tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81802706314228377482024-03-14T00:01:04.255-04:00femonomicsThe women's magazine we wish existed.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.comBlogger397125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-64892080914595393932011-12-09T09:30:00.001-05:002011-12-09T09:30:01.800-05:00Recipe Fridays: Butternut squash lasagna with brown-butter ricotta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yazh99L-ZL4/TtwfQ29L5dI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Q0qpH-9mW20/s1600/Lasagna.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yazh99L-ZL4/TtwfQ29L5dI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Q0qpH-9mW20/s320/Lasagna.png" width="320" /></a></div>This is a recipe based on the idea of those yummy butternut squash ravioli that proliferate at restaurants this time of year--butternut squash, brown butter, and sage, but in something you can make at home! This recipe takes at least 1.5 hours (not all of it active) from start to finish, so plan ahead!<br />
<br />
1 box flat "no boil" lasagna noodles<br />
1 3lb butternut squash<br />
1 16 oz container ricotta cheese (part skim)<br />
1/2 stick butter<br />
olive oil, salt, nutmeg, maple syrup<br />
3-4 leaves fresh sage<br />
parmesan cheese<br />
<br />
Start by peeling the butternut squash. The easiest method is to chop the "stem" part off from the bulb, and then chop off the very top and peel it straight down the sides. Then cut the bottom off the bulb, peel, but in half, and scoop out seeds. Chop into 1" chunks (or smaller for faster cooking time). Toss with olive oil and salt, then spread in single layer on 1 or 2 foil-covered cookie sheets, and roast at 375F for about 30 minutes, stirring 3-4 times, or until squash is soft and starting to brown lightly in places. Either place in blender or in a bowl and use immersion blender, add about two cups of water, and blend to a smooth puree. This takes the place of "sauce" in regular no-boil lasagna, so you want it to be quite slushy--add more water if needed. Add maple syrup to taste (it should be sweet, but not dessert-like) and just a hint of nutmeg.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, swirling with a whisk, over low-medium heat. Continue cooking until it starts to brown and smell "toasty", then reduce heat and cook 1-2 minutes more until butter is browned (but not black!) throughout. Stir all but 1 tablespoon of the browned butter into the ricotta cheese (this is why I recommend part skim--it gets plenty rich), then add about 1 cup of water to make the ricotta light and fluffy. Season with salt to taste. Chop the sage and set aside.<br />
<br />
Spread 1/4 of the squash on the bottom of a lasagna pan. Layer three lasagna noodles on top (or four if you like to overlap, but that means one less layer. I prefer to leave gaps and let the noodles spread to fill). Spread 1/2 ricotta mixture on noodles. Layer three more noodles on top, then 1/4 of the squash mixture. On top of this layer, sprinkle the chopped sage evenly. Layer three more noodles, then the rest of the ricotta. Three more noodles, then 1/4 squash. Three more noodles, then spread remaining squash mixture on top (this is important, to ensure the top noodle layer cooks) and pour down the sides. You should end up with squash, noodle, ricotta, noodle, squash & sage, noodle, ricotta, noodle, squash, noodle, squash--5 noodle layers, 2 ricotta, and 4 squash. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cover with foil, and bake at 375F for about 20 minutes, then uncover and let the cheese brown for the last 10. You'll know it's done when a knife easily inserts, meaning the noodles are cooked through.<br />
<br />
To serve, dot with the last tablespoon of brown butter, and cut into slices between the noodles in thirds, then in thirds the other way. Goes great with <a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/04/recipe-fridays-raw-vegan-massaged-kale.html">raw kale salad</a>. Serves 4.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-35142535654025268642011-12-05T21:02:00.002-05:002011-12-05T21:03:47.496-05:00HousekeepingHi Everyone! In case you were wondering, yes, femonomics is back in a limited capacity. Mongoose and I had to take a break for a little while due to career, school, etc, but are going to start up blogging again, although not as prolifically, nor as broadly, as we were. In particular, we're going to keep the blog focused on policy/economics, feminism, and of course, recipe Fridays. While we cook up the next post, here are some of our greatest hits you might enjoy:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/06/sexy-rape-what-ayn-rand-michael.html">Sexy rape: What Ayn Rand, Michael Winterbottom, and Ang Lee have in common</a><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/05/are-men-smarter-than-women-your-guide.html">Are men smarter than women? Your guide to detecting bad science</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/11/american-doctor-in-paris-or-why-i-want.html">An American doctor in Paris (or why I want an apology from Jezebel)</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-pick-up-chicks-reasonably.html">How to pick up chicks: A reasonably informed response to pickup artist guides</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/05/watching-blind-side-thinking-about.html">Watching the Blind Side, thinking about Hollywood's problem with race</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/03/xkcd-and-pornography-and-feminism.html">XKCD and pornography (and feminism?)</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/05/saving-africa-who-said-they-want-it.html">Saving "Africa"? Who said they want it?</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/04/in-advocating-for-others-listening-is.html">In advocating for others, listening is prime</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/07/mad-men-remind-me-again-how-pete.html">Mad Men: Remind me again how Pete Campbell is supposed to be a sympathetic character?</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Last but not least, the <a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/08/recipe-fridays-nutella-milkshake.html">Nutella Milkshake</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>We hope you enjoy reading, and we hope you stick around to see what we come up with next!</div><div>-Coca Colo</div><div><br />
</div>Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-5565688443086339272011-11-27T23:48:00.004-05:002011-12-05T20:31:14.171-05:00Involuntary Sterilization, Cowboy Doctors, and the West in Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dnEgkJTvNbI/TtMEjy6lmJI/AAAAAAAAAro/PHTtE1PC94E/s1600/EFswingvine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dnEgkJTvNbI/TtMEjy6lmJI/AAAAAAAAAro/PHTtE1PC94E/s1600/EFswingvine.jpg" /></a></div><br />
J from <a href="http://talesfromethehood.com/">Tales from the Hood</a> sure knows how to cheer a girl up. By sending her a story about someone <a href="http://eriktravelsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/daktari-may-i-bother-you-for-moment.html">bragging about participating in a non-consensual sterilization</a> in Tanzania!<br />
<br />
Now, this is not some big well known person, and there are lots of stupid people on the internet, posting about doing lots of terrible things. So why does this warrant a post? Well, maybe, because J felt the need to "share the love" with me, and now I want to share it with you, so we can stare open-mouthed together. But also, because even though this is just one guy posting about doing stupid things in developing countries, I think his mindset is reflective of a far more common, and deeply damaging, mindset in aid workers: "We're here to help. Therefore, we're helping." And also: "We know better than the poor people (after all, they are poor, and we are not)." Neither of those are true, as J and others have meticulously documented. So, into the meat of our story.<br />
<br />
The blog's author, Erik, is a doctor working in a village in Tanzania. A Tanzanian doctor comes to his house at 9 pm, asking for help:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"Hello Dakatari, come on in." We never used each others name. Only Daktari. It's how it is done. The challenge was to use it in every single sentence.<br />
"Daktari, I wonder if I could beg a little help from you this evening. We have a little bit of a problem, Daktari."<br />
"Happy to help, Daktari. What's up?"<br />
"Daktari, a woman has come in to the clinic tonight. She is pregnant and has been in labor for two full days. She has been with the village Traditional Healer for the whole day."<br />
<br />
The Traditional Healer. Say no more. Straight away I knew this was not going to go well. Each village had a Traditional Healer/Witch Doctor who practiced ancient arts of medicine. These techniques included ritual skin cutting, herbs and randomly placed sticks through punctures. I'm sure that many of their methods worked, but the only ones we ever saw were the ones that didn't. In those cases the patients would be dragged to our hospital as a last resort. They were usually in septic shock, nearly dead or horribly late for treatment like our Sunday night patient.</blockquote>The woman needs a C-section, and the Tanzanian doctor has an injured hand, so can't perform the surgery himself. Eric is hesitant since OBGyn isn't his specialty, and he hasn't performed a C-section in 20 years, but he ultimately agrees. The patient's health takes a turn for the worse during the operation:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-II3EL_3y5mE/TtMEnS957aI/AAAAAAAAArw/MNu1-JQLfSk/s1600/in+scrubs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-II3EL_3y5mE/TtMEnS957aI/AAAAAAAAArw/MNu1-JQLfSk/s1600/in+scrubs.JPG" /></a>"How's it going up there, doc?" I asked. Everyone who wasn't a Daktari, I called doc. It was simpler.<br />
"Hmmmmmm..........." I thought he didn't understand my English. I spoke slower.<br />
"How is she doing, doc?"<br />
"Hmmmmmmm...................Well, Daktari, maybe she is not breathing. I cannot be sure," he said without an ounce of panic. I thought: that's a little nonchalant for what he's talking about. </blockquote>They begin CPR:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"Daktari, the epidural injection must have gone too high and paralyzed all her nerve function," I said as I started doing chest compression over her sternum.. I heard a rib crack with a loud POP under my hand and I winced.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Yes Daktari. I believe that is correct," said Dr. M. She is a young woman and this is her fifth baby. She has a good heart."<br />
Fifth baby, I thought. Holy shit. All I could think of was five orphans.<br />
"C'mon, cmon," I said to no one in particular, "this cannot go down like this."<br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>And here's where it happens:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">As I pumped on her chest I saw Dr. M working inside her belly with his one good hand. With her body heaving back and forth from the chest compressions it must have been like trying to do a tattoo in a car on a bumpy road.<br />
"How's she doing down there, Daktari?" I asked.<br />
"Fine. I am tying her tubes. I think she does not need another baby after this." Dr. M was a cool character. I was wondering if she was going to survive the next five minutes and he was already doing family planning.<br />
"Cmon, cmonnnnnnnnnnn.............."</blockquote> Ultimately, the woman's heart starts beating, and she lives.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">The patient didn't remember anything that had happened. It was like she went away and then came back. We told her she had a baby boy. She asked why her chest was hurting. Dr. M told her not to worry about it. She was wheeled into the recovery room. Dr. M. told me to go home. He would handle it from here.</blockquote>The post ends with Erik celebrating that five kids still have a mother, and the role his own heroism played in saving the woman's life. I have no doubt that his medical skills did save the woman's life, after it was jeopardized by others' on his team. I also realize he is not the one that performed the sterilization without the woman's consent. But, he is the one writing about it, and displaying a shocking nonchalance about this extreme breach of an individual's medical rights and human dignity. <br />
<br />
In fact, the author displays a disturbing condescension toward the patient, and her rights to be informed, throughout the piece: in addition to not being informed of the sterilization, she is not told about her heart stopping, or the rib-cracking CPR. The disdain that the author displays for locals who choose to go to the traditional healer displays further condescension. "The Traditional Healer. Say no more. Straight away I knew this was not going to go well." Yet, given the deplorable medical care the woman ultimately received, who could blame her or women like her for preferring to visit a traditional healer, or traditional birth attendant? Perhaps, the woman knows that it is unlikely for a traditional healer to accidentally paralyze her lungs with excess anesthesia. It's also unlikely that a traditional healer would sterilize her without her consent. Aggregate statistics show that giving birth in a health center, even a bad one, is safer for the mother than giving birth at home, but for any individual woman, maintaining control over her body might be preferable to the marginal increase in survival rates.<br />
<br />
But I promised this post was about more than just this case, so let's examine <i>why</i> so many people think it is okay to sterilize a poor woman without her consent. It is a crime that has been committed across the globe, in America, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, and continues to this day. Note that the <a href="http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/3288-peru-to-reopen-investigation-into-forced-sterilizations-of-women">Fujimori-era forced sterilizations now being re-investigated</a> in Peru often occurred under these very same circumstances: A woman arrived at the hospital to give birth, or for some other medical procedure, and left with her fallopian tubes tied, often never knowing the difference until she failed to conceive, or developed an infection from the hasty operation.<br />
<br />
Sadly, forced sterilization programs often take root under the guise of progressive policy: expanding women's access to contraception. Note the telling language Erik uses to refer to the non-consensual sterilization: "family planning." The conflation of externally-imposed fertility limits with voluntary family planning is chilling indeed. But this conflation is made over and over again, because people in positions of power, whether the Westerner, or the local, educated doctor administering medical services to poor women, believe they know what is best for their patients. Naturally, a woman with five children should not have any more, the reasoning goes. Or, a woman too poor to support the children she does have, even if only one or two, should surely be kept from having more.<br />
<br />
No matter how benign this paternalism masquerading as benevolence might sound, forced sterilization is a crime that is committed against women (and sometimes men, such as in Indira Ghandi's India), stripping them of free agency and human dignity. Patients get to decide what medical procedures are performed on them for a variety of reasons. They get to decide because there is no medical procedure that does not have risks as well as benefits, no matter how enormous the benefits or how small the risks. They get to decide because lots of things that doctors used to think were really good (e.g., hormone replacement therapy) are sometimes really bad. They get to decide because what makes sense for one person may not make sense for someone else. Fully informed consent, where someone is told of the risks and benefits of a procedure, and allowed to make their own, non-coerced, lucid decision, is one of the hallmarks of ethical medical care.<br />
<br />
In the case of sterilization specifically, the stakes can be incredibly high. For some women, being able to produce children may be their guarantee of economic security. If they stop producing, their husband may seek another wife, and cut off spousal support. In Zambia, infertile women have told of being divorced and treated as a burden by their community. In South Asia, failure to produce children has been offered up as one predicator of bride burning. In an environment where women lack access to many conventional forms of capital, their ability to produce something valued by society in the form of children may be vital to their physical and economic security. <br />
<br />
But even if it is not, the decision to have or not have children is one of the most private and individual choices possible. Who are these men to take away that choice? The story says the woman is young. What if all her children pass away, and she then wants to have another child? Will the good doctors reverse this involuntary tube-tying for her? Probably not. Worse than that, she won't be able to ask, because <i>she doesn't know it was done. </i>Or maybe she just really wants to have a massively large, <i>irresponsibly large,</i> family. Guess what? Being poor doesn't strip her of her rights to make these types of decisions--even if they are bad decisions--for herself. If the doctor is concerned that it isn't really her decision, that the woman may not want children, while her husband does, he could offer her the option of sterilization, or a concealable form of contraception, when she is lucid and able to make an informed decision. But he didn't, because no one in this story believes it is her decision to make.<br />
<br />
Worse, the men in this story think that making these types of decisions for their patients, violating their patients' medical rights, makes them badass. They're cowboys, trying to tame the wild wild East. And they are so much smarter than the people they're trying to help.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-13058866297945177772011-11-10T10:47:00.002-05:002011-12-03T11:06:17.730-05:00Joe Paterno Hurt Children, Too<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kZJ4xWhF3g4/TtMS9N9w6II/AAAAAAAAAr4/zf0Ll49hiUs/s1600/Joe_Paterno_Sideline_PSU-Illinois_2006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kZJ4xWhF3g4/TtMS9N9w6II/AAAAAAAAAr4/zf0Ll49hiUs/s1600/Joe_Paterno_Sideline_PSU-Illinois_2006.jpg" /></a></div>Child sex abuse is perpetrated by criminals, but enabled by thousands of adults who perpetuate a culture of shame and self-doubt for its victims. One of those adults is Joe Paterno. The University Board was absolutely correct to remove him as head coach. He had an opportunity to prevent harm from occurring to children, and he chose silence, shame, and rape culture over that opportunity. A University is in the business of educating young people to be responsible adults. Right now, at Penn State, their role models are few and far between.<br />
<br />
The crime of childhood sex abuse is two-fold, each piece doing its own part to damage the child’s psyche: first, the abuse itself, then the cover-up. The cover-up is integral to the crime, and in fact part of the crime itself, because most childhood sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone close to the victim—a relative, a friend of the family, a religious leader…a coach. The abuser knows that to the child, sex is shameful, and uses this as a weapon to enlist the child in the cover-up. They also use their authoritative position, whether simply as an adult, or as a mentor, teacher, parent, or coach, to convince the child that the abuser’s behavior is normative, and that it’s the child’s perceptions that are out of whack. The child comes to believe they have done something wrong, because if not, why can’t they talk about it? This shame and isolation on top of the abuse itself causes irreparable harm. <br />
<br />
In the case of this particular cover-up, Sandusky couldn’t have imagined that he would have so much help. So many other adults had internalized the idea that sex is shameful, and thus sex abuse something to be hushed up, and authority is not to be questioned (especially not football authority!), that they covered up Sandusky’s crimes for him. And in doing so, they, too, hurt children. They participated in the second crime of sexual abuse, just as damaging as the first. <br />
<br />
When a graduate assistant witnessed Sandusky raping a child, he left. He then reported the incident to Joe Paterno, who met in hushed rooms with administrators to decide what to do about this “situation.” They decided to ban Sandusky from bringing children on campus, and restrict his access to certain areas. Anyone involved in those conversations should be fired. <br />
<br />
Imagine, you see a member of the faculty savagely beating his child in a classroom. Do you tell him not to bring his children on campus anymore? What on earth good would that do? No. You call the police. It’s the difference between something being “not the type of thing you want to be around” and “not the type of thing that is legally allowed.” <br />
<br />
Childhood sexual abuse victims, more than anything, need to be able to say that what happened to them was wrong, that it was a crime, and that it was not their fault. Adults like those at Penn State rob us of the ability to put a name to what happened to us—to say, “A crime happened here.” By backing slowly away from what he’d seen instead of intervening and calling the police, that first adult on the scene told that child: You’re not a victim—you’re a pervert. You deserve to be banned with the coach. His actions said, what’s happening here is twisted, messed up. And you’re part of it. The other adults who took no action to find or help the victim, investigate the crime, or bring its perpetrator to justice supported this view, sending the same message: we don’t want that kind of business here. It’s shameful. But they didn’t call it a crime. If it was, they would have called the police, acted as witnesses, and warned the campus about the predator on the loose. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div>And so that child, like Sandusky’s victims after, and like so many victims before, lost that fragile reassurance that he was indeed a victim, and that he had been harmed by a monster. Instead, he wondered just how bad he must be, to have people walk away from him like that. <br />
<br />
It is actions like these that make childhood sex abuse victims lose their ability to distinguish non-resistance from consent, crime from complicity, trust from harm, and adult from enemy. And so the victims, the survivors of these attacks, were left to wonder about their own guilt, to stew in shame, and grow to hate themselves. Incredibly, bravely, some of them spoke out. They took the step that no one else would take for them. They said that what happened to them was wrong. <br />
<br />
Sandusky is ultimately responsible, and should go to jail, no doubt. But the blame shouldn’t stop there. Because behind every abuser, there tend to be dozens of adults ignoring the warning signs, making excuses, protecting the perpetrator, and blaming the victim. Those adults, the ones that Penn State students are rioting to support, acted as conspirators when they could have been saviors. <br />
<br />
I hope these individuals, who have been outclassed in moral courage and strength of character by the victims in this case a thousand times over, will use every platform they have to apologize. I hope they go on the news, write books, or scream from mountaintops to say to this boy, and the ones who came before and after: I failed you. I harmed you. What happened to you was a crime, and it was my duty as an educator, citizen, and human being to report it. I can never give you back what you have lost, but I can tell you that it was real, that it was not your fault…that it was ours. I am so sorry. <br />
<br />
But I don’t think they will. I think they’ll make the easy choice now, as they did then. And for that, they should at least lose their standing to ever again make those types of decisions. A critical pass was thrown their way, and they fumbled. Game over.</div>Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-2326601570540471732011-02-18T12:41:00.004-05:002011-02-18T13:17:19.313-05:00Recipe Fridays: Key Lime Pie<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NGWB5BKv_k8/TV63XFSDbKI/AAAAAAAAAD4/aB_bXX5ATnU/s1600/key%2Blime%2Bpie.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575094995914026146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NGWB5BKv_k8/TV63XFSDbKI/AAAAAAAAAD4/aB_bXX5ATnU/s320/key%2Blime%2Bpie.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>With the surprisingly spring-like weather popping up this week, I'm starting to get spring fever! That means one thing: delectable warm weather treats like key lime pie. I've been searching for a quick, easy recipe, and I found the perfect one from <a href="http://www.emerils.com/">Emril Lagasse</a>. Trust me, this pie will disappear in a matter of minutes. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Crust (by the way, this is a great crust recipe to have on hand for other pies):</div><br /><div>1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs (which is basically one of the packages of graham crackers in a box)</div><div>1/2 cup sugar</div><div>4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled</div><br /><div></div><div>Mix these ingredients and then press into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let crust cool to room temperature. </div><div></div><br /><div>Filling</div><div>2 cans (14 oz) of condensed milk</div><div>1 cup of key lime or regular lime juice</div><div>2 eggs</div><div></div><br /><div>Stir until everything is fully blended. Pour filling into the cooled pie crust. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Then chill in fridge for at least 2 hours. </div><br /><div></div><div>Topping (this is what I find really interesting about this recipe--omit if you like)</div><div>1 cup sour cream</div><div>2 tablespoons powdered sugar</div><div>Lime zest</div><div></div><br /><div>Mix sour cream and powdered sugar. Spread on top of pie after it has cooled. Sprinkle with lime zest and serve. </div>TDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12860120211046911657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-70379091723565201552011-02-09T10:36:00.003-05:002011-02-10T00:10:01.483-05:00George Clooney answers your questions about malaria! Hooray!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TVKrDu84YqI/AAAAAAAAArQ/AiSHJhim9ZU/s1600/George+Clooney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TVKrDu84YqI/AAAAAAAAArQ/AiSHJhim9ZU/s320/George+Clooney.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>George Clooney got malaria in Sudan. Now him and buddy Nicholas Kristof have a <a href="http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/george-clooney-answers-your-questions-about-malaria/?hp">Q&A on the disease at NYTimes.com</a>. I tried not to be cynical. I thought it would be a cute, gimmicky way to draw attention to an important disease, and perhaps dispel some myths along the way. Unfortunately, they ended up creating some along the way instead.<br />
<br />
The answers range from harmless:<br />
<blockquote><i>What side effects did you have? And what were your symptoms when malaria was detected? </i><br />
<cite>— <a href="http://community.nytimes.com/comments/kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/your-questions-for-george-clooney/?permid=247#comment247%3Cbr%20/%3E">Gayle</a></cite><br />
<div class="a left">A.</div>Not much in side effects, the symptoms are fever, the chills, and exciting adventures in the toilet..weak..really just very bad flu conditions with a little food poisoning thrown in to make you the perfect party guest. </blockquote>To mildly dim:<br />
<blockquote><i>George – A dear friend of mine had malaria…does it recur? And if you’ve had it once, can you get it again?</i><br />
<cite>— <a href="http://community.nytimes.com/comments/kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/your-questions-for-george-clooney/?permid=327#comment327">BrazenMuse</a></cite><br />
<div class="a left">A.</div>It can…it depends on what type you get..i didn’t get that strain thankfully.<br />
<cite>— George Clooney</cite></blockquote>[Big aside: The number one reason malaria reoccurs is inadequate treatment, meaning all the parasites were not killed in the first place. Old treatment regimes caused the parasite to "retreat" to the liver, rather than fully killing it. Today, when malaria is treated with drugs that it has developed resistant to, or treated incompletely (with a partial course), malaria can reoccur. Many drugs available to treat malaria experience partial parasite resistance, but are still used either because they are effective first line treatments (in an area of incomplete parasite resistance), or because they make the symptoms go away, encouraging clinicians and patients as to their effectiveness. Recurrence is <a href="http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/432581_3">more common in certain strains</a>, but usually because these strains have delayed symptoms, causing malaria to not be treated or to be treated inadequately, or high rates of drug resistance. <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/23629.php">Adequate</a>, complete, and timely treatment can prevent malaria recurrence in almost all cases (except in the case of reinfection, which is also quite common). Malaria recurrence despite adequate treatment is treatment failure, in which case second-line treatments are deployed.]<br />
<br />
To foolish and misleading:<br />
<blockquote><i>George – How did your treatment for malaria differ from the treatment that the average Sudanese would receive?</i><br />
<cite>— <a href="http://community.nytimes.com/comments/kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/your-questions-for-george-clooney/?permid=257#comment257">Joy F.</a></cite><br />
<div class="a left">A.</div>I had drugs to take before during and after…pills that should be just provided to these people, like a polio vaccine..life saving drugs for diseases that kill millions needlessly, belong to mankind not to companies to profit from….we need another Jonas Salk.<br />
<cite>— George Clooney</cite></blockquote>OK, first of all, I don't know what he means by "before, during, and after." If by the "before" part he is referring to prophylaxis pills, then, no, these wouldn't be available to the typical Sudanese, because prophylaxis pills aren't meant to be taken for a long period of time. They're essentially ongoing treatment for malaria, which kills the parasite immediately in case you contract it--the liver has to work over-time to process these pills, and they have to be taken daily or weekly. Ongoing prophylaxis use in endemic areas is medically inadvisable, financially unsustainable, and logistically infeasible.<br />
<br />
Let's move on to the next part of his response: "life saving drugs for diseases that kill millions needlessly, belong to mankind not to companies to profit from." I agree, the sentiment sounds nice. It's just a matter of wresting the life-saving drugs from the evil pharmaceutical companies, and all our problems are solved! It certainly sounds much nicer than, "How do we sustainably ensure supply, distribution, and use of lifesaving technologies in a constantly changing disease environment, where even free commodities face take-up challenges?" Unfortunately, <a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/04/world-malaria-day-fighting-back-against.html">that's the actual problem at hand</a>.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
It is a MYTH that drug companies' failure to provide treatment at free or discounted prices is responsible for the failure to stop the toll of malaria in the developing world. Many drug companies do provide these commodities for free or at deeply discounted prices, and where they don't, aid funds exist to purchase and distribute them (which is often where the largest cost is incurred). I'll get to why the model of having aid dollars purchase drugs makes sense in a minute. First, let me just emphasize that there are massive logistical challenges involved in getting "diagnosis and treatment within 24 hours of onset of symptoms," the malaria gold-standard, to every patient. You need clinicians able to accurately diagnose malaria (meaning you need electricity for microscopy or adequate supply and usage of Rapid Diagnostic Tests), you need patients who go to a health facility instead of traditional healers, you need health facilities or Community Health Workers within walking distance of patients, you need drug regimens that are tailored to the drug-resistance of common strains, you need these drugs to be distributed across entire countries (including rural areas) and arrive at regular intervals to avoid stock-outs, you need patients to accurately follow the drug regimen, and you need to prevent over-prescription of effective medications to avoid future drug resistance. All of this is extremely difficult, despite being tackled by the best and brightest minds in aid work. Why? Because without prices and other market systems to dictate supply, supplying things is actually a tricky proposition! (See: shortages in Soviet Union)<br />
<br />
But Clooney has a solution, which is fewer market incentives! I'm so glad we asked him. Before I dive in to justify all that sarcasm, let me just say that I am in no way suggesting that anti-malarial commodities should not be free to end users. I absolutely think free diagnosis and treatment of malaria is a worthy goal, and one that should be possible. I also think there's some cases in which free distribution of things, such as bed nets, insufficiently communicates their value, resulting in misuse or disuse, and the need for further free distribution. There's <a href="http://www.povertyactionlab.org/scale-ups/free-insecticidal-bednets">good research</a> showing that giving bednets away for free works, but in a setting that already communicates their value, by limiting distribution to pregnant mothers. For free distribution to work, you have to create sufficient consumer demand to ensure proper use. Organizations like<a href="http://www.tamtamafrica.org/"> Tam Tam</a> are pursuing free distribution of bed nets with this problem in mind. In setting where resources are limited, nominal prices for health commodities can help <a href="http://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/can-higher-prices-stimulate-product-use-evidence-randomized-experiment-zambia">separate out end-users who are likely to use</a> from those who are likely to misuse. Moreover, pricing enables positive brands to be created for health commodities that have traditionally been pushed onto populations, <a href="http://www.psi.org/our-work/healthy-lives/hiv">such as condoms</a>.<br />
<br />
All that aside, I agree we should be working toward providing malaria diagnosis and treatment to end users absolutely free. I don't think, however, that this means drug companies shouldn't benefit from their participation in this goal. If we decide drug companies should be allowed zero profit, either direct or indirect, from providing pharmaceuticals to combat developing-country diseases, we decide we never want to cure another disease ever again. The latest and most promising treatment for malaria, Coartem, exists because Novartis believed it could get sufficient positive press, and perhaps future government contracts, for developing it and distributing it for free that it was worth the investment. Malaria is continually evolving drug resistance, meaning we need pharmaceutical companies to be continually investing in developing new treatments. TB and HIV--even respiratory infections--are highly drug-resistant, requiring constant introduction of new technologies. Moreover, few would claim to be satisfied with the currently available technologies to treat HIV, which allow management but not recovery; avoidance but not prevention. Instead of railing against the existence of market incentives to create better treatments, we should be asking how these market incentives can be made compatible with free delivery to the end user. We should be asking what sources of profit can be built in, such as the frequently under-priced payoff to Corporate Social Responsibility, to a system that denies access to no one in need.<br />
<br />
We have not failed to treat malaria because we have failed to control big, bad, greedy drug companies. If anything, our failure is to insufficiently incentivize these companies to join in the fight.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-50151719610023795672011-01-30T20:49:00.014-05:002011-01-31T16:39:20.181-05:00Re-Defining Rape: A Bipartisan GoalBy now many of you may have heard about <a href="http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/republican-plan-redefine-rape-abortion#">H.R. 3, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act"</a>. According to legislators, the purpose of this bill is only to make existing limits on abortion in federal code, such as the Hyde Amendment, permanent. However, the law goes further than permanently codifying these restrictions on women's privacy, and drastically limits the definition of both rape and incest.<br /><br />The <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.3:">text of the bill</a> lists that the only exceptions to the ban of federal funding for abortions include when the pregnancy endangers the mother's life and:<br /><br /><blockquote>"[I]f the pregnancy occurred because the pregnant female was the subject of an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest..."</blockquote><br />Forcible rape? What does that even mean? One major reason for concern is that the term 'forcible rape' is not defined in the federal code, nor do many states have a definition. To me, the term 'forcible rape' sounds like the only time rape is really 'rape' is when your attacker has a gun or a knife to your head. It would be interesting to see how we decide whose rape qualifies and whose rape doesn't for a federally funded abortion.<br /><br />The incest exception is also being drastically changed. Federally funded abortions would only be allowed if the victim of incest was under 18. Because that makes sense. (?!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I was surprised to learn that this bill, introduced by <a href="http://chrissmith.house.gov/">Rep. Chris Smith</a> (R-NJ4), has bipartisan support. <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.3:">Nine</a> 0f the 173 cosponsors are Democrats, including <a href="http://www.lipinski.house.gov/">Daniel Lipinski</a> (D-IL3) and <a href="http://www.rahall.house.gov/">Nick Rahall</a> (D-WV3).</div><br />But to be clear, I wasn't surprised that some Democrats would support pro-life legislation. Rather, I was surprised they would support legislation that would only really accomplish demeaning women, restricting their rights, and perpetuating harmful myths about rape.<br /><br />Want to take action? <a href="http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/01/29/dearjohn-for-when-boehner-decides-your-rape-just-wasnt-enough/">Join the Twitter campaign.</a> Stand up for survivors everywhere. <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23DearJohn">#DearJohn</a>Mad Drhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02787892768613931077noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-18514623411292393472011-01-26T20:41:00.018-05:002011-01-27T18:07:03.255-05:00State of the Union 2011 - Some analysis, many links<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg/64px-Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg/64px-Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 87px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 64px;" /></a><br />
Tuesday night, President Barack Obama gave his third State of the Union address to Congress. He addressed a myriad of issues, including America's competitiveness in the world economy, education, jobs, infrastructure, and health care reform. This year, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was in a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/25/ken-salazar-state-of-the-union_n_814041.html">secure location during the speech to ensure continuity of government</a> in the event of a disaster. Michelle Obama wore a <a href="http://politicsandstyle.blogspot.com/2011/01/sotu-michelle-obama-in-rachel-roy.html">lovely Rachel Roy dress</a>, and the President tried to be funny, although most of his jokes fell flat. Personally, I most enjoyed the one about traveling on high-speed rail without needing a pat-down :).<br />
<br />
It was a lofty speech, with the kind of rhetoric we've come to expect from President Obama. He has very talented speechwriters, and probably had a hand in crafting this speech as well. This year's State of the Union was almost exclusively focused on non controversial issues; he did not cover topics such as gun control, which might have been expected after the shooting in Tuscon. In a way, the speech echoed the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/25/AR2011012507376.html?hpid=topnews">bipartisan seating plan</a> that many of the Congresspeople adopted for the evening: policy plans straight down the middle, and ideas about patriotism, innovation, and a brighter, better future for the country.<br />
<br />
While there weren't any particularly memorable lines, I did enjoy the reference to RFK: "The future is ours to win,” Obama said. “But to get there, we can’t just stand still. As Robert Kennedy told us, 'The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.' Sustaining the American Dream has never been about standing pat. It has required each generation to sacrifice, and struggle, and meet the demands of a new age." I liked this reference as it sort of summed up an important theme of the speech: innovation, investments in education, and growing the economy can bring America a great future.<br />
<br />
In sum, I will have to agree with Paul Krugman - <a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/sotu/">meh</a>. It was an okay speech, not the best, not the most inspiring, but probably what the country needed to hear now.<br />
<br />
A few more links for perusing:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/25/us/politics/state-of-the-union-words-used.html">Patterns of Speech</a> - words used in past speeches, dated by president and amount of usage<br />
<br />
<a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/01/the_annual_state_of_the.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+racewireblog+%28ColorLines%29">Word clouds</a> for Obama's speech and past presidents<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/01/the_state_of_the_union_in_list.html">SOTU in numbers </a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/01/paul-ryans-response-government.html">GOP Response from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)</a><br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/25/AR2011012506398.html">text of Obama's speech</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZdEmjtF6HE"><br />
Watch the speech</a> on YouTubeLady on the Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10206128083004457874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-43744250610822124452011-01-26T08:24:00.000-05:002011-01-26T08:24:19.726-05:00Mark Bittman is ending his "The Minimalist" column today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/mark-bittmans-bad-kitchen/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TUAgVZg9wZI/AAAAAAAAArI/YESvKgIovAE/s320/Bittman+at+home.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You may be aware that we at femonomics <a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/06/mark-bittman-plans-your-summer-menu-for.html">love Mark Bittman</a>. Farewell, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/dining/26mini.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1">old friend.</a><br />
Here are some links to his best recipes: A gallery of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/26/dining/20110126-bittman.html?ref=dining">recipe videos.</a> <a href="http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/the-minimalist-chooses-25-of-his-favorites/?ref=dining">His 25 favorite dishes</a>.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-25440637779491163252011-01-25T11:51:00.002-05:002011-01-25T12:01:18.275-05:00Femonomics at the movies: Winter's Bone<a href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/25/2011-oscar-nominations/">The Oscar nominations are out</a>, and I was surprised to see my favorite movie of this year getting four big nominations, for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. That movie is <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10012136-winters_bone/">Winter's Bone</a>, and I hope these nominations will be the push you need (yes, you) to watch it immediately. You can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winters-Bone/dp/B00498YZH8/ref=ed_oe_vdl">rent it on Amazon for $3.99</a>. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bE_X2pDRXyY" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
Winter's Bone is more than a great movie; it is the best movie I have seen in recent memory for fully fleshed out female characters that matter. With a female heroine who never once talks about a boy, her female best friend with whom she shares a family-like bond, and a female villain from whom our heroine receives veiled, then not-so-veiled threats, Winter's Bone passes the <a href="http://bechdeltest.com/">Bechdel test</a> with flying colors. I want to repeat that this is a movie with a female hero and a female villain, neither of whom are sexualized. Adding to the thrill is the fact that those characters are featured in such a fantastically, spine-tinglingly taut crime drama that you don't realize how special what you've just seen was until it's over.<br />
<br />
The film follows 17-year-old Ree, an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ozarks">Ozark Mountains</a> girl from a meth-cooking family. Her dad is supposed to stand trial for said meth-cooking activities, only no one can find him. Because he placed the family home and woods up for bond, Ree, her neuro-atypical mother, and her two young siblings will be left with nowhere to go if they can't manage to "turn 'im up." What follows is Ree's search for dear-old dad, which takes her first to his menacing brother's place, and finally to the home of a local crime boss, whose wife does not appreciate the disturbance. In a region where the code of silence is more important than family ties, Ree is treated brutally by those who see her quest as "against their ways." She is helped, finally, by the same uncle who initially menaced her, when he decides the rest of the clan has gone too far in trying to shut down a 17-year-old's quest to keep her family from sliding into destitution.<br />
<br />
As Ree digs deeper to uncover her father's whereabouts, a quieter tale unfolds of a 17-year-old girl, torn between home obligations she wasn't ready for in a drug-ridden community whose ways she despises, and a shaky dream of escape, to a world she neither knows nor understands. Somehow, though, Ree proceeds on her search with an unshakable faith that this better world does exist, and that people in this iniquitous community will, when pushed, still act according to its basic tenants: help your neighbors, love your family, do what's right. She knows that's the only way she can find her father--if one of these unmovable villains gives, just a little bit--and thus the only way to save her family. So she fights like she's got nothing to lose.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-24204723007489036662011-01-21T18:13:00.000-05:002011-01-21T18:13:01.397-05:00Recipe Fridays: Oven fries or breakfast potatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TToSDO5DRrI/AAAAAAAAArE/_FT5a0hfkHg/s1600/Potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TToSDO5DRrI/AAAAAAAAArE/_FT5a0hfkHg/s320/Potatoes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mmmm...potatoes. These oven fries even won over my three-year-old niece, who loves french fries with lots of ketchup. "I want another potato fry!" she insisted of these much healthier and more wholesome spin on the original.<br />
<br />
<b>Oven fries</b><br />
2-3 Idaho potatoes (other varieties like red potatoes or yukon gold are great, especially for the breakfast version)<br />
2-3 tablespoons olive oil <br />
1 pressed or grated garlic clove (or 1/2 t garlic powder), 1/2 t chopped fresh or dry rosemary (if dry, mash with oil with the back of a spoon to extract flavor), salt, and pepper.<br />
<br />
Slice potatoes into fry-like shapes. For wedges, cut in half lengthwise (through the thicker part if not round, resulting in two more flat halves), then cut lengthwise in halves again, then cut each half into 3-4 pieces. For fries, slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick pieces, then slice lengthwise the other direction to make sticks. If not cooking immediately, place in water to prevent browning.<br />
<br />
Toss fries with olive oil and seasoning, and place in oven pre-heated to 425 degrees on metal baking pan. Cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until fries are brown and crisp outside, soft inside (20-30 minutes). If they are browning too quickly, turn oven down. If they are getting soft but not yet brown, drizzle with more oil, toss to coat, and turn oven to 450 or place (briefly!) under broiler.<br />
<br />
<b>Breakfast potato version</b><br />
Cut potatoes into chunks instead of spears (just cut through the spears crosswise). Replace seasoning with 1 t paprika, 1/2 t turmeric, 1/2 t garlic powder, dash cayenne, and salt and pepper. Once done baking, toss with sliced green onions.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-920903849454445272011-01-17T17:41:00.000-05:002011-01-17T17:41:35.164-05:00Red carpet wrap-up: Golden Globes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTStmlmcdCI/AAAAAAAAArA/7sDIO0c1Fa8/s1600/Claire+Danes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTStmlmcdCI/AAAAAAAAArA/7sDIO0c1Fa8/s400/Claire+Danes.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">[Image via <a href="http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/">TLo</a>]</span></div><br />
Yay!! Dresses and mean jokes about Hollywood! <br />
<br />
Ricky Gervais was hilariously out of control last night, making jokes about the airbrushed SATC2 poster and how terrible <i>The </i>(nominated) <i>Tourist</i> was. See a rundown of every funny-awkward-funny jibe <a href="http://jezebel.com/5735647/supercut-ricky-gervaiss-most-controversial-moments?skyline=true&s=i">here</a>. Many have speculated he <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/01/ricky_gervais_round_up.html">went too far</a>, but I only thought he really crossed the line in making a Scientologists are gay joke--we all know, Ricky, but outing people isn't funny. Movieline has <a href="http://www.movieline.com/2011/01/judd-apatow-not-a-fan-of-ricky-gervais-golden-globes-roasting.php">pointed out </a>that Gervais essentially pulled off the Emperor's new clothes of Hollywood, un-self-awaringly illustrated by this quote from the HFPA: "Ricky will not be invited back to host the show next year, for sure. [A]ny movie he makes he can forget about getting nominated. He humiliated the organization last night and went too far with several celebrities whose representatives have already called to complain."<br />
<br />
Gawker has their take on the most <a href="http://tv.gawker.com/5735285/the-most-memorable-moments-of-the-68th-annual-golden-globe-awards">memorable moments</a>. Dave Karger contemplates how the <a href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/17/golden-globes-oscar-race/">wins affect Oscar predictions.</a> Complete winner's list <a href="http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/">here</a>. For my take, it looks like <i>The Social Network</i> is dominating, but I wonder if the academy doesn't want something more feel-good. I hope Annette Benning beats Natalie Portman, and I think she has a good chance, given the Academy's penchant for career-achievement awards. I think supporting actress is a wide-open race, and wish Hailee Steinfeld were getting more love (she was not nominated for the globes).<br />
<br />
And the fashion: The Fug Girls have the <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/01/fug_girls_best_worst_outfits_2_1.html#">best and worst outfits </a>over at NYMag. Tom and Lorenzo (bless them) have <a href="http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/search/label/Golden%20Globe%20Awards?max-results=18">parts 1, 2, and 3, as well as a rundown of the men</a>.<br />
<br />
What did you think of the hugely mean-spirited and mildly sinister show last night? (To paraphrase <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wotFIIVrzAs">Robert Downey, Jr.</a>)Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-55448624098663169312011-01-16T15:46:00.001-05:002011-01-16T15:46:51.582-05:00The warpath of the Tiger Mother<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTNXNvElDvI/AAAAAAAAAq0/-upblkM08bQ/s1600/any-chua-chinese-mothers-are-superior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTNXNvElDvI/AAAAAAAAAq0/-upblkM08bQ/s320/any-chua-chinese-mothers-are-superior.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>This guest blog by new femonomics contributor ENTJ addresses the controversy over Amy Chua's infamous <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html">"Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" WSJ piece</a>. ENTJ is an Asian-American woman in the finance industry, with her very own Chinese mother. ENTJ is passionate about educational policy, film, museums of all kinds, and fashion.</i> <br />
<br />
You have to think that Amy Chua won in all of this. Her memoir, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Hymn-Tiger-Mother-Chua/dp/1594202842"><i>Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother</i></a>, is now the #5 book on Amazon. She’s won the kind of instant notoriety that is typically reserved for cast members of Jersey Shore. The original Wall Street Journal article about her book has been the most-read article on the site for more than a week, and has generated more than 6,000 comments, split between admirers of the Asian-American community’s disproportional representation in the Ivy League and those citing the Asian-American community’s disproportional representation in national depression and suicide statistics. <br />
<br />
But for me, the most interesting reaction has been among those of Asian-American descent themselves. I am Chinese-American, and was tempted to create a filter in my Gmail account so I wouldn’t have to sort through all the times that people emailed the article to me. Among the first people to email me the article was my younger sister, who sent it to me and my parents, with no comment besides, “I’m not sure how I feel about this.” My parents did not have the same reaction. Apparently, a mailing list of Asian parents in our town had been debating the article since it first appeared. From the sampling of emails that my parents forwarded on, the uniform reaction of the parents was a disavowal of Chua’s techniques; one after another wrote that “If this is what a Chinese parent is, then I am a Western parent!” <br />
<a name='more'></a>Why then, did the children of the parents on the list have a more conflicted reaction to the article? I do not know any member of my generation who read the article and did not feel a shiver of recognition. My mother let me go to the bathroom during my marathon piano practice sessions, but the threats coercing me into enduring three hours in front of an instrument I didn’t care very much about were very real. During school vacations, my parents would unplug our television and lock up the power cord so that I would read and practice algebra instead (I was 10). What happened when I got a B on a paper or if I didn’t excel at one of my extracurricular activities? I’d rather not go into it here. <br />
<br />
In the broadest definition of the word, my parents’ approach was a success. My little sister and I attended the same Ivy League school. She is on the road to becoming a doctor, and I am pursuing a career that allows me to pay for a substantial part of her education. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTNZLEQTpRI/AAAAAAAAAq8/MitCFtJY-BU/s1600/amychua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTNZLEQTpRI/AAAAAAAAAq8/MitCFtJY-BU/s1600/amychua.jpg" /></a></div>Under the surface, however, it is not Chua’s extreme tactics, but the assumptions her approach to parenting makes about success, child psychology, and parent-child relationships that have caused the most lasting damage to me and my generation. When my parents told me that they and their friends did not think of themselves as Tiger Mothers and Fathers, my first reaction was disbelief. Perhaps they allowed the occasional sleepover or maybe even participation in a school play, but the approach and end goal are the same as Chua’s: the assumption that what every child truly desires is two Harvard degrees, one from the College and one from the Med School, and that the only way to get there is to walk a path of disciplined drills of the “right” things: perfect grades, piano competition trophies, and high standardized test scores. The result is that I see my Asian-American friends struggling with a rash of common problems: many of my generation have no idea what their passions are, no idea how to figure them out, or, most terrifyingly, that they’ve spent so much time on the “right” things that they can’t pursue what they actually care about (in one extreme case that <a href="http://www.quora.com/Parenting/Is-Amy-Chua-right-when-she-explains-Why-Chinese-Mothers-Are-Superior-in-an-op-ed-in-the-Wall-Street-Journal">has appeared on the internet</a>, a young Asian-American achieved all of those "right" things, only to decide she did not want them--she suffered from depression for two years before taking her own life). <br />
<br />
I recognize that these existential crises are not exclusive to Asian-American youth, but during my time in college, when I was struck with envy by my peers who knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives and had a single-minded determination to achieve it, I soon noticed that none of them were Asian. To this day, I have trouble spending any time on activities at which I do not excel. After years of incredible pressure by her Chinese mom to get into a top college, a high school classmate of mine totally imploded after arriving there. She had no idea what was next, didn’t know how to determine her future path, and spent her four years wandering about the school binge drinking. When I arrived at college, I was shocked to realize that most of my classmates willingly spoke to their parents every day. I only called my parents when something was wrong, and if my phone rings and it says “Mom” my first assumption is that she has a friend whose kid needs help with some admissions essays. <br />
<br />
So for all the debate and discussion that has emerged as a result of Amy Chua, the two groups that have not been talking to each other at all are the parents and children of the Asian-American tradition. I believe that Chua’s greatest disservice to the Asian-American community was not throwing back the curtain on what causes us to be perceived as the “model minority,” but rather by exaggerating her approach so much that other Asian-American parents do not see the parallels between her methods and theirs. By focusing on her, we are ignoring parents who have less extreme methods but are causing damage nonetheless. Perhaps the greatest condemnation of traditional Asian-American parenting is that I do not have enough of an emotional connection to my parents to point out to them that what they’ve done is more similar to Chua’s approach than not. I hope that someday a backlash will happen, when all of us Asian doctors and lawyers and other “successes” tell our parents that even though our family homes have walls filled with trophies and certificates and medals, we feel empty inside.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-65348381566403383672011-01-14T15:58:00.000-05:002011-01-14T15:58:29.751-05:00Recipe Fridays: raw kale, beet, and orange salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTC41nSTcQI/AAAAAAAAAqw/IeVP2rXa7mM/s1600/inside_products_kale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TTC41nSTcQI/AAAAAAAAAqw/IeVP2rXa7mM/s320/inside_products_kale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I like raw kale salad. It's healthy, it's easy, it tastes delicious. My favorite version is still an <a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/04/recipe-fridays-raw-vegan-massaged-kale.html">Italian-style take</a>, but a little variety is always nice. The one below is perfect for winter produce.<br />
<br />
<b>Raw kale salad</b><br />
<br />
1 bunch kale<br />
1 large navel orange (or several smaller oranges)<br />
1 medium beet<br />
Walnuts (optional)<br />
Lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and fresh pepper<br />
<br />
Wash kale thoroughly. Cut off stems, and, if you wish, cut out the stem part of the larger leaves (I leave it in). Tear or chop the kale into less than 1 inch pieces (I gather all leaves and cut into strips, then cut again the other direction a few times). Put sliced kale in bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over kale; sprinkle with salt. With your hands, massage the lemon/salt/oil mix into the kale until leaves begin to soften and turn bright green.<br />
<br />
Wash the beet and scrape the outside to remove rough skin. Remove stem and root section. Cut beet in half vertically. Slice each half thinly, then cut slices into matchsticks. Peel orange using knife to remove as much pith as possible. Cut orange in slices (going across sections, not between), and split slices into 4 pieces. Toss beet pieces and orange with kale. Grind in fresh pepper, and add more salt, lemon juice, or olive oil as needed. A splash of balsamic vinegar is also nice. If desired, top with broken walnut pieces. (A sliced avocado also works). Enjoy!Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-40500142554146890652011-01-07T17:02:00.002-05:002011-01-07T17:13:18.220-05:00Recipe Fridays: Quick Navy Bean StewWith all the temperatures dropping and snow keeping everyone indoors, now is the perfect time for some steamy soup or stew to keep you nice and toasty. I made this extremely easy and fairly quick navy bean soup from good ole Martha. I added a zucchini and tweaked some minor things, but <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/quick-vegetable-and-navy-bean-stew?&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/easy-soups-and-stews">here's</a> the original recipe. Here's what I did:<br /><br />1 tablespoon olive oil<br />1 small onion, chopped<br />4 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used a few small, a few medium as I like more potatoes!)<br />1 pound mushrooms, cut<br />1 zucchini, cut<br />1/4 teaspoon dried thyme<br />Salt<br />1 tablespoon tomato paste<br />2 cups water<br />10 ounces baby spinach leaves, rinsed well<br />1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed<br />1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, optional<br />Ground pepper<br /><br />Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions and potatoes; cook until onions are golden. Season with salt. Add the mushrooms, zucchini, and thyme. Season with more salt and cook until mushrooms, etc are tender. Add the tomato paste and water. Mix until tomato paste is blended. Cook that until the potatoes are tender (maybe 10-12 minutes). Add spinach, beans, and vinegar. Heat until spinach is wilted. Season with (more) salt and pepper. Serve hot!TDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12860120211046911657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-77997388509939315422011-01-07T13:47:00.006-05:002011-01-14T16:01:04.665-05:00Recipe Fridays: Southern Comfort--Chicken Pot Pie<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The long, cold winters in Washington always make me miss my mama's home cooking terribly, so I've worked on some of her recipes for the past few years and am delighted to share some of my favorites that I crave on a weekly basis from November to April. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Chicken Pot Pie</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559521788349835074" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J57W2DX3ZQc/TSdjnGOi50I/AAAAAAAAAQA/OHj74MuW5sA/s320/12576763081199586139tom_hot_pie.svg.thumb.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 86px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 100px;" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b>Filling:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 Tbsp. olive oil</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 Tbsp. unsalted butter</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 medium Onion, chopped</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1/4 cup flour</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 cups <span class="il">chicken</span> stock</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 cups chopped Roasted <span class="il">Chicken<b>*</b></span> <b>(I either season and roast several drumsticks at 425 degrees for 40-45 mins and pull the meat off the bones with a fork and discard the skin, or I purchase a rotisserie <span class="il">chicken</span> at the grocery store, if I feel like taking a short cut, and chop some of the breast, leg, and thigh meat, also discarding the skin, and season it) </b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1/2 cup frozen sweet petite peas</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 potato , diced and boiled</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked carrots</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Salt</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Dash of Tabasco (or red pepper flakes instead)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">*Scratch the chicken and add more veggies to make it vegetarian.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b>Crust:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>3/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>3/4 cup flour</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 Tbsp. baking powder <b>(don’t use if you are using self rising flour and cornmeal)</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 Tbsp. sugar</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1/2 tsp. salt</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>3/4 cup milk</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 large egg</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 Tbsp. canola oil</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 Tbsp. melted butter</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 13.5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0px;"><b>Cooking Instructions:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0px;"><b>To make filling:</b> Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and unsalted butter together. Add onion and sauté until tender--4 to 5 mins. Add in flour until blended. Slowly stir in 2 cups of heated <span class="il">chicken</span> stock, whisking well. Cook mixture over medium heat until it thickens and starts to bubble--about 4 mins. Stir in <span class="il">chicken</span>, peas, potato, carrots. Season mixture with salt, pepper, Tabasco (or red pepper flakes), and any other seasoning that you like. Evenly spread mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b>To make crust:</b> In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Mix oil, egg, butter, and milk together in separate bowl. Then, stir wet ingredients (milk, egg, butter, and oil) into dry ingredients. Spoon the batter evenly on top of the filling.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;">Bake until the top is golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b>Make it Vegan!</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b>Cornbread Crust:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b></b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><b> </b></span>·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1¼ cup. all purpose flour </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1¼ cup cornmeal</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 tsps baking powder <b>(do not use if you are using self-rising cornmeal and flour)</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b></b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><b> </b></span>·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>¼ cup white sugar</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1½ cup soy milk</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 Tbsp olive oil </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>½ tsp salt</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b>Filling:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2-3 Tbsp. olive oil</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 medium Onion , chopped</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1/4 cup flour</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>2 cups vegetable stock</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1/2 cup frozen sweet petite peas</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 potato , diced and boiled</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked carrots</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>1/2 tsp. salt</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Cracked pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Dash of<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>Tobasco (or red pepper flakes instead)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Salt</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt 13.5pt; text-align: left;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b>Follow the cooking instructions above. </b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;">I like to entertain, so I don't make dishes that serve only 1 or 2 folks usually, these recipes could easily serve 4-6, so keep that in mind. It also freezes and holds up wonderfully if you have too much leftover. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"> </span></div></span></span></div>Pearls N the Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02930089627189853742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-4904662311785604342011-01-03T21:42:00.008-05:002011-01-06T06:08:31.613-05:00Dear Decorum: Polite Feminism?<span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="il"><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="il"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; ">"Dear Decorum" is an attempt to answer some of life's most challenging questions concerning everyday etiquette and how to stay cool, calm, and collected even during those most trying social situations. Deadbeat friend never have cash on hand to pay their share? We have advice for you--Stop inviting said deadbeat; they'll take the hint. Busybody neighbors all in your grill? Maintain boundaries, but it's never a good idea to completely alienate a neighbor. And so on...</span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="il"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="il"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><b>You are cordially invited to send us your questions and we'll do our best to help!</b></span></i></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="il"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="il"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></span></div>Dear</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"> Pearls,</span><br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">How should one behave when a new acquaintance, or friend-of-a-friend, or friend's significant other makes an inappropriate (e.g., racist, sexist, otherwise offensive) comment? I ask because the rules of traditional <span class="il">decorum</span> seem to indicate one should gloss over the incident and move merrily along, preventing the evening from descending into awkwardness for everyone. Meanwhile, the rules of feminism--or at least my feminism--seem to dictate one should put that person promptly in their place. I admire the stories of <a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/05/in-fighting-oppression-which-matters.html">Snarky's Machine berating colleagues or her doctor for racist/size-ist comments</a>, and of <a href="http://www.choosingraw.com/how-to-deal-with-unwanted-body-commentary/">Choosing Raw's Gena firmly telling the receptionist at her gym that she would not accept unsolicited comments on her body</a>. But those situations were, it seems to me, a bit different. In each, there was some element of a professional relationship, rather than a purely social one. In professional relationships, or online one, or to strangers, I haven't hesitated to state my aversion to even mildly -ist behaviors or statements. But what about when you meet a friend's friend, at a party at your friend's house, and she says something implying, let's say, immigrants are lazy? Or you go out with a group of girls, one of whom you've never met before, and she calls someone "So Jewish" (as in cheap)? Or you meet an old friend's significant other for the first time, and he/she says something sexist? I'm not talking outright* racist or discriminatory behavior, like them calling a friend of mine a name, in which case, you can believe I'd bring the whup-ass. But I've experienced variants on each of the situations listed above, and in each case, I tried to mildly make my disagreement known, while gently moving the conversation along. What's the right thing to do in these situations? When at a social gathering, where the feelings of people you care about are at stake, how can we still stand up for what we think is right? When <span class="il">decorum</span> and feminism come into conflict, which one should rule the day? (Or is there--please--a happy medium?)<br /><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Love, </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Coca Colo</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />*I know that term is loaded, so please understand I use it to distinguish between them being in <i>my</i> face, versus me needing to get in <i>their</i> face to make a correction</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; " ><i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><br /></i></span></span></div>Dear Coca Colo,</i></span></span></div></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;" ><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;" ><i>This is indeed a challenge that I am all too familiar with as well. You know me, so you've seen the jaws drop, heads turn, and ignorant comments fly out of folks mouths when they discover I am not their stereotype of "southern black woman" and I've shared some of this experience with the readers before. I still haven't figured out why people feel it's acceptable to comment on a. how articulate I am and/or b. how I mix "black" speech (Negro dialect, anyone?) with "talking white"? This sort of situation has ruined many a lunch, dinner, first impression of a friend's significant other for me. None of it makes sense, but luckily we live in the age of the "Teachable Moment", oh yes. So, even when the situation is personal and hurt feelings may result, my suggestion to you is that you keep doing what you're doing--you've found the "happy medium", which I think is to use these situations as opportunities to gently nudge and enlighten our peers who may just not have had the same exposure to folks of different cultural backgrounds or skin colors and welcome them into the light of the 21st century.</i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;" ><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><i>I totally agree with your approach to calmly state your opposition and reasoning and move the conversation forward. It is both right and polite to do so. I don't think any offense can be taken so long as you aren't gearing up for a Lincoln-Douglas style debate, which really would ruin the party. I don't think you have to choose between being true to your convictions as a justice-seeking feminist or being "nice" for the sake of saving your party from an awkward social situation. I mean, certainly, by the time </i></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">the offender has made the remark things have already turned rather awkward, no? And others have noticed, it's just most aren't going to speak up. So, unless you are truly at risk of making a large, dramatic scene and it's a public event, work function, someone's wedding, etc... (you'll know when discretion is advised), then continue to speak up, as you have been. Embrace the teachable moment. Honestly, if someone is surprised by the use of the term "off the chain", they should be encouraged to expand their circle. </span></span></i></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">I try to live my life by two totally unoriginal credos. The first my mother impressed upon me from an early age: When you LEARN better, you DO better. OK, so, she got this from Oprah (yes, we are drinking the Oprah Kool-Aid), who learned it from Dr. Maya Angelou. It's a simple, but true message. Breaking down these kinds of barriers requires time and patience and it requires us all to be teachers and students of life when we are called to be so. If you know the person, then gently, saying, "I think your remark may stem from how homogeneous your background and upbringing has been. Not all gay, black, Jewish, women, etc... people can be lumped into the same stereotype...." Is usually enough to embarrass an offender into checking themselves before they wreck themselves. If you don't know the person, it may simply be enough of a ball-buster to inquire, "Do you actually feel that way or were you trying to make a joke?"</span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"> </span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">My other motto is: Truth over Harmony (as an order of my values). This one I stole from a system of prep schools in the northeast geared towards character development (reform school?), not that a good southern belle like me ever needed to attend reform school, but the message has still had meaning in my life. I've found that even if being honest makes someone upset, in the end, it's appreciated and actually strengthens friendships and bonds. </span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">So, keep it up Colo! We are all challenged by these situations and I appreciate you bringing them to light. Each one teach one. </span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">xo,</span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Pearls</span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>Pearls N the Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02930089627189853742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-52103305000667378382011-01-03T18:44:00.005-05:002011-01-03T22:08:31.361-05:00Happy New Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J57W2DX3ZQc/TSJpll1A61I/AAAAAAAAAPw/gKnMMznQdQU/s1600/12772274831544188568champagne_toast-md.png"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_J57W2DX3ZQc/TSJpll1A61I/AAAAAAAAAPw/gKnMMznQdQU/s320/12772274831544188568champagne_toast-md.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558120984659159890" /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">Happy New Year, everyone! Is it just me, or have we put a lot of pressure on 2011 to usher in the good times? Good riddance 2010--you sure were a lousy year! In the past few days I've been surprised to find out (via my Facebook News Feed) just how angry my friends have been at 2010. And when I stop to think about it, 2010 was a whopper for me as well. Midway through the year I got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from attending an outdoor Dave Matthews Band Concert--I can no longer bear "Ants Marching". Following my month long antibiotic regimen, I broke my foot, leading to a six week sentence of house arrest. That wouldn't have been so bad, but did I mention it was a new house? It's a great place--it's a great arrangement, as I now get to spend 24/7 with my sweet beau, but hobbling isn't an efficient way to move and sometimes I wasn't sure if the fever was due to my illness or the agony and the ecstasy of adjusting to a new living situation--with a boy.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; " ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; ">And then there's September, and college football season is stressful for a Bama bred girl. Defending a national championship is hard. So, my team decided not to do it...in October.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; " ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; ">On a trip to visit Colo in November, I was sorely disappointed by so-called "soul-food" in DUMBO, but I should have known better. And in the same night, I learned I wasn't ironic enough to ever step foot in Williamsburg again.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; " ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; ">All I needed was a little Christmas, but Uncle Boone's "Killer Bee" concoction left me a little too merry and the Snowmaggedon Part II that Washington never got made me a nervous wreck, as after Snowmaggedon Part I, I developed a crippling snow-phobia.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; " ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; ">Man am I ever glad it's January...2011 and I (we) can put this all behind us and start fresh! I'm not a New Year's Resolution making kind of girl. Too much pressure. But, I am happy to say that I have gotten in a cardio workout 2 days in a row. Things are already looking up.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; " ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; " >So, Welcome 2011! I've always preferred odd number years anyway!</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></span>Pearls N the Hoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02930089627189853742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-6770365081897201572010-12-06T08:00:00.032-05:002010-12-06T08:00:08.438-05:00Get Informed December 6: 10 News Stories you might have missed<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><i>If you get your news from Fox commentary, NYTimes opinion pages, satirical news comedy, or anywhere on cnn.com, then you might be missing a lot of big important stories! Here's a few I've culled from the back pages of leading news organizations. An informed citizenry may be important for democracy, after all ;-)</i></span><br />
<br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/05/benazir-bhutto-pakistan-police-officers">Pakistan police officers to be arrested over death of Benazir Bhutto</a>, after destroying the crime scene less than two hours after her murder.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11909048">European nations agree on offshore North Sea electric grid</a> to deliver wind power across the continent.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/02/AR2010120206052.html">ACLU obtains documents showing the government routinely violates the law in spying on US citizens</a>, although they did not find any evidence that the violation is intentional.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/world/africa/05meningitis.html?ref=world">New Meningitis vaccine may end African epidemics </a>- see, not all the news is bad news!</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,732660,00.html">Rising CO2 levels cause ocean acidification, threaten marine life</a></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11920645">The Brazilian army is policing Rio de Janeiro slums</a> in the country's first domestic peacekeeping mission.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704767804575654910216593180.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection">Lawsuit challenges <i>history-sniffing</i></a>, a practice where websites build a profile of visitors based on sites they had visited in the past (without permission, naturally).</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2010/1203/Renewed-violence-prompts-concern-in-Central-African-Republic">Renewed violence prompts concern in Central African Republic</a>, threatening the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from the region and CAR's upcoming election.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/us/05mental.html?ref=us">State budget cuts put law enforcement on front line of mental care</a>, as clinics that treat the mentally ill close nationwide.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,731973,00.html">Italian actress-turned-minister is making progress in the fight against sexism</a> in a country of extreme double standards. I wanted to end on a positive note!</span></span></li>
</ol>mongoose6http://www.blogger.com/profile/17517485576276212600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-62986200274939599692010-11-30T20:00:00.001-05:002010-11-30T20:00:03.349-05:00Femonomics at the Movies: The Next Three Days<a href="http://movietimes.s3.amazonaws.com/posters/9053310-The%20next%20three%20days-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://movietimes.s3.amazonaws.com/posters/9053310-The%20next%20three%20days-poster.jpg" width="216" /></a> <i>The Next Three Days</i> is an action-suspense movie that follows John Brennan (Russell Crowe) as he plans his wrongfully convicted wife Lara's (Elizabeth Banks) escape from prison. The film takes place in Pittsburgh, and has a long windup as we watch John plot the breakout while simultaneously raising a young son and teaching at a community college.<br />
<br />
<b>The Viewer's Angle</b><br />
The film is very well written and tightly paced, competently following the heist / escape plotline that we've heard before. John's tricks and turns are clever, and it is fun to watch him execute his plan. However, the performances fall rather flat, and a cameo by Liam Neeson only served to remind me how much more engaging <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/">similar material</a> is in his hands. A lack of convincing chemistry between the leads, along with limited backstory on their characters, made it difficult to care if they succeeded. If anything, having to wait through the buildup, the main reason I wanted the escape to work was so I could see the payoff of all the planning. Extraneous characters to the story, a brother and sister-in-law, way more detectives than called for, <a href="http://www.blog.inspiretech.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/olivia-wilde-who-sits-atop-of-the-2009-maxim-hot-100-list-of-most-desirable-females.jpg">and the most beautiful playground mom ever seen</a>, end up prematurely diffusing some of the tension, which I find critical in a low-explosion film. Overall, a bit of a disappointment, and I'm probably going to check out <i>Unstoppable </i>this weekend to get my action itch scratched.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Feminist's Angle</span><br />
<i>The Next Three Days</i> is another damsel in distress story where the big, strong, and notably <b>male </b>action hero swoops in to save yet another defenseless woman. At the beginning, Lara is the more dynamic of the couple, and I was hoping that she would be John's copilot a la <i>Mr and Mrs Smith</i>. However, prison wears down Lara's spirit (understandably), and she morphs into a hopeless, depressed, even suicidal dead weight in the adventure. I must continue in my search for a female action star to follow in Angelina's footsteps.<br />
<br />
Along more of a social justice dimension, I think it would be fair to say that most wrongfully convicted prisoners are not beautiful white women. For something more true to life, I suggest the acclaimed <i><a href="http://www.americanviolet.com/">American Violet</a></i>, based on the true story of Regina Kelley, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Violet">falsely convicted of selling drugs</a>. For more information on how false convictions are impacting people's lives in reality, look at <a href="http://www.innocenceproject.org/">The Innocence Project's website</a>. It's truly unbelievable the injustices we put up with in our country.<br />
<br />
So, I haven't found this season's action movie - but I will keep looking! <i>Unknown</i>, coming out in early 2011 (trailer below) looks pretty promising.<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vSXUgkCjdBM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vSXUgkCjdBM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>mongoose6http://www.blogger.com/profile/17517485576276212600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-59036066257983382962010-11-29T20:21:00.002-05:002010-11-29T20:31:04.134-05:00An American doctor in Paris (or why I want an apology from Jezebel)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TPRRaM9b-jI/AAAAAAAAAqo/nIDzElZuD6I/s1600/mask_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MZjRvOkWsvA/TPRRaM9b-jI/AAAAAAAAAqo/nIDzElZuD6I/s320/mask_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I will not be visiting Jezebel until they apologize for publishing "Edward Pasteck's" ridiculous, <a href="http://femonomics.blogspot.com/2010/11/jezebel-publishes-piece-advocating-rape.html">rape-apologizing, harassment-defending garbage</a>. For those of you who aren't familiar with this steaming pile of rapey mansplaining dung masquerading as interesting content on a feminist website, it went a little something like this [TRIGGER WARNING--scroll to "end trigger"]:<br />
<blockquote>Having just returned from living in Paris, I feel more convinced than ever that America gets many things wrong about sex. Right there near the top of the list is our attachment to the idea of consent.<br />
<br />
In Paris, it seems as if the straight male attitude toward consent is that it doesn't exist. At clubs, bars, bistros, in the street or on the Metro, Parisian men lobby very aggressively for sex. At the clubs in the 8ème, off the Champs-Élysées, and all along Rue de Rivoli, it is fairly common to watch men literally grab and touch the girls who weave through the crowd. Men often draw a finger down an unknown girl's cheek or under her chin like a doting Uncle; they can be seen pinching girls' noses, throwing arms around shoulders and even stealing kisses. It's not for nothing that the French slang word for "kiss" or "make out" is choper, which literally means "to catch." <br />
<br />
...One lesson from Paris is that sex shouldn't be an activity to which we need to consent if a decision will suffice.<br />
<br />
A specific example from my time in France helps illustrate my point. I once fell madly in love with a woman named Madeleine. I thought she liked me too because she kept agreeing to see me and she once elegantly blew me a kiss as she descended into a Metro station. We were never intimate because the moment never seemed right to try to kiss her. Lovesick and unsure of what to do, I complained about Madeleine to a female French friend who said to me, "Have you tried getting her drunk?" Obviously my friend's recommendation was based on the assumption that after getting drunk Madeleine would be easier to seduce. This idea of plying a woman with alcohol (something that is applauded by American men in private) often enrages American women because they view it as an assault on their right to consent. Is this really a good thing?</blockquote>That's right, Jezebel, you and I are over. I will get my celebrity gossip from <i>People</i>, and my feminism from sites that have never defended sexual violence. I originally wanted to use this space to talk about how I had personally been affected by the fragility of consent in American society. To talk about walking the gauntlet in NYC bars with bile in the back of my throat as men exercised their assumed right to touch me however they pleased. To talk about how, as a survivor of sexual abuse, I am terrified that society thinks "Well, it's not like she fought him off" is an admission of agreement. I wanted to tear his ridiculous argument to shreds. Then I had a different idea. [END TRIGGER]<br />
<br />
Why not try to apply Pasteck's logic to another situation in which consent is required to avoid legal action? Medicine. The below follows the exact same structure and argumentation of Pastek's piece, with almost all taken verbatim (including the parts that make no sense and say nothing), although edited for length. With apologies to the French, who did nothing to deserve this, here goes:<br />
<a name='more'></a><blockquote>Having just returned from living in Paris, I feel more convinced than ever that America gets many things wrong about medical care. Right there near the top of the list is our attachment to the idea of consent. </blockquote><blockquote>In Paris, it seems as if the average physician's attitude toward consent is that it doesn't exist. At hospitals, clinics, or even in the street or on the Metro, Parisian doctors lobby very aggressively to perform medical procedures. At the private clinics in the 8ème, off the Champs-Élysées, and all along major healthcare centers, it is fairly common to watch doctors literally grab and and begin operating on patients who weave through the crowd. Doctors often draw "where to cut" dotted lines in marker down an unknown girl's cheek or under her chin like a doting Uncle; they can be seen giving girls nose jobs, throwing dislocated shoulders back into place, even sneaking up behind patients for open-heart surgery. It's not for nothing that the French slang word for "treat" (as in to treat a patient) is choper, which literally means "to catch." </blockquote><blockquote>Parisian patients deny or accept these advances with a decisiveness many American patients lack. Naturally, some patients in Paris walk away and reject these unwanted medical overtures. But one can observe many of them reacting with surprise and delight; these patients understand the game. They often seem legitimately flattered by the attention and stick around for an introductory surgery. The doctors often give the patients prescription medication on the house. Sometimes they trade phone numbers or go to a corner for a quick cosmetic procedure. And sometimes, of course, the whole exchange ends in a life-long doctor-patient relationship. Whatever the result, patients maneuver around medical aggression to gain the upper hand. They are the ones deciding what to do with the onslaught of medical care. And though the doctors are leveraging these attacks as a pretense for familiarity (later on at the patient's bedside, the ice has already been broken when the doctor suggests another procedure) it's the patients who call the shots. </blockquote><blockquote>In America, by contrast, the discourse on consent impresses upon us all, men and women alike, that medical care is something more important than a decision. A lot more is involved in obtaining or denying consent than making a decision. For one thing, consent has ethical and legal overtones and implies the kind of complete and utter self-mastery that isn't always on offer while facing a dangerous medical situation. One lesson from Paris is that medical care shouldn't be an activity to which we need to consent if a decision will suffice. </blockquote><blockquote>A specific example from my time in France helps illustrate my point. I once treated a woman named Madeleine who I desperately thought needed a breast augmentation. I thought she wanted one too because she kept agreeing to see me and she once pouted while taking off her bra to change into her hospital gown. Desperate to perform surgery and unsure of what to do, I complained about Madeleine to a female French doctor who said to me, "Have you tried giving her anesthesia <i>before</i> asking whether she wants the procedure?" Obviously my friend's recommendation was based on the assumption that after inhaling narcotic gas designed to dull the senses, Madeleine would be easier to convince about her lacking bosom. This idea of plying a patient with drugs (something that is applauded by American doctors in private) often enrages American patients because they view it as an assault on their right to consent. Is this really a good thing? </blockquote><blockquote>It would be asinine and anti-Hippocratic to argue that consent doesn't exist, or that the complete disregard of consent has no repercussions (because it most certainly does). But our language reflects and enables our sub-standard medical care, and that in turn causes us to do damaging, disempowering things (like second-guess patient overuse of medical services), and it may be inadvertently enforced by how we refer to medical choices. I'm not suggesting that a patient have a medical procedure with someone he or she doesn't want to, but I'm hoping we can start having more guilt-free, potentially unnecessary operations by any means necessary. If we turn the volume down on consent, perhaps we'll get closer to this kind of liberation. </blockquote><blockquote><i>Edward Pasteck is a doctor living in New York City who would like to remove your appendix without your permission.</i></blockquote>Would Jezebel have published <i>that</i>? Would anyone?Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-50584076503395243062010-11-26T12:20:00.002-05:002010-11-26T12:20:00.939-05:00Get Informed November 26: 10 news stories you might have missed<i>If you get your news from Fox commentary, NYTimes opinion pages, satirical news comedy, or anywhere on cnn.com, then you might be missing a lot of big important stories! Here's a few I've culled from the back pages of leading news organizations. An informed citizenry may be important for democracy, after all ;-)</i><br />
<br />
<ol><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/nov/25/polar-bear-alaska-critical-habitat">US sets aside 'critical habitat' for polar bear in Alaska</a>: 187,000 square miles of good news!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11837310">Obama outlines plan to defeat LRA in Uganda.</a> No boots on the ground, but the US will partner to put these scumbags who use child soldiers out of business.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/1125/China-welcomes-growing-African-trade-but-not-the-Africans-who-facilitate-it">Despite China's open trade with Africa, tensions with African immigrants remain</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/bps-oil-spill-bill-could-be-much-less-20101125-18973.html">BP's oil spill bill could be much less than expected,</a> as many of the fisherman's claims were submitted with insufficient documentation and will be rejected.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/health/research/25patient.html?_r=2">Study finds no progress in safety in hospitals</a>, with patient deaths from complications or infections steady between 2002 and 2007. The study was limited to 10 North Carolina hospitals.</li>
<li><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703678404575636670857107444.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLETopStories">Russia's proposal to unite missile defense systems rebuffed by NATO</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/world/middleeast/24contractors.html?ref=middleeast">Use of contractors added to Iraq War's chaos</a>. Though they are much less effective than actual troops, look for the use of contractors to increase as US pulls out of Afghanistan. Wikileaks' documents detail a plethora of problems.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/24/AR2010112407022.html">DHS panel on at-risk chemical plants is stacked with industry lobbyists</a> who push for weaker standards and more lax security requirements! But you will have to get naked or get groped to get on a plane, because that makes us safer...</li>
<li><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AN5YU20101124">China is financing a $6 billion expansion of oil refinery in Cuba</a>, expanding the country's influence in Latin America and increasing energy security.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/world/asia/25food.html?ref=asia">Food insecurity continues to plague North Korea</a>.</li>
</ol>mongoose6http://www.blogger.com/profile/17517485576276212600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-58880004461357185542010-11-25T13:04:00.001-05:002010-11-25T13:05:48.844-05:00Jezebel publishes piece advocating rape (Or, OMFG Jezebel WTF)For anyone who has read <a href="http://jezebel.com/5691871/american-guy-in-paris-freed-from-the-idea-of-consent">this article</a> (Huge, massive, billboard-sized trigger warning), let me just say that I am so very sorry. I am sorry that you, who may or may not be a victim of sexual assault, but if you're not has probably been on the other end of sexual violence or attempted sexual violence at some point in your life, had to read some scumbag's self-justifying rape apologism, all the time wondering whether this made YOU less safe in a world with these men, and those who publish them; whether this meant YOU should feel empowered by your sexual assault, even though you feel like ice inside instead; whether this meant that the world is really as hostile as this website where you used to feel at home.<br />
<br />
What really got me was how very much like an assault it felt to read THAT piece on THAT blog. To look at the headline "American guy in Paris freed from idea of consent" and think that Jezebel was going to tear him apart. Then to click the link, and start reading a first person narrative of someone advocating unwanted touching and kissing of women in bars as "liberating" (for the m-fing women!) and getting a girl drunk as embracing life, and wondering when this clever satire was going to turn and reveal how wrong-headed this sleazeball logic was. And then to get to the bottom and realize that none of it was a joke? That one of my favorite websites had just actually given a platform to a rape apologist, without unpacking his argument, offering a counterpoint or at least warning its readership that the website had done a complete 180 on what kind of content to publish, and they should probably take their morning coffee and bagel elsewhere?<br />
<br />
Read <a href="http://jezebel.com/comment/33058601/">this comment thread</a> for an incredibly sorry explanation for said behavior, and some very articulate explanations as to why said sorry explanation is complete and total b***sh**. Read Sady's historical take on said b***sh** <a href="http://tigerbeatdown.com/2010/11/24/so-just-so-were-clear/">here.</a><br />
<br />
Then please go check out one of the other excellent feminist websites that are out there. Fighting the a**holes. Instead of publishing them.Coca Colohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951066922977616639noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-67160201180898976432010-11-21T14:00:00.001-05:002010-11-22T10:58:19.695-05:00The Very Best Podcasts on iTunes<div><i>This post seems to have gotten a lot of traffic from Google, so I'm going to keep updating it as I find more excellent podcasts. Leave your finds in the comments!</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>I am not the biggest fan of exercise, primarily because I find it boring (I climb stairs, go for walks, or use the elliptical or erg machines), and my boredom draws attention to the fact that exercise is less comfortable than sitting on the couch drinking wine and watching <i>The Dog Whisperer</i>. But I believe exercise is important, so I combat the boredom with podcasts. The following podcasts are so good, I go to the gym just to be able to completely focus on them.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="http://www.themoth.org/">The Moth</a><br />
"Real stories told live, without notes" - a simple concept, and absolutely compelling content. Dan Kennedy created this series, and each week a new episode is released with a 10 to 15 minute story that may be hilarious, touching, or simply jaw-dropping.<a href="http://www.themoth.org/listen">Check out some sample episodes here</a>. I strongly recommend Jon Levin's "Elevator ER." Among the more <a href="http://castroller.com/podcasts/TheMothPodcast/1534043-Deborah%20Scaling%20Kiley%20Lost%20at%20Sea">awe-inspiring stories is Deborah Kiley's "Lost at Sea."</a> Seriously, every week is a surprise.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/">Radiolab</a><br />
I've just discovered this one, and it's also awesome. WNYC's Radiolab is the first podcast I've listened to that has experimented with the medium - different music, sound effects, overlapping voices, and more. The content is awesome. Mostly science topics, but with history, anecdotes, and interviews tossed in. Episodes are typically an hour, which is a bit long, but they are really worth it. They've also produced some shorter episodes - so you can ease your way in.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/audio.html?show=Poetry%20Off%20the%20Shelf">Poetry Off the Shelf</a></div><div>This podcast comes out two or three times a month, is 10 to 15 minutes long, and usually features poetry reading plus some commentary. It's really brilliant, and I especially like the episodes that do a retrospective of one poet's work and the themes throughout (unfortunately this is typically an obituary episode...) The Poetry Foundation website is even cooler than the podcast itself, with a tremendous amount of poetry, biographies, analysis, multimedia, and on, and on. Look at this article on <i><a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learning/article.html?id=178599">Ten Poems to Get You Through Science Class this Year</a></i> - supercool!</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://girlfriendmd.quickanddirtytips.com/">Girlfriend MD - Quick and Dirty Tips to Understand Your Body</a></div><div>Now, Girlfriend MD won't be for everyone, as she is explicit and some readers are likely to be squeamish. The premise of the podcast is that Dr Sanaz Majd answers women's health questions that you'd only ask your doctor if she were also one of your closest friends. Some great recent episodes provide info on getting rid of menstrual cramps, why women get migraines, and the differences between all available emergency contraception methods. Useful stuff brought to you by an expert! Dr Majd is trying to <a href="http://www.owningpink.com/whats-up-down-there/buy-now">plug her cohost's book</a> with the podcasts, but delivers a valuable service nonetheless.</div>mongoose6http://www.blogger.com/profile/17517485576276212600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8180270631422837748.post-82267163772481351732010-11-20T16:00:00.001-05:002010-11-20T16:00:02.622-05:00Get Informed November 20: 10 news stories you might have missed<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><i>If you get your news from Fox commentary, NYTimes opinion pages, satirical news comedy, or anywhere on cnn.com, then you might be missing a lot of big important stories! Here's a few I've culled from the back pages of leading news organizations. An informed citizenry may be important for democracy, after all ;-)</i></span><br />
<br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/in-dialysis-life-saving-care-at-great-risk-and-cost">Dialysis treatment centers mismanaged by giant corporations</a>: ProPublica investigates a publicly-financed system that is extremely profitable for the providers, but which costs more per patient with shamefully bad health outcomes when compared to other developed countries.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11802015">Vatican to issue guidelines on sex abuse</a>, victims groups are unimpressed and some church leaders are still discounting the severity of the situation.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/us/politics/20farm.html?ref=us">Senate approves settlement for underpaid aid to black farmers and mismanaged Native American trusts</a>. Unanimously!</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/business/global/20euro.html?adxnnl=1&ref=world&adxnnlx=1290261830-2u8SEy/sosq+XCAawwox/Q">Ireland is said to discuss bailout of nearly $70 billion</a>, in order to counteract dual problems of a crippled banking sector and the nation's tremendous government debt.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-11-18-raising-retirement-age_N.htm">A GAO report to Congress</a> explains that raising the minimum retirement age would disproportionately impact the poor and minorities, who often cite health problems as the primary reason for leaving the workforce.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704170404575624332712843478.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection">BP may face new penalties over an Alaskan oil spill in 2006</a>.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6239861,00.html">Private-army phenomenon exacerbates African conflicts, UN says</a>. Mercenaries, not a great thing? Who knew!</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111706194.html">Senate moves ahead on food safety bill that would give FDA new powers,</a> shifting more liability to producers and giving the FDA recall power.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,727171,00.html">Der Spiegel profiles Turkmenistan</a>, and details superpowers efforts to court central Asian nations for access to energy resources and military base real estate.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/1114/APEC-countries-agree-to-launch-massive-new-free-trade-zone">APEC countries agree to launch massive new free trade zone</a>, linking the region more closely with the US, China, and Japan.</span></span></li>
</ol>mongoose6http://www.blogger.com/profile/17517485576276212600noreply@blogger.com0