1. LOTR, guessed by
2. due South, guessed by
3. Harry Potter, guessed by

4. Babylon 5, guessed by
5. The Dark Tower. I never really have considered myself in the DT fandom. I discovered the story long before I knew there was such a thing as fandom, and it's always been a different, not-really-fandom kind of thing for me (which is why I consider B5 and not DT as my first fandom). DT owns my heart and soul and always will, and that's just fine with me.:)
6. The X-Files, guessed by
7. Slings & Arrows, guessed by
8. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, guessed by
9. Battlestar Galactica.
In other news, after fits and starts, I'm finally finished watching H20. Holy Jesus on a unicycle, talk about an edge-of-your-seat story. The sequel? Cannot be here fast enough. *bites nails*
Oh, and on a related (at least in the synapses of my weird and overactive brain) subject: Stephen Harper and Paul Gross were born on the same day.
They don't just share a birthday, may it do ya, they were born on the same day. Coincidence or Evil Plot? Discuss. (the fact that Willie Nelson was born exactly 26 years earlier may or may not be noteworthy).
In birth news, the news isn't good.
November 21, 2006
ICAN Names Top 15 Studies That Should Keep Mothers Out of the OR
As the number of cesarean sections in the U.S. continues to mount, so does the research showing that mothers and babies may be paying a high price for this surgery. Research published just in the last year has highlighted the short-term and long-term risks of undergoing a cesarean, for both mother and baby. Other research has called into question the assumed safety advantage of cesarean section over vaginal birth in various situations including vaginal birth after multiple cesareans and breech deliveries.
“Everything we know and continue to learn about cesareans supports more judicious use of the surgery,” says Tonya Jamois “but it is clear that the procedure is being overused.”
Major pieces of research released in 2006 showed that women who undergo cesareans versus women experiencing a vaginal birth have a higher risk of dying in childbirth, have a higher chance of suffering from potentially fatal placental problems in subsequent pregnancies, and their babies have a higher chance of being injured during surgery. The list of 15 studies that ICAN collected also shows that vaginal birth after cesarean, including multiple cesareans, continues to be a reasonably safe birthing choice for mothers. Read Entire Press Release.
"The rate, the article notes, has risen by half since 1996, undoubtedly a result of ACOG's reversal on VBAC. This is, quite simply, intolerable. Caesarean section is surgery and should be reserved for times when it is needed. Not when the doctor is impatient, or the non-medically necessary induction didn't quite take, or the bag of water has just been broken 'too long' without a sign of infection. Most authorities suggest rates should be somewhere between five and fifteen percent, depending on the source."
Also, listen to this. Finally, someone mainstream is admitting that External Fetal Monitors don't change the outcomes in any way except to increase the already outrageously high Caeserian rate, and that the only reason docs use them is so they won't get sued (the guy who invented them even said they should only be used for high-risk births). And it's nice to know that at even though EFMs are epidemic, at least the latest Stupid Gadget didn't getting accepted without question. NPR actually says "births that occur in hospitals", acknowledging that um, no, not all births do occur in hospitals. They do persist in calling birth a "medical event", though, which it is NOT, unless a. There's an actual problem, in which case the problem is the medical event, not the birth, or b. So many interventions are used by obstetricians (and yes, a lot of nurse-midwives) that it becomes a medical event.