Saturday, March 9, 2013

Yesterday, March 8, 2013, International Women’s Day was celebrated around the world. IWD was started in 1857 by a group of New York garment workers who began protesting inhuman treatment and low wages in the city’s sweatshops. The group went on to found the first women’s labor union, Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL). Since the early 1900s, however, people began to view the annual holiday as a unique opportunity to commemorate and celebrate women’s economic, political and social achievements.
In honor of the Spirit of the day, I worked my tail off , between my daytime gig as a manager and my part-time job as a writer and graphics designer. And we do work hard, don’t we Sisters? At 50% of the world’s population, women supply an average of 60% of its labor. There’s always things that need to be done that no one else seems to get to. So you do it. You see something busted, you fix it. You see someone in need of comforting, you give it. You see a cause worthy of saving, you champion it. You see a world in need of peace, you bring it!
Well, because we all worked so hard yesterday, I am unofficially declaring today, Saturday, March 9, International Women’s Day, Supplemental! Starting today Ladies, let’s sit back, lay back or lean on someone else’s back for a change and center our souls, focus our minds and build up our energies, because every day is our day and a woman’s work ain’t never done : ) ♦

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador Antonio Banderas is sending out a strong message to men around the globe to take a stand against violence directed at women. And not to interfere with the message, but men–there is nothing more sexy or endearing than a man who defends a woman against a violent act. Yes— we love and appreciate that. ♦

The social photo app Instagram posted a tribute to four women in honor of IWD, applauding them for their stories of “talent, triumph and humanitarianism.”  The honorees are,
Bethany Hamilton — Known for surviving a shark attack that left her without one arm, she overcame the injury to become a professional surfer.
Yoko Ono — A Japanese artist, peace activist and feminist, also known for her philanthropic contributions to the arts, peace and AIDS outreach programs.
Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas — Making history in the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won gold medals in both the individual and team all-around competitions, becoming the first black woman of any nationality to do so.
Padma Lakshmi — The first internationally successful Indian supermodel, she is now the host of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” an award-winning author of two cookbooks, and the co-founder of a nonprofit organization focused on increasing awareness, education and research about endometriosis. h/t Instagram 
Raising my glass of OJ to you Ladies! ♦

Conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck has been fired from ‘The View’ according to Us Weekly.
Friday, the co-host’s contract was not renewed after market researchers found her political views weren’t going over well with View’s audiences.
“People did not watch the show because of Elisabeth. So they told her yesterday her contract would not be renewed,” –a source from Us Weekly.
I wonder exactly when those researcher’s heads will begin rolling when network exec’s see that it was all about the diversity. Audiences may not have liked Hasselbeck’s views or even her for that matter but differences of opinion surely create a lot more interesting, fiery dialog than a set full of women basically all holding the same opinions about things. I think what’s needed are stronger, more mature,  more diverse independent thinking women on the show. Right now it’s like, and I hate to use such a derogatory term, a henhouse than anything else. ♦

Later pilgrims…