Tomorrow is the first of the month again (already!). So it's time for a donation. This time my little ten dollars are going to the Second Harvest Food Bank, where I am also trying to volunteer when and if my schedule will allow it. Seems to be a lot of volunteering on Saturday, when I work.
I also loaned my April quota on kiva.org. I chose Las Picaflores group from Chile, a group of 15 entrepeneurs who mostly make and sell clothing. The leader of the group wants to start her own sewing store. According to the group profile, they are located in a region of Chile that is mostly indigenous. I didn't donate to any Chilean organizations like I did with Haiti, so this way I'm helping out a bit. My lending team on kiva.org is LunaLend: just register, click on Community, and search for LunaLend to join it. There are all kinds of people to lend to, from the US to the Sudan. The funds are usually dispersed by the micro lending organizations ahead of time, and the money lent by kiva members fill those loans. When repayments are made, it goes to your kiva account as credit that you can then draw out or apply to another loan.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Ain't I a Woman?
Sojourner Truth gained her freedom in 1827, dropped her slave name, and started campaigning against slavery. She was the only black woman at the First National Woman's Rights Convention in 1850. This speech was at a woman's convention in Akron, Ohio, recorded by Frances Gage. Some of the dialect has been changed. Taken from Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives eds. Gwyn Kirk & Margo Okazawa-Rey.
Ain't I a Woman?
Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that twixt the negroes of the South and the women in the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man- when I could get it- and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what they call it? (intellect, someone whispers). That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negro’s rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half-measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.
Ain't I a Woman?
Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that twixt the negroes of the South and the women in the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man- when I could get it- and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what they call it? (intellect, someone whispers). That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negro’s rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half-measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Jane Austen: For the Ages
She lived less than half a century, she wrote only six complete novels and made only about 630 pounds from them during her lifetime (Lane, 1996). She never traveled outside of southeast England. Yet she is one of the world’s favorite authors, except for Mark Twain who detested her work. There are thousands of blogs about her (including mine). Fans (including me) tour England looking for the places she lived. The Jane Austen Society has chapters all over the world, and her books are continually being remade into movies. Why is it that Jane Austen is still so popular two hundred years later?
One Size Fits All
There is something in Ms. Austen’s works for everyone. Martin Amis, quoted in Natalie Tyler’s book The Friendly Jane Austen, states that “Jane Austen is weirdly capable of keeping everybody busy. The moralists, the Eros-and-Agape people, the Marxists, the Freudians, the Jungians, the semioticians, the deconstructors-all find an adventure playground in six samey novels about middle-class provincials” (p.1). To some people, she is a comforting romance (Tyler, 1999). To others, the world depicted in her novels is an ideal “in which goodness is always rewarded” (Tyler, 1999, p.11) and which “represents the attainable reality of a pleasantly well-ordered life” (Tyler, 1999, p.11). Ms. Austen makes readers laugh out loud with her acerbic irony (Tyler, 1999). And then there are those who read the feminism between the lines, and who find the anger about women’s lack of choices lurking under the civility (Tyler, 1999). So unless you’re Mark Twain, there is something to like in Jane Austen.
The Finer Things in Life
In Ms. Austen’s novels “with the exception of Emma, her heroines have significant economic problems” (Tyler, 1999, p.86), and she always reports just how much or little her characters actually have. This is not avarice. Instead, this helps them seem more like us. Neither Ms. Austen or her characters would ever rate a Jackie Collins novel or a reality TV show living the high life.
While Jane Austen earned very little during her lifetime, she enjoyed visiting her relatives who could serve her good food. In “her letters to Cassandra she often mentions what delicacies she has eaten” (Tyler, 1999, p.47) and particularly liked syllabub, a “popular drink mixing milk and alcohol” (Tyler, 1999, p.47). She loved dancing. When I visited the cottage in Chawton where she lived during much of her publication years, the curators had a display in the shed on the property listing the men in her life. She evidently liked to flirt, and there was at least one serious romance in her life. Ms. Austen’s family was very fond of her, and her fans think of her as a friend.
Oh, the Irony
Ms. Austen was the daughter of a clergyman, but her novels are not preachy. Instead, she uses wit to skewer characters that do not live decent lives, according to her. In “her novels, the characters who incur their author’s disapproval are almost all careless of the comfort of people among whom they happen to live” (Lane, 1996, p.16). She disliked snobs and silly people. In Jane Austen, the “ability to know oneself and to read the people in one’s life is essential to becoming a discerning adult” (Tyler, 1999, p.66).
Ms. Austen’s descriptions of Mrs. Norris in Mansfield Park (who is willing to volunteer others’ help as long as it does not involve any effort on her part) and Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice (who is full of himself due to his association with Lady Catherine De Bourgh and her multiple chimneys) leave readers laughing out loud. She even unleashes her wit at a non living character in Northanger Abbey, the gothic novel. As this was the popular type of novel during Ms. Austen’s time, she would have read them. In essence, she was laughing at herself.
And the Pen Goes To….
According to David Riede, in an interview with Natalie Tyler, “Austen’s innovations were so effective and influential that they became incorporated in the novels of the next two hundred years, so that her contributions to the art of novel writing have almost become to look “natural” to later generations-not innovative in art but simply the way novels are” (Tyler, 1999, p.76). A Jane Austen novel is genius, a “world of subtlety and characterization and intricate diction” (Emily Auerbach in Tyler, 1999, p.252).
Jane Austen’s novels express their author’s viewpoint that women should have the choice to marry whom they want, not just for financial security or because it is expected of them. Ms. Austen herself refused a marriage proposal a day after she accepted it because she did not love the man, thereby giving up financial security. Other reasons for this refusal are not known, but “at the time of the offer [she] had completed three major novels and had offered one to a publisher” (Tyler, 1999, p.49). At that time, marriage would be been incompatible with a writing career. Her “heroes… are prepared to respect their wives [and]…none of Austen’s heroines will be passive wives” (Tyler, 1999, p.61).
One of my favorite memories of my trip to England was seeing Jane Austen’s writing desk in the British Library in London. A small thing, to be sure, but to a Jane Austen fan the desk on which she wrote is better than all the crown jewels on display in the Tower of London. And there are legions of Jane Austen fans. We’ll continue to reread the books, watch each new movie version, write our blogs, and traipse around England. Jane Austen is a growth enterprise.
All information from the following books which just happened to be on my bookshelf:
Austen, Jane. Her novels, in all shapes and sizes, by several different publishers.
Lane, Maggie. Jane Austen’s World. Carlton Books, 1996
Tyler, Natalie. The Friendly Jane Austen. New York: Penguin, 1999
One Size Fits All
There is something in Ms. Austen’s works for everyone. Martin Amis, quoted in Natalie Tyler’s book The Friendly Jane Austen, states that “Jane Austen is weirdly capable of keeping everybody busy. The moralists, the Eros-and-Agape people, the Marxists, the Freudians, the Jungians, the semioticians, the deconstructors-all find an adventure playground in six samey novels about middle-class provincials” (p.1). To some people, she is a comforting romance (Tyler, 1999). To others, the world depicted in her novels is an ideal “in which goodness is always rewarded” (Tyler, 1999, p.11) and which “represents the attainable reality of a pleasantly well-ordered life” (Tyler, 1999, p.11). Ms. Austen makes readers laugh out loud with her acerbic irony (Tyler, 1999). And then there are those who read the feminism between the lines, and who find the anger about women’s lack of choices lurking under the civility (Tyler, 1999). So unless you’re Mark Twain, there is something to like in Jane Austen.
The Finer Things in Life
In Ms. Austen’s novels “with the exception of Emma, her heroines have significant economic problems” (Tyler, 1999, p.86), and she always reports just how much or little her characters actually have. This is not avarice. Instead, this helps them seem more like us. Neither Ms. Austen or her characters would ever rate a Jackie Collins novel or a reality TV show living the high life.
While Jane Austen earned very little during her lifetime, she enjoyed visiting her relatives who could serve her good food. In “her letters to Cassandra she often mentions what delicacies she has eaten” (Tyler, 1999, p.47) and particularly liked syllabub, a “popular drink mixing milk and alcohol” (Tyler, 1999, p.47). She loved dancing. When I visited the cottage in Chawton where she lived during much of her publication years, the curators had a display in the shed on the property listing the men in her life. She evidently liked to flirt, and there was at least one serious romance in her life. Ms. Austen’s family was very fond of her, and her fans think of her as a friend.
Oh, the Irony
Ms. Austen was the daughter of a clergyman, but her novels are not preachy. Instead, she uses wit to skewer characters that do not live decent lives, according to her. In “her novels, the characters who incur their author’s disapproval are almost all careless of the comfort of people among whom they happen to live” (Lane, 1996, p.16). She disliked snobs and silly people. In Jane Austen, the “ability to know oneself and to read the people in one’s life is essential to becoming a discerning adult” (Tyler, 1999, p.66).
Ms. Austen’s descriptions of Mrs. Norris in Mansfield Park (who is willing to volunteer others’ help as long as it does not involve any effort on her part) and Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice (who is full of himself due to his association with Lady Catherine De Bourgh and her multiple chimneys) leave readers laughing out loud. She even unleashes her wit at a non living character in Northanger Abbey, the gothic novel. As this was the popular type of novel during Ms. Austen’s time, she would have read them. In essence, she was laughing at herself.
And the Pen Goes To….
According to David Riede, in an interview with Natalie Tyler, “Austen’s innovations were so effective and influential that they became incorporated in the novels of the next two hundred years, so that her contributions to the art of novel writing have almost become to look “natural” to later generations-not innovative in art but simply the way novels are” (Tyler, 1999, p.76). A Jane Austen novel is genius, a “world of subtlety and characterization and intricate diction” (Emily Auerbach in Tyler, 1999, p.252).
Jane Austen’s novels express their author’s viewpoint that women should have the choice to marry whom they want, not just for financial security or because it is expected of them. Ms. Austen herself refused a marriage proposal a day after she accepted it because she did not love the man, thereby giving up financial security. Other reasons for this refusal are not known, but “at the time of the offer [she] had completed three major novels and had offered one to a publisher” (Tyler, 1999, p.49). At that time, marriage would be been incompatible with a writing career. Her “heroes… are prepared to respect their wives [and]…none of Austen’s heroines will be passive wives” (Tyler, 1999, p.61).
One of my favorite memories of my trip to England was seeing Jane Austen’s writing desk in the British Library in London. A small thing, to be sure, but to a Jane Austen fan the desk on which she wrote is better than all the crown jewels on display in the Tower of London. And there are legions of Jane Austen fans. We’ll continue to reread the books, watch each new movie version, write our blogs, and traipse around England. Jane Austen is a growth enterprise.
All information from the following books which just happened to be on my bookshelf:
Austen, Jane. Her novels, in all shapes and sizes, by several different publishers.
Lane, Maggie. Jane Austen’s World. Carlton Books, 1996
Tyler, Natalie. The Friendly Jane Austen. New York: Penguin, 1999
Friday, March 19, 2010
I would have quoted a female President yesterday, but...
I would have had to find one outside of the United States. Finland, for example. So instead I found some info that I lifted straight from Wikipedia (to give credit where credit is due) on the wives of the Presidents of the United States.
::::::::
The use of the title first lady to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States. In the early days of the republic, there was not a generally accepted title for the wife of the president. Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady", "Mrs. President", and "Mrs. Presidentress;" Martha Washington was often referred to as "Lady Washington."
According to legend, Dolley Madison was referred to as "first lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor. However, no written record of this eulogy exists. Sometime after 1849, the title began being used in Washington, D.C. social circles. The earliest known written evidence of the title is from the November 3, 1863 diary entry of William Howard Russell, in which he referred to gossip about "the First Lady in the Land." The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when newspaper journalist Mary C. Ames referred to Lucy Webb Hayes as "the First Lady of the Land" while reporting on the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes. The frequent reporting on Lucy Hayes' activities helped spread use of the title outside Washington. A popular 1911 comedic play by playwright Charles Nirdlinger titled The First Lady in the Land popularized the title further. By the 1930s it was in wide use. Use of the title later spread from the United States to other nations.
Role of the First Lady
The position of the First Lady is not an elected one, carries no official duties, and receives no salary. Nonetheless, first ladies have held a highly visible position in U.S. government. The role of the first lady has evolved over the centuries. She is, first and foremost, the hostess of the White House. She organizes and attends official ceremonies and functions of state either along with, or in place of, the president.
Both Martha Washington and Abigail Adams gained fame from the Revolutionary War and were treated as if they were "ladies" of the British royal court. Dolley Madison popularized the first ladyship by engaging in efforts to assist orphans and women, by dressing in elegant fashions and attracting newspaper coverage, and by risking her life to save iconic treasures during the War of 1812. Madison set the standard for the ladyship and her actions were the model for nearly every first lady until Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1930s. Plagued by polio, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was not free to travel around the country, so Mrs. Roosevelt assumed this role. She authored a weekly newspaper column and hosted a radio show. Jacqueline Kennedy added the role of decorator of the White House when she was first lady, engaging in an expansive campaign to restore the White House.
Over the course of the 20th century it became increasingly common for first ladies to select specific causes to promote, usually ones that are not politically divisive. It is common for the first lady to hire a staff to support these activities. Lady Bird Johnson pioneered environmental protection and beautification; Pat Nixon encouraged volunteerism and traveled extensively abroad; Betty Ford supported womens' rights; Rosalynn Carter aided those with mental disabilities; Nancy Reagan founded the Just Say No drug awareness campaign; Barbara Bush promoted literacy; Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to reform the healthcare system in the U.S.; and Laura Bush supported womens' rights groups and encouraged childhood literacy. Clinton was, for a time, given a formal job in the administration. She became a U.S. Senator from New York in 2001 and is currently the Secretary of State in the Obama administration. Many first ladies, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, and Michelle Obama have been significant fashion trendsetters.
There is a strong tradition against the First Lady holding outside employment while serving as White House hostess. However, some first ladies have exercised a degree of political influence by virtue of being an important adviser to the president. During Hillary Clinton's campaign for election to the U.S. Senate, the couple's daughter, Chelsea took over much of the First Lady's role; the latter then served as Acting First Lady during the fortnight between her mother's swearing in as a Senator and the end of her father's presidency; exercise of the First Lady's White House managerial authority by a sitting Member of Congress could have arguably run afoul of U.S. Constitution's Ineligibility Clause.
List of First Ladies:
1. Martha Washington
2. Abigail Adams
3. Martha Jefferson Randolph
4. Dolley Todd Madison
5. Elizabeth Monroe
6. Louisa Adams
7. Rachel Jackson (niece Emily Donelson actually performed duties of First Lady)
8. Hannah Van Buren (daughter-in-law Angelica Singleton Van Buren performed duties)
9. Anna Harrison
10. Letitia Tyler
11. Julia Tyler
12. Sarah Polk
13. Margaret Taylor
14. Abigail Fillmore
15. Jane Pierce
16. Harriet Lane
17. Mary Todd Lincoln
18. Eliza Johnson
19. Julia Boggs Grant
20. Lucy Ware Hayes
21. Lucretia Garfield
22. Ellen Arthur (President's sister Mary Arthur McElroy performed duties of First Lady)
23. Frances Cleveland
24. Caroline Harrison (also daughter Mary Harrison McKee)
25. Frances Cleveland (again)
26. Ida McKinley
27. Edith Roosevelt
28. Helen Taft
29. Ellen Wilson (daughter Margaret Woodrow Wilson also)
30. Edith Wilson
31. Florence Harding
32. Grace Coolidge
33. Lou Hoover
34. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
35. Elizabeth Truman
36. Mamie Eisenhower
37. Jacqueline Kennedy
38. Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson
39. Thelma "Pat" Nixon
40. Elizabeth "Betty" Ford
41. Eleanor Rosalynn Carter
42. Nancy Reagan
43. Barbara Bush
44. Hillary Rodham Clinton
45. Laura Bush
46. Michelle Obama
::::::::
The use of the title first lady to describe the spouse or hostess of an executive began in the United States. In the early days of the republic, there was not a generally accepted title for the wife of the president. Many early first ladies expressed their own preference for how they were addressed, including the use of such titles as "Lady", "Mrs. President", and "Mrs. Presidentress;" Martha Washington was often referred to as "Lady Washington."
According to legend, Dolley Madison was referred to as "first lady" in 1849 at her funeral in a eulogy delivered by President Zachary Taylor. However, no written record of this eulogy exists. Sometime after 1849, the title began being used in Washington, D.C. social circles. The earliest known written evidence of the title is from the November 3, 1863 diary entry of William Howard Russell, in which he referred to gossip about "the First Lady in the Land." The title first gained nationwide recognition in 1877, when newspaper journalist Mary C. Ames referred to Lucy Webb Hayes as "the First Lady of the Land" while reporting on the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes. The frequent reporting on Lucy Hayes' activities helped spread use of the title outside Washington. A popular 1911 comedic play by playwright Charles Nirdlinger titled The First Lady in the Land popularized the title further. By the 1930s it was in wide use. Use of the title later spread from the United States to other nations.
Role of the First Lady
The position of the First Lady is not an elected one, carries no official duties, and receives no salary. Nonetheless, first ladies have held a highly visible position in U.S. government. The role of the first lady has evolved over the centuries. She is, first and foremost, the hostess of the White House. She organizes and attends official ceremonies and functions of state either along with, or in place of, the president.
Both Martha Washington and Abigail Adams gained fame from the Revolutionary War and were treated as if they were "ladies" of the British royal court. Dolley Madison popularized the first ladyship by engaging in efforts to assist orphans and women, by dressing in elegant fashions and attracting newspaper coverage, and by risking her life to save iconic treasures during the War of 1812. Madison set the standard for the ladyship and her actions were the model for nearly every first lady until Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1930s. Plagued by polio, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was not free to travel around the country, so Mrs. Roosevelt assumed this role. She authored a weekly newspaper column and hosted a radio show. Jacqueline Kennedy added the role of decorator of the White House when she was first lady, engaging in an expansive campaign to restore the White House.
Over the course of the 20th century it became increasingly common for first ladies to select specific causes to promote, usually ones that are not politically divisive. It is common for the first lady to hire a staff to support these activities. Lady Bird Johnson pioneered environmental protection and beautification; Pat Nixon encouraged volunteerism and traveled extensively abroad; Betty Ford supported womens' rights; Rosalynn Carter aided those with mental disabilities; Nancy Reagan founded the Just Say No drug awareness campaign; Barbara Bush promoted literacy; Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to reform the healthcare system in the U.S.; and Laura Bush supported womens' rights groups and encouraged childhood literacy. Clinton was, for a time, given a formal job in the administration. She became a U.S. Senator from New York in 2001 and is currently the Secretary of State in the Obama administration. Many first ladies, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, and Michelle Obama have been significant fashion trendsetters.
There is a strong tradition against the First Lady holding outside employment while serving as White House hostess. However, some first ladies have exercised a degree of political influence by virtue of being an important adviser to the president. During Hillary Clinton's campaign for election to the U.S. Senate, the couple's daughter, Chelsea took over much of the First Lady's role; the latter then served as Acting First Lady during the fortnight between her mother's swearing in as a Senator and the end of her father's presidency; exercise of the First Lady's White House managerial authority by a sitting Member of Congress could have arguably run afoul of U.S. Constitution's Ineligibility Clause.
List of First Ladies:
1. Martha Washington
2. Abigail Adams
3. Martha Jefferson Randolph
4. Dolley Todd Madison
5. Elizabeth Monroe
6. Louisa Adams
7. Rachel Jackson (niece Emily Donelson actually performed duties of First Lady)
8. Hannah Van Buren (daughter-in-law Angelica Singleton Van Buren performed duties)
9. Anna Harrison
10. Letitia Tyler
11. Julia Tyler
12. Sarah Polk
13. Margaret Taylor
14. Abigail Fillmore
15. Jane Pierce
16. Harriet Lane
17. Mary Todd Lincoln
18. Eliza Johnson
19. Julia Boggs Grant
20. Lucy Ware Hayes
21. Lucretia Garfield
22. Ellen Arthur (President's sister Mary Arthur McElroy performed duties of First Lady)
23. Frances Cleveland
24. Caroline Harrison (also daughter Mary Harrison McKee)
25. Frances Cleveland (again)
26. Ida McKinley
27. Edith Roosevelt
28. Helen Taft
29. Ellen Wilson (daughter Margaret Woodrow Wilson also)
30. Edith Wilson
31. Florence Harding
32. Grace Coolidge
33. Lou Hoover
34. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
35. Elizabeth Truman
36. Mamie Eisenhower
37. Jacqueline Kennedy
38. Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson
39. Thelma "Pat" Nixon
40. Elizabeth "Betty" Ford
41. Eleanor Rosalynn Carter
42. Nancy Reagan
43. Barbara Bush
44. Hillary Rodham Clinton
45. Laura Bush
46. Michelle Obama
Thursday, March 18, 2010
President Jimmy Carter's Message to the nation designating March 2-8, 1980 as National Women's History Week.
From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.
As Dr. Gerda Lerner has noted, "Women's History is Women's Right." - It is an essential and indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, c ourage, and long-range vision."
I ask my fellow Americans to recognize this heritage with appropriate activities during National Women's History Week, March 2-8, 1980.
I urge libraries, schools, and community organizations to focus their observances on the leaders who struggled for equality - - Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul.
Understanding the true history of our country will help us to comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people.
This goal can be achieved by ratifying the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states that "Equality of Rights under the Law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
This year's Presidential Proclamation:
Presidential Proclamation
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release March 2, 2010
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, 2010
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Countless women have steered the course of our history, and their stories are ones of steadfast determination. From reaching for the ballot box to breaking barriers on athletic fields and battlefields, American women have stood resolute in the face of adversity and overcome obstacles to realize their full measure of success. Women's History Month is an opportunity for us to recognize the contributions women have made to our Nation, and to honor those who blazed trails for women's empowerment and equality.
Women from all walks of life have improved their communities and our Nation. Sylvia Mendez and her family stood up for her right to an education and catalyzed the desegregation of our schools. Starting as a caseworker in city government, Dr. Dorothy Height has dedicated her life to building a more just society. One of our young heroes, Caroline Moore, contributed to advances in astronomy by discovering a supernova at age 14.
When women like these reach their potential, our country as a whole prospers. That is the duty of our Government -- not to guarantee success, but to ensure all Americans can achieve it. My Administration is working to fulfill this promise with initiatives like the White House Council on Women and Girls, which promotes the importance of taking women and girls into account in Federal policies and programs. This council is committed to ensuring our Government does all it can to give our daughters the chance to achieve their dreams.
As we move forward, we must correct persisting inequalities. Women comprise over 50 percent of our population but hold fewer than 17 percent of our congressional seats. More than half our college students are female, yet when they graduate, their male classmates still receive higher pay on average for the same work. Women also hold disproportionately fewer science and engineering jobs. That is why my Administration launched our Educate to Innovate campaign, which will inspire young people from all backgrounds to drive America to the forefront of science, technology, engineering, and math. By increasing women's participation in these fields, we will foster a new generation of innovators to follow in the footsteps of the three American women selected as 2009 Nobel Laureates.
Our Nation's commitment to women's rights must not end at our own borders, and my Administration is making global women's empowerment a core pillar of our foreign policy. My Administration created the first Office for Global Women's Issues and appointed an Ambassador at Large to head it. We are working with the United Nations and other international institutions to support women's equality and to curtail violence against women and girls, especially in situations of war and conflict. We are partnering internationally to improve women's welfare through targeted investments in agriculture, nutrition, and health, as well as programs that empower women to contribute to economic and social progress in their communities. And we are following through on the commitments I made in Cairo to promote access to education, improve literacy, and expand employment opportunities for women and girls.
This month, let us carry forth the legacy of our mothers and grandmothers. As we honor the women who have shaped our Nation, we must remember that we are tasked with writing the next chapter of women's history. Only if we teach our daughters that no obstacle is too great for them, that no ceiling can block their ascent, will we inspire them to reach for their highest aspirations and achieve true equality.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2010 as Women's History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
Ms. Austen would enjoy this. So would Anne Elliot and Elizabeth Bennett.
From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.
As Dr. Gerda Lerner has noted, "Women's History is Women's Right." - It is an essential and indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, c ourage, and long-range vision."
I ask my fellow Americans to recognize this heritage with appropriate activities during National Women's History Week, March 2-8, 1980.
I urge libraries, schools, and community organizations to focus their observances on the leaders who struggled for equality - - Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul.
Understanding the true history of our country will help us to comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people.
This goal can be achieved by ratifying the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states that "Equality of Rights under the Law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
This year's Presidential Proclamation:
Presidential Proclamation
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release March 2, 2010
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, 2010
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Countless women have steered the course of our history, and their stories are ones of steadfast determination. From reaching for the ballot box to breaking barriers on athletic fields and battlefields, American women have stood resolute in the face of adversity and overcome obstacles to realize their full measure of success. Women's History Month is an opportunity for us to recognize the contributions women have made to our Nation, and to honor those who blazed trails for women's empowerment and equality.
Women from all walks of life have improved their communities and our Nation. Sylvia Mendez and her family stood up for her right to an education and catalyzed the desegregation of our schools. Starting as a caseworker in city government, Dr. Dorothy Height has dedicated her life to building a more just society. One of our young heroes, Caroline Moore, contributed to advances in astronomy by discovering a supernova at age 14.
When women like these reach their potential, our country as a whole prospers. That is the duty of our Government -- not to guarantee success, but to ensure all Americans can achieve it. My Administration is working to fulfill this promise with initiatives like the White House Council on Women and Girls, which promotes the importance of taking women and girls into account in Federal policies and programs. This council is committed to ensuring our Government does all it can to give our daughters the chance to achieve their dreams.
As we move forward, we must correct persisting inequalities. Women comprise over 50 percent of our population but hold fewer than 17 percent of our congressional seats. More than half our college students are female, yet when they graduate, their male classmates still receive higher pay on average for the same work. Women also hold disproportionately fewer science and engineering jobs. That is why my Administration launched our Educate to Innovate campaign, which will inspire young people from all backgrounds to drive America to the forefront of science, technology, engineering, and math. By increasing women's participation in these fields, we will foster a new generation of innovators to follow in the footsteps of the three American women selected as 2009 Nobel Laureates.
Our Nation's commitment to women's rights must not end at our own borders, and my Administration is making global women's empowerment a core pillar of our foreign policy. My Administration created the first Office for Global Women's Issues and appointed an Ambassador at Large to head it. We are working with the United Nations and other international institutions to support women's equality and to curtail violence against women and girls, especially in situations of war and conflict. We are partnering internationally to improve women's welfare through targeted investments in agriculture, nutrition, and health, as well as programs that empower women to contribute to economic and social progress in their communities. And we are following through on the commitments I made in Cairo to promote access to education, improve literacy, and expand employment opportunities for women and girls.
This month, let us carry forth the legacy of our mothers and grandmothers. As we honor the women who have shaped our Nation, we must remember that we are tasked with writing the next chapter of women's history. Only if we teach our daughters that no obstacle is too great for them, that no ceiling can block their ascent, will we inspire them to reach for their highest aspirations and achieve true equality.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2010 as Women's History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
Ms. Austen would enjoy this. So would Anne Elliot and Elizabeth Bennett.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Jane Austen Maids Foundation: Maximum Extreme 5
It's the middle of the month, so it's time for another donation. This is the fifth installment of the Foundation. Soon I'll run out of movie sequels. Though Maximum Extreme 5 doesn't actually exist. It's a reference to the Charlie's Angels movies. The Maximum Extreme movies are the ones that the Matt Leblanc "stars" in within the these movies. If there ever was a Charlie's Angels 5, then there would also be a Maximum Extreme 5.
I think Jane Austen would have liked the kick ass attitude of the Angels. She would have liked National Women's history month too. In her juvenilia (so called cuz it's her stuff written when she was younger), The History of England, she focused on women, and more than once she has a character talk about the issue of history. In Persuasion, for example, Anne Elliot tells another character that all histories are written by men, and therefore tell their view of things. She would have appreciated the moxie shown by women who make history.
This kind of moxie is what it takes for two teens to try to save the planet. This last Sunday, with my body as well as the TV schedule on incorrect time, I found myself watching a show called Eco Company. It was about schools and teens (mostly in California) helping the environment. Project Jatropha was one of the programs. Started by two teens, 12 and 13 at the time, this project works to give tobacco farmers in India an alternative crop so they don't lose money when they cut back on growing tobacco. Tobacco uses firewood to process the leaves, and this firewood is being illegally harvested from a nearby national forest and animal sanctuary. Jatropha, on the other hand, is a plant that utilizes the carbon dioxide in the air (helping everyone's environment). The seeds from the jatropha plant are made into biofuel, and the byproducts can be used into other things. Everything from the process is used somewhere. The plants live and produce about 50 yrs, and enrich the soil, replenishing nutrients. They also have a secondary project involving planting teak trees, also with multiple uses.
My donation this time is going to Project Jatropha. The budget is there on the website, detailed for the anyone to see. Phase I was funded by one of the founder's winnings from his 7th grade spelling bee. These teenagers are not wasting money or funneling it elsewhere. This project deserves funding.
I think Jane Austen would have liked the kick ass attitude of the Angels. She would have liked National Women's history month too. In her juvenilia (so called cuz it's her stuff written when she was younger), The History of England, she focused on women, and more than once she has a character talk about the issue of history. In Persuasion, for example, Anne Elliot tells another character that all histories are written by men, and therefore tell their view of things. She would have appreciated the moxie shown by women who make history.
This kind of moxie is what it takes for two teens to try to save the planet. This last Sunday, with my body as well as the TV schedule on incorrect time, I found myself watching a show called Eco Company. It was about schools and teens (mostly in California) helping the environment. Project Jatropha was one of the programs. Started by two teens, 12 and 13 at the time, this project works to give tobacco farmers in India an alternative crop so they don't lose money when they cut back on growing tobacco. Tobacco uses firewood to process the leaves, and this firewood is being illegally harvested from a nearby national forest and animal sanctuary. Jatropha, on the other hand, is a plant that utilizes the carbon dioxide in the air (helping everyone's environment). The seeds from the jatropha plant are made into biofuel, and the byproducts can be used into other things. Everything from the process is used somewhere. The plants live and produce about 50 yrs, and enrich the soil, replenishing nutrients. They also have a secondary project involving planting teak trees, also with multiple uses.
My donation this time is going to Project Jatropha. The budget is there on the website, detailed for the anyone to see. Phase I was funded by one of the founder's winnings from his 7th grade spelling bee. These teenagers are not wasting money or funneling it elsewhere. This project deserves funding.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Alice Guy Blache
Emma Thompson won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay in 1996, for her version of Sense and Sensibility (original book by Jane Austen of course).
This year, an African-American won this category for the first time, for Precious:based on the book Push by Sapphire.
And Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman (in 82 yrs!) to win for best film director. And presumably for the first time a movie directed by a woman won best picture. Beating out a movie supposedly promoting conservation that took 10 years of energy and daily extensive makeup that was probably animal tested and full of all the environmentally dangerous ingredients that one of my friends (love ya!) emails about.
Anyway, the next day Joan Rivers, while commenting on the fashion worn at the Oscars, like it matters, states that Ms. Bigelow should have worn something better since she is a beautiful woman and is "now a directress".
Ms. Bigelow has been a dirctOR for over ten years and had just made history.
Ms. Rivers also commented that someone should tell Mariah Carey that she is chubby. Someone should tell Ms. Rivers that she should retire permanently, along with her plastic surgeon.
In honor of National Women's History Month and Ms. Bigelow, I found the first woman director and the first woman (so far the only) to own and run a film studio. Her name was Alice Guy Blache, born Alice Guy. She actually was one of the first directors ever, back when motion cameras and the first sound equipment was first being developed. "Films" at that time were short clips produced to sell the equipment, and Alice Guy was at the forefront of film. She was working for the the Gaumont Company in France as a secretary, and when she suggested to her boss that she create some short scenes, she was given permission as long as it did not interfere with her secretarial duties.
She went on to become one of the first to create a fiction film, as most films at the time were what today would be considered documentaries. There has been some argument that she was the first to make fiction films, but there was one that was screened before her first film. She also was head of production at Gaumont for 11 years, and then after she was married she moved to the US and started her own studio, Solax. She started her movie career in 1896 and her career lasted longer than most of her contemporaries at the time. She made her last movie in 1920. By that point she was directing films for other movie studios.
Alice Guy Blache was a pioneer and film visionary. As are a lot of other directors who happen to be women. It should not have taken 82 years for one to win best director.
Most of the research on Alice Guy Blache was done by Allison McMahon (book: the lost visionary). For more information about women in film, check out the blog film-fatale1907.blogspot.com.
This year, an African-American won this category for the first time, for Precious:based on the book Push by Sapphire.
And Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman (in 82 yrs!) to win for best film director. And presumably for the first time a movie directed by a woman won best picture. Beating out a movie supposedly promoting conservation that took 10 years of energy and daily extensive makeup that was probably animal tested and full of all the environmentally dangerous ingredients that one of my friends (love ya!) emails about.
Anyway, the next day Joan Rivers, while commenting on the fashion worn at the Oscars, like it matters, states that Ms. Bigelow should have worn something better since she is a beautiful woman and is "now a directress".
Ms. Bigelow has been a dirctOR for over ten years and had just made history.
Ms. Rivers also commented that someone should tell Mariah Carey that she is chubby. Someone should tell Ms. Rivers that she should retire permanently, along with her plastic surgeon.
In honor of National Women's History Month and Ms. Bigelow, I found the first woman director and the first woman (so far the only) to own and run a film studio. Her name was Alice Guy Blache, born Alice Guy. She actually was one of the first directors ever, back when motion cameras and the first sound equipment was first being developed. "Films" at that time were short clips produced to sell the equipment, and Alice Guy was at the forefront of film. She was working for the the Gaumont Company in France as a secretary, and when she suggested to her boss that she create some short scenes, she was given permission as long as it did not interfere with her secretarial duties.
She went on to become one of the first to create a fiction film, as most films at the time were what today would be considered documentaries. There has been some argument that she was the first to make fiction films, but there was one that was screened before her first film. She also was head of production at Gaumont for 11 years, and then after she was married she moved to the US and started her own studio, Solax. She started her movie career in 1896 and her career lasted longer than most of her contemporaries at the time. She made her last movie in 1920. By that point she was directing films for other movie studios.
Alice Guy Blache was a pioneer and film visionary. As are a lot of other directors who happen to be women. It should not have taken 82 years for one to win best director.
Most of the research on Alice Guy Blache was done by Allison McMahon (book: the lost visionary). For more information about women in film, check out the blog film-fatale1907.blogspot.com.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
It's ironic that the assignment due tonight in my womens studies class has to do with images of women in the media, on the same day as the Oscars. In the entire history of the little statue only three women have been nominated for the film director category. One of these is Kathryn Bigelow, nominated for the Hurt Locker. No woman has ever won the category. Needless to say, I will actually be watching tonight.
Two actresses come to mind on the topic of images of women in the media, Keira Knightley and Gaboury Sidibe. One of the articles assigned for the class discusses the media's portrayal of the ideal of thinness as a way to lessen the impact of any possible power the woman may have. I call it the Calista Flockhart syndrome. Keira Knightley is the embodiment of this lesson. As a pirate, she fights alongside the man she loves and runs away from her planned married future for adventure on the high seas. As Guinevere in the version of King Arthur starring her and Clive Owens, she wields a bow and arrow and warpaint. At the end of the movie, when he is crowned King, she stands next to him with clasped hands raised, insinuating that she is his equal and co ruler. However, the physical space that she occupies in this frame, next to the brawny Mr. Owens, is so small that it negates a good portion of her power. Her thinness, to the point of almost not existing, makes her less threatening, no matter how tough she may act.
Gabourey Sidibe, on the other hand, is the opposite of Keira Knightley, as she is a large African-American woman. I have not seen Precious, her first role, but my understanding is that she overcomes very difficult circumstances and is determined to make something of herself, which is very powerful. I recently saw Ms. Sidibe on a late night talk show, and unfortunately was taken aback by her size. My first thought was: I hope she's healthy. This shows me that I still have to work on resisting the thinness ideal pushed on us by television, movies and fashion magazines. Ms. Sidibe, however, seemed confident and comfortable with herself. When asked about her dress for the awards show, she stated that she was going to look like a princess.
I've never understood the need for women to consider themselves princesses, to have no responsibility and no power, to be dependent on her father the king, and to be put under a spell by her stepmother to do nothing but wait for some prince, or nowadays to divorce the prince and fill your days with charitable work. The princess wish has to do with yet more images of women, this time in Disney's version of fairytales. Personally, I would rather look like a goddess or the supreme ruler of the entire universe. But if Ms. Sidibe wants to look like a princess, she has as much right to look like one as anyone. More power to her.
Two actresses come to mind on the topic of images of women in the media, Keira Knightley and Gaboury Sidibe. One of the articles assigned for the class discusses the media's portrayal of the ideal of thinness as a way to lessen the impact of any possible power the woman may have. I call it the Calista Flockhart syndrome. Keira Knightley is the embodiment of this lesson. As a pirate, she fights alongside the man she loves and runs away from her planned married future for adventure on the high seas. As Guinevere in the version of King Arthur starring her and Clive Owens, she wields a bow and arrow and warpaint. At the end of the movie, when he is crowned King, she stands next to him with clasped hands raised, insinuating that she is his equal and co ruler. However, the physical space that she occupies in this frame, next to the brawny Mr. Owens, is so small that it negates a good portion of her power. Her thinness, to the point of almost not existing, makes her less threatening, no matter how tough she may act.
Gabourey Sidibe, on the other hand, is the opposite of Keira Knightley, as she is a large African-American woman. I have not seen Precious, her first role, but my understanding is that she overcomes very difficult circumstances and is determined to make something of herself, which is very powerful. I recently saw Ms. Sidibe on a late night talk show, and unfortunately was taken aback by her size. My first thought was: I hope she's healthy. This shows me that I still have to work on resisting the thinness ideal pushed on us by television, movies and fashion magazines. Ms. Sidibe, however, seemed confident and comfortable with herself. When asked about her dress for the awards show, she stated that she was going to look like a princess.
I've never understood the need for women to consider themselves princesses, to have no responsibility and no power, to be dependent on her father the king, and to be put under a spell by her stepmother to do nothing but wait for some prince, or nowadays to divorce the prince and fill your days with charitable work. The princess wish has to do with yet more images of women, this time in Disney's version of fairytales. Personally, I would rather look like a goddess or the supreme ruler of the entire universe. But if Ms. Sidibe wants to look like a princess, she has as much right to look like one as anyone. More power to her.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
My John
This is how I know I'm old: In a movie theater full of college students watching a John Cusack film, only a handful of people laughed at the "I want my two dollars" part.
As I've mentioned before, my favorite movie has not yet been made. This movie is a redux of a Jane Austen novel starring John Cusack. Which means that John Cusack has something to do with Jane Austen.
Tonight I caught a free screening of Hot Tub Time Machine. It's actually funnier than the commercials. The thing about John Cusack films is that they reference other John Cusack films. In Serendipity, he draws Cassiopeia on Kate Beckinsale's arm, and in one of his early classics, The Sure Thing, he points out the Cassiopeia constellation. In the beginning of Better off Dead, he takes a shower with his socks on, and in High Fidelity, Laura comments that he hasn't changed at all, not even his socks.
In Hot Tub Time Machine, as the guys are skiing right after going back in time to the 80's, they see a guy skiing with one of those old clunky original "cell" phones. This guy is telling the person on the other end of the line that he is actually skiing while talking on the phone, which means he won the bet and he wants the two dollars the other person owes him. Presumably this is the amount of the bet. Amazingly enough, only a few people laughed.
It's only a major part of Better off Dead: the newspaper boy who keeps showing up demanding his two dollars he is owed for delivering the newspaper. During the final race between the bad guy and John, he follows them down the slope shouting that he wants his two dollars.
Obviously, the audience in the theater were mainly too young to be familiar with the classic line. I'm not. That's how I know I'm old.
Or maybe I just really like John Cusack.
As I've mentioned before, my favorite movie has not yet been made. This movie is a redux of a Jane Austen novel starring John Cusack. Which means that John Cusack has something to do with Jane Austen.
Tonight I caught a free screening of Hot Tub Time Machine. It's actually funnier than the commercials. The thing about John Cusack films is that they reference other John Cusack films. In Serendipity, he draws Cassiopeia on Kate Beckinsale's arm, and in one of his early classics, The Sure Thing, he points out the Cassiopeia constellation. In the beginning of Better off Dead, he takes a shower with his socks on, and in High Fidelity, Laura comments that he hasn't changed at all, not even his socks.
In Hot Tub Time Machine, as the guys are skiing right after going back in time to the 80's, they see a guy skiing with one of those old clunky original "cell" phones. This guy is telling the person on the other end of the line that he is actually skiing while talking on the phone, which means he won the bet and he wants the two dollars the other person owes him. Presumably this is the amount of the bet. Amazingly enough, only a few people laughed.
It's only a major part of Better off Dead: the newspaper boy who keeps showing up demanding his two dollars he is owed for delivering the newspaper. During the final race between the bad guy and John, he follows them down the slope shouting that he wants his two dollars.
Obviously, the audience in the theater were mainly too young to be familiar with the classic line. I'm not. That's how I know I'm old.
Or maybe I just really like John Cusack.
Monday, March 1, 2010
the Jane Austen Maids Foundation: Goblet of Fire
It's the first donation for March: yes, it's really already March. This time, I'm donating to Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society fundraising run in which a classmate is running. I'm taking the easy way out and donating: her training schedule looks grueling.
I also found kiva.org, which I read about ages ago in some magazine, but is now getting a lot of publicity since the founder was named a "character" by USA network. It allows you to join in the microlending movement where very small loans (by most Americans' standards) are made to people around the world to help w/ businesses. Through kiva.org, I loaned 25.00 to the Feliz group in Paraguay to help with a vegetable/fruit stand. And I get the money back to loan it to someone else! I created a team, LunaLend, on the site. Join it (please), even if you don't loan much. It's not really donating, since I get the money back (some of it with interest). The people I'm lending to can do a lot with a little, and the little can make all the difference.
In other financial news, after filling out my financial aid forms I found out that I may be eligible for grants. I'm really excited. This means that not only will I be able to go to school full time, but may even be able to find a different job for part time. Leaving my current job would almost be as exciting as seeing the Jane Austen marker in Winchester Cathedral. Almost.
I also found kiva.org, which I read about ages ago in some magazine, but is now getting a lot of publicity since the founder was named a "character" by USA network. It allows you to join in the microlending movement where very small loans (by most Americans' standards) are made to people around the world to help w/ businesses. Through kiva.org, I loaned 25.00 to the Feliz group in Paraguay to help with a vegetable/fruit stand. And I get the money back to loan it to someone else! I created a team, LunaLend, on the site. Join it (please), even if you don't loan much. It's not really donating, since I get the money back (some of it with interest). The people I'm lending to can do a lot with a little, and the little can make all the difference.
In other financial news, after filling out my financial aid forms I found out that I may be eligible for grants. I'm really excited. This means that not only will I be able to go to school full time, but may even be able to find a different job for part time. Leaving my current job would almost be as exciting as seeing the Jane Austen marker in Winchester Cathedral. Almost.
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