http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/ ButchFemmePlanet.com is a community forum for Butches, Femmes, Studs, Aggressives, Divas, Genderqueers and Trans folks. Chat! Forums! Personals! Come connect today! en Sat, 19 May 2012 04:02:03 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/ http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5062&goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 23:38:58 GMT Sometimes you just need a place to toot your own horn. Maybe you saved a turtle crossing the street or found a stray a new home. Perhaps you... Sometimes you just need a place to toot your own horn.

Maybe you saved a turtle crossing the street or found a stray a new home. Perhaps you crossed a major accomplishment off your Bucket List or took a leap of faith you want to celebrate. Sometimes it's as simple as finding time to make dinner after a stressful day.

Whatever the reason, sometimes you just need to celebrate YOU!

So, let's toot our own horns and brag a little, take pride in a job well done, or show off a new adventure.

Today's TMOH:

I finally graduated with my Bachelor's degree last weekend after 15 years of off-and-on classes. AT LAST! I'm edumacated!!!

What do you want to share? Let's CELEBRATE! ]]> THE FLUFFY STUFF: FLIRTING, HUMOR, CHAT Laerkin http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5062 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5061&goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 18:46:43 GMT i couldn't find an appropriate news thread to put this in (please merge it if it fits with one!) but i wanted to share this - just saw it on facebook.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/he...e.html?_r=2&hp

it's quite a long article but worth the read. ]]> CURRENT AFFAIRS/WORLD ISSUES/SCIENCE AND HISTORY aishah http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5061 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5057&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 21:48:07 GMT Happy Birthday Holly.88 !!!!! Have a wonderful year full of joy and peace! Image:...

Happy Birthday Holly.88 !!!!!

Have a wonderful year full of joy and peace!

]]> Birthdays Cajun_dee http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5057 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5056&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 21:43:39 GMT

Well Happy HAPPY birthday to YOU!!!

Here's to all your wishes coming true!

]]> Birthdays Cajun_dee http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5056 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5054&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 18:25:21 GMT Hello everyone! I am chefhmboyrd's girl, and finally getting around to joining and seeing what's going on here! I have heard so many great things about many of you (and a few, um, bad things - but I won't tell!) :) ]]> Newbie Introductions G Snap! http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5054 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5053&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 18:22:53 GMT Hey all :) I was wondering if anyone would be interested in playing some online Risk in realtime. There is a site that allows you to play various... Hey all :)

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in playing some online Risk in realtime. There is a site that allows you to play various bourds of Risk, both as timed turns and in r/t. I think it would be fun to have a game with some folks from the Planet. There is also a chat box with the realtime play, so could chat while we play.

Here is the link http://www.strategygamenetwork.com

Let me know if anyone wants to play :)

-Tony ]]> Words Games, Quizzes, Etc. TenderKnight http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5053 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5052&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 17:32:23 GMT I'm super excited that I found this website! I've already had so many of my questions answered without me even asking them. I can tell I'm going to love it here!!

A little bit about me: I'm a cute, smart femme who's main reason for finding this website stemmed from frustrations about femme invisibility. Also- are there any good bars in the US for a femme to pick up a butch?!?! I'm from Indiana but I'll be traveling a lot this summer so I need some suggestions!

Now...who are all of YOU? :) ]]> NEWBIE CENTRAL FemmeAllae http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5052 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5051&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 17:01:21 GMT Happy Happy Birthday! Have a great day and a great year ahead! Image: http://www.dreamstime.com/rusty-car-rims-thumb4608811.jpg ...

Happy Happy Birthday!

Have a great day
and a
great year ahead!



:birthdaycake:
:surpriseparty:

:bday2:

]]> Birthdays Cajun_dee http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5051 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5050&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 02:13:48 GMT Hi everybody -
Time to get that thread started for the Couples' dinner.
Looking around to find place easy to get to that also will have space for us to own the place and enjoy each other.

How did you like the place last year? Too many long tables without a lot of interaction? Prefer more hanging out, less ordering lunch? Or was it exactly what you wanted?

No promises, because of course it depends on the establishments around us and what they can offer. But if some great idea comes up...never know! Picnic in the park area behind the hotel? Maybe just plain lunch with friends at a nearby restaurant?

Will you please ring in if you'll be at the lunch? We'll keep a count here. Too bad we can't book durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr to keep the list while Teh Arwen "helps" him. ]]> REUNION 2012 Puplove http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5050 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5047&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 05:16:37 GMT *I have no idea why there is no thread for you already, except that you are a curmudgeon. *Happy Birthday, anyway! * :birthday:...

I have no idea why there is no thread for you already, except that you are a curmudgeon.

Happy Birthday, anyway!

:birthday:
:surprisebday:
:birthdaycake:

]]> Birthdays Gemme http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5047 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5046&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 00:53:18 GMT {{{{ Mr. Moon }}}} You have so much love and so much light surrounding you from all those that know you. Please know during this very difficult time... {{{{ Mr. Moon }}}} You have so much love and so much light surrounding you from all those that know you. Please know during this very difficult time that you are loved and cherished. Taylor is such a lucky girl to have had such a loving mama. I know tomorrow will be painful for you, but you are setting her free to play without pain!

Taylor has lived such an incredible life with you. She has always been filled with your love!! She knows without a shadow of doubt, each and every day that you adore her. You have given her a life of attention, a lifetime of happiness, and unconditional love. You have watched her grow, as she has watched you grow. You have taught her and learned from her. As the time grows near to release her from this physical body, know that she will stay with you, her energy will surround you always. She will always find her way back to you. You are her human, and she will always be your baby.

I love you more than you know and I am here for you always. You can call me day or night.


P.S. To all those reading this, please post your love and thoughts for Mr. Moon.....I know Moonie could really use the energy and love!! :)

*Long, low, plaintive howl* ]]> COMMUNICATION, FRIENDSHIP, GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER 1PlayfulFemme http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5046 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5045&goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 23:33:59 GMT *Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Will this give people a false sense of security? * ... Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Will this give people a false sense of security?



http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/he...ith-risks.html

Truvada for HIV prevention backed by advisory panel, FDA may decide by June

In a landmark decision, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration voted to recommend approval of Truvada to prevent HIV infection. The FDA is not required to the follow the panel of experts' advice, though it typically does.

In a series of votes, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval of the daily pill Truvada for healthy people who are at high risk of contracting HIV, including gay and bisexual men and heterosexual couples with one HIV-positive partner.

A final decision on Truvada is expected by June 15, but the FDA doesn't confirm such action dates and says the review of the application is ongoing, a spokesperson told CBS News.

"I think this is a huge milestone," Dr. Robert Grant, associate director of the Center for AIDS Research at the University of California, San Francisco, who led the panel's research, told CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. "I think we are in an era for the first time when we can see the end of the AIDS epidemic."

Gilead Sciences Inc., based in Foster City, Calif., has marketed Truvada since 2004 as a treatment for people who are infected with the virus. The medication is a combination of two older HIV drugs, Emtriva and Viread. Doctors usually prescribe it as part of a drug cocktail to repress the virus.

Since Truvada is already on the market to manage HIV, some doctors have prescribed it as a preventive measure. FDA approval would allow Gilead Sciences to formally market its drug for that use.

While panelists ultimately backed Truvada for prevention, Thursday's 12-hour meeting highlighted concerns created by the first drug to prevent HIV. In particular, the panel debated whether Truvada might lead to reduced use of condoms, the most reliable defense against HIV. The experts also questioned the drug's effectiveness in women, who have shown much lower rates of protection in studies.

The panel struggled to outline steps that would ensure patients take the pill every day. In clinical trials, patients who didn't take their medication diligently were not protected, and patients in the real world are even more likely to forget than those in studies.

"The trouble is adherence, but I don't think it's our charge to judge whether people will take the medicine," said Dr. Tom Giordano of Baylor College of Medicine, who voted in favor of the drug. "I think our charge is to judge whether it works when it's taken and whether the risks outweigh the benefits."

Panelists stressed that people should be tested to make sure they don't have HIV before starting therapy with Truvada. Patients who already have the virus and begin taking Truvada could develop a resistance to the drug, making their disease even more difficult to treat. The experts grappled with how to protect patients while avoiding hurdles that could discourage them from seeking treatment.

"If we put up too many hoops to jump through, there will be people who don't make it through those hoops," said Daniel Raymond, the panel's patient representative.

Truvada first made headlines in 2010, when government researchers showed it could prevent people from contracting HIV. A three-year study found that daily doses cut the risk of infection in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42 percent, when accompanied by condoms and counseling. Last year another study found that Truvada reduced infection by 75 percent in heterosexual couples in which one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not.


But Truvada's groundbreaking preventive ability has exposed stark disagreements on prevention among those in the HIV community. While Truvada's supporters say the drug is an important new option, critics worry it could give users a false sense of security, and encourage risky behavior.

During the meeting's public comment period, FDA panelists heard from more than two dozen doctors, nurses and patients who said patients would not take the drug as recommended - every day, in addition to using condoms.

"Truvada needs to be taken every day, 100 percent of the time, and my experience as a registered nurse tells me that won't happen," Karen Haughey told the panel. "In my eight years, not one patient that I've cared for has been 100 percent adherent."

Other speakers worried that wide scale use of Truvada would divert limited funding from more cost-effective options. Truvada sells for about $900 a month, or just under $11,000 per year. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which opposes approval of Truvada, estimates that 20 HIV-positive patients could be treated for the cost of treating one patient with preventive Truvada.

"Truvada for prevention will squeeze already-constrained health care resources that can be better spent on cheaper and more effective prevention therapies," the group states in a petition to the FDA.

The FDA is legally barred from considering cost when reviewing drugs. Medicare and Medicaid, the nation's largest health insurance plans, generally cover all drugs approved by the FDA and many large insurers take their cues for coverage from the government plans.

Nick Literski, a federal worker in Seattle, has been taking Truvada for HIV prevention for more than a year. His partner is HIV-infected and his doctor prescribes the drug as a precautionary measure, even though it is not yet FDA-approved for that use. Literski pays a $40 monthly co-pay for the once-daily pill.

FDA approval of the drug for prevention would be "a huge step forward" in the fight against AIDS, he said in an interview Thursday. But he said rejection would be devastating, threatening gay relationships like his that involve one partner who is HIV infected and one who isn't.

"Many HIV-positive men end up ending their relationships with HIV-negative men out of fear of infecting their partner," Literski said, and he worried about that happening to him before he started using Truvada.

An estimated 1.2 million Americans have HIV, which develops into AIDS unless treated with antiviral drugs. AIDS causes the body's immune system to breakdown, leading to infections which are eventually fatal. Gay and bisexual men account for nearly two-thirds of cases. ]]> CURRENT AFFAIRS/WORLD ISSUES/SCIENCE AND HISTORY Hunter Green http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5045 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5043&goto=newpost Mon, 14 May 2012 12:52:49 GMT I thought a new thread would be great about meeting others interested in BDSM/Kink and then how you go about structuring a relationship. Some of the... I thought a new thread would be great about meeting others interested in BDSM/Kink and then how you go about structuring a relationship. Some of the red flags, pitfalls and advice.

I have been in D/s relationships for over 20 years. I stepped away to pursue more of a butch-femme dynamic. After several failed relationships I now know that I am most suited for an ongoing femdom dynamic. That's my cliff notes. lol

The past couple of months I've place my search on hold primarily to focus on my family and launch a few projects. When I'm into someone deeply I can get distracted and emerged into our space. Because I'm super busy I really have to work hard to find balance between my responsibilities and my unique relationship. I spent quite a number of years doing social, parties and events all over the world. Today its really hard for me to get away and to be honest I'm not much for crowds now that I am older.

Other then fetlife where does one go to meet leather queers? For people who are unable to attend socials how does one find others?

Then once you do meet someone online and you arrange a face to face, do you break into protocol, hang out and talk? What is your method?

It's important for me to get to know someone really well before I get into a mental mindset. I need to study them, make sure they are grounded and "safe". My scene isn't just physical and a concentrated scene but a journey that includes mind, body and soul. I need to know they are the one who can travel there with me.

Let's discuss. ]]> SEX, BDSM, KINK Sachita http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5043 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5042&goto=newpost Sun, 13 May 2012 17:41:29 GMT There is an article in the NYT today about the student loan debt topping 1 trillion dollars. Goes on to say 94% of students seeking a bachelors...

There is an article in the NYT today about the student loan debt topping 1 trillion dollars. Goes on to say 94% of students seeking a bachelors degree are taking out loans. The average debt is $23,000. The people actually repaying the loans is down to 38%.

But, what struck me most was the story of a 23 year old woman who had $120,000 in student loan debt for her bachelors degree in marketing. She owed $900 a month in payments. She was working 2 waitressing jobs, making $225 a week. Her mother, who cosigned the loans and is on the hook for them, took out a life insurance policy on her daughter...just in case.

The story highlights how many students and their parents are feeling misled by college financial aid people who they feel either downplay the actual payback costs, give odd and difficult to understand information about the actual payback, and/or over estimate the job opportunities/salaries which might be available to a student after graduation to justify the expense/debt.

We have all been led to believe a college education is beneficial for our future earnings. This was pretty much the reality in a rapidly growing economy and when jobs were not being outsourced for cheaper international labor. Kind of a different reality today.

Been a long time since my college days. Was a different reality, different economy, different cost of living, much cheaper educational costs, many more opportunities, and advanced degrees upped your income significantly mitigating the costs of any loans.

So, I am wondering what others experiences have been with student loans. Did you feel misled? Were you shocked by the pay back amount when you received it? Were the costs offset by wage increases? Anything else that sticks out in your mind about your loans?

]]> IN THE NEWS Kobi http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5042 http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5040&goto=newpost Sun, 13 May 2012 08:19:07 GMT Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!

Even if your kids are at an age they don't realize it, or won't say it; being a mother takes a lot out of you.

Here is hoping you have some time today where you feel appreciated.

~Fire. ]]> DATING, MARRIAGE, FAMILY Firedance http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5040