Celebrate International Women’s Day
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 8th, 2012
Good morning!
For the first time ever I planned ahead for this day and decided that I would honor myself today, by taking at least part of the day off, head to my beloved city, sit in Union Square and enjoy the sun on my face (just a little :), before I pamper myself with a relaxing facial. And then I’ll rock some red on these lips, buy some beautiful flowers for a lovely lady that might need a lift, and go eat a cupcake. Free or not I’m indulging! Sounds like a perfect day to me.
And of course I want to encourage all of the amazing women in this world to do the same and honor yourself by doing something special for yourself today, and for someone else if you can. And if someone else honors and celebrates you as a wonderful woman as well…well how wonderful that would be!
Here’s a few hints to get your day going:
International Women’s Day: 10 ways to celebrate
Happy International Women’s Day! In case you missed the Google Doodle, today’s the day to celebrate women’s accomplishments and advocate for gender equality. In some countries, International Women’s Day is an official holiday. Let these celebrations from around the world — whether they involve cupcakes or lipstick or protest — inspire how you commemorate the day.
Turkish women shout slogans during a protest on the International Women’s Day in Ankara on, March 8, 2012. (ADEM ALTAN – AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
1. Take the day off.
In countries where the day is a public holiday, workers get the day off to celebrate. Armenia, Burkina Faso, Mongolia and Kazakhstan are a few of the countries that are taking the day off. In some countries, such as China, only women get the day off.
Flowers are a symbol of International Women’s Day, and many countries celebrate by decorating with flowers, or giving them to women as presents. In Italy, yellow mimosas are popular. Russians give a variety of flowers, including red roses. In Hanoi, Vietnam, it’s not just boyfriends and husbands giving flowers to the women in their lives, but also bosses and colleagues.
3. Donate money to women’s causes.
In the U.S., micro-lending non-profits such as Kiva are campaigning to remind women to help women around the world by investing in their futures. Kiva.org/women will connect you to women who need loans, and skincare company Dermalogica is sponsoring 4,000 $25 loans for lenders who register today.
The entrance of the Colosseum and the Roman forum were free for women for International Women’s Day, with actresses reading texts during a guided tour orientated on the female condition. (ANDREAS SOLARO – AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
4. Protest.
International Women’s Day was born of activism — the holiday was founded in 1910, when a German woman named Clara Zetkin proposed that every country devote a day to the needs and political demands of women. While in many countries, the holiday has taken on the sentimental status of days like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, women around the world use March 8 as an opportunity to fight for political freedom, equal pay and working rights, among other causes. The day was marked by protests in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Palestine, among other countries.
5. Wear red lipstick.
A marketing agency is encouraging women across America to wear red lipstick in honor of International Women’s Day for the “Rock the Lips” campaign. Style Blog raised some questions yesterday about how effective this would be as an awareness-raiser for the cause of International Women’s Day (and about the agency’s plan to team up with a cosmetics brand) but women who want to celebrate femininity can submit photos of their pouts to the Rock the Lips Tumblr.
A socialist woman activist shouts slogans during a protest against the rising cost of living and violence against women in Colombo, Sri Lanka, marking International Women’s day. (Gemunu Amarasinghe – AP)
6. Stand on a bridge.
“Join Me on the Bridge” is a campaign for women’s equality that started with Rwandan and Congolese women, who met on a bridge joining their two countries as a demonstration that women could build bridges of peace. This year, women will march on bridges in London, Boston, San Francisco, Toronto and New York for International Women’s Day.
Members of the alternative choir “Gaggle” prepare to take part in a ‘Join Me On The Bridge’ event on the Millennium Bridge in central London, on March 8, 2012, as they celebrate International Women’s Day. (LEON NEAL – AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
7. Check out some art.
In Pakistan, theatrical performances, poetry readings, songs, films and a two-month long visual art show will be a part of the celebration. A friend living in Afghanistan reports that in her village, speeches and songs were performed, and the highlight was a play put on by some teenage boys “encouraging men to be thoughtful when marrying off their daughters.” In Washington D.C., it would be a good day to patronize the National Museum of Women in the Arts, currently featuring an exhibition by French female painters.
8. Eat a cupcake.
Free cupcakes for women at select bars and restaurants in the U.S. and England may seem great, but not all women are too happy about this one. Claire Melamed wrote about cupcake feminism for International Women’s Day: “Cupcakes are just so twee-ly, coyly, ‘ooh no I really shouldn’t’-ly, pink and fluffily, everything that I think feminism is not. It’s feminism-lite, feminism as consumption and ‘me time’ (grr), rather than feminism as power and politics and equal pay.”
Palestinian women hold posters of Hana Shalabi, a Palestinian prisoner jailed in Israel and who has been on hunger strike for 22 days to protest against the Israeli administrative detention, during a rally marking International Women’s Day. (Adel Hana – AP)
9. Defeat sexual harassment.
British Prime Minister David Cameron signed a Council of Europe convention promising necessary legislative measures” against anyone committing “verbal, non-verbal or physical sexual harassment” in honor of International Women’ Day, Yahoo reports. The bill means that women can walk to work without having to worry about street harassment, which could range from stalking to wolf-whistling.
10. Look back — and forward.
We’ve come a long way since the first International Women’s Day more than 100 years ago, when women in America did not yet have the right to vote. But events of the last few weeks — as politics and women’s concerns about reproductive health have collided in the Virginia statehouse,on the campaign trail and among media personalities, such as Rush Limbaugh, who caused outrage with his remarks disparaging Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke — prove that there is still work to be done. That’s just in America. Around the world, women’s needs are even greater. International Women’s Day will show you how to help.
L♥O♥V♥E
Readers: What’s you plan? Blog me.
Anonymous: I think that solar flare was a sign from the Gods honoring the wonderful women on this planet. That’s my herstory and I’m sticking to it.
Luc: How delightful. Looking forward to the extraordinaries.
Zen Lill: Thank you. Happy IWD to you as well!
Peace & Love to all the Wonderful Women of The World.
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 8th, 2012 at 8:48 am
Have you noticed the number of blacks hired to be the ones to critique Obama by the Right. The strategy is to imply that they are not racists.
I don’t blame the blacks. Jobs are scarce. I saw a black man driving a SUV all decked out with the signs of the Ron Paul party.
We looked at each other and smiled. We both knew who he would be voting for come election.
If only white women on the Right would get the drift. I have dated many who when first taking that dip for the thrill of doing the forbidden.
I can say, perhaps not as modestly as I should, that they discovered that although the stereotyped big dick was present, the negatives attributed to making us less of a man than the white boy was not.
However, most were so indoctrinated by the white boy propaganda, they were convinced that I was the exception to the rule when it came to my personality and intelligence.
Go figure.
Robert,rt
March 8th, 2012 at 9:13 am
It was a sign from the God(s) all right…..
March 8th, 2012 at 9:14 am
Radiation From Your Washing Machine? Hair Dryer?
These secrets will help keep you safe.
You’ve probably heard about the scientific studies linking cell phones to a variety of tumors, including brain cancer.
The World Health Organization has now classified cell phones as a “possible carcinogen.”*
What’s being largely overlooked: Electromagnetic radiation—from electrical appliances, such as hair dryers, microwave ovens and washing machines…as well as that from wireless signals for computers—also may contribute to cancer risk independent of cell-phone use.
What you need to know…
INVISIBLE POLLUTION
Every electrical appliance in your home emits electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) of energy. An appliance that is plugged in has an electric field even when it is turned off.
The appliance produces a magnetic field when it is turned on and the electrical current is flowing. However, the EMFs from appliances are considered extremely low frequency (ELF), meaning that the radiation flows at very low levels.
Still, some studies show that regular exposure to even low levels of ELF electromagnetic radiation, such as 3 milligauss (mG), may increase the risk for leukemia in children—and possibly, to a lesser degree, in adults.
Preliminary research has also linked this form of energy to Alzheimer’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease, but this association is still being debated.
Some experts maintain that the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones and electrical appliances is too weak to cause the types of cell damage that can lead to cancer.
But evidence is emerging that even weak forms of energy may interfere with normal cell functions, perhaps contributing to the development of cancer and other diseases.
SAFER POWER
Appliances that use the most electrical current, such as handheld hair dryers, emit the highest levels of ELF radiation. But even small appliances, such as coffeemakers, produce some.
Important: ELF fields are strongest at the point where the electrical wires enter the device. The fields diminish to almost nothing within a foot or two.
To test electromagnetic radiation around your appliances: Use a gauss meter—available online for about $150 to $500.
Important: ELF fields are directional—if you hold the meter to the right of a washing machine, for example, the reading might be zero, but it may be much higher a foot to the left.
For accurate readings, test in different locations around the electrical appliance within a radius of a few feet.
Electrical wiring in the walls also can be an issue.
What I’ve found: In my son’s bedroom, most of the wiring that carries electricity to lights and electrical outlets is in one of the walls.
When we tested with a gauss meter, the EMFs were highest near his bed, so we moved his bed to the other side of the room.
In general, electrical wiring in walls generates high ELF only when the current is flowing or there is a ground current created by faulty wiring.
However, the ELF exposure from wiring adds to the total exposure from appliances.
To reduce exposure…
Don’t linger near appliances when they’re running. Even though the ELF levels are typically highest at the back of an appliance where the electrical cord plugs in, the magnetic field directly in front of a typical washing machine can reach 20 mG.
You’ll be exposed to only normal background levels by moving a foot or two away.
Important: Even the best microwave ovens leak some of the radiation they use to heat the food, so stand at least four feet away from the front of the oven when it’s running.
Microwave ovens also produce high levels of ELF electromagnetic radiation from the electricity used to power the oven, so there’s a double risk.
Towel-dry your hair. Hair dryers are among the most dangerous sources of magnetic fields because they use a lot of power and the motor/heater is held close to the head.
Although using a low-fan and/or low-heat setting helps some, it’s better to avoid hair dryers altogether.
If towel-drying is not convenient, consider using a low-EMF hair dryer such as the Chi Ceramic Low EMF Ionic Hair Dryer available for about $100 online…or a low-EMF wall-mounted hair dryer for $89.95 from the EMF
Safety Superstore, http://www.Lessemf.com.
Use the electric blanket before you get into bed. Electric blankets don’t draw a lot of electrical current, but they expose your entire body to ELF radiation for the entire night if you leave them on.
If you want a warm bed, turn on the blanket half an hour before bedtime, then turn it off when you get into bed.
Get a new bedside clock. Old-style alarm clocks—analog clocks with lighted dials—produce surprisingly high levels of electromagnetic radiation.
My advice: Get a digital bedside clock, which emits almost no ELF.
Throw out your cordless phones. Cordless phones emit electromagnetic radiation whether or not they are being used.
That’s why I recommend replacing cordless phones with corded phones.
SAFER COMPUTER USE
Most computers give off electro-magnetic radiation. If you use a desktop model, position it toward the back of your desk.
Most monitors, which produce lower levels of electromagnetic radiation than computers, have conductive screens to block the ELF exposure.
But it’s still wise to position your monitor as far away from you as possible.
What I’ve found: I once measured the fields near my secretary’s desk. The reading was about 10 mG, which is extremely high.
I realized that the high-powered electrical wiring used by the computer was behind the wall closest to her. We had to move her desk 10 feet to get out of range.
Also, virtually every modern computer (including laptops) is designed to receive wireless signals.
If you have a wireless router, which connects to a cable and wirelessly “routes” this connection to one or more computers in your home, your exposure to electromagnetic radiation is constant.
To be safer…
Hardwire the computer to the modem. Use cables to connect computers to your modem rather than using a wireless signal, so you can forgo the router.
If more than one person uses a computer at home, however, this approach may not be practical.
Turn off the router when it’s not in use.
If you do use a router, turn it on only when you need the signal for using the Internet, streaming video to the TV, etc.
Disable Wi-Fi settings on your computer if you don’t use a router.
Otherwise, the computer—or any device that operates wirelessly, such as some printers—will constantly emit electromagnetic radiation as it tries to find the nearest wireless source.
Shut down your computer when it’s not in use to reduce ELF radiation in your home.
*A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries analyzed peer-reviewed studies before classifying radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from wireless cell phones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” based on an increased risk for glioma, a type of brain cancer.
Source: David O. Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment and a professor of environmental health and toxicology at the University at Albany, New York.
He is a member of the editorial board of Environmental Health Perspectives, published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and an editorial adviser for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:21 am
It is my belief that this new being is the cause of many of the huge natural events that we aliens have been tracking over the past 80 million years.
Today we get to research something extraordinary. We will follow this event scientifically. Solar Flares have been in its wake over trillions of miles.
Many inhabited worlds have experienced huge supernatural events in their solar systems as it has passed through or lingered for a while in their solar system or planet.
Now it is on earth. What events can we expect?
March 8th, 2012 at 9:24 am
I wonder if the British could come to the aid of American women who are subjected to slander over the airwaves and invited to perform in sex tapes for speaking out about their desire to see birth control made available through their insurance program.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:25 am
Happy Women’s Day! This is sucha positive article about the govt taking all violence among women seriously. Its also national stalker awareness month fyi! interesting.. enjoy the day :)
March 8th, 2012 at 9:26 am
In addressing violence against women there has to be a massive effort at presenting a new paradigm of what it means to be masculine, on religious, cultural and psychological grounds.
Religion has been one of the most virulent foundations for violence against women, and men are seen as the ultimate authority on all levels of society.
Culturally men in every country, including western countries, remain stuck in identifying their manhood with their sexual power.
Psychologically, we remain attached to the “john wayne syndrome” of proving our manhood…independent, self-reliant, dominant, protector of the weak (aka feminine), emotionally unavailable.
A new paradigm that will impact men, gay, straight, bi, trans, will release the old, volatile stigma around being emotionally literate and available,
for it is in the expression of our emotions that we will find our authenticity, including that of women (why are Barbie Dolls still being made?).
Men are filled with elements of “shame”, and rage is a consequence!
March 8th, 2012 at 9:29 am
It is time for UN to stop allowing Muslim regimes with sharia membership in UN until they reform their medieval evil laws based on Koranic and hadith teachings which include misogyny, slavery and other legally sanctioned abuse.
Saudis beheaded a “witch” last December, they regularly lash and stone women for driving or not wearing hijab, they murder women for “adultery” or blasphemy, etc.
In addition, Islam condones pedophilia and polygamy.
Mohamed married Aisha, one of his 12 wives, when she was 6 and he was 51. He had sex with her when she was 9 y old girl and he was 54!
What kind of say did this poor Aisha have in choice of her husband?
Same is happening now in Gaza, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and most Muslim countries.
In Muslim communities in Great Britain, Canada, US and Australia where “honor” murders of women are rapidly rising with the number of Muslims allowed to immigrate into Western societies, where they bring their medieval evil sharia, rather then respect for human rights of women..
Sharia is incompatible with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and needs to be abolished as a relic from dark ages!
March 8th, 2012 at 9:33 am
India, where I live is the largest country guilty of these crimes, India is 80% hindu and not muslim and has a population of over 1.2 billion.
The muslim country that is the worse regarding women’s rights is Saudi Arabia. The religion there is much like the Mormon cult was before it was forced to tone down some of their abuses of women.
Romney was “promised” his wife when she was 15. The word promised could just as easily be used as married.
Malati
March 8th, 2012 at 9:35 am
We have politicians openly attacking mothers, and their children, and pretending they’re protecting these same mothers and children from someone.
You see the same thing going on in the Middle East where our greatest ally there is Saudi Arabia where women can’t drive cars. None of these politicians seem to be able to spell HYPOCRISY.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:37 am
What is evident is a strong racial agenda rather than one that is balanced in accepting our own failures.
Our own backyards are littered with the failure of society to deal with the all common issue of violence against women.
So what is addressed are issues that have a strong alternative cultural significance, such as banning Islamic coverings in the name of human rights.
That is not as important as the woman being beaten.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:40 am
Michelle thanks for staying with women in every country and in our need. A woman caught up in conflict in Eastern Congo dreads being raped. A girl in the Horn of Africa is forced into genital mutilation.
You keep the message alive.
Love
Kianara
March 8th, 2012 at 9:40 am
RobertRt, I can only tell you that while it may seem that white on right women are spouting GOP candidate nonsense, one can only hope they get it (in that way described above : ) and they also ‘get it’ when it comes time to place the vote that matters, never mind what they’ve been indoctrinated to believe…if they are stopping to read here and/or finally doing some research on their own instead of listening to FOX new bytes and their white boy ‘protecters’ – maybe there’s a chance for us all. Let’s hope so. It must be fun for you to show a white woman the new ropes, good for you and for the lovely ladies, and I mean that.
Mischa, I’m sporting the red lips and going out to buy some flowers for some of my peeps, have to work 11-11 so not much time to get that done, catch you all on the flip side.
Luv, Zen Lill
March 8th, 2012 at 9:41 am
In the US violence against women (really violence in general) is also a very real problem.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Ending violence against women and girls should be a priority for all governments.
Michelle your are challenging the behind-closed-doors mentality and shining a light under the rocks to root out violence and intimidation wherever it is happening, America and abroad”
Thank you for your diligence. You are hot and a magnet for anyone looking for intelligence wrapped in delicate package.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:47 am
Let’s not start kissing Michelle’s ass just yet. Many of her articles are biased against men and she is known for blaming all of societies ills on men.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Ditto Herman.
How many women commit violence on their female lovers”
How many women commit violence on their children daily
How many women commit violence on their male partners
More than Michelle is willing to admit.
March 8th, 2012 at 9:51 am
Hello Luc: (#5 yesterday)
The ailens in craft have left the earth’s orbit but are still hanging around the fringe of our solar system because of their curiosity.
You were correct. The being who “Landed with a thud” and will be here planet-hopping for the next 4 months has the same powers as Carr.
Who could possibly have the same power as Carr? It must be one of three entities. Carr or one of his other two brothers.
This one likes to come in with flair.
There will be an unprecedented number of natural events on earth and many of them will be much more severe than ever before. They will be unprecedented.
This is what he likes to do. Who is going to stop him?
HOWIE
March 8th, 2012 at 9:59 am
This violence you, MK and Clark are referring to is miniscule compared to violence against women by men.
Stop creating straw men – when this world starts dealing with male rage we will have advanced considerably.
March 8th, 2012 at 10:01 am
Howie is back!
You are the man.
March 8th, 2012 at 11:04 am
Happy International Womens Day! We rock!!!
For my other family, the Tennessee legislature is at it again. But, its okay to be Takai! Love him.
http://vimeo.com/38068014
/SB
March 8th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
SB, thank you for sharing Takai’s ‘segment’ to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
March 9th, 2012 at 6:42 am
Social Butterfly, that was most excellent, thank you! – ZL
March 9th, 2012 at 7:17 am
How can a man know what a woman’s life is? His life and body are always the same.
The woman conceives. As a mother she is another person from the woman without child. She carries the fruit of the night for nine months long in her body.
Something grows. She is a mother.
Something grows into her life that never again departs from it. She is and remains a mother even if her child dies.
For at one time she carried the child under her heart. And it does not go out of her heart ever again.
All this the man does not know. He knows nothing. He does not know the difference before love and after love, before motherhood and after motherhood. He can know nothing.
Only a woman can know that and speak of that. That is why we won’t be told WHAT to do by our husbands.” –
Ethiopian Woman
March 9th, 2012 at 7:26 am
Back in the 1970′s if you asked someone if they took vitamins, they would say, “yes, I take vitamin E.
Most of the vitamin E at the time was made from wheat as wheat germ oil and wheat germ because it was/is an excellent source of Vitamin E and Folic Acid.
In the 1980′s there was a lot of talk that vitamin E would help prevent Alzheimer’s and studies proved this to be true.
About that time Soy started getting more popular with their veggie burgers, tofu and other foods. Today, it is used in most packaged processed foods.
We can talk about GMO soy and non GMO soy all we want, but we need to look at the history of soy to fully understand the reason for “not using unfermented soy”, at all”, as a food.
We also need to look at how soy oil is made, for if we did, we would see the harmful chemicals that are used to make soy oil it’s appealing color.
In either case it is detrimental to animal and human health.
The Chinese use soy as a fertilizer to put more nitrogen into the soil. According to history, they did this for 1000 years, before they learned to ferment soy approx. 3500 years ago in 1482 BC.
Prior to that it “was not used as a food”. They had plenty of slaves, prisoners, and pe’on’s to test this theory and time and again knew that “Unfermented soy was bad for animal and human health.”
Here is what we know today; High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.
Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer.
In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and increase the body’s requirement for B12. Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.
This is a small tidbit of the reasons not to eat soy, especially unfermented, and GMOoo da.
March 9th, 2012 at 7:34 am
BEETS FOR SALE
Come gather around, good neighbors; there’s glorious news to tell–
Here’s a wagonload of beetroots I’ve come to town to sell.
And if you’ll be my customers, They’ll please you very, very well!
My First customer was a Titled man’s lady, with a driver to open her door.
She said I’ll take one, nine inches long with a nice four inch bore.
Then she smiled and said, “If his works, “For sure, I’ll be back for more.
My Second customer was the new King of Pop’s wife, as pretty as you please.
And she would have a little one she said, to give herself a tiny bit of ease.
For her husband’s, though very pleasing, his organ did dangle to his knees.
My Third customer was a corporate head’s wife, all decked out in Chanel.
She said, ” a dozen please, four inches or more.” and then I heard her yell
“He tries so hard and so often, but I’ll need one of these to ring my bell.”
My Fourth customer was the town moralist’s wife, and god was she mean.
Demanding for the largest one that ever yet was seen.
For she’d been teased with little ones since she was scarce fifteen.
My Fifth customer was the sailor’s wife, a very fine thing, and oh so very tall.
She said “fuck the roots, I hire your well hung helper who answers to Paul
To help me keep my home fires burning while hubby’s off sailing this Fall.
My Sixth customer was a republican’s wife, an expert at being coy.
She started with five bushels and then said “I’ll take them all, God knows I need the joy.
My husband gets his from a gay escort service and a certain neighborhood preacher named Roy.
The last was a pretty little miss, who asked, What have you left in your cart?”.
And when she heard my roots were sold, It seemed to break her heart.
“Pray, give me leave,” says she, don’t fret I said, “I’m here to do my part.
Guill