sundries

[rm]

Folks, sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong, sometimes I don't have all the data, sometimes the answers aren't clear cut. I often assemble these sundries as I'm going through my day, which particularly means the "sometimes I don't have all the data" thing comes into play a lot. There are also lots of cases where I feel information should be out there, even if it's not information I feel qualified to make a thorough judgment on.

Anyway, last night (when I had no Internet! it's broken at home again) rosefox alerted me to this thread regarding an ICFA-related scholarship opportunity for PoC. Talk about: 1. me not having all the data at first (yikes!), 2. the situation not being clear cut (more opportunity for more people; GOH is Nalo Hopkinson vs. ugly RaceFail history) and 3. Me being entirely not qualified to say how anyone should proceed as a I am not an ICFA member/participant, a person offering a scholarship, or a PoC.

So! There's a scholarship opportunity. And there's some important concerns about it. And now you have links to both. As always, I appreciate when you guys have got more than I've got on things and can help me fail better.

Meanwhile! Patty and I are seeing Quartett at BAM tonight. It's based on Dangerous Liasons.

Link from keori: Alan Grayson truly gets how and why politics should be theater.

Bath & Bodyworks employee fired for being Wiccan. Thanks to hughcasey for the thorough write-up.

Large Hadron Collider now felled by birds and baguettes! No, really. Via firefly_124.

"Kiss me where I can't" -- Gilded Age Monuments and Secrets.

WHUT?

Apparently only men tell important stories. Wait, haven't I heard this before? From unpublished exes of mine that wanted my career to be as non-existent as their own?

via lipsum: What the whole God, guns and gays thing is really about -- one particular construction of masculinity as an excuse for irrational, fear-based behavior.

Instead of The Innocence Project's results being taken seriously, the involved students grades have now been subpoenaed to find out the "real motivation" for their justice-related work. Northwestern is refusing to comply.

LGBTQ issues that should be on everyone's radar right now? ENDA. Sadly, I imagine it will be a tougher sell in a bad economy -- the evil gays may take your job. Also, a moment of rage: President Obama, where are you? If you are such a strong advocate for my rights why not even one mention on the Maine situation? Why no emails to Dems in Maine before the vote?

I'm totally worried about how this whole Ft. Hood shooting thing is going to play out. We should probably be discussing the mental health of our soldiers, but instead, I (and many others) worried that it will just be one more excuse for anti-Islam rhetoric. On another note, the civilian police officer who stopped the shooter happens to be a woman.

I'm glad Precious is getting good reviews.

I am up to 7,247 words on ConSweet. The quality of some of my writing is going downhill, because I haven't figure out how to do everything I need to do, but the quality of my first draft writing is actually usually much higher than first draft quality, so me actually writing a first draft and Getting Shit Done is probably fine. Oddest thing current in book: a shopping cart full of pineapples.

via feyandstrange: Doctor Who cufflinks. The rubber Dalek ones are supercute I think. Ianto cosplayers, note Cybermen cufflinks; yes, I fucking dare you!

Comments

[malle-babbe.livejournal.com]

Re: the Ft. Hood shooting.

When the shooter's name was announced my first thought was "How many times are we going to hear 'Pres. Barack HOOOOO-SANE Obama' in the next few weeks?" What is also going to be interesting is how the fact he was a psychiatrist is going to get addressed. It is known that people who treat PTSD in others can develop it as well.

However, I have noticed that very often folks on the more conservative side of things tend to be skeptical of not outright hostile to the field of psychology. What with the whole "talking about feelings" thing and "effete", "elitist" self-reflection. That, or the accuse the profession of "finding excuses" for behavior. (rolls eyes)

That, and it took decades of advocacy to get PTSD recognized by the Govt as a "real" affliction for vets coming back from Vietnam. Will this incident cause mental health issues in the Armed Forces to finally be taken seriously, or will Dr. Hasan be used to accuse mental health professionals to be accused of being a fifth column?

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Will this incident cause mental health issues in the Armed Forces to finally be taken seriously

I'd love to believe so, but the precedent isn't favorable.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

He may have developed PTSD because of treating others, but he, of all people, knew where to get help. He had professionals to talk to -- other psychiatric specialists at his own facility or elsewhere.

He could have decided to file for conscientious objector status. He could have shared his violent thoughts and probably been put on mental health watch and deemed unfit for deployment....but apparently that was more effort than shooting and killing random unarmed people, including at least one civilian.

I'm a veteran and a spec ops military spouse, and I feel a lot more empathy towards the victims than this guy.

Of course some soldiers face PTSD and mental health challenges, but unlike a lot of other people in the US, they're also told over and over: YOU MAY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CLINICAL CARE AT ANY HOUR OF THE DAY FREE OF CHARGE.

[malle-babbe.livejournal.com]

That is what is most baffling about this case. He had ridiculously easy access to mental health care and *didn't* use it? He didn't have to file endless appeals to the insurance gods.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

All he had to do was walk next door and talk to another psych!

OR you know, talk to his commander, or a chaplain for his faith. There are tons of support options on military bases. TONS.

When I was shaky and upset after a relationship breakup, I called the mental health clinic and was seen immediately, like... 15 years ago?

There have been accessible mental health resources available to military people for a very long time, and everybody knows about them. ESPECIALLY MILITARY PSYCHIATRISTS.

He certainly had access to all sorts of instant help.