December13
Religious Irony
December13
The 12 Days of My Birthday
December babies lose out when it comes to birthdays. People simply do not have enough time, money or energy. And inevitably celebrating our births is lumped in with the holidays. Birthday slash Christmas gifts, Christmas cards signed — “and have a happy birthday” are all too common. So, since everyone else wants to lump my birthday in with the the holidays, I decided…if you can’t beat them, join them. And join them I did.
I decided this year I would celebrate the 12 days of my birthday! YAY for 12 whole days to celebrate my birth! I fully anticipated this would be a solo celebration but I was wrong! HA! I love how those in my life indulge me in my fanciful ideas!
Today is Day 7 of the 12 days of my birthday… the halfway point and here are some of my gifts and fun!
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- “Let your heart be light. Wish.”
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- Sweet mug with matching box (Day 3)
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- Monkey magnet bookmark (Day 7)
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- Magnetic Bookmarks (Day 7)
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- My favorite!
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- Magnetic Bookmark clips (Day 7)
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- Pretty keepsake box (Day 3)
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- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts (Day 4)
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- The writable mug — Books to read! (Day 5)
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- A mug you can write on! (Day 5)
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- Day 1 (Holiday Tea) from Barnes and Noble
Thanks to my friends for indulging me! =) And playing along! How fun! I also got a new game (thanks to a gifted credit!)! Yay for games! Yay for elongated birthday celebrations! =)
You can read more details here.
Suffice to say, I think a new tradition has been hatched!
November8
Healthcare Reform Passes Congress…at what cost?
Shame on you President Obama,
I read your excited message about the healthcare reform bill passing Congress tonight and I burst into tears of joy. I felt like the change we have been seeking for so many years, that we have been working so hard to bring about was finally coming to fruition. Only to learn it ‘passed’ in exchange for the tens of millions of women in this country. When should we expect the government to send their lackeys to pick up our shoes so we can stay home proper, barefoot and forced pregnant? When did the promise of change become the promise of positive change for men and a reaffirmation of women as second-class citizens?
I am absolutely appalled that you or any member of our government would allow such draconian measures to be perpetrated against women. You are pushing to get this healthcare reform bill passed but at what cost?
The Stupak-Pitts anti-choice amendment renders health care insurance companies incapable, financially, to support women’s’ reproductive health. In order to survive financially under this amendment, they would be forced to drop current coverage for women’s reproductive healthcare. This is a monumental step backwards. It is not simply a matter of not covering costs for the women who are currently uninsured. It goes a mile further and ensures an economic stranglehold on all insurance companies to drop current benefits provided to women.
Choosing to throw women under the bus to get the new healthcare system passed is a galling cop out. This decision is nothing more than the vehicle the opponents need to undermine Roe v. Wade. The provisions of this ‘amendment’ sets women’s healthcare back a century and delivers a devastating blow to those millions of women who enthusiastically supported Obama and this healthcare reform bill.
Women’s healthcare should not be targeted and denied because of political or moral objections. These are not our views or our opinions. These are OUR bodies, OUR choices and OURinsurance companies should cover it–period, particularly when the majority of insurance companies currently cover comprehensive reproductive health services. It was one thing to leave out coverage under the new healthcare bill. That was already a negative aspect. However, it becomes a completely different story when you add an amendment that takes away current coverage, in addition to limiting the alternative options for the coverage taken away.
How dare all of you yellow-belly Democrats who approved this Stupak-Pitts amendment decide to not only NOTinclude reproductive health services in the new health-care system but to endanger the barely-adequate coverage that exists currently. This decision sends a loud message to women in this country: YOU are not important; your needs, your body, your health and your rights are not important. Are we to understand that ‘the millions of people’ that this new system is supposed to help does not include women? Is this the new, improved, sensible healthcare system for men only?
I must have missed that part of the inspirational speeches.
I no longer support this bill or its blatant disregard for women’s reproductive health. And I am extremely angry that I and millions of other women, are being discarded at the whim of two senators in a futile attempt to appease those inconsiderate, selfish people opposing healthcare for all. Are these people who oppose healthcare for all anything more than medical and/or financial terrorists? I thought we had a policy of no negotiation with terrorists?Why then were tens of millions of women conceded in these terroristic negotations to provide adequate healthcare to our citizens?
When did women become so unimportant in this country and to our President that our reproductive health and control over our own bodies are offered up on a silver platter in exchange for the Congress to approve a watered-down, ineffective version of healthcare reform that will punish and neglect no longer by economic status but rather by gender?
I wonder what will happen to this bill once we take away the flattened, discarded feminine support that has so eagerly backed Obama. You can count me out until the dissolution of this backwards Stupak-Pitts amendment.
I see where I rank in importance in your vision for change. If Congress got tens of millions of uteri, what will the Senate get?
October23
Bravo Volkswagen
This is a really good idea. I love it. How fun! I would absolutely take those stairs! I’ll let their videos speak for themselves:
The Fun Theory by Volkswagen.
Pssssst, you can submit your own fun ideas as well! And more than the money they will give you, think of all the people you might help convince to live healthier or more sustainable.
October7
THE HEART TRUTH CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
The Heart Truth and Red Dress are trademarks of DHHS.
The Heart Truth: Heart Disease is the #1 Killer of Women
The Heart Truth is that one in four American women dies of heart disease, and most fail to make the connection between risk factors—such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol—and their personal risk of developing heart disease.
The Heart Truth Campaign: Serious Messages about Women’s Heart Health
The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Through the campaign, NHLBI leads the nation in a landmark heart health awareness movement that is being embraced by millions who share the common goal of better heart health for all women.
The Heart Truth campaign warns women about heart disease and provides tools to help them take action against its risk factors. It is primarily targeted to women ages 40 to 60, the time when a woman’s risk of heart disease begins to increase. However, it’s never too early—or too late—to take action to prevent and control risk factors since heart disease develops over time and can start at a young age—even in the teen years.
The campaign message is paired with an arresting visual—the Red Dress—designed to warn women that heart disease is their #1 killer. The Heart Truth created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call to American women. The Red Dress reminds women of the need to protect their heart health, and inspires them to take action.
The Heart Truth partners include: The Office on Women’s Health, DHHS; WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease; the American Heart Association; and other organizations committed to the health and well-being of women.
Campaign Background
The Heart Truth campaign began in response to recommendations of more than 70 experts in women’s health who met in March 2001 to develop a national action plan to reduce the toll of heart disease on American women. The campaign was developed with input from partner organizations and focus groups with women conducted across the country. This research revealed that most women underestimate their personal risk and do not fully understand the devastating impact that heart disease has on one’s life and family. The research strongly supported the urgent need to tell women about their risk of heart disease and how to lower it.
What’s a Red Dress Got to Do With It?
The Red Dress was designed to build awareness that women are at risk for heart disease, and motivate them to take action to reduce their risk. The creative concept of a Red Dress tested well with diverse women who cited its ability to get attention, convey the seriousness of heart disease, and change the perception that it is only a man’s issue.
The symbol links a woman’s focus on her “outer self” to the need to also focus on her “inner self,” especially her heart health. The Red Dress serves as a red alert to convey the message that “Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear—It’s the #1 Killer of Women.”
Seeking to advance the symbol, The Heart Truth forged a groundbreaking collaboration between the Federal government and the fashion industry, an industry intrinsically tied to female audiences. As a result of this partnership, fashion leaders—including top designers, models, and celebrities—have demonstrated their support for the issue of women and heart disease by participating in The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collections at New York’s Fashion Week annually since 2003.
The Heart Truth launched the first Red Dress Collection at Fashion Week in February 2003, when 19 designers—from Vera Wang to Donna Karan to Oscar de la Renta—contributed red dresses for a stunning display under the Bryant Park tents. In February 2004, the fashion platform expanded with the creation of the first annual National Wear Red Day and the same-day debut of Red Dress Collection 2004—a fashion show featuring red dresses from the industry’s elite designers worn by top fashion models and celebrities. The campaign returned to New York Fashion Week in 2005, 2006, 2007, and again in 2008 with celebrity-studded fashion shows. Some of the world’s most recognized stars have walked the runway for The Heart Truth in new collections of designer red dresses including: Sheryl Crow, Kelly Ripa, Heidi Klum, Venus Williams, Angela Bassett, Rachael Ray, Christie Brinkley, Thalia, Vanessa Williams, Rita Moreno, Billie Jean King, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, Molly Sims, LeAnn Rimes, Ashanti, Christina Milian, Fergie, Eartha Kitt, and Liza Minnelli.
National Wear Red Day
The Heart Truth and many individuals and organizations celebrate National Wear Red Day on the first Friday of February each year. From a celebrity-studded Red Dress fashion show in New York City to local community events and awareness activities, thousands across the country wear red to unite in the national movement to give women a personal and urgent wake-up call about their risk for heart disease. Wear Red Day serves as a reminder to every woman to care for her heart, because heart disease is the #1 killer of women. On this day men and women can participate by wearing a red dress, shirt, tie, or the Red Dress Pin.
Campaign Ambassadors
The Heart Truth has been honored to have the support of former first lady Laura Bush, and six other first ladies, in sharing the message of better heart health for all women. Mrs. Laura Bush served as the national ambassador from 2003-2009 and The Heart Truth was part of her Women’s Health and Wellness Initiative, leading the Federal government’s effort to give women a personal and urgent wake-up call about their risk of heart disease.
As part of her ambassadorship, Mrs. Bush attended the launch of The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection at Fashion Week in February 2003 and hosted an American Heart Month kick-off event at the White House in February 2004. She also attended The Heart Truth’s Fashion Week events in New York in 2004, 2005, and 2007. At the Red Dress Collection 2008 Fashion Show, Mrs. Bush gave the opening remarks and joined the celebrity participants onstage at the close of the show. As Founding Ambassador, Mrs. Bush celebrates the contributions of leaders in the heart disease awareness movement. In 2007, she participated in two Heart Truth roundtables, and in February 2008, she saluted the fashion industry for their support in reaching women about heart disease at a reception at the White House.
The campaign looks forward to continued support from America’s first ladies in fighting heart disease, the #1 killer of women through such programs as the First Ladies Red Dress Collection, now in its third showing at the National First Ladies Museum in Canton, Ohio,through May 31, 2009. The Heart Truth’s First Ladies Red Dress Collection debuted in May 2005 in a special exhibit at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C, and was presented in 2007 at the Ronald Reagan Museum and Library in California. The Collection featured red dresses and suits worn by seven of America’s First Ladies, including Laura Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, and Claudia (Lady Bird) Johnson.
Campaign Resources and Activities
The campaign offers a wide variety of resources to help individuals and local communities spread The Heart Truth, including:
- Educational materials for women to learn about heart disease and how to reduce their risks
- The Red Dress Pin, the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness
- Speaker’s Kit—a “talk-in-a-box”—and other promotional materials to facilitate spreading The Heart Truth message in local communities
- Online Toolkit containing activity ideas and materials to help individuals and organizations plan their own Heart Truth events throughout the year
- Online Activity Registry allowing organizations to share what they have done and learn about what other groups across the nation are doing to help spread The Heart Truth
- Compelling photos and stories of real women telling how heart disease changed their lives
- National public service advertising (print, radio, and television)
- Partnerships with national non-profit organizations reinforced at the local level to extend the campaign’s reach and message
- Partnerships with key women of color organizations, including the Association of Black Cardiologists, Catalina magazine, Essence magazine, League of United Latin American Citizens, The Links, Inc., National Black Nurses Association, and National Latina Health Network, as well as campaign materials tailored specifically to Latinas and African American women
- Corporate partnerships to expand the reach of The Heart Truth campaign’s message, including collaborations with Diet Coke, Johnson & Johnson, General Mills, IMG Fashion, Celestial Seasonings, Time, Inc. Women’s Group , and Swarovski
- Community programs, such as the Single City program, The Heart Truth Champions program, and The Heart Truth Road Show, that extend the reach of The Heart Truth messages into local communities
Making A Difference
The Heart Truth is making progress in the fight against heart disease in women. Heart disease deaths in American women continued to decline in 2006, and for the first time, have declined seven years consecutively, from 1999-2006..More women are aware that heart disease is the #1 killer of women—57 percent of women in 2006, up from 34 percent of women in 2000. The Red Dress has become one of the most recognizable health symbols in the United States—in 2008, more than half of women recognized the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease. More women are living longer, healthier lives, and fewer are dying of heart disease. But challenges remain, and many women still do not take heart disease seriously and personally. The Heart Truth campaign will continue to build awareness among women and motivate them to take action for heart health.
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For more information, or to access photography and other creative materials for The Heart Truth campaign, visit www.hearttruth.gov.
This site is in no way affiliated with The Heart Truth campaign. The information is copied and pasted purely for informational purposes. We wish to pass along this worthy cause—that is all.
October6
Pink Ribbons and Profits
Milking Cancer from Breast Cancer Action on Vimeo.
Disgusting. Shame on you Milk companies. And on New Balance. I just learned that they have a yearly cap on how much they donate—and we all know how much they must make off the pink ribbon. People want to buy things as a feel-good thing. The pink ribbon indicates money will be going towards breast cancer awareness or research. Any item sold with it that doesn’t have any portion going to the cause should not be sold. This is horrendous.
A wag of the finger to you New Balance. Pity. I own your shoes, a bag… all with pink ribbons. I won’t be buying from you again until you decide to lift the ‘cap’. That is the responsible thing to do. Period. And I will tell my friends and tell them to tell their friends etc. etc. Women talk…and we should walk right out of your stores empty handed and see how much profit you’ll make with informed consumers.
Consumers beware! Think before you pink… its a company that will help you be an informed consumer. You should know exactly how much companies donning the pink ribbon actually give to the cause and if there is a limit etc.
October2
Tired by Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas – In Between EP – Tired
What if I were to say I love you?
What if I believed it to be true?
Would it be my downfall?
Would it wither all my pride
to admit my world seems lonely without you?
What if I were to ignore all these voices
that seems to spread my body thin?
I know I am not a savior
I need to get that through my head
before my own walls come tumbling in
I’m so tired
And I’m so wired
The fraction seems to brutalize these veins
To just give in might be to win
But it takes an awful lot to find the way
What if I were to just stop breathing
And let those walls coming tumbling in?
What if I stop placing one foot before the other
And failure was my only friend?
I’m so tired
And I’m so wired
The fraction seems to brutalize these veins
To just give in might be to win
But it takes an awful lot to find the way
Gotta find the way
Oh, I’ll find the way
What if I were to just surrender
And failure was my only friend?
What if I were to speak without allowing words to filter through my teeth?
Or turn my skin to glass and let you in?
I’m so tired
And I’m so wired
The fraction seems to brutalize these veins
To just give in might be to win
But it takes an awful lot to find the way
Gotta find the way
So, I’ll find the way.
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This song was share-worthy. I simply love it. I love Rosie Thomas’ music full stop.
September18
Cottony Zooey
Serendipity! I happen to love, LOVE, love cotton. I really would wear it all the time, if I could. I do most days. I sleep with on it. I wrap myself in it. It is wonderful. And I also happen to really enjoy Zooey Deschanel’s voice. It is smooth and beautiful. I fell in love with it whilst watching Elf and continued to love it the 487 I re-watch EACH year. And in the many plays in my car from the soundtrack.
Well, recently I was trying to think what was my favorite Christmas song and of course, this one came to mind. Zooey Deschanel singing “Baby, its cold outside!” in Elf. This sent me on a Zooey music hunt… and I couldn’t believe what I found!!!
Zooey sings for the Cotton: The Fabric of My Life campaign—an entire song! You can listen to here. Or you can download it right here and read along with the lyrics here.
OH! Only I could appreciate a ballad (or two or three) about cotton! Feel it, love it, experience it…
August18
Email Interview with author Karen Maitland
My true love is to read. I am far past a bookworm plowing past bibliophile. My home is littered with books stacked waist high from the door onward. It is a literary adventure within these walls. This past year I have been fortunate enough to read some excellent books and one of them Company of Liars: A Novel
I wrote a review post about Company of Liars: A Novel
