MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'community activism'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:57:26 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780458&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fnot-really-end.html Did you know that the world is going to end on May 21st, 2011? I saw a guy on a street corner today with a sign that said just that. And then I saw a big-ass caravan with the same message. Contemplation of our impending collective doom helps to put yesterday's election into perspective. It doesn't matter if the Conservatives were gifted with a whopping majority if none of us is going to live long enough to deal with the consequences. There must be more of these end of the world types than I previously suspected. That would help me understand how it is that so many of us thought endorsing the Conservatives would be a good idea.Or something. You'll have to forgive me, it's been a hell of a day. I stayed up way too late watching the election results and then stumbled around like a zombie all ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780458 Wed, 04 May 2011 03:07:00 +0100 4780458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709355&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fvote-early-vote-often.html I watched last night's English language election debate with interest. I was shocked at how quickly the two hours passed, although this was greatly aided by the fact that I wrote and read a steady stream of commentary on Twitter and Facebook (sorry to my followers and friends who don't give a damn about the Canadian federal election!). It helped me to keep watching without blowing a gasket. I felt like I was at a bar with friends hooting and hollering, except that I was in my basement drinking tea with my son and my spouse (another advantage to Tweeting during the debate was that I had to keep looking down at my Blackberry. This kept the orange decor from searing my retinas and Harper's cold eyes from turning me to stone).I thought that all the opposition party leaders did well. Duceppe de... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709355 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:53:00 +0100 4709355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670300&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fquestions-for-candidates.html From the Canadian Breast Cancer Network: Questions to ask your local candidates during the election campaign Question 1: The Financial Impact of Breast Cancer  In May 2010, the Canadian Breast Cancer Network released the research report entitled Breast Cancer: Economic Impact & Labour Force Re-Entry, which firmly positioned breast cancer as an economic as well as a healthcare issue.  The economic impact of breast cancer is significant, and in many cases devastating for patients and their families. 80% of respondents experienced an economic impact following their diagnosis, often with distressing long-term financial consequences.   Some report findings: Average decline in household income was $12,000 or 10% of family income44% of respondents used savin... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670300 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:34:00 +0100 4670300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4152156&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fcontested-irrelevance.html I'm going to be quoting this brilliant speech given by my friend Andrea today (I'm doing a talk at Carleton University) and I realized that I have never shared it with you here, even though I found it to be deeply inspiring.Please watch, and go and leave a comment over at We Can Rebuild Her so that Andrea can know the relevance and resonance of her words. It's a welcome reminder that nothing we do to effect positive change in this world is ever irrelevant.This talk got a standing ovation at PAB 2010. I've watched it several times and it still gives me shivers.If you are reading this post on a site other than Not Just About Cancer (besides Facebook or a feed reader), you are reading stolen content. (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4152156 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:00:00 +0100 4152156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045289&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fbody-mind-spirit-national-conference.html From the Canadian Breast Cancer Network:Please circulate this to your network members, friends and family, we would love to see them there! OTTAWA, Oct 1 /CNW/ - Today, October 1, is the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Canadian Breast Cancer Network and co-presenter Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation will recognize the month with a unique networking event for 400 young women with breast cancer. The National Conference, called "Body, Mind, Spirit", will offer young women with breast cancer the opportunity to network with others who understand their situation, find out about the latest research directly from some of Canada's bright young researchers, and follow theme sessions on issues everyone with breast cancer is confronted with. Young women will have the chance to be supp... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045289 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0100 4045289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4031440&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fi-ran-for-cure.html photo: Ian HendelWith my sister.At the finish line.Wearing my Songbird scarf.And my hat from Texas.Team NO PINK FOR PROFIT was 43 members strong. We raised a whopping $25,000.Sometimes life is very sweet.If you are reading this post on a site other than Not Just About Cancer (besides Facebook or a feed reader), you are reading stolen content. (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4031440 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:29:00 +0100 4031440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946654&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fopen-letter-run-for-cure.html Dear Friends and Family, This year, I am running/walking in the Run for the Cure in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and I'm writing to ask if you'd be willing to make a donation. As you know, this is an issue that is very personal for me. In November 2006, when I was told that my breast cancer had spread to my liver, I knew no one who had survived this kind of diagnosis. Even my oncologist reluctantly told me that I had “years not decades” to live. But my response to treatment was immediate and dramatic – by June 2007, there was no longer any sign of cancer in my body. As I write this, I am still in remission. I'm also still in treatment, as we don't know enough about what happens when metastatic breast cancer disappears to make an informed decision about stopping. T... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946654 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:26:00 +0100 3946654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644960&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fspeaking-to-end-breast-cancer.html In 2004, I participated in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer in Toronto.In 2006, several women participated in Ottawa in my name.Next week, I'll be speaking at a fundraiser for the same event (now called the Weekend to End Women's Cancers) in Montreal. Sylvie Grégoire, a two-time breast cancer survivor is organizing the fundraiser luncheon. She was first diagnosed at 38 (the same age that I was at my own diagnosis) and had a local recurrence four years later. She's now, in her words, "healthy and happy!'This will be the sixth time that Sylvie takes part in this 60 km, two-day event. I am so impressed by this achievement and thrilled to be given the chance to help (I'm also more than a little nervous. I need to speak for around thirty minutes. The thought is a little daunting).You can contr... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644960 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:13:00 +0100 3644960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3538356&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fthank-goodness-someones-brain-is.html I've been staying  up way too late and drinking too much coffee to compensate. Then I have trouble sleeping. It's a bit of a vicious circle.As a result, I seem to be having problems jump-starting my brain.The items in this post have no real connection, except that I found them on the internet and they were all drawn to my attention by local bloggers.Zoom wrote about this lost cat. Is she yours? If her owners aren't found, do you have room in your home for this sweet girl? She's been taken in (and cared for) by the Crazy Cat Lady but she needs a forever home.Nat got my blood boiling with this righteous rant (on why she won't "shut the f. up") and made me laugh with this piece on Ottawa's ant plague (I feel so much better knowing thaat I'm not alone) and cry with her link to this amazin... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3538356 Wed, 05 May 2010 16:10:00 +0100 3538356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3433109&cid=t_408981_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fbattle-fatigue.html Regular readers of my blog will have noticed that I've been posting less often for the past several months. At first I thought my lack of interest in blogging might have been caused by seasonal depression over the long, gloomy winter. But it's been sunny and warm in my area all week; the birds are chirping merrily, the daffodils are blooming, and the grass is looking much greener; and now I feel, if anything, even less inclined to blog. For now, I just want to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and be part of the real world, far away from all the pointless bickering that has been going on in the online autistic community.I had a conversation last year with a friend who described autistic rights bloggers as "always at the barricades." That observation struck me as very accurate. We've ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3433109 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:53:00 +0100 3433109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3395332&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fstepping-in-right-direction.html On the Saturday evening of the 10th Annual Conference For Young Women Affected By Breast Cancer, a group of participants went out for dinner.Many of us had not met before that evening. We came from Texas, California, Massachussetts and Georgia. I was the lone Canadian. It was a truly lovely evening. The food was great and the conversation flowed - from the trivial to subjects of greater import, from the general to the intensely personal.About half-way through dinner, the subject of health care reform was raised. I said that, as a Canadian, I couldn't understand why anyone would oppose universal health care, especially anyone who has had a life-threatening illness.Most around the table agreed with me, while one woman stated that she was resistant to any more government interference in peopl... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3395332 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:53:00 +0100 3395332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934918&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fblog-post.html Yesterday morning, I got a call from Oresta. She told me that she had read my article in the Centretown Buzz and wanted to reach out to me.Even though I love her store and spa (I asked for gift certificates for Christmas last year), I was not on her mailing list and had not received the letter that I posted above.It's hard to read, so here is the text, in full:OCTOBER is BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTHPinkwasher: (pink’-wah-sher) noun. A company that pur-ports to care about breast cancer by promoting a pinkribboned product, but manufactures products that arelinked to the disease.Dear clients,ORESTA organic skin care confectionery is committed to providing organic spatreatments and to supporting companies that manufacture truly pure and organicproducts. We believe in beauty without compromi... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934918 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100 2934918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912484&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fde-bunking-pink.html "Three years ago, I saw a story on the news while I was at the gym. An investigative feature on the breast cancer awareness contributions that various corporations pledged during Breast Cancer Awareness Month found that most of these promotions led to increased sales and windfall profits that dwarfed the piddling donations that the extra sales generated. Until that moment, I was gung-ho about buying products marked with pink ribbons."And so begins the best article I have ever read on the subject of the pink-washing of October (and not just because the author says you should all go out and buy my book). Suzanne Reisman hits all the bases in this piece and does it with eloquence and a sense of humour.If you have ever struggled to understand why some of us object to pinxploitation (I just mad... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912484 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:33:00 +0100 2912484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2657881&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fsome-further-and-disjointed-thoughts-on.html A non-virtual connection with Melissa from Stirrup Queens (and author of "Navigating the Land of If"). We are both holding Nora's head on a stick.1. If Twitter was played a role at last year's BlogHer conference, this year it was front and centre.Many of us followed what was happening in other sessions we attended by following the keyword (called a hashtag with a #sign) blogher#09. These are my tweets from the session I attended about "Online Safety for Your Kids Who Are Online Themselves" (I had expressed in my previous post the concern that it would be all about scaremongering but was delighted to find that it was not):"if you are an engaged parent you have less to worry about in terms of sexual predation online" #blogher09 session on online kids.it never occurred to me to worry about ki... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2657881 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:22:00 +0100 2657881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365396&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fnot-done-yet-reviewed-at-mothers-with.html Mary Beth Volpini kindly agreed to review my book for our group blog, Mothers With Cancer:There were entries that I laughed while reading… Monday, July 3, 2006 as her boys pretended to be Wolverine. The most touching entry to me… Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Etching Myself in their Memories … spontaneous tears ran down my cheeks right there in the hair salon. I share those same haunting thoughts. I am glad that I had the chance to learn more about Laurie. I applaud her courage, her creativity and her approach to life. “Metastatic cancer has not ended my life; it has just caused me to live my life differently.” If my story becomes more similar to Laurie’s, I hope I proceed with the same courage and positive outlook.You can read the rest of the review here.Mary Beth is an artist ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365396 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:51:00 +0100 2365396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2241120&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fof-freaks-friends-rebels-boobs-and-bras.html Go see Jacqueline today. She shares an email exchange we had in December.Jacqueline continues to innovate, create and dazzle (and I am planning to end up with a really good bra)."Sometimes and often from loss grows a whisper, a roar, and song." J.L.S. Rebel1in8 (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2241120 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:36:00 +0100 2241120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2227484&cid=t_408981_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fhome.html I arrived home from Dallas in the wee hours of this morning. I am exhausted but so glad I went. The 9th Annual Conference for Young Women Affected By Breast Cancer exceeded my expectations in every way.I expect to be writing a lot about this later this week but I am so very tired and have chemo early tomorrow. Meanwhile, here are some shots of folks gathered around for the group photo. Very many of us were hanging around above taking photos and I think we diminished the numbers a bit. There were 8oo women in attendance. Three hundred of us were on scholarship. It was incredible. (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2227484 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:48:00 +0100 2227484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1812840&cid=t_408981_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fthat-wheelchair-analogy.html You know, the one that claims autistic self-advocates exist only because the Internet enabled us to interact with others and that, without our computers, we would have very little ability to express our views. Mike Stanton used this analogy in a recent presentation about the Autism Hub, which he posted on his blog, stating as follows:Computers have been described as “wheelchairs for autistics.” The analogy holds good. Computer technology and the internet have empowered many who would find normal face to face interactions extremely difficult. They can build web sites, write blogs and create videos.It's a fair observation that many (although not all) autistic self-advocates are more comfortable using the Internet than communicating face to face. And the Internet certainly has made it muc... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1812840 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:07:00 +0100 1812840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1546748&cid=t_408981_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fneeds-of-many.html …should not be determined by the loud voices of the few.I sometimes get commenters on my site who talk about the importance of considering the needs of autistic people with serious challenges and who declare that the discussion should not be monopolized by successful autistics who have a university degree, a career, a happy marriage, a house in the suburbs, a popular blog, or whatever the commenters' definition of success may be.And then they're surprised when I agree with them completely.Of course no individual or subgroup should ever claim to speak for an entire minority group. That's just basic common sense, and I've said many times that I speak only for myself on my blog. If I write a post that addresses a feminist issue, I don't claim to be speaking for all women, either. Nobody has... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546748 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:35:00 +0100 1546748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=768987&cid=t_408981_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F001273.php As gleefully noted at the Methuselah Foundation blog, the latest award from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research brings their support for the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) into the six figure range: We here at the Methuselah Foundation are pleased to announce our receipt of a Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging: a further $50,000 towards the presently ongoing SENS research aimed at extending healthy human longevity, and funded by our generous donors. As for all SENS research contributions, this award is matched by $25,000 from the $3 million fund set up by Peter Thiel in late 2006. It will help to extend Foundation research into bioremediation of damaging age-related byproducts in tissue, the protection of fragile mitochondrial DNA and... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=768987 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 768987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=745529&cid=t_408981_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F001266.php The Methuselah Foundation is looking to the community with a contest to design the new Foundation logo: Can you design a logo for the Methuselah Foundation? Would you like to see your work leading the charge in the fight to defeat age-related degeneration? We are upgrading our websites and outreach material, and as a part of this effort need a distinctive new logo that encapsulates and conveys the meaning of our mission and the essence of the Foundation. The Methuselah Foundation has been built by the dedication of volunteers and donors of all stripes, and so we reach out to the same community in search of a new logo. Think you have good idea and a designer's hand? Fire up the scanner and send in your work! Entries will be judged by Foundation chair Dr. de Grey with help from graphic d... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=745529 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 745529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=544622&cid=t_408981_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F001183.php Aubrey de Grey, Kevin Perrott, David Chambers and Damian Crowe of the Methuselah Foundation were in the Bay Area this week, advancing the cause of longevity research through a number of fundraising events. Much as the last time I met any of the Foundation folk in person, the week closed with a Saturday gathering of supporters on the topics of strategy, communication, near-term goals and organization. The nuts and bolts of getting things done, and done well, in other words. An eclectic group of folk from venture funding, media, aging research and non-profit interests kept the discussion from falling anywhere near to the normal fate for business topics on a weekend - very entertaining and informative, all in all. As many of you have no doubt experienced in the past, keeping the wheels turni... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=544622 Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 544622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=515228&cid=t_408981_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F001170.php A discussion is presently ongoing at the Immortality Institute, kicked off by thoughts on the frustrations and vicissitudes inherent in persuading people that healthy life extension to the degree of decades and centuries is plausible and desirable. Perhaps more importantly, that the process of developing the needed technology merits material support today. Some time ago I decided to try and see how the concept of radical life extension would be accepted with some students from my university. So I introduced the idea to some of my acquaintances. Well, I was faced with some religious arguments, which was to be expected, but the most overwhelmingly popular response was that of ridicule and unwillingness to accept that anything like this would EVER be possible. I felt like everyone thought... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=515228 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 515228