Hasta La Gadget!

Let’s face it, parenting is hard in the best of circumstances… and really, really tough in the worst.

The lives of countless families – particularly those whose kids don’t follow the path the other 85 percent seem to do with ease – run counter to the social and mass media images of fabulous family-dom. So what better way to support other parents than to be kind, nonjudgmental and empathic and, by word and deed, teach our children to do the same?

Sadly, it doesn’t always happen that way. Consider these true-to-life tales:

One mom of an 11-year-old boy has had other parents tell her (to her face, I’m sad to report): “Your kid is a nightmare.” And “Your kid is ruining the class.” Stunned by such comments, they often go unaddressed, although certainly not un-felt.

Another mother, now in her 50s, recalls in vivid detail when her 2-year-old, already exhibiting signs of the physical and emotional syndromes to come, was screaming in tantrum – once again and in public. A woman came up to her and said, “You must have done something really terrible to your daughter for her to be acting this way.” Mortified and filled with shame, the mom never forgot the incident.

Smartly, though, each of these women built a tribe of trusted peers and professionals with whom she could share her parenting challenges – and bear witness to those of others.

They faced early on what virtually every one of us eventually comes to know: No parent gets through life without their children having some sort of problem – whether major or minor.

In all my years of being an educational therapist, parenting my own children and helping others do the same through coaching, I have yet to meet a single parent who didn’t struggle with parenting decisions and profoundly benefit from the understanding of another mom or dad.

Given this indisputable fact, the expectation is that parents would really be there for one another. What tends to happen some times, is that parents of “normative” kids fear their children’s lives and educations will be impacted in a negative way by children deemed troubled or different. Problems arise when the former reflexively react to advantage their kid over the “other.”

The competition that ensues from such a worldview perpetuates a dog-eat-dog family culture, when what we need is one where compassion, cooperation and collaboration produce the best hope for our collective future.

I’ll give you that the world can seem big and scary for parents today. And there’s plenty of societal pressure to compel you to leverage every advantage for your offspring.

But when the parental MO is to hunker down in family insularity and isolation and, in some cases, compete with other families, every family loses.

After all, they really aren’t “my” kids and “your” kids. All kids matter. In the blink of an eye, they’ll be running the world. Unless we teach them, they will not learn to factor kindness, empathy and mindfulness about the diversity of human experience into their adult decisions.

Teaching it doesn’t take all that much, by the way. Mindful words and thoughtful actions – modeled in front of our kids – can truly make the world a better place. Even Sesame Street climbed on the “let’s be kind and tolerant of otherness” bandwagon in a big way when it introduced Julia, a girl with autism, into the family of characters loved by generations. (And if it’s good enough for Sesame Street…)

That’s why I’m putting out the call to every parent to let kindness and tolerance be your touchstones from here on out. Here are my 8 suggestions. If you have additional suggestions for how we can “share the love” with other parents, please email me directly or share them with my followers on Facebook and Twitter.

· Practice empathy. Don’t judge or assume the worst about the parents when a child is having a tantrum or acting in a manner you think is inappropriate. Reframe “what” you see by considering “why” the child may be acting that way.

· Model acceptance for your children. If a classmate or playmate is having a meltdown, saying, “Johnny really seems to be having a tough day” versus “Johnny is bad,” lets your child know that every kid gets overwhelmed sometimes. When inappropriate behavior requires intervention, by all means step in, but be sure to model empathy. Avoid equating a child’s actions with their character. Saying, “You seem upset Susie, but in our house we don’t hit one another” lets her know her behavior isn’t acceptable, but it doesn’t make her any less valuable or lovable.

· Err on the side of inclusion rather than homogeneity. Especially during the early years when you have more control over friends and play dates, consider how you can enhance your child’s intersection with kids from a range of economic, racial, religious and ethnic groups. Inclusion also refers to sharing information about team sign-ups, class registration, scholarships or special programs with all the parents in your kid’s class, rather than only with your inner circle.

· Remember your early parenting days. If you’re an experienced parent, be especially kind and thoughtful toward moms and dads struggling with unruly young children on buses or airplanes, in stores or at school. Even if there’s nothing you can do to help, you can share a smile that says, “I understand. I’ve been there, too. Everything will be okay.”

· Avoid appearing competitive – especially on social media. Of course, you’re proud of your child’s straight As or sports achievements; you deserve to be! Trumpet the good news, but with sensitivity – especially online. Some of your friends-followers may have kids who struggle in those endeavors. Plus, remember that social media’s omnipresence requires us as parents to be particularly sensitive to our children’s exposure. On the other hand, always be upbeat and congratulatory about another child’s good fortune.

· Maintain perspective – and gratitude. Today your kids may be healthy and happy, but we never know what is around the corner. I’m not saying I keep the other shoe in ready-to-drop position, but I sure do respect its presence.

· Make sure your kids see you treat everyone you meet with dignity. It may sound obvious, but our kids need to see us model respect for everyone, regardless of appearance or circumstance.

· Be honest with other moms and dads about your struggles. It’s incredibly helpful to talk about the challenges our kids are facing and the resulting trials as parents. It helps all of us see behind the curtain – and feel more seen ourselves.

If you are really struggling and just can’t get the support you need from friends, there are professional and peer resources you can turn to.

Join a parent support group, some of which are geared to parents of children with specific disabilities. Read about “the unplanned journey” of having a child with special needs. Work with a parenting coach. See a developmental specialist or child therapist. In my book, seeking the help we need is a sign of superior parenting.

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The field of quantum cryptography, which seeks to transmit encrypted information using entangled quantum particles like photons, could help lay the groundwork for tomorrow’s quantum networks but it faces a significant physical hurdle: entangled photo…

iBall has come out with another 4G LTE-enabled Android 6.0 tablet namely the Slide Elan 4G2. Coming in Golden color, this mid-range tablet has a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 IPS capacitive multi-touch display, a 1.3GHz Cortex A53 quad-core processor, a Mali-T720 GPU, a 2GB RAM and a 16GB of expandable internal storage (up to 32GB).

What’s more, the tablet also packs a 2MP front-facing camera, a 5MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, Voice Calling function (earphone or speaker phone), an FM radio with recording, a 3.5mm audio jack and a 7000mAh battery.

Running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, the Slide Elan 4G2 provides 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/AGPS and USB OTG for connectivity. The iBall Slide Elan 4G2 is priced at Rs. 13,999 (about $219). [FoneArena]

The post iBall Slide Elan 4G2 – 4G LTE-Enabled Android 6.0 Tablet appeared first on TechFresh, Consumer Electronics Guide.

While mobile carriers in the US still pretty much have a vice grip on the mobile market, the rest of the world seems to be changing. The European Union’s mandate to abolish roaming charges within its member countries has just taken effect and now Canada is going to prevent carriers from locking users into their services. Starting 1st Decembers, users … Continue reading

WASHINGTON ― To the list of things former President Barack Obama did that President Donald Trump is undoing, go ahead and add Cuba.

Two and a half years ago, Obama, with great fanfare, announced an easing of the decades-long travel and trade restrictions on the island nation’s authoritarian regime, arguing that the policies had not worked and were only punishing ordinary Cubans.

At a speech Friday afternoon in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, Trump is expected to reverse at least some of Obama’s changes, despite public opinion nationally and even among Cuban-Americans that shows support for more ties with Cuba, not fewer.

“I’ve never seen a coalition this broad and it have no influence,” said Marguerite Rose Jiménez, who helped craft the Obama policy at his Department of Commerce and is now with the Washington Office on Latin America advocacy group. “This is not a move that’s supported by a majority of the Cuban-American community.”

But it is supported by the veterans of the failed 1961 CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow Fidel Castro. The group endorsed Trump last fall, becoming one of the few Latino organizations to support the Republican nominee.

“The president was honored and humbled,” said a senior administration official who, along with two other officials, explained the coming policy Thursday on the condition that their names would not be used. The official said that Trump promised the group he would restore tougher restrictions and that his actions fulfill that promise.

Specifically, the changes to be announced Friday would eliminate a provision that Americans have used to visit Cuba on their own. They would also make it illegal for Americans to do business with entities controlled by the Cuban military or intelligence services. This would prohibit individuals from staying at state-owned hotels and would ban U.S. businesses from trading with state-controlled enterprises.

“That would be our guiding principle,” said a second administration official, who added that the policy would be lifted if Cuban President Raúl Castro institutes reforms including free elections and the release of political prisoners.

Trump’s new policy will not prevent U.S. travelers from bringing back Cuban rum and cigars or stop airlines and cruise ships from offering routine service. It would also not restore the immigration advantage Cuban refugees have had for decades if they managed to reach dry land in the United States ― the “wet foot, dry foot” policy.

Nor will Trump’s policy restrict visits by Cuban-Americans to their relatives or reverse the reopening of formal diplomatic ties, the second official said. “You can’t put the genie back in the bottle 100 percent,” the official said.

The crackdown on travel will end what had become an easy way for Americans to visit Cuba: Declare an individual “people-to-people” educational exchange. A third administration official said group trips will still be permitted for cultural visits and charitable efforts but that the crackdown would make sure visitors are actually fostering closer ties with the Cuban people “and not just drinking daiquiris on the beach.”

Supporters of Obama’s changes, while grateful Trump does not plan to reverse everything Obama did, nevertheless criticized the policy as a step in the wrong direction. Jiménez said that the way the Cuban economy is structured, with so many enterprises tied to the military, blocking trade with entities connected to the Cuban military would basically block trade, period.

“That’s a backdoor way of effectively stifling all commerce,” she said.

Toward the end of his campaign last year, Trump promised to help the people of Cuba stand up to their government and to make a “good deal” with Castro to replace the bad one he said Obama had made.

We’re on the wrong side of history when it comes to this.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.)

Little Havana is home to much of the one constituency that continues to favor a hard line toward Cuba: the older generation of refugees who left in the 1960s and ’70s following Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution overthrowing the U.S.-backed dictator.

That generation’s children and grandchildren are much more inclined to support Obama’s moves to increase tourism and trade opportunities with the island as a way of building a society that will bring democratic and human rights reforms.

A national poll of Cuban-Americans at the time Obama’s policies were announced in December 2014 showed 47 percent to 39 percent support for easing sanctions. Four months later, support had grown to 56 percent to 35 percent.

One prominent Cuban dissident, though, argued that, while he had initially supported Obama’s new policy, he has concluded that it is not working.

“Reality has proved otherwise,” wrote José Daniel Ferrer García, general coordinator of the Cuban Patriotic Union, in an open letter to Trump. “Castro’s tyranny has been benefiting from the good will of the US government without giving up a bit in their repressive attitude.”

Arrayed against Ferrer and Little Havana’s community of hard-line emigres are a host of human rights and pro-engagement groups. The U.S. business community has also long supported ending the sanctions because of the opportunities presented by a new commercial market so close to Miami.

“All the business entities have made their views known to the administration,” said Pedro Freyre, a Miami lawyer who has worked with a number of clients with interests in Cuba, including a handful of cruise lines.

Polling also shows overwhelming support in the general public for easing the restrictions. In a recent Morning Consult poll conducted for Engage Cuba, 65 percent of voters nationally support the Obama policy, while only 18 percent oppose it.

Engage Cuba’s Madeleine Russak acknowledged an enthusiasm gap in those numbers, however. Those who support the more relaxed rules don’t feel that strongly about it, while the pro-embargo side is passionate, she said.

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), who like many Republicans from rural states supports lifting restrictions that make it harder to export agricultural products to Cuba, said Trump has not been well-served by listening to a small group of pro-embargo lawmakers.

“We’re on the wrong side of history when it comes to this,” Emmer said.

Trump, like many Republicans, promised his supporters to undo much of what Obama was able to accomplish over two terms. Trump is pushing legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Obama’s signature achievement. He is working to scrap Obama’s Clean Power Plan to restrict carbon emissions, trying to undo workplace rules, repeal banking regulations and is withdrawing the United States from a near-unanimous international agreement to combat climate change.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.