Janusz Korczak the most amazing man you’ve never heard of

Janusz Korczak was born Henryk Goldszmit in Warsaw Poland in 1878 or 1879).His father suffered from mental illness and in order to support his family, Henryk was forced to tutor the children of family friends. When only 18, he published the first of a number of pedagogical works.

As his first novel, Child of the Drawing Room, was being serialized in Voice magazine under

Janusz Korczak

the byline of Janusz Korczak, Goldszmit began a residency at the Jewish Children´s Hospital. But no sooner had he received his medical diploma in March 1905, than he was conscripted as a doctor into the Imperial Army to serve in the Russo-Japanese War. His experiences in war helped crystallize his primary philosophy for life: no cause, no war, was worth depriving children of their natural right to happiness. Children should come before politics of any kind.

Another one hides in the Vatican

Back in February, Cardinal Keith O’Brien was accused of having inappropriate contract with  4 priests in incidents stretching back over 30 years (one has since left the priesthood).

The four, from the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, have complained to nuncio Antonio Mennini, the Vatican’s ambassador to Britain, and demanded O’Brien’s immediate resignation.

Religion and Psychiatry Don’t Mix

The Boston Globe reports that Raymond W Kam, a psychiatrist at the Boston Children’s Hospital, decided that one of his patients was possessed by evil spirits. His treatment focused on her spiritual well being, and not on her mental health. As a result, he has had his license to practice medicine revoked.

When Kam began seeing the girl in October of 2011, she was suffering from “several serious psychiatric symptoms and/or conditions,” the board said in its findings. A junior psychiatrist treating her at the hospital had trouble engaging her, but she opened up to Kam.

Surinam Toad

Surinam Toad (Pipa sp) are some of the oddest members of the Anurans (tailless amphibians) a group that is known for oddness. One of the distinguishing features of Surinam toads is that the incubation of the young occurs in the skin on the mother’s back. In some species, the young hatch as tadpoles, in others as fully formed froglets.

The hatching process can be quite disturbing. Watch the video at your own risk. I am not responsible for lost lunches.

The Effects of Birth Interval on Infant Mortality

Some of the arguments for the benefits of family planning focus on the health of women and children in the developing  world.

Dr Shea O Rutstein has done several studies into the importance of extending birth intervals in developing countries. In the papers cited, estimates are made for survival rates of infants and young children.  The finding demonstrate that if birth intervals were extended to 24 months, the deaths of almost 2 million children under 5 would have been averted.

Another Reason to Get the Flu Shot

Influenza is a common respiratory illness that affects millions of Canadians every year. Although most people recover completely from the flu, and estimated 4,000-8,000 people, mostly seniors die each year. Many others die from complications of influenza. A recent study suggests that influenza can have a negative effect on your baby’s future mental health.

Most people recover within a week or ten days. However, some are at greater risk for more severe and longer-lasting complications, such as pneumonia. The groups at higher risk include very young children, people over 65, pregnant women, people with underlying medical conditions such as chronic respiratory disease, heart or kidney disease, diabetes or a weakened immune system due to cancer, HIV infection, or some other cause.

Golden silk orb-weaver spider

Golden silk orb-weavers (genus Nephila) are so named because of the large intricate webs they weave. Other common names include giant wood, banana, or writing spiders. The largest specimen found had a body length of 6.9 cm (2.7 in). That does not include the legs.

T-Rex, Sparrows, and Triceratops

Cladistics is the best method currently available for hypothesizing relationships among organisms. The basic idea behind cladistics is that members of a group share a common evolutionary history, and are “closely related,” more so to members of the same group than to other organisms.

There are three basic assumptions in cladistics:

1. Any group of organisms are related by descent from a common ancestor.
2. There is a bifurcating pattern of cladogenesis.
3. Change in characteristics occurs in lineages over time.

In a cladogram (a cladistics tree diagram), the distance from the root of the tree can be expressed in both physical time and phylogenic distance.

It is via cladistics that we can understand that a Tyrannosaurus Rex is more closely related to modern birds than it is to a Triceratops.

 

 

A School Bullying Episode Close to Home

This post discusses an incident that happens about 8 years ago when my youngest son was in his last month of high school. I begin with a letter I penned to the local paper.

 On Thursday, May 18th, the members of the Bluefield High School chapter of SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), in conjunction with the school faculty, staged a mock accident in the school parking lot.

When Anti-bullying Programs Fail

Last week, Keila Penner was removed from Maple Grove Elementary School in Lachine Quebec for causing a disturbance. Her crime was not wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey. The details are not difficult to find.

The school normally has  a dress code that is itemized on their website

• A mandatory navy blue cardigan which has the Maple Grove logo.
• Plain white or grey t-shirt, turtle neck, shirt or blouse
• Solid Navy blue pants (or shorts when the weather is warm), skirt or tunic.
• No jeans.
• No logos on clothing other than the Maple Grove logo.
• Maple Grove is a “HAT FREE ZONE” inside the building. Hats must be removed before entering.