They Want to Drug Your Child!

Anyone who has an interest in what is going on in the world of children’s health has noticed the explosion of medications and diagnosis of children with ADD, ADHD, Asperger syndrome or Autism.  Does is strike you as strange that all of a sudden a huge percentage of otherwise normal and healthy children are being diagnosed with these dire diseases and schools and their associated medical counterparts are prescribing all manner of strange sounding drugs to “fix” these problems?

When we were growing up, just because a kid didn’t sit still in class, the teacher didn’t scream that the child had some disease and demand that he be drugged.  But that is exactly what is happening to thousands of children in public schools all over this country.  And at some point, it’s up to parents to stand up and say, “STOP.  You are not going to keep pumping drugs into our kids just because you can’t control your classrooms.”

If you were to make that kind of statement to a school on behalf of your own child, you would face tremendous amount of pressure to have your child tested medically for one of these “behavioral diseases” so the medical community can cooperate with the schools and prescribe Ritalin, Concerta, Paxel or one of the other common behavior control drugs.  Schools have a fair amount of leverage over us when it comes to forcing us to drug up our kids.  Because these diagnoses are supposedly backed up by medical experts, the schools can maintain that you must comply and get your child on medication or be guilty of child neglect or abuse.  

Because you are required by law to have your child in school, the school knows that the threat of holding a child back, expelling them or putting them in special needs classes each holds a terror that works very well at getting parents to play along with their plan.  Now this is not to say that there are no children who are not good candidates for such medication.  But the use of these drugs is be pushed for such a big percentage of children that its easy to see that what is going on here is nothing short of criminal.

There are plenty of reasons to believe that neither the schools nor the medical “experts” who peddle these drugs are being objective about what your child really needs.   One big clue that your child is not a chronic problem is if he or she is perfectly happy and social at home and the problems only occur at the school.  That tells you that the problem is with the school, not with your child.

We teach our kids to say no to drugs.   So it’s about time we also taught our schools to say no to the idea of drugging up our kids just so they are more pliant in the classroom.  The first thing to do is to take the teeth out of their threats to hold your child back or otherwise punish you or your child.  And that can be done by researching your private school options.  

It might sound harsh but unless your child’s pediatrician that you know and trust have independently diagnosed your child with one of these behavioral problems, the minute the school tries to put that label on your child, it might be time to go.  The last thing you want is to give the public school the leverage to threaten you and try to get away with it.  

And if they begin to loose students because of these threats, maybe they will get the message that parents don’t want their kids pumped full of drugs and that we want our children to learn with all of their mental and emotional faculties fully alive each and every day of their lives.  

How Kitesurfing Equipment Reviews can Help You

Kitesurfing is a sport that requires physical strength, guts, and mental preparation. However, it is also a sport where equipment can mean the difference between enjoying yourself or landing facedown in the water. Because of this, staying informed regarding reviews of Kitesurfing equipment is a must.

There are many types of equipment that the review can focus on. However, these are the three main types:

1) Kite – The kite you use for kiteboarding is way different from the ones that children fly. Kitesurfers use special Power kites. These kites are designed specifically to maximize the power of the wind and pull you along. Most critics review Powerkites based on their maneuverability and the power that they generate.

The kite is an essential piece of equipment as it is your main source of power. Choosing the right type of kite can affect your experience considerably. It can also affect your safety, as the type of kite will determine your ability to react in certain conditions.

2) Board – There are boards specially designed for use in kitesurfing. These are usually much smaller than your average surfboard and they have straps on them. Reviews on boards usually focus on the materials used, its weight, and the design. Many people might think that the board is just a flat piece of wood, but it is actually much more than that. Small variations in the design of the board actually determine the experience of the surfer.

There are some people who prefer to use classic surfboards with this activity. However, this reduces the number of tricks you can do. This is because one of the biggest thrills in kitesurfing is "jumping" which you cannot execute with a surfboard.

3) Safety equipment – Safety is a very important issue in what many people consider to be an "extreme" sport. And thus, the use of safety equipment is a necessity. Getting the right safety equipment requires you to read various reviews and these usually focus on the durability of the safety equipment as well as the price. Make sure that you get the best protection possible.

Safety equipment includes flotation devices, helmets, impact vests and signaling devices. Today, there are also emergency release devices which detach you from the kite in case the winds get too powerful and drag you out. Knowing all about these devices can be vital to a kitesurfer.

When you are reading a review of kitesurfing equipment, you might want to make sure that you can actually heed the advice of that review. How do you do this? Well, a good idea is to always check the source. On the internet today, this can be a bit difficult. This is because the anonymity provided by the internet can virtually enable anyone to declare him or herself an expert. You can do better with user or consumer reviews of various products. This is because such reviews do not rely on the opinion on one "expert" alone.

Reviews are also best if they are specific about what is good or bad about a piece of equipment. This will give you an idea of which things you can overlook and which things you cannot.

This will also allow you to judge just how much expertise a person reviewing the equipment has. All in all, learn how to think for yourself and you will be able to pick the best.

Parasailing: The Thrill of Flying with Less Risks

Parachuting is not for the faint of heart. Although modern parachutes are now safer than they were decades before fear of heights will always permeate through society. Up in the air anything can still happen. When you're free falling up in the air you only have a parachute to help you from falling to your death.

Let's just hope that your reserve works when your parachute fails. Fortunately for those who are extra cautious, there is a recreation that will still give the opportunity that is harmless.

Most parachute skydiving involves a lot risk. Jumping off an aircraft thousands of feet from the ground already strikes fear. Fortunately parasailing eliminates that for a more comfortable ride. This recreational activity is usually offered at resorts for vacationers and tourists.

Harmless fun by the beach

The concept of parasailing began in the 60's. Pierre Lamoigne unintentionally started the sport. He attached a parachute to his moving car to help his training for safe landing techniques. He used this method because it's the easiest way to raise the pilot without having to use an aircraft. He was a parachute teacher and used this method to instruct his students.

The intention was to raise the pilot high enough and then set him free to float. However when he did not set the pilot free this contributed to the start of the sport. Colonel Michel Tournier flew behind a tractor using his parachute in 1961.

In the 70's Mark McCulloh used the parachutes at sea. He started raising the parachutes on the shore. After that he used a motorized platform he designed and later on a boat to raise his parachute. Water provided safer landings so parasailing were done at sea since then. He later on created the parasail winchboat.

In 1963 the Parachute Pioneer Company began making parasails. Jacques-André Istel bought the license from Pierre Lamoigne who made the first parasail to able to manufacture and sell it. Brian Gaskin also made some of the early parasails. He experimented with parachutes that were made in the 60's and later on created the "Waterbird". It's the first true parasail that became the template for modern ones used today. In 1975 Brain Gaskin founded "Waterbird Parakites", a company that makes parasails for commercial and recreational use in United Kingdom.

McCulloh's parasail winchboat (which was introduced in the 80's) along with Brian Gaskin's "Waterbird" created a combination that made parasailing widespread. All parasailing operators use winchboats that are equipped with a power take off. The boat's engine serves as a hydraulic winch. Parasails are annular and pull down apex type of parachutes. It is originally a variant of the round parachute with suspension lines and a hole in the apex that can be opened.

Water parasailing is mostly recreational while the ones done in land is a competitive sport in Finland. In land parasailing, instead of using a boat, they use a car or a snowmobile to raise the parasail. The vehicle towing the parasail controls the height and speed while the parascender controls lateral movement.

If you are looking for a safe thrilling ride then parasailing is for you. The faint of heart does not need to jump of a plane into dizzying heights. The water provides soft landing and a life vest comes as standard equipment.