Accusing an individual, group, or political party of conducting a war against women is extremely inflammatory. If such a claim is to be made, it’s important that a full understanding of what is meant by it be carefully examined – particularly if there is any truth to the assertion.

The Allegation Appeared During the 2012 Campaign

Image via Flickr by steevithak

The accusation that there was a war on women by the Republicans was first leveled during the 2012 presidential election. The Democrat’s allegation consisted of two components: Republican’s opposition to abortion on demand for convenience, and mandatory tax-payer funded birth control. Their disapproval of the Republican position led to what most considered over-the-top rhetoric.

Weakness of the Argument

The right of women to kill the unborn should include the point that at least half of those unborn children are female. Couldn’t preventing this atrocity be considered an attempt to stop an actual war on women, since real war results in the taking of life? It’s difficult to see how denying women the “right” to destroy the body of another is an attack on them.

The notion that not paying for another’s birth control is somehow an attack upon a woman, defies reason. Republican’s never attempted to make birth control inaccessible – they merely opposed paying for it.

What an Actual War on Women Looks Like

Aside from taking a woman’s life, there are real forms of outright aggression against women which could be seen as a form of “warfare.”

For example, attempting to prevent women from being educated, pursing an online MBA degree, or forcing them to dress according to a code. But the worst example would be those who sexually prey on women. They would truly be at war against the freedoms and security of womanhood. And those who protect aggressors are in an unholy alliance with such female adversaries.

Accurate Account of a War Against Women

During his time as Governor of Arkansas, and while president of the United States, Bill Clinton was repeatedly accused of exactly the despicable behavior described above. He used his position of power to force sexual encounters with multiple women, and using this same power went on to persecute, slander, intimidate, and where possible, silence these women.

Dolly Kyle, Elizabeth Gracen, Juanita Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey, Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, and finally, Monica Lewinsky all claimed to be victims of Bill Clinton’s sexual predation. In the case of Monica Lewinsky, physical evidence proved the accusation, as did the president’s own confession, (given after he perjured himself). In fact, his behavior led to his eventual impeachment.

Future Presidential Candidate’s War Against Women

Instead of denouncing her husband for his reprehensible conduct, Hillary Clinton helped lead the attempt to malign these women and protect her husband’s reputation.

She helped persecute and discredit them when she appeared on national television calling them liars for falsely accusing her husband. And finally blaming the whole thing on a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” Her defense of his actions only served to implicate her in the only real “war on women” ever conducted by a political party.

A war against any group is incendiary rhetoric. It shouldn’t be used unless the accuser has substantial evidence to support it.

Have you ever wondered how green and eco-friendly your home actually was?  I, if I’m honest, am always worried that I am perhaps not doing all I should be doing to ensure that my lifestyle and household are as environmentally friendly as possible.  I was pleased then to find that Australian Solar Quotes were running a quiz that aimed to tell you just that, how green or not your home was. Click here to take it, or I have embedded it below for you.

Many of the questions are what you would expect to be featured in this kind of quiz, but there are some surprising questions along the way that made me think about my own practices to keep my home green.  For instance, the first question asks about the type of lightbulbs you have in your home – well, that didn’t make me feel too bad as I swapped to LEDs a long time ago.

The next question though in the quiz threw me a little because it was all about the paint used to decorate.  It was only in the last year or so that I redecorated a large percentage of my house and up until that point I was not aware of all the different types of paints available.  This is why this question threw me with choices of paint with lead-free components, VOC paint and high lead paint components.  I actually had to find an old tin of paint to check.

Like I said, there are some questions that you could guess were included in the quiz.  Obvious ones such as “what kind of energy does your home run on” “What is in your fridge?”(In reference to whether or not you have processed foods, organic and fresh or a mixture), “what kind of cleaning products do you use?” and “how eco-friendly is your garden?”

However, the ones I found really interesting were the ones that asked things such as “let’s be honest, how sustainable is your dishwashing practices?”  I felt quite bad, as my answer was not the best and greenest one from the multiple choice list.  The same could be said for the “where does your main source of water come from?”  I had never actually considered that before, neither had I considered what materials I used to cover my floors.

After I had answered the questions I submitted them and was taken to a page with the percentage (according to their quiz) of how green my house was.  In some ways I was happy that I scored 50%, but it shows that even if I feel I do a lot more to be eco-friendly and environmentally-conscious that a lot of my friends, relatives and neighbours; that there is still so much more I can do.  The results were given with some choice words of advice, which just served as a reminder that when you are trying to make your home greener, it is the little things that count the most – the little things you change.  Whether this is the way you wash dishes or take care of your garden, the results will be that your conscience will be clearer and your home will be greener.

How you spend your downtime is vicariously just as important to accomplishing all your jobs and errands as working directly on them. You can’t operate at capacity if you’re not finding time to unwind and replenish properly; excuse the poor analogy but you can’t expect a car to drive long distances without you making stops to fill it with more petrol.

Light Exercise

The simplest and most obvious one I think, but often overlooked to great detriment. Light exercise can consist of something as achievable and relaxed as a long walk- and if not a scenic recreational walk, perhaps in place of a morning commute. A lot of people won’t realize that if they’re not tiring out their bodies then their sleep isn’t the best quality it could be, and that’ll cause untold amount of stress too! If walks aren’t for you then yoga is a well renowned stress-annihilator, for its gentle exercise and even more so for its heavy focus on meditation.

Baths

If your bath is like mine then it’s filled with clothes and talcum powder most of the time, in between my bi-monthly baths. But even finding a day a week to sink into the tub, with some candles around, and either a nice book or a bit of relaxing music, will have you noticeably less tightly wound in no time.

Massage

I’m not talking about going out to a spa for a professional rub-down (although there really is no parallel for that if you do find time), I simply advocate getting your partner or a truly good friend to crack out the grapeseed oil and knead out those knots of tension from your poor shoulders every once in a while. To be honest even administering a massage alleviates stress itself, so maybe you can take it in turns, everyone’s a winner!

Hypnosis

If you can identify specific causes of stress in your life, like smoking or anger issues, then professional hypnotherapy could be the route for you. Expert hypnosis can not only aid in getting rid of behaviours you’d be better off without, but can change your outlook on worrisome situations, and even just deal directly with removing feelings of stress. And with some of the better clinics now starting to offer webcam therapy sessions, it’s a no-brainer.

Music

You can’t have failed to notice that the right music has a massive impact on your mood but, even knowing that, some people still don’t find a moment to just kick back and listen to their favourite album. Have a sing along, have a dance, you’ll be amazed just how cathartic it can be.

Disconnect

How do you expect to relax when you’re constantly the victim of a barrage of bleeps and buzzes? Instantly accessible by everyone, anytime. Don’t you remember a time before mobile phones? Before the internet? It was okay right? Nobody mithering you. Whichever of the preceding 5 you choose to combat your stress with, their effectivity is going to increase tenfold if you just fall off the radar for a couple of hours. Phone on silent (or off altogether), no tablet or device, computer or laptop, don’t even turn on the TV. Serene silence. Heaven.

It is a common conception that Grey hair is considered unflattering, can make women look older and give the impression of ‘I don’t care attitude towards her appearance’. For women, greying hair often occurs when they are undergoing significant physical changes, such as the menopause; therefore the need to cover the grey hairs becomes a very emotive issue.  However, anyone can start going grey at a relatively young age but usually grey hairs begin appearing in your mid 20’s developing throughout the next years so that in your 40’s you may have the inclination to cover your grey hair.

It is best to start covering grey hairs as soon as possible so you can’t be tempted to pull a single grey hair out! By succumbing to the urge of pulling out the grey hairs you can traumatise your roots which will either encourage courser and thicker hair to grow or no hair to grow. It is a myth that pulling out one grey hair causes two new ones to grow in its place, however, traumatic alopecia (baldness) is a very common issue that can occur due to the root trauma.

Grey hair naturally has a different texture to non-grey hairs, which makes colouring and styling harder. However, it can be done successfully. One way to hide your greying hair is to style your hair differently to cover the grey hair at your temples, which will create a more flattering look. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a textured fringe or sides just because you have always worn your hair up and away from your face.

If you are inclined to colour your grey hair do you go to a salon or home? Millions of women have had success with colouring their hair at home. Here are 6 golden rules for home colouring:

• No Peroxide. If you don’t want to damage your hair at all then steer clear of hair colouring products that contain peroxide. Although peroxide is an effective hair lightener it is harmful for your hair. Daniel Field hair colour is the only non-peroxide, non-ammonia permanent hair colour for greying hair.

• If a hair colouring product containing peroxide claims it has “special conditioners and benefits” you should take it with a pinch of salt. The cosmetic shine created by these colourants is only cosmetic – the shine lasts up to 2 weeks. After the 2 weeks you are left with (to some degree) structurally damaged hair.

• Don’t go too dark! Be aware that as you get older your skin gets paler – so choose hair colour shades that are no more than one shade darker than your natural hair colour.

• Be subtle. The idea of colouring your grey hair is to ensure that no one notices, so be subtle with your colouring and stick to shades as close to your natural hair colour base as possible.

• Grey hair only suits women who have the correct combination skin tone (neutral skin) and eye colouring (grey/blue) and look good in blues, lilacs, greys and pinks.

Choose appropriately to your budget. Full head colouring gets more expensive the more your chosen hair colour is from your natural hair colour. If you have 100% grey hair coverage, the darker the hair colour you choose the greater the re-growth. Also if your hair is still quite brown and you want to go lighter than this will be very high maintenance! If you are a busy person, on a budget or travel a lot than it is advised for you to stick to your natural colour.

Article written by Daniel Field Mail Order – we are passionate about our natural hair products, suitable for vegans, all designed and created by professional hairdresser, Daniel Field. Our natural hair colours are free from ammonia, peroxide, alcohol and PPDs.

Nail Art is a growing trend and a fabulous way to add flair to your nails. Nail art is great for special occasions and you can match your nail art to your outfit! While nail art shops are sprouting up everywhere, many clever ladies are doing their own nail art at home. Learning to do your own nail art will save money and it’s a fun thing to do with friends.While complex nail art is probably best left to professional nail artists, there are lots of simple designs you can do at home. Here are a few ideas.

Prepare Your Nails

Before you begin you will need to prepare your nails. Remove the remnants of any old nail polish thoroughly. Like any work of art you need to start with a clean canvas. Try and use nail polish remover without acetone as it is less harmful to your nails. If you have a fungal infections ain any of your nails, this should be treated before first. Excilor is a highly effective remedy.Next step is to make sure your nails are in good shape. Trim and file to get rid of any snags or uneven surfaces. Keep as much length on your nails as possible so you have maximum space to work with.

Apply a Base Coat

Apply a clear base coat to your nails. Make sure this is completely dry before proceeding. A base coat will protect your nails from being stained by bright polishes and it will also help the next layer of polish last longer.

Glitter Nails

Glitter nails are the trend right now and are easy to create. You will need black nail polish, clear polish and loose powder glitter – glitter eye shadow will work. After your base coat apply a coat of black nail polish. This will act as a stunning background colour to show the glitter off to great effect. When the black layer is fully dry, dip your clear nail brush into the glitter and apply to your nails. Start at the centre and move to the tips. Allow the glitter coat to dry well and then apply a top coat for protection.

Half Moon Glitter

To create half-moon glitter nails you will need red nail polish, silver glitter (or glitter eye shadow) and clear polish. Apply a coat of red polish over your base coat and allow it to dry fully. Dip the clear polish brush into the silver glitter and apply from your cuticle to the centre of your nail creating an uneven glitter half-moon. It’s that simple! Finish off with a top coat.

The Glitter Sandwich

For this design you will need clear polish as well as glitter polish and a fast drying top and base coat. Apply a coat of sheer polish over your base. Allow to dry. Then add a layer of glitter polish, repeat clear and glitter coats. Finish with a layer of clear polish followed by your top coat.