The Art Of Hayv Kahraman

I discovered this artist thanks to a new business associate and now friend. (Thanks Melinda!)

Hayv Kahraman, the artist, is a 27-year old girl, a native from Baghdad, who now lives in the US. Drawing in Sumi ink on paper, Kahraman shows us visually through her beautiful art the oppression of women and the ravaging affects of war on women, who are always affected the hardest.

I love her paintings not only because they are simply beautiful works of art, but because they so strikingly depict the atrocities that women endure in real life, and strangely beautifies them with the graceful strokes of Japanese and Arabic calligraphy and art nouveau. One can be drawn to her work simply because they are beautiful only to discover that they are moved by the unfortunate real life story that many of the paintings tell.

Hayv Kahraman

Her impeccable illustrative renderings create stunning but also unsettling, minutely detailed images which prevent us from looking away from tragedies such as rape and honour killings, forcing us to reflect on things that we would otherwise refuse to see.

Readers: I would love to own one (or a few!) one of these days.  Are you as drawn to these paintings as I am? Blog me.

Okay…so it seems that someone is messing with my blog this morning. I am not able to see the comments through admin so I will not be able to hyperlink your comments today.

Hi Larry: Thanks for the update.  You’ve got a great attitude. You may have lost a wife but it seems you have gained two new wonderful relationships with “bennies”. :) Enjoy and good luck making that baby!

Hello Harris: Nice to hear from you! You are welcome, although I personally did not do a thing. It was you and Evelyn, that were probably destined to meet and my blog was the venue, and for that I am happy.

As I said to Evelyn, thank you for including us in your special day! I am excited to meet and spend time with all of you. And “the girls”…I cant imagine what they will be like two years from now – they are growing and learning so much. I bet they will be teaching me many a thing or two. Speaking of two…Two years feels like forever, but I know it will be here sooner than we think. Time seems to be that way lately.  And I am sure that where ever we stay it will be lovely.  Thank you.  I think you  and Doug will enjoy each other’s company- he gets along well with everyone, and I would bet you do too. – Hopefully he can come out early too, so you two can get to know each other. I’ll let Doug speak his gratitude when he chimes in.

I look forward to hearing more from you about the big day as it gets closer.  Oh, PS: I think your wedding plans are giving Prince William and Kate Middleton a little bit of competition – at least here on my blog, you and Evelyn’s nuptials are the hotter topic!  :)

Oh…and love the story of the flapping native tongues going around – what a hoot. I’ll enjoy listening because I definitely will not be able to partake in any conversations. My limited learning of languages does not afford me that pleasure but I will surely get a kick out of the experience. Please give “the girls” a warm hello from me. And I will personally say hello to Ruth because I know she is reading. :)

Zhen-n and Barakii: No worries…no plans to quit. :)

Mary: Love is never wrong unless the two people in love decide it is. Mind your own business. With the way the world is, we should embrace love where ever it is present. And congratulate those that have found each other and have professed their love.

George: See above comment

Sandra and Tiffany: It seems there are more relationships created from people meeting on my blog than I realized. I am delighted for your happiness too. Whoever would’ve thought that my blog would bring so much love? That in itself is a reason to continue writing. :)

And on that note, I am headed back to bed for a little more R & R.  Sending everyone lots of love…

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

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Good morning!

While perusing the web researching great women for my Saturday’s write “Wonderful Women Of The World”, I discovered “Flare Productions“, a non-profit filmmaking organization. And what peaked my interest is that they recently (?) came out with a series of documentaries honoring women, titled “Women Of Power”. It is where I found the quiz that I posted here weeks ago.

Before I talk about the series, here’s a little bit about “Flare Productions”:

Flare Productions is a not-for-profit filmmaking organization founded to produce artistic, deeply-researched, lively and engaging films which can be viewed with enjoyment both by people who already know a great deal about a subject and those who are being introduced to it for the first time.

We are dedicated to working collaboratively to produce films and videos which cross boundaries and can be broadcast internationally as well as used in universities and schools.

Flare is run by its founder, John Fuegi, and by Jo Francis, who also co-direct the Women of Power© series of films. John and Jo currently serve as Co-Presidents of the Board of Directors, whose present members are Catherine Good Abbott, James Coates, and Ursula Daniels.

Flare has worked closely with institutions such as Heidelberg, Bochum, the Bertolt Brecht Archive-Berlin, London University, the Imperial War Museum and Cambridge University. Flare co-produced project participants include: Liv Ullmann, Githa Nørby, Ian Redford, and Anna Massey.

Flare has an on-going professional connection with the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) at the University of Maryland, and the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research (formerly known as the Institute for Research on Women and Gender) at Stanford University.”HISTORY IS TOO MUCH ABOUT WARS; BIOGRAPHY IS TOO MUCH ABOUT GREAT MEN.”

Women of Power Series:

“HISTORY IS TOO MUCH ABOUT WARS; BIOGRAPHY IS TOO MUCH ABOUT GREAT MEN.”

Virginia Woolf said that 70 years ago — if you look at today’s classrooms, newspapers, films, and television not enough has changed. That’s why we are working to complete a new historic series.

When finished, the series will include not only the Women of Power documentaries produced or co-produced by Flare Productions– on Ruth Berlau, Virginia Woolf, Hildegard of Bingen, Ada Byron Lovelace, and Maria Sibylla Merian but also a number of fine documentaries made by other filmmakers.

The Women of Power series is designed for global broadcast as well as for use in universities, colleges, & high schools.

For more information and to support the project please contact Flare Productions.

Here’s a little taste of the first of the series. It is called “Red Ruth, That Deadly Longing”:

Red Ruth: That Deadly Longing is the first documentary made in a series entitled Women of Power . The Ruth of the film’s title is Ruth Berlau, an extraordinarily beautiful and feisty Danish novelist, actress, photographer, and director who was born in Copenhagen in 1906. The film follows Berlau from her beginnings in Denmark, her involvement with the Communist party before World War II and in the Danish Resistance after the Nazi invasion, and then her exile in Finland, the USSR and then in the US where she came under the prurient gaze of J. Edgar Hoover who suspected her of Soviet spying. She moved in the company of stars such as Laughton, Chaplin, and Robeson. With the war over, we follow her back to Europe and her death by fire in Berlin in 1974.

From the time of her meeting with the German playwright Bertolt Brecht in 1933, her life was marked by her work with him and her love for him despite the fact that he, as the film shows, stole some of her best work and most of her earnings. Berlau contributed to “Brecht” plays such as The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Simone Machard, & The Good Person of Sezuan. She loved Brecht “not wisely, but too well.”

Red Ruth: That Deadly Longing is a microcosm of lives lived under the threat of Hitler and of Stalin, of the bugging by Hoover of virtually all dissidents, and of Berlau’s increasingly desperate attempts to make a contribution to sanity, justice, and equality in a Berlin riven by the Cold War and bitter personal jealousies.

The research for Red Ruth is taken from John Fuegi’s book Brecht & Co. which was named a New York Times “Book of the Year.” In its English version, Red Ruth features the voice of international star, Liv Ullmann. The film also includes footage of Bertolt Brecht’s appearance before the inquisitorial House Unamerican Activities Committee and of Charles Laughton in Galileo (which has been called the “rarest Charles Laughton item in movie history”)

The one-hour documentary film was made by Flare Productions along with the Scandinavian company, Nordisk Film, producers of Academy Award winner Babette’s Feast. With voice-overs in various languages, Red Ruth has been seen around the world from Germany to Finland to Canada to Australia.

Readers: Interested in reading more about the women in the rest of the series? Click here. I could not find out how long this series has been around, but news about women in power should continue to circulate no matter what. Every woman, young and old, needs to have role models, and to be continually inspired, showing us the possibilities. I think this series provides both.

Here are some OPPORTUNITIES to support the project:

Contribute to Flare . Contributions are tax-deductible and can be earmarked for the Women of Power series. The sums needed for a fine series are large, but the number of people who are then able to view such a series is also great. Checks should be made payable to Flare Productions and sent to 5231 Crown Street, Bethesda, MD 20816 USA

Email us at if you have information and recommendations about fine documentaries on women, whose filmmakers we might contact about including their work in the series. Or write us about your own work if you are a documentary filmmaker who has made or is making a program focusing on an individual woman or a group of women. Subjects may be historical or contemporary. Recommended documentaries should ideally be between 45 and 60 minutes in length, lively and interesting to a broad audience, of high artistic and technical quality, well-researched, and, for this series, preferably without dramatizations. At this time we are particularly seeking documentaries about African and Latin American women.

*************

Readers: I’ll end my write here and leave the forum open to comment. HOPEfully you will be able to. Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

John Curley Photography

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Good morning!

A few weeks ago I was retrieving something out of the trunk of my car when I heard someone shouting hello to me. I peeked over our fence and on the other side was a gentleman with a big smile on his face reaching out to hand me something.

My first thought was,”Okay, what is he going to try and sell me?” I wanted to say, “No thank you”, but then I remembered what it was like to be canvassing the neighborhood and super markets trying to get people to listen to me about Prop 2 last year, Obama, etc.

Plus, I couldn’t resist the warm smile he was sending me, so I walked toward the opening of our driveway as he walked toward me and handed me a heavy flyer. He introduced himself as Floyd, and explained that his wife, Jean Quan, was running for Mayor of Oakland, and he proceeded to tell me about their grass roots efforts, her experience, and a little about their family, who was pictured on the flyer, all smiles.

I had read a little about his wife, but got such a warm feeling from him, his stories, her goals as mayor, his commitment to his wife and her success…he even told me that they invested one hundred thousand dollars of their own money into her campaign…that I made up my mind right there that I would vote for her. I was obviously moved by our discussion. Maybe Floyd was just a great sales person and hooked me, which I seriously doubt. Or maybe he was just a sincere man walking the streets of Oakland, with a strong belief that his wife could make my city a better place to live in. My gut was telling me something, and I had faith it was the latter.

Non the less, after our friendly chat, I said goodbye, thanked Floyd for his efforts, and asked if he could leave a lawn sign on my steps so that I could display my choice for Mayor of Oakland, his wife, Jean Quan. He said that he would be happy to drop off a sign on his way back, after he finished walking our block. He smiled and waved as he walked away.

Anyway, I came outside later on that afternoon, disappointed that no sign was to be seen, until I saw one stuck in my potted plants, dropped off as promised. Jean Quan had my public support and vote.

I had even told Floyd that I would try and blog about her. But unfortunately I never did get around to it, and up until election day, it sat on my mind, and I felt bad that I dropped the ball and never did.

The good news is, Jean Quan is now Mayor of Oakland! And she is the first of quite a few things to be proud of, unknown to me until now:

• Jean Quan (61), the first Asian American woman elected to the Oakland, California City Council eight years ago,
• She was elected the first woman Mayor of this California City of more than 446,000-the 41^st largest city in the country.
• When she takes office on January 3, 2011, she will be the first Asian American woman Mayor of a major US City.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1st ASIAN AMERICAN & WOMAN

MAYOR of OAKLAND

Known for her hard work, encyclopedia knowledge of city policy and ability to inspire hundreds of volunteers, Quan went head-to-head against former State Senate leader Pro-Tem Don Perata and eight other candidates in the November 2 mayoral election. It was a bit of a cliffhanger — one candidate outspent the other nine candidates 10:1, exceeding the voluntary campaign spending limits of $379,000, and election results were not immediately known until 9 days after Election Eve because the City was using a new voting procedure called Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). (RCV eliminated the need for a primary by giving voters the opportunity to choose first, second and third choices for their candidates. If their first choice did not make it to the top, then their second choice would be recalculated by computer until one candidate earned 50% of the vote. This integrates the traditional primary and runoff into one election.) When all the ballots were counted and the RCV algorithm was run, Quan beat front-runner Perata.

Jean Quan 50.98% (53,778)

Don Perata 49.02%. (51720)

Link to the Registrar’s RCV Election Results

“David has beaten Goliath: we have shown that old-fashioned grassroots organizing and hard, honest campaigning can overcome big money, machine politics,” said Quan. She noted that more people had voted in this election than in previous Mayoral elections, with a 27% increase according to Fair Vote’s analysis of how Ranked Choice Voting worked in Oakland, because this election was held in the general November election when there is higher turnout compared to lower primary turnouts.

The Daughter of Immigrants

Quan’s personal history resonates with many residents in a city known as one of the most diverse in the country-its history as the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad, the growth of the ship building industry during WW II and the growing trade with Pacific Rim Countries has generated a vibrant mix of ethnic culture, arts, music, foods and community.

“My family has lived Oakland for over 100 years. My parents were poor immigrants. My mother was illiterate and my dad died when I was five. My parents worked in Oakland hotels, restaurants and garment factories. I attended public schools and went to UC Berkeley on a scholarship.  As a college student I was founder of Asian American studies and helped organize tutoring programs for students West Oakland and Chinatown, and helped fight redevelopment removal of local residents there, too.

“My whole life has been about organizing for social justice, as a student, union organizer, and as a School Board and City Council member. I am proud of my work to improve local schools, to save music, arts, libraries and parks, to revitalize commercial districts and support crime and violence prevention programs,” she explained.

A Reputation for Progressive Leadership

Quan jumped into Oakland politics as a parent activist to save music and arts programs in 1989 and has been working together with concerned residents to make the city’s public institutions work for them. She served on the Oakland Unified School District board for 3 terms, leading campaigns that secured $700 million to make the schools earthquake safe, reduce classroom overcrowding, and restore arts and music to the curriculum.

For the past eight years, she has served as Council member for one the most diverse council districts in the City-District 4 which covers the well-healed hills of Montclair and Crestmont as well as the working class neighborhoods of Allendale, Brookdale, Dimond, Laurel, Maxwell Park, and Melrose. She has chaired the City’s Finance Committee for six years, steering the city through one of the worse economic recessions in its history.

As Council Member, she is known for her long-hours, high visibility and accessibility, and strong community organizing skills. More than 10,000 people receive her e-newsletter every week. As a result of the regular communication and her office’s work in the field, District 4 is the most organized of all seven council districts and consistently hosts the most National Night Out, Earth Day and Creek to Bay day events in the city-between ¼ to half of all of the events.  Her success in organizing neighbors to eliminate crime, beautify parks and medians, prepare for emergencies and otherwise build community formed the basis for her

Campaign Theme of Taking Back Oakland, Block by Block.

City-wide, Quan’s long list of accomplishments includes brokering the compromise community policing and violence prevention program (Measure Y), her leadership in seismic retrofitting and green policies such as the compostable food ware ordinance, and co-authoring and campaigning for the nation’s first Wildfire Prevention District and for a measure to keep Oakland’s 15 branch libraries open. She has set forth an ambitious program as Oakland’s next Mayor.

“We must rebuild trust between our police and the community to fight crime in Oakland. We need to bring good jobs to Oakland-we especially need to support Green jobs programs that help our youth prepare for work in new technologies. We need to support our schools-as a three term school board member-I have the experience and passion to become Oakland’s true Education Mayor. I plan to recruit 2000 baby boomers and other volunteers to mentor our most at risk youth and give them hope. We need to ensure that our government is transparent, ethical and efficient. I plan to be an accessible, hands-on mayor by showing up in every neighborhood-just as I have over the past eight years in my Council District.”

“This election — an election of so many firsts — opens the door of possibilities and hope to Oakland’s young people,” she concluded, adding,

“Come January when I take the oath as Oakland’s first woman mayor, I’ll take office in City Hall 8 blocks from where my great-grandfather took refuge in Oakland after the 1906 Earthquake, 6 blocks from where my mother-in-law and sister worked as garment workers, and 4 blocks from where my father was a hotel cook. I am grateful and humbled by the trust the voters have placed on me as their new Mayor.”

Readers: Awesome Yes? Jean Quan definitely wears the title of a “Wonderful Woman of The World”, don’t you think? I think so, and I am delighted for her and excited for what she will bring to Oakland. A huge congratulations to Quan. And big thanks to those who voted for her, ensuring her victory.

Have a great weekend!

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

And I’m not talking about Earthling girl Madaline.

This is for my friends in Guam. It might be yesterday’s news to you, but it is just came across my plate a few days ago.

The life of Madeleine: Book retells story of iconic local figure

First ladies: Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo (right) takes a moment to take a photo with First Lady Joann Camacho at a Sept. 26 book signing for Bordallo’s new book.

Since moving to Guam as a teenager in the 1940s, Madeleine Z. Bordallo has always caught people’s gazes. At first it was for her looks and keen fashion sense, and in later years it was for her accomplishments as an island leader.

The life and times of Guam’s Congressional delegate are celebrated in the newly published book, “Madeleine: A Tribute in Photographs.”

Nostalgic photos of Bordallo as a smiling baby, black-and-white pictures where she resembles a beautiful Hollywood starlet, and pictures of the many people she has met and accomplishments she has achieved fill the 180-page coffee table book.

Bordallo has worked hard and earned the love and respect of the people of Guam, all while managing to be the picture of perfection. Not a single hair is out of place in any of the photos in her book, which contains more than 250 pictures of Bordallo alongside some of the greatest influences in her life.

The book is a “candid portrayal of Madeleine’s life including her family, friends and the activities in which she participated,” Joaquin Perez, her senior policy adviser, wrote in the book’s forward. Bordallo is currently running unopposed for another term as Guam’s Congressional delegate.

The book, published by Bordallo’s niece Kathleen Phillips Aguon, is dedicated to the people of Guam. Photos chronicle Bordallo growing up on the island, and holding government positions of senator, first lady, lieutenant governor and Guam delegate to the United States Congress. The book shows a living history of the island through Bordallo’s life, and how she has served the people of Guam the last 30 years.

Bordallo and Aguon sat down with Pacific Sunday News at a book signing on Sept. 26, to discuss the book and what it means to them.

“I wanted it to be biographical and meaningful, and would speak volumes, as they say,” says Aguon. Aguon spent months in her aunt’s office, going through thousands of photos, scanning them for the book.

Instead of using words to tell Bordallo’s story, Aguon preferred the use of photos because a picture brings back personal memories, but it doesn’t reveal the memories of other people at the same moment, she says. Everyone can look at the photo and reminisce.

“A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s where I was going with it, really,” says Aguon.

“Photos capture the time and moment without spoiling it with someone’s recollection.”

Picture Perfect

Page after page of the book, Bordallo is glamorous and graceful in every photo. Her hair is perfectly styled and her outfits rival those of top fashionistas.

“Well in my line of duty, I feel that it’s important … when you travel — you’re a member of Congress and you meet a lot of people — that you look presentable,” Bordallo says.

“And I’ve always been very interested in fashion. I like to dress up and look good.”

Bordallo’s mother also owned dress shops when she was younger, and she says that is where her fashion influence came from. She also did a bit of modeling in her younger days.

“Way back, many years ago,” Bordallo says.

This interest in fashion and beauty also led to her forming the Miss Guam World Pageant, which continues today.

“I do get casual once in a while with jeans and sweatshirts,” Bordallo says, but when asked what her secret to perfection was, she simply mentioned she loved perfume and used Lancôme products on her face.

The secret to her beehive is staying with her, though.

“I thought, did I really look like that? Did I really do those beehive hairdos and all the others?” she says with a laugh. “I’ve come a long way and I guess I look a little better now than I did back then.”

On That Road

“I always tell people, if you do have your mind set on certain careers, as you go, your path may change,” says Bordallo.

“Depending on who you love, who you marry, the circumstances that surround you may get you into something that you never dreamed, so take whatever course come your way and go for it.”

Bordallo’s path has taken her all over the world, but this was a path she never saw coming. Things changed when she got married.

“I married a politician,” she says.

Bordallo had her hopes set on a career in music. She went to college to study voice. But after she met her late husband, the late Gov. Ricky Bordallo, and said her vows, “I went from music to politics to Guam.”

“I would say today, this is my passion, … being able to work for the people of Guam to give them a better life,” Bordallo says.

“The challenges in Washington are great for me right now, and I continue to try to help the people in any way I can.”

Making The Book

When Aguon first tried to talk to Bordallo about doing a book about her, Bordallo says she tried to discourage her.

“I thought that she would have to interview me about my life, and I wasn’t really prepared for that,” she says.

But Aguon was rather insistent, and when she explained it would be a book of photographs, Bordallo agreed.

“I’ve grown up with her, … and I saw her every day, just impeccable, gorgeous, glamorous. Every little girl wants to be like auntie Madeleine,” says Aguon.

“She reminds me of Princess Diana and Hollywood celebrities, an iconic figure that’s a hard worker and still like everybody else. So why shouldn’t there be a book about her?”

A Local Heart

One of the best things about her aunt is, “People can relate to her as a local,” Aguon says.

Guam is Bordallo’s home, and she says one of her favorite things about the book is that it shows how many years she’s been on Guam.

“I moved here when I was about 14 years old, and lived here ever since. Some of the younger people don’t realize that I grew up here, Bordallo says.

“This way they can see, these pictures take us back. … I’m very proud to be a part of Guam.”

One adoring supporter of Bordallo bought her book, asked Delegate Bordallo to sign it, then had the book resealed in order to preserve it.

First lady Joann Camacho, who attended the book signing on Sept. 26, says she really looks up to Bordallo.

“She does her all for the people of Guam,” Camacho says. “She’s local in her heart and she loves her island. She’s also a mentor to myself since she has been a first lady. She is one woman who is very elegant with class. Someone that we should all be proud of, and who we’re very blessed with.”

Readers: I didn’t address Bordallo in my Wonderful Women Of The World series, but she certainly deserves the title.  Comments? Thoughts? Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

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Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

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Good morning!

While perusing the web researching women for my Saturday’s “Wonderful Women Of The World” series, I found this quiz and decided to post it to see how all of you might do.

How many of these historically important women did you learn about when you were growing up?

• The world’s first novelist, author of The Tale of Genji, and through that work, arguably the most influential cultural figure in the long history of Japan, Lady Shikibu Murasaki (987-1016)

• A person that The Washington Post compared to Beethoven and Bach and that The New York Times called “a Renaissance figure before the Renaissance,” the composer, physician, dramatist, theologian, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

• The person for whom the Pentagon named its computer language “Ada,” the world’s first computer programmer, who worked, incredibly enough, in the first half of the 19th century, the largely self-taught mathematician, Ada Byron Lovelace (1815-1852)

• Director of over 700 films and of the world’s first synchronized sound film in 1907 (21 years before the usually officially given advent of sound in 1928), and arguably the world’s first maker of fiction films, Alice Guy Blaché (1873-1965)

• Author of the first draft document that became the League of Nations, forerunner of the United Nations, the novelist, feminist, and anti-Fascist activist, Virginia Woolf (1882- 1941)

• One of the co-authors of works attributed to the German playwright Bertolt Brecht, the Danish novelist, actress, theatrical photographer, the anti-Fascist fighter, Ruth Berlau (1906-1973)

• Women in the Philippines who, in the face of machine guns and tanks, led the overthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

• The creator of an alternate measure of economic activity — most women’s work around the globe is not now reported if it is not exchanged for cash — the economist, Marilyn Waring

Well Readers: I’m not sure how many you learned about while growing up, but I do know that you are at least familiar with one of these women since I wrote about her a few weeks ago. I can tell you personally that while growing up, I learned of non of these women. And it was only after high school that I became familiar with Virginia Woolf. How sad is that?

How well did you do? And I am sure there are many more Wonderful Women Of The World that were not included in this quiz. Feel like also sharing some of your favorites it they are not listed here? Blog me.

Stay tuned for more next Saturday….

Hey Zen Lill: I got one of those e-mail that you forwarded to me. I was hoping that in the body of that e-mail you would have given your two and shared it with me. Now I know why you didn’t. Too bad, I was looking forward to reading your rant. I hope techno hell is over.

I am busy with lots of social activities today – My Grandmother’s birthday, and October Fest..etc. Can we chat tomorrow some time?

Ruth: Loved your comment. All I can say about butts, is that it is better to have more than one might want, than to not have one at all. And now with this newfound knowledge… a la smart ass..even better! :)

Have a great Saturday Everyone. See you mañana.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

John Curley Photography

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"