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!

On Being A Man

Luckily, the students at my college are open-minded. When I considered participating in the school’s annual Drag Ball, no one laughed at the thought, no one questioned my orientation. Even though it is more acceptable for a female to dress within the male image, it was not even stigmatized for guys to dress like girls at the event. Upon learning that my fellow students were so tolerant, accepting and lax, I knew I had to join in on the fun.

I spent most of the time prior to the big evening passing out feminine beauty tips like free mini-sausage samples in a grocery store to very hungry men who needed pointers on corresponding tops to bottoms, purses to shoes and eyeliners to mascaras. Since most of my friends are guys I was not surprised in the slightest that I instantaneously became the style expert, being the token chick and all. It was nice to be asked for my genuine opinion as well as trusted with my answers. I enjoyed taking time to help out my friends with something that they had absolutely no prior experience with. Unfortunately for them, I already knew damn well what I was in for.

My partner Chris and I decided to dress as one another in order to add a role-reversal aspect to the experience. While he donned fishnet stockings, a leopard print skirt and bright purple eyeshadow, I played down my female characteristics by wearing oversized Carhardt slacks, a black t-shirt (free boobin’, mind you) and a scrawled-on brown marker beard. I also stuffed my hair under one of his old ratty hats to ensure my pink and black Chelsea wouldn’t give me away. “Unisex” band t-shirts constitute most of my wardrobe so I still felt in my physical element but at the same time I had never dressed so typically masculine before. And I really didn’t like it.

For the guys, wearing feminine getup was fun. It allowed them to participate in good old-fashioned dress up time that they had always been denied. It opened their eyes to what females regularly go through in order to get prepared for going out. They were lavished with compliments all night long and felt the pressure to look better than one another. The contest at the end of the night to determine the ball’s ‘Drag Queen’ was seriously about who made the prettiest girl. My friends were all vying for the title and picked their own favorites for who should walk away with the tiara and flowers. They had a great time and recounted the experience for weeks past.

I cannot say the same for myself. It took me a whole 3 minutes to put on the clothes and another 2 to scribble on my “beard”. There was nothing glorified about the process, no one offering to help me with any aspect of my attire. The title of ‘Drag King’ was given to a girl clad in a plaid shirt, aviator sunglasses, a furry snow hat and a fake moustache. In real life, is that an ideal image? Not exactly. For us girls, it was more about who could look the most ridiculous and get more laughs. In the end, more attention was paid to the guys. I didn’t realize it at the time but it actually really bugged me.

As a female, I am used to constant attention and the immense pressure to look beautiful to some degree. In theory this irks me. I feel that women should not have such rigid and elevated standards to conform to and more emphasis should be placed on inner beauty. Being out of the limelight was a very eye-opening experience for me; I felt downright ugly. I felt pangs of strange jealousy towards my friends because they were obtaining such copious amounts of praise and focus. I felt practically invisible.

In retrospect, I suppose I disliked this experience because it made me deal with the fact that I have come to accept my place as a visual object to be contrasted against American beauty ideals. I never realized it until afterwards but I enjoy the feeling of people paying attention to my physical being. Even though I am very far from the decimated, white, blonde, plastic look that seems to permeate every aspect of the media, I still have to factor this in when preening in the morning and I am okay with that. I love being a woman even with all its ups and downs and I would not change it for anything. It allows me to be especially creative with my style and toughens my skin against the harsh reality that I do not fit a cookie cutter mold (what a drag!). I think the guys realized this fact as well as obtained a higher appreciation of what females go through to become visually appealing. I think they would relive the experience again, but all the time? I’m sure they’d reply: too much work!

Arizona Affirmative Action Ballot Measure Challenged

8/19/2008- A legal challenge of the proposed anti-affirmative action ballot initiative in Arizona was filed Monday. The challenge was filed by Protect Arizona’s Freedom, a coalition of community leaders, organizations, and volunteers. The lawsuit questions “the validity of over 100,000 signatures based on evidence of 13 categories of fraudulent and illegal signature-gathering tactics.” If the lawsuit is successful, the measure will be removed from the November ballot.

The signature campaign to place the measure on the ballot was initiated and largely funded by Ward Connerly, a Republican businessman from California. The American Civil Rights Institute, an organization founded by Connerly and Dusty Rhodes, has been involved in disassembling affirmative action across the nation through ballot initiatives like these for more than a decade and has provided significant financial and organizing assistance to the campaigns.

Krysten Sinema, Chair of Protect Arizona’s Freedom, stated in a press release: “Once Arizonans understood the consequences and the terrible tactics brought into our state by Connerly’s out of state team, hundreds – in fact, just under 1,000 – stepped up to volunteer to find the evidence needed to derail Connerly.”

If approved, the measure would ban affirmative action and threaten equal opportunity programs including, Sinema said, “Arizona State University’s Women in Science & Engineering Program, the Governor’s Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women, the City of Phoenix’ Teen Parents Program, the Summer Bridge Program helping Native American students prepare for academic challenges and a host of others.”

Similar measures, also initiated by Connerly, will be on the ballot in Colorado and Nebraska. Anti-affirmative action measures were proposed but will not be on the ballot in Oklahoma and Missouri.

Media Resources: Statement of Krysten Sinema, 8/18/08; Protect Arizona’s Freedom Press Release 8/18/08; Feminist Daily Newswire, 7/30/08; Ms. Magazine, Winter 2008

McCain, Obama Indicate Abortion Views

8/18/2008- Presumptive Presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama outlined their positions on abortion Saturday night in nationally televised back-to-back appearances. Reverand Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California posed questions to each candidate about a range of issues, including abortion and gay rights.

When asked at what point is a baby entitled to human rights, McCain quickly replied “at the moment of conception.” He went on to say “I have a 25 year pro-life record in the Congress, in the Senate. And as President of the United States I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies.”

In response to the same question, Obama chose to speak on abortion more generally. Among other comments, he stated: “I am pro-choice, I believe in Roe v. Wade and come to that conclusion not because I am pro-abortion, but because ultimately I don’t think women make these decisions casually. I think they wrestle with these things in profound ways…and so for me, the goal right now should be…how do we reduce the number of abortions? Because the fact is that although we’ve had a president who is opposed to abortion over the past eight years, abortions have not gone down.”

In relation to gay rights, the candidates were asked to both define marriage and comment on the possibility of amending the Constitution to define marriage. McCain defined marriage as “a union between man and woman, between one man and one woman” and said that he would favor a constitutional amendment “if a federal court decided that my state of Arizona had to observe what the state of Massachusetts decided.”

Obama said that he does not support a constitutional amendment to define marriage “because historically we have not defined marriage in our constitution. It’s been a matter of state law.” He proceeded to comment that he is “not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage but [that he does] believe in civil unions.”

Media Resources: Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency Transcript 8/16/08; LA Times 8/18/08

Riot Grrrl Returns, With A Slightly Softer Roar

This article was taken from the New York Times.

POP VIEW;Riot Grrrl Returns, With a Slightly Softer Roar
By EVELYN MCDONNELL
Published: June 2, 1996

AT THE HEART OF FEMINISM lies the belief in self-determination: women should define their own identities. One recent expression of that tenet can be found on “Call the Doctor,” the new album by Sleater-Kinney, a band of three college-age women from the Pacific Northwest. “It’s fine/ When it’s all mine/ It’s on my wall it’s in my head/ Memorize it till I’m dead,” Corin Tucker, a guitarist and vocalist, sings with an air of calm assurance on the song “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone.”

That calm is quickly disrupted. “It’s yours/ Now I’m so bored,” Ms. Tucker sings, then breaks into a series of spine-tapping “yeah, yo” ‘s — part hiccup, part howl — that punctuate the chorus: “I wanna be your Joey Ramone/ Pictures of me on your bedroom door/ Invite you back after the show/ I’m the queen of rock-and-roll.”

Judging from the rapt attention paid by teen-age girls at Sleater-Kinney’s recent New York shows, Ms. Tucker and her bandmates are already becoming their generation’s Ramones. Providing more female role models was one of the objectives of the feminist rock movement called Riot Grrrl, according to manifestoes from the fanzines that circulated in punk circles in the early 90′s. When the mainstream press discovered those fanzines about a year later, Riot Grrrl (a term coined by young punks in Washington and Olympia, Wash.) became big news for media outlets from The L.A. Weekly to “Nightline.” Unprepared for the attention, and disturbed that their effort to define themselves was being undermined, Riot Grrrls called for a news media ban.

Feminism Friday: Rape, Sex Abuse Of Afghan Girls Continues

Afghan girls continue to be sexually exploited, reported the Afghan Interior Ministry Thursday. The Ministry told Reuters that the number of sexual assaults on children has significantly increased. The Afghanistan Human Rights Organization (AHRO) has reported that in January a 10 year-old girl was raped in Jowzjan province and that groups of men raped a 12 year-old girl in June in Sar-I-Pol province and a 3 year-old girl in July in Jowzjan province. Cases like these abound.

A 12 year-old girl who was raped at gunpoint by five men has publicly spoken about the gang rape. A video of the girl and her family was posted online by the Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan. The girl pleads for help from Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Since the video became public, the family has met with Karzai, who has reportedly fired the police chief where the attack occurred, according to CNN.

Relatedly, an Islamic cleric was detained for allegedly presiding over a marriage of a 7 year-old girl to a 17 or 18 year-old man. Legally, girls under 16 and boys under 18 can not marry in Afghanistan. However, according to the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women 57% of Afghan girls are married before age 16, frequently to settle their family’s debts or other disputes.

Media Resources: Reuters 8/7/08; Australian Broadcasting Corporation 8/7/08; United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women 2/16/07; CNN 8/7/08

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

Indian Court Rejects Couple’s Plea For Abortion

An Indian Court rejected a couple’s petition on Monday for an abortion of a 25-week-old-fetus with a congenital heart problem. According to the Associated Press, Niketa and Haresh Mehta and their gynecologist, Dr. Nikhil Dattar, petitioned the court last month because they are concerned about the quality of life a child with congenital heart problems would have and because they cannot afford the pacemaker required to treat the condition.

Dr. Dattar told the Associated Press, “My plea was that the decision is best left to the parents who will take care of the child. We sought the opinion of many doctors and we were worried about the quality of life the child would have.”

In India, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act legalizes abortion up to twelve weeks. Women can obtain abortions between twelve and twenty weeks only if they or the fetus face a health risk. After twenty weeks, abortions are only legal if the mother’s health is at risk. However, many birth defects are only detected after the fetus is 20 weeks old.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act was passed in 1971, but the government has ruled out amendments to the law. Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told the Times of India, “As it is today going by just one case, I do not think the law can be amended.”

Media Resources: Associated Press 08/04/08; BBC News 08/04/08; The Times of India 08/04/08; Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

First Afghan Woman Elected To CEDAW

Zohra Rasekh has been elected to the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). She is the first woman to represent Afghanistan. Rasekh received 110 votes and will begin her four-year term on January 1, 2009.

Rasekh and other members of CEDAW will develop strategies to improve anti-discrimination policies and will respond to questions and complaints from concerned individuals or groups when any suspected violations of CEDAW occur.

Afghan Ambassador to the UN Zahir Tanin described the significance of Rasekh’s victory: “The election of Afghanistan’s candidate indicates the continuing support of UN member states for Afghanistan. It also reflects attempts of the Afghan government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the UN at strengthening the role of Afghanistan in the international arena,” according to theOnline International News Network.

The US is the only industrialized western country that has not ratified CEDAW, which has been ratified by 185 countries.

Media Resources: Online International News Network, 8/1/08; United Nations, 8/4/08

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

Feminism Friday: Catholic Organizations Ask Pope Benedict To Lift Anti-Contraception Ban

Over 50 Catholic organizations published a letter addressed to Pope Benedict XVI last week urging the Pope to lift the Church’s anti-contraception policy introduced in the Humanae Vitae, the1968 Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI. The letter was advertised in the Corriere della Sera, Italy’s largest circulating newspaper, according to Catholics for Choice.

The letter marked the 40 anniversary of the Humanae Vitae, which, according to the letter, “holds significant sway over many national family planning policies, obstruct[ing] the implementation of good public health policies on family planning and HIV prevention.” Teachings of the encyclical have been defended by late Pope Paul VI’s successors, John Paul and Benedict. At the end of the letter the Catholic organizations asked Pope Benedict to use the anniversary to lift the ban “to allow Catholics to plan their families safely and in good conscience.”

The anniversary also reignited the debate in the Philippines over the eight year contraception ban with the Conference Episcopal Commission on Family Life in Manila where Catholic Bishops renewed the Church’s support of the Humanae Vitae, according to GMA News.

Media Resources: Catholics for Choice 7/25/08; Feminist Daily News Wire 2/5/08; GMA News 7/10/08

South African Woman Named Human Rights Commissioner For UN

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named South African judge Navanethem Pillay the UN high commissioner for human rights Thursday. She will serve a five-year term, replacing Louise Arbour, after her nomination is confirmed by the General Assembly Monday, reports the Washington Post.

The U.S. has accepted her nomination, despite initial objections to her vocal support for abortion access, according to BBC News. She co-founded the international women’s rights organization, Equality Now, and continues to support a woman’s access to abortion, contraceptives and reproductive freedom, according to the Associated Press.

Pillay is currently a judge at the International Criminal Court and has worked tirelessly in the past defending anti-apartheid activists in her native South Africa. She was the first woman to start a law practice in Natal Province in South Africa and also served as the first non-white woman to serve in the country’s High Court, according to BBC News.

“She has to be the voice for human rights, focus on the violations of human rights, speak clearly and focus world attention on the egregious violations of human rights that unfortunately still take place in many places around the world,” said Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador, reports the Associated Press. “We look forward to working with her.”

Media Resources: Washington Post 7/25/2008; Associated Press 7/25/2008; BBC News 7/25/2008

Northern Ireland Proposes Abortion Rights Amendment

Nearly Half Of Egyptian Women Harassed Daily

This news story was taken from here.

A study released last week found that nearly half of Egyptian women are sexually harassed on a daily basis. The report, released by The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, stated that 46 percent of Egyptian women were harassed daily and 98 percent of foreign women were harassed while in the country, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Nihad Abu El-Qoumsan, head of The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, said most Egyptian women blame themselves for the harassment, reports the BBC. Contrary to popular belief, findings stated that unveiled women were not more likely to be harassed.

This self blame may be only one reason why only 12 percent of victims reported incidences to police last year, as reported by AFP. According to the Windsor Star, victims were also reluctant to report harassment because of a perceived lack of response from authorities. The centre that released the study is campaigning to elucidate the current sexual harassment law in hopes of making reporting the crime easier for Egyptian women.

Media Resources: Agence France-Presse 7/17/2008; BBC News 7/18/2008; Windsor Star 7/21/2008

Need for Survival Fuels Sex Work, High Birth Rate Kills Mothers In Afghanistan

This news story can be found at Feminist Daily News.

Women and young girls are being pushed to commercial sex work due to high food prices and widespread unemployment in Afghanistan. High fertility rates, poor health services, and a high maternal mortality rate compound these issues.

Sex work is considered to be a serious crime in Afghanistan, where offenders can face the death penalty or lengthy prison sentences for engaging in sex outside of marriage. Fariba Majid, Director of the Balkh Province Women’s Affairs Department, calls sex work “an abhorrent deed and an appalling crime”, according to Irin News. However, many sex workers do not have other means to survive or feed their families.

Afghan women face high fertility rates and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Only 14% of women receive skilled birthing attention during childbirth. Access to health services is limited by a lack of awareness, economic barriers, and men’s willingness to take women to health centers. One of six Afghan women will die from complications during pregnancy or childbirth; the average woman will have six or seven children.

Parental responsibility is often tied to sex work in Afghanistan. An Afghan prostitute, Najiba, told Irin News, “I am a widow and I have to feed my five children. I am illiterate and no one will give me a job. I hate to be a prostitute but if I stop doing this job my children will starve to death.”

Media Resources: Irin News 7/14/08, 7/16/08; Feminist Majority Foundation

Blog Survey

I want feedback about this blog, so please answer the following questions in a reply to this post.

1.) What do YOU want to see on this blog? (as in posts)
2.) Are there any changes I should make to this blog?
3.) What do YOU think about this blog?
4.) Any other suggestions for this blog?
5.) Are there certain topics that I should post about more often? If so, What topics should I post about more often?
6.) Are there any posts/topics that YOU would like to see me write about? (I’m not talking about the news posts that I make on this blog. I’m talking about personal opinions, experiences, thoughts, etc.)

I know I already post about alot of different things, but I’m wanting opinions and suggestions. As a blogger and for you, as a reader, it’s important to know your thoughts about this blog, so I can improve this blog.

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.

Two Afghan “Prostitutes” Allegedly Murdered by Taliban

The following news story was taken from here

Two Afghan “Prostitutes” Allegedly Murdered by Taliban

Two Afghan women were killed last weekend outside Ghazni City for allegedly running a prostitution ring for US military personnel and foreign contractors. The women were allegedly killed by the Taliban. A spokesperson for the Ghazni governor described the women as “innocent local people” who were killed in an “undescribable and cruel way.” Nathan Perry, a US Military spokesperson, said that he was unaware of allegations of a prostitution ring or “anything close to that nature” BBC News reports.

The Taliban purportedly released photos on the Internet of the women’s decapitated bodies. According to Times Now, the Associated Press had a camera crew and began filming the shooting as soon as they heard gunshots. There has been speculation that the execution was meant to be a warning to women of the community.

Media Resources: BBC News, 7/13/08; Adnkronos International 7/15/08; Times Now 7/14/08