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Post by stepper on Sept 7, 2009 22:04:29 GMT -6
What is it about the moon that we find it so interesting? It is because it's the closest celestial body?
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Post by Siren on Sept 16, 2009 9:26:45 GMT -6
Need a reason to party? It's Mexican Independence Day. www.inside-mexico.com/featureindep.htmMy sis just called and told me to start fasting now, in anticipation of dinner tonight. Jess, my Mexican BIL, wants to celebrate El Grito at Ted's, our favorite Mexican restaurant. Sounds like a plan! And while you're celebrating, drink a toast to Lauren Bacall, who is 85 today. She was only 19 when she made her Hollywood debut in "To Have And Have Not". She says she was so nervous in front of the camera, she dropped her chin to try and hide its trembling, and looked up at the camera - an unknowingly sexy expression which Hollywood dubbed "The Look". When she met her co-star, Humphrey Bogart, it was instant attraction, despite their age difference (he was 45). They were married the following year, and were wed until his death, 12 years later. Gad, I love that movie!
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Post by Phalon on Sept 16, 2009 22:23:31 GMT -6
Ooo, I hope you had a good time (and lots of good food) at the Mexican restaurant tonight, Siren.
One of these days, I'd love for us all to be able to sit down and watch some of your favorite classic old movies together. We'd have to start early in the evening because of course, we'd have to go through a bowl of popcorn while you're explaining the actors and movie trivia to me before the movie even started. More popcorn during the movie, of course, and probably frequent pauses to explain additional trivia tidbits while we're watching. Maybe a discussion afterward. If it's a sad movie, some sniffling and tissue box passing. The moon would be high in the sky by the time we're finished. Even then, maybe the night would not be over, and we'd all have to go out and gaze at its beauty for a short while.
To answer your question, Stepper, I think there are a lot of reasons people find the moon so interesting; many of them because, as you said, it is the closest celestial body. It's always present, even when we can't see it. And when we can it, we see it clearly, unlike the sun which will fry your eyes if you stare into its light. Because it's so close, we can not only see it clearly, but it's gravitational pull has an effect on us, in the same way it affects animals and even plants.
Another reason, I think, is because it appears at night. Things which appear when it's dark outside have always had an hint of mystery and excitement. That once led to strange beliefs and myths, which of course, have since been explained away by science. But that air of mystery still clings in legend and folklore. Not to mention it's just so damned beautiful, who could not help but be entranced by its presence.
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Post by quettalee on Sept 17, 2009 21:22:53 GMT -6
Wow, that was beautiful, sis! Hmmm...I think you should run with that...right on over to Grit!
I also want to add that my first roommate at college (also, my first girlfriend) instilled in me a love of the night and the stars...and the moon. We used to go to the center of the campus courtyard in the wee hours and lie in the grass, on our backs, and watch the night sky. She went on to finish her Parks and Recreation degree and spent the majority of her career working as a park ranger and camp director. I hooked up with her on Facebook after 30 years and now we talk occasionally.
The quote that I have under my avatar at PT's, she taught me in that courtyard. When I found her at FB, that quote was with her profile!
"I've loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night"
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Post by Phalon on Sept 17, 2009 21:31:33 GMT -6
I've always loved that quote, Sis, and it's nice to hear the story behind it.
My Dad was the one who first pointed out the magic in the night sky to me. We'd be camping, and he'd take my brothers and I down to the beach where it was totally dark except for the light from the moon and stars. We'd spread a blanket and all lay staring at the sky, counting shooting stars. There always seemed to be a lot of them, and I used to think it was because the sky contained so many stars that they bumped into one another, like bumper cars, sending one sprawling across the sky.
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Post by quettalee on Sept 17, 2009 21:36:46 GMT -6
I'm still feeling a storyline in there, sis... Hmmm??
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Post by quettalee on Sept 17, 2009 21:38:33 GMT -6
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Post by Phalon on Sept 17, 2009 21:42:41 GMT -6
Maybe, maybe. Got a million things started, but like the stars and moon, the finish seems so far away right now.
Oh, and since we're in this thread, today is Constitution Day.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 19, 2009 22:34:12 GMT -6
So did you "Aarrrr!" at someone you love today? September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It started as an inside joke in 1995 between a couple of friends, (John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur and Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers) who decided the world should talk like pirates for one day out of the year. The "holiday" gained national, and yes, then international attention when they sent a letter to the American syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry in 2002. Hubs told us of the holiday first thing this morning. It was his birthday, so as a gift, I did not make him walk the plank for subjecting me to pirate talk in a really bad accent. Here's a test to see if you can talk like a pirate, or need to study for next year's holiday. (I passed, squeaking by with a 60). www.boston.com/ae/specials/pirate_quiz/
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 19, 2009 22:44:35 GMT -6
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Post by Phalon on Jan 1, 2010 9:24:49 GMT -6
The beginning of a new year; out with the old calendar and in with a fresh, clean not yet written in new one. I bought mine yesterday - one with the artwork of Gustav Baumann, an American artist who specialized in woodcuttings. The replicas of his work in the calendar are gorgeous with lots of bold colors - reds, golds, oranges, and green. It's hanging in my kitchen painted red, golden-yellow, and green; a perfect fit.
Here are the origins behind a few of the traditions associated with New Year's Day:
You've come a long way, Babylonian. New Year's Day is thought to be one of the oldest holidays celebrated, beginning with the ancient Babylonians more than 4,000 years ago.
It was also the Babylonians who started the tradition of New Year's resolutions. They began the year with a clean slate by returning borrowed items.
Using a baby to represent the birth of the new year started in ancient Greece in 600 B.C.
Black-eyed peas & cabbage. Some say the black-eyed pea's lucky streak dates back to the pharaohs. Others say it started in Vicksburg, Virginia, during the Civil War when the town ran out of food while under siege and the inhabitants were lucky enough to discover cow peas (a.k.a., black-eyed peas). Meanwhile, cabbage leaves (a symbol of prosperity) are thought to bring prosperity to those who eat them on New Year's Day.
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Post by stepper on Jan 1, 2010 15:42:32 GMT -6
I got a calendar for Christmas...Snoopy of course. I usually get a small sized kitten calendar too and that didn't happen this year. Guess I'll have to find one myself. I have more than one calendar...in fact...we have more than one up around the house. I usually put one on the garage door - it helps me keep track of what day it is as I'm heading out for work.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 3, 2010 9:20:37 GMT -6
"Snoopy, of course.." - of course! I've got more than one calendar around the house, and Hubs has one in the garage too. I love calendars; I am a Calendar Girl (would you expect differently with these gams? Which reminds me....it's time to get Origi-Gams back up now that the holidays are over). I like all the trivial bits of information found on some calendars...like this bit of trivia:
Sunday was named for the Sun - it was originally called Sun's day.
Monday was named for the Moon - Moon's day.
Tuesday was named after the god Mars; the Anglo-Saxon word for Mars was Tiu or Tiw - Tiw's Day.
Wednesday was Mercury's Day. The Teutonic counterpart god's name was Wotan. Wotan's day.
Thursday was named for the Scandinavian god of thunder and lightning - Thor's Day.
Friday was Frigg's Day, the Scandinavian goddess of love.
Saturday was named for the Roman god of planting and harvest - Saturn's Day.
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Post by stepper on Jan 3, 2010 14:36:45 GMT -6
I use the Snoopy to track the lottery numbers (yes I play some) and it helps me remember holidays. I think I'd forget most of them without the calendar. And I have a desk sized calendar at work. I write all the jobs for the month on that one so I can make adjustments to the schedules. Plus I use the calendar/scheduler in Outlook for meetings and appointments. But when I come home I ignore all that.
Ever pay attention to "Hallmark Holidays"?
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Post by Phalon on Jan 3, 2010 22:07:06 GMT -6
Hallmark Holidays? You mean like Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day, Grandparents' Day, Bosses Day, and the like?
I guess I do...some of them anyway, because I don't actually know which are Hallmark holidays, and which aren't. Valentine's Day, most definitely (Hubs swears this is a Hallmark Holiday). Sweetest Day - sometimes. The rest are give and take; if I'm thinking about someone close to one of these days and they fit into the category of whatever "holiday" it happens to be, then I care enough to send the very best. If it's not on the calendar, definitely not.
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Post by stepper on Jan 5, 2010 0:27:20 GMT -6
I wouldn't have included Valentine's Day, but yes, that's what I meant. "Holidays" which hardly serve any purpose beyond having a reason to send a card. I have to watch out for Sweetest Day. (It actually started out in Cleveland as a day to spread cheer to the less fortunate, but degenerated into a sort of Valentines Day in October.) I was married on Sweetest Day and Steppet pays attention to both days since they don't normally coincide. I have a man's memory for such things so I have to leave myself reminders. I have two reminders in Outlook at work - one a week in advance and one 2 days in advance. It's okay, go ahead and smile - at least I remember. Sort of. I remembered to leave myself reminders. That must count for something.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 5, 2010 8:37:34 GMT -6
Of course, it counts for something....and you get bonus points for leaving yourself reminders!
And I am smiling! My brother was not as conscience of the fact that Sweetest Day falls on a different date each year. The first year he and his (former) wife were going out, her birthday fell on Sweetest Day; she got a bouquet of red roses delivered to the office where she and I both worked.
The following year, talking to him on the phone, I asked what he did for her birthday. Nothing, he said, explaining that it wasn't her birthday yet. "Uhm....yes, it was." "No, no - her birthday is on Sweetest Day." Oh, sh!t, he said after I explained to him that Sweetest Day is a different date every year. No wonder why she's been walking around in a huff!
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Post by Phalon on Mar 1, 2010 8:24:41 GMT -6
March is Women's History Month, celebrating the contributions women made to culture, history, and society.
I thought it'd be kind of fun and interesting to pull from the vast two-minute drill library a bit of information each day about women's accomplishments. Who knows? Some of this stuff might come in handy: 54 Across - Blanche Ames
The March 1st drill produced the name Blanche Ames, an artist and women's rights activist. As an artist, she did everything from oil paintings to political cartoons, but she's probably best known for her drawings of orchids. For over 50 years, Blanche drew thousands of meticulous orchid illustrations to accompany her husband's work in the field. Before the Ames' joint work, very little was known about the flower.
An outspoken feminist, she worked tirelessly for suffrage and was well-known for her witty pro-suffrage political cartoons. She also fought for women's right to use birth control, and was president of the board of the New England Hospital for Women and Children, completely run by a staff of women.
She certainly didn't flush her life down the toilet after middle-age. At the age of 90, she invented and received a patent for the "antipollution toilet". Her daughter said of her mother's productivity throughout her life in her wide range of interests and activities, "For her to have an idea was to act."
Blanche Ames died March 1st, 1969 at the age of 92.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 2, 2010 6:40:22 GMT -6
March 2nd. There didn't seem to be much happening on this date in the world of women; the two-minute drill produced no births or deaths of famous women, or nothing that changed the course of women's history. But with Nancy Drew-like sleuthism, I found an article written on March 2nd, 2004 in the Christian Science Monitor, titled, "Gee, Nancy, you're so smart!"
Nancy Drew taught me the word "sleuth". It's from the series that I also learned what "titian" meant. In a weird "why-do-I-remember-this?" recollection from my childhood, I can specifically remember looking up "titian" in the dictionary in about third grade to find out what hair color Nancy actually had. To this day, if not for Nancy, I probably still wouldn't know the word.
While Nancy Drew did not change the course of women's history, she did open up a world for young girls. The first Nancy Drew book, published in 1930, gave girls a role model who was independent, intelligent, and tenacious. (A whole lot better than Barbie, who is 30 years Nancy's junior.)
Great literature? No. Good reading? Definitely. I loved the series when I was a kid. The Christian Science Monitor article was published when a new, updated Nancy Drew series was to debut from Simon & Schuster, (she can now do two-minute Internet drills to uncover clues!). The article states that there are some that would have the Nancy Drew books taught in classrooms because it gets kids into reading. Others with the opinion that the books aren't fine literature, would pass the series by altogether because there is a higher caliber of reading available for girls. "Beyond Nancy Drew" is the title of one library's girls literature collection.
It is true, of course - I don't think a Nancy Drew book ever won a Newberry or Austen award, but without the titian-haired sleuth, reading for the age-group the books are geared toward, wouldn't be quite as adventureous or mysteriously fun.
And at least one adult wouldn't know that "titian" meant reddish-brown.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 3, 2010 7:27:46 GMT -6
On March 3rd, 1913, five to eight thousand women suffragists paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Capitol building to the White House, where Woodrow Wilson was to be inaugurated as President the following day.
The parade was well-planned - police permits were obtained, and the timing of the march on the day before Wilson's inauguration was set in hopes that it would bring attention to their cause to win a federal suffrage amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
An estimated half a million people lined the street to watch the women - many of them suffrage opponents hurling insults and lighted cigars. Some of the marchers were spat upon, slapped, and beaten as the police did little, if anything, to control the mob. Army troops from nearby Ft. Myers (I was stationed there....though, for those of you thinking I am way old, not in 1913. Just a little side-note) had to be called in to stop the violence.
The beatings the women suffered, and the refusal of the police to step in, led to public outcry, and eventually the ousting of Washington's police chief. The Washington march generated support for the suffragist's cause - a similar parade in New York down Fifth Avenue in May of the same year consisted of 10,000 marchers - one in twenty were men.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 4, 2010 8:19:50 GMT -6
March 4, 2005 – Martha Stewart is released from Camp Cupcake a.k.a. minimum security Federal Prison Camp Alderson. Yes, yes, ignore that adage ‘if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all’, and make fun of Martha; it’s become almost a national pastime. We even had a thread here at one time, speculating what her daily life behind bars was like. Did she knit her own prison uniform, exclaiming “It’s a Good Thing”? Make petits fours for the guards out of prison gruel?
Say what you will, (and I often do) but Martha took ‘A Good Thing’ and turned it into a 'Really, Really, Big Money-Making Good Thing’. What started as a massive renovation project of 1805 farmhouse that she and her (then) husband undertook themselves and a catering business run out of her basement, eventually turned into a multimedia billion dollar business empire, making the ‘stay-at-home’ mom into the third most powerful woman in America. As she said, “I manage to turn something that is as simple as baking bread or planting a tree into my work. It’s very human. It’s real. That’s what people want to see. And so I find I’ve created a universal response.”
And while she’s got a good thing going for herself, she’s also had a strong influence on the way people cook, decorate, and garden by showing the average American that they too, can have dreams of grandeur constructed out of pipe cleaners, antique doilies, and a little super-glue. What Martha does, the public emulates: after she bought white-fleshed peaches in the supermarket, Martha said, "People saw me buy them. In an instant, they were all gone." The non-followers among us bought whatever was on sale at the grocery store. But whether you’re Pro-Martha or Con-Martha, she’s become a household name. (Did Con-Martha use a prison-cell for a weekly call home?)
So today, we should celebrate the five year anniversary of Martha’s release from prison as a Good Thing….or else we’d all be aspiring to wear prison uniforms hand-knitted from the finest virgin wool spun from sheeps-in-wolves’-clothing hand-raised from sacrificial lambs, and dyed prison-orange from the juice of lemons turned to lemonaide and blood squeezed from a turnip.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 4, 2010 18:41:27 GMT -6
If she had been a man, I don't think 'he' would have served any time.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 5, 2010 7:11:53 GMT -6
Interesting, Joxie - why's that? Do the crime; serve the time - isn't that the way it's supposed to work? Actually, when Martha Stewart's name popped up on the March 4 drill, it was in a CNN Money article from that date. The article said that:
"Stewart, 63, could have stayed out of prison, possibly for good, if she had waited until a court ruled on her still-pending appeal. But she said last fall that she wanted to put the nearly three-year-old ordeal behind her, both for her sake and for that of her company, which has been bleeding money because of her legal woes.
"Marketing experts say Stewart's decision to serve her time early was smart because it signaled the beginning of the end of the whole debacle. Her image had been badly tarnished by the investigation and the criminal case that followed."
If she was a he, I wonder if He-Martha's (Marty) stay in prison would have been different than She-Martha's? Given a file and chisel, He-Martha might have looked at them as tools for escape. She-Martha probably would have gathered all the slivers of left-over soap from the prison bath, melded them together, and chiseled a faux-ice sculpture for the prison dining room table.
Marching right along....time for the 5 March drill.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 5, 2010 8:46:41 GMT -6
“Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Patsy Cline.” ~ Johnny Cash in 1962, introducing Patsy at a time when most women in the music business were considered "window dressing" opening acts for the more popular and higher paid men. On March 5th, 1963, singer Patsy Cline died at the height of her career in a private plane crash. She's considered one of the most successful and influential women in 20th century music history, posthumusly becoming the first solo female vocalist to be inducted into the "Country Music Hall of Fame", named number one in the list of "40 Greatest Women in Country Music", and voted number 11 by the music industry in the "100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll", proving her country/pop crossover appeal. Her accomplishments are too great to list here, but she was not only known and remembered for her musical talent, but also for her generosity. She encouraged and helped a number of struggling female artists in Nashville, (including the then unknown Loretta Lynn and Dottie West), by often purchasing their groceries and paying their rent just to enable them to continue pursuing their musical dreams. Singing with that silky-smooth voice she's known for, here's Patsy's first country/pop crossover song, which also gave her her first number 1 hit: "I Fall To Pieces"
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 6, 2010 0:35:20 GMT -6
Yeah. I didn't have a problem with her serving ... if she did the crime. (I'm not saying she didn't. I just didn't keep up with it when it was going on, so I never formed an opinion.) I just figured a man would have been given a slap on the wrist. I wasn't aware she opted to serve the time. I suppose if she waited it out she wouldn't have served time.
I guess that could be because she's a woman. A man would have stuck it out to keep from serving any time. Okay. I guess that's enough male-bashing for the moment.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 6, 2010 9:09:00 GMT -6
It does kind of seem like as if it's not a woman's world sometimes....at least where these two-minute drills for Women's History Month is concerned. Put anything to do with "women's history" into a search, and little comes up except calendars of events taking place in various venues this month. Maybe it's just that March is a slow month in the world of women? But if I change "women" to "people", all kinds of things crop up, and I continue the drill from that point. It's become kind of a game for me to see what combination of words will produce something to post here.
Today, the drill led me to a website with "Quotes from famous people born on March 6", and I found this:
"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” ~ Sarah Caldwell
Who is Sarah Caldwell? Another two-minute drill to find out. So from the Grand Ole Opry and Patsy Cline, we go to the New York City Metropolitan Opera and the world of Sarah Caldwell.
Sarah Caldwell (born March 6, 1924; died March 23, 2006), known as "the first lady of opera", was the first woman to conduct at the Met. Her avant-garde and often baroque productions were considered genius and innovative.
In her operatic prime during the sixties and seventies, she traveled the globe in high demand, but after the novelty of a woman conductor wore off, the eccentricities of her often bizarre behavior and peculiar habits out-shadowed her groundbreaking innovations....at least to those who knew and worked with her. In the eyes of many, she went from a genius to an out-of-control "undisciplined oddball".
As she climbed to fame, her weight climbed to proportions not in tune with her short stature - at over 300 pounds and only 5'3", she could not stand for the long periods of time needed to conduct the operas. Under her formal, long black dress she wore sneakers or moccasins, and conducted from a high seat behind an enclosure blocking her from the audience. Not so fortunate for the orchestra pit, her raised perch gave them a full view of her....she wore no underwear.
Notorious for going over production budget, she was a legendary check-bouncer. After a performance, crew, orchestra, and performers would practically trip over each other, beating a path to the bank before the accounts ran dry.
She also had a habit of closing her eyes when speaking to people. There are a few different theories about why - she suffered from narcolepsy, or took mini-catnaps. Or she simply didn't like a person and tried to ignore him by closing her eyes - evident especially when in the company of more than one person; she'd open her eyes when talking to one person, turn her head and close her eyes when speaking to another.
Genius or oddball? Whichever, but definitely an interesting drill.
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Post by stepper on Mar 6, 2010 23:37:24 GMT -6
“Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Patsy Cline.” ~ Johnny Cash in 1962, introducing Patsy at a time when most women in the music business were considered "window dressing" opening acts for the more popular and higher paid men. Singing with that silky-smooth voice she's known for, here's Patsy's first country/pop crossover song, which also gave her her first number 1 hit: "I Fall To Pieces" I've probably said this before, but as far as I'm concerned you have to be devoid of romance to listen to "Crazy" and not be inspired to dance with your favorite someone. Of course - I'm not a fan of watching someone try to wiggle through a crack in the floor. I prefer to hold on - touch. Isn't that really the point? "
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Post by Phalon on Mar 7, 2010 8:56:34 GMT -6
"Crazy" is one of those songs that sends chills up the back of my neck every time I hear it; Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" does the same. Their voices...just so rich and silky smooth, so magical and haunting at the same time.
Ladies and Gentleman....start your engines!
To find the Woman of the Today, we go to the racetrack. Janet Guthrie (born March 7, 1938) is the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500, earning the Top Rookie title for the Daytona Nascar race.
No slouch to speed or mechanics, Janet graduated with a degree in physics from the University of Michigan, and a was a pilot and flight instructor, and an aerospace engineer.
Her helmet and racing suit now reside in the Smithsonian Institution; she was one of the first athletes inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame, and is also in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
It wasn't easy street being the first woman on the track; initially she suffered a lot of hostility from the male drivers in what is considered a male sport. But as she continued to prove she could compete, attitudes began to change. "There has been a big change in reaction to me. The hostility has cooled down quite a bit. I think the worst is over. The initial reaction to me was one of a lack of respect.....I'm not trying to establish the superiority of one sex over another. I'm a good driver but no superwoman. What I'm trying to emphasize is that a driver is primarily a person, not (just) a man or a woman..."
"It (racing) is a matter of spirit, not strength. It is a matter of doing your best each little moment. There's never a break. You must have desire, a very intense desire to keep going."
Good advice to follow down the road leading you to fulfill whatever is your life's ambition.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 8, 2010 6:55:54 GMT -6
March being Women's History Month is a national celebration, but today, March 8th, is International Women's Day, and is celebrated in countries around the world - recognized as a national holiday in many of them. It started in 1911, and today commemorates 9 decades of the struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.
Different countries celebrate in different ways. In some other countries the original human and political rights theme is recognized; it's a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. In others it's a celebration quite like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day; the focus is on family and friends showing respect, appreciation and love toward the women who've touched their lives.
So for all of the Women of Whoosh, Happy Women's Day!
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 8, 2010 15:59:26 GMT -6
Happy Women's Day!
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