“The worst places in the Bay Area to go into labor ... - San Francisco Chronicle” plus 3 more |
- The worst places in the Bay Area to go into labor ... - San Francisco Chronicle
- Veiled women find opportunity to share faith - Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
- A new jazz festival with a noble cause: Feed the hungry - Chicago Tribune
- Letter of the day: The power of a pause: Perhaps it could become ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune
| The worst places in the Bay Area to go into labor ... - San Francisco Chronicle Posted: 16 Feb 2010 06:29 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. The worst places in the Bay Area to go into labor ...Like many parents, my wife and I spent much of Friday cringing, after reading about the woman who gave birth in a South Bay McDonald's. It's sort of funny, but mostly a horrible scenario. I tolerate that particular fast food chain, but don't enjoy being there for a minute longer than I have to. Watching my wife go through labor underneath the Golden Arches would be surreal. And then the idea of the kid going through life as "the McDonald's baby" ...  blog.leasetrader.com Better bring proof of insurance ... But after further consideration, a McDonald's in Milpitas is only the 57th most horrible place in the Bay Area to give birth to a child. I mean, the franchises near me are relatively clean (relative to a subway platform, at least). The fries are way better than Burger King. And as clueless as the cashiers can be in this place, I'm guessing that there's something in their training video about what to do in case of a live birth. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a "Patron going into labor" button on the cash register. Below are the worst places I can think of in the Bay Area to give birth to a baby. To keep the field narrow, I'm only choosing establishments and other enclosed spaces run by a government entity or corporation. (I stipulate that "the corner of 6th and Market streets in San Francisco" would be worse than any of these.) Your choice in the comments ... The DMV: The Department of Motor Vehicles wouldn't be such an easy target the place wasn't exactly as bad as the stereotype. All I know is that if my wife went into labor at the DMV, she would still have to hold onto her ticket and wait until F92 is called, and then they would demand that she go back home to get a third piece of identification. No one would smile, and right when the baby is about to crown, the entire staff would go on their break. I'm also convinced that any baby actually born on DMV premises would grow up to become a serial killer. The Muni 14 Line: There are worse places to be born than an AC Transit bus. The Van Hool buses may not be safe for passengers, but every one I've traveled in has been close to immaculate. On BART, there's at least a 50/50 chance someone would give the pregnant woman the handicapped seat. And the Muni N-Judah train might be OK if you're with a happy crowd after a Giants game. But a Muni bus would be unspeakably horrible in pretty much any situation. There would be a guy huffing paint and/or masturbating in the back seat, a fistfight would break out for no reason and the driver would pretend like the whole thing wasn't happening. (Also, in a Muni bus, contractions come three times in a row every 35 minutes.)  allposters.com Imagine what they charge for an epidural in this place ... Blockbuster/Hollywood Video: I'm understandably sympathetic to people who work in industries that appear to be experiencing a slow painful death. But I'm still constantly amazed at how much the employees who work in my local video stores become more rude and incompetent with each stock price plunge. If my wife went into labor at our Hollywood Video, I have no doubt that before dialing 911, each member of the staff would make two personal calls, and then talk with each other for five minutes about the previous night's party. Any fresh water and blankets in the building would be misfiled under New Releases. And I'm guessing that even if the baby was three weeks early, they would find a way to screw us with a late fee. Candlestick Park: As I've mentioned before, going to Candlestick Park in recent years is like watching a football game in the middle of a giant urinal. I can't think of a less sterile place in the Bay Area. And say what you want about the incredible costs of health care -- even the greediest HMO isn't going to charge a new mother $30 for parking and $10.75 for a beer. As for the game, my wife doesn't follow football closely, but even she would become stressed out when the secondary starts giving up big plays. (I have, however, picked out a good name for my son or daughter's in this scenario: DeBartolo Hartlaub.) PETER HARTLAUB is the pop culture critic at the San Francisco Chronicle and founder of this parenting blog, which admittedly sometimes has nothing to do with parenting. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/peterhartlaub. | February 16 2010 at 06:02 AM Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Veiled women find opportunity to share faith - Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Posted: 16 Feb 2010 07:19 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. Sunrise - Feel free to ask Morinikke Williams a question about her hijab. She's heard them all. The most frequent: "Why do you wear that?" But "Isn't it hot under there?" is also near the top of the list. In France, Muslim women might hesitate at similar questions. The hijab, or head scarf, is prohibited in French schools. The French parliament is debating whether to ban the burqa, or covering from head to toe worn by some Muslim women, after President Nicolas Sarkozy said it is "not welcome" in France. Williams, 30, who became a Muslim 10 years ago, and fellow moms at the Islamic Foundation of South Florida school say they are glad to talk about why they cover their hair. They believe the questions demonstrate a climate of tolerance and interest in their religion and culture. In South Florida, where the weather spurs many to wear as little as possible, the hijab attracts attention. American Muslims say they are accustomed to this spotlight, especially since Sept. 11 and subsequent violence in the Middle East and attempted terrorist attacks by extremists in the United States and Europe. About 75,000 Muslims live in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, said Muhammed Malik, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' South Florida office. He estimates a little over half of Muslim women in South Florida wear the hijab or other head covering. Many Muslim women in the United States are enthusiastically sharing the reactions they have gotten to their public demonstration of faith. The Hijabi Monologues, a play performed last fall in South Florida, has been traveling around the country, allowing veiled Muslim women to talk about their experiences, including men's attempts at flirtation and the challenges of finding places to pray. Women wrap most hijabs around their hair and across the neck, leaving only the face visible. Some let hair slip out onto the forehead, or let their ears or part of their necks show; others wrap the scarf tightly around the face and cover their foreheads, too. Some wear a burqa or a niqab, which covers the entire face or leaves only the eyes uncovered. Women of many religions, including Orthodox Jews and some Catholic nuns, cover their hair. Muslims trace the commandment to the Quran and the collected sayings of the prophet Muhammad, who is quoted this way: "If a woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be seen but this — and he pointed to his face and hands." There is much debate among contemporary Muslims about how to interpret such writings and other Islamic holy texts. Farrah Javed of West Palm Beach said she frequently wrestles with the question. She would like to wear the hijab but is concerned about potential public hostility. "I have a friend whose daughter got harassed at school," said Javed, 39, a mother of three. "At some point I will do it. You need a lot of inner strength." Fawzia Mujahid, 46, a mother of three from Plantation, said she is not trying to make a political or religious statement by wearing her hijab, which is wrapped tightly around her face. "There were years when I didn't wear it," she said. "But now it's part of my identity as a Muslim woman." Syeda Baig of Coral Springs said she began wearing the veil when she moved to the United States from the Middle East in 11th grade. "At first I wore it as a safety net to make sure my faith would stay the same," said Baig, 37, a mother of three. "As you get older, you get more comfortable with it. Now it's part of my public attire, like the professional clothing you wear to work." Not every public encounter is positive. Williams said she also gets dirty looks and hostile comments, including "Go back to your country." She said she offered a simple reply: "This is my country." Lois Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6536. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| A new jazz festival with a noble cause: Feed the hungry - Chicago Tribune Posted: 16 Feb 2010 07:12 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. In pop culture, jazz long has been synonymous with sin, vice and degradation. You can see it in films from "The Jazz Singer" (cantor's son descends into crooning) to "'Round Midnight" (jazz musician ruined by booze and drugs); from "Star Wars" (gut-bucket jazz in the alien bar scene) to "It's a Wonderful Life" (guess what kind of music plays lustily in decadent Pottersville?) The noble, spiritual sides of jazz rarely get equal time, but a new festival in Chicago may alter perceptions about a music with deep roots in the church. For the past several months, a great Chicago jazz guitarist who's also a Catholic priest has been planning a groundbreaking event: A six-day festival featuring top Chicago musicians in the city's best clubs, with the proceeds going to charity. To make that possible, the venues and musicians have donated their services for the Chi-Town Jazz Festival, running March 16-21 in prominent rooms such as the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill and Andy's Jazz Club. By presenting vocalist Dee Alexander, drummer Paul Wertico, trumpeter Bobby Lewis, pianist Ron Perrillo and other marquee artists, the event commands instant credibility. "This came out of a need to do something, given the state of affairs in our country and in this city, with the rapid increase in the need for food," says guitarist John Moulder, one of Chicago's most respected jazz musicians and a Catholic priest at St. Gregory the Great Church, 5545 N. Paulina Ave. "I've always had the idea of bringing together musicians for a common cause, and now just seemed like the right time to do it." The funds generated by the festival will go to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Northern Illinois Food Bank, among others, Moulder says. The question was whether Chicago's jazz clubs would be go along with the idea, forsaking admissions for the sake of charity. Moulder placed his first call to Green Mill owner Dave Jemilo, with whom Moulder has a multifaceted relationship: As guitarist, Moulder has performed prolifically at the Mill; as priest, Moulder officiated at Dave and Andrea Jemilo's wedding and baptized their children. "Dave said, 'It's a great idea, and we'll donate a Friday,' which was great, because weekends are the toughest dates to get," Moulder recalls. Says Jemilo: "I thought we could do a Friday as long as he could get bands that are good enough and would play for free. … If I lose a little (money), so what?" With Jemilo's internationally famous room onboard, Moulder had no difficulty wooing other clubs. Musicians, too, jumped in, partly because of the ingenuity of Moulder's approach. Rather than ask an artist to give up an entire night in which he might otherwise work two or three gigs, Moulder asked each musician to donate just one set. In so doing, each musician would be free to work elsewhere that evening, while each club would feature a variety of acts in a single night, making for a bigger audience draw. Everybody wins. Moulder has no idea how much money this could raise, but with required donations expected to range from $10 to $25 (and larger donations encouraged), he hopes the week might generate $15,000 to $20,000. "We've never done a jazz festival before," says Kristin Ortman, director of communications for Catholic Charities, which is helping Moulder organize the event. "But demand is really increasing right now, and anything we can do to alleviate that — especially when it's such a creative response as this — we're willing to try." The lineup: 8 to 11 p.m. March 16 at Evanston SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Evanston; 847-492-8860. Don Stiernberg Quartet; Kick the Cat. 8 p.m. to midnight March 17 at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct.; 312-360-0234. Ryan Cohan Quartet, with Geof Bradfield; Corey Wilkes; Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble with Victor Garcia. 5:30 p.m. to midnight March 18 at Andy's Jazz Club, 11 E. Hubbard St.; 312-642-6805. Jim Trompeter Trio; Ron Perrillo Quartet; Rich Corpolongo Group; Bobby Lewis Quartet. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. March 19 at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; 773-878-5552. Josh Moshier/Mike Lebrun Quintet, with John Moulder; Dee Alexander Quintet; The Skinny, with Kyle Asche. 9 p.m. to midnight March 20 at FitzGerald's, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn; 708-788-2118. John Moulder Quintet; Paul Wertico's Mid-East/Mid-West Alliance. 4 p.m. March 21 at Gorton Community Center, 400 E. Illinois Rd., Lake Forest; 847-234-6060. Chevere. Disclaimer: Clicking on the green links will direct you to a third-party Web site. Bloggers and staff writers are in no way affiliated with these links that are placed by an e-commerce specialist only after stories and posts have been published. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Letter of the day: The power of a pause: Perhaps it could become ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune Posted: 16 Feb 2010 06:29 PM PST Message from fivefilters.org: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. About Opinion ExchangeOpinion Exchange is produced by the Editorial Department, which is dedicated to hosting the discussion on a range of issues of interest to Star Tribune readers online and in print. In its new format, it's our hope that Opinion Exhange will create a more dynamic dialogue between Star Tribune readers and the Editorial Board. Many individual posts will be written and signed by members of the Editorial Board and will reflect their own opinions. Daily editorials will continue to represent the institutional voice of the newspaper and be researched and written by the Editorial Department, which is independent of the newsroom.
Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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