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Wafa Sultan Made It Into The Reader's Digest

Well, since I last wrote about Wafa, she has now managed to go more mainstream and I saw a story on her in the Reader's Digest. Her family now is in hiding due to the number of threats she has received for being a woman with a clear conscience and brave heart. Let's keep hoping that more Muslim women will come forward to tell their stories the way they see them. It's only when greater number of women speak out together that the message can not be killed or hidden away.

Social Networking? Women Created It!

It seems kind of funny that now social networking sites are becoming the hottest thing. In tribal areas women used to gather around the watering hole to collect water and find out the latest news of the day and to network amongst themselves. There's nothing new about social networking! Women invented it. What's new I suppose is that now it is in cyberspace. I kind of think it's funny that these men who you can't get to speak two words to you are all of a sudden cyber-exhibitionists to the entire world! Don't talk about your feelings guys, unless you think no one sees you in cyberspace! That's just silly...

A Single Red Rose Christmas

As in my previous post, Christmas is a dreaded time of year for most single mothers. We hardly look upon this holiday with joy and anticipation. So, imagine my surprise one Christmas when I heard the doorbell ring and walked out to find a single red rose tied to my door knob. There was no card. There was no delivery person to question. It was just a single red rose. It took me years to get the person who sent it to admit what he had done. Even so, it brightened my mood and made me realize that I wasn't alone at Christmas time trying to make the holiday a good one for my kid who would probably be swept away to my ex's anyway, leaving me to celebrate the holiday without the one thing I cherished the most, my daughter. Christmas doesn't really evoke love and joy in the hearts of single mothers. But, that year it was different for me because I realized that someone saw my struggle and in that one flower I felt loved.

So, if you don't know how to help a single mother this year who is struggling through Christmas. Forget about the toys for the kids. She's taken care of that. Instead, leave her a gift basket of flowers or goodies for herself - ANONYMOUSLY. Why? Because it makes her feel like the whole world cares about her and that she's not alone. You can even take advantage of online flower delivery if you feel bashful telling the clerk to make it anonymous. They will deliver the same day for baskets designed in your local floral shops. Whether you are giving a single mother at work or in your family a gift of flowers this Christmas, remember Dot flowers for your bouquet and gift basket needs. You can even combine the flowers with cookies, candies, and treats in a gift basket with their wide assortment of premade gift basket options.

Christmas For The Divorced Single Mother

There's something that retailers need to figure out. They need to realize that Christmas is hellish for divorced single mothers. We're already worked to the bone all year long trying to make a living for our kids with no help from anyone, and then we got to add "important" stuff like putting up a Christmas tree, buying presents we can't afford, and all for naught when our ex's throw fits and entice our children away with ideas of fancy trips or extravagant Christmas' (which by the way they let the new wife handle). I am not the only divorced single mother that thinks Christmas sucks as a holiday.

How about creating a different holiday for divorced singled mothers around Christmas time? Instead of us stuffing turkeys or baking hams, maybe you could go out and buy a meal for a single mother with children. Wouldn't that be a novel thought? Or maybe you could offer her a trip to a spa for God's sake. If Christmas is all about family time, divorce pretty much ruins this holiday unless you remarry. It's all work, no joy, and a bunch of fighting over who gets the kids.

Every Mother Should Get A Medal For Bravery

Mothers, in this patriarchal society, are deemed weak and powerless. We are discriminated against in pay and promotions at work and put on a "Mommie Track," as if being a mother was somehow less than the ultimate sacrifice one makes for others. Even our children don't get why we seem to waste our lives tending to their dribbles and pains, as if we'd only see the light and go and do something for ourselves. How ignoble and cowardly to hide from the world this way!

This story of a mother of five children caught my eye today. The woman saved four of her children from a burning building and then realized one was missing. She immediately turned to go find the missing child without a thought for her own safety. This is the type of bravery all mothers have. But, her kid could only muse to the reporters:

"She was never really that brave before. Before she was always worried about stuff like nutrition and all this boring stuff. Now she was saving our lives.”

Oh, really? Like she wasn't saving each kid's life on a daily basis? What did her son think all that nutrition and boring stuff was all about anyway? Did he think she found it highly entertaining? The truth is most mothers sacrifice their entire lives on a daily basis to the well-being of their children. If this is not bravery, in an age that despises these nurturing qualities, I don't know what is.

Pinching Those Cute Little Baby Cheeks

This post is sponsored by Blogitive.

Let's face it, motherhood is grand. Who doesn't enjoy smothering our kids with love and attention? Sure, they grow up to further worry us sick when they don't tell you where they are, but when they're little babies we can still enjoy the fact that they stay put in a high chair or car seat rather than wandering away. The Nest Baby Shop offers personalized baby gifts for moms, babies, and baby showers. From bibs and blankets to shower invitations and games, this store can put a smile on any woman's face. Visit the Nest Baby Shop online and pick out some gifts for expectant mothers or for your own kids.

No Mail-Order Bride Promotion Here

While I don't consider mail-order brides sexual exploitation of women, others do. See, the thing is my mother was a mail-order bride, if that's what you could call it back then. She was in a pen-pal club to meet American men so she could marry and move to the United States. Isn't that old-fashioned mail order? Is it wrong that women come into the U.S. as mail-order brides if that's what they want?

I think the exploitation comes in when some of these women are promised husbands and instead end being trafficked as servants and prostitutes, but isn't that a whole another thing? The sad truth is that many of these women are desperate to get out of really bad situations in their own country, but there is no guarantee they'll end up in a legitimate mail-order company. Therefore, although I was given a sponsored ad for mail-order brides, I chose not to include it on this blog in deference to readers who might find it offensive on a feminist blog.

However, I still wonder where we draw the line between exploitation and opportunity. Would these women be happy if they no longer had the option to come to America by marrying? It's not for me, but should we judge others that want to take that route? It's a touchy issue considering I wouldn't be here if my own mother hadn't done it.

Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?

Well, I've just spent three hours tracking down my kid. To say I'm peeved is an understatement. My kid is grounded for a month. Why is it that children have no concept of time or how worried their parents get when they don't show up when they are supposed to? So, who else knows my kid didn't come home on time today?

• The neighbors


• All my kid's friend's parents


• The school


• The transportation department


• My ex-husband

The police was next on my list...Sigh. What we parents go through...

The Age Of Cooperation

This post is sponsored by Blogitive.

In our era, captalism and competition have been mainstays. Well, it's time for a new age of cooperation. Some of the tactics used commonly by women in management are now becoming more relevant to businesses. With the fragmentation of the marketplace and many new players brought in by the Internet, these players are starting to band together into cooperative parnerships.

Some advertisers are teaming up with movie studios to put their ads within a movie in real-time. Progressive got Universal Studios Home Entertainment to insert a running tally of the destruction of cars into the recent HD DVD release of "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift." As cars smack into one another in Tokyo (in the movie), a display in a small window keeps track: "Roof repair: $209, taillights: $451, fender: $618. In exchange for this bit of advertising at Universal Studios, Progressive set up a website that links back to the movie. And, of course, we know that advertisers are also putting an add in the context-rich environment of a blog.

Even car insurance companies are also wondering how to team up and cooperate with other companies and ways of doing business to increase their exposure. Carinsurance.com is advertising Progressive's cooperative venture to try to tie into their ability to generate viewers. This seems a bit odd, but when you consider that carinsurance.com includes quotes from Progressive and it does provide the ability to shop for car insurance online, this little bit of name-dropping may actually work. Consumers can receive quotes from many insurance companies from carinsurance.com, in some states you are able to purchase your insurance instantly, online. They claim you don't have to drive your car to buy car insurance (I suppose that's for those of us who have antique collectible Rolls Royce's sitting in our garage).

What Women's Issues Do We Want To Focus On?

So, the Democrats have taken over the House and Senate! Great news for women. Now, is not the time to rest on our laurels. We must be very proactive in getting our agenda forward into Capitol Hill.

Equal pay for equal work is the most defining piece of legislation that needs to be put into place. It's quite outrageous that women are only making 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.

Similarly, issues like affordable daycare, health care, and education are prominent issues that women are interested in. What women's issues would you like to see come forward for legislation next year?

Why Moms Can Still Earn Money At Home

If you want to be a stay at home mom, then that's one choice available to women nowadays. However, the years that you put aside your career for your family are years that permanently damage your earning capacity. Should you divorce or suffer a sudden death of your spouse, will you be able to maintain the same living standard you had when you weren't working? This isn't the only reason to maintain your working skills. Nowadays there are many opportunities for stay-at-home moms to be able to work at home while caring for children due to the Internet. Wouldn't it be nice to add a little money to the monthly coffers while you continue to devote yourself to your children? Some mothers even establish fruitful careers from home and never have to go back to working for someone else again. Think about this option when you decide to be a stay-at-home mom. It provides the perfect supportive framework to establish yourself in an entrepreneurial career from home.

Do you know what careers are available for work-at-home moms? No? Go to WAHM.com and begin your journey of discovery. In todays modern society, a choice for your children doesn't have to mean the death of a career.

Do Women Like The Holidays?

This post is sponsored by Blogitive.

When I was married and the holidays came around, I had to grin and bear it. I really don't like the holidays, particularly Christmas. It's not about the significance of the holiday, it's about the amount of work one has to do to get a household ready for the holidays. There's cooking and decorating and buying presents and wrapping them. I don't know about anyone else, but my husband wasn't a whole lot of help although he wanted his holiday "just so." The holidays are too much work, ladies!

So, what I suggest (which I used to suggest all the time but no one took me up on it) is to make the holidays easier on yourself. Buy a turkey that's already cooked and stuffed. Get your kids to clean the house for you. Oh, and get that lazy husband to pitch in too. If he wants his holiday "just so" then he should pitch in.

I used to love places that sold baskets and tins of candies and goodies online. I just had to pick one out, and voila! Another person crossed off my list. Companies like GourmetGiftBaskets.com have Christmas Gift Baskets which are filled with gourmet products. GourmetGiftBaskets.com claim they make the perfect gift for clients, colleagues, office parties, housewarmings or for any other occasion. They even wrap it in pretty holiday paper or for any theme you request. So, make life easier on yourself and have someone else do the work so you too can enjoy the holidays. And, you may end up having to do a little less cooking too.

Where's the women's group?

Okay, I don't get it. Where's the women's group at my church? They got a men's group, so where's the women's group. Well, no one is available to lead one, is what I'm told. I might just try and lead one. I was beginning to think the church was sexist, up until the choir director substituted the pronoun "she" for "he" when they were singing about God. Hooray! God is both Divine male and Divine female. It's about time I don't have to sing a bloody song that discriminates against me.

Is Erotica For Females And Porn For Males?

Okay, there is a conversation going on about writers of erotica. It seems the moral demoted-majority are upset that women have the nerve to write erotica. How dare they express their sexuality? Don't believe me? Take a look at this msnbc.com news story on underground bloggers in Saudi Arabia. It seems if one of them gets thrown in jail for political rantings, the rest will support them. But if it is Mystique, a female erotica blogger in Saudi Arabia, they're going to decide whether to support her later. Another blogger Gracepub is having writers turn down a chat with a publishing company because one of the company's products is erotica.

What I want to know is, do we do the same with people who publish porn? Erotica is usually written by females and read by females. Do you ever see a man standing on a corner reading an erotic story? No. They want to get straight to the pictures! So, what is it about erotica that is so darn offensive to people? Is it because women are expressing their sexuality?

See, there is nothing wrong with women expressing their sexuality as long as it doesn't pander to the men who want to exploit them. That's where I draw the line. Expressing your sexuality should be about just that. There's nothing wrong with being a woman who has a libido. There is something terribly wrong with selling your sexuality for the sake of male appreciation or money. It implies that a woman's sexuality is not owned by her, but rather is a freebie for all males in the world. Own your sexuality, girls! Don't give it away!

And if you want to really challenge a patriarchy, get rid of the porn and publish the erotica!

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The concept of owning a timeshare which allows one to earn points for custom-sized accommodations at any time of the year and for varying lengths of stay at resorts is a novel concept in the vaction resort arena. Members of a timeshare exchange network can spend points both for resort stays and a wide variety of travel/leisure products including airfare, cruises, accommodations and specialized leisure activities and attractions. And Fairfield has Fairfield more than 70 world-class resorts in 21 states and U.S. territories — representing 9,000-plus timeshare condominiums. One can even use points for group excursions.

How's about scheduling your Women's Club for a group excursion with Fairfield?

Grassroots Women's Political Movements

Tonight on ABC 20/20 with Elizabeth Vargas tomorrow night, Friday, November 10th at 10:00pm. Elizabeth is focusing on motherhood and work. This particular show will feature an interview with Joan Blades, co-founder of MomsRising.

MomsRising is one of the grassroots women's political movements trying to organize and push women's issues in government. Momsrising is working on prohibiting discrimination for working single mothers who often are either not hired or are paid less than other workers for the same work. What other grassroots movements have you heard about? Let us know.

Pimps and Maids: The Story of Britney's Marriage

Who can every forget that "Pimps and Maids" wedding that tied the union of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline? Sure, they were trying to be hip-hop classy, and pimp means to rehabilitate (or something like that). However, as Pop Life also acknowledges, sometimes pimp just means what it always means: to sexually exploit women. Is this divorce going to be messy? Of course. Britney Spears is learning a valuable lesson: Allowing a pimp into your life is a good way to be exploited.

Women need to wake up to this type of classless dude who seeks to charm the pants off of them. Britney is not alone in prostituting herself for the sake of a man, but she is wise enough to figure out that someone had to leak that sex tape. Maybe a pimp did it? It's a sad thing to see a woman exploited, but when she allows it and even welcomes it into her life by selling music where she's practically nude in the music video and beckoning men to just come on over and take what they can get, one might say she did indeed ask for it.

Ladies, if the man leaves his wife while she's pregnant, runs around spending your money, and insists on sexual overtures in public as if you are his sexual property, then you didn't get yourselves a man, you got yourselves a pimp! If later you find you want out of such an arrangement, you will find that it will indeed cost you. If you don't want to be exploited as women, don't pander to men who exploit women. It's that simple.

Women Taking Advantage Of Education More Than Men

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Women have begun to outnumber men in higher education. Whether it is because women see higher education as one of the few paths to success in American business for women or if it is because of gender differences is debateable. One thing is certain, the higher your learning, the higher your earnings. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that over 40 year work span, for every 2.1 million a college graduate makes in a lifetime a graduate degree recipient makes 2.5 million. It seems the biggest jump is between having a college degree and not having one or a doctorate's degree and undergraduate. High school graduates might stand to make 1.2 million in a lifetime and doctorates 3.4 million. Now that there are online universities, there really are few restrictions for getting a higher education.

Capella University is an online university that offers both graduate and undergraduate programs online. Since women tend to have more responsibilities in the home, an online education is perfect for women who work at home or are caretaking children. Capella offers 76 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate specializations. Since it is online, its 16,000 come from all 50 states and 63 countries. Capella University offers so many different degree programs that one of them should be right for you. Make sure whatever university you choose, it has the right accreditation standards for whatever program you choose. Capella University is accredited through The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Single Women: A New Power Demographic

Forget Hispanics and white middle-class men! Single women are proving to be the swing vote in elections. It's estimated in this article that 20 million women did not vote in the 2004 election. However, the same is probably not true of the 2006 midterm elections. With a surge of vengeance, the American public wiped out the majority in both the House and Senate for Republicans. Single women and mothers are beginning to wake up to the power they have in American politics. Are we victims? Hell, no!

So, now that the Democrats are back in power on Capitol Hill some of the issues near and dear to women's hearts are coming back to the forefront: healthcare, education, and yes, security. Women are lionesses in protection of their children and their homeland. Do not mess with a mother protecting her children. It is these innate qualities that all mothers have that should mold politics on Capitol Hill and begin to change the values of competition in our society to cooperation.

These are exciting times to be a woman.

Pelosi, First Female Speaker Of The House

I am extremely excited today to write about the Democratic tsunami that recaptured Capitol Hill. In the wake of this tide, Nancy Pelosi becomes the candidate most likely to become Speaker of the House. This will be the first time a female politician has ever been Speaker of the House and it signals a major victory for women in politics everywhere. In fact, it's been rumored that more women than ever were sent to Capitol Hill during these midterm elections. Could it be that grass roots organizations like Mom's Rising have spurred enough women to stampede the voting booths in favor of female candidates?

It has been noted by demographic election profilers that women have historically not voted as often as men. Single mothers, a rapidly rising demographic in America, have also been lax about voting. Could it be this demographic is finally awakening to its political power? I am very excited to think so.

Remember that when a woman runs a house, she sets her sight on providing a safe and productive environment for her children. When a man runs a house, he's likely to cheat the coffer and make the children work for free. It's time we bought the real morals back to the hill, the values of motherhood. Who better then women who are mothers to promote and uphold these values? It's a paradox to think that men can be good mothers when they will never in their lifetimes hold that particular role. What do you think?

Here is Nancy Pelosi's official website.

Gold and Silver Markets

This post is sponsored by Blogitive.

It's a very curious thing to think that the U.S. may be starting to invest in silver instead of gold. This newest web release from Monex states that the US government had previously depressed silver prices by stockpiling the precious metal and then flooding the market. So, gold shot up instead. Now, however, there is now movement for the US government to buy silver instead of selling. So, why is silver all of a sudden such a good buy? I'm not sure, but there are plenty of countries rich in silver, besides the U.S., that probably think this is a great idea.

In Mexico, for instance, there is still a tradition of having the groom give the bride's family 13 silver coins for the wedding. It's not dowry as much as a promise to turn over all the man's wealth to the bride. So, Mexico has always prized silver, not just for it's monetary value, but also for it's beauty and sentimentality.

What I don't get is, why buy ingots instead of coins? Ingots are just pure bullion in a convenient size and shape, but apparently coins have a currency value. If it were up to me, I'd buy silver coins now. I like gold coins for their beauty and stability as an investment, especially the American eagle gold coins. But, there's something about silver getting it's fifteen minutes of fame too and I think that will be soon.

Monex is a coin dealer who prides itself on having the best US silver coin prices and programs in the silver coin industry. Monex Precious Metals is home to a large and dedicated staff of hard asset professionals. They are committed to serving people with precious metals investment needs and being America's best dealer with a convenient market and competitive precious metals prices.

Where is Herstory?

History is all about men and their accomplishments. Usually, women and gay men have been left out of the history books. Even in this day and age, we have to go digging to find the women who were part of the creation of our present-day society. This is quite shameful, if you ask me. Is it fair that Einstein gets all the credit for the theories he proposed when he, himself, credits them as collaborative work with him and his first wife, Mileva Maric?

MSNBC.com is highlighting women in physics in this article. They talk about Marie Curie and who might be the next female Einstein.

It's sad that the work of truly great women seems shrouded in time. Voltaire, a man who inspired the French Revolution with his literary work, gets more fame that Emilie du Chatelet, his mistress. That's how she is remembered, despite the fact that Emilie translated the Mathematica Principia into French and spurred the dissemination of Newton's ideas across Europe. For that, she only needed to understand high-level mathematics but several languages as well. She is regarded as Mrs. Newton even though she never actually met Newton in her lifetime. However, without her help, Newton's ideas would have taken many more centuries to reach public appeal then they did.

Yes, the women are there in herstory, but will they ever be included in history? Will we ever have a full us-story?

Amma's Take On Women Awakening

Amma is known at the hugging guru, a saintly woman from India who has hugged millions of her devoted followers when they come for darshan. The practice of darshan is to receive the guru's blessing, and sometimes Amma would hug people, other times give them Hershey's kisses, and sometimes fruit. It didn't matter. The message is the same: God's love is overflowing with abundance.

One thing that is particularly dear to Amma's heart is awakening the female energy within this dimension. Even as a spiritual teacher in India, she received criticism for being a woman who practiced some of the sacred rituals previously only male priests did. India still has a culture that worships the male aspects of the Divine while completely ignoring or denigrating the female aspects of Divinity. For this reason, Amma feels our world needs us women to awaken. Without the feminine principle in life, we reap death and destruction. It is only through the female principle that birth and regrowth can occur.

Amma talks about Awakening Universal Motherhood for all people, but in particular for women. We must learn to cherish our femininity and use it to better our world. She talks about the arrogance of the male culture that doesn't even see the miraculousness of many of the women who struggle daily to overcome obstacles in all areas of their lives placed there by structures that were meant to keep them subservient. She talks about how we have the power to overcome any physical obstacles when we plug into our Universal Motherhood.

She is a very powerful role model for all men and women.