New this week: Words and
expressions for menstruation - Spalt-Tabletten
for menstrual aches and pains (1936, Germany, ad from the Nazi magazine
FrauenWarte) - o.b. tampon ad (Germany, probably
early 1950s) - humor
Celebrate the First Annual Menstrual
Monday! See below.
No letters or news this week: I have been caring for a sick
cat
My smallest cat, Zeena (short for Maxine, named after my other, older
black cat, Max) reacted badly to her three annual booster shots yesterday
and I spent much of my time panicking. But she seems to have pulled out
of it on her own. Watching me flounder possibly kept her alive.
Anyway, look at New this week, above, for menstrual distraction.
But I must mention the parade William Safire discussed in his column
in the New York Times last week: the Million Mutt
March.
The capital of America has many parades every year, many called "The
Million - - March" and different things fill the blank.. The name is
based on a Million Man March held here a few years ago, even though fewer
than a million marched. But this is America, where we strive for the greatest
even if we fall short.
A few thousand mixed-breed dogs - mutts - will "march" in
the parade with their animal-shelter keepers. The point is to show that
mutts nobody wants can make great pets; dogs don't have to be pure bred.
They are right, of course.
For a similar reason, but also because it would be fun, I propose a
Trillion Tabby Trot, although it involves the
impossibility that cats would ever do anything in unison and especially
for the length of time a parade would take. Which is one of their finest
qualities.
Read more about cats.
Celebrate the
First Annual Menstrual Monday!
When: The
Monday before Mother's Day, because menstruation comes before motherhood
(and usually long after it, too). This year's Menstrual Monday falls on
May 8, 2000. If you live in a country that
doesn't celebrate Mother's Day as in the United States, pick a day that
seems appropriate and convenient for a "Menstrual Monday"!
Where: In your backyard at sunrise;
in the cafeteria at lunch; after work; at your friend's house; in the classroom;
in your dorm room - wherever is convenient and appropriate!
Why: To create a sense of happiness
and fun around menstruation; to encourage women to be proactive in addressing
menstrual and reproduction-related health issues; to encourage greater visibility
of menstruation culturally, in film, print, music, and other media; and
to enhance honesty about menstruation in our relationships.
How: Wear a red article of clothing,
put a red tablecloth on the table at dinner; talk to an older or younger
relative about her menstrual experiences; create some art or do some writing
about menstruation, and share with friends; share information about PMS,
endometriosis, or self-breast examinations; create a ritual involving red
candles and red tulips. In short: Whatever seems convenient and appropriate
to you!
Free Starter Kit!
Please feel free to download the above text to
make flyers or post on your own Web site, to e-mail
a friend, and so on. For more information,
or to receive a FREE Menstrual Monday "starter
kit" - please e-mail menstrullenium@aol.com
or write, with your address:
4881 Packard #A2
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
Is this the new millennium or even century?
You can get the correct information
if you go to these pages published by the U S Naval Observatory:
"whenIs")
A comprehensive site from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich will put right any doubts:
Help Wanted: This Museum Needs a
Public Official For Its Board of Directors
Your MUM is doing the paper work necessary to become eligible to receive
support from foundations as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. To achieve
this status, it helps to have a American public official - an elected or
appointed official of the government, federal, state or local - on its board of directors.
What public official out there
will support a museum for the worldwide culture of
women's health and menstruation?
Eventually I would also like to entice people experienced in the law,
finances and fund raising to the board.
Do You Have Irregular Menses?
If so, you may have polycystic ovary syndrome
[and here's a support association for it].
Jane Newman, Clinical Research Coordinator at Brigham
and Women's Hospital, Harvard University School of Medicine, asked
me to tell you that
Irregular menses identify women at high risk for polycystic ovary syndrome
(PCOS), which exists in 6-10% of women of
reproductive age. PCOS is a major cause of infertility
and is linked to diabetes.
Learn more about current
research on PCOS at Brigham and Women's
Hospital, the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University
- or contact Jane Newman.
If you have fewer than six
periods a year, you may be eligible to participate
in the study!
New this week: Words
and expressions for menstruation - Spalt-Tabletten
for menstrual aches and pains (1936, Germany, ad from the Nazi magazine
FrauenWarte) - o.b. tampon ad (Germany, probably
early 1950s) - humor
© 2000 Harry Finley. It is illegal
to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium
without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations
to hfinley@mum.org