; Tage THE DAILY HERALD, Provo, Utah, Sunday, January 21, 1996 B2 takes baby's temperature By CLAY EVANS There's something comforting about watching a girl drive her knee into the face and n attacker. groin of a I don't mean that to sound too bloodthirsty. It's just nice to see a girl asserting slight, sweet-face- d herself, showing the world that she is her own master, that she makes her own decisions, and if you choose not to respect them, well ... Ooof. On your back, pal. This is Stephanie Darling of Denver, captured on videotape during her graduation from Options Self Defense, a Boulder, Calif.-basenationally affiliated program that teaches "assertiveness, boundaries for violent conand frontations": teeth gritted, elbows flying in the face of a padded assailant, shouting out a triumphant, emphatic "No!" "It's like you've always had it, but now you know you do," Stephanie said recently, talking about Options, taught in Boulder by Kim Regan. "Sometimes you don't even know where y ju are and you've got adrenaline pumping through you. It prepares you if you ever have to use it ... It feels real." It looks real. No pussyfooting allowed Having witnessed a "Model Mugging" course (Options' parent program) a few years ago, I can tell g skeptics that there is no around when it comes to "padded assailants." The assailants are usually men, trained in martial arts, heavily padded for protection against furious blows, and psychologically prepared to momentarily "become" rough- - handling attackers. In more advanced classes, the assailant may verbally abuse the woman, or perhaps even take on an unctuous, manipulative persona. Watching an "assault" can be unnerving. But watching a girl hurl a thunderous "NO!" and react as quick as a cat to protect herself goes far toward diluting that queasiness. You get the sense that these young women are not going to be victimized any time soon, whether Newspapers er Parents have a new way to take an infant's or toddler's temperature: a pacifier thermometer. Approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, it's accurate within 0.2 degree, says Randall Krafft, full-grow- chief executive officer of Questech International Inc., manufacturer of the Wee Care Digital Pacifier Thermometer. It costs about $16. Ear thermometers, by comparison, more compassion toward those who have had hard times. Class members wrote about everything from death to peer pressure and raises her hand during a class discussion to comment on how writing personal narrative essays In her English' class helped her feel d, may run $100-- $ 150 and can give inaccurate readings if used incorrectly or if the child has an ear infection. The battery-operate- d pacifier thermometer takes about five minutes to produce a reliable reading, Krafft said. The device inside the nipple takes the temperature. A beep confirms it's working; a longer beep indicates it's ready. The digital reading appears on the front. FDA approval to market the device as a thermometer Photo Courtesy John Chapman Tlmpview High School student Sarah Bryson heat-sensi- Shawn Warren wrote about INSIDE: what it was like for him and his family to survive a plane crash and (Continued from Page Bl) 'What did I ever do that was so ! I ;bad?' "My feelings of wanting to die soon melted. I came to realize that I could get better and someday I will be able to do those things I ' used to do. But it would take ; time," she wrote, "I would have to work hard, to j ;want to live and to try my very ; hardest to get better," she realized. Looking .back on the assignment, Ba$$ett thinks it was an important, .jSrt of her recovery ; ! ! ! I ! process. .. , "I was glad to know that I could J share my experience with other ; people,".j$j.. noted, adding she J warits others to know exactly what i the experience taught her. '"Some people would say that I this, was a tragic accident," she ! wrote. "But I would have to say it was a blessing in disguise." i For other students who haven't suffered tragedies of the same magnitude, hearing the shared has made them more appreciative of what they have. ; "When I listened to everybody, I .couldn't control the tears," ! ; sto-;ri- es ; ', '.recalled Kristen Lyster, 18, who ; wrote, about being a world. "I ;in a. ;was grateful that some of their ; experiences hadn't happened to me ;and I became more grateful for my ' own family." high-school- er Students witnessed accounts of other students surviving everything from accidents, dying relatives and medical illnesses to loneliness, peer pressure and abuse. how the experience made him "more kind hearted and willing to help any one at any time." Archie Craig wrote about the love his brother had for him when he pushed him out of the way of an oncoming truck in 1994. His brother, who has been in a coma, is still recovering from the accident. Susy McClellan, who's father died in 1987, wrote about the agony she experienced from never having the perfect moment to tell him that she loved him. "I wanted to remind you to always tell the people you love that you love them," McClellan wrote. "You never know when circumstances can take them from you." For most students in Adams class, they will never look at life quite the same. "This experience has changed my perspective on so many things," said Traci Clyde. She said if she could go back and write about something that has changed her life now, she would write about what she saw and learned in her English class. The assignment has also helped these students realize that everyone has challenges to deal with. "It has helped me realize that you're not alone," said Catherine Hall, 17, who wrote about what it was like to grow up in a home where her,: father was ill and her mother spent her time devoted to caring for her father, who eventually died. Julie Schumann, 18, thought it was unique that the class members PC users overloading phone companies r Newspapers Many of you are taking advantage of PCs, fax machines and the like to telecommute during these winter storms. Which is nice, except so many of you are doing it that phone companies in the Northeast are reporting major overloads. "It's like everybody who has an automobile trying to drive on the Massachusetts Turnpike at the same time," says Boston-base- d Nynex spokesman John Johnson. Knight-Ridde- A GROWING MARKET: How do you farmers out there love vetables? Lettuce count the ways. Because lettuce generates the most $184 money for U.S. exporters million worth in 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. ' DON'T TRY THIS AT WORK: How not to win friends and influence people: In announcing its list of top 10 most humiliating public relations gaffes of 1995, Fineman Associates, a San Francisco PR firm, cited the case of d Structural UNEXPLORED JOB Milford, PROSPECTS: Thousands of Dynamics Research Corp. Ohio-base- unemployed and underpaid ers could find good-payin- work- jobs in g manufacturing. But many mistakenly think the work is too hard physically or that to earn goodioney they need an or that they engineering-degremath or science can't; acqiiirhe knowledge required. The Naignal Tooling and Machining association runs training centers funded by industrial companies. Call The Wall Street Journal says the company picked National Take Our Daughters to Work Day to fire an employee who had brought his daughter to work. The company ordered the man and his daughter out of the office. emsa bessa mem felt comfortable sharing experiences among their peers. "We were feeling very personal things," she recalled. Schumann chose to write about what it's like to be a diabetic. "Nothing negative came from this assignment nobody criticized anyone, nobody talked about it behind a person's back," Schumann complemented. "If anyone did say something, it was 'That was awesome,' and it came with a came in December, Krafft said. To be sold as a thermometer, a device must be proven accurate within 0.2 degree; instruments less accurate must be called temperature indicators, he said. Dr. Charles Barone, associate chairman of pediatrics at Henry Ford Health System, said the devices are so new many doctors haven't used j hug." For all of the students, the assignment has changed the way they look, not only at themselves, but at others, both inside and outside the classroom. and I learned "They learned that insight, understanding and appreciation flourish in the absence of stereotyping," Adams noted. Perhaps Sarah Bryson, 18, summed it up best: "It has helped me learn that everyone is important and they've all had experiences that have shaped their lives the way they have. "None of us can judge who they are or what they believe because we don't know what they've gone through in their lives." pussy-footin- them yet. Most importantly, parents need to understand that symptoms that precede or coincide with fever, such as a runny nose, are better indicators of an illness than a high temperature itself, Barone said. The Wee Care Digital Pacifier Thermometer is available at Target, Revco, Wal-Ma- rt and Walgreen, among other outlets. For more information on the product, call anytime. young men,"p fltg. by smooth-talkin- g manding authority figures orhacj-ow- y strangers on the street. "I feel very confident, now'--' Tabitha Felton, 14, a student at Net Vista High School in Boulder..Se took the course when she was 11 To my eyes, the primary benefit of Options is the bubbling of eve though somestudent's innate sublimated confidence;) times the surface of everyday life. a good martial arts regimen, Ogms teaches mental and physical skfifs which in that inspire confidence a student the "presence" turn gives that quietly and powerfully reduces the necessity to ever use the skilfs. "By exploring the passive, assertive and aggressive modes bf individuals communication, learn tools to set clear, assertive boundaries and therefore violent situations," potentially the Regan said. Girls (and women class also is for adults) also learn how to ask for help and support.". Some older people won't particularly like it when girls make us of their newfound confidence: "If was easier for me to set boundaries 'With my mom, and because I'd learned how to set boundaries, she'd listen-Tabitha said. ""She didn't like nt "at first, but that's what I needed 'and I wasn't going to have it otherwise.'' For too many centuries, girls have been taught that diffidence and acquiescence were their lot in. life. But many parents today are smarted They are willing to adjust ;to a sj teen-agestrong, boundary-settin- g is comfort the of know- -' the reward is less their likely to be daughter ing victimized. I wish every girl could take the Options program. It isn't cheap, but the lessons learned may be priceless!. At 14, Tabitha put it as succinctly afc I could ever hope to: "I do see a lot of around who aren't very confident, she jaid. sort of "And I think that a tough situation is more likely to turn into trouble if ! you are lacking confidence." Evans und writes on youth Clay generational issues for the Daily Camera of Boulder, Colo. Write tif him at: the Daily Camera, P.O. Box ... 591, Boulder, CO 80306. gf J teen-age'jir- ls Readers say Ann's out of touch with middle class woes Dear Ann Landers: I'll bet you have already received several hundred letters from readers like me who were stunned by your insensi-tivit- y. am referring to your response to the woman whose husband had been looking for a job for three years. You said her letter was "downright depressing" and suggested that her "negative attitude" had a lot to do with her bad luck. Get real. I know Ph.D.s who have lost their jobs and are working for $6 an hour. You are going to hear plenty about your unsympathetic response. Judy S. in Durham, N.C. ering flowers for a wholesale florist. Davenport, Iowa: When was the last time you dipped into your Management had changed hands, and my years of loyalty meant nothing to the new crowd. My replacement was a lad my son's age. Just sign me "Washed up at 47." San Diego: With a master's degree and optimism, I applied for a job in urban planning and I Dear Judy: I did indeed "hear plenty," and when 6,000 people write and tell me I'm out of the loop, I'd better take another look. Meanwhile, here's what my readers had to say: From Wilton, Calif.: You are clearjy out of touch with the sinking middle class. I was once a corporate president, and now, due to "downsizing," I am working for minimum wage. Welcome to the real world. Troy, Mich.: My husband worked for an advertising agency for 23 years. He was only 49 when the company decided to "downsize" and suggested he take early retirement. He's been for three years. Now do you get it? Moline, 111.: My son has two degrees, one in business, another in accounting. He, too, was downsized and can't find a job that puts his talents to use. He's now deliv job-hunti- mm mm mm lessa m I i.iim HIM Hi I till !' .i.i i out the door after 21 years of faithful service. architecture. I. soon discovered that the few jobs that existed were given to relatives of top management. Advice Columnist No jobs? Non- - Philadelphia: retirement savings to pay the $650 monthly premium to keep your health insurance in force? Do you know what it's like to send out 125 resumes and not get a nibble? Hartford, Conn.: Dear Marie Antoinette: Millions of people in the United States and Canada are working for peanuts to create millionaires and billionaires. This is the stuff revolutions are made of. Bellevue, Wash.: Eight families in our apartment complex have been hit with layoffs in the past three years. They are all degreed, middle-age- d and attractive. You're to a permanent job, have lucky - f " sense! The quality of workers is pathetic. entry-Ie.y- e) I've intejr viewed hundreds of college gratis ates who can't read, can't spell and can't do simple math. Worse yet, many can't pass a drug test. That's the real picture. Got it? ,y Dear Phil.: The "real picture" often depends on your vantage point. Millions of competent people are out of work. Downsizing is a fact of life, and I feel for those who want to work and can't find jobs. Hello, Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. Any suggestions? - -- ! -"H Ann. Shame on you. Peoria, III.: There is a new the Educated class in America be able Poor. won't Working They to retire or leave anything to their children or grandkids. There goes the American dream. Cincinnati: I was "downsized" (a polite word for canned) mm JL msm jag3 2. 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