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Archive for August, 2009

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August 31, 2009

But Mummy – where does the Tooth Fairy come from?

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In J. M. Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird, in a chapter about Peter Pan, a story about the origin of fairies appears. Barrie who also created the Tinkerbell character, wrote, “…when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.”

Fairies, also known as fays, feys, faerys, faeries and collectively as fae, wee folk and good folk are tiny, humanoid, supernatural creatures. Often winged and mischievous, in many cultures fairies are also known to possess magical powers. Sometimes the term ‘fairy’ is used to describe any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature. Their origins are unclear with some sources describing them as some form of angel, others as a species completely independent of humans or angels while others still believe they represent the spirit of the dead.

Among all the myths and legends that surround fairies, it is difficult to pinpoint when and where the Tooth Fairy legend began. In early Europe, a child’s lost baby tooth was usually buried and some believe that the Tooth Fairy evolved from the tooth mouse depicted in “La Bonne Petite Souris” (The Good Little Mouse), an 18th century French language fairy tale. In the tale a mouse changes into a fairy to help a good queen defeat an evil king by hiding under his pillow to torture him and knocking out all his teeth. This combination of ancient intercontinental traditions has evolved into one that in one form or another is present almost worldwide.

For example, in Spanish-speaking countries, the Tooth Fairy is in fact a character called Ratoncito Pérez, a little mouse created around 1894 by the priest Luis Coloma. Coloma was asked to write a tale for eight-year old royal Alfonso XIII, as one of his teeth had fallen out and Ratón Pérez appeared in the tale of the Vain Little Mouse. In Italy also the Tooth Fairy (Fatina) is often substituted by a small mouse and in France this character is called La Petite Souris (the little mouse).

In certain parts of Scotland however there is the tradition of the Fairy Mouse: a white fairy rat which purchases the teeth with coins. In some Asian countries, such as India, Korea and Vietnam, when a child loses a tooth the usual custom is that he or she should throw it onto the roof if it came from the lower jaw, or into the space beneath the floor if it came from the upper jaw. While doing this, the child shouts a request for the tooth to be replaced with the tooth of a mouse. This tradition is based on the true fact that the teeth of mice go on growing for their whole life, a characteristic of all rodents. In Japan, a lost upper tooth is thrown to the ground and lower teeth straight up into the air; the idea is that incoming teeth will grow straight.

Regardless of their origins, children the world over have a fascination with the Tooth Fairy and with all types of fairies. From the Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairies book first published in 1923, to today’s Disney Fairies of Pixie Hollow, fairies have a timeless and universal appeal. Many sites are dedicated to bringing you fairy tales and activities and at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best fairy colouring book

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But Mummy – where does the Tooth Fairy come from?

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

In J. M. Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird, in a chapter about Peter Pan, a story about the origin of fairies appears. Barrie who also created the Tinkerbell character, wrote, “…when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.”

Fairies, also known as fays, feys, faerys, faeries and collectively as fae, wee folk and good folk are tiny, humanoid, supernatural creatures. Sometimes winged and often mischievous, in many cultures fairies are also known to possess magical powers. Sometimes the term fairy describes any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other times, the term only describes a specific type of more ethereal creature. Their origins are unclear with some sources describing them as some form of angel, others as a species completely independent of humans or angels while others still believe they represent the spirit of the dead.

Among all the folklore that surrounds fairies, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when and where the Tooth Fairy legend began. In early Europe, a child’s lost baby tooth was usually buried and some believe that the Tooth Fairy evolved from the tooth mouse depicted in “La Bonne Petite Souris” (The Good Little Mouse), an 18th century French language fairy tale. In the story a mouse magically becomes a fairy to help a good queen defeat an evil king by hiding under his pillow to torture him and knocking out all his teeth. This combination of ancient intercontinental traditions has evolved into one that in one form or another is present almost worldwide.

For example, in Spanish-speaking countries, the Tooth Fairy is in fact a character called Ratoncito Pérez, a little mouse created around 1894 by the priest Luis Coloma. Coloma was asked to write a tale for eight-year old royal Alfonso XIII, as one of his teeth had fallen out and Ratón Pérez appeared in the tale of the Vain Little Mouse. In Italy also the Tooth Fairy (Fatina) is often substituted by a small mouse and in France this character is called La Petite Souris (the little mouse).

From certain parts of Scotland comes thetradition of the Fairy Mouse: a white fairy rat which purchases the teeth with coins. In certain Asian countries, such as India, Korea and Vietnam, when a child loses a tooth the usual custom is that he or she should throw it onto the roof if it came from the lower jaw, or into the space beneath the floor if it came from the upper jaw. While doing this, the child shouts a request for the tooth to be replaced with the tooth of a mouse. This tradition is based on the true fact that the teeth of mice go on growing for their whole life, a characteristic of all rodents. In Japan, a lost upper tooth is thrown straight down to the ground and lower teeth straight up into the air; the idea is that incoming teeth will grow straight.

Regardless of their origins, children all over the world have a fascination with the Tooth Fairy and with all types of fairies. From the Cicely Mary Barker Flower Fairies book first published in 1923, to today’s Disney Fairies of Pixie Hollow, fairies have a timeless and universal appeal. Many sites are dedicated to bringing you fairy tales and activities and at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best fairy coloring images

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August 30, 2009

An Academic Study about Alcoholism Statistics, Alcoholics Info, and Alcoholism Symptoms By a School Teacher

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Mr. Blake was one of the health teachers at a medium size country high school in the Eastern part of the U.S. For “Alcohol Attentiveness Month” he decided that he would consider focusing on the following three topics for a class assignment: alcoholism symptoms alcoholics info and alcoholism statistics.

After Mr. Blake finished the topics that would be given to his pupils, he decided that he would give them their assignment the following Tuesday morning.

When “assignment day” finally arrived, Mr. Blake met with the members of his class, disseminated some applicable statistics and facts, and then told the students in his class about the topics he picked.

Why It Is Vital to Become Skilled at Figuring Out How to Relate Alcoholism Statistics, Alcoholism Symptoms, and Alcoholics Info with Day-To-Day Situations of Alcoholics

He then gave the members of his class an outline of some noteworthy alcoholism statistics and alcohol addiction signs and symptoms and highlighted how necessary it is to figure out how to relate these statistics, symptoms, and facts with the real-life experiences of alcoholics. He then gave the students in his class a short and to the point description about the relevance of learning more about alcohol dependent people and how they function on an everyday basis.

Mr. Blake notified his students that they could isolate on one of the three topics or talk about all three topics and how they are interrelated. In effect this would be similar to a general summary but done in a more thorough manner.

Another selection that he presented to his class was the following: select a topic such as alcohol dependency symptoms and signs, investigate things in a more thorough way, and then go over two or three symptoms and signs. Mr. Blake then pointed out the fact that the same principals apply to the other two topics, namely, alcoholics info and alcoholism statistics.

The end result of their examination would be a eight thousand word term paper and then a twenty minute oral presentation that would be given in front of all the members of the class.

Presenting The Outcome of A Research Study at the County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Conference

As a reward for their extraordinary intellectual achievement, the pupils with the top two overall grades on the research project and on the oral presentation will be invited to present the end product their study at the regional alcohol abuse and alcoholism symposium during the last eight days of May.

After the pupils got hold of the facts about their assignment, several of them raised their hands and asked for a demonstration of a sub-topic that they could center on for their research investigation.

In response, Mr. Blake made a decision that he would briefly go over four or five alcohol dependency signs and symptoms that the pupils could elaborate on.

As an example, Mr. Blake noted the following alcohol dependency signs and symptoms: loss of control, an obsession with drinking, boasting and a “big shot” complex, and cloudy thinking.

Discussing How Alcoholism Symptoms, Alcoholism Statistics, and Alcoholics Info Are Disclosed in the Life of an Alcohol Addicted Individual

After going over these alcoholism symptoms and signs, Mr. Blake then informed the students in the classroom that they could do some additional study on each symptom, gather some germane information, give a number of illustrations of each sign or symptom, and state how each symptom or sign is exhibited in the life of an alcoholic.

As affirmed by Mr. Blake, because there are quite a few alcohol addiction symptoms and signs to select, he remarked that he was not very alarmed about several students choosing the same symptoms and signs for their class assignment.

Certainly, even if several students were to select virtually the same signs and symptoms, the examples that are associated with each symptom or sign would clearly add enough assortment to avoid different pupils presenting identical content.

Mr. Blake then pointed out the fact that while there are more than a few alcohol dependency symptoms and signs that could be chosen, the total number of alcohol dependency statistics and facts that could be listed were almost without limit. When the topic of alcoholics info was added to the conversation, moreover, the students in the classroom apprehended pretty promptly that the three topics would supply an extensive amount of material from which to select.

Why Mr. Blake Selected Alcoholism Statistics, Alcoholics Info, and Alcoholism Symptoms as the Topics For This Undertaking

Why did Mr. Blake opt for alcoholism symptoms, alcoholism statistics, and alcoholics info as the topics for this research project? Mr. Blake’s wish was that by requiring all of his students to research one or more of the three alcoholism topics, all the students would have a greater appreciation of a complex yet key topic such as alcohol addiction.

Mr. Blake also thought that by augmenting the awareness of his students about the devastating consequences of alcohol dependency and the dreary daily routines suffered by alcoholics, his students might think twice before they involve themselves in excessive and abusive drinking behavior.

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August 29, 2009

A Health Teacher in the Most Underfinanced Private High School in the State Instructs Her Students About the Significance of Alcohol Dependency Signs

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Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most underfinanced private high school in the state. Although she had been teaching for only two years, she had already acquired a reputation as an instructor with instructional techniques that motivated and inspired students to think and to learn.

For example, one Tuesday morning she addressed her students and articulated the following: “For the next three or four days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wide-ranging standpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most typical signs of alcoholism from a more specific point of view.

Not all of these alcoholism signs will without doubt substantiate that an individual with a drinking problem is an individual who is addicted to alcohol, but the more signs that a drinker exhibits, the greater the possibility that he or she is a person who is alcohol dependent.”

Miss Benning then told the students in the class that each student would be held responsible for examining two alcohol dependence signs and then presenting his or her conclusions to the rest of the class via a thirty minute oral presentation.

The Students are Wound Up About Giving A Thorough Presentation to Their Fellow Students About The Signs of Alcohol Addiction

After learning about the different signs of alcohol addiction for several days, the time had finally come for the individual presentations. It was instantly evident that the students in her class were wound up about the subject matter because the material that they presented was superb. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the eagerness manifested by the students in her classroom regarding this subject was an understatement.

The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcoholism signs that were discussed and presented in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked the students in her class to study the list and rank the top six alcohol addiction signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After around ten minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and informed the students in her class that after she tallies the results, she will reveal her findings the next school day.

There was some real excitement by the students while they were leaving Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her students couldn’t wait for the next day to come so that they could find out the results of their in-class research.

The Students Match Their Numbers Against the Evaluations From A Team of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Specialists

When the next school day arrived, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper that listed the top five alcohol dependency signs as per the students’ rankings. Next to these results, she included another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then explained to her students that the numbers in the extra column she added were the findings that were stated by a group of alcoholism specialists.

Miss Benning asked her pupils to go over the information on the sheet of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any questions, concerns, or issues. Within 30 or 40 seconds, just about everyone in the classroom raised his or her hand. It was obvious that the pupils had some issues, concerns, or questions about their results versus the answers given by the authorities. For instance, just about every person in the classroom had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the authorities, to be precise, “Do you feel really sick when you stop drinking?”

The Essential Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcohol Addiction and Not With Alcohol Abuse

Miss Benning then explained to the students in her classroom why this answer was the most correct indicator of alcohol addiction. She pointed out that the principal difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcoholism and not with alcohol abuse.

Primarily this means that when a person who is addicted to alcohol suddenly stops drinking, he or she will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then told the students in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the lack of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated more explicitly, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the body and from the brain telling an alcohol addicted individual that something is exceedingly wrong and needs to be fixed. These messages consist of several dangerous, painful, and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a fatality if the appropriate therapy is not promptly undertaken.

Miss Benning then went over the multitude of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when an alcohol dependent individual abruptly quits drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to underline was this: a person who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To state this as overtly as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the point that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol dependent people, are not alcohol dependent and as a result, when they quit drinking, they almost never suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Feel They Have Discovered A Deviation With the Findings From The Board of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Experts

The pupils also had a problem with the second ranked answer given by the alcoholism experts, to be precise, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?”

Miss Benning told the students in her classroom that this sign does not necessarily indicate that the problem is alcohol addiction, but that it does point to the need that individuals who are addicted to alcohol have to drink in order to avert alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the relevance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the individual who is alcohol dependent, the pupils started to comprehend the main difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.

To add a sense of closure to the topic, Miss Benning asked the pupils in her class to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is an alcoholic knew about every one of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol addiction signs we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would ask for alcohol dependency rehabilitation?”

After about one or two minutes, Miss Benning asked for the students’ responses. While many pupils reasoned that about 70 to 80 percent of alcohol addicted people would ask for alcohol rehabilitation if they knew about the facts related to alcohol addiction signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, most of the students thought that this number would not be less than 60 percent.

The Pupils Were Amazed to Find Out That Only 25% of People Who are Alcohol Dependent in the United States Obtain Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation

To the amazement of most of the students, Miss Benning acknowledged that according to various scientific investigations, only 25% of the people who are addicted to alcohol in the United States get alcohol dependency rehabilitation. This astonished most of the students because they believed that exposure to the awful facts and statistics associated with alcohol addiction would motivate most of the alcohol addicted individuals to ask for alcohol addiction rehab.

Miss Benning then stated that individuals who are addicted to alcohol not only need alcohol everyday in order to function but they also require alcohol on an everyday basis so they can avoid possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Evidently, the alcohol dependent person’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than logic or facts. Without a doubt, since the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the person who is addicted to alcohol, this is very hard to reverse.

A few minutes later the bell rang, signifying the end of the class. Based on the enthusiasm manifested by the pupils when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning knew that she had stimulated and motivated the pupils in her classroom to stop and think about a vital health and social problem that exists in our society.