Thursday, October 26,1995
The pill: now the morning after?
Q. What is the “morning-after
pill”? How does it work? What
are the risks?
A. One of the most carefully
guarded secrets of medicine is that
the morning-after pill is the
Kandinsky Trio
by Joe Ryan
Collegian Staff
Tuesday’s Wintergarden
performance of the Kandinsky
Trio was a big success, drawing a
full house of Penn State Alumni
and the general public. The Trio
performed as part of the Music At
Noon series here at Behrend.
The Trio met in college at the
New England Conservatory of
Music in Boston. They feel that
their music is a combination of
folk music and storytelling with
the traditional classical music.
They received the prestigious
NEA Meet the Composer grant
in 1994.
Founded in 1987, the
Kandinsky Trio has quickly
established itself as one of
America’s finest chamber
ensembles. The Trio has received
Cheap seats at Bleachers
by Colette Rethage &
Eddie Edwards
Collegian Staff
The next stop on the bar tour
is at Bleachers, located downtown
on 723 French Street. It is
Thanks to vsu. «a went «t «wyd*y
fNM&tos m Ana* wa4* tromtbe
piwac. rarul and qI»M ttutt
wni’ki brtft ftCVtiiintl,
AS to kf*p recycling wortaa* to
hate tttouct the cnvumuscnt, von
finite buy Uhmproduct*.
•UY BICYCLED.
AND fAVK
3p Uwk for product* mad* Anna
rewtod m*wr^
would bums the world to ufl of u*.
§§b mmm * tree Jaeetww.wDt*
igrAcgdcd. tevtrowtßnttU Dttmt
RumL W ftu* A«t. South. Yort.
NY tOOJO. or call t-BOQ-CAU-EDF.
tKPfc
Entertainment
humble birth control pill or oral
contraceptive taken in higher than
normal doses. As most people
know, birth control pills, a
combination of the female sex
hormone estrogen and the
numerous awards and honors and
has appeared on both television
and radio broadcasts. The
Kandinsky Trio is: Elizabeth
Bachelder on piano, Alan
Weinstein on cello, and Benedict
Goodfriend on violin. They were
accompanied by the storyteller
Connie Regan-Blake, who told a
story she wrote about a
blacksmith. The trio is also
occasionally accompanied by
Mike Reid, an All-Pro football
player with the Cincinnati
Bengals and former Penn State
player. Mike composed the
music to accompany the story.
In all, the afternoon
performance was a big success.
One such audience member from
Harrisburg declared it “A
marvelous show.” All in
attendance seemed to enjoy the
performance by the Kandinsky
Trio.
owned and operated by Jim Zank,
or "Jimmy Z" as regulars of his
other bar "the Pub" would know
him as.
The atmosphere is a relaxed and
friendly one. The bartenders are
great, too. Sarah Melchoirre, a
senior here at Behrend, is
employed as a bartender there.
When I asked her to describe the
place, she said, "There's not a
bunch of idiot freaks dancing and
pelvic thrusting - it's a bar where
you can just relax and hang out."
The crowd is usually mixed
because Bleachers is located right
near the Stadium and Civic
Center. People usually flock in
after concerts, baseball, and
hockey games. In the summer,
Bleachers is a popular hangout of
the Erie Seawolves. On the
weekends Bleachers caters to a
younger crowd of college
students.
The menu offers your typical
bar food, and Sarah says "it's
great.” The fried foods include
cheese sticks, wings, chicken
fingers, and fries. The
sandwiches offered include
chicken parmesan, vegetarian, and
<o X N
<o 3
Z o °
V>
< S' •
uj s
Q- ©
pregnancy hormone progesterone,
are very effective contraceptives
when taken daily. What most
people don’t know is that birth
control pills can also work after
the fact when taken in high doses
twelve hours apart within 72
hours of (whoops) unprotected
sex. Just like a good lawyer or a
great excuse, the morning-after
pill lets you screw up royally
without suffering all the messy
consequences.
How does it work? Whether
used daily (as they’re intended) or
as a morning-after pill, oral
contraceptives prevent pregnancy
in three ways:
1. During a normal pregnancy,
high levels of estrogen and
progesterone suppress ovulation
or release of an unfertilized egg
from the ovaries, an evolutionary
“enough already!” adaptation
which mercifully prevents
pregnant women from getting
more pregnant. Birth control
pills trick the body into thinking
it’s already pregnant, and prevent
pregnancy in a similar manner.
2. Progesterone makes the
cervical mucous thick and
inelastic, creating what’s known
as the cervical mucous barrier. In
the first half of a normal
menstrual cycle, the ovaries
produce estrogen only. Under its
influence, the cervical mucous
acts like a crystal clear and
such specials as The "Big
Bambino", which is a whole loaf
of Italian bread filled with roast
beef, turkey, ham, cheese, and
loaded with toppings. Another
menu option includes a variety of
salads, such as steak, taco,
chicken, and antipasto.
Bleachers, owned by
Jim Zank, is located on
723 French Street. It is
near the Stadium and
the Civic Center.
Bleachers frequently has
giveaways with Jet 102 FM.
This Saturday they will be
having a Halloween party where
they will be giving away Green
Day tickets. So put on your best
costume and head over to
Bleachers for some fun. And
make sure you say hello to Sarah
when you’re there!
stretchy sperm escalator heading
straight for the womb. After
ovulation, with birth control
pills or during pregnancy,
progesterone kicks in and makes
the cervical mucous impenetrable
to all but the most intrepid
sperm. The cervical mucous
barrier is another way birth
control pills prevent pregnancy.
3. Progesterone makes the
lining of the uterus inhospitable
to a fertilized egg and may
prevent it from attaching or
implanting in the uterus. Even if
ovulation does occur and a hard
headed sperm has bludgeoned its
way through the cervical mucous
barrier and fertilized the lady-in
waiting, pregnancy still might
not occur. Without a nesting
site, whether it be a properly
primed uterus or Arnold
Schwartnegger’s abdomen, an
embryo soon shrivels and dies.
Risks of the morning-after pill
include nausea and vomiting,
which are very common because
of the high doses of estrogen. It
may trigger the mother of all
migraines in women who are
susceptible to this type of
headache. Fortunately, the
morning-after pill doesn’t cause
weight gain and acne like Depo
provera shots can, and seldom
causes serious problems like
blood clots and strokes which are
associated with regular use of
Murder One:
Bochco's newest
hit on television
by Adria Kovaly
Collegian Staff
In the spirit of the great
courtroom dramas comes "Murder
One", a new show for the fall
season produced by Steven
Bochco.
The continuous story line
centers around the murder case of
Jessica Costello, a fifteen year
old found dead in her sister's
apartment. The prime suspect is
Neil Avedon (Jason Gedrick), a
rising movie star who was with
Jessica before she died.
Avedon is being represented by
Ted Hoffman (Daniel Benzali),
the head of a law firm who really
knows his stuff. Hoffman also
represented the original suspect,
philanthropist Richard Cross
(Stanley Tucci), who, as evidence
begins to emerge, is looking ever
birth control pills.
Before you throw caution,
condoms and other birth control
devices to the wind, keep in mind
that the morning-after pill is not
a particularly reliable method of
birth. In fact the biggest risk of
the morning-after pill is
pregnancy. If you take it within
24 hours of the dirty deed, it’s
only 75 percent effective. By 72
hours, its effectiveness dwindles
to 50 percent, and beyond that,
it’s essentially worthless. By
comparison, other hormonal
methods of contraception, such as
Depo-provera or conventional use
of the Pill, are 99 percent
effective. Even condoms have a
better track record than that, and
the only time they cause nausea
is when you come across a used
one in your purse or pocket.
The take-home message is that
the morning-after pill is a poor
substitute for birth control or
self-control. Don’t be like the
guy who told me, “We
accidentally had sex last night,
and my girlfriend needs the
morning-after pill.”
by Anne Phelan-Adams,
M.D. 1995 Tribune Media
Services, Inc.
more guilty.
Opposing Hoffman is
Detective Poison (Dylan Baker),
who has been repeatedly humbled
by the lawyer's stunning work,
and the District Attorney (Barbara
Bosson), who is representing "the
people" in the trial.
Hoffman is assisted by his four
associates. Every week Bochco
gives us a chance to see how they
operate by showing each one in
their own trial situations.
"Murder One" is a superbly
written show, even though the
jargon is sometimes hard to
follow. The plot is continuous,
but not monotonous, so plan on
catching is every week. If you
don't, you'll be guilty of missing
a great show.
"Murder One" airs Thursday
nights on ABC, from 10 to 11
p.m.
Page 9