Keep Voting!

Last night I listened to Naomi Wolf speak. She is most known for her book The Beauty Myth-a feminist cornerstone which discussed the effects of beauty in all areas of life. I remember reading that book over and over again during high school. The Beauty Myth inspired me to become more vocal about my feminist beliefs which must have been a universal response to her book since her work ushered in the third-wave of feminism.

Now she in a prominent political activist-for democracy. Her current book- Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries-urges every citizen to use their voice to actively keep in check our democracy. People are lazy about politics-even with the spark ignited by the recent election many people just voted and stopped there. It is imperative to vote in Congressional elections and not be passive in community choices-no matter how small. Keeping checks and balances balanced in our system and democracy alive is an active effort that is too often taken for granted.

So take a moment today and look into your district and see what exactly is going on and how you can influence changes that will impact your everyday life. It would be a waste not to speak up! xoxo*

Hello Stem Cells

A little known fact: I used to be really conservative- pro-life and all. That all changed when I had to do a report from the reciprocal viewpoint and well, totally reversed my position. I became hardcore liberal and spent the majority of high school defending that vision (which was pretty much a daily battle!). However, at closer inspection of the whole political scene I became disheartened by party lines. I understand why they exist-partly because of money but really for simplificiation purposes. It is much easier to claim a party than a viewpoint.

As a result, my thoughts shifted and became only issue based. There are two issues that are extremely important to me. The first is women's equality (obviously) which just parallels my feelings on meritocracy (still not sure why there is still a wage gap or any of that other nonesense). The second issue is something that I will never ever understand a varying opinion on and that is stem cell reserach.

The reason is highly personal- I have been a type one diabetic for 19 years. I indubitably believe that my cure will be a result of stem cell research. Douglas Melton and his team at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute are leading this battle which I follow intently. Clinicals for stem cell and other pancreatic cell therapies are getting closer to full human trials.

I cannot express what a cure would mean to me. Or to describe the weight that would be lifted to not spend every moment, on some level, thinking about my blood sugars or injections. I am lucky to have a 'tamer' disease and to be a professional at it-but its called chronic for a reason. Every day we get closer and that is what keeps me hoping.