Two years after the revolution in Egypt, sexual assaults against women are rising and becoming more violent, says several human rights organizations.

A recent New York Times piece created a storm of reactions with it’s portrayal of the dangers to women in Egypt since the Arab Spring. According to the story, at least 18 rapes ocurred on the second anniversary of the revolution, and Tahir square, the symbol of freedom, has “become a no-go zone for women, especially after dark.”  The Times article goes on to describe the increased level of violence of these assaults.

They state: “In the 18 confirmed attacks that day, six women were hospitalized, according to interviews conducted by human rights groups. One woman was stabbed in her genitals, and another required a hysterectomy.”

Women’s rights are fundamental human rights and environmental concerns. As the world reacts to the rise in assaults on women in Egypt, it’s going to take more than rhetoric to halt sexual assaults and violence against women.

Amnesty International has joined the voices demanding that effective and meaningful change occurs in Egypt to protect women from sexual assault.

In their 28 page report, they interview seven Egyptian activists working to ensure women’s rights in Egypt. These include Mary Daniel and Azza Hilal Ahmad Suleiman, who are both seeking justice for protesters that have been killed or injured. Engy Ghozlan, Azza Suleiman and Amina Agami are working to protect and defend women from violence, and combat sexual harassment. Manal Tibe is dedicated to defending the right to housing and Ayesha Amin focuses on on-line support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in Egypt.

Their stories can be read in the full report by Amnesty International entitled ‘Fighting for Justice and Human Rights: Egypt’s Women Activists Tell of Their Struggle.”

How is this related to the environment?

Without exception, every major human rights organization, from Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, and World Pulse to the Association for Women’s Rights in Development point to the clear connection between women’s rights and the advancement of sustainable, safe and successful civilization.

The International Women’s Health Coalition’s stance is unequivocal on this.

“The right of women to control their sexuality—the basis for sexual rights—is an indivisible part of their human rights, and that without it, women cannot fully realize their other human rights. This notion has been reaffirmed at several subsequent international meetings, but in practice, few countries’ laws and policies provide women with effective protection against coercion, discrimination, and violence, and fundamentalist states and movements all over the world consistently target women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy.”

While exact numbers are hard to come by, untold numbers of women and girls in the Middle East living under totalitarian regimes encounter rape, virginity tests, domestic abuse, honor killings, mutilation and other forms of gender-based violence on a regular basis.  Amnesty Internationals call asks the leaders of Egypt to once and for all alleviate these injustices in the region’s largest country.

How far does that envelop have to be pushed in order to create real and abiding change? Because what’s good for women is clearly good for Mother Earth.

Nicholas D. Kristof, renowned New York Times Op-Ed columnist and co-author with Sheryl WuDunn of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (2009), declared that, “greater female involvement in society and the economy appears to undermine extremism and terrorism.  Now it is emerging that male domination of society is also a risk factor; the reasons aren’t fully understood, but it may be that when women are marginalized the nation takes on the testosterone-laden culture of a military camp or a high-school boys’ locker room.”

Rebalancing the power dynanics between men and women is essential. Let’s see if Egyptian women can be the change the world needs to see.

:: Egyptian Activists by Shutterstock

Read More Women’s Rights News:
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Condoms have been around for 400 years, with very little improvements over the last 50 years, according to Grand Challenges in Global Health, a research foundation established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – the one that funded a new kind of toilet.

To bring the condom into the 21st century, Global Health is offering the grant to anyone who can develop the best “testable hypothesis” for a condom that can preserve or enhance pleasure. “The primary drawback from the male perspective,” they state is that, “condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable, particularly given that the decisions about use must be made just prior to intercourse.”

Will this improve the use of condoms in the Middle East, an area that traditionally has shunned the sheath?

According to some reports, condom use in the Middle East is lower than any other region in the world. Worldmapper writes: “Of all the older boys and younger men in the world, 47% report to have used a condom at the last time of high-risk sex. The region with the highest condom use is North America, at 63.5%. The lowest condom use is in the Middle East at 36.8%.” The authors acknowlege that reporting biases make it challenging for researchers to study condom use, particularily with ‘high-risk’ sex acts. High risk sex is define as intercourse with someone a man does not live with or is married to.

An improved condom will do more than make protected sex feel better for men. Condom discomfort is one of the reasons that men and women opt not to use them. Other concerns, especially for women, can include physical irritation, drying, unpleasant smells and taste sensations, suggests Amanda Hess in a Slates article.

We’ve previously reported on the importance of developing female-friendly condoms that are made from sustainable products and are eco-friendly to those who are using them and the planet. That’s why we hope whoever wins the 100,000 grant does more than build a more pleasurable condom: make sure it is eco-conscious too.

If a local inventor wins the grant, they would join Israel recipients who are working to build a better toilet.

Read more sexual health news:

 How do Tree-Humpers Prevent Pregnancy?
GMO Foods Shrining Sexual Health in a Womb Near You
Ecosexy Love Begins with L Condoms

There are few things more natural than making love. For all the time we might think about it or dedicate to the discussion of it, how many of us consider the connection between the environment and intimacy? That is changing. As more environmentalists are finding their ‘E-Spot,‘ and learning about ‘Ecosex‘ – terms made popular by activists in the US – the message is being heard around the world: how we treat the planet and how we treat ourselves shows up very much in our most private experiences.

With spring upon us, and all that means for romance and love, here are 3 ways being eco-savvy now can improve your relationships for a lifetime.

#1: Nourish Your Libido, Naturally

Lovers in the Middle East are one step ahead of their US counterparts: The Mediterranean Diet is especially suited for a lifetime of sexual health and wellbeing.Diets rich in plants and raw foods are best for feeding the two organs we need to keep in optimal health for optimal lovemaking. These are the brain and the heart. The Med Diet, as it is known, is familiar to residents in many parts of the Middle East.

For more on how this way of eating is especially good for a man’s sexual performance, read here. Bottom line: Increase the amount of whole grains, vegetables, legumes and beans, low fat dairy such as kefir in your diet, and avoid high fat animal protein sources like red meat, and your heart, brain and loins will thank you for the longer haul.

#2: Play the Natural Way

The number one complaint for most women when it comes to intimacy is vaginal dryness. Lubricants are a robust business around the globe, but it is really buyer beware when it comes to the ingredients. According to one creator of natural intimacy aids, “90% of the over the counter lubricants contain ingredients originally designed to clean your oven or grease your car engine.” We don’t want petrochemicals near our sexual organs.

One better, more natural and healthy option is probably already in your cupboard: coconut oil. Caution: because it is an oil, it cannot be used with latex condoms. Read here for more on the ins and outs of vaginal lubrication that is more eco-savvy. If you want to learn more about how to shop for eco-conscious toys, we invite you to read here.

#3: Cultivate Pleasure, Naturally

This is really simple: natural pleasures are good for us. Spending time in the outdoors – hiking, swimming, or simply meditating under a tree, for example – is one way we can feel more alive and connected to the world around us. Spending unplugged time with our loved ones doing things that are fun and enjoyable for everyone elevates our moods too.

The point is that when we do things that feel good to our senses, we invite more ecstasy into our lives. So put down the cell phone. Shut off the television. Set aside the game consoles and give yourselves permission to do something a little on the wildside. Time spent in nature invites us to appreciate the world around us, and it connects us to our primal selves in ways that city life has shut down for many lovers. The rejuvation that comes from enjoying natural pleasures can lead to natural delights.

Read More Eco-Conscious Love News:

Ecosex: Why are Environmentalists Avoiding the E-Spot?

Can Conscious Love Pave the Way to Global Peace?

Tinamarie is a relationship & environmental blogger & intimacy coach who helps women over 35 experience sensational intimate relationships, naturally. You can reach her at ecocoachtina@gmail.com.

Worldwide close to 50 million couples are unable to conceive after five years of trying, states a recent report.

A recent World Health Organization report of 277 national surveys estimates that infertility rates have remained consistent over the past 20 years, with North Africa and the Middle East showing the strongest negative trends in reproductive fertility.

Gretchen Stevens of WHO led the study, which looked at fertility trends in 190 countries.  Researchers found that 1.9% of women over the age of 20 who wanted a child were unable to conceive, while 10.5% of those who had already given birth were unable to have another child.

Rates varied across regions, with the Middle East and North Africa showing a higher level of increased infertility (2.6%), compared to other regions (1.6%).

According to ScienceDaily.com, the study stated that, “Independent from population growth and worldwide declines in the preferred number of children, we found little evidence of changes in infertility over two decades, apart from in the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.”

According to the Mayo clinic, the cause or causes of infertility can involve one or both partners, with one third being due to the male partner, one third the female and one third involving both the man and woman.

Growing concerns about the role of environmental toxins on fertility have led many to advocate for better research and reduced exposure to agents thought to harm reproductive health.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States now reports that, “research suggests that environmental contaminants can affect a woman’s menstruation and ovulation. Low-level exposures to compounds such as phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin, and pesticides are suspected risk factors.”

Not only do these toxins affect females. We’ve previously reported on the impact of BPA on reproductive health and motility and Wifi use on sperm motility.

image of pregancy, Shutterstock

More sexual health news:

BPA is One of Hundreds of Endocrine Disrupters

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A plant-rich diet is best for your sexual and reproductive wellbeing.

The Mediterranean Diet is often hailed as an excellent choice for those who want to ensure lifelong vitality, fertility and reproductive stamina. This diet is noteworthy for what’s it in – whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, fatty fish and limited dairy, eggs and red meat – as it is for what’s not in it: processed foods. Others tout the value of vegan (“Vegan” is the new “Viagra” is a popular meme) and vegetarianism as best for us and our nether bits.

Whatever foods make it to your shopping list and table, there are some key ingredients that serve all foodies and lovers of aphrodisiacs alike. I call these the 4 Fs of eating for optimal sexual health.

First of all, it makes sense that the more fresh foods we eat, the better our overall health and vitality will be. The SLOW food movement emphasizes eating sustainably and locally grown. Organic and whole serve our bodies, minds and souls best. Sexual vigor depends on having strong and well-functioning organs to pump the blood and produce the hormones that regulate our sexual activities. Ovulation and sperm production are enhanced by nutrition-rich diets. Phytochemicals, enzymes and antioxidants are also essential.

Sometimes it gets overwhelming to choose wisely when there’s so much advice about nutrition out there. That’s why the 4 Fs comes in handy. If eating for sexual health ranks high on your shopping list, and you want to stock a sex-friendly pantry, consider eating more:

Fiber: We need this to clean out the debris in our bodies. Fiber is essential for our digestion, and fiber from whole-grains also helps with insulin function. Think of things like millet, quinoa (which is a yummy alternative to use in Tabouli salad), buckwheat and amaranth, sweet potatoes and whole grain breads as the go-to choices for healthy sexy menus.

Fruits and Veggies: Suggesting people eat more fruits and vegetables seems like a no-brainer. In addition to getting your 5-9 servings a day, make it a habit to have 3-5 different colors on your plate at each meal. This will make it more likely that you get a wider variety of nutrients from your plant-based diet. A healthy and sexy body depends on an abundance of vitamins and minerals that feed the brain and the heart.

Fats: Healthy fats are a necessity for sexual wellbeing. First of all, the brain needs these to function. Essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and 6 are absolutely necessary for hormone production. The key to eating fats is to make sure they are the right kind – in this case, healthy options include olive oil, fatty fish like salmon and tuna (though one must also consider where our fish comes from and avoid mercury contaminated fish) avocado, nuts and seeds. Middle East cuisine contains an ample supply of these types of fats compared to the typical Western diet that includes more animal fats. Not surprisingly, lower rates of erectile dysfunction are found in societies that eat the right kinds of fats (and excercise, etc.)

Flavor: This is the most esoteric suggestion of the four. Foods that are delicious and well seasoned please the palate and much as our parts. Experimenting with herbs and spices enhances the cooking and eating experience for the chef and the guest. In some cases, there is evidence that certain herbs and spices have aphrodisiac or healthy benefits. The role of flavor is even deeper than infusing the food with vitaliciousness. What we eat and how we eat in a fast paced world can benefit from savoring the flavors, allowing our tongues to caress the textures in our mouths, letting the joy of consumption take over for a bit.

The 4 Fs are just one pillar of vital eating. How we eat and where our food comes is intimately connected to taking better care of the planet and one another. After all, sexual wellbeing thrives when our bodies are nourished the right way, and when our minds and hearts are receptive and invigorated by meaningful connections to one another.

Image of portrait of a young woman eating lettuce, Shutterstock

Read more Food News:

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Tinamarie Bernard is a natural intimacy coach and blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

October 16, 2012 is World Food Day as designated by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This years theme is agricultural cooperatives, and the winner of the World Food Prize for 2012 is Dr. Daniel Hillel of Israel. He was honored for his work in micro-irrigation and innovative irrigation methods for use in arid regions at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Such work is essential considering our global food production needs and rising food costs.

Nourishing the Planet.com states:

“Dr. Hillel was honored for his work in microirrigation, an innovative irrigation method that applies water in small, continuous amounts directly to plants. Many traditional methods of irrigation, including soaking fields during a region’s wet season and allowing them to dry out during the arid season, are relatively inefficient in both crop productivity and water conservation.

The food prize council also recognized Dr. Hillel’s commitment to intercultural understanding and collaboration; he has worked to spread his irrigation technique to farmers in 30 countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Sudan, and Palestinian communities.”

Dr. Hillel discussed sustainable agricultural practices in a recent lecture in the US. According to the Iowa Daily, Dr. Hillel, an adjunct senior scientist at Columbia University’s Earth Institute is quoted as saying that,“we are not able to expand agriculture much beyond where it is today without encroaching upon natural ecosystems and violating their biodiversity and impoverishing the biosphere. So we have to be very careful and learn how to intensify production and do it sustainably without degrading the resources of the land and water.”

Israel is known for pioneering practices (the drip irrigation system was invented by Israelis) and is often called the Start Up nation for it’s innovations that benefit the global population. That population is growing at a fast rate.

“The world’s population has been projected to stabilize at 9 [billion] to 10 billion by the third decade of this century,” Hillel said. “Consequently, our expansive population has been placing ever greater demands on the world’s limited and vulnerable soil, water and biotic resources.”

“My hope is to encourage them to pursue their interests, and to raise their awareness of the crucial importance of this profession that we share, which is agriculture and environment and land and water and climate,” Hillel said. “You [young people] are the future of the world.”

For more information on World Food Day, visit the website.

Photo Credit: Circle of Blue

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Following our report on turmeric‘s benefits for natural breast health, science is finding more evidence for Mother Nature’s healing possibilities. According to ScienceDaily.com, “scientists at Aston University and Russells Hall Hospital have discovered that an extract from a common plant in Pakistan may help treat breast cancer.”

While more research is needed, according to the report, the results were free from the side effects such as hair loss associate with modern cancer treatments. The plant, called Fagonia cretica, is part of a family of plants that grow in arid, desert regions including Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East regions.

From the ScienceDaily.com report:

“The plant, Fagonia cretica, and known as Virgon’s Mantlem, is commonly used in herbal tea. It has been traditionally used to treat women in rural Pakistan who have breast cancer, but up until now this treatment has been regarded as something of a folklore remedy. However, patients in Pakistan who have taken the plant extract have reported that it does not appear to generate any of the serious common side effects associated with other cancer treatments, such as loss of hair, drop in blood count or diarrhea.”

Now, scientists at Aston University in Birmingham and Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley have undertaken tests of the plant extract and demonstrated that it kills cancer cells without damage to normal breast cells in laboratory conditions.

Professor Helen Griffith and Professor Amutul R Carmichael who lead the study are now aiming to identify which element or elements of the plant are responsible for killing the cancer cells with a view to eventually begin trails with human cancer patients.

Professor Helen Griffith of Aston University said; “More research is needed to establish the role of the extract in cancer management and It now needs to be demonstrated that this extract is as effective in killing cancer cells inside the body as it is within laboratory. The next steps are to identify which element of the plant is responsible for killing the cancer cells with a view to eventually begin trails with human cancer patients.”

 

As an plant family, Fogonia is distributed across many regions. The rural communities in Pakistan and beyond who are familiar with it as a potential medicine or supplement ‘may not benefit from it’s development as a pharmaceutical,’ writes a Nature and Science blog devoted to natural medicinal discoveries. “The populations who know and use the herb, perhaps originally because they have few other affordable or effective options, are not likely to see much recognition of their prior art in having knowledge of the herb as a medicine.” 

Overall, this is good news for women who are interested in learning more about herbs for breast health, enhancing breasts naturally or who understand the delicate balance between living sustainably and sexual wellness. With environmental toxins being likely culprits for a variety of concerns including increasing breast size, it’s important that further research is completed that does more than simply identify the cancer-fighting compounds within this plant. Really smart science would ask those who are familiar with Fagonia‘s properties to share how best to serve these specific cups of tea while honoring humanity’s long history of turning to nature for what ails us, breasts and all.

:: Image via Diana Blackwell

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You can follow Tinamarie on twitter and facebook. 

I’ve never understood the desire to chemically straighten one’s hair, perhaps because my wavy locks can go either way, and natural tricks for my hair type work just fine. Even so, many curly-haired friends have paid a bundle for this service, which promises to leave your tresses looking lovely for months. As the popularity of the treatment has grown, so too have the concerns. Some of the chemicals found in the products are linked to not so eco-sexy health risks including birth defects and spontaneous abortions.

A growing body of scientific evidence indicates there is reason to worry about chemicals found in salon products. According to Women’s Voices for the Earth, an activist organization in the US, there is an ‘ugly side to this kind of beauty’.

“One recent study has shown that nail salon workers have higher levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a reproductive and developmental toxicant, than the general population. Another study found that beauticians and hairdressers are likely to have significant exposure to solvents that are linked to birth defects. Other studies have found cosmetologists are at a higher risk for having spontaneous abortions and low birth weight babies.”

Part of the problem is that many of the products like the Brazilian Blowout are unregulated in the United States and other countries. It is banned in Canada, France, Germany, Australia and Ireland.

The Brazilian Blowout company settled with the California Attorney General in 2011, and it is now required to state on package labels that the product contains formaldehyde. However, the products remain on the shelves and a class action lawsuit by salon workers has been filed both in the U.S. and Canada.

We were unable to find any references to similar concerns in the Middle East.

Image of beautiful hair by Shutterstock

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The author is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com and blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

Among those sweet baby scents have lurked not so sweet ingredients like formaldehyde, claim activists.

If there is a signature scent associated with babyhood, Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo could win that prize. It’s a longstanding favorite with parents around the globe and has been for decades. Though the consumer products giant shut down their Israeli offices in 2009, the company’s cosmetic brands in Israel netted them close to $50 million that same year, reported Ynetnews.com. Their products are sold throughout the Middle East including Israel, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, according to the website.

That means babies have been exposed to what activists have referred to as the ‘toxic tub problem.’ Fortunately, a concerted effort by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has led to a activist victory. Johnson & Johnson, makers of Aveeno, Neutrogena, and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, announced this month that it will be removing some of these toxins from its baby and adult products globally.

“This is a major victory for public health,” said Lisa Archer, director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund, a co-founder of the campaign. “We applaud Johnson & Johnson for its leadership in committing to remove cancer-causing chemicals from its products. We will be vigilant in making sure it meets its commitments and will continue to encourage it to remove other ingredients of concern.”

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a US coalition of more than 175 nonprofit organizations working to protect the health of consumers and workers by eliminating dangerous chemicals from cosmetics.

Johnson & Johnson, one of the largest companies in the world, told the Campaign it will reformulate its hundreds of cosmetics and personal care products in all the markets it serves in 57 countries around the world. Specifically, it will:

•    Reduce 1,4 dioxane to a maximum of 10 parts per million in adult products;
•    Phase out formaldehyde-releasers in adult products;
•    Limit parabens in adult products to methyl-, ethyl- and propyl-;
•    Complete phase-out of triclosan from all products;
•    Phase out Diethyl Phthalate (DEP) from all products (no other phthalates are currently used);
•    Phase out polycyclic musks, animal derived ingredients, tagates, rose crystal and diacetyl from fragrances.

Johnson & Johnson’s announcement follows the company’s November 2011 commitment to globally reformulate its baby products. This coincided in part with the release of two reports called Toxic Tub and Baby’s Tub is Still Toxic, which showed Johnson & Johnson baby products contain  carcinogens.

Read More Toxic News:
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The author is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com and blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

Score one small victory for consumer groups and ecosexuals everywhere: The United State’s ban on bisphenol-A or BPA is a small step towards ending our romance with toxins. That’s the good news. The downside is that this ruling by the Food and Drug Administrations has no direct bearing on consumers in the Middle East. A ban on BPA in bottles is insufficient in the long term, failing to address the many sources of this compound or the long list of other compounds tweaking our reproductive health.

BPA is a hormonally active chemical found in everything from cash register receipts to soup and beverage cans to plastic wrap and bottles. An ‘estrogen mimicker’, it has been linked to precocious puberty in females and the feminization of males including urogenital defects, such as penises that are malformed, among other things.

It is simply insufficient protection against the potential harm to all of us.

The Wall Street Journal reports: “BPA is found in hundreds of plastic items from water bottles to CDs to dental sealants. Some researchers say ingesting the chemical can interfere with development of the reproductive and nervous systems in babies and young children. They point to dozens of studies showing such an effect from BPA in rodents and other animals.

“But the FDA has repeatedly stated that those findings cannot be applied to humans. The federal government is currently spending $30 million on its own studies assessing the chemical’s health effects on humans.

“It is estimated that ‘about 90 percent of Americans have traces of BPA in their urine, mainly as a result of food and beverage packaging.

Despite the FDA’s caution regarding applying the results of animal studies to human outcomes, consumer groups have taken a stronger stance

For example, the Plastic Pollution Coalition states that “the alarm over the widespread use of BPA is entirely warranted. BPA has been linked with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, breast and prostate cancer, early puberty, obesity, diabetes, infertility, erectile dysfunction, and learning and attention-related disorders.”

They reference a review of more than 800 studies published last month in the journal Endocrine Reviews [that] shows that even extremely small doses of BPA can be toxic.

“The study authors conclude that due to the effects of low doses of hormone-disrupting chemicals, “fundamental changes in chemical testing and safety determination are needed to protect human health.”

BPA is just one worrisome compound in some plastics.  According to an October 2011 list compiled by TEDx’s Endocrine Disruption Exchange, there are at least 870 known chemicals that can mimic hormones and therefore alter our bodies and our systems.

In a May 2012 article on harmful chemicals, Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times wrote that “nation’s safety system for endocrine disruptors is broken.”

Citing several studies and conclusions by scientists  – linking things like congenital birth defects in boys to micro-penises in alligators – it’s the opinion of this author that regulatory agencies and governments around the world have essentially failed to protect their citizens from a decades long assault on our sexual and reproductive health.

Kristoff writes: “Scientists have long known the tiniest variations in hormone levels influence fetal development. For example, a female twin is very slightly masculinized if the other twin is a male, because she is exposed to some of his hormones. Studies have found that these female twins, on average, end up slightly more aggressive and sensation-seeking as adults but have lower rates of eating disorders.”

Why after almost 20 years since the term endocrine disrupters was coined are we still so exposed and at risk from these chemicals? Aside from a failure of adaquate protection, in part it may also be because mos don’t fully appreciate how nuanced and sensitive the endocrine system is.

It takes very little of a hormone, synthetic or not, to impact us. Microscopic levels of exposure (parts per billions), the timing of exposure (fetal exposure is often far riskier) or long-term damage (in some cases, it is children of those who were exposed who suffer the consequences) means we are all at risk.

What can you do besides avoid plastic bottles with or without BPA? The answer is simple: Avoid plastics all together.

Read More BPA News:
BPA Chemical Banned From Baby Bottles, Cups in the US
BPA Disrupts the Quality of Eggs Retrieved in IVF Treatment
BPA- What’s the Big Deal, Baby?
The author is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com and blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

Image of hormones by Shutterstock

Worried about the side effects of breast cancer recovery drugs, a 44 year old survivor named Vicky Sewart refused to follow medical orders and instead radically altered her diet. One of her secrets? A common spice found in souks across the Middle East – turmeric. Can this ancient savory spice really benefit breast health?

Tumeric is a bright yellow and savory spice traditionally used to make curries.  According to Dr. Andrew Weill, an American pioneer in merging holistic and allopathic medicine, “People whose diets are rich in turmeric have lower rates of breast cancer as well as prostate, lung and colon cancers.” In his 2005 article, Dr. Weill also references research that suggests the active component in turmeric, curcumin, may help prevent the spread of breast cancer by stopping the metastasis of the cells in other parts of the body.

He is an advocate for using whole herbs rather than the isolated, active ingredient. “My preference is for whole turmeric rather than isolated curcumin, because I believe in the synergy of all active elements in botanical medicines.”

Naturalsociety.com points to more recent confirmation of turmeric’s health benefits including its ability to slow down the growth of breast cancer cells.

They write:

Studies out of the University of California, San Diego, published in the British Journal, NATURE, have previously discovered a molecule known as RANKL. This molecule is found in aggressive breast cancer cells, which predict more life threatening disease. Aggressive cancer cells predict that the breast cancer will spread throughout the body, putting the body in a state of metatasis. Breast cancer patients often pass after cancer has metastasized to other body parts, ruining the functioning of vital organs such as the liver, lungs or brain.

Curcumin has been found to possess properties that reduce the expression of these deadly molecules within cancer cells, and can potentially slow the spread of breast cancer.

According to their report, several studies indicated that curcumin reduces tumors by 81%, which makes this favorite ingredient in ethnic cuisine a powerful natural anti-cancer tool. In addition to its use in curries, turmeric can be drinken as a tea, writes Dr. Weill. Side effects are minimal and include stomach upset, a small price to pay given the positive evidence for turmeric’s breast health effects.

Image of turmeric powder via Shutterstock

Read more breast health news:
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Jet fuel in breast milk? Breasts getting bigger than generations ago? These are just two discoveries that investigative journalist, Florence William’s, shares in her latest book about the environmental impact on breasts.

Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History (2012) is more than an ode to those beguiling curves; it is part of the growing body of research and awareness about eco-conscious intimacy, a movement some are calling ‘ecosex.’ A term originally coined by Greenpeace about 10 years ago, among other things ecosex invites us to examine the impact of toxins on our reproductive selves.

“For such an enormously popular feature of the human race — even today, when they are frequently bikinied, bared, flaunted, measured, inflated, sexted, YouTubed, suckled, pierced, tattooed, tassled and in every way fetishized — it’s remarkable how little we know about their basic biology,” Williams says.

Being made primarily of fat and glandular tissue, “breasts, it turns out, are a particularly fine mirror of our industrial lives,” Williams explains. “In the course of a lifetime, [they] meet many friends and foes: lovers, babies, ill-fitting undergarments, persistent pollutants, maybe a nipple ring, a baggie of silicone or a dose of therapeutic radiation. It’s a lot to ask of breasts.”

Measurable consequences include bigger breasts developed earlier with toxins finding hiding places in unsuspecting bosoms. Toxins come from industrial sources including air pollution. William’s had her breast milk tested and found that it was laced with miniscule amounts of jet fuel. However, consumers are also inadvertently exposed to daily household use items.

Many of those are in our beauty, cleaning and pleasure aid products. For example, lead in lipsticks reduces fertility in men and women. Toluene in nail polish and hair dye stops menstruation and decreases sperm count. Pthalates are reproductive toxins found in fragrances, cosmetics, and personal care products (even many vibrators and dildos). Bisphenol-A in plastics has been shown to cause spontaneous abortions and alter a man’s sperm.

Breast cancer rates vary around the globe, with women in Israel having rates similar to the west. It kills fewer women than heart disease, but because its scars reach deeper than our skin, it’s the rallying call that resonates with women’s private erotic selves. This touches on another aspect of the ecosex movement; our attitudes towards pleasure, our bodies and what is considered ‘natural.’ For better or for worse, Williams message about breast health underscores the complicated relationship society often has with the female body.

From the author’s website:

Feted and fetishized, the breast is an evolutionary masterpiece. But in the modern world, the breast is changing… and attracting newfangled chemicals. Increasingly, the odds are stacked against us in the struggle with breast cancer – even among men. What makes breasts so mercurial – and so vulnerable?

Her investigation follows the life cycle of the breast from puberty to pregnancy to menopause, bringing her from a plastic surgeon’s office where she learns about the importance of cup size in Texas to a lab where she discovers the presence of environmental toxins in her own breast milk.

Endowed with a witty and inquisitive voice, Williams explores where breasts came from, where they have ended up, and what we can do to save them.

Florence Williams work often focuses on the environment, health and science. She is a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and a freelance writer for New York Times, New York Times Magazine and numerous other publications.

Read more ecosex and breast health news:
Ecosex and Why Environmentalists Are Avoiding the e-Spot
Are Hormones in the Environment Making Women’s Breasts Bigger?
Natural Breast Enhancement

People will soon be having sex with robots as the latest in sex tourism, suggests a recent news report.  This novel twist on ‘clean technology’ (the inventors point out that the androids will be made of bacteria-resistant fibers) is enough to turn us green, and not with envy. More of the puke, I’m going to be sick, let me run to the market and get some organic veggies and eat them raw kind of green. We are already living in a wired world. Do machines have to commandeer our genitals too?

That’s the con. A pro? Maybe robot hookers will offer a meaningful solution to the problem of sex slavery (a concern in the Middle East and globally). Let’s examine the wild wired world of robots for pleasure from two sides: the revolting and the revolutionary.

It’s a wild wired world

Computers and mobile phones, gadgets of all sorts and capabilities, have hijacked daily functioning. Pretty soon, our refrigerators will tell our cell phones to direct our cars to the grocery store because we are out of milk. We won’t even have to drink the stuff to know it’s gone. I loved the movie Wall-E, but I don’t want to look like that, blobbed out with machines doing all the living for me.

Technology has already sucked out part of our brains. I used to remember friends’ phone numbers. Not anymore. It took me months to get my own new home phone number firmly imprinted in my brain, that part of my cerebrum completely dulled by years of cell phone address book dependency.

Social networking now means my computer and I chat away with great friends, people I’ve never met, all over the globe. We could pass each other on the streets and never know one another for real. We’re having complete relationships with strangers sans touch, feel, sight and sound.

Sure, sex with machines promises to give us mind-blowing orgasms, but I’m not convinced that is in our best interest.  Call me an evolutionist worrywart, but what about good old-fashioned procreation? Oh, I understand it now. We won’t need to reproduce anymore. The robots will replicate themselves. By the time they look like people, somewhere in 2050, we won’t notice when our Sexbots pull the plugs on us.

Clean Tech?

According to reports, this revolutionary tourist attraction (gives new meaning to that word) won’t be cheating because the machines are machines, not human. Plus the robots will be cleaned between each ‘use.’ Not exactly what I have in mind when I think of clean technology. Sanitized sex all the way…somehow I’m feeling dirty just thinking about it.

Ending Human Rights Abuses?

That’s the revolting view of robotic prostitution. Up next: what are the implications of android prostitutes, and would their use help eradicate coersive sex work from a human rights perspective?

More Robot and Tech News:
Your Pee Could Power EcoBot III
Absurd 24 carat iPads sell for $5,500
How to Make Paper From Potty

Photo sexy robot by Shutterstock

Tinamarie Bernard is the author of People Planet Pleasure Purpose: Five Meaningful Ways to Embody Eco-Conscious Intimacy. 

Julie McIntyre, an ‘Earth ceremonialist’ and director for the Center for Earth Relations is an ecological visionary. Trained in plant medicine, Ayurveda, Reiki, medical herbalism, wilderness survival and holistic health, she’s the lastest to write a book about human relationships and the environmental movement: Sex and the Intelligence of the Heart: Nature, Intimacy and Sexual Energy (Destiny Books, 2012).

In this exclusive Earth Day interview, Julie shares her vision for falling in love with the planet, explains why she thinks the environmental movement has shied away from Ecosex, and how the Ecosex movement can mentor in greater environmental awareness in the Middle East.

Green Prophet: How do you foster a love affiar with nature?

Julie McIntyre: One of at least two ways: You have to want to have a love affair with nature, sometimes it happens spontaneously like going to a favorite spot in the forest or a beach and over time you notice you are falling in love with that particular place of Earth, becoming protective of it and calling it your special place where you go to sit, to think, to be inspired, to be stirred up or calmed down, to feel whole again, and be put back together when you may feel like you’re falling apart. This place becomes your friend, your confidant you tell all your secrets to and you find you are getting authentic knowledge and insights you have not had access to before.

To start with, slow down. Take off your shoes and feel the Earth beneath your feet; sand between your toes, pebbles massaging your souls, be in your body; how does it feel? Feel the air and sun on your skin; do you lean into the wind or brace your back against it? Really see the details in flowers and leaves, look with the eyes of a child as if you are seeing each pebble, each boulder, each tree, each insect as if for the first time. Feel them, smell them, let the experience fill your senses.

Become intoxicated with the sounds and scents flowing around and through you. Go to the Earth, as you would your lover; go the holy waters of hot springs and oceans, go to the tops of mountains, smell the pines, the air after a rain storm, use all your senses. Fall in love with life, with this experience of being a fully alive, fully sensing, fully playing member of the circle of life.

Green Prophet: What message can readers in the Middle East get from your book?

Sex is sex all over the planet. Sex is expressed in many ways and forms but when sex is repressed, the damage it causes goes deep into our personal, social and cultural psyches. Sex cannot be stopped or prevented even though there are attempts to do so. And because sexual energy can not be stopped, as energy it must keep moving and it must be released somewhere in some form; the ideal is to have out in the open, to own our sexual natures, the sexual nature of the Earth and talk honestly about it with each other and our children.  Sexual health and freedom translates to healthier individuals and a healthier culture.

Green Prophet: Why has the environmental movement resisted authentic discussions about sex?

I believe it has resisted authentic discussions about sex because to do so would require that we actually start talking about sex, out loud. It would require looking at personal values, beliefs and behaviors about sex, contaminated baggage many of us carry into childhood into adult sexual relationships. It’s a slippery and wet topic that makes many people uncomfortable because we are uncomfortable about it ourselves, uncomfortable in our own bodies even.

Often in discussions about the environment there is a theme that sounds something like: Men’s sexuality is bad and aggressive and women’s sexual natures are vulnerable and need protecting. Language like: Mother Earth needs protecting; men (and large corporations) have raped and pillaged the land and forests; have created birth control measures on rivers with lock and dams, and so on. So for us to have honest discussions about sex and the environment, men have to own their sexual natures, all of it in its magnificence and beauty and power and the environmental movement must give up seeing women in the victim role and as women we must own our own inherent mysterious, creative and powerful force of our sexual natures.

If we were to actually have honest, real conversations about the sexual natures of ourselves and each other and the sexuality, and sensuality of Earth, our current behaviors would have to change to reflect new beliefs; belief that Earth is a living, breathing, aware, intelligent organism engaged in sexual reproduction on many levels.

Green Prophet: What has been the consequence of that?

The consequences have been dire. Omitting sex from discussions about the environment has created an insanity in our psyches widening the gaping chasm between human beings and Earth, human beings and the other species we live with. It has taken the element of the sacred completely out of the discussion; secularizing our relationship with the Earth. Discussions about the environment without discussions about sex is essentially a lie by omission.

Green Prophet: Share your understanding of intimacy, love and sustainablity in relationship?

Relationships are sustained because you want to sustain it. When you decide this relationship is what you want, you put energy into it, keep it alive and dynamic through intimacy and falling in love with your beloved over and over again; see them new each day. Notice the little things they do, really see them, wrap your heart field and love around them each day.  For love to grow and flourish there must be a commitment to intimacy which is to say, you have a commitment to being vulnerable, to being undefended, to allowing yourself to be seen and naked in the deepest parts of you; who you were, what your hopes and dreams are, what secrets you’ve carried and not spoken out loud.

For intimacy and relationships to survive you must have an intimate relationship with yourself; what inspires you, what are your hopes and dreams and fears? What part of your body do you not have a relationship with or that you hate? What do you do with the fears and disappointments you have? Who would you trust your life with? How do you feel being seen naked? What do you do to get your needs and wants met? Do you hide your feelings and the deep parts of yourself?

Sex and the Intelligence of the Heart: Nature, Intimacy and Sexual Energy explores how nature underlies sexuality and intimacy. It is published by Destiny Books and available this month in bookstores and on Amazon. You can learn more about Julie at the Foundation for Gaian Studies.

Take a hike to fall in love with Planet Earth and embody green loving? End your romance with plastic because the evidence is irrefutable; BPA is nasty to your naked bits? You bet! From healthy habits in the bedroom to eating for optimum performance, Ecosex is the optimal way to experience intimacy that is good for you and safe for the planet. With rare exception however (Green Prophet is notably cool), the green blogosphere has yet to catch the enthusiasm; even though it is this writer’s opinion that Ecosex has the potential to revitalize enthusiasm for eco-conscious living among a populace grown bored, weary or deaf. Yes, Ecosex can save the world. But greenies have to finally listen.

Fortunately, other visionaries are. Annie Sprinkle and Elizabeth Stephens, champions of the movement, have started walking tours in the United States to introduce participants to the beauty of the outdoors. They call it finding your e-Spot. Stefanie Iris Weiss, author of Ecosex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable (2010) is doing workshops at adult pleasure shops.

Sacred sexuality educators, Alan Strydom and Farhana Goga (whose ancestry is a colorful mix of Jewish, Christian and Muslim) interviewed a dozen Ecosex thoughtleaders for the newly minted EcoSex Summit: Live Organically, Love Orgasmically.

Strangely, most of the contributing voices are from outside the traditional green movement.

As a ardent advocate for Ecosexuality (or sexecology, another term to describe the philosophy), I was honored to speak with Alan and Farhana twice. My first lecture introduces the basic tenets of Ecosex, and my subsequent telesummit focuses on my eBook. People Planet Pleasure Purpose: Five Meaningful Ways to Embody Eco-Conscious Intimacy (Available EarthDay, April 22, 2012 to subscribers of www.tinamariebernard.com), does more than discuss the joys of making love organically. It links these green intentions to better stewardship of the planet.

I’m on fire for this topic. In the past six months, I started a dynamic Facebook Ecosex Group with participants from around the globe. This summer will mark the third Ecosex Summit in the states, of which I’ll be participating. My gratitude the editor of Green Prophet, Karin Kloosterman, cannot be overstated. She opened the door to exploring the interplay between our planet and our private lives. When we first discussed the idea, we were both taking a chance. Karin, because of the sensitive nature for a conservative audience, and me because my green blogging experience was until then limited.

In the intervening three years, I’ve observed the sex-positive community commandeers the Ecosex discussion.  Ecosex has exploded in popularity among those whose sexual proclivities would make many blush. They are serious about their efforts and intention to green their intimate ecosystems for more than pleasure’s sake. This is about environmentalism through and through. Sustainability in the bedroom translating into absolute adoration and caretaking of planet earth. It covers sexual health, spirituality, ancient wisdom, optimal nutrition, women’s issues and eco-feminism and love and relationships.

So why the dull echo amongst those who proclaim to care so much about these very subjects?

How do I know – because I’ve pitched dozens of stories on deaf, non-responsive ears. One could suppose the problem is me. My writing stinks or my lack of green credentials deem me unworthy for the likes of the big wigs on the other side of the Atlantic. Except, I can say with strong confidence that there’s more than rejecting my stories to this story.

You see, cccasionally, another traditional environmental site has picked up the narrative, but what they’ve had to say about Ecosex has often been as unimaginative as a turnip. Take this silly nonsense (I’m not naming the site or the author to save them embarrassment):

 Take this quiz and tally your points at the end to find out how eco you actually are.

1. What’s in your top drawer?

A. Underpants and socks (1 point)

B. Underpants and a copy of World Changing (2 points)

C. Underpants and a Secrets of Sacred Sex DVD (3 points)

2. What is climate porn?

A. A scary way to describe global warming (3 points)

B. Pornography watched in a hot room (1 point)

C. A sexy movie shot in an equatorial country (2 points)

Seriously, that’s all they can say about Ecosex? Some silly quiz about sock drawers. A lack of understanding about how this matters throws us all under the bus, leaving us to choke on the fumes.

Do they not understand the importance of sex in everyday living? Nevermind that it is the most natural thing for all living things to do – procreate and please – but that our current sexualove experiences are muted by environmental pollutants cutting at the very core of our sexual health, vitality and wellbeing. Quite simply, the Environmental movement is missing a robust opportunity to garner a major influx of enthusiastic green beings.  By refusing to acknowledge that intimacy is at the heart of all matters, including correct stewardship of our natural resources, green activists are being upstaged by polyamorists, queers, tantrikas, doms and all sorts of alternative folks (no judgement call here – I’m just glad someone is loving the green way).

Really, that’s the best environmentalists can do?

I wrote my book to wake ordinary people up. If the environmentalists won’t take charge en masse of Ecosex, maybe soccer moms (or in the case of the Middle East, Shuk Moms) will see this light. Mother Earth doesn’t need us to survive, but we need her first. Better make sure comes first. There’s no clearer path that I can see to illuminate that need than by pointing out where our neglect will hurt most – our sexual lives and procreative futures.

Sex sells. In this case, it also really matters. My book, People Planet Pleasure Purpose: 5 Meaningful Ways to Embody Eco-Conscious Intimacy will be available on Sunday, April 22, 2012 in time for Earth Day. It’s free to subscribers to my site, at least for the time being. My hope – and this is a planetary goal, not just a concerned blogger tooting her horn – is that enough people will read it and become Ambassadors of the Ecosex revolution.

And maybe, just maybe, one of those editors or publishers in the green writing world will give the topic a second glance.

They’ll know where to find me. I’ve sent them dozens of emails, tweets, Facebook requests and more.

Tinamarie Bernard is the author of People Planet Pleasure Purpose, an Ecosex eBook, out Earth Day, 2012. Follow her @ModernLoveMuse. She also blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

Dubbed ‘Pink Slime’ by activists and ‘finely textured beef’ by the manufacturers, beef filler made by ammonium has turned out to be a smoking gun in the food industry, demonstrating just how powerful activist intervention is in changing paradigms. One of the biggest ground beef processors in the United States, AFA Foods, is filing for bankruptcy, according to Reuters. It’s just one step in many necessary to clean up our global diets.

According to the story, ground beef processor AFA Foods filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, citing the impact of the uproar over a meat filler dubbed “pink slime” by critics.

Supporters of AFA, however, still say that pink slime is safe to eat. AFA is one of the largest ground beef processors in the US, and it produces more than 500 million pounds of it every year.

Green Prophet has reported on the implications in the Middle East. “The Middle East may have been spared the use of this meat product largely due to regional dietary laws for both Jews and Muslims,” writes Maurice about pink slime. He’salso put out a call for information specific to our region for more awareness. We couldn’t agree more on the importance of industry insiders to raising awareness of the issues in food production.

From meat glue to pink slime to the heavy use of pesticides and GM foods, the serious fact remains that being conscious in how we choose the foods we eat requires us to be especially vigilant. What’s more, dietary food laws that Jews and Muslims (and others in the Middle East) follow only go so far.

Beyond kosher for instance could mean choosing organic, sustainably grown, and choosing locally harvested. A Mediterranean Diet rich in plant foods is demonstrably healthier over all than one heavy on animal consumption.

It’s not just the icky factor at stake. What we eat is directly linked to the health of future generations. Our reproductive wellbeing and quality of life comes from the foods we eat today, from the foods our parents ate before us, and the foods our children will eat tomorrow.

The data is still fresh but emerging nonetheless – we are what we eat, and the next generation depends on us to make the healthiest of choices.

::Reuters

More Food, Diet and Health News:
Pink Slime Phasing Out of US Food, Will Middle East Follow?
GM Foods Shrinking Reproductive Health in a Womb Near You
Can GM Foods be Halal or Kosher?
Genetically Modified Foods in Israel, Lots of It

Image of ground beef from Shutterstock

Follow TinaMarie @ModernLoveMuse. She also blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

It might not be able to turn a profit in Paris, but Starbucks coffee has a sizeable presence in the Middle East, operating in nine countries, employing thousands and serving up coffee and treats since 1999. Coffee drinkers take note: those frothy beverages (aka strawberry creme frappacino) that glow a pretty shade of pink now get their delicious hue from a crushed cochineal beetles instead of coal tar. Technically – if you don’t keep kosher, that is  —  it’s a real food, as Jess Zimmerman from Grist reminds us.

“Lots of folks eat bugs — people in most developing countries…But almost nobody thinks coal tar or petroleum are foods, and it turns out that’s the other available option,” he writes.

What’s more, given the choice of a fru-fru beverage that is eons away from natural roasted beans, we can thank the coffee giant for chosing the natural colorant, providing a source of income for those who crush te critters and extract their bright bug juice, and making us want to gag at the thought of ingesting a petrol by-product.

If this makes you want to consider swearing off coffee and you’re not sure, remember the mind-blowing effects of coffee and sex.

For the rest of the coffee drinkers out there, just make sure the milk you use in the real deal, not something, like, human milk made from a cow.

Read More Coffee and Weird Drink News:
The Mind-Blowing Effects of Coffee and Sex
Udderly Creepy? Human Milk From a Cow?
Make Authentic Turkish Coffee Like a Native

Photo of woman with aromatic coffee from Shutterstock

SlutWalk started in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in April 2011 in response to the slur of a Toronto Police officer who suggested that women could remain safe by avoiding dressing like ‘sluts.’ Since then, the movement has spread across the globe as a worldwide protest against aggression and rape. Activists are reframing the dialogue, calling on societies to place the blame on the perpetrators, and not the victims.

We’ve covered the social justice angles in our OpEd, connected the dots between environmentalism and women’s issues, and revealed that Israel is the first country in the Middle East to organize three SlutWalks. Now we’re providing interested readers with links to the Facebook event pages, including dates and location information (please note: most of the information on Facebook is in Hebrew).

Tel Aviv SlutWalk will take place on Thursday, March 22, 2012, (starting off at Gan Meir at 18:00).  The Haifa SlutWalk is scheduled for March 30, 2012, and the Jerusalem SlutWalk is set for Friday, April 27, 2012.

From the Tel Aviv SlutWalk facebook event page (please note, the organizers are clear that attendees from all walks of life are invited, including those who prefer modest dress):

When all over we are hearing the claim that women who choose to dress revealingly, drink alcohol or act in a certain way are responsible for being raped and sexually harassed we have to protest.

This assumption hurts not only the rape victims but also women in general. Women feel that their basic rights to live and act the way they choose is threatened. Men, too, are also affected by this attitude. They are treated as incompetent beasts with no self awareness and who therefore cannot control themselves.

In the 24th of January, 2011, a policeman in Toronto, Canada, said that to stay safe and not become victims women must not dress like sluts. A sentence like this, that was said in an official conference of the Canadian police force displays the sad state that exists all over the world. And so was born the idea of The Slut Walk, which spread all over the world.

In Israel, the situation isn’t different. When victims finally muster up the courage to ask for help they are often answered with the sentence: “you asked for it”. This general state of mind, blaming the victims themselves for what they went through, climbs up into the highest ranks of government and army.

Because of the initiative of The Slut Walks in Haifa and Jerusalem, we’d like to have a walk of our own – here, in Tel Aviv. Let’s prove that our wardrobe is our own choice and ours only. Our body is our own and therefore we have the right to dress and look the way the way we want – whether it pleases other people or not. It is no excuse for rape, or any form of sexual harassment.

Come with revealing clothes, or don’t come with revealing clothes. Come dressed exactly the way you want to dress. No one will judge you- that’s the cause. It is everyone’s right, men and women, to dress the way they want. We will be walking from Gan Meir to Rabin Square in revealing clothes. Dress the way you wish and come march with us!

As the only democratic country in the Middle East, it is not surprising that Israel is hosting the first SlutWalks in the region. Morocco has a Facebook page devoted to similar efforts, but Israel remains the leading edge nation in the region with regards to women’s rights and environmental activism, with hundreds of participants expected to show up in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem for the planned protest marches.

::Photo by Salma Yaqoob

Read More on Women’s Rights:
SlutWalk Israel – A First for the Middle East
Egyptian Women Forced to Take ‘Virginity’ Tests During Protest, Amnesty International
US Senator Olympia Snowe Leads Women in Renewed Call for Women’s Rights in the Middle East
When Females Rule Fornication, Mother Earth Delights

Tinamarie is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com. Follow her @ModernLoveMuse. She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

Sex is natural. We wouldn’t be here were it not for the ability to procreate, and for most people in the world, physical intimacy and pleasure are desired bedfellows, ideally going hand in hand, consensually so. Unfortunately, healthy sexuality is often a difficult topic to approach in the middle east, a region conservative about such matters.

Social morays and religious laws commandeer the tenor of the discussions if not the actual acts. Which is probably why the announcement of an adult store in a residential neighborhood in Morocco turned out to be more hype than hope.

Our sleuthing (aka internet research) found much ado about nothing (though admittedly we didn’t actually ring the door bell), which suggests that the story was less about intimacy and more about a statement about society and politics. The news caused some controversy, with several bloggers sharing their opinions about the intention of the announcement.

“It turns out that when people went to see this sex shop- for normal reasons, of course- they couldn’t find it…And now questions are being asked; suspicions are that it may be part of a plot by left-leaning activists, namely the February 20 Movement, spawned last year as part of the Arab Spring, to embarrass the new Prime Minister,” wrote one identified as ‘less stupid.’

We took this as an opportunity to revisit our story on Halel intimacy aids.   Consumers in Israel have many options, from Thinking of You.com, a company that makes environmentally friendly Amazonian vibrators to  Sisters, part of a “chain of women-friendly sex shops developed based on the belief that sexual enjoyment is a basic right of every woman.”

In addition to promoting green products, they include as goals the desire to “improve access to sex toys, conduct open dialogs and receive true and reliable information about sexual issues, with the goal of promoting enjoyment, health and happiness.”

Marc Dibeh, a designer in Lebanon has created a hidden gem called Love the Bird to avoid censorship, and the online store El Asira serves Muslim sensibilities. Finally, the Bahrain store, Dar Khadija, the first of its kind in the Gulf, has been catering since at least 2010 to married couples seeking appropriate intimacy enhancement products.

Combine these openings with the organization of Israel’s first ‘SlutWalk‘ and efforts to expand human and reproductive rights, and we can’t help but wonder if the tides are turning towards greater sexual empowerment in the Middle East.

:: Sisters, Israel

Read More Sexual Health News:

Ecosexuality: Is Conscious Love the Way to Global Peace?

Islamic Websites Offer Halal Adult Sex Aids

When Females Rule Fornication, Mother Earth Delights

Israel will host the first SlutWalk in the Middle East this weekend, but the movement has growing support in other countries, including Morocco. Will these efforts finally lead to greater freedom for women of all religious persuasions?

When I wrote the article, The Middle East Needs More Sluts, the response was overwhelming and heated, with opinions following roughly along religious lines.  Secular and progressive readers understood that the title was more than a headline grabber, and an invitation to reconsider the negative stereotypes of language used to denigrate and control women. The more conservative respondents were horrified by the language, and pointed to the moral values of modesty, something they couldn’t see in women who seemed to dress, look or act certain ways.

Both groups have valid points. Now that SlutWalk is coming to Israel, will they meet at the intersection and finally talk?

Even as I champion the causes of social justice and women’s rights, particularly sexual and reproductive wellbeing, I’m also conscious how that freedom must be balanced with a deep sense of self and other respect.  Modesty and sexual freedom may not seem like common bedfellows, but they are part of the whole continuum of empowering women and men alike.

That is because the real power of SlutWalk is the separation of a woman’s worth from her sexuality. Male or female in fact – our morality and virtue must be severed from our reproductive rights and abilities. SlutWalk isn’t just for those who dress provocatively or experience their sexuality outside current social morays.  It’s a statement of freedom for everyone who specifically understands and wants to eradicate harm from vitriolic language and ‘slut-shaming,’ as well as those who believe that full and complete female emancipation benefits us all.

What’s more, creating an environmentally sustainable world rests on women’s shoulders.  “Women are often the first ones to transmit [environmental] values to their societies and children,” wrote Green Prophet founder and editor, Karin Kloosterman, in SlutWalk Israel -  A First for the Middle East.

Israel isn’t the only country in the MENA region focused on this effort. SlutWalk Morrocco boasts an active Facebook page for those who read French.

Finally, another essential factor of SlutWalk cannot be stressed enough: The surest route to maintaining environmentally sustainable populations is basic sexual rights for women.

It Starts With Basic Human Rights

The International Women’s Health Coalition’s stance on the right of women to control their sexuality is unequivocal on this.

“The right of women to control their sexuality—the basis for sexual rights—is an indivisible part of their human rights, and that without it, women cannot fully realize their other human rights. This notion has been reaffirmed at several subsequent international meetings, but in practice, few countries’ laws and policies provide women with effective protection against coercion, discrimination, and violence, and fundamentalist states and movements all over the world consistently target women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy.”

Nicholas D. Kristof, renowned a New York Times Op-Ed columnist and co-author with Sheryl WuDunn of, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (2009), pointed out that critical relationship between elevating the roles of woman and building stronger societies.

He writes: “greater female involvement in society and the economy appears to undermine extremism and terrorism.  Now it is emerging that male domination of society is also a risk factor; the reasons aren’t fully understood, but it may be that when women are marginalized the nation takes on the testosterone-laden culture of a military camp or a high-school boys’ locker room.”

How Women Help the Planet

Creating an environmentally sustainable world also requires the full participation and emancipation of women. Robert Engleman, author of More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want (Island Books, 2007), addressed this in an interview with WorldWatch Institute.  He asserts that in societies where women’s rights are equal to men’s, women take control of their own fertility and invariably have two or fewer children, on average. Such low fertility rates then lead to a gradual decline in population in the absence of net immigration.

“It makes sense that those who bear children and do most of the work in raising them should have the final say in when, and when not, to do so. By making their own decisions based on what’s best for themselves and their children, women ultimately bring about a global good that governments could never deliver through regulation or control: a population in balance with nature’s resources.”

SlutWalk Israel may not be a comfortable medium for many in the Middle East, and there are those who will denounce the effort as meaningless, offensive, disrespectful or ill-advised. “But when enraged voices need to be heard, maybe a SlutWalk is a good way to vent frustrations and create a lot of press attention to the issues at hand,” writes Kloosterman.

Other bloggers have taken even stronger stances:

“Let’s separate sex and power for one second, and admit that in a 21st Century world, telling women that what they wear somehow impedes their message is antiquated. We ought to move forward in a world where a woman can dress how she would like and not be told she’s “asking for it”, not be told she’s not “serious” because her manner of dress doesn’t conform to so predetermined, archaic norm prescribed by men in order to control their impulses. The desire to rape is a psychological urge primarily experienced by men that they must deal with. Leave women out of it.”

And Alona Ferber for Haaretz Daily Newspaper wrote: “Whether or not you agree with the medium, perhaps one of the most important messages SlutWalk can deliver is that whatever their religion, taste in clothes, or sexual preference, women, and men for that matter, should be free to make their own choices, without being subject to prejudice, stereotype or violence.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Read More on Women’s Rights:
SlutWalk Israel – A First for the Middle East
Egyptian Women Forced to Take ‘Virginity’ Tests During Protest, Amnesty International
US Senator Olympia Snowe Leads Women in Renewed Call for Women’s Rights in the Middle East
When Females Rule Fornication, Mother Earth Delights