I am infuriated about this atrocious act of hate in #Orlando #Florida and concerned about retaliation and escalation of violence and hate against both the LGBT and Muslim communities. Let me be clear, hate and discrimination against the LGBT community is a common practice of bigots of all faiths, it is not foreign to the… Continue reading Orlando Massacre: Hate, Extremism and Gun Proliferation
Observing and talking to different people the past few days, I could not help this reflection: mothers and parents of girls are more likely to appreciate the historic moment of Hillary Clinton's nomination than mothers/parents of boys. It seems that, mothers in particular, need to be reminded of all the things they were told they… Continue reading Why Hillary’s win is important to girls, women around the world
An amazingly well written piece by hecatedemeter! It so happens that I just read it after I had witnessed the discomfort one man exhibited at the sight of a news report about the historic win Hillary Clinton locked out yesterday.
I mean, he was really disgusted he could not even finish is “Salade Niscoise”. And you would think a sophisticated guy in the 21st century sitting in the OBGYN wait area eating a sophisticated Salade Niscoise would be less offended to see women celebrating the nomination of the 1st woman president to a major world leading economy, and what he and his likes believe it to be the greatest nation on earth.And of course this guy and his likes will be very upset and discomforted at the sight of all these feminists which came out of nowhere celebrating a long due and well earned win.
As my Arab kins would say: yalla ta shouf. Deal with it and be gone!
Here is a great read, for a good cynical laugh about all the bruised feelings of those who cannot be gracious losers, the way we have been for centuries.
“Whistling girls and crowing hens always come to some bad ends,” my grandma used to say, just before she would tell me that while I was a gracious loser (she was right; I am), I was a “very poor winner.” By that, my grandma meant that I loved winning too much and that, when I did win, I wasn’t good at pretending not to care. And, she was right; I do and I’m not; it’s made me a hell of a lawyer. My grandma loved me and she was just trying to prepare me for what she called “the real world.”
One of the almost unconscious (and completely unpaid) jobs that women are doing all the damn time is managing their own behavior in order to manage men’s emotions. We do it so much that we’re often not even aware that we’re doing it. While the Jungian projection is that…
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Watching CNN International one of the political commentators described the Clinton/Sanders race as a battle between #Passion and #Pragmatism! I wonder how could one describe a woman's long journey in public office Pragmatic? It's scaring, it's tough and it takes all the passion in the world to start and finish the race! She's been making… Continue reading Only Passionate women run for president
I am getting ready for an exciting two-month journey with the Eisenhower Fellowships, Women Leaders Program 2015 which will take me to Philadelphia, Washington DC, New York, Boston, Sedona, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Miami. Like my explorer ancestors, I will be touring the US's top local and international organizations, public and UN institutions,… Continue reading Winning the Eisenhower Fellowship, an honor and a responsibility
I really don’t understand the debate about the preference of using the acronyms DAESH over ISIS when they both mean the same thing: Islamic State in Iraq and Sham (Syria). ISIS gives no more legitimacy then DAESH does to this barbaric group which flies the colors of a terrorist state in the making. For God’s… Continue reading DAESH vs ISIS and the ignorance of the West
I said it a few months ago that it will happen soon. The Catholic Church is walking on steady tracks to an inclusive approach toward all its followers and believers. Brave but shy, yet commendable! Keep it up!
Synod news, particularly in regard to lesbian and gay issues, has been fast and furious this week. Here are some articles that you might find of interest:
1. The International Business Timescaptured reactions to the synod’s working paper which affirms lesbian and gay people. The report focuses on comments from Nicholas Coppola, who was dismissed from his parish’s volunteer ministries because he legally married a man in New York state.
2. New Ways Ministry’s Sister Jeannine Gramick is interviewed by Al-Jazeeraabout the Church’s new approach to lesbian and gay people.
3. The Daily Beast’s Barbie Latza Nadeau notes that this synod may have included voices of lay Catholics, but the real question is whether the “men of the cloth are listening.” She comments on several LGBT-related synod events.
4. While the synod was happening in Rome, LGBT Catholics met in Portugal to start the first World Organization of Homosexual…
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Ghazali’s actions are unconstitutional and violate our consecrated right for freedom of expression, freedom of worship and freedom to live anywhere in Lebanon without fearing discrimination. I hope the central government and Minister Mashnouk takes proper actions towards this Mayor who thinks himself above the law. This is not the real image of Tripoli you are portraying! We will not believe you!
It must be tough being from Tripoli lately, or at least tougher than average for the people of a city long forgotten by successive governments, left to its own accord to make do with the little it has.
It wasn’t enough for people from Tripoli to have to deal with the fact that the other Lebanese, quick as they are to judge and believe their views are scripture, believe them all to be undercover members of ISIS or ISIS members to be.
It wasn’t enough as well for those unfazed by the ISIS threat (yet) to deal with the fact that their city has become synonymous with mayhem, sporadic fights, mini wars and hating the Lebanese army. No amount of tweets, Facebook posts or mini gatherings on the street and billboards in support of the army or in condoning the behavior of some of the city’s men would change that…
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While visiting a friend, her very courteous middle-aged male guest stood up to shake my hand and “politely” asked me: Should I call you Demoiselle or Madame? Flashing a big smile, which quickly turned into an expression of confusion and disturbance. I had simply answered him: “You can call me as you like – متل ما بدك”!
Clearly he was not expecting my reply, or should I say he was not expecting to reflect on whether I was a virgin or not!
Sadly that is the new Lebanese/Arab dimension of the words: demoiselle and madame…
Read more on the social pressures on sigle women in Lebanon
bref, I liked it!
enjoy reading it if you have time this summer 🙂
Rita Chemaly
Social pressures on single women fail to acknowledge their economic independence, educational, and professional achievements, or the fact that “late marriage” is the statistical norm.
Her scattered grey hairs seem to render the trick of hiding them beneath colored hair useless. Her eyes have lost their former glow. Her facial lines are “under control” thanks to cosmetics whose container “annoys” her, as it suggests her age. Her stomach is slightly rounded. The fat refuses to burn. She gestures…
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Eliane Fersan 