First grade brings with it the risk of exposure to many novel species of bacteria and viruses. The exposure to new and exciting ideas, literacy, science, math, art, and cultural diversity outweighs the physical bombardment, but the first cold of fall is always a bummer. The Tiniest Anthropologist has developed a nasty ear infection from the cold her newly-minted first-grader shared with her, and she has gone from nearly-weaned to nursing constantly. We’re approaching 48 hours on antibiotics, and I’m hopeful that soon I can devote some energy to pursuits that don’t involve lactation.
So I find myself on a Sunday night with a million cool things to talk about and precious little time to write anything up. Here’s a short list of things I’ve been consuming on the iTouch while I nurse, plus one other thing:
Nick Kristof of the New York Times has an awesome article apologizing to Muslims for the embarrassing and rampant bigotry they suffer:
“Many Americans honestly believe that Muslims are prone to violence, but humans are too complicated and diverse to lump into groups that we form invidious conclusions about. We’ve mostly learned that about blacks, Jews and other groups that suffered historic discrimination, but it’s still O.K. to make sweeping statements about “Muslims” as an undifferentiated mass.
In my travels, I’ve seen some of the worst of Islam: theocratic mullahs oppressing people in Iran; girls kept out of school in Afghanistan in the name of religion; girls subjected to genital mutilation in Africa in the name of Islam; warlords in Yemen and Sudan who wield AK-47s and claim to be doing God’s bidding.
But I’ve also seen the exact opposite: Muslim aid workers in Afghanistan who risk their lives to educate girls; a Pakistani imam who shelters rape victims; Muslim leaders who campaign against female genital mutilation and note that it is not really an Islamic practice; Pakistani Muslims who stand up for oppressed Christians and Hindus; and above all, the innumerable Muslim aid workers in Congo, Darfur, Bangladesh and so many other parts of the world who are inspired by the Koran to risk their lives to help others. Those Muslims have helped keep me alive, and they set a standard of compassion, peacefulness and altruism that we should all emulate.”
There’s some awesomeness from David Gorski at Science Based Medicine regarding yet more evidence against the discredited mercury-in-vaccines-causes-autism meme. As an interesting aside, both in this article and on a Mark Crislip QuackCast (linked below) I have encountered evidence of vaccines providing a protective effect. There are now two studies that seem to indicate vaccines being protective against autism. The effect might just be statistical noise, but it’s worth looking into. Crislip thinks that perhaps by protecting against neurotropic diseases, people with a genetic risk of autism are protected from a possible trigger of the disorder. Wouldn’t that be interesting if proven true.
Mark Crislip is an infectious disease doc who has a great podcast for the lay public called QuackCast. You can link from there to iTunes or he may have Mp3s available at his website. Episode #45 “The Vaccine Pseudo Controversy” is divided into chapters. In chapter 37 he discusses the Polish study that showed a possible protective effect against autism and also says that the etiology of some neurological disorders may have infectious origins. Probably just statistical noise, but interesting. His references are here.
There are always great things to read here at She Thought, and I also read White Coat Underground and Respectful Insolence every day.
One other thing: about a month ago I mentioned that I had entered a poetry contest. I have never written poetry well and haven’t written any at all since high school. I was emboldened by the hilarious haiku and one-off rhymes I saw early on in the comments.
The winning poems are amazing, and I was clearly way out of my depth; however, the contest host was kind enough to contact me and ask permission to publish my poem. (He claims to have run out of time.)
Medical Waste
Death has come
Bloody
and
Grey.
Your nurse scoffed:
Who am i to speak of this?
You alone have the power
To divine a death.
i did just as you said.
Wipe front to back.
Fill to 2/3 mark.
Shaking
Naked
Bleeding still
i handed off the cup.
Your nurse laughed.
2/3 was much to full!
How stupid of me,
A childless mother
In grief.
Haughtily, You condescended:
i presumed far too much.
Suddenly
You turned the monitor away
Dissembling.
Withholding the truth
i had already spoken aloud.
You used Your fingers
And a green pen
To show me how You would force open my cervix
And scrape out the corpse.
Disposing of it with the rest of the medical waste.
In the incinerator.
You said it was for the best.
These things happen.
Not even You know why.
Just
Try again.
And again.
Month after month
After month
Like before.
When i found comfort in evolutionary advantages:
Early fetal death and
Spontaneous abortion
For the nonviable ones
You said
i needed to look to my faith.
I remain godless
No longer childless.
(If I had it to do over again, I would delete everything above “You used Your fingers…” Oh well. Next time!)
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