Hurricane Sandy Death Toll

·         Toronto police reported deaths from the massive storm system and said that a Canadian woman was killed by flying debris.

·         Governor Andrew Cuomo reported 15 storm-related deaths including 10 people killed when the storm struck New York City.

·         3 people died in New Jersey when a falling tree crashed the vehicle in which they drove.

·         Four people lost their lives in Pennsylvania, including one killed from a falling tree and a house which collapsed.

·         Connecticut Governor Dan Mallow reported that two people had been killed in his state, including a firefighter.

·         Along the east coast a woman was recovered from the sea and died later at hospital.

·         In Maryland a woman died when her vehicle hit a tree, and in West Virginia another woman was killed when her car collided with a cement truck.

·         Falling trees dragged down power cables and left millions of homes in darkness.

·         Tens of thousands of travelers are marooned at airports.

·         US authorities ordered hundreds of thousands of residents from New England to North Carolina to evacuate their homes.

·         It is estimated that the storm would affect more than 60 million Americans, which is a fifth of the population.

·         According to the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Exchange Hurricane Sandy forced a two-day shutdown; the markets’ first closure since the 9/11 attacks. Their building and systems were not damaged. Trading will start as usual at 9.30 a.m.

Bracing the storm, counting the cost

As the US braced for the hurricane, the Caribbean nations were burying the dead and finding shelters for homeless people. At least 69 people died in six countries, Haiti confirmed 52 dead as flimsy buildings gave in to mudslides, and in Port-au-Prince about 200,000 are homeless; emergency shelter has only been provided for 17,000. This is not a full account of lives lost. Do go online for more information on the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Stories that bond

Reading or telling stories to your children at night is good for character development and a child can be inspired to keep his or her own little diary of scribbles and notes. It started at ten or twelve for this writer when a lousy childhood drove me to read more and more books and was engrossed in reading comics at first and then The Hardy Boys. A child can fly free with his imagination and put himself in all kinds of situations to see what he would do if in the same position. There is adventure and comfort when someone is reading to you. Telling stories to your children at night is also a bonding experience where the child has your full attention and knows it is his or her time with you. 

What to read and what not to

If your child is under five or six years of age do not read him a scary story at night. Some older kids love scary stories, but others dread and dream about it and have a fitful sleep. They also become scared when they have to go to bed at night. Still, the tradition of reading and putting your child to bed with a good story under his belt is as old as the hills and will enhance his imagination and hopefully he learns by new adventures in the tales he comes across.  The Alchemist is such a story and suitable reading for kids.

Mind adventures

Reading is satisfying and informative, and fiction writing especially for children can be a lot of fun as the Harry Potter collection attests to. There are many forms of storytelling and there are groups now who have storytelling evenings and events where they have theme nights and stories are told all night long. Still, the best stories are the ones you make up for your kids. Remember Meryl Streep in Out of Africa? Robert Redford gave the opening sentence and Streep continued the tale leaving her listeners enthralled. Storytelling is a wonderful form of escape and putting your child to bed with a smile on his or her face makes it all the more important to continue the tradition. 

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Postnatal baby blues

_{Have you just had a baby and are feeling tired, out of sorts and don't know what is wrong? It is not unusual to feel like that after having a baby. Everyone is different and some women feel a little down and others feel exuberance and joy. You have just gone through the lamaaz classes, built up an excitement, had the baby and now it is all over. Do not despair. Your feelings of anxiety may persist for a few days but will slowly dissipate and give you your life back. After all you have been through a huge experience, and not only physically, but emotionally.}

_{Do not stress}

_{If you are breastfeeding your baby and feel you do not have enough milk and worry about it,or you have enough breast milk but your nipples are sore; these are all things which lead to feeling helpless and depressed. It is normal to feel a little blue; it is not normal to become so depressed that you neglect the baby. At that point you have to seek help and follow the instructions of a doctor. Do not become angry and tell her to stop crying and pull herself together.}

_{Be patient}

_{Women who have just given birth are faced with many challenges; their hormones are out of whack, their emotions fluctuate, they cry easily and think they will never cope. If she wants to cry, let her do so. Encourage her to talk about how she feels. Postnatal depression is dark and unpleasant and the illness affects about 10% of mothers who have recently given birth. The onset of depression usually starts when the mother has been discharged from the medical facility.} 

_{Get the right help}

_{What you can do for your friend: encourage her to talk and express her feelings about the baby. If her feelings persist, suggest she speak to a district nurse or a friend. Do not rush for the bottle of tranquilizers but work through her fears by listening and talking about it. Most times it is just plain panic and the fear disappears when the person feels safe. Safe can mean different things for different people. As mothers we have all been there. When someone suffers from depression, it is hard to be around them. Help your friend get the right diagnosis.}

_{http://www.raydajacobs.blogspot.com}

 _{http://www.expertscolumn.com}