Blog

09/06/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Tampons Will Go Into Men’s Restrooms At Brown University

The Higher Learning Has Just Lost Their Minds.

When students at Brown University head to their first class or hit the gym for their first workout this week, they’ll find something new in many campus bathrooms: free tampons and pads. Brown’s student body president, Viet Nguyen, who’s pushed the student-led initiative, will be hand-delivering menstrual products into all nonresidential bathrooms with the help of 20 other students. “There’s been a lot of conversation about why pads and tampons are a necessity, not a luxury, but not a lot of action. We wanted to take it into our own hands,” says Nguyen, a senior studying education policy. “Low-income students struggle with having the necessary funding for food, let alone tampons.”

Nguyen sent a campus-wide email Tuesday announcing the initiative, which has made Brown one of the first higher-education institutions to implement such a widespread program. University officials have not yet responded.

By putting menstrual products in women’s, men’s and gender-inclusive bathrooms, Nguyen’s campaign highlights an often-ignored fact: Not all people who menstruate are women. “We wanted to set a tone of trans-inclusivity, and not forget that they’re an important part of the population,” he says. “I’d be naïve to say there won’t be push back. I’ve had questions about why we’re implementing this in male bathrooms as well. It’s an initial confusion, but people generally understand when we explain it.”

Thanks to funding from the student-run undergraduate finance board, Nguyen says he’s ensured menstrual products will be available in approximately 30 to 40 bathrooms across campus for the 2016–2017 school year. “A lot of other student governments might try to go down the university route. We really want to encourage them to take matters into their own hands.”

Students at Brown aren’t the only ones going back to school this month with unprecedented access to menstrual products.

As of this fall, New York City public school students will provide free tampons and pads in all school buildings with sixth through 12th graders. The move is part of the city’s landmark legislation, passed on July 13, 2016, ensuring free menstrual products in all public schools, shelters and correctional facilities. (In July, New York also became the 11th state to eliminate taxes on menstrual products. The new law went into effect on September 1, yet some stores, including a handful of Duane Reade locations in New York City, initially continued to charge the tax. Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted a link to information about how people can reply for a refund.)

New York City launched a pilot program putting free menstrual products in one school last spring, then gradually expanded it to 25 schools. By the time girls and boys show up for the first day of school on September 8, free menstrual products will be available in many schools, and by mid-November, the rollout will be complete. “Students must feel comfortable during their classes so they can focus on learning, and having free, easy access to menstrual products is essential,” says a Department of Education spokesperson.

“Unlike toilet paper, which is provided for free in school restrooms, students are typically on their own to access menstrual supplies,” says Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a leading writer and advocate for menstrual equity. “Yet in order to be fully engaged in the classroom, these are as much of necessity as pencils and paper. This is especially true for younger teens who are more likely to be caught off guard by the arrival of their period and without budgets of their own to buy emergency tampons or pads.”

Advocates hope that New York City’s new law will set a new standard for schools around the country. In the meantime, everyday people are making a difference. A decade ago, the Wellington School in Columbus, Ohio, began offering free tampons and pads in school bathrooms when marketing expert Nancy Kramer, a school parent and founder of the Free the Tampons movement, proposed the idea. They continue to offer free menstrual products today.

Last year, Jenn Bajec, a mother of two in Dublin City, Ohio, convinced her local elementary and middle schools to put free tampons and pads in school bathrooms. It all started when her sixth-grade daughter struggled to manage her period because she only had a couple minutes between classes, menstrual products were kept far away at the nurse’s office and there weren’t restrooms on every floor.

“My daughter loved school, but when she got her period, she was so overwhelmed with it, she didn’t want to go to school anymore. I mean, that’s not who she is!” Bajec says.

Jennifer Schwanke, principal of Indian Run Elementary School in Dublin, says that when Bajec approached her about offering menstrual products in restrooms, not just the school clinic, “it seemed a very easy solution.” Schwanke says the school has continued to provide tampons and pads this year. But Bajec points out that schools need more than “one well-intentioned administrator to oversee day by day or week by week.… The only way these items can be provided in an ongoing manner is if budgets are set and detailed procedures are outlined for operations to follow.”

Earlier this year, Inside Higher Ed reported that students at the University of Arizona, Columbia University,Emory College, Reed College, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, UCLA and Grinnell College, among others, have all advocated for free menstrual products on campus. As Courtney Couillard wrote in theColumbia Spectator, “I can easily find a free condom on Barnard and Columbia’s campuses, but why can’t I find a free tampon in the bathrooms in Hamilton or Milbank? Why does the administration care about my sexual protective rights, but not how I handle my monthly menstrual cycle?”

Discussing periods was once as taboo as admitting you’re voting for Donald Trump, but over the past year, menstruation has become the latest talking point for everyone from Olympians to politicians to YouTube stars and medical marijuana professionals. Last year, musician Kiran Gandhi ran the London Marathon while free-bleeding and artist Rupi Kaur inadvertently launched a backlash against Instagram when the app “accidentally” removed her period-themed photos, twice. Hashtag campaigns raised awareness about people in need (#TheHomelessPeriod and #FreeTheTampons) while some criticized Trump and his Republican vice presidential nominee, Mike Pence, for their lame-brained comments about women’s health (#PeriodsAreNotAnInsult and #PeriodsForPence).

There were so many pop culture moments that NPR called 2015 “the year of the period” and Cosmopolitandubbed it “the year the period went public.” This year, however, has been the year of actual period progress.

In January, President Obama likely became the first president to comment on menstruation when YouTube star Ingrid Nilsen asked him why tampons and pads are taxed as luxury items in 40 states. His on-point response ricocheted around the internet: “I suspect it’s because men were making the laws when those taxes were passed.” More recently, Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui made headlines for talking about her period at the Olympics. After finishing fourth in the women’s 4×100 meter medley relay, she was doubled over and holding her stomach. When a reporter asked why, she replied, “ Actually, my period started last night, so I’m feeling pretty weak and really tired. But this isn’t an excuse. At the end of the day, I just didn’t swim very well.” Even Whoopi Goldberg launched a medical marijuana company with an entire line of products aimed at easing menstrual cramps.

Last week, Cora organic tampons and Lunapads reusable menstrual pads landed in select Target stores around the country and Target.com, making it easier for people to access more diverse and potentially safer period products on their way back to school.

Cora, a subscription-based organic cotton tampon company, hit shelves alongside Seventh Generation and Honest Company. Cora tampons come with a BPA-free applicator and, for every monthly supply sold, the company gives period products to girls in India.

Lunapads’s Performa pads are now the first washable, reusable cloth menstrual pad to be carried in Target, according to Madeleine Shaw, co-founder of Lunapads. (Target declined to comment.) They’re made of natural cotton and highly absorbent, leakproof fabrics, and can hold three times the amount of fluid as that of similar disposables. Each pad lasts about five years and replaces around 120 disposable products.

Last year, U.S. consumers spent $3.1 billion on pads, tampons and liners alone, according to Euromonitor. Procter & Gamble, Energizer Holdings and Kimberly Clark control 85 percent of the tampon market, but since the Food and Drug Administration does not require companies to disclose the ingredients in their pads and tampons, many people are turning to niche brands like Cora and Lunapads—as well as Maxim,Conscious Period, Dear Kate and Lola—because they offer transparency. After centuries of signaling the start of adulthood, periods are finally coming of age

http://www.newsweek.com/free-tampons-pads-us-schools-496083

08/30/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Baltimore Residents Want The Police To Protect Their Neighborhoods

As Justice Department civil rights lawyers held a meeting to talk about overhauling the Baltimore police department, another group of Baltimore residents gathered to beg the police to fix the crime in their neighborhoods.

The meetings show a disconnect between those who are concerned about crime and those worried about police reform, reports the Washington Post. Neither group was aware the other one was meeting.

About 40 people, most of them older black women, gathered in a West Baltimore church basement to ask police to return order to their community.

A gas station owner whose parking lot had been taken over by loiterers begged for help; a 17-year old was also fatally shot there. Another man asked about the foot patrol officers that were promised to the community.

Arlene Fisher, a 67-year-old social worker, said more policing is necessary because corner stores are asking to stay open 24 hours.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

The meeting with Justice Department lawyers came after the Justice Department released its report on the Baltimore Police Department (BPD). The meeting, organized by No Boundaries co-director Ray Kelly, dealt with abusive behavior used by police when trying to clear up street corners.

The report found that the BPD frequently performed unconstitutional stops, arrests and excessive force that led to different outcomes among black citizens. According to the report, almost half of the 300,000 pedestrian stops the BPD performed between 2010 and 2015, mainly happened in two pre-dominantly black districts. RELATED: Justice Department Report Charges Baltimore Cops With Racism

Kelly told the Washington Post that the debate on whether police discriminate or not is over. He said that the main issue “is to change it so it can actually work, to find ways to address the culture and not just criminalize everyone.”

Baltimore Residents Beg Police To Protect Their Neighborhoods

08/29/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Great Freaking Idea! U.S. Will Welcome 10,000 Syrian Refugee’s on Monday

The United States looks on its way to reaching its target of taking in 10,000 Syrian war refugees in the 2016 fiscal year this week, according to the U.S. ambassador to Jordan. That means the program to resettle Syrian refugees in the United States is well ahead of schedule considering President Obama announced last fall his administration’s goal was to resettle 10,000 refugees by the end of September.

News of the 10,000^th arrival is bound to once again spark controversy about an issue that has made its way to the presidential campaign as Donald Trump and some of his allies have alleged the refugees could be a potential security threat.Administration officials strongly dispute the characterization of refugees as potentially dangerous to national security. “Refugees are the most thoroughly screened category of travelers to the United States, and Syrian refugees are subject to even greater scrutiny,” Alice Wells, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan, said.

The arrival of the 10,000^th Syrian refugee on Monday illustrates just how much the program has accelerated in recent months. As of March 31, only 1,285 Syrians had been admitted into the United States as part of the program but then things began to speed up due to a “quiet but intense push by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, with substantial prodding from the White House,” reported the New York Times earlier this month.

An estimated 5 million Syrians have fled the country’s devastating civil war since 2011.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/08/28/u_s_to_welcome_10_000th_syrian_refugee_on_monday.html

08/28/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Hillary “Rotten” Clinton Was For Sale At The State Department

Hell I'm For Sale! What Damn Difference Does It Make? — Hell I’m For Sale! What Damn Difference Does It Make?

A series of newly released State Department emails obtained by ABC News offers fresh insight on direct contact between the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton‘s inner circle while she was Secretary of State.

The emails -– released as part of a public records lawsuit by conservative group Citizens United and shared exclusively with ABC — reveal what the group claims is new evidence Foundation allies received special treatment. [Read the emails here.]

In one December 2010 email chain with Clinton’s closest aide Huma Abedin, then-top Clinton Foundation official Doug Band offers names for a State Department lunch with Chinese President Hu Jintao scheduled for January 2011.

I list of who I work for you F**king Americans. It ain't About You. — I list of who I work for you F**king Americans. It ain’t About You.

Bill Clinton Defends Clinton Foundation: ‘We’re Trying to Do Good Things’

Bill Clinton Sought State Department OK For Paid Speeches Related to North Korea, Congo, New E-mails Show

On the list were three executives from organizations that have donated millions to the Clinton Foundation: Bob McCann, the then-president of wealth management at UBS; Dr. Judith Rodin, the president of the Rockefeller Foundation; and Hikmet Ersek, the CEO of Western Union.

According to the Foundation website, the UBS Wealth Management USA has contributed between $500,001 and $1 million to the Foundation; the Rockefeller Foundation has given between $10 million and $25 million, while Western Union and its foundation has contributed between $1 million and $5 million.

Nearly two weeks later, Band followed up on email, specifically requesting Rodin be seated at Vice President Joe Biden’s table. “I’ll ask,” Abedin replied.

In a separate exchange, Abedin forwarded to Band — outside the State Department — an attachment entitled “Updated China RSVP Guest List 1-5-11.” The attachment was not included in the documents received by ABC, but suggests sharing of information ahead of a state visit by President Hu Jintao in late January 2011.

Band declined comment to ABC News. Clinton Foundation spokesman Craig Minassian said the emails “aren’t related to the Clinton Foundation’s work improving lives around the world.”

A representative for McCann told ABC News he did not attend the lunch, while a representative for Ersek said he doesn’t have a “record” of the event. Rodin’s office did not immediately return a request for comment. The State Department said it could not provide a list of attendees.

In addition to State Department functions, Band also corresponded with Abedin about personal requests of some Clinton Foundation supporters.

In January 2011, Band at the Foundation forwarded an email to Abedin on behalf of Gerardo Werthein, a South American businessman who has donated more than $1 million to the Foundation, according to its website.

I don't know why everyone thinks I'm corrupt! — I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m corrupt!

Calling Werthein a “great friend” and “big supporter,” Band asked Abedin to deliver a message to the U.S. ambassador to Malta on behalf of Werthein. The ambassador was scheduled to meet with the Admor, a religious leader in Malta and associate of Werthein.

Abedin passed on Band’s message to another State Department official asking for delivery to the ambassador’s assistant, writing, “Just want to pass along for info. No need for action.”

A June 2009 email from Band passed on thanks from a Tim Collins to Abedin for bringing him to “some event.” Abedin says, “We invited him into speech in Cairo.” ABC News could not confirm the identity of the Collins who attended the speech. The Clinton Foundation website lists a Timothy Collins, founder of the investment firm Ripplewood Advisors, as a major donor.

“After more than two years of Freedom of Information Act requests and lengthy litigation, the truth is finally coming out,” said David Bossie, president of Citizens United, in a statement. “Hillary Clinton’s senior staff at the State Department routinely worked with the Clinton Foundation to reward big donors with special access and favors for four years.”

The State Department and Clinton campaign both told ABC News that Foundation donors held no special influence or received favors.

When asked about the apparent involvement of a top Clinton Foundation official in requesting invitations for guests for State Department functions, spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told ABC News: “The State Department does not believe it is inappropriate for the administration to consider individuals suggested by outside organizations when deciding who to invite to an official function.”

Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin said the emails released are a political attack on the Clintons.

“Citizens United is a right-wing group that’s been attacking the Clintons since the 1990s and, once again, is trying to make something out of nothing,” Schwerin told ABC News.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/clinton-foundation-official-requests-state-lunch-invitation-special/story?id=41695275

08/23/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Trump Says Obama Is A Little Late On Louisiana Visit

Hold The Car Still While I Make My Shot Fool.

President Barack Obama’s day trip to tour flood damage in Louisiana is “too little, too late,” Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
“President Obama should have gone to Louisiana days ago, instead of golfing,” the Republican presidential nominee wrote. “Too little, too late!”
Story Continued Below

Obama flew to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Wednesday to visit a region devastated by heavy rain and flooding earlier this month. In a release issued late last week, the American Red Cross said the flooding in Louisiana is the worst natural disaster in the U.S. since superstorm Sandy and that the relief effort will cost at least $30 billion.
Accompanied by his running mate Mike Pence, Trump himself visited Baton Rouge and the surrounding area last Friday, helping unload supplies and meeting with law enforcement officials for a briefing. Obama was still on his annual Massachusetts vacation at the time, prompting Trump to take a shot at the president’s near-daily golf games.
“The president says he doesn’t want to come, he is trying to get out of a golf game,” Trump told volunteers last Friday at a church north of Baton Rouge, according to a report from ABC News. “He will never be under par.”
The White House said Obama received regular briefings on the flooding even while on vacation. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, said he had no problem with Obama’s decision to delay a visit to the flood area. A presidential visit and the accompanying motorcade, Edwards said last Thursday, would pull first responders away from relief efforts, put a strain on law enforcement and force road closures.
“I think the president is used to people trying to score political points even in situations where they shouldn’t. The president certainly believes this is the kind of situation where…we’re talking about lives lost,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Baton Rouge. “We’re talking about a community being upended. And [he believes] that it’s an appropriate time to put politics aside, and actually focus on our responsibilities as Americans.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/trump-tweet-obama-louisiana-227317#ixzz4IBrJ1SZx

08/23/2016 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Clinton Foundation Executive Left 148 Phone Messages To Clinton Chief Of Staff Cheryl Mills

In yet another indication there may have been a “pay-to-play” relationship between the Clinton Foundation and the Department of State, a senior foundation executive left 148 phone messages for a top aide to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton top aide over two years.

A review of State Department phone logs show Clinton Foundation Chief Operating Officer Laura Graham left the messages for Cheryl Mills, Clinton’s State Department chief of staff and confidante, according to Fox News.

One of those messages referred to “our boss” without any further identification. A second, from January 2012, presumably referred to former President Bill Clinton by his initials. It read, “Please call. WJC is looking for her [Graham] and she wants to talk to you before she talks to him.”

No other messages from nonprofit organizations appear so frequently in Mills’ call logs, which brings to mind two questions:

If Graham was unable to connect with Mills nearly 150 times during that time, how many times were they able to immediately connect?
What business could the foundation possibly have with the State Department?

The call logs were obtained by the conservative advocacy group Citizens United as part of its Freedom of Information Act request.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he couldn’t gauge how many of those messages were returned, nor provide “a read-out of every one of those messages or every one of those calls.” But he did admit that Mills and Graham never shared the same boss.

“Secretary Clinton’s ethics agreement at the time [she assumed office] did not preclude other State Department officials from engaging with, or having contact with, the Clinton Foundation,” Toner said.

Absent additional detail, there is no evidence of any misconduct in the calls or contacts between Graham and Mills. But the records surfaced amid mounting questions about the relationship between the Clinton State Department and the Clinton Foundation, and particularly about the role played by Mills.

Last week, the State Department acknowledged that in June 2012, Mills spent two days traveling to New York to interview job applicants at the foundation. The State Department said Mills “volunteered” to do so, but neither the department nor a spokesman for the Clinton presidential campaign, nor Mills’s attorney, would say whether Mills used annual leave or unpaid days to perform that work – or whether it was done on the taxpayers’ time.

“It’s an amazing thing that the State Department spokesperson would actually make an argument that Hillary Clinton would be obligated under an ethics agreement that the White House made her sign with the foundation but her top employees would not be under that same agreement,” said Citizens United President David Bossie, “I find it’s just very Clintonesque.”

http://endingthefed.com/forget-emails-look-at-state-dept-phone-logs-148-suspicious-messages-were-just-exposed.html

Blog

Footer