Oct 5, 2012

THE TROUBLE WITH MITT ROMNEY.......

THE TROUBLE WITH MITT ROMNEY..........numbers.......unfortunately Mitt has quite a few wrong. Here's the one I see the biggest problem with...healthcare. Mitt stated in the debate. America has the number one healthcare in the world and always has been...Why would I want to change something like that? Really Mitt? Is that true, because right now many people can't obtain healthcare and I do see a opportunity with President Obama. There is a significant number of our population who may obtain healthcare now with President Obama who would not before --like kids who may stay on their parent's policy until they are 26...............Mitt Romney and the dancing horse....it's the same premise...we need to go towards the real world. It is notable with many repubs...they think the United States is the only world.....we are the best at everything, bar none......It simply is not true...right now, healthcare is a great talking point.....they never want to admit it. There are other countries in the world who are as proficient as us, if not better...again, healthcare is a leading election philosophy. They repubs are deaf, they cannot hear, they use ear plugs. Shouldn't healthcare be available to everyone...I am talking about routine visits and checkups, not just visiting an emergency room, as needed, as suggested by Mitt. Really, would he want that for his family? Note the other leading nations...seriously...they support healthcare available for everyone. It is winning--it is good for everyone. It is not a losing situation! What is my point? Do I hate Mitt Romney? No! Is he from another planet for the rich and famous? Possibly. I just think President Obama is a better decision--way more realistic--way more in tune with the general population.

check this link for information regarding healthcare and rating in the United States:

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/05/john-boehner/john-boehner-says-us-health-care-system-best-world/

Oct 4, 2012

Sten Martin--My Latest Sewing Obsession

Wow--I just finished watching the latest You Tube video from bespoke tailor Sten Martin. How can I say this--watching his vids get the principles of fitting into my mind.

I have been sewing off and on forever. Currently I am taking a sewing class from the very talented and knowledgeable and beautiful Donna Namdar. She is an expert in sewing and fit and a particular style for each individual......That persons color, fit, tradition, natural style. I feel so lucky to be in her class and hear what she has to say.

We are currently making a bodice block for the principles of fitting and pattern construction. I always try so hard to sew correctly and make a good product but then the thing does not fit. I am really so delayed in some of the basic elements of sewing construction.
\
I told our class about the amazing videos of Sten Martin. Really, this man is a genius--he can take a plain piece of fabric and make it into a jacket. I feel so lucky to see his show. It is not that I could ever hope to do what he does with his degree of expertise---but watching him--the ideas go into my mind--it lets the whole idea of fitting and pattern making and measurements go together.

I'm suggesting to CNN to put him on Fashion--Backstage Pass with Alina Cho. These videos are so helpful. I hope everyone can see them.

chloe louise

Sewing Fundamentals II/Intermediate Sewing
2012 Fall Semester
San Diego Community College/ San Diego Continuing Education

My class is at the West City Campus Location in the Loma Portal area of San Diego.
The Address is 3249 Fordham Street, San Diego, Ca 92110
The school is new and beautiful with easy access to the school and parking, but the most important thing to me is the friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

I have also taken the quilting class from one of my other sewing heroes Kathy Green at the North City Campus on Aero Drive.

http://www.sdce.edu/

Here is the link to Sten Martin on You Tube:
http://youtu.be/yCiyRwP_4Hc

Oct 1, 2012

California governor OKs ban on gay conversion therapy, calling it 'quackery'

Chloe Louise recommends an article on CNN Social.

We are lucky to have Jerry Brown for our leader in California.....Good job Governor Jerry Brown

California governor OKs ban on gay conversion therapy, calling it 'quackery'

By Josh Levs, CNN

updated 6:44 PM EDT, Mon October 1, 2012

Therapist to challenge 'gay cure' ban

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Two groups say they're filing lawsuits challenging the newly signed California law
NEW: A "reparative therapist" calls the law "the height of ... irresponsibility"
The law will prohibit sexual orientation change therapy for children under age 18
A psychiatric group says the therapy can bring on depression and self-destructive behavior

(CNN) -- Therapy aimed at turning gay kids straight will soon be illegal in California, with the state's governor declaring he hopes a new law will relegate such efforts "to the dustbin of quackery."

The legislation -- which the state Senate passed in May, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law this weekend and will take effect January 1 -- prohibits attempts to change the sexual orientation of patients under age 18.

"This bill bans non-scientific 'therapies' that have driven young people to depression and suicide," Brown tweeted. "These practices have no basis in science or medicine."

But practitioners of so-called "reparative therapy" say the assertions of the governor and gay rights advocates "just are not true," according to David Pickup, a spokesman for the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality.

Therapy claims to change homosexuals

Joined by "individual therapists and individual minor clients," his group will file a "major lawsuit" this week to challenge the law," Pickup said. The Pacific Justice Institute separately told CNN it will file its own lawsuit Monday, alleging the law violates the First Amendment.

"We do competent therapy, therapy that truly works," Pickup, who himself underwent such therapy and now administers it to others, said Monday on CNN.

"For them to have a bill that says, 'No, we can't even talk about these issues, we can't do anything to help these children resolve their homosexual feelings and maximize their heterosexual potential' -- that's the height of political and therapeutic irresponsibility."

Pickup alluded to a report by the American Psychiatric Association that, he says, doesn't find any "proof that (the therapy) causes harm."

But the psychiatric organization -- which is the world's largest of its kind, with more than 36,000 members -- determined, in fact, that reparative therapy poses a great risk, including increasing the likelihood or severity of depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior for those undergoing therapy. Therapists' alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already felt by patients, the association says.

CNN.com blogs: Gay in America

"The longstanding consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions is that homosexuality per se is a normal and positive variation of human sexual orientation," the association says.

After the bill passed the state Senate, Equality California spokeswoman Rebekah Orr praised the "right first step in making sure that young people are protected from these unscrupulous therapists who are really engaging in therapeutic deception that is based on junk science."

"This law will ensure that state-licensed therapists can no longer abuse their power to harm LGBT youth and propagate the dangerous and deadly lie that sexual orientation is an illness or disorder that can be 'cured,'" said Orr's organization, which describes itself as the largest statewide advocacy group in California working for "full equality" for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Peter Drake, who once participated in reparative therapy, said the bill protects youths from "a very, very dangerous therapy that doesn't work and leaves a lot of people feeling despair and hopelessness."

Yet Pickup insists that the "children who walk into my office ... crying, depressed, lonely, gender-identity confused and sexually confused" ask for help voluntarily, because they are "distressed."

Thousands believe, he claims, "believe there's a cause-and-effect nature of homosexuality" that can be brought about by instances of abuse and issues like "gender identity inferiority," "un-met needs from ... usually the same-sex parent" and other "inner wounds that we discover in therapy."

"When those wounds get healed, the homosexual feelings -- we don't force them away, they naturally, spontaneously dissipate," said Pickup, who credits the therapy with having "helped save my life," by decreasing his depression and raising his self-esteem.

The debate could now move to court, thanks to promised lawsuits by Pickup's group and the Pacific Justice Institute that describes itself as a network of more than 1,000 attorneys "defending religious, parental, and other constitutional rights."

"Of all the freedom-killing bills we have seen in our legislature the last several years, this is among the worst," said Brad Dacus, the institute's president and founder, in a written statement.

The legal battle could center around the questions of whether such therapy constitutes child abuse and if a ban is unconstitutional.

Ryan Kendall, who went through this type of therapy when he was 13, told CNN it began after his mother read his diary and discovered he was gay. In the therapy, he was consistently told his sexuality was a choice and could "be fixed," he said.

"I never believed that. I know I'm gay just like I know I'm short and I'm half Hispanic. I've never thought that those facts would change. It's part of my core fundamental identity. So the parallel would be sending me to tall camp and saying, 'If you try very hard, one day you can be 6-foot-1.'"

Kendall said psychologist Joseph Nicolosi treated him. His parents provided CNN with copies of bills from Nicolosi's office, but Nicolosi said he did not remember treating someone by that name.

He told CNN he views the therapy he provides as "trying to bring out the heterosexuality" in someone.

Yet Nicolosi insisted the therapy is not harmful, and he treats only people who want to change.

A leading psychologist in the field of reparative therapy, George Rekers, treated a boy named Kirk Murphy, whose story was told in a 2011 CNN report. Rekers considered Kirk a success story, writing that "his feminine behavior was gone" -- proof, Rekers said, that homosexuality can be prevented.

But Murphy's family said he never stopped being gay. He hanged himself at the age of 38. Despite allegations by the family that Rekers' therapy decades earlier ultimately led to the suicide , Rekers told CNN that scientifically, it "would be inaccurate to assume that it was the therapy," and that he grieves for the parents.

"Two independent psychologists with me had evaluated him and said he was better adjusted after treatment," Rekers said.

"I only meant to help, do the best I could with the parents," he added.

Rekers' days as a prominent anti-gay champion came to an end after he hired a male escort to accompany him on a trip to Europe. He denied any sexual contact or awareness at the time that the escort offered sexual favors.

Earlier this year, psychiatrist Robert L. Spitzer apologized for his 2003 study of reparative therapy, which suggested that it could help gays and lesbians become straight. He said it was deeply flawed.

"I believe I owe the gay community an apology for my study making unproven claims of the efficacy of reparative therapy," Spitzer said in a letter to the editor of the Archives of Sexual Behavior. "I also apologize to any gay person who wasted time and energy undergoing some form of reparative therapy because they believed that I had proven that reparative therapy works with some 'highly motivated' individuals."

Kendall said the therapy he underwent "led me to periods of homelessness, to drug abuse, to spending a decade of my life wanting to kill myself. It led to so much pain and struggle. And I want them to know that what they do hurts people.

"It hurts children. It has no basis in fact. And they need to stop."

CNN's Nicole File, Tom Watkins, Randi Kaye, Scott Bronstein and Jessi Joseph contributed to this report.

Sep 29, 2012

Rome: Cheap Easy Fun and Beautiful--plaza de republica, rome

http://www.flickr.com/photos/i-love-chloe-too/sets/72157622644394169/show/

Rome is cheap...easy...fun...beautiful

Delicious, inexpensive food.......gorgeous leather jackets.......the best fountains........

Sep 28, 2012

Bullying Turned Into Sikh Inspiration

Sikh Woman Balpreet Kaur Turns Cyber Bullying Incident into Inspiration

By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine | Women Who Shine – 22 hours ago

This picture of Balpreet Kaur sparked bullying -- and then inspiration -- on Reddit. (Photo via Reddit)After someone snapped a photo of her and posted it on online, Balpreet Kaur was ridiculed for following the tenets of her Sikh faith. But instead of hiding or lashing out, she politely posted a reply—and turned a bullying situation into a inspiring example of tolerance, support, and inspiration.

Related: Teaching our Kids Tolerance After the Sikh Temple Shootings

The photo was taken apparently without Kaur's knowledge while she was waiting in line at the Ohio State University Library. In the photo, Kaur's hair is hidden by a large, black turban. She's wearing a T-shirt and yoga pants, glasses, and is looking down at her cell phone; her sparse facial hair is clearly visible. A Reddit user posted it to the "Funny" forum with the quip, "I'm not sure what to conclude from this."

Comments started pouring in, making fun of her appearance, asking if she was transgendered, and taking her to task for not plucking, waxing, or shaving.

Related: Lessons from "The World's Ugliest Woman': Stop Staring and Start Learning

After a friend told her about the thread, Kaur decided to respond to the taunts herself—and take the opportunity to educate people at the same time.

"Hey, guys. This is Balpreet Kaur, the girl from the picture," she wrote. "I'm not embarrassed or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positive] that this picture is getting, because it's who I am."

As a baptized Sikh woman, Kaur—who is from Ohio—said that she is forbidden from altering her body, as it is considered a sacred gift from God.

"The overarching principal is this body is a tool for service," she explained. "We have to maintain and take care of it while cherishing its original form." That means that going to the hospital and taking medicine is fine, because one should be healthy in order to be of service to others. But cutting one's hair or removing one's facial hair is forbidden, even if societal norms dictate otherwise.

"My hair doesn't stop me from being normal or doing service so its not a hindrance," she said in a later post. "I've been to the doctor regarding this and it's just a side effect of my hormone levels during my teenage years. The hormones have returned to normal, but the hair is still there. That's fine :) I don't regret anything, nor do I view it as an unfortunate thing."

Sikhism was founded in the Punjab region of India in the 15th century; there are approximately 30 million Sikhs in the world. Followers believe in the equality of all human beings and in a single, infinitely powerful, omnipresent, genderless God. Instead of heaven or hell, the religion promotes salvation through a spiritual union with God; ego, anger, greed, attachment, and lust are considered the Five Evils. Sikhs do not believe in recruiting converts, though they welcome those who wish to join their faith. Once baptized or formally initiated into the faith, they vow to wear five religious symbols at all times, one of which is leaving their body hair uncut.

"Yes, I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women," wrote Kaur, who is the president of the Ohio State University's Sikh Student Association. "My attitude and thoughts and actions have more value in them than my body… by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can."

Her words quickly inspired readers on Reddit and elsewhere to reevaluate their reactions. A cross-post on the Facebook page for Kaurista garnered more than 6,750 likes and more than 850 comments.

"I know that I don't have the courage to live that purely," Shannon Dolce commented on Facebook. "I am inspired to live MORE true to how my creator sees me, though."

"I think we can agree that even the non-religious can benefit from taking a page from your book -- thank you," wrote a Redditor named "anothertimearound".

"You are awesome. If your faith has made you this well-adjusted and positive and secure in your own skin, and focused on the things in life that truly matter, then I am glad that there are Sikhs in this world." Reddit reader "Anna Mosity" wrote. "The world could use more people like you."

A few days later, the Reddit user who posted the picture started a new thread to apologize to Kaur.

"I felt the need to apologize to the Sikhs, Balpreet, and anyone else I offended when I posted that picture," the Redditor wrote. "Put simply it was stupid. Making fun of people is funny to some but incredibly degrading to the people you're making fun of. It was an incredibly rude, judgmental, and ignorant thing to post."

"I've read more about the Sikh faith and it was actually really interesting. It makes a whole lot of sense to work on having a legacy and not worrying about what you look like. I made that post for stupid internet points and I was ignorant." he continued. "Balpreet, I'm sorry for being a closed minded individual. You are a much better person than I am. Sikhs, I'm sorry for insulting your culture and way of life. Balpreet's faith in what she believes is astounding."

Kaur says that she's happy to spend time explaining her religion and her appearance to people. "I do not think explaining myself and the way I am is a waste of energy because storytelling in itself is a way to fight the apathy in this world," she explained in a follow-up post on Thursday. "By simple interactions like this, we can better understand each other and make this world more open and loving even if it is just one person or many."

This was copied from Yahoo--Shine

Sep 14, 2012

Dog Beach at Ocean Beach...San Diego

dog beach...ocean beach...san diego

ronnie

sadly, there is not a beach in Kansas...........

Sep 11, 2012

WHY REPUBS LIKE PRESIDENT OBAMA

"Yes--I'll be casting my vote for President Obama in November."

Well, thank you for saying that, but I think it is true--who wants their kid thrown off their insurance--repubs and dems love their kids and want good for them--that's universal, but the repubs may not want to admit it.

Sep 6, 2012

MY SEWING OBSESSION

I cannot stop sewing. I began sewing with my grandma as she made my school clothes and I eventually started making my own clothes. I still had her doing all of the handwork, hems, etc.

Currently...............

the blue pillow from the quilting class..................

Kathy Green is my amazing teacher for quilting--I love sewing but Kathy keeps me moving forward; otherwise I will be stuck on one little stitch and never finish the project.

This pillow is for sale on my website

www.chloetoo.com.............8.88...$$$$$

here is a link to my website---the pillow is on the sterling silver page

www.chloetoo.com

Sep 4, 2012

HOW PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS ALREADY GIVEN US HOPE AND CHANGE

HOW PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS ALREADY GIVEN US HOPE AND CHANGE

You know, President Obama has already given us "hope and change" and one example of that would be healthcare.

I do not think there is one person, democrat or republican, who wants their child thrown off of their employer health plan---and now the republicans have to address that issue as well, the precedent has been set.

Really, who does not want to have healthcare for their family? The idea now is real, and law.

We can not reasonably go back--its here to stay--Thank you President Obama.

The repubs may not want to admit it, but they like it, too. It's a good thing for everyone! It's a good thing for the citizens of the United States--It's a good thing for people everywhere.

That is how President Obama has made a very good "change" and it cannot be denied, particularly by any parent.

Good job, President Obama, thank you VERY MUCH!

--
chloelouise