Archives for August 2015

After a three day dash back to Minnesota from Maine, I arrived at Anoka Ramsey to start my last academic semester at Bemidji State University. The PEDL team has built the program back up to 250+  and a dozen professors.  When we all come together at the Face to Face three times a year it  feels like the most energizing of conferences with 250 of your friends!

I saw two cakes on the table and I  thought it must be someone’s birthday-until I read the messages. One said, “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History”. Bemidji DID make history with the first teacher licensure program in the nation.  We have trained over 5000 people to stand in front of a classroom in a very different way.  When Pat Rogers (now provost of Winona State U) first called me and suggested we go online- I gave her the two fingers crossed hex sign. “I could never train teachers online”, I protested! How wrong I was.  I know my students twice as well “in the air” as I ever did “on the ground”.  I am really so very proud of what BSU has built with our PEDL program.                        http://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/departments/professional-education/dlite/

 

VIPs said kind words. I was touched. Department Chair, Tim Goodwin, reported he was flattered that I had called and urged him to serve as department chair.  We needed him and he has been wonderful.  Dean Troy Gilbertson mentioned our long history together when he was the union president. He gave me a ceramic flower vase he had created. Cops make art! How great is that!? The Prof Ed department presented me with a lovely BSU jacket.  My mentor, former dean and now Provost/Vice President, Martin Tadlock named, OUTLOUD, the personal and professional cost of building an online teacher licensure programback in 2002.  His perfect gift to me- a VOODOO doll!   I could have definitely used that a decade ago!! ;/00000.

 

 

 

Mirlande Erickson, PEDL program manager,  brought us YUMMY cakes.  The message on the second cake was “There Are All Kinds of Ways to Live a Life”.  I have had a challenging life and I say this phrase often to myself and to others.  It is the foundation of all the courses I teach and how I try to live.  Your truth is A truth, not THE truth.

Sally Gibson and Diane Aldis celebrated with me at Erte and Loring Pasta with Orangtinis! Lisa Krall gave me a wonderful reflection party game!! Mim, a BSU colleague,  was there with her daughter. We are into 2nd and 3rd generations! We made a difference!

NAte Brager confirms it:
 I’d like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank you, not just for the things you’ve taught me in class but for the work you’ve done in creating this entire program.  For those of us who are non-traditional students, the opportunity for advancement can be elusive.  Politicians and others often tell us to better ourselves, but few people have been able to offer real opportunities to do that.  You are the exception.  Read more: Nate confirms it.

 

PEDL Coordinator, Kris Nei, responsible for building the program back to its full potential and I suspect organizing my lovely tribute,  played Perry’s Oh Pioneer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08oDQMr08TA and gave me the most soulful gift of all.  She asked the audience to raise their hands if they could NOT have pursued a teaching license if not for the PEDL program.  I saw a room full of two hundred people raise their hands. It made me cry. I am confident my baby will grow in wonderful innovative ways I cannot yet imagine.  Join our FaceBook and enjoy the ride! https://www.facebook.com/bsupedlprogram

 

 

 

What is my next chapter?  I have art works being shown at a Smithsonian affiliate and Chicago (Take To The Air http://bridgescreate.com/artwork/take-to-the-air/), an International collaborative project in Guatamala, San Salvador, New York (Nosotros http://bridgescreate.com/nosotros-us ) and maybe Minneapolis, a Minneapolis Institute of Art/MCAD Guerrilla Girls Exhibition (Three Waves) and one of my proudest summer achievements installed in Sandy Point, Maine (LOVE http://bridgescreate.com/artwork/love/).

Join me for workshops at my Minneapolis studio and in Maine in 2016 (http://bridgescreate.com/education/workshops/).

Friend me on FaceBook!  https://www.facebook.com/barbara.bridgesrogers

 

 

 

 

The Power of Collaborative Creating: Social Practice Art

 Many is More 2015 IN PROGRESS.
Andrews BRONZE FIGURES IN PROCESS
12” H X 24” W X 10 “ D
Mixed Media – Found objects contributed by 12 collaborators.

Barbara Rogers Bridges –assemblage artist
Barbara Bridges seeks to empower all people to embrace the creative process. She makes art from artist fabricated components in a variety of media and  rescued power objects. She organizes the objects to create meaning and provoke discussions and reflection on a wide variety of social topics.

Many is More represents an organic brain filled with the thoughts and experiences of a dozen collaborators. 

Keith L. Andrews, bronze sculptor
Nos-otros is an exploration of the processes and consequences of people as they collaborate creatively. While explicit collaboration among equals is the norm in most human activities, it is relatively uncommon in the visual arts. In the name of authenticity and as an unquestioned norm, visual artists generally are expected to practice solo creation.

This project experiments with the alternative by allowing one artist (Keith L. Andrews) to work with a diversity of men and women, young and old, from five nations, using different media, starting from a diversity of visions and working processes. The constellation of themes includes aging, dialogue, social realities, interpersonal conflict, gender, trust, love, loss, and humor.

* Art and artists play many roles in contemporary society   Some artistic practices support just socio-political practices and processes   At other times, artists ignore or even encourage injustices
* We are members of a demographic cohort that has tried for a half century to be involved in positive social change
* We are also beneficiaries of a society that has given us a certain amount of financial freedom and security   And we intend to use that freedom, not to indulge ourselves but to facilitate our commitment to social change through artistic practice

• We will stimulate and be involved in positive social action
• We will provide constructive criticism
• We will denounce and oppose, when needed
• We will maintain our commitment to bettering the world
• We will use our time energy and experience for our constant improvement
• We will work collaboratively with others
• We are willing to teach and mentor but we will never stop learning from others, including those younger than us

We will always look to the future, focus on the present, reflect on the past

Deconstruction of Collaborator Objects

Reflections from Barbara                                                                              Collaborator Statements

Rock from Sandy Point Beach Lynda’s next promotion will be the Chancellor of 37 universities    I have worked as a professor for her in one way or another for 18 years   She supported my development of the first hybrid/online teacher licensure program in the United States    She shared the vision   We made it happen    Her choice of this particular rock from our beach was interesting to me   Most of our stones are smooth and round and black   She DID select something rare   As is she.	Lynda Milne  Associate Vice Chancellor –MnSCU MinnesotaFair Rare Sharp A little bit jagged
Laser Cut LizardI met Saul at an art retreat at the Haystack School in Deer Isle, Maine   After listening to him speak, I told him I felt I was in the presence of greatness    Never said it before- probably never will again   Thank you Haystack.	Saul Griffith –Ted-TALKER, inventor and genius of Other Lab https://otherlab  com/  CaliforniaThe digital and the analog are not in opposition   Digital tools will expand our library of opportunities
Anole In the early 1970’s I lived in St   Croix, USVI for 5 years   I had 27 house guests that first year   I had the sisters of my junior high boyfriends show up! The little  house anoles charmed my mom	Jeanne Rogers- Nurse, teacher -MaineA visit with our daughter in the Caribbean was filled with surprises, not the least of which was this little creature that skitted about unbidden in and around all areas in the rooms
Maine Sea Glass We met in nursery school, or I should say, when our daughters started nursery school   Bellies fat with our sons, we became lifelong friends and share a love for what the sea brings to our Penobscot Bay beaches	Brenda Mercer, teacher, nurse  Maine Sea glass makes me think of the ocean singing and how blessed you and I are to have known this beautiful bay
Pine ConeI received my first kiss at age 13 from Eddie Atkins in Pam’s kitchen in Bangor, Maine   I think Eddie kissed all the girls but it was still memorable for me, as evidenced by my remembrance of his name    PS   Pam is not just any old English teacher   She took Steve King’s job at Hampden Academy when he found a $100,000 advance check for Carrie in the mailbox in front of his trailer!	Pam Johnson English Teacher –Maine Pine cone-deep Maine rootsreaching to evergreen heights  Constant yet adapting-   like us
Traveling Twig Stick from the Traveling Twig assignment    How many miles can this stick travel in one week? Michael presented this lesson at Haystack.  His Sandbag and Cup Exchange Projects exemplify the power of social practice art	Michael Strand, Social Practice Artist, Chair South Dakota State art department  http://www  michaeljstrand  com I am always encouraged by the potential of many minds coming together
World Traveling Brush from the Gwozdziec Reconstruction project in PolandMeeting Laura and Rick Brown was a transformational experience for me   These two professors share my passion for the power of community building through actual BUILDING!  Rather than chase after the “Never Before Seen” as many solo voice artists do, they are reconstructing the “Forever Lost” and doing it employing the materials and techniques of the original creators   The 1776 submarine and human powered catapult were my favorites. http://www.handshouse.org/	Rick and Laura Brown, PBS documentary, Artists and Teachers, historical Re!constructionists Massachusetts College of Art http://www  handshouse  org/“Hundreds of student workers have created Handhouse Studios and the historically authentic objects which have come to life there    Motto:  “Learn by Building”

Barbara’s  Reflections WOADMeeting Krista and Matt, former students and current worldwide experts in this new field of teaching and learning which Laura and Rick Brown have invented was another Haystack moment for meAs we used glass grinders to grind, and grind, and grind the WOAD, my little distractible heart was screaming for diversion   When I asked Matt how he kept people at the grinding table he shared many stories and insights which the somewhat meditative process produced as a byproduct of the activity   To clarify: The dialogue built community and as indicated by the statement from Matt and Krista… a new menu for WOADISMS		Collaborator Statements Krista Lima, Matt Jeffs, Artists and Teachers, historical Re!constructionists  MassachusettsWOAD is one of the most important and difficult pigments used for the painting   It required a great deal of effort to grind before mixing into liquid paint “We are  WOAD Warriors”“WOAD is me  ” “The WOAD less traveled”    This project changed me in ways I do not even recognize yet   Jeffs   Watch “Everthing is Illuminated” starring Elijiah Wood   Then you will understand what we experienced   Lima
Antler These two new Sandy Point neighbors have already shown themselves to be “keepas” , as we say in Maine.Smart with Heart.	Greg Biddinger,  ecologist –   Lise Leigh health scientist  TexasThe antler is from a wild deer imported to Texas to be ranched and hunted. A number of the deer caught wind of the ranching/hunting plan, jumped a few fences, found life to be quite good outside of the fences and established themselves most comfortably in Texas Hill Country.  Ah, the open range….true Texans.Collected on Valentines weekend. Antlers are symbolic of the horns of a dilemma, to stay in Maine fulltime or keep migrating back and forth to Texas?
Coquina Coquina is the stone that saved Spanish Florida. And in many ways, Gail helped me save myself. How apt.	Gail Gannon Social studies teacher, school counselor The Spanish in Florida built the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine out of this light and porous rock. The thick walls absorbed English cannon balls rather than shattering, providing a surprisingly long-lived fortress. Perhaps we could all take a lesson from coquina. If we can absorb the cannon balls of life in order to remain standing, that is much better than being a hard stone wall, easily shattered.

Haystack is a world renowned  arts retreat located on Deer Isle, Maine. Bemidji State University enabled me to attend a creativity conference which featured several original thinkers and at least one TedTalking genius.  The following people changed my world and contributed to the collaborative art work Nos-Otros  which will be headed for Guatemala next week.

  Handshouse My first connection was with Laura and Rick Brown who are professors at the Massachusetts College of Art and recreate historical buildings and artifacts using traditional materials, techniques and

tools. http://www.handshouse.org/ Meeting Laura and Rick Brown was a transformational experience for me   These two professors share my passion for the power of community building through actual BUILDING!  Rather than chase after the “Never Before Seen” as many solo voice artists do, they are reconstructing the “Forever Lost”and doing it employing the materials and techniques of the original creators. The 1776 submarine and human powered catapult were my favorite.

 

 

Their assistants, Matt and Krista, taught me to grind WOAD and gave me hope for the future!

 They are now worldwide experts in this new field of teaching and learning which Laura and Rick Brown have invented.  As we used glass grinders to grind, and grind, and grind the WOAD, my little distractible heart was screaming for diversion

When I asked Matt how he kept people at the grinding table he shared many stories and insights which the somewhat meditative grinding process produced as a byproduct of the WOAD grinding.   To clarify: The dialogue built community and as indicated by the statement from Matt and Krista… a new menu for WOADISMS. “We are  WOAD Warriors”  “WOAD is me  ”“The WOAD less traveled”

Artists as Intervenors: The Social Practice art form: My Artist Statement:Barbara Bridges seeks to empower all people to embrace the creative process. She makes art from artist fabricated components in a variety of media and rescued power objects. She organizes the objects to create meaning and provoke discussions and reflection on a wide variety of social topics including Ode to Gluten (agricultural practices), Onion/Academia Nuts, (Hi Tech/HiTouch in academia) Found In Our Water (water quality), and Talking Chairs (recovery/worldview truths). http://bridgescreate.com/

One of the Haystack presenters was  Cambridge educated philosophy professor, Tim Ingold, who holds a unique theory on art making. Dr. Ingold suggests that artists are simply “interveners” on the journey of the particular materials and/or objects the artist manipulates.  http://www.abdn.ac.uk/socsci/people/profiles/tim.ingold  If you read my artist statement above you can see that theory would have a certain appeal for me.

Sandbag Civil Disobedience in the Dakotas Michael Strand, Social Practice Artist, Chair South Dakota State art department  “I am always encouraged by the potential of many minds coming together”  How many miles can this stick travel in one week? Michael presented this lesson at Haystack.  His Sandbag and Cup Exchange Projects exemplify the power of social practice art  http://www  michaeljstrand  com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but certainly MOST! Saul Griffith, Ted-TALKER, inventor and genius of Other Lab https://otherlab  com/  in California. Other Lab shelters another dozen start up companies with 80+ people changing our world in small and large ways.    After listening to Saul speak, I told him I felt I was in the presence of greatness    Never said it before- probably never will again

“The digital and the analog are not in opposition   Digital tools will expand our library of opportunities” 

 

 

Sweet Sixteen, 1973-74. Paint on canvas,
Collection of Lolli Thurn

Outsider Art = mentally Ill?

Week One A Teacher’s Introduction to Mood Disorders.

Why does that kid act like that?????  

DESCRIPTIONS OF MENTAL   ILLNESSES

MOOD DISORDERS Mood disorders are persistent changes in mood caused by biochemical imbalances in the brain. Major depressive disorder  and bipolar disorder are two types of mood disorders. Major depressive disorder is depressed mood accompanied by symptoms such as: loss of interest or pleasure in life; irritability; sadness; difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much; decreased or increased appetite; lack of concentration; sense of worthlessness; guilt; and in some cases, thoughts of suicide. Bipolar disorder is a cycle of depressed mood, “normal” mood and mania. Mania is an elevated, exaggerated mood accompanied by symptoms such as: inflated self-esteem or confidence; a decreased need for sleep; increased energy; increased sexual drive; poor judgment; increased spending; agitation; non-stop talk; and increased involvement in pleasurable and possibly  dangerous activities.

PSYCHOSIS
Psychosis is the active state of experiencing hallucinations or delusions and can be organic (mental illness) or drug induced. Schizophrenia is a disturbance involving delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and/or disorganized or catatonic behaviour. Delusions are false beliefs or misinterpretations of situations and experiences. Hallucinations can  be auditory, visual, olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste) or tactile (touch), but auditory hallucinations are most common. Schizophrenia is also associated witha deterioration of a person’s ability to function at work, school and/or socially.

ANXIETY   DISORDERS Anxiety disorders are associated with feelings of anxiousness, combined with physiological symptoms that interfere with everyday activities. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder are types of  anxiety disorders.Obsessive-compulsive disorder is marked by repeated obsessions and/or compulsions that are so severe they interfere with everyday activities. Obsessions are disturbing, intrusive thoughts, ideas, or images that cause marked anxiety or distress. Compulsions are repeated behaviours or mental acts intended to reduce anxiety. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the re-experiencing of a very traumatic event, accompanied by feelings of extreme anxiety, increased excitability and the desire to avoid stimuli associated with the trauma. The trauma could  be related to such incidents as military combat, sexual assault, physical attack, robbery, car accident or natural disaster.  Phobias are significant and persistent fears of objects or situations. Exposure to the object or situation causes extreme anxiety and interferes with everyday activities or social life. Specific phobias have to do with objects or situations — for example, germs or heights. Social phobias have to do with social situations or performance situations where embarrassment may occur — for example, public speaking or dating.

PERSONALITY   DISORDERS A personality disorder is a pattern of inner experience and behaviour that is significantly different from the individual’s  culture; is pervasive and inflexible; is stable over time; and leads to distress or impairment. Personality disorders usually  begin in adolescence or early adulthood. Dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as “multiple personality disorder,” is the presence of two or more distinct identities that alternately control a person’s behaviour. It reflects a failure to make connections between identity, memory and consciousness. Known by the general public as “split personality,” there is now a controversy as to whether or not it is a real diagnosis.

EATING DISORDERS  Eating disorders are a range of conditions involving an obsession with food, weight and appearance that negatively  affect a person’s health, relationships and daily life. Stressful life situations, poor coping skills, socio-cultural factors regarding weight and appearance, genetics, trauma, and family dynamics are thought to play a role in the development  of eating disorders. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by an intense and irrational fear of body fat and weight gain, the strong determination to become thinner and thinner, the refusal to maintain a normal weight (for height and age) and a  distorted body image. Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by self-defeating cycles of binge eating and purging. Bingeing is the consumption of large amounts of food in a rapid, automatic and helpless fashion and leads to physical discomfort and anxiety  about weight gain. Purging follows bingeing and can involve induced vomiting, restrictive dieting, excessive exercising or use of laxatives and diuretics.
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention Web site: EDAP

FACTORS THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE  TO THE DEVELOPMENT O f   MENTAL ILLNESS The following are factors that may contribute to the development of mental illness: · chemical imbalance · substance use · traumatic life events · heredity · other illnesses. Factors that may contribute to the development of mental illness: Discussion guide Although there is currently no agreement about the exact causes of mental illness, the following factors are recognized as playing a role in the development of various mental illnesses: Chemical imbalance There is growing evidence that mental illness may be partially caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Many people respond well to medications that address such an imbalance and many of the symptoms of their illness are reduced or eliminated. There is no clear causal relationship between substance use and the development of mental illness. People who have mental illness may use alcohol and other drugs to relieve some symptoms of their illness. However, substance use may actually worsen symptoms and delay proper diagnosis and treatment. There are also cases in which substance use has induced psychotic behaviour, both because of the chemical effect of the drug and because the drug unmasks a pre-existing  mental illness. Traumatic life events Similar to substance use, traumatic life events can, in some instances, make people more vulnerable to developing mental illness. Instead of recovering from a situational depression (e.g., grief following the death of a loved one), some people may go on to develop a more profound, clinical depression. Heredity We are learning more about the role heredity plays in the development of mental illness. Researchers have found that with certain diagnoses, the likelihood of a child developing a mental illness is greater if one or both parents have a mental illness. Examples of diseases thought to have a genetic component include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression.

FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH MENTALILLNESS It is important to know that having a mental illness does not mean that you can not live a productive life.   It is exactly like diabetes… the person needs to adjust the chemicals and live a very cognitive and considered lifestyle.    (Diagnosis or believed diagnosis of mood disorder, unless otherwise indicated)ACTORS/ENTERTAINERS/DIRECTORSMarlon Brando Drew Carey Jim Carrey Dick Clark John Cleese Rodney DangerfieldRichard Dreyfuss Patty Duke Frances Ford Coppola Audrey Hepburn Anthony HopkinsAshley Judd Margot Kidder Vivien LeighJoan Rivers Roseanne Winona Ryder Charles Schultz Rod Steiger Damon Wayans Robin Williams 129 ATHLETES Lionel Aldridge (schizophrenia) Oksana Baiul Dwight Gooden Peter Harnisch Greg LouganisElizabeth Manley Jimmy Piersall Monica Seles Darryl Strawberry Bert Yancey

AUTHORS/JOURNALISTS Hans Christian Andersen James Barrie William Blake Agatha Christie Michael CrichtonCharles Dickens Emily Dickinson William Faulkner F. Scott Fitzgerald John Kenneth Galbraith Ernest Hemingway John KeatsLarry King Eugene O’Neill Sylvia Plath Edgar Allen Poe Mary Shelley Neil Simon William Styron Leo Tolstoy Mark Twain Mike Wallace Walt Whitman Tennessee WilliamsVirginia Woolf   POLITICAL FIGURES/WORLD LEADERS Alexander the Great Napoleon Bonaparte Barbara BushWinston Churchill Diana, Princess of WalesTipper Gore Thomas Jefferson Ralph NaderFlorence Nightingale George Patton George Stephanopolous

COMPOSERS/MUSICIANS/SINGERSIrving Berlin Ludwig van Beethoven Karen Carpenter (anorexia) Ray Charles Frederic Chopin Eric Clapton Kurt Cobain Leonard Cohen Natalie Cole Sheryl Crow John Denver Stephen Foster Peter Gabriel Janet Jackson Billy Joel Elton John Sarah McLachlan Charles Mingus Alanis Morissette 132 Marie Osmond Charles Parker Cole Porter Bonnie Raitt Axl RoseRobert Schumann Paul Simon James TaylorPeter Tchaikovshy     ARTISTS Paul GauginVincent van Gogh Michelangelo Vaslov Nijinski (schizophrenia) Georgia O’KeefeJackson Pollock   BUSINESS LEADERSHoward Hughes Think Different

 

Clay’s Story

More Genius or Madness??

 

Authentic Vice:

My experience with addiction. Anonymous May 16, 2013 2:10 PM
Hello all, I am a guest of Dr. Bridges come to share my experience with addiction and mental illness. I grew up in what would be considered by most to be a typical american family. We had a stay at home mother, corporate executive father and 2 kids in our nuclear family. My sister and I wanted for very little, except perhaps a present father figure in our lives. My father was an intelligent man with a high powered job, but his primary interests were smoking, drinking, and pursuing his personal interests. I swore to myself that I would never pick up a drink or a drug. I grew to despise my self-absorbed father and was completely committed to never becoming like him. This lasted till the end of my high school career. I spent my entire childhood and adolescent feeling like an outsider looking in. Near the end of high school I found acceptance among a group of other social outcasts. I started drinking with them just before my eighteenth birthday. For the first time in my life I did not feel locked up within the prison of my mind. My thick shell of self-conscious analysis melted away and nothing seemed important. People and situations no longer had the same impact on me. The ever-present feelings of anxiety and disconnectedness disappeared. I made a total ass out of myself, and angered a number of my peers with my outrageous behavior. The consequences didn’t matter. I loved the feeling of absence and I prepared to give myself to oblivion. Using drugs and alcohol offered me a release. They offered me relief for the first time I could remember in my life. I can’t tell you whether I am predisposed genetically to addictive behavior. I don’t know whether a tumultuous home life and lack of a male role model was causal. People who know little of addiction may assert that my abuse of chemicals was a failing of morality or a deficiency of character. I can tell you, based on the hundreds of people from all walks of life that I’ve met struggling with addiction, that the answer is not as simple as a single sentence. The relationship between mental illness and addiction is incredibly complex. Strong correlations have been established between the two, and so dual-diagnosis treatment of addiction and mental illness has become more and more common. Throughout my tenure as a drunk and a junkie I have been labeled with every diagnosis you could possibly imagine. It is incredibly difficult to diagnose an addict who is active in their addiction because many of the symptoms of drug addiction and mental illness coalesce. Now that I’ve been sober for a period of time, my mental illness symptoms have subsided with the exception of the ones that played a huge part in the development of my addiction. I still suffer from anxiety at times, particularly social. I learned about the power of my cognitions to create these feelings, and as time passes and I practice the tools I’ve been given these symptoms decrease. I got the support I needed from other addicts like myself as well as a community of professionals who truly understood that addiction behaves very much like a disease. As future educators I would encourage you to learn about the disease model of addiction, and if you are somewhat ambitious, the neurobiological research on the subject is truly fascinating. I can see how many people here have been touched by addiction and mental illness in their own lives. This truly is a problem that affects individuals in all walks of life regardless of status or education. As you become teachers you will invariably encounter those who are already struggling or who are at higher risk than others due to factors such as social rejection, troubled home lives and myriad other factors. Last I read most general practitioners in family medical practices only spent 2-4 weeks learning about addiction in their training. I believe that it is imperative for you as teachers to understand how addiction works, how to respond to individuals struggling with it, and how to talk to families about these issues. Thank you for your time. A. N. Addict