Tag: women’s issues

Shorties of Riddick

Let’s start off with the Health Insurance Reform bits: Many thanks to Florinda for noticing this item, the story of the mom who was the only person in the whole Emergency Department with health insurance. However, don’t think that mandatory health insurance would have changed that. And here’s a moving piece on health care — particularly mental health care, as it fits into our nation’s Christian traditions.

Continuing the Bush Economic Tradition: Huzzah, they are now proudly telling us that GDP went up 5.9% in Q4 of 2009. Isn’t that great? The Great Recession is officially over! Of course, that’s only if you ignore the reality of fewer jobs, higher unemployment particularly among people under 25 (many of whom don’t show up in the official statistics), collapsing consumer confidence, and stuff like that. In fact, the Christian Science Monitor has gone as far as to say that the recovery is a scam. Oh well, some jobs cost more to create than others. Real worry that the Senate decided it was more important to go home than to make sure that people on unemployment would be able to pay the rent next month.

Going to the Vitamin Store?: Not sure what to make of this chart of what science really knows about the various supplements you could buy there.

Huh, Maybe Blackwater is Out Of Control: Duh, Senate.

From the Department of WTF: The military thought it important to take time away from 2 overseas wars to spy on… Planned Parenthood? And white supremacists? Why, recruiting?

New USDA Rules on Organic Food: summary here.

“You never know who it used to be”: A local Buddhist temple is in trouble with the city. Why? Too many cats hang out there and the temple is kind enough to see to it they have food and clean water.

Sad but true: The bullet is still mightier than the restraining order. My heart goes out to everybody involved, including the students of the slain teacher. There is still a lot we don’t know about this situation yet. But ladies, one thing I do know is that you don’t owe anybody a “mercy date” or an explanation about why you want nothing to do with them. Stay away from guys that scare you! Stop answering the phone, stop talking to them, stop seeing them, cut them off cold turkey! Telling them more than once that you don’t want to talk to them is still talking to them!

What’s wrong with this?

From USA Today:

Women are driving longer into their pregnancies — often saving maternity leave until after giving birth — a lifestyle change that is leading to predictions of an increase in fetal deaths in car crashes.

What? Do they mean that at some point, I was supposed to have stopped working or going to the grocery store and maybe even just remained in my nice safe home until I went into labor?? Perhaps I should have called an ambulance instead of driving myself in the snow to the hospital where my husband was working? I swear I never got that memo!

Perhaps it would interest “journalist” Sharon Silke Carty that the average American woman has paltry maternity benefits: in most cases 12 weeks leave, with no pay, and that assuming she works for a company with more than 50 employees — fewer than half of all American companies — has been there at least 12 months, and has put in a minimum of 1250 hours during the previous 12 months. For most families, the “unpaid” part of that is a deal-breaker even if she qualifies. As conservative rag Forbes observed back in May:

And since the majority of women can’t afford not to work for a full three months, they also tend to return to work sooner than the law dictates. Perhaps that’s why in May 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 55% of first-time mothers were working six months after giving birth. In the early 1970s, only 25% were working 6 months after childbirth.

So I am not sure what USA Today is on about when getting the vapors over pregnant drivers. Sure, it would be nice if Detroit gave a flip about anything but 6 foot tall men when it comes to safety in the front seat — reason #2 I buy cars from countries that have short women — but I’m not holding my breath.

In closing: political minefield; what’s wrong with this picture; small business getting the stimulus funds shaft, ensuring recession for the foreseeable future; credit card scam involves hiding your bill; how is a Vegas magic act like the CIA?; knives that the TSA never notices; Twilight models an abusive relationship; Nevada still not sure we need any of that there Real ID stuff; 9 ways to avoid holiday weight gain; Americans doomed to financial illiteracy (in addition to the more mundane illiteracy and innumeracy); and emo comic book characters.