A few things that need blogging

Ah, the pressure of unblogged tabs. If you're lucky, they sometimes cohere. Other times, they just need attention! So here are some worthwhile things:

• At last some good news on health care reform, not least that Obama himself says that a public option must be created.
  
  
• Speaking of healthcare, here are two examples of how our current system misfunctions, one over a small expense, and the other showing how you may have to lose your job and your solvancy before you can get your needs attended to. (And can I just point out the ludicrosity of that latter example? Man, this system is broken!!)
  
  
• On a different note, a dKos diarist looks at two recent news stories that remind us of how unions can save lives if they can get some workplace safety concerns addressed.
  
  
• And, unrelated to all of the above, a neat visual that draws on history to help catalyze (and recognize) ongoing societal change.
  (via Bitch, Ph.D.)
  
  
• Finally, just for the snark: a very clever hacked transit sign that rags on my local transit agency for all of the least desirable experiences it offers to its riders. hilarious!
  (via Albert)

Happy hump-day, all!

I want it!

This cool concept phone. Yes, I'd gladly have something that acts only as a phone, if it could be that small (and thus disappear into my pants pockets). I already have a camera, and nobody that I need to call on short notice could be relied upon to receive text, so make this thing already!!

A second opinion

Apparently the updated Senate plans for health reform are much more reasonable in terms of cost than the initial estimates (based on incomplete plans). Perhaps this will dissipate some of the panic that has been driving so many legislators to flee this very popular and desperately needed effort. Here's hoping!

(via Atrios)

In honor of my previous post

Speck spends a little floor time with Dad -- here they've been looking at photos on her camera, but clearly there were blocks, puzzles, and other fun just before this...


(Also note the armload of critter pals)

A father is a parent

The subject line of this post seems like a truism, and yet in our society, dads who spend substantial time with their children, while increasingly common (at least in my generation and younger), are still treated as a bit of an amusing anomaly. This does a disservice to all involved.

Scour the parenting forums on the Internet and you’ll find the common lament that "DH" (darling husband) expects a medal whenever he "babysits" junior for a few hours. I have little sympathy for DH in these cases, but maybe a step in the right direction would be to stop using language that suggests hired help — to stop referring to DH's job in the same terms as somebody who could legitimately stick his hand out at the end of his shift and demand a tip. DH isn’t babysitting, he’s parenting, and just changing that one word changes, for me at least, all sorts of connotations.

Indeed. Dads shouldn't feel like oddballs at baby/parent classes, whether it's yoga or music or just supervised play, and they shouldn't need handholding or head-pats to get through a day. Parenting works best as a team sport, and men's participation, and the acceptance of same, will increase when they're treated as regular teammates, not subs.

(via kottke)