Mar. 2nd, 2005

greenstorm: (Default)
...but then I read Greatpoets. Instead, I'll go sleep beside the Juggler. Life is too profound for me to encapsulate in a few words, or even in many. It's bigger than my packaging. I surrender.
greenstorm: (Default)
Quote:

In Canada, changes have been proposed to the Seeds Act and the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act, which similarly threaten the rights of farmers to freely use their seeds. Currently, those who retain “common” seed from their harvest can re-use, exchange or sell that seed without royalties. While the large factory farms don’t generally save seed, smaller family farms often do. But a recent initiative known as the Seed Sector Review aims to change that by forcing all farmers to pay royalties on saved seed. The Seed Sector Review, unveiled in May, 2004, was conducted under the auspices of the federal department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) and other industry groups. The CSTA is on record as stating farmers have a “privilege” but not a “right” to save and re-use seed.

http://www.life.ca/nl/101/seeds.html

More info:

http://nfu.ca/seedsavercampaign/

This is in interesting juxtaposition with the previous 'Monsanto buys Seminis' post on the permaculture board.

Grr.

Mar. 2nd, 2005 08:15 pm
greenstorm: (Default)
There are a lot of things that can reduce me to tears, I'll be the first to admit that. Mostly, though, they're not unhappy tears - I might be upset, but on some level I'm usually enjoying it. Today, though--

--well, here's the situation. I've always got these sores in my mouth, once or twice a year, when I'm stressed. It goes as far back as I remember. When I first started dating Juggler and Mouse, I got one, and the possibility of herpes came to my attention for the first time. They were like, 'is that herpes, and if it is you know it's transmissible?' So I was pretty upset about that, and did a lot of research. At that time, I came to the conclusion that what I got was canker sores (imagine a link to google images: canker sore here) and not herpes sores (imagine a link to google images: herpes mouth here) because of info on the medical sites I'd looked at, as well as the images.

I never did go in to get tested, because herpes I testing (to be reliable to some degree) requires an open sore, and I don't have those often.

This week, during the move, I got another sore. Today, Chris did some research on herpes (we'd been discussing its transmissibility in talking about our safe-sex polyamory stuff) and got scared. He was like, hey, what about that sore you have? And so I went in to the doctor, more to my mind for reassurance (because I still stick to one set of medical symptoms and not the other) than because I was scared, but I did have the sore and so why not?

I get in to the first doctor. He doesn't even look at it. I ask for a herpes swab test. He says, 'you've given me your medical history, it's herpes, don't share cups with people, here's a prescription'. I say, could you do a test, please. He says, 'I was at a conference today where there was a doctor who took 45 minutes taking the medical history of patients and with that he didn't have to spend much time examining them. We don't like to waste resources at this clinic, we're going to get lots of specialists here in time, but we'll only do that when the nasty patients go elsewhere. People who come in here demanding this and that, they're nasty patients and we say, go elsewhere.' At this point I was almost in tears - I've been told I have a very transmittable disease, he said he was one hundred percent sure, but he wouldn't even look at it, let alone do the test that can only be done when I have the sore. So, I leave with the prescription and immediately go to the clinic down the block.

(To you Americans, isn't medicare wonderful?)

I don't get the prescription. I wait for an hour or so for the doctor, because this clinic, unlike the other, was crowded. I go in to see the doctor, who comes up to me and takes a look at it. This doctor says 'it's just a canker sore, you can tell by where it is, inside the mouth on the fleshy parts. Herpes is on the lips'. I say, can you do a test anyhow?

The doctor does the swab test. I'll have my results in two weeks. He says, if you get any more, come in and we'll take it off with silver nitrate, it'll hurt but be gone quickly.

I say thank you, and go grocery shopping, which is a calming thing to do on commercial drive.

The whole thing made me so angry. Two dignoses in the space of two hours, one without the guy willing to do the test to back up his opinion, being called a nasty patient for wanting proof, being diagnosed without the thing being looked at, being upset at thinking I'm gonna have to deal with this (yes, common, but) very contagious thing and then the sudden reversal by the second doctor... jeeze. Tough day. I am not happy with doctors, given that and last summer together. Not happy. And my best doctors are always in very busy walk-in clinics.

Plus side: my furniture's all moved into final spots in my room. Mom's going in for citizenship tomorrow, to be sworn in as a Canadian. My own citizenship application's being mailed to me, and I can send out for it without needing more paperwork than I currently own. My brother loves me. I have good snack food (mixed bean sprouts from the store, not mung bean but the kind that come in plastic packages, they're good). I get to spend time with a bunch of wonderful guys. It's seed-starting time.

T'care, y'all. :)

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