Ann's Scribbles

I'm still here

2011-08-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this website in ages but you can follow my articles on The Ballard News-Tribune and The Riding Reporter websites.

Pedaling our way to equality

2011-03-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

In honor of International Women's Day and Women's History month here's a little blurb about women in cycling history:

Courtesy of researchnews.osu.edu

In the last few years, bicycle commuting and riding single-speed bikes have become a real fad for men and women alike in many cities around the U.S. but especially in Portland and Seattle. This American bicycling fad is not unlike the original bike craze of the 1880s through early 1900s.

It was during that time that Susan B. Anthony made her famous statement crediting the bicycle for being the vehicle of emancipation of women.

"The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world," she said 1896, a time when the bicycle craze was changing the perception of women's exercise, dress and mobility.

In a way, bicycling freed women. It gave them unprecedented mobility as they could pedal away from home and see parts of town and the countryside previously only seen from a carriage.

With their own bodily strength, they controlled their path and could feel the freedom of the fresh wind against their faces even if it was for just a leisurely afternoon ride.

Women got organized and created bicycling groups and since bicycling was impossible with the restrictive garments women wore at that time, the bicycling movement made way for less layers, shorter skirts and even athletic bloomers.

The unladylike clothing, positioning on the bike, and physical exercise of course didn't come without social condemnation at first but bicycling women persevered.

Recognizing women in the bike racing sport however, would take almost another hundred years.

For men, cycling was introduced as an official Olympic event in 1896 but women didn't get a chance to compete in cycling at the Olympic Games until 1984.

That same year, The Grande Boucle (formerly Tour Cycliste Féminin") was established. Le Tour Cycliste Féminin was to serve as the women's equivalent of cycling's biggest event, Le Tour de France.

But while the Tour de France bring out millions of viewers and billions of dollars, organizers of the Grande Boucle have had to scramble for sponsorship nearly every year and some years, organizational difficulties have led to fewer stages, changes in locations or the event fell through all together.

But despite the gender inequalities all too common in sports, biking is more popular than ever among women.

It's been a while...

2011-01-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

While I have been writing A LOT lately, none of it has appeared on here. Being a full-time journalists requires a few more hours than your average full-time job. I absolutely love it but unfortunately, it has left with too little free time to write on this blog. So to make up for my absence, I am going to share some of my favorite articles I've written for the Ballard News-Tribune thus far (in no particular order).

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Ballard-native brings fun and frivolity to Teatro ZinZanni

By Anne-Marije Rook

2010-11-26

There are many talents at Teatro ZinZanni but there’s one who stands out for being equally loved by the audience as she is feared and that’s Ballard’s very own Christine Deaver.

Born and raised in Ballard, Deaver now lives in Los Angeles and works as as an actor, singer, writer, director and voiceover artist. For four months out of the year she comes back to her hometown and performs under the Spiegeltent at Teatro ZinZanni.

In the current production “Hearts on Fire”, Deaver performs as three hilarious and salascious characters.

“I developed three different characters and the umbrella of the characters is that she’s considered the spirit of the party and her overall goal is to bring fun and frivolity to the tent,” Deaver said.

The characters are Penelope Wilde, a crazy psychic; Voluptuous Panic, a German dominatrix; and Juliet in search of Romeo through a game called Elizabethian Elimidates.

“ZinZanni is Cirque the Soleil meet Moulin Rouge,” said Deaver.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘I’m dying of cancer and I haven’t laughed so hard in the last year’ or ‘My husband just left me and for one night you made me forget all that.’ That’s the power of entertainment and the power of laughter. It’s a much needed necessity, I think.”

Deaver knew she wanted to be an entertainer ever since she was a young child.

“I remember my parents taking me to the Elks Club and seeing a Top 40 band. I was mesmerized and I remember thinking, ‘When I grow up, I want to be a night club act’,” she said.

Continue reading, here.

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SLIDESHOW: 777 Cyclocross Racers Compete in Woodland Park

By Anne-Marije Rook

2010-11-15

Photo by Anne-Marije Rook.

On Sunday Woodland Park was transformed into a long, muddy and windy course for the final MFG cyclocross event of the season.

The Woodland Park Grand Prix race is the biggest event of the MFG series with 777 registered racers and around 1,000 spectators.

Originated in Belgium, Cyclocross is a form of bicycle racing which takes place on wooded trails and muddy passes with steep hills, sharp corners and lots of muck. Often the racer is required to dismount from their bike and run across obstacles while carrying the bike. The races are between 30 to 60 minutes in lengths and take place in fall and early winter. Given its origin in Belgium, beer plays a big role after (and sometimes during) the events. Often beer is given out as a price to those who win in the various categories.

The Woodland Park GP was no exception. Twenty lucky pre-registered racers were awarded 6-packs of Deschutes Black Butte Porter or Inversion IPA.

Continue reading and see the slideshow, here.

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Snow Day in Seattle
The season's first snow fell on November 22, 2010, Schools were cancelled and here's how kids spent their day instead:

Photo by Anne-Marije Rook

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UW will win the Apple Cup

Woodland Park Zoo elephant predicts

By Anne-Marije Rook

2010-12-02

Photo by Anne-Marije Rook

At 2 p.m. today, Chai, the Asian elephant at the Woodland Park Zoo predicted that the University of Washington Huskies will win the Apple Cup.

Given the choice between a box of apples gift-wrapped in crimson and gray or purple and gold, Chai without hesitation headed straight for the purple box featuring the big W.

Once she finished her box of UW apples, Chai continued to eat all the apples in the WSU box. She then proceeded to trample both boxes and played with the hay.

What that in indicates is unsure though UW fans are surely hoping for a crushing victory.

The pachyderm prediction is a part of the zoo’s special Apple Cup admission discount.

Continue reading and see the slideshow, here.

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SLIDESHOW: Lenin is Lit

By Anne-Marije Rook

2010-12-04

Photo by Anne-Marije Rook

To kick off the holiday season, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce held it's popular Lighting of the Lenin statue festivities last night.

"Lighting a tree isn't Fremont. Lighting a communist tyrant, now that is Fremont,"announced Kirby Lindsay, the MC for the night, while a crowd anticipated the lighting of the famous Fremont Lenin statue.

"We're multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and possibly, multi-offensive this year," said Lindsay. The statue of the famous Russian communist is adorned with a big David's Star around his head and the word "Christmas" around his chest.

"We've been doing this since we found out that a tree would cost $10,000." said Susie Burke laughing before leading the crowd in a sing-along-song.

The festivities in Lenin Square included live music from Rabbit Stew String Band, free refreshment from Peet's coffee, Mighty-O Donuts and Pie.

Santa was also present and had the honor of flipping the switch to illuminate the statue.

Continue reading and see the slideshow, here.

World Aids Day

2010-12-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

As appeared in The Ballard News-Tribune:

World AIDS Day
White men ages 35 or older account for the most new HIV diagnoses in Washington
By Anne-Marije Rook
2010-12-01

World Aids Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the AIDS pandemic and the spread of HIV infection. More importantly, it’s a day to encourage people to get tested.
According to UNAIDS reports, AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007 and an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide live with HIV.
The good news is that according to a new UNAIDS report, the epidemic has stabilized. Thanks to global HIV prevention efforts, the number of new infections is falling, as are AIDS-related deaths. Overall, 33 countries have seen their infection rate drop by more than 25% between 2001 and 2009.
The Washington State Department of Health reports that as of December 2007, 12,099 people had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Washington, around 64 percent of whom reside in King County. HIV disease has been a contributing factor in deaths of more than 5,400 people in Washington since the epidemic began.
But statewide, the course of the HIV epidemic has been stable in recent years. Between 2003 and 2007, DOH observed about 570 new HIV diagnoses per year, which is equivalent to 9.3 new cases per 100,000 residents per year.
Most new HIV diagnoses in Washington are in caucasian men. Eighty-four percent of all HIV cases diagnosed between 2003 and 2007 were male. Blacks account for only four percent of the state’s population, but they comprise nearly one in five new HIV cases.
While more than half of all new HIV diagnoses during 2003-2007 occurred among adults ages 35 and older, the proportion of new cases diagnosed below the age of 25 has increased in recent years.
If these statistics say anything, it's to engage in safe sex and get tested.

New Jay-Oh-Bee

2010-11-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers,

Starting Monday, Nov. 15, I will be the new web editor, lead reporter and photographer at the Ballard News-Tribune.

This means a whole lot more writing for me and I'm very excited to tell Ballard's story.

The website can be found at www.ballardnewstribune.com and you can pick up the print edition once a week if you're in the area.

Please follow the Ballard News-Tribune on Facebook and Twitter and for news tips, questions, comments, press releases and calendar items you can contact me at anner@robinsonnews.com.

Sad news for the newspaper business

2010-11-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

http://pcspeed.net/twitters-pc-spee/

Earlier this week, the Business Insider reported that Twitter is now worth about as much as The New York Times (NYT). Twitter's common stock now trades at a roughly $1.6 billion while the New York Times' market capitalization is at about $1.1 billion. It’s a sad sign of the decline of print media and the rise of new media.

This comes two months after New York Times publisher and chairman Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., revealed that he expects the Gray Lady to go out of print sometime in the future. For a struggling freelance journalist such as myself this is sad news.

My Halloween Costume

2010-11-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Pacific Science Center's Harry Potter Exhibition is magic

2010-10-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

If you ever wished to go to Hogwarts, to be sorted by the sorting hat, to throw a quaffle, or to see Buckbeak and Dobby, now is your chance.

Bridging the gap between our muggle world and the wizarding world, Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which opened Saturday (Oct. 23), displays over 200 costumes and props from the famous Harry Potter movies.

Thursday night at the preview party, lucky fans were the first to experience the magic at the Pacific Science Center. Visitors, some dressed up as their favorite Harry Potter characters, were welcomed in the first room by a familiar raggedy old pointy hat. A few brave volunteers eagerly tried on the sorting hat, which after a few seconds of pondering would come to a conclusion and bellow, “Ravenclaw!" "Slytherin!" "Huffelpuff!" or Griffyndor!”, dividing the volunteers based on their intelligence, slyness, loyalty, or bravery.

Down the hall, the billowing steam of the just-arrived Hogwarts Express welcomed them into the exhibition. What follows is a tour through the Hogwarts dormitories, the Great Hall, Hagrid’s cabin, and the Forbidden Forest. Visitors can test their quidditch skills by tossing quaffles through hoops, can pull mandrakes in Professor Sprout’s herbology lesson, and observe the hatching of a dragon egg while sitting in Hagrid’s massive chair.

Props and costumes from all the movies are on display, including Harry’s wand and glasses, Dumbledore’s glamorous robes, Professor Trelawney’s crystal ball, the Triward Cup and dress robes worn by the actors in The Goblet of Fire, and the marauder’s map. Some are big in size, such as the Wizard Chess pieces from "The Philosopher’s Stone" and Professor Lupin’s boggart’s closet from "The Prisoner of Azkaban." Others, like the golden snitch and Hermione’s time-turner necklace, are fine and detailed.

Physical models of digital characters like the house elves Dobby and Kreacher, Buckbeak the hippogriff, the Hungarian horntail dragon and a scary dementor are on display as well .

The exhibition gives fans a preview of what to expect in the seventh movie, opening in theaters Nov. 19. Rita Skeeter’s biography of Dumbledore is on display as is Slytherin’s locket and a decoy detector.

Through comments by the set and costume designers, the audio guide gives visitors an impression of just how much detail and precision goes into movie costumes and props.

The last stop is the gift shop, where visitors can buy their very own Olivander’s wand, marauder’s map, or quills.

The 10,000 square-foot exhibit was previously on display in Chicago, Boston, and Ontario and Seattle is the last stop in the U.S. The exhibition will be at the Science Center through Jan. 30.

Anne-Marije Rook is a freelance journalist new to the Seattle area. She has previously written in Idaho and Europe.

Bicycling Seattle: Comparison with Amsterdam can be favorable

2010-10-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

A local writer who hails from The Netherlands finds that, in some ways, bicycling in Seattle has advantages over her native land. And the rainy weather is similar.

By Anne-Marije Rook

It's early on a weekday morning and I'm looking out the window gauging the weather. Darkness is fading and light casts an orange glow in the east. It looks cold but clear. Every dry day is like a blessing. I put on a coat, strap on my shoes and slip on some gloves. In the garage I roll up my pant legs, put on a helmet and I'm ready to go — the morning routine of bicycle commuter.

I have done this every morning for most of my life, ever since I was 6 years old and learned how to ride a bike properly without training wheels. I hail from The Netherlands , a country where there are more bikes than people and more than a quarter of all journeys in the country are made by bike, according to the Dutch Cycling Council. The Netherlands is unparalleled in its bicycle ownership and usage in the Western World with its segregated bicycle lanes and general biking infrastructure, so perhaps my fondness of biking was in my blood.

While this time last year I was cruising the flat red bike paths of Amsterdam, I am now taking on the hills of Seattle. While the two cities differ greatly in landscape, they have many similarities. The rainy weather and bikeability are two of them. Seattle's bike friendliness — worthy of a fourth place in Bicycle Magazine’s ranking of the nation’s most bike-friendly cities — was definitely one of the factors that drew me to this city.
Seattle is undeniably a leader in bikeability in the U.S., and it might even be on the right track in becoming an international competitor as well but it has a long way to go. While more bicycle lanes and bicycle parking are necessary, the city’s real challenge lies in balancing the push to increase bicycle commuting and public transportation usage while appeasing the automobile drivers.

As Hubert G. Locke showed in a recent article, "Beep-beep: a car-user’s manifesto," the city’s alternative transportation agenda is being pushed onto the Seattlites too quickly and with little concern for car users, creating a counterintuitive attitude towards biking.

The difference between biking in Amsterdam and biking in Seattle is that in Amsterdam, biking has always been in its culture. Here, bicycle commuting has only recently began trending.
In Amsterdam, biking culture was in place before the usage of cars, and the city’s infrastructure is simply incapable of dealing with the car congestion. It has made it possible for cars and bikes to live side-by-side, in a segregated but equal manner.

The majority of the bike lanes in Amsterdam are segregated from the street by thick white lines and red painting or even by bollards and curbs. Parking garages specifically for bikes stand next to train stations to allow commuters to continue their commute on bike in the city.

Amsterdam is often praised for being the world’s most bike friendly city but it doesn’t come without sacrifice or dangers. Most of the its downtown core is inaccessible to cars — it’s foot or bike only — and people are discouraged from using their cars. It has some of the highest parking fees in the world. A survey by Colliers International showed that it will cost you around $70 to park a car all day in central Amsterdam. Compared to that, Mayor Mike McGinn’s proposal to boost on-street parking rates to $4 an hour isn’t so bad.

Where Amsterdam is unparalleled in its bicycle usage, it’s also unparalleled in its bicycle theft and vandalism. You will see absolutely no one commuting on the expensive clipless-pedal road bikes you see throughout Seattle. They wouldn’t last one afternoon in Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam you’re best off to buy the oldest looking, shabby, upright grandma bike you can find and pay more money for a decent lock than for the bike itself. Because biking is a necessity in the city to get around, bikes have become a commodity for black market dealers and drug addicts. In 2005, around 54,000 bicycles were stolen in Amsterdam and annually some 6,000 bikes are fished out of the various bodies of water.

In Amsterdam, I commuted on a decent street bike and protected it well with two locks, one for the front wheel and frame and one for the back wheel. I was lucky that for the seven months I commuted on that bike the worst that happened was to return to my bike one day to find it without a seat. On a different day, I left it locked but unattended for two hours and found it without lights.

The Amsterdam bike paths aren’t the safest either. They may be segregated from cars, but you still find yourself dodging other bikers, crossing pedestrians, joggers, scooters, pigeons and geese, loose cobblestones, and the occasional motorcycle. And most dangerous of all, tourists on bikes.

CONTINUED >>>>>

Biking in Seattle is, in a lot of ways, nicer than in Amsterdam. I ride a road bike of my choice and I’m happy that I can lock it to a bike rack downtown without having to worry about getting it, or parts of it, stolen. I love greeting other commuters and Seattle has a really nice cycling community. Seattle is a great city to incorporate bicycle commuting into your daily life.

The city is relatively small and dense, which means that most trips out of the house are under 10 miles.  The weather is wet but mild. Many businesses have showers or locker rooms available for its employees to change and freshen up before work. There are bike racks all over town.  And any bike with a few gears will enable you to take on the hills.

So if the majority of your trips are under 10 miles and you’re physically able to ride a bike, I see no reason why one would drive.  Bicycle commuting benefits the global climate, eases the city’s traffic congestion, saves money and time, and it improves your health.

Understandably, the biggest concern people have is safety. Cyclists zig-zagging in and out of traffic and inattentive car drivers cutting off cyclists are dangerous and irresponsible. Seattle only has so many streets, and in order to safely share these streets, cars need to respect cyclists by giving them space and cyclists need to act like a car and adhere to the same rules. Whatever disagreements people have regarding the cities’ pro-biking agenda need to stay in the city council or on the ballots and not be decided on the streets.

In the Netherlands bike rules and safety are part of the school curriculum as many field trips are done on bikes. While this is not the case here, there are still resources available. Organizations like REI, Cascade Bicycle Club and Cycle U offer great classes on bicycling safety, rules, routes, and  bicycle maintenance.

As Locke mentioned, the bicycle commuter demographic in Seattle tends to be on the younger side, but that shouldn’t intimidate or discourage anyone. On the contrary, I think it’s encouraging to see the younger demographic embrace biking the way it has. I think it’s mistaken to interpret this biking trend as shunning the Industrial Era past. I see it more as stepping up to deal with the task that’s been handed down to us. While Locke and his generation grew up with a reverence for the automobile industry, we’re stuck with trying to curb its detrimental environmental impacts.

The environment aside, bicycle commuting is popular with the younger demographic due to the sheer fact that we’re broke.  Between having to pay off our student loans and having a hard time finding a decent job in this economy, we've learned that a car is a privilege and it’s unnecessary for trips in and around the city.

For the majority of my trips, it’s actually faster to bike than driving or taking public transportation. Plus, young and old alike can benefit from a little extra low-impact exercise and some more fresh air every day. Incorporating biking into your daily life is by far the easiest, most enjoyable, and most practical way to live a healthier lifestyle.

However, as Mayor McGinn is experiencing, lifestyle changes cannot be forced onto people and need to be taken one step — or one pedal stroke — at a time. But the best way of shaking old habits is by trying on new ones. Biking is good for the planet, good for your wallet, and good for you. If you can physically handle it, all you need to do is put on a helmet, roll up your pant leg, and go!

You Know You're an Avid Bicycle Commuter When...

2010-10-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

...you have a permanent chain stain on your legs and pants.

My right leg after Tour de Whidbey

The Most Touching "It Gets Better Video" I've seen

2010-10-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

In recognition of the recent suicides of LGBT teens, Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns gave a very touching speech at a city council meeting earlier this week. Grab a tissue, watch it and share it.

To watch all It Get's Better videos go to http://www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject

Breast Cancer is not sexy

2010-10-08T10:48:00.001-07:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and to draw attention to breast cancer research, there’s a grassroots campaign on Facebook where women unite by collectively changing their Facebook statuses.

Last year’s game was to update your status to the color of the bra you were wearing at the moment. The purpose was to increase awareness of October Breast Cancer Awareness month and it was claimed to have been a “tremendous success and had men wondering for days what was with the colors.”

This year's status game has to do with women's handbags or purses and where women put their handbags the moment they get home. Women are encouraged to set their statuses to "I like it on the couch", "I like it on the kitchen counter", "I like it on the dresser", etc and not let men in on the game. The sexual innuendo of “the game” is suppose to get attention, particularly the attention of men.

While it has successfully gotten the attention of the media, I have a real issue with this. My mother had a double mastectomy a few months ago and let me tell you, there’s nothing sexy about boobs when they’re threatening your life.

There has always been way too much emphasize placed on breasts - the size, the shape, the color, the nipples, etc – when it comes to a woman’s sexiness and beauty. To be making disgusting amounts of money of women’s insecurities about their breasts is one thing, but to endanger one’s life by trying to save them is another. And that is happening in this increasingly superficial society. Far too many women are opting out on having the necessary mastectomies (preventative or not) and choosing for serious doses of chemo and radiation instead in an attempt to save their breasts. Frequently, that choice, after a brutal struggle with chemo and/or radiation, becomes a fatal mistake.

Raising awareness by the means of a sexual innuendo (funny as it may be) only perpetuates the notion that boobs are sexy. Sure, in the appropriate setting boobs can be sexy and yes, breast cancer research is incredibly important but do we have to sexualize everything? Even cancer? In the United States alone, breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 175,000 women and kills about 50,000 each year. Breast cancer research should be about saving women’s lives not to keep women sexy.

And that is why I am not participating in the "I like it on" campaign.

New Blog Series

2010-10-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

A month are so ago I was having a drink with my new friend Diueine . We were chatting about our experiences of being new to Seattle and coming from diverse cultures. Diueine is Brazilian and I’m from Europe. While we are from opposite sides of the world we still have a lot in common. A love for languages and good food are two of them. So I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to explore Seattle and its diversity through its variety of cuisines? Diueine liked the idea and we’re now embarking on a food adventure, trying out a new culture each time. You can read all about it right here in a series titled "Eating and Drinking Our Way through Seattle".

Food Adventure #1: German Pub

Feierabend

On the night when I got the idea to start this blog Diueine and I were standing outside an extremely crowded pub for happy hour. We decided to go to Feierabend due to our shared interest in the German language and culture, our appreciation for good beer and the tavern’s close proximity to our work.

Feierabend is a German pub in South Lake Union with a mission to bring a taste of Germany to Seattle. They have the largest selection of German imported beers on the West Coast and serve tasty German pub food. The owner, Chris Navarra, also owns three other German pubs in Seattle.

As rain drizzled down Diueine and I squeezed our way to the packed space and towards the bar. To pick a beer is no easy task with 18 beers vom Fass (on tap). We order the Paulaner and a Bitburger (Bitte ein Bit!). There was absolutely no seating available so once we got our beers we squeezed our way back out to join the other waiting people outside.

We stood outside, talked and finished our beers. By the time we received our second round of beer - this time Spaten - we made our way back in and found a friendly group of people who, in German fashion, invited us to share their table.

One of our new acquaintances bore an uncanny resemblance to Patrick Stewart. When I pointed this out to him he said he’s heard that so often that he once considered contacting the actor and offer to play his son or doppelganger in a movie.

The woman who we shared a table with was unfamiliar with German beers and asked for suggestions. She said she likes Hefeweizen so Diueine and I suggested she would try the Franziskaner Weissbier – a light, refreshing wheat ale with a subtle clove aroma and hints of banana and spice. She liked it.

When we ordered our third beer I figured I’d better order some food to go with it. Not feeling like a big schnitzel or Schweinhax (ham hock), Diueine and I shared the “Gegrilltes Hünchen Sandwich mit Obatzter und Gurken Salat” which is more of a Germany-meets-Northwest type dish than it is traditional. Nonetheless, the baguette sandwich with grilled chicken breast, Obatzter spread, German mustard and apricot chutney was very flavorful. Both Diueine and I were surprised by how complex this sandwich was. It was sweet yet spicy, hearty yet fruity. The dish came with a cucumber salad and it was enough to satisfy the two of us.

Traditional Food. Top left: Jägerschnitzel in Pilzsoße mit Spätzle und RotKohl. Top Right: Wiener Schnitzel mit RotKohl und Pommes Frites. Buttom: Pilze Gefüllt mit Knoblauch und Käse, mit Spätzle und Gemischtem Salat

The bartender messed up on Diueine’s beer order twice giving him the wrong beer two out of the three time. But overall we had a very enjoyable night of entertaining company, good beer and surprisingly tasty food.

Facebook Ad

2010-09-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Here's an ad I saw on Facebook today. While initially it was Palin's face that got my attention, it was the text that bothered me more.

"Sarah Palin's deep, lifelong Christian faith is the bedrock of her politics". And that is exactly what's wrong with so many of the American politicians today - they don't keep their faith and politics separate. Abortion and civil rights wouldn't nearly be as big and controversal of issues if politicians could just set aside their biblical values and look at what would benefit the State. Give me two reasons how abortions and civil rights would hurt the larger public interest. Separation of church and state was put in place for a reason and until the 1970s it was considered the American norm. In the 1960 President Kennedy addressed this issue (after receiving criticism for being Catholic) and he said:

"I believe in an America, where the separation of church and state is absolute--where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote--where no church or church school is granted any funds or political preference and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him."

Kennedy believed in an America "where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials...."

If we were to stay true to those words, it would be inconceivable that any politician would support funding for faith-based social programs that, for example, follow the Catholic hierarchy's and the right-wing Protestant insistence on "abstinence only". Likewise, it would be against the public interest to have churches of great size wealth and power meddling in political issues such as Prop 8 for example.

The issue is that morality is not a political matter! Too bad there isn't a dislike button on Facebook.

Washington state, Finland: Together on cutting edge for women's rights

2010-09-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Both led on votes for women, and a new exhibit at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle opens discussion of modern struggles as well as history.
By Anne-Marije Rook

As Washington celebrates the 100th anniversary of women voting in the state, the Nordic Heritage Museum exhibits a similar story from abroad.

A new exhibit, “100 years of Women’s Voices and Action in Finland,” is currently on display in the Ballard museum paying tribute to Ballard’s Nordic ties and the women that fought for equality.

At the opening on Friday (Sept. 10), Tarja Filatov, deputy speaker in the Finnish Parliament, spoke about the Finnish women’s movement and the history reflected in the exhibition, previously displayed in New York and Washington D.C.

In 1906 Finland became the second country in the world to grant suffrage to women (following New Zealand) and the first to allow women to be elected.

“This was an international breakthrough for women and we are still proud of this decision,” Filatov said. “I believe that Finnish society’s pioneering example has also encouraged other countries.”

In the U.S., it wasn’t until 1920 that the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. But women have held voting rights in this state continuously since the passage of a state constitutional amendment in 1910. During the 1880s, two laws granting women the right to vote were passed in the then-territory of Washington's legislature but both were overturned in court.

Following Filatov’s keynote address, state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles spoke about the women’s movement in the U.S.

“It’s a timely coincidence to celebrate 100 years of women voices in Finland when 100 years ago, in 1910, women gained the right to vote in Washington,” she said. “The fifth state to do so after ‘only’ 72 years of struggle,” she added.

“I’d like to congratulate the women and men of Finland here and abroad for leading in gender equality,” Kohl-Welles said. “We have a long way to go and we can only aspire to be like Finland.”

Finland was recently named “the best country in the world” by Newsweek based on its education, politics, economy, health, and quality of life for its citizens.

“From women’s viewpoint the goals of gender equality could be summarized as economic independence, physical integrity, and the right to self-determination,” Filatov said.

Finland ensures women’s participation in the workforce and interdependence through extensive welfare services. Every child has the right to high-standard public day care, school meals and free education. This makes the classic decision of a career or a family obsolete.

“Education does not depend on the size of the parents’ wallet,” Filatov said. “But is open to everyone. I believe that the opportunity to study and a culture that encourages women to participate in the workforce are strong factors promoting equality.” In fact, Finland has one of the highest rates of women employment in the world.

Women have done well in Finnish politics as well. A woman has been president since 2000, over half the government ministers are women, and there are currently 79 women member of parliament.

“In schools little boys ask if a boy can become president,” Filatov said.

Utilizing a timeline, posters, and pictures the exhibition tells the story of how Finland came to be this leader of equality and the battles Finnish women fought and won.

“Along the way there have been obstacles to equality as well as successes,” Filatov said. “This exhibition tells how obstacles have been overcome in Finland,” Filatov said. “A model that has been successful in one society can never be copied directly in another country, but I believe that it can provide encouragement and ideas to help resolve problems.”

Kohl-Welles agreed. “It’s important to notice what happens in other countries,” she said. “I think girls and women can learn a lot from this exhibit but then so can boys and men.”

The exhibition in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood complements the current “Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes” exhibition at the Museum of History and Industry, according to Janet Rauscher, Chief Curator at the Nordic Heritage Museum. “It’s part of the statewide focus on women’s history,” Rauscher said. “And Finland’s story is a story with a lot of similarities to ours.”

Members of the Finnish Consulate and the Finnish Council of Women as well as members of the Center for Women in Seattle were present at the ceremony and had toured MOHAI prior to the opening ceremony.

Kohl-Welles also talked about the history of women in public office. “What we have in our country and in our state is a growing movement to have women elected,” she said. “Washington is the only state to have women as both (U.S.) senators of the state.”

Leena Ruusuvuori, Director of the National Council of Women in Finland, said she was impressed by the museums and hopes it will inspire thought regarding women’s issues in the U.S. Ruusuvuori said the U.S. has still a long way to go and thinks the solutions lie in education and welfare. “The U.S. has yet to ratify CEDAW (the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) and things like that," she said. "You started so well with the women’s movement, what happened?”

The politicians said that in both the U.S. and Finland, there are still many obstacles on the road to equality. “Equality is not complete,” Filatov said. “The labor market is divided according to sex, women’s average earnings are still smaller than men’s and violence against women is all too common."

“But men’s life is not rosy either,” Filatov added. “Men die younger and become marginalized more easily and their quality of life is poorer than women’s on many counts.”

This is why Filatov and her peers call for gender-based politics.

“It is not aimed at giving women the upper hand. Its aim is not to level down or make everyone conform. In a spirit of tolerance it respects differences among people and values diversity, but not inequality.”

The "100 Years of Women’s Voices and Action in Finland" exhibition will be on display in the Nordic Heritage museum until Nov. 14 The Museum of History and Industry will feature its exhibition until Oct. 3.

From Crosscut.com September 16, 2010.

Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me

2010-09-15T08:14:00.001-07:00

Those of you who know me, know that I have an unhealthy obsession with Sarah Palin. I just cannot get over the fact that she got nominated to be VP in the first place, that she's still around, and worst, that she's gaining in popularity and has a scary amount of influence in this country.

The "Sarah Palin Feminism" and the “new, conservative feminist movement” drive me up the wall. Every feminist blogger out there has commented on this topic in outrage and I have tried not to. I penned my opinions regarding Palin back in September of 2008 and I stand by them today. She is NOT a feminist and her values and political ideals are anything but pro-women.

She utterly frustrates me and I really wish for America’s sake (as well asher own) that she would just disappear - just retire to some cabin in Alaska and live out her life quietly and away from the public eye.

But that is not going to happen any time soon as her daughter is appearing on Dancing with the Stars, the Palins are filming a reality TV show and so is the on-again-off-again son-in-law Levi Johnston. Also, her new favorite mediums seems to be Twitter and Facebook which have become her new soapboxes.

Instead of spouting my anti-Palin sentiments, I want to share with you EMILY's List newest ad taking aim at Palin for calling its supporters radicals.

EMILY's List, the political action committee aimed at electing pro-choice Democratic women to public office, has launched a new ad taking aim at Sarah Palin and her tweets in which she's been calling its supporters a "cackle of rads."

This is the second ad in the "Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me" series. The first features women dressed in bear costumes - playing off Palin's whole "Mama Grizzlies" spiel- stating that Sarah doesn't speak for them. Instead, they advocate for health care, federal funding for schools, and the right "hibernate with whoever we choose." The ad was incredibly popular and even Palin herself responded to the video on Twitter (of course) saying, "Who hijacked term:'feminist'? A cackle of rads who want 2 crucify other women w/whom they disagree on a singular issue; it's ironic (& passé)."

And on her second favorite social soapbox, Facebook, Palin wrote "lying about a sister while wearing an Ewok outfit is no way to honor our foremothers on the eve of the 90th anniversary of their victory. But, that aside, I'd love to know where you got those get-ups. Halloween is just around the corner, and Piper and Trig would look adorable as little grizzly bears."

Here's the video:

Pelosi: The Wicked Witch of the West

2010-09-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

A political ad for John Dennis was released on the Web on Sunday and while entertaining, it’s one of the most ridiculous ads I have seen in a while.

In the video, John Dennis, a Republican California businessman hoping to unseat Nancy Pelosi in her San Francisco congressional district, stars as the hero while Nancy Pelosi is portrayed as the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Wizard of Oz parody was released Sunday and has already gone viral. In the ad, Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow are lamenting the Democratic policies and the current state of the country while a faux Nancy Pelosi starring as the Wicked Witch of the West deceives them.

"I will save you from those evil Republicans," the witch says. "But first $18,000 for my downtown office, and then go into massive debt for Wall Street bailouts, and here are my monkeys (IRS agents) to make you pay for it all."

Then, Dennis comes to the rescue with a bucket of water, throws it over the Pelosi witch who then begins to melt. Yay, Republican saves the day!

"I believe it's time to throw a little water on politicians who do one thing and do another like Nancy Pelosi," Dennis says.

Creative though it may be, I find it wildly sexist as well. You’d never see a male politician portrayed as an evil witch. Not to mention that “witch” is perhaps the oldest insult for a woman out there.

New show on TLC takes a look at a "normal" polygamist family

2010-09-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

TLC started airing a trailer for their new reality show 'Sister Wives' this week. The reality show follows advertising executive Kody Brown and his family of 13 children and three wives as he courts a potential fourth wife.

This show is suppose to show how they're a happy "normal" family. As Kody explains it in the trailer: “I just fell in love. And then I fell in love again. And then I fell in love again."

TLC carefully tiptoes around the P word (polygamy) as well as the M word (Mormon)by referring to the Utah-based family as a "plural family.”

Polygamy, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is a “marriage in which a person may have more than one spouse at the same time. The practice is illegal in the U.S. and in 1879, in Reynolds v. United States, the Supreme Court decided that the First Amendment did not protect polygamy.

Polygamist families however, are still common in the Mormon faith. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon faith is formally known, has practiced polygamy since before the Civil War but banned the practice in 1890 when the federal government threatened to deny statehood to Utah. In Utah polygamy is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The law however, is rarely enforced.

Historians say that Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon faith, took at least two dozen wives. His successor, Brigham Young, had about 20(!).

The largest known U.S. polygamist sect today, is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with an estimated 10,000 followers. The group is led by Warren Jeffs who is charged he was an accomplice to rape for using his authority to order a 14-year-old girl against her wishes to marry and have sex with her 19-year-old cousin.

Watch the trailer:

Happy 90th Anniversary ladies!!!

2010-08-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today in Feminism History:

90 years ago today, on August 18, 1920, the last vote needed to ratify the 19th amendment was received. Happy 90th ladies!

Honor their fight and pledge to vote this November! As a Green Card holder, I can't vote so your vote speaks for me. http://emilyslist.org/action/pledge_to_vote/

17-Month-Old Boy Beaten to Death for "Acting Like a Girl"

2010-08-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

via Huffington Post.

Last Sunday night, a 17-month-old toddler in cardiac arrest was rushed into a Southampton Hospital. Police was called upon discovering that the little boy had endured a brutal beating. He died not much later. The toddler's mother's live-in boyfriend was charged with first degree manslaughter. Apparently, the 20-year old boyfriend had been babysitting and said that the little boy had been too feminine and that he'd been trying to toughen him up.
"I was trying to make him act like a boy instead of a little girl," he said. "I never struck that kid that hard before. A one-time mistake, and I am going to do 20 years."

Read the whole story here.

My Butt is Big

2010-08-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

In 2005, ad agency Wieden & Kennedy, came out with a Nike ad praising big - but firm - butts. It caused quite a stir then but now they're running the same idea again. With a revamped image of a curvaceous athlete, Nike's message is simple: having a big butt is A-Ok.

Given the sizist media climate, glorifying the fit and healthy woman instead of the skinny-size-1-model is a most welcomed change. Being an athletic but curvy woman myself, I think it's a great campaign.

Thoughts?

Rape: a "rite of passage"

2010-07-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm disgusted! I read about the following news story this morning and found myself absolutely appalled by the act of 50-year-old Brent Magarrell of Wenatchee.
First, he attended a girl's Sweet 16 birthday party, which is wrong in and of itself. He then proceeded to feed the girl at least six shots of Vodka. After she was considerably drunk, he started talking about the "rite of passage" that happens when a girl turns 16. (And not the driver's license kind). He had sex with the girl twice that night. When the story came out, the girl was taken to the hospital and Magarrell was arrested.
Magarrell was charged with two felony sex charges and furnishing liquor to a minor.

Sources: The Wenatchee World and Seattle Weekly.

Mid-week Rant

2010-07-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

Mid-week Rant: Shiloh's Gender-Bending Style

I don’t know about you but I’m getting tired of the whole Angelina-dresses-her-daughter-like-a-boy fuzz. Clearly there’s too much celebrity gossip in the news nowadays for me to have even seen this topic come up as often as it has but anyway…

So in recent months, Shiloh, 4, has been photographed sporting a short hair cut and wearing ‘boy’ hats, blazers and even –GASP!- neck ties. Suddenly headlines about this gender-bending style is making headlines and every blogging mom out there starts critiquing Jolie’s parenting. Some even joked that Shiloh's blazer look was inspired by Ellen Degeneres.

So what if she dresses her daughter “too boyish”? What does that mean anyway?

I know I’ve said this many times before but I HATE gender roles, gender-specific toys for children and anything else that impairs a child’s individuality. Shiloh may very well be expressing her own style and preference. She’s surrounded by brothers and may just be inspired by them.

Jolie came to Shiloh's defense in a Reuters article, saying:

“I think she [Shiloh] is fascinating, the choices she is making. And I would never be the kind of parent to force somebody to be something they are not. I think that is just bad parenting... Children should be allowed to express themselves in whatever way they wish without anybody judging them because it is an important part of their growth. Society always has something to learn when it comes to the way we judge each other, label each other. We have far to go."

Plus, short hair and pants are simply more comfortable and practical. At least, that’s what I thought growing up anyway. I grew up with a twin brother and our clothes got swapped from time-to-time. Not that he was wearing dresses, but then again, neither was I. As he started growing faster than I did, I got some of his hand-me-downs. I loved his baggy t-shirts and comfortable shorts. Additionally, my brother loved the colors pink and red and I preferred red. Thus, we’d swap our stuff voluntarily.

And if you look at child fashion in history, you’ll notice that gender-specific clothing didn’t come into fashion until the 20th century. For most of western civilization history, all infants wore dresses. In the 1970s, the US saw another unisex fashion period with the debut of identical-looking pants – jeans, corduroys, etc.
And in many European countries, pink was actually the dominant color for boys, and blue was the popular girls’ color as it’s considered the hue of the Virgin Mary.

There, now let’s embrace the child’s self-expression just like her parents are.

Sarah Palin and her Foreign Policy Manifesto.

2010-07-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

In her manifesto, Palin calls for expanding the nation's naval fleet, eliminating the current withdrawal timetable in Afghanistan, reinforcing unconditional ties with Israel, taking a stronger stance on human rights in countries like Iran and China and embracing "American exceptionalism" and America's position as "the dominant military superpower."

On Obama's Foreign Polcy:
- United States is "unconcerned with human rights and political freedom" and "enemy-centric."

On Obama as president:
- "We have a President, perhaps for the very first time since the founding of our republic, who doesn’t appear to believe that America is the greatest earthly force for good the world has ever known."

Check it out on the Huffington Post.

Curing Lesbianism in the Womb

2010-07-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

It appears that doctors have found a cure to prevent lesbianism: prenatal hormones.

The Bioethics Forum reports that pediatric endocrinologist Maria New of Florida International University is treating pregnant women with an experimental drug to prevent lesbianism.
New and her long-time collaborator, psychologist Heino F. L. Meyer-Bahlburg, of Columbia University, have been tracing evidence for the influence of prenatal androgens in sexual orientation.
They’ve been experimenting with the use of prenatal dexamethasone, a hormone used to treat congenital adrenal hyperplasia, an adrenal condition that can result in intersexuality in girls.

New and Meyer-Bahlburg believe that CAH is also associated with lesbianism and masculinization in girls.

In a paper entitled “Sexual Orientation in Women with Classical or Non-Classical Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia as a Function of Degree of Prenatal Androgen Excess” published in 2008 in Archives of Sexual Behavior, Meyer-Bahlburg and New gather evidence of “a dose-response relationship of androgens with sexual orientation” through a study of women with various forms of CAH.
They specifically point to reasons to believe that it is prenatal androgens that have an impact on the development of sexual orientation. The authors write, "Most women were heterosexual, but the rates of bisexual and homosexual orientation were increased above controls . . . and correlated with the degree of prenatal androgenization.”

They go on to suggest that the work might offer some insight into the influence of prenatal hormones on the development of sexual orientation in general. “That this may apply also to sexual orientation in at least a subgroup of women is suggested by the fact that earlier research has repeatedly shown that about one-third of homosexual women have (modestly) increased levels of androgens.” They “conclude that the findings support a sexual-differentiation perspective involving prenatal androgens on the development of sexual orientation.”

Additionally, the drug isn't just trying to prevent lesbianism , she’s also trying to prevent the births of girls who display an "abnormal" female behaviors such as a disinterest in babies, dolls and maternalism, an interest in men’s professions.

In another paper entitled “What Causes Low Rates of Child-Bearing in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia?” Meyer-Bahlburg writes that “CAH women as a group have a lower interest than controls in getting married and performing the traditional child-care/housewife role. As children, they show an unusually low interest in engaging in maternal play with baby dolls, and their interest in caring for infants, the frequency of daydreams or fantasies of pregnancy and motherhood, or the expressed wish of experiencing pregnancy and having children of their own appear to be relatively low in all age groups.”
In the same article, Meyer-Bahlburg suggests that treatments with prenatal dexamethasone might cause these girls’ behavior to be closer to the expectation of heterosexual norms: “Long term follow-up studies of the behavioral outcome will show whether dexamethasone treatment also prevents the effects of prenatal androgens on brain and behavior.”

New suggests that the prevention of behavioral masculinization is a benefit to parents with whom she speaks about prenatal dex. New suggests that one of the "goals of treatment" of girls with CAH is to turn them into wives and mothers. In a 2001 presentation to the CARES Foundation, New said:

“The challenge here is . . . to see what could be done to restore this baby to the normal female appearance which would be compatible with her parents presenting her as a girl, with her eventually becoming somebody’s wife, and having normal sexual development, and becoming a mother. And she has all the machinery for motherhood, and therefore nothing should stop that, if we can repair her surgically and help her psychologically to continue to grow and develop as a girl.”

So News's miracle drug will create a lesbian- and tomboy-free generation. No more Ellens and Rachel Maddows on our TVs. No more Hillary Clintons and Elena Kagans entering men's professions because all women should want to be someone's wife, pop out babies and do women's work. Sounds like someone has a bad case of the 1950s syndrome...

Also, I should state that dexamethasone is a dangerous drug for pregnant women and children in utero.
It's a steroid that is experimental and risky as there is still too much debate regarding its effects. Earlier this month,Time magazine reported that to date, there has been only one controlled, prospective, long-term trial of prenatal dexamethasone. The results of which only found some "mild behavioral and cognitive deficits" in children. But the study, with just 26 participants, was too small to be definitive. In animal studies, dexamethasone has been shown to cause birth defects.

(thank you Amber for bringing this story to my attention)