oh, gazette

I've been reading the gazette quite a bit lately, which is always an interesting social experiment. There's been coverage every single day about this missing 9 year old, Cedrika, who is from Trois Rivieres or somewhere near by. Fair enough, the poor thing is missing, and it's scary for the family. It's also local news. But beyond news like, "she's been found!" or..well, that's it really--what else is there to cover? Every single day there's been an article about this girl. You know, we also hear in the paper stories about other little children who go missing, but the coverage is not similar at all. I have a strong feeling that she is rich, white, and pretty, and that's why she's in the news so much. Ethnic families with fewer resources wouldn't get that type of coverage.

In other news, a network of websites that connect pedophiles has been discovered in Montreal. The Gazette has been pretty judgmental about it, suggesting in its biased newspapery way that the people behind these websites should be put behind bars.

Don't get me wrong, of course I don't agree with pedophilia. But I'm not sure pedophiles choose to find small children sexually attractive, and pretending they don't exist and cutting off their resources is only going to make it worse. These websites, apparently, as I haven't seen them, suggest places where young children can be watched, and have message boards where people can discuss their pedophilia. Nowhere do they suggest or encourage acting on pedophilic desires, and everything is technically legal. I think there should be a place for pedophiles to talk about this stuff, although of course it would be better if the websites were to suggest ways to get help or counselling or something, though I suppose that would be preachy and not free speech. In any case, ignoring the problem usually doesn't help things too much.

endovaginal ultrasounds

The other day, I went for an ultrasound my doctor had recommended for me. There was some mysterious pain in the abdomen happening, and I was terrified my liver was blackened from the strain of living what my mom calls my "champagne lifestyle." Well, not only was my liver fine, my uterus was the "most perfect" the technician had seen in years!

Let me tell you though, endovaginal ultrasounds are not that much fun. They are not painful, but you get covered in a clear goo, and there is a big camera up your vagina for many minutes. The doctor came in after the technician to check on everything, and she was not very gentle! First she slapped more goo on my body to check out my innards, and then she couldn't find my vagina in the dark, and almost took a wrong turn, which did not make me very confident in her. Her only comment was "It's dark in here."