Yet another voice in the wilderness

livejournal map meme

2009-12-20T18:43:23Z

life update - professional conference

2009-12-17T18:05:27Z

Exciting news - I'm going to the Modern Languages Association conference in Philadelphia just after Christmas. My original plan was to drive (approximately a seven hour trip.) Yesterday, my parents offered to pay for me to fly there instead.

So now I have a dilemma. Do I fly or do I drive? There are pros and cons to both.

Driving pros - I'm in control and have more freedom. I'd have my car in Philadelphia. Luggage would be a lot easier to manage. Road trip!

Driving Cons - Potential for bad weather (my mom's more worried about this - I put my faith in global warming). Gas. Wear and tear on my car. Dealing with Philadelphia traffic. Paying a lot of money for parking garages.

Flying Pros - It's faster. Less physical stress. My parents are paying. It's flying!

Flying Cons - I'm less in control. Luggage is more of a hassle. The airport may lose my luggage (they've done it before.) I'm much more dependendent on other's schedules rather than my own.

Either way, the timing's tricky. If I drive, I leave Columbus Christmas day and return to Kent, then leave from Kent on Dec. 26. I would get back to Kent on Dec. 31, and spend New Year's Eve alone for the first time since the early 90s. (Actually, I was prepared for this. I could do a New Year's Eve/Blue Moon ritual/celebration.)

If I fly, I leave from Columbus on Dec. 26, and return to Columbus either late Dec. 30 or Dec. 31, and spend New Year's with my parents, then go back to Kent on Jan. 1. There's a little less back and forth with this option, but not as much fun.

So, my friends, if it were you, what would you do? Fly or drive?

How to make it as a woman writer

2009-12-15T19:18:16Z

http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/feature/2009/12/14/male_pseudonyms/index.html

*sigh*

Ohio bans mammograms for women under 50 without insurance

2009-12-14T18:41:18Z

Ohio has decided to end its program of free mammograms for low-income and unemployed women between the ages of 40 - 49. Exceptions will not be made for family history. Underpaid and unemployed women 50 and over will still be able to receive mammograms.

Under the government program, a mammogram costs $100. For a woman without insurance trying to pay on her own, the price is easily two to three times that amount.

Mammograms detect Stage I cancer, for which the survival rate is 98%. Breast self exams detect Stage II - IV cancers, for which the survival rate is lower.

Reminder: The government panel recommending raising the age of mammograms did not include one single oncologist (cancer doctor) or radiologist (imaging -such as mammograms - specialist), nor did it conduct so much as one single clinical trial to come to its conclusions.

http://www.ohio.com/news/nation/79155912.html

Health care bill cap on medical care for cancer patients

2009-12-13T04:52:28Z

A loophole in the Senate health care bill would let insurance companies place annual dollar limits on medical care for people struggling with costly illnesses such as cancer.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iY4N1OnmEl-p6kEdB_ROs6toazbQD9CH9VBG0

Do I really need to explain why this is a bad idea?

Holiday wishes

2009-12-12T03:28:49Z

Happy Hannukah, everyone!

fandom meme

2009-11-30T04:24:45Z

1) Post a list of up to 20 books/movies/anime/TV shows/video games/bands that you've had an obsessive fannish love or interest in at some time in your life.
2) Have your f-list guess your favorite character/member from each item.
3) When someone guesses correctly, strike through the item and put the name of your favorite character next to it.

1. ~~Dragonlance~~ Crysania
2. General Hospital
3. ~~Smallville~~ Chloe
4. Guiding Light
5. Pern books
6. ~~Death Note~~ Naomi Misora (the female FBI agent. I almost feel bad for writing her name since she was so careful to keep Kira from discovering it.) Guessed by wishesofastar over the phone.
7. Phantom of the Opera
8. ~~Dresden Files~~ Murphy
9. Buffy/Angel
10. Harry Potter
11. Santa Barbara
12. Deryni Series
13. ~~Arthurian Legends~~ Nimue
14. ~~Carmen Sandiego~~ The lady herself. Who else?
15. ~~Ender series~~ Valentine
16. Forever Knight
17. ~~Dr. Who~~ Romana
18. ~~Tomorrow People~~ Elizabeth
19. Star Wars
20. Star Trek

Review of the Twilight novels

2009-11-29T04:01:06Z

I admit it, I have read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer; and no, it's not as bad as you've probably heard.

For those who don't know, the plot centers around a bookish slacker named Bella who decides to move in with her father in Forks, Washington, after her mother's remarriage. Bella quickly discovers that her high school biology lab partner and his whole family are vampires, and that there is a pack of werewolves living on a nearby reservation. She becomes involved in a romantic triangle with a vampire and a werewolf, and works with them to keep the town safe from other vampires.

I like the series for a number of reasons. Stephanie Meyer is a good storyteller who knows how to build suspense to keep readers from putting down the books. Meyer has created a vivid and original fantasy series with an intriguing take on vampires and werewolves. And yes, I like sparkly vampires. Bulgarian and Malaysian vampires sparkle in folklore, and it's the most unique weakness I've ever seen an author give a vampire. (It is a weakness - Edward and his sister Alice find their lives threatened because they sparkle in New Moon.) And I much prefer sparkly vampires to the derivative Hollywood ripoffs who can't take a bit of sunlight without spontaneously combusting. Aside from the supernatural aspects, the series is populated with profoundly flawed yet three-dimensional characters who, while not necessarily likable, are both well-drawn and believable and who are capable of learning from their mistakes.

The Twilight Saga is also a genuinely romantic, sexy, and frankly sensual series that deals with first love in a realistic manner. The female protagonist is not an object to be desired - she is a fully fledged character who feels desire of her own and makes her own choices. Rather than being "tamed" as in the typical romance novel, Bella gains independence as her relationships progress and she learns to assert herself.

At the same time, there are serious flaws in the novel. I just don't buy Meyer's "It takes a monster to kill a monster" formula. A human with a grenade should be able to take out a vamp.

And yes, Bella's relationships with Edward and Jacob are abusive. Edward was born in the Victorian Age, and believes men should be in charge. The first three books repeatedly show Edward using his vampire powers to control Bella, and Bella using her superior human intellect to resist his control. And Jacob really does not take rejection well, turning to increasingly, well, monstrous behavior to try to force Bella to be with him. The underlying theme of the novels is that abusive and sexist monsters can become prime husband material through the power of repeated forgiveness, which sends a dangerous message to the young girls reading the series.

Then there are the uber-rich, uber-white vampires and their conspicuous consumption as a desirable trait; a portrayal of the Quileute tribe that veers dangerously into "Noble Savage" territory; and an unquestioned ageist message about growing old being the greatest horror.

So Twilight is clearly a mixed bag. But overall, I found it to be a fun series, and understand why it's so popular among my students.

Attn: bloggers who support the new government guidelines re mamograms

2009-11-25T15:17:30Z

How not to sound condescending or sexist while chiding breast cancer survivors who disagree with you:

1) Acknowledge that there is, and has been, debate and disagreement about the risks vs. benefits of mammograms. Do not assume that women who question this study are unaware of what the risks and benefits are.

2) Do not frame the issue as (rational) doctors vs. (hysterical) women. The panel did not include one single oncologist or radiologist. Many oncologists and radiologists are appalled by the new guidelines; many women AND men with neither scientific background nor personal experience with cancer vociferously support them.

3) Do not assume that we have not read the guidelines.

4) Do not assume that we WANT mammograms. What we want is to live, and for other women in their 30s and 40s to live; we are not convinced the new guidelines achieve that goal. Do NOT say we "want" mammograms because we have been socialized to want our bodies to be invaded.

5) Do not claim that the new guidelines prove that mammograms don't save lives. They explicitly say that 1 out of 1900 women in their 40s who have mammograms survive because of early detection and treatment; they argue that the costs of mammograms for the majority of women who won't develop cancer aren't worth it.

6) Do not claim that the guidelines are scientifically based, while the objections of women are anecdotal and irrational; the guidelines are not based on clinical trials. This is one of the objections that onconlogists have.

7) Do NOT claim that women in their 30s and 40s who are cancer survivors "made the wrong choice" by having chemo or radiation unless you have some evidence to back that up. Do not bring up "slow moving cancers that couldn't kill anyone" without acknoledging a) that this has been known for quite some time and that these can be identified by doctors; and b) recognizing that these types of cancers usually occur in older individuals and that breast cancers in young (20 - 49 years) women are most likely the fast-moving and invasive kind.

8) Do not claim that the guidelines are merely a neutral scientific document that doesn't have real-world implications; according to CNN, they are part of the proposed Senate Health Care Bill: if there is a goverment plan, it will not be covering mammograms for women under 50, and private insurers will no longer be required to cover mammograms for women under 50.

9) Yes, I am aware that Republicans have gleefully begun to parrot concerns brought up by breast cancer survivors and cancer advocacy groups; this does not mean we are lying about our concerns to help the Republican party.

10) Do not assume that support for early screenings for women means opposition to health care reform, a government plan or a single payer plan.

11) Do not bring up other countries' screening guidelines without also mentioning the survival rates for women under 50 with breast cancer in those countries.

12) Do not act as if we are opposed to scientific or political debate if we disagree with you. We DO feel that we have an equal right to participate.

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More on mammograms, plus a protest in Maryland

2009-11-23T05:20:42Z

Here is more information on the controversial recommendation against women getting mammograms before age 50. Just to clarify a few points:

This government recommendation is so dangerous because insurance companies will use this to prohibit women under 50 from getting mammograms, even though it's KNOWN that mammograms save lives.

Yes, I am high risk. I carry the BRCA1 mutation. (And yes, that makes me a mutant.) However, this was not known when I got my baseline mammogram.

Because I am a high-risk survivor, I am supposed to get two mammograms and two MRIs a year. My insurance company allows one mammogram a year. This is due to legislation requiring insurance companies to cover mammograms for women age 40 and older. Guess how many screenings I get a year? What would happen if that legislation were to be rescinded?

11,000 women UNDER 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the US. I was one of those.

70% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have NO risk factors.

My baseline mammogram at 39 saved my life.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MED/content/MED_2_1x_American_Cancer_Society_Responds_to_Changes_to_USPSTF_Mammography_Guidelines.asp

“With its new recommendations, the USPSTF is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives; just not enough of them. The task force says screening women in their 40s would reduce their risk of death from breast cancer by 15 percent, just as it does for women in their 50s. But because women in their 40s are at lower risk of the disease than women 50 and above, the USPSTF says the actual number of lives saved is not enough to recommend widespread screening. The most recent data show us that approximately 17 percent of breast cancer deaths occurred in women who were diagnosed in their 40s, and 22 percent occurred in women diagnosed in their 50s. Breast cancer is a serious health problem facing adult women, and mammography is part of our solution beginning at age 40 for average risk women.

http://www.bremfoundation.com/index.htm

There is universal agreement that mammography saves lives. For the past 20 years the DEATH RATE FROM BREAST CANCER HAS DECLINED by 30%, more in younger woman. This decrease in death rate is due largely to the increased use of mammography. With this overwhelmingly compelling data, why then did the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issue new, dangerous recommendations to deny mammography to women in their 40’s, screen woman between the ages of 50 and 74 once every other year and recommend against screening woman above age 74. Their “analysis” did not use any direct scientific data. They chose to ignore modern, compelling clinical trials that demonstrated a 40% reduction in breast cancer deaths and rather based their flawed recommendations on old data and mathematical models. Their analysis is flawed and seriously underestimates the impact of mammography on saving lives.

http://community.livejournal.com/maryland/429255.html

And let’s look at those numbers in terms of larger numbers of women
screened, using the statistical modeling provided by the USPSTF:

Deaths of women averted by screening in their 40s vs. deaths of women

averted by women who start screening in their 50s:

1,000 women 6.1 5.4

10,000 women 61 54

100,000 women 610 540

1,000,000 women 6100 5400

So for every 100,000 women screened in their 40s, as opposed to waiting

till their 50s, 70 more women would live. For every one million women,
700 more women would live.

The value of my life

2009-11-17T04:39:24Z

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health/story/1337124.html

If I'd followed this advice I'd be dead now. My cancer was caught by a base-line mammogram when I was 39.

The scientific analysis also found that to save one woman's life, 1,904 women need to have mammograms starting at age 40 over the course of a decade -- even though most of them aren't at risk of getting cancer.

When they say that one life isn't worth the economic cost of 2,000 mammograms - and this is about economic cost - understand that by this analysis I am one of the lives not worth saving.

Great quote stolen from wishesofastar

2009-11-11T03:36:24Z

http://wishesofastar.livejournal.com/102901.html

It came out of a phone conversation between us.

On a completely different note, the Kent State Folk Festival is going on right now, culminating in free concerts on Friday and free workshops on Saturday.

http://www.kentstatefolkfestival.org/

I plan to go.

Victory for Americans!

2009-11-08T18:35:22Z

The House passed health care reform!

Update All right, when I posted this I hadn't read beyond the front page of the paper last Sunday. I was so excited. I didn't really hear about the Stupak amendment until afterwards. I've been so disillusioned, I haven't been able to read the newspaper all week. Sorry about the misleading post.

Smallville prediction

2009-11-07T04:18:44Z

Clark Kent is really General Zod's son.

Think that's far-fetched? Check out this former prediction of mine that will come true next week.

http://nontacitare.livejournal.com/38737.html

2009 Election endorsements

2009-11-01T22:21:19Z

State Issues 1, 2, and 3 NO

County Issue 4 (Portage County Children's Services) YES

Kent Issues 9 and 10 (tax levies) YES

Portage County Municipal Court Judge Becky Doherty, Mark Fankhauser

Kent Mayor Rick Hawksley

Kent Council at Large Michael DeLeone, Robin Turner, Erik Valenta

Kent Board of Education Brian Boykin, Marlene Dorsey, Ryan Ferrara

Ohio Valley Filk Festival

2009-10-29T03:33:58Z

I had a great time this weekend. A few highlights:

1) wishesofastar and oknight are wonderful hosts who loan me books and give me DVDs and things. Leelu thinks I'm an evil burglar.

2) Musical highlights: "Das UberTuber," by Ookla the Mok; "Mad Scientist's Love Song;" and "Gabriel Gray's Song," a wonderfully creepy tribute to Sylar from Heroes. It was also great jamming to "Women with Drums." (Thanks to jayene for lending me her drum.)

3) braider, talk to jayene about teaching a musical theory 101 class next OVFF.

4) I got to rap "Castle in the Clouds" from Les Miserables.

5) While working the ConSuite, I found myself chatting with one of the people in charge of Marcon programming. I found out that her husband is a big Dragonlance fan, and got to pitch my Dragonlance panel idea. She actually seemed interested rather than bored when I launched into a brief Dragonlance history lesson. ;-) We might actually have a Dragonlance panel this year!

6) I got to meet the Orthodox Jewish contingent from New York and Israel when I was sent to see if food was Kosher or not.

7) I had a nice visit with my parents.

8) Storytelling at Fly-by-Night went very well, and I might be back in the spring.

Thank you, braider, for arranging for me to be staff; wishesofastar, for giving me a place to stay; and jayene for keeping me company in the ConSuite and for the music lesson.

Statement of belief

2009-10-21T02:13:09Z

African-Americans, Hispanics, Jews, women and transgendered people do not deserve to be judged or punished for their race, ethnicity or gender.

Most of that comes from disturbing things I read on-line or saw on television last week, but the bit about Jews came from a statement at a Halloween party. We were discussing the Roman Empire, and the way they treated Christians, Druids, Germanic tribes, Jews...when the slightly inebriated father of the hostess said, "Everyone attacks the Jews, and it's because they deserve it. I knew a couple of Jews, and if they weren't so whiney maybe people wouldn't keep trying to kill them." I, as you might imagine, disagree. I'd be happy to break it down if anyone doesn't understand why.

My Jewish great-grandparents fled the pogroms in Austria, Hungary and Transylvania, which is why they came to this country and I came to be born. If those who are ethnically Jewish are to be eliminated, I'm on the list.

No one deserves to be murdered, even if - and especially not because - they're Jewish.

Ghost stories in Columbus

2009-10-17T20:58:10Z

Next Saturday, Oct. 24 from 3:00 - 4:00, I will be telling ghost stories at Fly By Night bookstore in Columbus.

http://www.flybynightbookstore.com/announce.php

The rest of the weekend I'll be volunteering at Ohio Valley Filk Festival.

Confederate States of America - Yet more revisionist history

2009-10-14T02:52:25Z

There must be something in the air. nicosomething, you started it. Everywhere I turn I see revisionist history.

I just stumbled upon a truly frightening mockumentary, Confederate States of America, about what would have happened if the South had won. Among other things - an ongoing cold war with Canada, the enslavement of Chinese immigrants, the prohibition against non-Christian religions (Catholics were almost kicked out, but made it by a hair; Jews were allowed to stay on reservations in Rhode Island), attempts to conquer the world for white people, alliances with Nazi Germany and South Africa, the primacy of capitalism over all other considerations as the defense of slavery, a sneak attack on Dec. 7, 1941 by the Confederate States on a Japanese naval base, horror movies such as "I Married an Abolitionist", "terrorist" attacks by slaves wanting freedom, a feminist movement in the 1970s of women wanting the vote and a law prohibiting husbands from beating their wives, anti-depressants expressly for slaves, homeland security looking for non-pure-white people passing, internet slave-trading (second only to internet porn), Martha Stewart-like shows on "what to look for when purchasing an Asian gardener," and a host of truly terrifying commercials.

I have to hand it to the actors - they just oozed evil, especially Fontroy V. I kept having to remind myself that if the actors really believed what they were saying, they wouldn't be participating in this project.

If you ever get a chance and have any interest in US history, you should see this, but I warn you, it will turn your stomach.

Brief history lesson stolen from mseuphrates

2009-10-13T15:04:51Z

Talk about not knowing history.

I must be psychic - Smallville edition

2009-10-10T17:05:16Z

Remember this post?
http://nontacitare.livejournal.com/145611.html

Last night on Smallville, zombies invaded Metropolis. Maybe wishesofastar is right that I should launch a soap opera fortune-telling website.

Sometimes I despair (redux)

2009-09-29T05:22:47Z

1) To preserve democracy in Honduras, Micheletti and his cronies oust democratically elected President Zelaya at gunpoint; to protect the Honduran constitution, they suspend the civil liberties granted therein; to prevent anyone from thinking they're dictators, they raid and shut down major news outlets.

2) A government census worker is murdered in Kentucky, most likely because he worked for the government.

3) There was a facebook poll asking if President Obama should be assasinated. (I'm telling you, Facebook is evil.)

Here's the scoop on democracy, folks - it only works if we agree not to kill each other when the other side wins. Without that, we got nothing.

Mabon musings

2009-09-22T22:54:19Z

Five Things for which I am grateful

1. My solid oaken wood futon, which someone left out by the dumpster this weekend at my apartment complex; my apartment managers who were willing to help me carry it into my apartment; my creative and intelligent mind, with which I was able to repair the futon; the wooden noter I was given for my dulcimer last OVFF, which I used to fix the futon (I am still playing the dulcimer - I just don't use the noter); and my old metal futon, which is now a couch in my living room.

2. Having my own place.

3. Having two part time jobs in this economy.

4. Being able to receive health insurance through COBRA, and having reduced payments because of Obama's American REcovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

5. Having passed all of my recent cancer screenings with flying colors.

Farewell to Guiding Light

2009-09-22T03:39:00Z

After 72 years on the air, the Guiding Light has been extinguished. The soap opera began on the radio, and moved to television when that medium became mainstream. It was the first soap opera to have a cloning storyline, and I believe the first soap to have a superhero. I began watching in high school, channel-flipping between that show and its rivals - General Hospital and Santa Barbara - at 3:00 every weekday.

Everyone got a happy ending, and much of what I wanted to see happened. Olivia and Natalia, who made history by being the first gay soap couple with actual chemistry, ended up together. Lizzie got her daughter back. Ashley's (and Daisy's) happy ending was going off to Berkeley. And while Josh and Reva did reunite, the show was very respectful of Reva and Jeffrey fans, keeping us in suspense about Reva's choice until the very end of the last episode.

Ironically, this last year showcased the best of Guiding Light. Over the past two decades, I had walked away from the program on more than one occasion because of the sexism and sheer illogical storylines. But in the year of its cancellation, Guiding Light finally found its stride. The outdoor settings added greatly to the verisimilitude of the program, making me believe that these were people living in a town called Springfield. Women were allowed to be strong and independent. And while I never liked Reva, I was blown away by Kim Zimmer's performance of Reva at Jeffrey's memorial service. Kim Zimmer is an amazing actress who deserves the Emmys she's won. Reva was annoying because of the storylines she was in, not because of any lack of talent on Zimmer's part.

Of course, without India, the reunion of the four musketeers fell flat. But maybe that's just me. ;-) *Shout out to Andrea Clark.*

I've seen a number of soap operas end - Edge of Night, Santa Barbara, Another World. But there is something especially tragic in the demise of the oldest program on the air. Thank you to all of the writers, actors, directors, set designers, producers and camera people who told the story of Springfield for the last seven decades.

Health Care

2009-09-05T23:47:12Z

No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this in your own journal.