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bookbard

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  1. Thank you for this, I've got one coming up and wanted to research, I remember being so hungry beforehand.
  2. There's also this: https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/resources/supply-line#:~:text=A supply line (also called,your neck and fine tubing.
  3. I just read this article, which was very sad: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/mar/17/earl-charles-spencer-a-very-private-school-interview I remember C .S. Lewis writing about his experiences too. I think the only problem is that people think it is something to do with the past, but it is certainly still going on - there is a scandal going on right now about a school in Sydney, and there was certainly an abuser at another top boarding school in Sydney in 2012 who was imprisoned.
  4. Yes. And when I was working with babies with Down syndrome, it was recommended to use an open cup from an early age to develop mouth muscle strength and coordination. They used medicine cups.
  5. Same in NSW. The only thing that seems different is the 'best interests of the child' thing and that is pretty vague - how would they define it? But none of the other stuff is onerous at all in practice, there are still plenty of people unschooling in NSW, and I know people whose kids basically did no written work all year and the only comment they got from the dept was "you need to do some writing - here's some ideas". There are just so many homeschoolers and so few visitors that they can't put a lot of effort into it, I find. And in terms of 'you can't pull them out before they're assessed', well again that's the rule in NSW and I did and plenty of other people do. I remember years ago Victoria moved from basically no regulation to regulation - it would be interesting hearing from people there as to how it went.
  6. You can use an open cup with a baby - they actually recommend that in poor countries as it's easier to wash an open cup properly than a bottle and teat. My baby would go for hours in between feeds, and then cluster feed like crazy.
  7. Saw an interesting article about how NZ and Australia were the only places not to have a fall in life expectancy due to Covid, and how it vindicated their lockdowns: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-australia-bucked-a-global-covid-19-life-expectancy-trend/thpl96aw4?utm_campaign=CDAqEAgAKgcICjDNi4ELMMz8-wIwrdf1AQ&utm_content=rundown&utm_medium=gnews&utm_source=newsshowcase
  8. I think it depends on the school. My daughter goes to a tiny private school (art focused) and they have always had a strict no-phone rule. They're able to enforce it because the school is small and the parents agree to it before joining. They do not take the phones away from the kids, but they'd get in trouble if they were using it. However, the huge public school nearby has a new no-phone rule (new state rule) and some parents are really concerned as it is understaffed, there's a huge amount of bullying and vandalism and it's not easy for a kid to get help if they need to. The other day a kid I know rang his mum from the toilets in order to get help. On the other hand, a kid was beaten unconscious and all the kids filmed it, rather than helping . . . I don't know what the answer is.
  9. Well after reading most of Ilona Andrews' other works, I finally managed to get into the Kate Daniels series by reading the newest 'series' (Wilmington series). It's similar to her (actually their) other books, magic, violence, romance, tough woman etc. In other words a fun easy urban fantasy - knowing there are a dozen books left to read is very reassuring.
  10. possible cause for long covid? https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240304/Iron-dysregulation-identified-as-potential-trigger-for-long-COVID.aspx It makes sense on a lot of levels, eg why women are more likely to be affected.
  11. Just saw a headline (couldn't read the article) in Australian Doctor that ATAGI is no longer recommending covid vaccines for children. They're allowed to get two shots, but it sounds like they're telling GPs not to advise them to get it. It is simply mind-blowing, considering there is no harm to the vaccine, and there is harm from getting covid. I wish someone would investigate ATAGI - I just don't understand, except for saving $$. This is an old article (2022) about ATAGIs attitude towards vaccinating kids. In Australia, they hold all the power around vaccines. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/10/atagis-strict-covid-restrictions-preventing-desperate-parents-from-vaccinating-their-children-expert-says
  12. So the main issue I'm having is always feeling stiff and sore (I'm near to 50). I was thinking of looking into yoga to help. It's not just waking up in the morning, but anytime I sit for a short while.
  13. Oh, lots of things. I refused to learn to drive, until I was forced. Now I drive hours each day. My sister could never speak in public - then she got a job where part of it was public speaking, every day. She's fine with it. We were all raised to be scared of adults and really struggled with shyness that took years to overcome, but we're all confident now. The key is practice. Also, I guess, realising that everyone is thinking of themselves, 90% of the time, and not you.
  14. If it's a crime or whatever yeah I have seen kids faces blurred, but on commercial TV they still do that thing of visiting a school or club with kids waving flags and banners, esp breakfast TV. But it's so common I can't see that it would be dangerous unless the kid was already in a danger situation eg custody.
  15. Just finished reading Kipling's Kim. Now I was certain I'd read it before (years before) but I remembered nothing at all. I did enjoy it mostly because I've spent a lot of time in that part of the world and it was very obvious Kipling knew and loved India. Of course, it was the India that a British person would see, but after accepting you're reading the perspective of someone living in the world of British India, it's still a fine piece of historical fiction. I don't know that many kids would enjoy it nowadays though, except that Kim gets his own way against the adults for most of the book.
  16. I am so sorry, and infuriated on your behalf.
  17. No, apparently they haven't been allowed to make more. Apparently the US DEA has not allowed the company to make more. It's an issue in Australia now too.
  18. I am sure you do have PTSD with all that is going on - no sleep if I remember correctly - it is so hard. I really feel for you.
  19. I really enjoyed North and South and I can imagine it would be a great one to listen to.
  20. I have stuck to 10,000 steps per day since Jan 1 and am mostly walking early in the morning as it's been pretty hot. Not doing much else apart from stretches - it has been super busy. I do lift a lot at work (and my arm muscles are starting to show it). I have lost more than 5kg since the beginning of the year, mostly around the waist which is good I think. I need to lost 10 more kg to move out of obese range and 20 more to move to healthy weight.
  21. I'm not doing the challenge, but I wish they'd integrate 'outdoor time' into existing exercise trackers (maybe they could use a light sensor?) It would motivate you to do a bit more. I reckon I'd do an hour a day at the moment but I'm not really keeping track - some days would be more, some less.
  22. We had to do a mystery for book club (The Dry by Jane Harper, Australian author). It was all right, but it sparked a lot of reading of books I already have which are mysteries. I reread The Big Sleep (didn't realise how homophobic it is), Gaudy Night (a great book about the whole how do you have a career if you're married thing that we STILL struggle with), To Play the Fool by Laurie R King (fascinating secular book with lots of theology in it), Peter Temple's The Broken Shore (if you want an Australian mystery, this is excellent and literary), A Grief of Stones (brilliant fantasy by Katherine Addison), Emma Bull (and friends)'s Shadow Unit (gory but so good), and the sci-fi novella The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard (ok, interesting but just ok). So I feel like I covered quite a few genres - romance, hard boiled, fantasy, sci-fi, philosophical . . . basically a mystery is one of those structures you can hang a lot onto.
  23. hmm, change is a possibility. We don't have any dollar bills here under $5
  24. My kid doesn't like chocolate or lollies - great for his teeth but it makes Easter tricky. In the past I've gone with soft toys or lego, but he's a tween now and not into lego anymore (and has a billion soft toys). I'm trying to think of other non junky things that would be fun, might be consumable, but not a huge 'gift'. I still have a bunch of plastic eggs that I could put things in to find - but what?
  25. I also think people blame lockdowns for things when they should be blaming Covid for things. Covid itself wreaked havoc in people's lives. And to be honest, it still is. Not only leading to massive numbers of orphans, but just wrecking people's health. I can't believe the number of friends, younger than me, who now have chronic conditions due to Covid. It's been far more damaging than lockdowns. And I believe the studies that are coming out at the moment about lockdowns (especially in Melbourne, Australia, which had a lot of them) are finding that they didn't lead to enormous issues for most people - and in fact didn't have any lasting issues with education, either. Of course, you can't extrapolate Australia to the USA, especially New York. What an awful time that was.
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