Women’s History Month
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 7th, 2011
Good morning!
Women’s History Month is celebrated every year in the United States in March. Like Black History Month, many of us question, “Why only a month?”. Women should be honored and revered every day. And not just in the U.S. but throughout the entire world.
I try to do that here as often as I can. Bring women to the forefront of our minds, whether it be the wonderful women in the world that touch our lives, or to enlighten the out of touch, with respect to the plight of women on our planet.
Which is so much of the reason why I blog about women in a variety of ways. To celebrate them in their strength and support, their love and loyalty …and to reveal them in their most vulnerable states, so that those who would rather turn their heads and look the other way, are confronted with the realities that women face and endure on a daily basis, and will HOPEfully be inspired to do something.
I began this month last Saturday honoring the Princess, whoever and where ever She may be. And what better way to honor women, but to honor the Princess, who is the life source to all that we know.
Today I will recognize the women of Guam.
This is for you Anna, Lea and all of the girls in Guam: I HOPE the annual art show this year is a tremendous success for the women of Guam.
Women of art: 6th annual art show celebrates Women’s History Month
Women unite this week to celebrate femininity. Handmade dolls, twisted pots and abstract paintings adorn the Infiniti Art Gallery in its biggest weeklong event of the year — the 6th annual Women’s Art Show. This year’s theme is “The Women of Guam.”
The show started six years ago as a way to help women in the community and celebrate Women’s History Month. The event was so successful it became an annual event, says Ron Castro, marketing manager of Nissan Motor Corporation in Guam.
Georgette Conception of the Soroptimist International of Guam says this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate women in the arts.
“Our group is all about promoting women’s best interests, and that’s why we’re apart of the art show,” Conception says.
The show opened Friday night in the 4,000-square-foot gallery, and will continue until Friday.
“This is really a special event. More than 300 people always attend the opening night party,” Castro says.
Much of the art will be available for purchase.
What’s new
This year the exhibit holds artwork of every medium by professionals and hobbyists.
“The female artists gather and support each other. No one’s art is better. We all just have different styles. I’m known for my crooked paintings and that’s just my style,” says artist Mary Camacho.
This year will have some veterans in the art community as well as fresh faces.
“There are a lot of new artists this year, which is exciting. And artists who have participated before will be showing new work,” Castro says.
For Camacho, the show symbolizes how far women have come in society.
“For the longest time, there was a stigma that women were limited in our abilities. Reality is we’re just as good and great as anybody, and this art show proves that,” Camacho says.
She’s also proven that through her art and more than 20 years with the U.S. Army.
This is her fourth year exhibiting in the show, this time displaying her “Coco posts,” postcards made from coconut.
“I like to utilize what’s available on island. It helps promote the local culture, and since it’s also Chamorro Month it all just fits together,” she says.
Her specialties also include wood carving.
Girl power
The leap: This painting of the two lovers’ leap is one of many being showcased during the sixth annual Women’s Art Show at Nissan Infinity showroom. This year’s theme is “The Women of Guam.” / Photos by Jesse Castro/For Pacific Sunday News
Various nonprofit groups also are participating, including female youth organization Island Girl Power. The art show is the perfect opportunity to showcase the group and what it does, empower young women.
“We participate because it’s important for our young ladies to be aware and observe Women’s History Month,” says Program Director Juanita Blaz.
The organization’s contribution is always a group project by girls in the program. This year it will be a poetic collage.
“Some of the girls partnered up to create a poem. Each young girl wrote a poem about one of the other girls. Then they grouped them together to be displayed as a whole,” Blaz says.
The project is unique, promoting empowerment. The girls were inspired to look at the positive aspects of each other when writing their poems.
“It deters them from being negative and teaches them to think that way in everyday life,” Blaz says.
“Women are not the minority. We are just as capable, that’s why it’s rather important for women to both participate in the show and attend the show,” Camacho says.
Being surrounded by strong females at the art show also gives the girls a taste of life as a strong adult woman.
“They get to meet the other artists, some who are professionals, and they connect with these women that become role models to them,” Blaz says.
Display: The sixth annual Women’s Art Show will feature artwork from female artists around the island using an assortment of different mediums for their work. / Photos by Jesse Castro/For Pacific Sunday News
IF YOU GO
………..
Jng: I would never for a moment think that the activities of Roi or the TAO towards the cattle on this planet would carry any weight with you. I was speaking of his assistance to help other beings (those below the surface and from other planets/galaxies) He is one who stands alone and yet risks his life for others when they odds are against him.
Thinking logically, if Roi would risk his life for others why would he not risk his life to find the Princess, knowing the She is the answer to the continuation of the Universe? Why would Roi or the TAO attempt to deceive you or anyone for that matter, when it is in their best interest as well to find the whereabouts of the Princess?
I am aware that an anomaly is happening in the Universe, and no one knows the cause. Natural laws that have been taken for granted or proven to the useful tools of calculation or analysis have broken down. Perhaps because the Universe is in a state of flux currently, the luck in finding the Princess is putting many on edge, and you are just looking to each other for reason that She can not be found.
Perhaps you are just looking for someone to blame. And since Roi has been here on Earth, he is the one you choose to blame. I can see from your comments and your response to me that you are so self-involved, you can hear nothing but your own reasoning. Still…I’m going to try, and HOPE that you come to your senses and release him.
Ghadah: Thank you for writing in for Konduz. I don’t know what will happen. There is so much destruction going on there right now. Be strong, stay safe, and follow Madaline’s advice.
Hi Al: I too an concerned for the women in the Middle East. Between what is happening here and the flux of the Universe, we are certainly at a stage of random chaos. I HOPE you are well.
W63453e: Thank you for answering my question. A very different meaning than what was noted on the website. I like the true meaning and symbolism much better that you shared. I enjoyed the visual you gave of “wet skis in the clouds” although I somehow doubt my vision is anything like the actual. Nice to hear from you.
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 :)
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March 7th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Michelle:
G. is bombing towns and the advancing horde heading for his home town, Sirte. There will be so much bloodshed there.
Could you ask Madaline to help get some of the women out?
Sar-e Pol
March 7th, 2011 at 10:54 am
The 5 Simple Money-Savers Even Nobel-Prizewinning Economists Use
Economists spend their days exploring weighty topics ranging from gross domestic product and stagflation to trade balances and yield curves.
But when they crunch numbers at home, the challenges they face and the solutions they find are not that different from what the rest of us grapple with.
Learning how economists manage their money can help all of us spend less, save more and invest more wisely, so we asked five prominent economists to reveal money-saving strategies that they use in their own lives…
GEORGE AKERLOF, PHD
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Take out a 15-year mortgage. In the mid-1980s, I refinanced my 30-year mortgage to a 15-year mortgage. The shorter mortgage meant thousands of dollars less in interest payments — and the higher monthly mortgage payments gave me experience living on a tight budget.
That made it easier for me to continue to save aggressively even after my mortgage was paid off.
(Recently, the average rate for a 30-year mortgage was 5.2%, versus 4.5% for a 15-year loan, a savings of more than $50,000 for every $100,000 borrowed.)
Mortgages provide automatic savings discipline. We must make our mortgage payments every month or we could lose our homes.
Thus, money needed to make mortgage payments is less likely to be misspent than money earmarked for bank and investment accounts.
George Akerlof, PhD, is Koshland Professor of Economics at University of California, Berkeley. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001. He is coauthor of Identity Economics (Princeton University).
EDWARD C. PRESCOTT, PHD
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Don’t wait for a “better time” to invest. I don’t get caught up in trying to time the markets. There is no wrong time to save and invest.
When stocks are struggling, I tell myself, Good — I can buy bargains. When stocks are up, I tell myself, Good — investing is paying off for me.
I don’t get caught up in worrying about which investments to buy, either. I just put all of my savings into low-expense stock index mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Edward C. Prescott, PhD, is the W.P. Carey Chair of Economics at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, Tempe.
He won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Economics. Prescott is coeditor of Great Depressions of the Twentieth Century (Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis).
BETSEY STEVENSON, PHD
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Make sure your gifts are worth the cost. The rules of etiquette warn us not to arrive at a party empty-handed — but gift giving often is economically inefficient.
The gift that costs us $40 might hold only $20 in value for its recipient. Like most people, when I’m in a situation that requires a gift, I usually bring a bottle of wine. It’s not the most unusual or memorable gift, but if I select a wine that I know offers good quality for the price, my gift is likely to hold approximately as much value for its recipient as I paid for it, and it doesn’t matter that he/she likely already owns bottles of wine.
If the recipient does not value wine, it is one of the easiest gifts for him to give to someone else. Economists tend to be less sensitive about such “regifting” than most people.
Betsey Stevenson, PhD, is assistant professor at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. She also is a faculty research fellow with the National Bureau of Economic Research and a visiting scholar with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
TAHIRA K. HIRA, PHD
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Set your spending priorities, and stick to them. Unfortunately, most people spend money on things that are not particularly important to them, which leaves them unable to afford things that would hold greater value.
In the early 1980s, when my husband and I were assistant professors earning modest salaries, we decided that owning a home was high among our priorities.
To afford the down payment, we made sacrifices — for instance, cutting back from two restaurant meals each week to an average of one or fewer. When we met with a real estate agent, we were encouraged to buy a larger home than we had saved up for because we could qualify for a larger mortgage.
But my husband and I decided that we would rather have a modest home and enough assets left over to travel than a large home that consumed most of our resources. Because we had prioritized our wants, the agent could not talk us into overspending.
Tahira K. Hira, PhD, is executive assistant to the president and professor of personal finance and consumer economics in the department of economics at Iowa State University, Ames, and creator of its Financial Counseling Clinic.
JOHN CASKEY, PHD
SWARTHMORE COLLEGE
Make it easy to save and hard to spend. The easier it is for us to spend our money, the more likely it is that we will do so. I build up almost all of my savings by having money automatically withdrawn from my paycheck and invested. That money never even makes it to my bank account, so it is difficult for me to spend it.
And in the case of tax-advantaged retirement accounts, there is a penalty for taking out money early, so that is an additional deterrent to spending.
John Caskey, PhD, is professor of economics and former chair of the department of economics at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
He previously was economist with the International Monetary Fund. He is author of Fringe Banking: Check-Cashing Outlets, Pawnshops, and the Poor (Russell Sage Foundation).
March 7th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Michelle, I like the article about Guam. I am asking my husband to change our vacation plans from Bali to Guam. We have been to Bali many times. But we have never visited Guam.
I am ashamed that I knew next to nothing about Guam until I visited your blog. I certainly didn’t know they spoke english on Guam.
We don’t need a visa to go to Guam because is a territory of the US. I found out a few minutes ago, all we need is our passports and a ticket on Continental Airlines. I am thrilled.
Caroline
March 7th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Hello Michelle:
I agree with you that National Women’s Month should not be limited to one month, nor should it be limited to one nation. Woman should be appreciated all the time, by all.
I am sure that if people would care for and respect each other more, and this should start with respect towards women, they would see that the world would be a far better place.
How some men can bully women simply because they are generally bigger and stronger mystifies me. When they should protect and cherish these women.
Men and women are equals, would any of us be here without having a mother? No. Men and women should compliment each other. For a man to abuse a woman shows his cowardice to challenge another man.
Men who have a general attitude of ownership and superiority should think again, just where would they be without women.
Women are every bit as important as men, whether they be a housewife or the CEO of a fortune 500 company, it is her choice. I can’t say enough in praise of womanhood because I haven’t the words.
Michelle, would you please elaborate on the anomaly you speak of? I have not heard a thing about this and am very curious. Is the fabric of space/time unraveling? Is order seeking and finding chaos?
Al
March 7th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Ah thanks Al, I caught up on the writes and most of the comments but could not figure out the space/time unraveling thing…thought I was having a lapse or you know, havin’ a blond moment : ) hahaha…
I really love your attitude towards women in general, there should be more just like you out there.
All these weekend topics are fascinating and I clicked through on that link you left, thanks, Al’a'mode.
Ruth, any update on Anonz? Maybe he can send in some stand-in’s to help the women of the middle east somehow? I’m sure Madaline has her hands full and could use an assist, though with her one never knows, she may be hanging in there just fine on her own. I hope you and the girls and the happy couple +2 in da oven are all well. I had a dream about walking the right bank in Paris, I was confused about what i was doing or going, then someone called my name from an apartment I must’ve just left bc the man calling my name was half dressed and looking delectable, suddenly he was right next to me…then I understood what I was doing and where I was going. Yes, and I want to get back to bed now to see what happens next only it’s only 5PM : )
Mischa, a call this week, Th/Fri? Let me know here or email/text. Thanks. So much to talk about I’m taking notes now : )
Luv, Zen Lill
March 7th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Whenever you were in my presence I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Now that I may never see you again I can’t take my mind off of you.
What am I supposed to do?
I came to your world
Not knowing I would meet a girl
A Love I cannot bring back to my world
What am I supposed to do?
I could have gone AWOL
but they would have found me before nightfall
You are the only earth experience I recall
What am I supposed to do?
How do I go on without you?
March 7th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Zen Lillian:
No thanks necessary, and there are many men who feel like I do towards women. At least most of my friends do, but then I have always been one to choose my friends, they do not choose me, usually. Probably why I haven’t that many. But the friends I do have are the very best that money cannot buy.
As for your “blonde” moment, I wouldn’t worry about it:) I wasn’t really sure what I was talking about either, that is why I was asking Michelle to elaborate on the state of the Universe.
She had mentioned an anomaly going on. I may have been watching too much of the Science Channel, and they have been getting into a lot of quantum mechanics and parallel universes. Stuff that can make ones head spin.
So back down to earth, how have you been, blonde hair and all. Life giving you a hard time, or are you cruising on through. Hope it is the latter.
Your pal Al
March 7th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Come back to me and you will see the life we’ve yet to live
The time we spent was heaven sent and I have more to give
Your heart of gold is often told from lips of other lovers
but I alone set the tone for bliss under the covers
Come back to me and you will see the joy we have to share
Your special touch means so much your absence isn’t fair
I gave my heart right from the start my love is constant true
You jumped a hurdle to breech my girdle I’ll always belong to you
Come back to me and you will see the love that we create
is good for them good for this femme and proven to be great
I pray that you are not so far that you’d miss what I would say-
Close your eyes relive our highs and know you are my Bay
Come back to me and you will see my heart is an open book
Visit my dream and write your scene then all can have a look
March 7th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Igor someone special to you used the following phrase that you scoffed at, perhaps you may find solace in its meaning now: HAVE FAITH.
a Friend
March 8th, 2011 at 5:45 am
Linda, from Feb.1st #30
Why do you not write in anymore? I have not seen you post once since I told you I wasn’t interested in being referred to as your “sweetheart”.
I still don’t, but I did not intend to drive you off the blog, or into silence. I feel terrible that you left on account of me. Please come back Linda, I am sorry if I hurt your feelings after you complimented me. Sometimes I forget how sensitive others might be.
Al
March 8th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Al, you are so sweet. I like a gentle man. Sure I was pouting but I never miss this blog. I save all your comments.
I bet if I could write poetry like Miss Anonymous 8, I would get your attention. But, alas I am talentless in the poetry department. Does it count that I love poetry or that I read it a lot?
Al, have you ever heard that “sticks and stones can break your bones, but words shouldn’t hurt you. So why be bothered if I call you “Sweetheart?”
It doesn’t obligate you to anything and it is a whole lot better than lunkhead. There are a lot of lunkheads that write in to this blog.
My sister said she couldn’t believe that you were from the South. No southern gentleman would dress down a lady in that fashion.
I said you were probably Northern raised and you didn’t know that it would hurt so bad. But if it hurts you more to be called “Sweetheart” by lil ole me, I’ll settle for just “Sweetie.”
You are a sweetie pie you know. I know you try hard sometimes to be indifferent in some of your comments, but at heart you are just a tender hunk of love.
Thanks for smoothing over a girl’s pride, Sweetie.
Linda
March 8th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
NAVIGATOR:
The crew wants to know if you really do read this blog. And if so, can they use it to reach you?
Hijjii
March 8th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
HIJJI: You can use this blog, email or call me. Preferably by telephone. Navigator
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