My new favorite song

My Favorite Quote

from tonight's debate?
"The Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one..." when referring to McCain's description of Obama's economic plans.

Politics as usual Tuesday

Dudes, I don't even know where to start today. It seems like overnight all the problems of the world are coming to a head and nobody seems to know what's going on or where to go. The economy is in a shambles and more and more people keep thinking that this will not only be a recession (which I have lived through), but a depression (which I have not lived through, but I've heard enough about that I don't want to!). The global nature of our economy had led to the tanking of banks around the globe, especially in Europe, where they have a centralized monetary system, but not yet a centralized banking system, leading to questions of where money will come from to back up failing banks and investments. This situation calls for obvious leadership, small goals, baby steps, if you will, at getting our economy to recover. I have not yet found a satisfying answer as to what the bailout plan is and why it's needed (they tell me I need it, but nobody can explain it!) and even WITH the bailout plan, Wall St is still tanking and more and more people are claiming that there will be more bank failures and more investment funds failures. I really thought that Bear Stearns failure was the culmination of laziness, lax investments, poor choices and then the running up of the rumor mill, but it's become obvious that it was merely the tip of the iceberg. And what about "Joe Sixpack"? What about the rest of us who make middle class incomes who live on "Main St" and who are taking a hit every which way for things we have no control over? What about the rest of us, who have been resposible with our money, who carry student loans, but not home loans? Who can barely afford food and clothes for the upcoming winter? What about our parents who are retired and on a fixed income?What about my cousin who's a new mother and a teacher who's now considering taking a SECOND job because her and her husband can't afford the basic needs for their kid? I know that a lot of us have parents or siblings or friends who might be able to help us out in a rough patch when we need a hand. I know that I am far better off than a lot of other Americans. But I am really hoping the polls are right going into this election. We can't have more of the same. We can't have more republican failed economic policies!
PS: Yes, we can.
PPS: if you want to watch an interesting documentary on the types of failed economic policies John McCain supports and would presumably enact during his presidency, go here.

At loggerheads

Dude, now what am I supposed to do? My two favorite teams are playing each other FOR THE CHANCE TO GO TO THE WORLD SERIES? I can't choose. And I can't get involved in why one or another should win. Because I want them both to win. I grew up with the Dodgers, loving the games, memorizing the players, listening to Doug scream and yell. It's great. But I love this city and I love what good sports does for this city - I love the positive attention, the good press, the coming together of all parts, all sides of the city that are normally at odds. I love that it's the top story on the news, that the ball players are all over the news, promoting their causes and going to the local schools and hospitals. I think I love it because I am witnessing it firsthand, and while I grew up close to LA, I was never in the neighborhood of the stadium. I've been to Phillies games this year, whereas my last Dodgers game was last year (when they played the Phils!). Oh, in conflict, I have no idea where to go with this. I suppose the upside is that one of my favorite teams will go to the World Series. That's gotta mean something. (And I have to say, it's still a little weird to see Manny and Nomar and Joe Torre in Dodgers uniforms!)

Yup, I was there

free concert on the parkway for obama. vote for change!

Haiku What a Mess Friday

Seriously could
not get through it without booze.
Paying the price now.

***

Economy in
a rut and getting deeper
Wars, aid, policies.

***

Never have I watched
so intently the polls
and the election.


Man, I hope Obama wins....

Just a Reminder...

Busy Week

Man, you guys! Has this week been crazy. Let's review.

• how about that debate, eh? I thought Obama did well, but McCain can be such a pain sometimes. We think he's coming down with dementia because he keeps saying the same things over and over again.
• Dear people who drive, Hi, I;m a pedestrian. We walk on these things called "sidewalks" which are generally exclusively for pedestrians. You should look for us when you drive through them. Thanks.....
  
• Seen those interviews with Sarah Palin? Scary, eh? I can't believe she can't name any other Supreme Court decisions other than Roe v. Wade. I also can't believe she has no idea what the Bush Doctrine is.
  
• Dear Sarah Palin, golly gee, gosh darn it, I am AN INTELLIGENT WOMAN WHO IS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS INTELLIGENT TO LEAD THE COUNTRY. Not you. You know what, you don't have to talk down to me, or wink at me, or act all cutesy at me during your debate. You can actually just tell me how you feel about the issues you are concerned with. You don't have to use your sex as a tool to get people to listen to you.
  
• Ummm...hello? Both the Phillies and the Dodgers in the playoffs? OMG...I am in heaven! Unless they play each other....oh, that's gonna be a tough one....
• I kid you not, I went to a seminar today. The boss introduced his student as having recently practiced "reproductive biology" because she just had a kid in July. Are you kidding me? Can you say "sexism" in front of 50 people? When is this OK? NEVER.
• This is the first time in my 30 years of being alive that I am actually considering living outside of the US. Really, is it that bad? Yes, it is. Funding for professors is the lowest it's been in years. The gov't no longer wants to fund basic science research and if McCain is elected then this trend will continue. And no jobs will be found for me and my boyfriend leading me to leave the country. Nice, right?
• BTW, in case you are wondering, DRILLING OFFSHORE WILL RUIN OUR ECOLOGY AND OUR COASTLINE. Just in case you were wondering.
  
• Sorry this post is so schitzo, but I've been drinking in order to deal with the whole debate and the election coming up. Anxiety much? Yes, absolutely.
  

From Planned Parenthood on why Sarah Palin is not my candidate

Dear Sarah Palin,

You are not our candidate.

You are not our candidate because you required women in Wasilla to pay for their own medical examinations after being raped.

You are not our candidate because you do not support a woman's right to choose, even in the case of rape or incest.

You are not our candidate because you've cut funding for teen moms and comprehensive sex education, while promoting failed abstinence-only programs.

You are not our candidate because, as vice president — a heartbeat away from the presidency — you would jeopardize health care for women everywhere.

We are teachers, doctors, athletes, programmers, artists, lawyers, secretaries, CEOs, students, designers, nurses, factory workers, mothers, and fathers. We are conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, country and city people. We are women and men. We are voters. We are the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

We believe in a woman's right to choose and the right of every person to have access to complete reproductive health care. We are hundreds of thousands strong, and we are doing everything we can to make sure you are not elected.

You are not our candidate.

Sincerely,
ceedee

If you want to sign this letter to be delivered to Sarah Palin at her vice-presidentail debate next week, go here.

Katie, I'd like to use a lifeline...

Haiku WTF Friday

more economic
woes for us to bear. when will it
stop? help us, barak!

***

the debate is on!
get me some alcohol, I
can't watch it without.

***

is it just me or
is Palin an idiot
in all interviews?

The many faces of my friend Randi

so pretty! happy for her brother and sister in law...

who is screaming "mine" in the middle of the ceremony making auntie laugh?

the minute brother cries, sister cries too. I called that, I might add.

two old friends reunited. so good to see you. and still can't believe I held your baby brother in my arms as a kid and now he's married with a kid of his own....

so sleepy....time to go to bed, papa bear.

hope you get some rest before the madness ensues again. great to see you, my best friend. hope we get to do it again soon. LYLAS!

Politico.

your new favorite t-shirt...can't help it, I think it's funny :)

My Trip to Germany

This is the view from my room. Pretty? Absolutely!

Yay! I love science! And wine!

My boss and I discussing science (with alcohol - always a good conversation!)

Yes, I did actually present a poster and do some science :)

But, I also found time to dance with some famous scientists! LOL! (notice the conga line behind us? Yah, it was a fun, fun time!)

This pretty much sums it up...

What is Feminism?

With all the brou-ha-ha surrounding the election, it's got me thinking about feminism and what exactly it is. You see, I'm a 30-year old woman and I never really experienced the "feminist movement" - or maybe I did, but just to a lesser extent. My mom was a radical in her time. She entered a program in the early 60s which allowed her to go to school for free in return for several years working for the government. My mom obtained a master's in mathematics and entered a world dominated by men and the "old boys network" when she worked for 40 years in the Dept of the Navy. She is a very meek person, one who would rather not "cause problems" than speak up against her superiors and because of that, she endured ridiculous sexism, condescention, and all-together bad attitudes by men who had no idea how to work with or treat a woman outside of the home. My mom was a ground-breaker, fer shure, and I am super proud of her contribution to women in the workplace, equality and an end (fingers crossed) to blatant sexism. By the time I came along, I had most every opportunity given to me. As far as I know, I have never been paid differently based on my sex, I have experienced little in terms of sexual harassment (normal joking aside), and my ablilities have not been questioned because I have a vagina. There has been a huge amout of progress in the last 40 years towards a positive solution for sexism. I realize there are still glass ceilings, and I realize there are still areas where women make up a very small percentage of the workforce (engineering and mathematics). I see the women who came before me in science - they have a different type of persona in order to adjust to the "old boys network" stillprevalent at Ivy League Schools. Some of the profs are bitches, through and through, putting up a tough, thick wall around them which no one can penetrate. I don't blame them after hearing some of my mom's and other women's stories. Others are very nice, but brusque, more open and friendly, but below this is a serious "don't fuck with me AT ALL" type of attitude. The younger profs have a sweeter demeanor, may be much more approachable, but also have some sort of protective, thick skin underneath. And none of these women are afraid to use their intelligence and their abilities to basically defend themselves, their research or their point of view. I must say, I admire all of these women, if for different reasons. To be successful with the best of the best of the old boys club takes balls, excuse the term. I admire alot of different types of women, even those who have decided they want to take time off and be a full time mom. I think it takes a lot of courage to make that decision, and I cannot understand how people would view this choice as a cop-out. Raising the next generation is an admirable job, in my book.
I believe that women deserve equal pay for equal work. I believe women are just as qualified to do any job a man can do. I also belive that there are some jobs ONLY a woman can do, such as birth a child. I think this situation needs to be acknowledged and that women leaving the workforce to have children should not be punished or passed by for jobs because they chose to raise kids for a few years. I think that women can make diverse choices, and that ultimately, in a perfect world, any woman can do any job she wants to do. Including, and not limited to, President of the Unites States, Pope, preist, doctor, lawyer, Speaker of the House, Mayor, and the list goes on and on. I think Hillary Clinton did a fantastic job and ran a decent campaign. I really think she did make 18million cracks in that glass ceiling. And Hillary was battered, let me tell you. She was knocked around, poked fun of, her wardrobe was judged over and over again. She didn't seem to bat an eyelash and she often reminded me of my father telling me to let things roll off my back. As soon as they get a rise out of you, as soon as they know the button to push, they're off and running with it. And, how many buttons did they push? Quite a few - so much so that a few journalists were fired over remarks they made that were over the line (I don't think they were policed well enough tho!). Anyways, where is my rambling headed? Of course, to Sarah Palin. You see, Sarah, as a feminist, I belive that women have lots of rights in this country. I don't believe that we just need to "prove ourselves better and work harder" - we deserve equal pay for equal work. I believe that women (and men, actually) have the right to know and understand our bodies. I believe children have the right to sex education, to knowing what the hell is going on with their bodies during puberty and to make smart choices when it comes to sex. It's clear to me that hiding information from kids, as in abstinence only education (which you support) is detrimental to the lives of teens because they end up knocked up (as your daughter is) or with a plethora of incurable diseases (which your daughter may or may not have...). I find it disturbing and disgusting that your daughter is being forced into marriage at 17 in order to "keep up appearances". It reminds me of the "non-denominational school I attended my freshman year of high school. The algebra teacher was banging one of the juniors, knocked her up, left his wife and married the 16 year old girl. Another teacher was molesting at least one girl, if not more. He was quitely moved to work in the office, still on campus, still close enough to the young girls. And my favorite, when the "promise keepers" contract came around pledging virginity until marriage, everyone signed it with their parents. And then all the girls went behind the dumpster at school to give their boyfriends blow-jobs. Hypocritical much? I belive that science should be taught in the public schools, not some made-up religious story about creation that has no basis in scientific fact. I believe you are actually reversing the course of technology by supporting creationism in the publich classroom. If you want your kids to learn religion, send them to Sunday School. I am not viting for you because your values and your ideas do not align with mine. Don't cry sexism when people ask you the tough questions. What IS your foreign policy experience? Why did you support the "Bridge to Nowhere" yet lie and say you did not? Why did you say you sold the Alaska governor's private jet on Ebay when, in fact, you did not? Why did you repeatedly try to figure out how to ban books from the local library? Why did your tiny little town in Alaska with a population of 5,000 people get nearly 27 million in federal government money through earmarks, when cities such as Boise, Idaho, with nearly 40 times the population don't even get that much money? What, exactly, is your experience? Why on God's green earth did you name your kids Track and Trig and Beluga? What the hell?
I am clearly voting for Obama, and I am waiting patiently for Palin to be taken down. Not because she's a woman. More power to her for that. But because she's a terrible politician whose views, as far as I can see, would take us back in time to the early 20th century.

Haiku Headin' Out Friday

All the kids return
to campus. Get back to school.
Crowded walkways, halls.

***

New people, different
perspectives, making new friends.
I've done this a lot.

***

Heading out to my
European Xenopus
meeting. See you soon!

the best so far...

So far,

My favorite thing about the elections is the Daily Show. If you don't watch it, you should.

In case you were wondering...

I find the nomination of Sarah Palin and insult to all women everywhere. Any woman who does not believe in equal pay for equal work, does not believe that a woman has a right to choose what she does with her body, not the government, is not a groundbreaking person to me. I think McCain nominated her to "shake things up" and to try to appeal to those of us who voted for Hillary Clinton. Know what? I think we're smarter than that. I also think he chose her to get more areas in Alaska to drill. No McCain, more of the same, fer shure.
I also feel bad for her daughter, who will be forced to have a child at a young age (I am sure she was given no choice) and will be forced to marry the boy who knocked her up. If that's not evidence that abstinece only education does not work, I don't know what is. Her life is screwed now because I am sure she won't be allowed to go to school or college. What the hell is the republican party stuck in? 1880?
man, I hope Obama wins....get out the vote!