Although it is many years since we got rid of lead in our petrol and there is stricter control of lead in everything from cosmetics to house paint, the problem, in my opinion, is still wreaking widespread havoc on health.
Showing posts with label child health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child health. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2016
More warnings about lead poisoning dangers - adults and children (Updated 24/09/14)
Monday, December 09, 2013
The number of Sub-2:10 Men Marathon Performers in 2013 by country (updated 9/12/13)
Whether we are riding our bikes, hiking a hill, walking around our suburb, or competing in some kind of race, what really hits me is the lack of young people.
Within half an hour of school finishing, the frantic rush of SUV's is over and the streets are as good as deserted of youth, other than a handful hanging around the local superette. Where have all the children gone? Where are all the teenagers? Its as if they have quickly scurried away to the safety of their burrows.
My impression is that the ACTIVE participants in outdoors activities - be they recreational or competitive - are mostly greying adults. When we compete in a running or mountain bike race nowadays, the junior grades are definitely in the minority. When hiking, it is mostly retirees who we meet along the way - rarely do we see youngsters.
I don't know about you but this trend is disturbing: It is disturbing because it signals we are witnessing the death of the traditional Kiwi outdoors lifestyle: It is disturbing because it signals deteriorating health as soft children get old: It is disturbing because it signals the end of New Zealand's proud tradition of excellence in outdoors sport. We are following in the footsteps of Australia.
Case in point: New Zealand once all but dominated middle and long distance running. No longer is this the case.
Thanks for the list, Gavin Stevens.
There are similar patterns, to do with poverty, within New Zealand with regards to the production of first class rugby players: In the Wellington Region I can't see many (if any) emerging players coming out of the affluent Central City suburbs: The wealth of new talent that keeps the All Blacks on top and which enriches the Australian NRL is from less affluent places like Wainuiomata and Porirua - and the Pacific Islands - not Kelburn or Brooklyn.
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.
Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme:
Click Here!
Within half an hour of school finishing, the frantic rush of SUV's is over and the streets are as good as deserted of youth, other than a handful hanging around the local superette. Where have all the children gone? Where are all the teenagers? Its as if they have quickly scurried away to the safety of their burrows.
My impression is that the ACTIVE participants in outdoors activities - be they recreational or competitive - are mostly greying adults. When we compete in a running or mountain bike race nowadays, the junior grades are definitely in the minority. When hiking, it is mostly retirees who we meet along the way - rarely do we see youngsters.
I don't know about you but this trend is disturbing: It is disturbing because it signals we are witnessing the death of the traditional Kiwi outdoors lifestyle: It is disturbing because it signals deteriorating health as soft children get old: It is disturbing because it signals the end of New Zealand's proud tradition of excellence in outdoors sport. We are following in the footsteps of Australia.
Case in point: New Zealand once all but dominated middle and long distance running. No longer is this the case.
| # of Sub-2:10 Men Marathon Performers in 2013 | |
| Kenya | 79 |
| Ethiopia | 47 |
| Japan | 7 |
| Eritrea | 4 |
| Uganda | 3 |
| Morocco | 2 |
| South Africa | 2 |
| Qatar | 1 |
| USA | 1 |
| France | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
Where is New Zealand and Australia? The UK? The US looks pathetic, despite its wealth and numbers. Is their sole sub 2:10 runner an African import? Its great to see Japan, with its proud love affair with the marathon, still managing to hang in there.
While there may be a strong genetic factor running through these ranks, I think the over-riding factor is the way children are being raised in developed countries. After all; if you argue it is the African gene, well there are millions of people of African descent in countries like the US, UK, France and Germany, to name some.
The real differences are less than genetic: A soft Developed World upbringing versus a hard and often desperate one in a 3rd World country. Plus a calorie rich - nutrient poor Western diet that produces fragile blobs, rather than lean, muscled athletes. Plus the ubiquitous computer and gaming console that results in loss of limb function, other than the thumb. Plus the motor car. Plus "Stranger Danger". Plus the quad bike on the farm. Plus the incredibly versatile hydraulic digger. Plus fear-mongering of the dangerous outdoors, including fear of the sun. Then there is "Helicopter" parenting, driven by an irrational fear of everything!
While there may be a strong genetic factor running through these ranks, I think the over-riding factor is the way children are being raised in developed countries. After all; if you argue it is the African gene, well there are millions of people of African descent in countries like the US, UK, France and Germany, to name some.
The real differences are less than genetic: A soft Developed World upbringing versus a hard and often desperate one in a 3rd World country. Plus a calorie rich - nutrient poor Western diet that produces fragile blobs, rather than lean, muscled athletes. Plus the ubiquitous computer and gaming console that results in loss of limb function, other than the thumb. Plus the motor car. Plus "Stranger Danger". Plus the quad bike on the farm. Plus the incredibly versatile hydraulic digger. Plus fear-mongering of the dangerous outdoors, including fear of the sun. Then there is "Helicopter" parenting, driven by an irrational fear of everything!
There are similar patterns, to do with poverty, within New Zealand with regards to the production of first class rugby players: In the Wellington Region I can't see many (if any) emerging players coming out of the affluent Central City suburbs: The wealth of new talent that keeps the All Blacks on top and which enriches the Australian NRL is from less affluent places like Wainuiomata and Porirua - and the Pacific Islands - not Kelburn or Brooklyn.
So, what's the solution?
About this website - Reject fast foods and get back to preparing foods daily from their basic ingredients.
- Reduce reliance on the motor car. Walk, walk, walk - and ride a bike most other times.
- Walk children to and from child care or school and regardless of the weather.
- When you go hiking - take the kids!
- Restrict computer and gaming console use: Just an hour after school, then outside to play.
- Insist on shared physical family chores such as weeding the garden.
- Encourage neighborhood play.
- Reject the "Stranger Danger" myth. The more people on the streets the safer it is for all.
- Accept that a child getting dirty and suffering the occasional lumps, bumps and bruises are part and parcel of a healthy upbringing.
- Streets need to be designed to be pedestrian and cycle friendly.
- Where and how we live needs to be physically designed so that people are brought together - not isolated in their private boxes.
- Work needs to be more family friendly so that parents have more time with children, in less of a rush and less exhausted.
- Fear sells (Better than sex). We need to reject the beating up of FEAR to manipulate behaviour, to sell products and to raise money (Think: The war on cancer).
Saturday, September 28, 2013
How to avoid "Flat Head Syndrome" with your baby
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| I guess "Flat Head" is better than "Cone Head"! But I'd prefer neither. |
Once rare, Flat Head Syndrome is now a common sight. I find this distressing because it is so easily avoided.
Flat Head Syndrome is the consequence of Baby spending far too much time on his or her back which is unnatural. The newborn skull is soft cartilage that deforms easily, such as when squeezing through the narrow birth canal.
Even the slight pressure of the skull resting on a mattress, or reclining in a baby seat, is sufficient to cause deformation of the skull. If not relieved and countered by equal time on his or her front, and swapping from one side to the other, this deformation may become permanent as the plates of the skull and face transform from soft, malleable cartilage to hard bone.
While flattening of the back of the skull is the most common problem, laying Baby in such a way that there is uneven pressure on one side of the face, more than on the other, can result in permanent distortion of the proportions of the face over time.
Flat head syndrome is the unforeseen consequence of the hysteria and fear generated over cot death or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Flat Head is the result of dishing out narrow health advice in dumbed-down sound bytes, devised by a committee of well-intentioned health experts who fail to see the consequences of their advice beyond their narrow brief.
In my opinion, this is poor health practice that treats mothers and fathers as if they are idiots who are incapable of understanding anything other than what can be packaged in an advertising sound byte.
While placing a baby on its back may reduce risk of SIDS, there are many other factors that contribute to this most distressing untimely death, such as nutrition, the negatives of vaccinations and smothering a baby in excessive clothing and bedding and over-heating. But I have digressed slightly into health politics.
While I am not aware of any neurological consequences of flat head, a disproportionate face and skull is highly undesirable and let's face it: The brain is intended to be oval in shape - not square!
Let's demonstrate how to avoid Flat Head Syndrome by way of a pictorial of Marie Monmont and her delightful daughter .
While I am not aware of any neurological consequences of flat head, a disproportionate face and skull is highly undesirable and let's face it: The brain is intended to be oval in shape - not square!
Let's demonstrate how to avoid Flat Head Syndrome by way of a pictorial of Marie Monmont and her delightful daughter .
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| Here is Marie with her absolutely delightful 3rd child, Louise (Her other child is already halfway down the path and she's not in the least bit concerned). The simple sling Marie is using protects her from the back and arm strain many women suffer from carrying heavy and awkward baby seats. Baby and Mother are "one". Note, as well, that Louise is so attentive of her environment and developing excellent postural strength and control. |
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| Here is Louise sound asleep on my clinic's floor with her hand in mouth. Note the beautifully rounded skull. No soft mattress, no smothering in blankets (babies have really good fat insulation). What you can't see is there is no "Helicopter" mother. Louise is happy to sleep while Mum get's on with other matters. |
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| Louise is demonstrating exceptional strength of her postural muscles. Being able to extend and hold her spine, as she is, is the essential precursor to crawling, then walking and finally running. In this position she is able to look about and take in the World about her. Humans do not live in an upside down World (unless you are trapped in the Matrix). Louise is also showing good colour - no hint of rosy cheeks which is a sign of magnesium and other mineral and vitamin deficiencies that can set a baby up for many kinds of illnesses, including being very vulnerable to childhood infections. Being an obstinate and self-opinionated French woman (aren't they all?), Marie has refused to be cajoled into vaccinating any of her three children. Marie is a French chef by training and is a passionate advocate of "traditional foods" - None of this low fat, processed to death fast food stuff! Marie has naturally acquired immunity to most childhood diseases and she is helping protect her baby by passing on her antibodies via her breast milk. Louise is a very bright baby, showing none of the signs so common today of Autism Spectrum Disorder. There are no snotty noses among her children - I can attest to their wonderful health. And look at the beautiful proportioning of her skull and face - perfect! What more can her parents want for? |
About this website
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Childhood in the 1950's. Ahh - Those were the days!
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| Lorraine and Gary late 1950's Note the bare feet and the stunning fashion - all hand made by Mum! |
There was no parental supervision, no fear of strangers, no such thing as "health and safety". We came through mostly unscathed and, I am convinced, so much the better for this freedom.
My of my - How things have changed!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Free school breakfasts fail to improve learning
Feeding hungry schoolchildren does nothing to boost their learning, a new report shows.
The findings have surprised experts in a week when campaigning to introduce free food at schools to combat child poverty put pressure on the Government.
The only "significant positive effect" was that children felt less hungry, the study into free school breakfasts found.
Head of the study, Associate Professor Cliona Ni Murchu, said there were indications that attendance at school was also likely to improve but in reading, writing and maths there was no noticeable improvement.
Researchers at Auckland University's School of Population Health studied 423 children at decile one to four schools in Auckland, Waikato and Wellington for the 2010 school year.
They were given a free daily breakfast - Weet-Bix, bread with honey, jam or Marmite, and Milo - by either the Red Cross or a private sector provider.Full report here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/7813410/Food-and-learning-connection-shot-down
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Gary:
There is food and then there is food:
"Weet-Bix, bread with honey, jam or Marmite, and Milo" - and low fat milk, I presume. The problem with this diet is, while it fills the tummy, there are little to no nutrients to build strong bodies and bright brains.
We need to do an experiment: Two groups of hungry students. One group gets the bread, Marmite, etc while the other group is fed a diet of fried eggs, porridge with cream, a cup of Milo and a couple of flax oil capsules (or fish oil).
I think we will see a difference. In addition, the experimenters should measure body composition. I predict the children on the eggs and porridge diet will be thinner and more muscular, as well as being better learners by the end of the year.
Here's a video I made several years ago about nutrition. My son, Alama, is the star. He is now 13yrs and in very good health. He has no excess fat at all despite the higher than usual fat and protein content of his diet. He is nicely muscled.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Seasonal Flu Vaccine causes febrile convulsions in children
Its that time of year folks, when you and your child are being urged into getting a seasonal Flu jab.
Apart from being unnecessary for the vast majority of people (In my opinion, the flu jab should be reserved for those with significant preexisting health conditions), there are health risks, especially for young children. The principal adverse reaction in children is febrile convulsions as reported by the US Food and Drug Administration. Please go here for their report on the issue of febrile convulsions and the flu vaccine.
Given that only about 1% of all adverse reactions to medical treatments ever end up on official records we can only assume that the problem of febrile convulsions after receiving a flu jab is worse than reported. Over the last few years I have been contacted by a number of desperate parents of children who were suffering convulsions that appeared to first arise after vaccination. As far as I know, none of these would ever have ended up being reported to our Ministry of Health as an adverse reaction to a vaccination.
Because there is often a delay of several days to weeks between the medical treatment and the adverse event, it is next to impossible to reliably prove there is a link. If a link is claimed by an aggrieved parent, this will more than likely be dismissed, in the first instance, by the administering medical agency and then vigorously challenged by the manufacturer, if the claim managed to advance any further. Nobody, other than the parent, has any interest at all in seeing such "complaints" go any where other than into the filing cabinet. So, while official statistics tell us that there is not a safety problem, talk on the streets tells us there is.
Before you get your child vaccinated:
If a child has febrile convulsions: In addition to medical treatment, ensure the child has a rich intake of magnesium and other minerals and vitamins, including the B group and non-acidic vitamin C (Magnesium deficiency is associated with epilepsy and convulsions). Most children are magnesium deficient. It is advisable to consult a natural health practitioner who can advise what are the best supplementary sources of these vitamins and minerals for a child.
In conclusion: A child's first and best defense against any kind of infection is a strong immune system. A child with a strong immune system may still go down with the flu; but will shake it off with relative ease and have immunity to that strain for life.
Apart from being unnecessary for the vast majority of people (In my opinion, the flu jab should be reserved for those with significant preexisting health conditions), there are health risks, especially for young children. The principal adverse reaction in children is febrile convulsions as reported by the US Food and Drug Administration. Please go here for their report on the issue of febrile convulsions and the flu vaccine.
Given that only about 1% of all adverse reactions to medical treatments ever end up on official records we can only assume that the problem of febrile convulsions after receiving a flu jab is worse than reported. Over the last few years I have been contacted by a number of desperate parents of children who were suffering convulsions that appeared to first arise after vaccination. As far as I know, none of these would ever have ended up being reported to our Ministry of Health as an adverse reaction to a vaccination.
Because there is often a delay of several days to weeks between the medical treatment and the adverse event, it is next to impossible to reliably prove there is a link. If a link is claimed by an aggrieved parent, this will more than likely be dismissed, in the first instance, by the administering medical agency and then vigorously challenged by the manufacturer, if the claim managed to advance any further. Nobody, other than the parent, has any interest at all in seeing such "complaints" go any where other than into the filing cabinet. So, while official statistics tell us that there is not a safety problem, talk on the streets tells us there is.
Before you get your child vaccinated:
- Only have the vaccinations that you consider absolutely necessary at the time in your child's development and avoid the rest (this includes flu, herpes).
- Put off the vaccines until your child is older and the brain and other organs, such as the adrenals and liver, well on the way to maturity and better able to handle stress.
- Do not vaccinate at times of immune weakness, such as when ill, teething or transitioning from breast milk to solids.
- Ensure your child has high vitamin D (A light sun tan on the body and a vitamin D supplement during winter). Vitamin D is essential for a robust immune system.
- Ensure the diet is rich in fresh vegetables, eggs, unprocessed fats and high in protein. Avoid instant noodles, pasta, white bread, soy milk, rice milk, fruit juice or fat reduced milk or yogurt. Avoid all margarines, including those that have heart health claims.
If a child has febrile convulsions: In addition to medical treatment, ensure the child has a rich intake of magnesium and other minerals and vitamins, including the B group and non-acidic vitamin C (Magnesium deficiency is associated with epilepsy and convulsions). Most children are magnesium deficient. It is advisable to consult a natural health practitioner who can advise what are the best supplementary sources of these vitamins and minerals for a child.
In conclusion: A child's first and best defense against any kind of infection is a strong immune system. A child with a strong immune system may still go down with the flu; but will shake it off with relative ease and have immunity to that strain for life.
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Sunday, January 23, 2011
My son is 8 and still wets the bed every night if I don't wake him at 11:00. 1/3 of the time he wets AGAIN even if I get him up.
Schedule:
6:00 .. last drink
9:00 bathroom & bed
11:00 wake him up or we have wet bed by 11:30
There was a 30 day period when I thought we had trained him out of it .. but then the problem restarted.
He handles it well but hates being wet. Do you know of any natural anti-diuretics .. or any other ideas?
Thank You.
_______________________________________________
Gary:
Bed wetting can not be "trained" out of a child if there is an underlying set of physiological drivers.
There are several mineral deficiencies that are associated with bed wetting: NaSO4, KH2PO4, NaPO4, FePO4, CaF2, KCl, and MgHPO4.
Deficiencies of these minerals are prevalent nowadays, especially in children who are raised on a low fats-hi-carb processed foods diet that is low in unprocessed grains, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, full cream milk. Noodles, children's cereals (especially those that claim to build strong athletes!), all margarines, reduced fat milk and yogurt, white rice, soy and rice milk are very much at fault.
If the mother has been on a mostly low fat diet during pregnancy and breast-feeding, her consequent deficiencies are passed on to her child.
These minerals have many functions in the body, including promoting healthy kidney and bladder function. If, for example, there are mineral deficiencies that heighten muscle and nervous tension, then the bladder may be reduced in size and, therefore, capacity to store urine for the duration of sleep will be insufficient. If muscles and nerves tire quickly, then tiny muscles of the urethra may relax during sleep, allowing the bladder to empty.
The easiest, safest and most effective way, in addition to making dietary improvements, to correct any imbalances is to give your child Active Elements 4.1 and 4.3. Break the tablets in half and give half of each every two hours, including before sleep washed down with a small glass of lukewarm water (as an alternative, he can chew and swallow the tablets and then wash the residue with a little water - not too much water before bed!). If he wakes at night, give another half tablet of each before putting him down again.
Once symptoms of bed wetting abate, reduce to three half tablets over the day with the last at bed time and another whenever he wakes due to peeing, or feeling the urge.
Give me an email update about every two weeks, thank you. If there is a failure to make progress within a few weeks, there are always alternatives worth trying.
Here is the link to the Active Elements product page.
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About this website
The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness. Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service! Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Link Between Autism And Abnormal Blood-vessel Function And Oxidative Stress
"....Oxidative stress is the result of an excessive formation of chemically unstable byproducts, called free radicals, within the cell. Under normal conditions, the cell is able to destroy the free radicals. However, when excessive free radicals accumulate, these molecules mount an attack against the cell in search of chemical stability. "During oxidative stress, it is as if the free radicals have only one leg," explains Pratico. "They are searching for the second leg in order to keep from falling. Unfortunately, the ability of the excessive free radicals to reestablish their chemical equilibrium comes always with a price for the organ -- irreversible cellular and organ damage."
Free radicals can damage cell membranes, proteins, and genes by oxidation -- the same chemical reaction that causes iron to rust. Pratico and colleagues measured levels of isoprostane, the chemical byproduct of free radicals attacking fat cells and found that patients with autism possess nearly double the level of oxidative stress than that measured in healthy controls......
Autism is a complex neurological disorder and oxidative imbalance is one feature of the autistic syndrome. Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that oxidative imbalance may also play a role in this disease: autism is characterized by an impaired anti-oxidant defense system, higher free-radical production, and improvement of behavioral symptoms after taking anti-oxidants......"
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Gary Moller comments:
This article gives a very comprehensible explanation about free radicals and anti-oxidants and why it is essential that we have sufficient anti-oxidant substances in our bodies; especially during times of oxidative stress, such as injury, infection, environmental pollution or excessive exercise. Anti-oxidants help keep you healthy by neutralising free radicals before they can do harm to healthy cells.
While the authors do not offer a cure for this controversy-ridden condition (autism), they do offer one line of action that parents can follow for its management: ensuring that the autisitc child has a nutrient rich diet that is packed with anti-oxidants. Berries, fresh fruit, leafy and coloured vegetables, Omega 3 oils, nuts and whole grains, for example. Included should be a multi vitamin and a mineral supplement that includes trace minerals like selenium and zinc. If these vitamins and minerals are in tablet form, they can be crushed and then blended into a Super Smoothie.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
True Confessions: "I was a school bully!"
Dad fined $500 for assaulting school bully
By JOANNA DAVIS
A Christchurch father and former strongman convicted of assaulting a schoolyard bully is blaming the primary school for failing to take any action on bullying.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3642026a7694,00.html
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Gary Moller comments:
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A Christchurch father and former strongman convicted of assaulting a schoolyard bully is blaming the primary school for failing to take any action on bullying.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3642026a7694,00.html
_______________________
I confess; I was a bully at school.
When I was five years old I picked on a little boy at school named Gordon. I kept dumping him and tripping him up. After about a day of this naughty behavour, I was visited in the playground by his big and very menacing cousin, Butch, who later represented the NZ Maori in rugby. Butch grabbed me by the neck and began tapping my skull against the brick wall of the playground compound until my little pea brain rattled inside. He told me off and did not stop banging my head until I promised that I would never pick on Gordon ever again. I quickly agreed and never ever touched Gordon again. Gordon has been a close friend ever since.
What surprised me and what still interests me about this incident is, despite the head-banging and the size of Butch, I did not cry or run off looking for Mummy. I quietly took Butch's medicine and changed my behavour for the better.
We were raised in Putaruru during the 1950's and 60's. It was a tough Central North Island timber town of about 6,000 people and there was a lot of fighting. The men were real men and the women were - well... Let's just say that they were polite - on the surface anyway. There were six kids in our family. It was fortunate that I had my brothers and sisters because they gave me plenty of fighting practice out of school. I was very good at dumping people and quickly getting them into arm-breaking holds, or eye-popping headlocks. I was little; even today, I only weigh about 62kg, so I was going to be a natural target for school bullies.
My father was a tough man by any standards. After the war he had a stint as a professional boxer. He packed a bell-ringing punch. His solution to adversity was to attack, no matter the size or the numbers against him. Gosh! He even had a punch-up with our towering and grizzled neighbour who also happened to be the local Police Sergeant. Dad believed that bullies were nasty cowards who seek out weakness in others. Cower to a bully and they have you where they want you and things will only get worse. Life will be Hell. They will rob you of your dignity and everything else. If I was ever to give in to a bully, I would have had to answer to Dad and that was never an option worth considering.
At about 13yrs old, I was being picked on by a big boy named Bruce. It came to a head one day in the main street of Putaruru. I fought back and somehow managed to get him into an armlock to have him face down on the ground. He would not submit and I sure was not going to let him go. Stalemate. This was finally broken by a wee sandfly that settled on his nose. That little fly was on a mission. Blow as much as he could, it would not budge. Cross-eyed, he watched that little bloodsucker swell to three times its normal size. He began to cry. I let him go and ran off to a safe distance. "I'll get you Moller", he yelled, shaking his fist at me; but he left me alone from then on. Bruce later became a detective in the Australian Queensland police during the notorious period when Aborigine prisoners had a bad habit of leaping to their deaths from high places. Bruce had found the perfect job.
Secondary school in Putaruru was really tough going at the best of times for many kids with lots of teasing and bullying going on. One big boy started picking on me, poking me in the back at assemblies and teasing and taunting all the time. It was unbearable
and his cronies were now joining in. They were taking control of me and I would soon have Dad to answer to. So, one day after school, I attacked him and we had a real ding-doing scrap in the middle of the street with a big crowd of onlookers. I won and he walked off crying and shaking his fist at me. "I'll get you Moller". After about a month of hollow threats, they finally stopped and he became one guy that would back me anytime I needed support. I had won his respect by standing up to him.
Dad taught me well. He taught my brothers well.
My younger brother,Gordon, is about the same size as me. He was studying at Otago University the same time as I was down there. One dark evening we came across a huge and raucous, beer-swilling crowd on the grass slope outside one of the girls' hostel. Two cars were parked up on the slope with their headlights on full. In the headlights was a naked young man being shoved about by a gang of men. They had doused him with buckets of kitchen waste and were forcing him to roll about in the foul muck much to the glee of the the girls who crowded the hostel windows above.
Gordon said to me, "This is not on", and shoved his way through the crowd with me in a very reluctant tow. He went straight up to the ring leader and dumped him to the ground! "Cut it out!" he ordered. I wanted to run; but stood firm, trying to look suitably tough - After all, he was my little brother and I was not about to be publicly shamed by him. I thought we were going to be next for the public pig-roll! There was silence, other than the hum of the car motors.
"Aww - we are only having fun", the bully whined at Gordon as he picked himself up from the ground. Gordon then turned to the naked man who was still lying in the muck like a frightened little piglet. "Well, are you having fun, or do you want to come with us?" Gordon asked.
"I am ok" he whimpered. (Yep; bullies sure can smell out weakness and here was a beauty)
Without any hesitation, Gordon turned on his heels and walked off, calling out as he left, "Well,
you had your chance - suit yourself" and we were off. Much to my relief.
As we walked off into the darkness, the crowd roared back into life and the humiliation continued.
As an aside; these educated and well connected bullies are probably captains of industry, commerce or Government nowadays. People like these make life hell for others, they think only of their own immediate
personal interests and glory and they care little for the predicament of others.Conclusion:
Bullies need weak people to prey on. They grow up to become over-bearing leaders and bosses; they become control-freak wives and husbands, sexual predators, bad cops, heartless robbers and war mongerers who lead from the rear. Bullies are a fact of life; they have been around for as long as there have been humans. No anti-bullying policy is ever going to make the problem go away altogether. Take the case of pre-war Brit PM, Neville Chamberlain who proclaimed, "Peace in out time", upon returning from negotiations with super-bully, Adolf Hitler. How wrong he was.
In the Christchurch case, the girl's Dad should not have intervened: Instead, he should have given her the skills and the confidence to stand up to that big bully with a show of strength. Seldom does it ever require one to actually physically fight.
Finally, remember Poland.
When I was five years old I picked on a little boy at school named Gordon. I kept dumping him and tripping him up. After about a day of this naughty behavour, I was visited in the playground by his big and very menacing cousin, Butch, who later represented the NZ Maori in rugby. Butch grabbed me by the neck and began tapping my skull against the brick wall of the playground compound until my little pea brain rattled inside. He told me off and did not stop banging my head until I promised that I would never pick on Gordon ever again. I quickly agreed and never ever touched Gordon again. Gordon has been a close friend ever since.
What surprised me and what still interests me about this incident is, despite the head-banging and the size of Butch, I did not cry or run off looking for Mummy. I quietly took Butch's medicine and changed my behavour for the better.
We were raised in Putaruru during the 1950's and 60's. It was a tough Central North Island timber town of about 6,000 people and there was a lot of fighting. The men were real men and the women were - well... Let's just say that they were polite - on the surface anyway. There were six kids in our family. It was fortunate that I had my brothers and sisters because they gave me plenty of fighting practice out of school. I was very good at dumping people and quickly getting them into arm-breaking holds, or eye-popping headlocks. I was little; even today, I only weigh about 62kg, so I was going to be a natural target for school bullies.
My father was a tough man by any standards. After the war he had a stint as a professional boxer. He packed a bell-ringing punch. His solution to adversity was to attack, no matter the size or the numbers against him. Gosh! He even had a punch-up with our towering and grizzled neighbour who also happened to be the local Police Sergeant. Dad believed that bullies were nasty cowards who seek out weakness in others. Cower to a bully and they have you where they want you and things will only get worse. Life will be Hell. They will rob you of your dignity and everything else. If I was ever to give in to a bully, I would have had to answer to Dad and that was never an option worth considering.
At about 13yrs old, I was being picked on by a big boy named Bruce. It came to a head one day in the main street of Putaruru. I fought back and somehow managed to get him into an armlock to have him face down on the ground. He would not submit and I sure was not going to let him go. Stalemate. This was finally broken by a wee sandfly that settled on his nose. That little fly was on a mission. Blow as much as he could, it would not budge. Cross-eyed, he watched that little bloodsucker swell to three times its normal size. He began to cry. I let him go and ran off to a safe distance. "I'll get you Moller", he yelled, shaking his fist at me; but he left me alone from then on. Bruce later became a detective in the Australian Queensland police during the notorious period when Aborigine prisoners had a bad habit of leaping to their deaths from high places. Bruce had found the perfect job.
Secondary school in Putaruru was really tough going at the best of times for many kids with lots of teasing and bullying going on. One big boy started picking on me, poking me in the back at assemblies and teasing and taunting all the time. It was unbearable
and his cronies were now joining in. They were taking control of me and I would soon have Dad to answer to. So, one day after school, I attacked him and we had a real ding-doing scrap in the middle of the street with a big crowd of onlookers. I won and he walked off crying and shaking his fist at me. "I'll get you Moller". After about a month of hollow threats, they finally stopped and he became one guy that would back me anytime I needed support. I had won his respect by standing up to him.Dad taught me well. He taught my brothers well.
My younger brother,Gordon, is about the same size as me. He was studying at Otago University the same time as I was down there. One dark evening we came across a huge and raucous, beer-swilling crowd on the grass slope outside one of the girls' hostel. Two cars were parked up on the slope with their headlights on full. In the headlights was a naked young man being shoved about by a gang of men. They had doused him with buckets of kitchen waste and were forcing him to roll about in the foul muck much to the glee of the the girls who crowded the hostel windows above.
Gordon said to me, "This is not on", and shoved his way through the crowd with me in a very reluctant tow. He went straight up to the ring leader and dumped him to the ground! "Cut it out!" he ordered. I wanted to run; but stood firm, trying to look suitably tough - After all, he was my little brother and I was not about to be publicly shamed by him. I thought we were going to be next for the public pig-roll! There was silence, other than the hum of the car motors.
"Aww - we are only having fun", the bully whined at Gordon as he picked himself up from the ground. Gordon then turned to the naked man who was still lying in the muck like a frightened little piglet. "Well, are you having fun, or do you want to come with us?" Gordon asked.
"I am ok" he whimpered. (Yep; bullies sure can smell out weakness and here was a beauty)
Without any hesitation, Gordon turned on his heels and walked off, calling out as he left, "Well,
you had your chance - suit yourself" and we were off. Much to my relief.As we walked off into the darkness, the crowd roared back into life and the humiliation continued.
As an aside; these educated and well connected bullies are probably captains of industry, commerce or Government nowadays. People like these make life hell for others, they think only of their own immediate
personal interests and glory and they care little for the predicament of others.Conclusion:Bullies need weak people to prey on. They grow up to become over-bearing leaders and bosses; they become control-freak wives and husbands, sexual predators, bad cops, heartless robbers and war mongerers who lead from the rear. Bullies are a fact of life; they have been around for as long as there have been humans. No anti-bullying policy is ever going to make the problem go away altogether. Take the case of pre-war Brit PM, Neville Chamberlain who proclaimed, "Peace in out time", upon returning from negotiations with super-bully, Adolf Hitler. How wrong he was.
In the Christchurch case, the girl's Dad should not have intervened: Instead, he should have given her the skills and the confidence to stand up to that big bully with a show of strength. Seldom does it ever require one to actually physically fight.
Finally, remember Poland.
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