Professor Dr Marcia Hall who works with Mt. Vernon Cancer Centre at Brunel University gave a talk on zoom about ovarian cancer which was attended by 45 people most of whom were Bucks WI members. (Is attended the right word for a zoom meeting? Sat in on seems a bit more accurate but not so business-like?) Anyway, there were several members of Winslow WI in the audience. Marcia explained that it was a relatively rare cancer with about 7000 people diagnosed per year but that unfortunately the death rate was high because it was often spotted only when it was in its advanced stages. This is exactly why the WI mandate to increase the awareness of the disease was so important. We were then told of the symptoms, the progress made with drugs and chemo-therapy and the part that our genes play in the development of ovarian cancer.
23rd February
There were fewer people logged into the talk by Petra Wenham about the gender recognition debate and her experiences as a transwoman. This was the first of a series of talks booked for 2022 by the BFWI Science and Society Subcommittee. They will all be featured on zoom and the subjects are wildly different in content: roughly every other month and at different times of day. Petra’s talk followed an article in WI Life and she told us a very personal story of her life. We heard of the problems faced by people whose brains are telling them that their given bodies are at variance with their perception of self. Trans gender subjects face years of insult and abuse in society and often at home too but attitudes are changing as recognition improves and more people are brave enough to talk about the issue. It is quite possible for a baby to be assigned the wrong gender at birth and the child has as much choice in its gender as it has in being either left- or right-handed. Food for thought indeed and that is what these talks are planned to stimulate.
It is two years since BFWI staged the life of Kathleen Ferrier with an afternoon tea at Newton Longville. Last month it had been hoped to hold a similar event about Virginia Woolf as part of the Centenary celebrations but many members post Covid19 were too nervous still to sign up so it had to be cancelled.
It is very disappointing when events have to be cancelled but we have been scratching events out of our diaries for months now so perhaps it has become a habit. During Lockdown the Science and Society Committee hosted several zoom meetings which were well attended in the safety of our own homes but it isn’t the same, is it? However we were grateful to the organisers and these zoom talks are set to continue at least throughout this year.
There was a talk on Animal Computer Interaction given by Clara Mancini from the Open University which was very interesting to members living close to the Centre for Hearing and Medical detection dogs. Another evening the members were able to learn about sea turtles, their characteristics and lives. We were even invited to adopt a turtle--- not to bring home to put in the bath but to support financially. Of course this talk covered the threat turtles live under from plastic pollution in the oceans, erosion of nesting beaches and the increase in tourists from cruise ships.
Another interesting subject covered by zoom which is relevant to the WI mandates was the modern slave trade. Here we learned what to look for and how to report any feeling of unease either heard or witnessed. We tend to think it isn’t possible in our own environment but it is everywhere and the criminals who abuse people are very clever in disguising their activities and rule by physical and mental terror.
A separate zoom talk on autism by Pippa Richardson which again was relevant to WI concerns was featured last December. Many of us have read novels about characters with autism or been to see plays dealing with people who view life through the heightened sensitivity which is the very root of autism. This was an intense talk delivered at a great speed but very informative: if more people learned about the reasons for the behaviour and were prepared to communicate with those with the disability it would benefit everyone and make life happier for many. Autistic people are often extremely clever and apparently many of the computer experts working for Microsoft and Google are autistic.
The next zoom talk is on spotting the signs for ovarian cancer. It is free to view and again relevant to WI mandates so take a look at the BFWI website to see how to switch into this event. You never know---the knowledge you gain may save the life of a family member.