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Author, Teacher, and Consultant Jerry Weinberg Passed Away
Gerald M. "Jerry" Weinberg, author, teacher, and consultant, passed away August 7, 2018, at the age of 84. Weinberg published about 100 books on computer programming, systems thinking, leadership, change, consulting, and writing.
Fred George on Solving Fuzzy Problems
In the Digital Transformation day at the Agile India conference Fred George gave a talk on how the way we solve programming problems needs to change when dealing with what he calls "fuzzy problems" where the speed of response is more important than any other factor. The development "team" in those environments consists of a single developer working directly with a customer deploying frequently
Book Review Understanding Software by Max Kanat-Alexander
The book "Understanding Software" by Max Kanat-Alexander is an interesting read for project managers and software architects. It provides insights into how to keep your software simple, and how you can avoid complex unmaintainable software. The book is most useful for project managers and architects.
Microsoft Updates Azure IoT Platform: Adds Connectivity, Time Series Insights and Edge Analytics
Microsoft has recently made some announcements regarding their Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities within Azure. Microsoft's news includes adding a new service called Azure Time Series Insights, additional connectivity platform support for OPC UA/DA and Azure Stream Analytic support on edge devices. In addition, Microsoft also announced a new SaaS-based IoT Solution called Azure IoT Central.
Doing Safe-to-Fail Experiments
Safe-to-fail experiments can be used in complex environments to probe, sense, and respond. You have to know what success and failure look like and need to be able to dampen or amplify the effect of probing to handle potential failures. Safe-to-fail experiments can help you to deal with risks and uncertainty, learn, and keep your options open.
Lean Organisations for the Digital Age
Lean IT should help to simplify and improve the way we create value for customers and develop better solutions for tomorrow. Organisations of the future will focus on horizontal product or service streams- and everything else, including experts and managers, is there to enable the front-line to do their work right-first-time-on-time, with no hassles.
Testing Challenges and Essential Skills for Testers
Complex AI systems with non-deterministic outcomes pose challenges for testers and programmers. Such systems will increasingly become normal in high-impact, high-risk applications, argues Fiona Charles; testers should increase their capacity for thinking and learning and develop a number of personal strengths such as courage and good judgement.
Honeycomb - A Tool for Debugging Complex Systems
Honeycomb is a tool for observing and correlating events in distributed systems. It provides a different approach from existing tools like Zipkin in that it moves away from the single-request-tracing model to a more free-form model of collecting and querying data across layers and dimensions.
Technologies and Trends in Developing Complex Software Systems
The Software-Centric Systems Conference explored new technologies, trends, and experiences in developing complex software systems. InfoQ spoke with Rob Howe and Martijn Rutten, two members of the program committee, about the main challenges that software development is facing, technology developments, driving innovation, and deploying agile to improve process reliability and deliver value.
Technical Debt and Team Morale when Maintaining a Large System
Thomas Bradford talked about his experience with maintaining a monolith Java based system with zero test coverage and large technical debt at the Agile Testing Days 2015. InfoQ interviewed him about the problems that they had maintaining the system and the technical debt that had been build up, why they decided to take a different approach and how they improved team morale.
To the Moon: Parallels Between Space Missions and Developing Software
Russ Olsen did the opening keynote titled "To the Moon" at the GOTO Berlin 2015 conference. InfoQ interviewed him about drawbacks of doing all the things at the same time to meet the deadline, learning from things that went wrong and from things that went right, how little things can kill you in software development, and how to focus and deal with details when doing complex work.
Rebuild or Refactor?
Should you rebuilding or refactoring software?An interview with Wouter Lagerweij about what it is that makes refactoring so difficult, if rebuilding software is less risky than refactoring, and how continuous delivery fits with rebuilding software.
Deploying Scrum and SAFe at Philips Lighting
InfoQ interviewed Frank Penning, PMO manager from Philips Lighting, about the main challenges that Philips Lighting is facing in product development, why Scrum is not enough, how they apply SAFe, and the benefits that they have gained from deploying agile methods for product development.
Scaling Dilemmas and How to Deal with Them
Making teams working together can be challenging, but it is often needed to develop and deliver large complex products. In her opening keynote about scaling dilemma's at the Agile Adria 2015 conference Mary Poppendieck presented ideas for organizations that want to scale agile.
Mary Poppendieck Discusses Containers, Microservices and Contract Tests
At Craft Conference 2015 in Budapest, Mary Poppendieck discussed the 'new software development game' and offered advice on how best to utilise containers, microservices and consumer-based contract tests to lower friction and limit risk within software systems.


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We ran out of fuel for our Whisper Lite last night while Tara was cooking a delicious macaroni and cheese dinner (with real cheese, none of that boxed crap!). In good spirits and undeterred by our minor setback, I rode my pannier-less bike into a nearby town at record speed to refill it. It is ridiculous how fast you can accelerate on a bicycle when you're used to having an extra 30-40 pounds of food and supplies on it!
While in town I took the opportunity to pick up another half gallon of that delicious ice cream Tara bought in Cockermouth (still on sale too!). After dinner we ate nearly the whole thing while watching old episodes of House on our laptop. For a bit there I felt like I was at home again.
The sun was shining this morning as we packed up camp(!). We have decided that we don't mind rain as long as we can get on the road and get moving before it starts. Hauling yourself out of bed to pack up your entire life in a downpour is very demoralizing. I have no doubt we'll eventually find a way to adapt, and maybe even enjoy ourselves in the process.
Our morning began with a two mile push on an 18% grade hill-- wee! We soldiered our way up, pushing our respective 70lb bikes with lots of encouraging words and smiles. We both knew our labors would be paid for in full at the top. Sure enough there was a long series of twisty downhills to enjoy when we arrived.
When we stopped for lunch I had a sinking feeling as I realized my glasses were missing. I vaguely recalled setting them on a rock somewhere and briefly considered them a lost cause before deciding I ought to go back and look for them.
For some reason I always feel like my father when I decide to search for something that feels like it is hopelessly lost. I was thinking of him, recalling some distant memory of us pacing the lawn together looking for something or other, as I tore all of the panniers off my bike and steeled myself for the 18% grade hill I knew I'd have to climb again to say I'd really looked for them everywhere I could.
I sped away and had no luck finding my glasses while looking at a few places I had recalled us stopping earlier. By the time I reached the first hill of the day, I had nearly convinced myself to turn around and give up at least five times. Ignoring the lazy voice in my head, (feeling again like my Dad), I raced down the hill.As I rode slowly back up the hill scanning the rocks and grass, my determination was rewarded! My glasses were safely resting on a wall, exactly where I put them when I had stopped to take photos. Phew! Glasses are one more thing to add to our "did you remember your…?" checklist before we hit the road.
Glasses in hand I mashed my way up the hill in a gear I could never even imagine using with a loaded bike. Again amazed by the strength of my own legs I resolved to ride back to Tara as quickly as I could no matter how much it hurt. If there is one thing I hate it is inefficiency, and boy was this a waste of time!
I could barely breathe when I finally made it back to Tara who was waiting for me with open arms, shouting "you can do it!" (I had done the same for her earlier when she was behind me). I haven't pushed myself that hard since a memorable Arnis class where I nearly threw up. Yuck! I collapsed on the ground while Tara delivered water and food and told me about the six million contingency plans she had come up with in case I didn't return.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, but very enjoyable riding. After covering 30 or so miles without feeling too winded we arrived at our normal time (4:30-5:30). As I was feeling very tired and ravenously hungry, Tara decided we should have a "pancake factory." She mixed up some batter, got all the toppings ready, and then made pancakes in her "factory". My job was to eat them. We then switched, and I took over being the pancake maker so Tara could eat dinner too. We laughed a lot (cracking jokes about being "efficient"), went over photos, did journals, and settled in for the night.
We are currently staying at the Walmart of campgrounds in Oxenhope: Upwoods Holiday Caravan and Camping Park. It is absolutely packed with bank-holiday campers complete with screaming kids, their yelling parents and the subtle roar of one hundred electric fans pumping up air mattresses. For the last hour or so we've had the pleasure of listening to some ridiculously loud beeping noise and the campground staff running around telling kids to get off the walls or to stop playing with their balls. Hopefully we'll be able to get some rest tonight.
Home sweet home :)

subset: commoncrawl


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- Rated NR
- Drama
- 2009
- Buy the DVD
Reviewed by Ross Ruediger
atalie Wood wasn't really what you'd call a great actress, but she was a great movie star. These days Hollywood seems to have far more of the latter than the former, so it could be argued that her screen presence helped pave the way for the molds of today. She had an endearing, girl-next-door quality that kept her in demand through most of her career, which ended tragically when she drowned in an accident in November 1981.
Over the years, Wood dipped her toe into many a genre: drama, comedy, farce, musicals, westerns, and sci-fi, to name but a few. This box set is a real mixed bag and certainly covers the gamut. As it collects only some of her Warner Bros. features, it's by no means definitive, but it is an interesting look at the wide range of her work, and through these six movies you can very much see the actress growing up onscreen. Further, each disc features a classic Warner Bros. cartoon, which, to my mind, should be mandatory on every WB DVD.
The collection gets off to a rocky start with "Bombers B-52" (1957), a film for which Wood was given top billing and yet she is barely in. It's one of those rah-rah, up with the military (in this case, the Air Force) pictures that was no doubt appreciated upon release, but by today's standards seems woefully naïve. The real stars of the movie are Karl Malden and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. The former is a sergeant and mechanic, while the latter is a colonel and pilot. An incident in Korea leads to Malden taking an instant disliking to Zimbalist. Flash-forward to some years later, and Zimbalist wants to date Malden's daughter (Wood). Malden is outraged and turns into an overprotective dad. The triangle is the most engaging aspect of the film, and yet it gets buried beneath all other manner of stodgy military drama via a screenplay that's all over the place. The movie might have an audience somewhere today, but that audience isn't me. Interestingly, Malden would go on to play with Wood again in "Gypsy" some years later; but we're not quite there yet. Classic WB cartoon: "Boyhood Daze."
Next up is "Cash McCall" (1960), which is slightly more relevant than "Bombers," and yet still seems hopelessly dated. James Garner plays the titular character, a real Mr. Moneybags who buys failing businesses, whips them into shape, and then sells them for profit. One such business is Austen's Plastics, which is owned by Lory's (Wood) father, Grant (Dean Jagger). But Cash and Lory have met before, and he's come back into her life to win her over. At the end of the day, which will win – big business or big love? Unfortunately, the real problem with "Cash McCall" is that it's a very boring movie. It's neither dramatic nor comedic enough to leave much of an impression, outside the performance of Jagger, who manages to stand above the often rather tedious fray. Garner and Wood have almost no chemistry, which is probably what was needed to make this thing tick. On the other hand, fans of "Mad Men" may just appreciate the finer details of the pic, since it echoes a very similar time and place to what's portrayed on that series. Classic WB cartoon: "High Note."
With "Splendor in the Grass" (1961), this set finally starts delivering, and it is very likely the best film of the six, along with being one of the finest performances in Wood's career (she was, in fact, nominated for an Oscar for her work here). Set in 1920s Kansas, and based on the play by William Inge ("Picnic"), "Splendor" tells the story of Wilma Dean Loomis (Wood), known as Deanie to her friends and family. She is head over heels, hopelessly devoted to her high school boyfriend Bud Stamper (Warren Beatty in his film debut). But her desire to be everything to and for Bud is more than he can handle, and Deanie's obsessive behavior eventually tears the couple apart, and drives her down the road of madness. Unlike the previous two films, "Splendor" remains as relevant a commentary on young love as "Romeo and Juliet," and its examination of the effects of the Great Depression is most certainly timely. It's a very sad movie that has some brief rays of hope at its conclusion. Wood is, indeed, at the top of her game here, and Beatty makes a solid impression in his first big screen outing. Also giving a fine, despicable performance is the late Pat Hingle as Bud's obnoxious, bullying father. Last but not least, it's worth mentioning that this was one of director Elia Kazan's last pictures, and it definitely belongs up on the shelf next to "On The Waterfront" and "A Streetcar Named Desire," and it's also one of two movies on this set that can be purchased without buying the whole box set. Classic WB cartoon: "Beep Prepared."
Pretty much everything I knew about "Gypsy" (1962) prior to watching this DVD I learned from Michael Jeter's character in "The Fisher King," so it was something of a treat to get in on a little slice of musical history of which I'd largely been ignorant. Based on the memoirs of famed stripper/burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee (whose real name was Louise Hovick), the movie tells of Louise's upbringing via the ultimate stage mother, Rose (Rosalind Russell), and how she carts her daughters all over the country, playing vaudeville halls during the Great Depression. Rose concentrates on younger daughter June (Anne Jillian), while Louise is little more than backstage support. Eventually June runs away, at which point Rose unsuccessfully transfers her efforts to Louise. But Louise ultimately finds her calling in a profession her mother never saw coming. Wood is very good in "Gypsy," but Russell owns this film. I once read that Tim Curry based his Dr. Frank N. Furter on Rosalind Russell, and if you see this movie you'll no doubt believe that to be true. She tears through the film with a ferociousness that's utterly transfixing. Supposedly Russell's singing voice was dubbed, although you'd never guess it, since the vocals have the same deep, throaty sound she's so well known for. It's a fantastic performance all the way around, and while it may be heresy to claim that that I could take or leave many of the musical numbers, the story is just so damn good that at 2 hours and 23 minutes, the film almost feels likes it's just getting started as it ends. Further, this is a gorgeous DVD and a beautiful transfer, and many may end up buying this set for this disc alone, as this is the only place you can get this remastered version. Classic WB cartoon: "The Pied Piper of Guadalupe."
"Sex and the Single Girl" (1964) is clearly very loosely based on the book of the same name by Helen Gurley Brown, who would go on to become the editor-in-chief of "Cosmopolitan" for 32 years. As you might surmise, I've never read the book, nor do I intend to, but this movie is essentially just a screwball battle-of-the-sexes type comedy. It's probably built around a few tips and ideas from the book, but is not an actual adaptation. Indeed, I would hazard a guess that Brown probably thought the movie was garbage, since Wood's character, Dr. Helen Brown, is duped throughout the proceedings by tabloid writer Bob Weston (Tony Curtis). His mission? To find out if Brown is or isn't a virgin – either way, "it'll make for a great story." But he predictably falls for her, and all manner of "Three's Company" hijinks occur along the way. Truth be told, I've never been a huge Tony Curtis fan, so I'm not the best person to comment on the piece, as much of your enjoyment will depend on whether or not you appreciate his playboy antics. Lauren Bacall and Henry Fonda co-star as Weston's bickering neighbors, but the material is way beneath their talents, and it often feels like they've been flown in from a better movie. Speaking of flying, the script does just that -- by the seat of its pants -- and the whole thing ends with a painfully overlong car chase involving nearly every character in the film. (It's almost as if Curtis and Wood can't wait to get onto "The Great Race," in which they'd both co-star the following year.) Still, Wood looks absolutely radiant throughout, and this is exactly the kind of airy fluff at which she excelled – the movie may not be very good, but she's pretty good in it. There's also an ongoing gag about Weston looking like Jack Lemmon that is pretty funny. This is the other movie on the set that can be purchased outside the box. Classic WB cartoon: "Nelly's Folly."
"Inside Daisy Clover" (1965) is the type of movie the phrase "noble failure" was coined to describe. Wood, at 27, is inexplicably cast as a precocious 15-year-old in the 1930s who shoots to fame as a singing silver screen idol under the manipulative hand of movie producer Raymond Swan (Christopher Plummer). Once Daisy becomes a star, she isn't so sure it's what she really wanted, and she proceeds to screw it up every step of the way. One of those missteps is a quickie marriage to a young – and gay! - Robert Redford. It's supposed to be one of those cautionary tales about the pitfalls of Hollywood, and the entire affair seems as if should be more important than it actually is. Wood is either bored with the role or just plain wrong for it, which is a shame, because in the hands of the right kind of younger actress, the movie might have ended up a much different animal. Plummer, however, brings a fair amount of sleazy menace to the proceedings, and Redford is simply fun to watch for novelty sake. Ruth Gordon, as Daisy's mother, was nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar, although if you've already seen "Harold and Maude" or "Rosemary's Baby," the amount of screen time she logs here pales in comparison to those performances. Finally, there are the musical numbers (for which Wood's voice was dubbed), which are quite lively and entertaining, and yet completely inappropriate for the era being portrayed. Instead of the '30s, they feel like they're straight out of '65. Despite all its flaws, the film is still quite the curiosity piece, and something of a standout in this set. Classic WB cartoon: "War and Pieces."
Final thoughts: What this set really needed was "Rebel Without a Cause," which is a WB movie, and its exclusion is somewhat mystifying. Either that or "Brainstorm," Wood's final film (which was re-released on DVD the same day as this set) would have been welcome inclusions. On the other hand, four of these films are making their DVD debut, and no doubt Wood's legion of fans will be very happy to own them regardless of whether or not they're stellar outings for the actress. It's also interesting to note that half of these movies take place either right before or during the Depression. Make of that what you will.
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The last couple of days, I've been working with LDAP again. Yesterday, I worked with the 389 Project LDAP server from Fedora. It was easy to set up, and easy to integrate with my system authentication. I got it to work with my Apache web server, too. Unfortunately, either it is not supported or Apache doesn't like the self-signed certificate that I used, but I could not get LDAP over SSL to work.
Yet, LDAP over SSL works fine for authentication. In the past, I had trouble even getting that to work with the self-signed certificates, and had to resort to setting up a Certificate Authority on a separate machine to sign the certificate for the LDAP server. The key to making it work now, appears to be the TLS_REQCERT setting. Here's the contents of my /etc/openldap/ldap.conf
URI ldap://localhost.localdomain
BASE dc=fedora,dc=test
TLS_CACERTDIR /etc/openldap/cacerts
TLS_REQCERT allow
HOST localhost.localdomain
Today, I'm attempting to use the openldap-servers package for Fedora. The configuration appears to have changed significantly from what I've used in the past. The /etc/openldap/slapd.conf did not even exist after installation. Instead, there appear to be some auto-generated LDIF files in the /etc/openldap/slapd.d directory. There was a /etc/openldap/slapd.conf.bak file that contained the typical configuration items.
Copyin gthe /etc/openldap/slapd.conf.bak to /etc/openldap/slapd.conf, I searched and replaced the distinguished name for my domain in the suffix and rootdn entries. I used slappasswd to generate an encrypted password like this:
suffix "dc=fedora,dc=test"
rootdn "cn=Manager,dc=fedora,dc=test"
rootpw {SSHA}SqpHzAMFefEQIu4Saw5vZWwTqEZQMkiq
Likewise, I updated the database monitoring section:
# enable monitoring
database monitor
# allow onlu rootdn to read the monitor
access to *
by dn.exact="cn=Manager,dc=fedora,dc=test" read
by * none
Restarting slapd seemed to have no effect! I was attempting to verify unsuccessfully that I could authenticate as Manager using the following command:
[keith@earth fedora.test]$ ldapwhoami -x -D \ cn=Manager,dc=fedora,dc=test -W
Enter LDAP Password:
ldap_bind: Invalid credentials (49)
Reading the man page on slapd, it seems that if you invoke the daemon as follows, then it will convert your configuration file to LDIF in the /etc/openldap/slapd.d directory.
slapd -f /etc/openldap/slapd.conf -F /etc/openldap/slapd.d
Now, at last I could verify my ability to authenticate:
[keith@earth fedora.test]$ ldapwhoami -x -D \ cn=Manager,dc=fedora,dc=test -W
Enter LDAP Password:
While there are many GUI and WBI tools available for LDAP, I wanted to review and practice my CLI tools. Since it's been three years since I took the Redhat Directory Services and Authentication course RH423 and exam EX423, I've been reviewing the Directory Services course that I wrote following that experience to refresh my memory. To begin with, a root entry for the domain was needed in the Directory Information Tree (DIT).
[keith@earth fedora.test]$ ldapadd -x -D \
cn=Manager,dc=fedora,dc=test -W
Enter LDAP Password:
# root entry for Directory Information Tree
dn: dc=fedora,dc=test
objectclass: domain
dc: fedora
adding new entry "dc=fedora,dc=test"
Before adding entries for users or computers, I prepared a file for the needed organizational units and created them like this:
[keith@earth fedora.test]$ cat ou.ldif
# add entries for organizational units
dn: ou=People,dc=fedora,dc=test
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: People
dn: ou=Hosts,dc=fedora,dc=test
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: Hosts
[keith@earth fedora.test]$ ldapadd -x -D \
cn=Manager,dc=fedora,dc=test -W -f ou.ldif
Enter LDAP Password:
adding new entry "ou=People,dc=fedora,dc=test"
adding new entry "ou=Hosts,dc=fedora,dc=test"
Finally, we can begin to add leaf, or end node, entries to the tree:
[keith@earth fedora.test]$ cat keith.ldif
dn: uid=keith,ou=People,dc=fedora,dc=test
uid: keith
cn: Keith Wright
objectClass: account
objectClass: posixAccount
objectClass: top
objectClass: shadowAccount
userPassword: {crypt}$1$2OTQS7Fs$EFizXUzsCFISt9BANTDje/
shadowLastChange: 13363
shadowMax: 99999
shadowWarning: 7
loginShell: /bin/bash
uidNumber: 500
gidNumber: 500
homeDirectory: /home/keith
[keith@earth fedora.test]$ ldapadd -x -D cn=Manager,dc=fedora,dc=test -W -f keith.ldif
Enter LDAP Password:
adding new entry "uid=keith,ou=People,dc=fedora,dc=test"
Android, Linux, Perl, Photography, Python, Raspberry Pi, UNIX, Windows and other geek topics
LDAP with 389 Project and OpenLDAP
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About Me - WrightRocket
Keith Wright
- I've worked with computers for over 30 years, programming, administering, using and building them from scratch.I'm an instructor for technical computer courses, an editor and developer of training manuals, and an Android developer.


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I am a Year 8 student at Pt England School in Auckland, NZ. I am in Room 3 and my teacher is Mrs Tele'a.
Thursday, 23 April 2015
All about my holiday highlight
In the holidays on the middle Sunday it was my birthday. and I got 100 bucks from my aunty and and when I got 100 bucks I went to the shops. and then I buyed me a tablet, ipad and a iphone 6 and A samsung galaxy tablet and then when I got all of those things I was downloading games on my tablet and my ipad and as soonest I finished downloading games on it I got to my aunty's house and then we stayed and had a rest. a littile while and then we can go. the then my dad said I think we should sleepover but then we did and I said yas! and then I went to sleep. then on the next day we went to the airport because my brother that is 19 years old was going to australia because he was going to work over there and stay over there until He finishes work over there and then he can come back. and then on friday we went to we went to the pt england reserve with my auntys church and it was so cool over there.
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Sunday, October 23, 2011
Most Abortions Are By Moms Who Think the Next Kid Will Costs Too Much
Bryan Caplan points out in Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids that much of the huge effort and expense that middle-class parents think they have to put into each child is unnecessary.
This suggests to me that if middle-class parents could reduce their anxiety about what another child would cost them, we would significantly reduce the abortion rate.
5 comments:
It is another way of saying most abortions are for birth control. It is even sadder when you think of it that way.
- 6:14 PM, October 23, 2011
- gruntled said...
Abortions are by definition for birth control (with the possible exception of when the pregnancy threatens the mother's life).
- 6:25 PM, October 23, 2011
- Solomon Kleinsmith said...
Sad stuff. I can't tell you how many gals I've run into in my dating life that just aren't at all open to having kids. It's a cultural thing, seeing kids as a hindrance between them and the life they want.
- 8:37 PM, October 23, 2011
- Kelly said...
I'm with you on agreeing with Bryan Caplan, but I'm not sure I agree that reducing middle-class parenting anxiety re:cost would lower abortion rates, and I definitely don't think any change would be significant.
I'm not saying there isn't aniety about the cost of raining kids- the absolutly is (understandably,) or that there isn't a disturbing amount of misguided, excess spending by middle-class parents. I just can't imagine that there are a significant number of mothers who get pregnant after having one child, who have abortions, and whose only reason for not wanting another child is a mistaken belief that they cannot afford one. That is, I would like to know how many of those women are happily married to the father of her child and the fetus, otherwise stable in their relationships inside and outside of marriage, and are aborting out of pressure to compete with their peers in terms of material good provided to children (or even valid outlays like tuition.)
The Slate author cited a study that says most women who cite finances as a reason for abortion are seriously struggling financially, so I don't know that changing perceptions about the cost of raising a child in middle-class families would lower abortion rates. She also touches on how much of it is tied to public perception. If I am a mother, and I have an abortion, of course I'm going to try to make it sound as altruistic as possible (keeping resources for my child, not having a child I couldn't fully support, emotionally or financially,) but I don't know how closely self response to that question would mirror actual motivations.
What interests me most in the Guttmacher study is the number of women over 35 who have given birth and had a previous abortion who have a second abortion. 61% of women over 35 who had abortions had also given birth and had a previous abortion, and only 5% of women over 35 had never been pregnant before. The study cautions against thinking these women are using abortion as a "mean of birth control," instead suggesting that it's simply a result of age, that as women age there is a "prolonged exposure to the risk of unintended pregnancy." And here I was thinking that, outside of the small possibility of properly used contraceptives actually failing, I am very much in control of whether or not I get pregnant. They make it sound like getting pregnant is like getting the flu- a risk you can't help but be exposed to if you leave the house.
I've always been pro-choice, but I consider it something of a mulligan when healthy women get pregnant during consentual sex. For the 95 percent of women over 35 who have abortions who have been pregnant in the past, and the 65 percent who have had both a child and an abortion in the past, especially, I agree there should be some education going on, but I don't think it has anything to do with finances. I have yet to be convinced that abortion rates will be significantly lowered by a change in anything except the rate of unwanted pregnancies, and I don't thing unwanted pregnancy is prevented by anything other than sex education that includes mechanics, equipment, and a realistic discussion of motivations for having sex as well as its benefits and ramifications.
- 9:53 AM, October 29, 2011
- Buy RS Gold said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- 12:45 AM, January 15, 2012