I had to take a chemical and biological safety training class today for the lab where I'm volunteering. It was 5 hours. I was told it would be 4 hours. Anyway, that's not the rant (since it wasn't so bad). Today's rant is about people who wear their lab coats outside of a lab/medical office. It's something the biological safety officer remarked on, and something I've seen way too many times to count.
Seriously people, the air can be quite full of allergens at the very least, not to mention dust and dirt- it's really not a bright idea to contaminate your PPE. You're going to contaminate whatever or whoever you are working with when you go back inside, whether it be patients (I'm looking at you, clinicians), animals (whose immune systems may not be prepared for the local environment), tissues, etc.
If you really want to be a good doctor/researcher/whatever, one step is to leave your lab coat at your desk. And if you have one just for wearing outside, you should really think about why you need other people to recognize your special coat.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
File under brains?
Today I went to watch the Mr. give a lecture about brain evolution, and why he studies birds. I sat in the back of the room, and directly in front of me was a woman (early/mid 20s, I would guess) with her infant daughter. Although I generally don't appreciate children in college classes, this particular lecture was part of a series that is open to the general public, so I thought nothing of it. The baby babbled some, but did not pose a real distraction for me. Apparently, other people did not have the same experience. Eventually, a faculty member came up to the back of the room, sat next to the mother and whispered "It's being distracting." Although I more often than not refer to children as "it" rather than by gender, it seemed a bit rude, considering that she was already implying that the woman should leave.
The main thing that bothered me was what the whole situation implied. We expect women who get pregnant to continue the pregnancy. Women who proclaim to be childfree by choice are regularly told that they'll regret not having children; they are told they're being selfish; they are asked how they could deny their husbands; they are told that when they do get pregnant, they'll change their minds. We expect women to want children. We expect women to be overjoyed upon becoming pregnant. There is an entire store in my town dedicated solely to baby supplies. On the flip side, we don't talk about Abortion in anything but the abstract. We don't talk about abortion as a procedure that we or someone we love has had. We expect women who have abortions to feel guilt and remorse. We talk with condescending tones about women who "use abortion as birth control." By the way, who are these women? I've never met one. They must be rolling in dough with lots of free time, because abortions are neither cheap, nor are they easy to obtain in many areas. When we do talk about abortion, it's in reference to women who are victims (of rape, incest, health, socioeconomic standing, etc), and not as something that a woman simply chooses to do in order to end an unwanted pregnancy. That's not to say that all women made a difficult or easy choice, only that women make the decision to abort for a variety of reasons, and not all women regret making that choice.
And yet, when a woman does make the choice to continue a pregnancy and keep the baby (because lets' face it, adoption is not really a viable, socially appropriate choice for an adult woman to make; after all, women are supposed to want babies, to give up your child implies that you don't, which implies other characteristics, but I digress), we don't have enough options to help the woman and her child. For all anyone knows, this young woman was a single mother with relatively limited means, who's babysitter got sick. Or she may have a significant other who was not able to care for the child today, and there was no one else she could trust. I don't know her circumstances. All I do know is that this woman was trying to obtain an educational experience and was effectively denied, because her daughter babbled (rather quietly, I may add). How can anyone expect cycles to break if we don't offer some form of support for women without the option of a nanny? It's easy to say that she should have just stayed home, but where does that leave us? That woman should not have had to choose between caring for her child (today) and caring for her and her child's future by improving her education. What this situation really highlights is just that: everyday there are people who have to make the decision to better themselves or provide for care today. And that's just not right. We are all supposed to have equal access to education, but we are effectively denying a large portion of the population. Because they did what society deems "right," they also have to give up something extremely important. And how, in this day and age, can a parent truly care for their child without having the means to improve their own socioeconomic situation?
I don't know how to fix this. Obviously, tolerance and understanding part of the solution. The lecture was only an hour, including the question and answer portion (during which people left, which was far more distracting than the child was). While I generally abhor people who chat during classes or lectures, or text for that matter, this was a baby who was not aware of social etiquette. A little patience would have gone a long way. Should schools or other public venues be required to provide childcare, when hosting a public event? I don't know, though if I were a parent I don't think I would trust some stranger to watch my child. I do think that as long as childcare remains not only "woman's work," but also the work of one woman, there will be no easy solution. More community support may be another part of the answer. Either way, I don't think we can move forward in the world, or rather how the rest of the world views us, if we continue to follow the idea that everyone has to help themselves alone. We are a social creature, no one can support themselves in a vacuum.
This, of course, does not speak to the inequalities that many other people suffer, but it is a problem. To compare how much worse or better someone has it is not my point for this post. People are regularly denied education, health care, housing, food, etc. My point for this post has been to highlight this one situation. I plan to discuss other social issues as they come up on my radar, which is quite frequent. I planned to have a separate blog for my take on social and political issues, but since they are as much a part of my life as my other topics, it only makes sense to bring them here.
The main thing that bothered me was what the whole situation implied. We expect women who get pregnant to continue the pregnancy. Women who proclaim to be childfree by choice are regularly told that they'll regret not having children; they are told they're being selfish; they are asked how they could deny their husbands; they are told that when they do get pregnant, they'll change their minds. We expect women to want children. We expect women to be overjoyed upon becoming pregnant. There is an entire store in my town dedicated solely to baby supplies. On the flip side, we don't talk about Abortion in anything but the abstract. We don't talk about abortion as a procedure that we or someone we love has had. We expect women who have abortions to feel guilt and remorse. We talk with condescending tones about women who "use abortion as birth control." By the way, who are these women? I've never met one. They must be rolling in dough with lots of free time, because abortions are neither cheap, nor are they easy to obtain in many areas. When we do talk about abortion, it's in reference to women who are victims (of rape, incest, health, socioeconomic standing, etc), and not as something that a woman simply chooses to do in order to end an unwanted pregnancy. That's not to say that all women made a difficult or easy choice, only that women make the decision to abort for a variety of reasons, and not all women regret making that choice.
And yet, when a woman does make the choice to continue a pregnancy and keep the baby (because lets' face it, adoption is not really a viable, socially appropriate choice for an adult woman to make; after all, women are supposed to want babies, to give up your child implies that you don't, which implies other characteristics, but I digress), we don't have enough options to help the woman and her child. For all anyone knows, this young woman was a single mother with relatively limited means, who's babysitter got sick. Or she may have a significant other who was not able to care for the child today, and there was no one else she could trust. I don't know her circumstances. All I do know is that this woman was trying to obtain an educational experience and was effectively denied, because her daughter babbled (rather quietly, I may add). How can anyone expect cycles to break if we don't offer some form of support for women without the option of a nanny? It's easy to say that she should have just stayed home, but where does that leave us? That woman should not have had to choose between caring for her child (today) and caring for her and her child's future by improving her education. What this situation really highlights is just that: everyday there are people who have to make the decision to better themselves or provide for care today. And that's just not right. We are all supposed to have equal access to education, but we are effectively denying a large portion of the population. Because they did what society deems "right," they also have to give up something extremely important. And how, in this day and age, can a parent truly care for their child without having the means to improve their own socioeconomic situation?
I don't know how to fix this. Obviously, tolerance and understanding part of the solution. The lecture was only an hour, including the question and answer portion (during which people left, which was far more distracting than the child was). While I generally abhor people who chat during classes or lectures, or text for that matter, this was a baby who was not aware of social etiquette. A little patience would have gone a long way. Should schools or other public venues be required to provide childcare, when hosting a public event? I don't know, though if I were a parent I don't think I would trust some stranger to watch my child. I do think that as long as childcare remains not only "woman's work," but also the work of one woman, there will be no easy solution. More community support may be another part of the answer. Either way, I don't think we can move forward in the world, or rather how the rest of the world views us, if we continue to follow the idea that everyone has to help themselves alone. We are a social creature, no one can support themselves in a vacuum.
This, of course, does not speak to the inequalities that many other people suffer, but it is a problem. To compare how much worse or better someone has it is not my point for this post. People are regularly denied education, health care, housing, food, etc. My point for this post has been to highlight this one situation. I plan to discuss other social issues as they come up on my radar, which is quite frequent. I planned to have a separate blog for my take on social and political issues, but since they are as much a part of my life as my other topics, it only makes sense to bring them here.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Is it Fall?
This is the earliest season change that I can remember. I lived in North Carolina for a year, but I don't recall when Fall started. Being from Florida, I'm cynical about seasons. It may feel like it's becoming Fall/Winter for a few days, and then it gets all hot again. Also, Halloween is pretty much always the first cool night of the year (my birthday is the week before, & I really love Halloween, so I tend to notice this).
As it is, it's quite cold overnight and into the morning (it was 43 F this morning) and we've found that the house we're in really holds the cold. So much so that while I'm wearing a hoodie or snuggie (yes, I said snuggie) until around noon inside, but don't really need it outside after around 9am. I finally turned on the heat today, to thaw out the kitties. It works and the kitties were able to come out of their blanket caves. Which is awesome, except now they're all sleeping on the assorted blankets and snuggie while my feet are freezing and all I've got is a hoodie. Thanks, kitties.
Exhibit A:
Snuggie thief
Our radishes are looking really good. The spinach is doing well too, they're just sprouting slower. The daisies have been the slowest yet. Silly flowers, get to growing! I should really take a picture of the plants soon.
I had big plans for today (take pictures of the garden, bake some cookies, READ) since I stayed home sick. Those plans did not happen, but I was sick! And I've got something going on with my sinuses, so my head is a bit fuzzy. I did take my books back to the library, so I didn't completely waste the day. And it's still relatively early, who knows what crazy productivity may happen yet! Maybe I'll get something for my sinuses.
As it is, it's quite cold overnight and into the morning (it was 43 F this morning) and we've found that the house we're in really holds the cold. So much so that while I'm wearing a hoodie or snuggie (yes, I said snuggie) until around noon inside, but don't really need it outside after around 9am. I finally turned on the heat today, to thaw out the kitties. It works and the kitties were able to come out of their blanket caves. Which is awesome, except now they're all sleeping on the assorted blankets and snuggie while my feet are freezing and all I've got is a hoodie. Thanks, kitties.
Exhibit A:
Our radishes are looking really good. The spinach is doing well too, they're just sprouting slower. The daisies have been the slowest yet. Silly flowers, get to growing! I should really take a picture of the plants soon.
I had big plans for today (take pictures of the garden, bake some cookies, READ) since I stayed home sick. Those plans did not happen, but I was sick! And I've got something going on with my sinuses, so my head is a bit fuzzy. I did take my books back to the library, so I didn't completely waste the day. And it's still relatively early, who knows what crazy productivity may happen yet! Maybe I'll get something for my sinuses.
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