November 1, 2009 You're Invited to A Moving Feast - Women's Dinner
Club Sunday, November 1st @ 5pm Please email
if you have a restaurant to propose in your neighborhood. Mary Helen Looper
Meristem Book Club Women!
by Audrey May
Just a reminder that
our initial meetings are scheduled
for next week -- Monday, September
21st @ 7:30 PM (because there is a
Youth Committee meeting in the space
form 6:30 - 7:30) and then
Wednesday, September 23rd @ 7:00 PM
(which will be our usual time). We
will meet in the main space at the
Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community
Center at 892 South Cooper St. Our
meetings will bracket the Autumn
Equinox, and come just after the
Jewish New Year and a new moon -- an
excellent time for turning "a new
page!"
Please bring an open
mind and any books you would like to
share/nominate for our reading list.
All who bring books will have the
the opportunity to convince the rest
of of us that your choice is the one
we should read! Remember, we will
read books that are by women or LGBT
authors. We have not yet made a
decision about types of books to
read (fiction, non-fiction, etc.)
but will definitely discuss that
next week. We will also go over the
ground rules of the group and make a
definite decision re: which Monday
or Wednesday each group will meet.
Our goals for next
week's meetings will be to begin to
get to know one another, decide
meeting dates, decide what types of
books we'll read and decide on at
least the first book. Remember that
it is helpful if the books we choose
are available in paperback, or
easily available in the library so
that participation remains
affordable.
I am excited to tell
you that about 40 women have
expressed interest in being in these
book groups - which is fantastic,
but may mean that we may need to
divide the groups up further so that
every woman has the chance to
participate. We'll see how things go
next week and go from there.
Fortunately, the Center has been
very accomodating -- but new
programs are being developed there
all the time so we need to commit to
our time and get the evenings booked
ASAP.
Because of this
enthusiastic response, I ask you to
to do two additional things:
I'll bring some
snacks but please have dinner before
you come. You can purchase some
bottled water or soda from the
Center at a nominal price if you
like.
I had planned to send
you a list of the books that women
have already suggested to me -- but
I'm a little behind. I'll get it to
you this weekend if I can or, if
not, will have copies for you at the
meetings next week. There are also
some great book blogs and great
online resources for books that fit
our criteria - so I'll bring those,
too.
I'm excited about
beginning our Meristem Book club
adventures together at MGLCC, and
hope you are, too! Questions?
Contact Audrey at
maya3621@gmail.com
Screening Raises Ovarian Cancer
Survival Rates
Two-thirds of ovarian cancer
patients die of this disease, Molly
M. Ginty reports today. During
National Ovarian Cancer Awareness
Month in September, health advocates
are pushing for better screening to
catch the disease while it's still
treatable.
Full story...
For more information:
New York, NY On
Tuesday, June 9, the Museum of American Finance opened Women of Wall
Street, a groundbreaking exhibit showcasing notable women in the world
of finance and Wall Street, both historically and in modern times.
Women of Wall
Street is presented in two segments one historical, the other
contemporary. The historical component features five women: Abigail
Adams, a successful bond speculator; Victoria Woodhull, who opened the
first female-owned brokerage on Wall Street in 1870; Hetty Green, Wall
Streets first female tycoon; Isabel Benham, an accomplished railroad
bond analyst who began her career on Wall Street in 1931; and Muriel
Siebert, the first woman to purchase a seat on the New York Stock
Exchange. The exhibit uses graphics, artifacts and narrative texts to
describe the impact each woman had in the world of finance, and
highlight the personal characteristics that enabled each woman to
succeed in a time when finance was almost exclusively dominated by men.
The second section
is devoted to contemporary women who have reached positions of influence
in the financial industry.
Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Judy Biggert (R-IL), and more
than 50 co-sponsors reintroduced the
Equal Rights Amendment today
(7/21/2009) in the
House of Representatives. The amendment would add the following sentence
to the US Constitution: "Equality of Rights under the law shall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex".
In a press conference this morning, Congresswoman Maloney stated, "Women
have made incredible progress in the past few decades. But laws can
change, government regulations can be weakened, and judicial attitudes
can shift. The only way for women to achieve equality in the United
States is to write it into the Constitution".
Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal said, "Although women in the
United States have made considerable gains in the last 40 years, we are
now lagging behind the rest of the world in closing the gender gap.
According to the World Economic Forum, the US ranks 31st of 128
countries overall, but 76th in educational attainment, 36th in health
and survival, 69th in political empowerment, and 70th for wage equality
for similar work. In the representation of women in our Congress, we
rank 71st. Clearly, the US needs an Equal Rights Amendment to the
Constitution to help women overcome systemic sex discrimination in our
nation".
First introduced by Lucretia Mott in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment
passed through Congress in 1972 but ultimately fell just three states
short of the 38 needed for ratification in 1982.
Other
Feminist National News
