The gruesome images are designed to shock and then change behavior.  The images will succeed in shocking, but they are not likely to have a significant impact on whether someone decides to have an abortion.

Consider the violent images of mangled cars and horrific accidents shown at high school assemblies throughout the country prior to homecoming dances and proms.  Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) created assemblies like these to prevent reckless driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  The theory is that by showing the tragic stories, teenagers will make better choices and drive safely. Do they work?  We still see a rise in drunk driving accidents following school campaigns despite more than a 20 year tradition of them. Similarly, have violent images of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq or any war prevented loss of life?

Many will be outraged by what will surely be perceived as an assault on the senses.  The Super Bowl audience is a diverse one.  Many small children watch along with their families.  These ads will anger many parents and that will not lend itself to people embracing the pro-life movement.  Instead it will only add fodder to those in the pro-choice movement who choose to vilify pro-life activists as extremists.

The argument that legalized abortion creates such a crisis that subjecting families to extremely gruesome images like the ones in this commercial are justified is a faulty one.  Valuing human life and family values requires taking a higher road.  The merit of the argument is cheapened when disturbing imagery is used. Sanctity of life should be preserved in all areas. We don’t want to see dead babies, accident victims or soldiers.

Instead, pro-life activists should take a different approach entirely and many are doing just that.  Consider the Time magazine cover story from 2007.  Providing medical information and assistance in a calm and kind manner is a far more effective way to positively influence behavior.  Visual arguments can still to used to persuade people to reconsider abortion, however.  Isn’t the use of ultrasounds a far better way to view a baby?

The new English translation of the Roman Missal recited by the priest and congregants dates back to Vatican II, but was only announced by Pope John Paul II in 2000.  Just the mention of the beloved pope’s name in association with these changes makes them more palatable for some.  If he thought it was better for Catholics, then more are willing to embrace these changes.

So what exactly has changed?   While the changes for the congregants are minimal, it will require a more close focus on the words and that will in turn cause us to think more about them. Here are some of the changes:

Greeting: “The Lord be with you.”

Old Response: “And also with you.”

New Response: “And with your spirit.”

That change is tough enough and expect to hear people stumble over that for quite a while.  The toughest for me is “Consubstantial.” This word replaces the term “one in being.” Consubstantial is more accurate, church authorities say since it means of the same substance.

The other one that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue quite yet is the change to the invitation to communion.

Old Response: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

New Response: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

It’s always a challenge to embrace change and is especially so when the words seem imprinted on your very DNA, but I am determined to give it my very best. What do you think of the changes?

The guilt factor is huge and, really, how many times can you hit up the grandparents, neighbors and family friends before they start to cringe? (Many employers are banning solicitations of all types from the workplace, including fundraisers, so co-workers are no longer easy-target buyers.)

A version of this piece originally appeared on Politics Daily’s Woman Up.

Today was the type of day I’d like to remember forever because it really was about as close to perfect barring a lottery win.

The day began when my husband left for work at Harley-Davidson and since the traffic is so light (read nonexistent compared to what I’m used to having lived in the Washington, DC area for most of my life) his trip to the Milwaukee office takes between 10 to 15 minutes.  That’s a pretty nice commute.

My two older children began a week of morning camp offered through our the Whitefish Bay Recreation Department called Secret Agent Lab conducted by the Mad Science staff.  It’s held in the Lydell Community Center and that is just a few blocks from our home.  This afternoon, my children (all three this time) set off on our daily walk.  I often think that we look a bit like a small parade since two of my children ride their scooters and the other rides in the stroller, but there are so many children in our neighborhood that this is a familiar sight.  Today’s destination was the library and then a stop at the Whitefish Bay High School for a few laps around the track.

This evening we’ll stop by Dan Fitzgerald’s Pharmacy for candy on our way home from Klode Park.  I’d love to pick up dinner from the new City Market which just opened up, but I’ll be happy with the fresh ground beef, green beans and corn on the cob we bought at Sendik’s.  My husband is going to see a movie with my mom tonight at Fox-Bay Cinema Grill.  I’d go too but I have no desire to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Fox-Bay is a great place and the owner is also a Whitefish Bay resident.  I may have to speak to him about his poor decision not to show The Help, however.

Whitefish Bay is a great place to live and I am happy that Money Magazine highlighted it in the recent issue.

While it may seem complex at first, the issue concerns raising the federal government’s borrowing authority so it can pay its bills on time to avoid a default. Failing to resolve this issue by the August 2 deadline could result in downgrade in our nation’s credit rating.  As most adults know, credit rating or credit scores are extremely important for individuals and are for the nation as well.  A downgrade could raise borrowing costs for consumers, businesses and government agencies.

Debating how to resolve the issue is a healthy part of democracy.  Using social media to express frustration is just one benefit of our precious freedom of speech.  Twitter is filled with hashtags boasting #GOPisEvil or #DebtofDuh and they do nothing to facilitate consensus.

Why aren’t more people making the connection between hate filled comments and our elected officials’ inability to compromise?  Critical thinkers must use restraint before taking to social media to vent frustration.

Unfortunately, we found out when our daughter had a premolar cavity filled by a dentist specializing in pediatrics on April 11, 2011.  Within hours of the appointment, our daughter’s cheek swelled and it began to look as if she had a golf ball in her mouth.  I placed a phone call to the dentist and she assured me that some swelling is normal and it would go away.  I went to teach a class that night and the dentist spoke with my husband.  The dentist again assured him that this was normal and that if we were very concerned in the morning, I should bring our daughter in first thing in the morning.  She was unable to sleep due to the pain and was up most of the night.  That morning, our daughter’s swelling had increased, her cheek was red, hot to the touch and she was unable to eat or speak clearly.

When we entered at the dentist’s office, the staff was shocked by our daughter’s appearance.  The dentist was so alarmed that she called in her husband, an oral surgeon, to consult because “he knows more about this type of thing.”  He too was surprised by just how swollen our daughter was.  He tried to look inside her mouth, but the area was so tender and the swelling was so severe, he decided not to aggravate things further by an invasive exam.  Instead both dentists struggled to get an accurate read of our daughter’s temperature.  After a few minutes, they determined that she did have a fever of 101.

Both dentists were visibly and admittedly at a loss as to what the next course of action should be given that our daughter was allergic to traditional antibiotics and neither was sure what to prescribe.  When they told me this, I suggested that  we go right to her pediatrician for proper treatment.  Both expressed their concern verbally for the severity of the infection and they readily agreed that the pediatrician should be our next stop.  The oral surgeon wrote out a detailed note for our pediatrician explaining that this swelling was a result of the previous day’s dental procedure and gave us his personal cell phone number in case we or the pediatrician needed additional information from him.

Our daughter’s pediatrician was extremely concerned by her condition when we arrived.  The pediatrician said she’d never seen such a fast moving infection.  After careful consideration and collaboration with her colleagues, the pediatrician prescribed oral Cleocin.  She advised us to give her a call that evening to let her know how our daughter was tolerating the medicine and to let her know about the swelling.  That night, we spoke with the pediatrician and let her know that our daughter was taking the medication, was still in pain and we hadn’t noticed any change in the swelling.  We continued to monitor her closely. The dentist called our home that evening to check on our daughter and offered to see her again.  My husband and I updated her on the treatment prescribed by the pediatrician and declined another visit to her office since our daughter was now having an extremely difficult time opening her mouth.  The situation had clearly escalated and was beyond the dentists’ capabilities.

The next morning, our daughter’s swelling had progressed to include her neck and just under her eye.  This was so serious that the pediatrician asked us to bring her in immediately.  We did and she advised us that if she should run a fever, we were to take her directly to the emergency room.  When our daughter’s fever reached 101, we went to Children’s Hospital.  She was admitted, given IV morphine for the pain, IV fluids (since she was unable to eat or drink due to the swelling) and a stronger dose of antibiotics via IV.

The swelling was so severe that even the doctor’s ultrasound of daughter’s cheek and neck was difficult to read.  Our daughter was checked hourly by Children’s Hospital doctors and nurses throughout our time there and was diagnosed with Cellulitis.  Each physician and nurse we met asked the same question: “What happened at that dentist’s office?” When the dentist’s assistant called to ask if we would be bringing our daughter in for a check, I returned the call told the receptionist we would not since our daughter had been admitted to Children’s Hospital.  Slowly, she began to respond to the medication and the swelling began to decrease gradually while her speech remained impaired. The morphine helped with the pain and she began to be able to drink and eat small amounts of juice and pudding.

After more than two days of hospitalization at Children’s Hospital and the careful hourly monitoring of her condition by a team of doctors and experts in pediatric infections, our daughter was released and advised to take a new dosage of oral antibiotics.  Children’s Hospital’s pediatrician advised us not to return to the dentist’s office upon release since our daughter’s visit there was the cause of Cellulitis.  Cellulitis is a dangerous life threatening infection.  Instead, she told us to follow up with our pediatrician in two days.  We did so and our daughter continued to respond to the antibiotics.  It took nearly a full month for her swelling to go away completely.

The quantifiable damages resulting in the work done by the dentist exceeded our insurance coverage and we are unwilling to absorb the costs.  Our daughter endured great pain from this traumatic experience.  Our entire family was impacted.  The time and stress associated with our attempts to settle this matter with the dentist continue to build.  At the very least, the dentist must pay the expenses not covered by our insurance which exceed $3,000.

Our attempts to resolve this matter directly with the dentist have proved unsuccessful.  How unrealistic is it that I expect the dentist to do the right thing without being forced to by a legal team?

Then I got a message saying that there was a problem and that audience was full, but I was offered another option.  I picked the May 6 taping.  Three days later I got an email saying this was Oprah’s Last Ever Makeover Extravaganza  and that each audience member was getting $100 gift card to buy a new outfit at Old Navy to wear to the show. That made it even more cool. Then a producer called and said that since we were only 90 miles from Chicago they would like to invite my mom and I to shop at Old Navy’s big store on camera. I was so excited. I told the producer yes, but I had to figure our who could pick up the kids from school. She said that they were thinking of doing a children’s segment, so bring them. This was so great and I could hardly wait. The only drawback was that I had to come without my hair or makeup done because the producer said, “We want your before and after pictures to be really good.”

The kids were amazing the whole three hour experience on Tuesday, May 3. It was crazy and chaotic. The producers, Oprah’s fashion people and tailors had the kids and I in one big dressing room while another stylist worked with my mom in a different room. The kids went off with a producer and the camera crew and they were filmed for at least an hour. The kids loved every minute of it and were perfectly behaved. Of course they all melted down in the car ride home, but I was fine with that.

We left Old Navy with $400 worth of stuff, plus the entire outfit the fashion team picked and was tailoring just for me. At first I felt bad since the rule was $100 for just my mom and I, but then I snapped back into reality. Oprah can afford it. I wasn’t really thrilled with the outfit they picked for me, but I was determined to embrace the experience and the tailors were going to alter it all for me.

Remember this is all prep for the show taping Friday, May 6 at 11 am. We were filmed for hours but I explained to the kids that the footage was just pre-show work and we would have no idea how much, if any appeared int he actual show.

Later that night at 7:30 pm, I got a call from the producer. She invited my mother and I to come back to Chicago tonight so that I could get my hair cut and colored. That freaked me out a bit, but it was Oprah and several friends assured me that they’ve never seen a bad makeover on the show. In addition to all that, Oprah was paying for us to stay at a hotel near the studio.

We entered the HARPO Studio and walked past the editing room where the producers were editing that day’s show with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks.  We joined a group of 20 other people and entered a studio that had been completely transformed into a salon.  HARPO had flown in from a dream team from NYC.  Frédéric Fekkai who owns a salon and a product line cut my hair.  Orlando Pita did the color.  The two of them collaborated while speaking French.  Frédéric’s assistants handed him scissors like they were surgical scalpels.  Cameras filmed it all. There was so much going on at once that it was difficult to take it all in.  There was one staffer who spent hours steaming what seemed like hundreds of blue oxfords.  No one was telling anyone details about everything so there was this secretive buzz everywhere.  We spoke with some of the other lucky 20 and no one had any clues as to why we were selected, what would happen next and what role we’d play in the show. Every single member of the HARPO staff was fantastic.  They were all kind and professional.  We left HARPO at 9:30 pm and went right to the JW Marriott.   The person at the front desk congratulated us for being on the Oprah show and told us we could spend up to $75 on room service.  Our hotel room was amazing. We ordered an indulgent breakfast (with wine for me) at 10:30 pm when we finally settled into our hotel room. 

Friday, May 6 was the show taping and it was filled with another flurry of activities.  We arrived at 7:30 am along with the other lucky 20. We were taken through the garage into the HARPO studios.  An assistant escorted us back to the studio transformed into a salon and there were about 100 assistants all dressed in blue oxford shirts along with the dream team which now included Bobbi Brown and several of her makeup artists.   When they were finished with us, we were taken to a plush screening room with the 20 other Old Navy makeover people.  This room was just 500 feet away from Oprah’s office and Oprah’s dog Sadie kept rooming the halls.  It was a fun and exciting experience. We were all nervous and excited.  There was a great deal of down time, so we spent it nibbling on all the catered food that was brought in for us, speculating about what would come next and just sharing the surreal experience of being in HARPO’s inner sanctum. 

Makeup artists, stylists and the steamer lady joined us for a quick check before the show taping began.  We were led through the HARPO hallway maze, past the walls decorated with what seemed like thousands of photos of Oprah and celebrities from past shows.  We were taken into the studio where all other audience members were seated and led to the front two rows. 

During the show we got a gift bag including an expensive leather Michael Kors bag, a pair of Tory Burch sunglasses, a Diane von Furstenberg silk scarf and Andre Walker hair products. The show aired on May 12 and if you looked very closely, you would see a couple seconds of my mother and I getting our hair and make-up done. They also included a few seconds of footage shot of my kids at Old Navy.

The experience is one I’ll never forget.

Earlier this week, University of Iowa (UI) professor Ellen Lewin responded, “F— You, Republicans!”  What elicited such a response? UI College Republicans were promoting a “Conservative Coming Out Week.” 

Is the phrasing “coming out” restricted?  Apparently, Lewin thought so and even deemed it offensive to the gay movement. 

The UI College Republicans email said, “Conservatives in Iowa City it is now time to come out of the closet!”  According to the Chicago Tribune article about this issue, “It also listed many events including a blood drive, flag football games against College Democrats, a showing of a movie about George W. Bush, and a ‘wear red’ day.”

I applaud UI President Sally Mason for condemning intolerant political speech.  Mason wrote, “Intolerant and disrespectful discord is not acceptable behavior.”

Lewin’s own apology seems rather weak, however.  She wrote, “I admit the language was inappropriate, and apologize for any affront to anyone’s delicate sensibilities.”

Is Lewin unaware that there are gay conservatives?  It appears so.  I wrote about this topic months ago for Politics Daily in a piece called, “ Gay Conservatives, So What Else is New?“

Does coverage of such a story by the Chicago Tribune indicate that our nation is demanding more critical thinking?

Americans are obsessed with eating. The social aspect of eating is firmly rooted in primates.  Americans eat often and consume huge portions.  Unhealthy food is often the cheapest and easiest to obtain.  As a result, an obesity epidemic continues. 

People overeat for many reasons.  Some eat to relieve stress.  Others unknowingly consume much more than the recommended portion size. Eating out may contribute to obesity since many eat on the run and finish everything they pay for. 

The weight loss and fitness industry makes approximately $60 billion annually. If it’s a simple matter of eat less and exercise more, why are so many critical thinkers overweight? It is a complex issue. Emotions seem to overpower critical thought in this area quite frequently. Like many Americans, I also struggle with it.

I enjoy exercise. For the past six weeks, my husband and I have been doing a very intense workout program called Insanity.  It’s is a rigorous 60-day DVD series, but I’m enjoying the process.  Controlling what I eat remains difficult for me, however. I have a busy schedule. Teaching part-time while caring for my three children leaves me with little time to prepare meals. I skip meals and then eat what I can in a rush.

When I spoke to Mary Schreifels about ViSalus, I decided to try it. This is a new thing for me because I’ve never tried a meal replacement program.  The idea of taking meal preparation (except for snacks and one meal a day) off my agenda appeals to me. Since I prepare meals for our family, we’ll all continue to eat dinner together.

I’ve done Weight Watchers in the past and had success as have many of my friends. The reality is that I know what to eat, but I’m just not doing it and I don’t really want to attend weekly meetings. 

My children were very excited when the package arrived and each wanted to try it. The powder tastes a lot like cake mix.  I added skim milk and frozen mixed berries, blended it and we all tried it.  We agreed that it is a lot like a smoothie. The Vi-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix arrived just in time for dinner and I was relieved not to have to figure out something to make myself tonight. 

My plan is to add this meal replacement program to my current fitness routine for the next 30 days so that I return to my ideal body weight and physique. I’ll be updating you on my progress.  Please share your own with me.

WI Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill has generated national interest and attention. Passions run high when it comes to this bill because it focuses on how to handle mounting deficits with budget cuts. Rather than oversimplifying this issue to be one of right and wrong, we must acknowledge that there are many valid viewpoints. To vilify one side or the other reflects an absence of critical thought.

Just last month, President Obama called for a more civil public discourse after the tragic shootings in AZ. Republicans and Democrats sat together during the most recent State of the Union Address and many Americans took this as a sign that times were indeed changing, but it didn’t last long at all.

Why have Americans forgotten the need for civility so soon? It seems that civil discourse is only practiced when passions are in check, but the biggest need for civil discourse is in the heat of passionate debate.

Walker has been called “Hitler” and even a “Rapist” for his new budget bill. Protestors of the bill have posted signs reading, “Walker: Wanted Dead or Alive.” Where is the civility?

People on both sides of this issue have resorted to attacking those who oppose their views as the budget battle continues. This is far easier than exercising the restraint necessary to maintain a civil discourse.

This budget bill raises questions beyond collective bargaining and addresses the power of unions in the public sector. When it comes to education, union power has often prohibited much needed school reform. This is one of my main reasons for supporting this bill.

I see nothing wrong with requiring union workers to pay a larger portion of their health insurance and pension benefits. I think it’s a good thing that the bill would limit collective bargaining. The best part of the bill, in my opinion, is that it would free workers from paying union dues and require annual votes to determine whether unions should remain in existence.

Please don’t mistake my view on the budget bill and my dislike for union power as a lack of commitment to education. I am a teacher. I am passionate about quality education and believe teachers should be treated as professionals who are held accountable and rewarded for excellence. Unions don’t often foster that.