Women

Today it's the International Women's Day. Hurrah for all women everywhere!

We like a bit of humour and Tumbleweed sent me a funny e-mail that fits the bill.

Thought you should know that the book "Understanding Women" is now out in paperback.

Here's a picture of the hardback edition:

In the light of recent shenanigans from right wing politicians and pundits in the US, all anti-women, anti-contraception, etc, American women need to have a laugh every now and then. Having a voice and being able to take charge of their own healthcare decisions doesn't make women Feminazis, prostitutes or sluts. On the other hand, men dictating what women can and cannot do with their bodies and making life very difficult for them regarding healthcare make these men "Chauvinistpignazis." It's hard to believe that these men live in the 21st century...

Austin posted this picture in the last thread. It says it all!

Thank you, TW and Austin.

Are American women going to be sent back to the 19th Century?

Tumbleweed sent me something about the struggle of pioneering women fighting for the right to vote. I did a bit of research and gathered some interesting material to go with Tumbleweed's contribution. (The body of the original e-mail is contained in the video.) Thank you, TW.

Let's start with some of the history:

The struggle to achieve equal rights for women is often thought to have begun, in the English-speaking world, with the publication of Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). During the 19th century, as male suffrage was gradually extended in many countries, women became increasingly active in the quest for their own suffrage. Not until 1893, however, in New Zealand, did women achieve suffrage on the national level. Australia followed in 1902, but American, British, and Canadian women did not win the same rights until the end of World War I.

The United States

The demand for the enfranchisement of American women was first seriously formulated at the Seneca Falls Convention (1848). After the Civil War, agitation by women for the ballot became increasingly vociferous. In 1869, however, a rift developed among feminists over the proposed 15th Amendment, which gave the vote to black men. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others refused to endorse the amendment because it did not give women the ballot. Other suffragists, however, including Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe, argued that once the black man was enfranchised, women would achieve their goal. As a result of the conflict, two organizations emerged. Stanton and Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association to work for suffrage on the federal level and to press for more extensive institutional changes, such as the granting of property rights to married women. Stone created the American Woman Suffrage Association, which aimed to secure the ballot through state legislation. In 1890 the two groups united under the name National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). In the same year Wyoming entered the Union, becoming the first state with general women's suffrage (which it had adopted as a territory in 1869).

As the pioneer suffragists began to withdraw from the movement because of age, younger women assumed leadership roles. One of the most politically astute was Carrie Chapman Catt, who was named president of NAWSA in 1915. Another prominent suffragist was Alice Paul. Forced to resign from NAWSA because of her insistence on the use of militant direct-action tactics, Paul organized the National Woman's Party, which used such strategies as mass marches and hunger strikes. Perseverance on the part of both organizations eventually led to victory. On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment granted the ballot to American women.
[Scholastic - Resources for Teachers]

THE NIGHT OF TERROR - November 1917

Lucy Burns

Dora Lewis

Alice Paul

Pauline Adams

Edith Ainge

Berthe Arnold

Helena Hill Weed

There was a lot of propaganda against women's suffrage, on top of the violence:

In the last couple of centuries, women fought long and hard to achieve equal rights in many areas. The fight still goes on for equal pay. Certain politicians want to turn the clock back and take away many of these achievements, notably in the area of reproductive rights. It started with abortion, but now one of these politicians promises to legislate against contraception as well. What next? Take away women's the right to vote?

Can American women afford to be treated as mere chattels again?

Food for thought

Enough said.

Arizona, Brewer and books

Arizona lawmakers banned schools in the state from teaching "ethnic studies" classes. Unless public schools canceled classes that included racial and ethnic themes, the state could block schools from receiving millions of dollars in critical classroom funding.

But Arizona state officials pushed one school district too far: Tucson Unified School District not only cancelled its vibrant ethnic studies classes, but also banished any book that dealt with "race or oppression."

As a result, students and teachers say dozens of books -- including Shakespeare's The Tempest -- can no longer be taught in class, and some have even been removed from classrooms and locked up in school storage.

The literary purgatory of Tucson's school storage facilities now contains dozens of books that have race as a central theme. In addition to the boxed-up books about Chicano and Mexican American history and literature, classics by authors like Thoreau, Shakespeare and Atwood are seen as too controversial by school officials.

Please sign the petition:

Tucson School Board: Don't lock up knowledge, return books to students now!

*****

I suppose "ethnic bashing" is OK, so Jan Brewer's book is safe from the ban...

SB 1070, the bill that authorizes local law enforcement to question persons suspected of being illegal aliens, was signed by Governor Jan Brewer. She goes on and on and on about it in her book "Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border," ghostwritten by one Jessica Gavora, who also penned "America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag" for Sarah Palin.

Apparently, President Obama didn't like Brewer's book. I read several excerpts on Amazon and I don't blame him. It's atrocious!

Comic book setting a good example for the real world

The Daily Mail reports:

The Life With Archie #16 issue due out on Wednesday features for the first time a same-sex wedding between characters Kevin Keller and partner Clay Walker.

After months of anticipation from fans of the comic book, readers will able to see soldier Kevin marry doctor Clay in front all their friends and family.

In the issue, Kevin has joined the army but is injured while serving a tour in Iraq.

While recovering from his injuries in a hospital rehabilitation unit, he meets Clay and they eventually fall in love.

Kevin is the series' first gay character and was introduced to the comic series in April 2010.

Last month, chief executive of Archie Comics Jonathan Goldwater told CNN Kevin was introduced 'to reflect what's going on with kids today in the real world'.


If only certain politicians made an effort to move into the 21st century as well...

Tony Blair, in a rush to hide his money and dodge taxes

This is from the Daily Mail:

Tony Blair's money-making has soared to unprecedented levels as official figures reveal his companies posted a bonanza 42 per cent rise in income last year.

The former Prime Minister's secretive business empire declared a £12million turnover, up from £8.5million the year before.

Yet this is potentially only the tip of the iceberg, since Mr Blair exploits a perfectly legal loophole to keep his finances secret.

The full extent of his income is cloaked in secrecy because he has constructed a complex web of shadowy companies and partnerships which let him avoid publishing full accounts detailing all the money from his commercial ventures.

The £12million turnover was posted by Windrush Ventures, one of at least 12 companies and partnerships controlled by Mr Blair, already thought to have channelled tens of millions of pounds through his various firms since leaving Downing Street in June 2007.

But the company posted an administrative cost of nearly £10.2million to another company owned by Mr Blair, leaving him with a profit of just over £1million.

With the corporate tax rate of 28 per cent, this left Mr Blair with a tax liability of just £315,000.

Money cascades through the interlinked Windrush firms, which have been described by accountants as an 'opaque' business model which shields the true amount of money being paid to Mr Blair.

Accounts filed at Companies House yesterday revealed that £10.2million of the £12million income from Windrush Ventures Ltd was paid into it from Windrush Ventures No 2.

Income for Windrush Ventures No 1 and Windrush Ventures No 2 is not disclosed in their accounts, and there are no accounts at all for Windrush Ventures No 3 because it is a limited partnership and not required to file accounts.

Mr Blair has set up a mirror-image to the Windrush structure of four companies called Firerush Ventures.

The nature of business undertaken by the Firerush companies has never been disclosed - though limited partnership Firerush Ventures No 3 has been permitted to conduct business by City regulator the Financial Servcies Authority - suggesting a money managing activity.

Mr Blair's astonishing earnings include lucrative after-dinner speaking, consultancies with banks and foreign governments, a series of deals with foreign companies, and the pension and other perks he enjoys as a former Prime Minister - including taxpayer-funded police protection.

Critics also point out that a large proportion of his earnings comes from patrons in America and the Middle East - a clear benefit from forging a close alliance with George Bush during his invasion of Iraq.


What next? Is he going to create water and earth rush ventures to hide money from the wind and fire?

I can't forgive Tony Blair for turning the Labour Party into a gateway to his money-making ventures. I can't forgive him for taking Britain into an illegal war and making a profit from it. He's a narcissistic money grubbing con artist with a big, smug smile on his face. Sounds familiar?

Pepper Spraying Cop

Moseyon pointed to some Daily Kos diaries featuring the pepper spray cop photoshopped into various pictures and Sleuth sent me some links. Here are the original photos and a small selection of the creative work of several people on the internet:

There are loads of other pictures on Daily Kos and Tmblr.

Thank you, Moseyon and Sleuth.

Gabby Giffords will get better and stronger

Considering her present difficulties, Gabby has a very positive attitude. What a refreshing contrast from the shallow, vitriolic attack dogs unleashed by the GOP and the Tea Party!

(H/T to Shapeshifterbelly.)

The elephant in the room

I feel a rant coming. Watching the news can have that effect...

The western economy is tanking. America is in turmoil and the Eurozone is a mess.

Earlier this year I wrote a post about it on Palingates, where I looked at the games being played by politicians, the big corporations and the banks. They dominate the economy in the West, playing with monopoly money while the Chinese expand their manufacturing industry... and their wealth.

We wanted cheap goods and China obliged. In a country with no unions or any protection for the workers, labour is cheap and plentiful. There are no environmental regulations either.

In the West there are many millions of people unemployed. Where are they going to find work? What industries are left? Can the existing sectors create wealth or just the illusion of wealth? Manufacturing is almost dead. We have the brains to advance technology, to move money around, to make day-to-day life easier. But the real work is being carried out elsewhere. The sector that creates wealth is gone and we are left with the sectors that came into existence to service the complexities of that once flourishing, wealth creating manufacturing sector.

In the US and in Europe, there's much talk about austerity measures. The banks created an almighty mess, countries are going broke, so the solution is to replace governments with technocrats. Who are they? Bankers! How neat...

I named this post "The elephant in the room" because for all their talk about job creation, western leaders make no mention of reviving or strengthening the manufacturing sector. Nobody wants to upset the Chinese because they're the only ones in a position to bail us out... with real money.

We gave them the crown jewels of capitalism and now we have to pretend we're still wealthy. All we have left is a pile of pretend money and a bunch of technocrats deciding the fate of a pretend economy.

Watching the news these days is like watching a perverse reality show.

Rant over.

Euro fun and games

Dominique, our former next door neighbour, sent me this photo:

Angela Merkel babysits Sarkozy 

Perhaps it was taken during a break in the Eurozone discussions?

It's about time

Back in 2003, there were worldwide protests against the invasion of Iraq. Bush's lapdog Tony ("I want to be like Churchill") Blair ignored over a million people who marched through the streets of London and went ahead with the illegal war. I was there, together with Peter and our son Paul. There were so many people that it took us 6 hours to walk from Waterloo Station to Hyde Park Corner (3 miles).

The graphic truth

I can't resist a bit of politics, so when reader ianai sent me some graphics, I had to share:

Thank you, ianai.

Standing up for the 99% - UPDATE: London

Sleuth posted this video in the comments yesterday and I think it deserves a wider audience:



From the (rightwing) UK Daily Mail:

The times they are a-changing'...

UPDATE

I found this video of the London demo. [WARNING: The language gets a bit salty for a short while.]

It's spreading...

USA

USA

USA

Miami

Miami

London

Auckland

Frankfurt

Hong Kong

Sydney

Stockholm

Malaga, Spain

Vancouver

Tokyo

Zurich

Montreal

Rome