jenny cares 

Give Women Access to Credit
Give Women Access to Credit - The Petition Site 
...Women comprise 70% of the world's poor, even though an increasing number are the primary breadwinners in their families.
...Because they are poor, women have less access to credit and thus can't invest in ways to increase their income to better provide for their children. Microfinance programs combat poverty, especially for women, by providing financial services for the poor. Raising women's incomes have incredible effects. Their children get a healthier diet, and a chance to go to school, expanding their lifetime opportunities.
Enabling women to earn a better income is the first step to breaking the viscous cycle of poverty. Tell Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to focus on programs that lift women out of poverty.
www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/120/402/392
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My thoughts: Women are very often left raising children alone, trying to provide good, safe homes, food, clothing, education. The majority of farmers of the world are women. Too little support, including financial, goes to women.
Men very often have other agendas, no matter what country you examine. The negative effect of providing predominately men with loans means promoting war, power games, gambling, drinking and the toys of men's egoes (e.g. cars, guns).
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• Dame Annabelle Rankin, born 28 July 1908, in July 1947, Rankin was the first Queensland woman to be elected a member of Federal Parliament; she held office for 34 years.
• Jean Blackburn, born 14 July 1919, feminist, socialist and education advocate; 1969-1973 consultant to the Karmel Report; 1983-1985 the Blackburn Report.
• Mary Chomley OBE, died 18 July 1960, feminist, worked for the Red Cross Society and for the equality of women in Victoria and in England. Violet Teague, Australian artist, painted Mary Chomley's portrait in 1909.
• First International Women in Agriculture Conference, from 1-3 July 1994, Melbourne, Victoria, participants from 33 countries; largest agricultural conference held in Australia; a pivotal moment in the women in agriculture movement and in the process of securing a voice in decision making for rural women, nationally and internationally.
• Nancy Cato, died 3 July 2000. Author - 'All the rivers run', journalist, poet and environmentalist http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0104b.htm
• Vivian Bullwinkel, died 3 July 2000, was the sole survivor of the 1942 Banka Island massacre. Post-war, she was Matron of Melbourne's Fairfield Hospital.
• Kate Cable, born 10 July 1899, died 6 July 1999, 1 July 1927 was appointed postmistress at Macrossan, west of Townsville, earning 15/- per week. Cable was the longest serving postmistress in Australia, serving 59 years service at the Macrossan post office. http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/PR00234b.htm
• Vera Scantlebury Brown, OBE, died 14 July 1946, commonly known as Dr Vera; was appointed the OBE for her work in infant and maternal welfare.
• Anna Maria Bligh, born 14 July 1960, in July 2005, Bligh was appointed Deputy Premier of Queensland - the same month she celebrated 10 years as Member for South Brisbane was the first woman in Australia to be elected in her own right as Premier. http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/PR00264b.htm
• Women's Peace Army, established 15 July 1915; social action organisation established to mobilise the women in Australia who opposed all war, regardless of political party membership. It was to be a fighting body to destroy militarism 'with the same spirit of self-sacrifice that soldiers showed on the battlefield'. 'We war against war' was the motto of the Women's Peace Army. Their flag took the feminist colours of purple, green and white. The most well-known members were Vida Goldstein, president, Cecilia John and Adela Pankhurst. With autonomous branches in Sydney and Brisbane, the Women's Peace Army projected a radical, militant image with its socialist anti-war ideology and attracted large numbers to its sometimes controversial public meetings. Other tactics included participation in peace demonstrations, support for peace candidates at elections, petitions to members of parliament and practical help to those disadvantaged by war. It participated in the anti-conscription campaigns of 1916 and 1917. With the end of the Great War, the Women's Peace Army went into recess on 18 December 1919. http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0542b.htm 
• Monica Clare, died suddenly on National Aborigines Day, 13 July 1973. Aboriginal Administrator, Aboriginal activist and Aboriginal leader, worked tirelessly for the political and social equality of Aboriginal people, and their independence.
• Margaret Jean Court, MBE, born 16 July 1942, Albury, NSW Margaret Court was one of Australia's greatest sportswomen. She won 62 grand slam titles and, in 1970, was the second woman in history to win the Australian, French, U.S. and Wimbledon titles in a calendar year. Winner of the ABC Sportsman of the Year Award in 1963 and 1970, Margaret Court was appointed to the Order of the British Empire - Member (Civil), was the recipient of the 2003 Australia Post Australian Legends Award,and featured on a special 50c stamp; 2006 awarded the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) Philippe Chatrier Award

Osteoporosis 'snuck up' on me, and at the time I didn't consider myself 'older'.
The list below is interesting, though I've left a lot out that I consider oversimplified. Also, the article neglects to mention that at least one drug given to treat osteoporosis has caused serious problems e.g. multiple teeth abscesses, broken jaws.
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Adapted from 10 Warning Signs Your Bones Are Thinning | Care2 Healthy & Green Living 
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HERE ARE THE TOP 10 WARNING SIGNS OF THINNING BONES:
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1. FRACTURED BONES, BONE DENSITY
i.e. you’ve had more than one fracture...or you’ve had a fracture that seemed unusually severe for the circumstances.
Kim found out she had osteopenia, or mild osteoporosis, when she fractured her ankle simply by stepping the wrong way off a curb. Your bones need to be strong enough to sustain some impact, and if they aren’t, you’ll want to know more about what’s behind that.
Get a bone density test, also called a DXA scan or densitometry, which is a specialized type of X-ray that measures the amount of calcium and other key bone-hardening minerals within each bone segment. 
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2. THIN, SMALL-FRAMED, GENETICS, EXERCISE 
People with small, delicate frames are likely to develop osteoporosis at a younger age. This doesn’t mean that heavy or big-boned people don’t get osteoporosis; just that people who are thin or small-boned don’t have as far to go before they’re at risk for fracture. 
20-25 years old: we reach peak bone mass and stop building bone;
30-40 years old: we start losing bone.
The rate of bone loss depends on our genetics and on how vigilant we are about diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol. 
If you’re under age 40, eat a diet high in calcium-rich foods; get plenty of high-impact exercise e.g. running, jumping.
If you’re 40 or older, add a calcium-magnesium-vitamin D supplement, and do strength-training exercise in addition to impact exercise. Strength training has been shown to prevent bone loss.
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3. MEDICATION, LONG-TERM USE
Corticosteroids (e.g. Prednisone), Thyroid hormone, and SSRI antidepressants -- are associated with bone loss.
Taking cortisone drugs over a long period of time interferes with hormone levels in a way that leaches calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients from your bones. People who have AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES e.g. Crohn’s disease, Lupus, or Rheumatoid Arthritis have Osteoporosis at a much higher rate than the average person because of the corticosteroids used to treat these conditions.
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4. SMOKING
Experts don’t know exactly how smoking sabotages bones, but it’s clear from numerous studies that it does...so if you’ve been a smoker throughout your life, chances are high that you’ve compromised your bones.
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5. ALCOHOL
Alcohol is a bone-weakener; it leaches calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from your bones. The more you drink, the more likely it is that it’s happening. Women are more vulnerable to this type of bone loss than men.
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6. CALCIUM, VITAMIN D, MAGNESIUM
Most American adults are severely D-deficient, putting them at risk for weak bones and for several types of cancer. MILK (dairy, soy or rice) that has been fortified with vitamin D, Calcium and Magnesium should be taken daily.
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7. EATING DISORDERS
Artificially low body weight lowers hormone levels, causing skipped periods. Anything that lowers estrogen levels interferes with bone building.
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8. (WOMEN) IRREGULAR MENSTRUATION
Low levels of estrogen are typically responsible for missed periods or a cycle that starts and stops, and low estrogen contributes directly to bone loss. Low estrogen can be caused by an eating disorder, overexercising, or polycystic ovary disease PCOS 
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9. FAMILY HISTORY
e.g. a close relative who had osteoporosis before the age of 50 or before menopause.
Family history is a major indicator that your bones are weakening. If you come from a family where the older adults have a history of fractures, poor posture, or loss of height, chances are your family members had osteoporosis, whether or not it was ever diagnosed. And if they had it, it’s likely you do too. Compile a family health history. If you had relatives who suffered from osteoporosis, tell your doctor.
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10. CAUCASIAN/ASIAN, FEMALE, OVER 50
Just one of these risk factors makes it more likely your bones are thinning. If all three are true for you, there’s a good chance your bones are at risk for fracture. But African-American women also have reason to be concerned. A recent study showed that low bone mass is much more common than once believed in all ethnic groups, including African-Americans.
--If you’re 60, 70, or beyond, pay even more attention. Bone-thinning risk increases with age; osteoporosis experts estimate that after the age of 75, 90% of women will suffer a fracture.