Transplants

There has been a lot of talk about transplants these days. I am not sure if there is some sort of anniversary coming up, or some big transplant conference happening, but it seems there is some new story every couple of hours on the news feeds. The latest is about womb transplants as an alternative to surrogacy and adoption.

I wonder if anyone else will ever use my womb.

Weird.

Extremism

I cannot touch on Sameul Paty's obligation as a teacher without also touching on all of our obligation to love.

Why is it still so hard for some to understand that there are many and differing ways to live a good life? And I mean Good as in the Platonian sense of pure, true, enriching, beneficial. 

In this information era, we can experience vicariously so many different world views. Through film, books, music. By joining various forum, social media and online activities. By looking around our streets, even here in Japan diversity is increasing. Once monocultured countries everywhere are seeing more and more migration. Most people these days can say the know someone who lives in a different country.

It is so easy to meet alternate world views.

Why is it that we are still so afraid of them?

We have had generations, now, of education about the need to be accepting of difference. About understanding that we don't have to like everything about someone's life to still like some part of them. To still recognize that there is some part of them that is valid, good and valuable as a human being. 

Where are our soothsayers to calm boiling blood, to help us reflect on and understand the actions, agency and choices of others. To understand the outcome and consequences, desired and unintended, of our own actions. 

While the West values freedom above most things. I think that peace is far more valuable than freedom. And sometimes to create peace, we must restrict ourselves. But that is my perspective, having been indoctrinated by the Japanese philosophy of harmony.

Sameul Paty

Everything about this story is tragic.

My heart goes out to Mr Paty and his family. I am sorry for his tragic end and for the pain that is being felt collectively by the people of France.

And to the family of his murderer. While their son made a hugely misguided and tragic judgement, the loss of his life and thus his opportunity to repent and redeem himself further compounds this tragedy.

Finally, to all those who feel their identity, their culture, their history and their beliefs have been attacked...I feel your pain most deeply.

The young man was wrong to act as judge, jury and executioner in Mr Paty's case.

But what of Mr Paty's case.

I am appalled that he, a teacher, would behave as he has. Now, I don't have the full details about his classes over the years, but what I understand is that as a history and geography teacher he covers the topic of Freedom of Speech in his classes each year. Presumably (and this is a point I have yet to confirm) he discusses the French tragedy of the Charlie Hedbo case. And in discussing this moment in recent French history, he showed [images?] or [footage?] depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

According to this article from BBC News, he allowed students who didn't want to view the images to leave the room or look away while he was showing them. And that he has taught this same lesson plan in years passed as well. 

What I want to understand, is why it is necessary to show the images to students/children, presumably they are minors or only just 18 as he taught at a secondary level school, rather than simply discussing the images. Furthermore, why it was necessary to continue teaching this lesson in the same way year after year? Surely, there are many controversial images and examples of freedom of expression in French history that could be drawn on.

Is it/was it his opinion personally that the prophet is fair-game in satirical depictions? If that is the case, why does he need to bring his personal opinions into the classroom. He is a teacher. Is it the schools policy that the prophet is fair-game in satirical depictions? 

Is it/was it his opinion that the Charlie Hedbo case was the only valid example of freedom of expression that his students could relate to? Surely as a young and popular teacher, he could find many other examples. Perhaps ones that offend or attack the homosexual community, the Jewish community, women or single men...

He clearly and unarguably recognized that his actions were going to and did make some of his students uncomfortable. What I want to understand is what did he do to ameliorate those offenses? Simply say it is his freedom to express such opinions? Did he give those students the same freedom to express their opinion against showing offensive images?  Perhaps allowing all students in the class to debate and decide whether the images should be shown?

Murder is more than an extreme reaction to this case, but I don't think demanding he be removed from teaching this class would have been. I would have hoped his school, department head, colleagues would have advised him on better ways to address the topics of immigration, diversity and freedom of speech. 

In my opinion, a classroom is not the real world in many ways. It is a kind of simulation center. It allows for all kinds of examination and experimentation to take place. Teachers are facilitators and engineers who spin up different scenarios for their students to test and explore. This testing should help prepare young adults to navigate the complicated interpersonal relationships that are a necessary part of living in a society. Of course, teachers should spin up sometimes dangerous, risky or controversial things for their wards. But ultimately, the teachers of minors should have their health and well-being at the heart of the simulation...should they not?

That teachers, in their role as teachers, are not their individual selves but vessels to facilitate learning...

Gossip

Gossip is so boring. I don't think these is a less interesting anything to have to listen to. Maybe listening to a lecture on the profits and losses of a private bank in Sudan might be less intersting, but highly doubt it.

Why are women so uninteresting almost all the time...

What doesn't kill you...

This just released in the Journal of Experimental Medicine people who were infected with the H1N1 Swine flu last year have had a great immune response. Of the 60 million people who fell ill and survived the team examined a small group and found that their bodies produced a broad range of highly effective highly reactive antibodies. These antibodies seem to be more effective than this year's vaccine and go on to provide immunity against the spanish flu and H5N1 bird flu...

The human body freaking rocks.

The research released by this team suggests that the human body has, given the time and exposure to antigens, has produced a significantly more effective set of defences and antibodies that any of the teams of scientists around the world making the various flu vaccines.

Would you go to the moon?

I have been thinking about space travel quite a lot recently. Space travel as well as categorical thinking. You see, if you ask people would they pay to go to the moon, most people would say no. Categorically. For a number of very good reasons. Like for example, going to the moon seems to be extraoridnarily dangerous. Most of us don't consider the view worth the risk that we won't return. Or that we will get some kind of illness from the sun rays or this sort of thing. The latter fear probably being completely unfounded. But we don't know. And lack of information is as good a reason as any to be afraid of something.

To which I say, okay, if it were safe, and your return to earth (should you wish to return) garunteed, and there were no serious health implications aside from th muscle atrophy or what ever it is that makes you have to be put in a wheel chair when you get back to earth...would you pay to go to the moon. Still most people would say no. The reason being, going to the moon seems to be extraordinarily expensive. People say, if I had enough money to go to the moon, I would go everywhere on earth first. And build a huge house, with swimming pools and discos and have lots of friends who come and see me.

To which I say, okay, well what if you could go to the moon for $20,000... This is about the cost of a university education. What if it were less. Only $5,000. or $2,000. Or how about you have the billions of dollars, you have been all over earth, done everything from fasting in the tibetian mountains to million dollar shopping sprees in Qatar to sitting at the 0 yardline at the Super Bowl...taken dinner with Angelina Jolie and Nelson Mandela...how about then...

Usually people stop and start to think now. Start to say...well maybe then...but.

But usually the answer is still almost always a categorical no. Moon = a place i don't want to go.

But here is the thing. If someone on TV went to moon and found some little animal or something that was very adorable or breathes fire or something. I bet then you would want to go.

I think the main reason people don't want to go to the moon, is the belief that it isn't very interesting. It is like going to Siberia or the middle of the Sahara. Very hot or cold. Lots of rocks and sand. Maybe a beautiful sunset or something. But I guess the fact that the sun only sets once a month and once it does you are in complete darkness is a bit unsettling.

The moon is a place for doing science experiments, like proving Gallileo was write, or playing golf (which in my opinion is the least interesting sport in the universe)...not much of a tourist destination. So I guess I understand why most people don't want to go. I mean, would you?

Thank you, we're leaving

This is the name of a campaign being run by the doctors union in the Czech Republic. The campaign, like all union campaigns are for better wages. Understandably so. In the Czech doctors, even when working overtime, can expect to gross about $2000US a month. While this is enough to support a pay check to pay check style life with a tiny bit of savings (if you don't play, travel or buy toys) this is but a pittance compared to the costs of education, responsibility and regulations that doctors must procure. So the campaign, where doctors across the country, and en masse, are handing in their letters of resignation. On March 1st of this year, Czech Republic will find itself suddenly squeezed for doctors. Unless the government does something about the salary of doctors. While it seems like a very effective way to get the government to listen up, isn't this kind of hostage taking some what contrary to a doctor's calling in life? The "Thank you, we're leaving" campaign is basically taking patients as hostages in a fight against the government. This is an ugly and dangerous precedent. Although it seems that the government is not to concerned with the pirate doctors' threat I wonder how relations can be repaired and these honorable men and women who help save, maintain and improve the quality of life for some many individuals can find the recompense they deserve.

I don't have arms to hug my wife

I saw a crow fall out of a tree this morning. I was not so startled, but momentarily worried, the young bird might need help. But it's mother soon appeared at its side to show it the way back to the nest.

Perhaps, it hadn't fallen, but flown in a plummeting sort of way. But, I was struck by a thought watching the mother, or well I assumed it was the mother not the father, I don't know if crows do the gender equity thing when it comes to rearing children. (Let's assume it was the mother).

She has no arms to pick up her child. She has not the strength to carry it back to their home. She can only suggest the path and hope her child follows. It was lovely to watch, as the mother showed remarkable patience and prudence jumping from branch to branch, never going further than 2 or 3m leading the young crow higher and higher until they could reach their home in one of the parks evergreen trees. It made me reflect on my own teaching experiences, and on the need to lead and guide, to suggest and show, but not to do for my students what they must learn for themselves. It was a beautiful moment.

Japanese politics

I don't understand why Japan can't just have an unpopular person in power. I mean dudes, there hasn't been a real head of state in years, turnover of political leaders has been faster then the changing runway fashion. It takes time to establish leadership, to enact changes, to create change. Things cannot and do not happen overnight, unless you live in a dictatorship. It is the price you pay for individual freedom; some things take a little longer.

after 8 months, Mr Hatoyama is calling it quits. LAME!

Is happy to be an intellectual

I miss school. I miss being surrounded by debate, discussion and people with opinions I can understand. It is sometimes very hard not being fluent in Japanese. I am finding myself in a cycle of self pacification to try and cope with this raging desire to engage more intellectual content.

Don't miss read me. I am not claiming the people, my friends here, lack depth. Quite the opposite, it is I who lack the lingual skills to engage them on an intellectual level.

Sigh.

"a major disruption"

Airplanes can't fly in Europe for 6 days...this is a major disruption. Schools in an entire state are closed for a month...this is a major disruption. Earthquake reduces 100,000 homes to rubble..this is a major disruption. Twitter users look like they don't have any followers due to bug patch for a few hours...not a major disruption. Get your priorities straight.

I have never been more ready to leave these silly social networks than I am today.

50 years

I've never taken birth control pills. I've never felt the need. I never thought of it as in anyway empowering or necessary or any of the things that people say it can be for women. That doesn't mean it isn't that for many women. But I am reading so much about it having the same meaning for all women and the same set of benefits and effects as though we are all (western women) one group with the same opinions and experiences of this medicine.

I never understood why one needed to take the pill. Probably because I wasn't interested in being sexually active, and I decided at a very young age that being sexually active meant that I could get pregnant (once I started menstruating...which wasn't until close to my 18th birthday, but anyway) and so it would be better to learn how my body works a bit first before changing how it works by taking daily medicine. I was also a very busy teenager, not one to be good at doing anything routinely (except for going to bed shortly after 9:47, what can i say I get sleepy). I was also very curious about menstruation and more particularly about ovulation about how subtle it was, and yet about how even in its subtlety still detectable, if i was paying attention.

My mum and I also talked a lot about menstruation and what it means to have a period and the different things that happen in our bodies. Particularly when I started menstruating and experiencing cramps and drowsiness/grogginess and had to decide what was the best way to deal with it. My mum told me about her experiences with cramps. And at some point I came to the conclusion that it wasn't such a terrible experience, and that I wanted to learn more about it before doing something that might make it go away.

I also had a family doctor who perhaps was shrewder than maybe even she knows, as when I went to her for advice she suggested I investigate my diet first and see if that helps with any pain and such. (look at your calcium and magnesium intake, are you eating enough fruit and veg? are you eating lots of sweets...maybe try avoiding sweets just in the 3 or 4 days before your period. it might help, she said. If you are having pain, try a little exercise just to distract you). I was pretty mad at her at the time, but I can't be more thankful for it now. She very simply encouraged me to explore and investigate my own body first. (she was right too, I can almost eliminate all pain with my period if i am careful about exercise and diet just before menstruation starts...although these days I'm often lazy about it)

And even when I started having sex, I always felt fertility was an important part of the experience. And that telling my partner, No! was in fact a very empowering experience. No, I don't want to make a baby with you now, I'll sleep over next week after I've ovulated. Or engaging other sexual activities instead. For me I feel that experience has been important in creating an open trusting relationship with a very real consideration for my and my partners bodies.

I sort of fell like taking a birth control pill would take away that conversation. I don't know, as I said, I've never taken it. It also means I get to talk with my partner about my body, and ask about his. I think that if I was taking an oral contraceptive we wouldn't have that conversation either. I don't know. But I found it has allowed me to teach him a lot about ovulation and menstruation, making painful periods easier to cope with, as he knows what to expect and how to help me cope, now.

I read all the time in the news that these are the options for women 1. take oral or now injection contraception, 2. use condoms, caps or IUD, 3. use the rhythm method and hold your breath and pray, 4. have 13 children.

I've never held my breath waiting for a period, or had to rely on a "plan B," or have a baby or abortion. Because I learned how to listen to my body and how to empower myself to pursue the sexual activity I am interested in.

All I am saying is that is not everyone's experience. So don't feel you need to fit yourself into one of these categories. Especially as we have learned so much more about the mechanism of how fertility works, don't be afraid to unmedicalize yourself and to empower yourself (those of you who like me are blessed with regular periods...) ask how your body works and use it to your advantage.

**of course I appreciate perhaps lots of women have irregular periods and other medical conditions involving their uterus, but I'm not really talking to that cohort as that isn't the cohort I fit. I am sure the were millions of young women who like me and perhaps wonder about the OC bandwagon***

Legislate it!

I don't know why we put such faith in legislation. It is as thought the immortal insecurity of humans has led us to a state of unquenchable fear. And that fear a kind of madness for scapegoats. The greatest scapegoat of the day: a new law.

Belguim has just voted on a disgusting new law. I think this law shows us 3 things: 1 all politions should have other full time jobs, because they are just killing time thinking up new ways to govern society to justify their single job status. 2 disproportion has no meaning in the face of legislation and 3 the desire for uniformity in society is approaching new and dangerous levels.

The new law, now sitting before Senate in Belgium, after passing uncontested through the lower house, will effect about 30 women in the tiny European country. This law will not in anyway empower these women to change their mode of dress, all it will result in is a kind of house arrest for them. Of course this means other Belgians won't have to look at them, making them feel more confident that there are no terrorists in their midst. (Because we all know the real threat that has for centries excisted from masked women). Belgium would like to ban the use of the niqab and burka in all public places intended to serve citizens. This includes buildings; parks, street and so on.

What a load of baloney!

In the western world, what does it matter what you wear? Even if you want to wear nothing at all. This stinks of assimilation laws banning mother tongue use, banning traditional costume use, banning the use of cultural assests. It is rife with, what I hope will one day be recognized as, the false belief that to be beautiful is more valuable than to be happy. That the only mode of self expression is through proudly showing your body to the world. This is non-sense and if we hope to empower people to love their bodies and be proud of them, ask questions about them, explore them and know them, then the last thing we need is legislation about how to adorn them.

Suggestions will do.

Grounded

I wonder if, with all the planes in Europe grounded for an unpresidented 6 days, there was any change in things like sunsets, UV, stress and the like? Obviously some people were substancially more stressed, as they sat stranded here and there around the globe, or waited for a loved one to return safely...but I wonder if people unaffected had a somewhat lessening of stress from the removal of the noise pollution associated with air travel?

Im sure research was done.

let me know if you find any.

Lazy food

I read a hilarious article yesterday about lazy food. About the shock and horror of the supermarket filling up with prepackage prepared ingredients that are meant to reduce the time it takes to make a salad.

did making salad ever really take that long? I guess it did. The article talked about the dramatic growth in the lazy foods market value. About how as society follows its terminal course we find outselves more and more cash rich and more and more time poor, leaving us feeling we have no time to make a salad.

Several commented on how kids these days dont know carrots come from the earth, not Tescos; mangoes are oblong and multicoloured, not square; asparagus is...well asparagus since there isn't much you can do to make asparagus lazier so it gets left out of their diets...

I think it is pretty unfair to call the foods lazy. I contend there are no lazy foods, just as there are no stupid questions. Living in Japan, the land of lazy foods, I always find the only thing i get for buying the prepared ingredients is...more packaging and a sense of emptiness because I could have made it all myself for just as much time, less money, and way less garbage.

Some contend these foods are for people who live alone, because when you buy food you can't buy small amounts, and then you have all this food rotting in the fridge. Which is why we need to do away with bulk buying. Chicken cost what ever 59yen/100g whether you buy 50g or 500g. And that's how it should be. In Japan you are encouraged to only buy what you need and not feel like you are missing out on a deal by only buying a little bit for tonite and tomorrows dinner. The same for veggies. Veggies come in different sizes, thats just how the grow. Feel free to buy what you need, not what is the best deal. A huge daikon and a regular daikon cost the same, so you just buy the one that will provide YOU with what you need. Don't feel you are paying more for your daikon, maybe the cost per 100g is more, but you are getting what you need to feed yourself, for 79yen, and if you needed to feed 4 people you would get enough to feed 4 people for 79yen too.

Reassessing our relationship to money is going to be an important revolution in our lifetimes. If we continue to overvalue money and undervalue commodities, we will soon find ourself bought out, sold up creek to China. And while I like lots of things about China, the thing i like most is that it is China and not the whole world. I love the diversity of our planet; but if we value money more than diversity then soon we will have just that.

Ready to be a mum?

I have been reading about endometriosis these days. I'm not sure why, its a pretty depressing subject for a young healthy woman to read about. But it is interesting to me. But I came upon an article about a 23 year old trying to raise $20,000 for IVF treatment, because she is ready to be a mum but doesn't have a partner. She is facing hysterectomy in the coming years, because of severe endometriosis. She is afraid that she will have to have a hysterectomy and miss out on the opportunity to bear a child. I don't like being told I can't do something. And I know if someone told me I can't have children, I would be pretty hysterical about it. But this story has me once again wondering about mothers and mothering in our society. I wonder if it isn't time to stop the hysteria about conceiving and baring "your own child", and start teaching everyone, you don't all have to have children. There are millions of orphans the globe over in need of parents. And not just poor kids kidnapped from africa or chili. There are orphans right in your own community who need love and to be part of a family. There are also surrogate mothers. You can be intimately involved with the pregnancy, you can still have a child of your own DNA, but accept the limitation of your body. There are extended family's to be involved with. Be a big sister, an awesome aunt, a cousin. I know the desire for experience. Aristotle said it, "all men desire to know." And in that he means, to know, to experience, to have the precise knowledge in their own possession. But at 23, with no real prospect (ie professional training), no real support (Ie a loving devoted partner) what is the point of spending 20,000 to conceive a child. Obviously her mother and father must be there as support, but well... I don't want to tell her not to go for it. Because it is in the pursuit of our dreams that we find happiness. I wish her the best luck, and i hope she is able to find the community of support to help her face the trails of the coming years.

Optimism

Sometimes I surprise even myself with my ability to be optimistic. I am pretty glad I have learned to be patient and take things in their time.　To search out and wait for the balance between fate, trivial pursuit and the creation of good in my life.

Today for example, I have been a bit down, and a bit procrastinaty (as you can tell by the large hole where October through January blog should be) and I decided in my sleep last night that i have had enough of nightmares about eating raw eggs I am going to move on with things in general.

That includes replacing 6 year old sports bras, learning the 50 adjectives on my list for learning words. Of course, only time will tell the truth of those claims, but there is a hint os spring that calls for the pursuit of action, growth and blossoming.

A little embarressed

I don't know whose idea it was to try to host the games in Canada. But I must say I am pretty embarressed by all the complaining going on about the games.

Reading the news

I was just catching up on the goings on in my hometown of Toronto from CBCs lovely news website. I was shocked to read some of the comments that people had written. Reading the news can be a pretty hot blooded activity, we hear bits and pieces about what is happening in the world, and often it can leave us feeling out of the loop and disempowered, since we can only read about these things but not interact with them at any other level.

In particular, I was reading about a recent case in Toronto where EMS workers failed to respond to an emergency fast enough, and sadly the man in need died. In the case, according to the report, the EMS workers had been told the patient might be drunk and might be difficult. Thus they made the decision to use caution and wait for a police escort.

This is protocol. EMS workers are not heroes for hire. They are Emergency Medical response workers. Their training is to help with medical emergencies. Not to endanger themselves. That would be reckless, and how could we insure our EMS workers health and safety if there were no protocols about entering possibly dangerous situations. So their decision to wait was the right one, given the information made available to them.

Sadly, in this case, this delay may have lead to a man's death (though it is possible he would have died even with EMS intervention).

I was the responses from the readers. Many calling for the EMS workers to be fired, to have criminal charges laid on them, and so on. Is this in any way reasonable? I mean the person who called 911 should be partial responsible in that case, since they provided information that lead to the caution.

But what really surprised me was this comment: "I wish the CBC would demand the release of all the 911 and internal audio recordings so that we can hear for ourselves what actually happened."

I don't see why we need to 'hear for ourselves' what happened...do you have nothing better to do with your time that listen to a dying man's call for help? Talk about an invasion of privacy! I know we feel disempowered by not having been there to make things turn out better. But reliving it isn't going to do anything about it. Why not read the story and feel the remorse those workers must feel, having lost a patient? Why not read the story and reflect on our own outbursts of anger or aggression? Why not read the story and think about how we can, in our lives, help create and maintain safe environments so that when we need help, those with the power to help can get to your side to offer their help?

I think its time to leave facebook. You know. We are forgetting what it means to have privacy.

An apology worth reading

I find apologies usually are worth reading. There is something in the act that affirms ones hope in the prospect of the Good, in the platonic sense.

Today the co-leader of the Toronto 18 apologised for his actions and his intentions in the 2006 plots to attack the cities of Toronto and Ottawa. In his apology he showed how he recognized not only were his actions that of a sociopath, but that they ultimately harmed the people he was most hoping to help, his fellow Islamic community. That his actions, and the actions of his group, only brought more suspicion, bias and hate on his community.

He also asked that we not believe his apology until its words were tested in action.

I think it was a very beautiful thing.

One, that he has accepted that he was mistaken and apologized for it. But that it was by being held in correctional facilities that he found out how to correct his thinking. In the article accompanying the story it explains how he met inmates who stood to have lost family members had he been successful in his plot, he also met Jewish inmates whom he befriended, recognizing that had they been in Palestine they would have killed each other without ever knowing what good friends they could have been had they only had the chance to talk.

This is the beautiful thing. Humans taking the chance to talk and recognizing other humans.

I hope Mr. Amare is given a life sentence. And that in his time in correctional custody he is used as a teacher, a negotiator and a campaigner for community and communication across community in Canada. For he has learned, and perhaps can show others, how just meeting someone new, someone different can change your life and can show you where your views must fit in a broad complex and multi-dimensional understanding of life here in our community.