Andrew Wakefield Should Be Tried

Remember Doctor Andrew Wakefield, who made the controversial connection between autism and vaccines? The Sunday Times has now reported that he manipulated his data.

As the article describes, these bogus results have led to a ten-year decrease in vaccinated children in the UK. Personally, my pediatrician warned me that my Brooklyn neighborhood no longer enjoys herd immunity, because so many parents are opting out. Since no vaccination is 100% effective, my daughter could get measles if we had an outbreak.

From the Sunday Times: "Last week official figures showed that 1,348 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales were reported last year, compared with 56 in 1998. Two children have died of the disease." Those deaths should be directly attributed to Wakefield, who is defending himself from the allegations.

I hope we can end the vaccination debate once and for all and find the true causes of autism. In the meantime, parents -- please -- vaccinate your kids.

Thank you to JeanneSager at Babble.com for her post.

The Youngest Interviewer

Talk about work/life balance! Mika Brzezinski interviewed Virginia Senator Jim Webb about the stimulus package with a baby on her lap.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

My first thought was "Mika had a problem with her childcare today??" But it eventually becomes clear that the baby belongs to Executive Producer Chris Licht. I have to admit, although I'm very interested in what made it and what was cut from the stimulus package, I couldn't take my eyes off the baby.

I wish I could advocate for bringing kids to work, but I'd never get anything done!

Living on Half a Million

Can we all just agree that $500,000 is enough to live on? Even in spendy spendy New York City? Not to be bitter, but I'm not getting a bonus this year, because the company I work for didn't hit its numbers (even though my department did quite well.) And we're not getting merit raises, either. Oh, and there will be layoffs.

My friends are scared they'll lose their jobs. My local storeowners are scared they'll lose their businesses. And some probably will.

So enough with the excuses and justifications. If I'm in agreement with Donald Trump, this debate is over.

Lilly's Day!

Obama signed his first bill into law today. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, rejected by our last administration, relaxes the statute of limitations on workers’ rights to sue in pay discrimination. Ms. Ledbetter found out at the end of her career at Goodyear that she had been consistently paid less than male employees in the same and even lesser positions. The Supreme Court (love them!) determined the statue of limitations in this case ended 180 days after her first paycheck -- the incident of discrimination. Apparently, she should have discovered this pay disparity in the first six months of her new job. (By the way, do you know if you make more or less than the person sitting in the cubicle next to you?)

I'm seriously swooning over Obama. And it's a good reminder to all of us: You can clip coupons, you can find cheaper gas, you can go without dinner at a restaurant. But voting is free, and a little political action can really change your bottom line.

Too, Too Clever

This study is pretty interesting, but -- Mousewife? Really?

Three Ways to Forge Ahead (When You Want to Sit Down and Cry)

I got up particularly early this morning. I had some work obligations to get through -- nothing too hard, but it had to be done in the wee hours. So imagine my disappointment when my kid woke up an hour early as well. Crying bitter tears.

After feeding her, playing with her, even turning on the TV (a last resort, I swear), she was still weepy and clingy and wouldn't leave me alone long enough to read an email, let alone get my work done. I really thought I would sit down and cry.

I usually have three ways to get through any type of frustration, and this morning I did them all:

1. Hand off: Get someone else to help you, or even just be in charge long enough for you to get your equilibrium back. This morning, it was waking up my husband and telling him, "Tag, you're it. Please."

2. Shower: Nobody can follow you into the shower. The shower is warm and relaxing. You can metaphorically wash that anything out of your hair.

3. Walk: Just moving your legs and getting air into your lungs will free up your mind and let you get some perspective.

I didn't get my work done on time, but that was clearly never going to happen anyway. And when I was finally able to turn back to it, I had the patience and focus to just get it done. Pat me on the back; I made it.

Tip of the Day: Your To Do List

It's Monday morning. You schlep yourself to work. You curl up with a cup of coffee and your computer and open your email in box to get yourself ready for the week. Seemingly moments later, you look up, now-cold coffee clutched in your hand, and it's time for lunch.

Save yourself a little time and get yourself focused faster by jotting down notes as you clear your in box. Then WALK AWAY FROM YOUR DESK, notes in hand, and find a little quiet spot. Take your coffee with you. Write your weekly to-do list on paper. You'll get back to your desk surf-free and ready to go.