Scientists Again Outwitted by Small Furry Animals

It hasn’t been a good couple of months for scientists involved with small, furry animals. First there was the trio of bubonic-plague-infected mice that disappeared from the lab in Newark, New Jersey. No one has been able to determine if there was a mouse accounting error, if other mice ate the missing ones, or if they have actually gotten out into urban New Jersey. Then, there were the scientists who were trying to find out how rats that suddenly appear on previously rat-free islands could be captured and eradicated. The one rat they let loose could not be tracked down for months, even with a radio collar on him. And now it is revealed that it is not only rats that are outwitting modern science. Apparently, other animals are rallying to the cause. No longer willing to be poked, prodded, chased and relocated, the animal kingdom is fighting back, and learning quickly, that in this battle of wits, their opponents are unarmed.

For quite a few years now, the federal government, as perhaps a sister project to the Witness Relocation Program, has been capturing otters who have the audacity to live in federally-declared otter-free zones and relocating them at a cost of $6,000 - $12,000 per otter. The point of this program was to move otters from their natural habitats to somewhere that scientists considered similar, in order to keep the otters (which had been previously hunted to near extinction) from bothering commercial fishermen. The otters, rebels that they are, manage to navigate themselves back, hundreds of miles, in as little as six months. They are re-captured, re-released, and the game goes on.

Now I know that not only are otters intelligent mammals, they are also very playful. I am sure they are enjoying this game immensely. If they knew how many millions of dollars had been spent on it, they would probably laugh themselves silly.

This week, according to an article on CNN.com – the government scientists are just about ready to admit defeat. The otters have won. Score another point to the small furry animal rebels! Now, let’s see if there is a lesson in here somewhere - how much better if those millions of federal dollars could be spent on developing fishing methods that are more environmentally friendly? Maybe we could hire the otters as consultants. Read the article: CNN.com - Otters winning battle of wits - Nov 16, 2005

Another Significant Personal Milestone for 2005

During the month of November, I will “celebrate” the 13th anniversary of the radiating of my thyroid. Diagnosed in 1993 with Grave’s Disease, the method of choice to correct the problem was to expose it to enough radiation to calm it down, but hopefully not kill it completely. However, the phaser was set on “kill” not “stun” and within three months I had developed a bizarre constellation of symptoms that no one had prepared me for. At first I was just losing my mind, but then I began losing my hair, and finally my balance. The day that I walked down the hall in my house by pushing myself off one wall to the other, I knew something was really wrong.

My Christmas gift in 1993 was to find out that I would have to be placed on thyroid replacement hormones the rest of my life. Because figuring out just how much hormone is needed requires the trial and error method, and because giving too much too soon can cause a heart attack, this began a three year journey through hell to get the dosage up high enough to make me feel human again. My weight went up, my eyes had double vision, my hair fell out in handfuls and to top it all off, during all this I became aware of certain activities being pursued by my then-husband – activities that would lead to our eventual divorce when I got my head back on.

Since that time, I’ve educated myself about the condition I had and the treatment I received. I’ve left behind the first doctor who treated me because of his “take-a-pill-you’ll- be-fine” attitude. I’ve learned that coping with a radiated, non-functioning thyroid is a guessing game, and that the thyroid, the virtual thermostat of the body, controls many vital functions, including things you would never associate.

It turns out that the irritable bowel syndrome I have had since high school could have been an early sign. The fibromyalgia that I have developed in the past ten years is also most likely related. Within the last year, I began taking an additional form of thyroid hormone (T-3 for those of you keeping score) because of my intense fatigue, sleep disturbances, muscle spasms and pain. It turns out I have been suffering all these symptoms because endocrinologists and drug makers have been fighting for years over whether a thyroid patient needs both T-4 and T-3 replacements, and whether blood tests revealing thyroid hormone resistance should be considered part of the “protocol.”

So, this year, I celebrate lucky anniversary #13 still battling pain and fatigue, but hopefully there are no more surprise symptoms in store!

Just When you Thought I Was Getting Too Serious

I got a perfect score in telling the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. And was awarded this:

Today's Words of Wisdom on Aging

Picked up this gem from one of the internet chain letters that landed in my mailbox, it bears repeating.

You don't stop laughing because you grow old,

You grow old because you stop laughing.

NaNoWriMo - am I crazy?

Well, since this IS my monumental year to push myself places I have never been before, I have signed up for the craziness that it the National Novel Writing Month - writers getting together for the month of November and racing to complete 50,000 words of something that resembles a novel.

I've never written 50,000 words that went with each other in my life. I've just registered, so I am already 4 days behind. am I crazy. Absolutely. But, here is a good test if I can take on something new and stick to it, even with the demands of daily life. This will give me a hint as to if I am ready to forge a new path for myself as I travel down Route 50.

I'll keep you posted!
For info on this craziness, and to check on my progress, I'm registered as daylatedollarshort at the official site at: National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month

Stories of Strength is Released!

Read inspiring stories and help victims of recent disasters! Click on the banner below.

It is Time to Value the Career of Child Rearing

Recently, Ann Crittenden spoke at the Princeton YWCA about her writings and grassroots efforts in support of the economic value of those who raise the next generation. This is a career that still generally falls to women, and those who choose to pursue it- especially on a "full time" basis (meaning they have stepped out of the "employment" world) are being shortchanged. Not long ago, I wrote a column about this very same topic, in response to an article in TIME Magazine - an article that highlighted the fact that many women ARE jumping off the "corporate track" onto the "mommy track." Unfortunately, the article only dealt with upper income women and didn't delve into the economic reality that motherhood brings to most of us.
In response and support of Ann Crittenden's efforts, I republish that column here:

The Risky Business of Motherhood
By Noreen Braman

Here it is, nearly 22 years since the birth of my first child, and, incredibly, the lead story of TIME's March 22, 2004 issue was about why, "suddenly" women are choosing to step away from their jobs to stay home with their children. We are lead to believe that this is somehow a new phenomenon, and perhaps a type of backlash from latchkey kids who knew too well, the feeling of being a kid home alone. But, there are women who have been quietly doing this all along.

Twenty years ago, when I "stepped out" of the corporate world where I had spent ten years, I left behind a boss who told me I belonged at home, and female colleagues who considered me a traitor to the cause. Yet, I felt as if I was doing the right thing, and despite the financial hardship it imposed on the family, we somehow managed. Like others, I took part-time jobs that neither paid well, nor garnered me much respect. I bartered secretarial services for dance lessons for my children, only to have my husband consider that as my "leisure time" out of the house. Even when I began freelance writing and pulling in a decent part-time income, it was still difficult for anyone to think of me as "other than a mom" and that it was somehow demeaning rather than admirable. It was disheartening at times, yet, the rewards of being with my children seemed to far outweigh it.

As the three of them approached high school age, I finally went back to work fulltime, at a smaller salary than what I had been earning 14 years earlier. Yet, the income truly helped the family as expenses mounted. It was a satisfactory arrangement until I got divorced.

Suddenly, I went from being a part-time contributor to the main bread winner, with my salary and court-ordered child support adding up to less than half of what the family income had previously been. Within months of the divorce I was working two jobs to try and keep us afloat. This meant that my children came home from school to an empty house, made their own dinner and saw me for about 10 minutes as I flew in and out between jobs. I soon learned that my pre-teens and teenagers still wanted and needed a more available adult around, but I had to spend my time scrambling to make ends meet. Financial crisis after crisis followed, the end result was homelessness for about 5 months. All this time, I worked and worked, for low pay, and found in myself a growing resentment toward the time I had been a stay at home mom.

Often I tried to calculate the salary and position I would have had, if I had stayed with my pharmaceutical company job. I realized that I would be approaching my 25th anniversary, had I stayed. Pension and thrift plan benefits would have created a nice nest egg for retirement. I longed for the security that would have come with making that much money as a single parent. I reeled in anger that the 14 years I had given to raising children were so devalued by society - a fact driven home when my ex-husband declared in the divorce proceedings that he would pay what was ordered in support for the children, but not a penny for me. It was as if the years I had devoted to running the home were worth nothing.

Today, I am working at a better paying job, but still not earning what is considered the subsistence income for a family of 4 in my area of the country. I am involved in an expensive legal battle to try and get help from the children's father in paying their college tuition, while at the same time, facing the reality that the child support we rely on to maintain the roof over our heads, will soon stop. I find it interesting that debts I have incurred for the benefit of the children will be hanging around long after they are all out of college. I face the bitter reality of being forced out of yet another home and perhaps not even being able to afford an apartment rental in the state where I live.

So, while I applaud the women who are now choosing to stay home with their children, I offer them some words of warning - make sure you aren't cutting off your career and job opportunities completely. You may find yourself someday in the same position as I am - starting all over again in the workplace, with less time to "make it." Until a stay at home parent is given some financial reward, either in the form of a family income tax break, or other protection under the law for the years spent doing this job, "stopping out" to raise your children can be the best thing for them, but a great risk for you.

©2004 Noreen Braman

For more information about Ann Crittenden's writing see: http://www.anncrittenden.com/