Categories
Health

31 Long Distance Relationship Gifts to Send Your SO


We’re all relying on Zoom hangs, Netflix Party, and endless memes to stay in touch with loved ones during quarantine, but long distance relationship gifts are a surefire way to connect with those closest to you, even from miles away. Whether you’re trying to keep a new relationship alive, or want to inspire your friend whose been channeling her inner Julia Child, sending a physical gift will go the extra mile to show you care. In a time when everything feels grey—especially for those social distancing on their own—these thoughtful gestures will brighten their day.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.



Source link

Categories
Health

Here's How to Send Donald Trump Your Birth Control Bill


Following the repeated failures to officially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Donald Trump has taken the task of unraveling his predecessor’s signature legislation into his own hands—and has been looking for ways to incrementally undermine health care for millions of Americans.

One of the most drastic measures came earlier this month when the President took action to roll back the ACA’s birth control mandate and make it easier for employers to exempt contraception from their health insurance offerings on the grounds of religious or moral exemption. In their quest to make make birth control less accessible, the administration has said that it’s unsure if birth control decreases unplanned pregnancies (it does), it’s concerned that BC promotes “riskier” sex (it doesn’t), and warned of the negative side effects of certain contraception (which have been greatly exaggerated).

Through this murky reasoning, the White House has put coverage for the 55 million women who depend on the birth control mandate in jeopardy. Ninety-nine percent of women have used at least one type of contraception in their life, but out-of-pocket costs can prove to be a major financial burden. According to a 2010 study completed by Planned Parenthood, about a third of women struggled with covering these co-pays.

If you, like millions of other women, realize just how detrimental Trump’s actions could be, all hope is not lost. Before Trump’s proposed plan can go into effect, the Department of Health and Human Services is required to have an open comment period and give the public a chance to share their thoughts on the new rule. And this is where you (with some help from the Women’s Equality Center) come in.

WEC just launched their Keep Birth Control Copay Free campaign to flood HHS with plenty of opposition to Trump’s rule. Not only can you send the department a pointed, pre-written note outlining how bad this proposal would be, you can send Donald Trump the bill for your own birth control with a handy invoice generator. The tool automatically pulls in the average cost of whatever birth control you use—there are seven options to choose from, including the pill and IUDs—and gives you a chance to send it along to the President along with a message telling HHS not to go forward with the plan.

Right now, the teen pregnancy rate is at an all-time low. Unintended pregnancies are at a 30-year low. Abortion rates have hit a 40-year low and are continuing to decline. All of these stats can be linked to more accessible birth control—and these trends will likely reverse if contraception is made less attainable.

Beyond this, Trump’s actions could have wide-reaching socioeconomic ramifications. When women have more control over their own reproductive health care–including having access to birth control—they take better care of themselves and their families. They can pursue higher education. They can advance in their careers. They can be more active participants in the economy. If they’re denied access to affordable birth control, the effects could be overwhelming.

“Women are tired of footing the bill for male politicians’ attacks on essential reproductive health care,” Amy Runyon-Harms, the Keep Birth Control Copay Free campaign coordinator, told Glamour in a statement. “Together, we are pushing back against President Trump’s dangerous political decision to reduce access to birth control and today we are sending him the bill. Copay-free birth control saves Americans at least $1.4 billion each year. And we figure, with Donald Trump’s frequent proclamations that he’s ‘very rich,’ he shouldn’t have a problem absorbing the cost.”

Comments will be accepted until December 5, so go ahead, send Trump your thoughts—and make sure to send him your bill, too.



Source link

Categories
Health

Rihanna Begs Trump to Send Aid to Puerto Rico


PHOTO: Gabriel Maseda/NurPhoto/Getty Images

For more than a week, Puerto Rico has suffered the effects of Hurricane Maria, a category 4 storm that has left the entire U.S. territory without power potentially for months, without additional aid from other countries. That changed earlier today, when President Donald Trump finally waived the Jones Act, a 1920 shipping law that would prevent non-U.S. vessels from transporting goods between U.S. ports, after immense pressure from the nation, Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rossello, and other public figures. One of them was Rihanna, who on Twitter early Thursday morning urged the president to send aid to the 3.5 million American citizens who reside on the island.

The singer tweeted a cover of Wednesday’s New York Daily News, which superimposed the headline “American Tragedy” in large block letters and “No food, no water, no power, no medical care for the dying … Puerto Rico needs more help, Mr. President!” over a photo of victims of Hurricane Maria. For the caption, Rihanna wrote, “Dear @realDonaldTrump I know you’ve probably already seen this, but I just wanted to make sure! Don’t let your people die like this.”

The tweet has since gone viral with over 50,000 retweets and 116,000 likes, bringing much needed attention to the amount of international aid that would have been denied by Trump’s refusal to temporarily waive the Jones Act. Before that, the singer had twice tweeted at the president, quoting a CBS News video of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz saying, “I know that leaders aren’t supposed to cry…but we are having a humanitarian crisis here,” and posting a link to a video from The Shade Room calling for relief efforts.

On Wednesday, the President told reporters he based his decision on business interests, saying “a lot of people that work in the shipping industry…don’t want the Jones Act lifted,” reported Newsweek. The singer has yet to comment on the President’s announcement to backtrack on his initial statement, but she did send another tweet praising former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush for their fundraising efforts.

“Round of APPLAUSE to these gentlemen for taking control of this devastating situation!!! #CaribbeanGirl #OneLove,” wrote the singer, who is from Barbados.

Rihanna is not the only celebrity who has publically called for increased aid to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands affected by Hurricane Maria. On Sunday, Jennifer Lopez, who is of Puerto Rican descent as well as cochair of the Empire State Relief & Recovery Effort, announced she would donate $1 million to relief efforts. Earlier, she had posted a video on Instagram urging fans to donate to Puerto Rico First Lady Beatriz Areizaga’s relief fund.

While social media is a good way to spread the word, here are some other ways you can contribute to the Puerto Rico relief effort.



Source link

Categories
Health

A Photo of Afghan Women in Miniskirts Helped Convince Donald Trump to Send More Troops to Afghanistan


PHOTO: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

In an address to the nation on Monday night, Donald Trump announced plans to commit more troops to Afghanistan and continue the 16-year war. This decision seemed in stark contrast to Trump’s stance on the war in the years leading up to his ascent to the presidency. In 2012, he said the conflict was a “total disaster” and “wasting our money.” In 2013, he called for the U.S. military to leave Afghanistan “immediately.” And in 2015 and well into 2016—a.k.a. the duration of his presidential campaign—Trump continued to denounce the war.

But since actually taking office—and surrounding himself with plenty of retired military men—Trump has seemed to have changed his mind. And according to a report from The Washington Post, one of his closest White House officials knew exactly how to reach Trump—and get him to deploy more troops.

As the The Washington Post reported: “One of the ways [national security adviser H.R. McMaster] tried to persuade Trump to recommit to the effort was by convincing him that Afghanistan was not a hopeless place. He presented Trump with a black-and-white snapshot from 1972 of Afghan women in miniskirts walking through Kabul, to show him that Western norms had existed there before and could return.”

Considering Trump’s comments, actions, and attitudes toward women, it’s not surprising that a photograph of young women in short skirts was the best way for McMaster to convince the President that reinstating “Western norms” was worth continuing the military effort—and to completely reverse his original stance on the war in Afghanistan.

Though the exact number of troops that will be sent to join the 8,400 that are currently in Afghanistan is unclear, a report from The Hill indicates that the number will likely be between 3,000 and 5,000.



Source link