress can come in the shape of family or relationship problems, health problems, or workplace and financial worries, among others.^[2] Resilience is the ability to bounce back from a negative experience with "competent functioning". Resilience is not a rare ability; in reality, it is found in the average individual and it can be learned and developed by virtually anyone. Resilience should be considered a process, rather than a trait to be had. It is a process of individuation through a structured system with gradual discovery of personal and unique abilities.

Santa Clara Fire Station: Safe Surrender Site

I walked past a fire station in Santa Clara today and this sign was on the door.  This is a law in California that allows a mother who is overwhelmed, to surrender a baby to a responsible site without any type of criminal charge or questions asked.  In our state the surrender sites are determined by the Board of Supervisors of the county.  They are usually hospitals and fire stations.  The surrender must occur within 72 hours of the babies birth.  The law has resulted in a decrease of abandoned babies by about 5x to now only about five a year in the state.  On the other hand, statewide there are over 50 babies surrendered each year.

Mormon Newsroom: Working Together to Reduce Suicide and Depression

This article from the Mormon Newsroom highlights that September is National Suicide Prevention Month.  It offers some practical advice on how we can help.  Among other things it suggests reaching out to those who may need our help, as isolation is one thing that increases the rate of suicide.  It especially advocates that we cannot leave our children and youth feeling isolated.  This especially includes young people who are struggling with any issue, including same sex attraction.  If people we know are dealing with loneliness, depression or isolation, we should reach out with love.  This article quotes and article from Jeffrey R. Holland, "Like a Broken Vessel," which is also worthy of review.

Documentary Review: Feeding Frenzy

This is a very interesting documentary, and on a topic I would rather not think about.  The premise is that the food industry has as their major goal to sell product, even if this could be harmful to people in general.  Is the food industry manipulating us into buying more?  I think the answer is a resounded less; however where does person responsibility come into play.  If the food industry can present things in such a way that we buy more, especially processed food, which is not always the most healthy, then what chance do we have.  Supermarkets put stuff up in such a way as to get people to spend more.  There are schools which study people, and their finding make a difference in how stores are set up, how advertisements are presented etc.
People do eat to relieve stress.  What if the food industry was creating some of the stress which leads to this need.  Feeding Frenzy is very good, but I couldn't find a link to a version on YouTube, but the link provided leads to the website of the makes of the film.
Not only are we manipulated, but at times we are lied to.  What is organic?  What does low-fat mean, glutten free, etc..

Book Review: This Side Up: Making Decision About Drugs

by, Maureen H. Cook and Carol Newman, Artist Cim Anderson, National Institute  on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Philadelphia, PA, 1980.
This is an older book, geared toward the prevention of substance abuse.  It begins with an information section covering drugs in generally and then specifically, psychoactive drugs, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, narcotics and inhalants.
Then it delves into ideas to prevent abuse, discovery games etc.  I especially like a section on anger.  It includes describing "Mad Notes."  This is a way to vent anger without resorting to violence or drugs.  Mad notes are very effective.  You can write you anger.  The important thing is to make sure the note is for your eyes only.  Best to destroy these notes.  You do not want to deliver them at someone else's expense.