movement.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the last few days following news of social justice movements happening around the world, in particular the Red Shirts of Bangkok, anti-dam protests in Brazil and international human rights discussions about the illegality of rape being used as a weapon of war.   Some points are more compelling than others, but to be sure, a lot is happening right now — not 50 or 100 years ago…right NOW — and some of it is too extreme, too terrible to think of.  Despite my varying levels of comfort, however, remaining uninformed about the reality of modern-day injustice is reckless and unacceptable.

Having been in Bangkok not too long before the military coup in 2006, I find it difficult to imagine what the current state of things must be like.  Violent conflict seemed a very distant reality until last week when the military and activists clashed in a rather bloody confrontation, an outcome I’m sure neither side wanted.

I have not seen anywhere a more organized and vehement grassroots movement than what I witnessed in Bangkok during my attendance at the International AIDS Conference 6 years ago.  For one to say they were working together in solidarity would have been an understated description of how activist groups and community leaders responded to the need for increased awareness of and access to HIV/AIDS  education and treatment.  As the number of people joining the protests and peaceful marches continued to increase, the momentum grew like nothing I had seen before.  Thousands of people from all sectors of the community came — from rural to urban, from male to female, from young to old — to exercise their right as citizens to make their priorities known to their elected leaders.  I was impressed and felt fortunate to be part of such a lively voice.  And the people were heard.  Thailand has one of the most comprehensive national HIV/AIDS programs, in terms of education/prevention and access to treatment, in the world.

So when I look at Thailand, and see their citizens demanding to be heard, and see their leaders responding to what is demanded of them, I can’t help but compare that level of activism to other movements around the world (and here at home).  If the people demand justice, will it come?  Will the unsanctioned, misguided, corrupt, self-interested political gestures that lead to disparity end?  I believe the answer is yes… eventually.  There are still many voices that go unheard or are ignored altogether and they are all demanding justice.  It will take time, and it will take staying the course.  I believe that true empathy, by definition, breeds moderation.  We should, therefore, work to understand one another so that we might all enjoy a little peace of mind in our lifetimes.

relaxing.

We’ve had a busy last few days at our house.

Early on Friday morning Mike and I hopped on a plane to visit with my best friend and her husband in Washington, DC to celebrate the impending birth of their daughter in December. They had a co-ed baby shower at my favorite restaurant in DC and we had a blast! This was the first co-ed shower I’d been too, loved the idea, but one of the younger, posher attendees told me these sorts of things happen all the time. Who knew?

We came back into Denver late on Sunday night which meant not much sleep before heading back into work for either of us. Late on Monday morning Mike got a call from his oldest son’s school saying the boy was feeling quite ill and needed to be picked up. Four hours and a doctor’s appointment later we were told that he has contracted the H1N1 virus.  Whoa.

Despite exhibiting the other characteristic symptoms for this flu (sore throat, body aches, cough and congestion, vomiting is typically not associated) he did not spike the characteristically high (104F +) fever. His fever stayed under 100F and we are glad for that.  He seemed generally content, even if uncomfortable. Had the fever been worse I fear  the stress on his system and our sanity would have been overwhelming.

When I went into work this morning I found out that several of my co-workers’ children have contracted the virus recently and therefore many of them have been at home caring for them.  Apparently this virus has been whipping through the schools out here like a new fashion fad.  What is slightly comforting about that is I have heard repeatedly that there is no cause for serious concern. Yes, this strain of the flu is novel and alarming, but healthy individuals are at low risk and recovering well. Fortunately, we are healthy individuals.

After a day at home with his dad resting and playing video games to his little heart’s content, my stepson is recovering nicely.  He appears to have missed what could have been a much more severe case.  I am home now, too, sitting on our couch eating the delicious dinner Mike made, sipping chamomile tea and watching Fawlty Towers. I’m glad for it.

Resolution

It’s the beginning of a new year. I have never been one to make and/or keep New Year’s Resolutions but I do find it useful to take time and reflect on the things I dedicate the majority of my time, attention and presence to. I try my best to remain diligent with the longer-term commitments I’ve made while making room for shorter-term and new commitments, too. Sometimes my interests change, and that means reorganizing my priorities periodically.

Speaking of new interests, I’ve been spending a lot of time on social networks! Okay, maybe a little too much time…but I have been networking with like minded professionals and activity partners. No, really!

Also new – a few friends and I have been throwing around the idea of starting a (mostly) science fiction and fantasy movie club and discussion group in the spring, so that little project is next on the drafting board. The idea came mostly from a regular movie night I’ve hosted on and off for the last couple of years and because we saw the need for a more genre-specific venue within our community.  There are several outlets for the larger cineastic community in the Denver area to plug in to, but none cater specifically to the (bio/tech/gaming/cyber/fantasy) geek culture myself and most of my friends belong to.  Any suggestions on how to organize are very welcome

AIDS Walk Colorado 2008

I participated again today and I had so much fun!  This is my third year walking in the fundraiser, having participated in 2004 and 2005.  I walk to honor the memory of three family members I lost to this wasteful and ravaging disease.  I offer a big THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me this year – I surpassed my fund raising goal!  Until there’s a cure…we stand in solidarity.

DemCon 2008 in Denver

I was very happy to attend the 2008 Democratic Convention speeches on Tuesday August 26th (Hillary Clinton) and Thursday August 28th (Barack Obama’s acceptance speech).  The entire event was amazing.  I have photos from Tuesday night only;  l left my camera at home on Thursday (doh!).  A good friend of mine took hundreds of pics, though, so more photos will get added to my Flickr album as soon as I get them.

I don’t usually go into politics in this blog but I couldn’t now, even if I wanted to.  I’m still processing it all.  Obama’s speech was inspirational and bold.  I’ve lived a piece of history that the world will be talking about for many years to come.

Having fun yet?

I can’t believe it’s December already, which means that next time I poke my head up it’ll be 2008

I walked in the December holiday parade this past weekend! It was SO much fun and lots of people in the community came out to show their support and have a good time. To make it even more exciting, my group marched behind a local Chinese drum group that showed off amazing drumming skills and a HUGE, colorful 20′ long paper dragon! SaaaWEET!

The temp outside actually got up to 65 degrees today! The sky was beautiful at sunset.

Accolades, again!

I was very pleased to read recently that Vanessa Northington Gamble, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed as University Professor of Medical Humanities at George Washington University, effective earlier this month. As a physician, historian, and activist, Dr. Gamble is an expert in the fields of medical history and humanities, bioethics and health care disparities, and is the first woman to hold this prestigious faculty position.

Early in my academic career I spent hours in the stacks of the local university’s library reading anything I could get my hands on that dealt with the history of race and ethnicity in medicine and public health in this country. Scholars such as Dr. Gamble fueled my passion, with writings and publications that vociferously addressed the state of health care as I observed it within my community, and presented to me a priceless body of knowledge from which I have drawn from over and over again.

Dr. Gamble directed the National Center for Bioethics and Research in Health Care at Tuskegee University and has served as head of the Division of Community and Minority Programs at the Association of American Medical Colleges. She is also an associate professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Many congratulations to her and to the faculty that will benefit tremendously from her wisdom.

S’mores and Sushi

Last night I had a wonderful time visiting with my friends Kris and Laurel at their home up in Nederland. Along with friends Eric and Sandra, we had a sushi party (my favorites were the California rolls, unagi, poki and some darn good sake!). Might I add: Sandra made the poki, which was so good I ventured out and ate my first bite of raw tuna…yumm! After we stuffed ourselves silly we headed over to the new community theater’s opening night event to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was so much fun! And despite a great evening already, my favorite part of the night had to be after the movie, when we all came back to the house to roast marshmallows over an open-pit fire in the backyard. That took me back a couple of decades

Next time, we have to come up with more ghost stories (and exploding rocks hand-picked from the local dump doused in greek fire…)!

Moving Forward in Science Policy

On August 13th, Dr. Nina Fedoroff, of Pennsylvania State University, was sworn in as the newest Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State (Ms. Condoleezza Rice). While in this position, Dr. Fedoroff will have a key influence on the future of American science policy and international scientific cooperation–

“The position of Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary (STAS) was created in 2000, to serve as the Department’s chief scientist and principal liaison with the national and international scientific and engineering communities. Dr. Fedoroff is the third person to hold this position. The Adviser is responsible for enhancing the science and technology literacy and capacity at the State Department, increasing the number of scientists and engineers working in Washington and missions abroad, strengthening and building bridges to the scientific and engineering communities, and providing advice on current and emerging science and technology issues as they impact foreign policy.” (excerpted from the U.S. Department of State’s website)

Dr. Fedoroff has been a favorite researcher of mine for quite some time because of her work with genetics and molecular biology and her studies on the societal impacts of genetically modified crops. She brings to the position an impressive body of knowledge and a well-respected plethora of experience, which includes memberships to the National Science Board and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She also served as founding Director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State and is a National Medal of Science laureate.

I look forward to hearing the dialogue her office will bring to the public policy round table.

Bringing it all together.

Classes officially begin on Monday and I am ready! Over the summer I made the decision to matriculate a course at the Denver campus this semester, so I spent the afternoon today taking a look around and getting a few things sorted. I really like the Student Union and found most of the people I met and talked to very friendly and helpful when I had questions. And I love riding on the train City life is nice.

On the home front there’s been a lot of change, too. Very unfortunately (and almost unbelievably), my landlord and her husband were BOTH laid off from their jobs last week! So, due to that, they’ve decided to keep this house on the market but are now (understandably) looking to rent the entire house to someone in the meantime, having only rented out my room until now (they own and live in another house). This means that I’ll definitely have to move sooner rather than later, as previous circumstances had caused me to believe I could rent just my room through to the end of the year.

It’s all good, though. I’m feelin’ good and not worried