tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81766918810223342972024-03-13T17:43:09.126-04:00My JourneyWelcome to my crazy life....Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger291125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-74144687956105380992016-03-24T21:23:00.001-04:002016-03-24T21:23:14.160-04:00Blog A Go Go, A Six Year Retrospection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgyWiuVbYLaziR4CbpmpRtt1H8vVV7xe2a2Jn4bXDAoQQTROXTTDsnHYXZ3r8jMc6EqJsLpbqf_MUw23vzym4DacTL79ewVf75zPxe0hBckXvYzYMvqRDlQaCh5hx0A3tAH4IYxFNS5A7/s1600/dac452b4c1629b4841553816652517d6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgyWiuVbYLaziR4CbpmpRtt1H8vVV7xe2a2Jn4bXDAoQQTROXTTDsnHYXZ3r8jMc6EqJsLpbqf_MUw23vzym4DacTL79ewVf75zPxe0hBckXvYzYMvqRDlQaCh5hx0A3tAH4IYxFNS5A7/s400/dac452b4c1629b4841553816652517d6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This blog initially served at a source of self expression, a path to self discovery, and in some ways a therapeutic venue. I began this blog over six years ago during a very tumultuous and dark period of my life. It was very interesting to scroll through the volumous amount of posts and see just how much growth has occurred in my life, and in the world as well. My very wise therapist, over six years ago, said to me, "write a blog and then look back at it years from now and you will be amazed at what has changed and how you have grown." She was right!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I look back now and think, wow, A LOT has changed. Looking back I can see what the face of depression looked like. I can see how I was seeking an outlet and to finally have a voice. I can also see what was important to me at the time, most of which remains important to me. I have, and always will be a fighter for gay rights as well as someone who is very open to sexuality and not afraid to discuss things openly and honestly. I think that scares a lot of people at times, sometimes myself. I am a firm believer that we, as gay people, have a culture and its very important to remember our roots and those that fought before us. These things will always remain important to me. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, its been well over a year since I have made any entries in this blog and I felt that it was time to get back to it. My blog has reached over half a million people world wide since its inception. While, on the grand scale of things, its still small, its important to me. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Grad school is over. It was a long four years, but a worthwhile four years. I never dreamt that I would be running a small business much less have a career as a psychotherapist working with the LGBT community. I have come a long way and I have a long way to go. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-67010485260977779502014-10-01T20:26:00.000-04:002016-03-24T20:49:49.013-04:00Gay Skinny Isn’t Straight Skinny: Surviving Being Too Fat in a Gay World and Too Thin in a Straight One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Gay Skinny Isn’t Straight Skinny: Surviving Being Too Fat in a Gay World and Too Thin in a Straight One</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I am currently a graduate student who is working toward becoming a therapist who specializes in LGBTQ counseling. I decided to take a Queer Theory class to better prepare me for this role. One of the assigned class presentations was about Gay Days, which is an annual event held both in Anaheim California and in Orlando Florida’s Disney World resort locations. The video clip that was shown during the presentation consisted of a montage of photographs taken at Disney’s Gay Days from years past. I sat and watched as a deluge of well muscled gay men with v shaped bodies, washboard abs, perfect tanned skin, and shaved chest hair all of which was clad in designer shades and tiny swim suits, whiz past on the screen. I looked around the room for a reaction from my classmates. Did they notice the obvious pattern too?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I thought back to my time spent in south Florida, particularly in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, both of which are considered to be a “Gay Mecca” for men. I have a large group of gay friends there that come from both Cuban and South American backgrounds, as well as a few that were born and raised in the Miami area, but they all have one thing in common, they are extremely body conscious. So body conscious in fact, that we all have a running joke about it. We call it the “South Florida Gay Diet.” This diet is very strict; one must have a lettuce leaf with salt for dinner, and then several vodka cranberries to follow. Dessert is a huge no no! Mustn’t be a glutton, because no one likes a fat girl in a Speedo honey!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Possessing now what I consider to be the average Pittsburgh gay body, I was in shock when I first started going to south Florida. The big eye opener was when I went to Haulover Beach for the first time. Haulover is a gay, clothing optional beach located in affluent Bal Harbor, which is part of North Miami Beach. Even on an off day, it is flooded with thousands of gay men seeking sun, relaxation, and more often than not, they are seeking attention. They strut up and down the beach in a show like fashion, like flamboyant peacocks using their ornate tail feathers to attract a mate, or in this case trying to draw attention to their bronzed, near perfect physiques. “Look at me and my hotness, and be in awe as I stare you down from behind darkened designer shades. “</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This particular time I was staying with friends in Wilton Manors (a.k.a the gayborhood), which is about a 30 minute drive from Haulover beach. While braving Miami traffic en route to the beach, I noticed several billboards in Wilton Manors along the way. There were billboards for liposuction with giant images of attractive men oozing sex from their every pore to demonstrate that yes, you too can look like this with a little nip and tuck here and there with the surgeon’s knife ! There were also numerous Billboards advertising laser hair removal for men to get rid of that pesky body hair that hides those perfect pecs, and plastic surgery for men to tighten those faces and hide the fact that you are really 50 with a surgically created 21 year old physique. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Finally after wading through traffic, I arrived at Haulover. I parked and walked through the giant hedge of sea grapes to be greeted with a pristinely white sand beach and azure blue water with a backdrop of shoulder to shoulder high rise glass towers full of luxury condominiums with ocean views. The beach was packed, and it was hard to find a clear space of sand to set up camp. I got settled in eventually after fighting for my space on the sand. I sat for most of the afternoon and watched all the lively activity going on. Every gay man on the beach, or what <i>seemed</i> like nearly every gay man, because the average bodied gay man was swept away in a flood of silicone, testosterone, and sinew, all looked like a carbon copy of each other. It was like watching a beach full of Ken Dolls. Each Ken Doll was nearly identical in body type only they came with the option of picking a different skin tone, hair type, and various accessories like designer shades or skin tight swim trunks that highlighted over exaggerated posteriors and even more obnoxiously bulging anteriors . Most of the Ken Dolls chose the no clothing option. I remember feeling very inferior and I clearly remember telling my friends that I felt the need to put a bag over not only my <i>head</i>, but over my <i>entire body</i> in order to fit in.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>For most of my young adult life I was thin, or at least thin by the straight definition. I am six foot two inches tall and my weight normally fell within the healthy standard set by the American Medical Association, that being between 175 and 185 pounds. It wasn’t until I came out, that my weight became an issue and a constant internal conflict. My straight friends would say “you are so skinny”, my gay friends would say “girl, you are getting a little thick, you need to diet!” It drove me crazy. I was too fat in the gay world, and too thin in the straight world. It never became a real issue until I went on a date with someone to whom I was very attracted. The date went well, or so I thought, but I never received a call afterward for a repeat performance. The guy was mutual friends with some of <i>my </i>close friends. I was told that he felt that I was too fat for him and that I would need to slim down before he would consider dating me. I weighed 180 pounds at the time. Certainly not fat, but I didn’t think that at the time. His comment devastated me and sent me spiraling into an obsession over my self-perceived, imperfect body. I starved myself down from 190 pounds to a very emaciated 158 pounds. I obsessed in the mirror about every ounce of fat. I worked out to the point that I had lines and curves just like those Ken Dolls on Haulover beach. I was a men’s pant size 28 and those began to become too lose. I dieted to the point that I couldn’t walk across a room without being dizzy and also to the point that my Mother asked me if I was “sick” which was her way of asking if I had contracted HIV. I had a straight coworker at the time tell me that she would never date a guy like me, not that I was asking to nor had I asked her opinion on the matter. When I asked why not, she replied that men should be beefy and stocky, not thin. I was too skinny for her. My gay friends, on the other hand, said “honey, you look fabulous!” This ultra lean body of mine didn’t last long, thankfully, because I realized that I couldn’t maintain that weight without feeling totally miserable. I like food and I like being able to enjoy a meal without feeling horribly guilty and running home to the mirror to self loathe every night. I also learned, years later, that my former date had a severe eating disorder and still does to this day. As I grew older, the need for perfection faded and I learned to somewhat accept my body for what it was. It is my body and what I was given to work with, although I still sometimes feel the need to obsess and be unhappy with my recently turned 40 year old body. After all, a lot of gay men in their 40’s have faces and bodies that appear to be decades younger. One slice of the scalpel and years fade away. One prick of the hypodermic needle and lines can be obliterated. A little silicone here and there and I could be a real man, right?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The message to gay men is quite clear. In order to be considered attractive you must look like the perfect specimen. You must have a body that looks like one of those marble statues of a Greek God. You must have a flat stomach with abdominal muscles that you could use to scrub clothing on with a rock solid chest, and you must have no body fat and little to no body hair. The message appears in various places, like billboards in gay neighborhoods, in various gay magazines, and especially on the television. The television series <i>Queer as Folk</i> is a prime example. Every actor on there was thin and had the stereotypically gay physique. Another show, <i>Will and Grace</i>, had a great line of dialog that illustrates my point. The main character was walking down a NYC street with a bag of carryout Chinese food. His friend flew past him on a bicycle and snatched the food from him and threw it in the nearby trash can while yelling “Gay skinny is not straight skinny honey!” If you leaf through any gay targeted magazine you will also quickly see my point. Page after page of advertisements and almost every one shows a shirtless hunk with the perfect body. It doesn’t matter what they are marketing, the model is the same. Selling real estate? Put an advertisement in with an oiled up stud in barely-there, low riding underwear filled to the brim with bulging, overexagerated manhood. Marketing drugs for HIV positive people? An oiled up, half naked man will do the trick to grab attention. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman';">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The question of why does this obsession over our male bodies happen, and exactly how far reaching is this problem, came to my mind. It appears that the problem is far reaching. Researchers Ilan H. Meyer, PhD, associate professor of clinical Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health and principal investigator, and Matthew Feldman, PhD, of the National Development and Research Institute, surveyed 516 New York City residents; 126 were straight men and the rest were bisexual men and women. According to the study results, more than 15 percent of gay or bisexual men had at some time suffered anorexia, bulimia, or at least certain symptoms of those disorders compared with less than five percent of heterosexual men. In contrast, sexual orientation did not seem to influence the risk of eating disorder symptoms among women. Researchers were puzzled by the cause. Dr. Meyer postulated that “"that the values and norms in the gay men's community promote a body-centered focus and high expectations about physical appearance, so that, similar to what has been theorized about heterosexual women, they may feel pressure to maintain an ideal body image." My opinion is that we as gay men have been chastised for most of our lives as having feminine traits. It is for that very reason that we overcompensate. We push ourselves to be the epitome of maleness. We obsessively push to have the perfect male form that exhibits everything that society dictates that straight men are supposed look like and be like; strong, lean, and full of muscle, with testosterone pouring from every inch of our bodies. The Ken Doll clones, in my opinion, will not be leaving us anytime soon. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sources</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; min-height: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: arial;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health (2007, April 14). Gay Men Have Higher Prevalence Of Eating Disorders. <i>ScienceDaily</i>.</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-37675802539539688842013-10-12T22:21:00.001-04:002016-03-24T20:48:48.179-04:00Whitewashed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6p419t6lgTjS1AIaRbZtUe5Cv-bC1WlNYWCiX0dT1Q_kh81lJ6hecxiLuO3BNrMVn2yft5mUMuYUi3uUtiO6A-UKCzyMc2cj9Sii9yIXfF8FwI24JTTMwcOin5Rg9CB4rkfQ3MI-rhlZI/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6p419t6lgTjS1AIaRbZtUe5Cv-bC1WlNYWCiX0dT1Q_kh81lJ6hecxiLuO3BNrMVn2yft5mUMuYUi3uUtiO6A-UKCzyMc2cj9Sii9yIXfF8FwI24JTTMwcOin5Rg9CB4rkfQ3MI-rhlZI/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>White walls, white ceiling, white floor</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>The slate has been whitewashed clean</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>
No escape no windows no door</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>What does all of this mean</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Vivid colors echo from my past</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Pain, pleasure, and blinding confusion</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>
Somehow I knew they would never last</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>
Perhaps it was all just some elaborate illusion</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b> Bustling cafes, exotic lands, and oceans so blue</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 8px;">
<b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">
Now I sit and stare at suffocating walls of </span><span style="color: #323333; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 12px;">alabaster</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>
Skies dark like pitch and storms that would endlessly brew</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>
Where have you lead me, fate, my master</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>A colorful bird left flightless in a colorless world </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="color: white; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b> </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-62332597642566170052013-10-12T21:01:00.002-04:002013-10-12T21:01:49.035-04:00Three Years and a Thousand Miles Ago.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQirlCHz0FVRUAudev1xAT71sZi0JH2kGD3EehHXEDex0RMjXYch9ct1qCwAPT7lUyGDD_tL0TUPCHtdfkvwO8HTAlGTVYkrdOALJnYoVtrnWGw-tZM0XpXYjHArRD85YH0ZeFZfv4fIX3/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQirlCHz0FVRUAudev1xAT71sZi0JH2kGD3EehHXEDex0RMjXYch9ct1qCwAPT7lUyGDD_tL0TUPCHtdfkvwO8HTAlGTVYkrdOALJnYoVtrnWGw-tZM0XpXYjHArRD85YH0ZeFZfv4fIX3/s1600/Unknown.jpg" /></a></div>
Wow. I logged in to look at my blog tonight because I had realized that I haven't been on here in over a year and a half. Sooooo much has changed in my life since I started blogging. A former friend, who was an avid blogger, told me to wait a while and then look back at all of my entries. He said that I would be shocked because a blog, when used for therapeutic purposes, is like a time capsule. <br />
<br />
When I started writing this blog I was in a very dark place in my life. I sort of knew that at the time but now when I read everything that I wrote during that time it makes me realize how dark it really was. I am happy to say that my life has progressed and things are on the upswing. Graduate school is going very well. I'll be done in a year and half and will hopefully be on my way to a brand new career and a brand new life. I met someone right around the time that I started this blog and that friendship has progressed into a full time relationship. For once in my life I took it slow and I think that it was for the better. I didn't leap into the proverbial fire. My life feels stable for once. No crazy drama. No stormy relationship full of anger and confusion. I feel like I am at peace and I am with someone who seems to be very supportive. My life finally feels on track. :)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-61839478662890756882012-10-03T12:00:00.001-04:002012-10-03T12:00:15.577-04:00The Fight for Gay Marriage: A New Civil Rights Movement?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQtACmsASZLnUsXgX0XbVssliwYXi7E9sCav5ajuaiylwNPIFQBCD7xIGa7_YnWayZtGp-PcD3gHKuFr6-LbGc5SGoDgh2pUkkraenVswvNBgtbuwd3I4ozvbv4ZYT6lP-5wDav5ab47I/s1600/Gay-Marriage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQtACmsASZLnUsXgX0XbVssliwYXi7E9sCav5ajuaiylwNPIFQBCD7xIGa7_YnWayZtGp-PcD3gHKuFr6-LbGc5SGoDgh2pUkkraenVswvNBgtbuwd3I4ozvbv4ZYT6lP-5wDav5ab47I/s320/Gay-Marriage1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Most individuals enter
early adulthood with the hope of finding a suitable partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They go on dates and enter into relationships
which for the majority result in marriage and eventually childbearing. Married
couples take for granted certain rights that come along with matrimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, married people assume that if
their spouse becomes ill, they will have full say in what happens to them
during their stay in the hospital, or even their end of life decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also assume that if their spouse dies,
they will be financially stable because they will retain their house and bank
accounts that were accumulated during their marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the right to adopt children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the right to hold their spouses
hand or to show affection to their spouse in public without shame, ridicule, or
fear of harm. They have the right to marry the person that they are in love
with and can spend their lives together without being judged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can live where they choose and not be
denied housing or a job because of their sexual preferences. Same sex couples
are not afforded these same rights that most straight people take for
granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fight for same sex marriage
goes way beyond just a religious battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a battle for equal rights on a political level.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Unfortunately
most anti-gay marriage supporters turn the debate into a purely religious
argument and neglect to mention or to examine all of the rights that are denied
based solely on sexual preference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
argue that homosexuals are tampering with what God defines as marriage, a union
between a man and a woman. For most gay and lesbian people, the focus is not on
changing a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">religious</i> right; it is
about gaining equal <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">human</i>
rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the United States, there are
over 1,100 rights associated with heterosexual marriage that gay people are not
entitled to (National Organization for Women, 2012). . Partners in same-sex
relationships cannot receive these important benefits that range from Social
Security survivor benefits to federal tax benefits to federal employee health
and retirement benefits. For example, married heterosexual couples are afforded
a financial boost from Social Security benefit programs that same sex couples
do not qualify for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some, the denial
of these benefits can mean spending retirement years in poverty (Michon, 2012).
. Same sex couples are denied spousal survivor benefits, spousal retirement
benefits, and lump sum death benefits. There are dozens of tax breaks and benefits
that same sex couples are disqualified for which result in the loss of
thousands of dollars for the individuals who are denied (Michon, 2012).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, same sex couples cannot file a
joint tax return which means that they cannot enjoy the same tax breaks that
married couples can. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Federal employment
benefits are also denied because most of them are tied to marital status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Examples of a few of these benefits that are
denied include </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">health
insurance for spouses, and wages, worker's compensation, health insurance, and
retirement plan benefits for the surviving spouse of a deceased federal worker
(Michon, 2012).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The denial of rights to same sex
couple does not stop at a financial level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also has medical and legal implications. The right to make end of
life decisions about a terminally ill loved one or even the right to visitation
during a hospital stay is not the same for same sex couples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gay people are not permitted to make serious
medical decisions for their partner in an emergency. Instead, hospitals are
often forced by state laws to consult the families even though they may be
estranged or hostile to the individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gay
people also have virtually no right to determine how a person’s ends of life
wishes are carried out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rights may be
overturned by the family even though a person’s will has clearly defined their
wishes (Michon, 2012). These rights can include custody decisions, funeral arrangements,
and real estate ownership decisions. Same sex couples may also be denied visitation
rights at a hospital or even at a loved one’s grave site or funeral if the
patient’s family wishes to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heterosexual couples do not face these situations because they are
guaranteed these rights by federal law. There are also major differences in the
legal arena as well. The concept of “legal testimony” is different for gay
couples versus legally married heterosexual couples. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
the legal system there is protection for heterosexual couples from having to
testify against a partner if he or she is on trial. . The other difference is
validity of defense testimony. Often a non-legal spouse’s testimony carries no
more weight that a stranger’s (University of Missouri, 2011).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">While
there are a few states that now allow same sex marriages, the majority of the
United States still does not recognize marriage between partners of the same
sex. Some states, such as California, allow same sex couples to register as
domestic partners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This distinction
makes no difference when it comes to most federal laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gay or lesbian couples, whether married,
unmarried, or registered as domestic partners are still not permitted
protection by the same rights that are afforded to heterosexual couples.
According to Section 3 of the <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">federal
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the federal government only recognizes marriage
between a man and woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that
even if a couples union is recognized by their state of residence, it is not
recognized at a federal level and therefore does not qualify for access to
those laws that grant marriage benefits (NOLO Press, 2011). </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-themecolor: text1;">As one can clearly see, the often religiously
tainted battle for gay marriage goes far beyond just a fight for religious
acceptance and change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a battle
for the right to equal human rights and for the right to survival, dignity, and
for equal protection by federal laws. Being able to walk down the street with a
loved one without fear of harm or ridicule and being able to enjoy the same
financial and legal rights as every other person is the real focus. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
References</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Equal marriage now. (2012). <i>National
Organization for Women</i>, Retrieved from </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>http://www.now.org/issues/marriage/points.html</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<i>Exploring constitutional
conflicts: The gay rights controversy</i>. (2011). Unpublished manuscript,
University </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>of
Missouri, Kansas City, Mo, .</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Michon, Kathleen (2012). Federal
marriage benefits denied to same-sex couples. <i>NOLO Press</i>, Retrieved </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>from
<a href="http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/same-sex-couples-federal-marriage-benefits-"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/same-sex-couples-federal-marriage-benefits-</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>30326.html</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-85271069883410107292012-09-12T11:17:00.000-04:002012-09-12T11:18:00.316-04:00Gay Bullying: Whats the Big Deal?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Michael
Bell</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Carlow University</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Professional Counseling Program </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Bullying:
What’s the Big Deal?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the fall of 2011, a Rutgers University
student was videotaped by his roommate while having sex with another male
student and then leaked to the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The student’s suicide brought national attention to the risks and
effects of bullying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bullying is a very
large issue in the gay and lesbian community, particularly among youth, and it
has widespread negative, and potentially lethal, effects on its victims. In the
past, not much was done to protect children from its effects and we are just
now starting to see much needed legislation aimed at changing this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a victim of bullying myself, and as a member
of the gay community, I can attest to its negative effects. I was harassed
quite frequently during my middle and early high school career for being gay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not only verbally harassed but
physically as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not do as well
as I could have in school and I suffered from school phobia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also suffered from low self-esteem even
into early adulthood and battled with depression and relationship issues
because of it. While my teachers were aware of the bullying, nothing was done
to stop it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past, not much was
done to protect children from its effects and we are just now starting to see much
needed legislation aimed at changing this. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Bullying
is universal; however GLBT youth is particularly at risk. According to research,
61 percent of students asked claimed that they knew someone who was called gay
or lesbian and 31 percent said that they themselves had been called gay or
lesbian as a form of harassment (American Association of University Women
[AAUW], 2000). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In another study, which
included more than 7,500 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 22, the results
were similar. Forty four percent of gay male participants said they had been
victims of bullying, compared with 26 percent of heterosexuals. For girls, 40
percent of lesbians indicated they had been bullied, while just over 15 percent
of heterosexuals reported the same (Bryner, 2010). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
effects of bullying can be quite profound because bullying often occurs during critical
social development periods of an adolescent’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children who are rejected by their peers
often display physical and relational aggression, tend to be hyperactive,
inattentive, and exhibit impulsive behavior (Berke, 2010).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bullied children often do poorly in school
because they more often than not have poor attendance (Pearson Video). Bullying
not only affects its victims academically and developmentally, it can also lead
to violence and even suicide (Brody, 2011).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gay and lesbian youth who are harassed because of their sexual
preference are nearly three times more likely to commit suicide than their
heterosexual peers (AAUW, 2000). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
risk is not only to the victim it is also to the person doing the bullying and
to others who are innocent bystanders. Children who have been harassed or
physically attacked because of their sexual preference are six times more
likely to carry a weapon to school (AAUW, 2000). If we examine past cases of
school violence, such as incidents like Columbine, we see that most of the aggressors
were rejected by their peers and were often the victims of bullying. Other
incidents, like the murder of Matthew Shepherd, illustrate how deadly bullying
can become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There
are recognized patterns for both bullies and their victims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typically a victim of bullying often is
introverted, suffers from low self-esteem, and does not conform to the typical accepted
gender role set by society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A recent article
in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> states that
bullying is not as much about sexuality as it is about gender non conformity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It goes on to claim that heterosexual youth
is just as much at risk as homosexual youth if the victims display any type of
atypical behavior (Brody, 2011). The person doing the bullying also exhibits
certain characteristics. Most children who are bullies tend to also suffer from
low self-esteem and exhibit ongoing social difficulties (Pearson Video).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Much can be done, and should be done, to
stop bullying in schools. Studies done by the AAUW show that laws, policies,
support programs, and inclusive curricula all seem to make a difference. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Students from schools with an inclusive policy
report that others are less often harassed in their school, because of their sexual
orientation or their gender expression (AAUW, 2000). Students who attend schools
with inclusive curricula also report less absenteeism and students say that
they feel safer while at school (AAUW, 2000). Studies also show that states
that enacted antidiscrimination laws reported a reduction in suicide rates
relative to the rates reported prior to enactment (AAUW, 2000). School based
gay-straight alliance groups also have a positive effect on adolescents. Studies
suggest that membership to these groups improve academic performance, increase comfort
levels with sexual orientation, create a sense of safety, and create an
enhanced sense of belonging to the school community (AAUW, 2000). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Bullying is a very large issue, which up
until now, has been primarily ignored and its effects minimized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much work needs to be done to create laws and
policies to protect today’s youth from its harmful effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Society is now only starting to take it
seriously and hopefully the momentum will continue to put a stop to this very
harmful and damaging act that so many children, not only in the GLBT community,
but in the community at large, fall victim to. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">References</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
American Association of University Women (2000). Hostile hallways:
Bullying, teasing, and sexual </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>harassment in
school. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retrieved from
http://www.aauw.org/2000/hostile.html<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
Berk, L. E. (2010). <i>Development through the lifespan</i>. (Fifth ed.).
Boston: Pearson Education Inc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
Brody, J. E. (2011, January 3). Gay or straight, youths aren’t so different.
<i>New York Times</i>, Retrieved from </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/health/04brody.html</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
Bryner, J. (210, February 3). Gay and lesbian teens bullied more than
heterosexuals. <i>Live science</i>, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
Retrieved from <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><a href="http://www.livescience.com/6048-gay-lesbian-teens-bullied-"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.livescience.com/6048-gay-lesbian-teens-bullied-</span></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>heterosexuals.html</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
*Pearson video retrieved from: http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_berk_lifespan_mydevelopmentlab_5/132/33977/8698261.cw/index.html</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-74721963436412132292012-08-15T21:26:00.002-04:002012-08-15T21:27:45.099-04:00Money Does Not Imply Manners!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
It has been a very long time since I have truly written
anything personal on this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not
sure why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it’s because I have
been so busy with school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Graduate
school requires a tremendous amount of research, writing, and reading and this
has occupied a lot of my time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought
it was time to sit down and do what I used to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Self-reflect and listen to myself and share
those thoughts and feelings on paper (or screen in this case).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The personal writing on here is as much for
my own benefit as it is for others to ponder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Actually, writing is a very therapeutic process as well as a way to
purge oneself of a lot of baggage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
I write it puts things into perspective and often times things that I have been
harboring for months come to the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hope that some of my ranting and ravings help others who might have
the same issues or thoughts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Tonight I watched an hour long interview with Lady Gaga and
Howard Stern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First off, Howard Stern
can be a bit over the top with his interviews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know this because I have listened to Howard for probably the last ten
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I thought he was the
most arrogant and bigoted pervert that I had ever heard but then he grew on
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He grew on me because he is
honest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lady Gaga, on the surface, comes
off as being sort of weird and very superficial but I have listened to enough
of her interviews and music to know that under that façade there really is a brilliant
and genuine person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
In her interview she talked about how she still lives in her
small apartment in Brooklyn and how that all the money really has not gone to
her head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is happy because she can
finally be herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought a lot
about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
David and I are invited to go to dinner this Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people that we are going with are very
wealthy and can be a handful to deal with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seems that the rule is that the more money you have the less censored
you have to be and it gives you automatic licensure to treat people with
disrespect. The discussion of what to wear came up in conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought to myself, you know what, fuck
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will wear what I want to wear and
if someone doesn’t like it, too bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
In the past, and I fully admitted this to David, I was a
bitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was into the club scene and the
gay scene. It was about dressing to kill, putting on appearances, acting like
you were somebody better than everyone else, being critical and mean to others
outside of your core group of friends (and even they would knife you when you weren’t
looking), and in general worrying about what everyone else thought of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought that I was happy when in reality I didn’t
even know who I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was what everyone
else wanted me to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was what my
family wanted me to be, what my friends wanted me to be, what my boyfriend at
the time wanted me to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was never
who or what I wanted to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has
changed greatly for me in the last few years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I am so tired of worrying about fitting in or about what
other people might think about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
at almost 40, its time to be who I want to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I explained to David, that I meant no disrespect to his friends but I am
done with being fake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often, when we go
out, I feel like I shrink down to nothing when I am with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cower and act reserved and I hide <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>myself to fit in and often times I have to put
up with rude comments and poor behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the past, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Now it’s a big issue. I
feel like I am selling myself short when I do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I AM an intelligent person and I do have a
lot to say and offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am more than
someone’s social toy of the moment and I refuse to be treated as one. I also
have learned that money does not equal intelligence or social grace. I measure
a person by who they are and what they have done with life, not by what they
have in their bank account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so
juvenile and in poor taste to throw ones money in other’s faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost want to say “big deal, so you have a
lot of money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you helped
anyone?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you cure cancer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you design the rocket that went to the
moon? Have you done ONE thing to help anyone other than yourself, not for social
gain or manipulation, but just because you wanted to do something good?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then shut the fuck up about your money!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always joke about
some of the “benefit” parties that I have gone too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conversation always goes like this…”hi,
nice to meet you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you heard about
all of my money?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I mention that I have
money?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can I tell you about all my money
for hours and hours until you want to slit your wrists from sheer boredom? “If
the conversation doesn’t revolve around them and money, it shifts to bitching,
backstabbing, and clawing at others by whom they feel threatened. God forbid if
they are upstaged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any attempt to have
any sort of intellectual conversation (other than politics that revolve around
money) will be quickly thwarted and the focus shifts back to talking about
themselves, money, and how they HATE someone else because of their money. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The benefit is never beneficial to anyone
other than the people there “donating” their money as some sort of political or
social power move to attain status or financial gain. It’s sad and so so
transparent. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Normally, when I meet someone I like to ask them about
themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do they do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What makes them passionate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What kind of person are they?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In normal exchange, people reciprocate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s normal to get to know one another to see
if you click.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past, I have gone
out with certain people with money and after an hour talking about their money
and the aforementioned backstabbing and clawing, I was asked what I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told them that I was a graduate student and
explained what I do for my day job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Normally, my response would have been “oh, tell me more about psychology”
or “so, what made you want to do that?” “What do you aspire to do?” etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This never happens, the conversation shifts
back to them and their money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
dismissed because I don’t fit into some sort of high society hierarchy. It is
soooo infuriating! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I also had a conversation with my parents tonight which
added fuel to the fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Father was
asking about school and how it was going and then went into finance mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He made a comment that sort of bothered
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said “well, I hope this all ends
up getting you a job that finally makes some money.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know where he was coming from, but it still
bothered me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally, after 39 years,
am dead sure about what I want to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wanted to do this when I was 21 and let everyone else talk me out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to help people and I want to be a
clinical psychologist that works with the GLBT community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a great lack of resources for our
community and it is very frustrating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have always felt that this was my calling and I ignored it for many of the same
reasons that I was worried about what to wear, or how to act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This brings me to the Lady Gaga interview. I
think that she speaks volumes and is honest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She said one thing that rang truth to me….she said that you have to be
very brave to be who you want to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Other people will criticize you, try to make you feel inadequate, and
will make things rough for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know
exactly what she means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For most of my
life, I have never felt very understood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My family never understood me because I was always different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People in high school never understood me and
often times my friends never did either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had two relationships, both of which were critical of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told that I didn’t make enough money,
or that I didn’t have the right degree, or that I needed to do this and that
and the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized that I am what
matters and that I am all that I have in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is up to me to succeed and to be what I want to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned that if you are not happy with yourself,
that you will NEVER be happy with anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does money matter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To some extent it does, because it sucks not
being able to eat and pay the essentials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Should it rule your life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Absolutely
not! I may never be a millionaire but when I die I will know that I did
something good in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I helped other
people and to me that means more than a giant bank account.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I also thought a lot about David and I shared this with him
as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the two years that I have
known him he has NEVER criticized me, told me that I didn’t make enough money,
or told me that I needed to change. At first, I took this as not caring and
then I realized that this is how it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">supposed
</i>to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what true
friendship is really about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accepting
someone for who they are and letting them be free. I apologized to him because
I have been the one saying you do this wrong and you need to change that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often times get upset because David is a
very caring and generous person and a lot of the aforementioned people take
pure advantage of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David is smart,
even though he will argue that he is stupid, but he never gives himself any
credit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes me sad and angry at the
same time to see someone that I care about feel like he has to put up with bad
behavior and being taken advantage of to feel like he is accepted and that he
is somebody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went through it…..now I
realize how stupid it was at the time to sell myself short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Friendship and love are funny things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes sometimes a lifetime to figure them
out and some people never do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so
very important to enter into a relationship (friendship or otherwise) because
you accept the person for who they are because they will most likely never
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me years of banging my
head off of a wall to realize that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-43453403445192136152012-06-18T23:38:00.001-04:002012-06-18T23:38:05.385-04:00Anxiety and Depression Study Results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:RelyOnVML/>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anxiety
and Depression Co-morbidity Rates</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Michael
Bell</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Carlow
University</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Anxiety and Depression Co-Morbidity
Rates</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Introduction</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">According to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, </i>fourth
edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association. [APA], 2000) depression is
defined as a mood disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mood
during a depressive episode is often described as sad, hopeless, and discouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other symptoms of depression can include
insomnia or increased need for sleep, lack of interest in things that were once
found pleasurable, low sex drive, decreased or increased appetite, agitation,
tiredness, and fatigue (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Anxiety is defined as “<span class="ssens">an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often
marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by
doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about
one's capacity to cope with it” (</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary</i> (11th edition), n.d., pg.107).</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The DSM- IV states that the criterion
for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) includes excessive anxiety and worry
which occurs for at least 6 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GAD
is characterized by the subject finding it difficult to control the worry and
it typically presents the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, trouble
concentrating, muscle tension, insomnia, and irritability (American Psychiatric
Association, 2000).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Narrow, Rae, & Rieger, 1988 found
that anxiety affects nearly 19 million Americans. A second study suggests that
the incidence rate of anxiety is nine cases per 1000 persons per year </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Murphy, Oliver, Monson, Sobol,
& Leighton, 1988). The DSM –IV suggests that anxiety disorders are one of
the most prevalent disorders diagnosed </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(American Psychiatric
Association, 2000).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Anxiety and depression, if left
untreated, can lead to serious psychological and health consequences. Untreated
depression can increase the chance of risky behavior such as drug or alcohol
addiction, can create issues with relationships, affect job performance, make
it difficult to overcome serious illnesses, and even result in suicide (Liew,
2012).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A recent study suggests that the
odds of having at least two chronic health conditions increases with the level
of depression (Liew, 2012).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rehna,
Hanef, and Tariq,2012 found that cognitive errors have significant positive <strong>relationship</strong>
with <strong>anxiety</strong> in both depressed and non-depressed samples. The
results showed that depressed participants exhibited numerous types of
cognitive errors</span>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Studies suggest that cognitive
behavioral therapy is very effective in the treatment of depression and anxiety
and may prevent mildly depressed individuals from progressing to advanced
stages of depression (American Psychological Association, 2010). Other
treatment options for anxiety and depression include systematic
desensitization, psychotherapy, and medication (American Psychological
Association, 1997.)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A recent study suggests that in 57% of people
who have depression, anxiety disorders preceded the depression and that in 18%,
depression preceded their anxiety disorders disorder ( </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lamers, van Oppen, Comijs, Smit,
Spinhoven, van Balkom, & Penninx, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">2011). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There
is also a suggestion of comorbidity with depression. Another recent study found
that of subjects with a depressive disorder, 67% had a current and 75% had a
lifetime comorbid <strong>anxiety</strong> disorder. Of subjects with a current
<strong>anxiety</strong> disorder, 63% had a current and 81% had a lifetime
depressive disorder ( </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lamers
et. al, 2011).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The purpose of this study was to examine
the relationship between anxiety and depression. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Methods</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Participants</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ninety-four friends and acquaintances
of graduate students in a research methods class participated in the study.
Participants were collected by a sample of convenience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All participants were over the age of
eighteen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Participants had no known mental
health concerns.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Instruments</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This study used the Costello-Comrey
Depression and Anxiety Scales (CCDAS; Costello & Comrey, 1967). The purpose
of the CCDAS is to measure anxiety and depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The depression scale [of the CCDAS] has
excellent internal consistency, with split-half reliabilities of .90;
split-half reliability for the anxiety scale was .70” (Costello & Comrey,
1967, pg. 213). The CCDAS has fair concurrent validity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Its anxiety scale is correlated with the
Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scales and the depression scale is correlated with the
depression scale of the MMPI. There is a small to moderate correlation between
the CCDAS and social desirability, suggesting some response bias may be
present” (Costello & Comrey, 1967, pg. 213). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Procedures</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sixteen graduate students in a research
methods class approached friends and acquaintances using a sample of convenience.
Participants had no known health concerns and were age eighteen or older.
Participants were provided with informed consent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Participation in the study was used as
consent. Participants were given the CCDAS and were instructed to complete it
to the best of their ability. Students collected the CCDAS in a manner to
insure confidentiality and anonymity. Scores were calculated according to the
instructions provided. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Results</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Data was analyzed using a software
package that calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results of
that analysis revealed a moderate relationship between depression and anxiety (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">r</i>=0.41, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">p</i>=.01, two tailed).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
results indicated a significant finding for this study of ninety-seven
participants. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Discussion</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This study examined the
relationship between depression and anxiety using a sample of convenience of
ninety-seven participants. The results revealed a moderate relationship between
depression and anxiety that was significant (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">r</i>=0.41, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">p</i>=.01, two
tailed). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The results of this study are
somewhat consistent with previous research. Numerous prior research studies
suggest that there is a strong positive relationship between anxiety and
depression. Murphy, Oliver, Monson, Sobol & Leighton, 1988, found that
nearly 50 percent of all depression cases also had anxiety associated with
them. This study found a positive relationship with only a seventeen percent
co-morbidity rate. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The limitations of this study
include a small sample size, and a sample of convenience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Participants were only administered one test
per subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is unknown if the participant’s
anxiety or depression was due to situational factors because the measurement
was used at one point in time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Future research should use a larger
sample size as well as a random sample, and multiple measurements across time
to attain a more accurate measurement of anxiety and depression.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This study examined the relationship
between depression and anxiety using a sample of convenience of ninety-seven
participants. The results revealed a moderate relationship between depression
and anxiety that was significant (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">r</i>=0.41,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">p</i>=.01, two tailed). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">References</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">American Psychiatric Association
(2000). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Disorders </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Revised 4<sup>th</sup> ed.).
Washington, DC: Author.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">American Psychological Association
(1997). Understanding depression and effective treatment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Washington,
DC: Author.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Costello, C.G. and Comrey, A.L.
(1967). Scales for measuring depression and anxiety, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Journal of
Psychology, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">66,
303-313. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lamers, F., van Oppen, P., Comijs,
H. C., Smit, J. H., Spinhoven, P., van Balkom, A. M., & </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Penninx,
B. H. (2011). Comorbidity patterns of anxiety and depressive disorders in </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
large cohort study: The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Liew, H. (2012). Depression and
Chronic Illness: A test of Competing Hypothesis. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal Of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Health
Psychology, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">17(1),
100-109. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (11<sup>th</sup>
ed.). (2005). Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Murphy, J. M., Oliver, D. C.,
Monson, R. R., Sobol, A. M., & Leighton, A. H. (1988). Incidence</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
Depression and Anxiety: The Stirling County Study. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Journal of Public</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Health, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">78(5), 534-540.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Narrow, W. E., Rae, D. S., Reiger,
D.A., NIMH epidemiology note: prevalence of anxiety </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>disorders.
One-year prevalence best estimates calculated from ECA and NCS data. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Population
estimates based on U. S. Census estimated residential population age 18</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>to
54 on July 1, 1998. Unpublished. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="medium-normal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Rehna, T., Hanif, R., & Tariq, S.
(2012). Cognitive Errors and Anxiety: A Comparison of </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="medium-normal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Depresed
and Non-Depressed Adolescents. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">European
Journal Of Social </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="medium-normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sceince., </span></i></span><span class="medium-normal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">27 (2-4), 309-318.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-4245066387556622712012-05-29T15:07:00.003-04:002012-05-29T15:07:25.877-04:00Cary Grant-Famous Hollywood Scandals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16415" height="608" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-35.jpg" title="CARY GRANT" width="573" />Here
is the simple truth about Cary Grant: he was the best and most
important actor of the last hundred years. He didn’t reinvent acting
like Brando, he didn’t fatten himself up like Robert De Niro or starve
himself like Christian Bale. He wasn’t burly like Gable, and he didn’t
smolder like Mitchum. Instead, he played slight variations on the same
character for the majority of his career, he wore a suit better than
anyone in Hollywood, and he made acting seem like living. Over the
course of his long career, Grant fixed standards of what it meant to be
“debonair” and “a man about town” — everything he did, on screen and
off, seemed inflected with panache and grace. Or, as my professor from
undergrad used to sum him up: “The man knew how to wear clothes.” Indeed
he fucking did. <span id="more-16007"></span><br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16416" height="612" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-48.jpg" width="476" /><br />
But the phrase “knew how to wear clothes” is a loaded one. To “know
how to wear clothes” is another way of saying that Grant embodied class,
which is to say <em>high class</em>: Grant wore well-tailored clothes,
and he knew how to hold himself in them. But he came from nothing, and
the way he wore clothes was just as much of a performance as his refined
trans-Atlantic accent, his acrobatic slapstick routines, and his
masterful flirtation skills. When a tailor returned a collar point even
an eighth of an inch too short, he sent it back. He understood that only
through attention to seemingly meaningless details could a
quasi-orphaned vaudevillian become one of the most enduring and beloved
stars of the 20th century.<br />
Rumors of Grant’s bisexuality swirled around Hollywood for years: was
he a man-about-town who liked to have sex with men-about-town? But as
evidenced by the story of Rock Hudson, Hollywood was adept at covering
queerness with a varnish of hyper-heterosexuality, and women fell at his
feet both onscreen and off. As will become clear, it was and remains <em>un</em>clear
whether Grant actually was bisexual or whether he simply reveled in
messing with anxieties sparked by two men living together. It seems
unlikely that Grant, a practiced comedian, would not have been amused by
befuddling as many gossip columnists as possible.<br />
But all that came later. Grant, born Archibald Alexander Leach, spent
the early years of his life in an unhappy home in Bristol, England. At
age nine, Leach’s father put his mother in a mental institution. He soon
remarried, abandoning young Archie to the care of the state. Leach was
expelled from school at 14 and joined a traveling stage troupe, quickly
mastering the art of stilt-walking. In 1920, at all of 16, Leach and the
troupe left Britain for a two-year American tour, from which he would
never return. He joined the American vaudeville circuit, spending a
significant chunk of time on the St. Louis stage and refining the
acrobatic, juggling, and miming skills that would serve him for the rest
of his entertainment career. You might laugh, but the sort of
immaculate movement control required of a vaudevillian is the same sort
of control necessary for intricate flirtation. This is why football
players are such bad flirts and ballet dancers and unicyclists, however
weird, are such good ones.<br />
After a stint on Broadway, Archie Leach moved to Hollywood, signed a
contract with Paramount, and changed his name to Cary Grant. From the
beginning, he was cast as wealthy and sophisticated, playing very young,
very rich, and very boring opposite Marlene Dietrich in <em>Blonde Venus</em> in 1932. Then Mae West (who deserves about five posts of her own — I mean REALLY, this lady was <em>happening</em>) selected Grant to play her love interest in back-to-back films — <em>She Done Him Wrong</em> and <em>I’m No Angel</em>.
The latter was a monster hit, but West was the main attraction; Grant
was just window-dressing. Yet this window-dressing nevertheless
attracted women, including his first wife, Virginia Cherrill, whom he
met at the premiere for <em>Blonde Venus</em>. The relationship had the
reek of a studio-arranged affair, especially when the two divorced a
year later amid rumors that Grant had become depressed and disillusioned
with his ready-made romance.<br />
Grant was pretty to look at, but seemed to lack charisma. So
Paramount let him loose, freeing him to sign as an independent with
Columbia and RKO, which cast him in a smattering of comedic roles,
including <em>Sylvia Scarlett</em> (1935) opposite a cross-dressing Katharine Hepburn.<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16417" height="467" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-54-640x467.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Grant’s comedic potential was clear, and Columbia paired him with Irene Dunne in <em>The Awful Truth</em>. I’ve seen nearly every classic screwball, but none bring down the house quite as effectively as <em>The Awful Truth</em>.
Like so many screwballs of the ‘30s, it centers on what Stanley Cavell
terms a “comedy of remarriage”: the film starts with a divorce, then
spends the remainder bringing the couple <em>back</em> together. (<em>Sweet Home Alabama </em>= 21st century comedy of remarriage.) In <em>The Awful Truth</em>,
Irene Dunne has left Grant for a new, very Oklahoman suitor. Two
summers ago I saw it in Austin, and the crowd was basically rolling in
the aisles, because the only thing that Texans like more than BBQ are
jokes at Oklahoma’s expense.<br />
There’s a brilliant moment when Grant, out to dinner with Dunne and
her Oklahoma suitor, watches as the two take the dance floor. Oklahoma
boy starts with some fancy dance moves that clearly embarrass Dunne. She
has no choice but to keep up, and super awkwardness ensues. But the
camera keeps cutting back to Grant, casually sitting at the table — he
watches the couple with slight disgust, but then, as the dancing gets
more and more ridiculous, his disgust turns to glee. (Start at 4:00 for
maximum ridiculousness.)<br />
That moment when he stands up and takes an even closer seat, crossing
his legs and folding his hands — it’s the finishing cherry on the
sundae of a scene.<br />
This brand of casually potent humor, purportedly based on the tastes of <em>The Awful Truth</em>’s director, Leo McCarey, would structure Grant’s image from that point forward.<br />
And so began what is arguably the best series of films by any actor EVER:<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16419" height="456" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-63-640x456.jpg" width="640" /><br />
All sorts of ridiculous and romantic in <em>Holiday</em> with Katharine Hepburn (1938);<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16420" height="516" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-74-640x516.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Playing a huge dork, complete with spectacles, in <em>Bringing Up Baby </em>(1939);<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16421" height="517" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-82-640x517.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Taking the role of the relative straight man in <em>The Philadelphia Story </em>(1940) with Hepburn again, only add the super-bonus of Jimmy Stewart at his most drunk and amusing;<br />
<strong><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16422" height="554" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-9-640x554.jpg" width="640" /></strong><br />
And, perhaps most hilarious of all, talking 500 words a minute in <em>His Girl Friday</em> with Rosalind Russell (1940).<br />
You guys, I could talk about each of these films FOR HOURS. I could
write a thousand words on each and just be getting started. I could
write a thousand words <em>just on the way that Katharine Hepburn holds her chin</em>, or the magnificence that is Russell’s wardrobe in <em>His Girl Friday</em>. But what really matters is that each of these films is a masterpiece, and I could watch them forever and never want for more.<br />
Part of their greatness stems from the writing. Part of it stems from
the inherent speed and intensity of the screwball. Part of it stems
from the fact that Grant’s characters were not attracted to beauty, per
se, but to beauty paired with wit and intelligence. But most of it is
Grant himself. Don’t mistake me: I love — <em>love!</em> — Hepburn,
Dunne, and Russell, even though the Russell was a bit of a wet blanket
away from Grant. But Grant provided the alchemy that made all four of
these films into classics: without him, they’re just genre pics.<br />
During this first period of success, Grant had been living, on and
off, with an actor named Randolph Scott. Grant and Scott had met on the
set of <em>Hot Saturday</em>, where both men played suitors to the same
leading lady. The two hit it off immediately and shared an apartment
until Grant’s first marriage in 1934. After Grant’s divorce, it was
24-hour bro-time, and the two rented a sprawling seven-bedroom Santa
Monica beach house, widely known as the “Bachelor Hall.”<br />
Here’s where it becomes unclear whether Grant was just making fun of
nosy gossip columnists or actually bisexual. The two had women over all
the time — but hey, George Clooney also has many, many (vetted)
girlfriends, and Tom Cruise has been married three times. Gossip
columnists warned that the couple had “taken things too far”: while
other stars posed for fan mag spreads with their wives, Grant and Scott
reveled in homosocial domestic bliss.<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16423" height="528" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-101.jpg" width="535" /><br />
Chillaxing on the diving board!<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16424" height="448" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-111-640x448.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Doing a little light reading!<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16425" height="610" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-121.jpg" width="570" /><br />
Playing floppy-trouser golf!<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16426" height="416" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Randolph-Scott-and-Cary-Grant.jpeg" title="Randolph Scott and Cary Grant" width="512" /><br />
Sculpting and jazzercising!<br />
Scott even signed a menu from a dinner party with “To my spouse, Cary.”<br />
So here are our options:<br />
1. Grant and Scott were gay and used the lady-parties as a cover.
They joked about being gay so as to deflect real anxiety about them
being gay.<br />
2. Grant and Scott were not gay, and found the anxiety over close male friendship amusing, playing it up for the press.<br />
3. We’ll never know whether they were gay or not, but Grant’s all the
more interesting because of the ambiguity, not to mention the presence
of high-waisted boxing shorts. Those calves!<br />
I vote for option number three.<br />
In 1940, the two co-starred in <em>My Favorite Wife</em>, playing rival suitors to Irene Dunne. Dunne and Grant had already proven their chemistry, and <em>Wife</em>
made it clear that Scott and Grant had it as well. But take it as you
will: if you want to read sublimated gay desire into the film, that
reading is available; if you don’t, that’s fine too. I support both!<br />
Grant received his first Oscar nomination in 1941 for his performance in the over-the-top melodrama <em>Penny Serenade</em>. And let it be said: this film is ridiculous. There are more flashbacks than <em>Memento</em>.
There are laughably faux Japanese sets, countless adoptions and baby
deaths, and we are asked to believe that Grant really, really cares
about being a good father. I mean, even the way Grant is crossing his
legs is ridiculous.<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16427" height="459" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-131-640x459.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Grant’s image encompassed many characteristics, but dedicated
fatherhood (at least at this moment) was not one of them. But as remains
true today, the Academy loves to honor a sad-sack maudlin performance
over a pitch-perfect comedic one, which is why Kristen Wiig will
probably get the shaft until she adopts a black child and teaches him
how to play football.<br />
In 1941 Grant also appeared in <em>Suspicion, </em>the first of many collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock. (Hitchcock: “Grant is the only actor I ever truly loved!”) <em>Suspicion</em>
is generally pushed aside in the Hitchcock pantheon, but it does
feature Grant at his darkest and most menacing, which leads me to block
it out of my cinematic memory the same way that I block Jimmy Stewart’s <em>Vertigo </em>creepface.<br />
In <em>Suspicion, </em>Grant naturally plays a handsome, charismatic
rogue who seduces an innocent young woman (naturally Joan Fontaine, best
known for not-being-Rebecca in <em>Rebecca</em>) and sweeps said woman
her off her feet, despite her family's objections. After the two marry,
it becomes super f-ing clear that the rogue is totally broke and married
Fontaine's character for her money. He gambles! He embezzles! His best
friend mysteriously dies while they’re away in Europe! He <em>makes queries concerning untraceable poisons!!! </em><br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16429" height="343" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-141-640x343.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Looking very devious during a high stakes Scrabble game</em></div>
AHHHHHH SHIT, Grant is totally trying to kill Fontaine for the
insurance money! Of course, this being Hitchcock, there’s something far
more psychologically screwed up going on, and Grant does not, in fact,
want to kill his wife. But the film marked the first of many times that
Hitchcock would play with moviegoers' expectations for a Cary Grant
character, highlighting the ways in which smooth exteriors distract from
generalized nefariousness.<br />
The film’s plot also mirrored Grant’s extra-textual life — mere
months after the movie's release, Grant began a whirlwind romance with
Barbara Hutton, Woolrich heiress, most eligible bachelorette, and, due
to her tragic upbringing and marital turmoil, best known as “America’s
Poor Little Rich Girl.” Hutton had already plowed through a Prince and a
Baron, it was only natural that she’d be paired with the most dashing
man on the big screen. Grant signed a detailed pre-nuptial agreement,
but the golddigger rumors stuck — OH, I DON’T KNOW WHY, MAYBE BECAUSE HE
STARRED IN THAT MOVIE WHERE HE MARRIED THE GIRL FOR MONEY?? — and the
two were dubbed “Cash and Cary.”<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16431" height="450" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MV5BMTYxODA1Mzk1OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzIxMzM2._V1.jpeg" width="345" /><br />
Like all studio-contracted stars during the golden age, Grant
continued to make two to three films a year. Between 1942 and 1949, he
appeared in <em>nineteen</em> films — highlights include the Hitchcock-directed <em>Notorious</em> (Ingrid Bergman is a nerdy doctor!) and <em>I Was a Male War Bride</em>,
which highlighted Grant’s capacity for masquerade. He and Hutton
divorced in 1945, and in 1949, he and an actress named Betsy Drake met
cute on a cross-Atlantic voyage on the Queen Mary.<br />
And boy was this Betsy a character. Her grandfather had founded
Chicago’s very chi-chi Drake Hotel, but the family had lost the farm, as
it were, in the stock market crash. She had grown up a drama queen,
switching schools TWELVE TIMES the way that only truly insufferable
people (or army brats) do. When an agent convinced her to sign a studio
contract, she got herself out of it by <em>having herself declared insane</em>. She fled L.A. to New York, auditioned for an Elia Kazan play, and went to go perform it in London.<br />
As the story goes, Grant saw her in this play, and they <em>just happened</em> to be on the same ship back stateside. He “begged” (seriously? can you imagine Cary Grant begging <em>for anything</em>?)
his friend and fellow Hollywood star Merle Oberon for an introduction,
and things went forward from there. After lots of canoodling and
above-board making out, Grant convinced RKO Studios to sign her to
another contract. (I don’t understand why RKO thought this was a good
idea; hello, previous insanity strategy.) Drake appeared with Grant in <em>Every Girl Should Get Married</em>
(1948) and WHAT DO YOU KNOW the two stars got married. In a private
ceremony. On Christmas Day. With Howard Hughes as the best man.<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16432" height="437" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-151-640x437.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Grant and Drake looking rather mismatched in </em><em>Every Girl Should Get Married<em>.</em></em></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This smells fishy to me. But it stuck for
nearly 12 years — well, okay, it was totally over in 1954, when Grant
started working with Sophia Loren and fell head-over-heels, as people
generally did when it came to Loren. But Grant, like many others in
Hollywood, started receiving then-totally-legal LSD therapy during the
disintegration of the marriage. At the time, one simply went to go
receive treatment — which usually lasted 8-12 hours — at an office, and
afterwards, when you were all loopy and jonesing for some tie-dye, you
were picked up by a friend at the end. Kinda like after dental surgery,
only less drooling.</div>
After trying LSD, Grant became its most visible advocate: he loved
it, and he especially loved how it helped him with his inner demons. For
a man who had worked so diligently to cultivate his suave, put-together
image, this was a huge deal. And he didn’t just mention it to a friend —
he told <em>Look Magazine</em> (<em>People</em> : <em>Us Weekly </em>as <em>Life</em> : <em>Look</em>)
that he took LSD because “I wanted to rid myself of all my hypocrises. I
wanted to work through the events of my childhood, my relationship with
my parents and my former wives. I did not want to spend years in
analysis.”<br />
Exchange “wives” for “unfortunate make-out sessions” and ME TOO, CARY, MEEE TOO.<br />
<em>Good Housekeeping</em>, which is essentially the most boring
magazine in America, even valorized Grant’s groundbreaking
experimentation with the drug, pointing to how Grant had “courageously
permit[ted] himself to be one of the subjects of a psychiatric
experiment with a drug that eventually may become an important tool in
psychotherapy.” In other words, millions of housewives were told that
getting high was AWESOME.<br />
During this LSD-infused period, Grant seemed to get more and more
tan. In reality, he was just appearing in movies that were in color. But
he did seem quite golden (accentuated by the use of ‘50s-era coloring
processes, which I could give you a 75-minute lecture on [I have totally
given this 75-minute lecture] regarding why it made faces look the way
they did, and why it made it easier for white people to play brown
people and thus allow Hollywood to continue its nasty, unstated boycott
of actual brown people). The most important of these films, however,
were all made for Hitchcock.<br />
<em>To Catch a Thief! </em>I mean, I realize this film is a
confection. I realize that anytime I mention it in a discussion of
Hitchcock I’ll get a giant guffaw. BUT YOU GUYS, there is so much going
on this film, like Grace Kelly at her coldest and most (arguably)
beautiful, Cary Grant in shorty shorts on the Mediterranean centuries
before Daniel Craig in shorty shorts on the Mediterranean, and a
distinct sense of Hitchcock making fun of all parties involved. And
Grant as a catbugler/confidence man is brilliant: who better to play a
man who plays at acting rich in order to finagle women’s jewels than a
poor boy who’s played at being rich all of his adult life?<br />
When you watch this clip, two things become clear:<br />
1. It’s not hard to see where the rumors of Kelly’s voracious sexual appetite originated.<br />
2. Hitchcock loves juxtaposing sexual tension with explosions.
Fireworks! In case you’re not picking up what Hitch is putting down:
THAT MEANS ORGASM, even if you couldn’t see it onscreen.<br />
Over the course of his career, Grant did a lot of firm embracing and
what I like to call “fish kissing” — the mouth opens, the couple moves
in, the lips touch, and then they just sit there, gills opening and
closing for the allotted period of time. “Fish kissing” developed
because the Hays Code forbade tongue kissing, but as a result, gilling
around and smooshing faces with Grace Kelly was the closest Grant ever
got to a veritable love scene. Which, if you think about it, is really
saying something: the sexiest man of Classic Hollywood didn’t need to do
full frontal. He didn’t even need to take off his shirt. He just
crossed his legs and raised his eyebrows. WOWZA.<br />
With Grant well into his ‘40s, the films just kept coming: <em>An Affair to Remember</em>, which is basically a Nicholas Sparks film, and <em>North by Northwest</em>,
a willfully confusing masterpiece, with Hitchcock again using our
expectations of Grant’s star image to psychologically and narratively
fuck us over. But <em>NxNW</em> also gave us one of the most enduring
images of cinema, with Grant, all suit and polish, stranded in the
middle of a field and sprinting for his life.<br />
As writer Todd McEwen declared, “<em>North by Northwest</em> isn’t a film about what happens to Cary Grant, it’s about what happens to his suit” — a suit <em>GQ </em>called
the best in film history. Having seen so much classic Hollywood cinema,
that is saying something, and that something is spectacular.<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16433" height="522" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-161-640x522.jpg" width="640" /><br />
All over Hollywood in the ‘50s, quality films were in decline.
Ironically, actors, especially ones with high asking prices like Grant,
were making fewer and fewer films, but the ones they did make were given
such large budgets that they <em>had </em>to succeed, leading to all
sorts of over-production. Too many spoons in the stew; too many chefs in
the kitchen; too few profits to go around. Grant was good, but this was
a different calculus, and my guess is he was probably pretty exhausted
by playing himself. By the time we get to <em>Charade</em> (1962), it’s
not that he’s too old for Audrey Hepburn as much as he lacked the
stamina to match Hepburn’s incessant doe-eyeing. Grant’s brand of
obstinate flirtation, always toe-to-toe with the likes of Hepburn the
Elder, here seems more like crotchety grandparenting.<br />
But unlike most Hollywood stars, Grant never underwent a true (or
public) decline. He kept up appearances, married a really, really young
Dyan Cannon (33 years his junior) and, in 1966, fathered his first
child.<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16434" height="476" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/610x.jpeg" width="610" /><br />
With the birth of his daughter, Grant retired from the screen to
dedicate himself to fatherhood. In 1970, he at last received an Oscar
for “his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and
affection of his colleagues.” In other words: Grant received an Oscar
for being so much more awesome than everyone else still alive in
Hollywood. He spent the last years of his life reveling in his own
silver foxness and doing ridiculous things like serving on the board of
Fabergé. Grant divorced Canon relatively quickly, married again, and,
after living a full and glorious life, passed away at the age of 82 in
1986, with more than 70 films to his name.<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16435" height="610" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-171.jpg" width="547" /><br />
When someone says another person is “Cary Grant-esque,” you know
exactly the way that man holds himself, exactly the cut of his suit,
exactly the way he appraises a situation and the people within it. You
know his power over women, his impeccable social timing, and his ability
to master the ebb and flow of conversation to his advantage. To be
Grant-esque is to be the immaculate socialite, sartorially refined, and
the object of affection and admiration. And such clarity of image, and
the exacting self-discipline it took to maintain it, must have been
exhausting. As Grant himself famously remarked, “Everyone wants to be
Cary Grant — even I want to be Cary Grant.”<br />
Which returns us back to the question of Grant’s relationships with
men. Grant admitted that his first two wives suspected he was gay, but
Betsy Drake shot down such rumors, asking “Why would I believe that Cary
was a homosexual when we were busy fucking?” TOUCHE, BETS.<br />
But I’m going to suggest something radical: we’ll never know whether Grant was or was not gay, and <em>it does not matter</em>.
What matters was that his image, for all its perfection, also had its
points of flexibility — living intimately with a man for long stretches
of time, doing cute man things together — that leaves the possibility
open. Grant made millions of women swoon, and millions of straight men
aspire to his likeness. But he also provided thousands of queer audience
members with the hope that famous, successful, high-profile performers
and homosexuality were not mutually exclusive, further suggesting
straight, high-class masculinity as an elaborate masquerade.<br />
Grant’s image was in many ways univocal — he played variations of the
same character, he seemed to be a ladies' man on and off the screen —
but it also had room for a voice of dissent, one that made alternative
interpretations possible and plausible. And this, in the end, is why
Cary Grant mattered and continues to matter: he could mean so many
exquisite, beautiful things to so many different people.<br />
<strong><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-16436" height="558" src="http://thehairpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Picture-181-640x558.jpg" width="640" /></strong></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-71576808549442630642012-05-29T14:54:00.002-04:002012-05-29T14:54:22.586-04:00Buster Crabbe Vintage Pin Ups!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveBi6T0NMYxP6BO75Th_Lg9MRDt539EcqllOSl9cC5KXLid94CTOsJ1Q89ViacQ3UReBtIF0IzEMRC09m4OHwLbW9gOjQtlgEYCj9B5OF8IJRKvPLUnDo8sC_eik2RjKlAbJaWMR35BCH/s1600/1250745800953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveBi6T0NMYxP6BO75Th_Lg9MRDt539EcqllOSl9cC5KXLid94CTOsJ1Q89ViacQ3UReBtIF0IzEMRC09m4OHwLbW9gOjQtlgEYCj9B5OF8IJRKvPLUnDo8sC_eik2RjKlAbJaWMR35BCH/s640/1250745800953.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTQn8yVngPpOUb_VZDPCK0M6d-ZmGp1hHL7QJA7KdFaiI83rB3EVH1wHeNLckO95-n7URoMWhIPR3L7Pktqye0x5p3HNYpJe04GUMtMlZ9ymUUHX2DoXgNcqbEHf168UTz3EheIcCULU-/s1600/5538780934_cbc0d29f51_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTQn8yVngPpOUb_VZDPCK0M6d-ZmGp1hHL7QJA7KdFaiI83rB3EVH1wHeNLckO95-n7URoMWhIPR3L7Pktqye0x5p3HNYpJe04GUMtMlZ9ymUUHX2DoXgNcqbEHf168UTz3EheIcCULU-/s640/5538780934_cbc0d29f51_z.jpg" width="496" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyXW6I4wvWs_oSenPiPviazInG37XuGQxH5vonp6pEIqRLoeByMRB490cO_UG8l80pRAn4TkCUuLYmMzbRma0DXPy8seIBO7bdine_pt-3J-BBnbrTC3C8Wt0PcsdAaIG6GeSyYqqpinY/s1600/6a0105364a8fba970c01538e95fd55970b-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyXW6I4wvWs_oSenPiPviazInG37XuGQxH5vonp6pEIqRLoeByMRB490cO_UG8l80pRAn4TkCUuLYmMzbRma0DXPy8seIBO7bdine_pt-3J-BBnbrTC3C8Wt0PcsdAaIG6GeSyYqqpinY/s640/6a0105364a8fba970c01538e95fd55970b-800wi.jpg" width="470" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnVCPhPsvHngJw4xWf0MNPS_wUOT8E-X3q43qIitO1iicBXh3MpHHsAn9EDhhHNHigKO10_Or9bohBIlY1mSbmMjK4MSfPaQocZ5nqmufuDKw1ITqCDOMN-jGz3LD-DdoMBMkP-srqnV/s1600/buster+crabbe039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnVCPhPsvHngJw4xWf0MNPS_wUOT8E-X3q43qIitO1iicBXh3MpHHsAn9EDhhHNHigKO10_Or9bohBIlY1mSbmMjK4MSfPaQocZ5nqmufuDKw1ITqCDOMN-jGz3LD-DdoMBMkP-srqnV/s640/buster+crabbe039.jpg" width="564" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRrukSB7-OiOngDb_R87BFQ_nprzhDt2hHES1oZlDlqOFI7JjeRA6Zx-0diCncKrHMRCS3MmLCyPNSoX7_iHuYMdTLADBf5GBfqN-tvKqyxB43JzLn4j7IT99-Fs2KQcTrc4urwZvRzts/s1600/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRrukSB7-OiOngDb_R87BFQ_nprzhDt2hHES1oZlDlqOFI7JjeRA6Zx-0diCncKrHMRCS3MmLCyPNSoX7_iHuYMdTLADBf5GBfqN-tvKqyxB43JzLn4j7IT99-Fs2KQcTrc4urwZvRzts/s640/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" width="505" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-72468658291740025172012-05-29T14:46:00.001-04:002012-05-29T14:46:21.343-04:00Vintage Hunk: Buster Crabbe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 class="node-meta-text">
Vintage Hunk: Buster Crabbe</h1>
<br />
<div class="content">
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
"If the role required it, I guess I'd strip... If you have the body, you do it."<br />
Buster Crabbe - <i>After Dark</i> interview, 1972</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
When I was growing up in Nebraska during the 1950s, television was a
wondrous new thing— for everyone but me! We got our set late, probably
in 1954, even though all the other families had one. What I knew about
the new device was that it ruined playing after school. Everyone would
fly home and sit transfixed in front of the dreaded black box. As they
only showed test patterns until noon, you can imagine how lousy the
programs were. One day I gave up and advanced on the dreaded box. (Sort
of like becoming a pod person in <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i>!) What I first saw changed my life forever.</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
They were showing the old <i>Flash Gordon</i> movie serials every
afternoon. I became hooked. Seeing Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon in
combat with the dreaded Ming the Merciless thrilled me completely. I
really liked the blond Crabbe and still could not figure out why I was
so attracted to him. As I was soon to hit puberty and gay awareness set
in, I finally realized that man as a gorgeous hunk. I don't think I knew
that word then, but all my instincts told me he was beautiful. Looking
at him gave me strange stirrings, though later they did not seem so
strange!</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe was born in Oakland, California and
was raised in Hawaii. He was a swimmer and won a Bronze swimming medal
at the 1928 Olympics, then a Gold Medal in 1932. Beautiful, blond and
built, Crabbe was snapped up by Hollywood where he became the king of
the movie serials in the 1930s. Buster was actually the only actor who
played Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers in separate movie serials.
Buster's main competition in the loin cloth department was fellow
Olympian Johnny Weissmuller, who found fame with the MGM <i>Tarzan</i> feature films. <i>Time</i>
magazine succinctly described their differences: "From the neck down,
Crabbe easily equals Weissmuller as an attraction to female audiences;
from the neck up, he is a vast improvement."<img alt="" src="http://www.gay.net/sites/gay.net/files/imce/BusterCrabbe5.jpg" style="float: right; height: 317px; margin: 5px; width: 400px;" /></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i>Hmmm.</i> Female audiences?</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
The <i>Flash Gordon</i> serials were easily the most popular of the
decade. Running before a feature film, many kids attended the movie
just to see Flash. They told the tale of Flash visiting the Planet Mongo
where he confronts the evil Ming. With pretty Jean Rogers as his love
interest Dale Arden, and Frank Shannon as the good doctor Zarkov, <i>Flash Gordon</i>
was exciting, fun and sexy as hell. The real triumph of the series was
the great Charles Middleton as Ming. Wearing a wonderful three pointed
cape outfit he was constantly planning torments for our blonde beauty
Buster Crabbe. My mother made me a Ming outfit for Halloween during that
period, and seventy years later Ming's interest in the nubile young man
has a whole new subtext, but we probably should not go there. Crabbe
died his hair blond for Flash Gordon but he was totally self conscious
about it. He kept his hat on because, he said he did not like men
whistling at him!</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
In the 1950s Crabbe had his own TV series called <i>Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion</i>. Running on NBC, the show was fun and it featured Crabbe's son as Cuffy (both pictured left,<img alt="" src="http://www.gay.net/sites/gay.net/files/imce/Captain_gallant_full.JPG" style="float: left; height: 256px; margin: 5px; width: 200px;" /> in a publicity still from the show). Unlike Johnny Weissmuller, whose 1950's TV show <i>Jungle Jim</i> revealed a fat aging actor, Crabbe was trim and fit and every bit as sexy as he had been twenty years earlier in <i>Flash Gordon</i>.</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Crabbe was married 50 years to the same woman and had 3 children. He
died in 1983 at age 75. He was pretty much forgotten until the lousy
feature film Flash Gordon, starring <i>Playgirl</i> model Sam J. Jones, made people seek out the original serials.</div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Buster Crabbe was a gorgeous hunk who gave adolescent boys more
pleasure than he could ever have imagined. He was also a role model hero
for many kids— gay or straight. Crabbe also brought television into my
life. I will never forget gazing into that tiny little box watching a
grainy serial that unfolded like a romantic dream. Indiana Jones may
have re-invented the Saturday Matinee Serial but Buster Crabbe, a.k.a.
Flash Gordon, was there first.</div>
<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style ">
<a class="atc_s addthis_button_compact" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8176691881022334297"></a>
</div>
</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-58667681735400649052012-05-29T13:34:00.003-04:002012-05-29T13:35:18.818-04:00Ancient Mystery May Be Solved<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF49t_k9ZWKWzE2p2AgSUU6r-9ekNWgjOikpv_A087uBUKN1rgxd7MTtrExIeHaP8mXiyf5nWbb9J3_UnzKMTBRSF0uqhbPs6cqRXoRl7jbEJCl1t3meupklWcipAgoDwVTyjCu24JbJq/s1600/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF49t_k9ZWKWzE2p2AgSUU6r-9ekNWgjOikpv_A087uBUKN1rgxd7MTtrExIeHaP8mXiyf5nWbb9J3_UnzKMTBRSF0uqhbPs6cqRXoRl7jbEJCl1t3meupklWcipAgoDwVTyjCu24JbJq/s1600/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="first" id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_314">
</div>
<div class="first" id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_314">
<br /></div>
<div class="first" id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_314">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The mysterious fall of the largest of the world's earliest urban
civilizations nearly 4,000 years ago in what is now India, Pakistan,
Nepal and Bangladesh now appears to have a key culprit — ancient climate
change, researchers say.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_318" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_317"><br /></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_287" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia may be the best known of the first great
urban cultures, but the largest was the Indus or Harappan civilization.
This culture once extended over more than 386,000 square miles (1
million square kilometers) across the plains of the Indus River from <a href="http://www.livescience.com/11651-ancient-arabian-artifacts-rewrite-oout-africao-story.html" id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_319" rel="nofollow">the Arabian Sea</a>
to the Ganges, and at its peak may have accounted for 10 percent of the
world population. The civilization developed about 5,200 years ago, and
slowly disintegrated between 3,900 and 3,000 years ago — populations
largely abandoned cities, migrating toward the east.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_283" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"Antiquity knew about Egypt and Mesopotamia, but the Indus
civilization, which was bigger than these two, was completely forgotten
until the 1920s," said researcher Liviu Giosan, a geologist at Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. "There are still many
things we don't know about them." [<a href="http://www.livescience.com/14823-pictures-life-death-ancient-civilization.html" rel="nofollow">Photos: Life and Death of Ancient Urbanites</a>]</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Nearly a century ago, researchers began discovering numerous remains of
Harappan settlements along the Indus River and its tributaries, as well
as in a vast desert region at the border of India and Pakistan.
Evidence was uncovered for sophisticated cities, sea links with
Mesopotamia, internal trade routes, arts and crafts, and as-yet
undeciphered writing.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"They had cities ordered into grids, with exquisite plumbing, which was
not encountered again until the Romans," Giosan told LiveScience. "They
seem to have been a more democratic society than Mesopotamia and Egypt —
no large structures were built for important personalitiess like kings
or pharaohs."</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Like their contemporaries in Egypt and Mesopotamia, <a href="http://www.livescience.com/5456-earliest-case-leprosy-unearthed.html" rel="nofollow">the Harappans</a>, who were named after one of their largest cities, lived next to rivers.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"Until now, speculations abounded about the links between this
mysterious ancient culture and its life-giving mighty rivers," Giosan
said.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Now Giosan and his colleagues have reconstructed the landscape of the plain and rivers where this <a href="http://www.livescience.com/10340-lost-civilization-existed-beneath-persian-gulf.html" rel="nofollow">long-forgotten civilization</a>developed. Their findings now shed light on the enigmatic fate of this culture.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"Our research provides one of the clearest examples of climate change leading to the <a href="http://www.livescience.com/18624-collapse-mayan-civilization-climate-change.html" rel="nofollow">collapse of an entire civilization</a>," Giosan said. [<a href="http://www.livescience.com/11339-weather-changed-history.html" rel="nofollow">How Weather Changed History</a>]</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
The researchers first analyzed satellite data of the landscape
influenced by the Indus and neighboring rivers. From 2003 to 2008, the
researchers then collected samples of sediment from the coast of the
Arabian Sea into the fertile irrigated valleys of Punjab and the
northern Thar Desert to determine the origins and ages of those
sediments and develop a timeline of landscape changes.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"It was challenging working in the desert — temperatures were over 110
degrees Fahrenheit all day long (43 degrees C)," Giosan recalled.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
After collecting data on geological history, "we could reexamine what
we know about settlements, what crops people were planting and when, and
how both agriculture and settlement patterns changed," said researcher
Dorian Fuller, an archaeologist with University College London. "This
brought new insights into the process of eastward population shift, the
change towards many more small farming communities, and the decline of
cities during late Harappan times."</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>[Slideshow: <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/glimpse-of-ancient-war-in-jerusalem-tunnel-1312826573-slideshow/" target="_blank">Glimpse of ancient war in Jerusalem tunnel</a>] </b></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Some had suggested that the Harappan heartland received its waters from
a large glacier-fed Himalayan river, thought by some to be the
Sarasvati, a sacred river of <a href="http://www.livescience.com/3479-resurrection-history-myths.html" rel="nofollow">Hindu mythology</a>. However, the researchers found that only rivers fed by monsoon rains flowed through the region.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_347" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Previous studies suggest the Ghaggar, an intermittent river that flows
only during strong monsoons, may best approximate the location of the
Sarasvati. Archaeological evidence suggested the river, which dissipates
into the desert along the dried course of Hakra valley, was home to
intensive settlement during Harappan times.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_349" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"We think we settled a long controversy about the mythic Sarasvati River," Giosan said.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_352" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Initially, the monsoon-drenched rivers the researchers identified were
prone to devastating floods. Over time, monsoons weakened, enabling
agriculture and civilization to flourish along flood-fed riverbanks for
nearly 2,000 years.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_354" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"The insolation — the solar energy received by the Earth from the sun —
varies in cycles, which can impact monsoons," Giosan said. "In the last
10,000 years, the Northern Hemisphere had the highest insolation from
7,000 to 5,000 years ago, and since then insolation there decreased. All
climate on Earth is driven by the sun, and so the monsoons were
affected by the lower insolation, decreasing in force. This meant less
rain got into continental regions affected by monsoons over time." [<a href="http://www.livescience.com/19102-amazing-facts-earth.html" rel="nofollow">50 Amazing Facts About Earth</a>]</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_356" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Eventually, these monsoon-based rivers held too little water and dried, making them unfavorable for civilization.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_358" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"The Harappans were an enterprising people taking advantage of a window
of opportunity — a kind of "Goldilocks civilization," Giosan said.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_360" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Eventually, over the course of centuries, Harappans apparently fled
along an escape route to the east toward the Ganges basin, where monsoon
rains remained reliable.</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_362" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"We can envision that this eastern shift involved a change to more
localized forms of economy — smaller communities supported by local
rain-fed farming and dwindling streams," Fuller said. "This may have
produced smaller surpluses, and would not have supported large cities,
but would have been reliable."</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
This change would have spelled disaster for the cities of the Indus,
which were built on the large surpluses seen during the earlier, wetter
era. The dispersal of the population to the east would have meant there
was no longer a concentrated workforce to support urbanism.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
"Cities collapsed, but smaller agricultural communities were
sustainable and flourished," Fuller said. "Many of the urban arts, such
as writing, faded away, but agriculture continued and actually
diversified."</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
These findings could help guide future archaeological explorations of <a href="http://www.livescience.com/17702-drought-collapse-ancient-city-angkor.html" rel="nofollow">the Indus civilization</a>.
Researchers can now better guess which settlements might have been more
significant, based on their relationships with rivers, Giosan said.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
It remains uncertain how monsoons will react to <a href="http://www.livescience.com/19102-amazing-facts-earth.html" rel="nofollow">modern climate change</a>.
"If we take the devastating floods that caused the largest humanitarian
disaster in Pakistan's history as a sign of increased monsoon activity,
than this doesn't bode well for the region," Giosan said. "The region
has the largest irrigation scheme in the world, and all those dams and
channels would become obsolete in the face of the large floods an
increased monsoon would bring."</div>
<div id="yui_3_4_0_24_1338312426531_366" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
The scientists detailed their findings online May 28 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-55902973127129224462012-05-28T22:05:00.001-04:002012-05-28T22:05:10.856-04:00Anxiety Rates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Beck
Anxiety Inventory and the Incidence Rate of Anxiety</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Michael
Bell</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Carlow
University</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Beck Anxiety Inventory and the
Incidence Rate of Anxiety</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Introduction</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Anxiety is defined as “<span class="ssens">an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often
marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by
doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about
one's capacity to cope with it (</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary</i> (11th edition), n.d.).</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</i>, fourth
edition (DSM- IV) states that the criterion for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
(GAD) includes excessive anxiety and worry which occurs for at least 6
months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GAD is characterized by the
subject finding it difficult to control the worry and it typically presents the
following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, muscle tension,
insomnia, and irritability (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV], 2000).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Narrow, 1988 found that anxiety affects
nearly 19 million Americans. A second study suggests that the incidence rate of
anxiety is nine cases per 1000 persons per year </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Murphy et al., 1988). The DSM –IV suggests that anxiety
disorders are one of the most prevalent disorders diagnosed </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(American
Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV], 2000).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Anxiety can be measured using the Beck
Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The BAI consists of 21 items, each of which describes
a symptom of anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The participant is
asked to rate each of these items based on how much he or she is bothered by
each symptom over the past week on a four-point scale ranging from zero to
three. The items are totaled to obtain a score which can range from zero to 63.
The BAI is recommended for use in an adult population in a clinical or research
setting ("Beck anxiety inventory," n.d. ). Alternative instruments of
measurement for anxiety include the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), the </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hopkins
Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HAD). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The BAI was used to measure anxiety in this
study.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Anxiety, if left untreated, can lead to
serious psychological and health consequences. A recent study suggests that in
57% of people who have depression, anxiety disorders preceded the depression
and that in 18%, depression preceded their anxiety disorders (Lamers et al,
2011). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also a suggestion of comorbidity
with depression. Another recent study found that of subjects with a depressive
disorder, 67% had a current and 75% had a lifetime comorbid <strong>anxiety</strong>
disorder. Of subjects with a current <strong>anxiety</strong> disorder, 63% had
a current and 81% had a lifetime depressive disorder (Lamers, 2011). </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Other studies suggest that anxiety
can lead to increased risk for hypertension and coronary disease because of
hormones released during periods of excess anxiety (Player and Peterson, 2008).
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Data from several studies also
indicate an association of headache with <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">anxiety</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">disorders</span>.
A recent study examined 100 migraineres using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire
as a screening tool and found that 37.0% of those participants had generalized
anxiety disorder (Mehlsteibl, 2011). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The purpose of this study is to examine
the incidence of anxiety in a convenience sample comprised of friends and acquaintances
to the graduate student researchers. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Methods</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Participants</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seventy-four friends and acquaintances
of graduate students in a research methods class participated in the study.
Participants were collected by a sample of convenience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All participants were over the age of
eighteen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Participants had no known
anxiety disorder or preexisting issue with anxiety.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Instruments</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This study used the Beck Anxiety
Inventory (BAI: Beck Anxiety Inventory).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The purpose of the BAI is to measure anxiety and to discriminate anxiety
from depression. The BAI is recommended for use in clinical and research
settings with adults age eighteen or older. The BAI has high internal
consistency and item-total correlations ranging from .30 to .71.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The correlation of the BAI with the HARS-R
and HRSD-R was .51 and .25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
correlation of the BAI with the BDI was .48. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Procedures</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sixteen graduate students in a research
methods class approached friends and acquaintances using a sample of convenience.
Participants had no known health concerns and were age eighteen or older.
Participants were provided with informed consent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Participation in the study was used as
consent. Participants were given the BAI and were instructed to complete it to
the best of their ability. Students collected the BAI in a manner to insure
confidentiality and anonymity. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Results</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Descriptive statistics were applied to
the data that yielded the following results:</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: none; border-top: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">N<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>M<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>MDN<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>SD</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">74<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>12.66<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>9<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>9.75</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This study had a sample of seventy
four participants and found a mean of 12.66, a median of 9 and a standard
deviation of 9.75. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Using one standard deviation, one
and one half standard deviation, and two standard deviations to define slightly
elevated, moderately elevated, severely elevated, the following cut scores are
assigned:</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: none; border-top: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Slightly
elevated: scores that fell between 22.41 and 27.29<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>moderately elevated: scores that fell between 27.29 and 32.16<br />
severely elevated: scores that fell at or above 32.16</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Cut scores of this study found that 22.5
% of participants had slightly elevated scores, 9.9 % had moderately elevated
scores, and 4.1 % had severely elevated scores.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Discussion</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A group of 16 graduate students, in
a research methods class, collected a convenience sample of BAI scores from
friends and acquaintances to explain the incidence rate of anxiety in a
population. The current findings suggest that 4.1% are at significant risk for
anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, 32.4 % of the
sample had scores that would suggest the need for future evaluation to rule out
anxiety disorder. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Prior research suggests that anxiety
disorders affect nearly 19 million American adults (Narrow, 1988). Another
study </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">using data gathered in a 16-year
follow-up of an adult sample found an <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">incidence</span>
rate for anxiety disorder and depression to be approximately nine cases per
1,000 persons per year. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Incidence</span>
tended to be higher among relatively young persons. A<b> </b>prevalence <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">rate</span> of approximately 10% to 15% was
found for depression and <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">anxiety</span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">disorders</span> aggregated together
(Murphy et al., 1988).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This study did have some
limitations. First, this study used a small sample size that was not random and
also used a sample of convenience. Secondly, standardized procedures were not
used when administering the BAI and participants were given only one measure of
anxiety. Also, it is unknown if participants’ anxiety was situational. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Future research should use a larger
sample size as well as a random sample.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More than one measurement of anxiety should be incorporated and
standardized procedures should be utilized when administering the study. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">References</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">American Psychiatric Association
(2000). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Disorders </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Revised 4<sup>th</sup> ed.).
Washington, DC: Author.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Beck anxiety inventory. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(n.d.). Retrieved from </span><a href="http://www.cps.nova.edu/%7Ecpphelp/BAI.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.cps.nova.edu/~cpphelp/BAI.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lamers, F., van Oppen, P., Comijs,
H. C., Smit, J. H., Spinhoven, P., van Balkom, A. M., & </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Penninx,
B. H. (2011). Comorbidity patterns of anxiety and depressive disorders in </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
large cohort study: The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mehlsteibl, D. D., Schankin, C. C.,
Herring, P. P., Sostak, P. P., & Straube, A. A. (2011). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anxiety
disorders in headache patients in a specialized clinic: prevalence and </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>symptoms
in comparison to patients in a general neurological clinic. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal Of</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Headache
and Pain, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">12(3),
323-329.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (11<sup>th</sup> ed.). (2005).
Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Murphy, J. M., Oliver, D. C.,
Monson, R. R., Sobol, A. M., & Leighton, A. H. (1988). Incidence</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
Depression and Anxiety: The Stirling County Study. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Journal of Public</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Health, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">78(5), 534-540.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Narrow, W. E., Rae, D. S., Reiger,
D.A., NIMH epidemiology note: prevalence of anxiety </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>disorders.
One-year prevalence best estimates calculated from ECA and NCS data. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Population
estimates based on U. S. Census estimated residential population age 18</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>to
54 on July 1, 1998. Unpublished. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-40728024132752671422012-05-09T09:29:00.000-04:002012-05-09T09:29:06.989-04:00The Ph.D. Now Comes With Food Stamps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="hat">
<br /></div>
<div class="header ">
<div class="chronicle-banner">
<a class="chronicle-logo" href="http://chronicle.com/"><img alt="The Chronicle of Higher Education" id="chronicle-logo" src="http://chronicle.com/img/chronicle_logo.gif" /></a>
<ul>
<li>Wednesday, May 9, 2012</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="article">
<h1>
The Ph.D. Now Comes With Food Stamps</h1>
<div class="image wide">
<img alt="From Graduate School to Welfare 1" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/photo_20608_wide_large.jpg" />
<div class="cred-wrap">
<div class="credits">
Laura Segall For The Chronicle</div>
</div>
<div class="caption">
Melissa
Bruninga-Matteau, a medieval-history Ph.D. and adjunct professor who
gets food stamps: "I've been able to make enough to live on. Until now."</div>
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<div class="byline">
By Stacey Patton</div>
"I am not a welfare queen," says Melissa Bruninga-Matteau.<br />
That's how she feels compelled to start a conversation about how she,
a white woman with a Ph.D. in medieval history and an adjunct
professor, came to rely on food stamps and Medicaid. Ms.
Bruninga-Matteau, a 43-year-old single mother who teaches two humanities
courses at Yavapai College, in Prescott, Ariz., says the stereotype of
the people receiving such aid does not reflect reality. Recipients
include growing numbers of people like her, the highly educated, whose
advanced degrees have not insulated them from financial hardship.<br />
"I find it horrifying that someone who stands in front of college classes and teaches is on welfare," she says.<br />
<div style="float: left; margin: 0 18px 3px 5px; width: 250px;">
<img alt="" height="20" src="http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/files/2012/01/icon-video-30.png" style="float: right; margin-bottom: -6px; margin-right: 0px;" />
<h4 style="font-size: 1.3em; margin-bottom: -6px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
Video</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 2px;">
<img alt="" height="3" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/rule.gif" width="250" /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<img alt="" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/tony-yang.gif" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" width="60" /><em>Watch:</em> <strong>Tony Yang</strong>, a history lecturer, describes the toll of having no steady source of income. | <strong><a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Video-Now-That-Im-Relevant/131805/"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Link</span></a></strong></div>
<img alt="" height="20" src="http://chronicle.com/blogs/afterword/files/2012/01/icon-photo-gallery-30.png" style="float: right; margin-bottom: -6px; margin-right: 0px;" />
<h4 style="font-size: 1.3em; margin-bottom: -6px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
Photos</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px;">
<img alt="" height="3" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/rule.gif" width="250" /></div>
<img alt="From Graduate School to Welfare 2" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/photo_20609_carousel.jpg" width="250" />
<div class="cred-wrap">
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: right;">
<em>Jeff Haller for The Chronicle</em></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
Elliott
Stegall, 51, who teaches English courses, picks up food assistance at
the WIC office in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. "The first time we went to the
office to apply, I felt like I had arrived from Eastern Europe to Ellis
Island," he says. "We all had that same ragged, poor look in our eyes."</div>
<img alt="" height="20" src="http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/files/2012/01/icon-student-life-30.png" style="float: right; margin-bottom: -6px; margin-right: 0px;" />
<h4 style="font-size: 1.3em; margin-bottom: -6px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
Profiles</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 2px;">
<img alt="" height="3" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/rule.gif" width="250" /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0;">
<a href="http://chronicle.com/article/4-Academics-on-Food-Stamps/131782/">4 Academics on Food Stamps</a></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 6px; padding-bottom: 0;">
People with advanced degrees, from Texas to Chicago to Vermont, talk about what it's like to have to live on federal aid.</div>
<h4 style="font-size: 1.3em; margin-bottom: -6px; padding-bottom: 0px;">
Graphic</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 2px;">
<img alt="" height="3" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/rule.gif" width="250" /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0;">
<a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Graph-Academics-Receiving/131810/">Academics Receiving Government Aid</a></div>
</div>
Ms. Bruninga-Matteau grew up in an upper-middle class family in
Montana that valued hard work and saw educational achievement as the
pathway to a successful career and a prosperous life. She entered
graduate school at the University of California at Irvine in 2002,
idealistic about landing a tenure-track job in her field. She never
imagined that she'd end up trying to eke out a living, teaching college
for poverty wages, with no benefits or job security.<br />
Ms. Bruninga-Matteau always wanted to teach. She started working as
an adjunct in graduate school. This semester she is working 20 hours
each week, prepping, teaching, advising, and grading papers for two
courses at Yavapai, a community college with campuses in Chino Valley,
Clarkdale, Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Sedona. Her take-home pay is
$900 a month, of which $750 goes to rent. Each week, she spends $40 on
gas to get her to the campus; she lives 43 miles away, where housing is
cheaper.<br />
Ms. Bruninga-Matteau does not blame Yavapai College for her situation
but rather the "systematic defunding of higher education." In Arizona
last year, Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed a budget that cut the
state's allocation to Yavapai's operating budget from $4.3-million to
$900,000, which represented a 7.6 percent reduction in the college's
operating budget. The cut led to an 18,000-hour reduction in the use of
part-time faculty like Ms. Bruninga-Matteau.<br />
"The media gives us this image that people who are on public
assistance are dropouts, on drugs or alcohol, and are irresponsible,"
she says. "I'm not irresponsible. I'm highly educated. I have a whole
lot of skills besides knowing about medieval history, and I've had other
jobs. I've never made a lot of money, but I've been able to make enough
to live on. Until now."<br />
<h4 class="CHE-5-column-News subhead">
An Overlooked Subgroup</h4>
A record number of people are depending on federally financed food
assistance. Food-stamp use increased from an average monthly caseload of
17 million in 2000 to 44 million people in 2011, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Web site. Last year, one in six
people—almost 50 million Americans, or 15 percent of the
population—received food stamps.<br />
Ms. Bruninga-Matteau is part of an often overlooked, and growing,
subgroup of Ph.D. recipients, adjunct professors, and other Americans
with advanced degrees who have had to apply for food stamps or some
other form of government aid since late 2007.<br />
Some are struggling to pay back student loans and cover basic living
expenses as they submit scores of applications for a limited pool of
full-time academic positions. Others are trying to raise families or pay
for their children's college expenses on the low and fluctuating pay
they receive as professors off the tenure track, a group that now makes
up 70 percent of faculties. Many bounce on and off unemployment or
welfare during semester breaks. And some adjuncts have found themselves
trying to make ends meet by waiting tables or bagging groceries
alongside their students.<br />
Of the 22 million Americans with master's degrees or higher in 2010,
about 360,000 were receiving some kind of public assistance, according
to the latest Current Population Survey released by the U.S. Census
Bureau in March 2011. In 2010, a total of 44 million people nationally
received food stamps or some other form of public aid, according to the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.<br />
People who don't finish college are more likely to receive food
stamps than are those who go to graduate school. The rolls of people on
public assistance are dominated by people with less education.
Nevertheless, the percentage of graduate-degree holders who receive food
stamps or some other aid more than doubled between 2007 and 2010.<br />
During that three-year period, the number of people with master's
degrees who received food stamps and other aid climbed from 101,682 to
293,029, and the number of people with Ph.D.'s who received assistance
rose from 9,776 to 33,655, according to tabulations of microdata done by
Austin Nichols, a senior researcher with the Urban Institute. He drew
on figures from the 2008 and 2011 Current Population Surveys done by the
U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor.<br />
Leaders of organizations that represent adjunct faculty members think
that the number of people counted by the government does not represent
the full picture of academics on welfare because many do not report
their reliance on federal aid.<br />
Even as the number of highly educated aid recipients grows, shame has helped to keep the problem hidden.<br />
"People don't want their faces and names associated with this
experience," says Karen L. Kelsky, a former tenured professor who now
runs The Professor Is In, an academic-career consulting business. She
also operates a fund that helps graduate students and Ph.D.'s who are
struggling financially, most of whom are women with children.<br />
"It's gone beyond the joke of the impoverished grad student to
becoming something really dire and urgent," says Ms. Kelsky. "When I was
a tenured professor I had no idea that the Ph.D. was a path to food
stamps."<br />
It's difficult to talk about being on aid, says Matthew Williams,
cofounder and vice president of the New Faculty Majority, an advocacy
group for nontenure-track faculty.<br />
"We regularly hear about adjuncts on food stamps," says Mr. Williams,
who received food stamps and Medicaid himself when he taught at the
University of Akron from 2007 to 2009, earning less than $21,000 a year.
"This is not hyperbole and it isn't theoretical."<br />
Some adjuncts make less money than custodians and campus support
staff who may not have college degrees. An adjunct's salary can range
from $600 to $10,000 per course, according to the Adjunct Project, a
crowdsourced database about adjuncts' salaries and working conditions.
The national average earnings of adjunct instructors are just under
$2,500 per course, according to the American Association of University
Professors.<br />
<h4 class="CHE-5-column-News subhead">
The Road to Assistance</h4>
Elliott Stegall, a white, 51-year-old married father of two, teaches
two courses each semester in the English department at Northwest Florida
State College, in Niceville, Fla. He and his wife, Amanda, live in a
modest home about 40 miles away in DeFuniak Springs, a conservative
bulwark in northwest Florida.<br />
"This is where the poor folk live," says Mr. Stegall. "It's
small-town America. The people are nice, but there's no industry. The
only jobs are on the coastline."<br />
Mr. Stegall is a graduate student at Florida State University, where
he is finishing his dissertation in film studies. At night, after his
3-year-old and 3-month-old children have been put to bed, he grades a
stack of composition papers or plugs away at his dissertation. (He's
writing about how Hollywood films portray Vietnam soldiers as psychotic
men who return home destroyed by the war.) His wife is starting a
two-year, online master's degree program in criminology offered by
Florida State. They receive food stamps, Medicaid, and aid from the
Women, Infants, and Children program (known as WIC).<br />
Mr. Stegall has taught at three colleges for more than 14 years. He
says he has taught more than two dozen courses in communications,
performing arts, and the humanities and he has watched academic
positions in these fields nearly disappear with budget cuts. When he and
Ms. Stegall stepped inside the local WIC office in Tallahassee, Fla.,
where they used to live, with their children in tow, he had to fight
shame, a sense of failure, and the notion that he was not supposed to be
there. After all, he grew up in a family that valued hard work and
knowledge. His father was a pastor and a humanities professor, and his
mother was psychology professor.<br />
"The first time we went to the office to apply, I felt like I had
arrived from Eastern Europe to Ellis Island," he says. "The place was
filled with people from every culture and ethnicity. We all had that
same ragged, poor look in our eyes."<br />
He took a number, sat in the crowded lobby, and waited to be called
up to a plexiglass window by a brusque woman who screamed his name. The
Stegalls and the other parents took turns entertaining one another's
children. As he looked around, he thought about his situation as a true
academic would.<br />
"I tend to look at my experience as a humanist, as someone who is
fascinated by human culture," he says. "Maybe it was a way of hiding
from the reality in which I found myself. I never thought I'd be among
the poor."<br />
Mr. Stegall has supplemented his teaching income by working odd jobs.
He painted houses until the housing crisis eliminated clients. He and
his wife worked as servers for a catering company until the economic
downturn hurt business. And they cleaned condos along Destin beach. They
took the children along because day care was too expensive.<br />
"I'm grateful for government assistance. Without it, my family and I
would certainly be homeless and destitute," he says. "But living on the
dole is excruciatingly embarrassing and a constant reminder that I must
have done something terribly wrong along the way to deserve this fate."<br />
As he sat in the WIC office with his family, Mr. Stegall blamed
himself. He made a choice, he says, to earn a graduate degree even as he
saw the economy collapsing, the humanities under assault, and the
academic job market worsening.<br />
"As a man, I felt like I was a failure. I had devoted myself to the
world of cerebral activity. I had learned a practical skill that was
elitist," he says. "Perhaps I should have been learning a skill that the
economy supports."<br />
<h4 class="CHE-5-column-News subhead">
'Dirty Little Secret'</h4>
When asked if they believe that full-time faculty, administrators,
and scholarly associations know that adjuncts are receiving government
assistance, scores of graduate students and adjuncts who get public
benefits gave mixed responses. In an informal questionnaire <em>The Chronicle</em>
distributed through AFT Higher Education, the New Faculty Majority, and
other groups that represent adjuncts, the aid recipients said that some
of those people know, some don't know, some don't want to know, and
some seem not to care.<br />
At Yavapai, where Ms. Bruninga-Matteau teaches, a spokesperson wrote
in an e-mail that the college "does not look into the financial
backgrounds of its full- or part-time employees."<br />
"If any employee were being helped or supported by a government
program, the administration at Yavapai College would not be privy to
that information," the spokesperson said. "In comparison to other
community colleges in Arizona, Yavapai College's adjunct faculty are the
third highest-paid in the state."<br />
Numerous phone calls to Northwest Florida State College, where Mr. Stegall teaches, were not returned.<br />
"It's the dirty little secret of higher education," says Mr. Williams
of the New Faculty Majority. "Many administrators are not aware of the
whole extent of the problem. But all it takes is for somebody to run the
numbers to see that their faculty is eligible for welfare assistance."<br />
Public colleges have a special obligation to ensure that the
conditions under which contingent faculty work are not exploitative, he
says. "When public institutions fill those seats in the classroom and
tell students that they will be better off because of their education,
it is absolutely disingenuous for institutions to promulgate a
compensation structure of faculty to be on food stamps and other forms
of government assistance."<br />
John Curtis, director of research and public policy for the American
Association of University Professors, says he regularly encounters
tenured faculty members who are unaware of the extent of the problem of
contingent academic employment. At the same time, many tenured faculty
members are outspoken advocates of improving working conditions for
their colleagues in contingent appointments, he adds. The AAUP has been
working with faculty groups, scholarly associations, and disciplinary
societies to raise awareness, Mr. Curtis says, so there is "no
legitimate claim to a lack of information."<br />
Some leaders of scholarly associations say they are surprised to hear of graduate-degree holders being on public assistance.<br />
James Grossman, executive director of the American Historical
Association, said in an e-mail that he consulted with his staff, and
"nobody has ever heard of this among our members or other historians."<br />
"No e-mails, no postings or tweets," he wrote. "That doesn't mean
it's not out there. It just means that historians on public assistance
have not crossed AHA communications."<br />
Michael Bérubé, president of the Modern Language Association, says
that he and his wife, Janet, qualified for WIC while they were in
graduate school in the late 1980s.<br />
"It was great. It paid for Nick's baby formula and food, and was just
the kind of social-welfare program liberals should defend," he says.
"It was a temporary leg up until we were paid living wages. Janet's
mother also gave us her Social Security checks, so here's another cheer
for the idea of social welfare."<br />
Mr. Bérubé says, though, that he is disturbed that adjuncts continue
to live for extended periods on these low wages, even after graduate
school. As for why scholarly organizations don't think about Ph.D.'s
being on food stamps, he says the answer is obvious.<br />
"Everyone thinks a Ph.D. pretty much guarantees you a living wage
and, from what I can tell, most commentators think that college
professors make $100,000 and more," he says. "But I've been hearing all
year from nontenure-track faculty making under $20,000, and I don't know
anyone who believes you can raise a family on that. Even living as a
single person on that salary is tough, if you want to eat something
other than ramen noodles every once in a while."<br />
Many people hold on to hopes that they'll be the one to get a lucky break, even as their economic situation deteriorates.<br />
Marc Bousquet, an associate professor of English at Santa Clara University and the founding editor of <em>Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor</em>,
says that ego, identity status, and prestige may explain why so many
people refuse to abandon their aspirations of becoming full-time
professors.<br />
"A big part of what we do in graduate education is foster this sense
of vocation and teaching for love and passion for what you do," says Mr.
Bousquet, who is also a contributor to <em>The Chronicle's</em>
Brainstorm blog. "We socialize people into accepting the coin of
reputation as status capital. Some people are so deeply socialized into
the regime of payment by way of status that they are essentially trapped
in it for life."<br />
<h4 class="CHE-5-column-News subhead">
The Role of Race</h4>
Ms. Kelsky, who helps graduate students and adjuncts who are homeless
or on aid, says the false portrayal of aid recipients as "welfare
queens" is an illusion that was created for political purposes.<br />
"Racializing food stamps denies that wide swaths of the population,
reaching into the middle classes, are dealing with food insecurity," she
says.<br />
Thirty-nine percent of all welfare recipients are white, 37 percent
are black, 17 percent are Hispanic, and 3 percent are Asian, according
to data from Aid to Families With Dependent Children. The majority of
the dozens of graduate-degree holders on aid who responded to <em>The Chronicle</em> questionnaire are also white.<br />
But race and cultural stereotypes play a significant part in how many of the academics interviewed by <em>The Chronicle</em> are struggling with the reality of being on welfare.<br />
Lynn, a 43-year-old adjunct professor at two community colleges in
Houston, who is on food stamps and Medicaid and doesn't want to give her
surname, says, "People don't expect that white people need assistance,"
she says. "It's a prevalent attitude. Applying for food stamps is even
worse if you're white and need help."<br />
Kisha Hawkins-Sledge, who is 35 and a black single mother of
3-year-old twin boys, earned her master's degree in English last August.
She began teaching part-time at Prairie State College, Moraine Valley
Community College, and Richard J. Daley College of the City Colleges of
Chicago while in graduate school, and says she made enough money to live
on until she had children. She lives in Lansing, Ill.<br />
"My household went from one to three. My income was not enough, and
so I had to apply for assistance," she says. She now receives food
stamps, WIC, Medicaid, and child-care assistance.<br />
Like Ms. Bruninga-Matteau and Mr. Stegall, Ms. Hawkins-Sledge says
she had preconceived notions about people on government assistance
before she herself began receiving aid. "I went to school. I went to <em>grad school</em>," she says. "I thought that welfare was for people who didn't go to school and couldn't get a good job."<br />
Ms. Hawkins-Sledge says she grew up watching her mother work hard and
put herself through college and graduate school. "My mom defied the
stereotype and here I am in graduate school trying to do the same," she
says. And she, too, has worked hard not to become the cultural
stereotype of the black welfare queen.<br />
"My name is Kisha. You hear that name and you think black girl, big
hoop earrings, on welfare, three or four babies' daddies," she says. "I
had to work against my color, my flesh, and my name alone. I went to
school to get all these degrees to prove to the rest of the world that
I'm not lazy and I'm not on welfare. But there I was and I asked myself,
'What's the point? I'm here anyway.'"<br />
For Ms. Hawkins-Sledge, there is good news. She will begin a
full-time, tenure-track job as an English professor at Prairie State in
August.<br />
<em>Correction (5/7/2012, 10:24 a.m.):</em> This article originally
misspelled the surname of a former tenured professor who now runs The
Professor Is In, an academic-career consulting business. She is Karen L.
Kelsky, not Kelsey. The article has been updated to reflect this
correction.<br />
<img alt="Chronicle of Higher Education" height="427" src="http://chronicle.com/img/photos/biz/36-foodstamps-graphic1.gif" style="float: left; margin-right: 8px;" width="459" /><br />
</div>
</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-62630232294634955152012-05-06T20:32:00.002-04:002012-05-06T20:32:10.351-04:00A New Interface<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>I debated on rather to transition my blog to this new type of dynamic format because it takes some getting used to. </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Here are a few tips on how to use it:</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>If you use your scroll bar to scroll down prior posts will continue to load up until the beginning of the year. </b><br />
<b>To get to old post hover your mouse over the gray bar located on the right side of the screen. A tool bar will pop out and click on the file cabinet to go back to older posts. Just select the year range that you want. </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Let me know what you think!</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-30253382959229182642012-04-03T10:48:00.001-04:002012-04-03T10:48:04.972-04:00LGBT Bullying Statistics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 class="post-title entry-title">
<a href="http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/12/lgbt-bullying-statistics.html">LGBT Bullying Statistics</a>
</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fZdHTjRstFQKsOL9xKjvTNmFhtlI_NEAzLIk0XDuwyAs53VLO6RpjYwMPmZyWQbeJS_artVqjfePVCpvsowicV4xqgmtdy__3v_rYfhtiaOkeyAhraqDXQqptlBV5H8gtYDQpukhEcvx/s1600-h/bullying2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284894294812420338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fZdHTjRstFQKsOL9xKjvTNmFhtlI_NEAzLIk0XDuwyAs53VLO6RpjYwMPmZyWQbeJS_artVqjfePVCpvsowicV4xqgmtdy__3v_rYfhtiaOkeyAhraqDXQqptlBV5H8gtYDQpukhEcvx/s200/bullying2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 174px;" /></a><br />
<ul>
<li>Nearly
one-fourth of students from elementary through high school have
reported that they have been harassed or bullied on school property
because of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation,
or disability.-2001-2002 California Student Survey</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Six out of 10 American teens witness bullying at least once a day. -National Crime Prevention Council, 2003</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Students
hear anti-gay epithets 25 times a day, and teachers fail to respond to
these comments 97% of the time. -Gay Lesbian Straight Educator’s
Network.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>One out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying. -Oklahoma Health Department, 2001</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75 percent of school-shooting incidents. -US Secret Service Report, May 2002</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Gay
and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to commit suicide
than other youths, and 30 percent of all completed youth suicides are
related to the issue of sexual identity. -Report to the Secretary's Task
Force on Youth Suicide</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Students who describe
themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered are five times
more likely to miss school because of feeling unsafe. 28% are forced to
drop out. -National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 1984</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>85% of teachers oppose integrating lesbian, gay and bisexual themes in their curricula.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>-Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>More
than 91 percent of LGBT students say they hear homophobic slurs or
expressions frequently or often.-GLSEN 2003 National School Climate
Survey</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Nearly 58 percent of LGBT students have had
property stolen or deliberately damaged at school. -GLSEN 2003 National
School Climate Survey</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>More than 64 percent of LGBT
students say they feel unsafe at school because of their sexual
orientation. -GLSEN 2003 National School Climate Survey</li>
</ul>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-27145012301472425552012-03-30T08:36:00.002-04:002012-03-30T08:36:31.246-04:00"Why do gay people always have to tell people that they are gay?" -- a challenge for the straight folks!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="article-body">
<div id="intro">
<b> I can't even tell you how many times I have heard people (usually straight men) say things like "I don't have a problem with gays as long as they don't flaunt it"....or "why do you have to TELL people your gay...cant you just keep it quiet?" This article takes a funny yet poignant view at how illogical these statements by posing a challenge to all you heterosexuals out there......and I'll just be that you couldn't last for more than ten minutes! </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Take a look....</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
How many times have you heard that question asked? It seems like at
least one homophobe (usually male) per week will ask the question.
They'll dress it up in a call for modesty: "no one needs to know about
your sex life!" I have tried repeatedly to get these people to see that
being gay is not merely a sexual distinction, but a social distinction. I
tried to get them to see how socially awkward the world is when people
don't know you are gay.<br />
I try to show them multitude of ways that they themselves "flaunt"
their sexuality. Whether if that's through holding hands in public with
their opposite sex life partner, or showing off photos of said life
partner to nearly everyone they meet, or any number of social markers
straight people use to identify their sexual orientation, or maybe just
the general heterosexual privilege of presumption that so many of them
enjoy. None of this works. This post is my last ditch effort to reach
these people. It's in the form of a challenge.<br />
</div>
<div class="divider-doodle">
</div>
<div class="article-body" id="body">
The easiest version of this challenge takes no more than a couple hours
of just about any straight man's time. This is an experiment where the
straight person will become the sexual minority. This is my first
challenge:
Go ALONE to a gay bar where no one knows you. Spend one two hours
there. Don't tell anyone there that you are straight. If you last the
two hours without telling one person in the bar that you are straight,
you pass the first challenge. Congratulations. At this point it doesn't
seem you "flaunt your heterosexuality in anyone's face."<br />
On to challenge two.<br />
This challenge will take ninety days of your life, but it is the REAL
test as to whether you could exist as a sexual minority who was so
modest that he (or she) could go through life without "flaunting" your
sexual orientation.<br />
This test will only work if you are NOT a famous person. If you are not a famous person please proceed with the challenge.<br />
In this challenge you are to live 90 days as you want gay people to
live their whole lives: so "modestly" that you never tell anyone your
sexual orientation, never let on that you are a straight person. I'm not
telling you to live a lie, you can have all the straight sex you want.
That is, after all, all heterosexuality is about, right?<br />
In this challenge you will move to a gayborhood, like maybe the
Castro, West Hollywood, or Chelsea. You will vanquish all vestiges of
your heterosexuality, no wives or kids (if you are a man or vice versa
if you are a woman), no pictures of your wife, girlfriend, or fiance, no
marriage certificates, or wedding rings. If you have a woman stay
overnight, make sure you make a nice palate on the floor to explain
where this woman slept in case someone comes over and finds you did
anything as superfluous as... (you know). You may not do anything as
ridiculous as flaunt your sexuality by telling anyone you meet there
that you are straight. "No one needs to know your bedroom habits." You
are the sexual minority here, keep your place by being discreet.<br />
Also, remember, since no one will think you are straight don't feel
put off if you tell your new gay friends that you have a lady friend
visiting you and they think it's nothing serious and invite themselves
to spend some time with you while they discuss the new Adam Lambert CD
with you (after all, she's just a woman, that makes her your Judy not
your fuck partner). You have to be patient as a sexual minority, so just
suck it up and wait till another day to get that alone time with your
lady friend.<br />
Your challenge is to live like this for 90 days make it to the end
without revealing your sexual orientation (or having someone do it for
you) or without being a nervous wreck means you win, and now, and only
now do you have the right to challenge LGBT people why they "always feel
the need to come out."<br />
Thank you.<br />
<strong>Edit: Thanks for the Rec List. Also, thanks to Milk Men and Women, and Angry Gays for the Republish</strong><br />
</div>
</div>
<h4>
Originally posted to <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/blog/RfrancisR/">RfrancisR</a> on Mon Jan 02, 2012 at 01:58 PM PST.</h4>
<br /><div class="featured-articles collapsable-panel ajax-paged">
</div>
<div id="sub">
</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-38012985980296089512012-03-29T23:57:00.001-04:002012-03-29T23:58:29.754-04:00Lord Laurence Olivier - His Possible Hidden Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="gay-net-term-sidebar">
</div>
<div class="column" id="content">
<div class="section">
<div class="clear-block" id="content-area">
<div class=" article clearfix" id="node-4510">
<div class="node-meta clear-block">
<h1 class="node-meta-text">
<div class="node-meta-image">
<img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-stories imagecache-default imagecache-stories_default" height="416" src="http://www.gay.net/sites/gay.net/files/imagecache/stories/6a01156e9cba4c970c014e8a4502b5970d-320wi" title="" width="320" /> </div>
Vintage Hunk: Laurence Olivier</h1>
<br />
<div class="content">
Laurence Olivier, a.k.a. Sir Laurence, a.k.a. Lord Olivier, is
mostly remembered by fans today as the aging "great actor" of movies and
stage. Many people consider him the finest actor of his time. (He
wasn't. Fellow Brit Ralph Richardson of <i>The Heiress</i> fame was a finer, more versatile actor and did it without Olivier's matinee idol looks.)<br />
But back in the day, Olivier was a true movie heartthrob; anybody who sees <i>Wuthering Heights</i> or <i>Rebecca</i>
will see one of the sexiest men in films. That Olivier preferred the
stage and character roles is a tribute to his artistic ambitions but he
still leaves behind a film career that truly qualifies him for hunk
status.<br />
Perhaps we should have called this weekly chapter Sir Hunk.<br />
<a href="http://daily.gay.com/.a/6a01156e9cba4c970c01539051be22970b-popup" style="float: right;"> </a>Laurence
Olivier was born in 1907 in Surrey, England. His father was an Anglican
priest, and from this austere upbringing it is surprising that the
young Olivier appeared in school productions regularly in his youth.
Joining the Birmingham Rep Company in 1926 was the beginning of
Olivier's rise to stardom. His 1930s stage work revealed an actor of
almost unlimited abilities. Although he disdained the movies he did make
a few British films including <i>Fire Over England</i> in 1937. It
was on this film that he and co-star Vivien Leigh began their momentous
relationship. Both were married to other spouses and each had a child,
but once the two gorgeous actors became involved nothing else mattered.<br />
<a href="http://daily.gay.com/.a/6a01156e9cba4c970c01539051be22970b-popup" style="float: right;"> </a><img alt="Laurence Olivier3" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a01156e9cba4c970c01539051c043970b" src="http://editorial.gay.net/sites/gay.net/files/6a01156e9cba4c970c01539051c043970b-320wi" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px;" title="Laurence Olivier3" /> In 1938 director William Wyler convinced Olivier to come to Hollywood to star as Heathcliff in <i>Wuthering Heights</i>
opposite Merle Oberon as Cathy. This vivid romantic drama from Emily
Bronte's classic novel was a smash hit and made Laurence Olivier a box
office matinee idol. Leigh (who had declined the secondary role in <i>Wuthering Heights</i>) came to Hollywood to visit her lover and ended up being cast as Scarlett O'Hara in the epic <i>Gone with the Wind</i>.
Both Olivier and Leigh were nominated for Best Actor and Actress of
1939. She won, he didn't. But the couple finally obtained divorces and
were married August 31, 1940, cementing their status as "The Royal
Couple." The only people who attended the secret ceremony were Katharine
Hepburn and playwright/director Garson Kanin.<br />
Although World War II was raging in Europe, Olivier and Leigh were
persuaded to stay in Hollywood to help bolster support for Britain in a
still-neutral America. Olivier made three films that cemented his
stature as both a fine actor and a sexy movie star. <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> with <a href="http://daily.gay.com/entertainment/2011/03/hollywood-legend-greer-garson.html" target="_blank">Greer Garson</a> and <i>Rebecca</i> with <a href="http://daily.gay.com/entertainment/2010/10/movie-legendsjoan-fontaine-olivia-de-havilland.html" target="_blank">Joan Fontaine</a> were two of the best movies released in 1940. Olivier was perfect as the snooty Mr. Darcy in <i>Pride,</i> and equally moving as Max de Winter in Hitchcock's great film <i>Rebecca</i>, which won the Oscar as best film of the year.<br />
<img alt="Laurence Olivier1" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a01156e9cba4c970c01539051bea7970b" src="http://editorial.gay.net/sites/gay.net/files/6a01156e9cba4c970c01539051bea7970b-320wi" style="float: left; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" title="Laurence Olivier1" /> After a disastrous Broadway production of <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, Olivier and Leigh made the stirring war movie <i>That Hamilton Woman</i>
with Olivier as Horatio Nelson and Leigh as Emma Hamilton. This thinly
veiled propaganda film was not only Winston Churchill's favorite film
but it helped fuel U.S. support for Britain during their fight against
the Nazis.<br />
Olivier and Leigh finally returned to England where he joined the
Royal Air Force and she appeared in a number of well-received plays
performed during these desperate, bomb-filled days.<br />
Olivier the actor became Olivier the film director when he made the fantastically successful <i>Henry V</i> and later <i>Hamlet</i>.
He won the 1948 Oscar as Best Actor and the film won Best Picture. More
importantly, Olivier was forging a staggering career on the British
stage playing almost all the classic roles. In 1947 he was knighted, and
Lord and Lady Olivier were the toast of the entertainment world. This
culminated in their greatest joint triumph when he directed her on stage
in <i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i>. This led to her getting the plum film role and winning the Oscar in 1951 for Best Actress.<br />
<img alt="Laurence Olivier5" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a01156e9cba4c970c015434251668970c" src="http://editorial.gay.net/sites/gay.net/files/6a01156e9cba4c970c015434251668970c-320wi" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px;" title="Laurence Olivier5" />
On the surface Oliver and Leigh were the Golden Couple. Behind the
scenes it was a different story as Leigh's mental problems and violent
outbursts were sowing the seeds for the eventual destruction of their
marriage. But there were still a number of sparkling theatrical
successes for both of them. Their 1951 Broadway productions of
Shakespeare's <i>Anthony and Cleopatra</i> and Shaw's <i>Caesar and Cleopatra </i>were total triumphs.<br />
As the 1950s wore on, Olivier's stage career flourished and Leigh's
mental decline reached its nadir when she had a total breakdown making <i>Elephant Walk</i>
in Ceylon, Sri Lanka. Officially divorced in 1960, the Oliviers had
already begun seeing other people. He eventually married actress Joan
Plowright and had three more children. Leigh, however, would die in 1967
from tuberculosis; she was only 53 years old.<br />
The rest of Laurence Olivier's life would be filled with stage, film
and TV work of various merit. (Olivier subtly coming on to his slave
Tony Curtis in <i>Spartacus</i> is a gem!) His health was also not good during these later years and he died in 1989 at age 82.<br />
Laurence Olivier has left a permanent film record of his beauty and
brilliance. While we have very little of his lauded stage work, we do
have those four films made in 1939-1941 that truly show Olivier as a
gorgeous, talented actor.<br />
<br />
For most of his adult life, Lord Olivier was dogged by rumours
that he enjoyed the company of both women and men.<br />
Even after his death, tales of his colourful private life
continue to overshadow his legacy.<br />
Details of an alleged homosexual affair in the 1930s with the
actor Henry Ainley resurfaced in a biography published last year
and were said to have infuriated some of his family.<br />
There were also suggestions that he had an affair with the
Hollywood star Danny Kaye. Further allegations of a lengthy affair
were made by Sarah Miles, his co-star in Lady Caroline Lamb and
Term of Trial.<br />
Olivier died in 1989, aged 82, after a lengthy battle with
prostate cancer. Now for the first time, his widow Dame Joan
Plowright has confronted those rumours - and refused to deny they
are true.<br />
Instead, she excuses him, saying such geniuses as Olivier are
'normally attended by demons'. Seventy-four-year-old Dame Joan -
who married Olivier in 1961 and had three children with him - was
challenged about his alleged homosexuality on BBC Radio 4's Desert
Island Discs yesterday.<br />
She replied: "I don't think there is any need to defend his
memory. His performances, his greatness as an artist are there.<br />
"If a man is touched by genius he is not an ordinary person. He
does not lead an ordinary life. He has extremes of behaviour which
you understand and you just find a way not to be swept overboard by
his demons.<br />
"Such men are also normally attended by demons. And he would
fight to overcome those demons. Sometimes he would and sometimes he
wouldn't."<br />
Dame Joan said that during their 28 years of marriage she
learned to 'stand apart' from Olivier as a way of dealing with his
darker moments.<br />
The couple met while appearing at London's Royal Court theatre
in 1957. Olivier, who was still married to Vivien Leigh, wrote
later of the instant attraction between them.<br />
But in her interview with Sue Lawley - the broadcaster's last
for the programme - Dame Joan disputed this. The volatility of
Leigh, whose life was blighted by manic depression, at first
thwarted their relationship, she said.<br />
"We waited, because you didn't want to force someone with that
affliction into doing something violent, which could have been
possible," she said.<br />
"She changed her mind rather a lot, which was difficult. She
would agree to a divorce one day and then change her mind the
next."<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-50532279127246167592012-03-29T23:43:00.001-04:002012-03-29T23:43:20.024-04:00Pre Hays Code Gay Hollywood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vl05-1pn1u8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-88373059858070293402012-03-29T23:32:00.000-04:002012-03-29T23:58:51.080-04:00A Glimpse of Gay History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“I am prepared to believe that the sense in romance of those
of our brothers and sisters who incline towards love of their own sex is
heightened to a more blazing pitch than in those who think of themselves as
normal.” - </i>Lord Laurence Olivier</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHfXTWKUClhThIjWpm9ZFdiDZY_RFrcOSFMqplNQkZSwJaKntSo8RYzsCfbHtMNdehNxCwpbKCHMhag03a8EibAFqdHIFNXATp3cku3rgDZRky4q865N7Sn-m2pCVONCjN-irdyVFfXQe/s1600/hugmen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHfXTWKUClhThIjWpm9ZFdiDZY_RFrcOSFMqplNQkZSwJaKntSo8RYzsCfbHtMNdehNxCwpbKCHMhag03a8EibAFqdHIFNXATp3cku3rgDZRky4q865N7Sn-m2pCVONCjN-irdyVFfXQe/s640/hugmen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Circa 1940</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Gays and lesbians have been around since the dawn of time, but many of
us only think of same-gender couples in a post-Stonewall world. It's
almost as if they couldn't possibly exist in public before that era and
stayed hidden in the shadows—the two women "friends" who (sadly) never
married so they lived together, or the rich man and his attaché who kept
to themselves in that big house down the block.<br />
<br />
A tribute to all the men and women who were brave back then and who helped to pave the way to freedom.... <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPe_okc3gfGu-7Y_zVYMDwU56aJbi8HZFF-AXUPS_lkVyVDoR1JZNYKS6a8nUkphwRnZzkRXXaZcjwkDnllQy_dWaDW3q0p8NqXmwze9ywFwKgmB__zkDpeB6g8PRz6tJRzaZPzxJQJC_N/s1600/6a00d83451c50069e2010536fb4fd1970b-400wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPe_okc3gfGu-7Y_zVYMDwU56aJbi8HZFF-AXUPS_lkVyVDoR1JZNYKS6a8nUkphwRnZzkRXXaZcjwkDnllQy_dWaDW3q0p8NqXmwze9ywFwKgmB__zkDpeB6g8PRz6tJRzaZPzxJQJC_N/s640/6a00d83451c50069e2010536fb4fd1970b-400wi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mBh7xENnc1PqmAfoyoi78gij09t-U0-jKpGyxZ9rfQP0hueiDvMRqYVA9xU6FJbE4MDd2cvejU0LnkgveTyuxyUzx11kpHBgGolAiV-CbH_M8rFb5rne6ib3NNuCyQ4GXQop5urVJlf9/s1600/6a00d83451c50069e20120a5775c8b970b-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mBh7xENnc1PqmAfoyoi78gij09t-U0-jKpGyxZ9rfQP0hueiDvMRqYVA9xU6FJbE4MDd2cvejU0LnkgveTyuxyUzx11kpHBgGolAiV-CbH_M8rFb5rne6ib3NNuCyQ4GXQop5urVJlf9/s640/6a00d83451c50069e20120a5775c8b970b-800wi.jpg" width="462" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4JgmBB5KIpHmKaurwqKNu1ach5BWYykTifzqb-jw1-paTwNbpWlrgnykM2RyTBjv2_FlmW1EbqPeum1LRTmLomgOLyDX4DtuaX-qoxuao9VD1kjPUgH-y99rC7Alei3BNlLL9q74RQVL/s1600/6a00d83451c50069e2014e861b7b89970d-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4JgmBB5KIpHmKaurwqKNu1ach5BWYykTifzqb-jw1-paTwNbpWlrgnykM2RyTBjv2_FlmW1EbqPeum1LRTmLomgOLyDX4DtuaX-qoxuao9VD1kjPUgH-y99rC7Alei3BNlLL9q74RQVL/s640/6a00d83451c50069e2014e861b7b89970d-800wi.jpg" width="490" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGdr90LyVedA18XEmkn2Hi-BDoq-XEPqKNE9a2CRmBoa88fPWlSx0sj83KubjMj8fgYD8eCQSKC6L7i8e9CV40ChkLaeMpgDmjApmWEhWjcdfmkSfnNPgbEZ7hsp9hVWpgOsY7iqMmqXH/s1600/743205250_1bcd61811e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGdr90LyVedA18XEmkn2Hi-BDoq-XEPqKNE9a2CRmBoa88fPWlSx0sj83KubjMj8fgYD8eCQSKC6L7i8e9CV40ChkLaeMpgDmjApmWEhWjcdfmkSfnNPgbEZ7hsp9hVWpgOsY7iqMmqXH/s640/743205250_1bcd61811e.jpg" width="406" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMH2zf_siXP0ZeiXjG4hlqk-VgYn1ByxBAXI6NWVarkiSI7ZycumRR-bOQ3c6BKxbTGZCAzf66yTZICk1UILBT47gOEiVu-_32jiIKiIYoUNDVeNi6RGb7_nsUQnWAfLsqGCNGr74TVfN/s1600/enhanced-buzz-25208-1289342987-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMH2zf_siXP0ZeiXjG4hlqk-VgYn1ByxBAXI6NWVarkiSI7ZycumRR-bOQ3c6BKxbTGZCAzf66yTZICk1UILBT47gOEiVu-_32jiIKiIYoUNDVeNi6RGb7_nsUQnWAfLsqGCNGr74TVfN/s640/enhanced-buzz-25208-1289342987-20.jpg" width="442" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAFWuOM7vAsX3idegM9tP4bzyGAdUxh75Pg0CLw1eNfmMFAgWQkXcm-ShkySkywWeEzkAlgXr6nmAO_6bWpNHB0ls8I1hn8PHz6M6mHuCUNm3lHIcxQgoy7V-9hSFn3iJkVdd_mHZWm4N/s1600/enhanced-buzz-25225-1289343035-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAFWuOM7vAsX3idegM9tP4bzyGAdUxh75Pg0CLw1eNfmMFAgWQkXcm-ShkySkywWeEzkAlgXr6nmAO_6bWpNHB0ls8I1hn8PHz6M6mHuCUNm3lHIcxQgoy7V-9hSFn3iJkVdd_mHZWm4N/s640/enhanced-buzz-25225-1289343035-24.jpg" width="362" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAjbC2jRYFnSoi9OUmCRXc9HH_m6Wz3ti4mqyBhTn59b3x6RwtM19uEclwH372A89xyA-7U8YrrB9gWWehFmcFbJelazUPeqbtB5X5ZkfhMEgn2Fj4zPf6ApW3MlBpxlE23nLr6_ovdG6/s1600/enhanced-buzz-25235-1289343126-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAjbC2jRYFnSoi9OUmCRXc9HH_m6Wz3ti4mqyBhTn59b3x6RwtM19uEclwH372A89xyA-7U8YrrB9gWWehFmcFbJelazUPeqbtB5X5ZkfhMEgn2Fj4zPf6ApW3MlBpxlE23nLr6_ovdG6/s640/enhanced-buzz-25235-1289343126-34.jpg" width="462" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK2FPAVx-ZgD7wYtdgGFM3V9tG72xu-o5VEaOfXNSi5u95jGDdb_O5uyKXa3m9czozuwygDLsUle-S9PmDWEv7dlz7biyvEG3RRLEs2r0fL95uONnNqmDHTBpdYk6_MHl12F1yRgo481v/s1600/gaytwogether022208vgtw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK2FPAVx-ZgD7wYtdgGFM3V9tG72xu-o5VEaOfXNSi5u95jGDdb_O5uyKXa3m9czozuwygDLsUle-S9PmDWEv7dlz7biyvEG3RRLEs2r0fL95uONnNqmDHTBpdYk6_MHl12F1yRgo481v/s640/gaytwogether022208vgtw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-30223953302130095122012-03-29T23:25:00.002-04:002012-03-29T23:26:31.799-04:00First Gay Kiss on Film -1927 "Wings"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: larger;"><em>Wings</em> (1927)</span></div>
<strong>WHO KISSES WHO?:</strong> A male soldier kisses his dying friend.<br /><br /> <strong>WHAT'S THE REST OF THE FILM ABOUT?:</strong>
Jack and David are rivals over the lovely Sylvia Lewis. When they
enlist as WWI fighter pilots, they become friends—tragedy ensues.<br /><br /> <strong>WHY IS THE KISS SO HOT?:</strong>
"The climax of the story comes with the epic Battle of Saint-Mihiel.
David is shot down and presumed dead. However, he survives the crash,
steals a German biplane, and heads for the Allied lines. By a tragic
stroke of bad luck, Jack, who is bent on avenging his friend, spots the
German plane and shoots David down. When Jack lands to check on the
wreckage, he becomes distraught and places a lingering kiss on the mouth
of his friend just before he dies."<br /><br /> <strong>LOVE PECK:</strong> <em>Wings</em> is the only silent film to ever win an Academy Award for Best Picture.<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/U-P4e1jtve0?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-72081527653896670522012-03-23T11:39:00.000-04:002012-03-23T11:39:40.744-04:00Blog Questions.....what do you want to see?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This blog has now reached nearly a quarter of a million people worldwide. I would love some feedback! What do you like the most? The least? What do you want to see more of? What would you like to see that I haven't written about? <br />
<br />
Fill me in....don't hold back! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-66249137976892403542012-03-23T11:18:00.002-04:002012-03-23T11:18:47.402-04:00RuPaul's Drag Race Rule Breaker: The Day After!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div id="blog_author_info">
<div class="blog_author_name clearfix">
<span class="block align_left airal_11 bold color_222222 uppercase"></span><div class="float_left margin_top_10">
<div class="float_left margin_bottom_10">
<div style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin-left: 5px; width: 65px;">
<div class="twttr-fw-btn" id="twitter-follow-button-1622306580">
<div class="container">
<a class="fw-button" href="" title="Follow @LoganLynn on Twitter"> </a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="float_left i_v_fb_like like_fb_like_action i_v_with_count">
<div class="relative">
<div class="facebook_like_button connect_widget button_count visibility_hidden">
<div class="connect_button_slider float_left">
<div class="connect_button_container">
<a class="connect_widget_like_button clearfix like_button_no_like" href=""><span class="liketext"></span></a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="fb_like_xml absolute">
<span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="share_boxes_submit float_left arial_10 bold color_333333 center">
<h1 class="title-blog">
Willam Belli, <i>RuPaul's Drag Race</i> Rule Breaker: The Day After </h1>
<div class="title-blog" style="text-align: left;">
Author: Logan Lynn</div>
<div class="title-blog" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="float_left">
<div class="chicklets lighter" id="chicklets">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="sidebarHeader sidebar_blog_first_design">
<div class="share_boxes_wraper">
</div>
</div>
Like many of you, I was shocked Monday night when, on <em>RuPaul's Drag Race</em>,
Ru announced that one of the contestants, Willam Belli, had broken the
rules and was being disqualified from the competition. (That's right. I
love TV. Deal with it.)<br />
Oddly enough, I had scheduled an interview with Willam last week,
before the bomb dropped, for a second installment of my HuffPost blog "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/logan-lynn/queer-celebrities_b_1193284.html" target="_hplink">Queer Celebrities Need Love, Too</a>," but after watching the show I decided to throw out all those questions.<br />
My chat with Willam from yesterday (the day after all the drama) is below.<br />
<strong>Hey, Willam. Tough night, huh? What happened, girl?</strong> <br />
Well, I checked the Internet to find out why I was disqualified, and this is what my NancyDruPaul skills could come up with:<br />
<ol>
<li>I was on heroin, and that's how I was able to be so calm when Phi Phi yelled at me.</li>
<li>I went out drinking the night before, and that's why I vomited onstage.</li>
<li>My favorite reason: I was on hormones to become a woman, and
they found out during the lie-detector test -- 'cause you can obviously
see how delicate I've become, with all my soft features and this
friggin' man jaw.</li>
<li>I apparently slept with Pit Crew Jason, because he's in my new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO-msplukrw" target="_hplink">"Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" video</a>.</li>
<li>I enjoyed the Internet, or went shopping, or had sex with cast or crew.</li>
</ol>
<strong>The Internet thinks you've been really busy! Good times.
You didn't look very surprised when the announcement that you were being
asked to leave the show was made. Had you been told in advance of the
taping, or did you find out onstage? </strong><br />
Well, I was the one who admitted to the producers without prodding
that I broke rules -- multiple times, in fact. I wasn't caught doing
anything. One of the days just happened to be on a duet challenge, so I
knew that it would be a going-down-in-a-blaze-of-glory moment should
they choose to act on it (and they did). I'm glad they let me sing,
though, because Latrice and I <em>were</em> the best, and her being partnerless in a duets challenge would've been weird. How about this: I'll tell the world <em>exactly</em>
what I did when I win the NewNowNext Award for Most Addictive Reality
Star. I'll announce it right up onstage. So go vote, or else the world
may never know (cue ominous music). <br />
<strong>Deal! Honesty is a pain in the ass sometimes. Good work, though. Better to out yourself than be outed. I do <em>love</em>
a drag queen who can plug, as well. Speaking of drag queens, had you
not been eliminated, who would your biggest competition have been for
that final spot?</strong> <br />
Jiggly Caliente. <br />
<strong>Riiight. Well, who are you rooting for now? </strong><br />
Michelle Visage (#hausofvisage). <br />
<strong>Way to plead the fifth creatively, love. How are people
taking the news so far? I'm sure you're getting blasted with questions.
</strong><br />
The news is <em>good!</em> But it is nice to know my solo works got
almost as much attention as my disqualification just 24 hours before.
"Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" was posted by HuffPost and lots of other
mainstream media outlets, based on the fact that it's a current issue
and it's truly a protest song. Granted, it's not like some "we shall
overcome" shit, but it does have a message that I think is lacking in my
generation of gays, about speaking up more, activism, and volunteer
efforts. I do not need a 90-year-old Baptist billionaire judging who I
get with when his spicy chicken sandwich gave me the bubble guts for two
days. <br />
<strong>Yeah, down with Church of Christ mall chicken! I couldn't
agree with you more about wanting our generation of queers to rise up
and make the world a better place. Thank you for messaging that out!
Overall, are you glad you decided to do the show? </strong><br />
Yes. Of Course.<br />
<strong>That's good to hear! I'm glad you did the show, too. We were rooting for you at my house. What are you up to now? </strong><br />
I'm working on a video with Chi Chi LaRue for "Trouble," my dance
single, and prepping to shoot a film all about the '90s porn scene, Joey
Stefano, and Chi Chi LaRue in Los Angeles. The writer, Chad Darnell, is
in the process of securing funding now, and I'll be playing porn legend
Geoffrey Karen Dior, with Missi Pyle (recently seen in <em>The Artist</em>) as Sharon Kane. I'm also appearing in <em>Neighborhood Watch</em> this summer, opposite Ben Stiller and Billy Crudrup, July 27.<br />
<strong>I love Chi Chi! <em>Condragulations!</em> Sounds busy! If you could change one thing about your time competing, what would it be? </strong><br />
I would have liked a stand-up comedy challenge.<br />
<strong>Who was your favorite judge, dear? </strong><br />
I can't pick one. Kelly for telling me to "fuck off" because of my
body, and Pauley Perrette for co-signing the accolades. BillyB and
Santino for their candor. Cassandra Peterson and Pam for even bringing
their iconography into the same room as us. Ross Matthews and Loretta
were everything. Loretta dished on her understudy for <em>Dreamgirls</em>
back in the day on a break, and it's not printable, but she's
hilarious. RuPaul is, of course, my fave if it came down to it. Michelle
was a tough critic, but it always was clear it was coming from the
right place. She's the biggest supporter of all queens.<br />
<strong>I think you are hilarious, and I wish you all the best, Willam. Anything you'd like to leave us with? </strong><br />
"Trouble," my dance single, is now available on iTunes, along with
"Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" and "The Vagina Song." You know, it's
weird. I played hookers on television shows for all those years, and now
I'm pimping myself. Lateral move, much?<br />
<strong>Well played, queen. Well played.</strong></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-76203622480305710862012-03-23T11:13:00.001-04:002012-03-23T11:13:41.658-04:00My Reaction to Dismissal of Counseling Student....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /><br />First of all I want to say
that I think that it was justified to remove her from the program. I
also want to say that I agree with the University's decision to pursue
action. I do not, however, agree with the logic that was used. They use
the term "gay affirming counseling," and "homosexual lifestyle." <br /><br />I am going to get up on my soapbox for a bit....<br /><br />First
of all homosexuality is not a "lifestyle choice" any more than
heterosexuality is a lifestyle choice. To me, that term is illogical.
Being gay is not a choice. When a person hits puberty sexual attraction
starts and hormones and brain chemistry dictate to whom an individual
with be attracted to. The only choice here is made by nature and
genetics.<br /><br /> MRI functional scan studies have been done that show a
difference in brain function between heterosexual and homosexual
clients. There is a functional difference demonstrated in those studies
(Lindstrom et al, 2008). This would indicate to me that there is a
biological basis for sexual orientation. It would be as logical as
saying you choose to have blue eyes, or you choose to be black, or you
choose to have natural blonde hair.<br /><br />Now lets take that bit of
information and put it to use in this example. If this counselor said
that she did not agree with the blue eyed lifestyle and refused to treat
a client because they had blue eyes, how ridiculous would that seem?<br /><br />I
think that it is very sad that it should even have to be a debate in
this day and age. A friend of mine who is an academic has an original
copy of the Encylopedia Brittanica from the mid 1800's. I leafed
through it one day because I find it interesting to see how the world
has changed and how political views have changed since then. Upon my
exploration I came across the entry for African American (or in those
days the very crude term used for African American) and I was in
absolute shock about what the entry had to say. It spanned four pages
and went on to explain how black people were substandard in every way,
including intelligence and how that they were savages who's sole drive
was food and sex. It was totally full of political propaganda and just
horrid! This was and still is a respected reference for academia. Its
not like it was some rag magazine that no one took seriously. People
looked at this book to learn information which they thought was
correct. <br /><br />Today , this would have NEVER made it to print and I
am sure that a major law suit would have occurred had it even been
considered for publication! People would read this today, as I did, and
realize how ludicrous it was to think that way. My whole point to
bringing this up is to show that we are not really thinking any
differently than they did back then when it comes to the gay issue. We
are taking away rights based on a biased stereotype coming from a lot of
political influence. Someday, hopefully, future generations will look
back at our time period and be just as shocked and amazed at how we
thought about things. <br /><br />Now, back to the subject at hand. I think
it is ridiculous to allow any professional to refuse service to someone
because they are gay. Refusal because of orientation is ridiculous and
illogical based on what I have presented above. It saddens me to see
that in 2012 we still haven't figured ourselves out and this sort of
behavior still goes on. <br /><br /><br />References:<br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Lindstrom,
P. (2008). PET and MRI show differences in cerebral asymmetry and
functional connectivity between homo- and heterosexual subjects. <i>Neuroscience</i>, <i>105</i>(27), 9403–9408. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8176691881022334297.post-40691665227667232662012-03-22T16:20:00.000-04:002012-03-22T16:20:05.223-04:00Judge Upholds Dismissal of Counseling Student Who Balked at Treating Gay Clients<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="hat">
<br /></div>
<div class="header ">
<div class="chronicle-banner">
<a class="chronicle-logo" href="http://chronicle.com/"><img alt="The Chronicle of Higher Education" id="chronicle-logo" src="http://chronicle.com/img/chronicle_logo.gif" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="object-meta">
</div>
<div class="article">
<div class="dateline">
July 27, 2010</div>
<h1>
Federal Judge Upholds Dismissal of Counseling Student Who Balked at Treating Gay Clients</h1>
<div class="article-body" id="article-body">
<div class="byline">
By Peter Schmidt</div>
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Eastern
Michigan University by a student who was kicked out of its graduate
program in school counseling last year for refusing, on religious
grounds, to affirm homosexual behavior in serving clients.<br />
In an order granting summary judgment to the university on
Monday, Judge George Caram Steeh of the U.S. District Court in Detroit
held that the university's requirement that the student be willing to
serve people who are homosexual was reasonable, and did not amount to an
infringement of the Christian student's constitutional rights to free
speech and free expression of religion.<br />
The university "had a right and duty to enforce compliance"
with professional ethics rules barring counselors from being intolerant
or engaging in discrimination, and no reasonable person could conclude
that a counseling program's requirement that students comply with such
rules "conveys a message endorsing or disapproving of religion," Judge
Steeh wrote.<br />
The Alliance Defense Fund, a coalition of Christian lawyers
that is helping to represent the student, Julea Ward, issued a statement
on Tuesday saying it plans to appeal the judge's decision.<br />
"Christian students shouldn't be expelled for holding to and
abiding by their beliefs," said David French, a senior counsel for the
group, which helped out in a <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Augusta-State-U-Is-Accused-of/123650/">similar lawsuit</a> filed against Augusta State University, in Georgia, this month.<br />
Ms. Ward, who entered the Eastern Michigan program in 2006 in
hopes of becoming a high-school counselor, had not been disciplined in
any way for expressing her views, in classroom discussions or in written
course work, that homosexuality was morally wrong. In fact, she had
received A's in all of her classes, the judge's summary of her case
said.<br />
<b>
</b>Her opposition to homosexuality got her into
trouble, however, when she enrolled last year in a practicum course that
involved counseling real clients in a university-operated clinic. When
she encountered a client who wanted to be treated for depression—but
previously had been counseled about a homosexual relationship—she asked
her faculty supervisor whether she could refer the client to another
counselor, explaining that her religious views precluded her from doing
anything to affirm the client's homosexual behavior.<br />
To maintain accreditation through the Council for
Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, the
program that Ms. Ward was in is required to familiarize its students
with the ethics codes set forth by the American Counseling Association
and the American School Counselor Association. In refusing to affirm the
homosexual behavior of clients, Ms. Ward was accused of violating
various provisions of the groups' ethics codes, including prohibitions
against discrimination based on sexual orientation and an American
Counseling Association rule holding that its members should not
demonstrate "an inability to tolerate different points of view."<br />
The faculty members overseeing the counseling program offered
Ms. Ward three options—voluntarily leaving the counseling program,
completing a remediation plan intended to change her thinking about the
issue, or requesting a formal hearing. She opted for the hearing, which
was held in March 2009 by a panel consisting of five faculty members and
a student representative.<br />
At the hearing, Ms. Ward said she refused to affirm any
behavior that "goes against what the Bible says" and that she disagreed
with, but did not plan to violate, the American Counseling Association's
prohibition against therapy aimed at changing a homosexual person's
sexual orientation. Afterward, the hearing panel unanimously recommended
that she be dismissed from the counseling program. She responded by
suing.<br />
Along with her First Amendment claims, Ms. Ward's lawsuit
alleged that the university had engaged in viewpoint discrimination and
violated her Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process and equal
protection. It also argued that the policy cited in dismissing her
amounted to an unconstitutional speech code.<br />
Judge Steeh's ruling held that the policy at issue was not a
speech code but "an integral part of the curriculum," and that Ms.
Ward's dismissal from the program "was entirely due" to her "refusal to
change her behavior," rather than her beliefs.<br />
The ruling said that "instead of exploring options that might
allow her to counsel homosexuals about their relationships," Ms. Ward
"stated that she would not engage in gay-affirming counseling, which she
viewed as helping a homosexual client engage in an immoral lifestyle."<br />
The ruling said, "Her refusal to attempt learning to counsel
all clients within their own value systems is a failure to complete an
academic requirement of the program."<br />
</div>
</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0