text:
National Boards
The Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund is a major program of the National Research Center for Women & Families, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research, education and advocacy organization that promotes the health and safety of adults and children.
Board of Directors
George Thomas Beall, M.A.
Tom Beall is the managing director of the Social Marketing Practice of Ogilvy Public Relations, which is responsible for communications on health and social issues. Mr. Beall has been one of America's leading social marketing practitioners since 1988, when he directed components of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's America Responds to AIDS Program. Previously, Mr. Beall was vice president of constituency relations at Burson-Marsteller. While there, he developed and managed stakeholder, ally relationship and public education programs for clients. For nearly 20 years, Mr. Beall worked in the field of aging, most recently as a senior manager for The National Council on the Aging and as director of National Voluntary Organizations for Independent Living for the Aging, coalition of more than 200 national organizations with interest in older adults. His current community volunteer work includes serving on the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation, of OWL: The Voice of Midlife and Older Women, and the National Woman's Party. He previously chaired the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Senior Housing. Mr. Beall holds a master's degree in health services administration and a bachelor's degree in psychology, both from The George Washington University.
Stephen E. Bozzo
Steve Bozzo is an attorney who represents trade groups, medical management service companies and related medical practices, and biotechnology companies. He engages in pro bono work with Verizon and StreetLaw, Inc. aimed at encouraging high schoolers to pursue college and post graduate degrees and is an active volunteer for church-related organizations that assist communities in Virginia and metropolitan Washington areas with shelter, food and clothing. He was previously vice president and deputy general counsel for Verizon, an adjunct professor of law at George Washington University Law School, at attorney with Pepper Hamilton LLP, and a law clerk for Michael J. Eagen, then Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. At Verizon, where he worked for nearly 27 years, Steve focused on telecommunications law, regulation, and policy, antitrust, mergers and acquisitions, technology transactions, and commercial transactions. Steve holds a juris doctor degree from Temple University (Beasley) School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree from Villanova University. He has three adult children and resides with his wife in Virginia
Benjamin Gitterman, M.D.
Benjamin Gitterman, MD is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at George Washington University (GW) and Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. He was previously the Chair of General and Community Pediatrics at Children's National Medical Center, director of Ambulatory Pediatric Services for Denver Health and Hospitals, and on the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Gitterman is Co-Director of the federally funded Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment. He is a member of the Governor's Council on Children's Health and the Environment for the State of Maryland, the Scientific Advisory Board of the EPA for Children's Environmental Health, and a liaison member to the Advisory Committee on Children's Lead Poisoning and Prevention for the CDC. He also co-directs the Specialty Track in Environmental Health at George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Gitterman is the Medical Director of the Health Access Program, which links Children's National Medical Center and the Children's Law Center of Washington, D.C. He is also a member of the Medical Advisory Board of the National Center for Medical Legal Partnership, and is the co-chair of the systemic advocacy committee. He is also the Medical Director of Project Health D.C., and has volunteered annually overseas with Operation Smile. He was recently President of the D.C. Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the AAP Council on Community Pediatrics and the AAP Chapter Forum Management Committee. He continues to practice clinical pediatrics, primarily with underserved children and their families. Dr. Gitterman graduated from City College of New York and received his M.D. degree from SUNY at Buffalo. He completed his Pediatrics residency and chief residency at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center in New York.
Mary G. Hager, M.A.
M.A. Mary Hager is a freelance writer who retired from Newsweek after serving as a Contributing Editor and correspondent for the Washington Bureau. Ms. Hager's recent work includes commission reports to the President and Congress on arthritis and epilepsy, and articles for publications such as Self Magazine, Eco, Longevity, American Psychologist, Impact 21, Consumer's Digest, America's Agenda, National Wildlife, World Almanac, Collier's Yearbook, and Grolier's Medicine and Health Yearbook. Ms. Hager received her M.A. in journalism and communications from Stanford University and was a Sloan-Rockefeller Advanced Science Writing Fellow at the Columbia University School of Journalism. She has received many awards for her work, including the Balance in Journalism Award of the National Environmental Development Association, the Page One Award of the New York Newspaper Guild, the Searle Award of the American Medical Writers Association, and national awards from the National Mental Health Association, the National Easter Seal Society, and Action on Smoking or Health. Ms. Hager was a member of the U.S. Delegation to the U.S./Japan Common Agenda Conference on Environmental Education in 1997, was named a Senator John Heinz Fellow in Environmental Reporting in 2000, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Journalism and Natural Resources.
Nancy Hardt, M.D.
Dr. Nancy Hardt is professor of pathology, immunology, and laboratory medicine and of obstetrics and gynecology, as well as the recently appointed Senior Associate Dean for External Affairs at the University of Florida College of Medicine. As Dean, she is involved in legislative issues, women's health initiatives, and expansion of the capabilities of the East Side clinic, and will develop a center of excellence in minority health care disparities. In 2006-2007, Dr. Hardt was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, working as Health Policy Advisor with Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and as a key staffer on health issues in the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Dr. Hardt is boarded in both Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology. She served on the full-time faculty at the university for nearly 20 years, rising to the rank of Professor with tenure and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Managed Care. She has held a number of key leadership positions, including serving as Co-Director, Center for Research on Women's Health. In 2002, she moved to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, where she served as the Director of the Institute for Women's Health. Dr. Hardt has been recognized for her outstanding contributions by many organizations, including the National Board of Medical Examiners Distinguished Service Award in 2006 and being named as one of "50 Women Who Make a Difference" in Memphis in 2005.
Judith L. Harris, J.D.
Judy Harris is partner at the law firm Reed, Smith, Shaw and McClay, where she is Head of the Communications Group and concentrates on telecommunications policy issues. Prior to her current position, Ms. Harris served as Director of the Office of Legislative and Inter-Governmental Affairs at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She was in charge of the Commission's work with Capitol Hill and the Clinton Administration during the debate on children's television, digital T.V. and connecting classrooms to the Internet, among many other issues. Before her appointment at the FCC, Ms. Harris' practice focused on litigation and antitrust counseling, primarily with respect to the healthcare and communications industries, and included the defense and prosecution of class action lawsuits, and grand jury, merger and other investigations involving the Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission. In addition to her recent government position, Ms. Harris served as a senior trial attorney with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. Her first job after graduating from Yale Law School was as a law clerk to the Honorable James A. Belson, now of the D.C. Court of Appeals. Ms. Harris is married to Norman Ornstein, a political analyst and commentator with the American Enterprise Institute. They have two sons, Daniel and Matthew.
Courtney McKeldin
Courtney McKeldin is a well-known leader and public servant in Baltimore, descended from one of the first families to settle in Maryland. She was the first woman to serve on the city's zoning board, the lone Republican when she was first nominated in 1974, serving on and off for 21 years until deciding to step down in 2014. She also served for 23 years on Maryland's Open Meetings Law Compliance Board. She serves on several Boards and was appointed to the Baltimore City Property Tax Appeals Board by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in 2014.
As the daughter-in-law of the late Republican Governor of Maryland and Mayor of Baltimore, Theodore R. McKeldin, Ms. McKeldin is a well-known and well-respected figure in the state, assisting many important nonprofit and public institutions. She was the founder and first President of the Women's Committee of The Medical Eye Bank of Maryland. She has served as Director of Development for The Baltimore School for the Arts, Manager of Membership and Public Relations for The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitor's Association, Director of Development for Ladew Topiary Gardens, and Vice President for Institutional Advancement for The Baltimore International Culinary College. She was the first President of the Board of Advisors of CTY, Center for Talented Youth, of the Johns Hopkins University.
Ms. McKeldin is a graduate of McDaniel College and has been married for 53 years to Theodore R. McKeldin, Jr., a lawyer with the Maryland Attorney General's Office. They have two children and two grandchildren.
As a cancer survivor, Courtney is strongly committed to our mission to provide accurate, understandable and useful assistance to all patients.
Alan Mendelson, LLD
Alan Mendelson was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Research Center for Women & Families in June 2006. He is a venture capitalist in Hartford, Conn., where he is the founder and managing general partner of Axiom Venture Partners. Axiom has over $200 million under management and invests in both information technology and the life sciences. Mendelson heads the life science practice. Prior to founding Axiom, Mendelson served as vice president for Aetna Life and Casualty for about 25 years. In this capacity, he oversaw many projects including Aetna's $135 million venture program, which generated over $300 million of profits. He also helped to create MBIA, the country's largest municipal bond insurance company and he worked directly on over three billion dollars of corporate loans. Mendelson successfully worked with the chief information officer to formulate strategy and policy regarding Aetna's $27.5 billion commercial mortgage loan portfolio. During this time, he also initiated and served as president and CEO of Aetna, Jacobs, and Ramo, a venture capital deal sharing arrangement. He has dedicated more than two decades of his career to technology policy and development in Connecticut. As the finance committee vice chairman of the State's first High Technology Task Force in 1984, Mendelson created Connecticut Seed Ventures and two Centers of Excellence. He has served on the Advisory Board of Connecticut Innovations since 1989, and is currently a board member of the Connecticut Technology Council. In his industry roles for the State, he has received the Distinguished Service Award from Connecticut Innovations and the Leadership Award from the Connecticut Venture Group, of which he was a past president. Mendelson currently serves on the Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum and the Advisory Council of Claremont College's Keck Graduate Institute, which offers a master's degree in Bioscience. He also is treasurer and a Board of Trustee member of the Jewish Community Foundation, a director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, and chairman of the Board of Trinity College Hillel. Mendelson graduated Phi Beta Kappa, with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Trinity College. He received, with honors, his LLD degree from the University of Connecticut.
Omega Logan Silva, M.D.
Omega Logan Silva, M.D., is professor emeritus of medicine at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She is a long-standing advocate for universal health care and a committed supporter of the advancement of women in medicine. Omega Silva started her career as a chemist as the National Institutes of Health, and in 1963 returned to Howard University to train as a physician. After earning a doctor of medicine degree in 1967, Dr. Silva completed a residency in internal medicine at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, D.C., and from 1970 to 1974 served as a fellow in endocrinology at George Washington University. In 1975 she was appointed assistant professor of medicine at George Washington University, and in 1977 she was also appointed associate professor of oncology at Howard University. Dr. Silva has held academic posts at both institutions ever since, becoming full professor at Howard in 1985 and at George Washington in 1991. In 1983 she was elected president of the Howard University Medical Alumni, making her the first woman to hold that post. From 1977 to 1996 Dr. Silva was also assistant chief of the Metabolic Section and chief of the diabetic clinic at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Silva is a member of dozens of local and national committees and organizations and from 2000 to 2002 served as president of the American Medical Women's Association. She has served on six separate advisory groups for the National Institutes of Health and was a consultant to the Food and Drug Administration's Immunology Section from 1981 to 1989. Dr. Silva has also served on the board of directors for the Howard University Medical Alumni Association, the National Association of Veterans Affairs Physicians, the American Medical Women's Association and the Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine. Dr. Silva has made numerous media appearances to highlight issues in women's health including smoking, cervical cancer, and thyroid disease. She has also participated in various career days and educational events at local schools, and has been an editorial referee for Chest, Archives of Internal Medicine and The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. In 1984, Dr. Silva received a Letter of Commendation from the President Reagan and in 1995 she was given a Letter of Thanks from President Clinton for her participation in health care reform. In 2003 Dr. Silva was elected to a Mastership at the American College of Physicians. She is also listed in American Men and Women of Science, Who's Who in Black America, Who's Who in Professional and Executive Women, and Who's Who of American Women.
Duchy Trachtenberg
The Honorable Duchy Trachtenberg served on the Montgomery County Council, Maryland from 2006 – 2010. Upon joining the County Council, Ms. Trachtenberg became the leading force in creating the Montgomery County Family Justice Center to bring coordinated government services to domestic violence victims. The Center opened in the summer of 2009 and four years later is serving more than 500 families from 100 countries.
As a public health professional and effective grassroots activist for over twenty years, Ms. Trachtenberg has had a special interest in women's health, behavioral health services, and public health policy. Ms. Trachtenberg holds a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a past Governing Councilor and Section Chair within the American Public Health Association (APHA).
Ms. Trachtenberg has received numerous honors, including the Our Bodies Ourselves Health Collective, "Women's Health Hero" Award, the "Hero" Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), the "Ally for Equality" Award from Equality Maryland, and recognitions from NARAL, APHA, NOW and other national organizations. Ms. Trachtenberg has also completed the 2009 Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Susan F. Wood, Ph.D.
Dr. Susan F. Wood is Research Professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, where her work focuses on the use of scientific knowledge in public policy. She is also Director of the Jacob's Institute of Women's Health at GWU. Dr. Wood served as Director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women's Health from November 2000 through August 2005. She championed women's health both inside and outside the FDA, and then resigned on principle over FDA's delay of approval of emergency contraception for over-the-counter sale. Previously, Dr. Wood was the Director for Policy and Program Development at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health, where she led the development of policy for the Office. She also coordinated the activities of the Public Health Service Coordinating Committee on Women's Health. From 1990 to 1995, Dr. Wood worked on Capitol Hill for the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, an organization of Members of Congress dedicated to legislation that promotes legal, economic, and health equity for women. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Dr. Wood was a research scientist at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, in the Department of Neuroscience, where her research focused on cellular mechanisms of sensory transduction. She received her Ph.D. in biology from Boston University at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, where she carried out basic research on the biochemistry of vision. Dr. Wood has received numerous awards in recognition of her work. She is married and has a 12-year old daughter.
National Advisory Board
Judy Woodruff, Broadcast Journalist, CNN and PBS
The Honorable Olympia Snowe, U.S. Senator from Maine
Shari Miles, Ph.D., Senior Director of Women's Programs, the American Psychological Association
Lisa Lopez, J.D., Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Haemonetics Corporation
Irene S. Levine, Ph.D., Journalist and Author
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine
Rebecca Klemm, Ph.D., President, Klemm Analysis Group
Sally Kenney, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Women and Public Policy, University of Minnesota
Phyllis A. Katz, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Research on Social Problems
Patricia Hendel, Past President of the National Association of Commissions for Women
Mark Frankel, Ph.D., Director, Scientific Freedom, Responsibility and Law Program, American Association for the Advancement of Science
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro, U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut


text:
Robert W Redig
Robert W. Redig, 71, of Richland Center died Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at Gracious Way Assisted Living in Muscoda. He was born July 15, 1941 in LaCrosse the son of William and Margaret (Hansen) Redig. On July 8, 1967 Bob married Darlene Oliver at St. James Catholic Church in LaCrosse. Bob worked for the Beloit Corporation for 25 years. In 2000 Bob and Darlene moved to Richland Center. He loved to fish, play cribbage, and euchre. Bob considered himself a collector of all items. He was a very happy man who never let anything bother him.
Bob is survived by his wife of 46 years, Darlene, one daughter, Danielle (Amellia McKenzie) Redig of Rockford, IL, nieces and nephews, Richie Black, Sharron Granham, Michael Foster, Julie, other relatives, and friends.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Marion Black and Margaret Foster, niece Sue Black and Debbie Foster, and nephew in law John Stackowicz.
Graveside services will be held at the Stoddard Cemetery on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 12:00 PM. The Pratt Funeral and Cremation Services is assisting the family with their arrangements. Online condolences can be made at prattfuneralservice.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Professional Development Opportunities
Staff/Faculty Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Resources
University Holidays and Summer Schedule
Fireside Chat Nutrition Series
|Author: Terri F.
Date: Monday, February 10th, 2014
|Return to Archive
Fireside Chat is a nutrition series developed to meet the nutritional needs of students sponsored by WKU Health Services, WKU Restaurant & Catering Group, and WellU. Students gather around the fireplace in the lobby of WKU Health Services for a casual discussion about maintaining nutritious eating habits led by the Registered Dietitian for WKU Restaurant and Catering while enjoying a healthy snack and cup of hot chocolate. This series occurs October through February.
This program is free to all WKU students.
All sessions are held in the Health Services Lobby on Mondays from 6:00pm - 7:00pm
|February 3rd
|The Craze with Diet Trends
|What's the story with all these detox diets, juice cleanses, and supplements? Get the facts as we break down what's trendy in the diet world.
|February 17th
|Getting Food to "Work-out" for You: A Healthy Balance of Food and Fitness
|Eating right and working out aren't just for health nuts and buff athletes. We'll approach nutrition and exercise from a balanced perspective to find goals that are right for you.
For additional information, please visit our Health Education Programs webpage
Saturday, April 29th
Thursday, April 27th and Saturday, April 29th
Commuter and Housing
How does one ditch a dependence on soda? Here are five tips for kicking your soda habit for good.
Are artificial sweeteners used in soft drinks and foods safe? Will they make us fat? How much is too much? Science doesn't have all the answers yet, but researchers have some clues.
Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view,
download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Note: documents in Excel format (XLS) require Microsoft Viewer,
download excel.
Note: documents in Word format (DOC) require Microsoft Viewer,
download word.
Note: documents in Powerpoint format (PPT) require Microsoft Viewer,
download powerpoint.
Note: documents in Quicktime Movie format [MOV] require Apple Quicktime,
download quicktime.


text:
SMALL TOWSER sat with his tail in a puddle of mud. The puddle was small, but so was his tail. His nose was turned down to the paving‐stones; there were two drops running down towards the tip of it, but they weren't raindrops, though the afternoon was sad and cloudy enough—they came from his eyes. Presently, out of the swell gate of the house over the way came a most respectable‐looking dog, of a very comfortable appearance, and as big as eight Towsers, for he was a mastiff.
"Why don't you take your tail out of the puddle?" asked the comfortable‐looking dog.
Towser gave it a feeble little splutter in the mud: he didn't know why he let it hang there, except that he was miserable.
"Starve you over at your house?" inquired the comfortable dog.
"No," said Towser, "there are dishes of bones and nice little bits of fat in the kitchen."
"Other dogs bite you?"
"No." Towser shook his head.page: 114
"Have to sleep out in the cold?"
"No, I've got a house," said Towser.
"You're a nice gentlemanly‐looking little dog; you oughtn't to be unhappy. What's the matter?" asked the comfortable‐looking dog.
"I'm not any good," said Towser.
The big dog didn't comprehend.
"I want someone to love me," said Towser; "I want to help somebody; I want to be of use."
"Love!" said the big dog. "Did you ever smell it?"
"No," said Towser.
"Or see anybody eat it?"
"Or sleep on it?"
"Then what use is it?" said the big dog; and he went away.
Shortly after that Towser got up off the stone, and took his little tail out of the mud. He shook his little ears and let the two drops run off his nose.
"I'll go and seek for someone that needs me," said Towser; and so he started on his travels.


text:
Information and Communication Technologies
ITS and the Laurier Bookstore/TechShop partner with Dell Canada
Jan 16/12
ITS and the Laurier Bookstore/TechShop have partnered with Dell Canada Inc. to offer all faculty and staff standard computer hardware options.
This partnership will allow the Laurier community to purchase computer hardware at a discounted price. Single computers will be available for same-day purchase and bulk orders (over five computers) will be available within 10 business days. ITS will provide full support for all of these models.
To order a computer from Lauriers inventory of standard computer models, please visit the Laurier Bookstore/TechShop website: www.wlubookstore.com/techshop/fac_staffcomputers.htm or have a look at the display models at the Laurier Bookstore/TechShop (Waterloo) and the TechShop (Brantford).
To configure new computers, please make a request through the ITS Employee Service Desk by contacting:
email@example.com, ext. 4357 (Waterloo) or ext. 5725 (Brantford) or www.wlu.ca/eservicedesk
View all Information and Communication Technologies news
View all Laurier news


text:
ISO 14001 is intended to provide your organization with the elements of an effective environmental management system which can be integrated with other management system requirements. ISO 14001 conformance will assist your organization to achieve its environmental and economic goals.
The ISO 14001 standard consists of five sections:
4.2 Environmental Policy
4.3 Planning
4.4 Implementation and Operations
4.5 Checking and Corrective Action
4.6 Management Review
Benefits of an Effective Environmental Management System
When your company has implemented an effective EMS you can:
- Assure customers of your commitment to demonstrate environmental management;
- Maintain good public/community relations;
- Obtain insurance at reasonable cost;
- Enhance your image and market share;
- Meet vendor certification criteria;
- Improve your company's cost control;
- Reduce incidents that result in liability;demonstrate reasonable care;
- Conserve input materials and energy;
- Facilitate your attainment of necessary permits and authorizations;
- Foster the development and sharing of environmental solutions;
- Improve your company's relationships with local, state and the federal government.


text:
Oh, No. Prayers for Mr Masley. What happened?
Oh, No. Prayers for Mr Masley. What happened?
Glenda Seivert
"The support team"
Amateur callbacks to the last series
8 total
Amateur Results
1st-# 37 Traveler O/H Chad Baker
2nd-# 35 Dixie O/H Kyle Broussard
3rd-#11 Porky O/H John Kabbes
4th-#20 Will O/H Pam Park
RJ-#15 Stevie O/h Ken Neil
Jams- 26, 6
Congrats to All !!
Nice work team Baker!
Mioaks Southbound Sammy JH
Leatherwood's Here's Your One Chance Fancy
"Luck is the residue of design"- Branch Rickey
Open Results
1st-#29 Freeway H/Paul Sletten O/John Stracka (Qualified for the Natl Open)
2nd-#23 Sophia O/H Lanse Brown
3rd-#8 King O/H Mark Medford
4th -#62 Tater O/H Mark Medford
RJ-#37 Nora O/H Lanse Brown
Jams- 3,21,35,43,55
Congrats to All !!
Last edited by Brenda; 10-14-2012 at 03:33 PM.
Congrats all !
Bonadventure's Buster ***
Bonadventure's Bijoux
Bonadventure's Jiggs
Congrats to all ........way to go Chad and Trav.
My Dad said to me ."Son, a man just needs three things to be happy....A good dog, a good gun and a good wife.....Thank God I have all three
Sundown's Boss of Delta Marsh JH (Louie QAA X Delta MH)
Traveling Through The Graded Timber JH (2012 NAFC Trav X Timber MH QAA)
Sundown's Ruff And Tuff (Boss JH X Lil Bit) best pup I have ever raised
Home of HRCH Sundown's Loaded To The Maxx (FC AFC Jamie X Dixie QAA) RIP
Congratulations Mark and King. This qualifies him for the National.
Results are up on EE.
Thank you Jay Hinton, Grayson Kelly, Julian Lopez, Mike Coutu, Shawn Graddy and Allen Dillard for judging. Also a BIG THANK YOU to everyone that pitched in and helped out over the weekend!
Brandon Edmondson


text:
Dominants, alphas, and queens: Happy Mother's Day!
Mothers who rule in the animal kingdom.
by Jacquelyn Gill
On the second Sunday in May in the United States, mothers reign supreme, receiving tributes of breakfast in bed, hand-made cards, flowers, and obligatory long-distance phone calls. Meanwhile, for the rest of the animal kingdom, it's just another day: eat, hunt, mate, birth, nest, migrate, defend, and rest.
Some go it alone, but others—like spotted hyenas and bison—live in groups with complex social structures, and moms are at the top, year-round. In a matriarchy, females hold central roles of leadership and power. This might sound like a nice change of pace for some of us, but most anthropologists now agree that there have likely been no true matriarchal human societies (in spite of popular books like The Chalice and the Blade). Instead, matriarchies are more likely to be found in the rest of the animal kingdom, from meerkats to mammoths. Here are a few examples:
Honey bees: Bee colonies are giant matriarchal societies ruled by a single queen—quite literally the "queen mum." Her offspring (as many as 25,000 at a time) make up the entire clan of female workers and male drones. The queen spends her life tended to by her worker daughters. These workers have underdeveloped reproductive systems, so the queen is the only female in the hive who gets to mate. The females do the work of the hive and tend to the queen while the male drones laze about until it's time to mate with the queen. This setup might sound appealing at first, but it comes with a couple of important caveats. The Queen only mates once in her lifetime with a select handful of drones who were bred for that sole purpose (assuming they weren't pushed out or killed by their worker sisters during tough times, when freeloading is less tolerated). During a series of nuptial flights, the queen gets all the sperm she'll ever need for an entire lifetime—as many as five million individuals. She uses this sperm for to around 2500 eggs a day, which are tended to by her sterile daughters while she dines on royal jelly. The males get no reward for their service, but instead perish shortly after depositing their sperm, the unfortunate victims of an acute case of exploded abdomen.
Positives: Waited on hand-and-foot, low risk, low stress. Negatives: Once-in-a-lifetime mating, copious egg-laying.
Meerkats: Meerkat societies are highly structured, with a complex ranking system based on dominance. If you want to get ahead in the meerkat world, perfect the art of chin swiping and hip checking, practiced on those lower down the totem pole while someone more powerful than you is looking the other way. Being on top has its rewards; alpha female meerkats are the only ones who get to mate in meerkat town. A matriarch chooses her partner, who becomes the dominant (and only mating) male. Males initiate copulation by ritually grooming the female until she submits. If the matriarch tires of her partner, he's quickly deposed by beta males who are more than eager to earn a chance at mating. Alpha females make all the decisions in the group: where to sleep, where to burrow, when to go outside, when to forage. Like bees, meerkat females are typically mother to all the pups in the group (females typically kill pups born of unsanctioned unions). In addition to being free to engage in mating, being a matriarchal meerkat comes with free baby-sitting and nursemaid service from the subordinate females (who also will lactate to feed her pups). The downside is that all the other females want your job; as they get older, the young females start hip-checking, stealing food, and even picking fights. Often, the alpha kicks young competitors out of the group before they get old enough to pose a threat.
Positives: Your clan, your rules; mate selection; ritual grooming; cooperative breeding. Negatives: High risk.
Killer whales (orcas): Killer whales have some of the most complex social structures known in nature and are found in large resident groups (mostly fish eaters), smaller transient groups (seal hunters), or offshore groups (of which relatively little is known). Killer whale societies are entirely structured around the maternal line, in a hierarchy of groups. The smallest of these is the matriline, which contains the oldest female and her direct descendents—as many as four generations in one (great grand-whale, grand-whales, mama whales, and baby whales). Several matrilines together make a pod, and groups of pods with the same dialect and shared maternal lineage form a clan. For killer whales in resident groups, the young live with their mothers for the their entire lives, while in the smaller, transient groups, females tend to depart once they become mothers of their own. Meanwhile, male killer whales are mama's boys, maintaining a strong relationship with their mothers for life. Even siblings remain close after their mother dies. Unlike bees or meerkats, all females can mate as they wish, although almost always only with males from other pods. These close-knit groups are important for successful hunting, as well as for rearing young that require a lot of parental investment (like humans do!). A killer whale's female relatives assist her during labor, and even help guide her 400 lb calf to the surface to take its first breath. This cooperative behavior is a key part of teaching calves important life skills like the complex group hunting strategies similar to those that wolf packs use.
Positives: Strong family structure, cooperative breeding, matrilineal. Negatives: The kids never leave home.
Elephants: Female elephants live together in small family groups, typically consisting of a matriarch and her young or closest relatives. The oldest female elephant in each family group gets the job, and the position is passed down to her oldest daughter when she dies. Matriarchs have a lot of social power but are also the source of important lore in the herd, like where the water is, how to avoid predators, and even how to use various tools like makeshift fly-swatters. Meanwhile, males live bachelor lifestyles, fending for themselves alone or in small groups after getting kicked out at puberty. Male and female elephants occasionally come together to socialize or mate, but otherwise live separately. Unlike bees, meerkats, and killer whales, female elephants have a lot less control in the mating process. Fertile females are followed around by aggressive bulls who rumble, produce a musky scent that they disperse by flapping their ears, and fight off other interested parties. For young female elephants, this mating behavior can be a bit intimidating, and so her female relatives will often stay by her side to provide moral support. After a two-year pregnancy, a female will give birth to a calf, which quickly becomes the center of herd life, as female relatives caress and welcome the newborn. The perks of elephant motherhood include free babysitting and protection from predators; females will circle the young when they sense danger. In some Asian elephant populations, multiple families have even been observed coming together to form specialized groups for nursing or juvenile care, like a cooperative preschool.
Positives: Strong family ties, cooperative parenting. Negatives: Lack of mate control, two-year pregnancy (!).
Many different kinds of matriarchy exist in the animal kingdom, as do many kinds of moms. Whether you're a queen or a worker, an alpha or a beta, a subdominant or a matriarch, Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere.
The Living Elephants: Evolutionary Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation, Raman Sukumar. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Kalahari Meerkat Project, Cambridge University
Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington, Kenneth C. Ford, Graeme M. Ellis, & Kenneth C. Balcomb. University of British Comumbia Press, Vancouver.
WebBeePop, Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service
[Photo credits: all photos are from Wikipedia with Creative Commons with Attribution liceneses except for #3, which is Public Domain: (1) A queen bee surrounded by her worker daughters. Photo by Waugsberg. (2) A meerkat in the Kalahari. Photo by Muriel Gottrop. (3) A mother-calf killer whale pair. Photo by Robert Pitman. (4) A matriarchal elephant and her family. Photo by Amoghavarsha.] Continue reading


text:
By The Associated Press
HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss running Desmond Johnson and quarterback Arsenio Favor have been suspended for the team's game against SMU on Saturday for "violations of team rules."
The school made the announcement on Wednesday morning and said first-year coach Ellis Johnson would have no comment.
Johnson leads the Golden Eagles with 460 rushing yards this season. He's averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has two touchdowns. Favor is one of five quarterbacks that Southern Miss has had to use after a rash of injuries and inconsistent play. He's 14 of 27 passing for 193 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Southern Miss is in the midst of a disastrous 0-9 season, one year after finishing with a school-record 12 victories.


text: Agreed! With all the other negative posts out there, it's nice to see a positive one to end the year!! I wish all the other crap posts would be deleted lol!!! Let's finish off 2012 on a positive note. 2013 will be a great year, I feel it. '13 is my lucky number. I was born on the 13th, my favorite player of all time is number 13 and it's gonna be a great year. It has to be!!! LOL!!!


text:
I went out to 1015 Folsom with my roommates and some people from Apple to see internationally renowned trance DJ Paul van Dyk spin. I'm not sure if we actually heard him but what we did hear was cool. It was really fucking packed in there, but the music was fun to dance to and there were cool lasers and lights and smoke and stuff. Might have been better with chemical assistance.
Afterwards we were accosted by a random crazy guy on the way home. I am not sure if he was trying to mug us or what. But Nick was on the ball and called a taxi.
Then we went to Lucky 13 and had some beers and played some songs on the jukebox.
An entertaining evening overall.


text:
Access your Emirates Skywards or Business Rewards account
Explore our website in multiple languages for a tailored experience.
Find flights, see our featured fares and earn Skywards Miles on your travels.
Find the best fares across our global network.
Check in online, choose your seats and add extra services with one click.
Connect to new experiences, people and cultures in over 150 destinations worldwide.
Open up a world of rewards every time you travel. Enjoy reward flights, upgrades, exclusive benefits and more.
Explore Brum, the birthplace of the modern steam engine, the Mini, Cadbury's chocolate, lawn tennis and the balti.
Scotland is a country that certainly knows how to enjoy itself, and no city in Scotland knows how to enjoy itself more than Glasgow.
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Underground – it's no wonder London remains one of the world's most sought-after travel destinations.
From world-changing history to ground-breaking music, visit Manchester to experience a city which never disappoints.
From its elegant architecture to its energetic nightlife, Newcastle upon Tyne is one of the UK's most exciting cities.


text:
"It's not a songbird."
Tonight's episode was excellent. I loved Ryan and Kevin's stories about Cousin Mufasa and Uncle Bernie. And the idea to build a robotic tribute to Mr. Truck with light-up eyes and moving arms. "Make it two-thirds. He'll be easier to stop if he turns on us." And Dwight trying to shove the dead bird in a soda can was hilarious. "I would've made it fit if he had given me another minute."
[FONT=Arial Black]"I'M A LEAD FARMER, MOTHERF***ER!!!!!"[/FONT]
[FONT=Impact]Awesome Traders: JON9000, darkagent[/FONT]
"Is that the beak?"
Don't forget about Pam starting it all off with the Million Dollar Baby story.
''.....he was re-buried in an oil drum........."
You'll be dead!
N. Lindstrom Photo
Top Shelf Traders - tjovonovich, Val Da Car
Excellent Episode!!! That one was one of, if not, my favorite ep. so far this season. Hilarious stuff and yet deep, at the same time. Too many good quotes to list, although you all have done a good job so far. Ohhh, here's one that got me.
"This isn't a game."
"Well, there is a ball."
"That's the best deal you're gonna get. I won't tell you you can save yourself, because you can't."
How about Michael looking at that old pic with Ed and covering Ed's head with paper to imagine him headless ?
I'm going to dub this the funniest episode yet. Personal favorites:
1. "He's dead, he died.........without even his head to console him."- GENIUS AND HYSTERICAL. I damn near fell off my couch.
2. Dwight being Dwight. Stomping out that bird. I also enjoyed the "Put my head on ice" comment to Angela.
3. Pam, Ryan and Kevin passing off movies as their relatives. I loved Kevin's attempt at "Weekend at Bernie's" and that being the only movie Michael had seen, caught him. Kevin just cracks me up when he tries to be wiley.
The previews for this week look GREAT. Jim & Pam. eeek!
"Woke up at 9.55am. Soon as I woke up, I looked at Suzanne and she looked at me. I said, 'Did I tell you about the immune system?' Suzanne starting laughing, I said, 'it's amazing.' She said, 'Not now.'"
Hell yeah JMGuy, gotta agree with all those points. Well, I don't think it was quite the funniest of the year but they've all been so good...to me it's apples and more apples.
Anyway, YES to Kevin's Bernie story, I know I'm hard on him sometimes so I'll give credit where due - that was brilliantly done.
And the way he chuckled at the Oscar/birdcrap story. Speaking of which, I wonder how long Oscar will be gone ? I know he got that long trip out of Jan but I was surprised that he was already gone as of episode 2.
Oscar will be back any week now, apparently he is pitching a show to Comedy Central thus the reason for the three month Euro vaca.
Caesar: How can you not love Kevin?!?!?!?
JMG: I lalso ike it that we'll be seeing some JAM interaction again!


text:
You are a fan of template table ? Come to discover the best forums template table on the internet and share your experience with a community fan of template table . You can also build a forum template table and create your online discussion.
Laconics Round Table
free, forum, laconics, news, opinion, truth, concise, succinct, gist, what, means, bottom, line, funny
Greyknight fan site for table top gameing This order of light is dedicated to the way of the emperor and to stamp chaos in to dust
grey, knights, daemonhunters, malleus, warhammer, space, marines, inquisition, sisters, battle, dawn, soul, storm
A forum for the 'Balls of Steel' group running Midnight Campaign.
knights, oblong, #table, 'balls, steel', group, running, midnight, campaign
a Table for the stud group and internet friends to post
Knowledge is a process, and the more collaboration there is between ideas, the further we will get to seeking answers and the truth. Any topic is open for discussion, as long as there is respect and open-mindedness on the table.
question, politics, ufos, forum, conspiracy, flag, awake, discussion, mature
The Michigan MERCS forum is for members to discuss the Table Top War Game MERCS. We will share thoughts, ideas and future projects in the MERCS world
michigan, mercs, members, discuss, #table, game, share, thoughts, ideas, future, projects, world
Earn your virtues and Protect Destined King Arthur from Mordred
#table, knights, earn, virtues, protect, destined, king, arthur, mordred
We are the knights of the round table. We pledge to protect our people and our country with our lives
excalibur:, knights, round, #table, pledge, protect, people, country, with, lives
Play-by-post roleplaying.
A place for us to share information and discuss the inner workings of Rotor DR1.
rotor, round, #table, place, share, information, discuss, inner, workings
Create a thread to discuss every new chapter. Comment regularly and we will have all of our thoughts in one place!
men's, basic, #table, talk, thread, discuss, chapter, comment, regularly, thoughts, place!
Free forum : A group dedicated to table top war gaming in the three coastal counties of Mississippi.
Private and invite only.
table top games
tabletopleague, #table, games
A Tyler area community forum for RPG, and tabletop gaming.
An RPG forum based on the Universal Realms template. A world ruled by Matthew, the Dark King, that relies heavily on magitech, technology powered by magic.
entherium, universal, realms, role-play, bastion, darkness, #template, world, ruled, matthew, dark, king, relies, heavily, technology, powered, magitech
This Forum is used to continue offsite game play of the Logan, Milly and Connor Hogwarts Series developed by DeGraw Table Top.
degraw, #table, hogwarts, continue, offsite, game, play, logan, milly, connor, series, developed
Fort Collins' OTHER table top gaming club.
warhammer, warmachine, wargaming, club, #table, gaming, hobby, town, fort, collins, colorado


text:
- Sort:
- Most Popular | Most Recent
- Capniidae, Chloroperlidae, Leuctridae, Nemouridae, Peltoperlidae & Perlidae 1 by NCSU Insect Museum ncsuinsectmuseum
This panorama was done as part of a larger collection digitization effort at the North Carolina State University Insect Museum, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF DBI-0847924). The purpose of this image is to enable virtual browsing of our research collection. The snapshot feature of this website allows for...


text:
WEDDING DECOR ❦ Mini Lustre Vases, Ice White Lights, Writable Napkin Tags + More Little Things!
Many of us want our weddings to have some kind of fairytale-ness to them. Some want a lot, others want a little, but I think it's safe to say that we want to set the scene properly for a dreamy escape into our new lives of loving one another forever. And in my opinion, that rocks. So, when I think of setting that scene, I think details. Details, details, details. And more details. Because who doesn't love details? As they say, it's the little things that show that you care. And I'm thinking you care about your wedding day. So, what do I think of first? Without a doubt, lighting…
Yeah, that's what I call a fairytale setting.
If it made sense for my home to decorate every room with a handful of these, I would. But it doesn't make sense to do that. However, it DOES make sense to decorate your entire wedding with these babies. And I insist that you do it (if you want to, that is… no pressure).
And given the trends we've been observing, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't throw in a little chalkboard inspired lovin' – form of: zinc place tags for your guests' napkins!!! Yes, OMG is right!!! How much do you love these things?! Is it as much as I do? Because I honestly don't know if that's possible.
Six Zinc Chandelier Place Tags
And these, well I just can't get over how cute these would look in photos. Not to mention how official it would make things. If you're thinking of a school-related theme for your big day, may I introduce you to the perfect little finishing touch?
At first I kind of pooh-poohed these mini chocolates, but they grew on me quickly and with force. With a simple, clean palette based in white or ivory, these bite-size squares of milk chocolate wrapped in silver foil and a white outer sleeve are the ideal way to please the palates of your guests.
I'm sorry, I just think these little vase munchkins are frikin' adorable, so I had to include them. Aren't they frikin' adorable? They're frikin' adorable.
(Look at the wittle hole for the wittle tiny fwowah. Awwwwww!!)
This jar = phenomenal. I am in awe of it and want ten. This is just PERFECT if you're looking for a brilliant way to light your intimate backyard/outdoor wedding.
My Mom adoooooores these confetti boxes. She can stare at them for minutes and, as if she were starring in an infomercial, talk up their attributes in a way that'll tempt you to slap down your child's tuition money just to get your hands on them. But I must say, they are quite spectacular. Really, what's better than a box full of ready-to-go ivory colored confetti cones, filled with a mixture of delicate lilac, ivory blue and pink delphinium petals? Not much, if you ask my mother.
Hope you enjoyed these picks! I've got to admit, they were super fun to pick out. Though it was a biotch not to buy everything as I went along. I think I may own several of those little vases before the day is through. Seriously.
xoxo! -Alison
By the way, if you did fancy those picks, I suggest you check out some more!


text:
Matamata horseman Ken Kelso needed some good news and he received it yesterday morning.
Fix, the filly for whom owner Gordon Harding paid a $21,000 late entry fee to enter the Derby at Ellerslie tomorrow, drew the outside No18 barrier.
A slice of good fortune, or encouraging news, would be welcome.
"Someone told me at yesterday's trackwork session that Tidal Light started from No18 when she won the Derby," said co-trainer Kelso yesterday. "So when I got home I called Jim Gibbs and he confirmed the story for me. It gave me heart that another filly had done it.
"I can't say I'm delighted to be coming out of No18, but I'm not worried now. Of course, it would be good to be coming out of barriers from six to eight or six to 10, but you can't do anything about it, so you run with what you've got.
"I asked Gibbsy what Tidal Light did and he said there is 500m to play with to the first bend, which is out of the straight, of course, and Tidal Light worked forward quietly under Grant Cooksley and got to the front by the winning post then something came around and took the front off her and she got the perfect trail."
Kelso said he and his training partner, wife Bev, were a little concerned about the question of the 2400m for Fix, but it was not their major focus.
"I've no doubt there are a heap of trainers in the race that are worried about the 2400m for their horse. After all none of them have tried it.
"You can't really take a guide from the two 2000m races she's had.
"In the Royal Stakes, she drew the outside at that tricky Ellerslie 2000m start and had to be hunted up early, so it was a big effort to hold on.
"And in the Sir Tristram Classic at Te Rapa she had to ridden quickly out of the gates again to stay handy.
"She won't be hunted like that this time."
The $21,000 does not look that bad when you take into account it allows for the $14,000 it takes for other runners to be in the start and that each runner gets $3000 if they finish beyond the prizemoney places.
"And, don't forget, she's won $250,000, so the money was never the issue."
Raceday rider Mark Du Plessis went to Matamata early last Saturday before Breeders Stakes day to ride Fix in her semi-final workout.
"She went with Emerald Queen and Mark was very pleased with her work." Habibi remains the $2.80 favourite with the TAB, with Castlzeberg second favourite.
Habibi's third in the Avondale Guineas was a huge effort after little went according to pre-race plans for rider Vinnie Colgan.
The previously unbeaten filly was many lengths off the pace on the home bend after being late working clear and her finish was a feature of the race.
A feature of the market is the strong support for Alert.
Market: $2.80 Habibi, $5 Castlzeberg, $9 Fix, $14 Choice Bro, Alert, Deane Martin; $16 Weissmuller, $18 Soriano, $26 King Kamada, Zinko, Dubai Shuffle; $31 Kidwelly, Celtic Chief, The Grinner; $51 Addictive Habit, Solar Eclipse, Corporal Lincoln; $81 Saint Kitt.


text:
Approaching the five-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, policymakers remain sharply divided on how, when, or whether to bring U.S. forces home. The question has featured prominently in the U.S. presidential race. Presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain opposes any timetable for withdrawal of forces and favors a "greater military commitment" to Iraq. The Democratic front-runners, by contrast, urge a timeline for redeployment. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she'd bring "nearly all" troops home by the end of 2009; Sen. Barack Obama says he'd remove all combat troops within sixteen months of taking office.
Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, and James Phillips, a research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at the conservative Heritage Foundation, debate the economic, political, and strategic consequences of withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq.
Most Recent
February 29, 2008
James Phillips
The choice offered by presidential candidates is either abandoning Iraq (and dooming its people to a protracted civil war that inevitably will provide fertile ground for al-Qaeda and other hostile forces to exploit) or patiently assisting the Iraqi government to overcome formidable challenges, reaching out to Sunni Arabs, and consolidating the security gains of the surge by anchoring them in a sustainable political accommodation. The United States eventually should withdraw all troops not needed for training, logistical support, and counter-terrorist operations, but it should do so at a deliberate pace calibrated according to the situation in Iraq.
This will be a costly enterprise. But the war in Iraq is an integral part of the war against terrorism and modern terrorists can inflict huge costs. The September 11 terrorist attacks, in addition to the deaths of almost 3,000 people, resulted in up to $639 billion of economic losses, according to a 2002 study by the New York State Senate Finance Committee. A key issue is whether a rushed withdrawal from Iraq will raise or lower the risks of future terrorist attacks.
While the democratic presidential candidates deny that Iraq is part of the war against terrorism, al-Qaeda leaders clearly see the connection. Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's chief lieutenant, outlined plans for using Iraq as a conduit for exporting jihad to neighboring countries and attacking Israel, in an intercepted 2005 letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq [AQI]. Al-Qaeda's operational commander in Afghanistan, Abu al-Layth al-Libi, declared that Iraq was "the focal point of the conflict" in a video released on April 28, 2007. The U.S. intelligence community concluded in a 2006 National Intelligence Estimate that a defeat for the United States in Iraq would be regarded as a tremendous victory for Islamic radicals and would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere. Although the Iraq conflict may not have begun as part of the war against al-Qaeda, it is dangerously naïve to deny its relevance in that struggle.
If U.S. troops are yanked out, the hard-won progress in Iraq will rapidly evaporate, al-Qaeda [AQI] will regroup and reinvigorate its efforts to provoke a civil war and transform Iraq into an incubator for jihadist terrorism. Rather than jettisoning our Iraqi allies, the U.S. has a moral obligation and a vital national interest in helping them to defeat our common enemies.
February 28, 2008
Ted Galen Carpenter
It is important to clarify the real strategic choice in Iraq. It is not between a U.S. withdrawal in the next 6 to 12 months or a withdrawal sometime in the next 5 years or so. It is a choice between a prompt withdrawal and trying to stay in Iraq for decades—or in Senator McCain's flippant formulation, a century. The creation of numerous "enduring" military bases and the building of an embassy nearly as large as Vatican City confirms that the U.S. intends to stay a very long time.
A long-term occupation would be an extremely costly proposition, both in lives and dollars. The mission currently costs more than $10 billion per month. Even if the level of violence remains relatively low, and Washington ultimately achieves its long-delayed objective of reducing troop levels below 100,000 (neither of which is certain), the monthly cost would still run $7 billion to $8 billion. And that is merely the direct financial drain. It does not take into account such indirect costs as the care of thousands of additional wounded veterans over the coming decades—an obligation that will add tens of billions more to the tab. A long-term mission in Iraq is a multi-trillion-dollar commitment.
The hawks argue that we have no choice, though, because a withdrawal would, according to James Phillips, be a "disaster." He worries especially that al-Qaeda would acquire a sanctuary and that Iran would be strengthened. The first concern is greatly overblown. Al-Qaeda [AQI] is universally hated by Shiites and Kurds, and it has clearly worn out its welcome even with its former Sunni allies. A University of Maryland poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of Iraqi Sunnis dislike al-Qaeda (PDF). Who would provide a sanctuary?
Fears about Iran's enhanced influence have some validity, but that train left the station a long time ago. When the United States overthrew the Baathist regime that made Iraq into the principal strategic counterweight to Iran, it guaranteed that Tehran's position would be strengthened. A Shiite-led government in Baghdad may not be an Iranian vassal, but it will have close ties to Iran. And no extended U.S. occupation (short of making Iraq a outright U.S. puppet) can prevent that outcome.
Leaving Iraq will not be without adverse consequences to the United States, but for a superpower, it will be a setback, not a disaster. Conversely, trying to stay in Iraq means having U.S. troops attempt to referee the still simmering Sunni-Shiite internecine struggle—a conflict that could fully re-ignite at any time. Trying to remain in Iraq also plays into the hands of al-Qaeda, which has already benefitted enormously from a U.S. military occupation that has antagonized the overwhelming majority of people in the Muslim world. The Iraq mission was always the foreign policy equivalent of purchasing stock in Enron or Worldcom. It is long past time to acknowledge error and terminate our losses.
February 27, 2008
James Phillips
The struggle in Iraq is difficult, but winnable. With continued American support, the elected government of Iraq has a good chance to survive the disjointed insurgency, reach an accommodation with Sunni Arab moderates, and become an important ally in the war against terrorism. The U.S. cannot afford to withdraw many of its troops until the Iraqi government has adequate time to build up its own security forces. Iraq may never become a Jeffersonian democracy, but the present government with all its warts is far preferable to what is likely to emerge if the U.S. irresponsibly abandons its Iraqi allies.
Ted Carpenter is overly pessimistic about the prospects for salvaging a friendly government and surprisingly optimistic about the manifold spillover effects of an American defeat. He allows that U.S. "prestige" may suffer, but glosses over the implications of a defeat for the war against al-Qaeda [AQI], efforts to contain Iran, growing Islamic radical threats in the region, the loss of Iraqi oil exports in the tight world oil market, and the humanitarian consequences for the Iraqi people. While he is concerned about giving al-Qaeda a recruiting poster, he seems remarkably unruffled by allowing it to establish a sanctuary in the heart of the Arab world in close proximity to many of the governments it seeks to overthrow.
Iraq's dramatic drop in violence is not merely a reflection of the halt in sectarian cleansing—some of the worst violence is between rival groups of the same sect. It is due to greater realism in Iraqi politics: many Sunnis have been disabused of the notion, encouraged by Sunni Islamists and chauvinists, that they are entitled to dominate Iraq and are capable of forcibly re-imposing that domination. The backlash against AQI and other Sunni insurgent groups has been accompanied by an alienation of Shiites from the unruly militias that claim to defend them—about 20% of the 90,000 volunteers who have joined pro-government security forces in the last year have been Shiites.
The weakening appeal of radical Islamists on both sides is a positive development that has opened the door to greater political progress. The security gains attributable to the surge have made this possible and helped to amplify this trend. If the U.S. walks away from Iraq now, the Iraqis who have taken risks to fight our common enemies will face a devastating defeat. Abandoning Iraq would make a bad situation much worse.
February 26, 2008
Ted Galen Carpenter
America needs far more realism about the future of the U.S. mission in Iraq than James Phillips provides in his post. He overstates both the favorable prospects if the U.S. stays in Iraq and the adverse consequences if Washington pulls the plug on the occupation.
Despite the recent lull in violence, the long-term prospects for a stable, united (much less secular and democratic) Iraq are not good. Phillips highlights such developments as the passage of de-Baathification reform and a national budget as evidence of great progress. But most Sunnis regard the former as a fraud that will make their precarious status even worse. And when advocates of staying in Iraq cite the mere passage of a national budget as a huge achievement, they are truly grasping at straws.
The reality is that the central government remains quarrelsome and largely impotent. The real power lies in the increasingly ethnically homogenous regions. Iraqi Kurdistan is an independent state in all but name, having its own flag, currency, and military–and routinely bypassing Baghdad to cut deals with foreign oil companies and other firms. The predominantly Shiite south is likewise increasingly independent of Baghdad regarding policies that really matter. The oil-rich Basra area, for example, is dominated by a local Shiite faction that repeatedly shows its contempt for the central government.
Moreover, a major reason for the lull in violence is that previous ethnic cleansing campaigns have been all too successful. Baghdad was once almost evenly divided among Shiite, Sunni, and mixed neighborhoods. The city is now predominantly Shiite, with the number of Sunni neighborhoods having shrunk noticeably and mixed neighborhoods having virtually disappeared. A similar process has occurred elsewhere in the country. Although such ethnic separation reduces the occasions for armed clashes between rival forces, it does not bode well for the long-term unity of the country.
The notion that staying in Iraq will be a mortal blow to al-Qaeda [AQI], while pulling out U.S. troops would hand the organization a tremendous victory is misplaced. Proponents of the occupation like to pretend that the struggle in Iraq is purely with al-Qaeda, but that has never been true. Al-Qaeda is merely one player among many in Iraq's hellishly complex political and military environment. The U.S. invasion and occupation has been an ideal recruiting poster for al-Qaeda globally; a U.S. withdrawal would deprive the organization of that rallying cry.
Yes, exiting Iraq will be a blow to U.S. prestige. Even a superpower must pay some price for an egregiously foolish mission. But arguments that a U.S. withdrawal would constitute a strategic disaster are wildly over the top. More on that in the next post.
February 25, 2008
James Phillips
The United States has paid a heavy price in Iraq, but it risks paying an even heavier price if it pulls the plug on a young democratic government besieged by Islamic radicals and the remnants of Saddam's dictatorship. Such an act of surrender would be a strategic, geopolitical, humanitarian, and moral disaster.
Proponents of an immediate troop withdrawal underestimate the costs and risks of abdicating our security responsibilities in Iraq. Such a policy would be a huge boon for al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which has been severely weakened by the American surge and the defection of many of its Sunni allies. Bin Laden would trumpet a U.S. retreat as a tremendous victory. Al-Qaeda and its allies would benefit from an influx of new recruits, eager to share in that victory.
Without U.S. troops, Iraq likely would become a failed state, which AQI and other groups would exploit to launch attacks against Iraq's neighbors and perhaps the United States. Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia would face the most immediate threat, but Turkey, Egypt, and Israel would also face growing threats from Iraq-based terrorists. The big winners would be Iran and Syria, the world's two leading state sponsors of terrorism, which would seek to turn Iraq into a stronghold for their terrorist surrogates, as they have done in Lebanon.
While Iraq is not Germany or Japan, neither is it Vietnam. It has much greater geopolitical importance due to its political weight in the Arab world and strategic location in the Persian Gulf, the center of gravity of world oil production. Instability in Iraq could easily spill over to disrupt oil exports from other gulf states, imposing significant long term economic costs on oil importers. Unlike Vietnam, Iraq would export suicide bombers, not boat people. Unlike the Vietnamese communists, al-Qaeda has global ambitions, not merely regional goals.
The surge has been a military success and has paved the way for an Iraqi political surge. In the last month, Iraq's parliament has passed four laws that advance national reconciliation: de-baathification reform, a limited amnesty for detainees, provincial powers, and a budget that gives Iraq's diverse constituencies an equitable share of oil revenues. Now that Iraq's government is making progress, it would be a tragic mistake to abandon it and risk creating a much greater humanitarian catastrophe and a failed state that would serve as a springboard for exporting Islamic revolution and terrorism.
February 25, 2008
Ted Galen Carpenter
Proponents of a long-term U.S. occupation of Iraq tend to ignore the enormous price America has already paid in blood and treasure—nearly 4,000 fatalities and $500 billion in direct costs. They cling to the notion that the mission will ultimately prove successful.
Their latest rationale is the supposed success of the "surge" strategy launched in December 2007. In a narrow military sense, the surge has achieved some results, since the level of violence has eased. However, the larger political objective of the surge—getting Iraq's feuding Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish political leaders to create an effective, united government—remains elusive. Moreover, much of the decline in violence is attributable not to the surge, but to Washington's new strategy of bribing influential Sunni tribal chiefs and arming their followers. It is highly uncertain whether those Sunni leaders will stay bribed.
Senator John McCain and other pro-war types advocate keeping troops in Iraq as long as the United States has maintained forces in such places as Germany, Japan, and South Korea—i.e., more than half a century. But Iraq is nothing like Germany, Japan, and South Korea. To note the most obvious difference, U.S. military commanders in those three countries never had to worry about armed insurgents repeatedly attacking American military personnel.
Proponents of the occupation argue that America cannot leave Iraq anytime soon because such a withdrawal would embolden al-Qaeda [al-Qaeda in Iraq, or AQI] and other extremist Islamic elements. Many pro-war types insist that by pulling out of such places as Lebanon and Somalia when U.S. troops suffered fatalities, Washington conveyed a dangerous message of weakness to the terrorists. Indeed, some warhawks are so intent on historical revisionism that they argue that the United States should have remained in Vietnam. Such reasoning is appropriate only for those who embrace a masochistic foreign policy. Pro-war types ought to at least consider the possibility that stubbornly staying in Iraq and continuing to be bled, both financially and literally, plays into the hands of Islamic radicals.
Despite the current lull in violence, it is unlikely that the United States will ever achieve the goals that it had when it invaded Iraq in 2003. The notion of post-Saddam Iraq as a stable, united, secular democratic, pro-Western country was always a chimera. The long-term prospects for even modest unity and stability remain bleak, with or without a U.S. military presence. One must ask how many more Americans should die because political leaders are unwilling to admit that they made a mistake. The United States needs a withdrawal strategy–and one measured in months, not years.


text:
AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) -- A protein produced by the developing fetus.
Amino Acid -- The basic unit of proteins. The human body makes some amino acids, while others, called essential amino acids, are obtained only from foods containing protein.
Amino Acid Disorders - The amino acid hereditary disorders are the result of defects either in the breakdown of amino acids or in the body's ability to get the amino acids into cells. The undesired intermediates get build up in the blood and are toxic to the brain causing mental retardation if not detected and treated in early days of newborn age. See Also Organic Acid disorders, or Fatty Acid Disorders
Amniocentesis -- This is a diagnostic test that involves removal of some of the amniotic fluid which contains fetal cells. Used to diagnose chromosome abnormalities.
Anemia -- Any condition where the amount of red blood cells and/or hemoglobin is less than normal. This can impair the blood's ability to deliver sufficient amounts of oxygen throughout the body.
Anencephaly -- A fatal defect in which the top of the neural tube fails to close (see NTD) and the brain does not develop properly.
Antibody -- An immunoglobulin which is present in the blood serum naturally or may develop as a result of an antigenic stimulus (such as a foreign cellular material). It attaches itself to these specific foreign substances, alerting the body to their presence.
Biotinidase Deficiency (BD) -- Individuals with BD have an inactive biotinidase enzyme that cannot release biotin so it can be recycled. Biotin, a vitamin cofactor, is necessary for organic acid metabolism. Untreated BD may lead to severe metabolic decompensation in the newborn period. Affected children may exhibit seizures, hypotonia, ataxia, developmental delays, vision problems, hearing loss, skin rashes and/or other cutaneous abnormalities. If left untreated, BD can lead to mental retardation and death.
Carrier -- A condition where an individual carries a particular non-working recessive gene but also has a working copy as well. This working gene usually prevents the manifestation of symptoms of the disease that the non-working gene causes. Individuals who are carriers can pass either the working or non-working gene (also referred to as a "trait") to their offspring with equal chance.
Cerebral Palsy -- A congenital condition of muscular weakness and difficulty in coordinating voluntary movement owing to developmental or congenital damage to the brain.
Chelation -- therapy to remove excess iron which builds up in the blood of frequent transfusion recipients.
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) -- A test to obtain cells from the developing placenta. Done early in pregnancy, between 10 and 12 weeks.
Chromosome -- Structures found in the nucleus of a cell, which contain genes. Chromosomes come in pairs, one inherited from each parent, and a normal human cell contains 46 chromosomes, 22 pairs of autosomes (non-sex chromosomes) and two sex chromosomes (either XX or XY).
Cleft Palate -- A congenital defect of the palate in which a longitudinal fissure extends into one or both nostrils.
Congenital -- Characterizing a condition present or existing at birth.
Cystic Fibrosis -- Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disease requiring a mutation on each of the two copies of chromosome inherited from our parents. CF can cause damage to a number of different body organs, including the lungs and upper respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver, sweat glands, and genitourinary tract.
Detection -- The ability of a testing method or screening program to actually identify individuals with the particular disease or condition. The higher the detection rate, the more accurate the testing method or screening program.
Diagnosis/Diagnostic -- The determination of the existence and nature of a disease or condition.
Dimeric Inhibin-A -- Dimeric Inhibin-A is a protein produced by the ovaries and fetal placenta. Also referred to as Inhibin.
Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) -- A congenital condition causing mental retardation and unique physical characteristics. Caused by an extra chromosome number 21.
Encephalocele -- A neural tube defect affecting the skull, in which cerebral tissue protrudes through an opening in the skull.
Fatty Acid Disorders -- are genetic metabolic diseases in which the body is unable to breakdown fatty acids to make energy because an enzyme is either missing or not working correctly. When the main source of energy from glucose runs out, the fat is not broken down into energy to be readily available to the newborn causing fatty acid disorders. See Also Organic Acid disorders, or Amino Acid Disorders
Folate -- A type of B vitamin found in enriched bread cereals, beans, leafy green vegetables and citrus fruits which can help prevent certain birth defects, such as NTDs.
Folate Receptor -- A membrane protein which is involved in the cellular uptake of folate.
Galactosemia -- An inherited metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency in the transferase enzyme. This deficiency disrupts the metabolism of galactose, causing mental retardation and other medical problems. Dietary restriction of galactose can reduce the severity of these problems.
Gastroschisis -- A birth defect in which an opening in the abdominal wall allows the intestines to protrude.
Gene -- The functional unit of heredity that carries the instructions needed to create an enzyme or other protein. Genes are organized into structures called chromosomes which are located in the nucleus of each cell.
Genetic -- Influenced or produced by genes. Relating to the branch of science concerned with heredity.
Hemoglobin -- A respiratory protein contained in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body. Its structure consists of two pairs of globin (alpha and beta) chains and a heme (iron) group that binds the oxygen.
Hemoglobinopathy (Hemoglobin Disorder) -- A condition caused by a defect in the genetic code for hemoglobin synthesis. This defect affects the amount or the quality of the hemoglobin being produced. Sickle cell anemia is the most common hemoglobinopathy in California. Other common hemoglobin disorders include hemoglobin SC disease and S-beta thalassemia.
Hypothyroidism (Primary Congenital Hypothyroidism) -- A condition characterized by insufficient thyroid hormone (T4 or thyroxine), which may lead to delayed growth and mental retardation. Treatment consists of administering a thyroid tablet daily, which prevents the onset of these symptoms.
Immunoglobulin -- A structural protein consisting of two pairs of polypeptide chains. Variations of these chains allow different types of antibodies to be formed by the body.
Maternal PKU -- A genetic condition in which the high levels of phenylalanine during pregnancy in women with PKU can put their newborns at an increased risk for mental retardation, low birth weight, and birth defects. Women with PKU who are planning pregnancy can reduce or eliminate these health problems in their babies by returning to a phenylalanine-restricted diet.
Metabolic -- Relating to metabolism (chemical changes occurring in the various tissues of the body).
Neural Tube Defect (NTD) -- A defect of the spine or head caused by the incomplete closure of the neural tube in prenatal development.
Organic Acid Disorders -- are a group of inherited metabolic conditions associated with a specific enzyme deficiency that causes the accumulation of organic acids in blood. The accumulated compound or their metabolites are toxic resulting clinical features of these disorders. Organic acid disorders are autosomal recessive and most of them cause neurological damages. See Also Fatty Acid disorders, or Amino Acid Disorders.
Phenylalanine -- A common essential amino acid found in protein-containing foods.
Phenylketonuria (PKU) -- An inherited metabolic disorder in which there is a deficiency or the absence of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. This enzyme deficiency leads to high levels of the amino acid phenylalanine and low levels of tyrosine, causing mental retardation and other health problems. Dietary restriction of phenylalanine can reduce or eliminate these problems.
Prenatal Diagnosis -- Procedures and tests which diagnose birth defects before the baby is born.
Quad Marker -- A prenatal genetic screening test which estimates the risk for neural tube defects, trisomy21 (Down syndrome), trisomy18 and SLOS.
Renal Agenesis -- Absence of one or both kidneys.
Rh Hemolytic Disease -- A disease affecting newborns that can occur when the Rh blood type in a woman's blood is negative and the baby's Rh is positive. If the mother has developed antibodies against the baby's blood (usually during a previous pregnancy), the fetus can have severe health problems including serious anemia, heart failure, damage to the brain, or death.
Screening Program -- A program in which a large population is tested for a particular disease or disorder in a cost-effective manner with the purpose of identifying those individuals at high enough risk to warrant follow-up diagnostic tests. (California's Newborn Screening Program tests all babies for four congenital disorders so that those with the condition can be identified and treated promptly, thereby preventing mental retardation or other serious disabilities.) Screening programs can identify most, but not all, individuals with any of the disorders for which they screen.
Sickle Cell -- A red blood cell that has undergone an irregular structural change, sometimes appearing like a sickle in shape. This can occur during physical and psychological stress in individuals who have a sickling hemoglobin disorder such as sickle cell anemia.
SLOS -- A very rare birth defect in which the fetus cannot make cholesterol normally.
Spina Bifida -- A birth defect in which the neural tube fails to close during fetal development (NTD) and a portion of the spinal cord and nerves fails to develop properly.
Tay-Sachs -- An inherited, fatal disease which causes nervous system destruction in infancy.
Thalassemia -- A condition caused by a defect that affects the amount of hemoglobin produced. It is characterized by a reduction in or absence of the alpha (alpha-thalassemia) and/or beta (beta-thalassemia) globin chains that make up the hemoglobin molecule.
Thyroxine (T4, Thyroxin) -- The major thyroid hormone found in the thyroid gland and blood. Produced and secreted by the thyroid gland.
Trait -- see Carrier.
Triple Marker -- A prenatal genetic screening test which estimates the risk for neural tube defects, trisomy21 (Down syndrome), trisomy18, and SLOS.
Trisomy 13 -- A congenital condition causing severe mental retardation and death before birth or in early infancy. Caused by an extra chromosome number 13.
Trisomy 18 -- A congenital condition causing severe mental retardation and often death before age 1. Caused by an extra chromosome number 18.
Trisomy 21 -- Same as Down syndrome.
TSH -- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. It is secreted by the pituitary as a response to low T4 (thyroxine) levels in the blood.
Tyrosine -- An alpha-amino acid present in most proteins.
Ultrasound -- A diagnostic imaging technique utilizing reflected high-frequency sound waves to measure or examine the fetus.
| Conditions of Use
| Privacy PolicyCopyright ©


text:
JoAnn V. Masino
Verona – JoAnn Masino, age 56, was born to Tony and Phyllis Masino July 5th 1956 in Madison's Greenbush neighborhood. JoAnn passed away unexpectedly Thursday March 28, 2013 at St. Mary's Hospital.
JoAnn graduated from Oregon Senior High School. She was a gifted hair stylist and makeup artist for over 30 years, taking great pride in bringing out the beauty of her loyal clientele. She was employed at Hair Port Ltd. and Four Winds Manor in Verona.
JoAnn is survived by her mother Phyllis; her brother Tony (Judy) Masino, her 2 sisters, Rose(Bill O'Mara) Masino and Gina (Shawn) Bettinger; her significant other of 12 years, Todd Halverson; 4 nieces, Angela Masino , Teresa (Rick) Carlson, Katie (Dan) Varriale, Sophia Bettinger; 2 great nephews, Maxton and Alec Carlson; 1 great niece Giuliana Varriale. JoAnn is also survived by her pets "Baby", "Bella", and "Tasha".
JoAnn was preceded in death by her father Tony; her grandparents Georgio and Rose Marie Masino, and Ann Smyth and Martin Hegley; godparents Joe and Shirley Cuccia; and her beloved dog Lakota.
JoAnn was a kind hearted soul who will be missed by many. The family expresses gratitude to JoAnn's many close friends. We will miss our beautiful brown-haired green eyed daughter, sister, Aunt, and best friend.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at RYAN FUNERAL HOME in Verona, at 3:00 p.m. with visitation from 1:00 p.m. until the time of service.


text:
By Patsy R. Brumfield/NEMS Daily Journal
The gloves are off for north Mississippi's open seat on the state Supreme Court with less than a week to go.
Until recently, the race was fairly tame between Flip Phillips of Batesville and Josiah Coleman of Toccopola.
Not anymore.
"This campaign is about whether we have a Supreme Court justice who wants to serve Mississippi and can be trusted to be fair and to respect the law," Coleman told the Daily Journal, "or a Supreme Court justice who has a record of wanting the legal system to change society and viewing the days of jackpot justice as progressive."
Phillips insists that "out-of-state special interest groups are trying to buy our Mississippi Supreme Court" by supporting Coleman.
The two face off without party labels on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Until about a week ago, each campaign was going about its business with speeches to local civic clubs and hand-shaking at festivals.
But the heat went up last week when Virginia-based nonprofit Law Enforcement Alliance of America Inc. bought more than $360,000 worth of TV ads to bash Phillips, saying his election will ensure "a huge payday for greedy trial lawyers."
Jackson-based Business and Industry Political Education Committee (BIPEC) already was on the air characterizing Phillips as a "shark" swimming in murky waters.
Phillips campaign consultant Morgan Baldwin of Tupelo says that before LEAA and the other PACs are done, they will have spent $600,000 to try to derail Phillips.
Phillips' TV ads attack 39-year-old Coleman, saying he's never tried a single case.
Coleman's supporters say Phillips will make legal rulings to favor his lawyer friends.
Phillips' supporters say Coleman, heavily indebted to numerous political action committees, will make legal rulings to favor their special interests.
Both men accuse the other's campaign of lying:
• Phillips: "The assertion that I would be an activist is completely false."
• Coleman: "Flip's assertion that I have tried 'not one' case is false and he knows it."
Phillips draws on his 40-year legal career to reveal himself.
"I have practiced law with integrity, representing businesses and individuals both as defendants and plaintiffs," he says. "Judges should make decisions based strictly on the law."
Coleman insists the Phillips campaign never asked him about "the true nature of my experience as an attorney."
"I have personally tried cases and been part of teams of attorneys that have tried cases in every level of Mississippi's courts," he says, pointing to his 13-year career focused primarily on appeal writing.
The race matters, says Mississippi College School of Law professor Matt Steffey, because its outcome will affect the judicial philosophy of the state's highest appeals court for the next eight years, which is one term for a justice.
Phillips says at age 65, he's ready to give back to a state where he's been able to succeed and raise his family.
Coleman, who turns 40 just before Nov. 6, could bring a long-term viewpoint to the court, Steffey says, if he wins across several terms.


text:
On DVD
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Movie Review
Trust is like a car engine. If you take good care of it, it'll take you wherever you want to go. If it breaks, it won't. Here's the catch: A neglected engine doesn't always break down all at once. No, it wears down … through abuse, through misuse. And then one day it just stops, leaving you stranded and alone.
The couples in Why Did I Get Married Too? feel their marital engines sputtering. Terry wonders whether his wife, Dianne, is having an affair. Angela—worried about the same thing with her hubby, Marcus—is peeved because he won't give her his cell phone password. Troy's trust issues are more about himself—can he trust himself to find a job and provide for his family?—than they are about his wife, Sheila. Meanwhile, Sheila longs for Troy to trust her more, as hardship in marriage is a burden that should be shared. And then there's Gavin, who wonders whether his wife Pat can trust him—or anyone—enough to let them in. Ever since their son died 13 years ago, she's been emotionally distant but insists that everything is fine.
And so these four couples head to the Bahamas for a vacation that's part marriage retreat, part reunion. It's a trip that will culminate in a beachside confessional, where each person will recall why they married their spouses, and why they're (ultimately) happy that they did.
It seems an ideal site to tinker with those marital engines.
But that scheduled maintenance gets interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Mike, Sheila's ex-husband. Seems he owns part of a time-share for the group's lavish beach house, and he's determined to join his ex-wife and ex-friends in the festivities. Mike promises disingenuously that he won't be trouble. Don't worry, he tells the other vacationers (in so many words). I'll be good. Sweet, even.
Yeah, sweet like sugar in a gas tank.
Positive Elements
Tyler Perry's movies are all, on some level, morality plays. Sure, his main purpose is to entertain. But he wants to give us something to think about, too. With Why Did I Get Married Too?, a sequel to the similarly themed Why Did I Get Married?, Perry again trains his storytelling eye on marriage: why it can be wonderful, why it can be so hard and why faltering unions are worth fixing.
Much of the behavior here isn't laudable, of course, but it isn't meant to be. All the relationships we see are broken or breaking. Before the film ends, Pat and Gavin find themselves embroiled in an acrimonious divorce. But theirs is a bitter cautionary tale, one that Perry uses as a narrative foil to illustrate the fragility of a neglected union. In the end, Pat is left with nothing but regret, and she tearfully tells her struggling friends, "Love one another, please. Fix it, fix it, fix it!"
And so they do. Or at least they try. Terry learns his wife has been having an emotional (though not physical) affair. But Dianne, shamed and contrite, confesses her love for Terry and promises never to see the other man again.
Troy and Sheila struggle with lots of issues. Once Troy gets a job, he must grapple with the fact that Mike (at Sheila's request) secretly helped him get it. Troy eventually lays aside his pride, however, and he and Sheila are able to sort through their differences and disagreements. "Married people argue," Troy says, "even in a good marriage. And we have a good marriage." Throughout those challenges, Shelia is determined to resist Mike's manipulative ways and to avoid making the same mistakes in her second marriage that she made in her first.
Even Angela, who's convinced Marcus is cheating on her (he isn't), has a moment in which she realizes that she should swap her suspicion for trust.
Spiritual Content
An elderly couple in the Bahamas, who've been married 55 years, relate how they got married. After being widowed, the woman says that she was praying in church, asking God to help her find a place where she and her three children could stay. Then, she says, she looked up and "saw an angel"—her future husband.
After someone dies, mourners release balloons to commemorate that person's passing. "May your soul rest in eternal peace," says one. A character believes the beauty of the Bahamas proves God's existence. Another person observes, "When things fall into place, you just got to be grateful to God."
Sexual Content
Infidelity is a big theme here: who's cheating, who wants to and who suspects it.
Angela suspects her husband of infidelity at every turn. When an airline employee professes to be a fan of Marcus (he's on a cable sports show), Angela calls her a "ho." And when she suspects he's been coming home in the afternoons to have sex with someone else (a neighbor tells her that she hears "sexual" noises from their bedroom), she accosts him at his TV studio—again flinging the word "ho" around to describe his presumed mistress. When she finally goes to catch Marcus in the act—with a gun—she instead finds her maintenance man in bed with another woman. Their coupling is loud enough to be heard outside the house.
Dianne, meanwhile, hides the card from flowers she receives, wears lacy undergarments to work and mistakenly calls Terry "Phil." Terry asks her if a recent lovemaking session was especially passionate because she was fantasizing about the other guy, and she tearfully admits that it was.
Audiences see Marcus on top of Angela (a prelude to what Marcus refers to as rough "makeup sex") while she's in her underwear. Sexual sounds can be heard from their window. Terry and Dianne are shown tenderly talking in bed, after which Dianne volunteers to draw them a bath. We also see her straddling her husband at one point. Several couples smooch.
Angela runs around the beach in a bikini, and we see both her and Dianne's bare shoulders. Pat regularly wears clothes that display a great deal of cleavage, as do each of the other women at certain points. Men are shown shirtless.
Marcus couches sexual references in football lingo ("crossing the goal line"). Pat hires a cross-dressing entertainer to jump out of a cake as a malicious "surprise" for her husband. Conversations among the men, especially, revolve around their sexual relationships with their wives.
Violent Content
Pat and Gavin tear their marriage to shreds as Gavin, who's been drinking as he packs to move out, grabs Pat and throws her down to the couch. He presses his body and face against hers because she refuses to listen to him. Pat tries to fight back, thrashing about, even trying to bite him. Though neither hits the other, they're both shaking with rage. Gavin eventually releases her, then burns a photo album—a visual reminder that their past together is done.
After Pat changes the locks, Gavin breaks in (to retrieve his belongings) by tossing a potted plant through the front door. She's still home, though, and she grabs Gavin's golf clubs and goes on a rampage, smashing everything in sight—tables, shelves, shells, you name it. She also throws things at Gavin and two friends.
Angela and Marcus scuffle twice. When she thinks he's with someone else in their bedroom, she arms herself with a butcher knife, then a gun, before charging into the room and shooting the pistol at the ceiling.
Troy punches Mike. A car crash kills someone. Sheila reminds Mike that he once threw her into a kitchen wall and that another incident resulted in her nose bleeding all over the bathroom tile. A reference is made to someone having committed suicide. Characters talk crudely about putting a bullet in someone's behind.
Crude or Profane Language
About 25 uses of "d‑‑n," another 25 of "h‑‑‑" and almost 15 of "a‑‑." Other profanities include "b‑‑ch," "b‑‑tard" and "p‑‑‑." God's name is misused at least three times.
Drug and Alcohol Content
"I came here to drink," Angela tells her friends upon arrival in the Bahamas. And that she does. We watch her and others down wine, beer, margaritas and a variety of other alcoholic beverages. Rare is the scene in which someone isn't drinking. "You better be glad I'm not on crack," Angela says, guzzling out of a flask.
But the negative affects of drinking alcohol are also on display. Sheila makes the point that Angela's intuition regarding Marcus' alleged cheating might be unreliable because she drinks so much. "What is this, an intervention?" Angela asks. Elsewhere, Gavin's drunken confrontation with Pat is disturbing to say the least.
References are made to cocaine and marijuana. Pat's shown smoking a cigarette.
Other Negative Elements
Much of the conflict in Married Too has to do with deception. Marcus gets busted for carrying a hither-to-unknown cell phone (after Angela confiscated his other one). Sheila asks Mike to help Troy get a job on the condition that Mike never breathes a word of it to Troy (who finds out anyway). Pat lies to everyone, reassuring her friends that she and Gavin are "fine." And Dianne hides her own illicit relationship from Terry.
Angela's paranoid suspicion of Marcus knows no bounds. She tells her friends that she checks her husband's mileage, sniffs his after-work odor and even monitors his heart rate when he comes home. Every variation validates her assumption that he's having an affair.
Last year, I talked with director Tyler Perry about his film I Can Do Bad All by Myself. During the interview, which involved a handful of other Christian outlets, Perry was asked why all his films have almost irredeemable bad guys.
"Part of it may be my own personal thing, in dealing with the years and years and years of my father being this person as dark and evil as he was to me," he said. " Maybe I'm waiting for him to change so I can see some other people be redeemed. I don't know."
I can't say whether Perry's father has changed. But it seems that, perhaps, Perry has.
In Why Did I Get Married Too? we do not have a prototypical Perry villain. Instead, we see something that, to me, strikes closer to reality: flawed people making mistakes. Sometimes terrible, life-changing mistakes.
I know many people who've gotten divorced, as perhaps you do, people who said their relationships weren't worth the trouble anymore. Sometimes those splits were amicable. Sometimes they were bitter. A few involved a real villain—someone who was violent, abusive, deceptive, mean. But far more often the relationships simply eroded over time. Somewhere along the line, something went wrong. Couples stopped talking, stopped listening, or both.
Perry's movies, like marriage itself, are always filled with the "better" and "worse." Married Too is filled with crass language, sexual situations and some scenes that made me want to look away.
But in the midst of it all, he also tells us that marriages are worth fighting for, no matter how far gone things seem. And so we should fight to see our unions through their own periods of better and worse, of sickness and health, of highs and lows. In short, we should embrace every precious minute.
Because with careful attention and regular maintenance, Why Did I Get Married Too? insists, a good marriage can run for a very long time.
Pro-social Content
Objectionable Content
Summary Advisory
Plot Summary
Christian Beliefs
Other Belief Systems
Discussion Topics
Additional Comments/Notes
Episode Reviews
Readability Age Range
Tyler Perry as Terry; Janet Jackson as Patricia; Jill Scott as Sheila; Sharon Leal as Dianne; Malik Yoba as Gavin; Richard T. Jones as Mike; Tasha Smith as Angela; Lamman Rucker as Troy; Michael Jai White as Marcus
Tyler Perry ( Boo! A Madea Halloween, A Madea Christmas, The Single Moms Club, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, Madea's Witness Protection, Good Deeds, Madea's Big Happy Family, For Colored Girls, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Madea Goes to Jail, The Family That Preys, Meet the Browns, Why Did I Get Married?, Daddy's Little Girls, Madea's Family Reunion)
Record Label
In Theaters
April 2, 2010
On Video
August 31, 2010