Women's Philanthropy--Women's Issues

WELCOME TO WOMEN'S PHILANTHROPY--WOMEN'S ISSUES

TOTAL COST OF WAR TO THE UNITED STATES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYjBqJJD_wM

 

 
I do not wish women to have power over men;

but over themselves.

   ~~ Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

  

 [To read an entire article, click on the link under post title--if available.]

What is the May Month Meaning?

May is the fifth month of the year on the Gregorian calendar and one of the seven months which contains 31 days. It is the third month within the northern season of spring. The name May comes from the Greek goddess Maya who was the goddess of earth and fertility. Her festival Bona Dea was held in May. According to the Roman poet Ovid, the name of the month may also be linked to the Latin term maiores which means elders.

Mental Health Awareness Month

Stopping the Selling of Girls in Our Own Backyards

Stopping the Selling of Girls in Our Own Backyards.

Today's Paper - The New York Times

Today's Paper - The New York Times

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The top news headlines on current events from Yahoo! News.

Home | AlterNet.

WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL: ‘Join the Bridge’ campaign

 

 

 

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Or-41SlRRw

 

LINKS FOR YOU TO USE

www.womenforwomen.org/bridge

www.facebook.com/womenforwomenuk

www.youtube.com/user/womenforwomenuk

Women for Women International asks that you please take five minutes to complete the petition found at this link:   http://www.womenforwomen.org/bridge/sign-the-pledge.php.

 

We understand that not everyone who wants to come to this event will be able to attend. Therefore we are arranging a virtual bridge in which people will be able to upload the photos to show their support for the bridge campaign. This will be accessible via the website before March 8^th.

15,000 "thank you" messages for Keith Olbermann: Keep it going!

	Thank you for taking action at LeftAction.com!   We'll keep this update short, but the news is so stunning we had to share it.    As many of you know, MSNBC has cancelled "Countdown with Keith Olbermann."  One of the most powerful voices on behalf of the progressive community has been silenced.  Details of why this happened are still sketchy, and rumors abound, but judging from the sudden, shocking nature of it, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this wasn't the most amicable of separations.   We'll dig into this more, and take appropriate action as events unfold. But here's the incredible thing.  We put up a new action the night this happened, asking people to post messages on Left Action, showing their support for Keith. Letting him know we appreciated all the times he stood up for us -- and we were going to stand up for him.  In less than 24 hours, nearly 15,000 messages were posted.   And it's still growing like crazy.     And the messages?  Incredible.  You can read them for yourself on the site. If Keith needed to know that people cared about him, and appreciated all the times he stood up for progressive causes and efforts, well... this sure as heck showed him.  And if MSNBC needed a wake-up call that viewers were not happy about this -- well, that was heard loud and clear.  But we're just getting started. Let's keep this going, and send an even louder message.  If you've already posted something for Keith, thank you.  Please spread the word by forwarding this email, sharing this on Facebook, and posting it on Twitter.  If you've not posted a message, and you'd like to, you can do so by going to Left Action.  Keith stood up for us -- let's stand up for him. P.S. - for those new to Left Action, here's some other ways you can get involved: Check out our other actions, at http://leftaction.com/actions Become a fan of our Facebook page, at http://Facebook.com/LeftAction (this is where we're brainstorming new actions before we launch them)  Follow us on Twitter, at http://Twitter.com/LeftAction  Thanks again. Sincerely, John Hlinko and the Left Action team http://LeftAction.com http://Facebook.com/LeftAction http://Twitter.com/LeftAction (P.S. - You are receiving this email because you took one of our actions or subscribed to our list.  If you did not, or you just don't want to get more emails, please click the "unsubscribe" link below to be immediately removed)
	You have received this email because you took one of o

Soulshaping

Soulshaping.

APOLOGIES TO THE DIVINE FEMININE...

by  Jeff Brown

(from a Warrior in Transition)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XljZf0CVbgY

 

I apologize for my inability to distinguish the benevolent warrior from the heartless warrior, a reflection of my own confusion dealing with the battlefields of yore. When I opened my heart too wide, I was vulnerable to attack from warring factions. I was conditioned to believe that I had to stay rigid, focused, prepared for any eventuality, in the desire to protect myself and others from attack. But I went too far, and closed too tight, and eradicated the bridge between our hearts. I am seeing this now and I am sorry.

I apologize for my perpetual absence, a reflection of my own inner absence, my inability to connect from a heart jammed tight by unresolved emotions that I did not have the tools to work through. I still lack many of these tools, but I am open to their emergence.

I apologize for my inability to distinguish relationship from war. Like a warrior in enemy territory, I would sneak in and out of your life in the night, plundering and selfishly taking what I needed, then crawling back to the other side of the abyss with the spoils. I gave little back for fear that I would become vulnerable to attack. I had war on the brain and I could not see the river of love waiting on the other side of the battlefield. I now recognize that love is the antidote for the armoured warrior, but I could not drink the antidote in my driven state.

I apologize for not seeing you, my eyes blinded by congealed rage and unshed tears. If it is any consolation, and I imagine it is not, I could not see myself either. I saw only that which served my hyper-vigilance, my warrior focus. My mirror was a battlefield.

I apologize for my ungrounded materialism, my power driven tyrannies, my obsession with accumulation. Somehow I imagined that accumulation would protect me and those close to me, but I failed to recognize that it just perpetuated the madness. I also apologize for my egoic abuses, a reflection of my own misguided ego, pumped up to deal with an inherently competitive world. I couldn’t distinguish the healthy, confident ego from the cocky, unhealthy ego. I went much too far in the wrong direction.

I apologize for a sexuality that was objectifying and disconnected from the heart. I know you longed for real intimacy, a merging of our souls along the heart-genital highway. But there were too many defences around my heart, and no bridge could form between our souls. There were moments when your loving ways freed me from my body masks, but I had no template to stand in that heart-fire. I am sorry for this, for I know that the path you longed for was the path to God.

I apologize for my horrifying acts of violence, a reflection of my own congealed rage, my own inability to distinguish real enemies from friends. There are no words that can undo what I have done in those moments of madness. I know this, I do. I would hide my face in shame, but that won’t make things better. I need to own my misdeeds, and then find a way to believe in my capacity to move from a more loving place. I call out to other male warriors to be accountable for the actions of our gender, not in a way that is self-hating, but in a way that is courageously self-honest and genuinely compassionate. The heartfelt warrior acknowledges the error of his ways, and has the courage to do all he can to make amends over time.

I apologize for my inability to develop a conscious relationship. You were right there with your beautiful heart on your sleeve but I was too attached to my individualism and afraid of this unknown terrain. I know the forests, the marketplace and the ways of the outer world so well, but my inner geography is foreign to me. You called me to a place I was ill-prepared to go, although I sensed, below the surface of my bravado, that you called me home.

I am grateful for your willingness to believe that who I was in those rare moments of vulnerability was the real me. You were right- the real me lives inside of my heart- but a few moments now and then was the most I could handle. I saw you as dangerous, for in your presence I began to taste a surrendered way of being. Nonetheless, your faith in my goodness kept me going through many a battle, and restored my faith in life when I most needed it. You were the light at the end of a barbaric tunnel, and I am blessed.

I am grateful that you stuck with me through thick and thin, and I also understand those times you had to give up and let go. I now recognize that there is meaningful difference between a love-ship and a relationship. Love alone is not enough. Without a shared willingness to become conscious, there can only be frustration. I was so often impossible, clinging to my unconsciousness like a soldier clings to his weapons. I recognize the courage it took for you to keep your heart open in the presence of my resistance. You had every right to seek an authentic relationship, as your spirit was ignited in its presence. Your beautiful heart had every right to be met in its openness and willingness. I am grateful for the time you gave me, a moments respite from the hiding places I mistakenly called home.

I am grateful for Grandmother, for no one saw my tenderness more clearly. I am grateful for Mother, for choosing to bring me into being and for nourishing my body until I could find my feet. I am grateful for Mother Earth, for grounding my expansion and enlivening my spirit. I am grateful for the Divine Mother, the real Mother of us all. I now feel her divine presence, so close. Fiercely compassionate, she was always right here, breathing life into me, holding me safe. I sit in her lap as she breathes me.

I look forward to the day when the only thing that ignites relationship is two souls calling out to one another, two soul-hearts beating in the same direction, a whisper of longing that bridges one essence to another. I want to want you not because it gratifies my ego, not because you are outwardly beautiful, but because your very presence invites my Godself out of hiding. I want to touch you with my heart on my sleeve, to know chemistry between us that is not gender identified, but that is essence sourced, loves liquid lava flowing from the heart to the genitals to the great beyond. In this love-struck world, relationship will always be experienced as spiritual practice, a devotional expression of our God-self.

 

I had always believed that sensitivity is impossible to hold to in a harsh world. Yet in this moment, I feel sensitive, but without the fragility. I am still wearing armor but there is a shift in the direction of my intensity. I can linger in the heart-space a little longer than I once could, I am softening in places. After so many lifetimes with weapon in hand, a tenderling warrior is being birthed in the core of my being. He is confused, but he intuitively knows that this is the way home.

Please don’t give up on me or my fellow warriors. Forgive us our misdeeds, or, at the least, be open to the possibility that we will change as the trail expands to meet our shifting intentionality. The day will come when our warrior spirit loses its harsh edge, and comes into alignment with benevolent action. Some of us are already there, and many more of us will follow. The road to transformation is dependent on a bridge between genders, a benevolent bridge that celebrates our differences with respect and kindness. That work must begin with healing the rifts along the gender continuum, working hard to heal the collective heart until one day we can stand on a bridge across forever, hands held together, hearts open and alight, embracing the sacred masculine and divine feminine living at the heart of us all. I will meet you there.

May you feel the love of the Divine Mother crashing down on your heartfelt shores, graciously lifting you up above the madness of the world, nestling you in the grateful arms of those you have nurtured. Those of us who have received your blessings may not always acknowledge it, but your acts of love have landed within us, growing us stronger and infusing us with love’s light. Thank you.

© Jeff Brown, 2010 (www.soulshaping.com)

Tea Party Supporter Chosen to Lead New Hampshire Republicans

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Sat, January 22, 2011 -- 3:44 PM ET
-----

Tea Party Supporter Chosen to Lead New Hampshire Republicans

Jack Kimball, a Tea Party activist who ran for governor of
New Hampshire last year, was selected on Saturday to be the
new chairman of the Republican party in the state. He
defeated Juliana Bergeron, who had the backing of John H.
Sununu, the former governor and departing party chairman.

With the state's first-in-the-nation primary just over a year
away, Mr. Kimball's victory could further strengthen the role
of Tea Party members and possibly influence how presidential
candidates approach the state in the coming months.

Traditionally, party chairmen in New Hampshire remain neutral
in presidential primaries. But Mr. Kimball said recently that
the new party chairman should let presidential candidates
know that New Hampshire Republicans want their party to "get
back to its conservative values and stay there."

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na

Now he's after abortion access - stop Speaker Boehner from taking away our rights

Access to Abortion at Risk Tell your Member of Congress to reject the Smith bill and protect women’s access to abortion. Dear Stephanie, Speaker Boehner’s priorities: #1: Hold a vote to repeal the health care law, which will harm women’s health; #2: Threaten women’s access to health insurance coverage of abortion, even when it is paid for with their own private dollars, which would harm women’s health. Sense a trend? Tell your Member of Congress to stop Speaker Boehner and other anti-choice Members of Congress from threatening women’s health. It’s no coincidence that this week, leading up to anniversary of the landmark Roe v Wade decision, anti-choice Members of Congress introduced the Smith bill (H.R. 3). This bill: Increases taxes on millions of individuals and small businesses that keep the insurance plans they currently have; Attempts to shut down the private market for insurance coverage that includes abortion, even though the coverage is paid for with private funds; Makes dangerous restrictions on abortion coverage permanent; Prevents some rape survivors and women with life-threatening pregnancies from obtaining insurance coverage for abortion. I know — you probably have to read the list above again, but it’s true — Speaker Boehner and other anti-choice Members of Congress have decided to vote on a bill that is this dangerous for women. The truth is, he’s on a roll to make sure that his special interests are taken care of. And his special interests? They don’t have the interests of women’s health in mind. Tell your Member of Congress to oppose the harmful Smith bill (H.R. 3) and protect women’s health. Today, as we celebrate everything that the Roe v Wade decision has meant for women, we also need to remind ourselves that access to abortion is continually threatened, and we must do all we can to protect it. Thank you for helping us protect women’s access to reproductive health services. Sincerely, Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women's Law Center P.S. Want to learn more about how the Smith bill harms women’s health? Check out our new fact sheet.       Share This     Spread the Word   Please forward this email to your friends, family, and co-workers and encourage them to sign up to receive the NWLC Update in their own inboxes.   Check Your Subscription   Are you getting the emails from NWLC that most interest you? Please take a moment to update your subscription preferences.           Did someone forward you this email? Sign up to receive future NWLC e-mails >> View this email on the web >> Privacy Policy >> Unsubscribe >> ® Copyright 2010 National Women’s Law Center 11 Dupont Circle, NW, # 800 Washington, DC 20036 ( phone ) 202. 588. 5180

Book Review - Cinderella Ate My Daughter - By Peggy Orenstein - NYTimes.com

Book Review - Cinderella Ate My Daughter - By Peggy Orenstein - NYTimes.com.

Is Pink Necessary?

By ANNIE MURPHY PAUL

Published: January 21, 2011” So inevitable is this period in the maturation of girls today that it should qualify as an official developmental stage, worthy of an entry in Leach or Brazelton: first crawling, then walking, then the urgent desire to wear something pink and spark­ly. Whether we smile indulgently or roll our eyes at the drifts of tulle and chiffon that begin accumulating in our daughters’ rooms around age 4, participation in these royal rituals has come to seem necessary, even natural.

Evan Hurd/Sygma — Corbis

CINDERELLA ATE MY DAUGHTER

Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture

By Peggy Orenstein

244 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $25.99.

Related

Excerpt: ‘Cinderella Ate My Daughter’ (harpercollins.com)

Yet the princess phase, at least in its current hyper-feminine and highly commercial form, is anything but natural, or so Peggy Orenstein argues in “Cinderella Ate My Daughter.” As she tells the story, in 2000 a Disney executive named Andy Mooney went to check out a “Disney on Ice” show and found himself “surrounded by little girls in princess costumes. Princess costumes that were — horrors! — homemade. How had such a massive branding opportunity been overlooked? The very next day he called together his team and they began working on what would become known in-house as ‘Princess.’ ” Mooney’s revelation yielded a bonanza for the company. There are now more than 26,000 Disney Princess items on the market; in 2009, Princess products generated sales of $4 billion.

Disney didn’t have the tiara market to itself for long. Orenstein takes us on a tour of the princess industrial complex, its practices as coolly calculating as its products are soft and fluffy. She describes a toy fair, held at the Javits

AWID Resource-Net Friday File: January 21, 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011 Quick Links to AWID's Website Paintball Guns and "Islamic" Decrees Police Chechnya's Women   Russian version Subscribe to Resource-Net Friday File Follow us on Facebook & Twitter   AWID FRIDAY FILE   Paintball Guns and "Islamic" Decrees Police Chechnya's Women    AWID speaks with a women's rights activist in Chechnya about the growing use of religious ideology to threaten, control and attack women there  By Lejla Medanhodzic and Masum Momaya                Read more       Read the Russian version of this interview here.   AWID Membership Change doesn't just happen. We collectively make it happen. By becoming a member of AWID, you are joining a movement that seeks to advance the rights of women around the world as you connect with other individuals and organizations that are committed to building our collective voice, power and influence in achieving full equality of women and human rights of all people.   Find out more Resource-Net is brought to you by The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID). AWID is an international, multi-generational, feminist, creative, future-orientated membership organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. AWID's mission is to strengthen the voice, impact and influence of women's rights advocates, organizations and movements internationally to effectively advance the rights of women. You are free to replicate AWID's information in other formats, and use it in your work, provided you give credit to the Association. To contribute to Resource-Net write to contribute@awid.org. Please do not send attachments to this email address.

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