California NOW

My Holiday Favorite: Little Feminist Women

When I was little, my mom read Little Women to me. It was a beautiful hardback book, covered with a sweet drawing of the March family gathered around the piano. I loved the story of those sisters who were much like their mother, living by a moral code that required right actions, right thoughts, kindness, respect for others and self, and making the best decisions possible.

For Christmas my mom gave me the 1994 film staring Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon. I’ve seen this, and the other versions, many times over the year. In fact, I named my clothing line Jo March Designs after my favorite character. Jo has always been one of my role models, the strong, independent sister, who believes in women’s rights and follows her dreams. But it was this year, that I realized what a blatant feminist story this was. I must sound so naïve, but I never realized the entire plot of the story is how Mr. March is fighting in the war, and the March women must fend for themselves and try to maintain the family on a pittance. To keep the families social standing and avoid a life as a domestic servant these bright, educated women instead must rely on clever frugality, as well as on the support of the men in their lives. With four young women in the household the need to marry, and hopefully marry well, is a reoccurring conversation. My heroism Jo instead insists on a world where a woman can love anyone she chooses and support herself instead.

Today, I know so many bright women that embody Jo March. With millions copies sold I wonder how many women were influenced by Louisa May Alcott’s 1968 masterpiece. With Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version, and the all star cast, there will be many more to come.

Most Admired Woman: Hillary Clinton... Most Admired Man: huh?

I thought this was the kind of polling done in high school year books, but apparently, I’m wrong (not the first time). It seems that every year, a poll of about 1,000 people is conducted by USA Today to determine the most admired woman and man. As you can tell by the title of this story, Hillary Clinton was voted “Most Admired”, followed by Oprah, Condoleeza Rice, Angelina Jolie, Laura Bush, Margaret Thatcher, the recently assassinated former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Nancy Pelosi, Maya Angelou and Queen Elizabeth II.

But all credibility of this USA Today/Gallup poll must be questioned considering George W. Bush was voted the most admired man for the sixth year in a row. I guess the guys pictured here would give him a different award.

Hilton Patriarch to Donate 97% of Fortune

First I read that Barron Hilton, son of the international hotel chain’s founder Conrad N Hilton, is following in his father’s footsteps and donating 97% of his wealth to the family foundation, in USA Today. I then clicked to see the other 353 articles on the Google News search, and found that most articles were titled something like Paris Hilton to be Devoid of Fortune or Paris Won’t Get her Hands on Hilton Fortune. We all know that Paris sells newspapers, but come on…it’s not like Paris is suddenly sleeping in a cardboard box.

Let’s give the philanthropist some props here. I love it when rich people share the wealth. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation will receive an immediate $1.2-billion donation, with an estimated $1.1-billion to follow after his death. Hilton’s son Steven M. Hilton, president and chief executive of the organization told reporters “Working to alleviate human suffering around the globe regardless of race, religion or geography, is the mandate of the foundation set by my grandfather…and now reinforced by my father.” Projects have included programs to house the mentally ill, increase access to safe drinking water in Africa and Mexico, and a recent $1.6 million grant to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The foundation also awards the worlds largest humanitarian grant each  year, $1.5 million. This year the recipient, Tostan, is a West African organization that works to educate people with little or no formal schooling and combat female genital mutilation. Sounds good right? Well it did until I checked out the Fund for Sisters which operates under the auspices of the anti-choice Los Angeles Archdiocese to give relatively small grants (no more than 15k) to women's projects around the world.

The remaining 3% of Hilton’s fortunate will be split between the 23 grandchildren. Of course Paris has created her own empire with TV reality shows, movie cameo’s, a hit CD and lots of tv ads. I think Paris will be just fine with her inheritance. What I want to know is what percentage of her empire will she donate? (Hey Paris, CA NOW can use some dough!)

60 Years has not brought Peace

This picture is MK Gandhi with Indira Gandhi, aged 5.  On January 30, 2008 we will mark the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.  He had spent a lifetime working to bring together the Hindus and Muslims in a shared Quit India campaign. 

When plans were being made as to who would rule India when Britain left, Gandhi suggested that the minority group rise to leadership, the Muslims.  Nehru would not hear of it and Jinnah went on to begin a tragic saga in the founding of Pakistan.  I have often wondered what would have happened if Gandhi had convinced the members of the counsel to let the minority rule.

Benazir Bhutto was born 5 years after his assassination.  She attended Radcliffe and Harvard and was a brilliant bridge for women around the world.  We all mourn her death, we mourn human violence and we mourn inequality in every form.  As Gandhi said, "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." 

Benazir Bhutto Killed in Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto, one of the most powerful female heads of state in history, was killed today after years of dodging death threats and self imposed exile. She was assassinated at a rally where 22 others will also killed.

Bhutto was the Muslim world's first female prime leader and Pakistan's first female Prime Minister. She had a deep commitment to equality and to the county's poor and disenfranchised.

Her obituary in the New York Times says Bhutto "often spoke of how her father encouraged her to study the lives of legendary female leaders ranging from Indira Gandhi to Joan of Arc and, as a young woman, closely observed his political maneuvering."

Bhutto was 54.

Her leadership was groundbreaking, and an important moment in history for the women of the world. Now if the U.S. could only have a woman president...

Madre to the Rescue

Feminists have long known that environmental protection is a women’s issue. Here's a shining star in the quest to "green" gender politics (and to gender environmental politics): Madre, the women's human rights organization, has been on the front lines of international discussions about global warming, tirelessly reminding world leaders of the effects climate change will have on the most vulnerable. On one issue in particular, Madre's work has been stellar: the trafficking of women and girls in post-natural disaster recovery.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, explains: "The first ones to reach the disaster scene are not the rescue workers, the police, or the humanitarian aid agencies. The first ones to arrive are the traffickers. They descend within 24 hours and are gone again within 72 hours—just as the aid agencies begin to arrive. The traffickers simply sweep the area, picking up dazed children who are wandering about lost and young women who are frantically searching for their babies. Everyone is desperate to escape the area, so people go with them willingly. Once the women and children—some as young as three or four—realize that these men are not taking them to safety or helping them find their families, it is too late. By then they have been pushed into the most damaging, hazardous, and soul-destroying work there is. Climate disasters are a golden opportunity for this industry."

Of course, women always bear the brunt of any disaster, natural or otherwise, but the greening of gender politics still isn't on the radar of many in the women's movement. Kudos to Madre for telling it like it is!

CANOW Young Feminist VP Lindsey Horvath hangs with Hillary in LA

By Lindsey Horvath, California NOW Young Feminist Vice President

On Monday, December 10, I shook hands with a legendary feminist hero.  At Social in Hollywood, I had the privilege to spend time with Senator Hillary Clinton, who is on the road to becoming the first woman to be elected President of the United States.  Seeing my "NOW Supports Hillary 2008" button, she thanked me for being present that evening, saying that she loves NOW and is excited to see young people taking an interest in politics.  Which caused me to think, "Why wouldn't we be interested?"  Young voters have the most to lose.  We have long futures ahead of us, and the more we take responsibility for our nation's leadership now and vote, the more we can make certain that our futures are full of everything we work hard for in our lifetimes.

I was inspired to hear Hillary speak of healthcare for all and a commitment to affordable education - priorities that have a great impact on the future of this nation.  She talked about how she was not running to be the first female president, but rather because she is the most qualified person for the job, and I could not agree more.  As I watched her interact with her supporters, I was struck by how many people see her as the answer to the mess in which we currently find ourselves as a country, people who were thanking her for standing by her beliefs and offering true leadership to a nation so desperate for it.

And I was most profoundly touched when an elderly woman in a wheelchair shook her hand and said, "I've waited my whole life to see this."  I have, too.  I am committed to a better future for this country, the future of which I heard Hillary speak that evening.  I encourage you to ensure that future, especially for the youngest generations, and vote in the upcoming elections.  It is important for our voices to be heard.

Quiz the Family

If your family is anything like mine, you have bigger problems than deciding fresh or canned cranberries.  Possibly you are not eating turkey this year ~ which is tantamount to starvation for no good reason.  We resolved the entire matter at my family's home; there are two rules: 1) None of the five TVs can have on FOX News and 2) no conversation about anything that might be in a newspaper. 

If on the other hand you want to arrive with all the facts, this is your one stop shopping for info on all the presidential candidates.   As Sun Tzu says, best to know your opposition.  Of course if you really want to risk it all, here is a fun quiz to identify which candidate matches your positions on all the hot topics.  The best part is that they put all the candidates in order of matching. 

Green Your Holiday!

While the holidays bring cheer and laughter to friends, family and loved ones, they are also a time of increased consumption and waste. Did you know that thousands of paper and plastic shopping bags end up in landfills every year? Or that every year, there are 2.65 billion holiday cards sold in the U.S. …that's enough to fill a football stadium field 10 stories high! And think about how much garbage will pile up between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. It is estimated that  we throw away about 25% more trash during this time which equals an additional 5 million tons of garbage! We could reduce this amount if we re-used materials. If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. WOW! My family started a tradition of wrapping gifts in the comics from old newspapers. My mom also loves the smell of fresh pine, but when I told her that approximately 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year, we went for the fake alternative.

Need more ideas on how to reduce waste this holiday season? Here are a few tips from the EPA:

•    Reduce the number of bags thrown out by bringing reusable cloth bags for holiday gift shopping. Tell store clerks you don't need a bag for small or oversized purchases.
•    Send recycled-content greeting cards to reduce the amount of virgin paper used during the holidays. Remember to recycle any paper cards you receive. You can also try sending electronic greeting cards to reduce paper waste.
•    About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run.
•    Turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day. Doing so will not only save energy, but will also help your lights last longer.
•    After the holidays, look for ways to recycle your tree instead of sending it to a landfill. Check with your community solid waste department and find out if they collect and mulch trees. Your town might be able to use chippings from mulched trees for hiking trails and beachfront erosion barriers. To help prevent waste from cutting down and disposing of live trees, you can buy a potted tree and plant it after the holidays.
•    Create and use holiday decorations such as ornaments made from old greeting cards or cookie dough, garlands made from strung popcorn or cranberries, wreaths made from artificial greens and flowers, and potpourri made from kitchen spices such as cinnamon and cloves.

The Grinch Who Stole SCHIP

Representative Diana DeGette put out this video. She is currently the Chief Deputy Whip in the House of Reps and a leading voice in the health care debate in this country. She played a vital role in the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and is the author of legislation to expand stem cell research. In other words: she's an ally, and she knows a grinch when she sees one.