Someone please tell me if my progression here is inaccurate in any way:
1) Family owners of small-town Indiana pizzeria spend zero time or energy commenting on gay issues.
2) TV reporter from South Bend walks inside the pizzeria to ask the owners what they think of the controversial Religious Restoration Freedom Act. Owner Crystal O'Connor responds, "If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no….We are a Christian establishment." O'Connor also says—actually promises is the characterization —that the establishment will continue to serve any gay or non-Christian person that walks through their door.
and its business, including a high school girls golf coach in Indiana who
"Who's going to Walkerton, IN to burn down #memoriespizza w me?" Many of the enraged critics assert, inaccurately, that Memories Pizza discriminates against gay customers.
4) In the face of the backlash, the O'Connors , and say they may never reopen, and in fact might leave the state. "I don't know if we will reopen, or if we can, if it's safe to reopen," Crystal O'Connor tells The Blaze. "I'm just a little guy who had a little business that I probably don't have anymore," Kevin O'Connor tells the L.A. Times.
Rod Dreher titles his useful post on this grotesque affair "," and it's apt considering the progression above. If only these non-activist restaurateurs had simply kept their views to themselves when asked by a reporter, April Fool's would have been like any other day for them.
But as it stands, they're now being trashed not just by social-justice mobs from afar, but by powerful politicians where they live and work. Democratic State Sen. Jim Arnold represents the O'Connors’s district. This is what he
about his constituents:
IndianaSenateDemocrats.org"The vast majority of people in this country are not going to stand by and watch that kind of activity unfold," he said. "If that's their stand I hope they enjoy eating their pizza because I don't think anyone else is going to."
Sen. Arnold says he's upset by the news because of the negative attention it's bringing to a town he says is a great community.
He said this kind of thinking has no place in this town. And the Religious Freedom Restoration Law is not an excuse for them to discriminate.
"This is America and if people say they're not going to serve them and they feel this is some kind of defense, which by the way doesn't take effect until July 1, but if they feel it's some kind of defense, I think they're sadly mistaken[.]"
Almost every word out of Sen. Arnold’s mouth was wrong, horrifying, or both.
1) The O'Connors did not say "they're not going to serve them," they in fact stressed the opposite.
2) The "kind of activity" that Arnold contends "the vast majority of people in this country are not going to stand by and watch" is expressing a disfavored opinion to a reporter. The pizzeria discrimi merely said that it would choose not to serve a gay wedding if asked. Which it never, ever would be, because who asks a small-town pizzeria to cater a heterosexual wedding, let alone a gay one?
3) This kind of thinking has no place in this town is—what's the word?—totalitarian. Sen. Arnold is explicitly ganging up with "the vast majority" against someone guilty of thoughtcrime. This is a true statement regardless of your opinion of the underlying thought.
There is no to-be-sure paragraph about what happened yesterday. A virtual mob, acting at least partly on bogus information, gleefully trashed a business that hasn't (to my knowledge) discriminated against a flea. After which a local pol stood up and yelled "Encore!" The good news is that a crowdfunding effort has raised/pledged
to the O'Connors.
The bad news, for those of us on the suddenly victorious side of the gay marriage debate, is that too many people are acting like sore winners, not merely content with the revolutionary step of removing state discrimination against same-sex couples in the legal recognition of marriage, but seeking to use state power to punish anyone who refuses to lend their business services to wedding ceremonies they find objectionable. That's not persuasion, that's force, and force tends to be the anti-persuasion among those who are on the receiving end of it.
Jonathan Rauch had a
for Reason two years ago about free speech and gay rights, arguing persuasively that when a minority is hopelessly outnumbered both in public opinion and in law, maximal free expression (and I would add, free association) is their most potent weapon—often, it's all they've got. To fight uphill all these long decades, then get to the top, only to start wielding majoritarianism against the suddenly disfavored minority position? That's ugly stuff.
There is another way: The
way. Or if you don't like baseball, the
Don't know that last story? Stolhandske is an evangelical pro-gay marriage activist who is nonetheless raising money for the Portland bakery that was fined $150,000 by the state of Oregon for refusing to work a gay wedding. Explained he: "this is what an olive branch looks like. I am not rewarding their behavior, but rather loving them in spite of it. It is time for these two communities, which both cite genuine love as our motivation, to put aside our prejudices and put down our pitchforks to clear the path for progress."
In other words, discussion, persuasion, strategic forgiveness, tolerance. Tactics worth considering, in a year when the Supreme Court is likely to codify the culture's amazing shift on gay marriage into law.
Matt Welch is editor in chief of Reason magazine and co-author with Nick Gillespie of&.
Follow Matt Welch on
Reason In Your Inbox!
GET REASON MAGAZINE
Get Reason's print or digital edition before it’s posted online
Reason’s Open Issue
Matt Welch:
There is nothing ‘open-minded’ about using government to punish disfavored views.
When Open Government Slams Shut: Failed transparency, from Hillary Clinton’s emails to hidden campaign contributions.
Ronald Bailey: New research demonstrates the amazing power of open markets and open borders.
Veronique de Rugy: How bureaucrats are keeping people in the dark about the Export-Import Bank.
Camille Paglia talks about feminism, rape, academia, and Hillary Clinton.
And much more
advertisement
Damon Root
Shikha Dalmia
Steve Chapman
Matt Welch
Scott Shackford
Nick Gillespie
Daniel Berninger
Nick Gillespie
Nick Gillespie
Nick Gillespie
Ed Krayewski
Ed Krayewski
Sheldon Richman
Robby Soave
Emily Ekins
Emily Ekins
Emily Ekins
Amy Sturgis
Sara Mayeux
Jacob Sullum
&2015 Reason Foundation.|Introduction to IR Spectra
Introduction to IR Spectra
An invaluable tool in organic structure determination and verification involves the class of electromagnetic (EM) radiation with frequencies between 4000 and 400 cm-1 (wavenumbers). The category of EM radiation is termed infrared (IR) radiation, and its application to organic chemistry known as IR spectroscopy. Radiation in this region can be utilized in organic structure determination by making use of the fact that it is absorbed by interatomic bonds in organic compounds. Chemical bonds in different environments will absorb varying intensities and at varying frequencies. Thus IR spectroscopy involves collecting absorption information and analyzing it in the form of a spectrum -- The frequencies at which there are absorptions of IR radiation ("peaks" or "signals") can be correlated directly to bonds within the compound in question.
An Example IR Spectrum
Because each interatomic bond may vibrate in several different motions (stretching or bending), individual bonds may absorb at more than one IR frequency. Stretching absorptions usually produce stronger peaks than bending, however the weaker bending absorptions can be useful in differentiating similar types of bonds (e.g. aromatic substitution). It is also important to note that symmetrical vibrations do not cause absorption of IR radiation. For example, neither of the carbon-carbon bonds in ethene or ethyne absorb IR radiation.
Regions of the IR Spectrum
Over time organic chemists have recorded and catalogued the types and locations of IR absorptions produced by a wide variety of chemical bonds in various chemical environments. These data can be quickly referenced through tables of IR absorption ranges and compared to the spectrum under consideration. As a general rule, the most important factors determining where a chemical bond will absorb are the bond order and the types of atoms joined by the bond. Conjugation and nearby atoms shift the frequency to a lesser degree. Therefore the same or similar functional groups in different molecules will typically absorb within the same, specific frequency ranges. Consequently tables of IR absorptions are arranged by functional group -- it some versions these may be further subdivided to give more precise information.
In IR absorption tables, signal intensities (height) are usually denoted by the following abbreviations: w = weak, m = medium, s = strong, v = variable. A broad signal shape is sometimes indicated by br. Occasionally absorption frequency is given as a single approximation denoted with an ~ rather than a range.
These trends in aborption can be further summarized into the following categories
3600 - 2700 cm-1X-H
2700 - 1900 cm-1X=Y
1900 - 1500 cm-1X=Y
1500 - 500 cm-1X-Y
Upon first inspection, a typical infrared spectrum can be visually divided into two regions. The left half, above 2000 cm-1, usually contains relatively few peaks, but some very diagnostic information can be found here. First, alkane C-H stretching absorptions just below 3000 cm-1 demonstrate the presence of saturated carbons, and signals just above 3000 cm-1 demonstrate unsaturation. A very broad peak in the region between 3100 and 3600 cm-1 indicates the presence of exchangeable protons, typically from alcohol, amine, amide or carboxylic acid groups (see further discussion of this below). The frequencies from 2800 to 2000 cm-1 are normally void of other absorptions, so the presence of alkyne or nitrile groups can be easily seen here.
In contrast, the right half of the spectrum, below 2000 cm-1, normally contains many peaks of varying intensities, many of which are not readily identifiable. Two signals which can be seen clearly in this area is the carbonyl group, which is a very strong peak around 1700 cm-1, and the C-O bond with can be one or two strong peaks around 1200 cm-1. This complex lower region is also known as the "fingerprint region" because almost every organic compound produces a unique pattern in this area -- Therefore identity can often be confirmed by comparison of this region to a known spectrum.
Additional IR Concepts
Although the above and similar IR absorption tables provide a good starting point for assigning simple IR spectra, it is often necessary to understand in greater detail some more specific properties of IR spectra. The following topics cover some of the most important of these principles.
-- notice that the two major differences in these spectra are (1) the disappearance of the C-H stretching
(3020 cm-1) and bending (1220 cm-1) in deuterated compound and (2) a shift to the right about 20 cm-1 relative to the CHCl3. The first is caused simply by the lack of C-H bonds in CDCl3. The second is illustrative of this property that heavier atoms (deuterium vs. hydrogen) will cause attached bonds to absorb at lower frequencies.Microdiscectomy: Spine Surgery for a Herniated DiscUpdated on December 18, 2012Microdiscectomy incision and sutures
See all 4 photos
Incision slightly to the left of the spine, about 48 hours after microdiscectomy surgery.Source:
Discectomy for herniated disc with associated leg pain has high success rateWhile surgery for many conditions should be a last resort, for people suffering from a pinched or compressed nerve from a herniated disc that results in leg pain and numbness, a discectomy, or microdiscectomy, is often the solution that finally brings long term relief.
More conservative options should of course be attempted first since spine surgery for a herniated disc, like all surgeries, has risks associated with it. But when non-surgical options fail, a discectomy brings relief to more than 90% of patients with associated leg pain (sciatica) caused by pressure on a nerve from the herniated disc.
Recently, my son had a microdiscectomy to relieve the pain and numbness in his left leg and left foot caused by a herniated disc. While it is way too soon to tell how he will fare in the long term, at the moment the results look very promising.
Non-surgical treatment options for herniated discTime to heal: Luckily for many people who have a mild herniated a disc, time and easing up on physical activities is the only needed remedy to heal. Recovery may take 4 weeks or longer.
Physical therapy may be used to strengthen the back or to relieve pressure that the unhealed herniated disc is placing on surrounding nerves.
Pain killers are sometimes given to patients as a way of relieving the pain caused by compressed nerves from a herniated disc, however they may only provide short term pain relief, if any at all. Read, , for a candid story about one herniated disc sufferer's experience with pain killers.
Cortisone injections may only offer short term relief, but for some people the cortisone/steroid is enough to reduce swelling and inflammation to allow the disc to heal and to relieve pressure on any nerves.
My son's herniated discPlease note, I am not a doctor or medical professional, just a mother telling of her son's experience with a herniated disc and treatment.
Possible cause of herniated disc
It was the last weekend of summer before heading off to college and my son and his friends were getting together for a fun weekend of jet skiing at the lake. After returning from their weekend's adventure my son told me how his back was killing him after slamming down on a wave while riding on a tube attached to a jet ski.
I didn't think much of his back pain at the time, especially since we were in the midst of packing and moving him into his dormitory away at college. In fact, I actually forgot that he hurt his back, thinking at the time that it would feel better in a few days.
Back pain gets worse and now has leg pain too
By mid October my son called me and told me that he was having horrible back and leg pain. I knew he had brought his skate board to college with him and figured his back was sore from all the hard jumping and landing involved in the sport, forgetting about the jet ski incident. Additionally, he was regularly doing a lot of weight lifting, which I also thought could be the cause of his pain.
He went to the doctor at the college's health center (luckily we had , as well as our own employee health insurance) and the doctor prescribed him prescription-strength Tylenol and muscle relaxers. He was advised to see another doctor if the pain did not go away.
Back pain lessens but leg pain worsens
Needless to say, for anyone that has had a herniated disc with compression on a nerve, the Tylenol and muscle relaxers only helped mildly at best, and probably only because they helped him sleep. We figured when he returned home for Thanksgiving break that we would bring him to the orthopedic doctor. The doctor we had in mind is a very well regarded physician and we knew he would offer us an accurate diagnosis.
By the time my son came home for the Thanksgiving holiday break, he really was not complaining about his back anymore, but he did have an upper respiratory illness. With five family members from out-of-town visiting us for the holiday and the fact that my son was otherwise sick with a virus, as well as his sister too, we never got him to the orthopedic doctor as we had intended.
Leg pain becomes unbearable
During the three weeks he was back at college between Thanksgiving break and winter break he called me multiple times telling me how bad his leg was, how he could hardly walk on some days. The extreme pain he was in was very evident in his voice. Helpless to do much, and very concerned about his final exams and grades, I wasn't sure what to do.
MRI reveals herniated disc
After coming home for winter break, he finally had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. After getting the MRI result it was confirmed that he had a herniated disc (L4/L5). Unfortunately, since the doctor was on vacation by the time we got the MRI completed, we did not get the results until a couple of days after my son returned to college.
Apparently, with some herniated discs the back pain subsides on its own, but it is the leg and foot pain, as well as tingling and numbness in those extremities, that cause all the misery. Material from the herniated disc itself can put pressure on surrounding nerve roots or the spinal canal, leading to extreme pain and discomfort. The nerve in question, near the L4/L5 disc in my son's case, affects the leg and foot.
MRI of L4-L5 Herniated Disc
See all 4 photos
This is an MRI of my son's L4-L5 herniated disc (I believe).Source:
Herniated disc treatment options
We were uncertain of which treatment option to select for my son's herniated disc, especially since he was away at college with hopes to complete the semester. Since it was around four months since the sciatica began due to nerve root impingement, he stood the best chance for a good long term outcome if something was done sooner than later.
Since my son was well beyond the window of time where healing may have occurred on its own, the only two options left were:
Cortisone injections
Microdiscectomy surgery (discectomy)
At first we decided that the best course of action was to attempt an x-ray guided cortisone injection. In fact, we set the wheels in motion to schedule a time for him to return home for this procedure and even got it scheduled at the surgical center. In the meantime, however, his leg and foot pain were worsening to the point where he could no longer get out of bed many days.
Elects to have microdiscectomy (discectomy) surgery
After speaking to the doctor again, the decision was made to forgo the cortisone injection, and instead opt for the microdiscectomy surgery. It turns out cortisone injections may only provide short term relief, it could be weeks, it could be a year, but many times it is not a permanent solution.
In fact, the doctor explained that some insurance companies are beginning to not cover these injections due to their failure rate. The microdiscectomy surgery, on the other hand, while more invasive and risky than an injection, has a very high success rate for herniated disc patients with accompanying leg pain.
In the article, , Holle Abee (habee) describes her pain from pinched nerves and how her pain relief from a cortisone injection to her back only lasted three weeks.
Microdiscectomy (discectomy) surgery scheduled, hopes are high
Finally, the microdiscectomy is scheduled and when I pick my son up from college to head back home for surgery, any slight reservations I have about surgery are alleviated when I see him. Clearly, he is suffering, and is walking with quite a limp. It's painfully obvious that the microdiscectomy surgery for his herniated disc is his only option.
The morning of surgery arrives and my son is not nervous at all, in fact he is quite excited at the prospect of ending all the misery caused by his herniated disc and pinched nerve.
I too am hopeful for an immediate positive outcome, especially after reading the article, , in which the author, Jason Menayan (livelonger), describes how he lived with grueling pain from a herniated disc that was only relieved by a discectomy. Menayan lives nearly two-thousand miles away and while I do not know him personally, he has given me tremendous hope that my son can not only live a life without this particular back and leg pain, but can lead a full and active life in the future.
Now at the hospital, the surgeon comes in to speak to us prior to performing the microdiscectomy. You've got to love surgeons - in a very matter-of-fact manner he explains how he will make the incision, remove some bone (laminectomy) to expose the nerve, and then remove the herniated disc material that is pressing on the nerve root. "Really, quite simple," he states, going on to say that the microdiscectomy will take forty-five minutes to an hour. I had zero doubt that my son was in very capable surgical hands.
Herniated disc material removed during microdiscectomy
See all 4 photos
This is a photograph of the herniated disc material removed during my son's microdiscectomy. I am assuming the 1 and 2 markings represent an inch.Source:
After the microdiscectomy
Within a couple of hours after the surgery my son was thrilled -- thrilled that he could already tell that a lot of his leg pain was simply gone. He still had pain in his calf, as if he had done one-hundred leg lifts, he described, but for the most part he finally felt relief from months of pain.
About 48 hours post surgery he was becoming very uncomfortable again, and the prescribed painkillers did not seem to be helping. Thinking that he may be having some post-surgical inflammation (to be expected) I wondered if the inflammation itself could be pressing on the nerve root again. Instead of giving him the prescribed painkiller with Tylenol, we decided to give him Advil since it has anti-inflammatory properties. This seemed to do the trick and the next day he decided that he could return to college.
Nothing about helping your child away at college when they do not feel well is easy. Unfortunately a day after returning to school he was miserable, this time with a fever of 102 degrees and barely able to walk again. To say my bubble burst is to put it mildly.
I personally had cleaned around his surgical wound a day earlier and doubted there was any skin infection. But to be on the safe side I strongly encouraged him to go to the doctor at college so the doctor could examine my son's incision and sutures. Thankfully, no signs of infection were present. Meanwhile, back at home, the surgeon's nurse explained to me that patients can run a fever for three to five days after surgery. Apparently, inflammation from surgery can produce a febrile condition.
Eight days post microdiscectomy
Luckily, the fever only lasted a couple of days and as the fever lessened so too did the leg pain. Eight days after surgery my son told me that he had not had fever for a couple of days and he estimated that his leg was 80% better.
Nerves take time to heal, that is why full recovery from a discectomy or microdiscectomy can take many months. With his latest health report I am hopeful that the sciatica caused by the herniated disc impinging a nerve will be fully gone.
This much I know, my son really had no choice but to have the microdiscectomy surgery, and with an over 90% success rate since he also had sciatica, the outlook was positive. Unfortunately, for people with herniated discs that have back pain but do NOT have leg pain, a discectomy or microdiscectomy is not usually helpful.
Discectomy vs MicrodiscectomyWebMD defines a
a surgery to remove herniated disc material that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal cord.
WebMD explains that a microdiscectomy differs from a discectomy in that a special microscope is used to view the disc and nerves. The larger view provided by the microscope does not necessitate as large of an incision as is needed for a discectomy, thereby resulting in less damage to the surrounding tissue.
During either procedure (discectomy or microdiscectomy) the surgeon may need to perform a laminectomy (aka laminotomy), which is the removal of a small piece of bone called the lamina in order to expose the nerve. Additionally, both forms of the surgery are performed under general anesthesia.
As the name sounds, the microdiscectomy is less invasive, and this is the procedure that my son underwent to remove the disc material that had become so bothersome. From the photograph of my son above you can see that the microdiscectomy incision is about 2" long.
Microdiscectomy Recovery TimeI guess in our son's case we will never know the exact cause of his herniated disc, whether or not he did in fact injure it jet skiing. If he did injure it that day, I doubt that it could have ever healed on its own as he pursued other athletic interests such as skate boarding and weight lifting. "No pain, no gain" is a real fallacy.
Whatever the cause, the microdiscectomy procedure is complete and he seems well on his way to recovery. For the first few weeks following a microdiscectomy it is important to not bend or lift items over ten pounds. However, it is also important to not lay around and to be sure and walk. In time scar tissue will "fill in" his herniated disc and movement will ensure that the scar tissue itself does not cause future issues.
Microdiscectomy Scar
See all 4 photos
Microdiscectomy scar four months after surgerySource: 2012 KTrapp All Rights Reserved
Update: 4 Months Post SurgeryThe first few weeks after surgery I was a bit concerned. My son developed a fever and the pain that seemed to be gone immediately after surgery came back. It turns out that this return of pain and leg numbness was due to post-surgical inflammation.
Of course, microdiscectomy recovery time will vary by patient, but in my son's case, the pain seemed to come and go for the first couple of months, with it being almost gone by the three month mark.
It's now been four months since his microdiscectomy surgery and I'm happy to report that he is virtually pain-free. He says that after he's been very active and on his feet all day that he feels a little leg soreness but it is nothing he can't live with or tolerate. For him, the microdiscectomy for his herniated disc was a definite success!
Poll for people with a herniated disc who have had a microdiscectomy or discectomy:1. How would you describe the outcome of your discectomy or microdiscectomy surgery? All pain is gone Most of the pain is gone (every now and then feel a little twinge of pain) Some days are good, some days are bad I still have a lot of leg and back pain2. Based on the outcome of your surgery and what you know now, would you still have elected to have a discectomy or microdiscectomy? Yes No
Do you want to write about what you know or what interests you?
. It's free, simple to use & you can publish within minutes.
You can help the HubPages community highlight top quality content by ranking this article up or down.&{66} & & & &{14} & &{1} & &{16}Recommended Hubs
(ktrapp)MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Please rate this article using the scale below. The scale is from 1 to 10, where 10 is the best and 1 is the worst.
Copyright & 2015 HubPages Inc. and respective owners.Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners.HubPages& is a registered Service Mark of HubPages, Inc.HubPages and Hubbers (authors) may earn revenue on this page based on affiliate relationships and advertisements with partners including Amazon, eBay, Google, and others.
(0.46 sec)