SPOTLIGHT ON BULLYING
All of us with Moebius Syndrome or with other physical differences probably know something about "bullying."  Many of us have been victims of it, at least in small ways; and perhaps in serious ways.  I know many of you parents who have children with Moebius worry about your child being bullied.  And so given that, many of us are glad that there is more talk about bullying out there in our society, and attempts to reduce it.  Right now an anti-bullying law in New Jersey is in the news; one can't really say if it is the perfect solution to the problem, but again, more discussion of the issue of bullying has to be good.  Here's more about the New Jersey law:
"Under a new state law in New Jersey, lunch-line bullies in the East Hanover schools can be reported to the police by their classmates this fall through anonymous tips to the Crimestoppers hot line.
In Elizabeth, children, including kindergartners, will spend six class periods learning, among other things, the difference between telling and tattling.
And at North Hunterdon High School, students will be told that there is no such thing as an innocent bystander when it comes to bullying: if they see it, they have a responsibility to try to stop it.
But while many parents and educators welcome the efforts to curb bullying both on campus and online, some superintendents and school board members across New Jersey say the new law, which takes effect Sept. 1, reaches much too far, and complain that they have been given no additional resources to meet its mandates.
The law, known as the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, is considered the toughest legislation against bullying in the nation. Propelled by public outcry over the suicide of a Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, nearly a year ago, it demands that all public schools adopt comprehensive antibullying policies (there are 18 pages of “required components”), increase staff training and adhere to tight deadlines for reporting episodes.
Each school must designate an antibullying specialist to investigate complaints; each district must, in turn, have an antibullying coordinator; and the State Education Department will evaluate every effort, posting grades on its Web site. Superintendents said that educators who failed to comply could lose their licenses."

OTHER TIDBITS
Once again--get some sleep:
"Men who get the least deep sleep each night have a higher risk of hypertension, new research shows.
Earlier studies have tied chronic sleep disorders and low levels of sleep to greater risks of heart disease and obesity, and even reduced life span. But the new study, published in the journal Hypertension, is one of the first to find that it’s not just how much you sleep, but the the quality of your nightly slumber that can affect your risk for high blood pressure."

"Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us."--Thomas Paine