Circumcision: Making the Decision Based on Facts Not Hatred

Circumcision will always be a sore subject. There has been no surgical procedure that has caused as much controversy as the little snip, and the arguments against it tend to get really convoluted. The reason is simple enough: Although there are some definite medical benefits, it has become associated with religion making it it understandably unpalatable for those that dislike religion. However, there are some concerns that need to be addressed.

First off, there are some legitimate, if minor, medical benefits. Although its effects on most STD's is debatable, circumcision has been proven to be very effective when it comes to preventing the spread of HIV (there is a decrease of 36% to 66% in the number of cases in various areas). The World Health Organization has suggested that circumcision should be encouraged in areas where there are HIV epidemics, such as most of Africa. It also helps prevent penile cancer (penile cancer is virtually unknown in those who received neonatal circumcision) as well as some infections, such as those suffered by some 10% of those who are not cut before puberty. There is also the advantage that the complications due to the surgery are usually minor, with actual damage to the penis limited to just over a hundred patients a year in the United States. In short, there is an advantage to being circumcised with minimal chance of damage to the penis itself.

However, these benefits are minor enough that most major medical organizations do not recommend circumcision, and most insurance carriers worldwide do not cover the operation. Even the American Pediatrics Association tends to cycle through periods where they alternate between recommending the procedure and arguing that it has negligible effects. Even the argument that it enhances male sexual pleasure tends to fall in and out of favor, not to mention its aesthetic appeal. As such parents should be willing to go either way when it comes to the surgery.

[It needs to be noted that this is a process that needs to be decided on by the parents. Because it is seen as a body modification, some parents want to leave the decision with the boy himself. The problem is that most of the benefits of the surgery are felt during the fifteen years of life, and by then the boy is unlikely to want to make any changes to his penis. Straight up: If you feel like it's just cosmetic surgery, then don't sweat it. Period. It's worth pointing out that parents tend to make a lot of decisions for their kids that the kids don't like ranging from forcing them to eat vegetable to disciplining them to music lessons, so this is definitely a decision that is in their purview; if you have no problem with braces, which cost thousands of dollars, open up the kid to ridicule, and has little actual effect, you should have no problem with circumcision. However, if you want to leave it up to the kid, that's your decision and cool. Don't sweat it.]

There also appears to be some confusion between male and female circumcision. Female circumcision is an abhoration that should be abolished from the world. It is almost guaranteed to cause pain, create medical problems, and is done for some really stupid aesthetic reasons. While the medical benefits of male circumcision can be at least debated, female circumcision has none, and can actually cause sterility. As such no sane individual should be encouraging any kind of female circumcision.

 So, what is the bottom line? Easy: If you live in an area with a lot of HIV, you are likely doing your son a favor by circumcising him. If you decide to go forward, the likelihood of a complication resulting in mutilation or sterility is extremely low, as it is usually handled by a surgeon (even rabbis that do the procedure must be thoroughly trained, and not all rabbis receive that training). If you decide otherwise, don't sweat it; just remember to clean out the foreskin and to teach the boy how to do it and you should be fine. Just remember that it is a decision that needs to be made by the parents either way, and as early as possible, and you should be fine. Just don't make a decision based on the grounds of religion, either because you are for or against; the decision should be based on the medical facts and not the emotion.

How to Donate Foods For the Holidays

Tis the season for food drives, and no doubt most people will want to help out. There are always some considerations that would-be donors should keep in mind when they donate to food drives, as there are some important issues that need to be debated. The major consideration is that you need to think beyond the stereotype; a food bank is something that benefits everyone directly or otherwise. Given that it is a great mercy, it can only help to put some thought into what foods are donated. Here are some suggestions.

1) Know what to give. Try to keep in mind the needs of those looking for food, as not everyone has the same needs. Although most foods are great, you should also debate ethnic foods, especially in areas where there are high concentrations of immigrants; those foods may help someone feel a little more special around this time of year. You should also debate foods specifically for children as well as feeding mothers. For the kids, this means peanut butter, jellies and jams, juice boxes, macaroni and cheese, and pretty much anything for lunches and breakfasts are great. Cannisters and boxes of powdered formula are always welcome. You should also consider: canned meats (such as chicken and tuna), powdered milk, saltine crackers, soups, juices, bags of noodles and rice, spaghetti sauce in almost any form, canned vegetables, and pork and beans.

[Cans are preferred as they are easy to store and don't require refrigeration, something that helps the normally cash-strapped organizations to save a lot of money. They are also easy to check for tampering. If you are debating raw fruits and vegetables inquire first.]

2) Know what not to donate. Obviously frozen and refrigerated foods are off the list. Breads are another item to seriously debate as food pantries have to turn a lot of donated bread away, and they get a lot of bread from grocery stores anyway. Kidney and garbanzo beans should be seriously debated; food pantries get a lot of them because people get a lot of them for food pantries and they can get annoying, especially as not everyone knows how to prepare them. High-end foods should not be donated; not everyone knows what to do with them and staples are more appreciated. Alcohol should not even be considered.

3) When in doubt, cash is always welcome. Food pantries get a lot of bang for their buck when it comes to shopping, and it gives them the ability to adapt to the needs of the community. It is also to easier to write-off when it comes to tax time. Nonetheless, try to keep to foodstuffs as it simplifies the situation, and it keeps everyone trustworthy.

4) Keep in mind local regulations. This applies especially to prepared foods, as most health and safety regulations have issues with any number of different foods. The best example of this is cooked foods: They need to be kept at certain temperatures once they have been prepared or they become unhealthy and susceptible to bacterial growth. This is why such foods have an extremely short shelf life, usually in hours, and are strictly regulated by local law.

Keep this mind when you are donating food and the season should be a happy one indeed for all involved. 

When Science Kills

My least favorite meme right now has to one that states, "Science will admit when it's wrong. Religion will kill to prove it's right." While I'm not really going to touch the last half of that, as it's pretty much empty rhetoric given what some of the popes have said over the last fifty or so years, it's the first half that sort of worries me. There have been numerous examples of Science killing to prove itself right, especially over the last century. It's that people tend to forget that there have been serious lapses in judgment that we need to remember that Science is hardly the lily-white innocent wen it comes to dealing death some think it is.

You only need to go as far back as World War II in order to see some of the death that scientists have used to prove their private theories. The obvious example for the Western World involves the death camps of Nazi Germany, where doctors took advantage of the human chattel in order to perform some of the most heinous experiments on the human body ever recorded by Man. Some of those experiments were innocuous, such as seeing if they could change the color of a child's hair and eye color, but there were serious explorations of human anatomy using living people. Nanking is just as infamous, with its infamous explorations into such areas as how long people could survive in the cold, among others.

Those experiments were not limited to the labs of evil foreign scientists. Consider how the lives of the Tuskegee airmen were affected because someone was curious about how black soldiers were affected by syphillis. Whereas the logic is understandable (black physiological systems respond differently to a wide variety of diseases, most notable the relationship between malaria and sickle-cell anemia), the experiments were nonetheless barbaric. That of course discounts the wholesale experimentation when it came to figuring out the effects of nuclear bombs on the human body, where soldiers were asked to lay down as nuclear warheads were exploded near them in order to determine the effects on their bodies.

More recently is the unfortunately successful work of Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield published a report on how the MMR vaccine was the cause of autism. Although the report has been thoroughly discredited and you'll please note that there was no "Doctor" before Wakefield's name as he has been stripped of that particular honor, the damage has been done; diseases that were on the run have been seen in increased numbers and those diseases have been causing deaths. Although there had been deaths due to vaccinations, they were far fewer than the near-epidemics among those that have not been vaccinated. Wakefield has not recanted his position by any stretch, making his personal theory responsible for thousands of deaths as the anti-vaxers take up his cause.

This is not to say that Science should be cast aside by any stretch, as it is obviously a major force for good in our modern civilization. However, we do need to realize that few things come without cost, and that occasionally people screw up in disastrous ways. We just need to stop letting memes think for us and pay attention; The Bible says that there will be those that attempt to lead people astray, and memes are as good a tool to do so. So enjoy the memes, but remember that you do have your own judgment that should be used every so often...

Using The Bible To See You Through The Holidays

This is the time of year when we need to realize when our thoughts should be charitable, and our deeds for the good of mankind. Otherwise we are unlikely to survive the coming months, for our families will utterly destroy us.

Tensions run high this time of year and we need to make sure that we do our best to temper those tensions rather than increase them. It's understandable how that we would feel a little more stress around this time of year; for a social species we really don't like dealing with our fellow man more than absolutely necessary. This means that when we are forced to deal with others we tend to get a bit more stressful than needed. It doesn't help that some of these people we haven't seen for almost a year, and so we are worried about what they think of us, especially if we didn't get along with that person.

It can help if apply certain biblical rules to the situation. The biggie is to not covet. Period. Jealousy is going to be a major issue this season, especially in any gift-giving situation; you may see the gifts others receive and feel somehow slighted if you don't feel your gift measures up to someone else's. Even if you feel that you got the "guest gift", that present kept in reserve for someone that happens to show up, enjoy anything you receive and don't be jealous of other's gifts; you can be envious a little, but enjoy the gift along with them rather than hate them for it.

Honor your father and mother, especially if you don't get along with them. Even if it's your house, you'll find it will go a lot easier if you give them the run of the place. Obviously if you can rent them a room in a nearby hotel it would work out a lot better, but remember to be nice to them at least. This is not to say that you need to be a welcome mat and let them walk all over you, but do be respectful. With any luck you won't have to deal with them for more than a day or two, so be nice as long as you are able.

Avoid gossip. It's going to be hard, but one of the problems with gossip is that it tends to come back on you. Try to be as non-committal as possible, and only discuss family problems as little as absolutely possible. Work with only what you know are the facts, and only offer suggestions, not actual statements. This is when it can only help to stay out of politics, especially family politics.

Remember humility. This is the time of year when you want to let others see you but keep your head low. Compete as much as much as you want, but don't be prideful about it. Nobody likes a sore winner, and no one as memory like your family.You need to walk that line between being proud of your accomplishments and still being humble. Keep in mind that a little humility will help if you need to get advice on something. Play nice and you should do well this time of year. Heck, you may even survive to see next year!

Own Who You Are

You should never be ashamed of who you are. In too many areas people feel that they are forced to hide who they are because they are worried about others finding out about their beliefs. You need to put a little faith in who you are, and own your identity. It is who you are and no one should be ashamed of who he or she is.

If you have spent any time on this plane then you have earned the right to be who you are. You have just as much right to exist as anyone and if someone disagrees with that they are the ones that have something to prove. If someone uses slurs, snarky remarks, or threats in order to silence you, that person has issues and you should either ignore or report them. You have put a lot of work into deciding who you are and others should honor that decision; they weren't there every step of the way and shouldn't judge you simply because of who you have decided to be. They may not have decided who they are, or have decided that being an idiot is the best thing ever, but that is their problem, and not yours.

Too many people are willing to discount what others say in order to win an argument. If the only way someone can win an argument is by pointing out the sex, race, or even belief system of another person then that person is the one that has lost the argument. While there is some validity to this (a person with no engineering background should not be in an engineering meeting, for example, without a really good reason), sometimes it is too easy to discount someone because we don't see how that person's experiences and knowledge apply. Sometimes we need to allow that someone with a different perspective based on his life is likely to have a different perspective that is necessary for us to see things a bit more clearly. Rather than discounting that perspective out of hand we should explore that perspective a bit to make sure that it should be discounted and not do so out of hand.

This is not to say that some life choices should not be persecuted, such as pedophile or mass murderer. However, other than that no one should be forced to hide who they are. You should be proud of who you are and what you have done. Everyone makes mistakes, but they should be seen as lessons learned and badges earned, and not something that you should hide from the rest of the world. I know it's a cliche, but those flaws make you as a diamond shine, and you should not be afraid to shine. Just remember to let others shine as well...

Build A House YOU Are Proud of

Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Having a strong belief in something should not be seen as a bad thing, as long as that thing is not harmful to others. By the same token an inquisitive mind is fine, as long as you are aware that sometimes it may lead you into areas that may be a little on the dangerous side. In either case, you may want to make sure that your head and heart are a little on the dirty side.

The verses listed refer to a person who is ready and willing to believe in anything, and is thus dangerously open to new ideas. This can be either a naive person who believes anything that they are told, or someone who is in seriously need of a change in his life The naive person will learn quickly that he needs to grow some skin quickly, and that not everyone has his best interest at heart. If he continues to approach every situation the same, with the assumption that he will survive the situation based on the innate goodness of humanity.

Although the person is trying to lead a life without baggage, and while that is commendable it is also a problem. It means that you need to constantly evaluate situations and not take advantage of any past experience; this person is not likely to adapt quickly to problems, and is likely to give the wrong person too many chances. This person needs allow some baggage into their life so he doesn't make the same mistakes over and over; a dirty house is a good thing in this case as that baggage all over the place means that at least incoming visitors have something to trip over on the way in and give the person a chance to make better decisions.

Conversely, someone who is looking for a major change in his life is likely to try a path precisely because it appears to be the right one initially. It can look like exactly what the person needed at the time, but can actually be the worst mistake they can make at the time. This can be anything from a religion whose leader is more interested in power and money to a new diet that causes more harm than it cures. The person has cleared some space in his house so that he can welcome something new and instead he opens himself up to some serious potential for harm. He just needs to do some serious research before heading down a new path from which there may no return so at least he is fully informed regarding that decision.

The bottom line is simply that there are advantages to having something that you believe in. You need to have something that fills in your cracks or else it's likely that something bad will slip in. More to the point, you need a house that you are comfortable with to act as a base; you will continue to let new ideas in if you are never comfortable with who you are, and some of those ideas may be downright dangerous.

This is not to say you should not change things up every so often, exploring a new idea or expanding an old one; you should always be willing to change how a room looks or add a new painting, just to shake things up a bit. People being people it is always a danger that you will get locked into a bad decision, especially when you have some sort of personal investment in the decision. This is as much a matter of personal pride, of not willing to admit to making a mistake, and that's just human nature. You need to be willing to do some redecorating every so often, if for no other reason than to make sure that your decisions are solid.

You should never go into a situation completely clear, and if you are required to then you should be on your toes. You will need to deal with the mess after all, and it sucks to have to clean up someone else's mess in your own home. So treat your mind and heart as you would a home and only let in what you feel works for you and will allow you to prosper. Decorate how you want to, and let no one else tell you how it should be; remember that you can always ignore the advice of the best interior decorator. Make it a place you are proud of, regardless of what anyone else may think; you are the one that will be living there, after all, and no one else. 

The Importance of a Sound Skeptcism

Something that will always amuse me is how many people accept the facts that they are given without questioning them. No matter how strange or nonsensical the facts, all you need is to mention some sort of academic , preferably a doctor but not necessary, and a celebrity and you can count on a lot of people believing you. What's even weirder is that sites that go after hoaxes get a lot of flack precisely because they go after hoaxes. It wouldn't be as amusing except that the people who believe the hoaxes usually consider themselves to be above such things.

You should always approach a new news source with some with some degree of skepticism, especially if it agrees with your perspective.The articles that seem to come up the most as having the most problems with them are the ones that are slanted to an audience. That's the big problem with Cop Block: A lot of people hate cops right now, especially after Ferguson, so they are looking for all of the wrongs that cops try to get away with. Fox News is the obvious problem child as it seems to pride itself on making things up for its right-wing audience. As such be especially watchful if the article agrees with your personal beliefs.

You need to make sure that the source isn't a joke site as too many sites that look good end up being some sort of attempt of humor, while others have a joke section. This is the difference between The Onion and Raw Story; The Onion makes no bones about its humor, while Raw Story tries to look real. Making it worse is that Raw Story has a lot of actual stories but doesn't really differentiate between the two.

There also needs to be some fact-checking. Snopes and Wikipedia are arguably the two best sites for looking things up. While Snopes takes some flack because of its owners' political beliefs, its references are usually pretty good They also tend to track down hoaxes; they are usually on top of the game when it comes to settling whether or not something is a hoax. Wikipedia gets a lot of flack because anyone can edit it, but the necessity for rferences before an article can be published as well as other safeguards such as warning signs that the page has problems as well as the ability to lock down articles that have been edited too much make it a great source.

Lastly, consider the source. If you see that the celebrity is quoted just a bit too much, and even more so than the academic, then run. If the celebrity is supporting the topic with some sort of sob story, put it down and go elsewhere immediately. When Jenny McCarthy used the story of her son to show her dislike of vaccines, it should have been a red flag for everyone; suffice to say that the "vaccines cause autism" concept died a pretty horrible death. Celebrities should not be the major endorsement of the story; the facts should speak for themselves.

I would like to see a little more skepticism for a lot of news stories. I'm obviously not saying that you will be taken in by a story (it happens to me more often than I'd care to admit), but do try to be careful. It sucks to base your reputation on a story that sounds too good to be true, especially they usually are.