Friday, March 27, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-hid-illness-reports-of-depression/

Germanwings co-pilot "hid his illness"
CBS/AP
March 27, 2015

Photograph – Andreas Lubitz runs the Airportrace half marathon in Hamburg in this September 13, 2009 file photo.
REUTERS

German prosecutors said Friday they had found evidence that the co-pilot of the Germanwings plane which crashed in the French Alps appears to have hidden evidence of an illness from his employers.

Prosecutors in the western city of Duesseldorf said they seized medical documents from the home of Andreas Lubitz that indicate "an existing illness and appropriate medical treatment."

Prosecutor Ralf Herrenbrueck said in a statement Friday that torn-up sick notes for the day of the crash "support the current preliminary assessment that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and colleagues."

He said the search of Lubitz's home revealed no suicide note or evidence of any political or religious motivation for his actions.

The prosecutor did not elaborate on what type of illness they believe Lubitz was hiding, but reports in the German press suggested the young man could have suffered a "serious depressive episode" during his training.

German police scoured two of Lubtiz's homes for clues overnight as to what could have prompted him to deliberately fly the Airbus A320 into a rocky mountainside on Tuesday morning.

CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey reported that police had searched Lubitz's apartment near Dusseldorf and his family's home in the small town of Montabaur, carrying away bags full of seized items and computer hardware, hoping to find any clues as to what might have triggered his final act.

Before the prosecutor said police had found the torn-up sick note, Dusseldorf police spokeswoman Susanna Heusgen told The Associated Press that "no crucial piece of evidence has been found yet."

But increasing attention had already been focused on the report in the German tabloid Bild, and other publications, that at one point during his training Lubitz was allegedly treated for severe depression. If true, it apparently did not affect his work or progress in flight training, which he underwent in both Germany and Arizona.

"He had not only fulfilled all the medical tests, but also all flight training," Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said Thursday. Spohr said Lubitz "was 100 percent airworthy, without any restrictions."

To those who knew him, Pizzey said Lubitz seemed a happy, active young man who liked to jog. He spent time on Facebook and other social media sites, including chat rooms for pilots.

His passion for flying began at a gliding club in Germany, where his instructor, club president Klaus Radke, told CBS News he only knew the young man "as a nice, friendly and open human being."

Lubitz began his airline flight training in Bremen, Germany in 2008. He spent five months at Lufthansa's flight training center in Phoenix, Arizona in 2010, and was certified to fly single-engine aircraft in the U.S.

"He told us about how it was in America, how he did his training there," fellow flight club member Peter Ruecker told Pizzey. "He seemed to be very open and happy that he made it that far."

Stunned neighbors in Montabaur, Lubitz's hometown, were struggling Friday morning to understand why he went one fatal step further.

German prosecutor Brice Robin said Thursday that Lubitz had "intentionally" set the Airbus' flight controls on a collision course Tuesday morning after locking the flight's pilot out of the cockpit.

The jet smashed into a rocky mountainside in the southern French Alps, pulverizing the A320 and killing all 150 people on board, including Lubitz himself.

On that mountainside in France, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer says the search resumed Friday, with some crews using ropes to access the steepest parts.

Red flags marked human remains, but the teams were collecting everything, including the tiny pieces of the shattered plane. It will all be crucial evidence not only for the airline's accident investigation, but for the criminal inquiry which, at the moment, is still being treated as a manslaughter case.

The second "black box," which would have recorded all flight commands from the cockpit, still hasn't been found amid the debris.

Palmer said many victims' family members gathered for a small ceremony in the village of Le Vernet, near the crash site, the flags of their respective home countries on display.

A government spokesman described the gathering as a powerful moment when relatives truly grasped that their beloved family members were dead.

Among the victims were three Americans; a mother and daughter, Yvonne and Emily Selke from Virginia, who were on vacation together, and Robert Oliver, a U.S. citizen and father who had been living and working in Spain.

So far, the families have not been flown over the crash site itself.

Still shocked and grieving, Palmer said they were struggling to accept that the catastrophe that killed their loved ones was looking like an act of mass murder.

The tragedy has already prompted some European airlines -- including Germanwings' parent company Lufthansa -- to announce that they will change their rules to fall in line with U.S. protocols requiring two flight crew members to be in the cockpit at all times.

CBS News aviation and safety consultant Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger -- known for theMiracle on the Hudson -- said Thursday on the Evening News with Scott Pelley that the system currently relies on pilots to self-report any issues they need help with.

"We need to make sure we have a just system, a just culture -- and not a punitive one, which might only drive problems underground where they can never be solved," said Sully.

"We need to have a clear pathway so that when pilots need help they can get it, and when they are fit to fly, come back to work and not face scrutiny that results in financial ruin or loss of career unnecessarily."




“Prosecutors in the western city of Duesseldorf said they seized medical documents from the home of Andreas Lubitz that indicate "an existing illness and appropriate medical treatment." Prosecutor Ralf Herrenbrueck said in a statement Friday that torn-up sick notes for the day of the crash "support the current preliminary assessment that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and colleagues." ….The tragedy has already prompted some European airlines -- including Germanwings' parent company Lufthansa -- to announce that they will change their rules to fall in line with U.S. protocols requiring two flight crew members to be in the cockpit at all times.”

Families can be ashamed of mental illness when one of their fold shows symptoms. It's connected with being deficient rather than being ill. Sometimes it does “run in the family,” and neighbors used to fear approving a marriage to someone who may be carrying one of those genes. At this point, however, there are quite a few effective drugs that can stop depression, schizophrenic symptoms, autistic symptoms, and the “manic high” of bipolar disorder that can be very frightening to observe. If one medication doesn't prove effective a good therapist will try another one until the symptoms can be treated.

In this case, this pilot Lubitz appears to have been either ashamed of his illness or “in denial” of the need for medication. Sometimes patients make a decision due to disturbing side effects of a medication that they will simply stop taking it, and of course their condition will worsen. What they should do is see their doctor about the problem and get a new prescription.

Captain Sullenberger stressed the need for mental health issues to carry no stigma or punishment on the part of airlines. This system of the mentally ill person having to “self-report” however doesn't seem effective to me. When the result can be a horrible air crash like this one, it is a very unwise policy. In this case Lubitz's doctor did write a note saying he wasn't fit to fly and the young man decided not to give that to his supervisors. He shouldn't have to give it to them. They should receive notification of his temporary unfitness from the doctor's office instead via the Internet, and this problem would have been solved for the moment.

Lubitz was suffering from something like bipolar disorder which cycles from a “high” mood to a devastatingly low mood, he should have had medication for both conditions, and psychotherapy. I suspect that condition, because in the article above a friend of his is quoted as saying that Lubitz was “very happy” about being a pilot. The classic symptom of a manic high is being excited, unusually happy, or a little “out of control” – overspending, talking too much, doing something dangerous. Unfortunately we can't look into someone's mind and see exactly what they are thinking, though some research with brain scans is moving in that direction, but in my opinion a severe mental illness should force the loss of his pilot's license. Of course, if I say that, we might stretch it to mean that one shouldn't be allowed to drive a car, either. I certainly think they shouldn't be allowed to buy a gun. I would be sorry for the patient to be made unhappy by being unable to fly, but the threat to hundreds of people should come first.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-does-harry-reid-want-to-see-replace-him-as-democratic-leader/

Who does Harry Reid want to see replace him as Democratic leader?
CBS NEWS
March 27, 2015

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, wants to see Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, replace him as Democratic leader after he retires, spokesman Adam Jentleson told CBS News.

"It's the caucus' decision but Senator Reid thinks Senator Schumer has earned it," Jentleson said.

His endorsement was first reported by the Washington Post. Reid told the Los Angeles Times, "Schumer, in 22 months , if he plays his cards right, should be able to do it," And he said to Schumer, "[I]f you need my help you got it."

Reid announced his retirement Friday, setting up the competition to replace him as leader. His two deputies, Schumer and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, are the top contenders.

Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat, issued a statement praising Reid for "his strength, his legislative acumen, his honesty and his determination." Durbin's statement also praised Reid as "one of the ablest leaders of the Senate Democratic caucus in modern history."




"It's the caucus' decision but Senator Reid thinks Senator Schumer has earned it," Jentleson said. His endorsement was first reported by the Washington Post. Reid told the Los Angeles Times, "Schumer, in 22 months , if he plays his cards right, should be able to do it," And he said to Schumer, "[I]f you need my help you got it.".... Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat, issued a statement praising Reid for "his strength, his legislative acumen, his honesty and his determination." Durbin's statement also praised Reid as "one of the ablest leaders of the Senate Democratic caucus in modern history."

This does look a little like a mutual admiration society, but I'm sure the backgrounds of both men will be weighed and considered. The article didn't say when the caucus will meet to vote. The names of Schumer and Durbin are well known to me, and both are well-spoken candidates when I have seen them on the news broadcasts and talk shows like Meet The Press. I personally would like to see the next Minority Leader to be a bit stronger inthe way he speaks, and as a liberal Democrat than Reid seemed to me to be. Perhaps it's the way Reid looks that puts me off.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-fierce-legal-fight-over-the-happy-birthday-to-you/

The legal brawl over "Happy Birthday To You"
By JONATHAN BERR MONEYWATCH
March 27, 2015

Photograph – Rodman sings "Happy Birthday" to Kim Jong Un

A federal judge in California may decide within the next few weeks whether to throw out the decades-old copyright for "Happy Birthday to You." The judge could also order millions of dollars to be refunded to people who have licensed the song in recent years from its current owner Warner/Chappel Music, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group.

A California musician, a film producer and two New York music producers filed suit against the company last year after they paid fees ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand to license the song. Occasionally, Warner/Chappel receives six-figure license fees when "Happy Birthday" is used for high-profile projects such as a major motion picture.

As the National Journal noted earlier this week, Judge George King of the Central District of California listened to arguments from both sides in the case for motions for summary judgment. He has three potential ways to rule.

He could issue a judgment for the plaintiffs that would put the song in the public domain, meaning that it wasn't subject to royalties. He could find Warner/Chappel's copyright to be valid. Or he could argue that he doesn't have enough information to make a ruling and schedule a trial. Damages would be awarded at a later date if he decides in the plaintiff's favor.

People who sing "Happy Birthday" at birthday parties at home aren't required to get a license because that's not a considered a public performance.

The plaintiffs argue that the song's copyright expired no later than 1921."More than 120 years after the melody to which the simple lyrics of 'Happy Birthday to You' is set was first published, defendant Warner/Chappell boldly, but wrongfully and unlawfully, insists that it owns the copyright to 'Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You', and with that copyright the exclusive right to authorize the song's reproduction, distribution, and public performances pursuant to federal copyright law," the plaintiffs argued in court papers.

They added that Warner/Chappell has "either has silenced those wishing to record or perform or has extracted millions of dollars in unlawful licensing fees from those unwilling or unable to challenge its ownership claims."

According to plaintiffs' attorney Mark Rifkin, Warner/Chappel earns about $2 million annually from the song, a figure he told CBS MoneyWatch was "conservative" because it may "underreport the revenue reported by ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, which collects performance royalties)." Warner spokesman James Steven declined to comment for this story, as did ASCAP spokeswoman Cathy Nevins, who said such information was confidential to Warner.

In documents filed with the court, Warner argues that the plaintiffs failed to prove that they "knew, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known" that they didn't have a valid copyright to the song. Music industry officials worry that if the plaintiffs win, that would make it more difficult for them to collect royalties on songs that have become a ubiquitous part of modern culture.

In 2004, the publishers of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" settled a lawsuit against the Internet animation producer Jib Jab Studios over its use of the song in a popular short feature on the presidential election. Jib Jab had claimed its use was permissible because it was a parody and Guthrie's tune was in the public domain. Nonetheless, the studio settled the case by agreeing to pay The Woody Guthrie Foundation 20 percent of the profits it earned from its parody.

"There are other songs out there ... for which this case would set a precedent," said Robert Brauneis, co-director of the Intellectual Property Law Program at George Washington University Law School, who argued in a legal journal article that "Happy Birthday" should never have been copyrighted in the first place. "Copyrights are not bulletproof."

Complicating the "Happy Birthday" case is the peculiar history of the song, which sisters Mildred and Patty Hill wrote in either 1889 or 1890. Clayton Summy later bought the copyright from the Hill sisters and published it in a songbook titled "Song Stories for the Kindergarten." It was then known as "Good Morning to All," and its lyrics are different than the now-familiar tune.

Summy's company Clayton F. Summy Co., copyrighted "Happy Birthday" in 1935, which is at issue in the current case. The plaintiffs claim the copyright covered only piano arrangements, an argument Warner rejects. The plaintiffs argue that the first reference to the song's lyrics was in 1901 and that the first copyrighted work including both the music and lyrics was in 1924. None of these works credited anyone for the lyrics. Warner/Chappel acquired Summy's successor company Birch Tree Ltd. In 1988.

When it comes to copyrights, timing is everything. The law when the song was first registered in 1935 allowed for initial protection of 28 years with a 28-year renewal term. Congress has amended the law several times since then, and now works can be copyrighted for 95 years from when the protection was first secured.

"The question of how far back the damages can go will be something that the parties will vigorously dispute," said plaintiffs' attorney Rifkin. "If the court decides the scope of the copyright in the plaintiffs' favor, the case will move directly to class certification. ... So, I would expect that the question of how far back the damages will recoverable should be decided within six months or so after the decision on the scope of the copyright."

Brauneis of George Washington University Law School believes the plaintiffs have a strong case and has been advising them as an unpaid consultant.

"There are a number of weaknesses in the copyright of 'Happy Birthday,' but in my view the clearest and most significant weakness is this: The renewal registrations for the song, which under then-current copyright law were necessary to maintain copyright after 1962, only cover certain piano arrangements, and do not cover the basic combination of words and music," Brauneis wrote in an email to CBS MoneyWatch.

"I don't think that was inadvertent," he added. "I think that at the time everyone thought that they were only claiming protection for arrangements of an old song, and then later someone had the idea that maybe they could try to claim more. The challengers to the copyright of 'Happy Birthday' have a number of additional grounds for their challenge, including abandonment, because for a very long time, no one enforced the copyright in the song."

It remains to be seen who will be singing a new tune once the case is resolved.




I am startled that this song, which sounds just like a six year old child made it up, is actually under copyright – or was. In reading this article it says that the actual copyright did exist, but expired in 1921, so I agree with the lawyer who said that the copyright had been “abandoned.” I've certainly heard it all my life, and it's so imbecilically simple and commonly heard that the whole idea of having to pay anyone to use it seems grossly unfair to me. A friend of mine was looking into getting a patent for something, but said that the design of a new device must be unique. This song is not unique. The term “intellectual property” should mean more than that.






http://www.cbsnews.com/news/foster-care-kids-put-on-too-many-psych-drugs-report-says/

Foster care kids put on too many psych drugs, report says
CBS NEWS
March 26, 2015

Many children in foster care are being overmedicated with antipsychotic drugs they may not really need, or the drugs are being given incorrectly, according to a government review obtained by CBS News.

The report by the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services looked at concerns surrounding the use of these powerful drugs in children on Medicaid. Many children on Medicaid are in the foster care system.

"Psychotropic drugs are being used in these children, and we don't really know what the side effects are in children this young," said CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. "There's not a lot of research because you can't really test these drugs on children."

The report looked at a class of prescription medications called second-generation antipsychotics. Five of the drugs -- aripiprazole, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine fumarate, and risperidone -- have been approved by the FDA for use in children to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and irritability associated with autism.

But the OIG said in many cases, they're being given inappropriately. "When doctors (conducting the review on behalf of the Inspector General) reviewed these cases they found quality-of-care concerns in 67 percent of the cases that they looked at," Werner said.

More than half the time, the review found children on these powerful drugs were not being monitored adequately. A quarter of them were given the wrong dose. Many were given too many drugs or took them for too long.

"What the experts tell us is... not enough resources are really directed at taking care of these kids and giving them the therapies and the intensive treatment that they need -- not drugs," Werner said. "That's a lot of time, that's a lot of people to do that -- therapists and counselors and doctors -- and that of course all costs money."

Instead, states are opting to just put kids on drugs instead.

Dr. Fernando Siles, a child psychiatrist who treats children on Medicaid in Texas and has written thousands of prescriptions for such drugs, told Werner he doesn't have a lot of other options. He said children from troubled homes often have anger and aggression issues and he often prescribes drugs to "contain" their behaviors so they won't get bounced from foster home to foster home.

Werner's reporting also turned up the troubling case of a four-year-old boy who was put on four different psychiatric medications in the foster care system. When his grandmother gained custody a year later, she said the boy seemed like a completely different child and was suffering from terrifying hallucinations. He has since been taken off all the drugs, but still has nightmares at the age of 10.

Werner reports a number of states, including Texas, have taken steps to reduce the use of these drugs in foster children. But experts say more progress is needed, along with greater oversight of the system.




"Psychotropic drugs are being used in these children, and we don't really know what the side effects are in children this young," said CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. "There's not a lot of research because you can't really test these drugs on children." The report looked at a class of prescription medications called second-generation antipsychotics. Five of the drugs -- aripiprazole, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine fumarate, and risperidone -- have been approved by the FDA for use in children to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and irritability associated with autism.... "When doctors (conducting the review on behalf of the Inspector General) reviewed these cases they found quality-of-care concerns in 67 percent of the cases that they looked at," Werner said. More than half the time, the review found children on these powerful drugs were not being monitored adequately. A quarter of them were given the wrong dose. Many were given too many drugs or took them for too long.” Dr. Fernando Siles, a child psychiatrist who treats children on Medicaid in Texas and has written thousands of prescriptions for such drugs, told Werner he doesn't have a lot of other options. He said children from troubled homes often have anger and aggression issues and he often prescribes drugs to "contain" their behaviors so they won't get bounced from foster home to foster home.”

The public school systems have been recommending psychoactive drugs for children for a number of years now because a child who is fidgety and not paying attention is harder to keep in tight control, in other words ADHD. Those kids, when given a stimulant rather than a depressant, have seen improvements in their learning as well as their behavior. They disrupt the classroom without the medication. I think the foster care system may be following the same logic. What ever happened to making the kid sit in the corner? Too much shaming is bad for kids, but a little can be useful.

Of course severe mental conditions in children can make them unable to sit in a class with other children who are trying to pay attention to the teacher. If a school departs too far from the role of teaching because one autistic student is having a screaming fit, that is not acceptable, either. They either need to be put into a special classroom or given drugs. This report is about meds being used in the wrong doses or for the wrong problem, to a great extent. I would rather see behavior therapy being used rather than drugs, but if drugs are needed, they should be in the proper amount and type.





http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/betty-white-husband-allen-ludden_n_6947532.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

Betty White's Biggest Regret Is So Sweet, It Hurts (VIDEO)

Posted: 03/26/2015 

At 93 years old, Hollywood icon Betty White has had a lifetime's worth of experiences. She has worked alongside comedic heavyweights like Mary Tyler Moore, become one of the most nominated women in Emmy Award history, and appeared in everything from films to sitcoms to "Saturday Night Live." In her 75 years in show business, it seems like there isn't much White hasn't done. So, when the beloved actress looks back on her life, it's understandable that her biggest regret has nothing to do with her work or now-legendary career.

Sitting down with Oprah for an interview airing on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", White reveals that her biggest regret is more personal and involves the love of her life, her late husband Allen Ludden. The two married in 1963 and were together for nearly two decades before Ludden passed away from stomach cancer in 1981.

"At 93, do you have any big regrets?" Oprah asks.

"That I spent a whole year, wasted a whole year, that Allen and I could have had together," White says.

Prior to marrying, White says that she rebuffed Ludden's proposals for an entire year before agreeing to walk down the aisle.

"[I said], no, I wouldn't marry him," she tells Oprah. "Saying, no, I won't leave California. No, I won't move to New York."

Though White now realizes how precious that time was, she is still grateful for the 18 years they did have as husband and wife.

"I wasted a whole year we could have had together," she says. "But we made it. We finally did."

White's full interview airs on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" this Sunday, March 29, at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.




I really am glad to see Betty White working on TV still. She and another comedienne recently have a show, or did for awhile, in which they station themselves out in a public place, sitting on a park bench, etc., and do various really crazy looking things or talk to passersby to ask them embarrassing or startling things. It's like a version of Candid Camera, if you remember that show, and is very funny. Wikipedia lists that show as being called “Off Their Rockers,” and it is modeled after a Belgian show of the same type called “The Benidorm Bastards.” “Off Their Rockers” ran for a couple of seasons only, probably because that format gets too predictable. Young people especially are taken aback when they encounter the women, and simply don't know how to react. They visibly try to avoid being rude to the two aged women, while rolling their eyes and smirking behind their back, obviously considering them to be bonkers. It reminds me of the Baron-Cohen movie called Borat. He was sued by at least two people whom he pranked in that movie. There are probably some young people who don't even remember Betty White in Golden Girls or the Mary Tyler Moore Show so they don't recognize her face, but in my book she is one of the Greats and it's a delight to me that she is still working.






http://www.cbsnews.com/news/piano-mysteriously-appears-atop-the-santa-monica-mountains/

Piano mysteriously appears atop the Santa Monica Mountains
CBS NEWS
March 27, 2015

Photograph – A piano was spotted in the Santa Monica Mountains.  CBS LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES --Turns out the hills of Los Angeles are alive with the sound of music - sort of.

CBS Los Angeles reports that a flyover of the Santa Monica Mountains late Thursday morning showed what appeared to be an unattended piano sitting atop a graffiti-covered concrete slab located at the Topanga Lookout off of Stunt Road.

The cement block sits at the site of an old fire tower and features a picturesque view of Calabasas Peak - and a bizarre location for a musical instrument that weighs at least 300 to 400 pounds.

It wasn't immediately clear how a piano would have been transported up the roughly two-mile hike to Topanga Lookout.

If you want to check out the sight for yourself, it won't cost you much: no fee or permit is required to make the hike, according to Hikespeak.

Last year, New Yorkers were mystified when a grand piano ended up on the edge of the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge.




When my first husband was in college his friend came home to the dorm one night to find his small Volkswagen sitting in his room. It seemed some friends of his had taken it apart piece by piece, carried it up into his room and put it back together there. They were nice enough to remove it for him in the same way and leave it in the parking lot once they had a good laugh at his expense. In this case, I think a fraternity got a little too drunk and moved a piano from some other location up the hillside and to that location. Ten strong young men could lift and carry a grand piano, I think.




http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/27/395785965/he-she-or-hen-sweden-s-new-gender-neutral-pronoun

He, She Or Hen? Sweden's New Gender-Neutral Pronoun
Scott Neuman
March 27, 2015

Photograph – People gather at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium in 2013 to show support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Russia.
TT News Agency/Reuters/Landov

The official dictionary of the Swedish language is getting a fresh infusion of 13,000 new words, editors of the Swedish Academy have announced.

Among the additions is a gender-neutral pronoun. Instead of just he (han) and she (hon), there will now be hen as well.

The Guardian says: "The pronoun is used to refer to a person without revealing their gender — either because it is unknown, because the person is transgender, or the speaker or writer deems the gender to be superfluous information."

Sven-Goran Malmgren, one of the dictionary's editors, was quoted by The Independent as saying, "It is a word which is in use and without a doubt fills a function."

As Slate notes: "[For] many Swedes, gender equality is not enough. Many are pushing for the Nordic nation to be not simply gender-equal but gender-neutral. The idea is that the government and society should tolerate no distinctions at all between the sexes. This means on the narrow level that society should show sensitivity to people who don't identify themselves as either male or female, including allowing any type of couple to marry. But that's the least radical part of the project. What many gender-neutral activists are after is a society that entirely erases traditional gender roles and stereotypes at even the most mundane levels."




"The Guardian says: "The pronoun is used to refer to a person without revealing their gender — either because it is unknown, because the person is transgender, or the speaker or writer deems the gender to be superfluous information." Sven-Goran Malmgren, one of the dictionary's editors, was quoted by The Independent as saying, "It is a word which is in use and without a doubt fills a function.".... The idea is that the government and society should tolerate no distinctions at all between the sexes. This means on the narrow level that society should show sensitivity to people who don't identify themselves as either male or female, including allowing any type of couple to marry. But that's the least radical part of the project. What many gender-neutral activists are after is a society that entirely erases traditional gender roles and stereotypes at even the most mundane levels."

In the 1970s the Women's Liberation Movement led by Betty Friedan and others grew “like topsy” and spread outward to include the use of new words for jobs in which either a man or a woman may perform them, but the word used is traditionally masculine. There was also an assault on the editor's use – which used to be considered “proper” – of “he” in all cases when gender is not known or specified. This outraged demand by women was sometimes mocked, sometimes railed against by many men, but in the present time such word use as “she” rather than “he” in an indefinite situation is common and accepted quietly by men rather than with outright anger. There are still men who profess to hate “feminists,” however, especially now that the right wing is rising in some parts of the the country. I think the society has changed today to a sufficient degree, however, that all things masculine will not again be preferred over the feminine as it was when I was a girl. Today if a girl wants to be an airline pilot, she won't be shamed or forbidden to go that route. See the following long but interesting article on female airline pilots. A short excerpt is below.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/03/18/female.airline.pilots/

Why aren't more women airline pilots?
By A. Pawlowski, CNN
March 18, 2011

Photograph – Angela Masson was a pilot for American Airlines for 31 years. Just a small fraction of airline pilots are women

Women make up about 5% of the 53,000 members of the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents pilots at major and regional carriers in the United States and Canada.
I suppose if the job were just concerned with flying, there would be a lot more women. But the job isn't just flying.
--Angela Masson, retired captain
Only about 450 women worldwide are airline captains -- pilots in command who supervise all the other crew members on a flight, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.
Angela Masson, a retired American Airlines captain who heads the group, said it shouldn't be very surprising that women don't flock to a stressful male-dominated job that requires lots of expensive and continuous training, takes them away from home for large chunks of time and makes it difficult to raise a family.
"I suppose if the job were just concerned with flying, there would be a lot more women," Masson said.
"But the job isn't just flying, it's wrapped up in a whole lot of other unappealing circumstances, unappealing especially to women who may not have the drive, ambition, financial means or the family/network support to pursue flying as a career.
"Flying has to be something that you really, really want, because even gender issues aside, it's a very challenging and demanding career."