Sunday, February 17, 2019

"Out with disposable, in with the reusable"/ donate tampons

This article is about menstruation.  I decided to post this because I read an article in the Edmonton Journal about donating tampons to women's shelters.

If you're a man, there is a high chance you will skip those articles.

If you're a woman, there is still a chance you will skip those articles.  That's fine.  You can go to the "my week" part.


Nov. 28, 2016 "Out with disposable, in with the reusable": Today I found this article by Bonnie Wertheim in the Globe and Mail:


It’s a great time to get your period.

Today girls and women are talking openly about menstruation, a topic long considered taboo. They have even put periods on the public agenda, demanding free feminine hygiene products in public restrooms and tax-free tampons and pads.

Some are also challenging the methods women have used to cope with periods, rejecting disposable pads and tampons altogether. Instead, they are using menstrual cups, reusable pads, special underwear or nothing at all.

To be sure, these alternative methods of menstrual management represent just a fraction of the $19 billion global market for period products. While they aren’t for everyone, they are catching on among some women who say the alternatives make menstruation more hygienic, less costly, more discreet and less wasteful.

Andrea Velázquez, 25, learned about a tampon alternative — the reusable menstrual cup — from a friend three years ago and hasn’t bought a box of tampons since. The major selling point for her was cost savings. Menstrual cups range in price from $20 to $40 and are replaced about once a year. By comparison, an annual supply of tampons and pads costs about $120.

“If you add it up, you end up using a good chunk of money on tampons and pads,” she said.
While tampons and pads are designed to absorb menstrual fluid and be thrown away, the cup is made of flexible silicone and is worn inside the vagina to catch menstrual blood. The cup is emptied, washed and reinserted twice a day.

The cup also appeals to Ms. Velázquez because it’s discreet. She no longer has to walk “home with a big box of tampons in a clear white bag” or hide tampons up her sleeve. “Especially once I entered the work force, I remember finding a way to sneakily bring them into the bathroom,” she said.

Carinne Chambers, co-founder and chief executive of Diva International, which makes the DivaCup, said most consumers seem to learn about menstrual cups from one another. “A lot of women think they’re relatively content with their options because it’s all they’ve ever known,” Ms. Chambers said. “They’re not necessarily looking for something new.”

Other options include reusable cloth products, including Thinx period underwear, a moisture-wicking, absorbent underwear that is washed and reused and is sold for $15 to $40. Cloth pads, like those sold by Lunapads and GladRags, consist of a holder and a set of absorbent fleece inserts which should be changed every two to six hours. Because they are made of breathable material, they resist strong odors. The companies also sell small carrying pouches with separate compartments for used and fresh inserts. Reusable pads cost $15 to $20.

Nora Lovotti, 27, was intrigued when she saw ads for Thinx period underwear on the New York City subway this summer.

“For me at this point, I take birth control, and my period is relatively light,” she said. “I was getting to the point where I felt like tampons were kind of excessive.”

Thinx markets its underwear as either an alternative to or a backup for disposable feminine products made with rayon or bleached cotton. They are made up of three layers: an external nylon layer; a moisture-wicking, antimicrobial, absorbent and leakproof gusset; and an inner layer of cotton. Some women opt for reusable products because they worry about long-term exposure to the chemicals in bleached products. Others are concerned about toxic shock syndrome, a rare bacterial infection associated with superabsorbent tampon use.


For Ms. Lovotti, the risk of toxic shock, although very low, still nagged at her. “I did have a friend in college who had toxic shock,” she said. “In the back of my mind, I was always concerned.”


Thinx also has gained attention on social media because it has featured Sawyer DeVuyst, a transgender male model in its ad campaign. Mr. DeVuyst said that, for about five years between his coming out as transgender and beginning hormone therapy, he continued to menstruate. While changing a pad or a tampon in a men’s room might cause embarrassment or even endanger a transgender man, wearing period boyshorts that resemble boxer briefs might make an alienating process a little easier, Mr. DeVuyst said.

“A lot of people don’t realize that some men do get their periods because it’s just not talked about,” Mr. DeVuyst said in a video.

A more extreme rejection of mainstream period products comes in the form of “free bleeding.” The method gained attention when the musician Kiran Gandhi crossed the finish line at the 2015 London Marathon in bloodstained leggings. She had gotten her period the night before and decided that a tampon would be too uncomfortable to wear through the race, and she used the moment to make a statement.

“I ran with blood dripping down my legs for sisters who don’t have access to tampons and sisters who, despite cramping and pain, hide it away and pretend like it doesn’t exist,” Ms. Gandhi wrote on her blog after completing the marathon tampon-free. “I ran to say, it does exist, and we overcome it every day.”

Maggie Whalen, 24, a longtime DivaCup user, said she realized that there were days during her cycle when she had a lighter flow and using the cup was irritating. Now on those days, she forgoes the cup entirely. “I’ve kind of started experimenting with it,” she said.

Miki Agrawal, chief executive and co-founder of Thinx, said that new interest in alternative menstrual hygiene is part of more accepting attitudes about periods as a natural biological function.

“Women now look at their uterine lining and really feel empowered by it rather than shamed by it,” said Ms. Agrawal.





My week:

Sun. Feb. 10, 2019 Work: Today there was a reservation of 4 people.  That was all.  However, Fri. and Sat. nights were busy.

Today the other parts of the company was busy.

Ashley Ballard: She is a singer who sang "Don't Get Lost in the Crowd" and is on the Center Stage movie soundtrack.

Here's the song: 

I then started listening to her music on YouTube.  If you like pop and R&B, you'll like this.

West Edmonton Mall:

Town shoes: This store closed down.  There are still a lot of shoe stores in the mall.

Armani Exchange: This store closed down.  It's not on the WEM website and it says so on this site:

Louis Vuitton: This store will open where Banana Republic was. 


Mon. Feb. 11, 2019 Spring 2019 TV season: There are new shows coming out.  Here are a couple of pilots I want to check out:

Whiskey Cavalier: It comes on Wed. Feb. 27, 2019 on CTV.  It stars Scott Foley (from Felicity) and Lauren Cohan (from The Walking Dead.)

"An FBI agent and his new partner, a CIA operative, embark on missions to save the world, but have to put up with each other first."


The Enemy Within: It comes on Sun. Mar. 3, 2019 on CTV.  It stars Jennifer Carpenter (from Dexter).

"Former CIA agent, Erica Shepherd, who is the most notorious traitor in modern history is brought out of a federal supermax prison to help stop some of the most dangerous acts of espionage threatening the United States today."

The pilot: "Former CIA agent, Erica Shepherd, who is the most notorious traitor in modern history is brought out of a federal supermax prison to help stop some of the most dangerous acts of espionage threatening the United States today. "

I should write some TV and movie reviews to mitigate my excitement. 


Krystal Jackson: Own Your Power Series: I was listening to her last telesummit in Dec. 2018.  Now she puts in another.


Day 1 is finally here of the Own Your Power Series!! 

If you have ever had the feeling of knowing you were meant for something more in your life, then you are in the right place!
Today we have two powerful women to kick this event off!! 
Read a little about each woman below. 

Lisa Bilyeu is the co-founder and president of Impact Theory and Quest Nutrition with her husband Tom Bilyeu.
In our interview you will learn: 
  • How she went from housewife to co-founder of a billon dollar company.
  • How to say YES to yourself. 
  • The power of believing in yourself. 
  • And find out what her passion is behind Wonder Woman and what new project she has coming up!! 

Donate tampons: Today I found this article "Donation drive battles the menstruation taboo" by Elise Stolte in the Edmonton Journal:
The woman was begging for money, same as every day. But this time, as Scarlet Bjornson reached to find some change, she asked the woman why.
The answer was both mundane and shocking: she wanted alcohol but needed tampons.
“I had never, ever thought of that,” said Bjornson, at that time a real estate agent living in Mill Woods. Bjornson went to her car, gave the woman her emergency stash of menstrual products, and that evening started planing a donation drive.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the people I talk to, they haven’t thought of it either,” she said as she prepared to launch the second annual drive this month. It’s a deeply personal need, tied up with such emotion. But response has been strong and No Women Without now has more than one dozen donation locations across the city. They’re collecting pads, tampons and menstrual cups throughout February to restock shelves at Bissell Centre, Win House and other crisis organizations.

If public washrooms stocked backup menstrual pads, you’d see costs come down. Someone would make a cheap version, just as they make cheap toilet paper. Most people would still bring their own supplies, but no woman or trans person would have to leave a public hearing, for example, before their chance to speak because they ran stuck, just as they don’t have to leave city hall to use a washroom.
What No Women Without and All Cycles are doing is admirable. But it’s really just a band aid. Women, men and trans people are now welcome to participate equally in public life, so all their basic needs should be considered in a public washroom, too.

My opinion: There are women who are comfortable talking about it and others that aren't.  I remember working at my first restaurant job.

Here is someone not comfortable talking about it. B is in her late teens.
B: Do you have any stuff?
Tracy: You mean cups and glasses?
B: No, stuff.

Another time, Br is in her 20s.
Br: I hate getting my period!

L is in her 50s.
L: I usually get emotional before I get my period.

"Swipe right for puppy love": Today I found this article by Ludas Dapkus in the Edmonton Journal.  This is a helpful app:

    If the pooch melts your heart, swipe right.

    Animal lovers in Lithuania have created a mobile application inspired by the popular dating app Tinder to match up dogs in local shelters with new owners.
    Called GetPet, the app was launched last month and is getting hundreds of new users daily and already has made a few matches. It joins a growing market of apps for people looking to adopt a pet, including PawsLikeMe and BarkBuddy.
    “It is like Tinder, but with dogs,” said Vaidas Gecevicius, one of app’s creators. “You can arrange a meeting with the dog — a date.”

    Feb. 14, 2019 Happy Love Day!: This is from The Simpsons:


    I watched the new episode called "I'm Dancing as Fat as I Can" where Homer learns how to dance to win back Marge after watching a TV show without her.  It wasn't a Valentine's Day episode, but it was romantic.

    I watched The Rookie ep "Heartbreak" which is set on that day.

    Feb. 15, 2019 "Bond with your partner...round and round": Today I found this article by Linda Blair in the Edmonton Journal.  Here's an excerpt:

    It’s not hard, therefore, to understand why humans everywhere dance, and have always done so. Dance was one of the earliest — if not the earliest — means of interpersonal communication, and good dancers had an evolutionary advantage. Dancing also raises self-esteem, enhances creative problem solving ability, lifts mood, and allows us to connect emotionally.

    Feb. 16, 2019 Proven Innocent: I just saw the pilot.  It was average.  I will record the series and maybe watch it during the summer when nothing else is on.

    "A legal team takes on cases involving wrongful convictions."

    The Passage: I then saw the promo for this show, and it aired 5 eps already.  It's on Mon. night at Fox.  I read the TV show description and was like: "I read those book reviews."  Now I recorded the series and will watch it.

    I went on Telus on Demand and YouTube, but I couldn't find the episodes I missed.

    "When a botched U.S. government experiment turns a group of death row inmates into highly infectious vampires, an orphan girl might be the only person able to stop the ensuing crisis."

    The highlight of the week: 

    Friends:

    Feb. 14, 2019: After I passed some resumes out, I visited my old boss/ friend Ad at his restaurant.  We chatted for a bit about his business.

    Feb. 15, 2019: I had scheduled a call with my old boss/ friend (from the home installation place.)  We talked for 36 min.

    Feb. 16, 2019: I called some friends and Dan L. called back and I told him about those above TV shows

    No comments: