Month: June 2015

COMPANY MISSION ARTICLE- Mission One 2014: SGT Downing

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Mission One, 2014: SGT Darren Downing and wife, Brook  April 2014 Written for Caliber Technologies Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON/Caliber Technologies

In a letter to our charity of choice for this Mission, Operation Once in a Lifetime, Darren Downing tells the story of becoming disabled and what he promised his girlfriend who supported him throughout the ordeal.

It starts with US Army SGT Darren Downing being critically injured during a tour in Afghanistan on February 26, 2012.

For the six months that he was in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for recovery and therapy, Brook, his girlfriend at the time, stayed with him. She put her own goals, dreams and life on hold to help his recovery efforts.

In his letter, he describes her hardships of being away from her support system to be with him. SGT Downing writes: “She went through just as much as I did coming back home, if not more. I had support she didn’t. There was no one she could talk to, She dealt with everything on her own. I leaned on her during my whole recovery; she carried both of our weight throughout everything we were going through. She watched me look myself in the mirror every day, with tears in my eyes, disgusted for what had happened to me, for the deformity that my injury had left. She was there to pick up all the pieces when I was angry at everyone. She was there when I was sad and when I couldn’t make sense of it all. She was there to pick me back up and to put me back together when I didn’t know how. To this very day she still does all these things; some days are worse than others, but she is always there.”

Following advice from others, SGT Darren Downing and his young girlfriend, now wife, were married before the process of getting medically retired was completed. SGT Downing writes again: “My wife agreed to get married on such short notice without her dress, without her family, and without her friends. She didn’t get her fairy tale wedding that she had dreamed of her whole life; (one) that she most certainly deserved more than anyone I have ever met. She agreed, under two conditions, one being that we had to get married in a church, not in an office or at a courthouse. Secondly, she made me promise that on the exact date a year from our original marriage, we could have a real wedding ceremony. At that time I made that promise, it seemed like a small price to pay for all she has done for me from the very second I was injured.”

At this point in the letter he spells out that he is asking for assistance with giving her the “dream” wedding she did not receive the first time. Caliber Technologies wishes to help this young couple. We are happily donating a portion of the sales of YOUR ORDERS to SGT Downing and his wife towards their “dream” wedding in Ohio this spring.

THEATER REVIEW-“Lose yourself in ‘Escape from Happiness’”

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Theater Review

Tuesday Magazine, The Signal (Georgia State University’s on-campus newspaper)

“Lose yourself in ‘Escape from Happiness’”

Copyright 1995 ARLADEAN ARNSON/THE SIGNAL

 

“Escape from Happiness”

Horizon Theater, Atlanta, GA 1995

“Escape from Happiness,” Canadian playwright George F. Walker’s outrageous story of a typical late 20th century family that is pre-occupied with reasoning why bad things happen to them, offers a hilarious satirical look at family matters in the ‘90’s.

Set in the cheery yellow kitchen of a typical family, the story centers around the recent beating of Junior, one of the main characters of “Escape form Happiness.”  The mystery of who did this terrible thing and why sets the stage for Walker’s “manic and eloquent” satire.  As the play progresses, the action becomes more outrageous as the characters become more introspective.

The ever-ending need for family members to search for clarification on different levels along with Walker’s ironic mishaps lighten the tone of the mystery without giving way into farce.

Shelby Hofer and Jill Jane Clements both give outstanding performances as Gail, the family’s stubborn youngest daughter, and Nora the bickering yet heroic Mother.

Although the ending is a little surprising and abrupt (more because of delivery than dialogue), this contemporary satire offers a hilarious look at modern urban family life.

“Escape from Happiness” runs through February 26 (1995) at Horizon Theater.  For information about showtimes and ticket prices call 584-7450.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY-Preeclampsia Research

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Executive Summary: Preeclampsia Research

January 2006, Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON, researched and written for client

Project Overview

The focus of the attached research is to find “key relevant medical articles” on the subject of preeclampsia, with a focus on information regarding antithrombin and preeclampsia.

The HELLP syndrome, a close “sister” to preeclampsia, is another topic that researchers like to link together with the studies on preeclampsia, itself, or antithrombin. A small portion of the research covers this subject also.

Research Methodology

The traditional route to medical research is by using Pub Med. This route and a new (beta) Google search, called Google Scholar, were utilized. A large amount of information was provided, therefore, the limits set for articles narrowed to those only going back five (5) years.

Also chosen to be included is both a group of articles from the year 2000 that looked to be important to the focus of the research and a second group of articles, “Articles mentioned in the Articles Above”, that obviously influenced the researchers of our focus topic. These are found in separate folders in the “zipped” material.

Included in the Pub Med and Google Scholar search is forty-six (46) articles on the subject of antithrombin and preeclampsia. The file folder titled “Articles from 2000” presents eight (8) articles. And, the file folder titled “Articles mentioned in Articles Above” offers thirteen (13) articles.

Six (6) articles on the subject of the HELLP syndrome are displayed in the file folder titled “HELLP”.

Page 2 Executive Summary

Alternative databases and web sites have also been explored for any articles on the focus topic. The Cochrane Library’s Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews revealed two articles of note. Reach both articles and their abstracts in the file folder titled “Cochrane Library”.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality produces several health pages starting at

http://www.ahrq.gov . The web page featuring women’s issues, AHRQ Women’s Health Page, conveys information via documents on research in several areas. Featured in the section titled “Maternal Health & Pregnancy”, a document called “Chronic Hypertension During Pregnancy” can be found. In this document, preeclampsia is mentioned and the management of this and other pregnancy complications are discussed. In spite of the ease at which the document can be reached, it is not feasible to get a copy of it from the web site.

KOL Identification Methodology

The research easily established key opinion leaders among the authors of the articles. Twenty (20) KOLs have made the list. The KOLs have been identified using a three tiered method.

The first tier of researcher/authors is the most important to the focus topic. These prominent men and women have been selected by being mentioned as a contributor in more than one of the articles and/or publishing articles on antithrombin and preeclampsia.

The second tier researcher/authors, still an important classification, have been mentioned as contributors in those articles cited by the first tier group. These authors’ work clearly influenced the further research in the focus topic.

The third tier of researcher/authors denotes those people who have written on the topic of the HELLP syndrome.

The KOLs are arranged alphabetically in the data listing along with a column noting the tier in which they should be considered.

Page 3 Executive Summary

Additional Notes

Among these seventy-five (75) articles are several different key issues. In the general research you can find studies from preeclamptic pregnancies and thrombophilic disorders to Activated Protein C resistance. In the cases of articles about the HELLP syndrome, the articles were separated into a specific file folder.

The file folders titled “Articles from 2000”, “Articles mentioned in Articles Above”, and “Cochrane Library” contain a variety of subjects all associated to the focus topic of antithrombin and preeclampsia.

 

 

 

 

COMPANY MISSION ARTICLE- 2013 Year in Review: Missions Complete

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2013 Year in Review: Missions Complete  Article written for Caliber Technologies March 2014 Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON/ Caliber Technologies

Caliber Technologies is excited to give you a fantastic recap of the five missions and our Annual TOYS FOR TROOPS Campaign in 2013. From reaching out and helping three of our military service personnel and families in need to expanding our donations this summer to cover two community programs here in North Carolina, we are utilizing your contributions from ink, toner and office supply purchases to help where it is needed most! And, our Holiday toy and clothing reached further than we even expected! Read on…

We started out 2013 with a call to help little Piper with our “Print for Piper” mission. Piper Wilhide is a baby girl diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. Both her parents currently serve in our armed forces in different branches. The diagnosis, as you can imagine, brought a series of debts that was difficult for the family to handle all at once.

We were successful with our mission! We dearly wanted to raise enough money, to purchase plane tickets for Piper’s grandparents to fly in and provide the much needed assistance and support during the recovery process. In addition to the tickets, we would love to be able to assist Piper’s parents’ with their unexpected travel costs to and from Piper’s hospital and their hotel stays. With the tickets and a monetary donation, this family is well on its way to recovery!

During our Second Mission of 2013, Caliber Technologies was able to help two of our military families! We’d like to introduce you to the families of Sergeant (SGT) James Ray and Airman (AMN) Nichole Murphy.

On duty in Iraq, SGT Ray was enjoying his military career, a loving family, and a promotion in the near future. Unfortunately, one day his vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) resulting in burns over 60% of his body.

Fast forward to his stateside recovery, SGT Ray was adjusting nicely to life as a disabled veteran. He bought a home both near his family and the Veterans Affairs Office in Lometa, TX. The home was equipped to accommodate his needs.

Everything was on track on moving day until, while driving with his wife to his new home, the couple was hit by a semi-truck. The timing of this accident is made worse by the fact that former SGT Ray’s wife was to start a new job the very next week.  Although both are recovering from this accident, the couple is currently living off of only former SGT Ray’s disability payments. This loving and patriotic couple is now in need of funds for housing. Caliber Technologies is delighted to contribute towards their needs.

Air Force Airman (AMN) Nichole Murphy is a dedicated servicewoman and loving mother to a daughter named Haley. AMN Murphy recently received the hard news that her daughter’s illness may shorten Haley’s life; in fact, she may not live through the summer.  Haley was born without urinary organs and she is on constant dialysis and has a colostomy bag.

Having nothing more than a disposable camera to record what may her daughter’s last few happy months, Caliber Technologies is delighted to help donate a Nikon Digital Video Camcorder to the family.

Sadly, we were just informed that Haley did pass away in September, 2013. We all are heartbroken to hear this news. We are very proud to be a part of giving AMN Murphy some lasting memories of her daughter and wish her peace.

Caliber Technologies is proud to announce we are a participating sponsor of the North Raleigh Athletic Association (NRAA), the largest organization in the CFF and Pop Warner Mid-South Region.

As an “Ultimate Fan” level supporter we help fund the wonderful boys and girls and their football and cheer activities in our own community.  Go Bulldogs!!

The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Teen Council and Caliber Technologies have teamed up to help teens of deployed National Guardsmen with the inaugural NCNG Teen Challenge Retreat at Camp Butner in June 2013.

The teens that attended the four day retreat worked on developing their communication, leadership and team building skills in a small team environment. By donating the official camp tee shirts, we helped these teens meet their goals and take an active role in their learning! Congratulations to all participants! Way to go!!

Caliber Technologies started working on our TOYS FOR TROOPS campaign earlier than usual in 2013. TOYS FOR TROOPS is our annual toy and clothing drive for the children of military families in need during the Holiday Season. This time, we were fortunate enough that we were able to select three families through the “New Beginnings” website for special recognition and help.

We are very proud of our eighteen community partners for 2013! Each hosted a box and sign at their location throughout the Triangle Area of North Carolina. All of these locations were thanked personally by staff members when the donation boxes were picked up. Several locations were thanked in person by military personnel in tow with our staff. What a great campaign!

Oh, we also need to mention, this year we had some extra help outside the Triangle Area. Our partner in West Virginia, Mary B’s Restaurant in Parkersburg, helped to gather donations for children whose parents are with the West Virginia National Guard.

Please remember, Caliber Technologies proudly donates a portion of every order for ink, toner and office supplies back to our Veterans and our local community. We could not do it without your support and we greatly appreciate you! Thank you!

COMPANY MISSION ARTICLE- Mission Two 2013: Two Deserving Soldiers

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MISSION TWO 2013: Two deserving soldiers. Article written for Caliber Technologies. March 2014 Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON/ Caliber Technologies

 

During our Second Mission of 2013, Caliber Technologies was able to help two of our military families! Through our charity of choice, Operation Once in a Lifetime, we donate a portion of our sales of ink, toner and office supplies to help those in need.
We’d like to introduce you to the families of Sergeant (SGT) James Ray and Airman (AMN) Nichole Murphy.
_______________
On duty in Iraq, SGT Ray was enjoying his military career, a loving family, and a promotion in the near future. Unfortunately, one day his vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) resulting in burns over 60% of his body.
Fast forward to his stateside recovery, SGT Ray was adjusting nicely to life as a disabled veteran. He bought a home both near his family and the Veterans Affairs Office in Lometa, TX. The home was equipped to accommodate his needs.
Everything was on track on moving day until, while driving with his wife to his new home, the couple was hit by a semi-truck. The timing of this accident is made worse by the fact that former SGT Ray’s wife was to start a new job the very next week.
Although both are recovering from this accident, the couple is currently living off of only former SGT Ray’s disability payments. This loving and patriotic couple is now in need of funds for housing. Caliber Technologies is delighted to contribute towards their needs.
__________________
Air Force Airman (AMN) Nichole Murphy is a dedicated servicewoman and loving mother to a daughter named Haley. AMN Murphy recently received the hard news that her daughter’s illness may shorten Haley’s life; in fact, she may not live through the summer.  Haley was born without urinary organs and she is on constant dialysis and has a colostomy bag.
Having nothing more than a disposable camera to record what may her daughter’s last few happy months, Caliber Technologies is delighted to help donate a Nikon Digital Video Camcorder to the family.
Sadly, we were just informed that Haley did pass away in September, 2013. We all are heartbroken to hear this news. We are very proud to be a part of giving AMN Murphy some lasting memories of her daughter and wish her peace.

COMPANY MISSION ARTICLE- Mission One 2013: Print for Piper

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MISSION ONE 2013: Print for Piper  Article written for Caliber Technologies March 2013 Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON/ Caliber Technologies

We are very happy to announce our first Mission of 2013: PRINT FOR PIPER! We are helping little Piper Wilhide and her family. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to do it without your continuous support.

Caliber Technologies usually receives requests through various charities to help distressed military families and veterans; however, Piper’s request was a bit different.

One of our recently hired veterans, former USAF SSgt Mac Hobgood, had actually served with Piper’s father in Germany.  The two had remained friends and when Mac shared Piper’s story (see side panel) it was obvious that we had to help in any way possible.

Both Piper’s mom and dad proudly serve our country. The father has been in the Air Force for 15 years and now is stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB. Piper’s mom is in the Air National Guard and is an instructor at Wayne Community College.

Unfortunately, since Piper was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, her mom cannot go back to work. As a result, the family is incurring increasing debt including childcare and travel costs.

Caliber Technologies’  Mission is to raise enough money, to purchase plane tickets for Piper’s grandparents to fly in and provide the much needed assistance and support during the recovery process.  In addition to the tickets, we would love to be able to assist Piper’s parents’ with their unexpected travel costs to and from Piper’s hospital and their hotel stays.

We greatly appreciate all the continuous support through your purchases.  If you would like more information on how you can best help with our Mission, please contact your didicated Business  Development Manager.

PRINT FOR PIPER- Her Story

Piper Wilhide was only four weeks old when she first went in to see the doctor. She had been waking up from her naps with the sweats. The doctors were confused because nothing seemed wrong.

While doctors ran tests, her heart rate was in the 190’s, which is abnormally high. Peper then had an EKG done at Wayne Memorial Hospital. The pediatric cardiologist took a look at here and did a heart echo; that is when they saw a mass behind her heart.

Piper was quickly admitted to Vidant Memorial Hospital for more tests to establish the best diagnosis. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor that develops from nerve tissues.

Little Piper has to go through eight cycles of chemotherapy due to the size of the tumor. Each cycle consists of getting the chemo administered over three days with 21 days between each cycle.

As you can see, Piper has a long fight ahead of her.

ONLINE ARTICLE- Quick Trip: The Couch

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Quick Trip: The Couch  Oct. 31, 2009 Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON Originally published on Triangle Mommies blog at http://www.trainglemommies.com .

 

It could be your couch, davenport, or chesterfield, a nice armchair, a comfy beanbag one or a chaise lounge; it really doesn’t matter what you’d prefer to sit in while taking your quick trip.

 

It is the beginning of the busiest time of the year and you really should take the time to sit. You can read or watch television. You can enjoy a cup of coffee or working with your hands by doing crochet or needlepoint. Please, just have a seat.

 

My quick trip is to the couch. It is a lovely couch. I call it my “Cowboy Couch” because of its warm brown leather and its worn patches. It sinks just so in all the right places.

 

Sure, I have a wonderful red reading chair with ottoman in the same room, but sometimes, it is just the couch that is calling.

 

Now, why is my quick trip to the couch? Well, the only other escapade this month was to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. It was lovely and because of the cooler weather the animals were out-and-about. The male Elk was trumpeting up a storm towards the bison that live in the same area to keep them away from his females. It is mating season. But, I have told you all about the Zoo already and most of you have been there too.

 

So, I decided to highlight we mamas never take for granted, a seat. While sitting, we experience a time where we actually think, or plan, or dream and just be ourselves.

 

Which is your favorite seat? Is it in the kitchen, the living room, your out-of-doors patio, or in your car? Please join me, and have a seat!

 

 

ONLINE ARTICLE- Family Outing: 2 for 1 Adventure in Raleigh

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Family Outing: 2 for 1 Adventure in Raleigh, NC Oct. 11, 2009 Copyright Arladean Arnson Originally published on Triangle Mommies blog.

 

What to do? What to do? I have THREE “Flat Stanley”s that have traveled to our house from far afield that need to go home in the next two days. We haven’t done anything interesting at all in the time they have been visiting. And, my son really wants bring Daddy on his first Letterboxing adventure today, Sunday, the last day of the weekend.

 

Hey, I know what to do! I will jump onto the computer and find out if there are any Letterboxes in downtown Raleigh so we can hit the historical parts, take some pictures with the “Stanley”s, learn a little more about North Carolina, and take my husband on his first Letterboxing adventure!

 

Now, if you have read this far and have no idea what a “Flat Stanley” might be and you have never heard of the fantastic outdoor activity of Letterboxing, I congratulate you on your enthusiasm for my writing!

Flat Stanley is a book written by Jeff Brown and illustrated by Tomi Ungerer and published in 1964. The story is of a little boy that unfortunately gets flattened but sees the bright side of his predicament. He ends up being able to go around the world being mailed by letter. There is a string of stories to tell of his adventures.

This story was so popular that in 1995 a Canadian teacher started The Flat Stanley Project. This effort encourages children around the world to find out about each other through the mailing of paper dolls that either look like Stanley from the book or images of themselves!

My son and I received our three visiting paper dolls from a family of homeschoolers in Texas.

Now, what about Letterboxing? The easiest way to explain it is that it is an outdoor activity where a box or bag containing a notebook and a homemade stamp is hidden in a public place like a park or even a parking lot! To get the clues on where this box is hidden, one would log onto certain web sites that have them listed. Using the clues, the seeker finds the box, stamps his own notebook with the homemade stamp, leaves an imprint of his own stamp in the letterbox notebook, and then “reburies” or re-hides it for the next adventurer. Then, when the seeker gets back to the computer, he can log that he had found the box!

We started off our adventure by heading downtown to the NC Capitol Building. We walked around the grounds of the Capitol as we looked for the perfect place to take our “Stanley” picture. We stopped every once in a while to read the many and varied statues. Did you know there were three Presidents of the United States from North Carolina? Yes! But, I am going to leave you to look up who they were!

I noticed that a light was on inside the Capitol and I took a few steps to see if the building was indeed open on a Sunday. Yes! We were in luck. After checking in with security, we made our way around the building going up and down the staircases and peeking into rooms. I highly suggest a visit to the Capitol, especially if you are not from North Carolina.

Making our way out of the building and around back to our car, my son wondered if we were going to find any Letterboxes today or are we going to just hang around all the old buildings! Letterboxes were next!

There is a beautiful old and very historic cemetery right in downtown Raleigh and that was where the two Letterboxes were for today’s hunt. There are many other Letterboxes hiding in downtown Raleigh, but being October, I thought a trip to the Oakwood Cemetery would be just the place to get us in the spooky mood! Of-course, by day, Oakwood Cemetery is not spooky but a lovely garden where families actually bicycle together on a Sunday afternoon. We even saw a family flying a kite there too.

Following our clues, we started out for our first Letterbox. This first one was found under a bush and being held there by a white rock, near a beautiful old Oak Tree. The homemade stamp was of lovely oak leaves! How appropriate for our day in the “Oak City”! We left our mark, my son’s stamp of a little lamb, in the notebook and “buried” the Letterbox again where we found it.

The second, we found out, was very complicated, but we followed the clues in the car instead of by foot which would have taken us all over the southern part of the Cemetery! After a few minutes of circling around, we found the Camilla bush with the cute turtle nearby! We stamped our mark and gathered our treasure in stamp form of a flower emblazoned with an “A”. Hid the box for the next Letterboxer and drove out of the Cemetery happy to have found both boxes!

We ended our downtown adventure with a snack break at Krispy Kreme Donuts on Person Street. Of-course, this was another fine place to take a “Stanley” picture!

So the next time you have a quandary of how you are going to do two or three projects at once, remember there is ALWAYS a way to do it! We did it with a camera, a car, a Capitol and a Cemetery!

 

For more information on Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown please go to your local library or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Stanley .

 

For more information on The Flat Stanley Project go to http://www.flatstanley.com/ .

 

For more information on Letterboxing research it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterboxing .

 

Or visit sites on Letterboxing: http://www.letterboxing.org/ and   http://www.atlasquest.com/ .

 

The official tourism site for Raleigh, NC is here: http://www.visitraleigh.com/ .

 

Krispy Kreme’s official web site is here: http://www.krispykreme.com/ .

 

 

ARTICLE-Not All Parents’ Frustrations Calmed by Court’s Decision.

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NOT ALL PARENTS’ FRUSTRATIONS CALMED BY COURT’S DECISION. March 1, 2009 Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON Published on personal blog.

The US Court of Federal Claims has issued three decisions on February 12th about the safety of vaccinations and the onset of Autism in young children. All three Special Masters found that the claimants have failed to prove their claims. Special Master Vowell went as far as to say, “[the] Respondent’s experts were far more qualified, better supported by the weight of scientific research and authority, and simply more persuasive on nearly every point in contention.” (ftp://autism.uscfc.uscourts.gov/autism/vaccine/Vowell.Snyder.pdf)

The US Court of Federal Claims has nationwide jurisdiction over any monetary claims against the US government. Its jurisdiction has been broadened several times including in 1987 via the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act to include the injuries attributed to specified vaccines.

The first case, Cedillo vs. Secretary of Health and Human Services, sought entitlement for three separate issues: the MMR vaccine causes Autism, the MMR vaccine causes Gastrointestinal Dysfunction, and Thimerosal in the MMR vaccine causes Immune System damage. The second case, Hazlehurst vs. Secretary of Health and Human Services, sought entitlement for the issue of a combination of Thimerosal and the MMR vaccine directly causes regressive Autism. The third case, Snyder vs. Secretary of Health and Human Services, sought entitlement also for the issue of a combination of Thirmerosal and the MMR vaccine directly caused, in this case, a development of a pervasive developmental disorder [PDD].

What these three cases have in common, the onset of Autism in a young child, has been a matter of wide debate for over 10 years. A quick look at the articles about the seemingly jump in reported cases of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders [ASD] is alarming.

The correlation of this jump and the new vaccines ordered in the late 1980’s seemed a likely connection. However, now with the Court’s decisions, has the last hope for the parents who are looking for answers for their children expired?

Several articles and blogs have appeared since the decisions that say that not all is lost and the debate is not over yet!

Some bloggers, like Jay Gordon MD, are angry at the decision. In his post at the Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com) he states, “They [US Court of Federal Claims, Special Masters] were disdainful and unscientific in their approach and did not gather the needed evidence”. He thinks that “they should have insisted on further studies to assist in the decision-making process”.

This week’s online edition of the Age of Autism (http://www.ageofautism.com) sites two related court cases and several US Federal agencies with interests in this issue. The court cases, by the way, highlight two defendants who won their fight and will receive compensations for their injuries.

This publication also reports that the US government and other top research institutions are in favor of looking deeper into the “vaccinated vs. unvaccinated child” issues and “the health impact of the immunization schedule”.

Another important figure, Barbara Loe Fisher the Co-founder & President, NVIC, stated in her watchdog groups response that appeared quickly after the announcement by the US Court of Federal Claims, that there is hope through renewed interest in further research. She shows us that The Special Masters in the US Court of Federal Claims can only make decisions based on printed medical evidence yet most of the current printed research is funded by the government or the pharmaceutical companies. Although this dichotomy exists, the US Department of Health and Human Services still supports ongoing research. She calls for independent researchers without ties to industry or government agencies concerned about protecting the status quo”. Ms. Fisher adds, “Science is not static but evolving.” And, this is a positive statement.

While many other bloggers and writers across the nation tout that the decision is a “victory for practical medicine” as Terry L. Mitchell writes in the American Chronicle (www.americanchronicle.com), still others say the Court’s decision has liberated researchers to now “intensify the scientific search for autism’s cause” (http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090216/OPINION11/902160303/1004/OPINION).

So, the debate seems to continue. “Free and fair discussion will ever be found the firmest friend to truth,” G. Campbell once wrote. Parents will still be able to rely on there being a lot of information to sift through and understand in their quest to help their children gain healthy lives.

ONLINE ARTICLE-Outing Afield: Airlie Gardens, Wilmington, NC

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OUTING AFIELD: AIRLIE GARDENS, WILMINGTON, NC April 2009. Copyright ARLADEAN ARNSON Published on Triangle Mommies blog at http://www.trianglemommies.blogspot.com .

We all know of Wilmington, the historic jewel on the coast of North Carolina. We all know about the beautiful homes untouched by the Civil War and the bustling port city at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. We all know about the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, The Children’s Museum of Wilmington, the boardwalk, the beaches, and in April, the Azalea Festival. Wilmington has a lot to offer.

There is one place, nestled in the coastal area by Wrightsville Beach, which is off the beaten path for most tourists. This place is Airlie Gardens. The Gardens are at 300 Airlie Road, near the intersection of Hwy 76 and Hwy 74 near the Causeway.

Airlie Gardens was first planted by Sarah Jones in 1901 and further transformed by the German landscape architect Rudolf Topel in 1906. The Gardens span 67 acres and are separated into several themed areas including the Showcase Gardens, Pergola Gardens, Camellia Gardens and more.

There are oak trees over 400 hundred years old living in the Gardens, a freshwater lake that is home to swans, and a tidal creek overlook for visiting school children to learn, first-hand, about this delicate ecosystem. There is even a famous artist connected to the Gardens. Minnie Evans worked and painted at Airlie Gardens. Her paintings highlight the Gardens in every season and every light.

Instead of writing a step-by-step account of the full afternoon, these few pictures will have to tell the tale.

[photos]

We stayed a couple of hours, enjoying the grounds and the weather. A few hints if you wish to visit for yourself: bring a stroller for the little ones, bring a picnic, and do not forget your camera!

Sometimes going further afield is worth the trip!

For more information about Airlie Gardens please visit the web site at http://www.airliegardens.org .