May 25, 2003
DES
DES (diethylstilbestrol) is not old news. Many people still need help for health problems caused by a drug used in pregnancy between 1941 and 1971. This is the message in a new outreach campaign by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During DES Awareness Week (May 26 to 31, 2003), DES Action Canada is asking Canadians to participate in the outreach campaign DES Update. Launched by the CDC in 2003, the campaign includes education materials and an interactive Web site to inform the public of the long-term and ongoing health effects of exposure to the drug DES. The Web site includes a self-assessment guide, research updates and practical information for people exposed to DES and the health professionals who care for them.
"If you were born in Canada between 1941 and 1971, or pregnant during the same years, you may have been exposed to the drug DES. Log onto the CDC's DES Update Web site if you want to learn more," says Harriet Simand, president and founder of DES Action Canada. "Thousands of people in Canada are still unaware of their exposure to DES. This Web site provides practical health information from an internationally recognized source of health information."
Simand applauds the CDC for this initiative and acknowledges the efforts of DES Action/ U.S.A. who have kept the issue on the national agenda in the U.S. since 1978.
The U.S. government has funded research on the effects of DES exposure for over 30 years. Since 1992 the U.S. Congress has allocated millions of dollars to the National Cancer Institute specifically to identify and educate DES-exposed Americans still unaware of their exposure. This 5-year funding was renewed in 1998 for another 5 years to continue outreach and education on DES, including the DES Update.
In Canada, no public financing is committed to research on DES exposure or the health problems experienced by Canadians exposed to the drug. DES Action Canada, the only organization alerting Canadians and health professionals to the risks associated with DES, depends on U.S. research and initiatives such as this DES Update campaign to help achieve its mission.
Visit the CDC DES Update website at: www.cdc.gov/DES Update
and visit the DES Action Canada website at: www.web.net/~desact DES Action
May 22, 2003
Garbage Crisis
If you hail from the city of Toronto, you probably won't want to read this.
A couple of years ago, when the Keele Valley landfil site closed, Toronto went looking for an alternative place to dump their garbage. An abandoned mine in Kirkland lake was looking good to them, but the residents banded together and managed to stall the deal.
The second deal the Toronto government came up with was to truck it all to the US, Michigan would take it, for a price. Seemed like a Win Win, Toronto got rid of its trash and Michigan got some cash. 28 Million US this year
No one counted on the residents being just like any other normal folk, who DON'T want Toronto's Trash in their backyards. I must say I have to agree with these residents. 125 trucks a day travel down the highways into Michigan to dump 100% of Toronto's garbage. However, I must also note here, I haven't heard these same residents complain when 50,000 tones of hazardous waste was shipped TO Canada from Michigan.
Yesterday a case of Mad Cow disease was confirmed in Alberta Canada. When the garbage trucks headed out as usual this morning, they were turned back at the border. One would assume it was because of the fear of Mad Cow, or BSE entering the US in some of the garbage. The ban was temporary, but it sure caused a stir.
The news at noon was filled with the Minister of garbage??? Chris Stockwell, talking about possible alternate plans for the waste. He said the local transfer stations could hold it for couple of days, but no longer. After that it could be stacked in local parks and tennis courts. Not once did I hear mention of REDUCING the amount of waste Toronto generates.
When the deal with Michigan was first struck, reduction of the amount of waste Toronto shipped was talked about. It was said that by the year 2010 Waste reduction would be so successful there would be no need to ship any waste at all. Well, its the year 2003, and still they are talking about stacking garbage in local parks to cope with crisis, or as - shame on you Mr Stockwell- said last February, force other Municipalities to take the waste wheter they liked it or not. I suggest Mr Stockwell needs to rethink this plan of waste reduction.
May 20, 2003
Golf & Bragging Rights
Bragging Rights on a golf course has long been as much a part of the game as a putt. I have seen men save their little cardboard score cards just to show them off. Friendships have been torn apart, jobs have been lost, all in the name of a low score on that little cardboard card.
Into this much protected male arena walks Annika Sorenstam. Annika was given a Sponsor Exemption to play in the PGA Classic this weekend. There is a possibilty that won't make the cut, but that hasn't stopped people from doing their best to count her now. Even well meaning comments seem annoying to me.
CBS analyst David Feherty praised Sorenstam for her "courage" in competing against the men and for her "cheerful disposition and dignity."
This comment misses the entire point! Not one mention of her 'Skill'.
Pros such as Tiger Woods are behind Annika all the way, thus demonstrating again their ability and skill. They are ready and willing to play against any and all challengers. Gender is irrelevent. Bravo to these players.
Boo hiss to the players who say they will refuse to play in the Classic if Annika plays. Whats the matter guys?
I say Go Annika! The fact that you are even there to challenge yourself in this arena is wonderful! Whatever the outcome of the tournament, young female athletes are watching, and will walk in your footsteps one day.
All in all, this hoopla from the male corners is really Much Ado About Nothing.
May 16, 2003
Free Stuff?
Anyone who has an email address has seen at least one piece of SPAM offering you free stuff. During my very early days of email, I would politley reply informing them that both my bust and butt were big enough, thank you anyway. Then I learned about email filters! YES!
However, one or two pieces still slip though my defenses. One came the other day that I actually glanced at. This one offered cash for reading email. Just for reading someone else email I could be paid cash, and not that Funny Canadian money either. Real Yankee cash!
My baser voyeur side took over, I had visions of reading some juciy private email. 
I looked like a cricket rubbing my nasty little hands together in glee.
I followed all the links to signup for this wonderful new craze. I had a dozen or more to choose from, I thought, wow I can get rich just reading other peoples mail. I wondered if I would be assigned any big name stuff, you know maybe some rock stars mail or something like that. Perhaps this was a job where I would read all the mail, and simply write a brief precis for the big star. HA! Alright, I am bright, just not quick 
I will give you the url to check this out too, but be prepared to hold your jaw up, mine dropped to the floor when I found out what they wanted me to do.
I stared at the moniter thinking....... it took me weeks to carefully come up with keywords to draft my filters so I could avoid most of this junk, now they are trying to trick me into actually reading it! Do people actually do this??
In case you want to look for yourself: Free Money
May 14, 2003
1st Time is Always the Worst
Normally I like to do my own writing, 
Including my own funnies. However, this one was just too funny not too share. Any woman who has had the pleasure of a mamogram will appreciate this one!
After reading the winning entry, please make sure you click on the Breast Cancer logo on the left hand side of the blog. Every click means another donation for a mamogram for a woman in need. Thanks!
Winning entry in the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition:
1st place in Humor category by Leigh Anne Jasheway of Eugene, Oregon
"The First Time's Always the Worst"
======================================================
The first mammogram is the worst. Especially when the machine catches on fire. That's what happened to me. The technician, Gail, positioned me exactly as she wanted me (think a really complicated game of Twister - right hand on the blue, left shoulder on the yellow, right breast as far away as humanly possible from the rest of your body). Then she clamped the machine down so tight, I think my breast actually turned inside out. I'm pretty sure Victoria's Secret doesn't have a bra for that!
Suddenly, there was a loud popping noise. I looked down at my right breast to make sure it hadn't exploded. Nope, it was still flat as a pancake and still attached to my body. "Oh no!" Gail said loudly. These are perhaps, the words you least want to hear from any health professional. Suddenly, she came flying past me, her lab coat whipping behind her, on her way out the door. She yelled over her shoulder, "The machine's on fire, I'm going to get help!"
OK, I was wrong, 'The machine's on fire,' are the worst words you can hear from a health professional. Especially if you're all alone and semi-permanently attached to A MACHINE and don't know if it's THE MACHINE in question. I struggled for a few seconds trying to get free, but even Houdini couldn't have escaped. I decided to go to plan B: yelling at the top of my lung (the one that was still working).
I hadn't seen anything on fire, so my panic hadn't quite reached epic proportions. But then I started to smell smoke coming from behind the partition. "This is ridiculous," I thought. I can't die like this. What would they put in my obituary? Cause of death: breast entrapment? I may have inhaled some fumes because I started to hallucinate. An imaginary fireman rushed in with a fire hose and a hatchet. "Howdy, ma'am," he said. "What's happened here?" he asked, averting his eyes. "My breasts were too hot for the machine," I quipped, as my imaginary fireman ran out of the room again. "This is gonna take the Jaws of Life!"
In reality, Gail returned with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. She gave me a big smile and released me from the machine. "Sorry! That's the first time that's ever happened. Why don't you take a few minutes to relax before we finish up?"
I think that's what she said. I was running across the parking lot in my backless paper gown at the time. After I've relaxed for a few years, I figured I might go back. But I'll be bringing my own fire extinguisher!
May 07, 2003
Corrections Canada?!
Thanks to Barbara Anello for the heads up on this topic.
It seems that the Correctional Services of Canada are attempting to increase public awareness about inmates.
Recently they have aquired a cartoon aimed at children of inmates, it is intended to correct misunderstandings about the correctional system.
The cartoon is title "Paul and the Guardian Angel"; it depicts a young boy who is having nightmares about his father being in prison. The angel, Richard, talks to Paul and shows him his father's 'real' lving situation where he attends classes, meets with parole officers andlearns how to be a 'a law-abiding citizen.' Don't believe me?
www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pubed/paul/index_e.shtml
Okay Canadians always have enjoyed a rose garden. Cartoon aside I wanted to point out that the Angel is male, the child is male, and the inmate is also male, and the friends are male. Does this mean we don't have Female inmates in Canada? Or does it mean that a little girl would never worry about her daddy in prison.
Historically in Canada women have been housed in men's prisons. For nearly a century, (1835-1934) women prisoners did their time 'temporarily' housed in men's prisons until the space was needed. In a system that was designed by men to meet the interests of men, the treatment of women in prison has been one of afterthought planning and temporary solutions. In 1934 Kingston Pententary for Women was built. After 50+ years of hell on earth for many women, it finally was closed. This prison was plauged with problems ranging from cruelity, high suicide rates, to expermentation on prisioners with LSD. You can read more here: www.elizabethfry.ca/eLSD.html
Correctional Services of Canada talks about the new prisions for women, as well as the new Healing Lodge for Aboriginal Women. They speak in glowing terms of these new federal prisions; however, a quick read of their own literature, talks about how the P4W was recommended to close only 4 years after its opening because of unfit conditions. It further talks about how the MacGuigan Report in 1977 describes it as being "unfit for bears, much less women", and it still took 20 years to close it. So as far as I am concerned the jury is still out on the new prisons, time will tell. In the meantime we can be entertained by the angel who depicts the reality of life in prison for 'fathers'. Only in Canada! 
May 03, 2003
Don't Judge a Book by its Title
Recently I was discussing a book I am reading with some women I know. "The Vagina Monologues"I was very startled with their response to it.
Respones such as: Ewwwwwww a smut book, wow bet its pretty gross, really got me thinking.
Why is it we women can't even say the word vagina without getting creeped out? Go ahead, I dare you to say the word Vagina outloud right now. I bet that you feel a little naughty saying it.
How many men do you know who are close personal friends with their penis? Yet according to a Women's Health Clinic in Toronto, less then 50% of the women they see have even seen their own Vulva.
The Vagina Monologues is a great book. It should be read by every woman, and most men too
It truely is a Celebration of Women's Sexuality.
The monologues have been perfomoed in cities all across North America and at hundreds of University Campuses, it has inspired the grassroots movement V-Day This group works to end all Violence against Women in the world.
My daughter bought the book for me, and we read it together. It is hillarious, heart wrenching and very refreshing. A must read for everyone!
May 02, 2003
Opening Page
I was trying to figure out what inspired this journal, I was going to write about the first time I saw the "Central Park Joggers" book on April 19, and how profound that was being as that was the day she was attacked; but, that isn't the real reason. The reason has been buried inside me for a couple of years, gnawing and bubbling up now and then.
The real inspiration for this blog is a woman named Gillian Hadley. This blog is dedicated to her, and to the women who fight violence in their lives everyday.
Gillian Hadley was a young woman who lived in Ontario Canada, a daughter, a mother, a girlfriend and estranged wife, who was desperatly stuggling to get away from her abusive husband.
The horror of what happened to Gillian on a bright June morning in 2000 is imprinted indelibly on my mind. Gillian tried on several occasions to get help from the 'system'. Her estranged husband Ralph had assaulted her and their disabled son on several occasions. Gillian called the police, had him removed from the home, and there was a court order against him to stay away from her. So why is she dead now?
On that bright June morning he came to her home; 3 calls to 911 by the neighbours went unanswered until it was too late.
In an effort to save her babys life, Gillian ran naked into the street with her child in her arms begging neighours to take him and keep him safe. Her husband grabbed her and dragged her screaming, back into the house where he shot and killed her.
I didn't know this young woman personally. I only came to know her after death. When I close my eyes and try to see what this women felt just before her death the horror of it overwhelms me. I hope it also overwhelms the readers of this blog. We all, both men and women, must stand together to stop this terror against the women of our society.
Here is a place that has some very interesting ideas to help end the slaughter. The White Ribbon Campaign. http://www.whiteribbon.ca/
Over time this blog will hopefully entertain, provoke and annoy readers, but most of all it will reflect A Moment In My Life.