Around the world, an estimated 100 million young girls lack access to menstrual products, including a significant number in the US. Despite the fact that 49% of the world 's population is female, for many cultures periods are still taboo. 

As a young woman, I’ve experienced people’s uncomfortable responses to periods for a good portion of my life. I’ve also suffered from the stigma that surrounds them. From male classmates asking me if I’m in a bad mood because of my period to my fear of asking my teacher to go to the bathroom to change my pad, periods have been an inescapable and sometimes embarrassing fact of my life. My most striking memory, is the time two boys in my gym class played catch with my unopened pad, while the rest of my class watched in horror; not at what the boys were doing but what was in their hands. I wonder if these views are because of the...

A stunning statistic that some might not know is that 100% percent of women will have a period at some point over there lifetimes, and more likely than not they will experience over one hundred. Women make up 49% of the entire world population and yet a woman’s period is something that is considered taboo by many cultures. 

As a young woman, I’ve experienced people’s uncomfortable responses to periods for a good portion of my life. I’ve also suffered from the stigma that surrounds them. From it’s male classmates asking me if I’m in a bad mood because of my period, to my fear of asking my teacher to go to the bathroom to change my pad periods have been an inescapable and sometimes embarrassing fact of my life. The most striking memory, however, is the time two boys in my gym class played catch with my unopened pad, while the rest of my class watched in horror; not at...

A stunning statistic that some might not know is that 100% percent of women will have a period at some point over there lifetimes, and more likely than not they will experience over one hundred. Women make up 49% of the entire world population and yet a woman’s period is something that is an incredibly taboo topic around the world.  

As a young woman, I’ve experienced people’s uncomfortable responses to periods for a good portion of my life and I’ve suffered from the stigma that surrounds them. Whether it’s male classmates asking me if I’m in a bad mood because of my period, to my fear of asking my teacher to go to the bathroom to change my pad. Or the time a boy in my class began playing catch with my pads while the other kids remained silent horrified of a simple pad. I wonder if these views are because of the lack of education that both boys and girls...

He was staring at me blankly again. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, absentmindedly thinking about making a ponytail for a second. No time, I reminded myself. “Okay, Grayson, I’m gonna need you to stop freaking out and making that face because frankly it's extremely distracting and most likely will be detrimental to you getting out of here alive.” I took him by the shoulders because he was still staring at me with a look on his face that did not suggest he understood me. “I am not a witch, but she is, and she does want to kill me which means she’s trying to kill you so just trust me, and we will both make it out of this.”

Finally, he nodded at me.

My day didn’t start off that way. It started off, as normal as mornings do for me. I got up, ate my cereal and cleaned my apartment. By cleaned it, I...

He was staring at me blankly again. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, absentmindedly thinking about making a ponytail for a second. No time, I reminded myself. “Okay, Grayson, I’m gonna need you to stop freaking out and making that face because frankly it's extremely distracting and most likely will be detrimental to you getting out of here alive.” I took him by the shoulders because he was still staring at me with a look on his face that did not suggest he understood me. “I am not a witch, but she is, and she does want to kill me which means she’s trying to kill you so just trust me, and we will both make it out of this.”

Finally, he nodded at me.

My day didn’t start off that way. It started off, as normal as mornings do for me. I got up, ate my cereal and cleaned my apartment. By cleaned it, I...

This year brought with it one of the biggest changes in my life, high school. Suddenly I was pushed out of my safe little bubble into world full of final exams, A’s B’s and C’s, and lots of paperwork. I’m six weeks in and still adjusting to the sheer amount of work that I have to do on a daily basis. As my world was changing and spinning around me I found myself looking to the world around me for any sense of normalcy, a sign that the ground hadn’t fell out from beneath everyone else, just me. Only what I found was that everyone else in the world around me was pretty much freaking out as much as I was.

As I was panicking about high school, the world was panicking about constitutional crisis, global warming, nuclear war and just about everything in between. Nothing was the same as it had been, and the things that we’d previously held...

There were no atoms left untouched, by the smoke, by the fire. The flames billowing up into the air. She watched from the outside. Then, sounding out from the flames, a hiccup, a call, Help. One matchstick, and she had single handedly ruined her own life.

All the lights are off. He peers through the curtain, again, letting in a sliver of light just to make sure it's till there. It's a beautiful day, one in which a regular person would be outside, enjoying life. He shuts the curtain again. if only going outside, was that easy. He's been in there for days, 3 to be exact. Ever since he'd seen hem walking down the street, it was then he had decided to not go outside. He looks across the room, empty bottles lay strewn across the floor, empty bags. He's almost out of food now, he knows that he'll eventually have to go out to the store. He knows he's not ready for this yet. There's also glass on the floor, next to hollowed out picture frames and torn up pieces of paper that had been ripped to shreds. It had only been a month, and she had already moved on. And he couldn't seem to do antyhing. 

9 am on a Friday morning, in a large house with blue panels and white trim surrounded by police cars, a man saw a ghost.

Daniel walked into the into the house and was not at all surprised or phased to find a dead body in there. The body being there was, in fact, the very reason he had been called to the house in the first place. In the throng of people, above the ruckus of the room, his brain picked her out immediately. She was kneeling on the floor looking down at the body that sat there, taking notes on her phone. He walked through the crowd almost in a daze, until he made it to the back of the room where she knelt. He had absolutely no idea what to say but he stuttered, “What the heck?”

She said nothing for a while-as if she was somehow taunting him. She didn’t even look at him. “Good Morning,...

I am a fragile piece of china sitting atop a high shelf.
I am always about to break, waiting to fall off.
People walk around, reach there hands up to grab things off the top shelf..Never even seeing.
I am near the edge, do you see? Or are you ignoring me? Do you choose to close your eyes?
I’m here. I’ve been here. I’ve backed away. But I’m still here. I keep coming back here.
It's not ‘okay.’ It never was. But of course it has to be. For your own sake.
I am here to be your punching bag. Knock me with your hands if you must.
I see you reaching. You brush against me gently sometimes..Hard others.
Your hand touch me, but I’m course I’m not as far to the edge as I think I am.
But isn’t my opinion the only one that matters?
Of course not.
I’m your china piece. Made to look pretty. Make you...

All in all, it wasn't the best day of my life, but it wasn't the worst either.  

I know you've heard this one before:

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best...They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs, They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some I assume are good people." - Donald Trump, June 15, 2015.   

I know, I picked an easy one but, i couldn't resist. So as an apology, I'll do Ethos, logos and Pathos. 

Ethos- Lets think about the credibility of this argument for a second. This is coming from a Real Estate Mogul (who yes, was at the declaring his candidacy for the presidency)  who hasn't ever been involved in the collecting of this information or even mentioned anything about before this time, or is an politician who would have access to this kind of information.

Pathos- This is clearly racist. This is putting all Hispanic immigrants (legal and illegal) in one basket of being criminals and rapists. The majority of people who have...

Mrs. Meddleson?
Yes Alex?
You made a mistake.
Oh-where?
The equation. The answer is 6 not 3.
No Alex, the answer is-6, thanks.
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Youshouldn't have done that.
Why not?
She doesn't like it when people do that.
Great.
Just wait. Shes gonna ask you to stay after class.
Okay class. You have 3 minuets to solve this equation. And Alex, I need to talk to you after class.
Told ya. Your new aren't you?
Yeah. Its my first day.
I'm Eliza.
I'm Alex.
Do you want to sit with me at lunch. I'll wait for you after class.
Sure. That sounds great.
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Ms. Hart. Do not correct me likethat in front of the class ever again.
I'm sorry I just thought-
No. You 'thought' nothing. There is noreason-
Well, actually, I didn't want the whole class to get the answer wrong, therefore hindering their education-
Ok. It's your first day, I'll forgive you-this time. But next time-