"On February 20, 2004, at approximately 0955 hours, while on vehicle patrol as a gunner of MSR Tampa (North) between Balad, AFB and Taji, FOB I observed a large military truck (Hemmit) that was broken down on the right side of the roadway. As we approached, I noticed a Hemmit wrecker backing up to hook the broken truck up for towing purposes. I also observed a soldier behind the wrecker attempting to ground-guide the wrecker into place. It was apparent that the driver did not see the ground-guide and backed over him. The soldier, who was acting as ground-guide, later identified as SFC Bacon, was taken into the wheel-well of the vehicle and crushed by the weight of the wrecker. At this time bystanders were yelling at the driver to stop and the driver put the vehicle in “drive” and pulled forward, running over SFC Bacon’s body, again.
My squad leader, SSG Morris, had previously given me a Med-Evac request card and I began to fill it out with the information I could obtain. I called for a medical support helicopter as our medic, SGT Samantha Baskette disembarked the vehicle and began to render first aid. SFC Bacon was pronounced dead on scene and after the helicopter retrieved SFC Bacon’s body, we returned to routine patrol operations."
The events of that day still haunt me. I can see his body being pulled into the wheelwell like a cartoon character under a steamroller...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Beauty Myth
“How can you tell if a blond has been using a computer? There’s white out on the screen!”[1]
In our society beauty and brains seemingly correspond. Our culture is based on the assumption that those who are beautiful are far from intelligent. Those who are attractive and express themselves with emotion and creativity are considered very weak and inferior to those who have indifference to pleasure or pain and are not worried about their looks. This is not the case for women, alone, but also for attractive men. The terms “dumb jock” and “dumb blond” both come to mind.
Women are viewed by many men as lesser beings who are around to be aesthetically pleasing and to answer to man’s every command. Those women who try to break out of the role of servitude and establish a level playing field with men are often seen as radicals, and often mistaken for lesbians or man haters. Those women who are attractive and successful, simultaneously, are scrutinized as bitchy and overbearing.
In the military, those women trying to fit in with men are chastised for the actions. When Lynndie England was witnessed leading Iraqi prisoners around on a leash and laughing and pointing at their genitals, she was made to be the focus of the entire investigation. Never mind that England was a female in a male dominated military and stationed in a male dominated country.
While trying to fit in and be accepted as an equal among her fellow soldiers, England acted in ways she expected would gain her this acceptance. And it did. Her fellow soldiers, and mainly her older boyfriend, who took part in the “atrocious” activities of humiliating terrorists in front on an international level, did accept England as one of their own.
When the pictures and the news of this activity hit the international media, it created an uproar. How could a woman treat these detainees this way? Holding England to a double standard and showing complete disregard for the fact that the terrorists who were not in detention facilities were capturing American soldiers and beheading them on international television. Once a woman tries to inflict some torture or humiliation on detainees who refuse to abide by the Geneva Convention rules, she is ostracized by the international community and called a “bad seed” by her own government.
George Neumayr summarized the events of Abu Ghraib prison in the American Spectator:
“The image of that female guard, smoking away as she joins gleefully in the disgraceful melee like one of the guys, is a cultural outgrowth of a feminist culture which encourages female barbarianism …. This is Eleanor Smeal’s vision come to life.”[2]
This type of response demonstrates an intolerance of those women who try to fit in with men, in a male dominated society. It shows that women are expected to act a certain way because of how we look and how our chromosomes say we should.
Those women, who try so desperately, to fit in with their male counterparts, are viewed as transgressive, and let power go to their heads. The pressures from society to fit in, is what consumes these women. They have to be beautiful, but if they are beautiful they are considered unintelligent. If they are intelligent our society, a patriarchy, will designate them as unattractive.
Instead of embracing differences as attractive qualities, they are interpreted as flaws, ugly and out of place. Our society has created this super-human vision of what we think beautiful is, and the forms of medium are far from innocent in this development. The media in our country has played a vital role in the stereotyping and dehumanizing of women.
Through television shows such as “The Swan” and “Extreme Makeover” women as a culture are taught that we are not good enough the way we are; that, unless we get multiple painful surgeries, we will never be good enough to meet societal demands. Popular women’s magazines such as “Cosmopolitan” and “Marie Claire” which use airbrushing and other photo-altering techniques to make their models appear more “perfect” and flawless, are also major contributors to the perfectionist attitude about appearance that our country has been caught up in for years, nay, decades.
When our culture can put away thoughts of an ideal image of perfection, and begin celebrating individuals for their uniqueness, we will begin to truly understand what it means to be beautiful. Until then, we are stuck with the contemptible view of dumb blonds and dumb jocks.
[1] www.zelo.com/blonde/atwork.asp
[2] Pop Culture is Us: Two Essays on a Theme. Susan J. Douglas and Catherine Orenstein, pg 526. Women’s Voices Feminist Visions.
In our society beauty and brains seemingly correspond. Our culture is based on the assumption that those who are beautiful are far from intelligent. Those who are attractive and express themselves with emotion and creativity are considered very weak and inferior to those who have indifference to pleasure or pain and are not worried about their looks. This is not the case for women, alone, but also for attractive men. The terms “dumb jock” and “dumb blond” both come to mind.
Women are viewed by many men as lesser beings who are around to be aesthetically pleasing and to answer to man’s every command. Those women who try to break out of the role of servitude and establish a level playing field with men are often seen as radicals, and often mistaken for lesbians or man haters. Those women who are attractive and successful, simultaneously, are scrutinized as bitchy and overbearing.
In the military, those women trying to fit in with men are chastised for the actions. When Lynndie England was witnessed leading Iraqi prisoners around on a leash and laughing and pointing at their genitals, she was made to be the focus of the entire investigation. Never mind that England was a female in a male dominated military and stationed in a male dominated country.
While trying to fit in and be accepted as an equal among her fellow soldiers, England acted in ways she expected would gain her this acceptance. And it did. Her fellow soldiers, and mainly her older boyfriend, who took part in the “atrocious” activities of humiliating terrorists in front on an international level, did accept England as one of their own.
When the pictures and the news of this activity hit the international media, it created an uproar. How could a woman treat these detainees this way? Holding England to a double standard and showing complete disregard for the fact that the terrorists who were not in detention facilities were capturing American soldiers and beheading them on international television. Once a woman tries to inflict some torture or humiliation on detainees who refuse to abide by the Geneva Convention rules, she is ostracized by the international community and called a “bad seed” by her own government.
George Neumayr summarized the events of Abu Ghraib prison in the American Spectator:
“The image of that female guard, smoking away as she joins gleefully in the disgraceful melee like one of the guys, is a cultural outgrowth of a feminist culture which encourages female barbarianism …. This is Eleanor Smeal’s vision come to life.”[2]
This type of response demonstrates an intolerance of those women who try to fit in with men, in a male dominated society. It shows that women are expected to act a certain way because of how we look and how our chromosomes say we should.
Those women, who try so desperately, to fit in with their male counterparts, are viewed as transgressive, and let power go to their heads. The pressures from society to fit in, is what consumes these women. They have to be beautiful, but if they are beautiful they are considered unintelligent. If they are intelligent our society, a patriarchy, will designate them as unattractive.
Instead of embracing differences as attractive qualities, they are interpreted as flaws, ugly and out of place. Our society has created this super-human vision of what we think beautiful is, and the forms of medium are far from innocent in this development. The media in our country has played a vital role in the stereotyping and dehumanizing of women.
Through television shows such as “The Swan” and “Extreme Makeover” women as a culture are taught that we are not good enough the way we are; that, unless we get multiple painful surgeries, we will never be good enough to meet societal demands. Popular women’s magazines such as “Cosmopolitan” and “Marie Claire” which use airbrushing and other photo-altering techniques to make their models appear more “perfect” and flawless, are also major contributors to the perfectionist attitude about appearance that our country has been caught up in for years, nay, decades.
When our culture can put away thoughts of an ideal image of perfection, and begin celebrating individuals for their uniqueness, we will begin to truly understand what it means to be beautiful. Until then, we are stuck with the contemptible view of dumb blonds and dumb jocks.
[1] www.zelo.com/blonde/atwork.asp
[2] Pop Culture is Us: Two Essays on a Theme. Susan J. Douglas and Catherine Orenstein, pg 526. Women’s Voices Feminist Visions.
Equity in School Athletics – Changes to Title IX
Title IX states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance,” but there is still an uphill battle waging for equality for women’s athletics in the education system.
On March 18, 2005 the Department of Education released a policy guidance called “Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test – Part Three.” This policy provides new guidelines for establishing equal representation in athletic programs, changing the way equality in these programs is analyzed. Instead of collecting accurate measurements of participation by considering factors such as “the opinions of coaches and administrators, or participation rates in sports in surrounding high schools or recreational leagues,” the policy provides an opportunity for institutions to prove they are in compliance with Title IX through an e-mail based survey of students of the underrepresented sex. The third part of this test is a survey asking these students of educational institutions who do not have equal representation in athletic programs, if their interests and abilities have been “fully and effectively accommodated by the present program.”
The problem with a survey is that many people are not likely to take the survey unless they are forced to. The third part of this new policy guidance provides a loophole for educational facilities to focus money for athletics on the programs of their choice and still be in compliance with Title IX. By sending out an electronic survey to the underrepresented sex regarding equality in sports, the schools will not receive an accurate account of the interest of their students. It is not fair to say that the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex have been met if you can not establish a credible measurement of interests and ability. A survey cannot provide an accurate measurement of ability.
On March 18, 2005 the Department of Education released a policy guidance called “Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test – Part Three.” This policy provides new guidelines for establishing equal representation in athletic programs, changing the way equality in these programs is analyzed. Instead of collecting accurate measurements of participation by considering factors such as “the opinions of coaches and administrators, or participation rates in sports in surrounding high schools or recreational leagues,” the policy provides an opportunity for institutions to prove they are in compliance with Title IX through an e-mail based survey of students of the underrepresented sex. The third part of this test is a survey asking these students of educational institutions who do not have equal representation in athletic programs, if their interests and abilities have been “fully and effectively accommodated by the present program.”
The problem with a survey is that many people are not likely to take the survey unless they are forced to. The third part of this new policy guidance provides a loophole for educational facilities to focus money for athletics on the programs of their choice and still be in compliance with Title IX. By sending out an electronic survey to the underrepresented sex regarding equality in sports, the schools will not receive an accurate account of the interest of their students. It is not fair to say that the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex have been met if you can not establish a credible measurement of interests and ability. A survey cannot provide an accurate measurement of ability.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We Have Poop!
Finally! Yesterday morning while I was asleep, my mom came in and let me know Reese had a poopy diaper. Oh, happy day! I never thought I would be so happy for a poop! I'm just glad good 'ol grandma got to change it and not me :) We had given her 1 oz of prune juice and a little bit of water. Thank goodness it worked. Apparently the prune juice really is a laxative. Gotta keep her regular! Just in case, I went out and bought some baby oatmeal instead of rice cereal. That rice cereal just doesn't have enough nutritional value I think. Tried the oatmeal this morning and it didn't go over too well. Maybe I'll mix it with some peaches or pears tomorrow...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Poop Update
No poop yet. I'm getting really worried. She might be sick. No fever, and she's not upset or in pain. We called the Advice Nurse today. She was no help. She said to wait till 7 days of no poop, then get worried. All I know is that if I went 7 DAYS without pooping, I would not be feeling too great! So, for a six month old to go that long must seem like forever. And what happens when she actually does poop? Is it going to hurt her? I read on a baby website to try baby supositories, but really DO NOT want to go there. If she doesn't poop by tomorrow, we're going to the doctor!!
Cool Site
I just came across a great site called wellsphere. It gives you nutritional information on the food at your favorite restaurants through their "wellternatives" application. Since I'm trying to eat better and live an all around healthier lifestyle, I wanted to pass on this great site. There are a bunch of other great resources on the site besides the nutritional guide, but that's my favorite. It reminds me of that book Eat This, Not That but is (obviously) web based. Enjoy, and happy dining!
5 Minute Abs
Okay, so I just came across a link on Yahoo Health called "5 Minute Abs" written by Lucy Danziger the Editor-in-Chief of Self Magazine. Lucy claims that bicycle crunches for 5 minutes a day will give you a chiseled middle and rock hard abs.
Great, Lucy, I'm glad that in your little bubble of a world you can do crunches for 5 minutes a day and have your very own portable washboard for your laundry. Meanwhile back in the real world of obese and morbidly obese Americans, some of us need a little more work than five measly minutes a day. Not only will this not work for us, but with this kind of false encouragement, our kind will only get bigger and bigger. "But, Luce, I did my five minutes!" Give me a break. Unless we eat better - as in not shovelling loads of sodium and sugar infused crap into our mouths - we will never be able to SEE the abs under the flabs!
Perhaps there should have been a disclaimer with the article: Lard-o's need not waste your five minutes. Just try to cut up an apple and eat some almonds instead. That will do you much better than a bicycle crunch.
Don't get me wrong, in Basic Training I loved the bicycle crunch. I just think it's very unrealistic to believe that one move for five minutes a day will change your entire life. You need to add some cardio in there and lift weights, too. If you really want to see results, cut out refined sugar, soda, sodium, and anything with ingredients you can't pronounce. These are not good for you and are contributing to the Obesity Epidemic plaguing our nation.
Need more help? Read "The Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno, a fitness competitor from Canada. It's not one of these fad diets that everyone is so crazy about. It's actually a lifestyle change. If you follow the examples she outlines for you, you will see results. I did before I got pregnant. It takes a little while to take yourself off the sugary crap that we all love, but it is so worth it! You just need motivation... which I am lacking a bit right now.
Great, Lucy, I'm glad that in your little bubble of a world you can do crunches for 5 minutes a day and have your very own portable washboard for your laundry. Meanwhile back in the real world of obese and morbidly obese Americans, some of us need a little more work than five measly minutes a day. Not only will this not work for us, but with this kind of false encouragement, our kind will only get bigger and bigger. "But, Luce, I did my five minutes!" Give me a break. Unless we eat better - as in not shovelling loads of sodium and sugar infused crap into our mouths - we will never be able to SEE the abs under the flabs!
Perhaps there should have been a disclaimer with the article: Lard-o's need not waste your five minutes. Just try to cut up an apple and eat some almonds instead. That will do you much better than a bicycle crunch.
Don't get me wrong, in Basic Training I loved the bicycle crunch. I just think it's very unrealistic to believe that one move for five minutes a day will change your entire life. You need to add some cardio in there and lift weights, too. If you really want to see results, cut out refined sugar, soda, sodium, and anything with ingredients you can't pronounce. These are not good for you and are contributing to the Obesity Epidemic plaguing our nation.
Need more help? Read "The Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno, a fitness competitor from Canada. It's not one of these fad diets that everyone is so crazy about. It's actually a lifestyle change. If you follow the examples she outlines for you, you will see results. I did before I got pregnant. It takes a little while to take yourself off the sugary crap that we all love, but it is so worth it! You just need motivation... which I am lacking a bit right now.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
On Poop Alert
"Houston, we have a problem."
My six month old daughter hasn't pooped in nearly three days. I've been searching for answers on what I should do because I don't want her to be uncomfortable. Babycenter.com says that it is normal for a baby to go a few days without pooping but that they shouldn't go more than four days without some movement. She has had a lot of gas, so I know stuff is moving around down there. I'm just worried that she will be pooping out little rocks and it will be painful for her.
My step-mom told me if she doesn't go tomorrow I should give her an ounce of prune juice and some water. I am trying it tomorrow if she doesn't handle that business tonight! I really don't want to push a suppository up her little bum!
I'll post updates soon!
My six month old daughter hasn't pooped in nearly three days. I've been searching for answers on what I should do because I don't want her to be uncomfortable. Babycenter.com says that it is normal for a baby to go a few days without pooping but that they shouldn't go more than four days without some movement. She has had a lot of gas, so I know stuff is moving around down there. I'm just worried that she will be pooping out little rocks and it will be painful for her.
My step-mom told me if she doesn't go tomorrow I should give her an ounce of prune juice and some water. I am trying it tomorrow if she doesn't handle that business tonight! I really don't want to push a suppository up her little bum!
I'll post updates soon!
Embarking on a New Journey
A year ago, I never would have thought that I would be sitting here chastising myself for some of my decisions and praising myself for others.
So, enjoy reading my antecdotes and feel free to leave some comments, questions, advice, or other tid-bits of knowledge. I love learning something new each day!
Okay, so I have a six month old daughter who is the light of my life. I wouldn't trade her for anything, but I must say, it's tough being a single mother. I look back on my life and think of all that I have accomplished, and of all I still want to accomplish in the future. At 24 years old, I have some tales to tell...
From finding love to losing it, then seeing it pop up again, randomly; going to war and figuring out how to cope with all my feelings now that I'm home; and now stuck in a profession that I'm not quite sure I like anymore. The single mother thing undoubtedly threw a wrench in things, but it was a good twist. Now I'm finally going back to church and trying to be the best woman I can be, as an example to my daughter.
I'm not perfect and I don't really want to be. I believe that perfection is boring and our flaws are what make us interesting, and tollerable!
This is my journey to find myself and to figure out my place in life. Being that I'm somewhat of a "Tom-Boy" I also like to dress up and look good once in a while. I'd love to lose about 30 pounds for myself, but also for my best friend's wedding next year. Being the token fat bridesmaid is something I NEVER want to be again!
So, enjoy reading my antecdotes and feel free to leave some comments, questions, advice, or other tid-bits of knowledge. I love learning something new each day!
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