Let’s Plan a Family

An estimated 222 million women in developing countries would like to delay or stop childbearing but are not using any method of contraception.¹

222 million women don’t have a say over their bodies. Doesn’t that just amaze you? I know a lot of Pro-Choice / Pro Family Planning advocates always begin by talking about a woman’s right to take control over her personal health. I’m not going start any differently. There is an intrinsic right that seems to be missing from many developing nations and that is the right to freedom, the right to empower, and the right to equality.

Globally, an estimated 287,000 maternal deaths occurred in 2010. Sub-Saharan Africa (56%) and Southern Asia (29%) accounted for 85% of the global burden.² Why? Why is there so much unnecessary death?

The key to stopping this is education, contraception and taking responsibility away from bureaucracy and enabling women the freedom to choose.

Family Planning is more than just a pretty word for abortion. It is actually about planning your family to when your health, finances and support are aligned to bring a child into the world. They are about education, contraception, and protection of a woman’s body. If we can institute this for developing nations, we can begin a change for the better. Allow women the opportunity to understand their bodies and offer them the resources to acquire contraception.

The time for change is now.

¹http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs351/en/index.html
²http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2012/Trends_in_maternal_mortality_A4-1.pdf

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Never rub another man’s rhubarb!

Top 10 Life Tips!

So I have been working quietly on putting together a TOP 10 list of helpful life hints. Some of these are stuff around the house, others are for your body, and others are for the Zombie Apocalypse time. You know, stuff you should know just in case the shit goes down and you’re flying solo.

1. Baby Wipes. I know we all know about these… but have you ever thought of using them for your ADULT butt? Honestly, this isn’t something people like to talk about – but baby wipes really are much more tender on the ol’ bottom. Try it, and you’ll never go back to just toilet paper.

2. Yogurt. Recently, I had the flu of all flu’s. I was literally sitting on the toilet and vomiting into a bucket at the same time. It was fucking horrifying. My naturapathic doctor told me that when things settle down, to eat some yogurt. You see, your system gets FLUSHED of all the good bacteria in it during the illness. Eating the yogurt helps bring back some of those helpful bacteria and regulate your body again.

3. Smelly Kitchen Sink. I’ve seen chicks put lemon down their sinks to try and mask the smells coming from their kitchen sinks. The easiest way to kill that funky smell – BLEACH. Pour 1/2 cup of bleach down the sink and smells go bye-bye.

4. Hard Water Stains. Ever buy those brain cell killers bathroom tub cleaners? They are filled with all sorts of crazy chemicals that who knows what it would do to your skin if you ever touched them. Why not just try rubbing alcohol? Alcohol is an astringent and the hard water stains will just disappear. Plus the smell is much more manageable.

5. Full Body Aches After a Long Day. I’ve just started a career in the field of nursing, so I understand full body aches after a long day. The point where you are so tired, you sorta wanna cry – but that would take too much effort. Well, how about a long hot bath! Pour yourself a bath, add 1 cup of Epsom salts and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Soak for 20 minutes, and do not get the water on your face (it will dry it out). This combination will relieve all that join tension your body has built up while you’ve been working. It does wonders!

6. Acne. This I picked up in college. I had this HUGE mother of god fucking zit on my face. My friend took one look at me, and brought me to the pharmacy to buy some Neosporin. Within two days, it was gone and I had been suffering with this on my face for a week and half. The point is treat the acne like they are wounds. Put a triple antibiotic ointment on them at night, and you’ll see them lessen as soon as you wake up in the morning.

7. Evil Gum. Gum is totally evil. If you’ve ever gotten some in your hair or on your rug… especially. Here’s a trick for getting it out without have to pull out the scissors: butter. Butter breaks down the chemical composition of the gum and you can work it right out of whatever it’s stuck too. You can even use Peanut Butter in a pinch, but it might stain some carpets depending on color.

8. Newspaper. I learned this in my anthropology class, which is perfect for the Zombie Apocalypse.  If you ever get a huge gaping wound, and have nothing CLEAN or STERILE to cover it with… use newspaper. Newspaper is amazingly sterile because no one touches the ink. The ink, itself, is made of vegetable oil and completely harmless. Overall it’s a win-win if you’re trying to keep a wound clean until you get to the hospital.

9. Shew Fly! Sometimes in the summer our kitchen can develop gnats. We have a full garden on our property and believe in composting. So, mix the two and get some pests. A trick we picked up was leaving a little jar half full of apple cider. They love apple cider. Then putting some tin foil over it. You poke holes into the tin foil and before you know it – the gnats go in and don’t  get out. They end up drowning in their gluttony. There is something metaphorical in that and if I were a smarter person I would be able to make the analogy.

10. Alternative Sugar. This is something I completely LIVE by.. Agave. Agave is a plant that tequila is made from, but it is also naturally very sweet. Unlike sugar, honey and other natural (and unnatural) sweeteners – it doesn’t have to be processed by your pancreas. This is a good thing for diabetics. You can supplement agave in recipes, your coffee or tea, and even put it on your cereal. It is a much better choice for your body and a lot less work!

Yeah. so there you have it. Ten items I have done in my life and have worked effectively. It’s kooky to think of what some people pick up in their lives, but it is also awesome to share with others. If you have more tips, let me know! I’m always open ears.

credits……….
skin: MAR Creativity Studio. Milk Skin Jill 01 (Jack or Jill Hunt)
eyes: Epic. Liquorice. (Jack or Jill Hunt)
hair: TuTy’s. Extremist. Volumn Hairstyle. Smokey Black
top: LouLou & Co. Sweat. Johnny (Jack or Jill Hunt)
pants: Sakide. Linen Harem Pants. Black
shoes: Baby Monkey. Ultimate Roxie. Black
jewelry: Uzuri. Chura Bracelet, Furaha Bangle, Kipepeo Necklace, and Sunflower Ring
location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/NeverlandX/137/47/21

Women of Afghanistan

In my last post I stumbled onto a great mesh bag by BoHo HoBo, which led me to the shop. I was very happy to check out some great Mesh tops by the designer Trill Zapatero. She has several venues dedicated to Afghanistan and helping those impoverished by the war. In fact, she told me her proceeds all go to RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, a human rights and social justice cause for women’s education, children’s services, as well as hospital and refugee centers.

The Trillia sim has art, clothing, and educational services talking about RAWA and what you can do to help this movement. I suggest you start by purchasing these great sweater tops I’ve photoed for this post. For more information or to get involved, I would contact Trill Zapatero. She’s wonderfully charming and eager for help spreading the word about RAWA.

Here is a direct SLurl to the BoHo HoBo Shop: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Trillia/217/24/28 From there, you can continue exploring the sim and everything is has to offer!

skin. My Ugly Dorothy. Skin of Sunday 43
eyes. Poetic Colors. autumn – tarn
nails. Mock. Pink Cabaret Nails
hair. Tuty’s. Mathilda Bob Hair – Honey Blonde
nose ring. Sugar Heart. Mesh Septum Ring – steel
ring. Shiny Things. Florina Ring – gold
top. BoHo HoBo. Patched Cowl Sweater
jeans. Maitreya Zipper. Skinny Jeans #3
shoes. ISON. Aline Booties – blonde
poses: Hiccup
Photos Taken Here, SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mado/220/134/25
windlight: TOR – Dusk – Fairytale

True Blood Tourist

Sylvia Olivier and I did some exploring of the sim Venexia. It is a RP zone premised on gothic vampires ruling Venice, Italy. They have built the perfect stage for their performance, as you can see in the background. It is worth exploring and would be perfect for an editorial fashion spread. You can’t take a bad picture in this place.

As for clothing, I’m wearing my new group gift from Hucci. This is wonderful mesh dress with the word LOVE written all over it. Fun, sassy, sexy — all things Hucci. The hair Sylvia and I picked up at Boon, which is always a pleasure. The bag was a surprise bonus on the SL Marketplace. It was the perfect bohemian addition to my little mish-mash outfit and only cost $170L.

I call the look Proud Nubian Woman meets Chinese Urban Bohemian Cowgirl. Fuckin’ A. 

Credits…………
skin: Heartsick. Devotion. Eternity, Tinsel C,F,DB
hair. BOON. NYN116 brown
eyes. Pulcino. Quartz Brown
lips. Mock. Opal Lipcolor puce
dress. Hucci. Carora Dress (group gift)
bag. BoHo HoBo. Mesh Afgahnistani Shoulder Bag
boots. J’s. Western Boots. Dark Brown
necklace. Mandala Rushana Necklace, Gold
nosering. Sugar Heart. Mesh Nose Ring, Steel
pose & camera. Luth. Photographer Set

Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Venexia/180/37/21

The Arts in Education

When I was little, pretty much everything that I liked had 4 legs or was in the back woods of my house. I didn’t particularly “blend” into the normal crowd in my schools. I was introverted, shy, and socially awkward. I had no idea how to communicate with other human beings, so animals worked a lot better for me. Nature in general was the bee’s knees in my book.

My self-expression seemed to naturally lay with the arts and nature was my muse. Growing up, I often felt incapable of handling most situations. With an absentee father and a mentally ill mother, I was left pretty much to my own.

In middle school, I began to explore photography. My father, at that time, was the principal of my school. In order to demonstrate his love to me maybe, he built a dark room in an unused teacher’s bathroom. There was counter space to lay out all the chemicals, a tap for running water, and even a place to examine your negatives while they dry.

This was the first time, in all my life, that I felt self-expression. I could go out, take pictures, come in and develop them all on my own. They weren’t particularly great, I was only 13 at the time, but they granted me a voice. A starting point for my creative young spirit to bloom from.

My final photo in the 8th grade.

There are tons of studies proving the efficacy of the arts in education. Statistics like:

Studies show that students of the arts in all disciplines outperformed their non-arts peers on the SAT by 91 points in 2009.¹

Students who participate in arts programs are at least three times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, elected to class office within their schools, participate in a math and science fair, win an award for school attendance and win an award for writing an essay or poem.¹

Support your local Arts Programs. They are an opportunity waiting to happen.

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¹ SOURCE: http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-arts-education#