Brooke's Blossoms in Honor of Brooke Hester!

Brooke Elizabeth Hester is fighting back! 

This strong and brave little girl is fighting Cancer~Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. She has a wonderful and very supportive family as well as millions of friends that love her very much. Brooke is 4 years old and loves pink, ponies, cats and dogs, and dinosaurs. She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She has had to under go many tests and treatments including sonograms, nuclear scans and MRI/MRUs. Tests have shown a large tumor is in her abdomen pressing on her left kidney, spine, and internal organs. The prognosis is not good, but there have been advances for neurblastoma in the last few years. The cancer is also in her bone marrow, so she has a long battle ahead. For more information go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brookehester/mystory.

Her family is armed with prayer warriors, friends and family ready to help pull her through this, but financially, they face many days away from home and travelling to MD Anderson in her "road map" of cancer treatment for the mass and bone marrow. There is a great need for financial support during this journey and many ways you can help. 

The family has set up a special donation account for Brooke if you are working on a fundraiser or just want to make a charitable contribution. It is through Wells Fargo, and anyone, anywhere can go to any branch and just request to give to the "Brooke Hester Donation Fund."

There is also a campaign on Facebook as a Fundrazr drive at: http://bit.ly/gATd5I

The family has a very strong faith, and know how much the power of prayer works miracles. Please pray for Brook a very sweet, sweet girl.

Brooke's Blossoms 

Brooke's Blossoms is a new service to help supply the beautiful little girls battling cancer and have lost the hair with Headbands & Hats with dolled up with Flowers, Bows, Feathers, & Bling. Anything to make them feel special and let there Diva Shine! This is all in Honor of Brooke Hester and the exciting part is she is getting to help Distribute them!!!!

There are several ways you can help. You can contribute with supplies for the Blossoms, messages for the Girls or a Monetary donation to go towards supplies. However you would like!! Contact Sunnie Joe Stewart for details.sunnie_stewart@yahoo.com

Sunnie Jo Stewart
PO Box 450
Kingsville, TX 78364

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and

He will make your path straight.

Proverbs 3:5

http://www.brookefightsback.org/index.html

http://www.brookefightsback.org/blossoms.html

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/BrookeHester/journal

The 39th Anniversary Of Roe Vs. Wade!

1/22/73 U.S. Supreme Court confirmed freedom of choice!

At the time, the Supreme Court recognized the inherent right to privacy for women, an urgent issue given that women were dying in emergency rooms across the country from self-induced abortions.

But today, women across the nation are disturbed to see a set of politicians doing everything they can to undermine this landmark decision that has stood as a critical safeguard for women's health for four decades. 

The best way to reduce the need for abortion is to reduce unintended pregnancy. But in the U.S., politicians are also increasingly putting up roadblocks to access preventive care, including the birth control that helps women avoid unintended pregnancy. In fact, in the past year, the House of Representatives and extreme state legislatures have worked to cut many women off from access to birth control and lifesaving cancer screenings for breast and cervical cancer. 

The number one prescription drug for women ages 18-44 years, the average women pays $50 a month for birth control. This is an obvious barrier to access, particularly for low-income women and students. Reproductive rights are a fundamental aspect of women’s economic equality,

When women have access to preventive care --including birth control, breast exams, and pap smears -- it is good for women, good for their families, and good for America. 

Last month, women's health advocates said they would sue the US government for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of young teenage girls by denying them over-the-counter access to emergency contraception.

The US secretary of health and human services, Kathleen Sebelius, stepped in to bar girls under the age of 17 from getting the morning-after pill without a prescription.

In short, a whole class of elected officials currently in office is dead set on turning back the clock nearly half a century. And another band of them is waiting in the wings ─ with their eyes on the White House.

Opposing Roe and essential women's health care isn't just bad policy -- it's bad politics. That's because Americans agree with the protection that Roe provides. Polling consistently reaffirms that a majority of Americans support a woman's right to make her own decisions about pregnancy in consultation with her doctor and her family. Politicians who oppose this firmly held notion are swimming against the tide, putting themselves outside the mainstream. 

Pres. Obama on Sunday marked the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion by affirming his backing for the right, for decades one of America's most polarizing issues.

"As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman's health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters, I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right."

We must continue to raise those voices and keep the pressure on. Every day, from now through November, we need to remind politicians that women are watching.

We see what they are doing. We hear what they are saying. And we vote.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Beautiful & Bald Barbie Facebook Campaign!

Bald Barbie Supports Children With Cancer!

Barbie is just shy of 53 years old. She’s survived the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, both wars with Iraq and has managed to outlast 10 U.S. Presidents. But she might have just met her match with two cancer survivors. 

Jane Bingham and Rebecca Sypin have started an online movement on Facebook requesting Mattel Inc. to create a "Bald Barbie" as a role model for young girls going through chemotherapy or suffering from hair loss conditions such as alopecia.  

Why? Cancer has touched both women's lives – Bingham has lymphoma and Sypin’s 12-year-old daughter has leukemia. The friends recognized hair loss was a difficult aspect of cancer treatment, especially for females. A bald doll would reassure girls going through chemotherapy and radiation, as well as reassure girls who experience hair loss because of other disorders. The doll would help them feel beautiful and accepted, according to Sypin and Bingham. In addition, they feel a bald Barbie would raise awareness of children's cancer.

The women, who live on opposite coasts of the U.S., started a Facebook page, “Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made.” The page has garnered over 120, 000 “likes” since the page's advent at Christmas time. Supporters worldwide have added comments, mostly in support, of a bald Barbie. Many of the comments are from childhood cancer survivors who say they would have loved a doll like the proposed Barbie when they were going through treatment. Parents of children with cancer have posted pictures on the page of their beautiful – and bald – daughters asking Mattel to consider creating the doll. A petition in support of the doll is featured on the social change website Change.org and the story has spread to mainstream news organizations.

Interestingly, Mattel created a one-of-a-kind bald Barbie doll for a little girl, Genesis Reyes, in 2011. “Princess Genesis” was made for the 4-year-old girl at the request of a friend of wife of Mattel's chief executive. But, Mattel seems to have broken the mold with Princess Genesis, and so far, has not bowed to the pressure of the social media movement. In statements, the company said they were honored Barbie was being considered as a potential role model for children with cancer, but “Mattel doesn't accept ideas from outside sources.”

Really, Mattel? Certainly a multi-billion dollar company could produce a limited run of the dolls, with a portion of the proceeds donated to childhood cancer organizations. Barbie has had so many incarnations over the years-NASCAR driver, astronaut, Totally Tattoos Barbie, a presidential candidate Barbie, a Barbie in a wheelchair and haute couture Barbies.

Why not a bald Barbie? While companies often believe creating a special line will dilute their brand, in essence a rare line of dolls would actually increase the value of the Barbie brand. Consumers drive brand appeal – in spite of what companies believe–and a bald Barbie would be a wise move on the part of Mattel.

Bingham, Sypin and their supporters are on to something big with their “Beautiful and Bald Barbie” Facebook page. If social media can act as a catalyst for revolution in other countries, I am sure we might see a bald Barbie on the shelves of our local toy stores sooner than later.

Go to http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie if you want to support the drive.

What Is SOPA?

Here Are 5 Things You Need to Know.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has got the entire Internet up in arms today. Media justice advocates say the bill is anathema to basic functioning of the Internet; for a system that’s based on relative freedom and connectivity, SOPA would work as the online world’s stingy gatekeeper, giving government the power to shutdown websites altogether.

Today, hundreds of websites are joining in a day of action to SOPA’s threat to freedom of expression on the Internet. Several civil rights and racial justice organizations are joining in what’s been called an “Internet strike,” by closing their websites from 8 am to 8 pm eastern time. Colorlines.com’s Jamilah King, who covers media policy, explains why:

The Internet’s been an important space for communities of color to tell their own stories and advocate for issues they don’t often see in film or on television. SOPA puts that independence in jeopardy. It’ll add yet another barrier to how and what we can communicate.

So, here are the basics on what you need to know.

Who’s behind SOPA? Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas politician who’s been known mostly for his anti-immigrant stances in recent years. Smith’s got big industry backers, namely: The Recording Industry Association of American, the Motion Picture Association of America (now led by former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

What’s the justification for SOPA? Supporters of the bill claim that it’ll help copyright holders (think big record labels) protect their content. Rep. Smith has criticized the bill’s opponents and explained that SOPA would only target foreign websites that put American businesses at risk.

But opponents argue that the definition of “foreign infringing sites” is too vague. As it’s written now, they argue, the bill will fundamentally alter the relative freedom with which the Internet currently operates. What’s certain is that it’ll add a level of supervision to the Internet that’s never existed before.

Who’s opposed to SOPA? Basically, every website that you visit regularly. Most notably, Wikipedia, Craigslist, and Reddit, along with thousands of other websites, have chosen to go dark in opposition to the bill and to help educate users about its potential impact. But the list doesn’t stop there: Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and Twitter have also publicly opposed the bill. The White House has also announced that should the bill reach President Obama’s desk, he will veto it.

How would SOPA work? It allows the U.S. attorney general to seek a court order against the targeted offshore website that would, in turn, be served on Internet providers in an effort to make the target virtually disappear. It’s kind of an Internet death penalty.

More specifically, section 102 of SOPA says that, after being served with a removal order:

A service provider shall take technically feasible and reasonable measures designed to prevent access by its subscribers located within the United States to the foreign infringing site (or portion thereof) that is subject to the order…Such actions shall be taken as expeditiously as possible, but in any case within five days after being served with a copy of the order, or within such time as the court may order.

How would it impact me? If you create or consume content on the Internet, under SOPA the government would have the power to pull the plug on your website. If you’re a casual consumer, your favorite websites could be penalized and shut down if they seem to be illegally supporting copyrighted material.

This is especially important for human rights groups and advocates in communities of color, who could faced increased censorship if the bill is passed. The language of the bill makes it easy for the US Attorney General to go after websites it simply sees as a threat.

For more info please see the link below:

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/01/what_the_hell_is_sopa_and_how_it_would_affect_you.html