Sunday, July 26, 2015

'I Only Looked Away for a Second' By Heather Neal

On one particular day — one that will play like a movie in slow motion in my brain, over and over for years to come — nothing was out of the ordinary. We had staked our claim in the shade, then moved over to the edge of the baby pool to splash and play. I sat on the edge as my 2-year-old ran around the foot-and-a-half deep water, playing with tugboats, planes, and plastic toy cups. It wasn’t long before friends joined us. Moms sat next to me on the side of the pool as the kiddos jumped and splashed in the shallow water. We sat chatting as our kids played in front of us, catching up on summer plans, discussing different types of swim floaties, and regaling our latest toddler tales. I’ll point out right here before I go any further that none of the moms in our group were checking our phones, reading magazines, or lounging back getting a tan. And that’s when it happened. I looked at my son, who had been standing a mere few feet in front of me, and immediately realized he wasn’t standing there playing Ring Around the Rosie anymore. He was face up under water, looking up for me in an absolute panic. I saw what was happening and immediately jumped up and over, but as my body reacted, my brain suddenly couldn’t process what was happening right in front of me. I’d already leapt into action when suddenly I froze. It was like my brain said it was all a big mistake. That wasn’t my child — or any child — staring up at me from underneath the water. Luckily, my friend wasn’t so dense or frozen. She too had immediately sprung up with lightening-like reflexes and hurtled herself towards my son, landing completely sideways in the water as she reached for his arm and yanked him up out of the water. I’d recovered from my second-too-long moment of frozen panic and was right there as she flung him out of the water and right into my arms. He was coughing, crying, and screaming in panic. I’ve never in my entire life been so happy to hear a child crying and sputtering and making a scene. It meant he was breathing. He was OK. I gripped him tightly in my arms, relieved that nothing worse had happened. A lifeguard had been ready to jump the fence to the baby pool when he saw my friend had already saved the day, but he came to check on us nonetheless. I was freaking out, relieved, and somewhat embarrassed all at the same time, yet I was trying not to let that translate through the tight grip I had on my son as I brought him into a chair to snuggle with me and calm down. I wanted to tell everyone that was staring at us, “I was watching! I was there! I saw!” And yet it still happened. Right in front of my face, my son slipped under water and didn’t know how to get back up. I already paid great attention while I was at the pool. I told my husband we’d be there so he’d know why I wasn’t my usual responsive self to his texts or calls. I didn’t consider pool days “leisure” time; they were active times of play with my son. I never read a book or left him unattended or even walked to the other side of the pool while he was near the water. Yet it still happened. Ever since, I’ve been crazy-paranoid-vigilant in the watch I keep over not only of my son, but all the kids in the baby pool. We all think we’re being safe around water or that nothing bad would ever happen to us, but I learned first hand that this isn’t true. Something can always happen and we can never be safe enough. That’s why whether it’s a pool, lake, or ocean, I’ve decided that time spent near water is a time when my cell phone is put away and silenced. Serious conversations with my friends are put aside. Manners are given a pass. My friends now know I’m listening even though I don’t make eye contact with them while we’re talking at the pool. Rules are explained and repeated over and over with my son, every single time. Kids don’t need to be made afraid, but they need to know that water can be dangerous and how best to prevent accidents. Channel your inner lifeguard and yell “no running” as much as it takes. Find a friend you trust to watch as carefully as you if you need to make a bathroom run, or else drag the kids with you. Make little ones hold your hand even if they don’t want to and use floatation devices when appropriate. Sign your kids up for swim lessons. They’re not just for kids who want to be on the swim team later, and they’re even designed for infants. Look for classes that start with teaching the basics of floating, turning over, and blowing bubbles. Now every time we go to the pool or near any kind of water, I review safety strategies with my 3-year-old son. I remind him …
  • Anytime he doesn’t know what to do or is scared in the water, to look for the sky and roll over on his back.
  • That he knows how to find the edge of the pool and that it’s always a safe place to grab on to.
  • That he knows how to blow bubbles and close his mouth so water doesn’t get in.
And of course, I remind him to stay near me. Right after the incident, I made sure to get him back in the water (even though it terrified me to no end) so he wouldn’t have a fear of water going forward. I signed him up for swim lessons and educated myself on water safety tips. I made sure to sign him up again as a refresher in the beginning of the following summer. Though I do these things to help keep him safe, I’ll never be near water and not be scared for him. I don’t let it show, but the fear is there. I’m thankful that he’s at an age where I’m still there all the time, just in case, but I know even that isn’t always enough. So as you’re enjoying your pool days and the splashing and joy it brings your children this summer, learn from my story and be as vigilant and attentive as you can be around kids and water. Because it can happen, even when you think you’re doing everything right. Yahoo! Parenting-Babble Photo

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Thank You so much Blog Fans

The Stats on the Blog are absolutely amazing. I'm thrilled beyond measure !! God Bless

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Gipsy Kings

Volare

The Gipsy Kings are a group of musicians from Arles and Montpellier in the south of France who perform in Spanish with an Andalusian accent.
Although group members were born in France, their parents were mostly gitanos, Spanish gypsies who fled Catalonia during the 1930's Spanish Civil War. They are known for bringing Catalan rumba, a pop-oriented music distantly derived from traditional flamenco music, to worldwide audiences. The group originally called itself Los Reyes. Their music has a particular rumba flamenca style, with pop influences; many songs of the Gipsy Kings fit social dances, such as salsa and rumba. Their music has been described as a place where "Spanish flamenco and gypsy rhapsody meet salsa funk". Photo Wikipedia

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Martha Argerich plays at Centro Cultural Kirchner

Internationally-renowned Argentine pianist Martha Argerich last night performed a history-making concert at the Ballena Azul hall of the recently inaugurated Centro Cultural Kirchner, built on the premises of the refurbished building that used to house the Central Post Office in downtown BA. With a capacity of 1,750 seats, tickets for the Argerich concert went for free online, with more than one million cyber surfers registering at the Kirchner Centre for access to the performance. As tickets quickly went out, though, music lovers were still able to enjoy the Argerich performance broadcast live on the Televisión Pública Channel 7, Radio Nacional Clásica FM 96.7, all INCAA movie theatres across Argentina and the Estaciones de Igualdad Cultural, most of them housed at cultural centres. Preceded by an introduction by journalist Víctor Hugo Morales, and accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra, Bacalov kicked off the evening’s proceedings with his own Porteña. The performance was conducted by Maestro Eduardo Hubert. Porteña, for two pianos and orchestra, was composed by the Oscar-winning Bacalov and is dedicated to Argerich, 74. Apart from last night’s concert, Argerich will on Sunday 26 appear with Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim at the Teatro Colón. In 2014, Argerich resumed her professional relationship with the Colón, which had been severed in 2005. In 2012, Argerich had already returned to Argentina on a tour that deliberately omitted a stopover in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires Herald

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

George Lucas, Cicely Tyson win Kennedy Center Honors By Brett Zongker-AP

Washington — A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … it would be difficult to imagine a lineup of artists quite like this. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Wednesday that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, groundbreaking actresses Rita Moreno and Cicely Tyson, singer Carole King, rock band the Eagles and acclaimed music director Seiji Ozawa will receive this year’s Kennedy Center Honors. The Detroit News The Kennedy Center

Saturday, July 4, 2015

'Scores' killed by Nigeria female suicide bombers By Aminu Abubakar

Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Several female suicide bombers in northeast Nigeria blew themselves up amid panicked villagers fleeing a Boko Haram attack, killing scores, the army and witnesses said Saturday. The latest carnage in a series of attacks that have claimed more than 200 lives in just three days happened on Friday night in Zabarmari village, 10 kilometres (six miles) from the city of Maiduguri, the birthplace of the jihadist group. Local resident Haladu Musa, who fled the attack, told AFP that "large numbers" of fighters poured into the village, overpowering government forces deployed to prevent the insurgents reaching Maiduguri. "The soldiers were forced to retreat," he said. Then, as people began to flee, female suicide bombers started blowing themselves up in their midst, killing large numbers of people, he said. "Most of the casualties came from the suicide bombings," he said, without being able to give a precise figure for the dead and injured. "A total of six suicide bombers detonated themselves... killing scores of people while some people were also wounded. A soldier also died," the Nigerian army said in a statement without specifying the sex of the bombers. The army said a jeep full of improvised explosive devices was recovered by troops, adding there was an ongoing search "for any bombs that might have been hidden or left unexploded in the area." Danlami Ajaokuta, a civilian vigilante helping the military battle Boko Haram, who also witnessed the attack, spoke of heavy casualties. "The main concern now is to evacuate and attend to the injured and later recover the dead bodies now lying in the village," he said, adding that more than 100 injured had been taken to hospital. Boko Haram, which is fighting to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria and has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group, has intensified its campaign of violence since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power on May 29. Yahoo! News-AFP

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Matt Damon Has A Ponytail, So Your Summer Just Got Better By Chanel Parks

Matt Damon may have reached maximum badass levels in the "Bourne" films, but his hair is reaching maximum badass levels right now. Ladies and gentlemen, Damon has a ponytail -- we repeat, a ponytail. During a Thursday press conference for the 2016 film "The Great Wall," Damon showed off his signature casual style in a button down shirt and jeans. But the real fashion moment came courtesy of his long hair, pulled back into a low pony. Just when we thought men with long hair was a trend of the past (aka, 2014), Damon is bringing back the look with as much enthusiasm as Jared Leto's braid. Oh, and for guys who are looking for a new 'do, growing out those locks may not be a bad idea. Celebrity groomer Diana Schmidtke told the Huffington Post that long hair is the easiest style for guys. Think of the versatility: man buns, braids, top knots -- the list goes on. Huffington Post