I was livid this morning when "Morning Edition" spoiled the plotline for this week's episode of "House" (I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet). The episode had been built up by Fox as the season-changing episode that couldn't be missed. Since I have yoga on Monday nights, I have been missing episodes as they air, but then catching up with them 8 days later on the Fox website (that's the soonest they post them online). There was a good reason for the actual story that NPR aired regarding one of the actors on the show, but rather than warn listeners that a spoiler was coming, or circumventing the details of the plotline, NPR essentially ruined the details of the entire episode. I'm spitting piss and vinegar I'm so angry; in fact, I even registered with the NPR website just so I could post comments about how angry I am. I was relieved to find that others were just as sore about the situation.
On a happier note, tonight is the first night of Passover. Happy Pesach, everyone!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Half the World Still Waits
Last Friday evening, while driving home from a community activism meeting, I was listening to Public Radio International's "The World." Okay, I know that first sentence makes me sound much more tuned into things than I actually am, but I really had been at a meeting and I--of course!--was listening to a subsidiary of NPR.
As I pulled into my driveway and parked the car, I found myself having what NPR calls a "driveway moment", where you're so engrossed in a story that you actually delay getting out of your car to finish listening. Unfortunately, the stories I was listening to weren't engaging; they were revolting, chilling and completely unnerving. We all hear about the horrible things that happen in our world today; I just wasn't prepared to hear three stories in a row that seemed to break off large chunks of the progress women have made in recent decades.
The first story was one about how the Afghani prime minister, Hamid Karzai, has approved the passage of a new law that places restrictions on the rights of Shiite women. Essentially, the law would restrict women from leaving their homes without the accompaniment of their husbands, and would also force women to submit sexually to their husbands, which is akin to marital rape. The expert talking on PRI about this law is Afghani, and said that Karzai hurried the bill through the Parliament, on which several women serve, not allowing any of the Parliamentarians to actually read the terms of the bill before signing it. This rush job was to insure that the bill would pass without objection, thereby appeasing the Shiites, the ultra-conservative minority sect. The expert made a good point--many Afghans, men and women alike, object to this law. Many of them have travelled overseas, whether through study or work, and have seen the rights of women in other countries, and don't agree with the oppression of women in Afghanistan. They are determined to bring progression and modernity back to their home country, and are bound to object to this law. The concern is how long it will take before their efforts--and those of the world--make a difference.
The second story was about how yet another ultra-conservative religious sect, this time in Israel, has tried to disenfranchise the accomplishments of Israeli female Cabinet members by photoshopping their images from a photograph of the Cabinet in various newspapers. The photo of the Israeli Cabinet, on which two women serve, was tampered with because showing the image of women is considered "immodest" by Orthodox tradition. A variety of newspapers targeted at the Orthodox community blacked out the women's images altogether, while other newspapers actually inserted the images of men over those of the women. According to the article, during the campaign leading up to the Cabinet elections, campaign posters were tampered with in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods.
The last story is possibly the worst out of the three. This one details how video shows a Palestinian girl was beaten by Sharia radicals (note: the same religious sect that prompted Hamid Karzai's bill in Afghanistan) for reportedly having an affair with a married man. Notice that the man was not beaten for infidelity.
This morning on my way into work, the last story I heard on the BBC World News before leaving my car was about a Rwandan woman who had been raped by the Hutus during the mass genocide of Tutsis in the mid-90s. She bore a child as a result of the rape, and he is now plagued by the knowledge that his existence is based upon violence and hate. The woman has been shunned by her people for having kept the pregnancy, and is haunted by the questions her son has for her, to the point of beating him when he inquires. She has no governmental or family support for the decision she made. First she was violated; now she continues to pay the price. This violation of women continues throughout the world, but most notably on a large-scale in war-torn Congo and genocide-ridden Sudan.
In a world with so much wealth, knowledge and access, how is it that we have yet to solve the long-standing plague of abuse to women's rights? Come on, world. We're waiting.
As I pulled into my driveway and parked the car, I found myself having what NPR calls a "driveway moment", where you're so engrossed in a story that you actually delay getting out of your car to finish listening. Unfortunately, the stories I was listening to weren't engaging; they were revolting, chilling and completely unnerving. We all hear about the horrible things that happen in our world today; I just wasn't prepared to hear three stories in a row that seemed to break off large chunks of the progress women have made in recent decades.
The first story was one about how the Afghani prime minister, Hamid Karzai, has approved the passage of a new law that places restrictions on the rights of Shiite women. Essentially, the law would restrict women from leaving their homes without the accompaniment of their husbands, and would also force women to submit sexually to their husbands, which is akin to marital rape. The expert talking on PRI about this law is Afghani, and said that Karzai hurried the bill through the Parliament, on which several women serve, not allowing any of the Parliamentarians to actually read the terms of the bill before signing it. This rush job was to insure that the bill would pass without objection, thereby appeasing the Shiites, the ultra-conservative minority sect. The expert made a good point--many Afghans, men and women alike, object to this law. Many of them have travelled overseas, whether through study or work, and have seen the rights of women in other countries, and don't agree with the oppression of women in Afghanistan. They are determined to bring progression and modernity back to their home country, and are bound to object to this law. The concern is how long it will take before their efforts--and those of the world--make a difference.
The second story was about how yet another ultra-conservative religious sect, this time in Israel, has tried to disenfranchise the accomplishments of Israeli female Cabinet members by photoshopping their images from a photograph of the Cabinet in various newspapers. The photo of the Israeli Cabinet, on which two women serve, was tampered with because showing the image of women is considered "immodest" by Orthodox tradition. A variety of newspapers targeted at the Orthodox community blacked out the women's images altogether, while other newspapers actually inserted the images of men over those of the women. According to the article, during the campaign leading up to the Cabinet elections, campaign posters were tampered with in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods.
The last story is possibly the worst out of the three. This one details how video shows a Palestinian girl was beaten by Sharia radicals (note: the same religious sect that prompted Hamid Karzai's bill in Afghanistan) for reportedly having an affair with a married man. Notice that the man was not beaten for infidelity.
This morning on my way into work, the last story I heard on the BBC World News before leaving my car was about a Rwandan woman who had been raped by the Hutus during the mass genocide of Tutsis in the mid-90s. She bore a child as a result of the rape, and he is now plagued by the knowledge that his existence is based upon violence and hate. The woman has been shunned by her people for having kept the pregnancy, and is haunted by the questions her son has for her, to the point of beating him when he inquires. She has no governmental or family support for the decision she made. First she was violated; now she continues to pay the price. This violation of women continues throughout the world, but most notably on a large-scale in war-torn Congo and genocide-ridden Sudan.
In a world with so much wealth, knowledge and access, how is it that we have yet to solve the long-standing plague of abuse to women's rights? Come on, world. We're waiting.
Sympathy Pains?
So, as you've probably heard, the Spartans were pretty much bulldozed last night by the Tarheels. It was a little hard to watch, but at the end of the day, everybody played their best, and someone had to win; unfortunately, it just wasn't us. But I'm still wearing my Spartan green today to show a little love to MSU.
As soon as I went to bed last night (I couldn't bear to watch the game to the end), I started to feel some pretty bad, tight pains in my lower abdominal area. I remember from my birth class that the Braxton-Hicks contractions are usually higher up and painless; real contractions are usually lower and more painful. I started to get nervous. I absolutely cannot have this kid with Adam still out of town. Even if it means crossing my legs and biting on rags for the next 2 1/2 weeks, this baby is staying inside of me if I have anything to say about it. But, honestly, I was getting scared; no matter which way I turned, my lower abdominal region was sore. Hoping against hope that it was just the Braxton-Hicks, I decided to change positions, which is one way to help ease that type of contractions. As soon as I sat up, the pain and the tightness went away. I felt myself calm down, and after gathering my druthers, I was able to lie back down and rest. I suppose baby decided to deliver some sympathy pains last night in support of the Spartans.
As I've said in the past, I've also been plagued by violent, graphic or just plain weird dreams during this gestation period. Last night, I'm sure in reference to my fears of early labor, I had a pretty vivid dream of having the baby. I don't recall actually giving birth (that part is usually glossed over in my dreams), but I do remember the immediate aftermath of the delivery. Adam was there, and we were both shocked that we'd had a home birth unattended by the midwives. I just remember carrying the baby around, in complete awe that it was really here, and then thinking that I'd have to call into work to tell them that I'd be coming in late that morning. After awhile, I remembered that maybe I should get the kid to nurse, and it latched on right away. Ads and I were lying on the couch next to each other, and I was quietly trying to get his attention so he could witness our baby's first meal; he was instead distracted by a program on TV and I was getting a little pissy about that. Anyway, it was only after the kid stopped nursing that I finally remembered that I should ask if it was a girl or boy; Adam hadn't thought to look before then either! So I held the baby up so he could check and he confirmed that it was a girl. We smiled and tried to decide which of the names that we've come up with we'd actually use. Shortly thereafter, I started getting panicky about going to work, then realized, "hey, I just had a baby this morning...I think they'll understand if I don't come in today!" So, I confidently picked up the phone and called out of work for the day. Funny how calling the midwife never occurred to either of us...dreams!
One other weird piece--Greg House (my cat) was my old college friend Dave, and as he started to walk down the basement to use the litter box, I wondered why on earth he couldn't clean the darn thing himself, especially considering I had my hands full now.
So, Adam is due home in about 18 days, which is nothing in the grand scheme. If a delivery weren't looming on the horizon, I probably would be kicking up my girlish heels and doing all sorts of stuff with the ladies before the hubby returned. But things are different now; I don't feel like being independent anymore, I just want him home again. It's become increasingly difficult to clean Dave's--I mean Greg House's--litter box.
As soon as I went to bed last night (I couldn't bear to watch the game to the end), I started to feel some pretty bad, tight pains in my lower abdominal area. I remember from my birth class that the Braxton-Hicks contractions are usually higher up and painless; real contractions are usually lower and more painful. I started to get nervous. I absolutely cannot have this kid with Adam still out of town. Even if it means crossing my legs and biting on rags for the next 2 1/2 weeks, this baby is staying inside of me if I have anything to say about it. But, honestly, I was getting scared; no matter which way I turned, my lower abdominal region was sore. Hoping against hope that it was just the Braxton-Hicks, I decided to change positions, which is one way to help ease that type of contractions. As soon as I sat up, the pain and the tightness went away. I felt myself calm down, and after gathering my druthers, I was able to lie back down and rest. I suppose baby decided to deliver some sympathy pains last night in support of the Spartans.
As I've said in the past, I've also been plagued by violent, graphic or just plain weird dreams during this gestation period. Last night, I'm sure in reference to my fears of early labor, I had a pretty vivid dream of having the baby. I don't recall actually giving birth (that part is usually glossed over in my dreams), but I do remember the immediate aftermath of the delivery. Adam was there, and we were both shocked that we'd had a home birth unattended by the midwives. I just remember carrying the baby around, in complete awe that it was really here, and then thinking that I'd have to call into work to tell them that I'd be coming in late that morning. After awhile, I remembered that maybe I should get the kid to nurse, and it latched on right away. Ads and I were lying on the couch next to each other, and I was quietly trying to get his attention so he could witness our baby's first meal; he was instead distracted by a program on TV and I was getting a little pissy about that. Anyway, it was only after the kid stopped nursing that I finally remembered that I should ask if it was a girl or boy; Adam hadn't thought to look before then either! So I held the baby up so he could check and he confirmed that it was a girl. We smiled and tried to decide which of the names that we've come up with we'd actually use. Shortly thereafter, I started getting panicky about going to work, then realized, "hey, I just had a baby this morning...I think they'll understand if I don't come in today!" So, I confidently picked up the phone and called out of work for the day. Funny how calling the midwife never occurred to either of us...dreams!
One other weird piece--Greg House (my cat) was my old college friend Dave, and as he started to walk down the basement to use the litter box, I wondered why on earth he couldn't clean the darn thing himself, especially considering I had my hands full now.
So, Adam is due home in about 18 days, which is nothing in the grand scheme. If a delivery weren't looming on the horizon, I probably would be kicking up my girlish heels and doing all sorts of stuff with the ladies before the hubby returned. But things are different now; I don't feel like being independent anymore, I just want him home again. It's become increasingly difficult to clean Dave's--I mean Greg House's--litter box.
Monday, April 6, 2009
A Little Luck
As NPR and various other news media have been saying for the past week, the state of Michigan really needs something to be happy and proud about. Why not put that burden on the shoulders of a group of 20-year old college kids? Hoping for a little luck tonight as we root the Spartan men's basketball team on to win the NCAA finals.
Go Green! Go White!
Go Green! Go White!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Go Green! Go White!
The Michigan State Spartans Men's basketball team won an upset game over Univ. Connecticut last night, winning 82-73. It was fantastic. I had a few friends over for sandwiches and Sparty decorated cupcakes. We have a little Spartan fan in the making...Go Green! Go White!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Being With Your New Baby? Priceless
On my way home from work this afternoon, driving with the window cranked down (yes, I have a car that has crank windows), listening to NPR's pledge drive, I was in a good mood. My work day had ended an hour early, the weather was a beautiful 60 degrees, and I was going home to pick up Kika and take her to the park. I was stoked.
I made a slight detour to the gas station to fill up, which always kind of ruins my mood a bit, because I go to the dirt cheap Admiral gas station right off the highway. It's the station that you hear about on the nightly news about three times a year because it got held up yet again. But hey, it's got the cheapest gas in town, and so it's "my station."
One of the things that annoys me the most about the place is that you can't pay at the pump. You have to go inside before you pump, even during the day, even if you're going to use a credit card. So I have to go inside, tell the dude which pump I'm on, go back outside to pump, then go back in the store to pay, then return to my car to leave. It's a pain in the proverbial arse. But...cheap gas and all...
So, today I did the drill--went inside, left my card, went outside, filled up my tank, went back in and stood in line to pay. When I finally got up to the counter, the guy took my card and swiped it, and while I stood looking out the window, I could tell from the corner of my eye that he was checking out my belly. I tried to ignore it, but his stare was so intense that I finally met his eyes. He grinned sheepishly and said, "Okay, so I'm just gonna ask...are you...?" while making a round gesture over his own belly.
I laughed and said, "Yeah, I am...I didn't get this way from eating a bunch of donuts!", which was really a guilt-filled allusion to the two huge donuts I snarfed in my car on the way to work yesterday morning.
All of a sudden, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, which he quickly placed, flipped open, on the counter in front of me. "This is my baby daughter who was just born this morning," he proudly said, pointing to the screen picture.
I stared at him, stunned. I had never met this particular employee before, but suddenly we were kindred spirits. "What?? What are you doing here?" I exclaimed before thinking.
"I had to work" he replied, matter-of-fact.
"Well, congratulations, that's awesome! Wow!" I was at a loss for words. I couldn't imagine having our baby and then Adam leaving me to go to work for the day. The day one's baby is born just seems like a sacred day, not to be missed if one can help it. Couldn't any of his coworkers fill in for him just this one day??
As I walked back out to my car, my brain started going into overdrive--what could I do so he could get to the hospital to be with his woman and their new daughter? I actually thought about volunteering to work for him, but my friend, common sense, kicked in to remind me that wouldn't work.
After wracking my brain as I pulled out of the parking lot and coming up short, it finally dawned on me that maybe he had to work not because no one could cover him, but because he needed the money. In this current economy, we all do.
So once again, I realized with gratitude how lucky I am to have Adam coming home in a few short weeks to spend the following month helping me prepare for Baby's arrival. If Adam being gone for the last six months is the price I pay for his being by my side through labor, delivery and the wondrous hours following, then so be it. It's all been worth it.
I made a slight detour to the gas station to fill up, which always kind of ruins my mood a bit, because I go to the dirt cheap Admiral gas station right off the highway. It's the station that you hear about on the nightly news about three times a year because it got held up yet again. But hey, it's got the cheapest gas in town, and so it's "my station."
One of the things that annoys me the most about the place is that you can't pay at the pump. You have to go inside before you pump, even during the day, even if you're going to use a credit card. So I have to go inside, tell the dude which pump I'm on, go back outside to pump, then go back in the store to pay, then return to my car to leave. It's a pain in the proverbial arse. But...cheap gas and all...
So, today I did the drill--went inside, left my card, went outside, filled up my tank, went back in and stood in line to pay. When I finally got up to the counter, the guy took my card and swiped it, and while I stood looking out the window, I could tell from the corner of my eye that he was checking out my belly. I tried to ignore it, but his stare was so intense that I finally met his eyes. He grinned sheepishly and said, "Okay, so I'm just gonna ask...are you...?" while making a round gesture over his own belly.
I laughed and said, "Yeah, I am...I didn't get this way from eating a bunch of donuts!", which was really a guilt-filled allusion to the two huge donuts I snarfed in my car on the way to work yesterday morning.
All of a sudden, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, which he quickly placed, flipped open, on the counter in front of me. "This is my baby daughter who was just born this morning," he proudly said, pointing to the screen picture.
I stared at him, stunned. I had never met this particular employee before, but suddenly we were kindred spirits. "What?? What are you doing here?" I exclaimed before thinking.
"I had to work" he replied, matter-of-fact.
"Well, congratulations, that's awesome! Wow!" I was at a loss for words. I couldn't imagine having our baby and then Adam leaving me to go to work for the day. The day one's baby is born just seems like a sacred day, not to be missed if one can help it. Couldn't any of his coworkers fill in for him just this one day??
As I walked back out to my car, my brain started going into overdrive--what could I do so he could get to the hospital to be with his woman and their new daughter? I actually thought about volunteering to work for him, but my friend, common sense, kicked in to remind me that wouldn't work.
After wracking my brain as I pulled out of the parking lot and coming up short, it finally dawned on me that maybe he had to work not because no one could cover him, but because he needed the money. In this current economy, we all do.
So once again, I realized with gratitude how lucky I am to have Adam coming home in a few short weeks to spend the following month helping me prepare for Baby's arrival. If Adam being gone for the last six months is the price I pay for his being by my side through labor, delivery and the wondrous hours following, then so be it. It's all been worth it.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I'm SO NOT "Slob Locked"...
Last night, you might have caught the PBS program "Frontline" presenting an insightful and disturbing look at the U.S. health care industry. Titled, "Sick Around America", the one-hour documentary examines how health care in States has become about the bottom dollar, rather than about insuring the ill. There were journalists and industry insiders exposing how health insurance employees were getting bonuses for retroactively rescinding health care coverage to the seriously ill who had filed claims for treatments.
The program talked extensively about everyday people like you and I who work, but are uninsured (that would be me) or are underinsured (that might be you and you wouldn't even know it until a major health issue occurred and your plan decides not to cover your treatments/medications). The most heart-wrenching story was about a young woman who was diagnosed with lupus while in college, only to be dropped from her parents' health insurance upon graduation. In her quest to find subsequent coverage, she continually came up short because no company would insure her for having a "pre-existing condition." After finally paying exorbitant premiums and copays to work with an individualized insurance company, they dropped her when she was admitted to hospital for life-saving treatments. Her bill topped $900,000, which of course, she could not pay. Only after her death a few months later (at the age of 32) did her parents get a letter from the insurance agency indicating that her health insurance should never have been dropped; a mistake had been made.
Anyway, while I could easily go off on a political tirade about the issues surrounding this, and how a lot of people have their heads up their butts rather than admit the American model isn't working and maybe we should (*gasp*) examine how effectively other countries are handling their health care systems, I won't. Instead, I wanted to write about something in the documentary that struck me as a little more personal. One professor who was interviewed talked about how many Americans are making difficult lifestyle choices to insure that they attain or keep their health insurance. She pointed out recent college graduates as well as career professionals who are accepting and staying in jobs below their economic and academic potential because they need a decent health insurance plan. She referred to this as "job locked." She then ruefully went on to talk about people who are getting married when they wouldn't otherwise, or are staying in bad marriages because they can't afford to be without health coverage. This, of course, reminded me of Adam's and my situation, up until the point where she smirked and referred to it as "slob locked." Yeah, that's not quite us...while I would have happily stayed with Adam the rest of my life without getting married, I was also quite okay with the idea of having a small Key West wedding sometime in the near future. I guess, for me, it was a non-issue. Getting married in our house last year was ideal for me (little stress, little fanfare) but admittedly, we did it with the intention of securing health care. But despite this "lifestyle choice" we made, there's nothing about it that would indicate that we are two slobs locked into a marriage to each other. Quite the opposite, we are happily married and the health benefits are a side bonus.
In any case, if you're at all interested in this national crisis (these are not my words, they are the words of industry experts who are looking at the downfall of national health as well as the economy), you might look at last night's program, which you find in the link above. "Frontline" has a tendency to be quite fair and balanced, so whatever your political views, I think you'll find something interesting and educational in the program.
The program talked extensively about everyday people like you and I who work, but are uninsured (that would be me) or are underinsured (that might be you and you wouldn't even know it until a major health issue occurred and your plan decides not to cover your treatments/medications). The most heart-wrenching story was about a young woman who was diagnosed with lupus while in college, only to be dropped from her parents' health insurance upon graduation. In her quest to find subsequent coverage, she continually came up short because no company would insure her for having a "pre-existing condition." After finally paying exorbitant premiums and copays to work with an individualized insurance company, they dropped her when she was admitted to hospital for life-saving treatments. Her bill topped $900,000, which of course, she could not pay. Only after her death a few months later (at the age of 32) did her parents get a letter from the insurance agency indicating that her health insurance should never have been dropped; a mistake had been made.
Anyway, while I could easily go off on a political tirade about the issues surrounding this, and how a lot of people have their heads up their butts rather than admit the American model isn't working and maybe we should (*gasp*) examine how effectively other countries are handling their health care systems, I won't. Instead, I wanted to write about something in the documentary that struck me as a little more personal. One professor who was interviewed talked about how many Americans are making difficult lifestyle choices to insure that they attain or keep their health insurance. She pointed out recent college graduates as well as career professionals who are accepting and staying in jobs below their economic and academic potential because they need a decent health insurance plan. She referred to this as "job locked." She then ruefully went on to talk about people who are getting married when they wouldn't otherwise, or are staying in bad marriages because they can't afford to be without health coverage. This, of course, reminded me of Adam's and my situation, up until the point where she smirked and referred to it as "slob locked." Yeah, that's not quite us...while I would have happily stayed with Adam the rest of my life without getting married, I was also quite okay with the idea of having a small Key West wedding sometime in the near future. I guess, for me, it was a non-issue. Getting married in our house last year was ideal for me (little stress, little fanfare) but admittedly, we did it with the intention of securing health care. But despite this "lifestyle choice" we made, there's nothing about it that would indicate that we are two slobs locked into a marriage to each other. Quite the opposite, we are happily married and the health benefits are a side bonus.
In any case, if you're at all interested in this national crisis (these are not my words, they are the words of industry experts who are looking at the downfall of national health as well as the economy), you might look at last night's program, which you find in the link above. "Frontline" has a tendency to be quite fair and balanced, so whatever your political views, I think you'll find something interesting and educational in the program.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)