Increases in Allergy Caused By Women’s Lib?Written by Thomas Ogren
Increase in Allergy Caused By Women’s Lib? Thomas Leo Ogren Recently my brother-in-law, a college professor, was seeing a famous San Diego allergist, who I’ll not name. He tried to tell allergist all about my book, Allergy-Free Gardening. The allergist dismissed it all as unimportant and then told him, “You want to know why there’s so much allergy nowadays?” My brother-in-law said that, yes, he certainly did want to know. “Women’s Lib,” said learned doctor. “Women used to stay home where they belonged and they took care of kids and kept their houses neat and clean. Now, well, now they all have to have jobs, just like men, and who’s taking care of house? Nobody! That’s why there’s so much allergy now. Their houses are filthy and covered with dust.” My brother-in-law wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. I have an answer for that doctor. An increase in house dust isn’t driving allergy rates sky-high. Not even close. What’s gone up is amount of pollen in our cities. In some areas, Tucson, Arizona, for example, there is actually ten times more pollen in air there now than there was just thirty years ago! And I can document that. It isn’t just Arizona either. In city after city, north and south, all around civilized world, everywhere that modern, low-litter, litter-free, seedless, male landscaping has become popular, pollen rates are up. Even though in many cities there is now less total green matter than in past, there is still more pollen than ever. And more allergy, too. Not long ago I was out in my own neighborhood, camera in hand, looking for some choice high-allergy landscapes to photograph. I didn’t have to go far. I was standing, carefully, on public sidewalk, taking a close-up shot of some Groundsel bush (Baccharis sp.) used as a ground cover in this front yard. An older gentleman came out of house, looked at me and asked, “Now, what in world could be worth photographing in my yard?” “I’m an allergy researcher, Sir,” I said.
| | Who’s watching you? Men aren’t the only stalkers. Won’t Be Denied: a suspense novel -- a portrait of a female stalker.Written by C.F. Jackson
Atlanta, GA, October 19, 2004: For decades, label “stalker” has been tattooed as a gender-specific crime, committed by men. Things have changed drastically. Twelve to 13-percent of all stalkers are female. Although less in statistical number than males, female stalkers are just as predatory and dangerous.Stalking, for most part, is about relationships—prior, desired, or imagined. Sixty-percent of stalkers have a personal relationship with their victims before stalking begins. However, 22% of stalking cases involve complete strangers. Researchers and psychologists identify three categories of stalking: ·Simple Obsession Stalking – 60% of stalking cases are represented in this category, which includes all previous personal relationships (i.e., husbands/wives,boyfriends/girlfriends, domestic partners). This category is best defined as, “If I can’t have you, nobody will.” ·Love Obsession Stalking – The make-up of this category involves a stalker and victim who are casual acquaintances or complete strangers. The goal of stalker is to establish a personal relationship with object of his or her obsession—in disregard to victim’s desires. ·Erotomania Stalking – This category consists of deluded individuals who believe a relationship already exists between themselves and their victim. A recent case of female stalking involved actor Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones as victims. “When women engage in stalking behavior, they are as tenacious and as intrusive as their male counterparts, and are just as likely to threaten or damage property,” said Dr. Rosemary Purcell, in 2003 article “Female stalkers pursue doctors, psychiatrists.” The FBI estimates that two-percent of all stalking cases conclude in homicide. Twenty-five of female stalking cases have escalated to interpersonal violence. Also revealed in a study is fact that female stalkers chased their victims to establish intimacy.
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