This may be a pretty sensitive subject for some, and of course I’m sure I will catch some flack, but oh, well. If it seems to be a delicate matter for you, then read ahead to Natalie Portman’s new children’s book, or silliness about Barbie movies and sport bras, which ARE very important. But now I need to ask, why, oh, why, is there no birth control for men. Let me say here at the beginning, that I don’t believe abortion should be used as birth control, but there are so many situations where it is completely and totally unexpectedly necessary. On June 23, 1960, female hormonal contraceptives gave women new control over reproductive health with the approval of the pill. In fact, women now have many options for birth control. There’s the pill, patch, contraceptive sponge, diaphragm, Depo-Provera shot, NuvaRing vaginal ring, and intrauterine devices, or IUDs. For men, there are still just two effective methods: a condom (12 for $10.99 and with real-life use are 85% effective), a vasectomy (about $1000, but expensive to reverse – $6000 – $25,000 and insurance may not cover), or otherwise, a wing-and-a-prayer (free, but stupid and not recommended). Don’t YOU think birth control for men needs to have priority really soon? Suddenly government wants to take the abortion choice away from women or arrest them, creating a world where they are made to be totally responsible for a human being that took two people to create… not just one person. Do you think the Supreme Court will now want to decide whether men should or should not, have a vasectomy, to be determined by whether they impregnated a woman? No! Of course not. And after conception, would you even consider arresting them for their pleasure. But it seems rather fair to me. What woman should ever be forced to stay pregnant if she doesn’t believe that it is the right time or situation for her to bring a child into the world. Some women will still have an abortion, no matter the cost or the inconvenience of time and circumstances, but the disadvantaged and underserved community will suffer, and taxpayers (that’s me and YOU) will then bear the cost of unexpected children. Along with grandparents that now so often step in to raise their grandchildren. Some voluntarily, and some out of sheer necessity.
Pharmaceutical companies don’t think male birth control will make money (hmmm, I wonder why), and there is huge concern that men couldn’t be trusted to take male birth control (hmmm, I wonder why). But there is more to the story. Women produce one egg a month while men produce 1,000 sperm per second. I copied that exactly. Hormone therapy would probably work well in most men, but it could fail to produce effective contraception in a high enough percentage of men, for drug companies to feel confident about FDA approval, therefore they don’t want to spend the money needed to develop the drug. The liver also breaks down testosterone so quickly that orally-taken testosterone contraceptives don’t work, so the medication would need to take the form of an injection (tell that to a guy) or a cream, which supposedly men find less attractive than a pill. I’m sure there is more to this story, but I’m afraid that I’m not willing to support a situation that’s not broken, at least until someone comes along with more and better solutions.
The Sports Bra (yes, that spells bra) is a Sports Bar & Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Their goal is to support, promote, and invest in the women who are changing the game. They feature a Freeland Spirits, a woman owned distillery, for their signature cocktails. Their menu is a little different than most, made from scratch for vegans, vegetarians, gluten and dairy free, if you need it. They strive to build a community that embraces, celebrates, and empowers girls and women, on and off the field. It’s a place of belonging, acceptance, and celebration for all. They also welcome kids, as they believe exposing them to women’s sports can have lasting impacts on their understanding of equity in sports and in life. The idea behind The Sports Bra is that the smallest, simplest changes can have the most dramatic impact. That’s how they came up with the name, they just took the regular sports bar, switched around two letters and got The Sports Bra! Texas, are you listening? One simple change can make the difference.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor-Director Richard Benjamin is 84. Actor Barbara Parkins of Peyton Place & Valley of the Dolls is 80. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 72. He wrote most of Elton John’s songs during their songwriting partnership. Dame Joan Henrietta Collins aka Joan Collins is 89. Actor Lauren Chapin of Father Knows Best is 77. Kathy Anderson aka Kitten. Actor Todd Bridges of Diff’rent Strokes is 57. Bassist Dana Williams of Diamond Rio is 61. Comedian Drew Carey is 64. Comedian Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong is 84. Musician Bob Dylan is 81. Singer Patti LaBelle is 78. Actor Priscilla Presley is 77. Actor Helena Bonham Carter is 56. Actor Peri Gilpin of Frasier is 61. Actor Cathy Silvers of Happy Days is 61. Actor Brandon Cruz of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father is 60. Jenny Piccolo. Actor Carroll Baker is 91.
Singer Rosanne Cash is 67. Country singer Jessi Colter is 79. I’m Not Lisa. My Name is Julie. Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 79. Director-Muppetteer Frank Oz is 78. Actor Karen Valentine is 75. Room 222. (She was so cute.) Actor Connie Sellecca is 67. Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 83. Drummer Garry Peterson of The Guess Who is 77. Singer Stevie Nicks is 74. Actor Philip Michael Thomas of Miami Vice is 73. Actor Pam Grier is 73. Foxy Brown & Jackie Brown. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 73. Actor Genie Francis of General Hospital is 60. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 86. Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater is 72. Singer Gladys Knight is 78. Singer Billy Vera is 78. At This Very Moment.
Actor Lee Meriwether is 87. Winner of Miss San Francisco, Miss California, & Miss America 1955 pageant, played Buddy Ebsen’s secretary in the 1970s crime drama Barnaby Jones and was also known for her portrayal of Catwoman, replacing Julie Newmar in the film version of Batman in 1966. She was also Lily on 80’s revival of The Munsters. Singer John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival is 77. He is listed on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Songwriters and the list of 100 Greatest Singers. His songs include “Proud Mary“, “Bad Moon Rising“, “Fortunate Son“, “Green River“, “Down on the Corner“, “Who’ll Stop the Rain“, “Centerfield” and “The Old Man Down the Road.
If men could get pregnant, birth control would be from gumball machines and bacon or beer-flavored.
Poms, the movie, is a comedy about a group of women who form a cheerleading squad at their retirement community, proving that you’re never too old to ‘bring it!’ Diane Keaton (the best), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Pam Grier (Jackie Brown), Rhea Perlman (Cheers), Cecelia Weston, and Alisha Boe. The movie is based on a real group of women from Sun City Arizona that started a cheerleading group in 1979. It is a really cute, and touching movie, but not for young kids. It shows you can embrace life at any age, but that your mouth might still need for your mom to wash your mouth out with soap on occasion. Or maybe most old women talk that way because they can’t remember the correct words to use. I’m raising my eyebrows right now.
The Vatican is the only nation on earth with a zero-birth rate. Most of the nations on earth are independent of each other while others depend on each other, especially small states like the Vatican. Vatican City is a country – in fact, it is the smallest country in the world.
For the first time, scientists and researchers are growing tiny little seedlings in moon soil (aka regolith) collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts decades ago in the 1960’s and 70’s. They planted thale cress in moon soil, lifeless for billions of years, that had been returned by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and other moonwalkers. Actually, samples from the Apollo 12 and 17 missions fared the best. Thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana, is a small flowering plant (aka weed) related to broccoli, watercress, cauliflower, and kale, and not especially tasty, but it can complete its entire lifecycle in six weeks. Good news. Every little seed germinated.
Why are they called hemorrhoids? They should be called asteroids! The laugh, giggle, and hoot this week is compliments of Dave Mayberry.
“You don’t have to stifle your beliefs around here.” Rolling Stone Magazine’s top editor responding to the fact that media outlets that have fallen back on traditional ground rules concerning abortion to avoid perception of bias in reporting, since the Supreme Court is now poised to eliminate a constitutional right. Some corporations and businesses now believe that it will be impossible not to be perceived as picking a political side.
Barbie lovers, mark your calendars! Warner Bros. Pictures has an upcoming movie about the iconic Mattel doll starring Margot Robbie, set to be released July 21, 2023. The same security company for Dave Chappelle’s show also oversaw the deadly Astroworld Festival. A German fisherman caught an ultra-rare bright yellow catfish that looks like a giant banana. Academy Award-winning actor, director, producer, and activist Natalie Portman has a New York Times bestselling book called Natalie Portman’s Fables. The book retells three classic fables, along with new wit and wisdom, and modern takes on timeless life lessons. From realizing that there is no “right” way to live to respecting our planet and learning what really makes someone a winner.
A 16-year-old boy died on Lake Georgetown while cliff-diving. Currently, Lake Georgetown is approximately 73.6% full, with current average level of 782.79 feet. In Spain, a 31-year-old Dutch man died while cliff-diving at the Malgrats Islands while his wife and young son filmed the moment while watching him on a nearby boat. That’s horrible. Age doesn’t help some people make better choices.
Last Friday, my baby graduated from college. She hates it when I write about her but, oh well. I’m going to do it anyway. It does seem just like yesterday that I was bribing her to quit sucking her thumb with a ‘carrot’ called Polly Pockets – little, tiny rubber dolls with tiny little rubber clothing. She set her mind, was so determined, then went three days without her thumb, but as I watched her sleep, she sucked the heck out of an imaginary thumb. After the first three days, I bribed her with an even bigger, more expensive Polly Pockets set if she could go a whole week. It worked, she got the big container of Polly Pockets, and I received less ortho expenses by her not needing a palate expander in her teens. You have to learn which battles are worth fighting. Sucking her thumb was pretty much the worse thing she ever did, and she has been setting her mind and doing the most amazing things ever since. So, now I will toot her horn. Anne-Elisabeth graduated the top of the class from University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and a minor in Energy and Sustainability, Magna Cum Laude. Am I proud? YES! I’m still walking around grinning from ear to ear. Anne-Elisabeth will continue her education in the fall, working towards her Master’s in Environmental Management with a concentration in Environmental Economics and Policy, which by the way, has nothing to do with Industrial Design, but I think she found her love. The environment. And best of all, I didn’t have to photoshop pictures showing her playing water polo in high school, donate a building, bribe school officials, or fake her test scores. She is amazing, and I am so proud. Have a great week and thanks for reading us!
LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
