addicting, inspiring, and entertaining all in one!

You HAVE to check out Obama in 30 seconds. You can rate 30 second video clips created with barack's words and ideas as the inspiration. I got chills from a few- and hey- it's only 30 seconds at a time. So Easy!

Makes me want to change careers...

For as long as I can remember (ok, since the fall of 2002) I have wanted to work in the global health field, and specifically in improving maternal and child health in developing countries.

I was inspired by the Millennium Development Goals and that a goal existed for both child and maternal health. The goals were stated in 2000 and here we are eight years later, and beyond the half way point to achieve these ambitious, yet necessary and long overdue goals to create a safer, healthier world.

Three-quarters of the 68 countries most in need of improving mother and child mortality rates have made little, if any, progress in meeting internationally set goals over the past three years, according to a series of new reports.

From the U.S. News & World Report article:
# Tanzania is one of the few African nations on track to meet the goal of reducing child mortality, showing a 24 percent decline from 2000 to 2004. The report credits good program funding and several initiatives such as insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria, vitamin A supplementation, immunization and exclusive breast-feeding.
# South Africa is suffering major setbacks in meeting its goals because of pregnancy and childbirth complications, newborn illness, childhood illness, HIV and AIDS, and malnutrition. It is one of just 12 countries globally where the child mortality rate has risen since 1990.

Having traveled, studied, and worked (briefly) in health clinics in both South Africa and Tanzania- I feel a tug at my heart to jump back in this world.

Poverty, inequity, and sub standard health systems are such huge problems that will take decades to fix- I feel like I can go back any time. Is there a moment now to bring home the MDGs? Am I better suited to work in policy state side? I know when I go back to maternal and child health clinics and creches internationally I will not want to leave Africa again.

I scream, you scream...

Yes, we all scream for ice cream, though during the Cherry Blossom Festival it was still a little too cold to be lining up in droves. Even the saleslady is bundled up.

Mobile post sent by tanyalias using Utterz. Replies.

All Tapped Out

Did you know that 40% of bottled water is actually from the tap? Corporate Accountability International is running a campaign to help move people away from the environmentally damaging habit of bottled water and letting people in on the facts. Take the pledge today:

Let's pick up King's last crusade...

We are still struggling today with a growing divide of rich and poor, a further separation between the haves and have nots.

Why is this a problem? Because it is unjust.

In a society that pays out tens, even hundreds of millions to ex-CEOs who caused economic crises, why are there children without health insurance? How is it justifiable that there are people starving, homeless, scraping by when the scummiest among our nation are living in mansions without a fear of hunger, shelter, or livelihood? It isn't. It's the status quo- but don't get too comfortable- people are fighting for change, change along the lines of the Poor People's Campaign.

On the eve of the anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, read: King's final crusade: The radical push for a new America from CNN here:

A crisis kept quiet.

I've been on the hunt for more blogs that are my niche- be that D.C. area, women's interest, progressive politics, or international health -- I'm hungry. I came across one mentioned in Utne magazine today (feminism 2.0 article) feministing.com

I immediately read the second story (as of now) regarding an op-ed ran in the LA Times entitled "What rape crisis?" 2/25/08. After reading this piece, the op ed, the source article, and all 92 comments on feministing I was prompted to write the following. It is personal, real, raw, and well quite frankly, not something I've shared like this before.

A far too common tale- any college campus, any semester.
I have a personal story that may help the doubters out there; and I invite victim advocates to use as an example. I am a strong willed woman, not a victim or passive by any stretch of the imagination. In college, I maintained a stellar academic record and balanced extracurriculars. I helped found a national advocacy organization and participated in everything from marching band to student government.

I made the decision when I turned 18 to no longer engage in sexual intercourse until marriage (Sure, I was pressured into that decision when I was 11 by my church, but I finally felt like it was the right decision for me in my religious walk, and my high school boyfriend wholeheartedly supported that decision). Jump ahead three years to when I was spending a semester studying in a different city: I became the unthinkable 1 in 4 victim.

I had two male peers escort me back to campus from an off-campus party. I knew them from the cafeteria and conversations in the dorms. We were what you would consider casual acquaintances. Back on campus after the party, we shared wine and other drinks- and I became pretty intoxicated quickly (I wasn't a big drinker, and I had the false security of being in my dorm room). One of my male friends hung around- (where was my roommate? I ask now)and eventually led me down one stop on the elevator to his room. I don't remember agreeing to go with him or how he convinced me it would be a good idea at midnight on a school night to go hang out in his room. I don't remember that part- and the next thing I do remember is horrifying. He was holding me down by the chest and what I considered then as having sex with me. Coming to at that point was frightening. I didn't know what to do- it was dark, I was confused, I tensed up and stayed quiet. I waited for him to fall asleep and then slipped out of the room at some point in the night. As I was leaving- I noticed his roommate asleep in the bed no more than 6 feet away.(How did he not hear anything- was he used to this?)

I didn't call a rape crisis center or go to the police. Why? Looking back I think I blamed myself. I walked away from this encounter and blamed the alcohol and my foolishness for getting into such a situation. I called a couple girlfriends that morning and tried to describe what happened- and they didn't call it rape either.

The next couple times I saw him- I tensed up, felt a rush of adrenaline, and was so embarrassed. Then I figured, I messed up- I ruined my vow of celibacy- what does it matter and tried to make things right by talking to the guy. I thought if I tried to develop a relationship with him it would make it somehow ok, and take away the shame- that if this guy wanted to have me as a girlfriend and exercised poor judgment that once that it could be forgiven. Instead, I wound up engaging in a sexual act a couple weeks later and feeling even worse about the situation afterwards.

I immediately fell into depression- I gained 30 pounds in 3 months and felt so alone- yet I didn't know why. It took 6 months for me to realize that my experience was rape. (sparked by a print story on an Afghani woman gang raped during the war I had an emotional outburst and cried for days- somehow I realized that pain and unfairness struck a chord deep within me). You see, I always thought rape was a physically violent act and you would most likely die from it. Apparently, my closest girlfriends thought that too. Once I realized that it was rape, I sought counseling- and started to piece my life back together. After researching more and talking to more of my peers bluntly about it- I found a handful of my friends who had been raped or otherwise assaulted- a few of them spoke out at events like "Take back the night", a couple were pressing charges, but most shrugged and said it's a part of life that we have to deal with-- and many more didn't even consider drunken encounters with little recollection and no consent as assault and rape. When I finally told my mother what had happened she blamed the alcohol and said that is a part of life. She too has been misled and quite possibly had a similar experience to respond so coldly (when my mother would usually threaten anyone's life who hurt me).

In summary- though I am an intelligent, strong woman I was victimized and raped by an acquaintance and did not consider it rape at first. I did not have a working definition that occurs in reality- I did not have the resources or tools to combat the violence taken out against me or the support system to overcome it. Now, 4 years later I am able to say that the rape experience does not define me and I am so much more than that- and I am finally at a point where I think sharing my story- though it is still painful, embarrassing, and not the "physical violent" rape you see on CSI, but I believe my story is more common than pop culture's perpetuated misleading definition of and about rape.

Understanding the mortgage crisis...

This site clearly explains just how f***ed we are in a nice visual format. Hey, it's a start.