Disgraceful, Dangerous and Influential

This clip is so full of distortions and errors that it is hard to watch, but you want to watch 4.5 minutes of it to see how bizarre it is.  Glen Beck has enormous influence on people now considered the Republic base, or at least its tea-party-like part.  But notice who his target is, and what that means for us.

The person being discussed, Frances Fox Piven, has long been a target of Beck’s.  She a distinguished professor of sociology at CUNY.  Beck appears to think that her use of  “neo-liberal” refers to the Democrats; it is hard to tell whether he is ignorant or mendacious. 

“Versed”

There is “versed” in “She is well versed in Roman history.”

And then there’s “Versed,” which a medical friend told me yesterday, is known as the anesthesiologist’s friend.  E.g., suppose someone wakes up during their abdominal surgery.  Not a nice thing.  However,  a quick shot of Versed removes the memory, along with sending them back to sleep. 

I knew of the possibility of Versed through philosophical thought experiments, but I experienced the use of it recently, as reported here. 

The thought experiment:  How do you know you weren’t awake for the whole awful operation but just paralyzed and then given a drug which removed the memory of it?  It turns out this is technically possible.

Breast Cancer: The TSA does it again

It turns out that there is some metal in “tissue expanders,” which stretch skin so that a woman with a mastectomy can have an inplant for her breast reconstruction.  You don’t really need to know what the TSA can make of this, but here goes anyway:

From the NY Times:

The latest case involves Lori Dorn, a 44-year-old New York woman who learned in March that she had breast cancer. After tests revealed a high genetic risk for cancer, Ms. Dorn underwent a bilateral mastectomy in April as well as a grueling chemotherapy treatment that just ended in September. As part of her breast reconstruction, tissue expanders were implanted to stretch her skin before placement of a permanent breast implant.

But Ms. Dorn says that last week, on her way to San Francisco to visit friends, she was treated with hostility and humiliated after the tissue expanders were detected by a body scanning machine at Kennedy Airport in New York. She said the workers from the Transportation Security Administration would not let her retrieve a medical card explaining the implants, a situation she wrote about on her blog.

I told her that I was not comfortable with having my breasts touched, and that I had a card in my wallet that explains the type of expanders, serial numbers and my doctor’s information and asked to retrieve it. This request was denied. Instead, she called over a female supervisor who told me the exam had to take place. I was again told that I could not retrieve the card and needed to submit to a physical exam in order to be cleared. She then said, “And if we don’t clear you, you don’t fly,” loud enough for other passengers to hear. And they did. And they stared at the bald woman being yelled at by a T.S.A. supervisor.

I have been through emotional and physical hell this past year due to breast cancer…. I understand the need for safety when flying, but there is also a need for those responsible to be compassionate and sensitive to each situation.

Ms. Dorn said she is not opposed to being patted down, but believes she should have been given a chance to explain her medical situation and taken to a private area for the pat-down. She said a private pat-down was never offered.

She also says she still has several painful areas on her chest where her body is still healing. “The areas are very sensitive with or without touch,” she wrote in an e-mail.

If you go to the NY Times article you can read the TSA’s argument that proper procedure was followed.

Also:  it turns out that the TSA has issued an apology.  They also explain they have in place now a training routine that informs agents about dealing with prostheses.  It does, they say, require critical thinking.  Sounds like an opportunity for unemployed philosophers.

Friday, Oct. 7: Who is your heroine?

Hosted at http://findingada.com/

Do you remember which women have influenced you over the years?

Perhaps your maths teacher, one of your university lecturers, or a colleague?

This Ada Lovelace Day on October 7, share your story about a woman — whether an engineer, a scientist, a technologist or mathematician — who has inspired you to become who you are today. Write a blog post, record a podcast, film a video, draw a comic, or pick any other way to talk about the women who have been guiding lights in your life. Give your heroine the credit she deserves!

Hat tip: NewAPPS