Because everyone (even el Bloombito) rallied to support Planned Parenthood in the wake of the Susan G. Komentroversy this week, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite women’s health guides, lest you NYC would ever leave you stranded alone in a cold, heartless world if you had a health emergency. First, check our no-insurance health care guide and the list of free STD testing services available in BK (don’t forget about that free condom finder app too). We also have a roundup and price check of abortion providers in Brooklyn, and a rundown of the whys and hows of using money saving menstrual cups. And switching to a bit of a lighter side from health to beauty, a cautionary tale of what really goes on at a $10 bikini wax (ouch!).
Our favorite guides to women’s health
You (yes you!) can sell your stuff at Walmart
Are you good enough to make Sam's Choice?
Let’s say you’ve got some awesome handmade product or clever new invention and you’ve been trying to figure out which Brooklyn craft market is the best place to introduce it. That’s a lot of work, right? Wouldn’t it be better to skip that whole process of finding a local fanbase and go right to the hyperglobalmegacorp level? Mega retailer Walmart (currently the only thing still more controversial here than “shit ____ say” videos) is offering to give your product the American Idol treatment with its “Get on the Shelf” online campaign. The top three most popular things will be sold through its website, and the grand prize winner gets carried in physical stores. Perhaps you’re thinking, “but Tim, if I win, does that mean I’ll be staying up all night making batch after batch of home-brewed salsa to meet Walmart’s demand like some sort of artisanal sweatshop?” No! They’ll give you help scaling up production, which means you can ship that crap off to China and watch the fat profits of a hyperglobal economy roll in! Last day to enter is Feb. 22.
Permanent e-waste dropoff site for Brooklyn
Good news, keepers of geriatric laptops, fax machines and cell phones — there’s going to be a permanent e-waste dropoff spot in Gowanus, thanks to the Lower East Side Ecology Center, those great people who have been doing roving events around Brooklyn. You may have thought that the Gowanus was already an e-waste dropoff spot (dada ching!) but starting Jan. 31, you’ll be able to bring your unwanted electronics to a new warehouse at 469 President St. at Nevins, Mondays through Saturdays. Full hours here, and full list of recyclables here. There’s also a launch par-tay at the warehouse on Sat. Feb. 4 from noon to 4 where you can enjoy refreshments while finding what becomes of your orphaned Razr phone and 56K modems.
Register at noon for free Brooklyn swimming lessons
The groovy retro Metropolitan pool. Photo courtesy of Nikyatu Jitsu blog.
Thanks to our Twitter homies @brooklynmamas for this tip. Today at noon, the NYC Parks and Recreation department is opening up its online lottery for FREE swimming lessons for adults and kids 18 months and up. Not sure exactly how it works, but we’re thinking that it’s like a Gilt sale that blinks on magically at noon. Here is the link to registration info for the three Brooklyn pools (they’re in Williamsburg, Brownsville and, er, Crown Heights?) Online registration is open through Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Really, truly cheap therapy in Brooklyn
If you're feeling elfless, here's help. Photo by Rachel Eve Stein.
This post is for the Brokesters out there who have found themselves talking about their tumultuous childhood to a Trader Joe’s employee, trying to get a diagnosis from a psych major at a house party, or calling a suicide helpline to talk about relationship issues. It is hard to get mental health services when you’re without insurance, and hardest to get help without poppin’ prescribed pills. This post is about finding the elusive drug-less help for your problems in unexpected ways when you have no mental health coverage on insurance, or no insurance at all, and you’re too broke for even the lowest end of the therapist’s sliding fee scale. 
Get tougher, delete your Myspace and your band just might make it
Titus Andronicus at Death By Audio. They ain't done so bad. Photo via Flickr's Ryan Dombal.
“Indie band success” might sound to you like “gainfully employed journalism major,” but people smarter than we in this area say apparently there is a way to make fat stacks while staying true to your DIY roots. The L Magazine published a huge feature this week of 101 secrets to indie rock success, with tips culled from the three layers of the power sandwich: The Labels, The Experts (publicists, venue owners, mangers) and Us (aka the music media). It gives you a guide to tactics that annoy (Don’t call it a 7″ when it’s digital!), tricks to get noticed, like how to draft a booking email, and even how to act on stage. For even more tips, check Caroline’s post on how to get big-time buzz for your band.
This looks like fun: boozy painting class, $25
Today Google Offers has a deal for half off a BYOB painting class at Painting Lounge in Williamsburg. The two-hour class is only $25, as opposed to the usual $50, including supplies and the finished painting you get to take home. We’ve never been to this joint, but Painting Lounge has scads of love letters on Yelp (which you should always check because an alarming number of places on those deal sites sound worse than Gitmo.) Painting Lounge also has an unusual approach: they teach you to copy master paintings, which are posted on this here calendar. Sounds like a fun birthday gift / wedding present (especially if you include the booze) / Valentine’s Day date. (Paging Mr. Brokelyn!) Get the Painting Lounge deal here.
Free education from the natural history museum
Become a bone master (tee hee). Photo via Flickr Joe White.
You wake up and every day is the same. You feel like you’re stuck in a rut. It’s time for changes in your life. Did you know that science is all the rage these days, since nerds run the world now? The American Museum of Natural History would be happy to help you explore it, with its Master of Arts in Teaching program, that you can attend for free! Spend the 15-month program working with actual scientists at the museum to learn how to best teach school kids about geology, life sciences and dinosaurs. This is no fly-by-night diploma mill: the program includes a $30,000 stipend, health benefits and two years of professional mentoring and development. The only catch is that you have to commit to four years teaching in a high-needs public school, which could be anywhere in the state. Suddenly, I wish I didn’t fail the New York State Physics Regents.
Via Gothamist.
Which music streaming site rocks hardest?
Or you could always buy this thing on eBay for $18,500.
Maybe you’ve been enjoying the era of all-you-can-pirate music and how plugged in to the culture it makes you feel. Problem is, now you’re running out of hard drive space and you just know everyone’s going to be talking about how bad Lana Del Rey’s debut album really is when it comes out in two weeks. The Internet, as usual, can fix your problem with its variety of big-music sanctioned streaming sites, which have popped up like mushrooms now that all those labels are getting a cut of the action. Which one is the best? We compared free and paid plans at Spotify, Grooveshark, Pandora, Rdio and Rhapsody. Read on to find out which one wins.
TaskRabbit still needs rabbits (plus, $25 off!)
You can be a TaskRabbit like Chris M. -- or hire one.
Maybe you’ve heard about TaskRabbit, the web site where you can post small jobs for pre-screened helpers to bid on. We’ve written about them; I recently reviewed TaskRabbit for New York Magazine. Since it was a positive experience, I’m happy to pass along a tip that you can get $25 off your first task through 1/22 by entering SCOUTMOB at checkout. (The deal isn’t on the app.) Also, if you have a van / toolkit / mad Ikea assembly skills (a top NYC request) the service is still hiring rabbits, especially “handymen, house cleaners and those with ready access to easy transportation (cars)” says Jamie Viggiano, head of marketing for the company. You have to be pretty hardcore to eek out a living as a full-time rabbit, but a few of the part-timers I met were profitably supplementing day jobs with a few TR gigs a week.
