Clipmarks | Lexica's clips

Reactionary anti-women "men's rights" groups go mainstream

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:26 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
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Toward the end of her piece, Joyce makes a particularly fascinating point about MRAs' domestic violence arguments:
Critics like Australian sociologist Michael Flood say that men’s rights movements reflect the tactics of domestic abusers themselves, minimizing existing violence, calling it mutual, and discrediting victims. MRA groups downplay national abuse rates, just as abusers downplay their personal battery; they wage campaigns dismissing most allegations as false, as abusers claim partners are lying about being hit; and they depict the violence as mutual—part of an epidemic of wife-on-husband abuse—as individual batterers rationalize their behavior by saying that the violence was reciprocal. Additionally, MRA groups’ predictions of future violence by fed-up men wronged by the family-law system seem an obvious additional correlation, with the threat of violence seemingly intended to intimidate a community, like a fearful spouse, into compliance.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

the "men's rights" movement, a loosely organized coalition of individuals and organizations that believe feminist-influenced society is oppressing men

But the movement's bizarre fringe is nothing new, as Joyce reminds us in an in-depth Double X article. What's really frightening is the impact men's rights activists (MRAs) are having on mainstream politics.

the issues MRAs are pushing are much more complex than they seem

As for MRAs' accusations, inspired by deeply flawed studies, that men and women are equally likely to commit domestic abuse, well, the numbers speak for themselves: "While some men certainly are victims of female domestic violence, advocates say the number is closer to 3 percent to 4 percent, rather than the 45 percent to 50 percent RADAR claims."

what do we do about the increasingly mainstream men's rights movement and the worrisome gains it has made?

Personally, I'm torn.

the more marginalized these groups feel, the more extreme (and potentially violent) they become

Tags: men, women, gender, misogyny, mras

Texting as a health tool for teenagers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:53:35 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: I think it's interesting – and a good thing – that they're shifting from the term "noncompliance" to "nonadherence". Much less emotional baggage on the term, I think.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

For years, health care professionals in transplantation and other medical fields have struggled to address adolescent nonadherence, with little success. Many of the interventions proposed to help this age group have been cumbersome at best and awkward and potentially demeaning at worst. One potential solution, for example, has a clinician first identifying teenage patients who have been nonadherent, then increasing the frequency of their clinic visits and lecturing them about the importance of taking medications.

It is not hard to see why a teenager might not respond.

researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York published the results of a study showing that text messaging could significantly improve the rate of adherence among young liver transplant patients

investigators found that with text messaging, patients were more likely to take their medications

while 12 of the young people experienced rejection episodes in the previous year, only two did so during the study.

Tags: health, healthcare, teenagers, communication, text-messages

"Love of Shopping" is Not a Gene: exposing junk science and ideology in Darwinian Psychology

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:50:43 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: www.boingboing.net

Anne Innis Dagg's "Love of Shopping" is Not a Gene is a scathing, entertaining and extremely accessible geneticist's critique of "Darwinian Psychology" -- that is, the "science" of ascribing human behavior to genetic inevitability. Dagg, a biologist/geneticist at the University of Waterloo, identifies Darwinian Psychology as a nexus of ideological pseudoscience cooked to justify political agendas about the inevitability of social inequality, especially racial and sexual inequality.

One after another, Dagg examines the cherished shibboleths of Darwinian Psychology, examining the research offered in support

and demolishes each statement by subjecting it to scientific rigor, including an examination of all the contradictory evidence ignored by proponents.

As a debunking of pseudo-science, this is very masterful; but it is even better as a piece of social criticism, a look at exactly why Darwinian Psychology has found such a receptive audience among ideologues

Tags: books, book-reviews, evo-psych, debunking

Why does our society hate children?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:48:13 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: As a person without kids, I agree entirely about the need for patience. Kids are part of life, and adults should not default to being nasty to or about them.

More:

Several folks on this and other sites pointed out how much money they would pay for a child-free flight. You know what? I'd pay just as much for a child-friendly flight - where reasonably behaved kids can fly without fear of glares from miserable old ladies, put-off hipsters, and misanthropic businessmen…

Indeed, when we took our son on his first cross-country flight, he had a bad time. He screamed, he was in pain from the air pressure, and generally wasn't a happy camper. People were okay, but I still remember That Guy. He came up to me and said, "I have two kids. I've been where you are. Hang in there, it'll get better."

In my life, I love my wife, my child, my family, a handful of close friends, and That Guy. I hope he's finding money or falling in love or getting elected mayor somewhere right now.
Clip Source: www.psychologytoday.com
As the father of a three year old boy, I've become much more attuned to the way that people treat children. What astounds me is how much, as a society, we tend to despise children.
I want to first reiterate that I can't stand bad parents or bad children, either. There are parents who are over-permissive to the point of absurdity. There are kids who are just hyper or obnoxious.
But anyone who's been in charge of a toddler for more than three minutes knows that even the most perfect parent in the entire world can't prevent or stop every tantrum.
I don't like screaming in my ear, either. I also don't like people who wrestle the armrest away from me, people who lean their seat ALL the way back, and people who claim their suitcase is a purse and cram the overhead compartment with too many bags. But that's life. That's what traveling by air means. Heck, that's what it means to live in this world.

Tags: kids, parenting, society, culture, manners

Consumer Reports finds BPA in most canned foods

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:41:49 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
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…our findings are notable because they indicate the extent of potential exposure: Consumers eating just one serving of the canned vegetable soup we tested would get about double what the FDA now considers typical average dietary daily exposure…

A 165-pound adult eating one serving of canned green beans from our sample, which averaged 123.5 ppb, could ingest about 0.2 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day, about 80 times higher than our experts' recommended daily upper limit. And children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones we found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA approaching levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies… Drinking three servings per day of canned apple juice with BPA levels comparable to the levels found in our samples could result in a dose of BPA that is more than our experts' daily upper limit.
Clip Source: www.consumerreports.org
The chemical Bisphenol A, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because of potential health effects.
Now Consumer Reports' latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods we tested contain some BPA. The canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled "BPA-free."
Federal guidelines currently put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight. But that level is based on experiments done in the 1980s rather than hundreds of more recent animal and laboratory studies indicating serious health risks could result from much lower doses of BPA.

Tags: food, food-safety, chemicals, bpa, consumer-reports

Scientology: The Truth Rundown

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:36:57 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
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Contacted by the St. Petersburg Times, Rathbun agreed to tell the story of his years in Scientology and what led to his leaving… Seeking to corroborate Rathbun's story, the newspaper contacted others who were in Scientology during the same period and have left the church: Mike Rinder, one of Rathbun's closest associates for two decades; Tom De Vocht, who Rathbun named as key to his decision to leave; and later, Amy Scobee…

The reporters interviewed the four defectors multiple times, and met with church spokesmen and lawyers for 25 hours…

The result of the Times' reporting is this multi-part special report, the latest in a long history of Scientology coverage by the Times…This project, as you will see, features the three days of in-depth reports from the St. Petersburg Times, as well as additional content for this Web presentation. Those additional pieces include video; a photo gallery; and links to previous coverage in the Times, including the Pulitzer-winning coverag
Clip Source: www.tampabay.com

High-ranking defectors provide an unprecedented inside look at the
Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige.
Scientology leader David Miscavige is the focus of this special report from the St. Petersburg Times. Former executives of the Church of Scientology, including two of the former top lieutenants to Miscavige, have come forward to describe a culture of intimidation and violence under David Miscavige. These former Scientology leaders served for years with Miscavige.
Read our special report
on Scientology
ABOUT THIS SPECIAL REPORT ON SCIENTOLOGY: Mark C. "Marty" Rathbun left the Church of Scientology staff in late 2004, ending a 27-year career that saw him rise to be a top lieutenant to Miscavige in the organization. For the past four years, he has lived a low-profile life in Texas. Some speculated he had died.
In February, Rathbun posted an Internet message announcing he was available to counsel other disaffected Scientologists.

Tags: scientology, conspiracy, journalism, investigation

Russian breathing technique offers help for people with asthma

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:06:58 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: Click through for the full article, which describes the technique.

Have you ever noticed that "asthma" is one of those words that looks misspelled no matter how you spell it?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

I don’t often write about alternative remedies for serious medical conditions. Most have little more than anecdotal support, and few have been found effective in well-designed clinical trials.

Now, however, in describing an alternative treatment for asthma that does not yet have top clinical ratings in this country (although it is taught in Russian medical schools and covered by insurance in Australia), I am going beyond my usually stringent research criteria for three reasons:

¶The treatment, a breathing technique discovered half a century ago, is harmless if practiced as directed with a well-trained therapist.

¶It has the potential to improve the health and quality of life of many people with asthma, while saving health care dollars.

¶I’ve seen it work miraculously well for a friend who had little choice but to stop using the steroid medications that were keeping him alive.

the Buteyko method, a shallow-breathing technique developed in 1952 by a Russian doctor, Konstantin Buteyko.

Tags: health, healthcare, asthma, russian, breath

A second chance at life, thanks to strangers on a train

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:04:57 GMT

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Mr. Medaglia and Dr. Tolani rode the subway downtown together… He’d missed the 5:13 train and while he was waiting at Penn Station for the 5:59, a woman came up and said, “You did the CPR on that guy, is he really going to live?”

“I said I think so,” recalled Mr. Medaglia. “She blew me a kiss. She said, ‘God bless you — you did a great thing.’ I just sat on the train home, thinking, ‘Holy Jesus.’ ”

…This was Lieutenant Kelly’s fourth CPR call in 13 years. The three other aideds all died. “Best thing I ever did in my life,” he said…

Having gotten a second chance, Mr. Kiernan, a lifelong bachelor, said he is trying to be a better partner to his longtime girlfriend and is trying to eat more carefully, drink less, and seize each day a little more. “I’m not religious,” he said, “but I keep thinking, ‘Who put that cardiologist on the train?’ Coming home tonight, I looked around the subway car — there wasn’t anybody who looked like a cardiologist.”

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

FIVE days a week, Michael Kiernan, 50, a computer network administrator, makes the 90-minute commute home

On Friday, Oct. 16, he was in his usual spot when the doors opened at 125th Street. Two court officers he knows usually get on, but didn’t, and he thought to himself that he must be the only one who’d made his connections just right. Then the doors closed, the train started, and he collapsed.

He appeared to be having a grand mal seizure. He was flailing and foaming from the mouth, fists clenched, body tight. I figured the seizure would pass, but in seconds he turned a deep, deep blue. A frightening blue. Someone shouts, ‘Is there a doctor?’ ”

There was: Dr. Sonia Tolani, 32, a cardiology fellow at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, fresh from work in green scrubs

The machine said “charging,” then delivered the shock. The body arched and fell. Still no pulse. Two more minutes of CPR, a second shock. Nothing. “I’m thinking, ‘No way he’s coming back,’ ” Dr. Tolani recalled.

Tags: life, death, altruism, cpr

A brief visit from my soldier son

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:00:28 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

SEVERAL years ago, as Labor Day approached and parents nationwide began that end-of-summer ritual I know all too well — packing the children off to college — I found myself facing a new and particularly fraught task: preparing to return my son not to college but to war, to the mountain passes northeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan.

“Dad,” he said. “I’ve got some news.”

“Are you O.K.?”

“Yes, it’s all good. I’m coming home in two weeks on leave. But I need you to talk to Mom.”

“About what?”

“I’m getting married.”

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

I kissed them each on the head and said, “You know who loves you.”

With that they turned and walked into the terminal.

Despite the backpack and uniform, I saw him as the toddler he once was wearing footie pajamas and dragging his blanket behind him. But he was no longer that boy. He was a man, not yet 21, who looked as if he could handle anything. He had his arm around his wife in support. And just like that he was gone.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Tags: family, parenting, children, military, marriage, love, passages

Treating the pain epidemic

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:57:56 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com

Chronic pain affects more than 70 million Americans, which makes it more widespread than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. It costs the economy more than $100 billion per year. So why don’t more doctors and researchers take it seriously?

That is the challenge raised by a new report from the Mayday Fund, a nonprofit group that studies pain treatment. The report, which been endorsed by an array of medical groups, advocates a revolution in the training of doctors, the financing of research and the education of law-enforcement officials.

“The fact is that people aren’t getting competent and cost-effective treatment for chronic pain,” said Dr. Russell Portenoy, one of the co-chairmen of the panel that prepared the report.

“Don’t assume that your doctor knows what to do to treat your pain,” Dr. Zeltzer advised patients.

She and the other members of the panel urged better pain-management training in medical schools and more money for pain research

Tags: health, healthcare, pain, chronic-pain, pain-relief

Three feminists on dirty words, pop culture, and the language of choice

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:54:18 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: jezebel.com

Yesterday the Planned Parenthood NYC Action Fund brought together Jessica Valenti of Feministing, Lynn Harris of Broadsheet, and longtime reproductive rights activist and writer Gloria Feldt to discuss everything from feminist pop culture to whether "feminism" is a dirty word.

The evening seemed to focus on how we talk about feminism

issues of language and rhetoric are a really important part of being a feminist in the larger world. The conversation touched on blog comments — which all three agreed were like a more public version of 1970s consciousness-raising groups — before zeroing in on the word "feminist" itself. Valenti said she embraced the word, and that there was no point in picking another, less loaded term because "I think any word you use to talk about women's rights is going to become a dirty word." Feldt concurred: "the first thing people do to you when they want to diminish you is they diminish you with language."

Tags: feminism, women, language, culture

While dozens gawked at Richmond rape, one brave young woman called 911

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:52:04 GMT

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"I think people are scared, especially in a community like this where 'snitching' is a big thing to people," she said.

Vargas said she does not believe there is such a thing as "snitching," especially in a case such as this. Calling for help, she said is just the right thing to do.

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

On Oct. 24, police say dozens of teens gawked, laughed and took photographs while a 15-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped and beaten outside a Richmond High School homecoming dance.

But one brave girl, who was not even there, wouldn't stand for it.

"I was watching a movie, and my brother-in-law came in and he told me 'I don't know what to do, because there is a girl back there and she has been raped. I'm scared,'" 18-year-old Margarita Vargas said.

"I'm like 'We should call the cops because that's the right thing to do.' I didn't think about it twice."

Vargas said she called police because she would want someone to do the same if she ever was in that situation.

After making the call, Vargas went to the scene to check on the girl.

"I could tell that she had been beat up because her face was swollen," Vargas said. "She was naked, didn't have shoes. They just covered her up and stuff."

Vargas said she would pick up that phone again and call for help. But she also understands why others won't.

Tags: rape, violence, misogyny, altruism

East Bay bridges ready for bicyclists

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:46:24 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: Gotta check out some of these rides...

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

The key missing link for one of the Bay Area's great bike road trips is complete.

The new bike lanes on the Benicia-Martinez and Carquinez bridges provide connections for a loop ride of 25 to 50 miles. Or use one of two parks, Martinez Regional Shoreline or Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline, as launch points for great, short rides to the bridges.

Whether choosing an easy ride or a tough challenge, the payoff is a shoreline ride with spectacular views.

The most ambitious ride here is the Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop. I have not done this entire trip yet, but experts at bike shops call it a rewarding challenge. The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council is collaborating on completing a dedicated trail, but there are still gaps where you have to scramble on roads in traffic.

Tags: bikes, bicycling, bay-area, bike-rides, bridges

The 5 questions you should ask a job interviewer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:44:56 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Clip Source: www.recessionwire.com

In this economy, where unemployment is high and you have many more job seekers than jobs, you can’t afford to improvise on the interview.

Find out as much as you can about the position you’re interviewing for, how the process will go, and who will be interviewing you. Research the people you’ll be talking to (use Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and real-life contacts) so you have common ground to discuss, and check out the company and the competition.

You still have to ace the interview. These five questions will pull you ahead of the pack

“In the first 30, 60, and 90 days what projects would you like to have completed and taken off your list?”

“What one skill if mastered would add the most value to your department?”

“What challenges and opportunities is the company and the department facing?”

“What are your company goals for the year and what are the department goals?”

“What more can I tell you about myself to let you know that I am the right person for this job?”

Tags: work, interviewing, employment

Oakland's Peerless Coffee is still going strong

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:41:15 GMT

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Peerless' cupping room, in fact, might be the most charming around, with the same furniture that John Vukasinovich used decades ago lining its cramped quarters, along with a shiny new spittoon - essential for cupping.

"We thought for hygienic purposes, we should retire the old one," jokes George Jr.

Perhaps it will last into the next generation - there's already a fourth in the wings. Will Kristina's oldest son, 7-year-old John William, become the family's next great cupper?

"I hope," George Jr. says with smile. "Bring him on."

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

When George Vukasin Sr. was approached by prospective buyers more than a decade ago, he asked his suitors why they wanted to purchase his family-run Peerless Coffee & Tea business.

Because you're too old, Vukasin was told.

"And they were right. They'd done their homework," the 76-year-old patriarch concedes. "But they didn't know that these two were coming into the business," he says, pointing at his oldest daughter, Kristina, and his son, George Jr.

Peerless celebrated its 85th anniversary last month, solidifying its status as one of the Bay Area's oldest - if least known - specialty coffee companies.

For them, crafting the perfect cup of coffee is both a science and an art. Even beans from the same region can vary wildly, as different elevations lead to different densities which lead to different roasting preferences.

And it's that winelike blending and appreciation that has top Bay Area restaurateurs swearing by Peerless.

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

Tags: coffee, oakland, business, family-businesses

Clipmarks | Lexica's clips

Reactionary anti-women "men's rights" groups go mainstream

Texting as a health tool for teenagers

"Love of Shopping" is Not a Gene: exposing junk science and ideology in Darwinian Psychology

Why does our society hate children?

Consumer Reports finds BPA in most canned foods

Scientology: The Truth Rundown

Read our special report on Scientology

Russian breathing technique offers help for people with asthma

A second chance at life, thanks to strangers on a train

A brief visit from my soldier son

Treating the pain epidemic

Three feminists on dirty words, pop culture, and the language of choice

While dozens gawked at Richmond rape, one brave young woman called 911

East Bay bridges ready for bicyclists

The 5 questions you should ask a job interviewer

Oakland's Peerless Coffee is still going strong

Read our special report
on Scientology