Pony Express Legends, Menstruation Stigma

Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express Guest: Jim DeFelice, Author of "West Like Lightning," New York Times Best-seslling Co-Author of "American Sniper" The Pony Express has such a place in American lore that it's inspired countless books and films. But it turns out a lot – maybe most – of what we know about the Pony Express is difficult to verify, because there’s very little historical record of the facts. And also because people have been telling exaggerated tales about it since the day of the first ride on April 3, 1860. Information on “West Like Lightning” book signing events here. It's Not a Curse and It Shouldn't Be Taboo Guest: Sabrina Rubli, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Femme International Menstruation. That involuntary reaction you probably had when you saw that word is precisely why we’re talking about it today – and precisely why global health organizations are marking Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28. At least half a billion women and girls around the world lack adequate facilities for managing their periods. Consider the consequences of that: One in five girls in India drops out of school because they lack access to toilets and sanitary pads. Up to half of girls in Ethiopia and Bangladesh report missing school because of menstruation. There are also serious health consequences for girls and women who are unable to manage their periods safely.  The Problem With Disposable Period Products Guest: Myles Elledge, Executive Director for Human Health and the Environment, Biomass Controls LLC, Leader of the Menstrual Hygiene Safe Disposal Project, Funded by the Gates Foundation  In places around the world where people don’t have flushing toilets, running water or regular trash service, the menstrual hygiene piece of the waste stream is often neglected. And it’s a problem that keeps piling up the longer communities go without solutions: Pads and tampons take between 200 and 500 years to biodegrade in a landfill, leaching dangerous chemicals into the soil and water as they do. Making Reusable Period Products Work for Women Guest: Celeste Mergens, Founder and CEO, Days for Girls When Celeste Mergens founded Days for Girls 10 years ago, it was one of the earliest nonprofit organizations to get involved in menstrual hygiene management on a global scale. Mergens says the issue wasn’t on her radar until she began working with an orphanage in Kenya that was struggling to provide for 1,400 children. How were the girls in the orphanage managing their periods? Mergens says the answer shocked her.