The Republican pundits where saying last night that they need a candidate who can win "the Latino" vote and carry Florida.
You know who that is?
That's Jeb Bush.
It's a sobering thought. Believe me, I am going to wring every ounce of reproductive choice and affordable health care I can from the next four years. You were warned, my friends.
Showing posts with label political. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political. Show all posts
Nov 7, 2012
Mar 10, 2012
You, either.
I definitely got my money's worth from school today. Have you ever heard of "fetal rights"?
One of the professors described a story of a woman who was pregnant and who had syphilis. She was at risk of passing the disease to the baby (see congenital syphilis). The woman refused treatment. The state threatened to intervene and force treatment upon her to protect the fetus. The woman relented.
I can't get this story out of my head, so I tried duck duck go!-ing it tonight. I wasn't able to find the exact news article, but my search provided this new term: fetal rights.
I have mixed feelings about this, as I'm sure many of you do. Public health and human rights is a very tangled web to unweave. In the interest of keeping it friendly here, I'll keep those feelings to myself. But please feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts and I'll share.
One of the professors described a story of a woman who was pregnant and who had syphilis. She was at risk of passing the disease to the baby (see congenital syphilis). The woman refused treatment. The state threatened to intervene and force treatment upon her to protect the fetus. The woman relented.
I can't get this story out of my head, so I tried duck duck go!-ing it tonight. I wasn't able to find the exact news article, but my search provided this new term: fetal rights.
I have mixed feelings about this, as I'm sure many of you do. Public health and human rights is a very tangled web to unweave. In the interest of keeping it friendly here, I'll keep those feelings to myself. But please feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts and I'll share.
Jan 26, 2012
Ok, Maybe This Once
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/26/145910143/the-public-respects-civility-but-rewards-rudeness
When Dubyah was in office, he came through my area several times during elections and once his motorcade drove right past my office. I romanticized to my husband how, if I'd only known he was so close, I'd have put a sign in the office window (aka "free speech zone") sharing my opinions on his presidency and his moral character. My Beloved frequently questioned me when I got in a rant like that: "yeah, but if he knocked on your door, would you let him in?" The question being, would I show respect to the office even if I didn't respect the man. The question always worked to bring me up short and make me reflect a little better on what I wanted to express. Some days I was convinced that I'd slam the door in his face; other days, I wanted to invite him in to ask the hard questions to his face.
Reading the linked article above (doesn't that photo just make you cringe?) and hearing that Romney publicly called Obama a "failed leader" makes me recall these conversations with My Beloved. I sure was ready to behave just as abominably - and it is abominable behavior - so I cannot judge Mr. Romney or Ms. Brewer. I only hope they, too, feel that twinge in their moral fiber that signals the moment when I started being more bad than good.
When Dubyah was in office, he came through my area several times during elections and once his motorcade drove right past my office. I romanticized to my husband how, if I'd only known he was so close, I'd have put a sign in the office window (aka "free speech zone") sharing my opinions on his presidency and his moral character. My Beloved frequently questioned me when I got in a rant like that: "yeah, but if he knocked on your door, would you let him in?" The question being, would I show respect to the office even if I didn't respect the man. The question always worked to bring me up short and make me reflect a little better on what I wanted to express. Some days I was convinced that I'd slam the door in his face; other days, I wanted to invite him in to ask the hard questions to his face.
Reading the linked article above (doesn't that photo just make you cringe?) and hearing that Romney publicly called Obama a "failed leader" makes me recall these conversations with My Beloved. I sure was ready to behave just as abominably - and it is abominable behavior - so I cannot judge Mr. Romney or Ms. Brewer. I only hope they, too, feel that twinge in their moral fiber that signals the moment when I started being more bad than good.
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| Me and Hil' on the hill |
Dec 11, 2011
Mine Control
I came across this story while avoiding my homework the other day about unexploded ordnances in Germany. (Why are they called ordnances? Anyone?) Isn't that just a horrible story? "600 tonnes of unexploded material discovered every year"? How is it possible to do any city planning with that kind of threat underground? Here in the city of brotherly affection, they need special permissions, zoning, and preparations to protect the discovery of any hidden mementos from our nation's birth. Ah, such simpler times, the Revolutionary War. The worst that can happen is breaking some household relic that Washington kept on his nightstand, not wiping out a square mile of 21st century infrastructure.
Does Germany get to bill the US for the cost of disposal, including transporting hospital patients to safer distances? Should they? Discuss.
Does Germany get to bill the US for the cost of disposal, including transporting hospital patients to safer distances? Should they? Discuss.
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| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
Oct 24, 2011
Good Luck with That
From today's NYT: "MTA Trash Plan: Remove Subway Station Bins"
A few years ago when we were in Japan, our tour guide regaled us with a story about waste management in the big cities. She said many people eat their meals outdoors on their lunch breaks, but this resulted in the lunchtime refuse quickly overflowing the trash cans and blowing around the town. To my way of thinking, the solution would be to add more trash cans. The Japanese? Not so much. Instead, they got *rid* of the trash cans. Now, with no nearby place to dispose of it, the lunchtimers had to cart their trash back home/to the office/the car for disposal. It was a success! No more overflowing trash bins or wax wrappers tumbling into the gutters.
Now, it seems NYC is trying a similar experiment. I think its a noble exercise and wonder how they calculated the number of trash cans to remove. According to this article, they pulled them from two busy stations, but local purveyors are complaining that trash is being displaced into their area. I think, to be successful, there must be wholesale removal. All trash cans, gone! City wide! Who's with me?!
A few years ago when we were in Japan, our tour guide regaled us with a story about waste management in the big cities. She said many people eat their meals outdoors on their lunch breaks, but this resulted in the lunchtime refuse quickly overflowing the trash cans and blowing around the town. To my way of thinking, the solution would be to add more trash cans. The Japanese? Not so much. Instead, they got *rid* of the trash cans. Now, with no nearby place to dispose of it, the lunchtimers had to cart their trash back home/to the office/the car for disposal. It was a success! No more overflowing trash bins or wax wrappers tumbling into the gutters.
Now, it seems NYC is trying a similar experiment. I think its a noble exercise and wonder how they calculated the number of trash cans to remove. According to this article, they pulled them from two busy stations, but local purveyors are complaining that trash is being displaced into their area. I think, to be successful, there must be wholesale removal. All trash cans, gone! City wide! Who's with me?!
News Flash for MTA & me: NYC is not Japan.
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| Image from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4SufQJeNigU/TTkGBuOAHsI/AAAAAAA... |
Oct 19, 2011
Schism
When I was a teenager, I felt fairly composed and mature for my age. I also felt like I was strong in my opinions, reasoned, and that they would be immutable with age. I had a recent conversation with My Beloved about a Frontline or PBS program he had seen on Facebook privacy and teens. In the program, teens went on a trip to NYC and got loaded on the train ride. There were ER visits and much of the escapade was video taped and posted. One parent, on the PTA, found out about it and sent an email to all the other PTA parents to alert them to the goings on and encourage a conversation with their teen. My Beloved asked if I thought she was right to do this?
In answering, I am aware of how differently I see myself now from my younger self. Yes, I thought she was right and would likely have done the same. It's almost as if these generations, parent and child, are at war and, like POWs, each is obligated to harass the enemy as much as possible. As a teen, I operated in strict pursuit of accomplishing my own objectives. If those aligned with others' goals, so much the better. If not, well, we each had our own destiny to pursue. I imagine I would feel the same, now, but from the perspective of a parent. My objective would be to protect and educate, without negotiation.
We don't have these theoretical kinds of conversations about parenting often. However, each time I am reminded how grateful I am to have a choice about being a parent, and how blessed I am to have been raised by people better than me.
In answering, I am aware of how differently I see myself now from my younger self. Yes, I thought she was right and would likely have done the same. It's almost as if these generations, parent and child, are at war and, like POWs, each is obligated to harass the enemy as much as possible. As a teen, I operated in strict pursuit of accomplishing my own objectives. If those aligned with others' goals, so much the better. If not, well, we each had our own destiny to pursue. I imagine I would feel the same, now, but from the perspective of a parent. My objective would be to protect and educate, without negotiation.
We don't have these theoretical kinds of conversations about parenting often. However, each time I am reminded how grateful I am to have a choice about being a parent, and how blessed I am to have been raised by people better than me.
Mar 26, 2011
Remembering Geraldine Ferraro
I learned this evening of the death of Geraldine Ferraro.
She was the vice presidential running mate to Mondale's failed bid for the presidency in 1984. It is always shocking to hear of the passing of an icon, especially an untimely loss. She was not "like me." She was wealthy, extremely well-educated, upper class. But there are truths about being a minority that transcend, and I was inspired by her confidence and faith. I am not now what I thought I would be at this age when I witnessed her historic campaign, but I have called upon my memory of her grit throughout my career.
My heart goes out to her family and all other women who, like me, are mourning the loss of a hero.
She was the vice presidential running mate to Mondale's failed bid for the presidency in 1984. It is always shocking to hear of the passing of an icon, especially an untimely loss. She was not "like me." She was wealthy, extremely well-educated, upper class. But there are truths about being a minority that transcend, and I was inspired by her confidence and faith. I am not now what I thought I would be at this age when I witnessed her historic campaign, but I have called upon my memory of her grit throughout my career.
My heart goes out to her family and all other women who, like me, are mourning the loss of a hero.
Feb 26, 2011
Additional Thoughts on Ms. Munroe
Is it reasonable to expect an employee to not have an internet presence?
My tinfoil-hatted Beloved aside, everyone is online. The internet is so pervasive in our daily lives: email, banking, games, dating, on-line education, libraries, movies. When's the last time you went more than 24hrs off-line?
What are reasonable measures the average person should be expected to take to preserve her privacy? My internet presence is more likely to be discovered through my friend/colleague network than it is by someone deliberately searching for me. Years ago, I came into work and saw a co-worker reading my blog. I hadn't shared this activity with her, although I had shared the link with a few friends from work. Presumably, one of them shared it with her. I wonder if that is how Ms. Munroe was discovered. I don't use full names, although I do share pictures. Doesn't everyone?
In Ms. Munroe's case, is the school board in a fury that she wrote about her students and her job on the internet? Or that she wrote about them in such unflattering terms?
Dec 31, 2010
How Statistics Lie
I heard on the radio this morning that 2010 was the first year in recorded history that there were fewer cars on the road.
The irony of hearing this while stuck in some of the worst holiday traffic was cruel. Of course, that will happen when unemployment is so high. I'm beginning to suspect Greenpeace for the whole financial meltdown.
The irony of hearing this while stuck in some of the worst holiday traffic was cruel. Of course, that will happen when unemployment is so high. I'm beginning to suspect Greenpeace for the whole financial meltdown.
May 18, 2010
*Poof!*
And, just like that, my faith is restored: NY Times Letters to the Editor
I am not alone.
The whole world has not gone crazy.
I am not alone.
The whole world has not gone crazy.
Mar 30, 2010
T Pahtay
At the gym this morning, I listened to clips on the news of Sarah Palin stumping for the Tea Party in Searchlight, NV. I loved Senator Reid's response: thanks for spending money in my town! Then, this morning on NPR I heard an interview with a woman at the rally who stated she was against the plan b/c it means she now has to buy insurance for all her employees (she is a small business owner). When told the plan included subsidies to help people in her situation, she scoffed. How do you know that? she queried. No one has read this bill! So....how does she know she has to buy insurance for her employees? Grrrr....
Truly, the administration better get a handle on the image of this thing and but quick. They need an early victory if there's any hope of allaying "rational" citizens' fears. What percentage of the population make up these Tea Parties? Is it like anti-choice advocates? They comprise <25% of the population but make up 50% of the rhetoric? Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that communication strategy meeting!
Truly, the administration better get a handle on the image of this thing and but quick. They need an early victory if there's any hope of allaying "rational" citizens' fears. What percentage of the population make up these Tea Parties? Is it like anti-choice advocates? They comprise <25% of the population but make up 50% of the rhetoric? Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that communication strategy meeting!
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