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September 8, 2010

Caritas Christi

Posted by ninjanurse under Rhode Island News | Tags: , , |
[2] Comments 

Why the back and forth? With a name like ‘Caritas Christi’ you would kind of figure this will be a Catholic-run Hospital. Those ‘in the know’ are already on to St. Joseph Hospital and Our Lady of Fatima. Miriam Hospital is supported by Jewish charities. What’s there to hide?

Woonsocket’s Landmark Medical Center will become a Catholic hospital, subject to the limitations of Catholic doctrine, if the hospital completes its planned sale to Caritas Christi Health Care, a Catholic hospital chain in Massachusetts.

That’s according to a statement from Dr. Ralph de la Torre, Caritas Christi’s chief executive officer — contradicting statements made by Caritas and Landmark spokesmen when the sales agreement was signed late last month.

See the rest of the story here at ProJo.com.

In Providence you can’t swing a cat without hitting a hospital, but Landmark is the only one serving the Woonsocket area. People who are sick or having an emergency can’t always travel– Northern Rhode Island will depend on this hospital as the first choice.

Will the proposed Caritas Christi provide emergency care? Will they treat rape victims? Will they offer emergency contraception–the standard of care? Will they consider religion in their decisions to hire and fire?

St. Joseph Hospital in Providence does an admirable job of serving the community, and there are other nearby providers they can refer to. Woonsocket deserves straight answers, in writing, so they know what they will be getting, and not getting, if Caritas Christi buys Landmark.

 

September 7, 2010

Celestial Soul Portraits

Posted by ninjanurse under 2010 elections, Uncategorized | Tags: , , |
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Via Salon– Esquire Magazine hired Erial Ali an ‘empathic artist’ to create ‘soul portraits’ of Republican presidential hopefuls. See them here, if you dare.

The artist used Photoshop (some might say, abused Photoshop) achieving an effect only matched by Wonkette ragging on Peggy Noonan.

Ali does not say so, but it really seems that Sarah Palin can see the gilded onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow if she turns her head, and Newt Gingrich is juggling three pearls– his three marriages, perhaps? Is it that deep? I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder.

 

September 7, 2010

Ground Zero Church

Posted by ninjanurse under Religion & Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , |
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Via the Drudge Retort, here is some history worth remembering from Paul Moses in Commonweal – a Catholic magazine.

It seems that in 1879 the Knights of Columbus proposed to build a church on an affluent street in Protestant New Haven, Connecticut. Shades of the ‘ground zero mosque’! Moses quotes from the New York Times archives…

As The Times put it, “When the residents of this aristocratic avenue discovered that they were in danger of seeing a Roman Catholic church spring up among them, with all that the establishment of such a church implied, they bestirred themselves to oppose the project. The wisest of the Roman Catholics here did not favor it, and St. Mary’s was induced to exchange the lot for a good one in some other locality.” But that site was also deemed “too good” for Catholics, so a lesser lot was found. The pastor refused this, according to The Times, and built the church as originally planned on wealthy Hillhouse Avenue.

Follow the link to see how it turned out.

America from the beginning has been a refuge for people who were willing to sacrifice all for the right to practice their religion in freedom and dignity. Let’s celebrate that.

 

September 6, 2010

From the Hymn Book

Posted by ninjanurse under Labor Issues, Uncategorized | Tags: , |
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I made it to church this Sunday, and this was one of the songs we sang in the service…

Bread and Roses

As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: Bread and Roses! Bread and Roses!
As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women’s children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.
As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.
As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days,
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life’s glories: Bread and roses, bread and roses.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; bread and roses, bread and roses.

Happy Labor Day.

 

September 6, 2010

Laboring for Health

Posted by David Jaffe under Child & Family, Environment, Food Safety, Health, Mental Health, Mommy Notes
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Since it’s Labor Day, it seems only fitting to share a news item relevant to those who truly know what it is like to endure labor, mothers. The article, which is a couple of weeks old (making it ancient in the Information Age), concerns a potential link between prenatal exposure to pesticides and the future development of attention deficit disorders. That such a link may exist is not entirely surprising. But it is alarming nonetheless. We live amid a multitude of toxins, which individually and in combination may impact the most vulnerable among us in ways that we cannot always imagine or appreciate. At least, not until the body of scientific data and the resulting public uproar become too powerful to ignore. In the meantime, it pays to be attentive and cautious.

From U.S. News & World Report:

Pesticide Exposure in the Womb Increases ADHD Risk

Exposure to pesticides while in the womb may increase the odds that a child will have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to researchers at the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health. Combine that with research published in May in Pediatrics finding that children exposed to pesticides were more likely to have ADHD, and it’s enough to make parents wonder how to reduce their family’s exposure to pesticides.

The California researchers are studying the impact of environmental exposures on the health of women and children who live in the Salinas Valley, an agricultural region with heavy pesticide use. They tested the urine of pregnant women for pesticide residue, and then tested the behavior of their children at ages 3½ and 5. The 5-year-olds who had been exposed to organophosphate pesticides while in the womb had more problems with attention and behavior than did children who were not exposed. What’s more, the heavier the pesticide exposure, the more likely that the child would have symptoms of ADHD . The results were published online in Environmental Health Perspectives.

This isn’t proof that pesticides cause ADHD, but since organophosphate pesticides are neurotoxins that kill pests by disrupting neurotransmitters that carry signals though the brain, it’s easy to imagine that exposure to organophosphate might interfere with brain function and development. [full article]

 

September 4, 2010

Margaret Atwood v. Fox News North

Posted by ninjanurse under Media Issues, World News | Tags: , , , , |
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I’ve been re-reading a novel (Lady Oracle) by one of my favorite authors, Margaret Atwood. I Googled her and look what she’s up to there in Canada. Things are getting pretty hot in the land of snow…

Margaret Atwood is criticizing Stephen Harper over what she sees as his dictatorial approach to regulating the airwaves.

The literary icon has signed an online petition aimed at keeping a “Fox News North” channel off the air in Canada. But it’s not the idea of a right-wing television station she’s objecting to. Rather, the prolific and celebrated writer doesn’t like the Prime Minister’s style of governing.

Unlike the US, where public broadcasting is the backwaters of TV, in Canada it’s more like the BBC– right out in prime time. It’s partially tax-funded, and in the middle of a political fight over whether a spot on state-sponsored basic cable should be given to Sun TV News, a controversial news outlet.

The decision by the CRTC, Canadas TV watchdog, not to compel Canadian cable and satellite TV subscribers to pay for Sun TV News has apparently landed CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein in hot water.

Sun TV News is led by Kory Teneycke, a former spinmeister for prime minister Harper, is understood to be looking for von Finckenstein’s head for forcing the upstart news channel onto the open market for survival.

The prime ministers office in Ottawa has denied that the CRTC chair faces the chopping block. And Teneycke, vp of development at Quebecor, also lashed out at Atwood and other signatorees of the Avaaz petition.

Avaaz is an advocacy organization that supports environmental and human rights causes. It’s not surprising that Margaret Atwood, whose two latest novels are speculative fiction about environmental disaster, would be on their email list.

She’s certainly stirred things up, with her audacious internet petition signing. Some commenters have called her names I won’t repeat here, though maybe ‘witch’ was intended as a compliment. She can take the heat. She’ll be fine. She’s a writer.

UPDATE: An editorial that asks if Sun TV is being ‘shoved down their throat’. Hit ‘em with a hockey stick, eh?

 

September 4, 2010

Just Wanted to Keep You Abreast

Posted by David Jaffe under Breast Cancer, Civil Liberties, Education, US News
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Who doesn’t love boobies? They’re adorable! So exotic and graceful. They’re especially enchanting during courtship, the way they seem to puff themselves up. You just want to give them a squeeze.

Kids love boobies, too. In fact, some have taken to wearing bracelets to declare that very sentiment. Unfortunately, some school administrators have quickly put the kibosh on such accessorizing. This happened in South Dakota earlier this week, which seems rather strange given how far inland the state is. Do they even have boobies in that part of the country? Isn’t it too cold for them? Regardless, it seems silly to stifle the free expression of students simply because a Principal or two has got a thing against boobies. Maybe these fellows would feel differently if they could just see one up close, perhaps even hold one. Nah, it’ll never happen.

UPDATE: I’ve been busted. It appears I was misinformed. I had heard of the aforementioned booby ban in passing and did not adequately investigate the story. The boobies in question were not the blue-footed seabirds known for hunting fish by diving into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. They were…umm…you know…the other kind. Now, I feel like a boob.

Anyway, here’s the original news article from the Associated Press:

Rubber bracelets aimed at raising awareness about breast cancer and emblazoned with “I love boobies” are raising eyebrows among school officials in South Dakota.

This week, Baltic High School joined several schools nationwide to ban the popular bracelets with a message some say is in poor taste.

“I do think there are more proper ways to bring this plight to the attention of people, and I don’t think this is a proper way,” Principal Jim Aisenbrey told the Argus Leader.

Officials at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls have also told students not to wear the bracelets in school.

“Our concern is that the issue the wristbands are meant to address is a serious one, but the language used on the bracelets trivializes the issue,” said Principal Kyle Groos.

The bracelets that sell for about $4 in stores were created by the nonprofit Keep A Breast Foundation of Carlsbad, Calif. Proceeds go to the foundation’s programs.

Schools from Florida to California have banned the bracelets following objections from some students and parents.

Baltic resident Ann Aberson said cancer has affected several of her relatives, and she doesn’t have a problem with her two teenage daughters wearing the bracelets. “I guess I never thought of them as offensive,” she said. [full story]

For more information about the Keep A Breast Foundation, visit their website.

 

September 4, 2010

American Friends

Posted by ninjanurse under Religion & Spirituality | Tags: , , , , |
[6] Comments 

The American Friends Service Committee, the social justice organization of the Quakers, has issued a statement in support of the proposed Islamic cultural center in New York City. They recognize the profound hurt to individuals and our nation from the attack on the World Trade Center nine years ago this month…

We were here in New York City on September 11th, 2001, and mourned with the loved ones of individuals of all faiths who were killed or injured, reaching out to that of God in each and every one. We experienced the loss of a sense of security and well-being. We, too, experience the pain and grief that remain. We have worked steadfastly with victims in the aftermath, and have challenged actions that lead to further loss of life. We concern ourselves with the threat of harm when those on different sides of disputes cast “the other” in the role of the despised and deny their voice, their humanity, and their rights. We call now, as we did then, for the end to the cycle of violence.

They offer a vision for healing the conflict here and around the world.

Of the possibility of an Islamic Community Center near the site of the World Trade Towers, or a different place of the Center’s Board’s choosing, we harbor no suspicion. We dare to imagine the site of the World Trade Towers surrounded by the evidence of our nation’s commitment to religious freedom, and our nation’s pluralism.

The whole of the statement is here.

Quakers came to the New World before it was America, and have given their lives for the freedom of religion we cherish–here and around the world. There is no better refutation of Muslim extremism than the right of Americans to practice their religion in freedom and dignity. American Muslims are an example to the world of the benefits of a civil society. The Quaker voice is one of quiet decency. It may not be easy to hear over the marching bands and hymnalizing of the self-appointed defenders of ‘faith’. But you don’t get more American than the Society of Friends– a religious minority protecting the rights of us all.

 

September 3, 2010

Convenience Food

Posted by ninjanurse under food | Tags: , , , |
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We all know the stress of going to a place like TGI Fridays after a tough week. You get a huge platter of greasy nuggets of something, pop one into your mouth– and then have to lift one of those heavy beer mugs. What drudgery. But now there’s an answer.

A chef in Texas has invented deep-fried beer! To see a picture of Mark Zable’s pioneering creation of fried alcohol, follow the previous link.

Mr. Zable hopes to win first prize at the Texas State Fair. Last year’s winner was deep-fried butter.

 

September 2, 2010

Consumer Alert

Posted by David Jaffe under Health, US News, food
[2] Comments 

By all accounts, America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. “According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34 percent of adults aged 20 and older are obese, and 34 percent are overweight. Among children, 18 percent of teens aged 12 to 19 are obese, 20 percent of children aged 6 to 11 are obese, as are 10 percent of kids aged 2 to 5.” Not only are we increasingly living large but we also are often failing to recognize the extent of our porkiness. A recent Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll found that “many Americans have skewed perceptions when it comes to their weight, often believing they are thinner than they really are, even when the scales are shouting otherwise…Thirty percent of those in the “overweight” class believed they were actually normal size, while 70 percent of those classified as obese felt they were simply overweight.” This is a serious public health issue.

Inexplicably, as obesity rates have climbed, so has the popularity of competitive eating. Yesterday, in Sparks, Nevada, a rib-eating contest was held. Here, in part, is what the Reno Gazette Journal had to say about this event:

America’s No. 1 professional eater, Joey Chestnut, regained his crown at the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off’s eating competition Wednesday evening by eating 8 pounds of pork ribs in 12 minutes.

In 2008, Chestnut won the competition in Sparks, the International Federation of Competitive Eating’s most prestigious rib event and set a world record when he ate 9.8 pounds in the same duration. Pat Bertoletti of Chicago, who finished second this year with 6.9 pounds, temporarily unseated Chestnut last year.

Chestnut’s win is his fourth in five years in the Nugget’s competition. The 26-year-old engineering student from San Jose, Calif., did not eat for two days before the competition to clear his stomach. Afterward, he said he plans to drink liquids to ‘keep the perfect balance of emptiness but also be hydrated and have the right amount of nutrition to digest a ridiculous amount of food.’ [full article]

Really, I don’t know where to start (besides stifling the urge to gag). I’m not sure which is more obscene, consuming such a large quantity of food in such a short time or staging such competitions when we’re bursting with obesity. None of this seems healthy to me. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to down (and keep from coming up) so much food. But, hey, kudos to the wonderfully-named Joey Chestnut, who holds a number of world records for his endeavors in the field of competitive eating. According to Wikipedia, this includes consuming 68 hot dog and buns in 10 minutes during the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, and 8.6 pounds of tempura-fried asparagus at the World Deep Fried Asparagus Eating Championship in Stockton, CA.

We live in a very strange world. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to quell my growing nausea and lay down.

 

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