ACT NOW: Call upon the government of Tanzania to halt on-going genital mutilation of girls and women in the Tarime district. - mnm1512914@gmail.com

Take 1 second (or 60 if you're slower than a neuro gimp), and SIGN this petition.

Call upon the government of Tanzania to halt the on-going genital mutilation of girls and women in the Tarime district.
(click above to go directly to the signature page; or indulge yourself (and me) and read my little treatise on female genital mutilation.

I know exactly where I was standing the moment I learned about this nightmare, a cultural practice, a rite of passage, it's variations in extremes, the death rates, the philistine unsophistication of the doer's butchery, the tacit cultural and cultural antitheses' acceptance of unsurmizable inequities: teen and pre-teen vaginas turned into scar tissue with a pus-filled, sealed entrance... barely the size of a pinhole camera, and that little hole is about the same as her chance of survival - not of her future, not of anything strange or unusual, this is the norm, the expected, dirty scalpels, and unsterile environment.

It's hard to believe there is worse pain than that. It's hard to believe that CRPS, Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome Stage 4, full body, external/internal,  is a 24/7 pain that could rival even one second of that on a scientific pain measurement chart.

But female circumcision is not listed. If it were, it wouldn't certainly rise to the top, above finger amputation no Novocaine, natural childbirth, the vast and incurably endless pain of CRPS. And I imagine that in some practicing countries, the men would celebrate this as a victory. We won! We won!

Lucky to survive, the girl and what parts she has left, what life span she is given, waits to be married.

I could read every article, every Vanity Fair, the Koran, every anthropological study or scientific journal, and I will never understand. Why not even a compromise to start with? Why not remove a kidney? Weigh her down with an antiquated chastity belt? Preach safe sex; the beauty of making love, in love? In how many societies are women all myth, an allegorical Eve?  Why do I not feel guilty eating the last apple in the fruit bowl?

This "practice", this keeping of culture, ritual, butcherous belief-system - the antithesis (in my view) of sacred -  but not a word turned on the heel of it's latter syllables. She is a SACrificial lamb in a dirt-filled room, watched by family, villagers, and now the remnants -  photographed and published in mainstream and English. It is the most extreme variation on the theme.

Infibulation,  this is what we  have named it  - this is what we call it in white talk, West talk, activist mottos ripe with rhyming possibilities for emphasis and memorability only.

She is still a child, waiting, even in severe pain every time she pees, waiting for the naming of the  muslim man who will marry her - only if he can break her open. Literally, break her.

Rip apart a body part that once had lips. Imagine this, your lips sliced off, the remaining skin pulled taught and sewn together. No anesthesia. No percocet recovery.

This is called infibulation (a word not even recognized by spell check). A word new to me until I was just passing the latest possible age to be infibulated myself. But I would be stoned instead. That is how a "whore" like me would be treated. What else is there to do to a woman or girl found to be sexually active before, or after the end of marriage?

More than the photographic analogy (the 1993 or '94 Vanity Fair Article that tangled and untangled me for years following,) saturating page upon page somewhere between George Clooney, or some form of Hollywood Beauty was on the cover(I think) and perfumed perfume ads, were these pages, these horrifying pages, scarier than the madman I lived with at 18 with no escape route either. But I had my art.

These women, what did they have? It was easier to figure out what the negatives: the did not have anesthesia, no art involved, nor just reason, no hospital, no novacaine, no options, no choice.

In web-centric world of 1,001 blogs, zines still making a scene - Winnipeg Free Press

Even more interesting than the Canadian article, named and linked in the title above and the link at the bottom of this page), are the quotes within from one my publishers (feel free to make online comments about my story from the last issue, or share with all you love and hate because making Melanie a popular poet is (or isn't) on your To-Do List).

Hal Niedzviecki, prolific author of all things, including the nonfiction book, Hello: I'm Special, as well as Editor and Publisher of the Canadian zine, Broken Pencil.

In web-centric world of 1,001 blogs, zines still making a scene - Winnipeg Free Press

Democracy Now! | July 29, 2010

I can't remember why I thought this was important, but I added it to the posting cue, therefore it is! So click anyway.

Democracy Now! | July 29, 2010

REVIEW: Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing (Vol.1, No. 1, Sept 2009)

Editor: Ernest Dempsey
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
Publication Website: www.recoveringself.com
Also available at Amazon.com**






REVIEW
by me

Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing is a new quarterly magazine-sized journal that concerns itself with wide-ranging issues within the realm of health and all of its incarnations, including personal growth, relationships and family, trauma recovery, living with disabilities, addictions of all sorts, veterans’ issues, and bereavement.

In its first ambitious volume, published September 2009, the variety of its contents, depending on the “health” of your mood could exemplify the let’s-fit-as-much-in-as-possible-first-timer-syndrome or an all-inclusiveness that might be appreciated by those on the outside of many of the issue’s themes, or the perfect reading remedy for any health-related ADD or ADHD.

In editor Ernest Dempsey’s introduction to the collection, he speaks to an uninformed, inexperienced reader, rather than a reader that has lived, shared, or stood by watching and feeling the all encompassing hope and healing theme.

Big mistake.

Even a pre-teen could tell you that “pain invades our lives in different guises—illness, trauma, bereavement, accident, crime, and all forms of physical and emotional injury. Littered with hackneyed phrases, such as “the precious gift of life”, “tender as a rose” (gag), “painful experiences” (duh), “recovery is…[fill in blank with obvious and overly simplistic words]”, “the shackles of stress”, and on, and on, and on – so much so, that I almost got sick just from reading it. It’s the sort of crap you expect from self-ordained, self-help gurus that end up in the bargain books pile faster than you can get through the drive-thru at McDonalds.


Unfortunately, what could be a profound and far-reaching magazine that could appeal to poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and/or self-help reader, lacks insight – even from its Ph.D. authors. In the contents section, “Inspiration”, Dr. Barbara Sinor, a therapist and (self-???)* published author of four books, chooses to rely on the easy and obvious in her nonfiction essay that redeems itself by its sincerity and empathy. “You can learn to re-create your own reality,” she writes “by discovering…patterns…which [sic] were accepted I childhood.”

The most informative, interesting, and well-written piece in the entire journal is “Sex, Gender, and Personality Disorders” by Sam Vaknin, who has authored 10 or such books on the subject. And of course this is the most interesting, because who doesn’t like hearing about really screwed up people when you’re looking for self-healing? Instant ego-boost!

Unfortunately, Vaknin makes many assertions that although interesting, such as “Men…mature earlier, die earlier, are more susceptible to infections...cancer…dislexi[a]…and…suicide,” they lack any researchable reference, so we have to assume these are just the opinions of the author. And to be honest, I don’t know many people, especially women and even most men, who would agree that men mature earlier than women. But the big wow of the article for me was the enlightening fact that “the brain structures of homosexual sheep are different to those of straight sheep.” Don’t you love a good brain structure?

It’s hard not to be hackneyed when talking about healing and hope, and that’s the challenge that every writer on this subject needs to overcome to reach its reader – unless they’re looking to speak to cliché-lovers-united, a group that may or may not exist, but with a tiny publication like this, probably wouldn’t find its way into their petal-soft hands in due time.

I applaud Dempsey’s vision, as well as, Love Healing Press, Inc., Recovering the Self’s publisher, and I offer them hope that their work will travel the journey of self-help and recovery, because people interested in healing – from whatever malaise – could find great use of this periodical/journal/mish-mash of everything and anything, even movie reviews.

I just wish it weren’t so, well, to protract the oh-so-familiar spirit of this well-meaning premier volume, run of the mill.



*On further research, I found that the majority of Dr. Spinora's books were "published" by vanity-type publishing houses that include Modern History Press Books AND Loving Healing Press, which seem to be the same entity.

** In my endless link search, I found that this publications received 8 glowing reviews on Amazon.com. Makes ya think. Either I'm a total dumbass, snob missing the beauty between the lines, or they have a lot of friends or a well-placed advertising budget.

OH JOY: Deal on Designer Journals - 2 Days Only

OH JOY

"In the era of texts and Tweets, sometimes we stray from our dear old friends, paper and pen. But not Joy Deangdeelert Cho. After working in graphic design and advertising, Joy transitioned into textiles at Cynthia Rowley and then home accessory design for the Swell line at Target. Clearly, she’s got good taste. In 2005, the Oh Joy! Studio was born, producing notebooks and stationary for the everywoman. We’ve been perfecting our penmanship ever since." - from Billion Dollar Babes


MY PERSONAL FAVE...&...THE DEAL COMES TO A CLOSE TOMORROW!

OH JOY - Metallic Woodcut Duet in Silver/Copper

$20 ($27 Retail)

Need I say more?.... Perhaps.

JUST 1(ish..w, or 3ish?) THING(s):

First, this is a VERY exclusive offer - only available to invitees or current members of Billion Dollar Babes (don't let the name confuse you...men can be babes too.) And, since if you're reading this, I love you already, I am extending a personal invite to you. No charge, I swear.

Second, if you're not picking up these precious potentials to hold the first draft of your next Oprah's pick novel, a gift to yourself to decorate your bookshelf or coffee table, or a present for your beloved of any kind, there's always me!

Third, if I am your giftee of the week, just email me (with proof of purchase), and I'll give you my mailing address, or something close to it.


PLUS!!!! GET THE DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Joy Deangdeelert Cho
In addition to deals, deals, deals, Billion Dollar Babes, gives you an exclusive Designer Spotlight, providing all of you "I Need to Know Everything Before I Buy or Use Peeps" the specs you'll need: covering Oh Joy's beautiful visionary, Ms. Cho, on her thoughts from inspiration to the intersection between design and fashion, and how she makes visual decisions for her personal blog.


PS. BOOBS
After you've finished your journalistic journey, check into my other blog, Neuro Detour, and take a minute (or less) to enter your answer in the new $1 to play, neuroutrageous Q&A game, Let's Play! Scatterneuries!! This week's category: RSD (CRPS) & BOOBS.

DJ CHEF - Helping Wildlife Effected by BP Oil Spill

DJ CHEF - Helping Wildlife Effected by BP Oil Spill

This hip and cheap fundraiser in the even "hipper" hipster not so cheap G Lounge sounds to be worth the $10 investment. And, I bet they have air conditioning. You might see me there. I'm all for slick [pun intended], when it's for way way more than a good cause, a necessary call to action.

Click on the link above or the post title for full details.

Trust Women...Support a Pro-Choice America

FROM MY INBOX TO YOURS...ACTION 4 ACTION
This just in from Nancy Keenan, President, of NARAL Pro-Choice America... Declare your support of the "Trust Women" campaign with a $10 donation and receive a “Trust Women” wristband:

Our “Trust Women” wristband campaign is wrapping up, but I still need you to take part. We must stand with the many pro-choice Americans nationwide who have already declared their support.

Donate today and get your “Trust Women” wristbands.

Dr Tiller often wore a button on his lapel that featured his motto, “Trust Women.” After Dr. Tiller’s murder, Dr. LeRoy Carhart, an abortion provider in Nebraska, wore the pin as a tribute to his friend and colleague…and we created this wristband to carry forward the message.

That’s why when you to donate $10 today to NARAL Pro-Choice America, we will send you a “Trust Women” wristband to honor the legacy of Dr. Tiller…and to show your solidarity with Dr. Carhart and all of the doctors and nurses out there who trust women.

Dr. LeRoy Carhart has been a vocal supporter of a woman’s right to safe, legal abortion care. He is one of the few abortion providers to whom women in heart-breaking circumstances can turn. And the anti-choice movement has made him a target of their attacks by enacting a divisive and invasive anti-choice law aimed directly at threatening Dr. Carhart and the women he serves.

In fact, Mary Spaulding Balch of the National Right to Life Committee recently told Politico, “When George Tiller was killed, LeRoy Carhart had national attention. That alerted Speaker Mike Flood to the problem in Nebraska, and he worked to address that.”¹

We cannot let anti-choice operatives go unchecked. Donate today and receive your “Trust Women” wristband.

Anti-choice zealots have proven that they are willing to use both violence and legislation to oppress women. That’s why we need the support of each and every pro-choice American today.

This is your opportunity to show our opponents that we will not be intimidated.

Donate $10 today, and we will send you a “Trust Women” wristband. Please join us and stand against anti-choice violence and intimidation.

Sincerely,

Nancy Keenan, President
NARAL Pro-Choice America

¹“States Test Abortion Limits,” Politico.com, April 28, 2010.

Coming up Next...Trenton Ave Arts Fest (Philly)

I'm sure you all have missed me soooooo much. After all, as one long-distance friend asked via text, "Why are you harder to get a hold of than the pope?"

The answer, my friends, is that I am - as most of you know by now - a full-time neuro-ite x 3.5, which is the equivalent of 3.5 full-time jobs without any staff (other than my Pittsburgh-based mom, yay mom!).

My latest escapade involved a 10-day treatment schedule of IV Ketamine, that made quite a dent into my horrific RSD flare-up, but didn't punch the bugger out of my body completely and kept me clinic- and couch-bound for 2 weeks and counting.

So, altho you may not see me on the streets much anymore, or even in my apt bldg hallway, I'm steppin' out this Saturday to return to the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival with new (and some old) works, including (drum rolllllllllll) a flower and a my-own-blood paintings series, and this year, I'll have affordable drawings and collages too.

While I have been lucky (in my new-found visual art "career") to have gained popularity and collectors, I'm still a socialist artist at heart, and my prices still reflect that...starting at $10 and up to $300.

Wow! Now, that's a bargain and a 1/2!!!

So bring some cash, or a lot, and spend it on a good cause - me. When you buy one of my paintings, etc., you're not only getting a beautiful, heartfelt, emering-artist, soon-to-be-worth so much more collectible, you're also helping to support a full-time sicko on disability and insurance that covers only 1/2 of my medical expenses (did I hear someone say, corruption?) which are becoming greater and greater than SSDI can give.

You'll be ensuring that I stay insured until medicare kicks in next year - and until then, as long as COBRA extends itself to that date, I'm looking at at least $700/mo for insurance that doesn't even cover much of my care.


Thanks, and see you Saturday!

PS
Don't know where it is? View this interactive map.

I'm in a Group Show!....Opening art party tonight. Come!

Click on the title to go to the post...It's worth the exercise.

Neologism of the Moment

ginkgoing

definition:
v. Taking Ginkgo Biloba to improve memory, esp. at an age typically younger than when memory loss may begin.

examples:

Bro, didn't you say that "this is the most effed up video I've ever seen" the last time you posted a video? It's time you start ginkgoing. Note: This is a real response. The video referred to in this example can be viewed on the Fail Blog.

I'm losing my mind! I need a sugar daddy so I can afford to begin ginkgoing.

tags:
gingko biloba, memory, memory enhancing, drugs, senility, alzheimers, alternative medicine, herbs, complimentary medicine, cam, gingko, gingkoing

****

Note from author (me):
I posted this to Urban Dictionary under the moniker NeuroDetour on Jan 13, 2010 (today). Let's see if they accept it!

Fun Fundraiser this Friday for Leukemia & Lymphoma

You may be able to live on this earth your entire life without ever knowing someone with a neuro disorder (unless you join my neuro circle), but I can't imagine that there's a person out there that hasn't been touched, harmed, hopeless or hopeful, or in mourning from a friend, relative, or acquaintance with either Leukemia or Lymphoma.

In my 34 years, I lost a great uncle to leukemia, made an inspirational friend who has been fighting a rare form of lymphoma for 20+ years, and just last month while getting plasmapharesis, a young mother of 3(?) sat on the bed next to me as her hair fell out and her stem cells were collected to treat her 2nd bout of lymphoma.

For something so unpleasant, we philly/regional phillyians can have some fun, get a buzz, and meet other socially minded people this Friday - all in support of all of the above.

I'm getting treatment this Friday, but if I'm up to it, I'll be there.

Details below:

What: VIS/CCA

When: Friday, January 15, 2010 7:00 PM

Price: $5.00 per person

Where:
The American Pub at Centre Square
1500 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
267-639-6104

Party for a Cause

COME ON OUT AND PARTY FOR A GREAT CAUSE!

Where: American Pub, 1500 Market St. Philly
When: Friday, Jan 15, 7 to 11 pm

The brand new American Pub at Center Square will be partnering
with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Team in Training to host an
E X T E N D E D Happy Hour fundraiser!

A $5 donation at the door (100% of which goes to the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society) will get you these GREAT drink specials from
7-11 pm:

$3 Select drafts
$4 Well drinks and domestic wines
$5 Specialty drinks and Belvedere vodka drinks
$6 Martinis

(They originally offered to have this event go two hours, but
the American Pub has agreed to extend these specials for FOUR
hours!)

There will also be having a 50/50 raffle & a silent auction
with many exciting prizes up for grabs!

MAKE SURE TO BRING CASH FOR THE COVER AND AUCTIONS!!!

All are welcome to attend. Please feel free and encouraged to
invite friends.

P.S. Come hungry--everything on the pub menu is under $10!
(Food will be available until 10 pm.)
http://www.theamerica...

P.P.S. The pub location is in the 1500 Market St. Bldg. Just
take the escalator downstairs into The American Pub.

For those who can't attend, you can still support Leukemia &
Lymphoma research at
http://pages.teamintr...

Learn more here: (I just became a member)
http://volunteerism.m...