New this week: More pad disposal bags from England
Celebrate the First Annual Menstrual
Monday! See below.
Letters to your MUM
Biologist Anna Simpson writes about a new British
Tampax ad on television
Harry,
Well, I'm back at work after Easter, but I thought I'd put off starting
work a little bit longer by e-mailing you to tell you about a really bizarre new Tampax advert on TV here. [See another
unusual British ad - in 3-D.]
It's for Tampax non-applicator tampons and it's a take-off of Tomb Raider. There is a Lara Croftish heroine,
complete with bandoleer of bullet-shaped non-applicator
tampons across her shapely chest. (No, honestly!) During the advert
she proceeds to slay assorted minions of evil by zapping them with her
trusty tampons.
The minions of evil represent uncomfortable fashions - they're threatening
Our Heroine with big spiky pairs of high heels, etc. - and the new non-applicator
tampax are the sensible comfort option. I guess they
forgot about the "petal soft" applicators they were advertising
a few months ago. The tag line is "The game never stops, why
should you?"
Too, too weird.
A nurse practitioner offers her help and:
Have you heard of nurse cats?
Dear Mr. Finley,
I found your site quite by accident and thought it quite strange to
begin with. But as I ventured through, I must say, it was quite interesting
and most informative. I had never thought of the "museuming"
of such a topic. I really enjoyed reading all the material, even your personal and feline material.
(I suspected you were a cat person from the get-go. Just call it intuition.)
[I like dogs, but they require more time than I have. And I find cats more
mysterious.]
Secondly, as a health care professional, if there is anything I could
ever help you with, do not hesitate to let me know, as this is an interesting
topic. I am credentialled and have credible references. [Many thanks; I
hope you will contribute to the site and museum.]
Sincerely,
P.S.: I also share my home with five cats, of which three are extremely
compassionate "nurse" cats. A "nurse" cat is one who sticks to you like
white on rice [a great image!] when you are not feeling well. Most attentive
and dutiful when their attention is needed most - in adjunct treatment
with other prescribed medical care. LOL
Explanation of a phrase meaning "menstruation": Flying
Baker
Hi, Harry,
I hadn't heard "Flying Baker" as a euphemism before, but
it's very colorful. [See "flying baker" and a list of more words
in several languages here.]
On the use of "Baker" to mean "Keep
Off": Baker was the older phonetic-alphabet term for the letter
B; there are signal flags [in the Navy] for each letter of the alphabet,
plus numbers. Bravo is the current phonetic for the letter B, and the Bravo
flag is a square pennant with two pointed tails, colored bright red.(!)
In addition to their alphabetic use, all signal flags have a specific
meaning, and the meaning of the Bravo flag is onloading/offloading of ammunition,
fuel, or dangerous cargo. It is sometimes
used ashore during live-fire marksmanship training.
Correct address for the Keeper menstrual
cup
Greetings, Harry!
I just thought I'd drop you a line and let you know that the Web site
address for the Keeper is www.keeper.com,
not www.hlthmall.com/healthmall/keeper as indicated on your MUM site.
That done, I'd like to tell you how very much I've enjoyed my visits
to your site. I'll be sending some friends over soon! Thanks for making
public so much valuable and important information on a subject near and
dear to all women's hearts.
Courtney Cox: first to say "period"
in a commercial?
Hey, Harry,
I was wondering: do you have a copy of a tampax commercial featuring
Courtney Cox? She apparently was the first person to use the word "period"
in a commercial. We'd love a picture of the ad but I'm having trouble tracking
a copy down at our end. If you could help it would be greatly appreciated,
if not I'll keep looking. [I don't - does anybody?]
Thanks,
Sarah Mury
Girlfriend [magazine, in Australia]
This museum in New York City?
Have you contacted the Whitney Museum in New York City so that you
can put on a temporary exhibit because the subject matter is a universal
cultural mystery? [I haven't done that.]
This museum belongs in New York. [Many New Yorkers have told me that;
they may be right] Please tell me what I can do to help the museum. Your
dedication is evident and you have inspired me to learn about the subject
of menstruation. I can have my female friends to assist since there is
resistance to men being enlightened about periods in many circles. [A great
offer!]
Good luck.
Hand-made washable pads [here are some
other brands]
Dear Mum:
I am writing to tell you about our Web page, Celebrate
the Moon. We hand make our own unique design of menstrual (moon)
pads using organic cotton and lovely cotton prints. All our pads are filled
with absorbent organic cotton batting. We encourage women to enjoy being
a woman and all that goes with. The "moon time" is one of power
and passion to be directed toward the creativity of the women.
Please come see us at:
We'd love to be listed on your great site. We love your site so much
we put a link to it on ours. (Didn't think you'd mind.) [You're right!
Thanks!] We've gotten some great feedback. Keep up the good work!
Thank you,
Donna Brott, owner and employee of Celebrate the Moon
Please change and add!
1. Why no sections on infertility? [I
tend to put things on that I have at hand, which are overwhelmingly cultural
and about menstruation, rather than medical. But I hope, in time, to cover
many topics not now on the site. ]
2. Please ask your Web designer to lay off the
BOLD font; it makes the site extraordinarily difficult to read.
[I'm the Web designer, too, and I was going to do this page in a non-bold
type as a test for you readers, but I can't!
I tried hand coding the html, but my software, PageMill 2.0, won't accept
regular weight type for the size type I use. I've heard that PageMill has
problems with coding, so I may have to switch applications.]
Thanks.
An Indian museum of old medicine
Sir,
This is to inform you that our site www.medimuseum.com
displays photographs and information of real and
original antique medicines manufactured by various manufacturers
throughout the world during the years 1915 to 1955.
The information on these medicines has great importance with respect
to their antiquity, contents, composition, presentation, indications, drug
delivery systems, place of origin, quality and perfection, packing materials
used, sealing of packs, printing of labels and literatures and so on.
The site is very informative and helps us understand better about those
old days.
We ask that you visit our site.
Thanks,
K.K.Agarwal
Raghukul Infoweb
Jodhpur, India
The only museum of real and original medicines on the Internet
She has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - do you?
I recently read about your site in Jump magazine. They had a feature
article about menstruation. I can't remember what they said about it exactly,
but it was good :).
Something I think you should put on your site: there's something called
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). That is where the female develops an
egg, but it doesn't get released. It's caused by hormonal imbalance.
Some of the tell-tell signs are weight gain in the abdomen, facial hair, and infertility.
I found out I have PCOS and my doctor put me on oral contraceptives to
help me release my egg, which is really the only way you can treat it.
Of course, you can exercise, but sometimes that doesn't really help. There
are a lot of Web sites about it and you can find out more there.
I don't know if you have heard of this or not, so I thought I'd enlighten
you.
[At the bottom of this page there is an
appeal for women with this disorder to participate in studies.]
You have privacy here
I thought I had better clarify what happens when you visit this site.
Nothing.
I get no information about you from any
source when you visit, and I have no idea who you
are, before, during or after your visit.
This is private - period.
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: More pad disposal bags from England
© 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