Do the Oscars Hate People Having Sex?

People were up in arms Tuesday after the announcement of nominees for the 84^th Annual Academy Awards. So many seem to forget that every year they are disappointed with the nominees and every year there is some film or performer who was left off or included on the prestigious list. I may have spent the final weeks of 2011 lamenting my utter ennui with last year?s films, but I never in a million years expected some of the Oscar outcomes. No Supporting Actor nomination for Albert Brooks, whose performance in Drive unnerved audiences to the core? Or the blatant disregard for solid documentary filmmaking in The Interrupters, Buck, or Project Nim, three entries into filmmaking that will forever impact the way we view the world around us? No, the Academy seemed to forget the impressive and daring offerings in favor of an adorable dog in a silent film. What is this, 1920? Last I checked The Jazz Singer pushed us into the land of the talkies.

I could spend all day gnawing my tongue over which films shouldn?t have been included in this year?s awards recognition, but just like arguing the virtues and evils of the MPAA, our time is better used talking about some of the sexy pieces of work that the Academy felt were too provocative to include (for reasons I have completely made up in my mind. Hey, they have their prerogative, I have mine.). Going along with the Academy?s new voodoo math rules of deciding the appropriate number of Best Picture nominees (something about getting 5% votes and then jumping a broom after falling off a cliff), I have picked out nine salacious films ignored for what we can only assume is their brave use of sex, sexual orientation, Ezra Miller?s hips, or worldwide punishment for one woman?s ill-timed infidelity.

As The Rock so eloquently asked for in the cinematic masterpiece Fast Five, let?s start with the veggies. The veggies in this case are the less obvious and therefore easily forgotten entries. Dee Rees?s Pariah is one of those incredibly simple yet thought provoking films the Academy loves to ignore. They see ?black,? ?lesbian,? and ?inner city? in the summary and instantly the monocle-wearing older gentlemen running ?things? mutter to themselves ?well, who would want to watch that type of film? Didn?t we already try being edgy with Precious?? Well, it turns out the Sundance darling is actually an engaging and inspiring piece of film that focuses just as much on lead character Alike?s (Adepero Oduye) sexual awakening and as it does on her acceptance of self. She is a prime example of a character moving forward from the heartbreak of a sexual coming-of-age, and Rees?s perfectly sculpted script would have been a shining beacon amongst the worn out drivel (Bridesmaids aside) competing for Best Original Screenplay.

Another daring and controversial film ignored in the Best Original Screenplay category is the tight, brutal, and sexually-charged Bellflower. Now, I know suggesting rookie Evan Glodell?s story of what happens when love goes wrong may seem a little out there (remember, we Rejects are champions of all things Medusa), I want to point out that the script is one of the more surprisingly realistic offerings of 2011. Last year was full of films uncovering the darker, sadder parts of love, and Bellflower was courageous enough to compare the destruction of love to the terror of the Apocalypse?but with sexier people. Fortunately we will see more from both Rees and Glodell in the future, but it?s a pity these two sexually daring scripts won?t get the same stamp of approval as the nearly silent The Artist.

I know you might be ready to jump down to read (again) about Michael Fassbender?s boner in Shame, and I promise you I haven?t forgotten about him, but before we do that let?s talk about a film genre near and dear to my heart?documentaries. Director Errol Morris released the hilarious and unnerving documentary Tabloid last summer, a film chronicling the sexual delusions of a woman who would eventually become one of the most notorious subjects of tabloid fodder. What Tabloid introduces, besides a crazy woman, is the well-accepted notion that a woman cannot rape a man. This may have not been Morris?s intended theme, however it is one that is blatantly clear once the story of former Miss Wyoming Joyce McKinney?s obsession and abduction of her Mormon boyfriend begins to reveal that she forced herself upon him while keeping him against his will.

McKinney recounts the story for Morris, who does not shy away from the satire the subject lends herself, and in each passing scene her sanity is questioned along with the audience?s understanding of what constitutes rape. Unlike the narrative The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, rape in Tabloid almost comes off like a joke. As if it is something only humor can remedy. And regardless of how sensitive the subject, the lighter touching of rape in this documentary actually proves that McKinney is a nut job. This year?s Best Documentary nominees cannot hold a candle to the inspiring filmmaking Morris is capable of doing even when he?s not trying to make a serious film.

Infidelity, like rape, is something the Academy enjoys primarily seeing when the victim is being punished for being just that, a victim. Steven Soderbergh?s Contagion absolutely deserves no accolades for its uneven portrayal of a world-wide epidemic, however composer wunderkind Cliff Martinez does deserve a nod for beautifully narrating the nearly world-ending catastrophe brought on by one woman?s ill planned affair. Along with Alberto Iglesias?s moving score for Tinker Tailor Solider Spy (thankfully sitting high on the nomination hog), Martinez?s Contagion score perfectly captures the foreboding feeling the ensemble cast feels as their story unfolds. Without the use of a slutty trumpet or a saucy drum roll, Martinez hinted unobtrusively to the dire consequences infidelity can have on more than just the two parties involved, even if we really should be blaming the bat-pig.

Our last five rudely neglected films feature performances audiences will remember well beyond some of their would-have-been competitors. Don?t worry; I?m not putting the shirtless Channing Tatum into this bunch. Starting with the Best Supporting Actor category, two sexually daring (confusing?) performances were forgotten. First was the sexy-creepy Patrick (John Hawkes) in Martha Marcy May Marlene, a man so sexually compelling he had an entire cult of lost Urban Outfitter models following him along on morally conflicting excursions. Hawkes is quickly becoming the Judy Greer of the indie scene, and the Academy?s exclusion of him in the Best Supporting Actor category once again proves they just don?t get it (and maybe they need to get some).

Meanwhile, another scene-stealing background performer whose name was not called yesterday was Patton Oswalt. Young Adult was entirely forgotten this year, and it is an insult that Oswalt?s sexually misidentified Matt (a character who accepts he is sexually undesirable but doesn?t let that define himself) would not get recognition for falling in love with the emotional succubus that is Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron). It?s easy to say Matt is naive in thinking Mavis won?t crush his soul after she seeks sexual comfort from the tiny chubster, but Matt is so much more than that. He is weak and strong, something a real person can identify with. He knows Mavis is a wretch of a human, and he sleeps with her not thinking it would make her fall in love with him, but maybe actually help him fall out of love with her. Unfortunately Young Adult is not Matt?s story to tell, and we are left uncertain as to Matt?s final outcome once he realizes Mavis has fled. It is obvious Oswalt was Matt at one point, and that makes his lack of nomination sting even more.

The ladies didn?t have it any easier this year, as two impressive women were left off the final list of Best Actress nominees. Both Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) and Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) submitted performances that were rooted in the evils or solace of sex. Both characters saw the adverse effects of their sexual decisions. Justine?s (Dunst) need for sex with a stranger the night of her wedding grants her a few fleeting moments of feeling something other than manic, but in the end she is living a sham of a life and wants others to accept their mortality on the cusp of the end of the world. Dunst?s performance is erotic in her unflinching bearing of herself, both physically and emotionally, yet it?s one of those performances where a beautiful person is not made ugly on the outside, but her overwhelming sadness destroys everyone watching. Dunst creates a character with such crippling melancholy that we cheer her on in ever poor decision she makes with her body.

Swinton?s Eva is a woman struggling to keep her unraveling marriage together as her terror of a son, Kevin (Ezra Miller), torments everyone from his younger sister and mother to his fellow students. Swinton is a chameleon, and she once again loses herself behind Eva?s perfectly manicured life. Hiding behind Swinton?s black eyes you can see the sadness of a woman whose sexual longing for her future husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) results in a real-life Damien, while she flashes back on how if she hadn?t given into her own desires her life wouldn?t been in the hellacious ditch it currently inhabits. Yes, Swinton already has an Oscar of her very own, but Eva is arguably one of the more underappreciated female characters of last year thanks to the film?s uncomfortable, ugly, and intense story; which is a shame of immeasurable proportions.

Ah! See what I did there? Shame? Yeah, okay you did. Shame is a film about a sex addict that almost feels like it needs less attention, and maybe in a way Fassbender?s Oscar snub is a direct result of championing a film too much. Fassbender bared not only his junk but also his character Brandon?s soul in Shame, completely immersing himself in a man whose sex appeal is actually his emotional undoing. Brandon could be anyone and have any addiction, but he is a rich white man with a little talked about addiction to carnal pleasures. He is sexy and disgusting, and Fassbender?s willingness to hold nothing back while in Brandon?s expensive shoes only proves that the Academy is afraid of sex for pleasure and wants to only reward actors engaging in sex on screen when the consequences are clear cut and easy to understand.

What other sexually proactive, engaging, or disturbing films and performances do you think the Academy failed to recognize this or in previous years?

Explore more on-screen sexuality

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924383/news/1924383/

bay area news lettuce recall lettuce recall zanesville ohio zanesville ohio light field camera world series game 1

Researchers discover method to unravel malaria's genetic secrets

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: William Allstetter
allstetterw@njhealth.org
303-398-1002
National Jewish Health

The parasite that causes malaria is a genetic outlier, which has prevented scientists from discovering the functions of most of its genes. Researchers at National Jewish Health and Yale University School of Medicine have devised a technique to overcome the genetic oddity of Plasmodium falciparum, the major cause of human malaria. This new approach led them discover a new gene involved in lipid synthesis, and opens the door to further genetic discovery for the entire organism. This should foster a much greater understanding of the parasite, and facilitate discovery of new medications for a disease that infects more than 200 million people and kills nearly 700,000 every year.

"The malarial genome has been a black box. Our technique allows us to open that box, so that we can learn what genes in the most lethal human parasite actually do," said Dennis Voelker, PhD, Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health and senior author on the paper that appeared in the January 2, 2012 , issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. "This could prove tremendously valuable in the fight against a disease that has become increasingly drug-resistant."

The genome of P. falciparum was sequenced in 2002, but the actual functions of many of the organism's genes have remained elusive. One of the primary methods for discovering gene function is to copy a specific gene, insert it into a model organism that is easy to grow, often the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, then draw on the incredible knowledge base about yeast and its abundant genetic variants to discover how that inserted gene changes the organism's biology.

DNA is composed of building blocks with the shorthand designations A,T,C and G. The genome of P. falciparum is odd because it is particularly rich in A's and T's. Because of this A-T-rich nature, P. falciparum genes generally do not function when they are inserted into other organisms. As a result, scientists have been largely stymied when trying to understand the functions of P. falciparum's genes.

It turns out, however, that P. falciparum has a close cousin, P. knowlesi, which shares almost all its genes with P. falciparum, but with fewer A's and T's. As a result, P. knowlesi genes function well when inserted into yeast. Scientists can now insert P. knowlesi genes into yeast, discover their function, and then match them to corresponding genes in P. falciparum, which reveals the function of the malarial parasite's genes.

"This technique could lead to an explosion in knowledge about malaria and the parasite that causes it." said Dr. Voelker.

The researchers used the technique to discover a new gene involved in the synthesis of lipids in cell membranes of P. falciparum. The gene, phosphatidylserine decarboxylase, directs the formation of a protein unique to malarial parasites and is a potential therapeutic target. For example, selective disruption of lipid synthesis in P. falciparum, would prevent the organism from making new cell membranes, growing and reproducing in human hosts.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: William Allstetter
allstetterw@njhealth.org
303-398-1002
National Jewish Health

The parasite that causes malaria is a genetic outlier, which has prevented scientists from discovering the functions of most of its genes. Researchers at National Jewish Health and Yale University School of Medicine have devised a technique to overcome the genetic oddity of Plasmodium falciparum, the major cause of human malaria. This new approach led them discover a new gene involved in lipid synthesis, and opens the door to further genetic discovery for the entire organism. This should foster a much greater understanding of the parasite, and facilitate discovery of new medications for a disease that infects more than 200 million people and kills nearly 700,000 every year.

"The malarial genome has been a black box. Our technique allows us to open that box, so that we can learn what genes in the most lethal human parasite actually do," said Dennis Voelker, PhD, Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health and senior author on the paper that appeared in the January 2, 2012 , issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. "This could prove tremendously valuable in the fight against a disease that has become increasingly drug-resistant."

The genome of P. falciparum was sequenced in 2002, but the actual functions of many of the organism's genes have remained elusive. One of the primary methods for discovering gene function is to copy a specific gene, insert it into a model organism that is easy to grow, often the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, then draw on the incredible knowledge base about yeast and its abundant genetic variants to discover how that inserted gene changes the organism's biology.

DNA is composed of building blocks with the shorthand designations A,T,C and G. The genome of P. falciparum is odd because it is particularly rich in A's and T's. Because of this A-T-rich nature, P. falciparum genes generally do not function when they are inserted into other organisms. As a result, scientists have been largely stymied when trying to understand the functions of P. falciparum's genes.

It turns out, however, that P. falciparum has a close cousin, P. knowlesi, which shares almost all its genes with P. falciparum, but with fewer A's and T's. As a result, P. knowlesi genes function well when inserted into yeast. Scientists can now insert P. knowlesi genes into yeast, discover their function, and then match them to corresponding genes in P. falciparum, which reveals the function of the malarial parasite's genes.

"This technique could lead to an explosion in knowledge about malaria and the parasite that causes it." said Dr. Voelker.

The researchers used the technique to discover a new gene involved in the synthesis of lipids in cell membranes of P. falciparum. The gene, phosphatidylserine decarboxylase, directs the formation of a protein unique to malarial parasites and is a potential therapeutic target. For example, selective disruption of lipid synthesis in P. falciparum, would prevent the organism from making new cell membranes, growing and reproducing in human hosts.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/njh-rdm012512.php

ellen degeneres show david guetta david guetta work of art iphone update iphone update blackberry outage

Hey!

RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, Wordpress, Moodle, phpBB, AJAX Chat, Mantis, and the efforts of many dedicated writers and roleplayers. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

? RolePlayGateway, LLC

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/yJ5Dd8-Xp78/viewtopic.php

office max office max cyber monday deals 2011 cyber monday deals 2011 real housewives of atlanta bernie fine bernie fine

Cohabitating Valentines Are Happier Than Wedded Couples

ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2012) ? When it comes to the well-being of married versus cohabitating Valentines, wedded couples experience few advantages in psychological well-being and social ties, according to a new study at Cornell University.

The study, "Reexamining the Case for Marriage: Union Formation and Changes in Well-being," is being published in the February issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

"We found that differences between marriage and cohabitation tend to be small and dissipate after a honeymoon period. Also while married couples experienced health gains -- likely linked to the formal benefits of marriage such as shared health care plans -- cohabiting couples experienced greater gains in happiness and self-esteem. For some, cohabitation may come with fewer unwanted obligations than marriage and allow for more flexibility, autonomy and personal growth," said Kelly Musick, associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell's College of Human Ecology, who co-authored the study with sociologist Larry Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"Marriage has long been an important social institution, but in recent decades western societies have experienced increases in cohabitation, before or instead of marriage, and increases in children born outside of marriage," said Musick. "These changes have blurred the boundaries of marriage, leading to questions about what difference marriage makes in comparison to alternatives."

Previous research has sought to prove a link between marriage and well-being, but many studies compared marriage to being single, or compared marriages and cohabitations at a single point in time.

This study compares marriage to cohabitation while using a fixed-effects approach that focuses on what changes occur when single men and women move into marriage or cohabitation and the extent to which any effects of marriage and cohabitation persist over time.

The researchers used a sample from the National Survey of Families and Households of 2,737 single men and women, 896 of whom married or moved in with a partner over the course of six years. The study focused on key areas of well-being, considering questions on happiness, levels of depression, health and social ties.

"Compared to most industrial countries, America continues to value marriage above other family forms," concluded Musick. "However our research shows that marriage is by no means unique in promoting well-being and that other forms of romantic relationships can provide many of the same benefits."

The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Contact Syl Kacapyr for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cornell University, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Kelly Musick, Larry Bumpass. Reexamining the Case for Marriage: Union Formation and Changes in Well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2012; 74 (1): 1 DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00873.x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/_fd5MWwJt3c/120124183755.htm

occupy wall st the graduate holly madison tragedy of the commons tragedy of the commons casey jones casey jones

US: Taliban must renounce terrorism for talks (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? The Taliban must renounce ties to terrorists and endorse peace efforts as a condition for opening a political office in the Gulf state of Qatar, a senior U.S. diplomat said Sunday.

Marc Grossman, the special U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, called for quick work in setting up the office in Qatar, seen as a step to negotiating an end to the decade-long war in Afghanistan between the Taliban and the Western-backed government.

The issue underscores the complexity of efforts to wind down the war ahead of the scheduled departure of NATO combat forces by the end of 2014. Publicly, the Taliban have expressed no interest in reconciliation, and while the U.S. says repeatedly that the peace process must be led by Afghans, Kabul continues to fear it is being left out of the negotiating process.

Grossman spoke to reporters Sunday in Kabul alongside Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin.

Grossman said Qatar and Afghanistan need to be in direct contact about the office, but "for an office to open, we also need to have a clear statement by the Afghan Taliban against international terrorism and in support of a peace process to end the armed conflict in Afghanistan."

Grossman, speaking at the Afghan Foreign Ministry on a snowy evening in Kabul, noted that the Afghan government would welcome a delegation from Qatar to discuss setting up the office.

Reassuring Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who fears he is being sidelined by U.S. efforts to find a political resolution to the war, Grossman said, "Only Afghans can decide the future of Afghanistan."

Before making his first visit to Afghanistan, Grossman made stops in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and India. He wanted to stop in Pakistan as well, but he said Pakistani officials did not want to meet with him now because they were still revising their policy toward the U.S.

The relationship is badly strained over the U.S. unilateral raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and a U.S. airstrike late last year that killed 24 Pakistan soldiers. Pakistan, where many Afghan insurgent leaders are said to be based, has closed overland routes into Afghanistan for U.S. and NATO war supplies.

Both Grossman and Ludin said Pakistan has a crucial role to play in efforts to craft a peace deal with the Taliban.

"There really can't be a comprehensive settlement here ? a peace process ? unless Pakistan is part of it," Grossman said.

Last year Washington opened secret negotiations with the Taliban exploring their willingness to enter into peace talks ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Talks with the Taliban briefly faltered last summer after Karzai learned of the clandestine negotiations and made them public, temporarily scuttling them. Privately, Karzai has expressed fears that the United States will broker a deal with the Taliban that will be imposed on his government.

U.S. conversations with Taliban representatives have focused on establishing the Taliban office in Qatar and prisoner exchanges. The Taliban are seeking the release of five prisoners from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including Khairullah Khairkhwa, the former governor of Herat province, and Mullah Mohammed Fasl, a top Taliban commander.

Ludin expressed the Afghan government's support in getting a Taliban political office opened in Qatar and said it also would back an American decision to transfer some Taliban detainees from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar.

"If the United States decides to transfer these detainees to Qatar, to the extent that that means that these people will be reunited with their families, the Afghan government will support it. ... but you also will have to ascertain the desire of the detainees themselves," Ludin said.

Grossman said no decision has been made about the transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_as/as_afghan_talks

robert de niro winner of x factor cheesecake recipe leona lewis carlos beltran air jordan 11 concord unemployment extension

Gaddafi supporters seize control of Libyan town (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Supporters of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi seized control of the town of Bani Walid on Monday after clashes with a militia loyal to the new government in which four people were killed, witnesses told Reuters.

A resident of Bani Walid, about 200 km (120 miles) south-east of Tripoli, said the sides fought using heavy weaponry, including 106 mm anti-tank weapons, and that 20 people were wounded.

Another witness told Reuters the fighting had now stopped but that Gaddafi loyalists were in control of the town centre, where they were flying green flags, a symbol of allegiance to the ousted administration.

"They control the town now. They are roaming the town," said the witness, a fighter with the 28th May militia which was fighting the Gaddafi loyalists.

Bani Walid, base of the powerful Warfallah tribe, was one of the last towns in Libya to surrender to the anti-Gaddafi rebellion last year. Many people there oppose the country's new leadership.

The uprising in Bani Walid could not come at a worse time for the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC). It is already reeling from violent protests in the eastern city of Benghazi and the resignation of its second most senior official.

An air force official told Reuters that jets were being mobilized to fly to Bani Walid. In Tripoli, there were signs of security being tightened, Reuters reporters in the city said.

FIGHTERS "MASSACRED"

The violence in Bani Walid was sparked when members of the May 28 militia arrested some Gaddafi loyalists.

That prompted other supporters of the former leader, who was captured and killed in October, to attack the militia's garrison in the town, said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"They massacred men at the doors of the militia headquarters," said the resident.

During Libya's nine-month civil war, anti-Gaddafi rebels fought for months to take Bani Walid.

Local tribal elders eventually agreed to let NTC fighters enter the town, but relations have been uneasy since and there have been occasional flare-ups of violence.

In November last year, several people were killed in Bani Walid when a militia group from Tripoli's Souq al-Juma district arrived in the town to try to arrest some local men.

Taking back control of the town will be challenging because it has natural defenses. Anyone approaching from the north has to descend into a deep valley and then climb up the other side, giving defenders an advantage.

It was this landscape, in part, that prevented anti-Gaddafi militias from taking the town during the civil war, despite the fact they were heavily armed and had superior numbers.

(Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_libya_fighting

julianna margulies dr oz hakeem nicks hakeem nicks alpha lipoic acid 105.1 alex trebek

Derailed by Cancer at the Height of the Recession (ContributorNetwork)

With one year to go before the 2012 general election and on the heels of October's jobless report, Yahoo! News asked readers and contributors to share their personal employment stories. Below is one perspective.

FIRST PERSON | In late 2006, I was a busy massage therapist working in a hospital for a program I had helped start. Between my 32-hour week at the hospital, my private clients, and some child support, I had a decent income for a single mom in San Mateo, Calif.

I had excellent health care benefits, without which I am sure I would not be alive today. My income was right around the median of $60,000 a year. Supporting my two children on this was tight in this expensive part of the world, but we managed.

In early 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage IIIC Inflammatory Breast Cancer and knocked abruptly out of the working world. The next 14 months were devoted to fighting for my life. I had aggressive treatment, and my oncologist did not want me exposed to the germs my clients would bring me. Fortunately, I was immediately qualified for disability, evidently because I was not expected to live.

In early 2008, I jubilantly rejoined the work force, cancer-free, just as the recession was gathering momentum. The massage department shut down. I had to have health insurance because I knew I was at high risk for recurrence and no private insurer would cover me. I became a secretary for another department, and the long hours at the computer were disastrous. I developed lymphedema in my left arm, which caused it to ache and swell. In August of 2009, that department shut down. My disability resumed, and the hospital's insurer, MetLife, supplied the difference between what Social Security Disability paid and two-thirds of my previous income.

I haven't had even a half-time job since.

Now, in 2011, I have patched together a work life of several jobs that allows me to work within my limitations. With the current national unemployment rate at 9 percent, I am just happy to work at all. When I lost my secretarial job, my fiance and I moved up our wedding date and I was able to get health insurance. I shudder to think of what could have happened to me otherwise, if my cancer had come back! MetLife decided after two years that my memory problems (chemo-brain) and gimpy left arm allowed me to work as a file clerk for 40 hours per week, and informed me two weeks after they sent their last check. They declined to clarify where I could actually find this job.

I currently provide massage therapy to children at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital for about 20 hours a month. I teach theater arts to children. I visit elderly people with mild dementia and keep them engaged. I blog and advocate for the end of breast cancer. I see the occasional private client and elevate my arm afterward. I earn about one-third of what I earned before. I hope that 2012 will open doors to more hours, more jobs, or both.

My husband is still supporting his own children, so our combined income is barely sufficient. We are fed, clothed and sheltered, but braces for my teenagers will have to wait.

This Saturday I celebrate my 50^th birthday and I'm still here. For now that's enough.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120120/hl_ac/10364659_derailed_by_cancer_at_the_height_of_the_recession

del rio del rio das racist das racist ginger white conrad murray sentencing conrad murray sentencing