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Pregnancy
We are happy to run items in the community Calendar of Events as a public service to our readers. Events should be held in Rutherford County or Cannon County and involve nonprofit organizations. Please send written notices marked "Calendar" at least two weeks prior to the event. There must be a contact name. phone number and address for each item or notice will not be published. Calendar items may be mailed or dropped off at the office. or e-mailed to dgoodwin@dnj. (Do not send attachments.) Items cannot be taken over the telephone.
Woman's Club 90th anniversary Silver Tea:3 to 5 p.m.. Murfreesboro. Members and the community are invited. The event is free. but a donation at the door will be appreciated for continued preservation of the home.
Adventure Quest 2006 "In the Zone" Day camp:For ages 11 to 15. Offered by City of La Vergne Parks and Recreation. Today. kids can go to a Nashville Sounds Baseball game or visit the Warner Park Nature Center. Both activities are free.For more information. go by the Parks and Recreation office. International Folkfest dancers from Taiwan perform native dances. Free. open to individuals in the community age 60 and older. For more information. stop by the Center. Celebrate Flag Day. Create your own flag. Suitable for all ages. Myrtle Glanton Lord Library is located at Patterson Community Center. Murfreesboro. For more information. ext. 4502 to register or for more information.
Deadline is today to RSVP for Read to Succeed volunteer tutor training classes: Classes are scheduled June 17 and 24; and July 1 and 8. at La Vergne Library. from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Participants must attend all four training sessions. Tutors will be trained to work with adults in basic literacy and intermediate-level English as a Second Language. Call to register or for more information. or e-mail karenclaud@hotmail.
Newcomers Club of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Gardening Group meeting:SecondWednesday each month. 459-3625.
Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Caregiver Support Group meetings:10 to 11 a.m. second Wednesday each month. Fleming Educational Center. Blanton Drive. Sponsored by York VA Medical Center and the Middle Tennessee chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Meetings are free and open to the public. and caregivers are invited to attend. For information. call Dianne Kelton. extension 3448.
Murfreesboro Obedience Club dog training classes:6 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday. Tennessee Livestock Center. MTSU. Various levels of classes. including puppy. For more information. check the Web site. Northwest Broad Street. Murfreesboro. Doors open at 6 p.m. with cocktails served. Dinner begins at 7 p.m.. and an auction is slated for 8 p.m. Ticket prices are $40 per individual; $65 per couple; $15 for Greenwings; $300 per sponsor (sponsor price includes framed print); $500 for a corporate table. For more information. contact John Burcxhfield. 615-351-0477.
Middle Tennessee Medical Center Bright Beginnings Childbirth Preparation & Newborn Care classes:6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays. at the Medical Center. Class prepares expectant parents for labor. "Habitales: Visiting the Rainforest" with Ripley's Aquarium. La Vergne Library is located at 5063 Murfreesboro Road. La Vergne. Call 793-7303 for more details.
Support group for grandparents raising grandchildren:Third Thursday each month. St. Clair Street Senior Center. Murfreesboro. For more information. contact Carol Vega. 848-2550.
Newcomers Club of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Couples Night Out Group meeting:Group gets together the third Thursday evening each month. For more information. 895-3362.
Linebaugh Library Spanish story times:6 p.m. third Thursday each month. Murfreesboro. No registration required. For further information. 893-4131.
Middle Tennessee Gem and Mineral Society Inc. meeting:7:30 p.m. third Thursday each month. 818 S. Church St. A second meeting will be held on the Sunday following the regular monthly meeting from 2-4 p.m. at Barfield Crescent Park. 697 Barfield Crescent Road. Call Lewis Elrod. 420 N. University St. Contact Mari Ann Hood or Senora Jourigan at 893-2602 for more information.
Newcomers of Murfreesboro Bridge Group meetings:11 a.m. third Thursday each month. 419 Memorial Blvd. For more information. 898-0014.
Activities at St. Clair Street Senior Center:St. Clair Classics Senior Prom Dance. Murfreesboro. Admission/donation is $4 per person (at the door). Music by the Bill Sleeter Trio. For more information. contact Wayne and Yvonne Jones. Middle Tennessee Medical Center Hastings Conference Room. Bell Street Center. Murfreesboro. Participants will learn about hearing loss. how to identify the cause. and appropriate rehabilitation. Light lunch served. Free. but reservations are required. and can be made by calling 284-5433.
Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department extending SportsCom outdoor pool hours for summer:Every Friday through the summer (today and June 23 and July 7. the outdoor pool at SportsCom will be open from 7 to 8:45 p.m. with music. games and prizes. The evening will feature a DJ or live music. face painting and door prizes. Open to the public. For more information. contact Jeni Brinkman. Aquatic Coordinator. Friend's Day. Bring a friend and read a book together. Suitable for all ages. The library is located at Patterson Park Community Center. Murfreesboro. Call 907-3429 for more information.
Rutherford County Council on Aging meeting: Noon to 1 p.m. third Friday every month. St. Clair Street Senior Center.
Christine and Joshua Schulz teach natural family planning through The Couple to Couple League. 'We mix in the moral teachings as well as the practical.' Joshua said.
Each day the couple ' who hoped to conceive their first child ' carefully monitored a specific fertility marker to determine Susana's chance of getting pregnant during their honeymoon week.
'Sometimes it does become complicated because anything that's good is hard work. but once you learn the method you appreciate knowing your body and knowing that you're doing what's best for you. 30.
Natural family planning. also called fertility awareness. is a daily process by which a woman learns to recognize the fertile and infertile times of her menstrual cycle. Based on that information. couples decide whether to attempt or prevent pregnancy by abstaining from sex during the approximately six days of fertility.
Though experts say no product or method guarantees pregnancy. modern natural family planning techniques based on measurements of biological indicators have significantly improved the chances of conception.
'The fallacy is that it doesn't work.' said Julie Mickelson. an obstetrician and gynecologist at Columbia St. Mary's Milwaukee Campus. 'But if you learn natural family planning from a trained person. it can be done successfully.'
Unlike the outdated calendar rhythm method that assumed that every woman had a 28-day menstrual cycle. natural family planning takes into account the individuality of each woman. she said.
Women turn to natural family planning techniques because the method meshes with their ethical. moral and spiritual beliefs. Mickelson said. In addition. it tends to increase communication between couples. she said.
Women ovulate about once a month. The process involves the release of an egg from the ovaries that then travels down one of the Fallopian tubes toward the uterus. Before its release. the hormone estrogen causes the uterus to build up its lining with extra blood and tissue in preparation for pregnancy. If the egg reaches the uterus and is fertilized by a sperm cell. it will develop into a fetus.
However. an unfertilized egg doesn't attach to the uterine wall. Instead. the uterus sheds the extra tissue lining and it. along with blood and the unfertilized egg. leaves the body through the vagina.
The first. known as the ovulation method. is based on the consistency of a woman's cervical mucous. As the estrogen levels increase. the mucous becomes stretchy. clear and slippery. The woman is taught to look for these changes.
The second. known as the symptothermal method. is based on the woman's waking body temperature. which rises slightly during ovulation. Although a drop in temperature sometimes happens the day before ovulation. the method is most useful for women trying to determine their infertile days. The symptothermal method is used in conjunction with the ovulation method and sometimes physical changes in the cervix for best accuracy.
The last. known as the Marquette model. uses an electronic fertility monitor. which measures hormone levels in the urine to estimate the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle and pinpoint ovulation. The information from the monitor. in combination with observations of cervical mucus. basal body temperature. or a simple algorithm gives the couple multiple markers to make the best decision about their fertility status. said Richard Fehring. the professor of nursing and director of Marquette's Institute for Natural Family Planning who developed the model in 1988.
Christine and Joshua Schulz always knew that they wanted children. though they'd never talked about how many. Christine says she always knew that she wanted to use natural family planning. 'The idea that I can choose when to have a child and knowing that this choice is totally reversible is appealing to me. 26. The couple now teaches natural family planning through the Couple to Couple League.
1. The ovulation method is based on the consistency of a woman's cervical mucous. As the estrogen levels increase. the mucous becomes stretchy. clear and slippery. The woman is taught to look for these changes.
2. The symptothermal method is based on the woman's waking body temperature. which rises slightly during ovulation. Although a drop in temperature sometimes happens the day before ovulation. the method is most useful for women trying to determine their infertile days. The symptothermal method is used in conjunction with the ovulation method and sometimes physical changes in the cervix for best accuracy.
3. The Marquette model uses an electronic fertility monitor. which measures hormone levels in the urine to estimate the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle and pinpoint ovulation.
Pregnancy
American Cancer Society Relay For Life fundraiser. Wichita Collegiate High School Track. 9115 E. 13th St. Luminaria ceremony will honor cancer victims and survivors. Information. First United Methodist Church. 330 N. Broadway. Park in the lot east of the building. use worship and fellowship south entrance and take elevator. Information. e-mail rskmnels@aol or go to kansasauthors.
Men Choosing Respect. for men who want to help reduce domestic violence in Wichita. 316-263-5886.
Homemade tamale sale to benefit La Familia Senior-Community Center. $3 a pint; refried beans or Spanish rice. 841 W. 21st St.
Mennonite Housing home ownership classes in Spanish. Casas and Homes Realty. 1359 N. Market. Topics include credit counseling. process of closing. and the Self-Help Build Your Own Home program with details about new construction and assistance with down payments and closing costs for first-time buyers. Fee $10 per household. Reservations. to benefit Pregnancy Crisis Center of Wichita. Sedgwick County Park. Horseshoe Shelter near 21st Street entrance. Two-mile route. open to all ages. Walking. jogging and rollerblading allowed. Pledge forms available at area churches or Pregnancy Crisis Center of Wichita. Information. "Researching Obituaries and Cemeteries" by Virginia Downing. Alford Branch Library community room. 3447 S. Meridian. Open to the public. Information. Holiday Inn Select. Kellogg and Rock Road. Cocktails. silent auction and bidding on 22 bachelors ages 25 to 75. Winning bids include dinner for two and date activity. Tickets $35 at the Make-A Wish office. Cherry Oaks Golf Course. Cheney. Fee $50. Proceeds benefit Cheney Emergency Fund. which is administered through the Cheney Ministerial Alliance to help people in need. For tournament information. contact Brad McMillan.
Pregnancy
Human Rights Campaign's Work Life Home is a comprehensive source of information on workplace policies and laws surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity.
Living Wage Resource Center A brief history of the national living wage movement. research summaries. and links to other living wage-related sites.
Good Jobs First The nation's leading resource center for grassroots groups and public officials seeking to make economic development subsidies more accountable and effective.
Abstinence-Only?Contraception causes AIDS?
From the Author of the New York Times Bestseller. The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."Greg Palast is the top investigative journalist in America -- and the funniest" - Randi Rhodes. Air America"Upsets all the right people."-NoamChomskyAbout The Book
Based on the best-selling novel. Way of the Peaceful Warrior. PEACEFUL WARRIOR stars Nick Nolte. and Amy Smart.When a talented athlete suffers a serious injury. he looks to a mysterious stranger to help him heal both his body and spirit.
Created by Mother Jones. Ocean Voyager is a virtual voyage to ocean trouble spots around the globe. Chase fish pirates. track polar bears. dive into a dead zone. and make a difference.The interactive journey highlights solutions and actions you can take to protect the ocean.Start here.
Mothers are half as likely to be offered jobs as non-mothers -- and they get paid less for doing the same work. Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner are out to change that.
There's a lot of talk about family values in this country. Yet in most states women with children can be denied jobs or given less pay. just because they are mothers. The wage gap between mothers and non-mothers is now greater than the wage gap between women and men. In their new book. The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want and What to Do About It (Nation Books). Moveon co-founder Joan Blades and consultant and author Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner ask: Isn't it about time that we actually started supporting families and mothers?
Joan Blades: I only became aware of the huge bias against mothers in the workplace a couple of years ago. I went. what's that about? You mean to say mothers are half as likely to be offered a job as non-mothers -- and they get paid less for doing the same work?" All of a sudden I could see why there are so many women and children in poverty. and why there are so few women in the halls of power. be it corporate or legislative.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner I'm a mom of two kids. and I've been juggling work and family for years. I've spent time as a stay-at-home mom. time doing contract work and time as a journalist. These issues are near and dear to my heart.
The book "The Motherhood Manifesto" and the organization momsrising came about because Joan and I saw problems shared by so many women in this country not being addressed. We both want to bring these issues into the daylight. so we can talk about them and work on solutions.
KRF: One study found that women without children make 90 cents to a man's dollar. women with children make 73 cents to a man's dollar. and single mothers. who often bear the burden of supporting their families the most. make 56 to 66 cents to a man's dollar.
Dr. Shelley Correll of Cornell looked for the root of the wage gap between mothers and non-mothers. She compared women with equal resumes and equal job descriptions -- with only one difference. One bio said the woman had children and the other bio did not have that information. Between equally qualified people. women with children were 44 percent less likely to be hired and were offered $11.000 lower starting salaries.
KRF: Identical. absolutely identical. And this is important because right now a quarter of our families with children under 6 live in poverty. Having a baby is a leading cause of poverty in this country. Most families need two working parents in order to stay financially solvent. and wages of mothers are a very important part of the family economy.
TM In some of the personal stories. you show families where both parents work to make ends meet. They parcel out vacations and sick leave very carefully. and it hardly leaves room for the miracle of birth.
JB: Of 168 countries in a global study. 163 have paid maternity leave. The U.S. is one of only five countries that does not. The only other industrialized country that doesn't is Australia. but they have universal health care. a year off unpaid. and some kind of subsidy for kids.
In the book we write about Salina. Pooling all her potential days off. she and her husband figured out that she could take one month off. Now only a month off with a newborn is bad enough. but then she went into labor early and the baby had to be in the hospital for the first couple of weeks. She was not about to spend her month off with the baby in the hospital. so she went back to work days after giving birth.
She took her month off when the baby came home. which was wonderful. But then what does she do? Well she was lucky -- her employer was highly sympathetic. She took her baby to work with her and learned how to breastfeed while working.
JB: Exactly. and that's where the poverty spells come in. because bottom line: Infants take really close care. and it's a hugely hard thing to leave your infant with anyone but the father or grandmother. Most mothers of new mothers are working too now.
KRF: I think you really hit on a point here with the paid family leave issue. because it radiates out into most of the other points in "The Motherhood Manifesto."
For example. we have somebody like Salina. who isn't in a high wage job. and has now taken all of her sick leave and all of her vacation leave. You can't even do that in all states. but she lives in Washington state and you can do it there. Now. what happens when the baby gets sick or she gets sick? She doesn't have any leave; she's used that up already.
She also has an issue of the cost of child care. which in this country is between $4.000 a year if you work full-time 52 weeks a year without breaks.
So all of these points are tied together: the high cost of child care. the lack of paid family leave. the low wages and even the health care issues. Most industrialized countries have some form of universal health care. We do not. All of this burden is mainly placed on the mother.
It's important to point out that in countries where there are family-friendly policies. we do not see the maternal wage gaps that we have here -- women with children making 73 cents to a man's dollar.
KRF: When we talk about work and family balance in America -- and we often use that phrase -- we put it all on the mother as an individual to figure out how to balance these issues. As if buying a calendar. maybe with a cute kitten on it. would fix everything. If you could just write in neater handwriting where you're supposed to be at what time ' But in fact. it's not just up to the mother.
We have a country of rugged individualists. but it's not just up to the individual mothers. When this many people have the same problems at the same time. this is a societal issue -- not a personal scheduling failure.
With MomsRising and with the book. we're saying: Let's bring these issues to light. Let's join together on MomsRising and say. we share these problems and we need to share our solutions. It's time to do that.
JB: All that may be true. but the book also offers stories of businesses that have chosen to make their work flexible and parent-friendly in a broad variety of ways -- and those businesses are thriving. It's good for business when work is good for the workers.
TM A woman who left a career to have a child and wants to come back into the work force -- someone who has experience. who's managed time well. who's handled lots of responsibilities -- will be rejected in favor of someone who may be just starting out '? when you give parents good jobs that are respectful of their responsibilities. you get huge loyalty. hard work and a very cohesive workplace. That has great value to the employer as well as the employee.
TM Worrying about the day or two she might take off because her child is sick ignores the fact that she's likely to be there for years if treated well.
KRF: People assume that maybe it's the mother's fault; they're not committed to their jobs. In fact. studies show that mothers who know their children are relying on them for food and a roof over their heads are often more committed to their jobs.
Retaining employees saves businesses a lot of money in recruitment and retraining costs. Often when there are flexible work options. we see a higher level of productivity because of that increased loyalty.
Flexible work options can be had in a number of different types of companies. One in the book. Johnson Moving and Storage -- not typically the kind of place you expect to find flexible work options -- worked it out with their moving van dispatchers in a way that was helpful for the company as well as for the employees. The owner told us very frankly that he was able to attract more highly qualified employees due to the flexible work options.
JB: I think we're having a problem with long-term thinking. Frankly. to have a vibrant future. we have to be taking good care of our kids. In 20 years they're going to be the engine of our country. We have to invest in them. and the best way to invest in them is to make it possible for their parents to do a fine job raising them.
Unfortunately. we keep thinking too short-term. For example. it's crazy that there are millions of kids without health benefits. It's crazy that we're not investing in quality early child care. because kids that get to school not ready to learn end up costing much more. They repeat grades and need extra tutoring.
Child care workers are pretty much the lowest paid workers in America. They have families to support too. and if they get an offer to do some other kind of work. they're going to take it. So kids don't get stability of caregivers. and young children need continuity.
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I appreciate the focus on women's underpaid labor. but the story creates an unnecessary divide between women with children and women without. as well as one between men and women who would choose to "parent" their children. One of the reasons for the wage gap may indeed be the number of women who have children and can afford to leave the paid labor force. They are mom's. but their "pay" comes from an informal source (family income perhaps). The key issues raised here seem to be parental leave. universal health care. and discriminatory hiring practices - all of which would be better-addressed if workers united. rather than separated based on essential categories of gender and "motherhood" - - thanks - kathy
The overclass will no doubt send you a nice check for this article. They like it when the American political debate is centered around identity politics--that way the overclass escapes scrutiny.This is the primary function of the Overclass's PseudoLiberal media infrastructure. which consists of magazines and websites designed for the American pseudoLiberals such as demcrats. etc.Divide and Rule--same as it ever was.....
I may have benefitted more as a single than as a married one but because I truly take marriage seriously. my wife and I were both prepared to sacrifice to keep each other's love and to enjoy some time with children which would have otherwise kept each of our childhood memories too seperate. Shame on the GOP and the "moderate" to "conservative" Democrats for misusing/abusing family values and pitting singles against married and vice versa just to satisfy their political expediency !Like I said to the above poster - saying that women's (or mothers) rights are not debatable by themselves because it divides men from women. mothers from non-mothers. etc is like saying you can't fight racism becuase it divides the races.Give it up already. Your argument is counter-productive and non-intelligent.
Well. the simplest thingto do is to have a living minimum wage and universal health care. with price controls for drugs. etc.But...How about not having kids at all?Why should our society. in a world as grossly overpopulated by humans as this one. encourage people to breed like flies? Why should an employer not have a choice as to who they hire? I wouldn't want people with children working for me because they are forever having to take time off work to deal with their kids' (real and/or feigned) crap...school transport. camp - whatever ad nauseum. They are also more tired. etc. in general. On the flip side. they are desperate at the moment. thanks to that idiot Bush's economic policies. so they would make good wage-slaves. as your article clearly indicates. How nice for Bush and his "guest worker" cronies.Still. why should those of us with no kids have to pay so much in taxes and other costs to support the tards out there that cant read the directions on a box of rubbers and end up with 4-5 kids? Why dont you tax THEM to support all these programs of healthcare and education that are continually being whined about? This BS about how people have some sort of "right to reproduce" is silly. considering mankind has no problem "regulating the population" of any other living thing on the planet.Oh. and we should start a selective breeding program too. Too many humans on this planet are genetically dysfuntional. or simply inferior/sickly (using the same criteria that one would apply to any other animal population). No doubt due in large part to the non box-reading crowd outbreeding people of intellect and quality. Look at any study correlating education and childbirth rates. as an example.
Having a baby is a leading cause of poverty in this country. Most families need two working parents in order to stay financially solvent. and wages of mothers are a very important part of the family economy.Why not think before procreating?Why not work toward the goal of not working--or at least. not working a job? you can parent and possibly educate your offspring. and still have time to "work" --FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE.Live simply.Avoid mortgages and new-car payments.Avoid procreating if there's even a slight chance you will have to leave your child/children in the care of somebody/something else.
we should just allow minorities and women to be discriminated against for the sake of pushing for progressive taxation and other so called true left issues. come on brown people. take one for the team! there are more important issues to think about than if you get beat up by a cop. ladies. by all means know your place! you're not helping when you keep whining about things like how the big men are paying you less. just suck it up and do the work. be happy that you get paid at all. in the name of the Greater Good.typical democrats. go on and play the politically correct role and talk a good game about racial and gender equality (some actually deluding themselves into believing we have already achieved it) but then when it actually comes down to having to deal with those uncomfortable issues. they'd rather talk about money.
The data shows that single mothers are not very "smart". For a woman. it takes intelligence. and critical thinking to select a man that wont bug out when the going gets rough. Those women who make poor choices in that regard end up as single mothers. These are important decisions and alot of women make them lightly. So it's no surprise that they make less money. After all. if one cannot show competence in choosing a mate. what are the chances that they will show competence in the workplace? I don't mean to anger any single mothers but it must be said.
Funny sometimes to see the vitriol that these articles generate and how it strays from the issue...From my point of view the problems discussed in the article are no surprise... working mothers don't fit into the image of employability that those in power subscribe to. They won't turn their back on their children and leave them untended while they work the extra mandatory overtime hours that the corporate world demands (yes. mine expects 13% overtime from me for which they do not pay me). They might put the well-being of their children ahead of the well-being of the corporation. And I suppose if a father shows signs that his family is more important than the corporation they'll tie a couple cement blocks to his neck too.As long as corporations own the country and own the government the continuing movement of workers on all levels from 'valued employee' to slave will continue... how long will it be before employers issue chits good only at the overpriced 'company store'? Did you notice the Personnel departments all changed to the departments of 'Human Resources? Ever notice how corporations treat 'resources'. natural and otherwise? Resources are meant to be Exploited. and abandoned when exhausted.Despite what you've heard. the truth is that corporations do not have a legal personhood. and corporations are granted a license to exist and do business by the government. If the people can wrest control of government from them. then the corporations can be forced to execute their businesses in a manner that benefits America. the America of families. the America of diverse races and religions and belief systems- or their charter can be revoked and they won't be able to do business. They would also begin to carry their fair share of the tax burden of the country. and then maybe the government would have enough income to support things like health care and day care. things that are important to the 95 percent of the people that have 5 percent of the wealth... and the businesses wouldn't be able to force America into wars in order to 'export democracy' which is simply another term for raiding the resources of other countries to the benefit of- who else- corporations.
That old James Brown song "It's A Man's. Man's World" played in my head as I read this article. Yes. most know that wages are unequal and that women w/o kids have a better change of landing a job than one with children. I'd like to know why we have this inequality in pay when women seem to bear the brunt of raising children AND holding a job. It is morally wrong.There has been a proposal to be paid for being a housewife. but would men consider being Mr. Moms? life is about making a choice. then women should get paid if they become a housewife. Having children these days is causing families to sink deeper in debt. But they're our most precious investment. Women have a lot to do in addition of taking care of themselves as well. I'd like for our society to pay women better. It'll make for a more idealistic country. The USA is nowhere near that. ("It'll be the day when the Pentagon holds a bake sale to buy a bomber") They're not "desperate". they only want their slice of the economic pie. which is made smaller by debt.The wage gap is real. No bridge long enough has come close to traverse it.
I probably won't have that kid after all. Why is this world so goddamned depressing all the time? I just want one lousy kid without giving up my financial independence and personhood. Why is that so much to ask?
I don't know where the data for this argument came from. but I wonder if one factor in this "wage gap" is that women with children choose to spend more time at home and less time working after they have children (and. should be referred to as an "income gap". They may keep the same profession. but work less hours and therefore have less salary. Or that they may make other sacrifices for the child (i.e. taking a lower-paying job to be closer to home. not being able to take promotions out of the area. turning down promotions because it would mean more time at the office. etc). And I don't see much way around that. If a woman (or couple) chooses to have a child. then there will ultimately be sacrifices. My parents told me many times of all the promotions they missed out on because they couldn't uproot and move. etc. I think a more interesting project would be to see some sort of comparison of the work output of parents versus non-parents.
Until all these issues are addressed as a class issue. based on equality and solidarity with all working people domestic and global. problems like these will remain. Capital likes it that way. and so it shall remain.
If fewer children were born to women in situations which patently are not adequate for raising children (they plan on going on to welfare the second they realize they are pregnant because everyone realizes it is the only way they can make it. probably because they already have one child. no job experience. etc.) the society would be more supportive of those women who do have children.There is more support from mothers in Europe; mothers in Europe are older. have far fewer children and far more European women have no children at all.30% of German women age 40-45 have no children. This gets the government's attention.In reaction to all that non-procreation. most European governments are further sweetening the pot for mothers as we speak.There is a pattern here.American women need to refrain from having children until conditions and support improve.As long as we take all this pressure. discrimination and deprivation onto ourselves and bear the future labor force for the economy anyway. why should they do anything to help us? Just make a life for yourself without children.I have no children. I'm 48 and I'd advise ANY WOMAN to take this route. It's great. I have lots of freedom. etc. Why weigh yourself down with something no one appreciates anyway? Get past the lizard brain. ladies.For the good of children!Jan VanDenBerg
We speak of flexible jobs and work schedules without taking into account that the big block of jobs women have cannot be manuevered around. Most women fall into the same job fields---teaching. secretarial work. We have set hours and sometimes set years. You can't stop in the middle of a lesson to fill up your breast pump. You can't file office papers at home. I'm not going to my dentist's house to get work done. I can't change library hours so the branch closes every three hours so I can breast feed. Do work policies need to change? but not as much as our social policies in general. our attitudes about work. and our attitudes about child rearing.
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Pregnancy
If you have been trying to get pregnant. you probably know the importance of timing intercourse in order to have the greatest possible chance of conception. This planner can be customized to help take out some of the guesswork when it comes to knowing your most fertile days.
Finding the best datesThis pregnancy planner calculates the optimum days for achieving pregnancy up to six months in advance. This tool can help you become aware of their ovulation and the peak/preferred times for sexual activity. The plans are based on the fact that. for the majority of women. ovulation happens 14 days before the next menstrual period. The planner calculates fertility dates and suggest dates for pregnancy testing and will also estimate a due date based upon successful fertilization during the cycle.
If you are trying for a boy or girl. the planner will also suggest some actions that may influence the gender of your child. based on the scientific research of Dr Landrum Shettles and David M Rorvik. who published findings in a book called "How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby: The Method Best Supported by Scientific Evidence."
About this information: This tool is for educational purposes only; it in no way guarantees pregnancy achievement. If you are concerned about your health or your fertility. please consult a health care provider immediately. This information is not a substitute for personal medical attention. diagnosis or treatment.
Important notice: The Pregnancy & Baby site is for educational purposes only. and presents information of a general nature. This is not medical advice. If you are concerned about your health or the health of a family member. or have questions about whether or not you are pregnant. please consult with a healthcare professional. This information is not a substitute for personal medical attention. diagnosis or treatment. Coincide Media. LLC accepts no responsibility for damages resulting from the use of this information and make no warranty or representation. either express or implied. including but not limited to. any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This information is provided as is. assume all risks when using it.
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Pregnancy
2006 -- Due Maternity (DueMaternity) has always prided itself in bringing expectant mothers the best in maternity fashion. Now they have gone even further to make expectant women feel as special as possible and provide them with fun tips and information. The launch of new community pages is an exciting new feature and addition to the Due Maternity website.Some of the information that you will find on Due Maternity's community pages include:? due date calculators? podcastsExpectant mothers are encouraged to sign up for a personal page. This will provide them with a count down clock. a pregnancy calendar filled with daily facts. and a baby gift registry with a wish list.Recently. Apple Computer (apple) was very impressed with the Podcast featured on Due Maternity's community pages (community.duematernity). Apple has chosen to use Due Maternity in their example of 'how-to product Podcasts in 100 Apple Retail Stores.'Summer is on its way. This is a great time for expectant mothers to find the latest in summer fashions. as well as visit Due Maternity's community pages to find new and exciting information about being pregnant.About Due MaternityDue Maternity was founded in 2003 by Shannon DiPadova out of a desire to provide moms to be with fashionable and stylish clothing and accessories. Today Due Maternity boasts five national retail stores. as well as an online store.(press release provided by: iprwire)Contact Info:Sonia ShahDue MaternityMaternity Clothes Dept.1223 State StreetSanta Barbara.
Pregnancy
a high school junior who wonders whether she's got a sexually-transmitted disease. Maybe she's 47. a professional woman unsure of how to deal with what is called in cold. clinical terminology an unintended pregnancy.
"When she leaves here. we really don't know if she's going to go ahead with the abortion or if she's going to go ahead with the pregnancy." said Linda Griffith. the center's president and chief executive officer since it opened in 1971. "We like that. That's the way it should be."
The center. is a faceless doctor's office where women with little or no health insurance can come for family planning advice. gynecological exams and a sobering education on women's health issues.
The 14-year-old idea gathers men from around Ocean County ' doctors. whatever ' to cook their specialities. The grub ' and a complimentary service of wine. beer and water ' are then served for $40 a person.
The annual gathering is the largest fundraiser on the center's calendar and raises nearly $20.000 a year. Perhaps more importantly. it also gives visibility to an agency often overshadowed by better-known groups. including Planned Parenthood.
"We need to exist." said Kim Ubriaco. a nurse practitioner who has worked at the planning center for about three years. "A lot of people have no health care. They need affordable health care."
The center's mission when it started ' Griffith has been the leader for 35 years ' was to help poor women plan or prevent pregnancies. Now. with its $1 million budget. the center serves about 4.500 women a year.
The services include providing birth control and a frank discussion of pregnancy options ranging from referrals to adoption agencies to talking about abortions. Under federal law. the agency does not perform abortions because it accepts federal money.
Ann Keever. the center's education coordinator. helps people make those decisions by giving them information first. She talks to patients. high school students ' she's even talked with high-risk elementary school pupils.
Pregnancy
Olivia de Hallivand. the last remaining great Hollywood star of both the golden '30s and '40s. is an irresistible woman. When the subject of birthdays comes up in the middle of an interview. she looks the writer straight in the eye and declares. "I'm old enough to be your mother!" promptly brushing aside all polite demurrals. There's something at once amusing and touching when the remark is directed at a man on the cusp of 70 and comes from a movie star who's about to turn 90. Clearly the truthfulness that characterizes De Havilland's acting comes from the woman herself.Generations of De Havilland's fans would recognize her instantly. The expressive dark eyes. the lovely complexion. the apple cheeks remain unchanged. framed by an elegant swath of silver hair. truly her crowning glory. swept up in an impeccable French twist. Blessed with robust health and an abundant love of life. she is a lively raconteur to whom laughter comes easily. De Havilland. her distinctive voice as rich and mellow as ever. understands that enduring beauty. beyond good genes. is a matter of spirit rather than artifice.
For her recent interview. in the garden of her journalist daughter Gisele Galante's spacious beachside home. De Havilland was dressed simply in a powder-blue skirt. an ink-blue blouse and accented by a colorful silk scarf and a pair of gold earrings.De Havilland. who has lived in France since marrying the late Paris Match editor Pierre Galante in 1955. is in town for a tribute to her being held Thursday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The event launches a retrospective of her finest films screening at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art beginning Friday and running through July 1. De Havilland will discuss "The Heiress" preceding its 8 p.m. screening Sunday.She is undoubtedly best remembered as the noble-minded yet resilient Melanie in "Gone With the Wind." managing to bring dimension and humanity to a woman of unassailable purity and garnering an Oscar nomination for supporting actress. But she found even wider-ranging roles in "To Each His Own" (1946). for which De Havilland won her first best actress Oscar as a small-town upstate New York teenager who finds herself unwed and pregnant through a whirlwind World War I romance. which earned her a best actress nomination for her portrayal of a young wife stricken with mental illness and thrust into a hellish state institution.But "The Heiress" (1949). directed by William Wyler. which brought De Havilland her second Oscar. playing a Henry James spinster beset by the cruelties of an overbearing father (Ralph Richardson) and an untrustworthy suitor (Montgomery Clift). is a highlight in a career that could strike envy even in as versatile and successful an actress as Nicole Kidman.De Havilland has been blessed by a deceptively demure cameo-like beauty that has allowed her to reveal layers of underlying warmth. passion and intelligence in her characters. She has shown that strength and femininity are hardly mutually exclusive. and the meticulously developed scripts that came alive within the stylized world of the studio system allowed De Havilland to create truly complete women. something that few young actresses have the opportunity to do in today's Hollywood. Her major films have stood the test of time. a phrase cherished by the American Film Institute ' which has yet to honor her with a lifetime achievement award.Unhesitatingly. De Havilland selects "The Snake Pit." directed by Anatole Litvak from Mary Jane Ward's autobiographical novel. as the film that means most to her."Remember. De Havilland's heroine is saved by therapy sessions with a dedicated staff psychiatrist (Leo Genn) who defies a sclerotic and underfunded bureaucracy to provide her with the help she needs. Alas. "The Snake Pit" in many ways remains all too unsettlingly timely. What especially attracted De Havilland to the project was her 1943 wartime tour of six military hospitals. including their mental wards. stretching from Chicago to Alaska and the South Pacific to Oklahoma. where she spent a Christmas Eve with a group of soldiers who had no reaction either to her presence or to a recording of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas.""That was a hard Christmas. but harder for them than for me." said De Havilland. who recalled that the public at the time had little awareness of the existence of these wards.According to De Havilland. she was able to go on the tour only because she was on suspension from Warner Bros.. which led her to take on then-studio head Jack Warner in court and successfully bring to an end the servitude that could emerge from the studio era's classic seven-year contract. (Every time an actor refused to play a part. his or her contract was extended to cover the time it took for a replacement player to fill the role.)"I really had no choice but to fight." said De Havilland. who had balked when she was handed a script in which she had a decidedly small part and told to report on loan-out to Columbia the following Monday. She instead sought out Martin Gang. known for decades as one of Hollywood's most formidable attorneys. who showed her that state labor laws say that a seven-year contract commitment is for seven calendar years. period."Providing the judge was honest. the outcome in court seemed perfectly clear. I never really understood why Jack wanted to fight this. I wanted to bring Oscars to Jack. but he did everything to prevent me from doing so." (It was at Paramount where De Havilland won both her Oscars ' and no. Warner did not congratulate her.)Still. De Havilland was not about to take chances. "The Warners attorney painted me as a spoiled movie star. so I defended myself as demurely as I could. and I decided to wear a little black hat with a little black veil." She said that it was only several years ago that she came to realize the full impact of her stand. which led to a drawn-out legal battle. when veteran Hollywood executive and recently retired Turner Entertainment Co. President Roger Mayer let her know what it had meant to screenwriters at the time. "Roger told me that writers would be assigned to stories for which they were totally unsuitable but faced suspension if they refused. but now they could retain their integrity."A loyalty to Mitchell LeisenOF all the filmmakers who directed her in more than 40 feature films. De Havilland retains a special fondness for the late Mitchell Leisen. in which she plays an adorably naive Azusa schoolteacher on a cross-the-border outing in Mexico when she meets European lounge lizard Charles Boyer. who determines to marry her to get into the U.S. Written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. "Hold Back the Dawn" allows De Havilland to reveal the passion and vulnerability lurking in a seemingly prim and decidedly unsophisticated woman. It also earned her yet another Oscar nomination for best actress. When the chance to do "To Each His Own" came up. De Havilland decided that Leisen was the only director at Paramount to do it. "But he was going through some emotional problems at the time and turned it down." said De Havilland. who refused to sign on unless Leisen was involved."Even when I heard that Ingrid Bergman was reading the script. which certainly worried me. I still held firm. and after about six months. Mitch finally agreed to do the picture." Both her films for Leisen are marked by fine shadings in the performances and a concern for nuance and telling detail. "During the first two weeks of shooting he was very professional but didn't seem happy." recalled De Havilland. "Then the following Monday. when he came on the set whistling. I knew he had fallen in love with the film. He even acted out my character in her early days of her pregnancy and showed me how I should lean against a table. something I had not thought of myself. and I knew he really understood my role and this film."Born to British parents in Tokyo. where her father had business interests. and her mother had taught choral music. De Havilland and her younger sister. Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine. spent much of their childhood years in the charming Northern California town of Saratoga. where she made her stage debut in 1933 in a community theater production of "Alice in Wonderland." Even though the Depression had hit her mother. who had remarried. and her stepfather hard. she recalls a happy. active childhood. She had won a scholarship to Mills College. but her dedicated study of Max Reinhardt's staging of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at UC Berkeley's Greek Theatre led him to invite her to be an understudy for the role of Hermia in his Hollywood Bowl production of the Shakespeare play. where she not only wound up playing the part but repeating it in Warner's elaborate. directed by Reinhardt with William Dieterle.Mills College kindly kept extending the start date of De Havilland's scholarship. but there came a point where. she said with a laugh. "I couldn't let down Herr Doktor Reinhardt. the greatest director in the world."Her contract with Warners paired her almost immediately with another newcomer. and in eight films they became one of Hollywood's most popular romantic teams. starting with the swashbuckler "Captain Blood" (1935). In one of their most enduring pictures. shot in Technicolor. the horse on which De Havilland's Maid Marian rode was none other than Roy Rogers' famous Trigger. "I was warned that he was a bolter and to keep my head down so that I would not be struck by any tree branches." said De Havilland."I think of Errol all the time." admitted De Havilland. "In different ways. almost every day. On 'Captain Blood. the dialogue director. 'That man is troubled ' look at the way he is always rubbing his thumb against the cuticle of his index finger. He seems to have a great deal of inner distress.' He really was a mixed-up man. but of course he was extraordinary-looking and had great charm."Their teaming concluded with Raoul Walsh's 1941 "They Died With Their Boots On." which offers a provocatively sympathetic view of headstrong Gen. George Custer. in which Flynn gives one of his best performances opposite De Havilland's supportive wife.When Custer goes off to the Little Big Horn. he knows very well he is unlikely to survive the battle. and Flynn and De Havilland's farewell scene is a classic. It is overwhelmingly poignant. especially when Custer says. "Walking through life with you. has been a very gracious thing.""I sensed it really was our last film together." said De Havilland. "even though I did not know it then. After all. I did have two more years to go on my contract. Yet I experienced a sense of grief and loss. a terrible feeling. but couldn't define it at the time. I had sort of a sense of that you may know a person one way but not others. Errol and I were not sharing experiences and life but instead sharing the lives of these characters we were playing."But. he did mean a great deal to me. but in that day a woman did not declare her feelings for a man. When his autobiography came out I couldn't resist checking the index and going to the page where he mentioned me. He said he thought he loved me. " 'Thought! I didn't read another word! Then several years ago when I was returning for the release of the DVD version of "Gone With the Wind." I was determined to read more. I began with his second sentence about me in which he said that he decided that he did love me. To think of all those years I didn't believe he did."Even though she made her home in Paris. her residence to this day. De Havilland would regularly return to the screen and television until the late 1980s. Since then she has not acted but has continued a busy routine of participating in documentaries and film industry events and honors.Could she still be tempted by a good script? that's not enough!" exclaimed De Havilland. still holding firm. "It has to have a good part for me and a good director as well."
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Pregnancy
a high school junior who wonders whether she's gotten a sexually transmitted disease. Maybe she's 37. a professional woman unsure of how to deal with what is called in cold. clinical terminology an unintended pregnancy.
"When she leaves here. we really don't know if she's going to go ahead with the abortion or if she's going to go ahead with the pregnancy." said Linda Griffith. the center's president and chief executive officer since it opened in 1971. "We like that. That's the way it should be."
The center. is a faceless doctor's office where women with little or no health insurance can come for family planning advice. gynecological exams and a sobering education on women's health issues.
The 14-year-old idea gathers men from around Ocean County ' doctors. whatever ' to cook their specialities. The grub ' and a complimentary service of wine and beer ' are then served for $40 a person.
The annual gathering is the largest fundraiser on the center's calendar and raises nearly $20.000 a year. Perhaps more importantly. it also gives visibility to an agency often overshadowed by better-known groups. including Planned Parenthood.
The center's mission when it started ' Griffith has been the leader for 35 years ' was to help poor women plan or prevent pregnancies. Now. with its $1 million budget. the center serves about 4.
Pregnancy
A professor of the University of the Philippines Population Institute reasoned this way in appealing to congressmen to pass a bill imposing sanctions on parents who cannot provide for the needs and rights of their children.
'Basically. children's rights are [meant] to have a good life and a better future. If their parents could not give those to them and end up as the country's problems when they grow up. then let's impose sanctions. chair of the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network of the UP institute. told the Inquirer.
She reiterated that the country's population growth rate had remained 'on the uptrend' and was not even come close to the administration target of 1.94 percent.
Zablan's group is calling for increased use of contraceptive materials. pills and intrauterine devices. and tubal ligation and vasectomy.
But Zablan said: 'If they don't like to prevent pregnancy. it will only lead to abortion. It is [the] right of every child to be born and given a responsible life. Unwanted pregnancy will only lead to abortion.'
'It's controversial. We [will] see to it that it will be balanced. We want to discuss it publicly so that the people can vote diligently.' he said.
Nograles said HB 4110 was included in the calendar of activities but he could not give assurance that the legislators would finish discussing the matter.
'I am in favor of the bill. In the Philippines. we have a factory of babies. But it's a numbers game (in passing bills). If you have no numbers. you lose. I urge those lobbying for the bill to convince their respective congressmen to vote for the bill. Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer's Reader's Advocate.Or write The Readers' Advocate:
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Pregnancy
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