- The World Wide Web and You
- Resources for Christian Living
- Topic of the Month: Women's Health
- Current Issues
Introduction
Three points to keep in mind in using "Web Explorations
for Christian Feminists":
1. When you click on the links
below (words underlined in a contrasting color) you'll be taken
outside the EEWC site. In most cases, you can come back
to the EEWC website by clicking on the back button on the
toolbar at the top of the screen. (In some cases, when you click
on a link taking you to an external site, a new window opens up
and the back button won't take you back to the site you just left.
In such cases, try clicking on the X in the upper right corner of
the new window to close it. You'll find yourself back at the EEWC
site -- which was there the whole time, but underneath the new
site's window.)
2. Since the links take you
outside the EEWC website, the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's
Caucus cannot be responsible for their content. The
inclusion in this column of any particular external link doesn't
necessarily mean EEWC endorses all or any of the content you may
find on that site. A listing under "Web Explorations"
only means it's a website that I think you'll find of interest.
3. All of the "Web
Explorations for Christian Feminists" columns are archived,
so be sure to visit the archives from time to time to check
out tips and links in previous columns.
The World Wide Web and You
Mousetrapping
Recently, while searching for something on the Web, I clicked
on a site which trapped me. It disabled the back button so that I
couldn't go back to the search list, and it caused the X button to
be inoperative so that I couldn't simply close the window either.
The only choice it gave me was to hit its OK button, which meant I
would be consenting to download something about which I knew
nothing and certainly didn't want! There was not even a choice for
more information. Worse yet, it was one of those sites that
pretended to be an official announcement warning about something
supposedly crucial to my computer's health and posing as an
operating system announcement. These are called "trick
banners" and are marketing ploys to get more hits.
The computer user gets a desperate claustrophobic feeling at
such times. I knew there was some way to escape the trap -- I had
read about it once -- but couldn't remember what it was. In
desperation, I hit control-alt-delete and rebooted.
I then went back online and did a search. It took me a while to
find the answer, but I found two good resources and decided to
share them with you as my "World Wide Web and You" tip
for this edition of the "Web Explorations" column.
The phenomenon is called mousetrapping, and it is making
a lot of viewers very, very angry --especially in cases where the
lock-in is intentional. To understand what's going on and why --
and then what to do about it -- check out a USA Today
article by Leslie Miller called "'Mouse-trapping'
locks viewers in a virtual maze."
Also, be sure to look at another excellent source of
information at Marketing
Terms.com. Both sites show you ways that you (and your
computer mouse) can get
out of the trap.
Resources for Christian Living
Anne Eggebroten, a member of EEWC's Executive Council, has
written another article for the independent news service, Women's
Enews. In this article, "Gender-neutral
Bible Stirs Controversy," Anne calls attention to
the strong opposition many conservatives are voicing about the new
Bible translation called Today's New International Version
(TNIV). The TNIV is a gender-inclusive version of the New
International Version (NIV). The NIV (minus the "T")
had over the years come to be considered a kind of
"official" Bible version among conservative Christians;
and many of them are upset that a gender-inclusive version has
been published. To express their rejection of it, voice their
displeasure, and air their grievances, they have set up a website
called "no-tniv.com."
Such controversies over Bible translations are nothing new in
the history of the church. See "Christian
History Corner: Translation Wars" by Elesha Coffman and
Tony Lane, writing in Christianity Today.
EEWC members have long emphasized the importance of Bible
translations that emphasize gender inclusivity and will be happy
to know that the entire text of the New Testament in Today's
New International Version is available online at the site
of its official sponsor and copyright holder, the International
Bible Society (IBS). The TNIV version of the Old Testament is
expected to be available in 2005.
Another gender-inclusive translation that is highly regarded
among Christian feminists is the New
Revised Standard Version. It is also available online (with full
copyright permission). And if you click on TOC at the
bottom left corner of that site, you'll be taken to the table of
contents and online text of Hope College religion professor Barry
Bandstra's 1999 book, Reading
the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible.
Theme of the Month
Since I came down with two different illnesses in May and June,
I've increased my awareness of the need we busy women have to take
care of ourselves. Therefore, for this month's special topic, I
want to list some excellent and reliable sites on women's health
-- and on health in general.
Women's Health
First, you can see your tax dollars at work by checking out a
very helpful clearinghouse, the "National
Women's Health Information Center," a service of the
Office on Women's Health under the Department of Health and Human
Services.
Also under the Department of Health and Human
Services, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a section
on "Women's
Health" along with a list of other special categories
(such as "Men's Health," "Traveler's Health,"
"Older Adults' Health," and so on.)
The
Harvard Women's Health Watch (from the Harvard Medical School)
is also worth checking out, as are these sites:
SusanLoveMD.com:The
Website for Women
Surgeon and author Susan Love is one of the" founding
mothers" of the breast cancer advocacy movement,
The Boston Women's
Health Collective.
This is the group that pioneered the movement encouraging women to
take charge of their own health. Many of us in EEWC have the first
edition of their book, Our Bodies, Ourselves on our bookshelves,
and probably many later editions as well. See what this health
collective is doing today, including the information they share on
such current issues as body image, reproductive health activism,
and more.
The
Young Women's Resource Center provides health information for
adolescent girls and their families. It is a service of Children's
Hospital, Boston. Helpful guidance on menstruation, eating
disorders, body piercing issues, and other matters of concern to
teenagers can be found there.
There are also some sites addressing the unique concerns and
needs of particular groups, such as the National
Black Women's Health Project and the National
Asian Women's Health Initiative.
You might also find that some of the commercial sites on
fitness, exercise, and weight-training are worth checking out. One
is maintained by Shape
magazine. Another is Dr. Miriam Nelson's website: Strong
Women. Perhaps you're familiar with some of the books
Miriam Nelson, Ph.D. has written (such as Strong Women, Strong
Bones and Strong Women Stay Young). Dr. Nelson is the
Director of the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition and an
Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School of
Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She is also a
fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
General health sites for everyone
In addition to the websites directed especially toward women,
there are some excellent sites for everyone. Most of them offer
information on just about any health matter or condition that
interests you. One of the most helpful sources is MedLine
Plus, a service of the National Library of Medicine
under the National Institutes of Health. On that site, if you
click on "Health Topics," you can find information on
just about any medical topic from A to XYZ. If you click on
"Drug information," you can research generic and brand
name drugs (prescription and over the counter), recalls, warnings,
and the like. Clicking on "Dictionaries" takes you to
resources explaining medical terminology. The site also provides
directories of doctors, dentists, and hospitals; clinical trial
information; and other resources useful to the health consumer.
Current medical news is also posted there.
Other helpful sites are provided by the Mayo
Clinic and the Centers
for Disease Control.
LaurusHealth.com, is
a site dedicated to "better health through information"
and is associated with community-owned hospitals throughout the
U.S. and the physicians affiliated with them. And the
American Academy of Family Physicians maintains a site called
simply familydoctor.org,
which also has health topics, drug information, and healthy living
tips. In addition, it has a self-care section to help you know
what certain symptoms may mean, what you should do in various
situations, and when you need to see a physician.
Mental health
If you are interested in the latest information on mental
health, you might enjoy reading Psychiatric
News, the twice-a-month newspaper of the American
Psychiatric Association.
You might also enjoy reading the Monitor
on Psychology, a publication of the American
Psychological Association.
The
National Institute of Mental Health, another division of the
National Institutes of Health, exists "to diminish the burden
of mental illness through research." It addresses a range of
topics related to mental health and has categories of information
for the public and for practitioners. This site provides
information on such topics as bipolar disorder, depression, panic
disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and so on. If you click
on the section "for the practitioner," you can access
some very readable patient-education handouts on various topics..
To read about mental illness from a religious perspective, you
might want to look at David Hilfiker's article, "When
Mental Illness Blocks the Spirit," from the May-June,
2002 issue of The Other Side.
A cautionary note to keep in mind
If you look for health information on the Web, you need
to make sure the information you find is from a reliable source.
Be sure to read and heed the tips in this article, "10
Things to Know about Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web."
It's from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (another of the 27 centers that form the National
Institutes of Health, working under the Public Health Service
division of the Department of Health and Human Services). These
ten points are highly important and should always be kept in mind
as you explore the Web for health and medical information.
Current Issues
Two women who have been plenary speakers for our EEWC biennial
conferences and who are highly regarded by Christian feminists
from many traditions are Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether and Sr. Joan
Chittister. Both have recently written about the crisis in the
Roman Catholic Church, and I think you'll want to read what each
has to say.
"Abuse
a Consequence of History Wrong Turn" is an article by
Rosemary Radford Ruether in the June 7, 2002 issue of the National
Catholic Reporter. It provides a historical overview of the
celibacy requirement and the "failure of celibacy as a
spirituality and discipline for the clergy."
Joan Chittister's article in the July-August, 2002 issue of Sojourners
stresses that "The
Faith Will Survive, even though the institutional church
"is in serious trouble."
Also, check out the June 29, 2002 BBC news story, "Catholic
Women in Unofficial Ordination," about a group of nine
women from Denmark, Germany, and the United States who were
ordained as Roman Catholic priests in a secret ceremony aboard a
boat on the Danube River. The women know they are risking
excommunication but say their action is a protest against the
Catholic Church's discrimination against women.
However, these are not the first Roman Catholic women to be
secretly ordained as priests. Read the review of Miriam
Therese Winter's book about the 1970 ordination of Ludmila
Javorova in Czechoslovakia, which appeared in the
summer, 2001 issue of EEWC
Update and is posted on this website.
Some other news items that you might find of
interest:
1. An article on women
working for changes and peace in Afghanistan by broadcasting
on their own radio station
2. An article about why
some men aren't interested in commitment to marriage and a brief
official report from the Rutgers University researchers, Drs.
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe, who are conducting the
study as part of the extensive National Marriage Project.
3. An article by Seattle Times writer Jerry Large entitled,
"Is
there something to be learned from gay marriages?"
It's about a recent longitudinal study from the Gottman Institute,
which exists for "researching and renewing
relationships." University of Washington psychology Professor
John Gottman, well-known for his books on marriage and family,
co-founded the Gottman Institute with his wife, Julie Schwartz
Gottman. In addition to writing and counseling, they conduct
workshops on relationship issues for both heterosexual and
homosexual couples. You can read more about their findings on
couple relationships and parenting by clicking on the various
headings at the top of the Gottman
Institute website.
That's all for this edition of "Web
Explorations."
Until next time, keep exploring!
Your Web Explorations tour guide,
Letha Dawson Scanzoni
© 2002 Evangelical and Ecumenical
Women's Caucus
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