Sunday, April 20, 2008

Breastfeeding Promotion Act

A Call for Action from MomsRising.org -----

Just a couple of months ago, a mother was kicked out of a museum in New York for breastfeeding, a perfectly legal act in that state. [1] Mothers continue to suffer discrimination and humiliation for breastfeeding, even though doctors recommend breastfeeding for all infants. Clearly we need Congress to pass the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 2236) now--before more mothers are stigmatized and humiliated for breastfeeding.

But this Act is currently stalled in Congress, and isn’t going to move forward without increased citizen pressure. You can supply that pressure.

CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON NOW: http://www.momsrising.org/CosponsorBreastfeedingAct

(And forward this email to friends now so they can take action too. All of our voices are needed to get the Breastfeeding Promotion Act moving forward).

MomsRising members have successfully raised awareness about the need to protect the rights of breastfeeding mothers in the past and can do it again. Last year, MomsRising members and other activists changed Delta Airlines corporate policies when a mother was kicked off a flight for breastfeeding.

We can harness this same power to push through the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, but we need your help contacting Congress. Let's support mothers who are nurturing and caring for the next generation of Americans. Those nursing babies may not be able to vote, but their mothers can!

Forward this email so your friends and family can contact their representatives too. It’s going to take all of our voices, and then some to get this legislation moving forward. We need tens of thousands of messages to go to Congress supporting breastfeeding.

Here's that link again in case you need it: http://www.momsrising.org/CosponsorBreastfeedingAct

Thank you!

[1] http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S352021.shtml?cat=10114

P.S. THE LOWDOWN ON THE BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION ACT: Representative Carolyn Maloney's Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 2236) would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect breastfeeding by new mothers by providing tax credits to employers who provide a place to breastfeed and/or provide breast pumps. This makes it a lot easier for women who want to give their babies breastmilk and keep their jobs. As you may know, 82% of American women become mothers by the time they are forty-four years old, so this issue is critically important to a large portion of our nation. To read the bill, visit The Library of Congress Website

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Who Gives a Shit About Kids and Cursing?

Seems the "cursing" chapter of my book is one that a lot of people want to talk about.

This week, a freelance journalist & mum to a 2 month old baby (Lesley Carlin McElhattan) asked to interview me for an article she's hoping to publish in Cookie Magazine on the topic of kids and cursing. She'll let me know when the article comes out & I'll be sure to post it here.

And my mom, who just returned from a family gathering, said my great aunt Mollie has been taking my book "as gospel." When the cursing chapter came up during dinner one night, her oldest son remarked to her, "Don't worry mom, you don't have to start cursing now!"

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

2 Interviews - one for listening, one to read.

For listening:

When I was on my mini-book-tour in February, Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive Magazine invited me in to their studio in Madison, WI to do an interview with him for The Progressive Radio Show. He was super kind, smart and skillfully steered me back when I'd ramble. It's 28 minutes long. It aired on 3/31/2008 on their syndicated show, to about 40 (NPR-affiliate?) stations around the US. It's archived here: http://www.progressive.org/radioweekly

For reading:

Interview on Mamaphonic.com by China Martens

China, author of The Future Generation: The Zine-Book for Subculture Parents, Kids & Others, and I took forever to get this interview finished, but we're both happy & satisfied with how it turned out. Last month, she and I met for the first time face-to-face after years of correspondence and supporting each other's projects. It was an amazing time we had. (I'll put pix up soon, just as soon as I figure out how.) Go here for the interview: http://www.mamaphonic.com/node/1780