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Showing posts from 2007

Taking In "Street Thief"

At first glance, "Street Thief" is an engaging and suspenseful documentary of a Chicago burglar's life of crime. Two filmmakers record the lifestyle, techniques, and jobs of a thief named Kaspar Carr, who steals from supermarkets, clubs, and other cash-rich Chicago-land businesses. The filmmakers tread a fine line between documenting a social phenomenon and being accessories to multiple felonies. Then after one robbery, Carr's life goes unpredictably and mysteriously awry. Or does it? A good burglar prepares his jobs thoroughly, casing targets, following the flow of customers and employees, bugging phones. There is every reason to suspect a movie about a burglar would be handled the same way. The filmmakers document Carr's biggest job ever, knocking over a lucrative movie theater. A couple days later, they drive by Carr's warehouse base of operations and find it swarming with police. Carr's Mercedes is in the driveway, doors open and blood on the driver

South Carolina's Pre-abortion Ultrasounds

The South Carolina legislature is proposing mandatory ultrasounds for women considering pregnancy termination. The proposal, brought by non-physicians, raises multiple medical, financial, and ethical concerns. For many reasons, pre-abortion ultrasounds would create more problems than they would solve. Obvious crucial questions include: Who would perform each ultrasound - an ultrasound technician or a physician? What type of ultrasound would be performed - screening, anatomic, Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO)-level, or other? Who would read the ultrasounds? Primary care physicians, radiologists, or perinatologists? Each has different skills. Who would convey results to patients? A physician, an ultrasound technician, or other medical staff? Would results include a written report? Would patients be offered counseling after the ultrasounds? Who would be liable for incorrect information? Politicians have called pre-abortion ultrasounds "accurate" and "non-ju