All wars are intimate. For women whose bodies have become battlegrounds in the struggle for reproductive freedom, the intimacy is profound. In the U.S. where the rise of the fundamentalist right has resulted in extensive attempts at creative new restrictions on women’s rights to Moscow, where an American style anti-choice movement has emerged, the struggle [...]
Archive | August, 2011
Leadership Secrets for Women, From Congresswoman Jane Harman
“Leadership is inside out. You can’t take a poll to find out what you believe in.” Watch this video to learn more about former Congresswoman Jane Harman’s lessons learned about women and leadership after serving nine terms in the US House of Representatives!
Talking With Kathryn Bolkovac About The Whistleblower
After seeing (and reviewing) The Whistleblower, I contacted Kathryn Bolkovac, whose story is the basis of the movie, and interviewed her. Her answers speak for themselves, but also give such a sense of her persona, grit and determination. FOSTER: You were faced with a situation where the people you worked with were engaged in something [...]
Is Michele Bachmann Crazy? Am I?
I’m a firm believer that everything in life is a reflection of the conversations that exist between people, groups, communities, and society at large. Things – whether tangible or not – have their origins in language, exist in cultures, and permeate society through conversation. This is evident in fashion trends, viral videos, binding acts such [...]
What about this weekend
Reading Materials The latest novel The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam is happening in Bangladesh during the 1979s and 1980s. The author is describing the different ways Maya and Sohail survive the war and the ensuing Mujib dictatorship. A worth reading novel of one of the most interesting characters of our century. For more information [...]
Why – and How – To Get Political Internships So You Can Get Off the Sidelines
One way to start getting off the sidelines if you are early in your career is an internship with a Congressional office or campaign. While most of what you do won’t be very glamorous, they’re all the things that everyone says about internships—you get your foot in the door, you meet people, you learn how [...]
What Is Your Beauty Worth to You?
Oh, beauty industry. Every time I interact with you, it’s because you’ve developed some new and exciting product that will supposedly revolutionize my life. Usually by solving a problem that I didn’t know existed. This week, I heard about the eyelash thickener Latisse when I saw an ad at the optometrist. The next day, I [...]
Top 25 Female Athletes
This week GQ came out with its “25 Coolest Athletes Ever” list. Apparently everyone worth being on this list was male (as Dave Zirin pointed out in the Nation)! I realize this is a men’s magazine. And not just any men’s magazine, but one that evicts a cigar smoking, back room gathering, manly men [...]
Did You Hear About the Rear Admiral?
It happened months ago, and yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t yet heard. With the distressed economy at home and the political unrest abroad, it would have been an easy announcement to miss. But it shouldn’t have been. This past June, Rear Admiral Sandra L. Stosz became the [...]
“Gloria: In Her Own Words” — A Life in Activism
Gloria Steinem has frequently spoken about the importance of sharing stories, using the imagery of communicating oral narratives around an ancient campfire. She has done that with her own personal history in the HBO documentary, Gloria: In Her Own Words. Responding to questions asked by director Peter Kunhardt and co-producer Sheila Nevins, Steinem has added depth to readily [...]