tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3040841476154416752024-03-13T13:53:55.388-04:00THERMODANIFiery words from a lively galThermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-87549136058756115092020-06-19T23:23:00.002-04:002020-06-20T01:48:10.954-04:00JUNETEENTH AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">A few thoughts on the history of Juneteenth, what really happened after people under enslavement were freed, and the current state of policing of Black communities by white cops:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">1) June 19, 1965 was TWO YEARS AFTER the Emancipation Proclamation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">2) In the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln allows many states to keep their slaves as long as they pledge alliance to the North. These states were allowed to keep their slaves until the 13th Amendment was ratified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">3) The 13th amendment (which STILL allows for legal slavery of folks in prison - many of whom are POCs who've been funneled into the system at a young age for profit) wasn't ratified until December 6, 1865 (six months after the Galveston, TX announcement).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">4) Even after they were freed, these free men and women were told on that day in Galveston "to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere" ("Juneteenth". Texas State Library and Archives Commission). Basically, they were freed then immediately told that if they don't continue to work for their former masters (but, for pay, so it's ok), relax anywhere (where they'd be deemed "idle"), or if they try to get anywhere near the guns (after they're brothers in the North had actually fought for the military), they'll be harassed by cops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">5) Since Lincoln was shot four months after the Proclamation, Andrew Johnson came into power and he was a big supporter of state's rights. The Civil Rights Bill (which Johnson vetoed, but was overrode) was established in 1966, and the backlash was that the southern states instituted "black codes" which are essentially the start of Jim Crow. Examples of the "black code" is that free Black people had to sign yearly labor contracts (at the low wages employers were willing to give); if they refused, they risked being arrested, fined and forced into unpaid labor, or laws prohibiting Black people from holding any occupation other than farmer or servant unless they paid an annual tax of $10 to $100. In addition, so-called “anti-enticement” measures were designed to punish anyone who offered higher wages to a black laborer already under contract. These codes were enforced by all-white police and militias made up of former Confederate veterans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">6) The North sent in troops to ensure "a period when they [Black folks, though men only] were allowed to vote, actively participate in the political process, acquire the land of former owners, seek their own employment, and use public accommodations" ("Civil War and Reconstruction." Library of Congress.) They were also supposed to provide safety to feed people from angry white mobs during this Reconstruction period. This is the period in which the KKK was formed. Despite the passage of the 14th ("equal protection" in 1867) and 15th (the right to vote in 1870) were passed, southern states didn't follow these Federal laws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">7) As soon as the troops were recalled in 1877, angry white mobs (many of which were led by the already formed KKK) immediately burned black businesses, lynched men in governing positions, and generally incited fear in free communities. This type of fear policing has not stopped since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">White policing of Black communities has been entrenched in US culture for so long, that when videos clearly show people being shot who aren't even resisting arrest (often for false reasons) the White populace sees justification.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-53382312841784911572020-06-13T21:12:00.002-04:002020-06-13T21:29:24.422-04:00Why Teachers Need a Summer Break<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><i>I've often heard that teachers have it easy with all their vacation time. Why do teachers need summer break?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is what transpired in ONE class period (65 minutes) today:</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I start the class with a full bladder because I had so many student questions from the exiting students of the last class and from incoming students for the next class, that I haven't had a chance to run to the toilet that's only three classes away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I'm short two chairs because some other teacher borrowed them and didn't return them or leave a name, so I have to assign a student to go scavenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The students are writing their first literature analysis essay, so almost all of the 25 students need one-on-one consultations. There's no time for this, so I have to do a quick assessment of their status, then give a quick editing task that I'll check on after I consult with the next student, and continually circle back to give the next task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I'm simultaneously grading their work as I'm doing the consultations because the school has insisted that we need a ridiculous number of grades in the system to prove to parents that we're teaching. I calculated the number of assessment grades they want times the time it takes to grade everything as Summatives (vs. Formatives, i.e. ungraded draft work) times the number of students in the class and it averaged 30 hours a week, just on grading. So I'm entering grades on their drafts as I consult with each student.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Late students arrive and there's discussion because they don't have passes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Unmotivated or confused students will stop working and chat with their neighbors who were working, so I have to stay aware and on top of this behavior to keep kids on track.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Students need to use the restroom, so I have to keep track of who's gone and how long they've been gone to ensure they're not wandering the halls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Remember, I’m still doing writing consults as all this extra activity is happening.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Students have an argument about a stolen pen that nearly results in a physical fight, so I need to get them calmed and back to working.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I have a brand new student show up who's missed the first 1.5 months of class, but needs to be caught up, which I cannot possible do during class, so I send him to the library to get one of the extra textbooks I returned because supposedly we had stopped registering new students. But the library has no idea where the extra books went (according to the returned student), so I'm trying to dash out an email to the librarian to track them down while the students start lining up at my desk to ask questions, instead of staying in their seats as requested, so that I can keep track of who I've worked with already and ensure all students get some attention during class, not just the eager ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I have a student who had behavior issues which has resulted in him missing school. This is the first time I've seen him in two weeks, so I'm catching him up on the whole essay process (one that took two weeks of assisted classwork to get this point) when the school head comes in and takes him out of class halfway through the discussion, so he'll be even further behind now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The nurse comes in and out, taking batches of students to check their hearing, which requires getting all students attention, stopping their work, then helping the nurse get the right students... for every batch she comes to get. Remember, I’m still trying to do essay consulting with 25 students in 65 min.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Some students want to rewrite their outline worksheet, but other students have taken all my extra copies, so I'm trying to print more from my personal printer because I can't leave the students alone in class to make more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Then the bell rings with several students who haven't had time to talk to me, so they clamor for a minute of time and I have to quickly schedule after school meetings. By the time I've finished, I'm about to run to the toilet that I had to use at the beginning of class.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Then the bell rings for the start of the next class.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>That's one class - one hour of my day. Now imagine doing that for 4 periods in a row with only a 30-minute lunch break (which is actually 20 since students stay 5 min after class and come in 5-min before to ask questions, during which, I'm at my desk scrambling to check emails that have accumulated during the last 3 teaching periods while I stuff lunch down my throat. As soon as class four is over, I start doing the rest of my job: planning/running after-school clubs, working on the school's yearbook, contacting parents of failing students, arranging meetings, coordinating with fellow teachers for co-teaching shared classes, creating a homeroom curriculum, checking up on department functionality as HOD, completing field trip request forms, coordinating a peer-to-peer training program, and... you get the idea.</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-4367437700073740262020-06-06T20:52:00.004-04:002020-06-13T21:32:12.088-04:00Racially Profiled Child Abuse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt;">The official stats on rape are wrong. I know this because I know so many women who haven't reported their attacks. Hell, I had a roommate in college who didn't even know she was raped, i.e. she called it something else until her other roommate and I explained that it's still rape, even if he was a friend before the incident. Literally EVERY SINGLE WOMAN I know has had some degree of unwanted sexual touch in her life. </span><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt;">#metoo<span style="background: white;"> was the first time this subject was publicly addressed, and it is shocking how many people (men) don't want to believe it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #050505; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">This morning, I tried to find statistics on how many black boys are harassed by cops at a young age. I couldn't find any, yet every black man I know has a story about their first harassment by cops for simply existing. One friends's face was pushed onto a cop car hood under a white cop's grip for trying to buy a toothbrush. He was eight at the time. The other stories aren't much different. Sometimes physical, sometimes verbal. Pejoratives are often used. Their voices always change when telling their story... it cracks, it becomes strained, the throat tightens with anger and shame. Imagine this being your experience after school has told you that cops are the people to go to when you're in danger. Imagine the confusion and fear. I found articles about Black adult interactions with cops, but nothing about the rates of child abuse by cops. And yes, it's RACIALLY PROFILED CHILD ABUSE. I wonder if #BLM made these stories a part of their public protests, how many white people would still not believe that the Black community is under attack from the very beginning of life.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt;">All oppressions are intersected. You cannot fight for one and not the others.</span></span></div>
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Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-39344614355247938962016-03-05T03:38:00.002-05:002016-03-05T04:24:54.649-05:00How to Teach Abroad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've been getting requests from friends of friends asking for info about teaching abroad, so figured I'd just post what I know so you can pass it on. (Note, if any fellow international teachers want to chime in, feel free in the comments. I can only write based on personal experience, which is obviously limited):</div>
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First thing to know is the hiring season: The best schools start searching for candidates in November and hire by February for the following school year. The second tier schools are January to April. Third tier anywhere from early spring until well after school starts next year. Notices about these openings can be found on everything from forums to recruiting agencies. The best situation one can have is to be registered with an established recruiting agency, like Search Associates, who tell you exactly which school is looking (vs. general position and country) and their pay scale. However, these agencies require an investment on your part in the form of everything from time and effort (resume posting to online referrals from specific people in your school) to annual fees, depending on where you are in the world at the time of application. TIE (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tieonline.com%2Fdefault.cfm&h=2AQGw8U4pAQEAwMdEe8dxuVcBv3D8KQe5IPgV14sHtBizhQ&enc=AZNWPe-SazQMe772QZgMne6lagZjF28YLfSsxMg1YBJUW-KzecR4W9O11sX5P9_gvpw7iRnvBtLTUnE0YUshua4C0nLPscrE790-ieImKOyJkurzScIO21NS_1235IkOQqOymC7-tEYsgO_OdBtoB_ChZ8wWaBq9hbinYImJLpL9N-AfGc7b9i62gMPgaT2sTO8&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.tieonline.com/default.cfm</a>) has many openings, but their background info isn't quite as comprehensive. There are a ton more online agencies, but most just list job postings vs having your information on file for potential employers.</div>
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The basic scale from lowest tier to top tier schools is South America---> Middle East ---> East Asia ---> Europe. South America pays the least, and demands the least from its teachers. Middle East and East Asia have the best ratios of pay to cost of living for savings potential. In the Middle East you'll deal with schools that often don't know what they're doing and often, rather undisciplined students. In the Far East you'll often have high functioning schools and disciplined students, but very demanding admin and parents. Europe has lovely social life and great schools, but costs are high and benefits (housing, plane tix home, etc) are low. You don't teach in Europe to make money. You don't live in the Middle East for the social life. In the Middle East, best bets for a happy social life in order of best to worst (arguable, I'm sure) are Bahrain---> Dubai ---> Abu Dhabi ---> Oman ---> Qatar ---> Kuwait ----> Saudi Arabia. Families can handle Saudi because they provide great compound living to make up for the terrible social landscape outside (no movies, music, dancing, alcohol, exposed skin), but not great for singles. Kuwait costs as much as Doha, but is much more repressive. Thus, reverse the order for best pay. The best part is there are no taxes in the Middle East. I don't have personal experience in the far east, but have been told that China is hit or miss (often miss, for treatment of teachers), Japan and South Korea have high living costs, tiger moms, and xenophobic inhabitants, but good positions can be found. I heard Taiwan is the easiest for westerners, but happiness greatly depends on the school. Personally, I wouldn't join any school abroad that didn't pay for housing, private health insurance, yearly trips home, and some form of moving allowance. </div>
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Before launching into applications to anyone, these items need to be prepared:<br />
-Scans of education documents (degrees, transcripts)<br />
-Scan of teaching license<br />
-A passport style headshot (except smiling and looking teachery)<br />
-A criminal background check from the FBI (not needed until ready to leave the country but good to have ready)</div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; white-space: normal;">
Extras that could help you get hired:<br />
-A video about you on YouTube<br />
-A teaching philosophy statement (sometimes this is mandatory)</div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; white-space: normal;">
Be aware that in some countries, the red tape is ridiculous. For example, in Qatar, you need to get your original diploma scanned, certified by notary that it's real, which is then signed by a representative at your alma mater, which is then forwarded to a state agency for signature, which is then forwarded to the US agency for verification, which is then forwarded to the Qatar embassy in the US, who then forwards approval to the country of Qatar. A good school will give you lots of information and help. I ended up using an agency in Virginia and forking over the $400 to get it all done. You can get a head start and save cash by getting your diploma verified early on while still in the states.</div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; white-space: normal;">
If hired, you'll be expected to do a health check. Sometimes they demand it be done in your home country, but usually in the new country. Sometimes, they'll ask for a US check up, then ignore that one and demand a new on in the new country. Usually the school pays for this as part of your work residency process. Note: Even if they draw blood, they're generally only looking for TB and HIV, not drugs. </div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; white-space: normal;">
My personal process is the check out the notices I get from Search Associates, check the savings potential (listed right on the notice), check reviews of the school online, check photos of the place in Google, check average temps and social life of the area, and most importantly, check the political situation in that area. For example, there are ton of good paying jobs around Nigeria and Kenya right now, but it's not exactly a great place to be an expat/Christian right now. A few years ago there were a ton of jobs in Japan, but most were near the nuclear/tsunami sites. Note: no atheists do not officially exist in the Middle East; if you are western, you are Christian. And even if you are Christian, don't talk about it (though churches are available). </div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; white-space: normal;">
To compare schools, the small annual fee for this review site is well worth it (like worth it in gold bars):<br />
<a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Finternationalschoolsreview.com%2F&h=TAQERuHp5AQGyrEoEdX8LgwYDPGYDDB97FskOd6JfSt6FWQ&enc=AZNvf-R_55HlaNbx6JIUpK9nZJvohRoT6Kpx39pldAo54j2oOG4G7qlpI9HGxI0e7xVy_bV0KMqaRhKHH3zCXD8ILvbkwPXJHa0Jr6XoCsKO4Fxbb7vCq9pNCrMwz96J8nGAxwRVRDpoS3dHuET4E6JgouAqcUw1RXWegwXw01kSYsdjVxpX97FOa-I9kZyhoZU&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://internationalschoolsreview.com</a></div>
<div style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 6px; white-space: normal;">
Re: tax free living. If you're a US citizen, you can earn up to $99K abroad and not have to pay taxes. HOWEVER, you DO have to file, along with a form that states you're living abroad and not subject to taxes. The form needs be submitted by April. Note that stepping out of the tax game also means you give up Social Security benefits. However, I saved more in the first two years abroad than my total benefits for my lifetime of work at the time I chose to give them up.</div>
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Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-47756188445040945892014-11-10T14:22:00.000-05:002014-11-10T14:23:38.130-05:00We're Doing It Wrong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 1.38;">I've been teaching in Bahrain for a wealthy children of royals. It ironically turns out that this level of wealth has the exact same results as being poor. The student apathy about homework and attendance. The same attitude towards authority. The same immaturity. So I've been working with difficult students that are just as challenging as an inner-city urban school in the U.S. However, though one set of students is unhappy because they only get parental attention from their nannies, the other is helping feed the family while trying to study. So after working with problem students, I've decided that a good class size should be around eight students. Six, if they're difficult. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
With that small of a group, everyone is focused, but the group is big enough to feel enough intellectual diversity to allow students to find their comfort zone and to get stimulation from their peers (no pun intended - that's a whole n'other set of discussions). However, the size of the class also allows the teacher enough time with each student that they really understand how each student learns and have the space to do that. </div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
So, and this is the important part:</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
It would eliminate many of the SPED, administrati<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">on, and consulting jobs in school systems, freeing up funds to hire more teachers. And the teachers would feel less stressed because not only would there be more of them, creating a stronger support network and less hours, but the paperwork loss alone would allow for more hours a week to do their jobs of planning, grading, and teaching. And teachers would be better at their jobs because they'd have more classroom and creative energy to offer their schools. Which means less accreditation stress and homework for the staff. And student's scores would improve, so the school would get more funding from the government. Allowing them to hire more teachers. </span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
I think we're doing it wrong.</div>
</div>
</div>
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Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-4236219874237490602014-01-19T16:50:00.000-05:002014-01-19T16:50:25.639-05:00STOP BEING POLITE, SHE SAID<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
So tonight at dinner, a Navy guy shared a Facebook post by an 18-year-old girl who suggested that military men should "put down the guns and pick up the medical bags, heal instead of kill." Apparently, this is part of a series of posts by this girl. I thought she made her points well. <br />
<br />
He wondered what she had against military men.<br />
<br />
It was conjectured that she'd been dumped by one, and her continual anti-military posting was payback. In coded and loaded speech, another man upped the stakes with a comment about being raped by one. Which was topped with the absolutely hilarious suggestion that she'd been gang raped by a whole ship on leave.<br />
<br />
And the women said nothing.<br />
<br />
Including me.<br />
<br />
I wondered if I was the only one who understood what had just been said, or if all the women were so used to rape "jokes" that they started to believe they actually were jokes, albeit unfunny ones... but, you know, guy's jokes.<br />
<br />
Or maybe they were like me... intimidated by history and the repeated societal refrain that the only good women are polite women. Women who don't say, "Hey, jokes about gang rape aren't funny," or "Making jokes about a woman getting gang raped just because she doesn't like what you do for a living seems a bit over the top," or "Wow, you must really question what you do with the military, considering that some comments from an 18-year girl wishing for peace would elicit such animosity that'd you suggest it is the equivalent to gang rape."<br />
<br />
I thought a lot about my lack of response on the way home. I'm usually the first to speak up in such situations. In fact, I'd already called one guy on making both a racist and a sexist joke in the span of five minutes by joking that he must be in the military. He said he resented that comment. I said he resembled it. <br />
<br />
I was angry.<br />
<br />
I was angry at these guys. I was mad at military guys, military culture, rape culture, military rape culture, men in general... and me. <br />
<br />
I was angry that I didn't speak up. Every time I allow rape culture to happen in my presence when I have the verbal control to stop it, I am culpable. Every woman at the table was culpable for not doing what they could to prevent even one more woman in these guys' future from getting harassed, infantilized, objectified, and used.<br />
<br />
And the one guy who didn't laugh and just looked down, he's culpable too. <br />
<br />
</div>
Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-19984650670431111732012-12-01T13:21:00.003-05:002012-12-01T13:26:06.121-05:0028 Hours in Bahrain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While it may have appeared that I disappeared from the planet with my lack of postings, I actually just moved to the middle east to not make a name for myself, teaching in a place most Americans have never heard of, i.e. <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/bahrain-map/" target="_blank">Bahrain</a>. I've decided to post some articles about this location that continually melds the West and the East.<br />
<br />
This first entry is after having a long day/night a few weekends ago that I
realized could only happen in Bahrain, so I'm sharing it with you.
Hopefully, you'll get a feel for the place...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It is 12:45 in the afternoon and about 88 degrees F on this early November day.</span> As I am about to get into the cool water to snorkel, a large boat
filled with bikinis and vodka race a mere ten feet from shore, laughing at
their wake disturbing bathers, who make rude gestures as they regain footing.
The boat's path was directly over the coral reef I was about to snorkel, which
caused me to reflect on how loud boats sound underwater. Even from across the bay, their
volume makes me jerk my head above the water line to make sure I’m not about to
get brained by an unobservant partier.
I can’t imagine how horrible the sound is for fish. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It is 1:00 in the afternoon. </span>I am snorkeling what’s left of a small coral reef at the
beach near my apartment. While there isn’t much variety of underwater life today, I love floating
in the middle of the school of fish, silver circling me with one hundred
shimmering bodies. On previous days, when the tide is high, I've seen blue and yellow fish darting among the oysters, small (2-ft) sand sharks, crabs with appendages long enough to wrap around me, and large, brown-striped jellyfish that lie upside down on the ocean to capture their prey. The school is on it’s own island, but they don’t have a
beach so much as mushy sand pit filled with millions of snails. the product of sand reclamation. Across the bay however, is the Miami
Beach of Amwaj, complete with cigarette butts. It is guarded by Filipinos in matching blue uniforms who
question sun bathers about their residence as the beach is private for
residents of Amwaj. They do this
scrupulously, but ignore the boys doing tricks on their wave runners next to
signs that indicate no jet skis or boats with gas motors are to be used on the
lagoon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It's </span><span style="color: purple;">5:30pm</span> and the sunset is turning every wisp of cloud into a fiery glow against a purple sky. Clouds are so rare here, that even the kids in school feel the need to point them out when they've drifted across the island. The balcony that comes with the school-provided apartment is attached to my bedroom and overlooks the bay, with the city lights of Manama just beginning to differentiate themselves in the darkening distance.<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It’s 8:30 in the evening.</span> I’m sitting across an enameled table from a fellow teacher and friend. We’re in an American chain restaurant,
the newest addition to a collection of eateries lining the water of the
man-made lagoon on this man-made island, discussing life and swapping teaching
stories of the week over meat burgers with beef bacon. Beef bacon just doesn’t taste the same,
but the room filled with black, synthetic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaya" target="_blank">abayas</a> and white cotton <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thawb" target="_blank">thobes</a> directs the menu choices. Some restaurants here specialize in the
fact that they serve pork, and you’ll see Arabs there, too. But not as many as you’ll see in
Chili’s or Johnny Rockets. We’re
greeted by several students from our school and we’re glad they can’t hear our
conversation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It’s 10:30 in the evening.</span><span style="color: purple;"> </span> Under the full moon in a hotel courtyard next to a pool, I
am dancing with a girl wearing a full face mask. It is white and has flowers outlining the eye holes. She isn’t the only one. Her two friends have also traded their
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab" target="_blank">hijabs</a> for this eerie masquerade. She says they know people here, which is code
for Saudi women who have escaped their families to drink, dance, and pick up
lovers. It took me much too long
to understand that two of the girls were a couple, and the skinny one with the
peach bra strap slipping down her shoulder was actually trying to seduce
me. Then a red headed Russian
woman, most of whom are usually <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_Bahrain" target="_blank">prostitutes brought in by the Bahraini government</a> to service Saudi weekenders, began to dance in front of me, looking intently into my eyes. Then behind her a small, muscled woman
with her blonde hair tied into a ponytail – trademark elements of a navy girl
from the U.S. Fifth Fleet – stared at us dancing. I knew that hungry, silent look from
the gay bar back home. As the
night progressed, and I saw men beginning to dance with other men, I realized I had accidentally found myself at the gay circuit party of Bahrain. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It’s 1:00 in the morning.</span> I’ve decided to attend the after party at a new bar on the
top floor of a hotel downtown. The
bar has no roof since it rains so rarely, which provides a good view from 20
stories up. There are lounging
sofas at various levels with hot tubs tucked into a few recesses. The hot tubs can only be
entered for about a quarter of my monthly salary (champagne included) and so remain empty. Everything is white. Grape-mint shisha smoke (the Bahraini’s
favorite flavor) drifts over groups chatting about everything from work to
observations about the women hanging out with the DJ who
was imported from Spain for the circuit party.
No one talks about the protests happening five miles away or the faint scent of tear gas you can smell at ground level.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It’s 3:30 in the morning.</span> I was going to go home, but my friends, expats from Turkey
and Palestine, have texted that they’re at a new after-hours club. It takes 15
minutes to get inside due to the wait for the elevators. Typical of Bahrain, access and egress
has been poorly, if at all, planned out for this public venue. The single men have to wait the longest since the ratio of men to women in this country is 5:1; as a woman I get escorted in quickly and free
of charge. The club throbs with
dancing and laughter, but it isn’t a scene to be seen, but a place for people
who like good music after the clubs have closed. There are many Bahraini, including
friends that I dance salsa with occasionally.
It is the first time I’ve danced anything besides Latin around them and
it is pure joy. Despite the tall
security guards attentively manning every 20 feet of club space, it almost
feels like a club back home. The
relief from raging techno makes my soul sigh. Like everywhere in Bahrain, including restaurants, the bar
fills with cigarette smoke.
Between the lax health laws and the ridiculously cheap cigarette prices
(Marlboros are 900 fils/$2.50 a pack), ex-smokers rarely stay that way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It’s 4:30 in the morning. </span>Sports cars zoom past me in a highway drag race. Boys on sports bikes without helmets
ride on the back wheel for minutes at a time, aching for attention. Cars running on exuberance and Arabic
pop are filled with young men breaking the Muslim rules. This is Friday night, after all, the
last weekend night before Sunday morning work. And, of course, at this late hour </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">there are no local women in a single passing car. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It is 4:40 in the morning.</span> You can tell a city by the cargo traveling the highways in
the wee hours. In the northeast
it’s logging trucks. In the
southwest, it’s modular homes.
Here in Bahrain it’s boulders, construction materials, and workers. The boulders are the size Scottish men
would hurl and are off-white, like salt for giants. The construction materials feed the animal of progress - a
cityscape of skeletons with ants crawling over them once the sun has
risen. The workers, the ants, come
from Pakistan and live in huts near the construction sites. They swaddle their
extremities, leaving nothing but essential eyes to the sun, every bit of
melanin taking them one step farther away from being the ideal pallor they believe
should accompany their meager savings, a kingly sum in their home country. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;">It is 5am.</span>
The morning prayers are
calling in their usual monotone when suddenly the voices from the two nearest
mosques stop competing and come into harmony. The voices that usually sound of nothing but lamentation become, for a moment, a
harmonic praise. I take one look at the the pinking skyline from my balcony overlooking yet another man made oceanic bay and put Bahrain temporarily to rest. </span></div>
</div>
Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-40440091954578581352011-06-05T21:59:00.005-04:002011-06-05T22:51:34.960-04:00X-Men and Sexual Violence<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The new X Men movie is pretty entertaining... much better than the last, but when they used female mannequins for target practice, repeatedly, I had to wonder why. And they weren't just female torsos, like the standard targets, usually men or bodies without sex markers. These were full body mannequins, with one knee bent to throw the hips into a standard flirtatious posture. And they were lined up, repeatedly, to be sliced and burned. And just to make sure you don't miss the point of the mannequins being female, they are sexualized by a caress across one of their plastic breasts by the man setting up the targets. Once again, violence as a response to women's sexuality is reinforced as the norm.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Now I understand that because these characters are mutants, they have issues with society accepting them. But when one of the main characters spends the entire film worrying that she isn't pretty, to the point of joining forces with the one man that tells her she's beautiful without artifice, despite his being morally corrupt, I had to wonder what lesson was I supposed to be learning. I recognize part of the repetition of this fear is to facilitate another character's development, but it is repeated to the point of tedium. A male character also expresses his frustration with hiding from society, but he never says that he feels unattractive... just that society at large would not accept him without his faking it. But I am still disappointed that it is always the woman who worries the most about being pretty.* If a man stressed about his physical attractiveness throughout an entire movie, especially if he was already quite good looking, it would be deemed utterly gay, i.e. feminine... a terrible, terrible gender transgressor.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">*Granted, the scene in which her obsession about her looks is called out as a detractor to her ability to focus is a wonderful metaphor for women's energy being put into image over content to the point of utter distraction today. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Watching myself portrayed as a being that should expect violence as part of her sexuality does not feel very comfortable. And it doesn't fit me, anymore than watching myself sell mops and laundry detergent, or worry about my hair color, or act like men are incapable of anything but tolerant loathing towards their partners and anything that interests their female minds. But with every commercial I see like this, I think of North Korea and all the explicit methods they use to keep the people submissive: Radios in every house that cannot be turned off (only louder and quieter) that run government propaganda 24-7, a la Fahrenheit 451. And posters with pro-government slogans and images of the great leader with the only television available being government produced. I wonder what percentage of the populace embraces the lies out of mere exhaustion from such a media pummeling. Then I wonder how fair it is to judge the women who buy the bullshit, simply because it comes in the form of a barrage. Subtle and pernicious, but a barrage nonetheless. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And one more comment about the movie... why is the one black man in the script always the first to be killed? </span></div>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-19673890623221411942010-05-06T10:17:00.004-04:002010-05-06T10:28:15.477-04:00Prayer for Secularization<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I hope you're praying today because it's the law! After repeated appeals throughout history, from John Adams ("</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer") to reverend Billy Graham, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the U.S. finally relented and in 1952 made the first Thursday in May the official day when people are asked </span><span style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Prayer"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">to turn to God in prayer and meditatio</span></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Prayer"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><wbr>n</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">". C'mon, everyone's doing it. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Growing up as a conservative christian (a.k.a. Jehovah's Witness), I was raised to believe prayer is a private matter between you and your god. If people want to pray on a particular day or sitting on the toilet, that's their business. But to be commissioned by the government? I could have sworn there was some statement about a separation of church and state at one point.... like with the founding of this country... </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">some guy named Jefferson</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">? Even Benjamin Franklin's suggestions for a prayer at the Congressional Convention was met with polite embarrassment and (according to his own notes), “</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Prayer"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">except for three or four persons, [they] thought prayers unnecessary</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; "></sup></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The news is constantly referring to Muslim countries as being religious-based nations. Is this in contrast to the U.S? Well, clearly! It's not like we have God printed on our currency, or have federally recognized Christian holidays, or rules about what can be bought, sold, and consumed on Sundays (the Christian bible's God's day of rest), or have God in the pledge of allegiance to this country, or have public policies (like abortion or gay rights) be based on biblical teachings, or give public funds to private religious (but only Christian) schools, or pray to God at baseball games (the nation's official past-time), or ever give credit to God for war victories. And you can certainly be a non-christian and get elected to public office. Indeed, the U.S. is clearly the most </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">secular nation on earth</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">! So why not add a day of prayer? </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Granted, the official decree is that the prayer can be addressed to any god of your choosing, but then what about all those folks who don't believe in God? What about the agnostics who might acknowledge the possibility of the divine, but aren't convinced enough to actually direct prayer towards it? Prayer is just another type of meditative activity instilled in ritual practice that is a part of every religion. You bow to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mecca</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> five times a day, you pray to God at least once a day (of if in a sticky spot... like a foxhole), you walk around the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Pagoda"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Peace Pagoda</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> three times in each direction; these are all just ways to encourage the individual to reflect. I wish more people did cerebrate on the world at large and their place in it. If people did this more more often, there might be less violence and more compassion for fellow man. But to have it mandated by the government in a specified form on a specified day isn't exactly what our (government defined) religion (and tax) escaping founding fathers had in mind. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I do pray for humanity. But generally it's a direct appeal. </span></span></div></span>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-87975955973245209252010-03-11T17:32:00.006-05:002010-03-11T18:29:35.790-05:00Leave Them Their Dignity<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">When watching <a href="http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/indexFlash.html">The Fog of Wa</a>r, I tried to listen to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McNamara">Robert McNamara</a>'s insights on what he learned from his experiences - from remembering the end of WWI when he was two (yes, he swears he remembers) to his participation in Vietnam under Johnson's administration - with an ear for learning versus criticism. Of everything he described, there was one idea that struck me as utterly useful in everyday life, i.e. let them keep their dignity. Basically, when engaging an enemy, give them a chance to do it your way, but be sure to keep their dignity upheld in the process. This method makes for a more likely scenario in your favor. I thought, this is some basic, but very valuable advice.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">I'm taking night classes at the community college which has the typical student body of parents, young workers, and a few older folks. Since this is western MA, most of the students are white. In my class, there is only one racial minority... a black man who looks to be in his late 50's to early 60's. And that man loves to hear himself talk. He often starts out as though he's asking a question, but really it's just a lead-in for him to take the floor... for as long as he can spin his tongue. The professor has pulled him aside several times, but it clearly made no impact. Then one day he didn't show up and the whole class murmured their relief. Then 45 minutes into class, he showed up and there was actually an audible, "Dammit" from the back row. I was sitting near the door, so he ended up standing in front of my desk searching the room for a seat. I pointed out that there were several empty ones in the far corner which resulted in his snapping at me that he'd "find [his] own damn seat!" Within minutes of his taking a seat, his mouth started going. It was unbelievable. Even the instructor showed her exasperation. I remembered that he usually went outside at the break (it's a 3-hour class) to smoke and decided that on this break he was going to have some company. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">I followed him outside and told him that when I gestured towards the seats, I was trying to help him out. He immediately apologized, but only by getting about 2 inches from my body, requiring me to step back to maintain the usual social body space thinking, "So he's like <i>that</i>." So I took another step back said thanks before moving on to topic two. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"Why are you taking this class?" I asked. "Oh, it's just a diversion to get away from my girls." Since this is a Development Psychology course, we'd all heard many stories about his part in raising his four daughters. I felt pretty sure that he didn't think he needed education on children's development because he already had so much real world learning under his belt, that he could, in fact, teach the teacher a thing or two. So when I heard his answer, I knew my in... "Well, I'm not taking this for a diversion. I need this class and you're taking that away from me." When he asked how, I explained that the time he was speaking was time the teacher couldn't teach. I did everything right... the compliment sandwich ("you ask great questions, I just wish you'd talk less after them, it's cool you're taking this class") and I kept my hands in my pockets. But he got upset. He got in my face. So I explained that I'd been averaging the time he speaks vs. everyone else and had accounted that he took up about 20% of class time just on his needs. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"What are you doing that for? What are you watching me and calculating me like that for?" I explained that he had given me ample time due to all his talking. Then he got really mad and started yelling that if he wanted to take up 50% of the class time, that was his business. I told him, "No, I paid for this class, too, and I didn't pay to hear you. I paid to hear the teacher. So it is my business. Just like it's everyone in the classes business." I saw he was getting excited so I made sure to dig my hands deeper in my pockets. But he started yelling again, so I pulled out the big guns and said, "Do you realize that when you didn't come to class on time today, everyone in the class was grateful. And when you showed up, there was collective sigh." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"What do you mean?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"No one likes you coming to class because you usurp their learning time."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"Well then I'll just quit the class!" I'll admit, a small part of me leapt with joy at this idea, but knew this was wrong... it was the behavior not the man that needed to go. So I said, "That's not what I'm asking for..." and I got no further because he started ranting about me daring to talk to him like that and telling me how important this class was to him at which point I reminded him that his first response to me was that this was "just a diversion." To which he pointed at my chest and yelled, "You're a liar." And proceeded to rant about how I'm making up words, etc. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">I know when to walk away. I raised my hands in the classic surrender position and backed up only to realize that a couple guys from another class had come out to smoke and were watching the scene. One of the kids said, "I have to admit man, class is more about listening than talking." Then he turned to me and said, "I don't think you're going to get anywhere with him." Which was perfect because now it wasn't just me observing his bad behavior. He called to me as I walked away, "Hey, hey. Wait a minute. What. Do. You. Want. From. Me?" </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"I just want you to talk less in class. That's it." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">He stuck out his hand in a handshake gesture and said, "Ok then." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">When I went to shake his hand, he pulled it back and said, "You have to promise me something though." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"What's that?" </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">"You have to promise to stop being so sassy." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">Everything in me wanted smack him upside the head and give him a rundown on patriarchy. But in that same instant, I remembered McNamara's tale and thought, "Give him his dignity. He just had a young, white woman tell him that he's acting socially inappropriate. Let him win this one so you can get what you want." So I smiled, shook his hand and said, "You bet." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">I admit, I mumbled under my breath, "Whatever, asshole" as I walked back into the building. But he didn't hear it and we spent the second half in class in educational meditation. The only words he spoke were valid questions that added to the class content. I was getting on my coat by the door as the class was leaving and I stopped him, shook his hand, and said, "Thank you, sir." He nodded solemnly and has blessed us with his silence (except for the occasional question for clarification) ever since. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">Always let them keep their dignity. </span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div></div>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-71484508482535738152010-03-03T21:17:00.002-05:002010-03-03T22:02:14.622-05:00God and Earthquakes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This morning I overfilled my water bottle, so dumped some out. But I dumped out too much, so had to refill, then spilled a little more as I closed the lid. And once again I found myself having that moment... the one I have when I take a hot shower, or get into my comfy bed, or drink water from the tap... that moment of utter appreciation that I have these luxuries. I tried to imagine life on the streets of Port au Prince or along the coast of Chile and how the amount that I slopped around getting my bottle filled might have been a day's ration. Then I started calculating all the people who have died recently. There has been what seems like an unusual number of natural disaster casualties in the past year and half.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And suddenly the words of my youth echoed in my ear, "Earthquakes in one place after another!" (Luke 21:11). "Food shortages!" (Matthew 24:7) "Pestilence!" (Luke again). AAAAAGH! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px; "> </span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px; ">Despite my many years of atheism, the beliefs from my years growing up as a Jehovah's Witness reared their heads like the horns on a certain "wild beast" and made me jelly kneed. For a solid minute, I thought ruefully of my disdain for a higher power and pictured my distress as I watched God take back the world with flames and screaming. Just as I had always pictured it as a child.</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But then I got petulant. I considered this kind of god that would create beings just to torture them while they lived, only to kill them in the end if they don't believe in him, when the whole time he has refused to reveal himself. (I guess I should add "openly" for those Christian folks who feel God reveals himself if you just look hard enough.) Well, screw him. If he exists, I don't care. I have no interest in a creature who's less humane than I am. I'd rather die than live under his rule... even if the earth is transformed into a paradise. It'd be like sucking up to the horrible boss to get promoted, only to find yourself miserably working for the bastard on a daily basis. Who needs it?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">Then I got my sanity back and remembered that natural disasters have always happened and have been a convenient source of fear that religions have strategically used to rope in the unsophisticated sinner. If, in fact, natural disasters are increasing in power, it's most likely due to climate shifting. Which bring up a higher power of another sort... Earth. But you'll have to check in with <a href="http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/lovebioen.htm">Lovelock</a> to get the low-down on this idea. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;">I need a rest from considering powers beyond my control. It's exhausting.</span></div></div>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-79062755509194165622010-02-08T21:09:00.004-05:002010-02-08T21:32:04.081-05:00Love, Intimacy, and Friendship<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I have often heard it said that the best romantic relationships are made up of friends who realize at some point that they are attracted to each other and become lovers.<span> It sounds lovely. And reasonable. </span><span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span></span>But I just can’t fathom it.<span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span></span>The other night, after waking from a nightmare and wishing my boyfriend hadn’t broken up with me so I’d have someone to cry on, I started thinking about my friends and the likelihood that we would ever eventually find ourselves suddenly having chemistry. We'd just be sitting around playing board games and joking with each other and suddenly the air would feel different, our eyes would soften, and...<span> it was a stretch. I mean, when you meet someone, there's pretty much an automatic categorization of the person... would I, or would I not, sleep with this person. Granted, there are people you meet who you may find tremendously attractive, but once you realize their partner feels the same way, initial attraction slides into camaraderie. (At least, for practical folks like me who don't like to painfully pine for unavailable people.) In sum, you either you do or you don't. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I was ready to wash the whole thought pattern as some ridiculous romantic fantasy created by Hollywood, when I remembered my ex’s friends. They were friends all through college, dating other people but never each other when suddenly one day they found themselves to be in love.<span> </span>And just like the movies all said it would be, they are fantastic together.<span> </span>Consummate partners in everything from social obligations to sharing responsibilities for their new baby.<span> </span>The baby.<span> </span>The thing that couples bring into their lives often to save a relationship, not understanding that you can’t have one unless you’re utterly stable because as much as it draws you together, it can separate you if not working like a synchronized swimming team.<span> </span>They did this, and with utter sympathy for the other’s duties.<span> </span>That’s a partnership.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I do wish for that, but I just can’t understand how it happens.<span> </span>How can you not immediately know if you find someone sexually attractive?<span> Is</span> it be possible a friend of mine and I will suddenly realize there’s an intersection in our hearts that we just hadn’t noticed before.<span> </span><span> </span>How marvelous it would be to fall in love with someone I already love.<span> </span>And trust.<span> </span>And have seen at their worst and love them still.<span> </span>And they'd love me despite all the persnickety details that make new love less shiny.<span> </span>How lucky I would be.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </p></span>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-33757056774564279322009-10-12T22:48:00.003-04:002009-10-12T23:11:25.044-04:00The Job of Purpose<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was explaining to someone today about how I want my work to be meaningful. I don't mean writing this blog or taking a photograph, but my work, work... the stuff I do to keep the rain off my head and roast chicken in my mouth. If I'm going to spend 40 hours a week doing something, I want it to be meaningful. Otherwise, I feel like I'm wasting my life. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Imagine, if everyone on the planet had a job. And they they knew that job had a positive impact on the world. That even if they're doing some job from the bottom of the pool, they would know that how they do their job affects more than their paycheck, but their part of the greater good. The pride. The assuredness. The peace we would all feel. People would respect each other because they would recognize that they are everyone else's keepers. When you are given a responsibility of care, you cannot help but love your burden. Even when you hate the details. The overall picture of us would be one of extreme satisfaction. The kind of satisfaction that makes world leaders uncomprehending of how they could possibly launch a fire bomb or nuclear warhead. The kind of satisfaction that leads to creative thinking in science labs, a complete drop in crime, education that inspires interrogative learning. Everything would shift. The kind of shift that makes one sigh one long, deep exhalation.</span></span></div><div><br /></div>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-56852848662997859522009-09-26T23:57:00.010-04:002010-09-29T09:25:00.665-04:00The Season of Pink is a Deadly One<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So I'm cruising the grocery store flier and I see a picture of what I think is a girl playing with chalk on the sidewalk. Then I realized that I was seeing was an ad for Breast Cancer Awareness month (Proctor & Gamble was advertising their donations to the National Breast Cancer Foundation). The picture is of a woman sitting on the sidewalk (dressed like an 8 year old) and smiling as she colors in a chalk outline of a big pink ribbon. So apparently breast cancer is FUN!! Makes you feel like a kid again! (Or maybe it's just the usual infantilizing of women in need as children.) And the chalk outline... could there be anything more apropos? </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Many people don't know this, but the whole <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM)</span> is fully funded by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in a multi-million dollar deal made with National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and Estee Lauder (who originally used the ribbon as their company symbol). Why does this matter? Well, ICI happens to be the maker of not only Tamoxifen (the leading drug treatment for breast cancer) but of plastics and insecticides that <i>cause</i> cancer. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Since most breast cancers are estrogen based, Tamoxifen works by blocking estrogen receptors (this was discovered through pesticide development and refined into the compound comprising today's Tamoxifen). Unfortunately, it also leaves the woman getting treated more open to getting other types of cancers and increases menopausal symptoms, but hey, most drugs have some sort of unpleasant side effects right?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What is even more amazing is that with their political pull (much money is spent on lobbying), ICI has somehow gotten the FDA to approve Tamoxifen drug trials on <i>healthy women</i> as a cancer prophylactic! They're also encouraging pre-menopausal mammograms, which has previously been established as unnecessary unless you have genetic predisposition. Hello, it's radiation folks. Radiation causes cancer. Isn't that what we're all trying to avoid here? Why would you introduce it to women who are unlikely to need exposure as a <i>preventative</i> measure? </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So basically, all those pink spatulas, key chains, and cruise ships are making a profit off of people's fear. Yes, a very small percentage does go towards research, but if you look at the politics behind it and the little amount of actual money that's benefiting women, there must be other ways to deal with this disease. Not to mention that the carcinogens produced to make these anti-cancer awareness products <i>cause cancer</i>. It should also be noted that, as per usual, the way to get women's attention is via the marketplace. Because all women like to shop, right? I don't see men being encouraged to buy wallets or blenders with a blue ribbon logo for prostate cancer awareness.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When I was working as a Program Director for Women's Health Network (a breast and cervical cancer detection program for low-income women), I really struggled with the promotion I was expected to do during October. Of course, I wanted women to be aware of their health needs and provide accessibility to cancer detection services and care, but the more I learned about how the whole awareness operation worked, the less I wanted to contribute to it. Even the water bottles that were provided by the state for promotion were plastic bottles that had vinyl chloride (which causes pseudo estrogens which cause estrogen based cancers). By ignoring the environmental factors and pushing women to get yearly mammograms to "prevent cancer" (they detect it, not prevent it - and for most post-menopausal women, once every other year is sufficient) I felt like the message to women was always that they were somehow responsible for their disease ("if you don't get a mammogram, you'll get cancer") and that carcinogens were a moot issue. Anyone who reads the Silent Springs study (study of breast cancer being 20% higher in Cape Cod than in the rest of the country) would beg to differ. In fact, <a href="http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/benchmarks-vol4-issue3/page1">the leading cause of breast cancer is environment</a>... not genetics. And drug, chemical, and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';">biotechnology companies <a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_256/ai_n6258845/">have a vested interest in </a><i><a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_256/ai_n6258845/">treating</a></i><a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_256/ai_n6258845/"> the disease</a> rather than finding ways to minimize its rate of incidence. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Most people also seem unaware that breast cancer is NOT the number one killer of women in the US. The winner in this category is Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Though genetics play some part, CVD can be prevented for most people <i>through lifestyle changes</i>. But most of the money, lobbying (millions in lobbying dollars), and awareness goes to breast cancer, so cancer gets all the attention while most women are dying quick, silent deaths partially because they don't even know the symptoms of a <a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/healthmedical/a/womensami.htm">WOMAN's heart attack</a>. Because the symptoms are different than men's symptoms (though, not surprisingly, only men's symptoms are common knowledge), they are often fatal because they are unrecognized and thus untreated. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So though breast cancer is an awful disease (and preventable for some, if policies would address environmental issues), buying something pink doesn't mean you're doing diddley to prevent women from dying. The wash of pink is essentially like SOMA in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World">A Brave New World</a>, it makes you feel better, like you're helping the cure, but really you're just being placated. Awareness and women supporting each other in what was once a hush-hush disease because it affects a part of the body that's normally most noted for its sexuality (forgetting that it also provides nourishment for the next generation of babies) is wonderful. But if more energy were put into demands for tighter restrictions on toxin releases into the environment and less on what style pink teddy bear to buy, we'd have a lot less deaths to go on Avon sponsored walks for. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If this is new information for you, please pass this on to everyone you know. Every October, I get my panties in a wad over this. It's time this was common information.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This is a very(!) brief overview of the travesty that is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. However, you can find more detailed information at:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.preventcancer.com/patients/mammography/awareness.htm">Overview of ICI/Tamoxifen</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.silentspring.org/our-research/health-and-environmental-mapping/cape-cod-breast-cancer-and-environment-atlas">SIlent Spring Study</a> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/969/context/archive">Cape Cod Report</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><a href="http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/cancerland.htm">Cancerland</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27283197">Commercialization of the Pink Ribbon</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><a href="http://www.preventcancer.com/">Cancer Prevention Coalition</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div></div>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-32219407724245407992009-07-29T22:42:00.005-04:002009-07-29T23:19:49.661-04:00Obama is Bart in Blazing Saddles<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So according to AP, Obama is losing ground on the health care debate. Maybe he should pull a stunt from Bush's playbook and start a war... I mean, with <i>another</i> country. Can you believe that Bush is going to pull a presidential salary until he dies? It seems like your <a href="http://www.hist.umn.edu/~ruggles/Approval.htm">exit polls</a> should determine your retirement pay. In a truly capitalist society, that's how it'd work. Then again, if we were in a true <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laissez-faire"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">laissez</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">faire</span></a> capitalist government, we would let the auto makers go where their business practices led them. Imagine if we spent $50 billion on training auto plant workers to make wind turbines instead of bailing out <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CFO's</span>.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Though</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">B</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">u</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">s</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">h</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">l</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">f</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">l</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">g</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">y</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">h</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">s</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">n</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">'</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">u</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">n</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">r</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">v</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">l</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">d</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">it's</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">d</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">m</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">n</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">d</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">m</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">p</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">r</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">s</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">s</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">v</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">n</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">s</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> ineptitude. He reminds me of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hedley</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Lamarre</span> in Blazing Saddles, conniving the people for his personal gain. Like the townspeople in the film, the U.S. voters had to get desperate before they'd listen to a black leader, only to find he's the only one who can save their cumulative ass. Like the town folk, the majority of Americans are easily duped and intellectually short-sighted, who trust the good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ol</span>' boy more for his familiarity than his intelligence. Just like the movie, Obama had to outwit the people to make them realize he was the best man for the job. Guess that makes Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Biden</span> the drunken gunslinger who comes through in the end, as well. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Hmm</span>, would that make the newly recruited thugs, the extreme right of skin heads and "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">methodists</span>"? There were clan members in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Lamarre's</span> line-up, after-all. Though <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Mongo</span> really serves as the best example of the current republican party... bashing their way into political discourse with accusations of moral degeneration (or was that socialism?) by the democratic party, only to be proven how stupid their tactics are when they get caught with mistresses in hotel rooms, personal state offices, and Argentina. Guess Mel Brooks was even more prescient than we ever gave him credit for.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-26977250260768750632009-07-07T22:29:00.004-04:002009-07-07T23:22:55.517-04:00Did they just need tutors?<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:17px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) was put in place to prevent workplace discrimination due to race, religion, or sex (but not sexual orientation... yet). In addition to the obvious discriminatory actions, it also challenges testing if it appears to have a disparate impact on a single group. Sotomayor (and her supporters) say that her original ruling on the case of the CT firefighters was in support of this Act since all but one of the racial minorities who took the test, failed. The mostly conservative firefighters who managed to get her decision overturned feel vindicated that the test was fair and they are simply superior firefighters. So who was right?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Temporarily ignoring the fact that racism in the CT firefighters history of promotions is well known, it seems the main problem in this scenario is that rightness isn't the question. The question should be, how did we arrive at this juncture? Both sides were looking for quick victory rather than examine why the disparity occurred in the first place. The problem isn't the test. It's the educational system that supposedly provides an equal education for all, but consistently comes up short in poor areas. Poor areas tend to have a high percentage of racial minorities. It is not because poor people are stupid, but because they do not have money in their schools because though the nation distributes money equally to all schools, the communities fill in the blanks with taxes and propositions that grant line items to the educational budget. Thus, the racial minorities tend to have a lower quality education because they can't foot the bill (and thus are too poor to leave the community and the cycle continues). Most people from poor areas (no matter the skin tone) tend to score poorly on standardized tests. Throw in social pressure from inside the racial group to not become part of the dominant social group for fear of losing racial identity and a general culture of white privilege, and we have ourselves a perfect case for affirmative action, right? </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But affirmative action in the form of hiring people who might not be as skilled or educated is a band-aid. There's no question that individuals of equal intelligence with equal social support and education will score equally well on the same test. Rather than throwing out the test, why not see which of the fire fighters came from an educationally compromised background? Those individuals could then be given some tutoring, provided by the state, to bring them up to speed and then retested. If they don't do as well, no one can claim race is a factor. Enough of the finger pointing. Just acknowledge that the system is flawed and take responsibility for creating an equal playing field for all. Sadly, our capitalist culture uses social Darwinism (something Darwin never thought or approved of) to determine that poor people are that way due to their own faults and weaknesses. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span></div><div><br /></div></span>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-36221505206435128542009-06-25T23:03:00.005-04:002009-07-07T23:20:46.240-04:00Was Vesuvius female?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Every year in Komaki, Japan, the </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0B-xisssPY"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hounensai</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> festival is celebrated for fertility and renewal by parading with a large wooden phallus while onlookers eat penis shaped sausages and girls such on penile fruit pops. My friend sent me this information and I told her it reminded me of Pompeii. I went there a couple of years ago and I was astounded at all the phallic, well... everything. Of course, there were brothel indicators and the diagram of sexual positions for the randy illiterate. And homes had mosaics with naked bodies in the scenes. But penis shapes were used for everything from pillar capitals to </span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10659089@N07/936290845/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">directional markers carved at crosswalks </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. (Granted, they were for the local whore house, but I digress.) I was blown away by how phallic that society was and couldn't imagine how women could feel their mental worth around so much emphasis on male girth. When I got home, I watched our media sources a bit more critically and realized that though frontal nudity for men is tightly kept under wraps (because it's so sacred?) the idea of the penis as being ridiculously important was present everywhere. Keep an eye out for it and suddenly you'll wonder how you didn't see it before. I'm thinking </span></span><a href="http://geology.com/volcanoes/vesuvius/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vesuvius</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> was female.</span></span>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-50510705588516008292009-06-16T21:21:00.007-04:002009-07-07T23:21:23.313-04:00What Makes a Good Woman... er, Judge<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As </span></span><a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/sonia_sotomayor/index.html?inline=nyt-per"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sonia Sotomayor</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> has been making the rounds to sell herself to the Senate Judiciary Committee, there has been a lot of talk in the news of folks getting nervous that she'll have bias in her judgements because she's a woman and a minority (because white men in power are </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">never</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> biased in their decisions and always have full understanding of the needs of the women and minorities they represent). I have not read all of her cases and cannot, ahem, judge whether of not she'd make a quality addition to the Supreme Court, but I have found it fascinating that as her work history is increasingly found devoid of issue, her attitude in court has come under scrutiny. She has been accused of being </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"a terror on the bench," "nasty," "overly aggressive," and "a bit of a bully." But when transcripts of high level court cases came out, she was actually much less aggressive than her male counterparts. </span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So here we go again... even in an age when there are female executives and a woman can be considered qualified to compete for a presidential nomination, we're still wrestling with the expectations of a woman's behavior to have a certain level of submissiveness. </span></span><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105343155"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">NPR</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> did a fabulous report on this and it's certainly not one you'll hear on </span></span><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31080516/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">MSNBC</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (busy focusing on her legally required monetary disclosures, i.e. yep, the chick has cash). The sum is this, why are women still expected to have a different code of behavior than men? </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My ex had a wonderful habit of turning normal daily interactions into an analysis of male/female behavior which involved continually asking,</span></span><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> "How would this situation have changed if the woman in the story were a man?"</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At the end of your day, you'll generally find that there are a myriad of moments where gender played a role in how an interaction played out. This is a great exercise for both men and women to have a higher awareness of how their own behavior intersects with gender expectation. Think about it... would that guy have really said that to you if you had been a man? Would you have talked to a man they way you talked to that woman? After all, an unexamined life is not worth living (Ok, so a man, Socrates, said it, but it still holds true for all).</span></span></span></div>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-13352063638510727682009-06-11T20:25:00.003-04:002009-07-07T23:21:56.501-04:00En Medias Coitus<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Abadi MT Condensed Light';font-size:16px;"><div style="margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; font: normal normal normal small/normal arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">After two years of miraculously not seeing each other despite this size of the small town we socialize in, I ran into the man from the last blog entry again in a bar. His girlfriend is what drew my attention as she flirted with me in a delicious way (damn, that girl can dance), but I didn't recognize him... vaguely familiar, but certainly not in a sexual context. But by the time he spoke to me, saying, "I think you and have the same taste in women," my immediate response was, "No, I think she and I have the same taste in men." When I reminded him of our atypical parting, he had no recollection (what a shock) and thought I was remembering someone else. So I described his home, from the Navy buddies to the triple-mattress bed, at which point he interjected with, "Not anymore" with a thumb jerk to his girlfriend behind him, and claimed he must have been "drunk or something." Ahh, the levels men will stoop to deny what I now understand to be a mortifying experience. </span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; font: normal normal normal small/normal arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Which is the cusp of this entry... the distinctly diametrically opposed reactions between men and women at hearing the original little story. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Women</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">are amazed</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> (amazed? really? why??) that I would do something so "ballsey. " </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Men</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> are utterly incensed and practically horrified </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">(no this is not hyperbole) that I'd leave in medias coitus.</span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> When I explain my reasoning, they still think I'm heinous for leaving a guy hanging... "but we're talking about physical pain here" and "That's just low." Hmmm, I don't know if I've ever heard a woman describe a man leaving her sexually unsatisfied as a "low" activity. It's the norm. It's expected. It's sad that in 2009, a woman's sexual pleasure is still secondary to a man's. I mean, </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_orgasm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">studies were done on this in the 1960's</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> for Chrissake! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">You'd think these indignant men would be ashamed. For a true Cassanova would rather die than leave a woman wishing for more. To use every means at his disposal (yes, hands and mouths are amazing sexual instruments... just ask your favorite lesbian) actually makes him </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">more</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"> of a man. When was the last time you heard men regaling their friends with sexual tales describing what finger moves they used to "finish her off" after they came too early for her. But every straight/bi woman I know can tell you at least one trick (yes, that's how it's described) that will make sure the man is satisfied (even they're no longer interested in penetrative sex) and how often they've used it. And trust me... it's often. Rarely does one hear a man say he 'faked it', but I can guarantee that the majority of women you know have. Do a poll. Ask around. How much extra attention are men getting at the, excuse the pun, hands of women when reciprocation is a rarity?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">Yes, yes, there are some lovely men whose sexual virtues regarding women cannot be extolled enough (my boyfriend, for example). However, their virtue isn't any more splendid than a woman who puts in the same effort. </span></span><br /></div></div></span></span>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304084147615441675.post-76965599656932323452009-06-07T23:27:00.002-04:002009-07-07T23:22:16.676-04:00Walking Out on Sex<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Abadi MT Condensed Light';"><div style="margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; font: normal normal normal small/normal arial; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So there's this guy that I kept running into at a local live band bar. We danced... we chatted... we parted ways. Well, at least that happened a couple of times before I drove us to his house. I didn't actually know much about him other than that he was undisputedly handsome and chiseled everywhere but in his mirthful eyes. He was polite as I eased into his space and observed photos of his Navy buddies. But it didn't take long for him to hustle me upstairs where his room of spare furnishings consisted of a desk, a fish tank, and a bed comprised of enough mattresses to make the top edge level with his groin. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So clearly this was someone used to getting laid. Excellent. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had been in a bad relationship, so mostly just wanted the guy to have some talent in the sack. He was, in fact, technically sound. But as I (eventually) lay on my back and he huffed above me, I realized I didn't want to do it anymore. He had all the right elements: intelligence, looks, kindness, good sense of humor... but he just wasn't for me. So like most women in my position, I figured that I'd let him finish and start fresh the next day.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But then I had an epiphany... Why let him finish? Not once has a man ever made sure that I've come before we stopped having sex. And if I'm letting him have sex with my body when I genuinely don't want to anymore, couldn't that be tantamount to willing rape? Why would I do that to myself so that this guy, meaningless in my life, can be sexually satisfied? So I stopped him, hopped the extra two feet to the ground, and said, "Thanks, but I'm done." I assured him that his technique was fine and gave him apologies (that admittedly were more courteous than caring). <br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Not surprisingly, he was incredulous as I dressed, looking for explanations. What did surprise me was his dropping to his knees, grabbing my waist, and begging me to let him finish. I suppressed a giggle at both the comedy of the scene and the giddiness of this power. I left that house feeling almost as good as if I'd had a two-minute orgasm (I'll guarantee my gait was the sexy one in the Belgian study). I now think every woman who sleeps with men should do this (preferably with a man that is inconsequential in their life); they should walk out in the middle of it and recognize how wrong it is that the sex act is always considered done only when the man has finished. It will change her attitude about sex forever.</span></span></div></div></span>Thermodanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04879837957672335611noreply@blogger.com2