This is Obscene

During our own industrial revolution women were made ill and burned to death in garment factory fires.  But there was no internet, no BBC to report facts.  Today we have the power to protect those who clothe us.  Please read the two petitions below, one from a girl, now a young woman, who cannot be safe and use her last name.  The other is from an organization urging Responsibility on corporate America.  Details are not graphic.

Change.org

Walmart, Gap & H&M: Protect factory workers against deadly fires like the ones that killed 122 people this weekend in Bangladesh.

Sign Lovely's Petition

My name is Lovely* and I live in Bangladesh. This weekend, my worst nightmare came

true.

Ever since I survived a fire in a garment factory I worked in when I was 11, I've

wondered when the next deadly fire would happen.

A few days ago, a fire killed at least 122 people who were working in a factory that

was making clothing for Walmart outside the capital, Dhaka. There were no emergency

exits and no evacuation plan.

People burned to death. It was my worst nightmare come true.

I started a petition on Change.org

 because I think American companies like Walmart can save others from suffering like

me and the 700 people who have died in factory fires in Bangladesh in the past 7

years.

Please sign my petition calling on Walmart and the largest retailers that buy Bangladeshi apparel to commit to a real fire safety program that is legally binding, transparent and empowers workers to fight for our own safety.

Already, two American companies -- Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein -- have joined

a comprehensive fire safety program for workers in Bangladesh. The program is transparent,

includes worker input and is legally binding.

 It will keep workers like me safe and give workers' families legal rights if fires

do happen.

The fires that do occur happen because most companies that buy the clothing we make

don't talk to us workers about what we need for our own safety. Instead, they abandon

us when factories like the one I worked in don't pass inspections.

 But we don't stop being in danger -- the companies just stop feeling responsible

for our safety.

Companies like Walmart, Gap and H&M can join Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein to save

lives in Bangladesh.

But only if we call on them to do so right now.

Please join me in calling on the top buyers from Bangladesh to do the right thing by signing my petition now.

Thank you.

Lovely from Bangladesh

*I am not revealing my last name for my own security.

 Start a petition

112 workers died brutal deaths in a massive fire in a Bangladesh textile factory.

The emergency exits were locked so they couldn't escape. Inspectors for Walmart had

designated the factory to be "high risk", but did not enforce greater safety procedures.

Tell Walmart it must join an independent fire safety inspection program to prevent

tragedies like this.

Sign the petition.

Last week, a

fire tore through a garment factory

in Bangladesh. With the

emergency exits locked

, hundreds of workers -- mostly women -- were trapped inside the nine-story factory.

112 people were killed.

And in the ashes of the fire, a local community leader discovered the burned labels

of Walmart-brand clothes.

Walmart is claiming it has no responsibility for the deaths, even though it was

 purchasing garments made in the very factory that burned down

. Worse, Walmart knew the risk to workers. Inspectors working for Walmart gave the

factory “high risk” and “medium risk” safety ratings just last year, and this year’s

follow-up report was never performed.

Tell Walmart it must join an independent fire safety inspection program supported by Bangladeshi and international labor unions, to prevent tragedies like this.

In the wake of this disaster, Bangladeshi garment workers are taking to the streets.

They are demanding that brands take responsibility for fire safety conditions in

factories. Walmart has a key role to play in meeting the workers’ demand for a safe

workplace, and we can join together to demand that Walmart act.

Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, and the largest buyer in Bangladesh

. If Walmart joined the fire safety inspection program already adopted by PVH (owner

of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and German retailer Tchibo to ensure that

all

 its suppliers enforced basic safety regulations -- and then worked with suppliers

to ensure that they were followed -- it could raise the standard for working conditions

across Bangladesh, and, in the process, prevent the potential injury or death of

thousands of workers.

Or Walmart could brush this off as nothing more than a minor PR disaster. The company

-- which said it ended its relationship with this supplier over the tragedy -- could

simply

move on to the next rock-bottom supplier, and the next, leaving more tragedy in its

wake

.

But Walmart is nothing without its customers and potential customers. That's why

it is up to us, using our power as citizen-consumers, to pressure Walmart to change

and force improvements in Bangladesh.

Click here to add your name to our petition to Walmart to sign onto the fire safety inspection program that other international brands have already signed.

Just over 100 years ago, a nearly identical story played out in New York City, at

the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. A fire broke out, and in the chaos, the workers

found all the exits to be locked. 146 people, mostly immigrant women, died that day.

In the wake of that tragedy, citizens rallied together and forced factory owners

to adopt important safety guidelines to protect workers. Let’s band together now

to make sure real change comes out of last week’s disaster, by pressing Walmart to

protect workers throughout its supply chain.

- Claiborne, Kaytee, Paul and the rest of us

P.S. We know we’ve been beating the drum about Walmart a lot lately, but the truth

is it is the largest company in the world, and it can afford to treat its workers

fairly across the entire supply chain. But Walmart won’t listen unless we make it

-- so

join us in calling for Walmart to ensure its suppliers protect workers’ safety in all the factories in its supply chain

.

*******************

Further information:

Salon:

Walmart's connection to firetrap Bangladesh factory

, 26 November, 2012

 SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations

accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

You can follow us on

Twitter

, and like us on

Facebook

.

Was this email forwarded to you?

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 to add yourself to SumOfUs.

 

Changes

While this blog Isn't nearly as important as the last one, it does give me the chance to share some personal observations.

First, "Hearts for Hearts" dolls.  Their faces all Feel pretty similar, bummer. But I understand that they look quite different from one another do to visual changes.

Second, money.  I think I'm going to have to leave the doll buying market for anything over $25 or $30.  I'm sure you collectors know what I'm talking about when I say "If I had known how much this doll Would be worth I wouldn't have . . ."  For me, of course, the sentence ends with, "taken that doll out of the box, played with it. . ."  But there's no fun for a blind person in a clear plastic window and a cardboard frame. Last night I was looking up some of my favorite Barbies.  Princess of the Nile, Princess of the Incas, Princess of Ancient Mexico, and Princess (a lie) of the Navajo.  Wow! are Those expensive dolls.  I don't care about the "Princess" bit, but they each have unique faces which I can easily identify.  Megabucks, that is what they cost, even on Ebay!

Anybody want to trade for a blonde "Supergirl" in mint condition except that one corner of her cape has been bent and although it has been straightened, it still shows a small crease on the outsice corner?  Sorry, no box.  When a tornado hit my doll collection in Winter, yes, Winter of 2008 I had to debox many dolls, including this one, to save the cape and doll.  But one Good thing about my dolls is no chew marks, no ink stains, etc.  Well, I thought not about the trade.

Personal.  I am on an extreme diet to cut out all carbs and drink green tea, using lots of spices, especially ginger which kills ovarian cancer cells.  It has proved to be an emotional/mental detox. as well as a physical one.  Not pleasant, bits of unpleasant flashbacks, etc. but I have to go on as though things are normal, not easy.  If my cancer blood marker score is knocked down (I expect it will be) I will Very Gradually add in some carbs.  Cancer loves to grow on sugar, and if it can't get that for rapid multiplication, it will make do with carbs.  I was eating healthy carbs, tar organic apples, hummus with veggies. dipped in it, beans and brown rice, old fashioned oatmeal with wallnuts dried fruit and spices, unsugared coconut for granola, etc.  I also ate blue corn, as I don't think they have managed a GMO version of that yet.  But though they were healthy carbs, Except for the weekly ice cream treat, they were too much.

Glad I love spices.  I'm dropping a bit of weight without trying, cayenne, hot chili peppers, and green tea are supposed to do that.  But I am tired of egg casseroles, and I'm not used to eating so much Meat!  It's deer, but I never used to eat meat but three to five times in a month.  Hard to digest.

Part of the emotional detox is working on an old Buddhist technique I was never able to succeed at before.  It's seeing your mind as a window.  When I feel pain or anger, etc.  I can either tense up, creating resistance to the pain which then adds clenched muscles unable to unlock and More pain, I can feel anger in return, (sometimes anger Is appropriate) or I can "open the window", refusing to claim an unpleasant or painful thing is "mine" while still acknowledging it's reality.  Then the unpleasantness and pain can fly through the window of my mind and they are no longer my responsibility.

Anger Is appropriate and a motivator to fight injustice, either to one's self or others.  But once I have done what I know to do about a situation it doesn't help me to stay angry.  As I said, I'm Working on this technique, I have Not Mastered it.  Hope it's useful to someone else.

Lives Ruined, Lives Scheduled to be Ended in Uganda

Lives Ruined, Lives Ended

The two Emails below seem equally important to me.  Please check them out.

Right now if a woman in the military is raped, insurance will not cover her abortion--a

ban more restrictive than the federal Hyde Amendment. That's wrong and the "Shaheen

Amendment" would end this ban.

Will you sign the petition asking Congress to pass the "Shaheen Amendment?"

click here

Click Here

Dear Teresa,

This week we have a big opportunity to do right by servicewomen, but it's going to

take all of us speaking out together--and quickly.

Here's the deal: Right now, if a woman in the military is raped and becomes pregnant,

her insurance will not cover the cost of an abortion if she chooses to have one.

She would have to pay for it out-of-pocket.

In 2011 over 471 rapes were reported in the military and the reality of sexual assaults

is MUCH higher--the Pentagon estimates only 13.5% of military rapes are reported.

1

 And most of these women make around $18,000 each year--meaning that if they end

up pregnant as a result of a rape, it could end their military careers if they can't

afford an abortion on their own.

2

Earlier this year, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed the "Shaheen Amendment"

that would end the ban on abortion coverage for rape survivors in the military with

bipartisan support. But conservatives in the House are blocking it.

3

  Now, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is back in front of Congress.

A vote could happen any day--so we need to speak out right now and tell Congress

they must pass the "Shaheen Amendment."

 Can you sign this petition asking Congress to pass the "Shaheen Amendment" to end

the ban on abortion coverage for servicewomen who are rape survivors? We'll deliver

your comments to Congress this week.

Add your name to the petition

The ban on abortion coverage for servicewomen is even more restrictive than the federal

Hyde Amendment that bans federal funding of abortion for civilians. Even the Hyde

Amendment allows for exceptions in the case of rape and incest.

4

Our servicewomen sacrifice everything for our country. And rape in the military is

a very serious problem. They deserve to have insurance coverage for abortion if they

become pregnant as a result of a sexual assault. We should not get in the way of

our servicewomen's rights to make their own personal, medical decisions--especially

when they are sacrificing so much for all of us.

Take Jessica Kenyon, who was serving in the military in Korea. She was raped by a

fellow soldier and became pregnant. Because of the ban in place now, she could not

find an affordable and safe abortion where she was stationed. And as a result of

trauma from her rape, she was discharged from the military, and eventually had a

miscarriage.

5

This week we have an opportunity to do better by the women who fight for us.  Let's

be sure to speak out.

Add your name to the petition

Thanks for speaking out!

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat and Karin, the UltraViolet team

Sources

1.

House GOP Blocking Abortion Access for Raped Soldiers,

 Mother Jones, June 13, 2012

2. Ibid

3.

What is the Shaheen Amendment?

 Stand with Servicewomen

4.

House GOP Blocking Abortion Access for Raped Soldiers,

 Mother Jones, June 13, 2012

5.

Senator Shaheen Champions Access to Reproductive Healthcare for Servicewomen,

 National Women's Law Center, June 14, 2012

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.

Change.org

Uganda's speaker of parliament has promised to pass a "Kill the Gays" bill in the next two weeks. Citibank and Barclays wield significant influence in Uganda, but have not spoken out against the bill.

Sign Collin's Petition

Teresa -

The speaker of the Ugandan parliament has promised she will pass the so-called "Kill

the Gays" bill in the next two weeks -- she called it a "Christmas gift" for the

Ugandan people.

The bill would legalize the death penalty for LGBT people and people with HIV or

AIDS.

Uganda experts say that one way to stop this bill is to get pressure from banks that

have significant resources invested in the country, such as Citibank and Barclays.

Citibank and Barclays together have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Uganda

and wield significant influence in the country, just as banking lobbyists wield influence

with Congress in the US.

Citibank and Barclays speaking out against the "Kill the Gays" bill might be the

best -- and only -- chance to stop it.

Collin Burton is a Citibank customer who is also gay.

Collin started a petition on Change.org asking Citibank and Barclays to speak out against the "Kill the Gays" bill. Click here to sign Collin's petition right now.

Citibank and Barclays are both big supporters of LGBT rights for their own employees,

yet they invest money with a government that is threatening to execute LGBT people.

"I expect Citibank and Barclays to live up to the values of equality and fairness,

not just list them on their websites," Collin says.

If Citibank and Barclays speak out against the "Kill the Gays" bill, Ugandan legislators

will see that they are risking the business relationships that keep their government

afloat.

Click here to sign Collin’s petition asking Citibank and Barclays to issue strong statements condemning Uganda’s "Kill the Gays" bill. The bill could come up for a vote any day, so swift action is essential.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

- Mark Anthony and the Change.org team

How Would You Feel If . . .

Write to Congress today.

View Mobile Version

View Mobile Version

Write to Congress.

How would you feel if I told you that our military women are banned from having insurance

coverage for abortion if they have been raped or endured incest?

I bet you're outraged. That was my personal reaction when I found out, so I'm doing

something about it.

Tell your Members of Congress to end the outrageous abortion coverage ban for servicewomen and military dependents who have been raped or suffered incest.

Write to Congress.

This cruel policy forces servicewomen and military dependents to pay the cost of

the abortion care they need if they become pregnant as the result of rape or incest,

unlike their civilian counterparts who also get their health insurance through the

federal government.

It doesn't have to be this way.

 Congress will soon finalize the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and they

have the opportunity to pass a version of the bill which removes this abhorrent ban.

Standing in its way, however, are some Members of Congress who are willing to play

politics with the women who serve this nation.

We can't allow that to happen.

 As your Members of Congress are home celebrating the holiday, your voice should

be in their head: Military women make sacrifices for us every day -- now it's our

duty to stand up for them.

End the abortion coverage ban for servicewomen and military dependents who become pregnant due to rape or incest. Contact your Members of Congress today.

Thank you for protecting women's reproductive health -- and thank you for making

it personal.

Sincerely,

Thao Nguyen

Campaign Manager

This Is Personal

Privacy Policy

All content © 2012 National Women's Law Center

11 Dupont Circle NW, #800

Washington, DC 20036

Native American dolls

Well, it's Thanksgiving which means Native people are once again kind of on the national radar.  So I thought I'd surf the net and see what I could find.  I can find a few Barbies, some old small action figures and one or two Sandys Native American dolls.  There is a small Cherokee made Native doll on Ebay, and two "Cherokee maidens".  They are reasonably priced.

But what there is most of are non-specific Native American STYLE porcelain dolls and about 98 percent of them are either babies or girls, with some moms carrying "paposes" on their backs.  Ugh!  Same message as Halloween, Native American boys and men are Dangerous!

Another thing I noticed is that all of these dolls, with the exception of those mentioned on Ebay are Non-specific to tribe.  I guess all "Indians" look alike, hu?

Last, (you can sigh with relief) no mixed race Native dolls, either African American, Latino, or European American. 

I guess if you have tan to brown skin, straight dark hair, and an old time outfit of fau suade clothes with some beads or shells scattered around, you're Native.

One more soapbox point, (guess I lied, but didn't mean to) Why all of the arrowhead and fetish and Kachina doll collectors?  I do know it provides a living for some Native artists.  But these are Religious symbols.  I don't buy them because I do not understand them within the context of their own cultures.  Who knows What I might be inviting into my home?  I suppose if one doesn't see them as religious objects, but only as Things, one is somewhat protected.  But as a Buddhist I will Not buy Ritual Buddhist objects specific to certain Asian Buddhist cultures and rituals.  If I have an understanding of the purpose and meaning of something, (a prayer flag, a Buddha statue) I might buy it.  Otherwise, no way.

Ok, so I'm a stuffed shirt, (ouch, hot in here) about the subject.  I just choose to be careful.  When I was a kid we found spear points and a corn grinding rock when my parents ploughed up the garden.  Seeing so many such things for sale on Ebay (a thing I had never considered,) kind of gave me the creeps.  Maybe before I die, if I have time, I need to see that these things are reburried in a place not too far from where we found them as kids.

New subject:  I thank each of you for being patient with my mouth, my faults, and for reading this anyway!  May each of you have a safe, warm, and Happy Thanksgiving!

I Want Bargains, Just Like You, But at What Price?

If there is a strike going on at my local Walmart this Friday I won't shop there.  I doubt that there will be, but sometimes Zarkers can surprise you.  Actually I Hate the "black Friday" crowds and they would have to offer one Heck of a bargain to get ME in there.  But please check this out!  These people are risking their livelyhoods.

Courageous Walmart workers are planning to go on strike on Black Friday to protest
Walmart’s abusive working conditions. But many of them live below the poverty line
and face a wrenching choice: To stand up for their rights and join the strike --
or to feed their families for the week.
Meet Carlton
Let’s make sure that they can afford to do both!
Donate now to buy a gift card for a striking Walmart worker to help make up their
lost wages.
Please donate
Dear friend,
Last month, something amazing happened at Walmart. Across the country, workers went
on strike for the first time in Walmart’s 50-year history. They were sick of poverty
wages, sick of irregular hours, sick of retaliation for speaking up. These courageous
workers inspired the world, but Walmart hasn’t budged -- so
now workers are threatening to organize even bigger strikes on Black Friday, the
biggest shopping day of the year.
We can’t overstate how big of a deal this is.
The workers are taking an enormous risk by going on strike
. They have no union, so they will have to go without pay. Some might be illegally
fired. Workers who work Walmart’s definition of “full-time” often make just $15,500
a year and can barely make ends meet as it is, so missing just a few days of work
could mean their kids go hungry.
But if this fledgling worker movement can continue to grow across the country,
it could be our biggest chance to end Walmart’s abusive working conditions -- which
would change the lives of millions of workers around the world.
The strikes that have already occurred at Walmart have inspired the SumOfUs community.
Over a hundred thousand of us have already taken action, by signing our petitions,
sharing our solidarity statements, and more -- and almost 1000 have donated to buy
ads about the strikes in Walmart executives’ hometown newspaper.
Now the workers have asked us if the SumOfUs community can take it one step further
and help make this strike as big as possible
, by raising $20,000 to purchase gift cards for the workers who walk off the job.
The cards will make up for lost pay -- which will help the families of these courageous
workers make ends meet for the month. And
the more gift cards we help them buy, the more workers will be able to afford to
go on strike
, and the bigger and more powerful the strike will be.
Can you help make sure every Walmart worker who goes on strike can still afford to feed their families this month -- by donating to the OUR Walmart strike fund for gift cards?
We figured you might want to have an idea of who these workers are before donating,
so meet Carlton Smith.
Carlton isn’t anyone’s idea of a troublemaker or a rabble rouser
. The grandfather of four has worked at a Paramount, California Walmart for 16 years,
starting as an overnight stocker and eventually becoming a department manager.
But over the years, Carlton grew frustrated with the way Walmart treated his coworkers
, who had been like a second family to him. As profits and executive pay climbed
higher and higher, Carlton’s friends’ wages shrank and their hours were cut until
they could barely make ends meet.
Carlton wanted to stand up for his co-workers, so he joined the Organization United
for Respect at Walmart (or OUR Walmart, for short), a group of workers that advocates
for better treatment. Carlton talked to his fellow employees and did outreach to
the community; he flew to Bentonville to talk to CEO Mike Duke and Walton heir Rob
Walton about the need for change at Walmart; he even introduced a shareholder resolution
protesting overpayment of executives.
But conditions at Walmart remain appalling
 -- so Carlton isn’t giving up. Not even close. Last month he joined hundreds of
other workers at Walmart’s corporate headquarters to demand an end to retaliation
against workers who speak out. And now,
Carlton’s joining the strike on Black Friday.
Will you stand with Carlton and his friends by donating to the OUR Walmart strike fund for Walmart associates?
Over the last 50 years, Walmart has waged an all-out war on workers
 -- driving down wages, crushing attempts to organise, and sourcing from sweatshops
all over the world. Today, Walmart is the world’s largest private sector employer
(only the Chinese and American militaries employ more people), with over two million
employees around the world. The average Walmart Associate makes just $8.81 an hour
-- which means that hundreds of thousands of them live below the poverty line. And
together, the Walmart heirs have greater net worth than the bottom 100 million Americans
combined.
When Walmart workers went on strike last month, they inspired millions of people
like us in the SumOfUs community. We know the workers already have Walmart scared
-- store managers across the country have received emergency instructions about how
to deal with the strikes.
 If workers walk off the job on America’s biggest shopping day, it’ll be one of the
biggest disruptions that Walmart’s business model has ever faced
. And it could be the beginning of something game-changing.
We've been a thorn Walmart's side for months, but there's plenty of work left to
do. If we are successful in raising the $20,000 that OUR Walmart challenged us to
raise, then we will dedicate additional money beyond that to sustaining our work
fighting Walmart's race-to-the-bottom policies.
Click here to support these courageous workers by donating to the Walmart workers’ strike fund.
Thanks for all that you do,
Kaytee, Rob, Taren, and the rest of us at SumOfUs
*********************************
Further Reading:
"
Alleging a New Wave of Retaliation, Walmart Warehouse Workers Will Strike a Day Early
" The Nation, November 2012.
 SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations
accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
You can follow us on
Twitter
, and like us on
Facebook
.
Hope I got personal info. zilched, nearly Impossible to do with blogger and a screen reader.

All About Dolls

Dear Teresa,
Can you help create the
UltraViolet Holiday Gift Guide: A 21st Century Guide to Non-sexist Holiday Shopping
?
It's easy--just nominate your favorite empowering toy, game, DVD or book.
click here
Click Here
Ever shopped for your niece, daughter, granddaughter, or another young girl for the
holidays? If you have, you know it can seem like the only options out there are super
stereotypical little girl--all pink, princess-themed, and sparkly.
There are great toys, books and movies out there-- gifts that show powerful, healthy
images of girls and women. But it can be really hard to find them sometimes, and
with the holiday season coming up quickly, we figured we could all use some help
making it a little easier.
That's why we're asking you--UltraViolet members--to help us put together the first
ever
UltraViolet Holiday Gift Guide: A 21st Century Guide to Non-sexist Holiday Shopping
. It's a way for the entire UltraViolet community to share their ideas for the best
powerful gifts, which will make all of our holiday shopping a little easier.
Do you know of a great toy, game, DVD, or book to recommend for the guide? Submit
it here.
Nominate a gift to UltraViolet's Holiday Gift Guide.
The UltraViolet Holiday Gift Guide will be generated entirely by our members, which
means we need you to nominate your favorite gift ideas for this to work. It's easy--just
tell us about a book, movie, toy, or other gift that you think makes a great non-sexist
gift for a girl or boy.
After all the nominations are in, UltraViolet members will vote on which gifts make
it into the final guide.
The Ultraviolet Holiday Gift Guide will be available our website, on Facebook, and
as a printable list in early December--just in time for holiday shopping.
There are already a few great holiday gift guides with a cause that come out every
year: U.S. PIRG has a guide to help parents avoid toxic and dangerous toys, and Environmental
Working Group puts out a guide to help shoppers avoid unsafe chemicals at the makeup
counter. But we haven't found any gift guides that are specifically aimed at helping
consumers find great, nonsexist toys for girls (and boys). So we thought--who better
than the UltraViolet community to create one?
But for this to work, we need to start with your best ideas for empowering gifts.
Will you add toy, game, book, DVD, or other type of gift?
Nominate a gift to the Holiday Gift Guide.
Thanks for helping out!
--Nita, Shaunna, Kat and Karin, the UltraViolet team.
I have to say that when I look at Barbie I can't find good role models.  Even Doctor Barbie doesn't help girls or boys with their own health concerns and she doesn't talk about how long she had to study to become a Dr.  Besides, the vast majority of kids will not become Dr.s, astronauts, Olympic atheletes, or President.  Ken and Steven have similar problems.  I wondered about female Power Team members, but they are pretty scarce and hard to find.

So I ended up with the non-fashion doll "Hearts for Hearts" dolls.  They cost about $35, compared to the $100 asked for American Girl or Canadian Maplelea dolls.  They have cultural diversity, I hope they come out with a girl from Africa soon.  They have African American girls, girls from India, Laos, Brazil, and several locations in the U.S.  The only doll I could find last year was from Bela Rus.  What truely amazed me about these dolls was the Intelligence of their bios.  The one I got lived with her Grandmother, so her parents could work to support the family.  She mentioned othr girls who weren't so lucky and had no homes.  With the help of a male photographer adult she was using her camera to document the lives of girls in her country, many of whom lived on the street.  She hoped that her inoproving photography skills would bring humanitarian and world attention to these girls and help them.  It was both believable and inspiring.

A part of the sail of each of these dolls goes to World Vision.  I'm not Christian, but I have NO quarrel with feeding the hungry and medical care in some of our world's poorest places.  I hate the practice of enforcing conversion to ay belief system via a promise of food, clothing, medical care, etc.  But although World Vision does evangelize, I don't believe that they turn anyone away.


I thought about Northwest Coast Barbie simply because she Almost looked authentic, but that isn't enough to qualify for this guide.  For this reason, Canadian Inuit doll Saila didn't qualify.

Does anyone else have a doll or other action figure they think Should be listed?

If the Get Set Club was still in operation, those dolls would certainly have been on my list for this guide.


New Doll Subject: I should have known those prices for G.I. Joe's were too good.  Although Amazon has a wonderfully accessible site for the blind, they Still rely on Pictures, instead of detailed descriptions.  The Joe's were small action figures and theMoxie Girls had no legs, just stands.  I returned them.

The Moxie True Hope doll Sophina looks like an ALIEN!  No eyes, at least none that one can feel, they must be painted on.  A dished in face, reminding me of the Sailor Moon dolls, only More dished in, action figure feet which spin around backwards, ok, that part is fine, she can stand up sometimes, Alone.  But the legs are atenuated, chemo. Doesn't make you taller.  And the Huge head!  I'm told that when some of us have bald heads the head Looks bigger.  But either they enlarged this one to make that point, or All Moxie Girls must have huge heads!  I kept her, just because she is a One of a kind.  I want to compare her head to those of Flavas dolls, whose heads are somewhat bigger than needed.  Lots of room for head painting, I'll say that.  Her outfit's not too bad, compared to what the kids are wearing.  Think I'll get her head painted with a turquoise spiral of life, (green for plants, blue for water and Earth from space, and a spiral to help her remember the cyclical nature of life:  matter to energy to matter, so she won't be so frightened.)  Then I'll do a write up and see if Ican sell her.  I'll have to be sure and mention she probably shouldn't go to any totally blind person.  They will think she's an alien, too.  Not just a girl undergoing chemo.

Hope you doll lovers enjoyed this post.  I enjoyed having enough Doll Relevant material to write only about dolls!  If anyone has a suggestion for the above list, please share it with me too.  Thanks.

Please share this with Others

Walmart workers are mad. For years, they have faced poverty wages, dangerous working

conditions, and unreliable schedules. Full-time Walmart associates can make as little

as $15,500 a year -- so hundreds of thousands of these

workers are living in poverty, while the Walton family heirs have more wealth than

the bottom third of American combined.

And Walmart workers are standing up for their rights. For the past year, they’ve

been organizing and demanding better treatment. But management has offered little

beyond but threats and retaliation. So now,

Walmart workers are getting ready to go strike on Black Friday

, the biggest shopping day of the year.

This strike could be the straw that finally breaks Walmart’s worker-mistreating back

-- but only if people know about it. Unfortunately, as usual the mainstream media

hasn’t paid it much attention.

Can you show your support for the strike by sharing this image on Facebook or forwarding this email to your friends?

Meet Carlton

Carlton Smith, pictured here, is just one example of a worker risking it all to go

on strike on Black Friday. He isn’t anyone’s idea of a troublemaker or a rabble rouser.

The grandfather of four has worked at a Paramount, California Walmart for 16 years,

starting as an overnight stocker. Over the years, Carlton grew frustrated with the

way Walmart treated his coworkers, who became like a second family to him. As profits

and executive pay climbed higher and higher, Carlton’s friends’ wages shrank and

their hours were cut until they could barely make ends meet.

Carlton wanted to stand up for his coworkers

, so he joined the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart, for short),

a group of workers that advocates for better treatment. Carlton talked to his fellow

employees and did outreach to the community; he flew to Bentonville to talk to CEO

Mike Duke and Walton heir Rob Walton about the need for change at Walmart; he even

introduced a shareholder resolution protesting overpayment of executives.

But conditions at Walmart remain appalling -- so Carlton isn’t giving up

. Not even close. Last month he joined hundreds of other workers at Walmart’s corporate

headquarters to demand an end to retaliation against workers who speak out.

And if things don’t change over the next week, Carlton’s joining the strike on Black

Friday

.

Will you let your friends know the strike is coming by sharing our image on Facebook?

Thanks

Rob, Kaytee, and the team at SumOfUs

P.S. If you haven't yet signed our letter of solidarity to the striking workers yet,

add your name now

.

*****************************

More Info:

"

Alleging a New Wave of Retaliation, Walmart Warehouse Workers Will Strike a Day Early

" The Nation, November 2012.

 SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations

accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

You can follow us on

Twitter

, and like us on

Facebook

I must shop at Wal-Mart sometimes, due to my income.  But I have seen the way they treat their workers.  A friend of mine was the single mother of two when she went to work at Wal-Mart.  She was promised weekends off, to spend Some time with her kids and to catch up on college assignments.  She was put through hours of testing and training.  Then she began to work on weekends, as well as during the week.  She didn't want to lose her job.  She had to drop Out of nursing school and finally quit Wal-Mart when one of her kids was discovered to have a disability which needed close attention.  She went back to work for a home healthcare agency that pays less and has no health benefits.  But she takes Great care of her kids although her chances of getting more education, leading to a better job are very limited.

And have you heard that creepy cheer they force their workers through each day?  Gives my a Very Bad feeling!

Two Requests for Help

I had heard of some of things coming up as news items on the BBC.  And I did not trust that all was well when both President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton encouraged U.S. based companies to start investing in Burma, or Mienmar.But with the President's upcoming visit, calls for help are coming in fast.  Please see below.

Tell Obama to put Burma’s urgent human rights concerns above economic interests

President Obama is going to Burma – in less than one week!  He will be the first

US President to visit Burma EVER.

Please join us in demanding Obama put Burma’s urgent human rights concerns above economic interests and limited political reforms.

President Obama would love to paint a positive picture of Burma for his visit, a

success of his principled engagement policy; some political prisoners have been released,

Aung San Suu Kyi is now a member of Parliament. But very serious human rights concerns

remain.

Hundreds of political prisoners still remain behind bars, the Burmese Army's war against the Kachin rages on, inter-communal violence in Arakan state has turned into the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims minority, and denial of humanitarian access in many areas

 are just some of the extremely disconcerting human rights concerns people are currently

facing.

It is time President Obama take action on behalf of the most persecuted people of Burma.

 Demand President Obama call on President Thein Sein to accept international peacekeepers

and monitors in Arakan State, demand an end to the war against the Kachin and allow

humanitarian access to all populations in need.

Now is not the time for celebration, Burma is not a democracy yet. The Kachin, the

Rohingya and all Burma’s ethnic minorities have almost been all but forgotten by

the international community this year – let’s show them we stand with them.

In solidarity,

Jennifer Quigley

empowered by Salsa

Change.org

My people, the Rohingya of western Burma, are being ethnically cleansed. President Obama is traveling to Burma next week. Join me in asking him to take a stand against this ethnic cleansing.

Sign My Petition

Teresa -

My name is Aisha Shansudin, and I am writing to you on behalf of my people, the Rohingya

of Burma.

My people are being subjected to ethnic cleansing and forced into concentration camps

by mobs backed by the Burmese government

 -- and when President Obama goes to Burma in a few days, he might not even acknowledge

that this is happening.

The Rohingya are a Muslim people in Western Burma, and

they are being put in concentration camps, starved, and even killed in order to force

them to leave the country.

This is why the UN says the Rohingya people are one of the most persecuted minorities

in the world.

In just a few days, President Obama will become the first US president

ever

 to visit Burma. This is an historic event for the Burmese people, and

a few words from President Obama could truly end government support for the ethnic

cleansing of the Rohingya.

That's why I started a petition on Change.org asking President Obama to take action to help the Rohingya people when he visits Burma next week. Click here to add your name.

I am lucky that my parents got me out of Burma. I now live in Chicago with my husband,

our two sons, and we have another baby on the way.

It breaks my heart to think that if I were back in Burma, my children and I could

be in concentration camps or even dead, just because we are Rohingya.

So far, 100,000 Rohingya people have been forced out of Burma. Burmese President

Thein Sein has even asked for help from other countries to expel the Rohingya from

Burma, and yet President Obama has not spoken out to say that this is wrong.

There is so much President Obama can do -- he could chastise President Thein Sein,

reinstate US sanctions on Burma, or even request UN peacekeepers.

But as long as President Obama stays silent, my people will continue to suffer.

I believe that President Obama is a good man who will want to help my people. I know

that if enough people sign my petition, President Obama will see that this is important

not just to the Rohingya, but to all Americans who believe that ethnic cleansing

should never be allowed on our watch.

Click here to sign my petition calling on President Obama to take action to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people on his trip to Burma next week.

Thank you,

Aisha Shansudin

Chicago, IL   |

Start a petition

.

Great Ideas, Naming Girl Shooting Victim Who Wanted Education for Nobel Peace Prize

Does anyone know what happened to the other two girls the BBC reported were shot along with this courageous young woman?  The BBC never said.  If those girls died then a concrete way to show the value of a girl's life And struggle for education would be to have their families share in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.  I suggested this when I signed the petition.

But when I think of children who struggle against impossible odds to learn I cannot help but think of the young woman Precious, about which a book was written and a movie was made.  I have never ceased admiring and respecting her accomplishments, since I read the book last year.

Change.org

15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for fighting for girls' right to education. Call on Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice to nominate Malala for a Nobel Peace Prize.

petitions/take-a-stand-for-the-girl-who-stood-up-nominate-malala-for-the-nobel-peace-prize?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=13374&alert_id=RBdvmLZHQQ_YBGyfbXdSt

Sign Bonnie's Petition

One month ago, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman.

Malala's crime? She wanted to go to school, and ran a campaign in Pakistan to help

girls gain access to education.

Malala has been an activist for years -- when she was 11, she worked as an anonymous

blogger for the BBC to expose information about her Taliban-ruled area of Pakistan.

Now, even as she recovers from being shot in the head, Malala says, "All I want is

an education. And I'm afraid of no one."

In response to Malala's extraordinary courage, people all over the world are calling

for her to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Bonnie Lloyd, a professor of sociology in Rochester, New York, started a petition on Change.org asking Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice to nominate Malala for the Nobel Peace Prize. Click here to sign Bonnie's petition.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been used for decades to bring global attention to important

issues, from landmines to apartheid to the US civil rights movement. Bonnie believes

the time is right to focus on girls being denied the right to go to school, and honoring

Malala's bravery is a great way to do that.

"The hopes and dreams of girls throughout the world are no longer hidden – yet there

is much to do, as Malala’s wounds attest," Bonnie says about her petition. "

By nominating Malala Yousafzai, these global leaders will send a clear message: We

stand with Malala and with girls everywhere in their fight for the right to equal

opportunity through education."

As two of the highest ranking women in the history of US government, a nomination

for Malala from Secretaries Clinton and Rice would be a strong signal to the global

community that Malala's fight is important to people in the US.

Secretary Clinton has responded to petitions on Change.org before -- last year, she

publicly declared support for Saudi women's right to drive for the first time and

credited a Change.org petition. Bonnie believes that if enough people sign her petition,

Secretaries Clinton and Rice will take a stand to support Malala and girls all over

the world who just want to go to school.

Click here to sign Bonnie's petition calling on Hillary Clinton and Condoleeza Rice to nominate Malala Yousafzai for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

- Rachel and the Change.org team

Life With Heart and DOLLS

Each day I have been listening to the last two chapters of Toni Morrison's book "Home".  It's not because they are free of horror and brutality.  It Is because they encourage me to remember who I really am and why I'm here on Earth until my time is up, whenever that may be.

Now is a time for treating both others and myself well, as it should always be.  But sometimes this is not easy to maintain.  While eating a more boring diet and with the reminder of my own mortality, I'm doing more of what I want and also trying to be more open handed with others. I am giving away more and have also indulged in some DOLLS.

Do I Need them, no.  Will I have Fun with them, Yes!  Having been a "True Hope" person, I have ordered a "True Hope" doll.  She is a Moxie Girl, probably with a head larger than I like.  But by the time I get finished with her, that girl's gona look Good!  I'll have to meet her to find out.  Would she like a spiral (an old Life symbol of continuation as energy or matter) painted on her head?  She won't sweat the paint off, like I would have.  Or would she like a flashy head cover or a wig?  Probably Not a wig, unless it's an outrageous color and matches something bright in her outfit.

I also ordered a Best Friends Club 18 inch Calista doll, because I have wanted to for about 8 months.  And I ordered some cheap, (by "Joe" standards) G.I. Joe's.  Hope I can take off their clothes, (who said that?) so I can give them each a civilian outfit and a military one. The sighted person I had look at them needs glasses and couldn't tell their hair color.  HOPE all of them aren't Blonde!

I am Determined to bring down the utility bill which is taking all of my money.  So I run the infrared heater from the bird room 24 7, with a baby gate extended to the fullest and stood on one end in that doorway.  This gives a lonely canary access to household activity, and shares the heat with the center of the house.  I drink hot things, (back on green tea, ginger, black pepper in food combined with fat from olive oil or ghe, and turmeric, all the old standbys.  Sorry about spelling, but Blogger doesn't have an accessible spellcheck.

I eat hot soup, take the hottest shower I can stand before diving under covers, (hot water runs out fast though) and wear heavy clothes.  So far it's not comfortable but is fine.  I can layer up.  Will call today to see what last months bill is.  Also, eating only what is in chest freezer, garden produce, deer, and veggies. from farmer's market which Ann and I, then just I put up.  Not even allowed organic fruit or sweet veggies., like sweet peas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, Winter squash, pumpkin.  Got to knock this high cancer marker score down fast, so I can have a Life again!  And No More Tests to find cancer which make me ill, just by themselves.

My hands and feet are hardest to keep warm, have a bit of frost bite damage in them.  I wear men's heavy socks, but hands, they are my eyes.  Can't cover them and work.  So make that dishwater Hot!  And hold hands under warm laundry water, and cuddle hands around, (damn,) just hot mug of green tea, Again!

But I'm ok.  Bought a heating pad which helps at night.  Cat is too well fed to bother jumping over four and a half foot sideways baby gate.  He's part Russian Blue and growing a wolly coat.  Dog is old and camps on my bed a lot.  I cover him with a robe, which he sometimes accepts.  And I make the warm water on his dry food truly warm.  It's not fun, but a challenge to adapt.  And fun or not, challenges keep our minds Awake!

For the moment I try not to waste time on, "Will I accept surgery and chemo. or not?"  You really never know until you're there.  So for now, be creative and as giving as possible, enjoy life, what else is there?
 

Hard Couple of Weeks

I'm told their is a website entittled FML for (blogger wouldn't like it) F--- My Life."  These last couple of weeks have felt like that on a personal level.  It doesn't mean nothing good has happened.  President Obama won re-election.  But in this corner of the state we're stuck with the status quo.  I figured we would be, but it's still a bummer!  We lost one of our best state representatives to term limits.

On a more personal level I saw my oncologist and didn't get a good report.  Last time my CA125 (ovarian cancer marker) was this high, I had surgery.  The Dr. asked if I wanted to begin the nasty round of tests to locate cancer.  The tests make me physically ill so I said no.  We agreed to retest in a month.

During this month I will be eating only veggies. (low carb ones) and protein, lots of eggs.  No grain, beans, fruit, rice, or corn.  Sucks.  Honestly, there wasn't much to pick Out of my diet.  I stopped my once weekly ice cream treat.  Luckily, I'd just bought big batch of hot peppers and bell peppers and celantro from Farmer's Market, now closed on the day I have transport.  Unluckily, I had just bought a big batch of sweet potatoes there too, which I can't now eat for a month.  Hope they keep.  They are one of my favorite Winter foods.

I bought a reading machine/Ipod for $250 so I can listen to books at other places than my computer.  Then, while the cat and dog were squabling for bed space atop my covers, and I was trying to settle an ice pack on my hand and arm with tendonitis under the covers, I reached for the Wrong adapter plug and fried the machine in a way Not covered by warranty.  I wish I could dry.

The three things I enjoy most are learning TASL, class is Now canceled until Jan. 2013, (We found this out when showing up for a class we were assured would take place last week).  Working toward a website, stalled out, and sewing.  I only know One person who I see regularly and who knows how to sew.  And she helps me get groceries.  So I will eat veggies. from freezer as long as possible and ask her to help me sew.

I'm having trouble working with my healthcare aide.

Today I have the Good fortune to have been referred to someone who will charge $10 per hour, (decent money here) to clear plastic the outside of my windows, weather strip doors, etc.

Of course my mind is running all over the place.  Do I Really want to stick around  anyway?  If I can get something I care about done, yes.  But I am very lonely.  I listen to others a lot and despite my yaking via this blog, in person I don't talk much.

I got involved in one of the Best spiritually healing things last night.  Usually I can read and sew all at once with no problem.  But I was so involved in Toni Morrison's new (to me) book "Home" that I screwed up a sewing project completely.  I have read many of her fiction books.  But this one was different.  There was clear and obvious healing for the main characters at the end.  I would compare it to the novel "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko.  The dork reviewer talked about a mentally and spiritually wounded war vet and alcoholism, but Not about Healing, which is why I love Both of these books.  Neither seeks to deny the truth of life as they knew it.  But both find a way for their hearts and those of their main characters to survive as beneficial Humane hearts.

I have thought that we will lose Medicaid next Summer, probably, as we kept it only by two state senate voes last year.  If I should be forced to chose treatment or not, if  choose it it, then I will be in chemo. or something when Medicaid stops.  See how my "monkey mind" runs all over the IFS?  Well I'd thought of dying on the capital steps to protest.  Embarrassing to admit.  But the people who make choices for our lives should have to see the consequences Sometimes!

But when I read the end of Toni Morrison's book I knew I had found a jewel to stash in my heart.  I don't want to spoil it for you by telling, but it moved me deeply!  And she is, of course, Right.

Materially I am fine.  Emotionally I'm having a tough time.  And I've had some FML incidents to deal with.  But all that remains is to go on and do the best I can.  That "best" is in flux, but for now I will keep trying, that is all that's required.

Thank anyone who has read all of this and if you can read Toni Morrison's book "Home" which I found less painful than some of her other works, please read it to the end!  May you find a jewel for your hearts, as I did.

Relieved!

Like the little girl crying about too much news about "Bronk Obama" and Mitt Romney I am Sick and beyond of election news, phone calls, and E-mails.  But I am Hugely relieved that President Obama won a second term and also that Mr. Tod Akin was defeated by his Democratic opponent, Senator Claire McCaskil!  I Truly hope that this House of Representatives will try to bet something Positive done!  If not, I hope the Tea Party gets thrown out on its ear during midterm elections.  This is Only one person's opinion and I thank everyone who voted and everyone who volunteered in Any campaign!

I think things will become tougher for those of us without work or with disabilities, but I do believe President Obama will do what he can to limit some of the damage.

This is Dangerous! Personally I feel tapped out for this election, money wise. So I'm not pushing Anyone to donate. But we can E-mail and call our Own politicos.

This week Canada’s fossil fuel-loving government is trying to ram through a treaty

that would allow multinational oil companies to control the future of the tar sands,

the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel, with disastrous consequences for the planet.

Canadian SumOfUs.org members are fighting back -- they've sent tens of thousands

of emails to their representatives, written hundreds of letters to the editor, and

gotten coverage in all the top press outlets. Now they need our help.

Donate to put our Canada-China FIPA ads on the radio in critical politicians' districts.

please donate

Canada, with its massive dirty tar sands deposits, is ground zero in the fight to

stop climate change.

 In fact, NASA’s leading climate scientist has written that if Canada fully taps

its tar sands deposits, it will be “game over for the climate” -- that’s why the

fight over Transcanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline is so critical.

So when our friends fighting the fossil fuel industry north of the border call us

and ask for urgent help, we need to be there for them.

Right now Canada’s Conservative government is trying to ram through a treaty that

would allow Chinese oil corporations to control the future of the tar sands. FIPA,

the Canada-China Foreign Investment Protection Agreement, could

give multinational corporations sweeping powers to sue the Canadian government to

stop environmental protections on the tar sands

, locking in the current Canadian government’s corporate-friendly policies for decades.

The stakes are huge

: If FIPA passes -- which could happen as early as this Friday -- then future Canadian

governments could be legally compelled to allow tar sands mining. And

the consequences for the planet would be catastrophic

.

SumOfUs members have already helped raise a huge outcry against FIPA in Canada. One

Member of Parliament told our campaigner that the tens of thousands of emails to

Parliament, hundreds of letters to the editor, and dozens of major news stories our

campaign has generated in the last two weeks has been the most effective pressure

campaign he's ever seen.

From south of the border, we can’t write to Canadian Members of Parliament. But if

anyone knows what it’s like to have a government in the pocket of big corporations,

it’s Americans. We can help with the next critical phase of the campaign, along with

our partners at LeadNow.ca --

blanketing the airwaves with emergency radio ads this week in the local districts

of key Members of Parliament.

Can you donate $20, the cost of one radio ad spot in a key Canadian politician's hometown, to help stop FIPA and protect the tar sands from greedy multinational corporations?

Thousands of American members of the SumOfUs.org community are already fighting against

the Canadian tar sands by challenging the Keystone XL pipeline.

 I was arrested along with Bill McKibben and more than a thousand others in front

of the White House last year to oppose the pipeline. And the SumOfUs.org community

raised $50,000 for the legal defense fund of Julia Trigg Crawford, who is trying

to stop Transcanada from seizing her family farm in Texas to build the pipeline through

it.

Hurricane Sandy has given us another huge wake-up call about the consequences of

runaway climate change. And the prognosis for the climate could be bleak if this

treaty passes. Chinese multinational fossil fuel corporations will be able to buy

up major tracts of the tar sands in Canada, and then be able to legally block any

future Canadian governments from cracking down on pollution from the tar sands.

This treaty is could be rammed through as early as this Friday, just two days from

now

 -- unless Canadian activists can effectively pressure enough politicians in Canadian

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s own party to make him back down.

Just $20 will buy one 30-second play of an ad on radio in a key district

, and every donation means that we can play the ad one more time -- making it more

likely to be heard by more people, and amplifying our impact.

Help get our people-powered radio ads on the air tomorrow by pitching in $20, or whatever you can afford.

SumOfUs.org members from around the world, including tens of thousands of Canadians,

have already stood up to fight corporate dominance of American politics. They helped

take down the Heartland Institute and they helped fund our campaign to push Google

to leave the Chamber of Commerce. Now we need to stand together to stop the sale

of the Canadian government to Big Oil.

Thanks for all you do,

Taren, Emma, Kaytee, and the rest of us

 SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations

accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

You can follow us on

Twitter

, and like us on

Facebook

Hearing Enough to be angerous?

When I was a Rehab. Teacher and knew a lot of people in the blind community we had a saying.  It was (he or she) "has just enough sight to be dangerous."  This referred to people who understandably did not want to be recognized as blind.  They had good reasons in addition to fear.  But it could lead to terrible or harsh consequences.  I had a client who had no depth perception.  I spoke with her about how using a cane would show her how seep a step was, and Where it was, Before she fell from it.  We talked about carrying a white cane as a means of signaling drivers that they needed to watch out for her and, hopefully not do anything stupid like running red lights when she was crossing a street at the proper time, etc.  She absolutely refused to have Anything to do with a white cane.  This was her right and I respected it.  But the next time I visited her she was in a long leg cast from a fall which cane use would have prevented.  The next time I mentioned a cane she cussed me out.  But she did it in a way that I didn't take as personal.  This is an example of "having just enough sight to be dangerous."

Another is someone who can no longer see to drive safely and hits a person or car as a result, causing injuries.  I always had Very High Respect for Ann because when she began backing into the wheelchair ramp at our mobile home or into the home itself, she quickly stopped driving.  That was a painful and difficult thing to do.  But she did it to protect people.  It took a year or so before she was ready to sell her car.  But she had the courage to face her depression and grief about being forced to give up driving so she wouldn't hurt or kill anyone.

When I go to Deaf Chat, as I did for the second time tonight, I've noticed that as the noise level increases my memory of signs seems to fly away.  I am still Trying to function like a hearing blind person.  Am I safe?  Are there angry drunken voices near?  Are those people fighting?  All of these things I used to almost Instantly know by Listening.  Is someone approaching me?  Who is near?  But now all I can hear is a frightening jumble of noise.  So I try to listen Harder, to sort it out, impossible!  As someone who survived abuse, I learned when to clear out of a situation or how best to difuse it, (if possible) by paying Very close attention to voices and their tons.  Now I can't do this in a crowd.  But doing this is a lifelong habit and the only way I know how to break it is by removing both hearing aids, NOT in a Crowd of Strangers!  Then I'd probably be so scared I don't know what I'd do! 

But when I leave the hearing aids in and the noise gets loud I can't remember ASL nearly so well as in a quiet environment like a class.  I can hear the speech of a deaf person who signs and speaks if they sit directly in front of me, but that's it.  I don't know if keeping my hearing aids in is a danger to me, except that I might say something unintentionally rude in ASL, because my attention is split and struggling to make sense of a visual language, (ASL) and a terribly confusing noisy environment.  If someone slaps my hands or tells me to wash them out with soap I guess I'll know I've said something Very rude!

Some deaf-blind people (Who Have Some Vision) prefer a "deaf world" where noises don't intrude on them.  But with no vision I structure my life as carefully as possible, so that I'm Not multi-tasking.  I can listen to a book and sew or wash dishes, but I tend to talk to people one at a time, because that is the most Easy way to understand them, whether they speak ASL, TASL, English, Spanish, (I know a little) or Cherokee (I know a few words or phrases).  I cannot talk on the phone and do something else, have to concentrate on hearing.  So, I'm not sure how to deal with a crowd.  There are still some circumstances in which hearing would help, some emergencies.  But all the subleties I used to know are gone.  Maybe I'll work up the courage to remove hearing aids someday in a group with an interpreter, or maybe I will just get so deaf it doesn't matter.  I can still tell my friends things about the characters of some politicians though, if I listen to them alone via the radio or TV.