Month: February 2005

U.S. Pushes U.N. on Abortion Declaration

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Yahoo! News – U.S. Pushes U.N. on Abortion Declaration

Ten years after the world’s nations pledged to achieve equality for women, a follow-up meeting has become embroiled in controversy over a U.S. demand that its final declaration state that women are not guaranteed the right to abortion.

This is infuriating!!! I hope the UN just laughs in “our” face. I don’t know who is representing the US here, but the US certainly is not representing me, a woman who believes in MY right to choose. I’m getting pissed right now just typing this. ARRRRG! I just have to tell myself “four more years, four more years.” I can’t believe our right to choose is eroding before our eyes…

Man Cleared to Remove Wife’s Feeding Tube

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Yahoo! News – Man Cleared to Remove Wife’s Feeding Tube

A judge gave Terri Schiavo’s husband permission to remove the brain-damaged woman’s feeding tube in three weeks, handing him a victory in his effort to carry out what he says were his wife’s wishes not to be kept alive artificially.

This is interesting, esp. with regard to the discussion that has been going on at Daffodil Lane regarding assisted suicide. It’s good that the issue is finally going to be resolved. What an awful situation. I hope I never have to deal with a family feud situation like this in my lifetime.

If you read the article to the end you will see that the Vatican weighed in on this argument:

“If Mr. Schiavo legally succeeded in provoking the death of his wife, this would not only be tragic in itself, but it would be a serious step toward legally approving euthanasia in the United States,” Cardinal Renato Martino, the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told Vatican Radio on Thursday.

Again with the slippery slope! Why do people think that one situation will lead to another? I noticed that this agument style is a favorite of religious types. Where does this come from? Does Jesus or Paul use this in the Bible? It is so damn irritating to me.

Update (about 3 mins after posting above): Okay, now I’m confused….The next yahoo news article says that the woman’s feeding tube is to stay in place. Apparently I don’t know what the hell is going on…..and neither does yahoo news. Well, I guess the family feud soap opera contines. This is so disgusting.

update, redux: Okay, apparantly, the “husband cleared to remove feeding tube” story is more recent.

This is beautiful

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Is the Gannon story going to be the thing that causes the neo-con press to implode upon itself? I saw the Gannon interview on the Today show this morning and it was HILARIOUS. Why is the man bothering to go on national television to clear his name? He is making more a fool of himself by doing this.

I have been reading up on the Gannon thing on a couple of blogs. I really enjoyed The Rude Pundit’s post on what he things of Anne Coulter. I love it. He really just says what we are all thinking, doesn’t he? Says the things we only wish we could say. America Blog is the source for all things Gannon, so if your interested, go there.

To me, the real story (well, that might be a little hyperbolic) is that this all came bubbling to the surface because of bloggers. In other words the “real” journalists weren’t doing their job. Interesting, I think.

Bloggers’ Internet obsession

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MercuryNews.com | 02/22/2005 | Bloggers’ Internet obsession

For some, keeping a blog subtly colors every aspect of life. Renee Blodgett carries a digital camera wherever she goes to capture images for Down the Avenue (www.downtheavenue.com), which mixes notes on San Francisco, technology and poetry. She walked into a cafe recently and caught herself paying attention to the colors, sounds and people. “I was thinking how I could turn it into a post,” said Blodgett, who is in her mid-30s. “Before, I’d just sit down, have my bowl of soup and zone out.”

Yet Blodgett worries whether the blog will make her less social. “Will I become more engaged with my laptop, more engaged with my blog than I am with people?” she said.

Here is an interesting article in the merc. about blogging. The issues raised are some of the things I have thought about. I have mixed feelings about blogging lately. On the one hand, it does make you see the world around you a little bit more critically. Like when I was trying to take a picture a day…I was looking at things around me in terms of “what would make a good photograph.” It puts you in “right brain” mode, which I always like.

On the other hand blogging has also been a thorn in my side. You put yourself out there when you blog, and when a drive-by troll comes in and makes a comment that is inciteful it is upsetting. Not that that’s happened in awhile, but nonetheless.

I guess there is good and bad with everything.