Another March on Washington - Rally to Restore Sanity

I must admit I'm not a huge fan of Jon Stewart. I don't dislike him. I just never can find the time to watch one of his shows. Most of the clips I've seen have been humorous enough. I will, however, be forever grateful to him and Steve Colbert for keeping my teenage son abreast of politics and other world affairs.

Occasionally, he and I would sit down during those rare moments when a teenager suddenly has time to fit you into their extremely busy schedule and talk about substantive things... news, politics, girls, culture, society, buying him a new car...you know, the usual stuff.

I was always impressed at just how much he knew about what was going in the world. He never watched the news or read the newspaper. Where was he getting this stuff?!

To my surprise, my boy was tuning in to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report on a daily basis! These guys made it fun, kept it light but conveyed the message. So hat tip to both of them for that.

The Stewart camp has orchestrated the Rally to Restore Sanity which is to take place today in our nation's capitol. I'm really liking the idea and what it represents - "Take It Down A Notch for America".

Stewart is offering to provide signs with the "appropriate" level of political emotion, such as "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler."

You could also go with "I am not afraid of Muslims/Tea Partiers/Socialists/Immigrants/Gun Owners/Gay...but I am scared of Spiders."

There's too much infighting in these United States. The divisiveness and rift in the fabric of our nation and society is larger than anything I've ever witnessed in my life time.

If this group of toned down patriots can impress upon those we've seen in the past engaging in shouting matches and exercises in who's-balls-are-the-biggest to indeed ... t o n e it d o w n a notch, there may be hope for us after all.

Loving Those Political Cartoons

From the news footage of every Tea Party taking our country back rally, march, and protest I've seen I think this particular cartoon summarizes my feelings regarding many...but not all of those affiliated with this party of the people. There's a great post about the Tea Party over at Above The Chatter Fantasy, Falsehoods and Delusions.

Kudos Sesame Street - I Love My Hair

Sesame Street, in their constant quest for cultural diversity, has come up with this super cute song celebrating natural hair! I love it ...

The Ole Miss Rebels - Same Words...Uglier Mascot

The South has many traditions. Some I'm proud of and some...not so much. One of those traditions here in Mississippi is the Mississippi State - Ole Miss rivalry. For most folks here, you're either maroon and white or red and blue. There is no in between which I guess is the reason so many people with Southern roots colored cardinal red and navy blue were so vehemently opposed to losing Colonel Reb, the beloved Ole Miss mascot.

The origin of the Colonel is a matter of myth, legend and speculation. Some hypothesize that the Colonel was actually a tribute to Blind Jim Ivy, the son of a former slave who became a beloved fixture on the Oxford campus until his death in 1955. Or perhaps Colonel Reb is just a remnant of the old South. A fine, upstanding Southern gentlemen; a plantation owner; a son of the confederacy - a rebel.

Whatever Colonel Reb was he is no more. Ole Miss students, alumni and season ticket holders voted to change the school's mascot to the Rebel Black Bear. Colonel Reb is out. From now on the mascot on the field on game day will be a big black bear.

The Rebel Black Bear was inspired by famous Oxford resident William Faulkner's Old Ben, from "The Bear," a short story in Go Down, Moses; and President Theodore Roosevelt's 1902 hunting trip to Mississippi, where he refused to shoot a bear.

Whatever...

I just don't see what the big deal was. Perhaps the Colonel was a reminder of the old South. Perhaps the battle cry chant sang at Ole Miss games The South Will Rise Again was a reminder of the old South. Perhaps the word Rebel (which didn't change) is a reminder of the old South. So what!

What part of O-L-D don't you understand?
The Colonel didn't block the entrance to the admission's office at the University of Mississippi in 1962 to prevent James Meredith from entering. Our state's governor at the time did. I don't see any petitions circulating to change the name of the Ross Barnett Reservoir to something less offensive...for if anything is offensive, Barnett's behavior should be at the top of the list, not a fictitious mascot whose origin is suspect, at best.

The Ole Miss post-James Meredith has educated students of all colors, backgrounds, religions and political affiliations and will continue to do so. It's an institution of higher learning; a market place of ideas and a repository of knowledge.

It can no more hide it's history than can the country we all call home.

What should have been far more offensive than Colonel Reb is our state's high school drop out rate, college completion rate, teen pregnancy rate or illiteracy rate.

Can we have a vote to change those stats... or will our history regarding these issues of paramount importance remain the same?

You're Not a Huge Monstrous Woman - You're a Sadistic Bitch!

Aly Gilardoni, the self-described huge, monstrous woman, is the 238lb. mother of eight-year-old Corleigh. Corleigh has been on a strict diet regime since the age of two and is allowed just 700 calories a day – 1,000 fewer than recommended.

According to Gilardoni, she's struggled with weight issues all her life and doesn't want Corleigh to have to endure what she's gone through.

She doesn't seem concerned that these type restrictions may be detrimental to her child's health, body image, immune system or predispose her to eating disorder tendencies. Her concern?

That Corleigh be pretty and popular. Well from the looks of you, Aly...pretty might be out of your control!

This is as much a case of child endangerment and cruelty as whoring your eight-year-old daughter out in a crackhouse!

Her logic, or lack there of, is absurd. And to add insult to injury Gilardoni doesn't diet. She stuffs herself with close to 3000 calories a day (most of which she claims to eat after Corleigh has gone to bed).

Clearly this woman is off her rocker. What happened to preparing healthy meals and snacks for the both of us, incorporating a bit of exercise for myself (since most eight-year-olds get plenty) and I can instill in my child healthy lifestyle choices that will give her a great head start in life.

If beauty, popularity and not wanting your daughter to be fat are that important to you, why don't you restrict your fat ass appetite to 700 calories a day!?

People! I swear!!!

Whip My Hair - A Headache Sprinkled With A Dose of Cute!

Willow Smith, nine-year-old daughter of entertainers Will and Jada Smith, celebrated the video premiere of her new single Whip My Hair which according to Miss Willow means... “You have to be yourself and you can’t let anyone tell you that it’s wrong!”

I must admit when I first heard the song my head started hurting just a little bit....nah...to be perfectly honest it's one of the most annoying things I've heard in a long time. BUT I think kids will love it! And one thing's for sure..neither Willow nor Jaden are afraid of working to make a name for themselves.

Great job Willow. She's just too cute!

Today Is Spirit Day - October 20, 2010

Purple is royalty. A mysterious color, purple is associated with both nobility and spirituality. The opposites of hot red and cool blue combine to create this intriguing color.

In your feng shui color applications, color purple should be used with moderation. It is a very strong, high vibration color, the color of connection to the spiritual realms (7th chakra.)

On today the color purple is a symbolic representation of our solidarity and declaration to the world to stop the hatred, bigotry, intolerance and other behaviors void of anything even remotely close to humanity that have played an integral role in destroying the lives of so many in the LGBTQ community.

In honor of those gone far too soon and for all the wrong reasons, I will wear purple today. Spread The Message. It is important that all this hate end.

War Games

by - Maria Rainier

On October 12, 2010, EA released Medal of Honor, a reboot of the 1999 video game of the same title. I’m not much of a gamer, but my friend James is, and he insisted one day that I try out the game that millions of people played while waiting for the release of Medal of Honor. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II even made a cameo appearance in an episode of Family Guy and sold 4.7 million copies worldwide in 24 hours. The game is what it sounds like: a first-person shooter video game that entrenches a player (multiple players, even) in a modern war setting.

I hated it. I won’t say why just yet.

Medal of Honor

On October 12th, I received a regular dose of rants and raves in the form of a friendly e-mail from my friend married to a United States Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Between talk of their new grill and the glistening beaches of “Oki,” she casually mentioned that the game Medal of Honor had been banned from U.S. military bases.

As a writer and a vehement advocate of the First Amendment, I choked on my cereal and for the first time in my life found milk in my nose.

Her logic (and the military’s) was this: American military personnel don’t need to be spending what should be their leisure time killing people in an all-too-realistic first-person shooter game, especially if they have seen combat. Also, she found it abhorrent that the creators of Medal of Honor allowed for people to play as a member of the Taliban and shoot at Americans.

War Games

Rewind: I hated playing Modern Warfare II; I imagine I would hate playing Medal of Honor for this reason: it is too real. Medal of Honor takes place in an ongoing war in Afghanistan, where my former softball coach is currently stationed. Like most Americans, I fear for the people—both American military and local civilians—and their precious lives. Equating a very real situation such as war in Afghanistan with gaming—something you can jump out of with the push of a button—feels unnatural, even wrong to me.

I understand the emotional revulsion of those who chose to or agree with the ban. But neither the human condition nor law can be utterly bound by emotions. Let’s, therefore, for the sake of fairness, explore some arguments.

Truth, Not Blindfolds

The military has banned Medal of Honor due to “sensitivity to life-and-death scenarios this product presents as entertainment,” according to Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella.

Does this mean that the military doesn’t trust its own servicemen and servicewomen to differentiate between reality and their TV screens?

Or does it mean that the military is so adamant about making the us-versus-them line so thick that they won’t allow for the possibility that a member of the “other” (i.e. the Taliban) didn’t grow up an innocent child before he became a victim of his surroundings?—and a child’s surroundings in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, you name it, is war. All information and news intake is modified by the Taliban or other forces and many people are taught to believe certain things. That I grew up in America and voted in the 2008 presidential election and enjoy blogging as opposed to hitching up bombs with cellular devices is mostly a matter of circumstance. Anyone who argues this has not stepped out of their safe, white-Protestant neighborhood to witness the lives of underprivileged inner-city kids who have no direction, no parents, and no activities to keep them off the streets and away from deadly gangs that prowl even in suburban America.

"At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands," British Defense Secretary Liam Fox said. Has anyone considered the blood on British and American hands? Is it not possible that at least some of the people associated with the Taliban are people with families to protect from both the Taliban and the American forces they have been taught to believe are “evil”? This was certainly the case in WWII, when both the American and Japanese military and media demonized the other so as to make it easier for them to kill each other on the battlefield. Although not in the most effective or tasteful manner, the creators of Medal of Honor have allowed Americans to consider the stance of a member of the Taliban, even if for the measly thirty seconds that one can “live” in a multi-player game.

Therapy, Not Hand-Holding

Another plausible argument is the need for a U.S. soldier or Marine—someone who has seen or will see ground combat—needs something less stressful and less real to relax. Rather than infringe upon the First Amendment, why not encourage—no, require—therapy? Moreover, if a soldier or Marine—someone trained to kill human beings—cannot distinguish between reality and digital worlds, should he or she be allowed to enter combat, never mind hold a weapon?

Reflections, Not Causes

The production of games like Medal of Honor and Grand Theft Auto are tasteless, perhaps, but like all products—from makeup to clothes, books to films—they are reflections of our culture more than they are causes for “bad behavior.” They are produced because they will sell. Perhaps it is ourselves we should be examining rather than those who make art that mimic life.

I highly recommend reading Iraq war veteran Benjamin Busch’s take on the matter at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130435221.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education and performs research surrounding online schools. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Taking Some Time

It's that cyclical dose of life that seems to have caught up with me yet again. I won't be posting for a while. But I'll certainly be making every attempt to read the blogs I love to visit.

Hopefully, I'll be back soon.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE...........

Imagine this; You are sitting in your living room with your family, enjoying a nice, quiet July 4^th evening. There’s a knock at the door and a city official stands there with a warrant. The warrant says that you and your family have to take part in the local city-wide Independence Day celebration, or you will be thrown in jail. You refuse to comply and are thrown in jail for several hours.

This sounds like a scenario that would play out in some undeveloped, uncivilized, medieval-minded nation. The sad truth is that it actually happened here, in our great nation. A judge in Tupelo MS charged an attorney with contempt of court for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before the start of court proceedings. He spent several hours behind bars before being released to try his next case.

I am a firm believer that forced patriotism is false patriotism. Being forced to participate in a show of allegiance directly contradicts the very principles on which the country was founded. Doesn’t the first amendment protect citizens from such judicial bullying?

I don’t know what the attorney’s motives were for refusing to recite the pledge. Was he being unpatriotic? I don’t think so. Was he simply being defiant? Probably so! Whatever his reasons were, he had a constitutionally protected right to exercise his options, within the realm of the law.

Don’t think that I am not patriotic. Despite our shortcomings, we are the greatest nation in the world, and I will argue that fact with anyone. I have a nephew that is currently fighting for our country. He and the rest of our servicemen have my full support as they secure our borders and protect our rights.

This Might Have Been Acceptable 200 Years Ago...

when there were no people of color in the modeling industry (hell, come to think of it there wasn't a modeling industry... but you get my point!) or any other industry aside from free labor and subjugation, both courtesy of the institution of slavery. But in the 21st century I hardly think black face has a place in society even if it is masqueraded under the guise of art.

What's the point? Why not just utilize a model of African ancestry and save the paint for an HGTV home improvement makeover!

Well, hey... the baby's real!

Hell, I've got a real afro they could have paid me to rock in one of these colorful shoots!





Seriously? Am I being too sensitive?

Violence Unsilenced

I found out through an invite to join a great Facebook group that October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Millions of women around the world live in silent torment as a result of domestic violence. You're afraid to tell your family, friends, coworkers or even your church group. So, you continue to live in fear - fear of him and fear of what the world will think about you if your painful secret is ever revealed.

Let me tell each and every one of you going through this hell - YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It's not normal. It's not your fault. You don't deserve it and neither do your children. Don't be a victim another day. Visit these sites on finding a path out of darkness and despair and into the light.

Finding One's Way
The Domestic Violence Awareness Project
The Healing Club
Violence Unsilenced

Here's my story. If writing about my experience can help one victim find their way, then I thank God for having kept me sane enough to share it with you:

The One Lesson I Wish Mom Had Never Taught Me

There are so many valuable lessons my mother taught me over the years. She had the patience of a saint and was compassionate to no end. My mother was my greatest champion, my best friend and my fiercest protector. Being just like her was something I aspired to emulate for many years. She prided herself in teaching me right from wrong and all the other wonderful things a mother imprints into her child's precious psyche. The one thing she unknowingly passed down to me was the idea that it's okay for the man you love to physically abuse you.

As a child growing up, I witnessed on so many occasions my mother being physically abused by her steady boyfriend. My father had been out of our lives for years. So, this man was the only male figure I knew.

The episodes of physical abuse always centered around alcohol. It never failed. He would come home stumbling and blundering through the house late at night just looking for a reason to "start". We were always careful to be very quiet hoping our silence would keep him calm enough to just fall asleep. Sometimes this worked and sometimes it didn't.

Finally, my mother grew tired of the abuse and began to fight back. She would punch, kick, scratch and whatever else it took to defend herself. This was her way of declaring she wasn't going to be a victim anymore. Eventually, she threw the jerk out and ended the reign of terror he had inflicted on both our lives for far too many years.

Nevertheless, the psychological damage had been done.

When I met my X-husband I thought the gods had smiled down upon me. Surely a man this kind and good could only be a product of the greatest Mount Olympus had to offer.

Things were good at first. We laughed. We loved. We played. We connected. I was in utter shock the first time he hit me. I thought this can't be happening. I lived through it as a child. Am I going to have to endure the same nightmare as an adult?

They say hindsight is twenty - twenty. I can look back and say I should have left the first time it happened; or the second; or the third; or the fourth - I really lost count after a while. But I couldn't leave. This was all a part of being in a relationship, right? Every couple fought and made up. He wasn't actually trying to hurt me. He was just angry. Once he calmed down and I remembered to never upset him that way again things would be fine.

It wasn't until our children were born and he continued the abuse that I decided enough was enough. I listened to what my darling husband told me about hearing his father beat his mother in the middle of the night and how powerless he felt being unable to defend her.

Oh God, domestic violence really is a vicious cycle! The chilling stories he told me validated that fact without a doubt. Did he not realize he was terrorizing and battering me just like his father had done his mother. Did he not stop to think how powerless our oldest child felt when he heard me crying or begging him to stop. It was during one of these nostalgic treks down memory lane that I decided the cycle had to be broken.

During our last fight (if you could call it that), he struck me while I was holding our youngest child. I regained my composure and told him these exact words "You lived in it. I lived in it. I will not allow my children to live in this type environment. If you ever hit me again, I'm leaving".

He grinned at me with amusement and a bit of confusion on his face and walked away.

For months things were good. Then on a cold winter night a few years ago he decided to test my proclamation. And as promised I packed a gym bag full of our barest of necessities and left. I've never looked back.

People often wonder why women stay in abusive relationships. Sometimes women feel they can't make it on their own. Others have the delusional idea that he'll eventually stop.

My reason for staying and the one I think is worst than any is the idea that this behavior is normal. Having watched my mother suffer through years of abuse convinced me that it was normal for a man to hit a woman. It was only with the help of friends and the determination that I would not raise boys that would one day become men who abused women that gave me the power to leave.

For any women out there suffering the physical and mental pain of abuse at the hands of someone you love, know that this behavior is not normal and it will not stop. Seek help from friends, the church, crisis centers, domestic violence shelters or anyone willing to help you.

If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your children or others that truly love you.

Purple Memories - 1984

The summer before my freshmen year in high school a movie and a song that's still considered an all time classic was released and life would never be the same.

I'm a product of Billie Jean, Prince and the Revolution, Sheila E., New Edition, Corey Hart, Billy Ocean, Doug E. Fresh, Boy George and Culture Club, Billy Idol, Quiet Riot, 2 Live Crew, Whitney Houston (Jesus, be a fence regarding that one)... and many more greats.

Purple Rain is still a song that resonates with me every single time I hear it. Just feeling a bit sentimental this morning and felt like sharing one of my favorites.

The news can wait. Commentary on all that's wrong in the world can wait. What I did in the E.R. last night can wait. Right now...

I only want to see you laughing in the Purple Rain



What memories do you have when you hear this song?

These Two Guys Walk Into A Bar With Guns....

...and only one walks out, alive or at the least, without life threatening injuries. From my vantage point and considering previous life experiences, that's going to be about the size of it. There's a new law in town (well, perhaps coming to town) that allows folks with hand gun permits the right to carry loaded firearms into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

Alcohol and guns mix about as well as oil and water. This isn't something I think...I know, on a personal and professional level.

Just about every other weekend I'm charged with the duty of providing medical care to the unlucky recipient of a bullet. These injuries generally occur in or around night clubs...drinking...tempers flare...inhibitions are lowered and delusions of the wild wild west become reality. The only reason I can't say this occurs every weekend is because I don't work every weekend.

Shockingly, it's only illegal in eight states to carry a loaded gun into a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol. That's scary. Other states either allow it or don't have specific laws that allow or prohibit, relying mostly on municipal public nuisance laws to sort it all out.

There's nothing like having a gun pulled on you during a heated argument. You never know which way things are going to go and when alcohol is involved the outcome is usually not good.

Several years back my X was drinking (drunk) and decided he wanted to start up an argument which resulted in physical violence. He left. I started packing to leave. I had gathered up enough clothes for myself and my son (only had one child at the time...he was about 7 or 8).

We heard the truck pull into the driveway. We stopped packing...thinking he would stop in the den and pass out on the couch. I knew to hide my bag and act as if nothing was wrong but my son was scared to death and unaware of how stealth our plans and our exit needed to be

Well, he didn't stop in the den. He stopped in our son's room and got a glimpse of the his packed overnight bag and went ballistic (pun intended). He barged into my (our) bedroom with sheer raw madness covering his face and his .38 special in his right hand.

He didn't point the gun at me but holding it and walking toward me spewing the words "Bitch, I'll kill you!" was enough to make his point abundantly clear. I honestly thought he was going to shoot me. It wasn't until our son barged in and started screaming that X decided to count his losses and let me (us) go.

So, when I say I have a personal interest in this...believe that.

Gun rights advocates preach about protecting themselves and their families. And that's all the more reason we need stiffer penalties for gun violence, illegal sale of firearms and gun crimes.

Surviving a gun fight and riding off into the sunset after escaping a hail of bullets at Olive Garden isn't my idea of a good time or a stronger sense of safety.

Outober ...and The October Project

Tyler Clementi was the fourth teen in three weeks to commit suicide after being bullied for being, or seeming to be gay. Suicide rates and suicidal thoughts are more common among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered teens according to WebMD experts.

Other precious lives gone too soon were Seth Walsh, 13 years old, Asher Brown, 13 years old, Billy Lucas, 15 years old and Raymond Chase, 19 years old.

My oldest son will be 19 in November and my youngest is 9. Kids....all five of these victims....kids with their entire lives ahead of them.

Regarding consenting adults...anyone who hates, judges, condemns and torments another individual based on his/her sexual orientation is a stain on the fabric of society.

This is no longer a religious, spiritual, or moral argument. It's about acceptance, mutual respect, compassion and love.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

Find out more about the October Project here

Surprisingly All Jews Won't Be Voting For Rahm! - OMG!

I'm not having one of my best days OR nights. Good ol' Father Time has been miserly enough to confiscate a little bit more of my patience with each passing year. Add all that up and what you're left with is one of my (in)famous blog rants!

Here it goes.

It seems that a writer for the Chicago Tribune thought it news worthy enough to print a piece titled Jewish voters don't reflexively back Rahm Emanuel for Chicago mayor. Yeshua Ha Mashiach, have mercy!

Is it such a far stretch to assume that just because Rahm Emanuel is a Jew that doesn't necessarily mean every Jewish Chi-town inhabitant will be voting for him?

If this actuality is so unfathomable, I suppose people must still be in therapy after realizing every black woman didn't vote for Cynthia McKinney for President.

Ah, but then there's the argument that everything black, with a pulse and a finger, nub or stump (for pulling the lever in the voting booth) voted for President Obama.

On the Obama issue, color had little to do with the way 95% of blacks in America voted. The bond between the Democratic Party and black folks reaches all the way back to FDR and maybe even a bit farther than that. But he's the president I remember my great grandmother (born in 1900) singing praises about almost every time she opened her mouth.

The other time was spent praising the efforts of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Lyndon B. Johnson. When Johnson beseeched the powers that be to make the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a reality...that pretty much sealed the courtship between blacks and the Democratic party...and Democratic candidates (worthy or not) have been enjoying the fruit of that union every since.

Johnson - 94% of the black vote
Mondale - 91% of the black vote
Gore - 90% of the black vote
Obama - 95% of the black vote

Just 45 years ago the term black vote was unknown, non-existent, a figment of a dreamer's imagination.

But I digress.

Back to Rahm, the Tribune and the Jew thing.

One local rabbi had this to say:

Then there could be a linguistic problem attached to an Emanuel candidacy. Jews think of a Jew in the public eye as representing all of them with his or her behavior, said Chayim Knobloch, a rabbi and proprietor of the Kol Tuv supermarket on Devon.

Emanuel is famous for peppering his conversations with swearing, while Jews have a longstanding caution: "Don't make a shandah for the goyim" — be aware of your behavior in gentile company.

Excuse me?

Now this guy's gotta be the representative for (if elected) the city of Chicago, to include all the gentiles but more importantly be the Boy Scout poster boy for every Jew there too.

I'm beginning to think the idea of turning the electing of officials to govern our cities, states and nation over to the general public might not have been such a great idea...especially when you seem to be swimming in a vat of morons!

It Wasn't That Bad - Smarter Than an Atheist Quiz

Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups in a 32-question survey of religious knowledge by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. On average, Americans got 16 of the 32 questions correct. Atheists and agnostics got an average of 20.9 correct answers. Jews (20.5) and Mormons (20.3). Protestants got 16 correct answers on average, while Catholics got 14.7 questions right.

How will you do on the quiz? Write down your answers as you go.

I finally read the article and took the test. I missed 7 out of 32 which is higher than atheists, agnostics, Jews, and Catholics. I'm even on the high curve of fellow Protestants and I don't consider myself religious at all.

However, I did more than walk by the school house....I went in and learned something every now and then!

Geesh!!

Anyone Want Out!?

Marie Curie

That's the question you often hear in the middle of a trauma code or any other emergency situation that requires a portable x-ray be performed while other members of the health care team are in the room.

There just aren't enough lead aprons to go around. Besides, those things weigh a ton and are entirely too cumbersome to function in. So, if preventing excess exposure to radiation is your thing...that question is your cue to leave the room.

Cat Scans, X-rays, MRIs, PET scanning and Nuclear Medicine are all used to treat and diagnose different diseases and medical conditions. Thank you Marie Curie. Although, her pioneering work in discovering radium and it's beneficial uses was the very thing that caused her death, radiation poisoning.

Earlier today I read where the governor of California, ol' Conan himself, has signed tough new legislation tightening oversight of diagnostic CT scans, largely in response to the overdosing of hundreds of patients who underwent brain scans for stroke in 2008 and 2009.

Quite a few of the patients I've cared for are under the impression that the more invasive the testing...the better the care is they're receiving. Sure, when it comes to definitively diagnosing serious illnesses...I'm all for exhausting every test known to the field of medicine. But coming into the emergency room with a headache shouldn't be an automatic ticket to take a ride in the CT machine.

A CT...just one is about the equivalent of 200 regular x-rays. That's a lot of radiation!

Physician know these tests aren't always necessary to treat or diagnose common ailments like headaches, upper respiratory infections and stomach pain...but society's propensity for malpractice lawsuits leave these guys doing whatever it takes to cover their asses. And if that means radiating the hell out of the general population. Then that's what they're going to do.

I remember an E.R. patient we had several years back. She presented five nights in a row with a complaint of the worst headache in her life.

She had a CT scan of her head every night. That's five CTs, or 1000 x-rays.

Staff in any radiology department in the country have to wear employee badges and radiation badges.

These badges are checked monthly to monitor the radiation levels of the staff. It's that serious people.

So, the next time you're not feeling your best whether it's headache, belly ache, or cough and runny nose....weigh your options and if the doctor orders a Cat scan...discuss it with him to make sure it's absolutely necessary.

It could mean the difference in you having a glowing future or just glowing in the dark in the future.

Acting White

I love the people I work with. But more importantly than my love for them is my appreciation for not being a hot head. Oh, sure from time to time I log in to Blogger and sound off about issues that get under my skin. It's my sounding board, my journal, my (im)personal space, a means to an end.

As surprising as it may be, I'm not quite as vocal...(well...) in the real world. I've always been viewed by family, friends and loosely associated acquaintances as the peace keeper. I kind of like that. I don't like to argue. Debate, yes. I don't enjoy a tense or hostile work environment. I'm flexible. So, bending is not beneath me. As long as my back isn't broken in the process.

Take myself and one of my female coworkers, for example. She's about six years younger than me, married, the mother of two precious girls and white. She doesn't mind telling it like it is with the finger snap and neck roll to go along with every word. And Miss Thang can dance her ass off!

Me, on the other hand, always striving to find that common ground...never wanting to part ways angry...not very animated when I'm making a point, setting you straight or getting you told. I just say it and leave it. To complete the comparison of the two of us, let it be known from hence now and forever more that ....I can't dance a lick. If you think Bristol Palin is stiff, meet up with me after I''ve gotten a few drinks on board and dare to hit the dance floor. Let's just say It Ain't Pretty!

Because of our different styles, including the level of dancing skills each of us have some of our other coworkers have taken to calling me Becky and her, Ebony. Get the picture.

It's all in fun. So, I'm cool with it. Besides, it helps squash a couple of stereotypes that have existed far too long about certain behaviors always being associated with certain groups of people.

Last night we were all sitting around talking and our Human Resource Director strolled in. He's late forties with a thick Southern accent, extremely articulate and intelligent...married with children...loves his alma mater with a passion, enjoys his motorcycle, tailgating during college football season all while keeping a watchful eye on us. 

He stayed around for about half an hour small talking....observing....discussing some HR tidbits....observing....sharing stories about himself and his family....observing. Then he finally left.

That's always when the real talk begins...you know...after the powers that be have made their impromptu appearances and then casually stroll out.

One of the first comments one of my white coworkers made was. "He's really strange. He acts too white". Not he's trying to act white...but he acts too white.

Too white?

For those who haven't figured  it out, he's a black man.

I'm familiar with the old trying to act white phenomenon as verbalized by many people of color about blacks who prefer grammatical correctness to slang, dress a certain way, strive for and accept nothing less than academic excellence from themselves and their children, have the ability to socialize and interact comfortably with those outside of their race and other gibberish folks oddly enough tend to look down on you for doing. But I don't think I've ever heard a white person accuse a black person of acting white.

When blacks accuse other blacks of perpetuating what they feel is fraudulent, un-natural behavior it's offensive to the accusers. How dare you try to be more than what you are. Damn...subjugation and de-humanization can do some terrible things to people's minds.

However,  I wasn't really sure how to take this coming from a non-black person. Was she offended that in her mind's eye he was trying to be like her?  Was it as insulting (or even more so) coming from her as it would have been coming from a person of color? Is this her way of calling him, his life, his views...a big fat fraud? Has he gone beyond her whiteness and dived feet first into the too white end of the pool?

The conversation kept rattling along. No one responded to her comment. No one called her out on it. Everyone seemed to act as if they didn't hear it.

I did. And in life sometimes you're given what's termed as a window of opportunity. Mine was right after she made that statement. I should have asked her to elaborate on exactly what she meant by it...not to start an argument or a debate...just to see where she was actually coming from in her assertion.

I didn't and hardly doubt I'd receive the same honest, raw and uncut answer now that my window has closed.

But I'm most certain the time will come again.

Waiting For Superman

Visit the website to find out more. Waiting For Superman
In theaters 10/08/10

Well...Rick?

I've never been particularly fond of Rick Sanchez. Something about him never really set well with me. Maybe it's the way he welded his two-edge sword. One minute he was a proud Hispanic minority,  berating those he didn't agree with (quite ferociously), throwing in a few phrases in Spanish as he went along and the next minute he was an almost white guy living the life of the elite bragging about his connections, lavish dinner parties, always exuding this I'm better than you but I'm sort of like you attitude

It would seem that what I didn't like about him landed him a spot on the team of Unemployed in America. He's been relieved of he duties at CNN.

CNN said in a statement Friday evening, “Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company. We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well.”

Rick Sanchez, a daytime anchor at CNN, was fired on Friday, a day after telling a radio interviewer that Jon Stewart was a bigot and that “everybody that runs CNN is a lot like Stewart.”