Have Nots

I watched a docu last night on HBO about the homeless kids of the OC. Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County. A film by Alexandria Pelosi. These kids lived in a motel like a minute away from Disneyland “The Happiest Place on Earth”. If ever there was an example of the disparity between the classes here it is like a slap to the face. All of the children in the docu attended a school for homeless kids called Project HOPE School. It is really inspiring to see amazing projects like that. http://projecthopeschool.org/
The kids are provided with a free education as well as free food.
Please donate to this very worthy cause : http://projecthopeschool.org/make-a-difference/
Most of the parents seemed to be caring adult who had feel on bad times, of course some were non-existent , which led me to conclude they were either embarrassed or had something to hide. Either way even the kids with “caring” parents were playing in the hotel parking lot shoeless surrounded by gang members and lowlifes. At times the director , Alexandra Pelosi can seem a bit judgmental; but I think more than that she is just frustrated with the whole dire situation. If nothing else I hope to get others to see the film and to possibly donate to Project HOPE and any charity you can stand behind.
We cant walk around with blinders on and be oblivious to the plight of others. If you don’t have time you may have money or clothes or toys. Donate. And if you don’t have any of those things, you may be have time and volunteering your time is a very precious commodity.
As always : Be the Change that you want to see in the World..Ghandi 

Action for Those who cant Speak

COMPANIES THAT DO TEST ON ANIMALS

All info taken from petas website:
http://www.caringconsumer.com/pdfs/companiesDoTest.doc

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are these companies included on the 'Do Test' list?
The following companies manufacture products that ARE tested on animals. Those marked with a  are currently observing a moratorium (i.e., current suspension of) on animal testing. Please encourage them to announce a permanent ban. Listed in parentheses are examples of products manufactured by either the company listed or, if applicable, its parent company. For a complete listing of products manufactured by a company on this list, please visit the company's Web site or contact the company directly for more information. Companies on this list may manufacture individual lines of products without animal testing (e.g., Clairol claims that its Herbal Essences line is not animal-tested). They have not, however, eliminated animal testing from their entire line of cosmetics and household products.

Similarly, companies on this list may make some products, such as pharmaceuticals, that are required by law to be tested on animals. However, the reason for these companies' inclusion on the list is not the animal testing that they conduct that is required by law, but rather the animal testing (of personal-care and household products) that is not required by law.

What can be done about animal tests required by law?
Although animal testing of pharmaceuticals and certain chemicals is still mandated by law, the arguments against using animals in cosmetics testing are still valid when applied to the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. These industries are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, respectively, and it is the responsibility of the companies that kill animals in order to bring their products to market to convince the regulatory agencies that there is a better way to determine product safety. PETA is actively working on this front by funding the development and validation of non-animal test methods and providing input through our involvement on government advisory committees at both the national and international levels. Companies often resist progress and, instead of using human-relevant non-animal tests, choose to use animal tests because their results can be manipulated. Let companies know how you feel about this.

Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625; 609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.armhammer.com
Bic Corporation, 1 Bic Way, Ste.1, Shelton, CT 06484; 203-783-2000; www.bicworld.com
Church & Dwight (Aim, Arm & Hammer, Arrid, Brillo, Close-up, Kaboom, Lady's Choice, Mentadent, Nair, Orange Glo International, Oxi Clean, Pearl Drops), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625; 609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.churchdwight.com
Clairol (Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23, Procter & Gamble), 1 Blachley Rd., Stamford, CT 06922; 800-252-4765; www.clairol.com
Clorox (ArmorAll, Formula 409, Fresh Step, Glad, Liquid Plumber, Pine-Sol, Soft Scrub, S.O.S., Tilex), 1221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-271-7000; 800-227-1860; www.clorox.com
Dial Corporation (Dry Idea, Purex, Renuzit, Right Guard, Soft & Dri), 15101 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 5028, Scottsdale, AZ 85254-2199; 800-528-0849; www.dialcorp.com
Johnson & Johnson (Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Rembrandt, ROC), 1 Johnson & Johnson Plz., New Brunswick, NJ 08933; 732-524-0400; 800-526-3967; www.jnj.com
L'Oréal (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Lancôme, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy), 575 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017; 212-818-1500; www.loreal.com
Max Factor (Procter & Gamble), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.maxfactor.com
Mead, 10 W. Second St., #1, Dayton, OH 45402; 937-495-6323; www.meadweb.com
Melaleuca, 3910 S. Yellowstone Hwy., Idaho Falls, ID 83402-6003; 208-522-0700; www.melaleuca.com
New Dana Perfumes, 470 Oakhill Rd., Crestwood Industrial Park, Mountaintop, PA 18707; 800-822-8547
Olay (Procter & Gamble), P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201; 800-543-1745; www.oilofolay.com
Pantene (Procter & Gamble), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 800-945-7768; www.pantene.com
Physique (Procter & Gamble), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 800-214-8957; www.physique.com
Ponds (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 800-909-9493; www.ponds.com
Procter & Gamble Co. (Clairol, Crest, Gillette, Giorgio, Iams, Max Factor, Physique, Tide), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com
Reckitt Benckiser (Easy Off, Lysol, Mop & Glo, Old English, Resolve, Spray 'N Wash, Veet, Woolite), 399 Interpace Pkwy., Parsippany, NJ 07054; 973-633-3600; 800-333-3899; www.reckittbenckiser.com
Shiseido Cosmetics, 5-5, Ginza 7-chome, Chuo-k, Tokyo, 104-0061, Japan; 212-805-2300; www.shiseido.com
Schering-Plough (Bain de Soleil, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl's), 2000 Galloping Hill Rd., Kenilworth, NJ 07033-0530; 800-842-4090; www.sch-plough.com
S.C. Johnson (Drano, Edge, Fantastik, Glade, OFF!, Oust, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Skintimate, Windex, Ziploc), 1525 Howe St., Racine, WI 53403; 800-494-4855; www.scjohnson.com
Suave (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-782-8301; www.suave.com
Unilever (Axe, Dove, Lever Bros., Suave, Sunsilk), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-598-1223; www.unilever.com
Vicks (Procter & Gamble), 1 Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com

Hope

Sad but true fact: I don’t vote often. Reason being, I don’t like to vote on things I don’t know enough about. And I usually don’t know enough about a candidate or issue because A. I have little faith in any candidate and B. Things rarely change. So when Obama came around and gave America a new energy, I began to get interested. I did research and I campaigned for Obama. I voted for Obama. I do not regret that for one second. Obama is not perfect, and it is unfortunate that people expect him to be. Change that comes quickly, doesn’t last. Look at people who diet. Whenever you lose weight too rapidly, you always gain it back and with a vengeance. I still have faith and hope in America and in Obama. He is not a magician and he is not God. He is a human being trying to do something better for all of us. We are all part of the problem and we all have a chance to be a part of the solution.

trying out this new app, let's see how this works out!

Dear FB users:

I hate FB. With a passion. I love my family and my friends and I love seeing and knowing what is going on in their lives but I am over it. In all reality it is just a way to brag or bi**h. Its not about networking or keeping in touch. Its about me me me me me. Look at my kid isn’t he just so wonderful and adorable. Look at my family aren’t we just so perfect and happy. Hmm if your really that happy should you be spending time with your “perfect” family instead of posting about it on FB…..just sayin’. If everything really was as honky dory as you portray it to be you wouldn’t feel the need to plaster it all over the world wide web.Also, really…really……do I really care if you are eating cheetos on the couch while your dog is licking your toes….um no. Do you really care if my kid just said his 90th “cutest thing ever”…maybe the first time. We need to stop being to freaking narcissistic, get off our iphones and blackberrys (there aren’t any other types of phones…right?!) and join the real world. A little real life wont kill you….right?!

Miss USA just got worse...

As if pageants weren’t bad enough here come the “should be on a maxim cover” pictures. I thought the claim was that pageants are about building self-esteem and acknowledging not only the beauty but the brains of these young women. Hahaha. Joking. Obviously any event that still judges women in bikinis is not about brains. How can that possibly build self-esteem? Oh you are prefect 34-24-36 but…….not perfect enough. Back to the pictures. Hmmm. A women in her panties with nothing but a men’s shirt…..sounds like a man’s fantasy rather than a positive role model for young girls. The whole thing is ridiculous and is perpetuating the idea that woman are objects rather than human beings. I will not be watching …….will you?

equal pay day 2010

yea i know its not us currency but its still the same message.




today is equal pay day, meaning a woman had to have worked all the way till today to make what a man made in the previous year! yea its pretty ridic if you think about it like that. we are four months into the year and almost done with the month of april and a woman is JUST getting the making the same as a man in the previous year!! while some people don't believe in the pay discrimination, that's what today is all about! showing the world that women are still discriminated against, even in 2010. wear red to signify how much women are in the red.

here's a link to uphappy hour, if you're in the dc metro area.
http://youngwomenmisbehavin.com/2010/04/01/youre-invited-unhappy-hour/


here's a link for more information about equal pay day 2010:
http://www.pay-equity.org/day.html

its my birthdayy!

happy birthday to me!!

formspring.me

ask me anything. PYTmoni

Some of my stuff

Every once is a while i feel a poem in my soul begging to come out ........ here are two of them

Darkness

The black cloud over my head cast a shadow on whats in front of me
My eyes well up, the storm is coming
It starts with a drizzle then a full blown storm
My body feels heavy, dead weight
I close my eyes and imagine that the whole world is gone
But when I open my eyes its still there
Florescent lighting, a computer screen, words that mean nothing
Wish there a hole underneath me
Falling into nothing
Landing on cloud but how if I fell down
Looking up into the darkness
A warmth embraces my soul
Must I leave the darkness, this comfortable torment
Is this a nightmare or a dream?

Not Today

Bottled up behind this pretty face
Is anger, hate, disgrace
Sometimes I just wanna be me
But I’m so scared to be that free
I’m this and I’m that
But wait…no I’m not
I wanna be
But I cant
I’m too messed up
Too bitchy, too pissed
Who am I anyway
Sleep, what’s that?
its when I dream
Of cheaters and lies
Of bombs and being paralyzed
Maybe one day I’ll be her
Perfect Life
But not today
Not Today

formspring.me

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/atheistchristy

going off what my sister said..

so after i read my sister's article about disney movies being sexist and wanting to teach her son about it. i remembered i had read a good article on my favorite website The Frisky named "22 things women can teach their sons about women". when i read it the fisrt time, i think i sent it to my sister, its filled with a mix of relationship advice and sex advice from the perceptive of women in their 20's that have had bad relationships. i agree with 100% of what they say, here's one of the list:
"Saying “You’re being crazy” is never an appropriate response, unless you want her to go postal on you."
which i totally agree with, i told my boyfriend that i really don't like that phrase. the statement imply that when a woman speaks her mind, she's really just saying nonsense, it's also a way of controlling a woman by way of shaming her.
here's the article:

Might be played out but……………

Okay so I know it’s been done before and I definitely will not be the last to talk about sexism in Disney movies. First, let me start by saying I love Disney movies. But now that I am a mom and a little older (just a tad bit) and wiser ( I hope ) I see things that I didn’t see before, and hear things I didn’t hear before. So of course we all know that all Disney movies are filled with stereotypes and clichés up the you know what. But I wanted to post a cute quote from the movie “The Little Mermaid” (one of my favorite Disney movies) on my facebook………well much to my chagrin I stumbled upon a quote made by Ursula. “On land it is much preferred for ladies not to say a word” WOW! Unfortunately, there is some truth to what she says, our sexist society would prefer that woman look pretty and speak as little as possible. In thinking about this quote I began to think about the entire song that Ursula sings and the things she tells Ariel like she can make him fall in love with her body language. Ugh! My main epiphany about the whole things is not to not watch the movies but maybe to watch with my eyes and ears a little open. I don’t want to be the person who finds something wrong with everything. But I do think its really important for me to discuss these things with my son ( and future children). Not just to ignore it and let it seep into his unconscious.

Obama is at my school today..

he's here to talk about health care. i'm in class so i wont be attending, but there are plenty of protesting. a few girls in my class said they saw protesters and one sign saying "obama is death!" i'm going to try and take pictures later after class.

<3

another good one..from stumble!

thanks again stumblies! this one is funny, i feel like ive seen it before but i thought i'd share anyways.
via The Daily Shite
http://dailyshite.com/2010/03/how-fairy-tales-really-end/

probably my favorite picture from the article:


Princess Jasmin (from Aladdin)

look at all the pictures, some are funny and others are kind of sad but overall its an interesting concept making all the characters into real people with real conditions.

good article..thanks stumble!

i love stumble..but sometimes it sends me random website. sometimes, it sends me pretty sexist website but this time it sent me a good one.

http://thehathorlegacy.com/if-anything-makes-women-hate-men-its-not-feminism-its-patriarchy/

here's a great quote from the article:

"Feminism, based on critical thinking, does allow you to question patriarchal assertions about men"

<3
Christina

Life.......

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” - Charles R. Swindoll

:) <3

_______ History Month (insert minority)

I know I am kind of ranty as opposed to intellectual at times but I hope that on some level the stuff we put on hear is more than just a rant. Anyway. Today my thoughts have been about Black History Month. What are we telling our students when we say “February is Black History Month”. I feel like that is saying Black people are important but only for a month, oh and only for the shortest month of the year. Come on. And if we are doing that then why isnt there "Women's History Month"(there might actually already have this.....) or "Latino History Month" or "American Indian History Month" ...why dont we have those......becasue its wrong and lame to say we are going to celebrate a whole groups contributions to our history in one insignificant month. As a future teacher I just think that it would be a better idea to celebrate people that have contributed to our society of all races all through out the year, every month. It is our responsibility to teach our students what the history books leave out or elaborate on what the history book skim over. And I don’t just mean Black people either; I think our history books are appalling. They fail to adequately cover the contributions, hardships and accomplishments of women of all colors and people from all races and religions that are not white, Christian men. All peoples history should be woven into the quilt we call history with each peice of thread, not just in one square. So as a future teacher I plan to teach outside of the books and hope that it will contribute to a more well-rounded, better educated, more empathic student at the end of the year. Even if I end up being a kindergarten teacher.

movies directed by women

i just saw whip it on my computer and i pretty much loved it! while i'm not too much into cliche indie girl but different movies, i liked this one. ellen page plays a beauty queen turned roller derby girl. sounds cheesy but its good, trust me. the usual happens, she loves roller derby but keeps it secret from her family then meets a boy, falls for him. there is of course a part where oh nooess..the derby tournament and the beauty pageant is on the same day..what will she doo? well i'm making it sound not great but it really is.



the other women directed movie i really love is jennifer's body. i know this movie got a lot of shit because there is a scene where the main characters make out..(yea..megan fox and amanda seyfried kiss)..the movie is really more than that though. i've read some post on the jennifer's body imdb page that the movie is about the dichotomy, its more than just about jennifer being possessed but about how she has a hold amanda seyfried (her name in the movie is needy). the movie has some really great one liners and its actually really funny. one of my favorite lines was "PMS isn't real Needy, it was invented by the boy-run media to make us seem like we're crazy." i saw this movie twice and laugh at every cheesy line, i love it! if your into movies that are kind of gory but still funny then you'll totally love this movie!



the movie has some really great one liners and its actually really funny. one of my favorite lines was "PMS isn't real Needy, it was invented by the boy-run media to make us seem like we're crazy." i saw this movie twice and laugh at every cheesy line, i love it! if your into movies that are kind of gory but still funny then you'll totally love this movie!

open-minded...actually your not

Okay so a frustration of mine is when people who are so “open-minded” are so “closed minded” lol if that even makes sense. Its like come on is my way bad because its not your way …..umm that sounds pretty hypocritical to me. I just know that I believe we are equal and have the right to choice what we do or don’t do in our lives. As long as what you do doesn’t effect me and my family in a negative way then by all means go for it. And of course as long as you aren’t causing mental or physical pain to anyone or anything else. I think what im trying to say is don’t judge me because im not judging you.

finally!

so this was started as a sister website and now i can post too! so we both will be writting about feminist, fashion, our lifes, pretty much anything that comes up in our life!
so for my first blog on this website, i'll talk about the snow! i live in northern va and we have had TONS of snow! this weekend, i think it was around 30 inches and we are supposed to get another 10-20 inches..oh geeze! i'm already suffering from cabin fever! school has been cancelled friday, monday and today. i'm thinking my school should just throw in the towel and just cancel for all week. the roads are still totally effed and with upcoming storm its only going to get worse!
here's a picture of my car, i took this yesterday. it stopped snowing sat..and its still this bad..ughh

ughh the super bowl ads

i was really disgusted by most of the super bowl commercials. the emasculated man was a big theme in most of the commercials. i don't understand why ad agencies wouldn't take women into considerations with commercials. they were extremely misogynist.
there was one commercial for a tire company, where you see a car drive up and a villain says to the driver, your tires or your life, then cut to the car and the driver pushing out his wife. oh the old joke of just take my wife. the guys tires were really worth more than his own wife. wow, really guy. she's not even worth the whole car, just the tires.


there was another ad, for flo tv, where a man is flowing his girlfriend around while she lingerie shopping, there is a commentator talking about how much a spineless man he is because he's not watching tv. it makes no sense to me that a man wouldn't want to help pick out the sexy lingerie that his girlfriend will be wearing later. in the end of commercial the commentator tells the emasculated boyfriend "Change out of that skirt, Jason." bc he's such a little girl. haha so funny!



another commercial that had the emasculated man in a different form was a doritos commercial where a man comes into a house, looks a women up and down then sits next a toddler with a bowl of doritos on the coffee table. the man grabbed for a chip and the little boy slaps the man across the face and tells the man "put it back! (ie. the dorito) keep your hands off my momma and keep your hands off my doritos" the way i took the commercial is that the little boy probably no older than 5, owns his mom or in control of her, while he's just a baby is still the head of the house. here's a that commercial:



there was one that caught my eye, it was the budweiser commercial with the clydesdales horse and the little bull. it was cute and heartwarming. here it is if you didn't see it.


here's a link to one of my favorite feminist websites that also talked about the lameness of the super bowl ads.


here's another link to another great feminist website talking about the super bowl ads



--Christina

Boyfriend Jeans / Sweaters / Shirts......etc..........

Just read an article about toddler "boyfriend" jeans.....we live in a sick sad world.........and i got to thinking.....hmmm why arent there "girlfriend" jeans for guys....i see little emos everywhere with tight "girl" looking jeans............but i have a better idea why dont we drop the "boyfriend" and just call them "comfy" or "period" jeans.........lol just a thought.

xoxo

Moni