All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall | From Behind the Pen

When you take a good look at yourself in the mirror, what thoughts run through your mind? Do you wink at yourself and say what a gorgeous creature you are? Or are you overly critical of the way you look in the mirror at that very moment? Or maybe you are simply smiling at yourself, happy to be alive and ready to seize the day.

Years ago I loved the segment on Saturday Night Live, “Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley,” whose character was played by Al Franken. While the scene was funny, it was also a little sad. Somehow you felt sorry for old Stuart because it was apparent that he needed validation seeking positive compliments as a person who was experiencing low self-esteem. But his daily affirmation would always be positive, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it people like me.”

We have to acknowledge that sometimes we just don’t feel our best and that is okay. We may go there, but it’s not healthy to stay there. When there is no one around to offer encouragement, sometimes you just have to encourage yourself by looking in the mirror, and affirming that you are blessed with the gift of life. You have that opportunity and a choice to be an asset and an inspiration or be a liability and morose.

Have a positively inspiring day! Happy affirmations! Enjoy!

Source: Mirror Mirror on the Wall | From Behind the Pen

COVID-19 and influenza vaccination rates among Philadelphia area hospital workers (USA)

Three in four workers at Jefferson Health’s Abington Memorial Hospital received their COVID-19 vaccines.

At Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic hospitals in the region — Mercy Fitzgerald, Nazareth, and St. Mary — only 40% of staff got their flu shot.

As the number of people sick with respiratory illnesses increases, and hospitals in the region are again asking all visitors to wear masks, The Inquirer analyzed the latest data on vaccination rates for local hospital workers.

Source: COVID-19 and influenza vaccination rates among Philadelphia area hospital workers

What’s causing measles outbreaks? Experts point to vaccination decline, waning herd immunity – CBS News

According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, during the 2021-2022 school year, 94.3% of kindergarteners in Philadelphia County were fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Last school year, that dropped to 92.8% — below the 95% needed for herd immunity.

“That’s really a wake-up call, because the real number in many communities is probably far below 93%,” Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for vaccine development and professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, told CBS News.

He says outbreaks like this one are more likely when vaccination rates drop.

Source: What’s causing measles outbreaks? Experts point to vaccination decline, waning herd immunity – CBS News