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UNITED KINGDOM Remember Calendar Girls? They were members of the Women's Institute, Britain's venerable "WI," which is celebrating its 100th Birthday by getting a face lift. http://www.theguardian.com/...
SPAIN Barcelona's First Woman Mayor Fights to Restore Her Country's "Kidnapped Democracy." http://www.theguardian.com/...
MOROCCO Théâtre Aquarium's play DIALY uses laughter to liberate women http://www.theguardian.com/...
RUSSIA Breaking the taboo: the Moscow women taking a stand against domestic violence http://www.theguardian.com/...
SOUTH SUDAN Amidst Hunger, Conflict and Discrimination, Girls Struggle to Get an Education http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
TURKEY -- ELECTION UPDATE -- TURKISH WOMEN ARE MAKING GAINS http://www.theguardian.com/...
http://www.theguardian.com/...
And from Australia - did you know there were dolls worse than Barbie? http://dolls.littlethings.com/...Intersectionality:
NATIONAL
On Sunday, June 7, police broke up a pool party for reasons variously described as responding to a fight and responding to a phone call telling the police there were "too many blacks". Anyone else notice he decides to give the worst treatment to a relatively small girl? We used to call those guys cowards.
TEXAS An interview with an abortion counselor who ran a clinic in Texas for many years. http://www.salon.com/...
What DO Women Want? ECONOMIC JUSTICE for Women is a Civil Rights Issue http://www.cnn.com/...
Top 18 Issues Women Are Facing Today http://shriverreport.org/...
A caution on forwarding and sharing missing person alerts. https://plus.google.com/...
RIP Ronnie Gilbert http://www.rollingstone.com/...
Women veterans suicide rates called "staggering." http://www.latimes.com/...
He'd probably like to return to the stocks and pillory too. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/..._
An existential experiment: https://www.facebook.com/...
The Fifth Circuit goes a little mad. http://rhrealitycheck.org/...
Georgia woman charted with malice murder after trying to abort second trimester fetus with mail-order medical abortion... http://www.slate.com/...
...which a judge says is illegal in Georgia as he dismissed the charge. http://www.dailykos.com/...
Congratulations to Elyse Hogue! http://jezebel.com/...
Three P's - Pregnancy, Parenting, Pro-Choice
http://pregnantparentingprochoice.tumblr.com/
RAPE PREVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE WOMEN http://www.salon.com/...
A family story of an illegal abortion. http://www.xojane.com/...
Follow me under the Orange Link Umbrella.
Once I agreed to contribute to the War on Women diary, I began to come up with some particularly fantastic reasons as to why I should bail.
My first excuse was that I wasn't really good at those linky dink-a-do things that are part of the sentence that's gets all orangey that most Diarists and Authors are somehow genetically coded to accomplish such amazing htmlwhatta feat. But the Group said they would have links in the Diary "Shell" (ooh, another new thing I didn't know and was then adding it to my already increasing anxieties, self-confidence and general impending doom that I wasn't going to be able to write anything for the weekly War (war war war) On (on on on) Women (well, you get the idea).
My next attempt to weasel my way out of the obligation to write and meet a deadline. I am deeply honored and slightly shocked that I was even asked to take on such a ginormous task, that upon being asked I hesitated for a lengthy 7 long seconds before belly flopping into position of acceptance. I didn't think on how crazy this week was going to be on so many levels. Work, for one, has been a hard thing since I was injured recently and have been trying to cope with work, physical therapy and time management (time management is not My Thing. If they awarded degrees for procrastination, distraction and disorganization - I would have a few lambskins under my cap and gown, possibly a Masters or a phd. Oh, and our son graduated last night from one of his programs for the disabled.
My daughter. I had wanted to write about being a mother in these times and how vastly different yet how sadly the same things are we must face, find and fret over. But then something happened this week that wasn't expected. She's found herself in a magical whirlwind of meeting a new fantastic friend who is supportive, interested as well as interesting. A huge "Growth Spurt" that doesn't require sewing skills. It's nice to be around someone who is adoring and capable of empowerment, enrichment and enlightenment. A more mature relationship that has already stirred up feelings and many conversations that have genuinely been hard... but also has been, for me, political,parental and personal validation that I haven't completely screwed up as a parent, a guide and as a Woman (woman, woman woman).
Did I mention I was really, really, and do I mean reeeeally concerned about my own job and career needs aka pursuiing my own passions and creative needs?
...walking around the house in search of something else I should be doing instead of writing. Delay Tactic #144.
So now I'm at "what the flux compacitor" do I write to support all these linked stories in this diary? Am I even capable of copying all the scoured links that have been added by many of the readers and contributors to this community? This journal of our stregnths, our weaknesses, our pasts, our futures, our victories and our setbacks. I'm not even sure of the deadline to publish this intro. Is it 5 pm Eastern? Pacific? Let me just throw this loaner lap top I've been stuck with for weeks right out the window now and just walk away from it all. Run away. Run away.
... I decided I needed a refreshemnt. More indulgement in practiced procrastination skills. I balanced it out by including my daughter in the trip. Thereby temporarily deluding myself that this was not a delay tactic but merely an opportunity to get some Mom-on-Daughter-Talk. Yeah, the beverage time out included a drive. You didn't think it was just a trip to the fridge, now didja? I should teach a class based on my supreme abilities to procrastinate...
I thought about writing how wonderful it was to hear the Student Speaker (what's the word?) ... SPEAK of how they were graduating at 39, having been homeless after both parents died within five months of each and how she then lost her job. How she had to sell everything. How it was only due to the support of strangers and caring people that she was able to attend community college. How her landlord took the risk of allowing a person to stay one extra month while the wait for financial aid arrived. How it took a community for her to attend community college. For her not to only attend, but gradute with high honors as a transgender who identified as a male. He told us how he had been a driving force for the school to provide equal access bathrooms for all on all campuses. (Hey, War on Women Angels, can you add this link somewhere really cool here?)
Link: http://www.oregonlive.com/...
Awesome Sauce!
Then I thought of how I could make some mind blowing comment about the passage of a law in Oregon that will allow people to obtain Birth Control Pilsl for a whole steenking year at a time. Know what that means in my home state? It means it takes away the time draining, energy sucking and pain in the ass "errand" each month or every 90 days. One year's worth in just one damn visit. Hoo fucking Ray! (Note: Are contributors allowed to cuss? Is it frowned upon in some floaty sky cloud home of these internet guru guides? Does Meteor Blades dole out the punishment?)
Link Again: http://time.com/...
Kewl, thanks.
But all I can really say is that I did a lot of thinking of things to write about and I'm happy to say I have just too many the good, the bad and the downright insanely ugly things to share. That's what is up with our lives isn't it? We work, we live, we nurture, we heal. We try to make ends meet while trying to enrich our lives. We are on a personal journey that also encompasses the Political, the Empowerment, the Physical, the Sexual, the Sensual. While navigating the battlefield of walls, glass ceilings, ignorance, judgements, fear and violence.
We do so much with so little. We nourish those around us while we are freaking exhausted. We do this while sometimes being forced from others or our ownselves the fine lines, the standards, the barriers and the internal prisons. We do this while being brave in a world where it's "courageous" just to make it home from work. The parking garage that continues to be unable to keep all it's lightbulbs functioning makes us scared as well as mad as hell.
We seek, share, demand, create change because that is the humane thing for a sane world. We do this at great risk of being labeled "unreasonable", "uptight", "uppity", "ungrateful", "unlovable", "unimportant", or the dreaded... "ugly".
We don't take prisoners in this war. We are the prisoners it seems. We try damned hard to not imprison oursleves, our sisters, our daughters with our past chains or remaining chinks. We strive for progress while slaying demons from our past, our upbringing, our stories... our victories, our failures.
So... excuse #37 as to why I can't write or meet this deadline. I have grown from this. I have learned that I really really really hate writing with a deadline looming. This is hard...
I've never seen myself as a Feminist with a capitol eff. I am one. I have raised one. The labels I've attached to my being is "Humanist" or "Liberal". I'm Anti-War and my family is Anti-Hunger. So what am I doing here? Well I've commented here about my survival. I feel like I'm winning that not so little war. Not unscathed. I have my good days and bad. Sometimes I can't shut up about it, sometimes I know that it isn't what makes me Me. Its just a part of my story. It's what's gives me a unique yet probably not so uncommon voice.
This is a war that can be won. It will take fighting. It will take sacrifices. It will take leaving comfort zones and taking risks. It mostly will be won in small steps by many individual feet. It will be won with encouragement. We must share what we know, what we feel, what we want, what we do. We must realize that we can't do this alone but we will have to start with ourselves. We must uplift instead of tear down. We must support instead of divide.
We must grow as we help those around us find or realize their beginnings. Me must cheer united goals while we acknowledge our own accomplishments. We must try to support each other without judgment or harshness if it's not the choice you'd make, the words you'd choose, the conflict you'd go after or the issue you have issues with, that it's not quite your cup of tea or it's not that important to your daily life. We can still support and encourage because we can achieve so much when we create together than we do if we find the need to destroy. It's not big, supreme court swaying topples that only matter, most times it's the small steps that give us the greatest distances.
The small insights, the gentle reflections, the kind words shared, the gift of our wisdom, our ways. Our teeny tiny daily, personal wins when combined with each others eentsy weensty advances in the kitchen, the office, the streets, the whereevers we happen to be - when combined, it's one fanfuckingtastic gigantic win.
I do know that to end a War one has to live in Peace. We can only do this if we see ourselves as the strong survivors. Some of us can only stand up and speak out if in a choir of voices, some of us can only do so once we find our own words. Our whisper, our song, our roar. Our voice, your's, mine, hers, his, theirs, everyones.
When this war ends, everyone will be victorious. Each day we don't give up, each day we just simply try is a day of improvement and empowerment.
I know... it looks bleak and blech. Especially when those Rapepublicans start going on about Rapey Rape, Grift from Gawd Rape and all that other Crapola Rape-ola. Just remember to congratulate yourselves and celebrate all the big, little and inbetween victories. Starting with the victory of just being you today and knowing that tomorrow will only be another chance to rediscover, reclaim and for renewal.
Go on and take your own victory lap. I'll wait. Delay Tactic #403. I'm much better at that than writing.
Revolution. It always starts from within. Here, we have each other.
Hip Hip Hooray (hooray, hooray, well, you get the picture.)
Next delay question: How long are these supposed to be? Is there some word limit? :)
Thanks for all your help and allowing me to jump in as an alternate.
Peace.