The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition
Letter from the Editor
Its been awhile, but hey that's life. The Lilith eZine went through a transformation over the summer. We have a new server, a new look and some talented new writers who have joined our staff (and we're looking for new editors). Please browse around and check out what our new writers have to offer.
Lets recap what has happened this past summer... Global warming and climate change is still getting worse. The recession is still here, but its not as bad as it used to be. Two of North America's Big Three automakers are now partially owned by the United States and Canadian governments. Plaid is back in fashion, but then again so it preppies and rebels. Its like the 1980s all over again. H1N1 (the influenza virus formerly known as Swine Flu) is all over the globe now and has killed over 4200 people thus far, including roughly 200 in the last week. Canada is now on the verge of an election, except nobody really wants one despite the fact 78% of Canadians are sick of Stephen Harper, and apparently the previous 2008 Canadian election wasn't legal in the first place.
Oh and according to the Republican Party in the United States, their president is a Communist because he finally allowed the USA to join the rest of the free world by creating a free health care program that covers all Americans. About time. I am speaking of course of Barack Obama. Just think, three years from now we will be discussing Obama's re-election campaign and whether he was successful combating the biggest financial downturn since the Great Depression, two wars and still managed to bring in free health care.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Co-Editor of the Lilith eZine
Automotive
General Motors
Canada
Is Multiculturalism in Canada Dead?
Entertainment
Risque
Women's Retreats
Toronto International Film Festival Reviews
Politics
The Cult of Obama Criticism
The Future of Afghanistan
The Neo Liberal Dogma and Canada
Religion
Patenting Marriage
Is Suicide Spiritual Starvation?
Searching for the Pagan Goddess
For daily news and blog posts check out the Lilith News.
May 3rd 2009
The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition
Letter from the Editor
The big news around the world this week is the H1N1 flu epidemic (commonly known as Swine Flu) which has been spreading across the globe at a mathematical rate and is one step away from being declared a global pandemic.
So far its killed 102 people in Mexico and the United States and made thousands more sick and because its airborne its difficult to control its spread, sparking worry that it could kill millions world wide since a vaccine can't be made in a hurry.
There's also been widespread confusion about how H1N1 is spread (Paris Hilton for example said "I don't eat that stuff", referring to pork products without knowing its not spread that way), questions of the seriousness of the disease, how deadly it is and lastly questioning whether the mass media has overblown the situation.
Well, lets step back a second and remember the SARS epidemic of 2003. It started in China, infected 8,096 people in seventeen countries and killed 774 (that is a fatality rate of 9.6%) in seven countries (including killing 44 people in Canada). Thankfully it wasn't airborne. You actually had to touch someone or something carrying the SARS virus for it to be passed on.
The problem with SARS and the reason why it still managed to spread is that initially people didn't take it seriously. Health organizations were unprepared for how easily it spread through human contact. Even nurses and doctors were falling sick and dying because they failed to take every precaution. If it had spread out of control, reaching pandemic levels 5 and 6, we could have seen a huge catastrophe instead of a mere disaster.
With the H1N1 virus however... there's still a lot of people who don't know anything about it or how its spread. People aren't taking it seriously and it is the mass media's responsibility, their civic duty, to warn people about the dangers so they know enough to wash their hands constantly, quarantine themselves if for several days if they recently returned from Mexico and see a doctor if they suspect they have the H1N1 virus instead of the common cold. Failure to do that, and we could see a global pandemic that will make SARS look like a minor infection.
Is it possible the media has overblown the situation? Nonsense. Wait until the pandemic is over and then we can argue whether all the media attention is warranted, and I can tell you right now, if this extra media attention manages to save just one life... it was worth it.
If an American child falls down a well and becomes a media spotlight of the week, is it worth it? Not really some might say. But if nobody had even bothered to notice the kid shouting for help then it would be worth it. That would be the true tragedy.
Media pundits spending their time worrying about the score of the football game, what Michelle Obama wore to so-and-so's funeral or what brain-dead-hunk is currently dating Paris Hilton. Those kinds of things are truly wasteful. So why is it when its something important suddenly people want us to stop talking about it?
Sometimes its just necessary to get the word out and anyone who wants to stick their head in the proverbial sandbox and ignore the world around them should be well-advised the world has a nasty habit of sneaking up on people and smacking them where they least expect it.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Editor of the Lilith eZine
Fashion
Advanced Corset Design
Paulina Porizkova
Feminism
The Problem that Has No Name
The Happy Housewife Heroine
Religion
The Politics of Religion
For daily news and blog posts check out the Lilith News.
Letter from the Editor
The big news around the world this week is the H1N1 flu epidemic (commonly known as Swine Flu) which has been spreading across the globe at a mathematical rate and is one step away from being declared a global pandemic.
So far its killed 102 people in Mexico and the United States and made thousands more sick and because its airborne its difficult to control its spread, sparking worry that it could kill millions world wide since a vaccine can't be made in a hurry.
There's also been widespread confusion about how H1N1 is spread (Paris Hilton for example said "I don't eat that stuff", referring to pork products without knowing its not spread that way), questions of the seriousness of the disease, how deadly it is and lastly questioning whether the mass media has overblown the situation.
Well, lets step back a second and remember the SARS epidemic of 2003. It started in China, infected 8,096 people in seventeen countries and killed 774 (that is a fatality rate of 9.6%) in seven countries (including killing 44 people in Canada). Thankfully it wasn't airborne. You actually had to touch someone or something carrying the SARS virus for it to be passed on.
The problem with SARS and the reason why it still managed to spread is that initially people didn't take it seriously. Health organizations were unprepared for how easily it spread through human contact. Even nurses and doctors were falling sick and dying because they failed to take every precaution. If it had spread out of control, reaching pandemic levels 5 and 6, we could have seen a huge catastrophe instead of a mere disaster.
With the H1N1 virus however... there's still a lot of people who don't know anything about it or how its spread. People aren't taking it seriously and it is the mass media's responsibility, their civic duty, to warn people about the dangers so they know enough to wash their hands constantly, quarantine themselves if for several days if they recently returned from Mexico and see a doctor if they suspect they have the H1N1 virus instead of the common cold. Failure to do that, and we could see a global pandemic that will make SARS look like a minor infection.
Is it possible the media has overblown the situation? Nonsense. Wait until the pandemic is over and then we can argue whether all the media attention is warranted, and I can tell you right now, if this extra media attention manages to save just one life... it was worth it.
If an American child falls down a well and becomes a media spotlight of the week, is it worth it? Not really some might say. But if nobody had even bothered to notice the kid shouting for help then it would be worth it. That would be the true tragedy.
Media pundits spending their time worrying about the score of the football game, what Michelle Obama wore to so-and-so's funeral or what brain-dead-hunk is currently dating Paris Hilton. Those kinds of things are truly wasteful. So why is it when its something important suddenly people want us to stop talking about it?
Sometimes its just necessary to get the word out and anyone who wants to stick their head in the proverbial sandbox and ignore the world around them should be well-advised the world has a nasty habit of sneaking up on people and smacking them where they least expect it.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Editor of the Lilith eZine
Fashion
Advanced Corset Design
Paulina Porizkova
Feminism
The Problem that Has No Name
The Happy Housewife Heroine
Religion
The Politics of Religion
For daily news and blog posts check out the Lilith News.
March 8th 2009
The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition
Letter from the Editor
Today is International Women's Day.
And sure, you're thinking we've come a long way since 1911, the first year it was held.
But have we really? In western culture women have seen a dramatic increase in the education of women, pay equity and better treatment. But we're still not there. Some might argue we will never be there, but improving standards and treatment of women is something worth fighting for.
But western culture is less than one quarter of the world. Here we are in 2009, ninety-eight years after the first International Women's Day and women in Iran are still being arrested for celebrating the event. True, women serve in the Iranian militia, but thats not equality because they're unpaid and voluntary. Only men in the Iranian military get paid for their service.
It is difficult to measure progress, but with Barack Obama as the new president of the United States there is a new beacon for equality and hope around the world. Progress is a slow process, goes hand and hand with education, and we will rarely see overnight change unless we fight for it.
International Women's Day isn't just a day, its a symbol to remind women and men to fight for equality.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Editor of the Lilith eZine
Entertainment
Anime Reviews
Online Strategy and Roleplaying Games
Environmental
Geothermal Heating Sytems
Fashion
The History of Tailoring
Feminism
International Women's Day
Health
The History and Benefits of Yoga
Yoga Tips for Beginners
Sex
101 Sex Positions
Technology
Internet Initialisms Acronyms
Letter from the Editor
Today is International Women's Day.
And sure, you're thinking we've come a long way since 1911, the first year it was held.
But have we really? In western culture women have seen a dramatic increase in the education of women, pay equity and better treatment. But we're still not there. Some might argue we will never be there, but improving standards and treatment of women is something worth fighting for.
But western culture is less than one quarter of the world. Here we are in 2009, ninety-eight years after the first International Women's Day and women in Iran are still being arrested for celebrating the event. True, women serve in the Iranian militia, but thats not equality because they're unpaid and voluntary. Only men in the Iranian military get paid for their service.
It is difficult to measure progress, but with Barack Obama as the new president of the United States there is a new beacon for equality and hope around the world. Progress is a slow process, goes hand and hand with education, and we will rarely see overnight change unless we fight for it.International Women's Day isn't just a day, its a symbol to remind women and men to fight for equality.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Editor of the Lilith eZine
Entertainment
Anime Reviews
Afro Samurai - Akira - The Animatrix - Astro Boy - The Boondocks - Cowboy Bebop - Escaflowne - Gargoyles - Ghost in the Shell - InuYasha - Irresponsible Captain Tylor - Love Hina - Princess Mononoke - Ranma 1/2 - Samurai Jack - The Simpsons - The Slayers - South Park - Spirited Away - Steamboy - Vampire Hunter D - Video Girl AI - Wonderful Days - X-Men EvolutionKatrina Kaif
Online Strategy and Roleplaying Games
Environmental
Geothermal Heating Sytems
Fashion
The History of Tailoring
Feminism
International Women's Day
Health
The History and Benefits of Yoga
Yoga Tips for Beginners
Sex
101 Sex Positions
Technology
Internet Initialisms Acronyms
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