Lieutenant Colonel Martha Bauder started her career as an EMT/Firefighter and later moved on to study medicine at the Med Coll of WI. She completed her residency at Michigan State University/EWSparrow hospital in Lansing, MI. and began working at Sinai-Samaritan Emergency Department, Fond du Lac Regional Hosp, Fond du Lac, WI. Martha joined the U.S. Army Reserves in 2006 and deployed to Iraq in 2008 and again in 2009. She served in Afghanistan in 2010 and in Germany in 2011.

LTC Bauder is currently retired except for her remaining Reserve obligation and resides in Chandler, AZ. Since discovering she’d suddenly turned into an OLD WOMAN after all the time she’d spent in the desert, Lt. Colonel Bauder, with the support of her writing group, The Combat Coven (best not to ask about the name), has written and published numerous short stories related to WWII.

What’s It Like Working In a Combat Support Hospital In a War Zone?

Well, it’s like nothing you have ever seen or could imagine. Even after practicing as an emergency physician for twenty years in community hospitals, I couldn’t imagine it until I actually experienced it over the course of three deployments totaling nearly two years.

Take a mental snapshot of your local hospital. Got it? Good. Now shrink the hospital down to the size of a small clinic. Hmmmm….shrinking…..okay? Next, pick it up and move it to a desert, where there is nothing for miles around but hot burning sand, hot blowing wind, under a white hot sun. Sorta sounds like Arizona, doesn’t it? Not quite. At least the desert of Arizona has vegetation, cacti, wildlife.

Remove the walls from your imaginary hospital and replace them with canvas. Not liking the picture that you’re starting to get, are you? Every hospital, no matter how small, needs bathrooms.

So, add a unisex latrine at one end of the length of the hospital. Three toilets that may or may not flush, depending on the weather and whether one tank has been filled and the other emptied recently. Don’t try to drink out of the sink with its hot and hot running water – it’s nonpotable, and comes from a huge tank sitting out in the sun. That tank gets filled once a week from a truck that transports the water from a nearby village. It’s heavily chlorinated to kill whatever may be growing in it, and inspectors check the water quality every day during the heat of the sun.

Don’t forget – your hospital has to have an emergency room, an operating room or two, and somewhere to hold the patients. So, starting from the front door, we have the EMT – or Emergency Medical Treatment ward, holding 7 litters (not beds, not cots, but rolling litters – easier to get patients out of the helicopters if you can roll the litter right up to the door of the bird).

EMT

What about equipment? Behind sheet-covered cabinets are a scarce supply of bandaging materials, chest tube trays, central IV kits and peripheral IV setups. Sheets cover the cabinets in a vain attempt to keep out the ubiquitous dust which permeates every crack and cranny. In one corner is an outdated EKG machine, and in another is a hand-held ultrasound machine with a screen about 3 inches across, used for doing quick assessments on trauma patients. The EMT is staffed with two nurses, a handful of medics and one doctor, no matter how many patients may get dropped on them at one time.

Now, out the back door, turn to the left and enter the adjacent tent – otherwise known as the OR. There is a curtained entryway, again to limit the dust, but the three OR’s (two in one cubicle, one by itself) require constant vigilance and cleaning to keep dust to a minimum. And flies. There are always flies. The concept of sterility is lost in a CSH – the best we can hope for is sanitary, with fly strips hanging everywhere to catch the little buggers.

scrub sinks

Water for the surgeons to scrub is foot pumped into the portable sinks from canisters stored underneath and refilled after every few patients. Portable lights illuminate the surgical fields. Air conditioning units are so loud that the surgeons have to shout for instruments to make themselves heard. And the scrub techs carry their weapons into the OR…just in case. It’s hot and sweat drips from the surgeons’ foreheads. What AC unit can keep up with 120 heat when there are no walls, only canvas?

dust storm

Back outside, straight ahead is the ICU, where post-op patients, or critically injured patients waiting for surgery, are placed. At least the ICU is in a fixed building, not a tent. That helps reduce the dust, but the doors don’t fit properly and in a dust storm, the wind blows them open. Just like in the ER, there is a constant haze in the air during a days-long dust storm. The ICU has a TV, not to receive channels, but so that the patients (and staff during slow hours) can watch movies. The patient turnover is either feast or famine – feast when there is a mass casualty incident; famine when all of those patients have been shipped up-range to Germany.

PLX tent

Right down the outside corridor is the PLX tent – Pharmacy, Lab, X-ray. This is the heartbeat of the CSH, where all of the important work is done. Two CT scanners are either humming along nicely or broken because of the dust. Hopefully they won’t both go down at the same time, although it has happened frequently in the past. The PLX tent is also a social gathering spot of sorts – the chaplain has arranged bookshelves along the length of the tent, and soldiers waiting for procedures or meds can pick and choose, or leave one if they’re finished with it. On Wednesdays, the chaplain’s assistant breaks out the bread maker and bakes up a loaf of the most delicious bread you’ll ever taste – probably because the food on the base is otherwise bland and repetitious. There is also a physical therapy corner where the staff can jump on the lone exercise bike in the middle of the night if there are no patients.

So, how does this place run? It’s 120-130 degrees in the summer, with no ability to make ice or cool water other than one small apartment-sized fridge tucked into a corner of the EMT. The staff all carries beepers (or an overhead page announces casualties), and the dreaded, “MASCAL! MASCAL! All personnel report to the hospital” announcement sets everyone scurrying to his or her place, just like we practice in the dress rehearsals (mass casualty drills).

Helicopters, two at a time, each carrying up to five patients depending on severity, land on the pad outside the EMT. The medics wheel the litters out empty and back in fully loaded. Like a well-orchestrated play, each team works on their patient, but all doing the same things – cut the clothes off, insert the IV’s (nurses put in peripherals if there are any extremities to put them in; docs put in central lines in the large vessels of the groin if the arms or legs have been blown away). Simultaneous assessment of airway and breathing, with insertion of an endotracheal tube if necessary is done by the CRNA (nurse anesthetist). Continue the assessment, only stopping to rectify some life-threatening situation (tension pneumothorax, uncontrolled bleeding). Identify anything needing the OR – or send the patient to CT to evaluate their head, chest or belly wounds. Dress the stumps of any traumatic amputations and straighten obvious fractures to stabilize them. All this amidst the confusion of multiple patients all at once, transfusing each of them without mixing up the blood, administering last rites to those who are too injured to survive. Listening to and trying to block out the screams of pain from the patients, shouting down the line asking whether the CT is free, or can I have a surgeon here, or what’s your name, soldier?

Is that enough chaos and confusion? Noise and blood? Because blood is running like a river through the EMT and OR at this point. Be careful where you walk or you will track it everywhere, and be careful where you stand or you will be wearing it (or squishing in it when it fills your boot).

Oh, and two more things to throw in the mix – the next patient that is wheeled through the door is a military working dog. And you WILL work to save its life. Not because you are especially attached to animals, or have any intimate knowledge of how to care for them, but because this dog is a soldier, and likely a hero for saving his handler or the other soldiers in his team. The patient next to the dog? Could be an insurgent who just set an IED and killed three of our boys. But he must be treated for his injuries; treated dispassionately and professionally.

Soldier in ICU

Finally, hours later, the patients have all been stabilized, some have already been shipped back up-range for more definitive treatment, the blood has been swabbed from the deck and you can take a deep breath, knowing that you saved a soldier’s life today. But don’t rest on your laurels – the beepers are already going off again for a Humvee hit by an IED with multiple casualties. Grab your gear, soldier, and get back to work!

A soldier’s holiday

10 Technologies that Revolutionized Libraries Worldwide

Libraries form an essential component of human society — they educate, they enlighten, they entertain. But, most importantly, they bring together members of the community in order to keep intellectualism and innovation flowing. And in order to stay relevant, libraries have to open themselves up to emergent technologies, discovering creative ways to apply them in the service of the people. Plenty more than these 10 exist of course, but this list seeks to capture some of the more notable ones throughout all of recorded history — regardless of whether or not they have fallen out of fashion.

Written Language: After humanity’s transition from oral tradition to written, it makes sense that such an evolution would eventually give rise to vast literary repositories. Libraries unearthed in Egypt and Mesopotamia, specifically the former Sumerian empire (most notably Nippur), may very well be the oldest known to archaeology thus far. Ugarit, as of 1200 BCE, boasted what history generally accepts as the first private libraries. Along with other ancient libraries, these wondrous institutions archived thousands of clay tablets — usually written in cuneiform — covering a wide range of political, academic, economic and literary subjects.

Scrolls: Successor to clay tablets and predecessor to books, scrolls marked the next stage in library evolution. First used by the ancient Israelites, Egyptians and Latins, they afforded readers a higher degree of portability and writers a far more lengthy conduit. Scrolls began life as parchment or papyrus rolls, although the Israelites were recorded as using the skins of kosher animals as well. Other animal hides would gradually work their way into the technology over time. Each civilization and region boasted its own unique technological and aesthetic details.

Paper: Considering paper still enjoys wide use today, one can easily label it an integral library technology. Its ancient roots trail all the way back to before the Han Dynasty, though that particular era marked the first formalized process. Cai Lun, a eunuch, created this technique using macerated hemp leftovers, mulberry, fishnets, rags and any other fibers he could acquire. Hundreds of years before that, however, the ancient Chinese were using paper products for correspondence, wrapping, making tea and padding delicate objects for transport — but making it proved difficult. Trading allowed for Cai Lun’s brand new papermaking strategies to spread throughout the country before eventually creeping into the rest of the world.

Binding: Like paper, bookbinding came about during ancient times and continues on into the present — making it an obvious library mainstay! The earliest strategies date back to India, where crafters would write on leaves (usually palms), dry them, rub on some ink, then thread them together carefully. Content was generally religious in nature. Over time, the technique took on more steps and encompassed a broader range of materials, including paper, animal skins (most notably leather), board and plenty more. And, obviously, began to spread worldwide from its Indian origins thanks to the travels of Buddhist monks. Asia enjoyed books while European and North African empires still kept libraries full of scrolls.

Dewey Decimal Classification: The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) was by no means the first library classification system. Nippur, the Royal Library of Alexandria and other ancient institutions were all known to have their own methods of cataloging and tracking their holdings. However, Melvil Dewey’s handy little system has endured as the standard, now used in over 200,000 libraries spanning 135 different nations. Developed in 1876, it divides the entirety of literature into 10 categories, further divided into subcategories denoted by the eponymous mathematical mark. Since its inception, DDC has undergone 22 major rounds of edits. The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) currently owns the trademark after purchasing it in 1988, enjoying the honor of being the governing body responsible for publishing revisions and new editions.

Audiobooks: Audiobooks date back to the spoken word albums of the 1930s. Typically relating plays rather than novels or other longform fiction, they could be found in libraries and schools for perusal. In 1931, the United States Congress created Books for the Adult Blind Project, and The American Foundation for the Blind commissioned and contributed recordings a year later. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s when audiobooks really hit the big time. Many, if not most, libraries at that point still kept them on hand for visually impaired patrons, but the swelling trend allowed them a wider selection from which to choose. Now available in multiple formats, usually CD or MP3, the thousands of audiobooks out there form an integral cornerstone in making the library even more accessible to differently-abled visitors.

Barcode Scanners: Both barcodes and barcode scanners greatly expedited the check in/check out process. It allows library staff to run the most efficient institution possible, thus granting both themselves and patrons alike an overall improved experience. When hooked up to a computer system, barcode readers play an integral role in cataloging holdings, be they on the shelves, in a visitor’s care, out for a bit of repair or missing entirely. Prior to the barcode’s inception around 1948 and readers in the 1960s and 1970s, libraries (not to mention grocery stores and retail outlets) utilized punch cards, notebooks and other measures to keep items cataloged.

Computers: Even beyond making cataloging and interlibrary communication a comparative breeze (not to mention a great way to save on paper), computers changed the beloved social cornerstone forever. Most systems sport at least one branch equipped with a computer or two for public use. Such a feature greatly helps students with their homework, the homeless communicate with potential job prospects and those unable to afford computers work on their taxes — among other perks, of course. Libraries fortunate enough to boast at least one lab will oftentimes use them to host classes, oftentimes for free or a very small fee. These may revolve around teaching the elderly some basic skills, training parents and kids about staying safe online, helping professionals and students master different programming techniques or software needed to get ahead and plenty more. As a leading repository of knowledge and education, it makes sense that libraries across the globe would embrace computers in order to diversify their potential.

Internet: Along with computers, the internet has spectacularly assisted libraries in reaching out the community in even more amazing ways. Even something as simple as a website connects the citizenry with the holdings, allowing them a chance to save time (and gas!) when searching for a specific read. The more financially blessed libraries out there might be able to include include games, homework help, an “ask a librarian” feature, reading lists, classes, fun quizzes, free classes, contests, downloadable legal forms and plenty more seriously cool resources on their websites. In order to better serve visually impaired patrons, those with the bandwidth oftentimes provide audiobooks for downloading.

Ebook Readers and Tablet Computers: Considering how rapidly ebook readers (Nook, Kindle, etc.) and tablet computers (iPad, PlayBook, etc.) captured consumer interest, it probably comes as no surprise that many libraries have also embraced the hot new technology. While most probably can’t afford to purchase and rent these items out, they can alter their catalogs to accommodate them. In order to save precious shelf space, many allow patrons to download electronic versions of popular reads. Once again, digital devices provided libraries with a great way to expand what they can do for the community at large, building bridges and opening up the populace to new ideas and insights.

* Today’s article is courtesy of http://www.onlinecollege.org/

*     *     *

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

Sisters in Crime will pay most of your registration fee!

Sisters in Crime members can attend the Writers’ Police Academy, to be held Sept. 23 to 25, 2011 near Greensboro, North Carolina, for a deeply-discounted registration fee of $100. SinC national will pay the balance of members’ $255 registration.

Act quickly to take advantage of this offer, which is in effect until June 15, 2011.

If you’re not a Sisters in Crime member, you can sign up for a SinC membership to receive the discount. The annual membership fee for a SinC professional membership is $40.

http://sisters-in-crime-sinc.blogspot.com/2011/05/writers-police-academy-sinc-will-pay.html

Going on vacation is great for your health, but not if you’re laid up sick the whole time. Cruise goers are especially susceptible to vacation illnesses, with close quarters, shared food, and multiple ports of call threatening their health. Here, you’ll find out how you can protect yourself from health hazards on and off the ship.

1. Wash your hands before eating: Before you eat or drink, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

2. Don’t go if you’re sick: Be considerate of others, and stay home from your cruise if you’re sick. Discuss the situation with the cruise line and find out if you can reschedule.

3. Use the on-board gym: Most cruise ships have on-board gyms available to guests, so be sure to get your exercise in on your vacation. If the gym doesn’t appeal to you, at least visit the pool, walk on deck, or sign up for cruise ship exercise classes.

4. Check out your cruise ship: Do your research and check your ship’s health record before you book your trip to be sure that you’re setting sail on a healthy, well maintained line.

5. Double check your medical insurance coverage: Ensure that your health insurance will cover your health care overseas, and medical evacuation if necessary. You may find that you need to purchase additional insurance to get this coverage.

6. Get some rest: It’s tempting to stay up late and push yourself to have fun on your vacation, but remember that you need an adequate night’s sleep for good health.

7. Don’t get gluttonous: Most ships offer an impressive array of food for guests, but don’t be too tempted. Allow yourself the occasional splurge, while being careful not to let your vacation turn into a free for all.

8. Drink plenty of water: Be sure to drink an adequate amount of water, which will help prevent dehydration, as well as help with motion sickness.

9. Cut down on seasickness: Look for a larger, newer ship that will be less subject to rough movement, and book your cruise for a time of year when the ocean should be calm.

10. Keep an eye out for sick people: If you see someone with vomiting or diarrhea, report the problem to cruise staff and leave the area as soon as possible.

11. See your doctor before traveling: Visit your doctor to discuss your travels, including immunization, medications, and chronic health issues.

12. Purchase water purification drops: Use water purification drops for your drinking water, as well as water to wash fruit and vegetables in.

13. Clean your cabin: Wipe down any surfaces you’ll touch with a disinfectant product to make sure you won’t pick up any germs.

14. Keep medications handy: Remember to carry medications with you, not in your luggage, to ensure that you don’t lose them.

15. Don’t share food: It’s tempting to pass food among friends to try different dishes, but germs and viruses can be spread this way even before symptoms are exhibited.

16. Eat thoroughly cooked foods: Eat foods that are thoroughly cooked and prepared at the appropriate temperature to be sure that local bacteria and diseases are not present in your food.

17. Pack a first aid kit: Be prepared for small emergencies by packing a first aid kit to take on your cruise.

18. Remove your bedspread: Take the bedspread off your cabin bed and ask your cabin maid to triple sheet your bed instead.

19. Organize your medical information: Get all of your important medical information together to bring on your cruise just in case you have an accident or medical emergency.

20. Inform the cruise line of your health needs: If you have any special medical needs, be sure to inform the cruise line or ship doctor before your cruise.

21. Avoid traveling during high infection periods: Pay attention to the time of year and destination to make sure you’re not visiting an area during its peak influenza season.

22. At the buffet, use different hands for serving and eating: Handle tongs and serving utensils with one hand, and eat food with the other-you don’t know what germs have come in contact with serving utensils.

23. Avoid insect bites: Your cruise may take you to locations with mosquitoes and other insects, so be sure to use DEET and/or clothing that provides coverage.

24. Practice good sexual health: Choose trusted sexual partners and use adequate protection including condoms to carefully maintain your sexual health while on your cruise.

25. Relax: Remember that vacations are good for your health and stress level, so have fun!

*     *     *

Hot news!

Does the crook in your book commit his dirty deeds using a computer? Do you want to learn about cyber-crime and/or computer forensics? Well, the Writers’ Police Academy is the place for you! Lt. Josh Moulin, one of the country’s leading high-tech crimes experts, is one of the 2011 WPA instructors. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Lieutenant Josh Moulin works for the Central Point Police Department and is assigned full-time to the FBI as the commander of the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force / FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force. He has 18 years in public safety service, ten of which have been in law enforcement serving in various roles including patrol, field training, arson investigation, detective, sergeant and lieutenant.

A nationally recognized expert in cyber crime and digital forensics, Lt. Moulin often teaches across the U.S. on various high-tech crime matters, especially about technology-facilitated crimes against children. He has been qualified as an expert witness on numerous occasions in both state and federal court and holds several national certifications in digital forensics.

Cross-designated as a Special Deputy US Marshal, Lt. Moulin holds a Secret level security clearance, allowing him to investigate violations of both state and federal law.

http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/

While we have spent a lifetime with our siblings, getting to know every quirk, trait and annoying habit that they have, we often don’t stop to think of the real impact that our sisters and brothers have on who we are and how we act. Whether it’s the order you were born in or all that good-natured (or bad-natured as the case may be) ribbing to which you subjected each other, our siblings can have an intense and long lasting effect on our lives, influencing everything from our health to how we interact with others. To learn more about how your relationship with your brothers and/or sisters has shaped who you are, here are some facts drawn from scientific research on the subject that helping illuminate the true depth of relationships between siblings.

1. Children spend more time with their siblings than with friends, parents, teachers or even alone. While siblings may not always get along, they do choose to pass a great deal of their free time with one another — more than anyone else in their life, in fact. By the time children reach age 11, they’re spending about 33% of their free time with siblings. Even as they grow into adolescence and get busy with their own lives, a Penn State University study found that they still spend about 11 hours a week with one another. In big families, these numbers can be even higher, with kids passing 17 hours with one another.

2. Siblings fight. A lot. Sometimes with a conflict every 10 minutes. Any parent of more than one child knows that they sometimes just don’t get along. Whether it’s a power struggle, competitive personalities or just plain irritation from being around one another, siblings spend a lot of time battling it out. One researcher found that brothers and sisters between 3 and 7 years old engage in conflict 3.5 times an hour. Younger kids fight even more, with a fight happening every 10 minutes.

3. Sixty-five percent of mothers and 70% of fathers exhibit a preference for one sibling over another. Talk to most siblings and they’ll tell you in a heartbeat who they believe their parents prefer. While most parents outwardly deny having a favorite child, studies have proven time and time again that this simply isn’t the case. Many, if not most parents have a favorite and kids are well aware of it. Research has shown that many non-favored siblings use this situation to their own advantage, but that it can be damaging in the long run to their self-esteem and confidence.

4. Having a sibling of the opposite sex makes boys and girls more likely to adhere to gender norms. Siblings can often try to mimic one another and follow in each other’s footsteps, but another phenomenon known as de-identification can also come into play. This is when siblings make a purposeful attempt to be different from each other and stake out their own role in the family dynamics. It can come into play in strange ways with families who have one child of each sex. Studies have suggested that this may intensify gender identification, with girls seeking out more traditionally feminine activities and friends and boys playing up the rough and tumble traits more readily attributed to their gender.

5. Having a sibling of the opposite sex may help you pick up dates more easily. Having a sibling of the opposite sex can have some other effects as well. Those with an opposite sex sibling were found in studies to have an easier time initiating and maintaining a conversation with a member of that demographic. The study revealed that those with older siblings of the opposite sex were seen as more likeable and were likely to strike up a conversation and smile, giving them a marked advantage on the dating scene.

6. Firstborns are generally smarter than the younger siblings, having on average, a three-point IQ advantage over the second sibling. As unfair as it may be, siblings who are born first tend to have a substantial academic advantage. They outperform their younger siblings by the equivalent of having had an extra year of schooling and are more likely to score higher on an IQ test. There are several theories on why this is the case, the strongest being that older siblings spend time teaching their younger siblings, thereby reinforcing their own understanding of concepts and ideas. Oddly enough, other studies have shown that younger siblings are generally born with a higher IQ, but this disparity reverses by the time children reach age 12.

7. Younger siblings tend to be more extroverted than older siblings in large families. Some believe that this is because they are so used to dealing with a large number of siblings, they are forced to speak up to get attention. It can also occur in smaller families for similar reasons. This extraversion can have long lasting effects, with surveys of siblings showing that younger siblings often have an easier time being funny and having lighthearted interactions with others. Younger siblings in the study were also found to be more creative, unconventional and rebellious than their older siblings, who were often much more serious.

8. In general, siblings interact significantly less with each other if they are not fully related. As odd as it may be, siblings’ interactions and relationships with one another may be partially determined by blood relatedness. While some step- and half- siblings may grow close over time, relationships are much more intense and warm between those who are fully related. Oddly enough, the same rules don’t necessarily apply to adopted children as step-siblings and half-siblings. Studies done by the University of Minnesota have shown that these relationships aren’t significantly affected by adoption.

9. Your sibling’s bad habits may rub off. For instance, a girl with a teenage sister who becomes pregnant is four to six times as likely to become a teen mom herself. If you have an older sibling who drinks, you’re twice as likely to drink. With smoking the numbers are four times as likely. Yet it isn’t a given that siblings will follow in each other’s less-than-stellar footsteps. The closer siblings are in age, the less likely a younger sibling is to emulate the older. Researchers think this may be because the siblings are already so alike because of their closeness in age that each one may seek ways to differentiate themselves.

10. A big part of individual personality develops in relation to interaction with siblings. All those fights with siblings may just change who you are as a person. Skills children learn in conflict resolution with siblings can carry over into other areas of life, making us better or worse at forming romantic relationships, working with others or having lasting friendships. Some other studies have suggested that birth order with siblings may also play a role in personality development, with older siblings being more nurturing and middle siblings being peacemakers, though many dispute these findings.

11. Siblings can make you shorter. A study of 14,000 British children found that those with three siblings were, on average, about one inch shorter. Having an older sibling can literally stunt your growth, because by the time younger siblings arrive on the scene there are simply fewer resources to go around. With less time, money and attention, younger siblings may come up short.

12. Have more older brothers may have an impact on sexual preference. It sounds strange, but having a few older brothers may make you more likely to be gay. According to new research, for every son a woman produces, the chance that her next son will be gay increases by 28-48 percent. It’s called the Fraternal Birth-Order Effect and researchers estimate it plays a role in the sexual preferences of up to one in seven gay men. No similar effect is found with women.

13. The number of siblings you have and your birth order can influence your health. Younger siblings are less likely to develop allergies and eczema than their older siblings, perhaps because by the time they arrive their home is already awash with germs brought in by other siblings helping to build a stronger, better immune system. Of course, all that health early on might not matter, as older siblings are much more likely to live past the age of 100. Researchers think it has more to do with the age of the mother when she gives birth than anything else, with the idea that younger eggs and wombs means healthier babies.

14. Birth order does not affect personality. The effects of birth order on personality have been the subject of research for decades now. Many believe that older children, middle children and younger children develop traits based on where they are in the birth order and the role they play in the family. New research shows that might be true– to a point. These effects are only limited to familial interactions and do not extend to those that take place outside of the family unit. So while the oldest child may be sober and serious while at home, he or she may be quite different in the role he or she plays in the outside world.

15. Siblings tend to resemble each other in looks and intelligence but are quite different in personality. Researcher Robert Plomin discovered that when it comes to home we look and how our brains work, we’re usually pretty similar to our siblings. Yet when it comes to personality, even though we share similar genetic material and upbringings, brothers and sisters often can’t be more different. Tests done on siblings to measure personality demonstrated that siblings might as well be strangers. Similar studies revealed something else as well. Even if you and your sibling are vastly different, those who didn’t grow up as only children are generally happier than their counterparts.

Today’s article courtesy of http://www.nursingschools.net/

Murders happen every day, but very rarely are they committed by people who can’t see over the witness stand. According to the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, juvenile offenders were involved in approximately 1,043 murders in 2006, which accounts for 10 percent of all murders. Children may commit a small percentage of all murders in the United States overall, but they aren’t a demographic that we can afford to ignore. Here are the 10 youngest murderers in history:

1. Carl Newton Mahan: Carl Newton Mahan was six years old when he killed his friend Cecil Van Hoose, 8, over a piece of scrap iron on May 18, 1929 in eastern Kentucky. Since times were tough, the two young boys were out looking for scrap metal to sell to a junk dealer for money. They began fighting over a piece of scrap iron, and Cecil hit Carl in the face with it. Carl ran all the way home with Cecil in tow. He grabbed his father’s shotgun and threatened to shoot Cecil — and he did. Carl went to trial for the murder of Van Hoose. The original sentencing was 15 years in reform school, but it was later turned over and the judge issued a “writ of prohibition” that kept him from going to reform school. At that time, Carl was the youngest murder defendant in the state of Kentucky and possibly in the country.

2. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables: Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were both 10 years old when they abducted and killed two-year-old James Bulger in 1993. The young boys snatched the toddler from a shopping mall while his mother was inside a store, and took him on a 2.5-mile walk across Liverpool. The boys were seen walking by approximately 38 people, but many assumed he was their younger brother. Venables and Thompson took Bulger to a railway line where they tortured and brutally attacked the toddler. Bulger suffered multiple skull fractures from blows to the head, and was sexually abused by the two older boys. After the beatings, they left Bulger’s lifeless body across the railway tracks so that his body would be cut in half. Police were able to pin Venables and Thompson because of video images that captured Bulger’s abduction from the mall. DNA testing matched the blood found on the boys’ shoes to Bulger. Thompson and Venables were arrested and controversially tried and convicted in an adult court. They were both found guilty of murder and sentenced to custody until the age of 18.

3. Lionel Tate: In 2001, Lionel Tate, 14, was convicted of first-degree murder for brutally beating 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick in 1999. Tate became the youngest person ever sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. On the night of the murder, Lionel’s mother Kathleen Grossett-Tate was babysitting the kids. She let 12-year-old Tate and 6-year-old Eunick play downstairs while she went upstairs to take a nap in preparation for her overnight shift as a Florida State Trooper. About 45 minutes later, Tate told his mother that the young girl wasn’t breathing. Tiffany was pronounced dead at the hospital. Tate, who was nearly 6 feet tall and 166 pounds, admitted to wrestling with the 48-pound girl and holding her in a headlock and slamming her head into a table, but the autopsy showed more serious injuries inflicted by Tate, including a crushed skull, broken ribs and a shredded liver that had been pushed through her rib cage. The Broward State Attorney’s Office tried Lionel as an adult and punished him with a severe sentence to life in prison without parole. The conviction and sentencing shocked the nation and spurred discussion about the prosecution of children in America.

4. Mary Bell: In 1968, 11-year-old Mary Bell was convicted of killing two young boys, 4-year-old Martin Brown and 3-year-old Brian Howe. Bell strangled Martin Brown and left his lifeless body in an abandoned house in Newcastle, England. Two weeks later, she and her 13-year-old friend Norma Bell (no relation) strangled Brian Howe, carved the letter M into his stomach with scissors and disposed of his body on waste ground. Howe’s hair had been cut and his genitals were mutilated. The girls were tried and convicted of manslaughter, but Norma was acquitted. Bell received life in detention, but only served 12 years before she was released and given lifelong anonymity.

5. Andrew Golden and Mitchell Johnson: Andrew Golden, 11, and Mitchell Johnson, 13, were responsible for killing four students and one teacher and wounding 10 others at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas on March 24, 1998. The incident became known worldwide as the Westside Middle School Massacre. Golden and Johnson had carefully planned the attack. On the morning of the shooting, the boys snuck into Andrew’s grandparent’s house and stole several guns and ammo from his grandfather’s collection and loaded their weaponry into Mitchell’s parents’ minivan. Mitchell was marked absent from school that day, but Andrew attended so that he could pull the fire alarm and meet up with Mitchell in the woods to prepare for their ambush. As soon as students and teachers started filing out of the school for the fire drill, the boys started the shooting spree. Police captured the boys in the woods and took them into custody. Under Arkansas law, the boys couldn’t be tried as adults because of their age, but they were charged for five accounts of murder in Juvenile Court and held as juvenile delinquents until age 18 and served an additional three years for federal gun charges.

6. Jordan Brown: In 2009, 11-year-old Jordan Brown shot and killed his father’s pregnant fiancé Kenzie Houk and her unborn son as well. According to police reports, Jordan walked into his father’s room and shot Houk with a hunting rifle while she was sleeping, and boarded a school bus like normal. Houk’s body was discovered by her 4-year-old daughter Adalynn. Police have reason to believe Jordan is the killer after discovering gun residue on his shirt, a fresh shell casting outside and Houk’s oldest daughter’s testimony that she saw Jordan holding the gun. Brown was arrested and charged as an adult for the murder of his soon-to-be stepmom. The case hasn’t gone to trial yet, but Jordan’s father stands by his son’s innocence. The state of Pennsylvania is tough on crime laws and considers any kid charged with murder an adult in court. In order to move Jordan’s case to juvenile court, a judge will have to overturn the rule. If convicted as an adult, Jordan could become the youngest person in U.S. history to be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

7. 8-Year-Old Boy Kills Father and Friend: In 2008, an 8-year-old boy, whose name was not released, was arrested and charged with shooting and killing his father and his father’s friend in their St. Johns, Arizona home. The young boy confessed to shooting both men with a .22 caliber rifle, but police felt something bigger caused the boy to commit such a premeditated murder. The boy also kept a tally of spankings he received from his father, but there was not enough evidence to support the possibility of abuse. He was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder, but the charges for his father’s death were dropped by his plea deal. Two years later, the 10-year-old was sentenced to a residential treatment facility and intensive probation until 18 years of age.

8. Eric Smith: Eric Smith was 13 years old when he sexually abused and murdered four-year-old Derrick Robie on August 2, 1993 in Steuben County, New York. Eric and Derrick lived in different parts of town, but attended the same recreation program a block away from the Robie household. Derrick’s mother was tending to her youngest son and wasn’t able to walk Derrick to the end of the driveway like she normally did. That day, she let her son walk one block alone for the first time. Within those short five minutes, Derrick was lured from the sidewalk into the woods and strangled by Eric. Derrick was sexually abused and his belongings were strewn around his body. Even the contents of his lunchbox were poured out and smashed near him. As details unfolded, Smith became police’s number one suspect. The innocent looking redhead with thick glasses admitted to killing Derrick, but never gave any real reason why he did it. In 1994, Smith was tried and convicted of second-degree murder and received a sentencing of nine years to life in prison, which was the maximum term given to juvenile murderers.

9. 9-Year-Old Girl Kills Playmate: In 2005, a 9-year-old girl, whose name wasn’t released, was responsible for stabbing 11-year-old Queen Washington during a fight over a ball. They were playing at the 9-year-old’s home in Brooklyn during a Memorial Day barbeque, and when her mother stepped out of the house, the fight ensued. When the mother returned, the 9-year-old had stabbed Washington in the chest with a steak knife. She collapsed in the hallway and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The killer is likely the youngest person in New York City to commit a murder. The girl was charged with manslaughter and the case will go to family court because she is younger than 14.

10. Andrew Wurst: Andrew Wurst was 14 years old when he entered his 8th grade graduation dance and opened fire, killing John Gillette and wounding another teacher and two students. Wurst showed up late to the Parker Middle School dance held at a restaurant in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, carrying his father’s .25 caliber pistol. According to Wurst’s suicide note, he was going to kill only himself, but he decided to shoot Gillette and open fire on the crowd. He was detained by the owner of the restaurant, who held him on the ground and searched him for weapons. Wurst pled guilty in a plea bargain to third-degree murder and attempted murder to avoid trial, but was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.

Today’s article courtesy of our good friends at Criminaljusticedegreesguide.com.