Vacation Time!!

Lately, I've been on the verge of losing my mind at work. It has been crazy for the last, lets just say several months, and hasn't slowed down a bit! To top it off I'm actually doing the job of two people, sometimes it feels like more, so it's suffice to say that I'm desperate for some much needed (and I'd like to say deserved) time off and after two years without an actual vacation the time has finally, FINALLY come!

So excuse my virtual absence for a few days while I sit by the beach and sip some cocktails down in Florida. I hope Tropical Storm Danny (he's not a Hurricane yet is he?) doesn't interfere too much! I'll have wifi and my computer so I might pop on by to say hello, but this lady needs some R&R so I'll likely be MIA!

Enjoy your weekends everyone!

Bon Voyage!

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Behind Bars: Life Without Parole

Imagine being sentenced to life in prison without parole at 16-years-old. Your whole life - or what you thought it could of been - flashes before your eyes. That future no longer belongs to you.

Imagine that the circumstances surrounding your imprisonment are completely unjust and down right cruel.

Sara Kruzan doesn't have to imagine this horrific nightmare. For her it is reality.

What happened to Sara? How did she end up in jail? What could she have done to deserve life without parole?

Find out the answers to these questions and learn more about Sara's story at Care2!

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Say It Sister!

To commemorate Women's Equality Day NOW launched a new blog - Say it Sister - "to inform, inspire and instigate feminist activism."

I gave it a quick look and while I'm not crazy about the color choices, it looks like it will be a great new place for feminist minds to gather in the blogosphere to share our thoughts and concerns about this crazy world we live in. I know I'll be checking it out and you never know, it just might get a little space over in my blog roll!

Check out NOW's announcement about the blog below:

NOW Launches Action-Oriented Blog on Women's Equality Day

"These splendid people are hungry, hungry. Oh, for more power to give out the truth!"
— Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1875

The National Organization for Women is proud to celebrate Women's Equality Day this year by launching Say It, Sister! — a new blog designed to inform, inspire and instigate feminist activism.

Women's Equality Day marks the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote. For more than 70 years, the foremothers of feminism campaigned for women's equality at the polls, and they finally achieved victory in 1920.

Nearly a century later, the ballot box remains vital to protecting and advancing women's rights, but the way we educate voters and petition our government has changed dramatically. The Internet has brought us unprecedented organizing power, and there's little doubt that suffragists like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth would have welcomed this tremendous opportunity to amplify their voices and reach out to women across the country and around the globe.

In the tradition of those great feminists, Say It, Sister! will bring women's rights supporters together to motivate and strengthen each other in our mission to end all forms of sex discrimination. The blog will serve as a place where NOW leaders speak their minds, call women and men to action, encourage feedback and facilitate a lively (no doubt) dialogue.

"I am thrilled to launch NOW's blog, Say It, Sister!, on Women's Equality Day," said NOW Action Vice President Erin Matson. "As Elizabeth Cady Stanton said so long ago, there are many hungry people out there. Well, now we have this incredible power to nourish them and point them in the right direction to make change, and that's just what we plan to do!"

The NOW blog is located at www.now.org/blog

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Happy Women's Equality Day!

Better late than never, right?

I completely forgot about today's significance until I got an email from my sister at work wishing me a Happy Women's Equality Day! I got so busy at work that it slipped my mind until now but I couldn't let it go and it's not midnight yet here on the East Coast so I guess I'm coming in right under the wire.

So thank you suffragists for working so hard to guarantee my right to vote. Thanks to your tireless efforts in ensuring the passing of the 19th Amendment, women like me and those across the country have exercised our right to vote for nearly 90 years and this year I cashed in my vote for the first woman candidate for President - Mrs. Hillary Clinton. That is a moment I will never forget.

Speaking of women's suffrage. I came across a movie - Iron Jawed Angels - with Hilary Swank that is a beautiful portrayal of the suffrage movement. I definately recommend checking it out if you haven't already.

Happy Women's Equality Day all!

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Baring it All in Glamour - "Plus-Size" Style

By now you've probably seen or heard of the woman on page 194.

If not let me introduce you.

Meet Lizzi Miller. She's a 20-year-old model who recently graced the glossy pages of Glamour magazine in nothing but a thong – all 180 pounds of her.

I wrote a post about this picture on Care2 that has stirred quite a bit of buzz in the comments section - some points of which I'd like to address here.

First of all, I do not believe that Lizzi is physically plus-sized, but by modeling industry standards she is considered a "plus-size" model. Ridiculous, I know. Maybe we would make more progress in body acceptance if the runways stopped referring to "average" women (like Lizzi) as "plus-size" and started putting them on the runways! For now though I guess a 3-by-3 inch photo hidden in the middle of a magazine is progress (baby steps, very little baby steps).

Secondly, as a size 12-14 Lizzi does represent the "average" American woman. I hate the word "average" but statistically this is true.

Thirdly, at 5 foot 11 and 180 pounds, Lizzi's BMI is slightly (and I mean slighty) overweight. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lizzi's BMI is 25.1 putting her in the overweight category. For her weight and height a BMI of 18.5-24.9 would be considered normal. So tecnically Lizzi is overweight, but seriously she's .2 away.

Lastly, I don't think Lizzi looks overweight or plus-sized or fat. I think she looks beautiful and confident. I wish I had a picture of myself like this and am glad I came across this one because Lizzi has given this lady a newfound love for her belly pooch.

Make sure you check out my article on Care2!

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And the winner is ...

On Sunday night Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009.

During the Q&A portion of the evening Miss Venezuela was asked a question about sexism in the workplace:

Question: In many parts of the world obstacles still exist that impede women from achieving their goals in some corporations?

Answer: "I believe that now a days we women have overcome many obstacles and I do believe that we have reached the same level that men have. We must realize there are no longer any barriers amongst us."

To this answer she received rousing applause and cheers.

I'm sorry what?

There are really no words (except bad ones) so I'll leave it at that.

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Hillary Clinton - Another Fav of Mine!

I know many people have very strong opinions about Hillary Clinton. I do too. It seems that they either love her or hate her. I LOVE her! I think she is a phenomenal woman who champions women's rights around the world tirelessly and for that I am thankful.

She recently returned from an 11-day tour of Africa where she focused largely on bringing women's issues to the forefront of the governments across the continent. Before leaving for her trip she sat down with New York Times to talk about her work on women's issues. Below are my favorite highlights:

"Democracy means nothing if half the people can’t vote, or if their vote doesn’t count, or if their literacy rate is so low that the exercise of their vote is in question."

"I happen to believe that the transformation of women’s roles is the last great impediment to universal progress..."

"... in too many places and too many ways, the oppression of women stands as a stark reminder of how difficult it is to realize people’s full human potential."

"If you look at where we are fighting terrorism, there is a connection to groups that are making a stand against modernity, and that is most evident in their treatment of women."

"President Obama and I and the United States will not tolerate this continuation of wanton, senseless, brutal violence perpetrated against girls and women."

"... so-called women’s issues are stability issues, security issues, equity issues."

Also be sure to check out my post on Care2 about her trip to Africa.

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