text: Pro-life considers both woman and child The Sheaf April 10, 2014 12:00 am Opinions KATRINA BURNS The pro-life stance promotes solidarity for women through presenting concerns for both the woman and her unborn child. The pro-life position is often perceived to be all about the fetus. While there may be some individuals within the pro-life movement who think that way, the vast majority of us — including those who sit at the Students for Life table in the Arts Tunnel — see a much bigger picture. When I spoke with some of the volunteers at the pro-choice table — who were all lovely people — there was a lot that we agreed on. At the end of the conversation, one of them made the observation that I sounded very "pro-woman" — a comment I agree with. A lot of individuals who stop to talk to us at our table inevitably ask the hard questions about the life of the mother, rape and poverty. They often leave satisfied that we are empathetic human beings who do in fact care about the woman, not just about her unborn child. My heart breaks for women confronted with an unplanned or crisis pregnancy that they feel they cannot handle and it breaks all the more for women who are violated in the latter case through rape and sexual assault. These women have been the victims of a heinous crime and the offender deserves to be in prison. I can't imagine being in their shoes and I have no doubt that when rape results in pregnancy it is accompanied by feelings of resentment and anger. The pro-life approach aims to eliminate the crisis, not the child. Abortion does not undo the rape. Instead it adds another crisis for the woman to deal with. A woman in this situation needs our utmost compassion and support as she works through the trauma of the rape, her pregnancy and whichever option she chooses after the birth. As a club, we aim to support women by directing them to resources for the mother and the child. Abortion is a procedure that can have a multitude of grave effects on the health and well-being of a woman. These effects are often shrugged off as a myth, but research suggests otherwise. No medical procedure is without risks and it would be absurd to suggest that something as invasive as an abortion would be the exception to that. The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research offers a comprehensive look at the health implications related to abortion. Their book Women's Health After Abortion, written by Elizabeth Ring-Cassidy and Ian Gentles, includes the possible after-effects of abortion. Some of these are an increased risk of suicide, psychiatric problems, breast cancer and pre-term births in subsequent pregnancies. I would not wish any of these risks on any woman. Women should, at the very least, be informed of these and other risks associated with abortion so as to make a fully informed choice, as they would for any other medical procedure. I truly believe that carrying an infant to term — either to mother or to be mothered by another — is in the best interest of any woman. I further trust that it is in the best interest of the other human in question — the pre-born child. The question of whether or not the mother's life is in danger is inevitable. In these cases we must always remember that there are two lives we must work to save. There is a difference between prescribing an abortion when a mother's health is at risk and prescribing treatment that may as a side-effect terminate the life of the fetus. Medical attention striving to save both lives, even when it fails to save the life of the child, is certainly not morally objectionable in the same way that open heart surgery resulting in a death on the operating table is not. The pro-life position is naturally and fundamentally pro-child — the pre-born is human too. Just like the women who sit at the pro-choice table, I am pro-woman and support a woman's right to choose. I respect every human's right to choose pertaining to any aspect of their life. However, an individual's freedom to choose ends where it infringes upon the rights or property of another. The right to life is a fundamental human right and choosing abortion infringes upon that right of the pre-born child. — Photo: Katherine Fedoroff DaVinci "The pro-life approach aims to eliminate the crisis, not the child. Abortion does not undo the rape. Instead it adds another crisis for the woman to deal with." So instead, a woman should choose to deal with a permanent reminder of the rape? Kailee If you have not conceived a child due to rape then maybe you shouldn't speak for the women who have. http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/raped-women-who-had-their-babies-defy-pro-choice-stereotypes DaVinci now you are using a logical fallacy called "Courtier's reply", the "were you there" argument, which doesn't apply here. DO YOU HAVE TO BE RAPED TO KNOW THAT RAPE IS WRONG? DO YOU HAVE TO BE MURDERED BEFORE YOU CAN SPEAK ON HOW MURDER IS WRONG? You were not aborted but you are saying abortion is wrong. You haven't been in the place where you must make the decision of having or not having an abortion, so you shouldn't speak for women who are in that position of predicament. Kailee You literally just did the same thing lol, and how do you know that I haven't been in that position? I am not speaking for the women who have dealt with pregnancy from rape, I am letting them speak for themselves. The article I posted in my previous comment talks about what these women have to say. I'm not saying rape isn't wrong, I just don't think people should use the fact that pregnancy can occur from rape as an excuse to have elective abortions for any reason. And I'm sure if the millions of aborted babies each year could speak they would say that abortion is wrong. DaVinci So are you going to be raising those millions of potential babies that would've been born if they were not aborted? If not, then all your words are garbage. Regardless of the reason of why the women chose to terminate the pregnancy, it is her choice because she has the right to use her uterus anyway she wants and if the fetus can't live outside of her body on its own, then it's too bad for the fetus, or baby as you like to exaggerate it. You have the right to say you don't want an abortion if you were raped and got pregnant or however you choose to get pregnant, but you have to impose your choice on other women. Guest Let me try to understand your argument. You're suggesting that, unless a pro-life advocate is willing and able to adopt "millions" of babies that would otherwise be aborted, that her reasons for being against abortion are false? That doesn't seem right. If I threatened to kill all of the children in foster care unless you personally adopted all of them, your being unable or unwilling to do so wouldn't justify me going through with it. Surely there are some things we shouldn't let a woman do with her uterus. For example, no doctor who wants to stay out of jail and continue practising medicine will give a pregnant woman thalidomide. Although we respect her right to autonomy, that does not mean she gets to do whatever she wants. We'll ban a sleeping pill because it sometimes causes severe birth defects (including shortened or missing limbs, blindness, and damage to vital organs). If pro-life advocates are correct about the status of the unborn, we shouldn't allow abortion either (which is fatal almost 100% of the time). DaVinci "Surely there are some things we shouldn't let a woman do with her uterus. For example, no doctor who wants to stay out of jail and continue practising medicine will give a pregnant woman thalidomide. Although we respect her right to autonomy, that does not mean she gets to do whatever she wants." Excuse me, but people are allowed to do whatever they want with their bodies. Sex change operations are legal in Canada, hysterectomies are legal in Canada, so if removal of the uterus is legal, how is removing a fetus not legal? Oh, and by the way, in case you don't know, SUICIDE IS LEGAL!!! There are people who are terminally ill and suffering while nothing can be done about it, it is legal for them to kill themselves, so we are free to do what we want to our bodies. There are enough people in the world that we don't even have enough resources to take care of all the children in foster care and not all children who were put up for adoption will get adopted. If you choose to worry about the unborn when there are children already born that needs taken care of, then your priorities are out of whack. "You're suggesting that, unless a pro-life advocate is willing and able to adopt "millions" of babies that would otherwise be aborted, that her reasons for being against abortion are false? That doesn't seem right. If I threatened to kill all of the children in foster care unless you personally adopted all of them, your being unable or unwilling to do so wouldn't justify me going through with it." A woman is free to get an abortion and choose to not get an abortion…AS LONG AS SHE DECIDES IT FOR HER OWN BODY. A PERSON CAN'T FORCE A WOMAN TO GET AN ABORTION, SAME AS A PERSON CAN'T FORCE SOMEONE TO NOT GET AN ABORTION. You idea is to let those fetuses be carried to term, be born, get abandoned because the mother can't afford it, add to the population of foster children who are being abused and being improperly treated in foster homes, which contributes to more suffering while abortion can save future suffering from happening. Guest I'm sorry, but that doesn't really address what I said. There are certainly lots of things that people are allowed to do with their bodies. But if there's even one thing that shouldn't be permitted, then you cannot defend abortion by (loudly) declaring that "people are allowed to do whatever they want with their bodies" and calling it a day. As it stands, pregnant women do not have the right to take thalidomide because of the severe harm it can cause to their children. It's interesting and peculiar that abortion proponents are clamouring for RU-486 to be made available in Canada, despite the fact that it almost always brings about lethal harm (by design, not by accident). (as an aside, nobody in Canada is allowed to smoke crack cocaine or heroin whether or not they're pregnant. Though my point about thalidomide would still stand if that were not the case) You idea is to let those fetuses be carried to term, be born, get abandoned because the mother can't afford it, add to the population of foster children who are being abused and being improperly treated in foster homes, which contributes to more suffering while abortion can save future suffering from happening. Please at least try to come to terms with where I'm coming from. I think it's unfortunate and tragic that so many foster children are abused and mistreated. We have common ground there. However, I don't think it's acceptable to kill foster children to spare them from suffering. That would violate their right to life, and a just society ought to do better. And because I don't have reason to believe that an unborn child isn't human, or should have less of a right to life than a born child, or that abortion would not violate the unborn child's right to life, I cannot agree that abortion should be legal in order to spare a child from (potential) suffering. themusicgod1 > SUICIDE IS LEGAL [citation needed] themusicgod1 > And I'm sure if the millions of aborted babies each year could speak they would say that abortion is wrong. Good, you're capable of understanding the consequence of a million lives lost. Just so you know, every second that you do not prevent unnecessary lives from keeping us from getting off this planet, well over a million babies will never be born. That includes time you spent reading this post, and any time you spend rebutting it. If you are truly interested in the fate of the unborn, and 'pro-life' you would cease at once all attempts to control the minuscule amount of human beings that exist today, and devote every waking second, and every dollar you have to the pursuit of making humanity into a spacefaring species. http://www.nickbostrom.com/astronomical/waste.html DaVinci "Women should, at the very least, be informed of these and other risks associated with abortion so as to make a fully informed choice, as they would for any other medical procedure." How do you know they don't know what they're getting into? Abortion is just like any other procedure where doctors must tell patients what they are going to do before the procedure. DaVinci "I respect every human's right to choose pertaining to any aspect of their life. However, an individual's freedom to choose ends where it infringes upon the rights or property of another. The right to life is a fundamental human right and choosing abortion infringes upon that right of the pre-born child." What you just said right here is you agree with a woman's freedom to choose as long as she chooses to keep her fetus to term. That's almost like saying DaVinci almost like saying you agree with Canada should allow women to work as long as their workplace remains in the home. Jimbo It's too difficult to come down on one side or the other in the abortion debate. On the one hand, I'm really against women's liberties, but on the other hand, I'm in favor of killing babies. There's just no winning. DaVinci "A lot of individuals who stop to talk to us at our table inevitably ask the hard questions about the life of the mother, rape and poverty. They often leave satisfied that we are empathetic human beings who do in fact care about the woman, not just about her unborn child." You say you are empathetic human beings, remind me how many unwanted children are you willing to adopt from these women are not in a place to raise a child? Do you know how many children are currently in foster care and being placed placed up for adoption without any luck? How about taking care of those children first if you are so "pro-life". Leacock That is a fallacious argument it is like saying that you should have to be willing to raise your family in Sudden Valley if you are of the view that sex offenders should not be executed. There are many people in this country who deeply want to adopt, have you ever noticed how many people adopt children from overseas? It is in no small part because there so many people in this country choose abortion. themusicgod1 It is also in no small part because adoption is risky: abuse does happen, and there is a great amount of bureaucracy surrounding the ordeal, some of it justifiable by said risk(including other risks including those involved with borders). If we only looked at the rate of birth and adoption wrt abortion we would miss the bigger picture and tractable, albeit difficult problems in the adoption system. Ya right Another golden nugget of stupidity from the Sheat. A Sheaf Contributor Be the change you wish to see in the world. http://thesheaf.com/contribute/ PSK I'm on the other side of the argument posed by this article (i.e I am "pro-choice"). That being said I am irritated by this comment. Get off your high horse, kudos to the Sheaf for trying to present both sides of the argument. First you people freak out on the Sheaf for being one-sided, and then when they try to combat that one-sidedness, you freak out on them for posting "stupid articles"????? Seriously, what do you people want??? Steele_83 We want articles that are PROPERLY cited with solid evidence. I would be happy to listen to any pro-life person if they made valid claims. Not sensationalist garbage that appeals to peoples emotions. Emotion is important, but there is more to look at, especially with regards to such a controversial issue. Lane The Sheaf publishes submissions from any student with an interest in writing. The opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily that of the Sheaf staff themselves. Few articles are rejected unless they are offensive or libelous. For this reason, there will be articles on a range of heavily biased topics – especially considering that this is the OPINIONS section. It is a student paper that struggles to find volunteers as it is. If they turned away a submission simply because it was about a scandalous topic, what kind of newspaper would it be? You can't attack the media outlet for the opinions expressed by its writers. Anonymous This may sound backwards, but I used to be in favour of the "pro-choice" argument until I became a parent myself. After having my own baby, I understood the loss of personal freedom when you become a parent. It's like having your whole life taken apart — you never get to sleep or eat or shower whenever you want anymore. You can't go to the pharmacy to get supplies or groceries whenever you want. You can't go to school or have a job unless you can access child care, which is expensive and difficult to find. You are responsible for another human life for 18 years until they become an adult. Eighteen years is a BIG commitment. This should always, always, always be chosen. That's why I am pro-choice. No government or religious group should make that decision beforehand because each person's situation is different. I trust every person with a uterus to make this own decision for themselves. That's why I'm pro-choice. Leacock Adoption is an option, there are frankly many childless people in this country that want a baby and would be happy to adopt. CC Last time I looked there are many, many homeless and apprehended children to adopt into "good god fearing homes". Anonymous Destroying a fetus is a sad thing. However, in order to avoid this sadness, should we really force people to carry unwanted pregnancies to term and impose forced childbirth? It's like the pro-life position has an abstract ideal in their mind that destroying the fetus is always bad, and nothing else matters. Well, the human being who is pregnant matters. The mother's life and freedom is valuable. Although adoption can be a great thing, to suggest that this is an easy breezy solution in all cases is to ignore the mother's thoughts and feelings. To say that the mother should "toughen up" and put the baby's life before their own and go with adoption is to ignore the mother's thoughts and feelings. This might be surprising, but most pregnant people would take this decision very seriously. Just because abortion is legal doesn't mean that every pregnant person will choose that option just for the fun of it. Abortion should be available in those (hopefully rare) times that it is needed, when it is the lesser of two evils. Kailee What is more evil: giving a child life where they will have a chance at experiencing the good in this world or tearing them apart limb from limb and taking away any chance to do anything? I know not all kids have a great childhood but is that enough of a reason to put them out of potential misery they might have later in life? Some people can come from horrible homes full of abuse or neglect and really make something of their life, and also some people from loving homes decide to take their own life. The fact that we don't know how someone's life is going to turn out is why we can't assume an unborn baby will have a horrible one just because of circumstances in the parent's lives. Will a woman dealing with an unplanned pregnancy really hate or abuse her child once it's born? Of course some probably would but the to vast majority I would say no. And unfortunately, most abortions are done on healthy mothers with healthy babies, so they are not done when they are "needed." You should never need to kill someone just to suit your life better. C This article makes several false claims. 1. Abortion does NOT cause breast cancer. This has been studied by the American Cancer Society. (http://bit.ly/1imn2bA) 2. The American Psychological Association found that "severe negative reactions after abortions are rare and can best be understood in the framework of coping with normal life stress," and "[abortion] does not pose a psychological hazard for most women." (http://bit.ly/1h1AELL) 3. Reuters Health wrote an article citing various studies which showed that abortion is not a risky procedure and is actually 14 times safer than childbirth. (http://reut.rs/1qcCU5s) The author of this article also fails to mention some things about her only source: 1. The authors of the book mentioned both work for Christian/Catholic Universities (http://bit.ly/1fXrizR and http://bit.ly/1emrXHg) 2. The deVeber Institute's mission statement would suggest that the group has a pro-life bias. (http://bit.ly/1gyqvl5) "The right to life is a fundamental human right and choosing abortion infringes upon that right of the pre-born child." Would you also support forcing people to donate their organs or bone marrow so that someone else could live? The Canadian justice system has said no to this question, thereby putting an individual's right to bodily autonomy ahead of an individual's right to life. You cannot be compelled to give up an organ, even if your refusal to do so means that someone (an undeniably fully-formed human being) might die. "I truly believe that carrying an infant to term—either to mother or to be mothered by another—is in the best interest of any woman. I further trust that it is in the best interest of the other human in question—the pre-born child." In a study done of women who had given up a child for adoption it was found that, up to 20 years later, 75% of these women still experienced grief over their actions (http://1.usa.gov/1qomcOB).Women who give up children for adoption often experience guilt and shame, and may have difficulty forming new relationships. (http://1.usa.gov/1qomcOB).Children who are placed in foster care can develop Reactive Attachment Disorder, a condition which results from being unable to form a bond with a caregiver (http://bit.ly/1epISIT). Women who carry an unwanted pregnancy to term and keep the child are up to 3.6 times more likely to develop postpartum depression than women who wanted to have a baby (http://bit.ly/1iv4bez). Young children who were the result of unintentional or unwanted pregnancies have significantly less positive relationships with their mothers, score lower on vocabulary tests, and are found to be more fearful than children who were the result of intentional pregnancies (http://bit.ly/1lJfmmE). Unwanted children are more likely to be abused, do poorly in school, and engage in criminal activity (http://bit.ly/1hf2nst). Jenna At least you know the biases of the sources used. All people have a world view and set of beliefs, whether that includes organized religion or not. All scientists – religious, secular, what have you – are trained to recognize and put aside their beliefs when using the scientific method. Maybe possible biases are something that should in included in scientific findings. "I am pro-choice and find minimal evidence of negative after-effects of abortion". Also nothing definitively causes cancer. The article says "possible after-effects" include "increased risk of". It's just as vague as "[abortion] does not pose a psychological hazard for most women". Sounds like for some women it does pose a psychological hazard. Whether or not there should be legislation regarding abortion is an on going discussion. JMG The point here is that the article makes rediculous claims without backing anything up with evidence. In fact, the evidene available is contrary to everything the author has claimed. Yes, available evidence can be ambiguous and oftentimes evidence simply does not exist. However, I'd rather side with the objective facts and not just make claims that I hope support my position because it makes me feel better. JMG This is a fantastic evidence-based rebuttal to the extremely dubious claims made in this article. The author of the article is basically lying to themselves and others in order to justify their position and vilify abortion. I am shocked such a disingenuous article could even get published. Oh wait, it's the Sheaf… asd wikipedia evidence based lol Guest I don't think the author endorsed requiring anyone to donate organs or bone marrow to an unborn child. On the other hand, most opponents of abortion would support requiring parents to provide food and shelter to their children, even if the only way to do that is to use an intimate body part (ie breastfeeding after the child is born, or gestation before). The Canadian justice system also requires a much stronger justification for dismembering someone with forceps or a suction tube than refusing to give them your kidney. http://www.abort73.com/abortion/abortion_techniques/ T "I respect every human's right to choose pertaining to any aspect of their life. However, an individual's freedom to choose ends where it infringes upon the rights or property of another. The right to life is a fundamental human right and choosing abortion infringes upon that right of the pre-born child." I don't think you understand the meaning of "every" and "any". You support the right to choose YOUR way of thinking. The pro-life movement seeks to force their moral beliefs on others – grounded in their own religion or personal philosophy. The pro-choice movement doesn't make claims on the morality of abortion – we leave that as an individual choice for every woman faced with an unwanted pregnancy. If they feel abortion is wrong and they want to give their child up for adoption, or keep it, we will support their decision. Pro-life people say "Abortion is wrong;" we only say "Abortion is." no Sometimes moral beliefs are forced on others. "Murder is wrong" is a moral belief, and yet nobody is saying that you should be allowed to choose whether or not you murder people and then escape punishment. Many pro-life people seem to feel that abortion is murder, and shouldn't occur, which is in line with legal precedent. Of course, that argument relies on the idea that abortion and murder can be equated, which is the question at stake when deciding whether abortion should be legal or not. In fact, that would even serve as a valid argument against "abortion to save the mother" – legally you can't kill someone else to save yourself, even if that person would probably die if you do nothing and you will certainly die if you do nothing. One life = any other life in the legal context. Of course, I don't intend to say that law = morally correct 100% of the time. My point is just that suggesting that abortion is only a moral issue and banning it therefore has no legal bearing or basis in reality is stupid. I'm pro-choice but that is a shitty argument. a What an awful, inconsiderate article. Your only answer to peoples concerns about "the life of the mother, rape and poverty" is that it would be hard to deal with. You say you will try to introduce them to programs that will help their situation when you have never experienced that situation yourself. The programs you speak of supply the bare minimum to get by if they are lucky. You don't even mention babies of people with drug or alcohol problems. You go on to suggest that giving the baby up for adoption is the best solution. That will often make things even harder for the mother. She then has to have the experience of a full 9 month term of pregnancy and childbirth. She has to see her baby and then give it up and live with knowing her baby is out there and has to live without knowing the condition of the life that child has. You say you are pro-woman and pro-child. But you don't consider anyone other than yourself. Kailee No one is saying adoption is easy. It is arguably one of the most selfless acts someone can do, putting someone else's life above their own. Unlike abortion which is the exact opposite. Jenna Thank you Katrina for being courageous enough to voice an opinion that is counter to mainstream views. I really appreciated your article and the information it contained. close reader The deVeber Institute is a laughably biased source to cite on the medical outcomes of abortion, and it is intellectually dishonest of the author to selectively reference their discredited report. (From the Institute's website."In undertaking this work the Institute believes that a sense of the inherent value and dignity of human life and of the human person as an end and not a means is a foundational perspective to bring to bear on its work.") The author could have chosen to cite any one of many rigorous scientific reviews examining true research on this topic, but of course each and every one of these review finds that abortion is much safer than childbirth. Shame on the author for this intentional deception. Seriously? You're trying to spread anti-choice at a university? You know this is a place of higher learning, right? Ant If you extend personhood to a 3 month old fetus, you're required to also extend personhood to other brains of the same complexity or more. This includes cows, pigs, sheep, some birds, etc. If you think an abortion is murder, then you are obligated to admit that pork is murder too. lol Do you support murdering newborns? They are, after all, significantly less developed than an elephant (at least in terms of comprehension and self-recognition). And yet oddly enough the newborn is granted personhood and the elephant is not. I wonder why that is. Perhaps because the newborn will eventually be an adult? Kailee Or that the newborn is a human being, just like an unborn child? AB One of the stupidest articles I have ever read on the Sheaf. Can the author quote one article that demonstrates the link between breast cancer and abortion. I am interested as I am a physician and a health researcher myself. (V)(;,,;)(V) Why not Zoidberg? Not anything substantial and that hasn't since been discredited by a mountain of more comprehensive, higher quality studies. Here is a good summery of the ridiculous breast cancer-abortion proposed link. Interesting that anti-abortion proponents never bring up the handful of studies which show a slight positive correlation between early abortions and decreased rates of breast cancer. Yes those do also exist, but seem to be just as statistically insignificant. I hate it when bad science is repeated by laypeople with an agenda over and over as if the repeating of fictitious claim will eventually make it true. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion%E2%80%93breast_cancer_hypothesis SaraLynn This is a very well-written article that articulates how many people feel and I applaud The Sheaf for publishing a viewpoint that differs from the one it has already publicly described to . An article was published not long ago that consisted of nothing but unprofessional, opinionated attacks at the pro-life movement and this is the perfect rebuttal. Absolutely no portion of this pro-life editorial was disrespectful, the author merely attempted to explain her stance to those who chose not to engage the individuals at the table. Props to you, Miss Burns, for being professional, respectful and mature in light of the opposite being shown to you (as clearly illustrated by the comments). Both sides of the debate could stand to have more people like you. JMG I certainly can respect politeness but being polite does not mean the claims you make are true. Everyone is free to voice their opinion but it is unethical to spread false medical claims to support your argument like this article does. Anon I do not feel that this article is pro-women, or that the discussion brings about the fact that pro-life is also pro-woman and not just pro-fetus. We all have opinions, and by this stage in our life our opinions should be formulated on some sort of research/foundation of knowledge, and so regardless of the situation (whether positive or negative) when someone goes to make a decision (life or choice), they are usually already informed on what they deem to be "right" for them, and can talk to health professionals and use google etc to ensure the right choice does in fact get made. You may agree or disagree with the final decision, but it's not a decision that involved you or affects you in any way, and you will probably never know, and ignorance is bliss. So be blissful! Leacock Are you blissful about this? http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/meredith-borowiec-says-she-wasn-t-normal-when-she-left-babies-in-dumpster-1.2515932 She went to jail for that. But these babies had already left the womb so it is completely different right? disqus_KQ7gUikiB3 Im sorry but where is the mans say in this? It takes two to get pregnant. I understand that it is the woman's body but its unfair to the man who really wants the child. (V)(;,,;)(V) What about the man who really doesn't?… Are you saying he should have a say too? Leacock Well considering that he could be on the hook for paying childsupport and yet it is entirely the mother's decision whether to have the baby one would think he should have a say. The mother can just give the child up for adoption, meaning he cannot have contact with his child. Yet if she so chooses he could instead be expected to pay her child support. Allison Ooooh wow, one way men to not get to choose! What a bunch of privileged bullshit. Life isn't fair?? Get the hell over it because it's not fair that women have to give EVERYTHING up for a child. Get an education, seriously. Poor poor privileged men!!! Idiots. Stilldrankduringprohibitontoo I think sometimes that people forget that this issue of abortion concerns law. Although you may not 'wish any of these effects on any woman' and not be able to imagine how she feels, that doesn't mean that laws should be changed so that it will Be illegal for her to have any choices. Abortions still happen when it is illegal, but it is DANGEROUS AND TRAUMATIC in far worse ways than when done in a clinic, under medical supervision and with counselling available. Just because someone 'shouldn't get an abortion doesn't mean she won't. So how would you rather it happen? Leacock Why don't we just declare shop lifting to no longer be a crime so as not to traumatise poorly behaved youths? Emily Shoplifting is not equatable to an invasive medical procedure. Mary D Thank you for writing about this challenging topic Miss Burns! Although some of the comments below clearly do not agree, I believe that very few women would choose abortion if they believed they had another option available to them. Abortion is a last resort, and I hope that we can continue to work together to find a better solution for women. M If you become pregnant accidentally, you need to take resonsibility for your actions. Cases of rape and sexual assault are heartbreaking, but being hurt doesn't give you the right to take the life of a child to be. Now, if you just had unprotected sex or you weren't proactive in your sexual relationships/hook-ups/one-night stands…well, to be perfectly honest, that's too bad for you. The world doesn't revolve around you- deal with the consequences of your actions instead of selfishly rationalizing why you can't handle the mess you've made.


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The firm, which also owns the Nike Golf and Converse brands, said profits rose to $301m (£171m) on strong sales in the US of its upmarket athletic footwear.
Growth was also buoyant in China and Latin America, but sales slowed in Europe and Japan.
Future orders rose 2.5% compared with the same quarter last year, to $5.2bn.
However, this figure did not match forecasts.
"Future growth looks a little less robust than analysts had been expecting," said analyst Jamelah Leddy at McAdams Wright Ragen.
Competition builds
Nike is facing increased competition in light of a pending merger between Adidas-Salomon and Reebok International.
However, on domestic turf the Oregon-based firm has benefited from large retailers such as Foot Locker reallocating shelf space away from rival Reebok's products in favour of Nike Air Force 1 footwear and Puma's European-style shoes.
Additionally, Nike's expansion beyond traditional athletic shoe stores into general merchandise chains and sporting goods stores has helped boost US sales, the company said.
Chief executive William Perez said: "Strength in the US, China and Latin America [balanced] more challenging results in Western Europe and Japan."

subset: commoncrawl


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RF Heisey, Reds avert sweep with a victory over Pirates at PNC Park
For a while, Sunday felt like the last fall's NL wild-card game. Fans waved Jolly Roger flags, and chants of "Kwaaaayyyyy-toe" rained down in packed PNC Park, which was sold out for the 18th time this season.
Then Chris Heisey crashed the party.
The Reds' right fielder belted two home runs Sunday, including a game-winner in the ninth inning, to give the Reds a 3-2 win over the Pirates.
With the score tied and one out in the ninth, Heisey golfed a 93 mph, down-and-in sinker from Jared Hughes just inside the left field foul pole for the deciding hit.
"He did an excellent job hitting that pitch," Hughes said. "It was in off the plate."
The Pirates (71-65) have won three straight series against NL Central Division opponents as they begin an important 10-game road trip Monday. But for a while Sunday, it looked as if the Pirates would secure a series sweep.
Reds starter Johnny Cueto figuratively dropped the ball early when Josh Harrison began the game with a lead-off home run. In the second inning, Cueto hung a breaking pitch to Jordy Mercer, who smashed a solo shot to stake the Pirates to a 2-0 lead.
Just as they had done last October when the Pirates roughed up Cueto to advance to the NL Division Series, the crowd began chanting Cueto's surname, perfect for the exercise with its two lyrical syllables. The chants didn't seem to bother Cueto, who settled down to pitch six straight scoreless innings.
Also like last October, Francisco Liriano was matched against Cueto.
Liriano got ahead of Reds' hitters early and wiped them out with his slider. Liriano struck out the side in the first all on sliders, all swinging, just as he had often done last season in pitching the Pirates into the playoffs.
Liriano demonstrated better fastball command, starting 11 of the first 14 batters he faced with strikes. And for the second start in a row, Liriano did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, when Todd Frazier singled.
The Pirates need Liriano to be great as he was last season if they are going to push their way into the playoffs. Liriano has shown second-half improvement as he has returned to full health, posting a 2.78 ERA over 55 second-half innings compared to a 4.72 ERA in the first half.
After being dominant for four innings, Liriano walked Ryan Ludwick on four pitches to begin the fifth inning. Heisey followed by belting a first-pitch changeup for a game-tying home run.
"Everything was working. I was using both sides of plate, everything was down," Liriano said. "I just made a mistake in the fifth. … I feel great physically, and I feel I've been throwing the ball well the last month."
Liriano allowed two runs and five hits over seven innings. He threw a season-high 111 pitches.
The Pirates had a chance to break a tie in the eighth. With runners on second and third and two outs, Ike Davis lofted a fly ball down the third base line that Reds third baseman Kris Negron, with his back to the infield, corralled with a diving catch.
Because Cueto settled down, the Pirates never were able to get into the middle part of the Reds' bullpen. Flame-throwing Reds closer Aroldis Chapman ended the game with 100 mph heat, leaving the sellout crowd quiet — a stark contrast from last October.
Travis Sawchik is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com or via Twitter @Sawchik_Trib.


text:
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 08:40 AM
cal04 (41,495 posts)
TARP program now more than 90% repaid
Source: MarketWatch
The U.S. Treasury said Tuesday more than 90%, or about $380 billion, of the $418 billion spent under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) during the financial crisis as been recovered through repayments and other income. The update came after the Treasury said it'll raise about $7.6 billion by selling its final batch of common stock in American International Group Inc
Read more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tarp-program-now-more-than-90-repaid-us-2012-12-11?link=MW_home_latest_news
Treasury selling 234 mln shares in final AIG sale
20 replies, 2804 views
|20 replies
TARP program now more than 90% repaid (Original post)
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Response to cal04 (Original post)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 09:16 AM
Fedaykin (118 posts)
1. Now all we need to recover is the 16 Trillion
Last edited Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:32 AM - Edit history (2)
...the FED lent to banks here and abroad!
Please note I have amended my post above because I learned that the Monetary Control Act of 1980 says that a U.S. branch or agency of a foreign bank that maintains reserves at a Fed bank may receive discount-window credit.
So it was legal. That the Federal Reserve is indirectly funneling loans to foreign banks is hardly surprising. That European and other foreign banks were the main beneficiaries is nothing surprising too (from a NYT article):
Donald L. Kohn, the Feds vice chairman during the crisis, said that many foreign banks needed dollars to meet their financial obligations. The Fed arranged swaps with central banks in other countries to provide dollars, but the flow was insufficient...
For your further edification:
Senator Sanders dug out more information from the FED audit:
Fed Board Member Conflicts Detailed by GAO: Banks and Businesses Took $4 Trillion in Bailouts
June 12, 2012
WASHINGTON, June 12 - "More than $4 trillion in near zero-interest Federal Reserve loans and other financial assistance went to the banks and businesses of at least 18 current and former Federal Reserve regional bank directors in the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse, according to Government Accountability Office records made public for the first time today by Sen. Bernie Sanders..."
"...To read a report summarizing the new GAO information, click here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/061212DimonIsNotAlone.pdf "
Response to Fedaykin (Reply #1)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 09:21 AM
Lucky Luciano (7,690 posts)
2. There was no $16T cash given.
Most of that was short term guarantees that no longer exist. TARP was cold hard cash.
Response to Lucky Luciano (Reply #2)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 12:42 AM
Fedaykin (118 posts)
11. Here check this out... I wasn't referring to TARP
Alan Grayson Says Every Man, Woman and Child Gave Almost $100,000 to Banks
By: Sarah JonesNovember 29th, 2011
"A little Alan Grayson on the feds trillions of bank loans.
The newly discovered trillions loaned to the banks are not related to the TARP money and had no strings attached to it like TARP did. Grayson says every man, woman, and child in America paid almost $100,000 to the banks.These same banks then lobbied to keep regulations at bay. They got bailed out by our money and we got sold out by them.
Remember when we bailed out the banks but they didnt tell us which banks needed the help, because they wanted to protect the banks. Tens of billions of dollars in loans were also used by the banks in emergency loans that were kept a secret. Yes, you recall them telling us that they were solid so that their investors didnt pull out. Well, on top of all of that, they also took advantage of the feds lower rates.
Former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) tells Keith how an audit of the Federal Reserve shows that the agency play[ed] Russian roulette with the U.S. dollar over the course of more than $26 trillion worth of bank bailouts.
Grayson points out that we paid almost $100,000 per man, woman and child in America to bail these banks out without any congressional authorization. We paid them $100,000 and they cant cut us a break. They wouldnt even be in business if it werent for the American taxpayer. The fed also played favorites with the institutions (goodbye free market claims).
Response to Fedaykin (Reply #1)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 11:24 AM
bhikkhu (10,423 posts)
3. You might want to fact check that!
One of those nutty claims that sounds "too good to be true" if you're looking for a quick fix of anger.
The TARP program was a big risk that the administration took, but it worked as it was designed to, and cost much less than expected.
Response to bhikkhu (Reply #3)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 12:23 AM
Fedaykin (118 posts)
10. Wasn't referring to TARP
I said, now we can focus on getting the $16 Trillion back... Want citation?
First Federal Reserve Audit Reveals Trillions in Secret Bailouts
by Matthew Cardinale
"The first-ever audit of the U.S. Federal Reserve has revealed 16 trillion dollars in secret bank bailouts and has raised more questions about the quasi-private agencys opaque operations.
7000 metric tons of gold bars sit in the gold vault inside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York "This is a clear case of socialism for the rich and rugged, youre-on-your-own individualism for everyone else," U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, said in a statement.
The majority of loans were issues by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY)..."
Audit of the Federal Reserve Reveals $16 Trillion in Secret Bailouts
Posted about 509 days ago | 19 comments
"The first ever GAO(Government Accountability Office) audit of the Federal Reserve was carried out in the past few months due to the Ron Paul, Alan Grayson Amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill, which passed last year. Jim DeMint, a Republican Senator, and Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator, led the charge for a Federal Reserve audit in the Senate, but watered down the original language of the house bill(HR1207), so that a complete audit would not be carried out. Ben Bernanke(pictured to the left), Alan Greenspan, and various other bankers vehemently opposed the audit and lied to Congress about the effects an audit would have on markets. Nevertheless, the results of the first audit in the Federal Reserves nearly 100 year history were posted on Senator Sanders webpage earlier this morning: http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=9e2a4ea8-6e73-4be2-a753-62060dcbb3c3
What was revealed in the audit was startling: $16,000,000,000,000.00 had been secretly given out to US banks and corporations and foreign banks everywhere from France to Scotland. From the period between December 2007 and June 2010, the Federal Reserve had secretly bailed out many of the worlds banks, corporations, and governments..."
Bernie Sanders Exposes 18 CEOs who took Trillions in Bailouts, Evaded Taxes and Outsourced Jobs
By: Jason EasleyOctober 25th, 2012
"Sen. Bernie Sanders fired back at 80 CEOs who wrote a letter lecturing America about deficit reduction by released a report detailing how 18 of these CEOs have wrecked the economy by evading taxes and outsourcing jobs.
80 CEOs raised the ire of Sen. Sanders by publishing a letter in the Wall Street Journal urging America to act on the deficit, and reform Medicare and Medicaid.
Sen. Sanders responded to the lecture from Americas CEOs by releasing a report that detailed how 18 of them have helped blow up the deficit and wreck the economy by outsourcing jobs and evading US taxes..."
"...Many of the CEOs who signed the deficit-reduction letter run corporations that evaded at least $34.5 billion in taxes by setting up more than 600 subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands and other offshore tax havens since 2008. As a result, at least a dozen of the companies avoided paying any federal income taxes in recent years, and even received more than $6.4 billion in tax refunds from the IRS since 2008.
Several of the companies received a total taxpayer bailout of more than $2.5 trillion from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department..."
This is what I am referring to...
Response to Fedaykin (Reply #10)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:03 AM
bhikkhu (10,423 posts)
12. I read the report, and those were loans, not gifts
...consistent wit the purpose and authority of the Fed.
If there were no losses, and if they followed the rules, and if the accounting and reporting all stood up to scrutiny under the audit process, then why would you look at another agency that basically did its job, and say that they need to pay back $16 trillion dollars? When that isn't remotely what happened, and that isn't what the audit said at all?
The audit, btw, for anyone not inclined to read it ( here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/GAO%20Fed%20Investigation.pdf ), finds no fault other than that, in spite of things turning out fine, the risks might have been managed and accounted for better. For anyone who remembers 2008/09, the best way to manage that risk is to avoid it in the first place - good governance and honesty in government is essential.
Response to bhikkhu (Reply #12)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:56 AM
Fedaykin (118 posts)
19. Thank you
Yes, I have since amended my post above after learning that it was all seemingly legal.
There is some question as to whether The Money Control Act is constitutional.
As an aside, at the 2009 Congressional hearing, then-Congressman Alan Grayson caught Bernanke in a clear misrepresentation:
Bernanke again claimed that the authority (to lend to foreign banks) had been used numerous times before.
Grayson debunked this claim by pointing to Bernankes own report, which stated that the entire amount had been handed out starting from the last quarter of 2007, and the amount given out before that to foreign banks was zero.
Watch the clip below.
Bernanke said the Fed had a long standing legal authority to hand money to foreign banks under section 14 of the Federal Reserve Act, a claim contradicted by Bernankes own report, as Grayson soon highlighted. The NYT article graciously bailed Mr. Bernanke out by mentioning the 1980 Money Control Act, which still remains possibly unconstitutional.
Response to cal04 (Original post)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 02:05 PM
bvar22 (39,909 posts)
4. How can that be?
I have read repeatedly on DU that ALL the Tarp Funds plus Interest
were repaid years ago.
I wonder what the TRUTH is.
Response to bvar22 (Reply #4)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 02:15 PM
closeupready (29,503 posts)
5. Thank you. I was just going to say exactly the same thing.
For years now, many 'experts' on DU have told us that TARP has been paid back with interest, and that it actually made the Treasury money.
Now, this story reports that TO DATE, only 90% has been paid back.
So WHAT IS THE REAL NUMBER? 90%? 75%? 50%?
Response to closeupready (Reply #5)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 02:26 PM
Lucky Luciano (7,690 posts)
6. 90% paid back does not mean that
those parts not yet paid back ate worth zero.
The GM shares are well below breakeven, but they have value. Fannie and Freddie as well etc.
The stuff paid back by the banks, AIG, etc were profitable.
Response to closeupready (Reply #5)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 03:23 PM
Dokkie (1,688 posts)
7. And what %age
of that money paid back is in mortgage securities? Also consider the fact that most of those financial institution were given tax breaks while they were getting back on their feet. Paying out record bonuses.
Don't believe the hype
Response to closeupready (Reply #5)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:18 AM
karynnj (55,325 posts)
13. The confusion is that there have been many stories that bank X paid back everything - and a profit
was made. This ends up being repeated as the bankS repaid all the money and a profit was made. Clearly there are still some banks --- if they still exist, that did NOT repay everything. I know AIG was long one place where the money was not repaid - and now it is. One question I haven't seen an answer to is are future payments still being made and what is the expected total payback.
Sill, it is true that with 90% plus paid back, the cost was less than feared in 2008. One thing that should have been included was some fines on the very rich people who made the decisions that nearly collapsed the world's economy - in addition to paying back the loans and interest.
Response to karynnj (Reply #13)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:54 AM
JackRiddler (24,862 posts)
18. Hooray! Godzilla lives!
Godzilla was almost dead. What would the citizens have done without his guiding hand? Now, thanks to the rescue plan, he's destroying more of Tokyo than ever. And he's paid back most of his rescue debt! Hooray!
Response to closeupready (Reply #5)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:24 AM
bhikkhu (10,423 posts)
14. AIG was one weak point
The TARP program as it applied to the banking sector was all paid back with interest. Most of that was short term loans.
AIG was "rescued" by a large purchase of its stock, which is much more risky and hard to unwind. That's not a loss or a gain until the stock is sold, though it is a risk, of course. The GM bailout was similar. From a taxpayers standpoint, its good to hear the company is sound, the stock value is up, and that we can exit the market.
Response to cal04 (Original post)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 04:08 PM
midnight (26,624 posts)
8. Through April 30 the government has made commitments of about $12.2 trillion & spent $2.5 trillion
Adding Up the Governments Total Bailout Tab
Beyond the $700 billion bailout known as TARP, which has been used to prop up banks and car companies, the government has created an array of other programs to provide support to the struggling financial system. Through April 30, the government has made commitments of about $12.2 trillion and spent $2.5 trillion but also has collected more than $10 billion in dividends and fees. Here is an overview, organized by the role the government has assumed in each case.
Response to cal04 (Original post)
Tue Dec 11, 2012, 04:27 PM
fasttense (17,301 posts)
9. No not 90%
"The Bailout Scorecard
Last update: Dec. 10, 2012
Altogether, accounting for both the TARP and the Fannie and Freddie bailout, $605 billion has gone out the doorinvested, loaned, or paid outwhile $348 billion has been returned.
The Treasury has been earning a return on most of the money invested or loaned. So far, it has earned $93.1B. When those revenues are taken into account, $163.6B is the net still outstanding as of Dec. 10, 2012."
That's only 73% paid back.
Here's a site that tracks the real numbers: http://projects.propublica.org/bailout/main/summary
Response to fasttense (Reply #9)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:35 AM
bhikkhu (10,423 posts)
15. I wish that website were more clear
It details exactly where the money went out to and how much, but then when it shows inflows, its just a lump sum with no details.
The one thing that can be taken wrong is that part of the program "bailouts" wasn't gifts or loans, it was the purchase of assets and stock. In the case of GM, the stock purchases were intended to be medium-term, as long as it took to stabilize the markets and the companies, and then it would be sold on the open market. That has gone pretty well, as the health of GM and the sale of AIG stock indicates.
As far as Fannie and Freddie, those were more long-term purchases of mortgage assets . Which should take a very long time to sort out.
Its not a simple matter of giving money and waiting for it to come back; most of that is more like buying something with money, and then keeping it until its a good time to sell.
Response to fasttense (Reply #9)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:53 AM
JackRiddler (24,862 posts)
17. So if the taxpayers had rescued the Mexican cartels and the Gambino family...
and if said august institutions then paid back "most" of the rescue costs, it would be good news, at least by the standard being applied here.
Of course, the Mexican cartels and the Gambino family never engaged in speculation that caused food prices to spike with resultant mass starvation and deadly riots around the world, like Goldman Sachs and JPM Chase did in 2008, so it would have been morally more defensible to rescue them than to rescue Goldman Sachs.
Response to cal04 (Original post)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 01:48 AM
JackRiddler (24,862 posts)
16. And?
The criminal class who created the fraud and crash and most of its gangster institutions were rescued! Thanks to all the additional bailout mechanisms through the non-TARP bailouts, Fed/QEs, ZIRP and such, they have more hegemony over the economy than ever, suck more profits out of the productive sectors than ever, and continue to build up inestimable risks through a private derivatives market in the tens of trillions. This is "good news," everyone! Until the next crash! Hip hip! Hooray!
Response to JackRiddler (Reply #16)
Wed Dec 12, 2012, 02:38 AM
Fedaykin (118 posts)
20. Love the tongue in cheek...


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text:
"The Rise of the Alliance"
A "Star Fleet" Science Fiction Prequel story by Vanessa DeBryer.
Is it within the essence of all things? The age-old played-out story, looping over and over, around and around, again and again and again...That battle between good and evil. We see it in history, culture, religion, nature, and everywhere that life seems to be. Species battling for life, for supremacy, to procreate, populate, dominate, to rise and to fall. With fate taking a hand every now and then to stir things up a bit.
They say that there are no new ideas, that nothing is new, it's all been done before and forgotten and done again. Is not every possibility played out in the vastness of time and space? Can something loop back on itself, re-occurring in different ways for time immemorial? What develops as mere fiction in one time and place, could yet be happening, or may one day occur, eons into the future, or the far flung past?
How could we have known that? How could we have prepared? Such things do not really happen do they?...
The year is 1982.
A young lad scampered downstairs into the lounge, he could still taste the toothpaste on his lips as he switched on the television and waited for it to warm up. A picture slowly appeared as he frantically punched button 3 on the remote control. A familiar tune was nearly over, but he hadn't missed anything, it was just beginning. Star Fleet, an amazing space adventure show, and one that he was desperately trying to watch without being noticed. The action began, laser torpedoes firing, lots of flashes and explosions, and a big red robot, cool!
Barely had he settled down, legs crossed on the sofa, cushion hugged to his chest when his mum burst in, "what are you doing watching the television on such a nice day!" she boomed.
Then she glanced at the screen, "this is too young for you!"
Without further ado, amidst much protestations, she turned the TV off and dragged said child out of the lounge, pulling the cushion from his grasp.
"Now go and play with your brother outside" she snapped.
Just as she had turned off the picture, he had caught a glimpse of that strange, scary but somehow oh so very interesting character that so fascinated him. Sure, she was a "baddie", but as girls went, she seemed pretty cool, and quite a powerful if rather evil individual. Without really knowing why, he looked up to her, even though he knew it was wrong somehow. Thanks to the efforts of his mother, he never got to see much more of that show, he never knew how it all ended, but the seed had been sown.
As the years passed by, the memory faded but never quite disappeared, something had struck out for life and wasn't going to stop until it had won.
There are species, more advanced than ours, that have made their presence felt upon the earth, many moons ago.
For whatever reason, they chose, or were forced, to leave. There are clues of course, and the peoples around at the time did take heed of some of their most basic of methods. You only have to look into history to see ancient civilisations, distant ruins now, but well advanced for such times. How? Why? Who? Such questions are constantly asked by our historians. Is it all so easily explained away?
Scene 1:
The year is now 2000.
Mary Brady, a tall pale wiry woman, dressed in slightly gothic clothes, long brown hair flying about in the wind, skipped between the remains of the stony ruin she was excitedly examining. A session drummer by trade, she fancied herself as an amateur historian. She had always been fascinated by the ancients, the sophistication of the Greeks, the style of the Egyptians, the mystery of Atlantis and the lost Wonders, the treasures of the lost civilisations of the Americas. Indeed, as a tiny gesture of admiration, known only to her, she always did her eye make-up with a nod to the ancient Egyptians. A smile each morning as she remembered her secret homage.
Her own life had been a torrent of complexities, her mind still burning away, even now, under the surface. Is this really all there is? Not convinced by any religion, but maybe not quite a die-hard atheist either, she had yet to make her mind up about it all, and maybe she never would. Now, as she stood amongst the ancient ruins, fascinated by their very existence, and all the possibilities that that brings into her mind, darkness is out of immediate thought. But it would return, it always did. Is it depression? Or a madness of some kind? A defect in her makeup as a human? Some doctors had even diagnosed a type of schizophrenia. It was always a battle to keep it away, at bay, under wraps, out of sight. But inside, an indestructible beast growls, it wants to tear her apart, and everything around it, and no matter what Mary does, she cannot kill it.
Her friend, nay, her one time lover, The Captain, had known of this, but had proved to be the only one who could tame this beast. She always knew that the dashing Captain was special, how had this person coped with her violent self-destructive moods with seemingly a twisted alter-ego taking over, and known what to do? It was all beyond her. Tall, dark and handsome, he was the archetypal dream guy. She mused about the Captain's strange mutterings of not being from this earth, of being sent here to help her get better. And that they had done with some success, and Mary was still here after all that had happened. Yet the Captain was not with Mary any longer, the beast within her had lashed out again and again, and the poor Captain had eventually declared that it was not possible to help her fight her dark demons any longer. Although officially missing whilst flying a light aircraft, Mary secretly harboured thoughts that her Captain had actually gone back to the stars somewhere... No that was just silliness. "Don't think about it any more or you will just upset yourself again", she tried to tell herself. But in her heart she had loved him so, mysterious, distant, and so strong, oh how she missed him...Yet that other dark side of her felt victorious in sending him away.
Drying her eye she viewed the ruined Greek temple with interest, the detailed interest of a budding historian; How was it made, and why?
Her mind drifted again, as it was apt to do...
Mary had hated the drugs that the psychiatric doctors had prescribed, they made her feel like a zombie, so she refused to take them, even though this policy bought perils of it's own. She was trying to battle against her demons her own way. This was a risky business, she had gone out of control in the past. The demon inside trying to consume her whenever it could, and she had accepted death on so many occasions that it held little fear for her now.
Scene 2:
But at this precise moment all was well, her friend Pippa was with her and they were doing something that she felt was worthwhile and interesting. It would take her mind off the darkness within, and for now, it was.
As they climbed amongst the ruins, the huge pillars towered above, weathered and so extremely old, yet so well made. Such craftsmanship, Mary admired them, the few that remained standing were a testament to the ancients that had built them. She wondered how this had been done without any of the modern tools that are taken so much for granted now? What had this structure been all about really? She tried to imagine it in all it's former glory, lost in times past for a moment, until Pippa shouted:
"Hey Mary! Come on sleepy head".
"Coming Pippa!" Mary tried to say without any malice, she hadn't been sleeping!
"The sun is starting to go down" Pippa quipped, not entirely unaware of Mary's tone.
"Just a bit more then we'll go", said Mary, more pleasantly this time, and strode off towards an intriguing open line of sight, running through the ruins. Her mind, ever the inquisitor, was wondering what it was for. Pippa scrambled up to Mary and noted with mild dismay that she had got the bit between her teeth again. Pippa bit her lip and followed on behind, she knew how stubborn Mary could be.
The sun began to go down, a blazing ball of light, playing long shadows off the ancient temple ruins. It was still uncomfortably hot though, and the heat seemed to make Mary's temper even quicker, causing Pippa to tiptoe about, trying not to incur too much wrath.
Mary got to a strange large round stone, seemingly lying at the end of the pathway, and patting it she turned and saw the sun dipping down behind the keystones lying on the tops of the remaining Grecian pillars. The beauty and yet mystery and dilapidated nature of the ruin overtook her, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Her eyes closed and she was suddenly battling with her demons again. The darkness threatened to overcome her, and that part of her that was so gentle and feminine was suddenly afraid, and tears flowed. Without the Captain to help, the attacks were getting stronger. A flashback of her life blasted its way into her mind:
Scene 3:
She remembered being so consumed with negativity from such an early age. When had this started? She had often wondered. It was almost like another person would take over and push her out of the way. A dark and evil personality would come to the fore, and would exert a controlling influence over the way Mary's life panned out. Back then, Mary had started life as a boy; A voice inside his head, a nagging persistent voice that had been there for as long as he could remember was trying to guide him, to tell him, to convince him, to push him towards a different path. Maddening and continuous, picking away, constantly suggesting that something was wrong. He had tried to bury himself in his love for music and rhythm, even getting good qualifications, he was no idiot. Yet still, the demon persisted, and he began to hate himself. The hatred would spill out, and love for others would wane. He had remembered watching a program on TV about a possible meteorite hitting the earth and thinking selfishly "Good! I hope it wipes everything out". Such was the distain that was created when the darkness rose, boiling over like a black cauldron of contempt.
He had eventually surmised that the demon was caused by his total despise of his physical appearance. But had it been his own thoughts that had spurred him on to think that maybe he was really a woman, trapped in a man's body? A dysmorphia, as it is known. Had he been guided down this path, or had it been the right thing to do all along? Such a though was not arrived at lightly, it had been there, distantly nagging away at him for years. Suppressed for so long, it had become entwined with the demon that wrought such loathing and despair. Surely it could be tamed, satiated, banished forever by him daring to let out the inner woman? As time had passed, he had slowly danced with this other woman, had he not become possessed by her? He gradually decided he needed her to banish his dark side once and for all. This was not a path to be taken lightly, but he became so stubborn and determined, that nothing, friends, jobs or loved-ones, would stand in his way. Thus Mary was born, or ushered forth into the light. Sure there was pain, inconceivable amounts of the stuff, but she fought through, and succeeded.
Remembering that feeling of finally winning out, of looking down at the new body she now had, full of wonderment and joy, she felt she had made the right decision, but had it been her decision? She sought courage and made life her own. New friends and jobs came and went, no-one knew of her past. She was finally comfortable with her appearance, and standing, in the social and sexual world of men and women. But life was not perfect, you are what you are, and old skills and abilities run deep. She was finding out the hard way, how to make it in a man's world with the inherent lack of respect that men sometimes show women. She resolved to make them respect her, and some did, but she was still rankled by these new experiences. A dim and distant memory of a powerful female character, forcing her way in a male-dominated world seeped back into her mind. By using the singular power of possessing the abilities of both genders, she began to fight back, and got ahead because of these unique insights she had. To others, she appeared powerful, and not suffering of fools, needing things done her way, and stubborn to boot. A dragon even, but with a gentle heart... Yet the stability she craved was crumbling once again.
To her surprise and dismay, the darkness had not been banished, sure it had been subdued for a while, but it was returning, gaining power all the time. There was no loathing of her physical appearance this time around, her demonic alter ego sought mastery over it's new body.
Eventually this flip personality that had plagued Mary began testing her self control, and once again, the evil twin that had dominated her life threatened to take her over. Was this fate trying to right a wrong? Was it the ultimately misguided attempts of the Captain to keep Mary on the straight and narrow that were to blame? Sure, she was still alive, but was she just a ticking time-bomb, waiting to explode? The demon was hollowing her out from the inside, where had it come from? Or was it just that age-old fight between good and evil, playing itself out in such a terrible way within this poor mind? Maybe she was doomed whatever she did...
Scene 4:
Suddenly Mary snapped out of her flashback, Pippa was calling to her, "Hey are you OK?"
Mary thanked herself that Pippa was not close enough to see her tears, "I'm fine, just a bit overwhelmed by this whole place".
"I know what you mean, it's so amazing" said her short, blonde and bubbly friend.
A flash of contempt flew across Mary's mind as she thought "amazing? Is that all you can say", but she scotched the thoughts as best she could and got on with the task in hand of exploring the ruin just a little bit longer. The sun had dipped down even further as Mary examined the curious cylindrical stone, with it's own clearway through the ruin. There seemed to be a small, and very worn indentation in the top of the stone, in the centre of the flat topped cylinder. The stone was about 3 ft high, and Mary suddenly had an idea. Maybe just for fun, or to make a photo, or maybe it was something else that guided her hand, but she reached into her handbag and bought out a current favourite knick-knack she had been carrying around. Her bag was festooned with odd keyrings, charms, and little souvenirs of things she loved, it sometimes helped to keep the demons away. She could draw strength from them at times, and amongst these was a little photo-keyring she had created of an old character from her dim and distant childhood past whose strength she often wished for herself. Sure, not the ideal role model, but a powerful female figurehead nonetheless, whose bad-girl image had appealed to Mary's darker side.
She suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach, but had no idea why, as she took out a little resin figure of the Egyptian Cat goddess Bast from her capacious satchel. She had bought this recently while they were on a visit to see the sights of ancient Egypt.
The girls were on a tour of ancient landmarks from times past, it was Pippa's idea to help Mary keep her spirits up. Mary found the cat-shaped souvenir quite cute, and bought it out for photo opportunities whenever she felt so inclined. It appealed to her warped sense of humour, an Egyptian goddess at an ancient Greek temple ruin.
She took the resin figure, said to contain a "sacred" grain of sand from the ancient pharaohs lands, and popped it onto the top of the stone. She noted with surprise that the feet of the statue seemed to fit in the recess on the top of the stone quite well. "Look at that" she quipped to Pippa, "made to measure!".
Pippa was standing a few feet away but she could see the statue and giggled,
"Mary, this is Greece not Egypt".
But Mary's eyes were further afield, she had noticed that the sun was lining up with the pathway and looked like it would shine directly onto the stone. Now that would make a photo and a half, she thought, gesturing to Pippa to look at the sun's rays. Then suddenly she noticed the rock, partway down the path. It would block out the suns direct line of sight just as it dropped below the hillside on which the temple stood. With uncharacteristic panic, added to her usual stubbornness, she suddenly rushed down the path, past a surprised Pippa, and attacked the rock, trying to move it with all her might. Now this lump of stone had been lying there for quite a while, and was not going to be brushed aside so easily.
"Come and help me move this" she snapped at Pippa.
"Hey, don't hurt yourself, that will never move, and you know it silly!" said Pippa in a surprised but surefast tone. Mary turned and gave Pippa one of her stares, and her rage began to boil over. "Why is she getting so angry over this silly rock?" thought Pippa. Mary barked at her again and Pippa reluctantly came over to help.
"We'll never move this you know".
"Put your back into it!"
Pippa suddenly became aware of an urgency in Mary she hadn't seen much of before, as she began straining like mad to nudge the rock out of the way. Mary was now purple in the face and Pippa began to worry that she would really hurt herself, but also knowing Mary's stubbornness, she decided that the best thing to do was to help and shut up.
Maybe it was the fact that Mary had once been a man in the distant past, that gave her an almost super-human strength at times, although you wouldn't think that looking at her. She was quite the looker, never struggling to catch a guy's eye if she cared, and sometimes if she did not. But whatever it was, the rock suddenly moved, at least enough to satisfy Mary and she ran back to the stone to catch the spectacle of light she was hoping for. Pippa collapsed back on the grassy bank, amazed that her friend had the stamina to seemingly move mountains, and spring into life without so much as a caught breath. As Mary reached the stone she turned and looked at the sun, as close as she dared. Breathlessness finally overcame her and she put both hands on the stone as she stood to the side to let the light play onto it.
Scene 5:
Had fate intervened again, was this the prodding that the universe needed, to play out that ancient battle over again?
It was that time, the sun lined up exactly with the carved out pathway, and shone on the ancient stone, in a way that had not been possible for centuries, as the ruined rock had blocked it's path. Had this been deliberate or not? Well, maybe we will never know, as events now unfolded at a great rate.
The single grain of sand deep within the resin of the statue, nay trinket, that had been placed upon the ancient altar took the heat from the stone below. A certain, invisible wavelength irradiated from the stone, and Mary felt it warm up astonishingly quickly, too quickly for normal in her mind. Pippa stared as she sat on the side of the bank, the stone almost glowed as the fiery redness of the sun illuminated it's old friend once more. A high pitched noise took Mary's eyes away from the spectacle of the sunlight as it shone along the pathway, concentrating it's rays as if it knew the drill from times of old.
Mary's stare was drawn to the resin statue, the sound seemed to be coming from that. It almost seemed to buzz, and then the cat figure melted away in an instant. Mary's jaw dropped as the grain of sand remained, suspended a couple of inches above the stone, and it sparkled through the colours of the rainbow, faster it went, until just white light remained. The while light grew outwards in all directions from the grain, engulfing the entire stone and an astonished yet transfixed Mary with it.
And then, in an instant, a bright flash of light and Mary was gone.
Pippa's stare was forced away by the intensity of the light, the earth shook and a piece of the ruin toppled and fell to the hard stone ground, splitting and throwing up fragments large and small as it did so. Pippa was struck on the head and was knocked unconscious, and then another much larger fragment landed in the middle of the pathway. The sun was again denied it's sight of the special altar, and some tiny wisps of glass blew off the top of the stone, where the grain of sand had once been held.
Scene 6:
It was some time before a group of sightseers came across the crumpled near-lifeless body of Pippa. Not knowing what had happened, and no-one else being around, they took her back to the nearest hotel, where the medical services were called.
Maybe it was luck that she was deep in a coma, well, who would have believed her story anyway? Of Mary there was no trace, and this did achieve a small amount of publicity. A small tremor had been felt, the epicentre had indeed been the mountain where the old ruins were situated. But no other clues could be found, and without any testimony forthcoming from the only possible witness, Mary's disappearance was chalked up as yet another missing person. Her family distraught over the lack of ability, in their eyes, of the Greek authorities to mount a sufficiently thorough investigation.


text:
SIM.JS is a library for modeling discrete time event systems:
Briefly speaking, Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a technique to model a complex system in order to study its behavior. The system is modeled as a collection of states that change over time. Within DES, the time advances in discrete steps. We refer the readers to the excellent article at Wikipedia and the references therein as an entry point to this interesting field of Computer Science.
A typical model of a system includes (a) entities, which are the active actors in the system and encapsulate the state and logic of the system components, (b) resources, which are consumed by the entities, (c) communication primitives, to coordinate actions between entities across time, and of course, (d) statistics, which is the output of a simulation run.
Lets try to simulate a buffet-style restaurant. Customer arrive at restaurant, pick up food from buffet area (we will assume only one food item: salad), reach cashier for payment and leave the restaurant. The salad buffet is a finite resource, and is replenished every few minutes by the chef. In this restaurant the customers may have to wait at two places:
Simulation Objectives. We would like to find out: The average time spent by customers at the restaurant? The average number of customers inside the restaurant?
We observe first that the system has two resources:
var sim = new Sim();
var stats = new Sim.Population();
var cashier = new Sim.Facility('Cashier');
var buffet = new Sim.Buffer('Buffet', BuffetCapacity);
var random = new Random(Seed);
Lets start with the Entity Prototype for Chef first. The chef replenishes the salad buffer every PreparationTime interval. The code is very simple:
var Chef = {
start: function () {
this.putBuffer(buffet, BuffetCapacity - buffet.current());
Note here that the chef fills only the empty portion in the buffet. Next, let us look at the Customer entity. This entity prototype will generate request for all customers, where the time interval between customer arrivals is exponentially distributed. We will first look at the start function, which is somewhat similar to the start function of Chef. The customer will order (this.order(), which we will see next), and the function is called again after an exponentially distributed random delay:
var Customer = {
start: function () {
var nextCustomerAt = random.exponential (1.0 / MeanArrival);
The Customer.order() function models the actions of customers inside the restaurant. First we will log the arrival of customer (line 3) and record in the statistics object (line 6). The customer then request to get one unit from the buffer (line 8) and will execute the anonymous function (argument to done() function) when the request is satisfied. The request may be satisfied immediately, if the buffer not empty, or wait otherwise. In the callback function, we log again that the customer has cleared the buffer stage and will now proceed to the cashier (line 10). The service time at cashier is also exponential distributed (line 13), and we use the this.useFacility() function to request service from the cashier (line 14). The callback function here will log that the customer will now leave the restaurant (line 16) and we also record this time in the statistics (line 20).
1 order: function () {
2 // Logging
3 sim.log("Customer ENTER at " + this.time());
5 // statistics
6 stats.enter(this.time());
8 this.getBuffer(buffet, 1).done(function () {
9 // Logging
10 sim.log("Customer at CASHIER " + this.time()
11 + " (entered at " + this.callbackData + ")");
13 var serviceTime = random.exponential(1.0 / CashierTime);
14 this.useFacility(cashier, serviceTime).done(function () {
15 // Logging
16 sim.log("Customer LEAVE at " + this.time()
17 + " (entered at " + this.callbackData + ")");
19 // Statistics
20 stats.leave(this.callbackData, this.time());
21 }).setData(this.callbackData);
22 }).setData(this.time());
23 }
Finally, we create entities (lines 1 and 2), optionally set a logger function (lines 5-7), start the simulation (line 9) and report back the statistics (line 11).
1 sim.addEntity(Customer);
2 sim.addEntity(Chef);
5 sim.setLogger(function (msg) {
6 document.write(msg);
7 });
9 sim.simulate(Simtime);
11 return [stats.durationSeries.average(),
12 stats.durationSeries.deviation(),
13 stats.sizeSeries.average(),
14 stats.sizeSeries.deviation()];
You can play with this simulation model (in your web browser!).
Simulations have always been done in C/C++, so why Javascript?
The quality of simulations highly depends on the random number generation libraries. However, the JavaScript's native Math.random() function is not suited for Discrete Event Simulations, since:
This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPLv3)


text:
In January, Express-News Reporter Jason Buch profiled Edgar Valdez Villarreal, a U.S. citizen from Laredo who had risen through the ranks of a Mexican drug cartel. In high school, Valdez Villarreal was a jock who got the nickname "Barbie" for his light-colored eyes and hair. Years later in Mexico, he was poised to become a ruthless drug boss.
This week, Valdez Villarreal was arrested in Mexico and NPR featured an interesting interview with Jason yesterday about Villarreal. You can hear a Mexican ballad that extols the virtues of the drug lord, and how he's such an intelligent businessman. Great stuff.


text:
They're the mullet of cold-protective clothing. Half glove, half mitten — really, fingerless gloves with a handy mitten flip-top.
They are also fantastic.
Now, partly, this is a matter of personal opinion. But partly, it's just good science.
Before you spend your weekend outdoors, or take your next chilly commute, let's talk briefly about glittens — and the science that makes them superior hand covering. Read the rest