My New Blog, Where To Find Me, And How To Contact Me

If you read this blog or if you liked this blog, when it was alive, then I think you’ll like my new blog.
Check out my new blog: Forwrrrd
Forwrrrd is an activism, DIY, equal rights, feminism, human rights, riot grrrl, and women’s rights blog. If anybody wants to contribute something to the blog, email me: grrrlsvomitcandy@hotmail.com with the subject “blog” or “contribute”. Contributions must be activism, diy, equal rights, feminism, human rights, riot grrrl, and/or women’s rights focused. Any and all contributions will be appreciated and credited. Thanks!

Here are some websites I can be found on:
Riot Grrrl Online Website (RGO) link #1 or RGO link #2 or RGO link #3
Riot Grrrl Online News/Updates Page
Riot Grrrl Online Forum
Riot Grrrl Online Social Network
Free @riotgrrrl.co.uk Email Address
Riot Grrrl Chat
Riot Grrrl Online Updates and Other Riot Grrrl/Feminism Stuff
Riot Grrrl Online LiveJournal Community
Riot Grrrl Online Last.fm Group
Riot Grrrl Online on Myspace
Riot Grrrl Online Group on Myspace
Riot Grrrl Online Mailing List
Riot Grrrl Online on MyBlogLog

Here are some social networks I can be found on:
Care2
Delicious
DeviantArt
Digg
Last.fm
LiveJournal
Myspace
TakingItGlobal
Technorati
Twitter
Wikipedia
Windows Live Spaces

You can also email me, but just remove the NOSPAM part of the email address.

Feel free to email me: links, riot grrrl chapters, information, articles, submissions, contributions, etc. for the Riot Grrrl Online website or for the Forwrrrd Blog. Thanks!

Raping America’s Female Soldiers

For the more than 200,000 women serving on active duty in the U.S. military, sexual assault and harassment are issues not to be ignored – and now that the armed forces are taking steps to correct the problem, some wonder if it is doing enough.

In the fiscal year ’07, ending Oct. 1, military members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan reported 131 cases of rape and assault. The Department of Defense recorded 2,688 cases of sexual assault last year; 60 percent were allegations of rape.

Some women claim the military does not respond adequately to allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Carolyn Schapper, 35, told the Associated Press an Army National Guard soldier repeatedly stormed into her room while she was dressing in Iraq. She began changing in her shower stall to ensure she had privacy. Schapper said she wouldn’t think of reporting the incident, because she believed administrative action would be taken against her instead of the other soldier.

Missing pregnant Marine Maria Lauterbach’s body was found burned in a shallow fire pit located in Cpl.Cesar Armando Lauren’s backyard earlier this year. She had accused Lauren of sexually assaulting her and planned to testify against him before she vanished.

Lauterbach’s mother, Mary, blamed the military for being slow to act, denying her daughter’s request for transfer and not properly dealing with the sexual assault complaint – even after her daughter was punched in the face.

“I believe Maria would be alive today if the Marine system had been different,” she told a panel of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee July 31.

A woman named Ingrid Torres worked with American Red Cross at a U.S. base in Korea. Torres took Ambien before bed, and an Air Force flight director raped her while she slept.

Testifying before the committee, Torres said, “He still comes after me in my dreams.”

After the hearing was dismissed, Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., said there is an “epidemic of assault and rape against women in our military.”

“Women serving in the military today are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than be killed by enemy fire in Iraq,” she said.

According to a Government Accountability Office report released July 31, incidents of rape and sexual assault in the military are under-reported by nearly half. Many soldiers fail to report assaults because they worry “that nothing will be done; fear of ostracism, harassment, or ridicule; and concern that peers would gossip.”

Some victims argue that the military chain of command would punish or move them if they complained, rather than discipline the person responsible for the assault.

A Department of Defense 2006 Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members shows 34 percent of all female service member respondents were sexually harassed, and 6.8 percent indicated experiencing unwanted sexual contact including rape, nonconsensual sodomy or indecent assault.

While evidence that war worsens the problem of sexual assault is lacking, women serving in the Army were most likely to be sexually harassed and/or assaulted than any other branch. Low-ranking, enlisted females were more likely than their commissioned or higher-ranking counterparts to be raped. Seventy-five percent of victims reported assaults occurring at a military installation.

A full 50 percent of female respondents experienced incidents of rape or attempted rape, 38 percent reported unwanted sexual touching and 12 percent did not specify. Most women did not report the incidents because they felt uncomfortable, thought they would be labeled a troublemaker, didn’t want anyone to know, did not think anything would be done or feared retaliation.

Under fire for its method of handling sexual harassment and assault cases, the military introduced a Care for Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld charged the task force with investigating sexual assault in the military in 2004. The U.S. Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response confidential reporting system was established in 2005 – though reports still show half of female victims do not report the crimes. The military also conducts required classes on sexual assault and harassment.

The Pentagon has teamed up with Men Can Stop Rape, a non-profit organization that seeks “to mobilize men to use their strength for creating cultures free from violence, especially men’s violence against women,” to teach soldiers how to recognize signs of sexual assault.

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs added a 16th inpatient ward for military victims of sexual trauma, the Associated Press reported. VA hospitals are also providing keyless locks on its doors so female patients can feel more secure.

Source: WorldNetDaily, August 21, 2008

HHS Thinks That Contraception Is Abortion

The draft regulation, prepared by the Bush Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and currently circulating among anti-women officials, redefines abortion as, “any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.” Taking a page from the extremist right, they are deliberately blurring the lines between contraception and abortion, providing an extraordinarily broad definition of abortion that could be interpreted to cover various forms of birth control, including oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices (IUD’s), and emergency contraception.

This draft regulation requires entities and individuals that receive family planning funding to certify that they will not discriminate against people who object to abortion or to dispensing birth control on the basis of “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” Under the guise of passing anti-discrimination laws to protect health care providers participating in federal programs, the proposed regulation would effectively undermine a health care provider’s ability to offer the very services for which they are funded, as well as a patient’s ability to access those services. All health care providers must be able to appropriately screen and hire individuals capable and willing to perform the core services that they provide.

The regulation puts laws and policies that protect women’s access to birth control in serious jeopardy, including state laws that require hospitals to provide sexual-assault survivors with access to emergency contraception. The draft rule limiting Title X funding will create a direct conflict between Title X (America’s Family Planning Program) and the Maternal Child Health and Medicaid programs, which requires that grantees provide a broad range of contraceptive services and supplies to their patients.

Currently, there are “crisis pregnancy centers” in communities across the country that look like health care centers, but deliver woefully incomplete care and only provide the reproductive health care options that fit their agenda: NO birth control, NO abortion — and NO choice for women and families who need it! If Bush’s proposed regulation takes effect, these “crisis pregnancy centers” are likely to receive a massive influx of our tax dollars.

At a time when 17 million women are in need of publicly-supported reproductive health care services, this regulation disparately impacts the low-income, uninsured and under-insured women who rely on these programs for their health information and services!

Source: NOW – HHS Needs a News Flash: Birth Control is NOT Abortion

[Please visit the above link to let Secretary Mike Leavitt of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services know that you do not aprove of this legislation by commenting his blog and signing the petition!]

International AIDS Conference 2008 To Close Friday

Friday is the final day of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. The conference is a global forum regarding the prevention and treatment of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Twenty-five thousand delegates from around the world assembled in Mexico City this week.

In a press release (see PDF), Dr. Pedro Cahn, the conference international co-chair, and Fundación Huésped, president of the International AIDS Society (IAS), said, “AIDS 2008 is taking place at a unique moment in the epidemic, when there is widespread consensus on the urgency of ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. What we now need is action on the part of all stakeholders. As we gather in Mexico, each of us must ask ourselves: What can I do to end AIDS? In 2008, there are no longer bystanders in this global struggle.”

Many reports of the discussions covered during the conference have come to light via bloggers who attended the conference. According to blogger Janna A. Zinzi, of the Guttmacher Institute, the Fuerza Joven de Mexico (Youth Force of Mexico) promoted comprehensive sex education at the conference as a way to prevent the spread of HIV in young people. More than four in ten new cases of HIV are in young people.

RH Reality Check bloggers reported about the importance of women’s rights in the global fight against AIDS. The Bush Administration’s AIDS response, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), requires HIV positive women in Botswana to sign a contract promising not to become pregnant. Activists at the conference provided recommendations to improve PEPFAR in ways that respect women’s basic human rights.

Links between HIV and gender based violence has also been the focus at the conference. RH Reality Check reports that women who have experienced gender based violence are at greater risk for transmission of HIV. Comprehensive sex education programs and policy changes to hold perpetrators of violence against women accountable were recommended.

The conference was open to both delegates and the general public to foster comprehensive dialogue about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Words of Welcome for the conference stated, “The AIDS 2008 theme, Universal Action Now, underscores the continued urgency of the pandemic and reminds us of the responsibility we have to take individual and collective action.”

Media Resources: XVII International AIDS Conference 2008 Press Release; feministing.com 08/05/08; RH Reality Check 08/06/08

Congress Repeals HIV Travel Ban

The House of Representatives voted Friday to repeal a discriminatory law that prevents HIV-positive foreigners from entering the country. The law, originally enacted in 1987, prohibits foreign nationals with HIV to obtain visas for travel to the U.S. and prevents them from becoming legal permanent residents, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured the provision to repeal the travel ban in the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR). The bill also includes a $48 billion five-year plan to fight HIV/AIDS and other diseases internationally, a significant increase from the $15 billion allotted previously, reports the Associated Press.
“Our government still treats individuals with HIV/Aids as modern-day lepers, categorically banning these individuals from entering into the US,” said Senator Smith, according to BBC News. “To fully embrace our global leadership on HIV/Aids, we must remove our unwelcome mat and overturn this ridiculous ban.” The US is currently one of only 12 countries with such a ban.
The bill will go to President Bush for approval. According to the Associated Press, Bush supports the bill and is expected to sign it into law.

Media Resources: Human Rights Campaign 7/25/2008; Associated Press 7/27/2008; BBC News 7/17/2008; Library of Congress

An Update On My Ovarian Cyst

This is an update from one of my previous entries located here.

My cyst is on my left ovary. It is small and I had an ultrasound done last month and the cyst has not grown any. Since July 10th, and this week, even right now, The cyst has been bothering me. It was so bad last week, I had to stay in bed quite often for 2 days: Thursday and Friday..July 10th and July 11th. Last Saturday, July 12th, I went to the doctor. He prescribed me some Ibprofren (spelling?) 800mg to help the pain. I also found out I had a UTI again. (urinary tract infection) Last Sunday through right now, It is still bothering me, but the pain isn’t as bad as it was,. Also, I started my period 4 days ago and the cyst is still bothering me. Today-Saturday, It is still bothering me. I still feel bloated, full, heavy, have dull pains, and at times…sharp pains. It was worse than that last week. I’m hoping that it quits bothering me soon. I have to sit alot, but on something soft…any hard chair makes the pain worse. I can stand and work some, even though it still hurts when I do so.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Is there anything I can do to get rid of the pain? Please share your advice with me.

Feminism Friday: My Mother’s Health

My story below might not sound like something for this blog, but the health issues: diabetes and kidney failure DO affect women. (men too)

My mom had a blood test a few weeks ago and it revealed that her kidneys were weak. They took it again last week and her kidneys were a little weaker. My mom went to her doctor this past Monday morning. He told her she needs to see a doctor that specializes in kidneys. Today, My mom went to see the kidney specialist and he told her that her kidneys were functioning just 28%. Oddly, My mom goes to the doctor quite often and they are just now finding this. (after all the blood tests she has had throughout the years) He told her it was kidney failure and that it was in stage 4. (out of 5 stages) They told her that she wouldn’t have to start dialysis until her kidneys are functioning at 15%. Either way, Kidney failure is still bad news and deadly. He also told my mom that someone in the family could give her a kidney transplant or she could be put on a waiting list for one, whenever it gets worse. My mom is only 60 years old…She just turned 60 on July 15th. My mom’s sister, also my aunt, died a couple of years ago and she had kidney failure too and took dialysis. (That’s not what my aunt died of though and she was in her late 50′s.) My mom hasn’t been in good health for about 3 years now because she can barely walk. Her legs and feet bother her/hurt her and turn color. When she goes out, She has to go out in a wheelchair because she cannot walk, unless it is a short distance. My mom has been diabetic since 1993 and she has type 2 diabetes. (not sure if that is the right year, but she has had diabetes since the early 90′s I know) I have been so sad ever since hearing the news. I just break down and cry at times as well. (so does my mom) I was hoping it wasn’t kidney failure. It’s the thought of knowing she has kidney failure that makes me sad. I know my mom could live a long time or not, but it makes me sad knowing that she has kidney failure.

Update On My Health

My story below might not relate to this blog, but the health issues DO relate to women and men, so I thought I would share it.

I had blood taken on July 16th and my doctor made me an appointment to let me know about the results of the blood test for today. My thyroid seems to be better, in fact, it is currently overactive due to the medicine I take for an underactive thyroid. The doctor decreased my thyroid medicine from 50mg to 25mg. However, There are some not so good results to my blood test. It turns out that my triglycerides (I think that is the word or something like it) are high, but my cholesterol is good. He said that I might be fixing to be diabetic, but he said I wasn’t yet because my glucose was fine according to my blood work. He said to watch the fatty foods that I eat. Also, He told me that my liver enzymes are elevated. He checked my last blood test from April or May and my liver enzymes were not elevated. (neither were the triglycerides) I already have a fatty liver, so I am worried. (I found out I had a fatty liver when I had an ultrasound done on my stomach a few months ago.) He wanted me to take blood again, so he sent me to the blood lab. This blood test should reveal if I have certain liver diseases, an iron problem, and find out more specifically about my liver and how it is functioning. He scheduled me for an ultrasound on my gallbladder for tomorrow, just in case the elevated liver enzymes are caused by a gallstone. I won’t know the results to the ultrasound or the blood test until August 8th, that is when I see my doctor again. Until then, I am nervous and worried.

Feminism Friday: Montana Anti-Abortion Ballot Initiative Fails

Montana Anti-Abortion Ballot Initiative Fails

6/27/2008 – A proposed ballot initiative to amend the Montana state constitution to define a fertilized egg as a person failed to qualify for the state’s 2008 November ballot. Supporters of the initiative failed to gather even half of the required 44,000 signatures required to qualify the measure, reports Montana’s News Station.com.

Abortion opponents have pushed these so-called “personhood initiatives” in several states. These measures declare that a fertilized egg is a “person”" who enjoys “inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of the law.” They would threaten not only abortion itself, but IUDs, emergency contraception, in vitro fertilization clinics, and stem cell research. The measures failed in Georgia and Oregon. Signatures have been submitted for the Secretary of State to validate in Colorado, and a petition drive is still underway in Mississippi.

Media Resources: Montana’s News Station 6/26/08; Daily Women’s Health Policy Report 6/27/08; Feminist Daily Women

This story was taken from the Feminist Majority Foundation.

Gardasil Not Approved For Women Over 26

Gardasil Not Approved for Women Over 26

6/26/2008 – The Food and Drug Administration denied Merck and Co Inc’s application to expand Gardasil use to women over the age of 26 on Wednesday. The FDA cited pending issues with the vaccine that could not be researched during the review time-frame, according to Philadelphia Business Journal.

Gardasil is a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that protects against about 70 percent of the HPV strains that are linked to cervical cancer. It was approved for use in girls and women between the ages of 9 and 26 in 2006.

The FDA also denied Merck’s proposal to expand the vaccine to cover other strains of the HPV. Merck and Co. is currently preparing to seek approval for use of the vaccine in men, according to CNN Money.

Media Resources: Philadelphia Business Journal 6/25/2008; CNN Money 6/25/2008; Reuters 6/25/2008

This story was taken from the Feminist Majority Foundation.

Canada: Imprisoned HIV/AIDS Activist Wins 2008 Rights Award

Canada: Imprisoned HIV/AIDS Activist Wins 2008 Rights Award

(Ottawa, June 16, 2008) – A federal prisoner and health activist is the recipient of the 2008 Canadian Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Human Rights Watch announced today. The award, which recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations that protect the rights and dignity of people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS, will be presented at a public reception and ceremony in Ottawa on June 16.

As a peer health counsellor, Peter Collins has been conducting HIV-prevention education behind bars since the late 1980s. His efforts have also included providing support to prisoners living with HIV and hepatitis C, and advocating for better health care and HIV prevention services – including harm-reduction measures – in prisons. Collins is currently serving his sentence at Bath Institution, a medium-security federal prison near Kingston, Ontario that houses more than 300 male prisoners.

“Today’s award not only recognizes one person’s efforts to make a difference in stopping this epidemic, but also highlights how much still needs to be done to ensure prisoners’ basic human right to protect themselves against HIV and hepatitis C,” said Richard Elliott, executive director of the Legal Network. “One immediate priority is to reinstate the safer tattooing program; another is for Canadian prisons finally to implement needle-exchange programs.”

Prisoners throughout Canada still have no access to clean needles. Studies in Canada and elsewhere report much higher levels of HIV and hepatitis C infection among prisoners than among the population as a whole, and that sharing of equipment, including makeshift tools to inject drugs, is common in prisons. The World Health Organization and the Ontario and Canadian Medical Associations, among others, have recommended that needle-exchange programs be implemented in prison settings. The Public Health Agency of Canada recently reviewed the evidence for Correctional Services Canada (CSC) and concluded such programs make sense as a public health measure.

This story can be found here.

Australia Considers Lifting Abortion Gag Rule

Australia Considers Lifting Abortion Gag Rule

The Australian government is considering lifting its restriction on foreign aid that prohibits groups receiving funds from Australia from providing abortion counseling, services or training. The Australian gag rule, which has been in place for 12 years, makes Australia the only other country besides the US to maintain such a policy, reports the Associated Press.

Julie Munday, Asia-Pacific regional CEO for the reproductive rights group Marie Stopes International, noted that Australian women have access to state-subsidized abortions, adding that the gag rule is “quite an arrogant stance to assume that what’s good for Australians isn’t necessarily good for women overseas,” according to the Daily Women’s Health Policy Report.

Ms. Magazine investigates the deadly consequences of the Global Gag Rule for women in developing countries in the cover article in the Winter 2008 issue.

Media Resources: Associated Press 6/3/08; Daily Women’s Health Policy Report 6/4/08; Ms Magazine; Feminist Daily Newswire

This story was taken from the Feminist Majority Foundation.

U.K. Anti-Choice Activism Embraces U.S. Tactics

U.K. Anti-Choice Activism Embraces U.S. Tactics
Run Date: 06/01/08
By Laura J. Winter
WeNews correspondent

A loss by Britain’s Labour Party earlier this month is emboldening anti-choice activists to study their U.S. counterparts’ playbook in earnest. They hope to make abortion a major issue in the next general election.

LONDON (WOMENSENEWS)–Less than 48 hours after Labour’s parliamentary majority voted May 20 to reject amendments that would have reduced the 24-week time limit for a woman to receive an abortion in Britain, the party suffered a stunning political defeat by losing a seat in their majority.

Following the political playbook of U.S. counterparts, anti-choice activists took it as a sign they could ratchet up the relatively low-key issue of abortion in the next general election, which must be called sometime in the next two years.

This story was taken from Women’s eNews and you can read more of this story here.

Thyroid Problems

Since the end of March, when I had my UTI (urinary tract infection) and went to the hospital because it was so bad, They ran all kinds of tests on me. They seen something in my thyroid. (The thyroid is located in your neck.) They couldn’t tell much about it because I was there for a UTI and not for my thyroid. I’m just 25 years old and I’m young to have health problems already. My regular doctor, had an ultrasound done on my neck and he took blood. He told me I had one thyroid nodule in the left side of my neck and I have a thyroid goiter/mass and a thyroid nodule in the right side of my neck. He also told me all of my thyroid horomones seem to be fine, except my T4 level, which is low, also, my sodium level was low as well. (most likely due to my thyroid) He referred me to someone who specializes in neck conditions. (and head, ears, and throat) The specialist wanted me to take a 24 hour thyroid test. I was told by the specialist that one of my nodules came up as a “suspicious/cold nodule”, which I knew might not be a good thing. The specialist decided to get a biopsy of it. It turned out to be benign, so I was glad of that. Now, My diagnosis is a thyroid goiter and 2 thyroid nodules. The specialist said it’s usually from a lack of iodine in the diet or it’s inherited. I told him my mother has thyroid problems and that her thyroid is low. She takes a pill for it. My regular doctor just put me on a thyroid pill, called Levothyroxine. It helps replace my T4 level that I have a lack of. I noticed that I have been feeling a few thyroid symptoms, such as: tiredness (and I’ve been sleepy too), constipation, feeling cold most of the time, and I’ve been having heavy menstrual cycles. These are also the symptoms of hypothyroidism and a goiter is also a symptom of hypothyroidism. I haven’t been told I have hypothyroidism, but I have the symptoms and my T4 level is low. I have also been experiencing these symptoms: pains in my neck, stiff neck, and fullness in my neck. However, My neck doesn’t bother me to talk or to swallow, but the doctors say that it can if the goiter keeps growing. They also said that they might have to remove it, if it does keep growing. They want me to have an ultrasound on my neck every 6 months to see if it has grown or not. When I feel of my neck, I can feel a lump in the right side of my neck.

If you want to learn more about thyroid issues, visit the websites listed below.
Wikipedia: Thyroid
American Thyroid Association
The Thyroid Foundation of America
Thyroid Goiter
Thyroid Nodules
Hypothyroidism

Feminism Friday: Anti-Abortion Measures on November Ballots in South Dakota, California

Anti-Abortion Measures on November Ballots in South Dakota, California

Anti-abortion extremists are targeting states with ballot initiatives for November. A South Dakota initiative banning abortion garnered enough signatures to be placed on the state’s November ballot. The measure has only a few minor modifications from the abortion ban pro-choice activists defeated in 2006.

Anti-abortion groups are also pushing so-called “personhood initiatives” in several states. These measures declare that a fertilized egg is a “person” who enjoys “inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of the law.” They would threaten not only abortion itself, but IUDs, emergency contraception, in vitro fertilization clinics, and stem cell research. The measures failed in Georgia and Oregon. Signatures have been submitted for the Secretary of State to validate in Colorado, and petition drives are still underway in Montana and Mississippi.

A parental notification initiative, which California voters rejected in 2006, will again be on the ballot in November. In Missouri, both anti-abortion ballot initiatives failed to gather signatures to qualify for the November ballot, according to NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri release. In essence both initiatives were abandoned.

Media Resources: Feminist Majority Foundation; Feminist Daily Newswire; NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri release 5/13/08

This news story was taken from: Feminist Daily News Wire.

44 Writings I Need For This Blog

I am in need of some articles and writings for this blog. I will add to this list as I see fit. The ones listed below are ideas for articles and writings and are some writings/articles I need for the blog. By writing the article (or articles), You will be emailed an invite to join this blog and will be able to post up your writing on the blog. Be sure to let others know that you wrote the article (or articles).

ARTICLES AND WRITINGS NEEDED:

1-History of riot grrrl: how, why, where, when, and who started it. (about the music and the movement)
2-History of feminism: how, why, where, when, and who started it.
3-The 3 waves of feminism.
4-The many different types of feminism such as: anarcha-feminism, individual feminism, radical feminism, and all the others.
5-Write about your favorite feminism/riot grrrl website or write a review of your favorite feminism/riot grrrl website. (can be blogs, websites, forums, etc.)
6-Write your own definition of what feminism means to you.
7-What does riot grrrl mean to you? (Write as much or as little as you want.) Describe riot grrrl in your own words.
8-Write about being a riot grrrl in another country. What’s the riot grrrl scene like where you live? Is there a chapter where you live? Any riot grrrl bands where you live? How did you get into riot grrrl? How long have you been into riot grrrl?
9-Write about how you got into riot grrrl. What, how, when, who, and where made you get into riot grrrl?
10-Write about being a riot boy: how, when, who, what, and where did you get into riot grrrl?
11-Write your own riot boy manifesto. (I already have a version on my website.)
12-Write about being a male feminist: how, when, who, what, and where did you get into riot grrrl?
13-Write some feminism questions that you would like answered or start a feminism FAQ (frequently asked questions) of your own and the answers to them.
14-Write some riot grrrl/boy questions that you would like answered or start a riot grrrl FAQ (frequently asked questions) of your own and the answers to them.
15-Write about women’s issues important to you.
16-Write about feminism and what it means to you.
17-Write how you got into feminism and why.
18-Make a list of reasons on why your a feminist. Try to think of 50 or more reasons, if you can. 10-20 reasons will do too.
19-Make a list of reasons on why your a riot grrrl. Try to think of 50 or more reasons, if you can. 10-20 reasons will do too.
20-Write some DIY tips or share yours. Share your own DIY stuff.
21-Write something about being an activist/ or about activism.
22-Write something about zines or your life as a zinester.
23-Write about your ladyfest or a ladyfest you attended.
24-Write about a riot grrrl chapter or your own riot grrrl chapter.
25-Write about being pro-choice, why your pro-choice, or what it means to you.
26-Write something about how riot grrrl and queercore music are connected.
27-Write something about how riot grrrl and grunge music are connected.
28-Write something about how riot grrrl and punk music are connected.
29-Write something about feminism in other countries. What’s feminism like in your country or other countries?
30-Write something about human rights in your country or another country.
31-Write something about equal rights.
32-Write about why is feminism important today.
33-Write your own definition of what a riot boy is to you. Give your own definition of riot boy.
34-Write your own Zine DIY guide.
35-Write how to start a riot grrrl chapter DIY guide.
36-Write your own list of ways to be an activist.
37-Write a review of a zine or your favorite zine.
38-Write about your experience with the Riot Grrrl Online website.
39-Write about the Riot Grrrl Online website or do a review of the website. If you write about the website, write how you found the website, how you got active in the website and why. I’m sure there are more things you can write about the website, as long as your a reader or fan of the website, your input is appreciated.
40-A review of your riot grrrl or feminist website.
41-Write a news story. Write about an issue or topic important to you or an issue/topic you think would be important to others that is happening in the news.
42-Write your own women’s issue story. If you are a survivor (of anything from rape to cancer, etc.), I’d like to hear your story and what you went through.
43-Write how to start a ladyfest.
44-Write how to start your own record label and/or band.

If your interested in writing one of these articles, Feel free to read the “contribute” page and reply to the “contribute” page or email me. If you comment on the “contribute” page or email me, Please specify which article (or articles) you want to write about by letting me know which number or numbers (# or #’s) your interested in writing. If you have your own ideas for writings or whatever, feel free to email me some of yours.

*This is also posted on the “Ideas” page.

Volunteer to Help Protect Women’s Health!

Planned Parenthood has been a major proponent of Women’s Health rights for over ninety years! They were making sure your Grandma had an opportunity to take care of herself when no one else would. Contrary to popular misconception, PPFA offers way more than access to abortion.

Most major cities have clinics where women have access to checkups, birth control, emergency contraception and other resources. Planned Parenthood is funded by its members and their staff is supplemented by dedicated volunteers.

Check the PPFA in your area to find out about job and volunteer opportunities. Volunteering is not only a great way to get involved in the preservation of women’s health, it shows you appreciate everything the people at Planned Parenthood have done to further the women’s movement. (It looks great on a resume or college application too grrrls)

Care2.com

Care2 is a social networking website for activists of all sorts. It’s sorta like myspace, but better and different. I just had to share the link to care2 and my profile on care2. The website is one of my favorites and I login there on an almost daily basis. I think it’s great that activists have their own social networking website. I figured I’d get the word out about care2 because I feel like alot of people don’t know about the website. (or how good it is!) Also, I figured that alot of people would be interested in care2. (or joining care2)

Feel free to add me as a friend on Care2. Currently, I have no friends on Care2.
My Care2 Profile: http://my.care2.com/grrrlriot

The following information was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care2.

What Is Care2.com All About? Care2 is a social network website that was founded by Randy Paynter in 1998 to help connect activists from around the world. It has a membership of approximately 8 million people.

Care2′s stated mission is to help people make the world a better place by connecting them with the individuals, organizations and responsible businesses making an impact.

Overview
Care2 members create an online identity by filling out a profile with personal information, as in most social networking sites, but Care2 also asks for information about its members’ involvement in activism. The social interactions on Care2 revolve around groups that connect people who care about similar issues. Internet petitions and news articles posted by members are also frequently used.

Features
-Member profiles and groups to facilitate social networking
-Petitions that any citizen can create and distribute
-Petitions created and promoted by Care2 in partnership with nonprofit organizations
-”Click-to-Donate Races” to generate donations to charities (from ad sponsors), just by clicking
-Free E-Cards (which also generate free donations)
-Citizen News Network–members post news stories themselves and vote on which ones should be displayed
-Blogs
-Free Webmail Accounts
-Free photo-sharing with unlimited upload space
-Email newsletters and “e-alerts” about various issues like the environment and human rights
-”Care2 JobFinder,” which lists jobs with progressive companies
-A “Green Living” channel with tips on living healthier, more sustainable lives
-Various content channels on topics such as Global Warming, Women’s Issues and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election

Feminism Friday: Activist Checklist: 31 Ways To Get Involved In Pro-Choice

This was taken from: http://www.prochoice.org/get_involved/31_ways.html

31 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

Celebrate more than three decades of the right to choose with our Activist Checklist. There is something for everyone – get involved in your community, school, or place of worship to make an important difference in the lives of women.

In Everyday Life

-Ask your ob-gyn and family practice physician if they are pro-choice and/or provide abortion as a part of the continuum of reproductive health care
-Make sure your insurance carrier covers abortion
-Write a letter of support to an official who supports policies that improve access to abortion care
-Tell your story
-Join the Patient Partnership
-Speak positively and with confidence about being pro-choice
-Donate to the NAF Patient Assistance Fund
-Put a pro-choice bumper sticker on your car
-Write to a woman’s magazine about why you are pro-choice

At Your School

-Tell your friends and student health services about the NAF Hotline 1-800-772-9100
-Write an article for the student paper
-Join or start your own chapter of Students for Choice
-Make sure student health services provides Emergency Contraception

In Your Community

-Write an op-ed for your local newspaper
-Contact your elected representatives (state and federal)
-Submit a positive resolution regarding Roe v. Wade to your city council
-Join your school board and support comprehensive sex education
-Contact your Yellow Pages about accurately advertising Crisis Pregnancy Centers, i.e. they should not be listed under abortion

In Your Faith

-Join a pro-choice religious group
-Find out if your religion has an official position on choice
-Learn more about the morality of choice
-Bring pro-choice materials to your religious community
-Write something for your religious newsletter
-Support comprehensive sex education
-Support the Providers and Clinics
-Raise money for low-income women to obtain abortions
-Send a thank you note to a local clinic
-Escort women at a local clinic
-Volunteer at the clinic
-Sponsor an advertisement
-Organize a party for the staff
-Send a letter to the editor supporting the clinic

Emergency Room Visit = Ovarian Cyst

Here’s my health story. I went to the ER (emergency room) Wednesday.

Monday night I couldn’t sleep. I kept waking up every so often due to hurting in my abdominal/pelvic region. To be more specific, I was hurting in my left ovary and at times I would have pains there as well. At the time, I didn’t think it was my ovary, but in a way I felt like it was my ovary bothering me. However, I figured it was my bladder and that I had to urinate, since it happened in the middle of Monday night. On Tuesday, I was still hurting and still having pains all day long. It was going on for 24 hours, even while I was at work. (For those of you who don’t know, I work at a nursing home as a Certified Nursing Assistant. [CNA]) I got to thinking maybe I had pulled a muscle from lifting at work or maybe I was constipated for some reason. I’ve never hurt in this area of my body before. I started getting sharper pains and it was a bother to me because I was trying to get my work done. When I came home Tuesday night, I told my mom about it. She thought the same thing I did.

Wednesday morning, I get up and start my day. I’m still hurting and having pains in my left ovary. Mom told me since it’s still bothering me to go to the ER and not to go to work, so I done that. The doctor at the ER, Dr. Ross, had them to do a urine specimen and an ultrasound on me. Dr. Ross said that nothing showed up in my urine, but I might have a small UTI (urinary tract infection also known as a bladder infection), which I have had before, but it was contaminated, so he couldn’t tell. I have had a kidney infection before too. He told me he didn’t think it was a UTI causing me to hurt and have pains. He had an ultrasound done on me. After doing the ultrasound, I went back in my ER space and Dr. Ross came in. He told me nothing showed up and everything was fine. Then, He left and came back in 15 minutes. He told me that the Radiologist called back and said that he did find a small ovarian cyst on my left ovary, after looking a second time at the ultrasound. He said it wasn’t anything to worry about, since it was barely noticeable. He said that alot of women have them, but if the hurting and pain gets worse, to go see my doctor. He said they may have to operate if it does get worse or if it grows.

I’m going to share some information about ovarian cysts, since quite a few women seem to have them. Here are a few links with quite a bit of information on ovarian cysts.
About Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian Cyst on Wikipedia

The information below was taken from: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/279.html

What is an ovarian cyst?
An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac in the ovary. Many cysts are completely normal. These are called functional cysts. They occur as a result of ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). Functional cysts normally shrink over time, usually in about 1 to 3 months. If you have a functional cyst, your doctor may want to check you again in 1 to 3 months to make sure the cyst has gotten smaller. In certain cases, your doctor may want you to take birth control pills so you won’t ovulate. If you don’t ovulate, you won’t form cysts.

If you are menopausal and are not having periods, you shouldn’t form functional cysts. If you do have a cyst, your doctor will probably want you to have a sonogram so he or she can look at the cyst. What your doctor decides to do after that depends on your age, the way the cyst looks on the sonogram and if you’re having symptoms such as pain, bloating, feeling full after eating just a little, and constipation.

What is a sonogram?
A sonogram (or ultrasound) uses sound waves to make “pictures” of organs in the body. It’s a good way for your doctor to “look” at your ovaries. This kind of sonogram can be done 2 ways, either through your abdomen or your vagina. Neither type is painful. The sonogram usually lasts about 30 minutes. It will give your doctor valuable information about the size and the appearance of your cyst.

Do I need surgery for an ovarian cyst?
The answer depends on several things, such as your age, whether you are having periods, the size of the cyst, its appearance and your symptoms.

If you’re having periods and the cyst is functional, you probably won’t need to have surgery. If the cyst doesn’t go away after several menstrual periods, if it gets larger or if it doesn’t look like a functional cyst on the sonogram, your doctor may want you to have an operation to remove it. There are many different types of ovarian cysts in women of childbearing age that do require surgery. Fortunately, cysts in women of this age are almost always benign (not cancer).

If you’re past menopause and have an ovarian cyst, your doctor will probably want you to have surgery. Ovarian cancer is rare, but women 50 to 70 years of age are at greater risk. Women who are diagnosed at an early stage do much better than women who are diagnosed later.